Ancestors

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith was born at Harwich on 8 December 1821, the fourth of seven children of David Smith and his wife Jerusha. The family's births were written into the Harwich town book together: Bashaba in 1814, Nehemiah in 1817, David in 1819, Stephen, Debbe Downs in 1824, Jerusha in 1827 and James in 1830.

On 10 November 1844 he married Lucy G. Chase, also of Harwich. He was a mariner, like most Harwich men of his time. Their daughter Emily was born at Harwich on 15 November 1853.

In January 1864, at forty-two, Stephen went to war. He enlisted on 5 January and was mustered on 14 January into the 58th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a regiment raised that winter, with many Cape Cod seamen in its ranks. Less than four months later the regiment went into the Wilderness, in Virginia, at the opening of the spring campaign of 1864 under Ulysses S. Grant. On 6 May 1864 Stephen was wounded and missing. The state's roll of its soldiers ends his entry with three words: "no further record."

He was never found. Lucy lived on at Harwich as his widow for twenty-six years, and her gravestone at North Harwich calls her "Lucy, widow of Stephen Smith." Emily, who was ten when he disappeared, married Albertus H. Crowell in 1873 and named her son Stephen.

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Cite: Heirology, "Stephen Smith (1821-1864)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/stephen-smith-1821-1864-6534e4.