He was 6 ft. 2 in. in height, enlisted in the French War, was a Captain of a volunteer company of soldiers in the Revolutionary war, and was present at the burning of Danbury, Ct. He removed about 1782, to Athens, Greene Co, N.Y., where he bought the confiscated farm of a tory officer, and the rights and privileges of the ferry between Athens and Hudson. He removed afterwards to the Great Bend of the Susquehannah, near Binghamton, N.Y. and after three years residence there to Ithaca, N.Y., whence (on account of the sickliness of the place) he removed after two years to Lansing, Tompkins Co, N.Y. (then Milton) where for a dollar per acre he bought two thousand acres of land, now worth on hundred dollars per acre(1871). He was entitled to a pension as a Revolutionary soldier but would never apply for it, or allow any of his family to do so,as he said that he gave his services freely to his country. He was a member of the Baptist church.After the death of his wife, Jane, in 1816, he m. in 1818,for 2d wife Mrs Abigail Powers, neé Newland widow of Elder Lemuel Powers, a Bapt. clergyman at Stillwater, N.Y. She was the mother of the first wife of Pres. Millard Fillmore.
Although the children listed in Dwight's are all born in Woodbury between 1762 -1778, the 1800 census shows 2 boys, aged 10-15 in his household. That would be the right age for Reuben and none of the others fits. It would also mean another boy in that age group may have been born along the path to Lansing. Benajah Jr is also listed in 1800 with boys of a similar age but his known sons would account for that. It's an interesting possibility.
Further research on Benajah Strong provides further evidence that he is
our man. The children in the 1800 census were potentially the children
of the youngest daughter. However, she is mentioned as having married
but left her husband early with no children. This also matches with the
1800 census.
No comments:
Post a Comment