BENJAMIN ELLENWOOD
BORN: 1 Feb 1668 • Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts
DIED: 28 Mar 1731 • Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts
MARY ELLENWOOD
BORN: 1672 • Salem, Essex, Massachusetts
DIED: 1759 • Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts
MARRIED: by 1688
The defining event of the second generation of Ellenwoods is King Phillip's War, when after a generation of trade, compromise and relative peace, a regional war erupted between the settlers and the native people. At the root of the conflict was a lack of diplomacy and policy in governing disputes that would arise between the two groups.
In late 1674, Metacomet (King Phillip, who adopted an English name in honor of his father's friendly relations with the Plymouth Pilgrims) chief of the Wampanoag, became unhappy with Puritan expansion and began planning attacks against outlying villages. The settlers learned of the plans through one of King Phillip's advisors, who betrayed him and informed the Puritan leaders.
When the advisor was murdered in February 1675, the Puritans received information that he had been killed by three of King Phillip's men in revenge for his betrayal. This led to the arrest of the three men who were tried and convicted of the murder. In June 1675, a group of Wampanoags attacked the village of Swansea in retaliation. This action triggered a declaration of war by the New England Confederation.
Fighting ensued and initially, the settlers were shocked at the brutality of the Native American war tactics, but they quickly adopted the same brutal practices themselves. In December 1675, Confederation forces attacked a large Narragansett fort. Though the Narragansetts had not been directly involved in the fighting, it was believed they were sheltering the Wampanoags. The colonists killed about 300 Narragansetts. The attack led to the survivors joining King Phillip in the war against the colonists. Ralph II and John Ellenwood both enlisted and fought in this battle, also known as The Great Swamp Fight.
The fighting persisted until King Phillip met his death in the summer of 1676. Native losses are estimated at around 3,000, Puritan settlers around 600, with twelve towns destroyed. When the war ended, a deep resentment took hold between the two groups and never recovered. The colonies quickly rebuilt the destroyed towns and villages and the Wampanoags were left virtually landless.
King Phillip's War is said to have been the beginning of a separate identity from England as the colonists financed the war themselves and received no support from England. This sense of identity would continue to grow over the next 100 years, eventually culminating in the Declaration of Independence.
By contrast, in the Chesapeake region, family had a broader meaning: a mixture of parents, step-parents, guardians, natural children and wards, with the home being a neighborhood focal point. This difference may have been because the Chesapeake region had higher rates of early death and infant mortality and therefore were more in need of extended family. At any rate, the Chesapeake folk would eventually settle the Appalachian region and adopt a strong propensity for kinship, clans, and sticking together.
This second generation would have more than 40 children. Infant mortality in Colonial Massachusetts was 10% with one in every ten children died before the age of five. Since the typical mother gave birth to 5-8 children, her chances of dying in childbirth ran as high as one in eight. This resulted in a dread of pregnancy for women.
"Superstition was a hallmark of colonial life in early New England. It was widely believed that if a mother looked upon a "horrible spectre" or was startled by a loud noise her child would be disfigured. If a hare jumped in front of her, her child was in danger of suffering a harelip. There was also fear that if the mother looked at the moon, her child might become a lunatic or sleepwalker. A mother's ungratified longings, it was thought, could cause an abortion or leave a mark imprinted on her child's body. At the same time, however, women were expected to continue to perform work until the onset of labor, since hard work supposedly made for an easier labor. Pregnant women regularly spun thread, wove clothing on looms, performed heavy lifting and carrying, milked cows, and slaughtered and salted down meat."
It's worth noting that this second generation also witnessed the Salem Witch Trials, one of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria. The population of Salem at this time was only 1700 and Beverly was even less. The Beverly Church played a role in the trials with a member of the church being one of the the first to be accused of witchcraft. Hannah Bishop was described as a "woman of marked peculiarities in manners, style of dress, and mode of living, and quite independent of the opinions and fashions of her time". She was the first person to be executed by hanging for witchcraft. None of the Ellenwoods appear in any historical record regarding the accusations or trial.
Children of Ralph and Eleanor "Ellen" Ellenwood:
1. Stephen (1656-1674) died at age 172. Ralph II (1657-1728) is the oldest son to have grown into adulthood. He and his brother John enlisted in King Phillip's War and participated in the expedition against Fort Narragansett in Rhode Island when he was 18 years old.He is likely the "Ralf Ellenwood, a childe of ye Covenant in this church who was publically rebuked & admonished with the consent of his brethern, for stealing meale at the mill."Ralph may have taken after his father in temperament. The date of his first marriage is not known, but in June 1682, his wife Katherine complained of her husbands Ralph's "insufficiency". The court declared the marriage annulled, giving her back what estate she brought to the marriage. The petition stated that she was very young and "would rather die than live with this man".However difficult Ralph may have been, he managed to find two more wives. He married Martha Rowlandson at Marblehead Mass. in August of 1691. She was the daughter of Thomas Rowlandson of Ipswich. (His daughter-in-law, Mary Rowlandson, was kidnapped by the local Native American tribe and held for ransom for 11 weeks and wrote a narrative about her experience.) Ralph II and Martha had seven children together before Martha died, then Ralph married Sarah Woodbury in 1712 and they had eight children together. The Ellenwoods and the Woodburys would marry in to each others families for 2 generations. In 1700 Ralph lived on Ellingwood Point, adjacent to the lands owned by his brother, Benjamin.
3. John (1659-aft. 1706) went with his brother Ralph on the Narragansett expedition in 1675. The following year, he had the forefinger of his right hand shot off while stationed with a company of militia. He was compensated 5 pounds for his loss and an annual amount of 3 pounds per year until his death. He married Elizabeth Rowlandson (sister of Martha) in January 1684. They had five children before Elizabeth died, then he married Sarah Morrell in 1698 and had five more children. Sarah lived to the age of 98.4. Joseph (1662-1694) was born in 1662 and died at the age of 32. There is no record of a marriage or children.5. Mary "Mercy" (1664-1750) was the oldest daughter of Ralph and Ellen. In 1685, she married John Smith and they had nine children. Mary lived to the age of 86.6. Elizabeth(1666-unk) no further records have been found about Elizabeth other than a birth record and a mention in her father's will in 1673.7. David (1670-unk) was only three years old when his father died, leaving him the baby of the family. There is no marriage or death record found for him.8.Benjamin (1668-1731) was the fifth son of Ralph and Ellen is a direct ancestor from this line, born February 1, 1668, baptized May 17, 1668. His wife's name was Mary, no known record exists of her maiden name. Some trees on ancestry.com claim her name was Burke or Bath without citing any credible record.
Church Birth record for Benj. Ellenwood
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| A transcribed record from New England Marriages prior to 1700. Benjamin and John were brothers and John is listed here for both his marriages with a different spelling for his surname. |
From Beverly Church records:
"June 12, 1692, Mary, wife of Benjamin Ellenwood, baptized upon ye profession of her faith and repentance, yet desires to wait a while before she comes toye Lords Supper".Their first three children were denied baptism until she was baptized into the Church of Beverly. She "came to ye Lord's Supper" on Feb 7, 1695 with Benjamin being admitted on January 24, 1700. I don't know why Benjamin was not already a member of the church but membership was a strict process that could take months or years. All 14 of their children were born in Beverly, Massachusetts.
- Eleanor 1688-1759
- Benjamin 1689-unknown
- William 1691 - 1773
- Patience 1693 - unknown
- Mary 1695 - died in infancy
- Priscilla 1696 - 1760
- David 1698 - 1777
- Samuel 1700 - 1734
- Mary 1702 - unknown
- Robert 1704 - 1751 (direct ancestor)
- Andrew 1706 - 1778
- Jonathan 1708 - 1745
- Eunice 1710 - 1733
- Anne 1714 - unknown
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| Headstone of Benjamin Ellinwood |
Benjamin died March 28, 1731 at the age of 63 in Beverly Massachusetts. He is buried in the Ancient Burial Ground on Cabot Street in Beverly, where his is one of the oldest Ellenwood tombstones that still exists.
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| Benjamin Ellinwood Will |
Everyday Life in Early America by David Freeman Hawke 1988
www.digitalhistory.uh.edu
A History of King Phillip's War
Next: Robert and the Third Generation