Anna Strong (spy)
| Anna Nancy Smith Strong | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Operation(s) | Culper Ring |
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| Born | April 14, 1740 |
| Died | August 12, 1812 (aged 72) Setauket, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Setauket, New York |
| Spouse | Selah Strong |
| Occupation | spy |
Anna Smith Strong (April 14, 1740 – August 12, 1812) of Setauket, New York, was an American Patriot and a possible member of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution.
Anna's father was Colonel William Smith, son of Henry Smith and grandson of Colonel William Smith, a justice of the supreme court established in New York in 1691. He was clerk of Suffolk County, New York and judge of the Common Pleas court for the county for several years before the American Revolution. Anna's mother was Margaret Lloyd Smith, daughter of Henry Lloyd of Lloyd's Neck. Anna was described in an 1839 book by Benjamin Franklin Thompson on the history of Long Island as "a lady of much amiability and worth."
Anna's husband Selah Strong (December 25, 1737 - July 4, 1815) was related through his mother Hannah to General Nathaniel Woodhull and Abraham Woodhull, the "Samuel Culper " of the Culper Ring of American spies during the revolutionary war. He was a delegate to the first three provincial congresses in New York, which convened on May 22 and December 6 in 1775 and in May 1776. He also was a captain in the New York militia in 1776. According to Rivington's Gazette of January 3, 1778, Selah Strong was imprisoned in the sugar house at New York City as a presumed spy. Family tradition has him later imprisoned on the prison ship HMS Jersey. Later works mention only his imprisonment on the prison ship. Tradition says that Anna brought him food. Author Ryan Ann Hunter states that Anna eventually got Selah paroled through the influence of Tory relatives. Upon his release, he spent the rest of the war in Connecticut with the family's younger children while Anna stayed on Long Island.
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