Abigail SMITH

Abigail married Joseph FERRIS before 1701 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Joseph (son of Joseph FERRIS and Ruth KNAPP) was born on 31 Mar 1683 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died on 7 Apr 1733 in Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Deborah FERRIS was born about 1707 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died on 17 Sep 1761 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.
2. Mercy FERRIS was born about 1730 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died between 1803 and 1812 in Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.

Notes:

Name:
"Connecticut Ancestry": John Smith was generous with his sons. On 28 March 1709, he gave to "my loveing & well beloved sonns" Samuel Smith and Ebenezer Smith "all my land and meadow" on both sides of the Mianus River near Lawrences Farm, a total of 36 acres. No record of a similar gift to his eldest son John Junior seems to have survived, but most likely had occurred earlier.

John Smith Senior distributed the remainder of his property by deeds of gift just prior to his death in 1711. On 13 October 1711, he gave his dwelling house and homelot to "my loveing son nathaniel Smith," along with 3 acres "upon ye tobacco lots," two lots in the South Field of 3 and 2 acres respectively, and "an acre of medow salt & Fresh" in the South Field. From other information, Nathaniel was not yet 20 years old in 1711, and this gift of his father's house and homelot at that age is quite unusual.

Likewise on the same day, he gave "to my loveing son David Smith" three parcels in the North Field of 4, 3 and 3 acres, "all my right of land by ye Mill River," "all my right of medow in ye south field," and "all my right of fresh medow in ye woods". On the 30th of the same month (or perhaps on the same day as the above if thirteenth was changed to thirtieth in the transcription), he gave "to my loveing son Jonathan Smith" 6 1/2 acres in town bounded West by John Smith Junior, all his rights at Pepper Ridge and at the branch of the Mianus Ricer, and an acre of salt meadow in the South Field. All three deeds were witnessed by Joseph Mead and Joseph Ferris, and acknowledged on 1 November 1711, two days before John Smith Senior's death.

Ebenezer and Samuel Smith also received joint distributions from the town of Stamford, based on their father's rights, on 12 November 1711 and 19 April 1717.

The children Samuel, Ebenezer, Nathaniel, Jonathan andDavid are therefore clearly identified as sons in their deeds from their father, as just described. John is proven to be a son by his deed of 26 January 1711/12 (not long after his father's death) to Jonathan Selleck of land and rights which had belonged to "my father John Smith" and "my grandfather Henry Smith," and by a deed from his own son John Smith in 1743 which refers to his father John Smith (John3) and grandfather John Smith(John2). Deaths of the two youngest daughters were recorded in the Town records, two other daughters ere identified fro probate records as described below and there may have been other daughters not yet recognized.

Letters of administration on the estate of John Smith late of Stamford were granted to his son John Smith on 5 December 1711. His inventory was taken on 16 January 1711/12 by Elisha Holly and Daniel Scofield, and Joseph Mead, Joseph Ferris and Ebenezer Smith verified that part of said inventory that was in their possession. the estate was distributed to his children (not named in the record) on 6 February 1711/12 by Capt. Joseph Bishop and Daniel Smith.

Ebenezer Smith (his X mark) and Charles Smith divided several pieces of land by an agreement dated 29 March 1742. It is not clear how Charles Smith obtained the rights to make this agreement but this situation may signify that his father Samuel Smith, a child in this family, had died before that date.

John married Elizabeth SCOFIELD before 1680 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Elizabeth (daughter of Richard SCOFIELD and Mary ?) was born on 27 Nov 1655 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died on 06 Oct 1703 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
"Connecticut Ancestry": Henry Smith was among the first group of settlers that came from Wethersfield to Stamford in 1641. It has been claimed that he was the "son of Thomas Smith of st.Mary Adermanbury England," adn was born in 1619 but this origin is not yet considered proven. "The History of Ancient Wethersfield" claims that he was the son of a Samuel Smith, but without further explanation. Robert Louer (author "The Smith Families of Stamford, Connecticut") has described these and other theories of the Henry Smith origin in more detail that will not be repeated here. Henry Smith died at Stamford, probably shortly after he made his will there on 4 July 1687.

The name of his first wife ha been given as Hannah ?, but not proven, perhaps an assumption based on the name of their oldest daughter. Sometime after the death of Francis Andrews at Fairfield 1662, he married (2) Ann/Anna (?) Andrews, widow of Francis Andrews. On 21 January 1664, Henry Smith confirmed a prenuptial agreement with his wife that discussed legacies in he former husband's will to three of her youngest children, Rebecca, Ruth and Abraham. She actually had a total of 10 children with her first husband, namely Hanna, Elizabeth,John, Thomas, Mary, Ether, Rebecca, Jeremiah, Abraham and Ruth. Ann's death was recorded at Stamford "the second week of June 1685".

"The lands of Henery Smith" in Stamford were entered in the town records on 26 March 1650, and included a houe and home lot of 1 1/2 acres bounded by Edward Jessup (N), common land (S), a highway (W), and the lands of Jeffrey Ferris and Thomas Hyatt on the East (E). Other lands recorded at the time were 5 acres + 3 acres of upland in the North Field, and 3 acres of meadow in the South Field. At a later time, 3 additional acres of upland in the North Field wrwe recorded on this same page of the town records as having been purchased from Edmund Lockwood in 1653.

The General Court (Assembly) of Connecticut granted Henry Smith 80 acres of land on 11 May 1671 "upon the acco' of his seruice at the Pequit warre." The town of residence was not noted, but we assume this was our Henry Smith of Stamford.

The will of "Hennery Smith" (who made his H mark in a feeble hand) was dated 4 July 1687 and witnessed by Joseph Garnsey and Abraham Ambler at Stamford. His son John Smith and his grandson John Knapp jointly received "my house and housing and home lott," to be equally divided. His grandson John Knapp was to pay all just debts and funeral charges. "All the other of my estate" was given to his daughter Hannah Lawrence, "expecting ye other of my children to be satisfied with what they have already received: my estate being so small."

Henry married Hannah UNKNOWN before 1642. Hannah was born about 1612 in England; died before 1674 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Mary ?. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married ? UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Alexander married ? UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]