General Notes

From: Bebe Fox, Bebenjohn@aol.com, 14 Mar 2000  I noticed you have Richard Smith being born in 1615. I can't recall off hand the guesstimate of his birth but it was in the late 1500's as he received a grant in England for land on the Eastern Shore of Va. in 1618 and came to Va. in 1619. He first lived at Pasbehaigh, a suburb of Jamestown, thus eligible for qualifying ancestor for descendants to join the Jamestowne Society...which I did. He is also in the First Muster, when was it, 1623/4. He had corn and a suit of armor. He took up his grant on the shore in the mid to late 1620's. What little is known of him can be found in the lastest edition of Adventures of Purse and Person (Dorman)
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Came To VA On The "London Merchant"
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Name: Richard Smith Sex: M Birth: BEF. 1597 in prob England Death: ABT. JAN 1659/60 in Northampton Co VA Note:
From Adventurers of Purse and Person: Richard Smith came to VA in the London Merchant, March 1619/20. He was living at Pasbehaighs, James City, at the time of the census 1623/4, and the muster 1624/25. Soon, however, he moved to the Eastern Shore where he had been granted, Nov 18 1618, 200 acres on the Occahannock Creek and received a certificate for 100 acres in Accawamck County Sep 23 1639. The area where he resided became Northampton County and in his will, proved Jan 31 1659/60, he mentioned 500 acres which he devised to his daughter "Alse" Smith and 450 acres left to his daughter Susan Smith.  "Since he devised to his daughter Alice by her maiden surname Smith, and also referred to Nathaniel Bradford as his son-in-law [meaning son by his wife], it seems clear Richard Smith had 2 wives, both dead when he wrote his will, one of whom was the mother of Alice and probably of Susan, and one who was a widow Bradford, mother of Nathaniel Bradford. Susan Smith was left "the linen which was her mother's." (Meyer, 569-570)  Richard Smith came to the colony as an indentured servant. In a court document dated Oct 1648, Henry Bagwell demanded that some clothing that he had given to Richard Smyth "who was my servant and lived with Mr. Johnson" which was to be delivered to Mary Buckland be reclaimed on behalf of Bagwell. (Mackey, Vol 3, 301)  About 1640, Richard Smith married Susannah (surname unknown). They probably had only two surviving daughters.  In Nov 1646, Alice Howkins bequeathed to Richard Smith "my flockbed and a pillow" for his pains in her sickness. (Mackey, Vol 3, 250)  On Nov 19 1648, Susanna Smyth, wife of Richard Smith, gave a calf to her godson John Bishop (son of Henry Bishop). She signed with her mark. (Mackey, Vol 3, 300)  In Jan 1648/9, Sampson Robins gave Susannah Smyth a cow, and if Susannah died without issue, the cow and its increase would go to her sister Alice Smyth. (Mackey, Vol 3, 319)  At the April 1650 Northampton County Court, Richard Smyth was given a certificate for 500 acres for which 300 acres were assigned from Thomas Palmer to Smith for transporting 6 persons. The other 200 acres were for Smith's transportation of 4 persons: Edward Martyn, Ann Smyth, Edward Reeves, and Elizabeth Jordan. (Mackey, Vol 3, 406) Who was Ann Smith and was she related to Richard?  In Jan 1650/1, Richard Smith and John Williams mortgaged some cattle in promise of a payment of 1300 lb tobo to Walter Williams by Dec 1651. (Mackey, Vol 3, 445)  At the Sep 28 1652 Northampton court, "the difference between Susanna Smyth the wife of Rich. Smyth Sr plaintiff and Jane the wife of Elias Hartrey is referred to the next court." (Walczyk, 83) At the Nov 1652 court, a deposition dated Aug 1652 was recorded. The deposition recounted the altercation between Jane Hartree and Susannah Smith. (Walczyk, 90)  Some time after Sep 1652, Susannah died, leaving Richard with 2 young daughters. It seems that he married a Widow Bradford who had a son, Nathaniel Bradford.  There is a Richard Smith who begins to appear in the Northampton County records about this time, but in the role of an indentured servant. It seems to this compiler that a man who owned land and was married would not sign to be a servant. It is the opinion of this compiler that there were two different men named Richard Smith at this time in the county. (Mackey, Vol 3, 446, 454) The Richard Smith of this narrative seems to be identified sometimes as Smith Sr to distinguish him from the other Richard Smith. In Nov 1653, Smith was given a certificate for 200 acres for the transportation of Joseph Harrison, Katherine Harris, John Thomas, Henry Suett. (Walczyk, 178)   In Jan 1653/4, Smith petitioned the court to take care of "a young child" belonging to Henry East (reportedly the father). The court directed Smith to care for the child at a cost of 500 lb tobo per year. (Walczyk, 188-189)  In June 1657, Smith sold 3 cows to John Alexander. (Mackey, Vol 6, 123)  In Apr 1658, Smith bought 250 acres at the head of Ockahannock Creek from James Davis. (Mackey, Vol 7, 8)  Some time prior to 1660, Richard's second wife probably died because she was not mentioned in his will.  Richard Smith died before Jan 31 1659/60 when his will was recorded in court. Abstract of will, undated; to my son-in-law [son by marriage] Nathaniel Bradford the 500 acre plantation whereon I now live, the land to go to Alce Smith [unmarried] and her [future] children. And if the said Alce dies without issue then the said plantation to Nathaniel during his lifetime and then to her sister Susan Smith and her heirs. To my daughter Susan Smith, 450 acres lying on the other side of the branch, one neck being called James Davis' Neck and the other King Tomes Neck. To my daughter Susan, the linen that was her mother's. To my daughter Alce Smith, my little boy William East. To my daughter Susan Smith, my servant John Major. To Edward Martin who was my servant, his diet until next October. To John Gorthine, 4 barrels of Indian corn. To my servant John Fisher, one year of his time and to the little boy William East, one year of his time. To Alphonsoe Ballis, 200 lb tobo. My son--in-law Nathaniel Bradford and William Thorn to assist my daughter Susan. Witnesses, William Thorn, Nathaniel Bradford, Alphonsoe Ballis. (Marshall, 60-61; Mackey, Vol 7, 83-85)
References Mackey, Howard. Marshall, James H. Abstracts of the Wills and Administrations of Northampton Co VA 1632-1802. Meyer, Virginia and John F. Dorman. Adventurers of Purse and Person, 1987. Walczyk. Frank. Vol 4. Whitelaw. Researched and written by Ann Blomquist, 2/2005. This narrative is copyrighted material and may not be posted or published except by the author
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I had hoped that Robert's father-in-law Richard Smythe would provide more clues as to Robert's background. Smythe was one of the first to settle on the eastern Shore. In November of 1618, he patented 950 acres in this area on the Eastern Shore. This is a significant fact. In the census of 1625, there were ONLY fifty-one Europeans listed in the eastern Shore musters at the lower tip of the Eastern Shore, but Smythe had already patented a day's sail north of this settlement. However, Smythe was listed as a Jamestown resident in 1624 so apparently he was not yet a resident of the Eastern Shore. see For current questions being discussed about the Richard Smiths in early Virginia <Smithunknowns.html>
No doubt Richard Smythe (D1659) was a major player for his time. He was an attorney in Jamestown, and I have long attempted to link him to Sir Thomas Smythe of the Virginia Company. Besides wife Alyce and his daughters Susanna Smythe and Alice Smythe (she married Nathaniel Bradford), there was a son Richard. This Richard also appears to have some relationship to Edward Smith, Captain Thomas Smith and Captain Henry Smith who appear so frequently in later land deeds of the eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland, however no definite relationship could be determined. Other than explaining where Richardson started to build his vast tracts of land, Mr. Richard Smythe provided very little in the way of clues
Source: http://www.intercom.net/local/richardson/colonial.html