Civil War Records of Samuel Dexter Bennett

Service

Pension

Grand Army of the Republic

Gen. George Hartsuff Post 74, Rockland, Mass. (Sargent, Grand Army of the Republic, p. 307).

Death

Additional Information

In 1850, Samuel D. Bennet, age 22, a shoemaker, was living in Weymouth with his parents Samuel E. and Lettice Bennett, and 25 year old sister Delia W. Bennett ("1850 United States Federal Census," Ancestry.com).

Samuel D. Bennett, age 29, a shoemaker, married Martha M. Robbins, age 28, in Acton on August 31, 1858. He was born in Hanover to parents Samuel and Letticia Bennett. Martha was born in Acton to parents Tilly and Joannah Robbins (Acton marriage record, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," AmericanAncestors.org). She was the sister of Joseph N. Robbins and Varnum F. Robbins.

Samuel Dexter Bennett, age 35, a shoemaker, is recorded in the 1865 federal census for Acton, living with his wife Martha Maria Bennett, age 35, a tailoress.  Martha is recorded as "Deaf & Dumb". They are in household of Martha's parents Tilly Robbins and Joanna Hunt Robbins. (Lainhart, 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts State Censuses for Acton: 69).

Samuel D. Bennett and and Martha M. Bennett divorced in April, 1872 (source: pension file).

Dexter Bennet, age 51, a worker in a shoe factory, is recorded in the 1880 federal census as living with his sister, Delia W. Shaw, age 55, in Rockland, Mass. ("1880 United States Federal Census," Ancestry.com).

Samuel Dexter Bennett, a 53 year old bootmaker, married Mary Jane French (Farmer), age 38, in Milford on June 1, 1881. This was a second marriage for both of them (Milford marriage record, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910," AmericanAncestors.org).

Samuel D. Bennet died May 11, 1885 in Rockland, Mass. His death records him as a shoemaker, born in Hanover, to parents Samuel Bennett and Letitia Hill (Rockland death record, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910,"  AmericanAncestors.org).

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Samuel D. Bennett was a member of the Davis Guard Militia Company in 1858 and 1859. In 1860 Samuel Bennett is not recorded as a member of the Guards, but a "Dexter L. Bennett" is (Husbands, History of the Acton Minuteman and Militia Companies: 183, 185, 187.)

On April 18, 1861 the following report appeared in the Lowell Weekly Journal:  "ACTON. This morning an effigy was found hanging on the Davis monument at Acton. It was labelled with the name of one of the members of the Davis Guards, who refused to go with his company, and bore the words “Afraid to go.” On page 8 of the Acton Historical Society's booklet Letters From Acton is a letter from W. H. Gray to Capt. Daniel Tuttle of the Davis Guards, dated April 21, 1861, which states “Mr. Bennett has been hung in effigy for his cowardice and for the manner in which he talked to you.” A subsequent letter to Mr. Tuttle, from John Johnston, dated May 15th 1861, says that “Bennet has Seceded to S. Acton they Say he is Seting [sic] up the Custon [sic] Boot & Shoe business”. A letter written April 26, 1865 from Levi Robbins includes the following: "I have herd from Bennett that he was hung on the monument. Tell Acton I thought that they thought more of the monument than that.  We dont want the stars and stripes disgraced when we come out here to honor them. I am glad they saved the body for we want to have a target shoot with our new guns."

Another letter, dated January 27, 1865, from Lottie C. Faulkner to Aaron Jones Fletcher, reads in part: "Mr. Bennett is at home again on another furlough. This makes the fourth one he has had, and he has not been in service a year yet. I think he must either be one of the fortunate and favored kind, or else they send him home to get rid of him, I don’t know which, but certainly every soldier is not as lucky as that."  In a letter dated July 30, 1865 to Aaron Jones Fletcher, Fletcher's mother says, "Bennet has got home from war he has been to home about a week."

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