Page 22 - People & Places In Time

Jamestown to Tulare County
James Smith’s Last Will & Testament from 1841 ~ transcribed
ried. He left her all his earthly possessions except for his land; which is not mentioned in his will, but which James deeded to his son, James Anderson Smith.
James wrote his will in August 1841 but lived for seven more years. However just seven months after he wrote his will, Elizabeth apparently in order to secure for her own possession, the things her father had willed her, simply went into Wilkes County court and asked that his will be probated. Naturally the court officials took it for granted that James Smith was dead and so went ahead and probated the will. This is an unusual case, but it could and evidently did happen because his will was actu- ally probated in 1842, but he remained alive in 1847 when he deeded his land to his son.
Two years after the will was probated, another interesting event occurred. Elizabeth had met a man named Jeremiah Richardson who she wanted to marry, but evidently the family disapproved. So, she eloped, and the family would in turn fol- low her a considerable distance in order to have the marriage set aside. Determined, Elizabeth and Jeremiah went all the way to Indiana; a very long distance in those days. Elizabeth would eventually reunite with her brother Thomas in Oaklahoma.
James lived until 1849 when he passed away at the age of 83 years and 3 months. The old James Smith homeplace is now owned by the Chatham family and lies one half mile west of Doughton, North Carolina. The family cemetery is enclosed with an iron fence. Just five persons are buried there, and their graves are marked with field stones. The five are James Smith, his wife Elizabeth (Hutchins) Smith, their son, James Anderson Smith and his first wife, Mary and their son Jones Smith. D
Lee and Russell Counties in south-western Virginia
Robert Duff my 3rd GGF, was born in Belfast Ireland on June 23, 1759 to Samuel Duff my 4th GGF, and Elizabeth Stewart Duff, my 4th GGM. Samuel had been born in 1727 in or near Belfast, however because of his activities with the Irish Rebellion (Not to be confused with the Irish Republican Army, IRA), he had to leave Ire- land rather quickly in 1780. He was stowed away aboard a ship to America disguised as a woman to avoid being recognized. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it and was buried at sea. This of course begs the question; what really happened on his way to America? We don’t know.
His wife Elizabeth left a short time later and did arrive, no doubt soon after- ward she was made aware that her husband
had died. We don’t know what happened at
the time, but she made her way to Russell
County in south west Virginia. This area was
part of a larger Scots-Irish population that
included western North Carolina, north-
eastern Tennessee and Virginia.B There must
have been family or acquaintances to help in
settling, with her husband dead and son still
in Ireland.
3 Asbury became a local lay preacher for Methodist meetings at age 18. At age 22, John Wesley appointed him as a traveling preacher. In 1771 he volunteered to travel to America. Ashbury’s first sermon in the Colonies took place with the Methodist congregation in Woodrow, Staten Island. Within the first 17 days of being in the colonies, Asbury had preached in Philadelphia and New York. During the first year he was Wesley’s assistant and preached in 25 different settlements.
6
Robert Duff had remained in Belfast with relatives that included Thomas Moore, the beloved Irish poet, also one of his close friends. He did eventually leave Ireland in 1780 at the age of twenty-one and following his mother, in time made his way to Russell
Roadside marker in Tennessee