George Albert Bennett

Other Events:

• Residence: 1851, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1861, Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1910, Las Cruces, Doña Ana, New Mexico, United States

George married Alice Jane Warner on 05 May 1885 in Lawrence, Illinois, United States, and was divorced. Alice was born in Jun 1854 in Illinois, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Francis Jane Amelia Bennett was born on 08 Apr 1886 in Allison, Lawrence, Illinois, United States.
2. Lt. Col. Nelson Bennett, II was born in Apr 1888 in Illinois, United States; died on 21 May 1964 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States.

George married Maria Antonia McGinnis on 24 Feb 1908 in Alamagordo, Otero, New Mexico, United States. Maria was born in Abt. 1890 in New Mexico, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Caroline Bennett was born on 31 May 1908 in Las Cruces, Doña Ana, New Mexico, United States; died on 31 Aug 1982 in San Jose, Santa Clara, California, United States.
2. Elsie Bennett was born in Abt. 1909 in Las Cruces, Doña Ana, New Mexico, United States; died on 7 Feb 1970 in Monterey, Monterey, California, United States.
3. Mariana Ana Bennett was born on 26 May 1913 in Las Cruces, Doña Ana, New Mexico, United States; died on 22 Nov 1914 in Las Cruces, Doña Ana, New Mexico, United States.
4. Maxine Bennett was born on 15 Nov 1915 in Las Cruces, Doña Ana, New Mexico, United States.

Notes:

From Jean Shoenmaker:


This is the earliest record I've seen for Nichols Bennett.

Aquilla and Susannah didn't come to Upper Canada until 1810 and family lore is that Susannah had a "babe in arms" at the time.

After ten years of research into my family I came to the conclusion that though the story my aunt wrote in her book was true she had wrong names attached to the right situation. She said, to paraphrase, "When Diademia was a little girl in Holland she was very ill.

When she began to get better a Dutchman she had befriended gave her a root of his prize peony told her to keep it always as it was a symbol that God would take care of her no matter what happened . The family moved to Ireland where she married Peter Bennett an Irishman." My aunt went on to say, "When the family wagon was packed the youngest daughter ran back to dig up a root of the peony to take to her new home. When they were floating the wagons with her household goods and her children across the Niagara River she was on horseback with her babe in her arms and the root of the peony in her saddlebag."

Apparently when the German families were fleeing persecution in their homeland they came to America through Holland.
The girl to whom the Dutchman gave the peony was apparently Margaretha Stroeher who married Peter Cober in America. When her youngest daughter, Susannah was leaving the family home for Upper Canada she ran back to dig up the peony to take with her.

Both the story and the pink peony are in the famiily to this day. But a friend tells me Susannah wasn't on horseback with the baby in her arms as the horse would be too low in the water.

Nicholas married Diamia Sprague on 15 May 1837 in York, Ontario, Canada. Diamia was born on 27 Nov 1818 in Ontario, Canada; died in 1873 in Keswick, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1851, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada

Other Events:

• Residence: 1851, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1861, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada

Aquilla married Susanna Cober in 1804 in Pennsylvania, United States. Susanna (daughter of Peter Cober and Anne Margaret Stroeher) was born in Abt. 1791. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1851, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada

Other Events:

• Residence: 1800, Somerset, Pennsylvania, United States; Brothersvalley
• Residence: 1830, Ridgeway, Orleans, New York, United States
• Residence: 1834, Ridgeway, Orleans, New York, United States

Notes:

Life & times of Isaac Bennett after moving to New York from Pennsylvania.

He moved from Brothersvalley, Pennsylvania after 1804 and is found in Medina, New York in 1809.

Aquilla Bennett Sr. told to his grandson, George Albert Bennett that:

?As a young child, he boiled salt in kettles with his father, Isaac Bennett, in Medina Twp, Orleans Co., NY. ?

Isaac's first attempt in the making of ?White Gold? (salt) was in 1813, but the enterprise was not sucessful. In 1818 he came into possesion of a unprofitable saltworks from the Holland Land Company. From 1818 to 1823, Isaac & family were in the business of salt production. Since Aquilla mentioned boiling the salt, it would make sense that Isaac's other son's, Jacob & Jesse also had a hand in this line of work. This saltworks was located on the east bank of Oak Orchard Creek in Oak Orchard village. Here he sunk a well 150 feet into the ground & found a good brine, which could be boiled down to get the salt.

He then contracted Israel & Seymour Murdock to furnish him with 64 kettles, which they acquired in Utica, NY and had shipped by lake, to the mouth of Oak Orchard creek. The Murdock boys then hired several teams to bring the heavy kettles to the works, arriving one day before Isaac's stipulated delivery date, once delivered they received their pay in gold. (By the end of this business venture Isaac had upwards of 70 kettles boiling.)

Making salt it seems was a labor intensive, dangerous & mundane job. After drawing the brine water to the surface it was emptied into the large boiling kettles, (some possibly set out in large bowls in the sun to evaporate). Men stood over the kettles, stirring the fetid smelling water with long wooden paddles. While this may sound like a hot job it was also very dangerous! Mention is made of men being severly scaled by the boiling brine and worse, falling in the huge kettles which ultimately led to their deaths.

Issac sold his salt for between $5-$10 a barrel ( $10 in 1825 had the same buying power as $217.90 current dollars) It appears then that Isaac was a fairly wealthy man, since it is stated about his saltworks: ?furnishing a large portion of all the salt used in this portion of the country.?

Isaac a wise businessman, could see the handwriting on the wall with the building of the Erie Canal. Once the Erie Canal was complete, salt could be shipped from Salina (now Syracuse) and purchased for a much cheaper price, which in turn would hurt his profits. He decided to sell his business in 1823 to Henry Boardman, who abandoned the business once the canal was completed.

There is much more to be found about Isaac Bennett. There is much documentation that shows he also amougst other ventures, made a pretty good living buying and selling very large tracts of land in Pennsylvania, West Virginia & New York. We think that he died around 1835 in New York....

Written by Lisa Hoffius. A huge Thanks goes to cousin David Sidney Bennett (Maryland) also a descendant of Isaac Bennett. After David's father passed away last year, he came into possesion of many notes written by his ancestors, leading to the discovery of where Isaac Bennett wandered off to after his years in Brothersvalley Twp., Somerset Co., PA.

Isaac married Hannah in Abt. 1775. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Peter married Anne Margaret Stroeher Anne was born in Abt. 1741 in Germany. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]