Hannah (Smith) Martin (abt. 1680 - abt. 1722)

Born about 1680 in Piscataway, New Jersey

Wife of James Martin — married 4 Sep 1701 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey

Descendants

Died about 1722 at about age 42 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Regina Hall [send private message]

Disputed Identity

The subject of this profile, Hannah, wife of James Martin of Piscataway has, and continues to be, documented under various maiden names. The best available evidence reviewed in preparing this profile, Louis Drake's 1919 transcriptions of the Piscataway town records, gives the bride of James Martin as Hannah Smith (of Wood[bridge]).^[1]

Many family trees published on the internet instead identify the wife of James Martin under the maiden name Dunham or Durham.^[2] The claim of the Dunham maiden name has so far been traced back to a SAR application ^[3] which gives the wife of James Martin as Hannah (Dunham) Smith citing Orra Monnette's First Settlers of Ye Plantations (source not yet examined). Drake's transcriptions of the Piscataway records do not identify Hannah as a widow, which is done for many of the other records transcribed.

Candidate parents:

• Benajah Dunham and Elizabeth Tilson

Biography

Birth

Hannah was born about 1680, possibly on the 27th of January.^[4]. One researcher suggests she was the daughter of a John Smith of Woodbridge, NJ.^[5]

Marriage

Hannah Smith was married to James Martin at Piscataway, New Jersey, on September 4th, 1701.^[6]

Family

Children associated with the union of Hannah and James ^[7] include:

1. Edmond (b. 1701/2) *twin
2. William (b. 1701/2) *twin
3. Abigail (b. 1703/4)
4. James (b. 1705)
5. Ephraim (b. 1708/9)
6. Hannah (b. 1711)
7. Ann (b. 1714/5)
8. Grace (b. 1717)
9. Rosanna (b. 1719)
10. Rosanna (b. 1721)

Death

Death: Piscataway, New Jersey ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Louis L. Drake, "Piscataway, New Jersey, marriage and death records: From the town register, 1688 to 1805", Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, new ser. vol. 4 (Jan-Oct 1919), 38; [digital image] archive.org [link].
2. ↑ Ironically, a number of these trees cite as proof of the Dunham surname entries which clearly give the names James Martin and Hannah Smith.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} SAR Membership Number 99479, Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls; [digital image], Ancestry.com, APID: 1,2204::1080679 Data: Birth:27 Jan 1680, Piscataway, New Jersey.
4. ↑ The precise date of 27 Jan also appears to originate in SAR Membership Number 99479.
5. ↑ Edmund j. James, "Some additional information concerning Ephraim Martin, Esquire, Colonel of the Fourth New Jersey Regiment of the Continental Line", Pennsylvania magazine of history and biography vol. 36.2 (1912), 157-8; [digital image], Pennsylvania State University [link]. Also available from archive.org. [The father named here further supports the view that Hannah was not a Dunham.]
6. ↑ Drake, Piscataway, New Jersey, marriage and death records.
7. ↑ William A. Whitehead, comp., "Piscataway register of births: Fitz Randolph-Martin", Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, 3rd ser. vol. 2.3 (Jan 1902), 175-6; [digital image] archive.org [link]. [The editors indicate the town books Whitehead used in preparing his transcription were subsequently lost.]

See also:

• William A. Whitehead, comp., "Piscataway register of births: Manning-York", Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, 3rd ser. vol. 3.1 (Sep 1902), 11; [digital image] archive.org [link]. [This record is the continuation of the Whitehead transcriptions already cited and includes more Martin family members, but none that are given as children of James and Hannah.]]
• Lindsay Coleman, GEDCOM file, "Stough Family Tree.ged", (uploaded 1 Nov 2011).