Benjamin Mendenhall was born in 1662 in Ramsbury, Wiltshire, the son of Thomas Mildenhall and Joan Stroud of Marridge Hill.1 Thomas and Joan became Quakers in the late 1650s and four of their children, including Benjamin, immigrated to Pennsylvania and changed the spelling of the family name to Mendenhall. Benjamin probably came in late 1682, since his brother John was called to serve on a jury in Chester County Court in April 1683. They had both received a legacy from their father Thomas, who died in 1682 while they were still in England. Thomas left two tracts of land around Marridge Hill to John, who was supposed to pay £40 to Benjamin as his portion, suggesting that the tracts were valued at around £80. By selling that land and buying land in Chester County, both Benjamin and John ended up with extensive land holdings. “It is no surprise that the most valuable landholdings [in Concord] were in the hands of three families, the Newlins, Pyles, and Mendenhalls…While the Newlin and Mendenhall families had acquired some wealth in England and Ireland, thus arriving in Pennsylvania with capital to invest, the other families [Hannum, Palmer, Pierce, Marshall…] rose to prominence from more humble beginnings.”2

Benjamin eventually owned over 1500 acres and on the tax records was usually the second-wealthiest man in Concord township after his brother-in-law Nathaniel Newlin.3 He had trained as a wheelwright, and this skill probably contributed to his success. In 1711 he bought a one-seventh share of a corn mill from Nicholas and Abigail Pyle.4

Benjamin was active in Concord Meeting, where he became an elder, and served as delegate to Quarterly and Yearly meetings. He served one term in the Provincial Assembly but was not active there.5

In 2^nd month 1689 he married Ann Pennell, daughter of Robert and Hannah Pennell of Middletown township.6 In 1713 he and Ann built a house on their 250-acre home tract in Concord. The house was extensively rebuilt in the 1800s but still contains a date stone in the gable. Years later their daughter Ann Bartram told the story that when her parents were having their house built, she used to carry dinner to the workmen so they wouldn’t lose time going for it.7

As their children grew to the age of marriage, Benjamin and Ann needed to provide for them. One record of this arrangement has been preserved, a letter from them to Owen and Mary Roberts, parents of Lydia Robert.

“Our son Benjamin has made us acquainted that he has a kindness for your daughter Lydia and desired our consent thereon, and we … having given our consent that he may proceed orderly, that is to have your consent and proceed without it…as touching his place that we have given him for to settle on, we shall say but little at present, Ellis Lewis knows as well or our minds and can give as full account of it as we can…”8

Benjamin wrote his will in 1736, and died probably in early 1740.9 In his will he left one-third of his estate to his wife Ann, along with comfortable furniture for one room. He named his five living children, leaving cash to his sons Benjamin and Joseph, his farming implements to his son Robert, cash to daughters Hannah Marshall and Ann Bartram. He gave bequests to his grandchildren, with an additional sum for his grandson Caleb, son of Moses deceased.

The inventory of his estate yielded the impressive value of £760. Thomas Chalkley, the Quaker traveling minister, attended Benjamin’s funeral and wrote that “This Friend was a worthy elder and a serviceable man in our Society, and one of the early settlers in Pennsylvania; a man given to hospitality, and a good example to his family.”10  Ann also wrote a will, proved in 1749.11 She left cash legacies to her children Robert, Hannah, Ann, as well as the surviving spouses of Benjamin, Samuel and Joseph, plus many of her grandchildren.

Children:12

Ann, b. 3^rd month 1690, died in infancy

Benjamin, b. 3^rd month 1691, d. 1743 in North Carolina while on a religious visit there, married Lydia Roberts in 1717 at Gwynedd Meeting. There is a charming letter from Benjamin Jr to Lydia expressing his “kind and true respects of Love”, written in 6^th month 1716.13 They lived in a stone house in Concord. Children: Joshua, Samuel, Martha, Hannah, Lydia, Mary.14 After Benjamin died, while on a religious visit to North Carolina, Lydia married William Hannum. Benjamin Mendenhall was named on a list of “Eminent Friends”, along with his brother Moses.15

Joseph, b. 3^rd month 1692, d. 7^th or 8^th month 1748, married in 1718 Ruth Gilpin at Concord meeting.16 They settled in Kennet township, Chester County on a large tract of land purchased by his father in 1703.  Joseph donated land for Kennett Meeting House. His will was probated in Chester Co, PA 18 Oct 1748.17 It provided for Ruth, left land to the five sons and cash to the daughters. Children: Isaac, Joseph, Benjamin, Hannah, Ann, Stephen, Jesse. The inventory of the estate came to the large total of £915.

Moses, b. 2^nd month 1694, d. 1731 in Concord, married 1719 Alice Bowater Pyle at Concord Meeting. She was the daughter of John and Francis Bowater, and the widow of Jacob Pyle. They settled in Kennet, where Moses was an active member of the meeting and a recommended minister. He also served as clerk of the meeting. He wrote his will in November 1731, leaving his land to his two sons to be divided between them. He left cash to his daughters and the remainder to Alice. She was bring up the children “and teach them to read and write legiably”. The son Moses was to be apprenticed for a trade when he turned fifteen. Children: Caleb, Moses, Alice, Phebe.

Hannah, b. 6^th month 1696, m. in 1718 Thomas Marshall, son of John and Sarah of Darby, at Concord Meeting.18 Thomas died in 1740, leaving a will naming Hannah, seven children, and an unborn child. In 12^th month 1741/42 Hannah married Peter Grubb, son of John and Francis.19 Hannah died in 1770. She left a will, naming six children. Children: Benjamin, John, Ann, Martha, Hannah, Mary.

Samuel, d. 1^st month 1698, died before 1740, married a woman named Esther.20 No known children.

Rebecca, d. 10^th month 1699, d. 1727, married Thomas Gilpin, son of Joseph, in 1726 at Concord Meeting.21 No children have been found for them.

Ann, b. 7^th month 1703, d. 1789, married the celebrated botanist John Bartram, lived in Darby, Philadelphia County. She was his second wife, his first wife Mary Maris having died in 1727, leaving him with sons Richard and Isaac. John Bartram traveled extensively, as far as Florida, collecting plant samples for his own garden and for his correspondents in London. He was a friend of Benjamin Franklin and other notables. His sons John and William continued in his footsteps as botanists. He died in 1777.22 Children of John and Ann: James, Moses, Elizabeth, Mary, William, Elizabeth, Ann, John, Benjamin.

Nathan, b. 8^th month 1705, died young

Robert, b. 7^th month 1713, d. sixth month 1785 in Concord. He married Phebe Taylor in 1734 at Birmingham Meeting. She died in May 1761 and the next year he married Elizabeth Hatton, widow of John Hatton, at Concord Meeting.23 In 1777 he married again, to Esther Temple, widow of William Temple. Robert was a justice on the court of Common Pleas and owned a saw mill. When he was thrown from his riding chair by a runaway horse on the road to Concord Meeting, he was badly hurt but not killed instantly. He was concerned that he had not signed his will. He sent home for it but it could not be found. Several witnesses had to attest to its validity before it could be proved, especially since the son Philip filed a caveat against it, probably disappointed in his legacy of only 50 acres.24 The inventory of the estate came to £1320. He named thirteen children in the will, plus one (Moses) deceased. Children with Phebe: Philip, Ann, Rebecca, Moses, Nathaniel, John, Stephen, Joseph, Robert. Children with Elizabeth: Elizabeth, William, Adam, Phebe.25