Person:Elias Van Benschoten (1)

Elias Van Bunschoten was a Liutenant on the Canadian expedition in 1709, he survived, and later served in the second attempt on Canada in 1711.

On 15 Oct 1712, he purchased from "Rimerigh Van Der Burgh, widow of Deirik, and Henry Van Der Burgh her son" one hundred and three acres of land at Specken Kill a few miles south of the very small settlement at Poughkeepsie. He apparently prospered at this location and kept adding to his land holdings: "On Nov. 21st, 1719, he bought an adjoining "slith or angle of ground" to get possession of the famous, strong-flowing Specken or Spacken spring, source of the Spacken kill; on May 12th, 1722, he purchased of Thomas Lewis a fragment of land; on Aug. 17th, 1724, he bought of Thomas Saunders and others nine acres at Spekenkill; and finally on April 2nd, 1743, he made purchase of ninety-six acres of Isaac Gravenrath."

He served in the Dutchess County Militia and was promoted to Major "in the room of Gilbert Livingstone."

He was a trustee and assessor in Dutchess County and was a very wealthy land owner. He was one of the first two deacons of the Poughkeepsie Church and later became an elder.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Van Benschoten, William Henry. Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten family in America: A Genealogy and Brief History. (Poughkeepsie, NY: A. V. Haight Co. Printers, 1907)
   pp. 21-29.