Benjamin Harrison IV (1693 – July 12, 1745) was an American Virginia planter, politician, and Member of the

Virginia House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

. He was the son of Benjamin Harrison III and the father of

Benjamin Harrison V Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726April 24, 1791) was an American planter, merchant, and politician who served as a legislator in colonial Virginia, following his namesakes’ tradition of public service. He was a signer of the Continental As ...

, who was a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

and the fifth governor of Virginia. Harrison built the homestead of

Berkeley Plantation Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkele ...

, which is believed to be the oldest three-story brick mansion in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and is the ancestral home to two presidents: his grandson

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, and his great-great-grandson

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

. The Harrison family and the

Carter family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

were both powerful families in Virginia, and they were united when Harrison married Anne Carter, the daughter of

Robert "King" Carter Robert "King" Carter (4 August 1663 – 4 August 1732) was a merchant, planter and powerful politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Lancaster County, Carter eventually became one of the richest men in the Thirteen Colonies. As President of t ...

. His family also forged ties to the Randolph family, as four of his children married four grandchildren of William Randolph I.

Biography

Benjamin Harrison IV was born in a small house on the plantation named "

Berkeley Hundred Berkeley Hundred was a Virginia Colony, founded in 1619, which comprised about eight thousand acres (32 km²) on the north bank of the James River. It was near Herring Creek in an area which is now known as Charles City County, Virginia. It w ...

" or "Berkeley Plantation". He completed his studies at

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

and became the family's first college graduate. He settled on his family estate and increased his land holdings, as his ancestors had done. Around 1722, Harrison married Anne Carter, whom

William Byrd II William Byrd II (March 28, 1674August 26, 1744) was an American planter, lawyer, surveyor, author, and a man of letters. Born in Colonial Virginia, he was educated in London, where he practiced law. Upon his father's death, he returned to Virg ...

described as "a very agreeable girl", and he managed and received profits from her father's land as part of her dowry. Carter

entailed In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

this land to Harrison's son Carter Henry Harrison. Harrison built a

Georgian-style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...

three-story brick mansion on a hill overlooking the James River in 1726 using bricks that were fired on the plantation. Berkeley has a distinction shared only with Peacefield in Quincy, Massachusetts, as the ancestral home of two presidents. In 1729, Harrison purchased 200 acres of the Bradford plantation from Richard Bradford III. From 1736 to 1742, he represented

Charles City County, Virginia Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The a ...

in the House of Burgesses. Harrison and his wife had 11 children: *Elizabeth (born ~1723) married

Peyton Randolph Peyton Randolph (September 10, 1721 – October 22, 1775) was an American politician and planter who was a Founding Father of the United States. Born into Virginia's wealthiest and most powerful family, Randolph served as speaker of Virginia' ...

, the son of Sir John Randolph, the grandson of William Randolph I, and the first

President of the Continental Congress The president of the United States in Congress Assembled, known unofficially as the president of the Continental Congress and later as the president of the Congress of the Confederation, was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the ...

. *Anne (born ~1724) married William Randolph III, the son of William Randolph II and the grandson of William Randolph I, and had eight surviving children. Her descendants include Captain Kidder Breese. * Benjamin (born ~1726) married Elizabeth Bassett. His third son was President

. His descendants include Congressman

John Scott Harrison John Scott Harrison (October 4, 1804 – May 25, 1878) was an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He was a son of U.S. president William Henry Harrison and First Lady An ...

and President

. *Lucy (born ~ca.1792–1793) married Edward Randolph Jr., the son of Edward Randolph Sr. and the grandson of William Randolph I. *Hannah (born ~ – ~1745) *

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

(born ~1732) married Susannah Randolph, the daughter of Isham Randolph, and they had six children. His descendants include Chicago Mayors Carter Henry Harrison III and his son Carter Henry Harrison IV. *Henry (~1734 – ~1736) who died in infancy. *Henry (born ~1736–1772) who served as a captain under Major General

Edward Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...

in the French and Indian War and under Lieutenant Colonel

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. Lived at Hunting Quarter in Sussex County. *Robert (born ~1738) * Charles (b. ~1740 – d. 1793) who was colonel of the

1st Continental Artillery Regiment The 1st Continental Artillery Regiment, also known as Harrison's Continental Artillery Regiment, was authorized on 26 November 1776 as Colonel Charles Harrison's Continental Artillery Regiment. Raised for service during the American Revolutionary ...

. *Nathaniel (b. ~1741–d. 1792) who became Sheriff of Prince George County in 1779 and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1781–1782. In 1760, he married Mary Ruffin, daughter of Edmund Ruffin and they had four children. He married Anne Gilliam in 1768 and they had six children. His descendants include J. Hartwell Harrison. Harrison in 1745 was struck by lightning and killed, with one daughter, Hannah. Some reports incorrectly say his "two youngest daughters" were killed in 1745 when lightning struck his house. Harrison's will expressed his intent to be buried near his son Henry, and it broke with the British tradition of primogeniture by leaving large amounts of wealth to all of his children. His oldest son Benjamin became responsible for the six plantations that comprised Berkeley, along with the manor house, equipment, stock, and slaves. Eight other plantations were divided among the remaining sons, and his daughters were given cash and slaves. One source indicates that Harrison's tomb is located on the grounds of the "old Westover Church", but another states that he was buried in his family's cemetery.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Benjamin, IV 1693 births 1745 deaths American planters College of William & Mary alumni Deaths from lightning strikes Benjamin, IV American slave owners House of Burgesses members People from Virginia