Eleazer Smith: A Biographical Sketch (1755-1836) Inventor

Title: Eleazar Smith biographical sketch. Creator: Dickinson, Thomas A. Typed in Lawrence, Massachusetts while he was at Steelman & Fuller.

Inclusive dates: 1881

Abstract:The Eleazar Smith biographical sketch is Thomas A. Dickinson's 1881 transcription of Smith's memoir, originally written in 1828. Smith described his experiences as a militiaman during the Revolutionary War, as well as his work as an inventor and machinist in Medfield and Walpole, Massachusetts. Eleazar Smith was born in Medfield, Massachusetts, on April 1, 1755. He had little to no formal education and made a living creating and repairing clocks and other machines, such as devices for making pins and nails, and for setting card teeth. In the summer of 1776, he enlisted in the Medfield militia. He was initially stationed at Ticonderoga, New York, where he was court-martialed on suspicion of counterfeiting currency in the fall of 1776; he later participated in a march to Rhode Island, where he deserted in October 1777. Smith married Molly Drury and moved to Walpole, Massachusetts, where he died on March 7, 1836. The first page is the title page in Script with the title: Eleazer Smith: Copy of his Diary, gift of Miss Dickinson. The first typed page consist of Dickinson's introduction to the manuscript, including a history of the original document and the date and place of Dickinson's transcription. A paper laid into these pages describes one of Smith's clocks, which ran until at least 1883. Pages 3-50 contain the transcription; the original manuscript's first 2 pages, lost prior to 1881, are not copied. Smith's biography consists of reminiscences and stories about his professional life, but he also discussed his finances and business relationships with men in Medfield, Walpole, and Boston. He frequently commented on his lifelong affinity for the clocks and other machinery that he repaired and made, and the memoir includes a detailed description of a nail-making machine he created. A description of Smith's time in a militia regiment during the Revolution, including his imprisonment on suspicion of counterfeiting and his decision to desert. Smith also talks about the visit to Boston by General Washington and a visit to the mill where he was working and building machines. Washington expressed an interest in his machines. The biographical sketch is followed by a poem about "General Smith," thought to include contributions by Eleazar Smith; brief notes about Mrs. Adams of Medfield, Massachusetts, one of Eleazar Smith's neighbors, and a card tooth machine; and a copy of Eleazar Smith's epitaph from his grave at the Walpole Rural Cemetery.

8vo, single sheet typed on watermarked, deckled paper. front cover loose, bound with brass circular rings. Some staining to the cover with loss of paper at edges. Interior lightly toned but clean. Typed and edited with corrections. This copy is shorter than the copy described at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan which shows 54 pages but all content is present. Each one would have been typed individually, thereby making each copy unique, depending upon typewriter setup.