Individual Details
WILLIAM W. SMYTH
(21 May 1809 - 13 May 1887)
The given names of his parents are not known. His mother's maiden name was Murphy. (A woman named Maria Murphy was a witness to his marriage. This might be a sister of his mother). The Smyth and Murphy surnames suggest both English and an Irish background.
These are the names of the brothers and sisters of William, all born in Ireland:
1. Joseph Smyth
2. James Smyth
3. Benjamin Smyth
4. Thomas Smyth
5. Sylvia Smyth
6. Catherine Smyth
7. Susan Smyth
8. Mary Ann Smyth
One of William's brothers, believed to be James, settled in Montreal, Canada.
Little is known of William's early life in Ireland. His family was evidently well educated. William and one of his brothers studied law in college. At that time, college enrollment was limited to the sons of aristocracy or sons of property holders. There was a professor Bear (or Bare) who visited William after he moved to New Brunswick. The professor was related either to William or to his wife, Dora Bateman.
Evidence suggests that William's family were professional men and merchants. Not only was William a Justice of the Peace in Ireland, he also held the title in New Brunswick. William also taught school. In Ireland, he is said to have been a banjo peeler. While in Massachusetts, he worked in the highly skilled trade of shoemaking. He may have learned this trade from his father.
William W. Smyth married Dora Bateman in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. Their marriage license, recorded in their family bible, said the following, "This certifies that the rite of Holy Matrimony was celebrated between William W. Smyth of County Kerry, Ireland and Dora Bateman of County Cork, Ireland, August 12, 1841 at Rathclaven (or Rathclaren) Church by the Honorable and Very Reverend Dean Bernard. Witnesses - William Nian and Maria Murphy."
Dora Bateman was born December 13, 1825 in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. Her father, Charles Bateman, died in an accident before she was born. (His year of death must therefore have been 1825.) He was training horses for the British Army when the one he was riding threw him and killed him. Dora's mother was named Martha Ellis. She brought up the family alone. They lived on family land. Mrs. Bateman had help to care for the work she supervised. She later immigrated from Ireland to te United Stateswith her daughter Dora. From thence, she went to New Brunswick. She died January 20, 1868, age 83. (She was therefore born in 1785.) She is buried in St. George's Anglican Church graveyard in Bathurst, N.B.
It is believed Martha Ellis was a daughter of Edward Ellis, born in 1759, who lived in the Bay Chaleur area near Bathurst. In the book, "Pioneer Settlersin the Bay Chaleur", pg 14, it is stated, "Edward Ellis, born in 1759, a married man with a wife and thirteen children, ten of whom came with him. He petitioned for 200 acres west of Cranberry Brook in 1817. Although his name is not on the grant map, the land he petitioned for is lot number six which was granted in the name of Richard Ellis. Francis, Thomas, Edward, John, Matthew, Robert and Richard are thought to be Edward's sons."
The names of the children, other than Dora, who were born to Charles Bateman and Martha Ellis in Bandon, county Cork, Ireland, are as follows:
1. Charles Bateman. He had land deeded to him Salmon Beach, N.B., Canada in 1851. He is believed to be buried in the Old Anglican Cemetery, Bathurst, where there is a stone that reads, "Charles Bateman d. Mar 18, 1908."
2. George Bateman. Remained in Ireland. Believed to have died young.
3. Esther Bateman. Married John Bateman, Sr. 1822, Diocese of Cork, Ireland. Resided in Bathurst, N.B., Canada. (See notes 1 and 2 below.)
4. Catherine Bateman born 1810. Married John Good 1830, Diocese of Cork, Ireland. Died January 13, 1895 at age 85. Her birth and death records re found in the Old Anglican Church Cemetery in East Bathurst. She resided on the south side of Big River, N.B.
5. Mary Bateman. Married William Holland 1826, Diocese of Cork, Ireland. Resided in Fredericton, N.B., Canada. (See notes 1 and 2 below.)
Note 1. The marriage dates above are taken from Volume 4 of the book, "O'Kiefe, Coshe Mang, Sleve Lougher, and Upper Blackwater, Ireland", by Dr. Eugene Casey, pg 205-207. entries entitled, "Index of marriage 1716-1822 Diocese of Cork and Ross." The actual records, once found in the Public Records Office, Dublin, were burned. The only thing that remains is this index, which gives names and year of marriage only. There is nothing to identify them to family groups.
Note 2. Arthur Bateman, late of Bathurst, N.B., gave the names of all the Bateman family members to Mildred MacLean in 1963. He was then 79 years old. He was one of the last living people who remembered this family and could establish family relationships. He reported Esther Bateman married to John Bateman Sr. The marriage index record, noted above, showed the husbands to be reversed. In this index, there was a Mary Bateman who married a John Bateman in 1830. However, there was only one woman with the surname of Bateman who married a Holland. It is therefore believed that Arthur Bateman confused the two. Presently surviving members of the families concerned concur with this opinion.
Note 3. Dora Bateman's given name appears as Dorathea on the Index record mentioned above. This is the only place where her name appears this way.
The Bateman family was English in origin and proud of its aristocratic name and ancestry. They maintained their ties with England as shown by their strict observance of the Anglican faith in a predominately Catholic Neighborhood. They were also English in their political allegiences. Viscount Bateman was active in Parliament as late as 1797.
The first Bateman came to County Cork after receiving land grant from Charles 1 for aiding in the removal of Cromwell from power. It cannot be proven at this time where Dora Bateman's descent to this individual ties in. It is, however, the origin of the family by that surname in the Bandon area.
The Ellis families living in the area have upsupported claims as to the origin of their name. They say it began with Rhodri Mawr, King of Wales, died 1877. His male ancestry is then traced to Coel Hen Godebog in the firth century. (For information sources on the last two paragraphs, refer to the book "Irish Landed Gentry when Cromwell Came to Ireland", by O'Hart, pages 453 and 587.)
Returning to the account of William and Dora Smyth's lives, William immigrated to Hopkinton, Massachusetts about 1848. There he worked as a shoemaker. Dora and her mother, Mrs. Charles Bateman (Martha Ellis), soon followed. Adding to the family's adjustment to the new land, came the sorrow they experienced upon the death of year old Charles (Benjamin Charles).
It might be wondered why a family of respected name and land possessions would leave their native land of Ireland for an unpredictable future in America. A look at Irish history for that period tells the story. In 1846, Ireland was devistated by a potato famine. The inability to produce a living from the soil was more than a livelihood hardship. It was an end to a way of life. The family probably were attracted by the reports coming from the USA of good fortune. Then they decided they could find a more secure life for themselves, and their then growing family, in the new land.
After five years in Hopkinton, the family moved to the settlement of Tetagouche, near Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. Here they pioneered and became kown as industrious people. They decided to move there after visiting members of the Bateman and Ellis families then living in the area. Undoubtedly, being able to again have close family associations in what led them to settle where they did. Also, the family had always owned land. In New Brunswick, attractive land grants were offered. The land, even through harsh and unsettled, offered more promise for then than the life of a tradespeople.
Land was obtained in one of two ways. (1) Land was auctioned off once a month. The usual price was two shillings and five pence per acre. (2) Land was sold in lots of one hundred acres. It could be paid for by labour or by money payment. If money was paid outright for the land, it was used for road construction and repair. If a person chose to do labour, it was to be worked out by helping develop the roads. Three years was given to complete this work.
It is not known by which method the Smyth's purchased their first land. Since they had some means, it is thought they paid for it. As part of their conditions of settlement, each rate payer was liable to service one of the following offices in the Parish...constable, poundkeeper, fence viewer, parish clerk, overseer of the poor, clerk of the market, assessor or collector of rates, road commissioner, road surveyor or highway, trustee of schools. William served in some kind of clerical position, as he kept meticulous records of numerous transactions. These records are still among his descendants.
Members of the family also have his records which he kept while serving as Justice of the Peace and also records which he kept of personal transactions. All cases which he tried, all petitions he made while acting in the capacity as Justice of the Peace, were carefully noted as to date, parties concerned, what was the problem and how it was settled. His own records showed his intelligent and well organized mind as every debt was carefully catalogued and paid. Each profit was also listed with notes as to how it was aquired and how it might be improved upon. Farm records were also thorough in detail. Likewise, the family bible records, in which he and his wife recorded all the vital records of the family, were exact and accurate. Few families are as blessed as are his descenants to have such a complete records.
Life was not easy in the little populated area of Tetagouche. It took courage, hard work and strong-willed determination to survive. With few supplies available and no modern conveniences, self-reliance, thrift and resourcefulness were necessary character attributes. There were no such words as "can't" or "could'nt" in their vocabularies. What they didn't have, they invented, for necessity was truly the mother of invention. It can thus be understood why William and Dora and all their children showed ingenuity and originality in their work.
William was fortunate to have strong sons who helped him accomplish the work of clearing the land. WilliamJr. was only nine, John was seven when they first began to cut the trees. The Smyths had little experience wielding an axe. However, according to the conditions of the land settlement, they had to cut five of their hundred acres within three years of purchasing it. It can therefore be imagined how the days rang with the sounds of the axe while the nights groaned with smarting blisters and aching muscles. In their young days, two of William and Dora's younger sons, Benjamin and Bernard, worked as lumber jacks in the woods of Maine and Montana. They were skilled tree toppers. The work of their childhood prepared them for these labors.
There were many problems besides the back breaking work involved in clearing the land. History books only tell that the land was cleared. Family members remember their grandparents telling about the mosquitos and blackflies that added to their frustrations. They were claimed to be man eating.
When the land was finally cleared and the first crops of potatoes and wheat were planted and harvested, the family knew joy in seeing the fruition of their hard work. Most of the cleared land had been hoed and harvested by hand as there were no horses or oxen available during the first years. The hard work required in this farming taught the sons of this family to love and respect the land. All of them were successful farmers in their adult years.
The grain harvested for food was ground by hand mills or in a mortar and pestle. Since potatoes were the only other food crop that time permitted them to plant, the game in the forests and the fish in the sea and streams, supplemented their meal tables. Obtaining these provisions made nature a teacher, and she was a hard task maker.
For Dora, the day began before dawn. An affectionate memory is had of her family of her day's start. She claimed it's her privelege and "her due" to be served teas in bed before she arose. This short period of time was the only time she could call her own. After that, there was never an end to the cooking, baking, flour grinding, sewing, spinning, weaving, washing, ironing, soap making, and care of babies and children that required her attention.
According to the division of labor established in the family, William taught their sons and Dora taught their daughters. While the sons were largely self-taught, the daughters all achieved a high school level education. Two of them, Mary Ann and Susannah, went on to teach school. Dora's insistance on educating her daughters is a tribute to the high standards she maintained for her family.
Besides hard work, it took abiding faith to be assured during the many times of stress the family experienced, such as when baby Martha died. Death also came to Thomas, only 15, from a heart condition. From the bible, they gained their chief source of inner strength. Their prayers seldom asked for blessings, but rather, gave thanks for them.
The family was closely knit. They shared not only their hard work, but also their good times. William, it will be remembered, was a banjo peeler. Homespun music was probably in the home. The Smyth men were all known to be good story tellers, and this added to the community living in Tetagouche.
One of the daugthers, Mary Ann (May), said she would die before she would admit to having Irish blood. With a grandmother with the maiden name of Murphy, it is doubtful she could disclaim the Irish. She had but to listen to the Irish legends told by her brothers to know that the Irish "little people" bedeviled their clan.
One such story concerned either William or John. One of them had been visiting friends on a cold winter night. They were telling ghost stories, warming both their blood and their imaginations. On the way home from this ghost story telling night, the brother concerned suddenly saw the ghosts of the little people lighting on either side of his face. Frightened by their actual and very real appearance, he whipped the horse he was riding home at a gallop. He rushed into the house to try and ward off the little pranksters. He told everyone that he had been followed by tiny little ghost people who were on either side of his face. The family began to laugh at him. At first he was upset by their laughter, for the thought surely they could see the little leprachons as easily as he could. Then, within the warmth of the house, the little people began to wilt away before his face. apparently, frost on his whiskers were the "ghosts of little people".
William Smyth administered his family in a strong patriarchal manner. His word was law and there was no questioning it. He believed he was responsible for all his children, even after marriage. althought the daughters were to be taken care of by their husbands, the sons were to remain under his domination until his death. Friction resulted when William left to establish his home. It was later appeased. On his death, only George and Bernard remained at home. John and Ben had left. George was to live on the family homestead and was expected to be responsible and care for his mother. Bernard was expected to remain under his brother's domination with the expection of one cow, which his father granted him in his will. Bernard, like his brothersbefore him, found it necessary to break from this domination. Heleft New Brunswick and went to Montana. Later, he returned for a short visit to make ammends with his brother. Thus was maintained the family unity that had been fostered in all the children since their youth.
William had his life's reward in seeing his virtue of thrift provide good living conditions for his family. He also saw the land become fertile and productive. His children, because of their training in consistant work habits, all lived usefull lives. He died May 13, 1887 at his home in Tetagouche.
On the eve of his death, his son Bernard was sent to get the Anglican minister in Bathurst so as to administer last rites. The minister was engaged at a social gathering and would not come. This so enraged Bernard that he never returned to the anglican faith of his childhood. Nor would he permit his father to be buried in the Anglican Cemetery in Bathurst where the older members of his family were buried. Instead, William W Smyth was buried in the small graveyard behind what was to become the United Church of south Tetagouche.
On the top of william's tombstone are moulded repicas of two bibles placed on top of each other. The signifcant inscription reads as follows:
In memory of W. W. Smyth
died
May 13, 1887
age 78 yrs.
Native of Co. Kerry, Id.
Do I forget, O no,
For memory's golden chain
Shall bind my heart to the heart's below
Till they meet and touch again
- Tombstone Inscription
of William W Smyth
Before Dora joined him in death, she again knew grief when her daughter Sue was killed. Sue and Linda were riding in a sleigh to meet May, who was returning home for Christmas vacation, after teaching school. The horse pulling the sleigh ran away. Both Linda and Sue were thrown, but Sue never took another breath. The Christmas of 1892 had not light for the family that year.
When Dora died at the family homestead in Tetagouche on June 6, 1906, she knew her toil brought her respect from all her family. She had the joy of seeing her children grow to adulthood as Christmas, consistant in their faith.
These are the children of William w Smyth and Dora Bateman. The first number before their name refers to their order of birth. The second number in parenthesis refers to the generation of which the child is a member and his family group number. Thus, George Smyth is the fifth child born of the couple. He is a member of the second generation and has been assigned the family group number of four. By turning to the pages of the second generation and looking for the fourth family group, a history of George Smyth's family and his children may be found. [This numbering system does not apply to Dana Ryder's descendant book]
***Insert Children***
Please note that (#4) Benjamin Charles was referred to as "Charles" while (#10) Benjamin Richard was called "Ben". (#7) Catherine was known as "Kate". (#11) Mary Ann was known as "May". (#12) Bernard Joseph was always called Bernard, but his name appears as Joseph Bernard in the will of his father and some family group records. (#13) Belinda was called "Linda".
Also, please note that Tetagouche is not shown on maps. It is out of Bathurst.
References:
1. Family Bible of WilliamW. Smyth and Dora Bateman in possession of Lionel Smyth, deceased, RR#2, Bathurst, N.B.
2. Family Bible records of William W. Smyth (Jr.) in possession of Miss Hulda Atkinson, 373 Water Street, Chatham, N.B. and Mrs. Mildred MacLean, deceased, Archibald Settlement, via Nash Creek, Restigouche Co., N.B.
3. Family Bible Records of Dora Smyth Smith in possession of Mrs. Edna Grant, 21 F Street, Auburn, Wash.
4. Family Bible Records of Agnes Brown Tweedie, deceased, of Portland, Maine.
5. Family records in possession of Bertha Smyth, deceased, of Corvallis, Montana.
6. Death Records of William, Jr., John, Ben, May, and Bernard obtained from their state or provincial vital statistics departments.
7. Will of William, Sr., #96, pages 203, 204, 205, of the 33rd volume of Records of the County of Gloucester, N.B.
8. Cemetery Records of the United Church of South Tetagouche.
9. Information regarding the parents, brothers and sisters and early home life of William W. Smyth and Dora Bateman given by Bertha Swayze Smyth, deceased, of Corvallis, Montana and Agnes James Twilley, deceased, of Portland, Maine.
These are the names of the brothers and sisters of William, all born in Ireland:
1. Joseph Smyth
2. James Smyth
3. Benjamin Smyth
4. Thomas Smyth
5. Sylvia Smyth
6. Catherine Smyth
7. Susan Smyth
8. Mary Ann Smyth
One of William's brothers, believed to be James, settled in Montreal, Canada.
Little is known of William's early life in Ireland. His family was evidently well educated. William and one of his brothers studied law in college. At that time, college enrollment was limited to the sons of aristocracy or sons of property holders. There was a professor Bear (or Bare) who visited William after he moved to New Brunswick. The professor was related either to William or to his wife, Dora Bateman.
Evidence suggests that William's family were professional men and merchants. Not only was William a Justice of the Peace in Ireland, he also held the title in New Brunswick. William also taught school. In Ireland, he is said to have been a banjo peeler. While in Massachusetts, he worked in the highly skilled trade of shoemaking. He may have learned this trade from his father.
William W. Smyth married Dora Bateman in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. Their marriage license, recorded in their family bible, said the following, "This certifies that the rite of Holy Matrimony was celebrated between William W. Smyth of County Kerry, Ireland and Dora Bateman of County Cork, Ireland, August 12, 1841 at Rathclaven (or Rathclaren) Church by the Honorable and Very Reverend Dean Bernard. Witnesses - William Nian and Maria Murphy."
Dora Bateman was born December 13, 1825 in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. Her father, Charles Bateman, died in an accident before she was born. (His year of death must therefore have been 1825.) He was training horses for the British Army when the one he was riding threw him and killed him. Dora's mother was named Martha Ellis. She brought up the family alone. They lived on family land. Mrs. Bateman had help to care for the work she supervised. She later immigrated from Ireland to te United Stateswith her daughter Dora. From thence, she went to New Brunswick. She died January 20, 1868, age 83. (She was therefore born in 1785.) She is buried in St. George's Anglican Church graveyard in Bathurst, N.B.
It is believed Martha Ellis was a daughter of Edward Ellis, born in 1759, who lived in the Bay Chaleur area near Bathurst. In the book, "Pioneer Settlersin the Bay Chaleur", pg 14, it is stated, "Edward Ellis, born in 1759, a married man with a wife and thirteen children, ten of whom came with him. He petitioned for 200 acres west of Cranberry Brook in 1817. Although his name is not on the grant map, the land he petitioned for is lot number six which was granted in the name of Richard Ellis. Francis, Thomas, Edward, John, Matthew, Robert and Richard are thought to be Edward's sons."
The names of the children, other than Dora, who were born to Charles Bateman and Martha Ellis in Bandon, county Cork, Ireland, are as follows:
1. Charles Bateman. He had land deeded to him Salmon Beach, N.B., Canada in 1851. He is believed to be buried in the Old Anglican Cemetery, Bathurst, where there is a stone that reads, "Charles Bateman d. Mar 18, 1908."
2. George Bateman. Remained in Ireland. Believed to have died young.
3. Esther Bateman. Married John Bateman, Sr. 1822, Diocese of Cork, Ireland. Resided in Bathurst, N.B., Canada. (See notes 1 and 2 below.)
4. Catherine Bateman born 1810. Married John Good 1830, Diocese of Cork, Ireland. Died January 13, 1895 at age 85. Her birth and death records re found in the Old Anglican Church Cemetery in East Bathurst. She resided on the south side of Big River, N.B.
5. Mary Bateman. Married William Holland 1826, Diocese of Cork, Ireland. Resided in Fredericton, N.B., Canada. (See notes 1 and 2 below.)
Note 1. The marriage dates above are taken from Volume 4 of the book, "O'Kiefe, Coshe Mang, Sleve Lougher, and Upper Blackwater, Ireland", by Dr. Eugene Casey, pg 205-207. entries entitled, "Index of marriage 1716-1822 Diocese of Cork and Ross." The actual records, once found in the Public Records Office, Dublin, were burned. The only thing that remains is this index, which gives names and year of marriage only. There is nothing to identify them to family groups.
Note 2. Arthur Bateman, late of Bathurst, N.B., gave the names of all the Bateman family members to Mildred MacLean in 1963. He was then 79 years old. He was one of the last living people who remembered this family and could establish family relationships. He reported Esther Bateman married to John Bateman Sr. The marriage index record, noted above, showed the husbands to be reversed. In this index, there was a Mary Bateman who married a John Bateman in 1830. However, there was only one woman with the surname of Bateman who married a Holland. It is therefore believed that Arthur Bateman confused the two. Presently surviving members of the families concerned concur with this opinion.
Note 3. Dora Bateman's given name appears as Dorathea on the Index record mentioned above. This is the only place where her name appears this way.
The Bateman family was English in origin and proud of its aristocratic name and ancestry. They maintained their ties with England as shown by their strict observance of the Anglican faith in a predominately Catholic Neighborhood. They were also English in their political allegiences. Viscount Bateman was active in Parliament as late as 1797.
The first Bateman came to County Cork after receiving land grant from Charles 1 for aiding in the removal of Cromwell from power. It cannot be proven at this time where Dora Bateman's descent to this individual ties in. It is, however, the origin of the family by that surname in the Bandon area.
The Ellis families living in the area have upsupported claims as to the origin of their name. They say it began with Rhodri Mawr, King of Wales, died 1877. His male ancestry is then traced to Coel Hen Godebog in the firth century. (For information sources on the last two paragraphs, refer to the book "Irish Landed Gentry when Cromwell Came to Ireland", by O'Hart, pages 453 and 587.)
Returning to the account of William and Dora Smyth's lives, William immigrated to Hopkinton, Massachusetts about 1848. There he worked as a shoemaker. Dora and her mother, Mrs. Charles Bateman (Martha Ellis), soon followed. Adding to the family's adjustment to the new land, came the sorrow they experienced upon the death of year old Charles (Benjamin Charles).
It might be wondered why a family of respected name and land possessions would leave their native land of Ireland for an unpredictable future in America. A look at Irish history for that period tells the story. In 1846, Ireland was devistated by a potato famine. The inability to produce a living from the soil was more than a livelihood hardship. It was an end to a way of life. The family probably were attracted by the reports coming from the USA of good fortune. Then they decided they could find a more secure life for themselves, and their then growing family, in the new land.
After five years in Hopkinton, the family moved to the settlement of Tetagouche, near Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. Here they pioneered and became kown as industrious people. They decided to move there after visiting members of the Bateman and Ellis families then living in the area. Undoubtedly, being able to again have close family associations in what led them to settle where they did. Also, the family had always owned land. In New Brunswick, attractive land grants were offered. The land, even through harsh and unsettled, offered more promise for then than the life of a tradespeople.
Land was obtained in one of two ways. (1) Land was auctioned off once a month. The usual price was two shillings and five pence per acre. (2) Land was sold in lots of one hundred acres. It could be paid for by labour or by money payment. If money was paid outright for the land, it was used for road construction and repair. If a person chose to do labour, it was to be worked out by helping develop the roads. Three years was given to complete this work.
It is not known by which method the Smyth's purchased their first land. Since they had some means, it is thought they paid for it. As part of their conditions of settlement, each rate payer was liable to service one of the following offices in the Parish...constable, poundkeeper, fence viewer, parish clerk, overseer of the poor, clerk of the market, assessor or collector of rates, road commissioner, road surveyor or highway, trustee of schools. William served in some kind of clerical position, as he kept meticulous records of numerous transactions. These records are still among his descendants.
Members of the family also have his records which he kept while serving as Justice of the Peace and also records which he kept of personal transactions. All cases which he tried, all petitions he made while acting in the capacity as Justice of the Peace, were carefully noted as to date, parties concerned, what was the problem and how it was settled. His own records showed his intelligent and well organized mind as every debt was carefully catalogued and paid. Each profit was also listed with notes as to how it was aquired and how it might be improved upon. Farm records were also thorough in detail. Likewise, the family bible records, in which he and his wife recorded all the vital records of the family, were exact and accurate. Few families are as blessed as are his descenants to have such a complete records.
Life was not easy in the little populated area of Tetagouche. It took courage, hard work and strong-willed determination to survive. With few supplies available and no modern conveniences, self-reliance, thrift and resourcefulness were necessary character attributes. There were no such words as "can't" or "could'nt" in their vocabularies. What they didn't have, they invented, for necessity was truly the mother of invention. It can thus be understood why William and Dora and all their children showed ingenuity and originality in their work.
William was fortunate to have strong sons who helped him accomplish the work of clearing the land. WilliamJr. was only nine, John was seven when they first began to cut the trees. The Smyths had little experience wielding an axe. However, according to the conditions of the land settlement, they had to cut five of their hundred acres within three years of purchasing it. It can therefore be imagined how the days rang with the sounds of the axe while the nights groaned with smarting blisters and aching muscles. In their young days, two of William and Dora's younger sons, Benjamin and Bernard, worked as lumber jacks in the woods of Maine and Montana. They were skilled tree toppers. The work of their childhood prepared them for these labors.
There were many problems besides the back breaking work involved in clearing the land. History books only tell that the land was cleared. Family members remember their grandparents telling about the mosquitos and blackflies that added to their frustrations. They were claimed to be man eating.
When the land was finally cleared and the first crops of potatoes and wheat were planted and harvested, the family knew joy in seeing the fruition of their hard work. Most of the cleared land had been hoed and harvested by hand as there were no horses or oxen available during the first years. The hard work required in this farming taught the sons of this family to love and respect the land. All of them were successful farmers in their adult years.
The grain harvested for food was ground by hand mills or in a mortar and pestle. Since potatoes were the only other food crop that time permitted them to plant, the game in the forests and the fish in the sea and streams, supplemented their meal tables. Obtaining these provisions made nature a teacher, and she was a hard task maker.
For Dora, the day began before dawn. An affectionate memory is had of her family of her day's start. She claimed it's her privelege and "her due" to be served teas in bed before she arose. This short period of time was the only time she could call her own. After that, there was never an end to the cooking, baking, flour grinding, sewing, spinning, weaving, washing, ironing, soap making, and care of babies and children that required her attention.
According to the division of labor established in the family, William taught their sons and Dora taught their daughters. While the sons were largely self-taught, the daughters all achieved a high school level education. Two of them, Mary Ann and Susannah, went on to teach school. Dora's insistance on educating her daughters is a tribute to the high standards she maintained for her family.
Besides hard work, it took abiding faith to be assured during the many times of stress the family experienced, such as when baby Martha died. Death also came to Thomas, only 15, from a heart condition. From the bible, they gained their chief source of inner strength. Their prayers seldom asked for blessings, but rather, gave thanks for them.
The family was closely knit. They shared not only their hard work, but also their good times. William, it will be remembered, was a banjo peeler. Homespun music was probably in the home. The Smyth men were all known to be good story tellers, and this added to the community living in Tetagouche.
One of the daugthers, Mary Ann (May), said she would die before she would admit to having Irish blood. With a grandmother with the maiden name of Murphy, it is doubtful she could disclaim the Irish. She had but to listen to the Irish legends told by her brothers to know that the Irish "little people" bedeviled their clan.
One such story concerned either William or John. One of them had been visiting friends on a cold winter night. They were telling ghost stories, warming both their blood and their imaginations. On the way home from this ghost story telling night, the brother concerned suddenly saw the ghosts of the little people lighting on either side of his face. Frightened by their actual and very real appearance, he whipped the horse he was riding home at a gallop. He rushed into the house to try and ward off the little pranksters. He told everyone that he had been followed by tiny little ghost people who were on either side of his face. The family began to laugh at him. At first he was upset by their laughter, for the thought surely they could see the little leprachons as easily as he could. Then, within the warmth of the house, the little people began to wilt away before his face. apparently, frost on his whiskers were the "ghosts of little people".
William Smyth administered his family in a strong patriarchal manner. His word was law and there was no questioning it. He believed he was responsible for all his children, even after marriage. althought the daughters were to be taken care of by their husbands, the sons were to remain under his domination until his death. Friction resulted when William left to establish his home. It was later appeased. On his death, only George and Bernard remained at home. John and Ben had left. George was to live on the family homestead and was expected to be responsible and care for his mother. Bernard was expected to remain under his brother's domination with the expection of one cow, which his father granted him in his will. Bernard, like his brothersbefore him, found it necessary to break from this domination. Heleft New Brunswick and went to Montana. Later, he returned for a short visit to make ammends with his brother. Thus was maintained the family unity that had been fostered in all the children since their youth.
William had his life's reward in seeing his virtue of thrift provide good living conditions for his family. He also saw the land become fertile and productive. His children, because of their training in consistant work habits, all lived usefull lives. He died May 13, 1887 at his home in Tetagouche.
On the eve of his death, his son Bernard was sent to get the Anglican minister in Bathurst so as to administer last rites. The minister was engaged at a social gathering and would not come. This so enraged Bernard that he never returned to the anglican faith of his childhood. Nor would he permit his father to be buried in the Anglican Cemetery in Bathurst where the older members of his family were buried. Instead, William W Smyth was buried in the small graveyard behind what was to become the United Church of south Tetagouche.
On the top of william's tombstone are moulded repicas of two bibles placed on top of each other. The signifcant inscription reads as follows:
In memory of W. W. Smyth
died
May 13, 1887
age 78 yrs.
Native of Co. Kerry, Id.
Do I forget, O no,
For memory's golden chain
Shall bind my heart to the heart's below
Till they meet and touch again
- Tombstone Inscription
of William W Smyth
Before Dora joined him in death, she again knew grief when her daughter Sue was killed. Sue and Linda were riding in a sleigh to meet May, who was returning home for Christmas vacation, after teaching school. The horse pulling the sleigh ran away. Both Linda and Sue were thrown, but Sue never took another breath. The Christmas of 1892 had not light for the family that year.
When Dora died at the family homestead in Tetagouche on June 6, 1906, she knew her toil brought her respect from all her family. She had the joy of seeing her children grow to adulthood as Christmas, consistant in their faith.
These are the children of William w Smyth and Dora Bateman. The first number before their name refers to their order of birth. The second number in parenthesis refers to the generation of which the child is a member and his family group number. Thus, George Smyth is the fifth child born of the couple. He is a member of the second generation and has been assigned the family group number of four. By turning to the pages of the second generation and looking for the fourth family group, a history of George Smyth's family and his children may be found. [This numbering system does not apply to Dana Ryder's descendant book]
***Insert Children***
Please note that (#4) Benjamin Charles was referred to as "Charles" while (#10) Benjamin Richard was called "Ben". (#7) Catherine was known as "Kate". (#11) Mary Ann was known as "May". (#12) Bernard Joseph was always called Bernard, but his name appears as Joseph Bernard in the will of his father and some family group records. (#13) Belinda was called "Linda".
Also, please note that Tetagouche is not shown on maps. It is out of Bathurst.
References:
1. Family Bible of WilliamW. Smyth and Dora Bateman in possession of Lionel Smyth, deceased, RR#2, Bathurst, N.B.
2. Family Bible records of William W. Smyth (Jr.) in possession of Miss Hulda Atkinson, 373 Water Street, Chatham, N.B. and Mrs. Mildred MacLean, deceased, Archibald Settlement, via Nash Creek, Restigouche Co., N.B.
3. Family Bible Records of Dora Smyth Smith in possession of Mrs. Edna Grant, 21 F Street, Auburn, Wash.
4. Family Bible Records of Agnes Brown Tweedie, deceased, of Portland, Maine.
5. Family records in possession of Bertha Smyth, deceased, of Corvallis, Montana.
6. Death Records of William, Jr., John, Ben, May, and Bernard obtained from their state or provincial vital statistics departments.
7. Will of William, Sr., #96, pages 203, 204, 205, of the 33rd volume of Records of the County of Gloucester, N.B.
8. Cemetery Records of the United Church of South Tetagouche.
9. Information regarding the parents, brothers and sisters and early home life of William W. Smyth and Dora Bateman given by Bertha Swayze Smyth, deceased, of Corvallis, Montana and Agnes James Twilley, deceased, of Portland, Maine.
Events
| Birth | 21 May 1809 | Tralee, Kerry County, Ireland |  | ||
| Marriage | 12 Aug 1841 | Rathclaven Church, Bandon, Cork County, Ireland - DORA BATEMAN | | ||
| Death | 13 May 1887 | South Tetagouche, Gloucester County, New Brunswick | |
Families
| Spouse | DORA BATEMAN (1825 - 1906) |
| Child | WILLIAM W. SMYTH , JR. ( - 1931) |
| Child | JOHN BATEMAN SMYTH (1846 - 1924) |
| Child | THOMAS SMYTH ( - 1863) |
| Child | BENJAMIN CHARLES SMYTH (1850 - ) |
| Child | GEORGE SMYTH (1852 - 1914) |
| Child | SUSANNAH SMYTH (1854 - 1892) |
| Child | CATHERINE ELIZABETH SMYTH (1856 - 1930) |
| Child | DORA SMYTH (1858 - 1945) |
| Child | MARTHA SMYTH (1860 - 1861) |
| Child | BENJAMIN RICHARD SMYTH (1863 - 1935) |
| Child | MARY ANN SMYTH (1865 - 1935) |
| Child | BERNARD JOSEPH SMYTH (1867 - 1946) |
| Child | BELINDA ESTHER "LINDA" SMYTH (1869 - 1955) |
Endnotes
1. HILLOCK/WISHNESKI GENEALOGICAL FILES.
2. HILLOCK/WISHNESKI GENEALOGICAL FILES.
3. HILLOCK/WISHNESKI GENEALOGICAL FILES.