John "Rock" Smith was born around 1615, as evidenced by his deposition in 1675 when he said he was 60 years old.  He died at Merrick, Hempstead, Long Island, in 1706; his will, written 10 May 1695, was proven 3 April 1706.  There were several Smith families on Long Island, originally unrelated, that were given the distinctions of "Rock," "Bull," "Nan," "Weight," "Tangier," "Blue," and "Arthur," which continued intermittently for at least four generations.  Some were given for reasons we know, such as the blue coat that John "Blue" Smith wore. The reason for "Rock" has been speculated, possibly from a fireplace carved from a rock in a previous house in New England, or from a brief stay in Roxbury, but more likely from land he owned near the area on Long Island called Rockaway.

. . A John Smith (b.1575) came to Massachusetts Bay in 1630 with John Winthrop, aboard the Arabella, with his wife Isabel (1578-1638). [The Manifest of the Arabella lists only Mr & Mrs Smith] He settled in Watertown, MA, and was made a Freeman there in 1631.  Discontent there, John Smith Sr and John Smith Jr (of unknown relation to John and Isabel) were with the group who moved from Waterford to Wethersfield, CT in 1635.  Dissentions there led 28 of them to move to Stamford in 1641.  By the end of 1642, John Sr, John Jr, and Henry Smith lived in Stamford.  They were part of a group, under the leadership of Rev. Richard Denton, who left Stamford in 1644 to start a new community in Manetos, New Netherland, soon known as Hempstead, Long Island.  Upon arrival, John Jr bought land at the extreme westerly part of Hungry Harbor near Rockaway (perhaps another possible source for his nickname) and eventually accumulated land at Little Neck and the main farm at Merrick in Hempstead. John Rock Smith of Hempstead deposed in 1675, at age 60, that he remembered the marking of the line between Stamford and Greenwich in 1641, making him the most probable candidate for John Smith, Jr, of Stamford, not related to John Smith, Sr, although John Jr's daughter apparently married John Sr's grandson John Nan Smith.

. . The first positive mention of him as  an inhabitant of Hempstead, is July 4, 1656, the date of a letter to Gov. Stuyvesant signed by 42 Hempstead men (including his own mark); they said they were ready to pay the tenths (tithes) if  due, but only knew of the current general peace with the Indians . Thus,  with great independence, they reminded Stuyvesant of Hempstead's Nov. 16,  1644 patent from the Dutch government of New Netherlands, whereby tenths were to begin ten years  after the first general peace with the Indians. There had been Indian  troubles both in 1643 and 1655. Despite only nominal rule of the Dutch,  most of the English towns in New Netherland hastened to annex themselves to Connecticut. Early lists of Hempstead's original proprietors include the propriety of  "Rocke Smith" in Mr. Coe's Neck (probably 1654) John "Rock" Smith is often on Hempstead's town records, giving a good picture of him. He was a solid and cautious person, doing his civic and  religious duty but concentrating on increasing his land holdings as a  patrimony for his children. And in this he succeeded, for his children had a better education and  "married well." By action of Hempstead's town meeting of May 13, 1659, he became an innkeeper. "It is ordered that John Smith rock is licensed by general  vote to keep an ordinary and is allowed to sell meat, drinck, and rum to strangers with theire retinew." http://longislandgenealogy.com/smith/rock0001.htm 

. . According to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol.30, p.203, John Rock  Smith's wife was a daughter of Lt. John Strickland.  Some have taken that to mean Martha Strickland.  The Treadwell Genealogy says his wife was Hannah Murry (c1621-c1661). Long Island Genealogies says she was possibly named Mary, who died between 1660 and 1665, after which John married Sara.  Another source claims Elizabeth Gildersleeve (b.1624), daughter of Richard Gildersleeve and Jo Anna Appleton.  another claims Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Jeremiah Wood (b.1618) and the same Elizabeth Gildersleeve.  In short, there is no agreement as to the identity of John Rock Smith's wife.  But she does NOT appear to have been Gildersleeve nor Wood. Lists of children vary, too.  Suggestions welcomed.

. 1. Mary Smith married 1661 Samuel Denton Sr (b.1632/4-1713), son of Rev. Richard Denton
. . . 11. Samuel Denton Jr (1665-1719)  married c1686 Mary Smith (1666?) daughter of John Nan  
. . . . . . Smith  m(2) before 1697 Abigail Barlow, widow of Jonathan Rowland.
. 2. John Smith (3 Jan 1651/2-12 Mar 1683/4) married Hannah Smith, daughter of John "Nan" Smith
. 3. Martha Smith (died between 1690 and 1695) married (1) before 1668 Thomas Rushmore
. . . (d.1683) m(2) Francis Chappell
. 4. Joseph Smith (born before 1655, living in 1716) married before 1690 Hannah
. 5. Hannah Smith (died after 1706) married before 1682 John Treadwell
. 6. Jonathan "Jack" Smith (d.1724) m.1671 Grace Mott (c.1653) daughter of Adam Mott
. 7. Philena Smith married John Rushmore (some but not all sources list her)

John Smith "Rock" Jr (3 Jan 1651/2  - 12 Mar 1683/4) married Hannah Smith (c.1652), daughter of John "Nan" Smith and Anna Gildersleeve.  She married secondly about 1686 John Marvin (1649-1708), and had four more children (see Smith)
. 1. Sarah Smith (c.1670) married about 1690 William Pine (c1666-1737) of Hempstead
. 2. Timothy Smith
. 3. Richard Smith (c1675-1711) m.c1704 Catherine Smith
. 4. Mary Smith

Richard Smith (c1675-1711) married about 1704 Catherine Smith (bp.6 May 1682-after 1711) daughter of Philip Smith and Margaret Blanck.  He sold land in 1702 in Hungry Harbor that had been laid out to his father John Smith.  Richard wrote his will 23 Mar 1710/11.  It was proved 17 May 1711, naming only his wife Catie and two minor children Philip and Mary. (LongIslandGenealogy.com also lists children Richard, Timothy and Henry, but cites no sources.)
. 1. Philip Smith (c.1705)
. 2. Mary Smith  (11 Dec 1706-1761) m. 1727 Uriah Platt (c.1706-1746)

Mary Smith (11 Dec 1706-1761) m.30 May 1727 Uriah Platt (c.1706-20 Feb 1746) son of  Epenetus Platt and Elizabeth Smith.  She may have been born 6 Dec 1706.  The 1755 Census listed slaves Waterford and Gin.  Mary was listed as unmarried in her father's will.  Her identification as the wife of Uriah Platt is based upon the name of her second son Philip Smith Platt, who was apparently named for her brother.
. 1. Margaret Platt (16 Aug 1728-1791) m.1744 Isaac Smith (1722-1795)
. 2. Epenetus Platt (25 Jul 1730-1777) m.12 June 1753 Catherine Lawrence 
. 3. Philip Smith Platt (14 Jan 1732-1801)  m.29 Jun 1766 Elizabeth Smith (1733), daughter of Micah
. . . Smith and Phebe Thorne
. 4. Uriah Platt (5 Jan 1734-21 Jul 1803) m.27 Jan 1761 Sarah Treadwell (1740-1788)
. 5. Catharine Platt (26 Apr 1736-26 Sep 1736)

Margaret Edwards (1789-1864) m.1821 Thomas Tate (1775-1838)

Thomas Edwards Tate (1821-1914) m.1845 Mary Vernon Cutrer (1825-1892)

Frances Mary Tate (1852-1881) m.1871 Walter Edwin Tynes (1848-1928)

Jeanne Marie Tynes (1878-1958) m.1913 Carson B Matthews (1874-1948)

Frances Mary Tate Matthews (1917) m.1949 Virgil Raymond Liptrap (1907-1977)

James Matthews Liptrap (1951)