Harrison Smith - Project 6 - Maitland A&H Blog Entry 3

In the previous post, Lindsey and I focused on the background, lineage, and history of J. Andre Smith’s older brother George Milton Smith. The post focused on information about George between the years of 1920 to 1940. This blog post will be a continuation of the previous post and will provide additional details on George Milton Smith between the years of 1941 to his death in 1951.

To begin this blog post lets pick up from the last source in the previous blog post. The last source which we analyzed in the previous blog post was the 1940 Federal Census. According to the 1940 federal Census George Milton Smith (age 60) was residing in the city Branford located in New Haven, Connecticut. George was listed as the head of a household and resided in a home located on Pine Orchard Road worth roughly 24,500 dollars in 1940 (496,500 dollars in 2022). According to the 1940 census George was living with his wife Lucy (age 60). George’s daughter Claire (age 30), her husband Sidney Noyes (Age 30) and their daughter Lucy Noyes Young (age 3/12 or 3 months) also lived with George. At this time George also had two servants living at the residence; maid Marie Chiasson (age 29) and cook Elenaor Haversat (age 24). At this time George occupation is listed as a “physician” and his worker class is listed as “working on own account”. In September of 1940, the United States of America conducted its first peace-time conscription authorized under the Selective Service Act of 1940. Though this peace-time conscription was authorized long before America’s entry into the Second World War, it was clearly a preparation effort in the cause of the war-time involvement. On April 26, 1942 George reported to the US Military’s Local Board 12B located in Branford, Connecticut to register in the fourth nation-wide military registration nicknamed “the Old Man’s Draft”. This particular draft encompassed American men between the ages of 45 to 64 and had the purpose of inventorying manpower and skill sets that could be used towards the Allied war effort. The Old Man’s Draft did not have the purpose of drafting older men for military service, but instead gave the American government a rough headcount of older men whose skills could be utilized while the younger generations were abroad fighting. According to his World War II draft registration card from April 26, 1942 George (age 62) was living on Pine Orchard Road. George lists his employer as Mr. John H. Goss, president of the Scovill Manufacturing Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. George lists his place of employment as the Scovill Manufacturing Company located in Waterbury, Connecticut and his title as “Medical Director”. “The Scovill Manufacturing company produced brass objects such as buttons, screws, and tools in Waterbury, Connecticut, from 1802 to 1956.” (1) George's exact duties at Scovill are unclear , but it is likely that he provided aid to employees injured on the job, and ensured all other medical staff were properly trained. According to his World War II registration card, George was listed as white with ruddy skin, 6 feet tall, having gray hair, green eyes, and weighing roughly 200 pounds. This is the last record I was able to uncover prior to George’s death. George Milton Smith died on February 26, 1951 at the age of 71 in New Haven, Connecticut. The cause of George’s death is currently unknown, but my research is ongoing. George was buried at Branford Center Cemetery with a headstone that reads “George Milton Smith MD”. Following George’s death Yale University’s Library Gazette wrote an article titled George Milton Smith An Appreciation of His Library. The article’s author Daniel Merriman was a Marine Biologist and friend of George. The article serves as a commemoration and gives details about George’s life and honors his legacy. The final paragraph of the article reads “Dr. Smith's library was not widely known. Ichtyolosits and historians of science will rejoice in the fact that such a notable selection exists for reference and research in the Yale Medical Library. Despite his intense love of his own books, George would have been the first to say hodie mihi cras tibi”. (2) Which roughly translates to “today me, tomorrow you or here today, gone tomorrow”.

Digital History elements from the readings assigned have been applicable to this application of research. As Lindsey and my research continues I am certain that other digital tools (newspapers.com, fold3, and familysearch) will help us find additional sources and the locations of where additional information of the Smiths will be located. Through this research Lindsey and I have shed light onto the life and whereabouts of George Milton Smith between the years of 1940 to his death in 1941. The next blog-post will introduce and focus on George and Andre’s sister Augusta C. Smith.

(Genealogical sources found will be saved and added to a shared google doc folder between Lindsey and myself. Lindsey and I will provide access to the google folder to Dr. Cheong, Ms. Thomas and any A&H Staff that would like to view the sources.)

Sources

1.Scovill Manufacturing Company Collection. Harvard Business School, n.d. https://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/wes/collections/women_home_abroad/social/content/1001955850.html.

2. Merriman, Daniel. “GEORGE MILTON SMITH AN APPRECIATION OF HIS LIBRARY.” The Yale University Library Gazette 26, no. 3 (1952): 137–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40857545.