Who was Sarah, second wife of Joseph Benjamin, and how do we know?

Question

From RC Anderson's Great Migration Begins, vol. 1, p. 163:

iv. JOSEPH, b. say 1634; m. (1) Barnstable 10 June 1661 "Jemima Lumbard" [MD 2:214; TAG 52:139], daughter of THOMAS LOMBARD; m. (2) Sarah __ [TAG 10:35; Otis 1:143].

The only records we have of Joseph Benjamin's wives are the 1661 marriage naming Jemima (recorded at Boston and Barnstable), and his 1704 inventory and probate records at Preston, Conn. [TAG 10:35], naming widow Sarah and eight children.

The births of five of his children are recorded at Yarmouth 1668-1679 [Yarmouth VR]. Nothing identifies their mother(s). Only Abigail is named as granddaughter in the 1662 will of Jemima's father Thomas Lumbert [MD 16:125].

One further record has sparked the... imagination of several biographers:

On 20th of the 12th month [Feb] 1668[/9], Barnard Lumbart testified to the nuncupative will of William Clarke of Yarmouth lately deceased, stating, "father Clarke Came to Joseph Benjamine the 9th Day of June 1668, and Continued with him untill the 10th Day of December following and then Died" [NEHGR 7:178]. Clarke had only modest personal property, and gave all of it to Joseph Benjamin. There's no relationship or reason stated in the testimony.

From this, it seems some have concluded that Joseph's widow Sarah must have been the daughter of William Clarke (though William Howard Powers in 1921 calls her "doubtless a niece"!), and therefore they must have married before 1668, and therefore Jemima must have died by 1666 (or 1662, because she wasn't explicitly named in her father's will), and therefore Joseph's later children must have been Sarah's.

It's a reasonable hypothesis (Torrey calls her "CLARK?") but far from proven. Over the years, authors have added further assertions presented with complete certainty, no documentation, and at times obvious misunderstandings (for example, Thomas Lumbert's will date given as Abigail's birth date, citing a record in "Charlestown VR" that doesn't exist). The 1977 Benjamin family in America gives Sarah a birthdate Aug. 1, 1639, gives William a wife "Sarah (Lumbert-Lumbard)", proclaims that she was sister of Barnard and Thomas Lumbert and therefore Sarah and Jemima were cousins, and describes Jemima's death in childbirth and Joseph's widowhood with two infants - colorful stories, none supported by a bit of evidence.

Currently Sarah, the wife of Joseph Benjamin, is listed as Clarke and is attached to a random William Clarke (the 1668 William Clarke is PPP and Sarah was detached as his child in 2021). The research notes are a bit jumbled which is why I wanted to put together a summary here.

It seems to me Sarah's LNAB should be Unknown, she should be detached from parents, and the hypothesis about her origin can be discussed and linked in her bio. Because there are so many secondary and tertiary sources claiming her as Clark she might also benefit from PPP.

We have no idea which of Joseph's wives was the mother of which of his children (other than probably Abigail), so I'm not sure what should happen with them - should they be detached from both mothers and then linked to both in their bios?

Thoughts? Or any more recent primary source discoveries?

Comments

Hi Cheryl, can you also tag Massachusetts?  That's the Project that would cover these profiles.

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Done, thanks for the heads-up!

Answer 1

Hi Cheryl,

I have a Benjamin descent.  My experience with the "Benjamin Family" genealogy is that it is inaccurate and incomplete (at least for my line), so I agree that assertions such as Sarah's exact birth date should be discounted.  

I have several early ancestors who cared for a sick or aged person in exchange for that person's estate.  I agree that an assumption of relatedness is not necessarily correct, so disconnecting William and changing Sarah's LNAB seems prudent.

Regarding the childrens' mothers, I suggest constructing a list of children with known or inferred birth years and locations, and marriage data, before disconnecting any mothers.  I have found this to be a reliable method for uncovering profile errors.  The list also makes gaps in known or inferred birth years easier to spot, and can indicate a change in spouses.

Answer 2

Colonial Families of the US, page 19, lists Joseph Benjamin as married June 10, 1661 in Barnstable, Massachusetts to Jemima Lambert, daughter of Thomas Lambert. It lists him married (secondly) to Sarah Clark, 7th December 1668. It also lists the children of Sarah and Joseph Benjamin.

The Grafton Magazine of History and Genealogy (Original Source: Hitchcock, Frederick H.. The Grafton Magazine Of History And Genealogy, Vol.1. Mar. 1909, No. 4; The Grafton Press Publishing, 1908.) lists Mary Benjamin as the daughter of Joseph Benjamin (1633-1704) and Sarah Clark (16  -1704).

I hope this is helpful in some way in responding to your question.

Ralph