When Mildred "Milly" Smith was born about 1779, in Wilkes, Georgia, United States, her father, Benjamin or Benajah Smith, was 38 and her mother, Sarah Alexander, was 37. She married Thomas Wootten about 1799, in Wilkes, Georgia, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 5 daughters.
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Serving the newly created United States of America as the first constitution, the Articles of Confederation were an agreement among the 13 original states preserving the independence and sovereignty of the states. But with a limited central government, the Constitutional Convention came together to replace the Articles of Confederation with a more established Constitution and central government on where the states can be represented and voice their concerns and comments to build up the nation.
As Georgia had been weakened during the Revolutionary War, it was unable to defend its Yazoo lands, or land west of the Yazoo River. Thirty-five million acres were sold to four companies for $500,000 as Governor George Mathews signed the Yazoo Act on January 7, 1795. Angry Georgians protested in the streets as they felt bribery and corruption were involved and the sale was far below market value. The legislation tried to rescind the Yazoo Act, but much of the land had been sold to third parties. The issue made its way to the United States Supreme Court and it was determined that rescinding the law was an unconstitutional infringement on a legal contract. The government took full possession of the territory by 1814 and awarded its claimants over $4,000,000.
A barroom brawl in Savannah on Tuesday, November 12, 1811, had international impact. An American seaman boasted of having joined the crew of a French vessel, likely named La Vengeance. Others became upset at the idea of the American joining a foreign nation and a brawl erupted. The county coroner asked for peace but was beaten with clubs. A second clash occurred the following day when French sailors attacked five American seaman. A day after the second attack, twenty French sailors attacked six Americans. Four of them escaped but two were beaten and stabbed. Jacob Taylor died on the scene and a rigger named Collins died the following day. By Friday, a full scale riot erupted when the French crewmen arrested on murder charges were released. Many were arrested and French ships La Vengeance and La Franchise were burned. In the end, the incident caused disruptions in French-American relations and affected shipping and trade.
English and Scottish: occupational name denoting a worker in metal, especially iron, such as a blacksmith or farrier, from Middle English smith ‘smith’ (Old English smith, probably a derivative of smītan ‘to strike, hammer’). Early examples are also found in the Latin form Faber . Metal-working was one of the earliest occupations for which specialist skills were required, and its importance ensured that this term and its equivalents in other languages were the most widespread of all occupational surnames in Europe. Medieval smiths were important not only in making horseshoes, plowshares, and other domestic articles, but above all for their skill in forging swords, other weapons, and armor. This is also the most frequent of all surnames in the US. It is very common among African Americans and Native Americans (see also 5 below). This surname (in any of the two possible English senses; see also below) is also found in Haiti. See also Smither .
English: from Middle English smithe ‘smithy, forge’ (Old English smiththe). The surname may be topographic, for someone who lived in or by a blacksmith's shop, occupational, for someone who worked in one, or habitational, from a place so named, such as Smitha in King's Nympton (Devon). Compare Smithey .
Irish and Scottish: sometimes adopted for Gaelic Mac Gobhann, Irish Mac Gabhann ‘son of the smith’. See McGowan .
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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