Richard Bennett Sr. (1625 - aft. 1709)

Born 6 Aug 1625 in Isle of Wight, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died after 4 Dec 1709 after age 84 in Isle of Wight, Virginia, British Colonial America

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This profile does NOT represent the Richard Bennett (6 August 1609 – 12 April 1675) who was the first Puritan English Governor of the Colony of Virginia serving from from 30 April 1652, until 2 March 1655. ^[1]

Biography

Richard BENNETT Sr. was born in 1625 in Isle of Wight, Virginia. Richard Bennett was thought to be the son of Thomas Bennett and Ann who were residing on the south side of the James River, near Lawne's Creek in 1624.

Richard Bennett's first wife was named Anne Barham.^{[2] [3]} They married in 1654 in Upper Parish, Isle Of Wight, Virginia.^{[citation needed]}

2. See notes of husband Richard Bennett for a discussion of Anthony Barham who was related to his "brother-in-law Richard Bennett" and to "Mother Bennett" per Barham's 1641 will. Most serious commentators concur that the relationship was by Anthony's marriage to Elizabeth Pierce, a child of Alice Pierce's first marriage before Thomas Bennett. There are a couple of others who using the same will of Anthony think that perhaps Anne was a sister of Anthony Barham and provide the following royal pedigree as provided by Douglas Richardson in his book "The Plantagenet Ancestry." I include it only for reference and it should not be relied on as a reliable ancestry for Anne whose surname has not been ascertained. i. John of England and mistress Clemence ii. Joan of England and Llywelyn Ap Iorwerth iii. Gwaldus Ddu of Wales and Ralph De Mortimer iv. Roger De Mortimer and Maud De Brewes v. Isabel De Mortimer and John Fitz Alan vi. Richard Fitz Alan and Alice De Saluzzo vii. Edmund De Arundel and Alice De Warenne viii. Richard De Arundel and Isabel Le Despencer ix. Edmund De Arundel and Sibyl De Montagu x. Philippe Arundel and Richard Sergeaux xi. Philippa Sergeaux and Robert Pashley xii. John Pashley and Elizabeth Wydeville xii. John Pashley and Lady Louise Gower xiii. Elizabeth Pashley and Reynold Pympe xiv. Anne Pympe and John Scott xv. Reginald Scott and Mary Tuke xvi. Mary Scott and Richard Argall xvii. Elizabeth Argall and Edward Filmer xviii. Katherine Filmer and Robert Barham This leads to Anne Barham 1625-1682 and Richard Bennett, Sr. ca 1624-1710 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. and to their son Richard Bennett, Jr." ^[4]

She was probably the mother of his children. The wife mentioned in his will was named Sarah and she subsequently married Robert Lancaster whose will was probated in 1720. Sarah (Unknown) Bennett-Lancaster made her will the 31st of October, 1722, and same was probated 29, January, 1723.

Richard Bennett, Sr. died in 1709/1710 ^[5]. He was then probably between eighty and eighty-five years of age as he had several sets of grandchildren. He made his will as "Richard Bennett, Sr." on December 4, 1709 and same was probated February 25, 1710. In his will he names his four children, Susan, Martha, Richard and James.

Bennett Family in American Colonies

The Bennetts were in the New World (American Colonies) almost from the beginning. Edward Bennett, an English merchant and trader and a Puritan, descended from the Bennetts of Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England. He and two of his brothers, Robert and Richard, obtained a patent to establish the Puritan plantation "Bennett's Welcome" in the Virginia Colony. On Feb. 1621/2 the "Sea Flower" arrived with 120 settlers, presumably Puritans, led by Capt. Hamor for Edward Bennett's plantation. The settlers quickly busied themselves, preparing the site of the plantation. On 22 March 1621/2, just a month after their arrival, the Indians attacked. There was a huge massacre and the Bennett plantation at Warrascoyak suffered more than most. 53 of the 347 people killed in the massacre were killed at the Bennett plantation. The Indians were in turn massacred and were quiescent for a time. The settlement eventually prospered although Robert and Richard soon died there. Edward Bennett who remained in England except for a short stint in the Colony then appointed his two nephews to run the plantation. Coincidentally their names were the same as Edward's brothers, that is, Robert and Richard. The nephew Richard Bennett (6 August 1609 – 12 April 1675) eventually became the Governor of Virginia.

Will

Will of Richard Bennett Sr. (Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Record of Wills, Etc., Vol. 2, 1661-1719, page 514, dated 4 Dec. 1709.) Text of Will of Richard Bennett Sr. (Isle of Wight County, Record of Wills, Etc., Vol 2, 1661-1719, Pg. 514.) Note: This translation (& footnotes) is by Vaughn Ballard, 2320 Country Green lane, Arlington, Texas 76011. "In the Name of God Amen. I Rich'd Bennett Sen'r now being in perfect mind & Memory Blessed be the Lord for it I Do appoint this for to be my last will & Testament, Disannulling & making void all former wills by me made. I bequeath my Soul to almighty God what gave it me & my Body to the Earth for to be Decently buried at the Discression of my Loving wife & Debts I owe to be paid & my will in forme following- Item I Do give & bequeath to my loving wife Sarah Bennett one Copper still, one gray mare & her increase & one horse and one Negro man named Jack to her Disposeing for Ever. I Do likewise make my loving wife whole and sole exec'et of this my last will & Testament- lem. I do give and bequeath to Mary Throp Daughter of Dan'l Lewis five head of cattle(1)- lem. I do give & bequeath unto John Mangum two head of cattle(2)- Item I do give & bequeath to James Coffield two head of cattle- lem. I do give and bequeath unto my two sons Richard & James Bennett & Sml??(3) Lewis & Martha Lewis the half of the rest of the ___ of my estate there after for to be Equally Divided by these men I have appointed & shall nominate. I Do order that my Standard be divided between my two sons Richard & James Bennett by these four men Tho Throp, Peter Deberry Robt Byskay & George Barlow & for to see this my last will performed- Item I do give and bequeath to my loving wife Sarah Bennett my plantation in Blackwater during her naturalle(4) life & then for to returne to James Bennett son of Rich'd Bennett & the heirs of his body lawfully begotten. I Desire that no Inventory shall be taken nor no Letter of Administration but for all things for to stand as this be nor any Security for to be given in witness my hand this fourth day of December in the year 1709. Testice Tho. Thropp Richard Bennett (Seal) his William X George mark Mary Cornos his John X Mangum mark At a court held for Isle of Wight County y' 20th day of Feb: 17[09](5) This last will & testament of Richard Bennett was presented in Court by Sarah Bennett his said wife Ex:xct who made oath ofto & being proved in Court by the oathes of Wm George Mary Cornos & John Mangum three of the witnesses thereto is admitted to record - Test H. Lightfoot C. Court [Notes:] 1. "Cattle" looks like "Cattelle," but it was probably just that the pen was raised after the "tt" and he made a tall "e" and put a little flourish on the end that looks like an "e". 2. This item is underlined by the editor for emphasis. The underline was not part of the original will. 3. I'm confident that the first letter is an "S." In an abstract of this will, Chapman lists Susanna Lewis as being mentioned in this will. I can't see that here. 4. This word, "naturalle," inserted above and between "her" and "life". 5. Date was off the page, but beginning, 170_, would indicate 1709 (by Julian Calendar) and will was signed in 1709.

Research Notes

This Richard Bennett is in fact, according to available evidence, son of Thomas Bennett , emigrant to Virginia aboard the Neptune in 1618, and Alice, widow of Thomas Pierse (who was killed in ^[6]. See here, which cites sources. The Thomas Bennett who was the father of Governor Richard Bennett never emigrated to Virginia, and died in England in 1616, two years before this Thomas Bennett came to Virginia^[7] (NB that Anthony Barham, who married Elizabeth Pierce, daughter of Thomas Pierce and Alice, names "brother-in-law Richard Bennett" in his will of 1641). ^[8]

While there are sources cited in the website indicated, none of those sources prove the relationship between Richard and Thomas, in fact they indicate "...However,their relationship to Edward, Richard or Robert is unknown"Lee-5956 18:15, 8 November 2016 (EST)

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia profile for Governor Richard Bennett
2. ↑ Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry (2011) has "Katherine Filmer and Robert Barham and daughter Anne who married Richard Bennett. She was a legatee in the 1629 will of her uncle, Robert Filmer, Gent."
3. ↑ .The book "17th Century Isle of Wight County Virginia," by John Bennett Boddie, 1938, chapter XVI, Descendants of Richard Bennett of Isle of Wight: "Richard Bennett's first wife was named Anne. She was probably the mother of his children. The wife mentioned in his will was named Sarah and she subsequently married Robert Lancaster whose will is probated in 1720. (See will.) Sarah Bennett-Lancaster made her will the 31st of October, 1722, and same was probated 29 January, 1723."
4. ↑ [[1]]
5. ↑ Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Individual Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Birth year: 1645; Birth city: Upper Parish; Birth state: VA
6. ↑ the massacre of Virginia colonists by natives in March, 1622
7. ↑ entered by C. Handy
8. ↑ Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, p.292.

See also:

• http://www.myfamilysearch.net/getperson.php?personID=I654&tree=2005217a
• Boddie, John Bennett,. Seventeenth century Isle of Wight County, Virginia : a history of the county of Isle of Wight, Virginia, during the seventeenth century, including abstracts of the county records. Chicago: Chicago Law Print. Co., 1938, pp. 79–80, p 289, pp 294-296.
• Boddie, John Bennett (1973). Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Vol. 1, Genealogical Publishing Company.
• Boddie, John Bennett. Southside Virginia Families Vol I
• Hopkins, Isle of Wight Co, Va Records
• Cavaliers & Pioneers, Vol 1 (Nugent)
• Mary Pauline Johnson-Monroe’s Genealogical Papers Periodical: Research Papers Publication. Kensington, MD Media.
• https://www.geni.com/people/Richard-Bennett-Sr-not-the-Governor/6000000022084852215?through=6000000000252897173