From "A History of the Descendants of Peter Smith," compiled by Marshall Myers Smith, February, 1927:

Peter Smith was born Dec. 25, 1742, probably in Connecticut near Long Island Sound. Of his ancestry and early life nothing is known. The first information that we have concerning him is to the effect that he operated a passenger boat between the Connecticut shore and Long Island. In 1763 he married a Miss Batherick (Bathrick) and soon thereafter moved to Chatham, Columbia County, N. Y. and began farming. To this union there were born nine children as follows: Jonithan, Noah, Susan, Peter Jr., Asa, Zilpah, John, Hannah and Lewis. Of these children so little is known that their names will not appear again in this history.

After the death of his first wife he married in 1787 Abigail Cleveland, widow of Thomas Batherick (Bathrick) who had two children, John and Abigail Batherick (Bathrick). A history of the Cleveland family has been written, tracing the lineage back to the fifteenth century. Moses Cleveland, Grandfather of Abigail Cleveland, came from Ipswich, Eng in 1635 and died at Woburn, Mass Jan. 9, 1701 or 1702. Abigail Cleveland was born Feb. 21, 1758 and died Aug. 21, 1820. By her there were born seven children, Elijah Cleveland, Alice, Anna, Thomas Batherick (Bathrick), Lucy, Jane and James H. It is supposed that at some time he had another wife but records seem to be contradictory. About 1796 he removed from Columbia County to Kortright, Delaware County, N. Y. He died Jan. 15, 1843 at the home of his son Cleveland in Meredith, N. Y. being a little over one hundred years of age. He was buried in the Covenanter grave yard by the side of his wife at Kortright. N. Y.

The New York State records at Albany, N. Y. indicate that he was a sergeant in the New York, Albany Co. Militia, during the Revolution. This record would make it possible for any of his descendants to qualify for membership in either the Daughters of the American Revolution or the Sons of the American Revolution.