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2,087. Benjamin Newberry (Married Mary Allyn (#2,088)on 11 June 1646 at Windsor, Connecticut) (Source of all purple information on this page is from James Cox Brady and his ancestry, by Louis Effingham De Forest, New York: De Forest Publishing Co., 1933 p. 323-332. Brady used History of Springfield as a main resource of his study).

 

Born: in or about 1624 in England of Thomas Newberry (#4,173) and Joane Dabinott (#4,174)

Died: 11 September 1689

 

[His siblings included:

Joseph Newberry: (Married ? in or about 1654) Born: in or about 1620 in England; Died: before 1686.

Sarah Newberry: (Married Henry Wolcott [son of Henry and Elizabeth (Saunders) Wolcott] on 18 November 1641 at Windsor, Connecticut); Born: in or about 1622; Died: 16 July 1684 at Windsor, Connecticut

Mary Newberry: (Married Captain Daniel Clark on 13 June 1644 at Windsor, Connecticut; Born: ? baptized at Whitechurch Canonicorum, county Dorset, England, 22 October 1626; Died: 29 August 1688.

John Newberry: (Unmarried) Born: 19 February 1628/9 at Whitechurch Canonicorum, county Dorset, England; Died: in December 1647 at Windsor, Connecticut.

Rebecca Newberry: (Married Reverend John Russell [son of John Russell] in or about the autumn of 1651); Born: in or about 1631 in England; Died: 21 November 1688 at the age of fifty-seven.

Hannah Newberry: (Married Reverend Thomas Hanford [son of Jeffrey and Eglin (Hatherly) Hanford) Born: in or about 1633 in England; Died: before 1661

Unknown Newberry Girl: Born: in or about 1635 Died: ? young]

Miscellaneous Information:

"Benjamin Newberry was born in England in or about 1624, and was brought to New England by his father. After the death of his father he was taken to Windsor, Connecticut, by his stepmother, who there married Reverend John Warham. When the town of Windsor granted Thomas Newberry's share of land to his children on October 10, 1640, Benjamin received a home-lot of thirteen acres, fine acres of meadow, and another lot in what is now South Windsor, ten rods wide and three miles long, extending back easterly from the Connecticut River. He later acquired other land by inheritance from his brother, by various purchases, by gifts from his father-in-law, and by a grant made him by the General Court in October, 1667, of a two-hundred-and fifty-acre farm, and became the owner of a large estate. He married at Windsor, June 11, 1646, Mary Allyn...."

The Windsor church admitted him on April 11, 1658.

In March, 1647/8, Newberry was fined 20s 'for divulging misreports of Hide.' Frequently between 1651 and 1662 Newberry served as juror of the Particular Court, and on June 13, 1662, he was a member of the Grand Jury of that Court which condemned Mary Sanford to death as a witch for 'familiarity with Satan the Great enemy of God and mankind and by his help hast acted and also hast come to ye Knowledg of secrets in a preternaturall way beyond the ordinary course of nature.' He served as a townsman from 1656 to 1661, and in 1671 and 1672, and between 1656 and 1684 he served as deputy to the General Court for forty (not, as erroneously stated, fifty) semi-annual sessions. He served as assesser in 1663 and again in 1687, and frequently appeared as an attorney in 1662 and 1663. In March, 1663, he was nominated for election as Assistant, and again nominated in April, 1665, and continued to be so nominated at intervals until his election in 1685."

At the meeting for the election of officers of the train band at Windsor on May 28, 1655, 'In the Choice of a Lieutenant, Mr. Newbury had 80 papers, and all the rest were but 13.' On June 7, 1660, he was commissioned captain, an office which he continued to hold until September 3, 1689, when he was appointed Major of the Hartford County Regiment of Militia. In February, 1660/1, the town owed him 7s 'for some help bounding ways.' On October 13, 1664, the General Court of Connecticut 'doth nominate and appoynt Major Mason, Mr. Math: Allyn, Mr. Willys, Capt: Tallcott, Capt. Newbery, or any three of them to be a Committee in the behalfe of this Colony to use their endeauours to issue and setle the bownds of the Colony between the Bay and vs, and Road Island and vs, and or Sowth bownds; and this Court doth order and determine that the sayd Committee shall not give away any parte of the bownds of or Charter; and what or Committee shall doe in the premises, according to this order is hereby rattifyed and confirmed.' On July 26, 1666, a committee was appointed of which Captain Newberry was a member 'in case of any apparent danger of invasion by the approach or motion of any enemie towards any of his Maties subjects in this Colony, and a necessity appeare of sending force out to intercept or expell the enemy before the General Assembly can convene, The Committee hereafter nominated are hereby impowred and authorized to order the militia or any part thereof as they shall judge meet, to appoint and comissionate officers how and which way to act and proceed soe as in their best judgmts may most aptly conduce to a present preuention of the enemies designe....'Again in June, 1672, he was appointed a member of the Council of War, and in August, 1673, on account of danger of invasion by the Dutch, was a member of the 'Grand Committee of this Colony' to act 'in establishing and commissionating of military officers, in pressing of men, horses, ships......and to order and disspose of the Militiae of the Colony in the best way and manner they can, for or defence and safety.' Standing Councils of War were appointed in November, 1673, on account of danger from the Dutch, and in July and October, 1675, and May, 1676, to provide for defense against the Indians during King Philip's War, and Newberry was appointed a member of these bodies, and continued to serve until the spring of 1677. In May, 1669, Newberry was chosen commissioner or magistrate for Windsor, and reappointed each succeeding May, through May, 1684."

"In June, 1672, Captain Newberry was appointed second in command of the Hartford County Company of militia, and in August, 1673, captain of any forces that might be sent out of Hartford County for the relief of another county. A few days later he was made captain of a force of a hundred and sixty-three dragoons of Hartford County, to be raised for defense, and to be ready for service at an hour's notice, because of the imminent war with the Dutch. Again in August, 1675, he was made captain of a hundred dragoons to be raised in Hartford County for service against the Indians, --one of the early defensive measures of King Philip's war. Newberry was actively engaged in the defense of the colonists during the whole of King Philip's War. In November, 1675, he was appointed 'eldest' captain of the company, and 'in case of faylure of the Major, he is to succeed him in his place.' For some reason, however, Newberry was 'dienabled to goe forth on this expedition,' and Samuell Marshall was appointed to lead it in his stead. After a few months he was able to return to active service, and on March 25, 1676, 'Capt. Newbery was appoynted to improve their souldiers, of Windsor, in scouting the woods, and was permitted to appoynt som of them to assist Capt. Clarke in the remove of the desolate widdow to Windsor, provided they doe not stay out above one night.' On May 1, 1676, he was appointed to raise volunteers in Windsor to serve as a guard at a meeting with the Indians for the purpose of treating for peace, but after the calamitous news of the Falls Fight reached the town on May 20th, he was ordered to march at once to Northampton, Massachusetts, at the head of eighty men, to deend the western Massachusetts town against the Indians. On reaching Westfield, Massachusetts, he left three men there as reinforcements, at the request of the inhabitants, and proceeded to Northhampton, where he found the people anxious to proceed against the enemy. Newberry also was eager to attack, and wrote that if reinforcements of fifty men could be sent him he would willingly lead them against the three hundred Indians in the vicinity: 'our souldiers are very willing to be doeing something rather not lie garrison; little is likely to be got by garrisoning wtever may be saved.' "

"A few days later, on May 2, 1676, he wrote from Northampton another report: 'Loueing brothr yrs from ye councill 26th jnst and received whereby I understand Major Talcott is jntended towards narrowgansitt. I have could haue binne glad yf it had binne othrwise. sir on Thursday morning yr was Alarum at Hadly; his man was shott at goeing to ye mill and prsently after fowre men more being sent foerth as a scout to discover were also shott at by seaven or eight indians and narrowly escaped; the Indians made sevorall shots at ye mill but thorow gods goodnes none was hurt, we being sent (for?) drew all over & togethr wth sevorall of ye towne went foerth to mill; saw many tracks and also where ye indians Lay ye Ambushments as we judged but could not finde the Indians so as to make any thing of it; some sd they saw some but so kept of that we could not come at them; we found where they had newly kild nine horses yong and olde and to be feard have driven away sevorall cattle yt could not be found. I much doubght yf some effectual course be not taken much Loss of cattle If not of men will soon be in these parts. our being hear as garrison cannot prserue ye cattle neither can we pursue after to releiue them but with great hazard. the Lord guide you in all waighty concernes before you wth humble respects to you and service to ye Honard deputy Govor wt ye rest take leave remaining
yvrs to serue & command
Ben: Newbery.’ "

"On the second of July, 1676, Captain Newberry, with a force of about three hundred English and Indians, under the command of Major Talcott, took part in a massacre of the hostile Indians who were encircled by the mounted colonists, and slain to the number of one hundred and twenty-six. Only skirmishes marked the remainder of the war. The power of King Philip was broken."

"The Hartford County military company was divided in two parts on June 26, 1676, and Newberry was made captain of one section. On February 11, 1677, he served on the committee to seat the meeting house, and in January, 1678/9, on the committee appointed to obtain a minister. He was elected Assistant in May, 1685, and except during the Andros government from October, 1687, to May, 1689, when he was appointed by Andros to serve as Justice of the Peace at the Court of Sessions, as were the other Assistants, he continued to serve as Assistant until his death in 1689. He also served during this time as a member of the Court of Assistants, which was composed of at least seven members chosen from the Assistants in the General Court, and which had higher jurisdiction than the Particular Court."

"At a Windsor town meeting held in June, 1685, Newberry was one of the six men to whom the patent of the town was ordered to be made out, and he was one of the representatives of the town to receive the deed for the town land from the Indians in May, 1687. In December, 1684, Newberry was a member of the committee to see to the building of the new meeting house. He was appointed Major of the Hartford County Regiment of militia on September 4, 1689."

"In the nuncupative will of May, 1670, of his mother's sister, Mrs. Anne Gibbs of Marshwood, county Dorset, Benjamin Newberry was referred to as follows: 'to my nephew Joseph Newberry the hithermost Coweleyes next the Barton, and to his brother in New England the farthermost Coweleyes.' "

"Benjamin Newberrry died at Windsor, September 11, 1689, intestate, and administration on his estate was granted to his eldest and only living son, Benjamin Newberry. To this son, in accordance with his father's verbally expressed wish, went all the land included in the estate except for two miles of woodland which Thomas Newberry's sons received. There was paid to each of the daughters of Benjamin Newberry £44. The inventory of his estate was taken October 8, 1869, and amounted to £563 18s."

Benjamin and Mary had 9 children: Mary, Sarah, Hannah, Rebecca (#1,044), Thomas, Abigail, Margaret, Benjamin, and Hannah.

 

Contact person for this website is Susan Snyder: susanleachsnyder@gmail.com