Person:Mary Smith (166)

Information is from Jhelmke@@sbcglobal.net

Mary Simonton was a sister of Archibald Smith, Merchant of Lewes, Delaware from before 1713. Archibald Smith and Mary Smith Simonton originated from the Glebe of Urney, Tyrone, Ulster Ireland. Proof of this is in the will of Archibald Smith and records from Ulster on the Archibald Smith family land. It can be assumed that the Simonton Family was living nearby in Tyrone, Ulster and since Theophilus Simonton and Mary his wife had all of their six Children in Ireland, they lived with Mary's family on or near the Glebe of Urney with the Smith family. A Glebe are the lands owned by the Church and farmed by the families of the area. The Glebe of Urney is within 10 miles or so of Strabane, Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland. Many Imigrants left Ulster from the port of Strabane in the first migration wave in 1717-1718 to America when Andrew and William Simonton came to Maine in America. After this short period where about 3500 persons were allowed to leave Ireland, migration was shut down and then in 1725 there was the begining of another period where England allowed people to leave Ireland. Another 10,000 or so left and came to America. Since Presbyterian's were not very welcome in the area of Maine and Mass., most came to ports lower on the coast of America, like Perth Amboy, New Jersey; Lewes, and New Castle, Delaware; Philidelphia, PA; ports in Maryland; and Virginia. The historic facts stated above give reason for assuming that Theophilus and Mary Simonton and family arrived between 1725 and 1729, as in 1729 Archibald Smith died and in his will he left 200 Acres of land to his sister, Mary and her husband, Theophilus Simonton. It was also in 1729-1730 that the Penn family allowed people to settle lands in Conostoga Manor, 18,000 acres he had set aside for the personal use of his family. Trouble with the Indians made this dangerous and he probably felt that the tough Scots would be a buffer against the Indians. Much of the land in this area was not converted to ownership until a period between 1730 and 1750 and the cost of acquiring the title had become rather expensive and may Scots just lived on the land and never really owned it, but they paid quit rent to the Penn Family.