Margaret Shippen^[1]

1761 - 1804  (43 years)

• Name	Margaret Shippen
  Nickname	Peggy
  Birth	1761	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania   [2]
  Gender	Female
  Death	24 Aug 1804	London, Middlesex, England   [2]
  Person ID	I6264	Scudder
  Last Modified	20 Jan 2003

  
  

  Family	Benedict Arnold,   b. 14 Jan 1741, Norwich, New London, Connecticut d. 14 Jun 1801, London, Middlesex, England (Age 60 years)
  Marriage	8 Apr 1779	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania   [2]
  Children	1. Edward Shippen Arnold,   b. 19 Mar 1780, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania d. 13 Dec 1813, Dinapoor, India (Age 33 years)   2. James Robertson Arnold,   b. 29 Aug 1781, New York, New York, New York d. 27 Dec 1854, England (Age 73 years)   3. Sophia Matilda Arnold,   b. 28 Jul 1785, London, Middlesex, England d. 10 Jun 1828, London, Middlesex, England (Age 42 years)   4. George Arnold,   b. Aug 1787, St. John, New Brunswick d. 1 Nov 1828, Bengal, India (Age 41 years)   5. William Fitch Arnold,   b. 25 Jun 1794, London, Middlesex, England d. 17 Nov 1846, Little Messenden, Buckinghamshire, England (Age 52 years)
  Family ID	F2240	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

• Notes

  Peggy was the baby of the three daughters of Edward Shippen, who later became chief justice of Pennsylvania. Her cousin, William Shippen, was surgeon general to the Continental Army. She was celebrated for her beauty, wit, and nobility of character. Benedict pursued and wooed Peggy who was missing the company of Captain John Andre, and after some misgivings on her part and the hesitation of her father, Benedict finally succeeded. Benedict's marriage into the Shippen family brought him social status, however, it was something he really could not afford. The couple lived well beyond their means, and as a result, he entered into some shady business dealings, including shipping, real estate speculation and authorizing the use of government supplies for his own personal needs. With people in Congress eyeing everything he did, he was soon brought up on charges and was court martialed. He defended himself, furiously as always, but he was found guilty on two charges: using government wagons for his personal use and issuing a pass to a ship he later invested in. Washington, himself pronounced the charges "imprudent and improper" and "peculiarly reprehensible." By May 1779, Benedict had begun bargaining with the British. At the time, Peggy was considered an innocent in the matter, however, new research showed that the young woman played an important part in knowing what was going on and aiding her husband's endeavors. The occupation of Philadelphia during the winter of 1777-1778 was an exciting one for her. Parties, routs, and balls were all aspects of the social scene with numerous British officers and Tory sympathizers. Peggy had made some friends among them. Major John Andre, the adjutant general and intelligence chief of Sir Henry Clinton, had been friends with Peggy during the Philadelphia occupation. After Andre's capture and execution as a spy, Benedict defected to the British and received substantial remuneration for his defection. These included pay, land in Canada, pensions for himself, his wife and his children, five surviving from Peggy and three from his first marriage to Margaret, and a military commission as a British Provincial brigadier general. The British provided handsomely for Benedict, but never completely trusted him. He was never given an important military command. The family moved to London where he found no job, some admiration and even some contempt. He moved his family to Canada where he reentered the shipping business. The Tories there disliked him and had no use for him, and eventually he returned his family to London. When the fighting began between France and England, he tried again for military service, but to no avail. His shipping ventures eventually failed and he died in 1801, virtually unknown, Peggy joining him in death three years later.

  
  

• Sources

  [S102] Partial Genealogy of Descendants of Elizabeth Scudder-E, Section I, Bulletin XXX, p. 14. [S127] Ancestral File (R).