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B L A C K S M I T H
By the 15th century, most Euro-
pean citizens had surnames that had
been assigned to their families for
census and taxation purposes. Many
families were "Smiths" because met-
alworking was one of the most com-
mon—and important—occupations
in medieval Europe. e surname
Smith derives from the Old English
verb smitan, "to strike, hammer."
Relied upon to forge essential
objects of daily life, metal smiths
were among the most highly skilled
specialists in Europe and carried
their surnames proudly. e White-
smiths worked with tin (the "white"
metal), the Greensmiths with lead;
the Brownsmiths and Redsmiths
were copper specialists. In many
cases, these original occupational
surnames were shortened to White,
Green and Brown.
Blacksmiths may have been the
most essential of the metal workers.
Specializing in iron, the so-called
"black" metal, these specialists forged
an astonishing array of important
objects: nails, ploughshares, axes,
bolts, sickles, chains, fireplace imple-
ments, wheel rims and other parts for
wagons.
Blacksmiths specializing in
horseshoeing became farriers, from
the Latin ferrum, "iron." Farriers
were important in a young America
that relied heavily on horsepower for
traction and transportation. As 20th
century automobiles and tool-making
factories minimized the need for
horseshoes and other hand-forged
iron implements, blacksmithery
became a declining trade.
e derived surname Smith,
however, remains the most preva-
lent in the English-speaking world,
a testament to the ubiquity of the
profession. In Montana and 38 other
states, the surname Smith outnum-
bers all others.
LEE
KAISER
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