The Benedict Family News
Volume 2 Number 4 Spring 1995
Editor: Mary Alice Benedict Grindol
Table of Contents This Issue
Chauncey Henry Benedict, An American Indian
Benedicts of Lancaster Co., PA, 1850
Benedicts in St. Joseph Co., MI in the 19th Century
Aaron William Benedict & the Underground Railroad
Queries: (Benjamin BENEDICT/ FINK)
Edwin Benedict, father of
Chauncy Henry Benedict. Photograph
from Van Dyke Studio, Branch at Saratoga Spring, New York (n.d.)
The Ancestry of Chauncey Henry Benedict, An
American Indian
Contributed by David R. Benedict, 307
Loreto Street, Mountain View, California 94041
This is the story of my attempt to establish the ancestry of my grandfather, Chauncey Henry Benedict, who resided most of his adult life from 1919 to 1968 in Lake Placid, New York. Until 1992, my family knew nothing of Chauncey's past, prior to his marriage to my grandmother in 1919. In 1992, I began to try and uncover his ancestry. Unfortunately he had never discussed it with his children.
The story begins with the history of the St Francis Indians (Abenaki) collected by the anthropologist, Gordon Day.1 The surname Benedict also appears as Panadis. An Abenaki named Captain Benedict hunted for Wolfe's army at Quebec in 1759. A "Capt Benedic" signed the Bedel deed in 1798, and may have been the same man. There were three Benedicts listed on the reserve's roster of veterans of the War of 1812 with initials - R., P.N., and P.F.
Captain Benedict's son became a famous Adirondack guide and was known as Sabael. The name Sabael is a corruption of Sa Biál (Saint Pierre). A St Pierre Panadis appears in the 1829, 1830 and 1832 censuses with a wife but no children. Sabael fixed his age by saying he was twelve years old when he was with his father at Quebec. Sabael lived to be 110 years old. Several Benedict's Panadis's have served as tribal Chief.
When I wrote to Elwyn Benedict requesting information, he graciously sent to me many excerpts from Hamilton County, New York history books. Local history records Sabael as having been the first permanent settler there.2 A community outside of the town of Indian Lake is named after him.4 Much has been written of him and his exploits.5 He is said to have had four children; Maria, Mary, Margaret and Lewis (Lige) Elijah. Maria married into the Mitchell family, and Margaret married into the Camp family, both which still have roots at Indian Lake. I know nothing of Mary. Lewis Elijah is said to have lived in the Indian Lake area for his entire life. He appears in numerous history books as a guide serving several New York explorers. He and his father are credited with locating large deposits of iron ore which were mined by others with some success. Lewis Elijah had four children; Solomon, Samuel, Edwin and Mary Jane. I found various documents on each of these children on the Abenaki Reserve in Canada, but no document actually tied them to Lewis Elijah. I found many descendants of each, (with the help of Elwyn Benedict) scattered throughout Canada and the United States. Lewis Elijah's son Edwin became an Episcopal minister. Edwin had a wife and two children, Walter and Chauncey. Perhaps this Chauncey was my grandfather.
My mother remembers Chauncey telling her he had a brother named Walter, although none of our family knows of him. I began looking for records of Edwin. On Chauncey's marriage certificate (1919) he lists his father as Edwin - mother unknown. Later I found his original Social Security application (1938) which listed his father as Edwin and his mother as Mary Hurst.
Chauncey also said to family that he had a half brother named Julius LaGrave. Julius lived in Lake Placid. He and Chauncey married two Pratt sisters. I located church records (Reservation)6 showing the birth of Julius. I also found a Mary Hurst on the Reserve listed as godmother to Julius's sister. Mary Hurst was born Mary Nagazoa, married an Abenaki Simon Annance (he died), she then married William Hurst of Durham, P.Q. (he died) and now I assume she married our Edwin Benedict.
In the year 1839,an Indian named Pierre Paul Osunkirhine, after attending several New England colleges, formed a "Congregational Church" on the Reserve. The church existed from 1839-1865. Of the church records, a Samuel Benedict signed as a witness once in 1857.7 Solomon Benedict signed many times starting in 1857 through 1865. Edwin Benedict signed as a witness a number of times starting in 1858 till 1864. Two records of importance that I found in these church records were (1) the marriage of Mary Jane Benedict to Hubert Paquette in 1848 (at other times Mary Jane was referred to as Mary Jane Panadis. Hubert was most often shown as Robert) and (2) Burial of Mary Benedict, age 61, widow of the late Elijah Benedict, in 1862. [I believe this Mary to be the sister of minister P.P. Osunkhirhine, I'll explain later if I haven't bored you to death by then.]
The next record I found on Edwin was his graduation from Seabury Divinity School, Faribault, Minnesota, in 1877. He was received into the Diocese of Minnesota in 1879.8 He appeared in the 1880 Federal Census on the Leech Lake Chippewa Indian Reservation. From 1881-1883 Edwin was the Missionary and Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Leech Lake, Minnesota.9 In 1884 Rev. Edwin Benedict was, at his own request, deposed from the priesthood.l0 Divinity school Alumni catalogs indicate that Edwin was at Saratoga Springs, New York in 1889 and St. Francis Mission School, Pineville (Pierreville) Quebec 1897-1903. I have been unable to locate Edwin in Saratoga Springs but this is a very short distance from the Indian Lake region. Edwin does appear in the 1891 Canadian Census (Reservation), occupation shown as "teacher". This is the last reference I found on Edwin.
Chauncey consistently wrote "Oct. 18, 1894" as his birth date and "Saratoga Springs, New York" as his place of birth. The New York State Department of Health Vital Records cannot find any record of his birth. I found a Chauncey Benedict listed in the 1901 Canadian Census (Reservation) who was living in the Watso household. The Watso wife was listed as the daughter of Mary Jane Benedict and Robert Paquette, and Chauncey was listed as a cousin. Robert Paquette was also still alive and was living in the same household. Chauncey's date of birth was given as Sep. 19, 1892. His place of birth was Quebec, his tribal origin "Abenaki", nationality "Abenaki", and mother tongue "Abenaki". He also spoke French and English. The different birth dates are confusing. I need a birth certificate!! No Edwin or Mary Hurst on the 1901 Census - have they died or are they on a trip?
Chauncey hasn't shown up again until July 1918, when he joined the Army in Keene, New York.11 Keene is just several miles from Lake Placid and is also the town my grandmother, Ruth C. Pratt, was living in at the time. The Army's records were destroyed by fire, and very little is known about Chauncey's military service. He was discharged the following year, June 1919, at Camp Dix, New Jersey. He was a Corporal in Company D, 312 Engineers, 87th Division. He married my grandmother on Dec. 24, 1919, in Lake Placid, New York. Chauncey worked as a dynamiter. He and Ruth raised a large family (Genealogy of Benedict's in America Vol. II, page 497) and they lived in Lake Placid the remainder of their lives. Their son Robert was my father.
One of my aunts recently gave me a photograph given to her by Chauncey. He said that it was of his father. The photograph has no name or date on it but was taken at a photography shop in Saratoga Springs, New York.12
The possible Osunkhirhine connection.
Francois-Germain-Bonaventure Vassal de Monviel, captain of the regiment from Béarn, arrived in Canada in 1756 with Montcalm. He died on May l5, 1760, of injuries sustained in the battle at Sainte-Foy. He had a son, Francois Vassal de Monviel, born Nov. 4, 1759, mother unknown but likely Abenaki as he was fighting alongside them. In 1775 Francois Vassal lead the St. Francis Indians in battle. His first marriage was to an Abenaki woman, and they produced a daughter Catherine. Catherine married an Osunkhirhine and they had three children, Pierre-Paul, Louis and Marie. Later Catherine remarried a French man named Toussaint Masta from the Terrebonne region. They had a number of children; Adelaide, Joseph, Jean-Baptiste and Ignace. The children from her first marriage were adopted by Toussaint and are from then on used the name "Masta". Pierre-Paul went to Dartmouth College. He returned to the Reserve as a minister and started a "Congregational Church", 1839-1865.13 After this time it is believed he moved his family to Point Huron, Michigan.
Recently a granddaughter of Solomon Benedict, living in Ontario, told me that the mother of Solomon was A. Masta. She believes this to be for Adelaide or Adele. Adelaide Masta was baptized Dec. 22, 1815. Solomon Benedict was born in 1839. She knew that Solomon had a brother Edwin, an Anglican minister, and possibly a brother Louis who died in a United States war. She was unsure of the names of any other siblings.
The only other record that ties this family to ours is that Marie (Mary) Osunkhirhine Masta marries a Lazare Panadis (Benedict).14 From there on, it is only speculation. It's possible that this Lazare and Marie are the same Elijah and Mary found in Hamilton County. Or it may be that Solomon's granddaughter is correct in the assumption that Adelaide Masta is her great grandmother. It is also possible that Adelaide's full name was Marie Adelaide or Adelaide Marie after her half sister. I do believe that one of these women was my great-great-grandmother, but I have my work cut out for me in order to prove it.
According to Solomon's granddaughter, who has send me a long list on descendants of Solomon and many family stories, Solomon had two wives and nine children. One of the sons, Francois (Frank-1865-1931), started both a Indian Herb Medicine Company in Port Huron, Michigan, and a drug store in Detroit, Michigan. Another son of Solomon's, Edwin (1863 1946), had ten known children, several if not more who moved to the Hogansburg, New York area. Hogansburg is near the Mohawk Indian Reserve which had close ties to the Abenaki Reserve.
I must apologize for the length of this story and that it jumps about in no clear direction. It is the same direction my research has followed! I have found many birth, marriage, and death records but none that I need to prove that the Edwin and Mary Hurst that I found are in fact Chauncey's parents. It would also be nice to find Chauncey's birth record! I have tons of data, but I feel I have proven little.
References:
1. Day, Gordon M., The Identity of the St. Francis Indians, National Museum of Man, Mercury Series. 1981, pp. 69, 72, 74, 77, 88-90, 104, 106.
2. Aber, Ted., History of Hamilton County, 1965, pp.19-23,127, 194, 427, 440, 623-624, 723.
3.Aber, Ted, Adirondack Folks, 1982. p.28.
4. Horton, Robert, "Sabael Benedict, Indian Pioneer", Adirondack Mountain Club (Dec. 1989), pp. 16-24.
5. Masten, Arthur, The Story of Adirondack, Adirondack Museum, 1968. pp. 38-41, see also ibid N. 2, ibid. N. 3, Carson, Russell M.L., Peaks and People of the Adirondacks, pp. 36-37, and Todd, John, Summer Gleanings, 1852. "Old Sabael-The Indian of a Century", pp.261-266.
6. Church of England church records (1867 - 1883), St. Francis Indian Reserve.
7. Congregational Church records (1839-1865), St. Francis Indian Reserve.
8. Seabury Divinity School, Faribault, changed to Seabury Western Theological Seminary and relocated to Evanston, Illinois. Personal correspondence.
9. Protestant Episcopal Church, Office of the Archivist, Austin, Texas, Statistics and Clergy-Minnesota, p.162.
10. ________, Twenty Eighth Annual Conference of the Diocese of Minnesota, June 10, 1885. p. 45.
11. Military Personnel Records Center, St Louis, Missouri. Statement of Service.
12. Van Dyke Studio (Photography), 509 Eighth Ave., NY. Saratoga Springs, NY branch.
13. Charland, Thomas M., Histoire Des Abénakis D'Odanak (1675-1937). p.193.
14. Pontbriand, B., Mariages de St. Francis du Lac 1687-1965 (microfilm - names listed alphabetically).
Late Breaking News from the author:
From David R. Benedict 5 14 95 [Love his internet address!: "eggs@svpal.org" - ed.]
"Just received four certificates from a historian in New York on Edwin Benedict while in Minnesota.
1. Graduation from Divinity School in 1877
2. Ordained a deacon June 17, 1877
3. Ordained a priest June 13, 18880
4. Appointed Postmaster of Leech Lake, Cass Co., Minnesota, January 3, 1883."
Aaron and his father
William Benedict and the Underground Railroad
From The Sentinel, Mt. Gilead,
Ohio, Thursday 13 July 1893
Contributed by Connie Conant, Librarian, Mt. Gilead Free Public
Library, Mount Gilead, Ohio
Aaron3 (William2 , Aaron1)- Genealogy of the
Benedicts in America Volume I, pp. 408-409.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
first of an interesting
series of articles
Upon This Famous Method of Conveyeing
Slaves From Bondage to Freedom
Written by Aaron Benedict, of Peru Township,
Who served as Conductor. His Personal Experiences
and Recollections
Aaron Benedict is without doubt the oldest living person born in Peru township, Morrow county. He has always resided in the township upon the premises his parents reclaimed from the wilderness. His father, William Benedict, was born in Connecticut and with the family moved to Peru, New York, where he met Alse Hoag, of Grand Isle in Lake Champlain, Vermont, to whom he was united in marriage. Uncle Cyrus Benedict came to Peru township, in 1810, and built the first cabin ever erected in those wilds. Other members of the family followed in 1812, settling the township, and from them descended the Benedicts and their relatives which now form such an interesting and prosperous community of that township. The first person to be called from earthly labor and buried in Peru township was the grand-father of the author of these papers. Mr. Benedict was born in 1817, and at the age of 76 years, is full of vigor. His religious teachings were those common to the "Quakers", which, in a measure at least, accounts for the personal interest he took in the emancipation of slaves. As his work was extensive in assisting to convey the slaves from bondage in the South to freedom in Canada, the articles which follow, consisting of personal experiences and recollections will prove and especially interesting feature in the Sentinel during the next few weeks. - 3D [Sentinel's editor's mark]
friend griffith [This is apparently Benedict's salutation to the editor] - Having been requested to write a history of the Underground Railroad, so-called, and the many experiences we have had with runaway slaves in early times, and thinking it might be interesting to the younger readers, of the Sentinel, I feel it my duty to comply with the request.
The term Undergound Railroad originated with the slave holders. They would be in close pursuit of their runaway slaves which, all at once would disappear as effectually as if they were under the ground. The next they would hear of them they were safe in Queen Victoria's domain.
1835 - A slave holder moving from West Virginia to Missouri with his team stopped near Franklington on the banks of the Scotio to wash, do cooking, etc. This slave holder had four slaves, a mother and three children, aged 3, 7, and 15 years. Some colored people living in Columbus secreted them away and took them to Osem Gardners', 12 miles north of Columbus. Here they struck a branch of the so-called Underground Railway. Gardner took them to my father's in the night. They were kept here a few days. Their master camped on the bank of the Scioto and went in pursuit of his slaves. By some means he heard where they were, and came bringing with him two shabby looking men that he picked up near Worthington, and had hired them to come and help him get his slaves. The first we knew they came into the yard where the 9 and 14 year old boys were, and took hold of them, and started off with them. It was quarterly meeting there at Alum Creek that day. There were a number of friends here at my father's from Logan county. They at that time belonged to Alum Creek quarterly meeting. They and my father stopped them at the gate. Word was sent to the meeting house for help. The mother of the boys came with a butcher knife. My father told her to go into the house, that her boys should not be taken away. Father sent for Barton Whipple, a Justice of the Peace, to come and bring his law book. By this time there had thirty or forty persons collected. The little boys were withy little fellows, and it was about all the master could do to manage the 14-year-old boy, and the 2-year-old boy kept the two men busy to manage him. All this helped to detain them. Barton Whipple read the law on kidnapping to them, which was, as near as I can remember, "any person conveying or attempting to convey, any colored or mulatto person out of the State without proving property, was liable to a fine of one thousand dollars". When the law was read the two hirelings let go of their boy and took across the fields for the woods. The master still held to his boy, pleading that these slaves were all the property he owned. My father told him that he knew better than to call human beings property. "The boy thee have hold of is thy own son, and thee call him property, liable to be sold in the slave States as the beasts of the field. I shall not allow him to go with thee" [The mother had told that the 12-year-boy was her master's son]. My father told him that if he would leave and agree not to molest the mother and children hereafter, he might go and the law would not be enforced against him. He let the boy go and went away, that was the last we heard of him. The woman and her children were forwarded on to Canada. We heard afterwards that one of the men that the slave holder had with him said that he didn't know where the Quakers came from, unless they came out of the ground. [To be continued...]
Norwalk Vital Records
(Continued from page 28, Vol II No. 3)
From Connecticut Vital Records, Barbour
Collection, Connecticut State Library 1925, LDS microfilm 19460
Transcribed by Mary Alice Benedict Grindol
All names are surnamed Benedict and its variations: Benydicke, Bennedick, Benedick. The Volume refers to the book in the town records of Norwalk in which the original record is found. The brackets, inserted by the original compiler, Barbour, apparently indicate questions or additional information not in the original
record. b=born or both, m=married, d=died or daughter.
Given name(s) & event Vol Page
Hezekiah m. Martha Bell, Nov. 10, 1763 LR19 6
Hezekiah s. Hezekiah & Martha, b. Sept. 15, 1764 LR19 6
Isaac s. Nathaniel & Mary b. June 16, 1751 LR18 26
Isaac m. Jane Raymond, Oct. 13, 1773 LR18 39
Isaac s. Isaac & Jane, b. July 13, 1774 LR18 39
Isaac m. Mary Davenport, (2nd w.) Aug. 19, 1794 LR18 39
James m. Sarah Gregorie d. John, Sr., May 10, 1676 LR1 111
James s. John, b. Jan. 15, 1685; m. Sarah Hyatt,
d. Thomas, decd., Apr. 7, 1709 LR4 1
James m. Thankfull Lockwood, May 25, 1763 LR18 38
James s. James & Thankfull, b. Nov. 14, 1767 LR18 38
James s. Nathan & Susanna, b. Oct. 16, 1797 LR18 6
Jane w. Isaac, d. Jan. 26, 1794 LR18 39
Jemimah, d. Sam[ue]ll [& Jemima], b. Mar. 8, 1724 5 LR4 9
Jemima m. Luke Keeler, 2nd, May 20, 17[93] LR18 46
Jemima d. W[illia]m & Betty, b. May 14, 1796 LR18 4
Jesse m. Esther St. John, Mar. 22, 1764 LR18 35
Jesse s. Jesse & Esther, b. Mar. 19, 1767 LR 18 35
Johannah d. Samuell, b. oct. 22, 1673 LR1 111
John, Jr. m. Phebe Greggarie, d. John, Nov. 11, 1670 LR1 50
John s. John, b. Mar. 3, 1675 6 LR1 111
John s. Nathaniel & Hannah, b. Feb. 3, 1770 LR18 26
John s. Hezekiah & Martha, b. Mar. 15, 1780 LR19 6
John, Jr. m. Jane Raymond, Apr. 4, 1793 LR18 6
Jonathan s. Thomas [& Deborah] b. June 18, 1736 LR4 10
Jonathan s. Hezekiah & Martha, b. Dec. 11, 1768 LR19 6
Jonathan Bell s. Hezekiah [& Martha] b. Mar. 4, 1778 LR19 6
Joseph s. Nathaniel & Mary, b. July 18, 1746 LR18 26
Katharine d. Tho[ma]s & Hannah, b. Apr. 13, 1763 LR13 2
Katharine d. Tho[ma]s, m. Samuel Grumman, Jr., [ ] LR4 15
Lewis s. Isaac & Jane, b. Sept. 27, 1785 LR18 39
Linus St. John m. Charlotte Kellogg Dunn, July 4, 1837 by Edwin Hall 1 22
Lockard s. James & Thankful, b. Mar. 29, 1779 LR18 38
Lois m. Jeremiah B. Ells, Nov. 28, 1754 LR18 39
Lorana d. Isaac & Jane, b. Sept. 7, 1787; d. Jan. 13, 1793 LR18 39
Lorana d. Isaac & Mary, b. Dec. 7, 1795 LR18 39
Lydia d. Nathaniel & Hannah, b. Apr. 30, 1767 LR18 26
Lydia m. Lemuel Brooks, Jr., Mar. 16, 1788 LR17 217
Martha d. Hezekiah & Martha, b. Mar. 15, 1766 LR19 6
Mary d. Tho[ma]s, Jr. b. Dec. 4, 1666 LR1 50
Mary d. Thomas, m. John Olmsted, July 17, 1673 LR1 50
Mary d. Thomas [& Rachel] b. Dec. 4, 16[ ] LR4 8a
Mary d. Sam[ue]ll [& Jemima] b. June 14, 1728 LR4 9
Mary d. Nathaniel & Mary, b. Nov. [ ], 1741 LR18 26
Mary m. Stephen Gregory, Dec. 2, 1757 LR19 6
Mary w. Nath[anie]l, d. Jan. 12, 1762 LR18 26
Mary d. Jesse & Esther, b. Jan. 31, 1770 LR18 35
Mary d. Nathaniel & Anah, b. Mar. 23, 1770 LR18 34
Mary m. Ebenezer Phillips, Jan. 17, 1782 LR18 4
Mary m. John Eversly, Jr., Nov. 19, 1792 LR18 30
Mary d. William & Nancy, b. Apr. 4, 1796 LR18 4
Mary Esther d. William & Betty, b. June 11, 1808; d. Jan. 18, 1810 LR18 4
Matthew s. James & Thankfull, b. Oct. 29, 1770 LR18 38
Nathan s. Nathaniel & Hannah, b. Dec. 10, 1763 LR18 26
Nathan m. Susanna Samiss, May 6, 1795 LR18 6
Nathaniel m. Mary Lockwood, Oct. 25, 1738 LR18 26
Nathaniel s. Nathaniel & Mary b. Mar. 26, 1744 LR18 26
Nathaniel m. Hannah Hawley, (2nd w.) Jan. 31, 1763 LR18 26
Nathaniel, Jr., m. Anah Raymond, Jan. 6, 1768 LR18 34
Nathaniel s. Nathaniel & Anah b. July 17, 1774 LR18 34
Nathaniel m. Hannah Selleck (2nd w.) Apr. 2, 1794 LR18 34
Nehemiah s. Thomas [& Rachel] b. Dec. 21, 17[ ] LR4 8a
Nehemiah s. Thomas [& Rachel] d. Feb. 21, 17[ ] LR4 8a
Nehemaia s. Thomas [& Deborah] b. Jan. 7, 1729 30 LR4 10
Nehemiah, m. Hannah Keeler, d. Capt. Sam[ue]l, Dec. 17, 1751 LR4 9
Nehemiah s. Nehemiah & Hannah b. Oct. 5, 1752; d. June 26, 1776 LR4 9
Nehemiah s. James & Thankfull, b. Apr. 16, 1764; d. Nov. 7, 1765 LR18 38
Nehemiah, 2nd s. James & Thankfull b. Dec. 29, 1765 LR18 38
Nehemiah, 2nd m. Hannah Benedict oct. 26, 1786 LR18 41
Nehemiah s. Nehemiah & Hannah b. July 28, 1787 LR18 41
Nehemiah, had negro Reuben d. Jan. 20, 1788 LR4 9
Obediah W.[?M] s. Isaac & Jane b. Aug. 19, 1783 LR18 39
Patty m. Daniel Weed Nov. 12, 1792 LR18 49
Phebe d. John Jr. b. Dec. 21, 1673 LR1 50
Phebe d. Dea. John m. Ezra Hayt, Apr. 4, 1731 LR4 10
Phebe m. Joseph [?Clenton] Sept. 1, 1757 LR18 43
Polly d. Aaron & Sally b. Dec. 19, 1796 LR18 37
Rachel d. Thomas [& Rachel] b. Sept. 27, 17[ ] LR4 8a
Rachel w. Thomas d. Dec. 1, 17[ ] LR4 8a
Rachel d. Tho[mas] [& Deborah] b. Feb. 28, 1731 2 LR4 10
Rachel d. Ens. Thomas m. Eliaseph Kellogg, June 13, 1734 LR4 9
Rachel d. Sam[ue]ll [& Jemima] b. June 24, 1739 LR4 9
Rachel d. Hezekiah [& Martha] b. Aug 20, 1772 LR19 6
Raymond s. Nathaniel & Anah b. Apr. 2, 1779 LR18 34
Rebeckah d. James, of Danbury, m. Sanuel Keeler, Jr. Jan. 18, 1704 5 LR4 4
Rebeckah d. Samuel, of Danbury, m. Samuell Platt June 18, 1712 LR4 3
(To be continued)
Mary Alice Benedict Grindol is proud to announce that on May 5, at the National Genealogical Society's Conference in San Diego, California she was named the winner of the ninth NGS Family History Writing Contest. Her entry was titled "Siblings and Descendants of Matthew Cowlin (1840-1925): The Use of Ancestral Poetry for Clues in Genealogical Research". First prize included an all-expense-paid trip to the conference and an opportunity to publish her paper in the prestigious National Genealogical Society Quarterly, probably next winter.
Mary's three-generation family history manuscript fell into the category: Contemporary and Later-immigrant Families (emphasis on late 19th 20th centuries). The other possible category was Early American Families (emphasis on colonial America through the 19th century).
Matthew Cowlin, Mary's great-grandfather, immigrated to the United States from England with his family in 1851 when he was 11 years old and grew up in Cazenovia, New York where he learned the carpentry trade. During the Civil War he served in Companies A and D of the 76th New York Volunteer Infantry. He married Maria Loomis, the sister of an army buddy whose life he'd saved. Matthew and Maria lived in Michigan, Indiana, and Nebraska. After Maria's death in 1894, Matthew moved eventually to Toledo, Ohio where he died in 1925. Other than a standard will, two books of poetry were the only written history he left. Those poems were used as genealogical clues to discover important information about the family.
Matthew was the father-in-law of Clarence Albert Benedict7 (1863-1948) (Jacob6, Stephen5, Stephen4, Samuel3, Thomas2, Thomas1). who married Laura May Cowlin 24 September 1892 in Box Butte, Box Butte County, Nebraska. The winning manuscript includes a genealogical summary of Clarence Albert and Laura's family.
Clarence Albert Benedict (called C.A. or Albert) was a Sheridan County, Nebraska homestead farmer, stage coach driver, and mail carrier when he met Laura. His homestead was not as successful as his father-in-law's and in 1897 he sold his property and he and Laura went to Blackfoot, Idaho to live in a tent. From there, they went to Painesville, Ohio where in 1900, Clarence worked as a freight handler. The family moved to Willard, Ohio for several years. About 1906, Clarence left Laura and went west, dropping their son Virgil (Mary's father, 1898-1989) off in Iowa near relatives. In Tacoma, Washington, Clarence worked as a lumberman and teamster and later sent for Virgil. On 18 November 1909, Laura filed for divorce which was granted 4 March 1910. Laura was granted custody of their youngest child, Gladys Benedict (1901-1969). Other children in the family were Charlotte (1892-1968), Edwin Leroy (1894-1941), and Alice Irene (1896-1991). Clarence Albert Benedict married (2) Harriett (Hill) Tuttle and (3) Elba May Dewey. Laura married four more times but all of her children were by her first marriage to C.A. Benedict.
About 1920, Clarence Albert Benedict went to live in Albia, Iowa. He moved to Des Moines, Iowa the last 19 years of his life. There he worked as an engineer fireman at Iowa Methodist Hospital. He died in Des Moines 16 April 1948 and is buried in Albia.
Family members who joined Mary in San Diego for the presentation of the award were her brother and sister-in-law, Dr. James and Muriel Benedict from Los Angeles and another sister-in-law Dr. Ellen Maring Benedict (Mrs. Benjamin) from Portland, Oregon.
Benedicts in St.
Joseph County Michigan in the 19th Century
Excerpts from History of St. Joseph
County, Michigan 1827-1877 (Everts: Philadelphia, 1877) -
[Items in brackets are the editor's comments and comments of the Family Genealogist, Elwyn E. Benedict]
p. 33 Capt. Myron A. Benedict... [Myron Benedict6, James Madison7, Xury6, Jonathan5, Nathaniel4, Nathaniel3, Samuel2, Thomas1 Vol. I B of A, p. 261 and Vol. II, p. 259.] elected 1866 as Register of Deeds.
p. 48 Capt. Myron A. Benedict Register of Deeds 1872
p. 54 "...and Company F, commanded latterly by Captain Myron C. Benedict of Leonidas..."
p. 55 Describes the "successful charge on the enemy's works near Marietta [Georgia] in which Lt. Myron Benedict lost his arm".
p. 169 "In 1835 George Benedict [?George Washington Benedict, p. 261, Vol I B of A.] who has never lived in any other township since, settled on the east side of the prairie... [Leonidas is the township mentioned.]"
p. 176 "Eleventh Infantry [in War of the Great Rebellion] Private James Benedict, Company A, mustered out [from Leonidas]"
p. 177 "Myron Benedict First Lt., company F, lost his right arm before Atlanta; discharged"
p. 182 "Directors of the Poor, Cyrus Benedict..." [1838 - Burr Oak]
p. 182 "Justices of the Peace... B.B. Benedict... 1875-77 [in Burr Oak]"
p. 183 "[in Burr Oak] the first trustees of the cemetery [in 1838] were Cyrus Benedict [could this be #52, p. 260, Vol. I B of A?]
p. 13-14 Two Indian stories involving George Benedict on the Nottawa reservation, near Nottowa Creek - occurred in 1835. George had been employed to cut timber for a barn. [Could be Vol. I B of A, p. 261 #53, Xury.]
p. 203 "Eleventh Infantry [from Fawn River] Sergeant Smith A. Benedict, Company C; discharge... Nineteenth Infantry... Pvt. John C. Benedict, Company D; died at Danville, Kentucky Dec. 7, 1863." [Vol. II, B of A, p. 197, Smith Amsted8, Andrus7, Jared6, John4, John3, John2, Thomas1.]
p. 203 "Pvt. John C. Benedict, Company D; died at Danville, Kentucky, Dec. 7, 1863."
p. 224 "Dr. A.J. Benedict is the only surgeon-dentist here at present, and he came in 1859."
Benedicts of
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the 1850 Federal Census
Transcribed and contributed by Wayne A.
Campbell, 1234 Lynda Lane, Warminister PA 18974-1949
Name Age DOB Enumerated with Roll Page Line Township
Catherine 18 1832 Bausman family 787 148 38 Manor
Nancy ? ? Philip Barr et al 787 163 14 Manor
George 39 1811 787 165 19 Manor
Susan 39 1811 787 165 20 Manor
John 8 1842 787 165 21 Manor
Fanny 5 1845 787 165 22 Manor
Catherine 65 1785 Isenberger family 787 170 36 Manor
Jacob 23 1827 787 171 1 Manor
Catherine 24 1826 787 171 2 Manor
Abraham 3 1847 787 171 3 Manor
Fanny 29 1821 787 186 34 Safe Harbor
Christian 24 1826 Foutz family 787 257 33 Conestoga
Sarah 9 1841 Foutz family 787 257 36 Conestoga
John 35 1815 Foutz family 787 257 37 Conestoga
Ann 7 1843 Hiller family 787 261 49 Conestoga
Michael 24 1826 787 262 1 Conestoga
(illegible) 23 1827 787 262 2 Conestoga
Catherine 3 1847 787 262 3 Conestoga
Emma 2 1848 787 262 4 Conestoga
John 3/12 1850 787 262 5 Conestoga
Amos 20 1830 Urban family 787 283 37 Conestoga
John Sr. 64 1786 787 284 28 Conestoga
Sarah 59 1791 787 284 29 Conestoga
Benjamin 29 1821 787 285 23 Conestoga
Anna (Ann) 27 1823 787 285 24 Conestoga
George 7 1843 787 285 25 Conestoga
Eli 6 1844 787 285 26 Conestoga
Addison 4 1846 787 285 27 Conestoga
Amos 3 1847 787 285 28 Conestoga
John 2 1848 787 285 29 Conestoga
Benjamin 1 1849 787 285 30 Conestoga
Reuben 35 1815 787 285 31 Conestoga
Susanna 31 1819 787 285 32 Conestoga
Amos 9 1841 787 285 33 Conestoga
Anna 7 1843 787 285 34 Conestoga
Elizabeth 4 1846 787 285 35 Conestoga
Henry L. 2 1848 787 285 36 Conestoga
Lydia 16 1834 Shenk family 787 287 14 Conestoga
Loisa 16 1834 Kreider family 787 287 34 Conestoga
Samuel 35 1815 788 305 31 Lancaster
Rebecca 31 1819 788 305 32 Lancaster
Emely 12 1838 788 305 33 Lancaster
Benjamin 10 1840 788 305 34 Lancaster
Mary 8 1842 788 305 35 Lancaster
Philip 2 1848 788 305 36 Lancaster
Pamella 2/12 1850 788 305 37 Lancaster
Philip 80 1770 788 319 15 Lancaster
Sybilla 14 1836 788 319 16 Lancaster
Henry F. 43 1807 788 337 33 Lancaster
Notes: 1. All were born in PA.
3. The date of birth (DOB) shown here is estimated from the age given in this census.
Although it is late again (will we ever get caught up?) we feel good about the diversity offered in this issue. A story about an American Indian Benedict, beginning on the front page, serves as a query for David R. Benedict. We continue our series about the Benedicts in Norwalk, Connecticut Vital Records, and include an article with the Benedicts from the St. Joseph County, Michigan history. (The editor's own ancestor, Jacob R. Benedict also was in St. Joseph County in the nineteenth century but for such a brief time that he didn't make it into the book.)
A small-town librarian in Mt. Gilead, Ohio sent the unsolicited news item about Aaron and William Benedict, "conductors" on the Underground Railroad. Interesting reading, whether or not you are a Benedict. We hope to have more in future issues from this series.
The transcription of Benedict families and individuals enumerated in the 1850 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Federal Census forshadows a series which we will begin next month about the "German Benedicts". Those of us who trace our ancestry to Thomas1, the immigrant, forget or didn't realize that Benedict is very likely a German name. Indeed, in Vol. I Benedicts of America is the statement: "There is reason to suppose that his own remote ancestor had made England his refuge from religious persecution on the Continent." Therefore, we welcome those Americans whose immigrant ancestors came from a country other than England or who came later. They are surely our cousins.
- Mary Alice Benedict Grindol
Abbreviations: s o,son of; d o,daughter (dau) of; w - wife; b,bpt,m,d - born, baptized, married, died.
**************************************************
Need parents of Benjamin BENEDICT,
b. in PA ca. 1819, d. 1870 1896, m. Ann FINK, d
o George and Ann FINK 21 Aug
1842 Lancaster, PA. Children: George b. Nov 1842
d. 1905, Eli b. 17 Feb 1844, d. 23 Jul 1925, Addison
b. 19 Jun 1845, d. 13 Sep 1921, Amos, b. ca.
1846, Ann b. ca. 1848, John b.
ca. 1848 (twin of Ann?), Benjamin b. ca. 1849, Reuben
b. ca. 1851, Jacob b. ca. 1855, Frances
b. ca. 1856, Emma b. Mar 1860, Mary
b. ca. 1863.
Wayne Campbell, 1234, Lynda Lane, Warminster, PA 18974