Benjamin Duckworth (abt. 1765 - 1840)

Born about 1765 in North Carolina

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1840 at about age 75 in Moss Point, Jackson County, Mississippi, United States of America

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Biography

Benjamin was born in North Carolina about 1765.^[1]

In 1800, 1810, 1820, and 1830 he was living in Pendleton District (later Anderson County), South Carolina.^[2][3][4][5]

Notes

1829 The Leaf River Baptist Church was organized in Covington County, and in 1834 Benjamin Duckworth and Mary, his wife, were received into membership from Hopewell Church, Anderson District, South Carolina

16 AUG 1819 The Covington County Tract Book records that Benjamin entered land on this date and received his patent for the SE quarter of Section 25, Township 9, Range 15 on November 15, 1825. He received patent for a quarter section of land in Covington County, Mississippi (T9N R15W Sec 25, Cert. No. 698, Records of the General Land Office, National Archives, Washington D.C.)

One of the primary sources for this family history has been the book, "Benjamin Duckworth, His Descendants and Related Families," compiled and edited by Sandra E. Boyd and based on information collected by Lucile Rogers Skehan. This book was printed at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1989 with revisions and additions in 1991. The following is excerpted from this book:

"About 1820 there was a large immigration from S.C. One caravan [is described] mostly from hearsay. There was a man by the name of Benjamin Duckworth. He had a large family; all or nearly all of them were grown and married and had family. He was a man of an enterprising disposition and the old home being considerably crowded set out to look up a new country for them. He went to Tenn. but did not like it there so he set out for Miss. and struck in the northeast part of Covington County. He obtained land and went back to report. He sent his son, Joseph Duckworth, and family and some negro slaves out there to settle the place, and live there on it until he could come.

There were 39 persons in the caravan of movers;

• he [unclear who this refers to] married Gen. Laurence's daughter of S.C., and their family consisting of

1. Monroe Speed,
2. William and Benjamin, afterwards Big Ben Speed;
3. Patrick Duckworth who married the old man Duckworth's daughter, Sarah/Sally, and their family;
4. and already mentioned Joseph Duckworth who had married Mary Polly Green and their family;
5. Robert Crocker Duckworth who was married to Elizabeth Wilson and their family;
6. James Cooper Duckworth (a twin of Crocker) his wife was Gen. Garrison's daughter, Clary Ann and their family;
7. Zabud Duckworth his wife was Polly Thompson and their family;
8. Elnathan Daniel Duckworth his wife was Gen. Garrison's daughter, Morning and their family;
9. William Duckworth
10. and Obediah Duckworth, I do not know their wives but their families were along.

George Owenshad married widow Hathron and their family, Nick Hathornnis wife was Betsy Bryant, Stockerly Turner and several young men came along with them and all settled in this county [Covington] and close around here and a thrifty energetic lot of people they were too." This paragraph was written down by Billy Paul Rogers of Collins, Mississippi. Continuing on about the caravan:

"The old set are gone the way of all the earth but their descendants are here to stay..........The men were good workers and careful to save what they made in the field and the country was fresh and stock of all kinds done well there but was very cheap, but the men saved money to buy negro slaves with. The men that came here worked well and raised horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep, also grew corn, cotton, wheat, pototoes, peas, oats, and rice. After a long time some people raised sugar cane and ground on wooden mills and cooked the syrup in pots and kettles. The women of the caravan of which I speak and their descendants were industrious and stout and made all or most of their clothing for these families, and that was before there were gins to separate the lint from the cotton seed. They would pick the cotton, then card and spin it into thread and then weave it into cloth. The cards, workbasket and spinning wheel were household necessities and it was a common thing for each of the family to have a share in the manufacturing of the cloth."

Burial

Family tradition says that Benjamin Duckworth was on a trip to Mobile, Alabama, sometime in 1840, when he died unexpectedly. He was reportedly buried in Moss Point, MS.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Monument in Leaf River Cemetery, Covington County, Mississippi.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRC-QJ5 : accessed 23 April 2017), Benjn Ducksworth, Pendleton District, South Carolina, United States; citing p. 119, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 50; FHL microfilm 181,425.
3. ↑ 1810 Pendleton Co., SC census "United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBM-SS9?cc=1803765&wc=QZZZ-M2N%3A1588180002%2C1588181717%2C1588179902 : 1 December 2015), South Carolina > Pendleton > Not Stated > image 18 of 54; citing NARA microfilm publication M252, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ 1820 Pendleton Co., SC census "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG6-STX : accessed 23 January 2023), Benjamin Ducksworth, Pendleton, South Carolina, United States; citing p. , NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTY-GY2?cc=1803958&wc=35Y4-D5K%3A1588477001%2C1588471810%2C1588469601 : 14 August 2015), South Carolina > Anderson > Not Stated > image 100 of 178; citing NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Benjamin Duckworth: His Repository: Raleigh Public Library, Raleigh, MS.
• The Cullen Lott family and the Benjamin C. Duckworth family of Covington County, Mississippi. Lampton, Lucious Marion. 1992. Repository: Pascagoula Public Library, Pascagoula, MS.
• 1840 Covington Co., MS census

See Also:

• Keziah Duckworth