From the author's preface:
I believe the county to be unique among counties in the commonwealth in that it received a hearty number of New England and New York settlers - a group perhaps second only to the very numerous Pennsylvania settlers - primarily of German origin with occasional elements of Swiss-German, but also very likely English, Scottish and a few Ulsterite (Scots-Irish) settlers also from Pennsylvania. A few examples of this can be found in the histories of such families as the Coles and Wheelers from New England, the Bishops and Sherwoods (the latter family via New Brunswick, Canada) from New York (and just across the line in Washington County, Virginia, the Aylesworths (Rhode Island to Saratoga, New York to Washington County, Virginia), Dentons (New York), and Thompsons (stonemasons from Connecticut). The county also harbored a number of persons from Maryland (such as the Talbot [Talbert], Smallwood, Vermillion, Smallwood, and Poston families [and right across the line in Washington County, Virginia, the McNew, Cawood and Athey families], as well as "Delaware Swedish " (Stalcop/Stolcup). Some German speaking persons might have come via North Carolina such as the Swiss Billetor/Billeter family (Stokes County, North Carolina). But, of course, it was the Pennsylvania settlers that, by far, dominated the ranks of the early settlers of the county. This likely put the "Eastern Virginia English" into a quite small minority although some few families from the Virginia Piedmont did appear in early times, such as the Harris, Thompson, and McGhee families (Louisa Co), the Crenshaw family (Amelia, Nottoway County - originally in St. Martin's Parish, Hanover County, Virginia), and the Ferguson and Lee families (both from Buckingham County, Virginia). In my opinion, the early migration to Smyth County, Virginia indicates a heavy preponderance of settlers from North of Virginia, with Pennsylvania dominance and a unique and fairly sizeable New England and other Middle Atlantic contingents.
In summary, the county was heavily German and Swiss German with a healthy dash of Scottish and some few "Eastern Virginia English" having crossed through the water gaps to join the principally Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and New England early settlers to the county.
Thomas Jack Hockett and Donald Helton
2014
107-SMYP
