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Name:
Benjamin Burt Sex: M
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Individual Information
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Birth: Nov 17, 1680 - Northampton, Hampshire, MA
Christening:
Death: May 20, 1759 - Ridgefield, Fairfield, CT
Burial: Titicus Cemetery, Ridgefield, Fairfield, CT
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Parents
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Father: David Burt (1629-1690)
Mother: Mary Holton (1637-1713)
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Spouses and Children
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1. *Sarah Belding (Mar 15, 1681/82 - Jun 1749)
Marriage: Oct 19, 1702 - Deerfield, Franklin, MA
Children:
1. Christopher Burt (1704- )
2. Seaborn Burt (1706- )
3. Benjamin Burt (1708-1796)
4. Abigail Burt (1709- )
5. John Burt (1711- )
6. Sarah Burt (1714- )
7. Daniel Burt (1716-1805)
8. Thankful Burt (1718-1719)
9. Thankful Burt (1721- )
10. Mary Burt (1724- )
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Notes
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General:
Benjamin, on his marriage to Sarah, settled at Deerfield, Mass. He was a
blacksmith. At the capture of Deerfield, Feb. 29, 1704, he was, with his
wife, "enceinte" with Christopher (who was born forty-five days after,
carried, after a journay of twenty-five days, to Chambly, Canada, by the
French and Indians. Served in Queen Anne's War.
The expedition against Deerfield was formed in January 1704 at Montreal,
Canada. It was under the command of Major Hertel de Rouville and the party
consisted of 200 Frenchmen and 142 Indians. After a forced march through the
wilderness the force attacked just before daybreak on Feb. 29th. The town
was undefended and unsuspicious and the inhabitants were demoralized. Some
fled, others were killed and many were taken captive (112).
"On April 25, 1704, by me Mtre Louis Anthoine Meriel, was baptized
Christophe, son of Benjamin Bart, English by nation living with M. de la
Jemerais and of Sara Belvin his wife, born the same day. The godfather was
Pierre Dupuis, soldier and the godmother Marie Toupin who declared they
could not sign," but Benjamin, the blacksmith, and Meriel did.
Benjamin and family were put under the protection of Christophe Dufrost
sieur de la Jemmerais at Varennes, Quebec. Son Christopher was named in
honour of him.
Benjamin and Sarah probably worked as servants at the Sulpician Seminary and
in the convent of the Congregation de Notre Dame in Montreal.
They were ransomed through the interventions of a son of Gov. Dudley of
Massachusetts; sailed from Quebec and arrived in Boston, Aug. 1, 1706;
during which voyage their second son was born and appropriately named.
Lieut. Sheldon, the commissioner sent from Deerfield to negotiate for the
return of the captives, went to Quebec three times before he succeeded in
ransoming the Burts, Rev. Mr. Williams and others. The Gov. of Quebec, in
order to place the prisoners beyond the reach of Lieut. Sheldon, removed
them thirty miles down the river, but Lieut. Sheldon persisted, retaining
the vessel at Quebec fifteen days, until June 30th certainly, as his letter
to the Gov. of Massachusetts is dated June 29, 1706, in which he says, "I am
in hopes of starting to-morrow." This letter was brought by one of the
captives that came by land to the Penobscot Bay, and the record at the
Custom House in Boston is, that the vessel arrived Aug. 1, 1706.
Benjamin at first made Norwalk, Conn. his home. May 12, 1712, he purchased
land (lot 28) and soon settled permanently at Ridgefield, Conn. The deed
for the original proprietors of Ridgefield to Benjamin Burt of a 28th
interest in the proprietorship of all land they then had or subsequently
might acquire is recorded Nov. 28, 1712, in the Book of Records of
Ridgefield. He died aged 80 years as indicated on the headstone in the
Titicus churchyard.
History of Ridgefield Connecticut. P. 26-7.
The proprietors foresaw the necessity of having a blacksmith in Ridgefield
and set aside Lot No. 28 for his reservation. We find in the minutes of this
town meeting definitely state that it was held in Ridgefield. This was in
the year 1712, and this lot No. 28 was granted to Benjamin Burt. This lot
was upon the exact site of the present Methodist Church, corner of Catoonah
and Main Streets. The minutes of this meeting are as follows:
"At a Meeting of the Proprietors of Ridgefield at Ridgefield May the 6th
A.D. 1712 The said proprietors by their Major vote Do Grant to Mr Benjamin
Burt now resident of Norwalk, a certain Right of land reserved by them for a
Blacksmith, which Right of land contains one twenty eighth part of all the
purchased Land contained within the limits of their granted property or
Township With also a priviledge to purchase with them a like proportion of
the unpurchased lands that lyeth within ye granted Bounds of their Township
(of the Native proprietors thereof) with all the Several Divisions already
Layed out under said Right. To be to him, his heirs and assigns absolutely
and as fully to have, Hold, use occupie possess injoy as full and free a
manner, with the rest of the proprietors of said Granted Township. Provided
he the said Benjamin Burt, pay to Joseph Keeler of said Town of Ridegfield
ye sum of nine pounds in money according to the agreement now made with him.
And with all convenient speed dwell as an inhabitant among them in order to
carry on the trade of a Blacksmith among them, and forthwith Supply them
with an able hand, to perform such Smith work for them, that they stand in
need of untill he shall remove with his family among them, and be thereby
able to preform such work for them himself, or by others under his care and
Command, And it is to be understood that if the said Burt (shall at any time
before the full Termination of four Years from May the Ninth 1712,) have a
Mind to remove from them, he shall not give, grant, bargain sell Directly
nor Indirectly make any Alienation of said Right of Land granted to him, but
to such a person as shall be found capable to carry on the work of a
Blacksmith among them. And further the said Burt doth hereby promise and
Oblidge himself faithfully to use his utmost endeavor to settle a Blacksmith
on said Right. If he shall incline to remove from them after his continuence
among them ye term of Years above said. The above said ye original Draught
of said act.
Test Richard Olmsted Town Clerk
Recorded November 28, 1712.
Per me John Copp Recorder."
Relatives lost in border wars (10):
1) Brother David, captured at Schenectady, February 1690 and never heard
from again
2) Brother John, killed in a scout in May 1707(9)
3) Uncle Joseph Baker, killed October 29, 1675
4) Uncle Thomas Holton, killed March 14, 1676
5) Cousin William Brooks, killed October 27, 1675
6) Cousin John Brooks, killed October 27, 1675
7) Uncle Sergeant Samuel Wright, killed Sept. 2, 1676
8) Cousin Nathaniel Brooks's wife, captured Feb. 29, 1704, slain on March
to Canada
9) A child, captured Feb. 29, 1704, never heard from again
10) A child, captured Feb. 29, 1704, never heard from again
Sources:
Genealogical Records of Henry and Ulalia Burt, The Emigrants, who Early
Settled at Springfield, Mass., and Their Descendants through Nine
Generations, from 1640 to 1891, by Roderick H. Burnham, Hartford, Conn.
1892.
Early Days in New England. Life and Times of Henry Burt of Springfield and
some of his descendants. Genealogical and Biographical Mention of James and
Richard Burt of Taunton, Mass. and Thomas Burt, M.P., of England, by Henry
M. Burt and Silas W. Burt, Sprignfield, Mass., 1893.
New England Ancestors Web site:
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/
Cemetery Transcriptions from NEHGS Manuscript Collections. Titicus
Graveyard. Ridgefield, Fairfield Co., CT.
A History of Deerfield Massachusetts, by George Sheldon, New Hampshire Pub.
Co., Somersworth, NH: 1972. (Facsimile of the 1895-96 edition)
New England Captives Carried to Canada between 1677 and 1760 during the
French and Indian Wars, Vol. 2, pp. 33-4 & 68-9, Emma Lewis Coleman.
Southworth Press, Portland, ME: 1925.
De la Nouvelle Angleterre a la Nouvelle-France, L'historie des captifs
anglo-americains au Canada entre 1675 et 1760, par Marcel Fournier, Societe
genealogique canadienne-francaise, 1992.
Dictionnaire genealogique des familles du Quebec des origins a 1730, par
Rene Jette, Montreal, 1983.
The FrancoGene or FichierOrigine website:
http://www.francogene.com/ or
http://www.fichierorigine.com
Simon Lobdell - 1646 of Milford, Conn., and his Descendants, compiled and
published by Julia Harrison Lobdell, 1907
Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield, by Evan
Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney, University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst and
Boston: 2003.
The History of Ridgefield Connecticut, by George L. Rockwell. Private
printing. 1927.
Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934. (FamilySearch.org). Ridgefield,
CT.
www.findagrave.com - Titicus Cemetery, Old Settlers section, Ridgefield,
Fairfield Co., Conn.
Cemetery GPS Lat. N 41.29200 Long. W -73.50200
Memorial Stone GPS Lat. N 41. Long. W -73.
Compendium of New England Pioneers, Archive CD Books, 2006. A Genealogical
Dictionary of First Settlers of New England, by James A Savage. 1860,
Boston, Mass. P. 312-14.
===============================================
Name:
Sarah Belding Sex: F
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Individual Information
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Birth: Mar 15, 1681/82 - Of Hatfield, Hampshire, MA
Christening:
Death: Jun 1749 - Ridgefield, Fairfield, CT
Burial:
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Parents
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Father: Daniel Belding (1648-1731)
Mother: Elizabeth Foote (1654-1696)
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Spouses and Children
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1. *Benjamin Burt (Nov 17, 1680 - May 20, 1759)
Marriage: Oct 19, 1702 - Deerfield, Franklin, MA
Children:
1. Christopher Burt (1704- )
2. Seaborn Burt (1706- )
3. Benjamin Burt (1708-1796)
4. Abigail Burt (1709- )
5. John Burt (1711- )
6. Sarah Burt (1714- )
7. Daniel Burt (1716-1805)
8. Thankful Burt (1718-1719)
9. Thankful Burt (1721- )
10. Mary Burt (1724- )
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Notes
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General:
Belden, Beldin.
When the Belding family was attacked in Deerfield September 16, 1696, Sarah
"hid herself among some Tobacco in ye chamber & So escaped." Her mother, two
brothers and infant sister were killed by Indians. Another brother was
wounded and her father, a brother and a sister were taken captive to Canada,
from whence they did not return for two years..
Relatives lost in border wars (8):
1) Mother, Elizabeth Foote, killed Sept. 16, 1696
2) Brother John, killed Sept. 16, 1696
3) Brother Daniel, killed Sept. 16, 1696
4) Sister Thankful, killed Sept. 16, 1696
5) Cousin Mary Beldin, killed Sept. 19, 1677
6) A child, killed Sept. 19, 1677
7) Cousin John Smith, killed May 30, 1676
8) Step mother Hepzibah Buell, captured on Feb. 29, 1704 and slain on March
to Canada
****Three other French Canadian references below give her the surname
Dekdubsa. This is a surname which does not seem to appear anywhere else
except in these references, so its sudden appearence here bears further
investigation. Having looked at the original record this is a very bad
mis-transcription of Belding.****
Sources:
New England Ancestors Web site:
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/
Cemetery Transcriptions from NEHGS Manuscript Collections. Titicus
Graveyard. Ridgefield, Fairfield Co., CT.
New England Captives Carried to Canada between 1677 and 1760 during the
Frenca and Indian Wars, Vol. 2, pp. 33-4 & 68-9, Emma Lewis Coleman.
Southworth Press, Protland, ME: 1925.
Early Days in New England. Life and Times of Henry Burt of Springfield and
some of his descendants. Genealogical and Biographical Mention of James and
Richard Burt of Taunton, Mass. and Thomas Burt, M.P., of England, by Henry
M. Burt and Silas W. Burt, Sprignfield, Mass., 1893.
Captors and Captives: The French and Indian Raid on Deerfield, by Evan
Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney, University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst and
Boston: 2003.
A History of Deerfield Massachusetts, by George Sheldon. Originally
published 1985-6. Facsimile edition, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association
Deerfield, 2004.
Foote Family, comprising the Genealogy and History of Nathaniel Foote of
Wethersfield, Conn., and His Decendants, by Abram W. Foote. Vols 1 & 2.
Marble City Press - The Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont. 1907.
The Descendants of Nathaniel Foote (1592-1644) and Elizabeth Deming
(1595-1683). Compiled by Ellwood Count Curtis. Galactic Press. Cedar Falls,
Iowa. 2003.
De la Nouvelle Angleterre a la Nouvelle-France, L'historie des captifs
anglo-americains au Canada entre 1675 et 1760, par Marcel Fournier, Societe
genealogique canadienne-francaise, 1992.
Dictionnaire genealogique des familles du Quebec des origins a 1730, par
Rene Jette, Montreal, 1983.
The FrancoGene or FichierOrigine website:
http://www.francogene.com/ or
http://www.fichierorigine.com
