Dr. Smith was born in Hartford, Connecticut on August 13, 1805 to Moses “Bliss” Smith and Phoebe L. Adams Smith. Phebe Adams Smith was said to have been descended from the large Adams family that included Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. The two family lines do not appear to be directly related in the same direct line, but there are numerous common and similar names. The families were both active on the colonial side of the American Revolution, but the two president’s ancestors and descendants lived in Massachusetts while the Phebe Adams line seems to have settled in Connecticut. Most likely, the families were related.
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