Benjamin 48
John 49

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THE HUNTON FAMILY, PAGE 31

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Benjamin (Benjamin,³ Philip,² Philip¹), b. at Kingston, N. H., April 6, 1765; d. at Salisbury, Jan. 26, 1856; m. (1) 1792, Mehitable, dau. of Onesiphorus and Mehitable (Doty) Page, b. Sept. 1, 1771, d. Sept 9, 1804; (2) May 21, 1805, Hannah Baker of Bow, d. March 28, 1843.  NH1850 Census at Salisbury, Merrimack Co. NH

Benjamin resided on the farm occupied by his father, and lived to be one of the oldest inhabitants of Salisbury. He has related to the compiler the visit the "Great Daniel" once made him, when Webster was at the height of his fame, and a long conversation ensued in regard to old times. He was a man of some prominence in his town, a deacon of the church from 1815 to the close of his life, and respected for his honesty. The following is an account of a visit of Rev. Benjamin Huntoon to his birthplace in 1845: —

"There is something pleasing and something melancholy in revisiting, after the lapse of years, the land of one’s nativity. The scenery of nature, the rocks, the hills, the valleys, remain unchanged. The mountains rear their bold summits to the same sky, and mark their rugged profiles upon its blue surface. The forest wears the same aspect, it is composed of the same kind of trees as it was fifty years ago, though some of its giants have fallen to the ground and have disappeared. The general face of nature is the same. But the face of humanity, how changed! The playmates and schoolfellows of childhood and youth have become old and gray-headed, and the strong men have bowed to their destiny and are gathered to their long homes, the resting-places of the dead. A new generation has arisen, bearing some traces of the lineaments of their ancestors, the sure indexes by which I could trace their parentage. My visit, however, was pleasant to the old homestead, and the greetings I received were cordial and affectionate. Father, now past eighty years of age, was hale and active for one so far advanced in the valley of life. He is the only survivor among the patriarchs of my native village. All the rest, who were heads of

THE HUNTON FAMILY, PAGE 32

families when I was a boy, have paid the debt of nature, and sleep with their fathers in the humble cemetery for the dead. He is the only link that binds the present generation to the past, so soon time sweeps over the face of the earth and gathers its fleeting population into the arms of the oblivious grave."

48     i     Benjamin.

      ii    Mehitable Page, b. May 2, 1806 m. Oct. 3, 1848, John White. He d.  Feb. 25, 1874.

49   iii     John.