It only takes one ancestor for someone to be eligible to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, but DAR member Loretta Smith actually has four or five ancestors that had a prominent connection to the Revolution and would be considered patriots.

The main ancestor that Smith chose for her DAR membership was Reverend William Wait. Born in Rhode Island, Wait came to Cambridge, N.Y., in 1774 and established a Baptist Church there in a small town called White Creek.

“We’ve actually been there, it’s in Washington County which is in East New York, along the border with Vermont,” Smith said. “The information I have says that he was a gold smith, the so-called ‘fighting pastor of Walloomsac’, had 13 children, 11 of whom survived and one of his children was then of course the line that I came from.”

Many members of the Wait family came to Cattaraugus County in the early 1800s, and Smith said one of Wait’s granddaughters married her great, great grandfather, Silas Potter. Wait was considered eligible to be considered a patriot because of him offering the use of the church for caring for the wounded during the Battle of Bennington. The town of White Creek is about seven to 10 miles from Bennington, Vt., Smith said.

For Smith, having this connection is something she feels is special.

“Not everyone in the world has this connection to a patriot,” Smith said. “I know actually on both my mother’s and father’s side of the family I have Swedish immigrants, so of course they weren’t here until the 1800s. Also, I think it’s important that people are interested and people look to know what your ancestors did and to know who your ancestors are.”

Smith is a volunteer at the Fenton History Center and said it is surprising how many people she finds that do not even know who their grandparents are, let alone many generations back. She added that she is proud to have ancestors that fought and participated in the Revolution.

Smith is also involved in helping Paul Fardink, Sons of the American Revolution vice president, with his work in placing cemetery markers recognizing patriots buried in cemeteries across Chautauqua County. Smith helps locate documentation needed for the Revolutionary War soldiers that are buried in the county. Part of the rules for the Pomeroy Foundation that does the markers is that primary documentation is required, such as a listing in books that list soldiers and men that were in the Revolution. Smith has done a lot of work with Fardink for several of the cemeteries to prove those men did fight in the Revolution.

Looking back at this work and her connection to the American Revolution, Smith said the upcoming 250th birthday of America is important because it shows the staying power of what the early people that came to America were looking for and what they wanted to establish.

“Again, I think people need to reflect on what history is and then if you can find a personal connection to your family,” Smith said. “I guess I think a lot of people feel history is pretty dry and ‘why do we learn all these dates and this kind of thing?’ But again, I am a firm believer that you’ve got to know where you’ve been to know where you’re going. And again, as I was able to do with Reverend Wait, we were actually able to go. I’ve seen the church, the building is still there and just across the road is the cemetery where he and his wife are buried. It just kind of gives you chills to say this person is part of who I am.”

Smith said people should know who their family is and recognize that that is important. If people still have their grandparents and great-grandparents they should sit and talk with them, she added. The only grandparent Smith got to know was her father’s mother, who was born in the United States but whose parents came from Sweden. Smith said she wished she had asked her more questions.

“The most important thing I think is for people to begin looking at their families,” Smith said. “They might be surprised at what an ancestor did or where they came from. Knowing who your family is I think gives you a grounding, no matter what. Even if you are a recent immigrant, you have family somewhere and are able to connect with that and feel that you’re a part of the past too.”