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Descendants of Benjamin Taft



Generation No. 2


2. SAMUEL3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born July 11, 1708 in Mendon, Ma, and died Abt 1761 in Uxbridge, Ma. He married HANNAH JEPERSON April 12, 1739 in Uxbridge, Ma.

Notes
Birth recorded at Mendon, Mass. (VRs, p. 176). Death at Uxbridge, Mass. (Petition for administration of his estate filed 13 May 1761, Worcester Co. #58050). Marriage (VRs, p. 320) to Hannah Jeperson of "New Sherborn".
Samuel was a Quaker and was so returned, by Samuel Thayer, to the Suffolk Court General Sessions 30 Aug. 1730. He was a partner in the Land Bank of 1740. After his marriage he removed to Douglas (formerly New Sherborn), but later appears to have returned to Uxbridge. The court order to distribute the residue of his estate, dated 3 Oct. 1767 (Worcester Co. #58050) names his five surviving daughters, but indicates only Anna, as administratrix, was married (to Charles Colwell). The others are simply called by their given names from which no conclusions regarding marital status may be drawn. Chloe was certainly married (1762) and it is now thought that Hannah had married three weeks before this final settlement. Tabitha and Azubah married later.

       Children of Samuel Taft and Hannah Jeperson are:
10. i.   ANNAH4 TAFT, b. July 16, 1740, Douglas, Ma.
ii.   MARGARET TAFT, b. June 28, 1742, Douglas, Ma.
11. iii.   CHLOE TAFT, b. February 01, 1744/45, Douglas, Ma.
iv.   HANNAH TAFT, b. May 05, 1747, Douglas, Ma; d. September 25, 1833, Worcester, Ma; m. JESSE TAFT, September 10, 1767, Uxbridge, Ma.
12. v.   TABITHA TAFT, b. May 04, 1749, Douglas, Ma; d. February 21, 1835, Athol, Ma.
13. vi.   AZUBAH TAFT, b. March 18, 1751/52, Douglas, Ma.


3. STEPHEN3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born April 18, 1710 in Mendon, Ma, and died August 1770 in Uxbridge, Ma. He married MARY LEWIS March 27, 1733 in Glocester, RI.

Notes
Birth recorded at Mendon, Mass. (VRs, p. 177). Died Uxbridge, Mass. (Worcester Co. probate #58077). Marriage 27 Mar. 1733/4, at Glocester, RI. (VRs, p. 37) to Mary Lewis (1714- ).
Stephen lived in Uxbridge, and is known to have been a partner in the Land Bank of 1740. He also had a Revolutionary record. An aged woman, who was the great grand daughter of Silas (237) reorded some years ago that she remembered her great grandfather telling her, when she was a little girl, that he and his father served in the Revolution, but not as enlisted soldiers, but as minute men, Stephen being a second "leftenant" and Silas a private. This identifies Stephen with the Stephen Taft whose record is as follows: "Taft, Stephen, Uxbridge, 2nd Lieut Capt Joseph Chapin's Co of minute men, which marched on an alarm April 19, 1775; service 11 days." From this it might appear that Stephen was not a Quaker. His will, dated June 25, 1770, and filed September 10, 1770, mentions all his children except Job and Stephen, who probably therefore died young.
The Taft manuscript (SG TAF 5) mistakenly recounts revolutionary war service for this Stephen, not recognizing that he had died before the outbreak of hostilities. This error was corrected by Richard T. Messinger (12 Mar 1983). The will of Stephen, made 25 Jun. and filed 10 Sep. 1770, names all children except Job and Stephen who probably died young.
Patricia Abrams, 1900 NW 21st Street, Gainesville, FL. 32605, has made an heroic effort to establish the ancestry of Mary Lewis. While absolute proof is lacking, the evidence she has assembled and arguements she presents are persuasive. If correct, Mary was the daughter of John & Elizabeth (Ingalls) Lewis.

       Children of Stephen Taft and Mary Lewis are:
  i.   BENJAMIN4 TAFT, b. February 08, 1734/35, Uxbridge, Ma; d. 1770, Uxbridge, Ma; m. NAOMI HOLBROOK.
ii.   JOHN TAFT, b. June 19, 1737, Uxbridge, Ma; d. Aft 1790, ?Uxbridge, Ma; m. SARAH WILEY, Oxford, Ma.
14. iii.   SETH TAFT, b. September 14, 1739, Uxbridge, Ma; d. December 09, 1781, Mendon, Ma.
iv.   JOB TAFT, b. December 25, 1740, Uxbridge, Ma.
15. v.   MARY TAFT, b. July 24, 1742, Uxbridge, Ma; d. Bef 1799, ?Smithfield, RI.
16. vi.   SILAS TAFT, b. June 10, 1744, Uxbridge, Ma; d. August 07, 1812, New York.
17. vii.   SARAH TAFT, b. February 11, 1747/48, Uxbridge, Ma.
viii.   HANNAH TAFT, b. August 07, 1750, Uxbridge, Ma; d. Uxbridge, Ma.
ix.   STEPHEN TAFT, b. July 23, 1754, Uxbridge, Ma.


4. MIJAMIN3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born May 02, 1712 in Mendon, Ma, and died 1785 in Uxbridge, Ma. He married (1) SARAH SWEETING 1733 in Providence, RI. He married (2) SUSANNA ROBBINS December 14, 1779 in Douglas, Ma.

Notes
Mendon VRs, p. 175 show birth. Death not recorded in Uxbridge VRs. Susanna survived Mijamin, acted as his administratrix, and m. 2) in 1791, David Harwood, of Sutton. The census of 1790 shows Susanna at Douglas, with a family of four females. Mijamin's second marriage at the age of 67 is also indicated by the fact that Susanna, and her step-sons, Mijamin and Nathan, signed the warrant for assignment of her dower,and by the following extract from a letter written in 1882 by a granddaughter of Stephen (246) "Grandfather Stephen Taft had a brother by the ame of Sweeting, and two half sisters; they married and moved to Vermont. What their names were or who they married father never ascertained. I recollect father speaking about them when he returned from Rhode Island; he thought it very strange the family had lost all trace of them".

       Children of Mijamin Taft and Sarah Sweeting are:
18. i.   ESTHER4 TAFT, b. November 23, 1734, Uxbridge, Ma.
19. ii.   SARAH TAFT, b. September 22, 1736, Uxbridge, Ma; d. December 17, 1814, Richmond, NH.
20. iii.   NATHAN TAFT, b. December 11, 1738, Uxbridge, Ma; d. March 14, 1817, Uxbridge, Ma.
21. iv.   MIJAMIN TAFT, b. June 13, 1740, Uxbridge, Ma; d. June 23, 1817, Uxbridge, Ma.
22. v.   NATHANIEL TAFT, b. October 28, 1742, Uxbridge, Ma; d. 1820, NH.
23. vi.   STEPHEN TAFT, b. June 09, 1744, Uxbridge, Ma; d. Middlefield, NY.
vii.   MARCY TAFT, b. May 22, 1747, Uxbridge, Ma.
24. viii.   SAMUEL TAFT, b. May 05, 1749, Uxbridge, Ma.
25. ix.   LYDIA TAFT, b. September 18, 1751, Uxbridge, Ma; d. February 04, 1838, Richmond, NH.
x.   JOSIAH TAFT, b. October 28, 1752, Uxbridge, Ma.
26. xi.   SWEETING TAFT, b. November 26, 1753, Uxbridge, Ma; d. September 28, 1833, Uxbridge, Ma.
27. xii.   MOLLY TAFT, b. October 10, 1756, Uxbridge, Ma; d. March 20, 1820, Uxbridge, Ma.


       Children of Mijamin Taft and Susanna Robbins are:
28. xiii.   RHODA4 TAFT, b. December 06, 1780, Uxbridge, Ma; d. 1858, New York.
29. xiv.   RUTH TAFT, b. July 26, 1782, Uxbridge, Ma; d. February 10, 1855, Maquoketta, Iowa.


5. TABAREH3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born June 11, 1714 in Mendon, Ma, and died May 04, 1753 in Uxbridge, Ma. She married JAMES YATES January 06, 1734/35 in Uxbridge, Ma.

Notes
Birth recorded at Uxbridge, Mass. (VRs, p. 177); death at Uxbridge (VRs, p. 420); marriage at Uxbridge (VRs, p. 348), to James Yates (1710-1772). He married 2) widow Elizabeth Titus, by whom he had three sons. James Yates was a saddler. He died as the result of falling from a horse. He left a will, written 7 Feb. 1772 (Worcester Co. #67944) naming his widow and all surviving children.

       Children of Tabareh Taft and James Yates are:
  i.   JOHN4 YATES, b. December 17, 1734, Uxbridge, Ma; d. 1798, ?Stratford, CT..
30. ii.   ELIZABETH YATES, b. December 13, 1736, Uxbridge, Ma.
iii.   PAUL YATES, b. January 11, 1738/39, Uxbridge, Ma.
iv.   MARCY YATES, b. April 03, 1741, Uxbridge, Ma; d. May 04, 1753, Uxbridge, Ma.
v.   JAMES YATES, b. December 11, 1743, Uxbridge, Ma.
31. vi.   ABNER YATES, b. August 12, 1746, Uxbridge, Ma; d. January 24, 1829, Douglas, Ma.
32. vii.   AMARIAH YATES, b. February 28, 1748/49, Uxbridge, Ma.
viii.   GILBERT YATES, b. November 16, 1751, Uxbridge, Ma.


6. KEZIAH3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born Abt 1720 in Mendon, Ma, and died December 08, 1765 in Mendon, Ma. She married WILLIAM HAYWARD November 11, 1741 in Mendon, Ma.

Notes
Born probably ca. 1720-3, at ?Mendon, Mass. (not in VRs). Death recorded at Mendon, Mass. (VRs, p. 472). Marriage at Mendon, Mass. (VRs, p. 257), to William Hayward born 1718. He married 2) Jemima, last name unknown.
The existence of Keziah Taft has long been recognized, but her identity as a daughter of Benjamin was only recently discovered in the examination of a deed of 1770 (Worcester Co. Deed Book 118, pp 469-71) among the heirs to the estate of Benjamin. The children of Keziah are given in William Hayward of Weymouth and Braintree, Massachusetts (NEHGS typescript G HAY 1125). William Hayward's will was proved 23 Apr. 1790. William died at Jamaica, VT.

       Children of Keziah Taft and William Hayward are:
  i.   MARY4 HAYWARD, b. October 24, 1742, Mendon, Ma.
33. ii.   BEULAH HAYWARD, b. March 15, 1743/44, Mendon, Ma; d. February 16, 1804, East Jamaica, VT.
34. iii.   CALEB HAYWARD, b. June 21, 1747, Mendon, Ma; d. April 11, 1831, Jamaica, VT.
iv.   OTHNIEL HAYWARD, b. February 16, 1748/49, Mendon, Ma.
v.   PAUL HAYWARD, b. February 25, 1750/51, Mendon, Ma.
35. vi.   SILAS HAYWARD, b. February 11, 1753, Mendon, Ma; d. ?Jamaica, VT.
vii.   ROBERT HAYWARD, b. April 02, 1756, Mendon, Ma.
viii.   HEPZIBAH HAYWARD, b. August 06, 1758, Mendon, Ma; m. MR. WALDEN.
ix.   KEZIAH HAYWARD, b. November 28, 1765, Mendon, Ma.


7. SILAS3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born 1727 in Massachusetts, and died Abt 1811 in Richmond, NH. He married (1) MARY FARNUM January 26, 1748/49 in Smithfield, RI. He married (2) KEZIAH TWITCHELL April 26, 1771 in Uxbridge, Ma.

Notes
Born in Mendon or Uxbridge, not in VRs. M.I. 30 Dec. 1748, at Uxbridge, Mass. (VRs p. 321).

       Children of Silas Taft and Mary Farnum are:
36. i.   EPHRIM4 TAFT, b. July 14, 1749, Uxbridge, Ma; d. Aft 1807.
37. ii.   LEVI TAFT, b. March 28, 1751, Uxbridge, Ma; d. 1812, Danby, Vt.
iii.   PHINEAS TAFT, b. March 20, 1753, Uxbridge, Ma; d. March 12, 1768, Uxbridge, Ma.
iv.   ANNE TAFT, b. December 29, 1755, Uxbridge, Ma.
38. v.   MOSES TAFT, b. March 02, 1758, Uxbridge, Ma; d. 1836.
vi.   RACHEL TAFT, b. September 18, 1760, Uxbridge, Ma; m. LEVI MOWRY, February 08, 1778.
vii.   DARIUS TAFT, b. February 14, 1763, Uxbridge, Ma; m. SARAH INGALLS, Richmond, NH.
39. viii.   PRESERVED TAFT, b. March 15, 1765, Uxbridge, Ma; d. February 06, 1835, Danville, Vt.
ix.   LYDIA TAFT, b. February 26, 1767, Uxbridge, Ma; d. October 01, 1768, Uxbridge, Ma.
40. x.   PELEG TAFT, b. April 09, 1769, Uxbridge, Ma; d. February 10, 1855, Richmond, NH.


8. PAUL3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born 1729 in Uxbridge, Ma, and died January 23, 1804 in Uxbridge, Ma. He married MEHITABLE COOK May 10, 1750 in Uxbridge, Ma.

Notes
Judging from the dates of their respective marriages, Paul and his brother Silas, must have been born considerably later than the other children of Benjamin. Paul lived at Uxbridge, and served twice with the Minute-men. The census of 1790 shows him at Uxbridge with a family, apparently, of a wife and three daughters. His will mentions William, son in law Sweeting, grandsons Paul and Ebenezer, and daughter Catherine Thompson. Neither grandson Paul, nor Ebenezer, appear to belong to William or Mercy. Whose children were they?

       Children of Paul Taft and Mehitable Cook are:
  i.   MARGARET4 TAFT, b. November 14, 1751, Uxbridge, Ma.
ii.   CATHERINE TAFT, b. February 26, 1753, Uxbridge, Ma; m. ELISHA THOMPSON, April 04, 1802, Uxbridge, Ma.
iii.   PRUDENCE TAFT, b. November 10, 1756, Uxbridge, Ma.
41. iv.   WILLIAM TAFT, b. Abt 1760, ?Uxbridge, Ma.
v.   MARY TAFT, b. June 26, 1763, Uxbridge, Ma.
42. vi.   MERCY TAFT, b. June 26, 1763, Uxbridge, Ma; d. July 10, 1827, Uxbridge, Ma.


9. MARCY3 TAFT (BENJAMIN 2, ROBERT 1) was born Abt 1731 in ?Uxbridge, Ma, and died April 17, 1811 in Burrillville, RI. She married RUFUS SMITH November 12, 1751 in Glocester, RI.

Notes
Marcy/Mercy Taft b. ca. 1831, at ?Uxbridge, Mass. (not in VRs). Death at Burrillvile, RI. (R.I. American, R.I "VRs", Vol. 21, p. 562). Marriage at Glocester, RI. (VRs, p. 34), m. i. 28 Sep. 1751, at Uxbridge, Mass. (VRs, p. 306), Rufus Smith (1730-1800).
The identity of Marcy as a daughter of Benjamin2 Taft has only recently been ascertained. Also, it should be noted that this Marcy Taft has previously been mis-identified in some earlier literature. Despite this, the descendants that are given in "John Smith, the Miller, of Providence, R.I.", etc. (Genealogies of Rhode Island Families II, 1983) would appear to be correct and well documented.

       Children of Marcy Taft and Rufus Smith are:
43. i.   JAMES4 SMITH, b. October 23, 1752, Glocester, RI; d. Abt 1835, ?Glocester, RI.
ii.   RHODA SMITH, b. January 22, 1755, Glocester, RI; d. September 09, 1761, Glocester, RI.
iii.   SYLVIA SMITH, b. January 13, 1757, Glocester, RI; d. November 21, 1759, Glocester, RI.
iv.   DACIA SMITH, b. October 18, 1759, Glocester, RI; d. September 05, 1761, Glocester, RI.
44. v.   CHAD SMITH, b. March 13, 1762, Glocester, RI; d. April 23, 1854.
45. vi.   ARCA SMITH, b. October 13, 1764, Glocester, RI; d. February 25, 1825, Cumberland RI.
vii.   SABRA SMITH, b. April 22, 1767, Glocester, RI; d. December 06, 1767, Glocester, RI.
46. viii.   ZADOC SMITH, b. January 01, 1770, Glocester, RI.
47. ix.   PAUL SMITH, b. October 30, 1773, Glocester, RI.

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