George Smith Warrant and Grant

This is the mysterious George Smith.  I don’t know how he related to the other 3 Smiths, but I suspect that if MY John M. Smith is related to anyone, he comes through George’s line.  I can find very little on George Smith, so I’m hoping for some treasures in the land records that I’ve ordered.

Warrant:

Kentucky County (pct?)

We do hereby certify that George Smith is entitled to four hundred acres of land in the district of Kentucky on account of settlement made and raising a crop of corn in the county in the year 1776 lying on the waters of Harrods Run joining Capt. Harrods land on the northwest and that the said George Smith is also entitled to the preemption of one thousand acres of land adjoining the said settlement given under our hands at the Falls of Ohio this 18th day of November 1779.

Grant:

Grant Book 1, pg. 623
George Smith 1000 Acres

Kentucky

Benjamin Harrison Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to all to whom these presents shall come greeting.  Know ye that in consideration of the sum of two hundred and forty pounds paid by George Smith into the Treasury of this Commonwealth there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto the said George Smith a certain tract or parcel of land containing one thousand acres, surveyed the 7th day of October 1780 four hundred acres of which is by virtue of a certificate in right of settlement lying and being in the County of Kentucky on the waters of Harrods Run adjoining the land of James Harrod on the north, and bounded as followeth, to wit, Beginning at a sugar oak and hickory tree a corner to Harrod’s and Bowman running from thence north one hundred and sixty poles to two Elms and black oak tree, thence west forty two poles to an Ash and White Oak tree thence north ninety two poles  crossing the river to two white oak trees thence west fifty eight poles crossing the run to a white oak and sugar tree, thence South forty poles to an Ash and Elm tree a corner to Quirk, thence west with his line two hundred and one and a quarter poles crossing the run to a mulberry and ash tree, thence south two hundred and twelve poles to two sugar trees in Harrods line, then East with his line three hundred and one and a quarter poles crossing the run to the Beginning, the residue six hundred acres on a preemption treasury warrant No. 953(?) and issued the 28th day of June 78- adjoining the Settlement on the west and Bounded as followeth, to wit, Beginning at a Mulberry and Ash tree a corner to the settlement lands, running from thence west twenty and three quarter poles to two sugar trees and an ash, thence north two hundred poles to two white oak trees, thence west two hundred and twenty two and a half poles to a sugar tree and two ash trees on the side of a small branch, then south four hundred and twelve poles to two ashes and sugar trees, thence east two hundred and forty three and three quarter poles to two sugar trees a corner to the settlement lands, thence with a line of the same north two hundred and twelve poles to the beginning with its appurtenances to have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land, with its appurtenances to the said George Smith and his heirs forever. In witness of the said Benjamin Harrison Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, hath here unto set his hand, and caused the lesser seal of the said Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the first day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty two and of the Commonwealth the sixth.

Benjamin Harrison

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Adam Smith Warrant and Grant

This one confuses me a little.  I had found the grant quite awhile back.  When I found the warrant, the database also contained a link to the grant.  When I click on the grant link, it does not take me to the correct one.  In the database, it lists “Cain Run” as the watercourse, but Cain Run is not part of the grant you get with the link. For the grant that I have, Adam is an assignee of John Bowman instead of having a warrant of his own.  Until I have time to really sit down and analyze these, I’m just going to post what I have.

Adam Smith is the oldest of the 3 Smith brothers.

Warrant:

Kentucky County (pct?)

We do hereby certify that Adam Smith is entitled to a settlement of four hundred acres of land in the district of Kentucky on account of raising a crop of corn in the County in the year 1776 lying on Cain Run to include a Mill Seat and adjoining the lands of Harlan V William Bryan Heir to David Bryan dec’d to include his improvement and that the said Smith is also entitled to the Preemption of one thousand acres of land adjoining the said settlement given under our hands at (S Araph) this 25th day of April 1780.

Grant:

Grant Book 1, pg. 161
Adam Smith 400 acres Lincoln 

Benjamin Harrison Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia to all to whom these presents shall come Greeting.  Know ye that in consideration of the sum of one hundred and sixty pound paid by Adam Smith into the Treasury of the Commonwealth There is Granted by the said Commonwealth unto the said Adam Smith assignee of John Bowman, a certain tract or parcel of land containing four hundred acres Surveyed the thirtieth day of May, one thousand, seven hundred, and eighty one or part of a preemption Treasury Warrant number five hundred and sixty and issued the first day of April, one thousand, seven hundred and eighty, lying and being in the County of Lincoln, adjoining John Bowman’s settlement on Harrods run, on the side and bounded a followeth, to wit, Beginning in Harrods line at a white oak and honey locust, running from thence with Bowman’s line North three hundred and twenty poles crossing Harrods run to a white oak and two Buckeyes in McBrides line, thence, with him East ninety poles to two white oaks and honey locust thence with said McBride, South ninety nine poles to four white oaks all from one root, thence with said McBrides line East two hundred and thirty poles crossing Harrods run twice to a (post) oak, white oak, and Walnut, in Adam Fisher’s line thence South ninety poles with Fishers to a sugar tree and small Walnut the corner of Zachariah Smiths land thence with in Smiths line West eighty poles to an Elm and Ash near Harrods run, thence South thirty two degrees West, one hundred and fifty Eight poles with said Smiths line and corner with him to two sugar trees, and white oak, thence West one hundred and sixty poles with said Smiths and Harrods lines to the beginning with its appurtenances, to have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land with its appurtenances to the said Adam Smith and his heirs forever. In witness whereof the said Benjamin Harrison Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, hath hereunto set his hand and caused the lesser seal of the said Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the first day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty two and of the Commonwealth the seventh.

Benjamin Harrison

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Zachariah Smith Warrant and Grant

Warrant:

Kentucky County pct

We do hereby certify that Zachariah Smith is entitled to a settlement of four hundred acres of land in the district of Kentucky on account of raising a crop of corn in the county in the year 1776 lying on Harrods Run known by the name of Crows Mill Seat about three miles Major Harrods and two miles from Dicks River and that the said Zachariah Smith is also entitled to the preemption of one thousand acres of land adjoining the said settlement Given under our hands at Harrodsburgh this 28th day of January 1780.

Grant:

Question: Why is the grant NOT 1000 acres?

Grant Book 1, p. 638
Zachariah Smith
880 acres Lincoln Co

Surveyed for Zachariah Smith 880 acres of land in Lincoln County on the waters of Dicks River 400 acres of which is by virtue of a certificate from the commissioners of this district for settlement. Beginning at A two shugartrees & white oaks running from thence N 32 E 158 poles crossing Harrods Run to a elm & ash standing near the run thence E 80 pole with John Bowmans line & corner with him & Adam Fisher to a shugartree & small walnut thence S 45 E 260 pole with S. Fishers line crossing Harrods Run to two Doggwood & Hickory thence E 40 pole with S. Fishers line to a shugartree hickory & doggwood thence S 137 pole passing a bend of welcome run to a shugartree white oak & hickory thence W 67 pole with Jn. Isaack line & corner in the same to a shugartree thence N 60 W 370 pole crossing a branch to the beginning.

Also 480 acres by virtue of a preemption warrant adjoining his settlement on the south & west side beginning at A two shugartrees & white oak running from thence W 124 pole with John Bowmans line to James Harrod corner to two white oaks & hickory thence S 290 pole with Harrods Line & corner with him to a spanish oak white oak & shugartree thence N 100 pole to a shugartree & ash thence E 118 pole with Isaacks line to the corner of the settlement to a shugartree thence N 60 W 370 pole with said settlement line  to the beginning. Variation 3 degrees E.  March 28th 1781

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John Smith Warrant and Grant

John Smith was the youngest of the 3 Smith brothers that I’ve found in the Harrodsburg area. John did not earn this warrant himself, but it became his about the same time as the other Smith men.

Warrant:

Kentucky County (pct?)

We do hereby certify that James Willy is entitled to four hundred acres of land in the district of Kentucky on account of settlement made in the year 1774 and raising a crop of corn in the year 1776 lying at a sinking spring about three miles from the place and nearly and east course joining Jacob Freemans land to the south and that the said James Willy is also entitled to the preemption of one thousand acres of land adjoining the said settlement given under our hands at Harrdosburgh this 27th of October 1779. (Eventually to John Smith, Nov 1779)

Grant:

Grant Book 1, pg. 513
John Smith 1400 Acres
Kentucky

Benjamin Harrison Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to all to whom these presents shall come greeting.  Know ye that in consideration of the ancient composition of two pounds sterling and the sum of four hundred pounds paid by John Smith into the Treasury of this Commonwealth there is granted by the said Commonwealth unto the said John Smith assignee of James Willey a certain tract or parcel of land containing fourteen hundred acres, surveyed the 23rd day of October 1780 four hundred acres of which is by virtue of a certificate in right of settlement lying and being in the County of Kentucky on the waters of Cain Run and joining Richard Hogan and Azor Rees on the North and bounded as followeth, to wit, Beginning at a small swamp white oak saplin in a small draft in Hogans line, and running north one hundred and twenty poles to a black oak and Elm saplin north west corner to Hogan’s settlement, thence with his line East one hundred poles to two cherry tree saplins, thence north two hundred and twenty poles to 3 white oaks, thence west two hundred and twenty four poles thence south three hundred and forty poles to Azor Rees’s line thence with his line East one hundred and twenty four poles to the beginning. Also one thousand acres on a preemption Treasury Warrant No. 33 and issued the 19th day of February one thousand seven hundred and eighty and bounded as followeth, to wit, beginning at a Hickory and Buckeye in his settlement line and running from thence north forty five degrees west two hundred and fifty three poles along John Grisham’s line to a Black oak, white oak corner to said Grishams land, then west two hundred ____ sixty poles to two white oaks, then south five hundred and twenty poles to two Spanish oaks and ash in Azor Rees’s line, then with his line East two hundred and eighty six poles to the corner of the said settlement, then with the settlement line north three hundred and forty poles, then east one hundred and forty nine poles to the beginning with its appurtenances to have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land, with its appurtenances to the said John Smith and his heirs forever. In witness of the said Benjamin Harrison Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, hath here unto set his hand, and caused the lesser seal of the said Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the first day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty two and of the Commonwealth the (smeared)

Benjamin Harrison

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Prepping for Land Records

Last weekend, I was able to order 5 land deed films to help in my research of Smiths in Mercer County, Kentucky. (BTW, I LOVE the new online ordering from FHL!!!)  My plan is to “follow the land” to see who the original settlers sell/give their land to over time.

So today, I transcribed the land warrants for the first 4 Smith men in the Harrodsburg area.  I’ve had the land GRANTS for quite awhile, but I had never taken the time to find the land warrants until today.  I do find them interesting because the warrants give the reason that the land is being granted.

Of the 4 Smith men, I know that 3 are brothers – Adam, Zachariah and John. It appears that all 4 men came to the area about the same time.  I do not know how George fits in yet, but I’m hoping that the land records will provide some clues. Looking at those land records will be my “free time” activity over Christmas break.

So beginning tomorrow, I’m going to post my transcribed warrants followed by the grants.  I’m planning to post 1 man’s records each day. If you see any clues you think are important for my search, please post a comment.  I’m far, far, far from feeling confident when reading land records and would appreciate any help I can get!

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A Better Look at the Map

I had downloaded a digital version of the 1784 Filson map of Kentucky before, but it wasn’t a large enough file to be able to zoom in and read any of the words.  Today, I found a great digital file at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/etas/3/

If I were to print the map at 100%, but would be about 7 x 8 FEET!!!  I zoomed in on the Harrodsburg area and cropped it to see “my area of the world”. This would have been about 3-4 years after the Smiths received their land warrants.

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Thinking about John M. Smith’s date of birth

If I’m believing the information given in the Oscar Smith biography, John M. Smith was an early pioneer of Danville, Kentucky.  The wording in the biography – “the pioneer of the family in Kentucky” – made me think of researching the first settlers in Kentucky in nearby Fort Harrod, but maybe that’s not quite right.

In the 1830 Russell County census for John M. Smith, the oldest male in the family is listed as being between 50 and 60 years old.  Let’s say he was 60 years old, making his date of birth around 1770.  The first land which would later become Danville was purchased  around 1783 and the city was officially established in December of 1787.  So I suppose that John could have settled in the area around this time at the age of 17 or so.  I can stretch my thinking a bit to admit that the age given on the 1830 census was probably less than accurate, so maybe he was even older than 60.

The original pioneers of the Harrodsbug had arrived around 1775-6.  Can I stretch my estimate to fit that time frame?  I don’t know how old a young man would have to be to purchase land or obtain a land grant, but let’s say 17 years old.  For John to be 17 in 1776, he would have been born around 1759.  Let’s make it 1760 for easy math.  This would have made him 70 years old for the 1830 census. Is that reasonable?  I think it just might be.

On the other hand, John’s oldest known child was born around 1805.  Would a man be having his first child at the age of 45?  John did not have a will, so I cannot be sure that it WAS the oldest child. Perhaps John had other children who stayed behind when John moved to Russell County around 1825. That would make sense as a child born in 1805 would have been 20 years old at the time of the move.

Maybe the answer that I’m looking for can be found in land records.  Perhaps I can find a John Smith who sold or passed land to a son before leaving the county.

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1st Land Grants of (Current) Mercer County, Kentucky

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kymercer/grants.html – Also has a nice history of County Formations for the area.

Smith       Zachariah      400  Harrods Run    02-07-1780  1-9
                          1000  Harrods Run    05-29-1780  1-56
Zachariah had a brother named John...

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Naming Patterns – Thinking Out Loud

I’m still obsessed with John M. Smith (1760-ish – 1835) and trying to make a connection between him and a Smith family from the first permanent settlement in Kentucky – Fort Harrod.  John has been a brick wall for a long time, and some of the information I’ve discovered in the last year has given more clues – and more questions.

For years, I thought John had 4 children based on deeds when the siblings sold their portion of John’s land to each other, but researching the Russell County Court Records revealed 2 children that I didn’t know John had. Solomon and Benjamin Smith both passed away in 1840 and their older brothers, George and Elias, were the administrators of their estates.  I have the Court record, administrator and executor’s bonds, but nothing further.  One year later, a brother-in-law, Henry Payne, grants power of attorney to one of his relatives to make sure that his children get their rightful share of each estate.  Only one of these sons – Benjamin – ever showed up in a tax list. He was listed directly after his older brother, owned no property or horse, so to me, it appears that he is a young man living with his brother after the death of his father.  I estimated Solomon and Benjamin’s dates of birth guessing that they were about 20-21 years old at the time of death.  If they had been older, they should have shown up in the lists earlier. So now my group sheet shows 6 children.

Another unknown person showed up in the Court Records in 1833.  John M. Smith was the administrator for the estate of John B. Smith.  John B. never appears in a tax list or deed, and I can find no administrator or executor’s bond for this estate.  I had been hoping that I might find a John B. Smith in Mercer County and that probate records there might make the connection to John M, but I have not been able to find any records at all for a John B. Smith. Today, I was looking at John M’s group sheet and I noticed a 5 year gap between the 2nd and 3rd child and another gap between the 4th and 5th child. Could it be that John B. was also a child who wasn’t quite old enough to be listed on the assessment list?  If I insert a hypothetical John B. into the 2nd gap, I have the following children:

1) Sarah Smith – b. @1804 m. Henry Payne in 1828 d. bef. 1847
2) George A. Smith – b. 1805 m. Talitha Ellis @1834 d. 1890
3) Elias Smith – b. 1810 m. Elizabeth Meadows in 1834 d. 1853
4) Jane Smith – b. @1812 m. Thomas Simpson in 1838 d. 1880
5) John B. Smith – b. @1813?       d. 1833
6) Benjamin Smith – b. @1819?   d. 1840
7) Solomon Smith –  b. @1820?  d. 1840

I find an interesting (and highly speculative!) naming pattern.

Based on information from Genealogy.com, one common naming pattern was:

• The first son was named after the father’s father
• The second son was named after the mother’s father
• The third son was named after the father
• The fourth son was named after the father’s eldest brother

Based on this theory – George Smith (who received a land warrant on Harrod’s Run adjacent to James Harrod’s land in 1780) could be John M. father.  At this time, I only have 1 person in George Smith’s group sheet – a daughter who was married in 1787 – so this is certainly possible.

I don’t have the name of John M’s wife, but in theory, her father’s name would have been Elias. (Both of John M’s oldest sons also had sons named Elias AND George, so I think these are important names in the family.)

The 3rd son, the hypothetical John B, would be named after his father, John M.

Without knowing more on George Smith of Harrodsburg’s children, I cannot confirm that Benjamin or Solomon could be named after brothers.  However, Adam Smith, who died in the Mercer County in 1793, had 2 sons named Benjamin and Solomon.

So my new focus will be on finding all I can on George Smith.  At northamericanforts.com, the listing for Smith’s Station in Mercer County says it was built in 1784 by “George, Adam or Zachariah Smith”.  Does this imply they were related?  They don’t list a source, so I don’t know, but it would make sense. George got his land warrant in 1780 and Adam and Zachariah got theirs in 1781.  Of course, I can find all kinds of information on Adam and Zachariah, but next to nothing on George.  Based on various message boards, Adam and Zachariah’s father was John Michael Smith.  Could my John M. be named after John Michael?The search continues!

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Original Pioneers to Fort Harrod

From Google Books: History of Kentucky: Embracing…

http://books.google.com/books?id=GqPtr-hyQskC&lpg=RA1-PA517&dq=James%20Harrod%2031%20men&pg=RA1-PA517#v=onepage&q=James%20Harrod%2031%20men&f=false

In May, 1774, Capt. James Harrod’s company of  adventurers, of 31 men,

James Blair
James Brown
Abraham Chapline
John Clark
John Crawford
Jared Cowan
John Cowan
John Crow
Azariah Davis
William Fields
David Glenn
Thomas Glenn
Silas Harlan
James Harrod
Thomas Harrod
James Harlan
Evan (or John) Hinton
____ Rees
John Shelp
James Wiley
John Wilson
And 10 others whose names we cannot ascertain, came down the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers in periogues or canoes to the mouth of the Kentucky River, which they ascended…

In two or three weeks this was followed by Isaac Hite’s company of adventurers of 11 men -

Robert Gilbert
James Hamilton
Isaac Hite
James Knox
James McColloch
Alexander Petrey
Jacob Sandusky
James Sandusky
Benjamin Tutt
David Williams
and one other name not preserved.

I know that somewhere, I have seen a complete list of men.  Smith surname was not included, so I did not copy.  Keep searching.

From http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.kentucky.tips/266/mb.ashx

This list, per several historic researchers, is not complete, but supposedly is the only known list of residents of Fort Harrod. Most of these names are taken from the Draper manuscripts and from various depositions.

Ann POAGUE McGINTY and her husband, James McGINTY, Thos ALLIN, Elisha BETHY (killed by Indians), Nicholas BRADSTONE, Jas BROWN (killed by Indians), Jeremiah BRISTOEE, Col. BOONE and family, Col. Abraham BOWMAN, Saml. COBURN (father of Mrs. Ann McDANIEL), John COWAN, George CALDWELL, Col. Richard CALLOWAY, General George Rogers CLARK, William COOMES and Jane COOMES (school teacher), Capt. CUNNINGHAM, Joe CHAPMAN (killed by Indians), George CORN and his five sons (not named), George CLARE, James COWAN (killed by Indians), Josiah COLLINS, Elisha COLLINS, Wm. DAVIS, Ezekiel DAVIS, Thomas DENTON, George GRAY, Eli GERRARD (killed by Indians), John GASS, Jno. HAYS (killed by Indians), William HARRIS (killed by Indians), John HAGGIN, Michael HUMBLE, Wm. HAYDEN (killed by Indians), Benj. HAYDEN, George HART, Richard HOGAN, John and Peter HIGGINS, Saml. JOHNSON, Patrick JORDAN, James JANUARY, Simon KENTON, John KENNEDY (killed by Indians), Thomas KENNEDY, Jacob LIGHT, Jos. LINDSAY, Ben LINN and wife Hannah (nee SOVERIGNS) LINN (thought to be the first marriage at the fort), Jas. LEGERWOOD, John McMURTRY, Wm and Francis McCONNELL, Jas. McMURTRY, Jas. McILVAIN, Wm. McCRACKEN, Jas. McBRIDE (killed by Indians), Jas. McGINTY, — McDONALD, McAFEE brothers (Robert, Jas, George, Wm and Samuel), Mrs. Ann McDANIEL (widow of Jas who was killed, married 1778), Col. Jas. HARROD, Hugh McGARY, Jas. McCOUN and son Joseph, Saml. MAYS, Wm. MITCHELL, David MITCHELL, John MORRISON, Simeon MOORE, Wm. MANIFEE, Capt. Clough OVERTON (killed by Indians). Col. Wm. POAGE and wife (who md 2nd Joseph LINDSAY, 3rd Jas. McGINTY), and their children (Elizabeth who married John THOMAS, Robt., Jos., Mary, Matty, Anne), Benj. PETTIT, Col. Robert PATTESON, Robt. POAGE, Geo. POAGE, Henry PRATHER and wife Elizabeth (nee WILSON), Bazil PENDERGRASS and his wife and daughter, Jas. RAY, Lewis ROSE and wife Barbary (FRIER) ROSE, Nathaniel RANDOLPH, WM. RAY (killed by Indians), Hugh SHANNON, John STAPLETON, Peter SHANKLIN, Robt. SHANKLIN, Roswell STEVENS, Thomas SHORES, Barny STAGNER (killed by Indians), Bartlett SEARCY, John STORY, Hugh SHANNON, Geo. THOMPSON, John TOWNSEND, Levi TODD and family, Robert TODD, David VANCE, Jas WASSON, Col. Wm WHITLEY and family (were also at St. Asaph), Hugh WILSON wife and son Harrod (first child born at forn in 1775), Edward WORTHINGTON and Betsy.

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