1764 – 1783: Arrival & Revolutionary War
Sebastian Mershimer (1753–1845)
Arrived from Lambsheim, Germany in Philadelphia aboard the Britannia on Sept 26, 1764. Settled in Berks County, PA, learning wheelwrighting and wagon making in the Conestoga Valley. Enlisted in the 4th/3rd/5th Pennsylvania Regiments under Gen. Anthony Wayne and Gen. George Washington. Served 7 full years through Canada, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. Awarded a 240-acre Donation Land Grant signed by George Washington in Shenango Township, Mercer County, PA.
1800s – 1910: Mercer County Homestead & Smith Shift
Henry Mershimer, Jesse H. Smith & Leesburg, PA
Sebastian's son Henry cared for the homestead. Sister Francis married into the Smith line. Over the 19th century, branches of the family anglicized Messerschmitt / Morscheimer to Smith. Jesse H. Smith (1827–1910) and Mary J. Smith (1836–1904) anchored the family line in Leesburg, Mercer County, PA.
1878 – 1965: Youngstown & Seifert Connection
Harry Walker Smith & Mary Josephine Seifert Smith
Harry Walker Smith (1878–1950) served as a uniformed police officer (Badge #88) in Youngstown, Ohio. In 1909, he married Mary Josephine Seifert (1880–1965), daughter of Frances Seibold Seifert. Together, they raised John, Marian Francis, and Paul Charles Smith in Youngstown. Later in life, Harry was disabled due to a gunshot wound to the leg.
Maternal Matriarch
Frances Seibold Seifert
Oval-framed Victorian portrait featuring a dark silk collar dress and detailed lace/ruffle embellishment.
Mother of Paul C. Smith
Mary Seifert Smith
Born Dec 6, 1880. Pictured at age 25 in 1905, four years prior to her 1909 marriage to Harry Walker Smith.
Father of Paul C. Smith
Officer Harry W. Smith
Pictured at 34 years old (c. 1912) in full police uniform wearing Badge #88 and holding a nightstick/baton.
1918 – 2005: Patton's Cartographer & Master Artist
Paul Charles Smith
WWII cartographer directly to Gen. George S. Patton in the 3rd Army, mapping the European campaign, drafting tactical maneuvers, and creating field sketches across liberated Europe and post-war Germany. Founded Smith Advertising Agency in Youngstown, designing iconic corporate brand art (Amoco torch, Faygo, Shasta cans, McKelvey's, Carl's Furniture). Spent 20+ summers teaching watercolor in Little Switzerland, NC (at his green shed) and wintering at Hillsboro Cove in Deerfield Beach, FL. Created over 20,000 paintings.
WWII Soldier & Mapmaker
Pvt. Paul C. Smith (1943)
Pictured in uniform sitting on wooden steps at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi during technical infantry and mapmaking training prior to European deployment.
Post-War Family Portrait
The Paul C. Smith Family
Family studio portrait with young Paul Charles Smith (left), his wife (right) holding their infant, and their young son wearing a sailor outfit.
