Benjamin Skinner

1.x BENJAMIN SKINNER - _______
file updated Jan, 2004
Family Record Summary
Biography
KDS Commentary
Source References
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BENJAMIN SKINNER
b. 1708/9 (VEM-12)
not of age, 1725 (will-8)
d.
m. w.: b.; d.

CHILDREN:
proof of linkage of children to parents = (will-10)


x. BENJAMIN SKINNE JR. (Franklin-12c)

x. CATHERINE SKINNER
d. Jul 27, 1815 Rahway, Essex Co. (will-10)

x. JOHN SKINNER

b.

d.

m. w. JULIA ANN _____

CHILDREN:
x. KATHERINE SKINNER (will-10, VEM-12)
x. JANE SKINNER (will-10, VEM-12)

BIOGRAPHY:

November 10, 1750 - Will of James Jackson of Woodbridge, Middlesex Co. A list of a hundred-plus names of persons owing money to the estate includes Benjamin Skinner. (will-10)

December 29, 1760 - Will of Thomas Scudder. Mentions land adjoining that of Richard Skinner; Witnesses include Benjamin Skinner. (will-10)

July 27, 1815 - Will of Catherine Skinner of Rahway mentions house and lot from father Benjamin Skinner. (will-10)

KDS COMMENTARY:

Benjamin Skinner was recorded at Woodbridge in 1750 and 1760.

The 1815 Will of Catherine Skinner, of Rahway, mentions a house and lot received from her father, Benjamin Skinner. Her Will also mentions that she had a brother John. Catherine does not appear to have married. Her Will provides items for two daughters of her brother, John. No male children of John are mentioned though she may not have had anything useful to provide to male children.

Franklin Skinner (Franklin-12c) had a deed that indicated that Benjamin Skinner was living at Rahway in 1799. I have not been able to locate that deed. Franklin also had an old letter indicating that Benjamin had at least two sons - Benjamin, Jr. and John. This is a new piece of information that I have not seen elsewhere. Franklin also made mention of the Will of Catharine Skinner, discussed previously. This opens up the possiblility that Catherine and John, known children of Benjamin, could be the children of either Benjamin Jr., instead of Benjamin Sr. as assumed here.

Note that the Will of Catherine makes mention of a David S. Craig. This is undoubtedly the same David Craig who was captured during the Revolutionary War in the same incident in which Captain Richard Skinner was killed. Her Will also makes mention of John Marsh and Marsh Noe Marsh. The Marsh family had an affilitation with the Woodbridge/Rahway Skinners, and a John Noe served in the First Regiment, Middlesex Co. militia, the same militia that Captain Richard served in.

Cahterine's Will indicates she had inherited her house and lot from her father. Her father's Will has not been located, but it would be interesting to locate that item to help further family information.

EXHIBITS/REFERENCES:

Exhibits 1-9 - removed.

Exhibit 10 - Will Abstracts

"1750, Nov. 5. Jackson, James, of Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., yeoman. Int. ... Lib. E, p. 461.

1750, 9th mo. (Nov.), 7th d. Inventory of personal estate, L80.4; made by Sam Moores and Abram Tappan. Memorandum of bonds, bills and book debts due from"

[KDS note - a hundred-plus list of persons owing money are listed, including Benjamin Skinner.]

per "Abstracts of Wills, 1730-1750," Vol. XXX, NJ Archives, First Series, 1918, p261, 9/14/1995/KDS.

"1760, Dec. 29. Scudder, Thomas, of Borough of Elizabeth, Essex Co.; will of. Son, David, land on Robinson's branch, and along land which I bought of Richard Skinner, together with the grist mill, pond, dam and stream. ..... Executors - my friends, David Edgar and Abraham Clark, Jr. Witnesses - David Miller, John Lee, Benjamin Skinner, John Debourepose. Proved Jan. 15, 1761. ..... Lib. G, p347."

"Abstracts of Wills", New Jersey Archives, First Series, Vol. XXXIII, 1918, p377, 9/18/995/KDS.

"1815, July 27. Skinner, Catherine*, of Rahway, Essex Co.; will of. After debts are paid, to my brother, John Skinner, house and lot where I live, to which I have title by will from my father, Benjamin Skinner, and which he bought of Daniel Marsh, Esq. Brother, John's daughter, Katherine, 1 nankeen petticoat, black silk gown, plaid gingham gown, white dimity satin cloak, bed and bedding. To daughter, Jane, 2 gowns and muff. John's wife to dispose of rest of my clothing as she chooses. Rest of estate to brother (except small iron pot sold to Katherine, widow of John Marsh). Executor - John Skinner. Witnesses - David S. Craig, Marsh Noe Marsh, Jane Brookfield. Proved Apr. 16, 1816.

1816, Apr. 17. Inventory, L50.48; made by David S. Craig, Marsh N. Marsh. File 11007 G.

*Signed by mark."

"Abstracts of Wills - 1814-1817", NJ Archives, First Series, Vol XlII, 1949, p387, 9/18/995/KDS.

Per notes of VEM -

Skinner, Catherine - 11007 G. - Will 1816 - Inv, 1816."

"1810, Apr. 4. Foster, Jacob, of Elizabeth, Essex Co.; will of. Wife, Joanna, $750; use and profits of residue of estate, real and personal after debts and lagacies are paid, during her life. Brother, James Foster, $125. To Joanna Foster Richey, $125. Residue of estate to be divided between children of all my brothers and sisters, i.e., the children of my brothers, James, John, Thomas, Henry and Cornelius, and my sisters, Elizabeth Todd, Catherine Skinner, Jane Hendrickson. Executors - wife, Joanna, brother, James Foster. Witnesses - Smith Scudder, Peggy Scudder, John Scudder. Proved Mar. 30, 1814. ___. ___. ___. Inventory [not totaled]; made by Elias Haines, Aaron Lyon. Jurat signed Mar.. 30, 1814. File 10834 G."

per "Abstracts of Wills", 1814-1817, Vol XLII, p162, NJ Archives, First Series, 1931, 8/1/1999/KDS

[KDS note - This last exhibit refers to a Catherine Skinner who has no relationship to the Woodbridge/Rahway Skinnes. Her husband was Abraham Skinner. Reference file on 'MISC NJ SKINNERS'.]

Exhibit 11 - removed.

Exhibit 12 - "First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge of Olde East New Jersey", by Ora Eugene Monnette, per notes of DSW/VEM:

[KDS note - I did not see this in Monnette and doubt it exists in his work. Mistake of DSW/VEM notes? Have no idea where birth date of Benjamin comes from, but the remainder of the info is from Catherine's Will, daughter to Benjamin.]

"Benjamin - b. 1708/9

children:: John - married Julia Ann; children - Katherine, Jane; Catherine - d. 1815; perhaps others"

Exhibit 12b - "First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge of Olde East New Jersey", by Ora Eugene Monnette, 10/9/1995/KDS:

p1586, Genealogical Treatment, as constructed/speculated by Monnette - "John Skinner, First, of Woodbridge":

The son, Benjamin Skinner, was of Woodbridge in 1750 (Arch., Vol. XXX, p261) and over in Elizabethtown in 1761, when associated with Thomas Scudder, dec., who had bought land of "Richard Skinner." (Arch., Vol. XXXIII, p377) The latter was at Rahway, "on Robinson's branch."

Exhibit 12c - Newspaper Articles written by Franklin Skinner, appearing in a column called "Our History Club, Compiled by John R. Downer", The Glassboro Enterprise, 1921:

November 11, 1921

"Reverend William Skinner was born in Scotland in 1687 and left England for America in 1721; he was a MacGregor, one of the Scottish clan proscribed for supporting the Old Pretender in 1715. He took the name of Skinner, probably his mother's maiden name, and was sent as a missionary by the Church of England to America and became the first rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where he remained until his death in 1758.

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen and Catherine VanCortlandt of Cortlandt Manor, who was born May 24, 1694, by whom he had seven sons and a daughter named Gertrude Cordlandt, Stephen, William, Elisha, John, Richard, Benjamin and Gertrude Skinner.

.....

All of the sons except Richard adhered to the Royalist Cause.

.....

Richard Skinner, sixth son, cast his lot with the Patriots and was made Captain in the Middlesex County Militia of New Jersey. He was killed in an engagement at Cross Roads Tavern between Rahway and Woodbridge, N.J. on July 1, 1779.

Benjamin Skinner was Colonel of the 1st Regiment of his brother's corps. He survived the War and as I find by an old deed was living in Rahway in 1799. By an old letter in my possession he was living in 1801 and had two sons, Benjamin and John, and still further on by an old will I find he had a daughter Catharine. Researches of Manning Skinner, great grandson of Cortlandt Skinner.

References: Biographical Records of N.Y., Volume 5, page 72; History of Middlesex County, page 570; Biographical Sketches of the Royalists of the American Revolution by Lorenzo Sabine; Contributions to New Jersey History by Whitehead.

November 11, 1921 (Continued next week)."

[KDS note - the above information concerning Benjamin Skinner likely applies to Benjamin of the Woodbridge Skinners - not to Colonel Benjamin G. Skinner of the Perth Amboy Skinners as suggested above by Franklin. Franklin does add one new piece of information concerning Benjamin - that he had a son Benjamin. In that case, Catherine Skinner, whose Will records that she had a brother John and father Benjamin, could be the daughter of Benjamin Jr., not Benjamin, Sr, as suggested above. This would make sense if the family was of the Woodbridge Skinners, since Catherine's Will was written in 1815, more than a generation removed from the Woodbridge Benjamin Sr., who would have been born in the early 1700's.]

ANNE SKINNER

Exhibit 13 - Will Abstract::

"1752, June 8. Freeman, John, of Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., yeoman; will of. Eldest son, Henry, the several tracts of land which I had in that deed of sale from Obadiah Ayers, dated 28 May, 1732; also 1/2 of 5 acres of salt marsh in the Raritan Meadows, which I had of my father, Henry, which is described in a deed of sale to Thomas Smith from Anna Thornell. Son, Alexander, land I bought of my brother, Joseph, of 67 acres, being the place where my son now lives; also the rest of the salt marsh. Son, Isaac, land on east side of my house and on the north of the highway, of 90 acres; also the east part of the land on the south side of the road, of 9 acres. Son, James, the rest of my home place. Sons, Henry and Alexander, the land where my brother lives, called Horseneck. Wife, Martha, provided for. Eldest daughter, Sarah, the wife of John Smith, the bill of L80 which I have against her. Daughter, Mary, wife of Samuel Force, L80. Daughter, Elizabeth, L80. Wife, Martha, L80. Daughter, Martha, L80. Daughter, Charity, L80. Wife, Martha, L80. Executors - eldest son, Henry, and my wife. Witnesses - Mary Donham, Anne Skinner, David Donham. Proved April 1, 1761."
per "Calendar of Wills, 1761-1770", NJ Archives, Vol. XXXIII, First Series, 1918, p152, 9/24/1995/KDS