Daniel Smith, Loyalist or Tory

Early church records for Norwalk, CT were eaten by mice obscuring the fact that there were two Daniel Smiths in Norwalk during the mid 1700s.  Interestingly though both are descendants of Mathew Marvin--one of the first twelve settlers of Hartford, CT and an original proprietor in Farmington and in Norwalk. 

Daniel Smith, loyalist, was born in Norwalk, CT 1729-1736.  He married Ruth Fitch 1760 in New Canaan.  His daughter, Lydia, was baptised by the Anglican clergyman, Roger Viets, In New Preston in 1766. The other Daniel b.1731 was the son of Eliakim Smith from Hadley MA and Abigail Hoyt from Norwalk.   He was still living in Norwalk per 1790-1810 census and is the Daniel who married Eunice Green (widow) in 1778, parents to four daughters.  Eliakim Jr and brother, Daniel, lived on the west side of the Norwalk River.  West side Daniel served with the Revolutionary Forces in 1776.  It is impossible, therefore, for him to be considered as the Daniel who owned a public house in New Milford and who declared to be with the British in 1776.

"The American Genealogist" 1949 (volume 25 issue 2 page 82) states the parents of the  Daniel Smith who married Ruth Fitch were Elizabeth Clapham and Nehemiah Smith, son of Samuel.  Samuel was a very early settler in Norwalk and owned property on the East side of the river near Strawberry Hill.  He was involved in several undertaking with the Fitch family.  This Smith family was definitely the more prominent of the two in Norwalk history.  Donald Lines Jacobus is the author of the TAG article and probably the foremost genealogical authority on early Fairfield County Connecticut.

A confirmation of the parentage of this Daniel is his son named Clapman--a variation of Clapham.  Fitch tradition used the maternal maiden name as a son's given name. In most instances Clapman was the spelling of his given name in Canada, however, the following is one time at least when it was Clapham: m. Blissville, 9th inst., by same, John SEELY / Lydia SMITH youngest d/o Clapham SMITH. CG  (1834 article from the New Brunswick Courier, transcribed by Daniel Johnson). 

1. Daniel Smith, born Abt. 1736 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died 1816 in Burton, Sunbury, NB. He was the son of 2. Nehemiah Smith and 3. Elizabeth Clapham. He married (1) Ruth Fitch 22 May 1760 in Norwalk, CT. She was born 1739 in Connecticut (Norwalk), and died in New Brunswick. She was the daughter of Theophilus Fitch and Lydia Kellogg.

2. Nehemiah Smith, born Abt. 1689 in Norwalk, Connecticut; died 1757 in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was the son of 4. Samuel Smith and 5. Rachel Marvin. He married 3. Elizabeth Clapham.

3. Elizabeth Clapham, born Abt. 1697 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT; died Aft. 1757. She was the daughter of 6. Peter Clapham and 7. Rebecca Reynolds.

Child of Nehemiah Smith and Elizabeth Clapham is:

1 i. Daniel Smith, born Abt. 1736 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died 1816 in Burton, Sunbury, NB; married Ruth Fitch 22 May 1760 in Norwalk, CT.

4. Samuel Smith, born in Long Island, New York; died 1745 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT. He was the son of 8. William Smith and 9. Magdelena. He married 5. Rachel Marvin.

5. Rachel Marvin, born 1649 in Norwalk, Connecticut. She was the daughter of 10. Matthew Marvin and 11. Alice Kellogg.

Child of Samuel Smith and Rachel Marvin is:

2 i. Nehemiah Smith, born Abt. 1689 in Norwalk, Connecticut; died 1757 in Norwalk, Connecticut; married Elizabeth Clapham.

6. Peter Clapham, died 1697 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT. He married 7. Rebecca Reynolds Abt. 1694 in Fairfield, Connecticut.

7. Rebecca Reynolds, born 1659 in Greenwich, Connecticut; died 1730 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT. She was the daughter of 14. Jonathan Reynolds and 15. Rebecca Huested.

Child of Peter Clapham and Rebecca Reynolds is:

3 i. Elizabeth Clapham, born Abt. 1697 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT; died Aft. 1757; married Nehemiah Smith.

8. William Smith, born in Long Island, New York; died Aft. 1664 in Jamaica, Long Island, New York. He married 9. Magdelena.

9. Magdelena, died Bef. 1684 in Long Island, NY.

Child of William Smith and Magdelena is:

4 i. Samuel Smith, born in Long Island, New York; died 1745 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT; married Rachel Marvin.

10. Matthew Marvin, born 1599 in England (Great Bentley); died 1679 in Norwalk, CT. He married 11. Alice Kellogg.

11. Alice Kellogg, born 1610 in England; died 1681 in Norwalk, CT.

Child of Matthew Marvin and Alice Kellogg is:

5 i. Rachel Marvin, born 1649 in Norwalk, Connecticut; married Samuel Smith.

14. Jonathan Reynolds, born 1636 in Wethersfield, Connecticut; died 1673 in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was the son of 28. John Reynolds and 29. Sarah. He married 15. Rebecca Huested 1658.

15. Rebecca Huested, born Abt. 1641 in Greenwich, Connecticut; died in Greenwich, Connecticut. She was the daughter of 30. Angell Huested and 31. Rebecca Sherwood.

Child of Jonathan Reynolds and Rebecca Huested is:

7 i. Rebecca Reynolds, born 1659 in Greenwich, Connecticut; died 1730 in Fairfield, Fairfield, CT; married Peter Clapham Abt. 1694 in Fairfield, Connecticut.

28. John Reynolds, born 1612 in London, England; died 1662 in Stamford, Connecticut. He married 29. Sarah.

29. Sarah, born 1614 in England; died 1657 in Stamford, Connecticut.

Child of John Reynolds and Sarah is:

14 i. Jonathan Reynolds, born 1636 in Wethersfield, Connecticut; died 1673 in Greenwich, Connecticut; married Rebecca Huested 1658.

30. Angell Huested, born 1620 in Somerset, England; died 1706 in Greenwich, CT. He was the son of Robert Husted and Elizabeth Miller. He married 31. Rebecca Sherwood.

31. Rebecca Sherwood, born 1625 in Ipswich, England; died 1704 in Greenwich, CT. She was the daughter of Thomas Sherwood and Alice Seabrook.

Child of Angell Huested and Rebecca Sherwood is:

15 i. Rebecca Huested, born Abt. 1641 in Greenwich, Connecticut; died in Greenwich, Connecticut; married Jonathan Reynolds 1658.

Child of Angell Huested and Rebecca Sherwood is:

From Connecticut's Loyalists (1974) by Robert A East, Professor of History at Brooklyn College and Executive Director of the Program for Loyalist Studies and Publications, sponsored jointly by the American Antiquarian Society, City University of New York, the University of London and the University of New Brunswick. 

An interesting piece of evidence about the character of some of these Connecticut settlers is found in a remarkable document, witnessed in April, 1783, l) v Flyer Dibblee of Stamford, as "Deputy Agent.' This was a ship Manifest entitled it Return of the Families, etc., Embarked oil Board the Union "Transport, Consett Wilson, Master, Began Huntington Bay April 11th, and Completed April 16,  1783.--'

The manifest refers to the embarkation of loyalists on the transport ship Union at Huntington, Long Island.   Arriving at New New York, where forty-three of the passengers disembarked on April 23, the Union left the following day for the St. John River region on the rugged Ray of Funday coast as part of the famous "Spring Fleet" It must have been something like that voyage of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, one hundred and fifty years earlier.

A general disembarkation at the site of the future town of Saint john, at the mouth of the river, was subsequently made by ten vessels over a period of days. About as many vessels again arrived there on later occasions that year, and several transports had already departed (one party, of 300 as early as October, 1782) for other sites in Nova Scotia, such as at Port Roseway, Annapolis, and even Halifax. But the St. John River valley was recommended and was by far the place most frequently sought.

What is especially interesting about the first voyage of the Union, however (in addition to her original passenger list, to be discussed below), is that most of her passengers did not disembark at the mouth of the St. John River in May, 1783,but "remained comfortable on board ship.

Why did her passengers show so little enthusiasm for the original landing? What did they suppose was to be their ultimate destination? One can only note here that three of their number were sent farther up the river several days later to pick out a special site for settlement, one which proved to be the site of the future town of Kingston. 'The passengers on the Union were joined in their remarkable journey up the Belleisle by other passengers from the sister ship, the Hope (a vessel of 286 tons carrying 172 persons ), and also perhaps by some of the passengers aboard the larger ship, Aurora.

A clue to the reason for this remarkable searching out for a new site of settlement is suggested by the journey of the Hope, which, together with the Union, had also carried a number of Loyalists from the Lloyds Neck region at Huntington Bay to New York City in early April, but had retained them on board ship in the St. John River area until June 1.

In short, most of the passengers on board both the Union and the Hope appear to have originated in the Land of Steady Habits. "They were predominantly a Connecticut group who had been living together on Long Island; they had a strong sense of community. . . ."

"A strong sense of community," this probably could have been said about many other Loyalists from many other places. Whatever of special interest, or special pleading, or cowardice, or weakness that individual Loyalists may have been accused of from time to time, all Loyalists must have had a general sense of community with certain fellow Loyalists, whether they were from Connecticut, or Pennsylvania, or Georgia, or wherever. All must have remembered neighbors from home, in addition to whatever they all had in common in other respects.

Who were these passengers on the transport Union who had left Huntington Bay on April 16, 1783?

Out of 65 "signers" of this remarkable document (in addition to 35 women, 59 children over 10 years of age, 48 children under 10 years, and two servants), 35 are given as of Connecticut origin. This is over half the entire number. The list is worth recording:

Fyler Dibblee of Stamford (spelled "Stanford")
Walter Dibblee of Stamford
William Dibblee of Stamford
John Lyon of Redding
John Lyon, Jr, of Redding
Reuben Lyon of Redding
David Picket of Stamford
Ebenezer Deforest of Redding
Seth Squires of Stratford
Seth Squires, Jr., of Stratford
Abram Carrington of Milford
William Straight of Killingsworth
Seth Seely of Stamford
Seth Seely, Jr., of Stamford
Israel Hait of Norwalk
Widow Mary Raymond of Norwalk
Silas Raymond of Norwalk
James Picket of Norwalk
Louis Picket of Norwalk
Walter Bates of Stamford
John Gordon of Danbury
Joseph Lyon of "Connecticut"
Widow Hester Burlock of Norwalk
Stephen Fountain of Stamford
Abram Dickerson of New Haven
George Lumsden of New Haven
Elias Scribner of Norwalk
Hezekiah Scribner of Norwalk
Thaddeus Scribner of Norwalk
Joseph Ferris of Newtown
Solomon Tucker of Stamford
Daniel Smith of New Milford
Abel Bardsley of Fairfield
Ephraim Lane of Fairfield
John Marvin of Norwalk

It is interesting to note that slightly over half of the Connecticut signers are designated "farmers," although a small minority are called "shoemakers," and an even smaller minority, "carpenters." The Deputy Agent, Fyler Dibblee, apparently, was the only attorney-at-law aboard ship.

The overwhelming majority was, of course, from Fairfield County, and especially from the Town of Stamford.  Few of these signers could have been among those persons who disembarked at New York City in the early stage of the voyage. Almost without exception, they became permanent settlers in the new province to the north, and doubtless were among those who settled, first, at Kingston, or later up the river at Woodstock. King's County in New Brunswick was to become their territory.
The story of the Loyalists in Connecticut is thus intimately connected with the fortunes of those persons who had escaped to form communities in the Huntington and Port Jefferson areas on Long Island, or in New York City. These places on Long Island also became notorious as bases for an illicit "whale boat" trade with Connecticut in the dark of night; but primarily it was the traffic in people that gave them their reputation. Lloyd's Neck, on the eastern shore of Huntington Bay, was especially known as a place of refuge for persons who sought to escape from the vigilance of local committees of safety or inspection on the opposite shore.

1. Daniel Smith, born 25 Sep 1731 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died Bet. 1810 - 1820 in Norwalk, CT. He was the son of 2. Eliakim Smith and 3. Abigail Hoyt. He married (1) Widow Eunice Green Oct, 1788 in Norwalk, CT.

2. Eliakim Smith, born 13 Jan 1703/04 in Massachusetts (Hadley); died 1777 in Norwalk. He was the son of 4. Ebenezer Smith and 5. Abigail Bouton. He married 3. Abigail Hoyt Bef. 1631.

3. Abigail Hoyt, born 26 Jan 1708/09 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died 1765. She was the daughter of 6. Daniel Hayt and 7. Elizabeth Keeler.

4. Ebenezer Smith, born 1668 in Hadley, Massachusetts; died 1716 in Hadley, MA. He was the son of 8. Chileab Smith and 9. Hannah Hitchcock. He married 5. Abigail Bouton in prob. CT.

5. Abigail Bouton, born 1670 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died Unknown in Norwalk, CT. She was the daughter of 10. John Bouton and 11. Abigail Marvin.

6. Daniel Hayt, born 1681 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died Bet. 1756 - 1764 in Norwalk, CT. He was the son of 12. Zerubbabel Hoyt. He married 7. Elizabeth Keeler 1704 in Norwalk, CT.

7. Elizabeth Keeler, born 1679 in Connecticut (Norwalk); died 1747 in Norwalk, CT. She was the daughter of 14. John Keeler and 15. Sarah Beckwith??.

8. Chileab Smith, born 1636 in Connecticut (Wethersfield); died 1731 in Hadley, MA. He was the son of 16. Samuel Smith and 17. Elizabeth Chileab. He married 9. Hannah Hitchcock 02 Oct 1661 in Hadley, MA.

9. Hannah Hitchcock, born 1645 in Connecticut (Wethersfield); died 1733 in Hadley, MA. She was the daughter of 18. Luke Hitchcock and 19. Elizabeth Gibbons.

10. John Bouton, born 1636 in Connecticut; died 1707 in Norwalk, CT. He was the son of 20. John Bouton and 21. Alice Kellogg?. He married 11. Abigail Marvin 1656 in Norwalk, CT.

11. Abigail Marvin, born 1637 in Connecticut; died 1680 in Stamford, CT. She was the daughter of 22. Matthew Marvin and 23. Elizabeth.

12. Zerubbabel Hoyt, born 1652 in Connecticut (Windsor); died 1738 in Norwalk, CT. He was the son of 24. Walter Hoyt and 25. Rhoda Tinker.

14. John Keeler, born 1654 in Norwalk, CT; died 1719 in Fairfield, CT. He was the son of 28. Ralph Keeler. He married 15. Sarah Beckwith??.

15. Sarah Beckwith??, born 1657; died 1679 in Norwalk, CT.

16. Samuel Smith, born 1601 in England (Hadleigh, Suffolk); died 1680 in Hadley, MA. He married 17. Elizabeth Chileab 1624 in St. Margaret's, Whatfield, Suffolk, Eng..

17. Elizabeth Chileab, born 1602 in England (Hadleigh, Suffolk); died 1686 in Hadley, MA.

18. Luke Hitchcock, born Bet. 1614 - 1620 in England (Great Leighs); died 1659 in Wethersfield, CT. He married 19. Elizabeth Gibbons in England.

19. Elizabeth Gibbons, born 1618 in England (Fenny Compton); died 1696 in Springfield, MA.

20. John Bouton, born 1615 in England; died 1647 in Norwalk, CT. He married 21. Alice Kellogg? Bef. 1635 in England.

21. Alice Kellogg?, born 1610 in England; died 1681 in Norwalk, CT.

Children of John Bouton and Alice Kellogg? are:

10 i. John Bouton, born 1636 in Connecticut; died 1707 in Norwalk, CT; married Abigail Marvin 1656 in Norwalk, CT.

ii. Bridget Bouton, born 1642 in Connecticut (Hartford); died 1689 in Norwalk, CT; married Daniel Kellogg 1655 in Norwalk, CT; born 1630 in England (Great Leighs); died 1688 in Norwalk, CT.

22. Matthew Marvin, born 1599 in England (Great Bentley); died 1679 in Norwalk, CT. He married 23. Elizabeth 1623 in England.

23. Elizabeth, born 1603 in England; died 1641 in Hartford, CT.

Children of Matthew Marvin and Elizabeth are:

i. Mary Marvin, born 1628 in England (Great Bentley); died 1713 in Norwalk, CT; married Richard Bushnell 1648 in Hartford, CT; born Bet. 1623 - 1626 in England (Horsham, Sussex); died 1660 in Norwalk, CT.

11 ii. Abigail Marvin, born 1637 in Connecticut; died 1680 in Stamford, CT; married John Bouton 1656 in Norwalk, CT.

24. Walter Hoyt, born 1618 in England (Somerset); died 1699 in Norwalk, CT. He was the son of 48. Simon Hoyt and 49. Jane Stoodlie. He married 25. Rhoda Tinker 1652 in Windsor, CT.

25. Rhoda Tinker, born in England (Berkshire); died 1694 in Deerfield, MA. She was the daughter of 50. Robert Tinker and 51. Mary Merwin.

28. Ralph Keeler, born 1613 in England (Lawford); died 1672 in Norwalk, CT.

48. Simon Hoyt, born 1590 in England (Somerset); died 1657 in Stamford, CT. He married 49. Jane Stoodlie 1617 in Dorset, England.

49. Jane Stoodlie, born 1595 in England; died 1626 in England.

Child of Simon Hoyt and Jane Stoodlie is:

24 i. Walter Hoyt, born 1618 in England (Somerset); died 1699 in Norwalk, CT; married Rhoda Tinker 1652 in Windsor, CT.

50. Robert Tinker, born in England; died in Engladn. He married 51. Mary Merwin.

51. Mary Merwin, born in England (Buckinghamshire); died Aft. 1648 in Windsor, CT.