Sarah Weld

Sarah Church was born in Boston and baptized there at the Hollis Street Church 15 March 1761. She was the daughter of Benjamin Church and his wife Hannah Miller.

She married in Ross, Herefordshire, England, 1 July 1783, to Benjamin Weld “of the Province of Massachusetts in America.” He was likely the Benjamin Weld, son of John and Katharine (Chamberlain) Weld, who was baptized in the Second Church of Roxbury [today part of Boston] 15 April 1759. Their marriage was dissolved in 1790.

No further record of her has been found.

Children of Benjamin and Sarah6 (Church) Weld:

• i. Benjamin Weld, bp. Kyrle Street Independent Church, Ross on Wye, 1784.
• ii. Sarah Maria Weld, b. 15 June 1786, bp. St. Marylebone 3 Aug. 1786;[67] probably the Sarah Maria Weld m. by Rev. Charles Lovell of the West Church, Boston, 14 Dec. 1808, Charles Harris.

Child of Sarah6 Church and James Talbot Montbrun:

• iii. Henry Talbot Montbrun, bp. St. Leonard Heston, Hounslow, London, 21 Sept. 1788; d. by September 1789.

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source: NEHG Fall 2016: "The Wife and Descendants of Dr. Benjamin Church, Jr. of Boston" link (American Ancestors membership needed to view.)

In the Fall 2016 edition of the NEHG Register (Volume 170), a major piece of research by Michael Leclerc demonstrates that Benj. Church was actually married to Sarah Miller, dau. of James and Mary Miller, in London on January 18, 1759, and that this was his only wife. She was baptized in Ross, Herefordshire 18 Marc 1727/8 and died in England 8 August 1788. Their three children were James Miller, Sarah Weld, and Hannah Kirkby/Longhurst. Sarah's marriage to Benjamin Weld was later dissolved by the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston in 1790 for her misbehavior. This research clears up longstanding confusion among historians about Benjamin Church's wife.

From Leclerc:

"The Church genealogy [see attached] states that Benjamin Weld was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. There is no evidence to support this, but it is not necessarily incorrect. No one named Weld filed any Loyalist Claims with the British government, nor does Benjamin appear in any of the published lists of Loyalists. Benjamin’s parents and at least two of his siblings remained in Massachusetts during the war.
"A newspaper announcement on 4 March 1790 sheds more light on what happened to Benjamin and Sarah: "On Monday the 1st inst. The Marriage between Benjamin Weld, Merchant of Boston, and Sarah his Wife, was dissolved by the Judges of the Supreme Judicial Court of this Commonwealth."
"On the last Tuesday [the 25th] in August 1789, Benjamin petitioned the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston for a divorce from his wife Sarah saying, “She, on her part, regardless of her marriage vows, regardless of charity and virtue bestowed the affection which was due to him alone, upon other men, with whom since said marriage she has had criminal connection and lived on terms of dishonor & vice. Especially she committed adultery about November in the year of our Lord 1787 and divers times since with one James Talbot Monbrun a Frenchman and totally left the bed & board of your petitioner.”
"The testimony includes a copy of the marriage record in Ross, and testimony as to its validity. The Reverend William Miller of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, also testified that he witnessed the wedding. He described the parties as “Benjamin Weld formerly of Massachusetts Bay in North America Merchant (and who now resides in Boston in America as this Deponent is informed and believes) and Sarah Weld (formerly Sarah Church) was one of the Daughters of Doctor Benjamin Church formerly of Boston aforesaid deceased.”
"Sarah’s brother-in-law William Kirkby also provided testimony. He stated that Sarah was a loyal wife until Benjamin left for Boston in May 1787 for business reasons. Benjamin made a “reasonable and sufficient provision for her Maintenance during this time and left her under the Care and protection of her own Brother Mr. James Miller Church of Farningham in the County of Kent, Surgeon.” About three or four months after Benjamin’s departure, Sarah “formed a criminal and adulterous Connection with James Talbot Montbrun formerly of Bridge Row Cannon Street in the City of London Esquire but now of Dominica in the West Indies Esquire.” She continued to live with Montbrun until March 1788, when Benjamin returned to London from Boston. At that point, Montbrun fled to Dominica to escape a suit filed against him by Weld for his actions with Sarah.
"In addition, William states that “some short time previous to the Said Benjamin Weld’s so returning as aforesaid the said Sarah Weld informed this Deponent that she the said Sarah Weld was with Child by the said James Talbot Montbrun,” and that he had since been informed that she had given birth to the baby sometime “in or about the Month of September in the said year one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight and that the said Child is dead.” He went on to say that Benjamin had not cohabitated with Sarah since his return.
"This Benjamin may be the Benjamin Weld who was married in Boston by Rev. Samuel West, of the Hollis Street Church, 2 September 1798 to Eleanor Wendell.[65] No further record of Benjamin Weld—or of Sarah (Church) Weld has yet been found.

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From Descendants of Richard Church of Plymouth, Mass.page 99

Children of Benjamin Church and Hannah:

481. Sarah, b 1761; m Benjamin Weld, a Tory refugee, probably in London.

Another Benjamin Weld, the son of Dr. Church's sister Hannah, was an officer in the Revolution and commanded a fort in Boston, Harbor.

• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 20 2017, 1:17:24 UTC