Benjamin Contee (1755 – November 30, 1815) was an American Episcopal priest and statesman from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He was an officer in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, a delegate to the

Confederation Congress The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

, and member of the first

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Early life

Contee was the son of Col.

Thomas Contee Thomas Contee (–1811) of "Brookefield", near Nottingham, Prince George's County, Maryland, was an American patriot who held the rank of colonel, militia man, politician, planter. Early life Thomas Contee was born at "Brookefield" in Prince Ge ...

(1729–1811) and Sarah Fendall (1732–1793). He was born at "Brookefield", near

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

, Maryland, the home of his father, and original home of his ancestor, Maj. Thomas Brooke, Sr., Esq. (1632–1676).

Military and political career

At beginning of the Revolutionary War, Contee entered the Continental Army, rising to the rank of captain of the

3rd Maryland Regiment The 3rd Maryland Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. It served from 1776 to 1783, mostly in the Middle Atlantic Region of the conflict. Background The 3rd Maryland Regiment was orga ...

, which proved to be one of the army's elite units until its near annihilation at the Battle of Camden. After the war he was elected to the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

, where he served from 1785 to 1787. He served as a delegate to the

from 1787 to 1788, and the third district of Maryland in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

from 1789 to 1791. Along with his brother Alexander Contee (1752–1810), he became a merchant of London, at their stores in Nottingham, Queen Anne and Upper Marlboro. He was declared insolvent due to “mishaps in trade”. After having served in Congress, he went to Europe and traveled through Spain, France, and England.

Marriage and children

On April 8, 1788, he married his cousin, Sarah Russell Lee (1766–1810). Sarah was born at " Blenheim" in 1766, and died December 6, 1810 at "Bromont", near Newburg, Charles Co., Maryland. Sarah was the daughter of Philip Thomas Lee (1736–1778) and Ann Russell (died 1777) of England. The Contees' children were Sarah "Sallie" Elinor Contee (1789 – c. 1815), Philip Ashton Lee Contee, Sr. (1795–1842), Edmund Henry Contee (1799–1832), and Alice Lee Contee (1803–1868), who married Gov.

Joseph Kent Joseph Kent (January 14, 1779November 24, 1837), a Whig, was a United States Senator from Maryland, serving from 1833 until his death in 1837. He also served in the House of Representatives, serving the second district of Maryland from 1811 to ...

Episcopal minister

On his return to America he completed his study in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and was admitted to holy orders in 1803 by Rev.

Thomas John Claggett Thomas John Claggett (October 2, 1743 – August 2, 1816) was the first bishop of the newly formed American Episcopal Church, U.S.A. (also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.) to be consecrated on American soil and the first ...

, Bishop of Maryland, a neighbor, friend, helper and patriot of the Revolution. That same year he became rector of William & Mary's, Charles County. He was a distinguished minister of the Episcopal Church and for several years the incumbent of

Port Tobacco Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historical ...

Parish,

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is part of the Wash ...

. He was a native of Prince George's County and brought up in the church. In 1808, he added Trinity, and in 1811, St. Paul's, Prince George's Co., Maryland, to his charge. He continued as a Judge of the Orphan's Court, and was always in the Standing Committee.

Property

Benjamin resided briefly in the mid-1790s at " Blenheim". At the time of his death he was living at the glebe house of Trinity Parish near Allen's Fresh. Benjamin and his wife were more than likely interred in the Contee cemetery at "Locust Hill" just outside Port Tobacco, which has been destroyed. If not there, then they were buried in the original Christ Church cemetery in Port Tobacco, which is now covered by swamp.

References

*Fendall, Douglas Allen. ''The Descendants of Governor Josias Fendall''. *(attained from several sources including: "Across the Years in Price George's County"). *"Clergy in Maryland of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Since the Independence of 1783". *Purcell, L. Edward. ''Who Was Who in the American Revolution''. New York: Facts on File, 1993. . Reference for military and congressional service only, not family information.

External links

Retrieved on 2009-05-07 {{DEFAULTSORT:Contee, Benjamin Fendall family 1755 births 1815 deaths People from Nottingham, Maryland 18th-century American Episcopalians Continental Congressmen from Maryland Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Continental Army officers from Maryland American Episcopal priests 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American Episcopalians People of colonial Maryland Contee family Lee family of Virginia