Manhasset's Aged Ghost

This one is just cool! Of all things I love ghost stories, and want to badly to go on a ghost hunt. Today I came across this old newspaper article that tells of a recent ghost in Manhasset, New York. You've got to love this sort of thing - now, this it an actual article from 1880! It is not a reproduction or a story meant to take place in 1880!

New York Times (New York, New York) - August 13, 1880

MANHASSET'S AGED GHOST

A house at Manhasset, Long Island, recently owned and occupied by Milton Smith, was built by his father, Richard R. Smith, in 1835. At his father's death Milton fell heir to the property. Recently he mortgaged the place to parties in New York, and not being able to pay the interest, was dispossessed. The house remained vacant for some time, and there were rumors of strange sights having been seen about the premises after nightfall, and the story soon god about that the house was haunted. Finally, the owners gave Elias Peaser, the village blacksmith, permission to live in the house rent free, and he moved in, with his wife and little daughter. On the evening of the day the family moved in, Mrs. Peaser took a lamp, and, with the little girl in her arms, started to put her to bed, leaving her husband in an adjoining room reading. Mrs. Peaser had been gone but a moment when her husband heard the door hang and his wife scream. He ran into the room where she was, and found it in darkness. His wife was lying upon the floor in a fit, with the girl near her. Mrs. Peaser soon revived, and begged to be taken out of the house at once, as she had seen an old man dressed in white, who had shut the door behind her, locked it, and knocked the lamp out of her hand. The family moved out that night.

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Documents:

Dutch Reformed Church, Manhasset - Marriage Records

Richard R. Smith to Phebe Cornelius - January 1, 1804

North Hempstead, Queens, New York - October 4, 1850
1850 United States Federal Census

Richard Smith - m 73, butcher
Phebe Smith - f 81
Martha Leah - f 26
Henry Smith - m 16, butcher
Susan A. Smith - f 11
Amanda Smith - f 9
Ja H. Leah - m 4
Milton Smith - m 38, butcher

North Hempstead, Roslyn, Queens, New York - July 3, 1860
1860 United States Federal Census
[there is a note that the house next door was unoccupied and owned by "Smith"]

Milton Smith - m 47 - Master Butcher, born New York
Sarah E. - f 35, born NY
Ezra H. - m 8, born NY
Wallace H. - m 3, born NY
Jesse - m 1, born NY
Richard R. - m 80, born NY
Chester Howell - m 67, born NY
John Jones - m 24 - butcher, born NY
Susan Schenck - f 13, black , born Pennsylvania

Manhasset, Queens, New York - June 15, 1880
1880 United States Federal Census

Smith, Milton - wm 67 - butcher, b NY
Smith, Sarah E. (wife) - wf 52 - keeping house, b NY
Smith, Jessie (son) - wm 21 - butcher, b NY
[next door]
Peason, Elias - wm 24 - blacksmith, b NY
Peason, Kate (wife) - wm 20 - keeping house, b NY
Peason, Louise (daughter) - wf 6 months, born Dec 1879, b NY

Episcopal & Dutch Reformed Church Yards, Manhasset - 1913

Smith, Milton (1812-1889) - "The grave of an honest man"
Smith, Lizzie B. - d 9 Oct 1866, 11 mos, 8 days
Smith, Orvell G. - d 19 Sep 1868, 9 mos, 15 days
Smith, Richard R. - d June 23, 1861 - 81 years, 5 months, 8 days
Smith, Phebe - wife of Richard R. - d. July 6, 1856 - 86y/2m/18d