974.

901

'

'

n51647

^NEALOGY COLUECTiON

Ill

iitfm fiiP^iVimNi vHfil'^ ^'^P*'

3 1833 02246 9792

THE

FIRST

CENTURY

HUNTERDON
STATE OF

COUITY,
JERSEY,

NEW

GEORGE

S.

MOTT,

D. D-

Read

before the

New

Jersey Historical Society,

at

Trenton,

January 17 th, 1878.

FLEMINGTON,
E.

N.

J.

VossELLER, Bookseller and Stationer.

1878.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

1151647
In this sketch of the " First Century of Hunterdon County,"
shall restrict
-'

myself

to

the

territory

now comprised

within

the

boundary of the county.

Because the history of that portion of

is

"Old Hunterdon," which

^een cared
for

now

included in

Mercer County,

has

\9\
I

by

others.'

New Jersey

held

out two hands of welcome

evils

to those of

Europe

who were seeking an asylum from

^

which made their mother

country no longer endurable.

the other was Raritan Bay.

The one hand was Delaware Bay,

Through these openings
two
rivers,
to

the

sea

<).^ready access

was gained

to the

which took

their

names

^'^ from
r\

these bays.

These streams opened avenues

for

up among
at

fertile valleys until, in

Hunterdon County, they approached

miles
of each
hills.

the

^
y^.

nearest points within twenty

tributaries of each drain the

othei',

and there the

climate

same

The

mil^i

less

bleak than

New

England, not so hot as Virginia

fruits,'^

the
to the

abundance

of game, fish jind

won
Sir

to those shores

the children of the

northern half of Europe,

who were accustomed

George

temperate

'"'^^^^S^one.

Lord Berkley and

Carteret,^ prepared a constitu-

tion,

which was almost as democratic as that which we now enjoy.

civil

This assured
vited

and religious rights

its

to all the settlers.

Thus

in-

by the 'country and

privileges,

emigrants streamed in from

Europe, Long Island and

New

England.

'

Dr. Hale's History of Pennington.

Dr. Hall's History of Trenton,

and the

Histories of Princeton and the battle of Trenton.

=

Smith's History of

New

Jersey, pp. 20,

105,

174-177.

He

speaks of

peaches, plums, and strawberries growing plentifully in the woods.

'

To them the proprietary

right of the

soil

had been conveyed and they

divided the Province between them, into East and

West

Jersey.

Berkley had

West

Jersey.

HUNDERDON COUNTY.
The Quakers
in

England had become the objects of suspicion and

;

dislike to the

government

and they were assailed by penalty and

to look

persecution, which led

that should furnish the

them

over the ocean for some spot

could not secure in
there

toleration they

native land.

John Fenwicke and Edward Bjilinge, both Quakers,

bought out Berkley's shares.

barrassed in business, that he

But Byllinge soon became so em-

whom

"VYilliam

Penn was

one.

made an assignment to But before this he had

Trustees, of
sold a
of

num-

ber shares.

Thus Penn became one of the

proprietors

West
Soon

Jersey, and the owner of large tracts of land in Hunterdon.

after

Fenwicke

made

a similar assignment.

These Trustees,

under the pressure of circumstances,

chasers.

sold shares to different pur-

As

these Trustees were Quakers,

the

purchasers were
for

mostly members of that body.

that

Two

companies were formed

in

purpose

in

1677,

one

in

Yorkshire and the other

latter,

London.

Daniel Coxe was connected with the

holder of shares
;

and became the largest

and by

this

means he eventually possessed exten-

sive tracts of land in Old Hunterdon.

set in rapidly.

The

tide of immigration

now

In the same year the companies were organized and

four hundred 'caJne over, most of

them were persons of property.

Burlington was founded, and became the principal town.

land
office

Here the
re-

for

all

West Jersey was

located,

and deeds were

corded.

In 1696 an agreement

was made between Barclay and the

one
side,

pro-

prietors of East Jersey, on the prietors of

and Byllinge and the

pro-

West Jersey on
was directed

the other, for running

the partition line

so as to give as equal a division of the Province as

was

practicable

straight line

to

be surveyed from

''

Little

Egg Harwas ex-

bor, to the

most northerly branch of the Delaware." The

line

tended as
the Old

far as the south

branch of the Raritan, at a point just east of

Keith, Surveyor General of
proprietors-

York Road. This line was run by

But
it

East Jersey.
to

was deemed by the West Jersey

thereb}''

be too

far west,
its

and

encroaching on their territory, and

they objected to

continuance.

On September

5th,

1688, Gover-.

HUNTKRDON COUNTY
nors

Coxe and Barclay,

representing

each

side,

entered into an
this line,

agreement
so far as
it

for terminating all differences,

by stipulating that

run,

should be

the bounds, and directing the course

viz.
:

which

should

be extended,

by
it

"

From

that point

(where

touched the south branch), along the back of the adjoining plantations, until
it

touched the

noi'th

branch of the Raritan at the

Falls), thence

falls

of

the Allamitung

(now the Laniington

its

running up that
that
part
point, a

stream northward to
short straight line

rise

near Succasunny.
to touch

From

was

to

be run
line

the nearest

of the of

Passaic River."

Such a

would pass about

five miles north

Morristown.

The course

of the Passaic

was

to

be continued as far
north

as the Paquanick, and up that branch to the forty-first degree

latitude
;

and from that point

in

"a

straight line

due east to the par-

tition point

on Hudson River, between East Jersey and

northern part of
all

New
the

York."'
present

This line gave to the

West

Jersey,

counties of Warren, Sussex,

of Morris north of Morristown, and

lie

those portions of Passaic and Bergen, which

parallel.

north of Ibrty-first
into effect, this

Though

this

agreement was never carried

division line constituted the western

boundary of Hunterdon, and so

1738.

remained

until

Morris was set

off in

And

then

all

that

port

of North Jersey,

down
of

as far as Musconetcong,

was erected
one

into the

new

county.
territory

The
hundred

West

Jersey

was divided

into

hundred
one

shares or proprietarios.

These were again divided

of which

into lots of

each;

the

inhabitants
''

elected commissioners,
all

who were empowered,

To

set forth

and divide

the lands of the

Province as were taken up, or by themselves shall be taken u^ and

contracted for with the natives, and the said lands to divide into one

hundred

parts,

as occasion

shall require."^

The

first

and second

division extended as far as the

Assanpink (Trenton).

'

Smith's History, pp. 196-198.

Chap.

of CoQcessioas of "

The Trustees."

Quoted

in

Gordon's History

of

New

Jersey, p. 68.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

At

the close of the seventeenth centurj^,

West Jersey

is

said to

have contained 8,000 inhabitants.'

with longing eyes upon
held by the Indians.

These people began

the north, which

to

look

the territory to

was yet
to

So that the proprietors urged the Council

In

grant them a third dividend, or taking up of land.

with this request a
Wills,

compliance

committee was appointed,

Jr.,

consisting of

John

Wm.
1

Biddle,

and John Reading,

a meeting
full

to treat with the natives.

This committee reported at

27th,
for

of

the Council

held

June

703, "

That they had made a

agreement with Himhaniraoe,

line
(i. e.,

one tract of land adjoining to

the division

between
Raritan
tract

East and West Jersey) and lying on

river.

both

sides of

the

And

also with

Coponnockous for another

of land, lying between the purchase

made by Adlord Boude" and

the boundaries of the land belonging to the Delaware."^

acres,

Himhammoe

fronting

on

This purchase was computed to contain

with other incidental
to

150,000

and the
It

cost,

charges, was estimated at

700.

was proposed

allow 5,000 acres for each dividend to a

of the

proprietary.*
2d,

At another meeting

Conncil, held
to

November

1703,

the

same committee was sent

and get them

those

Indians, and

particularly to Coponnockous, to

have the tract of land lately purto sign

chased, "

Marked

forth

a deed for the same.

in

And

that they

go to Himhammoe's wigwam

order to

treat with them,

and

to see the

bonnds of the land

lately

purchased

of him."

This purchase covered the Old

Amwell

township, or the

present townships of Raritan, Delaware, East and

West Amwell.
But the

The 150,000
tract

acres were divided

among

the proprietors.

^hich extended north from the Assanpink and which was

belonging to the

within the original township of Hopewell,

West
in

Jersey Society,

which

was a company of

proprietors living

'

Gordon's History,

p.

57.

'^

This Boude Tract extended southward from Lambertville.

Smith's History of
It IS

'

New

Jersey, pp. 95, 97.

probable that tracts of land had been bargained for previously,

by

individuals with the Indians.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
England.

To them Daniel Coxe conveyed

title to it
first

this tract in 1691.

He

obtained the

in

1685.

He owned
^

22 proprietory shares.
150,000
acres

Among
acres,

the

who took up

land out of this tract of

was the estate of Benjamin Field.

He

had 3,000
this

fronting

on the riverj the southern border of

touched the

Society's tract.

He

also had 2,000 acres

near Ringos.

Robert

Dinsdale had extensive tracts beginning about Lambertville and

embracing Mt. Airy.

fronting

John Calow owned north of the

city,

and

on the

river.

Wm.

Biddle held 5,000 acres immediately

in

north of Calow, fronting on the river. John Reading took up land the vicinity or Prallsville and Barber's Station.

He

also

owned land
Ferry,

about

Centre

Bridge
it

which

was

called

Reading's

until 1770,

when
tracts

went by the nameof Howell's Ferry." Other own

ers of tracts

were Gilbert Wheeler, Richard Bull and John Clarke.

soon passed into other hands.
of Pa., bought lands from

These large

1705 John Hoi-

combe of Arlington

Wheeler and

Bull,

and subsequently he made purchases out of the Biddle and Calow

tracts.

He
In

is

the ancestor of the

Holcombe
to

families in

Hunterdon

county.

1709

Wm.

Biles sold

Edward Kemp of Buck's

Brock, a
tract to

county, Pa.,
millwright.

who

the next year sold 200 acres to Ralph

In 1716 Richard

Mew Wm.
at

sold one half a

John

Mumford
father of

of

Newport,

R.

I.

Joshua Opdyke purchased several

Biles.

hundred acres of the

heirs of

He

was the great-grand-

Hon. George Opdyke,

one time Mayor

New York

city.

In 1714

Wm.

Biles, son of

W.

Biles, Sr.,

sold 1,665 acres to Charles

this

Wolverton.

who was then deceased, The southwest corner of

was sold
to

was on Reading's

line

284 acres of
In

this

Geo. Fox,
to

who came from England.

Canby of Buck's
1741 he
land east
to

1729

this

was conveyed
to

Thomas

county.

In

1735 he sold

Henry

Coat, and in

Derrick Hoagland.

Wm.
also

Rittenhouse
1,150

had a tract of
to

this.

Wm.

Biddle

sold

acres in 1732

'

See subsequent page.

For these facts about Lambertville,

am

indebted to manuscripts of P.

Studdiford, D. D. of Lambertville, N. J.

HUNTERDON COUNTY

Peter Eraley of Mansfield,

sold to Christopher

now Washington, Warren

in

count}-.

He
from

Cornelius

1750.

And

he

sold to Daniel

Howell, the same year,

400
name.

acres.

This was the Howell

at

whom
river.

the Ferry took

its

His land joined Reading's

this

the

Howell

conveyed a part of

land in 1Y54

to

Francis

Tomlinson.

In 1774 this

came

into

possession of General Bray.

Yet
ing

further up the Delaware, adventurous settlers pressed, selectin

tracts

Kingwood,

Franklin
hills

and

Alexandria townships,
Schooley's
range.

checked only by the frowning

of of the

Among these we know

Besson.

of Warford,

Bateman,

Ellis,

Gamer, A. Hunt,
at Baptist-

About 1720'
in its

a Baptist

Church was organized

4own, known

earliest

days as the Bethlehem Baptist Church.

in

The Dalrymple
There ancestor
der.

family,

numerous

Kingwood, are of Scotch

origin.

here, selected land

by the advice of James Alexan-'

Surveyor General of
to

New

Jersey,

who was

the

agent of Sir

John Dalrymple,

whom Robert

Barclay sold land in East Jersey.

Kingwood became more

especially a

Quaker settlement.

The
when

old

records of the Meeting at Quakertown date back to 1744,

first

the

monthly meeting was

held.

Tn

1767,

the

minutes show that

of stone,

they were busy building a

new meeting house

logs.''^

39x27.
indi-

This was to take the place of one built of

cate a settlement about 1725.'

This would
of

Among

the

first

whom we

have

any knowledge as
Clifton, Rockhill,

living in

that neighborhood

are King,

Wilson,

and .Stevenson.
Later

They
on,

all

belonged to the Bur-

lington Quarterly Meeting.

that locality,

the ancestor of the Secretary of the

Thomas Robeson settled in Navy during

Thomas
Schooley

President

Grant's

administration

also

was

another

settler,

who became
is

the owner of large tracts of land on the

mountain, which

called after him.

So

it

has been stated.

But

I regard this date as too early

by ten or

fifteen

years.
"^

Kindly furnished by A. R. Vail, clerk of the meeting.

'

For further particulars respecting Kingwood see quotations from old deeds
published in the

in

a series of articles ou " Traditions of our Ancestors,"

17

Hunterdon Republican, Fob.

and

24,

May

."5

and

12. lcS7 0.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
While the
similar flow
tide of immigration

was setting up the Delaware, a

advanced along the Raritan.

The persecutions
in

of the

Covenanters drove large numbers of them,

years, to Bast Jersey,

1638 and the following

Plains and Westfield.

education

many of whom settled at Plain field, Scotch They were Presbyterians, and men of virtue, and courage. The opposition of the people and the
any arbitary imposition from England, and freedom

proprietors to

of conscience, allured these people to

croft says, they

New

Jersey.

And, as Bancharacter, also set-

gave

to

"the

rising

commonwealth a

which a century and a half has not effaced."

tled

The Quakers
Barclay.

among them, through

the influence of Robert

Some
to the

of these settlers, and

many

of their children found their

way

richer lands of Hunterdon.

So early as 1685, Dutch Huguenots came

the Raritan.

to the north

branch of

In 1699 the Dutch Church of Somerville was formed.

township,

Readington

which

lies

between the north and south

branches, was taken up

by four

proprietors.
i.

George Willocks of
northward of Holland's
the Lamington river.

Perth

Amboy, owned

the northeast,

e.,

all

Brook and eastward of the White House,

Joseph Kirkbride had the southerly
of Philadelphia,

to

John Budd and James Logan held the portion northwest of Willocks.
part,

and Colonel Daniel Coxe,

the

southwest.

These two were proprietors of

to

West

Jersey.

Their lines

came

the
;

south

branch.

On

the

west of that stream they both had tracts

extending to Flemington.'
1712,
in

They had

their lands

surveyed

in the

year

which year

Kirkbride sold five hundred acres to

Emanuel Van Etta; having

previously disposed of two hundred acres, west of

chase, to Daniel Seabring

Van

Etta's pur-

and Jerome

Van

Est.

This tract extend-

ed from the south branch to the road now leading from Pleasant run
to Branchville.

On

this tract,

near (!Jampbell's Brook, was an In-

dian village.

Other settlers from

1710

to

1720 were

Stoll, Lott,

Biggs, Schoraps, Smith,

Van Horn,

Wyckofi", Cole, Klein, Jennings,

Stevens, Johnson, Hoagland, Fisher, Probasco, LeQueer, Schenck;

'

See subsequent page.

10

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
;

Voorhees

some of whom came from Long

Island.

Frederick

Van
Van
Lord

Fleet came from Esopus,

New

York,

in 1725,

and bought lands of

Van

Etta.

He

shortly after

became owner

of manj' acres at

Fleet's Corner.

His

son,

Thomas, was the great-grandfather of A.

Vice-Chancellor of the
State.

V. Van

Fleet,

the present

Niel Campbell had obtained a deed for land at the forks of the north

and south branches, January

bell,

9th,

1685.

John Dobie, John Camp-

Andrew Hamilton purchased all south of Holland's Brook and west of the south branch. November 9th, 1685. Campbell's Brook was named after that John Campbell.'
John Drumraond and
This
district,

lying between the confluence of the branches of the

Raritan and the Delaware river, soon became

al

known

and

its

naturtribe

advantages attracted the attention of both the Jerseys.

of Indians living near the site of Hartsville, Pa., had

a path to and

across the Delaware at Lambertville, and thence to Newark, by

of Mt. Air}^,
laid

way
was

Ringos and Reaville.

The

"

Old York Road

"

on the bed of that path, or rather

this path

became

that road,

for the road itself

was never surveyed.

25th, 1726,
this is

In a

deed

for land at Rin-

gos, dated

August
is

described

as

"The

King's
in
all

Highway

that

called the

York Road."

Another Indian came

^rom the north, through the valley at Clarksville, the gateway for
their tribes
kill,

who threaded

their

way down
to the

the great valley of

theWal.

or crossed over from

Pennsylvania

at the forks of the

Delaware.

This Indian highway led

down
Ringos.

wigwams on
The

the Assanpink.

These roads crossed

at

This whole

region

was heavily
abounded
deli,

wooded with
with game.
cious shad

oak, hickory,

beach and maple.

alive

forests

The streams were

with

fish,

and the most

That
fish

made annual

visitations along the borders.

was

caught higher up than Plemington, before mill dams obstructed the

branch.

The hauls of them

in the

Delaware have been enormous

within the

memory

of old people.

Also the Indians were peaceable

'

Historical

Appendix to the Dedication Sermon of the Readmgton Church,

by the Rev. John Van Liew.

Appendix by John

B.

Thompson.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
and
friendly.

1 1

The

Raritan

was navigable up

to the

union of the
of the

north

and south branches.

Long

afterward,

much

heavy

produce was carried to market on

freshets the farmers

these

streams,

In
to

seasons of

up the river conveyed their grain

floating
fifty

New

Bruns-

wick
back.

in flat

bottomed boats,
tell

them down and pulling them

Old persons

us that

years ago, brooks were double

their present

volume.

No

wonder, then, that East

and

West
early

Jer-

sey joined hands over Hunterdon

County,

and that their children

at

were attracted away from

their old
to

homesteads
frontier
for

an

day.

For

that

same eagerness

occupy the

and push further

West, which has been the ruling passion

possessed and animated the sons of the
century.

the last half century,

settlers in the

seventeenth

In addition, the political institutions were so

acter, that those

liberal in their char

at-

who appreciated
it

civil

and religious liberty were

no
count}'- in the

tracted.

And

thus

came

to pass, that

State had

so

mixed a population,
Germans, Scotch,

composed,

as

it

was,

of

Huguenots,

Hol-

lands,

Irish, English,

and native Americans.

The Coxe

estate extended to the present village of Clinton, and

tract,

joined the Kirkbride

the two

covering an area of four miles.

in that part

One

of the oldest and most distinguished settlers

of the

county was Phillip

Grandin,

His father emigrated from France,

Phillip

and settled

in

Monmontli County.

and

his

brother

John
was

bought one thousand acres on the the south branch, including Hampton.

He

built a grist mill

and a
It

fulling mill.
in

Afterward

this

called Johnston's Mills.

was

a ruined condition one hundred

all this

years ago.

Cloth was

made

there for

region.

He

was the

grandfather of Dr. John Grandin,

cian

who was

the most noted physi-

of the county in his day.'

the present site of
Mills.

On

Clinton

were early located

mills,

called

Hunt's

During the revolution large quantities of

flour

were

ground in them.

Among

the early

settlers

were James Wilson,

'

For further, seo History

Blane, M. D., and

of

the District Medical Society of Hunterdon, by

13st, 1870.

John

Hunterdon County Republic, March

1*2

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
Tlie

Hope, Foster, Apgar, Bonnell.

Johnston,

most distinguished was Judge

a tract of

who came about

1740.

He owned

one thous-

and two hundred acres.

in

His house was the most stately mansion

the northern part of

section of the county, on

his

West Jersey.- Being chief magistrate Monday of each week court was
is

for this

held in

broad

hall.

His house became the resort of culture and talent

and

his daughter,

who

afterwards married Charles Stewart,

in the province.

said to

have been the best read woman

tract of five

thousand and eighty-eight acres, from Asbury to

Hampton

Junction,

was purchased by John Bowl by about

1740.

When

he was running the boundaries of this land. Col. Daniel Coxe

proprietor,

(who was the oldest son of the

was lying out a

deceased about

1739),
strife,

tract to the east of him.

There was a great

secure as

who should get

John

his

survey

first

on record, so as to
possible.

much

of the Musconetcong Creek

as

Bowlby was
first settlers in

successful.

W.

Bray, a descendant of one of the

connection
that

with A. Taylor,

commenced improving Clinton about

the time

Governor Clinton of
after him.

New York
the

died

and they

named

the place

Returning

now toward

north branch, from

a
it

deed

in

the

possession of A. E. Sanderson, Esq., of Plemington,

appears that
for
this,

about the year 1711, the West Jersey Society had surveyed

them a section known as " The Society's Great Tract."

Of

James Alexander purchased ten thousand

the whole of the
the land from Bray's

acres in 1744, taking in

al

Round Valley and surrounding mountains, and

hill

on the

west nearly
hill

to

the

White House,
Lambertville.

and reaching north

to the

brow of the

north of
acres,

The
1782.

Lebanon part
to

contained

two thousand

which

were
7th,

conveyed

Anthony White by Alexander's

had been held
his son
in

heirs,

September

This, however,

Trust

by Alexander since
Sterling,

1755.

These heirs were

William Lord

and the
had

wives of Peter
married),

Van Brug

Livingston

(whose

sister Sterling

Walter Rutherford,

John Stevens, and Susanna Alex-

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
ander,

13

who

afterwards married Col. Reid.

Walter Rutherfurd was

Livingston

the owner of large tracts of land in Sussex County.

was a son

of Philip

Livingston

of

Livingston

Manor,

on the

Hudson, and a brother of Governor Livingston.

very active part
in the

All these took a

Revolutionary struggle.

Lord

Stirling'

was

the Colonel of the First Battalion formed in

7th, 1775.

New Jersey, November

February
19th,

The next March

(11th), he

was made Brigadier-General

1777.

of the

Continental

army; Major-General,

He

twice received the thanks of Congress,

January 29th, 1776,

and September 24th, 1779.

He

died

of gout at Albany, N. Y.,

January 15th, 1783, while

Mr.
Livingston

in

command
in

of the Northern Department.

was a merchant

New

York, and contributed

largely of his

money

for the service of his country.

The

sisters

found the old mansion a safe retreat, when their own houses were

no longer protected
Stevens settled
in

from

the incursions

of

the

enemy.

John

Round Valley.

He

was the grandfather of

Edward, John, and Robert Livingston Stevens, who became the

pioneers in the railroad and steamboat enterprises
of

our

State.

Robert when
built

onlj^

twenty years

old,

took the Phoenix, a steamboat

by

his father^

and one of the

first

ever constructed, from

New
the

York around
first

to

Philadelphia,

by

sea,

which

is

indisputably
in

instance

of

ocean

steam navigation.

This was

1808.

Tradition says that Livingston, the associate of Robert Fulton, was

a frequent visitor at

Round

Valley.

One

of the

first

settlers in the

neighborhood of White
acres from
Mt.,

House

was Baltes
and Logan

Pickel,
tract,

who bought one thousand

at the foot of

Cushetunk
to

Abram Van Horn came from Monmouth

Budd now Pickles Mt. White House about

the

1749, he took up four hundred acres, south of the railroad and on

both sides of the creek, along the turnpike.

built a mill.

On

the stream

he

When
it

Washington's army lay at Morristown, he was

In his mill he ground flour for the

appointed forage master.

army

and hauled
See

over.

His barn was used as a storehouse

for forage.

'

life

of Stirling, published by N. J. Historical Society.

14
In this barn, a

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
company of Hessians, taken
fed, while

prisoners at Trenton,

were lodged and

on their way to Easton, Pa.

This same

barn afterwards was used as a house of worship

the congregation of the

for fifteen years,

by

Reformed Church.'
Valley.

The settlement
Germantown,
In
is

of Lebanon, at one time called Jacksonville, and

connected with the settlement of German

1707 a number of German

Reformed

people,

who had been

carried

driven by persecution to Rhenish Prussia, and thence had gone to

Holland,

embarked

for

New
set

York.

But adverse winds

of the
;

their ship into

Delaware Bay.
out,

Determined, however, to go to the

the banks
to

place

for

which they

Hudson, they
there crossing

started from Philadelphia and

went up

New Hope
is

the

river they

took

the

Old York Road.

Precisely
not

where

this

band came
vision

to the

mountainous region

known.

But

their

was charmed with the tempting nature of the

soil,

and the

streams.

They found

this

whole nigion

astir

with pioneers,

who

were prospecting and

settling.

Abandoning

therefore their original

intention, they resolved to

establish

themselves on the good land

around them.

From them and

their

their descendants,

Germantown and
these pioneers
at

German Valley derived

names.

The names of
alread}^

are yet found on the church record of Lebanon.

Probably
settled,

New
this

GermantoAvn a few English people had

and

was the
these

first

point

occupied

in

Tewksbury township.
Cole,
Plat,

Among
Carlisle

names

are Johnson, Thompson,

Ireland,

and Smith.

Smith was a large land owner,

and ambitious

of

founding a town.
first

The

first

street

was

called Smith's lane,

and the

name by which

the settlement was

known was

Smithfield.

About 1753
the

the village began to be called

New

Germantown.

All

land which Smith sold was conveyed in the form of leases,

running for one hundred years.

Most of the land

in

and around
to

the village, was bequeathed to Zion's Church,

and was rented

'On White House,

magazine published

see an article by Rev. William Bailey, in "

Our Home,"

in Somerville,

N.

J., in

1873.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
tenants on long leases.
fifty
is

15
in,

The
is

greater part of these were bought

years ago.

This

now a Lutheran

Society, but the probability

that a religious organization of the

Church of England preceded

this,

and

at an early date,

probably under Lord Cornbury.

For

in

1749 an instrument conveys seven acres of ground, and the church

building then erected, to the Trustees of the Lutheran Society for a

period of one hundred and three years.

But

the

Germans who
these were

came

in before the

Revolution predominated.

Among
to

Jacob Kline,

Mellick,

one

of

whose sons went

first

New

York,

became a merchant and was the

;

President of the Chemical

Bank Honeyman, John Bergen, George Wilcox, Adam Ten Eyck who owned a large tract in the southern part of the township.* Frederic Bartles was another, who was in the cavalry of Frederic
the
Great.

He was

captured

by the French,
his

but

escaped to
over

Amsterdam.

Thence he made
and then to

way

to

London.

He came

to Philadelphia

New

Germantown.

He

was the grand-

father of Charles Bartles, Esq., of Flemington.

North of the
of

village, a large tract

was owned by James Parker

Jersey.

Amboy, one

of the proprietors of East

The land on

which the Presbyterian Church at Fairmount stands, was given by

him before 1760,

at

which date a church edifice was on the ground.

It is

The
the

place

was

originally called Parkersville.

probable that

first settlers

came about 1740.

For Michael Schlatter speaks

Hill in 1747.

of preaching in the church of

called

Fox

The

hill

was then

Foxenburg, from a man by the name of Fox, who was a very

introduced

enterprising farmer, and

new and
to

superior kind of
this

wheat.
seed.

People came from a great distance

In 1768 the churches of

buy

wheat for

Fox

Hill and

German

Valley, with
charge.

those of

Rockaway and Alexandria, were united under one

In 1782 Casper

Wack was

settled over

Lebanon,

German

Valley,

Fox

Hill

and Ringos,^

An

Article in

"Our Home," New Germantown, March,

1873.
0. Ruston, 1876.

'History of Presbyterian Church, Fairmount, by Rev.

Wm.

16

HUNTERDON CODNTY.

As

far as can

be ascertained, after the occupation of the land on

the eastern and western borders^of the county, very soon land was
taken up along the great Indian paths already described, especially

on the Old

York

road.

From parchment deeds now

it

in

possession the

of Mr. A. S.

Laning of Pennington,

appears

that

in

year

1702, Benjamin Field, one of the proprietors living in Burlington,

agreed to

sell

to

Nathan Allen, of Allentown, 1,650

and around Ringos.

acres,

com-

prising the land in

Field seems to have died

his wife. Experience,

suddenly before

this

was consummated, making

will

his sole executrix,

this tract to Allen,

by a

dated 13th May, 1702.

29th, 1702.

She conveyed
This,

by deed dated May

which
b}^

seems

to

have been before the purchase from the Indians

the

Council,

was probably

allotted to Field's estate at the

time of the

dividend in 1703.

By

a deed bearing date 6th December, 1721,

for

Allen conveyed

to

Rudolph Harley, of Somerset county,

acres.

75

New York

money, 176

The deed conveys

tract.

all

the minerals,

mines, fishing, hunting and

woods on the

Harley removed
1726, he sold
for

from Somerset and settled here.

On August

25th,

25 acres of
English.'

his

tract

to

Theophilus

Ketcham, innholder,

15

May

22d, 1720, Allen

conveyed 150 acres

to

Philip

Peter.

This whole tract of Allen's in a few years was divided into

For, by a release executed June 26th, 1758, the
fol-

small portions.

lowing persons are enumerated as being possessed of parts of the

original tract.

Ichabod Leigh, 118

acres,

Henry Landis,

80,

Wm
Jacob

Schenck,

280,

Jacob Sutphin,

150,
8,

Tunis Hoppock,

100,

Moore, 138, Obadiah Howsell,

ley, 142,

Justus Ransel, 30, Rudolph Har2,

John Howsell,
18,
3,

3,

Gershom Mott,
80,

Philip Ringo, 40

James

Baird,

Anna

Lequear,
Barrack,

George Thompson,
George Trout.
17,

100,

Jeremiah Trout,

100,

John
In

Hoagland, 200, Derrick Hoagland, 180, John Williamson, 180.

1724 Francis Moore, of Amwell, bought 100 acres from Allen, which
afterward he conveyed to John Dagworthy, of Trenton. Dagworthy

'

To me the evidence favors the supposition that he kept the

first

tavern,

and

not Ringo, as has generally been held.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
sold,

17

on August

6th, 1736, to Philip Ringo, innholder, five acres for

30.

On

this

plot the

present

tavern

stands.

On

April 18th.

1744, he let him have eight acres more for

Tradition declares that a log cabin

50

of the Province,

was kept

here, which

became a

famous stopping place known as Ringo's Old Tavern.

The son and

For many

the grandson, John, continued the business until his death in 1781,

when
3'^ears

the property

was purchased by Joseph Robeson.

in

Ringos was the most important village

the whole

Amwell

valley.

store

was kept here

to

which the Indians resorted from

held to petition
for

as far as Somerville.

Here

public meetings were

the king for the removal of grievances.

Later on, celebrations

It

the whole county centered at this point.

siderable trade.

was
in

also a place of con-

Henry Landis who came

1737, carried on the

saddlery business, in which he secured a reputation that extended

from Trenton to Sussex.

In the prosecution of this business he

of several

made money, and became owner

said that Lafayette

hundred acres of land.

is

In the old stone house which he built and which

is

now

standing,

it

was confined by sickness

for

more than a week;

and that he was attended by Dr. Gershom Craven, who practiced

more than

forty years in that part of the county.

Land was
sold

loosely surveyed.

John Dagworthy. of Trenton, so

to,

states one of the

deeds already referred

of
it,

bought 100 acres.

his

He

several portions

and then suspected that

;

original

purchase was larger than was stated

cil

so he obtained from the Coun-

of the Proprietors of
b}^

West

Jersey a warrant of resurvey, which

was done
It

order of the Surveyor-General, dated Nov. 10th, 1753.

to contain

was found

seventeen acres overplus.

To secure

him-

self he purchased the right tothis overplus, as unappropriated lands,

from John Reading.

So early as 1725 an Episcopal church was

It

in existence at

Ringos.

was

built of logs,

and was located just beyond the railroad

station.

It

was organized under a charter from the crown, by a

the

missionary of the Society for

Propagation

of the

Gospel

in

Foreign Parts.

Several of these were established about this time

18

HUNTKRDON COUNTY.
Queen Anne, who instructed new churches were erected as need

in the Province, under the auspices of

Lord Cornbury
required/

to see

that

Boss settled east of Ringos, and Howsel west by 1725,

Other settlers were Jacob Fisher, Lumraix, who

Schenckin 1726.

donated the burial ground to the Episcopal Church, Stevenson, Suy-

dam,

Dilts,

Shepherd, Larison, Wurts.

in

Peter

Young

settled

at

Wurtsville

1726.
of

The colony
at Mt.

Germans who passed over the York Road

in

1707

was the beginning of a large and continued migration.

and Newton

Some

settled

Airy and around Ringos, others near Round Valley, some

in

at length pressed over to Stillwater

Sussex county.

By

the year

747 a German Reformed congregation was worshipin the

first

ping in a log church which stood

Corner, a mile from Ringos.

old grave yard at Larison's

The

pastor was John Conrad

Wurts, who

for ten years, until

1751. had charge of that and the

Hill.

churches of Lebanon,

German Valley and Fox

He

was

probably the ancester of Alexander "Wurts, Esq., of Flemington

One

of the

first

Adam
acres

Bellis,

and prominent men connected with that church was who came from Holland about 1740, and bought 250
to

two miles south of Flemington, next

the Kuhls.

This

was a part of the

old Stevenson tract of 1,400 acres.

His descend-

ants are yet numerous in and around Flemington.

The

mill

which

stands on the stream, near Copper Hill, was built at an

earl}^

date by

Cornelius Stout.

The second

mill

was

built in 1812.

At Flemington
had one of 5,000

the tracts of three

acres, and' Daniel

pro'prietors

touched.

Penn

Goxe one of
The

4,170, which Avere

surveyed by John Reading

east to west,

in 1712.
in front

dividing line

ran from

by the lamp post

of the Presbyterian church.

A high
is

stone just over the brook east of the South Branch Railroad
this line
;

where

touched the stream.

it

South of

this line

belonged

to

Penn

north of
tract,

to

Coxe.

Coxe's was commonly called the

hill

Mt. Carmel

and the high

on the top of which

is

Cherry-

Smith's N.

J.,

pp. 252-3.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
ville
still

19

bears the

name

of Coxe's Hill.

On March

24th, 1712,

Joseph Kirkbride bought a quarter section or 1,250 acres from John

Budd, son and heir of Thomas Budd of Philadelphia, which was
taken up as Budd's dividend of one quarter of a propriety, which he

purchased of Edward

Bj^llinge,

March, 1676.

On

the
this,

same date
belonging
his

(1712). Kirkbride also bought 1,250 acres adjacent to

to

"Wm. Biddle of Mt. Hope, Burlington county, which was

These two
tracts,

dividend of a part of a propriety purchased of Byllinge in January,

1676.

together 2,500 acres, lay next to Penn's,

and extended west and northwest along John Reading's and Ed-

ward Rockhill's

lines

eastward and north eastward to the South

side.

Branch and, on^the southerly

John Kays had a

tract bordering

on Kirkbride's, and reaching to the Stevenson tract and John Wollman's.

November

12th,

1737, this tract was

to

sold to

Benjamin

Stout for 90,

this tract.

Stouf seems already

have occupied

894- acres of

His deed speaks of the

tract

bordering at one part on

it

unappropriated land.'

From

other old deeds

appears that settlers

In that vear

did not occupy land in Flemington earlier than 1731.''

Coxe
His

sold to

Wm.

Johnson 210

acres.

He came

from

Ireland.

His son Samuel was a distinguished teacher and mathematician.

son,

Thomas

Potts,

was an eloquent and learned lawyer of

His
in the court
village,

New

Jersey.

He

married a daughter of Robert Stockton.

portrait

may now
ington.

be seen over the judge's chair

room

at

Flem-

Other

settlers, in

and around the

were Johannes
Norcross, Johr
Farrar,

Bursenbergh, Philip Kase, Robert Burgess,

Hairling,

Wm.
James

Geo.

Alexander, Joseph

Smith,

Thos.

Hunt, Dr. George Creed.

that he

Of

Dr. Creed nothing

is

known except
early settlers

was

practicing at Flemington in 1765.

The

were German, Irish and English.

chased land.
first built in

In

1756 Samuel Fleming pur-

The

old house
is

the village

yet standing.

where he lived and which was the Samuel Southard owned

'

In 1736 a tavern was built at Cherry ville, which laPt year yielded to the
fell.

elements and
-

The above

facts are

taken from old deeds held by Aaron Griggs.

20

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
it

and occupied

while he resided

in

Flemington, where he began the

practice of law in 1814, at which time he

was an active member of

the Presbyterian congregation.

He

Hunterdon County Bible Societ}^

was the first President of the Fleming kept a tavern in this

house, and as other houses were built the settlement which grew up

was

called

Flemings

so

it is

named on

the old

maps

and

finally,

Flemington.^

Fleming brought with him from Ireland a boy, Thomas Lowr}^,

who

afterwards married his daughter Esther.

village,

Lowry became
in 1765.

the

most prominent man of the

and acquired much propert}^

He was
was the
shrewd,
takings.

one of the founders of the Baptist Church

first

which

Baptist

Church

in

Amwell

township.
in

He
his

was a
under-

sagacious man,

who

generally

succeeded

He was
in

member from Hunterdon

of the

Provincial

Congress

1775. After the war, for several years, he was a

member
is

of the Legislature.
in nearly all

He

bought about 1.000 acres of land, taking

fertile

the beautiful and

plain

where Frenchtown

situated.

He

purchased a

tract

of the

same extent

at Milford.
tract he

This was probably before the revolution.

sold to Provost for 8,000.

The Frenchtown
old

Lowry then commenced

the improve-

ment of the Milford property, and put up the

red mill and the

saw
was

mill at the river.

first

These were completed by 1800.

above the
founder
of

The place

called

Lowrytown.
ferry

Before the bridge was built across the

mill,

Delaware there was a

Mill-ford. built a

and hence the name

Lowry was
mill,

the

Frenchtown,
his

where he

house and
in the

and

resided until

death in 1809.

He

was buried

graveyard of the Kingwood Presbyterian Church.

One

of his daughters married Dr.

Wm.

McGill, a prominent physihis

first

cian in that part of the county.

Lowry and

wife
call

were very
he enlisted

active patriots during the revolution.

in the

At

the

army, being appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the Third Regi-

'

For further information about the settlement and history of Flemington,

b}' "Rev.

see Discourse

G.

S.

Mott, 1876.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
ment came
in

21
be-

Hunterdon County, June, 1776, of which he afterward

Colonel.
territory extending

The
for
in

from Three Bridges, on the south branch,

to

along the Old

York Road
found upon

Ringos, was settled at an early day

of First

1738 the Presbyterian Church

is

Amwell,

near

Reaville,

the records of the Presbytery of

to

New

Brunswick.

Some
his

circumstances lead

the supposition that a

in 1739,

congregation existed by 1730.

WhiteHeld preached there

of people had

and says
here by

in

diary,

''

Some thousands

gathered

noon,

expecting me."

This was the only Presbyterian

church in the
In

Amwell

Valley,

from the branch to the Delaware.

1753 a parsonage was purchased, and the following names

list
:

appear on the subscription

John Smith, Jacob Sutphin, BenjaDaniel Larew, Thomas

min Howell, John

Steel,

Jacob Mattison, Eliab Byram (the pastor),

Prall,

Garret Schenck, Abraham

Peter

Prall,

Hardin, Benjamin Johnson, David Barham, John Reading (Grov.),

John Reading,
N.

Jr.,

Jacob Gray, Daniel Reading, Martin Ryerson

(greatgrandfather of the late Hon. Martin

J.),

Ryerson of Newton,
Stout,

Daniel

Griggs,

George Reading, James

William
Anderson,
Hill, Hill,

Richard

Philips,

John

Anderson,

Samuel Carman, Samuel Fleming,

Derrick Sutphen,

Samuel Furman, Thomas Hunt, Jonathan

Richard Reading, Joseph Reading, Samuel

John Cox, John Francis, William Davison, John Wood, Henry

Dildine, Nathaniel Bogert,

Abram Larew.
to

In the year 1754, the population had so increased, that Presbytery

was

petitioned,

"

by the people bordering on the Delaware,

Airy was erected.
building

give them the privilege of building a meeting-house of their own."

This was granted, and the church at Mt.

The

frame of
up.

this

remained

until

1874,

when a new

was put

In

1732

John Emanuel Coryell came John purchased a

lot,

to Lambertville.

The

family left France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and
settled near Plainfield.
acres.

tract of

two hundred

In this was the ferry

7th,

for

which he obtained a patent,

ferry
is

January

1733.

In

this

patent the

mentioned as

22
formerly

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
known
to

as Coat's Ferry.

It

was more generally

It

called
it

Wells' Fony, down to the year 1770.

was so named because

known.

w^s leased

John Wells

in 1719.

Whether he and Coryell were

Wells bought
side,

rival ferrymen, or

had a joint

interest, is not
in

a tract of one hundred acres near the ferry

their
;

1734,

on the Pennsylvania

and from him the rapids below Ijambertville obtain

name, " Wells' Falls."

Jerse}^

Four

brothers,

Lambert,

New

between 1735 and 1746.

Two

of these,

came to Gershom and

John, settled about three miles from Lambertville, having bought

tracts of land near each other.

John a son of Gershom, born 1846,

became a prominent man.

energetic.

He was

intelligent,

sagacious

and

For many years he was a member of the State Council.

to

From 1795
1800
to

1800 he was Vice-President of the Council.

From

1802 he was President.

of

In 1802 and 1803, he was acting

to

Governor
the

New

Jersey.

From 1805

1809 he was a member of

House

of Representatives of the United States.

this State in the
its

1715 he represented

United States Senate.

From 1709 to From

him the town took

name.

His cousin Gershom, a son of

sent two substitutes to the Revotroops in crossing
laid

John, was an active patriot.

lutionary

He

army.

He
;

aided the American

the

river at Lambertville

and when the army

thither.'

at

Morristown he

had barrels made and carried them

At
tract

an early day, Allen and Turner, of Philadelphia, bought from

the proprietors ten thousand acres north and west of Clinton.

The
at

extended

from VanSyckle's to
Clarkesville.
;

German

Valley,
in

including

High Bridge and

E.xton's, near the

Furnaces were
these were the

operation

High Bridge

most extensive^

Another was west of VanSyckle's.

built in 1754, as appears

The Cokesburg furnace was

part of the

by a stone upon the wall of a

old building at that place.

There was also the Hackelbarney Forge

near the

falls

of Lamington.

These mines were discovered very

'

For these

facts
to

am

indebted to Dr. Studdiford of Lambertville,

who

permitted

me

peruse his
It will

History of Lambertville,

now

in

manuscript,

but to be published.

be a valuable local history.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
early in the last century.

23

This led to the settlement of this remote

it

part of the countrj^, and probably secured for

gentlemen

like

Johnston, Stewart and Grandin, whose families became noted for

education, refinement

and that generous and charming hospitality

furnish.

which wealth and culture can

of the grandeur of the past. character of a
large
class

Their mansions
also

still

tell

These mines

determined the

of settlers,

who were hands employed

of

about the furnaces and forges,

indicate,

many

whom, as

their

names

were Welsh, Germans and

Irish.

In 1762 Col. Hackett

In 1775
the

was the superintendent and Mr. Taylor, bookkeeper.

remained
through the

superintendent died, and Mr. Taylor was appointed in his place.

all

He

Revolution.

At
of the

this

furnace balls were

cast for the use of the army.

Some

old moulds have been

tract

dug up within a few years.

sold,

After the war the large

'

was

probably as confiscated property, and Mr. Taylor was selected

as

one of the commissioners to divide the land.

He

was allowed

the privilege of selecting such a portion as he desired to buy.

He

chose that around the forge.

include the mines.

The surveyor asked him

in the

if

he should

Mr. Taylor replied he did not care whether he

survey, and the

had them.
price paid

They were, however, included was 800 for three hundred and
little

sixty-six acres.^

This

shows that

value was attached to the mines.

the Central Railroad enabled

They were not

the owners
to

worked again

until

secure coal at a reasonable price.

Having taken
county,

this

general
turn to

survey of

the

settlement

of the

we must now
all

other portions of

its history.

In

March, 1713,
pink,

the territory of

West

Jersey, north of the Assan-

was erected mto the county of

of the

Hunterdon.

This
in

was
their

granted at the request

inhabitants,

who

stated

petition, that ''their frequent

attending the several Courts of Bur.

lington,

being at a very great distance from their habitations, has

See subsequent page.

For further; Hunterdon Republic, January 20tb, 1870.

24

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
to the

been inconvenient and troublesome, as well as chargeable

inhabitants of the said upper parts of the said division."
it

And yet
seat,

seems that most of the business continued

to

be done at Burling-

ton.

So

late as 1726, Trenton,

which was the County

In 1748
it

"had

hardly more than one house."

had only a hundred.' The

county

was named

in

honor of Brigadier-General Hunter, who at

that time

was Governor General of the Provinces of

Jersey, to

New York
1710.
a
native of

and

New

which he was appointed, June 14th,

Gordon

in his history of

New

Jersey,

says he "

Was
to

Scotland, and

when a
his

boy,

was put an apprentice

;

an apothecary.

But he deserted

master and entered the army

and being a man of

wit and personal beauty, acquired the affections of

Lady Hay, whom

in the

he afterwards married.

He

had been nominated

year 1707

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, under George, Earl of Orkney

but having been captured by the French, in his voyage to that
colony,

was

carried into France.

He

was unquestionably a man of

Addison and
others,

merit, since he enjoyed the intimacy of Swift,

distinguished for sense and learning.

world,

He

mingled freely with the

follies
;

and was somewhat tainted by

its

had

engaging
in the

manners, blended, perhaps, not unhappily

Province, with a

for

his

success

dash of original vulgarity.

His administration,

of ten years' duration, was one of almost unbroken harmony."

He
only

was the most popular Governor the Crown had appointed, and
hence the respect shown him,
county formed during
in

calling

by

his

name

the

his administration.

By 1722

the county had

grown

to five townships, of

which only one, Amwell, was north of

the Sourland range

and within the present bounds of the county.

In 1726 the population was 3,236.

The Indians who

belonged
to

inhabited this State

when

it

was discovered,

the

Dela wares,

who were

a part of the great Leni

Lenape

family,

whose

different branches

roamed the country east of

the Alleghenies.
the

They occupied
to

the territory which extended from

Hudson River

and beyond the Potomac.

These Delawares

'

Gordon's Gazetteer of

New

Jersey, 253.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
had divided themselves
selves
into three tribes,

25
calling

two of these

them-

Menamis and Unalachtgo, The

third tribe,

or the Turtle

and the Turkey, had

settled on those lands

tains.

which lay between the coast and the mounthe Wolf,

or,

as they called themselves, the

Minsi,

orMonseys, possessed the mountains and the land beyond.

their settlements from

They extended

the Minisink, a place

east,

where

they held their councils, to the Hudson on the

and beyond the

war-like race,
direction,
line of

Susquehanna on the south-west.

as their

They were a very

name

indicated.

Their southern boundary,

in this

was

that range of hills

which stretches along the upper

Hunterdon and the branches of the Raritan.

and the mountaineers came together
in this

Thus the

coast-tribes

county.

Many

families

of these chose to live by themselves, fixing their abode in villages,

and taking a name from

who, however, was
in

their location.

Each of these had a

chief,

a measure subordinate to a head chief.'

family was situated on the Neshanic, called the Neshanic Indians.

There was another settlement a mile from Flemington, on a brook

called the Minisi.

One was near

the

Branch

at

Three Bridges. There

they had a burying ground.

Another, one and a half miles south-

west from Ringos, along a creek on Jacob Thatcher's farm.

of their village can yet be seen there.

Traces

Yet another was near Mt.

settle-

Airy

station

on the Alexsocken.
at

There was quite a large

the

ment of them

Rocktown.

Indeed,

Am well
in

Valley was

populated with them.

As

already stated, in 1703 the proprietors

purchased of Heinhammoo, a large tract of land

Hunterdon, lying
title to all

west of the south branch, and they also bought the

lands of the Indians

other
to

who were supposed

to

to

have any right

in

them.

These seem

have been contented, and lived

with the
whites.

their

villages on the mostly friendly terms

But the
Indians

game diminished
were constrained
saries of
life.

as the country
to resort to

was

settled, so that the

trade, in

order to procure the necesetc.,

They made wooden

ladles, bowls, trays,

which

'

Heckewelder's Indian Nations.

pp. 48-52.

Memoirs of Historical Society of Penn-

aylvaiiia, vol. 12

26

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
They soon
their

they exchanged for butter, milk, chickens and meat.

acquired a fondness
influence,
for intoxicating liquors, and,
fight
in

when under
manner.

would quarrel and

terrible

This

became

so great an evil, that the Legislature in 1757, laid a penalty

selling strong drink to the Indians, so as to intoxicate
all

upon persons

them, and declaring

Indian sales and pawns for drink void.

The

defeat

of General

Braddock

in
all

the

Summer

of

1775,

produced great consternation throughout

disastrous consequences.

the colonies, and led to

hatred of the

whites had for years

been growing

in

the hearts of the Indians,

helpless,

who saw themselveg

inflicted

becoming more and more

encroachments of the

under the steadily increasing

settlers.

The wrongs which were

upon them, by designing men, aggravated their dislike. So that it was an easy matter for the French, and the Indians already leagued
with

them

in

hostilities,

to

persuade those

tribes

which

had
in

remained nominally at peace with the inhabitants,

a general uprising and onslaught upon the settlers.

to join

them

The Shawnees
bands of Indians
Ridge, under
the
countrj^,

and Delawares were drawn

joined them,
this

into this defection also

many going from the Pines to the Blue impulse. Niimbers who had roamed around
like the

much

tramps of to-day, went

off to join

the Indian troops

and never returned.

were greatly alarmed

The people

of this section

and

to the north,

at this state of things.

The
into

first

inroads of the savages were

down

the

Susquehanna

through Berks and

Northampton Counties, across the Delaware

New

Jersey.

Some

of the

scalping

parties

penetrated

within thirty miles of Philadelphia.

letter

from Easton, dated

all

December
mostly

25th, 1755, states that the "country

above

this

town

for fifty miles

fled

mostly evacuated and ruined. * into the Jerseys.

is

The people have

*
all

The

enemy
into

made but few

Jersey, roused
for their

prisoners,

murdering

almost

that fell

their hands, of all ages

and both sexes."

The

inhabitants of

New

by these

sufferings of their neighbors,

and fearing

own

towns, prepared to resist the foe.

troops

Governor Belcher
province, to

despatched

promptly

from

all

parts of the

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
the

21
Col.

defence

of

the

western

frontier.

John Anderson,
1756
this

of Sussex

County,

collected four

hundred men, and secured the

upper part of the State.

During the winter of 1755 and

marauding

parties

of

French and

Indians

hung around

western border.

To guard

against their incursions, a chain of forts

at favorable

and block houses was erected along the mountain and

points on the east bank of the Delaware.

Although the inroads of

the savages were infrequent, and consisted of small bands, yet the
fear which
all felt

that their mid-night slumber might be broken

in

by

the

war-whoop, was sufficient to keep them

left their

a constant terror.
the

Many

homes.

loud call was

made upon

Assembly

for increased

means of defence.

This was done, and the force was

placed under the

command

of Col. DeHart.^

As

an additional measure of protection a treaty was made with

Teedyuscung, whereby the Delaware and Shawnees on the Susque-

hanna were reconciled.

The Legislature appointed a committee,

winter of

who met
1756.

the Indians of this State at Crosswicks, in the

Their grievances were heard patiently, and then reported to

the Legislature, which passed acts in 1757 to relieve them.

of these grievances was,
certain tracts of land,

One

that the Indians had

not been paid for

which had been taken from them.

The only
was a
tract

portion of Hunterdon, which

came within these

claims,

of twenty-five

hundred acres claimed

by Teedyuscung

himself,
to

" beginning at Ringos,

and extending along the Brunswick road

to

Nesbannock Creek, thence up the same

in

George Hattens, thence

to a hill called

straight

course

to Petit's

place,

and so on

Paatquacktung, thence in a straight line to the place of the begining,

which

tract

was reserved

at the sale."

i.

e.,

between Ringos and

to appro-

Copper Hill. The Legislature gave the commissioners power

priate

1,600

to

purchase a general release of

to

all

these claims, oneto the

half of which

was

be devoted to paying the Indians residing

'

Tradition says that people hid themselves in the openings of the mines, at

Union.
'

Gordon's

New

Jersey, pp. 122 and 124.

28
south
of the
Raritan.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
This
offer

was accepted, and a treaty

1758,

concluded at Easton,
difficulties

October 26th,
Indians
in

and thus ended

all

with

the

New

Jersey.'

This pacification

was greatly aided and quickened by an

Philadelphia
in

association

founded

in

1755,

called

"The Friendly
to this

Association,

for

regaining and preserving peace with the Indians by pacific measures."

Another cause which contributed

happy

result,

was
and
that

that Teedyescunk,

who was King

of the 'Delawares and a chief of

very wide influence, was a Christian.

He became

such

in 1749,

was baptized by the name of Gideon.'

Also we may suppose

the influence of John Reading, from 1757 to June, 1758, the acting
Cxovernor, while most of these negotiations were in progress, would

be exerted

in behalf of liberal
his early

measures toward the Indians,

inas-

much when

as
it

experience as surveyor in Hunterdon County

his

was yet a wilderness, and

subsequent residence
to

in this

frontier region,

would well qualify him

know

their

wrongs and

their needs,

while the piety which adorned his

life,

would lead him

to that charity

which overlooks ignorance.

his seventy-third

Governor Reading had then entered

fact that, at

year

and the
-

such an advanced age, he occupied so important and prom

is

inent position
held.

of itself evidence of the estimation in which he

was

He

was a true Jerseyman, from boyhood

of the
State,

identified with the

interests

and particularly with the growth of Old

Hunterdon, by the side of whose ancient thoroughfare, the Old

York Road,
lie.

in the

graveyard of the old Amwell Church, his ashes

John Reading and Elizabeth

his wife, the

father

and mother of
on

the Governor, emigrated from England with their two children,

John and

Elsie.

They were Quakers, and

to

left

their country

account of the persecution

which the Quakers were subjected

They
'

settled in the

town of Gloucester,

New
all

Jersey, previous

to

Smith's

New

Jersey, chap. 23, which contains

is

the particulars.

'

This fact of his being a Christian

obtained from the manuscripts of Dr.

Sluddiford, already mentioned.

HUNTKRDON COUNTY.
the year 1683, as he was
that

29
of the
Council,

year a
a

member

meeting

in

Burlington.
of which

He was

landholder in

and about
to 1701,

Gloucester,
inclusive.

town he was Recorder from 1693

He was

one of the proprietors of

the
Council,

West Jersey and

appointed
Jr.,

prominent member of
important coramitteess.
Mills,

being

often

on

He,

with William Biddle,

and John

was sent

to

purchase

in 1703, the great tract of

one hundred

and

fifty

thousand acres, between the Raritan and the Delaware.

a surveyor and appointed one of the commissioners to

He was
define the

boundary

line

between

New York

and North Jersey,

in

171 9. J

He
in

removed

to his tract of land

in

above Larabertville, where

he died, and was buried

the ground of the

Buckingham Meeting

House
1767.
their

Buck's County, Pa.

John, the son, was born June 6th, 1686, and died

November
to

7th,

He

and
to

his sister,

when

children,

were taken
w.ith

England by
years,

mother

be educated.
;

She remained

them nine

attending to their education

the

the father living in this country.

On

return

of the

son,

it

was found that he had embraced the

was ardently attached

doctrines of the Presbyterians, to which he

all his life
;

and so
a

his

descendnnts have continued.

of Col.
P.

He

married

Mary Ryerson,
service.

sister

Ryerson, then

in the British

He

succeeded to the greater part of

his father's occupation.

his father's estate,

and followed

In 1712 to 1715 he surveyed

locating lands

tracts for parties in

Burlington,

who were

through

the the

Amwell
same

Valley, under the grants of the dividend of 1703.

At

time,

with

an

eye to a valuable purchase,

which a

surveyor would be supposed to have, he secured for himself six

hundred acres along the south branch, two miles from Flemington;

where afterwards, on a beautiful

stead,

site,

he built the Reading hometo

now occupied by

Philip Brown.

the walnut trees growing there.

He is said He owned three

have planted

mill properties,

including the farms

now

in possession of Barton, Stothoff, Deats,

'

Smith's

New

Jersey,

p.

412.

30

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

Ewing, Clark and Brown.

He

was a member of
Hamilton

"

His Majesty's

Council," from 1728 to death, and Vice President for ten or twelve
years.

On

the death of Governor

in

1747, the govern-

ment devolved on

him, until the arrival of Governor Belcher, with

whom

he had the most friendly and intimate connection.

first

He
is

was

one of the

Trustees of Princeton College.

1

His name

at the

head of the

list in

748.

On

the death of Governor Belcher, in

to the administration, in

August, 1757, he succeeded a second time

which he continued

until June, 1758,

when he was superseded by

the foundation of
religious

the arrival of Governor Bernard.

His influence and services and

and national freedom,

money were
privileges,

freely

bestowed

to lay

educational

advantages

upon

which we are now building.

long,

At
his

the ripe age of eighty-one his

useful

and honored career ended, amid the quiet of that

cultivation,

beautiful spot, which, under

forest into a garden.

had emerged from a

He
of the

had a large family of seven sons and three daughters.

sons
settled

Five

near him,

and perpetuated the moral

and

religious influences of their sire.

They were prominent

in

church

matters, and

took a lively interest in the Revolutionary struggle.

son,

The youngest
the

Thomas, was Captain of the 6th Company of

of the Jersey Brigade,

3d Battalion

who were mustered

the

in

during February,
discharged.
as Ensign.

1774.

He

served

until

Battalion

was

A grandson,

John, entered the companj^ of his uncle,

In January, 1777, he was promoted to First Lieutenof another Battalion in which he continued uniil

ant in a

Company
in

September, 1780.
Lieutenant
first

Another grandson, Samuel, was appointed First

Stout's

Captain

Company

of the

"Jersey Line,"

establishment,

December

18th, 1775.

He

was taken prisoner

Captain, February

at

Three Rivers, June

8th, 1776.

He became
Yet

5th, 1777,

and Major of the First Regiment, December 29th, 1781,

until the close of the war.'

and served

another, Charles,

was

'

Officers

and Men of

New

Jersey in Revolutionary "War, pp. 69, 86, 97.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
Lieutenant of the
Captain.

31

Third

Regiment,

Hunterdon,

and afterwards

The Governor's
Beatty,

oldest
first

daughter, Ann,

married

Rev.

Charles

one of the
Pa.

graduates

of the

Old Log College of

in this

Neshaminy,
State,

He

was a co-worker with the Tennants

all

and a prominent clergyman

of a numerous
in

his

life.

They were the

some
of

progenitors

line

of descendants,
State.

whom

have been conspicuous

eight

Church and

On

the female side,

married Presbyterian ministers.

in the

One

of the sons. General

John Beatty, was

Revolutionary war, and so was his brother,

Colonel Erkuries Beatty.

For many years John was one of the

being the
first

prominent citizens of Trenton,

Bridge Company,

President of the
Elizabeth, another

and of the Trenton Bank.

daughter of Governor Reading, married John Hackett, from

whom

Hackettstown derived

its

name.

By

the year

1738 the upper part of the county had become

the

so filled with settlers that they petitioned

to erect a

General Assembly

new

county, because the distance to Trenton, where the

held,

courts

were

was inconvenient, and

to reach

it,

expensive.
all

Yielding to this petition, a

the upper part

new connty was

set

oft",

comprising

of the old above the present boundaries between

Hunterdon and Morris and Warren.

Morris.

The new county was

its

called

Although thus shorn of more than half

territory,
all

Hunterdon soon became the wealthiest and most populous of

counties.

the

Monmouth came next and

fifth.

Burlington third.

Somerset

was
tion.

fourth and Middlesex

Wheat was
even
at

the principal produc-

The

flour

was sent

to

Philadelphia and

New

York.

The
in

State

was remarkable

for mill-seats

an early day.

And

no part were they so numerous as

in this county.

Along the
in

north and south branches, they were situated only a few miles apart.

These were

of

great

importance

during

the

Revolution,

supplying with flour that part of the army which hovered between

New York

and Philadelphia.
its

The

iron

interest
soil

about Union

contributed largely to

prosperity.

The

was better adapted

32
to grazing

HUNTERDON CODNTY.
and wheat than
w^as

the country to the south.

"

In 1748

the

Raritan

Landing was described as a

for its bigness in

Market

for the

most

plentiful

wheat country

America."

In 1765 there

were within the county, nine Presbyterian churches,

one
two.
;

Low
;

Dutch,
Baptist,

German,

one

Episcopal,

three

Quaker,

two

We

now approach
Companies,

the great struggle with the mother country.

The Provincial Congress of

fifty-four

New
of

Jersey, in August, 1775, directed

sixty-four

each

minute

men,

to

be

organized, allotting to each county a specific number.

Hunterdon's

quota

was from twenty-five

to

fifty

per

cent,

above the other

counties.

The members

of this

Congress from Hunterdon, were

Samuel Tucker, John Mehelm of

New

Germantown, John Hart and

and Thomas Lowry
of

John Stout of Hopewell, Jasper Smith

Flemington,
Charles

Stewart

and

Daniel

Hunt

of

Bethlehem,

Ralph Hart, Jacob Jennings, Richard Stevens and John Stevens,

Jr.,

of

Round

Valley,

Thomas

Stout,

Thomas Jones, and John

Clinton.

Bassett.

Charles

Stewart

resided

at

Landsdown near
probably the

On

his

return home, he called a meeting at Abrara Bonnel's Tavern, and a

Regiment of minute-men was

raised,

first it

the State.'

He

was a leading
from

spirit in

this

movement, and rendered important

of
the
struggle to
its

services,

the

commencement

final

triumph.

Many

distinguished
effort to retain

loyalists

were among
side,

his friends,

who made every

him on the King's

but in vain.
in

He

was Colonel of the First Regiment of minute men

this

State; then Colonel of the Regiment of the line.

By commission
Staff",

from Congress

in

1776, he

became one of Washington's

as

Commissary General, which

the war.
house.

position he occupied until the close of

his

General Washington and

Flis
,

wife were frequently at his

in

grand daughter; Mrs. Bower, who, after the war,

received marked
attention

Philadelphia

from

Mrs.

Washington,

'

Tlie first

Company

of

Volunteers offered to the Governor, under the

first

call of

President Lincoln,

was from

this

countyfrom Flemington.

HUNTERDON COUNTY,
relates the following,

33
practiced
satin

respecting the
set

economy
of

by Mrs.
covers,

Washington
inherited

"

She ravelled a

old

chair

by

her.

She had the material carded and spun, and with

the addition of cotton yarn,

stripes, the
silk.

woven

in

alternate broad and narrow

broad being of white cotton and the narrow of crimson

this

Out of

fabric, she

had two morning dresses made

for

herself."

His daughter, Martha, married Robert Wilson, a young

in

Irishman of education, who came to this country and volunteered

the continental army, soon after the battle of Lexington.

He was
Captain

wounded and taken prisoner

Wilson died
age of
at his

at the battle of

Germantown.
in

home

in

Hackettstown,

1779, at the early

for

twent3''-eight.
brilliant

Mrs Wilson was

distinguished

beauty

and for a

and cultured mind.'

After the war. General Stewart

moved

to

Plemington, where he

occupied a house near the residence of John C.

Hopewell, and

owned
the

a large

farm which extended to Coxe's

Hill.

He

held a

leading position in his adopted State, and was her representative in

Congress of 1784 and 1785.

he died
in

After much important public

service,

Flemington, June 24th, 1800, aged seventy-one

years.

General Stewart

was the son of Robert Stewart, and was

in 1729.

born at Gortlea, Donegal County, Irsland,

Charles,

His

grandfVither,

was a Scotch Puritan, and an

officer

of dragoons in tho
at

army
the

of William of Orange,

and fought bravely

the battle of
in

Boyne. for which services he received a handsome domain

the north of Ireland, called Gortlea.

liberty impelled the grandson to

Puritan ideas and a love of

emigrate to
1750.

America, before he
a favorite at

was twenty-one years of

His
large

age,

in

He became

the house of Judge Johnson,

enterprise, industry

whose daughter, Mary, he married.

to acquire a

and education, enabled him

property

and

at

Landsdown, near Hampden, where the

its

south

branch

makes one of

loveliest
call

windings, he erected a
the admiration
of the

mansion,

which yet stands

to

forth

'

Mrs. Bllet in "

Women

of the

American Revolution," devotes a chapter

to

Martha Wilson.
3

34
traveler.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
The
estate remains in the possession of his descendants.
height,

He

was of medium

spare in

flesh,

with a keen blue eye,

expressing intelligence, kindness, bravery and firmness. His portrait,

executed by Peale,

is still

preserved.

He
At
part

became Surveyor General of the Province of Pennsylvania.

outset

the

of the

difficulties

with

the

mother

country,

he

earnestl}'-

espoused the cause of the colonies, and took the active

stated.

already

He

was buried
Church.

in

the

family

ground of
Chief

Bethlehem

Presbyterian

His

life-long

friend,'
:

Justice Smith of Trenton, wrote his epitaph in these lines

HE WAS AN EARLY AND DECIDED FRIEND

TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND BORE THE IMPORTANT OFFICE OF COMMISSARY GENERAL OF ISSUES TO UNIVERSAL ACCEPTANCE.

WERE FERVID AND LASTING, AND COMMANDED BOTH HIS PURSK

HIS FRIENDSHIPS

AND HIS SERVICES.

HIS HOSPITALITY

WAS EXTENSIVE AND BOUNTIFUL THE FRIEND AND THE STRANGER WERE ALMOST COMPELLED TO
COME
IN.'

Some
country

of his descendants
to this day.

have continued

in the service

of their

One

of his grandsons, Charles Stewart, son of

in

Samuel Stewart, was born

'

Flemington, where

his

father lived,

For

this sketch of

General Stewart,

am

indebted to his grand-daughter,

It is

Mrs. Hoyt of Landsdown, a family record.

widow

of the late Captain Hoyt.

taken from

HUNTERDON COUNTT.
near the Presbyterian Church.
of Dr.

35
at Princeton,

He

was a class-mate,

Hodge and Alexander Wurts,

studied law and

Esq., and graduated in 1815.

He

first

then afterwards theology, and went as a

Islands,

missionary to the

Sandwich

from which he returned

wife's health.
in

in

1825, on account of the failure

of his

In 1828 he

received the

appointment of Chaplain
all

the Navy, in which office

he continued until 1862, visiting

several books on
favor.

parts of the world.

He

wrote
great

foreign travel which were

received with

He

died in 1870 at Cooperstown,

New

York, at the age of

seventy-five.
at

son of his was graduated with General McClellan

West

Point.

He

served the country faithfully during the war,

having had charge, for the greater part of the time, of the engineers'

department at Fortress Monroe, for which important post he

selected on account of his peculiar fitness.

was

Since the war, he has

been put

in

command

of the United States Engineer Corps at San

Francisco.

In the work of raising

active and efficient.

troops, Colonel

Maxwell was also very

After
the

He

lived about a mile east of Clinton.

the

war he removed

to
to

Warren County.
Canada, and,
witli

He commanded
in

battalion

which was sent

both

Morgan and Colonel

the

Philip

Johnson,

natives of this county, was engaged

also

siege of Quebec.

He

took a conspicuous part in the battles

of Germantown,
soldier

Brandywine,

Trenton

and

Monmouth.
served
his

As

and patriot he had few superiors.

war,

He

country

faithfully all through the

at

and died

at Colonel Stewart's
ill,

house

Landsdown

in

1796, where he
in a

was taken suddenly

while on a

visit,

and expired

few hours.
this

Another member of

Provincial

Congress

of 1775,

who
this

represented this count}^, and

the

who afterwards took an

'

active part in
to

Revolution,

was

John Mehelm.

He

emigrated

country from Ireland.

Berk's County. Pa.

We

first

hear of him as a schoolmaster in

fine scholar.

He

was a handsome writer and a

mill,

He

purchased one hundred acres of land and a

on the north

branch near Pluckamin, since known as Hall's Mills.

Here durins

1151G47

36
the Eevolutionaiy

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
war he manufactured
flour,

which was used by

at Morristown.

the

army while

lying at Pluckamin, and

encamped

He

was Colonel of the Fourth Regiment, Hunterdon, and was on

the staff of Major General Dickerson.

He was
also the

also Quartermaster

General and continued a pure and able

associated with

patriot.

He

was often

John Hart.

He

was

friend

and companion

of "Washington,

whom

he often met that winter, when Washington

passed through Pluckamin on his

ristown.
gress,

way

to the headquarters at

Mor-

Colonel Mehelm was a

at Burlington

member

of the Provincial Con-

which met

June

10, 1776.

This was a revolu-

tionary body, and was in full sympathy with that spirit of independence, which in less than a

month renounced allegiance to the

appointed,
consisting

Bricish

crown.

committee was

of Livingston,

Witherspoon, Mehelm and Patterson, who boldly defied the Governor,

and summoned him

to

appear before the Assembly.

For

his

refusal to submit to the orders of the body,

Governor Franklin was

sent a prisoner to Connecticut, and William Livingston

in his stead,

was appointed
from 1776
to

who served
Colonel

the State in

that capacity

1790.

By him

Mehelm was appointed Surrogate

for the

counties of Hunterdon and Somerset, which office he held until 1801,

when he was removed.'

I think

Hunterdon county may claim General Morgan

Tradition states that he was born on the farm

as one of

her sons.

owned by
visible the

Major Dusenberry, near

remains of an old
in

New

Hampton.
is

There are

still

fire place,

which
Dr.

said to belong to the log house

which Morgan was born.

John

Blaine,

of Perryville,

who

has devoted
hood,

much

attention to

the early history of this neighborlived less

was

told this

by persons whose mother and aunts

than a mile from the residence of the

further stated that

Morgan

family.

They

when he -became

large enough to drive a team he

pair of

went to Pittstown, where he drove a

oxen for the proprietors

'From an

article

in

"Our Home," October, 1773,

entitled

"Pluckamin One

Hundred Years Ago," by A. W. McDowell.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
of a business there.
his

37
to Virginia.
his

About 1750 he went

Rogers

in

"Heroes and Statesmen of America," puts

birthplace in

Durham, Pa.

This mistake might easily arise from the fact that the

family appears to have been connected with the iron companies of

the day, and

may have

lived for a time in

Durham.
stated

In Appleton's
to

Encyclopaedia, edition of 1861, his

birth is

be

in

New
At

Jersey
the

in

1736.

He was

in

Braddock's expedition in 1755.

he

outbreak of the

Revolutioa

was

living in Frederic,
for

now
were

Clarke county, Virginia.

Immediately he started
riflemen, all of

Boston, in

command

of a

company of

whom,

like himself,

expert marksmen.

He

accompanied the

expedition of Arnold to

Quebec, where he was captured.

During that captivity he declined

the oifer of a Colonelcy in the British army.

On

his release,
rifle

toward

the close of 1776, he was appointed Colonel

of a

regiment

This was just

in

season for liim to

render those valuable services

during Washington's retreat through

New

Jersey, which endeared

terror of

him

to that

commander.

His corps of riflemen was the

Continental

the enemy, and the pride of the

army

all

through the

war.

Few names

are

more distinguished during

that struggle than

General Daniel Morgan.

Associated with Colonel Stewart
conspicuous
too,
in

his patriotic his

measures, and
brother-in-law.
in 1741.

was Colonel Philip Johnston,

Johnston was the oldest of seven children, and was born

His

father,

Judge Samuel Johnston,

was a Colonial magistrate

thirty years before the Revolution.

The family were from

in

Scot-

land,

and belonged

to an ancient

barony
to

Anandale.

They were
Philip

a warlike clan and a great terror

left his class in

the border thieves.

in

Princeton

College to serve

the French war in

Canada, from which he returned with military honor and reputation.

This fact drew
in

many

to his standard,

when he

called for volunteers

1776.

He

was appointed by the Provincial Congress of

New
one

Jersey to the
this

command

of the First

Regiment.

At

the head of

regiment he went into the battle of Long Island.

He was

of the bravest in that hotly contested fight.

Force's Revolutionary

38

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

Archives gives the following extract from a Philadelphia journal of

the day
:

"We
and

hear that in the late action on

of

Long

Island, Col.
in-

Philip Johnston,
trepidity

New
By

Jersey,

behaved with remarkable

tire

fortitude.

the well-directed
repulsed,
in

of his battalion

the

enemy were
to as

several

times

and lanes were made

his breast,

through them, until he received a ball

which put an

end

brave an
close to

officer as

ever commanded.
fell,

General Sullivan,

who was
leaving
little

him when he

says that no

man

could behave

with more firmness

during the

whole action,"

Just as he was

home

for the seat of war,

he went into the room where his

children were in bed, and, kissing them, he kneeled

his

down and
three

commended

family

to

God

in

prayer.

One

of those

daughters, Mary,

became the wife of Joseph Scudder, and was the

to

mother of Dr. John Scudder, the world-renowned missionary

India.'

Another prominent

patriot in

that

neighborhood was Captain

Adam

Hope, who commanded a company of

in

New
to

Jersey Militia
After General

(Second Regiment),

the battle of

Monmouth.
their

Lee's capture, forty of his army

on

way

Easton came
his

through Clinton.

They stopped

at Captain

Hope's house and

wife got breakfast for them.

Anoiher was Colonel Bonnell, who established

near Clinton.
It

his tavern in
all

1767

became a centre

for

resort to

that section.

The

first

meeting to raise minute-men was held there.

of Plemington
officer, full

In the neighborhood

was Colonel Hugh Runyon,

of energy and action amid

who was

a bold and fearless

scenes of danger.

Joseph Capner,

ancestor

of the

Capners

in

Flemington, married one of his daughters.

Captain Joseph Stout

commanded

Company

of Regulars,

in

which Samuel Reading, a grandson of the Governor, and Aaron

'

These

facts are

taken from an
25, 1877.

article

in the "Christian Intelligencer,"

is

by

Rev. "Wm. Hall, January

The correctness of them

asserted by

Mrs. Hoyt, grand-daughter of Col. Stewart.

[UNTKRDON COUNTY.

39

Lane were Lieutenants.

Stout was killed at the battle of Brandy-

wine, September 11th, 1777.

1776,

When the men went into service in we find Captain William Chamberlain's Company from Am well.
he was promoted to Major, and Nathan Stout was
;

Soon

after this,

Captain

and Philip Service and Christopher Fisher, Lieutenants.

Beside these two Stouts, were two other, James and Samuel, who

were Captains.
Washington's

David Sehomp of Reading,

Service
for

was a Captain

in

Seci^et

years,
to the

and as such traversed

swamp and
whole
masses.

hill,

from the Delaware

Hudson.

But the zealous proceedings of these

picture.

patriots do not present the

Public opinion was divided, especially

among

the

When

Lord Cornwallis entered the Jerseys, he issued a

all

proclamation, offering protection to

allegiance within sixty days, and

who would

take the oath of

that the

containing assurances

obnoxious laws
This

which
a

had occasioned the war would be revised.

produced

wide-spread dissatisfaction toward the patriots.

to

Memorials came

the

Provincial Congress from the counties of

Monmouth,

Hunterdon,

Bergen and Sussex, complaining of the

disaffected.
"

hostile intentions

and proceedings of the

that

Authentic
in

information

was received

other

disaffected
for the

persons

the

county of Hunterdon, had confederated

purpose of opposing

the measures of Congress, and had even proceeded to acts of open

and daring
Jones,

violence, having

plundered the
otherwise

house of a Captain
friends

beaten,

wounded and

abused the

of

freedom in the county, and publicly declared that they would take

up arms

in

behalf of the

King of Great

Britain.

In

order

to

check a combination so hostile and dangerous, Lieutenant Colonel

Abram Ten Eick and Major Berry were

of

directed, with the militia

Hunterdon and Somerset,

to

apprehend these insurgents.

On

the 1st of July,

1776, the Provincial Congress resolved that the

several colonels of the counties, should, without delay, proceed to

disarm

all

persons within their districts

who

refused to bear arms."'

Gordon's

New

Jersey, p. 195.

40
In
October, 1777,

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
Governor Livingston remonstrated with the
Governor Penn of Pennsylvania, and others

President of Continental Congress, against the order of the Board

of
to

War,

for sending.
in

Union

Hunterdon County.
disaffected,

He

says " that region, has always

continues
so,

been considerably
all

and

still

notwithstanding

our efforts

owing,

we

imagine,

in part, to

the interest, connec-

tions

and influence of Mr. John Allen, brother-in-law of Mr. Penn,

is

who

now

with the enemy."

This Union was the iron works,

within a

few miles of the home of Colonels Stewart and Johnston.

Taylor, the

Near the furnaces was the house occupied by Mr.

superintendent.

He

was a

patriot.

In

this

house, which

now

forms a part of the

residence of Lewis H.

Taylor,
six

Penn and the

as
prison

Attorney General Chew were confined

ers

months

of war,

in

charge of

Mr.

Taylor.

Tradition

reports

that

they

brought their servants with them, and an Indian fiddler to

beguile the hours of their captivity. Governor

Penn presented Mr.

Taylor with a copy of Dalryraple's Memoirs, with his autograph

upon the

title

page.

At

this

time the feeling between the two sides was intense and

often bitter.

Eev.

William

Frazer was then Rector of the Epis-

copal Church at Ringos.

Society, he

Being supported by a British Missionary

for the royal family.

would not omit the prayers

to

This

rendered

him obnoxious

the patriots.

One Sunday, when he

Public
to

entered his church, a rope was hanging

over the pulpit.

sentiment grew

so

violent

that

he

was compelled
his

suspend

worship
lovely

in

his

church.

But so prudent was

that

conduct and so
declared,

his

character,
his

soon after peace was

his

he

re-opened

church

and resumed

ministry,

with

general

acceptance.'

During the war,

confiscated.

large

farms

belonging to

these

tories

were

But they proved

of little value to the public treasury,

because the sales were generally on credit; and by the progressive

New

Jersey Rev. Cor., pp. 101 and 102

HUNTERDON COUNTY
depreciation of

41

value

of the

money when the time money was very small.

of payment came, the real

Public notice was given,

February 11th, 1779, that two of the Judges of Hunterdon County

would attend at the house of John Ringo,
in

Amwell,

"

For the

purpose of hearing the claims against the estate of certain fugitives

and offenders."

These

parties

were a long

list

of wealthy men,

who

did not sympathize with the patriot cause.

for
sale,

Thousand of acres

were advertised
State.

under these judgments entered by the

And
In

yet as a whole, Hunterdon County was strong for the war.

1776,
the

March,

Committee of

Safety,

of

which

Captain

Mehelm and John Hart were members,

help of

resolved that three battal-

ions of militia be draughted out of the militia of the State, for the

New

York.

The quota

of

Hunterdon was

four

hundred
Colo-

and

forty,

which was just double that of any other county.'

nel Frelinghuysen, of Raritan, wrote to

15th,

Governor Livingston, August

1777

the great loyalty of

"I must not forget to congratulate your Excellency, on Hunterdon County."

The lukewarmness
caused by
disasters

and

disaffection

already

described,
struggle,

were

the

uncertainties

of the

incipient

and the

of the

year

1776.

New York

was captured, and about

the middle of

November, Cornwallis entered

New
force.

Jersey.
to

Govermilitia

nor Livingston made the most strenuous exertions

have the

who were
controlled.

in the field,

oppose the invading

But the panic

which had seized upon the mass of the population could not be

The

bare-footed

and almost naked Continental army,

scantily supplied with ammunition,

was retreating before the

strong,

well equipped battalions of the enemy.

less.

The

contest seemed hope-

Those who

visited the

army brought home an unfavorable

and
thus

report.

They

secretly or openly advised others to do nothing that

in

would involve them

possessions.

disloyalty,
tell

jeopardized

their

Old people

us that such was the talk with many.

The

Legislature, itself defenceless, had

removed from Princeton

to

'

New

Jersey Rev. Cor., pp.

5,

95.

42

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
December they
adjourned,

Burlington, and there on the second of

each

man going home

to

look after his

own

affairs.

Until the

battle of Trenton, on

the twenty-fifth of that month,

New

Jersey

might have been considered a conquered province.

Tucker,

Even Samuel
Treasurer,
British,
offices.'

Chairman of the Committee of Safety,

and and

Judge of the Supreme Court, took a protection of the

thus renounced allegiance to this State and vacated his

But a

reaction, decided

and permanent, was close at hand.

the
State,

The
and
the

dispiriting

retreat

through

was

accomplished,

Washington was
American
danced
in

safely on the other side of the Delaware.

As

rear guard crossed

the river,

the flags of

the

British

the distance.

If the
it

enemy had brought

boats with
for

them, as
patriots to

was reported,

would have been impossible

the

have hindered their passing over.

This was on the third

of

December.

Washington sent four brigades under Generals

Mercer, Stephens,

DeFermoy and Lord

in

Sterling,

who were posted

General

from Yardleys to Coryell's Ferry,

such a way as to guard every

point of the river, where a crossing might be attempted.

Sterling

was stationed with

his

troops opposite

Lambertville, at

Beaumont's, about three miles below

cast up,

New

Hope.

Redoubts were
at

one on the top of the

hill

back of the school house

New

Hope.

General Washington rode up to inspect these, prob-

ably returning the same day.

to be made,

He
all

ordered a stockade intrenchment

and batteries

to

be posted.
of

As

it

was important

that

he should have

command

the boats on

the river, General

Green was charged with the duty.

He

ordered General
flats

Ewing

to

send sixteen Durham boats and four

down

to

McKonkey's
large, flat

(Washington's crossing).

These Durham boats were

and

pointed at each end, being used for conveying iron from

to Philadelphia.

Dunham
seizing

General Maxwell was directed to collect the boats

as there

high up the

river,

was danger of the

enemy

them, and to place them under strong guard.

This

service

was

'

Gordon's

New

Jersey,

p. 237.

HUNTKRDON COUNTY.

43

assigned to Captain Daniel Bray, afterwards General Bray, of the

New

Jersey

Militia,

Captain Jacob Gearheart and Captain

the boats

Thomas

Jones,

who

collected all

on the upper waters of the

to Coryell's Ferry.
is

Delaware and Lehigh, and brought them down

The boats were

as "

hid behind

Malta Island, just below what

Pennsylvania
side.

known
was

The

Mills, "

on

the

The

island

densely wooded, so that the boats could not be seen by a reconnoitering party of the enemy, as
heights.
it

looked

down from the

New

Jersey

These boats were thus secured for the famous crossing of

Captain Bray was a native of Kingwood, and
crossin-^

Christmas night.^

was familiar with every boat and

Gerhart was from Flemington.
their plan from the tories

along the

river.

Captain

To procure these

boats, to conceal

who were

lurking about, and

cut out these

who would
flat

betray them at the

first

opportunity, to

boats in

the darkness of those cold winter nights, to float them

down amid
But
was

the rocks and through the rapids, to keep them from being crushed
or

swamped, was a task most

difScult

and hazardous.

it

successfully accomplished.
prise,

Cornwallis was informed of this enterto seize these boats,

and sent a detachment

were

but they could not

find them, or

afraid to venture

across the river in the face of

those frowning batteries.

Probably while engaged

lot of

in this

search the British learned that a

guns was stored

in

Flemington.

part of Cornwallis'

army

was then encamped

were detailed
terian
to

just

below Pennington.

Five hundred cavalry

seize these arras.

At

that time, near the Presby-

Church, was a long, low, frame building.

it

For many years

afterward

was

a store, famous tliroughout that part of the county.

for

It afforded a

market

wheat

to a

wide section.

The

store was

kept
mill.

in

connection with a mill^ on the site of John Rockafellow's

In this building a quantity of muskets

had been stored by

village

the Continentals.

The cavalry reached

in

the

early

in the

morning and found

the street a

man

in a cart,

whom

they pressed

'

Dr. Studdiford's Manuscripts.

Also History of Berk's County, by

W. W.

Davis.

44
into their service.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
The
chests, with the

guns packed

in

them, were

taken out of the building and put into the cart, and then the whole
troop hastened away.

But when thej reached

is,

Tattersall's

Lane,
it

where the

tile kiln

now

they became alarmed, and concluded

would be better
away.

to destroy the

muskets than attempt

striking

to carrj^

them

So they broke the guns by

them upon the posts of

the fence.

In the meantime Captain John Schenck had collected

a band of

men and
fired

secreted them in

piece

of

woods between
this,

Copper Hill and Larasons.

they were
upon.

As

the horsemen filed through

Captain

Geary,

the

commander

of the

British, ordered his troops

firing

proceeded,

to halt and face the spot whence the when he was almost immediately shot through the
fled.

head.

His men wheeled and

if

Afraid that they might meet

the

more opposition
British turned

they returned

same road they came, the

Captain Geary's

and went toward

in

New

Brunswick.

body was buried

the woods.
officer.

This Captain Schenck, afterwards Colonel, was a brave

With Colonel Charles Stewart he

and was active during the whole

rallied

the minute-men in 1775,

conflict, in

various ways.

The success of Washington

at

Trenton and Princeton was not

Neither the

the only cause of turning the tide toward the patriots.

proclamation of Cornwallis nor protection papers saved the people

from plunder.

Discontent and murmurs at the outrages perpetrated

side.

by
old

British

and Hessians increased on every

left

Infants, children,

men and women were

without a blanket to protect them-

selves from the inclemency of winter.

The most

brutal

outrages
be-

were perpetrated by a

licentious soldiery.

The whole country

all

came

hostile to the invaders.

Suiferers of

parties arose, as with

one accord, to revenge their personal

injuries.'

'When

General Washington was retreating through the Jerseys

all others,

almost forsaken by
to his orders
;

her militia were at

all

times obedient

and

for

a considerable length of time composed the

strength of his

army.^

And

of

this

praise

Hunterdon

county

'

Gordon's American War, Vol.

2., p.

178, 180
2, p.

Winterbotham's History of America, Vol.

303.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

45

deserves a large share, because she furnished more soldiers than

any other county.

Her

scouts and guides were of priceless value.

After the battle of Trenton the American army went into Winter
quarters, part at Morristown

and part

at

Valley Forge. The direct road

between these lay through Amwell Valley and over Coryell's Ferry.

The Spring

of 1777

revealed

this

state

of things, for

which

Washington must provide.

force of the British,

General

Burgoyne,

with

superior

was moving from Canada southward.

General

Howe was

at

New

York.

He

would either endeavor, by moving

of the
forts

up the Hudson,

to possess himself

and high grounds

occupied by the Americans, and thus open the southern part of the

way

to

New York

for

Burgoyne, and separate

;

New

England from

the rest of the Colonies

or he

would attempt Philadelphia.

Wash;

ington was uncertain which of these courses would be adopted

hence he must be prepared

for both.

To do

this,

he determined to

occupy the high grounds of

New

Jersey, north of

New

Brunswick.

About

ten miles in that direction, at

Middle brook, a low range of

mountains forms the apex of a

toward the northeast and

triangle, the sides of

which extend

northwest.

These heights could be

rendered almost impregnable against the enemy, while they would

serve as a watch-tower to
road to Philadelphia, the

command
hills

the course of the Raritan, the

about

New

Brunswick, and a con

siderable part of the country

affording a full view of

between that place and Amboy, thus

any important movement on the part of the

to

enemy. Washington directed the troops from Jersey

lina to

South Caroat Morris-

assemble

in this State, and,

breaking up his

camp

town, he

made Middlebrook

his headquarters,

May

28, 1777.

Gen.
to

Howe was
troops
at

preparing to attack Philadelphia, but

first

he wanted

draw the American General from

Brunswick,

his strong position.

Leaving 2,000

he advanced,

June

14,

with two columns

the

from different

directions,

which arrived
his

about
order

same

hour.

Washington had posted

army

in

of

battle,

on

the

heights in front of the camp, and refused to

come down.
his

General
position,

Howe,
retired.

finding he could

not be drawn
of General

from

strong

But

this

movement

Howe

toward Philadelphia

46

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

roused the militia of this part of the State, and with great alacrity

they took the

field,

principally joining General

vSullivan,

who had

retired from Princeton behind the southern hills

ton,

towards Fleming-

where a considerable army was forming

to

oppose the enemy,

should he attempt to cross Coryell's Perry, which seemed to be his

object.

Influenced,

no doubt,

by

this

gathering of forces,

Howe

ceased to threaten Philadelphia by land, and determined to embark

his troops for the

Delaware.

Indeed,

it

would have been an act of

unpardonable military recklessness to have proceeded, when the

enemy was combining

follow in his rear.

in his

front,

and was ready with an army

to

By

this planning, the

Am well
also,

Valley was saved

perhaps, lost the

from the ravages of an invading host; and

glory of becoming one of the famous battle-fields of the Eevolution.

Probably

this

is

the

time

when the Baptist

clinrch

at

Flemington, was occupied as barracks by American soldiers. Marks

of then- muskets were visible on

the floor of the old church.

in

panic prevailed along the Old

York Road

that region.

Farmers

drove their cattle to hiding places.

buried, or carried to the

Household valuables were

houses

of friends at a distance.

The

women and

children were prepared to flee at a moment's warning.

for several years previous to the war,
it

The county
the

was quite evenly

to to

populated, so that

must have been inconvenient and expensive

about Flemington
of business
;

many

residing

and northward,

to

go

Trenton

for the transaction

that county-seat being at

the extreme southern corner.

The

unsettled state of the countr\^,

local

which diverted public attention from

general

necessities,

and the

disturbance
for

arising from the fact that the county

was a

thoroughfare
town.

both armies,
that in

prevented a change in the county

of

But we

find

1785, two years after the treaty

the matter could be attended
to,

peace, as soon, therefore, as

the

county-seat was removed to Flemington,

centre.

which was nearly

in

the

The

village at that time consisted of probably not

more than

twelve or houses

fifteen

houses.

For

in

1809, there were only sixteen

between

the

Baptist

and

Presbyterian
it

churches,

which

comprised most of the

village.

However,

was important as a

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
centre of trade.

47

There was also living there a lawyer and judge,

spirit;

Jasper Smith, a gentleman of great energy and public

who
I

was afterward prominent

church
in

in

the formation

of the

Presbyterian
founder,

that village.

Indeed, he

may

be called

its

believe that he had a great deal to do in securing the location of

the county-seat.

Because two miles further toward Clinton, on the

south

branch,

was another point

all

called Readings,

the focus

of

several roads leading to

parts of the

county.

This also was a

should
site.

centre of trade.
located.
It is in

And
many
is

there

the

county-seat

have been

respects a

more desirable

The bank

of the

Branch
is

high, the

drainage

would have been excellent

Besides, the

and the land

water power

beautifully situated for building lots.

is

such that the town by

this

day would have become

the seat of flourishing manufactures.

built until the

The Court House was not

was on the
site of the

Summer

of 1791.

It

present

buildings,

and was constructed of stone brought

"

from Large's

land

in

Kingwocd."

This edifice was destroyed by tire in February,

1828.
of the

This delay in building was probably caused by the poverty

county, and
the
fluctuating

value of money.

In

1780 a

continental paper dollar

was worth one copper.

shillings

In 1779 linen was

one

hundred and forty

shillings

a yard,

shoes one hundred and

twenty
piece.'

pair,

pocket handkerchiefs seventy shillings a

All other clothing in proportion.

After the war, and even

fifty

to the

opening of the century, wages were

cents a day, and

corn eighty cents a bushel.

The Presbyterian congregations of the two

finding that the salary
tion of the paper

Am well

churches,

was

insufiScient

on account of the deprecia-

money, a

joint meeting, held

in

January

21st, 1779,

agreed that the salary should be paid

or as

produce at the old prices,

it.

much money
in

as

would purchase
in

Some
lists

paid in money,

some

produce,
to

some

both,

as the salar}^

show.

It

was

determined

purchase a

new

parsonage,

and a subscription was

'

New

Jersey Rev. Cor.,

p. 184.

48

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
to

made, but when they came

buy, the
to

price of land had risen

beyond
and

the

amount supposed

be necessary.

And

then

the

trustees hired " a plantation adjoining the parsonage for one hundred
fifty

pounds, in order the better to support the ministers."

In

1790 both paper money and coin

old

were

in

circulation.

paper labelled "Account of Supplies," of the

it

From an First Amwell

Church,

appears that the sum paid for one Sunday's services was
shillings
;

one pound and ten

Lord's Supper,

for

preaching and administrating the

three

pounds.
it.

This

was

the

amount

in

" hard

money,"
in
is

as the account has

Sometimes the supplies were paid

and sometimes
altered in
in both.

paper money, sometimes

this

in coin
is

There
paper

N.

B.

"

The law

lately

not making

money
half
is

equal to hard money, in hard

money engagements.

One-

now

(1790, April 4th), the current exchange."

collection

for a

poor student in divinity gives this amount: paper money,

;

twenty-five shillings
shillings

silver,

seventeen shillings

copper,

twelve

and two pence.

to

According

the census of 1790, the population of

Hunterdon

was twenty thousand, one hundred and fifty-three. This made it but close to it pressed Sussex with the first county in numbers
;

nineteen thousand,

five

hundred

thousand and

ninety-five.

and Burlington with eighteen Then came Essex, Monmouth, Morris

;

and Middlesex, each about one thousand

Gloucester,
thirteen

less in

the order named.

;

thousand, three

hundred and three

;

Bergen,

twelve thousand, six hundred and one

Somerset, twelve thousand,

two hundred and ninety-six

and thirty-seven
foot, the
;

Salem, ten thousand, four hundred

while Cumberland and Cape

May came

in

at the

former with eight thousand, two hundred and forty-eight,

and the

latter with only

two thousand,

five

hundred and seventy-one.

The

total population of the State

was one hundred and eighty-four

thousand,

one

hundred and

thirty-nine.

The population

of the

townships of Hunterdon was

Amwell,

five thousand,

two hundred

and one, which was more than double that of any other township. Kingwood, two thousand, four hundred and forty Hopewell, two
;

thousand, three hundred and twenty; Trenton, one thousand, nine

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
hundred and forty-six
Alexandria,

49

one thousand,

five

hundred
thirty-

and three; Bethlehem,

five
;

one thousand, three hundred and

Maidenhead, one thousand, and thirty-two. Lebanon, Reading-

ton and Tewksbury, are combined, four thousand, three hundred and

seventy.
one,

The number of

slaves,

one thousand, three hundred and

and of free blacks, one hundred and ninety-one.

But

in the

next ten years the increase was very small

both
in

in this part of the State,

Hunterdon and Somerset

the former adding to her popueight,

lation

one thousand one hundred and

and the
that the

latter,

five

hundred and nineteen.

The cause of

this

was

young people

were drawn

to

the great west of that day

central
so that
I

New York

and western Pennsylvania'.

hive of States

Indeed, the whole State has been a

constantly sending out

fertilize

swarms, whose labors have

the State
is

tended to subdue and

western wilds
its

remarkable for the paucity of the increase of

in a recent period. In this

population, until with-

same decade of which

am

speaking, 1790

to 1800,

the increase in the whole State was only twenty-seven

eight

thousand,

hundred and
thirteen and

ten.

The

ratio

of increase from

1790
term.

to 18*20

was

a half per cent, for each decennial

But

in the first half of the last century, the rate of increase

was about
1800,

thirty per cent, in eight years.

to
it

Hunterdon, by the
;

j^ear

had dropped down

the fourth county in population

and

yet the difference between

and Sussex, which was the highest,

In
1810,

was only one thousand two hundred and seventy-three. Hunterdon held the same
but Essex had
relative position
to

the other

counties,

now risen to the head, which it has since maintained. The population of Hunterdon then was twenty-four thousand, five
hundred and
fifty-six.

Let us

recall the fact, that across the

present territory of

Hun-

terdon passed several important highways.

One

ran
to

through

New

Hampton, via Pittstown, Quakertown, Ringos on

'

Pennington and

An

old record, 1797, of Plemington Presbyterian church, states, that collecto support

tions

were made by order of Presbytery

missionaries on those

froD tiers.

50
Trenton.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
The
great east and west line was the Old

York Road,

running the length of the

State
at

Lambertville.

Amwell The third,

its

valley,

and passing out of the

importance than the

of less day,

other two, and yet a great road in

was the Somerville and

at Lambertville

Easton Turnpike, which entered the county

passed out at Bloomsbury
;

and

furnishing the outlet from the southern

part of Warren, and from Easton to

New York,

via

New

Brunswick
road

Although
itself

this
laid

was not chartered as a turnpike

out prior to the Revolution.

until 1812, the

was

Produce was carried

this

along this road to

New

Brunswick, which at the beginning of

century was the most thriving mart of trade in the State.

To

the

same

city

large

wagons from Pennsylvania and from the Amwell

six

valley,
flax

drawn by

horses,

heavily laden with

flour,

flax-seed,

and other kinds of produce, went over the Old York Road.
iron

The

spring at Schooleys Mt., like most of those of any

value on

the continent,

was known

to the

Indians,

generations

probably before the European advent.

It

was

their tales of these

waters of life, as they poetically called them, which led to the belief of the " Fountain of Youth," which the old Spanish explorer,

Ponce de Leon, so ardently

of the
State, the ailing

desired.

Almost from the settlement

Its

resorted to this iron spring.

virtue

attracted the valetudinarian, while the high altitude, 1,100 feet above

the ocean, and the beauty of

place of resort.
the
old

its

surroundings rendered

it

a favorite

Thither went for

of

aristocracy

many years after the Revolution, Philadelphia, who traveled in their own
arras

conveyances, Avhich were large coaches, drawn by four or six horses

and with the family coat of

route was the
river
first
da}'^

emblazoned on the

sides.

Their

to

New

Hope, the second day across the

third

and along the Old York Road to Pluckamin, and the

day

reaching the mountain.

attracted as

None
first

of those which

came over

this route

much

attention as

Judge Coxe.

He was

a grandson of

Daniel Coxe, one of the

large proprietary tracts

proprietors of "West Jersey,

his

whose

made

descendants immensely wealthy..

In the latter part of the century, Charles Coxe bought the farm
of one thousand

two hundred acres that was owned by Judge

HUNTKKDON COUNTY.

51

Johnston at Sidney, and afterwards the residence of Judge Wilson.

In the old

mansion

Judge Coxe spent

first

his

Summers, extending a

princely hospitality to the

his guests

families of Philadelphia,

who were
and

weeks

at a time.'

He was

man
also

of enterprise,

sought to turn the splendid water power on his land to account, by

establishing a large woolen
factory.

He

was impressed with

its

the unrivalled advantages that region possessed, in

water, for large manufacturing enterprises.

streams of

For

at that day, before

the steam engine displaced the water wheel, capitalists were eager
to secure

water power.

About

this

period

it

was,

1793, that a

company obtained the

to render the water

water-rights at Paterson.
this region

In order, however,

power of

available, better

means of

transportation must be obtained than

was furnished by a turnpike.

to

He

applied, therefore, to the

Legislature for a charter,

build a

canal from the Delaware at Easton, to

some point on

the

south

branch above Clinton, and thence by the best practicable route to

Trenton.

This was about 1706.

The
to

application,

however, was

unsuccessful.

Another project was

make

slack water navigation

up the south branch, thus securing an outlet through the Raritan.

At

that time these streams

in

were larger than they are now.

describes the people of
the

Winterbotham,
thus
:

1796,

New

Jersey
the

"

The

Presbyterian,

Quaker,

the

Episcopalian,

Baptist, the

German and Low Dutch

their

Calvinist, the

Methodist and
either
is
still

the
in

Moravian, have each their distinguishing characteristics,

their

worship,

discipline

or

their dress.

There

another characteristical difference, distinct from either of the others,

which

arises

from the intercourse of the inhabitants with

in

different

States.

The people
of East

West Jersey
trade
to

trade to Philadelphia, and of

course, imitate the fashions and imbibe their manners.

itants

The

inhab-

Jersey,

New

York,

and regulate their

'

One

of his daughters married Lucius Stockton,

who was

the

first

clerk of

Hunterdon.

He

built

a part of the house

now

occupied by Charles Bartles,

Esq., iu Flemington.

There he had his

office.

52

HUNTERDON COUNTY.

fashions and manners according to those in

difference in fashions
is

New York

so that the

and manners between East and West Jersey,

nearly as great as between

New York

and Philadelphia."

In

this

county the two influences were blended, because communication

was divided; the eastern part trading with

New

Brunswick

and

New
all

York, and the western with Trenton and Philadelphia.

And

the religious denominations mentioned, except the Moravian, had

congregations within the bounds of Hunterdon.

Tlie

people

generally
to

were distinguished
trades,

for

industry.
to

children

when not put

or

not migrating

the

The new
This

country, remained with their parents working on the farm.

was

especially

the case with the oldest son.

For the European

distribution

idea of primogeniture had not yielded to the

more equal
willed.

of an estate.

To

that son, the

homestead was
his parents.

When
Where

he

married, he remained at

home with

And

an addition
the
his

was

built

on

the old house for his accommodation.

father

owned

several hundred acres, he set off a portion to

sons as they married.

This subdivision kept on, until the farms

size.

reached their present

Religion generally had declined, during and after the war. French
infidelity

poisoned the minds of too

;

many

of the prominent

men

of

the county

and

its effect

was

felt

upon the people.

Intemperance

prevailed at the opening of this century to a frightful extent.

early settlers in Hunterdon, like all the

The
The
the

Dutch and Germans, and

indeed English of that age, used malt liquors as a beverage.

war of the Revolution brought rum and whiskey

into general use.

The use
in this

of these,

a.cquired

in

the

army, was continued

liquor

by

soldiers on their return

home.

More
of the

was drunk, per

capita,

country for the two or three decades after the war than by
face
earth.
Its

any other nation on the

manufacture made

extensive progress in the States.^

Thirteen hundred retail licenses

so that

were issued

in the

year 1800, and intemperance grew,

we

'Winterbotham, Vol.

I,

351.

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
were denominated over the

53

civilized world as a nation of drunkards.

this

In one township along the Raritan, at the commencement of

centur}^, eight distilleries

were

in operation.

Custom required each

hand, in hay or harvest, to be furnished with one pint of

rum a

day.

Almost every farmer had

spirits

his

cellar

stocked

with barrels of cider,

full

and rye whiskey.

The county was

of taverns.

The

education of poor children was neglected.

like

In prominent villages,

Pennington and Flemington, academies were established, which

trustees.

were under the care of

There were also private schools,

intelli-

kept mostly by clergymen.

Such places were centres of

gence and refinement.

In 1802 several libraries were in existence.

;

At

Trenton,

Elliott Howell, Librarian

;

Pennington, Achilles WilLibrarian

;

son,

Librarian

Ringos,

David Bishop,

Flemington,

Asher Atkinson,

Librarian.^

The

general

training

days

were scenes of

frightful

disorder.

Fighting, to decide

who was champion,

;

or as the result of quarrels

it

engendered by rum, was common

indeed

was almost the necesmeeting afoot

sary attendant of trainings and elections.

There were few wagons.

to six miles, wearing thick

People went

to

for four

shoes, sometimes

none

at

all,

until near

the church, and then they put on Sunday shoes.

for the

It

was common

men

to sit in

church without coats.

penalty
for

Whipping was
have been

the

small

inflicted

upon the

slaves,

offences. This seems to more frequently than on other

classes of offenders.

slave, if

found five miles from home was

;

arrested and

whipped by the constable

to

for

which

five shillings

were received,

be paid by the master or mistress.

The whip was

fine wire.

made

of thongs of

raw

hide, plaited

sometimes with
in

Only one newspaper was published

weekly
in Trenton.

the county.

That was a
principal

villages,

and

at

The mails slowly proceeded to the intervals found their way to remote parts.
came up from Trenton
to

So

late

as 1822 one mail

Flemington on Tuesday,

'From

Collector's

book of 1802

in possession of

Peter

Young

at Ringos.

54

HUNTERDON COUNTY.
to the other parts of the county, returning
for

and thence

on Saturday,

We

speak of those times as distinguished

ness, honor

as better days
In

than our own.

all

We

gooddo " not inquire

simplicity,

wisely concerning this."

religion,

that render morals, education

and

an acquaintance with current events, and

to

facility in travel,
is

superior

mere physical enjoyment,

the

advantage

greatly

with us.