John Smith 1618 - 1692

 

John Smith was my 9th great - grandfather who was born in England sometime in 1618. It must have been early in the year as I have his baptisim occuring March 7, 1618 in Conington, Cambridgeshire, England. He married his first wife, Deborah Howland, on January 4, 1648 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He unfortunately became a widow and remarried 1670 to Ruhamah Kirby in Dartmouth, Bristol county, Massachusetts. He passed away January 15, 1692 at the age of 74. Below is the memorial that is located at the Smith Family Cemetary in Massachusetts.

"John Smith, called the second, arrived in Plymouth by 1628, possibly before. John appears in the Plymouth Court record on "Jan. 2nd, 1633: That Whereas John Smith being in great extremity formerly and to be freed of the same, bound himself as an apprentice to Edward Dowty for the term of ten years; upon the petition of the said John the court took the matter into hearing, and finding the said Edward had disbursed but little for him freed the said John from his covenant of ten years and bound him to make up the term he had already served the said Edward the full term of five years, and to the end thereof; the said Edward to give him double apparel, and so be free of each other." He was about fifteen years old at this time.
In about 1664 or '65 he moved to the new town of Dartmouth where he was the town's firs military commander, appointed in 1673-4 by Governor Winslow as Lieutenant of the Military Company of Dartmouth.
John married twice, first 4 Jan 1648-9, at Marshfield, Plymouth, Mass., to Deborah Howland, daughter of Arthur Howland and his wife, Margaret (Reed) Walker Howland, and niece of Mayflower passenger John Howland. Together they had five children;
1 Hassadiah Smith, daughter, born 11 Jan 1650, Died 15 Dec 1723
2 John Smith, born, 1 oct 1651
3 Joseph Smith, born, 16 apr 1652
4 Eleazer Smith, born 20 apr 1654, died about 1733
5 Hezekiah Smith, born 28 nov 1655, died 28 Feb 1726
John married second, Ruhama Kirby about 1670 in Dartmouth, Bristol, Mass;
they had eight children, all born Dartmouth
1 Judah Smith
2 Mahitabell Smith
3 Sarah Smith
5 Deborah Smith
6 Eliasib Smith
7 Deliverance Smith
8 Gershom Smith
"John Smith died in the seventy-fourth year of his age on Jan 15, 1962, and was buried in the Hill Meadow burial place on his Homestead."
Burial
Smith Family Cemetary
Dartmouth"