While James Dunn's father may have been John Henry from England, there's been another great speculation regarding the time frame as to when our American lineage was developed. If John Henry had been our First Generation Ancestor, that would reflect James Dunn as being our first Bateman male Ancestor born on American soil. However....
One aspect which has always proven fascinating, has been the amount of Bateman's present on U.S. soil as early as the 17th century. In looking at the Census information for the year 1790, Bateman's are listed in Conneticut, South Carolina, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. Maryland & North Carolina reflect the presence of Bateman's far outnumbering the other areas.
Taking into consideration that JD's father may have settled in Jersey City, New Jersey, one is prompted to survey the Census information during that time.So let's set the stage for Ancestor Bateman's arrival in 17th/18th century New Jersey......
The first of the four original counties (modern day Newark) was founded in 1682, with its first families consisting of English from Conneticut, Scottish & Dutch immigrants. Cumberland County (Jersey City), was founded in 1748 as it was partitioned from Salem County. A neighborhood of farms, with a church & schoolhouse, Cumberland was divided into six townships. These townships were divided by the Cohansey, with Greenwich, Hopewell, & Stow Creek on the west.... And Deerfield, Fairfield, & Maurice River on the east.
(Photo Courtesy: Cumberland Co Historical Society)
Baptists had the tendency to buy lands in Hopewell, while Fairfield, Greenwich, and Deerfield attracted the Presbyterians. Batemans explode onto the scene in the census records for 1772, with names such as Aaron, Amos, Daniel, Grandeus, James, John, John Jr., Jonathan, Joseph, Nehemiah, & William. The majority of these being listed within the Fairfield township. In 1778, female names begin to appear with the listing of Abigail.
[Proceed to Theories Part II, Continued]
