Samuel Bennett - Stratford's first Town Supervisor

We have been working on the background for Samuel Bennett, Stratford’s first town Supervisor.   We were surprised to find out that our first supervisor came with previous supervisor experience from a town near Stratford.

The first time we see a reference to Samuel Bennett is on April 4^th, 1797, in the Salisbury, New York town minutes.  This date is significant as it was when Salisbury was established.  Samuel is listed as an Assessor in the Salisbury Town  minutes.      In 1800 he becomes Salisbury Town Supervisor.  He also held the post as Commissioner of Excise for Salisbury.  

On April 4^th, 1804, Samuel was appointed Justice of the Peace for Palatine, Montgomery County.  This moves us up in Stratford's timeline  that a petition was filed to establish Stratford.   In 1805 Stratford is established and Samuel becomes Stratford’s first town Supervisor. 

The Gazetteer of the State of New York notes that in 1800 the first settlement in an area of the  Town of Palatine,  which would become Stratford was started by Samuel Bennett.   This settlement was known as Bennett’s Settlement. 

The Stratford Town minutes provide the location of Bennett’s Settlement when describing the laying out of a common highway.   “The highway is in the back part of the town called Bennett’s Settlement and begins and runs as follows.  Begins at the house of Joseph Mallett on the road leading from Johnstown to Salisbury, beginning at the line between lots 7 & 8 in Glen Bleeker Patent Great lot 91”.   This road would be what we now know as Hwy 119.

Samuel’s involvement in the town government did not stop with his 1805 supervisor position.  He also held the following positions in Stratford:

1806    Town Supervisor

1807    Town Supervisor

1808    Town Supervisor, Inspector of Elections

1813     Overseer of Highways

1816     Assessor

1817     Assessor, Inspector of Elections

1818      School Inspector

1820      Inspector of Common Schools

 

Beer’s history notes that Samuel Bennett ran the first tavern in Stratford.

 There is much more than we can present here for Samuel Bennett at this time.   We’ll continue with his history at a later date.