Talk:John Smith (professor of languages)

Alleged relationship to Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith

Richard Behrens's claim that "John Smith was born December 21, 1752 in Rowley, Massachusetts, to Joseph Smith and Elizabeth Palmer, both cousins of Asael Smith and Mary Duty, the paternal grandparents of the prophet Joseph Smith" is almost certainly incorrect.

Behrens's source for John Smith's birthdate and parents was George T. Chapman's 1867 publication, Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College. However, Chapman's information was inaccurate. Various sources after Smith's death gave his birthdate as December 21, 1752, and his widow gave that date as well in her memoir of his life. However, at the end of the memoir, she says he died on April 30, 1809 "aged 57 years & 6 months," which would would place his birth in 1751, although in a different month (see Box 1, Folder 3, John Smith lectures and grammar books, MS-1266, Rauner Library Archives and Manuscripts).

Fortunately, we have John Smith's own account of his birthdate. In a small booklet passed down to his descendants, Smith gave his birthdate as "Dec^r 10, O.S. 1751" (see "Records by Rev. John Smith, D.D., of Hanover, N.H.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 70 [1916]: 150), which is corroborated by parish and town records. Rowley town records list a John Smith being born on December 10, 1751, and Byfield parish records have a John Smith being baptized on December 15, 1751. December 10 in the Julian ("Old Style") calendar corresponds to December 21 in the Gregorian ("New Style"). So, Chapman had the day right but not the year.

Rowley town records list John's parents as Joseph and Sarah (source), which matches to Joseph Smith and Sarah Sawyer, who were married in Rowley in January 1743. This identification also fits Smith's widow's statement that John's father's name was Joseph and his mother "was a descendant of the Sawyer family."

Joseph Smith and Elizabeth Palmer were married on September 28, 1752. This Joseph Smith may have been a grandson of Asael Smith's great-grandfather, Robert Smith. Elizabeth Palmer was likely a first cousin of Mary Duty. This couple may have had a son John who was born on February 3, 1753—but this was not the Dartmouth professor. Rowley and Newbury town records do not list any John Smiths born in December 1752 or in any other month of that year.

Standrew4 (talk) 17:56, 3 February 2024 (UTC)