Sue -- To me, your oral tradition probably is like many oral traditions where generations get lost and events get compressed. My intuition says that Richard Montgomery Benjamin was a son of a soldier who served under General Richard Montgomery who was killed New Years Eve 1775 during the failed attack on the fortress at Quebec. Born in 1738, he was the son of an Irish M.P. Graduating from St Andrews and Trinity College in Dublin, Montgomery accepted a commission as an Ensign in the British 17th Regiment of Foot and served with honor in Canada and the West Indies. He sold his commission in 1772 and migrated to America where he married a daughter of Robert R. Livingston of the NY Livingston family. Through the connections of the Livingston family he was commissioned a Brigadier General in the Continental Army on 22 June 1775. Seconded to Schuyler, Montgomery took command of the western portion of the army invading Canada (Benedict Arnold had the eastern portion of the army). Montgomery's forces captured St Johns and then Montreal before the unsuccessful attack on Quebec city. If Richard Montgomery Benjamin was named for the general, then he would have been too young to have participated in the Rev War. My recommendation is that you work your way backwards from what you know using conventional genealogical techniques. If your gg-grandmother was born in 1871, you should be able to find her family in the 1880 US census. There is a Soundex index for 1880. You have something like five missing generations between a Rev War soldier and your gggm born in 1871. Bob Brooks ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sue Thompson" <sthompson@ctdi.com> To: <AMERICAN-REVOLUTION-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 9:24 PM Subject: [A-REV] Benjamin > Okay David I will post what I know to the list. > I am trying to trace the family of my GG Grandmother Madeline BENJAMIN. > She married an Albert Burdette and they had one child, Gerald Montgomery > Burdette. > The reason I mention the child is the story behind the family (oral > history): > Madeline had two sisters (that I know of) Amanda and Mary. It was the > sisters that insisted that the child be given the middle name Montgomery to > keep some part of their family alive. > The girls are supposed to have been descendants of a General RICHARD > MONTGOMERY BENJAMIN from the Revolutionary war. > In a 1900 Census Madeline is listed with her husband in Pennsylvania. > In the Census she lists her birth date as June 1871 and the place as > Alabama. > I have been unable to find this BENJAMIN family anywhere in a census and it > seems most of the BENJAMINs from the south are black and Madeline was white. > Madeline is believed to be from Huntsville, AL. > In the census she states that her mother was born in Alabama and her father > was born in Pennsylvania. > My uncle was doing research about 15 years ago and said he came across a > Richard BENJAMIN in a book, but he does not remember the book. > I really am not sure what to do with this information. Perhaps nothing will > come of it. A part of me would like to find something more than what I have > because the girls tried to keep their family alive by giving Gerald that > middle name. > I found a Pennsylvania 1920 Census record for a Mary Benjamin also born in > Alabama b: 1878. > My mother does remember an Aunt Mary so I am pretty certain that is > Madeline's sister. > I do not have death records for any of them. Cannot seem to locate them, > but have not given up just yet. > I think I included everything. I know it is not much. > Sue