Benjamin Moulder

Mariner, Landowner, Father and Husband

Moved to Bethel between 1693 and 1715.

Mother was from the Clayton family, so they purchased a parcel of the Clayton estate in Bethel area.

At his death, part owner of "Happy" a shallop, a storehouse and wharf (CC W&A 403)

May have married two sisters. Margaret Reynolds in the older (child Robert Moulder) and then Prudence Reynolds for the other children after 1710.

Mary's Grubb (son Roberts wife) family connections may have given the family property down at Rockland Manor in Delaware. Apparently the Grubb's wouldn't sell their land to William Penn. Maybe the Benjamin's interactions down there affected the marriage between a Grubb woman and Robert?

At the time of his death, he owned a lott in Chichester he bought from Abel Clayton and a 300ft lot on the Delaware River. He gave that lot to Joseph Moulder upon his death.

To son Robert the house where I now dwell with remainder of land

To sons Benj. and Wm. my tract of land in Manor of Rockland, New Castle Co. & To sons Benj. and Wm. the house devised to wife after her decease.

To daughter Mary Moulder £200

To the 3 children of brother Thomas deceased, viz Peter, Elizabeth and Deborah Moulder £5 each at 21.

Executors: wife Prudence and son Robert. Witnesses: Wm. Weldon, James Boydon, Jo. Parker

The list of taxables of Bethel township for 1693 shows that the following persons had settled there or, in the case of two persons on the list, owned real estate on which they did not reside:

£. s. d. John Gibbons 0 8 4 Ralph Pile 0 8 4 John Bushell 0 6 0 Nicholas Pile 0 4 2 Edward Beazer 0 8 4 Robert Eyre 0 4 2 Thomas Garrett 0 2 6 Edward Beazer for John Howard 0 6 0 Robert Eyre for Thomas Copper 0 6 0 2 13 10 In the next quarter of a century the number of settlers had doubled, for the taxables of Bethel in 1715 are thus given: Robert Pyle, John Grist, Robert Booth, Edward Beazer, John Cannady, Benjamin Moulder, Joseph Pyle, John Hickman, Edward Dutton, Edward Pennock, William Griffith, John Hopton, John Gibbons, Thomas Durnell.

In 1759, when Gen. John Forbes made demand on Chester and the other counties in the province for teams to be used in transporting the baggage of the army about to march under his command to the site of Fort Du Quesne, Edward Whitaker paid "a bounty" of ten pounds "in behalf of the township" of Bethel, John Cooper was credited with a wagon entered in the service, and John Wilson with the cartage of oats and flour from Carlisle to London.1