Francis Scott Key-Smith-Prominent lawyer of Washington for more than thirty years, Francis Scott Key-Smith has had a most interesting career at the profession. He is a grandson of Bishop Newton of Virginia; a son of James Smith and Alice Turner (Key) Smith, his father having been a physician; and through the maternal descent a grandson of Francis Scott Key, Jr., oldest son of Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star Spangled Banner." As a great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, and historically inclined, Mr. Key-Smith has performed research that has been largely responsible for clearing conditions under which the national anthem was composed. It was not, for example, written on the back of an old envelope. Key was on an American vessel at a little distance from the British fleet under Admiral Cochrane when Fort McHenry was bombarded. In the anguish of uncertainty as to the battle's outcome, he wrote his immortal poem on the back of an old letter. Envelopes were unknown in 1814, letters being folded and addressed upon the outside. The ship aboard which Key was stationed is shown to have been a United States cartel ship and is believed by his great-grandson to have been named the "Minden." To quote an article based on Francis Scott Key-Smith's findings, in conclusion of the anthem's presentation to America:
Another several hours of maddening anxiety! With the first approach of dawn, Mr. Key turned his weary bloodshot eyes toward the fort. Misty darkness and fog hung over the harbor, enveloping the fort. At last a bright streak of sunshine shot across the sky. There hung the flag! It had caught the "gleam of the morning's first beam." And so he made some notes on the back of a letter he carried.
Shortly after sunrise word was received from the British admiral that the attack had failed, and that Mr. Key and his party were at liberty to go at their pleasure. They proceeded to Baltimore, and on the evening of the same day he wrote out the first complete draft of the song.
A few days later, Judge Nicholson, who thought the poem excellent, sent it to the office of the "Baltimore American and Commercial Advertiser," where the words were set in type, and later copies were struck off in handbill form and distributed in the street. It immediately caught popular favor and was set to music by Ferdinand Durang, who used an adaptation of an old tune, "Anacreon in Heaven"; and it was sung in the Holliday Street Theater by a popular actress on the same day.
Born on his father's estate, Mantua, in Northumberland County, Virginia, Francis Scott Key-Smith attended the public and private schools of Baltimore, Maryland, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Washington. He studied at William and Mary College, of Williamsburg, Virginia, and then entered the National University School of Law, in Washington. Before taking up study of the law, Mr. Key-Smith in 1892, on leaving William and Mary College, entered commercial life in Baltimore, employed by a stationery firm. He studied law in Washington from 1894 to 1897, during which time he served as librarian to the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He took his degree as Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia on July 1, 1896, and received the degree of Master of Laws in 1897 and has practiced continuously, with augmented prestige, until July, 1917.
From July, 1917, until October 22, 1920, when he received his honorable discharge, Mr. Key-Smith served in the Army, holding at first the rank of captain, and later being commissioned a major in the Quartermaster's Corps. From July of 1918 until July of 1919 he was overseas, and spent two months at the front with the 33rd Division.
It was on February 1, 1919, that he resumed his practice of law in Washington; and he has engaged at practice continuously since then, with increasing reputation. He is a man of unusual gifts and historical mind; author of the "Life of Francis Scott Key," which appeared in 1911, and has written numerous articles for the magazines and law journals, dealing with the law, history and miscellaneous topics. A Republican, he supports the principles of this party. He belongs to Kappa Alpha College Fraternity, Benjamin French Lodge, No. 15, of Free and Accepted Mason; Mr. Vernon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and holds the rank of major in the Army Reserve Corps. In religious adherence, he is an Episcopalian.
Mr. Key-Smith married at Rome, Georgia, August 8, 1900. Lois H. Headden, daughter of Rev. Robert B. Headden, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Rome, and Mary (Dyer) Headden. They have a son Robert H. Key-Smith. The family residence is at No. 1921 Kalorama Road, and Mr. Key Smith has offices at 501-2 Washington Building.
Francis Scott Key-Smith was also the author of "Francis Scott Key With a Glimpse of His Ancestors", and Francis Scott Key, What Else He Was, and Who".
Another several hours of maddening anxiety! With the first approach of dawn, Mr. Key turned his weary bloodshot eyes toward the fort. Misty darkness and fog hung over the harbor, enveloping the fort. At last a bright streak of sunshine shot across the sky. There hung the flag! It had caught the "gleam of the morning's first beam." And so he made some notes on the back of a letter he carried.
Shortly after sunrise word was received from the British admiral that the attack had failed, and that Mr. Key and his party were at liberty to go at their pleasure. They proceeded to Baltimore, and on the evening of the same day he wrote out the first complete draft of the song.
A few days later, Judge Nicholson, who thought the poem excellent, sent it to the office of the "Baltimore American and Commercial Advertiser," where the words were set in type, and later copies were struck off in handbill form and distributed in the street. It immediately caught popular favor and was set to music by Ferdinand Durang, who used an adaptation of an old tune, "Anacreon in Heaven"; and it was sung in the Holliday Street Theater by a popular actress on the same day.
Born on his father's estate, Mantua, in Northumberland County, Virginia, Francis Scott Key-Smith attended the public and private schools of Baltimore, Maryland, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Washington. He studied at William and Mary College, of Williamsburg, Virginia, and then entered the National University School of Law, in Washington. Before taking up study of the law, Mr. Key-Smith in 1892, on leaving William and Mary College, entered commercial life in Baltimore, employed by a stationery firm. He studied law in Washington from 1894 to 1897, during which time he served as librarian to the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He took his degree as Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia on July 1, 1896, and received the degree of Master of Laws in 1897 and has practiced continuously, with augmented prestige, until July, 1917.
From July, 1917, until October 22, 1920, when he received his honorable discharge, Mr. Key-Smith served in the Army, holding at first the rank of captain, and later being commissioned a major in the Quartermaster's Corps. From July of 1918 until July of 1919 he was overseas, and spent two months at the front with the 33rd Division.
It was on February 1, 1919, that he resumed his practice of law in Washington; and he has engaged at practice continuously since then, with increasing reputation. He is a man of unusual gifts and historical mind; author of the "Life of Francis Scott Key," which appeared in 1911, and has written numerous articles for the magazines and law journals, dealing with the law, history and miscellaneous topics. A Republican, he supports the principles of this party. He belongs to Kappa Alpha College Fraternity, Benjamin French Lodge, No. 15, of Free and Accepted Mason; Mr. Vernon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and holds the rank of major in the Army Reserve Corps. In religious adherence, he is an Episcopalian.
Mr. Key-Smith married at Rome, Georgia, August 8, 1900. Lois H. Headden, daughter of Rev. Robert B. Headden, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Rome, and Mary (Dyer) Headden. They have a son Robert H. Key-Smith. The family residence is at No. 1921 Kalorama Road, and Mr. Key Smith has offices at 501-2 Washington Building.
Francis Scott Key-Smith was also the author of "Francis Scott Key With a Glimpse of His Ancestors", and Francis Scott Key, What Else He Was, and Who".
Francis Scott Key-Smith-Prominent lawyer of Washington for more than thirty years, Francis Scott Key-Smith has had a most interesting career at the profession. He is a grandson of Bishop Newton of Virginia; a son of James Smith and Alice Turner (Key) Smith, his father having been a physician; and through the maternal descent a grandson of Francis Scott Key, Jr., oldest son of Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star Spangled Banner." As a great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, and historically inclined, Mr. Key-Smith has performed research that has been largely responsible for clearing conditions under which the national anthem was composed. It was not, for example, written on the back of an old envelope. Key was on an American vessel at a little distance from the British fleet under Admiral Cochrane when Fort McHenry was bombarded. In the anguish of uncertainty as to the battle's outcome, he wrote his immortal poem on the back of an old letter. Envelopes were unknown in 1814, letters being folded and addressed upon the outside. The ship aboard which Key was stationed is shown to have been a United States cartel ship and is believed by his great-grandson to have been named the "Minden." To quote an article based on Francis Scott Key-Smith's findings, in conclusion of the anthem's presentation to America:
Another several hours of maddening anxiety! With the first approach of dawn, Mr. Key turned his weary bloodshot eyes toward the fort. Misty darkness and fog hung over the harbor, enveloping the fort. At last a bright streak of sunshine shot across the sky. There hung the flag! It had caught the "gleam of the morning's first beam." And so he made some notes on the back of a letter he carried.
Shortly after sunrise word was received from the British admiral that the attack had failed, and that Mr. Key and his party were at liberty to go at their pleasure. They proceeded to Baltimore, and on the evening of the same day he wrote out the first complete draft of the song.
A few days later, Judge Nicholson, who thought the poem excellent, sent it to the office of the "Baltimore American and Commercial Advertiser," where the words were set in type, and later copies were struck off in handbill form and distributed in the street. It immediately caught popular favor and was set to music by Ferdinand Durang, who used an adaptation of an old tune, "Anacreon in Heaven"; and it was sung in the Holliday Street Theater by a popular actress on the same day.
Born on his father's estate, Mantua, in Northumberland County, Virginia, Francis Scott Key-Smith attended the public and private schools of Baltimore, Maryland, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Washington. He studied at William and Mary College, of Williamsburg, Virginia, and then entered the National University School of Law, in Washington. Before taking up study of the law, Mr. Key-Smith in 1892, on leaving William and Mary College, entered commercial life in Baltimore, employed by a stationery firm. He studied law in Washington from 1894 to 1897, during which time he served as librarian to the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He took his degree as Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia on July 1, 1896, and received the degree of Master of Laws in 1897 and has practiced continuously, with augmented prestige, until July, 1917.
From July, 1917, until October 22, 1920, when he received his honorable discharge, Mr. Key-Smith served in the Army, holding at first the rank of captain, and later being commissioned a major in the Quartermaster's Corps. From July of 1918 until July of 1919 he was overseas, and spent two months at the front with the 33rd Division.
It was on February 1, 1919, that he resumed his practice of law in Washington; and he has engaged at practice continuously since then, with increasing reputation. He is a man of unusual gifts and historical mind; author of the "Life of Francis Scott Key," which appeared in 1911, and has written numerous articles for the magazines and law journals, dealing with the law, history and miscellaneous topics. A Republican, he supports the principles of this party. He belongs to Kappa Alpha College Fraternity, Benjamin French Lodge, No. 15, of Free and Accepted Mason; Mr. Vernon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and holds the rank of major in the Army Reserve Corps. In religious adherence, he is an Episcopalian.
Mr. Key-Smith married at Rome, Georgia, August 8, 1900. Lois H. Headden, daughter of Rev. Robert B. Headden, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Rome, and Mary (Dyer) Headden. They have a son Robert H. Key-Smith. The family residence is at No. 1921 Kalorama Road, and Mr. Key Smith has offices at 501-2 Washington Building.
Francis Scott Key-Smith was also the author of "Francis Scott Key With a Glimpse of His Ancestors", and Francis Scott Key, What Else He Was, and Who".
Another several hours of maddening anxiety! With the first approach of dawn, Mr. Key turned his weary bloodshot eyes toward the fort. Misty darkness and fog hung over the harbor, enveloping the fort. At last a bright streak of sunshine shot across the sky. There hung the flag! It had caught the "gleam of the morning's first beam." And so he made some notes on the back of a letter he carried.
Shortly after sunrise word was received from the British admiral that the attack had failed, and that Mr. Key and his party were at liberty to go at their pleasure. They proceeded to Baltimore, and on the evening of the same day he wrote out the first complete draft of the song.
A few days later, Judge Nicholson, who thought the poem excellent, sent it to the office of the "Baltimore American and Commercial Advertiser," where the words were set in type, and later copies were struck off in handbill form and distributed in the street. It immediately caught popular favor and was set to music by Ferdinand Durang, who used an adaptation of an old tune, "Anacreon in Heaven"; and it was sung in the Holliday Street Theater by a popular actress on the same day.
Born on his father's estate, Mantua, in Northumberland County, Virginia, Francis Scott Key-Smith attended the public and private schools of Baltimore, Maryland, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Washington. He studied at William and Mary College, of Williamsburg, Virginia, and then entered the National University School of Law, in Washington. Before taking up study of the law, Mr. Key-Smith in 1892, on leaving William and Mary College, entered commercial life in Baltimore, employed by a stationery firm. He studied law in Washington from 1894 to 1897, during which time he served as librarian to the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He took his degree as Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia on July 1, 1896, and received the degree of Master of Laws in 1897 and has practiced continuously, with augmented prestige, until July, 1917.
From July, 1917, until October 22, 1920, when he received his honorable discharge, Mr. Key-Smith served in the Army, holding at first the rank of captain, and later being commissioned a major in the Quartermaster's Corps. From July of 1918 until July of 1919 he was overseas, and spent two months at the front with the 33rd Division.
It was on February 1, 1919, that he resumed his practice of law in Washington; and he has engaged at practice continuously since then, with increasing reputation. He is a man of unusual gifts and historical mind; author of the "Life of Francis Scott Key," which appeared in 1911, and has written numerous articles for the magazines and law journals, dealing with the law, history and miscellaneous topics. A Republican, he supports the principles of this party. He belongs to Kappa Alpha College Fraternity, Benjamin French Lodge, No. 15, of Free and Accepted Mason; Mr. Vernon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and holds the rank of major in the Army Reserve Corps. In religious adherence, he is an Episcopalian.
Mr. Key-Smith married at Rome, Georgia, August 8, 1900. Lois H. Headden, daughter of Rev. Robert B. Headden, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Rome, and Mary (Dyer) Headden. They have a son Robert H. Key-Smith. The family residence is at No. 1921 Kalorama Road, and Mr. Key Smith has offices at 501-2 Washington Building.
Francis Scott Key-Smith was also the author of "Francis Scott Key With a Glimpse of His Ancestors", and Francis Scott Key, What Else He Was, and Who".
Gravesite Details
LT COL QMC USA
Family Members
Siblings
Children
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
