John “Rock” Smith, of Hempstead

John "Rock" Smith was born around 1615, as evidenced by his deposition in 1675 when he said he was 60 years old. He died at Merrick, Hempstead, Long Island, in 1706; his will, written 10 May 1695, was proven 3 April 1706.

Family

His parents are not known, and His wife's name does not appear to show in any deed records or in any exchange of land records.

John Rock Smith had the following children

• 1. John Smith married and died before 1690 and had Richard, Timothy, Mary & Sarah.
• 2. Joseph Smith married and had a son Joseph.
• 3. Jonathan Smith married Grace Mott, daughter of Adam and Jane (Hewlett), he died around 1724.
• 4. Mary Smith married Samuel Denton.
• 5. Martha Smith married Francis Chappel and died before her father.
• 6. A daughter Smith who married a Rushmore and had daughters Ann and Mary.
• 7. Hannah Smith married John Tredwell.

Disputed wives & children

From http://jliptrap.us/gen/rsmith.htm

According to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol.30, p.203, John Rock Smith's wife was a daughter of Lt. John Strickland. Some have taken that to mean Martha Strickland. The Treadwell Genealogy says his wife was Hannah Murry (c1621-c1661). Long Island Genealogies says she was possibly named Mary, who died between 1660 and 1665, after which John married Sara. Another source claims Elizabeth Gildersleeve (b.1624), daughter of Richard Gildersleeve and Jo Anna Appleton. another claims Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Jeremiah Wood (b.1618) and the same Elizabeth Gildersleeve. In short, there is no agreement as to the identity of John Rock Smith's wife. But she does NOT appear to have been Gildersleeve nor Wood. Lists of children vary, too. Suggestions welcomed.

notes

Long Island 'Smith Families'

From Long Island Antiquities by Gabriel Furman

Upon this island, and especially in the central portions of it are very many families of the name Smith, and so numerous did they become at an early period of this settlement, that it was thought necessary to distinguish the various original families by some particular name. thus we have the Black Smiths; the Blue Smiths; the Bull Smiths; the Weight Smiths, and the Tangier Smiths.

Of the Rock Smiths there are two distinct families. One originally settled between Rockaway and Hempstead, some ten or fifteen years before the settlement of the first white inhabitant in Setauket, who derived their name from the contiguity to Rockaway. The other located themselves in Brookhaven and obtained their appellation from their ancestor erecting his dwelling against a large rock which still remains in the highway of that town.

The Blue Smiths were settled in Queens county and obtained their peculiar designation from a blue cloth coat worn by their ancestor; whether because a cloth coat was then an uncommon thing in the neighborhood, or that he always dressed in a coat of that color, does not appear.

The Bull Smiths of Suffolk County are the most numerous of all the families of the name of Smith upon this island. It is said there are now at least one thousand males of that branch on this island. The ancestor of this branch of the Smith family was Major Richard Smith who came from England to New England with his father Richard in the early part of the seventeenth century; and afterwards came to this island, and became the patentee of Smithtown. The sobriquet of this class of Smiths is said to have arisen from the circumstance of the ancestor having trained and used a Bull in place of a horse for riding.

The Weight Smiths derived their name from being possessed of the only set of scales and weights in the neighborhood of their residence, to which all the farmers of the country around resorted for the purpose of weighing anything they wished to sell or buy; at least so says the tradition.

The Tangier Smiths owe their origin to Colonel William Smith, who had been the English Governor of Tangier, in the reign of Charles the Second, and emigrated to this colony in the summer of the year 1686, where he settled in the town of Brookhaven on the Neck known as Little Neck and afterwards as Strong's Neck, which together with his other purchases, were erected into a manor by the name of St. George's Manor, by a patent granted to him in 1693, by Governor Fletcher. Most of the Tangier Smiths are now in that town, scattered through it from the north to the south side of the island. (Tangier, in Africa, was about that period an English colony, having come to the British Crown as part of the dowry of Queen Catherine of Portugal; and was, in 1683, abandoned by the English to the Moors, in consequence of the great expense and small value of the colony.)

These different appellations of the families of the Smiths became as firmly settled as if they were regular family names, so that when any inquiry was made of any person on the road, man, woman or child, for any particular Smith, they would at once ask whether he was of the Rock breed, or the Bull breed, etc. And if the person desiring the information could say which breed, he at once was told of his residence. In truth, there are so many of the same name in that most numerous family of the Smiths upon this island, that without adopting some such plan it would be almost impossible to distinguish one from the other.

His wife's name does not appear to show in any deed records or in any exchange of land records. John Rock Smith had the following children:
1. John Smith married and died before 1690 and had Richard, Timothy, Mary & Sarah. 2. Joseph Smith married and had a son Joseph. 3. Jonathan Smith married Grace Mott, daughter of Adam and Jane (Hewlett), he died around 1724. 4. Mary Smith married Samuel Denton. 5. Martha Smith married Francis Chappel and died before her father. 6. A daughter Smith who married a Rushmore and had daughters Ann and Mary. 7. Hannah Smith married John Tredwell.

In James Savage's "Genealogical Dictionary of the F i r s t Sett l e r s of New England,I1 volume 4, page 119, we find:

John [smith, ~ r . ] and John [smith], J r . , of Stamford among the f i r s t s e t t l e r s in 1641, both removed to Hempstead, L.I. The younger, in 1675, gave a deposition calling himself 60 years old, in which he says that formerly at Stamford they called him Rock John Smith for distinction."

The deposition of the younger John Smith, being d i r e c t l y i n line with the family tradition and, a t the same time, taking into account the origin of the designation "Rock" by which the family had been known, gave r i s e to a most diligent search for any paper or record to substantiate or give a reason for such a deposition to have been made and under what circumstances. Although careful search was made through the oldest records i n the County Clerk's Office i n Jamaica, in the Library of the Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, to which I belong, The New York Public Library, and the Office of the Secretary of State, in Albany, no information bearing upon i t could be obtained. A legend, to which allusion i s made in the appendix, connects the origin of the "Rock1' Smith designation with a house built in New England with a rock inside for a fireplace back.

JOHN1 ROCK SMITH in Stamford, Conn, in 1640, at Hempstead, L. I. in 1644, says that at Stamford he was called Rock John for distinction. There were several John Smiths in that settlement. He was a Judge. He was born about 1615, he d. 1706, and the Hempstead records show his long- life to have been spent in an active, enterprising manner, surrounded by neighbors and friends who were ever ready to transact business with him, and hold him in good esteem. The name of his wife does not appear in any of the deeds or exchanges of land or in his will. The names of his sons are of frequent occurrence, sometimes disposing of property jointly with their father. Children of JOHN1 ROCK SMITH : John1 m., died before 1690. Children, Richard, Timothy, Mary and Sarah. Joseph2 m. had son Joseph. Jonathan1 m. Grace Mott, dau. of Adam1 and Jane ( Hewlett), he d. about 1724. Mary2 m. Samuel Denton. Martha2 m. Francis Chappel, she d. before her father. One dau.2 m. a Rushmore and had Ann and Mary. Hannah2 m. John Tredwell. JONATHAN2 ROCK SMITH (John1) in 1698, a Lieutenant in the King1s service, had commission signed and sealed by Richard Earl, of Belmont, Commission is still in the possession of one of his descendants who bears the name of Rock Smith, and lives on the farm that he owned and occupied at Merrick, L. I. The old house has been moved back from the road and is kept as an heir loom.

ROCK SMITH

John "Rock" Smith was born around 1615, as evidenced by his deposition in 1675 when he said he was 60 years old. He died at Merrick, Hempstead, Long Island, in 1706; his will, written 10 May 1695, was proven 3 April 1706. There were several Smith families on Long Island, originally unrelated, that were given the distinctions of "Rock," "Bull," "Nan," "Weight," "Tangier," "Blue," and "Arthur," which continued intermittently for at least four generations. Some were given for reasons we know, such as the blue coat that John "Blue" Smith wore. The reason for "Rock" has been speculated, possibly from a fireplace carved from a rock in a previous house in New England, or from a brief stay in Roxbury, but more likely from land he owned near the area on Long Island called Rockaway.

. . A John Smith (b.1575) came to Massachusetts Bay in 1630 with John Winthrop, aboard the Arabella, with his wife Isabel (1578-1638). [The Manifest of the Arabella lists only Mr & Mrs Smith] He settled in Watertown, MA, and was made a Freeman there in 1631. Discontent there, John Smith Sr and John Smith Jr (of unknown relation to John and Isabel) were with the group who moved from Waterford to Wethersfield, CT in 1635. Dissentions there led 28 of them to move to Stamford in 1641. By the end of 1642, John Sr, John Jr, and Henry Smith lived in Stamford. They were part of a group, under the leadership of Rev. Richard Denton, who left Stamford in 1644 to start a new community in Manetos, New Netherland, soon known as Hempstead, Long Island. Upon arrival, John Jr bought land at the extreme westerly part of Hungry Harbor near Rockaway (perhaps another possible source for his nickname) and eventually accumulated land at Little Neck and the main farm at Merrick in Hempstead. John Rock Smith of Hempstead deposed in 1675, at age 60, that he remembered the marking of the line between Stamford and Greenwich in 1641, making him the most probable candidate for John Smith, Jr, of Stamford, not related to John Smith, Sr, although John Jr's daughter apparently married John Sr's grandson John Nan Smith.

. . The first positive mention of him as an inhabitant of Hempstead, is July 4, 1656, the date of a letter to Gov. Stuyvesant signed by 42 Hempstead men (including his own mark); they said they were ready to pay the tenths (tithes) if due, but only knew of the current general peace with the Indians . Thus, with great independence, they reminded Stuyvesant of Hempstead's Nov. 16, 1644 patent from the Dutch government of New Netherlands, whereby tenths were to begin ten years after the first general peace with the Indians. There had been Indian troubles both in 1643 and 1655. Despite only nominal rule of the Dutch, most of the English towns in New Netherland hastened to annex themselves to Connecticut. Early lists of Hempstead's original proprietors include the propriety of "Rocke Smith" in Mr. Coe's Neck (probably 1654) John "Rock" Smith is often on Hempstead's town records, giving a good picture of him. He was a solid and cautious person, doing his civic and religious duty but concentrating on increasing his land holdings as a patrimony for his children. And in this he succeeded, for his children had a better education and "married well." By action of Hempstead's town meeting of May 13, 1659, he became an innkeeper. "It is ordered that John Smith rock is licensed by general vote to keep an ordinary and is allowed to sell meat, drinck, and rum to strangers with theire retinew." http://longislandgenealogy.com/smith/rock0001.htm

. . According to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol.30, p.203, John Rock Smith's wife was a daughter of Lt. John Strickland. Some have taken that to mean Martha Strickland. The Treadwell Genealogy says his wife was Hannah Murry (c1621-c1661). Long Island Genealogies says she was possibly named Mary, who died between 1660 and 1665, after which John married Sara. Another source claims Elizabeth Gildersleeve (b.1624), daughter of Richard Gildersleeve and Jo Anna Appleton. another claims Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Jeremiah Wood (b.1618) and the same Elizabeth Gildersleeve. In short, there is no agreement as to the identity of John Rock Smith's wife. But she does NOT appear to have been Gildersleeve nor Wood. Lists of children vary, too. Suggestions welcomed.

. 1. Mary Smith married 1661 Samuel Denton Sr (b.1632/4-1713), son of Rev. Richard Denton . . . 11. Samuel Denton Jr (1665-1719) married c1686 Mary Smith (1666?) daughter of John Nan . . . . . . Smith m(2) before 1697 Abigail Barlow, widow of Jonathan Rowland. . 2. John Smith (3 Jan 1651/2-12 Mar 1683/4) married Hannah Smith, daughter of John "Nan" Smith . 3. Martha Smith (died between 1690 and 1695) married (1) before 1668 Thomas Rushmore . . . (d.1683) m(2) Francis Chappell . 4. Joseph Smith (born before 1655, living in 1716) married before 1690 Hannah . 5. Hannah Smith (died after 1706) married before 1682 John Treadwell . 6. Jonathan "Jack" Smith (d.1724) m.1671 Grace Mott (c.1653) daughter of Adam Mott . 7. Philena Smith married John Rushmore (some but not all sources list her)

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-1811

John "Rock" Smith aka Smyth

Born about 1615 in England [uncertain]

Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

Husband of Elizabeth (Gildersleeve) Smith — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Father of Mary Rock (Smith) Denton, Martha Smith, Jonathan Smith Jr., John Smith, Joseph Smith, Hannah (Smith) Tredwell and Sarah (Smith) Pine

Died before 3 Apr 1706 in Merrick, Hempstead, Nassau County, Long Island, New York colony

Profile last modified 8 May 2019 | Created 12 Sep 2010

The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.

The Prince's Flag.

John Smith was a New Netherland settler.

Biography

John Smith migrated from England to America.

John "Rock" Smith AKA "Rock John" (p 201)[1] also called himself "John Smith, Junior" in his 1675 disposition and said he was called "Rock John" at Stamford (where there were multiple John Smiths).[2] By 1687, John was calling himself John Smith, Sen, Rock, yeoman, of Hempstead.[1]

Several unrelated Smith families lived on Long Island in the 17th Century, and nicknames have been used to differentiate them: "Rock," "Bull," "Nan," "Weight," "Tangier," "Blue," and "Arthur." Some of the names have known origins, but others such as the name "Rock" have been lost to history.[2] One speculative reason for "Rock" is that John owned land near Rockaway on Long Island.[2]

His will mentions grandsons (sons of John, deceased) Richard and Timothy; daus Sarah Pine and Mary (wife of Samuel Denton); son Joseph, son Jonathan, grandchildren Anne and Mary Rushmore; William and Stephen Charlotte (children of my dau. Martha Charlotte, deceased; and my dau Hannah, wife of John Tredwell.

Unknown Origin

John was born c. 1615. When he gave a deposition in 1675, he called himself 60 years old.[2] He is assumed to have been born at England. His parents are unknown.

An article by Martha Bockee Flint, published in 1899 in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record assumes this John Smith was the son of a John Smith who was made freeman at Watertown in 1631, solely on the basis of the shared name Smith.[1] She also assumes that the John Smith of Watertown and his wife were aboard the Arabella, based solely on the timing of the ship's arrival in 1630 and the freemanship in 1631. This kind of reasoning (or lack thereof) is typical of early genealogical writers, and this article may be the origin of the Arabella and Watertown stories. (Some assume that John "Rock" Smith settled at Watertown, MA, and was made a Freeman there in 1631)[2] Evidence is lacking.

Unknown Immigration

John Smith is assumed to have been with John Winthrop aboard the Arabella to Massachusetts Bay in 1630. According to Liptrap, "Actually the passenger list includes a 'Mr & Mrs. Smith,' (Mr Smith b.1575) and Mrs. Smith (b. 1578)."[2]

There were no "Mr and Mrs Smith aboard the Arabella." No actual passenger lists for any of the Winthrop Fleet ships exist. The names of passengers have been compiled from no less than twenty different sources (p 57).[3] There was a _____ Smith from Buxhall, Suffolk with his wife and two children. The father and both children "died soon" (p 92). The record of this family is found in Life & Letters of John Winthrop. There was a Francis Smyth and his wife who were perhaps from Dunmow, co. Essex; they settled at Roxbury, where he worked as a Cardmaker and served as a juror in 1630 (p 92). Neither of these appear to be identical to this profiled John Rock Smith.[3]

Uncertain Marriage

Again according to Martha Bockee Flint in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, John Rock Smith's wife was a daughter of Lt. John Strickland.[1] The assumption is made without any evidence whatsoever. Some assume that she was Martha Strickland,[2] apparently also without evidence.

William Robbins assumes she was Hannah Murry (c 1621 - c 1661),[4] Others have suggested Elizabeth Gildersleeve (b1624), daughter of Richard Gildersleeve and Jo Anna Appleton, or Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Jeremiah Wood (b 1618) and the same Elizabeth Gildersleeve. According to Liptrap, neither Gildersleeve nor Wood are possibilities.[2]

So far, the name of John's wife has not been discovered. Not even her first name was included on any extant document.[5]

Children

The children of John Rock Smith are also uncertain. Lists differ. Below is the list offered by Jim Liptrap:[2] ALSO below is an abstract of John's will naming children.

Mary Smith; m 1661 Samuel Denton Sr (b.1632/4-1713), son of Rev. Richard Denton John Smith, b 3 Jan 1651/2, d 12 Mar 1683/4; m. Hannah Smith, daughter of John "Nan" Smith Martha Smith, d betw 1690 and 1695; m 1) bef 1668 to Thomas Rushmore (d.1683), m 2) Francis Chappell. Joseph Smith, b bef 1655, living in 1716; married bef 1690 to Hannah Unknown. Hannah Smith, d aft 1706; m bef 1682 to John Treadwell. Jonathan "Jack" Smith, d 1724; m 1671 to Grace Mott (b c.1653), daughter of Adam Mott Philena Smith; m John Rushmore (not all sources list her). Property and Positions

Our first record of John Smith is at Stamford, Connecticut where he apparently settled first in 1640.[5] By 1644, he had removed to Hempstead, Long Island as an early proprietor.[5] His name appears on one list of Hempstead land owners as "Rocke Smith" in Mr. Coe's Neck.[2] John continued to acquire property. He and his sons' names are frequently found on deeds to properties jointly held.[5]

John Smith's profession was as a judge. While serving as a Justice, his inflexible nature was suggested as the origin of the nick-name, Rock John.[1] On May 13, 1659, the town of Hempstead licensed John as an inkeeper, "to keep an ordinary and is allowed to sell meat, drink, and rum to strangers with theire retinew."[2]

Death and Legacy

John wrote his will on 10 May 1695, and it was proved on 3 April 1706.[2] John died in 1706 at Merrick, Hempstead, Long Island.[5]

Sources

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Flint, Martha Bockee, (Oct 1899) "The Smiths of Nassau. - John Smith, Rock." The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York, NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1870-. [AmericanAncestors.org accessed 16 August 2016] NEHGS (Vol 30, Pages 200-). ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Liptrap, Jim, Rock Smith. accessed 16 August 2016. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Banks, Charles Edward, (1930) The Winthrop Fleet of 1630. Boston: Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth, published March 2001 by USGWArchives.org accessed 16 August 2016 (Pages 57, 92). ↑ Robbins, William A., (1911) Descendants of Edward Tre(a)dwell .... New York: [T.A. Wright Press] HathiTrust.org accessed 16 August 2016 (Page 10) ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Bunker, Mary Powell (Seaman), (1895) Long Island Genealogies ... Albany: J. Munsell's sons, HathiTrust.org accessed 16 August 2016 (Page 293) Bailey, Rosalie Fellows, (Jan 1957) "John Smith of Hempstead, New York: Beginnings of the Rock Smith Family." New York Biographical and Genealogical Record. (pp 5-15). Colket, Jr., Meredith B. 1912-. Founders of Early American Families: Emigrants From Europe, 1607-1657, Revised Edition. Cleveland: General Court of the Order of Founders and Patriots of America : distributed by Founders Project, 1985. Text located at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society library. Page 288. Hart, Frederick C., (2003) "James Smith of Newtown, Long Island, his Descendants in Huntington, and his brother John Smith of Hempstead." The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, (Vol 134, Pages 163-74). Long Island genealogies. Families of Albertson, Andrews, Bedell, Birdsall .. by Bunker, Mary Powell [(Seaman)], Mrs., 1820- Wills of the Smith families of New York and Long Island, 1664-1794: careful abstracts of all the wills of the name of Smith recorded in New York, Jamaica, and Hempstead, prior to 1794, with genealogical and historical notes by Pelletreau, William S. (William Smith), 1840-1918] #9 (Page 8 footnote 6) "The tradition being that he built a house with a rock inside for a fireplace." Wills of the Smith families of New York and Long Island, 1664-1794 Intro page viii, 8-9 See also:

Space:SmithConnection.com_DNA_Project

John "Rock" Smith AKA "Rock John" (p 201)[1] also called himself "John Smith, Junior" in his 1675 disposition and said he was called "Rock John" at Stamford (where there were multiple John Smiths).[2] By 1687, John was calling himself John Smith, Sen, Rock, yeoman, of Hempstead.[1]

Several unrelated Smith families lived on Long Island in the 17th Century, and nicknames have been used to differentiate them: "Rock," "Bull," "Nan," "Weight," "Tangier," "Blue," and "Arthur." Some of the names have known origins, but others such as the name "Rock" have been lost to history.[2] One speculative reason for "Rock" is that John owned land near Rockaway on Long Island.[2]

His will mentions grandsons (sons of John, deceased) Richard and Timothy; daus Sarah Pine and Mary (wife of Samuel Denton); son Joseph, son Jonathan, grandchildren Anne and Mary Rushmore; William and Stephen Charlotte (children of my dau. Martha Charlotte, deceased; and my dau Hannah, wife of John Tredwell. Unknown Origin

John was born c. 1615. When he gave a deposition in 1675, he called himself 60 years old.[2] He is assumed to have been born at England. His parents are unknown.

An article by Martha Bockee Flint, published in 1899 in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record assumes this John Smith was the son of a John Smith who was made freeman at Watertown in 1631, solely on the basis of the shared name Smith.[1] She also assumes that the John Smith of Watertown and his wife were aboard the Arabella, based solely on the timing of the ship's arrival in 1630 and the freemanship in 1631. This kind of reasoning (or lack thereof) is typical of early genealogical writers, and this article may be the origin of the Arabella and Watertown stories. (Some assume that John "Rock" Smith settled at Watertown, MA, and was made a Freeman there in 1631)[2] Evidence is lacking. Unknown Immigration

John Smith is assumed to have been with John Winthrop aboard the Arabella to Massachusetts Bay in 1630. According to Liptrap, "Actually the passenger list includes a 'Mr & Mrs. Smith,' (Mr Smith b.1575) and Mrs. Smith (b. 1578)."[2]

There were no "Mr and Mrs Smith aboard the Arabella." No actual passenger lists for any of the Winthrop Fleet ships exist. The names of passengers have been compiled from no less than twenty different sources (p 57).[3] There was a _____ Smith from Buxhall, Suffolk with his wife and two children. The father and both children "died soon" (p 92). The record of this family is found in Life & Letters of John Winthrop. There was a Francis Smyth and his wife who were perhaps from Dunmow, co. Essex; they settled at Roxbury, where he worked as a Cardmaker and served as a juror in 1630 (p 92). Neither of these appear to be identical to this profiled John Rock Smith.[3] Uncertain Marriage

Again according to Martha Bockee Flint in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, John Rock Smith's wife was a daughter of Lt. John Strickland.[1] The assumption is made without any evidence whatsoever. Some assume that she was Martha Strickland,[2] apparently also without evidence.

William Robbins assumes she was Hannah Murry (c 1621 - c 1661),[4] Others have suggested Elizabeth Gildersleeve (b1624), daughter of Richard Gildersleeve and Jo Anna Appleton, or Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Jeremiah Wood (b 1618) and the same Elizabeth Gildersleeve. According to Liptrap, neither Gildersleeve nor Wood are possibilities.[2]

So far, the name of John's wife has not been discovered. Not even her first name was included on any extant document.[5] Children

The children of John Rock Smith are also uncertain. Lists differ. Below is the list offered by Jim Liptrap:[2] ALSO below is an abstract of John's will naming children.

   Mary Smith; m 1661 Samuel Denton Sr (b.1632/4-1713), son of Rev. Richard Denton

   John Smith, b 3 Jan 1651/2, d 12 Mar 1683/4; m. Hannah Smith, daughter of John "Nan" Smith

   Martha Smith, d betw 1690 and 1695; m 1) bef 1668 to Thomas Rushmore (d.1683), m 2) Francis Chappell.

   Joseph Smith, b bef 1655, living in 1716; married bef 1690 to Hannah Unknown.

   Hannah Smith, d aft 1706; m bef 1682 to John Treadwell.

   Jonathan "Jack" Smith, d 1724; m 1671 to Grace Mott (b c.1653), daughter of Adam Mott

   Philena Smith; m John Rushmore (not all sources list her). 

Property and Positions

Our first record of John Smith is at Stamford, Connecticut where he apparently settled first in 1640.[5] By 1644, he had removed to Hempstead, Long Island as an early proprietor.[5] His name appears on one list of Hempstead land owners as "Rocke Smith" in Mr. Coe's Neck.[2] John continued to acquire property. He and his sons' names are frequently found on deeds to properties jointly held.[5]

John Smith's profession was as a judge. While serving as a Justice, his inflexible nature was suggested as the origin of the nick-name, Rock John.[1] On May 13, 1659, the town of Hempstead licensed John as an inkeeper, "to keep an ordinary and is allowed to sell meat, drink, and rum to strangers with theire retinew."[2] Death and Legacy

John wrote his will on 10 May 1695, and it was proved on 3 April 1706.[2] John died in 1706 at Merrick, Hempstead, Long Island.[5]