Elizabeth Smith, wife of John Corbin

I recently got involved in searching for my ancestors and at this point I am only learning how to research. I am looking at all the information that I can find that is being posted in places like worldconnect, family forums and familysearch. I have the ambitious goal of identifying as many of my direct American ancestors as possible and what country the first in that line came from. I've seen conflicting information on many people in many of my lines. Sometimes I can see what looks correct when I find conflict and other times there isn't enough information given to make a decision one way or the other. I want every researcher who has done the legwork and posted information that I sincerely appreciate your efforts and hard work.

I have learned many things about genealogy in the short time that I've been involved in this but one of the things that stands out to me is that putting the information together to identify an individual is similiar to putting a jigsaw puzzle together. If all of the pieces aren't there then it is difficult to put an accurate picture together. I can see much of the information posted has been put together using the known facts with circumstances to fill in the blanks.

I want to emphasize that all the information that I currently have has been obtained by what others have posted. I am following this information to trace my lines and I am aware that the possibility exists that some of the information that I believe is correct could be wrong.

I descend from the Corbin and Smith lines through several maternal lines. Beginning with myself and going backwards my line runs as Tom Eaton, Violet Owen, Clara Adair, Anna Chism, Permillia Davis, James Davis Jr., Charlotte Crenshaw, Elizabeth Buford, Frances Corbin, daughter of John Corbin and Elizabeth Smith.

There has been two different deeds that I have seen posted that identify Elizabeth Smith's parents as William Smith and Grace unknown. One deed dated in 1696 would identfy her husband as John Corbin and her father as William Smith. The other deed dated in 1684 identifies her mother as Grace and her father William Smith being deceased. I haven't seen any of the books or original materials but it seems that for many years that Elizabeth Ballard was given for Elizabeth Smith's mother and that Lawrence Smith was given as William Smith's father. If the majority of the dates given for the births of William Smith and Elizabeth Ballard are correct then I don't see how they can be the parents of the Elizabeth Smith who married the John Corbin who was born in 1671.

If William Smith and Elizabeth Ballard had a daughter Elizabeth Smith that married a John Corbin then could it be possible that she married John Corbin, son of John Corbin and Elizabeth Smith. I doubt this but it is not impossible because most references to the younger John Corbin has wife unknown.

Most references have William Smith married to Elizabeth Ballard as the son of Lawrence Smith while the few references that I've seen that have parents for William Smith married to Grace have his parents as Tobias Smith and Phoebe Fauntleroy. I feel that Elizabeth Smith's parents were William Smith and Grace. I don't see where this William Smith is the son of Lawrence Smith but though I've seen information that would identfy a son named Wiliam for Tobias Smith, I haven't seen anything that clearly identifies the William Smith, husband of Grace, as the son of Tobias Smith.

If anybody has information that could show that Elizabeth Smith, wife of John Corbin and daughter of William Smith and Grace, has a grandfather Tobias Smith, then I wish and would very much appreciate if you would post it.