Benjamin Dexter (1671-1734) of Barnstable & Rochester (now Mattapoisett), Mass., and His Wife Sarah Arnold

Benjamin Dexter was born in February 1670[/71] at West Barnstable on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the son of William and Sarah (Vincent) Dexter. [Barnstable Vital Records 1:23] Benjamin is my 8th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family. 

Benjamin moved off Cape to Rochester in Plymouth County with his father William and some of his siblings. It was the part of Rochester that spun off into Mattapoisett in 1857. Benjamin’s grandfather Thomas Dexter built mills in Sandwich and Barnstable and his father ran the Barnstable mill. Later his father William Dexter built a grist mill and saw mill in Rochester, setting his sons up to run them. Benjamin’s brother Philip removed to Falmouth, brother Stephen remained in Barnstable, and Benjamin and the rest of his siblings stayed in Rochester.

On 17 July 1695 Benjamin married Sarah Arnold at Rochester, Plymouth County. Massachusetts. Sarah Arnold was born 11 June 1674 at Marshfield in Plymouth County. She was the daughter of Rev. Samuel Arnold and his wife Sarah Holmes. Her father was a minister at Rochester and a grantee of the town. Her grandfather Rev. Samuel Arnold was a minister at Marshfield. 

Sarah and Benjamin had 11 children all born Rochester [Warden/births of all except Daniel in Rochester Vital Records, vol 1, p 107-116]:

1. Noah born 26 March 1697, married Epiphany Clark, died 1745
2. James b 22 July 1698, married Lois Sherman, died 11 Dec 1775
3. Benjamin born 4 March 1700[?/01]; married 8 June 1721 Hannah Barrow
4. Sarah born 1 July 1702
5. Josiah born 12 Nov 1704, married 13 Nov 1740 Abigail Dexter
6. Constant born 27 Nov 1706, married Meribah Dillenoy/Delano
7. Samuel born 14 Dec 1708, married 18 May 1732 Mary Clark
8. Ephraim born 27 May 1711, married Martha Clark 31 July 1735; died Rochester 5 November 1774
9. Daniel born 29 July 1713
10. 10.Joanna b 12 Dec 1715, married Zaccheus Burgess
11. 11.Seth born 3 Oct 1718, married Elizabeth (—?—), died 6 April 1793

I descend from Ephraim. I have not done much research on the other ten children.

Benjamin was a miller and farmer. He served in the local militia—he is sometimes called Sergeant in records. He was literate as he signed his will and his inventory contained books.  

Dexter Mill in Rochester source: History of Mattapoisett & Old Rochester

One of the town’s “paramount political leaders,” Benjamin served as selectman for 16 years, beginning at age 27. It was during this time that Rochester showed religious tolerance towards the Quakers in town. [Hagglund]

He sold land in 1693 to Moses Barlow, in 1699 to John Hammond, in 1723 to Edward Winslow, in 1715 to John Corning. [Warden] Benjamin received substantial land after his father’s 1694 death “provided he give Sufficient Security for ye maintenance of his Sd mother during ye terme of her natural Life or Security to her Satisfaction for her Comfortable maintenance…Liberty to use and Improve ye now dwelling house which was her husbands, during her Life…and further ye Sd Benjamin Dexter shall have a pair of Loomes and all manner of husbandry Tooles of what Sort So Ever which belonged to our sd Father.” [MD 23:64] His wife Sarah also inherited land from her father Samuel Arnold. 

When Rev. Arnold died in 1709, the Mattapoisett Church had just 35 members, including Thomas Dexter, Benjamin Dexter, and Sarah Dexter. When Timothy Ruggles became minister in 1710, the town agreed to build him a house and named seven men to a building committee, including Sergeant Benjamin Dexter. [Mattapoisett…History]

As the town grew, many more mills were built. In 1786 on the Mattapoisett and Sipican Rivers there were 10 grist mills, 13 sawmills, 2 forges, and 1 fulling mill. On other less streams there were 1 foundry, 3 gristmills, 1 sawmill. Fulling mills were used to dress the cloth woven in the homes from wool and flax. One stood for a time at the Dexter Dam at Rochester Center. [Mattapoisett…History]

Benjamin Dexter of Rochester wrote his will on 15 August 1732. It was proven 11 November 1734. [Probate Records 1732-1738, vol 7, State Archives, Boston; digitized at Family Search]. He left the following bequests:

• Son Noah the homestead he now lives in containing above 40 acres which is bounded Benjamin’s land and the ocean.
• Son James all the land that descended from his grandfather Samuel Arnold of Rochester and his uncle John Arnold, which first came to Benjamin and Sarah, excepting 40 acres. This bequest includes instruction on what to do if this is contested.
• Sons Benjamin and Josiah equally divide land bought of John Mumford containing their homesteads, salt-meadow called Freemans Rights and two lots of  salt meadow at the Pine Islands.
• Son Samuel three-score acres of his lands granted to be laid out adjoining Benjamin’s homestead, two lots of salt meadow at Pine Island, and one-third of the mills. He was to divide equally any surplussage of the estate with his brothers Ephraim and Daniel. 
• Son Ephraim 60 acres of granted lands which are not taken up on westerly side of Samuel’s grants adjoining my homestead, two lots at Pine Island, and one-third part of the mills and appurtenances. He was to divide equally any surplussage of the estate with his brothers Samuel and Daniel. 
• Son Daniel 20 acres of granted lands, 40 acres of land that was his grandfather Arnold’s, two lots at Pine Island, one-third part of the mills. He was to divide equally any surplussage of the estate with his brothers Ephraim and Samuel. 
• Son Constant 20 acres of the 80 acre grant. 
• Daughter Sarah £80 pounds of his movable estate above what he had already given her. 
• Daughter Joanna £100 out of movable estate. 

Samuel, Ephraim and Seth were appointed joint executors. Benjamin signed his will which was witnessed by John Hammond, Samuel Winslow, Rowland Hammond, George Danford [his mark], and Timothy Ruggles. 

Sarah (Arnold) Dexter died before 15 August 1732 when she is mentioned as deceased in her husband’s will. 

Benjamin Dexter died at Rochester between 15 August 1732 (the date of his will) and 29 October 1734 (inventory taken), likely close to the second date. He was age 62. 

The 29 October 1734 inventory of Benjamin Dexter of Rochester was valued at £1047. It was taken by Mark Haskell, Allen Marshall and Ebenezer Barlow. It included a large amount of livestock (cows, steer, oxen, sheep, horses, swine), farm tools, Indian corn, looms, spinning wheel, cash, books, old mill irons, fishing line, money scales, two hives of bees, and various household items. It listed an old saw mill valued at £20 but the rest of the real estate isn’t itemized—the property each child was to receive was assigned a value. 

Sources:

William A. Warden, Genealogy of the Dexter Family in America: Descendants of Thomas Dexter Together with the Record of Other Allied Families, 1905

JH Beers & Co, Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts, 1912

George Bowman, The Mayflower Descendant, Abstracts of Barnstable County Probate Records, 23:64 (Jan 1921)

Prepared by Committee, Mattapoisett and Old Rochester Massachusetts Being a History of These Towns and Also Part of Marion and a Portion of Wareham, 1907

Carol Hagglund, Disowned Without Just Cause: Quakers in Rochester, Massachusetts, During the Eighteenth Century, A Doctoral Dissertation/University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1980