Samuel Benedict I (1646 - 1719)

Born 1646 in Southold, Long Island, New York

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Beebe) Benedict — married before 1673 (to after 5 Mar 1675) in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut

Husband of Rebecca (Andrews) Benedict — married 7 Jul 1678 in Norwalk, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 1719 at about age 73 in Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut

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Biography

Samuel Benedict was born in the 1640s. He was a son of Thomas Benedict. He resided with his father until some time after his father's removal to Norwalk, Connecticut. In Norwalk he married his first wife, whose name is unknown. She was the mother of his children Joanna and Samuel. He married, second, on July 7, 1678, Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Andrews of Fairfield, Connecticut. They had five children, the last two born in Danbury, Connecticut.^[1] Samuel Benedict bought in 1678 a home lot upon Dry Hill, 4 acres. ^[2]

In the fall of 1684 and the spring of 1685, Samuel and his brother James, his brother-in-law James Beebe, Judah Gregory (brother-in-law of James Benedict), and four others, purchased land from the Indians and made the first settlement at Paquiogue (Danbury, Connecticut). Dr. Samuel Wood, who married Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Benedict, soon followed, and Daniel, youngest son of Thomas Benedict, also settled there soon after 1690. Thus it will be seen that the majority of the first settlers of Danbury were of the Benedict stock and connection. "They lived near together, at the south end of Town street; the two Benedicts on the east side....The house of Mr. Samuel Benedict, at the south-east corner of the street, and the house of Rev. Mr. Shove, were, in the early part of the century, placed in a posture of defense against the Indians. When they were apprehensive of danger, all the families used to repair to these two houses, especially nights. [Robbin's Century Sermon, pp. 9-11.]^[3]

"They soon built a little church, only forty feet by thirty. When its frame was raised every person in the town was present and sat together on the sills." Samuel Benedict, a Deacon of the church while a resident of Norwalk, was also first Deacon of this church. He conveyed his Norwalk property February 3, 1685. He is named as patentee in the patent of Danbury, granted by the General Assembly, May 1702.^[4] [Collected Records of Connecticut (1689-1706), p. 385.]

Marriage and Children

With his first wife Samuel had two children:^[5]

Joanna Benedict

Samuel Benedict

Samuel and Rebecca Andrews,daughter of Francis Andrews of Hartford and Fairfield, were married 7 July 1678 in Fairfield Connecticut and had five children:^{[6] [7] [8]}

Husband: Samuel Benedict

1. Thomas Benedict
2. Nathaniel Benedict
3. Abraham Benedict
4. Rebecca Benedict
5. Esther Benedict

Probate

Deacon Samuel Benedict, an original settler in Danbury, died in 1719. ^[9]

Date: 20 MAR 1719

Place: Danbury, Connecticut

His will, made at Danbury, April 15, 1719, was recorded March 20, 1719. His inventory, made April 17, 1719, shows a total of 918£ 114s 54d. The will mentions wife Rebecca; Samuel (eldest son) to whom is bequeathed "my great Bible"; Samuel Benedict, son of Thomas Benedict "my second son, deceased" who received "my martir book"; two youngest sons Nathaniel and Abraham; heirs of Thomas Benedict "my second son, deceased" "as one child"; and Benoni "half so much as one child". It also mentions daughters Rebecca and Ester.^[10][11]

Sources

1. ↑ Benedict, Henry Marvin. The Genealogy of the Benedicts in America, 2d ed. rev. and enl. 1969 by Elwyn Ellsworth Benedict, Volumes: 2 vols. (Albany: Joel Munsell, 1870, 2d ed. rev. and enl. 1969 by Elwyn Ellsworth Benedict) page 241.
2. ↑ Benedict, page 241, citing Hall, p. 28.
3. ↑ Robbins, Chandler D.D. Robbin's Century Sermon (Boston: Printed at the Apollo Press in Boston, by Belknap and Hall, no. 8, Dock Square., --1794.) pp. 9-11. Note: A century sermon, preached at Kingston, in the county of Plymouth, April 2d, 1794 by Chandler Robbins, D.D. Pastor of the First Church in Plymouth, at the special desire of Mr. Ebenezer Cobb, who, on that day, arrived to the age of one hundred years. Published at the request of Mr. Cobb, and others.
4. ↑ Benedict, p. 242
5. ↑ Hill, Susan Benedict. History of Danbury, Conn. 1684-1896 (Burr Printing House, New York, 1896) p. 46
6. ↑ Andrews, Alfred.Genealogical History of John and Mary Andrews (A.H. Andrews & Co., Chicago, Ill., 1872) Page 31
7. ↑ Hill, p.46
8. ↑ Benedict, vol. 2 pp. 241-242
9. ↑ Hill, Page 13
10. ↑ “Probate Records, v. 6-8, 1717-1750”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G92K-TK1V : 13 April 2021), , FHL microfilm 007627301, image 28-29, Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut, Vol 6, 1721-1750, Page 24-24b.
11. ↑ Benedict,page 242

• Benedict, Henry Marvin. The Genealogy of the Benedicts in America, 2d ed. rev. and enl. 1969 by Elwyn Ellsworth Benedict, Volumes: 2 vols. (Albany: Joel Munsell, 1870, 2d ed. rev. and enl. 1969 by Elwyn Ellsworth Benedict)
• The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records - White, Lorraine Cook, ed. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1994-2002) Vol. Norwalk, Page 12.

see also:

• Connecticut Town Records (Barbour Collection), 1678 (ancestry.com online database)