Hannah (Unknown) Smith (abt. 1690 - aft. 1754)

Wife of John Lovewell — married about 1712 (to 8 May 1725) in Dunstable, Middlesex, Massachusetts

Wife of Benjamin Smith — married about 1730 in Dunstable, MIddlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died after 1754 after about age 64 in Dunstable, New Hampshire

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Biography

Hannah married Capt. John Lovewell no later than 1712, perhaps in old Dunstable. Hannah and John lived in Dunstable and had three children^[1].

Hannah's husband was famous for Indian-fighting expeditions that he captained in 1724-25. His third and final expedition in this period unfortunately cost him his life (in 1725) in an episode known as "Capt. Lovewell's Fight"^[2]. Hannah found herself a widow, with three children under the age of ten. At least she inherited significant real estate and other compensations that her husband had received on account of the high risks he had taken.

At some point leading up to 1730, Hannah re-married to Benjamin Smith. They settled in the area today known as Merrimack, NH, raised her four Lovewell children and had two more of their own. Like her first husband, Benjamin had a history of military activity.

In 1750, Hannah became a widow for the second time. She was on 31 Oct 1750 (in Merrimack) established as the adminstrator of her husband's estate^[3]. The inventory of Benjamin's estate dated 14 Oct 1750 was above average for the time, valued at more than 4,500 pounds. In a 1751 unofficial "census" of who exactly was living in the town of Bedford at that time, one of the entries is "Widow Smith once Capt. Lovel's widow"^[4].

Jan. 5, 1754 is often given as Hannah's death date, but this has since been shown to be the death date of her Lovewell mother-in-law (wife of John Lovewell, Sr.).

Sources

1. ↑ Pg. 54-55, Vital Records of Dunstable, Massachusetts
2. ↑ The Adventures of Capt. Lovewell, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., 1983) Vol. 7, Page 61: "The Adventures of Capt. Lovewell"
3. ↑ Pg. 73, Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire, Vol 4, 1750-1753, Edited by Otis G, Hammond, Published 1933
4. ↑ Pg. 20, State of New Hampshire Town Charters, Volume XXIV (Town Charters, Volume I), Albert Stillman Bachellor, Editor, Concord, 1894

See also:

• Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 Vol. Dunstable V1 page 222
• Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org)
• Stearns, Ezra Scollay. Lovewell's Men, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, 1909) Vol. 63, Page 288.