Jonathan SINGLETARY ^1015,1596

   Another name for Jonathan was DUNHAM.

  General Notes:

CHAPTER I, PART 4: THE SINGLETARY FAMILY

The material in this section has been taken almost entirely from an old book Genealogy of the Singletary-Curtis Family by Lou Singletary-Bedford, published in New York in 1907--Source 125. The Title Page states that it was compiled from Massachusetts records found in the Astor and Lenox Libraries of New York City, from South Carolina records, from correspondence, and from personal knowledge. An original copy of this book is located in the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library in Boston, Massachusetts. The author of this volume is fortunate to have obtained a photostatic copy of the book. Unless otherwise specified, information and dates are from the Singletary-Curtis book, as information on the Singletary family is very scarce. However, some additional information on earliest period was obtained from Sources 126 and 127; there is considerable overlap in these three records.

In the last quarter of the sixteenth century, there was living in England a family of title and large estates by the name of Dunham (so the tradition has it, but the Massachusetts records have it Donham). Of this family there were two branches. In case of the death of the last male of the elder branch, the title and estate would pass to the nearest male relative of younger branch. It so happened that every male of the elder branch died except one small boy. One morning it was discovered that he was missing--and that his nurse was missing also. Although a thorough search was made and bloodhounds were used in the search, neither he nor his nurse could be found. As the years passed, nothing further was heard of him. The heir of the younger branch of the family instituted a law suit to obtain the property; whether or not he obtained the property in the absence of the real heir is not clear.

Many years after this happened, the child's nurse lay on her death bed and made an affidavit that she had been employed to destroy the child. She had found that she could not do this and had decided to seek a home in the new world. She had hidden herself and the child in a dense hazel thicket and had been terrified when she heard the dogs. Fortunately, the scent was cold, and the dogs were called off. For a day and a night she lay hidden; then she made her way to a ship, in which she embarked with the child to America. On reaching America, she deserted the child, leaving him in the care of the captain of the ship, who adopted him. Before she left, she gave the child the name of Singletarry because he was alone in the world and because he would remain (or tarry) in the new world. She shortly returned to England.

The above written and sworn confession of the nurse was believed to be true; and detectives were sent to America to investigate the matter. A young man was found bearing the name Singletary, whose age corresponded with that of the lost heir of the Dunham estates and who could give no account of his forebears. The captain of the ship on which the child was deserted had adopted him under the name that the nurse had given him, having no idea of his real name or lineage. And the captain was now dead. Indeed, such care had been taken to destroy all trace of his name or ancestry that no one could say positively that he was the person sought. While he was believed to be the heir, the evidence was not sufficient to satisfy the English court and put him in possession of the property.

Such is the tradition that has been handed down through many generations of the Singletary family; wherever the name is found all over the United States, the family member is familiar with the story. There appears to be some truth in the story--in a legal document that appears in the Archives of Massachusetts, recorded in 1702, the whole family is referred to as "Donham, alias Singletary." This record is quoted by Mr. David W. Hoyt in his Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury. Be the tradition true or false, it is plain that the Singletary family belongs to the aristocracy of the old families of Amesbury, Massachusetts (Source 126).


"Jonathan Dunham led two lives. On one hand he was called "a notorious vagabond" in Dunham Genealogy, and was accused on Plymouth Records as being a "ranter" and disseminating corrupt religious principles among his neighbors. On the other hand, he was a respected citizen of Woodbridge who held many important positions" (Myers, 1995: 530).

When he was about 23, he gave a depostion against John Godfrey, accused of witchcraft in Salem, Mass. (Myers, 1995:530).
In 1683 he left his family in Woodbridge and went to Plymouth Colony where he became entranced with Mary Ross, a woman of very loose morals, who, among other things, convinced him to kill John Irish's dog and set fire to his house...Having been publically whipped and driven from Plymouth [This Court centanced the said Jonathan Dunham to be publickly whipt att the post and required him to depart forth with out of this collonie], Jonathan then returned to Woodbridge. Mary Ross was supposed to go to her mother in Boston. She later showed up in Woodbridge, possibly looking for Jonathan, for on 2 Dec 1689 Jonathan Dunham and his wife sold to Mary Ross their house, land, and his freehold in Woodbridge...It was at this time that Mary Ross began her scandalous relationship with James Seaton. On 12 Dec 1689 Seaton was given a deed of trust by Jonathan. The trust concerned the Dunham's property on Canoo Hill, which Seaton was to hold for the sons, Jonathan, David,and Benjamin Dunham. The only connection between Seaton and Dunham was Mary Ross, their mutual mistress. There were certainly more worthy men in the community he could have called upon, including his brothers-in-law, John and Ezekiel Bloomfield. After Seaton's wife, Rebecca, divorced him for desertion and adultery, Mary Ross and James Seaton went to New York, and Mary Ross then reconveyed to Jonathan Dunahm the house that he had previously deeded to her. What became of James Seaton and Mary Ross is unknown (Myers, 1995: 531). ¹⁵⁹⁶

  Noted events in his life were:

• He moved on 1665 to Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, USA.

• He was involved in a court case about witchcraft, accusing John Godfrey in 1662 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts, USA. ¹⁵⁹⁷

• He owned land as one of the original freeholders (213 acres) in 1672 in Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, USA. ²⁸¹

• Fact: Inventoried estate of father-in-law Thomas Bloomfield, 10 Jun 1684, Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, USA. ¹⁵⁹⁸

Jonathan married Mary BLOOMFIELD, daughter of Col. Thomas BLOOMFIELD and Mary, Ca 1657 ¹⁰¹⁵.^,1596 (Mary BLOOMFIELD was born on 15 Jan 1642 in Newburyport, Essex Co., Massachusetts, USA ¹⁵⁹⁶ and died in 1705 in Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, USA ¹⁵⁹⁶.)