B. before 25 Jul 1623 in Stratton St. Michael, Norfolk, England
M. 8 May 1645 in Hingham, Massachusetts
Spouse: Sarah Woodward
D. 27 Apr 1695 in Hingham, Massachusetts
Some men who settled in Puritan New England were well-suited to take on military leadership in their communities. This seems to be the case for John Smith of 17th-century Hingham, Massachusetts.
John was born in about 1623, and baptized on July 23rd at Stratton St. Michael, Norfolk, England. His parents were Henry Smith and Judith Ray, and he was the second oldest of their five children. East Anglia was a hotbed of religious non-conformists, supplying many of the Puritans who went to New England. John’s family migrated in 1638, arriving in Massachusetts on the ship Diligent.
The Smith family settled in Hingham, and on May 8, 1645, John married Sarah Woodward. Over the next ten years, they had at least six children, with three dying young. Hingham was led by a minister, Reverend Peter Hobart, who often butted heads with the authorities in Boston for doing things like baptizing babies whose parents weren’t Puritan. His acts of independence were said to have spilled over into the militia, where Hobart’s brother Joshua served as captain. John was a lieutenant in the militia as early as 1661, and he was said to be “Captain Hobart’s able second in rank.”
John’s service in the community extended to civic duties such as being a selectman in 1663, 1665, 1670, 1674, 1675, 1682, and 1683, and representative to the General Court in 1683, 1684, 1685 and 1686. But his military role may have been his primary focus in life. During King Philip’s War, he was said to have “commanded a fort” in Hingham. The fort was a garrison house, the place where he lived, which also provided a safe place for other settlers when the town came under attack. There were two other such forts in Hingham, and John was said to have headed one of them in addition to his own.
After Joshua Hobart died in 1682, John seems to have taken over the office of captain of the militia. He was called Captain John Smith, esquire in many Hingham town records, and sometimes he conducted marriages involving people in the military. His home was “on Main Street, opposite Leavitt Street,” which was in the heart of town, and he owned a lot of property in the area.
John wrote his will on April 27, 1695, and he died the same day. The will was probated on June 6th, with an inventory of £1,106 18s, which was a substantial amount of money then. The inventory also showed that he owned one “Negro servant” valued at £15; slavery was fairly common in New England at that time. His wife Sarah lived on for many years, and she died on February 7, 1708.
Children:
1. Sarah Smith — B. before 9 Jul 1646, Hingham, Massachusetts;10 D. before 8 Jun 1708, (probably) Massachusetts; M. (1) James Stevens, 14 Mar 1664, Hingham, Massachusetts; (2) Jonathan Franklin (?-1693), 1 Feb 1686, (probably) Massachusetts; (3) John Field, 30 Aug 1694, (probably) Massachusetts
2. Mary Smith — B. before 9 Jul 1646, Hingham, Massachusetts; D. young
3. Henry Smith — B. before 26 Mar 1648, Hingham, Massachusetts; D. 17 Apr 1678, (probably) Massachusetts
4. Judith Smith — B. before 23 Feb 1651, Hingham, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Mason (1644-1705), 20 Jun 1670, Hingham Massachusetts
5. John Smith — B. before 18 Sep 1653, Hingham, Massachusetts; D. after 1 Nov 1728, (probably) Roxbury, Massachusetts; M. ______ Peck, 6 Apr 1680, Hingham, Massachusetts
6. Mary Smith — B. 10 Oct 1665, Hingham, Massachusetts; D. young
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