Page prepared by John H. Coats
CHRONOLOGY FOR RICHARD SMITH IN VIRGINIA
Census index records for Colonial America, 1607-1789 data on CD sent by Don. Reference for data = ? Dates of 1607, 1612 and 1624 given for Richard Smith in the Virginia Colony.
8 Nov 1618 - 200 acre patent to Richard Smith for land in Accomack/Northampton. Part of this land was deeded to his daughter Susanna in his will. (Accomack Co. Deeds & Wills 1664-71, p. 83)
THIS IS PROBABLY IN ERROR. IT DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE DATA IN WHITELAW!!!!!!!!!!! See the discussion below.
18 Sept 1620 - Richard Smyth and Jane his wife and their sons Anthony and William arrive in the "Supply from Bristol. (Coldham, Complete book of Immigrants 1607-1660, pg. 21).
16 Feb 1623/4 - Census- Richard Smith living "in the Main" , corporation of James City (Coldham, p. 39).
4 Feb 1624 - Muster of the inhabitants of Martins Hundred - "Richard Smith (servant) aged 24 years came in the "George" 1623" (Hotten, pg 239).
1620 - Richard Smith arrives in Virginia on the "London Merchant" (see 1625 Muster below)
30 Jan 1625 - Muster of inhabitants - Richard Smith living in "Pasbehays and the Maine", corporation of James City. He came to the colony on the "London Merchant" (Coldham and pg 218-19 of J.C. Hotten’s "Original List of Persons of Quality who went from Great Britian to the American Plantation 1600-1700. J.C. Hotten. 1931)). His possessions included 7 bushels of "corne", 1 "Peece" and 1 Armour (Adventures of Purse and Person, Jester).
April 1635 - Richard Smith - age 14 , servant of Martin Saunders came on the "Planter". (Hotten, pg. 48; Coldham pg. 128).
24 July 1635 - Richard Smith - age 35, to be transported from London to Virginia on the "Assurance". (Coldham, pg. 156; Hotten, pg. 111).
1635 - Patent to Robert Bennett on the Nansemond River mentions Richard Smith.
2 Oct 1635 - Richard Smith - age 22, bound to St. Christopher’s from London on the "John" (Coldham, pg 168; Hotten pg. 134).
20 Nov 1635 - Richard Smith - age 20, to be transported to Barbados from London on the "Expedition" (Coldham, pg 170; Hotten, pg 139).
1636 - Richard Smith, one of 30 people transported by John Neale to Accomack County (later Northampton Co).
23Sept 1639 - Richard Smith received a certificate for 100 acres in Accawmack County for transporting two persons into the Country. (County court records of Accomack-Northampton, Va ( see Jester))
1650 - James Davis sold 250 acres to Richard Smith who in 1653 received a patent for 450 acres to include the Davis land and 200 acres more at the head of it. This was reissued to him in 1660. (Whitelaw)
1651 - Patent to Richard Smith for 500 acres in Northampton County. (Whitelaw)
11 March 1651 - Two Richard Smiths (both spelled Smyths) signed an oath to be true to the Commonwealth ("Ye Kindome of Accawmacke or the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century", J. C. Wise).
10 March 1655 - John Reylnolds bound to Richard Smith of Barbados for 4 years.
30 March 1655 - Thomas Harris bound to Richard Smith of Barbados, planter, for 4 years.
18 July 1659 - Ann Floyd of Briston and Ann Rosser of Briston bound to Richard Smith to serve 4 years in Virginia. (Coldham, pg 427).
1659/60 - Will of Richard Smith probated in Northampton Co. 500 acres given to daughter Alice Smith and 450 acres to daughter Susanna Smith. (Northampton Co. Deeds, Wills 1657-66. P. 36).
1662 - Richard Smyth was listed as a vestryman in a Court of Vestry held in Northampton on 16 June 1662.
1663 - Richard Smith (Smythe), age 40 in August 1663 (Deeds, Wills, Court Records Accomack Co. 1661-1666).
Discussion of 1618 patent for Richard Smith quoted in Jester’s Purse and Persons.
Upon comparing the data in Jester and the data in Whitelaw’s "Virginia’s Eastern Shore" I discovered that they disagree markedly on the sale of land by Richard Smith in 1668 to Devorax Browne and Thomas Bowles. It is in the sale of this land that Jester quotes that it was part of the 200 acres that was granted to RS by patent 18 Nov 1618. Jester reports that Robert Richardson sold 50 acres to Devorax Browne and Thomas Bowles "being part of the 200 acres of land formerly granted to Richard Smith by patent 18 Nov 1618 and by him given to Susanna, his daughter…" He does not mention what happened to the rest of the 450 acres that Susanna inherited from her father.
Whitelaw also reports on the disposition of the 450 acres that Susanna inherited. He notes however, that Robert Richardson sold 5 acres (not 50) to Devorax Browne and Thomas Bowles in 1668 (no mention made of 1618 patent) for the construction of a mill.. Whitelaw further notes that Robert Richardson sold 245 acres (balance of James Davis patent land) in 1669 to John Cropper. Also in 1669 he sold the remaining 200 acres Susanna inherited to John Corpper.
It seems clear to me that Jester’s version is in error. James Davis had patented 250 acres which Richard Smith bought from him in 1650. Richard then patented an additional 200 acres "at the head of the Davis land" in 1653. It is almost certainly this patent that Jester refers to as a 1618 patent - since Whitelaw accounts for all the land that Susanna inherited as belonging either to the James Davis patent or the 1653 Richard Smith patent.
Now I can return to my argument about the age of Richard Smith - whose daughter Alice was probably born circa 1642-6 (assuming marriage at 16-18) since she married in 1660 (Alice baptized her first son in 1661 if we can believe Jester). This would suggest that Richard was born circa 1615-1625 although he may have been older than 27 when Alice was born.