- Name: Benjamin McDonald
- Birth: Abt 1761 - 1765 in: Likely New Jersey or Pennsylvania
- Death: 1839 - 1843 in: Sunbury County, New Brunswick, Canada
- Father:
- Mother:
Notes: Was aged 22 years old when arriving in Canada in 1783 (Loyalist). He'd served in the 5th NJV, under Col. Stephen Delancey.
Benjamin's land petitions. In his 1801 petition, he stated "having served as a soldier in the New Jersey Volunteers...." and in his 1802 petition he stated that he "Served his majesty in the 5th Battalion of Jersey volunteers....there is no w my self my family my wife and eleven children five of which are boys three nearly grown up...."
Document: 1838-PETITION-166 "and Served under Stephen Delancey for the space of three years and six months and was slightly wounded at the Battle of Elizabeth town. That your Petitioner came to this Country with the Loyalists in 1783 where he ha s since resided."
According to both 5th New Jersey Volunteers and Delancey's group, given the nature of Benjamin's involvement in both units, it would be safe to assume (though not a SURE thing) that he was from either New Jersey or Pennsylvania.
- Married: 17-MAR-1791 in: Gagetown Parish, Queens County, New Brunswick, Canada
- Name: Permilla Chase
- Birth: Abt 1766 in: Freetown, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA
- Death: 1842 in: New Brunswick, Canada
- Father: George Bedford Chase
- Mother: Marey Strange
Notes: Not sure if same, but, there IS a Permilla Chase, of Freetown, MA, born to George Bedford Chase and Mary Strange, with the listing on LDS site of "About 1761". No listing of marriage at all (neither to Smith or McDonald), so just a "ballpark matc h" with, of course, another plus - Freetown, MA! Interestingly enough, "Permilla" is not an uncommon name within the Chase family of Freetown. There was another, b. 1803, who married Henry Briggs. On AWT, listing for Permilla (b. @1758!!!) dau ghter of George Bedford Chase and "Marey" Strange, with listings of her marriages to Ebenezer and Benjamin. She keeps getting older with every record!
Suzanne Congdon posts as follows on AWT:
ID: I3923
Name: Permilla Chase
Sex: F
Birth: ABT 1758
Death: WFT Est. 1787-1852
Father: George Bedford Chase b: ABT 1719 in MA
Mother: Marey Strange b: 14 NOV 1725 in Freetown, Bristol Co., MA
Marriage 1 Benjamin McDonald b: WFT Est. 1741-1761
Married: WFT Est. 1772-1805
Marriage 2 Ebenezer Smith b: WFT Est. 1734-1762
Married: 20 NOV 1781 in Freetown, Bristol Co., MA
Children
Howard Smith b: 20 OCT 1784 in Freetown, Bristol Co., MA
Permilla was widow "Permilla Chase Smith" when she married Benjamin.
Notes from Rebecca Welch:
In Benjamin McDonald's 1802 New Brunswick land petition he states "my self my family my wife and eleven children five of which are boys three nearly grown up...."
By 1802, Permilla and Benjamin had been married for 11 years. Howard Smith was now 18.
1809 NB land petition "two sons in law Joseph McDonald and Stephen Sands"
In 1809 two daughters are old enough to be married. Permilla and Benjamin have now been married 18 years, but....
1810 NB land petition "his son is in his eighteenth year and Benjamin is in his sixteenth year and that his sons in law above named are men with families..."
Based on the 1810 information, George Chase McDonald is 18, Benjamin is 16 and the two married daughters have children.
In an 1828 petition, the sons George Chase and James are named.
When I piece together the information from the land petitions, I come up with the following on Permilla and Benjamin's children:
1. Howard Smith, born 1784; Howard was 7 when Permilla married Benjamin; I'm guessing Howard was one of the five boys mentioned in the 1802 petition. Howard was 18 then. Howard's birth is recorded in the book, Vital Records of Freetown, Massachuse tts compiled by Helen Gurney Thomas.
2. Son nearly grown up in 1802 petition
3. Daughter married to Joseph McDonald by 1809; has a family by 1810.
4. Daughter Elizabeth, married to Stephen Sands by 1809; has a family by 1810. In an October 1814 Gagetown baptismal record (No. 550), Elizabeth and Stephen Sands of Sheffield are listed as having Sarah Hume baptized.
5. George Chase McDonald was born in 1792 based on the statement in 1810 that he was in his eighteenth year. I think he must have been the first birth child of Permilla and Benjamin. George married Catherine Smith on 4 April 1816.
6. Benjamin Jr. was born in 1794 based on the statement in 1810 that he was in his sixteenth year. I think he was the second child born to Permilla and Benjamin.
7. James C. McDonald is mentioned in the 1828 petition as being a married man. He married Jane Hanselpecker on 16 March 1826.
8. I've been told that Anne McDonald who married Thomas Ham on 20 August 1812 was a child of Permilla and Benjamin. She might have been born about 1796. That would make her 16 when she married.
9. I've been told that Mary C. McDonald who married William Hunter on 30 March 1815 was a child of Permilla and Benjamin. If she was born about 1798, then she was about 17 when she married. Permilla's mother was named Mary Strange Chase.
10. I've been told that Cornelia McDonald who married Charles DeLong on 18 March 1817 was a daughter of Permilla and Benjamin. I'm guessing she was born about 1800. I also wonder if her name was really Permelia. The handwriting in some document s is hard to read. One of the pension documents for 'Permelia' looked like 'Cornelia' to me....
11. There is a Lydia McDonald listed in the Sunbury Marriage records who married William Terrio on 6 November 1817. I suspect she was the eleventh child of Permilla and Benjamin.
In 1802, Permilla would have been about 36 years old.
Other Spouses
Children
