Earliest American Ancestor
by Paul M. Hokanson
Robert Smith, the first of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s, Smith ancestors to come to America, was brought to New England as an apprenticed servant to John Whittingham along with many other boys in 1638. About 3,000 colonists arrived in Boston that summer on twenty ships. The boys were sold as indentured servants and Robert Smith went to Ipswich, Massachusetts to work for the John Tuttle family. In March 1659 Robert “aged about 33” deposed in court that “he had lived with Simon Tuttle’s mother about eight or nine years”.
It has been conjectured that Robert came from near Boston in Lincoln shire because John Whittingham had an estate there but I have found that others of Mr. Whittingam’s apprenticed boys came from other parts of England. Joseph Smith’s cousin, George A. Smith said that Joseph stated their Smith Family was related to
Captain John Smith, of Pocahontas fame, who was born in Willoughby, Lincoln shire but Captain John Smith’s family were from the northwest coast of England. Or was Joseph Smith talking about another Captain John Smith who settled in Virgina and was the ancestor of George Washington and Queen Elizabeth II through her mother? That family line came out of Lincoln shire but likely Smith descendants would not be living there today. Much more work needs to be done on Robert Smith’s family history and matching DNA and other Smith families.
In about 1655 Robert Smith married Mary French, daughter of Thomas and Mary French, who came to Boston on the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. We do not have the date of their marriage but their first daughter, Mary was christened 23 May 1632 and died shortly thereafter.
The second daughter named Mary was christened in Boston 2 March 1633/4 making her about twenty-two when she married Robert Smith who was about twenty-six.
Robert and Mary moved to Topsfield Village where they owned 208 acres. Topsfield Village became known as Boxford. Robert was a farmer and a tailor like his wife’s parents. They were the parents of ten children. On tax records in 1671 Robert was called “an old decrepit man” (He was about forty-five) and was taxed 4s. 6p. on 1 house,12 acres, 2 oxen, 1 horse, 2 cows, 2 calves and 3 swine.
His Will was written 7 August 1693 which was signed with his mark, an O rather than an X. Robert died on the 30 of August that same year. Mary went to live with
their son Samuel and lived for twenty-five more years. She died during the winter of 1719-20. Next time we will learn about Robert and Mary Smith’s ten children and
some of their posterity.