James Smith

When I was writing my master's degree final project, I had the opportunity to visit the homes and/or the gravesites of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Some of the homes were no longer standing and only a historical marker showed where they once stood. It was then that I would journey to their final resting spot and to say it was interesting would underestimate the significance of each location. Many times, it was awe inspiring to see the grave and how it was preserved. Such was the case of James Smith.

Neither Smith's home nor his law office is standing and unfortunately, the law office which burned in 1805 housed many of his personal papers that would have given us an insight into his personal and work life along with his thoughts on the historical events that he actively engaged in.

James Smith's background might surprise some people today. He was an Irish immigrant who was the second son of well to do farmers. They immigrated to Chester County Pennsylvania in 1729 when Smith was between 9 and 16 years of age. Since there is no record of his actual birth year, some historians have estimated it to be between 1715 and 1720, but evidence also shows it could have been as early as 1713. Ironically, he would never confirm his age during his lifetime.

Upon his arrival in the colonies, he was tutored by the local clergy and then at Philadelphia Academy. Afterwards he would then read the law in Thomas Cookson's office and during this time he learned to be a surveyor. He passed the par in 1745 but continued to survey as there was not much legal work initially. To combat the lack of legal work, he moved to York, Pennsylvania where he would live for the rest of his life.

In 1769, Smith married Elanor Armour, and they would have five children but only one, Mary, would live to adulthood and produce descendants but there are no longer any living descendants. The other child to live to adulthood was Elizbeth but she had no children.

Between 1769 and 1774, Smith leads a very productive life which involves several business adventures and immersing himself in politics, turning his attention to the issues with Britain. He authors a paper boycotting British goods and then was appointed to a committee to in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly to write instructions on how to manage a boycott.

Between 1775 and 1776 when he signs the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from Pennsylvania, he is extremely busy organizing a volunteer company of militia. This company would grow into a battalion of which he was offered the command but declined it because he felt a younger man should lead instead. He actually is not elected as a delegate prior to the vote on July 4th but is elected to replace delegates who had not voted for the Declaration. Prior to his election he takes the printed version of the Declaration to York to have it read in the town square. He signs it on August 2nd and finishes out his term working on a military committee which advises General Washington. He declines re-election in 1777 but does finish his term in 1778.

We do not know much of what happened in his life between 1778 and 1781 when he was appointed the Brigadier General of the State Militia. After 1781 we know that he resumed his law career and continued to work until 1800. He would pass away in 1809 at the age of 93.

His gravesite memorial is a simple obelisk design with writing at the bottom on all four sides and it is surrounded by flowers. In the front is a marker that is found at many of the signers' gravesites and a small American flag. Both my daughter, who was travelling with me at the time, and I found the graveyard to be incredibly peaceful and yet inspiring. Surprisingly, it was a fairly simple monument and in line with the style of the time and yet it was beautiful and beautifully kept. The gravesite is located in York, PA which is a neat small town to visit. While we didn't spend much time in York, we found it to be a lovely place.