Person:Fidelia Smith (1)

birth parents: Bartholomew Smith and Sarah Wyyougs (1)

THE DEATH CERTIFICATE STATES FIDELIA WAS BORN IN 1827 HOWEVER HER 1853 MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE GIVES HER AGE AS 22. FIDELIA WAS RAISED BY HER GRANDMOTHER MARTHA SHANTUP-UNCAS. FIDELIA WAS CLOSE TO A SMITH FAMILY. ESPECIALLY A MIRANDA SMITH THE EXACT RELATIONSHIP IS UNKNOWN. THOUGH FIDELIA IS FOUND ON THE MOHEGEN RECORDS SHE APPARENTLY WAS ALSO CONSIDERED A PEQUOT AS SHE RAILED AGAINST THOSE WHO INSISTED SHE WAS PEQUOT. IT MAY BE THAT HER BIOLOGICAL FATHER WAS A MR HOSCOTT A PEQUOT INDIAN AND THAT BARTHOLOMEW SMITH WAS HER STEPFATHER. SHE WAS AT TIMES REFERRED TO AS FEDELIA A HOSCOTT. ALSO HER MOTHER WAS PROPERLY ONLY 1/4 MOHEGAN AND 3/4 PEQUOT AS THE SHANTUP, WYYOUG AND ASHBOW FAMILIES WERE PEQUOTS LIVING IN MOHEGAN. SEE "LIST OF HEADS OF FAMLIES LIVING IN MOHEGAN WHO ARE NOT PROPERLY MOHEGAN SEPT 1,1778". FIDELIA GAINED MOHEGAN STATUS BY HER MARRIAGE TO WILLIAM FIELDING A MOHEGAN. ON THE 1861 TRIBAL LAND ALLOTMENT LIST OF MOHEGAN INDIANS, CONSTRUCTED BY EMMA BAKER, FIDELIA SMITH-FIELDING IS SAID TO BE 5/8 PEQUOT. FIDELIA'S MOTHER, SARAH SMITH, IS LISTED AS 1/4 PEQUOT. IN 1902 IN AN INTERVIEW WITH FRANK SPECK FIDELIA SMITH-FIELDING WAS STILL INSISTING SHE WAS NOT PEQUOT BUT MOHEGAN. LIKELY BECAUSE FIDELIA HAD ALWAYS LIVED AMONG THE MOHEGANS. ON THE MARRIAGE RECORD TO WILLIAM FIELDING FIDELIA USED THE NAME JULIA ANN SMITH. ON FIDELIA SMITH-FIELDING'S DEATH CERTIFICATE HER MOTHER'S NAME IS LISTED AS SARAH. NO SURNAME GIVEN. FIDELIA'S FATHER IS LISTED AS BARTHOLOWMEW SMITH.