Beverly Bennett Baumann 17 Breeman Street Albany, New York, 12205-4928 Phone: 869-5260, days or evenings. 10 May 1995 Dear Society, I am Editor and Publisher of the Bennett Exchange Newsletter. I visited the Cemetery and found the sites of Joseph Bennett and his family. In correspondence with my friend Dorothy Bennett mderkum, of Sacramento, California, she sent along a most unusual article which she found in the Rhode Island Historical Society, entitled: Free love, ^ortalism & Perfectionism in Cu^erland, RI, 1748-1768. We have done some further research and found Joseph's origins to be in Bristol, England and now have a "probable" Lineage for him. I would like to hear fron any descendants or from anyone who can add to Joseph's information/corrections appreciated too. The enclosed article, the probable Lineage and Shaker Cemetery reading may be shared freely with those interested. Cordially, Be-vcrCy Bennett 'Staaruaat tf'&mmnistite.t Stf&an, 9& 12205-4928
THE STORY of JOSEPH BENNETT:, Joseph Bennett applied for a divorce from his wife Molly Ward at the Rhode Island Assembly in October of 1749. The testimony of neighbors, friends and relatives makes for very interesting reading. Joseph's petition stated he had married in 1745, one Molly Ward, the daughter of Ebenezer. It was claimed that Ebenezer Ward was a very pious and wealthy man and his daughter a very pious girl. She was, unfortunately, subject to "fits", so her father insisted that the young 18 year old and her husband Joseph Bennett live with him, although he claimed Joseph was unhappy with this situation-so the concerned father offered money and a nurse,provided the couple would reside within ten miles of him. Joseph eventually took a job at sea and when he returned, found his wife living with one Solomon Finney! Charges were brought against Ebenezer Ward and Solomon Finney and they were both convicted. Joseph then stated to the Assembly that Ebenezer, the father of his wife Molly Ward, did suggest unto said Molly, that the Petitioner (Joseph Bennett) was in an "unconverted state and condition",therefore he (Ebenezer) pointed out it would be sinful for her to cohabit with her husband. The Petitioner then declared Ebenezer Ward and Solomon Finney did conspire against him to seduce said Molly Ward Bennett to leave him and to that end the father compelled your Petitioner to leave his house. As sson as the Petitioner was gone from the house, Ebenezer did procure said Molly, his daughter, to deliver herself to Solomon Finney. Afterward, on June, last part, Molly did receive Solomon to her bed and company and cohabited with him in an adulterous manner. All of which evil acts Solomon and Ebenezer bath in a fair tryal (sic) been lawfully sonvicted and sentenced for the same and now your petitioner humbly prays that your Honors in service to him would divorce him from said Molly Ward. Joseph was granted his divorce but not before friends and neighbors speaking on behalf of Ebenezer and Solomon testified against Joseph Bennett, calling him to be undesirable and a seeker of Ebenezer's wealth. On Joseph's behalf, his friends, neighbors and relatives declared just the opposite! Joseph himself once declared to friends that he expressed many doubts about the validity of his marriage. Ebenezer did state he had allowed his daughter to live with Solomon, while Joseph was at sea. Ebenezer stated he believed his daughter "meant no harm", as when lodging with Solomon, "they lay with the Bible between them!" Molly spoke out very little but she did tell a friend she had"got the wrong husband", in Joseph Bennett. She said she and Solomon Finney were "Soul mates!" Unfortunately, when all was said and done, Ebenezer's defense crumbled and he, completely shattered, when Molly was found to be with child, of Solomon Finney. According to friends Ebenezer Ward was a changed man;"it took all the heart from him," so said a friend.
JOSEPH BENNETT: page one Shaker Cemetery ; Joseph Bennett died 21 May 1788, ae. 67 yrs. Eunice (Ward) Bennett died 1827, ae. 91 yrs. Joanna Bennett died 1838, ae. 77 yrs. Anna Bennett died 1838, ae. 61 yrs. Violet Bennett died 1785, ae. 25 yrs. Sarah Bennett died 1843, ae. 73 yrs. Probable Lineage : Joseph Bennett & Eunice Ward. (RI/NY Lines) Joseph Bennett & Joanna Perry. (MA lines.) Joseph Bennett and unknown wife he born 28 June 1760. Deacon John Bennett & Deborah Grover (1648-1718, England to MA) Peter Bennett and unknown wife, of Bristol, England. Additional: In 1915 a William Bradford Browne published a series of items in the Boston Transcript, containing a Bennett Genealogy of Middleboro, MA. He was quite a careful researcher, however he did not mention any Joseph married to a Molly Ward, nor a divorce although it is in the vital records of Attleboro, MAI He stated Joseph married/perhaps// a Mary Sprague of Smithfield on 8 December 1748 (sic), while records give a date of 1749, two months after Joseph was granted a divorce. Joseph may have married a third time to Eunice Ward, on 2 November 1751, she the daughter of Nehemiah Ward of Smithfield, a first cousin to his first wife, Molly Wardl According to Molly and her friends, Joseph was a scamp, however his later career in financial aptitude and tendency of religious enthusiasms do prove their statements to be false. We have traced his movements from Providence, RI, where for a time, he was a merchant to a land owner in
JOSEPH BENNETT: PAGE TWO Coventry, RI; he then removed to Cheshire, MA, holder of even larger estates, then probably to the Shaker Community. He was converted by Mother Ann Lee and he donated much of his land and wealth to the Community. Apparantly after publication of the BT series, Mr. Browne received a list of the children of Joseph, which was sent by a Mrs. Jackson Bucklin. In the listing we found Violet Bennett was not a member of the Bennett Family but a colored servant, belonging to Joseph Bennett, Sr. A notation of Pownal, Vermont Land records reveals that Joseph Bennett, Jr. and Abiathur Angel were in dispute with Solomon Lathrop over land boundries, the document dated 11 April 1780. They both also witnessed a deed for Job Greene to Francis Bates in 1782. It appears that Joseph, Sarah, Samuel, Nicholas, Anna and Henry all converted to become Shakers and at one time resided at the Shaker Community of Watervliet. BBB./BEN
Children of JOSEPH BENNETT & EUNICE WARD:. page three «. Joseph born 29 May 1752 & died 13 Sept. 1798=married Lucy Brown,d/o: lisha and she died 20 March 1813. The Bennetts resided Pownal, VT briefly. :. (Their children: Anna b. 20 Feb. 1778 & d. 23 Aug. 1829=married Darius Brown. Eunice b. 9 Apr. 1760. Mary b. 21 Apr. 1782 & d. 29 Mar. 1870. 2. James born 7 June 1754 & died 12 Apr. 1814, at Pownal, VT,burial Oak Hill Cemetery at Pownal. Buried nearby is child of his sister Lucy Bennett Angel: William R. Angel died 15 Apr. 1797,aged 6 years, of Smallpox. 3. Seth born 6 Jan. 1756 & died 5 Nov. 1761,Providence, RI. (Not verified.) 4. Lucy born 20 Mar. 1758 & died 13 Oct. 1846, at Pownal, VT.=married Capt..'.'.Abiathur Angel. Resided Scituate & Cheshire, MA before Pownal, VT. 5. Joanna born 6 Oct. 1760 & died 17 June 1830. 6. Esther born 17 Mar. 1763. 7.«Eunice born 16 Mar. 1765, Coventry, RI & died 17 Dec. 1822=married 1781 Elisha Bradford. 8. William born 5 May 1767=maybe Williamstown, MA?? Married Polly? Resided Pownal, VT 1800 Census with one daughter, under ae. 10 years. 9. Sarah born 20 April and died 9 January 1843. ). Samuel born 10 Dec. 1771 and died 28 Sept. 1791. I. Nicholas born 28 Nov. 1773 & died 15 Oct. 1857. 12. Anna born 30 Sept. 1776 & died 27 Apr:;.l1838. 13. Henry born 10 Mar. 1779 & died 27 Apr. 1852. Note: We do not know of other issue by other wives. BBB/BEN
March 20, 1997 Beverly Bennett Baumann 17 Breeman Street Albany, NY 12205-4928 Dear Mrs. Baumann: Our Executive Director turned over to me your information about the Bennett family. Joseph's marital experiences are most interesting, if not bizarre. Apparently he was much more conservative when he joined the Shakers at least I haven'.-t read anything in the early journals.to'the contrary, The information I have gathered about the familv is as follows: & Joseph Sr., born 2-1May 1721, die'd 21 May 1788. Another person's research found him leasing land from Stephen Van Rensselaer in 1788 and' deeding it-to the Shakers in 1798. I later found it referred to as a- farm '-of 345 acres and it became- the nucleus of the North' Family- of the Watervliet Shaker Community. He was originally buried on this property, along with three others, and in December 1818 these four bodies were moved to the present cemetery. This bad been established as a cemetery in.1784 when Violet Bennett was the first burial.. In 1846, when the Van Rensselaers allowed their long time tenants to finally purchase.-**>their property, the Shakers did so for the ^Bennett place" among others.. Eunice Esther Bennett was born 25 Mar 1735 in Attleborough, Bristol Co., Mass., and died 3 Mar 1827. Eunice is not recorded. as signing any covenant (a Shaker constitution) until 1796. On 15 Oct 1798 she deeded her property to the Shakers.. Anna Bennett was born 30 Sept 1776 in Cheshire, Berkshire Co., Mass. And died 14 July 1838, aged 61-10-14. On 14 Aug 1838 a. Shaker office deaconess, in her journal, commented that' Anna ^has been quite unwell since Joanna died but has kept about chief of the time. This, evening she went downstairs but was unable to get back without help." At about 8 p.m. she died. Joanna was born 5 Oct 1760 in Providence RI and die,d 27 June 1838..In_1792 she was appointed as\ deaconess. Inn 1798 her. name appears on the deed when the Bennett property was signed over to the Shakers as Joanna Sayles, daughter of Eunice and Joseph, so it would appear that she had been married. In Oct 1814 she was appointed a deaconess at the Church Family, and A.
served until Feb. 1816- When she died, she had been confined to fojr 14 wssks with illfisss'.- Sarah was born 28 Apr 1769 in Cheshire, Berkshire Cy., Mass. And died 9 Jan 1843, agad 73-6-11. She is found signing a covenant in May 1801. She was appointed as Eidress in 1808 and served until 1830. In May 1839, she and another sister wentt to the Shaker community at New Lebanon for a while for their " health. At the time of her death, spirit messages were received at her funeral. This period of intense spirituality began in 1842 (at Watervliet) and lasted for about ten years until finally diminishing. Henry's name appears occasionally but he is not in the cemetery, so apparently apostasized. Violet was born about 1760 and died 17 June 1785,. aged about 25. And that is all I have founot about her except the notation "colored" which leads me to believe she was the Bennett 's slave. This is really not.'much more than you already know but thought you might like the confirmation- Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the family with us. ' ' Sincerely yours,... Elizabeth D. Shaver Researcher