Jemima Smith

Born about 1728/1732 in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, to Ann Mershon and Andrew Smith
Married Benjamin Merrell in Hopewell in the late 1740s
Jemima-Penelope-Eli-Charles-Charles William-Fenly-Clifford 
Jemima-Anna- Nancy-Charles-Charles William-Fenly-Clifford
Died 7 May 1801 in Rowan County, North Carolina (or at least she wrote her will that day)

We are descended from Jemima through her two daughters Penelope and Anna.  Penelope's son Eli and Anna's daughter Nancy married each other.

Jemima was born in Hopewell Township, New Jersey and married Benjamin when she was about 20.  Jemima and Benjamin left New Jersey in the early 1750s, probably because of debt from the Hopewell land swindle.  Many early founding families of Hopewell left because of the swindle.  Here's a description of what happened:

After the English claimed New York from the Dutch, New Jersey (separated into East and West Jersey) became a proprietorship, and was awarded to George Carteret and Lord Berkeley, the Duke of York. The New Jersey land included in the proprietorship was land already owned and occupied by the Merrills, Stouts and others. George Carteret and Lord Berkeley subsequently deeded their interests to others, including Dr. Daniel Coxe of London. He asserted his proprietary interest to the lands, requiring that the original settlers pay him rent or re-purchase the land they had already acquired from the Indians or Richard Nicholls. When proof of transfers of land from the Indians could not be produced, “Writs of Ejectment” were served upon some of the settlers. After the New Jersey Supreme Court validated the proprietary deeds and invalidated the settlers’ ownership to thousands of acres, many of the families abandoned Hopewell township and resettled to Rowan County, North Carolina, a safe haven for refugees beyond the reach of royal law.

North Carolina had a repuation for fair and honest leadership and cheap land.  A few years later Benjamin wrote to his brother and sister-in-law William Merrell and Mary Cornell and convinced them to move to North Carolina also, which they did in 1758.  The area they settled in Rowan County became known as the Jersey settlements for obvious reasons.

Jemima and Benjamin were early members of the Jersey Baptist Church organized in 1754 and he was a deacon in the Church. Jemima educated their children at home and probably taught other children reading and math.

Jemima's husband Benjamin was hanged by the British in 1771; she and her children were forced to watch. Before he died he asked that some of his property go to Jemima and their children; usually the property of someone convicted of treason was forfeited to the Crown.  Jemima was able to go back to their plantation with her children, although tradition has it that she never recovered from Benjamin's death.  Here is one account from Henry Sheets, an elder in their Church:

After his execution the widow remained on the old homestead. The late Miss Susie Turner, a very worthy and aged lady, told the author that she recollected well, when a young girl, of hearing her aunt Mary Workman tell of calling in to visit the widow while on her way to meeting at Jersey church. Her aunt told her that the widow was blind. Whether this blindness was caused by some natural defect or from excessive grief at the sad and untimely death of her husband was not known. She was never herself after the death of her husband - she never recovered from the shock. She was almost crazed at the cold, cruel fate which befell her in thus being bereft. She suffered great mental distress and spent much of her time in walking to pass off the melancholia which clung to her only to darken her days of grief and bitterness. Her mind was scarcely ever free from her affliction while awake.

Jemima's father, Andrew, died a few years after Benjamin's execution and mentioned her in his will, saying that she should be supported out of his estate if she needed financial help; he also gave each of her children 50 pounds.   Her parents, Ann and Andrew, stayed in Hopewell Township when many of the original Hopewell settlers left for North Carolina.

After the Regulator executions in 1771 many people from the Jersery Settlement left for safer places.  Jemima left the Jersey Baptist Church in 1773 and moved to Boone's Ford Baptist Church.  She married Harmon Butner 20 February 1775.  She went back to the Jersey Baptist Church in 1786.  She died in 1801, although I don't know if anyone knows where she is buried.  Here is her will:

In the name of God Amen! I Jemima Butner of the County of Rawan and State of N. Carolina being in perfect mind and memory, but weakly in body and calling to mind my mortality think proper to make and ordain this as my last will and test: knowing that it is appointed unto men once to die, do this proper to confirm my intention by these presents, and in the first place I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, and my body to be decently buried, at the discretion of my executors, and as touches such worldly estate, as it had pleased God to bless me with, I dispose, devise and give in manner and form following, that is, I give and bequeath to my eldest son Samuel Meril 14 pounds which I paid for the improvement whereon Meril now lives also 27 pounds, which I paid in taking up a judgment that was against him, also my sorrel horse, also and equal part of all my moveable property with the rest of my sons; my negroes except I give and bequeath to my daughter Nancy my negro woman Slager, which is to be valued, and John, William and Charles Meril is to have an equal part of the value of said Negroe in money; also I give one half of my wering cloaths to my daughter Nancy; I give and bequeath to my daughter Ellien one negro girl named Rose, which is also to be valued and the above John, Wm and Chas Meril is to have an equal part of her value in money, I also give to my daughter Ellien the other half of my wearing cloaths. I give and bequeath to my son Sandrew Meril my Negroe boy named James, which is also to be valued and the above John Meril, Wm and chas Meril to have an equal part of the value in money, also I give to my son Andrew an equal part of my moveable property, that I do not mention in my will. I give to my son Jonathan Meril my Negro boy named David and he is to pay to my son Chas Meril 10 pounds current money 2 yrs after my decease I give also to my son Jonathan Meril and equal part with the rest of my sons of my moveable property, which is not here mentioned or given. I give to my son Elijah Meril and equal part of my moveable property which is not mentioned or given in this will - Lastly I also appoint constitute and ordain, my son Andrew A Meril and Jonathan Meril whole and sole executors of this my last will and test: I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 7th day of May, 1801.