BAKER FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY
THE DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM BENNETT
GENERATION 2 Cont.
ABOUT WILLIAM'S
CHILDREN: Samuel Bennett shown as deceased on the 1803 tax roll,
whose land was assessed to Anthony. Letters of administration on his
estate were issued to Anthony Bennett on 17 Nov. 1803;
bondsmen were Anthony and Henry Bennett and Moses Scott. The appointment of
Anthony as administrator suggests that he was closely related
to Samuel. Deed records
provide confirmation. David McKee and Anthony Bennett, from
Susquehanna County, moved to Crawford County in 1798, the former near
Espyville, the latter farther north. Anthony,
Henry, and Samuel had settled in a part of Conneaut Twp., which was
attached to Shenango Twp in 1804, and to North Shenango Twp in 1829;
Robert located a short distance south along the eventual boundary between
North and South Shenango Townships.
The process of land acquisition there was governed by a 1792
statute, which provided for the purchase of a warrant, i.e., an order to
have a tract of land surveyed.
Once the survey was completed, and certain settlement conditions
had been met, the Commonwealth granted a deed (the "patent") to the
purchaser. By the time the
Bennetts arrived, most of the land had already been surveyed on warrants
taken out by the Pennsylvania Population and North American Land
Companies. Anthony had
settled upon what was numbered Tract 42 on the latter's registers
(warranted in the name of Thomas Sinn), Henry on tract 46 (John Sinn,
warrantee). The North
American Land Company later disbanded, and its 625 warrants in
northwestern PA, were assigned to Stephen Barlow and Henry Baldwin (later
Justice Baldwin of the U.S. Supreme Court, and builder of the
Baldwin-Reynolds House in
Meadville). In May of 1817, Baldwin and Barlow reached an
agreement with the Bennetts and several other Shenango Twp., residents who
had "adverse to the original warrantee, taken possession" of the surveyed
tracts. In return for their
"settlement residence and improvements" the settlers were to receive,
gratis, 150 acres from the tract each had settled. Baldwin and Barlow would purchase
the patents, and could sell the residue of the tracts free from the
settlers' claims of adverse possession. Some of the patents were obtained
as early as Oct. 1817. In
June of 1818, Baldwin and Barlow deed Henry Bennett about 305 acres from
Tract 46 for $389.15; 150 acres were for his settlement and the additional
land was sold to him for two and a half dollars an acre. Anthony Bennett was
similarly conveyed about 170 acres from Tract 42 in 1822 for
$60.43.
SAMUEL BENNETT'S
HEIRS Other land titles were more complicated. In drafting the 1817 agreement, to
indicate which tract had been settled, the name of the original warrantee
(rather than the tract number) was listed opposite the settler's
name. "Thomas Sinn" thus
appears opposite the name of Anthony Bennett, and "John Sinn"
opposite Henry. Matthew
Gamble was also a party to the agreement, and opposite his name is that of
Joseph Sherrett. The tract
warranted in the name of Joseph Sherrett was numbered 45, adjoining Henry
Bennett's land. Isaac Wright
Collins also had some claim to this property, for on the same day he
executed the agreement with Baldwin and Barlow, he gave a "Deed of
Release" quitclaiming to Matthew Gamble all of his interest in the tract
"warranted in the name of Joseph Serritt." This was recited to be "the same
tract of land on which the said Matthew Gamble now lives."
Some of the settlers, such as Henry Bennett, had
previously had their tracts re-surveyed on new warrants. Tract 45, where Matthew lived, had
again been warranted on 4 April 1804 in the name of "Anthony
Bennett Adm. In trust for the heirs of Samuel Bennett
dec. The Bennett interests
there also needed to be extinguished if Matthew was to obtain clear
title. On 26 June 1817, a
month after execution of the Baldwin and Barlow agreement, Matthew Gamble
was deeded this 400 acres by Robert Bennett, Anthony Bennett,
Henry Bennett, Isaac Wright Collins and Margaret Collin, his wife, and
James Mason, all of Crawford County.
The deed recites that the land had been "warranted in the name of
Joseph Sherrit, settled by Samuel Bennett, and by said Samuel surveyed on
a vacating warrant, and at his death descended to us by heirship, the said
Samuel having died intestate, we being the heirs at law of the said
Samuel." Gamble had probably
been paying the taxes on Tract 45 since at least 1813, when
Anthony was no longer assessed as agent for the heirs of
Samuel Bennett. How were the grantors Samuel's heirs at
law"? They were not his
children, since he had been assessed as single only sixteen years
earlier. Under Pennsylvania
intestacy laws at the time, the real estate of a man who died without
issue went to his siblings, with his widow receiving a life estate in
one-half of the property. If
he was unmarried, his land went to his parents (if they survived him)
during their lifetimes, then to his siblings or to their issue by
representation. The three
Bennetts, the Collins’, and James Mason were all roughly the same age, and
evidently Samuel's contemporaries, hence they had to have been his
siblings, or their spouses.
This confirms the assertion in the county history that
Anthony and Henry had been brothers. It also agrees with a biographical
sketch of Robert B. Collins (1825-1892), which states that his mother,
Margarey, "was a daughter of William Bennett and sister of Robert,
Anthony and Henry Bennett, who were among the first settlers
of North and South Shenango Twp.
James Mason's wife Margery had died the previous year, and adding
her to the list of siblings explains why Anthony Bennett is
referred to as James's brother-in-law in a descendants' account. This Samuel Bennett had thus been
the brother of Robert, Anthony, Henry, Margaret, and
Margery. Other deeds suggest
that there were also two other
sisters. The 1817 deed was not recorded until
1828, after the death of the grantee, Matthew Gamble. Matthew, who had served as
Constable of Shenango Twp. (as well as owning a distillery), testified in
February of 1822 that he had been assaulted there in the execution of his
duties. His exact date of
death is unknown, but it occurred by the following January (as a result of
his injuries?) Anthony
Bennett, and Thomas Elliott, James Mason and Robert McKee
served as additional bondsmen.
Baldwin and Barlow finally obtained the patent to Tract 45 in 1825,
and on 31 October 1827, deeded part of the tract "warranted to Joseph
Sherrit" to the unnamed "heirs and legal representatives of Matthew
Gamble, late of the township of Shenango, County of Crawford,
Pennsylvania, dec'd. The
purchase price for this 161 acres was stated to be $300. . . .
. ELIZABETH GILLILAN'S [GUILLAND]
HEIRS On the same day that Baldwin and Barlow conveyed land
to Matthew Gamble's heirs, they also deeded an adjoining nine acres from
the same 400-acre tract to "Elizabeth Gilliland wife of Hugh Gulliland, of
Coniatt twp, of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, late Elizabeth
Bennett." The Gillilands
lived in that part of Summerhill Twp., which in 1843 became Summit Twp/,
but Hugh continued to be taxed on this 9 ˝ acres in South Shenango Twp,
until his death in 1848. In
1849 and 1850, the 9 ˝ acres were assessed to Gilliland, Elizabeth
(heirs). Elizabeth was still
alive in 1847, when she signed a deed, so evidently she died shortly
before or after Hugh. In
1851,"one half of the undivided…nine acres" which had belonged to
Elizabeth Gilliland were sold to John Collins by Henry Bennett, Anthony
Bennett, and Margaret Collins of North Shenango Twp. Henry, Anthony, and
Margaret were thus three of Elizabeth's heirs. As for the other half-interest,
four and a half acres purportedly belonging to Elizabeth Gilliland were
sold to the same John P. Collins at a tax sale held in
1852. Only if Elizabeth had died without surviving
issue could the three Bennett siblings have been her heirs. Her husband, however, was survived
by several children, as shown by deeds acknowledged 25 October 1848 in
which "Hugh Gillilands"s heirs" divided up his land in Summit Twp. Consequently, Hugh must have had a
previous wife. This leaves
open the possibility that Elizabeth had been Matthew Gamble's widow, since
Hugh's youngest known child (by that previous wife) was born about the
time of Matthew's death.
ELIZABETH BRIDGENS'S
HEIRS On the same day in 1827 when Baldwin and Barlow
conveyed land to Matthew Gamble's heirs and Elizabeth Gilliland, they sold
another adjoining nine acre parcel from Tract 45 to the "heirs or legal
representatives of Nancy Bridgen's, dec'd, late Nancy Bennett, of Shenango
twp., Crawford County, Pennsylvania." This land was thereafter assessed
in the name of Bridgens' Heirs, sometimes with Anthony
Bennett as agent.
It was finally sold to John P. Collins at the same tax sale at
which he bought Elizabeth Gilliland's
acreage. Nothing more concerning Nancy (Bennett)
Bridgens has been discovered in Shenango Twp. A Bridgens family reportedly
settled in the vicinity of YoungWomanstown, where the Bennetts originated,
and a Robert Bridgens's household follows that of William Bennett in the
1790 census returns for Northumberland County. No other Brigden is in fact listed
in federal census returns for Pennsylvania from 1790 to 1810. A Robert Brigden, Esq., born at
YoungWomanstown in 1796, named his (eldest?) daughter Nancy. Considering William Bennett's
advanced age at death, it may be significant that this Robert's biography
notes that he "belonged to a family of old settlers, nearly all of whom
lived to reach an age far beyond the usual number of years accorded to
men." Nancy Bridgens was thus almost certainly
another of the Bennett siblings, married before the others moved to
Crawford County. She left
descendants, and her heirs were evidently allotted part of the tract
settled by Samuel Bennett - of whom they were also heirs - because they
had not quit-claimed their interest to Matthew Gamble. Nancy's descendants also account
for the other half interest in Elizabeth Gilliland's land: In 1851, Robert
Bennett and Margery (Bennett) Mason had living children and other
descendants. Henry, Anthony,
and Margaret were thus able to convey only a one-half (three-sixths)
interest in Elizabeth's estate because their three deceased siblings -
Nancy, Robert , and Margery - each had surviving issue, entitled to their
respective one-sixth share. THE OTHER
CHILDREN The published Bennett account included three
additional, elder sons of William named William (Jr.), James, and
John. Their placement here
appears to be based solely upon their appearance in tax rolls for
Northumberland County to the dating from 1778 and 1785.
Finally, we must dispose of William's alleged
son Samuel Bennett who died 15 May 1874, late of South Shenango Twp. His tombstone in the South
Shenango Cemetery reportedly give his age as 67 years and 4 months,
placing the date of his birth in about January of 1807. This is consistent with his age as
given in every census: between 30 and 39 in 1840, 45 (or 43? in 1850, 53
in 1860, and 63 in 1870. It
also explains why he does not appear on the tax rolls until 1830. His true identity is suggested by
the Bennett article, which notes that Robert Bennett (ca 1774-1842) had a
son Samuel who was devised part of his father's real estate, and who was
mentioned in his brother William's 1854 will. This Samuel is placed in Robert's
family between daughters born in 1805 and 1809 - suggesting that he was
born in 1807. The 1874 county
directory, under South Shenango Twp., notes that Samuel Bennett was
occupying his father Robert's land; and indeed, the 1865 county map shows
"S. Bennett" in the part of Tract 58 where Robert's farm was located. The Samuel who died in 1874
divided his land between his eldest son Robert and his second son James D.
Bennett. When James sold his
inheritance in 1876, it was a part of Tract 58 which had been deeded to
Robert Bennett. James, in
other words, was selling land devised to him in 1874 by his father Samuel,
land which Samuel had been devised in 1842 by his father Robert. The Samuel who died in 1874 was
thus Robert's and not William's
son. Source: "Crawford County Genealogy" (Aug.
1998) p 132-142 The Crawford Weekly Messenger: 25 March 1812
reported his death having "lately" occurred. He left no probate
record identifying his family. Historical accounts of the Bennett family
appear in the "Gazetteer of Townships" section of the 1874 county
directory. Dale Collins sent me this information about
Shenango: Crawford Co. erected 1800 with Shenango Twp. In 1830
Shenango split into North and South Shenango.
Children of WILLIAM BENNETT and ANN
are:
i. JOHN BENNETT. Notes for JOHN BENNETT: Single in
1786. A John Bennett ran the first stage line from
Franklin to Meadville. It ran
weekly; fare was a half a dollar per trip.
ii. WILLIAM BENNETT, b. Abt.
1770. Notes
for WILLIAM BENNETT: William stayed in Northumberland Co. (Northumberland
Co. Letters of Administration
Book 5, p. 534 or 543:
William A. Bennett, Dec. 6, 1868 to Oct. 4, 1871 for Mary T.
Bennett; $5000.) Single in 1786. I think he was most likely to have been the oldest son being
named after his father and
grandfather. He was probably dead by Nov. 1803 as
Anthony not he was administrator of Samuel's estate. As the older brother he would
probably have been named the administrator, Anthony and Henry along with a
Moses Scott were bondsmen for the
estate. More About WILLIAM BENNETT: May 01, 1778, Taxed Bald Eagle twp.
Northumberland Co., PA. 1785, might be the Wm. Single freeman Bedford
Co., Archives p 85 3.
iii.
NANCY BENNETT, b. Abt.
1772. 4.
iv. ROBERT S. BENNETT, b.
1773. 5.
v. COL. ANTHONY
BENNETT, b. March 30,
1777. 6.
vi. HENRY BENNETT, b. Abt.
1778. 7.
vii.
MARGERY BENNETT, b. Abt.
1783.
viii.
SAMUEL T. BENNETT, b. January 16, 1783; d. May 15,
1874. Notes for SAMUEL T. BENNETT: Owned 400 acres of land in No. Shenago Twp.,
east of brother Henry's and south of the 400 acres of Henry and Elijah
Collins. Original Plots
#92. His will is Reg. WB D,
p. 458,11 April 1874. More About SAMUEL T. BENNETT: Burial: S. Shanango Twp. Cemetery Crawford Co.,
PA
ix. ELIZABETH BENNETT, b. Abt. 1784; d. Bet. March 23, 1847 -
October 1848; m. HIGH GILLILAND, Bef. 1827, Summerhill Twp., Crawford
Co., Pa. 8.
x. MARGARET BENNETT, b. June 21, 1787, Bald Eagle Twp.,
Northumberland, Co., PA.
xi.
JAMES BENNETT.
More About JAMES
BENNETT: Not
proven a son of William Bennett.
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Linda Aust Hansen
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