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Note: t he had a brother named William would likely indicate that George's middle name was not William! Page 391 Power of attorney by George Smith of Overton Co., Tenn, to his brother William Smith of Bath County, to handle any inheritance from William Smith of Shenandoah, Oct 22, 1806. Wit: Robert Kincaid, Charles Dressler, Peter Dressler.
His children may have included William who md Nancy Means; David; Richard who md Elendor Means; John "Honey" who md Catherine Livingston; and George W. Junior who md Nancy Winningham. According to A. R. Hogue's History of Fentress County, Tennessee George Smith, Sr. came from Virginia and settled in the "Barrens" area of Overton County, TN. He came by way of Randolph Co., NC because two of his sons (Richard and Ira) married daughters of Andrew Means (Eleanor and Nancy), a Revolutionary War Veteran who lived there.
George Smith Sr. apparently accumulated large land holdings in Overton and Fentress Counties. He was in Randolph County, NC at least 1801-1805. 1806 Power of Attorney in Overton Co, TN would indicate he had arrived there by 22 Oct 1806. In 1810 George Smith sold a Negro girl in Overton Co, TN and in 1820 census, he owned three more. He acquired several land grants from 1810 thru 1835, some of the property being in the part of Overton Co., which later became Fentress Co. Tennessee Land Grants by Barbara, Byron & Samuel Sistler, Nashville, TN Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 100 E Book 3, page 291, Grant # 2099 Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 300 E Book 4, page 453, Grant # 2840, assignee Levi Hinds Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 300 G Book 4, page 301, Grant #2840 Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 300 Mtn Book 4, page 453, Grant #2840 Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 255 E Book 4, page 562, Grant #3098, assignee Levi Hinds Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 255 G Book E, page 117, Grant #3098 Smith, George Overton Co. 1811 255 Mtn Book 4, page 562, Grant #3098 Smith, George Overton Co. 1812 60 E Book 3, page 374, Grant #2222 Smith, George Overton Co. 1813 24 E Book 4, page 109, Grant #2887 Smith, George Overton Co. 1813 18 E Book 4, page 109, Grant #2888 Smith, George Overton Co. 1821 38 E Book 6, page 241, Grant #6745 Smith, George Fentress Co. 1826 100 Mtn Book 1, Page 214, Grant #3708 Smith, George Fentress Co. 1826 100 M Book 5, Page 162, Grant #3708 Smith, George Fentress Co. 1826 100 Mtn Book 1, Page 220, Grant #3714 Smith, George Fentress Co. 1826 100 M Book 5, Page 168, Grant #3714 Smith, George Fentress Co. 1826 100 Mtn Book 1, Page 230, Grant #3724 Smith, George Fentress Co. 1826 100 M Book 5, Page 178, Grant #3724 Smith, George Overton Co. 1829 50 Mtn Book C, Page 245, Grant #1378 w/Adam Winningham Smith, George Overton Co. 1832 100 Mtn Book D, Page 417, Grant #2588 Smith, George Overton Co. 1835 237 Mtn Book F, Page 43, Grant # 3961
He may have been married more than once. 1820 Overton Co, TN census George Smith 45+ b. bef. 1775; 000001-00001.
1820 George Smith 45+ bef 1775 wife 45+ bef 1775
Pamela D. Sevier: [email protected] Lonnie Smith: [email protected] David Paher -- [email protected] Pickett County Press, 15 Jun 1972, Mrs. Shirley H. Gunnels said: George Alexander Smith md Dycie Ann Carter; they had a son John Montgomery Smith b. in VA and served in Revolutionary War; He was living in Fentress Co, TN in 1840; He and his wife (name not mentioned) had a son George William Smith who md Charlotte Lou Cooper. He may be son of John Montgomery Smith (1755-1845) and Eleanor Louise Cox (1762-1848) who have a memorial stone in the Pop Smith (Hill-Smith) Cemetery in Pickett Co, TN (would have been Overton Co, TN at the time of her death). From the Smith-Garrett book by Oma Smith: "John 'Honey' Smith's father was George Smith married to Nancy? In the book, she mentions a deed dated 1839 in which Nancy ? Smith, wife of George Smith, relinquished all her dower and interest in the estate of George Smith Sr., her deceased husband, to three of his heirs, Richard, John and George. Nancy Smith - deed of gift for lands and personal property as dower and legatee of GEORGE SMITH, SEN. To RICHARD SMITH and JOHN SMITH and GEORGE SMITH, three of the heirs of George Smith, Senor...sold all my dower in the estate of George Smith my husband deceased in the land and all other of his real and personal property for $250.00 to be paid by the heirs of George Smith, Senor dec'd and out of the proceeds of the Estate when sold in cash notes and the said Nancy, wife and widow of the said George C. Smith Senior deceased....disclaim any rights, bills or demand any further interest in said estate....and I am to give to the said Richard Smith or John Smith or George Smith possession of the house and in as good repair as hit is at this time and the land I am to take good care of and to give thence peaceable possession of hit on the first day of November next in as good order as hit is at this .... 13th day of May 1839..... Acknowledged Sept 2, 1839 by Nancy Smith "the widow and relict of George Smith Sen. To Richard Smith et als". Nancy X Smith her mark Attest. A Winningham Howel H. Brayant
Oma Smith also mentions that there is a legend about a wife of George Smith that was captured and held captive by Indians for several years. During this period George Smith married again. When the first wife got away from the Indians and came back, the second wife left. A more complete report of this legend follows: It appears George Smith married Nancy ?? and she was captured by Indians and with her baby was taken away from the Smith home in Tennessee. She was held captive for a number of years during which time she saw the baby only once and never knew what happened to it. The baby was sitting on a bear skin rug eating a roasted frog leg. As the years passed, she learned Indian ways and when they began to dance around a campfire one evening, their actions convinced her she was to be the sacrifice that night. Making up her mind to escape, she quickly shoved an Indian into the fire. In the confusion, she got away and ran all night. When daylight came with the sounds of the Indians in pursuit, she crawled into a hollow log. She remained there what seemed like days while the Indians were still near and searching. At one time they actually sat on the log. When they finally left, she came out starved and tattered. She had eaten only a part of a raw rabbit that came into the log. Eventually, she found her way to the home of some white settlers who took her in, fed and clothed her and took her back to her former home. George Smith, Sr. in the meantime, thinking his wife was surely dead, had married another woman. Upon the return of his first wife, the second wife left immediately. It has been noted that Mr. Smith was never as nice again to the captured wife after her return, as he probably had been happy with the interim wife.
May also have had a wife named Elizabeth?
John German -- [email protected] -- George SMITH married Elisabeth ROBINS 3 Dec 1779, bondsman Nathaniel ROBINS, Wilkes Co., NC. Elijah ISAACS Jr. married Anne ROBINS 18 Jan 1780, bondsman Nathaniel ROBINS, Wilkes Co., NC[Source: Ancestry.com. Marriages of Wilkes County , North Carolina 1778-1868 [database on-line].] There was an unrelated Robbins family in Wilkes Co., NC, that according to DNA share ancestors with the Edgecomb Co., NC, Robbins family. But I am confident the Robinses in the above marriage bonds were from Randolph Co., NC.
Jane Beekman -- [email protected] -- Charles White forwarded his material: "David and Ann Bryant Smith of Randolph Co., NC and Some of Their Descendants." (George was one of their sons.) I was hoping to simply copy and paste pages 12-13 from it into this e-mail, but Charlie will quickly tell you I have not advanced beyond kindergarten when it comes to doing something like that. It did let me print out a couple pages. Information below is quoted almost exactly from his material. I will try to keep this simple and to the subject, because it is really pretty involved: George Smith may have followed the path of his older brother William and remained in Virginia, for I haven't found any records of him in Randolph County hence I don't think he ever lived there. His sons Ira and Richard both married Means sisters from Randolph Co, however. George Smith who sold 250 acres in Jefferson Co, TN, to Labourn Edwards of Green County, TN, on south side of the Holston River on Panther Cr, on 24 Aug 1795 is believed to be this one. Wife Elizabeth Smith signed. Witnesses were William Milliken (George's brother-in-law) and Charles Kidwell. George was living in Overton Co, TN in 1805 when he gave power of attorney to brother William Smith which involved land [estate] of their Uncle William Smith of Shenandoah Co, VA. George was still in Overton Co., on 10 Sep 1822 when his wife Elizabeth filed a dismissal of petition for divorce and alimony from George by her next friend David Smith (probably her son.) Family story suggests that this wife had disappeared--Indians were in the picture--and returned many years later, after George had picked up the pieces and remarried. In any event, George Smith married Nancy, surname unknown, sometime after 1830; she survived him and deeded as gift to 3 of the heirs of George Smith "Senor"-- "all my dower and all other of his real and personal property for $250, otherwise quitclaims her right to the estate, and gives Richard, John or George C. Smith possession of the house 1st November next in good order." The deed was signed 13 May 1839 and acknowledged 2 Sep 1839 and recorded in Overton Co Deeds F: 76. Charles said the following may not be a complete list of George's children, as no definitive will or estate papers have been found by family historians. George Smith and spouse were on both 1820 and 1830 Overton Co. Censuses; both over 45 with no one else in household and over 70 on the latter. A Nancy Smith was on the Overton Census 1840 aged 40-50, with males under 5, 15-20 and 30-30 and females 5-10,2 10-15. The limited evidence suggests Elizabeth had all of George's children and that he married Nancy sometime after 1830, with the equivalent of a pre-nuptial agreement, as demonstrated by her dower right sale to 3 of George's sons. See Appendix D: family of George Smith, for some further comments. (Looked at this, I see nothing to add.) Children shown by Charles White: William b ca 1775, Ira George ca 1780, David 1787, Richard 1789, John "Honey) 10 Jan 1791 and George Adam 1795. (Note: marriage to Elizabeth Robins in 1779 fits this pretty well.) _________________ We [Charlie and I] are of the opinion that the Wilkes Co, marriage record of 1779 to Elizabeth Robins probably was for this George Smith. I think George Smith lived at least briefly in Randolph County where his parents resided and he likely knew the Robins, Isaacs, Bryants, etc. who lived there. Can you tell us anything about Elizabeth Robins or bondsman Nathaniel Robins? Her father? Brother? What does this information mean to you? I do have questions: Why was Elizabeth filing for divorce prior to 1822 if George did not marry Nancy until after 1830? Also Elizabeth must not have been missing in 1822. When was she missing? The Indian tale does not exactly match the existing records including census records, does it? Jane Beekman
Note: Previously had his name as George William Smith. However, the following document stating tha

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Name: bruceyork -- York's Fentress County Tennessee

Updated: 10-12-2019 12:10:40. Owner: Bruce York

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