BENJAMIN BICKNELL, son of John Bicknell and Sarah ___, was born at Weymouth, MA, 8 Jun 1694. He died there, 27 Oct 1772.
He married, first, at Boston, MA, 4 Nov 1717, SUSANNA HUMPHREY, who was born at Weymouth, MA, 6 Apr 1695, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Humphrey. She died at Weymouth, 13 Jan 1767, in her 72nd year.
He married, second, at Weymouth, 9 May 1767, BETHIAH (ADAMS) HUNT, widow of EBENEZER HUNT. She was born at Braintree, MA, 13 Jun 1702, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Bass) Adams. She died shortly before 10 May 1796.
The will of Benjamin Bicknell (Suffolk County, MA, Probate, Vol. 72, pages 221-223):
In the Name of God Amen. I Benjamin Bicknell of Weymouth in the County of Suffolk, in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, Yeoman, being sound in my Understanding, & Memory calling to mind my Mortality, & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make & ordain this my last Will & Testament, Viz.t Principally & first of all, I commit my Soul into the Hands of God my Creator, hoping and trusting, in my Redeemer Jesus Christ, for Pardon and Eternal Life - My Body I commit to the Earth to received a decent, & Christian like Burial, at the discretion of my Executor hereafter named -
And as to my worldly Goods & Estate (after my just Debts & funeral Charges are paid) I give & bequeath in manner & form following, Vizt -
Imprimis - I give and bequeath unto my beloved Wife, all the houshold Goods that she brought to me, with her at Marriage, also the use & Improvement, of so much of my other houshold Furniture, as shall be necessary (together with her own) for her convenient keeping House, so long as she shall continue to live in my House and no longer; I give unto her also, the Improvement of one third part of my Real Estate, so long as she shall continue to live my Widow, and shall be pleased to live in my House, but in case she should remove from my House to live, then my Will is that in lieu of said Improvement, she shall have, Three Pounds lawful Money paid her, yearly by my Executor, so long as she shall continue to live my Widow, & no longer, my Will also is that while she shall live in my House, my Executor hereafter named allow her the use of my Horse & Chaise to ride to Meeting -
Item, I give unto my Grandson William Dyar, the Bed that he usually lodges in, with the beding belonging to it, also my Desk -
Item, I give unto my three Daughters, Susanna Dyar, Betty Pratt, and Hannah Burrell, the sum of Twenty four Pounds Lawful Money, to be equally divided among them, and to be paid, each one their Proportion of the aforesaid Sum, by my Executor, within one year after my decease, and farther my Will is and I do hereby give & bequeath unto my three Daughters aforesaid, to be equally divide among them, all my house Goods & furniture, not before disposed of, Viz.t all that has not heretofore been disposed of, & that my Wife shall not have Occasion to make use of, to be divided among them as aforesaid immediately after my decease, and that part thereof, that my Wife shall use & improve, after her death, or Removal from my House -
Item, I give unto my Son Benjamin Bicknell all my Lands and Buildings, and all the Residue & Remainder of my Estate, both real & personal whatsoever it shall be, or wheresoever it may be found, to him & his Heirs & Assigns forever -
And I do hereby ordain, & appoint my aforesaid Son Benjamin to be the sole Executor of this my last Will & Testament - In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand & Seal. Dated the Nineteenth day of August, in the Ninth year of his Majesty's Reign - Anno Domini 1769
Benjamin Bicknell and a Seal
Signed, sealed published Pronounced & declared by the Testator, to be his last Will & Testament, in the presence of us the Subscribers
James Humphrey, Nathaniel Humphrey, Joseiah Humphrey
The aforewritten Will being presented for Probate by the Executor therein named, James Humphrey, & Josiah Humphrey, made Oath that they saw Benjamin Bicknell Subscriber to this Instrument sign and seal, & heard him publish and declare it, to be his last Will & Testament, and that when he so did, he was of sound disposing Mind and Memory according to these Deponents best discerning, & that they together with Nathaniel Humphrey (now absent) set to their Hands as Witnesses thereof, in the said Testator's Presence
Boston Nov.r 20th 1772
Children of Benjamin and Susanna (Humphrey) Bicknell, born at Weymouth:
1. SUSANNAH BICKNELL, b. 13 Aug 1718; m. intentions at Weymouth, 13 Aug 1738, WILLIAM DYER, who was b. at Weymouth, 29 Sep 1717, son of William and Sarah (Derby) Dyer. Children of William and Susannah (Bicknell) Dyer, born at Weymouth:
a. WILLIAM DYER, b. 23 Nov 1738.
b. SUSANNAH DYER, b. 7 Jan 1741/2.
c. JESSE DYER, b. 4 Sep 1745; d. at Weymouth, 5 Mar 1791, aged 45 years; m. at Weymouth, 21 Mar 1769, LEFE (RELIEF?) DAMON, who was bapt. at the Second Church of Scituate (now Norwell), 4 Nov 1750, daughter of Joseph and Joanna (Damon) Damon. She d. at Weymouth, 6 or 13 Jan 1818, aged 68 years.
d. SARAH DYER, b. 19 Dec 1748.
e. HANNAH DYER, b. 22 Dec 1752.
f. SOLOMON DYER, b. 22 Sep 1757; d. at Weymouth, 24 Feb 1839; m. intentions at Weymouth, 12 Dec 1779, MARY DOWNING, who d. at Weymouth, 13 or 14 May 1847, aged 89 years 6 months.
2. BETTY BICKNELL, b. 16 Jul 1720; m. at Weymouth, 17 Feb 1737, SAMUEL PRATT, who was b. at Weymouth, 19 Dec 1712, son of Ebenezer and Martha (___) Pratt. He m. second, MARY ___. He d. at Weymouth, 28 Dec 1793, aged 80 years. Children of Samuel and Betty (Bicknell) Pratt, born at Weymouth:
a. BETTY PRATT, b. 15 Apr 1738; d. at Weymouth, 24 Oct 1831, in her 94th year; m. at Weymouth, 21 Dec 1758, JAMES HUMPHREY 3rd, who was b. at Weymouth, 12 Apr 1737, son of Major James and Ann (Torrey) Humphrey. He d. at Weymouth, 20 Aug 1811, aged 74 years.
b. ASA PRATT, b. 8 Jul 1742.
c. DAVID PRATT, b. 12 Feb 1745; removed to Freeport, ME.
d. JONATHAN PRATT, b. 12 Feb 1745; d. at Weymouth, 6 Jul 1832; m. at Weymouth, 1 Mar 1766, SARAH DYER. She d. at Weymouth, 25 Dec 1833.
e. PETER PRATT, bapt. 14 Oct 1750; d. at Weymouth, 5 Dec 1833, aged 83 years; m. at Weymouth, 20 Apr 1773, AMY PORTER, daughter of Thomas and Mercy (Bates) Porter. She d. at Weymouth, a widow, 12 Sep 1838, aged 83 years.
f. CHLOE PRATT, bapt. at the North Church, 7 Jul 1754; d. at Weymouth, 29 May 1838; m. at Weymouth, 21 Dec 1775, MATTHEW PRATT junior, who was b. at Weymouth, 9 May 1752, son of Matthew and Mary (Lovell) Pratt. He d. at Weymouth, 15 or 16 Oct 1835.
g. BENJAMIN PRATT, b. 20 May 1757; d. at Weymouth, 19 or 20 Sep 1818, aged 61 years; m. at Weymouth, 2 Mar 1783, BETSEY DYER, who was b. at Weymouth, 6 Aug 1757, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Bates) Dyer.
h. SYLVANUS PRATT, b. 8 Jun 1758; d. at Weymouth, 25 or 27 Nov 1836, aged 78 years; m. at Weymouth, 27 Mar 1783, HANNAH BATES, who was b. at Weymouth, 16 Aug 1765, daughter of Urban and Hannah (Holbrook) Bates. She d. at Weymouth, 5 Sep 1844, aged 79 years.
i. THOMAS PRATT, b. near 1760; resided in Braintree, MA.
+3. HANNAH BICKNELL, b. 25 Nov 1723; d. at Weymouth, 15 Jun 1806, age 83; m. at Weymouth, 17 Jan 1745, JOSEPH BURRELL.
4. BENJAMIN BICKNELL, b. 24 Jun 1727; d. at Weymouth, 14 Mar 1806, age 79; m. at Weymouth, 29 Jan 1746/7, MARY KINGMAN, who was b. at Weymouth, 17 Apr 1727, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Green) Kingman; she d. at Weymouth, 27 Jul 1766. He m. second, intentions at Weymouth, 12 Dec 1766, HANNAH GARDNER, daughter of Peter and Patience (Tower) Gardner of Hingham, MA. He m. third, intentions at Weymouth, 11 Feb 1769, TEMPERANCE (BARBER) WHITMARSH, widow of PETER WHITMARSH junior. She was b. at Weymouth, 23 Feb 1742/3, daughter of Solomon and Temperance Barber. She died, a widow, at Weymouth, 2 Dec 1808, aged 66 years.
Children of Benjamin and Mary (Kingman) Bicknell, born at Weymouth:
a. BENJAMIN BICKNELL, b. 7 Jan 1747/8; d. 15 Aug 1751.
b. MARY BICKNELL, b. 2 Dec 1752; d. at Weymouth, 9 Mar 1825; m. at Weymouth, 16 Apr 1772, JOSIAH HUMPHREY, who was b. at Weymouth, 19 Jun 1748, son of Major James and Ann (Torrey) Humphrey. He d. at Weymouth, 7 May 1835. He was the town treasurer from 1786 to 1816.
c. SUSANNAH BICKNELL, b. 14 Jul 1756; d. at Weymouth, 26 Sep 1790; m. at Weymouth, 1 Dec 1779, ROBERT BATES, who was b. at Weymouth, 27 Jan 1759, son of Thomas and Naomi (Vining) Bates. He d. at Weymouth, 29 Jan 1838.
d. SARAH BICKNELL, b. 10 Mar 1760; m. ___ BATES.
Children of Benjamin and Temperance (Barber) Bicknell, born at Weymouth:
e. BENJAMIN BICKNELL, b. 22 Aug 1770; d. young.
f. PETER BICKNELL, b. 10 Sep 1774.
g. HANNAH BICKNELL, b. 13 Oct 1776; d. at Weymouth, 23 Jan 1826; m. at Weymouth, 26 Mar 1801, URBAN BATES junior, who was b. at Weymouth, 7 Apr 1775, son of Urban and Hannah (Holbrook) Bates. He d. at Weymouth, 31 Mar 1819.
h. THOMAS BICKNELL, b. 28 Dec 1780; d. at Weymouth, 9 Apr 1837; m. at Weymouth, 30 Aug 1802, SUSANNAH DYER, who was b. at Weymouth, 3 Mar 1783, daughter of Solomon and Mary (Downing) Dyer. She d. 14 Nov 1865, aged 82 years.
i. BENJAMIN BICKNELL, b. 13 May 1786; m. at Weymouth, 6 Dec 1807, SUSAN HOWARD, who d. at Weymouth, 27 Sep 1809, age 21. He removed to Plainfield in 1811.