Thomas Smith (March 10, 1701 – 1795) was an American religious leader, real estate speculator, physician, and advocate for ethnic genocide against the

Penobscot people The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic ...

. Smith was the parson for the First Parish Church in Falmouth (now

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

) from 1727 until his death in 1795. While in this position, he engaged in the genocidal murder of Penobscot people between the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers. His actions led to significant personal fortune while also severely weakening the

Wabanaki Confederacy The Wabanaki Confederacy (''Wabenaki, Wobanaki'', translated to "People of the Dawn" or "Easterner") is a North American First Nations and Native American confederation of four principal Eastern Algonquian nations: the Miꞌkmaq, Maliseet ( ...

. During the 21st-century, his former church has publicly sought to reckon with their congregation's role in the genocide. In 1755,

Spencer Phips Spencer Phips (June 6, 1685 – April 4, 1757) was a government official in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Born Spencer Bennett, he was adopted by Massachusetts Governor Sir William Phips, his uncle by marriage, whose name he legally took. ...

, lieutenant governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, issued a proclamation that declared the Penobscot people enemies, rebels, and traitors to King

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

, and called on all “his Majesty’s Subjects of this Province to Embrace all opportunities of pursuing, captivating, killing, and Destroying all and every of the aforesaid Indians.” This served as the catalyst for the genocide committed by Smith and others in colonial Maine.

Personal

Born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on March 10, 1701, he was the son of a merchant by the same name. He enrolled at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1716 at the age of 15 and studied Hebrew. Smith was married three times throughout his life. He married his first wife, Sarah Tyng, who was the daughter of Col. Jonathan Tyng in 1728. The couple had 8 children before her death on October 1, 1742. She died less than a month after giving birth to their final child, who was born on September 6 and died 8 days later on September 14. Approximately 5 months later, he married a widow with the last name of Jordan who was from

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...

on March 1, 1743. Jordan died on January 3, 1763. He married again on August 10, 1768, to Elizabeth Wendall, who was also a widow. He had no children with either his second or third wives. The home of his son, known as the Parson Smith House in

Windham, Maine Windham is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,434 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It includes the villages of South Windham, Maine, South Windham and ...

, has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since 1973. In 1821, his papers were published under the title ''Extracts from the Journals Kept by the Rev. Thomas Smith: Late Pastor of the First Church of Christ in Falmouth, in the County of York, (now Cumberland,) from the Year 1720, to the Year 1788, with an Appendix, Containing a Variety of Other Matters''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Thomas 1701 births 1795 deaths American white supremacists Clergy from Portland, Maine Native American genocide perpetrators People from colonial Massachusetts People from pre-statehood Maine 18th-century Congregationalist ministers Harvard College alumni