Biographical note

Dirck Bensingh and Catalina Berck married in Amsterdam, Netherlands and immigrated to New Amsterdam, now New York City, in 1648. Robert Benson (1715-1762), the great-grandson of Dirck and Catalina, was a brewer in New York City. His brewery was located on Cherry Street in what is now lower Manhattan. In 1738, Robert married Catherine Van Borsum (1718-1794). They had six children: Robert, Henry, Mary, Egbert, Cornelia, and Anthony. Their daughters, Mary and Cornelia, both died young. The four sons all served in the American Revolutionary War and were members of the Sons of Liberty.

Robert Benson (1739-1823), the eldest son, inherited his father's brewery. He continued as a brewer for awhile but eventually sold the property. During the American Revolutionary War he served as a member of the first Committee of Safety, was Secretary of the first convention, and was aide-de-camp of Governor George Clinton. Following the American Revolution, he acquired farmland in Brooklyn. Robert bought, sold, and owned land in several areas of Brooklyn, including what is now the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. The town and area once known as New Utrecht, which now includes the neighborhood of Bensonhurst, bears the Benson family name.

Egbert Benson (1746-1833), graduated from King's College, now Columbia University, in 1765 and again in 1768. He was admitted to the bar in 1769 and moved to Red Hook, New York in Dutchess County. He went on to become a judge, congressman, and was appointed as the first Attorney General of the State of New York in 1777. Egbert was also one of the founders of the New-York Historical Society and served as the Society's first president for eleven years. Very late in life, he married Marie Conover (1797-1867) in 1820.

Sources:

1. Benson, Arthur T. Jacob Benson, pioneer and his descendants: in the towns of Dover and Amenia, Dutchess County, New York and elsewhere: together with some information of the early members of the Benson family in New England and New York State. Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: A.V. Haight Co., 1915.
2. Van Schaack, Henry Cruger, 1802-1887. Alderman Benson's Memoir of the Benson Family. New York?: s.n., 1869.