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SINGLETARY to DUNHAM
FAMILY HISTORY,
STORIES
and
TIMELINE

JONATHAN DUNHAM
(alias JONATHAN SINGLETARY)

A Collection for Scholastic Study
by
Audrey (Shields) Hancock
April, 2000
Revision continues, 2004

A Work in Progress

   With the Input from Many Fine Researchers & Contributors   


Proof-readers welcome.
Corrections accepted with gratitude.
Please just let Audrey know.






   JONATHAN SINGLETARY   
   aka JONATHAN DUNHAM (alias SINGLETARY)   


INTRODUCTION

JONATHAN DUNHAM of Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., NJ started out life as JONATHAN SINGLETARY, the apparent but still controversial eldest child of Richard Singletary and Susanna Cooke of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

[Patricia Junkin continues to believe that he is the son of Richard Singletary and a first wife, perhaps Humility Dunham or the "Goodwife Singletary" of vital records.] Patricia states, "We have the unanswered question of why Jonathan maintained the name Dunham as did successive generations with close intermarriage to Deacon John's line. He used the name for a reason."

This same Jonathan ended life as Jonathan DUNHAM (alias SINGLETARY). He appears to have had a dual personality having led a tumultuous life in Salem and Haverhill, Massachusetts...perhaps a scoundrel, a notorious vagabond, an antagonizer of the Puritan leaders, etc. and seemingly having led a respectable, honorable life in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The following information and records will attempt to present a chronology of the life of Jonathan Dunham (alias Singletary) and the events that made his life so controversial and confusing to researchers.

First of all, we need to say that Jonathan DUNHAM (alias SINGLETARY) was no relation to the "Mayflower" DUNHAM Family of Plymouth, Massachusetts, even though attempts to connect him have been made at times. Previous books, lineages, and genealogies often allude to this connection, and plant him among the descendants of Deacon John Dunham. Now based upon the DUNHAM-DONHAM & variants Y-DNA Project (2003-2004) conclusive evidence shows that the two DUNHAM families are of two distinct & different DNA family groups. In fact, this projects has definitely proven that Jonathan was a SINGLETARY by birth and thus by DNA testing with another descendant bearing the SINGLETARY surname.

1638/1639
Jonathan Singletary, born 1638/1639 [Julian Calendar] at Salisbury, Massachusetts, is believed by many researchers to have been a child of Richard Singletary and a first wife, perhaps the "Goodwife Singletary" or a Humility Dunham. However, new evidence presented at this time appears to refute this assumption/theory. Further study may bring new answers for a mysterious beginning.

Jonathan, at this time is deemed to be the son of Richard Singletary and Susannah Cooke by many. Various resources give his birth:

  • 17 January 1639/40 at Salisbury, Essex Co., Massachusetts (HOYT, p. 317),
  • "...Jonathan Dunham, alias Singletary, at Newbury, Mass., on January 17, 1640, of parents Richard and Hannah [sometimes an abbreviated name for Susannah] Singletary." (Monnette, Pt.1)
  • "Jonathan, b. in Plymouth, in 1646; m. in 1669, Mary Bloomfild, also b. in Plymouth, in 1653, and later a resident of Hartford. Jonathan's early life was spent in Hartford, where he formed the acquaintance with Samuel Marsh, a son of John Marsh." (Isaac Watson Dunham, pp. 40-41, erroneously attempts to name Jonathan's father as "Thomas DUNHAM, son of Deacon John Dunham...")

    New Observation
    by
    David M. Shields of Long Island
    21 Feb 2004
    Vital Records of Salisbury, Massachusetts
    To the End of the Year 1849
    Published by the Topsfield Historical Society
    Topsfield, Massachusetts
    1915
    Page 218: "Salisbury Births"
    "SINGLETARY, Jonathan, s. Ric[hard] and Susanah, 17: 11 m: 1639"

    Dave states: Note! 17 is the 17th day, 11 m is the 11th month. [Julian Calendar]
    In 1639, the 11th month was February of what we would now call 1640. That is why the dates are written 1639/40. This Vital Record states that Susanah was the mother of Jonathan."

    However, Patricia Junkin states, "The VR's can be mistaken or incomplete.

    The Vital Records of Haverhill, Pub. Topsfield Historical Society. 1911. Marriages: Richard Singletary and Susanna Cooke [bef. 1656]. Where is the later data to give us a marriage date? Yvonne [Burton] states she used the History of Milbury which gives Susanna as the second wife. Coddington also states Susanna was a second wife. The surname Singletary is so unique as to allow us to accept that "Goodwife" was somehow connected to Richard Singletary who alone, as most historians accept, in this area of Massachusetts possessed this surname.

    If the death date of Goodwife Singletary was taken from a tombstone that had deteriorated, and the record states 1638 or 1639, then the data seems imprecise and we cannot assume that she did not die in 1639/40; an obvious offering having died in childbirth. Per Marcia Briggs: "A Guide To Massachusetts Cemeteries" by David Allen Lambert, the oldest cemetery in Newbury is The First Settlers Burying Ground, first burial 1635. Indicates a survey was published in NEHGR 12:73 Newbury Burying Ground. From the Newbury Vital Records, Volume 2, page 721: Singletary, ____, Goodwife, ____, 1638 or 9. Therefore, if Goodwife died on 17 January 1639, you could reckon Jonathan's birth on 17 January 1639/40; 1 Jan-24 Mar. being the adjusted dating. The date of Jonathan's birth is from Yvonne Brunton's book. In Dec. 1662, Jonathan attest he is "aged about ___________-three years," consistent with being born in 1639. If we accept that Richard Singletary's wife died in 1638 or 1639, then an immediate marriage to Susannah to care for a baby is also reasonable. Even The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts says only that "Richard Singletary....m. as early as 1639, Susanna Cook who was born ab. 1616 and d. April 11, 1682 (Hv-Haverhill) but the same source gives Richard's age at death as 102 years. By the way, how would Richard have known Susannah Cooke? In the 1932 Monette's "First Settler's," citing Oliver B. Leonard "Reliable authority places the birth of this Jonathan alias Singletary, at Newbury, Mass on January 17, 1640 of parents Richard and Susannah Singletary (Hannah is a typographical error)" Even this is problematic. Is there a record where Jonathan's mother is referred to as Hannah? This source also gives a 6 Sept. 1706 death date for Jonathan alias and to my knowledge no one knows when he died. We are at the mercy of transcribers."


    It is assumed that Jonathan grew to manhood in the family home of his father, Richard Singletary, in Salisbury, Newbury and Haverhill, Massachusetts, as indicated in the references above. We can also probably conclude that he was probably reared in the strict religious atmosphere of the day. As we know, the religious freedom that was sought by so many of the European religious sects of the time was not practiced once the sect arrived in America. Their settlements did not allow for diversity of religious thought. Religious freedoms were not practiced in the colonies. There was a strict adherence to each's code of teachings, conducts, morals, etc., and these was strictly inforced by the practicing members of each sect. This fermented fear and dissension among many of the inhabitants. Veiled under the cloud of this environment Jonathan would experience some dark days in his life. What is not clear is where the young adult Jonathan was and what he did before his marriage.


    1657-1662
    Jonathan Singletary married 1657-1662 (MYERS, p. 530 says m abt. 1657)(HOYT, p. 317, says m abt. 1661) (Patricia Junkin says m by 1662) to Mary Bloomfield, eldest child and daughter of Thomas (#2) Bloomfield and Mary ???. (HOYT, p. 317 says Thomas Bloomfield, Jr. & Mary)   Mary Bloomfield was born "15 January 1642" and married "Jonathan Dunham, alias Singletary." (NYG&B RECORD, p. 58)   In speaking of Thomas (#2) Bloomfield, Jr./Sr., of Woodbridge, we find this remark: "He provided the daughter, Mary Bloomfield, which made him the father-in-law of that forceful individual, Jonathan Singletary, alias Dunham." (MONNETTE, pp. 495-496: Dedication...)


    14 March 2004, Patricia Junkin writes, "I have no evidence of the marriage of Mary Bloomfield to Jonathan alias before 1662 when Richard Singletary and wife Susana convey to Mary, wife of Jonathan of Haverhill 150 acres bounded by Theophilous Satchwell [court records] at the time of Jonathan's suit with Godfrey. Mary, according to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Records, was born 15 Jan 1642. To have a child born in 1659, Mary and Jonathan would have been married in 1658 making Esther their first child and Mary aged about 17 years. Not unusual, but if you account for naming practice [of that time period...ASH], for whom was Esther named? Yvonne [Burton] has a birth for Mary, whom she believes was the first child as Dec. 29 1661. There is a gap between a date of 3 Feb. 1663 for Sarah-Mary who m. William Ellison and an estimated birth of Ruth in 1666. Esther could have well been born in this space and have been of age to have married in 1680, age about 15-16.


    Abt. 1659
    Esther Singletary was born to Jonathan Singletary & Mary Bloomfield. She married 1680 to Samuel Smith and apparently died before 1702.


    1659
    An encounter began between John Godfrey against Jonathan Singletary in 1659. Jonathan had signed a deposition against John Godfrey. (MONNNETTE, Pt. 4, p. 501)

    1661 December 29
    Mary Singletary was born 29 December 1661 in Haverhill, Essex Co., MA according to vital records. She apparently died as an infant or as a toddler. (HOYT, p. 317 gives birthdate, Haverhill, and "died young.")


    We know that about 1662 Jonathan, about 23 years of age, becomes entangled in litigation with John Godfrey. He got into court trouble with John Godfrey after accusing John Godfrey of witchcraft. John Godfrey's predicament appears to have begun in 1640 with William Osgood and eventually a deposition given by William. Then came the encounter between Godfrey and Singletary in 1659, after Jonathan had signed a deposition against John. In return, John Godfrey sued 1 March 1664, at Ipswich, Jonathan and others for defamation and slander. This was followed by Jonathan being found guilty as the verdict was for the plaintiff, and Jonathan, the defendant, had to pay a fine or had to make a public apology at Haverhill. (MONNNETTE, Pt. 4, p. 501) The account of this matter is excerpted below, but whether he paid the fine or gave the public apology is unknown.


    1662
    "John Godfrey v. Jonathan Singletarye"
    Salem Quarterly Court Records can now be found on-line.
    (Internet, 2004, Patricia Junkin: Salem Quarterly Court)


    SALEM WITCHCRAFT,
    With an Account of Salem Village
    and
    A History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Spirits    ,
    by Charles W. UPHAM
    Vol. 1, pp. 432-437
    (MONNETTE, Pt. 4, p. 501 cites Recs. Quart. Cts., Essex Co., MA, Vol. III, pp. 120+)

    "WILLIAM OSGOOD testifieth, that in the yeare '40, in the month of August, --he being then building a bar for Mr. Spencer,--John Godfree being then Mr. Spencer's herdsman, he on an evening came to the frame, where divers men were at work, and said that he had gotten a new master against the time he had done keeping cows. The said William Osgood asked him who it was. He answered, he knew not. He again asked him where he dwelt. He answered, he knew not. He asked him what his name was. He answered, he knew not. He then said to him, 'How, then, wilt thou go to him when thy time is out?' He said, 'The man will come and fetch me then.' I asked him, 'Hast thou made an absolute bargain?' He answered that a covenant was made, and he had set his hand to it. He then asked him whether he had not a counter covenant. Godfree answered, 'No.' W. O. siad, 'What a mad fellow art thou to make a covenant in this manner!' He said, 'He's an honest man.'--'How knowest thou?' said W. O. J. Godfree answered. 'He looks like one.' W. O. then answered, 'I am persuaded thou hast made a covenant with the Devil.' He then skipped about, and said, 'I profess, I profess!' WILLIAM OSGOOD."

    The proceedings against Godfrey were carried up to other tribunals, as appears by a record of the County Court at Salem, 28th of June, 1659:--
    "John Godfrey stands bound in one hundred pound bond to the treasurer of this county for his appearance at a General Court, or Court of Assistants, when he shall be legally summonded thereunto."

    What action, if any was had by either of these high courts, I have found no information. But he must have come off unscathed; for, soon after, he commenced actions in the County Court for defamation against his accusers, with the following results:--
    "John Godfery plt. agst. Will. Simonds & Sam. his son dfts. in an action of slander that the said Sam. son to Will. Simons, hath don him in his name, Charging him to be a witch, the jury find for the plt. 2d damage & cost of Curth 29sh, yet notwithstanding doe conceiue, that by the testmonyes he is rendred suspicious."

    "John Godfery plt. agst. Jonathan Singletary defendt. in an action of Slander and Defamation for calling him witch & said is this witch on this side Boston Gallows yet, the attachmt & other evidences were read, committed to the Jury & are on file. The Jury found for the plt. a publique acknowledgmt, at Haverhill within a month that he hath done the plt. wrong in his words or 10sh damage & costs of Court £2-16-0."

    In the trial of the case between Godfrey and Singletary, the latter attempted to prove the truth of his allegations against the former, by giving the following piece of testimony, which, while it failed to convince the jury, is worth preserving, from the inherent interest of some of its details:--

    "Date the fourteenth the twelfth month, '62.--The DEPOSITION OF JONATHAN SINGLETARY, aged about 23, who testifieth that I, being in the prison at Ipswich this night last past between nine and ten of the clock at night, after the bell had rung, I being set in a corner of the prison, upon a sudden I heard a great noise as if many cats had been climbing up the prison walls, and skipping into the house at the windows, and jumping about the chamber; and a noise as if boards' ends or stools had been thrown about, and men walking in the chambers, and a crackling and shaking as if the house would have fallen upon me. I seeing this and considering whit I knew by a young man that kept at my house last Indian Harvest, and, upon some difference with John Godfre, he was presently several nights in a strange manner troubled, and complaining as he did, and upon consideration of this and other things that I knew by him, I was at present something affrighted; yet considering what I had lately heard made out by Mr. Mitchel at Cambridge, that there is more good in God than there is evil in sin, and that although God is the greatest good, and sin the greatest evil, yet the first Being of evil cannot weane the scales or overpower the first Being of good: so considering that the author of good was of greater power than the author of evil, Godd was pleased of his goodness to keep me from being out of measure frighted. So this noise above-said held as I suppose about a quarter of an hour, and then ceased: and presently I heard the bolt of the door shoot or go back as perfectly, to my thinking, as I did the next morning when the keeper came to unlock it; and I could not see the door open, but I saw John Godfre stand within the door and said, 'Jonathan, Jonathan.' So I, looking on him, said, 'What have you to do with me?' He said, 'I come to see you: are you weary of your place yet?' I answered, 'I take no delight in being here, but I will be out as soon as I can.' He said, 'If you will pay me in corn, you shall come out.' I answered, 'No: if that had been my intent, I would have paid the marshal, and never have come hither.' He, knocking of his fist at me weary of my part, and so went away, I knew not how nor which way; and, I was walking about in the prison, I tripped upon a stone with my heel, and took it up in my hand, thinking that if he came again I would strike at him. So, as I was walking about, he called at the window, 'Jonathan,' said he, 'if you will pay me corn, I will give you two years day, and we will come to an agreement;' I answered him saying, 'Why do you come dissembling and playing the Devil's part here? Your nature is nothing but envy and malice, which you will vent, though to your own loss; and you seek peace with no man.' --'I do not dissemble,' said he: 'I will give you my hand upon it, I am in earnest.' So he put his hand in at the window, and I took hold of it with my left hand, and pulled him to me; and with the stone in my right hand I thought I struck him, and went to recover my hand to strike again, and his hand was gone, and I would have struck, but there was nothing to strike: and how he went away I know not; for I could neither feel when his hand went out of mine, nor see which way he went."

    It can hardly be doubted, that Singletary's story was the result of the workings of an excited imagination, in wild and frightful dreams under the spasms of nightmare. We shall meet similar phenomena, when we come to the testimony in the trials of 1692.
    Godfrey was a most eccentric character. He courted and challenged the imputation of witchcraft, and tookd delight in playing upon the credulity of his neighbors, enjoying the exhibition of thier amazement, horror, and consternation. He was a person of much notoriety, had more lawsuits, it is probable, than any other man in the colony, and in one instance came under the criminal jurisdiction for familiarity with other and immaterial spirits; for we find, by the record of Sept. 25, 1666, that John Godfrey was "find for being drunk."

    I have allowed so much space to the the foregoing documents, because they show the fancies which, fermenting in the public mind, and inflamed by the prevalent literature, theology, and philosophy, came to a head thirty years afterwards; and because they prove that in 1660 a conviction for witchcraft could not be obtained in this county. The evidence against none of the convicts in 1692, throwing out of view the statements and actings of the "afflicted children," was half so strong as that against Godfrey. Short work would have been made with him then.

    There is one particularly interesting item in Singletary's deposition. It illustrates the value of good preaching. This young man, in his gloomy prison, and overwhelmed with the terrors of supersition, found consolation, courage, and strength in what he remembered of a serman, to which he had happened to listen, from "Matchless Mitchel." It was indeed good doctrine; and it is to be lamented that it was not carried out to its logical conclusions, and constantly enforced by the divines of that and subsequent times.

    According to Plymouth Colony Records Jonathan Singletary was accused of being a Ranter, an English radical group, which became prominent from 1649-54. ["Ranters embraced the concept of the 'indwelling spirit', a form of religious perfection. Whatever was done in the Spirit was justifiable to a Ranter. Man was free of Sin and the Law. This was commonly known as Antinomianism." (Source: Internet, 2004: English Dissenters: RANTERS]   This way of thinking and preaching was thus in contradiction of the religious values of the community of Plymouth and thus subject to Plymouth court intervention. Other practicing religious groups of Plymouth also suffered from persecutions by the Plymouth courts. (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195)

    See also: Salem, A Brief History which speaks of Antinomianism




    On 15 March 2004, Patricia Junkin posted this information to the DUNHAM-DONHAM Discussion List:

    "One might suggest he [Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary] was a man of principal, others a foolish and reckless spirit. I prefer to see him in the light of the time and he was no doubt a forceful presence from his youth, fired by the religious zeal of either the 'Ranting' Quakers or Anne Hutchinson¹s Antinomians, Ranters (an evangelical spirit that had flourished among Puritans in eastern Lincolnshire [England])."


    1662 April 8
    On 8 April 1662, Richard and "Susan" (Susanna) SINGLETARY of Haverhill, Essex Co., Massachusetts conveyed 80 acres of land in Haverhill to Mary, wife of Jonathan Singletary of Haverhill...and NOT to their son, Jonathan. This land was bounded by Theophilus Satchwell. (MONNETTE, Part 4, p. 500) Why did the land go to Mary and not to Jonathan? Was Jonathan gone from the family? Was Jonathan not yet settled, thus his tumultuous lifestyle against the teachings of the fathers of Salem, perhaps put him in jeopardy of loosing land placed in his name. Evidently his parents felt it best to place the land in the hands of his wife, Mary, for the protection of Jonathan & Mary's family. They certainly would not have known the outcome of their son's life, and possibly feared for his family's future well-being. Certainly this step speaks well for the character of Mary (Bloomfield) Singletary.


    1663 Jan 12
    "On 12 Jan 1663 Jonathan received land in the third division of Salisbury, Massachusetts."  (MYERS, p. 530)

    1663/1664
    Another daughter, Mary Singletary, was born 3 February 1663/1664 in Haverhill to Jonathan according to vital records. (HOYT, p. 317) Mary Dunham (alias Singletary) would live to marry William Ellison (HOYT, p. 317, merely says "Ellison.



    On 15 March 2004, Patricia Junkin posted this information to the DUNHAM-DONHAM@Rootsquest Discussion List:

    "In 1665, Philip Carteret having been appointed governor of New Jersey, settled at Elizabethtown, which he made the seat of his government, dispatched agents into New England to publish the constitution and invite emigrants....several from Newbury.. settled in a township, which, in honor of the Rev. John Woodbridge of Newbury, was called Woodbridge..among the emigrants: Capt. John Pike, Thomas Bloomfield, Stephen Kent, George March, John Bloomfield, Nathaniel Webster. In that same year Jonathan Singletary and John Pike testify concerning a fence in Haverhill.

    Sometime between this and 1670, Jonathan removes to Woodbridge where a grant of land is made to Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary if he is to build a grist mill. The wording indicates he may have been previously in Woodbridge and he may very well have moved with his in-laws, the Bloomfields. It is at this point we find the first references to him as an 'alias.' "


    1664
    The Dutch surrendered to England in 1664.
     (Source: Internet, 2004, Chapter IV: THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS IN NEW JERSEY)


    1665
    In 1665, Philip Carteret (1639-1682), was commissioned by Sir George Carteret, his fourth cousin, as the first English colonial governor of New Jersey. He arrived in the colonies in 1665 and organized New Jersey as an English colony. There were colonial disputes over land titles and rebellions by tenant farmers. After the division of New Jersey in 1676, he was made governor of East Jersey. Philip Carteret was imprisoned by Sir Edmund Andros with disagreement over the right to collect custom duties. However, he was eventually restored to his governorship by the Duke of York (James II).

    1665-1666 Then around 1665, Jonathan and Mary removed to Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey with the BLOOMFIELD family. (HOYT, p. 317...abt. 1665) Apparently with the move came a surname change to DUNHAM, perhaps for anonymity and a different way of life, or perhaps for another reason lost forever in time.


    1668
    In 1668 thirteen men took the oath of loyalty to the English governor.


    1668/1669
    Unis Dunham (alias Singletary) was born 1668-1669 probably in Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., NJ. Her death is recorded below which indicates she was in her 17th year. (DALLY, p. 327)




    JONATHAN DUNNING (alias SINGLETARY)
    [Is this our Jonathan Dunham (alias Singletary)?
    Jonathan Dunham (alias Singletary) had a brother, Amos Singletary.   ASH]

    "Jonathan DUNNING (alias Singletary); ---At the first settlement of Killingworth Conn. (the part of the town now called Clinton), Jonathan Dunning drew the lot of land next to the parsonage. He had daughters born there in 1666 and 1668; was a soldier in an Indian war of 1676; and about 1682 is mentioned by Cotton Mather as one of a band of "Ranting Quakers" who pretended to perform miracles. In some of the records he is styled "Singletary" and the same man has apparently been traced in a family of Singletarys in Haverhill, Mass.. No connection seems to have been established between him and any of the later Dunning families in New England."


    (Source: Internet, 28 Mar 2004, DUNHAM-DONHAM@rootsquest: Mimi at Claire A. Foster: Heritage Quest at Genealogy.com Library: WHITTEMORE, Henry, Genealogical Guide to the Early Settlers of America, p. 2)

    [Mimi's Note: "The Indian war mentioned above is most likely King Phillip's War, where I found a Jonathan Dunning in Turner's Company. .. more curious still is Soldiers in King Phillip's War, 1675-1677 by George Madison Badge lists Amos Singleterry as serving under Capt. Turner in 1676.]
    [Audrey's Note: His name is found at this site: King Phillips War: Soldiers of the King Phillips War by George M. Bodge, Boston, 1906: "Sept 21,1675: Jonathan Dunning"]

    [Internet, 28 Feb 2004, DUNHAM-DONHAM@rootsquest: Patricia Junkin states: "Between 1665 and 1670 I have no notes on Jonathan, but he was not in Killington, rather Woodbridge, [NJ] after 1670. The soldier data is most interesting."]

    A Tidbit about King Phillip's War
    by
    Audrey (Shields) Hancock


    When the English first settled in New England, they were helped by Massasoit, sachem of the Wampanoag Native American tribe. They had even made a treaty of friendship which lasted about 50 years. However, more and more Native American land was going to the these new inhabitants. Then as more settlers came the English wanted colonial control over the Native Americans. Not wishing to submit to colonialism by reliquishing their land, independence and way of life the Native Americans revolted, thus the King Phillip's War. Metacomet (aka Phillip), 2nd s/o Massasoit, then the successor of the sachem of Wampanoag, led his people in a revolt against the colonists in 1675, but by 1676, Metacomet (aka Phillip) was dead, and his head was paraded around Plymouth.

    Another Accounting of King Phillip's War
    by
    Patricia Junkin
    29 Feb 2004

    "King Phillip's War [1675-6] began in the Plymouth Colony when the Indians were pressured to surrender more land. There was treachery on both sides and the flames of war spread not unlike the devastating forest fires of the West Coast. In the Spring of 1675, the Wampanoag Chief Metacom (King Phillip) attacked the settlers. Some communities were more devstated than others and the Maine settlements in particular peril. It was an exceptionally deadly conflict with the loss of one in ten soldiers on either side, according to some sources. At the outbreak of hostilities, companies of soldiers were drawn from settlements in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but Jonathan was in New Jersey."


    Patricia states, "To recap or re-phrase my post of yesterday. Jonathan Singletary alias Dunham was in Woodbridge, NJ by 1670. I have an accounting of him from that date and in 1672, 1673, 1674, 1675, 1679 in NEW JERSEY, not Connecticut."

    "Observations: If Jonathan was a ranting Quaker as was mentioned in an earlier post, the characterization attributed to Cotton, I doubt Jonathan alias would have been a soldier. But as an Antinomian, might have been."

    WARNING:

    "I would be cautious about accepting this account, however, from 1665 until 1670, when the daughters, Ruth, Eunice and Esther were born, I cannot yet track his whereabouts. From a rootsweb discussion: Killingworth is near Clinton, CN and not terribly far from New Haven. Isaac Watson Dunham, thought that a Jonathan Dunham, son of Thomas was in Connecticut."

    LINKS for INFORMATION ABOUT KING PHILIP'S WAR

  • King Phillip’s War 1675-1676
  • KING PHILIP'S WAR of 1675 - 1676
  • Edward Randolph's Description of King Philip's War (1685)
  • King Philip's War
  • King Phillip's War by Edmund Randolph, 1675
  • King Phillip's War: Brief History of King Philip's War by George M. Bodge 1841 to 1914 Printed Privately at Boston, 1891
  • King Philip's War and its Symbolic Legacy
  • The Legacy of King Philip’s War
  • King Phillip's War

    • [From reading some of the information in the above links, one discovers that Plymouth was a colony under stress and an area of strife between Native Americans and the colonists. Troops from Puritan Plymouth and the Connecticut colonies were involved in this war.  ASH]



    1669 June 1
    Charter of the town of Woodbridge was granted by Gov. Philip Carteret. He had stipulated that a minimum of 60 families be settled and that a town quitrent be paid.
    (Source: Internet, 2004, Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, USA


    1670

    In New Jersey, Jonathan erected a grain mill in 1670, and here he appears to have led a respectable life for a time. Information from Roger Singletary, 14 Mar 2004, indicates the mill was located on Papiac Creek near Woodland, NJ and owned 213 acres of land in Woodbridge, NJ. A mill in the area would certainly have brought prosperity and growth to Woodbridge. A mill would have been a fundamental asset to the people in the area and surrounding areas in that time period. In itself, he, as proprietor, would have certainly added to his leadership in the area.


    DUNHAMS OF WOODBRIDGE
    During the Provincial and Colonial Eras.
    by Oliver B. Leonard
    Plainfield, NJ
    MONNETTE, Orra Eugene, FIRST SETTLERS of YE PLANTATIONS of PISCATAWAY and WOODBRIDGE, OLDE EAST NEW JERSEY, 1664-1714, The Leroy Carman Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1930, p. 194: Genealogical Notes of the Dunham Family: Dunhams of Woodbridge
    "As early in the Proprietary period of East New Jersey as 1670, reference is made in the old town book to 'Jonathan Dunham, alias Singletary, and Mary his wife, formerly of Hauesall [Haverhill] in ye Massachusetts colony.' It is recorded of him that grants of lands were made in his name in consideration of his building the first grist mill in Woodbridge Township during 1670-1, his toll to be 1/16 of the grist. The same year May 18 and following, Jonathan Dunham was a member of a jury sitting at Elizabethtown, and in 1671 he officiated as foreman of another jury. He became an influential citizen possessing sufficient acquired property holdings to entitle him to honorable political distinction."


    Courtesy of: Audrey Shields Hancock
    Thanks to Dave Shields of Long Island for being the HANCOCKs escort & tour guide.

    October 2000

    An old millstone
    from Jonathon SINGLETARY-DUNHAM's mill
    appears on the grounds
    of the Trinity Episcopal Church,
    Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., NJ

    "The old mill (built by Dunham in 1670) stood for many years, grinding for the comfort of several generations, and old timbers and mills stones used, were in existence in 1870." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195)



    On 15 March 2004, Patricia Junkin posted this information to the DUNHAM-DONHAM@Rootsquest Discussion List:

    "From 1670, he [Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary] is Forman of the Jury, Overseer of Highways, refuses to obey the commands of the new Dutch controlled government and defends the interest of Woodbridge in a boundary dispute."


    1671

    "The same year [1671] in which Jonathan Dunham acted as a foreman of jury trying his peers for violation of law, he was chosen as overseer of Highways." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195)

    "1671 Dec 28. Return of Survey by Robert Vauquellin, Surveyor General, of land for Jonathan Donham of Woodbridge (NJ Archives, 21:19)"

    1672

    In 1672, Jonathan is said to have officiated as Clerk of the Township Court. (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195)

    "1672 August 10. Patent. The Lords Proprietors to Jonathan Donham of Woodbridge carpenter for: 1) a houselot of 9 acres E. of the Meeting House Green; 2) 48 acres W. of the parsonage lands, N. of Thomas Lenard; 3) 120 acres of upland N. of Wilyam Cotter; 4) 36 acres of meadows not yet laid out." (NJ Archives, 21:19)

    "Freeholders: Jonathan Dunham, 1672, 213 acres"
    (MONNETTE, Pt. 4, p. 500: DALLY)

    "Jonathan Dunham the Son of Jonathan Dunham alias Singltary [sic] and Mary his wife and formerly of Haverell [sic] in the Massachusetts Collony [sic] was Born ye 24th of September Anno 1672." (DALLY, p. 327) A later entry (DALLY, p. 327) says: "The above said Jonathan Dunham Departed this Life September ye 6th 1706." This would be Jonathan Dunham, s/o Jonathan Dunham (alias Singletary). (DALLY, p. 327)
    Note the reference to Jonathan as "Dunham alias Singleterry" in this vital record.

    1673

    On 7 June 1673 Thomas Blumfeild [Bloomfield] senior, father-in-law of Jonathan Dunham, and Jonathan Dunham himself were elected Representatives to the General Assembly of Woodbridge, NJ, and they took oaths. (NYG&B RECORD, Vol. LXVIII, 1937, p. 58: THOMAS BLOOMFIELD OF WOODBRIDGE, NJ AND SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS: Cites NJ Archives Vol. 21, p. 34 & Whitehead's History of Perth Amboy, NJ, p. 357)

    In the 1673 entry below we note that Stephen Kent, Jr. of Woodbridge deeded land to Jonathan Dunham "alias Singletary of the same place..." Here we note that Jonathan is referred to as being "alias SINGLETARY," and records of him in New Jersey appear to always indicate an alias.


    DUNHAM GENEALOGY
    JONATHAN DUNHAM, alias SINGLETERRY


    MONNETTE, Orra Eugene, FIRST SETTLERS of YE PLANTATIONS of PISCATAWAY and WOODBRIDGE, OLDE EAST NEW JERSEY, 1664-1714, The Leroy Carman Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1932, pp. 500-501: DUNHAM GENEALOGY: cites NJ Archives, Vol. 21, p. 277)

    "1673, July 20. Deed. Stephen Kent, junior of Woodbridge to Jonathan Dunham alias Singleterry of the same place, for part of his houselot meadow on Papyack Creek, adjoining grantee, S. of the road to grantee's mill, 2 acres on the Northside of said road 2 a. more."


    "In Woodbridge, it's pretty well acepted that the location of Jonathan's Grist Mill is unknown. I think the location of certain creeks and mill runs have been covered, relocated, moved or dryed up. The information about the location, describes terrain which no longer exists. People have been looking for years, and I would guess that developement has covered up any clues to it's whereabouts."
    (Source: Internet, 19 Mar 2004, DUNHAM-DONHAM@rootsquest: David M. Shields of Long Island)


    "The situation of land is in a deed from Stephen Kent to Jonathan; the mill on the northerly side of the highway that went through a horse lott to Jonathan's mill....bounded by Samuel Dennis....on Papynik Creek "and a very little branch running out of it.." Have the original as much as it can be said to be the original."
    (Source: Internet, 19 Mar 2004, DUNHAM-DONHAM@rootsquest: Patricia Junkin: Original from NJ Archives)

    By force of arms on 30 July 1673, the discontented Dutch retook New York. The English colonists were said to have had much trouble with Governor Carteret, now the former governor. "John Ogden and other deputies from Elizabethtown, Newark, Woodbridge, Piscattaway, Middletown, and Shrewsbury, petitioned the Dutch for a hearing, upon which, the latter granted the colonists all their former priveleges. The Dutch Generals and Council of War made John Ogden 'Schout' or Sheriff of the six towns, on Sept. 1, 1673, and on the same day he and Samuel Hopkins were directed to take an inventory of the estate of the late Gov. Carteret."
    (Source: Internet, 2004, Ogden Family: John Ogden)

    1674


    DUNHAM GENEALOGY
    ERROR RELATIVE TO SINGLETARY
    Jonathan Dunham from Jonathan Singletary


    MONNETTE, Orra Eugene, FIRST SETTLERS of YE PLANTATIONS of PISCATAWAY and WOODBRIDGE, OLDE EAST NEW JERSEY, 1664-1714, The Leroy Carman Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1932, p. 500: DUNHAM GENEALOGY: cites DALLY, p. 51

    "In the meeting of July 2d, 1674, the Piscataway trouble came up again. Daniel Denton and John Gilman, in behalf of the town, had begun a suit against the Woodbridge settlers in order to obtain the upland and meadow in dispute between them. The boundary line which separated the one township from the other had been drawn by Vanquellen, so that the coveted territory was thrown in the corporation of Woodbridge. The Piscataway people regarded this as unjust, and bitter feeling grew up between the sister towns as a consequence, manifesting itself in acts of petty spite--as we have previously related. This suit was the culmination of the Piscataway wrath. The Court for the trial was to be hld in Elizabethtown, on the 7th of July, and this special Town Meeting was occupied in getting ready for it. Capt. John Pike, Lieut., Samuel Moore and Jonathan Dunham were appointed by the Magistrates (and approved by the Freeholders) to be the attorneys for defending the interests of Woodbridge."


    "David Dunham the Son of the aforesaid Jonathan Dunham and Mary his wife was Born March ye 10th Anno. 1674" (DALLY, p. 327) (HOYT, p. 317, merely states "David.")


    "His acquaintance with persons and property in Woodbridge secured him the responsible position in 1674" as being an "Accessor or Rate-maker." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195)


    "In settling the controversy between Woodbridge and Piscataway, over a disputed claim of the latter for some upland and meadow, in July 1674, Jonathan Dunham was appointed one of the attorneys for defending the interests of his town." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 196)


    1674 October
    After an absence of two years, Captain Philip Carteret returned to Elizabethtown from England. This ended the Dutch occupation that had occurred from July 1673 to November 1674. The newly appointed governer, Col. Edmund Andros, a relative of Carteret, arrived on the same ship. Sir George Carteret was confirmed via a royal mandate as the sole proprietor of East Jersey. (See: The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: His Royal Highness's Grant to the Lords Proprietors, Sir George Carteret, 29th July, 1674) This mandate was the basis for full control and thus the people were deprived of their original land grants made by former Governor Nicholls. All settlers were required to apply April 1st to May 15th, 1675 for resurveys and new patents, or have their lands and property confiscated.

    Information on Sir George Carteret
    Sir George Carteret
    Sir Georg Carteret 1599-1679
    Sir George Carteret
    Sir George Carteret 1615-1680
    Grant to Berkeley and Carteret


    1674/1675 Feb 1
    "On 1 Feb 1674/75 Jonathan Dunham was named one of the executors of the will of Obediah Winter, alias Grabum, of Woodbridge. (NJ Archives, 21:37)"3


    1675

    In 1675, Jonathan is said to have officiated as Clerk of the Township Court. (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195)


    Again in 1675, Jonathan Dunham with Samuel Dennis was again elected Representative of Woodbridge. (NYG&B RECORD, Vol. LXVIII, 1937, p. 58: THOMAS BLOOMFIELD OF WOODBRIDGE, NJ AND SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS: Cites NJ Archives Vol. 21, p. 34 & Whitehead's History of Perth Amboy, NJ, p. 357)


    1676
    In 1676 the colony was divided between Carteret and a company of English Quakers who had obtained the rights belonging to John Berkeley (Lord Berkeley).


    1677

    "Nathaniel Dunham the Son of the Said Jonathan and Mary his wife was Born February ye 8th Anno. 1677" "Deceased May ye 14th Anno. 1678." (DALLY, p. 327)(HOYT, p. 317, merely gives one "Nathaniel," when in reality there were two.)


    On Sept. 7, 1677 John Ogden and Samuel Hopkins "complained that Robert Lapriere had removed divers goods from the house of Philip Carteret, which he refused to restore, and his arrest was ordered. Schout John Ogden was further ordered to summon James Bollen, 'late Secretary of the Province of New Yersey,' who must give up his papers within ten days under forfeiture of his property. Lapriere and one John Singletary, charged with disobeying commands, were arrested by Schout Ogden and sent to New York. They were examined on the 9th by Council, and four days later, John Ogden being present, they were convicted. Singletary was fined £5 and put on good behavior, and Lapriere, who was Governor General, was convicted of sedition and banished."

    (Source: Internet, 2004, Ogden Family: John Ogden)


    DUNHAM GENEALOGY
    Deacon John Dunham of Plymouth
    Massachusetts
    1589-1669
    and His Descendants

    by
    Isaac Watson Dunham
    pp.42-43

    (MYERS, p. 531)

    "Jonathan Singletary, with Robert Lapriere was arrested on the seventh of September, 1677, by John Ogden, sheriff of Achter Col Colony for removing goods from Governor Phillip Carteret's house." He is said to have been condemned for the act.

    "On the 16th of July preceding he had been ordered by the Council of War for Achter Colony to pay five pounds costs and punished as a mad-man." Two of the council members were Captain Benajah Dunham, of Piscataway and John Pike of Woodbridge, plus others.



    Achter Col Colony: (Achter Col was the name the Dutch used when referring to Hackensack River.) In 1641 the Achter Col Colony, little more than a trading post was established via a land grant from the Dutch West Indies Company to Myndert Myndertse of Amsterdam (aka "Van der Heer Nedderhorst). It extended northward from Newark Bay toward Tappan, N.Y (now a part of Bergen & Hudson Cos., NJ). "Accompanied by a number of soldiers, Myndertse occupied his purchase, established a camp, and proceeded to civilize the Indians by military methods. It is needless to say that he failed." It is said to have been destroyed by Indians in 1643. "He soon abandoned the perilous undertaking of founding a colony, returned to Holland, and the title to this grant was forfeited."

    (Source: Internet, 2004, Genealogical History Of Hudson And Bergen Counties New Jersey: EARLY SETTLERS OF HUDSON COUNTY – Part A)
    (Source: Internet, 2004, the story of bogota)

    1679
    "Nathaniel Dunham ye 2nd, the Son of the aforesaid Jonathan and Mary his wife Born April ye 10th anno. 1679" (DALLY, p. 327)

    1681
    "Benjamin Dunham the Son of ye aforesaid Jonathan and Mary his wife Born August ye 22nd Anno. 1681" (DALLY, p. 327)(HOYT, p. 317, merely states "Benjamin.")


    About 1682
    Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary returns to Massachusetts in about 1682 and again becomes embroiled in a curious set of circumstances with a young woman by the name of Mary Ross whose parents are John and Mary Rosse of Boston.
    (Patricia Junkin, 15 Mar 2004, Dunham-Donham@Rootsquest)


    Records indicate Jonathan was evidently separated from his wife for lengths of time and perhaps during that time he became the vagabond suggested in previous stories and articles. Much to the dismay of Plymouth Colony fathers, Jonathan Dunham (alias Singletary) appears to have taken up residence there. He was warned by authorities to return to his family because of his disruptive behavior and his wandering place to place. Evidently his sojourn in Plymouth did not meet well with the inhabitants as his unruly and rascally behavior got him into serious trouble with the law. He was accused of "deseminating" corrupt principles, of "drawing away" another man's wife and doing as she bade him to do. Records indicate that John (at Mary Ross's bequest) shot and killed a dog of John Irish, at Little Compton, and that John & Mary made a fire at the house, threw the dog upon the fire, and burned other things in the house. He also is said to have discharged a gun in the home. For this action, the Court sentenced John to a public whipping at the post, and banished him from the Colony. Should he return, he was to be whipped and banished each time. Mary Ross was sentenced to be whipped and banished to her mother's home in Boston.



    1682-1689
    Between 1682 and 1689, he is 'frequently abroad in parts remote...'. He returned to Woodbridge by 1693 and resumed a position of authority there; his encounters in Massachusetts doing seemingly little harm to his reputation.
    (Patricia Junkin, 15 Mar 2004, Dunham-Donham@Rootsquest)


    1702 New Jersey became a crown colony in 1702 with administration under the royal governor of New York. It wasn't until 1738 that New Jersey was separated from New York.

    1702 April 16

    AN OLD DEED RECORD


    Essex Deeds, Vol. 15, p. 202
    MONNETTE, Orra Eugene, FIRST SETTLERS of YE PLANTATIONS of PISCATAWAY and WOODBRIDGE, OLDE EAST NEW JERSEY, 1664-1714, The Leroy Carman Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1932, p. 501: JONATHAN SINGLETARY AND WITCHCRAFT: COOKE

    "Woodbridge in East New Jersey, America, April ye sixteenth anno Dom one thousand seven hundred & two know all men by these presents yt we Jonathan David Nathaniel and Benja Dunham alias Singletary & Mary Ellison ye sons & ye daughter of our honored Father and mother Jonathan & Mary Singletary alias Donham, our said Father being ye son of Richard and Susanna Singletary, who some years since Decd at Haverhill in the collony of ye Massachusetts Bay in America and our said mother being ye daughter of Thomas and Mary Bloomfield formerly of Newbury in ye aforesd collony who some years since In this Town of Woodbridge wherein we all are now living Inhabitants Deceased we all of us being of full age & Estate of men & women & we being all the children that our said Father & Mother have now living & ye said Mary ye mother of these aforesd five children I having Buried others five with ye consent of my husband I have Joyntly with my above named five Living Children and they and each one of them with me have Joyntly & severally & hereby do Joyntly & severally nominate Desire Constitue appoint & Impowere ye aforsd Jonathan ye son of ye aforsd Richard ye husband of me ye sd mother & ye father of us ye above named five living children viz Jonathan, David, Nathaniel & Benjamin Donham, alias Singletary & Mary Ellison. To alienate from our heirs & forever & from all & each one of us & ye all & every part & percell of yt upland Low land & meadow land & ye premises withall ye rights appurtenances and privileges thereto belonging and any manner of way appertaining lying & being within ye bonds of ye Town of Haverhill In ye Colony abovesd To us and each one of us Immediately mediately directly or Implicitely given granted & any manner of way to us conveyed by ye aforesd Richard Singletary ye honored Father in Law to me ye said mother and grandfather to us ye above named five children as by his deed of conveyance entered in ye Records for ye County of Norfolk In ye aforesd Collony and on ye Books kept for ye town of Haverhill may more particularly appear and for all ye said Land together or In parts & parcels as he shall se fitt we ye aforesd Constitutes do hereby give unto ye said Jonathan son of ye said Richard & Susannah full power and authority In his own name or In his own & our names as he shall see fitt to sign seal & deliver a deed or deeds of sale gift grant or conveyance for part or ye whole of ye said land & premises & in such manner and form and with such warrantee as he with ye grantees shall agree upon & ye same to enfeoffe In & Confirm upon ye said Grantee or grantees & into their possession to deliver as freely fully amply & absolutely as all of us being present & together with him ye said husband and father could & might do as also if he shall thinke fitt either before in or after ye conveyance of ye said land & premises, either by himself or by any other person or persons by him empowered by letter or letters of attorney to commence & enter & prosecute to ye utmost effect any action or actions, etc.

    Signed by
    Mary Donham M[ark] alias Singletary
    Jonathan Donham M[ark] alias Singletary
    David Donham M[ark] alias Singletary
    Nathaniel Donham M[ark] alias Singletary
    Benjamin Donham M[ark] alias Singletary
    Mary Ellison

    Wit:
    John Pike
    Elisha Parker

    Ack: Apr. 18, 1702, before Samll. Hale, Justice of the Peace; Thomas Pike, Town Clerk of Woodbridge."

    There seems to be overwhelming evidence that for whatever reason, JONATHAN SINGLETARY of Massachusetts, was, in fact, the one and same JONATHAN DUNHAM of Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., NJ. "Why he changed his surname has not been explained. What may have been Jonathan Singletary's true character in early manhood among his New England ancestry, the writer cannot know. It is known that in New Jersey he was a respected and reputable citizen as Jonathan Dunham and commanded the esteem of his fellow townsmen." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195) "Mr. Dally, the Woodbridge historian has written that 'this Dunham was a man of great energy. When he determined upon an enterprise he pushed it forward to success with indomitable perserverance." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195) This brings to mind a certain number of supposedly respected men of high influential power of the 19th & 20th centuries, who also practiced certain impropriaties within the realm of respectibility and still are accepted and placed upon a pedestal. Perhaps as time elapsed Jonathon mellowed in his attitudes and behaviors, and became a man of respectability, with his transgressions placed behind him.


    Jonathan and Mary's brick home is said to have been built in 1671. "The residence of the Woodbridge miller was originally constructed of brick brought from Holland and used as ballast by the vessels. The house was standing for just two hundred years and looked so weird and strange that some were glad to see the builders reconstructing it, while others were sad when they saw the landmark disappear." (MONNETTE, Pt. 1, p. 195) This excerpt appears to be telling us that a great renovation of the home of Jonathan Dunham occurred, but no date was given for this transformation except that 200 years later would mean ca 1871. We have no picture of this supposedly weird structure. Today (2000) the home serves as a rectory for the Trinity Episcopal Church. What a story could be told, if those walls could talk!


    Courtesy of: Audrey Shields Hancock
    Thanks to Dave Shields of Long Island for being the HANCOCKs escort & tour guide.
    October 2000

    Rectory of the Trinity Episcopal Church
    Once the home of Jonathan SINGLETARY-DUNHAM, the miller


    A memorial gravestone is placed in the front of Jonathan's house, now the rectory, to hopefully honor the good side of the ancestral grandfather of so many.


    Courtesy of: Audrey (Shields) Hancock
    Thanks to Dave Shields of Long Island for being the HANCOCKs escort & tour guide.
    October, 2000

    Memorial Marker for Jonathan Dunham


    About a half block away on the same grounds as Jonathan and Mary's homesite stands the Trinity Episcopal Church. This site we can probably safely assume was land once owned by the family, and where his children and grandchildren romped in the meadow. In the graveyard beside and in the rear of the church, we can find the DUNHAM surname and interrelated families engraved on gravestones of old.


    Courtesy of: Audrey (Shields) Hancock
    Thanks to Dave Shields of Long Island for being the HANCOCKs escort & tour guide.
    October, 2000


    Trinity Episcopal Church
    Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., NJ



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    Webpage Created: 10 April 2001
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