Lieut. Philip Smith

1632 - 1684  (51 years)

• Name	Philip Smith  [1, 2, 3]
  Prefix	Lieut.
  Birth	30 Apr 1632	Suffolk, England   [2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Death	10 Jan 1684	Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts   [1, 2, 3]
  Burial	Old Hadley Cemetery, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts   [3]
  Notes	Born on 30 Apr 1632 at England. Baptized in Nov 1632 at Hadleigh, Suffolk, Eng. Philip died at Hadley, MA, on 10 Jan 1685. The son of Samuel SMITH and Elizabeth CHILEAB. Philip, first of Wethersfield, removed to Hadley after 1659. Philip was one of the first men of his time to be a lieutenant, deacon, and representative in Hadley. He was "murdered with an hideous witchcraft" according to Cotton Mather. Some quotations from Lawson's web pages follow. From The Magnalia Christi Americana, by Cotton Mather - 1702. Mr. Philip Smith, aged about 50 years, a son of eminently virtuous parents, a deacon of a church in Hadley, a member of the General Court, a justice in the County Court, a selectman for the affairs of the town, a Lieutenant of the troop, and which crowns all, a man for devotion, sanctity, gravity, and all that was honest, exceeding exemplary. Such a man was in the winter of the year 1684, murdered with an hideous witchcraft, that filled all those parts of New England, with astonishment. He was, by his office concerned about relieving the indigences of a wretched woman in the town; who being dissatisfied at some of his just cares about her, expressed herself unto him in such a manner, that he declared himself thenceforth apprehensive of receiving mischief at her hands. Early in January, he began to be very valetudinarious. He shewed such weanedness from the weariness of the world, etc.... While he remained yet of a sound mind, he solemnly charged his brother to look well after him. Be sure (said he) to have a care for me.... There shall be a wonder in Hadley.... In his distress he exclaimed much upon the young woman aforesaid, and others, as being seen by him in the room. Some of the young men in the town being out of their wits at the strange calamities thus upon one of their most beloved neighbors, went three or four times to give disturbance unto the woman thus complained of; and all the while they were disturbing her, he was at ease, and slept as a weary man; yea, these were the only times they perceived him to take any sleep in all his illness. Gally pots of medicine provided for the sick man were unaccountably emptied: audible scratchings were made about the bed, when his hands and feet lay wholly still, and were held by others. They beheld fire sometimes on the bed; and when the beholders began to discourse of it, it vanished away. Divers people actually felt something often stir in the bed, at a considerable distance from the man; it seemed as big as a cat, but they could never grasp it. Several trying to lean on the bed's head, tho' the sick man lay wholly still, the bed would shake so as to knock their heads uncomfortably. Mr. Smith dies; the jury that viewed his corpse found a swelling on one breast, his back full of bruises, and several holes that seemed made with awls. After the opinion of all had pronounced him dead, his countenance continued as lively as if he had been alive; his eyes closed as in a slumber, and his nether jaw not falling down. Thus he remained from Saturday morning about sunrise, till Sabbathday in the aftenoon. When those who took him out of the bed, found him still warm, tho' the season was as cold as had almost been known in any age; and a New England winter does not want for cold. But on Monday morning they found the face extremely tumified and discolored. It was black and blue, and fresh blood seemed running down his cheek upon the hairs. Divers noises were also heard in the room where the corpse lay; as the clattering of chairs and stools, whereof no account could be given. This was the end of so good a man. From History of Hadley, by Sylvester Judd - 1863. Mary Webster, the woman who disturbed Philip Smith, was sent to Boston, tried for witchcraft, and acquitted. The young men of Hadley tried an experiment upon her. They dragged her out of the house, hung her up until she was near dead, let her down, rolled her some time in the snow, and at last buried her in it, and there left her. But she survived, and died in 1696. No inhabitant of Hampshire Co. was ever executed for witchcraft. From Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut, by Lucius Barnes Barbour - 1976. William Webster s. of John & Agnes died 1688 mar Feb 17, 1670 Mary Reeve who died 1696 dau of Thomas Reeve of Springfield. Hadley; his wife was accused of witchcraft and sent to Boston for trial 1684, but was acquitted and died in peace. s.p. Source: http://babbage.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr02/rr02_444.html
  Person ID	I20646	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	2 Jan 2021

  
  

  Father	Lieut. Samuel Smith,   b. 6 Sep 1601, Suffolk, England d. Between 1680 and 1681, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Age 78 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Smith,   b. Abt 1602, Suffolk, England d. 16 Mar 1686, South Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Age ~ 84 years)
  Marriage	6 Oct 1624	Suffolk, England   [4]
  	Church marriage records show the marriage of Samuel Smyth to Elizabeth Smyth. See excellant discussion in Paul W. Pringle, "The wife of Lt. Samuel Smith of Wethersfield," The American Genealogist, Vol. 32, 1956, page 202.
  Family ID	F7374	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Rebecca Foote,   b. 3 Sep 1634, Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts d. 6 Apr 1701, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Age 66 years)
  Marriage	1 Mar 1657	Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut   [5]
  	Both James Albury and the Pane-Joyce Genealogy website list an Ichabod (1675-1746) as a son, although he is not shown on the Foote Family Website. The Genealogies and Biographies of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, does show they had eight children. Philip and Rebecca (Foote) Smith. are the seventh great-grandparents of George Herbert Walker Bush (42 President of the United States), through their daughter, Rebecca, who marreid George Stillman.
  Children	1. Deacon Samuel Smith,   b. Jan 1658, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. 28 Aug 1707, East Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut (Age ~ 49 years)   2. Deacon John Smith,   b. 18 Dec 1661, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. 27 Apr 1727, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Age 65 years)   3. Jonathan Smith,   b. Abt 1663, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. Abt 1737, Hatfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Age ~ 74 years)   4. Philip Smith,   b. Abt 1665, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. 26 Jan 1724, East Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut (Age ~ 59 years)   5. Rebecca Smith,   b. Abt 1668, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. 7 Oct 1750, Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut (Age ~ 82 years)   6. Nathaniel Smith,   b. 2 Jan 1670, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. Abt 1740, Hatfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Age 69 years)   7. Rev. Joseph Smith,   b. Abt 1674, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts d. 8 Sep 1736, Middletown Upper House, Middlesex County, Connecticut (Age ~ 62 years)
  Family ID	F7364	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	2 Jan 2021

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 30 Apr 1632 - Suffolk, England Marriage - 1 Mar 1657 - Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut Death - 10 Jan 1684 - Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S293] Albury, James (james_albury@hotmail.com) "Ancestors of James Henry Albury, Jr.."; http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=:603723 ; Ver. Sat Aug 25 14:41:40 2001. [S365] Smith ; http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mcstayfamily/smith.htm. [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), Memorial ID 6651036 (Reliability: 3). [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), Memorial ID 6651026 (Reliability: 3). [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), Memorial ID 39997282 (Reliability: 3).