Benjamin Harrison IV
Benjamin Harrison IV (1693 – July 12, 1745
Biography
Benjamin Harrison IV was born in a small house on the plantation named "
Around 1722, Harrison married Anne Carter, whom
Harrison and his wife had 11 children:[1]
- Elizabeth (born ~1723)Sir John Randolph, the grandson of William Randolph I, and the first President of the Continental Congress.[2]
- Anne (born ~1724)William Randolph III, the son of William Randolph II and the grandson of William Randolph I, and had eight surviving children.[2][13] Her descendants include Captain Kidder Breese.
- Benjamin (born ~1726)[1] married Elizabeth Bassett.[2] His third son was President William Henry Harrison.[3] His descendants include Congressman John Scott Harrison and President Benjamin Harrison.[2]
- Lucy (born ~ca.1792–1793)[1] married Edward Randolph Jr., the son of Edward Randolph Sr. and the grandson of William Randolph I.[1]
- Hannah (born ~ – ~1745)[1]
- Carter Henry Harrison III and his son Carter Henry Harrison IV.[14]
- Henry (~1734 – ~1736) who died in infancy.[1]
- Henry (born ~1736–1772)[1] who served as a captain under Major General Edward Braddock in the French and Indian War and under Lieutenant Colonel George Washington. Lived at Hunting Quarter in Sussex County.
- Robert (born ~1738)[1]
- Charles (b. ~1740 – d. 1793) who was colonel of the 1st Continental Artillery Regiment.[1]
- Nathaniel (b. ~1741–d. 1792) who became Sheriff of Prince George County in 1779 and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1781–1782. In 1760, he married Mary Ruffin, daughter of Edmund Ruffin and they had four children. He married Anne Gilliam in 1768 and they had six children. His descendants include J. Hartwell Harrison.[15]
Harrison in 1745 was struck by lightning and killed, with one daughter, Hannah. Some reports incorrectly say his "two youngest daughters" were killed in 1745 when lightning struck his house.[1][nb 2] Harrison's will expressed his intent to be buried near his son Henry,[1] and it broke with the British tradition of primogeniture by leaving large amounts of wealth to all of his children.[16] His oldest son Benjamin became responsible for the six plantations that comprised Berkeley, along with the manor house, equipment, stock, and slaves.[7] Eight other plantations were divided among the remaining sons, and his daughters were given cash and slaves.[7]
One source indicates that Harrison's tomb is located on the grounds of the "old Westover Church",[11] but another states that he was buried in his family's cemetery.[12]
Notes
- ^ Meg Greene reported that the mansion was built after Harrison received "a grant of twenty-two thousand acres of land", but does not state precisely when he acquired the land.[10]
- ^ Reports around the incident do not name the two others who died, but W.G. Stanard named them as "Lucy" and "Hannah" in 1924. The survival of Lucy is well documented, which suggests that Stanard's report is at least partially in error.[1]
References
- ^ JSTOR 4248494.
- ^ a b c d e f Cutter, William Richard, ed. (1915). "The Harrison Line". New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation. 3. Vol. IV. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 2088–2089.
- ^ ISBN 9780795020988.
- ^ ISBN 9780486267517.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8078-4278-2.
- ^ Harrison, Francis Burton. “Commentaries upon the Ancestry of Benjamin Harrison: V. Benjamin Harrison of Aldham and Stationer Harrisons.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 54, no. 3, 1946, pp. 244–54. JSTOR website Retrieved 30 Sept. 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60021-066-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8139-2673-5.
- ISBN 978-1-55650-835-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8225-1511-1.
- ^ a b Bradford, David Thomas (1993). "Philemon and Mary: The Harrisons". The Bradfords of Charles City County, Virginia, and Some of their Descendants, 1653–1993. Gateway Press. p. 84.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7385-8608-3.
- ^ a b Page, Richard Channing Moore (1893). "Randolph Family". Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia (2 ed.). New York: Press of the Publishers Printing Co. pp. 249–272.
- ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. (1915). "Fathers of the Revolution". Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 11–12.
- ^ Hooker, Mary Harrison (1998). All Our Yesterdays. pp. 25–30.
- ISBN 978-0-8018-5986-1.