1. Home
  2. Pedigree Charts
  3. Bio List
  4. Name Index

Millicent BENJAMIN (b c1799)

I know little about Millicent Benjamin. A genealogical chart posted on Long Island Surnames website states that she was born about 1799 and was the daughter of Amaziah Benjamin and Mary Achsey Sweezy. Unfortunately, the source of that information is not given. The stone that marks Millicent's grave says only that she was the wife of John H Howell and that she was 86 years old when she died in 1885. Amaziah Benjamin was found by the 1800 US Census in Riverhead, New York and his household did include three females under the age of 10. Millicent may very well have been one of those three children.

Millicent married John H Howell about 1820. That date is apparently based on the the birth of a daughter named Edna in 1821. If Edna was their daughter (see my note below), then my guess is that the couple lost at least one or child between 1821 and 1830 when John Egbert was born. That guess is based only on the somewhat confusing composition of the 1830 household. Son Hiram was born in 1832 and son George in 1835. Six years later, a daughter Achsah was born. In that same year, 1841, Millicent's oldest child Edna died.

It was not until 1850 that Millicent's name appeared in a census record, though the composition of John Howell's household in 1830 and 1840 certainly suggests that she was living with John in 1830. It appears that Millicent's parents had moved to Brookhaven Township by 1820 and the composition of Millicent's father's household might be consistent with a situation in which her husband John was living with the Amaziah Benjamin family in 1820.

The couple lived together with their children in East Moriches, Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York for the balance of their days. In 1860, Hiram was still at home and farming with his father. Achsah was still at home as well. By 1870, all of the children were out of the household and husband John was still farming. John was retired in 1880.

Millicent outlived her husband John by only a matter of months. John died in August of 1864. Millicent died on 28 Jan 1885 and was buried alongside her husband in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Center Moriches.

Did Millicent and John Howell have a daughter named Edna in 1821? There seems to be a consensus on the web that Edna Jane Howell who was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Riverside, New York in 1841, presumably at the age of 20, was the daughter of John Howell and Millicent Benjamin. Two things make me skeptical of this presumed fact. First, there is a nine year gap between this birth and subsequent births to the couple. Of course, this is not impossible, but I am inclined to think it unlikely. Perhaps there is something in the Riverside Cemetery that would make the relationship of Edna to John and Millicent clearer but it is not mentioned in the web memorial. It seems odd to me that the family would have buried a daughter at such a distance from their residence in Brookhaven Township, Of course, it is entirely possible that Edna had married and away from her parent's home by the time of her death.

Sources:

1800 US Census, Household of Amaziah Benjamin (b c1765): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Year: 1800; Census Place: Riverhead, Suffolk, New York; Series: M32; Roll: 27; Page: 17; Image: 140; Family History Library Film: 193715. Content: The 1800 US Census of Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York (on official date 04 Aug 1800) lists the household of Ammersiah Benjamin composed of males (1 26-44 yrs) and females (3 under 10 yrs, 1 26-44 yrs). Total of 5 members.

1820 US Census, Household of Amaziah Benjamin (b c1765): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Page: 328; NARA Roll: M33_74; Image: 341. Content: The 1820 US Census of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York on (officially) 07 Aug 1820 lists the household of Amaziah (the name is spelled incorrectly, possibly as Amazia) Benjamin composed of males (1 under 10, 2 age 10-15, 1 age 16-26, 1 45+) and females (1 under 10, 1 16-25, 1 45+). Four persons are engaged in agriculture. A total of 8 houshold members.

1830 US Census, Household of John Howell (b c1801): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1830; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Series: M19; Roll: 103; Page: 160; Family History Library Film: 0017163. Content: The 1830 US Census of Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York (officially on 01 Jun 1830) listed the household of John Howell with a household composed of males (1 under 5 yrs, 1 10-15 yrs, 1 15-20 yrs, 2 20-30 years) and females (2 under 5 yrs, 1 20-30 yrs, 2 free colored females 10-23 yrs).

1840 US Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1840; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 343; Page: 279; Family History Library Film: 0017207. Content: The 1840 US Census of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York on 01 Jun 1840 shows the household of John H Howell with males (3 age 5-9, 1 age 30-39) and females (1 age 10-14, 1 age 30-39). Four persons engaged in agriculture. Six total persons.

1850 US Census, Household of John Howell (b c1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1850; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 601; Page: 193a. Content: The 1850 US Census of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York on 07 Aug 1850 shows dwelling (73/83) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 48 male, farmer, (real: $4000), born NY, (2) Meliscent Howell, age 48, female, born NY, (3) Egbert Howell, age 19, male, seaman, born NY, (4) Hiram Howell, age 17, male, farmer, born NY, (5) George Howell, age 14, male, born NY, attended school, (6) Achsah Howell, age 8, female, born NY, attended school.

1860 US Census, Household of John Howell (b c1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1860; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Page: 918. Content: The 1860 US Census of Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York, Post Office: East Moriches, on 22 Aug 1860 shows dwelling (1852/1914) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 56, male, farmer, (real: $3000; pers: $300), born New York, (2) Milicent Howell, age 56, female, born New York, (3) Hiram Howell, age 27, male, farmer, born New York, (4) Acsa Howell, age 19, female, born New York, (5) Frances ?P? Howell, age 1, female, (6) Abby Hamer, age 5, female, black, born New York.

1865 New York State Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State Census, 1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Content: The 1865 New York State Census of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York (Third Election District) on 12 Jun 1865 shows dwelling (101/115), frame structure valued at $400, with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 57, male, married, farmer, native voter, owner of land, (2) Millicent Howell, age 54, female, wife, 4 children, married, (3) Acsa Howell, age 22, female, child, (4) Abigail Harnan, age 11, black female, servant. [Place of birth has not been marked for any of these entries.]

1870 US Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1870; Census Place: Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York; Roll: M593_1100; Page: 388A. Content: The 1870 US Census of Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York, Post Office: East Moriches, on 25 Jul 1870 shows dwelling (3/88) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, age 68, male, farmer, (real: $3000; pers: $800), born New York, citizen, (2) Melissa Howell, age 69, female, born New York. [Son Hiram and family share the dwelling.]

1880 US Census, Household of John H Howell (b 1800): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Year: 1880; Census Place: East Moriches, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 934; Page: 103C; Enumeration District: 314. Content: The 1880 US Census of East Moriches, Suffolk County, New York on 10 Jun 1880 shows dwelling (205/214) with a household composed of (1) John H Howell, male, age 77, married, retired farmer, born New York, parents born New York, (2) Millicent Howell, female, age 79, wife, married, keeps house, born New York, parents born New York, (3) Julius Koch, male, age 45, married, physician, born Prussia, parents born Prussia.

Find a Grave Memorial 125736793 for Edna Jane Howell (b 1821).

Find a Grave Memorial 129257543 for Millicent Benjamin Howell (b c1799) .

Long Island Surnames Fact Sheet for Millicent Benjamin: Citation: Long Island Surnames Maintained by Long Island Genealogy. Content: A genealogical chart for Millicent Benjamin states that she was born c1799 in Riverhead (Suffolk) NY and died 28 Jan 1885 in East Moriches (Suffolk) NY. Her father was Amaziah Benjamin, born 22 Sep 1765 in Riverhead (Suffolk) NY and died 29 Jan 1851 in Moriches (Suffolk) NY. Her mother was Mary Achsey Sweezy, born 08 May 1771 in Mattituck (Suffolk) NY and died 06 Mar 1849 in Moriches (Suffolk) NY. She was married to John H Howell about 1793 in Riverhead.