| Notes |
- NOTE 1./ SINGLETARY FAMILY
Richard Singletary is documented as residing in Salisbury, Mass. from 1644 to 1652, where he was a planter and received land in the "First Division". He was elected a "Select Man" in 1650 and reportedly "taxed decently".
In 1653, he moved back to Haverhill, Mass. where he became a planter and proprietor.
He was again elected a "Select Man" in 1655. He lived there until his death on October 25, 1687. Richard outlived his wife, Susannah, by five years as her death is listed as Aprill 11, 1682. Richard was well educated by the standards of the day and a prominent member of the communties in which he lived. His children married into other prominent families of the era.
By the early 1700's a number of Richard's sons and grandsons migrated to other areas of New England and the Carolinas. They migrated primarily to obtain land which was abundant and cheap at the time. Interestingly, Jonathan, eldest son of Richard (d.1687) and his family members changed their name to Dunham after moving to Woodbridge, New Jersey. Descendants of Jonathan continue to use the Dunham name today. Jonathan signed numerous legal documents as Dunham alias Singletary. The family is well documented in the early period in New England, but after the third generation, research becomes very difficult due to the lack of records and the duplication of names in the family.
NOTE 2./ The Descendants of Francis Singletary Compiled By Dorothy Courtney Saunders - 1997
E-Mail - [email protected] <<http://pages.prodigy.net/dorothy_saunders/MYLINES/singlebk.htm>>
Information for Richard follows:
Family tradition, that has for many, many years been handed down from generation to generation, tells that in the last quarter of the 16th century there was in England a family of title and large estates by the name of Dunham (Donham in Massachusetts records). There were two branches and in case of the death of the last male heir the title and estates would pass to the nearest make relative in the younger branch. The unexpected did occur and every male of the elder branch died except one small boy and one day he was missing. On investigation it was found that his nurse was also missing. Extensive searching, even with bloodhounds, produced no trace of the missing heir so the property was held for some years in abeyance. Eventually the heir apparent of the younger branch instituted a lawsuit to gain possession but he decision of the courts is unknown. At any rate, many years afterward the nurse, on her deathbed, confessed that she had been employed to destroy the child, but that her heart failed when the test came, and she decided to procure him a home in the new world. Kowing a search would be made she hid with the child in a dense hazel thicket and was in mortal terror when she heard the hounds. They failed to pick up the scent, however, so the nurse with the child remained there a day and a night, fearing that they would be discovered on emerging. They finally escaped, however, and almost expiring of hunger and fatigue, succeeded in reaching a ship in which she embarked for America. On reaching whose shores she deserted the child and shortly afterward returned to England. She added that in view of the fact that the child was now alone, separated from all kindred ties and likely to remain so, she had given him the doubly significant name of Single Tarry. The circumstances under which this written and sworn confession was made lent such force to the probability on it's truth detectives were immediately sent to America to investigate the matter and a young man was found bearing the name whose age corresponded with that of the lost heir of the Dunham estates and who could give no account of his antededents. The Captain of the ship on which the child was deserted had adopted him under the name the nurse had given, having no idea of his real name and lineage, but he was now dead. Indeed the number of years that had passed, and the surroundings evidently chosen at the time with reference to destroying all trace of name and ancestry, were such that no one could positively testify that this was the person sought; and 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. This tradition has been passed down for generations and it assumes the dignity of truth when we consider that in a legal document that appears in the archives of Massachusetts, recorded in 1702, the whole family is referred to as "Donham, alias Singletary.
Another legend concerning the origin of the family is of two Dunham/ Donham/ Denham/ DuNoe/ DuNom/ brothers, Huguenot refuges from La Rochelle, France, who came to America in early 1700's. Later one slipped back to France to see what he could recover of the family estates. Upon his return to America he announced to his brother that all was lost the Crown and the Church had taken it all. The unbelieving brother denounced the rascality of the returnee's report and refused to bear the family name any longer, taking his mother's family name of Singletary.
Richard was in Massachusetts by Sept. 11, 1637. See the book Singletary/Curtis Family written by Lou SingletaryBedford in 1907 for background and many descendents. Ms. Bedford wrote "Among the earliest records of him he is simply mentioned as Richard Singletary of Salisbury and Amesbury. He was a great rover for we find him in Salem in 1637, where he received a grant of land; removed to Newbury, where he joined the church in 1645; was selectman in 1650; removed to Haverhill in 1653; where he received a grant of land and became a proprietor; was selectman in 1655.
Many other descendents were in Bladen Co., NC and can be followed through deeds in the possession of some of their descendents of families that traveled on to Mississippi.
An updated book THE SINGLETARY FAMILY HISTORY by Yvonne Miller Brunton, c. 1989 and published by Heritage Papers, Danielsville, GA 30633, has been used to correct some of the information that Ms Estabrook originally submitted to Colonial Dames. She has done extensive research and states that her notes have been deposited with the Thomasville (GA) Cultural Center Library.
SOURCE NOTES for Richard follow:
He was born between 1585-1599. Records say that he died at age of 102.
Membership to National Society of Colonial Dames XVII Century has been established for his descendents. National #10567 member Thelma Courtney Estabrook.
Some descendents moved to NJ and sometimes used alias of Dunham. A descendent Scott Trimble of San Rafael, CA has traced many other descendents and he has several Dunham/Donham lines. Jonathan's son Nathaniel changed his name to Donham and it is from this person that Scott is descended
NOTE 3./ As a historical time frame point of reference; In 1585, Sir Francis Drake, the English explorer, rescued the 1st English attempt at colonizing the New World. This was at Roanoke Island North Carolina
NOTE 4./ Genealogical Dictionary of New England Settlers : Source information found at <<http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?&db=nedict&cres=33;188%2c34;60%2c35;314%2c36;30%2c37;10%2c38;32%2c39;351%2c40;2%2c41;32%2c42;1122%2cssdi;26%2ccvwrmr;116%2c1920usfedcen;1%2c&gsfn=&gsln=singletary&sx=&prox=1&gsco=2%2cunited+states&gspl=24%2cmassachusetts&year=&yearend=&gskw=&ti=0&submit.x=44&submit.y=8&gs=singletary&gss=angs&pf=1&fh=&ct=>>
Volume 4 : page 102
Singletary, or Singletery, Amos, Haverhill, perhaps s. of Richard, took o. of alleg. Dec. 1677. BENJAMIN, Haverhill, s. of Richard, perhaps his youngest, sw. alleg. the same day with Amos, m. 4 Apr. 1678, Mary Stockbridge, had Susanna, b. 27 Jan.foll.; Richard, 16 Mar. 1681; Jonathan, 28 Aug. 1683; John, 6 July 1686; Broughton, 25 Mar. 1689; Joseph, 9 Feb. 1693; and Mary, 14 July 1695. JONATHAN, Haverhill, prob. br. of the preced. in 1663 had w. Mary. NATHANIEL, Haverhill, br. of Benjamin, sw. allg. the same day with him, m. 22 Dec. 1673, Sarah Belknap, perhaps d. of Abraham the first, had John, b. 7 May 1675; Jonathan, 18 Nov. 1678, d. in few days; Sarah, 23 Oct. 1679; Susanna, 19 Sept. 1681; Richard, 5 Aug. 1683, perhaps that one k. by the Ind. 19 Aug. 1707, at Lancaster; Hannah, 23 May 1685; Ebenezer, 18 June 1687; and ano. 20 Aug. 1689; but the f. was k. by the Ind. 7 days bef. RICHARD, Salem 1637, rem. bef. join. the ch. to Newbury, there was freem. 7 Sept. 1638, may have had sev. ch. b. there ef. rem. to Salisbury in 1645 or aft. but there are rec. by w. Susanna, Jonathan, b. 17 Jan. 1640; Eunice, 7 Jan. 1642; Nathaniel, 28 Oct. 1644; Lydia, 30 Apr. 1648; and Amos, Apr. 1651. He was a selectman in 1650, tax. decently for the supp. of min. yet gone in 1652 to Haverhill, there, by w. Susanna Cooke, says Barry, had Benjamin, b. 4 Apr. 1656. Coffin says, he had John, that is perhaps the same as Jonathan. Eunice m. at Andover, 6 Jan. 1659, Thomas Eaton. His w. d. 11 Apr. 1682, and he d. 25 Oct. 1687, in the 102d yr. if the repts. may be accept. RICHARD, New London 1686, wh. may have been s. or gr.s. of the preced. d. 16 Oct. 1711, leav. nine ch. some of wh. were in Carolina, but the only kn. names are Richard, William, Waitstill, and beside a d. wh. m. Samuel Latham.
NOTE 5./ from Descendants of Richard Singletary: <<http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~patepaitfamily/singlet.html>>
Notes for Richard Singletary:
Richard was living in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts in 1637. On 7 September, 1638 he was listed as a freeman, and member of the church in Newbury, Massachusetts. In 1645 the family moved to Salisbury, Essex County, Mass. where Rechard werved as a selectman in 1650. By 1652 the family had moved yet again, this time to Haverhill in Essex County. At the time of his death Richard was 102 years of age, an extreamely long lived person for that time and location.
Richard was born in England to family of title. He was to receive the title but another member of the Dunham Family, which was Richards family, hired Richard's nurse to kill him so that he would become the next one to receive the title. She could not do this so she took him aboard a ship to America. She gave Richard a new name, Singletarry to hide his name of Dunham. She placed the child in the care of an American family and went back to England but on her death bed she told what she had done. Richard chose to keep his new name of Singletary and rejected any efforts to regain his title.
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Abt 1585 - 1687 (102 years)
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