| Notes |
- From FindaGrave:
The primary background regarding John Smith of the Town of Plymouth and later Dartmouth, Mass. was first published in 1898 by Melatiah Everett Dwight in "The Kirbys of New England." Included in this work is a summary genealogy of "Lieut. John Smith, Jr." Unfortunately, the summary contains more errors of substance and required corrections to mis-interpretations of Quaker-style numerical dates than this memorial can encompass. The same sketch was borrowed in 1912 with the same errors of substance and dates by Henry Howland Crapo of New Bedford, Mass. in "Some Comeoverers."[*1]Crapo added some fanciful inferences regarding John Smith's possible place of birth including reference to Rev. John Smith, historically called the "se-Baptist" of Amsterdam, Holland, because Smith proudly proclaimed he had baptised himself and no other authority than himself was necessary for his own baptism.
The principle error regarding "Lieut. John Smith, Jr." is that he was called John Smith, Jr. at Plymouth only because he was the younger of two John Smiths that resided at Plymouth for many years, and both Mr. Dwight and Crapo badly confused them. He was called John junior only in the records of the Town of Plymouth, Mass., but when he relocated to Dartmouth, Mass. in 1665 he was known simply as John Smith.
The second major error is that Misters Dwight and Crapo claimed in Jan. 1633/4 John was the apprentice of Edward Dotey of Plymouth, when he was in fact apprenticed on June 24, 1633 to John Jenny of Plymouth for the full term of seven years until June 1641. As a result of the error all manner of creative and erroneous claims have evolved regarding "John Smith, Jr."
Who John Smith's parents were remains unknown. He wrote his recorded will on June 8, 1691 and d. testate at Dartmouth, Mass. on the "15th, 1st month (March), 1692 [i.e., 1691/92], in (his) 74th y.", latter shorthand for "in the 74th y. of his age" (Dartmouth Town Rec.) This indicates he died Ætatis suæ 74, and 73 years old, b. after Mar. 15, 1617/18. His will was proved by the witnesses on Nov. 12, 1692 with his estate inventory taken on Dec. 19, 1692. He is purportedly interred at what is now known as the private Smith Family Burying Ground located behind a private residence in South Dartmouth, Mass. But, in the 1600s as Quakers frowned on erecting gravestones as symbols of personal vanity, no actual gravestone marks his interment. There are gravestones of Smith descendant family at this burial ground, but they are 5 generations later when Quakers were permitted to erect small plain gravestones with minimal personal detail.
Peter Rounds' brief summary of John's will contains an error. The subsequent abstract follows:
• Wife Ruhamah. Six sons: Judah, Gershom, Eliazer, Hezekiah, Deliverance Smith & one son not named [i.e., youngest son Eliashib]. Daus. Hassadiah wife of Jonathan Russell, Mehitabel wife of John Russell, Hannah Smith, Sarah Smith & Deborah Smith. Grandchildren: James son of my son Eliazer Smith, James Russell son of Jonathan Russell & Mic[hael] son of my son Hezekiah Smith. Seth Pope & my brother-in-law Recompense Carby [Kirby], Execs. (sic) Witns.: Benjamin Howland & Vallentine Hudelston. [Bristol County PR 1:55].
NOTE: the actual will names son Deliverance and wife Ruhamah as co-executors; Pope and Kirby as overseers, who both later refused to serve. Pope was a prominent Congregationalist. By the time John Smith's will was probated, brother-in-law Recompense Kirby, a Quaker, had already or soon moved to Quaker dominated Burlington County in the then Province of West Jersey.
• Receipts for legacies from the Estate of John Smith, dated Jan. 10, 1693/4, by daughter Hassadiah Russell & husb. Jonathan Russell, by dau. Mehittabell & husb. John Russell and by daus. Hannah Smith & Sarah Smith. [Ibid, 1:161/2].
• An acct. [final] of Deliverance Smith, Exec. of the Estate of John Smith of Dartmouth, dated Dec. 1, 1696, was filed of record [based on the estate inventory made in 1692]. Mentions wife Ruhamah, son Deliverance Smith, daus. Hassadiah wife of Jonathan Russell, Mehitabel wife of John Russell, Hannah Smith, Sarah Smith & Deborah Smith (latter under age). [Ibid, 1:161/2].
John Smith was twice married. He m. 1) Jan. 4, 1648/9 in Plymouth, Mass., Deborah Howland, dau. of Arthur Howland and his wife Margaret. The date of Deborah's birth is unknown, but she is presumed to have been b. either in Plymouth or Marshfield, Mass. and was at least 18 years of age when she married. She d. at Dartmouth, Mass. after Oct. 1665 but by 1667. Deborah's paternal uncle was John Howland, the 1620 Mayflower passenger, but her parents did not arrive at Plymouth until the 1630s.
John Smith m. 2) by mid-1667, Ruhamah Kirby, dau. of Richard Kirby and his wife Jane, of Sandwich, Mass. Richard Kirby first appears in the New England records in 1636 as an inhabitant of Lynn, Mass. In 1637, together with others he moved to Cape Cod and began the settlement of the Town of Sandwich. When the Society of Friends, or Quakers, first appeared in New England, Richard was "sympathetic" to them although there is no record he was a member of that Society.
The children of John Smith are outlined in their respective mother's memorial.
[*1] Crapo's entire "Some Comeoverers" details for his nephew William Wallace Crapo of Detroit, Mich. (only son of Crapo's brother Stanford Tappan Crapo) the lines of the nephew's ancestry from John Smith by both wives - Deborah Howland through daughter Hassadiah, and Ruhamah Kirby through son Deliverance.
Edited 8/23/2017
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1619 - 1692 (73 years)
