Benjamin Marsh

On 14 Jan 1709/10 (int.) when Hannah was 27, she married Eld. Benjamin Marsh, son of Zachary Marsh (ca 1637-1693) & Mary Silsbee (say 1642-1695), in Salem, MA.130 Born ca 1687 in Salem, MA. Benjamin was baptized in First Church of Salem, on 20 Nov 1687.130 Benjamin died aft 1760.

There were many Benjamin Marshes in Sutton—at one time five adult Benjamins. The History of Sutton414 had them sorted out one way, but Lucius B. Marsh clarified the situation in The Genealogy of John Marsh of Salem and his Descendants, 1633–1888.424

   The suffixes Jr, 3rd, and 4th refer to the relative ages of the Benjamins in town. For example, when there were four living in Sutton, the youngest was called 4th, but when one of the older Benjamins died, he was called 3rd.

a. Elder Benjamin Marsh, b. 1687 at Salem, son of Zachariah & Mary (Silsbee) Marsh. He married first Hannah King in 1710, second Elizabeth Wheeler in 1748. Benjamin’s first wife Hannah King’s brother Samuel King had married Benjamin’s sister Elizabeth Marsh in 1696.

   b. Benjmain Marsh, b. 1704 at Danvers, son of Ebenezer & Alice (Booth) Marsh. Ebenezer was the first Benjamin’s brother, and this Benjamin was the nephew of Eld. Benjamin Marsh. He came to Sutton later, and was usually referred to as Benjamin Marsh Jr. He married first Mehitable King, neice of Hannah King who married Eld. Benjamin Marsh; second Ruth Waters; and third his first cousin Abigail (Marsh) (Gould) Harback, widow of Jonathan Gould and Thomas Harback.

   c. Benjamin Marsh, b. 1711 at Salem, son of Eld. Benjamin & Hannah (King) Marsh, and came to Sutton with his father. He married first Desire Moulton, and second Rebecca Carriel.

   d. Benjamin Marsh, b. 1745 at Sutton, son of Benjamin & Rebecca (Carriel) Marsh. He married Mellesin Davinport.

From The Genealogy of John Marsh and his Descendants:424

   Benjamin Marsh was a proprietor and one of three pioneers to Sutton, Mass. in the year 1716. His and Hannah’s child Abigail was the first white child born there, Sept. 29, 1718. He had three children and was 29 years old when he went there. During that first winter, 1716-17, on the last of Feb., a deep snow wholly covered their cabins. One of the three, Elisha Johnson, (see Hist. Sutton, p. 18) “left home the morning the great snow commenced falling, and a friendly Indian who had seen him went on snow-shoes to the little settlement and found the cabin by the hole which the smoke from the fireplace had made in the snow. Mr. Johnson’s family would have perished but for the kind forethought of this friendly Indian. Mrs. Johnson said no human voice ever sounded half so sweet !” The tract granted to the 30 Sutton settlers had 4960 acres — including “Crooked Pond,” now Singletery Lake, for which 600 acres was allowed, and 360 acres for a reserved farm.

   Wm. King and Ben. Marsh owned 3000 acres at Sutton and sold to their brother .Jonathan King one fifteenth part, Aug. 14, 1715, for £l6, 13 s., 4d. 

   In 1718, Dec. 3, by town vote, Benjanin Marsh was put on Commission for the erection of a meeting house. In 1725 he is made assessor and selectman, in 1726 he is selectman, in 1728 called Lieutenant and made assessor and selectman. In 1729 Lieutenant Benj. Marsh is selectman, on Com. to see Rev. Mr. Hall, Town Clerk, 1729 to 1730, in 1731 honored with third seat in importance in the meeting house, and one of two trustees for “Sutton’s parte of £60,000 land money;” in 1732 Town Moderator, in 1733 on Committee to call men to account. 

   From this time on he appears under a new title which he retains for nearly 40 yrs. 

   In 1735 a Baptist church was organized in Sutton, and Benjamin Marsh and Thomas Green, in 1737, were ordained its joint pastors—but the same year, 1737, a branch was organized at Leicester and Elder Green became its pastor. Elder Marsh remained pastor of the Baptist church in Sutton until his death in 1775. In 1771 the Warren Baptist Association met with this church, which for a time was a strong and important church. We have the following on Sutton Town Records for May 10, 1746 : 

   “These may Certifie Whom it may Concern yt Mr. John Gibbs has declared to me yt he believes ye Baptis Religion to be ye Rightest and he usually attends our meetings on ye first Day of ye week for ye Worship, of God.”

   “Benjamin Marsh, Elder. 

   “A true copy ; Attest Benjamin Morse, Town Clerk.”

   On pp. 77 and 78 Hist. Sutton we have “Benj. Marsh, Elder of ye Baptist Chh of Christ in Sutton” with the two other clergymen of the town signing a new disposal of the town ministerial fund, and on p. 84, the warrant for March meeting, 1765, calls upon the town to see if they will “Divide the money the ministerial land was sold for” and “also allow the Elder Marsh Society their Proportion.” (Hist. Sutton, p. 815, shows that the town, in 1775, gave Elder Marsh £1,11 s., his part of the ministerial fund. It was the year of his death— in his 88th year.) Sutton Hist. pp. 255–6 give the locality of the homestead of Elder Benjamin Marsh near the corner of the Hutchinson road, where stood the first Baptist meeting house. It is thought that Abigail Marsh was born on this place. It was given by Elder Benjamin Marsh to his son Benjamin Marsh, the will made Dec. 3, 1762 and approved by Jedediah Foster, Judge of Probate, Dec. 4. 1775. BenjaminMarsh deeded it to his son Joshua, Mar. 10, 1795. Joshua deeded it to his son Warren, June 2, 1810. Joshua and Warren conveyed it by deed dated Nov. 22, 1816, to Archelaus Putnam. We call attention to this sales of deeds as making evident that Joshua Marsh was grandson of Elder Benjamin Marsh and that the Marsh genealogy as given in the Sutton book has made Elder Benjamin Marsh’s son his nephew and his nephew his son. The line of Stephen Marsh was from the nephew. The line from Elder Marsh was his son Benjamin, grandson Joshua, greatgrandson Warren and so on. Elder Marsh did not give his farm to his nephew nor marry his daughter Abigail to her brother. But with so many Benjamins it is no wonder that we, later writers, at times get confused. 

   “On this farm” once belonging to the Elder “is a burial place where the Marshes were buried, and on a stone of granite about eighteen inches high, and the same width, is the following inscription, “Eld. M.” The rest cannot be deciphered. Other stones bear the name of Marsh, King, Putnam, etc. Here the “forefathers of the hamlet sleep.”

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GEDCOM Note

Records not imported into INDI (individual) Gramps ID I0924:d Line 57706: 3 RIN MH:SC7273d Line 57719: 2 RIN MH:SC7275d Line 57729: 2 RIN MH:SC7277d Line 57736: 2 RIN MH:SC7279