Smoots Come to the English Colonies

Before I delve into the lives of A.O. Smoot and his historically significant nephew Reed Smoot, I’m going to go back in time and follow the Smoot family from the 17th century forward.

It is believed that the earliest Smoot ancestor to emigrate from Europe to the New World was William Smute, a boatwright from England who arrived in the American colonies in the mid-1600s. William was born around 1596. As an Englishman, he was a member of the Church of England, also known as the Anglican church. In his late teens William was apprenticed to a boatwright to begin his vocational training. When he was around 37 years old, as a member of the Boatwright Guild in London, he agreed to work for 50 days in Virginia for Colonel Thomas Burbage, This is how he came to settle in Virginia. At some point after his arrival in Virginia, William’s surname began to be listed as Smoote or Smoot.

At that time in Virginia, tobacco farming was a primary driver of the local economy and the expansion of the colonies. Tobacco was used instead of currency, and court documents show debts to and from William measured in pounds of tobacco rather than in dollars as we would see today. It is reasonable to assume that William raised tobacco and other crops on his land with the help of his servants, in addition to building and trading boats.

Tobacco is a labor-intensive crop. The colonies needed more people to work the land. The law contained a provision to grant 50 acres of land to an individual who paid the way for another person to settle in Virginia. In other words, there was a 50-acre reward per head. This was known as the “headright” system. In February 1642, William Smoot was granted the passage of eight additional persons from England (most likely his immediate family and some servants), and 400 acres of land.

The land being granted by the colonial government to European settlers had been claimed without regard for the native peoples who had occupied the land for thousands of years. Consequently, the Pamunky and the Chickahominy Indians joined forces to fight the English settlers in 1644. William fought in this war against the Indians and was paid 600 pounds of tobacco for his efforts.

In 1644 William moved his family from Virginia to Maryland, where he obtained a patent for 300 acres of land on the Potomac River. Using the headright system, William continued adding to his personal wealth by transporting more people to the colonies. In 1665 he transported seven persons into Maryland, for which he was granted 350 acres of land, and later an additional six persons for which he received another 300 acres. In the records I was able to find, there was no indication where these individuals came from. However, it is likely that they were mostly English or Irish men who came as indentured servants.

How we are connected to this person

If I am counting the generations correctly, this is my children's 12th-great-grandfather.

Learn more:

My introduction to the Smoots

Headrights