Benjamin Smith Sr. Esq.

• BIRTH 7 Jan 1658 Sandwich, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA
• DEATH 4 Jul 1720 (aged 62) Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA
• BURIAL Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA, MEMORIAL ID 30649683, Photos by Jan S [1]

Offices

• Attorney for Edgartown between 1687-1692
• Dukes Co. Treasurer 1691:
• Commissioner as King's Attorney 1692-1703
• Representative to the General Court 1693, 1696, 1697
• Selectman for Edgartown 1698-1715
• County Treasurer [1]

Biography

Benjamin was born on 7 Jan 1658/59 in Barnstable, Cape Cod, MA. He died on 4 Jul 1720 in Edgartown?, Martha's Vineyard, MA. Resident of Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, MA. He married Jedidah Mayhew abt. 1684, daughter of Thomas Mayhew Jr., missionary to the Indians and granddaughter of Gov Thomas Mayhew of Martha's Vineyard. She survived him sixteen years with eight children, two of whom, Thomas and Ebenezer, became the transmitters of his name unto this present time. Four daughters married leaders in the social and political circles of the period." [1]

"... accompanied his family from New Jersey to Sandwich. ... An early mention of Benjamin in the Sandwich records is found in Freeman (Vol. 2, p. 73) who notes that it was voted in 1679 'that Shubael Smith be paid £1 for a wolf killed by his bro. Benj.' Benjamin Smith is called a carpenter in some of the early records. ... At some point he moved to Martha's Vineyard, as did a number of other people from Sandwich. He had a grant of land in Edgartown in l684 which was adjacent to a previous grant of unknown date.

Banks thinks it was probably about a year earlier and that he married Jedidah Mayhew about the same time. 'This alliance became a career for him, and his name dots the records frequently thereafter. He was attorney for the town in 1687, 1692; commissioner as King's Attorney for the county [Dukes] in 1691; selectman, 1693, 1696, 1697; county treasurer, 1698, 1715; representative to the General Court, 1692, 1703; county commissioner, 1703, 1708, besides doing other less important work in town affairs up to the last years of his life.

Notwithstanding his family associations it appears that he did not entirely approve of all the things that were done by his relatives in the government of the island, and in particular the head of the clan received his private condemnation, although he could not afford open opposition. From this we may conclude his sense of justice was keen, even if his strength of character was not enough to apply the corrective.' He died 'suddenly' 4 July 1720." (Hubbard) [2]

Note
His will of 14 Feb 1719 was probated 17 Aug 1720.

Inscription
HERE LYES ye BODY OF
BENJAMIN SMITH ESQr
DECd JULY Ye 4
1720 IN Ye 63D
YEAR OF HIS AGE

Genealogy

Parents
John Smith 1614–1710
Susanna Hinckley Smith 1625–1667

Spouse
Jedidah Mayhew Smith 1656–1736 (m. after 16 Jun 1684)

Siblings
Ichabod Smith
Samuel Smith 1644–1719
Joseph Smith 1667–1747

Half Siblings
Ebenezer Smith 1646–1646
John Smith 1652–1652
Shobal Smith 1654–1734

Children
Dorcas Smith Hawes Worth 1687–1730
Benjamin Smith 1691–1737
Thomas Smith 1697–1765
Abiah Smith Claghorn 1698–1730

References

[1] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30649683/benjamin-smith

[2] http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=162376321&pi... GEDCOM