Rebecca (Unknown) Williams (abt. 1660)

Born about 1660 in Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England [uncertain]

Wife of Thomas Williams — married 1686 in Burlington MM, Burlington, New Jersey

Descendants

Died [date unknown] in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Byron Davis [send private message]

Rebecca (Unknown) Williams migrated from United Kingdom to United States.

Biography

Rebecca was a Friend (Quaker)

Rebecca was first married to William Bennet. ^[1]

Rebecca and William had the following daughters:

1. Elizabeth Bennet^[1]
2. Rebecca Bennet m John Scholey, Jr.^[1][2]
3. Sarah Bennet^[1]
4. Ann Bennett^[1]

"'Rebecca and her husband, Williiam Bennett of Hammondsworth, Middlesex, England, arrived in to this river 9th Mo., 1683, in the ship, the "Jeffrey" of London. ^[3]

“There was at that time living in Falls township a widow, Rebecca Bennet, with her four unmarried daughters, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Sarah, and Ann. William Bennet, the father, then recently deceased, had left by will to each of his girls £30 in money and 200 acres of land." ^[1]

At the Men's Monthly Meeting held in Burlington in the house of Thomas Gardiner on the 1st of the 6th Mo., 1686 (Old Style), Thomas Williams declared his intentions of taking Rebecca Bennet of Cold Spring in the county of Bucks in the Province of Pennsylvania to be his wife. Robert Dinsdale and Wiliam Myers are to enquire into his Clearness to give this meeting an account.^[4]

At the Men's Meeting held a the house of Thomas Gardiner in Burlington on 13 th 7 mo., 1686, a certificate was granted for Rebecca and Thomas to marry.^[4]

Their marriage is assumed to have been completed within the next couple months under the supervision of the Burlington Monthly Meeting, New Jersey.^[4]

Research Notes

Was Rebecca married twice?

Yes, her first huband was William Bennett.

In his will, written in 6th month 1683 in Middlesex County, England, William Bennett left 800 acres to his four daughters—Elizabeth, Rebecca, Ann and Sarah—and the residue of his estate to his wife Rebecca. (Bucks County wills, book A, p. 9; Philadelphia County deeds, book E3-5) The Bennetts arrived in Pennsylvania in 9th month 1683, and William died just four months later.

The Falls meeting appointed Phineas Pemberton to make sure that the estate of Rebecca’s deceased husband William Bennett was properly set aside for his daughters.

Did she have a different maiden name from Bennett?
yes,

The Burlington Court Book refers to "Thomas Williams , his wifes daughter > Rebecca Bennet, who m. John Schooley

?? Richard Lundy I and Elizabeth Bennet were married by Friends’ ceremony on 20 of 8 month (October 20th), 1684.”^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} William Clinton Armstrong, A.M. The Lundy family and their descendants of whatsoever surname, with a biographical sketch of Benjamin Lundy, [New Brunswick, N.J., J. Heidingsfeld, printer, 1902.) page 8
2. ↑ Ivey, May (Schooley), Mrs., A Pioneer Schooley Family (1941, Miami, Fla., The Franklin Press, inc) pages 9 - 10
3. ↑ William Clinton Armstrong, A.M. The Lundy family and their descendants of whatsoever surname, with a biographical sketch of Benjamin Lundy, [New Brunswick, N.J., J. Heidingsfeld, printer, 1902.) page 11
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Ancestry. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 \ Index - New Jersey, Burlington, Burlington and Rancocas Monthly Meetings Minutes, 1678-1737 Image
5. ↑ Entered by David Lundy.

The Lundy Family and Their Descendants of Whatsoever Surname, with a Biographical Sketch of Benjamin Lundy, by William Clinton Armstrong, A.M., 1903

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

Thanks to David Lundy for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by David and others.