Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Anthony BENEZET
BENEZET, Anthony, philanthropist, was born at St. Quentin, France, Jan. 31, 1713, son of John Stephen Benezet, who sought refuge in Holland in 1685, and removed to London, where he joined the Society of Friends, in 1731, emigrated to America, and made his home in Philadelphia. Anthony spent some years in business, and in 1742 became an instructor in the Friends' English school. In 1755 he established a school for the instruction of women, and in 1756 was chosen one of the overseers of the public schools of Philadelphia. He was elected in 1757 a manager of the Pennsylvania hospital In 1780 he was largely instrumental in procuring the enaction of the law which provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania. He founded a school for the benefit of the negroes and expended a large amount of money for their good, stipulating in his will that on the decease of his wife his money should be used as a fund for the school. He is the author of "A Short Account of that Part of Africa Inhabited by the Negroes" (2d edition, 1762); "A Caution and Warning to Great Britain and her Colonies in a Short Representation of the Calamitous State of the Enslaved Negroes in the British Dominions" (1766); "Some Historical Account of Guinea" (1771); "The Care of our Fellow-Creatures, the Oppressed Africans, Recommended to the Serious Consideration of the Legislature of Great Britain, by the People Called Quakers" (1774), and "Some Observations on the Situation and Character of the Indian Natives of this Continent" (1784). He died in Philadelphia, Pa., May 3, 1784.
Anthony Benezet, of Phila. Teacher of the free school. 4 March 1784. 19 May 1784. Wife: Joyce. Execs.: Joyce Benezet, Jas. Pemberton, John Field, Samuel Pleasants, Richard Wells, Henry Drinker, David Evans and James Cresson. Kinsman Joseph Marriot, schoolmaster of Burlington, NJ; nieces Mary and Charity Pyrlens of Bethleham; the Public School of Phila. Codicil. 30 April 1784. Witnesses to Codicil: Joseph Parrish and Joseph Clark. John Field, Jas. Starr; Thos. Harrison; Negro Margaret Till; servant Barbarry Brown; Mary Reiner, Remer?; Margaret Brizo; Mary Vincent; Pelagie Minot; the Quaker Library of Phila. Q:482.
| HOME | EMAIL | SURNAMES |
Return to The Pennocks of Primitive Hall website.
The information in this database may contain errors. If you find any questionable data, or if you have something to add my findings, please feel free to e-mail me by clicking on the "E-MAIL" link above. Thank you!
Page built by Gedpage Version 2.21 ©2009 on 07 July 2020