Benjamin Swett Sr (1624 - 1677)

Born 1624 in Wymondham, Norfolk, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Esther (Weare) Greenleaf — married 1 Nov 1647 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 29 Jun 1677 at about age 53 in Black Point, Scarborough, Yorkshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jeffrey Swett [send private message] and Karen Munro [send private message]

Biography

Benjamin Swett was born in 1624, probably in the area of Wymondham, Norfolk, England. Benjamin Swett, son of John Swett, was baptized 12 May 1624 in Wymondham Parish, Norfolk, England. ^[1] His mother's name was Phoebe (Benton). ^[2]

In 1642 John Swett and his family appear in Newbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where John was made a Freeman on 18 May 1642.^[3]

Benjamin Swett married Hester/Esther Weare on 1 November 1647, in Newbury.^[4][5] Hester was a daughter of Nathaniel Weare of Hampton.

Benjamin and Hester/Esther had children, the first seven born in Newbury, the last five born in Hampton, New Hampshire:^{[6] [7][8]}

1. Hester (1648-1703), married Abraham Greene ^[9]
2. Sarah (1650-1717), married Maurice Hobbs ^[10]
3. Mary (1652, died young)
4. Mary (1654-) ^[11], married Richard Waterhouse, no children
5. Benjamin (1656-ca.1719), married Theodate Hussey ^[12]
6. Joseph (1659-1721), married Hannah Ward ^[13], then Sarah Andrews
7. Moses (1661-ca.1730), married Mary Hussey ^[14]
8. Hannah (!664-), married John Rust ^[15]
9. Elizabeth (1667), ^[16], no further records
10. John (1670-1753), married Bethia Page ^[17]
11. Stephen (1672-ca.1746), married Mary Kent ^[18]

Benjamin obtained a seven-year lease on a farm in Newbury, and he and his brother-in-law Nathaniel Weare worked it together. At the end of the lease, in about 1663, Benjamin moved to Hampton, New Hampshire. There he was active in the town governance. He was Commissioner for county rates in 1665 and 1668; Selectman 1665, 1669, and 1675; served on juries in 1664, 1666, 1668, and 1673. In 1670 he received a grant of 100 acres of land. He was appointed to be the Ensign for Hampton, a position he had also been appointed to in Newbury in 1651, and he was active in military matters.^{[19] [6]}

On 31 May 1671 Benjamin wrote, on behalf of himself and twelve other men, a petition to the General Court in Boston, objecting to their arbitrary appointment of Capt. Robert Pike as Sergeant-Major to oversee the militia of Norfolk County, when no such appointment was requested and without leaving it to the choice of the people [Mass. Archives, Vol. 67, p. 57]. ^[20] The facsimile of Benjamin Swett's signature is shown, and, yes, he did sign his name SWETT.

King Philip's War began in 1675, and Benjamin at that time was a Lieutenant. He engaged in a number of actions between 1675 and 1677. In 1677 Benjamin was commissioned as a Captain, and put in charge of the "Eastern" front of the war. In June 1677 he was ordered to establish a military presence at Black Point, Scarborough, Province of Maine, as the base location for ongoing military actions against the Indians. On 29 June 1677 about 100 soldiers and friendly Indians disembarked from ships off the coast of Black Point, and they marched into an ambush. Many of the soldiers were raw recruits and panicked. The soldiers made for a garrison house, but most were either killed or badly wounded. Benjamin was among those killed, and his actions displayed bravery until his death. ^[21]

For a very detailed account of the battle and the people involved, see the Maine Genealogist, Volume 25 (2003), “A Doleful Slaughter Near Black Point”.^[22]

Remains of people killed in battle were typically put into mass graves near the battle site, so Benjamin was probably buried with his fallen companions.

Benjamin's widow administered his estate in October 1677. One of the assessors of the estate was Stephen Greenleaf. On 31 March 1679 Esther married the widowed Ensign Steven Greenleaf.^[23] Captain Stephen Greenleaf died in 1690, drowning off Cape Breton while returning from Canada as part of the ill-fated Phip's Expedition against Port Royal. Hester/Esther died in 1718.

Research Notes

From Stackpole (Stackpole #5): Captain Benjamin Swett , born in England as early as 1626, married, 1 Nov. 1647, Hester, daughter of Hon. Nathaniel Weare of Hampton, N. H. He lived seven years in Newbury, on the Woodbridge farm, just east of the upper green and about where the Woodbridge School now stands. Removed to Hampton Falls, N. H. The Gove House, where the poet Whittier died, stands very near the site of Capt. Benjamin Swett's house, and the enormous elm tree close by is said to have been brought from England by Swett's brother-in-law, Nathaniel Weare. He was Captain in the militia and commanded the expedition to Black Point, Scarborough, where he was killed in battle with the Indians, 29 June 1677. His widow married Ensign Stephen Greenleaf, 31 March 1679. She died in Hampton, N. H., 16 Jan. 1718, aged 89. Mr. Swett was one of the leading men of Hampton and a brave military officer. For sketch of him see Bodge's Soldiers of King Philip's War. Seven children recorded in Newbury and four in Hampton. ^[8]

Hampton, New Hampshire, once included several of the neighboring towns. Their dates of separation were: Kingston (1690), Hampton Falls (1712-1718), Kensington (1737), parts of Rye (1730-1738), East Kingston (1738), Danville (1760), and parts of Seabrook (1768). There are no Swetts listed in the cemetery inscriptions for Hampton, so one must look for them in these other towns.

Sources

1. ↑ Parish records: LDS Film # 1911510 Items 5-10 Parish registers, 1615-1900 Church of England. Parish Church of Wymondham (Norfolk).
2. ↑ John Swett in Norfolk Banns And Marriages, New Buckenham, Norfolk, England; Norfolk Record Office, archive PD 540/3; posted on FindMyPast; (https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FNORFOLK%2FMAR%2F300229922%2F1)
3. ↑ Massachusetts: Miscellaneous Census Substitutes, 1630-1788, 1840, 1890 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. From records supplied by Ancestry.com) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB509/rd/13684/2712/242320951
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-WXC6 : 6 May 2022), Benjamin Swett and Hester Weare, 1 Nov 1647; citing Marriage, , Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009724.
5. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Text: SWETT, Benjamin (1624-1677) & Hester WYRE/Esther WEARE, m/2 Stephen GREENLEAF 1678?; Nov [164-?], 1 Nov 1647; Newbury/ Hampton, NH {Waterhouse 6; McIntire Anc. 81, 208; Farr Anc. 311; Reg. 6:50, 56, 38:300; Pillsbury Anc. 591; NYGBR 43:300; Putnam's Mag. (https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21175/1479/426906089)
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Libby, Charles T. "Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire", , Vol. 4, Page 71
7. ↑ Stearns, Ezra S. Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire (Lewis Publishing Company, 1908) Vol. 2, Page 964
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Stackpole, Everett S, "Swett genealogy : descendants of John Swett of Newbury, Mass", Page 9
9. ↑ "New Hampshire Marriages, 1720-1920", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDLM-RNR : 24 January 2020), Ester Swett in entry for Abraham Green, 1668.
10. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-G2SC : 7 May 2022), Morris Hobbs and Sarah Swett, 13 Jun 1678; citing Marriage, Salisbury, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZMV-DJP : 15 January 2020), Mary Swett, 1654.
12. ↑ "New Hampshire Marriages, 1720-1920", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDPM-V82 : 24 January 2020), Benjamin Swett, 1682.
13. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21175/1479/426906100
14. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21175/1479/426906102
15. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21175/1316/426940077
16. ↑ "New Hampshire Births and Christenings, 1714-1904", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDNJ-W9Q : 18 January 2020), Elizabeth Swett, 1667.
17. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21175/1479/426906096
18. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-HK3P : 7 May 2022), Stephen Swett and Mary Kent, 27 Dec 1695; citing Marriage, , Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009724.
19. ↑ Vital Records from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.) Vol 6, 1852; Article: The Swett Family; 51; 56
20. ↑ Thornton, "Mementos of the Swett Family", 1851, Page 13
21. ↑ "Soldiers in King Philip's war. Containing lists of the soldiers of Massachusetts Colony, who served in the Indian war of 1675-1677. With sketches of the principal officers, and copies of ancient documents and records relating to the war", by Bodge, George M., 1891; 290-294
22. ↑ The Maine Genealogist. Farmington, ME: The Maine Genealogical Society, 1977-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018.); “A Doleful Slaughter Near Black Point”, The Battle at Moore’s Brook, Scarborough, Maine, June 29, 1677; by Sumner Hunnewell; vol 25 (2003) 51-72; 99-120
23. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-4JX8 : 6 May 2022), Steven Greenleaf and Esther Swett, 31 Mar 1679; citing Marriage, , Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009724.

See also:

• Dow, Joseph. History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire (Salem, MA, 1893) Footnote Abbreviation: Dow
• Sargent, William M; The WEARE Family of Hampton, New Hampshire and North Yarmouth, Maine; Old Times Office; Location: Yarmouth, Maine; 1879; Footnote Abbreviation: Sargent