Genealogy Data Page 378 (Notes Pages)

For privacy reasons, Date of Birth and Date of Marriage for persons believed to still be living are not shown.

Benajah Wolcott [Male] b. 17 APR 1762 New Haven, CT - d. 11 AUG 1832 His grave is on the Marblehead Peninsula some distance north of old stone house where he used to live. It has a stone o

Source
Title: dkelly.ged

Event: EDUC

Source
Title: dkelly.ged

Religion

Source
Title: dkelly.ged

Change: 20 AUG 2008

[dkelly.ged]

Danbury Twp.,Ottawa, OH
Also, a daughter, Selina, apparently from a previous marriage. Servedwith the Connecticut Vol unteers during American Revolution as a member ofthe Forty-first Connecticut Regiment. Firs t Lighthouse Keeper of theMarblehead Lighthouse Keeper Benajah Wolcott 10 years ~ 1822-1832 w rittenby Rosemary Merckens for the "Marblehead Light" - newsletter ofMarblehead Lighthouse Hi storical Society. Commissioned to serve as thefirst keeper of the Sandusky Bay Light (later r enamed Marblehead Light),Benajah Wolcott was well known in this Marblehead Peninsula communit y. Hehad first come from Connecticut with a survey crew. He returned in 1809with his wife, El izabeth Bradley, daughters, Phoebe and Salima and son,William, along with two hired men. Hi s responsibility was to see todevelopment of the property owned by Epaphroditus W. Bull. Th e settlementdrew several families when hostilities of the War of 1812 erupted and thesettler s fled to the Cleveland area where Mrs. Wolcott and Mr. Bull died.When the settlers returne d in 1817, they found only the Wolcott log housestill standing. It was believed the Indians h ad spared it from the torchbecause Mrs. Wolcott had befriended hungry Indians when they cam e to herdoor. Benajah was a very sociable fellow, much in demand whenever anoccasion called f or music, for he was a fiddler. He was called to play atCleveland when that community celebra ted their first 4th of July. When itwas learned a lighthouse was to be built at Rocky Point , Benajah washighly recommended and received the commission, which paid an annualstipend of $ 350. With his future secure he proposed marriage to RachelMiller, a schoolteacher. He contrac ted with Wm. Kelly, builder of thelighthouse, to construct a stone home for his bride. This h ome waserected two miles southwest of the lighthouse and was purchased in 1989by the Ottawa C ounty Historical Society. It has been restored and is sitefor historic reenactments. It is sa id to be the oldest house in OttawaCounty. Little is known of the duties of Benajah at the li ght. He wasresponsible for keeping the 13-lamp Argand lens lit with whale oil duringnavigatio n, and to maintain the property. He also organized rescueefforts. Benajah and son, William, d ied of cholera in 1832, contractedfrom the bodies that had washed up on the shore. He serve d a scant 10years. He was 68 years old. His widow, Rachel Wolcott was appointed. Shewas the f irst woman lighthouse keeper on the GreatLakes.---------------------