Smith
Eleazer
1776 – 1857
♦Evidence
Eleazer is not considered verified as an ancestor. Despite various Smith families settling in Wayne County, there is evidence that he is Rachel’s father. This includes, among other things, the fact that her oldest son is named Eleazer and that Eleazer and the Johnson family both lived near Williamsburg.
Eleazer Smith, son of Thompson and Rachel (Briles) Smith, was born in Monmouth, New Jersey in 1776 only a few months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He moved with his parents to North Carolina, where he married Ruth Davis in 1796.
They were the parents of at least six children:
- James
- Thompson [m. Esther Hiatt]
- Rachel
- Martha [m. Thomas Cook]
- William Davis [m. Eliza Stegall]
- Ruth [m. John Cox Peelle, a brother to Passco Peelle].
Move To Indiana
Eleazer and Ruth moved their family to Wayne County, Indiana in 1816. Settling 3 miles from Williamsburg, Eleazer and Rachel were early members of the Baptist Church, which is believed to have been the first church to organize in Green Township. Eleazer went on to serve a term as Justice of the Peace, likely covering the same township.
Eleazer lived a long life dying in 1857.