Susannah (Chesley) Smith (abt. 1668 - abt. 1746)

Wife of John Smith — married about 1694 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about 28 Nov 1746 at about age 78 in Stonington, New London, Connecticut [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Michael McLaughlin [send private message] and Rosie Blanckenburg [send private message]

Biography

Susannah's maiden name, parents, birth place and exact birth date are uncertain. She was born about 1668 based on her headstone inscription (see below).

She probably married John Smith (not Captain John Smith of Oyster River/Durham, New Hampshire 75 miles away) about 1694 likely around Watertown where he was from. Her maiden name might have been Chesley since a couple of these names was married in Massachusetts in 1694 but it is not proven that it was this particular couple.^[1]

There was also a Susannah Parker born 19 Jan 1666 in Dedham (about 10 miles from Watertown) to Samuel and Sara (Unknown) who was about the right age to be this Susannah.^[2]

The Susannah Chesley of New Hampshire married Captain John Smith of Oyster River, NH on 17 Jun 1694 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire^[3][4] Susannah Chesley Smith of Durham, NH supposedly also died in 1746 but is listed as age 68 in an aggregate ancestry.com source^[5]

This Susannah died 28 Sep 1746 in Stonington and is buried there next to husband John with both gravestones carrying the inscription of his death and her stone including the inscription "Susannah Smith, who died Sep 28, 1746 in the 78th year of her age".^[1] Headstones of their son Daniel and his wife Thankful are alongside.

Their children as given in "History of Stonington" were

1. Jerusha Smith b.8 May 1695–1727,
2. Margaret Smith b.29 Jul 1698–1741,
3. Daniel Smith b.1 Aug 1700–1740,
4. Ester Smith b.20 Jul 1703
5. Ephraim Smith b.5 Oct 1704–1774,
6. Josiah Smith b.27 May 1707
7. Silas Smith birth date unknown, drowned 1729 at Upper Falls, MA
8. Lucy birth date unknown but deceased by time of father's 1730 will
9. Susannah birth date unknown, married Ebenezer Brewster 27 Aug 1735, she died 25 Apr 1779

A transcription of John Smith's will of 4 March 1729/30 on pages 726-7 of "History of Stonington"^[1] lists sons Daniel, Josiah, and Ephraim; daughters Lucie, Margaret, Ester and Susannah; and loving wife , Susannah making it clear that the couple of Stonington, CT was completely different from the ones of New Hampshire.

Research Notes

Torrey lists the John Smith of Oyster River/Durham and the one of Stonington as two different men. He specifically lists "Chesley" as the surname of the wife John of Oyster River and does not list a surname for the wife of John of Stonington, CT.^[6] His sources for the couple of Stonington are:

1. Stonington History p. 570-1
2. Stone-Evans 25, 88, 89 (with a note that Stone-Evans was wrong about wife's name)
3. LBDF&P 3:53
4. Watertown p. 435

Susanna of Stonington was about 10 years older than Susanna Chesley Smith of Oyster River/Durham, NH (see biography above).

DNA

A perfect match (zero genetic distance) has been found for the mitochondrial DNA for three matriline descendants of Susannah: one through daughter Jerusha and the others through daughter Margaret (one through Margaret's daughter Esther Parish and the other through her daughter Jerusha Parish). This is a strong signal that those lines are correct and that this mitochondrial DNA was passed down from Susannah without mutation. If so, then Susannah's high-level haplogroup was K1c1u. Other women who perfectly match these descendants of Susannah have matrlines tracing back to the following women:

• Hannah Lawrence b. 1660s on Long Island
• Phebe Rhodes b. 1740s on Long Island
• Caroline Combs b. ca. 1819 on Long Island

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} History of the town of Stonington, New London, Connecticut by Richard Anson Wheeler, Page: 571 https://archive.org/details/historytownston00wheegoog/page/n588/mode/2up
2. ↑ Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4JZ-4HM
3. ↑ A genealogical record of the Smiths of Oyster River, from the first settler in 1630 to 1874... http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/202610
4. ↑ New Hampshire Marriages, 1720-1920 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FD2S-7V2
5. ↑ Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. p. 685 at www.ancestry.com/interactive/3824/gpc_newenglandmarriages-0701/167679#?imageId=gpc_newenglandmarriages-0701
6. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. $subscription

• History of the town of Stonington, New London, Connecticut by Richard Anson Wheeler, Page: 571 and a transcription of his will on pages 726-7. Will names sons Daniel, Josiah, and Ephraim; daus Lucie, Margaret, Ester and Susannah; and loving wife , Susannah. Will dated 4 March 1729-30 in North Stonington, New London, CT.

See also:

• http://books.google.com/books?id=imdHNr_090gC&pg=PP79&dq=%22Susannah+Chesley%22&lr=#v=onepage&q=%22Susannah%20Chesley%22&f=false History of James Morgan of New London by Nathaniel Harris Morgan
  

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Kitty Smith for starting this profile.