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Benjamin Liddon, in Memory of

Benjamin Liddon, in Memory of

Album Rutherford County

Image 13/171

Nov 04, 2021 11:48

  Original

In Memory of Benjamin Liddon (1754-1815) Buried near this spring For loyal service in War of Revolution was awarded two tracts of land including Liddon Spring This Tablet erected by Benjamin Liddon Chapter D.A.R. Midland, Texas This tablet on a stone base is located along highway US231 on the south side of Murfreesboro. For a long time, this area was rural, but now it's located across the street from a Kroger. However, there is some mystery about it. Mystery #1 is there is no spring anywhere near this marker. The closest spring is at the Indian Hills Golf Course. Local historians have asked the residents of the farm which used to be on this land, and nobody recalls the marker being moved. Mystery #2 is Liddon's listed death date of 1815. He is not listed in the 1810 Rutherford Census. Furthermore, historians have found a legal document signed by his wife Sarah (Rutledge) Liddon in 1804, at a time when it was rare for wives to sign a lease contract independent of her husband. There is some evidence Benjamin died in 1803. Mystery #3 is whether or not Benjamin Liddon was actually a soldier in the Revolutionary War. There is a record of one payment "for services" listed in the North Carolina Revolution Army Accounts. One payment may or may not mean he was a soldier. One thing researchers have proven: Liddon never received a land grant as payment for war service. Instead, this land was given to his wife Sarah, daughter of Lt. William Rutledge. Benjamin became an owner of 2560 acres of land by marriage, and this marker is on that land. Mystery #4 is why Benjamin Liddon had a D.A.R. chapter named in his honor in Midland, TX. There is no evidence he had any connection to Texas. Of course, that chapter folded in the 1920s and there are no longer any records anyone can provide. So why is any of this important? Murfreesboro is a growing city, and now this area of highway US231 is a prime location for businesses. About a decade ago, developers wanted to open some retail shops here. Traditionally, nobody is going to build on top of a cemetery. Old maps show this location as Liddon Cemetery. Historians think only Benjamin is buried here, but nobody can really be sure about that either. It's something you can ponder when you eat at Dunkin Donuts next door.