Bennett Surname Page


		Our Maternal BENNETT Family Ancestors


An Introduction	Origins Of The Surname	Variations on the Surname	Family Name Index	Family Location Information
Surname Source Documents	Family Information Websites	Family Images Gallery	Contact Information


	OUR BENNETT FAMILY An Introduction
	Our Bennett ancestral line begins with William Bennett, an Englishman, born 1465 at Wiveliscombe in Somerset. This English line continues down through William’s son Thomas, (1485-1547); John, (1508-1564); Robert, (1538-1603); Thomas, Sr., (1570-1616); and Thomas, Jr., born in 1603, and John (1624-1670) all born at Wiveliscombe. The progenitor of the Bennett family in America is our 10^th great-grandfather John Bennett, who may have arrived in the Virginia colony as early as the 1650’s. It appears that they settled in the area of Northumberland County that eventually encompassed the Christ Church Parish and later Middlesex County. It is unclear at this time as to whether John’s son William, Sr. was born in America or England. The descendents of John continued to live in the locality of Middlesex County until William Bennett III removed his family from the Virginia Tidewater inland to Pittsylvania County located in the south central part of the colony.	Our 5^th great grandfather Elijah Bennett was born 1766 in Pittsylvania County. Elijah migrated into the Carolinas after the American Revolution as the native Americans were disposed of their lands and moved further west. His son John Todd Bennett, a native of North Carolina, immigrated to Tennessee with his family in 1825. Here he engaged in farming and operation of a distillery until 1833. John and his wife Roseanna produced at least ten children of which one was our 3^rd great-grandmother Sarah Bennett. It is believed that Sarah Bennett was born near Greensboro, North Carolina in either 1812 or 1816. Sarah was married first to our 3^rd great-grandfather John Moreland when she was about 18 or 19 years old. She produced one child, a son, John P. Moreland born in 1832. After the death of John Moreland she married for a second time to a James Collins in 1838.

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BENNETT

Origins Of The Surname

English: from the medieval personal name Benedict (Latin Benedictus meaning ‘blessed’). In the 12th century the Latin form of the name is found in England alongside versions derived from the Old French form Beneit, Benoit, which was common among the Normans.(1)

First found in a part of north of Lancashire where a Benedictine monastery known as Furness Abbey was by founded by the Savigny monks of Normandy in 1127. Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: William Bennet, who is on record in Virginia in 1628; Bartholomew Bennet, age 18; who arrived in Barbados in 1635; Samuel Bennett who settled in Lynn, Mass. in 1635.(2)

(1) Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4 Family Facts (Ancestry.com)

(2) Historical Names.com

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BENNETT

Variations on the Surname

The complexity of researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors surname may have been misspelled. This is especially true when searching census documents. Spelling variations include: Bennett, Bennet, Benett, Benet and others.

Source: Surname Resources at ROOTSWEB

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BENNETT Family Name Index Additional Information About Our DIRECT ANCESTORS And Their Families May Be Reviewed By Clicking On The Name LINK(s) Below.
NAME	BIRTH / DEATH / LOCATIONS
BENNETT, William	b: 1465 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England
BENNETT, Thomas	b: 1485 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England d: 4 APR 1547 in Clapcot Wallingford Berkshire, England
BENNETT, John	b: 1508 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England d: DEC 1564 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England
BENNETT, Robert	b: 1533 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England d: SEP 1603 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England
BENNETT, Thomas , Sr.	b: 2 APR 1570 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England d: 26 SEP 1616 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England
BENNETT, Thomas , Jr.	b: 1603 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England
BENNETT, John	b: 1624 in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England d: 1670 in Northumberland, New Kent Co., Virginia
BENNETT, William , Sr.	b: ABT 1659 in Christ Church Parish, Lancaster Co., Virginia d: in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex Co., Virginia
BENNETT, William , Jr.	b: 1684 in Christ Church Parish, Lancaster Co., Virginia d: 1710 in Middlesex County, Virginia
BENNETT, William III	b: 1703 in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex Co., Virginia d: AFT 1777 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia
BENNETT, Stephen	b: ABT 1738 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia d: ABT 1826 in Jackson County, Georgia
BENNETT, Elijah	b: 1766 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia d: 30 SEP 1833 in Pendleton District, South Carolina
BENNETT, John Todd	b: in North Carolina
BENNETT, Sarah	b: 1812 in Greensboro, North Carolina
*The following LINK will take you to a complete listing of individuals with this Surname.* BENNETT

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BENNETT Family Location Information Researching the locations where our ancestors lived has provided us with valuable evidence needed not only to fill-in the gaps in our family trees. It has also led us to many interesting facts that enhance the overall picture of each family group. The names of states and counties on the following list were derived from the known places where the persons listed in the Name Index where born, married, and died.
COUNTRY	STATE	COUNTY / SUBDIVISION
ENGLAND, UK	SOMERSET	Wiveliscombe
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	NORTH CAROLINA	Greensboro	Orange
	SOUTH CAROLINA	Anderson (Pendleton District)
	TENNESSEE
	VIRGINIA	New Kent	Middlesex	Pittsylvania	Lancaster
*Use this LINK to find out more about the locations listed above. ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS*

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BENNETT

Surname Source Documents

The documents contained herein have been located during my research of this family, and used as evidence to prove many of the facts contained within the database of this family’s record.

Most of these documents can be considered as primary or secondary. Primary evidence is usually defined as the best available to prove the fact in question, usually in an original document or record. Secondary evidence is in essence all that evidence which is inferior in its origin to primary evidence. That does not mean secondary evidence is always in error, but there is a greater chance of error. Examples of this type of evidence would be a copy of an original record, or oral testimony of a record’s contents. Published genealogies and family histories are also secondary evidence.

Classifying evidence as either primary or secondary does not tell anything about its accuracy or ultimate value. This is especially true of secondary evidence. Thus it is always a good idea to ask the following questions: (1) How far removed from the original is it, (when it is a copy)?; (2) What was the reason for the creation of the source which contains this evidence?; and (3) Who was responsible for creating this secondary evidence and what interest did they have in its accuracy?

SOURCE: Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 2^nd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD 21202, 1990, pgs. 62-63

You are welcome to download any of the documents contained within this archive. Should you encounter a problem obtaining a copy you may get in touch with me via the contact information found at the end of this page.

Use the following LINK to view the source documents pertaining to this family.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

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BENNETT Family Information Websites The following are websites that may provide you with additional information to assist with your research about persons with this surname.
Link to Website	Link to Website
RootsWeb Message Boards [ Bennett ]	BENNETT: Genealogy Queries
BENNETT (B530) at ROOTSWEB	RootsWeb List Finder: BENNETT
Cyndi's List - Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters - "B"	Linkpendium > Genealogy Surnames beginning with: B
Bennett Family Genealogy Forum	Bennett Genealogy and Family History Research
*Use the following LINKs to find other information that may pertain to this family surname or location.* Website & Webpages We Like Free Genealogy Search Help For Google FamilySearch.org - Family History and Genealogy Records

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BENNETT

Family Images Gallery

During our research we have collected and images and photographs that are of general interest to a particular family. Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives. If you have any photographs or other images relating to this ancestral family we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.