George BENSON & Ms. __?__ & Keziah SPURGEON

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George BENSON
Ms. __?__
Keziah SPURGEON

Husband: George BENSON
Birth: 1780, MD
Death: 12 Apr 1859, Preston Co., VA
Occupation: farmer
Father: William BENSON (1764- )
Mother: Mary ERVIN

Marriage-1:

Wife-1: Ms. __?__
Birth: 1775-94
Death: 1820-30
Occupation: homemaker

Given the difference in age between George and Keziah, we would expect that he had an earlier wife, and the 1820 census supports that his wife, then, was older than Keziah. Also, given Keziah's age, we wouldn't expect her to have birthed a child as early as 1810.

Marriage-2:

Wife: Keziah SPURGEON
Birth: 1796/7, VA
Death: 1870-80, presumably in Preston Co., WV
Occupation: homemaker

Most secondary sources (at WorldConnect) give these parents for Keziah:
Father: James SPURGEON (1756-1810)
Mother: Elizabeth FARMER

But one secondary source (at GenForum) gives these parents:
Father: Frederick SPURGEON
Mother: Thirza McGREW

Children with Wife-1 — born in Preston Co., VA [now WV]:

1. James BENSON, b. 5 Jan 1810
2. William BENSON, b. 1810-15
3. (Daughter A) BENSON, b. 1810-20
4. Elizabeth BENSON, b. 1813; d. 16 May 1892; m. Henry TEETS — see 1840 census, Preston Co., VA [now WV]
5. Catharine BENSON, b. 1819/20; m. John SAVAGE

Children with Wife-1 or with Keziah SPURGEON — born in Preston Co., VA [now WV]:

6. Mary "Polly" BENSON, b. 1820-25; m. Martin BUTLER — see 1840 census, Preston Co., VA [now WV]
7. John BENSON, b. 1822/3
8. Maria BENSON, b. 1825/6; m. Israel/Ezra SAVAGE — see 1850 census, Allegany [now Garrett] Co., MD
9. Cecilia BENSON, b. 1827/8; m. Preston SPAHR

Child with Keziah SPURGEON — born in Preston Co., VA [now WV]:

10. Joseph N. BENSON, b. 1830/1

Presumed grandchildren:

. William A. BENSON, b. 1853/4, (W)VA
. Marcellus BENSON, b. 1853/4, (W)VA
. Allen BENSON, b. 1855/6, (W)VA

Keywords for search engines: genealogy; USA, US, United States, Maryland Virginia, West Virginia

Sources (n.b., Preston Co. was formed in 1818 from Monongalia and Randolph Cos.):

1. Marriage Record:

2. 1810 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): not found, but given that none of George's children were born before 1810, it appears George had not married by 1810. His father, William BENSON, is living in Monongalia [now Preston] Co., VA [now WV] (p. 484).

3. 1820 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #2 of 15; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1820 VA [now WV] Preston Co. p. 845 Ln. 4 Benson George 200010-30010-0-100

These data indicate:

No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred

2 males 9 or under 1810-1820 = William
= James (b. 1810)

1 male 26-44 1775-1794 = George (b. 1780)

3 females 9 or under 1810-1820 = Catharine (b. 1819/20)
= Elizabeth (b. 1813)
= Daughter A

1 female 26-44 1775-1794 = Wife-1

1 person engaged in agriculture

List was roughly alphabetized.

4. 1830 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #3 of 66; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1830 VA [now WV] Preston Co. p. 2A Ln. 7 Benson George 010 200 100 - 211 101 no slaves

These data indicate:

No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred

1 male 5-9 1820-1825 = John (b. 1822/3)

2 males 15-19 1810-1815 = William
= James (b. 1810)

1 male 40-49 1780-1790 = George (b. 1780)

2 females 4 or under 1825-1830 = Celia (b. 1827/8)
= Maria (b. 1825/6)

1 female 5-9 1820-1825 = Polly (b. 1820-25)

1 female 10-14 1815-1820 = Catharine (b. 1819/20)

1 female 15-19 1810-1815 = Elizabeth (b. 1813)

1 female 30-39 1790-1800 = Keziah (b. 1796/7)

List was roughly alphabetized.

5. 1840 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #49 of 69 — mis-indexed "Georeg Benson"; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1840 VA [now WV] Preston Co. p. 231A Ln. 16 George Benson 010 120 010 - 002 010 100 0300000 no slaves

These data indicate:

No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred

1 male 5-9 1830-1835 = Joseph (b. 1830/1)

1 male 15-19 1820-1825 = John (b. 1822/3)

2 males 20-29 1810-1820 = James (b. 1810)
= William

1 male 50-59 1780-1790 = George (b. 1780)

2 females 10-14 1825-1830 = Celia (b. 1827/8)
= Maria (b. 1825/6)

1 female 20-29 1810-1820 = Catharine (b. 1819/20)

1 female 40-49 1790-1800 = Keziah (b. 1796/7)

3 persons employed in agriculture

6. 1850 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #136 of 278): District No. 45, Preston Co., VA [now WV], p. B, 1377/1377, enumerated 1 Nov 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

George Benson 70 M Farmer 80 Md

Kesiah    " 53 F Va

Catharine " 30 F "

John      " 27 M "

Celia     " 22 F "

Joseph    " 19 M Labourer "

Listed two households from son, James BENSON.

7. 1860 Census Index/Images (online at Genealogy.com; Image #1 of 1): Post Office at Guseman's Store, Brandonvile [near Bruceton Mills], District No. 2, Preston Co., VA [now WV], Roll 1372 (Book 1), p. 74, 491/483, enumerated 11 Jul 1860, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1860 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Kesiah Benson 70 F Va

John      " 30 M Farmer 400 183 "

Joseph    " 24 M Farmer 400 183 "

Cecilia   " 26 F "

Marcellus " 6 M "

Allen     " 4 M "

The ages in this census do not jibe with the ages in other censuses — who was the informant, Marcellus?! The only one with an incentive to fib about their age was Cecilia. The fact that John and Joseph have equal amounts of property suggests that they just came into an inheritance, which jibes with the fact that their father died in 1859. Marcellus and Allen are almost certainly Keziah's grandchildren.

8. 1870 Census Index/Images (online at Genealogy.com, Image #16 of 40): Rowlesburg P.O., Pleasant Twp., Preston Co., WV, Roll 1697 (Book 1), p. 140B, PN 16, 106/106, enumerated 30 Sep 1870, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Benson Joseph ? 37 M W Farmer 700 300 Virginia

______ Caseah 75 F W Keeping House Virginia

______ William A 16 M W Farm Laborer Virginia

I can't read Joseph's middle initial. "Caseah" (Keziah) is Joseph's mother. William is presumably one of Keziah's grandchildren. Living next to Joseph's brother, James BENSON.

9. LDS. Family Search: Census Records: 1880 United States (online at FamilySearch.org): not found.

10. Messages in the Benson Family Genealogy Forum (online at GenForum.com).

11. WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com).

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