Capt. Samuel Smith

A Patriot of the American Revolution for MASSACHUSETTS.   DAR Ancestor # A105738

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Historic Markers in Topsfield, Massachusetts (2005)

The Smith Homestead Home sometime before 1876 when it was torn down Photo Courtesy Alexander L. Baugh The Smith Homestead Home sometime before 1876 when it was torn down Photo Courtesy: Alexander L. Baugh. _____________________________ The Mormon Historic Sites Foundation worked with the Topsfield Historical Society to erect a marker at the Smith Family Homestead and at the Congregational Church. The Smith Homestead was the home of five generations of the Smith family and was the birthplace of Joseph Smith, Sr. father of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Prophet’s ancestors, including Samuel Smith, Asael Smith, and Joseph Smith, Sr. were baptized into the Congregational Church.

Professor Joseph Fielding McConkie, a descendant of Joseph Smith, Sr., spoke the night before the dedication and a portion of the Boston Institute Choir performed.

The verbiage of the marker at the Smith Family Homestead reads as follows:

Smith Homestead

In 1690, Thomas Dorman an early Topsfield resident, built a sturdy New England home on this site. The home was subsequently occupied for many years by four generations of Smiths Samuel I (1666-1748), Samuel II (1714-1785), Asael (1744-1830), and Joseph I (1771-1840). The home and property became known as the Smith Homestead. Samuel II, Topsfield’s representative to the First Provincial Congress in 1774, attained the rank of captain in the Revolutionary War. Asael defended New York’s northern frontier as an enlisted soldier in the Revolution. Joseph I was the father of Joseph Smith Jr., prophet and founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism). The original home was razed between 1870-75. The current home was built in 1876.

This monument is erected in honor of the Smith family of Topsfield whose lives exemplified the political and religious values of a new and emerging nation.

Erected by the Topsfield Historical Society and the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, 2005.

The verbiage of the marker at the Congregational Church reads as follows:

Topsfield Congregational Church

Situated on Topsfield’s Common, three Congregational meetinghouses have provided a place for spiritual communion and worship for over three-hundred years. The first church was built in 1703, the second in 1759, and the present one in 1842.

Five generations of the Robert Smith family of Topsfield were Congregationalists, including: Robert (1626-1693), Samuel I (1666-1748), Samuel II (1714-1785), Asael (1744-1830), and Joseph I (1771-1840). Both Asael and Joseph Smith I were baptized in the second meetinghouse. Like many families in the area, the Smiths were noted for their Revolutionary patriotism and religious devotion. Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844), prophet and founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a descendant of the Topsfield Smiths.

Erected by the Topsfield Historical Society and the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, 2005.

GEDCOM Note

W.G. Davis 1927, The Ancestry of Lieut. Amos Towne 1737-1793 of Arundel (Kennebunkport), Maine, pp. 35 and 37-38. 24 January and 26 January both given as birthdates. Served Topsfield in many capacities and was perhaps its most prominent citizen.

GEDCOM Note