Fort Worth, Texas, Named for War of 1812 Hero, William Jenkins Worth-- Part 1

From the May 16, 2021, Amarillo (Texas) Globe News "Bridges:  Fort Worth  namesake was a distinguished  war hero" by Ken Bridges.

The City of Fort Worth is sometimes known as  "Cowtown" or "Where the West Begins."  However, the name behind the city has a story all its own. 

General William Jenkins Worth was a legend in his own right, a distinguished officer and war hero who fought for Texas and his nation.

He was born in Hudson, New York in 1794, to Quaker parents.  His father made a comfortable living as a merchant ship captain.  Despite being a Quaker, young William enlisted in the U.S. Army when the War of 1812 came.

Worth received a commission as 1st lieutenant  in March 1813 and was assigned as an aide to General Winfield Scott.  Scott became a mentor and close friend.  Worth fought in numerous battles against the British, Canadians and Indians.

At the Battle of Lundy's Lane in July 1814, he and Scott were both wounded in what was the bloodiest battle of the whole war.  Worth's leg wound proved almost fatal, but he survived and never regained use of the leg the rest of his life.

--Brock-Perry-Worth

Rhode Island's Hearthside House: The House That Love Built-- Part 2

According to folklore, Stephen Hopkins Smith, a Quaker from a prominent agricultural family in Lincoln, Rhode Island, lived a simple life as a good Quaker should, but also circulated in social circles of the rich and famous as far away as Providence.

During this time, he met the love of his life, a socialite. She told him that he certainly was handsome, but she wanted to marrry a rich man so she could live a life of wealth. Poor Stephen Smith was not that. And that should have been that If a girl is going to be like that, best to leave her well enough alone.

The story goes on that he won $40,000 in a lottery, the equivalent of $8,600,000 today, and kept the winnings secret but had the mansion (now called Hearthside) built to sweep the love of his life off her feet.

When the home was finished, he went to Providence to take her on a horse and buggy ride along the Great Road. Not knowing the mansion was Stephen's, she was amazed with its beauty but added who would want to live so far out in the wilderness. Heartbroken, Stephen drove her back to Providence and (wisely) never saw her again.

What We Could Say About That Girl. --Brock-Perry