54. Joseph H. Smith

Smith was an English-born sea captain who commanded many ships up and down the Eastern seaboard and to destinations like Curacao, Buenos Aires, and Turks Island. As a youth, he was a sailor on Queen Victoria's yacht.

Ships were links to coastal ports for travel, communication, and food. On one journey, Smith's merchant ship sailed to Virginia for corn and oysters. At the time, oysters were less popular and there were marginal storage facilities. Upon arrival in Boston, Smith discovered another schooner had just delivered a load of oysters. Knowing that his shellfish would quickly turn, he decided his lot was a total loss. He sailed to Cohasset and tossed the cargo overboard somewhere between Whitehead Road and the Cove, where the shells sat on the seafloor for years. After the Civil War, he became one of the few Cohasset sailing masters to transition to steam-powered vessels. Smith was the grandfather of Cohasset historian Gilbert Sanders Tower.