create: 3 Dec. 2004 mod: 26 Sep. 2006  
Parents: Parents:
Henry Edwin NESMITH Sr.  1828 - 1901 James Brown MACOMBER  1823 - 1874
Sally Howard MACOMBER  1825 - 1878 Sarah A. T. MANN  1827 - 1882
m. 16 Mar.1878 Brooklyn, NY
Henry Edwin NESMITH Jr.
Sarah M. MACOMBER
ID  
  ID  
Birth 16 May 1854 Bethpage, LI, Birth 29 Apr.1858 Boston, MA
  NY Death  
Death 17 Aug.1913 at home Bay Occ.  
  Shore Suffolk Co., NY Educ.  
Occ. shipping merchant    
Educ.      
       
       
       
       

Children:
       
1.
2.
3.
4.

Sarah Helena NESMITH,  b.12 May 1879 Brooklyn, NY, m. Frederick Miller Van WICKLEN,
Ralph Howard NESMITH,  b.Aug.1880 prob. Brooklyn, NY, m. 25 Apr.1926 Metta Anna LIGNIAU,
Ruth NESMITH,  b.1882 Brooklyn, NY, m.5 Jan.1905 Brooklyn, Auguste Goubert PRATT,
Ethel C. NESMITH,  b.say abt. 1884 Brooklyn, NY, m.6 May 1914 Edward P. HARRIOTT,


Notes for Henry Edwin NESMITH Jr.

President of Nesmith & Constantine Co. (Mahogany and Ceder Storage Company of Manhattan) [NY Buis. Certif. NYC County Clerk 1581-1898C (date) at the NYC Archives at the Surrogate Court],, this certificate lists H.E.Nesmith Jr. as president however it is his brother Howard M. who is the signator as treasurer. [ denotes that document is in MW family papers].
Well known in Astoria, LI, the mansion being one of the show places on the shores of the East River.
Became a member of the Chamber of Commerce 7 Nov.1889.
A member of the New York Maritime and Produce Exchange and the City Club of Manhattan. Member of the Crescent Athletic, the Hamilton and Oxford Clubs of Brooklyn and the Lawyers Club of Manhattan. Died at his summer home in Bay Shore LI, NY, funeral services at his home at 155 Lefferts Place (Park Slope area of Brooklyn). Was an expert (also in court) on water frontage properties in and about NY. At time of marriage of their daughter Sarah, they were living at 265 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn (Wash. Ave is close to Lefferts Pl., Park Slope) [newspaper announcement of the nuptuals]
A member of the Sons of the Revolution was invited to the opening ceremonies of Frances’ Tavern on 4 Dec.1907.
Lived at 155 Lefferts Place, Brooklyn, NY at time of death.
In “Trow’s” General Directory of New York City, p.1068, Henry is listed as president 82 Beaver Street R1103 (Nesmith & Constintine Co., Storage) + 220 Lewis Street (Lumber Co.) with home at Mohawk Hotel, Brooklyn. Brother Howard M. Nesmith is Listed as pres 21 Vanderwater + tres 82 Beaver St R1103 + 220 Lewis with home at 390 Sanford Ave., Flushing. Nesmith & Constintine Co., Storage is listed at 82 Beaver Street R1103 + Lumber, 220 Lewis .

Court News, "Brooklyn Standard Union," edition of 29 August 1913, "NESMITH -- Harry E. NESMITH, who died Aug 17, by will of Nov 23, 1904, bequeaths an estate of unknown value to his widow, Sarah NESMITH, and their children."

Obit [Brooklyn Newspaper Obit. - but name is missing] “Henry E. Nesmith (Jr.) Collector of Paintings and Books, Dies - President of Nesmith and Constantine Mahogany and Storage Company, Who Was Known as an Art Expert, Passes Away - Was Fifty-Nine Years Old. -
Mr. Henry Edwin Nesmith, of No. 155 Leffert’s Place, Brooklyn, widely known as a collector of paintings, books and art objects, died at his country home, at Bayshore, L.I. on Sunday after a long illness. He was fifty-nine years old and is survived by his wife.
Because of failing health Mr. Nesmith recently had surrendered his memberships in the Hamilton, Oxford, and Crescent Athletic clubs of Brooklyn, and the Lawyers’ Club, of Manhattan, but he retained his membership in the New York Maritime Exchange and the City Club.
Aside from being a collector Mr. Nesmith was principally known as an expert upon the values of water frontage property about the New york harbor. He served on many commissions to assess the values of such property and he was consulted as an authority by many owners and agents of such water front lands. He was president of the Nesmith and Constantine Mahogany and Storage Company, of Manhattan.
Mr. Nesmith owned a large library of rare volums and was known as much as an expert in such matters and in paintings and art objects as he was for his knowledge of water front properties. He spent much of his spare time in his own library or in acquiring additional volumes. He was a son of the late Mr. Henry E. Nesmith, for many years a resident of the Heights section of Brooklyn and prominent as a merchant.”

Obit[another Brooklyn newspaper - name unknown] “Henry E. Nesmith Dead. - Former Well-Known Resident of Heights Dies at Summer Home. - Henry Edwin Nesmith died yesterday at his summer home in Bay Shore, L.I. after a protracted illness. .... He was the son of the late Henry E. Nesmith and Sarah Macomber, long residing at 117 Remsen Street, the latter who has been dead for about twelve years, was for fifty years a prominent shipping merchant of New York. ...
He leaves his widow, Sarah Macomber, formerly of Boston, and four children, Mrs. Frederick M. Van Wicklen of 120 Gates Avenue, Mrs. A. G. Pratt of Englewood, N.J., Miss Ethel C. Nesmith of this borough (Brooklyn) and Ralph H. Nesmith of Elmira N.Y. There also survives him two brothers Howard M. and Charles A. Nesmith of Flushing, L.I. and three sisters, Mrs Benjamin A. Jessop ofm Brooklyn, Mrs. Edward Shethar of Great Neck, L.I. and mrs Henry Edwin Baxter of Montclair, N.J.
The Nesmith family for years were well known in Astoria, L.I., the Nesmith mansion being one of the show, places on the shores of the East River. It was over a hundred years old, was originally the property of Abdrew Polhemus, and purchased by the Nesmith family over fifty years ago. They relinquished it as a residence about four years ago, because of the conversion of the water front to factory uses. Mr. Nesmith after leaving the Remsen Street house which his father built some fifty years ago, long lived on Washington Avenue.”

[“Brooklyn church semi-centennials : Plymouth Church annals, First Presbyterian Church, Williamsburg, and Dr. Wells, New Lots Reformed Church. Brooklyn: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1900, 52 pgs., p.29: taken from the “Brooklyn Eagle” 24 June 1891(says on p.28)] “On the other platforms the following persons were present: ..... Henry E. Nesmith Jr. .. for the unvailing of the statue of Henry Ward Beecher at the City Hall of Brooklyn, fort he semi-centennial of the Plymouth Church ... with the Thirteenth Regiment march down Remsen Street and took position at the ceremony.

Death Certificate says death by “Chronic Intestional Nephritis followed by Uremia with Exhaustion as contributing” factor. Intestional Nephritis is a kidney disorder caused by inflammation of the tubules and the spaces between the tubules and the glomeruli. Sometimes associated with the effects of drugs on the kidneys. Uremia is a illness associated with the buildup of urea in the blood because the kidneys are not woorking effectively.

Houses of Brooklyn, NY, OLD BROOKLYN HEIGHTS-CITY DIRECTORY INFO
1829 John Nesmith, 37 Cranberry Street,
1847 James Nesmith, 185 Henry Street, merchant,
1856 Henry Nesmith, 85 Remsen Street, shipping,


Notes for Sarah M. MACOMBER

or “Sally” [Mann Memorial]. of Brooklyn.
b.cer.1879/#3745 Brooklyn, NY: of Sarah Helena NESMITH says mother’s maiden name is Sarah M. Macomber, (probably for “Mann”). [MW]
In a letter dated 7 May 1942 from Frederick M. VW to his mother (Sarah Helena) he talks of an expected inheritance from “your mother” which would indicate that Sarah Macomber lived at least to that date. [MW]
NY Times article New York, N.Y.; 27 Dec.1950 (Sun.); p.22:
“Mrs. Sarah Macomber Nesmith, widow of Henry E. Nesmith Jr., Brooklyn lumber merchant, died on Friday, (9 Dec.1949) after a long illness, in her home, 379 Washington Avenue Brooklyn, at the age of 91. Born in Boston, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James B. Macomber, she had lived in Brooklyn since her marriage in 1878.
Mrs. Nesmith was a member of Emanuel Babtist Church of Brooklyn (where she also had her funeral service), and the Brooklyn Colony of the Society of New England Woman.
She leaves a son, Ralph H. Nesmith of Dayton, Ohio; three daughters, Mrs. Frederick M. Van Wicklen and Mrs. Auguste G. Pratt of Englewood, N.J. and Mrs. George M. Whitcombe of Boston; seven grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren.” [copy in MW archives]

Her death certificate says she was of New York City 72 years from 1949 = 1877.


Source: