In the 1851 census, at this address are found: John Smith, Irish-born, married, age 60, clerk in National Bank of Ireland; wife, Jane, 38, Irish-born; two sons, both at school, James, 16, Irish-born, and William, 12, born in Islington; a servant, Anne Pierse, 41, Irish-born.

The 1841 census has the Smith family living at another address in Islington - John Smith, 50, a clerk, Irish-born; no wife listed; <Chas. F Smith>, 13, a clerk, Irish-born; James, 6, Irish-born; Sidney, 4, and William, 2, both born in Middlesex; Anne Pierce, 25, Irish-born.

<ILN>, September 12th 1846:

More game played by C.F. Smith:

Smith vs NN, 1852

A Simons vs Smith, 1852 (London)

Source: JWD

Did C. F. Smith (London) move to the United States and change his name to Schmidt? And if so, how did he "die" in England, 1868, when I have him moving to Washington, DC USA where he is listed as the Vice President of the Washington Chess Club in the <Chess Journal>, v2 n14, May 1871, p128??

<We hear that a Chess club has been lately organised at Browning's, Commercial Coffee-house, in the City-road, and wish it every success. Chess meetings at the same house were held some few years ago, and Messrs. Bird, C. F. Smith, and other good players, attended them regularly. The subscription to this new society is a monthly one, and the whole, we learn, only amounts to 6s. per annum.>

This earlier incarnation doesn't sound a particularly formal affair, so Irish-Smith's youth might not be a serious objection. Irish-Smith lived in Lower Road, Islington, about this time, which is fairly close to City Road.

Clearly there was a C. F. Smith in London while C. F. Schmidt was in the United States.

I had been assuming that Smith was permanently confined to the asylum from at least 1861, the time of the census, to his demise in 1868, but that's not necessarily the case.

C Smith vs J N Smith, 1864

Smith and Bird played a lot of games together (including a 14 game series with Smith playing the White side of the Evans in some theoretical tests). So clearly Smith and Bird were frequent opponents in 1850.

I guess this one game <could> have been wrongly attributed to Smith due to the large number of games being played between Smith and Bird in 1850, but at this point I'm going with 99.9% Smith and 0.1% Schmidt.

Giving Saunton's annotations without giving credit seems to smack of outright thievery, coupled with a bogus claim of participation, to me.

He probably kept a scrapbook of clippings (like White, Hazeltine, Reichhelm, Cook, et. al.). So I'm not surprised he would have the column.

<TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING ADVERTISER.

SIR, - I trust that the grief occasioned by the late lamentable accident at the Surrey Music Hall will induce our Government to endeavour to pass a law sufficiently stringent in its provisions to deter demons in human shape from striving to carry devastation and death into crowded assemblies by raising false alarms.

If the detestable device of wilfully raising a cry of "Fire" had been attempted in the old Roman ampitheatres, the offenders, if discovered, would no doubt have been instantly flung to the wild beasts. Hanging is evidently too mild a punishment for such an offence.

It is to be hoped that Mr. Spurgeon will persist in his noble efforts to bring thousands within hearing of the Word. The careless need to be told that they are hastening on to "a doom of which the highest Archangel cannot comprehend a thousandth part of the horror."

The ancients had a saying, "Fiat justitia ruat caelum." Let us declare, in a similar spirit, the Gospel must be preached, whatever may be the consequences as regards this world.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant.

C. F. Smith.

16, Spencer-terrace, Lower-road, Islington, Oct.22.>

<The famous Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon held religious services at the Music Hall in weekends because the New Park Street Chapel could not contain his audiences. The first service was held on the evening of Sunday 19 October 1856, with an audience of 10,000 inside and as many outside unable to enter. It was, however, marred by tragedy when someone shouted fire and a panic to escape ensued. Seven were killed in the crush and many injured.>

"The history of Frederick A. Schmidt and of his family is interwoven with the history of our city from the very day of its foundation, relatives on his mother's side having been among the first settlers. He himself was born in Cincinnati on the 19th of June, 1842, the son of Charles F. and Susan A. (Griffin) Schmidt. His father, though a native of Germany, belonged to the old Scotch family of Seton. Educated in the University of Bonn, he afterwards studied in the medical schools of London, and became a physician renowned over all the civilized world. It was to visit his uncle, then German consul in New York, that Charles F. Schmidt first came to this country [...] In 1839 Dr. Schmidt came to Cincinnati, and shortly afterwards married David Griffin's daughter."
-<Cincinnati, the Queen City: 1788-1912>, v3, Clarke Publishing Co. 1912, p244.

Dr. Schmidt appears to have been born in Barmen 1809/1810 (census gives "Barme, Germany" and is transcribed to "Barre, Germany"). Marriage certificate states he was married 18-Sep-1839 in Cincinnati. He shows up in census records for 1850 and 1860 (age 51) living in Ohio before relocating to Washington, DC, where he lives out the remainder of his days with his large family. He dies 14-July-1885.