I am a new member of the list and am researching the SMITHSON family . My 4ggfather was John Smithson. He was reportedly from "Elizabethtown, NJ". He md Hannah COCHRAN(I don't know where) and they baptized 5 children at the First Presbyterian Church of NYC between 1774 and 1785. His daughter, Elizabeth Smithson, md Robert Pickering in NYC in 1801. She told her children that she was from Elizabethtown and remembered seeing George Washington at their home there in 1783. John Smithson paid taxes in Hanover and Chatham, Morris Co between the years 1780-1811. I am trying to figure out why they were back and forth between NYC and NJ and suppose that it had something to do with the Revolutionary War. Are there tax lists available for Elizabeth during this time period? Is there an index to wills during this period? I would appreciate any advice on researching these people, and hope to be able to contact anyone else researching the SMITHSON name. Thank You, Pat Payne in FL