JOHN SMITHART ARTICLE
Georgetown, (S.C.) November 20, 1802
On the 10th instant we announced the condemnation of John Smithart, for the murder of his wife--we are sorry to add, that on the night of the 26th ult. he made his excape from Gaol in a manner somewhat singular. Since his condemnation he has been attended by his brother, who resemblemed him so much that one might easily be taken for the other. On the evening of the 16th inft. the brother of the prisoner informed the gaoler that he would stay there that night, and requested that he might be let out early the next morning, as he wished to go home--the gaoler consented to his request, and on hearing a rapping at the door arose and let out of the room, as he supposed, the prisoner's brother. On going into the room about 12: o'clock, on the 17th instant, he found that the prisoner had deceived him by dressing in his brothers clothers, and had likewise taken his brother's horse, which he had prepared under the pretence of going home.---The brother, we understand, has since been discharged on the Habeas Corpus.
Since pensions for RW soldiers did not come in until mid to late 1830's, then it is my thinking if John escaped and if John was a wanted man he probably never filed for the pension and his wife was dead, and the only way this would have been shown then was if one of his heirs had filed for bounty lands etc. Also John like Darby would have been an old old man by the time the pension was offered and it was just not common back then for men to live too much past their 50th birthday.
Now John and wife and 6 children are counted in the 1800 Horry Co. Census in the Kingston district and John is also recorded as having signed a partition some time Circa 1800 in Kingston Co.
This is what I think about the 1800 Census:
John Smithart and wife are shown in age category 26 to 45 Children range in age from 0 to 26, according to my calculations the children actually are from 0-17 based upon the fact that there is only one child in the 16-26 age range and John wife would hardly be on the low end of their age bracket which would be 26 since the child at age 16 would leave them having a child at age 10.
Here are the age brackets again
Now also it appears to me that John probably returned maybe from the Revolution (1775-1783) and married then. The marriage and children also check as he was not but about 18 years old when the war started and probably had not married or started a family before the war. He also probably was allowed to have lands based upon his war record. I do know that many of the men receiving grants also were listed in the war. So I am thinking this is partly how the lands were made available to the Smitharts. Also by 1802, there could have been another child born and I simply have no idea what happened to the children.
The two sons born 1784 to 1790 could very well be the father of our John who was born in 1812 in SC. Have no idea until perhaps something comes available on the children. Back then family could have taken them in and I also know of one case where orphan children were used like slaves in the homes of others, but of course in either case this would not be apparent by names until 1850.
