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Benjamin Sublett, my 5th great grandfather, was born the son of Pierre Louis Soblet I and Marte Martain in King William Parrish, Goochland, Virginia, a British Colony in 1733. The Soblet name was changed to the Americanized Sublett after arriving in the colonies. He married Mary Elizabeth Jordan in 1762 in St James Northam Parrish, Goochland, Virginia and they had at least 12 children, 5 daughters and 7 sons including Samuel Pierre Sublett, my 4th great grandfather. Samuel then married Mary Polly Sumter and in 1834 in Warren County, Kentucky they had Benjamin Franklin Sublett, my 3rd great grandfather. He married Louisa M. Wiley in 1850 in Warren County and they had Sarah Elizabeth “Lizzie” Sublett, my 2nd great grandmother in 1851. Lizzie married Samuel Pleasant Ayers in 1871 in Warren County, Kentucky and in 1872 they had John William Ayers, my great grandfather. John married Maggie Martin and they had Nettie Virginia Ayers, my grandmother while living in Butler County in 1904.

Nettie married Robert E. Gidcumb in Sumner County, Tennessee and they had my mother Helen Reid Gidcumb in 1920 in Butler County, Kentucky. Helen married Dewey Lee “Pete” Smith and they have six children.

Benjamin Sublett entered the Continental Army on 6 Dec 1776 in Sussex Co. VA.  He is listed as a Private in June 1777, in Captain James Gray’s 15th VA Regiment of Foot, commanded by Lt. Col. James Innes. By July 1777 he was a Corporal. In September 1777 he was listed as sick in the hospital and then sick and absent from Oct-Dec. In March- June 1778 muster rolls list him in Valley Forge; transferred in May 1779 to Major Stephenson Company, 5th and 11th Regiment consolidated. His name is on the muster roll for November 1779, dated Dec 9, 1779, at Morristown, VA. Virginia records at the War Dept. have his name on the Muster Roll at Camp Morristown, VA.

After his service in the American Revolution, he received land grants and moved with some of his family to near the Gasper River in Warren County, Kentucky. Upon his death in 1809 his body was buried near the river about 15 miles out from Bowling Green, KY where in later years the local DAR chapter erected a monument. After years of overgrowth the monument was moved by Sublett family members to the Highland Baptist Church Cemetery about 14 miles NW of Bowling Green off Hwy 231.

America 250!                                                                                                             

When you join the DAR, you enter a network of more than 185,000 women who form lifelong bonds, honor their revolutionary ancestors and promote historic preservation, education and patriotism in their communities. The goal for the next few years is to increase the membership to 250,000. In an effort to further that initiative the Butler County Chapter NSDAR will be submitting a series of articles about our Patriot ancestors.

Submitted by: LoRei Smith McKinney Deweese