Individual Details

Mary is the daughter of Joseph Skinner II, born 1672 Massacoe Plantation, CT [Simsbury]. He has been identified as two different Joseph Skinners who were first cousins.

The Samuel Slade Benton book states that her parents were John and Rachel Pratt Skinner and John and Rachel did have a daughter named Mary, born in 1704 in Hartford - they did not live in Windsor. Most books say Joseph and Mary Grant Skinner were her parents. Joseph & Mary did have a daughter named Mary as she is named in Joseph's will, but no husband is given for that Mary.

Seen in many places on the Internet is Joseph Skinner who married Mary Filley in Windsor. That they had a son Joseph seems definite. This earlier Joseph was born about 1643, died 1724, and was the son of John Skinner originally of Braintree in Essex, England and his wife Mary Loomis. Joseph & Mary Filley were married 5 Apr 1666 in Windsor, CT. Birth and baptism dates from Windsor CT state their son Joseph was born 1 Jul 1673. His death is seen as 19 Jan 1756 - it took place in Windsor. This family had first settled in Simsbury and left after the Indians burned it, settling in Windsor. Windsor is in Hartford Co, but is not the same as the town of Hartford.

In the Hartford Town Records there is recorded a Joseph Skinner who married Dorothy Hosmer, 1 Jan 1696. And this Joseph Skinner married Elizabeth Olmsted as his second wife, 28 Jan 1707/8. This is apparently the Joseph born 26 Aug 1669 in Hartford since all his records seem to be found there. This Joseph had married his second wife while Mary Grant, first wife of his cousin in Windsor, was still living and having children.

The book The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Henry R. Stiles, 1892, v. 2. Says that Joseph Skinner [son of John] married 5 Apr 1666 Mary [dau. Wm.] Filley of Windsor and bought land in Windsor 1666 on the west side of Broad St. He still had this property in 1684. 16 Feb 1678/9, Joseph Skinner having never been baptized, desired that he might be, and the Church granted on the condition he would be tried concerning his knowledge and blameless life. On May 2nd he owned the Covenant and was baptized. Mary Filley Skinner died 13 Apr 1711 [East Windsor Church Records]. This certainly places the family in Windsor at the time their son Joseph was growing up and married Mary Grant and then Ester (Bissell) Drake in Windsor.

But unfortunately Stiles didn't stop there, he refers to the Skinner information in the Loomis Genealogy which I have examined and it has these families totally confused as well. Stiles lists three different Joseph Skinner instead of two - he made the Joseph who married Mary Grant and then Esther (Bissell) Drake two separate men in two separate generations. And he has the Joseph who lived in Windsor and married Mary Grant as the son of John & Mary Easton of Hartford, while he place Joseph who married Dorothy Hosmer & Elizabeth Olmstead in Harford, as the son of Joseph & Mary Filley of Windsor.

Joseph Skinner, born about 1673, died 19 Jan 1756 in Hartford, was the Joseph Skinner who married Mary Grant, 13 Mar 1694 and then Esther Drake [or Bissell] on 21 Aug 1718, both in Windsor.

Some databases give the same Joseph all four wives, which is not possible when you look at the births of the children and dates of the marriages. I believe the assigning of four wives to be simple careless name gathering on the Internet.

The Stiles book above goes on to give Joseph Skinner, married to Dorothy & Elizabeth in Hartford, the following children with baptism dates. These dates, as well as the birth dates of these children, are recorded in Hartford Town.
Joseph, bp 31 oct 1697
Stephen, bp 13 Aug 1699
Jonathan, bp 13 May 1711 [this was wrong, it should have been 1701]
Elizabeth bp. 30 Aug 1713
Stephen, bp. 11 Mar 1715
Dorothy, bp. 30 Mar 1718
Hannah, bp 7 Feb 1719/20
Rebecca, bp. 17 Jun 1722
The gap between the children Jonathan and Elizabeth is appropriate for the second marriage to have occurred to Elizabeth in 1707/08. It doesn't work out very well for the marriage dates of a Joseph to Mary Grant and then Esther. Also, this Joseph had no daughter named Mary - by either wife.

The Mary Skinner that married Benton is said to have been born 26 Dec 1695 in Windsor, not Hartford. That was the year before Joseph [son of John & Mary Easton] married Dorothy Hosmer in Hartford. However it is the year after the marriage of the Joseph Skinner who married Mary Grant on 13 Mar 1694 in Winston. So that would seem to settle the question of which Joseph, but it does not settle the problem that Mary could have been the daughter of John Skinner and his wife Rachel Pratt - except again, they lived in Hartford Town, not in Windsor.

John Skinner and Mary Loomis also had a son John, said born about 1641, slightly older than Joseph who married Mary Filley. John Skinner's children are named in an estate settlement, 18 Jan 1655, when his father-in-law Joseph Loomis was to distribute the estate to Mary, age 18, Ann age 16, John age 14, Joseph age 12, Richard age 8, and to his wife, married to Owen Tudor. The widow had married Owen Tudor on 13 Nov 1654.

Now John, son of John and Mary Loomis, married Mary Easton about 1662 in Hartford and died 15 Sep 1690 in Hartford. Mary was the daughter of Joseph Easton. Stiles also gives their children.
Mary, b. 1 Dec 1664, married Joshua Carter
John, b. 1 Mar 1666/7, married Rachel Pratt, 22 Feb 1693/4. She died 17 Aug 1748 at age 77; he died 27 Oct 1743.
Joseph, b. 26 Aug 1669 [I believe this to be the Joseph of Hartford who married Dorothy Hosmer and Elizabeth Olmstead...
Nathaniel, b. 5 Apr 1672, m. Mary Gillet
Richard, b. 16 Jan 1674
Sarah, b. 4 Nov 1677
Thomas, b. 15 Nov 1680

Here is more about John Skinner and Rachel Pratt. From his father's will of 1690, John Skinner received the north half of the home lot and on Mar 1691/2, he sold it to his brother-in-law Joshua Carter. He bought property from the Olmsteads, at some point known as the Skinner Homestead on the west side of Front St., wouth of Grove St. The homestead remained in the Skinner framily until circa 1870. John joined the First Church in Hartford, 3 Feb 1694/5, the same day as the baptism of his daughter Rachel; admitted to full communion 1 Apr 1709. His wife admitted to full communion 12 Apr 1696. In the town records of Hartford, 1715 and following, he was called Sgt. John Skinner. His will dated 19 Sep 1741, names wife Rachel, sons John, Timothy & Daniel, daughter Rachel Wells, daughter Mary Skinner. Wife and son John to be Executors. Codicil dated 25 Feb 1742/3 adds a sum to Rachel Wells and Mary Skinner.

Now the Mary Skinner who married Daniel Benton, did so in 1722, and she died in 1766. At the time John Skinner, married to Rachel Pratt, made out his will in 1741, she was certainly living and her name was Mary Benton. John Skinner referred to another daughter by her married name, and he did so twice in the will. This indicates either Mary was still a spinster in 1741, or she had married a Skinner cousin, and not Daniel Benton. And you come back to the fact that John & Rachel's family lived in Hartford Town.

The children of John Skinner and Rachel Pratt were born in Hartford Town and their births recorded there.
Rachel, b. 2 Feb 1694
John, b. 1 Jul 1697
Daniel, b. 19 Jan 1699, bp. 21 Jan 1700 [probably died young]
Timothy, b. 8 Feb 1703
Mary, b. 28 May 1704
Hannah, b. 27 Jun 1707, bp. 29 Jun
Daniel, b. 12 Sep 1712
Note that this Mary, daughter of John Skinner & Rachel Pratt was born in 1704; she would have been 16 in 1722 when Mary Skinner married Daniel Benton, so that does not eliminate her completely, but it still leaves the problem of her name in the will, and the fact that she didn't live in Winston.

So back to the Joseph Skinner, who was the son of Joseph Skinner & Mary Filley,, who is likely the Joseph who married Mary Grant, in 1694. He was born 26 Aug 1669.
Their children born in Winston were:
Mary, b. 26 Dec 1695
Joseph, b. 30 Apr 1698
Hannah b. 2 Apr 1700
Ann, b. 31 Oct 1701
Daniel, b. 1 Apr 1703
Elizabeth, b. 21 Oct 1706
Abijah, b. 9 Apr 1709
On 21 Aug 1718, Joseph Skinner married Esther Drake, widow of Jonathan Drake, daughter of Thomas Bissell - in Winston. Esther was born 10 Sep 1679 and died 25 Dec 1755.
Esther had three children by Drake. Her children with Joseph Skinner were:
Azariah, b. 10 Dec 1719
Lucy, b. 6 Mar 1720/1 [apparently died as an infant]
Lucy, b. 12 Oct 1723 [probably died before 1748; not in will]
John, b. 29 Apr 1725

Joseph Skinner left a will, dated 23 Mar 1748, probated 2 Mar 1756. He provided for his wife Hester. Gave son Joseph rights in equivalent lands. Son Daniel his lot in the Mile & Half Mile division of Commons. Son Abijah, south half of the homestead, and to son Azariah, the north half. Abijah also had lands in the 1st division of Barkhamstead. Son John, lands in Wintonbury, also 1st division of Barkhamstead. Sons Abijah & Azariah to pay his four daughters, Mary, Hannah, Ann, and Elizabeth, 20 pounds each and to be executors.
Note that Joseph did not give a married name for any of his daughters, all born of Mary Grant, yet all were certainly well past marriageable age before his will was written in 1748.

Unless further research proves to the contrary. my conclusions are as follows. I believe Mary Skinner who married Daniel Benton was indeed the daughter of Joseph Skinner and Mary Grant, born 1695, married 1722 at age 26 to Daniel Benton who was then, age 25. She really does not fit anywhere else. Her father Joseph was the son of Joseph Skinner & Mary Filley of Winston, Hartford County, CT - he was born about 1673, married Mary Grant in 1694 at age 21 and married 2nd to the widow Esther (Bissell) Drake in 1718 after the death of Mary Grant. Joseph had a first cousin of the same name who was born 1669 to John Skinner & Mary Easton in Hartford Town - he married Dorothy Hosmer in 1696 and married Elizabeth Olmsted as his second wife in early 1708.

So many John and Joseph Skinners living in such proximity are very confusing. I believe I have correctly sorted out their respective wives and children.

Birth	26 Dec 1695	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut
Marriage	3 Jan 1721/22	Tolland, Tolland County, Connecticut - DANIEL Benton
Death	17 Dec 1766	Tolland, Tolland County, Connecticut

Spouse	DANIEL Benton (1696 - 1776)
Child	Mary Benton (1722 - 1723)
Child	Daniel Benton (1723 - 1777)
Child	William Benton (1725 - 1760)
Child	Mary Benton (1727 - 1748)
Child	ELIJAH Benton (1728 - )
Child	Sarah Benton (1730 - 1730)
Child	Hannah Benton (1731 - 1731)
Child	John Benton (1732 - 1732)
Child	Silome Benton (1733 - 1733)
Child	Lydia Benton (1735 - )
Child	Abigail Benton (1736 - 1803)

Father	Deacon JOSEPH Skinner (1673 - 1756)
Mother	MARY Grant (1674 - 1718)
Sibling	Joseph Skinner (1698 - 1756)
Sibling	Hannah Skinner (1700 - )
Sibling	Ann Skinner (1701 - )
Sibling	Daniel Skinner (1703 - 1776)
Sibling	Elizabeth Skinner (1706 - )
Sibling	Abijah Skinner (1709 - )