John Smith (1651 - 1695)

Born 4 Nov 1651 in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Prentice) Woodward — married 8 Jun 1676 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 22 Jan 1695 at age 43 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

This is the profile for John Smith of Cambridge, Massachusetts who, with wife Sarah, had children whose births were recorded in Cambridge in 1677-1687.

Parentage; Date and Place of Birth

John Smith was born 4 Nov 1651 in Reading, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was the son of John Smith and Catherine (Morrill) Smith.^[1]

Marriage

John married Sarah Prentice in Cambridge on 8 June 1676.^[2][3] That this profile's John Smith was the John Smith who married Sarah Prentice is proven by John's will, in which he appointed his "brother" Nathaniel Hancock as a co-executor. This profile's John Smith and Nathaniel Hancock were brothers-in-law because there were married to the sisters Sarah Prentice and Mary Prentice.

Children

John and Sarah had the following children:

• Sarah, b. 31 March 1677,^[4] d. 13 April 1677^[5]
• John, b. 2 March 1677/8^[6]
• Sarah, b. 17 August 1681^[4]
• Rachel, b. 19 December 1685^[7]
• Joseph, b. 9 August 1687^[6]
• Mary, living in 1695.^[8] May have been the Mary Smith who married John Prentice in Cambridge on January 5, 1704/5.^[3]
• Elizabeth, living in 1695^[8]
• Hannah, living in 1695^[8]
• Abigail, living in 1695^[8]
• Dorcas, living in 1695.^[8] She was probably the Dorcas Smith who married Timothy Howe on 27 July 1715 in Newton^[9]

Will; Death; Estate

John made his will on 14 January 1694/5. In his will, he made bequests to his wife Sarah Smith, his two sons John Smith (then under 21) and Joseph Smith, and his daughters Mary Smith, Sarah Smith, Elizabeth Smith, Rachell Smith, Hannah Smith, Abigail Smith and Darkes Smith. He named his wife Sarah Smith, his "brother" Nathaniel Hancocke and his friend John [Elam?] as his executors. John signed his will with his mark in the presence of John [Gow?], Joseph Cheny and Jacob Eames.^[10]

According to the report of the inventory of his estate, John died on 22 January 1694/5. The inventory totalled £161, including 28 acres of land (£94), a dwelling house (£20), various farm animals, furniture, household goods, and a musket and simitar.^[10]

John's will was proved in Charlestown on 26 February 1694/5.^[10]

^{[2] [5] [4] [7] [6] [8] [10] [3] [9]}

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHJN-L8C : 15 January 2020), John Smith, 1651.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Records of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New England 1632-1830. 1906. p. 70. Link to page at archive.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Volume I - Marriages and Deaths. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914. p. 360. Link to page at archive.org.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Volume I - Births. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914. p. 653. Link to page at archive.org.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Volume I - Marriages and Deaths. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914. p. 741. Link to page at archive.org.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Volume I - Births. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914. p. 651. Link to page at archive.org.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Vital Records of Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Volume I - Births. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1914. p. 652. Link to page at archive.org.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} The assertion that John had daughters named of Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah, Abigail and Dorcas who were living in 1695 is proven by bequests to them in his will made on 14 January 1694/5.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPHD-Q142 : 11 May 2022), Timothy Howe and Dorcas Smith, 27 Jul 1715; citing Marriage, Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011106.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3} Middlesex County Probate Records. File 20659. FHL Film #007553765, images 1044-1047. Link to images at familysearch.org.

See also:

• Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Vol IV. Little, Brown and Company, 1862. p. 123. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
• Genealogical history of the town of Reading, Mass., including the present towns of Wakefield, Reading, and North Reading, with chronological and historical sketches, from 1639 to 1874 by Eaton, Lilley, 1802-1872 Publication date 1874 Publisher Boston, A. Mudge & Son, Printers . Page 111. https://archive.org/details/cu31924025963517/page/n151/mode/2up
• THE GENEALOGIES AND ESTATES OF CHARLESTOWN, IN THE COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX AND Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1629—1818 vol. 2. Pg. 876. https://archive.org/details/genealogiesestat02wyma/page/876/mode/2up