QUILT HISTORY STORIES
ELGIN, ILLINOIS
BECKET, MASSACHUSETTS
Berkshire and Becket Silk Story
Book 3
Susan Wildemuth, Atkinson, IL
History of the Samuel K. Smith Family
Samuel K. Smith’s father, Richard Smith was born in England about 1827 and became the first generation of his family to come to America. (1) Departing England (Liverpool) on the Jamestown, 21 year old Richard Smith arrived in New York, New York on July 8, 1848. (2) His future wife Matilda was also born in England about 1827 and according to the 1900 census, arrived in America one year ahead of Richard in 1847. (3) Whether they were married in England or the United States is unknown, but multi-census record information indicates Richard Smith worked as a tailor his entire life. (4)
Richard and Matilda Smith would marry, settle in New York, and about 1849 would have their first child Samuel K. Smith. (5) The Richard Smith family moved from Brooklyn Ward 10, Kings (County), New York (1850s) to Smithtown, Suffolk (County), New York (1860s), to Vernon, Tolland (County), Connecticut (1870s), to various communities within Berkshire (County), Massachusetts (1880s).
Samuel K. Smith was born in New York about December 1849. He followed his parents each time they relocated and would meet his future wife, England born Anna M. Whatley, sometime between the New York and Connecticut move and the couple would later marry. (6) About 1873 they had their first child Gertrude May in Rockville, Connecticut while he was working as a silk mill operator. (7) After the Richard Smith and Samuel Smith families moved to Massachusetts, Samuel and Anna Smith would have eight more (living) children. S.K. or the “Becket silk man” as he was nicknamed, became a silk manufacturer in Becket, Massachusetts, opening up his own mill called the Berkshire and Becket Silk Company where he produced silk thread. (8) An inventor, Samuel K. Smith is credited with the following three inventions:
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Scales that not only gave the amount weighed, but the price and other details on the same beam.
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A silk winder which reduced the possibility of snarls.
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Silk thread in the government paper that defied counterfeiters. (9)
Roy Winfield Scott Smith was born in Berkshire County Massachusetts on June 22, 1886 to Samuel K. and Anna M. Smith. (10) Roy followed his father into his profession at Berkshire and Becket Silk Company and became a silk manufacturer. (11) He married Ruth who worked at the town library known as the Becket Athenaeum and it appears they remained childless. (12) In 1924-25 Berkshire and Becket Silk Company left the family and was sold to Collingbourne Mills, Inc. (13) Roy tried his hand at establishing a small silk mill, but, like his former company Berkshire and Becket Silk Company, it did not survive the flood of 1927. (14) In later years Roy W. left the thread business and worked as a carpenter around Berkshire County. (15)
Special Note:
If anyone has a photograph or scan of Samuel K. Smith please contact the author at quiltingbee73@yahoo.com. I would love to put it up on my site.
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