Contents [hide]

Benton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Benton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Benton family

The surname Benton was first found in Warwickshire at Binton, a parish, in the union of Stratford-Upon-Avon, Stratford division of the hundred of Barlichway. "This place is written Benintone in Domesday Book, and a family of the same name were lords of the manor during several reigns." 1

Early History of the Benton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benton research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1754 and 1818 are included under the topic Early Benton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benton Spelling Variations

Although the name, Benton, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Benton, Bentoun, Bentown, Benintone and others.

Early Notables of the Benton family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Sir Simon Benton
Lemuel Benton (1754-1818), American planter and politician

Benton Ranking

In the United States, the name Benton is the 747^th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 2

Benton migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Benton family name Benton, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Benton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Robert Benton, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Primrose" 3
Tho Benton, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3
Andrew Benton, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1639 3
John Benton, who landed in Virginia in 1642 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Benton with his wife and servants settled in Boston Massachusetts 1767

Benton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Benton, who arrived in New York in 1810 3
Semi Benton, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
Thomas Benton, who arrived in New York in 1818 3
William Benton, who landed in New York in 1818 3
Jane Benton, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1822 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Benton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Benton, British convict who was convicted in Coventry, England for life, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. Joseph Benton, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. William Benton, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. James Benton, aged 26, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"
Mrs. Harriet Benton, aged 27, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benton migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Benton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Timothy Benton, who landed in Karori, New Zealand in 1840
Timothy Benton, aged 41, a sawyer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Mary Benton, aged 44, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Eliza Benton, aged 16, a servant, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Frances Benton, aged 15, a servant, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benton migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Benton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

George Benton, who settled in Barbados in 1669

Contemporary Notables of the name Benton (post 1700) +

Charles Benton (1931-2015), American CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Benton Foundation and former CEO of Public Media Incorporated
James Warren "Jim" Benton (1916-2001), American NFL football player
Everett Chamberlin Benton (b. 1862), American politician, delegate to the Republican National Convention from Massachusetts in 1904, and the Republican candidate for Massachusetts governor in 1912
Morris Fuller Benton (1872-1948), American typeface designer, chief type designer at American Type Founders (ATF) from 1900 to 1937, known for his work on Century Schoolbook, Bank Gothic, Franklin Gothic and others
Lemuel Benton (1754-1818), American planter and politician
Brook Benton (1931-1988), born Benjamin Franklin Peay, American musician, known for his hits "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly"
Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858), American politician, nicknamed "Old Bullion," United States Senator from Missouri (1821-1851)
Robert Benton (b. 1932), Academy Award winning American screenwriter and film director
William Burnett Benton (1900-1973), American businessman and politician, U.S. senator from Connecticut (1949-1953), publisher of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1943-1973)
Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), American painter and muralist
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Benton family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Leonard Goulstine "Leonard" Benton (b. 1891), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Hull, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 8

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm