Job Smith of Cumberland County and Georgia

I know that the Smith’s started migrating in a southerly direction from Johnston County into Cumberland County, NC along the Cape Fear River and Black River. Of focus is an area in Cumberland County known then as Averaboro, created in 1791 when William Avera donated 120 acres to establish the town.

The first commissioners of this town were said to include William Avera, Robert Draughon, Philemon Hodges, William Rand, and David Smith (son of Samuel Smith Sr?).

Hardy Smith, in 1783, purchased 500 acres from Richard Smith which was situated just above a branch near the eastern side of the Black River, near the road that leads to Sproles Ferry. (This tract was purchased by Richard Smith in 1774 from Hardy Sanders of Wake County, NC. Interestingly, Hardy Sanders son Hardy Sanders Jr married Edith Turner, Samuel Smith Sr’s granddaughter.)

To figure out where this is I started to plot some patents, which loosely was situated around Sprowls Ferry road, to create a starting point. (I know a distraction from the work I’m doing in Johnston)

I plotted these a month or two ago. These plots are not in the right locations but should be found in this vicinity in Averasboro (south of Dunn, NC)

A few days ago I was vetting some genealogy research of an Ancestry member that I am an apparent DNA match to. We share 25.6 centimorgans across 1 DNA segment (suggested 4th – 6th cousin range). This would mean that our common ancestor should be a 3x – 5x great grandfather.

This member had only populated their tree up to their grandparents, of note a Gordon Tillis Smith. After some records research, Gordon’s father was Robert Smith (b. ca 1868) his father was Jeremiah B Smith (1804/5 – 1879). Jeremiah had lived in Houston County, Georgia and supposedly was born in Washington County, Georgia (see below). This is important as it parallels the migration of Hardy Smith (and mainly William Smith, which I’ll discuss in length in a future post), his daughter Nancy and her marriage to John W Smith in Houston County.

It is suggested in ‘Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia: Volume 7 (1975) pg 377 & 378’, that, “Jeremiah B. Smith was born in Washington Co., Ga., April 5, 1804, a son of Job Smith, R.S., and brother to Rev. Job E. W. Smith (Vol. IV) ….”

In the same source Vol 4, pg 267 & 268, “Job Elbert Wilder Smith was one of the prominent early Primitive Baptist ministers in this section of Georgia. He was born in North Carolina, Dec. 10, 1801, a son of Job Smith, R.S., who moved to Washington County, Georgia, in the early 1800s. Elder J.E.W. Smith had a twin brother, Jeremiah Butler Smith, who was also a noted minister in the same denomination with his brother…..”

Examining the census records (1790,1800, 1810), it can be found that a Job Smith lived in Cumberland County, NC and there is a Job Smith in Washington County, GA 1820 and Houston County, GA 1830. In addition, Georgia Land Lottery and Tax Digest from the time period supports his whereabouts and coincides with the Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia source.

From here, this takes me back to the plots above that I had stumbled upon relatively showing that Hardy and Job were neighbors and possibly an assumed blood connection. (Note: Hardy’s daughter married a John W. Smith (high percentage that they were cousins) which clouds the whole family line. Like Smith’s aren’t already difficult to trace. However, through DNA research with another cousin its highly probable that John W. Smith descends from the same Smith family/line.

Here is some record information for Job Smith

1790 Census (Cumberland, NC): 1 Male under 16 (Samuel R, likely); 1 Male 16 and over; 3 Females
1800 Census (Cumberland, NC): 1 Male 10-15 (Samuel R, likely); 1 Male 45 and over; 4 Females under 10; 1 Female 10-15, 1 Female 16-25; 1 Female 26-44
1810 Census (Cumberland, NC): 2 Males under 10 (Job E.W. & Jeremiah); 1 Male 45 and over; 3 Females 10-15, 1 Female 45 and over
1820 Census (Washington, GA): 1 Male 10-15 (Jeremiah); 1 Male 16-18 (Job E.W.); 1 Male 45 and over; 1 Female 26-44
1830 Census (Houston, GA): 1 Male 15-19; 1 Male 70-79; 1 Female 60-69

Cumberland, NC Court Records – 28 April 1787
1. Hardy Smith road overseer from Buchanan’s Ferry to the Wake line. To work road: Job Smith, Jacob Smith ….

Land Records – Patents in Cumberland County, NC
1. 1796 50A west side of Black River
2. 1796 150A waters of Black River
3. 1800 150A on Black River
4. 1802 150A beg. at a pine by a branch (survey warrant mentions, ‘150 acres of land on the south side of black river where sprowls road crosses said river’)

Deeds – Grantee – Cumberland County, NC
1. Job Smith from Henry Champion al (County of Wilkes, GA) 1793 400A near Poplar Br; book 12 pg 418 (Champion by patent from State)
2. Jobe Smith from John Johnston 1795 100A Mealow Br; book 14 pg 312
3. J Smith from R Mumford shf al 1797 150A Swamp Black River; book 16 pg 289

Deed – Grantor
1. Jobe Smith to Creed Collins 1801, 300A Black River; book 18 pg 422
2. Jobe Smith to Creed Collins 1801, 161+A Black River; book 18 pg 423
3. Job Smith to James Gilbert, 1801, 150A On both sides of Black River; book 18 pg 442
4. Job Smith to Abraham Hogins, 1805, several tracts on/near Black River; book 20 pg 316

Land Lottery
1821 – Job Smith, Walton Co, 172-16, Houston
1827 – Job Smith, Washington Co, 2-15-51, Muscogee
1827 – Job Smith R.S., Washington Co, 1-7-8, Lee
1827 – Job E.W. Smith, Laurens Co, 1-17-35, Lee