Sanford Smith & Polly Ogden

Lives of Hardship and Quiet Resilience in Tompkins County, New York

Sanford Smith was born about 1798, likely in Connecticut or New York, and came from a Smith family with deep roots in New England. Census records suggest that by 1830, he may already have been married once before, living in Stafford, Genesee County, New York, with several young children and perhaps even his mother or mother-in-law in the household.

By 1840, Sanford had settled in Danby, Tompkins County, New York, surrounded by other Smith families—likely relatives—suggesting strong family ties in the area. In that same decade, he began his life with Polly Ogden, who was born about 1820 in New York. Together, they built a family and worked the land as farmers.

Their first known child, Elijah Smith, was born on June 12, 1842. In the years that followed, Sanford and Polly welcomed more children: Nancy (about 1846), David (about 1848), and Sarah Ann (born February 14, 1852). A final daughter, Emma L. Smith, was born on December 24, 1854 in Danby.

The 1850 census shows Sanford and Polly living together in Danby with their three young children. Their neighbors were almost certainly close kin: Leonard Smith, likely Sanford’s brother; David Smith, thought to be Sanford’s father; and Lovica Smith, of the right age to be his grandmother. All were born in Connecticut, underscoring the family’s roots and migration westward.

But life for the Smith family was not without hardship. Sarah Ann later recalled that her mother, Polly, died when she was just a small child. After Polly’s passing, Sarah endured a difficult childhood. She was placed with another family, where she was forced to work hard and treated cruelly. Her older brother Elijah eventually intervened, helping her escape. Sarah grew up to be a schoolteacher in New York, carrying forward strength forged in adversity.

Sanford’s own later years were marked by tragedy as well. By the 1860 census, he was no longer at home with his children but was instead living in the County Poor House in Ulysses, Tompkins County, New York, listed as “insane.”

Though much about Sanford and Polly’s lives remains uncertain, what emerges is the picture of a couple who struggled against hardship while raising children in rural New York. Their story—woven through census records, family connections, and the testimony of their children—speaks of resilience, of loss, and of the quiet perseverance of ordinary lives in 19th-century America.

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