The Smith Family
There are two Smith families in my ancestry, which trace back to different progenitors. This is the one that I am most closely related to, being my maternal grandfather's surname. Currently, I am following leads which I believe will connect this line back to Henry Smith of Rehoboth, Massachusetts.
Descendants of Samuell Smith
Generation No. 1
1. SAMUELL SMITH was born about 1760 possibly in Rehoboth, Massachusetts and raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island. On 30 April 1775, Samuel (who listed as being from both Cumberland and Mendon) enlisted as a private in Captain Andrew Peters's Company, Colonel Joseph Read's (20th) Massachusetts Regement. He is found on a muster roll dated 1 August 1775 and in the Company returns at Roxbury on 25 September 1775. At this time, it has not been determined if he enlisted for any further service or if he applied for a pension.
On 10 July 1779 "Sam(ue)ll Smith of Cumberland" married ABIGAIL ALDRICH of Bellingham in Mendon, Massachusetts. It is certain that this is the same Samuel. There are no further records concerning either in Mendon, though their son Rufus is also married in Mendon in 1799 (see below).
[This Samuell appears to have been the son of
Joshua Smith and his second wife "the widow Elizabeth Walker"
thus born in 1757 in Rehoboth, Rhode Island. Evidence indicates that this Joshua may moved his family into Cumberland Co., Rhode Island, owning a trading store along the road to Mendon, Massachusetts.]
Child of SAMUELL SMITH and ABIGAIL ALDRICH is:
2. i. RUFUS SMITH was born 1780 in Mendon, Massachusetts.
Generation No. 2
2. RUFUS SMITH was born 23 October 1780 in Mendon, Massachusetts and died 26 January 1861 in Jamaica, Vermont. He married SALLY MASH (possibly Marsh) on 11 April 1799 in Mendon, Massachusetts.
Rufus is found in early records of Jamaica, Vermont along with several other Smith's, though no relationship is indicated. In 1819 he purchased the northern half of lot 70 from Joel Marsh.
His death is recorded in the Death Register of the Town Clerk of Jamaica, Windham Co., Vermont. He is listed as dying on 6 January 1862 at age "81 yrs, 2 mos, 14 days." Vital Records for the State of Vermont indicate that he was from Mendon and that his parents were Samuel and Abigail Smith.
Child of RUFUS SMITH and SALLY MASH is:
3. i. NAHUM SMITH was born about 1800, Jamaica, VT.
Generation No. 3
3. NAHUM SMITH was born in 1800 in Jamaica, Vermont, and died after 1910 in Sibley, Iowa. He married (1) ALMA WHEATON on 28 May 1839 in Jamaica, daughter of CHILDS WHEATON and CLOE LINDLEY. She was born 21 September 1816 and died before 1849 in Jamaica, Vermont. He married (2) CLARISSA CABLE on 9 Sep 1849, also in Jamaica.
Nahum is found in records in Jamaica, Vermont as late as 1862. He then moved the family West (possibly moving with his son Madison) eventually settling in Iowa. Nahum last appears in the 1910 Census. If this is accurate, he lived to be more than 110 years old.
Children of NAHUM SMITH and ALMA WHEATON are:
4. i. MADISON N. SMITH was born 31 May 1840, Jamaica, Vermont.
ii. ELIZABETH AMANDA SMITH was born 26 August 1843.
iii. ELIZA SMITH was born about 1845.
Child of NAHUM SMITH and CLARISSA CABLE is:
iv. ROSE SMITH was born around 1851.
Generation No. 4
4. MADISON N. SMITH was born 31 May 1840 in Jamaica, Vermont and died 24 December 1927 in McGregor Twp, Aitkin Co., Minnesota. He married DORETTA HENZE in Sibley, Iowa around 1895. She was born 22 July 1867 in Valbruch, Germany and died 14 March 1962 in Aitkin Co., Minnesota. Madison may have served in the Union Army during the Civil War out of Ohio.
Children of MADISON SMITH and DORETTA HENZE are:
i. EARL SMITH - born 24 April 1897 in Sibley, Iowa and died 1 February 1983, Workman Twp, Aitkin Co., Minnesota. He married (1) JOY ELAINE WEYER on 2 March 1940 in Minnesota. She was born on 24 May 1918, Lake of the Woods, Minnesota and died 20 February 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
ii. MAE ROSELMA SMITH was born 4 January 1899.
NOTE: This ends the paternal line of my maternal grandfather, Earl Smith.
