Allen line: Benjamin Hoyt 1644-1735

Benjamin was a first generation American.  His parents, Simon and Susanna Smith Hoyt, had come to New England in 1628.  Depending on whom you believe, he had either six or fifteen siblings.  The "extra" eight are from a proposed first marriage, but I'm not sure this was the same Simon Hoyt.  So, he may have married Jane Stoodley first, but Simon did marry Susanna Smith,  on April 2, 1635  in Stamford, Connecticut, and they are the parents of Benjamin. 

Benjamin was born February 2, 1644 but the location is uncertain.  His parents may have been in the process of moving from Windsor to Stamford, and for whatever reason, records of his birth have been lost.  As is frequently the case, the next mention I can find of Benjamin is his marriage, on January 5, 1670, at Stamford to Hannah Weed, daughter of Jonas and Mary (last name unknown) Weed. They stayed in Stamford their entire married life. Benjamin and Hannah had six children together.

I have found little else about Benjamin's life.  Presumably he kept a low profile, but he was also a man of some wealth.  In a 1699 listing of estates for tax purposes his estate had an assessed value of 112 pounds, one of the highest half dozen or so in the town.   In 1700 he was one of two men chosen "collector", to gather Mr. Davenport's rate.  I believe this refers to a salary for the town pastor.  He was granted additional land in 1700 but the lands were assigned by lot and Benjamin's name was one of the last on the list.  His land, wherever it was, may not have been desirable.

I haven't been able to locate information about whether Benjamin was involved in King Phiilip's War in 1675-76.  He was of the proper age to be needed for service, but perhaps was far enough away from the conflict that he didn't participate.  I also don't know his occupation.  Since he was one of the wealthier men in town, it's possible that he was a merchant or had ties to the maritime business in one way or another.  I'd love to find information to verify or disprove this speculation.  Based on his being appointed for Mr. Davenport's rate, he must have been a church goer.

I''ve not found his will or inventory, which would tell us a lot about the life he lived.  Was he literate, for instance?  Did he have inventory reflecting life as a merchant?  Or was it just household goods and farm equipment?  I'd love to know the details!  Benjamin died January 28, 1736, at the age of 9.  Hannah died in 1711.  I didn't find any mention of a second wife for Benjamin, so he may have remained a widower for about 24 years. 

This is not much of a story for a man who lived 91 years on the edge of the ocean, during the earliest years of the colony.  He saw a lot and did a lot that we may never know about.  Respect to Benjamin Hoyt. 

The line of descent is

Benjamin Hoyt-Hannah Weed
Hannah Hoyt-Daniel Scofield
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell=Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Fun Fact:  Benjamin Hoyt is my seventh great grandfather.  He is aslo the seventh great grandfather of Nancy Davis Reagan, making us eighth cousins.  And to think I was never invited to the White House!