| SPOUSE | CHILDREN | ||
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Margaret Sarah Terry m. Sep 1773/5 Anson Co. NC b. 1753? Anson Co. NC d. early 1790 ?Natchez Dist. |
Sarah b. Jan 19, 1776 Anson Co. NC d. Dec 20, 1817 Claiborne Co. MS |
Mary Polly b. 1779? Western NC d. 1827? Claiborne Co. MS |
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Obedience Emeline Fort m. Nov 3, 1792 Robertson Co. TN b. 1771 Edgecombe Co. NC d. Mar 1, 1847 Houston TX |
Sarah b. 1793 Davidson Co. (TN) d. Jan 1837 TX |
Shelby b. Jan 2, 1796 Logan Co. KY d. 1852 ?White Sulphur Springs |
Benjamin Fort b. Jan 2, 1796 Logan Co. KY d. Jul 10, 1841 White Sulphur Springs MT |
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Obediance Aurelia b. Feb 15, 1805 Logan Co. KY d. Dec 10, 1883 Houston TX |
Piety Lucretia b. Apr 2, 1807 Logan Co. KY d. Aug 22, 1899 Houston TX |
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On Feb 2, 1779 a "John Holoway" and a "James Sott" applied for a grant (#1476) of
640 acres upon "Long Glady Creek, including improvements". Also,
"John Smith lives
on for complement" but the grant was tagged "discontinued" [NC Land Grants,
v.2, p. 6]. 640 acres was the amount allotted in Washington County in Western NC
for soldiers of higher rank in the Continental Line. A James Scott did serve 3 years
from 1776 to 1779, was mustered but then returned to the line in 1780.
Later, a James Scott and a John Smith each received one of the Cumberland
Settlement's 1,410
Pioneer
Land Grants. This part of Washington Co. is now Middle Tennessee. The John
Smith who lived there in 1779 was David's father. |
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By May 1780, John Holloway was with his
family in the new Cumberland Settlement in Washington Co. in western NC territory
(now TN). John, along with about 250 others, signed the Cumberland Compact
created May 1, 1780. It was finalized on May 13 and established a provisional
government for the isolated area; provided for the election of twelve
representatives from the eight stations or forts; provided for a Sheriff, a
Clerk, a Militia that required service by all men over age 16, and for the
adjudication of causes, the administration of estates, and the awarding
of executions.
Image of
page 2 of the original Compact. The signature of "John Holloday" is ninth down
from the top, just above that of Frederick Stump, his son Jacob Stump, and William
Hood. Hood was killed by Indians in 1780 or 1781, and by winter 1781, Jacob Stump
was killed while out with his father near their home along Whites Creek. |
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Washington Co., previously Washington District, was formed by North Carolina in
1777 and extended west to the Mississippi River, mostly containing land inhabited
by five different tribes of Native Americans, but mostly Cherokee. In 1779, the
Cumberland Settlement was created by the granting of land by the NC government.
In 1783 this settlement was mostly contained in the newly formed Davidson Co. and
surrounded by Indian Lands, and Virginia and Kentucky to the North.
Map of
the Cumberland Settlements showing Forts, known as Stations, in present-day counties. |
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Map of
the Cumberland Settlement in 1780. |
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William White, eldest son of
John White, received an original land claim
in the Cumberland Settlement in Washington Co. NC, but may never actually
settled on the land. This may be why
John Holloway was there in 1780.
The claim John Holloway attempted with a James Scott the year before on Long "Glady"
Creek (shown on
Map),
appears to be the same as Whites Creek which ran through the lands claimed by
Frederick Stump, William White, Joshua Howard and Absalom Hooper, and where David's
father John Smith lived. See
Topolographical Map
showing Whites Creek area Land Claims [Drake, p. 23 and map E7].
James Scott did receive a land grant but John Holloway never did. |
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1777 Map
of the Colonies, by J. Leopold Imbert showing the Carolinas and neighboring
territory of "Louisiane" and the rivers and settlements there at the time of the
Revolution. Map was reproduced and printed by the Museum of the American Revolution
from a map image at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. |
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David Smith served as a private in the battles of Kings Mountain (Oct 7, 1780),
Cowpens SC (Jan 17, 1781), and Euthaw Springs SC (Sep 8, 1781). In a list
of militiamen at Kings Mountain who did not name their captain, David Smith
(Lt.) "from Anson County NC. A lieutenant ... no officers named by his son
(W25006)" [Lewis, "The Known Patriots ... , carolana.com website, p. 89]. |
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Map of
Burke County NC from 1777 to 1799 showing location of the McDowell, White and
Holloway family homes and Quaker Meadows. |
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On Nov 26, 1781, the Natchez court "In pursuance of the memorial of Mary Smith,
wife of [father] John Smith, who acted as Lt.
during the Rebellion in this province, and
since sent to N.O. [prison], have left in power and possession of said Mary Smith
the plantation, one negro named "Solomon" aged 40 years, of the Mandingo nation,
29 head of cattle, 4 horses, 24 hogs, besides those running in the woods, of which
the number is unknown, all the utensils and furniture for the safety of all which
she has given Alexander McIntosh for
surety ..." [McBee, Book A, p. 10]. |
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In May 1782, David and his wife arrived at Natchez in a party of 4 "Individuos"
and 7 "Esclavos" [slaves] under the entry "David Smith, wife and children". A total of
13 families
were recorded by Spanish authorities, and the record signed by Grand-Pré on
Jul 6, 1782. Arrivals included the family of David's brother,
William Smith [Natchez Court Records]. |
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On May 16, 1782 Thomas Ethridge made a
deposition to
the Natchez District Commandant,
, after he
received "secret advice ... from the zealous and faithful subjects of His Majesty,
Daniel Perry and
St. Germain" about the
conduct of those Americans arriving on flatboats down the Mississippi River,
mentioning David Smith and the others. He said that of the seven slaves
brought by Smith "six were stolen" [Farrell Family History website]. |
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On May 17, 1782, having just arrived in Natchez,
John White sold a slave named Jane, aged 18,
a native of Virginia, to widow Anne McIntosh
for $440 paid in cattle and horses.
Witnesses were "David Smith and Richard Gooding",
both of whom came with the Whites to Natchez. By Jun 2, 1785, three years later,
John's deed to a Richard Harris was deposited in archive as "John White has absconded"
[Natchez Court Records, Book A, pp. 99, 251]. |
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Map of
the Natchez District as it may have looked between 1779 and 1799. |
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Father John Smith was released from the New Orleans
prison by Jul 5, 1784. |
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On Sep 10, 1784, St. Germain
witnessed the sale of 100 arpents (about 84 acres) of land from
David Smith to Cato West "near Cole's Creek,
bordered on one side by land of Samuel Osborn, on other sides vacant" for $150
in cash paid at time of sale [McBee, Book A, p. 27]. |
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On Mar 1, 1785 David witnessed a
Deed of Gift
by Mary Higdon, aged about 62, of
"all my goods, chattels and property, real and personal" to her son
Jeptha Higdon [Clarke III, Appendix 6,
citing McBee, Book A, p. 245]. |
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On Apr 9, 1785, John Burnet sold to St. Germain
two/thirds of the saw mill "now occupied on or near land of
Richard Goodwin,
with the same part in a yoke of oxen at the Mill and the wheels
and chain and everything belonging to Richard Goodwin, and also my right to said
mill" for $800 (Spanish money) "payable January next" [McBee, p. 137]. |
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St. Germain
died shortly before May 8, 1786 after "a fall from the top of a tree
in the Cypress Swamp" about 15 miles above the Fort of Natches, apparently
trying to get wood for the saw mill that he had purchased part of from
John Burnet just the year before. The King's Surgeon, Don Louis Faure, informed
of the accident, found him in the house of John Burnet "already dead half an hour
before his arrival … body cold and wanting one leg" (McBee, pp. 33-4]. |
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On Jul 5, 1788, future son-in-law George Wilson Humphreys likely arrived with his mother,
who was recorded as "Ms. Humphris" from "State of Virginia", in a party of
one woman and 6 children [MS Dept of Archives & History, website]. |
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Daughter Sarah married George Wilson Humphreys (1771-1844) Jan 17, 1792. She is
identified as the owner of the bible along with her birth and death dates.
[George W. Humphres Bible]. Their son, Benjamin G. Humphreys, was Governor of
Mississippi from 1865 to 1868, the last under the Constitution of 1832. The second
son of B. G. Humphreys was named David Smith Humphreys. |
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Daughter Mary married Vachel Dillingham Jr. and lived in Kentucky until he died
on May 7, 1803, at the age of 43. About 1804/5 she came down to Natchez with her
two small children to visit her sister Sarah Humphreys. In 1806, she married
a widower, Andrew Mundell, whose wife was Frances Minor [McBee, p. 599]. |
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A Joshua Howard owned 200 acres on Second
Creek in the Natchez District. His petition to the British West Florida Government
for the land was dated Nov 6, 1776.
The receipt for surveying fees was dated Jan 22, 1777. After the Spaniards took
possession of the territory, Howard left the Natchez District for the Cumberland
Settlement in an area of far western North Carolina that later became Nashville
TN. He returned to Natchez at the end of 1788. |
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Absalom Hooper had claimed land on Second
Creek in the Natchez District several years before
Joshua Howard, both in the 1770's.
The two also claimed adjoining land along Whites Creek in the Cumberland Settlement
in western North Carolina in the 1780's.
Absalom did not return to Natchez with Joshua in 1788. The 4th item of his
Will written in 1811,
lists an "old Sam" among slaves bequeathed to his son Absalom (Jr.), along with
"Smith tools", presumably originally belonging to the John Smith who earlier lived
on his land on Whites Creek. If Sam was the Natchez slave "belonging" to
John Holloway in 1781, and being about
50 years old, he would have been about 80 when the will was written. |
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On Dec 31, 1788, "Joucha Hayward" arrived in Natchez from "Cumberland/Tennessee",
not listed among the flatboats and without family. In a letter dated Mar 2, 1790,
from Carlos de Grand Pré, Natchez, Mar 2, 1790 to Governor Don Estavan Miro, the
amount of tobacco was reported by growers of Natchez. A "Joshua Houvard" reported
producing 5000 pounds of tobacco [MS Dept of Archives & History, website]. |
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David's first wife, Margaret, died in early 1790 "and a few months later he went
to the Cumberland settlement with Andrew Jackson who was returning there to court"
(McBee, p. 399]. |
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According to the 1792 Spanish Census for the Natchez District, several Smith
families were listed, including "Guillermo" [William] on 500 arpents of land
in Santa Catalina (St. Catherine's Creek area]; Brother "Jaime Smith" in Buffalo Creek [southern part of Adams Co.] on 480 arpents, but he died that year; "Juan Smith" was listed as a single man living in Bayou Pierre [future Claiborne Co.] but not owning the land [Adams Co. MGHN, website]. Another translation of the census has a "Juan Smith" household in Villa Gayoso [Jefferson or Franklin Co.], a David Smith household, and another "Juan Smith" household in Bayou Pierre [MSGenWeb, website]. |
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Brother James and other members of the Smith family were blacksmiths. On
Oct 18, 1792, an "Inventory of property of James Smith, decd."
showed that "Widow Calvit" [Mary Calvit Higdon]
and her son Joseph Calvit, owed money to the estate for "blacksmith work"
[McBee, Natchez Court Records, Book D, p. 150]. |
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1895 Map
of Natchez from the Ancestral Trackers
website, shows the likely routes of the Second and Sandy Creeks in 1792. |
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Map
showing Land Holdings in the Second Creek area in 1810 is an enlargement
of part of the Adams Co. 1810 Land Holdings Map found on the website of the
MS Achives and History. In the center of this map can be seen the land owned
by Joshua Howard and other members of the Howard family. Brother John Howard (Jr.)
tried to claim 165 acres next to D. Ferguson and R. Sessions on May 29, 1804, the
same day that Joshua Howard tried to claim the 200 acres of land had been surveyed
for him in 1777. The latter tract would be the land that John Holloway was "improving"
and where he was killed. |
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After his second marriage, David moved his family, settling in Hinds Co. MS not
long after that region was yielded by the Choctaws. |
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Hinds Co. MS was founded Feb 12, 1821 and is between Claiborne Co. and Jackson.
Part of the Capital city is now within this county.
See Map for the
current location. |
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David was taxed in 1810 but not taxed in 1823 by Claiborne Co. MS but William
Smith was. Two Smiths are listed on Page 8 lines 16 and 17 of the
Claiborne Co. Tax Roll for 1810 as follows: William Smith 150 acres in W. Bayou Pierre (Spanish), no polls (taxable person) and 5 slaves. David Smith 200 acres in W. Bayou Pierre (Spanish), 1 poll and 4 slaves. |
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Daughter Aurelia Smith married Hiram George Runnels (1796-1857)
on Jun 16, 1823 in Hinds Co. MS. He served as Mississippi Governor from 1833-1835. |
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Son Ben Fort Smith was the first Representative from Hinds Co. in the MS State
Legislature. |
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Sources: Adams Co. Mississippi Genealogy & History Network, "1792 Census for Natchez District (under Spanish Government control)", 2009, 1792 Census. Clayton, Prof. W.W., History of Davidson County Tennessee, reprod. 1971 by Charles Elder, Nashville TN. Clarke, J. Calvit III, Appendicies to Joseph Calvit and his Family in Mississippi, Appendix 6, "Land and Property in the Calvit/Higdon Families", website. Cumberland Compact, original document signed May 13, 1780, Washington County NC, website. Drake, Doug, Jack Masters and Bill Puryear, Founding of the Cumberland Settlements, The First Atlas, 1779-1804, Warioto Press, 2009, pp. 23, map E7. Farrell Family History, website. "George W. Humphreys Bible", Claiborne MS Bibles, photostat of original bible, recorded 1957 by May Wilson McBee, in Mississippi Genealogy Trails, website. Genealogy Trails, Claiborne Co. (MS) 1810 Tax Roll, website, transcribed by Lee Kohler, updated May 8, 2018. Claiborne Co. MS, Genealogy Trails, Claiborne Co. (MS) 1823 Tax Roll, website, transcribed by Lee Kohler, updated May 9, 2018. Imbert, J. Leopold, map maker, Carte des Possessions Angloises... 1777, reprinted by the Museum of the American Revolution from map image at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. Lewis, J.D., "The Known Patriots at the Battle of Kings Mountain October 7, 1780", carolana.com, website, 2015. McBee, May Wilson, comp., "Land Claims", in Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, Book F, p.21. McBee, May Wilson, comp., Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, Greenwood MS, 1953, v. 2, numerous ref. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, rootsweb, Americans Arriving in Spanish-Held Natchez 1780-1790. MSGenWeb, Natchez District 1792 Census Index, comp. by Ellen Pack, website, transcribed and translated from Spanish. North Carolina Land Grants, vol. 2, at Morganton NC Library, p. 6, #1476, transcribed by Lisabeth M. Holloway Oct 9, 1987. Potter, Dorothy Williams, Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823, Gateway Press, Baltimore MD, 1982, p. 342. Tuller, Roberta, "1777 Petition of Holston Men", in An American Family History, website, Amazon Services, 2020. "Virginia Troops in the French and Indian Wars", Va. Hist. Mag., 1:389, 1894. Wells, Carol, Natchez Postscripts 1781-1798, Heritage Books, pp. 101, 144-5, 151, White, Gifford, James Taylor White of Virginia and some of his descendants into Texas, Austin, TX, 1982. Veach, Damon, "Louisiana Ancestors", article in Sunday Advocate Magazine, Baton Rouge LA, Feb 21, 1982. |
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