The Family Garden (pub 1986) : paraphrased by site author
Data accessed: http://members.tripod.com/linda_walker999/aqwn52.htm
*Source: The Descendants of William Smart Sr, and Allied Families, Vol. 1, Richard Smart, Evelyn Bliss, Pamela Bliss, 1986, pp. 7-8
William Smart was listed on the tax rolls for East Caln township in Chester County, Pennsylvannia from 1748 to 1759.
He came to Rutherford County during the middle of the 1760s settling his family on the Second Broad River in the Camp Creek area. His wife at this time was Isabella Smart.
The 14-year break in birthdates between Elizabeth and Margaret indicates that Isabella may have been William's second wife, which means the mother of William Jr., John and Elizabeth is unknown.
William received 2 land grants of 400 acres each from the Providence of North Carolina on 30 Oct 1765, one being described as lying on both sides of the North Fork of Camp Creek and the other on both sides of the Main South fork on Camp Creek, both of them in Mecklenburg County, which is now part of Rutherford County, NC. The latter tract was sold on 10 Aug 1767 by William and his wife Isabella to John Mitchel (Mecklenburg Co. deeds, 4: 361). and the first tract was sold on 2 Jan 1783 to his son william, Jr. (Rutherford County Deeds, mv:43). Another 300 acres described as located on both side of little Camp Creek of the Second Broad River was deeded to his younger son, Thomas Smart on 15 Feb 1791.
In 1782, William was taxed in Rutherford County for 400 acres of land, 5 cattle and 15 horses. The tax assessment was for 240 pounds. In the 1790 census for Rutherford County, he was listed as residing in the Eight Company and his family consisted of 3 males 16 years and older, one male under 16 and one female. No probate records have been found for him. It is believed that he died prior to 1800 in Rutherford County, NC.
*Source: The Descendants of William Smart Sr, and Allied Families, Vol. 1, Richard Smart, Evelyn Bliss, Pamela Bliss, 1986, p. 2
Jury list, July 1781. C.P.Q.S., Rutherford County, North Carolina: William Smart SR, William Smart JR.
1782 Rutherford County, NC Tax List: William Smart, SR, William Smart, JR
"State of North Carolina Morgan District No. 2349: This certifies that the Board of Auditors have allowed William Smart for a public claim Two pounds five shillings specie agreeable to an act of Generaly Assembly in such cases made and Give Under our hands this 18th day of Sept 1783." Allen Erwin, Jas Miller, Test Saml Greenlee CLK
"State of North Carolina Morgan Dist. No. 3421: This certifies that the Board of Auditors have allowed William Smart for a public claim Eleven Pounds Four Shillings specie Agreeable to an act of Genl. Assembly in such case made and Given Under our Hands this 3rd day of April 1784." Jas Miller, Allen Erwin, Test Wm. Erwin C. B.
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This portion of William Smart, SR. was written by Hubert Joe Smart of Oklahoma, who is a great, great, great grandson of William and Isabella Smart, SR: (note, selected excerpts are included here)
William, Sr. was probably born around Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware about 1720. He is first found in New Castle County. …to substantiate the above..the following excepts from the Forest City Courier, Rutherford County, NC dated 31 July 1930 is included:
Memories of Felix Walker: From the information afforded by my father and what I could collect from an old and respectable citizen, Mr. William Smart (an elder of the Church in Rutherford County, NC, now deceased) relative to our family decent, states that my Grandfather, John Walker, was an immigrant from Ireland about the year 1720, settled in the State of Delaware about or near a small town called Appaquinimey, lived and died in that state… He, Mr. Smart, made one or two crops with him when a young man".
Now, a bit about Felix Walker, that substantiated William Smart SR as being in Delaware, as a lad. Felix was a son of Col. John Walker, the Colonel was born in 1728 in our on Bohemia Creek, New Castle Co, Delaware, the son of a John Walker who immigrated from Ireland about 1720. Felix Walker was born 19 July 1753 on the south branch of the Potomac River in Hampshire Co, VA (Now West Virginia). His father, Col. John Walker immigrated to the part of North Carolina that later became Rutherford Co, NC and settled on a plantation on the east side of Cane Creek about 3 miles of where William Smart, SR lived. It is plain to see that William Smart, SR and Col. John Walker must have know each other well, since William was with John's father when William and John were both in their teen years and in 1753-1759 William was taxed as living in Chester County, Penn, just across the state line from Delaware. William's first three children were probably born in Chester Co, Penn and William's first wife probably died by 1760 since there is 14 years difference in the age of his third and fourth child. The last four children were born in what is now Rutherford Co, NC and by the mid-eighteenth century had immigrated from Pennsylvania to the old Beth Co, of which Bladen Co. was made from in 1734, of which Anson Co. was made from in 1748, of which Mecklenburg County was made from in 1768, of which Rutherford Co, NC was made from.
The next appearance of William, was in Rowan Co, NC, when he bough 200 acres of land from James Marlin and his wife Agnes, between Withrow Creek and Sills Creek (Rowan co, NC Deeds Book #6, Page 205, 19 July 1762). Later, William was in Mecklenburg Co, NC where he received two land grants of 400 acres each. William bought 240 acres of land from David Huddleston, SR on Camp Creek in Tryon County, NC of which was made from Mecklenburg Co, NC (Tryon Co, NC Deeds Vol. I, Page 358, 22 Jan 1771).
William was a framer and a strong Presbyterian Elder and living in the Scotch-Irish settlement of the Brittain Presbyterian Church nine miles north of the now City of Rutherford, where the church was erected in August 1768 (History of Rutherford Co, NC by C. W. Griffin, Page 5). He bought 55 acres of land from Robert Porter of Wilkes Co, GA, that was on Camp Creek (Rutherford Co, NC Deed Book E-I, page 168 dated 3 Nov 1788). In July 1789, the Rutherford Co, NC court appointed William and Joseph Patterson as the administrators of the estate of William's son, John Smart, SR, who was killed in the battle of King's Mountain on 7 Oct 1780 for inventory.
In the 1790 census, he was residing on Little Camp Creek at the head of the Broad River and his family consisted of three males 16 years and over, one male under 16, and one female. Now, a comment about the census. By studying the family, one can see that all the family that was left at home was William Sr and James - James being the only single child of William at that time. To satisfy the other members of the household, the following is offered: Thomas Smart SR is not listed in the 1790 census as a head of household, so it is obvious that Thomas SR was still with his now old father in the 1790 census. Thomas SR had had only been married two years and his first child, William was only a year old at the 1790 census. So, to satisfy the 1790 census, the following is offered: (1) William Smart SR (2) James his son (3) Thomas SR - over 16 years old (4) William, Thomas SR's son and (5) Ruth, Thomas' wife was the female.
It is obvious that William SR's wife, Isabella, had died prior to the 1790 census and that William SR, being an old man (could have been in his eighties) was preparing also to meet his God by disposing of his property. The first tract of land that William SR had received on 30 Oct 1765 was sold on 2 Jan 1793 to his son William Smart, JR. (Rutherford Co, NC Deeds, MV:43). It is believed that William SR died prior to 1800 and since he was an Elder of the Presbyterian Church, and lived within a mile of the Brittain Presbyterian Church, 9 miles north of Rutherford on Highway 65, that both William SR and his wife Isabella are buried there in the Church Cemetery in unmarked graves, with only field stones to mark their graves, as there are many such graves in the cemetery.
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