Hezekiah Bonham, Sr.
  b: 6/May/1667
  d: ~1732 - Maidenhead Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ

Father: Nicholas Bonham
Mother: Hannah Fuller

Spouse-1: Mary Dunn
  m: ~1690 - Middlesex Co., East Jersey Prov.

Child-1: Mary - b: 4/Oct/1691 - East Jersey Prov.
                        m: Jonathan Fitz Randolph - ~1715 - Piscataway Twp., Middlesex Co., NJ
          2: Samuel
          3: Hannah - b: 14/Mar/1694(1695) - Piscataway Twp., Middlesex Co., East Jersey Prov.
                            d: 21/Jan/1770 - Hopewell Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ
                           m: Benjamin Stout - ~1714 - Hopewell Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ
          4: Sarah - b: 20/Feb/1697(1698) - Piscataway Twp., Middlesex Co., East Jersey Prov.
                         m: Thomas Runyon

Spouse-2:  Mary Bishop
  m: 1700/1701 - Middlesex Co., East Jersey Prov.

Child-1: Hezekiah, Jr.
          2: Nehemiah
          3: Zedekiah
          4: Jeremiah
          5: Amariah
          6: Temperance
          7: Malachiah
          8: Ephraim
          9: Zachariah
        10: Uriah

Biographical Details:

Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., was the son of Nicholas and Hannah Fuller Bonham and, in addition, it has been reported in published sources that he was born May 6, 1667, at Piscataway in the New Jersey Colony.  However, there is little evidence in support of this and, although his birth date may be accepted at the very least as chronologically plausible, the location of his birth should be best regarded as unknown.  Within this context, the births of the three oldest children of Nicholas and Hannah Bonham were recorded in New England and the three youngest after they had settled at Piscataway, but there are no known birth or baptismal records for any children born between 1665 and 1672.  Of course, the Bonham family may have come directly from New England to New Jersey or, perhaps, as has been suggested by some authors, they may have settled for a time on Long Island.  In any case, there can be no doubt that Hezekiah was Nicholas' son since he was stated as such in Nicholas' will made on February 20, 1683 (1684 N. S.).  It would seem that Hezekiah Bonham married Mary Dunn about 1690 in Piscataway Township in Middlesex County.  She was the daughter of Hugh, Sr., and Elizabeth Drake Dunn and was mentioned as Mary, wife of Hezekiah Bonham in her father's will, which was made October 10, 1691.  Clearly, Hezekiah Bonham and Mary Dunn must have married prior to this date (as well as to the birth date of their first known child, Mary, who was born six days earlier on October 4th).  Accordingly, the name of Hezekiah Bonham appeared in a number of civil records for Piscataway Township in the last decade of the seventeenth century.1

There is good evidence that Mary Dunn Bonham died in November of 1699, after which it is believed that Hezekiah soon remarried a second wife; however, her identity has been the subject of longstanding interest and controversy.  Indeed, the most conservative of researchers cast doubt on her very existence.2  Nevertheless, family tradition and copious documentary records of the various "-iah" Bonhams would seem to provide overwhelming circumstantial evidence of this second marriage and consequent offspring.  Within this context, Monnette and others have asserted that Ann or Anna Hunt was the second wife of Hezekiah Bonham, Sr.  However, it is likely that this claim is in error, having arisen out of a misinterpretation of the will of Samuel Hunt, father of Anna Hunt, which was made in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, on January 15, 1717 (1718 N. S.).  Accordingly, in the course of his excellent research Mr. Howard E. Bonham was able to examine the original will in its entirety and concluded that, Samuel Hunt, Jr., was the oldest male heir and above the age of twenty-one years when the will was written.3  Similarly, the two next younger sons, Ralph and John, were also of age, but the remaining three sons, Thomas, Jasper, and Edward, were evidently minors.  Furthermore, it is clear that Samuel Hunt was quite intent on treating his children with as much equality as was possible within the prevailing customs of the time.  Hence, his two daughters Mary and Anna each received one head of livestock, but their unmarried sister, Elizabeth, received two.  This suggests that Mary and Anna were older and married, each having already received livestock as a customary dower or wedding gift.  In addition, Samuel Hunt bequeathed a certain tract of land jointly to his two sons, Ralph and John, and further directed that it "be equally divided between them both at the discretion of my son Samuel Hunt and Hezekiah Bonham and John Price whom I desire and appoint to divide it between my two sons aforesaid as equally as they well can".4  Apparently, it was on this basis that Monette and others concluded that Hezekiah Bonham and John Price were Samuel's son-in-laws and, respectively, married to daughters, Anna and Mary.  Concomitantly, one can reasonably presume that to have married Hezekiah Bonham about the year 1700 or 1701, Anna Hunt would have had to have been born by 1682 or 1683 and, thus, would have likely been at least thirty-five years old by 1717.  However, the context of the will suggests that she was considerably younger than this, probably only in her early twenties since she had brothers and, perhaps, a sister who were still minors.  Consequently, as Mr. Bonham concluded, she would seem to have been too young to have been Hezekiah's second wife.  Therefore, it is more likely that rather than sons-in-law, Hezekiah Bonham and John Price were trusted neighbors and friends of the Hunt family, who were familiar with local geography and had no vested interest in how the land parcel was to be divided between the two heirs.  Coincidentally, as recently as the 1970's a grave marker was exposed in the foundation of a late eighteenth century house located near Princeton, New Jersey, bearing the inscription, "Mary Bonham d May 3, 1734, age 51."  Of course, at the present day it might appear strange even macabre that a tombstone would have been intentionally incorporated into a house foundation, but this would seem to be consistent with Quaker customs of two centuries ago and, moreover, the stone probably came from a cemetery located within two miles of  property believed to have been owned by Hezekiah Bonham, Sr.  Therefore, it seems quite plausible that this Mary Bonham was the second wife of Hezekiah, Sr.  Accordingly, to identify who Mary Bonham might have been, H. E. Bonham has made an exhaustive study of various East Jersey civil records and provides reasonably convincing circumstantial evidence that she should be identified as Mary Bishop, daughter of David and Mary Alger Bishop.5  It seems probable that they would have married in Middlesex County, but this is not at all certain.

A second vexed question regarding Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., is the date that he migrated from Middlesex County in East Jersey to Burlington (later Hunterdon) County in West Jersey.  Indeed, the valley of the Raritan River and its tributaries provided a natural migration route for settlers between the Atlantic Coast and the valley of the Delaware River (i.e., across the "waist of New Jersey").  The last mention of Hezekiah Bonham in East Jersey records seems to have been on August 28, 1701, when he was identified as an abutting landowner to John Molleson.  Concomitantly, he was mentioned as early as March 18, 1698 (1699 N. S.) in West Jersey records as one of a group of men that bought a parcel of one hundred acres in Maidenhead Township for a meeting house, cemetery, and schoolhouse.6  Likewise, just two months later in May of 1699 he was one of a group of men surveying a road through the township.7  Even so, these dates were prior to the death of his first wife, which suggests that he might have been in West Jersey only temporarily, perhaps, precisely just to consider the possibility of settling there, after which he returned to Piscataway and Middlesex County.  Nevertheless, on August 26, 1703, the name of Hezekiah Bonham was included among those who consented to an agreement between Daniel Coxe and Thomas Revell to obtain clear titles to land parcels in Maidenhead and Hopewell Townships in Burlington County.  This appears to have been related to the notorious "Coxe Affair", which troubled landowners in this locality for the first three decades of the eighteenth century.8  Furthermore, it seems probable that Hezekiah, Sr., was one of the thirty-eight individuals that went ahead and paid the Coxes for quitclaims, thus, obtaining undisputed ownership of their property.  (Later in the 1720's some of Hezekiah's sons were not so fortunate or foresighted since they apparently purchased farms for which quitclaims had not been secured and, hence, became embroiled in an acrimonious lawsuit with Coxe.)  Within this context, it would seem that Hezekiah, Sr., and Mary Bishop Bonham were resident in Burlington County, New Jersey, by the late summer of 1703.  Even so, Howard Bonham, along with other researchers, has asserted that the Bonham family remained at Piscataway until after 1710.  However, this does not seem likely since Hezekiah, Sr., appears to have sold most if not all of his land holdings in Piscataway Township within a year or two of 1700.  In addition, it also does not seem likely that he would have paid additional money to secure a quitclaim from the Coxes if he had not intended to occupy the property.  Therefore, all things considered it seems more probable that Hezekiah and Mary settled in West Jersey shortly after their marriage, perhaps, about 1702 or 1703.  Furthermore, in his well documented book on Bonham family history, H. E. Bonham included a detailed map locating the original property of Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., which indicates that to the east it adjoined the original province line separating East and West Jersey and, hence, lay just inside Maidenhead (now Lawrence) Township about one mile and half north of the Princeton Pike (Mercer Road).  At present, this corresponds to a location along Province Line Road in close proximity to the entrance of the recently developed Jasna Polana Golf Club and a few hundred yards north of Carson Road.  Much of this area has been recently purchased by Lawrence Township as Carson Road Woods to be put aside as a "passive recreation park" and provide permanent undeveloped green space for the local community.

There is good reason to believe that members of the Bonham family were early Baptists, which also may have provided the original motivation for them to leave New England.  Likewise, there is good evidence that Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., was an early sabbatarian Baptist although this is not entirely certain.  Indeed, in a history of the Seventh Day Baptist denomination, Rev. L. A. Platts reports a story that in 1702 a "Mr. Bonham" challenged an early Baptist preacher, Rev. Edmund Dunham, when the latter reproved the former for working on Sunday.9  As a consequence, Rev. Dunham embarked on a personal study of the Sabbath in Scripture and came to embrace sabbatarian doctrine.  Subsequently, in 1705 he and other like-minded individuals founded the First Seventh Day Baptist Church at Piscataway, New Jersey.  Of course, Edmund Dunham was none other than the brother-in-law of Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., married to his older sister, Mary.  Elsewhere, Hezekiah Bonham is identified specifically as having been the one who challenged Dunham.10  In any case, it can be inferred from the context that Hezekiah Bonham was probably already a sabbatarian.  Moreover, it is known that several of his descendants were married in or otherwise associated with the Seventh Day Baptist church founded by Dunham.  Consequently, it appears that there was substantial association of various members of the extended Bonham family with sabbatarian Baptists throughout much of the eighteenth century.  Even so, there does not seem to have been an independent Seventh Day Baptist congregation in Maidenhead or Hopewell Townships, but, neverthless, sabbatarian Baptists in West Jersey evidently maintained a close connection with the congregation at Piscataway.11  Of course, travel was difficult in the early eighteenth century and one can hardly suppose that sabbatarians in Maidenhead and Hopewell Townships traveled back to Piscataway each week but, perhaps, the distance of twenty-five or thirty miles which separated the two locations was not so great so as to preclude reasonably frequent travel back and forth by pastors as well as others.  On other occasions adherents of this sect, e.g., the Bonham family, probably met more informally in homes, which, naturally, would have not been unusual in a frontier community.  After settling in West Jersey, Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., evidently became an important citizen of the local community.  His name appears quite prominently among those who met January 1, 1712 (1713 N. S.) to promote the establishment of Hunterdon County, which occurred the following year.12  (It is possible that this record provides the basis for the assumption that Hezekiah, Sr., did not leave East Jersey until after 1710.)  Subsequently, in 1721 he was appointed along with John Smith to oversee county roads.  In addition, Monnette and others report that he became a judge in Hunterdon County in 1723 and, accordingly, was known as "Justice Hezekiah Bonham".  Concomitantly, Hezekiah was one of the witnesses of the will of Jonathan Stout in 1722.13  Accordingly, it is almost certain that Hezekiah, Sr., and his wife remained resident in Maidenhead Township until after 1730.  (That year he signed a memorandum to authorize the sale of a town lot to provide for a parsonage for a Presbyterian congregation at Maidenhead, although Hezekiah himself was almost certainly not a Presbyterian but, rather, merely a leading citizen of the community.)  Moreover, in September of 1731 "lands bought of Hezekiah Bonham ..." were mentioned in the will of John Smalley of Piscataway; however, the indicated transaction had probably occurred many years prior when Hezekiah moved from Piscataway to Maidenhead.14  It is not known when Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., died, but it is a plausible presumption is that it was about 1732.  Alternatively, it has been asserted by some researchers that he remained alive until at least 1738 because it has been reported that in that year he had been a witness to the will of Henry Mershon.  However, it is evident from a published abstract of the will that Hezekiah was, in fact, not a witness nor an appraiser of the estate and that the only mention of him was as having owned property adjoining a particular land parcel specified as a bequest to Mershon's widow.  Clearly, this cannot be taken as definitive evidence that he remained alive in 1738.  Moreover, in the language of the will, past instead of present tense was used, i.e., "belonged to Hezekiah" not "belongs", which rather better supports the presumption that he was an original or former, not present, landowner, and, thus, could well have been deceased.  Similarly, it has also been asserted that Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., remained alive until 1734 because the younger Hezekiah, i.e., his son, was specifically noted as "Junior" when he served as a witness to the will of Charles Stephens in Amwell Township.  However, colonial usage cannot be expected to have been so perfectly consistent so that such an appellation for a younger individual would be dropped immediately upon the decease of the corresponding older individual.  Indeed, common practice was probably haphazard and similar to that of the present day for which a person might be known as "Junior" throughout life and certainly, long after the death of the associated "Senior".  Within this context, earlier researchers such as Smith, Monnette, and Hazie have attributed five additional sons to Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., and his second wife, viz., Amaziah, Josiah, Isaiah, Zephaniah, and Obadiah.  Of these, Amaziah was said to have married Rebecca Rittenhouse in 1734.  Indeed, a son of Uriah Bonham, Amos, did marry Rebecca Rettinghouse (sic - Rittenhouse); however, the marriage probably occurred much later about 1780.  Even so, it is probable that identities have been confused and that Amos has been mis-attributed as Amaziah.  For the remaining four putative sons there seems to be no verifiable documentation, which suggests that they are spurious.  (Alternatively, some or all of them may have died as infants or young children.)

Source Notes and Citations:
1a. William Nelson (ed), New Jersey Archives - First Series (alt. title Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State, 1664-1703. Part I: East Jersey Records. Part II: West Jersey Records), New Jersey Historical Society, Trenton, NJ, The Press Printing and Pub. Co., Paterson, NJ, 1899: Vol. 21, pgs. 238-9.
     Oct. 2, 1695.  "Do. to Ezekiah (sic - Hezekiah) Bonham of Piscataway, for 100 acres in Middlesex County, S. Samuel Hull, on all other sides unsurveyed land."  Patent of 100 acres to Hezekiah Bonham.

b. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 242.
     Apr. 11, 1696.  "Deed.  Hezekiah Bonham to Winefield Rorie, spinster, both of Piscataway, for 100 acres there, S. Samuel Hull, on all other sides unsurveyed."  Conveyance of Hezekiah Bonham to Winefield Rorie, preceding 100 acres patent land.

c. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 250.
     Nov. 3, 1696.  "Confirmation to George Willoks, of: 1, 170 acres in Woodbridge Township, on Papaick Creek, E. the Sound and Bacon's Creek, W. the meadows, S. the same and Woodbridge Creek; 2 600 a. at Barnegate, N. E. John West, S. E. the Bay, S. W. Anthony Sharp, N. W. unsurveyed land; 3, a lot in Sumerset Co., part of the Winder, Graham and Co. patent, adjoinig John Robeson and John White; 4, 1,000 acres in said Co., on the Northbranch of Rariton R.; 5, 300 a. on Barnegate beach, atthe mouth of Baby Creek, adjoining William Lawrence; 6, 1,500 a. at Totoa on Pissack R., Essex Co.; 7, 300 a. In Middlesex Co., on Rariton R.; 8, 100 a. in Piscatawy, betw. Thomas Fitsrendolph, Ezikiah (sic - Hezekiah) Bonam, and Samuel Hull; 9, 2 slips at Wickatunck, one S. of Thomas Rudyard and Augustin Gordon, the other N. of Argebald Inness and Thomas Lawrie; all to stand for 4,470 acres."

d. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 252.
     Nov. 6, 1696.  "Do.  Same [George Willocks] to Samuel Hull of Piscataway, cooper, for 100 acres betw. Thomas ffitzrendalph, Ezikiah Bonum (sic - Hezekiah Bonham), grantee and Dottie's Creek."  Conveyance of George Willocks to Samuel Hull, 100 acres.

e. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 259.
     Dec. 21, 1696.  "Do.  Tege alias Timothie Cartee to John Molleson, both of Piscataway, for 5 acres of meadow there, W. John Chambers, formerly Richard Smith, N. woodland, E. a creek, S. Hezekiah Bonum."

f. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 268.
     May 1, 1697.  "Do.  to Ezekiah Bonham of Piscataway, in right of his late father Ezekiah (sic - Nicholas) Bonham, Thomas ffarnewoorth and Daniel Lippemton, of 182 acres in Piscataway, as follows: 1, a houselot of 12 a., S. Benjamin ffitzrendalph, N. John Martine senior, E. a small spring, W. a small gully; 2, a lot, E. John Smallie senior, W. George Drake, N. a small brook, S. Daniel Lippenton, S. E. George Jewell; 3, a tract, S. Samuel Dotie, W., N. and E. unsurveyed; 4, a lot on Rariton R., N. Nicholas Bonham, S. E. George Jewell, S. W. said river, N. W. a brook; 5, 5 acres of meadow, S. and E. a small creek, N. Timothy Cartie, W, the two Smallies, senior and junior."
     May 22, 1697.  "Deed.  Hezekiah Bonham of Piscataway to Benjamin Fitsrendalph of the same place, for 12 acres, No. 1 of the preceding confirmatory patent, S. grantee, W. and N. John Martine and town land, E. a small run."

g. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 281.
     Oct. 9, 1697.  "Deed.  Hezekiah Bonham of Piscataway and wife Marie to Edward Jones of Woodbridge, weaver, for two lots in Piscataway, one bounded E. by John Smallie, S. W. George Drake, N. a small brook, S. Daniel Lippentoune, S. E. George Jewell; the other, 30 acres, being the remainder of the land, held by Bonham in right of Daniel Lippentone and bo't of Zerah Higgens, N. Nicholas Bonham, S. E. George Jewell, S. W. the remaining part of the land, N. W. a brook."

h. ibid.: Vol. 21, pgs. 289-90.
     Oct. 27, 1698.  "Deed.  Hezekiah Bonham of Piscataway and wife Mary to Edward Slater of the same place, for a lot there, bo't of Susannah, widow of Thomas Farnsworth, S. Samuel Dotey, other sides unsurveyed."

i. ibid.: Vol. 21, pg. 333.
     Aug. 28, 1701.  "Do.  to John Molleson of Piscataway, yeoman, as his full second dividend of 1-10 of a share of 500 acres in Middlesex Co., as follows:  1, a lot, S. W. Matthew Giles, N. W. the Bound Brook, N. E. unsurveyed, S. E. unsurveyed and James Geiles dec's; 2, a lot adjoining Benjamin Hull on Ambrose Brook; 3, a lot betw. John Smallie, Benjamin Hull, Robert Burnet and Ezekiah (sic - Hezekiah) Bonham; 4, a lot on Ambrose Brook."
back to bio.

2. Lucy Mary Kellogg et al. (eds), Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA, 1975-1995: Vol. 4, pgs. 36-8.
     "Hezekiah Bonham b. Piscataway NJ 6 May 1667; d. aft 27 Jan. 1733/4.  He m* bef. Oct 1691 Mary Dunn, b. Piscataway NJ 19 Jan.1671/2; d. there 7 Nov. 1699; dau. of Hugh and Elizabeth (Drake) Dunn.  Hezekiah Bonham was accepted as a townsman of Piscataway 2 Jan. 1687/8 apparently on coming of age.  He appears in no record of any kind in Piscataway after 1698.  On 18 March 1698/9 he appears in a list of inhabitants of Maidenhead when Gov. Jeremiah Basse and others, as agents, sold 100 acres to the inhabitants of Maidenhead for 5 shillings, for a meeting house, school and burial ground.  Hezekiah moved to Maidenhead, Hunterdon Co. NJ sometime after 1698.  On 9 Oct. 1697 Hezekiah Bonham of Piscataway and wife Marie sold land in Piscataway part of which was the 'remainder of land held by Bonham in the right of Daniel Lippentone' ...  Hezekiah and wife Mary sold further land in Piscataway to Edward Slater on 27 Oct. 1698.  On 1 May 1697 Ezekiah Bonham received confirmation of a grant of 182 acres 'in right of his late father Ezekiah Bonham, Thomas Ffarnewoorth and Daniel Lippinton.'  Hezekiah Bonham and wife Mary later sold two of these tracts proving that the earlier grant was this Hezekiah.  The records are clearly in error regarding Hezekiah's father's name, as Nicholas is his documented father.  In addition, there is no record of an earlier Hezekiah Bonham in Piscataway in whose right a son could have a proprietary grant.  Hezekiah Bonham does not appear in the Hunterdon Co. court records but is mentioned in the following documents, none of which mention a second wife or any other children: on 28 Aug. 1701 he is mentioned as an abutter in Middlesex Co.; on 26 Aug. 1703 he was among those who consented to an agreement between Dr. Daniel Coxe, Esq. and Thomas Revell, on behalf of purchasers of land in Maidenhead and Hopewell townships; on 1 Jan. 1712/3 he contributed money to organize a new county (in this document he is Hezekiah Bonham, Sr., indicating that a younger Hezekiah, not necessarily his son, was in the town); on 24 Nov. 1722 he witnessed the will of Jonathan Stout of Hopewell Township; on 21 April 1732 his bond is mentioned in the codicil to the will of Daniel Howell of Trenton; on 6 Nov. 1730 his original signature appears with others on an agreement to sell the town lot to the highest bidder; and finally he was probably still alive on 27 Jan. 1733/4 when a Hezekiah Bonham, Jr. witnessed the will of Charles Stephens of Amwell Township NJ.  References: Proc NJ Hist Soc. (3rd ser.) 2:73 (b. ch.).  ME NH Gen Dict pp. 205 (Drake), 211 (Dunn).  NJ Archives (1st ser.) 21:281, 289 (Hezekiah Bonham deeds); 23:145 (will Hugh Dun); 23:248-9 (will Samuel Hunt).  Maidenhead Minutes pp. 4, 6, 8, 12; Maidenhead Landownership pp. 4, 7, 9 (Hezekiah to Ezekiah); Piscataway Town Rec. p. 11 (1687/8 townsman); NJ Archives (1st ser.) 21:333 (1701 Middlesex Deed); West Jersey Deeds AAA:8 (1703 agreement); Maidenhead Town Rec. 1:9 (1712/13 contribution); New Jersey Wills 2:212 (1722 witnessed will), 3:204 (1732 Daniel Howell codicil); Maidenhead Town Rec. 1:23 (1730 agreement); NJ Wills 4:94 (1733/4 witnessed will).  Piscataway Register (ch. of Vincent & Mary; Vincent & Anna).  NJ Archives 32:277 (Thomas Runyon Will); 23:398 (1713 adm. Vincent); 23:298 (1723/4 Vincent will).

*Note: No evidence found to support Monette's claim that Hezekiah had second wife Ann Hunt.  The claim may have originated in misinterpretation of the will of Samuel Hunt of Maidenhead, Hunterdon Co. dated 15 Jan. 1717/8 in which he decreed that his real estate was to be partitioned among Samuel Hunt's heirs by son Samuel, by Hezekiah Bonham, and by John Prince.  Monette lists the following as children of Hezekiah Bonham and his unproven 2nd wife Ann Hunt: Hezekiah, Nehemiah, Zachariah, Zedekiah, Amariah, Temperance, Malachiah, Amaziah, Ephraim, Jeremiah, Josiah, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Uriah & Obadiah.
**Note: Although the Piscataway Register of Deaths shows Mary, wife of Hezekiah Bonham died 7 Nov. 1694, it is known she was alive on 27 Oct. 1698, when Hugh Dun(n) of Piscataway names wife Elizabeth and daughter Mary wife of Hezekiah Bonham in his will.  The 7 Nov. 1694 entry is no doubt an error and should read "7 Nov. 1699."  This note is in error.  Hugh Dunn made his will in 1691, but Mary Dunn Bonham is indeed mentioned in the Bonham-Slater deed made October 27, 1698, which obviously supports the stated conclusion that she did not die until 1699.  (Deborah Sweet; database - :2451407; worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com, 2003.)
back to bio.

3. "In the name of God Amen the fifteenth day of January in the year of our Lord 1717.  I, Samuel Hunt of the town of Maidenhead in the County of Hunterdon and province of New Jersey yeoman.  Being sick and weak in body but of perfect mind amd memory thanks be given to God therefore and calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul unto the hands of God that gave it and for my body I recommend it to the earth to be buried in a Christian like and descent (sic - decent) manner at the discretion of my executors.  Nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God and as touches such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give and dispose of the same in the following manner and form.
     I order all my lawful and just debts to be paid out of my movable estate and all the remaining parts of my what is afore mentioned and given to my children.  I also give to my wife the use of my now dwelling house and also the use of that part of my plantation on the North or upper side of the Kings Road lying through Maidenhead for her lifetime.
     Item: I give to my beloved son Samuel Huntall that part of my plantation lying below the said Rhoad on the south side of it to him his heirs executors adminstrators and assigns forever.  I also give to my son Samuel Hunt my now dwelling house and all that part of my plantation lying above the Rhoad after my wife's decease to him and his heirs executor administrators and assigns forever he paying such sums and legacies as hereafter expressed.
     Item: I give to my beloved sons Ralph Hunt and John Hunt all that tract of land lying on Stoney Brook part whereof is in Hopewell and part in Maidenhead to be equally divided between them both at the discretion of my son Samuel Hunt and Hezekiah Bonham and John Price whom I desire and appoint to divide it between my two sons aforesaid as equally as they well can and when it is so divided that then my son Ralph Hunt shall have his first choice and my son John Hunt shall have the other part the which I give to them their heirs executors administrators and assigns forever they paying such legacies as is hereafter expressed.
     Item: I give to my beloved daughter Mary one heifer two years old.
     Item: I give to my beloved daughter Anna one mare.
     Item: I give to my beloved daughter Elizabeth Hunt one cow and one mare to be delivered to her on the day of her marriage.
     Item: I give to my beloved son Thomas Hunt one mare of two years to be delivered to him at my decease.  I also give him fifteen pounds current money of the province to be paid by my son  Samuel Hunt within six months after he's twenty-one years of age.
     Item: I give to my beloved son Jasper Hunt ten pounds current money of this province to be paid by my son Samuel Hunt within six months after he's twenty-one years of age and I also give to my son Jasper Hunt five pounds current money of this province to be paid him by my son Ralph Hunt in six months after he's twenty-one years of age.
     Item: I give to my beloved son Edward Hunt ten pounds current money of this province to be paid him by my son Samuel Hunt in six months after he's twenty-one years of age and I also give to my son Edward Hunt five pounds to be paid him by my son John Hunt in six months after he is twenty-one years of age.
     Item: I constitute make and ordain my dearly beloved wife and my beloved son Samuel Hunt my only and sole executors of this my last will and testament and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disanul all and every other former testaments and wills and legacies requested and executed by me in any ways before this time named without one bequeathed satisfying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament for witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
     Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and Declared by the said Samuel Hunt as his last will and testament in the presence of us the subscribed viz:
     /s/Ralph Hunt   /s/Theophilus Phillips  /s/Jonathan Davis
     /s/Samuel hisXmark Hunt "  (Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900, Hunterdon-Mercer Co., NJ, Box J001, Ref. #15J L2 146, Secretary of State - Genealogical and Colonial Records, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, NJ, (microfilm: roll 714; GSU Reel #463003).  (cited op. cit. (H. E. Bonham): pgs. 114-5.))
back to bio.

4. William Nelson (ed), New Jersey Archives - First Series (alt. title Calendar of New Jersey Wills. Vol. I: 1670-1730), New Jersey Historical Society, Trenton, NJ, The Press Printing and Pub. Co., Paterson, NJ, 1901: Vol. 23, pgs. 248-9.
     Jan. 15, 1717 (1718 N. S.).  "Hunt, Samuel, of Maidenhead, Hunterdon Co., yeoman, will of.  Wife ---,  Children---Samuel, Ralph, John, Mary, Anne, Elizabeth, Thomas, Jesper, Edward, the last two under age.  Home farm on the King's road through Maidenhead, land on Stoney Brook, part in Hopewell, part in Maidenhead, partition of it for devisees to be made by son Samuel, Hezekiah Bonhome and John Price.  Personal estate.  Executors---the wife and son Samuel.  Witnesses---Ralph Hunt, Theophilus Phillips, Jonathan Davis.  Proved November 21, 1720."
     Dec. 26, 1719.  "Inventory of the personal estate £129.--; made by John Bainbridge, Theophilus Phillips and Martinn Hardin.  'Mem yt ye widdow of ye wthin named Samuel Hunt Doth not Desire to be att the Charge of taking letters of administration she being a poor widdow.'"
back to bio.

5a. Howard Eugene Bonham and Jean Allin, Bonham and Related Family Lines, Bonham Book(s), 5104 Bridlington Ln., Raleigh, NC, 27612, printed by Genie Plus, Bradenton, FL, 1996: pg. 117.
     "The probability of Mary Bishop, aged 51 in 1734, being the second wife of Hezekiah Bonham, Sr. is based upon the study of Mary Alger who married David Bishop 24 Mar 1679, and had a daughter, Mary Bishop, born 1682/3."

b. ibid.: pg. 83.
     "Although Hezekiah bought land in Maidenhead in 1698, prior to the death of his first wife, Mary (Dunn) Bonham, he probably moved to Maidenhead with his second wife Mary (Bishop) Bonham ca 1710."
     "1703.  Inhabitants signed agreement with Daniel Coxe and agent Thomas Revell to pay additional sum to quit title on their farms.  Names include Hezekiah Bonham, Jasper Smith, etc."
back to bio.

6. op. cit. (W. Nelson): Vol. 21, pgs. 517-8.
     Mar. 18, 1698 (1699 N. S.).  "Do.   The West Jersey Society, by their agents, Jeremiah Basse and Thomas Revell, to Ralph Hunt, Jno Bainbridge, Johannes Lawrenson (up Dyke), Wm. Hixson, Jno Bryerley, Saml Humt, Theophilus Philipps, Jonathan Davis, Tho: Smith, Jasper Smith, Tho: Coleman, Benjamin Hardin, Wm. Akers, Robert Lannen, Phillip Phillips, Joshua Andris, Samuel Davis, Elnathan Davis, Enoch Andris, Cornelius Andris, James Bice, John Runion, Tho: Runion, Hezekiahn Bonham, Benja: Maple, Lawrence Updike, Joseph Sackett and Edward Hunt, all of Maidenhead, Burlington Co., for 100 acres there, of the Society's 15,000 a. tract above the Falls of Delaware, to be used for a meeting house, burying ground and schoolhouse."
back to bio.

7. H. Clay Reed and George J. Miller (eds), The Burlington Court Book, A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey 1680-1709, The American Historical Association, Washington, DC, 1944: pg. 225.
     "A Return of a Road through Maidenhead made to the Court and approved of by the Same, as followeth  May the 4th 1699, In order to the amendment, wee of the Jury Beginning at the partition Line  So runing as Markt trees shall direct to the eight mile run to a White oak in the Land of Johannes Lawrence  Soe Runing as Markt trees Shall direct to a White oak tree Standing before Ralph Hunts door by the run  So running as Markt trees Shall direct to a Bridge over the Six mile run in Robert Lannings Land  So running as markt trees Shall direct through the Land of Willaim Acres and through the Land of Jasper Smith and through the land of Thomas Smith to the Five mile run to a hiceree tree  So running through the Land of Samuell Matthews and So through the Land of Samuell Stacy as Markt trees Shall direct to Shabakunck bridge, So as markt trees Shall direct through the Land of Mahlon Stacy to the mill of Mahlon Stacy, Sign'd by, Ralph Thomas Smith  Samuell Hunt  Theophilus Phillips  Joshua Anderson  John Lanning  Joseph Smith  Hezekiah Bonham."
back to bio.

8. Winona Nash, comment in Volume I of the Minutes of Lawrence (Maidenhead) Township, Pub. by Lawrence Historic and Aesthetic Commision, Spruce Printing Co., Inc., Trenton, NJ, 1976: pgs. xviii-xix.  (cited op. cit. (H. E. Bonham): pg. 83.)
     "Dr. Daniel Coxe of London, England acquired territory in New Jersey in the 1680's, which included 15,000 acres in Maidenhead/Lawrence Township.  He conveyed the holdings to a group of Quakers called The West Jersey Society, who appointed Jeremiah Basse and Thomas Revell as its agents to sell land to prospective settlers.
     In 1702, Dr. Coxe's son Daniel arrived in the colony and informed the men of Maidenhead that they had bought only the right to use the land from the Society's agent and they would have to pay additional monies for a clear title to their homesteads.
     Maidenhead settlers met with Coxe and Revell at the home of Ralph Hunt to negotiate and agreed on a fee of 12 pounds per 100 acres as the additional price.  Of the men assembled, 38 agreed to pay this amount; the rest refused.
     Some sources state that a number of early settlers lost their lands because they were either unable or unwilling to pay the quitclaims to the Coxe family.  An examination of some of the deeds of these settlers reveal some were able to sell their improved farms to buyers who later paid the Coxe heirs, but it appears that some who left their farms preferred to sell out rather than to pay so much as a shilling more than the original price for clear titles to their farms."
     This is a very brief account of the infamous "Coxe Affair".  Within this context, it should be further noted that the West Jersey Society was probably not exclusively made up of Quakers and that Dr. Coxe's dealings with the Society appear to have been governed by murky internal politics as well as Coxe's desire for large profits.  Moreover, the specific dispute arose because the original conveyance of lands from Coxe to the Society was imperfect.  Subsequently, when New Jersey became a royal colony in 1702 this allowed Dr. Coxe and his son to demand additional money from the settlers in exchange for clear titles.  The dispute continued even beyond Dr. Coxe's death in 1715, culminating  in lawsuits in the early 1730's and, indeed, resulting in loss of title to lands by a number of settlers who then left Hunterdon County for other locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, etc.
back to bio.

9. Lewis Alexander Platts, "Seventh Day Baptists in America Prior to 1802" in Seventh Day Baptists in Europe and America, American Sabbath Tract Society, Plainfield, NJ, 1910: Vol. 1, pgs. 120-46.  (David Hill, www.seventh-day-baptist.org.au/library/books/sdbusa.htm, 1996.)
     "In the last decade of the seventeenth century, Edmund Dunham was a deacon and licensed preacher in the Baptist church at Piscataway, New Jersey.  In 1702 he took occasion to reprove a Mr. Bonham for performing labor upon the First day of the week.  Whereupon Mr. Bonham challenged him for the proof that it was sin to labor on that day.  Whether Mr. Bonham was a Sabbath-keeper or not is not clear; but the challenge caused Mr. Dunham to make a thorough investigation of the whole subject which resulted in his conversion to the Sabbath.  The whole community appears to have been deeply stirred over the matter and many people betook themselves to a prayerful study of the Scriptures, and a number of persons were led to acknowledge the claims of the Sabbath. Like the little band at Newport, little more than a generation before, it was not the intention of these brethren to separate themselves from the Baptist church.  But the agitation became so strong and the feeling on both sides so intense that the only hope of peace and the enjoyment of freedom of speech and practice lay in their separation and the organization of a Seventh-day Baptist church.  This was accomplished in the summer of 1705 under the name of the First Seventh-day Baptist Church of Piscataway, New Jersey.  It was composed of 17 members."
     "The Piscataway movement, though not as wide spread as the New England movement, was more permanent than that just described.  At the organization of the church in 1705, its founder, Edmund Dunham, was chosen pastor, and was sent to Newport for ordination.  The Yearly Meeting convened that year in Westerly, and there Mr. Dunham was ordained by Eld. Gibson, the Newport pastor.  The members of this church were widely scattered so that the pastor, in the performance of his duties, had to make long journeys, which he did either on foot or on horseback, covering the country for a distance of thirty or forty miles.  Though the principal place of meeting was at Piscataway, regular meetings were also held in Hopewell Township, and at Trenton; meetings were also held at numerous other places, but less statedly than at the three principal points just mentioned.  Eld. Dunham performed these labors for a period of 29 years, during which time the church grew to over 70 members.  His son, Jonathan Dunham, succeeded him, serving the church for eleven years as a licensed preacher, rather than as pastor, finally accepting ordination, which took place at the Yearly Meeting at French Creek, in Pennsylvania, as already stated.  After his ordination, he continued to serve the church until his death in 1777, a period of 32 years, making a continuous service of 43 years."
back to bio.

10. Don Sanford, "The Seventh Day Baptists";  Walter B. Shurden (ed), Baptist Studies Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 8, Aug 2002.  (The Center for Baptist Studies, Mercer University, Macon, GA, www.mercer.edu/baptiststudies/newsletter/newsletterindex.html, 2005.)
     "Seventh Day Baptists trace their beginnings from the mid-seventeenth century English Reformation.  The availability of the Scriptures led some to believe that the seventh day of the Scriptures was a requirement for biblical Christianity.  The first Seventh Day Baptist Church in England began about 1650.
     Churches in America had three separate beginnings.  Samuel and Tacy Hubbard's rejection of the state-church concept, and their belief in believers baptism forced them to leave Massachusetts and Connecticut and settle in Rhode Island where they became active members of the First Baptist Church of Newport.  In 1664 their Bible study brought them to the Sabbath and its observance in a small cell group.  When two of their number gave up their Sabbath observance, the others had difficulty in sharing communion with those they considered apostates.  Thus in 1671 they covenanted to form the first Seventh Day Baptist Church in America.
     A second beginning, about 1700, stemmed from Quakerism in Pennsylvania.  The designation of the days of the week by numerical terms as found in the Bible rather than pagan names may have shown the inconsistency of worship on the day of the Sun rather than the biblical Sabbath.  Their Sabbath conviction was shared with German immigrants of the semi-monastic community of Ephrata and a sister-relationship existed for years.
     The third beginning was in Piscataway, New Jersey where Edmund Dunham chastised Hezekiah Bonham for working on Sunday.  When challenged to prove from the scriptures why this was a sin, Dunham and his Baptist Sunday School class searched the Bible but could find no proof.  Thus they withdrew membership from the Baptist church and formed the third Seventh Day Baptist Church in America.
     From these three beginnings in America, the westward migrations established colonies in territories across the nation.  In 1802 a General Conference was organized to send out missionaries to the scattered locations.  Its first history was published in 1811.
     In 1820 a missionary magazine was published, followed by continuous publications into the current times.  In 1847 a missionary society was organized leading to the establishment of a mission in China with a school, a hospital and churches that lasted until the Communist takeover in 1950.
     Other missions have been established in India, Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean.  Most of these have been similar to the call received by Paul, 'Come over into Macedonia and help us.'  When those in other countries came to a Sabbath conviction they called for help in establishing churches with Baptist polity.
     Education has been a high priority leading to establishment of academies and three colleges.  The Sabbath School has been an important part of the churches' programs.  For over a century they have been contributing participants in various ecumenical organizations.  As was expressed in one such group, 'Seventh Day Baptists weigh more than they count.'
     Statistics for 2001 in the United States and Canada show 70 churches in 30 states plus 19 branch churches with approximately 5000 members.  Seventh Day Baptist World Federation reported 17 Conferences with 40,000 estimated members."
back to bio.

11. Andrew Nugent Dugger and Clarence Orvil Dodd, A History of the True Church, Pub. for the Bible Advocate, Salem, WV, 1936: chap. 21, pgs. 80-1.  (Reprint available from Giving & Sharing, Neck City, MO, 1996.)
     "The Church of God keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ, living in Piscataway and Hopewell, in the province of New Jersey, being assembled with one accord, at the house of Benjamin Martin, in Piscataway, the 19th day of August, 1705 -- we did then, and with one mind, choose our dearly beloved Edward Dunham, who is faithful in the Lord, to be our elder and assistant, according to the will of God; whom we did send to New England to be ordained; who was ordained in the church-meeting in Westerly, Rhode Island, by prayer and laying on of hands, by their elder, William Gibson, the eighth of September, 1705."
     "The faith of the Piscataway church reads as follows:
I. We believe that unto us there is but one God, the Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ, who is the mediator between God and mankind, and that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God.  I Corinthians 3:6, I Timothy 2:5, II Timothy 3:6, II Peter 1:21.
II. We believe that all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, given by inspiration, are the Word of God -- II Peter 1:19, 20, 21, II Timothy 3:16, Mark 7:13, I Thessalonians 2:13, Acts 4:29, 31 -- and are the rule of faith and practice.
III. We believe that the ten commandments, which were written on two tables of stone by the finger of God, continue to be the rule of righteousness unto all men.  Matthew 5:17, 18, 19, Malachi 4:4, James 1:21, Romans 7:25, Romans 3:21, Romans 13:8, 9, 10, Ephesians 6:2.
IV. We believe the six principles recorded in Heb. 6:1, 2, to be the rule of faith and practice.
V. We believe that the Lord's Supper ought to be administered and received in all Christian churches.  Luke 2:19, I Corinthians. 11:23, 26.
VI. We believe that all Christian churches ought to have church officers in them, as elders, and deacons.  Titus 1:5, Acts 6:3.
VII. We believe that all persons thus believing ought to be baptized in water by dipping or plunging, after confession is made by them of their faith in the above said things.  Mark 1:4, 5, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:37, Romans 6:3, 4, Colossians 2:12.
VIII. We believe that a company of sincere persons, being formed in the faith and practices of the above said things, may truly be said to be the Church of Christ.  Acts 2:41, 42.
IX. We give up ourselves unto the Lord and one another, to be guided and governed by one another, according to the Word of God.  I Corinthians 8:5, Colossians 2:19, Psalm 84:1, 2, 4-10, Psalm 133:1."
      (available electronically at The Reformed Reader - Baptist History, www.reformedreader.org/history/dugger/toc.htm, 2005.)
back to bio.

12a. "At a Town meeting held in Maidenhead January 1st, 1712 the inhabitants of the said Towne have unanimously agreed among themselves to endeavor for the promoting of a County in the upper parts of the province above Assunpinke and in order thereunto have obliged themselves seaverally and respectively to pay their seaveral and respective sums of money at or before the second day of February next ensuing the date hereof unto Phillip Ringo or his assignees which said Phillip Ringo of Maidenhead at the same towne meeting above mentioned was chosen and appointed by the towne to be the Treasurer or Receiver of the said money for the promoting of the business aforesaid and also at the said meeting John Brearly, John Bainbridge and Joshua Anderson are men that were chosen and appointed to call the said Treasurer to an account concerning the said respective sums of money and the said John Bainbridge at the same Towne meeting is chosen by the towne to appear before the Governaur for them on their behalf in order for the accomplishment of the aforesaid business.
     The inhabitants above mentioned haveing at the said meeting subscribed themselves to pay the aforesaid respective sum of mony as followeth
 
     John Bainbridge subscribed 2 pounds  0 shillings
     Ralph Hunt senier     " 1   "  5    "
     William Hickson     " 1   " 10    "
     John Bearley     " 1   " 10    "
     Phillip Phillips     " 1   "  0    "
     Joshua Anderson     " 1   "  5    "
     Enoch Anderson     " 1   "  0    "
     James Price     " 0   " 15    "
     Alburtus Ringo     " 1   "  0    "
     Hezekiah Bonham senier     " 0   " 15    "
     Henry Mershon     " 0   " 15    "

Stephen Chalmas, Thomas Coleman, Samuel Hunt, William Bings, Garret Cook, Jacobus Nagel, Derick Huff, Laurence Opdyke, Johanus Lourenson, Edward Hunt, Joseph Reader, Benjamin Harden, and John Hart Junier, each subscribed 15 shillings; Timothy Baker subscribed 12 shillings; Thomas Evans and Benjamin Maple each subscribed 10 shillings; William Akers, Ebenezar Petty, Thomas Huff, Andrew Foster and Richard Hart, each subscribed 6 shillings; Jasper Smith, William Lees and Joseph Hill, each subscribed 1 shilling."
     Maidenhead Township was founded in 1697 and was named by the early Quaker settlers after a Thames River village later incorporated into the City of London.  It was originally within the territory of Burlington County, but was subsequently included in Hunterdon County when it was formed in 1714.  The township was legally incorporated through an act of the New Jersey legislature in 1798.  In January of 1816, Maidenhead was renamed Lawrence Township after Captain James Lawrence, commander of the frigate Chesapeake and one of the naval heroes of the War of 1812.  Twenty-two years later, Lawrence Township was transferred from Hunterdon County to Mercer County when it was organized in 1838.  (Minutes of Town Meeting, 1716-1928, Lawrence Twp., Mercer Co., NJ, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, NJ, (microfilm: roll control #MLACL001).  (reprinted in  Volume I of the Minutes of Lawrence (Maidenhead) Township, Pub. by Lawrence Historic and Aesthetic Commision, Spruce Printing Co., Inc., Trenton, NJ, 1976: pgs. 3-4.)  (cited op. cit. (H. E. Bonham): pgs. 84-5.))

b. Jan. 1, 1718.  "The earmark wherewith Hezekiah Bonhome/Bonham marketh his creatures is a half crop in each ear and a half penny under the near ear."  (ibid.: pg. 8.  (cited ibid.: pg. 85.))

c. Jan. 2, 1721 (1722 N. S.).  "At a towne meeting att the house of Joshua Anderson was chosen by the Majority of votes John Price constable and Hezekiah Bonham and John Smith overseers of the highways for the year ensuing."  (ibid.: pg. 6.  (cited ibid.: pg. 85.))

d. "At a Public Town Meeting:  Memerandam it is agreed by the inhabitants of Maidenhead   The Town Lot is to be sold to the highest bidder by way of publick vendue and the purchaser to keep ye money in his hand for six months from the date of this present without intrist he giving bound (sic - bond) and security for the same if required under penalty of one hundred pounds proclamation money and the price of sd lot to be laid out for a parsonage for a presbyterian society for the use of Town of Maidenhead as wittness our hands this sixth day of November 1730."  Hezekiah Bonham signed this Memorandum as did Ralph, Samuel and Edward Hunt; also Theophilus Phillips, Henry Mershon and others.  (ibid.: pg. 12.  (cited ibid.: pg. 85.))
back to bio.

13. op. cit. (W. Nelson): Vol. 23, pg. 445.
     Nov. 24, 1722.  "Stout, Jonathan, of Hopewell, Hunterdon Co., yeoman; will of.  Children---Joseph, Sarah, Hannah, Benjamin, Zebulon, Jonathan, David, Samuel, Anne.  Real and personal estate (1-16 of a proprietary share).  Executor---Andrew Smith.   Witnesses---Hezekiah Bonham, Hezekiah Bunnell, Bartho. Corwine.  Proved 25 Mar 1723."
     Mar. 24, 1722 (1723 N. S.).  "Inventory of the personal estate, £362.2.10¾, incl. a clock £7.10, two negro girls £20, a negro man £35; made by Thomas Runion [Runyon] and Thomas Read."
back to bio.

14a. Abraham Van Doren Honeyman (ed), New Jersey Archives - First Series (alt. title Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Adminstrations, Etc. Vol. II: 1730-1750), New Jersey Historical Society, Trenton, NJ, The Unionist-Gazette Assoc., Printers, Somerville, NJ, 1913: Vol. 30, pg. 437.
     Sep. 13, 1731.  "Smalley, John, of Piscataway, Middlesex Co., yeoman; will of.  Wife, Liddea.  Sons---Jonathan, Elisha and Benjamin.  Daughters and daughters-in-law to have personal estate at death of my wife.  Executors---son, Jonathan and friend, Benja'n Stelle.  Lands bought of Hezekiah Bonham, Joseph Gilman, and Benjamin Cull, [sic] Hull.  Witnesses---William Hooks, Samuel Slater, Elizabeth Garner.  Proved May 25, 1733."

b. ibid.: Vol. 30, pgs. 332-3.
     Jul. 19, 1738.  "Mershon, Henry, of Maidenhead, Hunterdon Co., weaver; will of.  Wife, Ann.  Son, Houghton, plantation of 111 acres held by several deeds from (Thomas?) Revel, Benjamin Maple, Susannah Stockton and Daniel Cox, being a second purchase.  Wife, Ann, five acres of meadow bought of said Revil, in town of Maidenhead, adjoining five acres which belonged to Hezekiah Bonham.  Sons---Henry, Andrew, Peter and Thomas.  Daughters---Mary, Ann, Rebeckah, Elizabeth and Sarah.  Wife executrix.  Witnesses---Stephen Minor, Philip Chapman, John Job.  Proved Oct 27, 1738."
     Oct. 24, 1738.  "Inventory of estate (£265.6) includes one servant man, £10; one negro girl, £40; twelve swarms of bees, £5; three looms and harness, £10; books £1.5.  Made by Stephen Minor and Peter Mershon."
back to bio.


Additional Citations:

15. Orra Eugene Monnette, First Settlers of ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge, olde East New Jersey, 1664-1714, a period of fifty years, The Leroy Carman Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1930-35: Part 4, pg. 229.

16. Olive Barrick Rowland, Genealogical Notes of the Sutton and Rittenhouse Families of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Garrett & Massie, Pub., Richmond, VA, 1935:  pgs. 107-8.

17. Samuel Jeremiah Bonham, The Bonham Family, privately published, Niles, OH, 1955: pgs. 9-10, 27-8.

18. Elmer Burt Hazie, Bonham, 1631-1973: letters, quotations, genealogical charts, military records, directory index, privately published, Los Angeles, CA, 1973: pgs. 25-32.  (rev. of Emmet Lincoln Smith, Smith-Bonham, 1631-1908, privately published, Chicago, IL, 1911; also Emmet Lincoln Smith, rev. by Elmer Burt Hazie, Bonham, 1631-1959: letters, quotations, genealogical charts, illustrations, military record, directory, privately published, Los Angeles, CA, 1959 & Elmer Burt Hazie, Bonham, 1631-1975: letters, quotations, genealogical charts, military records, directory index, privately published, Los Angeles, CA, 1975.)

19. Andrew D. Mellick, Jr., The Story of an Old Farm or Life in New Jersey in the Eighteenth Century, The Unionist-Gazette, Somerville, NJ, 1889: pg. 197.

20. James P. Snell and Franklin Ellis, History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey, Everts & Peck, Pub., Philadelphia, PA, 1881: pgs. 203 & 258.

21. Trula Fay Parks Purkey, Genealogy of William Bonham, Pioneer Settler of Grayson County, Virginia, 731 Rockbridge Rd., Trout Dale, VA, 1984: pgs. 17-9.

Return to Index