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Born on August 27,
1796 in Hatfield, just a few miles from Northampton, Sophia
was the fourth of seven children -- and the first daughter
-- of Joseph Smith, a prosperous farmer, and his wife, Lois
White Smith.
Few family records survive,
so little is known about Sophia Smith's early years. Her
journal, which she kept for the last nine years of her life,
is primarily a record of her spiritual development but also
includes discussions of events of the day, her trips, and
the books she was reading.
Like many girls of her era,
Sophia was given a meager education, yet she read avidly
and widely throughout her life. Such passion -- which included
poetry and prose, newspapers and magazines of social, political
and literary commentary -- not only portended her future
contributions but may also have helped her endure the tragedies
of adulthood.
Of the seven Smith offspring,
three died young and only Joseph Jr. married, producing no
heirs. Sophia, her sister Harriet and brother Austin shared
the family homestead, which still stands at 22 Main Street
in Hatfield. Moreover, by the age of 40, Sophia had become
quite deaf, and even the use of an ear trumpet did not counter
the growing isolation that her hearing loss engendered in
the years to follow. She underwent several operations to
correct the problem, but these were all unsuccessful.
Sophia's father, Joseph, was
both prosperous and frugal. After his death, his son Austin
shrewdly invested his inheritance in the New York stock market
and often traveled there to watch the Smith assets grow.
Back in Hatfield, Austin was reputed to be a miser devoid
of community spirit. He argued at town meetings against the
extravagance of public education and was said to pay board
to his sisters to manage the household -- and then charged
them a shilling for a ride in the family carriage.
At least Austin seemed to come
by his penurious ways honestly. His uncle, Oliver Smith,
was also renowned in Hatfield for his parsimony. For instance,
the elder Smith is said to have employed the village tailoress
to turn his coats wrong side out and remake them. Then, when
he died, he left a half-million dollars to charity. The Smith
Charities is still in operation today, housed in a handsome
brownstone building at 51 Main Street in Northampton. Smith
Vocational and Agricultural High School, serving students
throughout Hampshire County, is also the result of Oliver's
benevolence.
Harriet Smith's death in 1859,
followed by Austin's in 1861, left Sophia wealthy but alone.
Her story -- up until this point -- features few variations
or opposing theories. It is only here, as she began to plan
for the final dispensation of the Smith family fortune, that
the tale becomes less clear.
Deeply religious, Sophia turned
to her pastor, John Morton Greene, as well as other advisers,
to discuss her decision. Among the options considered were
bequests to Amherst College (Reverend Greene's alma mater)
and to the nearby Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which --
although not a full-fledged college -- was already educating
young women.
Initially, Sophia settled on
a variety of projects, including a school for the deaf --
a logical choice in light of her own struggles with impaired
hearing. Thus, Smith College may, at least in part, owe its
very existence to the fact that John Clarke died before she
did, endowing a school for the deaf (today the acclaimed
Clarke School in Northampton) and prompting Sophia to abandon
her plan.
The "Last Will and Testament
of Miss Sophia Smith" was not completed until March
of 1870 -- only three months before she died but nine years
(and many revisions) after her first meeting about the matter
with John Greene. This final version supported "the
establishment and maintenance of an Institution for the higher
education of young women, with the design to furnish for
my own sex means and facilities for education equal to those
which are afforded now in our Colleges to young men."
The will went on to state: "It
is my opinion that by the education of women, what are called
their 'wrongs' will be redressed, their wages adjusted, their
weight of influence in reforming the evils of society will
be greatly increased, as teachers, as writers, as mothers,
as members of society, their power for good will be incalculably
enlarged...
"It is my wish that the
institution be so conducted, that during all coming time
it shall do the most good to the greatest number. I would
have it a perennial blessing to the country and the world."
Smith College was chartered
in 1871 and opened in 1875. While most would agree that the
college embodies the values and vision inherent in its earliest
blueprint, some scholars question whether Sophia Smith herself
conceived this pathbreaking plan or whether she merely endorsed
an idea proposed by Reverend Greene. The wording of the will
may likewise be Sophia's own -- or may not be. And while
Sophia Smith has been described as yielding and submissive,
there is evidence that her interest in women and their academic
aspirations was genuine and long-standing.
John M. Greene outlived his
parishioner by 50 years and recorded the history of the development
of the college as he remembered it. The trustees appointed
in Sophia's will, including Greene, and the president they
hired, L. Clark Seelye, built the college using Sophia's
vision as its foundation, and the new institution grew rapidly
to be one of the largest and most respected colleges for
women in the world.
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Mission
of Smith
College
Sophia
Smith: Smith College's Founder
Smith
College
Presidents
Honorary
Degrees
Smith
College
Medalists
John
M. Greene
Awards
Sherrerd
Prizes for Distinguished
Teaching Sophia
Smith
Awards
Commencement
Speakers
Some
Special
Traditions
Notable
Alumnae |
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