- #7 in a series of posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -
250 Years; 1776 - 2026
Our Family was there, from the Beginning
Jeremiah Smith
Born circa 1755 – after 1800
Husband of Jemimah Hollis
My 5x great grandfather
Jeremiah Smith was the first of the Smith family to be found in historical records. He was born in South Carolina circa 1755 but the names of his parents and their country of origin is still to be discovered.[i] The oldest reference to Jeremiah is in 1770 in Craven County on Lynches Creek, sometimes referred to as Great Lynches Creek or, later, as Lynches River. His name is shown as owning land adjacent to John Kirkley. Most of the land surrounding the property of these two was men was described as ‘vacant land’.[ii] In 1773 Jeremiah’s land on Lynches Creek was again referenced in land records, this time as adjoining the property of James Minzies.[iii]
Lynches River originates in North Carolina, crosses into South Carolina where it flows for 175 miles and empties into the Pee Dee River. “In the late 1700s the Lynches attracted entrepreneurs who set up saw mills, harvested the long leaf pine, and shipped the lumber downstream to Georgetown.”[iv]
Jeremiah Smith served in the South Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War. He served as a private in Colonel Benton’s Regiment for 29 days in March 1782 and 36 days in October 1782. In 1785 he went to the Justice of the Peace in Cheraws District to apply for compensation for his service. He also claimed 109 days service for Richard, Charles and John Smith. Were these other Smiths his brothers? This service amounted to a claim for 87 pounds. He received an additional 16 pounds sterling for beef he gave “for public use” during the war.[v]
Beyond the terror and pain of occasional battles, perhaps the most striking aspects of the Revolution were the unrelenting brutal conditions that soldiers were forced to endure. For the Continental Army, food, clothing, blankets, and other necessities were always in short supply, as were guns, ammunition, wagons, and horses needed to face the enemy. … Even foraging parties came up with little; the surrounding countryside had long since been looted of livestock, grain, and firewood. … On top of it all, military pay was low and unreliable; for months at a time, men were not paid at all. … Nevertheless, loyalty to the army grew.[vi]
Signature of Jeremiah Smith, 9 April 1790
From: South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Account Audited (File No. 7131) Of Claims Growing Out Of The American Revolution
On 24 June 1784 Jeremiah married Jemimah Hollis, daughter of Moses Hollis and Rosannah (Hagan) Hollis.[vii]The Hollis family had been in the area for some years. Moses Hollis owned 300 acres on the Wateree River in 1768.[viii]Both Lynches Creek/River and Wateree River carve wandering lines across South Carolina but they run roughly parallel to each other.[ix] Various events, such as visiting the courthouse, could have brought the Smith and Hollis families together.
Moses Hollis also served in the South Carolina Militia during Revolutionary War. He served for 30 days in 1780 under General Sumpton.[x] More land records show Moses’ continued residence in the area as well as many other Hollis family members.
In October 1785 Jeremiah Smith had 100 acres of land on Rickey Creek in the Cheraws District.[xi] In 1788 he owned 400 acres in the Lynches Creek and Rocky Creek area.[xii] He was in Greenville, South Carolina in 1790 when the first United States Census was taken[xiii] and in 1800 for the second census.[xiv]
When researching the death date and location for Jeremiah Smith, I found a wide assortment of dates from 1810 to 1827, from the Carolinas to Mississippi. Because of the abundance of Jeremiah Smiths it cannot yet be determined which date and place relate to this man.
#2 Captain John Kennington, Camden District Regiment, South Carolina Militia
#3 Sergeant John Brumfield, Patriot & Spy South Carolina Militia
#4 Charles Brumfield, Gave Patriotic Service
#5 Captain Johannes Ritter, Sr., Northampton Co., PA Militia
#6 Lt. Moses Hollis, Lieutenant in the South Carolina Militia
Read more about our family's pioneers & patriots.
[i] Gurr, Cindy Brock and Dennis Ray Gurr. The Ties That Bind US Together, Volume 5 (Privatley Printed, 2006) Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed March 2019) 131-212.
[ii] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Colonial Plat Books; Series S213184, Volume 17, Page 500, Item 2; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) John Kirkley adj. Jeremiah Smith, 1770.
[iii] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Colonial Plat Books; Series S213184, Volume 18, Page 445, Item 2; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) James Minzies adj. Jeremiah Smith, Great Lynches Creek, 1773.
[iv] Stevens, Robert. Lynches River; digital image, South Carolina Encyclopedia (scencylopedia.org: accessed March 2019).
[v] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Account Audited Of Claims Growing out of the American Revolution; Series S108092, Reel 136, Frame 422; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) Jeremiah Smith.
[vi] Daily Life in Colonial America (Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, INc., 1993) 6128.
[vii] Gurr, Cindy Brock and Dennis Ray Gurr. The Ties That Bind US Together, Volume 5 (Privately Printed, 2006) Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed March 2019) 131-212.
[viii] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Colonial Land Grants; Series S213019, Volume 16, Page 367; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) Moses Hollis, 1768.
[ix] Pruitt, A. B. Creeks and Rivers in South Carolina (Privately Printed, 2001) 14.
[x] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Account Audited of Claims Growing Out of the American Revolution; Series S108092, Reel 72, Frame 596; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) Moses Hollis, 1780.
[xi] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. State Plat Books; Series S213190, Volume 8, Page 267, Item 1; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) Jeremiah Smith, 1785.
[xii] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. State Plat Books; Series S213190, Volume 22, Page 873, Item 2; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) Jeremiah Smith, 1788, Cheraws District.
[xiii] 1790 US Census, SC, Greenville; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed October 2019) Jeremiah Smith.
[xiv] 1800 US Census, SC, Greenville; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed October 2019) Jeremiah Smith.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by my blog & for leaving a comment. It is always good to hear from visitors, cousins & fellow bloggers. Note that I do not publish anonymous comments.