CHURCH, Benjamin
1640 - 1718 (78 years)-
Name CHURCH, Benjamin Birth 1640 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States 
Gender Male Death 17 Jan 1718 Freetown, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States Person ID I3896 Ward and Related Families of Nova Scotia and North Yorkshire Last Modified 9 Jun 2025
Father CHURCH, Richard, b. 6 Feb 1610, Shoreditch, London, Middlesex, England d. 27 Dec 1668, Dedham, Massachusetts, United States (Age 58 years) Mother WARREN, Elizabeth, b. 20 Jan 1616, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States d. 9 Mar 1669, Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States (Age 53 years) Marriage 14 Mar 1635 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Family ID F858 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family SOUTHWORTH, Alice Marriage 26 Dec 1667 Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States Children 1. CHURCH, Thomas, b. 1673, Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States d. 12 Mar 1746, Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island, United States (Age 73 years)2. CHURCH, Martha 3. CHURCH, Charles, b. 9 May 1682, Bristol, Rhode Island, United States d. 31 Dec 1746, Bristol, Rhode Island, United States (Age 64 years)4. CHURCH, Nathaniel 5. CHURCH, Benjamin 6. CHURCH, Elizabeth Woodbury 7. CHURCH, Constant, b. 12 May 1676, Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island, United States d. 9 Mar 1727, Freetown, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States (Age 50 years)8. CHURCH, Alice, b. 1678, Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island, United States d. Yes, date unknownFamily ID F857 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 24 Jul 2025
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Photos 
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Notes - Benjamin was the first `Englishman´ to settle at Little Compton in 1675. He was a hero in King´s Philip´s War. He was involved early on in the war at Pease Field Fight in Jun 1675, later in the massacre at the Great Swamp in Dec 1675, and he lead the expedition that resulted in King Philip´s capture in Aug 1676. For a popular introduction to King Philip´s War including Benjamin´s involvement and excerpts from his diary, see King Philip´s War: the history and legacy of America´s forgotten conflict, by Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias, Countryman Press, Woodstock, VT, 1999.
Benjamin dictated to his son Thomas his story published in 1716 as Entertaining Passages Relating to Philip´s War. Various editions have been published including The History of Philip´s War, Commonly Called the Great Indian War of 1675 and 1676, edited by Samuel Drake in 1829 and reprinted in 1989 by Heritage Book, Bowie, MD. See also the Diary of King Philip´s War, 1675-76, with an introduction by Alan Simpson and Mary Simpson, Lockwood, Tiverton, RI, 1975.
- Benjamin was the first `Englishman´ to settle at Little Compton in 1675. He was a hero in King´s Philip´s War. He was involved early on in the war at Pease Field Fight in Jun 1675, later in the massacre at the Great Swamp in Dec 1675, and he lead the expedition that resulted in King Philip´s capture in Aug 1676. For a popular introduction to King Philip´s War including Benjamin´s involvement and excerpts from his diary, see King Philip´s War: the history and legacy of America´s forgotten conflict, by Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias, Countryman Press, Woodstock, VT, 1999.