Geertje Van Dyke

Other Events:

• Name: Catherine Van Dyke
• Name: Giertie Van Diick

Geertje married John Benham about 1717 in Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America. John (son of John Benham and Anna Neeltje Kymber) was born on 15 Aug 1692 in Bergen County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; died on 8 Aug 1784 in Freehold Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 3 Apr 1722, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Dutch Reformed Church

Other Events:

• Baptism: 1 Jan 1725, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Dutch Reformed Church
• Military: Between 1776 and 1778; American Revolutionary War - Sergeant/Ensign

Notes:

...The New Jersey Colonial Documents, marriage records, list the three marriages of this Peter Benham. He first married in 1747 to Anne (or Anna) James, daughter of Robert and Amey James. She died in 1758
...Peter married the second time on Apr 2, 1759 in New Jersey as Peter Benham of Middlesex to Hannah Clayton of Monmouth, New Jersey.
...Peter married the third time on Feb 24, 1761 as Peter Benham of Freehold, New Jersey to Catharine Wessel of Freehold, New Jersey. She outlived him and was granted letters of administration on his estate in Loudon County, Virginia. These letters were obtained Jun 12, 1780 and the bond posted was for 1000 pounds. From the amount of the bond, Peter left behind a small estate. He left no will and consequently Peter's eldest son, John, under the English law succeeded to the estate.
...Feb 12, 1781 James and his brother Nathaniel, orphans of Peter were bound to Samuel Cox by the Loudon County Court through the Wardens of Shelbourne Parish. I have spoken to the Rector of Shelbourne Parish and he advises that at the time this took place the Parish had almost as much jurisidiction over the welfare of the citizens of Virginia as the state courts. Shelbourne Parish is the Episcopal Church.
...Upon visiting the Daughters of American Revolution Headquarters in Washington, D.C. I found that numerous persons had established their ties with Peter Benham.
...These DAR records show that Peter served as a sergeant in Captain West's Company and also designated as Captain's Reuben Briscoe 3rd Virginia Regiment (1776 - 1778). Documentation for this is found in Colonel Thomas Marshal and Colonel William Heth's report of AGO Court records, Loudon County Virginia.
...I also found in the accounts of the United States for the Militia of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, Book A, page 282 where Peter furnished sundries for the Militia of the just mentioned states and was paid 30 pounds.
...Peter was a military sergeant of Carters Company, 10th Regiment which is recorded in the Colonial and State records of North Carolina Volume 1 - 16, page 1120 and Polio, North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Volume 2, page 8.
...While living in Loudon County Virginia Peter was appointed an Ensign on May 1778 in the Virginia militia. His appointment appears in "Legends of Loudon" by Harrison Williams, page 126 and also in the book "Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War" by McAllister, pages 210 and 213.
...Page 205 of the HISTORY OF THE OLD TENNENT CHURCH, by the Reverend Frank R. Symmes, 1904, under Early Baptismal Records, is the following: "Peter Benham had baptised: John, Robert, Peter, Richard, Amey, and Catharine, all baptized at once, presented by their father and their mother-in-law Hannah which had been (illegible) Clayton, May 31, 1759."
...It appears that Peter Benham after his marriage to Catharine Wessell in 1761 moved to Loudon County Virginia. His six older children were left behind in the care of their grandmother Catharine (Van Dyke) Benham. (Source: Compiled by James Lee Wignall, Following the Footprints on the Sands of Time, 1986)

Peter married Anne James on 2 Apr 1747 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America. Anne (daughter of Robert James, Sr. and Amey _____) was born on 29 Jan 1727 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; died in 1758 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Peter married Hannah Clayton on 2 Apr 1759 in New Jersey, British Colonial America. Hannah was born about 1740; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Peter married Catherine Wessel on 24 Feb 1761 in New Jersey, British Colonial America. Catherine was born in 1728 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; died before 12 Feb 1781 in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Anke Benham
• Baptism: 29 Jan 1727, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Dutch Reformed Church

Anna married Joseph Taylor on 25 Sep 1762 in Lower Freehold, New Jersey, British Colonial America. Joseph and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Jonathan Clayton on 6 Dec 1759 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America. Jonathan was born about 1729 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; died about 1779. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 5 Oct 1734, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Dutch Reformed Church

Elizabeth married Garret Covenhaven on 26 Feb 1759 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America. Garret and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 17 Dec 1738, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church

Family/Spouse: Van Horne. and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 2 Dec 1742, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church

Other Events:

• Baptism: 1744, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Henderickye Benham

Hendrica married Jacob VanDike on 10 Nov 1768. Jacob was born before 1768 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 31 May 1759, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church

Family/Spouse: Margaret Fowler. Margaret and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Military: as a Captain in the Revolutionary War
• Religion: Presbyterian
• Baptism: 31 May 1759, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church
• Will: 6 Feb 1809, Warren County, Ohio, United States
• History / Bio: 1882; The History of Warren County, Ohio (Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1882) p353, 354 and 357.

Notes:

...The first ferry to Newport was run by Captain Robert Benham, under a license from the Territorial government, granted September 24, 1792, from Cincinnati to the opposite bank, the present Newport, on the east side of the Licking.
The document by virtue of which the first ferry was established...
...On the thirteenth of February, 1792, the secretary of the Northwest Territory, then at Cincinnati, and, in the absence of Governor St. Clair, acting governor, issued the following proclamation:
..."To all persons to whom these presents shall come, greeting:----
...Whereas, it has been represented to me that it is necessary for the public interests, and the convenience of the inhabitants of the county of Hamilton, that a ferry should be established over the river Ohio, nearly opposite the mouth of Licking in the commonwealth of Virginia, and Mr. Robert Benham having requested permission to erect and keep said ferry:
...Now, know ye that, having duly considered of the said representation and request, I have thought it proper to grant the same, and by these presents do empower the said Robert Benham, of the county of Hamilton, to erect and keep a ferry over the Ohio river, from the landing place in the vicinity of his house-lot, which is nearly opposite the mouth of Licking, to both points of the said rivulet and upon the Virginia shore: and to ask, demand, recover and receive as a compensation for every single person that be may transport over said
ferry.....................................6 cents
For a man and horse.....................18 "
For a wagon and team...................100 "
For horned cattle, per head...............18 "
For hogs, each............................6 "
until those rates shall be altered by law or future instructions from the governor of this territory.
...And he is hereby required to provide good and sufficient flats or boats for the purpose, and to give due attention to the same according to right and common usage, and to govern himself in the premises by all such laws as hereafter may be adopted for the regulation of ferries, as soon as such laws shall be published i the territory.
...Given under my hand and seal, at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, the eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, and of the independence of the United States the sixteenth--and to continue in force during the pleasure of the governor of the territory. Winthrop Sargent.
(Source: W. H. Beers, The History of Warren County, Ohio: Containing A History of the County; it's Townships, Towns, Schools, Churches, etc,; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Warren County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: Culver, Page, Hoyne & Co., 1882), Hamilton County, General History, pg. 76, 225)

Note: Gateway to the West, Vol. II, Warren County, Ohio Marriages 1803-1810 pg. 657 lists Robert Benham to Polly Price 7-3-1806, and Robert Benham, Jr. to Nancy Price 8-17-1808.

History / Bio:

Robert Benham. This pioneer and soldier, whose name is familiar to readers of the early history of the Ohio Valley, was born in Pennsylvania in 1750. He was an officer in the Revolutionary war, and, after the close of that struggle, became one of the early settlers in Symmes' Purchase. He is said to have built, in 1789, the first hewed-log house in Cincinnati and to have established the first ferry over the Ohio at Cincinnati February 18, 1792. He served under Harmar in his campaign against the Indians, was in the bloody defeat of St. Clair and shared in Wayne's victory. About the commencement of the present century, he settled upon a farm southwest of the site of Lebanon, which was his home until his death. He was a member of the first Legislature of the Northwest Territory and of the first Board of County Commissioners of Warren County; in the latter capacity, he served several years. Judge Burnet, who served in the Legislature with him, says: "He was possessed of great activity, muscular strength and enterprise; had a sound, discriminating judgement and great firmness of character. He was the grandsire of the accomplished Mrs. Harriet Prentice, of Louisville." Joseph S. Benham, his son, became a distinguished lawyer and orator of Cincinnati, and delivered the oration on the reception of La Fayette at Cincinnati. Robert Benham died early in the spring of 1809, and was buried at Lebanon, a troop of cavalry following his remains to the grave.
The most interesting event in the life of Capt. Benham is his survival after being wounded at Rodgers' defeat, and his life on the battle-field. Strange as this story is, its truthfulness has Been indorsed by Judge Burnet and other careful historians. The account below is from "Western Adventures:"
"In the autumn of 1779, a number of keel-boats were ascending the Ohio under the command of Maj. Rodgers, and had advanced as far as the mouth of Licking without accident. Here, however, they observed a few Indians standing upon the southern extremity of a sand-bar, while a canoe, rowed by three others, was in the act of putting off from the Kentucky shore, as if for the purpose of taking them aboard. Rodgers immediately ordered the boats to be made fast on the Kentucky shore, while the crew, to the number of seventy men, well armed, cautiously advanced in such a manner as to encircle the spot where the enemy had been seen to land. Only five or six Indians had been seen, and no one dreamed of encountering more than fifteen or twenty Indians. When Rodgers, however, had, as he supposed, completely surrounded the enemy, and was preparing to rush upon them from several quarters at once, he was thunderstruck at beholding several hundred savages suddenly spring in front, rear and upon both flanks. They instantly poured in a close discharge of rifles, and then, throwing down their guns, fell upon the survivors with the tomahawk. The panic was complete and the slaughter prodigious. Maj. Rodgers, together with forty-five others of his men, were quickly destroyed. The survivors made an effort to regain their boats, but the five men who had been left in charge of them had immediately put off from shore in the hindmost boat, and the enemy had already gained possession of the others. Disappointed in their attempt, they turned furiously upon the enemy, and, aided by the approach of darkness, forced their way through their lines, and with the loss of several severely wounded, at length effected their escape to Harrodsburg.
"Among the wounded was Capt. Robert Benham. Shortly after breaking through the enemy's line, he was shot through both hips, and, the bones being shattered, he fell to the ground. Fortunately, a large tree had lately fallen near the spot where he lay, and, with great pain, he dragged himself into the top and lay concealed among the branches. The Indians, eager in pursuit of the others, passed him without notice, and, by midnight, all was quiet.
"On the following day, the Indians returned to the battle-ground, in order to strip the dead and take care of the boats. Benham, although in danger of famishing, permitted them to pass without making known his condition, very correctly supposing that his crippled legs would only induce them to tomahawk him upon the spot in order to avoid the trouble of carrying him to their town. He lay close, therefore,until the evening of the second day, when, perceiving a raccoon descending a tree near him, he shot it, hoping to devise some means of reaching it, when he could kindle a fire and make a meal. Scarcely had his gun cracked, however, when he heard a human cry, apparently not more than fifty yards off. Supposing it to be an Indian, he hastily reloaded his gun, and remained silent, expecting the approach of an enemy. Presently, the same voice was heard again, but much nearer. Still, Benham made no reply, but cocked his gun and sat ready to fire as soon as an object appeared. A third halloo was quickly heard, followed by an exclamation of impatience and distress, which convinced Benham that the unknown person must be a Kentuckian. As soon, therefore, as he heard the expression, 'Whoever you are, for God's sake answer me!' he replied with readiness, and the parties were soon together.
"Benham, as we have already observed, was shot through both legs. The man who now appeared had escaped from the same battle with both arms broken. Thus each was enabled to supply what the other wanted. Benham, having the perfect use of his arms, could load his gun and kill game with great readiness, while his friend, having the use of his legs, would kick the game to the spot where Benham sat, who was thus enabled to cook it. When no wood was near them, his companion would rake up brush with his feet and gradually roll it within reach of Benham's hand, who constantly fed his companion and dressed his wounds, as well as his own, tearing up both their shirts for that purpose. They found some difficulty in procuring water at first, but Benham at length took his own hat, and, placing the rim between the teeth of his companion, directed him to wade into the Licking up to his neck and dip the hat into the water (by sinking his own head). The man who could walk was thus enabled to bring water by means of his teeth, which Benham would afterward dispose of as was necessary. In a few days, they had killed all the squirrels and birds within reach, and the man with the broken arms was sent out to drive game within gunshot of the spot to which Benham was confined. Fortunately, wild turkeys were abundant in those woods, and his companion would walk around and drive them toward Benham, who seldom failed to kill two or three of each flock. In this manner they supported themselves for several weeks, until their wounds had healed, so as to enable them to travel. They then shifted their quarters and put up a small shed at the mouth of the Licking, when they encamped until late in November, anxiously expecting the arrival of some boat which would convey them to the falls of the Ohio.
"On the 27th of November, they observed a flat-boat moving leisurely down the river. Benham hoisted his hat upon a stick and hallooed loudly for help. The crew, however, supposing them to be Indians, at least suspecting them of an intention to decoy them ashore, paid no attention to their signals of distress, but instantly put over to the opposite side of the river, and manning every oar, endeavored to pass them as rapidly as possible. Benham beheld them passing him with a sensation bordering on despair, for the place was much frequented by Indians, and the approach of winter threatened them with destruction unless speedily relieved. At length, after the boat had passed him nearly half a mile, he saw a canoe put off from its stern and cautiously approach the Kentucky shore, evidently reconnoitering them with great suspicion. He called loudly upon them for assistance, mentioned his name and made known his condition. After a long parley, and many evidences of reluctance on the part of the crew, the canoe at length touched the shore and Benham and his friend were taken on board.
"Their appearance excited much suspicion. They were almost entirely naked, and their faces were garnished with six weeks' growth of beard. The one was barely able to hobble upon crutches, and the other could manage to fee himself with on of his hands. They were taken to Louisville, where their clothes (which had been carried off in the boat which deserted them) were restored to them, and, after a few weeks' confinement, both were perfectly restored."
It is stated in "Western Annals," that Benham afterward bought and lived upon the land where the battle took place. His companion, whose name is given as John Watson, afterward lived at Brownsville, Penn. (Source: W. H. Beers, The History of Warren County, Ohio: Containing A History of the County; it's Townships, Towns, Schools, Churches, etc,; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Map of Warren County; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc.

Family/Spouse: Elizabeth Miller. Elizabeth was born in 1753; died in 1817 in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, United States; was buried in 1817 in Warren County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 31 May 1759, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church

Notes:

Resided: 1785, Washington County Pennsylvania.

Family/Spouse: Cornelius Shroud. Cornelius and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 31 May 1759, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church
• Residence: Between 1793 and 1794, Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky, United States; for one year before returning to Pennsylvania
• Death: 1799, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States

Notes:

Benham, Peter; (bro. of Capt. Robert); to Ky. 1793, where he d 1799; widow to Ohio 1800, d 1805; issue-- Robert, *James, Peter, **John, Ann, wife of Thompson Lamb; Martha, wife of Nathan Smith. *James, Union Township, b Washington Co. Pa. Aug. 9, 1784 - d Aug. 13, 1869; m (1) Mary Robinson; (2) Dec. 9, 1827, Mary Russell; (3) Lydia Irvin Moore, who d Oct. 12 1847; issue-- James, Rebecca, Martha and three others; James Jr. b.

Family/Spouse: Elizabeth Ellsworth. Elizabeth was born about 1753; died in 1805 in Warren County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: James Benham
• Name: Richard James Benham
• Religion: First Presbyterian Church
• Baptism: 31 May 1759, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church
• Military: 14 May 1779; Revolutionary War - Private

Notes:

...Baptized on May 31, 1759, with his brothers and sisters, in the Scotch Covenanter Church, the Old Tennent Church of Freehold, New Jersey. His first or middle name may have been James. Probably in 3rd Virginia Regiment of the continental Line during the Revolutionary War. (Source: Information from John Hartsock)
...According to Benjamin Van Cleve, nephew of Richard Benham, in about 1784/5 "Captain Robert Benham, my mothers brother, paid us a visit. He strongly solicited my father to remove to that county (the land west of the Monongehelah in Pennsylvania), gave him a list of the different places on the road and every necessary advice relative to his preparations and journey. The object to be surmounted. He was, however, all summer getting ready and did not commence the journey until the second day of November. It seemed hard to leave the country of our nativity, our near relatives, and almost all that was dear to us. My father's mother was living and had lived with us for many years. My mother's grandmother who had brought her up from two years old, lived within a quarter of a mile; she had never lived further off. There was a numerous connection of both sides. We were now to separate from forever. But the prospects of being better enabled in a new country of providing for a growing family preponderated. We commenced our journey on the second of November, 1785, with two wagons of my father's one carrying a set of smith's tools and the other the household goods, in the company with Cornelius Shourd and family, whose wife is my mother's sister. They were in anot
her wagon. My father and uncle and each an apprentice and a young man by the name of Tunis Voorheis, and neighbor, came with us to see the country, and my Uncle had with him likewise my Uncle Richard Benham's wife and son. We made this day near thirty miles and put up at the ferry on the Delaware River about two miles below Trenton."
..."Skipping some entries, we continued: - Dec, 6 came to James Crawford's Ferry on the Monongehela. Here we were met by Uncles, Robert and Peter Benham, with fresh horses and before night we arrived at the end of our journey on the north fork of Ten Mile Creek in Washington County Pennsylvania."
..."We lived on the Plantation of my uncle, Robert Benham, nearly opposite Wises (afterwards Wallaces) Mills during the years 1786 - 87. My father cultivated a small field and worked at his trade. In 1788 my father rented a farm."
..."On the 25th of November 1789 we sailed from Crawford's Ferry, one boat carrying the families of my father, uncle Richard Benham and some passengers, one of who was Jacob Tappan of New Jersey." The family of Amey Benham and Cornelius Shroud (her husband) remained in western Pa. The journey was made safely and the company landed at Losantiville, opposite the Licking River, on January 3, 1790. The new arrival quickly made preparations for living quarters and the care of their families. John Van Cleave, a blacksmith by trade, who had brought his tools with him, all the way from his home in New Jersey, set up a shop.
...Richard Benham's brother, Robert, followed shortly after with his family while their brother, Peter, and his family came several years later. Richard and Robert Benham soon bought property in Hamilton county, property which now is of great value, being in downtown section of Cincinnati. Their names appear on the record of distribution and sale of lots in the town of Losantiville, 1789-90. Deeds in the Hamilton county Court House attest to early ownership of land by both of them.
...Richard Benham's land became his as a "volunteer settler" on property offreed by John Cleves Symmes. A "volunteer settler" was required to improve the land and represent his section whenever required for seven years before he was granted ownership. This was called the "Rule of Sale and Settlement of Miami Lands." Should the volunteer settler not live up to his part of the contract he lost the right to claim property and someone else was allowed to apply for it. Richard Benham, according to court house records, never seems to have left Hamilton County although he lived several places in it including the old settlement of Columbia, where from deeds we know he lived in 1802. It was at this time that he became tired of clearing lots Nos. 243 and 244, at the north west corner of fifth and Race Streets in Cincinnati, and paying taxes on them, so he decided to sell them deeming them valueless. On January 4, 1802, he sold the two lots for $40.00.
...Richard Benham did not leave a will but from other sources I learned that his wife was Lydia (Last name unknown). He died intestate but the names of his children and heirs appear in a series of deeds of land recorded in Hamilton County court House, in which deeds they sold the land left them by their father. This property was located in the north west corner of Symmes township. Lydia appears as the head of the family in Symmes township in the 1820 census records of Hamilton County, as do her widowed daughter, Betsy Luther, and her sons-in-law, Henry A. Balser, Robert Hughes, and Amos Harris. The last known record of Lydia is in a deed dated November 14, 1823 in Warren County, Oh. Richard Benham built the third cabin on the present site of Cincinnati. He had ten acres there at one time. He died near Todd's Forks and at the time of his death he owned 114 acres.

Researchers Note: Cincinnati was founded in 1788 and named "Losantiville" meaning "the city opposite the mouth of the Licking River".

Richard married Lydia Robbins about 1774. Lydia was born about 1759 in New Jersey, British Colonial America; died after 1850. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Baptism: 31 May 1759, Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; Address:
  Old Tennent Church

Notes:

Catherine Benham VanCleve Thompson was the first white woman to set foot in what is now Dayton, Ohio. She and John VanCleve came to Cincinnati in 1790 when it was still called Losantiville. Within two years of their arrival, John VanCleve was killed by Indians and Catherine married a Samuel Thompson. In April of 1796, the Thompsons decided to move north to the new settlement of Dayton, Ohio, named after Jonathan Dayton, a Rev. war veteran. Three groups of people arranged to go at the same time. Since there were no wagon trails the party which included Catherine VanCleve Thompson opted to travel by flat-bottomed boat up the Great Miami River and arrived before those who traveled overland. The boat trip took about 10 days.

Catherine married John Van Cleve on 1 Aug 1771 in Monmouth County, New Jersey, British Colonial America. John was born on 16 May 1749 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey, British Colonial America; died on 1 Jun 1791 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Northwest Territory, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Catherine married Samuel Thompson on 14 Apr 1793 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Northwest Territory, United States. Samuel was born in 1753 in Pennsylvania, British Colonial America; died in 1817 in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Rebecca Zelling. Rebecca was born in 1780 in Pennsylvania, United States; died after 1868 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Captain John Spencer. John died on 22 Apr 1835. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Military: Officer in the Revolutionary War
• Religion: Universalist
• Census: 1840, Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States
• Census: 1850, Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States; as James Benham, farmer, head of household
• Census: 1860, Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States; as James Benham, in the household of Joseph Bone
• History / Bio: 1882; The History of Warren County, Ohio (Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1882), p713

Notes:

History / Bio:

Union Township
James Benham was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania August 9, 1784, and died in Union Township, Warren County, Ohio at the age of eighty-five years and sixteen days. His father, Peter Benham, removed with his family to the present site of Newport, Ky., in the winter of 1793-94, where he stopped on a tract of land belonging to Capt. Robert Benham. The next year, Peter Benham returned to Pennsylvania on business and died there, leaving in Kentucky his widow and five children, James, John, Peter, and two daughters, afterward Mrs. Thompson Lamb and Mrs. Nathan Smith. The widow removed to lands near Turtle Creek, purchased with the proceeds of Peter's estate. She died in 1805, when her eldest son, James, was just twenty-one years old. At his mother's request, he promised her not to marry until his young sisters were grown up, and to keep them together. True to his promise, he remained single until 1818, when he married Miss Mary Robinson; in 1821, he married Miss Mary Russell, and in 1827 he married Mrs. Lydia Irwin. By his first two marriages he had no children; by his third wife, his children were James I., Mrs. Rebecca Snook, Mrs. Martha Stokes and Mrs. Lizzie Bone. James Benham was twice elected Justice of the Peace, but he never sought office. His long life was passed as a quiet farmer; in politics he was a Whig, and afterward a Republican; in religion he was for the last forty or fifty years of his life a Universalist. Gen. Durbin Ward, who was the intimate friend of James Benham wrote soon after his death: "The writer who knew him as the highest type of humanity--an honest man--and who loved him for nearly thirty years, mourns the loss of the wisest man he ever knew, and whose daily life he would be glad to be good and great enough to follow as an example."

James married Mary Robertson on 26 Feb 1818 in Warren County, Ohio, United States. Mary died between 1818 and 1821. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Mary Russell on 29 Dec 1824 in Warren County, Ohio, United States. Mary was born in 1795; died on 31 Aug 1825 in Warren County, Ohio, United States; was buried in Sep 1825 in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Lydia Moore on 20 Dec 1827 in Butler County, Ohio, United States. Lydia was born about 13 Sep 1798; died on 12 Oct 1847 in Warren County, Ohio, United States; was buried in Oct 1847 in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Census: 1840, Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States
• Census: 1850, Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer, head of household
• Census: 1860, Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer, head of household

John married Narcissa McFarland on 12 Apr 1814 in Warren County, Ohio, United States. Narcissa was born on 7 Dec 1796 in Pennsylvania, United States; died on 7 May 1859 in Union Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States; was buried in May 1859 in Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Lydia married Robert Hughes in 1820. Robert and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Abigail married Edward P. Thomas on 20 Dec 1825 in Warren County, Ohio, United States. Edward was born about 1805 in Ohio, United States; died after 1842. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Military: War of 1812
• Birth: Jul 1785
• Property: 12 Oct 1813; purchased 49 acres for $200 from Aaron Nutt
• Census: 1820, Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer
• Census: 1830, Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer
• Census: 1840, Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer
• Census: 1850, Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer, head of household
• Census: 1860, Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; as John Benham, farmer, head of household
• Will: 21 Jun 1862, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Probate: 7 May 1870, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States

Notes:

Property:

Signed: Aaron Nutt and Mary (her mark) Nutt
Witness: John Price and I. George Reeder
vC, p273

Will:


Last Will and Testament of John Benham
—In the name of the Benevolent Father of All:
I, John Benham Senior, of the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio do make and publish this my last will & testament.
—Item 1st - I give and devise to my beloved wife Abigail Benham , in lieu of her dower, the farm on which we now reside, situate in Washington Township Montgomery County, Ohio, containing about fifty acres, during her natural lifetime.
—Also, all the good and chattles belonging to me at the time of my decease, she however selling so much thereof as may be sufficient to pay just debts.
—Item 2nd - I will and devise my grandchildren, being the children of Sarah Hatfield, deceased; Richard Benham, deceased; John Benham, deceased, ten dollars each, to be paid to them by my Executors after the decease of my said wife.
—Item 3rd - After the decease of my said wife, I direct that my said farm be sold by my Executors hereinafter named and the proceeds thereof, together with the proceeds of chattle property that may be unconsumed by my said wife be equally divided amongst my children as follows: Mary Silver, Aaron Benham, Ivens Benham, Samuel Benham, Charlotte Blair, Lydia Meterd, Tildia June Surface, William P. Benham, and Levi Benham, provided any of the above named children should decease before they should receive their shares, then I direct that their share be divided between those that may be living, and that their children be paid ten dollars each as the grandchildren before mentioned.
—I do hereby nominate and appoint David Thatcher and Sydney D. Maxwell, Executors of this my last will and testament hereby authorizing them to sell, and deeds to make and to purchasers for the Real Estate before mention in such manner either private of public sale at any time after the decease of my said wife. I further authorize and impower them to adjust and settle all business of any nature whatsoever. In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this twenty first day of June A.D. 1862.
John Benham (seal)
—Signed sealed and acknowledged by said John Benham as his last will and testament, in our presence, and signed by us at his request in his presence.
W. G. Ewing, Jr.
S. L. Clutch

Died:

OBITUARY
Dayton Daily Journal
26 April 1870 - Pg 3, Col 5
Another of our Pioneer Fathers Gone
—John Benham, son of Richard and Lydia, (maiden name Robins) was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, August 11th, 1784, and died at his late residence, three-fourths of a mile north of Centreville, Montgomery county, April 23d, 1870, after a long and lingering illness, aged 85 years, 8 months and 12 days. Whilst a child, his parents moved to Pennsylvania - from there to the West, landing on the banks of the Ohio river where Cincinnati now stands, on New Year's day, 1790.
—He said the place at that time contained only one log cabin. Fort Washington was occupied by the army, and in a small fort, or stock-house, lived three or four famiies. His father tore up their boat and built a shanty against a large elm tree, in which the family spent the remainder of the winter. This was on the bank of the river at the foot of Main street. His father then bought one acre of land on the second bottom fronting on Main street for ten shillings - built a log house on it, and moved there in the spring of 1791; some time afterward, one half of the lot was sold for ten dollars to Jas. Kemper. His uncle, Robert Benham had the first shingle roofed house in Cincinnati.
—The first brick house there was built by James Gruniman, also the first mill on Millcreek. The building of both he distinctly remembered. He saw the armies of Harman, St. Clair and Wayne leave Cincinnati for the Indian counrty. Fort Washington was a four-square building with a block-house at each corner, making it then an eight-square fort.
—He lived in Cincinnati seven years, and saw the three first burials. The first was a soldier from the fort; the other two died at his father's house. Their names were Sullivans and Samuel Dugood. He moved from Cincinnati to a creek near Montgomery, now in Hamilton county, his father's object being to open a farm. But they had neither horses or plows. The first corn crop was put in entirely with hoes - corn-hills being made here and there, where an opening could be found. The crop was tended by himself and two sisters. One day he and one of his sisters were hunting rushes, when their dog was attacked by a bear, and was about to prove too much for the dog, when he fell to work on the bear with a club, killing him! He came to this county in 1804, and was married to Abigal Nutt, July 11, 1805, and they were the parents of 15 children, 9 of whom are still living. At the time of his coming into this county, hunting parties were very common, in whch he took a liberal part, with the follwing remembered persons: The Becks, Irwins, Dunkins and Baileys. On his first visit to Dayton, he found a few log cabins surrounded by hazel bushes and quite a pond of water on Main street. The most prominent men in Dayton at that time were Compton, merchant, and Cooper, who owned a Tub Mill, which stood about where the Patterson Saw-mill now stands. The millers name was Holt. In the war of 1812 he served two terms, one in Captain McClellan's company in 1812, in 1814 he served in Captain Joseph Ewing's company. In politics he was a Democrat, in religion a Universalist, and by profession and practice an honest man.

John married Abigail Nutt on 12 Jul 1805 in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. Abigail (daughter of Aaron Nutt and Mary Archer) was born on 24 Sep 1790 in Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky, United States; died on 6 Jul 1868 in Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; was buried in Jul 1868 in Centerville, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Resided: 1833, Hamilton County, Ohio.

Family/Spouse: Mary Johnson. Mary and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Betsy Benham

Notes:

Birth:
now Hamilton County, Ohio

Family/Spouse: Luther _____. Luther and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Resided: Hamilton County, Ohio - 1820.

Family/Spouse: Joseph Burrs. Joseph and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Asa French. Asa and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Physical Description: 1812; Height 5' 10", light complexion, blue eyes, light sandy hair
• Military: Between Apr 1812 and Aug 1812; served in the War of 1812 2nd Regiment, Ohio Militia
• Census: 1850, Brown Township, Miami County, Ohio, United States; as Richard Bennum, farmer, head of household
• Census: 1860, Brown Township, Miami County, Ohio, United States; as Richard Benham, farmer, head of household
• Will: 24 Mar 1869, Miami County, Ohio, United States
• Probate: 19 May 1870, Miami County, Ohio, United States

Richard married Moriah Nutt in 1813 in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. Moriah (daughter of Aaron Nutt and Mary Archer) was born on 22 Jul 1797 in Dry Ridge, Bourbon County, Kentucky, United States; died on 8 May 1849 in Miami County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Abigail S. Underwood on 9 Aug 1849 in Shelby County, Ohio, United States. Abigail was born in May 1815 in Shelby County, Ohio, United States; died on 18 Apr 1901 in Miami County, Ohio, United States; was buried in Apr 1901 in Fletcher, Miami County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Resided: 1820, Hamilton County, Ohio.

Family/Spouse: Amos Harris. Amos was born in in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Resided: 1820, Hamilton County, Ohio.

Mary married Henry Baltzell on 9 Nov 1811 in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Henry was born on 12 Jul 1791 in Hamilton County, Northwest Territory, United States; died about 1867 in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Census: 1820, Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Census: 1850, Mad River Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; as Peter Benham, farmer, head of household
• Census: 1860, Beavercreek Township, Greene County, Ohio, United States; as Peter Benham, farmer, head of household
• Census: 1870, Beavercreek Township, Greene County, Ohio, United States; as Peter Benham, retired farmer, head of household
• Census: 1880, Beavercreek Township, Greene County, Ohio, United States; as Peter Benham, farmer, head of household

Notes:

Birth:
now Hamilton County, Ohio USA

Peter married Catherine Beck on 29 Jan 1818 in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. Catherine was born about 18 Aug 1800 in Northwest Territory, United States; died on 21 Dec 1864; was buried in Dec 1864 in Beavercreek, Greene County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Peter married Catherine Nave before 1870. Catherine was born on 1 Feb 1827 in Beavercreek Township, Greene County, Ohio, United States; died on 4 Feb 1902 in Sugar Creek Township, Greene County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Benham

Amy married Henry Shaver in 1825. Henry was born in in Warren County, Ohio, United States; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Benjamin Van Cleve was the son of John Van Cleve, who was the son of Benjamin and Rachel Van Cleve. John Van Cleve was born at New Brunswick, N. J., May 16, 1749; was a soldier in the revolution, serving in his father's company. He married Catharine Benham, and, in 1785, settled in Washington County, Penn. In December, 1789, he, with his family, started, for the Northwest Territory, and landed at Losanteville, January 3, 1790. June 1, 1791, he was stabbed in five places, killed and scalped by the Indians, in an outlot at Cincinnati. John and Catharine Van Cleve had six children. Benjamin was born in Monmouth County, N.J., February 24, 1773; Ann was born at the same place, July 30, 1775, married Col. Jerome Holt, at Cincinnati, and in 1797, settled with him in Van Buren Township, in this county, and died in March,1858; William was born in Monmouth County, N. J., in 1777; Margaret, born at the home place, in Monmouth County, in February, 1779, married______Reeder, at Cincinnati, and died, in September, 1858; Mary, born in Washington County, Penn., February 10, 1787; Amy, born in Washington County, Penn., in July, 1789, married Isaac Shields, and died in Preble County, Ohio. Catharine, the mother of these children, married Samuel Thompson, at Cincinnati, by whom she had two children, Sarah and Matthew, before they moved to Dayton. Benjamin Van Cleve, the subject of this sketch, was an upright and worthy man; when his father was killed by the Indians, in 1791, although but eighteen years old, he took upon himself the care and support of his mother and family. He served in the campaigns of St. Clair, Wilkinson and Wayne---was a bearer of important dispatches to Washington, New York and return; was in Dunlap's surveying party in this Mad River country, immediately after Wayne's treaty with the Indians; was here again, with Col. Ludlow, to lay out Dayton, and came as a settler with the first colony, in the spring of 1796. He taught the first school, in the Dayton block-house, in 1799; he served as Clerk of the Court from the organization fo the county until his death, in 1821, and was the first Postmaster appointed in Dayton, serving in that capacity from 1804 until the date of his death. In the language of his friend and associate, Bol. John Johnson, "God never made a better man than was Benjamin Van Cleve." August 28, 1800, he married Mary Whitten, daughter of John and Phoebe Whitten; they had five children. John Whitten Van Cleve, born in Dayton June 27, 1801, died September 6, 1858; Wiliam James, born October 10, 1803, died October 30, 1808; Henrietta Maria, born November 16, 1805, married Samuel B. Dover, September 21, 1824; surviving him, she married Joseph Bond, November 4, 1858, and died, May 18, 1879; Mary Cornelia, born December 2, 1807, married James Andrews, November 20, 1827, and died February 19, 1878; Sarah Sophia, born November 24, 1809, married David C. Baker, February 11, 1830, died October 18, 1839. Mary Van Cleve, the mother of these children, was born February 17, 1782, and died December 28, 1810. March 10, 1812, Benjamin Van Cleve married Mary Tamplin, an English lady, but at that time living in Champaign County, Ohio. Benjamin Van Cleve died November 29, 1821; his second wife, Mary, by whom he had no children, died December 19, 1825. (Source: Evansville, Indiana: Unigraphic, Inc., 1973, a reproduction of, "History of Montgomery County, Ohio", (original published - Chicago, Illinois: W. H. Beers & County, 1882), pg. 272, 273)

Ann married Colonel Jerome Holt in 1797 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Northwest Territory, United States. Jerome and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Capt. William Van Cleve, brother of Benjamin, son of John and Catharine, was born near Monmouth, N. J., in 1777, and was not quite twenty years old when he came to Dayton. Although he lived in town for two or three years, he began at once to improve his farm, which was south of Dayton. His first wife was Effie Westfall, by whom he had several children. In 1812, Capt. Van Cleve responded promptly with his company of Dayton Riflemen, to the first call for troops, and in June they were ordered to the front. After the war, he kept a tavern just south of town, at the junction of Warren and Jefferson streets, and died there in 1828. (Source: "The History of Montgomery County Ohio", a reproduction by Unigraphic, Inc., Evansville, Indiana. Reproduced on Broderbund Software's Family Archive CD #450 (County and Family Histories: Ohio, 1780-1970). Original by W. H. Beers & County, Chicago, pg 272)

Margaret married George Reeder on 2 Jun 1796 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Northwest Territory, United States. George was born on 24 Sep 1767 in Loudoun County, Virginia, British Colonial America; died on 13 May 1845 in Richland, Rush County, Indiana, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Polly Van Cleve

Notes:

Aunt Polly, Mary Van Cleve Swaynie, daughter of John and Catharine Van Cleve, was born in Washington County, Penn., February 10, 1787. Why she is called Aunt Polly we do not know, but that is the name by which she is best know now. She was born five months before the Northwest Territory was formed; she is nine years older than Dayton, fifteen years older than the State of Ohio, and sixteen years older than Montgomery County. She, with her parents, landed at Losanteville the day the name was changed to Cincinnati; six later years, March, 1796, she left there in the pirogue with the party who came up the Miami River, landing at the head of St. Clair street, Dayton, April 1, 1796, and has livedin Dayton ever since. She attended school in 1799 and 1800, at the block-house that stood in Main street at the river bank, and can tell of events happening in every stage of the county's improved and substantial condition of to-day. She was married, to John McClain, in 1804, and by him had ten children, four of whom are still living; a daughter, Mrs. Jane Swaynie, who lives with her, and three sons, who have moved away from the county. Her husband died, and on December 12, 1826, she married Robert Swaynie; they had no children. Mrs. Swaynie has been a widow for many years; her residence is No. 247 Bainbridge street, Dayton, where, for the past twenty years or more, her relatives and friends have assembled to celebrate, with her, each recurring anniversary of her birth. Aunt Polly is in reasonably good health, although, of course, her mind is not so active as formerly. (Source: "The History of Montgomery County Ohio", a reproduction by Unigraphic, Inc., Evansville, Indiana. Reproduced on Broderbund Software's Family Archive CD #450 (County and Family Histories: Ohio, 1780-1970). Original by W. H. Beers & County, Chicago, pg. 273)

Mary married John McClain in 1804. John and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Robert Swaynie on 12 Dec 1826 in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. Robert and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Isaac Shields. Isaac and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Marcus married Isabelle Patrick on 23 Apr 1857 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. Isabelle was born on 23 Feb 1839 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States; died on 26 Feb 1895 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Luther married Susaiten Walls on 14 Aug 1834 in Harrison County, Indiana, United States. Susaiten and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Burton White on 14 Aug 1834 in Harrison County, Indiana, United States. Burton and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Stewart married Mary Jenkins on 8 Aug 1847 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. Mary and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jarvis married Mary Kincaid on 28 Jun 1845 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. Mary and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Hiram married Henrietta Wilbur on 26 Aug 1867 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. Henrietta and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Malinda married Henry J. Landers on 3 Jul 1842 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. Henry and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Amanda married William Ramsey on 13 Jul 1848 in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. William was born in 1819 in Boone County, Missouri, United States; died on 18 Nov 1862; was buried in Nov 1862 in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Amanda married James Pollack Davis on 9 Apr 1867 in Mississippi, Missouri, United States. James was born on 3 Jul 1831 in Kentucky, United States; died after 1904. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]