Person:Gideon Bingham (1)

From Theodore Bingham and Munger:

Lived first at Windham where he was admitted as a member of 1st church 14 May 1738, served as a fence viewer and surveyor in 1739, and as constable in 1743. He was briefly in Plainfield, and in Canterbury in 1746. Returned to Windham til 1755, returned to Canterbury 1758. The Bingham Genealogy characterizes him as a “schemer and unfortunate speculator.” He also became a separatist, a founder of the Scotland Separate Church - which would have alienated him from his family and may account for small inheritance.

On 11 Jul 1754 he was one of the 300+ members of Susquehanna Company that purchased 4.5 mill acres in northeast PA from 16 Iroquois chiefs and others. The area included Wyoming Valley, Scranton and Wilkes Barre, extending over 120 miles east to west and covering 15% of present-day PA. CT claimed this area as part of its charter, PA disagreed and won the dispute in 1782. Gideon was living in Wyoming Valley in 1778 when the Wyoming Valley Massacre occurred on July 4. He survived, though several of his livestock were killed. He later returned to Canterbury.

Canterbury land records show Gideon as a grantee in 1747, 1764, 1770 and 1782 and a grantor in 1749, 1751, 1764, 1770 (to his sons), 1773,1775 and 1788 (to son Gideon).

He had twelve children with first wife Mary Cary, five more with Abigail. 12 - 9 males - lived to adulthood and left descendants. The youngest child, Elisha, was born when Gideon was 64. His 1790 will names all five children by the second wife as living.

1. ↑ Windham Vital Records (Barbour Collection).
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Munger, Donna Bingham. The Bingham family in the United States: The Descendants of Thomas Bingham of Connecticut.
3. ↑ with 1 male under 16, 2 females (Elisha, Alice, w. Abigail)