52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2018 WEEK 39: JOHN DUNHAM OF CARVER, MA.

My 5x great grandfather John Dunham is also my 2nd cousin 7x removed. This is because his mother, Mary Smith, was the granddaughter of our common ancestor Ralph Ellingwood Jr. John married Mary Thomas, the daughter of John Thomas and Abigail Dunham on 17Oct 1755 in Marshfield, Ma. She was John's third cousin.

John was made the administator of the estate when his father Ebenezer died but his siblings were not happy with his performance:

Plymouth  Co.- To Mr. John Donham of carver in ye County aforesaid administrator on the
 estate of Ebenezer Donham late of Plymouth in said county yeo-
-man deceased
Greetings

Whereas complaints on this day made to me on behalf of the Heirs
of the aforesaid Ebenezer deceased, that you unreqasonably neglect to
settle your final acount of administration to the great damage of
the heirs aforesaid___-you are therefore hereby cited to appear
before me at a Court of Probabte to be holden at the Probate
office in Plymouth aforesaid on Saturday next (at ten of the clock
in ye forenoon) being ye 31st day of this present month then & there
to make answer to said Complaints- Given under my hand at Plymouth
aforesaid March 27th 1772.
Joshua Thomas Judge Prob.

To the Sheriff of the County of Plymouth or to either of his deputies
or to either of the Constables of the Town of Carver aforesaid who is
directed to serve the citation & make Return thereof. 



 

Plymouth County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1686-1881 Case6836 Image 16

The probate file doesn't say how the matter was settled but in June three men were appointed to divide up Ebenezer Dunham's real  estate among his heirs.

One of the things I did learn though was that while John was a farmer, two of his brothers were cod fishermen in Plymouth.

The children of John and Mary (Thomas) Dunham were:
Moses, born Jan. 23, 1757
Mary, born Dec. 15, 1758
Salome, born April 12, 1762
John, born Nov. 16, 1764
Thomas, born Oct. 2, 1766
Elizabeth, born Dec. 25, 1768
Abigail, born April 20, 1771
Caleb, born March 9, 1773
James, born May 25, 1775
Job, born April 20, 1777
Calvin, born April 11, 1781

Five of the children,  including my 4x great grandfather James Dunham, moved to Maine

John died on 30 Apr 1814 in Carver, Ma. and is buried there in Wenham Cemetery

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2018 WEEK 36:JOHN DUNHAM SR.OF PLYMOUTH, MA.

My 9x great grandfather John Dunham Sr. has been the subject of much discussion by genealogists over the years. There is the question of John Singletary/ John Dunham which I won't go into here. And then there is the confusion caused by Isaac Watson's book which had many errors that were accepted by the genealogical community of the 19th century as fact.

I debated dicussing those errors here but then decided if I did so they might end up on someone's online family tree and spread further. Instead here is a link to the book, Dunham genealogy: English and American branches of the Dunham family. This is an edition published in 1907. What alarms me is that there are editions published as recently as 2017.

Luckily, more thorough research from reputable genealogists has produced these facts:
John Dunham  Sr was born in England around 1588/9. He married Susannah Keno around 1615 and they were part of the English Separatist community in Leiden Holland where they had three children together before Susannah's death. John's second wife was Abigail Barlow (or Ballou) who he married on 22Oct 1629 in Leiden. Their first three (possibly four) children were born in Leiden before the family arrived at Plymouth Plantation in 1632.  John's occupation is listed in the Plymouth records as weaver but he managed to acquire quite a bit of property and he was a prominent member of the community. He also was active in the town government  where he served on committees and worked as a town officer several times, He and his sons also occasionally were involved in some scurrilous incidents over the years. He died in Plymouth on 2Mar 1688/9.

John Dunham Sr.'s children with Susannah Keno, all born in Leiden, were:

John Jr., b. about 1616; died 6Apr 1692
Humility, b. around 1618
Thoma, b. around 1619; died around 1677

His children with Abigail Barlow/Ballou:
Samuel, b. in Leiden about 1623; died in Plymouth 20Jan 1711
Jonathan, b. in Leiden about 1625
Abigail, b. in Leiden around 1627
Joseph, b. 1631 (probably in Leiden)
Hannah, b. in Plymouth 1634; died in Plymouth 1Apr 1708
Persis, b. in Plymouth 1635
Benajah, b. in Plymouth 1637
Daniel, b. in  Plymouth 1639

I am descended from sons John Jr. and Joseph.

JOHN DUNHAM JR: "...TO BE SEVERELY WHIPT"

I wasn't sure if this was John Dunham Jr or his son John. At the time  of the incident
in 1665 John Dunham Sr. was still alive, so it's possible it is the grandson who
might have been called "John Dunham the younger" to distinguish him from the
other two.But I think the names of the three men who helped pay the 40
helped me decide it.  Benajah Pratt was married to Persis Dunham, a sister of
John Jr.  Jonathan Dunham was John Jr.'s younger brother. Here's the story from
Volume 4 of  the Plymouth Court Records:

1Aug 1665

In reference vnto John Dunham the younger, for his abusive carriage
towards his wife in contnuall tiranising ouer her, and in pticulare for his late
abusiue and vnciuill carryage in endeauoring to beate her in a deboist manor,
and for affrighting of her by drawing a sword and pretending therwith to offer
violence to his life, hee, the said Dunham, is sentanced by the Court to bee
seuerly whipt ; but through the importunitie of his wife, the execution of
the said centence was respeted for psent vntill the Court shall take furthr
notice of his furute walking, and then to doe therein as occation shall re-
quire ; and for the preuension of future euill in the like kind, the Court sees
cause to require securite for his good behauior vintill the next Generall Court,
and so fron Court to Court vntill the Court shall see cause otherwise to order.

John Dunham the younger acknowlidgeth to owe vnto our sou lord the Kinge the
sum of 20:00:00
George Bonum the sume of 6:13:04
Benajah Pratt the sume of    6:13:04
Jonathan Dunham the sume of 6:13:04
The condition, that if the said John Dunham bee of good behauior towards our sou
lord the Kinge and all his leich people, and in particulare towards his wife in reforming
his former abusiue carryage towards her both in word and deed, and appear att the
Generall Court of his matie to bee holden att Plymouth the first Tuesday in October
next, and not depart the said Court without lycence; that then, &c."   Vol4 p103-104


I had to look up the word "deboist". It seems to have been a synonym for the word debauched. 

The maiden name of John Jr.'s wife is unknown to me. She's listed only as Dorothy
on the family tree. Frankly, I'm disappointed that she intervened to have the whipping
sentence suspended. I think John Dunham Jr. needed a good whipping for that behavior,
or at least a couple of slaps up the side of the head. 

JOHN DUNHAM JR: SAMUEL EDDY'S DOG

Whenever  I find some record or document online, I do a bit more searching
on Google to see what else I might find about it or the events around it. My
search for more details about John Dunham and Samuel Eddy's dog led me to
Sam Behling's website and this poem. It's by Eddy descendent William
Holden Eddy and originally appeared in the Eddy Family Association Bulletin
in 1934.(Issue #1 Vol XIII, April 1934). I'm reprinting it here with the permission
of the Eddy Family of America. My thanks to Lin Eddy-Hough , the Chair of the
Publications Committee for the Association.


As I mentioned in the previous post, my ancestor John Dunham Jr. and Samuel
Eddy had their differences mediated by neighbors and they seem to have gotten
on better with each other afterward, to the point that they shared the upkeep of
a cow.

Also, Zachariah, Caleb, and Obadiah were Samuel Eddy's sons. 

          An Elegy on the Death of Samuel Eddy's Dog


    To day no lofty strain I sing, of Pilgrims' joy or suffering,
    No tales heroic do I bring to set your minds agog;
    An incident of daily life of bitterness, alas, and strife,
    When rumors sorrowful were rife of Samuel Eddy's dog.

    The breed he sprang from who can name? Mastiff or bull we cannot claim.
    Or trained to seek the fleeting game, in forest or in bog;
    Lurcher or hound, or terrier keen, Spaniel or Porter, greyhound lean,
    Naught do we know of this, I ween, of Samuel Eddy's dog.

    What that dog did we do not know, almost three centuries ago,
    Little indeed the records show, in Plymouth's catalogue.
    But this we read, one summer day stretched cold in death the poor beast lay,
    Poisoned by some fell foe, they say, was Samuel Eddy's dog.

    Of this in truth we may be clear, that all the settlers, far and near
    Spoke words of comfort and of cheer, in friendly dialogue;
    And soothed, as best they could, the woe that had o'ercome its master so,
    And checked the tears that would o'erflow, for Samuel Eddy's dog.

    Think of the grief of Zachariah, of Caleb, sad as Jeremiah,
    And doubtless year-old Obadiah, though somewhat in a fog,
    Upraised his voice in wailing strong, and added to the weeping throng
    Another lamentation strong for Samuel Eddy's dog.

    What was John Dunham's dreadful fate? What punishment did him await?
    Who made the household desolate? What was the epilogue?
    This only, that he sureties gave, than henceforth he would well behave
    For ever after poison crave for Samuel Eddy's dog.

    But later these two men agreed in partnership a cow to feed,
    To satisfy their households' need with milk instead of grog;
    Thus out of evil, good somehow will often come; and so that cow
    Repentance shows and sorrow now, for Samuel Eddy's dog.

    So let us pardon grant to him, and trust he's with the cherubim,
    That man who gave the poison grim, and broke the Decalogue.
    And let us all assembled here in heartfelt sorry drop a tear
    Upon the long forgotten bier of Samuel Eddy's dog.

JOHN DUNHAM JR.: "BEING BOUND OVER..."

My colonial immigrant ancestor John Dunham was a deacon of the church at
Plymouth  Colony. While the Deacon was a respectable citizen, his sons did their
share of hell-raising before settling down.

The oldest son, John Jr. first appeared in the Plymouth Court Records on criminal
charges in 1646 when he was twenty six years old, for something I personally find
repugnant: 

4Aug 1646
In the case betwixte Samuell Eddy and John Dunham, Jun, abiyt ye said
John Dunhams giving poyson to the said  Samuell Eddy's dogg, the Court,
having taken the same into serious consdieracon. vpon hearing what could be
said on both sides. the Courte doth order yt ye said John Dunhame sall finde
sureties for his good behavior vnto ye next Court. Vol2p107

By that next Court session, things seemed to have calmed down considerably
between John Jr and Samuel Eddy and they'd found two neighbors to mediate
between them: 

27Oct 1646
In a case of difference twixte John Dunham, Jun, and Sam Edie, the Court orders,
& the said John Dunham agreed therevnto, that Mr Wm Paddie and John Cooke,
Jun, shall heare, end, & determine all former civill differences twixte them to
this psent day. Vol2 110

Eventually, Deacon John Dunham passed away. John Jr became a father of a son also
named John. He was now John Senior. There are two appearances that caught my
attention. In the first, he was the victim:

5Jul1669
Att this Court, John Dunham, Senir, came into the Court and complained against
John Dotey, that hee mett him in the high way, and did crewelly beate him, and
affeirmeth that hee goeth in danger of his life because of the said Dotey, and hath
taken an oath before the said Court for the truth of the pmises, and prayeth a
warrant of the peace against him.
John Dotey acknowlidgeth to owe vnto our sov lord the Kinge the sume of 20:00:00
John Soule the sume of                                                                                  10:00:00
Samuell Smith the sume of                                                                            10:00:00

The condition that if the said John Dotey shall and doe keep the peace towards our
sov lord the Kinge and all his leich people, and in speciall in reference vnto the
said John Dunham,and appear at the Court of his matie to be holden at Plymouth
the last Tuesday in October next, and not depart the said Court without lycence;
that then, &..."- Volume 5 p25

The condition of John Dotey's  release seems to be some sort of ritual phrasing that
peters off into that "&", prpbably the equivalent of "yada yada" for that period. Also
40 pounds seems to have been the standard fine in cases like this.  The reason I think
this is becuase the exact same phrase and fine are used a year later when John was
the perpetrator. It should be noted that "carriages" does not refer to baby carriages,
but to how a person behaved or "carried" themselves.

7June 1670
John Dunham, Senr, being bound ouer to this Court to answare for his abusive
speeches and carriages towards Sarah, the wife of Benjamine Eaton,  and being
conuict thereof, was contanced to be bound to his good behauior.
John Dunham acknowlidgeth to owe vnto our sov Lord the Kinge the sume of 40.

The condition, that if the said John Dunham be of good behauior towards our
sou lord the Kinge and all his leich people, and is speciall towards Sarah. the wife
of Benjamine Eaton, and appear att the Court of his matie to be holden at Plymouth
aforesaid the last Tuesday in October next, and not depart the said Court without
lycence; that then , & e.V ol5 p 40

As bad as my 8x great grandfather John Dunham Jr.'s behavior might have been at times,
his brothers were as bad, if not worse. I'll didscuss them next.