Richard Benjamin (1740 - 1815)

Born 1740 in Goshen, Orange County, New York [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 21 Mar 1815 at about age 75 in Bennett's Creek, Asylum Township, Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Richard was born in about 1740 in Goshen, Orange County, New York.^[1]

A Richard Benjamin is recorded as serving in the Fourth Regiment of the Orange County Militia.^[2]

Richard has a short biography in the History and geography of Bradford County, Pennsylvania as follows:

Richard Benjamin, who had served in the Revolutionary War, accompanied his father-in-law, Amos Bennett, to Wyalusing Township^[3] and resided there until the fall of 1793, when he and Benjamin Acla, his brother-in-law, went to Bennett Creek, built log houses and the following spring moved in with their families. He lived on what is known as the Haight Place, where he died in 1815.

By his wife, Martha Bennett, he had children: Jonathan, John, David, Sally (Mrs Ebenezer Drake), Polly (Mrs Samuel Chilson), Hetty (Mrs Robert Chilson), Patty (Mrs Amos Vargason), Joshua, Peter, Jesse and Betsy. ^[4]

Some biographies note they had "two other children who died young".

Richard also has a biography inThe Benjamin Family in America.^[5] The following items are of interest:

He is listed in 1796 at a taxable inhabitant of the Wyalusing District of Bradford Co. , Penn.

There is a military record for a Richard Benjamin who was a member of the N.Y. Provincial Troops and enlisted April 21, 1760 at the age of 19 (bc. 1741), was a weaver, born in Suffolk Co. and was in the Company of Capt. Daniel Wells. (This might be the military record of another Richard, because of the birth place) Another source says he served as a private the later part of the Revolutionary War in the Florida Regiment of the Orange County Militia commanded by Colonel Henry Wisner.

Richard's household was recorded in Wysox, Luzerne County in the 1800 Census. In the household were two boys and two girls under ten years of age, two boys aged between 10 and 16 years of age, one young man aged between 16 and 26 and two young women in the same age bracket. There were two adults aged between 26 and 45, which would be Richard and his wife Richard. There were no slaves recorded.^[6]

In the 1810 Census Richard and his family were recorded in Towandy, Luzerne County.^[7] This time around in the household with them was one girl under ten years of age, one boy and three girls aged between ten and sixteen and three young men aged between sixteen and twenty-six. Richard and Martha were recorded in the 45+ age bracket.

Richard died on 21 May 1815 at Bennett's Creek, Asylum, Bradford County.^[8] He is generally thought to be buried in an unmarked grave in a private cemetery on Storr's Farm, Macedonia, Bradford County.^[9] The cemetery is located off Route 187 south, along the Outboard Motor Club.

Sources

1. ↑ UNSOURCED
2. ↑ New York in the revolution as colony and state By James A. Roberts, Frederic Gregory Mather, Page 161, image available at Google Books [1]
3. ↑ Some biographies date his arrival in Wyalusing as 1785.
4. ↑ History and geography of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 1615-1924 Chapter XXII. Asylum Township Page 284 - text not sighted, copied from https://www.geni.com/people/Richard-Benjamin/3962816326330123271
5. ↑ The Benjamin family in America, published 1977, by Bicha, Gloria Wall, 1929-; Brown, Helen Benjamin, Page 690
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHR6-DCC : accessed 21 May 2020), Richard Benjamins, Wysox, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, United States; citing p. 414,415, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 39; FHL microfilm 363,342.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH2B-29R : accessed 21 May 2020), Richard Benjamins, Towandy, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, United States; citing p. 718, NARA microfilm publication M252 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 49; FHL microfilm 193,675.
8. ↑ UNSOURCED
9. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93342066/richard-benjamin