Bennett Price

Died 1774 in Hamilton Parish, Fauquier, Virginia

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Biography

Bennett Price married Judith Blackwell, daughter of Samuel Blackwell and Elizabeth Steptoe before 21 May 1769, the date of death of her brother John in North Carolina. Burnett died about 1774, and Judith remarried in 1779 to John Cordell.^[1]

Bennett Price married Judith Blackwell on 1 Jun 1768 in Fauquier, Virginia.^[2]

Bennett's will was written on 9 Jul 1774 and was proven on 24 Oct 1774 in Fauquier, Virginia, United States.^[3] as indicated in the paragraph immediately following Bennett's signature. However, the next page reveals another paragraph allowing that the will was proved 6 Jul 1779. The will makes reference to:

• "my beloved wife Judith"
• "her children" until they arrive at the age of twenty-one years or marry
• "my youngest child"
• "my children Elizabeth Ann & Judith" - no commas

Research Notes

Does this mean that they had children together or that he brought children to the marriage or that she did? She was, in theory, only about 16-17 when she married him, severely limiting the possibility that she brought children to the marriage. None of these names appear among her children with Cordell. Cordell Records names Judith's first husband as "Burnett" Price, and states that Judith Price had two children, Mrs. Elizabeth LeWright and Mrs. Ann Ball, suggesting either a misread of Bennet's will, meaning that Judith the wife was mentioned in that particular sentence or that Judith, a daughter, had died or moved and was out of touch with her family. ^[4] In the will, he used the phrase "amongst my children" suggesting three or more children, as he would likely have said, between my children or between my daughters had there been only two. Additionally, there was an ampersand before Judith's name, and the full phrase in which he named his children was in the context of having assigned his wife her third of the estate, and the rest to be equally divided "amongst my children above mentioned namely to wit Elizabeth Ann & Judith." Another take on the names and number of his children is seen in a will record of the same will in which the indexer chose to treat the girls as two -- Elizabeth Ann .... and Judith.

My interpretation of the will is echoed by the person responsible for abstracting it in this record.^[5]

The 1850 census shows Elizabeth LeWright, aged 80, living with her son William Price Bennett, born about 1809. Proofs may be added later. A profile for a second son has been identified on WikiTree, i.e. Bennett P. LeWright. His middle name has been seen as "Price".

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #201243991 find A Grave for Judith Cordell
2. ↑ Marriage: "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940"
   citing Digital film/folder number: 007578972; FHL microfilm: 31633; Record number: 81; Packet letter: C
   FamilySearch Record: XR8X-PPG (accessed 10 August 2023)
   Bennet Price marriage to Judith Blackwell on 1 Jun 1768 in Fauquier, Virginia.
3. ↑ Probate: "Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900"
   Will Books, 1759-1912, 1966-1967; Index, 1759-1924; Author: Virginia. County Court (Fauquier County); Probate Place: Fauquier, Virginia
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62347 #159595 (accessed 10 August 2023)
   Bennett Price probate on 9 Jul 1774 in Fauquier, Virginia, USA.
4. ↑ Cordell Records:A Virginia Family by Allan S. Humphreys, page 7
5. ↑ Will: "Abstracts of Fauquier County Virginia, Wills Inventories and Accounts 1759-1800"
   Original data: Gott, John K. Abstracts of Fauquier County Virginia, Wills Inventories and Accounts 1759-1800. Baltimore, MD, USA: Clearfield, 1999
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 49009 #3734 (accessed 10 August 2023)
   Will of Unknown.

• Dodd, Jordan. Virginia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.
• Headley, Robert K. Married Well and Often: Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649–1800. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003, p. 288.
• Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014, FHL Film Number: 31633, Reference ID: 28.
• Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021, Will Books, 1759-1912, 1966-1967; Index, 1759-1924; Author: Virginia. County Court (Fauquier County); Probate Place: Fauquier, Virginia.