Beeks line: The family of Benjamin Dunham (1681-1715)

 In researching this post, I realized that what I thought I knew about Benjamin Dunham is probably not correct.  I have his wife shown as Mary Rolfe, the daughter of John and Mary Scullard Rolfe.  That is likely not correct, as there is no daughter Mary born late enough to be the daughter of this couple.  Also, there is apparently a record of Benjamin and Mary's marriage in New York, New York on August 18, 1699.  I have not found a record that gives her maiden name.  

Benjamin's parents are given as Jonathan (Singletary) and Mary Bloomfield Dunham, and that seems at this writing to be correct.  He was born in Woodbridge, New Jersey on August 22, 1681.  At this point, I should say that there are a lot of Dunhams in the area and it is possible that the line traces back differently, but this it the current belief.

Benjamin and Mary were married in 1699 but there first known child, Richard, was not born until May 12, 1707. It is possible that there were unsuccessful pregnancies, or that children were born elsewhere and have not been documented. Richard apparently died young, although I've not found a record. 

Jonathan was born January 7, 1710 and married Mary Smith, the daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph (Fitz Randolph) Smith.  This couple apparently provided Benjamin and Mary with their only grandchildren: David, Ephraim, Experience, Joseph, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Samuel, Asher, William, and Hannah.  I will follow these children in a future post. 

Katherine was their only daughter.  She was born March 12, 1712, and I've found no records of a marriage for her.  I did see an undocumented death date of 1764 but I don't know whether that is accurate, or whether she died young.

Benjamin was born  December 4, 1712, according to the transcript.  (This was slightly less than 9 months after Katherine, so I'm wondering whether Katherine's birth date was possibly 1711.) Benjamin apparently died in 1748, but again, I've found no record of a marriage or of children.

Benjamin, the father of these four children, died December 15, 1715.  At the time, he was a member of Col. Thomas Farmer's regiment in the militia, but there is no indication of whether or not this was a military-related death.  His brother had died earlier in the year, apparently of natural causes.  

This record of Benjamin and Mary's family shows that their life was not easy.  When Benjamin died in 1715, Mary had at least two and possibly three children to raise.  I have found no record of a re-marriage, nor have I found a death date.  This part of the story is yet to be written, but not until we know what happened to her.