• General Notes

  [3991.ftw]
  
  [Brøderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #3991, Date of Import: Oct 25, 1998]
  
  John Nicolas Bailhache Smith (1854-1910) as a small boy Nicolas had the habit of running away.  At one time when a sister had been sent to bring him home, and while the whipping by his mother was being administered ,she exclaimed, "Goody, goody, Nic's getting whipped!"  But her joy did not last long, for she also received a whipping for gloating over Nic's punishment.  A direct quote, "I believe the last time I ran away was when I was about eleven or twelve years old.  I was away playing with Charley Wilson, a boy about my age, and father wanted me to go with him to a barn raising, but could not find me, and so I missed seeing it;  and I never had another chance to see a barn raising.  I remember a few days after going by the barn with father, "Oh there, Papa, " I said, "I see the barn."  "Yes," he said, "but you did not see us raise it."  So you see what I lost by running away."
  
  Nic was handy with tools and made many of his toys, including sleds,carts and wagons.  His first wagon was made with spools for wheels when he was about seven years old.  One of the wagons he made was an imitation of a farm wagon.  He cut a set of letters for printing the alphabet with one of the numerous pocket knives he had.  Nicolas attended only country schools, starting at the age of five years, before his college days.  He must have had good teachers, for he had an excellent scholastic record at college.
  
  Nicolas attended Blackburn University, where he graduated on June 10th,1875 with the A B degree.  His marks at Blackburn were almost all 10.0, the highest mark, and only once did he fall below 9.0.  That was in Deportment.  It is likely that the reason for that relatively low grade was because of his share in a prank of which he talked in later years, when a cow was put into a belfry. The low mark due to so serious delinquency would have had a serious effect on his eventual graduation and the letters of recommendation he received from various members of the faculty, had it not been for his otherwise unblemished record as a student.
  
  Nic's college education was before the days of intercollegiate athletics, but he played football (rugby type) and competed in the hop, skip and jump.  He was quite active in a literary society, holding an office.  His graduating class consisted of three girls and twelve men.  Each of the girls read an essay and the men delivered orations.  Nicolas' oration was "Our National Duty".  When he graduated, he applied for a position at Bunker Hill Academy, but not securing it, he worked as a colporteur for the Presbyterian Board of Publications during the winter of 1875-76.  He worked as a surveyor at one time, perhaps the next year, to earn money for his theological training, for although he was received under the care of Alton Presbytery, as a candidate for the Ministry on October 23, 1875, he did not go to the Seminary until 1877. He graduated in 1880.
  
  While at the seminary, he preached at nearby towns and began his work at Elmwood, Ill.  A church was organized there and he was it's first minister.  He was ordained a foreign missionary on October 20, 1880, but continued at Elmwood until April, 1881.  It was not until August, 1881 that he sailed for China.  Probably the interim was spent in visiting his relatrives, particularly his immediate family who had moved to Colorado, with the exception of his eldest sister, Rebecca, who had married and was iving in Illinois.
  
  Nicolas arrived in Shanghai on October 6, 1881, and went to the Presbyterian Mission there immediately.  He was stationed with a Dr.Farnham at the South Gate of the native city, and was charged with helping Dr. Farnham in his duties there.  During the early part of his stay in Shanghai, Nicolas learned the language spoken there so that he could communicate with the people who lived in the area.
  
  In the fall of 1882, Fannie Madorah Strong passed through Shanghai in the company of other missionaries, on her way to Peking.  Nicolas and Fannie met, and evidently quickly found that they liked one another a great deal, as they spent considerable time together during the ten days Fannie was in Shanghai.  Correspondence followed, and Nicolas made a trip to Peking in April, 1884, primarily to see Fannie again.  It appears that Nicolas proposed marriage to Fannie by mail, and in September, 1884 she accepted his proposal in a letter she sent to him.  The marriage date was set as March 12, 1885.  Nicolas embarked on the trip from Shanghai to Peking with sufficient time to be there by March 12, however the weather did not cooperate, and he was late.  The wedding actually took place on March 14, 1884.
  
  Nicolas now had Fannie's help in some of the duties he performed as a missionary in Shanghai, and she seemed to enjoy that work a lot.  Six of the eight children they had were born in Shanghai, the other two in Ningpo.  The family made one furlough trip to the United States in 1890, and returned to Shanghai a year later.
  
  By 1895, the Boxer Rebellion was well under way, and the lives of "Foreign Devils", as all non-Chinese were called by the natives, were at some considerable risk in the interior of China.  Much of the work of missionaries in China before that time included travel to small settlements, and throughout the interior of the country.  In 1899, Nicolas submitted his resignation as a missionary, and it was accepted.  Shortly after that the family returned to America for the final time.
  
  The initial point of settlement was Carlinville, Illinois the seat of Blackburn University from which Nicolas had graduated.  All the years spent by the family in China had included servants to perform the menial tasks of housekeeping, shopping and much of the cooking.  Now the members of the family were forced to do those things themselves.  Over the next several years things did not go so well, and at times the only food the family had for dinner was bread and lettuce, not a very appitizing menu. They moved several times as Nicolas was offered pastoral duties in various churches in Illinois, North Dakota and Iowa.  During these years all the children sought work outside in order to help sustain the family.
  
  Nicolas enjoyed his work, took pleasure in being a father to the large family and worked very hard to provide the best he could for them.  In March, 1910 Nicolas died after an illness, probably brought on by an accident with the horse and buggy he used for travel from one parish to another.
  [phelps.FTW]
  
  [Brøderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #3991, Date of Import: Oct 25, 1998]
  
  John Nicolas Bailhache Smith (1854-1910) as a small boy Nicolas had the habit of running away.  At one time when a sister had been sent to bring him home, and while the whipping by his mother was being administered ,she exclaimed, "Goody, goody, Nic's getting whipped!"  But her joy did not last long, for she also received a whipping for gloating over Nic's punishment.  A direct quote, "I believe the last time I ran away was when I was about eleven or twelve years old.  I was away playing with Charley Wilson, a boy about my age, and father wanted me to go with him to a barn raising, but could not find me, and so I missed seeing it;  and I never had another chance to see a barn raising.  I remember a few days after going by the barn with father, "Oh there, Papa, " I said, "I see the barn."  "Yes," he said, "but you did not see us raise it."  So you see what I lost by running away."
  
  Nic was handy with tools and made many of his toys, including sleds,carts and wagons.  His first wagon was made with spools for wheels when he was about seven years old.  One of the wagons he made was an imitation of a farm wagon.  He cut a set of letters for printing the alphabet with one of the numerous pocket knives he had.  Nicolas attended only country schools, starting at the age of five years, before his college days.  He must have had good teachers, for he had an excellent scholastic record at college.
  
  Nicolas attended Blackburn University, where he graduated on June 10th,1875 with the A B degree.  His marks at Blackburn were almost all 10.0, the highest mark, and only once did he fall below 9.0.  That was in Deportment.  It is likely that the reason for that relatively low grade was because of his share in a prank of which he talked in later years, when a cow was put into a belfry. The low mark due to so serious delinquency would have had a serious effect on his eventual graduation and the letters of recommendation he received from various members of the faculty, had it not been for his otherwise unblemished record as a student.
  
  Nic's college education was before the days of intercollegiate athletics, but he played football (rugby type) and competed in the hop, skip and jump.  He was quite active in a literary society, holding an office.  His graduating class consisted of three girls and twelve men.  Each of the girls read an essay and the men delivered orations.  Nicolas' oration was "Our National Duty".  When he graduated, he applied for a position at Bunker Hill Academy, but not securing it, he worked as a colporteur for the Presbyterian Board of Publications during the winter of 1875-76.  He worked as a surveyor at one time, perhaps the next year, to earn money for his theological training, for although he was received under the care of Alton Presbytery, as a candidate for the Ministry on October 23, 1875, he did not go to the Seminary until 1877. He graduated in 1880.
  
  While at the seminary, he preached at nearby towns and began his work at Elmwood, Ill.  A church was organized there and he was it's first minister.  He was ordained a foreign missionary on October 20, 1880, but continued at Elmwood until April, 1881.  It was not until August, 1881 that he sailed for China.  Probably the interim was spent in visiting his relatrives, particularly his immediate family who had moved to Colorado, with the exception of his eldest sister, Rebecca, who had married and was iving in Illinois.
  
  Nicolas arrived in Shanghai on October 6, 1881, and went to the Presbyterian Mission there immediately.  He was stationed with a Dr.Farnham at the South Gate of the native city, and was charged with helping Dr. Farnham in his duties there.  During the early part of his stay in Shanghai, Nicolas learned the language spoken there so that he could communicate with the people who lived in the area.
  
  In the fall of 1882, Fannie Madorah Strong passed through Shanghai in the company of other missionaries, on her way to Peking.  Nicolas and Fannie met, and evidently quickly found that they liked one another a great deal, as they spent considerable time together during the ten days Fannie was in Shanghai.  Correspondence followed, and Nicolas made a trip to Peking in April, 1884, primarily to see Fannie again.  It appears that Nicolas proposed marriage to Fannie by mail, and in September, 1884 she accepted his proposal in a letter she sent to him.  The marriage date was set as March 12, 1885.  Nicolas embarked on the trip from Shanghai to Peking with sufficient time to be there by March 12, however the weather did not cooperate, and he was late.  The wedding actually took place on March 14, 1884.
  
  Nicolas now had Fannie's help in some of the duties he performed as a missionary in Shanghai, and she seemed to enjoy that work a lot.  Six of the eight children they had were born in Shanghai, the other two in Ningpo.  The family made one furlough trip to the United States in 1890, and returned to Shanghai a year later.
  
  By 1895, the Boxer Rebellion was well under way, and the lives of "Foreign Devils", as all non-Chinese were called by the natives, were at some considerable risk in the interior of China.  Much of the work of missionaries in China before that time included travel to small settlements, and throughout the interior of the country.  In 1899, Nicolas submitted his resignation as a missionary, and it was accepted.  Shortly after that the family returned to America for the final time.
  
  The initial point of settlement was Carlinville, Illinois the seat of Blackburn University from which Nicolas had graduated.  All the years spent by the family in China had included servants to perform the menial tasks of housekeeping, shopping and much of the cooking.  Now the members of the family were forced to do those things themselves.  Over the next several years things did not go so well, and at times the only food the family had for dinner was bread and lettuce, not a very appitizing menu. They moved several times as Nicolas was offered pastoral duties in various churches in Illinois, North Dakota and Iowa.  During these years all the children sought work outside in order to help sustain the family.
  
  Nicolas enjoyed his work, took pleasure in being a father to the large family and worked very hard to provide the best he could for them.  In March, 1910 Nicolas died after an illness, probably brought on by an accident with the horse and buggy he used for travel from one parish to another.

Details of John Nicolas Bailhache's family with Fannie Madorah Strong