Jane Bondurant

Jane married John Smith in 1739. John (son of Samuel Smith and Elizabeth Cartlitch) was born in 1719 in , Norfolk, England; died in 1780 in , Wake, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1780, , Anson, North Carolina, USA

Notes:

John Smith (1740-circa 1803) moved to Anson County and settled near Lilesville on a creek now named for him: “Smith Creek”. Smith's creek is a tributary of the Pee Dee river and currently empties into Blewett Falls Lake. The lake is reservoir formed by Blewett Falls Dam. He married Mary Flake (cir.1748-cir.1794), daughter of Samuel Flake and his first wife. In 1771, he was recorded as a Regulator who fought in the Battle of Alamance. He was a Regulator from 1767-1771, a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (a forerunner of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776). He believed that
opposition to tyrants was in obedience to God. In the Revolutionary War (1775), John volunteered in the Continental Army of the Province of North Carolina, a member of Captain John Allen’s Company, 2nd N.C. Regiment. John served in the struggle for freedom and independence for the thirteen colonies. Anson County records show that
John and Mary had eight children:

Thomas Smith (1768)…married Jane Goff
John Smith (1770)…married Mary Bellew
James Smith (1777)…married Mary Gathings
Sarah Smith(1778)…married George Lindsay
Eli Smith (1778)…married Sarah “Sallie” Hicks
Samuel Smith (1780)…married Peggy Hutchinson
Jesse Smith (1780)…married Mary Seago
Mary Smith…never married. No date available.


War of the Regulation

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The War of the Regulation (or the Regulator Movement) was a North Carolina uprising, lasting from approximately 1764 to 1771, where citizens took up arms against corrupt colonial officials. While unsuccessful, some historians consider it a catalyst to the American Revolutionary War.
Contents

1 Causes
2 Regulators
3 Opposition
4 Events
4.1 Breaking up the court
4.2 War
5 Aftermath
6 Further reading
7 See also
8 References

Causes

In 1764, several thousand people from North Carolina, mainly from Orange, Anson, and Granville counties in the western region, were extremely dissatisfied with the wealthy North Carolina officials, whom they considered cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical and corrupt. Taxes were collected by local sheriffs supported by the courts; the sheriffs and courts had sole control over their local regions. Many of the officers were deemed to be very greedy and often would band together with other local officials for their own personal gain. The entire system depended on the integrity of local officials, many of whom engaged in extortion; taxes collected often enriched the tax collectors directly. At times, sheriffs would intentionally remove records of their tax collection in order to further tax citizens. The system was endorsed by the colonial governor, who feared losing the support of the various county officials. The effort to eliminate this system of government became known as the Regulator uprising, War of the Regulation, or the Regulator War. The most heavily affected areas were said to be that of Rowan, Anson, Orange, Granville, and Cumberland counties. It was a struggle between mostly lower class citizens, who made up the majority of the population of North Carolina, and the wealthy ruling class, who comprised about 5% of the population, yet maintained almost total control of the government.

The primary aim of the Regulators was to form an honest government and reduce taxation. The wealthy businessmen/politicians that ruled North Carolina at this point, saw this as a grave threat to their power. Ultimately they brought in militia to crush the rebellion, and then hung their leaders. It is estimated that out of the 8,000 people living in Orange County at the time, some six or seven thousand of them were in support of the Regulators.

Although the "War of the Regulators" is considered by some to be one of the first acts of the American Revolutionary War, it was waged against corrupt local officials and not against the king or crown. In reality, many anti-Regulators went on to become Patriots during the American Revolution, such as William Hooper, James Robertson, and Francis Nash, and many other Regulators became Loyalists.
Regulators

Herman Husband became one of the unofficial leaders of the Regulators. Husband was originally from Maryland, born into a Quaker family. One of the major flaws in Husband's campaign was that he tried to invite good relations with the eastern regions of North Carolina, mostly unaffected by local sheriffs. Husband retained very little control over the group of Regulators, which generally went against his policies of winning over public sentiment by committing acts of minor violence at regular intervals.

Another leader of the Regulators was James Hunter. He refused to take control of the Regulators after Husband's departure before the Battle of Alamance.

Captain Benjamin Merrill had about 300 men under his control and would have assumed control over military leadership after James Hunter, but he was unable to serve in the Battle of Alamance.
Opposition

Governor Arthur Dobbs, who authored popular works at the time such as "Trade and Improvement of H'elend" and "Captain Middleton's Defense," served as the Royal Governor of North Carolina until his death in 1765.

Governor William Tryon assumed the position following the death of Governor Dobbs. Tryon had an extremely lavish home built in 1770 in New Bern (now known as Tryon Palace), which became one of the main points of resentment for the Regulators, who were already paying substantial taxes. William (The Regulator) Butler was quoted as saying "We are determined not to pay the Tax for the next three years, for the Edifice or Governor's House, nor will we pay for it."

Governor Josiah Martin succeeded Governor Tryon in office just after the end of the rebellion. His policies eased the burden on former Regulators and allowed them to be assimilated back into society.

Edmund Fanning was the main opposition to the Regulators. He graduated from Yale University, and he was generally regarded by his friends as well disciplined and firm. He held many political offices in Orange County. He was found guilty of embezzling money (along with Francis Nash) but was fined a minuscule amount.
EventsBreaking up the court

North Carolina's colonial court met in Hillsborough. In 1768, the Regulators entered Hillsborough, broke up the court, and dragged those they saw as corrupt officials through the streets.[1] They cracked the church bell of the Church of England, but stopped short of looting the church further due to their religious beliefs.[1]
War

While small acts of violence had been taking place for some time, mainly out of resentment, the first organized conflict was in Mecklenburg County in 1765. Settlers in the region, who were there illegally, forced away surveyors of the region assigned with designating land. Minor clashes followed for the next several years in almost every western county, but the only true battle of the war was the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771.

The governor and his forces which numbered just over 1,000, with roughly 150 officers, arrived at Hillsborough on May 9. At the same time, General Hugh Waddell, supporting Governor Tryon, en route with his contingent of 236 men was met by a large contingent of Regulators. Realizing his force was outnumbered, he fell back to Salisbury. On May 11, having received word of the retreat from a messenger, Tryon sent the force to support General Waddell. He intentionally chose a path that would lead his forces through Regulator territory. He made strict mention that nothing was to be looted or damaged. By May 14, his troops had reached Alamance and set up a camp. Leaving about 70 men behind to guard the position, he moved the remainder of his force, slightly under 1,000 men, to find the Regulators. About 10 miles (16 km) away, a force of approximately 2,000 Regulators (by some accounts, 6,000)[1] without any clear leadership or supplies was gathered mainly as a display of force, and not a standing army. The general Regulator strategy was to scare the governor with a show of superior numbers in order to force the governor to give in to their demands. The first clash of the battle was on May 15 when a rogue band of Regulators had captured two of the governor's militia soldiers. Governor Tryon had informed the Regulators that they were displaying open arms and rebellion and that action was to be taken if they did not disperse. The Regulators did not understand the severity of the crisis they were in and ignored the warning. Despite hesitation from his own forces, Governor Tryon allegedly initiated the main battle of Alamance on May 16 by shooting Robert Thompson, who was the first death of the battle. The Regulators resistance crumbled somewhat quickly. Captain Merrill, a Regulator, was supposed to arrive on the battlefield but was delayed. The battle was over with nine deaths for the governor's forces and about the same for the Regulators. Virtually everyone captured in the battle was fully pardoned in exchange for an allegiance to the crown; however, seven Regulators were executed for their part in the uprising.
Aftermath

Following the battle, Tryon's militia army traveled through Regulator territory where he had Regulators and Regulator sympathizers sign loyalty oaths and destroyed the properties of the most active Regulators. He also raised taxes to pay for his militia's defeat of the Regulators.[1]

Several trials were held after the war, resulting in the hanging of six Regulators at Hillsborough on June 19, 1771. Many of the main leaders remained in hiding until 1772, when they were no longer considered outlaws.

Many Regulators moved further west into places such as Tennessee, notably establishing both the Watauga Association at Sycamore Shoals (1772) in present day Elizabethton, Tennessee, the first independent white republic on American soil, and the State of Franklin (1784), another short-lived republic that failed to join the Union of the United States.

The Regulators are important characters in Jimmy Carter's historical novel The Hornet's Nest (2003).
Further reading

Gross, David (ed.) We Won’t Pay!: A Tax Resistance Reader ISBN 1434898253 pp. 77-79
Hamilton, Jon Jay. Herman Husband: Penman of the Regulation. Graduate thesis. Wake Forest University, 1969.
Kars, Marjoleine. Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
Kay, Marvin L. M. "The North Carolina Regulation, 1766-1776: A Class Conflict." In The American Revolution: Explorations in the History of American Radicalism, edited by Alfred F. Young. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1976.
Kay, Marvin L. M., and Lorin Lee Cary. "Class, Mobility, and Conflict in North Carolina on the Eve of the Revolution." In The Southern Experience in the American Revolution, edited by Jeffrey J. Crow and Larry E. Tise. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1978.
Powell, William S., James K. Huhta, and Thomas J. Farnham (eds). The Regulators in North Carolina: A Documentary History. Raleigh: State Dept. of Archives and History, 1971.
Walker, James Loy. The Regulator Movement: Sectional Controversy in North Carolina, 1765-1771. Graduate thesis. Louisiana State University, 1962.
Whittenburg, James Penn. Backwoods Revolutionaries: Social Context and Constitutional Theories of the North Carolina Regulators, 1765-1771. Graduate thesis. University of Georgia, 1974.
Zinn, Howard "A People's History Of The United States: 1492-Present" Harper-Perennial, 2003.

John married Mary Flake in 1766 in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA. Mary was born in 1748 in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA; died in 1794 in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1783, , Amherst, Virginia, USA
• Residence: 1812, Militia, Franklin, Indiana, USA
• Residence: Apr 1816, , , Indiana, USA
• Residence: 1818, , Washington, Indiana, USA
• Residence: 1824, , , Indiana, USA

Notes:

Thomas Dodd Smith was born 17 February 1750. He was the son of John Smith and Jane Bunderant.. On 1 October 1785 he married Kesiah Bunderant and lived in Bedford County, Virginia. Family tradition says that Thomas Dodd Smith, father of Fanny Smith Harris, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Smith applied for a Revolutionary War Pension in Washington County Indiana, when he was about 70 years old. On the 12th of October 1818, and on the 16th of June 1819, he appeared before Judge Davis Floyd of the Circuit Court of Washington County in the second Judicial Circuit, District of Indiana, and made sworn statements to the effect that about the year 1776 he enlisted in the State of Virginia in the company commanded by Captain Samuel Cavil (or, Cabba) of the Sixth Virginia Regiment; that he was in the battles of or near Albany in the State of New York, where Johnsons Indians were made prisoners and carried into Albany; also the battle of White Marsh, near Philadelphia, generally known by the name of Chesnut Hill; as also the battle of Saratoga at the taking of General Burgoyne; and that he continued in the service of the United States until the 4th of March 1778, when he was discharged from the service at the Sign of the White Horse on the Lancaster road twenty-six miles from Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania.

In 1820 the law required that a veteran prove his need for a pension. The following sworn statement, made by Thomas Smith and recorded by Basil Prather, clerk of the court, was apparently intended to serve that purpose:

District of Indiana...
"On this 13th day of October 1820 personally appeared in open Court (being the Circuit Court of Washington County in the Second Judicial Circuit, and having unlimited in all cases as well civil as criminal) Thomas Smith aged Seventy years Resident in Washington County in said circuit, who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his Oath declare that he served in the Revolutionary war as follows: That he enlisted in Armherst (Amherst) County State of Virginia Regiment, in the company of Captain Samuel Cabbill of the Sixth Virginia Regiment , commanded by Col. Buckner, that he served in said Corps about one year, at the end of which time he was drafted into Col. Morgans Regiment of the State of New Jersey under the command of the aforesaid Cpt. Samuel Cabball on the Continental Establishment,and that his original declaration was stated on the 12th day of October One thousand Eight Hundred and Eighteen, and that I was a resident citizen of the United State on the 18th day of March 1818, and that I have not since that time by gifts, sales, or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof with intent there by so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an Act,to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and Naval services of the United States in the revolutionary war passed the l8th day of March 1818--and that I have not nor has any person in trust for me any property or securities, contracts any property or securities, contracts or debts due to me nor have I any income other than what is contained in the Schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed, to wit, Thirty nine acres of Land not paid for, 1 old blind Mare with a coult, 2 cows & 3 yearlings, 9 head of Hogs, l pair old gears, l shovel plough, 2 hoes, l axe, l oven, l pot, l dish, 4 plates, 6 cups & saucers, l old coffee pott & one chair. My occupation a farmer, but not able to pursue that business from old age and infirmity, Kessiah my wife aged about 55 years, weakly and unable to do much labour in consequence of having a confirmed case of the consumption -- which said property was valued by the Court at $114.50.
Thomas Smith

A file notation further reads: "12811 Indiana -- Thomas Smith, of Washington County in the state of Indiana who was a Private in the 6th regiment...of the Virginia line, for the term of three of three years (corrected to '1776 2 years') -- Inscribed on the Roll of Indiana at the rate of 8 dollars per month, to commence the 12 of October 1818 -- Certificate of Pension issued the 12th of July 1819 and sent to David (Davis) Floyd ...Salem Indiana -- arrears to 4th of Mar. 1819: $38.19; semianl all'ce ending 4 Sept. 1819: $48.00; Total: $86.19."

A last notation states: "Died Feb. 27, 1829"

It appears that his wife Kesiah outlived him, because she is listed in the 1830 Census of Lawrence County, Indiana. (Lawrence County adjoins Washington County.) However, her name was not found in the Census of 1840.

Thomas Dodd Smith, father of Fanny Smith, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was also known as "Devil Tom" Smith, a name he earned for himself by his daring as a soldier, it is said. During the period of his service, like so many of the poorly-clothed and equipped American soldiers, he had many trying experiences and was often in danger. Once, along with another soldier he deserted, but on the way home he thought better of it and decided to return. The other soldier went on toward home, but was killed by Indians on the way.

In the winter of those days the soldiers slept on the ground, and this is how their beds were made: The snow was first removed from the spot and piled to one side, and a blanket put down. Then the soldier lay down with another blanket over him while one of the other piled snow over the top, it being warmer that way.

It is said that for a period of about three months "Devil Tom" served as one of the Washington's bodyguard, and as such was often one of the last to be bedded down and covered with the snow.

Moses Harris, who married Fanny Smith, is reported to have said, "My father-in-law. Tom Smith, said to me sometime before his death, 'Moses, the Lord is going to establish His work in the earth, and I'm going to look to you for salvation.' This was hard for me to understand, because I thought he was a good man, as good as myself, and felt that his salvation was a sure as anyone's. But when the Gospel was restored and I accepted it, the meaning of his prophetic words became plain to me."

A search of the file of "Nauvoo Baptism" in Salt Lake City shows that in 1841 a vicarious baptism was performed at Nauvoo for "Thomas Smith, at the instance of Fanny Harris, Daughter."

Thomas married Keziah Bondurant on 1 Oct 1785 in , Bedford, Virginia, USA. Keziah (daughter of John Peter Bondurant and Pauline Marshall Allen) was born in 1765 in , Bedford, Virginia, USA; died in 1835 in Liberty, Clark, Indiana, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

THOMAS SMITH and JANE GOFF, his wife; BENJAMIN WILLIAMS and his wife; and JOHN AULD SMITH and LEUSEY WILLIAMS and their children

Thomas Smith was born in Anson County, N. C, about 1768. That is thought to have been the exact year. He lived and died in that county after 1820. The oldest child of his parents, he, when yet a young man, was thrown on his own resources. His father had acquired a considerable landed estate. His grandfather, Samuel Flake, who died in 1802, being over 100 years old, was also a large landholder.

John Smith, James Smith and Thomas Smith were all good financiers and accumulated what was then termed a wealthy estate. John and James grew to be extremely wealthy and Thomas with a fortune less than theirs, but with a sufficiency, on the marriage of his only son, John Auld Smith, gave him two good farms and fourteen negroes with which to begin life's battles. The records also disclose that he gave his daughter on her marriage two hundred acres of land.

Besides being a Planter, Thomas Smith spent most of his time as a Distiller, making cider, apple and peach brandy. His mother, Mary (Flake) Smith was a member of the Baptist Church.

We find that Thomas Smith and Benjamin Williams both wrote a good hand and both were frequently called upon to write or witness legal documents. Thomas Smith died shortly after 1820 and perhaps before 1825 and was buried near Lilesville. His wife Jane Goff survived him. We know absolutely nothing of her ancestry. Her will was probated in 1835 in Anson County, N. C, and tradition is that she at that time was about eighty years old. She was then probably born about 1765, but she was probably near the age of her husband. In 1792 we find that George E. Goff of Rowan County married Mary Frost. This is just north of Anson County.

Besides the lands and properties that Thomas Smith had given his son about 1817 on his marriage, and the two hundred acres he gave Naomi Smith who had married James Capel, the records disclose that later a two hundred acre tract in which his wife, Jane (Goff) Smith had a dowry was sold or her dowry rather was sold to pay a note on which she was security. The son, John Auld Smith was not a good financier He and his mother also went on notes as security. The wealth left her dwindled and at her death, she only had one tract of land which brought a yearly rental of $50.00, the wages of a common laborer for that day.

Benjamin Williams was born in Wake County, N. C. about 1780. It is possible that he was born in Edgecombe County and that the date of his birth may have been earlier or later. Tradition is that he was born in Wake County. He married Oct. 2, 1802 and from that only can we guess at the date of his birth. In 1800, with his parents, he moved from Wake to Anson County, N. C. and located near Lilesville.
The records indicate that he was born in an humble home. The estates that had come from the Alston Family and from Samuel Williams Sr. had dwindled. Whether this was the result of mismanagement of the fortune, or misfortune of the Revolutionary war we know not. His father owned only a small tract of land in Wake County. He does not seem to have purchased any after coming to Anson. As the sons early purchased lands in Anson after coming there in 1800, it is likely the father, William Williams, lived on the lands of some child. Schools were scarce in those days. Only those of wealth were able to employ a private tutor or able to send the children to school to any great extent. Books were scarce. In some way, we know not how, Benjamin Williams was able to obtain a fair education. We have seen a number of writings left by him. He wrote a good, bold hand, well rounded letters, plain and well readable. He used good language, fairly correct, and his method of making out bills and keeping books showed him a man above the average intelligence.

Benjamin Williams was a Planter by occupation. He also like Thomas Smith operated a Distillery, making cider, peach and apple brandy. Neither of these engaged in the manufacture of whisky as we later knew it. Peach and apple brandies and cider were their specialties. With Thomas Smith, Distilling was his occupation and Planting was a diversion. With Benjamin Williams, Planting was his occupation and Distilling a diversion.

Benjamin Williams and Elizabeth Williams were married October 2, 1802. From tradition we are very confident that her name was Leusey Elizabeth Pate. We have no documentary evidence but this is the best traditional story. The marriage bonds of Anson County were destroyed during the war of the sixties. Possibly he returned to Wake County and there married her. Only a small per cent of the marriage bonds of that county are in existence. We find in Wake County, in 1820, John Williams married Nancy Pate, in 1815 Joseph Wright married Sally Pate, and August 12, 1783 John Williams married Barzilla Pate. It is possible that this John Williams was his oldest brother. There were many of the name of Williams in Wake County in that day. We are told by our Anson County relatives the name of the wife of John Williams was Martha.
Elizabeth Williams, the first wife, died January 10, 1808 and Benjamin Williams later married a Miss Mitchell, sister of Thomas Mitchell. Our grandmother was by the first wife. In 1838 Benjamin Williams accompanied his daughter, Leusey Williams and her husband John Auld Smith to Henderson County, Tenn., where he purchased, for $800.00, two hundred acres of land and gave it to his daughter. When his daughter Elizabeth (Betsy) who married David Townsend went to Mississippi, or afterwards, he gave her, or later left her, quite a small estate.

From the two above families came the marriage in the year of 1818, of John Auld Smith, the only son of Thomas Smith, to Leusey Williams, the oldest child of Benjamin Williams. With a marriage gift of two good farms and fourteen negroes from Thomas Smith, the life looked bright. This was considerable fortune in those days. A slave was valuable property. The good intentions of the father had not the effect expected. The father dying some three or four years after, the signature of John Auld Smith was good anywhere. He was asked to sign and freely signed as security for others. Too freely he indulged in the wares his father had manufactured. At one time seven of his slaves were put on the block and sold to pay the debts of others. A loving mother came to his rescue and acting unwisely she signed notes as security. Her dowry and his interest in a two hundred acre tract of land were sold at public sale to pay debts of others, if traditions are correct as verified by the records. John Auld Smith was of the old Baptist religion. A crime it was not to pay a debt. It was not many years until all of the wealth his father gave him was gone. He ever afterwards lived in a most humble home. Until his death he was able to retain his greatest fortune, Leusey Williams, his wife. She retained the Scotch spelling. Leusey, instead of Lucy. There was a large flow of Scotch blood in her veins. She was a maiden fair, a mother loved, worshipped, and idolized; a sainted ancestor whose life long had its influence on her children after she had passed away.

In 1818, Elijah Flake and others had left Anson County and gone to the great west where they settled in Henderson County, Tenn. near Red Mound. Finding fields and pastures there to their liking, others from Anson came. On January 5, 1837, Elijah Flake was back in Anson County on a visit. A new babe was then born. At his request it was named Elijah Flake Smith. Elijah Flake had no doubt become impregnated with that American spirit that has ever characterized those going west and no doubt sang the praises of this new country.
Deciding to make the venture, John Auld Smith and his wife began the journey in the early spring of 1838. With six horses hitched to a wagon, in which were loaded their household goods and things of that character, together with members of the family, possibly with some cattle driven on foot, they began their journey. We are of the opinion that they early crossed the Cinch river and then journeyed down and along the western and northern meanders of that stream, and of the Holstein and Tennessee rivers, passing where is now Knoxville, Chattanooga, and to Florence, Alabama, then called Mussel Shoals, and there crossed the Tennessee river. They perhaps then traveled along near the river for some distance, at length leaving it for Henderson County, Tenn. and in the last part of April arrived and settled seven miles Northwest of Lexington, Tenn. There they lived and died and were buried. There were some dangers attendant to this journey but nothing of a serious nature happened. One night Nancy Ellen, then five years old, was trudging along behind with the older children, holding to and at times riding on the long coupling pole extending behind. Unexpectedly they came to a creek, and in it the horses and wagons went, while Nancy Ellen was thus riding. Completely under the water she went, but game like, held on and was none the worse save for a cold baptizing. On this journey, there may have been others. We are of the opinion that Hampton Williams, a half brother, Nancy Williams, a half sister, and her husband, Isaac Williams came with them. Benjamin Williams, the father, was with them.
For $800.00 Benjamin Williams purchased 210 acres of land, on which there was a small log house and ten acres of corn just planted, and this he had deeded to Leusey (Williams) Smith and after her death to her children. As a gift he thus lightened the burdens of his daughter, and then journeyed to North Carolina to look after his business. In ways at other times he assisted this daughter, as well as other members of his family.
In our childhood days, there was more narrowness in Church circles than at the present day. At least that is our opinion. In our section, the minister of one denomination did not fill the pulpit in the Church of another denomination. Large gatherings were held and the doctrines of diff rent religions were often debated. We were raised the strictest of Methodists, baptized, fed and nurtured in and on its doctrines. We were told it was sinful to dance, play a social game of cards, go to the theater. The drinking of wine of any character was forbidden. About one mile from our village once a year, the Primitive Baptist would have a footwashing. We invariably attended this meeting. To us then it was a kind of a circus. If perchance there was on that Sunday, preaching at our church, we would be afterwards told that we should attend our own church. We thought the Primitive Baptist most wonderful sinners because they danced and enjoyed some worldly pleasures that in our youthful days we disdained because of I heir tendencies. We have a most profound respect for the Methodist religion. We know of no Church to which present civilization is so greatly indebted. It has a wonderful religion. When we grew to manhood and went West, with us we took our church letter. We have ever since remained without the folds of the church. We have become more liberal in our views on some matters. We have never in our lives taken a drink of whiskey nor a glass of beer. Our views on that and gambling are unaltered. As we grow older there comes in our life a more profound and unshaken belief that there is a Deity, whose anxiety is a watchful eye and a pleasing expression for every noble deed, or good intention. More and more we have thought as we grow older that the church is not the place to locate a Christian but he can be best discerned in the business transactions of week day business.
Our calling for thirty years and more has been to deal with those indebted to others. We have had occasion to deal with those of most every character, study and read human nature in its most exposed condition. Our calling in life may to others seem to have somewhat narrowed our vision, but we are unable to see any difference so far as the approbation or punishment of Deity is concerned, between the common thief and he who can and will not pay his honest debts, or refuses to be frugal and thrifty in order that he may render unto man that which by legal or moral contract he has agreed to pay him.
In the last twenty-three years we have often had occasions to have business dealing with members of the Primitive Baptist Church, entirely ignorant of our position. We have learned to love and admire that religion. We have often said they were the most honest people and best debt-payers of any people we have had dealing with. It is a part of their religion. If unable to pay, others of the Church lend a helping hand. If a member declines to pay his debts he is turned out and not allowed to worship as a member in Illinois. It is a consistent religion. It is a commercial religion, going into all the business dealing with your fellow man, everyday in the week. It was not with any sadness, when, on the 24th day of March 1921, we first learned that this was the religion of our ancestors, and in it, and for it, our grandmother plighted her whole life, and served God first at Lilesville, then at Gum Springs, N. C. and then at Mt. Arat, Henderson County, Tenn., and that this was the faith of our grandfather John Auld Smith. Many years after he died, his daughter, Nancy Ellen in her delirious condition as she was about to pass to another existence, cried out: "Father! Father!" and a most devoted Christian she was, when now her soul left the body to fly to eternity. An invalid and bedridden for years as she had been, this may furnish thought for those of that cult, so numerous now in England, as well as many in this country, who think the living oft commune with, mingle with and converse with the dead.
Prior to 1815, there was only one Baptist Church. In it was contained many of the virtues now found in both the Primitive and the Missionary Baptist Church. The minister was called Elder. Foot washing was a yearly practice. Expulsion from the church was the penalty for not paying a debt. The church divided as was claimed on missions. The Missionary Baptist church has grown in numbers, but the Primitive Baptist church has held sacred these practices. Little whiskey was then made. Moderate drinking of wines, cider and brandies was in no way frowned upon and was indulged in by the Elders. Dancing was not thought harmful. In the dance hall, in the tavern, in business dealing at all times, there was held in mind the teaching of that religion.
As showing the feelings of that religion, we quote from a letter we recently read in a daily North Carolina paper. It is dated Dec. 10, 1814 and from Winifred Bryan of Johnson County, N. C. to her sons who were now in the army in the war of 1812. In part she says: "Your mother's hands that nursed you from infancy will be extended to your support while God shall give them strength. My dear sons: You are now out of my sight and beyond the reach of my voice, among strangers and a variety of characters; young men called into that service which has a tendency without a strict regard over one's self, to harden the feelings and brutalize the manners of men. I must, therefore, content myself the mode of requesting you to remember the many instructions I have given you whilst you were with me; to remember that you were raised in civil society, and guard against that encroachment of savage disposition incidental to camp life.
It is my particular request that you abstain from drinking excessively, cursing and swearing, and other debaucheries of human nature. Guard against the temptation of evil, and indulge not in anything that will tarnish the character of the Christian or the gentleman. Be kind and attentive to your soldiers; let not a hasty temper or unguarded expression incur their displeasure. Be obedient and dutiful to your superior officers. Endeavor to improve in discipline and should emergency require it support the honor of your family, your country. State, and the interest of your country." In this letter is found the old time Baptist religion, and in its classic words and poetry in prose is a sermon which might take some other whole book to deliver.
In 1832 there was preached at Lilesville a new gospel. The preacher was now Rev. Culpepper. It advised missions. Things taught and believed in by their fathers were decried. They believed in an educated ministry. He was an orator of some note. A dissension arose. They called themselves Missionary Baptist. Dirt was cheap. The building was of logs. Another could be built. Quarreling and strife; contention and illfeeling were no part of the religion of Elder Archibald Harris. Over the protest of his daughter, tradition is that he asked those who were of his faith to follow him, and they left the church and held their meeting out of doors and later built a church at Gum Springs. Our grandmother was present with her children and they followed Elder Archibald Harris. The Missionaries cried out and have ever since tried to dub them "Hardshell" but they, by common parlance of all, became known as the Primitive Baptist, and it is the honest opinion of this old sinner that they are in reality the First and Primitive Baptist, for we are constrained to think, yes we know, that in that church and its members is found more of that seven day honest commercial every day business integrity than any other church with whose members we have had considerable business dealings.
It was the impressions of this religion of his mother, so deeply marked on her personality, that were transmitted and found lodgment in the life of our father, and his life was in keeping with the tenets so dearly loved and held by this sainted grandmother. Grandmother was an untiring worker. She carded, spun, wove and made all the clothing for the family. Her home was an humble one but neat and clean in every particular. She and her children were chums and companions. In the many busy duties she had, time was found to assist our father in trying to get an education. Tradition from all sources tells us that her children worshipped and idolized her.
On March 25, 1921, we made a pilgrimage to the old place where lived these grandparents, and where they were buried. Upon a hill some two hundred yards in a Western and slightly Southern direction from where the house on this farm now is, with a large Oak on the west for a monument, and the stump of a large oak recently cut down as a foot marker, there lie three graves. In one is our grandfather. In one is our aunt Omy. In one is our grandmother and aunt Jemina together. They both died the same day and were buried together. Jemina was then about fourteen years old. Were it not that living persons remembered the exact spot, we could not have located it. By the purchasing of 24 by 24 feet and the proper fencing of it, the spot where these ancestors are buried can be preserved forever. Their daughter, Nancy Ellen (Smith) Fessmire looked after and kept the graves in proper condition when she lived, but since her death, they have been neglected. If some relatives desire to take a collection to purchase the ground and properly fence it, kindly do not fail to allow us to subscribe for that purpose.
W. Thos. Smith

Thomas married Jane Goff in 1793 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. Jane was born in 1772 in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA; died in 1835 in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Section 907 of the Smith Family Tree Book page 149

JOHN SMITH NO. 3 from Smith Family Tree Book

John Smith No. 3 was the son of John Smith No. 2 and Mary Flake Smith, his wife, (1772-1854) married Mary Bellyew (Bellew) (1775-1872).

Approachable and cordial, he was familiarly called Jack by his contemporaries, and Uncle Jacky by younger people. Reared on the farm on Smith's Creek, near Lilesville in Anson County, N. C, his education was limited to the common schools of the country. He was five feet and eleven inches high, of medium weight and light build, active and energetic. At four score he could jump ditches three and four feet wide.

Merchandising and farming, running cotton gins and grist mills were his occupation. The most financially successful of all the Smith fam'ly, he added tract of land to tract of land and negro to negro until he was easily the largest landowner in the county and owned more slaves than any other person in Anson or adjoining counties. He was also the largest stockholder in the Bank of Wadesborough.

For many years he was an active Justice of the Peace. The office in his day carried the respect given it as handed down from the old English landlords-proprietors. In that day a Magistrate must be a gentleman of substance, intelligence and discretion, for the officer must decide many causes of differences, the higher courts being held at long intervals. As a Magistrate and Judge he must give judgment against the plaintiff or defendant one or the other in every case. He regarded the office as a public trust and held the scales of justice with equipoise. His reasoning faculties were so potent and convincing that he rarely failed to indicate his decision to the satisfaction of the losing party.

He was elected and served as a member of the House of Representatives in 1825. He was re-elected in 1826, but declined to serve longer. Many of the members of the Legislature thought patriotism consisted in opposition to anything new, especially when the proposition required the expenditure of money. The subject of State aid to railroads was before the House. They were unknown and untried, but the subject of our sketch believed in the future of his state and desired its material prosperity. Progressive in the conduct of his private business, he was favorable to any move portending to the welfare, uplift and benefit of the state, and was found among the advocates of the measure. He had never seen a railroad engine car or track—was totally ignorant of their construction, yet in his speech in favor thereof, became so enthusiastic, he offered of his own private means to donate one hundred thousand rails toward it. One can laugh now at the old gentleman's ignorance but we must admire his progressive generous spirit.

His residence was commodious, situated on the public highway leading from the county seat of Anson to the county seat of Montgomery. Known as the "White House" because it was the first painted house in this section, it was noted for hospitality. No stranger seeking entertainment was refused.

His wife was Mary Bellyew, (sometimes spelled Belliew, Bel'ew, Bellue) of French extraction. She was raised in that section of the county, now known as Home's School House, some two or three miles from Pee Dee River. Her father was a gentleman of substance, owning land on Flatfork Creek, Cedar Creek, Brown Creek and other lands besides. She brought to her husband a handsome wedding dot. With a fair face, pearly teeth, raven hair, blue eyes and elegant form, she was a picture of health and beauty. Skilled in all domestic arts, she told the writer that she worked with her own hands the cotton of which her wedding gown was made, twisted the lint from the seed, (Eli Whitney had not invented the cotton gin, and a pound of lint a day was considered a day's work) spun the lint into thread and wove it into cloth so fine it could be rolled and drawn through her thimble. With her small, shapely hands and long tapering fingers she wrought dainty needlework for her house.

She was a good housekeeper and kind to her servants. Her butler, maids and cooks looked to her guiding hand with affection and reverence. Her wish was their law, because they loved their mistress. When she came to choose her slaves given her by will, one and all said, "Please Mistis take me". After Emancipation in the dark and dreadful days of Reconstruction, many of them abided with their mistress and shared in her adversity as they had shared in the halcyon day of prosperity.

She survived her husband many years, living her 97 years with mind active and interested in affairs, and memory unclouded. Her recollections of her youthful days in the Revolution and incidents told her by her mother were clear and distinct. When a baby, her mother to aid in the work, would carry her to the field, lay her in the shade of a tree and while chopping back and forth leave her in the care of a large dog, a mixture of the mastiff and terrier. One day her mother was distant about one hundred yards when the dog left his charge and came to her. She said to him, "Go back to my baby". The dog obediently went. In a few minutes the dog came back. Again she scolded the dog and ordered it back. He reluctantly started but turned and looking at her, whimpered and whined. Assured that something must be wrong she hastily followed the dog to find a large, poisonous snake lying beside her baby. She stole quietly to the other side and snatched her baby up . "That was me," she smilingly said. The dog then seized the snake and shook it to death. The shaking was so violent, the concussion of the snake's large body against the dog's head bruised it so badly, the swelling closed the dog's eyes for several days.

She also related to the writer the following incident of the Revolution: The Captain of the Patriots Company, of which her father was a member, assembled his company and crossed the Pee Dee River to repel an advance of Tories from Cumberland County. While away on this expedition the Tories made a foray into Anson County from South Carolina, came to her home, took the horses, drove off the cows, robbed the house and pillaged the premises, carrying away her wash-pot. The loss of the pot seemed to grieve her more than the loss of the stock for it was impossible to procure another from England while the war continued (there was no foundry in the Provinces) and she had no vessel which she could substitute in which she could boil the weekly wash.

John Smith and his wife were loyal members of the Methodist Church and when the Southern Methodists separated from the parent church in 1845 on the question of slavery, they went with and affiliated with the M. E. Church South. He gave the land and material aid toward the building of Olivet Church, located in a beautiful grove not far from his residence. My father related the following incident, but 1 do not remember that he said it occurred at Olivet Church. The Methodists had a week day appointment. It rained hard and unremittedly. Only the minister arrived. Later a hunter sought refuge in the church from the rain. The minister spent the night with one of his flock. Said his host, "You surely had no congregation?" "Didn't I? Let me tell you the house was full of the Spirit of God and it was the best meeting I ever had, for every sinner in the house was converted and every Christian got happy."

John Smith and his wife were both generous contributors to the various needs of the Church. Both were life members of the Missionary Society, evidenced by parchment, framed and preserved to this day.

He died in 1854 and was laid to rest, amid the tears of his slaves and the grief-stricken hearts of children and friends, in the Smith and Nelme graveyard, five miles east of Wadesboro—God's Acre—enclosed by a hedge of cedar, planted by Presley Nelme, which was kept neatly and artistically trimmed during his life but by neglect, to our shame, is now grown into a hedge of large trees.

By his will he made ample provision for his wife, bequeathing his residence and its contents to her. The residence was surrounded by 2000 or more acres of land, and the personal property consisted of stock, tools, wagons, carriage, a year's supply of food and fifty negroes of her own choice.

Family/Spouse: Mary Jane Bellew. Mary was born in 1776 in Hornes School House, Anson, North Carolina, USA; died on 20 Oct 1872 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, Burnsville, Anson, North Carolina, USA

James married Mary Gathings in 1802. Mary was born on 6 Dec 1787 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA; died on 17 Jan 1859 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA; was buried in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married George Lindsey, Jr in 1801 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. George (son of James Lindsay and Margaret Peggy Bennett) was born in 1776 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA; died in 1830 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1810, , Anson, North Carolina, USA

Jessie married Mary Seago in 1807 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. Mary was born in 1785 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1820, Clark, Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1830, , Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1840, , Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1850, Meltonsville, Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1860, Morven, Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1870, Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA; Post Office: Wadesboro

Samuel married Margaret Peggy Hutchinson on 24 Mar 1816 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. Margaret was born in 1795 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA; died in 1875 in Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, , , Utah, USA
• Residence: 1860, Washington, Washington, Utah, USA
• Residence: 1870, Harrisburg, Washington, Utah, USA
• Residence: 1880, Glendale, Kane, Utah, USA; Marital status: MarriedRelation to Head of House: Wife

Notes:

I am FANNY SMITH HARRIS----The wife of Moses Harris. He is a great man, well respected, and I love him. When people speak about Moses they forget that I ever existed.
I was with him when he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We were baptized at the same time, along with his sister Margaret.
I was there when good byes were said to parents and family. They were hard times.
I was there when a dark dreary day was lighted with a ball of fire. It frightened two of our girls because of its intensity. They were coming home from playing with some friends. This happened when the Prophet and his brother Hyrum were murdered.
I was with Moses when we were driven out of Illinois and out into an unknown country.
I was there when a young boy was sent to communicate with his father. When the boy jumped off his horse the saddle blanket fell to the ground and frightened a team of oxen. They started to run away and taking with them the remains of what the owners had managed to bring with them. This oxen team FRIGHTENED other teams and a stampeed ensued.
Precious Margaret was holding the reigns of an ox team. She became frightened and jumped from the wagon. She fell and other ox teams ran over her and many cattle. She was buried the next day along with many others who met the same fate.
I was there when a vicious armed mob forced us to leave our home in DeWitt, Missouri.
I was there when we had to flee from our beautiful Nauvoo home into a trackless desert.
I was there when we were driven from our spacious homestead in California by Johnston's army into a drought stricken area, disease infested, called the Cotton Mission.
I was there when savages ransacked our home and forced us again to move.

My husband wondered why I was gaining weight when there was so little to eat and our daily life was nothing but hardships. He didn't fully realize until I presented him with another mouth to feed. We just did not talk about these things, even to our husbands. These were special and sacred events and were not to be discussed. I managed to surprise him every two years.

I grieved at the loss of four of our children, but I had to go on. My testimony was strong and I knew that we had the Lord on our side.
I made friends with most of the Indians that came to our door. I loved to feed them and they liked me. Some of the Indians were hostile and I had to outwit them.
I gave all I had to help my husband, my children, my church. I even gave my inheritance, my labor and my love. I look forward to the future time when all of us will be together in the Celestial realms on high.

Now, may I say: "As we ponder the history of nations and peoples and read the fragments of written records left by them, we see men and women much like ourselves who struggled and pressed forward doing the best they could with the elements at hand. Some traveled by foot over desert wastelands, others lived in palatial splendor, and others crossed unknown lands and waters in search of a better life.

Among these millions are those to whom we owe a special tribute--they are ours--they preceded us in life and laid the foundation for the world we live in. They are they who fought for our freedom, challenged the wilderness, crossed the prairies, and embraced the gospel in its infancy. They are they who plowed, prepared, and planted the field for us to reap. We are, in part, what we are because they were what they were. We cannot live without the legacy they left; they must look to us for the blessings they could not have.

SO, TO THE PLOWERS, PLANTERS, HARVESTERS, AND REAPERS, WHEREVER THEY MAY BE, WE DEDICATE PAGES OF HISTORY AND HOPE THAT ONE DAY WE MAY MEET AND REJOICE IN A WORK WELL DONE."


Birthdate: 18 April 1805 at Pittsylvania, Virginia
Death: 3 Jan. 1891 at Glendale, Kane, Utah
Parents: Thomas Dodd Smith and Keziah Bunderant
Pioneer: 1849 - Allen Taylor Company was principle company of 100, but the company was divided into two groups of 50 with Reddick N. Allred as Captain of 50, and Enoch Reese as captain of 50. Fanny was in the group of 50 with Reddick N. Allred.

Spouse: Moses Harris
Married: 1 Jan. 1824 at Lawrence County, Indiana
His Death: 15 March 1890 at Glendale, Kane, Utah

Children:
Silas Harris -- born 14 Oct. 1824
Keziah Harris -- born 19 Feb. 1826 (Died Oct. 1827 - age l yr. )
John Smith Harris -- born 7 Dec. 1828
Annaretta Harris -- born 15 Feb. 1831
Lydia Harris -- 28 Dec. 1832
Thomas Jefferson Harris -- born 30 May 1835 (Died abt. Feb. 18,1837)
William Jones Harris -- born 5 Jan 1837
Samuel Harris -- born 30 May 1839 (Died abt. 1841)
Mary Ann Harris -- born 15 Nov. 1841 (Died Sept. 1842)
Cynthia Ann Harris -- born 25 Sept.1843 (Died Dec. 1846)

Fanny Smith Harris, along with her husband Moses was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 27 Feb. 1833. Their farewell parting was a hard one for them as they left to join the rest of the Saints. Their parents were not in favor of their decision to join the Mormons, but hey had heard the truth and were determined to do what ever was asked of them. Fanny came from a home of much love and refinement. She lived a shielded, comfortable life with her parents. It was a shocking life for her to be driven from their home with only what the wagon would hold. She loved the Church and supported her husband in his decisions. At Zarahemla, where they stopped she lost three of her children from a terrible disease. They finally continued on and arrived at Council Bluff just in time to enroll their oldest son into the Mormon Battalion. Because of the extreme hardships Moses health began to fail him, and because of this, Fanny shouldered a tremendous amount of the responsibility along with her second son, John. Fanny was a great nurse for her husband, so along with her faith and diligence Moses survived. When Silas arrived home from the Mormon Battalion they left for the trek west arriving in the Salt Lake Valley Oct. 15, 1849 with the Reddick N. Allred Company of 50. They settled in Bountiful. There they built a home and were settled in comfortably when the call came for them to leave their home to go to San Bernardino. Happy was Fanny to build another home in such a beautiful fertile valley When Johnston's army threatened the life of any Mormon, so by the advice of their Prophet, Brigham Young, they were to leave their San Bernardino home and find refuge in Washington, Washington County, Utah. They lived there for about a year, then in the spring of 1859 Moses and two his married sons, Silas and William and their families, together with several other families settled Harrisville, located at the confluence of Quail Creek and the Virgin River. Then in the spring of 1861 Harrisville was abandoned and the settlers moved some three miles up the creek (north) and settled Harrisburg.

Fanny was a life-member of the Relief Society and received a certificate for her dedication and compassion in her callings. She was a dedicated wife, a loving mother, tender and compassionate to everyone. She knew how to stand her ground in face of difficulty or her rights. Her faith was her guiding star and by that she won many a battle.

She experienced depredations with the Indians. She made friends with them and fed them often, but when kindness and food would not suffice she fled from them. Many times she was alone with her little children and it was her duty to protect them, and she did.

Fanny learned how to be frugal and by so doing helped Moses over many an obstacle.

Frances married Moses Jefferson Harris on 19 Jan 1824 in Bono, Lawrence, Indiana, USA. Moses (son of Silas Harris and Annaritta Wright) was born on 20 Jul 1798 in Fitch, Somerset, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 15 Mar 1890 in Glendale, Kane, Utah, USA; was buried in Glendale, Kane, Utah, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1830, , Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1840, , Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1850, Gulledge, Anson, North Carolina, USA
• Residence: 1860, Wadesboro, Anson, North Carolina, USA

Notes:

October 17, 1867, ASHEVILLE PIONEER (Asheville, Buncombe Co., N.C.)

-We have been informed that Phillip SMITH and his two daughters, Melissa and -----, late of this county, have fallen victims to the yellow fever at Chapel Hill, Texas; and that his two eldest sons, Benjamin and Thomas had been attacked by the pestilence at Washington, in the State. At last accounts the latter was convalescing, but the former was lying in a critical condition.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jganis/unionco/newspapers1867-1869.html

Philip married Ann E Cheairs on 3 Oct 1829 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. Ann was born on 28 Dec 1819 in , Anson, North Carolina, USA; died on 18 Nov 1866 in Chappell Hill, Washington, Texas, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1910, Lilesville, Anson, North Carolina, USA; Marital Status: WidowedRelation to Head of House: Mother

Family/Spouse: Alfred Dawkins. Alfred was born in Aug 1824 in , , , USA; died on 7 May 1901 in , , North Carolina, USA; was buried in , Anson, North Carolina, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Silas married Sariah Aldridge on 2 Sep 1849 in Independence Rock, Natrona, Wyoming, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Ann married John Brimhall in 1850. John was born on 16 Apr 1824 in Olean, Steuben, New York, USA; died on 18 Dec 1906 in Glendale, Kane, Utah, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]