Hannah Arnold (née Waterman)

(Redirected from Hannah Waterman King)

Hannah Arnold (née Waterman; c. 1705/06? – August 15, 1758) was the mother of American-born British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold (1741–1801).

Hannah Arnold
Born
Hannah Waterman

c. ~1705/6?
DiedAugust 15, 1758 (aged 52)
Norwich, Connecticut, British America
Burial placeOld Uptown Burying Ground,
Norwich, Connecticut
41°32′58.2″N 72°05′32.1″W / 41.549500°N 72.092250°W / 41.549500; -72.092250
Spouse
Captain Benedict Arnold
(m. 1733)
ChildrenBrigadier General Benedict Arnold (son)
Parents
  • John Waterman
  • Elizabeth Waterman

Early life and marriages

edit

Hannah Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut, to John Waterman and Elizabeth Lathrop. Her first husband, Absalom King, was a wealthy merchant who had settled in the area. The couple had a daughter, also named Hannah. Not long after, however, King died at sea from the smallpox. Hannah married again, this time to Captain Benedict Arnold, the descendant of Rhode Island governor Benedict Arnold. The Arnolds had six children. As was not unusual at the time, most of the couple's children died young, many within months of one another due to a yellow fever outbreak, including an older son, Benedict. A younger son, also named Benedict, was born in 1741. Shortly thereafter, market downturns caused hardships in the family finances.[1]

 
Hannah Arnold's gravestone

Later life and death

edit

Hannah Arnold died on August 15, 1758, and was buried in the Old Uptown Burying Ground, Norwich, Connecticut. Hannah's death fell hard on her widowed husband, Captain Benedict Arnold, who lingered some time and suffered with alcoholism and depression. He died in 1761.[1]

Historical reputation and legacy

edit

Hannah Arnold is remembered in Norwich as a worthy woman and a model of "piety, patience, and virtue."[2] Her gravestone is still visible in Norwichtown Burying Grounds, yet no one knows who paid for it.[3]

Children

edit

Arnold had nine children:[4]

  • Benedict Arnold (1738–1739); died at age one
  • Benedict Arnold (1741–1801); died at age sixty
  • Hannah Arnold (1742–1803); died at age sixty-one
  • Mary Arnold (1745–1753); died at age eight
  • Absalom King Arnold (1747–1750); died at age three
  • Elizabeth Arnold (1749–1753); died at age three

+ Absalom King Arnold (22 Oct 1750, soon died) + Mary Arnold (Sep 1753-c. 1754) + Elizabeth Arnold (Sep 1755-bef. 1765)

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Randall, Willard Sterne (1990). Benedict Arnold: patriot and traitor. New York, N.Y: Morrow. ISBN 978-1-55710-034-4.
  2. ^ Caulkins, Frances Manwaring (1845). History of Norwich, Connecticut: from its settlement in 1660, to January 1845. T. Robinson. pp. 254.
  3. ^ "Admirer adorns grave of Benedict Arnold's mother". www.norwichbulletin.com. March 29, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  4. ^ Price, Richard (1984). John Lothropp: A Puritan Biography And Genealogy. Salt Lake City.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Further reading

edit
  • Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine By George Thomas Little, Henry Sweetser Burrage, Albert Roscoe Stubbs