Nehemiah Smith Jr. (abt. 1646 - 1727)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

Nehemiah was baptized 24 Oct 1626 at First Church in New Haven, CT.^[1] He died 8 Aug 1727^[2][3] and is buried in the Smith Lake Cemetery, also known as the Avery-Morgan Burial Ground in Groton, New London County, Colony of Connecticut.^[4]

Nehemiah married Lydia Winchester 28 Oct 1669, in Rehoboth, Bristol, MA, Lidia's home town.^[5] They were members of First Church in New London but one of their children were baptised at the Stonington First Church. In 1686 he inherited the family farm at Pocquonoe^[6]

During 1691-92 he bought a large parcel of land at Niantic, CT from Joseph and Jonathan Bull of Hartford. He paid 20 shillings 30 Jan 1691/92, the first payment. This land was known as the Soldiers land or Soldiers Reward and was situated north of Black Point on Niantic Bay. To the NW of this was a tract of 100 acres called the Obed land that was secured to the Hammonastts. Obed was the name of their chief. The Soldier parcel was laid out to include the Obed parcel. 200 acres was added by the general court, the Hammonassetts sold their reservation to the proprietors of the grant on 9 march 1691-2. Three days later Joseph and Jonathan Bull conveyed the Obed land and 700 more acres north of it to Nehemiah Smith of Groton in partnership with brother in law, Thomas Bradford of Lyme. Niantic is a village within what is now East Lyme. Grandson, Joseph, son of Samuel, is named in the Colonial Records.^[7]

“We, the subscribers, being mutually chosen by the tribe of Indians at Nehantick in Lyme, on the one part, and Edward Champline, Joseph Smith &c, of said Lyme on the other part, to settle and determine a controversy subsisting between said parties, respecting a piece of land lying in said Nehantic commonly known by the name of the upper hundred acres, and is part of a large tract of land formerly granted to Joseph and Jonathan Bull of Hartford, and by them conveyed to Nehemiah Smith, Esqr, of Groton, wherein said parties agree to be concluded as to the ancient bounds of said tract by our judgment on the bounds mentioned in said deed from Joseph and Jonathan Bull to said Nehemiah Smith, and that the said land be then equally divided by us for quantity and quality, which settlement when so made by us the parties agree to stand by and acquiesce in and shall put a final end to any further controversy respecting said lands; and having met at said nehantick on the 8th day of april, 1762, the parties being all present, we viewed said lands and heard all their talks and debates respecting said lands, and agreed to bound and divide the said land as follows, viz: Beginning on the west side at the head of the creek at a spring about one rod northwestward of Indian Joseph’s house, from thence east 31 ...And whereas the highway down to Black Point is on the Indians’ part of the land in this division, we would signify that a proper allowance hath been made to them in this division therefor...”

The land on the east side of the line described was to go to Champlin &c, except the Native Burial Ground, which was reserved to the Indians for their perpetual use. It was dated 15 April 1762. The homestead is historically preserved in the US National Register of Historic Places.^[8] Samuel Smith house (also known as the Hurlbut House) is 82 Plants Dam Road in East Lyme, CT.^[9]

DNA

Descendant of yDNA group NE37 Rev Nehemiah Smith-15993 (c1605 Eng-1686 New London, Connecticut) m Sarah Ann Bourne. See Smith Connections Northeastern DNA Project.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ Gen Pg 65.
2. ↑ "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F76P-449 : 16 January 2020), Nehemiah Smith, .
3. ↑ "Connecticut, Charles R. Hale Collection, Vital Records, 1640-1955", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7VF-TYB : 11 June 2020), Nehemiah Smith, 1727.
4. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #18931008
5. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1V-B2CJ : 29 November 2018), Nehemiah Smith and Lidia Winchester, 28 Oct 1669; citing Marriage, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007578641.
6. ↑ Gen Pg 65.
7. ↑ Colonial Records of Connecticut, Trumbull, J. Hammond (James Hammond), 1821-1897; Hoadly, Charles J. (Charles Jeremy), 1828-1900. Vol. 12 (1762-1767), 1850 Hartford, Brown & Parsons.Pg 115.
8. ↑ National Register Nomination Form
9. ↑ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Smith_House_(East_Lyme,_Connecticut) The Samuel Smith House
10. ↑ SmithConnections Northeastern DNA Project, haplogroup I1 NE37 Rev Nehemiah Smith.

• The American Genealogist Vol 11 Page 12 (subscription) article entitled, "Thomas3 Bradford (Maj. William2, Gov. William1) and his Wife" by Alfred L. Holman, Esq., of Chicago, Ill.
• Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (The Barbour Collection) (subscription) New London, Page 281
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #18931008 (accessed 3 March 2024)
  Memorial page for Nehemiah Smith (24 Oct 1646-8 Aug 1727), citing Smith Lake Cemetery, Groton, New London County, Connecticut, USA; Maintained by PaperTrailer (contributor 47092270).
• A genealogical history of the descendants of the Rev. Nehemiah Smith of New London County, Connecticut By Henry Allen Smith
• Stark, Charles. Groton, Conn., 1705-1905 (Palmer Press, Stonington, Conn., 1922) Page 79.
• New London (Conn.) Probate Records, The American Genealogist (1933) Vol. 10, Page 101. Nehemiah Smith was the administrator of the estate of Charles Bulkley.