Richard Singletary

Richard Singletary lived in Salem, Massachusetts, where he received a land grant in 1637. From Salem he relocated for a time in Newbury, Massachusetts, where he took the oath of a freeman on 7 September 1638. He joined the church there in 1638, having been admitted as an inhabitant of the community in October.

He was probably married at that time, for a record exists indicating that "Goodwife Singletary" died 1638/1639 at Newbury, Massachusetts. He perhaps had a son named William by her.

Soon after, Richard and others were granted permission to build a plantation at Merrimac. In the spring of 1639 the Merrimac plantation site was chosen. Richard Singletary was one of those receiving a grant of land in the Town of Colchester, but evidently did not relocate there until later. This settlement was later renamed Salisbury. Richard married again around 1638 to Susannah COOKE, born ca 1616, and they lived in Newbury for a time.

About 1645, they built a home in Salibury, where Richard was a selectman in 1650. He did not tarry long in Salibury, for by 1652, he had relocated his family to Haverhill, Massachusetts. With this move came an involvement with others in signing a petition asking the court to revoke Robert Pike's sentence. Robert had supported preaching on the Sabbath by unordained ministers, and that was forbidden by the court. He let the court know his disdain for the law and thus was punished for his statement. His supporters were fined for their support and thus, they revoked their support.

In 1653 Richard Singletarry received more land and was a selectman in Haverhill in 1655. Richard and Susanna are recorded as having transferred some of their land holdings to members of their family in 1662 and later.

Richard Singletary was an admitted inhabitant in Salem, Mass in 1637. In 1638, he took the Freeman's oath in Newbury, Mass. By 1639, he was a proprietor in Salisbury, Mass and a Selectman in 1650. In 1653 he is a proprietor in Haverhill. Mass. Said to have died at 102 years of age in 1687.

Children of Richard & Susannah Cooke Singletary:

• Jonathan Singletary (17 Jan 1639/40 Salisbury, Mass -1703/23 in Woodbridge, NJ) m. Mary Bloomfield c. 1660.
• Eunice Singletary ( 7 Jan 1641 Salisbury, Mass - 5 Oct 1715 Haverill, Mass.) m. Thomas Eaton on 6 Jan 1658 in Andover, Mass.
• Nathaniel Singletary (28 Oct 1644 Salisbury, Mass - 13 Aug 1689 Haverill, Mass- killed by Indians) m. Sarah Belknap on 22 Dec 1673 in Framingham, Mass.
• Lydia Singletary ( 30 Apr 1648 Salisbury, Mass - Haverhill, Mass) m. Daniel Ladd, Jr. on 24 Nov 1668.
• Amos Singletary ( April 1651 Salisbury/Haverhill - 1 Nov 1724) m. Mrs. Sarah Rogers.
• Benjamin Singletary (4 April 1656 Haverhill, Mass. - 1697 SC) m. Mary Stockbridge daughter of John Stockbridge of Scituate, Mass. on 4 April 1678.

A list of "accomodations" in the old Norfolk County Records for 1662 show Richard Singletary having had 11 pieces of property. One is land adjoining Thomas Whittier's property , the great grandfather of John Greenleaf Whittier.

The Whittier Homestead, where John G. Whittier was born has been preserved. It is located at 305 Whittier Road which is also Rt. 110/Amesbury Road in Haverhill, MA. (As an adult, J. G. Whittier lived at 86 Friend St., Amesbury, MA). The land that Richard Singletary owned in 1662 could be viewed from the Thomas Whittier house (in 1990). The north half of the lot includes the Whittier family cemetery. There is an obelisk monument noting 4 generations of Whittiers.(This is a memorial-John G. Whittier is buried in Amesbury-Union Cem). The gently rolling hill is the area where Richard Singletary's home was located. Copied from the Town Book of Gen. Richard Littlehale, Clerk "six acres to his house lot, bounded by Thomas Whittier and Edward Clark.". No proof has been found thus far, but most likely, Richard Singletary was buried on his own property when died, a very old man, in 1687.

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~grannyapple/genealogy/DUNHAM/Singlet...

There are two known DUNHAM lines of early colonial ancestry. One line descends from Deacon John Dunham of Plymouth, Massachusetts (ca 1630). Another line descends from Richard Singletary (born 1599 England, died 1687 Haverhill, Massachusetts). Richard Singletary's eldest son, Jonathan Singletary, for some unclear reason, changed his name to "Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary." This change came about when he moved his family from Massachusetts to Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey about 1674. He became one of the early founders of that community. He and his children signed their names as "alias Singletary" in a known deed record. Thus all DUNHAMs (and its variants of DONHAM, DUNNAM, etc.) who descend from Jonathan are actually SINGlETARYs according to genetic link and only DUNHAM by surname. Jonathan is the only son of Richard Singletary who took the surname DUNHAM. All of Richard's other children continued to bear the surname of SINGLETARY, as do their descendants.

A recent (2002) DNA testing of one bearing the SINGLETARY surname and one bearing the DUNHAM surname proved a common ancestor...that being Richard Singletary. Thus this SINGLETARY-DUNHAM genetic line does not match with the other DUNHAM line out of early Massachusetts.