| Notes |
- Joseph Runyon was a son of Thomas and Martha Dunn Runyon and was born about 1704 in Hopewell Township, Burlington (later Hunterdon) County, New Jersey. It is not known who Joseph's wife was although her first name has been reported as "Rachel". Alternatively, some researcers believe that she was Elizabeth Trembley. However, Howard E. Bonham presents rather convincing evidence that this is not so and that Elizabeth Trembley was married to Joseph's cousin, also named Joseph Runyon, son of Peter and Providence Blackford Runyon, who was born April 1, 1710, and died March 16, 1760, leaving underage children.1,2 Concomitantly, only two children, Peter and John, can be reliably attributed to Joseph, son of Thomas. Nevertheless, a number of researchers believe that he may have had as many as four more sons, viz., Isaac, Henry, William, and Elijah (as well as having additonal likely spurious children attributed to him); however, there is no definite confirmation of this.3 It is also reported that Joseph Runyon served in the Continental Army and was taken prisoner by the British. Again, there is no known documentary support of this assertion and, moreover, if Joseph was born in 1704, he would have been more than seventy years old at the time of the Revolutionary War; hence, it seems quite unlikely that he would have served. Likewise, Joseph Runyon reportedly moved to Frederick County, Virginia, where he died in 1780. Indeed, individuals having the surname "Runyon" were numerous in the Shenandoah Valley during the late eighteenth century and afterward; however, family lineages remain unclear and it is likely that Joseph's identity has been conflated with someone else (although, perhaps, a relative). Concomitantly, it is known that Joseph's putative son, Isaac, moved from New Jersey to Frederick County, Maryland. Accordingly, it would seem more likely that Joseph would have also moved to Maryland instead of Virginia; however, it is perhaps even more likely that he never left New Jersey.
http://web.pdx.edu/~davide/gene/Runyon_Joseph_2.htm
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Abt 1704 - Abt 1780 (~ 76 years)
