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.

 

Beeks line: The famly of Jonathan Dunham 1639-1724

 Jonathan Dunham is the son of Richard Singletary and possibly Lydia Dunham or variant spelling.  I've written a post earlier about him and some of the mysteries that still aren't proven/documented/explained.  But we do know he used both surnames, Singletary and Dunham, depending on where he was at the time.  I've seen Singletary given as the surnames of some of his children also, but the children themselves seem to have used the Dunham surname.  So having thoroughly confused everyone, including myself, here is the family of Jonathan.

He was born January 17, 1639, in Newburyport Massachusetts and married Mary Bloomfield, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Waters or Withers) Bloomfield about 1660.  They lived in possibly Haverhill or Newbury, in Essex County, Massachusetts and had four children there: 

Richard Singletary Dunham, born about October 16, 1657.  He is elusive and although I've seen a potential death date for him of 1711, I've not seen documentation.  He may have died young. As far as I've been able to tell, he didn't marry and had no children.

Esther, born in 1659, married Samuel Smith, the daughter of Rev. John and Susannah Hinckley Smith.  They had at least four children together: Elizabeth, Samuel, Benjamin and Elinor.  She died in 1690.

Mary was born December 29, 1661 and died as an infant.  

Sarah was their next child.  She married William Ellison, whose parents I've not identified.  There children were Enoch and Emme.  She died sometime after 1707.  Some sites refer to her as "Sarah Mary".

The Dunhams then moved to Killingly, Connecticut for about two years.  Ruth was born in 1666 and died in 1750.  No records have been found to indicate she ever married.

Eunice was born in 1668 and died December 5, 1684.  No records have been found to show that she married, but it's not totally impossible.  She would have been about 16 at the time of her death.

The family then moved to Woodbridge, New Jersey and stayed there for the rest of Jonathan's life (except for some mystery trips he may have made).  6 children were born at Woodbridge:

Jonathan was born in 1672 and married Esther Rolfe, the daughter of John and Mary Scullard Rolfe.  Their children were Samuel, Eunice, and Mary.  They had two daughters named Eunice, so likely one died in infancy or early childhood.

David was born in 1674 and died in 1753.  He married Mary Ilsley, the daughter of John and Ann Gowan Ilsley.  Their children were Jonathan, David, and Daniel.

Daughter Joanna was born in 1675 and died about 1703.  Again, I've found no record of a marriage for her.  

Son Nathaniel was born on February 8, 1677 and died in 1678.

A second Nathaniel was born in 1679 and died in 1727.  He married Joanna Thornell, the daughter of Israel and Hannah Gannett Thornell and they had nine or possibly ten children: David, John, Nathaniel, Andrew, John, Elizabeth, Joanna, Jerusha, Ephraim, and possibly Jehu.  

Their last known child was Benjamin, who was born in 1681 and died as a young father, in 1715.  He married Mary Rolfe, who is usually shown as a daughter of John and Mary Scullard Rolfe.  There may be some question about this, but so far I've not found anything really definitive one way or the other.  Benjamin and Jonathan (junior) may have married sisters, which would not be unusual for this time and place.  Benjamin's children were Richard, Jonathan, Katherine, and Benjamin.  

This gives a total of 26 grandchildren for Jonathan and Mary, although some died young.  Most stayed in or near Woodbridge, and it must have been a blessing to have so much family near.  Jonathan and Mary are the ancestors of Barack Obama. 

Beeks line: The family of Richard Singletary

Richard Singletary is actually the immigrant head of the family we know as Dunham, due to his first son's taking that name as he made a new life for himself in New Jersey.  Little is known of Richard's life before his last (possibly second) marriage, but it does seem to be proven, based on current knowledge and records, that he was the father of Jonathan Dunham aka Jonathan Singletary.  

No one has yet found a record of a marriage, but Richard's first wife may (or may not) have been Lydia Dunham or Downham.  The couple had one child together, Jonathan.  Jonathan married Mary Bloomfield, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Waters Bloomfield, and they had at least eight children: Esther, Mary, Ruth, Eunice, Jonathan, David, Nathaniel, and Benjamin.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Richard's first wife may have died at or soon after the birth of Jonathan on January 17, 1639 and he then married Susannah Cooke on November 17, 1639.  (Note: Many sources say that Jonathan's mother was Susannah; it's possible but to my mind not proven.)  

Richard and Susannah's children were Eunice, born in 1640 and died 1715.  She married Thomas Eaton, the son of John and Ann Crossman Eaton.  I have located just two children for them, Lydia and Jonathan.

Nathaniel ws born in 1644 and died, killed by native Americans at Lancaster, in 1689.  He married Sarah Belknap, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Jones Belknap (or possibly Abraham and Mary Belknap).  Their children were John, Mary, Jonathan, Sarah, Susannah, Richard, Hannah, Ebenezer, and Martha.

Lydia was born in 1648 and died in 1679.  Her husband was Daniel Ladd, the son of Daniel and Ann Ladd.  There are no known children for this couple.

Amos was born in 1651 and died in 1724.  He married Sarah Currier, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Hardy Currier.  This couple also appears to be childless.

Benjamin was their last child.  He was born in 1656 and died about 1697 in Redbank, Summerville, Charleston, South Carolina.  He seems to have been part of the group that went to South Carolina to establish a Puritan presence (as opposed to the Anglicans who were already in place) there.  His wife was Mary Stockbridge, daughter of John and Mary Broughton Stockbridge.  Their known children are Susanna, Richard, Jonathan, John, Broughton, Joseph, Mary, and Hannah.

This makes about 28 grandchildren for Richard Singletary, although not all were born when he died in 1687, at a quite advanced age.  It would be interesting to learn how many great grandchildren he had.  Richard and his possibly two wives contributed much to the beginnings of our country. 

The family of John Havens Starr

 John Havens Starr is the last of our Starr family to be born in Groton, Connecticut.  He was the son of John and Betsey Havens Starr, and was about 9 years old when his family made the trip west to settle in Ohio.  Traveling west must have agreed with John, because he did more of that as an adult, settling in Tipton, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  By the time he arrived there, however, he had married Myra Falley, daughter of Russell and Pamela (or Parmelia) Chapman Falley, in Franklin County, Ohio, in 1827.  Myra was short for Anna Miranda.

John and Myra had five children together:

Havens Starr was born September 1, 1828.  He is something of a mystery.  He became a school teacher, and in the 1850 census is enumerated with his parents in Tipton, and apparently as a boarder in Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana.  In both locations, he was born in Ohio and is the same or similar age.  His family moved to Tipton in 18502, so perhaps they dropped Havens off on the way west, but still considered him part of the family.  He may, in their minds, have been "visiting" in Lagro until he decided to stay there.  I don't know how long he was there, but in 1860 he was an attorney in Clear Creek, Nemaha,  Kansas Territory, living with his brother Anson Starr and Hannah, who was most likely Anson's wife.  This was in what is now southeastern Nebraska.  Havens died in 1863, but I've not located death information for him,.  Was it an illness like consumption, or did it have something to do with the Civil War?  I hope someone knows the answer to this!  I'd also like to know whether he was ever married.

Adella was born February 1, 1830 and sadly, died July 16, 1831.

Anson was next, born just a little over three years after Havens.  The brothers apparently remained in close contact until Havens' death.  He was likely married first to Hannah, as her name is after his in the 1860 census.  He also married Martha Baker in 1878, and she was his widow.  I have not located anything that indicates that there were children born to either wife, but the research may be incomplete on that.

William Wallace was born August 2, 1834 and died December 14, 1836.

Finally, John Calvin was born February 24, 1837 in Columbus, Ohio and died there October 11, 1841.

John Havens' wife Myra died December 28, 1838.  This was 22 months after the birth of John Calvin, so it is possible that this was related to another pregnancy, but I have no records to show her cause of death.  

Less than a year after Myra's death, John married Myra's cousin, Clarissa Falley, who was the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Root Falley.  Myra and Clarissa shared the same grandparents, Richard and Margaret Hitchcock Falley, of Westfield, Massachusetts. 

John and Clarissa continued to grow the Starr family.  Their first daughter, Myra Adella, was born August 24, 1840.  She married David Foy and their were at least two children born to that marriage, Clara, and John Calvin. David served in the Civil War.  

Their next child was Harriet Clarissa, born August 27, 1842.  She married John Wilson Knott and they had at least nine children:  Herbert, Alfred, Walter, Robert, Anna, Mary, Edith, George, and Thomas.  I will write more of this family in a future post. 

John Calvin was their first son.  He was born November 24, 1843 and died in 1864 while serving as a Union soldier in Louisiana during the Civil War.  

Samuel was the next son, who lived less than five months.

Son Francis Richard Starr was born January 10, 1847 in Columbus but died April 11, 1854 in Tipton, Iowa.  

The last child born in Columbus was Eunice.  She married Samuel Foy, who was a brother to the David Foy who married Myra.  Their known children are Nellie, Charles, and Frank.

Mary was the first child born in Tipton, Iowa.  Clarissa must have had fun traveling with so many children, but Mary was apparently conceived in Iowa so at least she wasn't also newly pregnant.  She married Dr. Edmund Burson, son of Nathan and Margaret Burson.  Their children were Gay, Euguene, Verna, and Bonnie.   This family lived in Crawford County, Arkansas.

The last child was a daughter, Frances, who was born October 30, 1854 and died less than a year later, on August 3. 

Of John's children, 6 died as children, another died in the Civil War, and it appears that at least two sons had no children.  Yet, John had 18 grandchildren and died at the age of 70.  He was a successful farmer and a Presbyterian elder, and left a good heritage for his descendants. This post ends our sketch of the Starr ancestors in the Allen family. 

 

 

The family of John Starr 1774-1837

 The next Starr in our family line is John, the son of John and Mary Sharp Starr.  He was born August 30, 1774 in Groton, Connecticut and married Elizabeth Chester Havens, known as Betsey, on October 7, 1801 in Groton.  She was the daughter of the elusive (to me) Jonathan Havens and Bathsheba Chester Havens.  Their first five children were born in Groton before the family moved in 1812 to what became Columbus, Ohio.  John's father had been given land in Franklin County as a reward for being wounded in the Revolutionary War Battle of Groton Heights, and as compensation for the property he left behind in Nova Scotia when fleeing when the War broke out.  This John would have been necessary to the family's survival, as his father had very little use of one arm (some records say right, some say left) from the battle.  The men would have worked together to raise homes for the families, but likely one was built first and then the second was constructed.

John and Betsey were members of the Presbyterian church in Columbus, John serving in many capacities there.  And they still had time to raise a large family:

Betsey was born August 30, 1802 and married Rev. Aaron Case Humphrey (first a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church and later in the Universalist Church).  They had Sophronia, Lurenda, Philo, John, Chester, Aaron, Lucinda, John, Sophronia, and Laura before Betsey died in 1849.  Aaron remarried and had four more children with his second wife.  This family moved to Iowa in about 1844, settling in Tipton, Cedar County.

John Havens Starr was the first born son.  He married Clarissa Falley, and they had 7 children: Samuel, Mary, Eunice, Frances, Myra, Harriet, and John Calvin.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Sophronia Starr was born in 1807.  She married, as his second wife,  Dr. Nathaniel Harris, son of Noah and Sarah Carroll or Carle Harris.  They lived in Springfield, Illinois.  Their children were Laura, Sophronia, Lorinda, Sarah, possibly Thomas, Emily, Mary, Ellen and Edward.  There were also four children from the doctor's first marriage, so it was quite a large family.  It's fascinating to think these people likely knew, or knew of, Abraham Lincoln.

Lorinda Starr was born in 1809 and married John Wildbahn, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Wildbahn.  They had a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, Thomas.  Lorinda died in 1837, the same year that her son Thomas was born and died.  

Joseph was born in 1810. He married Martha Craig McDaniel, parents not known, and they had three children: Augustine, Samuel, and Andrew.  A little less than a year after Martha and son Andrew died, Joseph married Jane Suddick Long, and they had two children, William and John.  

The above children were born in Groton, so John and Betsey had five children aged ten and under when they made the move from Groton to Columbus.  We don't know how the family traveled.  It may have been by water, either through the Great Lakes and down, or down the Ohio River and then north, or they may have traveled over land, in wagons of some sort.  I wonder how Betsey handled this!

Lucinda was the first child born in Ohio, on August 17, 1813.  She married Dr. James Boals, son of James and Margaret Mitchell Boals.  Their children were Albert, Martha, and Ella.

Simeon was the next child born, in 1815.  He married Martha Sweetser, daughter of Charles and Flavia Darley Sweetser.  Their children were Sweetser, Ellen, Richard, and Charles.

William Starr was born in 1817.  He may have married Sophia.  Some sites says her last name was Starr, some say it was Baker, and I've been unable to find a marriage record.  (Also confusing is the marriage of an earlier Sophia Baker to a William Starr, who was born 20 years earlier and in a different location than this William.) At any rate, his children include Calvin and Mary, and possibly more. 

Then there was the sadness of a son, unnamed, who was born and died on January 10,1819.

Emily Starr was born just ten months and two days later.  Her husband was Henry Doremus, son of Hasel and Jane Demorest Doremus.   Their children were Charles, Henry, Mary, Leila, Alta, Frank, and John.  

The last son was Calvin, born in 1822.  He married Sophia McPhersen in Greene County, Ohio, and they had six children: George, Clarence, Joseph, Emma, Mary, and John.  He was a physician, and his second wife was also a physician, Dr. Jane Candee.  She was younger than he, but they didn't have any children together.   

A daughter was born and died on December 10, 1824, again not named.

Finally, Mary Jane Starr was born May 7, 1826.  She did not marry and died in 1878.  Betsey had given birth 13 times and perhaps enjoyed having her "baby" at home with her, whatever the reason that Mary Jane remained single.  

Although a few died at or shortly after birth, John and Betsey had about 40 grandchildren, some of whom lived in the Columbus area but many who went on to Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Texas.  I hope those who moved away wrote letters to Betsey, because she lived until 1865, roughly 28 years after the death of John.

 

 

The family of John Starr 1743-1824

 If you've been following my blog posts about our branch of the Starr family, you know that this family was in Connecticut for at least four generations, first in New London and then in Groton, but this John Starr was the first of our direct ancestors to leave the area.  And boy, did he leave.  When England won the French and Indian War, John first went to Nova Scotia where he settled, married, and intended to raise his family.  However, when the Revolutionary War broke out, John was on the side of the American patriots, which was not a popular position in Nova Scotia.  After facing military defeat there, John and Mary returned to Groton.

"Mary" was Mary Sharp, the daughter of Matthew Sharp and his wife, who was likely named Margaret and whose maiden name may have been Smith.  I say "may" because I've not yet found documentation for this.  Matthew died about 1771 in Nova Scotia, and Margaret stayed there rather than traveling with her daughter to Connecticut.  She died in 1811, but by that time John and Mary had moved again, this time to Franklin County, Ohio, where John was granted land in recompense for having his property seized in Nova Scotia.  By that time, John and Mary's children were mostly grown.

Their children were

John, who was born August 20, 1774 and who married Betsy Chester Havens.  Their children were Betsey, John Havens, Lorinda, Sophronia, Lorinda, Joseph, Lucinda, Simeon Chester, William, Emily, Calvin, and Mary Jane.  There may have been an infant son and an infant daughter also.  I will write about this family next week.

Joseph was born in August of 1776 and lived for just about a year, dying in 1777.  

There is then a seven year gap in known births, which may be when the infant son and infant daughter were born.  

Mary was born in 1783 and married first Henry Warner.  They had a son, Henry Dore Warner in 1814, who livedd to the age of 20.  Mary's second husband was James Woods.  Their sad story was that James was planning to build a new home for the two of them on Mary's land (left to her by her husband? her father? not yet researched!) but in 1833 they both were victims of the cholera epidemic, dying within an hour of each other.  Son Henry died the following year but I don't know the cause of death.  Mary and James were relative newly weds and had no children.

Daughter Hannah was born in 1785 and died in 1815, never having married.  I don't know whether there was a physical or mental challenge here, or whether she simply was not eager to take on another household.  

Rachel was born in 1787 and died in 1856.  In 1822 she married John Matthew and they had at least two children, John and Joseph.  Joseph died as an infant.  There may be more children but I have yet to find record of them.  

The last daughter, Eunice, was born in 1791 and died in 1831.  She married Joseph Hunter, the son of Joseph and Margaret McGaughey Hunter.  They had a large family.  Children were Mandelbert, Return, Orville, Lorinda, Wilson, John, Eunice and Andrew, the last two being twins.  

Some trees list two additional children for this couple, Betsey and another John Havens.  These names do not appear to be correct, as their birthdates coincide with those of John Havens, the first child of our John and Mary, and of Betsy Chester, his wife.  Mary was past child bearing age by the time these two were born.  

John and Mary's children were born in Nova Scotia and in Groton, and they all traveled west with the elder Starrs, and died there.  They must have been a close knit family, and for the ones I've been able to determine, were Presbyterians in religion.   

The family of Thomas Starr 1711-1759

 Looking again at the families of our ancestors, instead of just concentrating on the ancestor only, is quite interesting.  I started this project because I wanted to see what other families were connected in one way or another to ours, and it's been eye opening.  Thomas Starr born 1711 is the third generation of Starrs who lived in Groton, Connecticut, and by now, I am seeing many familiar families tied into the Starrs.  

As an aside, by looking at the ancestors as part of a continuing line, I am seeing things that are raising my eyebrows a bit.  For instance, in the Starr family line, the immigrant Comfort Starr lived to a comfortable old age.  But the next four generations did not fare so well, none reaching their 50th birthday.  I don't know the cause of death for Thomas, Samuel, Thomas, and Thomas, but it sure would be interesting to know whether there was a family weakness, such as heart problems, or whether some were accidental deaths, or what was going on in this family.  Fortunately, after this Thomas, the one I'm looking more closely at today, Starr men seem to have recovered from whatever might have been ailing them.

This Thomas is the son of Thomas and Mary Morgan Starr.  He was born the same year his father died, and was the baby of the family.  Mary remarried in 1717 so the only father he knew was William Pabodie or Peabody.  Nevertheless, he was a Starr.  Thomas married Jerusha Street, daughter of Nicholas and Jerusha Morgan Street, so Thomas and his wife were first cousins, with their maternal grandparents being James and Mary Vine Morgan.  Although this might make our head swim a bit, marriage of first cousins was not that unusual, especially in a town as small as Groton was at that time.

Thomas and Jerusha had 8 children together:  

Son Thomas was the first born, and he married Zipporah Street, daughter of James and Keziah Haynes Street.  There are trees online saying that James Street was the son of Nicholas and Jerusha Morgan Street, which would be another cousin marriage, but I have not found convincing evidence that this is correct.  However, the odds seem fairly strong that he was a relation to Nicholas Street, at the least.  Their children were Betsey, John, Thomas, Jerusha, Nancy, Catherine, Sally, and Mary.

Jerusha Starr died at the age of 25, but not before she had married Benajah Chester, son of John and Mary Starr Chester.  Mary Starr Chester was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Morgan Starr, so here is another cousin marriage.  They had three children, Michael, Jerusha, and Starr.  

Daughter Mary was born in 1740 and died in 1741.  

Son John was next.  He married Mary Sharp, daughter of Matthew and Margaret Sharp, in Nova Scotia, before moving back to Groton at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.  Their children were John, Joseph, Mary, Hannah, Rachel, and Eunice.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Son William married Freelove Bailey, who was the daughter of Benjamin and Freelove Avery Bailey.  So far as I have been able to determine, these two weren't closely related.  They had Lucinda, William, Jabez (Jarez, perhaps), Frelove, Elisha, Thomas, Perez, and Dudley.  

Daughter Hannah Starr married Nicholas Starr, who was the son of Vine and Mary Street Starr.  They were cousins through Vine Starr and Mary Street also, but I think they were second cousins once removed, if I have this figured correctly.  If not, it's enough to know they were also closely related. Their children were Nicholas, Joseph, James, and Benjamin.

I haven't been able to learn much about James Starr.  His wife was possibly Hannah, but that is a maybe and I haven't found documentation. He died in 1777 at the age of 26, but I've been unable to determine whether or not he might have died in the Revolutionary War.

Finally there was Rachel, who was born in 1755 and died November 12, 1778, apparently unmarried.  

The Starr family has been thoroughly researched but there are still mysteries about them.  Many of the names in this post are those that are familiar to those who have researched the Battle of Groton Heights, as there were Avery, Chester, and Starr men in that battle, and possibly others.  

Thomas and Jerusha had at least 29 grandchildren, but Thomas would not have lived to see all of them.  This is the last generation of Starr ancestors who mostly lived and died in Groton, and they must have had a considerable impact on their community.