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Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families papers

Call Number

ARC.193

Date

circa 1780 to 1935, inclusive

Creator

Smith, Catharine Farrington
Farrington family
Smith family
Cromwell family
Farrington, George
Farrington, Maria
Farrington, Caroline
Farrington, Charles
Farrington, Edmund
Willets, Jane Farrington
Cromwell, David
Cromwell, Anna
Cromwell, Maria
Cromwell, Rebecca
Cromwell, James
Smith, Thomas T.
Smith, Jane
Smith, Elihu
Smith, Sarah B. Cromwell
Smith, Percival Cromwell

Extent

2.25 Linear Feet in two manuscript boxes and one oversize box.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families papers span the period circa 1780 to 1935 and are comprised of personal, legal, and business papers, including agreements, bonds, mortgages, deeds, wills and estate settlements, military and academic certificates, marriage certificates, correspondence, journals, account books, receipts, photographs, and promissory notes. The Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families were allied families residing in the northeastern United States, with certain family members residing in New York City, Brooklyn, and Queens. Individuals featured prominently in the collection include Elihu Smith (1771-1824?) and his wife, Catharine (Farrington) Smith (1784-1856), who resided in New York City; Elihu and Catharine's son, Thomas T. Smith (1820-1883?), who owned a hardware store in New York City and lived in Brooklyn with his wife, Sarah B. (Cromwell) Smith; and Thomas and Sarah's son, Percival Cromwell Smith, a New York City lawyer who resided in Brooklyn.

Biographical Note

The Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families were allied families residing in the northeastern United States, with certain family members residing in New York City, Brooklyn, and Queens. The common ancestor of the Smith and Farrington families was Thomas Bowne, who was born in England in 1595. His descendant, Mary Bowne (1723-1805), married John Farrington (d. 1783) in 1749. Their son, George Farrington (1750-1825), lived in the town of Flushing in Queens, and had several children, among them Catharine (1784-1856), Maria (1786-1857), Caroline, Edmund, and Jane (Farrington) Willets. Catharine Farrington married Elihu Smith (1771-1824?) of New Bedford in Bristol County, MA, in 1814. They later resided in New York City and had three children, including Jane (1816-1858), Maria (b. 1818), and Thomas T. (1820-1883?). Thomas T. Smith owned a hardware store at 89 Duane Street in New York City and lived at 123 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn. In 1848, he married Sarah B. Cromwell, the daughter of David and Rebecca Cromwell of Orange Couny, N.Y. Sarah's brother, James Cromwell, served in the Civil War as a Captain and Major in the 124th New York Infantry Regiment, as well as a Captain in the 2nd New York Cavalry Regiment, but was killed before the War's end. Sarah had several other siblings, among them Maria Cromwell and Anna (Cromwell) Field. Sarah and Thomas T. Smith's son, Percival Cromwell Smith, was a New York City lawyer who resided in Brooklyn with his wife, Florence Kimball Cheney, the daughter of Francis W. and Florence Kimball Cheney of Boston.

Scope and Contents

The Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families papers span the period circa 1780 to 1935 and are comprised of personal, legal, and business papers, including agreements, bonds, mortgages, deeds, wills and estate settlements, military and academic certificates, marriage certificates, correspondence, journals, account books, receipts, photographs, and promissory notes.

Papers relating to the Smith family date from 1801 to circa 1935 and primarily represent Elihu Smith and his wife, Catherine (Farrington) Smith; their son, Thomas T. Smith, and his wife, Sarah B. (Cromwell) Smith; and Thomas and Sarah's son, Percival Cromwell Smith. The Farrington family is represented by papers spanning the period 1798 to 1860. These papers primarily relate to George Farrington and several of his children, including Maria, Caroline, Edmund, and Jane (Farrington) Willets. Charles Farrington, a cousin of Thomas T. Smith whose exact relation to the other Farrington family members is not clear, is also briefly represented. The Cromwell family, specifically David and Rebecca Cromwell and several of their children, including James, Maria, and Anna (Cromwell) Field, are represented by papers spanning the period 1826 to 1887. Items pertaining to James Cromwell's service in the Civil War, including military certificates, letters to his mother from the field, and a letter from his sister Anna to an unnamed individual relaying the details of James's death in the War, are included. The Cromwell family are also represented by a collection of photographs, including one tin type. The photographs depict portraits of the men (in full uniform), women, and children of the family.

An additional item of interest is a bound volume, housed in an oversize box, containing a genealogy of the Smith and Farrington families, with a focus on the lineage of Thomas T. Smith. The record documents Thomas T. Smith's ancestors on the side of his mother, Catharine (Farrington) Smith, as far back as 1595, and also documents the first generation of his descendants. Finally, the collection also includes a small amount of material dating from 1780 to 1833 and relating to Samuel Hosier, Deborah Lawrence, and John Eagles of the town of Flushing in Queens, who are presumed to be related to the Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Smith, Farrington, and Cromwell families papers, ARC.193, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source and date of acquisition unknown.

Collection processed by

Nicholas Pavlik

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:27:10 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Minimally processed to the collection level by Nicholas Pavlik in 2011.

The collection combines the accessions 1977.333, 1977.341, and 1978.186.

Photographs relating to the Cromwell family were added to the collection in October 2015 by Melissa Aaronberg.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: OS-8 (Material Type: Text)
Box: ARC.193 1 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Box: ARC.193 2 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201