William Patterson Smith

(Born: July 18, 1796 - Died: March 25, 1878)

American merchant and planter. He was the son of Rev. Armistead Smith and Martha Tabb. He lived in Gloucester County, VA, on a large estate with a grand house called “Glen Roy,” which is still standing. (The house survived a skirmish in the Civil War, but was long neglected and uninhabited. A renovation project started in 2006.) He married Marian Andrea Morson Seddon on May 28, 1839 (in Fredericksburg, VA), and they had six children. Based on Poe’s own statement, it seems likely that he was an early subscriber to the Southern Literary Messenger, which was founded in 1834. A collection of his papers may be found at the Duke University Library.