John Smith, ("Rock John") >

1615 - 1706  (91 years)

• Name	John Smith  [1, 2, 3]
  Suffix	("Rock John") >
  Birth	1 Jan 1615	Derbyshire, England
  Christening	Nov 1615	Halifax, St John the Baptist, Yorkshire, England
  Gender	Male
  Death	3 Apr 1706	Hempstead, Nassau, New York, United States
  Person ID	I5182	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	9 Feb 2025

  
  

  Family 1	[w.\ John Smith Rock] Smith(), >,   b. Abt 1615   d. Yes, date unknown
  Children	1. Mary Smith, "Rock",   b. 20 Jul 1640, Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America d. 15 Mar 1713, Long Island, New York Colony, British Colonial America (Age 72 years)   2. John "Rock" Smith, Jr.,   b. Abt 1642, Hempstead, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America d. 12 Mar 1684 (Age 42 years)   3. Martha Smith, "Rock",   b. 1646, Hempstead Town, Yorkshire, New York Colony, British Colonial America d. 24 Jun 1694, Hempstead Town, Yorkshire, New York Colony, British Colonial America (Age 48 years)   4. Hannah Smith, "Rock",   b. 1649, Hempstead, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America d. Aft 3 Oct 1706 (Age > 57 years)   5. Joseph Smith, "Rock",   b. 1646, Hempstead, Queens, New York d. Abt 1717, Hempstead, LI (Age 71 years)   6. Jonathan "Rock" Smith,   b. 3 Jan 1652, Hempstead Town, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America d. 1724, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America (Age 71 years)
  Family ID	F2495	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 May 2025

  
  

  Family 2	Elizabeth Wood,   b. 1619   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	Abt 1639
  Children	1. Jonathan "Rock" Smith,   b. 3 Jan 1652, Hempstead Town, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America d. 1724, Queens, New York Colony, British Colonial America (Age 71 years)
  Family ID	F7367	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 May 2025

  
  

• Notes

  'The Town of Hempstead had a large quota of Smith families from it's earliest days, probably none of these related to one another originally. Among the town's proprietors and those who paid toward the patent were no less than six John Smiths. Very naturally, they were often distinguished by an added appellation. ... John Smith "Rock" (one of these six men) and his family became known as the "Rock" Smiths. This word might be spelled Rock, Roc, Rox, R or r; it might appear instead of a first name, as a middle name, as a word or symbol following the surname, and even between surname and Junior or its symbol J. This diverse usage shows it was not an alias or second surname or mother's maiden name, but merely an identifying term.' (Bailey). Other early Long Island Smith families had similar appellations, therefore "Tangier" Smith (of Mastic and Manor of St. George), "Bull" Smith (of Smithtown,) "Black" Smith (of Merrick,) and "Blue" Smith (of Hempstead.) As to be expected, these early Smith families often intermarried, making research complicated. The origin of the appellation is uncertain, engendering much speculation among various commentators. Much of the lineage recorded here, showing the descendancy from John "Rock" Smith to the Brookhaven Hamlet Smiths derives from a "Smith" Cedar Grove cemetery monument, Patchogue, NY. This eccentric monument, erected in 1909, purports to show the "complete" genealogy of the "Rock" Smiths from early Colonial days to Mrs. Ruth Newey Smith, who erected the monument. Hundreds of names are inscribed on the monument. This monument was transcribed by Mrs. Caleb M. Edwards, and appeared in the Long Island newspaper, Newsday, 16 Sep 1993. However, I believe this record inscribed on this monument to be fundamentally flawed -- see John Smith "Rock," Jr.

  
  

• Sources

  [S326] Unknown author. In possession of Joyce Leming., Manuscript: Rock Smith Family including hand written notes and addendum giving the descendents of John Ellis Smith. (Joyce Leming suggested that the document may have originally been obtained from t. [S324] Transcription provided by Mrs. Caleb M. Edwards., Rock John Smith's Descendants Recorded on Unique Monument. Old-time names sound Odd in These Days -- Many People in This Area Directly Related to Those Listed. (Cedar Grove Cemetery, Patchogue, NY) [S723] Rosalie Fellows Bailey, Record (Quarterly): John Smith of Hempstead, New York Beginnings of the "Rock" Smith Family. Vol. LXXXVIII. Jan 1957 (pp 5-22), April 1957 (pp. 91-104), July 1957 (pp 136-154, October 1957 (pp. 199-210. (New York Genealogi, Article contributed by Rosalie Fellows Bailey.