How can we connect Benjamin Denton of Rockingham Co. VA to the Denton’s of Southern Maryland?

Let’s start at the beginning…

1. George Denton
Born: Abt. 1710, Maryland (I hypothesize, Baltimore County)
Died: 1769, Calvert County, Maryland
Married:
Children: Thomas, John, Mary, Margaret, Diana, Eleanor

Sources:
30 June 1726 – Mentioned as a creditor to the estate of Robert Spickernell of Calv. Co.
Maryland Calendar of Wills.
19 March 1729 – Mentioned as a creditor to estate of William Gray, Jr. of Calv. Co.
Maryland Calendar of Wills
1733 – George mentioned on Tax List assessed at two taxables: himself & 1 slave in St. Leonard’s Creek Hundred,
Calvert. Co. Maryland. Maryland State Archives.
1743 – Mentioned as creditor to the estate of Thomas Edmonds, Calv. Co. Maryland
Calendar of Wills.
15 Oct. 1748 – Soldier under command of Capt. Robert Sollers for St. Leonard’s Creek
Hundred, Maryland Colonial Militia. Reprinted from Maryland Historical
Magazine, Vol. VI No. 1, March 1911
6 March 1769 – George Denton writes his will mentioning children Thomas,
John, Diana, Margaret, Mary, and Eleanor. It also mentions Eleanor’s two
unnamed children. Maryland State Archives: MSA SC 5458-108-903, Liber 65,
folio 60.
1770 – Account of George Denton’s estate filed by sons Thomas & John. Maryland State
Archives: Liber 65, folio 60.
1770 – Final Distribution Books of George Denton’s estate. Maryland State Archives:
Liber 6, folio 37.

Notes:
Many posts I have read have attempted to name George’s wife Eleanor. I think this is simply a misreading of his will as a wife is not named, but the children of his deceased daughter Eleanor, his grandchildren, are left a bequest but they are not named. I also have had trouble tracking down the fate of George’s daughters.


2. Thomas Denton, Sr.
Born: Abt 1725 *, St. Leonard Hundred, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: Abt. 1782 **, Calvert County, Maryland
Married: Rhennes Armstrong (dau. of John Armstrong of Calvert. Co.) by 1745
Born: Abt 1730, St. Leonard Hundred, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: Aft 1783***, St. Mary’s County, Maryland
Children: Thomas, Jr., Priscilla, Edward, Capt. George

Sources:
5 Dec. 1745 – Thomas Denton mentioned in will of John Armstrong as husband of
daughter Rhenes. John’s sons to have plantations ‘Island Creek Neck’ &
‘Peddington’. Maryland Calendar of Wills.
15 Oct. 1748 – Soldier with father George, under command of Capt. Robert Sollers for
St. Leonard’s Creek Hundred, Maryland Colonial Militia. Reprinted from
Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. VI No. 1, March 1911
2 Oct. 1752 – Mentioned as creditor to estate of James Mackall of Calv. Co. Maryland
Calendar of Wills.
5 Dec 1756 – Rhenes Denton mentioned in will of brother Edward Armstrong. Edward
leaves plantation ‘Island Creek Neck’ to Rhenes. Maryland Calendar of Wills.
1 Nov 1756 – Thomas Denton signs Edward Armstrong’s will as nest of kin. Colonial
Families of Maryland: Bound and Determined to Succeed, by Robert Wm.
Barnes.
6 March 1769 – George Denton writes his will mentioning children Thomas,
John, Diana, Margaret, Mary, and Eleanor. It also mentions Eleanor’s two
unnamed children. Maryland State Archives: MSA SC 5458-108-903, Liber 65,
folio 60.
1770 – Account of George Denton’s estate filed by sons Thomas & John. Maryland State
Archives: Liber 65, folio 60.
1778 – George Denton (son of Tho. Sr.), enlists as a private in Capt. Walter Smith’s
Company, Calvert Co. Militia. Rev. War Military Collection, Manuscript MS.1146 Balt. Historical Soc.
1778 – George Denton took the Oath of Allegiance in Calvert County. Maryland Source
Records, Vol. 1. Compiled by Bettie Carothers, Lutherville MD, 1975.
8 Aug 1782 – Thomas Denton, Jr. marries Mary Grover, St. James’s Epsc. Church, Anne
Arundel Co. Maryland. FamilySearch.Org “Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970”.
10 Jan 1783 – Rhennes Armstrong-Denton marries Henry Sasce, St. Andrew’s Epsc.
Church, St. Mary’s Co. Maryland. St. Mary’s County Marriages.
1783* – Thomas Denton Maryland Tax Assessment, Calv. Co., 3rd Dist. p.29 MSAS
1161-3-3. Maryland Indexes (Assessment 1783, Index) MSA S 1437.
1783 – Thomas Denton, Jr., Maryland Tax Assessment, Calv. Co. 2nd Dist. p.15 MSA S
1161-3-2. Maryland Indexes (Assessment 1783, Index) MSA S 1437.
1783 – George Denton, Maryland Tax Assessment, Calv. Co. 3rd Dist. p.29 ‘Peddington’,
50 Acres & ‘Island Creek Neck’, 99 Acres. MSA S 1161-3-3. Maryland Indexes (Assessment 1783, Index) MSA S 1437.
20 Feb 1784 – Priscilla Denton marries Thomas Grover, St. James’ Epsc. Church, Anne
Arundel Co. Maryland. FamilySearch.Org “Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970”.
1800 – Thomas Denton, Jr. U.S. Census, All Saints Parish, Calvert County, Maryland.

Notes:
Abt. 1725*- I have hypothesized that this is Thomas, Sr.’s birthday as he would have to be around 18 to join the Colonial Militia.
Abt. 1782** - Thomas, Sr. would have to be deceased around this point because his wife Rhennes Armstrong remarries in 1783.
Aft. 1783*** - Rhennes would have to be deceased after the year of her 2nd marriage presumably in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.
1783* - This could be Thomas Sr. or it could be Thomas, Jr. Strange because the same year Thomas, Jr. is clearly assessed as Thomas Denton, Jr. I also do not know the specific date of the 1783 Assessment. Perhaps Thomas, Sr. was still alive when the assessment was made.


3. Thomas Denton, Jr.
Born: Abt. 1760, Calvert County, MD
Died: Abt.1805*, All Saint’s Parish, Calvert County, MD
Married: Mary Grover, 8 Aug 1782, St. James’ Epsc. Church Anne Arundel Co. MD
Born: Abt. 1765, Calvert County, MD
Died: Aft. 1830*, Calvert County, MD
Children: John Wesley (A), Mary(B), Benjamin(C), Isaac(D), Phillip Dorsey(E)

Sources:
8 Aug 1782 – Thomas Denton, Jr. marries Mary Grover, St. James’s Epsc. Church, Anne
Arundel Co. Maryland. FamilySearch.Org “Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970”.
20 Feb 1784 – Priscilla Denton marries Thomas Grover, St. James’s Epsc. Church, Anne
Arundel Co. Maryland. FamilySearch.Org “Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970”.
1783 – Thomas Denton, Jr., Maryland Tax Assessment, Calv. Co. 2nd Dist. p.15 MSA S
1161-3-2. Maryland Indexes (Assessment 1783, Index) MSA S 1437.
1800 – Thomas Denton, Jr. U.S. Census, All Saints Parish, Calvert County, Maryland.


Notes: I am not clear on the source documentation that links all of Thomas, Jr. and his children, as far as I am aware Thomas Denton, Jr.’s will did not survive and there would not be much to prove this relationship. I have constructed this relationship based on information I have gotten from other genealogist posted online. Although most of the sources are circumstantial I think they taken together prove pretty conclusively.




A. John Wesley Denton
Born: Abt. 1780, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: Abt. 1825, Culpeper County, Virginia
Married: Eliza Hendrick, 30 Apr. 1809, Chesterfield County, Virginia
Born:Virginia?
Died:

30 April 1809 – John Denton married Elizabeth Hendrick in Chesterfield County,
Virginia. Virginia Marriages, 1740-1850.

1810 – U.S. Census, Culpeper, Culpeper County, Virginia. John Denton listed 26-44
years as head of household with 2 males 16-25 years, 1 daughter under 10 years, 1 female (wife Eliza) 16-25 years, and 1 slave.

7 Aug 1820 – U.S. Census, Culpeper County, Virginia. John Denton listed 26-44 years as
head of household with 1 male 16-18 years, 1 male 16-25, 2 daughters under 10 years and 1 female (wife Eliza) 26-44 years. 1 free colored male 14-25, 3 male slaves under 14 years, 1 male slave 14-25, 1 male slave 26-44, 2 female slaves under 14, 1 female slave 26-44.

1830 – U.S. Census, Culpeper County, Virginia. Eliza Denton listed 30-39 years as head
of household with 1 daughter 5-9 years, 1 daughter 10-14 years, and 1 daughter 15-19 years. 1 female slave under 10, 1 female slave 24-35 years.

1830 – “Among the members of the old [Masonic] Lodge from 1830, 1836, were the
following:…J.W. Denton, father of Mrs. Robert Williams.” From Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper County, Virginia by Raleigh Travers Green

Notes:
I was not able to locate John W. after the 1820 census but, found details for some of his daughters living in Culpeper County after this point.

B. Mary Denton
Born: Abt. 1785, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: Bef. 1840, Calvert County, Maryland
Married: Benjamin Carr, 04 Jan. 1803, St. James’ Epsc. Church, Anne Arundel Co. MD
Born: Abt. 1785, Maryland
Died: Bef. 1840, Calvert County, Maryland
Children: Benjamin, Jr., John, James, Joseph, William

Sources:
1810 – U.S. Census, Calvert County, Maryland
1820 – U.S. Census, Calvert County, Dist. 3, Maryland
1830 – U.S. Census, Calvert County, Maryland
1840* – U.S. Census, Calvert County, Maryland

Notes:
*The 1840 census is how I arrived at the names for Mary & Benjamin’s children. The Carr family is extensive and well established in Anne Arundel Co. Further research could more fully illustrate Mary’s life and descendants.

C. Benjamin Denton
Born: 1786, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: 30 May 1855, Rockingham County, Virginia
Married: (#1) 18 Jan. 1807, Mary Elizabeth Shepard, Rockingham Co., Virginia
Born: 1788, Rockingham County, Virginia
Died: 1824, Rockingham County, Virginia
Married: (#2) 10 Nov 1825, Tabitha Ann Jackson, Rockingham Co., Virginia
Born: 1796, Rockingham County, Virginia
Died: 26 Apr. 1855, Rockingham County, Virginia
Children: (#1) Elizabeth, Simeon H., Mary, Levi, Wesley Daniel, Lydia, Selah Fletcher
Children: (#2) Benjamin, Jr. Lorenzo Dow, Susan Ann, Margaret Ellen, Tabitha Ann, Milton, John, Jackson

Sources:
1810 – U.S. Census, Rockingham County, Virginia
1820 – U.S. Census, Rockingham County, Virginia
1830 – U.S. Census, Rockingham County, Virginia
1840 – U.S. Census, Rockingham County, Virginia
24 Apr. 1855 – Benjamin Denton writes his will naming almost all of his children.
Virginia State Archives.

Notes:
Benjamin’s genealogy is well researched so I have only included a basic summary of some of the records that pertain to him. What is still a mystery to me is his motivation to move to Rockingham County, Virginia when the majority of his siblings eventually settle in the mid west (i.e. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois).

D. Isaac Denton
Born: 25 Sept 1787, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: Effingham County, Illinois
Married: Mary Hunt?
Born:
Died:
Children: Sarah, Unknown, Emaline E., Ann, Julia A., Rennes*, Benjamin J., Eleanor, Phillipa, William W.

Sources:**
1810 – U.S. Census, Calvert County, Maryland
Apr 1813: Isaac Denton enlists, 31st Regiment, Maryland Militia. Bounty Land and
Pension Applications, 55-rej-274916. National Archives.
20-26 Apr 1813 – Private, 31st Regiment, Calvert County: Isaac Denton on duty at Drum
Pt. Maryland. War of 1812. Maryland Militia, War of 1812, Vol. 4, Anne Arundel
& Calvert County. By F. Edward Wright.
10-18 June 1814 – Private, 31st Regiment, Calvert County: Isaac Denton on duty.
18-27 June 1814 – Private, 31st Regiment, Calvert County: Isaac Denton on duty.
19-23 July 1814 – Private, 31st Regiment, Calvert County: Isaac Denton on duty.
19 Jul-30 Aug 1814 – Private, 31st Regiment, Artillery, Calvert County: Isaac Denton on
duty.
1820 – U.S. Census, Scott County, Indiana
1830 – U.S. Census, Scott County, Indiana
2 Aug 1838 – Isaac purchases 40 acres in Scott County, Indiana. Bureau of Land
Management, sales of public lands.
1 Aug 1839 – Isaac purchases 120 acres in Clark County, Indiana. Bureau of Land
Management, sales of public lands.
1840 – U.S. Census, Clark County, Indiana
1850 – U.S. Census, Clark County, Indiana
21 Nov 1850 – Isaac Denton, Deposition on service in War of 1812, Clark County, IN.
Bounty Land and Pension Applications, 55-rej-274916. National Archives.
1855 – IL State Census
1870 – U.S. Census, Effingham County, IL


Notes:
*I think it is fascinating and an excellent circumstantial piece of evidence that Isaac Denton is related to the Denton’s of Calvert Co. I think the name Rennes (many variations) is a very unusual name and would be the name of his Grandmother: Rhennes Armstrong-Denton-Sasce.
**Many of the sources and leads I have received concerning the Denton’s of Indiana have come from Thomas Mullen and Marilyn Roth.
I have no information on Isaac’s wife except a suggestion of her name from others.

E. Phillip Dorsey Denton*
Born: 7 Sept 1792, Calvert County, Maryland
Died: 24 July 1847, Fairfield County, Ohio
Married: 3 Nov 1816, Catherine Smith, Rockingham County, Virginia
Born:
Died:
Children:** Harvey Wesley, Sophia Gratham, Amanda Jane, Phillip Franklin, and Mathias

Sources:
1800 – U.S. Census, Calvert County, Maryland, All Saints Parish. Thomas Denton (Jr.) is listed as head of household with 3 sons under 10 years, 2 sons 10-15 years (Benjamin & John Wesley?), and 1 daughter under 10 years old.
1810 – U.S. Census, Rockingham County, Virginia, Harrisonburg. Benjamin Denton listed with 1 daughter under ten years, his wife Mary Elizabeth 16-25 years, himself 16-25 years and one other male of 16-25 years (brother Philip Dorsey?)
1820 - U.S. Census, Rockingham County, Virginia. Phillip D. is listed as living next door to his brother Benjamin.
1830 – U.S. Census, Fairfield County, Ohio

Notes:
*Many contributors have hypothesized that Phillip’s middle name may indicate the maiden name of his mother, or at least some sort of important family connection. I am pretty convinced of Phillip’s mother’s name (Rhennes Armstrong). Phillip's Grandfather was Phillip Dorsey the appraiser of George Denton's estate.**Phillip’s first three children were born in Rockingham County, Virginian and his other two children were born in Fairfield County, Ohio.