John Bennett, 1778-1850, Lanier County

by

John Bennett was born in Duplin, now Sampson County, North Carolina in 1778 to Thomas Bennett, and died at his home in eastern Lowndes County, now Lanier, in Georgia, in 1849. His wife was Sarah (Sallie) Register, born 1785 in Sampson County, NC, daughter of John Register. They were married in North Carolina on 4 Sep 1805 and soon after the birth of their first child they moved to Bulloch County, Georgia, where her parents had already moved. About 1827-28 the family moved to Lowndes County and located on the east side of the Alapaha River (territory cut into Clinch County 1850 and into Lanier County 1920). This area is just above where Stockton, Georgia now is. He lived here until his death.

The children of John and Sallie Bennett were:

  1. Dixon Bennett, born 1806 in Sampson County, North Carolina; married about 1830 Sarah Driggers, daughter of William and Millie (Lastinger) Driggers. He died 6 May 1871, she died in 1874. They were buried at the family burying ground on the home-place on Lot 438, District 12, Ware County, Georgia. Children.
  2. Elizabeth Bennett, born 1807, married Joel Griffis, of Clinch County. Died in 1895 and is reportedly buried with her husband in Wayfare Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Statenville, in unmarked graves.
  3. Felix Bennett, born 1813, married Rebecca Smith, daughter of Isaac and Sytha (Steedly) Smith. Felix, age 51, enlisted in the Confederate States Army on 1 July 1864 at Savannah, Georgia. He was mustered as a Private in Company G or A, 1st (Symon’s) Georgia Reserves. He was admitted to Hospital No.1029 in Savannah, Georgia on 22 December 1864 of fever. He died at hospital on 31 December 1864. He is buried at the Laurel Grove Military Cemetery North in Savannah.
  4. Mary Ann “Polly” Bennett, born 1815, married James Carter, of Echols County, son of Jesse and Mary (Touchstone) Carter. He was born in 1809 and died after 1885 in Titusville, Florida. Mary Ann, listed as “Pollie” in Huxford’s Pioneers of the Wiregrass Georgia, is not listed in the 1880 census, indicating she likely died prior to that time.
  5. Abraham Bennett, born 1823, married Catherine McGill, daughter of Peter and Flora “McKay” McGill. He and his wife are reportedly buried in Wayfare Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Statenville, in unmarked graves.
  6. Dicey Bennett, born 1824, married Barzilla Douglas, son of Eaton Douglas. She is deceased by 1860.
  7. Wiley Bennett, born 10 Nov 1825, married (1) Luraney Harnage, daughter of George and Anna (Shaw) Harnage. She was born 23 Feb 1836 and died 23 apr 1873. He then married 1 Nov 1874 (2) Minervia Harnage, sister of Luraney. He died 7 Dec 1896.
  8. Redding Bennett, born 19 Jan 1829, married Annie Harnage, daughter of George and Anna (Shaw) Harnage. He died 8 Feb 1905. He is buried at Wayfare Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Statenville.

John served in the Indian War as a private along with his sons, Felix, Dixon and Abraham, in Capt. David Johnson’s company of Ware County militia, Nov. 1st till Dec. 31, 1839. They were discharged on the latter date at Fort Gilmer in present Clinch County, which fort was located at the confluence of the Suwannee River and Suwannoochee Creek. He also served under Capt. John J. Johnson’s company in the militia 23 Jul to 18 Oct 1840.

John Bennett died testate in May 1850, leaving a will naming Dixon Bennett and James Carter as executors. They qualified in Lowndes Court of Ordinary, and sold the plantation and timber lands at public sale in January 1852, before the court-house door at Polk, the then county-site of Clinch County (name later changed to “Magnolia”). These lands were lots 466 and 501, 11th district of old Irwin County. Wiley Bennett became the owner of lot 501, and Barzilla Douglas of lot 466. The executors applied for dismission Oct. 4, 1852, having closed out the estate.

Because John died in 1850 he is listed on the Mortality schedules for that year, but he is difficult to find, since Clinch County was newly formed from both Lowndes and Ware Counties. That schedule shows him as aged 87, born in North Carolina, farmer, died in May 1850 of Palsey which he had had for 42 days. You’ll find Clinch County at the end of the Lowndes County two pages.

Clinch County Georgia 1850 Mortality Schedule
Clinch County Georgia 1850 Mortality Schedule

Sallie Bennett’s Indian War application for bounty land was made in Clinch County 10 May 1853, and in it she stated that she and her husband were married in Sampson County, NC, 4 Sep 1805, by Arthur Kirby, J. P., and that her husband died in Clinch County, 2 May 1850. She gave her age as 65 years. She was granted 160 acres of bounty land under the act of 1850. Under the act of 1855, she again applied for bounty land and cited her husband’s service under Capt. John J. Johnson, 6 Apr to 22 Jul 1838, and was granted 80 acres.

Mrs. Bennett lived some years after her husbands death and died about 1868 at the home of her grandson William B. Bennett in Clinch County. She and her husband were buried at Wayfare Church, of which she was a member for over twenty years. In the 1860 census of Clinch County she was living with William B. Bennett, a son of Dixon.

John and Sallie are both buried at Wayfare Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery also known as Cow Creek Cemetery, in Statenville. Their grave was marked by a new double headstone in 1968 and unveiled with appropriate ceremonies at the May, 1968, Reunion of the Register family held at the church. The stone shows John Bennett was born 1 Nov 1775, died 2 May 1850; and his wife Sallie, was born 11 Sep 1785, died 11 Oct 1868.

John Bennett and Sallie Register Bennett gravestone

Conflict Resolution

“Polly” Bennett, born in 1815 the daughter of John and Sarah Bennett has been identified as the wife of James Carter. It is important for researchers to not confuse her with the “Polly” of John Bennett (1795-1831) who resided in the same counties as John and Sarah, at about the same times.

Sources

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.