Person:John Bentman (4)

John Bentman's origins are unknown. His first sighting is when he married Mary Rust on 30th March 1673 at Shillington in Bedfordshire. This marriage is also the first appearance of anyone called Bent or Bentman in the Shillington parish registers, which date from 1543, suggesting John was not from Shillington.

John and Mary had a daughter, also called Mary, baptised on 31st December 1674. However, in January 1675, John had to bury both his wife and daughter. He buried his wife on 1st January, just the day after their daughter's baptism. Their daughter did not long survive her mother, and was buried on 17th January.

Four years later, John remarried. His second wife was Mary Kitchener, and they married on 29th September 1679 at Shillington. This marriage produced eight children, although one died as a baby.

John died in 1697, when his youngest child was only two years old. He was buried at Shillington on 5th July 1697.

1. ↑ Bedfordshire Family History Society. Shillington Parish Register Transcript. (Bedford).

   bur. 5 Jul 1697: Jn Benteman