Winifred Benham, ❣️

Families of Ancient New Haven by Donald Lines Jacobus, pg. 186

  Mary Hale was a widow, age seventy-four in 1680 who ran a rooming house/ infirmary, taking in many destitute people, for whose care she was paid by the city. Her granddaughter Joanna Benham, age nineteen, acted as her assistant. Mary was accused of poisoning a young man who had once courted Joanna and now was paying attention to another young girl. She was judged not guilty (Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County and Records of the Court of Assistants). 

Winifred (King) Benham is on the list of accepted ancestors for The Associated Daughters of Early American Witches. She was accused in 1697, along with her daughter Winifred.

http://www.adeaw.us/ancestors.html

Winifred (KING) Benham was accused pf witchcraft by John Parker's wife, Hannah (BASSET) Parker in Salem. Joseph Benham was cited to court for pulling out a gun and threatening to shoot Hannah Parker if the woman did not stop harassing his wife.. Her husband's threat to shoot her accuser did not end the rumors, and the following year she was in court again on the same charge. She was released again, this time required to post bond of 20 pounds for her good behavior. The church soon after added their censure of excommunicating her. When she was accused a third time in 1697, this time for possessing several of her neighbor's children, she was sent to Harford for trial, along with her daughter, Winifred age 13, who was by now implicated in her own crimes. But the grand jury refused to give credence to the accusations and the case was dismissed. The family then moved to New York where the Dutch influence created an influence of tolerance.

https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=aakarma&id=I00321

Name: Winifred KING 1 Sex: F Birth: ABT 1635 in Boston, MA 2 Death: ABT 1697 in Staten Island, NY 2 Event: Alternate Other possible birth date: Abt. 1631 in England 3

Note: Accused of Witchcraft 3 times between 1692 and 1697. The last time, her younges t daughter stood accused with her. When suspicions arose yet another time, the family fled to Staten Island, NY in fear of their lives. Winifred and her 13 ye ar old daughter who was referred to in trial records as "Winifred Jr" were the last witch trial to be held in the New England Colonies, in August of 1697. Win ifreds' mother, Mary Hale, was twice accused but acquited of witchcraft in Bost on, MA in 1681 and 1691 and is said to have owned a boarding house and was also accused of poisoning her boarders.

Father: John KING b: ABT 1615 Mother: Mary (Hale?) BAKER b: ABT 1615

Marriage 1 Joseph BENHAM b: 1630 in Plymouth, Devonshire, England

   Married: 15 JAN 1655/56 in Boston, MA 1

Children

   Has No Children Mary BENHAM b: 18 SEP 1657 in New Haven, CT

Has Children Joseph aka John BENHAM b: 25 MAY 1659 in New Haven, New Haven Co, CT
Has No Children Sarah BENHAM b: 1660 in New Haven, CT
Has No Children Johannah (Joanna) BENHAM b: 25 JUL 1662 in New Haven, New Haven Co, CT
Has No Children Elizabeth BENHAM b: 13 SEP 1664 in New Haven, New Haven Co, CT
Has No Children John BENHAM b: 28 DEC 1666 in New Haven, New Haven Co, CT
Has No Children Sarah BENHAM b: 3 OCT 1668 in New Haven, New Haven, CT
Has Children Anna Elizabeth BENHAM b: 1669 in New Haven, New Haven Co, CT
Has Children John BENHAM b: 3 NOV 1671 in Wallingford, New Haven, CT
Has No Children Mary BENHAM b: 18 MAY 1673 in Wallingford, New Haven, CT
Has No Children Samuel BENHAM b: 12 MAY 1674 in New Haven, New Haven Co, CT
Has Children Sarah BENHAM b: 6 SEP 1676 in Wallingford, New Haven Co, CT
Has Children James BENHAM b: 1679 in Wallingford, New Haven, CT
Has Children Winifred Jr BENHAM b: 21 AUG 1684 in Wallingford, New Haven, CT
Has No Children Elizabeth BENHAM b: 1688
Sources:

   Title: Burch, Nichols, Pursley, Stout, et al - Dawn Goodrum - goodrum@scrtc.com

   Repository:

   Media: Book

   Title: Becca - becca3k@aol.com

   Title: Timothy Benham of Redmond, WA - tbenham@windows.microsoft.com

   Repository:

   Media: Book