History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

79

then considered near the "jumping off place" and the good old minister
preached a sermon before they started, from the text "They seek a country." Arriving at Buffalo they took a steamboat for Detroit, and thence
over a rough road to Pontiac. They all moved into the house known as
the Benjamin Phelps house (now the Presbyterian parsonage) and remained there until they could look around and select a permanent home.
Mr. Smith bought the farm of Mr. Griffin, afterwards known as the
George Wisner farm, which was managed by his son-in-law, Deacon
Frost. He and his family were very regular in their attendance at
church, going quite often with oxen for the first year or two. He was
quite deaf and used to stand in the pulpit with the minister when he was
over eighty years of age, no matter how long the sermon. In I843 he
sold his farm to George Wisner, taking in part payment a farm in West
Bloomfield. About this time his wife was taken sick and died, aged
eighty-four years. They had lived together sixty-three years. On the
Ist of September, I844, while getting ready to go to meeting Mr. Smith
fell and died in a few minutes.
Ithamar Smith was a blacksmith by trade and in 1874 there was still
existing an account book he used from 1800 to I812. While in the
Revolutionary service he had the pleasure of seeing and shaking by the
hand his great commander, George Washington. On the 4th of July,
1838, at a celebration given by the citizens of Pontiac, Mr. Smith and
Mr. Beach, another Revolutionary soldier living here, were given the
posts of honor. He is buried in Oak Hill cemetery.
Children: (I.) Roderick, b. March Io, I78I.
(II.) Henry, b. April I9, 1782.
(III.) Henry, b. Feb. I7, 1784.
(IV.) Sally, b. March 5, I786.
The foregoing all died in infancy.
(V.) Sarah, b. January 23, 1787, d. February 8, 1876 Pontiac, Mich.
(VI.) Fanny, b. January I2, I789, d. March I858, Pontiac, Mich.
(VII.) John Morgan, b. Dec. 3I, I790; d. Oct. 26, I864, Grand Rapids; m. January 8, I8II, Lydia Goodrich, b. January 3, I794, d. March
25, I88I, in Manistee, Mich., dau. Allen Goodrich.
(VIII.) Eleazer b. October 21, I792; d. Nov. 23, I797.
(IX.) Hannah Morgan, b. June 17, 1794; d. May I, 1851, Pontiac,
Mich.; m. Josiah Frost.
(X.) Louis Nevins, b. March 21, I796; d. May I796.
(XI.) George (Dr.) b. August I9, 1797; d. August 25, 1844, Syracuse, N. Y.; m. Electa Ellis.
(XII.) Lucy, b. April 17, I799; d. July 8, 1837, Pontiac, Mich.; m.
Weston Frost.
(XIII.) Eleazar, b. November 25, I801; d. May 22, 1802.
WILLIAM NATHAN TERRY
William Nathan Terry made his declaration November Io, 1828, at
which time he was sixty-eight years old. He enlisted for the war in
March, 1774; was at the battle of Bunker Hill in June, 1775, as a member of Capt. Ransom's company of Pennsylvania troops, in Colonel But