BeeLines - June 27, 2018
By Marybelle Beigh, Westfield Town & Village Historian
Remembering Hon. Austin Smith and his Legacy to Westfield
Several months ago, while attempting to research a totally unrelated topic from the early years of the Town of Westfield, in the early newspapers of this area, a history of those early newspapers was discovered in yet another totally unrelated article in the July 5th, 1876, Westfield Republican. The article was headlined “HISTORICAL ORATION – Delivered in Westfield, N.Y., at the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence, July 4th 1876 – by Hon. Austin Smith.” It covered most of the first page of the four-page newspaper, and even continued for two columns of page two.
“Ladies and Gentlemen:” the Hon. Smith began, “I have been requested to make some remarks to-day in pursuance of a resolution of Congress, and a proclamation of the President, recommending that the people should meet in their several towns and counties to celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; and that some one should, on that occasion, give a concise history of the town, to be filed in the clerk’s office of the county and in the office of the Librarian of Congress, for preservation.”
Smith goes on to disclaim, “I ought not to have undertaken the task as I have had no time to do justice to such an occasion, and am entirely unaccustomed to that kind of literary effort.” He then launches into the history that led to the Declaration of Independence for about a full newspaper column, then spending the remainder of the first page of the newspaper describing our area and its history, addressing the physical attributes that drew the pioneers to settle here, starting with John McMahon. In order to provide some structure to the bulk of the town’s history, he divides it into topics – Early Settlement, Gas Company, Stores/Shops, Inns/Hotels, Mills/Factories, Physicians/Undertakers, Newspapers, Banks, Schools, Churches, & Lawyers.
Then Smith describes significant incidents such as the war of 1812 and Com. Perry; and the Holland Land Company Land Office in Mayville destruction leading to Seward coming to Westfield to resolve the problems and building a Land Office on North Portage, later run by Patterson; and the construction of a municipal water system for Westfield. Finally, Smith discusses the war between the states which leads to his concluding statements. (Next week’s BeeLines will print the Independence Day portions of Hon. Austin Smith’s Historical Oration.)
Meanwhile, it seems that many of our important early pioneer settlers and their legacies are no longer remembered. But, Hon. Austin Smith wrote it quite succinctly – “History teaches by example, and it is well to consider… some of the lessons which are to be gleaned from the short history of our own government.” Based on Hon. Austin Smith’s obituary (1904) and some biographical notes from “The History of Chautauqua County New York” (1875) by Andrew Young, here is a brief history of the life of Austin Smith.
The Westfield Republican of October 26, 1904, page 1, headlined: “Hon. Austin Smith – passes quietly away at his home Tuesday evening.” Sub headlines noted, “Mr. Smith passed the Century Mark on March 16th last, and was the Oldest College Graduate and Lawyer in the United States.” Austin Smith was born on March 16, 1804, early educated at home, and graduated from Hamilton College July 1826. That fall he moved to Fredonia to become principal of Fredonia Academy. In 1828, Smith married Sarah A. McMahon, daughter of Col. James McMahon, first settler in Westfield. He studied law while teaching at Fredonia and was admitted to the bar in 1830, moving to Westfield to become law partner of Abram Dixon. He built the large brick house and the small brick office on the north side of East Main Street just east of where the Methodist Church is now located.
In addition to his law practice with Dixon, Austin Smith was appointed Surrogate of Chautauqua County (1840, served a couple terms in the NY State Assembly (1850-1852), and one term as President (Mayor) of the Village of Westfield (1854-1855). Smith’s daughter married M.D. Tennant. M.D. Tennant and Arthur S. Tennant took over the law practice and office of Austin Smith. The Tennant family and descendants have continued to occupy the brick home, which is now known as the “Tennant House” formerly the “Austin Smith House.” The Hon. Austin Smith died on October 24, 1904.