DJD-52-Edmund-3

LINE OF DEACON JOHN DUNHAM OF PLYMOUTH

THIRD GENERATION IN AMERICA

52. EDMUND 3 DUNHAM (Benajah 2 John 1) b. in Eastham, Barnstable Co., MA 25 July 1661; [1] d. in Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ 7 March 1733/4; [2] m. in Piscataway, 15 July 1681 MARY BONHAM, daughter of Nicholas Bonham and Hannah-3 Fuller, (Samuel-2, Edward-1 Fuller). [3] Mary was b. in Barnstable 4 October 1661; d. btw. 28 February 1736/37 and 13 August 1742. [4] She prob. d. in Piscataway 15 July 1742.

An article entitled New Jersey’s Indebtedness to New Hampshire, by O. B. Leonard, Plainfield, New Jersey describes the first residents of Piscataway. [5] An abstract from that article follows:

“In the fall of 1666, a half dozen families . . . living on the banks of the Piscataqua River in NH, moved to the rich farming lands on the Raritan River in NJ.. . . They called the settlement New Piscataqua. . . names of original settlers were, John Martin, Hopewell Hull, Charles Gilman, and Hugh Dunn. Shortly after came families of Drake, Langstaff, Greenland, Giles, Wooden, and others. Name of settlement became Piscataway. These people were of the Baptist persuasion. One, Hugh Dunn was from Dover, NH and his land grant was in the present New Market township and also in town of Durham, NJ. He also owned 92 acres in Woodbridge.”

The first settlers from New Hampshire were joined a few years later by a group of people from Eastham and Barnstable, Barmstable Co., Massachusetts. These included members of the Dunham, FitzRandolph, Smalley and Bonham families. About 1686 Hugh Dunn, Edmund Dunham, John Drake, John Smalley, Nicholas Bonham and John Fitz Randolph, were instrumental in forming the constituency of a new Piscataway Baptist church based on the observance of the seventh day (Saturday) rather than the first day (Sunday) as the Sabbath.

Edmund Dunham, one of the founders of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Piscataway, had served the church as a lay preacher. On 8 September 1705 he was ordained in Westerly, Washington Co., RI and became the first pastor of the Piscataway Seventh Day Baptist Church. He remained there until his death in 1733/4. The Sabbatarian Baptist Church constructed by the Piscataway congregation was located in New Market twp., New Jersey. [6]

The membership list of the New Seventh-day Baptist church is of interest because these families intermarried during the next several generations. The list is given with brief comments on interrelationships.

EDMUND 3 DUNHAM, the pastor, and his wife MARY (BONHAM) DUNHAM

BENAJAH 4 DUNHAM, oldest son of the pastor, and his wife DOROTHY (MARTIN) DUNHAM [dau. of John Jr. and Dorothy Martin]

BENJAMIN MARTIN and wife MARGARET (ALSTON) MARTIN

JONATHAN MARTIN, son of BENJAMIN and wife ELIZABETH (DUNHAM) MARTIN [daughter of Edmund 3 DUNHAM]

JOHN FITZ RANDOLPH and wife SARAH (BONHAM) FITZRANDOLPH [sister of Mary (Bonham) DUNHAM]

THOMAS FITZ RANDOLPH and wife ELIZABETH (MANNING) FITZRANDOLPH [They were parents of Dinah FitzRandolph, wife of Edmund 4 DUNHAM, who was a son of Edmund 3 DUNHAM]

HUGH DUNN and wife ELIZABETH (MARTIN) DUNN [dau. of John Jr. & Dorothy Martin]

SAMUEL DUNN and wife ESTHER (MARTIN) DUNN

JOSEPH DUNN, brother of SAMUEL and HUGH DUNN

GERSHOM HULL, son of SAMUEL HULL

The will of Edmund 3 Dunham was dated 28 May 1731 and proved 10 April 1734. [7] In it he names children—Benajah, Edmond, Jonathan, Ephraim, Mary Smalley, Hannah Davis. Nephew John Thomson. Executrix was wife, Mary Dunham. Witnesses—Sam Walker, Hugh Dunn, Hugh Dunn Jun’r.

The will of Mary Dunham of Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ, was dated 28 Feb. 1736/7, proved 13 August 1742. [8] She names Benajah (to have great Bible), Edmund, and Hannah Davis. She also names grandchildren, Elizabeth, Mary, James and Elisha Smalley; Jonathan Martin, Jr. and Mary Sutton. Son Edmund, sole executor. Witnesses: Jeremiah Dunn, Benjamin Dunn, John Dunham.

Children of Edmund3 and Mary (Bonham) Dunham, all born in Piscataway, New Jersey: [9]

300. i. BENAJAH 4 DUNHAM, b. 13 Aug. 1684

301. ii. ELIZABETH 4 DUNHAM, b. 26 Nov. 1689

302. iii. EDMUND/EDWARD 4 DUNHAM, b. 15 Jan. 1691

303. iv. JONATHAN 4 DUNHAM, b. 16 Aug. 1694

304. v. EPHRAIM 4 DUNHAM, b. 2 May 1696

vi. MARY 4 DUNHAM, b. 26 Nov. 1698; d.y.

305. vii. MARY 4 DUNHAM, b. 1 July 1700

306. viii. HANNAH 4 DUNHAM, b. 14 April 1704

References:

1. TAG 69:38, Mayflower Families, Vol.4, p. 34-5 and 106-110.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. The New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Vol. 1, #4, p. 145-150.

6. The Seventh-Day Baptist Memorial, Vol. 1, #3--July 1852.

7. Archives State of NJ 1st Series Vol. XXX, Calendar of Wills p. 154.

8. HONEYMAN, A. Van Doren, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, First Series—Vol. XXX, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations Etc., Vol. II-1730-1750. Somerville, NJ: The Unionist-Gazette Association, Printers, 1918, p. 155.

9. Op. Cit. The New Hampshire Genealogical Record.