Benjamin Varney- Martha Tibbets- Dover, NH

Benjamin Varney- Martha Tibbetts---------------- There is very little direct documentary evidence for Benjamin Varney. As indicated in his father’s will he was dead before his father’s will was filed in March 1832. The family traditions have Benjamin Varney married to Martha Tibbets the daughter of Samuel Tibbets. There was enough evidence within the town and church records for early Dover historians to also make that connection. The existing genealogies reference three main sources, the Tibbets family histories, “A Genealogy of Some of the Descendants of William Varney of Ipswich Mass. 1649 and more Particularly of his son Humphrey Varney”, and the “Varney Family Bible” held by R. G. Varney of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The genealogies list the children of Benjamin and Martha as; Moses, Phebe, Esther, Ichabod, Benjamin. The family tradition says Martha married a “Whitehouse”, first name unknown, after Benjamin’s death. There are deed records between an Edward Whitehouse and Moses Varney.------------------- In the will of Samuel Tibbets he lists all of children both living and dead. In the will we find the following,-------------------- “Item I give to my grandson Ichabod Varney his heirs and Assign all my right and Intent in the Said Town of Rochester.” “I give all my household Goods & movable Estate both within doors & without to my four daughters, Rachel Lego, Martha Whitehouse, Mary Whitehouse and Ester Tibbets”. So in the will we find listed Martha Varney now married to a Whitehouse and her son Ichabod Varney. The will is certainly a strong argument for the marriage of Martha Tibbets to Benjamin Varney.---------------- In the land ledgers we find three deeds written back to back where Benjamin’s children are selling their share of their inheritance to the same gentleman. The wording in the deeds expresses a clear connection between Benjamin and his children.-------------- “Know ye that I Moses Varney Senior ……….To ye homestead place of his father Benjamin Varney Late of Summersworth. On the second page Moses referes to "My mother Martha Whitehouse”------------- “Richard Hussy Jr of Dover in ye province of New Hampshire in New England, yeoman and Phebe his wife daughter of Benjamin Varney Late of Summersworth.”---------- “Ester wife of Elijah Tuttle daughter of Benjamin Varney”-------------