My 6x great grandmother Abigail (Smith) Dunham's father is one of two John Smiths in my ancestry. This John Smith was originally from Essex County, Massachusetts, where he married my 7x great grandaunt Mary Ellingwood.
Here's an excerpt from COREY (CORY), CLEAVES AND SMITH FAMILY LINES. By Prof. Arthur Adams, Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. that I found online in National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volumes 6-11 :
The earliest certain mention found of the John Smith, progenitor of the Smith family in which we are interested, is in connection with the estate of Ralph Ellenwood, of Beverly, (Salem Wills), proved 3 of 5 mo., 1674, the inventory was taken Jan. 30, 1673-4. He speaks of his wife Helen (called Elenor in the inventory) , and makes her executor. Five sons are named: Ralob. Torn Joseph, Benjamin, and David. The two daughters are Mary and Elizabeth. Evidently the daughter Mary was not yet married.
The date of birth of Mary Ellenwood, as given in Salem Vital Records, is 3 of 2 mo. 1664 so that at the time of her father's death, she was about ten years old. We also find her age given as 14 years in a deposition taken June 4, 1673 (Essex County Court Papers, Vol. 29, JuneNov., 1678, p. 15).
We find John Smith joining in an agreement of division of the Ellenwood land under date of April 17, 1695, in right of Mary, his wife—how long he had been married does not apppear. (Salem Deeds, Vol. II, p. 192).
Nov. 19, 1702, John Smith of Beverly, with consent of his wife, Mary, sells his house and lot in Beverly to Robert Hale for £100. His brother, Benjamin Ellenwood, is mentioned as an abutting property owner. (Salem Deeds, Vol. 15, p. 261).
In the Beverly Vital Records the births of the following children of John Smith and his wife Mary are recorded—since the first child was born in 1686, it is probable that they were married about 1685, when Mary was twenty-one years old. That she was a widow at the time is made probable by the fact that in the Beverly Church Record, the Smith children are baptised in right of their mother, Mary Herrick. We find that a John Smith and Mrs. Mary Herrick were married in 1784—intention published May 23, 1784 (Beverly Vital Records, Vol. 2, p. 159). Can this be in error for 1684?
1. Mary, b. Sept. 5, 1686, m.____ Jackson.
2. Jonathan, b. Sept. 24, 1688.
3. James, b. May 3, 1692, d. Sept. 9, 1763, aged 72.
4. Abigail, b. Feb. 10, 1693-4, m. Ebenezer Dunham.
5. Annes, b. Nov. 18, 1695, bapt. Nov. 24, 1695 (Ch. Ree. says dau. of John and Mary Herrick Smith) m. Ephraim Dunham.John and Mary, bapt. April 3, 1698.
6. Hannah, bapt. 3 Apr, 1697 (dau. of John and Mary (Herrick) Smith), m. John Cox.
7. John, b. Feb., 1703, m. Deborah Barden in 1736. He d. Dec. 13, 1748. aged 46. She d. Jan. 9, 1801, aged 93. (Middleboro Church Record).
8. Melatiah, b. July 31, 1705, m. Gersham Cobb. (Middleboro Church Record).
9. Elizabeth, not married in 1727, named in dist. of Estate.
About—1702, John Smith removed from Beverly to Middleboro, in Plymouth County, Mass. We find of record at Plymouth, the following deed: John Doggett and Samuel Doget, both of Marshfield, sell to John Smith, late of Beverly, in the County of Essex, Marriner, for £55, lot No. 26, in the 26 Men's purchase on Whetstone Brook, containing 100 acres. The deed is dated Feb. 11, 1702-3. (Plymouth Deeds, Vol. 6, page 127).
Oct. 6, 1712, John Smith sold onehalf of this lot to his son Jonathan.
According to the stone in the Old Cemetery, in Middleboro, John Smith died May 16, 1727, in his 69th year. He was born, therefore, about 1658. His widow Mary was appointed administrator July 3, 1727 (Plymouth Probate Records, Vol. 5, p. 266). Since he died intestate, the estate was divided among the heirs by agreement (Plymouth Wills, Vol. 12, p. 222.) This distribution mentions the following persons: the widow Mary; sons Jonathan, James, and John Smith; daughter Mary Jackson, widow, of Middleboro; daughter Abigail Donham and her husband, Ebenezer Donham, of Plymouth; daughter Annes Donham and her husband, Ephraim Donham, of Middleboro; daughter Hannah Cox and her husband, John Cox; dau. Melatiah Cobb and her husband, Gersham Cobb; and daughter Elizabeth Smith—all of Middleboro. -pp4-5
National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volumes 6-11 Washington D.C. 1917
I must point out that the articlewas written in 1917 and since then it has been determined that Mary Ellingwood was not a widow when John Smith married her. The error came from a misreading of the Salem church records.
I've found a copy of the probate file which I will be posting about sometime in the future.
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