Claudius Smith
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Claudius Smith (1736 – January 22, 1779) was a
Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
guerrilla leader during the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
. He led a band of irregulars who were known locally as the 'cowboys'. Claudius was the eldest son of David Smith (1701–1787), a respected
tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
, cattleman,
miller A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...
,
constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
,
clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, and finally judge in
Brookhaven, New York The Town of Brookhaven is the most populous of the ten towns of Suffolk County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located approximately 50 miles from Manhattan. It is the largest of the state of New York's ...
. His mother was Meriam (Williams) Carle, a daughter of Samuel Williams of
Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...
. David Smith was the son of a Samuel Smith, but the identity of this Samuel is not certain.


Claudius as a guerrilla leader

During the Revolutionary War, Claudius, along with several members of his family, including three of his four sons (William, Richard, and James), allegedly terrorized the New York countryside in an area formerly known as Smith's Clove (presently Monroe),
Orange County, New York Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. Orange ...
, where David Smith and his family had moved about 1741 from Brookhaven. Accounts differ on Claudius Smith's size and stature. A 1762
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
muster roll The term muster means the process or event of accounting for members in a military unit. This practice of inspections led to the coining of the English idiom , meaning being sufficient. When a unit is created, it is "mustered in" and when it is d ...
lists him as 5'9". However, a 1778 wanted poster for his arrest claims he stood nearly an unbelievable seven feet tall. All accounts agree that Claudius was a
Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
and took part in Tory raids alongside the
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...
Indian Chief,
Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk people, Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York (state), New York, who was closely associated with Kingdom of Great Britain, Great B ...
. Claudius was also aided in his anti-Whig activities by Fletcher Mathews, brother of
David Mathews David Mathews ( – July 28, 1800) was an American lawyer and politician from New York City. He was a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War and was the 43rd and last Colonial Mayor of New York City from 1776 until 1783. As New York Cit ...
, the Loyalist Mayor of New York during the Revolution. Though he gained a fearsome reputation among the Patriots, Claudius is not actually known to have killed anyone. He was even viewed by some as sort of a
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
, helping to defend the Loyalists in the area. At one point, Smith even ended up in jail with a close relative o
Capt John Brown
(1728–1776), the grandfather of
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
the abolitionist. However, when one of Smith's men did apparently rob and kill a Patriot leader, Major Nathaniel Strong, on October 6, 1778, New York Governor George Clinton posted a reward of $1,200 for Smith's arrest. Claudius was soon captured and was hanged on January 22, 1779 in the town of Goshen,
Orange County, New York Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. Orange ...
. Two of his sons, William and James (the latter captured in February 1779 by an Abner Thorpe Erastus C. Knight, ''New York in the Revolution'' (1901, Supp.), p. 165 he Accounts of Governor Clinton/ref>), would suffer the same fate. Richard Smith remained at large at least through 1781, when his name appears in a letter addressed to Governor Clinton from Gen
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
warning Clinton that he was the target of a planned kidnapping by the remaining members of the Smith Gang.


Claudius Smith in fiction

Richard Smith is a character in
Elizabeth Oakes Smith Elizabeth Oakes Smith ( Prince; August 12, 1806 – November 16, 1893) was a poet, fiction writer, editor, lecturer, and women's rights activist whose career spanned six decades, from the 1830s to the 1880s. Most well-known at the start of her ...
's 1867 novel ''Bald Eagle; or, The Last of the Ramapaughs'', which portrays Claudius's son as seeking vengeance on the people of Orange County for the killing of his father. Claudius Smith is a character in E.P. Roe's 1876 novel, Near to Nature's Heart. According to Rev. Roe, moments before the real Smith was hanged, he kicked off his shoes, saying, "Mother often said I would die like a trooper's horse with my shoes on; but I will make her a liar." Author Pam Jackson writes of Claudius Smith's legend in her novel 'Wood, Fire, and Gold' released in 2014.


Endnotes

# He may have been a Samuel Smith Jr. of Barbados, who is conjectured to have a direct relationship with a David Smith of
Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
who married another Elizabeth Lewis in 1703, and many inhabitants of the New York area at this time traveled back and forth between the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
and northern coastal areas. Most genealogists, on the other hand, feel as though David was in fact descended somehow from an Arthur Smith, as is partially "proven" in the manner in which he originally signed his name: with an "A".


References


Sources


''George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799, Series 3c Varick Transcripts''
George Washington to George Clinton, August 10, 1781 (search for "Claudius Smith"). * Samuel W. Eager ''An Outline History of Orange County'' (1846-7) pp. 525–528, and 550–565.
Lost Treasures USA (link now defunct, please write the website owner)
Both Eager and this website coaborate the fact of Claudius hiding treasures in the hills of the Ramapo Valley * Daniel Allen Hearn ''Legal Executions in New York State: A Comprehensive Reference, 1639-1963'' (1997) oncerning the execution of Claudius Smith
The 1778 Wanted Poster for Claudius Smith
a possible contrivance

(2 July 1867) pp. 9–14 Bald Eagle; or, The Last of the Ramapaughs"* Benjamin F. Thompson ''History of Long Island'' (1839, 1918 Edition) vol. II, pp. 344–345 * ''3rd Annual Report of the State Historian of New York'' (1897, Appendix "M") p. 712 apt Clinton's Muster Roll, Ulster County, 1762* Benjamin D. Hicks ''Records of the Towns of North and South Hempstead, Long Island, NY'' (1898, vol 3) pp. 179–181 he January 20, 1728 Quitclaim of David Smith, Tailor* ''New York Genealogical and Biographical Record'' (1881, vol 12) p. 79 he marriage of David Smith and Miriam Carle, March 25, 1735* Berthold Fernow ''Calendar of Wills, New York City, 1626-1836'' (1896) p. 61, Will No. 260 he Will of John Carle, 1733: mentions the sons of his diseased son, Jacob, and his wife Miriam* ''New York Genealogical and Biographical Record'' (1880, vol 11) p. 133 he marriage of Jacob Carle and Meriam Williams, March 10, 1726* ''New York Genealogical and Biographical Record'' (1923, vol 54) p. 43 iriam Williams born: 17 December 1705 to: Samuel Williams* Benjamin D. Hicks ''Records of the Towns of North and South Hempstead, Long Island, NY'' (1902, vol 6) p. 159 ecord for the Earmark of Samuel Smith, 1767 p. 168 ecord for the Earmark of James Smith, 1773 – both Samuel and James are listed as "of David"* Edward Manning Ruttenber and L. H. Clark ''History of Orange County, New York'' (1881) p. 69 ersons Refusing to Sign the 1775 Pledge of Association (cf. Samuel, Hophni, James, and David) pp. 71–73 he Story of Claudius Smith* Orange County Genealogical Society ''Early Orange County Wills'' (1991) vol II, p. 1 bstract of the Will of David Smith (1701–1787) of Smith's Clove, and the Will itself at: Liber A, page 5* Joanna McKree Sanders, ''Barbados Records'' (1982) ols. 1 & 2: "Marriages"* ''North Jersey Highlander'' (Fall 1968) Issue 12, Vol. IV, No. 3, pp. 3–7 laire K. Tholl: "The Career of Claudius Smith" * ''New York Genealogical and Biographical Record'' (1893, vol 24) p. 184 t George's Church Records, Hempstead, NYthe marriage of David Smith and Elizabeth Luis in East Hampton NY January 21, 1703. *Lil Heselton, editor, ''Will of Hophni oss or HopkinSmith, the Brother of Claudius Smith'' (1826) [Will Book, Liber "H", pp. 103–106 of the Surrogate's Court of Goshen, Orange County, NY. Website currently located at

* William Nelson ''Archives of the State of New Jersey (Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey)'' (1894, vol XI) p. 84 [ September 20, 1724 advertisement in the American Weekly Mercury relating the escape of the servants: Clodius Smith, aged about 35, and Joseph Wells, aged about 22, from Abraham Porter of Porters Field, Glouster, NJ] * William Nelson ''Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey'' (1901, vol XXIII) p. 370 December 17, 1729 – the Will of Abraham Porter of Portersfield, Gloucester County, New Jersey (Lib. 3, p. 34), proved March 24, 1730* William Nelson, ''Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey'' (1916, vol XXVIII) p. 564–565 [ July 19, 1773 article in "The New-York Gazette", No. 1125, concerning the apprehension of Claudius Smith. * Daniel Niles Freeland ''Chronicles of Monroe in the Olden Times'' (1898) {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Claudius 1736 births 1779 deaths American Revolutionary War executions Loyalists in the American Revolution from New York (state) Ramapos People of the Province of New York Loyalist military personnel of the American Revolutionary War