Person Page - 862

     Charles Edgar Hamlin married Mattie Shiver. He died on 12 October 1954 at Lafayette, Florida, United States, at age 82. He was buried at Airline Cemetery, Lafayette, Florida, United States.

     Mattie Shiver married Charles Edgar Hamlin. She died on 4 April 1956 at Lafayette, Florida, United States, at age 73. She was buried at Airline Cemetery, Lafayette, Florida, United States.

     William Benedictus Townsend was the son of Thomas Townsend Sr. and Sarah (--?--). He married Lucilla Light, daughter of William Light, circa 1735 at "Millfield", Broadkill Creek, Sussex, Delaware, British Colonial America.¹ He died before 1769 at Hilson Bay, Craven, South Carolina, British Colonial America.
     Biography of William Benedictus Townsend:

William Benedictus Townsend is documented as”my son William Townsend” in the 1728 Will² of his father, Thomas Townsend. The will designated William as the third in line, after his older brothers John and Stephen, to inherit Thomas’s two 200-acre plantations. This structure suggests William likely inherited little real property from his father's estate.

Migration to Delaware and the Adoption of Benedictus

By February 1734, William had relocated from his father's plantation in Accomack County, Virginia, to Sussex County, Delaware. Around this time, he began using "Benedictus" as his primary given name in almost all documented records.

A land transaction years later suggests "William Benedictus Townsend" was his full, formal name. In late 1764, after applying for land grants in South Carolina, Benedictus had new grants issued to his sons, Light and William. The 50-acre grant to William was titled jointly to “William Benedictus and William Townsend.” As the 50 acre grant was for one person and his son William was still a minor, the full legal name of the father was used to secure the title.

Land Records in Sussex County, Delaware (1736-1750)

An August 4, 1736 deed³ identifies "Benedictus Townsend" and "Lucilla, his wife," alongside Mary Light, deeding a 300-acre plantation on the Beaver Dam branch to John Light. This transaction, for a nominal sum, likely served to provide John Light clear title to the land his father had owned.

An October 10, 1745 complex deed⁴ shows Mary Light, Betty Light, and Benedictus Townsend. heirs of deceased John Light purchasing the 200-acre plantation called “Millfield” from the descendants of the original patent holder, William Clark. The transaction formally transferred ownership to the heirs of John Light the elder, via his son William Light, and finally to William's issue: Elizabeth, John the younger, and Lucilla. The repeated instances of intestacy within the Light family likely necessitated this clarifying deed. Benedictus represented his wife Lucilla's interest in the property.

On May 3, 1750 Benedictus and Lucilla sold the 200-acre "Millfield" plantation to Adomozah Little for 30 pounds.⁵ This sale likely funded their subsequent move south. The property description places the plantation eastern side of Beaverdam Creek at its junction into the Broadkill River in Sussex County, Delaware. Given the family’s long tenure in the area, it is probable that Lucilla was born there and that all of Benedictus and Lucilla's children were born at "Millfield".

Migration to North Carolina (1750-1764)

The sale of the "Millfield" plantation in May 1750 correlates with the family’s relocation to Granville County North Carolina. Benedictus appears as “Benodictos Townson” on "A List of Tythables on Dan River for the Year 1751"⁶ This specific region of Granville County became part of Orange County in 1752, and later Caswell county in 1777. A search of extant records in Granville, Orange and Caswell counties yielded no othert Townsend records of any kind. The 1751 tax list is very significant as it is the only document covering the gap in documentation from 1751 until his next documented appearance in South Carolina in 1764.

Final Settlement in South Carolina (1764-1769)

Benedictus Townsend arrived in South Carolina by November 9, 1764, when he applied to the South Carolina Council in Charleston for 100 acres on the northeast side of the Pee Dee River.⁷ A month later, on December 4, 1764, he applied for an additional 50 acres in the same area.⁸

He received two Crown grants from King George III, signed by Lieutenant Governor William Bull:




Shortly after receiving these grants, Benedictus transferred ownership to his sons Light Townsend and William Townsend.

These grants stipulated a yearly rent of "three shillings sterling or four shillings proclamation money for every hundred acres," commencing two years from the date of the grant. Benedictus and his heirs were further obligated to "yearly, and every year... clear and cultivate at the rate of three acres for every hundred acres of land."

Benedictus Townsend died in South Carolina before 1769 as his name was absent from the 1769 quit rent scrolls.

     Lucilla Light was the daughter of William Light. She married William Benedictus Townsend, son of Thomas Townsend Sr. and Sarah (--?--), circa 1735 at "Millfield", Broadkill Creek, Sussex, Delaware, British Colonial America.¹

     William Townsend was the son of William Benedictus Townsend and Lucilla Light.
     Biography of William Townsend:

William Townsend (1746- ) is first found on the 1768 quit rent payments made by “William Benedictus & William Townsend” on the 50 acres of land that Benedictus Townsend had been granted on 16 July 1765. In that year they had a "new grant" made in their names.¹ The following year, 1769, William Townsend (1746- ) paid the quit rent on the 50 acres of land and there is no mention of a William Benedictus or Benedictus. Again in 1774, William Townsend (1746- ) is listed as paying quit rent in the amount of 4 shillings proclamation money per acre on 50 acres for the year 1772 & 1773.² These entries for Quit Rent payments and new grants made in these names suggest that Benedictus may have died before 1769 and his son, William, inherited or purchased the 50-acre tract. These are the only records found referring to William Townsend (1746- ), son of Benedictus Townsend.

It is very likely that William Townsend (1746- ) was still living in the Marlboro County area in 1786 as a deed dated 4 September 1786 between: "George Trayweak planter of Marlborough and William Townsend, son of John Townsend"³clearly distinguishes William, of this deed, as the son of John Townsend (1760-1843). This most likely was done to distinguish William, son of John from his Uncle William Townsend (1746- ) who must still be living in the area.

We estimate William as being at least age 21 in 1767 and thus he was likely born before 1746. We have assigned his birth year as circa 1746 although he could have been born before that date.

     Cortney (--?--) married John Townsend, son of William Benedictus Townsend and Lucilla Light.

     Edith Needham was the daughter of Charlie Needham and Wilda Belle Boatright.

     Charles Needham was the son of Charlie Needham and Wilda Belle Boatright.

     James Needham was the son of Charlie Needham and Wilda Belle Boatright.