The Hardy Smith Timeline – Part 1 (Cumberland County)

This is the life timeline of Hardy Smith, as interpreted, based on connecting historical documents, circumstantial information and affiliation to other known individuals.

Hardy Smith’s testimony in open court on 6 May 1833 as part of his Pension Application process, Hardy stated he was 76 and was born on the waters of Neuse River Johnston County, North Carolina. (Based on other research and DNA information, I have a working theory that Hardy may descend from John or Samuel Smith (likely the latter) who migrated to Craven/Johnston County in the 1740’s).

This testimony, and a follow on affidavit of Thomas Moore & Ezekial Smith, suggest that Hardy was born in Johnston County, North Carolina in 1756 or 1757 (depending on the month/day of his birthday). The general year being 1757 as written in many secondary sources.

Hardy also states that he was living in Cumberland County, North Carolina when he was drafted into the Militia in 1779.

In the examination of the 1777 Taxables (partial list), Capt Robert Cobb’s District, of Cumberland County, NC the following individuals of interest are listed as living in this area of Cumberland County:

• Richard Smith – speculated to be Hardy Smith’s brother or cousin. Early land holder in Cobbs District, North Carolina (1774).
• John Smith – nearby land owner (about 5 miles down the Black River), 300 acres on Black River Swamp (1784). Possible connection to Richard and Hardy Smith. Working theory is that this is the son of Samuel Smith Sr who patented land next to a patent for 300A dated 15 Feb 1764 by Samuel Smith (likely Senior). (more on this in a future post)
• William Smith – nearby land owner with 50 acres on the west side of Dry Creek. Not yet plotted but if it is assumed, could be located in the vicinity of the head of Dry Creek, which is between Neills Creek and West Buie Creek (about 5 miles to the southwest where Hardy Smith’s property is on the Black River). Possible Hardy Smith family connection. (More research forthcoming as there is a William Smith how owns land on the Black Creek, which the head is just across the Cumberland/Johnston county line)
• Timothy Truelove – married into the Avent family (Peter Avent) (family owned/operated Avent Ferry) Cumberland & Chatham County, NC (Avent’s/Avant’s will marry into the Smith line (Georgia))
• Francis Smith – nearby land owner on Neills and Buie Creeks and has a possible connection to Richard and Hardy Smith. As well, he may have been the first of this Cumberland group to migrate south to Georgia. He sells most of his lands in 1782/83 and then assigns a Power of Attorney to Isreal Folsom in 1783. He is found again in the Cumberland records selling Isreal Folsom two tracts of land on 13 October 1794. The deed shows Francis Scot Smith of Warren County, Georgia.
• Ebenezer Folsom – husband of Edith Smith who is the daughter of Samuel Smith Sr of Johnston County, NC
• Samuel Hart – close family friend of the Smith’s.

Looking at the 1780 Taxables (partial list), Capt Robert Cobb’s District of Cumberland County, NC shows these Smith’s: Francis Scot Smith (550a creek land, 2 horses, 11 cattle), Richard Smith (300a creek land, 1494a piney land, 20 cattle), Hardy Smith (no property listed), and Zekial {Ezekial} Smith (150a piney land, 1 horse, 1 cow). Ezekial is speculated  to be Hardy Smith’s brother and the same Ezekial Smith that gave an affidavit during Hardy Smith’s pension application.

The above image depicts individuals with land holdings in the most northern stretch of the Black River in Cobb’s District. These plots/grants are within, what is today Angier, North Carolina. (Interestingly, the ‘Father’ of the town, J.C. Williams is likely a descendant of Samuel Smith Sr (daughter Jane) & John Smith Sr (daughter Rachael) of Johnston County, North Carolina (read more on page 8). Two individuals on the map to mention is Theophilus Hunter and Job Smith. Theophilus Hunter married Jane Smith (her second husband) who’s father is Samuel Smith Sr and ironically Jane is the mother of the Williams children of this area, reference J.C. Williams story above. Job Smith is speculated to be a sibling to Hardy Smith as well (based on circumstantial evidence and DNA research).

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Hardy Sanders grant was surveyed in 1768 and appears to be one of the first in this area of Black River. Hardy Sanders was of Wake County, NC and owned several tracts in Wake (on Middle and Little Creek),  a 300 acre tract in Johnston County on Middle Creek and the pictured tract in Cumberland County on the Black River. Hardy Sanders sons Reuben and Hardy Sanders Jr married the granddaughters of Samuel Smith Sr, Keren Smith (father Samuel Smith Jr) and Edith Turner (mother Nancy Ann), respectively.

Hardy Sanders sold his 500 acre tract of land to a Richard Smith in 1774.

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According to ‘Cumberland County, NC Land Entries 1778-1795’ by A.B. Pruitt, on 1 February 1779, Hardy Smith made an entry for land in Cumberland County, NC, ‘Hardy Smith enters 150 ac on N prong of Black R. border: Richard Smith and then “up”‘.

In reviewing the online North Carolina Land Grants, a grant for Hardy Smith can not be found. It’s likely Hardy took up (claimed and started living on it) this land, as was common in those times.

The subsequent entry from the land entries book mentioned above shows also on 1 February 1779 that Alexander Smith enters for land on the south fork of Black River (survey). The ‘entry’ document shows for 260 acres lying on the south fork of Black River beginning on Richard Smith’s line. The ‘patent’ states that the land adjoins that of Richard Smith and William Cutts (survey) and the survey was conducted 30 April 1782 (a little over three years later). The chainers for this survey were Richard and Hardy Smith.

With the absence of Hardy’s patent, him being listed as a chainer (sworn chain carrier) has some significance because in the early days, most of the time, chainers were adjacent land owners that had interest in ensuring that surveys adjoining their property were just and correct.

This Alexander Smith is believed to be a third Alexander Smith, of the region (Johnston and Cumberland Counties) and possibly related to Hardy Smith. The first known Alexander (born circa 1742) was the son of John Smith Sr, who married Elizabeth Whitfield and died in Cumberland County, along the Cape Fear River in 1779 (He owned Smith Ferry adjacent the mouth of Lower Little River) . The second Alexander (born circa 1763), a cousin of the first, was the son of Samuel Smith Sr, who married Pherabee Pool and is shown living in Johnston County (north of Smithfield on the west bank of the Neuse River) in the 1800 census. The third Alexander is believed to be born before 1755, based upon him making an entry for land in 1779 (being of age to do so) and being shown living in Cumberland County, age 45 and older, on the 1800 census.

Hardy Smith was also listed as a chainer for the survey conducted for Richard Smith on 30 April 1782 (same day as Alexander’s survey) for 300 acres on Black River joining his own line (survey) (his own line refers to property he bought from Hardy Sanders in May 1774. Richard seems to be a little older then both Alexander and Hardy.

It is supposed, that A.B. Pruitt or his researcher(s) collected Hardy’s name from an ‘entries’ book of Cumberland County and since there is no grant/patent, the entry was never turned into a grant/patent. This process is briefly explained at Pruitt’s article titled, ‘North Carolina land grant procedure 1777-1800‘.

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On 10 April 1779, Hardy Smith {estimated age 22/23} was living in Cumberland County, North Carolina and was drafted to serve as a militia solider, during the American Revolution (1775-83), for three months under the command of Captain Nathan King & Colonel Jonas Johnson. During this tour he fought in the battle of Stono Ferry on 20 June 1779. A good overview of this battle by C. Leon Harris can be read in Vol. 1 No. 4 of the Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution (starts on page 7).  The best Order Of Battle for this engagement should be investigated at the Carolana (information derived/mirrored from ‘NC Patriots 1775-1783: Their Own Words’ by J.D. Lewis).

Hardy says that he was discharged while at Stono Ferry, as an order was enclosed in his pension application.

Hardy returned home to Cumberland County North Carolina and would volunteer for two more tours of service. His second tour (July 1781/3 months) and third tour (October 1781/9 months) were in a light horse company under Captain Thomas Hadley & Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Armstrong.

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On 6 October 1783, Richard Smith sells Hardy Smith 500 acres of land on the Black River, land that Richard bought in 1774 from Hardy Sanders.

According to Abstracts of Court of Please and Quarterly Sessions Cumberland County, on 25 January 1785, there was a deed from Archibald Smith to Hardy Smith proved by Nathaniel Folsom. There is no record of this deed in the Cumberland County Register of Deeds. However, attention is drawn to the bottom of the above pictured deed. This deed was proved in the January term 1785 by Nath Folsom. This is likely the same entry as intended in the abstracts. This Nathaniel Folsom is likely the son of Ebenezer Folsom and Edith Smith (daughter of Samuel Smith Sr) of Johnston County, NC.

More from the Abstracts, on

• 29 July 1785, ‘Following to lay off a new road from Sprole’s road to join the Wake road to Wake courthouse: Eb. Folsom, Alax. Avera, Wm. Avera, John Smith, Benjn. Smith, John Green, Neill Shaw (hunter), Malcom Clark, Joseph Edwards, Call McAlaster, Wm. Caraway, John Ray, John Russell, Harday Smith, Ezekiel Smith and Calob Falkener. Daniel Shaw, constable, to summon same.’ (Could these four Smith’s, who live in the vicinity where Sproles road crosses the Black River, be related? By 1785, it’s known that Hardy is living on the 500 acres that he bought from Richard Smith. John and Benjamin made entries for land in 1779 as well and those tracts are estimated within five miles from Hardy down the Black River. Ezekiel Smith was deeded 150 acres from Richard Smith, part of the 300 acre grant he obtained in 1784. There is no deed in the online records that can be found, however there is a deed showing Ezekiel selling this tract to John Adams in 1791)
• 27 January 1786, ‘Following to be a jury to lay off the road from Matthew Myat’s on the Wake line to William Sprowl’s road: Jacob Matthews, Hardy Matthews, Reuben Clements, Hardy Smith, Simon Johnson, Ezekiel Smith, Coll McAllester, Malcom Clark, Henry Urquart, Wm. Avera, James Pearl, Neill Shaw (hunter), Tapley Johnson, Jas. Akins and Neill Shaw (long).’
• 27 January 1787, ‘Suit #4: John James vs Hector McNeill’, Hardy Smith listed as one of the jurors.
• 25 April 1787, ‘Suit #14: Richard Smith (represented by J. S. [James Spiller]) vs Solomon Porch,  Hardy Smith listed as one of the jurors.
• 28 April 1787, ‘Hardy Smith, road overseer from Buchanan’s ferry to the Wake line. working the following: John Green, Raimon Johnston, Math. Davis, Powel’s Plantation, John Adams, Job Smith, Benja. Johnston, William Cutts, Sampson Johnston, Jacob Smith, Philip Johnston, and John Champion.’
• 27 October 1787, ‘Following to attend as jurors at next term:’, Hardy Smith listed as one of the person to be a juror.
• 29 January 1788, ‘Following to attend as jurors this term:’, Hardy Smith listed as one of the person to be a juror.

In October 1787, Hardy sold his 500 acre tract on Black River in Cumberland County North Carolina to John Wilder. The deed was proved by John Green on 26 January 1790 (January term 1790). There is no other deeds that can be found regarding the 150 acres that he made a land entry for in 1779. This presumes that he may not have owned that piece of land and also marks the period in time when he left North Carolina for Georgia.