Richard Bennett III (1667 - 1749)

Born 16 Sep 1667 in Maryland

Ancestors

Died 11 Oct 1749 at age 82 in Queen Anne's County, Maryland

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Biography

Richard Bennett III was one of the wealthiest men in colonial history. By his death, he owned 23,000 acres, one of the only colonial merchant fleets, and the Wye Mill (famous for the Wye Oak, which was only 160 years old at the time). His influence was felt across the entirety of the Maryland Eastern Shore. ^[1]

Richard Bennett III, attended a Jesuit school in Paris, and at 19 conducted a general store in Wye Town. He married Elizabeth Rousby and lived most of his life at Bennett's Point. They had no children. His wife died at 58, and Richard Bennett never remarried.

"Henrietta Maria Neale, eldest dau. of Capt. James and Anna Neale. m. 1st Richard Bennett, who was drowned in early manhood, and left two child., viz: Richard, who m. Elizabeth Rousby, and d. sine prole, and a dau who m. Darnall, or Lowe." ^[2]

Edward Lloyd (1711-1770), son of Edward Lloyd (1670-1718/19) who was son of Philemon Lloyd (1646-1685) MARRIED Anne Rousby (1721-1769), daughter of John Rousby. Anne was raised in the home of her aunt Elizabeth Rousby (1682-1740), who married Richard Bennett (1667-1749. ^[3] Richard Bennett III's mother Henrietta Maria Neale remarried to Philemon Lloyd after the death of Richard Bennett, II.

Research Notes

Born 1667^[4]

Died Y. 1749^[5] Age: 81-82.

Buried Easton, Talbot County, Maryland, USA. ^[6]

The tombstones of Richard Bennett III & his wife Elizabeth are located at Bennett's Point near Queenstown in Queen Anne's County. They read:

Here lieth the body of Richard Bennett Esq., who was born the 16th of September 1667, and died ye 11th of October 1749. His Father Died Young His Grandfather, who was also named Richard Bennett, was Governor of Virginia. No man was more Esteemed in Life In all Ranks of People than He, And this Esteem proceeded from his Benevolent & Charitable Disposition, Added to a Vast Depth of Understanding. To His Memory this Tombstone is dedicated by his Nephew, The Honourable Edward Lloyd Esq.

Sources

1. ↑ Patricia Samford. Richard Bennett III – Colonial Tycoon Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum - Maryland History by the Object. 28 May 2014.
2. ↑ George Hanson. "Old Kent on the Eastern Shore of Maryland" 1876. p 30. Google Books
3. ↑ Edward C. Papenfuse, et. al.. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789. Vol. 426, p 535/6. Archives of Maryland Online
4. ↑ Source: #S2 Certainty: 0
5. ↑ Source: #S2 Certainty: 0
6. ↑ Source: #S2 Certainty: 0

See also:

• ColonialAmerica.com

• Source: S2 Ancestry.com U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Dickson Preston. Ozymandius Beside the Chesapeake. Baltimore Sun. Baltimore MD. 5 November 1972. P246 FF. (Sun Magazine)

AMERICA'S first multimillionaire, an Eastern Shore Marylander, lies today in a lonely and neglected grave. His name was Richard Bennett 3d. He lived in Queen Annes county, which has completely forgotten him.

But in the early Eighteenth Century, that name was a household word. He was Maryland's greatest land baron, its largest ship owner, its most important merchant and financier. He owned more slaves, more cattle, more hogs, more horses, more plantations than any other man. And in an era when tobacco was king, he was by far its biggest grower on the Eastern Shore.

When he died in 1749, the Maryland Gazette saluted his many charities in a glowing obituary and said "he was supposed to be the richest man on the continent." Jeremiah Banning of Talbot county later phrased it more poetically. He wrote: "On the fertile banks of Wye River once dwelt poor Dick o Wye, the richest man in North America."

Bennett's lengthy will made many families wealthy and provided the basis for some of the great Maryland estates renowned in later days. It was a model of generosity to his slaves, his employees and his debtors. Even so, the will precipitated one of the bitterest legal battles in provincial history.