Smith
The Smith family of Random Island were some of the original settlers of the upper western half of Random Island. The Smiths were pioneers in the Hant's Harbour, Elliott's Cove, Snook's Harbour and Apsey Brook areas of Newfoundland.
| Smith | |
|---|---|
| Current region |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Place of origin |  England |
| Founded | c.1750 |
Pre Random Island
William Smith-Bramleigh (Broomley) emigrated from England in the Mid 1700's, and landed in Trinity, NL. There his wife Sarah gave birth to sons John (baptized 1757) and William (baptized September 13, 1761)[1]
From Trinity, the family moved across The Bay to Scilly Cove (now Winterton), Newfoundland. William, born in 1761, grew up there, married, and had at least one son, named Thomas. Thomas was born at Scilly Cove in 1804. The family moved from Scilly Cove to Hant's Harbour in the early 1800's. There, Thomas became the father of six sons and three daughters, all of whom were born and grew up in Hant's Harbour.
— Gloria Smith Corbett,Arthur T. Dalton Jr., The Smith-Bramleigh(Broomley) Family From Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Beyond - Private Publication
Thomas Smith and Family
Thomas married Martha Tilley, daughter of "Scholar" John Tilley, founder of Shoal Harbour, on December 4, 1828. Their son, Thomas Jr., and wife, Deborah, settled in Elliott's Cove in the 1860's. Thomas' brothers, sisters and parents followed shortly thereafter.
Thomas' children were:
- Mary (1831-?)
- Moses (1833-1917)
- William (1836-1925)
- Thomas (1839-1906)
- Gideon (1841-1920)
- Elizabeth (1840-1920)
- Jane (1850-1937)
- Charles (1854-1903)
- Aaron (1855-1943)
While no definitive reason is known for the resettlement to Random Island, family researchers, Gloria Smith Corbett, and Arthur T. Dalton Jr.[2], noted that the book From Cod to Crab: Stories and History of Hant's Harbor mention that in 1868,
two-thirds of the fishing season had passed and there was not a single codfish drying on the flakes. The "planters" would make no more advances and declared that they would be ruined by bad debts already accumulated. Credit at the little stores was stopped for there were no returns.
— Garry Cranford & Ed Janes, From Cod to Crab: Stories and History of Hant's Harbor
Both Thomas and Martha are buried at Elliott's Cove.