BIOGRAPHIES: SMITH AND ROMINE FAMILIES, HARRISON COUNTY, WV ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. THIS RECORD WAS DONATED TO THE HARRISON COUNTY WVGenWeb PROJECT/ARCHIVES ONLY: www.rootsweb.com/~wvharris ********************************************************************* SUBMITTED BY: Patti Hickman (Ittapmusic@aol.com) Compiled by the late V Layne Moffett THOMAS SMITH Thomas Smith, the son of John Smith of Bedford Village, Brooklyn, NY, was probably born in New York City in the early or mid 1670s. About 1680 his father moved his family to Bedford Village where Thomas lived for several years. In 1696 Thomas and his brother Jasper Smith sold the Bedford Village property they had inherited from their father, and by 1699 both were living in Maidenhead Township, Burlington Co NJ, as is shown by a deed dated 18 March 1698-99, by which the West Jersey Society sold a hundred acre tract in Maidenhead Township to a group of twenty-eight men, including Thomas and Jasper Smith. According to the deed, this land was for use for a meeting house, burying ground, and schoolhouse. The twenty-eight purchasers were named and identified as being residents of Maidenhead. A positive identification of Thomas Smith's wife Susannah has not been made, but there is some evidence that she was probably Susannah Matthews, the daughter of Samuel Matthews of Jamaica, Long Island, NY. Thomas Smith died at Maidenhead in November 1702. His will dated 8 October 1702 and proved 30 December of that year, named his wife Susannah, son John, daughter Susannah and expected child. JOHN SMITH Very little is known concerning the life of John Smith, son of Thomas and Susannah Smith. Born in Maidenhead Twp., Burlington Co (now Lawrenceville, Mercer Co) NJ in 1699, he died there 19 April 1748 at the age of 49 years and is buried in the Upper Burying Grounds in Lawrenceville. When or to whom John Smith was married is not known, but there are indications that (his wife) may have been a sister of the wife of William Waters, whom John names as his brother-in-law in his will. This will names his (John's) wife Hannah and mentions his sons John and Thomas, and daughters Mary, Elizabeth, Susannah, Hannah, Sarah (believed to be the wife of Andrew Davison), and Priscilla. JAMES ROMINE James Romine was living in Harrison County, (W)V by 20 November 1797, the date on which he purchased 80 acres of land on Hastings Run, Harrison County. Although neither the parentage nor birthplace of James Romine has been positively determined, existing records indicate that James and Peter Romine were probably the sons of Samuel Romine of Frederick Co VA, who on 15 September 1792, leased 56 acres of land in Frederick Co from Denny Martin (Fairfax), the lease being for the period of the natural lives of Samuel's sons Joseph, Peter and James. In their book, "West Virginia and its People," T C Miller and Hu Maxwell stated of the Romine family: "This family is of Dutch descent but came into West Virginia from the hive of trans-Alleghany pioneers, the valley of Virginia. Peter Romine, the first of this family to settle in what is now West Virginia came from the valley of Virginia." It is a long standing family tradition that James Romine's wife Elizabeth was Elizabeth Middleton, a sister of John Middleton, who on the same day that James and Peter Romine bought land on Hastings Run, bought adjoining acreage and settled down beside them. John Middleton was married in Frederick Co in 1797, and probably came to Harrison County at about the same time as did James and Peter Romine. One of James' grandsons was named John Middleton Romine. James and Elizabeth Romine had the following children: 1. Cynthia - married Jeremiah Curl in 1800. 2. Nancy - married Elisha Smith in 1810. 3. Asenth - married James Connelly in 1812. 4. Benjamin - married Lettis Norman in 1815. 5. Robert - married Sarah McPherson in 1819. 6. John W - married Elizabeth Conley in 1824. 7. Elizabeth - married ----- Allen. 8. Samuel - married Nancy Dearman in 1835. James Romine probably died in 1835, the year he was last listed in the Harrison County land book records. Both James and Elizabeth Romine are buried in the Batten Cemetery on Hastings Run, as are John Middleton and his wife Eleanor. BENJAMIN ROMINE Benjamin Romine, the son of James and Elizabeth, was born in VA ) probably Frederick Co) about 1792. When Benjamin was about five years old the family moved to Harrison Co (W)V, in that part of VA which later became WV. In 1815 Benjamin Romine married Lettis Norman, daughter of Clement and Jemima Norman. Following their marriage Benjamin and Lettis settled on a 137-acre farm on Lost Creek, Harrison County. In 1841 Benjamin Romine was named to fill the office of Constable and was later appointed Overseer of the road. Benjamin and Lettis Romine had the following children: 1. Salina Ann - born about 1816; married Andrew Davisson West in 1843. 2. James - born about 1819 or 1820; married Salina ------. 3. Tacy - born about 1821; died 1896; never married. 4. Clement N - born about 1824; married Margaret McWhorter. 5. Nancy - born about 1826; died about 1864; never married. Lettis Norman Romine died 20 March 1864. Benjamin Romine died before 27 July of the same year, the date of appraisement of his personal property.