Prior to 1835, Captain James W. Smith (1784-1879), "the fashionable tailor of the village and town" and his wife Ann had been living in a "little old looking story and attic" house immediately south of the present 106 Main Street, which had not then been built. Smith had commanded the Hempstead Harbor-Flower Hill Militia, and had served at Fort Greene in Brooklyn in 1814. As a tailor, he traveled with his apprentices to the houses and farms of his customers, making for them the garments that were not fabricated by the family.

On the first of April, 1835, John Willis, the hereditary owner of most of the land on the west side of Main Street, began to divide his property into building lots, one of which was that day purchased by Captain Smith. (Queens County, Liber K.K. of Deeds, pg. 134). At the time of purchase, the lot had a 67' frontage on the highway, and was over 200' deep. In addition, Smith owned the land upon which his old house stood. The original Willis to Smith conveyance mentions the existence of a barn, probably the center section of the present barn, at the top of the lane. No house then stood on the conveyed parcel. Still extant beneath a concrete slab in the north yard is the important hillside spring known as the "Settling Spring (Great Spring)." Before the purchase of the property by Smith, John Willis had already deeded the spring overflow to William Valentine for the operation of his paper mill. The water flows under the road, emerging in the yard of the O. W. Valentine house (105 Main Street) and feeds a brook running through the garden of that house.

On April 30, 1836, James and Ann Smith took out a mortgage to finance their newly built house, and in January, 1837, they subdivided their land holdings, selling the old house together with a small Main Street lot, to Daniel Hegeman, a tinsmith. (Queens County, Liber Q.Q. of Deeds, pgs 307-308): (Queens County, Liber C.C. of Mortgages, pg. 390). The little house stood until around 1910. Francis Skillman describes the Smith house as having been built in 1836, an estimate which appears to be correct in this instance, although Skillman's attributions tend to be about one decade late. Still unable to meet his obligations, Captain Smith declared bankruptcy in November of 1840, his land to be sold at public auction to satisfy his creditors. (Queens County, Liber 53 of Deeds, pg. 385). The auction took place on February 8, 1841, and the property was purchased by Smith's father-in-law, Jacob Dillingham, who had also been an apprentice of his. The Smiths continued to live in the house during Dillingham's ownership. (Queens County, Liber 64 of Deeds, pg. 391).

On the third of February, 1845, Dillingham sold the property which was, in the language of the deed, then (still) occupied by James W. Smith as his residence, to Charles Baxter, a blacksmith. Baxter actually lived in the house, and assumed payment of Smith's mortgage to Dillingham, which was still outstanding. In March of 1856, the house was purchased by William H. Smith (probably unrelated to James W. Smith), who made a number of immediate changes, and in whose family it remained for more than a century. (Queens County, Liber 142 of Deeds, pg. 5). Like Baxter, Smith was a blacksmith and he bought, with the house, Baxter's wheelwright blacksmith shop on the mill dam (Old Northern Blvd.). William H. Smith died in the house in 1895.

On September 28, 1896, according to the terms of the will, the house came to public auction, arranged by Henry W. Eastman, Esq. It was bought then by William C. Smith, son of William H. Smith, also a blacksmith, who had been living with his family in a house on Church Street, in the northern part of the Village. (Queens County, Liber 1129 of Deeds, pg. 349). The house at 106 Main Street had, since the death of William C. Smith in 1907, been owned by his wife Martha, and his daughter Jessie, the last of the Smith family to live in it.

It was restored during 1972-1973 by Captain and Mrs. Roger Gerry, who had purchased it from the estate of Jessie Smith in 1971. It was exhibited in the Landmark Society's House Tours in 1973 and 1974 and was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosebrock in 1974.

On June 6th, 1977, the house was purchased by Ms. Catherine Morrison who, in turn, sold it to Miss Mary Ann and Miss Elizabeth Brandl, in September, 1981. During the 1985 restoration, the interior and exterior of the house have been repainted and the roof surface replaced. The interior paint stripping revealed early layers of "cream pearl", the shade with which the interior trim was originally painted. During the late 19th century this layer was covered with oak graining, which, during the 20th century, was covered with other paint colors.

Circa 1890 William Henry Smith with granddaughter Elsie Remsen Mott and guests. Can you find the Smith's dog in the photo?