Failure. It can be a scary word for some. Those who observe you do it may doubt or dismiss you, and those who do it themselves may get discouraged. I want to make sure that the word failure is not a negative one for you. Failure is simply the observing of a truth other than one that you expected or hoped for. It is not the end of the road. Success can be achieved by trying in earnest and failing, and failing rapidly, and by understanding our failures, we can begin to adapt. We can begin to change our thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs, and we can begin to have small successes.

Do not be afraid to fail and do not be afraid to allow other to see you fail when you make an earnest effort. However, do not fail and then engage in the same thoughts and hold the same beliefs as you did before and expect a different outcome. That is the definition of insanity.

After sifting through the digital annals of online genealogy sites, I feel that there is much to do about the contrived Smith lineages that are found in countless trees.

I once read a webpage that described genealogy as “America’s most pretentious hobby that no one talks about.”

I believe my research affects no fewer than 5 large and unique Smith lines in North America. Parts of the contents of these pages are based upon the works of:

• Ancestry.com user “genkssst” for the Maj. Lawrence Smith family documentation. In my opinion, they are the leading expert on Maj. Lawrence Smith’s family.
• George Poffinbarger for the information regarding Aquilla Smith’s family.

…and others. If I forget to mention a name somewhere, please let me know and I will attribute where necessary.

My yDNA research is based upon yDNA matching at FamilyTreeDNA.

My compilations conclusively counter claims made by:

Sir Bernard Burke [Burke’s Peerage and Burke’s Armory]

Louise Pecquet du Bellet [Some Prominent Virginia Families]

Linda G. Cheek [Ancestors and Descendants of Smiths]

There are also (literally) countless personal genealogy websites and trees that can (unfortunately) be easily found online.

My pages discuss the very poorly researched/represented Smith lines of (I am still building the site, so please be patient):

Customer Smythe and why, more than likely, no one in North America is descended from him.

Maj. Lawrence Smith of Gloucester Co, VA and why he is definitely not descended from Customer Smythe

Arthur Smith and Thomas Smith of Isle of Wight Co, VA and previously Blackmore, Essex, UK and why he was not a kinsman of Maj. Lawrence Smith

Further, I will provide my own yDNA and atDNA based research that includes the families of:

My Smith line:

Comparison of current 9 yDNA kits

I believe my Smith folks are descended from The Smiths of Haw River in present day Alamance County, North Carolina. This was the site of Pyle’s Massacre. One of my 66/67 yDNA matches is descended (not patrilineally) from Dr. John Pyle.

Isaac Smith and Nancy Hendrix of 1809 Woodford Co, KY, 1810 Rockcastle Co, KY, and 1820 Salt Creek Township, Jackson County, Indiana

Andrew Smith and Hannah Bracken [analysis of Deep Creek, Hillsborough, Orange, NC] [link 2] [link 3 – Scotland link is not my guy]

Samuel Smith and Elizabeth Rice of Woodford Co, KY

Aquilla Smith and Elizabeth Collier of Rockcastle Co, KY, Salt Creek Township, Jackson County, Indiana, and later, Madison Co, Iowa – [I would like to independently verify some of these findings.]

John M. Smith and Isabel Grider of Adair Co, KY – (Work in progress…)

General William Smith and Anne Fish of Rockcastle Co, KY – [link 2]

Smith line of 65374:

65374 appears to descend from Mulkey L. Smith who married Sarah Caroline Bagwell. His is a rather autosomally isolated population as Mulkey’s descendants were few, and he only had one grandson, a John Smith.

How’d we get so far apart?

I believe my yDNA matches all descend from Smiths who lived on The Haw River, or near it, prior to The Revolutionary War. Latest research suggests prior to NC, they lived in southeast Virginia near what is today Isle of Wight, Brunswick, Greensville, Co, VA.

Additional Smith lines (need to write up summaries and find links to share):

Smith line of Bennett Smith who married Anna G (mnu). They lived in McNairy Co, TN. Bennett Smith was likely from the southern part of Orange Co, NC around 1800 and related to a David McKinzie.

I believe Hillsborough, Orange County, NC is where I find my Andrew Smith. I am still attempting to identify the David McKinzie on the estate records of Bennett Smith.

Smith line of Stephen Smith who married Nancy (mnu). Stephen lived in Blount Co, AL and Fayette Co, AL. – [link 2] [link 3]

Smith line of John Henry Smith and Martha Agatha Thompkins.

And, amazingly, quite a few more.

Here is the link to the SmithsWorldWide.org Group R-M269-9 page that shows all the yDNA lines that match me, either closely or at a distance of 2-5 markers.

And as an added side note, I will be keeping tabs on the lines of the members of SmithsWorldWide Group R-M269-8 (these folks are not related to me via their Smith line, nor are they related to Maj. Lawrence Smith of Gloucester Co, VA):

Henley Garrison Smith, Henry Bascum Smith, Ancel Dean Smith, and John Snelson Smith (and others).

James H. Smith and  Susannah Chapman of Pickens Co, SC  [latest info as of 2016-08-23]

Christopher Smith and Catherine Snelson

[Just because this family group is in a periodical that also discusses Maj. Lawrence Smith, it does not imply that they are related.]

Ambrose Joshua Smith and Judith Ann Spann – [best source info I can find]

Kitt Smith and Mary Mauldin – See “Rucker Mauldin” and the Mauldin yDNA Project at WikiTree.com

Moving on…

I find that there is a heavy amount of confusion regarding Group R-M269-8 and my 67/67 yDNA match’s line Group R-M269-9. I feel very strongly that Group 9 is the correct lineage for James H. Smith who married Susannah Chapman.

There is currently some debate over whether or not Harmon Smith who married Mary Elizabeth Posey was of Group 8’s yDNA line or Group 9’s. I believe, because I can link Harmon’s brothers, Jesse and Charles Smith, to the Haw River area around the time of The Revolutionary War, Harmon Smith is of my yDNA line. There is a “Herman Smith” in The South Carolina Archives and History database that I have recently found. I need to research him before I accept this “Herman”->”Harmon” suggestion.

I also believe that the contents of Linda G. Cheeks wills and deeds books can be found, far more easily, on the above mentioned SC archive site. They may not have everything, but they have a lot. There are typ-o’s however, so be careful.

There are many more Smiths that I will attempt to chronicle as I sort them out on this site.

Collaboration

Feel free to send me any questions about any of my research. I am attempting to organize a collaborative effort using internet technologies such as a WordPress blog with multiple contributors, an IRC chatroom, and possible shared cloud storage for archiving our finds.

I will also be adding a few videos to the site via YouTube. I will use these to help better explain my findings.

Also, sometimes it helps to put things in perspective when working with DNA.

Thanks for reading!

Chris Smith

P.S. – If you would like to donate to our group’s general fund, you can send contributions to [ds114ec] at [yahoo.com]

Many thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not claim that every tiny detail within these pages is correct, but I have tried to achieve that. I also do not allow anyone to copy my work for the purpose of republishing it without my permission, and especially do not allow anyone to make money from my research or anyone else’s research that can be found within these pages (unless the original author says it’s ok. Who am I to restrict someone else’s work?).