Benjamin Reed is my 4th great-grandfather and my DAR Patriot. His life followed the path of many New England men of his generation. Born in Massachusetts, he served during the American Revolution, married, raised a family, and eventually moved north to Vermont, where he became an early settler and a town officer in Woodford, Bennington County. He eventually left Woodford for Windham County, Vermont, where he first lived in Wardsboro and later in Putney. His life left traces in military records, land transactions, town books, and family memories—enough to outline his story, even when no single record tells it outright.
The timeline above tells much of his story, and far more than is known for many of my other 4th great-grandparents. The real challenge, however, was proving the generations on either side of him. No record states that Benjamin was the son of Peter and Lucy, and no document directly connects him to his daughter, Nancy, my third great-grandmother.
Benjamin Reed’s story marks my return to 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, and in the posts ahead, I will share not only my ancestors’ stories but also the research that has helped connect their lives across generations.
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Diana
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499357/benjamin-read : accessed 04 July 2022), memorial page for Benjamin Read, Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499357, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont; Maintained by Cynthia Kaley (contributor 51056978).
Hampshire, Deeds 1789-1795, Book 3:550, Reed to Coock, images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z8-29DJ?view=fullText : Mar 28, 2025), image 286 of 597; Massachusetts. County Court (Hampshire County).
John Ludovicus Reed, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts from 1635-1902 Vol. I (no publisher named, 1901).
Lewis Cass Aldrich, History of Bennington County, Vt. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers. (D. Mason & co, Syracuse, NY: 1889), 475-476; digital images, HathiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yul.11775368_000_00&view=1up&seq=1&skin=2021 : accessed 25 June 2022).
“U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database and images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/49769:1995 : accessed 25 June 2022), for Benjamin Reed, images 266 to 320; citing "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files" (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
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