Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Maidenhead, Hunterdon County (now Lawrenceville, Mercer County), New Jersey
Buy your own copy of Monnette's First Settlers.
Lawrenceville, Mercer County, New Jersey was founded as Maidenhead in 1697, as part of Burlington County in the colony of West Jersey. In 1714, the village became a part of Hunterdon County.
The indigenous population in the United States before the arrival of Europeans included many distinct tribes and languages
According to First Settlers of ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodsridge Olde East New Jersey by Orra Monnette, Hezekiah Bonham, Sr. married Mary Dunn about 1690 in Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Hezekiah received his patent for land in Piscataway on May 1, 1697.
1697 May 22. Deed. Hezekiah Bonham of Piscataway to Benjamen Fitsrendalph of the same place, for 12 acres, No. 1 of preceding confirmatory patent, S. grantee, W. and N. John Martine and town land, E. a small run. 377 (from Calendar of Records in the Office of the Secretary of State. 1614-1703
by Berthold Fernow)
Mary Dunn Bonham died in 1699.
In 1698/99 Hezekiah joined with others in the purchase of Maidenhead (now Lawrenceville, Mercer County, New Jersey) and the family moved there soon after. About 1700 Hezekiah Bonham and a number of the members of the Piscataway Baptist Church withdrew from that church and formed the Seventh Day Baptist Church, where they observed the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath.
Their plantation Hezekiah built was described in the November 8, 1764 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette when Malakiah Bonham was attempting to sell it.
A Valuable Plantation, lying in Kingwood, a very flourishing Part of Hunterdon County, West-Jersey, containing 200 Acres, 100 of Plough-land, and 15 Acres of Meadow cleared, and in good Repair;
two good bearing Orchards, containing upwards of 300 Trees, chiefly grafted, with excellent Fruit, Peach and other Fruit Trees, well timbered and watered,
20 or 25 Acres more of good Meadow may be made, the Land good for Grain and English Pasture;
there is a good new built Stone House, two Stories high, 31 by 24 Feet, an excellent Cellar, fit for any public Business,
a good framed and Log house,
a good Stone Granary, with a Cellar under it,
a good Frame Barn, 36 by 24 Feet,
within one Mile and a Half of two good Grist-mills, lying in a very public Place, on a great Road leading to Philadelphia, about two miles from a Landing and excellent Fishery on the River Delaware, near divers Place of divine Worship.
Hezekiah, Sr. married again. His second wife's name is disputed by scholars. It could have been Ann Hunt, Mary Hune, or Mary Bishop
Genealogists have said that Hezekiah and his second wife had as many as fifteen children. Their children were all born in Maidenhead. Hezekiah Bonham, Jr. was born about 1701. Nehemiah Bonham was born about 1703. Zachariah Bonham was born about 1707. Zedekiah Bonham was born about 1707 Amariah Bonham was born about 1709. Temperance Bonham Ayers was born about 1710. The Reverend Malachiah Bonham was born about 1713. Amaziah Bonham was born about 1713. Jeremiah Bonham was born about 1715. Ephriam Bonham was born about 1716. Josiah Bonham was born about 1717. Isaiah Bonham was born about 1720. Zephaniah Bonham was born about 1722. Uriah Bonham was born about 1724. Obadiah Bonham was born about 1725.
The early New Jersey families were tightly linked and intermarried for several generations. The Bonham family was closely associated with the Runyan family. They were all members of the First Baptist Church of Piscataway.
Two of Hezekiah's childen married into the Jonathan Stout family. Nehemiah married Ann Stout and Hannah married Benjamin Stout. Ethel Stroupe wrote that
The first white man in Hopewell was Jonathan Stout who in 1685 explored the wilderness from his parents' home in Middletown, lived several years at Wissamonson with the Indians, then returned home.
Two of Hezekiah's son married into the Benjamin Martin family. Zedekiah and Nehemiah married Ann and Elizabeth Martin. The Seventh Day Baptist Church first gathered at the Martin home.
Two of Hezekiah's children married into the Ayers family.
Two of Hezekiah's descendants married into the George Fox family. Absalom's son Amariah's daughter, Christian married Absalom Fox and Uriah married George's daughter, Anchor Fox. Nehemiah was a witness to George Fox’s will in 1754.
Hezekiah was living in 1732 and probably died before 1738.
Kingwood Township is on the western border of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was founded in 1798.
Piscataway Township in New Jersey was first settled in 1666 by Quakers and Baptists who had left the Puritan colony in New Hampshire.
Hunterdon County was originally part of Burlington County, West Jersey. It was set off from Burlington County on March 11, 1714. It included Amwell, Hopewell, and Maidenhead Townships.
A land patent is an exclusive land grant made by the government. The certificate that grants the land rights is also called first-title deed and final certificate. In the United States, all land can be traced back to the original land patent.
The First Baptist Church of Piscataway
is in Edison, New Jersey and was formed in 1689.
Baptist churches were found in early colonial settlements and grew out of the English Separatist movement and the doctrine of John Smyth who rejected infant baptism.
Hopewell is currently in Mercer (formerly Hunterdon) County, New Jersey. Mercer County was formed in 1838 from portions of other counties including Hunterdon. Early settlers found that their deeds were worthless and they were forced to repurchase their land or relocate. On April 23, 1715 the settlers who stayed organized Hopewell Baptist Church.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
The Dutch were the first Europeans claim land in New Jersey. The region became a territory of England in 1664 when an English fleet sailed into New York Harbor and took control of Fort Amsterdam.
Early European settlers in the American colonies were mostly farmers and craftsmen. They had to work hard to provide daily neccesities for themselves.
Lush forests in Colonial America allowed settlers to build wooden homes.
American colonists continued to use British monetary units, namely the pound, shilling and pence for which £1 (orli) equalled 20s and 1s equalled 12d. In 1792 the dollar was established as the basic unit of currency.
