Part 868s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – 1790 William Smith – Deed of Manumission

Good Day,

My next record that I have transcribed is one entered to the Grenada Registers of Records 23 March 1799 but written and composed under the authority of William Smith 2 November 1790. It is a Deed of Manumission freeing one John Lewis.

Here are the images of pages 537 through and including 539 from the Grenada Registers of Records. I have downloaded them from FHL[1563328], Item 1.

My attempted transcription -

537

Examd
Grenada

Entered 23rd March 1799

Know all men by these Presents that I William
Smith of the Parish of St. John in the said Island of Grenada
Gentleman for and in Consideration of a New Negro Boy received
from William Muir of the aforesaid Parish & Island Have
Enfranchised Manumitted and made free, and by these Present
Do fully freely and Absolutely Enfranchise Manumit and make
free my Mulato Boy slave named John Lewis and I do hereby
Release and for ever discharge him the said John Lewis of and
from all and all manner of Servitude and Slavery whatsoever
Here by giving and Granting unto the said John Lewis as far
as I ^Lawfully may or can all the Privileges & advantages of a free born
Subject of Great Britain In Witneſs whereof I the Said
William Smith have hereunto set my hand & Seal this
Second day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand
Seven hundred and ninety, and in the Thirtieth Year of his
Majestys Reign

Wm Smith (LS)

Sealed & Delivered
In the Presence of I Innes - Thos Lee

Grenada
We the undermentioned Guardians of the Slaves
within the Parish of St. John appointed by the Act lately
Paſsed for the Protection of Slaves Do hereby certify that on
this Second day of November One thousand ſeven hundred
and ninety William Smith the Party to the Annexed Deed
of Manumiſsion produced to us a Mulato Boy Slave named
John Lewis, who he declared to be the One mentioned and
intended in and by the Said Deed of Manumiſsion therein
named And we do further Certify that the said Mulato
Boy Slave named John Lewis appears to us to be healthy
and able and in no way likely to become Burthensome
to the Public In Testimony whereof we have here-

-unto

538

-unto Set our Hands and ſeals the Day and Year above mentioned

Pat Fotheringham (LS)

F S Philip (LS)

Samuel Ought I P Goutard } Witneſes

Grenada

Before the Honorable Thomas Bridgwater

Esquire Chief Judge of the Court of Common

Please for the ſaid Island and its Dependencies

Established

Personably appeared Thomas Blackburn at present in the Said
Island of Grenada Mariner who being Sworn on the Holy Evangelists
of Almighty God maketh Oath and ſaith, that he was acquainted
with William Smith late of the Parish of Saint John in the said
Island of Grenada, Gentleman deceased and also with his manner
and Character of hand writing having often seen him write and
Subscribe his name and that having attentively viewed the ſignature
“Wm Smith” set opposite the Seal of the first Page of the annexed
Instrument of Writing purporting to be a Manumiſsion from the
said William Smith to a Mulatto Boy named John Lewis,
that he verily and in his Conscience believes the said Signature
to be of the proper hand writing and Subscription of the said William
Smith and of no other Person. And the Deponent further ſaith
that he was also well acquainted with Patrick Fotheringham
and Francis Philip late of the Parish of Saint John in the Island
aforesaid both of whom are since deceased and also with their manner
and Character of hand writing having frequently seen them write
and ſubscribe their Names Whose names appear to be subscribed
opposite two Seals on the Second Page of the Said Annexed
Instrument of Writing as Guardians of Slaves appointed for the
Parish of Saint John aforesaid and having carefully looked at
the Signatures Pat Fotheringham set opposite the first Seal

and

539

And F. I. Philip set opposite the ſecond ſeal that he verily
and in Conscience believes them to be the Several and respective
proper hand writing and Subscription of the Said Patrick Fotheringham
and Francis Philip

Thomas Blackburn

Sworn to before me this }
Twenty third day of March 1799 }

Thomas Bridgwater

I am wondering if this is the same William Smith that has been appearing in a number of the records that I have been most recently working with and transcribing. If it is the same one and based on the information I now have, this is some more information about this William Smith, the principal party of this record and document. As of 2 November 1790 William Smith has a residence, as presented, in the Parish of St. John in Grenada. Also, as it appears that some nine years later, the date of the entry date of the document, 23 March 1799; William Smith must have passed away.

If this is the same William Smith as in Part 866s, it is possible that he may have been alive a year earlier on 3 March 1798 as it was a William Smith of Martinique appointed power of attorney on behalf of James Knowles, his wife Mary, and Mary Morris.

In Part 538s I was able to transcribe the Last Will and Testament of a William Smith who may have passed away sometime between the 1st and 3rd of December 1796. According to the St. George Parish Burial Register, see Part 440s, “1491 Mr. William Smith, Merchant; was buried on the 2nd day of Decbr. 1796.”

At present I will have to just rest at this point of my search and research as there is now some new details to consider as to which William Smith is which. Or are they all the same?

This one presents some more possibilities concerning my search and research of William Smith.  I haven't found the tie in to ggg-grandfather James Smith but there are some thoughts that may narrow down the logic.

Any comment or question, thought or idea, definitely welcomed.

Enjoy,

Jim