Born c.1766 into a life of wealth and privilege, Mrs. Smith (nee Sarah Frances Gordon) died of a wasting illness in her 33rd year. The wife of William Smith (b.1761), she was the younger of two daughters born to South Carolina-based merchant John Gordon, a native of Scotland who became a prominent figure in colonial America, and his first wife, the former Elizabeth Wright. Sarah's youth was saddened by the death of her mother, however, and her father's local prestige waned during the American Revolution. Staunchy loyal to King George III, he moved to France and died there before the war's end. The tenderness of her epitaph (see below) suggests that, despite the loss of her parents and her health, she had found happiness with a husband who cherished her to the end of her earthly days.
The corners of the brown sandstone ledgerstone which marks Sarah Smith's grave are embellished with soul effigies in the style of Newark stonecutter Uzal Ward. William Smith later married again, taking Rosella B. Torrans of Charleston, SC, as his second wife.
The corners of the brown sandstone ledgerstone which marks Sarah Smith's grave are embellished with soul effigies in the style of Newark stonecutter Uzal Ward. William Smith later married again, taking Rosella B. Torrans of Charleston, SC, as his second wife.
Born c.1766 into a life of wealth and privilege, Mrs. Smith (nee Sarah Frances Gordon) died of a wasting illness in her 33rd year. The wife of William Smith (b.1761), she was the younger of two daughters born to South Carolina-based merchant John Gordon, a native of Scotland who became a prominent figure in colonial America, and his first wife, the former Elizabeth Wright. Sarah's youth was saddened by the death of her mother, however, and her father's local prestige waned during the American Revolution. Staunchy loyal to King George III, he moved to France and died there before the war's end. The tenderness of her epitaph (see below) suggests that, despite the loss of her parents and her health, she had found happiness with a husband who cherished her to the end of her earthly days.
The corners of the brown sandstone ledgerstone which marks Sarah Smith's grave are embellished with soul effigies in the style of Newark stonecutter Uzal Ward. William Smith later married again, taking Rosella B. Torrans of Charleston, SC, as his second wife.
The corners of the brown sandstone ledgerstone which marks Sarah Smith's grave are embellished with soul effigies in the style of Newark stonecutter Uzal Ward. William Smith later married again, taking Rosella B. Torrans of Charleston, SC, as his second wife.
Inscription
"Sacred to the Memory of
Mrs. Sarah Frances Smith
Wife of Mr. William Smith
& Daughter of John Gordon, Esq.
of Charleston, South Carolina
Died June the 8th, 1799 in the
33rd year of her age after a long
& tedious Illness which She
bore with Patience & Resignation
becoming a Christian.
Such was Her Soul:
A Soul so calm it had no ebbs or flows
Which Passion could but curb not discompose
A female softness with a manly mind
In Illness patient & in death resign'd"
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