Brief details follow of other researchers of the Benboe name with whom I have been in contact. Please contact them directly if you feel you may have a common interest.
William R. Benbow writes:
I too have been working on my line of Benbows and have traced down what I believe to be one of, if not the first, Benbow/Benboe. I have come to the conclusion that strongly indicates that all Benbows are related, and I have a tree put together that date in my line back to 1430. Also found what I believe to be the first Benbow to use a Coat of Arms, which in dating the Arms you can get some idea of when this first Benbow was born, about 1010AD in Devon, England; he was a Thane, and possibly a Royal Thane, and Manorial Lord. Found the description of a Benbow Coat of Arms that was recorded as being in a Church in Devon, England, in a stained glass window. Research proved to show that Thanes in later end of anglo/Saxon Rule 850AD to 1066AD had become so wealthy and powerful that they were building Church
Manors. This Explains the Benbow Coat of Arms that was recorded in the Church window. Archivist in Devon believe they know the location of the Church, they inform me that there is a Church on this location today, called the Holy Cross, and that there was a Cathedral that preceded this church, and was in existence before 1066 when William the Conqueror invaded England. The Coat of Arms reads almost exactly like the other Benbows' arms that I have found - I have ten in all and you can easily see they are all Benbows. Would like to find someone in England to run down some leads I have on the Benbow family that could help prove the Ansectry of the Famous Admiral John Benbow, born abt. 1653, which I believe my line is closely related to.
If you know of someone who would like to help in this research please contact me at my e-mail address: wbenbow@rexnet.net
Jenny Stubblefield (j.stubblefield@talk21.com) writes:
My connection with the Benbow family is through my 2 x great-grandmother Sarah Benbow. She was baptised on 25 March 1795 in Grendon Bishop, Herefordshire (very close to Bromyard - south-west of it). She was one of ten children of Thomas Benbow and Ann Jones. Thomas was baptised on 19 November 1752, also in Grendon Bishop, and was the son of Prestwood Benbow and Elizabeth Cook. Prestwood was baptised on 28 June 1716 in Thornbury, Herefordshire (north of Bromyard), and was the son of Humphrey Benbow and Elizabeth Goode.
Humphrey was baptised on 3 Feb 1681 in Thornbury - the son of Prestwood Benbow and Elinor Bartley, and that is where the trail runs out. Prestwood first appeared when he married Elinor on the 19 Jan 1670, and then they moved to Stoke Bliss (Worcs.) where they had three children - Elizabeth (7 Dec. 1670), Thomas (May 1673) and Susanna (Feb. 1676). They then had Richard (Oct 1678) and Humphrey. There was a John and Margaret Benbow who had a son Richard baptised in 1657 in Stoke Bliss, who we think could be connected to Prestwood, but we haven't been able to find any firm connections or clues as to where John and Margaret originated.
It has been mentioned to us that there could have been a marriage between a Miss Prestwood and a male Benbow - in fact a researcher said he had certainly seen it somewhere in Shropshire.