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Ancient Luke Smith of Henrico County, Virginia
[See footnotes at end of write-up. They do not "cut and paste" well from other papers. Sorry! Jean]
Some evidence points to (but is not conclusive) that Luke Smith and Ann Smith who both appear in the Henrico County Va. records too early to be children of Ancient Obadiah Smith’s wife Mary Cocke Smith (born ca. 1680) could have been Obadiah’s siblings. It is possible also that they may have been his children from an earlier unknown marriage, but the former theory seems more plausible.
Luke Smith was an adult by 1708 when he witnessed a Henrico County Deed. He had married Arabella Gromarrin by June 12, 1712, at which time her father Gilly Gromarrin (some records say Gellygrew Marrin) deeded 439 acres to them on the south side of the Chickahominy Swamp in Henrico County, Virginia. [Footnote 1.] Arabella also received a sizable amount of land when her father died, and Luke Smith was Gilly’s executor. [Footnote 2.] Luke and Arrabella Smith of Henrico County gave their son Obadiah Smith and his wife Mary [Burk] 175 acres in Goochland County, Virginia on Tuckahoe Creek on September 18, 1744. The land was bounded by William Harding, Henry Weir (sic, Ware), Joseph Mayo, deceased, and Thomas Fenton. [Footnote 3.] Obediah and Mary Smith (of Henrico County) sold the 170 (sic) acres in Goochland County to Henry Ware of Hanover Parish in King George County for £60 Virginia money on November 23, 1749. The deed described the land as lying in the fork of Tuckahoe Creek adjoining Wm. Harding’s line and the north branch of Tuckahoe Creek. Witnesses were Leonard Henly, Jr., John Mems (sic, Mims); and Giles Letcher. [Footnote 4.]
Please see additional Luke Smith research posted on the Smith Genforum by several researchers. [Footnote 5.]
Luke and Arrabella Smith’s son Obediah Smith lived in the part of Henrico County that became Chesterfield County in 1749. However, Obadiah Smith had married Mary Burk in Goochland County, Va. before 1744. The records of the births of his children were recorded by Rev. William Douglas [Footnote 6.] who pastured flocks in several Virginia counties, including western Henrico County, Goochland County, Hanover County, and Louisa County, and probably more. Rev. Douglas’ records show that the children of Obediah and Mary Burk Smith were: Luke Smith, born 1744; Susannah Smith, born 1746; Peartree Smith born 1748; Elizabeth Smith born 1750; William Smith born 1752; Obadiah Smith born 1755; Lucy Smith born 1756; Charles Smith; and Joseph Smith born 1761. Apparently, Mary Burk Smith had a brother named Peartree Burk, and he was the man for whom she named her son Peartree Smith. Records show that, indeed, there was a John Peartree Burk who was a party in a Bedford County, Va. Deed. [Footnote 7.]
On June 24, 1762, Archibald Coats, Archibald Ingram, and Archibald Buchanan of the city of Glasgow in North Britain, Merchants, sold 1,535 acres in Dale Parish, Chesterfield to Obadiah Smith of Virginia, Planter, for £150. The land was located on the James River and Winters Branch, being all the land conveyed by John Wilson, Sr. of said county to the merchants on February 21, 1750. The deed was recorded on Nov. 1760. [Footnote 8.]
The will of Obediah Smith (who married Mary Burk) was written in 1777 in Chesterfield County, Virginia.[Footnote 9.] “To Grandson Obediah Smith, son of my son Peartree, all of my land in Mecklenburg County,[Va.] where son Peartree lives, but his father and mother to have use of land and Negroes for life, and if he dies, to be divided among his sisters.
To Granddaughter Elizabeth Smith, l Negro and increase except one boy given to my grandson Obediah.
To son William, all my land on James River above Mosses [Moss's] Creek on road that goes from Anderson Britton's to Buckingham Road and along Jommy (sic) Winters Branch, to Powhite Creek, including land bought from Abram Cowley.
To son Obediah, all rest of Chesterfield land, being plantation I live on. If sons William and Obediah die without heirs, then to my daughter Lucy Smith. [This statement indicates that William Smith did not have any children by 1777 and therefore could not have been the William Smith who married Elizabeth Watkins had had children by 1762.]
To son William, all land at mouth of Hics and Dan Rivers. See footnote. [Footnote 10.]
To son Obediah, my land in North Carolina.
To daughter Lucy Smith, 2 Negroes.
To Eadith Christmas, 3 Negroes, furniture and 100 pounds, with Negroes to go to my estate after her death.
To granddaughter Elizabeth Winston, 1 negro and 100 pounds.
To son Peartree, 250 pounds and a bed.
Rest to sons William and Obediah and daughter Lucy. Exors: friends Drury Smith, Robert Jones, David Patteson, Samuel Price, William Scott, Jr., Anderson Britton and sons William Smith and Obediah Smith. Dated 2 January 1777 Wit: Benskin Easley, Ann Duvall, Lucy Smith, Martin Googer and Charles Clarke, Jr. The will was proven in May Court 1777.
Peartree Smith (born 1748), son of Obediah and Mary Burk Smith, had moved to Mecklenburg County Virginia at least by 1777 when his father Obediah Smith of Chesterfield County, Va. wrote his will. In 1778, Peartree Smith was a witness to the Halifax County , [Footnote 11.]Virginia will of John Dennis. [Footnote 12.] As we have seen, Peartree had one son named Obediah Smith by 1777, proven by the will of Peartree’s father Obediah Smith of Chesterfield County, Virginia. Apparently Peartree settled in Mecklenburg County, Virginia (or his widow did), because that is the county in which the guardian of his six under-aged children was appointed in 1791 after Peartree’s death. In 1791, Joseph Townes was appointed the guardian of Elizabeth Smith (born by 1777), Nancy Smith, Obadiah Smith (born by 1777), Peggy Smith, Patsy Smith, and Nancy Smith, orphans of Peartree Smith, deceased. John Smith was appointed their guardian in 1799. [Footnote 13.] It is not (yet) known by your present writer who this particular John Smith might have been or how he was related to the children.
Footnotes:
1.Benjamin B.Weisiger, III, Henrico Deeds 1706-1737, page 31.
2.Weisiger, Henrico Wills 1677-1737, pages 101-102.
3.Goochland Co. Va. DB 4/413.
4.Goochland DB 6/39.
5. See November 3, 2001 posting: http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgibin/pageload.cgi?Luke,Smith,Jr::smith::34994.html
April 28, 2002 http://genforum.genealogy.com/smith/messages/39901.html by David Robertson. Additional research is posted by him at www.genpal.com .
6.The Douglas Register
7.Bedford Co. Va. DB 2/66.
8.Benjamin B. Weisiger, III, Chesterfield County, Virginia Deeds 1756-64, page 43.
9.Benjamin B. Weisiger, III, Chesterfield County, Virginia Wills 1774-1802, pages 6 and 124.
10. The MOUTH of the Dan River is located near the Mecklenburg-Charlotte-Halifax County Virginia lines.
11. Halifax County was formed from Lunenburg County, Va. in 1752, and Mecklenburg County was formed from Lunenburg County, Va. in 1764-5. [The Handy Book for Genealogists, Seventh Edition, pages 304-5.
12. Marian Dodson Chiarito, Will Book 1 of Halifax County, Virginia 1773-1783, page 58.
13. From Early Settlers Mecklenburg County, Va. Vol. II.
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