Mercy Bentley Biography

Biography for Mercy Bentley (4^th Great Grandmother)

Mercy (sometimes referred to as Marcy) was born August 7, 1756 in Norwich, London, Connecticut.[1] She was the youngest of 8 children. She died in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts after March of 1806 when she signed a land sale transaction along with her husband[2], and before the Federal Census was taken in 1810 as she is not on this census. She is not listed in the Tyringham death records, but her husband was on the 1810 census.[3] Mercy’s home for most of her life was in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts.

Her parents are William Bentley (also Bentle) and Oringe Tozier. William was born on September 9, 1707 in Stonington, Connecticut. He died in Hartford, Connecticut in 1756. Oringe was born about 1714 in New London, Connecticut. She died March 1, 1797 in Franklin, New London, Connecticut.

Mercy and Benjamin Markham were married on November 18, 1779 in Tyringham by Reverend Adonijah Bidwell.[4]

Mercy and Benjamin had the following children:

John Benjamin Markham, born November 29, 1780, Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA; married Lina Race, 1807, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA; died January 12, 1858, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Oringe Markham, born March 3, 1783, Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA; married John Powell, May 27, 1801, Great Barrington, Berkshire, Massachusetts; died August 28, 1842.
Benjamin Markham Jr., born January 1, 1785, Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA; married Mariah Race, 1807, Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA; died March 13, 1864, Villenova, Chautauqua, New York.
Joshua Markham, born April 8, 1789, Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA; married Anna C. Dowd, about 1814, Occanum, Broome Co, NY; died May 9, 1878, Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York.
Daughter #2 Markham was born after 1784 and before 1790 according to 1800 and 1810 Census records in Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA.
Daughter #3 Markham was born after 1790 and before 1794 according to 1800 and 1810 Census records in Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA.
Daniel Markham, born about 1792, Massachusetts; died 1878, Washington Co, KS.
Belinda Markham, born January 12, 1797, Tyringham, Berkshire Co, MA; married Isaac Comstock, March 11, 1819, New Marlborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts; died January 15, 1882, Liberty, Susquehanna Co, PA.

Narrative

Mercy was born in Norwich, London, Connecticut. Her father died very shortly after she was born. William Bentley was in the French and Indian war and was at Fort Ticonderoga in upper state New York when he got sick. It was called camp fever, which is typhoid fever. He got better and left to make the trip back to Norwich, Connecticut. But he got worse again and died in Hartford while on the way home. In his probate administration dated September 1756, his wife Oringe is the administrix. She is allocated 24 Pounds “to bringing up 2 children till 4 years old”.[5] It appears that Mercy ended up in the guardianship of her older brother William Jr. He would have been 25 when she was born. William Jr. eventually moved to Tyringham in 1770, as first indicated by a land purchase.[6] Mercy must have been with him. Her mother stayed in Norwich, as did her other young sister Dimmis (mentioned as the 2 children under 4). This would explain how Mercy ended up in Tyringham, where she met Benjamin. It also means she grew up without her parents. William Jr. died in 1777 in Tyringham.[7] This means her older brother and guardian, and her acting father, again left her without an acting father. She was 21 at this time.

In 1779 Mercy married Benjamin Markham. They were married by Reverend Adonijah Bidwell in Tyringham. Reverend Bidwell was the first minister in Tyringham and served for many years.[8] His house is still standing today and is a museum.[9]

Mercy’s death date is unknown. She must have died in Tyringham before 1810, as she is not on the Census for that year. She signed a land transaction with Benjamin in 1806. Her death must have occurred in between these two dates.

Mercy grew up without a father and likely lived with her older brother and his wife. Her mother may have been with them also in New London, Connecticut. But then in 1770 they moved to Tyringham. After getting married, Mercy and Benjamin had 8 children which she would have raised. She would have helped do work on their farm, and may have helped with work at their grist mill and saw mill. Her husband was Constable and Tax Collector beginning in 1782 for several years. Mercy would have been quite busy with all of this, and had the responsibility of running their household anytime Benjamin was gone. She had to be a strong woman. More research is needed to figure out when she died and where she is buried.

Mercy lived in the following places:

1756 – She was born in Norwich, New London, Connecticut.

1770 – William Jr., her presumed guardian and older brother, moved his family to Tyringham.

1779 – Mercy got married in Tyringham.

1790 – The family was on the Federal Census in Tyringham.[10]

1800 – The family was still in Tyringham.[11]

1806 – Mercy signed a land transaction with Benjamin in Tyringham.