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For more details on the below information, please contact Beth Golden.
John Smith was likely born around 1640. His maternal nephew was John Bowie who was born in 1688 Carnock, Fife, Scotland. Based on this, our John Smith may be the same as the John Smith who was baptized 12 February 1636 in Newburn, Fife, the son of Andrew Smith or Webster, as Newburn is just a few miles from Carnock.[1] Or the John Smith, baptized 3 Nov 1629 in Kirkcaldy, Fife with parents Alexander Smith and Margaret Hutchin.[2]
It is unknown when and to where John of Mattapany came to America. Two possibilities were found and now disproved. 1) John arrived in Maryland with Col. Ninian Beall. Suggestively, Colonel Ninian Beall, a friend of John, was born in Largo, Fife in 1625 and arrived in the Colony of Maryland about 1652 from Barbados.[3] [No proof that Ninian Beall came to MD from Barbados] He is attributed to bringing 200 Scottish with him to Maryland, including Reverend Nathaniel Taylor, in 1690. Since John of Mattapany was already a land owner in 1690, he did not come with this group. The second possibility was that he was transported by 1685 to St. Mary's County by Thomas Gerard. However further research indicates that the John Smith who was in service to Thomas Gerard was not John of Mattapany Smith.[4]
John of Mattapany Smith may be the same man as the John Smith, transported by Edward Dobson in 1653, along with others including Daniell Mackall and John Powell, 2 surnames that may be connected to Jane Mackall Prather Smith (abt. 1645 - bef. 1713), the woman known to previous researchers as "Lyle Jane Mackay."[5]
John was a tobacco planter and merchant until his death.
It seems likely that John had a wife prior to Jane Mackall Prather. A possibility is Margaret Q. Hunt, widow of Francis Hunt.[6] This is a possibility because of a later marital connection. The grandson of Jonathan Prather, Phillip Gittings Prather, married Catherine Hunt.[7] However, no children from this possible first marriage are listed in John's Last Will and Testament.
John Smith and Jane Mackall Prather (widow of Jonathan Prather) were married on 24 August 1682 in Calvert, Maryland, British America. [8] Jane's parents have not been confidently established, but her father was very likely one of the sons of Robert Maccall (abt. 1600 - abt. 1650) of Edinburgh, Scotland. She died on 7 Dec 1713 at the age of 78 at Brooke Wood Plantation, Prince George's, Maryland, British America. The marriage was late in both of their lives and they had no children. John's step-children can be found under Jonathan Prather's profile.
Previous researchers have listed John and family living in Brookefield, Mattapany Landing, Prince George's. However a closer look at land records revealed that they actually lived in Brooke Wood, 2 parcels of land which were part of Brookefield from Thomas Brooke.[9]
Prior to this acquisition, John owned many properties, several of which are listed in his Last Will and Testament bequests: Thorpland, Hopeyard, Hope's Addition, and a lot in Nottingham Town. Please see a full and accurate transcription of John's Last Will done by Sharon J. Doliante[10] It had been thought that John may have owned land in St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties as early as 1670. However further research indicates that these properties did not belong to John of Mattapany: In St. Mary's County: THE HOPE 1616, SMITH'S PURCHASE and SMITH'S RESERVE 1670, SMITH'S ADDICON [Addition] 1671, (THE) ADDITION 1674, CHURCHOVER 1675, COVENTRY 1676. In Charles County: SMITH'S CHANCE 1686. In Calvert County: BROOKS ADVENTURE 1706.
His properties in Prince George's County, Maryland in 1696 when the county was formed were identified by Louise Joyner Hienton.[11] Orphan's Gift, Smith's Pasture, Smith's Green, Turrell Green, and Friendships are in addition to those mentioned in his Last Will.
John owned African slaves. Although no one should ever own someone, with the size of his properties, and the custom of the times, he needed assistance to maintain his crops and household. We do know from his Will that he owned several enslaved persons and servants.
Later in life, John was known as and referred to himself as John of Mattapany to distinguish himself from at least one other man living in the same area at the same time. "Only one man refused to serve. In 1702 the name of John Smith was in the commission of the peace (authorization that the men named were to act as justices or commissioners of the peace). John Smith, a planter of Mattapany Hundred, was called in, but protested that he wasn't fit to hold this office as he wasn't able to get on a horse without help, and he thought another John Smith was meant anyway. His protest was accepted and a new commission was issued."[12]
In 1692, the Colony of Maryland enacted a law that required all churches to be Church of England (Anglican/Episcopalian). Because of this the Presbyterian Church was not yet established in the colonies, John and many others worshiped at Anglican/Episcopalian churches in early Maryland. He joined the Patuxent Presbyterian Church when it was formed in 1704[13] and in his Will, John gave 20 pounds Sterling to Rev. Nathaniel Taylor of this church.
John died at the age of 77 at Brooke Wood, Mattapany Hundred, Prince George's, Maryland, after 3 Sep 1707 when he signed his Last Will and Testament and before 23 September 1707 when his Will was presented to the Court.[14] [15]
An inventory was done and appraised by William Joseph and Roger Brooke at a value of £469.12.8. The estate final settlement occurred in 1709 at Mattapany Landing, Prince George's, Maryland, British America which included payments received from men in England.[16] This may be why some have thought he was born in England. However, being a wealthy planter and merchant, he would have had business connections in England. His Probate was final in 1709 with debt payments received from merchants in England.
Another reference for John's life as cited by Linda Franks is the book, Prater Prather Prator Praytor In America 1620-1800 1-5 Generations, Vol. II, John W. Prather, Jr. , 1994. Residence 1684 "Leith" Or "Half-Pone" On Patuxent River, Prince George's Co., MD, Will dated 23 Dep 1707, Death, Estate 3 Nov 1709 Prince George's Co., MD Acct's Inventories & Accts, Liber 30, F. 235, Hall Of Records. However this is not for John of Mattapany Smith [17]
In 1688 Ninian Beall gave land called Orphan's Gift to John Smith. [18]
Charles &c
- To All Persons to whom these presents shall come Greeting in our Lord God Everlasting
- Know Ye that for and in consideracon That John Smith of Calvert County in Our said Province of Maryland hath due unto him by an assignment from Major Ninian Beale of Calvert County afsd of
- one Entire Warrant for five hundred acres Granted the said Major Ninian Beale the thirteenth Day of August One Thousand Six hundred Eighty Eight as appears Upon Record . . .
- Wee Doe Therefore hereby Grant unto him the said John Smith all that Tract or parcel of Land Called Orphans Gift lyeing in Calvert County On the West side of Patuxent River in the forke of Western Branch of the said River on the North Side of The Beaver Dam Branch and The North side of a parcel of Land called St. Andrews now in the possession of the said Beale and Beginning at the Northeast bounded white oake of the said Land for the Length of one hundred & sixty perches Then South to thee first Bounded tree Containing and now Laid out for five hundred Acres more or Less according to the Certificate off survey Thereof Taken and Returned into the Land Office at the City of St Maryes Bearing Date the two and twentyth Day off August one Thousand six hundred Eighty Eight
- . . .Given . . . The Sixth Day of May. . .One Thousand Six hundred Eighty nine.
This raises the question of why John Smith (Smith-22641) was "due" this land transfer from Ninian? Was John an indentured servant? Did he provide some service to Ninian, perhaps transportation of people? 500 acres is quite a bit of property so something very worthy occurred.
Possible responses to the question include:
This first child of Johnne & Janet (Hunter) Smyth was Janet, chr. 22 April 1627; then came John and Ninian's older brothers Thomas (chr 11 Oct 1629) and Alexander (chr. 12 Oct 1632). Finally, John and Ninian had a baby sister Issobell, chr. 6 September 1640. After that, it seems that no more children were born to this couple.
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John is 24 degrees from Herbert Adair, 21 degrees from Richard Adams, 17 degrees from Mel Blanc, 24 degrees from Dick Bruna, 20 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 33 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 19 degrees from Sam Edwards, 14 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 19 degrees from Marty Krofft, 13 degrees from Junius Matthews, 13 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 20 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
UPDATED 11 June 2021 Hope this helps! According to my extensive research done in 2020
1. John did not reside at Orphan's Gift.
2. Ninian Beall's major transport of 200 Scots to MD occurred in 1690, well after John Smith began living in MD.
3. Ninian Beall transferred other properties to John, including The Friendships [source: Mackenzie, George Norbury, and Nelson Osgood Rhoades, editors. Colonial Families of the United States, p. 57ff and Genealogy: A Weekly Journal of American Ancestry, Volumes 11-15]
4. The forenames mentioned for the Smyth family in Edinburgh are very common given names in Scotland during that time so in my opinion it is coincidental that they're also used with the Bell/Beall families.
5. The average age of death for men in this area during this time was 40-45 years. So a birth year of 1635 - 1640 may be incorrect. He died in 1707 which would make his birth about 1667 at the very latest as he owned land in Maryland by 1688.
6. John Smith's nephew was John Bowie, born in Scotland and transported by Smith to MD in 1705. John Bowie's parents may have been John Bowie and Margaret Ker, who married in 1658, Carnock, Fife, Scotland. There is also a speculative connection between this Ker family and records for Scottish Covenantors and may indicate the Smith family resided in/near Carnock.
edited by Beth (Brown) Golden
Also, the Brooke.... properties owned by John Smith were bequeathed to his nephew John Bowie upon Jane's death. Satisfyingly, the property in Collington Hundred, a part of Robert Brooke's Brookewood, also known as Frienshipp, stayed in the family through the 1850's when it was owned by the Eversfield family. Note: there is a plantation known as Brookwood, located at 12807 Duley Station Road, Upper Marlborough, MD, which was built about 1850 by the Eversfield family and is listed on the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (PG:86A-4) https://mht.maryland.gov/mihp/MIHPCard.aspx?MIHPNo=PG%3a86A-4 accessed 12 July 2020. Fielder Bowie, grandson of John Bowie, married Elizabeth Claggett Eversfield about 1765. Brookwood may have been named in honor of the plantation owned by John and Jane Smith and subsequently by John Bowie, or this Brookwood may actually be the land originally granted to John Bowie by his uncle, John Smith in his Last Will of 1707 and the Eversfield family improved the property. [cross-posted under McKay-479]