The gravestone was recently renovated. There may be a typ-o in the scripture reference.
For more information on this cemetery, see http://anglo-americancemeterybeirut.blogspot.com/
YALE COLLEGE, CLASS OF 1821
ELI SMITH was born in Northford, Connecticut, on September 13, 1801, the son of Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith. His father was a farmer and a deacon in the Congregational Church.
After graduation he taught for two years in Georgia, and then went to Andover, Massachusetts, to study for the ministry. He was ordained in Springfield on May 10, 1826, and on May 23 sailed for Malta, under appointment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to take charge of the mission press.
In 1827 he went to Beirut to study Arabic, returned to Malta in the following year, and in 1829 traveled in Greece with Dr. Rufus Anderson.
In 1830-31, with the Rev. H. G. O. Dwight, he made a journey of exploration through Armenia, Persia and Georgia, thus preparing the way for the establishment of the Nestorian Mission.
In 1832 he made a short visit to the United States and married, on July 21, 1833, Sarah Lanman Huntington, of Norwich, Connecticut, the younger daughter of Deacon Jabez Huntington (Yale 1784).
In 1833 he went to Beirut, where Mrs. Smith opened a girls' school for which was erected the first building in the Turkish Empire intended for the teaching of girls. Mrs. Smith's death occurred on September 30, 1836, in her 35th year.
Two years later, Professor Edward Robinson, of New York, and Mr. Smith made a memorable exploration of Palestine and Sinai which is said to have "opened the second great era of our knowledge of the Promised Land." "By his experience as an Oriental traveler, his tact in eliciting information, and his intimate knowledge or Arabic, Mr. Smith contributed largely to the accuracy, variety, and value of the discoveries in Biblical Geography" made on this expedition.
After this tour he went to Leipsic and superintended the final preparations for a new font of Arabic type. This was the culmination of an important part of his life work. He had collected the best models of Arabic calligraphy from Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, and Constantinople, and had spent many months of intense application in drawing from them the diagrams from which the punches for the matrices were cut. The result was "the most beautiful font of Arabic type the world had ever seen," which soon became, and has since remained, the standard for Arabic print.
In 1841 Mr. Smith was in the United States, where he married, on March 9, Maria Ward Chapin, of Rochester, New York, daughter of Judge Moses Chapin (Yale 1811), and then returned to Beirut. In the following year occurred the birth of his first son, and the death of his wife (on May 27, at the age of 23).
The next three years were spent in preaching, traveling, and study of Semitic languages.
In 1845, with greatly impaired health he made his last visit to the United States, where he remained two years, returning to Beirut in 1847, with his third wife, Hetty Simpkins Butler, of Northampton, Massachusetts, sister of Dr. John S. Butler, of Hartford (Yale 1825).
In February, 1848, Mr. Smith began the work of translating the Bible into Arabic, and on this he labored continuously, until his last illness obliged him to desist. For this great work he was well prepared. By native endowment he was a clear thinker, with excellent judgment, of unusual accuracy, and capacity for patient, persistent attention to details. By education he was a linguist of wide attainments, being familiar with a number of languages, ancient and modern, and especially with Arabic, which was to him a second vernacular. His years of labor as a missionary preacher of the Gospel, in which he delighted above everything else, brought him into intimate acquaintance with the habits of thought and needs of the people for whom he was now translating the Word of God.
At the time of his death, on January 11, 1857, a considerable part of the work of translation was completed, but only a small part of this had received final correction, and for this alone he wished to be held responsible. The work was taken up and completed by Dr. C. V. A. Van Dyck.
In 1850 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Williams College.
His children were four sons, the second of whom died in infancy, and two daughters. His eldest son was graduated at Yale in 1865, and the third and fourth sons at Amherst in 1876 and 1877, respectively.
—Franklin Bowditch Dexter, Biographical Notices of Graduates of Yale College (New Haven, Connecticut, 1913), pp. 80-82.
For more information on this cemetery, see http://anglo-americancemeterybeirut.blogspot.com/
YALE COLLEGE, CLASS OF 1821
ELI SMITH was born in Northford, Connecticut, on September 13, 1801, the son of Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith. His father was a farmer and a deacon in the Congregational Church.
After graduation he taught for two years in Georgia, and then went to Andover, Massachusetts, to study for the ministry. He was ordained in Springfield on May 10, 1826, and on May 23 sailed for Malta, under appointment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to take charge of the mission press.
In 1827 he went to Beirut to study Arabic, returned to Malta in the following year, and in 1829 traveled in Greece with Dr. Rufus Anderson.
In 1830-31, with the Rev. H. G. O. Dwight, he made a journey of exploration through Armenia, Persia and Georgia, thus preparing the way for the establishment of the Nestorian Mission.
In 1832 he made a short visit to the United States and married, on July 21, 1833, Sarah Lanman Huntington, of Norwich, Connecticut, the younger daughter of Deacon Jabez Huntington (Yale 1784).
In 1833 he went to Beirut, where Mrs. Smith opened a girls' school for which was erected the first building in the Turkish Empire intended for the teaching of girls. Mrs. Smith's death occurred on September 30, 1836, in her 35th year.
Two years later, Professor Edward Robinson, of New York, and Mr. Smith made a memorable exploration of Palestine and Sinai which is said to have "opened the second great era of our knowledge of the Promised Land." "By his experience as an Oriental traveler, his tact in eliciting information, and his intimate knowledge or Arabic, Mr. Smith contributed largely to the accuracy, variety, and value of the discoveries in Biblical Geography" made on this expedition.
After this tour he went to Leipsic and superintended the final preparations for a new font of Arabic type. This was the culmination of an important part of his life work. He had collected the best models of Arabic calligraphy from Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, and Constantinople, and had spent many months of intense application in drawing from them the diagrams from which the punches for the matrices were cut. The result was "the most beautiful font of Arabic type the world had ever seen," which soon became, and has since remained, the standard for Arabic print.
In 1841 Mr. Smith was in the United States, where he married, on March 9, Maria Ward Chapin, of Rochester, New York, daughter of Judge Moses Chapin (Yale 1811), and then returned to Beirut. In the following year occurred the birth of his first son, and the death of his wife (on May 27, at the age of 23).
The next three years were spent in preaching, traveling, and study of Semitic languages.
In 1845, with greatly impaired health he made his last visit to the United States, where he remained two years, returning to Beirut in 1847, with his third wife, Hetty Simpkins Butler, of Northampton, Massachusetts, sister of Dr. John S. Butler, of Hartford (Yale 1825).
In February, 1848, Mr. Smith began the work of translating the Bible into Arabic, and on this he labored continuously, until his last illness obliged him to desist. For this great work he was well prepared. By native endowment he was a clear thinker, with excellent judgment, of unusual accuracy, and capacity for patient, persistent attention to details. By education he was a linguist of wide attainments, being familiar with a number of languages, ancient and modern, and especially with Arabic, which was to him a second vernacular. His years of labor as a missionary preacher of the Gospel, in which he delighted above everything else, brought him into intimate acquaintance with the habits of thought and needs of the people for whom he was now translating the Word of God.
At the time of his death, on January 11, 1857, a considerable part of the work of translation was completed, but only a small part of this had received final correction, and for this alone he wished to be held responsible. The work was taken up and completed by Dr. C. V. A. Van Dyck.
In 1850 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Williams College.
His children were four sons, the second of whom died in infancy, and two daughters. His eldest son was graduated at Yale in 1865, and the third and fourth sons at Amherst in 1876 and 1877, respectively.
—Franklin Bowditch Dexter, Biographical Notices of Graduates of Yale College (New Haven, Connecticut, 1913), pp. 80-82.
The gravestone was recently renovated. There may be a typ-o in the scripture reference.
For more information on this cemetery, see http://anglo-americancemeterybeirut.blogspot.com/
YALE COLLEGE, CLASS OF 1821
ELI SMITH was born in Northford, Connecticut, on September 13, 1801, the son of Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith. His father was a farmer and a deacon in the Congregational Church.
After graduation he taught for two years in Georgia, and then went to Andover, Massachusetts, to study for the ministry. He was ordained in Springfield on May 10, 1826, and on May 23 sailed for Malta, under appointment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to take charge of the mission press.
In 1827 he went to Beirut to study Arabic, returned to Malta in the following year, and in 1829 traveled in Greece with Dr. Rufus Anderson.
In 1830-31, with the Rev. H. G. O. Dwight, he made a journey of exploration through Armenia, Persia and Georgia, thus preparing the way for the establishment of the Nestorian Mission.
In 1832 he made a short visit to the United States and married, on July 21, 1833, Sarah Lanman Huntington, of Norwich, Connecticut, the younger daughter of Deacon Jabez Huntington (Yale 1784).
In 1833 he went to Beirut, where Mrs. Smith opened a girls' school for which was erected the first building in the Turkish Empire intended for the teaching of girls. Mrs. Smith's death occurred on September 30, 1836, in her 35th year.
Two years later, Professor Edward Robinson, of New York, and Mr. Smith made a memorable exploration of Palestine and Sinai which is said to have "opened the second great era of our knowledge of the Promised Land." "By his experience as an Oriental traveler, his tact in eliciting information, and his intimate knowledge or Arabic, Mr. Smith contributed largely to the accuracy, variety, and value of the discoveries in Biblical Geography" made on this expedition.
After this tour he went to Leipsic and superintended the final preparations for a new font of Arabic type. This was the culmination of an important part of his life work. He had collected the best models of Arabic calligraphy from Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, and Constantinople, and had spent many months of intense application in drawing from them the diagrams from which the punches for the matrices were cut. The result was "the most beautiful font of Arabic type the world had ever seen," which soon became, and has since remained, the standard for Arabic print.
In 1841 Mr. Smith was in the United States, where he married, on March 9, Maria Ward Chapin, of Rochester, New York, daughter of Judge Moses Chapin (Yale 1811), and then returned to Beirut. In the following year occurred the birth of his first son, and the death of his wife (on May 27, at the age of 23).
The next three years were spent in preaching, traveling, and study of Semitic languages.
In 1845, with greatly impaired health he made his last visit to the United States, where he remained two years, returning to Beirut in 1847, with his third wife, Hetty Simpkins Butler, of Northampton, Massachusetts, sister of Dr. John S. Butler, of Hartford (Yale 1825).
In February, 1848, Mr. Smith began the work of translating the Bible into Arabic, and on this he labored continuously, until his last illness obliged him to desist. For this great work he was well prepared. By native endowment he was a clear thinker, with excellent judgment, of unusual accuracy, and capacity for patient, persistent attention to details. By education he was a linguist of wide attainments, being familiar with a number of languages, ancient and modern, and especially with Arabic, which was to him a second vernacular. His years of labor as a missionary preacher of the Gospel, in which he delighted above everything else, brought him into intimate acquaintance with the habits of thought and needs of the people for whom he was now translating the Word of God.
At the time of his death, on January 11, 1857, a considerable part of the work of translation was completed, but only a small part of this had received final correction, and for this alone he wished to be held responsible. The work was taken up and completed by Dr. C. V. A. Van Dyck.
In 1850 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Williams College.
His children were four sons, the second of whom died in infancy, and two daughters. His eldest son was graduated at Yale in 1865, and the third and fourth sons at Amherst in 1876 and 1877, respectively.
—Franklin Bowditch Dexter, Biographical Notices of Graduates of Yale College (New Haven, Connecticut, 1913), pp. 80-82.
For more information on this cemetery, see http://anglo-americancemeterybeirut.blogspot.com/
YALE COLLEGE, CLASS OF 1821
ELI SMITH was born in Northford, Connecticut, on September 13, 1801, the son of Eli and Polly (Whitney) Smith. His father was a farmer and a deacon in the Congregational Church.
After graduation he taught for two years in Georgia, and then went to Andover, Massachusetts, to study for the ministry. He was ordained in Springfield on May 10, 1826, and on May 23 sailed for Malta, under appointment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, to take charge of the mission press.
In 1827 he went to Beirut to study Arabic, returned to Malta in the following year, and in 1829 traveled in Greece with Dr. Rufus Anderson.
In 1830-31, with the Rev. H. G. O. Dwight, he made a journey of exploration through Armenia, Persia and Georgia, thus preparing the way for the establishment of the Nestorian Mission.
In 1832 he made a short visit to the United States and married, on July 21, 1833, Sarah Lanman Huntington, of Norwich, Connecticut, the younger daughter of Deacon Jabez Huntington (Yale 1784).
In 1833 he went to Beirut, where Mrs. Smith opened a girls' school for which was erected the first building in the Turkish Empire intended for the teaching of girls. Mrs. Smith's death occurred on September 30, 1836, in her 35th year.
Two years later, Professor Edward Robinson, of New York, and Mr. Smith made a memorable exploration of Palestine and Sinai which is said to have "opened the second great era of our knowledge of the Promised Land." "By his experience as an Oriental traveler, his tact in eliciting information, and his intimate knowledge or Arabic, Mr. Smith contributed largely to the accuracy, variety, and value of the discoveries in Biblical Geography" made on this expedition.
After this tour he went to Leipsic and superintended the final preparations for a new font of Arabic type. This was the culmination of an important part of his life work. He had collected the best models of Arabic calligraphy from Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, and Constantinople, and had spent many months of intense application in drawing from them the diagrams from which the punches for the matrices were cut. The result was "the most beautiful font of Arabic type the world had ever seen," which soon became, and has since remained, the standard for Arabic print.
In 1841 Mr. Smith was in the United States, where he married, on March 9, Maria Ward Chapin, of Rochester, New York, daughter of Judge Moses Chapin (Yale 1811), and then returned to Beirut. In the following year occurred the birth of his first son, and the death of his wife (on May 27, at the age of 23).
The next three years were spent in preaching, traveling, and study of Semitic languages.
In 1845, with greatly impaired health he made his last visit to the United States, where he remained two years, returning to Beirut in 1847, with his third wife, Hetty Simpkins Butler, of Northampton, Massachusetts, sister of Dr. John S. Butler, of Hartford (Yale 1825).
In February, 1848, Mr. Smith began the work of translating the Bible into Arabic, and on this he labored continuously, until his last illness obliged him to desist. For this great work he was well prepared. By native endowment he was a clear thinker, with excellent judgment, of unusual accuracy, and capacity for patient, persistent attention to details. By education he was a linguist of wide attainments, being familiar with a number of languages, ancient and modern, and especially with Arabic, which was to him a second vernacular. His years of labor as a missionary preacher of the Gospel, in which he delighted above everything else, brought him into intimate acquaintance with the habits of thought and needs of the people for whom he was now translating the Word of God.
At the time of his death, on January 11, 1857, a considerable part of the work of translation was completed, but only a small part of this had received final correction, and for this alone he wished to be held responsible. The work was taken up and completed by Dr. C. V. A. Van Dyck.
In 1850 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Williams College.
His children were four sons, the second of whom died in infancy, and two daughters. His eldest son was graduated at Yale in 1865, and the third and fourth sons at Amherst in 1876 and 1877, respectively.
—Franklin Bowditch Dexter, Biographical Notices of Graduates of Yale College (New Haven, Connecticut, 1913), pp. 80-82.
Inscription
Eli Smith
For 30 years
Missionary of the A.B.C.F.M
In Syria
Scholar and Translator of The Holy Bible
Born Sept. 13, 1801
Died Jan. 11, 1857
The Righteous shall be in
everlasting remembrance.
Psalm CXII:6
Family Members
Parents
