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Biography:
Fordham, Benjamin (b. 11 Nov 1743, Craven, NC; d. 26 Oct 1810, Craven, NC) Married 1766 to Mary Blackshear (b. 1743; d. 1791). It falls to the Benjamin and Martha's son Benjamin, born in 1743 and married in 1766 to "Mary Blackshear" to live through the Revolutionary War. He was 24 years old when his first child, Elizabeth was born, followed virtually every year by another through1782.
From "Records of Jones County, North Carolina, Deed Book K, p.320" it says "Benjamin Fordham , Sr. gave to his son Benjamin Fordham, Jr. land on the north side of Trent River on Jashuas Creek and west side of Heritages Branch, containing 200 acres, being part of three surveys, one granted to Joseph Kinsey, Mar 10 1758; one to Thomas Dean, Octobaer21, 1784; and one to Benjamin Fordham November 27, 1789, reserving one acre to John Fordham for mill as laid off by jury. Wts: Isaac Brown and John Stanley.)
Benjamin and Mary lived on the Great Chinquapin Creek in Jones County, North Carolina. They had 12 children. We know little of these children. The will of Benjamin shows several interesting things. One was that by this time he owned slaves which he gave to his children in his will. Another was that he willed everything to his wife during her lifetime, provided she made provisions for her children when they became of age and began their own households. It also gives a glimpse into the relationships that were developing that would be important for our family history later, in that the witness to the deed was John Stanley and Isaac Brown. Both names become part of the family as they marry daughters of the Fordhams. It is with the Stanley family that a later Benjamin moves to Georgia.
History during this time includes many well-known actions and reactions leading up to the Declaration of Independence in July, 1776and the subsequent war that ended with the Treaty of Par is in 1783.One of the earliest rebellions to place with the Battle of Alamance in1771. Governor William Tryon (e.g., Tryon's Palace in New Bern) decided to take on the rebellious colonists in the western counties which ended with the battle some 8 miles away from what is now Burlington, NC. The rebels were soundly defeated by the regulars under Tryon and some were executed for their acts. While we think of the war as beg inning much later, this skirmish was for some the initial battle of the Revolution. Had it been against the crown, not the local government, it might be thought of by all. The issue was taxes and the atmosphere was rebellion. Tryon was in New Bern, so were our ancestors. There is no way they could have avoided having an opinion about the incident. Benjamin 3rd was 28 , his wife 26. John Fordham, through whom we trace our lineage, was born that year. While Benjamin 4th the ninth child moved to Georgia, John stayed in Jones County. It is to his history I now turn.
Sources:
North Carolina Historical Sketches, 1584-1851, Volume II ; Series III Chapter XLIV Jones County
"1795, 1796, 1799, 1802, 1803, 1804
Members of the General Assembly from Jones County NC: Benjamin Fordham"
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North Carolina Historical Sketches, 1584-1851, Volume II ? Series III Chapter XLV Lenoir County
"1798,
Buried in Fordham Family Cemetery at the site of his plantation in Jones County, NC.
Service: Lieutenant in NC Militia. Supplier of provisions
(NSDAR 1959-60 Report, NSSAR Membership # 97968; Updated Simon Hoyte of Somerset County England with World Royalty Families Entries: 85651 Updated: 2013-05-11 04:17:49 UTC (Sat) Contact: John Hoyt Home Page: Updated, NSSAR Patriot & Grave Index Number P 160359)
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