Packet: LIFEBBS
Date: 06-24-95 (15:56)             Number: 324743
From: HELEN SILVEY                 Refer#: NONE
  To: DOLORES RUTHERFORD            Recvd: NO
Subj: ROCK SMITH & CARMAN            Conf: (1053) Genealogy
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Dolores, this probably isn't new to you, but I found the following in:

"THE REFUGEES OF 1776 FROM LONG ISLAND TO CONN." by Frederick Gregory
mather, Gen. Publ. Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1972
(re History of Hempstead, about 25 pp.)
p.103. One of the most lovely of these smaller villages is Merrick,
twenty-four miles from New York. the name is of Indian Origin,
that of a tribe of Indians, and has appeared in the various
forms of Meric, Meroks, Merikoke, Merock, eroque. The history
of the town was written in the year 1900 by Mr. Charles N. Kent,
and was psublished in a pamphlet, which is made in large part
the basis of our account.

The first actual settler was JOHN SMITH, who came to be known as JOHN
ROCK SMITH and JOHN SMITH ROCK - the appellation being bestowed
upon him in recognition of his ingenuity in building his house
at Stamford, Connecticut, over a rock which was too large to be
moved, and which was thus utilized as a part of the wall and
also as a back to his fireplace. The CARMAN family sent
representatives from the settlement in Hempstead Plains to
Merrick at a very early day. the first white child born in the
Merrick settlement was Caleb, a son of John CARMAN, January 9,
1645. the CARMAN and SMITH families intermarried, and appear to
have held land in common, westward from the eastern line of
what is now the proerty of H. H. Cammann, on Merrick avenue.
These two family pre-empted the entire territory from Merrick
river east to Cove spring Landing, Merrick Cove, and from the
bay north to Hempstead Plains.

JOHN ROCK SMITH settled west of the present lakes on either side of
Merrick road - his house on the north and barn on the south
side. JONATHAN SMITH BLACK laid out his farm east of Merrick
path, which afterward became the Hempstead turnpike, and
JONATHAN SMITH ROCK settled to the west, there being between
them a wedge of land known as the Hewlett farm. It is reported
that this wedge was contributed euqally by the two SMITHS to
induce the Hewletts to settle thereon....

p. 104. (p. 103 The Hewletts were among the) leaders of the royalist
party, and at times were in imminent danger, but finally a
declaration of submission to the Continental Congress was drawn
up, and among its signers were JOHN CARMAN, JOHN SMITH ROCK,
WILLIAM SMITH BLACK, Benjamin Hewlett, Benjamin Hewett (2d),
Joseph Hewlett, George Hewlett and John Hewlett.
...



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19 April 2001