b. 23 January 1785, d. 25 January 1872
| Birth | 23 Jan 1785 | Tobias Smyth was born on 23 Jan 1785.4,5,6 |
| Marriage | 7 Feb 1808 | He married first Catherine Eakin, daughter of William Eakin, on 7 Feb 1808 in Washington County, Virginia.7,6 |
| | Catherine died in 1812, a few days after giving birth to the couple's 4th child, a son who only lived a few days. |
| Marriage | 19 May 1814 | He married Rachel Kelly, daughter of Ezekiel Kelly and Mary Smyth, on 19 May 1814.8,6 |
| | They were first cousins. |
| Cens-1850 | 10 Aug 1850 | The 1850 federal census was the first to list all members of a household. Tobias and Rachel were enumerated in Washington County with several adult children who were still living at home. This included Mary 37 [from his first marriage], Sarah 34, Elizabeth 29, Francis 26 and Nancy 20. Also living with them was Tobias Smyth, age 12, who was the son of William E. Smyth.9 [Tobias's son from his first marriage] |
| Cens-1860 | 29 Jun 1860 | It is interesting to note that of Tobias's twelve children from his two marriages, only three of his children married and had children themselves: William who probably married in the late 1840s but died in 1853, John who married in 1848 and James, who married the same year. Sarah married later in life and did not have a family. Five others died young, and four remained single. These four, along with their yet to be married sister, Sarah, were enumerated with Tobias and Rachel on the 1860 census. They were: Mary, 48, Sarah 44, Elizabeth 40, Francis 36 and Nancy, thirty. John and James, with their wives and children, formed neighboring households.10 |
| Cens-1860- Agric | | The 1860 census included an agricultural schedule. Tobias owned 550 acres of land, valued at $10,000; 200 acres were improved. He also owned a variety of farm animals, including 11 horses, 11 cows, 5 other cattle, 70 sheep and 100 swine; the latter two being greater numbers than those listed by his neighbors. He produced 350 bushels of wheat, 20 bushels of rye (not grown by most of the neighboring farmers), 400 bushels of oats and 2,100 bushels of Indian corn. This was a large quantity of corn. However, unlike most of his neighbors he did not grow Irish potatoes.11 |
| Cens-1870 | 6 Oct 1870 | In 1862 Tobias's wife Rachel died as did Tobias's daughter-in-law Jane (wife of his son James) . James returned home to live, bringing his two young daughters with him. In 1870 the household also still included Tobias's adult children Elizabeth and Francis, neither of whom had married. Tobias was 84 years old and described himself on the census as a "retired farmer."12 |
| Description | | Rachel Scott Smyth left an account of her grandfather Tobias which included the followed comments: My grandfather was a very large, stern man and made no compromise with evil. He was a trustee of Emory and Henry College and was much interested in its success. Tobias Smyth was bald headed with a fringe of very white hair, circling across the back of his head from ear to ear. While very stern and positive in nature, he was quite liberal in dispensing his means for the benefit of others. He seemed to have no ambition for accumulating wealth or beautifying his home, living to a very old age in the log house built by his father prior to the Revolutionery War. He stood for higher education of the young men, but was indifferent to the education of his daughters. His wife was very domestic and trained her daughters in the culinary arts. Having a large farm and plenty of laborers, his table was always supplied with the best of farm produce well-prepared.13 |
| Will | 20 Jan 1872 | Tobias wrote his will on January 20th, 1872, five days before his death. In it he left one seventh of his estate to his "grandson Tobias Smyth Jr." and three sevenths in trust to his sons John and James. From their share they were to pay the equivalent of one seventh to their sister Sarah Jane and another three sevenths was to be divided between daughters Elizabeth and (Nancy) Katherine. Tobias also willed his son Francis A. "a peaceable and comfortable entertainment" with Elizabeth and Katherine but did not specifically will him a portion of his estate. John and James were appointed executors.14 |
| Death | 25 Jan 1872 | Tobias died on 25 Jan 1872 at age 87.4,6,5 |
| Burial | | He was buried at Smyth's Chapel Cemetery in Washington County, Virginia.4,15,5 |
| Probate Recd | 22 Mar 1872 | On 22 Mar 1872 a sale of Tobias Smyth's personal property was conducted. The sale bill filed in Washington County court listed many books, including The Life of George Washington, Pictorial History of the U.S., Robert Burns, as well as books on church history and a Webster's Dictionary,. The list also included farming tools, beehives and a rifle.16 |
| | Thanks to the efforts of his descendants, the cemetery where Tobias is buried has been renamed the Tobias Smyth Memorial Cemetery. A bronze plaque marks Tobias's burial place and commemorates his efforts as co-founder of Emory and Henry College and his 37 years as a member of the board of trustees.5,15 |
