Asael Smith

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: M9WN-KYG
• Initiatory (LDS): 27 Jun 1879, SGEOR

Notes:

Asael was the paternal grandfather of the Prophet, Joseph Smith. He w a s a man of strongest religious convictions, and yet a man whose broad h um anitarian views were repugnant to many of the sectarians of the day. U po n one occasion, before the Prophet's birth, Asael Smith had a premonit io n that one of his descendants should be a great teacher and leader o f men . To quote his words, as they are remembered and recorded by one wh o kne w and heard him speak: "It has been borne in upon my soul that on e of m y descendants will promulgate a work to revolutionize the world o f religi ous faith."
source: "The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet" by George Q. Cannon, pa g e 16.

"Asael fought for our liberty in the Revolutionary War. In the summe r o f 1776, he joined a regiment to defend New York's northern frontier . In h is prime of life, Asael Smith gave this counsel to his family, "Bl ess Go d that you live in a land of liberty....See God's providence in th e appoi ntment of the Federal Constitution and hold both Union and Orde r as a pre cious jewel."

Asael left a great legacy to his family and the (LDS) Church. He consist e ntly set an example of honesty and integrity in the face of adversity . Hi s writings reveal a deep faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection . An u nwavering concern for his fellowmen is evidenced in his strong ant i-slave ry beliefs. In the last message to his family, he exhorted them t o "Searc h the scriptures." These are qualities that would serve us wel l to emulat e."

Asael married Mary Elizabeth Duty on 12 Feb 1767 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Mary (daughter of Moses Duty and Mary Palmer) was born on 11 Oct 1743 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; was christened on 16 Oct 1743 in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 27 May 1836 in Kirtland, Lake, Ohio, United States; was buried on 28 May 1836 in Kirtland, Lake, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Jesse Smith was born on 20 Apr 1768 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 16 Mar 1793 in Stockholm, St. Lawrence, New York, United States.
2. Priscilla Smith was born on 21 Oct 1769 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 17 Apr 1860 in New York City, New York, New York, United States.
3. Joseph Smith was born on 12 Jul 1771 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 14 Sep 1840 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States; was buried on 15 Sep 1840 in Smith Family Cemetery, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States.
4. Asahel Smith was born on 21 May 1773 in Windham, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States; died on 21 Jul 1848 in Wapello, Louisa, Iowa, United States; was buried on 22 Jul 1848 in Wapello, Louisa, Iowa, United States.
5. Mary Smith was born on 4 Jun 1775 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States; died on 24 May 1844 in Lebanon, Grafton, New Hampshire, United States.
6. Samuel Smith was born on 15 Sep 1777 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States; died on 1 Apr 1830 in Potsdam, St. Lawrence, New York, United States.
7. Silas Sanford Smith was born on 1 Oct 1779 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States; died on 13 Sep 1839 in Pittsfield, Pike, Illinois, United States; was buried on 14 Sep 1839 in Pittsfield, Pike, Illinois, United States.
8. Patriarch John Smith was born on 16 Jul 1781 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States; died on 23 May 1854 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
9. Susannah Smith was born on 18 May 1783 in Deerfield, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States; died on 22 Mar 1849 in Potsdam, St. Lawrence, New York, United States.
10. Stephen Smith was born on 23 Apr 1785 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States; died on 25 Jul 1802 in Royalton, Windsor, Vermont, United States.
11. Sarah Smith was born on 16 May 1789 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States; died on 27 May 1824 in Derryfield, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KN4M-V9K
• Initiatory (LDS): 27 Jun 1879, SGEOR

Notes:

Capt. Samuel T. Smith was the ring-leader of the Boston Tea Party Revolu t ionary War Positions held - Committee of Safety, 1775-1785 Representati v e to the General Court, 1764-1770, 1772, 1777, 1778, 1781 Provincial Co ng ress, Oct. 1774 at Concord Second Provincial Congress, Feb. 1775, Camb rid ge, His service extended through Lexington and Bunker Hill Battles. C hair man of Tea Committee, 1773-1774 Topsfield Committee for Corresponden ce, 1 773 Served under General Washington; died insolvent due to worthles s Cont inental dollar, 1785. Good acquaintances of Samuel Smith - Paul Re vere, S am Adams, John Adams. Picture - House of Samuel and Asael Smith , Topsfiel d, MA. Picture - Batle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill. (William Duty , Major McC ley, Major Knowlton)

Samuel married Priscilla Gould on 27 May 1734 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Priscilla (daughter of Zaccheus Gould and Elizabeth Curtis) was born on 4 Aug 1707 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; was christened on 11 Apr 1714 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 25 Sep 1744 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; was buried in Sep 1744 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: 2QBB-935
• Initiatory (LDS): 28 Oct 1932, ARIZO

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LZK3-7WW
• Initiatory (LDS): 27 Jun 1879, SGEOR

Notes:

Samuel Smith, Sr. was born in 1666. He was listed on the town and coun t y records as a “gentleman” and it appears that he held a public office . H e married Rebecca Curtis, and they had 9 children.


He was raised in the prevailing religious teachings of a Puritan Commun i ty who taught that everyone sould have a strict knowledge of the script ur es and that there had been a drifting away from the original teaching s o f the Bible. He and his wife, Rebecca Curtis are the second-great-gra npar ents of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the grandparents of Asael Smith , wh o restored the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830 a ka th e Mormons.
.
According to the Town and County Records, Samuel was known as a Gentlema n . This is thought by some to mean, that Robert, his father, had been t h e youngest son of a nobleman. It was the custom in ENG at that time. H i s older brother, Thomas had deserted his parents home at an early age a n d had made his home with his grandparents, Thomas and Mary French. Aft e r his father's death on 30 Aug 1693. Samuel took full charge of his fat he r's affairs and cared for the younger members of the family. He was 2 7 a t the time. His mother and brother, Nathaniel, who was an invalid, ma de t heir home with him. His mother lived with him for the 26 years sh e wa s a widow and Nathaniel died abt 1719. They had 10 children.

Samuel married Rebecca Curtis on 25 Jan 1707 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Rebecca (daughter of John B Curtis and Mary Looke) was born on 20 Jan 1687 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; was christened on 6 May 1688 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 2 Mar 1753 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; was buried on 4 Mar 1753 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: MGQ9-9PN
• Initiatory (LDS): 27 Jun 1879, SGEOR

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KNWQ-Z5J
• Initiatory (LDS): 4 Jun 1929

Zaccheus married Elizabeth Curtis on 21 Jan 1701 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Elizabeth (daughter of John B Curtis and Mary Looke) was born on 15 Dec 1679 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 21 Jun 1740 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KNW3-JP9
• Initiatory (LDS): 26 Jun 1929, SLAKE

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LYWW-88F
• Initiatory (LDS): 17 Apr 1940, SGEOR

Notes:

Robert Smith Jr was born in January 1625 to Robert Smith Sr (1595-1643 ) a nd Grace Watson Smith (1610-1625). He was the surviving twin to his b roth er, William whom immediately was baptized 30 January 1625, and was b urie d the same day, according John Vues, vicar, (Kirton in Holland Paris h o f Lincolnshire, England, Images 5 - 6/166, pages 184-185). William ei the r died from labor and delivery complications, or the 1625 Plague .

As a result of the Plague of 1625 in England, (P. H. Wood “Infection un p erceiv’d, in many a place”: The London plague of 1625, viewed from Plym ou th Rock. We’re History, 2020, April 15), or complications related to p reg nancy, labor, and delivery, their mother Grace Watson Smith succumbe d t o death in February of 1625, and was buried 21 February 1625, (Ibid , Imag e 6/166, page 185). This left Robert Sr. with an infant son who ne eded t o be baptized and cared for in the wake of grieving and sudden sin gle par enthood. Two months after his mother’s death, Robert Jr. was bapt ized i n Kirton in Holland parish on 30 April 1626 (Ibid, Image 6/166, pa ge 186) .

Robert Sr, then married Margaret Gibson (1602-1645) whose surname was m i swritten as Gilpin, explained in her Life Sketch, 14 November 1626, (Ki rt on in Holland Register, image 7/166, page 187). The three of them bega n t heir new life there. Robert’s
half - brother William born 30 September 1627, Kirton in Holland (Ibid , 7 /166, page 188), was named for his maternal grandfather, William Gibs on ( 1573-1623) and also possibly in remembrance of his deceased twin .

Other siblings were born in Kirton in Holland, and likely passed away d u e to the deficit harvests from 1629-1637, in England, (Hoskins, W. G. ( 19 68),
Harvest fluctuations and English economic history, 1620–1759.The Agricul t ural History Review, 16(1), 15-31. https://www.jstor.org/
stable/40273255), which exactly correlated with the births and death s o f Robert Sr’s children and his ability as a householder or farmer t o prov ide for them. Only Robert and William survived to adulthood. Birth s and d eaths of their siblings are as follows: Susan (1628-1629), Kather ine (162 9-1629), John (1631-1638), Samuel (1633-1636), Thomas (1634-1635 ), Grac e (1635-1635), and Susan, (1637-1637), see (Smith Sr, Robert, Fam ilySearc h Person Page, 7 August 2021, 4:00 PM, DST).

Robert and William were educated in Kirton in Holland at a “grammar scho o l. . . originally a free school, [which was] founded [there] in 1624 b y S ir Thomas Middlecott,”
(Staunton, H. 1869. The great schools of England: an account of the foun d ation, endowments, and discipline of the chief seminaries of learnin g i n England. Strahan and Co. Publishers), “for the benefit of childre n of t he parishes of Kirton,” and others nearby. They were taught Latin , Greek , Christian religion, English commerce and agriculture, mathemati cs” an d other topics, (Great Schools of England, Kirton in Holland pag e 4 of 4, ) that would prepare these boys to emigrate to Colonial Americ a with Joh n Whittingham in 1638 as his indentured servants for ten year s of servitu de which paid for their passage.

John Whittingham, and his family were members of the Boston Botolph Pari s h, (Boston St Botolph Parish Register, baptism September 1616, Image 35 /1 03 page 25). It was a 1 hour 25, minute walk from Kirton in Holland. ( Goo gle Maps). John Cotton and other vicars in the area were influencin g pari shioners away from the Anglican Church toward Puritan theology an d practi ces (history of massachusetts.org/reverend-john-cotton/) .

Beginning in 1630 as many as 20,000 Puritans emigrated to America from E n gland, (Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, Library o f Co ngress). The relationship of the Watsons, Smiths, Gibsons and Whitti ngham s, and the proximity of Boston Port were the critical factors, in R ober t Sr’s and Margaret’s decision to send their boys to America where t hey c ould seek freedom to worship, and security in building a home, acco rdin g to (Zora Smith Jarvis, George A Smith Family, page 1, 1962).

According to Jarvis, “Robert served his ten years with Mr. Whittingham , a nd then in 1648, when of age, he became a citizen of Ipswich, MA. Fo r a t ime he worked for the Tutle family” (Ibid). In 1655/6 Robert Jr. ma rrie d Mary French (1634-1692) in Boston, Massachussets, (U.S., New Engla nd Ma rriages Prior to 1700, image 703/1022, page 688) .

In 1661, Robert Jr and Mary "moved to Rowley Village later organized a s B oxford, Essex County, MA. Here [Robert] purchased 208 acres of land , an d . . . was known for his thrift and industry . . . He built a larg e lumb er house with an upstairs in Boxford, Massachusetts. In that woode d count ry of uncultivated land extending over mountains and prairies, th ey littl e dreamed how numerous their posterity would become or how grea t a work t hat God had chosen for members of their posterity to perform, " (Zora Smit h Jarvis, George A Smith Family, page 1, 1962 ) .

Robert and Mary had the following children: Thomas Smith Sr. (1656–1725 ) , Mary Smith (1658– 1726), Phebe Smith (1661–1740), Ephraim Smith (1663 –1 740), Samuel Smith Sr. (1666–1748), Amy Ruhanna Smith (1668–1756), Sar a h Smith (1670–1673), Nathaniel Smith (1672–1719), Jacob Smith (1674–173 8) , and Mariah Smith (1677–1738), (Smith Jr, Robert, and Smith, Mary Fre nch , FamilySearch Person Page, 7 August 2021, 4:15, PM, DST). All of th ei r children were born in Essex County, MA, in the towns of Newbury, Ips wic h, Boxford, and Topsfield—within about a two or three hour walk of ea ch o ther, (Google Maps).

Author's note:
Robert Smith Jr. (1625-1693) was the third great grandfather to Joseph S m ith Jr. (1805-1844), founder and first prophet of the Church of Jesus C hr ist of Latter-day Saints, organized 1830. Robert was a significant hin g e point of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Robert Jr. pa ss ed after a full and successful life, 30 August 1693, (NEW ENGLAND MARR IAG ES PRIOR TO 1700)

Robert married Mary French on 26 Mar 1656 in Boxford, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Mary (daughter of Ensign Thomas French, Jr and Mary Scudamore) was born on 23 Sep 1632 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; died on 22 Mar 1683 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LRM4-DLP
• Initiatory (LDS): 11 Aug 1897

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LBHM-XV2
• Initiatory (LDS): 21 Aug 1929, SLAKE

John married Mary Looke on 4 Dec 1672 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Mary (daughter of Thomas Looke and Sarah Mary Miller) was born on 15 Jul 1654 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 23 Aug 1745 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LBHM-8DK
• Initiatory (LDS): 26 Jun 1929, SLAKE

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LBD3-1MY
• Initiatory (LDS): 16 Aug 1929, SLAKE

John married Sarah Baker on 14 Oct 1660 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Sarah (daughter of John Baker and Elizabeth Day) was born on 9 Mar 1641 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died on 20 Jan 1709 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; was buried on 25 Jan 1709 in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: MVGR-V6C
• Initiatory (LDS): 14 Nov 1890, SGEOR