Amariah Bonham (abt. 1709 - 1803)

Born about 1709 in Maidenhead, Hunterdon, New Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Mary M. (Drake) Bonham — married 1730 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey

Husband of Eunice (King) Bonham — married 1735 in Hunterdon, New Jersey

Descendants

Died Apr 1803 at about age 94 in Middle, Washington, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Walter Mcintosh [send private message] and Robert Teeter [send private message]

Biography

A Mayflower Descendant from Samuel Fuller Jr. - approved application GS #101517.

Samuel was born in 1709 he son of Hezekiah Bonham and Sarah Bishop.^[1] Wither reports his mother was Ann Hunt ^[2]

Amariah Bonham served with Maryland Militia during the American Revolution.

Amariah Bonham is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 333088
Rank: Soldier

Soldier for Maryland during the American Revolution. SAR Sources: Land Grant from Pennsylvania from general Assembly of Maryland.^[3]

Marriages

There are multiple accounts of the possible wife(s) of Amariah Bonham.

An American Family History by website indicates his wife could have been Mary Drake, Eunice King or Elizabeth Addy. His will mentions his wife Elizabeth. ^[4]

According to Samuel Bonham in "The Bonham family", Amariah married Mary Drake, the daughter of Frances Drake.^[1] This is also verified by Howard E. Bonham of fl. (see letter dated December 1987.) Hazie lists Amariah's wife as Mary Bebout. (Hazie p.30.). This conclusion could have resulted from the fact that Christine Molleston, Mary Drake's mother, married Peter Beboit. Hazie and Albert Bonham of Pomona, California name an Elizabeth (?) as a second wife. ^[5]

Howard Bonham in "Bonham & related families" lists wife #1 as Eunice King and wife #2 as Mary Drake, & wife #3 as Elizabeth Addy.(p.157)

1. Aamariah was born in New Jersey in 1709.
2. He moved to Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1743.
3. Tax rolls show him alone in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1765.
4. In Pennsylvania census in 1780.
5. In Pennsylvania census in 1790.
6. d.1803 in Washington County, Pennsylvania

Children

Different sources also provide different children:

1. Christine/Christian/Christiana b.1733 Hunterdon County, New Jersey, died 182.^[2][5][6]
2. Rebecca b.1735 Ohio County, West Virginia^[2][5][6]
3. Sarah b.1737 Ohio County, West Virginia^[2][5][6]
4. Peter b.1739 Ohio County, West Virginia^[2][6]
5. Rebecca - this second Rebebecca may be the same as the first one.
6. Jeriah b.1741 Ohio County, West Virginia^[2][5][6]
7. Jacob b. abt 1743 Sandusky, Crawford, Ohio, died June 9, 1782 New Jersey^[2][5]
8. Moses b. 1742. Howard mentions a grandson Moses, as a son of Jeriah.^[6]

Research Notes

This consists of facts from other sources that need to be blended into the above biography.

• Howard Bonham gives birth as 1708, place: Middlesex Co, NJ. Provided source and birth information.

• "Amariah, probably born about 1707, at one time lived at Amwell, in Hunterdon County, sold his land there in 1742 and went to live at Piscataway.^[7]
• "Amariah Bonham was one of the original members of the Baptist Church at Scotch Plains, Aug. 5, 1747."^[8] He was later dismissed & is so marked on the roll. Eunice Bonham, also a charter member & perhaps wife of above, died Feb. 5, 1758/9. Mary Bonham, possibly a 2nd wife, joined the church in 1749 & is marked dismissed on the roll." "The Scotch Plains Baptist Church was constituted Sept 8, 1747 by 15 members from the Piscataqua Church." ^[9] Among the names of persons that the estate of John King of Piscataway owes in August, 1749,
• Amariah Bonham is mentioned."

1) "Amariah Bonham, b ca 1708, Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ; m (1) Eunice King; m (2) Mary Drake; continued p. 157".^[6]

• Will: Amariah Bonham, written january 27, 1802. probated, april 1803. peter bonham of allegheny co & phillip luallen of wash co, jonathan, isaac & rebecca leet middle twp, wife elizh, children: christian fore, rebeca johnston, jacob, jeriah, peter, sarah & baty.
• Judy de Graf writes: "I have a copy of Genevieve Hawk's the family of Amariah Bonham in n.j., va., md., pa. and oh." ^[10]
• Indenture made june 22, 1774 btw. Francis Lightfoot Lee & Amariah Bonham. Lee leased to bonham "all a tract in the parish of Cameron in the county of Loudoun....200 acres beginning at a road leading to Lane's Mill... to have and to hold the said tract Amariah Bonham, his heirs & assigns for & during the natural lives of Peter Bonham, John Bonham & Chas. Fox & during the natural life of every or either of them longest living...yielding & paying therefore yearly unto lee & issue the sum of 12 lbs sterling money of Great Britain beginning the 1st of dec. 1775....... ^[11]

also - she states: "sometime, probably shortly after 1791, when he sold his loudoun co. land, Amariah Bonham & his sons Jeriah & Peter took up "settlers lots" in Md. "westward of ft. cumberland." he gave them up, however, in 1796, & in the census of 1800 he is recorded as living in Washington Co., Pa., alone. 2 yrs. later he made his will, naming a wife, elizabeth, & the following children: Christian Fox, Rebecca Johnson, Jacob Bonham, Jeriah Bonham, Peter Bonham, & Sarah Batey."

• "the general assembly of md. in 1777 passed an act giving each soldier, in a call for 2000 men, 50 acres of land, who had served 3 yrs. In 1781 another act was passed, reserving all the vacant lands in the state westward of "Fort Cumberland" for the soldiers. In pursuance of these enactments, in 1787 francis dicken & his 10 assistants laid off 4,165 50-acre lots. The commissioned officers were awarded each four 50-acre lots of land; the private soldiers received only 1 lot. the records show that 212 officers were awarded 4 lots each under the laws, 848 lots in all."

1. Bonham, Amariah -
2. Bonham, Josiah -
3. Bonham, Lt Michael -
4. Bonham, Peter -
5. Amariah bonham b.1709 Maidenhead, Hunterdon, nj, d.1803 Washington, Pennsylvania

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Samuel Jeremiah Bonham, The Bonham family, pg. 27. (Niles, Ohio: self published, 1955), https://books.google.com/books?id=FdM1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA27
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Jack and Debbie Withers, "8th Generation Page" Withers Place Web Sites, http://members.tripod.com/withers4/8th_gen1.htm#jacob, unsourced tree
3. ↑ SAR https://sarpatriots.sar.org/patriot/display/333088
4. ↑ Roberta Tuller, "Amariah Bonham", An American Family History, https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Bonham%20Family/BonhamAmariah1709.html. Note: This site is spammish with popups ads appearing for malicious domains.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5} Samuel Jeremiah Bonham, The Bonham family, pg. 85. (Niles, Ohio: self published, 1955), https://books.google.com/books?id=FdM1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA85
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6} Howard Eugene Bonham and Jean Allin, Bonham & related family lines: a family genealogy from the Mayflower to the 1990s, pp. 80, 6i, 157, (self published, 1996) https://books.google.com/books?id=fNM1AAAAMAAJ,
7. ↑ BONHAM by John H. Bonham on page 407
8. ↑ Quote from Genealogical Collections
9. ↑ New Jersey Archives, Vol. XXII
10. ↑ Washington, d.c. 1945. under records of Amariah Bonham - 1774 deed.
11. ↑ Loudoun County, Virginia, Book. M, p. 21.

See also:

• Jack D. Ross, Berthoud, Colorado, USA. Provided source and birth information.
• "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRX-WHR : accessed 21 August 2019), Ameriah Boneham, West Bethlehem, Washington, Pennsylvania, United States; citing p. 926,927, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 44; FHL microfilm 363,347.

• Savage, A genealogical dictionary of the first settlers of New England showing three generations of those who came before May, 1692, on the basis of Farmer's Register, Volume 2, (Source of birth & death records., (Boston: Little, Brown and company: 1860-62) Check of this book in August 2019 show has no indexed mention of Amariah Bonham or any relevant Bonham.