David Fitch Smith & Mercy ?

David Fitch Smith was born on May 28, 1776, in Connecticut, a child of the Revolutionary generation. Mercy, his future wife, was born a decade earlier, on September 10, 1766, though her maiden name remains lost to time. Theirs was a union rooted in the rugged soil of New England and carried forward into the frontier of New York State.

By the late 1790s, David and Mercy had begun their family. Their first known son, Sanford Smith, was born about 1798, followed by their daughter Levica, born about 1804, and another son, Leonard, born about 1805. Their household grew with these children, and their lives were deeply connected to the rhythms of farming and family labor.

The Smiths eventually settled in Danby, Tompkins County, New York, where records place them as early as 1825. That year’s census provides a glimpse into their life: they lived on 50 acres of improved land, maintaining a farm that sustained 12 cattle, 3 horses, 29 sheep, and 18 hogs. Their household included five males and three females, with one man listed as subject to militia duty and another qualified to vote. Perhaps most tellingly, they lived beside Ephraim Smith, likely David’s older brother, suggesting family bonds shaped the small farming community.

In the 1830 census, David and Mercy were still neighbors of Ephraim, a connection that endured across decades. Their household had grown to include sons in their teens and twenties, with David and Mercy themselves listed in the 50–60 age range. A decade later, in 1840, their household had quieted somewhat, consisting of one male between 30–40, David now in the 60–70 age range, one woman between 30–40, and Mercy herself between 60–70. These details suggest that grown children remained close by—perhaps Sanford, Leonard, or Levica—all of whom appear tied to the same Danby community.

By 1850, the census paints a clearer picture of their later years. David, at 74, and Mercy, at 84, were still in Danby, with their daughter Levica living in their household. Nearby were their sons Leonard and Sanford, underscoring the closeness of this extended family. Farming and faith bound them together, while the neighboring presence of children and kin gave comfort in their advancing years.

Loss came first to Mercy. She died on August 29, 1849, in Danby, at the age of 82, and was laid to rest in Denton Burying Ground. Her gravestone bears a timeless message to those who pause to read it:

“Stop Reader As You Pass By,
As You Are Now So Once Was I;
As I Am Now Soon You Will Be,
Prepare For Death And Follow Me.”

David lived another five years without her. He died on October 12, 1854, in Danby, at the age of 78. He, too, was buried in Denton Burying Ground, his stone inscribed with words of Christian hope:

“Here I Lie Low In The Ground,
Until The Last Loud Trump Shall Sound.”

Though their parentage remains unknown, the legacy of David and Mercy lives on in their children—Sanford, Levica, Leonard, and others unnamed—and in the enduring mark they left on Danby. Together, they exemplify the resilience of ordinary families who carried the promise of a new nation into the farms and fields of upstate New York.

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