John Marshall
New Orleans

Generation No. 1

1. WILLIAM J.1 BENSON, SR. was born Bet. 1750 - 1760 in North Carolina, and died Bef. April 16, 1831 in Robertson County, Tennessee. He married NANCY THOMPSON.

Notes for WILLIAM J. BENSON, SR.: Listed in 1790 North Carolina census, Newbern District, Dobbs County as 2 Free White Males Under 16 Years ; 6 Free White Females; 1 slave. Lived for some period of time in Barren Plains, near Springfield, Robertson County, Tennessee. Listed on Tax Rolls of Robertson County, Tennessee, 1812. Listed on Tax Rolls of Graves County, Kentucky, 1841. From Robertson County, TN Court Minutes 1796-1807 by Carol Wells: November 1804

Order road laid off from Richard Cavets to Williams Mill on Red River, jury to mark same: Barton Coates, Richard Hutchins, WILLIAM BENSON, William Johnson, Charles Kilgore; make return to Clerk who is to issue order to William Dorris overseer without further delay to open said road. Hands to work under him: Bazel Boren, William Holland, James Lynn, Dann Lynn, James Luck, JAMES BENSON, John Grimes, Garlant Williams, Larkin Edwards, Simon Fike, Jesse Mason, Josiah Skinner, Thomas Johnson, Joseph Pitts, Murrell Pitts, Willis Holland, Elisha Bridgewater, William Spiller, RICHARD BENSON, William Perry. Index to Tennessee Wills and Administrations 1779-1861 by Byron and Barbara Sistler, page 25. Benson, William 1831, Will Book 7, page 492, Robertson County. Tennessee Cousins by Worth Ray, page 692. Tennessee Cousins in Robertson County from North Carolina. On Beaver Dam Creek, settled a Thomas Woodard, Arthur Pitt, John Chambers, James Owen, Joseph Winfield, WILLIAM BENSON, John Krisle, Martin and Meredith Walton and Thomas Baird. Early Tennessee Tax Lists by Byron and Barbara Sistler, page 14: Benson, Martin Robertson County 1812 Benson, Richard Robertson County 1812 William Benson Robertson County 1812 Tennessee Tidbits, Vol 2, 1778-1914, page 45 by Fisher and Burns: WILLIAM BENSON & John Coleman were security for William Perry 4 July 1808 - Robertson County, TN. Court Minutes. Graves County, Kentucky Tax List (on microfilm) 1841: Benson, W.J. 1 white male over 21, 1 slave, value of slave 400, 1 horse and mare, value of horse and mare 50, total value 450. (Note-this seems to be the first time the Bensons appear on a Graves County Tax List which seems to indicate their arrival in Kentucky as 1840). Robertson County., Tennessee Court Minutes 1796-1897 by Carol Wells, page 3. Deed Thomas Johnson to WILLIAM BENSON ackd October 17, 1796. Robertson County, Tennessee, December 17, 1832. Deed Book W, page 313. William and Winifred (Benson) Spiller, Benjamin and Elizabeth (Benson) Spiller and Roundtree and Nancy (Benson) Perry, all of Franklin County, Illinois, gave Power-of-Attorney to Richard Benson of Robertson County, Tennessee, to sell negros inherited by them from William Benson, Sr. In 1819 William and Winifred (Benson) Spiller,and Benjamin and Elizabeth (Benson) Spiller settled in the Spiller Settlement near Marion, Williamson County, Illinois. In 1826 William Benson, Jr., settled and built a cabin on Poor Prairie. Marion's Tower Square Plaza was a part of his corn and wheat field. August 19, 1839 - William Benson, Jr., and his wife, Bethany, gave twenty acres of land for the new townsite of Marion. The original plot included the Tower Square Plaza and 47 lots in one row of blocks around it. October 7, 1839 - First Williamson County Court too place at William Benson's home, a double log cabin which was also a hotel. Because Mrs. Benson didn't have enough chairs for all the officials and citizens who came, she gave them pumpkins for seats. John (Bone) Davis built the first business (a log cabin without a door made with stable logs from A. T. Benson) in the Town Square a few feet north of the well. When the town was surveyed, it was in the wrong spot and had to be moved. He used to fasten his door by filling it with poles. 1841 - Elijah N. Spiller's home was the meeting place for the group who organized the first church of the Christian denomination in the county. Mr. Spiller was the founder of Spillertown. The group later became the First Christian Church, Disiples of Christ, Marion.

Children of WILLIAM BENSON and NANCY THOMPSON are:
i. RICHARD ALLEN2 BENSON, b. September 12, 1782, ???; d. August 14, 1841, Graves County, Kentucky; m. SALLY JONES, November 26, 1807, Springfield, Robertson Co., Tennessee.

Notes for RICHARD ALLEN BENSON:

Richard Allen Benson maintained a "copy book" , home-made book bound with rough leather which he used at various periods in his life from July 28, 1800, until his death in 1841. Additional entries were made by his family until , at least, 1850. He probably moved from Springfield, Robertson County, Tennessee, to Graves County, Kentucky about 1823. For some period of time he lived in Barren Plains, Robertson County, Tennessee, near Springfield.

The first 58 pages of the book are devoted to rules of weights and measure, money, arithmetic, etc., apparently from school. Additional entries include: 1. A list of birth dates of his children.
2. A list of children born to his slaves.
3. A list of marriages of his children, including what was given them.
4. Several pages covering his military service as a Captain in the Tennessee

Militia where he served with Major General Andrew Jackson in his campaign against the Creek Indians and other battles in the War of 1812. 5. Several pages of sample legal documents he would use in his capacity as Justice of the Peace.
6. Several pages of accounts from a general store he operated.

This book is in the possession of John Frederick Marshall and is reported to have been submitted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City for microfilming. His original hand-written will is also with the book. Richard Allen Benson built his home in Graves County, Kentucky, on State Line Road between Fulton and Dukedom, about six miles from Fulton in Section 33, Township 1 North, Range 1 West and is shown on the 1880 Graves County Atlas map as being owned by his granddaughter, Tallula Benson. RED RIVER SETTLERS, RECORDS OF THE SETTLERS OF NORTHERN MONTGOMERY, ROBERTSON, AND SUMNER COS., by Edythe R. Whitley, page 27. The commissioned Officers in the Tennessee Militia, 1796-1861, for Robertson County....names include RICHARD BENSON, Captain, 23rd Regiment, December 11, 1810. GRAVES COUNTY , KY TAX LIST (on microfilm) 1841---BENSON, RICHARD, 320 acres on waters of Bayodesha (Bayou de Chien) value 1,000, 1 white male over 21, 5 slaves over 16, total slaves 17, value of slaves 4,200, 8 horses and mares, value of horses and mares 250, 4 children 7-17, total value 5450. EARLY TENNESSEE TAX LISTS by Byron & Barbara Sistler, page 14, BENSON, RICHARD Robertson County 1812. Military records from the National Archives show that he served with his own Company in the 2nd Regiment, Colonel A. Cheatham's Regiment. General Thomas Johnson's Brigade. West Tennessee Militia Infantry in the War of 1812 from January 28, 1814 to May 10, 1814, in the services of the United States on an expedition against the hostile Creek Indians. He was paid at the rate of $40 per month and given a subsistance of twenty cents per meal (60 cents per day) during his service.
ii. ELIZABETH BENSON, b. Abt. 1776; m. BENJAMIN SPILLER.
iii. NANCY BENSON, m. ROUNDTREE PERRY.
iv. AMELIA BENSON, m. THOMAS JONES.
v. MARY BENSON, m. JONATHAN BELL.
vi. WINIFRED BENSON, b. Abt. 1773, Robertson County, Tennessee; m. WILLIAM SPILLER.
vii. WILLIAM BENSON, JR, b. March 31, 1783, Kentucky (moved to Illinois in 1817); d. 1856; m. BETHANY THOMPSON.

Notes for WILLIAM BENSON, JR: Bought land from William Benson, Sr., April 16, 1831 in Robertson County, Tennessee.
viii. JOHN BENSON, b. 1788, Pennsylvannia; d. September 21, 1868; m. JANE DOYLE.
ix. JOSEPH T. BENSON, d. 1876.
x. MARTIN BENSON.