Abraham Bennett Sr. (1715-1777)
Abraham Bennett Sr. was born on 06 Jun 1715 in Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut as the sixth child of James Bennett and Deborah Adams. He had six siblings, namely: Gershom, Elizabeth, Ephraim, Hannah, Samuel, and Deborah. He was baptized on 26 Jun 1715 in First Congregational Church, Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut.
When he was 21, Abraham Bennett Sr. married Silence Hickock, daughter of Samuel Hickock and Elizabeth Plumb, on 12 Mar 1737 in Connecticut.
Abraham Bennett Sr. and Silence Hickock had the following children:
- Hannah Bennett was born about 1740 in Connecticut. She married Jonathan Rockwell on 01 Jan 1760 in Ridgefield, Fairfield, Connecticut. She died in 1819 in Elmira, Chemung, New York.
- Benjamin Bennett was born in 1741 in Connecticut. He married Mary Springsteen about 1761. He died on 22 Jul 1779 in Minisink Ford, Highland, Sullivan, New York.
- Abraham Bennett Jr. was born in 1742 in Connecticut. He married Jerusha Wanzer about 1770. He died on 14 Sep 1795 in Warwick, Orange, New York.
- Justus Bennett Sr. was born in 1743. He married Nancy Pitman about 1766. He died on 30 Jan 1831 in Wayne, Schuyler, New York.
- Mitchell Bennett was born about 1746. He died in 1809.
- Nathaniel Bennett was born about 1747 in Ridgefield, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. He married Mercy Wanzer in 1772 in Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut.
- Gersham Bennett.
- Thadeus Bennett.
Abraham moved his family from his native Connecticut to Orange County, New York sometime around 1745.
Some sources say that he was known by the title of Captain. It is not known where or when he served. There were four major wars during his lifetime, namely King George’s War (1744-1748) pitting the English Colonies against France; French and Indian War (1756-1763) again pitting the English Colonies against France; Cherokee War (1759-1761) with the English Colonists battling the Cherokee Indians; and the American Revolution (1775-1783).¹ It is most likely that Abraham fought in one or both of the early wars. He would have been about 29-years old at the start of King George’s War and 41-years old at the start of the French and Indian War. Since he lived in Connecticut and New York, it would be very unlikely that he was involved in the Cherokee War that took place in present day South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Abraham would have been 60-years old when the American Revolution started in 1775. Both young and old served, so he may have been involved. Some women have gained membership to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) based on having Abraham as their ancestor, but any future applicants will need to prove that he did indeed serve and provide documentation of his date and place of death, residence and details of his service. In earlier applications, it was claimed that he served as a private in Col. John Hathorn’s 4th Orange County, New York Militia (Florida and Warwick Districts). The source of this was the 1898 book, New York in the Revolution as colony and state; these records were discovered, arranged, and classified in 1895, 1897, and 1898, by James A. Roberts, Comptroller. In that book, on page 162, the name “Abraham Bennett” appears in the list of privates. No other details were given. We know that his son, Abraham Bennett Jr. served, so it is possible, if not likely, that it was the son who was listed rather than the father.
The September 1775 tax roll of Warwick, Orange, New York included both Abraham and his son, Abraham.
Abraham Bennett Sr. died in 1777 in Warwick, Orange, New York at the age of 61.
Where is he in the tree?
Selected Sources:
Charles Nelson Hickok, Hickok Genealogy: descendants of William Hickoks of Farmington, Connecticut [database on-line] (Rutland, Vt.: The Tuttle Publishing Company, 1938), ancestry.com, pp. 21, 338.
Donald Lines Jacobus, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield [database on-line] (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Fairfield, Connecticut, 1930-1932), ancestry.com, Vol. 01A, pp. 70, 275, https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE2130340.
¹ Martin Kelly, “American Involvement in Wars from Colonial Times to the Present,” ThoughtCo., 4 April 2017, Web, 5 June 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/american-involvement-wars-colonial-times-present-4059761.
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