Thomas Smiley (c. 1660 – 1689) was a Williamite defender during the Siege of Derry.
Family Thomas Smiley was the son of Presbyterian Minister Thomas Smiley (born c. 1630) in Scotland. Minister Smiley moved his family to County Donegal, Ireland about 1670 as part of the Plantation of Ulster.
Thomas Smiley (the son) married his wife Ann (1663-1731) in about 1679, and they had four children; John, Rose, William, and Francis. Rose remained in Ireland, while the three sons set sail for America in the early 1700s.
Origin The Smiley Family originated from Lanarkshire, Scotland; where their surname was Smylie, Smyly or Smaillie, and other versions exist as well. The family name changed to Smiley in Ireland, as family members settled near Derry in the 17th century.The Scots in Ulster Surname Map by Dr. William Roulston, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2008
Death
Thomas Smiley died in battle during the Siege of Derry in 1689. As a Williamite defender of the city, he helped to prevent the fall of the city to King James II, which allowed time for the Royal Navy of William III of England to arrive and lift the siege.Fighters of Derry; Their Deeds and Descendants, Being a Chronicle of Events in Ireland during the Revolutionary Period, 1688-1691 by William R Young, published by London, Evre and Spottiswoode, 1932
Recognition In recognition of Thomas's courage in battle, the Smiley Family was awarded an Armorial Ensign by William Hawkins, Esq., Ulster King of Arms about 1700.Representative Women of New England, p.30, by Julia Ward Howe, New England Historical Pub. Co., 1904
This ensign was confirmed and duly recorded in 1815 by the Crown; through Sir William Betham, Knight Deputy of Ulster, King of Arms.Office of the Chief Herald, National Library of Ireland
Key elements of the ensign include: a Chevron (insignia) which denotes military valour, an armoured arm upon the Crest (heraldry) which signifies strength or power, and iron dart heads Pheon indicating defence of Crown property.
The motto of the crest "Viribus Virtus" translates as "Valor in Arms" or "Virtue with Power".
Descendants Despite the fact that Thomas Smiley died in battle, his legacy extends through his three sons that settled in America in the 1700s. They established the bloodlines that subsequently have grown to many thousands of Smiley descendants.
John Smiley settled in Pennsylvania, William Smiley settled in Virginia, and Francis Smiley settled in New Hampshire.
Several sons of these settlers served as soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.Daughters of the American Revolution, National Number 639031, et al.Daughters of the American Revolution, Patriot Index (1966), page 623
Biography Thomas Smiley's biography was written by Oliver H. White in 1949. This biography was compiled into the book Genealogy of Smiley family and descendants (1971) by Jane Myrtle Hinkhouse, which may be found in the Library of Congress.Genealogy of Smiley Family and descendants, by M. J. Hinkhouse, LC class CS71.S64 1971, Dewey Decimal class 929/.2/0973 In addition, the Library of Congress produced a microfilm record of this book in 1985.
The biography details the notability of Thomas Smiley which was recorded by the Crown of England following the Siege of Derry in 1689.
See also Irish heraldry James II of England Scotch-Irish Americans Ulster Scots people
References
External links The Plantation of Ulster, BBC History The Scot in Ulster, by John Harrison, 1888 Derry Visitor Information Derry's Old City Walls The Siege of Derry in Ulster Protestant Mythology The Siege of Derry, by P. W. Joyce The College of Arms The Ulster-Scots Society of America