This information is contributed by Bob Bennett
I have here for you a couple of documents which tie in through one of the sons of Thomas,
Samuel, his father's will and the Will of his maternal grandfather, Willis Cherry. The
"Indenture" document has much slave information for your new page, albeit, some of the
named individuals may not have originally accompanied the Benett family to Kentucky from
Duplin. I have also attached the Will of William Bennett, another son of Thomas.
Thomas Bennett is listed on the Revolutionary War pages.
MARRIAGE BOND
OF
THOMAS BENNETT TO ANN KINNARD
State of No. Carolina
Duplin Know all men by these presents that we
Thomas Bennet and
All of the County of Duplin are held and firmly
Bound unto his Excellency Samuel Johnston Esq.
Govr of the said State and in the Just and full
Sum of five hundred pounds Current Money
to be paid to the said Governor or his Sucessions
in Office, to which payment will and timely
to be made we bind ourselves, our Heirs, Excrs
and Adminrs Jointly and Severally firmly
by these presents, Sealed with our Seals ---
and Dated this 24th day of January 1789.
The Condition of the above obligation is such that
Whereas the said Thomas Bennet --- above Bound hath
The day of the date hereof applied for and obtained
A licence for a Mariage intended to be Celebrated between
Him and Ann Kinnard --- --- Of the County of Duplin
(Singlewoman). Now if it shall not happen at any
time hereafter that there is any Just Cause or
lawful Impediment to obstruct the said Mariage
then the above obligation shall be void, otherwise
to remain in full force and Virtue. his
Signed, Sealed & Delivered Thomas X Bennet
In the presence of mark
W Dickson C.C. W. Dickson
Transcribed from a copy of the original, by Robert Bennett 549 Hoot Owl Court Melbourne,
Florida 32935. The overall layout of the document has been maintained, as has spelling and
punctuation.
Will of William Bennett
This is a good document that pertains to the Bennett and Cherry families.
Power of Attorney Samuel Bennett
Continuing with the Samuel Bennett material is the attached document which gets into the new
African American site field of interest. While the slaves mentioned were too young to have
accompanied Samuel to Kentucky, they could be children of those who might have.
Indenture of Samuel Bennett
Indenture of
SAMUEL BENNETT
Son of Revolutionary War Soldier
Thomas Bennett
Transcribed by
ROBERT BENNETT
549 HOOT OWL COURT
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA 32935
Whereas I Samuel Bennett of Muhlenberg County and Commonwealth of
Kentucky have heretofore made a division of my Negroes among my Children
except one Negro boy which I still have in my possession and being desirous to settle my
affairs in my own way Now for in consideration of the love and affection that
I have towards my five daughters towit Betsey Garvin wife of Thos Garvin
Cherry Jarvis the widow of Edward Jarvis Rebecca Kelly wife of William Kelly
Bruce widow of Bruce & Nancy Jarvis wife of Ira Jarvis all of the County
aforesaid & for the further sum of one Dollar To me in hand paid do give grant & Convey unto
my Five daughters named as aforesaid The said Negro boy slave by the name of Daniel
about sixteen or seventeen years of age which slave I warrant &
defend to my said daughters their heirs & against the claim of all & every other person or
persons whatever. Witness my hand this 23 day of June 1837
attest his
Charles Morehead Samuel X Bennett SEAL
Robert Clark mark
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Muhlenberg County
Before me Charles F Wing Clerk of Muhlenberg County Court came Charles Morehead
ands Robert Clark the Subscribing witnesses to the written instrument of writing & proved
the same to be the act & deed of Samuel Bennett
which is thereupon truly recorded. June 26th 1837 Chas F. Wing
The Deed above is recorded in Deed Book # 9, page 1 in the Court of Muhlenberg, Ky.
It is copied as written. The daughter “Bruce” listed above is Eleanor who married a Mr. Bruce.
Apparently, the disposition of Samuel’s slaves was causing dissension in the family, for he
had to better delineate the disposition of several other slaves to his daughter Cherry three
years earlier.
Samuel Bennett was the son of Duplin County, N.C., citizen Thomas Bennett. Samuel was
probably born in Duplin, the son of Thomas and first wife, Mary ----. Samuel married Mary
‘Polly’ Cherry, daughter of Duplin’s Willis Cherry, and headed to Kentucky in the great
migration of 1801/2 of Duplinites to that territory. Samuel’s sister, Rebecca and her husband,
and her husband John Byrd, also were on that trip and settled in Muhlenberg County Kentucky.
John was the son of Robert Byrd of Duplin County. John Byrd died in 1808, and Rebecca
married Spencer Hines, probably a son of William Hines of Duplin, who lived in the same Duplin
district as did Rebecca’s family. Her father’s Will refers to her as Rebecca Hines (1816).
Samuel is found on the 1790 and 1800 Duplin County US censuses and appears on the 1810
Muhlenberg County US census. He recorded 200 Acres of land on Cypress Creek in
Mulenberg County on 18 August 1800.
Samuel never went back to Duplin to collect or settle his inheritance, for on 24 January, 1827,
he sold all interest in his inheritance in his father’s estate, AND in the estate of Willis Cherry,
obviously having survived his wife Mary (Polly). This sale of inheritances was to son Bryant,
who was given a Power of Attorney, with which he went back to Duplin to settle accounts.
Bryant C. Bennett was the only son of Samuel and Polly (he had five sisters). He most
probably was born in Duplin. He married Sally Watkins, the daughter of Peter Watkins and
Delilah Grice. Sally was born in Duplin in 1794. She married Bryant Bennett 3 August 1820,
in Muhlenberg Kentucky. She died on 3 September 1835, in childbirth, most likely to son
Edward R. Bennett, born on 3 September 1835. This marriage produced five daughters.
Bryant married, in July of 1836, Susan Poag, of which nothing more is known.
Census matrix of Duplin County Bennetts
1784-1840
Compiled by
Bob Bennett 549 Hoot Owl ct Melbourne, Fl 32935
18 February 2007
1784 Only Thomas Bennett, Sr. is found, in Capt Bowden’s District, as of April 1786 (when the
list was returned). There were 4 males and 3 females living with him. The sons would be William,
Thomas Jr., Samuel, and Jeremiah. (Son John is to be found in Sampson County with 4 young
sons in his house. He married--or remarried, in 1803 in Sampson, to Sarah Register.)
1790 Shows that sons William and Samuel have set up homes of their own. William is still
apparently single and Samuel appears to have a wife and young daughter. Thomas still has 4
sons (1 over 16 years and 3 under 16) and 3 females in his household, having remarried to Ann
Kinnard in January 1789.
1800 William has disappeared from the census though we know from his Will he was married
and had 3 young children (Thomas, John and Litha. Thomas died before 1812).
Samuel has a son and 3 daughters under the age of 10 in his household. He and his wife are
between the age of 26 and 44. Sons Thomas, Jr. and Jeremiah have moved out of Thomas Sr.’s
household. Jeremiah is living alone, and Junior has one son under the age of 10, having married
in 1798. Thomas, the elder, still has three sons (James, Jesse, and Kinnard) and 2 daughters
(Katherine and Hannah?) in his house.
1810 Samuel has moved to Kentucky (1800). Jeremiah apparently moved away for he is
mentioned in his father’s Will of 1816. Thomas, Jr. has 3 sons and a daughter under the age of
10 and 2 sons between 10 and 25. He and his wife are aged between 26 and 44. Son Jesse
has moved out of the elder’s home and has a son and daughter under 10 in his house. He and
his wife are between 26 and 44 years of age. Thomas, the elder, still has a son and daughter
under 10, an adolescent son and two daughters at home.
1820 A William Bennett between the age of 16 and 26 shows up with a son under the age of 10.
From elimination, we may conclude this William is a son of Thomas, Jr. (married in 1798).
Thomas the elder died in 1816, but Junior is listed having 5 sons and 3 daughters under 10
years and 3 other males, in addition to 2 adolescent females in the house. It would appear his
wife Sarah had died, or she could be the Sarah Bennett listed separately on the census, with
no others in the household.
1830 Thomas Bennett, Jr. appears as the most senior Bennett in age on the census, between
50 and 60 years of age. His wife appears to have died for the oldest females in the family are
two ladies between 15 and 20. As there is a girl under 5 years of age, it would appear that one
of the older girls and perhaps the one son between 20 and 30 comprise a family living with
Thomas. From the process of elimination again, it makes sense that the Martin, Charles and
John Bennett listed are siblings, the sons of Thomas. They are all young and just starting
families. The remaining Bennett, a John Bennett between 40 and 50, is apparently the son of
William Bennett who died in 1804. John’s mother was Mary Connerly. He has a growing
family, with 4 sons and a daughter less than 20 years of age.
1840 Martin has apparently moved on. Thomas remains, being between 70 and 80. He appears
to still have a son with family living with him. Brothers Charles and John remain, having 8 and 6
children respectively under the age of 20 years. John Bennett, first seen on the last census
reappears, himself having 5 children under 20.
Duplin’s first Thomas Bennett had two sets of children. Of the first set of sons, William married
Mary Connerly and died in 1804; Samuel married Mary Cherry and died in 1834; Jeremiah
unknown; John married Sarah Register and died in 1849 or 50; and Thomas, Jr. married Sarah
Gibbs and died in September 1852. Of the second set of sons, nothing is known of James,
Jesse or George T., except that George was in Duplin where he witnessed a deed in 1812, and
as late as December 1850, when he posted a marriage bond. Kinnard is reported to have died
in Green County Alabama in July 1844.
Of the first set of daughters, Sarah married a Millard and died before July 1816 in Duplin.
Rebecca married John Byrd and migrated to Kentucky in or about 1800. She later married
Spencer Hines and was recorded on the 1840 census living with her married daughter Mary
Grimes at the age of 63. Of the second set of daughters, Sarah married Duplin’s Mark Rogers.
Mary married a Wiley from Duplin. Nothing is known of Catherine or Hannah. Date of death for
any of these women is unknown.
Back to Duplin County Families pages