When I had first been notified of my Smith line’s match to our cousin line of Bennett Smith of McNairy Co, TN, Bennett was my yDNA cousin’s brick wall.

An examination of the estate records for Bennett Smith yielded the names of his cousins.

We then identified Bennett’s father as Thomas Smith who married Catherine Jopling, and this Jopling link was later confirmed with autosomal matching analysis on AncestryDNA.

Moving forward to Oct 25, 2021, I set out to try and learn more about this newly re-discovered Thomas Smith. I found that his father-in-law was recorded well enough in the records, and had a unique enough name to be able to begin documenting a paper trail. I heavily rely on “Caswell County, NC Will Books, 1777-1843; 1784 Tax List; and Guardians’ Accounts, 1794-1819“.

I will state very clearly, this work is in need of significant organization. Please consider this page a copy of my working notes and not 100% conclusive of anything. In some cases, I am working from memory of my past research that I, admittedly, did not document when I first observed the information. I have found no other research for these family groups, from the perspective of Smith, to which I can compare. So frequently is this the story of that name, I suppose.

Beginning in early 19th century Orange Co, NC…

Above, we can see “Wm Joplin” enumerated next to “Rich[ar]d Hightower”, “Rich[ar]d Arnold”, and, importantly, “Wm Cu[l]bertson”.

For notes:

• The neighbor of William Jopling, Richard Hightower, was an associate of a William Pleasant.
• Thomas Smith and Catherine Jopling were married 15 years later. 5 years after that, they’re in Maury Co, TN.

Most of this next part is taken from an e-mail containing my preliminary research. I think it’s good enough to share on here.

I tried to do this next part chronologically, but the people and places don’t link linearly forward. You’ll see…

Please note, the highlighting of names is not significant.

I believe the only thing I can conclude is there is maybe a connection to a James Smith m. Sarah Culberson. Maybe.

This guy, b. 1782-ish, may have been a son of the James Smith who married Sarah Culber(t)son, but by a different woman.

There was a James Currie and a John Reeves that lived near [my line’s] Andrew Smith and his brothers. William Fitch in next neighborhood to the west. (see previous Thomas Reeves in proximity to Walkers, may have just been a popular clergyman?)

My reference maps come from The Land Grant Atlas of Old Orange County – Volume II – Saxapahaw Old Fields. Buy yourself a copy. It’s a really good read in addition to it’s source content.

back to James Smith…

Relevant Deed Book entries…

Deed Book H page 213

John Browning of Green County, Georgia to James Smith of Caswell County for 250 lbs 215 acres on North Hico adjoining James Culbertson, David Culbertson, John Graves, Boring’s old line 8 Mar 1793. Wit: P Haralson, David Boring.

Deed Book K page 274

Nathaniel King of Caswell County to William Jopling of Person County for 300 lbs, 400 acres on Country line Creek in Caswell County adjoining Noel, Currie.  2 Sep 1797. Witness Samuel Morton, George Browning, George Brown.

Deed Book L page 177

Allotment of dower land to Hannah Graves widow of Thomas Graves deceased, 310 acres on a e prong South Fork Country Line Creek adjoining mill and Still house, Thomas Yancey to prong called Yancey’s fork of Country Line Cr. 25 Nov 1799.  Commissioners Edmond Browning, J. Currie, Gabriel Murphey, Henry Turner, Gabriel Murphy Senior, Absolem Lea, W. Muzzzall Sheriff, John Currie, Richard Arnold, Daniel Melton, William Culberson, William Jopling, George Brown, Robt Mitchell. Surveyor.

==

Will Book C page 451 Account of estate of Samuel Greer by Margaret Greer and Wm Culberson administrator.  cash paid by several men among them Edmund Browning.

==

next record…

Deed Book M page 91 

John Pleasant of Caswell County to William Farrar of same, for $500, 123 acres on Andrews Creek adjoining Edmond Browning, Nowel (above Noel), Anthony.  28 Nov 1800.  Witness: William Pleasant, James Currie, William Jopling.

Deed Book O, p.104
31 Jul 1805
Thomas Jackson Jun. of Caswell to Nathaniel Snipes of same for 100#’s – 140 7 w/3 acres both sides Linches Cr by the Ridge Path in Currie’s line – tract allotted his in right of his wife in the lands of James Smith, dec’d.

From below link:

Children of Sarah Culbertson and James Smith are:
       32       i.       Jane “Jenney”3 Smith, born Bef. 1783 in Caswell Co NC; died Aft. 1824.She married Thomas Jackson 05 December 1798 in Caswell Co NC; born Bef. 1778; died 1824 in Caswell Co NC.
Linches Creek is reference to Lynches Creek Baptist Church.

Deed Book Q page 380
William Farrar of Caswell County to Abraham Price of same for $500. 123 acres on Andrews Creek adjoining Edmund Browning, Nowel, Anthony. 7 Oct 1806.  Wit: Abraham B. Morton Edward Bartlett, Jas Smith (not dead?).

1807 Guardian bonds

CASWELL COUNTY BASTARDY BONDS 1748-1878
Submitted and Compiled by Rita Lea, Genealogist and Historian 9-28-2008

Beaver, Judith		1812	Nathan Browning, Thomas Smith, 
                                Zeba Rice, S Graves

Thomas Smith found in land record for John Kimbrough
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~katy/thrift/b55069.html

Deed Book R, p.139
Oct. 1813
John Kimbrough of Caswell to daughter Tabitha Snipes for love & Affections, 39 acres on Andrews Creek adj Morton’s old corner (likely referring to Samuel Morton, see 2 Sep 1797 land record) and Edmond Noel. Wit: W. Warren, Aza Graves

Deed Book R, p.149
10 Oct 1813
John Kimbrough to daughter Tabitha Snipes, wife of Nathaniel Snipes for $2 & love and affection, 175 acres south fork Country Line Creek adjacent Robert Browing, Thomas Smith, Thomas Burton, Alexander Wiley, part of State grant dated 13 Oct 1783. Wit: W. Warren, Aza Graves

Deed Book 15, page 87, 19 May, 1815, William Jopling to Thomas Smith, of Caswell County, negro girl named Silvia, aged 4 years old.

Fitches, Hightowers, Joplings, Smiths (not sure who they are) listed. (ignore highlight)

Thomas Smith is in TN by 1817, died by 1822 I think.. Not sure he would have returned for estate sales between then? But I do feel there was a 2nd Thomas Smith still in Caswell Co, NC that he was related to.

Notes for David C Culberson (from genealogy.com link):
William Culberson and David C Culberson were witnesses to the deed from William Jopling to Libby (Culberson) Parks (deed bk x, pg 217)–the deed occurred in 1816 but was recorded in 1828.There was a note that in 1828, both witnesses were “dead or out of state”
David C Culberson is not mentioned in his father’s 1824 will.

Bennett Smith in 1840 Southern District, Orange Co, NC Edmund Browning is near by, 9 houses away.

Devereau HIghtower is listed in the 1816 estate sale record with William Jopling. Who is this 2nd Thomas H. Smith in this area who is alive after 1822? Is this the 2nd Thomas Smith that Bennett’s father sent correspondence to in 1817?

**There was a James Smith m. Sarah Culberson 06 Oct 1778 in Caswell Co, NC.

William Moore owned land on south side of Country Line Creek (CLC)

David Michell had a daughter Elizabeth who married a Currie.

http://www.ncgenweb.us/caswell/marriages/mb-b3.htm

Notice there is a William Culberson listed with William Jopling in the Hannah Graves info.

1780 Catherine Smith of Caswell to James Smith of same, 70 acres Flat River wit: David Culbertson and Ruth Smith
source: https://wc.rootsweb.com/trees/136639/I5586/robert-culbertson/individual

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_River_(Eno_River_tributary)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_River_(North_Carolina)

This analysis is different: it centers around William Jopling and his neighboring population, and includes apparently two Thomas Smiths who could be associated with a James Smith who could have been from the Flat River and Little River area..

We may be getting into the territory of Buckner Smith and John “Little River” Smith. Nickname is not in records, only given to him by researchers, widely echoed by Linda G. Cheek. Literally some of the messiest and poorly sourced research we can run into with these two.

Remember we have a record for a James Smith in Spartansburg, SC that sold land to Samuel Smith on Back Creek. We also have the line of Mulkey L. Smith m. Sarah Caroline Bagwell (should be David Huff’s line). I believe Solomon M. Smith and John S. Smith are found in the will of a Joseph L. Smith of Greenville, SC, being half brothers.

…and finally random article I found on early Maury Co, TN. Lots of interesting names like Kilcrease and Whitesides.

Phew.

So I think we have a 

James Smith d. abt 17 July 1805 (wife Sarah, children mentioned in guardian roles)

James Smith d. abt 1831

Thomas Smith d. aft 1850

So here is Thomas H. Smith b. 1771 in VA with John Browning.

This was Bennett’s grandfather,and it might be safe to assume James Smith m. 1778 d. 1831-ish was his father (maybe a 2nd marriage?). Thomas will would likely be found in the 1850-1860 records, but most sources I find stop at like 1847.

This is from 1830 census. It shows Thomas Smith, grandfather of Bennett Smith with a very old male and female in the household.

1820 census

Thats a big family. There’s a James Smith listed in that census too, but I think he’s too young  to be the guy who married in 1778. Need to further examine these entries.

For notes, there was a Col. William Moore who led the Caswell County Regiment where we found Ensign John McMinnimy, a Pvts. Thomas Smith, Jeptha Rice, and Peter Smith (probably Jeptha V Smith’s uncle).

William Culbertson is listed as well, as is a John Kimbrough. There is a Francis Smith listed who I believe also lived on Country Line Creek, but I haven’t been able to connect any dots.

https://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/nc_caswell_county_regiment.html

After all this, maybe we can bring this record into play:

ODB 4/566 Stephen Carroll & Abraham Whitaker to Thomas Reding, 23 Mar 1792, 16 acres bounded by Thomas Redding on S, Eno River on N, Abraham Whitaker on E. Proved May 1792 by Benjamin Carroll. {Proved at OCPQS 4/442}

ODB 8/290 North Carolina to John Cabe, 26 Oct 1798, 115 acres on waters of Eno River, adj Thomas Redding, Cabe, Benjamin Carroll, John Copley – warrant 18 May 1796.

ODB 8/126 North Carolina to John Redden, 13 Aug 1798, 15.75 acres on waters of Eno River, adj Abraham Whitaker, Jacob Allen, branch, Mulhollan – entered 8 Apr 1797.

The will abstract book says that “Boling” (estate exec, from old Thomas Smith will info) could have also been “Boring” or “Bowling” as we saw with “Borings old line” (see Deed Book H page 213 above)

old Thomas Smith d. 1798 is around here somewhere…

At this point, I have a theory:

A return from Bennett’s descendant states:

“1850 mcnairy
Carroll’s surround my Bennett from Hillsboro”

Some other puzzle pieces I’m needing to thoroughly examine:

Not sure it’s the same Abraham Smith, but here’s a Booth-Joplin cemetery, relatives of a Hightower family. Need to research who these Smiths are. Names seem very similar to the earlier Smiths in Surry Co, VA.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-62420

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138538142/mary-booth

Might just be some coincidences. Haven’t evaluated any of this info.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42142857/robert-munford-walker

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66487366/mary-walker

They tie into a Thomas Jopling line. Related to Isham Smith m. Patience Drew.

To further extend out these family relationship:

And here we see Catherine and Ruth Smith.1780 Catherine Smith of Caswell to James Smith of same, 70 acres Flat River wit: David Culbertson and Ruth Smith
source: https://wc.rootsweb.com/trees/136639/I5586/robert-culbertson/individual

Does this some how connect Thomas H. Smith who was the admin for the estate of the younger James Smith, son of James Smith m. Sarah Culberson to this George Smith of Flat River?

George Smith who married Jenney Jackson was possibly another son of James Smith m. Sarah Culber(t)son, but may have been born out of wedlock. I think I found this parentage info in the orphan bonds.

I think this was Francis Smith, Jr.

This Francis Smith has been a curiosity of mine for some time…

Looking through the Caswell Co, NC marriages, we find a Thomas Smith who married a Mildred Atkins 27 May 1804 in Caswell Co, NC.

The bondsman was a Francis Smith. He may have been the one who lived on Country Line Creek.

Thomas and Mildred had a daughter Lucy Smith who married Stephen Gallant Hankins.

Referencing back to the 1840 Blount Co, AL census, we can find Richard Hankins living “next door” to Stephen Smith (James Michael Smith’s line).

Richard and Stephen Hankins were brothers, both sons of John Alvin Hankins.

Could just be a coincidence though.

Richard Simpson owned land on Country Line Creek (below page immediately previous to above), but I know that Richard Simpson’s Smith family (Peter Smith of Roundhill) is not related to our larger Smith group based on paper trails, cemetery records, and yDNA matching.

I’ve found Wynn Dixon showing up in my research of John Shelton who married an Elizabeth Smith. They lived on Dixon’s Creek in Grainger Co, TN, named for either Wynn Dixon or one of his brothers (double check this).

And it is with this I draw this page to a conclusion. I definitely needs some refinement, but I believe the records, if examined patiently, can answer the question of who Bennett’s father’s Smith family was.

Thanks for reading!

Chris