Jabez Benedict

	Born	1752		Connecticut
	Married	15 Jan 1782	Mary Weeks	Smithtown, Suffolk, New York
	Died	22 May 1835		Aylesford, Kings Co., Nova Scotia
	Buried	24 May 1835		Aylesford, Kings Co., Nova Scotia

Parents:

• Father: Jabez Benedict
• Mother: Charity Booth

- Family album of photos and documents.

Children with Mary:

(note: children per Township Book of Aylesford)

1. Rebecca Benedict; b. 29 Dec 1784
2. Sarah Benedict; b. 21 Jan 1792
3. Alexander Benedict; b. 27 Mar 1794
4. Mary Benedict; b. 24 May 1796
5. Rachel Benedict; b. 8 April 1798

The Parents of Jabez

The family was raised in the Danbury, Connecticut area. Both his parents lived out their final years in Johnstown, New York. His father Jabez Sr. passed away in 1804 when Jabez Jr. would have been 52. His mother Charity departed in 1815, when Jabez would have been 63.

Jabez's Early Years

Little is known of Jabez as a young man.

Jabez and Mary

Mary Weeks came from Long Island, New York, the daughter of Alexander Weeks / Wicks / Wickes / Wieks. She and Jabez were married in January, either the 15th of 1782 or the 16th of 1783, possibly on Long Island, New York and after the conclusion of the American Revolution War. They then emigrated to Canada, passing through New Brunswick likely before 1785 and then arriving in Kings county of Nova Scotia.

In 1785, "a Mr. Benedict" of Annapolis brought the first four wheeled wagon to Falmouth. The event caused great excitement at Falmouth.^A

Donna Parker provided the death date of Jabez and that Mary died April 28, 1838. Donna also reports other children:

• James Benedict; no b. or d. dates; (to be verified)and
• Moses Benedict; m. to Olive Banks (to be verified)

The Aylesford Township Book does record their marriage, but not the date nor whether they were married at that place. There is a record with the LDS FamilySearch site of a Jabesh Benedict marrying a Mary Wicks on January 16, 1783 in Horton Twp, Kings Co., Nova Scotia. This needs further research.

New York Marriages, 1600-1784 Spouse 1: Jabez Benedict Spouse 2: Mary Weeks Marriage Date: 15 Jan 1782 Record: M. B. Volume: XXXV OSPage: 18

New York City Marriages, 1600s-1800s Name: Mary Wicks Spouse Name: Jabez Benedict Marriage Date: 1782 Marriage Place: Smithtown, Suffolk, New York Marriage ID: 2220331254 Other Comments: On microfilm at Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Source: The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (quarterly), 1911, selected extracts Publisher: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Publication Place: New York, NY Page: 134

They emigrate to Canada

There are two conflicting records of land application; one for Jabez Benedict in 1786 for land in Nova Scotia and one for a Jabus Benedict in 1788 in New Brunswick.

Land petition for Nova Scotia

Jabez Benedict made a co-petition for land with John Fowler, for a combined 500 acres in Wilmot Township of Kings County in 1786. The land was to be thence divided into 200 acres for Benedict and 300 acres for Fowler. See the Family Album area for images of the documents.

The Surveyor's Certificate says:
Whereas application hath been made to me, to grant a Certificate, that a certain Tract of Land, containing five hundred acres, is not included within the Crown Reservations, which said Tract of Land is situate, laying and being in the Township of Wilmot and County of King’s County: beginning at the Eastern Bound of Lot Number Nine formerly granted George Shafro on the North Side of the road leading to Annapolis; thence to run North ten degrees West 187 chains, thence North 80 degrees East 26 chains; thence South ten degrees East to the Road aforesaid containing in both lots Five Hundred Acres.

Which said Tract Land hath been surveyed and laid out unto Jabez Benedict two hundred acres & John Fowler three hundred acres, as by the report of the Surveyor General of Lands of the Province of Nova Scotia, dated the twenty first day of February 1786.

I do hereby certify, that the aforesaid described Tract of Land, is not part of, nor contained in any District marked out as Reservation to the Crown.

Given under my hand, this tenth day of March, 1786: in the twenty fifth year of his Majesty’s Reign. Wentworth.

Land petition for New Brunswick

The petition (with original spelling) reads:

To his Excellency Thomas Carlton Esqr. Captain general of New Brunswick and Teritories theron, Depending Chancelor and Vice Admiral of the Town??, &, &, And the Honourabel Coucil therof,

The Petition of Alexander Wickes, Jabus Benedick and Thomas Omsted of Sheffield in the County of Sunbury, Humbly Sheweth

And as your Humbel Memorials have held the hard fortune for Government Sake to Leeve our [Interest?] Behind us and Never had no Land fit for Cultivation and Live on Rented Land and we think hard as Long as thear is so much Lies Vacant and we Pay Rent asking we want Every Penny to maintain our families and we have found Lots Not [Surveyed] Lying in the Grand Lake in what is Called Cumberland being on the East Side in Dibbel's Rang on Survey the Lots is Number 35-36-37 and if it Pleases his Execelency and good Council to give us your Humbel Petisoners theas Lots we mean to make Amedeate Improvment for we are all farmers and will Do the Best we Can. Other ways we must Leeve the Contry as in Duty Bound;

• We Ever Pray
• Alexander Wickes
• Jabus Benedick
• Thomas Omsted
• February 28 Day 1788

Furthermore: as your most Humbel Petisoners would Humbly ask for a Peice of Vacant Land Lying on the Point A Small Peice fit for a Building Place Joyning the 37 Lot to sher amonst us to go? to three Lots as Omsted and Benedick is my Sons in Law and this favour Humbly ask as A favor from his Excelency and good Counsel;

Alexander Wickes.⁵

The Final Years for Jabez

Little is known of the final years for Jabez and Mary. We do know they are buried at St. Mary's Anglican Church in Aylsford; he having died in 1835 and she passed away the day after Christmas in the following year.⁷

References:

• Family reference: 353.2
• Lineage: Jabez Benedict⁵, (Jabez⁴, Abraham³, Samuel², Thomas¹)
• Books:
  • GBA-I p. 2461
  • GBA-II p. 2452

Footnotes

Note A. from: "Falmouth - a New England Township in Nova Scotia 1760-1965" (p. 69) by John V. Duncanson, published in Windsor Ontario, August 1965. E-mail provided to author by Tracy E. Rounds (18 July 2010).

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1. JABEZ, b. ?, m. Jan 15, 1782 Mary Weeks of Long Island. Espousing the Tory side he went with other refugees to Nova Scotia. He was born in Conn. and went to Aylesford, Kings Co., Nova Scotia as a Loyalist in Nov. 1790. He had a grant of 300 acres of land in Aylesford. This data was taken from archives at Halifax, N.S. and History of Kings Co. 1604-1910 by Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton. Pages 562-3. Also data on his daughter, Rachel, and son, Fred, taken from Foster genealogy by Frederick Clinton Pierce and Volney W. Foster, Esq. 18992.

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2. from: "the History of Kings County" by Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton, 1910 p. 562_

Jabez Benedict, a Loyalist, who settled in Aylesford, was a son of Jabez and Charity (Booth) Benedict, of Danbury, Cornwall, and Johnstown, Conn. He was born ???, and married, Jan. 15, 1782, Mary Weeks, of Long Island, N.Y. They had children: Sarah, b. Jan. 21, 1792, m. (probably) Feb. 18, 1808, to Thomas Dodge; Alexander, b. Mar. 27, 1794, m. Mar. 23, 1820, Eliza Patterson; Mary, b. May 24, 1796; Rachel, b. Apr. 8, 1798, m. in 1814, to Fredk. Foster.

According to the Benedict Genealogy, p. 246, Jabez Benedict, son of Jabez and Charity (Booth) Benedict, of Danbury and Cornwall, Conn., m. Jan. 15, 1782, Mary Weeks of Long Island, and went to Aylesford, King's county as a Loyalist. In Nov., 1790, he had a grant of 300 acres of land in Aylesford. Concerning his children the Benedict Genealogy knows that he had a son Alexander, b. about 1794, and 3 daughters. From the Aylesford Town Book we discover that he had children: Sarah, b. Jan. 21, 1792, m. probably to Thomas Dodge; Alexander, b. March 27, 1794; Mary, b. May 24, 1796; Rachel, b. April 8, 1798, m. to Frederick Foster3.

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3. from: New Brunswick Provincial Archives:

A Jabez Benedict was identified in Queens county of New Brunswick in 1788, for a land petition. Others named on the petition were: Thomas Olmstead and Alexander Wiekes.

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4. from: LDS FamilySearch:

Batch No.: M584201; Dates: 1751-1885; Source Call No.: 0928972; on film.

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5. from Janice Fralic-Brown of NS via Tracy Rounds email:

The transcript of the land petition of 1788.

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6. Some of the rough information was obtained from handwritten notes by Donna Parker of New Mina, Nova Scotia. Obtained by J.B. on a personal visit the summer of 2004. No supporting sources available, although her research was carried out at the Kentville, Kings County Museum and on field gravesite visits.

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7. Information taken from St. Mary's Anglican Church records located at Kings Co. Hist. Museum, Kentville, Kings, NS - Jabez Benedict d. May 22, 1835 of Aylesford & Mrs. Mary Benedict d. Dec. 26, 1836 of Aylesford. No tombstones were located at the church cemetery upon personal inspection in May 2007. This information provided by Don Foley in correspondence through ancestry.com; 5 August 2007.

Sources

1. "Genealogy of the Benedicts in America", by Henry M. Benedict; 1st pub. 1870; orig. avail. at Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, DC.
2. "Genealogy of the Benedicts in America", Vol. II by Elwyn E. Benedict; 1st pub. 1969; orig. avail. at Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, DC.
3. "The History of Kings County"; by Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton; 1st pub. 1910 by The Salem Press Co.; 2nd pub. 1972 by Mike Studio; Bellevile, Ont.; avail. for view at website www.ourroots.ca.

Descendancy Chart for JabezBenedict1752

0 JabezBenedict1752

1 AlexanderBenedict1794

2 RachelBenedict1798

3 RebeccaBenedict1784

4 SarahBenedict1792

-- JimBenedict - 01 Dec 2005
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