Benjamin Fowler was born on March 16, 1737, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland. Benjamin married (1) Hammutal Stinchcomb about 1759 in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland, and (2) Susannah Jacob about 1766 in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland. Benjamin Fowler died before August 10, 1774, in Anne Arundel County, British Colonial Maryland.
Benjamin Fowler was born on March 16, 1737, in Anne Arundel County, the third of 6 known children of Benjamin Fowler and Hellen Brigdell. The Fowler family lived in the Broadneck of Anne Arundel county. In addition to his siblings John, Jubb, Hellen, Samuel and Elizabeth Fowler, Benjamin had 2 older half siblings from his mother's first marriage, Margaret and Thomas Mortimer.
Benjamin's parents were the proprietors of an Inn and operated the ferry which ran between Ferry Point and Annapolis. Benjamin's mother inherited land from her grandmother near Ferry Point. By the time Benjamin was an adult, his parents had sold all of the land.
Around 1759 Benjamin married Hammutal Stinchcomb, daughter of Nathaniel Stinchcomb and Anne Hawkins, and widow of Richard Boone. Hammutal's father died when she was young and her mother married a third time, Phillip Pettibone. Hammutal grew up in Phillip's household with her two brothers, Nathaniel and Thomas Stinchcomb, and 2 half-siblings, Mary Burle and Charles Pettibone. Hammutal married Richard Boone, a sea Captain, in 1752 and they had 1 daughter, Ann Boone. In December of 1757, Richard Boone and Phillip Pettibone became bound to William Worthington in the amount of 400 pounds. Shortly afterward, Richard sailed to Bermuda and was never heard from again and presumed dead.
When Benjamin and Hammutal married, they may or may not have known of the bond between Hammutal's first husband Richard and William Worthington. Phillip Pettibone took William to court to try to have the bond declared void and lost the case. He was ordered to pay the amount of the bond plus interest. As an heir of the estate of Richard Boone, Hammutal and her husband were responsible for half of the bond, 200 pounds plus interest.
In May of 1760, Benjamin and Hammutal relinquished the administration of Richard Boone's estate and released it to Phillip Pettibone. As Richard's widow, Hammutal was entitled to a widow's dower, ⅓ of Richard's estate. Hammutal's daughter Ann was heir-at-law to the rest of her father's estate.
In 1758, Richard Boone's father devised part of his estate to Richard when he wrote his will. After the death of Richard's father and the estate was settled in 1762, Richard's portion of his father's estate should have descended to Richard's direct heir, his daughter Anne Boone. However, Richard's portion was distributed to his brothers and to the heirs of his deceased brothers. Since Richard's share was redistributed to other heirs, Ann Boone was deceased by this date.
Richard Boone did not own any real estate and his personal estate was worth less than the amount that Hammutal and Benjamin owed to William Worthington. As administrator of the estate, Phillip Pettibone sold two of Richard Boone's slaves, their value in the inventory was 90 pounds. Phillip paid 230 pounds 15 shillings to William Worthington from his own account sometime between 1760 and August of 1764, the date Phillip made the final account of the estate of Richard Boone.
In May of 1764, Benjamin Fowler mortgaged to Phillip Pettibone the personal estate that Hammutal had received from Richard Boone as part of her dower. Likely Hammutal was deceased by this date. Phillip, who had raised Hammutal, may have been willing to subsidize Benjamin and Hammutal while she was alive, but if she was not, Phillip would want to recover the money he had personally paid to William Worthington on Benjamin and Hammutal's behalf.
Benjamin and Hammutal had no known children.
In May 1765 Benjamin purchased a 25 acre part of “Day's Discovery” for 10 pounds and in 1767 he purchased a 46 acre tract called “Ben's Delight” for 32 pounds. Both tracts lay between Elk Ridge and the Patuxent River. In 1769, Benjamin purchased an additional 10 acre part of “Day's Discovery” for 10 pounds. Benjamin sold both tracts in 1771 for 120 pounds.
Around 1766 Benjamin married a second time, Susannah Jacob, daughter of Richard Jacob and Hannah Howard, and widow of Nicholas Boone. Susannah had a 6 year old son, Richard Boone. Benjamin and Susannah had the following known children:
- Rebecca Fowler
- Samuel Fowler
Susannah was the executrix of her husband Richard Boone's estate. After their marriage, both Benjamin and Susannah administered the estate. When the final account was made, Susannah received her ⅓ dower, an amount of about 144 pounds.
In 1769 Phillip Pettibone died, followed by the death of Phillip's wife. Their son Charles administered Phillip's estate. On May 8, 1769, Benjamin paid Charles Pettybone 79 pounds 11 shillings and the mortgage that Phillip held was released by Charles to Benjamin.
In April of 1772 Benjamin patented “Lundy Isle”, a ½ acre tract of land on Lundy Isle in the mouth of Stoney Creek off of the Patapsco River.
In May of 1773 Benjamin purchased the rights to a tract that had been surveyed for Samuel Gaither called “Neighbors Neglect”. Benjamin patented the tract, 40 acres, on the Magothy River side of Broadneck next to “Rattle Snake Neck”.
In November of 1773 Benjamin had surveyed a tract called “Fowler's Refuge”, 146 ½ acres which was on the south side of “Rattle Snake Neck” and adjoined “Jacob's Fortune'”. Benjamin died before he could patent the tract.
Sometime between November 2, 1773 and August 10, 1774, 37 year old Benjamin Fowler died intestate. Benjamin's children Rebecca and Samuel were ages 7 and 5.
When Benjamin's estate was inventoried on August 10, 1774, the value of his personal estate was 592 pounds 16 shillings 2 pence and included slaves and livestock from Hammutal's dower. The nearest kin, the family next in line to receive the estate if the direct heirs died, who approved the inventory were Benjamin's older brothers, John and Jubb Fowler. Benjamin's wife Susannah administered the estate.
At the time of his death, Benjamin owned the following land tracts:
“Neighbors Neglect”
“Lundy Isle”
Susannah Fowler made the final account of Benjamin's estate on February 15, 1776. Richard Boone, Susannah's son by Nicholas, received his father's estate which Benjamin and Susannah held in trust for him. The estate was distributed to Susannah, her widow's third, and Benjamin's only two heirs, his children Rebecca and Samuel Fowler.
Samuel's half brother Richard Boone became his guardian. When Samuel Fowler became of age in 1791, he sold to Richard Boone “Neighbors Neglect” “my deceased father's estate”.
Genealogical Research and Life Sketch Updated: June 2022
Sources:
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Benjamin Fouler, 1737.
Maryland State Archives. Provincial Court. Judgments. Liber BT 5 Folio 699.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Wills. Liber 31 Folio 95.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Inventories. Liber 79 Folio 46.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Accounts. Liber 51 Folio 202.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Wills. Liber 30 Folio 767.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Accounts. Liber 47 Folio 203.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Balances of Final Distributions. Liber 3 Folio 88 ½.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber BB 3 Folio 184, 367 & 792.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Wills. Liber 33 Folio 43.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Accounts. Liber 54 Folio 301.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber JB1 Folio 353 & 389.
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Benjamin Fowler in entry for Rebecah Fowler, 1767.
"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch, Benjamin Fowler in entry for Samuel Fowler, 1769.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber IB 2 Folio 327.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Patented Cert. #930 & #1060.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Unpatented Cert. #187.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Inventories. Liber 119 Folio 142.
Maryland State Archives. Probate Records. Accounts. Liber 73 Folios 54, 148 & 341.
Maryland State Archives. Maryland Land Records. Anne Arundel. Liber NH 5 Folio 487.
