Samuel (Smith), Northampton, s. of the Rev. Henry, and the only one, wh. reach. mature life, the freem. of 1676, had m. a. 1662, Mary, d. of James Ensign, and had Samuel, and Sarah bef. his rem. from Conn. to where he had Dorothy, bapt. 1667; Ebenezer, 1668; beside Ichabod, b. 24 Jan. 1670; Mary, 18 Jan. 1673; James, 12 June 1675; and Preserved, Aug. 1677. Aft. the d. of John Russell, at Hadley, h. of his mo. he rem. to Hadley, to take care of her, and d. 10 Sept. 1703. Of his five s. three, viz. the eldest, sett. at Suffield, where Ichabod, the youngest of them had Samuel, b. 1700, wh. m. Jerusha, d. of Atherton Mather, and had Cotton M. Smith. Ludicrous perversity in modern days of this genealogy, so as to make the blood of the Mathers follow thro. wrong f. and wrong m. beside sinking in the male line one generat. yet grasp. in the female at one too old. See p. 34 in the valua. Centen. of Rev. Alonzo B. Chapin, where all the error is giv. for truth. His Excellency, John Cotton Smith, Y. C. 1783, late Gov. of Conn. was thus, it is said, misdirect. by his f. Rev. Cotton Mather S. Y. C. 1751, wh. seems to have partak. in one ill habit of his illustr. namesake. How he should exchange the name of his mos. f. for that of her gr.f. is less strange, however, than it might seem, if we suppose the reference being oft. made to the famous Dr. M. in the youth's hearing, he always assoc. the Presid. of the Coll. at Cambridge with that rare title, and thot. more of Increase, than of the humble neph. Atherton Mather, from wh. his own prefix came. Good substitution the f. made in the child's name by enrich. him with an honor. designat. tho. no Cotton blood ran in his veins, as had heedless. been assum.
