One of my maternal 8th great grandfather, Thomas,
was born on February 13, 1635, in London, England. His parents were William Dungan and Frances Latham both of
England. William Dungan died at age 30 on September 18, 1637, when Thomas was one
year old.
Thomas, his mother, and Thomas’s four siblings came to America in
1637 and took up residence in the colony
of Rhode Island. Thomas was a young child when his family came to Rhode Island.
The following year, Thomas’s mother, Frances, one of my maternal 10th
great grandparents, married Jeremiah Clarke, a Quaker Governor of Rhode Island.
Thomas’s mother and stepfather went on to have seven children. Frances became known
as “the mother of American Governors” as she is said to have 24 Governors/Lt.
Governors as descendants.
When Thomas was age 16, his stepfather Jeremiah died. There
is no documentation for the next five years of Thomas’s life until his mother remarries.
Thomas’s new stepfather is William Vaughn, Pastor of the First Baptist Church
of Newport. It is through his stepfather; a Baptist Pastor that Thomas learns
Theology. Many of my other Rhode Island ancestors were members of the First
Baptist Church of Newport.
The prominent positions that Thomas’ family held would lead
to the assumption that the family had great educational opportunities in Rhode
Island. Thomas entered the ministry of the Baptist religion. In 1656, around
age 21, Thomas was admitted as a Freeman (a person who could enjoy personal,
civil or political liberty in Colonial America).
In 1663, in Rhode Island, Thomas married one of my maternal 9th
great grandmothers, Elizabeth Weaver who was born in Newport County Rhode Island.
Thomas and Elizabeth had nine children between 1664 and 1678.
In 1664, after the settlement of Monmouth County, New Jersey
by the English, Thomas purchased land. In 1671, Thomas became a juryman in
Rhode Island. In 1674, Thomas sold the land in New Jersey.
On October 31, 1677, the town of East Greenwich, Rhode Island
became incorporated and Thomas is named as one of the patentees in the charter and
at the first general election in the town, Thomas was chosen as one of the two
representatives to the Rhode Island General Assembly, his brother in-law,
Sargeant Clement Weaver, one of my maternal 9th great uncles was the
other representative. Sometime prior to 1677, Thomas was a Sargeant in the
Newport Militia. Thomas was reelected to the Assembly in 1681.
In 1681, the grant of the Charter for Pennsylvania to
William Penn, and the settlement of Pennsylvania attracted a lot of attention
throughout the American colonies. Thomas was one of those who was attracted.
The majority of the first Pennsylvania settlers were Quakers, but also the
Baptist were interested in Pennsylvania. Admiral Penn, (my maternal 10th
great uncle) father of William Penn (the Founder), who is my maternal 1st cousin
11 X removed was a Baptist. Even though William Penn, the Founder was a Quaker,
he still held strong Baptist sentiments. When William Penn enacted the laws for
Pennsylvania, William Penn recognized the rights of the Baptists.
In 1682, Thomas sent his eldest son, William, to visit
Pennsylvania and report back to him. William was so impressed that he purchased
200 acres of land in what is now Bristol Township which was granted under
warrant by William Markham. Thomas was now prepared to follow his son William
to Pennsylvania. On June 28, 1682, he sold his 100 acres in East Greenwich to Thomas
Weaver of Newport, which is probably one of my maternal 9th great
grand uncles. In the same year, on September 25th, Thomas Dungan
sold his home and 50 acres in Newport and moved his family to Cold Springs,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania on 200 acres by the Delaware River. He founded the
first Baptist Church in Pennsylvania called the Church of Cold Springs.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-cold-spring-ba/131524362/
Thomas died in Cold Springs on November 24,1687, age 53; however,
his church and congregation held together until 1702 and then joined with Pennepack
Church. Thomas Dungan’s Will, which was probated on November 29, 1687, is one
of the oldest Wills on record in Bucks County, Pennsylvania,.
https://buckscountyhistory.com/surnames/dunganfamily.html
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=lKc-AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA274&hl=en&q=dungan
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=lKc-AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA274&hl=en
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=lKc-AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA442&hl=en
https://www.pennepackbaptist.org/history.html
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=lKc-AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA276&hl=en
https://www.pennepackbaptist.org/history.html
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