Tabitha Donelson Smith
Although she was the second mistress of Rock Castle, we know very little about Tabitha Donelson Smith. She was a child of the frontier, born on July 17, 1781 to Captain John Donelson III and his wife Mary Purnell. Raised in a settlement near the Clover Bottom area of Nashville, Tabitha was the oldest of twelve children. Her prestigious grandfather, Colonel John Donelson, was a co-founder of the city of Nashville, and her Aunt Rachel married future president Andrew Jackson.
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Although nothing is known of her childhood, her family would have been well-acquainted with the Smiths of Rock Castle. Daniel Smith was a prominent surveyor and local politician, and he would have crossed paths with her family on several occasions. Additionally, her Uncle Samuel had eloped with Daniel's only daughter Polly in 1796. Thus, Tabitha was most likely well-acquainted with George Smith by the time she married the heir to Rock Castle in 1797.
Tabitha's life both before and after marriage remains largely a mystery. She gave birth to six children: Mary, Sallie, Tabitha, Harry, Elizabeth, and Jane and watched her husband go off to fight during the War of 1812. There are no surviving documents written by Tabitha, so her voice remains silent about what life was like at Rock Castle in the mid-1800s.
After the death of Daniel Smith, she and her family moved into Rock Castle with her mother-in-law Sarah Michie Smith, and she shared the role of mistress of Rock Castle for 13 years. She maintained a close relationship with her Uncle Andrew Jackson even during his presidency as evidenced by a letter from March 1831 which instructs his nephew to "Say to Tabitha I recollect her with much good feeling."
Her husband passed away in February 1849, and she followed five years later in February 1854. She is buried in the Smith Family Cemetery on the Rock Castle property.
Preservationists have reconstructed and repaired Tabitha & George's monument multiple times over the years. The monument is located in the Smith Family Cemetery on the Historic Rock Castle property.