Roger W. Smith

About Roger W. Smith

Roger W. Smith is a writer and independent scholar based in New York City. His experience includes freelance writing and editing, business writing, book reviewing, and the teaching of writing and literature as an adjunct professor at St. John’s University. Mr. Smith's interests include personal essays and opinion pieces; American and world literature; culture, especially books and reading; classical music; current issues that involve social, moral, and philosophical views; and experiences of daily living from a ground level perspective. Sites on WordPress hosted by Mr. Smith include: (1) rogersgleanings.com (a personal site comprised of essays on a wide range of topics) ; (2) rogers-rhetoric.com (covering principles and practices of writing); (3) roger-w-smiths-dreiser.site (devoted to the author Theodore Dreiser); and (4) pitirimsorokin.com (devoted to sociologist and social philosopher Pitirim A. Sorokin).

William P. Chappel (1801–1878), a tinsmith and amateur painter, depicted scenes of early nineteenth-century New York City. His oil paintings were featured in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Posted here are my photographs of same.

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a personal note:

My maternal grandmother’s great-grandfather, Captain Gamaliel Hart (circa 1791/92-1834), captain of the whaleship John Willis out of New Bedford, moved to New York City late in life, where he had a lumberyard. (The name Gamaliel is from the Hebrew, meaning God.) New York City directories from this time indicate that Gamaliel Hart’s widow Ann (his second wife) was living at 56 Centre Street shortly after his death, which may have been the residence of Gamaliel and his wife before he died; and, if not, it provides an indication of where they lived. It was probably not far from where City Hall is located today.

— posted by Roger W. Smith

July 2023