In the first installment of this series, I identified Thankful{#27} and her family growing up. This included her parents and siblings, and I mentioned her grandparents. Now I would like to continue these lines back and talk about her grandparents and great grandparents. As a reference aid, I've included a chart at the bottom of this article for the reader to use.
Josiah
and Phebe Smith, Parents of Her Father Josiah
As I stated in the last installment, her father was Josiah Smith{#1400}.
According to his death record, he died in Orleans on 18 May 1864 at the
age of 67 years, 4 months and 15 days. It also tells us that his parents
were Josiah{#1921} and Phebe Smith{#1922}
and he was born in Orleans. If my calculations are correct, his date of
birth was about 3 January 1797. We further learn that he was a mariner
and that he died of dysentery.1
I have not been able to locate the record of his birth, nor for any of his siblings. However, according to the parish records of the First Church of Orleans, Josiah and Phebe Smith had six children baptized there all on the same day, 11 October 1801. There names were Jennet{#1923}, Taylor{#1924}, Joseph{#1925}, Josiah{#1400}, Phebe{#1926} and Eunice{#1927}.2 It was just the previous week, on 4 October, that Phebe (mother) was admitted to membership in this church.3 It would appear that Phebe had her children baptized there after her admission as a church member. I'm not sure what took place before, but they may have moved, or she and the kids may have attended a different church. We are also not sure if any of the kids were born around 11 October 1801, but her remaining 4 children were each baptized individually and we can assume that this was shortly after their births. The records show the following Smith baptisms for Josiah and Phebe:
Tempy{#1928},
29 November 18014
(Tempy was a common
nickname for Temperance)
Asa{#1929},
20 July 18045
Alvin{#1930}, 7 June 18076
Emeline{#1931}, 2 December 18107
In 1844 the Rev. Enoch Pratt wrote a comprehensive history of Eastham, Wellfleet and Orleans. In it he talks about a "Josiah Smith" who was a privateer during the War of 1812. I am convinced, after reviewing census records and other sources that he must be talking about Josiah Smith{#1921}, the father of the above mentioned children. I will let him tell the story:
"During the war a number of men from this town were engaged in privateering. Four of them, Samuel Freeman Jr., Joseph Snow, Josiah Smith and Matthew H. Mayo, were in the Reindeer, Capt. Nathaniel Snow. They were ordered to cruise from the mouth of the English Channel to the Bay of Biscay, to intercept a fleet of East Indiamen. They fell in with it on the coast of France, but as it was under a strong convoy, they let it pass.
"Subsequently they captured six prizes, from which they took part of their cargoes, and burnt some of the vessels.
"One of them was an english brig under Spanish colors. on board of which they put a prize-master, and ordered her to the United States; but she was retaken on the passage.
They fell in with another fleet of merchantmen under a strong convoy, and remaining near till dark, they engaged one of the vessels, which they were on the point of taking, when one of the convoy coming to her relief, they drew off, and returned to Boston, having been absent five months." 8
As another interesting note, I believe that the Joseph Snow, who accompanied Josiah, was the same Joseph Snow{#113} who was Helen (Hopkins) Downs's{#19} great grandfather.
For many years I had Josiah{#1921} and Phebe{#1922} listed in my research notes as:
"Josiah and Phebe (----------) Smith."
In other words, I had no clue what Phebe's maiden name was. I never found any reference to her other than "Phebe Smith." When George Ernest Bowman transcribed and published the records of Eastham and Orleans in 1905-7, there was no marriage for this couple included. For several years this was a mystery to me. I finally found my answer when I was looking through the original book of records recorded by the town clerk in Eastham in 1787. I their marriage intention published on 29 December 1787:9
It says, "Josiah Smith and Phebe Smith, Both of Eastham, was published." I have yet seen a marriage intention that didn't use the maiden name of the prospective bride, unless she was married before in which case it would be her widow name. So it seems that both Phebe's maiden and married name were "Smith." There marriage was recorded a few weeks later and confirms this:
This one says, "were married by the Revd mr. Chase, Josiah Smith and Phebe Smith bouth of Eastham, Feb. 5, 1788."10 Both of these records escaped transcription and I've found them no place else, even in so called "complete" vital records. They are probably being made available to the general public for the first time here. As it turned out, Josiah Smith married his first cousin!
I have not been able to locate any graves for these two, nor have I located any death records. Once again the First Church of Orleans comes through for us. For many years the parish maintained a Bill of Mortality, which is basically a list of parish members who died during each year. The information is very scant, but we find Josiah on the list of those who died in 181811 and his widow appears a few years later in 1825.12 There are two additional entries that may be of interest. Both are entered as "child Josiah Smith," which probably means a child of Josiah Smith. These deaths occurred in 181513 and 1825.14 We really can't be certain if they belong to this family or not, since their Christian names aren't recorded. If they do belong to this family then the one who died in 1825 probably died after his mother since he appears later on the list. There are a number of candidates for these children and you can see them yourself by referring to the family group page here.
The
Parents of Josiah Smith{#1921}, Grandfather
of Thankful D. Smith
Josiah
Smith was born in Eastham to Elisha{#1932}
and Jennet Smith{#1933} on 30 April 1764.15
His parents marriage record, unlike their son's, can be found in published
vital records of Eastham. Elisha Smith and Jennet Higgins were married
by Mr. Joseph Crocker in Eastham on 18 March 1756.16
Other than the fact that Elisha was a deacon in the Orleans Church, I
know very little about this family. Deacon Elisha Smith's gravestone still
stands in the Orleans Cemetery and is pictured on the right. He died 4
May 1765 in Eastham.17
His wife Jennet died 29 December 1813 in Eastham18
but I have not been able to locate Jennet's grave. The family group sheet
can be viewed here
and has all of the information concerning children, etc.
Elisha Smith was the son of Joseph{#1938} and Elizabeth (Knowles) Smith{#1939}.19 His wife Jennet was the daughter of Theophilus{#1940} and Joanna (Young) Smith{#1941}.20 I will cover these families in the future.
The
Parents of Phebe Smith{#1922}, Grandmother
of Thankful D. Smith
Phebe Smith was born
in Eastham on 3 October 1758.21
Her parents, Nathan Smith{#1978} and Mary
Freeman{#6564}, were married on 28 March
1755 in Eastham.22
There is a good chance that this is the Nathan Smith that appears in the
parish Bill of Mortality having died in 1803.23
I have not been able to locate any death records or graves for this couple.
Mary Freeman was the daughter of Eleazer{#6537} and Rebecca (Young) Freeman{#2876}.24 Since Mary was not mentioned in her father Eleazer's will of 1792, we can assume that she was probably dead by this time.25 Nathan Smith was another son of the same Joseph{#1938} and Elizabeth (Knowles) Smith{#1939} mentioned in the above section and thus a brother of Elisha{#1932}.26 I know nothing else of this family except that they had 12 children recorded in the record. You can see them on the family group page here.
John
and Rachel Cook, Parents of Thankful D. Smith's Mother Rachel
As I stated in the last installment, Thankful D. Smith's mother
was Rachel Cook{#1399}. According to Rachel's
death record, she died in Boston on 18 October 1854. We
learn that she was 57 years old and died of dropsy.27
She was born in Eastham on 12 September 1797.28
Her parents were John Cook{#1499} and Rachel
Doane{#1500} who were married shortly after
2 February 1788 when there marriage intention was recorded in Eastham.29
John Cook was born 4 January 1768 in Eastham.30 At the age of 44, he served during the War of 1812 on Col. Perry's flagship. He was present at the very bloody Battle of Lake Erie.31 At the time of his death from consumption on 22 October 1841 in Eastham, his occupation was listed as farmer.32
Rachel (Doane) Cook was born about 1771.33 Her parentage is a mystery that has plagued numerous genealogists through the years. When she died in Eastham on 20 June 1841,34 the collected death information for decedents consisted of date of death, name, age, sex, occupation and cause of death. Unfortunately the record of the parents' names was not yet standard on the state forms. She died of consumption35 like her husband would four months after her.
They had eight children and the details of this family can be found on their family group page here.
The
Parents of John Cook{#1499}, Grandfather
of Thankful D. Smith
John Cook was the son
of Samuel Cook{#1596} and Deborah Atwood{#1597}.36
They were married in Eastham on 17 April 1753 by Mr. Edward Chever.37
I have not been able to find a death record for Samuel nor can I find
Samuel and Deborah's graves. Deborah died 11 April 1772 in Eastham.38
Samuel was the son of Caleb{#1598} and Lydia
(Walker) Cook{#1600}.39
Deborah was the daughter of Israel{#1776}
and Hannah (Studley) Atwood{#1777}.40
Samuel and Deborah had eight children and the details are on the family group page found here.
A
Final Word
I have
opened up a whole new branch of Helen (Hopkins) Downs's ancestry. It started
with me finally figuring out who her grandmother, Thankful Doane Smith,
really was, which had been a brick wall for many years, even for her brother
Giles Hopkins who wrote extensively about our family. I've extended many
of these lines I've begun here back another hundred years. I will continue
these and they are now reflected on the family group sheets and the genealogical
charts.
This leaves us with the unknown parentage of Rachel Doane. I do have a theory and a shaky circumstantial case to back it. I don't feel I have enough proof yet to publish it here, but I'm working on that. You can expect to hear from me again on this topic.
Family
Group Pages
Josiah
and Phebe Smith
Dea. Elisha and
Jennet Smith
Nathan and Mary
Smith
John and Rachel
Cook
Samuel and Deborah
Cook
Genealogical
Charts
Ancestry
of Thankful Doane Smith
Related
Articles
Who
was Thankful Doane Smith? (Part 1 of this article)
Return to Hopkins Family Articles
Sources
Photo of Deacon Smith's grave stone: Robert Paine Carlson, see his site on our Links Page.
1. Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910 (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004. Boston Massachusetts.), Josiah Smith record of death, Town of Orleans, vol. 174, page 14.
2. Bowman, George Ernest, "Records of the First Church of Orleans, Formerly the First Church of Eastham, Mass." The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 14 January, 1912, No. 1, page 53.
3. Bowman, George Ernest, "Records of the First Church of Orleans,Formerly the First Church of Eastham, Mass."The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 15 January, 1913, No. 1, page 17.
4. Bowman, George Ernest, "Records of the First Church of Orleans, Formerly the First Church of Eastham, Mass." The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 14 January, 1912, No. 1, page 53.
5. Bowman, George Ernest, "Records of the First Church of Orleans, Formerly the First Church of Eastham, Mass." The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 14 January, 1912, No. 1, page 55.
6. Bowman, George Ernest, "Records of the First Church of Orleans, Formerly the First Church of Eastham, Mass." The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 14 January, 1912, No. 1, page 56.
7. Bowman, George Ernest, "Records of the First Church of Orleans, Formerly the First Church of Eastham, Mass." The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 14 April, 1912, No. 2, page 123.
8. Pratt, Rev. Enoch, A Comprehensive History, Ecclesiastical and Civil, of Eastham, Wellfleet and Orleans, County of Barnstable, Mass. From 1644 to 1844 (Yarmouth, Massachusetts: W.S. Fisher and Co., 1844), 91-2.
9. Vital Records of the Town of Orleans (Town Clerk's Office, Orleans, Massachusetts; extracted by Bill Downs from the original records.)
11.Smith, Stanley W., "Bill of Mortality in the South Parish of Eastham, 1772-1828," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 9 January, 1907, No. 1, page 36.
12. Smith, Stanley W., "Bill of Mortality in the South Parish of Eastham, 1772-1828," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 9 January, 1907, No. 1, page 38.
13. Smith, Stanley W., "Bill of Mortality in the South Parish of Eastham, 1772-1828," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 8 July, 1906, No. 3, page 149.
14. Smith, Stanley W., "Bill of Mortality in the South Parish of Eastham, 1772-1828," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 9 January, 1907, No. 1, page 38.
15. Bowman, George Ernest, "Eastham and Orleans, Mass., Vital Records," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 15 October, 1913, No. 4, page 231.
16. Bowman, George Ernest, "Eastham and Orleans, Mass., Vital Records," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 15 October, 1913, No. 4, page 231.
17. Smith, Stanley W., "Bill of Mortality in the South Parish of Eastham, 1772-1828," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 7 October, 1905, No. 4, page 229.
18. Higgins, Mrs. Katherine Chapin, Richard Higgins and His Descendants (Worcester, Massachusetts, 1918), 112.
19. Libby, Charles Thorton, "The Knowles Family of Eastham, Mass.," Genealogies of Mayflower Families from The New England Historic and Genealogical Register, 3 volumes (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985), 2: 447, originally published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 79 (October 1925): 379-92.
20. Higgins, Mrs. Katherine Chapin, Richard Higgins and His Descendants (Worcester, Massachusetts, 1918), 112.
21. Smith, Charles Paul, Ralph Smith (ca. 1610-1685) of Hingham & Eastham, Mass. (Draft 5.5, 1994), 139.
23. Smith, Stanley W., "Bill of Mortality in the South Parish of Eastham, 1772-1828," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, MD Vol. 7 October, 1905, No. 4, page 231.
24.Smith, Charles Paul, Ralph Smith (ca. 1610-1685) of Hingham & Eastham, Mass. (Draft 5.5, 1994), 139.
26. Libby, Charles Thorton, "The Knowles Family of Eastham, Mass.," Genealogies of Mayflower Families from The New England Historic and Genealogical Register, 3 volumes (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985), 2: 447, originally published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 79 (October 1925): 379-92.
27. Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910 (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004. Boston Massachusetts.), Rachel Cook record of death, Boston, vol. 86, page 85.
28. Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Births & Deaths, from the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2 volumes, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992), 2:75.
29. Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Marriages, from the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1990), 199.
30. Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Births & Deaths, from the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2 volumes, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992), 2:75.
31. Pratt, Rev. Enoch, A Comprehensive History, Ecclesiastical and Civil, of Eastham, Wellfleet and Orleans, County of Barnstable, Mass. From 1644 to 1844 (Yarmouth, Massachusetts: W.S. Fisher and Co., 1844), 92.
32. Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910 (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004. Boston Massachusetts.), John Cook, death entry. Vol. 1, page 318.
33. Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910 (From original records held by the Massachusetts Archives. Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004. Boston Massachusetts.), Rachael Cook, death entry. Vol. 1, page 318.
36. Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Births & Deaths, from the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2 volumes, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992), 2:75.
37. Bowman, George Ernest, "Eastham and Orleans, Mass., Vital Records," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, Vol. 25 (January 1923): 42.
38. Bowman, George Ernest, "Eastham and Orleans, Mass., Vital Records," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, Vol. 28 (April, 1930), volume 1 (January 1934): 42.
39. Bowman, George Ernest, "Eastham and Orleans, Mass., Vital Records," The Mayflower Descendant Magazine, Vol. 16 (October 1914): 202.