Dr. Benjamin Slack of Scituate, RI
Dr. Benjamin Slack (1,2) was the son of Benjamin Slack and Jerusha Whiting. There are some family trees posted that list Dr. Benjamin as the son of his grandfather, William Slack.
W S Slack(8) shows Benjamin and Jerusha Whiting Slack with a son Benjamin born April 28, 1728.[see following paragraph] The entry, on page 159, says he married and had three children. Benjamin, son of Benjaimin is also listed on page 161, born April 28, 1728 in Attleboro, MA. The entry shows three children, Levinia who married a Brown, Sukey, who married an Anthony, and Joseph who married and had a son Resolved. In the section listing the unlinked Slacks, he shows Benjamin Slack of Scituate, RI on page 204.
Imagine what he might have dug up if he’d had the technology of today!
Until someone finds data to the contrary, I will show that Dr. Benjamin was born on October 2, 1732 (2,3) as the vital records of Atttleboro show. Dr. Benjamin died April 14, 1791 RI (4,5,6) in Scituate, RI. The April 28, 1791, Gazette of Providence XIV-32, has: Slack, Dr. Benjamin, died at Scituate in his 63rd year, had practiced there 40 years. Leaves wife and six children.
He is buried Historic Cemetery #95, Elmdale Road, Slack Lot, Scituate, RI7
Benjamin arrived in Scituate around 1750. So far, the first record found in Scituate is the birth of his daughter Mary in 1753 He is seen in census and tax records for Scituate in 1774, 1777, 1782 and in 1790
Various histories of the area indicate that he was married to Phebe Fenner and to Hannah Harris.
By Phebe he had, all born in Scituate, RI
Mary (Sep 28 1753 - Dec 7 1762), died in Scituate
Joseph (Jul 10 1756 - ) married Mercy Waterman, one of their children was Resolved.
Thomas (Nov 15 1758 - )
Lemuel (Aug 6 1760 - Feb 3 1789) married Barbara. Mrs. Barbary Slack is listed in the1790 census of Scituate. They had two sons.
Wait (May 2 1762 - abt 1791)
Phebe died July 8, 1762--it must have been a difficult year for Benjamin. First he was widowed with five children, ranging in age from eight to two months, then he lost his first child who had just turned nine. He must have had some kind of help, maybe a neighbor or sister, because he didn’t remarry until March 5, 1767 in Scituate, RI (6) The History of Providence County, RI, V1, Chap IV, Profession of Medicine says Benjamin married Hannah Harris of Johnstown March 5, 1767 and Gazette of Providence reported the marriage of Dr. Benjamin of Gloucester and Hannah Harris, daughter of Henry of Johnstown March 4, 1767
Hannah became stepmother to sons eleven, nine and seven, and a five year old daughter who had never known her mother. Benjamin and Hannah had
Phebe and Susannah (1777 - Mar 3 1834), who were identified as daughters of Dr. Benjamin in the newspaper notices of their marriages, and possibly Lavina. I have found a Lydia, born 1773 which fits with this family.
Consider that Dr. Benjamin’s obituary indicated he left six children. Mary and Lemuel predeceased him, and the remaining children were Joseph, Thomas, Wait, Phebe, Susanna and Lavinia. Say the names Lydia and Lavinia or Levinia a few times. Lydia and Lavinia could be the same person
Look back at the list of children of Dr. Benjamin Slack. Levinia, Sukey and Joseph. I have Lavinia with a question mark because when I found her it appeared likely that she would be a daughter of Benjamin . The Providence Gazette shows marriage of Lavinia Slack of Scituate and John Brown 2nd “of this town” March 30 1793. Susannah married Benjamin Anthony, and Sukey is a nickname for Susannah. [note, I have not seen primary sources for any of this]
An additional note, the Rhode Island Military Census of 1777 lists:
Benjamin Slack, Scituate, RI aged 16-50, able to bear arms
Joseph Slack, Scituate, aged 16-50, able to bear arms
Lemuel Slack, Scituate, aged 16-50, able to bear arms
Where was Thomas? If we presume he was one of the six children listed in his father’s obituary, he must have been living in 1791, at the age of 33. Where did he go?
I would love to hear from anyone researching this line. I lose it with Dr. Benjamin’s children. I began collecting data on Dr. Benjamin at the outset of my research, because the oral tradition was that my ancestors came from Scituate, RI. Circumstantially I can show that my ancestors came from Westerly, RI. The Westerly Benajah was a cousin of Dr. Benjamin, their fathers being brothers. But so far, there is no proof that the Westerly Benajah was the Amsterdam, NY Benajah.
Please don’t take what I have put together as absolute. There is a lot of information on the web. A lot of the Slack information is data or guesses I have shared as possible or probable, and those I’ve shared with have posted it as their won. It’s out on the web with no disclaimer. If you are a beginning genealogical researchers don’t take any information as accurate data. If you haven’t seen the original sources, don’t blindly accept the information.
Sources
1. GEDCOM file imported on 21 Oct 2000.
2. Attleboro Births
3. transcribed from Vital Records of Attleborough, MA to end of 1849.
4. Per Elizabeth Septer gives source as Vital Records of RI 1630-1850 by James N. Arnold.
5. Elizabeth Septer,
6. Letter May 7, 1969.
7. Rhode Island historical Cemeteries Transcription Project, from internet, shows Benjamin Slack DM, buried Slack Lot, Scituate, RI, Elmdale Road, died Apr 14 1791, age 63.
8. The Slack Family More particularly an Account of the Family of Eliphalet Slack and his wife Abigail Cutter Their Ascendants, Descendants and Relations by Rev William Samuel Slack, MA, the Standard Printing Co., Alexandria, LA 1930
W S Slack(8) shows Benjamin and Jerusha Whiting Slack with a son Benjamin born April 28, 1728.[see following paragraph] The entry, on page 159, says he married and had three children. Benjamin, son of Benjaimin is also listed on page 161, born April 28, 1728 in Attleboro, MA. The entry shows three children, Levinia who married a Brown, Sukey, who married an Anthony, and Joseph who married and had a son Resolved. In the section listing the unlinked Slacks, he shows Benjamin Slack of Scituate, RI on page 204.
Imagine what he might have dug up if he’d had the technology of today!
Until someone finds data to the contrary, I will show that Dr. Benjamin was born on October 2, 1732 (2,3) as the vital records of Atttleboro show. Dr. Benjamin died April 14, 1791 RI (4,5,6) in Scituate, RI. The April 28, 1791, Gazette of Providence XIV-32, has: Slack, Dr. Benjamin, died at Scituate in his 63rd year, had practiced there 40 years. Leaves wife and six children.
He is buried Historic Cemetery #95, Elmdale Road, Slack Lot, Scituate, RI7
Benjamin arrived in Scituate around 1750. So far, the first record found in Scituate is the birth of his daughter Mary in 1753 He is seen in census and tax records for Scituate in 1774, 1777, 1782 and in 1790
Various histories of the area indicate that he was married to Phebe Fenner and to Hannah Harris.
By Phebe he had, all born in Scituate, RI
Mary (Sep 28 1753 - Dec 7 1762), died in Scituate
Joseph (Jul 10 1756 - ) married Mercy Waterman, one of their children was Resolved.
Thomas (Nov 15 1758 - )
Lemuel (Aug 6 1760 - Feb 3 1789) married Barbara. Mrs. Barbary Slack is listed in the1790 census of Scituate. They had two sons.
Wait (May 2 1762 - abt 1791)
Phebe died July 8, 1762--it must have been a difficult year for Benjamin. First he was widowed with five children, ranging in age from eight to two months, then he lost his first child who had just turned nine. He must have had some kind of help, maybe a neighbor or sister, because he didn’t remarry until March 5, 1767 in Scituate, RI (6) The History of Providence County, RI, V1, Chap IV, Profession of Medicine says Benjamin married Hannah Harris of Johnstown March 5, 1767 and Gazette of Providence reported the marriage of Dr. Benjamin of Gloucester and Hannah Harris, daughter of Henry of Johnstown March 4, 1767
Hannah became stepmother to sons eleven, nine and seven, and a five year old daughter who had never known her mother. Benjamin and Hannah had
Phebe and Susannah (1777 - Mar 3 1834), who were identified as daughters of Dr. Benjamin in the newspaper notices of their marriages, and possibly Lavina. I have found a Lydia, born 1773 which fits with this family.
Consider that Dr. Benjamin’s obituary indicated he left six children. Mary and Lemuel predeceased him, and the remaining children were Joseph, Thomas, Wait, Phebe, Susanna and Lavinia. Say the names Lydia and Lavinia or Levinia a few times. Lydia and Lavinia could be the same person
Look back at the list of children of Dr. Benjamin Slack. Levinia, Sukey and Joseph. I have Lavinia with a question mark because when I found her it appeared likely that she would be a daughter of Benjamin . The Providence Gazette shows marriage of Lavinia Slack of Scituate and John Brown 2nd “of this town” March 30 1793. Susannah married Benjamin Anthony, and Sukey is a nickname for Susannah. [note, I have not seen primary sources for any of this]
An additional note, the Rhode Island Military Census of 1777 lists:
Benjamin Slack, Scituate, RI aged 16-50, able to bear arms
Joseph Slack, Scituate, aged 16-50, able to bear arms
Lemuel Slack, Scituate, aged 16-50, able to bear arms
Where was Thomas? If we presume he was one of the six children listed in his father’s obituary, he must have been living in 1791, at the age of 33. Where did he go?
I would love to hear from anyone researching this line. I lose it with Dr. Benjamin’s children. I began collecting data on Dr. Benjamin at the outset of my research, because the oral tradition was that my ancestors came from Scituate, RI. Circumstantially I can show that my ancestors came from Westerly, RI. The Westerly Benajah was a cousin of Dr. Benjamin, their fathers being brothers. But so far, there is no proof that the Westerly Benajah was the Amsterdam, NY Benajah.
Please don’t take what I have put together as absolute. There is a lot of information on the web. A lot of the Slack information is data or guesses I have shared as possible or probable, and those I’ve shared with have posted it as their won. It’s out on the web with no disclaimer. If you are a beginning genealogical researchers don’t take any information as accurate data. If you haven’t seen the original sources, don’t blindly accept the information.
Sources
1. GEDCOM file imported on 21 Oct 2000.
2. Attleboro Births
3. transcribed from Vital Records of Attleborough, MA to end of 1849.
4. Per Elizabeth Septer gives source as Vital Records of RI 1630-1850 by James N. Arnold.
5. Elizabeth Septer,
6. Letter May 7, 1969.
7. Rhode Island historical Cemeteries Transcription Project, from internet, shows Benjamin Slack DM, buried Slack Lot, Scituate, RI, Elmdale Road, died Apr 14 1791, age 63.
8. The Slack Family More particularly an Account of the Family of Eliphalet Slack and his wife Abigail Cutter Their Ascendants, Descendants and Relations by Rev William Samuel Slack, MA, the Standard Printing Co., Alexandria, LA 1930