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A BRIEF ^r^^
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY

EDWARD S. ELLIS, A.M.

AND

HENRY SNYDER, Sc.D.

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, JERSEY CITY

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NEW YORK •:• CINCINNATI •:• CHICAGO

AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

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^T. Q FT LIS AND HENRY SNYDER.
EDWARD S. EL Lib anu

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E. AND S. HIST. N.J.

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INTRODUCTION

It is the aim of the following pages to make known the
most important events in the history ot New Jersey, from
the first settlement to the present time. With so great an
array of authorities at command, the task has been largely
that of grouping and condensing the work of others.

The question that faced us at the beginning was whether
to write merely a brief sforj that would give a general
knowledge of the history of the State, or to*add names,
dates, and other particulars. In the latter case the work
not only would furnish interesting reading, but also would
serve for instruction. After consulting with many in
whose judgment we have faith, we adopted a middle course.
The body of the work aims to inform as well as to enter-
tain ; but such statistics as are given appear in the Ap-
pendix. If there can be no excellence without labor, then
children and adults cannot learn history simply by being
entertained with a story which omits the names and dates
that are necessary for a comprehension of real history.

We consider ourselves fortunate in the help that we
have received in our labor. Henry C. Buchanan, State
Librarian, John Cotton Dana, of the Newark Free Library,
and E. W. Miller, of the Jersey City Free Library, not
only placed all the resources of their libraries at our dis-
posal, but also aided us with wise suggestions. The New

6 INTRODUCTION

Jersey Historical Society has kindly given us access to
its many valuable documents and volumes. Specially
helpful have been Francis Bazley Lee's *' New Jersey as
a Colony and as a State," and the Revolutionary re-
searches of the late Adjutant General Stryker.

Acknowledgments are due, also, to Hon. C. J. Baxter,
State Superintendent of Public Instruction ; to Alfred
Reed, Justice of the Supreme Court ; to Sumner C. Kim-
ball, Superintendent of the Life-saving Service; and to
various city clerks and county superintendents.

E. S. E.
H. S.

CONTENTS

PERIOD I
THE COLONIAL PERIOD (1630-1775)

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Early Settlements 9

II. East and West Jersey 22

III. To THE Close of Colonial Rule .... 32

IV. Material Progress of New Jersey to 1775 • • 47

PERIOD II

THE REVOLUTION (1775-1783)

V. "The War Path of the Revolution" ... .61

VI. The Battle of Trenton 76

VII.* The Battle of Princeton 93

VIII. A Harried State 105

IX. The Battle of Monmouth Court House . .111

X. Striking Incidents of Monmouth Court House . 121

XI. Closing Events of the Revolution . . . .128

PERIOD III

UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION (1776-1844)

XII. Peace, Progress, and War . . . . 138

XIII. Pioneer Canals and Railways 148

XIV. Governors under the First Constitution . .156

8 CONTENTS

PERIOD IV
UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION (1844- )

CHAPTER PAGE

XV. The New Constitution 167

XVI. War with Mexico, the Civil War, War with

Spain 171

XVII. The Leading Cities of New Jersey . . .181

XVII I. The Life-saving Service 197

XIX. Public School Education 208

XX. Colleges and Libraries 215

APPENDIX

I. Geography and Industries 225

II. System of Government 227

III. Constitution of New Jersey . .... 236

IV. Formation of Counties 257

V. English Governors of Province of New Jersey . 257

VI. Governors under the Constitution . . . 258

VII. United States Senators from New Jersey . . 259

VIII. Bibliography 261

Index 264

PERIOD I — THE COLONIAL PERIOD

(1630-1775)

CHAPTER I

EARLY SETTLEMENTS

The Half Moon

The first permanent settle-
snt made by the English in
e New World was at James-
town, Virginia, in May, 1607.
At that time, so far as is
known, no white man had ever

lO THE COLONIAL PERIOD

set foot in the present State of New Jersey. The only
people who roamed through the solitudes were the Indi-
ans. Their camp fires gleamed in the silent depths of
the woods, and they hunted and fished and sometimes
fought with one another. They numbered less than two
thousand, and belonged to the Delaware or Lenni Lenape
tribe, who were members of the great Algonquin family.

One mild day in September, 1609, the little Dutch
ship Half Moo7i, with a crew of less than twenty men,
entered the harbor of New York, passed round to the
mouth of a large river on the north, and began sailing up
the stream. The captain of the Half Moon was an Eng-
lishman named Henry Hudson. For a long time after
the discovery of America, nearly every one believed it
was only a strip of land, across which it would be easy to
pass to the vast continent of Asia beyond. Hudson was
in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, and had
been sent out to search for the northwest passage to India.
The river which he discovered was named after him — the
Hudson River.

The quaint Dutch ship sailed so slowly that it took
a week for it to reach the site of the present city of
Albany. Indians peeped out from among the trees at the
strange visitors, or paddled alongside the vessel in their
canoes, just as the dusky natives did at San Salvador, more
than a hundred years before, when the three small caravels
of Columbus crossed the Atlantic and anchored near the
shore.

The discovery of Henry Hudson gave the Dutch a claim
to the region, which they called New Netherland, although
England insisted that the whole continent belonged to her,

EARLY SETTLEMENTS

across the Hudson by Governor Kieft and acting under
his orders, attacked at night a large band of Indians, who
had been driven southward by northern tribes and, relying
on the friendship of the white settlers, had encamped in
that part of Communipaw now known as Lafayette. The
soldiers massacred eighty of the Indians, without regard to
age or sex. This brutal act precipitated an Indian war in
which all the houses and farms in Pavonia were destroyed
and all the settlers either killed or driven out. After peace
was restored, the settlers returned ; the settlements in-
creased in number and extended farther from the Hudson.
Another outbreak occurred in 1654, when Pavonia was
again laid waste. In order to satisfy the Indians, Gov-
ernor Stuyvesant purchased from them the land compris-
ing nearly all of what is now Hudson county. To protect

.-• "rt--

the settlers from further attacks
he required them to concentrate
in towns and villages. In ac-
cordance with this order the vil-
lage of Bergen (now a part of
Jersey City) was founded in
1660. The origin of the name
is doubtful, but the village was
probably so called because of its
location {berg meaning hill).

New Jersey formed a part of
New Netherland, which be-
longed to Holland. That country, in 1623, placed a col-
ony near Gloucester and built Fort Nassau. Sweden
in 1638 sent over a company under the command of Peter
Minuit, who had been director-general of New Netherland.

■•-^^

Dutch and Swedish
Settlers

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

This company built Fort Christina (at Wilmington). Other
expeditions, in which a large number of Finns were in-
cluded, followed in the years 1640 to 1647. The Swedes
purchased from the Indians the land extending along both
shores of Delaware Bay and on the west side of the Dela-
ware River to a point opposite Trenton. They called the
country New Sweden.

For years the Dutch and Swedes were hostile to each
other. When grim old Peter Stuyvesant became governor
of New Amsterdam, he stamped about on his wooden leg,

swung his cane, and
threatened to do
dreadful things to the
intruders; but the
Swedish governor
Printz was as big
physically as he, and
was not afraid of him.
Finally, in 1655, a
Dutch fleet came up
the river and captured
everything that be-
longed to Sweden,
whose rule in Amer-
ica thus came to an end. The Swedes quietly accepted the
change of masters, and, to all intents and purposes, became
fully as Dutch as if their ancestors had been born and had
lived all their lives on the banks of the Zuyder Zee.

The Swedes were not the only ones with whom the
Dutch had trouble. Of all the English colonies, the wealth-
iest was that at New Haven. One of the members of

Dutch capturing Swedish Fort

EARLY SETTLEMENTS

this colony was trafficking down the coast in the winter of
1638-39, when he discovered that the Swedes and Finns
had built up a brisk trade on the Delaware Bay with the
Indians. He hurried back to New Haven with the news.
His townsmen met in 1640, formed the " Delaware Bay
Company," and sent another captain to the region to buy
all the land he could. He was told not to meddle with
the Dutch, but in his greed he purchased wherever chance
offered. He thus gained a claim to nearly all the south-
west coast of New Jersey, with a tract of land called Pas-
sayunk, on the present site of Philadelphia.

The Dutch and Swedes, in the face of this new danger,
stopped wrangling and joined in driving out the English,
who reluctantly straggled back to New Haven. They
would not give up the scheme of settling in the fine Dutch
territory, and in 1651 sent another expedition thither.
Everything went well until the ships reached New Amster-
dam, when Governor Stuyvesant made them turn about
and go back to New Haven.

New England shared the indignation of New Haven,
and made ready to punish New Amsterdam. Soon after,
war broke out between England and Holland. On August
29j 1664, New Netherland was captured by an English
fleet, and the name of New Amsterdam was changed to
New York. This event opened an era in the history of
New Jersey.

Charles H. at that time was king of England. He re-
garded this continent as his personal property, and granted
the new territory to his brother, the Duke of York, after-
ward James H. In the same year the Duke granted all
that portion lying between the Hudson and the Delaware

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. The re-
gion was called Nova Caesaria or New Jersey, in honor
of the brave defense of the island of Jersey, made in 1649,
by Sir George Carteret, against the forces of Cromwell.

Berkeley and Carteret gave New Jersey a constitution
which remained in force until 1676. Philip, a distant rela-
tive of Sir George, was commissioned as governor of the
province, and arrived in the summer of 1665, with thirty

Philjp Carteret's Journey to Elizabethtown

emigrants. Placing himself at their head, and with a hoe
resting on his shoulder, he led the way inland to a spot
where he decided to begin a settlement. He named it
Elizabethtown, in honor of the wife of Sir George Carteret.
We must remember that there were several small scat-
tered settlements in New Jersey, before the arrival of
Governor Carteret. Several of these have already been
mentioned. In addition, the Dutch were quite numerous
along the western shore of Newark Bay, and a few Swedish

EARLY SETTLEMENTS

farmers were living in the present counties of Gloucester
and Burlington. The colonial history of no other State
has so many tangled skeins as that of New Jersey. In
order to untangle these threads, we must keep a number
of facts in mind.

As soon as the Dutch surrendered New Netherland,
the EngHsh governor, Nicolls, took charge, acting as the
agent of the Duke of York. Not knowing of the trans-
fer to Berkeley and Carteret, he named the province
Albania and began to colonize it. With his approval, a
large section, bordering on Newark Bay, was bought from
the Indians by a few New England Puritans, who settled
there in 1664. In the spring of 1665 a similar grant of
territory included the land lying between the mouth of the
Raritan and Sandy Hook. All this was done before Gov-
ernor Nicolls learned of the transfer to Berkeley and Car-
teret, and was the cause of much trouble for half a century
afterward.

Thus matters stood when Philip Carteret became gov-
ernor. He made EHzabethtown, with its three or four
cabins, the capital. The Proprietors offered tracts of lands
varying from sixty to one hundred and fifty acres, accord-
ing to the date of arrival of the settlers and the number of
their bond servants and slaves. (A bond servant differed
from a slave in that his bondage ended after a certain
number of years, while that of a slave endured for life.)
No quit rent was to be paid until 1670, when it was to
be at the rate of one halfpenny an acre. The legislative
assembly was to consist of a governor, a council of twelve,
nominated by the Proprietors, and the same number of
representatives chosen by the people. All laws passed

l8 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

were subject to the approval of the Proprietors, and free-
dom of conscience and worship was guaranteed to all.

Agents were sent abroad to set forth the attractiveness
of the province to settlers, and they met with marked suc-
cess. Immigrants came from New England, from Long
Island, and from England. Elizabethtown, Middletown, and
Shrewsbury, all founded 'before Carteret came, flourished,
as did Piscataway and Woodbridge, settled in 1666 by colo-
nists from New England. Some of the men who came from
New England to examine New Jersey selected land near
the present city of Burlington. On their return, they met
Governor Carteret at Elizabethtown, and he persuaded
them to settle on the Passaic River. In May, 1666, thirty
families came from Connecticut and bought one half of the
present county of Essex from the Indians for goods and
wampum worth $740. They named their new abode
Newark, in compliment to their minister, Abraham Pier-
son, whose home in England bore that name. Although
most of these immigrants were from a single town, three
other settlements were represented. Their leader was
Captain Robert Treat, afterward governor of Connecti-
cut, who showed so much ability as an organizer and
director that he is regarded as the father of Newark.
More land was bought from the Indians, but Newark grew
slowly.

At this time the white population of New Jersey was
scarcely three thousand. Philadelphia was a straggHng
village, and neither Trenton nor New Brunswick had been
founded. The whole province remained a wilderness. In
going from Elizabethtown and Bergen Point to the Dela-
ware, settlers had to follow the old Indian trails, or the

EARLY SETTLEMENTS 1 9

paths made by bears, wolves, and deer in passing to and
from the springs.

The first New Jersey assembly met at Elizabethtown,
May 26, 1668, and remained in session four days. In this
assembly, Bergen, Elizabethtown, Newark, Woodbridge,
Middletown, and Shrewsbury were represented. The
New England code was mainly copied, and it was decreed
that twelve specified crimes should be punishable with
death. The first ripple of trouble appeared six months
later. Shrewsbury and Middletown refused to pay certain
taxes imposed by the assembly. Although these towns
were represented in the popular branch, their members
would not take the oath of allegiance and were not per-
mitted to sit in the second assembly.

The cause of this action by the two towns named has been
explained. Since they were in existence before Carteret
became governor, they denied his authority over them.
The discontent came to a head in March, 1670, when the
quit rents fell due and payment was demanded. The older
towns, with some justice, claimed that having paid for the
lands in full to the Indians, they owed nobody else for
them. They refused absolutely to pay the quit rent, and
a number of settlers who had come at a later date united
with them. The turmoil lasted for two years and then
came anarchy.

Finally, in May, 1672, the rebellious settlers chose anew
assembly, turned out Phihp Carteret, and elected James
Carteret, a worthless son of Lord Carteret, as governor.
Finding himself defied on every hand, Philip Carteret took
ship for England to get redress. He left John Berry as
his deputy. The king confirmed the authority of Philip

HIST. N.J. — 2

20 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

Carteret, and declared that the governor and council had
the sole right to approve such representatives as were nomi-
nated by the several towns, and to regulate the sessions of
the legislature. The payment of quit rents was postponed
until 1676.

It took James Carteret but a brief time to prove his
utter unfitness to rule. In May, 1673, he was turned adrift,
and John Berry acted as governor. When Carteret left
town, it was thought that was the last that would be seen
of him ; but several years later he returned to beg his
food from door to door as a common tramp.

In August, 1673, the Dutch recaptured New York, but
in the next year returned it to England. Since this shift
of authority seemed to throw some doubt on the Duke of
York's title, he obtained a new one from the king and
commissioned Edmund Andros as governor of New York
and its dependencies. The Duke also renewed the title
of Sir George Carteret to one half the province. He
selected the northern portion, leaving the southern part to
Berkeley.

Again we must carefully note events in order to under-
stand their connection and the results flowing therefrom.
Lord Berkeley had grown old and was disappointed by the
failure of his colonizing schemes. On March 18, 1673, he
sold his half of New Jersey to John Fenwick and Edward
ByUinge for a thousand pounds. The two buyers were
Quakers, but disagreed over the purchase. They showed
their good sense, however, by asking WiUiam Penn to ar-
bitrate their differences. He gave Fenwick one tenth and
Byllinge nine tenths of the purchase. Then BylHnge
failed and transferred all his interest for the benefit of his

EARLY SETTLEMENTS 21

creditors to William Penn, Gawen Laurie, and Nicholas
Lucas. With the consent of Fenwick, these trustees
divided all the property into one hundred shares, of which
the ninety owned by Byllinge were offered for sale. Later
Fenwick's one tenth passed under the control of the same
three trustees.

In 1675 Fenwick, with a large number of emigrants,
sailed from London in the ship Griffin. After a pleasant
voyage, they entered the Delaware Bay, landing near the
site of an old Swedish fort. They were so pleased with
the place that they began a settlement, which they named
Salem, meaning "peace." The Griffin was the first
English vessel to bring immigrants to New Jersey. Fen-
wick apportioned the land among the settlers and assumed
authority.

On July I, 1676, the province was divided by a line run-
ning from Little Egg Harbor on the seacoast to latitude
41° 40' on the Delaware. All territory north and east of
this line was called East Jersey, while all south and west
of the line was West Jersey. This distinction is preserved
to some extent to this day, especially that of **West
Jersey."

CHAPTER II

EAST JERSEY AND WEST JERSEY, 1676-1702

We are now to study the history of New Jersey during
the period wlien it was divided into the two provinces
known as East Jersey and West Jersey. The separation

lasted from 1676 to 1702, and the
close of the period saw all the origi-
nal colonies settled with the excep-
tion of Georgia, in which the first
settlement was planted in 1733.

The year 1676 was an eventful
one both to the north and south of
New Jersey. New England was
engaged in a furious war with
King Philip, leader of several pow-
erful Indian tribes, while the re-
bellion of Nathaniel Bacon, in
Virginia, threatened the overthrow of the tyrant, Sir
William Berkeley, who was recalled to England the fol-
lowing year.

Sir Edmund Andros was governor of New York from
1675-168 1. He was a stern, honest, and tyrannical ruler,
jealous of his rights and devoted to his royal patron, the
Duke of York, who became King James II. in 1685. The
following year Andros was made governor of the northern
colonies, including New England and New York. The

Sir Edmund Andros

24 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

overthrow of James II. led the people of Boston to turn
out Andros in 1689. He was afterward governor of Viv-
ginia. This remarkable man was very aggressive and
was closely connected with the colonial history of New
Jersey.

William Penn framed the original plan of government,
and the Proprietors approved it March 3, 1676, as "The
Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors interested
in the Province of West Jersey in America." It granted
absolute freedom of conscience, and surrendered all au-
thority to commissioners. These were first appointed by
the Proprietors, but afterward their appointment was
turned over to resident Proprietors and inhabitants. The
election took place annually, and the system was the purest
form of democracy.

The commissioners sailed from London with a large num-
ber of settlers in the summer of 1677, on the ship Ken^.
After a trying voyage, the ship dropped anchor within
Sandy Hook, and the commissioners called upon Governor
Andros, to pay their respects. He received them cour-
teously, and asked whether they had any warrant from the
Duke of York. They were obliged to say they had not,
whereupon he told them he would not recognize their
authority. He gave them a warrant, however, from him-
self until the dispute should be settled by the Duke.

The main company of colonists meanwhile sailed up the
Delaware, and bought from the Indians tracts of lands
extending to the falls of Trenton. They laid out a town
in 1677, which was first named New Beverly, then Brid-
lington, and finally Burlington. The Indians treated
the white people very kindly and gave them plenty of

EAST JERSEY AND WEST JERSEY

corn and venison. The colony throve and received many
additions.

Matters did not go so well in East Jersey, however.
Governor Carteret tried by every means to add to the pros-
perity of the province. One step was to open direct trade
with England without the payment of custom. Governor

Carteret dragged frOxM Bed

Andros forbade any ship to land on the Jersey shore until
after it had paid an impost duty at Manhattan. Upon
the death of Sir George Carteret, in 1679, Andros claimed
authority over the province, and ordered Governor Carteret
to give way. He indignantly refused. In April, 1680,
Andros sent a squad of soldiers to Elizabethtown, who
dragged Governor Carteret from bed late at night, and
took him to New York, where he was placed on trial

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

before Andros himself. The jury were ordered to find the
prisoner guilty, but sturdily refused to do so. Carteret was

kept in custody for some time until
the question could be decided in
England.

Andros did not neglect West
Jersey. He had imprisoned Fen-
wick, the founder of Salem, in 1676,
but liberated him on his promise not

to assume authority in that province.

Seal of East Jersey a j j t. • r i. 1 • 1 •

■' Andros accused him of breakmg his

word and arrested him again two years later. Besides
this, Andros collected a duty on all English goods im-
ported into New Jersey. The Proprietors appealed to the
Duke of York, who referred the question to the eminent
lawyer. Sir William Jones. He declared the tax illegal.
In 168 1 the Duke made a new grant of West Jersey to the
trustees, to whom were given the territory and government
without reserve.

The effect of this action was excellent. Immigrants,
chiefly Quakers, came to the prov-
ince, and affairs moved smoothly.
Byllinge, the newly appointed gov-
ernor, chose to stay in England, and
made Samuel Jennings his deputy.
Jennings called the first legislative
assembly together at Burlington,
November 21, 1681, and a number
of needed laws were passed. In the ^^^ °^ ^^ jersey
following May Burlington became the capital of the prov-
ince, and that town and Salem were made ports of entry.

EAST JERSEY AND WEST JERSEY 27

By this is meant that each town had a custom house, where
vessels could load and unload their cargoes as the law
directed.

Although Byllinge had insisted upon and had used the
right of naming the deputy governor, his authority for
doing so was questioned. The assembly amended the con-
stitution, and, in accordance with its provisions,' elected
Jennings governor. He was afterward sent to England
to argue the matter with Byllinge. Before he left, he
nominated Thomas Olive as his deputy, who, being elected,
served until September, 1685.

Byllinge would not yield his claim, though he granted
a more liberal charter. He died in 1687, and his interests
were bought by Dr. Daniel Coxe of London, who clung
to the same rights that had been claimed by Byllinge.
Grave trouble would have followed, but for interference
from an unexpected cause.

The decision of Sir William Jones transferrect East
Jersey again to Governor Carteret, but the quarrel over
quit rents broke out once more. The trustees of Sir
George Carteret then lost patience and offered the territory
for sale. William Penn and eleven associates bought East
Jersey for the sum of ;^3400. The enterprise was too
great to be handled by twelve persons, so each sold one
half his interest to another. Among the new partners
were a number of eminent men, such as the Earl of Perth,
Lord Drummond, and Robert and David Barclay. They
were mostly Scotchmen, and each owned one twenty-
fourth of the territory, which was inheritable, divisible,
and assignable. Thus it stands to-day. The legislature
of New Jersey has nothing to do with unappropriated land,

28 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

all of which belongs to the Proprietors. They alone can
dispose of it. Only a trifling amount, however, remains
in their hands. A new and final patent was granted to
the twenty-four Proprietors by the Duke of York, March
14, 1683.

Robert Barclay, the distinguished Quaker scholar, who
was one' of the Proprietors, was appointed governor of East
Jersey for life. He never crossed the ocean, but was
allowed to act through a deputy. He chose an able
London lawyer named Thomas Rudyard, who came over
in November, 1682. His work for a time was satisfactory.
At the first session of the assembly of East Jersey, soon
after, the province was divided into the four counties of Ber-
gen, Essex, Middlesex, and Monmouth. In May, 1688, the
county of Somerset was formed from Middlesex. The
boundaries of these and other counties have been changed
from time to time as the necessity arose.

Rudyard quarreled with Groome, the surveyor-general,
and suspended him from office. The Proprietors thereupon
turned Rudyard out and elected Gawen Laurie, a Scotch
Quaker, in his place. He arrived early in 1684. His aim
was to build up a port that would rival New York. He
named the new metropolis Perth Amboy, in honor of his
friend, the Earl of Perth. He strove hard with his favorite
project, but as we know, his dream was never realized.

The bitter persecution of Scotch Presbyterians caused
many to emigrate to this country, both under Charles H.
and James H. With a view of encouraging such people,
the Proprietors made Lord Neill Campbell deputy
governor in 1686. He stayed only a short time, and,
upon sailing for England, in March, 1687, left Andrew

EAST JERSEY AND WEST JERSEY 29

Hamilton to act in his place. About this time, King
James II. showed a disposition to break the pledges he had
made when Duke of York. He meant to get back New
Jersey, because of the large sum it would add to his rev-
enues. All vessels going to the province were compelled
to pay duties at New York. The collector complained
that the law was evaded, and the English ministry ordered
the issue of a writ of quo warranto against the Proprietors.
By this was meant an official inquiry into the warrant for
the authority used by the Proprietors. The result would
have been the stripping of all power from them. Cer-
tain of what was coming, they surrendered in 1688 their
claims to the jurisdiction of East Jersey, on condition
that they kept their rights of property in the soil. A
writ of quo warrajtto had already been issued against
West Jersey, and in October she took the same action as
East Jersey.

You remember that Edmund Andros was made gov-
ernor of the northern colonies, including New England and
New York, in 1686, and once more he tried to interfere in
New Jersey affairs ; but his triumph was brief, for, before
the necessary papers were drawn up and signed, the Eng-
lish revolution of 1688-89 drove James II. from the throne.
In East and West Jersey the Proprietors resumed author-
ity, and matters went on as before.

In East Jersey, Andrew Hamilton had been confirmed as
the deputy governor of Andros. In the general overturn he
was so confused as to his duties that he sailed for England
in August, 1686, to get instructions from the Proprietors.
From that date until 1692 East Jersey had no government
except that by her town and county officers. The Proprie-

30 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

tors sent a governor to the province in 1690 and another the
following year, but the people rejected both. Hamilton
was accepted in 1692 and was commissioned as governor
of West Jersey also, inasmuch as Coxe had abandoned the
office.

Several years of comparative quiet followed. All might
have gone well but for the endless quarrel over quit rents.
The provincial courts decided against those who fell back
upon their Indian titles, and the royal council reversed the
decision. No governor could have used more tact than
did Hamilton, but unfortunately the Proprietors were com-
pelled to remove him in 1697, because of a new law which
prevented all Scotchmen from holding offices of public
trust and profit.

This disastrous change brought forward Jeremiah Basse.
He claimed to have a commission as governor with the
king's approval, but this was soon proved to be untrue,
and he did not have enough Proprietors' names to make
his warrant valid. After Basse was rejected, he tried to
get the better of his enemies by joining those who had
opposed the proprietary government. His character, how-
ever, was such that he gained very few friends.

At this critical juncture. New York made matters worse
by renewing her claim of jurisdiction and ordered a duty
to be paid on all East Jersey exports. Payment of such
duty was refused, with the result that for a time it looked
as if war would break out between New York and New
Jersey.

By this time Basse had made himself the most disliked
man in the community. When he was angered into throw-
ing an opponent into jail, a mob promptly broke in the

EAST JERSEY AND WEST JERSEY

doors and released the defiant prisoner. The officers act-
ing for Basse were assaulted, and the situation became so
intolerable that he hastily took ship for England in the
summer of 1699.

Mob liberating Prisoner

The Proprietors hoped
to mend matters by reap-
pointing Hamilton as gov-
ernor, but the situation
had passed beyond control.
His authority was defied;
judges were driven from
court ; sheriffs were beaten
while in the discharge of their duties; and anarchy reigned.
The real cause was the continual dispute over quit rents.
The Proprietors claimed sole ownership of the soil, under
the grants of the Duke of York, and refused to recognize
any title derived from the Indians. The actual revolt,
therefore, was against the Proprietors.

When these owners of the Jerseys were asked by the
royal council to transfer their authority to the crown, they
were glad to do so. The Proprietors were fortunate in
securing their property in the soil, and the payment of
the quit rents. Thereupon, on the 17th of April, 1702,
they resigned all right of government both in East and in
West Jersey.

CHAPTER III

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE, 1 702-1 775

Edward Hyde, known as Lord Cornbury, was appointed
by Queen Anne governor in chief of New York and New
Jersey. He called the New Jersey assembly together at
Perth Amboy, November 10, 1703. The body cbnsisted
of twenty-four members, and met alternately at Perth
Amboy and Burlington. When the legislators were assem-
bled before him, the governor told them in his lofty
manner that their only business was to raise money, and
prepare bills for the queen's consideration. The first gov-
ernor of the reunited Jerseys was not only a man with-
out a redeeming virtue, but one who was proud of his
wickedness.

In June, 1704, the legislature was called to meet at Bur-
lington to provide means for building a fort at Navesink,
as a protection against the French, and to form a militia
system. Thinking some of the members showed an inde-
pendent mind, the governor dissolved the body and called
another whose members were afraid to go contrary to his
wishes. They voted him £600 out of the ;^2000 which
they proposed to raise by taxation. Three of the legisla-
tors who said they thought the people ought to have some
share in the government, were instantly expelled, at the

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE

command of the governor. Lord Cornbury became more
and more tyrannical. He also committed many follies un-
befitting the dignity of his office. He actually paraded in
public dressed as a woman. When reproved, he replied
with a laugh that his masquerade was in honor of Queen
Anne, who was his

■-^ ♦!.,■• .

1 ■ y^p'^i

Ml!'., 1

cousin. None but a
monarchical govern-
ment would have
given such a man
authority over his
fellowmen. Finally,
in 1707, the people
gained a majority
and took action
against their infam-
ous ruler. So strong
were the protests
sent to the queen
that she recalled him in 1708
and appointed Lord John Love-
lace, baron of Hurley, as his
successor.

Cornbury's vices and crimes
had involved him so heavily in
debt that his creditors thrust
him into prison. There he

stayed till his father's death made him Earl of Clarendon.
As no member of the peerage could be arrested for debt,
Cornbury walked out of jail a free man. Many of his
creditors were among the poorest people.

Lord Cornbury in Female
Attire

34 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

The notable measures of his rule were : the denial of
liberty of conscience to Roman Catholics, the encourage-
ment of the slave trade, and the forbidding of the printing
of anything whatever without permission of the governor.
This strangling of a free press was one of the evil inherit-
ances from the feudal ages, when the " right of birth," ex-
ercised by the peerage, trampled in the dust the natural
rights of man.

Lord Lovelace, the new governor, summoned the coun-
cil to meet him at Bergen, December 30, 1708. He
made a pleasing impression by his address, and proved
himself a wise ruler. He died, however, a few months
after taking office.

His successor, Richard Ingoldsby, was soon superseded
by Robert Hunter. An index of this Scotchman's fine
character is found in his speech to the assembly : " If
honesty is the best policy, ' plainness ' must be the best
oratory. Let every man begin * at home ' and weed the
rancor out of his own mind and the work is done. All
power except that of doing good is a burden."

Queen Anne's War was between the English on one
hand and the French and Spanish on the other. It began
in 1702 and closed in 171 3. In the campaign for the con-
quest of Canada, the New Jersey assembly ordered the
levy of a regiment and appropriated ;£"30CO for the ex-
penses of the expedition. This was the first issue of what
may be called paper currency in New Jersey. It was all
redeemed within the following fifty years. A disaster to
the English fleet, in June, 171 1, at the mouth of the St.
Lawrence, when eight hundred men were drowned, caused
the abandonment of the campaign.

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE 35

Growing tired of the cares of office, Governor Hunter
resigned in 1719, and was succeeded by William Burnet,
son of the celebrated bishop. He had been lieutenant
governor of Virginia in 1705. Burnet, who was a man of
great culture, made a good governor, though unfortunately
he and the assembly did not always agree. In 1728 he
was transferred to Massachusetts, where he died two years
later. His successor was John Montgomerie, who held
office until his death in 1731.

Lewis Morris, as president of council, acted as governor
until 1732, and was followed by William Cosby, who held
office down to 1736. He was the last regular governor of
New York and New Jersey, but John
Anderson, and after him, John Ham-
ilton (son of Andrew Hamilton), as
presidents of council, brought affairs
to the year 1738. In that year, New
Jersey became entirely free from New
York and chose her own governor.
Her selection was Lewis Morris.

Morris at that time was the most
popular man in the province. He was born, probably, in
167 1 upon the estate of Morrisania, founded by his father,
who died soon after and left the property to his brother,
Colonel Lewis Morris, who removed thither from Bar-
bados. Colonel Morris purchased 3540 acres in what is
now Monmouth county, and from him the tract passed to
his adopted son, who subsequently became governor.

There were considerable disturbances in that section,
and once Morris was taken prisoner and confined in a log
house. A party of his friends, however, lifted up one corner

HIST. N.J. — 3

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

of the house and the governor crawled out. Quick to
penetrate the character of the vicious Lord Cornbury,
Morris resolutely opposed him from the first. He drew
up the complaint against him and was made the bearer of
it to the queen. He was a member of the council, judge

Release of Lewis Morris

of the supreme court, and had been chief justice of New
York and New Jersey. He was the second chancellor for
New Jersey, named in Lord Cornbury's instructions; was
suspended by him ; restored by the queen and suspended
a second time in the same year (1704). He was chosen to
the assembly in 1707, again in 1708, suspended in 1709
by Lieutenant Governor Ingoldsby, appointed again the
following year, continuing until 1738, when he was made
governor of New Jersey.^

1 Three men, each named Lewis Morris, were connected with the early history
of Monmouth county. The first was the uncle, as has been stated, of the governor,
and the third was the talented son of the latter. These facts have caused confusion
on the part of historians, due partly to the additional fact that no authentic informa-
tion of the date of the governor's birth is obtainable.

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE 37

The highest hopes were felt for his administvation ; but,
among all the governors of New Jersey, Lord Cornbury
was the only one who was more unpopular than Morris
made himself. The chief cause for this strange fact was
his increasing years. He was an old man, and he became
so soured and quarrelsome that it seemed as if every one
turned against him. It was impossible for him and the
assembly to agree, and that body defeated many good
measures simply because the governor favored them.

When King George's War broke out in 1744, between
England and France, Governor Shirley of Massachusetts
asked the other provinces to join in a plan to capture
the French fortress, Louisburg, one of the strongest in
the world. The New Jersey assembly refused to organize
the militia, or to vote supplies, until the governor accepted
several measures which they wished to become laws. He
stubbornly refused. The assembly gave ^2000 toward
the Louisburg expedition, but would not order a levy to
raise funds with which to pay the governor's salary. In
the midst of the quarrel Governor Morris died in May,
1746. The feeling against him was so intense that the
assembly refused to pay the widow the arrears due on his
salary. The only honor he received in the latter years
of his life was the naming of one of the counties for him.

John Hamilton, president of the council, now became gov-
ernor. He, as well as his successor, John Reading, served
only a short time when Jonathan Belcher, formerly of
.Massachusetts, was appointed to the office by the king.
He arrived in 1747, and held the office for ten years. He
was tactful, able, and honest, but he found more than one
troublous task on his hands. Many prominent persons

38 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

had secured large tracts of land, ^nd claimed their titles
as vaHd above the titles of those who had previously paid
the Indians for the same lands. It was the same old
quarrel over quit rents, which threatened to trouble the
province forever. The men who had bought last had writs
of ejectment issued against the earlier owners and began
suits for the recovery of the quit rents. The occupants
of the lands resisted, and many fierce fights took place.
Once they broke into the Essex county jail and released
one of their number. Everybody except the later owners
sympathized with the men who were persecuted, and for a
long time the authorities were powerless. ,

Governor Belcher did his utmost to soothe the turbu-
lence, but for a long time the task was beyond his power.
In 1 75 I England ordered a commission of inquiry, but the
Elizabethtown claimants clung to their property, and so
long as they were able to do that, the victory really lay
with them. The troubles did not end for years.

We now approach the period of the French and Indian
War, that tremendous struggle between England and
France for mastery in the New World. Braddock's defeat
in 1755 spread consternation among the colonies, for the
whole western frontier was left open to the danger of In-
dian forays. Governor Belcher hastily called the assem-
bly together, but the members dallied for months before
obeying his call. The Indians, who had always been
friendly, were caught in the swirl of excitement. After
spreading death and desolation along the western borders
of Virginia and Pennsylvania, they crossed the Delaware
and rushed into New Jersey.

Colonel John Anderson gathered four hundred men in

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE

Essex county and hurriedly marched to Easton. There
he did good service in holding the Indians in check.
Numerous forts and blockhouses were built amono- the
mountains and near the Delaware. Sir William Johnson,
the Indian superintendent, persuaded the Delawares at
Easton to make a treaty of peace, but for some time after-
ward the settlements in the northwestern part of New
Jersey suffered greatly from Indian depredations.

In 1758, when the elder Pitt was at the head of affairs
in England, a marked improvement took place in the
prosecution of the war. New Jersey called for a thou-
sand soldiers, paid a bounty of ^12 for each recruit, and
voted ^50,000 for their support. Barracks were built at
Elizabethtown, Perth Amboy, New Brunswick, and Tren-
ton. The help of New Jersey in bringing about the triumph
of England was of the highest value. She had kept her
troops in the field at an expense of ;£300,ooo.

Fully thirty thousand colonists had given their lives to
sustain the British empire in America. Of the ;£"3, 000,000
expended by them in the last great struggle, an amount
large for those times, less than one third was returned by
the English Parliament.

The ease with which the American colonies did their
part led England to think well of their resources. She
decided to impose a tax upon them to help obtain the vast
revenue she needed. To the Americans the proposal of
the English Parliament to tax them without allowing them
to have any member to represent them in that body was
irritating to the last degree. It was the unpopular doctrine
of ''taxation without representation" which had so much
to do in bringing on the Revolution.

46 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

The French and Indian War was of great aid to the
colonies, for it taught them their own strength. They be-
came acquainted with one another ; they were trained in
the principles and discipline of war ; a number of their
leaders, among them the immortal Washington, developed
marked military ability ; and here and there the momentous
question was whispered : " Can we not govern ourselves
better than a country three thousand miles away, which
has no real sympathy for us ? '* It has been truly said that
the French and Indian War was the West Point of the Revo-
lution for the Americans.

It was the time for the highest wisdom on the part of
England, but she failed to meet the call. Deaf to protests
and arguments, and blind to the ominous warnings plain to
all in America, her Parliament, in March, 1764, passed the
hated " Stamp Act." At the same time the " Quartering
Act " was enacted. This empowered England to main-
tain a standing army in the colonies, and the different
provincial assemblies were ordered to provide her garri-
sons with fuel, lights, vinegar, salt, bedding, cooking

utensils, and liquors. The anger of the
colonies passed all bounds, and a Na-
tional Congress was called to meet in
New York in October.

The last royal governor of New Jer-
sey was William Franklin, only son
of the famous philosopher, Benjamin

Franklin. He was appointed in 1762,

William Franklin ,, rTuc*.*.*.^^

upon the urgency of John Stuart, the

unpopular third Earl of Bute and prime minister of Eng-
land. Franklin, who was a bitter loyalist or supporter of the

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE

crown, held back New Jersey for a time, but the repre-
sentatives gathered at Perth Amboy and appointed three
delegates to the Congress.

Twenty-eight delegates were present at the Congress,
representing Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Delaware, New
Jersey, and New York. New Hampshire and Georgia
sent pledges to stand by the action of the delegates.
The Congress adopted a Declaration of Rights, avowing
loyalty to England,
but declaring that
the people would
never submit to tax-
ation without repre-
sentation.

To show the deep
feeling at that time,
it may be said that
Joseph Ogden,
speaker of the as-
sembly, and one of
the New Jersey dele-
gates, declined to
sign the declaration,
on the ground that
it ought first to be
approved by the re-
spective assemblies.
He was denounced,
burned in effigy, and compelled to resign his office as
speaker of the assembly.

Ogden burned in Effigy

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

The New Jersey assembly unanimously approved the pro-
ceedings of the First Colonial Congress and added its pro-
test against the late Act of Parliament. Governor Franklin
sharply reproved the body and immediately prorogued or
adjourned it. We all know of the storm that was raised
in the colonies by the passage of the Stamp Act. Agent
Coxe of New Jersey, like most of the other agents, threw up
his commission and refused to handle the unpopular stamps.
England repealed the law two years after its passage.
. Great was the joy caused by this action. Many thought-
• ful men, however, saw that the trouble was merely post-
poned, for England would 'not yield her rigJit to tax her
colonies. The Quartering Act was as intolerable as the
Stamp Act. The assembly of New Jersey refused full
compHance, declaring it to be another form of taxation.

In June, 1767, Parliament passed a bill placing custom-
house taxation on glass, paper, paints, and tea. Protests
were as vigorous as before. " Freemen cannot be taxed
but by themselves or their representatives," declared the
New Jersey assembly. Most of the colonies renewed their
agreement not to import any of the articles taxed. New
Jersey had few imports, but she did all she could to
encourage her neighbors. When some New York traders
appeared in New Brunswick and Woodbridge to sell their
goods, the citizens mobbed them with so much vigor that
they thought themselves lucky to escape with their lives.

England, in April, 1770, repealed the tax upon all arti-
cles except tea. She made that so Hght that tea was
cheaper in America with the tax than in England without
it. The mother country, however, would not give up the
principle that she had the right to tax her colonies, with-

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE

out giving them a representation in Parliament, or her
law-making body, and the Americans were just as resolute
in holding to the opposite principle.

About this time and for several years after, New Jersey
suffered greatly from a period of financial distress. The

Mob driving Judges from Bench

cost of military operations is enor-
mous. Consequently a vast debt is
usually piled up by the government.
Trade, commerce, and all the indus-
tries are paralyzed; oppressive taxes
are a necessity, and the burdens
imposed upon an impoverished people are almost in-
tolerable. It became well-nigh impossible in New Jersey
to collect debts, and creditors were fiercely resisted.
It was a harvest time for the lawyers, and the indig-
nation of the people was turned against them. In
January, 1770, a mob drove the judges from the bench
in Monmouth Court House (later called Freehold) and
made a similar attempt, but failed, in Newark. Laws
were passed forbidding excessive costs in the recovery
of debts, and finally the excitement calmed down.

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

Meanwhile, in March, 1770, a collision occurred in Bos-
ton between the citizens and a squad of British soldiers, in
which five of the former were killed and a number wounded.
At New York and Philadelphia the ships loaded with tea
were not allowed to land their cargoes, and in Charleston,
the tea was stored in damp cellars, where it soon molded.
In December, 1773, some fifty men, painted and disguised
as Indians, boarded three vessels in Boston Harbor and
emptied all the tea into the bay.

New Jersey applauded these acts. That is to say, the
Whigs did, while the Tories upheld the English gov-
ernment. It was nearly a year after the famous Boston
Tea Party, that an English vessel, the Greyhound, laden
with tea and bound for Philadelphia, came timidly up the
Delaware River. The captain anticipated the reception
that awaited him at Philadelphia and was afraid to go
there. So he turned into Cohansey Creek and dropped
anchor at the little town of Greenwich, in Cumberland
county. He thought he could land the tea there and
then have it taken overland to Philadelphia. He found
no trouble in placing it in the cellar of a house near the
wharf.

The news soon spread, and the Whigs met to decide
what they should do. The fragrant herb was there, but
they determined that it should never leave the town. So
about forty young men, disguised, as in Boston, like Indians,
broke open the storehouse, brought out the boxes, split
them apart, and burned every particle of tea they contained.
In such a small place all the young men were well known,
and they were threatened with prosecution. A generous
sum of money was subscribed to hire lawyers for their

TO THE CLOSE OF COLONIAL RULE

defense, but the grand jury refused to indict them, although
ordered by the presiding judge to do so. More important
matters soon filled the public mind, and the tea burners of
Greenwich were never called to account.

Greenwich "Tea Party"

England was so incensed with Massachusetts that she
closed the port of Boston. This caused much distress,
and the other provinces went to her aid. None gave more
generously than New Jersey. With the first present from
Monmouth county went a message, urging the New Eng-
landers not to yield, and promising more food whenever
needed. Elizabethtown did the same, and the little town
of Salem presented ;£i5o to the needy ones in Boston.
A common persecution was fast bringing the provinces
into a closer union.

46 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

On September 5, 1774, delegates from all the colonies,
except Georgia, met at Philadelphia. After earnest dis-
cussion they a.dopted an address to the people of the colo-
nies, a petition to the king, a declaration of rights, a
memorial to the English nation, and an address to Can-
ada. These proceedings were laid before the New Jersey
assembly, in January, 1775, and, despite the determined
opposition of Governor Franklin, were approved with-
out an opposing vote, although the Quaker members ob-
jected to the portion which hinted at forcible resistance.
But opposition became as light as air. The torrent of
American liberty burst all bounds, overbore every ob-
struction, and swept onward with resistless power. Less
than three months later, at Lexington, was " fired the shot
heard round the world," and the tremendous struggle for
American independence was opened.

CHAPTER IV
MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775

We have studied the poHtical history of New Jersey
from its first settlement to the dawn of the Revokition. It
is a record of strife and peace, of many changes in the forms
of government, of good and ill fortune, of discourage-
ment and hope, of alternate wrangling and tranquil policies,
but none the less of progress. The tangled skeins were
unwound, and the glow of brighter days appeared on the
horizon.

No state was settled by more diverse nationalities than
New Jersey. The pioneers in the north were the Dutch,
sturdy, thrifty, domestic, and law-abiding. Their neighbors
were the Puritans, stern and God-fearing, who brought
with them some of the rigor of New England ; but the shell
of intolerance soon broke apart, and left them foremost in
charity and good works. In the east clustered the Scotch,
clannish, patient, and conscientious. To both Jerseys, espe-
cially to Salem, came a number of French Huguenots. Re-
fined, cultivated, and religious, they belonged to the highest
type of manhood and womanhood. They had been made
exiles by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, to the irrep-
arable loss of the land that did not appreciate their worth.
There remained, too, a few of the resolute toilers from

48 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

Sweden and Denmark, and in time came the happy, merry
Irish and, in a lesser degree, other peoples. And here,
there, and everywhere, leavening the whole lump, moved the
Friends, gentle, peaceful, spiritually minded, and worldly
wise. They clung to the Golden Rule in every walk of
life, and founded across the Delaware a commonwealth
based on truth, charity, and love, which may well serve as a
model through the ages to come.

The blending and fusing of these elements, in varying
degrees, evolved a stock that mentally, morally, and physi-
cally has never been surpassed. No braver soldiers ever
faced death on the field of battle ; no wiser statesmen ever
sat in the councils of the nation or guided the destinies
of a State; no more learned or stainless judiciary ever
honored the bench. In philanthropy, education, religion,
science, art, literature, and in all that makes a people
truly great. New Jersey stands in the front rank. No star
among the immortal thirteen shines with brighter luster
than hers.

The population of New Jersey on the eve of the Revolu-
tion was about eighty thousand, including nearly five thou-
sand slaves. West Jersey contained some twenty-five
hundred more people than East Jersey. A sixth of .the
people were Quakers, who were more numerous in West
Jersey. The counties had increased to thirteen. ^ Slavery
was lawful from the first in all the colonies, and was
guarded by royal patronage. In 1696, the Quakers joined
their brethren in Pennsylvania in the agreement not to
import or employ slaves. The institution, however, lasted
for many years afterward.

J A list of these counties and of the different governors is given in the Appendix.

MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775 49

In the early days the province contained a number of
" redemptioners," — people who, being too poor to pay
their passage to this country, agreed to work a certain
time for those who loaned them the money. The employ-
ers tried to get all the labor they could out of the redemp-
tioners, whose lot was often worse than that of the slaves.

The Indians lived
in their wretched
huts in the pines, and
fished, hunted, and
sometimes worked
for their white
neighbors. The men
were lazy and made
their squaws do all
the hard work, while
they rested, smoked
their pipes, and
drank bad whisky
procured from the
white men. Many
of the Indians were
so degraded by drink that laws were passed forbidding its
sale to them. It is to New Jersey's credit that she never
cheated the Indians out of a penny, but paid them full
value for every acre acquired by the State from them.

The passing years brought to light the richness of the
soil and its mineral deposits. A freestone quarry was
opened in 1721, and a year later a forge was set up at
Dover, in Morris county. In 1768 the remarkable value
of the marl in Monmouth county as a fertilizer was dis-

Selling a Redemptioner

50 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

covered, and it is still in great demand. This substance is
composed of carbonate of lime, clay, and sand in varying
proportions and almost inexhaustible quantities. Iron
was made at Troy bloomery, Morris county, and at Oxford,
Warren county, in 1741. The works are still running.
Iron mining was carried on in what is now Mercer county,
previous to 1720. As early as 1676, Colonel Lewis Morris,
as we recall, owned 3540 acres at Shrewsbury, where sixty
negroes were employed in smelting.

The province had considerable commerce in the early
days. Produce was sent to the West Indies ; furs, skins,
and more or less tobacco to England ; and oil and fish to
Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. Whales appeared
so frequently off the coast and in Delaware Bay that the
hunting of them formed an important industry until after
the Revolution. Rice was cultivated to somQ extent among
the marshes in 1698, At that time also tar, turpentine, and
whale oil were among the productions of the province.

The southeastern section was covered with extensive
stretches of pine forest, of which thousands of acres re-
main. The sandy soil is held cheap, though irrigation and
the use of fertilizers produce splendid fruit and certain
crops. The timber in the north was mainly oak and hick-
ory, and in the south, pine, stunted oak, and cedar. The
abundance of marl, and innumerable seashells, prove that
a large portion of New Jersey, in the remote past, formed
a part of the bed of the ocean.

The first specie used in the colony was the wampum or
shell money of the Indians. For many years gold, silver,
and copper coins were scarce. Laws were made at different
times, fixing the rate of exchange. Copper pieces, which

MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775 51

probably came from Ireland, were issued by Mark New-
brie, under the authority of an act of the legislature of May,
1682, but his death the following year ended the experi-
ment of securing separate coinage. To-day the
numismatists pay two dollars for a copper, and
seven dollars for a silver farthing of that date.
This piece shows on the obverse side, Charles I.
as King David playing on a harp, with a crown
above and the inscription ** Floreat Rex." On
the reverse, St. Patrick, holding a double cross,
is driving out the reptiles. The coin was milled,
and in the background w^is a church with the
inscription, " Quiescat Plebs."

There was not a newspaper published in
New Jersey until the Revolution. The first
issue of the N^ezv Jersey Gazette was on Decem-
ber 3, 1777. Isaac Collins of Burlington was
the publisher. It was a folio sheet, twelve by
eight inches, and ceased publication in 1786.
The earliest periodical was TJie American Maga-
zine, which appeared in January, 1758, at Wood-
bridge, Middlesex county, where James Parker
had set up a printing house seven years before.
Lack of patronage caused the magazine to stop
publication in March, 1760.

Stoves were unknown. The huge fireplaces
might be heaped high with blazing logs of wood, but most
of the heat went up the yawning chimney. You could
stand or sit so near the roaring flames that your face would
be scorched, while the other side of your body was chilled.
All the boiling, frying, baking, and stewing were done in

HIST. N.J. 4

Wampum

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

the enormous fireplaces. No one thought of screens. The
Hghts were tallow dip or wax candles, and when a family
was too poor to buy or make them, it used pine knots.
Well-to-do men wore cloaks, but overcoats were unknown.

Fireplace, Washingtoin's Headc^uarters, Morristown

When the cold was severe, a person put on more clothes.
The sight of a man or a boy waddling along incased in
several coats or pairs of trousers was not uncommon on a
cold day.

Previous to 1676 New Jersey had but two roads. One
of these, little more than a bridle path, connected New
York with the settlements on the Delaware, and ran from
Elizabethtown Point to the site of New Brunswick, where
the river was forded at low water. Thence the course was
to the Delaware above Trenton, at which point that stream
was also forded. This was the " upper road." The " lower
road " turned off five or six miles from the Raritan, and led
to Burlington, the two roads being the only routes between

MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775 53

New York and Philadelphia. At Salem, Burlington, and
Little Egg Harbor shipbuilding had become the leading
industry as early as 1683.

In 1754 post offices were opened at Trenton, Perth
Amboy, and BurHngton. For twenty-five years before, a

Newark Stage for New-York.

A FOUR HORSE STAGE <will Jea^ve Archer Gif-
ford^s, in Neiuarky e'very morning (except Sunday)
at half f aft fi*ve o* clock y and njj'tll leawe Fondles Hook at 5
0* clock in the afternoon for Nenxiark — This arrangement
gia/es time for doing hufiiufs in the city, and the coo left
hours for tra*veUing, Paffengers choofing this con'veyance
mcty apply for feats to John Bond at A. Gifford^s.

\tf y. N. Cumming.

Early Stage Coach

weekly mail in summer and a semi-monthly one in winter
was carried between New York and Philadelphia. In
1764 the postboys made the trip tri-weekly in twenty-four
hours. The first through line, by way of Bordentown,
began operation in 1734. Ten years later, stages ran
twice a week between New Brunswick and Trenton. In

54 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

1750 a boat left New York every Wednesday for Perth
Amboy, the passengers going the next day by stage to
Bordentown, where boat was taken to Philadelphia. Two
years later this trip was made semi-weekly. In 1756 the
stage, by way of Perth Amboy and Trenton, was three
days on the route. In 1766 two days in summer and
three in winter were enough, and then the proud travelers
called the stages " flying machines."

Our immediate ancestors knew very little of modern
comforts. The houses along the shore were of wood, but
there were some brick dwellings on Delaware Bay and
River. Most of the bricks were made in the province, but
many were brought across the ocean as ship ballast.
Beyond the limits of tidewater the Dutch houses w^ere
sometimes stone and again brick. Very rarely w^as a
curtain or carpet or any wall paper seen. Long years
were to pass before the inventors began dreaming of the
varied uses of steam and electricity, of the sewdng machine,
the typewriter, and a score of other useful things that have
become necessities in modern civilization.

In the earliest times oiled paper was used for window
panes. The housewife read the time of day by the sun
dial or by the shadow cast on a certain mark on the wall or
the floor. When the sun did not shine, she used her skill
in guessing. The owner of one of the old-fashioned
** bull's eye" watches was almost as much an object of
curiosity and envy as he who had crossed the Atlantic.

New Jersey contained a considerable number of towns
and villages in 1775. Newark, although more than a hun-
dred years old, had only one thousand inhabitants. The
first settlement of Trenton was made by Friends, at the

MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775 55

Falls of the Delaware, probably in 1679. The settlers
suffered much from the ravages of a form of maUgnant
fever in 1687.

In 1700 others who had bought land from the first Pro-
prietors joined the pioneers. Most of the deeds bear dates
from 1699 to 1710. In August, 1714, Mahlon Stacy sold
eight hundred acres, lying on both sides of the Assanpink
Creek, to Colonel William Trent of Philadelphia. He had
been speaker of the house of assembly of Pennsylvania,
and, in September, 1723, was chosen to the same office in
New Jersey. He died the following year.

Neither Mahlon Stacy nor Colonel Trent was the
founder of the capital of the State, which was named in
honor of Trent. The real founders were there when
Stacy and Trent joined them. The two were simply the
leading citizens of the little town. Colonel Trent gave
the lot on which the courthouse was built to the county
(Hunterdon) in 1720, and the place was properly named
for him. In 1719 the courts, which had met alternately at
Lawrenceville and Hopewell, changed to Trenton. The
town had few buildings until after 1735, and during the
Revolution the houses numbered a hundred or possibly
a few more. In 1750 Trenton surrendered the provisions
of the charter granted in 1745, and the village became a
part of the township of the same name.

In 1700 the site of New Brunswick was " Prigmore's
Swamp." For years Daniel Cooper was the lone ferry-
man and the only inhabitant. About 1730 several Dutch
families from Albany settled there and the town received a
royal charter. During the Revolution it was generally re-
ferred to as " Brunswick." The first buildings in Rahway

56 THE COLONIAL PERIOD

were put up in 1720, the settlers coming from Elizabeth-
town. (This name was afterward shortened by dropping
the last syllable.) Plainfield was scantily settled in 1735.
In 1750 it had its first grist mill, and a year later its first
schoolhouse. Hackensack contained thirty houses in 1775.

Scotch Plains received its name from the Scotch emi-
grants who settled there in 1684. In the same year the
site of Camden was laid out, and a ferry to Philadelphia
began running in 1695. Bordentown and Crosswicks were
founded in 1781, while Tuckerton dates back to 1699.
We have learned of the formation of the old towns of
Bergen, Middletown, Shrewsbury, and Woodbridge, long
prominent among the early settlements. German Valley,
Newton, Oxford, Deckertown, and a number of other
towns became prosperous during the first half of the
eighteenth century, and since then many others have
grown to importance. Paterson was not founded until
1 791, while Jersey City remained Paulus Hook until well
into the nineteenth century.

It seems strange to read that New Jersey during colonial
days was shaken now and then by earthquakes. In
November, 1720, there was an alarming trembling of the
ground, which was repeated in the following September.
A more violent shock, on the night of December 7, 1737,
sent the scared people of Trenton leaping from their beds.
Doors were flung open, bricks fell from the chimneys, and
furniture was overthrown, but fortunately no lives were lost.
The shock of the awful Lisbon earthquake of November,
1755) was distinctly felt on this side of the Atlantic.

Between 1734 and 1750 occurred the memorable reli-
gious revival known throughout the colonies as the " Great

MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775 57

Awakening." The direct cause was the burning eloquence
of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. Their
preaching roused a whirlwind of agitation and enthusiasm,
and made thousands of converts. Edwards had a parish
at Northampton, Massachusetts, until 1750. He preached
to the Indians at Stockbridge from 1751 to 1758, dying in
the latter year. He was one of the greatest theologians
born in America.

Whitefield first visited this country in 1738, as a friend
of John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism,
and of Governor Oglethorpe, the father of Georgia. He
made seven visits to America, and in 1740 passed for
the first time through the colonies. He won an immense
number of converts by his wonderful appeals, which often
were irresistible. He preached in Burlington and New
Brunswick on his way to New York, and again at Eliza-
bethtown. New Brunswick, and Lawrenceville on his
return. His audiences often numbered more than five
thousand. The good results of the work of this fervid,
persuasive evangelist, who, Benjamin Franklin said, sur-
passed in some respects any orator to whom he had ever
listened, were seen for many years. Reverend Gilbert
Tennent gave great help to Whitefield, while John Wool-
man, of the Society of Friends, and Brainerd, the mission-
ary to the Indians, did a service for humanity and
religion whose value is beyond estimate.

The famous " Log College " was built in 1726, by Rev-
erend William Tennent, and his two sons, from the logs of
trees which lined the banks of a stream emptying into the
Delaware at Bristol, Pennsylvania. The cabin has been
called the forerunner of Princeton University, which, as a

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

college, was chartered by John Hamilton, acting governor,
in 1746. Its beginning was at Elizabethtown, under Rev-
erend Jonathan Dickinson. The first classes met in the
old academy, which was burned during the Revolution.
Mr. Dickinson and the usher were the only teachers, and
the students numbered about a score. Mr. Dickinson died
a year later, and the students passed to the care of Aaron
Burr the elder, who was the first president. A removal
was made to Princeton, in October, 1756. The students
had increased to seventv, and Nassau Hall was built.
Rutgers was chartered in 1766, by George HI., as Queen's
College, but lack of funds postponed its opening until
1771.

The Dutch and Swedes brought their schools with
them. The Collegiate Church School, founded in 1633
at New Amsterdam, still exists, the oldest institution of
its kind in America. The first school in New Jersey, of
which we have authentic record, was opened in the village
of Bergen in 1662, when the first schoolmaster was
selected. Engelbert Stuynhuysen was licensed as clerk
and schoolmaster, October 6, 1662. He was required to
procure a convenient place to keep school. The first
schoolhouse was erected about 1664. Woodbridge selected
a schoolmaster in 1669, and Newark had one as early as
1676. In 1693 the East Jersey legislature authorized the
selection at town elections of three citizens who had the
right to hire teachers and fix their salaries, which, it hardly
need be said, were very meager. This law opened the
way for a marked improvement in schools.

The Friends were prompt in providing for the educa-
tion of their youth. In 1682 the assembly at Burlington

MATERIAL PROGRESS OF NEW JERSEY TO 1775 59

set apart the island of Matinicunk, near by in the Delaware,
for the support of a school. The revenues from this island
are still used for that purpose.

The instruction in most schools was very elementary
and largely religious. Scant attention was paid to the
higher branches, but, even at that early day, the Friends

A School of Early Times

favored industrial education, and gradually added more
advanced studies to the school course. Sad to say, many
of the traveling pedagogues were men of weak character,
and so injurious to morals, that Governor Bernard, in
1788, was instructed by the assembly to forbid the em-
ployment in New Jersey of any teacher from England
who did not have a license from the Bishop of London.
The native teachers were obliged to obtain the governor's
license.

6o" THE COLONIAL PERIOD

The schools of the early days could bear no comparison
with those of the present time. " Spare the rod and spoil
the child " was their basic principle. Boys and girls were
cruelly punished for a slight violation of the " rules." The
text-books were almost worthless, blackboards and maps
were unknown, the sessions were long, holidays were few,
the schoolrooms were badly ventilated, and the instruction
was crude to the last degree. Since in these conditions
brute strength was a prime necessity, the teacher was
rarely a woman.

As proof of the incredible ignorance of some of the old-
time teachers, you can see to-day, in the Essex Institute,
at Salem, Massachusetts, a receipt for salary paid, about a
century ago, to which the instructor signed " her mark,"
being unable to write her own name.

PERIOD II — THE REVOLUTION

(17.75-1783)

CHAPTER V
"THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION"

It has been said that the American Revolution was the
work of an aggressive minority. Had a free vote been
taken in the thirteen colonies at any time before the
Declaration of Independence, or at more than one period
thereafter, the majority probably would have decided
against the war. This majority, however, had less vigor
than the minority and was overborne by it. Even those
who took up arms did so at first with the aim of forcing
the mother country to grant just terms to the colonies.
Had England allowed them to send their representatives
to Parliament, in which body they would have had a voice
in the making of laws that affected the Americans,
and had she been fair in her treatment of them, there
would have been no armed revolt. The Revolution would
have been postponed for a long time and then most Hkely
it would have been a peaceful separation.

But never were people more justified in rebelling than
our forefathers. Their pleas were so reasonable that
many of the leading men in England favored them.
Thus there was a cleavage in the parties on both sides of
the ocean. King George III., personally good and con-
scientious, was bigoted to the last degree. He was a

THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION"

firm believer in the theory that kings rule by "divine right"
and are not accountable to their subjects for their acts.
Could the unfortunate monarch have freed himself of this
fatal error, the course of history would have been changed.
Moreover, the American Revolution was to teach Great
Britain an impressive lesson that she has never forgotten.
She learned the art of governing her colonies. Rarely
since then has she committed the woeful blunder of deny-

COURTHOUSE, NFAVARK, N.J.
(From an old print)

ing to any of her children the measure of self-government,
of liberty, conceded to those around her own hearthstone.
This was the crux of modern liberty, and New Jersey was
its arena. Our struggle for independence was as much a
battle for civilization as was the affair at Runnymede.

On June 11, 1774, a meeting of citizens was held at
Newark, and they agreed to address letters to every county
in the province, urging each to appoint a committee of
correspondence. It was decided also to hold a convention

THE REVOLUTION

at New Brunswick, on July 21. Similar action on the
part of the other colonies furnished the members of the
First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia,

September 5, 1774, with

representatives from all
the colonies except
Georgia, where the loy-
alist governor prevented
the election of dele-
gates.i The proceed-
ings were laid before
the New Jersey assem-
CoNTiNENTAL PAPER MONEY, 1776 \^\y ^ Januarv 24, 1775,

and, despite the violent opposition of Governor Franklin,
were unanimously approved.

The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia,
May 10, 1775, about a month before the battle of Bunker
Hill. It voted to issue $3,000,000 in paper money for
carrying on the war, and to raise a force of twenty thou-
sand men. George Washington was appointed commander
in chief.

Governor Franklin convened the assembly at Burling-
ton, May 15. The committee of correspondence, named
by the convention at Newark, directed the chairman to call
a second provincial convention at Trenton, May 23, 1775.

This body met on the date named, styHng itself *'The
Provincial Congress of New Jersey," and assumed supreme
authority over the province. A provincial congress was

iThe members of the New Jersey general committee of correspondence were:
William Peartree Smith, John Chetwood, Isaac Ogden, Joseph Borden, Robert
Field, Isaac Pierson, Isaac Smith, Samuel Tucker, Abraham Hunt, and Hendrick
Fisher.

"THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION"

a convention held within a province or colony, and its
functions were confined of necessity to that particular
province. An assemblage of representatives from all the
colonies, called together to act for the general good,
formed a continental congress. A message was sent to
the Continental Congress, sitting in Philadelphia, that the
Jerseymen pledged themselves to the common cause of
America and held themselves ready to follow the lead of

City Hall, Philadelphia

the greater Congress. Steps were taken to organize the
militia, and the issue of ;£ 10,000 in bills of credit was
ordered. In August the Provincial Congress arranged
for a more effective organization of the militia and the
collection of taxes. Fifty-four companies, of sixty-four
men each, were formed into ten battalions, and Philemon
Dickinson and William Livingston were appointed briga-
dier generals to command them. A Committee of Safety
and a provincial treasurer having been chosen, the Con-
gress adjourned.

66 THE REVOLUTION

The Provincial Congress met again October 3, and
ordered the enhstment of two regiments of regulars, one
to be commanded by William Maxwell, and the other by
William Alexander, more generally known as Lord Stirling.
To meet the expenses thus incurred, provincial bills to the
amount of ^30,000 were issued. The legislature was con-
vened by Governor Franklin, November 16, but, without
transacting any important business, he prorogued it the fol-
lowing month, to meet January 3, 1776. It never came to-
gether again, and thus ended royal authority in New Jersey.

The leading part taken by our State in the War for In-
dependence, and the decisive battles fought on our soil,
make it necessary to keep the features of the great strug-
gle itself in mind. The location of New Jersey has caused
it to be called " The W^ar Path of the Revolution." Open-
ing in Massachusetts, the scene of the conflict moved south-
ward, shifting to New York and then to New Jersey, with
the final triumph in Virginia. Thus our State became the
highway of the armies, and the enemy were to meet their
first real check between the Hudson and the Delaware.

At Cambridge, on July 3, 1775, Washington took com-
mand of the poorly armed and discipHned patriots. He
pressed the siege of Boston so closely that General Howe
withdrew from the city in the following March. In June,
1776, a British attack upon Charleston was repulsed, and
the fourth of July, amid the ringing of bells and the
shouts of joyous thousands, saw the adoption of the im-
mortal Declaration of Independence. The New Jersey
signers of the instrument were : Richard Stockton, Abra-
ham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, and John
Witherspoon.

THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION"

Signers of Declaration op^ Independence

As proof that the motive of the revolt at first was to
gain justice rather than independence from England, it is
to be noted that the Provincial Congress of New Jersey,
while taking control of affairs, did not wholly cast off royal
authority. The new Congress met at Burlington in June,
and in response to petitions, a committee reported the form
of a constitution, which was adopted. Its last article pro-
vided that it should become void when the king righted
the wrongs of his American subjects. The greater Dec-
laration, however, at Philadelphia, struck fire in the hearts
of the Jerseymen, as it did among all the other colonies.
The Provincial Congress took the title of " The Conven-
tion of the State of New Jersey," and declared the State
independent of royal authority.

HIST, N.J. — 5

68 THE REVOLUTION

This convention was the State legislature, which now
took up its work. The general election was ordered for
August. Every voter was required to renounce under oath
all allegiance to the king of England and pledge himself
not to oppose the measures adopted by the Convention of
the State or by the Continental Congress, but to be loyal
to the government established by the people. Wilham
Livingston was chosen governor and was elected annually
thereafter until his death in 1790.

New Jersey, like every State, was harassed by Tories.
This caused continuous violence and bloodshed. The loca-
tion of the State helped the woeful events. From the
/ opening of the war to its close there were hostile armies,
or powerful bands, within its borders, and neighbors fought
neighbors with the ferocity shown in the border States
during the Civil War. Moreover, the Quakers, from prin-
ciple, were opposed to violence, and the situation became
distressing to the last degree.

Governor Franklin was at the head of the virulent loyal-
ists. When he called the legislature together to take
measures to stem the rising tide of rebellion, that body
replied by declaring him an enemy of the country. He
was arrested and refused to give his parole that he would
not assume authority in the province. His arrest was re-
ported to the Continental Congress. Still defiant, he was
sent to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut, who took his
parole. He then sailed for England, where he died in 18 13.
He had proposed a reconcihation with his illustrious father,
who refused it.

For a time, New Jersey was generous to her domestic
enemies. By resolution of the Provincial Congress, efforts

"THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION" 69

were made to convince these people of their wrongful
course. These efforts having failed, the Tories were dis-
armed, and when unable to give sureties, were put under
arrest. In the northeastern part of the State and on Long
Island they organized, openly avowed their purpose of aid-
ing the British in their conquest of the country, and wel-
comed the invaders. The enemy offered protection to all
who would take the oath of allegiance within sixty days,
and promised relief of their grievances.

These measures nearly quenched the patriotic fires in
the northern part of the State. The only troops which
offered any real opposition to the enemy were several com-
panies of militia, first commanded by General Wilson and
afterward by General Dickinson. When the Tories banded
together, pledged not to pay any taxes, and not to obey
the orders of the provincial government, the latter, follow-
ing the fable, stopped throwing grass and used stones.
The militia of the different counties were ordered to arrest
all who actively aided the enemy. Some of the offenders,
when brought before the Committee of Safety, repented
their course and were released. While a check was thus
placed upon these enemies, they were not wholly repressed.
More than once the militia had to be called upon to put
down armed insurrections.

The legislature, when organized under the constitution,
acted sternly toward the Tories. Heavy fines and impris-
onment, and even the pillory, were the punishments in-
flicted for persistent breaking of the laws. Later, the act
of June, 1777 confiscated the property of all who joined
the enemies of the State. The following year the county
commissioners were ordered to seize the property of every

THE REVOLUTION

person who had gone into the lines of the British army or
given any help to it. Nothing could surpass the ferocity
of the Tory refugees who raided New Jersey from Staten
Island, where they were under shelter of the enemy. They
made forays among their former neighbors, and the latter,

Putting down Tory Insurrections

in self-defense, organized against them. The fights be-
tween the factions were merciless.

Knowing that the enemy meant to attack New York,
Washington did all he could to strengthen its defenses.
He gathered some twenty-seven thousand men, but they
were badly equipped and poorly disciplined, with no more
than half of them fit for duty. The British numbered
thirty-two thousand well-armed and highly trained troops.

"THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION" 71

One fourth were Hessians, so called because they came
from Hesse Cassel, in Germany, from whose ruler the
king of England had hired them to help conquer his
American colonies.

Near the close of August, 1776, the British commander
crossed the Narrows to Long Island. The Brooklyn forti-
fications reached from Gowanus Bay to Wallabout, where
nine thousand men were stationed under General Sullivan
and Lord Stirling. General Greene, the next in military
abihty to Washington, was ill, and the fiery Putnam was
sent by the chief to direct the defense. Two or three
miles to the south were three roads, any one of which would
have served the enemy. By a fatal oversight one of these
was left open. The British swarmed over it, and the pa-
triots were badly routed, with the loss of six hundred killed
and a thousand prisoners, among whom were Generals
Sullivan, Woodhull, and Lord Stirling. Had Howe shown
any vigor, he would have captured the whole American
army, including Washington, and thus stamped out the
American Revolution at the beginning. But he was one of
the most indolent of men, and felt so certain of victory, that
he decided to wait and save the lives of many of his soldiers.

The adverse wind held back the enemy's fleet. A dense
fog settled over Brooklyn, though it remained clear on the
New York side. Hidden by this screen, the Americans
stole out of Brooklyn unnoticed. The defeat on Long
Island was the first of a series of disasters which threat-
ened to destroy the American army. With his wretched
inferior force, it was impossible for Washington to hold
New York, and he fortified Harlem Heights. His army
began crumbling to pieces. The short terms of enlistment

THE REVOLUTION

of many of the men ended, while hundreds who had still
a few months to serve deserted.

In October, Howe, with a large force, many of whom
were Hessians, marched against Washington, who called
a council of war. It was so plain to every one that a
battle was hopeless that all the troops were withdrawn, ex-
cept the garrison of Fort Washington. Howe and Clinton
attacked the position at White Plains. A brave resistance
was made, but Washington was driven back to North-
castle Heights. His assailants then turned and advanced
against Fort Washington. With unutterable anguish, the
chief saw that post forced to surrender, with two thousand
soldiers of the Continental line and six hundred of the
militia. Less than a week later, General Greene was
forced out of Fort Lee, on the west bank of the Hudson.
So hurried was his retreat to the main army at Hacken-
sack that his men were able to take only their ammunition
and firearms.

What was left of the patriot army was under the direct
command of Washington, who had less than four thousand
men fit for duty, with that number rapidly decreasing.
The icy winds that howled through the Highlands set
their rags fluttering and their teeth chattering. Blankets,
shoes, and stockings were few, and those who shivered by
the camp fires were gaunt with hunger. No successful
defense could be offered, and while making a feint of
throwing up intrenchments, the chief was getting ready to
retreat upon the approach of the enemy.

The marvel is how this great man and his few devoted
leaders kept heart amid circumstances that were enough
to sink one into the depths of despair. Desertions never

"THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION" 73

stopped. General Schuyler, at Ticonderoga, was ordered
to send aid to Washington, but most of his men had nearly
completed their terms of enlistment and refused to serve
longer. The same was true of General Mercer at Bergen
Neck. General Charles Lee was still at White Plains, but
by order of Washington he crossed the river on his way to
join the main army.

The dismal retreat through New Jersey began Novem-
ber 21, with Lord Cornwallis and his much superior force
in close pursuit. Arriving at Newark the next evening,
Washington posted his troops, sent the sick to Morristown,
and put forth every effort to add to his fast dissolving
army. In response to his appeal the New Jersey legis-
lature provided for the organization of four battalions of
State troops, but they were not put into the field in time to
take part in the historic events that were at hand. Con-
gress urged enlistments, and nothing was left undone that
could add to the strength of the forlorn band of patriots.

That no form of discouragement should be lacking, an
urgent appeal came from Monmouth county, where there
was a dangerous uprising of Tories. Colonel David For-
man, whose home was in that section, was sent thither
with his battalion, and was in such a state of rage that he
stamped out the revolt with remorseless energy.

On the morning of November 28 Washington left New-
ark, with the enemy's advance guard entering at one end
of the town, while he was passing out at the other. The
Continentals divided into two columns, one going by way
of EHzabethtown and Woodbridge, and the other through
Springfield and Scotch Plains. The second column
reached New Brunswick the next day and was joined by a

THE REVOLUTION

small force under Lord Stirling (exchanged a short time
before), sent thither to guard the Raritan at that point, and
the vicinity of Perth Amboy, against British incursions.

At this crisis, when the enemy in large numbers were
known to be within striking distance, the militia of the
flying camps of Maryland and New Jersey, whose terms of
enhstment expired December i, demanded their discharge.
They would listen to no appeals and nearly every man
went home. This action, with the endless stream of
desertions, reduced the American army to less than three
thousand effective men. The legislature at Princeton,
learning of the approach of the enemy, adjourned to
Trenton, then to Burlington, and finally decided to re-
pair to their respective homes.

Upon reaching New Brunswick, Washington sent a force
in advance, with orders to collect all the boats along the

Delaware River and
to hold them on the
Pennsylvania bank
opposite Trenton. A
second detachment
followed on the same
errand. When the
British column ap-
peared across the
Raritan, the Ameri-
cans crippled the
bridge, and withdrew under cover of a sharp artillery fire.
Washington entered Princeton on the morning of De-
cember 2, and at noon was in Trenton. There he learned
that Cornwallis had halted at New Brunswick, in obedience

£^«M..>M«^

Washington's Headquarters, New
Brunswick

"THE WAR PATH OF THE REVOLUTION" 75

to orders from the sluggish Howe, who did not join him
with his strong regiment until four days later. A force of
fourteen hundred men under Lord Stirling was posted at
Princeton to watch the enemy and to cover the passage of
the Delaware by the main army. General Greene joined
Stirling with twelve hundred men, and a few days later all
the troops were at Trenton.

Before it was light on the morning of December 7,
Howe marched from New Brunswick in two columns, one
under Lord Cornwallis and the other under Colonel von
Donop. Princeton was reached on the same day, but the
columns were several hours apart in arriving. The enemy
occupied the college buildings and the Presbyterian Church.
During the several weeks that they stayed they played
havoc with the houses of the leading patriots, such as the
Reverend Dr. John Witherspoon, president of the college,
and Richard Stockton. Both were signers of the Declara-
tion of Independence, and the abuse the enemy heaped
upon their homes proved that they knew the fact.

While the desertions never stopped, a few bodies of
troops from Hunterdon and Middlesex counties joined the
Continentals. Congress sent about a thousand men to
Washington while he was at Trenton. He followed his rule
of delaying his withdrawal as long as possible, first sending
his sick and disabled men to Philadelphia. No sooner had
General Howe entered the State than he issued a procla-
mation, promising a pardon and full protection to all who
within sixty days would renounce the cause of independence
and submit to the authority of Great Britain. Probably
three thousand citizens of New Jersey availed themselves
of this chance to save themselves and their property.

CHAFER VI
THE BATTLE OF TRENTON

The breaking down of the Stony Brook bridge by the
Americans, as they left Princeton, delayed the pursuing
British column until the morning of December 8, and pre-
vented it from gaining the rear of the Continentals. Along
the bank of the Delaware, at the foot of Trenton, lay the
boats that had taken the military stores across, and were
waiting for the troops. Late in the afternoon, with the
British approaching, the boats began putting out from
the shore, both above and below the falls. All through
the cheerless wintry night the work went on until, at dawn,
the last shivering man leaped out and joined his comrades
on the Pennsylvania shore.

There could not have been a narrower escape, for the
British army were already entering the little straggUng
town. Their bright uniforms shone in the few streets, and
the gay music of their bands rolled across the river. As
soon as they appeared on the bank, the Americans opened
with grapeshot ; but no damage was done. A division of
the enemy had gone up to Coryell's Ferry (Lambertville),
twelve miles above Trenton, to seize the boats at that
point. But no boats were there to seize and the British
army had to wait for the river to freeze over. Washington
stationed guards along the bank for many miles up and
down stream, prepared to repel any attempt of the enemy

to cross.

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON

A force of fourteen hundred men, mostly Hessians, were
posted at Trenton under Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rail.
He was a brave officer, who held the Americans in con-
tempt. He was noted for his fondness for military display
and martial music, and for his indulgence in pleasures.
The enemy placed a strong guard
at Bordentown, and made their head-
quarters at New Brunswick, from
which all the supplies of their
army were distributed. Howe and
Cornwallis, having arranged matters
satisfactorily, went back to New
York to enjoy themselves for the
winter.

Philadelphia, the national capital,
was the prize which the invaders had
in view. We know that it was
doomed to fall, but the mistake made
by Howe and Cornwallis was in be-
lieving that its fall meant the collapse
of the Revolution. So certain did
Cornwallis feel on this point, that he had asked for and ob-
tained a leave of absence to visit his home in England,
when good reasons caused him to change his mind.

General Charles Lee, second in command, was loitering
to so provoking a degree on his way from the Hudson
that Washington sent him repeated orders to hasten, since
his help was badly needed. These messages failed to reach
Lee, and he still lagged. He was bitterly jealous of
Washington, and nursed a scheme of making some brilliant
dash that would win him the chief command of the Ameri-

Hessian Soldier

78 THE REVOLUTION

can army. While at a tavern near Baskingridge, Somerset
county, Lee was surprised and taken prisoner by a scouting
party of dragoons. His capture was looked upon as a
severe blow to the patriot cause, but General Sullivan, the
next in rank, immediately took command. He marched
promptly to the Delaware, crossed at Easton, and delivered
his two thousand men to Washington in the midst of a
blinding snowstorm. Other reenforcements arrived at
about the same time. On December 23 six thousand
effectives were on guard for thirty miles along the Penn-
sylvania side of the river.

Washington, who read events and conditions with rare
wisdom, saw that a blow must be struck at once for
American liberty. The horizon showed hardly a gleam of
hope. Thousands of those who had been the most clam-
orous for war were hurrying to the lines of the enemy
for protection ; the most ardent declared that it was use-
less to resist any longer; that it was folly to fight the
inevitable. Congress, after declaring that it would never
do such a thing, fled from Philadelphia.

Washington divided his army into three corps, one of
which was stationed at Bristol, one at Trenton FSrry,
opposite the town, and the third under his direct command
at Yardley's Ferry, eight miles above Trenton. Colonel
John Cadwalader, at Bristol, had command of about eigh-
teen hundred men, and General James Ewing was in charge
from Yardley's Ferry to the ferry at Bordentown. Gen-
eral Philemon Dickinson, with the New Jersey militia, was
with Ewing, the two being posted at Yardley's Ferry and
for a mile south. Leaving a guard over the camp equi-
page, Washington made preparations for crossing the Dela-

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON . 79

ware, with twenty-four hundred picked men, and attacking
the Hessians at Trenton. He had reliable reports from
his scouts and spies of the strength and disposition of the
enemy.^

Although repeated reports were brought to Colonel Rail,
of threatening movements on the part of the Americans,
he refused to believe there was any cause to fear them.
He made his headquarters on Warren (then King) Street,
in a house nearly opposite the Episcopal Church (still stand-
ing and much enlarged). The Hessian force was scattered
through the town. Colonel Rail was fond of visiting the
house of Abraham Hunt, the principal merchant and the
postmaster of Trenton, who, although a patriot, knew when
it was prudent to seem neutral. His home was widely
celebrated for its hospitality.

Hunt's house stood on the corner of Warren and State
streets (then King and Second), and there Colonel Rail
was a guest on Christmas night, i jj^. After a good dinner,
the two sat for a long time in a comfortable room which
was the more delightful because of its contrast with the
cold outside. The sleet and hail rattled against the win-
dow panes, while the roaring wood fire filled the room
with golden warmth. Host and guest were in high spirits,
and were in the midst of a merry time when a sharp
knock sounded on the door. Hunt's negro servant an-

1 The most famous of these spies was John Honeyman of Somerset county.
He was willing to be looked upon by his neighbors as a despicable traitor, to place
his family in peril, and to incur the risk of the hangman's halter again and again
that he might get information for Washington, who was the only person that knew
his real character. Honeyman's services were of the highest value. There is no
doubt that it was what he told the chief that caused the attack on Trenton. It is a
pleasure to record that Honeyman, at the close of the war, was fully vindicated,
and lived, honored and, respected, to his ninety-fourth year.

So THE REVOLUTION

swered and saw a well-known Tory farmer, standing out-
side in the wintry storm. He said he had been searching
through the town for Colonel Rail, and, learning that he
was at Abraham Hunt's, demanded to see him at once
upon most important business. The servant, fearing his
master's displeasure at interruption by the caller, urged
the latter to leave his message with him. The farmer
thereupon stepped under the dim light in the hall, took
out a piece of paper, and hastily penciled a few lines
on it.

"Will you see that Colonel Rail gets that without a
moment's delay ? " he sharply asked the servant, as he
folded the paper and handed it to him.

" I'll give it to him right away, sah," answered the
servant.

" Tell him to read it at once ; the business cannot wait."

"Yes, sah; I'll tell him."

The Tory hurried away in the howling night, the serv-
ant closed the door and walked back into the glowing
room, where Hunt and Rail were in the midst of an ani-
mated conversation. In answer to the inquiring looks of
the two, the servant told what had taken place and
handed the folded piece of paper to the officer, who care-
lessly slipped it into his pocket, saying he would read it
in a few minutes. Absorbed, however, in an interesting
discussion, the colonel soon forgot all about the note.
Perhaps Abraham Hunt had also forgotten the little inci-
dent; possibly, with a suspicion of its meaning, he re-
membered, but took care not to remind his guest of the
message. Be that as it may, Colonel Rail kept in his
pocket unread the note which told him a strong force

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON 8l

of Americans was rapidly approaching Trenton, and must
soon reach the town.

By the middle of Christmas afternoon all the troops
that were to take part in the attack upon Trenton were in
motion. It was thought that the infantry and several
companies of cavalry and artillery, including eighteen
cannon and howitzers, could be ferried over by midnight,
which would give time to reach the town by daybreak.
The river at this point is about a fifth of a mile wide, and
had been clear of ice until nearly noon on Christmas day.
Then masses began to appear in the swift current, and the
weather remained piercingly cold.

In the dusk of early evening the troops moved down
the river bank, ready to embark upon the difficult passage.
Washington sat on his horse, watching each boat as it
filled and was pushed out into the current. The rushing
bowlders of ice increased in number and in size. They
ground and crunched together, and struck the craft so
violently that they must have been overturned but for
Colonel John Glover's regiment of sailors and fishermen
from Marblehead, Massachusetts. These hardy fellows
displayed a skill that could not have been surpassed. So
laborious was the passage, that it was three o'clock before
the whole body of men stood upon the New Jersey shore,
and another hour passed ere the march was begun to
Trenton. During these preparations Washington sat on
an old beehive and watched the movements.

No scene could have been more dismal. The weather
was of arctic severity, the ground was covered with snow,
the roads were slippery with ice, and the sleet, driven by
the fierce wind, struck the men like fine bird shot. The

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THE BATTLE OF TRENTON S^

soldiers were wretchedly clad, and the shoes of many were
so tattered that they were but flapping pieces of leather,
through which the bare feet were cut and wounded by
the flinty bits of ice. Had any one walked behind that
patriot band, when light came, he would have seen every
rod of the journey crimsoned by bloody footprints; for,
incredible as it sounds, it is a fact that scores of the
privates had no protection whatever for their feet, at
a time, too, when the ground was covered with ice and
snow. But not a man of them was afraid or shrank from
the work.

A mile from the river the column reached Bear Tavern,
and three miles farther came to the hamlet of Birming-
ham. There a halt was made while the soldiers swal-
lowed a few mouthfuls of food. Without leaving his
saddle, Washington gratefully partook of bread and
meat passed up to him by a hospitable farmer. When,
a short time after, the order was given to resume the
march, several hundred of the men lay sound asleep at
the side of the road.

The column was now divided and different routes were
taken to Trenton. Two roads, substantially parallel, lead
from Birmingham to the town. One closely follows the
river and enters the lower end of Trenton. This was
the course taken by General Sullivan, whose division was
composed of the brigades of General St. Clair, Colonels
Glover and Sargent, and four battalions. The other divi-
sion was under General Greene and included the brigades
of Generals Stephen, Mercer, Lord Stirling, and De Fer-
noy, with Captain Morris's Philadelphia light horse and
three batteries. Washington accompanied this division,

HIST. N.J. — 6

84 THE REVOLUTION

which kept to the well-known "Scotch Road," that joins
the highway connecting Pennington and Trenton some
eight miles apart. This route was a trifle longer than
that taken by Sullivan and led into the upper end of the
town, the length of neither road being more than five
miles.-^

The course of the Scotch Road is nearly at right angles
to the Pennington pike. As the " ragged Continentals "
drew near the main highway, signs of dawn began to
appear. Lights twinkled in the windows of the farmers'
houses, and the wondering inmates, peeping out, saw
more than a thousand men straggling briskly over the icy
road, the mounted officers in the lead, the ponderous
cannon lumbering over the deep ruts, and the bobbing
heads of the men bent to the hail, which often stung their
red faces, but fortunately most of the time struck their
backs. It was hard on the flapping bits of leather which
served for shoes, and harder still on the bleeding feet pro-
tected by neither shoe nor stocking.

The march of the grim veterans was silent, for this was
a secret expedition. Every footman and horseman that
appeared was gathered in, none being allowed to pass the
little army to carry warning to the Hessians, who as yet
did not dream of danger. We know, however, that one

1 Washington had tried to get twelve men to ride on horseback in front of his
troops, garbed as farmers and without weapons, and to reconnoiter and pick
up all the information possible about the enemy. Only three volunteered for this
dangerous service, — David Lanning of Trenton, and John Muirhead and John
Guild of Hopewell. The following acted as guides and marched with the army:
Colonel Joseph Phillips, Captain Philip Phillips, and Adjutant EUas Phillips, of
Lawrenceville, Joseph Inslee, Edon Burroughs, Stephen Burroughs, Ephraim
Woolsey, and Henry Simmonds, of Hopewell, and Captain John Mott, Amos
Scudder, and William Green of Trenton.

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON 85

Tory had galloped into Trenton hours before with word to
Colonel Rail, who forgot to read the note upon which
huna: such momentous issues.

The bleak morning with its spitting sleet had broken
when the patriots came out from the Scotch Road into the
Pennington highway and quickened their pace for the
town that was only a mile away. When the small wooden
houses were seen, with wisps of smoke curling upward
from the chimneys, Washington faced about in his saddle
and waved his sword : —

" Yonder, my brave fellows, are the enemies of your
country ! Remember what you are fighting for! "

Although Colonel Rail was guilty of gross neglect, his
pickets, of course, covered every approach to Trenton.
Those posted on the Pennington road exchanged shots with
the Americans, and then, discovering the unexpected num-
bers of their enemies, turned and ran off at full speed.
A lieutenant and private fell mortally wounded. The
Continentals, charging the guard, came upon the dying
officer, lying in the snow at the side of the road. He was
a handsome, beardless youth, under twenty years of age,
and was suffering so intensely that many were touched
at the sight. Captain Morris, of the Philadelphia light
horse, checked his steed, and looking down at the poor
fellow asked : —

*' Cannot something be done for him ? "

** This is no time for sympathy," sharply reproved
General Greene; "we have more important business in
hand."

The hurrahing troops went to the head of the town at
utmost speed. A guard was thrown out to prevent the

THE REVOLUTION

Hessians from escaping to the north, and the Americans
pressed the attack. General SulHvan, following the river
road, had halted for a
short time just beyond the
town, to give Greene's di-
vision time to come up.
As soon as he heard the

rattle of mus-
ketry, which told
him his comrades
had arrived, he
dashed forward,
drove in the Hessian picket, and attacked with vigor.
Thus the volley firing and the boom of cannon were heard
from the north and south ends of the town, and the terri-

Batile of Trenton

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON 87

fied Hessians found themselves caught between two fires.
The confusion was great, but they did all that was possible
in the circumstances, falling back, and using everything
they could in the way of' shelter. The Americans, how-
ever, pushed them so hard, that they were sent skurry-
ing from one point to another, only to be routed out and
driven still farther.

The assailants closed in on every hand, many firing from
houses at .the panic-stricken enemy, who at first supposed
they were attacked by only a scouting party. They soon
saw their mistake ; the flashes of musketry from the fast-
advancing platoons at the head of Warren and Greene
streets were quickly joined by the crash of cannon, and
the same fearful music throbbed to the south. The
Americans seemed to leap up at every point,, while
others from the upper windows of the houses helped to
confuse the Hessians, who were running here, there, and
everywhere, not knowing whither to turn, but none the
less putting up a brave fight.

We left Colonel Rail at the house of the rich merchant,
Abraham Hunt, in front of the roaring wood fire which
filled the room with genial warmth, while the shotlike hail
rattled outside. In the small hours the officer bade his
host good night, and made his way to his headquarters on
Warren Street. This was a modest structure, afterward
known as Wilson's Tavern, standing on the present site of
the Catholic Cathedral. When the Colonel reached his
bed, he sank into so deep a sleep, that he was not disturbed
even by the opening tumult on the Pennington road. His
adjutant's quarters were in the next building, and he was
the first officer who heard the firing and suspected its

S8 THE RE\^OLUTION

meaning. Before this, he had called twice on his superior,
but found him asleep. Hearing the musketry, the adjutant
now ran across the street and sent a detachment to the
help of the picket that had been attacked. Then he
dashed back to Rail's house and banged on the door.

An upper window was raised, and the Colonel thrust
out his head.

" What's the matter } "

" Haven't you heard the firing } **

" I will be down in a minute," replied Rail, as he van-
ished from sight.

There is no questioning the courage of the Hessian
colonel. Sooner than might be supposed possible, he
hurried out, buttoning his uniform as he ran, and dashed
right into the shots that were hurtling down the street
from the head of the town. His adjutant urged other
officers to the utmost haste in forming the troops for
resistance to the attack. Appealed to while mounting
his horse, Rail directed the formation of a regiment in the
rear of the English church. He then galloped down the
street toward the quarters of the regiment, named for
himself, which was hurriedly forming. He met one of
the battalions, and wheeling, placed himself at its head.
The artillery fire at the top of the street scattered the
guard at the head of Rail's battalion and killed several
men.

It is not strange that in the confusion Rail was somewhat
bewildered. The effectiveness of the American aim is
shown by the fact that among the eighteen Hessians who
opened fire, eight were killed and wounded before six
shots were fired, and in addition five horses were slain.

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON

Although formations were made at different points, the
Hessians were continually broken and scattered by the
attack that was pressed from every direction. The de-
moralizing effect of the American assault caused Lord
Stirling to order a charge. It was led by Captain Wash-
ington (no relation
of the General), and
a young lieutenant,
only eighteen years
old. In a twinkling
the two brass three-
pounders of Rail's
regiment were cap-
tured and turned
against the fleeing
Hessians. Both offi-
cers were wounded,
though not severely.
The name of the lieu-
tenant was James
Monroe, afterwards
President of the
United States.

The battle of Trenton, from the driving in of the pickets
to the surrender, lasted about two hours ; the actual fight-
ing was probably less than forty-five minutes. When all
hope was gone, the Rail regiment and another surren-
dered. The good news was hurried to Washington, who
was on the high ground at the head of town. Tidings of
the full surrender quickly followed.

Colonel Rail was wounded in the hand early in the

Trenton Monument

90 THE REVOLUTION

fight. Although the hurt bled a good deal, it did not dis-
able him, and he continued to gallop hither and thither
and to urge his men to stand firm. When finally he was
compelled to order a retreat toward an apple orchard, he
received two mortal wounds in the side and fell help-
less from his horse. He lay for a few minutes, and
then, with the help of two soldiers, painfully arose, and
with much suffering slowly made his way into the little
Methodist Church near at hand, where his assistants
lowered him upon one of the benches. General Washing-
ton, having been told of the surrender of the remaining
troops, — except a few Hessians who had escaped in the
direction of Bordentown, — was riding down Warren
Street, as Colonel Rail was being carried to his quarters.

When the attendants were removing the clothing from
the wounded officer, the note of the Tory, written the
night before, was brought to light. The Colonel asked
that it be read to him, " Ah," said he, *' if I had not for-
gotten that, I should not be here."

Generals Washington and Greene called some time later
and offered their sympathy, taking at the same time Rail's
parole of honor. He begged Washington to treat his
men kindly, and was reassured on that point. Colonel
Rail died the following evening. He was buried in the
graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church on State
Street, but no stone marks the last resting place of the un-
fortunate officer.

The Hessian losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners at
Trenton were : one colonel, three majors, four captains,
eight lieutenants, twelve ensigns, two surgeons, ninety-
two sergeants, twenty drummers, nine musicians, twenty-

THE BATTLE OF TRENTON 9 1

five officers' servants, seven hundred and forty rank and
file ; total, nine hundred and eighteen. Of these twenty-
two were killed and eighty-four wounded. Later, a number
of Hessians, who were concealed by their Tory friends,
were discovered, so that the list of prisoners was swelled
to one thousand. The spoils captured were six cannon,
three ammunition wagons, several wagon loads of baggage,
forty horses, one thousand arms and accouterments, and
fifteen army colors.

Captain Washington and Lieutenant James Monroe
were the only American officers wounded. Two privates
were also hurt, but they and the officers fully recovered.
It is stated by some that besides these four, two men
were frozen to death, but the statement has never been
verified.

The success was a thrilling one for the patriot cause,
but Washington and his men were in great danger. A
powerful British force was at Princeton, only ten miles
away, and another at Bordentown, still nearer. At a
council of the officers, therefore, it was decided to return
to the Pennsylvania shore with the least possible delay.
The wounded prisoners were paroled and left in Trenton,
and the Continentals marched up the river road early
in the afternoon to where the boats were held under
guard. The passage of the river was safely made, though
the danger and difficulty seemed greater than before. The
cutting sleet had hardly ceased for twenty-four hours, and
the weather was so cold that three soldiers were frozen to
death on the passage. The next day a thousand men were
reported unfit for duty.

Washington's headquarters were in a farmhouse near

92 THE REVOLUTION

Newtown, five miles from the river. It is an interesting
fact that many of the Hessian prisoners refused to fight
any more against the Americans. A considerable number
escaped to Pennsylvania and settled there. The chief sent
most of them to Virginia, then far from the seat of war.
They were quartered in barracks in a fertile section of
Fauquier county, where they were glad to stay for the
rest of their lives. They squatted upon the land, married
girls from the mountain regions, and were fully content.
The nondescript settlement of several hundred souls is as
isolated from the rest of the State as if it lay in the heart
of Africa. As they live wholly to themselves, obeying no
laws but their own, there is an appropriateness in the name
** Free State," by which the community is generally known.

CHAPTER VII
THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON

In some respects the victory at Trenton was the most
important battle of the Revolution. The first glow of
American patriotism had given place to indifference or
despair in many quarters. Disasters had followed one
another with terrifying swiftness, and the ragged Con-
tinentals were gaunt and weak from starvation. The gloom
closed in on every hand. It seemed as if all except Wash-
ington and a few of his comrades had abandoned hope.
Had the attack at Trenton failed, the war for independence
no doubt would have stopped then and there. It was a
decisive victory for the cause of American freedom.

When the news of the brilliant feat of arms spread
throughout the young States, they were thrilled with joy.
Because many of the people in Philadelphia could not
believe the tidings, Washington convinced them by parad-
ing a large number of his prisoners on the streets of the
capital. Congress took heart and hurried recruits to the
little army that was in sore need of them.

There are some who even at this late day smile at the
thought of calling the Trenton affair a battle. It is not
absolutely certain that any Americans were killed, though
several were wounded, while about a score of the enemy
were slain. Such collisions are generally called skirmishes,
but the importance of a battle rests not upon the number

94 THE REVOLUTION

slain. The capture of Quebec ranks among the decisive
battles of history, because it changed the face of a con-
tinent; although the number killed and wounded among
the English and French was trifling when compared with
the losses in many of the engagements of our Civil War,
which brought no special results. So it is that the fight at
Trenton must be judged by its momentous effect upon the
struggle for independence.^

As has been stated, Washington recrossed the Delaware
with his prisoners to Pennsylvania, at the same place where
he had crossed when on his way to Trenton. He was so
encouraged by his success that he was hopeful of breaking
the enemy's line of communication, threatening them at
New Brunswick, and thus checking their advance upon
Philadelphia. He therefore came back to Trenton, on
the 30th of December. This time his men walked over on
the ice. All was quiet until January 2. Late on the after-
noon of that day, a strong British force marched down
from Princeton to attack the Americans. Washington
drew up his men on the south side of the bridge over the
Assanpink. The British charged three times, but were
driven back by the destructive musketry and artillery fire
of the Americans, and finally gave up the attempt. The
loss of the British amounted to several score.

The situation of Washington and his army became criti-
cal to the last degree. CornwalUs, the best of the British
generals, was hurrying from Princeton, with a well-dis-
ciplined and much larger force ; a thaw had caused the
Delaware to break up and the river was filled with enor-

iWhen Mercer county was formed in 1838, a leading citizen of Trenton in-
sisted that it should be called " Pivot County," because, as he declared, within its
bounds despair and failure swung round to hope and success.

THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON

mous masses of ice, tumbling and crunching over one
another. The most powerful boat would have been crushed
before it could have pushed from shore. It was impossible
to take refuge in Pennsylvania again, and the ragged Conti-
nentals could not withstand the assault of the veteran
troops. It looked as if nothing could save the patriots
from capture or destruction.

Washington outwitting the British

All through that still, cold night, the British sentinels,
pacing to and fro, on one side of the Assanpink, saw the
American sentinels doing the same on the other bank.
They noted that the patriot guard had been doubled, and
by the camp fires' flickering light they caught glimpses
of shadowy figures throwing up an intrenchment. Seem-

96 THE REVOLUTION

ingly the Americans were preparing for the last desperate
stand.

The exultant Cornwallis was impatient for the coming
day. He was sure he had trapped the fox at last, and
that his furlough had been merely postponed for a few
weeks. He thought that he would speedily bag his game,
and that this would be the end of all thought of American
independence.

The morning dawned sunshiny and keen. Hardly had
it begun to grow light in the east, when the British com-
mander was startled by the faint boom of cannon. He
listened. The reports grew more rapid, and, to his con-
sternation, they came from behind him, that is, from the
direction of Princeton !

Cornwallis knew what it meant. Instead of being just
across the Assanpink, waiting to be annihilated, Washing-
ton had made a roundabout march in the night, and was at
that moment attacking the British post at Princeton. The
fox had eluded the trap set for him. The chagrined com-
mander gathered his troops, and set out in hot haste for
the college town, hoping still to reach- and destroy the
American army.

The latter came in sight of Princeton at sunrise. The
main column pushed on to the town, while General Mercer,
with some three hundred and fifty men, started to tak^
possession of the bridge on the road leading to Trenton.
His purpose was to head off the fugitives from Princeton
and to protect the rear of the army against Cornwallis,
who, it was known, would before long arrive from the
south.

A brigade of the enemy, under Lieutenant Colonel Maw-

THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON

hood, had quartered in Princeton the previous night, and
one of the regiments crossed the bridge over Stony Brook
before it saw the Americans. Mawhood immediately re-
crossed the bridge, and then observed Mercer and his de-
tachment marching up the stream towards the bridge a
fourth of a mile away.

The two forces raced for the high ground on the right.
The Americans gained a worm fence first and fired a volley

Attack on Mercer's Troops at Princeton

from behind it into the approaching enemy, already near
at hand. The English returned the fire and charged. The
patriots fired twice again, but being armed only with rifles,
broke and ran.

When he heard the firing, Washington ordered the
Pennsylvania militia to support General Mercer, and he
led them in person with two pieces of artillery. The
enemy had pursued Mercer until they saw, for the first time,

98 THE REVOLUTION

the approaching Continentals. They halted, brought up
their artillery, and tried to capture the American battery.
Before a sharp fire of grapeshot and the advance of an-
other regiment from the rear of the column, the enemy
began retreating over the fields to the north of Stony
Brook. They left their artillery behind, but the captors,
having no horses, could not carry it off. Two British
regiments resisted for a short time at • the ravine and
then fled to the college building. They soon abandoned
that, losing nearly a hundred men, besides having four
hundred taken prisoners and wounded. The loss of the
Americans was only twenty-five or thirty, but among the
dead were some of the best officers of the army, — Colonels
Haslet and Potter, Major Morris, and Captains Shippen,
Fleming, and Neal.

General Hugh Mercer was a brilliant leader and among
the bravest of the brave. Upon reaching the rail fence,
he dismounted from his wounded horse and was thus
thrown to the rear. While he was trying to rally his men,
they gave way, and, being surrounded, he put himself at
bay. Observing his rank, the soldiers shouted : —

" Call for quarter, you rebel ! "

Mercer struck at the nearest man, but, being immediately
bayoneted, he sank to the ground. Believing him dead,
the enemy hurried on. Mercer lay where he had fallen
until the battle was over, when two of his aids assisted
him to the house of Thomas Clark, where he was tenderly
nursed by Miss Sarah Clark, of the Society of Friends,
assisted by a colored woman.

The British having retreated to Princeton, a mile distant,
and taken refuge in the college and Presbyterian Church,

THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON

which they used for barracks, Washington opened fire
upon them with cannon. After a few shots, Captain
James Moore of the miUtia and several men broke in a
door and called upon the enemy to surrender. They
instantly did so. Washington knew that Cornwallis was
hurrying to the town from Trenton and he himself had no
time to lose. He therefore took the parole of those un-
able to travel and hurried off with the remainder. Three
miles out, at the hamlet of Kingston, the general officers
held a consultation as they sat in their saddles.

All wished to press on to New Brunswick, attack the
troops there, and seize the treasure and large amount of
supplies, but the Americans were utterly worn out. They
had been fighting at Trenton the day before, had marched
all night, and fought again, and only a few had eaten any-
thing for the past twenty-four hours. They were in rags,
and though it was the dead of winter, many, as we know,
were shoeless. The limit of endurance had been reached,
and it was only merciful on the part of the chief when he
turned the head of his little army toward Rocky Hill.

The baffled Cornwallis pressed his troops to the utmost,
and reached Kingston shortly after the Americans had
left. Not doubting that they were making for New
Brunswick, he hurried through the hamlet and speedily
struck the main highway. This was so frozen that it was al-
most impassable. His baggage wagons broke down, but, in
his anxiety to save his valuable supplies and large amount of
treasure, he left the vehicles in charge of a strong guard
and hurried on. 'When his panting troops reached New
Brunswick, they learned that not an American soldier had
been within miles of the town. ^^SQ i Q

HIST. N.J. — 7

lOO THE REVOLUTION

Late that dark, cold night, the guards in charge of the
baggage wagons were startled by the flash and reports of
guns from behind trees, and shouts seemingly from a
thousand throats. They dashed off in a panic with a few
wagons, leaving the others to what they beheved was the
whole American army. As a matter of fact, however, there
were less than twenty soldiers who had played the clever
trick upon them. The prize consisted of woolen clothing,
and nothing could have been more welcome to the shiver-
ing troops.

Although elated by his brilliant successes, Washington
was saddened by the loss of so many brave officers. He
grieved especially for General Mercer, who had been his
comrade in the French and Indian War, and whom he held
in warm regard. Great, therefore, was his relief, when he
learned that his friend, despite his fearful hurts, was still
alive. He instantly sent his nephew, Major Lewis, with a
flag and letter to Lord Cornwallis, asking that all possible
attention be given to the general, and that Major Lewis
be permitted to remain with him and minister to his
wants. Cornwallis complied with both requests, and or-
dered his staff surgeon to attend General Mercer. We
quote from " Custis's Recollections": —

" Upon an examination of the wounds the British sur-
geon observed that although they were many and severe,
he was disposed to believe they were not dangerous. Mer-
cer, bred to the profession of an army surgeon in Europe,
said to young Lewis : * Raise my right arm, George,
and this gentleman will then discover the smallest of my
wounds, which will prove the most fatal. Yes, sir, that
is the fellow that will soon do my business.' He Ian-

THE BATTLE OF PRINCETON lOI

guished until the 12th and expired in the arms of Lewis,
admired and lamented by the whole army. During this
period he exonerated his enemies from the accusation of
having bayoneted a general officer, after he had surrendered
his sword and had become a prisoner of war, declaring
that he only relinquished his sword when his arm became
powerless to wield it."

The last of the Continental army reached Somerset
Court House (Millstone), Somerset county, late at night,
and lodged their prisoners in jail. To show the forlorn
and weary condition of the captors it is stated that many
of them had hardly turned the massive doors upon the
prisoners, wheit they sank down on the frozen ground, and
without so much as a blanket, fell into a sound sleep which
lasted until sunrise.

The army left Millstone January 4, halted two days at
Pluckemin, and then marched to the highlands of Morris
county, where it went into winter quarters. Comfortable
huts were put up and the recruiting and reorganization of
the army for the spring campaign was pushed with vigor.
The army remained in Morristown until the close of the
following May.

The strategy and generalship displayed by Washington
in the winter of 1776 and 1777 have never been surpassed
in military history. If this sounds extravagant, let us quote
the words of Von Moltke, the eminent Prussian general and
the foremost strategist of modern times, as stated by Pro-
fessor W. M. Sloane : " No finer movement was ever exe-
cuted than the retreat across the Jerseys, the return across the
Delaware a first time, and then a second, so as to draw out
the enemy in a long, thin line, to skirmish at the Assanpink,

I02 THE REVOLUTION

create a feeling of assurance, throw the British general off
his guard, turn his flank with consummate skill, and, finally,
with such unequal force, to complete his discomfiture at
Princeton and throw him back upon his base. Washing-
ton's military career was marked throughout by preeminent
qualities as a soldier, but the climax of his power was dis-
played when, with such scanty resources as had been put
at his disposal throughout that first campaign, he closed
it by leaving a numerous and well-equipped enemy boxed
up in New York, and much concerned, at that, for the
safety of its precious stores. Great as were Washington's
later achievements, and remarkable indeed as was his
conduct of the whole war, he never surpassed his early
feats of strategy. Of these the affair at Princeton was the
climax."

When Washington, after the battle of Princeton, in
January, 1777, went to Morristown, he made his head-
quarters at the Arnold tavern, which has since been
completely changed in appearance, and now serves as
a hospital. Returning in the winter of 1779-80, the. com-
mander in chief occupied the house built by Colonel
Jacob Ford in 1772. This structure, which has been ad-
mirably preserved by the patriotic Washington Head-
quarters Association, contains hundreds of interesting
souvenirs of Washington. Among the most priceless is his
original commission as commander of the American army.
It is dated June 19, 1775, and is signed by John Hancock,
then president of the Continental Congress. This docu-
ment was accidentally found by a carpenter, while repair-
ing the capitol at Richmond, Virginia. Other precious
heritages are many of Washington's familiar personal let-

103

I04 THE REVOLUTION

ters to his military friends ; a marble bust by the French
sculptor Houdon, believed to be absolutely accurate ; glass-
ware used at Mount Vernon ; uniforms, articles of furni-
ture, dress, and various bric-a-brac, besides the fine old
clock in the dining room whose ticking fell upon Washing-
ton's ears more than a century ago. Nowhere is there a
finer collection than is gathered in this historic building at
Morristown.

Mrs. Washington was the companion at times of her
husband at Morristown. She presided at the table with
natural grace and dignity, and proved here, as at Valley
Forge and elsewhere, her sympathy with him and the
cause to which he had consecrated his life. Visitors were
often entertained, and though the fare was meager, Virgin-
ian hospitality was never lacking. Thither went Baron
Steuben, who after fighting through the war of the Austrian
Succession and through the Seven Years' War, abandoned
the position of aide to Frederick the Great in 1778, to help
the Americans in their struggle for liberty. Congress ap-
pointed him inspector-general, and his services in drilling
the troops were invaluable.

CHAPTER VIII
A HARRIED STATE

Nowhere, except perhaps in the extreme South, did the
patriots suffer to such an extent as in New Jersey. Not
only were both armies encamped for a long time on its
soil, — and the presence even of a friendly force is always
a hardship to the people, — but the State was harried by
Tories. When driven out, gangs of them gathered on
Staten Island, made swift raids into the State, and not
only committed shocking atrocities, but kidnaped promi-
nent citizens. It cannot be wondered at that the patriots
in their rage retaliated in some instances to the full. A
civil war is the most merciless of all wars, and the condi-
tion of New Jersey was at times harrowing beyond imagi-
nation. To add to the horrors, a number of desperate men
made their homes in the immense wooded tracts of Mon-
mouth. They were known as "pine robbers," and robbed
and killed Tories and patriots impartially, whenever there
was a chance of gaining aught thereby.

The good effect of Washington's victories was more
marked in New Jersey than anywhere else. This was
due, not only to the reawakened faith in the triumph
of freedom, but to the fact that those who had taken Brit-
ish protection found to their cost that it was no protection
at all. The open enemies of the invaders could not have
suffered more outrages at their hands than did those who
Drofessed to be the friends of the British.

105

Io6 . THE REVOLUTION

•

The militia of the State were roused, and until the close
of the war they proved themselves among the best of
soldiers. The patriotism of the State was keyed up as
never before. Washington issued a stern proclamation
against the plundering of people under the pretense that
they were Tories. At the same time, he promised to shield
all who would surrender their protection papers and swear
allegiance to the United States. By this means, hundreds
were brought back to the side of the patriots.

Washington was convinced that Howe would either
move up the; Hudson to meet Burgoyne's army coming
down from Canada, or cross to New Jersey to capture
Philadelphia. The American commander drilled his troops
and held himself ready to check either movement. On the
28th of May he left the camp at Morristown and marched to
Bound Brook, ten miles from New Brunswick. General Sul-
livan's force at Princeton was steadily increased by the New
Jersey militia and recruits from the Southern States. Howe,
hoping to draw the Continental army into the open field,
where he could overwhelm it, advanced from New Bruns-
wick in two columns. The first, under Cornwallis, reached
Somerset Court House the next morning and the second
kept on to Middlebrook. Washington posted his army in
line of battle on the heights. The New Jersey militia, in
large numbers, reenforced General Sullivan, who took posi-
tion behind the Sourland Hills, in the direction of Flem-
ington.

Finding that Washington could not be lured from his
position, Howe marched back to New Brunswick. Three
days later he moved to Perth Amboy and sent his baggage
trains across to Staten Island on a portable bridge. He

A HARRIED STATE I07

had decided to waste no more time, but to advance against
Philadelphia without further delay. Washington read his
purpose and sent Generals Greene, Sullivan, and Maxwell
to assail him on the flank and rear. The chief moved his
army to Quibbletown (New Market), in the direction of
Perth Amboy, and Lord Stirling marched to Metuchen
Meeting House.

These movements drew Howe into another attempt to
bring on a general engagement, but the American com-
mander quickly regained his fortifications at Middlebrook.
Thereupon, Howe passed through Rah way to Perth Amboy,
and on the last day of June crossed with his army to Staten
Island. Washington was now convinced that the British
commander had given up his intention of marching overland
to Philadelphia and that the attack would be made by sea.
The chief advanced toward the Delaware, where he posted
his forces below the city, and strongly reenforced the forts
at Red Bank on the east side and at Mud Island on the
western shore.

Howe landed at Elkton, Maryland, and Washington ad-
vanced to the Brandywine to give him battle at Chadd's
Ford. On September 11, 1777, General Maxwell with
the New Jersey troops was driven across Brandywine Creek
and Howe's army flung itself against Washington's flank.
The latter was defeated, but the pursuit of the enemy was
checked by the division of General Wayne. The American
guards at the ford hastened off to join the main army, which
retreated to Chester. In this unfortunate affair the patriots
lost nine hundred, killed and wounded, and the enemy about
half as many.

Washington entered Philadelphia the next day, crossed

io8

THE REVOLUTION

the Schuylkill, and stationed himself on the eastern bank,
with strong guards at the different fords, where the enemy
seemed likely to try to pass. The dashing General Wayne
hid himself and fifteen hundred men in the woods, meaning
to assail the British in the rear. Their presence was be-
trayed to the enemy, who attacked them so furiously that
three hundred men were killed. This sad affair is known
as the PaoU Massacre.

Attack at Chew House, Germantown, Pennsylvania

Having gained command of the Schuylkill, Howe crossed
with his whole army and occupied Philadelphia. He then
set out to reduce the forts below the city, so as to allow
the English fleet to come up the river. It proved a hard
task, but he succeeded. While he was thus engaged, Wash-
ington tried to surprise the enemy at Germantown. He
did so, but a stubborn resistance was met at the " Chew
House." Being made of stone, it could not be burned, and

A HARRIED STATE 109

the cannon shot did no damage. A dense fog made it im-
possible at times to tell friend from foe, and several Con-
tinental companies fired into one another. The confusion
became so hopeless that Washington was forced to retreat
to save his men. He did so without losing a gun, but his
loss was a thousand, to six hundred of the enemy. The
humiliating fact was afterward learned that had the fight
lasted ten minutes longer, Howe would have retreated.

Congress had fled to York, and Washington went to
Valley Forge, where the patriots starved and froze, with
the enemy a few miles away in Philadelphia, living upon
the fat of the land. But while everything seemed to go
wrong with the army of the commander in chief, a far-
reaching victory crowned our arms in the North. With
the finest equipped foreign force that ever trod American
soil. General Burgoyne marched down from Canada, in-
tending to force his army, like a great wedge, between New
England and the other States. Could the two sections be
thus split apart, and mutual support excluded, both would
be so weakened that their conquest would be sure.

As Burgoyne moved southward, he was invested on
every hand by the patriots. His supplies were shut off, he
was continually assailed, and when it became a choice be-
tween starvation and yielding, he surrendered nearly six
thousand men with an enormous amount of military sup-
plies, on October 17, 1777. The victory was the greatest
triumph, thus far, of the war. More important than that,
it gave France the excuse for which she was waiting, to
help the Americans openly and soon after to form a treaty
of alliance with them. The assistance of France, however,
amounted to very little until near the close of the war.

no THE REVOLUTION

In November, 1777, Congress adopted the "Articles of
Confederation," which bound the States together in the
best union that could be formed in the circumstances. The
Articles could not be binding until first accepted by the
several States. Much discussion followed, and Maryland
— the last — did not assent until 1781. The debate was
under way in the New Jersey legislature, when Governor
Livingston, in the latter part of May, 1778, told the body
that two treaties, one commercial and the other defensive,
had been signed with France.

Among the New Jersey amendments proposed to the
Articles were those prohibiting a standing army in time of
peace, giving Congress the sole power of regulating trade
with other countries, and authorizing that body to sell
vacant and unpatented lands for the purpose of paying the
expenses of the war and for other general purposes. New
Jersey accepted the Articles in November, 1778.

CHAPTER IX
THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH COURT HOUSE

The sluggish Sir William Howe, in command at Phila-
delphia, was displaced by Sir Henry Clinton, who feared
that the expected French fleet would sail up the Delaware
and shut off his escape by water, while Washington attacked
him by land. He decided, therefore, to withdraw from the
city, march across New Jersey, which as usual lay in the
path, to Sandy Hook, and thence sail for New York. He
left Philadelphia, June 17, 1778, with his command of ten
thousand well-appointed troops.

Washington was quick to read his opponent's plan. He
sent Maxwell with the New Jersey brigade, a union having
been formed with the militia under Dickinson, to break
down the bridges and to fell trees in front of the enemy.
This work was done so well that Clinton, clogged by his
huge baggage train, took six days to reach Imlaystown,
fourteen miles southeast of Trenton.

Washington, with the main army, crossed the Delaware
at Coryell's Ferry, where Lambertville now stands, and
sent Colonel Morgan and his picked corps of six hundred
men to reenforce Maxwell, while the commander in chief
marched toward Princeton. Not knowing the route Clinton
intended to take, he halted at Hopewell, partly to rest his
men, for the weather was very hot and rainy.

When he reached Kingston, his spies brought news

III

112 . THE REVOLUTION

that made clear the intended course of Clinton. A thou-
sand troops were sent to help those that were harassing the
rear of the enemy. They were under the command of
Lafayette, who was ordered to press Clinton's left. That
night Washington advanced to Cranbury, and on the even-
ing of the 26th the front was within five miles of the enemy.
General Lee, who had been exchanged some time before,
was hurried forward the next day with two brigades and
took command of the whole division, now grown to five
thousand men. This strong force was thus pushed forward
because it was known that Clinton had placed his best
troops at the rear. That night Washington encamped
within three miles of Englishtown, where Lee had paused
with his advance.

Clinton had taken a good position on the high ground
near Monmouth Court House. His right rested on the
edge of a small wood, and a dense forest sheltered his left,
while his whole front was shielded by another wood. He
was anxious to gain the heights of Middletown, only twelve
miles distant, where he would be safe against any assault.

The British commander felt no special fear of the Ameri-
cans, but was concerned for the safety of his immense
baggage train. It was the season when the days are
longest, and between three and four o'clock on the morn-
ing of June 28 he started the train toward the seacoast.
To avoid crowding it, Clinton waited two hours before
following. This division was under the immediate command
of Lord Cornwallis, who, as has been said, was the best
British general in America.

Washington was resolute to strike Clinton. He had
sent a note to Lee some hours before, ordering him to

THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH COURT HOUSE 113

watch the enemy closely and not to allow him to slip
away. Lee was alert. When, in the early dawn, the chief
learned that his foes were moving, he ordered Lee to push
on and attack them " unless there should be powerful rea-
sons to the contrary." Lee was also notified that Wash-
ington was advancing to support him.

The most conflicting messages came rapidly to Lee, who
was sorely perplexed. In the midst of his distraction La-
fayette arrived with about four thousand men, besides Mor-
gan's troops and the New Jersey militia. Lee, Wayne, and
several officers rode out to reconnoiter. They believed
the force in front of them was the covering party of the
enemy and could be cut off from the main army. Wayne
started forward with seven hundred men and some pieces
of artillery to hold the guard by a moderate attack, while
Lee gained the rear and captured it.

It soon became certain that the enemy in front of Lee
was much stronger than had been supposed, — so strong
indeed that they advanced against the Americans. This
brought about the situation which has been described so
many times. The shifting of one body of our troops was
believed to be a retreat by the commander of another body,
who also fell back. The panic quickly spread to all the
divisions, and in a short time Lee's whole command was
on the run, with the British in close pursuit. This was
kept up all the way to the village, when it ceased from a
cause which has not yet been explained.

Sunday, June 28, was one of the hottest days ever known
in the history of New Jersey. The temperature touched
one hundred degrees and at times passed above that.
The oppressive heat was disastrous to soldiers fatigued by

114

THE REVOLUTION

British Soldier

previous efforts. Men died from sun-
stroke in the middle of the preceding '
and the following night. Amid the
choking dust and smiting rays, the
suffering was intense, and over a
hundred deaths resulted from the
awful heat.

The Americans fought with the
least possible covering for their bod-
ies ; but as the British always wore
their uniforms in battle, not a British
officer or private threw off his coat,
even when, gasping for breath, he
sank down on the blistering earth, to
moan out his life.
The English regulars wore scarlet coats, faced with
different colors, according to regi-
ment, white crossed belts for car-
tridge boxes and bayonets, hair-
covered knapsacks, white waistcoats
and breeches, black gaiters, and
tall beaver hats. The Grenadier
Guards wore beaver-skin caps all
through that unendurable tempera-
ture.

Our own generals wore blue and
buff, the stars for the epaulettes
not being adopted until a year later,
and large black cocked hats, with
black cockades, similar to the Brit-
ish pattern.

American Soldier

THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH COURT HOUSE 115

The chief supposed the van of Lee's command would
strike the rear of the British, and he ordered Greene to go
to the right with the right wing to prevent the enemy from
turning that flank, the chief intending to lead the left wing
to the support of Lee. At this critical moment Washing-
ton was told that the whole army was retreating. He could
not believe the astounding news, and spurred his horse to
a gallop, checking it at the ravine just beyond Tennent
Church, at sight of his troops coming pellmell toward him.
Immediately afterwards, he came face to face with Lee,
who was so occupied that he did not sec his chief until the
noses of their horses almost touched.

Washington had drawn his sword, and was in such a
rage that those who saw the two thought he meant to cut
down Lee. The latter abruptly saluted, but before he
could speak, the chief furiously demanded the meaning of
the retreat. Lee had a passionate temper, but restrained
himself, and said with biting intensity : " It is the natural
result of your Excellency's judgment, and the disobedience
of my orders by your officers, but I will lead the troops
back and fight to the death."

" Go to the rear ! This is cowardice or worse ! "

Lee quivered with passion, but again he checked himself
and sullenly obeyed his chief. Washington spurred his
horse among the tumultuous troops, and by his sheer per-
sonality was rapidly rounding them into form, when Colo-
nel Hamilton, in a state of consternation, dashed up and
called out that the British army was within fifteen minutes
of the spot.

Instantly Washington became as calm as a summer's
day. He waited for the rear of the troops to reach him.

HIST. N.J. — 8

ii6

THE REVOLUTION

His eye had been quick to note that the spot was favorable
for a stand. Turning his head, he saw Lee sitting in his
saddle, his face pale, but awaiting the commands of his
chief. Washington was always magnanimous, and the dis-
tressed countenance touched him. He motioned Lee to
approach. The latter saluted and obeyed. In an even
voice, in which there was a tone of consideration, the chief

Washington reprimanding Lee at Monmouth

asked: "Will you command on this ground.? If not, I
will remain ; if you will command, I will return to the
main body, and form on the next height."

" It is my highest pleasure to obey your orders," replied
Lee ; " I shall not be the first man to leave the field."

With matchless skill Washington re-formed the broken
ranks of the main army, on the moderate elevation to the
west of the ravine. Lord Stirling took command of the
left wing and Greene gained a good position on the right.

THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH COURT HOUSE 117

Lee did his duty well. He opened a sharp cannonade in
reply to that of the enemy, whose light horse made a
vicious charge upon his right. Despite a desperate resist-
ance, the Americans were forced back. They withdrew
slowly across an open field, in front of the ravine, to a
growth of locust trees known as the " Hedgerow." ^

On this spot the most terrific fighting of the day took
place. Several cannon on an eminence to the rear struck
down many of the enemy, but the cavalry and a powerful
force of infantry pressed on, and swept back the patriots.
Lee led his men across the ravine, and he himself was the
last to leave. Quickly re-forming them, he galloped up
to Washington and asked for his orders. The soldiers
were gasping with exhaustion and the appalling heat. In
mercy to them, the chief directed Lee to place his troops
behind Englishtown, while he engaged the enemy with
fresh men of the second division and the main division.

The real battle followed. In the formation of the
new line Greene had the right and Lord Stirling the left.
Wayne, somewhat in advance, held an elevation in an
orchard, while several pieces of artillery were posted on
Combs's Hill, a quarter of a mile away. These guns com-
manded the hill beyond the Hedgerow, held by the British,
who were greatly harassed by the fire. Their charges on
the front being repulsed, the enemy attempted to turn the
American left, but were checked there also. Then they
hurled themselves against the right, only to be flung back
as before, while the battery under Knox, on the elevation
occupied by Greene, attacked them with great vigor.

1 A group of locusts still stands upon this spot. Among them are possibly a few
around which the flame of battle raged more than a hundred years ago.

ii8

THE REVOLUTION

Wayne, from his place in the orchard, kept hammering
the British center. The Royal Grenadiers, under Lieu-
tenant Colonel Monckton, repeatedly bucked their way
through the Hedgerow, only to be driven back by the
Americans, who fought with unsurpassable heroism. The
struggle was hand to hand, in the very acme of desperation,

and many sank to the
ground and died from
the intolerable heat.

Then came a brief
lull, during which the
troops on both sides
gathered for the final
struggle. Wayne
held the key of the
American position,
and Monckton saw
that success was im-
* possible until he was
driven from it. He
made an impassioned
appeal to his men,
exhorting them to do
their duty. They
answered with cheers, and eagerly awaited his orders.
Monckton had a clear voice and he was not only in plain
sight, but every word he spoke was heard by the Ameri-
cans.

Knowing that the final struggle was at hand, Wayne
partially sheltered his men behind a large barn that stood
near and addressed them : " If you are beaten back, the

Wayne addressing his Troops

THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH COURT HOUSE 119

day is lost. Hold your fire till I give the command, which
will not be till the enemy is very close. Take special aim
at the officers. If you can bring down Monckton, it will
be worth a regiment."

This cruel command was not forgotten. The enemy
formed in solid column and advanced in such splendid
order that a single cannon ball from Combs's Hill knocked
the muskets from the hands of a whole platoon. With
admirable precision the British moved forward until within
a few rods of the Americans, when Colonel Monckton
waved his sword above his head and his shout rang out —
^^Chat'ge!'' Like an echo of his voice rose the other
single word — " Fire ! "

Death mowed down a score, and among the first mortally
smitten was Monckton, who was caught in the arms of an
aid, as he reeled from his saddle. The enemy were falling
back, when the sight of their beloved commander lying
helpless on the ground caused them to turn and make a
frenzied effort to recover the body. The two forces
crashed together, and the climax of the day's fighting took
place. The Americans won, and the lifeless trophy was
carried into their lines, the maddened pursuers being flung
back in their last despairing effort to secure the body.

The repulse of the Grenadiers caused the British army
to give way. It retreated to the elevation beyond " Carr's
House," which had been occupied by Lee that morning.
The enemy were busy for hours in burying their dead,
looking after the wounded, and preparing to renew the
battle on the morrow. Washington meant to attack them
at once, but the ground was so broken that twilight came
before he was ready and he decided to wait till daybreak.

I20 THE REVOLUTION

The American troops were in motion at an early hour,
as eager as their commaader to renew the battle which
promised the fullest success to them. Clinton, however, had
had all he wished of fighting, and did not await the coming
of day before renewing his retreat. His aim was to reach
Sandy Hook, where he hoped to find Admiral Howe's fleet.
Fortunately for the commander and his troops, they were
not disappointed. They were taken aboard the ships and
in due time landed in New York.

The battle of Monmouth Court House was a moral vic-
tory for the patriots, though the object sought was not
attained. Finding that the enemy had eluded him, Wash-
ington marched to the Hudson, which he crossed at King's
Ferry, and once more assumed guard by that stream. His
purpose was to prevent the British from shutting off com-
munication between New England and the other States.
This duty was of such supreme importance that Wash-
ington never lost sight of it from the beginning to the close
of the war.

CHAPTER X

STRIKING INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THE BATTLE
OF MONMOUTH COURT HOUSE

No battle of the Revolution was marked by more inter-
esting incidents than that which has been described in the
preceding chapter. It may be added that regarding no
event are there more mistaken impressions.

Monmouth Court House, during the War for Independ-
ence, and for some years afterward, meant not only the
dozen straggling buildings clustered around the old court-
house built in 171 5, and strung along the road to Allen-
town, Middletown, and to Tennent Church, but the whole
township. The name of the flourishing county town was
later changed to Freehold.

The story of Mollie Pitcher is a part of the battle. It
is shown on a fine monument, and has been depicted and
told times without number. " Mollie Pitcher " was the
nickname given to that remarkable woman, because of her
task in carrying water to her husband and other soldiers
during the battle. The facts are as follows : —

Her name was Mary, and she was the daughter of John
George Ludwig. She married John Hays, a Pennsylvania
artilleryman, and, after his death, became the wife of Ser-
geant George McCauly. She was a woman of powerful,
masculine frame. On that day of insufferable heat, she had

her hands full in trying to quench the thirst of her husband.

121

122

THE REVOLUTION

He was helping to serve a gun when he was shot down,
the enemy taking special pains to pick off the gunners
of the battery that was doing great execution.

Seeing her husband fall, Mollie caught up the sponge-
staff, which had dropped from his hands, and continued
his work throughout the remainder of the battle. It is
usually said that an officer ordered the gun out of action,

" AIOLLiE Pitcher " at Monmouth

because of the death of McCauly, and that he yielded to
the request of the woman that the piece should be kept in
service. But every gun was needed by the Americans at
Monmouth, and nothing can be more absurd than to sup-
pose that the death of one of the seven men in charge of
the cannon should make it necessary for the six to aban-
don their important work. The gun would have been
kept going without the aid of Mollie, though that fact
cannot dim the glory of her deed.

INCIDENTS AT MONMOUTH

123

Another universal, though slight, error makes Mollie
carry the water from a spring. There was no spring any-
where near her. She brought the water from Wenrock
Brook, which flowed then as it flows to-day at the base of
Combs's Hill. Close to the railway, a mile west of Free-
hold, a post has been set up with the painted words : " Moll
Pitcher's Well." There is no ground whatever for this
sign. The well or spring referred to did not appear until
a half century after the battle, during which no artillery
was in its neighborhood.

Another statement often made regarding Mollie is that
Washington gave her a commission as a lieutenant. There
is no official record of any
such occurrence. General
Greene presented her to the
chief, who complimented her
for her bravery and may have
made her an " honorary" offi-
cer. Mollie was fond of wear-
ing a military coat, and no
doubt she was often called
" Captain " by her friends,
who were naturally proud of
her. She was granted a pen-
sion by the State of Pennsyl-
vania and lived in comfort to
old age. In the cemetery at Carlisle, a neat stone monu-
ment bears this inscription : " Mollie McCauly, Renowned
in History as Mollie Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth.
Died Jan., 1833, aged 79 years. Erected by the Citizens
of Cumberland Co., July 4, 1876."

MOLLIE MSCASJLY
MDILIE PITCHER.

I The Hfrffine of MonniCtitK

[uM/fi * OimberkiiiiLCoiiMu

Jlily^ 1S70

Monument to " Mollie Pitcher'

124

THE REVOLUTION

It is hard to see any special cause for blaming Lee at
Monmouth. He fought bravely and skillfully, amid con-
flicting reports and the greatest confusion. But he had a
peppery temper and, as we know, was very jealous of
Washington. It was his insulting letters to Washington
and to Congress which caused his dismissal from the
service, bee never lost his admiration for British general-
ship and bravery, and later developments proved that he
was willing to sell his services to CHnton, who did not think
them worth buying ; but Lee had none of the mahgnity
which marked the treason of Arnold.

Two miles out from Monmouth Court House stood the
famous Tennent Church, as it stands to-day, strong, attrac-
tive, and in the best of repair, though it was built a quarter
of a century before the battle. The numerous graves which
surround the building show how greatly the dead outnumber
the living of the congregation. The body of Colonel
Monckton is buried near the church.

The attendants came from miles around on each Sab-
bath to attend the service at the' Tennent Church. On
June 28, 1778, as may well be supposed, no sermon was
preached. Pastor and congregation gathered round the
building, talking with bated breath of the battle tha,t
seemed to be raging on every hand. They saw the charg-
ing enemy in their brilliant uniforms, the ragged and
mostly barefooted Continentals, — some of whom hurried
past the church several times. The sulphurous clouds
mixed with the hot dust in the highway and shut hundreds
of the combatants from view, but the continuous rattle of
the musketry, the boom of cannon, and the shouts of men,
with glimpses of soldiers fighting hand to hand, told all

INCIDENTS AT MONMOUTH

125

Tennent Church

that one of the greatest battles of the Revohition was
going on around them.

Twenty feet from the front of the church .was a large
oak, under which stood a group of men and women, talk-
ing in awed voices of the fearful scene. A young man,
named Tunis Coward, folded his arms and partly leaned
against the trunk of the oak and partly sat upon a sand-
stone monument about three feet high. In this posture,
he and the others were gazing toward the Court House,
where the firing just then was the hottest, when a pecul-

126

THE REVOLUTION

iar whizzing sound was heard. In the same moment the
upper half of the headstone flew into fragments, many of
which rattled against the front of the meeting house and
stung the faces of several persons. Coward was hurled

toward the church
door, with one leg
loosely flapping, and
rolled over in a limp
heap. A cannon ball,
traveling up from the
Court House, had just
cleared the roof of
the horse sheds, struck
Coward, and then
skipped and plowed
up the field beyond.
The poor fellow was
carried through the
open door and laid in
one of the pews just
as he breathed his
last. The pew is the
first one on the right
as you pass through
the left front door.
The body of Coward was the only one taken into Tennent
Church during or after the battle.

Colonel David Ray of the artillery was riding somewhat
in advance of a militia regiment, on the morning of the
battle, when he saw a British dragoon, mounted on a
superb horse, leave the ranks and come toward him. Ray

^^^^^S^K^^^Bm^^i. 4 . ./■^■■^■■.\

W §■■ J^^^- ''$: ■

•*■ ~ i

Freehold Monument

INCIDENTS AT MONMOUTH

127

was astride a sorry nag, and he determined to capture the
fine steed of his enemy. He was one of the best shots in
the army, and when about fifty yards from the other, he
deliberately aimed his pistol and fired at the dragoon.
He missed, and, drawing his other weapon, fired with the
same care, but missed again. The trooper was now
almost upon him, charging at full speed with drawn sword.
Ray decided that it was the best time in the world to re-
treat, and whirling about, he spurred his horse to a dead
run, heading for a barn near at hand, around which he
dashed, dodging as best he could the furious blows of the
dragoon, who kept hard after him. Seeing a door open,
the fugitive drove his horse into that and out of another
door. His pursuer did the same, determined that the
American should not escape him ; and Ray made for his
regiment, which was hurrying to his help. The dragoon
was at his heels and struck repeatedly at him, until he was
within a few rods of the Americans. More than a score of
shots were fired at the daring fellow, but he was not
touched. Finally he wheeled about, rode back at an easy
pace, and was seen to take his place in line.

CHAPTER XI
CLOSING EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION

In September, 1778, occurred what is known as "The
Tappan Massacre." A force of Britfsh soldiers, five thou-
sand strong, went up the Hudson, partly to collect forage
and partly to draw off attention from an expedition against
Little Egg Harbor. Washington directed Colonel George
Baylor, with a detachment of Virginia troopers, consisting
of twelve officers and one hundred and four men, to watch
the enemy. Colonel Baylor and his men were surprised
by the British while asleep, late at night, near Tappan,
Bergen county. In their attack the enemy displayed the
utmost brutality. Twenty-eight of the Americans were
killed or wounded, and thirty-nine were captured.

The other British expedition landed at Little Egg Har-
bor, on the night of October 5, 1778, and on the morning
following burned thirty prize vessels and the village of
Chestnut Neck, and devastated the neighborhood. Pu-
laski's legion, which Washington had directed to meet
the British attack, did not arrive until three days after the
British. A picket guard of the legion, while in camp near
Tuckerton, was betrayed by a deserter, and its commander
and forty men were slain. Pulaski made a fierce pursuit,
but could not overtake the fleeing enemy.

The Iroquois, or Six Nations, had their homes in west-
em New York. They were the most powerful league of

12S

CLOSING EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION 129

Indians that ever existed on this continent. Most of them
joined the Tories and committed such atrocities in the
Wyoming and Mohawk valleys that all the frontier settle-
ments were in danger of being destroyed. Washington
saw that the only way to save them was to retaliate with-
out mercy. He organized an expedition of five thousand
Continentals, and placed them under command of General
Sullivan, with orders to do his work thoroughly.

The expedition was composed of four brigades, of which
New Jersey furnished the First. It included also the
garrison of Fort Sullivan, at Tioga Point, and was com-
manded by General William Maxwell.-^ The respective
colonels were Matthias Ogden, Israel Shreve, and Oliver
Spencer. In addition, our State sent sixty-eight men from
Colonel Baldwin's regiment and seventy-five dragoons
from Colonel Sheldon's regiment. The contribution of
New Jersey was about fifteen hundred men, or nearly one
third of the entire body.

The main army, in which was the First Brigade,
marched from Elizabethtown, in May, and advanced by
way of Easton. Memorials of this march, in bronze,
inscribed stone, or masonry, have been erected by New

1 William Maxwell is believed to have been born in Ireland and brought to this
country when very young. He entered the colonial service in 1758 and served
through the French and Indian War. At the opening of the Revolution he became
colonel of the Second New Jersey Battalion and accompanied the disastrous expe-
dition to Canada in 1776. In October of the same year he was appointed briga-
dier general and was with General Schuyler at Lake Champlain. He harassed the
enemy after the battle of Trenton, and during the winter and spring of 1777 was
stationed near the British lines at Elizabethtown. He commanded the New Jersey
brigade at Brandy wine and Germantown, and shivered and starved witli his brother
patriots at Valley Forge. He pursued Clinton across New Jersey and did valuable
work at Monmouth, keeping up the pursuit and harassment of the enemy to Sandy
Hook. Washington said of him : " I believe him to be an honest man, a warm
friend of his country, and firmly attached to its interests." He died in 1798.

I30

THE REVOLUTION

York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, and it would be
appropriate for New Jersey to follow their example. The
decisive battle was fought August 29, at Newtown, near
Elmira, New York. The great town of the Senecas (the
leaders in the fierce raids on the settlements) and more
than a score of other villages were laid in ashes, crops were
destroyed, and so many warriors were slain that years
passed before the Iroquois recovered from this crushing
blow.

Paulus Hook

One of the most brilliant exploits of the Revolution was
the capture of Paulus Hook, by " Light Horse Harry "
Lee. Paulus Hook, now in the heart of Jersey City, was
at that time a marshy island, about sixty-five acres in ex-
tent. It was separated from the main land by salt mead-
ows, over which the tide ebbed and flowed. Through these
meadows ran a tidal creek, and an artificial ditch had been
dug and a drawbridge constructed. This, with a strong

CLOSING EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION 131

abatis, a powerful barred gate, three blockhouses, a chain of
breastworks, a fort mounting three twelve pounders and
one eighteen pounder, a redoubt, and minor works, made
the position seemingly unassailable.

The valiant Captain Allen McLane of Delaware shares
with Major Lee the credit for the inception and execution
of this daring enterprise. Lee was stationed two miles
from Paramus Church, and began his march on the fore-
noon of August 18, 1779. His force numbered between
four hundred and five hundred men. Their guide was
either ignorant or treacherous, and, in the forests between
Guttenberg and Union Hill, led the Americans astray.
They were separated and most of the Virginians deserted,
so that when Lee emerged from the tangled wood, he had
only a hundred and fifty men with him. Undaunted,
however, he pushed on and arrived at the fort between two
and three in the morning. He entered it in three columns
and had possession of it before the garrison was fully
awake. Since the ammunition of the patriots had been
damaged in crossing the ditch, the blockhouses and forts
were captured at the point of the sword and bayonet.
The British commander and his guard fled to the magazine,
where they were safe.

Day was breaking, the alarm had spread to the British
shipping in New York Harbor, and hurried preparations
were made to send relief to the besieged garrison. The
Americans were in imminent peril. Nothing but instant
retreat could save them, and it looked doubtful whether
even that would avail. Only two had been killed, and
three wounded, while the loss of the enemy was more than
a score. Lee had captured a hundred and fifty-nine prison-

HIST. N.J. — 9

132 THE REVOLUTION

ers, and along the line of his retreat was the vigilant foe,
separated only by the Hudson. He strove to place the
Hackensack between himself and his pursuers, but lack of
boats prevented. By a desperate dash, and supported by
the troops sent to his aid by Lord Stirling, Lee finally
forced his way through to New Bridge, having marched
eighty miles in three days. In recognition of this briUiant
exploit Congress ordered a gold medal to be presented to
Major Lee, — a noteworthy distinction, as only five others
were ordered during the war, — and distributed ^15,000
in money among the non-commissioned officers and pri-
vates.

Since it was hopeless to attack New York, Washington
went into winter quarters at Morristown, on December i,
1779. His cantonments extended from Danbury, Connect-
icut, across the Hudson at West Point to Elizabethtown,
New Jersey. The war kept moving southward, where the
enemy were to attain. their greatest successes and to meet
final disaster. In the north the struggle was mainly a
series of savage skirmishes.

Although relieved of the presence of an invading army,
our State suffered greatly from partisan warfare. Tories
from Staten Island and New York ravaged the eastern
counties, and showed no mercy to men, women, and chil-
dren ; while the ** pine robbers," as before, added to the
horrors by their outrages against both parties. The mili-
tia hunted down these marauders, whenever possible.

The winter of 1779-80 was the severest of the eigh-
teenth century. All mihtary operations were brought to a
standstill, and the suffering was intense. Washington's
army at Morristown was so near starvation that he notified

CLOSING EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION 133

the counties that unless flour and meat were furnished with-
out delay, they would be taken by force. The authorities
acted promptly, and the chief was not driven to this last
resort.

Washington did his utmost to get his troops in readiness
to cooperate with the French fleet and army that were
expected with the coming summer. But an ominous spirit
appeared in the camp at Morristown. With scant food
and miserable clothing, and part payment only in a cur-
rency that had become almost worthless, the men grew
mutinous. News of the state of affairs reached New York
and led the enemy to seize what looked like a golden
opportunity. A force of five thousand men under General
Knyphausen was landed at Ehzabethtown Point, June 6,
1780, and marched inland. To the astonishment of the
invaders, however, their reception was like that of the
British who marched out of Boston to Lexington five
years before.

The Hessian commander was brought to a halt at
Connecticut Farms (now Union), four miles from Elizabeth-
town. In his anger he burned the village, but fell back
before the advance of Washington. Among the buildings
destroyed were the church and parsonage. The wife of
the pastor. Rev. James Caldwell, was shot while kneeling
at prayer with her little child.

In the latter part of June, 1780, Clinton, with six thou-
sand men, marched toward Springfield, for the purpose of
attacking the American troops. He was held in check for
a time by General Greene, but the Americans were forced
to fall back. It was during this fight that some of the
militia ran short of wadding. Rev. Mr. Caldwell gathered

134

THE REVOLUTION

an armful of Bibles and hymn books, tore out the leaves,
and distributed them among the soldiers, calling out : —
" Give them Watts, boys ! Give them Watts ! "
About a year and a half later this "soldier parson," as he
was called, was slain by an American sentinel, who was

afterwards hanged

wanton

for the
crime.

Having laid
Springfield in ashes,
Clinton returned to
Elizabethtown Point
and crossed to
Staten Island.

Dark days now
came to the cause
of American liberty.
The French fleet
with six thousand
troops on board ar-
rived in July, only
to be blockaded at
Newport Harbor by
a superior naval
force. General Gates
was disastrously defeated in South Carolina, and the black-
est crime of the war, the treason of Benedict Arnold, sad-
dened the country. In the latter part of December, 1780,
the Pennsylvania line near Morristown revolted, because
they had received little or no pay and were suffering from
lack of food, clothing, and shelter. Moreover, they con-

Rev. Caldwell's Ammunition

CLOSING EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION

135

tended that, since they had enlisted for three years or the
war, they should be discharged on the last day of that
month, when their term would end. The officers insisted
that the enlistment was for three years and the war, and
the men must stay to the end of hostilities.

Mutiny of Pennsylvania Line

On the first day of the year 1781, thirteen hundred
mutineers paraded under arms with the avowed purpose of
marching to Philadelphia, where Congress was in session,
and compelling that body to right their wrongs. In the
effort to restrain the rebels an officer was killed and several
soldiers were wounded. The daring Wayne, with leveled
pistol, ordered the men to return to duty. In an instant a
score of bayonets were thrust against his breast.

136 THE REVOLUTION

" We love you, General," they said, ** but if you fire,
you are a dead man. We are not goin-g over to the
enemy, and if they appear, we will fight them under your
orders, but we are determined to have our rights."

The men chose their own officers, and with six field
pieces set out for Philadelphia. Congress was warned
of their coming, and sent a committee to meet them.
Clinton dispatched agents among the rebels, who offered
them liberal pay if they would enter his lines and serve
him. The patriots turned the agents over to Wayne and
urged him to hang them. Wayne was compelled to dis-
appoint his soldiers, for he had them shot.

The committee from Congress met the mutineers at
Trenton, where, after a conference, the trouble was
ended. The promise was given to pay all arrears at the
earliest possible moment, clothing was furnished on the
spot, and those whose terms of enlistment had expired
were allowed to leave. More than half the Pennsylvania
troops trudged homeward and the others returned to
duty.

This flurry was hardly over, when a part of the New
Jersey line stationed at Pompton revolted, led to do so
by the success of their comrades. A committee from the
legislature offered to examine their claims, if they would
submit to their officers. A few did so, but the majority
remained under arms, demanding to be discharged upon
their oaths, as had been done with the Pennsylvania rebels.

Washington saw that his army would go to pieces un-
less this mutinous spirit was stamped out. He ordered
from West Point a detachment, whom he knew he could
trust. With these he surrounded the camp and compelled

CLOSING EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION 137

the mutineers to surrender. Two of their ringleaders
were shot, and thus ended all rebellion in the American
camp.

The final campaign of the Revolution was in Virginia,
where on the 19th of October, 1781, Lord Cornwallis
surrendered to the combined armies under Washington
and the French, aided by the French fleet. This was
the crowning triumph of the struggle. A provisional
treaty of peace was signed by the English and American
commissioners in Paris, November 30, 1782. Congress pro-
claimed a stop to hostilities April 1 1, 1783, and, on Septem-
ber 3, 1783, the independence of the United States was
formally acknowledged and ratified.

The termination of the war was celebrated throughout
New Jersey, May 19, 1783. In his address to the legisla-
ture, Governor Livingston said : " Perhaps at no particular
moment during our conflict with Great Britain was there
a greater necessity than at the present juncture for unanim-
ity, vigilance, and exertion. The glory we have acquired
in the war will resound through the universe. God forbid
that we should ever tarnish it by any unworthy conduct in
times of peace. We have established our character as a
brave people, and exhibited to the world the most incon-
testable proofs that we are determined to sacrifice both life
and fortune in defense of our liberties. Let us now show
ourselves worthy of the inestimable blessings of freedom
by an inflexible attachment to public faith and national
honor. Let us establish our character as a sovereign
State on the only durable basis of impartial and universal
justice."

PERIOD III— UNDER THE FIRST
CONSTITUTION. (1776-1844)

CHAPTER XII

PEACE, PROGRESS, AND WAR

War in its nature is an appeal to brute force, and
carries in its train the evils of the vicious side of brute
nature. Its scars upon the souls of men remain for
generations. The Revolution had its justification in Eng-
land's denial to her American subjects of the right to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The thirteen
States had won their liberty. They had struck dumb the
autocrats of the world by the spectacle of an " untrained
rabble," sustained by moral idealism, successfully repulsing
disciplined veterans of Europe's battlefields. A new light
dawned on the horizon. Hope was born in the hearts
of the down-trodden of earth. But the full price of lib-
erty was not yet paid, and there was no escaping the final
"squaring of accounts."

We had gained our independence, and had almost ruined
ourselves in doing so. Industry was dead, we were in
the depths of poverty, and when the common danger
that held the States together vanished, they began drift-
ing apart. Mutual jealousies sprang up ; armed revolts
against intolerable taxation broke out, and the ** Articles

138

PEACE, PROGRESS, AND WAR I39

of Confederation," with the coming of peace, lost the
slight cohesive power they had during the war. About
all Congress could do was to offer advice to the different
States, and the States, as a rule, paid very slight heed to
the advice.

The colonies, under the "Articles," had to pay the
penalty for compromise. Compromise may postpone the
day of reckoning, but it never settles a moral question.
When the "Articles" were adopted, the leaders in each
colony had yielded as little as they could to the common
good in the hope of gaining more than enough local
advantage to compensate for what they had to sacrifice.
In the end the struggle was between two distinct divisions
of political sentiment, the one typified by Hamilton, who
distrusted the people, and the other by Jefferson, who
trusted the people and favored the political equality of
all men.

It soon became clear to all thoughtful men that without
a government that really governed, the country would be
doomed. Anarchy must take the place of law, and the
United States would become thirteen wrangling " repub-
lics," like those of South America to-day. There would
be no security for life and property, and all would be tur-
moil. But the far-sighted Americans saw the abyss upon
whose brink they stood, and knowing what ought to be
done, did it with high courage and rare wisdom.

A convention composed of delegates from all the States,
except Rhode Island, met in Philadelphia, in May, 1787,
to frame a national constitution. In this convention, of
which Washington was president, the States were repre-
sented by their ablest men. The delegates from New

140

UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

Room in Independence Hall where the Constitution was Framed

Jersey were : Governor William Livingston, David Brearley,
William Paterson, Jonathan Dayton, Abraham Clark, and
WilHam C. Houston. The Constitution was gradually
molded into form, and has proved to be one of the most
wonderful instruments framed by the wisdom of men.
j When the Constitution was sent to Congress, that body
laid it before the different legislatures, with the suggestion
that State conventions of delegates, chosen by the people,
should be called to vote for or against accepting it. The
New Jersey convention met at Trenton, thoughtfully con-
sidered each section, and then adopted it without a single
opposing vote on December 18, 1787. New Jersey was the
third State to ratify the Constitution, which was soon ac-
cepted by all, and thus became the supreme law of the land.

, PEACE, PROGRESS, AND WAR

141

The Ninth MILLAR erected !

** The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, (hall be fuffitlent fortheeftablifh^
ment of this Conftitution, between the SiaX&s fo ratifying the fame" Art. vii.

INCIPIENT MAGNI PROCEDERE MENSES.

^If it isnoti
tt will rife.

The Attraction muft
be irrefifliblc

Adoption of the Constitution, 1788

(From the Independent Chronicle')

The discussion over the Constitution brouT;ht two great
political parties into existence. Those who favored a
strong, central government were called Federalists, while
those who wished to give all the power possible to the
States were first called Republicans, and later Democrats.
Since New Jersey had a small area and population, as
compared with most of the other States, her natural dis-
trust of them made her Federal in politics. Later condi-
tions caused her to shift to the Democracy, and she swung
from one party to the other, in after years, as the political
conditions themselves changed.

Washington was a Federalist, and having been elected
President of the United States by his grateful countrymen,
he set out from Mount Vernon to New York, then the
national capital. It was his wish to make the journey
without display or ceremony, but every mile became an
ovation. At Trenton, where he won his brilliant battle
twelve years before, he saw a triumphal arch, supported
by thirteen columns, spanning the bridge over the Assan-
pink. It bore the inscription, ** The Defender of the
Mothers will be the. Protector of the Daughters." As the

142

UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

smiling Father of his Country, with hat in hand, rode under
this arch (still carefully preserved), he was met by a pro-

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Washington's Arch at Trenton

cession of matrons and their little daughters, each carrying
a basket of fragrant flowers. Strewing these in front of
his steed, they sang : —

" Welcome, mighty chief ! once more,
Welcome to this grateful shore !
Now no mercenary foe
Aims again the fatal blow —
Aims at thee the fatal blow.

" Virgins fair and matrons grave,
Those thy conquering arm did save,
Build for thee triumphal bowers ;
Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers —
Strew your hero's way with flowers ! "

PEACE, PROGRESS, AND WAR 1 43

In November, 1790, Trenton was made the capital of
New Jersey. By the constitution of 1776 the government
was divided into three departments, — the legislative, ex-
ecutive, and judicial. The legislative power rested in a
council and assembly, chosen annually. The legislative
council — now the senate — was composed of the governor
and a member from each county ; and the assembly con-
sisted of delegates from each county, the number based on
its population. The executive power lay in the governor,
elected annually by the council and assembly in joint
meeting, as were the secretary of state and treasurer.
The judiciary power was vested in the different courts.
The judges of the supreme court were elected for seven
years and those of the inferior courts for five years, — all by
the legislature. The governor was chancellor of the State.

The population of New Jersey in 1790 was 184,139
persons, the State standing ninth in that respect in the
union. The people were widely scattered ; there were no
large cities and few towns of importance. The inhabitants
were mostly impoverished, but they were industrious and
enterprising, and rapidly recovered from the devastating
effects of the war. There were no railways or canals,
though some were beginning to think of them, and the
following half century was to see amazing develop-
ments in the means of travel and transportation.^

1 It is worth noting that in 1792 the postage on letters varied from six cents for
thirty miles to twenty-five cents for all distances greater than four hundred and
fifty miles. If the letter weighed more than a quarter of an ounce, the rates were
doubled. Envelopes were not known, the last page of every sheet of foolscap,
generally blue in color, being left unruled for the address. The prepayment of
postage was optional, and stamps were not used until a half century later. In
T799 the minimum distance was raised to forty miles and the maximum to five
hundred.

144

UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

John Fitch, a native of Connecticut, was an ingenious
watchmaker, and was engaged in gunmaking in Trenton
at the outbreak of the Revolution. He enUsted and spent
the winter with the patriot troops at Valley Forge. In
1780 he was appointed deputy surveyor of Virginia. Five
years later he began constructing a boat to be driven by
steam power. Of his success there is no room for doubt,
for the New Jersey legislature passed an act on March 18,
1786, granting to Fitch exclusively the right to navigate

\ I a

John Fitch's Steamboat

the waters of the State by means of boats propelled by
steam. He built and operated four different boats, the
last of which made what was then a remarkable spsed of
a mile in seven and a half minutes. It ran at least two
thousand miles as a packet boat in 'i 790. Fitch took out
patents in 1791, sixteen years before Fulton's Clermont
started up the Hudson and succeeded in running only five
miles an hour. A committee appointed by the New York
legislature to inquire into Fulton's claims found that he
had had access to Fitch's drawings, and that his steamboat
was substantially the same as Fitch's. Fitch's boats did
not fully meet expectations, however, and interest in them
gradually died out.

PEACE, PROGRESS, AND WAR 1 45

In the year 1802 the last remnant of Indians in New
Jersey, numbering less than a hundred, left the State
forever. The red man's barbarism rarely fuses with the
white man's civilization. As is generally the case with
peoples of inferior intellect, the aborigines had absorbed
the weaker or vicious strain, and had become indolent and
degraded.

They had been living for a long time at Brotherton,
a small tract or reservation in Burlington county^ One
day a Stockbridge warrior came to the settlement from
the home of his tribe, bringing an urgent invitation for
the New Jersey red men to make their home with the
tribe on Oneida Lake, New York. The invitation was
accepted, the Indians removing later to Green Bay, Mich-
igan. Being very poor, they petitioned our legislature,
in 1832, for the sum of ^3000 with which to buy agricul-
tural implements. The gift was freely made, much to the
delight of the Indians. Their chief had studied at Prince-
ton College, which he left to fight for the patriot cause in
the Revolution. In acknowledging the act of simple justice,
this leader, then eighty years old, wrote : " Not a drop of
our blood have you ever spilled in battle; not an acre of
our land have you ever taken without our consent."

In February, 1804, the legislature passed an act declar-
ing that all children of slave parents, that might be born
after the 4th of July of that year, should be free upon
reaching the age of twenty-five, if they were males, or, if
females, upon becoming twenty-one years of age.

In the War of 18 12 both parties were at fault. Great
Britain was exasperating in enforcing her so-called " right
of search" upon our vessels, but a Uttle more patience on

146 UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

our part and a little more diplomacy might have warded
off the war. In some respects we are not a patient people,
though sometimes we submit to injustice when we ought
to rebel.

War with Great Britain was declared June 18, 1812. The
sentiment of the different States was much divided as to the
wisdom of the step. New England was bitterly opposed to it.
The ships in Boston hung their flags at half mast, while
the legislatures of Massachusetts and Connecticut protested
against the declaration of war. New York, Philadelphia,
and Baltimore passed resolutions of approval, and a paper
in Baltimore, which favored peace, was mobbed. Several
persons were killed during the rioting, and ** Light Horse
Harry " Lee, who commanded the military that suppressed
the disorder, received injuries which caused his death four
years later.

The Federalists, who opposed the war, won the State
elections in New Jersey, in 18 12, and passed resolutions
expressing their sentiments. Since the w^ar was confined
mainly to the frontiers (where we gained little credit) and
the ocean (where our glory was great). New Jersey never
suffered invasion, but she shared in the distress and had to
help pay the cost of the struggle. Two of her sons won
illustrious fame: William Bainbridge, a native of Prince-
ton, who commanded the Constitutioji, when she captured
the British frigate Java, and the heroic James Lawrence,
of whom it is said that his dying cry, as he was carried be-
low from the deck of his defeated Chesapeake, " Don't give
up the ship ! " gave the motto to the American navy.

Joseph Bloomfield, as governor, was commander in chief
of the military forces of the State. He was appointed brig-

PEACE, PROGRESS, AND WAR 1 47

adier general in the United States army and held that rank
until the close of the war. As chief of the third military-
district, which included most of New Jersey, he was re-
lieved several months later by General Armstrong. Gen-
eral Bloomfield marched to Plattsburg with an expedition
for the invasion of Canada, and returning in the summer
of 1 8 14, was given command of the fourth military district,
with headquarters at Philadelphia. During the war there
were in the service of the United States from New Jersey,
395 officers, 808 non-commissioned officers, and 4808
privates.^

The treaty of peace signed December 24, 18 14, left the
dispute between Great Britain and the United States pre-
cisely where it was before the first gun was fired. Nothing
was said about the " right of search," but it was under-
stood that the question was never to come up again, and it
never did. The War of 181 2 closed the factories of New
England, ruined trade and commerce, piled up a debt of
$ 100,000,000, and cost us 1683 vessels and the lives of
18,000 sailors.

1 Francis Bazley Lee's " New Jersey as a Colony and as a State."

HIST. NJ. — 10

CHAPTER XIII

PIONEER CANALS AND RAILWAYS

The first constitution served New Jersey for nearly thirty
years after the close of the War of 1812. During that period

the State was highly
prosperous and made
great advances in
developing its natu-
ral resources. The
population of a quar-
ter of a million was
increased by one
half, and numerous
and varied indus-
tries sprang into life
and added to the
wealth of the peo-
ple. It was the pe-
riod, too, of the
pioneer canals and
railways.

The oldest canal
is the Morris, which
Morris Canal— Early Days was chartered in

1824 and finished in 1836. The great engineering difficul-
ties and other causes doomed the enterprise to failure from

148

PIONEER CANALS AND RAILWAYS

149

An Early Ferry Ticket

the beginning. Its terminal points are Jersey City and
the Delaware at Phillipsburg, and its total length is a
hundred and three miles. Besides being too small for the
tonnage of most boats, and having a depth of only five
feet, it has more than a
score of inclined planes
and locks. The total cost
of the construction and im-
provements to the present
time is ^6,000,000.

The Delaware and Rari-
tan Canal, as its name im-
plies, connects the two
rivers named. Starting at New Brunswick, it extends to
Bordentown, where it flows into the Delaware. Its length,
including feeders, is sixty-six miles. It has fourteen locks
and a navigable depth of slightly more than eight feet.
Although chartered in 1830, it was not completed until
eight years later. The total cost of construction and im-
provements thus far is nearly ^5,000,000. Its charter for-
bade the digging of any other canal within five miles of
any point on the Delaware or Raritan without the consent
of the old corporation.

The Camden and Amboy Railroad Company threatened
to become the great rival of the canal, but the two united
their interests in February, 1831. In lieu of all taxes, the
railway company bound itself to pay ten cents for every
passenger and fifteen cents for every ton of merchandise
carried across the State. These transit duties were to cease
if the legislature allowed any other road, carrying passen-
gers between New -York and Philadelphia, to have its

I50

UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

terminal within three miles of that of the Camden and
Amboy Railroad. This provision was made absolute in
1832, when the legislature, which reserved to the State
the right to buy the road at the end of thirty years, for-
bade the construction of any railway between the two
cities named, without the consent of the Camden and Am-
boy corporation. These transit duties ceased when the
general railroad law was passed in 1873.

We are used to hearing it said that the first railway in
this country was laid in 1826, at one of the granite quarries
in Ouincy, Massachusetts. It was only two or three miles
long and the cars were drawn by horses. It is difficult to
see why this enterprise should be called a railway, in the
general acceptation of the word, since no steam was used,
and similar tracks had been laid many times in other
places. Three English locomotives were unloaded in
New York, in May, 1829. One was carried by river and
canal to Honesdale, Pennsylvania, put together three
months later, and ran on the rails between Honesdale and
Prompton. This was the first locomotive that turned a
wheel on a railway track in America.

^^B^&M

Ls=^§pr;

^i«»!5^#Jr«i»54-B=-

An Early Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio was the pioneer passenger rail-
way in this country. The little locomotive Tom TJinnib^
built by Peter Cooper in 1829, pulled a car load of people
at the rate of eighteen miles an hou¥. This was the first

PIONEER CANALS AND RAILWAYS

151

trip of the first American locomotive. The South Carolina
Railroad was the first line built with the intention of using:
steam as a motive force. It began running regular trains
in 1830, between Charleston and Hamburg, a distance of
a hundred and thirty miles.

The next English locomotive shipped to this country was
\\\Qjokn Bully which was landed at Bordentown and given a
public trial in November, 183 1. It was successful, and,
beginning in September, 1833, did good service for thirty
years.^

The railway line between Camden and Perth Amboy was
completed at the beginning of 1834, and a single track,
sixty-one miles in length,
for the first time con-
nected Philadelphia and
New York, the water
portion being the ferry
at Philadelphia and a
few miles between Perth
Amboy and New York.

The disposition of the
Camden and Amboy
Company to experiment
with locomotives caused the production of a freak engine

1 The evolution of the locomotive from the John Bull tvpe to the splendid
exhibition of modern mechanism is interesting. The pilot of the old type projected
so far in front that it ran on wheels of its own ; the levers on the side of the engineer
bobbed back and forth, keeping time with the swinging of the piston rods under
the boiler; the engineer could reverse only on his side, and had to leap across, or
leave it to his fireman to reverse the other half; a big hogshead served as a water
tank, and a pile of wood (coal was not used until years afterward) answered for
fuel. T\\eJohn Bull made the trip from Philadelphia to Chicago and back during
the Columbian Exposition, under its own steam, and is preserved with care as a
memento of early railroading days.

Freak Engine

152 UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

which began running in the spring of 1849 3-^d remained
in use for nearly ten years. It was constructed by Rich-
ard Norris and Sons, Philadelphia, and named " John
Stevens." Its most noticeable feature was the driving
wheels, which were eight feet in diameter. The forward
end was carried by a six-wheeled truck. The spaces
between the spokes of the driving wheels were filled with
wood, an arrangement in use on many other locomo-
tives. The single pair of drivers placed behind the fire-
box raised the cab very high. The smokestack was of
a clumsy pattern, and the whole structure, which burned
wood, as did all engines in those days, was of unsightly
appearance.

These freaks, of which a number were made somewhat
modified in form, were failures. So little weight rested
upon the drivers that they slipped. It took a long time for
them to gain full headway, and they could not handle heavy
trains. Moreover, they had a strong tendency to jump
the tracks upon the least provocation. Sometimes they
would leave the rails without any apparent cause. In favor-
ing circumstances they could run quite fast. One day one
of these engines engaged in a race with a running horse
near Bordentown and easily outdistanced the horse. These
odd locomotives have long since been displaced by engines
of modern construction.

The success of the Camden and Amboy Company
brought numerous rivals into the field, but the conflicting
interests were merged, and in 1840 a track was completed
between Bordentown and Jersey City, which was the first
railway line to cross the State. In 1871 the united com-
panies and the Philadelphia and Trenton Company, with

PIONEER CANALS AND RAILWAYS

all their interests, were leased for 999 years to the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company. The exclusive right to build a
connecting railway line between New York and Philadelphia
was held by the Camden and Amboy Company until April
2, 1873, when the legislature enacted a general railroad
law, which threw the State open to all railway enterprises.

One day, somewhat more than a hundred years ago,
Stephen Vail, an awkward-looking country boy, paying no
heed to the placard, " Positively no Admittance," strolled
into the nail factory of Jeremiah H. Pierson, at Ramapo,
New Jersey. Gazing here and there, he attracted no
notice at first, but while studying the cut-nail machine,
Mr. Pierson caught sight of him, and bluntly ordered him
to leave. The lad apologized and walked out ; but, being
a natural mechanic, he carried in his head, when he left, a
perfect picture of the cut-nail machine. Not long there-
after, a similar one was put up at Dover, which turned out
enormous quantities of nails at a fine profit.

Years afterwards Judge Stephen Vail (who acquired
his title as a lay judge) and Mr. Pierson became friends.
The latter once remarked that he had often wondered how
Vail learned to make cut nails, having believed that no one
besides himself knew the secret, whereupon, to the great
entertainment of his friend, Judge Vail told of his early
visit to the Ramapo works.

In 1804 Stephen Vail became owner of the Speedwell
Iron Works, which were situated about a mile north of
Morristown, on the road to Morris Plains at the crossing of
the Whippany River. Here were made the boiler and shaft
of the steamship Savannah, which was the first vessel of its
kind to cross the Atlantic. Here were also manufactured

154

UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

the tires, axles, and cranks of the pioneer American locomo-
tive and the first cast-iron plow. While Professor Samuel
F. B. Morse was working on his telegraph, he met Alfred
Vail, a son of Judge Vail, to whom he explained his ideas.
Alfred became interested in the project and influenced his
father to furnish the funds to complete the machinery and
take out the patents. Alfred Vail himself made the machin-

Speedwell Iron Works

ery covered' by the patents. The machine was completed
January 1 1, 1838, and was placed on exhibition in a pattern
shop, the building of which is still standing on the Vail
property. It was set on the first floor, and about three
miles of copper wire, insulated by being wound about with
cotton yarn, was coiled around the walls of the second
story. Some of the hooks in the side walls remain, and a
portion of the wire is preserved. The alphabetical char-

PIONEER CANALS AND RAILWAYS 155

acters and many of the essential features of the electro-
magnetic telegraph were the invention of Alfred Vail, who
was so impressed by the practicability of the crude machine
when first exhibited, that he agreed to give Professor Morse
all the aid he needed. Alfred Vail and his brother George
furnished the impoverished inventor with means, material,
and labor for experimentation on a larger scale. So help-
ful was Alfred Vail that Morse assigned to him a one-
fourth interest in his patent. These two men worked
together in harmony, and years after Professor Morse
wrote : " It is especially to the attention and skill and
faith in the full success of the enterprise maintained by
Alfred Vail, that is due the success of my endeavors to
bring the telegraph at that time creditably before the
pubhc."

CHAPTER XIV

GOVERNORS UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

New Jersey had fourteen governors under her first con-
stitution, all of whom were chosen by the legislature.
Every one was honest, patriotic, and well qualified to fill
the high office. It is a cause for gratitude and pride to

every Jersey man that the character of all
our governors and members of the judi-
ciary, down to the present time, has been
almost stainless. Some other States have
not been so fortunate. The fact is none
the less remarkable, when we recall that
New Jersey has been the scene more
than once of bitter political contests,
when party spirit ran high and dan-
ger seemed to threaten. But the skies
always cleared, and prosperity and ad-
vancement suffered no check.

William Livingston, the first governor of the State,
from 1 776- 1 790, was born at Albany, New York, in 1723,
and was of Scotch descent. He was graduated from Yale
at the head of his class, when eighteen years old. He
became a distinguished lawyer, and removed to Elizabeth-
town at the age of fifty, having previously bought a tract
of land in that section. He was appointed as delegate to
the First Continental Congress, and in 1775, the Provincial

156

William Living-
ston

GOVERNORS UNDER THE. FIRST CONSTITUTION 157

Congress made him the second brigadier general of the
militia of the colony. His writings against the wrongful
measures of England drew wide attention to him. He
had not received any special military training and gained
no particular fame in that profession.

Fortunately Mr. Livingston was transferred to the field
for which he was best fitted. The first legislature under

^■^"■' ■-%i:

4 .^^, ^"::<f/^'^^^>^'/?^" ^,t ^

;\^.iaJ>^^%r;?^ I'll" lit*-'

Liberty Hall, Livingston's Home in Elizabethtown

the new constitution, which, as we recall, met at Princeton,
in August, 1776, elected him governor, continuing to do
so, now and then with slight opposition, until his death in
•1790. Governor Livingston was very plain in dress and
habits, possessed no little literary ability, and because of his
tallness and thinness, he was called by the British the
" Don Quixote of the Jerseys." He was an earnest Chris-
tian, and one of the finest patriots of the Revolution.

158 UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

William Paterson, who was governor from 1790 to 1793,
was an Irishman by birth, and was brought to America,
in 1747, when about two years old. He lived first at
Trenton, then at Princeton, where he was graduated in
1763, and finally at Somerville. He studied law and was
chosen as a delegate to the Provincial Congress in 1775,
and also to the Congress which met at Burlington in
June, 1776. When the State government was organized,
he was made attorney-general, which, during those troub-
lous times, was a difficult and trying office. He was
reelected, but when peace came, he resigned the appoint-
ment and made his home in New Brunswick. He was
the leader of the delegates sent to Philadelphia in 1787 to
form a Constitution for the United States. He advocated
the " New Jersey plan," which aimed to maintain State
sovereignty, giving to the national government authority
to provide for the common defense and welfare. The
result was an excellent compromise. Mr. Paterson was
chosen as United States senator, with Jonathan Elmer of
Cumberland county as his colleague, and took his seat in
March, 1789. He resigned in 1790 upon his appointment
as governor. He met expectations and was reelected with
slight opposition. He did an important work in revising
and remodeling the British statutes, and also in drafting
such bills as he thought necessary for the consideration of
the legislature. In 1793 President Washington appointed
him Justice of the Supreme Court, which office he filled
with great credit until his death in 1806.

Richard Howell, governor from 1793 to 1801, was bom
in Delaware in 1753. When he was fifteen years old, his
father removed to Cumberland county, near Bridgeton,

GOVERNORS UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION 159

which was the home of the son until his death in 1802.
He was one of the young men who helped burn the cargo
of tea on the Greyhotmd, at Greenwich, in 1774. Having
studied medicine, he served not only as captain and major
in the New Jersey Continental line, but also as surgeon.
After removing to Trenton, he was elected clerk of the
supreme court and chosen governor in 1793. He was
elected yearly by the Federalists until 1801, when another
party came into power. The late Mrs. Jefferson Davis
was a granddaughter of Governor Howell.

Joseph Bloomfield, governor from 1801 to 1802 and
from 1803 to 1 8 12, was born at Woodbridge, Middlesex
county, in 1755. He was licensed as a lawyer at the
age of twenty, and began practice at Bridgeton. He was
commissioned as captain in the Third New Jersey Bat-
talion and in 1776 set out to join the expedition against
Quebec. Upon reaching Albany, news was received of
its failure, and the regiment was stationed near Johnston
Hall on the Mohawk to hold the Indians in check. He was
appointed judge advocate of the northern army and made
major, but falling ill, was forced to give up his commission
in the army. In 1783, when William Paterson resigned
as attorney-general of the State, Bloomfield was elected
as his successor. He was reelected in 1788, and resigned
in 1792. Being made a general of miHtia, he commanded
a brigade in quelling the Whisky Insurrection in Pennsyl-
vania in 1794. He was elected governor as a Republican
in 1801, but a tie prevented his reelection in 1802, during
which year John Lambert, president of the council, filled
the office. Bloomfield was elected in 1803 and thereafter
until 18 1 2. Soon after the declaration of war with Great

l6o UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

Britain, President Madison appointed him a brigadier gen-
eral in the army intended for the invasion of Canada. He
displayed no special military ability and was soon assigned
to the command of a military district, with headquarters,
as already stated, at Philadelphia. He served two terms
in Congress and died in 1823.

Aaron Ogden, always referred to as ** Colonel," was
governor for one year from October, 18 12. He was born
at Elizabethtown in 1756, and was graduated from Prince-
ton College before he was seventeen years old. During
the Revolutionary War he entered the army as lieutenant,
served gallantly, and remained to the close of the war,
reaching the rank of brigade major and inspector. He
was twenty-six years of age when he took up the study
of law with his brother at Elizabethtown, and was licensed
in 1784. One of the foremost Federalists in the State,
he was chosen United States senator in February, 1801.
In 18 1 2 he became commander in chief of the New Jersey
militia, and for ten years (1829-39) was president of the
Society of Cincinnati. After his retirement he suffered
distressing financial reverses, and once was imprisoned for
debt in New York. The State of New Jersey presented
him with a tract of land near Jersey City. He was a
custom-house officer until his death in 1839.

William Sanford Pennington, governor from 18 13 to
181 5, was born in Newark, in 1757, and was a farmer boy
until the breaking out of the Revolution, when he enlisted,
and by his bravery won a lieutenancy. After the war he
engaged in mercantile business in Newark and was elected
to the assembly in 1797, serving for three years. In 1801
and 1802 he was a member of the council and became a

GOVERNORS UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION l6l

prominent Democrat. In 1804 he was chosen associate
justice of the supreme court and from 18 15 to 1826 was a
judge of the United States district court. He died in office.
He was a ''rehable friend, an incorrupt and just judge,
and an honest man."

Mahlon Dickerson, governor from 181 5 to 18 17, was
born in Hanover, NJ., in 1770, was graduated from
Princeton College in 1789, and practiced law in Pennsyl-
vania. He was a Democrat and .was active in politics,
until the death of his father called him to Morris county
to take charge of the valuable estate left to him. He
represented that county in the assembly in 18 12 and 18 13,
and in the latter year was chosen a justice of the supreme
court. After serving two terms as governor, he was made
United States senator in 18 17, and retained this office until
1834, when President Jackson appointed him secretary of
the navy. He filled that office under Van Buren, but
soon resigned and retired to private life. He served six
months as judge of the district court and died in 1853.

Isaac H. WiUiamson, governor from 18 17 to 1829, was
born at Elizabethtown in 1767, was licensed as an attorney
in 1 79 1, as a counselor in 1796, and was called to be a
sergeant at law in 1804. He gained a lucrative practice
and attained high rank in his profession. He was admit-
tedly a great lawyer. In February, 181 7, when Mahlon
Dickerson became United States senator, Williamson was
chosen governor. He was reelected with little opposition
until 1829. Then the Jackson party secured a majority
in the legislature, and he was displaced by Peter D. Vroom.
He returned to his profession of law and rapidly regained
his valuable practice. In 1831 and 1832 he was a member

1 62 UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

of the Council for Essex county, and was unanimously
chosen, in 1844, president of the convention which framed
the present constitution of the State. Ill health compelled
him to resign after a time, and he died before the close
of the year.

Peter D. Vroom, governor from 1829 to 183 1 and
from 1833 to 1836, was born in the township of Hills-
borough, Somerset county, in Decem-
ber,-179 1, and was the youngest son of
Peter D. Vroom, a respected citizen,
who served with great credit in the
Revolution. The son was graduated
from Columbia College in 1808 and was
licensed as an attorney in 18 13. He
became a counselor in 1816 and a ser-
PeterD. VROOM gg^j^^ .^ jg2g^ He began practice at

Schooley's Mountain, but after several changes, settled at
Somerville, where he lived for more than twenty years.
He took little part in politics, though his sympathies were
with the Federalists until 1824, when he became an ardent
supporter of President Jackson, as did his father and
many leading Federalists.

Mr. Vroom represented Somerset county in the as-
sembly in 1826, 1827, and 1829. General Wall having re-
fused to be the nominee for governor, Mr. Vroom, much
against his wishes, was induced to accept the office. He
was reelected in 1830 and 183 1, defeated by the friends
of Mr. Southard in 1832, but chosen again in 1833, 1834,
and 1835. Impaired health caused him to decHne a reelec-
tion in 1836. He resumed practice at Somerville, but served
as one of the three commissioners, in 1837, appointed by

GOVERNORS UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION 163

President Van Buren to adjust claims to reserves of lands,
under the treaty made with the Choctaw Indians. He
entered Congress in 1838, and soon after removed to
Trenton. As a delegate to the constitutional convention
of 1844 he took an influential part in the proceedings. In
conjunction with Henry W. Green, Stacy G. Potts, and
William L. Dayton, he revised the statutes of the State
and consolidated the numerous supplements in order that
they might conform to the new constitution. Governor
Fort nominated ex-Governor Vroom in 1853 as the suc-
cessor of Chief Justice Green and the senate confirmed
the nomination, which, however, was declined by Mr.
Vroom.

In the same year he was appointed minister to Prussia.
He resided in Berlin until 1857, when he was recalled at
his own request. He resumed in Trenton his profession
as an advocate, his business being confined mainly to argu-
ments in the higher courts. He was one of the nine New
Jersey commissioners to the Peace Convention, which met
in Washington in February, 1861. The late William C.
Alexander said of him : " He was uniformly kind, gentle,
and acceptable, and his colleagues naturally and justly re-
garded him as the Nestor of the delegation, both as re-
gards age and wisdom." We know that this patriotic
effort failed, due, as Mr. Vroom said, to the radicals north
and south. Governor Vroom belonged to the finest type
of the gentleman of the old school, was an earnest Chris-
tian, and had long stood at the head of the bar in New
Jersey, when he died in November, 1873.

Samuel L. Southard, who was governor from 1832 to
1833, was born in Baskingridge in 1787. His father

HIST. N.J. — II

164 UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

served for many years in Congress and was a man of
marked ability. Thie son was graduated from Princeton in
1804, and spent five years as a tutor in Virginia, during
which time he studied law. He took up his residence at
Flemington, the county seat of Hunterdon county,, and
acquired a good practice. He was elected a member of
the assembly, and in 181 5 became associate justice of
the supreme court. Five years later he was chosen
United States senator, in which office his brilliant talents
attracted wide attention. In 1823 he became secretary
of the navy, serving till 1829. He was chosen attorney-
general of the State in that year, and was governor, as
stated, in 1833. From that year until 1842 he was again
United States senator. He died in the latter year.

Elias P. Seeley succeeded Southard as governor in 1833,
when the latter was sent to the United States senate, and
held the office for a few months. He was born in Cumber-
land county in 1791, and was licensed as an attorney in
181 5. He was an honest and capable official, but does
not rank among the distinguished governors of New
Jersey, though he might have done so had he held the
office longer. He was chosen several times afterward
to the legislature and died in 1846.

Governor Vroom now served for three terms more,
1 833-1 836, after which, owing to ill health, he declined
reelection.

Philemon Dickerson, who was governor from 1836 to
1837, was a brother of Mahlon Dickerson. He was born
in Morris county in 1788. He was licensed as an attorney
in 18 13, and, settling in Paterson, practiced law. In
1833 he was sent to the assembly. He was two years a

GOVERNORS UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION 1 65

member of Congress, and was chosen governor in 1836.
The following year the Whigs prevented his reelection.
He was elected again to Congress in 1838, but the election
contest prevented him and others from taking their seats
till 1840. President Van Buren appointed him judge of
the district court in 1841. He held the office until his
death in 1862.

William Pennington, who was governor from 1837 to
1843, was the son of Governor William S. Pennington,
and like him was born in Newark. The date of his birth
was 1796. He was graduated from Princeton College in
18 13 and began the practice of law in his native city. He
represented Essex county in the assembly in 1828. In
1837 the Whig majority elected him governor and con-
tinued to do so until 1843, when the Democrats chose
Daniel Haines. Mr. Pennington's good sense, honesty,
geniality, and a certain wit made him very popular as the
foremost Whig leader in the State. He was elected in
1858 to Congress. A bitter strife arose over the choice
of Speaker of the House, which ended at the close of two
months with the election of Mr. Pennington. His fair-
ness and tact won the respect of his opponents. He died
in February, 1862, his death hastened, if not caused, by
an overdose of morphine, given through the mistake of a
druggist.

The last governor under the first constitution was
Daniel Haines, governor from 1843 to January, 1845, and
from 1848 to 185 1. He was born in the city of New York,
in 1 80 1. He was graduated from Princeton in 1820,
admitted to the bar three years later, and settled, in 1824,
at Hamburg, Sussex county. He served two terms in the

1 66 UNDER THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

legislature and refused another reelection. The Demo-
cratic majority chose him governor in 1843. He did
much to advance the cause of education, and helped in
the passage of a law which called a convention to frame
a new constitution. By virtue of one of its provisions, he
continued in office until the inauguration of his successor,
Charles C. Stratton, in January, 1845. In 1847 ^^ ^^'^^
made the Democratic nominee for governor and was
elected by a good majority. He served three years,
and then resumed the practice of his profession. He was
once associated with Daniel Webster in trying the Good-
year Rubber Patent cases. In November, 1852, he took
his seat as justice of the supreme court and held the
office till his death in 1877.

This closes the list of the men who served New Jersey
as governors under the first constitution, a period of not
quite threescore and ten years. Nearly every one who
followed belonged to the same noble stamp. As we have
said, the record is a cause for pride and gratitude to all
Jerseymen. It would be interesting to study also the
lives of the later governors whose achievements have
increased the prosperity and glory of the State, but in
this book we can give only their names, which will be
found in the Appendix.

PERIOD IV— UNDER THE NEW CON-
STITUTION (1844- )

CHAPTER XV

THE NEW CONSTITUTION

New Jersey had long outgrown the constitution of 1776.
The organic law had fallen far behind modern ideas, and
some of its terms had become absurd. Thus, if Queen
Victoria had notified the authorities of the State, in 1840,
that she would grant their demands, they, in order to obey
the constitution, would have had to renew their allegiance
to Great Britain. Of course such a thing was never likely
to occur, but the law was as has been stated.

There were other features almost as distasteful. For
instance, no man could vote unless he was worth 1^250.
A similar law caused a rebellion in Rhode Island in 1842.
Moreover, if an inhabitant of New Jersey declared that
he was worth the sum named, and had lived for one
year in the State, he could vote for State and Federal
representatives without taking the oath of allegiance,
no matter if he was a slave or even a vicious foreigner.
Women also voted until November, 1807, when the right
was taken from them. The governor had more power
than any officer of the same rank in the United States.
. The agitation for revision of the constitution became so
insistent that the legislature called a convention to formu-
late amendments to it.

167

1 68

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Delegates were elected and met in Trenton, March i8,
1844. They were sixty in number, chosen according to
the representation of each county in the assembly.
Among them were the ablest citizens in the State, includ-
ing men who had been or were to be chief justices and
justices of the supreme court. United States senators, and

State Capitol, Trenton (1794)

governors of the State. The interests of New Jersey could
not have been placed in safer hands.

The convention completed its labors June 28, and for-
mally adopted the constitution as amended. The only
member who did not vote was a delegate from Burlington
county, who belonged to the Society of Friends. He was
excused because of the military features in the proposed
changes. Not quite two months later the new constitution
was submitted to the people. Six sevenths of all the votes

THE NEW CONSTITUTION

169

cast were in favor of its adoption. It thus became the
fundamental law of the State.

The principal amendments to the old constitution were :
The election of the governor was taken from the joint
meeting of the legislature and given to the people; his
term was made three years, and he could not be chosen a

Statehouse, Trenton (1910)

second time, until after another governor had served one
term ; he was no longer chancellor, that office being filled
by a person specially appointed. The right to vote was
given to every male citizen of the United States who had
lived one year in the State and five months immediately
before the election in the county where he wished to vote.
Suffrage was denied to every pauper, idiot, insane person,
and person convicted of a crime, which excluded him

lyo UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

"from being a witness, unless he was pardoned, or re-
stored by law to the right of suffrage."

The State is one among twenty-nine in which at present
school suffrage for women prevails in some form. New
Jersey differs from most of the other States in that its
judges are appointed by the governor and confirmed by
the senate, instead of being elected by the people.

As in the case of the national constitution, it has been
found necessary from time to time to add amendments to
the constitution of New Jersey. One of these prohibits
special legislation and directs that taxable property shall
be assessed under general laws and by uniform rules,
based on its actual value. Another amendment forbids
State grants to any municipal corporation, society, associ-
ation, or industrial corporation. A later amendment gave
a death blow to gambling at race tracks.

Every boy and girl should learn the chief provisions of
the constitution, and study the questions upon which the
voters . will be required to cast their ballots. It is the
duty of all voters to show an active interest in politics
and public matters. They should strive to gain a right
view of such questions, and then make sure that, so far
as possible, honest, trustworthy, and competent persons
are elected to office. In no other way can politics be
purified, corruption stamped out, and the blessings of good
government secured.

CHAPTER XVI

WAR WITH MEXICO, THE CIVIL WAR, WAR WITH

SPAIN

The new constitution of New Jersey was no more than
fairly in operation, when the United States became in-
volved in a war with Mexico. The immense but sparsely
settled region known as Texas belonged to that country.
Texas declared herself free and, after a hard struggle, won
her independence in 1836. She was a republic for several
years, and then asked to be admitted into the American
Union.

The question of the admission of Texas roused bitter
feeling in the United States. The South favored granting
the request, because it would add a vast slave area to the
country. The majority in the North opposed the petition
for the same reason. Moreover, Mexico refused to ac-
knowledge the independence of her former province.
None the less, Texas formally entered the Union at the
close of 1845, and asked our government to protect her
against the armed forces of Mexico.

Fighting began a few months later, and was kept up
until the surrender of the city of Mexico in the autumn of
1847. Peace was made soon afterward and an immense
extent of territory came into our possession. The Mexican
soldiers of those days could bear no comparison with ours,
and the campaign in their country was a series of Ameri-
can victories.

171

172 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

New Jersey acted a valiant part in the war with Mexico,
as she has done in all the wars in which our country has
been engaged. General Stephen Watts Kearny, member
of a distinguished family of this State, who had served
throughout the War of 18 12, established a civil govern-
ment in Santa Fe and fought the battle of San Pasqual,
the brilliant success of which made him a major general.
In 1847 he was appointed governor of California.

Commodore Robert F. Stockton, a still more famous
Jerseyman, who had also served in the navy in the War
of 18 12, joined with John C. Fremont in the conquest of
California. He captured Los Angeles and organized a
government.

New Jersey favored the Mexican war from the first.
The presidential call for troops named the quota of the
State as five companies of infantry, organized as a bat-
talion. Only four were made ready, and they left New
York Harbor in time to join in the triumphant advance of
General Scott from Vera Cruz to the capital of Mexico.

The conflict with our *' next-door neighbor" and the
later one with Spain were only skirmishes as compared
with the stupendous war that raged from 1861 to 1865.
In that struggle Americans were pitted against Americans,
and the . contest was the most terrific of modern times.
Slavery was the cause of the War for the Union. When,
in 16 19, the little band of negroes was brought from
Africa to Jamestown, Virginia, and sold to the settlers, the
seed was sown whose awful har\^est was gathered nearly
two and a half centuries later. Slavery spread to all the
colonies and was as legal as the ownership of horses and
cattle. The climate in the northern States was not favor-

THE CIVIL WAR 1 73

able to the institution, but in the South it was. So, as the
years went on, slavery disappeared north of ** Mason and
Dixon's line." This line, which was run during colonial
times by two surveyors named Mason and Dixon, marked
the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland. After
a while it served to show the division between the free and
the slave States.

These are not the pages in which to tell the story of the
Civil War. That belongs elsewhere, and we shall merely
glance at the services of New Jersey in the great struggle,
whose results will be felt for ages to come. On the second
morning after the surrender of Fort Sumter, President Lin-
coln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers with which
to enforce the national authority. Hardly a man, North
or South, had the remotest idea of the gigantic nature of
the impending conflict.

The quota which New Jersey was first required to furnish
was 3123 men. More than three times that number were
eager to volunteer. The funds offered by the banks and in-
dividuals exceeded half a million dollars. In two weeks the
four regiments were ready for service. The legislature was
convened in extra session, April 30, and acts were passed,
authorizing the chief cities to issue bonds, from whose sales
the families of volunteers were to be cared for. A State loan
of $2,000,000 was ordered, and measures were taken for the
formation of new regiments, river and coast defenses, and
for the purchase of arms and military stores.

President Lincoln's first call was for three months' vol-
unteers. The New Jersey brigade was mustered into the
United States service at Trenton, May i, 1861, and was
the first to reach Washington, which was then in danger

174

UNDER' THE NEW CONSTITUTION

of capture by the Confederates. During the disastrous

battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861) the brigade was held

in reserve ; but it was mustered out ten days later, without

having taken part in the hostilities.

The second presidential call for troops, issued May 3,

1 86 1, demanded men to serve for three years or the war.

The quota of New Jer-
sey was three regiments.
When the government
asked for them, Gov-
ernor Olden replied that
they were ready and
awaiting orders. A bat-
tery and another regi-
ment were added in July
to the three regiments,
the whole being known
as the first New Jer-
sey brigade. It served
throughout the war and
took a gallant part in
many of the hardest
fought battles. General
Philip Kearny, who

served with distinction in many of the campaigns of the

Civil War, was for some time commander of this brigade.
The second brigade was raised under the third call (July

24, 1 861), and included four regiments of infantry and a

battery, which also saw severe service.

About a year later, the President called for three hundred

thousand more volunteers to serve for three years or until

General Philip Kearny

THE CIVIL WAR

175

the close of the war. New Jersey's quota of five regiments
was furnished with the same promptness as before. In
addition she placed a regiment of cavalry in the field. So
quick was our State to provide all the volunteers called
for, that there was no draft, as there was elsewhere, to
meet the demands of the national government. Moreover,
thousands of Jerseymen enlisted in other States. Of the
troops whose service ranged from four years to one hun-
dred days, New Jersey provided 79,348, with 8957 addi-
tional men not credited to her. The total call was 78,248,
and the whole number furnished was 88,305.^

The State never paid any bounty, but townships, muni-
cipal authorities, and counties gave millions of dollars for
volunteers. No soldiers displayed greater bravery in the
field. To gain a true idea of what these troops did for
their country, one must read the full history of the great
war itself. The character of the patriots was shown by
the declaration of General Philip Kearny. A desperate
enterprise had been intrusted to him. He asked the privi-
lege of selecting the men who were to undertake the dar-
ing work. His superior officer inquired what troops he
preferred.

*' Give me Jerseymen," he said ; " tJicy ne'-oer fliiicJi ! "
Joel Parker was the "War Governor" of New Jersey.
Like many of his fellow-Democrats, he strongly opposed
hostilities until the firing on Fort Sumter. He then bo-
came one of the most ardent supporters of the national
government. He was elected governor in 1862 and served
until 1866. During the Confederate invasion of Pennsyl-
vania, in 1863, he sent several organized regiments thither

1 Francis Bazley Lee's " New Jersey as a Colony and a State."

176

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

for the protection of the State, and was so prompt and
vigorous in aiding the administration that President Lin-
coln warmly thanked him. He estabhshed a method of
settling the war debt by which not a bond of New Jersey
sold for less than par, and when peace came, the State
treasury had a surplus of 3200,000.

Born in Freehold in 18 16, Governor Parker was the
finest type of Jerseyman. He was physically large, genial,

and patriotic, and was regarded with
affection throughout the State. Few
men were as widely esteemed as he.
He was proud of New Jersey, and
delivered addresses many times on its
Revolutionary history. In 1868 the
New Jersey delegation to the Demo-
cratic national convention unanimously
Joel Parker supported his nomination for the presi-

dency. He was governor again in 1870, and at the close
of his term became attorney-general. He was appointed
justice of the supreme court in 1880
and reappointed in 1887, having de-
clined, in 1883, a third nomination for
governor. He died in 1888.

With the surrender of Lee at Ap-
pomattox in April, 1865, the chapter of
warfare and disunion came to an end and
the beginnings were made of a Union
that is destined to last as the hope of
the world through the coming centuries.

General George B. McClellan, at one time commander
of the Army of the Potomac, was always popular in New

General George B.
McClellan

THE CIVIL WAR

177

Arranging Lee's Surrender

Jersey. He was elected governor by a large majority in
1879 2.nd served with great acceptability, dying at his
home on Orange Mountain in 1885.

The United States remained at peace for a generation
following the close of the War for the Union. Small
threatening clouds appeared once or twice in the sky, but
quickly dissolved and left the sunlight as clear as before.
Then came a war of a kind rarely heard of among nations,
for it was waged solely in behalf of suffering humanity,
and without a selfish thought on the part of the United
States.

The Spanish rule in Cuba was so cruel that the world
was horrified. The beautiful, fertile island lies so near our
doors that our sympathy was deeply stirred. It is, how-
ever, doubtful whether our government ever would have
intervened, except for an incident which roused Americans

178 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

to irrestrainable rage. That incident was the blowing up
of the battleship Maine^ in the harbor of Havana, on the
night of February 15, 1898. The shattered warship went
down in a few minutes, carrying 266 officers and men to
their deaths. An investigation seemed to point directly to
the Spaniards, or their sympathizers, as the perpetrators
of this crime. It is only just to say, however, that their
guilt in this matter has never been established as a certainty.

Our government notified Spain that she must withdraw
her land and naval forces from Cuba at once, on pain of
having them driven out. Spain refused, and the war which
followed lasted about three months and a half. The
Spanish forces were overwhelmingly defeated on land and
water, and Spain had no choice but to surrender Cuba and'
the Philippines.

In this insignificant struggle President McKinley asked
for one hundred and twenty-five thousand volunteers to serve
for two years. The quota of New Jersey was three regi-
ments of infantry, each organized into three battalions of
four companies each. All were mustered into service by
May 15. A later demand required another New Jersey
regiment of twelve companies.

Before the beginning of the war, but when it was cer-
tain to come, the Navy Department called upon the Naval
Reserves to furnish seamen to serve on the vessels of the
navy. In accordance with a general plan, the Montank
was refitted at League Island, Philadelphia, for duty off
Portland, Maine. Several detachments of officers and
men reported for duty on the Montauky but she was not
fully ready until the latter part of April.

Meanwhile the government had asked Governor Voor-

WAR WITH SPAIN

179

hees for a detachment of men, who served on the Resolute.
In the destruction of Admiral Cervera's fleet, the Resolute
was under fire from a shore battery. Afterward, she
carried prisoners from the C0I071, and then sailed for New
York, where she received nurses and stores for the sick
and wounded. She joined the U.S.S. Newark in bom-

U.S.S. NEWARK

barding Manzanillo, but before the bombardment was com-
pleted, the assailants were notified that the protocol of
peace had been signed.

A strong battalion of the East was mustered into the
United States service in May and soon sailed on the
Badger for Provincetown, Massachusetts, to report for duty
with the North Atlantic patrol squadron. She next went
to Key West and to Havana, where she helped in blockad-
ing that port. Then she joined the blockading fleet off
Nuevitas. The Badger was the flagship of Commodore
Watson for a few days. At the conclusion of hostilities,

HIST. NJ. — 12

l8o UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

she sailed north and the detachment was mustered out of
service.

Cuba was freed from the oppressive rule of Spain, and
the United States, having seen the Republic established,
withdrew its authority from the island on May 20, 1902.
Our flag was hauled down at the Government Palace,
Havana, and that of Cuba took its place. Thus we
showed the world that we were honest in our declara-
tion that our sole purpose in intervening was to relieve the
suffering people from their oppressors.

Political disturbances in Cuba, however, became so
serious in 1906 that our government was obliged to inter-
vene in the interests of law and order. The military occu-
pation begun at that time continued until March 31, 1909,
when the island was evacuated by American troops. Dur-
ing the occupancy benefits were conferred upon Cuba which
will be felt for generations to come.

CHAPTER XVII

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY

At the opening of the twentieth century New Jersey
had seven cities, each with more than sixty thousand in-
habitants, viz. Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Trenton,
Camden, EHzabeth, and Hoboken. Although half the
State is uncleared forest land, Massachusetts and Rhode
Island are the only States that are more densely populated.

Newark leads all the other cities with a population, in
1910, of 347,469. Founded in 1666, less than half a cen-
tury after the landing
of the Pilgrims at
Plymouth, it is one of
the oldest towns in the
country. When the lit-
tle band from Connecti-
cut put up their huts on
the marshy lowlands,
New Jersey was a wil-
derness, through which
roamed wild animals and
equally wild Indians.

One of the first things done by those pioneers was to
build a small church which stood nearly opposite the pres-

i8i

First Church, Newark

l82

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Early View of Newark and the Passaic River

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY 183

ent First Presbyterian Church. Two men with loaded
guns kept watch in the cupola during service for the In-
dians who never came, and one fourth of the male adults
brought their weapons to church, just as they had been
accustomed to do in New England.

If the village grew slowly, it was prosperous from the
beginning. At the end of ten years, it had, in addition to
the church, an inn, a grist mill, and a stanch boat which
carried the produce to Elizabethtown and New York and
brought back the purchases made in those places. Gov-
ernor Carteret wrote home glowing praises of the Newark
cider. John Catlin opened a school in 1676. The parents
of those who attended had to pay for the privilege. Al-
though new settlers came from Connecticut, the malaria
from the marshes kept others away. One hundred years
after the first cabin was put together, Newark contained
less than a thousand people. The first charter was granted
in 1712.

The awakening came early in the last century. The
little town was well known for its excellent shoes, harnesses,
wagons, and carriages, all of which were in wide demand.
Moses Combs was the first manufacturer in Newark. His
boots and shoes were popular in the South, and he grew
wealthy. Then Seth Boyden arrived at the close of the
War of 18 1 2; and did a service for the town and for the
country itself, which will always be remembered with grati-
tude. He was a genius in the way of invention. His
foundry produced the finest of tools and machines. He
invented a method of casting malleable iron. He discov-
ered that electricity not only descends from the sky to the
earth, but often passes from the earth to. the sky.

i84

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Seth Boyden was the first man to make patent leather.
He also experimented with the little wild strawberry, until he

evolved the big, luscious
deUcacy that is a delight
to everybody.

While on the high
tide of prosperity, New-
ark was smitten by the
''hard times" of 1837.
It looked for a while as
if the town were doomed
to ruin. Men who were
wealthy one day dropped
to the depths of poverty
the next day. Gaunt,
famishing workmen
tramped up and down
the streets, vainly look-
ing for the mxeans to earn
the price of a loaf of
bread. It was years before Newark recovered from the
staggering blow. When it did rally, however, its prosperity
was greater than before.

The first step had been taken in 18 13 to furnish free pub-
lic schools for the children of the poor. In 1833 legislative
permission was obtained to divide the city into four wards,
and in 1836 the present school system was established.
It was in April of the latter year that Newark became a
real city, and began lighting its streets with oil lamps.
Ten years later gas took their place. In 1840 the popula-
tion was 17,000. It doubled in the next ten years, and

Monument to Seth Boyden

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY 1 85

in the following ten years doubled again. At the opening
of the War for the Union, its inhabitants numbered 75,000.
With its population of about 350,000 in 19 10, it ranks as
the fourteenth city in the United States.

The coming of the thread manufactories, varnish factories,
chemical manufactories, jewelry and electrical shops added
to the wealth of the city. The leather industry had much
to do with Newark's growth, and the making of machinery,
wearing apparel, and small metal articles was largely carried
on: The manufacture of jewelry naturally caused that of
silverware and watch cases. Newark supplies a large part
of the world's watch cases.

Emperor William of Germany pronounced the silverware
made at the Newark plant of Tiffany and Company the
finest exhibition of workmanship of its kind ever produced
in any country in the world. It was in Newark that
Thomas A. Edison established his first large workshop,
although his later experiments were conducted at Menlo
Park, NJ. The 765 manufacturing plants of i860 have
become 1800, and the capital invested in industry has
grown from $14,000,000 to nearly $160,000,000, while
the value of the yearly marketed product has increased
from $28,000,000 to more than $200,000,000.

The schools of Newark are among the best in the Union,
its houses of worship are so numerous that it has been called
the " City of Churches," and its public buildings are beauti-
ful and impressive. Among them is the Free Library,
one of the finest in the State. Its principal charitable in-
stitutions are the City Reform School, the Orphan Asylum,
the Home for the Friendless, and St. Barnabas and St.
Michael hospitals.

i86

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Jersey City, with a population in 191 o of 267,779, ranks
second in New Jersey. It contains the sites of the earhest
settlements. Jersey City, as at present constituted, was
formed by the consolidation of Bergen, Hudson City, and
Greenville with the original and smaller Jersey City, in the
years 1869-73, and includes within its boundaries Paulus
Hook, Communipaw, and Harsimus, places prominent in the

Early View of Communipaw

early history of the section. All these were included in the
tract granted to Michael Pauw in 1630 and called Pavonia,
As we have seen, settlements were begun at Bergen and
other parts of Pavonia about the time that Manhattan Is-
land was first occupied, or soon thereafter. These settle-
ments were rendered insecure by reason of troubles with
the Indians. After the land lying between the Hudson
River on the east and Newark Bay and the Hackensack
Riv^er on the west had been purchased from the Indians
by Governor Stuyvesant and the Council of New Nether-

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY 187

land in 1658, the settlers petitioned for permission to estab-
lish a village on the land behind Communipaw. The peti-
tion was granted on August 16, 1660. Bergen was accord-
ingly founded as a village in 1660, and was laid out by
Jacques Cortelyou, the first surveyor of New Amsterdam.
It had the form of a square, each side being 800 feet long,
and was fortified by a stockade, erected on the sides of the
square. In the middle of the square an open space 225
feet long and 160 feet wide, was reserved. The remaining
space was divided into lots and allotted to the settlers.
Although their farms, which were called "buytentuyn,"
extended for some distance beyond the village, the settlers
were required to have their homes within the stockade, so
that they might be able to protect themselves against the
attacks of the Indians. The plan of the village is still pre-
served. In place of the stockade we have city streets, and
the open space in the middle is retained as Bergen Square.
A local court of justice was estabhshed September 5, 1661.

A site for a village was also surveyed by Cortelyou
in 1660 at Communipaw and a palisade was afterwards
erected. In order that the settlers of Bergen and Com-
munipaw might be able to reach New Amsterdam more
easily, a ferry was established at Communipaw in 1661.

That the founders of Bergen were solicitous about the
education of their children is shown by the fact that when
the village was laid out, one plot was reserved as a site for
the village school. This is the first site in the State used
for school purposes, and on it is located the present im-
posing School No. II, the fifth, probably, to be erected on
this plot. Soon after the founding of Bergen, the first
school was established in 1662, under the charge of Engel-

1 88

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

bert Stuynhuysen. He was the first teacher in New Jersey
of whom there is any record. The first school building was
erected in 1664.

The Dutch settlers of Bergen were also the first to or-
ganize a church, in 1660. The first church building was

erected about 1662. In Bergen,
therefore, were established the
first municipal government, the
first church, and the first school
of the State.

On September 22, 1668, Gov-
ernor Carteret granted a new
charter to the town of Bergen.
The settlement grew rapidly.
The inhabitants were industri-
ous, and devoted themselves
earnestly to clearing and cul-
tivating their lands. They found
a ready market for their crops in
New York, and enjoyed the prosperity of a peaceful and
successful farming community to the time of the Revolu-
tionary War, during which they were loyal to the cause of
the colonies, and suffered much from the frequent raids of
British soldiers. The town of Bergen was rechartered
March 24, 1855. It was chartered as a city in April, 1868.
The original and smaller Jersey City included at first
only Paulus Hook, but was subsequently enlarged to include
all the lowland immediately adjacent to the Hudson River,
and extending to Bergen. The location, directly opposite
the metropolis of the country, marked it as the site of one
of the future great cities of the country. Paulus Hook,

. .-■••*Y---''<'''N/r*''^*''

Church at Bergen jn 1680

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY 189

for over a century, had been owned by a single family, —
the Van Vorsts. A ferry, erected before the Revolution
(in 1764), connected it with New York, and it was the
starting point of the stage line to Philadelphia. A score
of stages entered and left Paulus Hook daily.

The tract, containing 117 acres, was conveyed to
Anthony Dey in March, 1804. Cornelius van Vorst
was to receive in payment, six thousand "Spanish-milled
dollars," secured by an irredeemable mortgage. This tract
was inclosed by the Hudson River, Harsimus Bay, Commu-
nipaw Bay, and a straight line running between the two
bays. The population of Paulus Hook at that time did
not number twenty persons.

In January, 1820, the City of Jersey was incorporated by
the legislature. Another charter was granted in 1829, a
better system of government was organized, and new indus-
tries were brought into the town. In 1838 the city was
incorporated as Jersey City, with a mayor and common
council.

Hudson City and Greenville originally formed parts of
Bergen and as such are associated with its eventful history.
They were established as separate municipalities in April,
1855 and March, 1863, respectively. As has been stated,
Jersey City, Bergen, Hudson City, and Greenville were
consolidated into a greater Jersey City.

The charter of the consolidated city has undergone
many changes, but its growth has been amazing. It is the
terminal of the leading railway lines of the country ; it
contains the docks of important transatlantic steamship
companies; and is connected with New York by numerous
steam ferries and by tunnels. There are plans for span-

190

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

ning the Hudson by a great bridge similar to those which
now join Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The generosity of New Jersey in providing for education
is strikingly illustrated in Jersey City. All the schools are
sanitary structures of the finest type. The High School
building recently completed cost $520,000. It is sur-

'»^s.W>irx'"?

Columbian Academy, erected in Bergen in 1790

rounded by ten acres of ground, which, at an expense of
$100,000, has been converted into a public park. The
Free Public Library is a beautiful building, containing
one of the largest collections of books in the State.

Jersey City ships a vast amount of grain, and its manu-
factures include foundry and machine products, railroad
cars, refined sugar and molasses, dressed meats, tobacco,
rubber and silk goods, chemicals, lumber, malt liquors.

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY 191

watches, iron, steel, brass, zinc, pencils, soap, and candles.
The population passed the quarter-million mark before
1910 and is steadily increasing.

Paterson, with a population in 19 10 of 125,600, ranks
third. It owes its existence to the Passaic Falls, which
afford the finest water power in the State. Alexander
Hamilton saw the possibilities of the section, and, in 1791,
secured from the New Jersey legislature an act incorpo-
rating a society, which by means of elaborate plans in-
tended to develop the water power and lay the foundations
of an important city. The scheme, however, made no
headway until 1831, when Paterson, — named for Governor
William Paterson, who signed the act incorporating the
city, ^was cut off from the old township of Acquackanonk.
The city was incorporated in 1851.

Paterson has prospered to a remarkable degree. It
was long famous for the manufacture of locomotives. Its
superb triumphs of mechanism have gone to every part of
the globe. When Commodore Perry made his first visit
tg^ Japan, in 1853, he laid a short railway track, over which
a small locomotive and cars were run. The Japanese were
filled with admiring wonder, for never before had they
seen anything of the kind. The engine had been specially
ordered for this exhibition from Paterson.

In 1902 a conflagration destroyed the business center
and a large portion of the residential district of Paterson.
The year following, a flood desolated the city, and in the
year succeeding that, a cyclone spread death and destruc-
tion on every hand. The property loss from these visita-
tions amounted to ^12,000,000. The sympathy of the
whole country, and of peoples across the ocean, was stirred.

192

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

All the kind offers of help, however, were gratefully but
sturdily declined. Paterson set an example for munici-
palities elsewhere by refusing to receive any aid from out-
side sources. With splendid vigor, courage, and wisdom,
the city repaired its waste places, and upon the ruins of
the old, erected a greater city than existed before.

Silk Mill,^ Paterson

The city leads all others in the Union in the silk industry
and ranks fifth in manufactures. Its principal products
are those of the foundry and machine shop, cotton and
linen thread, flax, hemp, and jute goods, paper, and chemi-
cals.

Trenton, the fourth city in point of population, had 96,815
inhabitants in 19 10. We have learned in previous pages
of the early history of Trenton. As the capital of New

THE LEADING CITIES OF NEW JERSEY

193

Jersey, it contains the most important State institutions.
The first Capitol or State House was buih at a cost of less
than $20,000, but it has since been improved, added to,
beautified, and rebuilt, until it is one of the finest struc-
tures of its kind in the Union.

The State Arsenal was erected in 1797 and was used for
a time as the State Prison. Among its interesting relics

Trenton Pottery

are a French bronze gun of the date of 1758, a gun cap-
tured at the battle of Trenton, and two taken at Yorktown.
The Lunatic Asylum, known as the State Hospital, was
opened for the reception of patients in May, 1848. Its
capacity has been increased from time to time and it now
accommodates about 1 500 patients. Its location, two miles
north of the city, was chosen because of a large spring
of the purest water. The legend is that when General
Sullivan and his command were on their way to Trenton,

194 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

to take part in the battle of December 26, 1776, they
halted and slaked their thirst at this famous fountain.

Trenton leads all other cities in the country in the pro-
duction of pottery, and its iron rolling and woolen mills
have long been important. Rubber manufactures have of
late years assumed great prominence. The city contains
the Normal and Model Schools (see pages 209, 210), the
State Home for Girls, the State Prison, and the School for
Deaf Mutes.

Camden, with a population in 1910 of 94,538, ranks fifth
among the cities of New Jersey. Its situation as regards
Philadelphia is similar to that of Jersey City in relation to
New York. For more than a century Camden was a
drowsy hamlet, content to slumber in the shadow of the
city across the river, that had once been the most populous
in the Union and the capital of the young Republic. But
the construction of the Camden and Amboy railroad, the
West Jersey system, the Camden and Atlantic, and other
railway lines gave an impetus to settlement and enterprise,
and Camden soon took rank among the most prosperous
cities in the State. It has extensive iron works, shipyards,
cotton and woolen mills, and many manufacturing interests.
It was chartered in 1828, when its population was less than
3000.

Elizabeth, the sixth city, had in 1910 a population of
73,409. Much of the early history of this city has been
recorded in previous pages. It was settled in 1664 by a
company from Long Island, being then known as Eliza-
bethtown. It was chartered as the borough of Elizabeth in
1789, incorporated as a town in 1796, chartered as a city
in 1855, and rechartered in 1863. It is an important rail-

THE LEADliSTG CITIES OF NEW JERSEY 195

road junction and coaling port. It has the most extensive
sewing machine works in the world and is also known for
its large industries in cars, cordage, pumps, foundries, and
chemicals.

Hoboken, the seventh city in rank, had a population in
1910 of 70,324. It was only a short time after the Revo-
lution that John Stevens bought the site of the present city
of Hoboken. He saw its future ; but when he divided the
ground into building lots, and offered them for sale in
1804, Paukis Hook proved the greater attraction. He
knew, however, that his reward would soon come. The
great city of New York overflows in all directions, and the
ever increasing army of commuters make their homes
among the outlying towns on both sides of the river.
Hoboken was chartered as a city in 1855. The growth of
Hoboken has been almost unparalleled. The city contains
extensive iron foundries, a large coal and iron trade, and is
the terminus of several important steamship lines. Edwin
A. Stevens, through his will, richly endowed the Stevens
Institute of Technology in Hoboken, and it was opened in
1871. The institution ranks among the foremost of its
kind in the United States.

Bayonne, with its immense coal docks and petroleum
refineries, is growing rapidly, and the number of inhabi-
tants in 1910 was 55,545. Bayonne and Union townships
were organized in 1861, and the city of Bayonne in 1869.
Its population at that date was barely one tenth of what it
is to-day.

New Jersey has long been the watering place of the na-
tion. The seashore resorts are crowded every summer, and
many of them have a large resident population. Long
msT. N.J.— 13

196

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Branch, Cape May, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Avon,
Bay Head, and Atlantic City are the most popular. The
growth of the last-named city has been phenomenal.

Beach at Atlantic City, New Jersey

Every possible attraction is provided there, and visitors are
drawn thither from every part of the Union.

The climate is so invigorating and equable that it has
become a favorite winter resort. Thousands who have
been accustomed to spend the cold months in Florida and
the South have found Atlantic City so much superior that
they are glad to seek health and strength in this enterpris-
ing city by the sea.

CHAPTER XVII
THE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE

The United States has one of the longest Hnes of coast
in the world. Including the Great Lakes, it is more than
ten thousand miles in extent, and no coast is more danger-
ous than the shore of New Jersey. It is said that if all the
vessels wrecked between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Har-
bor could be placed end to end, the line would not show
a break anywhere between those points.

Two causes make the approach to New York so peril-
ous. The coasts of Long Island and New Jersey con-
verge toward the metropolis, so that a ship, when caught
in one of the tempests that sometimes sweep across the
ocean, has to. choose upon which shore it will be stranded.
Again, a bar runs parallel with the beach at a varying
distance therefrom of two hundred yards to half a mile.
The water on this bar is about two feet deep, so that a
vessel driven toward shore strikes long before it can get
within reach of the anxious people on the beach.

Scores of wrecks on the Jersey coast have been of a
thrilling character. We shall tell about one, as it was
told to us by "Uncle Tommy Cook," well remembered by
those who used to visit Squan Beach — now Point Pleasant
— a generation and more ago. His memory ran back to the
opening of the last century, and a part of the house in
which he lived was built before the Revolution.

197

198 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

" One stormy night in February," said the old man,
*' I was awakened by the rocking of my bed and the sway-
ing of the room. I put on my tarpaulins, made everything
about my clothing secure, lit a lantern, and plunged into
the storm.

" It was snowing heavily, and again and again I was
pushed back several paces. It was a fourth of a mile to the
beach, and the hurricane drove the blinding flakes hori-
zontally through the air. When halfway to the sea, I
turned and backed the rest of the distance. It was like
shoving against a loaded wagon to force my way over the
sandy bluff. When I did so, I caught glimpses of a dozen
men who were there before me.

" Day was breaking when I arrived at the beach. The
mountainous waves were charging up the shore and send-
ing the spray far inland, with a fury which no one can
describe. Peering seaward, through the swirl and storm,
we dimly traced the outlines of a ship that had struck on
the bar and was pounded by the surges that raced over her
deck. As the light increased, we saw that she was crowded
with people, many of whom begged us by signs to help them.

*' How glad we should have been to do so ! It was
before the wreck gun was used. Again and again we tried
to start a boat, but were hurled back like a ball in the
hands of a boy. As is often the case at such times, a
tremendous current swept along the shore with the speed
of a racehorse. Once we were carried two hundred yards
in the space of a few seconds, as it seemed, and then cap-
sized and flung high up the beach. It was beyond human
power to do anything except to stand idly by and watch
the woeful sight.

THE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE I99

" Just beyond the stranded vessel I saw a schooner, her
sails blown away, speeding down the coast like a locomo-
tive. She was carried by the resistless current and struck
the bar only a little way below where we stood. She ap-
peared to crumble like a house of cards and, of the four or
five men who composed the crew, not one escaped.

" Hardly an hour later, a third vessel, farther out than
the second, shot into view and out again as she too raced
southward. She struck two miles below, without any one
being able to raise a hand to help those on board. I am
sure that all or nearly all on the three vessels would have
been saved, had we possessed the means now at command.

" It was the John Minttim that was pounding on the
bar off Squan Beach. About the middle of the forenoon
it stopped snowing and the weather turned intensely
cold. The men, women, and children could be plainly
seen, and we continually signaled to each other. I spe-
cially noticed a mother at the bow with a babe in her arms.
She seemed to be kneeling in prayer, as were many of
those around her. All had seen long before that the hun-
dreds on the beach could give them no help. We made
several attempts to launch a boat, but we might as well
have tried to row up the side of a mountain.

" Late in the afternoon the wreck began breaking up.
More than thirty bodies came ashore. Many of them had
been frozen stiff for hours. It was a pitiable sight, when
nearly all of these were washed up the beach and left in
a sitting posture. Some of my neighbors thought they
were alive and spoke to them. When I saw the mother
sitting on the sand with her babe clasped to her breast, I
ran to her with encouraging words. Laying my hand on

200 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

her shoulder, I found that she and her little one had been
frozen to death long before. The exposure would have
been fatal to all, even had they not been overwhelmed by
the sea."

Among those who were impressed by the dreadful loss
of life every year on the New Jersey coast was Dr. Wil-
liam A. Newell, a young physician, who
lived in Monmouth county, and who
afterward became governor of the State.
He witnessed several wrecks and saw
how easily many lives could have been
saved with proper appliances. He knew
that the first step in that direction had
been taken by Massachusetts, as long
William A. Newell ^^^ ^^ 1/86, when she organized the

Humane Society. A number of huts were put up on
the Massachusetts coast, and, in 1807, the first boat station
was built at Cohasset. The society had to depend wholly
upon volunteer crews, which did such good service that
after a time they were given aid by the State and the gen-
eral government. In 1847 Congress appropriated $5000
toward providing lighthouses on the Atlantic coast, and
for the help of shipwrecked mariners. The money was
never used for that purpose and was turned over to the
Massachusetts Society at Cape Cod.

Dr. Newell served in Congress from 1848 to 185 1. He
secured, during his first year as a member of that body,
an appropriation of $10,000 for "the protection of
life and property from shipwreck on the coast between
Sandy Hook and Little Egg Harbor." What stronger
proof could be asked of the practical humanity of this step

THE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE 20I

than quickly followed in the case of the Ayrshire f She
was wrecked on Squan Beach, in January, 1850, and by
means of the life car, 201 passengers were safely landed.
The only man drowned was one who refused to enter
the Hfe car and tried to swim through the surf.

Congress increased the appropriation, and twenty-two
stations were placed on the coasts of Long Island and New
Jersey. No braver men ever lived than these life-savers,
but Congress, while appropriating hundreds of thousands
of dollars annually for different purposes, felt that the
country was too poor to pay day wages to these heroes.
Although they saved hundreds of lives and scores of
vessels at imminent risk to themselves, they received no
compensation. Now and then a life-saver was drowned
while on duty, and his widow and children had to depend
upon the charity of their neighbors, or live as best they could.

Gradually, however, Congress came to a sense of its duty.
Local superintendents were appointed in 1854, a keeper
was put at each station, to whom were given crews, and all
received scant wages. Then the chief of the Revenue
Marine Bureau of the Treasury Department took charge
of the life-saving stations, and by years of hard work the
present admirable service was brought into operation.

To-day the ocean and lake coasts of the United States
are picketed by an army of life-savers. Every night
during the winter, while we are asleep, these ten thou-
sand miles are traversed by keen-eyed men, on the alert
for the first sign of needed help. Each patrolman car-
ries a lantern and a supply of " Coston Signals." The
more violent the tempest, the greater is the need for his
watchfulness, which is never relaxed. If he catches sight

202

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

of a ship in peril, he burns the Coston signal. Those on
the vessel instantly read its meaning: " Keep good heart;

we will relieve

you."

The patrolman
makes all haste to
the station, which
may be a mile or
more away, and re-
ports that a ship
is in extremity. If
the surfboat is re-
quired, the carriage
supporting it is run
out of the building:

and the
crew join
in drag-
ging it to
the spot
where it
is needed.
It is esti-
mated that
a strong man

Life-saving Station and Lifeboat

can draw a hun-
dred and fifty pounds over a level turnpike, but, in the
absence of horses, he has to drag a hundred and eighty

THE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE 203

pounds as a life-saver, through the heavy sand and in the

teeth of the howling gale.

Then with all possible haste the lifeboat is launched.
The keeper, standing at the steering oar, guides the craft
through the roaring breakers. The surfmen keep their
eyes on him, obeying every signal, and bend to their oars,
with a coolness and courage that cannot be surpassed.
Sometimes the surf will balance the boat on its stern, with
its bow pointing straight upward ; or the boat may be cap-
sized in the breakers. Little do the surfmen care ; for
their cork life belts protect them from drowning. Strug-
gling to the beach, they secure and right their boat and
try again and again to reach the wreck. Arrived there,
they must display great judgment and skill to prevent the
lifeboat from being smashed against the hull, which may
be breaking up. The surfmen must dodge the falling
spars and wreckage, and take off the passengers and crew,
who are likely to be in a panic and who would sink the
boat by overcrowding, unless they were held in check.

If the patrolman reports that the surf boat cannot be
used, the mortar boat is dragged to the spot. The gun is
loaded, the shot line box is properly placed, the hauling lines
and hawser are fixed for running, the breeches buoy is
attached, the tackles are prepared for hauling, and a trench
is dug, so that the sand anchor will hold. Each man has
his appointed task and there is no confusion, as all toil in
the shrieking tempest by the glow of the beach lantern.

Now the gun is fired. There is a rattling whirr, and the
elongated shot, with the thin line trailing after it, curves
upward in the gale and drops into the sea beyond the
stranded vessel. This causes the line to fall across some

204 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

spar or object, where it is seized by the waiting crew. In
the same instant they shout at the top of their voices, and
the favoring hurricane carries the sound to the listening
ears on the beach. The life-savers next fasten the endless
Hne or " whip," the tail block, and tally board to the shot
Hne, which those on the wreck rapidly haul aboard. There
the end of the tail block is made fast, as directed by the
words painted on it (these directions may be in several
languages), and a signal of what has been done is made to
those on the beach.

By hauling on one part of the whip, the surfmen send
out, fastened to the other part, the hawser and second
tally board. Upon this are painted instructions to the
sailors as to how and where the end of the hawser should
be secured on the wreck. The surfmen haul upon the
tackles, which connect the sand anchor and the shore end
of the hawser, until it is drawn taut. As will be noted, the
wreck and shore are now connected by a strong rope.
The bridge has been built over which the endangered ones
are to cross.

There are two methods of bringing the shipwrecked
ones to land. The first is the breeches buoy. This is
made of strong canvas, with two openings through which
the legs are thrust. The canvas wraps about the hips,
and is secured to the circular buoy which passes around
the body under the arms. Thus the man to be rescued
takes a standing position. He is brought to shore by the
surfmen who pull upon the guiding line, tied to the block
which runs over the hawser, above the head of the person
in the buoy. In the picture on p. 205 the man with the
breeches buoy is rescuing a woman.

Breeches Buoy
205

206 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

This method does not serve so well for invalids, women,
or children, nor when haste is necessary in bringing a
large number ashore. For these the life car is the saving
agent. It is a covered boat of sheet iron, and when
closed ready for the passage, is air tight. The inmates
would smother if kept there long, but they are never shut
in long enough for that. The life car is drawn ashore by
the same means as the breeches buoy, though it is some-
times permitted to float on the waves. It will carry six
adults, and has brought in nine large children at a time.
It has also been used in saving specie.

The official records show that since Superintendent
Kimball organized the bureau in 1871, the life-savers have
worked upon about 18,000 wrecks, in which 125,000 people
and ^350,000,000 worth of property were imperiled. Two
thirds of the property and fourteen out of every fifteen
persons were saved. In addition, these brave men have
rescued hundreds of flood victims, would-be suicides, luna-
tics, reckless bathers, skaters, children who have fallen
from docks, persons who have fallen into sewers, or have
been caught upon breakwaters, lost in blizzards, stranded
in automobiles, or endangered by runaway horses.

During the ten years ending with 1907, about twenty
gold medals and half that number of silver medals were
awarded to rescuers of drowning persons in New Jersey
waters, a few of the rescues being made by men uncon-
nected with the life-saving service. In the same period,
vessels were stranded at forty-four different places on the
coast of the State. The varied nature of the work of these
noble life-savers is shown by their discovery and extinguish-
ment of a burning dwelling, their picking up of an immense

THE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE 20/

fishing net drifting a mile off shore, their caring for suffer-
ing wanderers in storms, and their taking of officers out to
their vessels, when the weather was too tempestuous for it
to be done by the vessels' own crews.

District superintendents are paid salaries ranging from
;^ 1 900 to $2200 yearly. The keepers of life-saving stations
receive only $1000 per annum, and each is entitled to a
ration a day, or he can commute therefor at the rate of
30 cents per ration.

The only relief for disabled keepers and surfmen, who
are injured in the line of duty, is a continuation of
pay during disability for a period not exceeding a year.
If the case is exceptional and is approved by the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, this pay may be continued for two
years. Efforts have been made, thus far without success,
to provide pensions on retirement from service, similar to
those granted in the army and navy. The present law
only gives the widow and minor children, or dependent
mother, of a keeper or surfman, who dies in the line of
duty, a sum equal to two years' wages of the deceased

CHAPTER XIX
PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION

We have learned of the steps taken by New Jersey
during the colonial period, in the interests of common
school education. Shortly after the close of the Revolu-
tion these steps became more definite. A number of pri-
vate schools and academies came into existence, and, as a
rule, they were well supported. In 1816 the legislature
set aside the sum of $15,000 to be invested in a permanent
educational fund. In the following two years, this sum
was increased to $113,238.78. A law in 1824 added a
tenth of the State tax to the school fund. Previous to this
each township was authorized to raise money by taxation
to pay for the education of the children of poor parents.
This authority was increased in 1828, so as to include the
building and repair of schoolhouses. A year later
520,000 was apportioned among the different counties, and
provision was made for the election of a committee in each
township, with the authority to divide it into districts, to
examine and license teachers, and to report each year to the
governor. Three trustees were to be chosen, who were to
decide for how many months the school should be kept
open, to provide schoolhouses, and to report the census of
the school children in the district, as a basis for the distri-
bution of the State money.

In 1837, jiJst before the distressing ''hard times" which
afflicted the country at large, as it has never been afflicted

208

PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION 209

before or since, the United States was believed to be so
prosperous that the surplus revenue in the national Treas-
ury was distributed pro rata among the various States.
The sum paid to New Jersey was ^764,670.61. In some of
the States the gift was added to the school fund. Gov-
ernor Dickerson recommended the same course in this
State, but his advice was not followed. Instead, the fund
was divided among the counties in proportion to the State
tax paid by them. A proof of the growing interest in
common schools was given in 1838, when the legislature
increased the annual appropriation to $30,000. The new
constitution of 1844 contained a provision that the school
fund should never under any pretext be diverted from its
legitimate object. Essex and Passaic counties each secured
a school superintendent, and in 1846 this provision was
made general.

In 1846 every township was required to raise the same
amount that was contributed by the State, and township
superintendents were authorized. The State appropria-
tion was increased in 1851 to $40,000. In 1854 the leg-
islature appropriated $iOQ annually for each teachers'
institute held during the year.

A self-evident fact had long impressed all thoughtful
people : this was the need of a training school for teach-
ers. . Many of those intrusted with the instruction of
children had slight fitness for the work. The best among
them required suggestion, direction, and help. The year
1855 brought an epoch in the educational history of the
State, when. the first State Normal School was opened in
Trenton. The principal was Professor William F. Phelps,
who came from the Experimental School at Albany, New

210

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

York. He was the man of all others best equipped for the
important duty. He was energetic, aggressive, and pro-
gressive, and had a magnetic personality that filled the
students with an ardor for their work. The impetus which

State Normal and Model Schools, Trenton

Professor Phelps gave to common school education in New
Jersey was far-reaching and is manifest to-day throughout
the State.

A great advance was made in 1867, when the entire
school system was revised and placed on a sound basis.
This admirable law provided for the continual maintenance
of the Normal and the Model School ; for the examination
and licensing of teachers; for raising the State educational
fund to the right amount ; for uniting State and local con-
tributions ; and for defining the f-unctions of district '^nd
township trustees, of the city boards of education, of the
county superintendents, of the State superintendent, and
of the State Board of Education.

PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION 211

Free scholarships in the State College of agriculture and
the mechanic arts were established by the legislature in
1890, and^ appropriations for their maintenance by the
State were provided for at the same time. Reference to
this 'college will be made hereafter.

In 1 88 1 the legislature passed an act which encouraged
the establishment of schools for industrial education and
provided for the appropriation each year to any district,
which maintained such a school, of a sum of money equal
to that raised in the district, not exceeding $5000. At
present the maximum appropriation is $7500. In 1888 the
act which stimulated the introduction of manual training
into the public schools was passed. In accordance with
this act, each school district, which maintains this kind of
instruction, receives from the State annually an amount
equal to that which it raises, but not more than ^5000.
As a result of these wise provisions several industrial
schools have been estabUshed and courses in manual train-
ing are found in the schools generally throughout the State.

In New Jersey women can vote at school meetings for
all purposes except the choice of members of the board
of education, and they are eligible to membership in such
boards. The law requires that appropriate exercises shall
be held in all public schools on Arbor Day, set apart for
the planting of trees, and on the school day before each of
the following : Decoration Day, when the graves of the
patriot dead are decorated, Thanksgiving Day, the Fourth
of July, and Washington's Birthday. ^ As yet New Jersey
has not adopted any State flower.

1 Nfew Jersey has eleven legal holidays : New Year's, Lincoln's Birthday, Wash-
ington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Anni-
versary of the Discovery of America, Election Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
^IIST. N.J. — 14

212 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

In 1896 a law was enacted which provides for a Retire-
ment Fund, supported by contributions from the salaries of
teachers, by means of which annuities are paid to teachers
retired on account of age or disabiUty. In 1905 an act
was passed which provides for the payment of pensions by
the school districts to teacliers retired after a service of
thirty-five or more years in the State, and twenty or more
years in the district which grants the pension. These an-
nuities and pensions amount in the former case to six
tenths and in the latter to one half the average annual
salary paid during the last five years of service.

The general school act of 1 871 first made our public
schools free. The township school tax gave place to a
compulsory tax of 2 mills per dollar on ratables, and the
Riparian Commissioners were required to pay over to the
trustees of the School Fund all moneys received from
the sale or rental of land under water belonging to the
State. The amount at present is about $5,000,000, which
yields $200,000 a year for the support of free schools.

In 1894 all school districts in the State, except cities
and boroughs, were abolished; the small and weak neigh-
borhood districts were united, and text-books were fur-
nished free to the pupils. In 1900 the State was given
supervision of schoolhouse plans, thus insuring the con-
struction of sanitary buildings. In 1901 the State school
tax was changed from $5.00 per pupil of school age to 2%
mills per dollar of ratables. The amount thus insured for
the year ending June 30, 1909, was $4,318,077.70.
. The year 1903 is most notable in the history of school
legislation, because in that year the legislature made a
complete revision and codification of the school law.

PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION

213

Among many important changes it gave city school dis-
tricts the power to change the method of selecting boards
of education, and made all boards corporations, independ-
ent largely of local municipal government. It created
"boards of school estimate" in cities and authorized them
to fix the amount of money to be raised for the main-
tenance of the schools.

In 1904 the State Board of Education established a
system of High Schoolinspection. In 1906 the legislature
ordained that most of the moneys received from the tax on
first-class railroad property should be devoted to the sup-
port of the public schools.

The steady advance mad6 by New Jersey in providing
the means for training teachers was shown in 1906, when

State Normal School, Upper Montclair

the legislature appropriated $275,000 for the building and
equipping of a new State Normal School, which was
opened in Upper Montclair in September, 1908,

In 1909 the security of teachers in their employment was
established by a law which requires that after three con-
secutive years of service in the same district, their term of
service shall be during good behavior and efficiency.

214 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

The school law provides for the compulsory attendance
of children at school and for the appointment of officers to
enforce it, for the transportation of pupils whose residences
are remote from the schools which they are required to
attend, and for the protection of the health of children by
requiring medical inspection. It enables every boy and
girl in the State to secure a high school education by requir-
ing school districts to pay the tuition of their pupils, or a
part of it, in a high school of another district, if they have
no high schools of their own.

The total number of pupils in the pubhc schools in 1910
was 424,534, with 11,235 teachers and an average attend-
ance of 309,661 pupils. It was decided in 191 2 to estab-
lish a new normal school.

A radical change in the school law went into effect in
191 1. The office of State Superintendent of Public In-
struction was abolished and the terms of all the members
of the State Board of Education closed June 30, 191 1. A
new board consisting of eight members was appointed by
the Governor, to whom was assigned the duty of nominat-
ing a Commissioner of Education. His term of five years,
with an annual salary of $10,600, began June 30, 191 1.
The Commissioner in turn appointed four assistants, one
to represent himself, while to the others was respectively
assigned charge of the secondary, the elementary, and the
industrial schools.

Calvin N. Kendall of Indianapolis, a highly successful
educator of wide experience, was appointed as the first.
Commissioner of Education and promptly entered upon
the discharge of his duties.

CHAPTER XX

, COLLEGES AND LIBRARIES

The opening years of the eighteenth century saw only
three institutions of higher learning in the American col-
onies: Harvard (1636) in Massachusetts, the College of
William and Mary (1693) in Virginia, and Yale(i70i)in
Connecticut.

In 1746 the Synod of New York obtained a charter for
the establishment of a college in the middle colonies, which
was intended to rank with her elder sisters. In 1747 Jona-
than Belcher, the newly appointed governor of New Jersey,
arrived in the colony and showed a deep interest in the
project. The original charter not being wholly satisfactory,
Governor Belcher granted a second, which passed the seal
of the province, September 14, 1748. It was renewed and
confirmed after the Revolution by the State legislature.

The first term of the infant college, of which Reverend
Jonathan Dickinson had been made president, was opened
in the house of that gentleman in Elizabethtown, in April,
1747. President Dickinson died six months later and was
succeeded by Reverend Aaron Burr. At the same time
the college was removed to Newark. The credit for the
organization of the curriculum, the disclipine, and the cere-
monies of the college belong to President Burr.

The first commencement was held in Newark, November
9, 1748, and was a memorable one in the history of the

215

2l6

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

college, President Burr's inaugural address was a plea for
a broad and liberal education as the surest foundation
for the commonwealth. The graduating class numbered
six. Thus far the college had possessed only temporary
quarters, and the trustees now cast about for a permanent
home. Princeton was found to be an ideal location, and the
removal thither was voted September 27, 1752.

''i&4i^{*'

Nassau Hall, Princeton College

Ground was broken July 29, 1754, and the corner stone
was laid soon after. Governor Belcher had proved so warm
a friend of the institution that the trustees wished to name
it in his honor, but he declined and asked that it should be
called Nassau Hall as expressing " the honor we retain in

COLLEGES AND LIBRARIES 217

this remote part of the globe to the immortal memory of
the glorious King William III, who was a branch of the
illustrious house of Nassau." The governor's request was
complied with and the name Nassau Hall was adopted.

On completion of the building, in the autumn of 1756,
the students removed thither from Newark. The structure
at that time was the largest of its kind in the colonies, and
the expense was so great that two agents were sent to Great
Britain to solicit funds. They were successful and brought
back a liberal sum.

President Burr died in September, 1757, ^^^ ^^s suc-
ceeded by the Reverend Jonathan Edwards of Stockbridge,
Massachusetts. Of him a distinguished authority said:
" He ranks with the brightest luminaries of the Christian
church, not excluding any country or age since the apos-
tolic." He was a master of dogmatic theology and the
most powerful defender that Calvinism ever had.
' President Edwards arrived in Princeton, February 16,
1758, and died a few weeks later of smallpox. Reverend
Samuel Davis succeeded to the presidency, and under him
and those who followed, the college steadily grew and pros-
pered. The most distinguished head of Princeton during
its early years was John Witherspoon, D.D., LL.D., of
Paisley, Scotland, who was inaugurated in the summer of
1768 and presided with remarkable success until his death
in 1794.

The shadow of the coming Revolution was lengthening
over the land when this great Scotch divine and scholar
came to Princeton. He was ardently patriotic and power-
fully influenced the Scotch and Scotch-Irish to support the
cause of American independence. He was a member of

2l8 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1779, and from 1780
to 1783, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation and
the Declaration of Independence.

Princeton College suffered severely from the Revolution.
The town was desolated by the presence first of one army
and then of the other. Nassau Hall was wrecked, the li-
brary scattered and destroyed, and the valuable philosophi-
cal apparatus ruined. Yet during those "days that tried
men's souls," only one commencement was missed — that
of 1777. The seven graduates received their degrees a
few months late, and were credited to that year.

Among the students who sat under the instruction of
President Witherspoon were James Madison, Aaron Burr,
Henry Lee, Morgan Lewis, and Philip Freneau. The last
named was^ born in New York in 1752, and entered the
sophomore class at Princeton at the age of sixteen. He
was one of the founders of the American Whig Society,
and while still a young man won a wide reputation for liter-
ary and especially poetic ability. He was an ardent patriot
and wrote many poems and pamphlets that glowed with
love for his country. "Rq was also a bitter controversialist,
and while employed in the office of Secretary of State
Jefferson, wrote such sharp attacks upon Hamilton, in the
Natio7tal Gazette, that the latter retaliated not only upon
Freneau, but upon Jefferson as the power behind the
throne.

Several editions of Freneau's poems have been published.
Some of them show marked skill, though he cannot be
ranked as a poet of the first order. After withdrawing
from the stormy field of politics, he settled at Mt. Pleasant,
near Freehold. While returning home from the town one

COLLEGES AND LIBRARIES

219

night in December, 1832, he was caught in a blizzard which
caused his death.

In October, 1896, Princeton College celebrated the one
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the first
charter of the College of New Jersey, and assumed the
title of Princeton University with the title of the corpora-
tion as now constituted, " The Trustees of Princeton Uni-
versity." It is one of the best-equipped institutions of its
kind in the world, and numbers among its alumni some of
the greatest statesmen, scholars, scientists, and thinkers of
the age.

The second college town in New Jersey is New Bruns-
wick, now a flourishing city noted for its manufactures
and rubber goods, its foundries and machine shops, and
the production of knit work and cigars. At the close of
the seventeenth century it was simply a ferry station on the
Raritan River. It was first called "Prigmore's Swamp,"
after the owner of the section. On December 2, 1697,
John Inian and his wife were given permission to ferry
passengers across the stream, and for eighteen years the
place was known simply as "Inian's Ferry" or "The
Ferry."

Quite a settlement sprang up in a few years, a number
of families removing thither from Albany, New York.
Vessels from Perth Amboy and New York made regular
trips, and a brisk trade was established. Upon the acces-
sion of the House of Brunswick to the British throne in
1 7 14, the loyal Dutch inhabitants named the village New
Brunswick. It suffered a good deal during the Revolution,
the British army occupying it during the winter of 1776-
1777. The town was incorporated in 1784.

220

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

Queen's College was founded November lo, 1766, under
a royal charter granted by George III. A second charter,
slightly amending the first, was given by Governor William
Franklin, March 20, 1770, for "the education of youth in
the learned languages, liberal and useful arts and sciences,
and especially in divinity." The college has had three dif-
ferent sites in New Brunswick. The charter requires the

Rutgers College

president to be a communicant of the (Dutch) Reformed
Church in America, but no sectarian religious instruction
is given, and its students are of various denominations.

The college has suffered at times from financial stress,
and during the Revolution activities were removed to
neighboring villages. In 1808 the present campus was
acquired, and the erection of a college hall begun. In
1825 it received a generous gift from Colonel Henry Rut-
gers of New York, and its name was changed in his honor.

COLLEGES AND LIBRARIES 221

Since then it has steadily prospered. In 1863 a scientific
department was organized under the name of Rutgers
Scientific School.

In April, 1864, the legislature of New Jersey declared
the department known as "Rutgers Scientific School to
be the State College for the benefit of agriculture and the
mechanic arts." With such colleges the United States in
March, 1887, associated a department known as the "Agri-
cultural Experiment Station." The congressional act au-
thorizes the apportionment of ;^ 15,000 annually for the
support of agricultural experiment stations in connection
with the colleges which were established in the several
States, "for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic
arts," by the act of Congress, July 2, 1862. In March,
1906, Congress authorized an appropriation of $5000 for
•the year ending July i, following with a yearly increase
thereafter of ;^2000 up to a maximum of $15,000 per year.
The legislature designated the trustees of Rutgers College
as the party to whom the appropriations named should be
made.

Thus a course of training in scientific agriculture was
estabUshed at Rutgers with the most valuable results to
the State. Bulletins are furnished free to the farmers. A
large farm, connected with the agricultural college, is de-
voted to experiments upon cattle and with crops and fer-
tilizers. Scholarships in the State College were founded in
1890, the students of which are chosen by competitive ex-
amination. The knowledge with which tillers of the soil
have been equipped by this admirable institution has added
and continues to add unmeasured wealth to farms and
farming.

222 UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

John Stevens, who, in 1784, bought the land on which
Hoboken is situated, possessed inventive talents of the
highest type. In 1798 he built a steamboat which plied
the Hudson. He invented the tubular boiler in 1803, and
was the first to use it in constructing a locomotive, in 1826.
He invented the first steam ferryboat, which began its
trips between New York and Hoboken in 181 1. In 1808
he designed the steamboat PJioeiiiXy which was built by his
son Robert and which was the first vessel propelled by
steam to navigate the ocean. He published a treatise in
1812, on "The Superior Advantages of Railway and Steam
Carriages over Canal Navigation."

Two of his sons, Edwin A. and Robert L. Stevens, were
joint inventors of many improvements in railway tracks
and rolling stock. Robert built the first iron-clad vessel
ever constructed. Edwin, by will, April 15, 1867, be--
queathed a block of ground in the city of Hoboken, worth
1^150,000, for the erection of buildings thereon "suitable
for the uses of an institution of learning," and also $500,000
as an endowment fund for its support.

A charter for the institution was obtained in 1870, and
Professor Henry Morton was chosen president of the
"Stevens Institute of Technology." He was a brilliant
scholar, who had published a translation of the hiero-
glyphic text of the Rosetta Stone, conducted an expedi-
tion to study a total solar eclipse in Iowa, and at the time
of his appointment to Stevens Institute was professor of
chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania. His admin-
istration was highly successful. His enthusiasm in his
work was shown by his gifts of $80,000 to the endowment
fund of the Institute.

COLLEGES AND LIBRARIES

223

In 1875 a mechanical laboratory was established and
placed in charge of the eminent Professor Robert H.
Thurston. President Morton died in 1902, and was suc-
ceeded by Professor A. C. Humphreys, who had been grad-
uated from the Institute in 1881. Professor Thurston died
in 1903.

Stevens Institute, Hoboken

Stevens Institute of Technology is essentially a school
of mechanical engineering alone, and it gives but a single
course of study, which requires four years for completion.
It grants the degree of mechanical engineer to those who
finish the course and has bestowed honorary degrees of
doctor of philosophy and of science. Its instruction is
thorough, and its graduates (now numbering about fifteen
hundred) have every advantage that a perfectly equipped
institution of that nature can impart.

Since public libraries have a high educational value, it

224

UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION

is interesting to know that the oldest one in the State is
that of Princeton University, which was founded in 1748.
It contains also the greatest number of volumes, 262,756.
The other Ubraries established during the eighteenth cen-
tury are Burlington, 1757; Cleosophic Society, Princeton,

The Public Library, Newark

1765; Rutgers College, 1766; and the New Jersey State
Library, Trenton, 1796. The public library at Newark,
established in 1888, and that at Jersey City, established in
1889, are among the finest in the State. The present
number of libraries in the State is 150, with a total of more
than a million and a half volumes.

APPENDIX

I. GEOGRAPHY AND INDUSTRIES

The land and water area of New Jersey is 8224 square
miles. The State is inclosed on every side by water, except-
ing 48 miles on the northern boundary. In the northwest
the country is hilly, and in the southeast low and sandy.
The " Pines " include most of Ocean, Atlantic, the eastern
part of Cumberland, and the northern part of Cape May
counties, besides parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester,
and Salem. Many of the swamps produce valuable crops
of cranberries, the total being one half the crop raised in
the United States. Nearly one half of the State is un-
cleared forest land.

Because of the ocean the climate along the coast is less
severe than in the interior. The shore and mountains are
favorite summer resorts, and attract visitors from every
part of the country. The fire clays and potters' clay in Mid-
dlesex and Mercer counties have made the State the second
in the manufacture of pottery ware, of so fine a quality that
large quantities are exported. In some portions the soil is
very fertile, and when sandy, it can be made highly pro-
ductive by means of marl and fertilizers. Pine and cedar
are found in the south, and oak, maple, chestnut, beech,
hickory, and other varieties of trees abound in the north.
Large crops of corn, wheat, rye, and buckwheat are raised.

New Jersey has long been famous for its luscious fruits
and excellent vegetables, which find a ready market in New
York and Philadelphia, and it is often called " The Garden

225

226

APPENDIX

State." In the northwest are iron ore, gneiss, marble,
limestone, and sandstone. Sussex county contains rich
zinc mines. Until a comparatively recent date this mineral
was found nowhere else in the United States. In Cum-
berland county the quality of the sand has rendered glass-
making an important industry.

Hudson Tunnel

Manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and fishing, in the
order named, are the chief occupations of the people. The
principal manufactures are silk goods (in which the State
leads all others), foundry products, refined petroleum,
copper, iron and steel, pottery, chemicals, leather, malt
Hquors, rubber, cotton and woolen goods, and many minor
articles.

The situation of New Jersey makes it one of the leadir
highways of the nation. Most of the trade between tJ

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT 227

city of New York and the coal, grain, and cotton regions of
the west and southwest, of necessity crosses the State. New
Jersey now has about twenty-five hundred miles of railway.
In addition, there are two important water routes, previously
described, the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and the Morris
Canal. The railway and water facilities are continually
increasing. A direct ship canal across the State will prob-
ably be constructed soon, and will shorten the water dis-
tance by nearly two thirds. Tunnels have been dug under
the Hudson River, which connect the city of New York,
Jersey City, and Hoboken. Trains also pass beneath the
Hudson to New Jersey from the great terminal station of
the Pennsylvania Railroad in New York.

n. SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

Every State has a constitution of its own, and a law-mak-
ing body named the legislature. As in the national con-
stitution, provision is made for di-
viding the powers of government
into three departments : legislative^
executive, judiciary. The legislative
power is vested in a senate and a
general assembly, the executive
power in a governor, and the judi-
ciary power in the various courts.

There are two parts or branches
of the legislature, called the senate and assembly. Every
State is divided into counties, or parishes, or districts. A
certain division has the right to choose a man by vote to
be a member of the senate. In some States a county
forms a senatorial district, while in other States a different
plan is followed. In New Jersey the former plan prevails.

HIST. N.J. — 15

228 APPENDIX

We have twenty-one counties and, therefore, the same
number of State senators.

We must remember that the number of senators in a
State does not depend upon the population of the several
counties or districts which elect them to office. In New
Jersey one of the counties has ten times as many people
as each of certain other counties, but it would make no
difference if it had a hundred times as many. The most
populous county can never, under the present constitution,
have more than one member in the State senate. If the
number of senators were based on the population, the
smaller counties would be at the mercy of the larger ones.
In principle, the national government serves as a model for
the State governments.

Still it is right that population shall have due weight.
Consequently the law allows each county to base the
number of its members in the assembly, or lower branch
of the legislature, upon its population. The people,
therefore, are fully represented in the assembly, but the
members of that branch are held in check by the equal
representation in the senate. The chief officer elected by
the people in each State is the governor. The duties of
the governor of New Jersey are mentioned in the constitu-
tion. (See pp. 245-248.)

Let us now see how each State makes its laws. When
a member of the legislature wishes a certain bill passed,
he writes out its terms and offers it in the branch to which
he belongs. The name or title of the bill is read in a loud
voice by a clerk, so that every member may know what it
is. The bill is then placed in the hands of a committee,
by whom it is closely examined. If the committee offers
it again, every word of the bill is read aloud. All the
members have the right to ask for such changes as they

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

229

think proper. It is necessary that a majority, that is, more
than one half, shall vote for such changes in order to make
them a part of the bill. It is then read a third time, and
if a majority of the members vote for it, the presiding officer
signs the bill, which shows that it has passed that branch
of the legislature.

The bill is next sent to the other branch, where the same
course is followed. If the second branch makes further
changes or amendments in the bill, it is returned to the
first branch, which accepts or rejects the changes as it
thinks best. Having passed both branches, the bill is next
sent to the governor. If he believes the measure a proper
one, he signs it and it becomes the law of the State.
If, however, the governor does not favor the measure, he
sends it back to the branch of the legislature where it
was first offered, giving his reasons in writing for doing so.
This action on the part of the governor is called vetoing a
bill. In most of the States it takes the votes of two thirds
of the members to pass a measure over the governor's
veto. In New Jersey a majority vote is sufficient to do so.

It is possible that a bill contains terms which are con-
trary to the State or the national constitution. If so, the
fact is generally discovered by some member of the legis-
lature or by the governor, when it is placed before him.
If there is doubt, it is referred to the attorney-general,
and his opinion is accepted as to the constitutionality of
the measure. If any question afterward arises, it is settled
by the supreme court.

The third branch of the State government is the judi-
ciary, which is composed of certain courts. The following
explanation of their scope is given : —

Justice's Court. — The lowest court, with common law
and criminal jurisdiction, is that of justice of the peace.

230

APPENDIX

This may be presided over by one, two, or three justices.
Suits involving no more than $200 may be tried in this
court, which has civil power for the recovery of penalties.
As a criminal court, a justice of the peace is a high con-
stable, and can place felons and inferior criminals under
bail to await action of the grand jury ; he can commit
tramps, convict and imprison disorderly persons, and has

Courthouse, Trenton

power concerning acts of immorality and vice, cruelty to
children, and forcible entry and detainer. Should either
party to a suit feel aggrieved, he may appeal to the court
of quarter sessions, or, if that court has no jurisdiction, he
can carry his case to the supreme or circuit court.

Police Coiu't. — This court is composed of a police
justice, or a justice of the peace appointed by him. He
tries cases of violation of city ordinances for the recovery
of a fine or penalty. His criminal jurisdiction in the city

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

231

for which he is appointed is the same as that of a justice
of the peace. Appeal from his court is to the court of
common pleas, or quarter sessions, or to the supreme or
circuit court.

District Court. — The presiding ofificer of this court may
be the judge of any other district court, or any judge of
the court of common pleas. The county in which the
court is held is the limit of its jurisdiction. It has authority
in all suits of a civil nature, where the amount involved
does not exceed ^500 exclusive of costs, as well as over
disputes between landlords and tenants, and replevin and
attachment cases. Appeals are to the supreme court.

Court of Quarter Sessions. — This court, as one of
common law jurisdiction, can hear only appeals from the
justice's courts and the police courts. As a criminal
court, it has jurisdiction over all offenses of an indictable
nature, within the county, except indictments for treason
and murder. Appeal is to the supreme court.

Court of Common Pleas. — This court holds three stated
terms each year, and special terms when so directed by the
supreme court. The presiding ofificer is a judge appointed
to that office, and the justice of the supreme court, hold-
ing the circuit court within the county, is ex-officio judge
of this court. It has original jurisdiction in all personal
actions, not involving the freehold ; it can change on petition
the name of any town or village in the county, or of any
person at his request, and has sole jurisdiction in cases
relating to insolvency, roads, and wrecks; it can attach
property of absent or absconding debtors ; it hears applica-
tion for exemption from military duty, and decides suits
against' constables who neglect to execute tax warrants.
It grants hcenses and can try cases referred to it by the
circuit court, and certify the same to the supreme court.

232

APPENDIX

Circuit Court. — In each county the circuit court holds
three stated terms annually, and any justice of the supreme
court may order in addition a special term. It is presided
over by one or more justices of the supreme court, though
the presiding judge of the court of common pleas may
sit when requested to do so by the supreme court judge
holding the circuit of that district. It has concurrent
jurisdiction with the supreme court except in criminal
cases. It hears contested election cases, petitions for the
change of names of persons or newspapers, cases concern-
ing legacies, the adoption of children, the enforcement of
mechanics' lien claims, and it has authority to try supreme
court issues. Appeals from this court may be taken to the
court of errors and appeals.

Supreme Coui't of Judicature. — The chief justice and
eight associate justices compose this court, and it may be
held by any one of the nine justices. It meets in Trenton,
on the third Tuesday in February, and the iirst Tuesdays
respectively of June and November. Special terms may
be ordered by the chief justice, or any two associate
justices. The supreme court has jurisdiction over all real,
personal, or mixed actions at common law, legacies, re-
moval of trustees in certain cases, the naturalization of
aliens, sales of mortgaged premises, suits on sheriffs*
bonds, perfection of title deeds when lost or stolen,
matters of taxation ; and it has power to declare laws and
joint resolutions void, when not duly passed and approved.

The supreme court can review the proceedings of other
courts, which power cannot be taken from it by the legis-
lature. The only appeal is by writ of error to the court
of errors and appeals. The business before the supreme
court has grown to so great magnitude that it is divided
into the main court (presided over by the chief justice

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT 233

and two associates); the branch court (presided over by
three associate judges); and the sub-branch (presided
over by three associate judges).

Court of Errors and Appeals. — This court is composed
of the chancellor, the justices of the supreme court, and six
specially appointed justices. The chancellor when pres-
ent presides; in his absence the chief justice acts, and,
if both are absent, the senior justice assumes the chair.
Being the highest tribunal in the State, there is no appeal
from its decisions. The court meets in Trenton on the
first Tuesday in March, and the third Tuesdays respectively
of June and November. It hears appeals from all the
other courts, including cases in the court of chancery and
the prerogative court and appeals on writs of error brought
from the supreme court.

Court of Chancery. — This is composed of a chancellor
and seven vice chancellors. Three terms are held in
Trenton, on the first Tuesday in February, and the third
Tuesdays respectively of May and October. The vice
chancellors sit in Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Camden,
and Paterson to hear motions and to try cases. The chan-
cellor may call special terms when he deems it necessary.
The purpose of the court of chancery is to afford such re-
lief as is not given by the common law courts, and appeal
is had to the court of errors and appeals.

Surrogate Court. — Each county in the State has a sur-
rogate, whose duties relate mainly to will cases. When as-
signments for the benefit of creditors are made, he accepts
and files the valuation of the estate, the inventory and bond
prepared by the assignee ; admits wills to probate and
grants letters testamentary thereon. Appeals are made to
the orphans* court of the county.

Orphans' Court. — This court is held by the judge of

234

APPENDIX

the court of common pleas, the justices of the supreme
court being judges ex-ofificio. The court hears all disputes
concerning the existence of wills, inventories, allowance of
the accounts of executors, administrators, guardians, or
trustees ; the idiocy and lunacy of persons who have been
or may be in the miHtary, naval, or marine service of the
United States ; the recovery of legacies and distribution
of shares where the will has been proved, the division of
estates, etc.

Prerogative Court. — The chancellor is the judge or
ordinary of the prerogative court, which holds a session
in Trenton at each stated term of the court of chancery,
and at such times as the chancellor may appoint. The
court has authority to grant the probate of wills, letters of
administration, guardianship, and the settlement of dis-
putes relating thereto. It hears appeals from the orphans*
court, and its own decisions may be appealed to the court
of errors and appeals.

Court for the Trial of Impeachments, — The senate con-
stitutes this court. The assembly alone can impeach the
governor, or any officer of the State, for misdemeanor in
office, while holding such office, or for two years there-
after. A two-thirds vote of the senate is necessary to
convict, and there is no appeal from the verdict. The
only punishment provided for conviction is removal from
office, or disqualification to hold any office of honor, profit,
or trust under the State.

Court of Pardons. — The governor, chancellor, and the
six judges of the court of errors and appeals constitute
the court of pardons. A majority of the court, of whom
the governor must be one, may remit fines and forfeitures,
grant pardons after conviction in all cases, except impeach-
ment, and commute sentences of death to imprisonment at

SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT 235

hard labor for life or for a stated number of years. The
court meets at such times as the governor may direct.
Its judgment is final.

Court of Oyer and Terminer. — This court is made up
of any supreme court justice and the judge of the court
of common pleas. The former must be present and pre-
side, and he may hold the court alone. In counties having
three hundred thousand inhabitants, the judge of the court
of common pleas may hold this court. It meets in the
respective counties, and has jurisdiction over all crimes and
offenses of an indictable nature, and it can fine justices
of the peace and coroners for neglect of duties. Appeal
from this court is to the supreme court.

Co2U't for the Trial of Juvenile Offenders. — With the be-
neficent object of reforming rather than punishing young
criminals, this court has been organized. The judge of
the court of common pleas constitutes the court. The
magistrate, before whom any boy or girl under the age of
sixteen years is brought, may hold him or her for trial, or
parole the offender to await trial on such terms as the
magistrate may prescribe, complaint being sent to the court
named.

Coroner's Conrt. — The coroner inquires into the causes
of any death in prison, or concerning such death as may be
attended by apparently suspicious circumstances. There
is no appeal from the verdict of a coroner's jury.

III. CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF

NEW JERSEY

A Constitution agreed iipott by the delegates of the people of New
Jersey^ in convention begun at Trenton on the fourteenth day of
May, and continued to the twenty-ninth day of June, in the year
of our Lord otie thousand eight hundred atid forty-four, ratified
by the people at an election held on the thirteenth day of A?igust,
A.D. 1844, and amended at a special election held on the seventh
day of September, A.D. 1875, and at another special election
held on the twenty-eighth day of September, A.D. 1897.

We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God
for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us
to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to
secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do
ordain and establish this Constitution:

ARTICLE I

RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES

1. All men are by nature free and independent, and have certain
natural and unalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and
defending life and liberty ; acquiring, possessing and protecting prop-
erty, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.

2. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is
instituted for the protection, security and benefit of the people, and
they have the right at all times to alter or reform the same, whenever
the public good may require it.

3. No person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of
worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his
own conscience ; nor, under any pretense whatever, to be compelled to
attend any place of worship contrary to his faith and judgment ; nor
shall any person be obliged to pay tithes, taxes or other rates for

236

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 237

building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of wor-
ship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to
what he believes to be right, or has deliberately and voluntarily en-
gaged to perform.

4. There shall be no establishment of one religious sect in preference
to another; no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any
office or public trust ; and no person shall be denied the enjoyment of
any civil right merely on account of his religious principles.

5. Every person may freely speak, write and publish his sentiments
on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right. No law
shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the
press. In all prosecutions or indictments for libel, the truth may be
given in evidence to the jury ; and if it shall appear to the jury that
the matter charged as libelous is true, and was published with good
motives and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted ; and the
jury shall have the right to determine the law and the fact.

6. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall
not be violated ; and no warrant shall issue but upon probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched and the papers and things to be seized.

7. The right of a trial by jury shall remain inviolate; but the legis-
lature may authorize the trial of civil suits, when a matter in dispute
does not exceed fifty dollars, by a jury of six men.

8. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a
speedy and public trial by an impartial jury ; to be informed of the
nature and cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses
against him ; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor, and to have the assistance of a counsel in his defense.

9. No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense, unless on
the presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases of im-
peachment, or in cases cognizable by justices of the peace, or arising in
the army or navy ; or in the militia, when in actual service in time of
war or public danger.

10. No person shall, after acquittal, be tried for the same offense.
All persons shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties,
except for capital offenses, when the proof is evident or presumption
great.

1 1 . The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended,
unless in case of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

238 APPENDIX

12. The military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.

13. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house
without the consent of the owner ; nor in time of war, except in a man-
ner prescribed by law.

14. Treason against the State shall consist only in levying war
against it, or in adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort.
No person shall be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of
two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

15. Excessive bail shall not be required, excessive fines shall not be
imposed, and cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted.

16. Private property shall not be taken for public use without just
compensation ; but land may be taken for public highways as hereto-
fore, until the legislature shall direct compensation to be made.

17. No person shall be imprisoned for debt in any action, or on any
judgment founded upon contract, unless in cases of fraud ; nor shall
any person be imprisoned for a militia fine in time of peace.

18. The people have the right freely to assemble together to consult
for the common good, to make known their opinions to their represen-
tatives, and to petition for redress of grievances.

19. No county, city, borough, town, township or village shall here-
after give any money or property, or loan its money or credit, t6 or in
aid of any individual association or corporation, or become security for
or be directly or indirectly the owner of any stock or bonds of any
association or corporation.

20. No donation of land or appropriation of money shall be made by
the State or any municipal corporation to or for the use of any society,
association or corporation whatever.

21. This enumeration of rights and privileges shall not be construed
to impair or deny others retained by the people.

ARTICLE II

RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE

I . Every male citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one
years, who shall have been a resident of this State one year, and of the
county in which he claims his vote five months, next before the elec-
tion, shall be entitled to vote for all officers that now are, or hereafter
may be, elective by the people ; provided^ that no person in the military,
naval or marine service of the United States shall be considered a resi-

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 239

dent in this State, by being stationed in any garrison, barrack, or mili-
tary or naval place or station within this State ; and no pauper, idiot, insane
person, or person convicted of a crime which now excludes him from be-
ing a witness unless pardoned or restored by law to the right of suffrage,
shall enjoy the right of an elector; and provided further ^ that in time
of war no elector in the actual military service of the State, or of the
United States, in the army or navy thereof, shall be deprived of his
vote by reason of his absence from such election district; and the
legislature shall have power to provide the manner in which, and the
time and place at which, such absent electors may vote, and for the
return and canvass of their votes in the election districts in which they
respectively reside.

2. The legislature may pass laws to deprive persons of the right of
suffrage who shall be convicted of bribery.

ARTICLE III

DISTRIBUTION OF THE POWERS OF GOVERNMENT

I. The powers of the government shall be divided into three distinct
departments — the legislative, executive and judicial ; and no person or
persons belonging to, or constituting one of these departments, shall
exercise any of the powers properly belonging to either of the others,
except as herein expressly provided.

ARTICLE IV

LEGISLATIVE

Section I

1. The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and general
assembly.

2. No person shall be a member of the senate who shall not have
attained the age of thirty years, and have been a citizen and inhabitant
of the State for four years, and of the county for which he shall be
chosen one year, next before his election ; and no person shall be a
member of the general assembly who shall not have attained the age
of twenty-one years, and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State
for two years, and of the county for which he shall be chosen one year
next before his election ; provided^ that no person shall be eligible as a

240 APPENDIX

member of either house of the legislature, who shall not be entitled to
the right of suffrage.

3. Members of the senate and general assembly shall be elected
yearly and every year, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
November ; and the two houses shall meet separately on the second
Tuesday in January next after the said day of election, at which time of
meeting the legislative year shall commence ; but the time of holding
such election may be altered by the legislature.

Section II

1. The senate shall be composed of one senator from each county
in the State, elected by the legal voters of the counties, respectively, for
three years.

2. As soon as the senate shall meet after the first election to be held
in pursuance of this constitution, they shall be divided as equally as
may be into three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class
shall be vacated at the expiration of the first year ; of the second class
at the expiration of the second year ; and of the third class at the ex-
piration of the third year, so that one class may be elected every year ;
and if vacancies happen, by resignation or otherwise, the persons elected
to supply such vacancies shall be elected for the unexpired terms only.

Section III

I. The general assembly shall be composed of members annually
elected by the legal voters of the counties, respectively, v»'ho shall be
apportioned among the said counties as nearly as may be according to
the number of their inhabitants. The present apportionment shall con-
tinue until the next census of the United States shall have been taken,
and an apportionment of members of the general assem.bly shall be made
by the legislature at its first session after the next and every subsequent
enumeration or census, and when made shall remain unaltered until an-
other enumeration shall have been taken ; proznded^ that each county
shall at all times be entitled to one member; and the whole number of
members shall never exceed sixty.

Section IV

I. Each house shall direct writs of election for supplying vacancies,
occasioned by death, resignation, or otherwise ; but if vacancies occur
during the recess of the legislature, the writs may be issued by the gov-
ernor, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 241

2. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and quali-
fications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a
quorum to do business ; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent mem-
bers, in such manner, and under such penalties, as each house may pro-
vide.

3. Each house shall choose its own officers, determine the rules of
its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with
the concurrence of two thirds, may expel a member.

4. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time
to time publish the same ; and the yeas and nays of the members of
either house on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of those
present, be entered on the journal.

5. Neither house, during the session of the legislature, shall, without
the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any
other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.

6. All bills and joint resolutions shall be read three times in each
house, before the final passage thereof; and no bill or joint resolution
shall pass unless there be a majority of all the members of each body
personally present and agreeing thereto; and the yeas and nays of the
members voting on such final passage shall be entered on the journal.

7. Members of the senate and general assembly shall receive annually
the sum of five hundred dollars during the time for which they shall
have been elected and while they shall hold their office, and no other
allowance or emolument, directly or indirectly, for any purpose whatever.
The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of assembly
shall, in virtue of their offices, receive an additional compensation, equal
to one third of their allowance as members.

8. Members of the senate and general assembly shall, in all cases ex-
cept treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest
during their attendance at the sitting of their respective houses, and in
going to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate, in
either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

Section V

I. No member of the senate or general assembly shall, during the
time for which he was elected, be nominated or appointed by the gov-
ernor, or by the legislature in joint meeting, to any civil office under the
authority of this State which shall have been created, or the emolu-
ments whereof shall have been increased, during such time.

242 APPENDIX

2. If any member of the senate or general assembly shall be elected
to represent this State in the senate or house of representatives of the
United States, and shall accept thereof, or shall accept of any office or
appointment under the government of the United States, his seat in the
legislature of this State shall thereby be vacated.

3. No justice of the supreme court, nor judge of any other court,
sheriff, justice of the peace nor any person or persons possessed of any
office of profit under the government of this State, shall be entitled to
a seat either in the senate or in the general assembly ; but, on being
elected and taking his seat, his office shall be considered vacant ; and
no person holding any office of profit under the government of the
United States shall be entitled to a seat in either house.

Section VI

1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the house of assem-
bly ; but the senate may propose or concur with amendments, as on
other bills.

2. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but for appropriations
made by law.

3. The credit of the State shall not be directly or indirectly loaned
in any case.

4. The legislature shall not, in any manner, create any debt or debts,
liability or liabilities, of the State which shall, singly or in the ag-
gregate with any previous debts or liabilities, at any time exceed one
hundred thousand dollars, except for purposes of war, or to repel in-
vasion, or to suppress insurrection, unless the same shall be authorized
by a law for some single object or work, to be distinctly specified therein ;
which law shall provide the ways and means, exclusive of loans, to pay
the interest of such debt or liability as it falls due, and also to pay and
discharge the principal of such debt or liabihty within thirty-five years
from the time of the contracting thereof, and shall be irrepealable until
such debt or liability, and the interest thereon, are fully paid and dis-
charged ; and no such law shall take effect until it shall, at a general
election, have been submitted to the people, and have received the
sanction of a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at such
election ; and all money to be raised by the authority of such law shall
be applied only to the specific object stated therein, and to the payment
of the debt thereby created. This section shall not be construed to re-
fer to any money that has been, or may be, deposited with this State by
the government of the United States.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 243

Section VII

1. No divorce shall be granted by the legislature.

2. No lottery shall be authorized by the legislature or otherwise in
this State, and no ticket in any lottery shall be bought or sold within
this State, nor shall pool-selling, book-making or gambling of any kind
be authorized or allowed within this State, nor shall any gambling de-
vice, practice or game of chance now prohibited by law be legalized, or
the remedy, penalty or punishment now provided therefor be in any
way diminished.

3. The legislature shall not pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto
law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or depriving a party of
any remedy for enforcing a contract which existed when the contract
was made.

4. To avoid improper influences which may result from intermixing
in one and the same act such things as have no proper relation to each
other, every law shall embrace but one object, and that shall be ex-
pressed in the title. No law shall be revived or amended by reference
to its title only ; but the act revived, or the section or sections amended
shall be inserted at length. No general law shall embrace any provision
of a private, special or local character. No act shall be passed which
shall provide that any existing law, or any part thereof, shall be made
or deemed a part of the act, or which shall enact that any existing law,
or any part thereof, shall be applicable, except by inserting it in such act.

5. The laws of this State shall begin in the following style: " Be it
enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New
Jersey."

6. The fund for the support of free schools, and all money, stock and
other property which may hereafter be appropriated for that purpose, or
received into the treasury under the provision of any law heretofore
passed to augment the said fund, shall be securely invested and remain
a perpetual fund ; and the income thereof, except so much as it may be
judged expedient to apply to an increase of the capital, shall be annually
appropriated to the support of public free schools, for the equal benefit
of all the people of the State ; and it shall not be competent for the legis-
lature to borrow, appropriate or use the said fund, or any part thereof,
for any other purpose, under any pretense whatever. The legislature
shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and effi-
cient system of free public schools for the instruction of all the children
in this State between the ages of five and eighteen years.

HIST. N.J. — 16 •

244 APPENDIX

7. No private or special law shall be passed authorizing the sale of
any lands belonging in whole or in part to a minor or minors, or other
persons who may at the time be under any legal disability to act for
themselves.

8. Individuals or private corporations shall not be authorized to take
private property for public use, without just compensation first made to
the owners.

9. No private, special or local bill shall be passed unless public
notice of the intention to apply therefor, and of the general object
thereof, shall have been previously given. The legislature, at the next
session after the adoption hereof, and from time to time thereafter, shall
prescribe the time and mode of giving such notice, the evidence thereof,
and how such evidence shall be preserved.

10. The legislature may vest in the circuit courts, or courts of common
pleas within the several counties of this State, chancery powers, so far
as relates to the foreclosure of mortgages and sale of mortgaged premises.

11. The legislature shall not pass private, local or special laws in any
of the following enumerated cases ; that is to say :

Laying out, opening, altering and working roads or highways.

Vacating any road, town plot, street, alley or public grounds.

Regulating the internal affairs of towns and counties ; appointing
local offices or commissions to regulate municipal affairs.

Selecting, drawing, summoning or empaneling grand or petit jurors.

Creating, increasing or decreasing the percentage or allowance of
public officers during the term for which said officers were elected or
appointed.

Changing the law of descent.

Granting to any corporation, association or individual any exclusive
privilege, immunity or franchise whatever.

Granting to any corporation, association or individual the right to lay
down railroad tracks.

Providing for changes of venue in civil or criminal cases.

Providing for the management and support of free public schools.

The legislature shall pass general laws providing for the cases enu-
merated in this paragraph, and for all other cases which, in its judgment,
may be provided for by general laws. The legislature shall pass no
special act conferring corporate powers, but they shall pass general laws
under which corporations may be organized and corporate powers of
every nature obtained, subject, nevertheless, to repeal or alteration at
the will of the legislature.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 245

12. Property shall be assessed for taxes under general laws, and by
uniform rules, according to its true value.

Section VIII

1. Members of the legislature shall, before they enter on the duties
of their respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or
affirmation :

" I do solemnly swear [or affirm, as the case may be], that I will sup-
port the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the
State of New Jersey, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of
senator [or member of the general assembly, as the case maybe], accord-
ing to the best of my abihty."

And members-elect of the senate or general assembly are hereby em-
powered to administer to each other the said oath or affirmation.

2. Every officer of the legislature shall, before he enters upon his
duties, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation : " I do
solemnly promise and swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully, impartially

and justly perform all the duties of the office of , to the best of my

ability and understanding ; that I will carefully preserve all records,
papers, writings or property intrusted to me for safe-keeping by virtue of
my office, and make such disposition of the same as may be required by
law."

ARTICLE V

EXECUTIVE

1 . The executive power shall be vested in a governor.

2. The governor shall be elected by the legal voters of this State.
The person having the highest number of votes shall be the governor ;
but if two or more shall be equal and highest in votes, one of them shall
be chosen governor by the vote of a majority of the members of both
houses in joint meeting. Contested elections for the office of governor
shall be determined in such manner as the legislature shall direct by
law. When a governor is to be elected by the people, such election
shall be held at the time when and at the places where the people shall
respectively vote for members of the legislature.

3. The governor shall hold his office for three years, to commence on
the third Tuesday of January next ensuing the election for governor by
the people, and to end on the Monday preceding the third Tuesday of
January, three years thereafter ; and he shall be incapable of holding

246 APPENDIX

that office for three years next after his term of service shall have
expired ; and no appointment or nomination to office shall be made by
the governor during the last week of his said term.

4. The governor shall be not less than thirty years of age, and shall
have been for twenty years, at least, a citizen of the United States, and
a resident of this State seven years next before his election, unless he
shall have been absent during that time on the public business of the
United States or of this State.

5. The governor shall, at stated times, receive for his sen-ices a com-
pensation which shall be neither increased nor diminished during the
period for which he shall have been elected.

6. He shall be the commander-in-chief of all the military and naval
forces of the State; he shall have power to convene the legislature, or
the senate alone, whenever in his opinion public necessity requires it ;
he shall communicate by message to the legislature at the opening of
each session, and at such other times as he may. deem necessary, the
condition of the State, and recommend such measures as he may deem
expedient ; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and
grant, under the great seal of the State, commissions to all such officers
as shall be required to be commissioned.

7. Every bill which shall have passed both houses shall be presented
to the governor : if he approve he shall sign it, but if not, he shall
return it, with his objections, to the house in which it shall have origi-
nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and pro-
ceed to reconsider it ; if, after such reconsideration, a majority of the
whole number of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent,
together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall like-
wise be reconsidered, and if approved of by a majority of the whole
number of that house, it shall become a law ; but in neither house
shall the vote be taken on the same day on which the bill shall be re-
turned to it ; and in all such cases, the votes of both houses shall be
determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for
and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house re-
spectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the governor, within
five days (Sunday excepted) after it shall have been presented to him,
the same shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the
legislature by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it
shall not be a law. If any bill presented to the governor contain sev-
eral items of appropriations of money, he may object to one or more of
such items while approving of the other portions of the bill. In such

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 247

case he shall append to the bill, at the time of signing it, a statement of
the items to which he objects, and the appropriation so objected to
shall not take effect. If the legislature be in session he shall transmit
to the house in which the bill originated, a copy of such statement, and
the items objected to shall be separately reconsidered. If, on recon-
sideratidh, one or more of such items be approved by a majority of the
members elected to each house, the same shall be a part of the law,
notwithstanding the objections of the governor. All the provisions of
this section in relation to bills not approved by the governor shall ap-
ply to cases in which he shall withhold his approval from any item
or items contained in a bill appropriating money.

8. No member of congress, or person holding an office under the
United States, or this State, shall exercise the office of governor ; and
in case the governor, or person administering the government, shall
accept any office under the United States or this State, his office of
governor shall thereupon be vacant. Nor shall he be elected by the
legislature to any office under the government of this State or of the
United States, during the term for which he shall have been elected
governor.

9. The governor, or person administering the government, shall
have power to suspend the collection of fines and forfeitures, and to
grant reprieves, to extend until the expiration of a time not exceeding
ninety days after conviction ; but this power shall not extend to cases
of impeachment.

10. The governor, or person administering the government, the
chancellor, and the six judges of the court of errors and appeals, or a
major part of them, of whom the governor, or a person administering
the government, shall be one, may remit fines and forfeitures, and grant
pardons, after conviction, in all cases except impeachment.

11. The governor and all other civil officers under this State shall
be liable to impeachment for misdemeanor in office during their contin-
uance in office, and for two years thereafter.

12. In case of the death, resignation or removal from office of the
governor, the powers, duties and emoluments of the office shall devolve
upon the president of the senate, and in case of his death, resignation
or removal, then upon the speaker of the house of assembly, for the
time being, until another governor shall be elected and qualified ; but
in such case another governor shall be chosen at the next election for
members of the legislature, unless such death, resignation or removal
shall occur within thirty days immediately preceding such next elec-

248 APPENDIX

tion, in which case a governor shall be chosen at the second succeeding
election for members of the legislature. When a vacancy happens,
during the recess of the legislature, in any office which is to be filled by
the governor and senate, or by the legislature in joint meeting, the
governor shall fill such vacancy and the commission shall expire at the
end of the next session of the legislature, unless a successor%hall be
sooner appointed ; when a vacancy happens in the office of clerk or
surrogate of any county, the governor shall fill such vacancy, and the
commission shall expire when a successor is elected and qualified. No
person who shall have been nominated to the senate by the governor
for any office of trust or profit under the government of this State, and
shall not have been confirmed before the recess of the legislature, shall
be eligible for appointment to such office during the continuance of such
recess.

13. In case of the impeachment of the governor, his absence from
the State or inability to discharge the duties of his office, the powers,
duties and emoluments of the office shall devolve upon the president of
the senate ; and in case of his death, resignation or removal, then upon
the speaker of the house of assembly for the time being, until the gov-
ernor, absent or impeached, shall return or be acquitted, or until the
disqualification or inability shall cease, or until a new governor be
elected and qualified.

14. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor from any other
cause than those herein enumerated, or in case of the death of the gov-
ernor-elect before he is qualified into office, the powers, duties and
emoluments of the office shall devolve upon the president of the senate
or speaker of the house of assembly, as above provided for, until a new
governor be elected and qualified,

ARTICLE VI

JUDICIARY

Section I

I. The judicial power shall be vested in a court of errors and appeals
in the last resort in all causes as heretofore ; a court for the trial of im-
peachments ; a court of chancery; a prerogative court; a supreme
court ; circuit courts, and such inferior courts as now exist, and as may
be hereafter ordained and established by law ; which inferior courts the
legislature may alter or abolish, as the public good shall require.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 249

Section II

1. The court of errors and appeals shall consist of the chancellor,
the justices of the supreme court, and six judges, or a major part of
them ; which judges are to be appointed for six years.

2. Immediately after the court shall first assemble, the six judges
shall arrange themselves in such manner that the seat of one of them
shall be vacated every year, in order that thereafter one judge may be
annually appointed.

3. Such of the six judges as shall attend the court shall receive, x^-
spectively, a/^r diem compensation, to be provided by law.

4. The secretary of state shall be the clerk of this court.

5. When an appeal from an order or decree shall be heard, the chan-
cellor shall inform the court, in writing, of the reasons for his order or
decree ; but he shall not sit as a member, or have a voice in the hearing
or final sentence.

6. When a writ of error shall be brought, no justice who has given a
judicial opinion in the cause in favor of or against any error complained
of, shall sit as a member, or have a voice on the hearing, or for its af-
firmance or reversal ; but the reasons for such opinion shall be assigned

to the court in writing.

Section III

1. The house of assembly shall have the sole power of impeaching,
by a vote of a majority of all the members ; and all impeachments shall be
tried by the senate ; the members, when sitting for that purpose, to be
on oath or affirmation " truly and impartially to try and determine the
charge in question according to evidence ; " and no person shall be con-
victed without the concurrence of two thirds of all the members of the
senate.

2. Any judicial officer impeached shall be suspended from exercising
his office until his acquittal.

\. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend farther than
to removal from office, and to disqualification to hold and enjoy any
office of honor, profit or trust under this State ; but the party convicted
shall, nevertheless, be liable to indictment, trial and punishment
according to law.

4. The secretary of state shall be the clerk of this court.

Section IV
I. The court of chancery shall consist of a chancellor.

250

APPENDIX

2. The chancellor shall be the ordinary or surrogate general, and
judge of the prerogative court.

3. All persons aggrieved by any order, sentence or decree of the
orphans' court, may appeal from the same, or from any part thereof, to
the prerogative court ; but such order, sentence or decree shall not be
removed into the supreme court, or circuit court if the subject-matter
thereof be within the jurisdiction of the orphans' court.

4. The secretary of state shall be the register of the prerogative
court, and shall perform the duties required of him by law in that

respect.

Section V

1. The supreme court shall consist of a chief justice and four associ-
ate justices. The numbers of associate justices may be increased or
decreased by law, but shall never be less than two.

2. The circuit courts shall be held in every county of this State, by
one or more of the justices of the supreme court, or a judge appointed
for that purpose, and shall, in all cases within the county except in those
of a criminal nature, have common law jurisdiction, concurrent with the
supreme court ; and any final judgment of a circuit court may be dock-
eted in the supreme court, and shall operate as a judgment obtained in
the supreme court from the time of such docketing.

3. Final judgments in any circuit court may be brought by writ of
error into the supreme court, or directly into the court of errors and
appeals.

Section VI

1. There shall be no more than five judges of the inferior court of
common pleas in each of the counties in this State, after the terms of
the judges of said court now in office shall terminate. One judge for
each county shall be appointed every year, and no more, except to fill
vacancies, which shall be for the unexpired term only.

2. The commissions for the first appointments of judges of said court
shall bear date and take effect on the first day of April next ; and all
subsequent commissions for judges of said court shall bear date and
take effect on the first day of April in every successive year, except
commissions to fill vacancies, which shall bear date and take effect
when issued.

Section VII

I. There may be elected under this constitution two, and not more
than five, justices of the peace in each of the townships of the several

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 25 1

counties of this State, and in each of the wards, in cities that may vote
in wards. When a township or ward contains two thousand inhabitants
or less, it may have two justices ; when it contains more than two thou-
sand inhabitants, and not more than four thousand, it may have four
justices ; and when it contains more than four thousand inhabitants, it
may have five justices ; provided^ that whenever any township not vot-
ing in wards contains more than seven thousand inhabitants, such
township may have an additional justice for each additional three thou-
sand inhabitants above four thousand.

2. The population of the townships in the several counties of the
State and of the several wards shall be ascertained by the last preced-
ing census of the United States, until the legislature shall provide, by
law, some other mode of ascertaining it.

ARTICLE VII

APPOINTING POWER AND TENURE OF OFFICE

Section I

MILITIA OFFICERS

1. The legislature shall provide by law for enrolling, organizing and
arming the militia.

2. Captains, subalterns and non-commissioned officers shall be
elected by the members of their respective companies.

3. Field officers of regiments, independent battalions and squadrons
shall be elected by the commissioned officers of their respective regi-
ments, battalions or squadrons.-

4. Brigadier-generals shall be elected by the field officers of their
respective brigades.

5. Major-generals, the adjutant-general and quartermaster-general
shall be nominated by the governor, and appointed by him, with the
advice and consent of the senate.

6. The legislature shall provide, by law, the time and manner of
electing militia officers, and of certifying their elections to the governor,
who shall grant their commissions, and determine their rank, when not
determined by law ; and no commissioned officer shall be removed
from office but by the sentence of a court-martial, pursuant to law.

7. Iri case the electors of subalterns, captains or field officers shall
refuse or neglect to make such elections, the governor shall have

252

APPENDIX

power to appoint such officers, and to fill all vacancies caused by such
refusal or neglect.

8. Brigade inspectors shall be chosen by the field officers of their
respective brigades.

9. The governor shall appoint all militia officers w^hose appointment
is not otherwise provided for in this constitution.

10. Major-generals, brigadier-generals and commanding officers of
regiments, independent battalions and squadrons shall appoint the staff
officers of their divisions, brigades, regiments, independent battalions
and squadrons, respectively.

Section II

CIVIL OFFICERS

1. Justices of the supreme court, chancellor, judges of the court of
errors and appeals and judges of the inferior court of common pleas
shall be nominated by the governor, and appointed by him, with the
advice and consent of the senate.

The justices of the supreme court and chancellor shall hold their
offices for the term of seven years ; shall, at stated times, receive for
their services a compensation which shall not be diminished during
the term of their appointments; and they shall hold no other office
under the government of this State or of the United States.

2. Judges of the courts of common pleas shall be appointed by the
senate and general assembly, in joint meeting.

They shall hold their offices for five years ; but when appointed to
fill vacancies, they shall hold for the unexpired term only.

3. The state treasurer and comptroller shall be appointed by the
senate and general assembly, in joint meeting.

They shall hold their offices for three years, and until their success-
ors shall be qualified into office.

4. The attorney-general, prosecutors of the pleas, clerk of the su-
preme court, clerk of the court of chancery, secretary of state and the
keeper of the state prison shall be nominated by the governor, and
appointed by him, with the advice and consent of the senate.

They shall hold their offices for five years.

5. The law reporter shall be appointed by the justices of the su-
preme court, or a majority of them ; and the chancery reporter shall be
appointed by the chancellor.

They shall hold their offices for five years.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 253

6. Clerks and surrogates of counties shall be elected by the people
of their respective counties, at the annual elections for members of the
general assembly.

They shall hold their offices for five years.

7. Sheriffs and coroners shall be elected by the people of their re-
spective counties, at the elections for members of the general assembly,
and they shall hold their offices for three years, after which three years
must elapse before they can be again capable of serving. Sheriffs shall
annually renew their bonds.

8. Justices of the peace shall be elected by ballot at the annual meet-
ings of the townships in the several counties of the State, and of the
wards in cities that may vote in wards, in such manner and under such
regulations as may be hereafter provided by law.

They shall be commissioned for the county, and their commissions
shall bear date and take effect on the first day of May next after their
election.

They shall hold their offices for five years ; but when elected to fill
vacancies, they shall hold for the unexpired term only ; provided^ that
the commission of any justice of the peace shall become vacant upon
his ceasing to reside in the township in which he was elected.

The first election for justices of the peace shall take place at the next
annual town-meetings of the townships in the several counties of the
State, and of the wards in cities that may vote in wards.

9. All other officers, whose appointments are not otherwise provided
for by law, shall be nominated by the governor, and appointed by him,
with the advice and consent of the senate ; and shall hold their offices
for the time prescribed by law.

10. All civil officers elected or appointed pursuant to the provisions
of this constitution, shall be commissioned by the governor.

11. The term of office of all officers elected or appointed, pursuant
to the provisions of this constitution, except when herein otherwise
directed, shall commence on the day of the date of their respective
commissions ; but no commission for any office shall bear date prior to
the expiration of the term of the incumbent of said office.

ARTICLE VIII

GENERAL PROVISIONS

I . The secretary of state shall be ex officio an auditor of the accounts
of the treasurer, and as such, it shall be his duty to assist the legislature

254 APPENDIX

in the annual examination and settlement of said accounts, until other-
wise provided by law.

2. The seal of the State shall be kept by the governor, or person
administering the government, and used by him officially, and shall be
called the great seal of the State of New Jersey.

3. All grants and commissions shall be in the name and by the
authority of the State of New Jersey, sealed with the great seal, signed
by the governor, or person administering the government, and counter-
signed by the secretary of state, and it shall run thus: "Tlie State of

New Jersey, to , greeting." All writs shall be in the name of the

State ; and all indictments shall conclude in the following manner, viz.,
"against the peace of this State, the government and dignity of the
same."

4. This constitution shall take effect and go into operation on the
second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and forty-four.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

Any specific amendment or amendments to the constitution may be
proposed in the senate or general assembly, and if the same shall be
agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the two
houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on
their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and referred to the
legislature then next to be chosen, and shall be published for three
months previous to making such choice, in at least one newspaper of
each county, if any be published therein ; and if in the legislature next
chosen as aforesaid, such proposed amendment or amendments, or any
of them, shall be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to
each house, then it shall be the duty of the legislature to submit such
proposed amendment or amendments, or such of them as may have
been agreed to as aforesaid by the two legislatures, to the people, in
such manner and at such time, at least four months after the adjournment
of the legislature, as the legislature shall prescribe ; and if the people at
a special election to be held for that purpose only, shall approve and ratify
such amendment or amendments or any of them, by a majority of the
electors qualified to vote for members of the legislature voting thereon,
such amendment or amendments, so approved and ratified shall become
part of the constitution ; provided, that il more than one amendment be

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 255

submitted, they shall be submitted in such manner and form that the
people may vote for or against each amendment separately and distinctly ;
but no amendment or amendments shall be submitted to the people
by the legislature oftener than once in five years.

ARTICLE X

SCHEDULE

That no inconvenience may arise from the change in the constitution
of this State, and in order to carry the same into complete operation, it
is hereby declared and ordained, that —

1. The common law and the statute laws now in force, not repugnant
to this constitution, shall remain in force until they expire by their own
limitation, or be altered or repealed by the legislature ; and all writs,
actions, causes of action, prosecutions, contracts, claims and rights of
individuals and of bodies corporate, and of the State, and all charters of
incorporation, shall continue, and all indictments which shall have been
found, or which may hereafter be found, for any crime or offense com-
mitted before the adoption of this constitution, may be proceeded upon
as if no change had taken place. The several courts of law and equity,
except as herein otherwise provided, shall continue v^^ith the like powers
and jurisdiction as if this constitution had not been adopted.

2. All officers now filling any office or appointment shall continue in
the exercise of the duties thereof, according to their respective commis-
sions or appointments, unless by this constitution it is otherwise directed.

3. The present governor, chancellor and ordinary or surrogate-gen-
eral and treasurer shall continue in office until successors elected or ap-
pointed under this constitution shall be sworn or affirmed into office.

4. In case of the death, resignation or disability of the present gov-
ernor, the person who may be vice-president of council at the time of the
adoption of this constitution shall continue in office and administer the
government until a governor shall have been elected and sworn or af-
firmed into office under this constitution.

5. The present governor, or in case of his death or inability to act,
the vice-president of council, together with the present members of the
legislative council and secretary of state, shall constitute a board of state
canvassers, in the manner now provided by law, for the purpose of
ascertaining and declaring the result of the next ensuing election
for governor, members of the house of representatives, and electors of
president and vice-president.

256

APPENDIX

6. The returns of the votes for governor, at the said next ensuing
election, shall be transmitted to the secretary of state, the votes counted,
and the election declared in the manner now provided by law in the
case of the election of electors of president and vice-president.

7. The election of clerks and surrogates, in those counties where the
term of office of the present incumbent shall expire previous to the gen-
eral election of eighteen hundred and forty-five, shall be held at the
general election next ensuing the adoption of this constitution ; the re-
sult of which election shall be ascertained in the manner now provided
by law for the election of sheriflfs.

8. The elections for the year eighteen hundred and forty-four shall
take place as now provided by law.

9. It shall be the duty of the governor to fill all vacancies in office
happening between the adoption of this constitution and the first session
of the senate, and not otherwise provided for, and the commissions shall
expire at the end of the first session of the senate, or when successors
shall be elected or appointed and qualified.

10. The restriction of the pay of members of the legislature after
forty days from the commencement of the session, shall not be applied
to the first legislature convened under this constitution.

1 1 . Clerks of counties shall be clerks of the inferior courts of com-
mon pleas and quarter sessions of the several counties, and perform the
duties, and be subject to the regulations now required of them by law
until otherwise ordained bv the legislature.

12. The legislature shall pass all laws necessary to carry into effect
the provisions of this constitution.

IV. FORMATION OF COUNTIES

Salem, 1675
Gloucester, 1677,
Bergen, 1682 .
Middlesex, 1682,
Essex, 1682
Monmouth, 1682,
Somerset, 1688,
Cape May, 1692,
Burlington, 1694,
Hunterdon, 1 7 14,
Morris, 1739

County Seat
Salem
Woodbury
Hackensack
New Brunswick
Newark
Freehold
Somerville

Cape May Court House
Mount Holly
Flemington
Morristown

Cumberland, 1748,
Sussex, 1753
Warren, 1824
Passaic, 1837
Atlantic, 1837
Mercer, 1838
Hudson, 1840
Camden, 1844
Ocean, 1850 . .
Union, 1857 . .

County Seat
Bridgeton
Newton
Belvidere
Paterson
Mays Landing
Trenton
Jersey City
Camden
Toms River
Elizabeth

V. ENGLISH GOVERNORS OF THE PROVINCE

OF NEW JERSEY

Philip Carteret .
Edmund Andros

I 664-1 676

1 674-1 676 (New York and New Jersey)

Philip Carteret .
Robert Barclay .
Thomas Rudyard
Gawen Laurie
Lord Neil Campbell
Andrew Hamilton
Edmund Andros
John Tatham
Colonel Joseph Dudley,
Andrew Hamilton
Jeremiah Basse .
Andrew Bowne .
Andrew Hamilton

EAST JERSEY

I 676-1 682

1 682-1 690 (as proprietary governor)

1682-1683 (deputy)

1683-1686 (deputy)

I 686-1 687 (deputy)

1687-1688 (deputy)

1 688-1 689 (New York and New Jersey)

1690 (Rejected)

1691 (Rejected)
I 692- I 69 7
1698-1699 (Rejected)

1699 (deputy, rejected)

1 699- 1 702

257

258

APPENDIX

WEST JERSEY

Board of Commissioners,

Edward Byllinge

Samuel Jennings

Thomas Olive

John Skeine

Daniel Coxe

Edward Hunloke

W. J. Society of Proprietors, 1 69 1

Andrew Hamilton . 1 692-1 697

Jeremiah Basse . . 1 699-1 702 (East and West Jersey)

1676-1679

1679-1687

1679-1684 (deputy)

1 684- 1 685 (deputy)

I 685-1 687

I 68 7- I 690

1690 (deputy)

AFTER REUNION OF THE PROVINCES

Lord Cornbury .
Lord Lovelace .
Richard Ingoldsby
Robert Hunter .
William Burnet
John Montgomerie
Lewis Morris
William Cosby .
John Anderson .
John Hamilton .
Lewis Morris
John Hamilton .
John Reading
Jonathan Belcher
John Reading
Francis Bernard .
Thomas Boone .
Josiah Hardy
William Franklin

1 702-1 708 (New York and New Jersey)

1 708- 1 709 (New York and New Jersey)

1 709-1 710 (Lieut.-Governor)

1710-1719

1 720-1 728

1728-1731

1 731-1732 (President of Council)

1 732-1 736

1736 (President of Council)

1 736-1 738 (President of Council)

1 738-1 746 (Executive separated from New York)

1746 (President of Council)

1 746-1 747 (President of Council)

I 747-1 75 7

1757-1758 (President of Council)

1758-1760

1 760-1 761

1761-1762

1762-1776

VI. GOVERNORS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION

William Livingston, 1 776-1 790
William Paterson, 1 790-1 793 .
Richard Howell, 1 793-1 801 .
Joseph Bloomfield, 1801-1802
John Lambert, 1 802-1 803 (President)

Federalist
Federalist
Federalist
Democrat
Democrat

UNITED STATES SENATORS

259

Joseph Bloomfield, 1803-1812
Aaron Ogden, 1812-1813
William S. Pennington, 1813-1815
Mahlon Dickerson, 1815-1817
Isaac H. Williamson, 181 7-1829
Peter D. Vroom, Jr., 1 829-1 831
Samuel L. Southard, 1 832-1 833
Elias P. Seeley, 1833
Peter D. Vroom, 1 833-1 836 .
Philemon Dickerson, 1836-1837
William Pennington, 1837- 1843
Daniel Haines, 1 843-1845
Charles C. Strattoii, 1845-1848
Daniel Haines, 1 848-1 851
George F. Fort, 1 851 -1854
Rodman M. Price, 1854-185 7
William A. Newell, 185 7- 1860
Charles S. Olden, 1 860-1 863 .
Joel Parker, 1863-1866 .
Marcus L. Ward, 1 866-1 869 ,
Theodore F. Randolph, 1869-1872
Joel Parker, 1 872-1875 .
Joseph D. Bedle, 1875-1878 .
George B. McClellan, 1878-1881
George C. Ludlow, 1881-1884
Leon Abbett, 1 884-1 887
Robert S. Green, 1887-1890 .
Leon Abbett, 1 890-1 893
George T. Werts, 1 893-1 896 .
John W. Griggs, 1896- 1898 .
Foster M. Voorhees, 1 898-1 902
Franklin Murphy, 1902-1905 .
Edward C. Stokes, 1905- 1908
J. Franklin Fort, 1908-1911 .
Woodrow Wilson, 191 1 .

Democrat

Federalist

Democrat

Federalist

Democrat

Whig

Democrat

Whig

Democrat

Whig

Democrat

Republican

Democrat

Republican

Democrat

Republican

Democrat

VII. UNITED STATES SENATORS FROM 1789
TO THE PRESENT TIME

Jonathan Elmer, March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1791.
William Paterson, March 4, 1789, to November 23, 1790.
Philemon Dickerson, November 23, 1 790, to March 3, 1 793.
John Rutherford, March 4, 1791, to December 5, 1798.

26o APPENDIX

Frederick Frelinghuysen, March 4, 1793, to November 12, 1796.

Richarci Stockton, November 12, 1796, to March 3, 1799.

Frankhn Davenport, December 5, 1798, to February 14, 1799.

James Schureman, February 14, 1 799, to February 26, 1801.

Jonathan Dayton, March 4, 1799, to March 3, 1805.

Aaron Ogden, February 26, 1801, to March 3, 1803.

John Condit, September I, 1803, to March 3, 1809.

Aaron Kitchell, March 4, 1805, to March 21, 1809.

John Lambert, March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1815.

John Condit, March 21, 1809, to March 3, 1817.

James Jefferson Wilson, March 4, 1815, to January 26, 1821.

Mahlon Dickerson, March 4, 181 7, to March 3, 1829.

Samuel L. Southard, January 26, 1 82 1, to November 12, 1823.

Joseph McTlvaine, November 12, 1 823, to August 16, 1826.

Ephraim Bateman, November 10, 1 826, to January 30, 1829.

Theodore Frelinghuysen, March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1835.

Mahlon Dickerson, January 30, 1 829, to March 3, 1833.

Samuel L. Southard, March 4, 1833, to June 26, 1842.

Garret D. Wall, March 4, 1835, ^^ March 3, 1841.

Jacob W. Miller, March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1853.

William L. Dayton, July 2, 1842, to March 3, 1851.

Robert F. Stockton, March 4, 1851, to February 1 1, 1853.

William Wright, March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1859.

John R. Thompson, February II, 1853, to December, 1862 (died).

Richard S. Field, December 12, 1862, to January 13, 1863 (vacancy).

John C. Ten Eyck, March 17, 1859, to March 3, 1865.

James W. Wall, January 14, 1863, to March 3, 1863 (vacancy).

William Wright, March 4, 1863, to November, 1866.

F. T. Frelinghuysen, November, 1866, to March 3, 1869.

John P. Stockton, March 4, 1 865, to March 27, 1866.

Alexander G. Cattell, March 27, 1866, to March 3, 1 87 1.

John P. Stockton, March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1875.

F. T. Frelinghuysen, March 4, 187 1, to March 3, 1877.

T. F. Randolph, March 4, 1875, ^^ March 3, 1881.

John R. McPherson, March 4, 1877, to March :;, 1895.

William J. Sewell, March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1887.

Rufus Blodgett, March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1893.

■James Smith, Jr., March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1899.

William J. Sewell, March 4, 1895, ^o December 26, 1901.

John Kean, March 4, 1899, to .

John F. Dryden, February 4, 1902, to March 3, 1907,
Frank O. Briggs, March 4, 1907, to March 3, 1913.
James E. Martine, March 4, 19 11, to .

VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY

HISTORY — GENERAL

Barber and Howe — " Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey."
Clement — "Historical Sketches Relating to the Early Settlements of West

New Jersey."
Davis — '* Battle of Bound Brook."
Demarest — " Huguenots on the Hackensack."
Elmer — "Constitution and Government of the Province and State of New

Jersey."
Ferris — " History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware."
Gordon — " History of New Jersey from Its Discovery."
Heston — "Three Hundred Years of New Jersey History."
Keasbey — "Purchase and Sale of East New Jersey."
Lee — " New Jersey as a Colony and as a State."
Mellick — " Hessians in New Jersey."

« Story of an Old Farm."

Mills — "Historic Houses of New Jersey."

New Jersey State — " Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the

State of New Jersey."
" Documents Relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New

Jersey."
New Jersey State Historical Society — "Proceedings."
Raum — " History of New Jersey."
Smith — " History of the Colony of Nova-Caesaria."
Stockton — " Stories of New Jersey."
Stryker — "Battles of Trenton and Princeton."

"General Maxwell's Brigade of the New Jersey Continental Line ; 1779."

"New Jersey Continental Line in the Virginia Campaign, 1781."

"Washington's Reception by the People of New Jersey in 1789."

Sypher and Apgar — " History of New Jersey."

Whitehead — " East Jersey under the Proprietary Government. "

"Judicial and Civil History of New Jersey."

Winfield — " Block House by Bull's Ferry."

261

262 APPENDIX

HISTORY — SPECIAL

Asbury Park and Long Branch. — Martin — " History of Asbury Park and
Long Branch."

Atlantic City. — English — " Atlantic City."

Bergen and Passaic Counties. — Clayton and Nelson — " History of Bergen
and Passaic Counties."

Bloomfield. — HuLiN — " Real and Tdeal Bloomfield."

Bridgeton. — NiCHOLS — "City of Bridgeton."

Burlington. — Glmmere — "Friends in Burlington."

Burlington County. — Stackhouse — " Retrospect of Colonial Times."

Cape May County. — Stevens — " History of Cape May County."

Cumberland Comity. — Nichols — " Historic Days in Cumberland County."

Elizabeth. — HATFIELD — " History of Elizabeth."
Murray — "Notes, Historical and Biographical"

Englewood. — Humphrey — " Englewood. "

Essex County. — Vail — " Essex County, New Jersey."

Gloucester. — Mickle — " Reminiscences of Old Gloucester." ,

Greenwich. — ANDREWS — " Tea Burners of Cumberland County."

Hudsoti County. — WiNFiELD — " History of the County of Hudson."

Jersey City. — McLean — " History of Jersey City."
Van Winkle — " Old Bergen."

Monmouth and Ocean Cotmiies. — Ellis — " History of Monmouth County."
Salter — " History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties."

Montclair. — DoREMUS — " Reminiscences of Montclair."

Morris County. — " History of Morris County."

Morristowji. — CoLLES — " Authors and Writers Associated with Morristown."
O'DoNNELL — " Morristown, New Jersey."
Sherman — " Historic Morristown."

Newark. — Atkinson — " History of Newark."
Urquhart — "A Short History of Newark."

New Brunswick. — Wall — " New Brunswick in the Critical Period of the
Revolution."

Newton. — Clement — " Sketches of the First Emigrant Settlers in Newton."

BIBLIOGRAPHY ' 263

Passaic Valley. — Whitehead — " Passaic Valley in Three Centuries."

Paterson. — Shriner — " Paterson, New Jersey."

Perth Amboy. — Whitehead — "Contributions to the Early History of Perth
Amboy and Adjoining Country."

Princeton. — Paterson — "Glimpses of Colonial Society and the Life at
Princeton College."

Somerset County. — Messler — "Centennial History of Somerset County."
Schumacher — " Somerset Hills."

Trenton. — Lee — " History of Trenton."
Raum — " History of the City of Trenton."
Stryker — "Old Barracks at Trenton.".

Union County. — Ricord — " History of Union County."

NATURAL HISTORY, GEOLOGY, etc.

Abbott — " Stone Age in New Jersey."

Britton — " Preliminary Catalogue of the Flora of New Jersey."
New Jersey Geological Survey — "Geology of New Jersey; Final Report
of the State Geologist."
"Annual Reports of the State Geologist on Forests."
Sharp — " Wild Life Near Home."

MISCELLANEOUS

Armstrong — " Patriotic Poems of New Jersey."

Cooley — " Slavery in New Jersey."

Heston — " Story of the Slave."

Mills — "Through the Gates of Old Romance."

Murray — " History of Education in New Jersey."

New Jersey Legislature — "Manuals 1872-1910."

INDEX

Abbett, Gov. Leon, 259.

Acquackanonk, 191.

Agricultural Experiment Station, at

Rutgers, 211, 221.
Agriculture, in New Jersey, 226.
Ahasimus (Harsimus), 12, 186.
Albania (New York), 17.
Alexander, William, see Stirling, Lord.
Alexander, William C, 163.
Algonquins, 10.
Allentown, 121.

Amendments to N. J. Constitution, 254.
American Magazine, 51.
Anderson, John, president of council,

35, 38, 258.
Andros, Gov. Edmund, 22, 24-26, 257.
Appomattox Court House, 176.
Armstrong, General, 147.
Arnold, Benedict, 124, 134.
Arnold Tavern, Morristown, loi, 102.
Articles of Confederation, no, 132, 139.
Asbury Park, 196.
Assanpink Creek, 55, 94, 102.
Assembly of New Jersey, approves acts
of First Cont. Congress, 41, 42.

at Burlington, 26, ^2.

declares New Jersey independent, 67.

defined, 227.

discusses Articles Confed., no.

first, 17, 19.

members of, 240, 241.

opposes Gov. Morris, 37.

opposes Tories, 69.

powers and duties of, 240-242.

under Constitution of 1776, 143.
Atlantic City, 196.
Atlantic county, formation of, 257.
Avon, 196.
Ayrshire, wreck of, 201.

Bacon, Nathaniel, 22.

Badger, in war with Spain, 179.

Bainbridge, W'illiam, 146.

Baldwin, Colonel, 129.

Baltimore and Ohio Railway, 150.

Barclay, David, 27.

Barclay, Gov. Robert, 27, 28, 257.

Baskingridge, 78.

Basse, Gov. Jeremiah, rejected, 30.

terms of office, 257, 25S.
Bateman, Ephraim, U. S. senator, 260
Baxter, Supt., 214.
Bay Head, 196.
Baylor, Col. George, 128.
Bayonne, history of, 195.
Bear Tavern, 82.
Bedle, Gov. Joseph D., 259.
Belcher, Gov. Jonathan, 37, 215, 258.
Belvidere, 257.
Bergen, first school in, 58.

history of, 13, 186-188.

in first assembly, 19.
Bergen county, formation of, 28, 257.
Bergen Square, 187.
Berkeley, Lord John, 16, 20.
Berkeley, Sir William, 22.
Bernard, Gov. Francis, 59, 258.
Berry, John, deputy governor, 19, 20.
Bibliography, 261-263.
Bill of rights, 236-238.
Bills, passage of, 228.
Birmingham, 82.

Blodgett, Rufus, U. S. senator, 260.
Bloomfield, Gov. Joseph, appointed
brigadier general, 146.

biography of, 159.

terms of office, 258, 259.
Board of Commissioners, 258.
Boards of school estimate, 213.
Bond servants, 17.
Boone, Gov. Thomas, 258.
Boots and shoes, in Newark, 183.
Borden, James, 64.
Bordentown, British guard at, 77.

railway in, 151, 152.

settlement of, 56.
Boston, port closed by England, 45.
Bound Brook, 106.
Bowne, Andrew, 257.
Boyden, Seth, 183, 184.

264

INDEX

265

Braddock's defeat, 38.

Brainerd, David, missionary, 57.

Brandywine, battle of, 107.

Brass, manufactured in Jersey City, 191

Brearley, David, 140.

Breeches buoy, 203, 204, 205.

Bridgeton, 257.

Bricilington, sec Burlington.

Briggs, Frank O., U. S. senator, 260.

Bristol, 78.

Brooklyn fortifications, 71.

Brotherton, 145.

Bull Run, battle of, 174.

Burgoyne, General, 106, 109.

Burlington, assembly at, 32.

capital of West Jersey, 26.

post office at, 53.

settled, 24.

shipbuilding at, 53.
Burlington county, 17, 257.
Burlington Library', 224.
Burnet, Gov. William, 34, 35, 258.
Burr, Aaron, 218.

Burr, Rev. Aaron, first president Prince-
ton University, 58, 215.
Burroughs, Edon, 84.
Burroughs, Stephen, 84.
"Buytentuyn" (farms), 187.
Byllinge, Gov. Edward, 26, 27, 258.

Cabot, John, 11.

Sebastian, 11.
Cadwalader, John, 78.
Caldwell, James, 133, 134.

Mrs. James, 133.
Camden county, formation of, 257.
Camden, 56, 194, 257.
Camden and Amboy Railroad, 149, 150,

152.
Campbell, Lord Neill, deputy governor,

28, 257.
Canals, pioneer, 148, 149.
Candles, manufacture of, 191.
Cape May, 196.

Cape May county, formation of, 257.
Cape May Court House, 257.
Car industr}^ 195.
"Carr's House," 119.
Carteret, Sir George, 16, 27.
Carteret, James, 19, 20.
Carteret, Gov. Philip

arrested by Andres, 25, 26.

Carteret, Gov. Philip.

dismissed, 19.

first governor of New Jersey, 16, 17.
grants charter to Bergen, 188.
Catlin, John, 183.
Cattell, Alexander G., 260.
Cervera, Admiral, 179.
Chadd's Ford, battle of, 107.
Chancellor, 233, 234, 249, 250.
Chancery, court of, 233, 249.
Chams II., 15.
CharK -ton, 66.
Chemic Is, manufacture of, 185, 190,

• 192, 195, 226.
Chesapeake, Lawrence's ship, 146.
Chester, 107.
Chestnut Neck, 128.
Chetwood, John, 64,
Chew House, 108.
Christina, 14'.
Churches, early, 181, 188.
Circuit courts, 232, 250.
"City of Churches," 185.
City Reform School, 185.
Civil officers, 252.
Civil War, 172-177.
Clark, Abraham, 66, 140.
Clark, Sarah, 98.
Clark, Thomas, 98.
Cleosophic Society, 224.
Clermont, 144.

Clinton, Sir Henry, at Monmouth Court
House, 112, 120.

attack at White Plains, 72.

devastates Springfield, 133, 134.

leaves Philadelphia, iii.
Coal industry, 195.
Codification of school law, 212.
Cohansey Creek, 44.
Colleges, 215-223.
Collegiate Church School, 58.
Collins, Isaac, 51.
Colon, in war with Spain, 179.
Colonial Congress, 40-42.
Columbian Academy, 190.
Combs, Moses, 183.
Combs's Hill, 117, 119.
Committee of Safety, 65, 69.
Committees of correspondence, 63, 64.
Common pleas, court of, 231, 250.
Communipaw, history of, 13, 186, 187.
Compulsory attendance at school, 214.

266

INDEX

"Concessions and Agreements of Pro-
prietors in West Jersey," 24.
Condit, John, U. S. senator, 260.
Congress, First Colonial, 40-42.

First Continental, 46, 64, 65.

Provincial, of Xew Jerse_v, 64, 66, 67.

Second Continental, 64.
Connecticut Farms (Union), 133.
Constitution captures Java, 146.
Constitution of New Jersey, first, 16.

of 1776, 67, 143, 167.

of 1844, 168-170, 236-256.
Constitution of United States, 140, 141.
Continental Congress, 46, 64, 65.
"Convention of State of New Jersey,"

67.
Cook, "Uncle Tommy," 197.
Cooper, Daniel, 55.
Cooper, Peter, 150.
Copper, manufactures of, 226.
Cordage industry, 195.
Combury, Lord, governor, ^2, 33, 258.
Comwallis, Lord, at Monmouth Court
House, 112.

at New Brunswick, 74.

at Princeton, 75.

at Somerset Court House, 106.

pursues Continentals through New
Jersey, 73.

returns to New York, 77.

surrender of, 137.

Washington eludes, 96.
Coroner's court, 235.
Cortelyou, Jacques, 187.
Corj-ell's Ferr}-, 76, iii.
Cosby, Gov. Wilham, 35, 258.
Coston signals, 201, 202.
Cotton industry, 194, 226.
Counties, formation of, 28, 257.
County seats, 257.

Court for trial of impeachments, 234.
Court for trial of juvenile offenders, 235.
Court of chancery, 233, 249.
Court of common pleas, 231.
Court of errors and appeals, 233, 249.
Court of oyer and terminer, 235.
Court of pardons, 234.
Court of quarter sessions, 231.
Courts, 229-235, 248-251.
Coward, Tunis, 125, 126.
Coxe, Gov. Daniel, 27, 258.
Coxe, William, Stamp Agent, 42.

Cranberry crop, in New Jersey, 225.

Cranbury, 112.

Crosswicks, 56.

Cuba, 178, 180.

Cumberland county, formation of, 257,

Currency, 34, 64.

" Custis's Recollections," 100, loi.

Danes, in New Jersey, 48.

Davenport, Franklin, U. S. senator, 260.

Davis, Samuel, 217.

Dayton, Jonathan, U. S. senator, 140,

260.
Dayton, William L., U. S. senator, 163,

260.
Deckertown, settlement of, 56.
Declaration of Independence, 66.
Declaration of rights, 41.
De Fernoy, General, 82.
Delaware and Raritan Canal, 149, 227.
Delaware Baj' Company, 15.
Democrats, 141.
Dey, Anthon}-, 189.
Dickerson, Gov. Alahlon, biography of,

161, 259.
term as U. S. senator, 260.
Dickerson, Gov. Philemon, biography

of, 164, 165, 259.
term as U. S. senator, 259.
Dickinson, Rev. Jonathan, 58, 215.
Dickinson, General Philemon, 65, 69,

78, III.
District court, 231.
Districts, 227.
Donop, Col. von, 75.
Dover, forge at, 49.
Drummond, Lord, 27.
Dryden, John F., U. S. senator, 260.
Dudley, Joseph, 257.
Dutch, in New Jersey, 11, 14, 47.
Dutch East India Company, 10.
Dutch Reformed Church, 220.
Dutch traders, 11.
Dutch West India Com^pany, 11.
Duty, imposed by New York, 30.

Earthquakes, 56.
East Jersey, 21, 22-31,
Easton, 39, 78, 129.
Edison, Thomas A., 185.
Education, in New Jersey, 57-60, 184,
187, 188, 208-224.

INDEX

267

Edwards, Jonathan, 57, 217.
Electrical shops in Newark, 185.
Elizabethtown (Elizabeth), aids Boston,

45-
barracks at, 39.

capital, 17.

Continentals march through, 73.

county seat, 257.

first assembly at, 19.

history of, 16, 195.

Knyphausen at, 133.

Princeton College at, 215.
Elmer, Jonathan, U. S. senator, 259.
England, claim of, to New Jersey, 10.
English town, 112, 117.
Errors and appeals, court of, 233, 249.
Essex county, formation of, 28, 257.
Ewing, James, 78.

Executive department, 227, 245, 248.
Experiment (Agricultural) Station, Rut-
gers, 221.

Fauquier county, Virginia, 92.

Federalists, 141.

Fenwick, John, 20, 21, 26.

Ferries, early, 56.

Field, Richard S., U. S. senator, 260.

Field, Robert, 64.

Financial panic, 43.

Finns, 14.

Fireplaces, early, 51.

First Colonial Congress, 40, 41, 42.

First Continental Congress, 64, 65.

First Presbyterian Church, at Newark,

181.
Fisher, Hedrick, 64.
Fishing in New Jersey, 50, 226.
Fitch, John, steamboats of, 144.
Flax, manufactured in Jersey City, 192.
Fleming, Captain, 98.
Flemington, 106, 257,
Ford, Jacob, 102.
Forge, at Dover, 49.
Forman, Col. David, 73.
Fort, Gov. George F., 163, 259.
Fort, Gov. J. Franklin, 259.
Fort Lee, 72.
Fort Sullivan, 128.
Fort Washington, 72.
Foundry products, 226.
Foundry shops, in Jersey City, 190.
France, assistance to Continentals, 109.

Franklin, Gov. William, arrest and
death of, 68.

convenes legislature, 66.

grants Queens College charter, 220.

last royal governor, 40.

opposes Continental Congress, 64.

prorogues New Jersey assembly, 42.

term of, 258.
Freak engines, 151, 152,
Freehold (Monmouth Court House),

43, 111-120, 121-127, 257.
Free Library, Newark, 185.
Free Public Library, Jersey City, 190,

224.
"Free State," 92.
Freestone quarry, 49.
Frelinghuysen, F. T., U. S. senator, 260.
Frelinghuysen, Frederick, U. S. senator,

260.
Frelinghuysen, Theodore, U. S. senator,

260.
Fremont, John C, 172.
French and Indian War, 38.
French fleet, arrival of, 134.
Freneau, Philip, 218.
"Friends," or Quakers, 26, 48, 59.
Furs, trade in, 50.

Gates, General, 134.

General assembly, see Assembly.

General school act, 212.

Geography of New Jersey, 225-227.

George IIL, 61.

German Valley, 56.

Germantown, 108.

Glass, manufacture of, 226.

Gloucester, colony at, 13.

Gloucester county, formation of, 257.

settlement of, 17.
Glover, John, 81.
Gneiss, 226.

Government, of New Jersey, 227-235.
Governor, election of, 143.

powers of, 227, 228, 245-248.
Governors, list of, 257-259.
Gowanus Bay, 71.
Grain crops, 225.
Grain industry, 190.
"Great awakening," 57.
Green, Gov. Robert S., 259.
Green, Henry W., 163.
Green, William, 94.

268

INDEX

Greene, Gen. Nathanael, at Fort Lee,
72.

at Monmouth Court House, 115-117.

at Trenton, 75.

checks Clinton, 133.

sent to attack Howe, 107.
Greenville, 186, 189.
Greenwich "Tea Party," 44, 45.
Grenadier Guards, 114.
Griffin, lands at Salem, 21.
Griggs, Gov. John W., 259.
Groome, surveyor-general, 28.
Guild, John, 84.
Guttenberg, 131.

Hackensack, 56, 72, 257.

Haines, Gov. Daniel, biography of, 165.

term of office, 259.
Half Moon, on Hudson, 10.
Hamilton, Alexander, 139.
Hamilton, Colonel, 115.
Hamilton, Gov. Andrew, 29-31, 258.
Hamilton, Gov. John, 37, 258.
Hard times, 208.
Hardy, Gov. Josiah, 258.
Harlem Heights, 71.
Harsimus (Ahasimus), 12, 186.
Hart, John, 66.
Haslet, Colonel, 98.
Havana, 180.
Hedgerow, 117, 118.
Hemp manufactured in Jersey City, 192.
Hessians, battle with, 87-91.

hired by British, 71, 77.
High School at Jersey City, 190.
High school inspection, 213.
Hoboken, history of, 194, 195.

Institute of Technology at, 222-224.

.settlement of, 12.
Home for Friendless, Newark, 185.
Honesdale, 150.
Honeyman, John, 79.
Hopewell, 55, iii.
Hopkinson, Francis, 66.
Houdon, bust by, 104.
Houses, early, 54.
Howe, Gen. William, at Princeton, 75.

at White Plains, 72.

attacks Philadelphia, 107, 108.

indolence of, 71, 75.

leaves Boston, 66.

returns to New York, 77.

Howell, Gov. Richard, biography of,
158.

term of office, 258.
Hudson City, 186, 189.
Hudson county, formation of, 257.

trading post in, 11.
Hudson, Henry, 10.
Hudson River, 10.
Hudson tunnels, 226, 227.
Huguenots, in New Jersey, 47.
Humphreys, A. C, 223.
Hunloke, Edward, deputy governor,

258.
Hunt, Abraham, 64, 79.
Hunter, Gov. Robert, 34, 258.
Hunterdon county, formation of, 257.
Hyde, Edward, see Cornbury, Lord.

Imlaystown, in.
Impeachments, court for, 234.
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, 140.
Indian outbreaks in New Jersey, 13.
Indian trails, 18.
Indians, aborigines, 10.

customs of, 49.

gift of New Jersey to, 145.

leave New Jersey, 145.
Industrial education, 211.
Industries, of Camden, 194.

of Elizabeth, 195.

of Hoboken, 195.

of Jersey City, 190, 191.

of Newark, 183, 185.

of New Jersey, 226.

of Paterson, 191, 192.

of Trenton, 194.
Ingoldsby, Richard, lieutenant-governor,

34, 258.
Inian, John, 219.
Inian's Ferry, 219.
Inslee, Joseph, 84.
Irish, in New Jersey, 48.
Iron mining and manufacturing, 50,

183, 191, 194. 195. 226.
Iroquois, expedition against, 128, 129.

James II., 15, 29.
Jamestown, Va., settlement of, 9.
Java, British frigate, 146.
Jefferson, Thomas, 139.
Jennings, Samuel, deputy governor, 26,
27, 258.

INDEX

269

Jersey City, county seat, 257.

history of, 1 85-191.

Public Library, 190, 224.
Jewelry, manufactured in Newark, 185.
John Bull, locomotive, 151.
John Minturn, wreck of, 199.
John Stevens, engine, 152.
Johnston Hall, 159.
Jones, Sir William, 26.
Judiciary department, 143, 227, 248-

251-
Justice's court, 229, 250.
Jute, manufactured in Jersey City, 192.
Juvenile offenders, court for trial of, 235.

Kean, John, U. S. senator, 260.
Kearny, Philip, 174, 175.
Kearny, Stephen Watts, 172.
Kent, enters Sandy Hook, 24.
Kieft, Governor, 13.
Kimball, Superintendent, 206,
King George's War, 37.
King Philip's War, 22.
King's Ferry, 120.
Kingston, 99, in.
Kitchell, Aaron, U. S. senator, 260.
Knox, General, 117.
Knyphausen, General, 133.

Lafayette, Indians in, 13.
Lafayette, Marquis de, 112, 113.
Lambert, Gov. John, term as governor,
159, 258.

term as U. S. senator, 260.
Lambertville, 76, in.
Lanning, David, 84.
Laurie, Gawen, deputy governor, 21,

28, 257.
Lawrence, James, 146.
Lawrence ville, 55.
Leather industry, 185, 226.
Lee, Gen. Charles, at Monmouth
Court House, 113, 116, 117.

at White Plains, 73.

dismissal of, 124.

jealousy of, 77.

reprimanded, 115, 116.

taken prisoner, 78.
Lee, Francis Bazley, 147, 175.
Lee, Henry, 218.

Lee, "Light Horse Harry," 130-132,
146.

Lee, Gen. Robert E., surrender of, 176,

177.
Legislative department, 143, 227, 239-
245 . See also Assembly and Senate.
Lenni Lenape Indians, 10.
Lewis, Major, 100.
Lewis, Morgan, 218.
Lewiston, Fort, 14.
Lexington, battle of, 46.
Libraries, 223, 224.
Lifeboats, 202, 203.
Life carriage, 216.
Life-savers, 201.
Life-saving service, 197-207.
Limestone, 226.
Lincoln, Abraham, 173.
Liquors, 226.

Little Egg Harbor, -21, 53, 128.
Livingston, Gov. William, appointed
brigadier general, 65.

biography of, 156.

elected governor, 68, 258.

quoted, 137.
Locomotives, manufacture of, 191.
"Log College," 57.
Long Branch, 196.
Long Island, defeat on, 71.
Louisburg, expedition against, 37.
Lovelace, Lord, governor, 33, 258.
Lucas, Nicholas, 21.
Ludlow, Gov. George C, 259.
Ludwig, John G., 121.
Lumber industry, 190.

McCauly, George, 121.

McCauly, MoUie, see MoUie Pitcher.

McClellan, Gov. George B., 176, 177,

259.
Machinery, 183, 185, 192.
Mcllvaine, Joseph, U. S. senator, 260.
McKinley, WiUiam, President, 178.
McLane, Allen, 131.
McPherson, John R., U. S. senator, 260.
Madison, James, 218.
Maine, destruction of, 178.
Malt, 226.
Malt liquors, 190.
Manhattan Island, 11.
Manual training, 211.
Manufacturing, in New Jersey, 226.
Manzanillo, 179.
Marble, 226.

270

INDEX

Marl, 49i 5°. 225.

"Mason and Dixon's line," 173.

Matinicunk, school at, 59.

Mawhood, Lieutenant Colonel, 96.

Maxwell, William, 66, 107, iii, 129.

Mays Landing, 257.

Meats, dressed, 190.

Mechanical arts, 211, 221.

Mechanical engineering, 223.

Medical inspection in schools, 214.

Menlo Park, 185.

Mercer county, formation of, 257.

iron ore in, 50.
Mercer, General, at Bergen Neck, 73.

at Princeton, 96, 97, 98.

death of, 10 1.
Metuchen Meeting House, 107.
Mexico, war with, 171, 172.
Middlebrook, 106, 107.
Middlesex count}-, formation of, 28, 257.
Middletown, 18, 19, 112, 121.
Militia officers, 251.
Miller, Jacob W., U. S. senator, 260.
Millstone (Somerset Court House), 10 1.
Mineral deposits, 49.
Mining in New Jersey, 226.
Minuit, Peter, 13.
Model School, Trenton, 209, 210.
Mohawk Valley, massacres in, 129.
Molasses, industry in, 190.
"MoUie Pitcher" (Mrs. McCauly), 121-

123.
Moltke, General von, 10 1.
Monckton, Lieutenant Colonel, 118,

119, 124.
Monmouth count}', 28, 257.
Monmouth Court House (Freehold),
battle of, 111-120, 121-127.

mob at, 43.
Monroe, James, at Trenton, 89, 91.
Montauk, 178.

Montgomerie, Gov. John, 35, 258.
Moore, James, 99.
Morgan, Colonel, in, 113.
Morris canal, 148, 149, 227.
Morris, Captain, 82, 85.
Morris county, formation of, 257.
Morris, Gov. Lewis, 35, 36, 258.
Morris, Major, 98.
Morristown, county seat, 257.

museum at, 102, 103.

mutiny near, 134, 135.

Morristown, Washington's headquarters

at, 101-103, 132, 133.
Morse, Samuel F. B., 154.
Mortar boat, 203.
Morton, Henry, 222, 223.
Mott, John, 84.
Mount Holly, 257.
Mount Vernon, 141.
Mud Island, 107.
Muirhead, John, 84.
Murphy, Gov. Franklin, 259.
Mutiny of Pennsylvania line, 134-136.

Narrows, 71.

Nassau, Fort, 13.

Nassau Hall, Princeton University, 58,

216, 217, 218.
Navesink, Fort, 32.
Neal, Captain, 98.
New Amsterdam, 11.
New Beverly, see Burlington.
New Bridge, 132.
New Brunswick, barracks at, 39.

convention at, 64.

county seat, 257.

headquarters at, 74, 77.

history of, 55, 219.

Howe at, 106.

retreat through, 73.

W^ashington at, 74.
New Haven, expeditions against New

Jersey, 14, i5-
New Jersey Gazette, 51.
"New Jersey Plan," 158.
New Jersey State Library, Trenton, 224.
New Market, 107.
New Netherland, 10, 11, 13, 15.
New Sweden, 14.
New York, 15, 141.
Newark, convention at, 63.

county seat, 257.

first school in, 58.

history of, 18, 19, 54, 181-185.

mob at, 43.

Princeton College at, 216.

Washington at, 73.
Newark Bay, 16.
Newark, in war with Spain, 179.
Newark Library, 224.
Newbrie, Mark, 51.
Newell, Gov. William A., 200, 259.
Newport Harbor, 134.

INDEX

271

Newspapers, 51.

Newton, 56, 257.

Newtown, N.Y., battle at, 130.

Newtown, Pa., Washington at, 92.

Ni colls. Gov., 17.

Normal School, Trenton, 194, 209, 210.

Upper Montclair, 213.
Northcastle Heights, 72.
Nova Ceesaria, 16.

Ocean county, formation of, 257.

Ocean Grove, 196.

Ogden, Gov. Aaron, biography of, 160.

term as governor, 259. ^

term as U. S. senator, 260.
Ogden, Isaac, 64.
Ogden, Joseph, 41.
Ogden, Matthias, 129.
Oil, trade in, 50.

Olden, Gov. Charles S., 174, 259.
Olive, Thomas, deputy governor, 27,

258.
Orphan Asylum, Newark, 185.
Orphans' court, 233.
Oxford, 50, 56.
Oyer and terminer, court of, 235.

Paoli massacre, 108.
Paper, manufactured in Jersey City, 192.
Paper money, 64.
Paramus Church, 131.
Pardons, court of, 234.
Parishes, 227.
Parker, James, 51.

Parker, Gov. Joel, biography of, 175,
176.

term of office, 259.
Passaic county, formation of, 257.
Passaic Falls, 191.
Passaic River, settlements on, 18.
Passayunk, 15.

Paterson, Gov. William, biography of,
158.

terms as governor, 258.

term as U. S. senator, 259.
Paterson, county seat, 257.

history of, 56, 191.
Patroons, grants to, 11.
Paulus Hook, capture of, 130-131.

history of , 12, 56, 186, 188, 189,
Paulusen, Michael, 12.
Pauw, Michael, 11, 186.

Pavonia, 12, 13, 186.
Pencils, manufacture of, 191.
Penn, William, 20, 21, 24.
Pennington, Gov. William, biography
of, 165.

term of office, 259.
Pennington, Gov. William Sanford,
biography of, 160.

term of office, 259.
Pennington road, 84, 85.
Pennsylvania line, 134, 135.
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 153.
Pensions to teachers, 212.
Permanent tenure, of teachers, 213.
Perth Amboy, assembly at, 32.

barracks at, 39.

Howe in, 106.

post-office at, 53.

settlement of, 28.
Perth, Earl of, 27.
Petroleum, 226.
Phelps, William F., 209, 210.
Philadelphia and Trenton Railway Co.,

152.
Philadelphia, British designs against, 77.

Congress flees from, 78.

Continental Congress at, 65.

convention at, 139, 140.
Phillips, Elias, 84.
Phillips, Joseph, 84.
Phillips, Philip, 84.
P has nix, 222.
Pierson, Abraham, 18.
Pierson, Isaac, 64.
Pierson, Jeremiah H., 153.
Pine forests, 50.
Pine robbers, 105, 132.
"Pines," The, 225.
Piscataway, settlement at, 18.
Pitcher, Mollie, see Mollie Pitcher.
Plainfield, settlement of, 56.
Plattsburg, 147.
Pluckemin, 10 1.
Point Pleasant, 197.
Police court, 230.
Pompton, 136, 137.
Population, of Bayonne, 195.

of Camden, 194.

of Elizabeth, 195.

of Hoboken, 194.

of Jersey City, 186.

of New Jersey, 18, 48, 143, 148.

^72

INDEX

Population, of Newark, i8i, 183-185.

of Paterson, 191.

of Trenton, 192.
Porter, Colonel, 98.
Postage in 1792, 143.
Post offices, early, 53.
Pottery industry, 194, 225, 226.
Potts, Stacey G., 163.
Prerogative court, 234.
Price, Gov. Rodman M., 259.
Prigmore's Swamp, 55, 219.
Princeton, battle of, 93-104.

Howe's forces at, 75.

Washington enters, 74.
Princeton College, 57, 58, 215-219.
Princeton University, 219, 224..
Printz, Swedish governor, 14.
Prompton, 150.

Proprietors of New Jersey, 16-31.
"Provincial Congress of New Jersey,"

64-68.
Public schools in New Jersey, 184, 185,

190, 208-214.
Pulaski, legion of, 128.
Pumps, manufactured in Elizabeth, 195.
Puritans, in New Jersey, 47.
Putnam, General, 71.

Quakers, in New Jersey, 26, 48, 59.

Quarter sessions, court of, 231.

Quartering Act, 40.

Queen Anne's War, 34.

Queen's College (Rutgers), 58, 220.

Quibbletown (New Market), 107.

Quincy railroad, 150.

Quit rents, 17, 19, 20, 27, 30, 31, 38.

Rahway, 55, 107.

Railroad cars, manufacture of, 190.

Railways, 148-152, 227.

Rail, Johann G., attack against, 88-91.

commands Hessians, 77.

negligence of, 78-81, 85, 87.
Ramapo, 153.
Randolph, Gov. Theodore, 259.

U. S. senator, 260.
Ray, David, 126, 127.
Reading, John, 37, 258.
Red Bank, 107.
Redemptioners, 49.
Religious revivals, 56, 57.
Republicans, 141.

Resolute, in war with Spain, 179.

Retirement fund, 212.

Revolutionary War, 71-137.

Rice, cultivation of, 50.

"Right of search," 145.

Roads, early, 52, 53.

Rocky Hill, 99.

Royal Grenadiers, 118, 119,

Rubber industry, 190, 194, 226.

Rudyard, Thomas, 8, 28. 257.

Rutgers College (Queens), 58, 220, 224.

Rutgers, Henry, 220.

Rutgers Scientific School, 221.

Rutherford, John, U. S. senator, 259.

St. Barnabas Hospital, 185.
St. Clair, General, 82.
St. Michael Hospital, 185.
Salem, aids Boston, 45.

county seat, 257.

port of entry, 26.

settlement of, 21.

shipbuilding at, 53.
Salem county, formation of, 257.
San Pasqual, battle of, 172.
Sandstone, 226.
Sandy Hook, iii.
Santa Fe, 172.
Sargent, Colonel, 82.
Savannah, boiler, 154.
Scholarships, 211.
School for Deaf Mutes, 194.
School law, of 1867, 210.

of 1871, 212.

of 1903, 212, 213.
School suffrage for women, 170, 211.
Schools of New Jersey, 57-60, 183, 184,

187, 188, 208-224.
Schureman, James, U. S. senator, 260.
Schuyler, General, 73.
Scotch, in New Jersey, 47.
Scotch Plains, 56, 73.
Scotch Presbyterians, 28.
Scotch road, 84.
Scott, General, 172.
Scudder, Amos, 94.
Second Continental Congress, 64, 65.
Secretary of state, of New Jersey, 143-
Seeley, Gov. EHas P., 164, 259.
Senate, of New Jersey, 143, 227, 240.
Senatorial districts, 227.
Senators, United States, 259, 260.

INDEX

.-^

273

Senecas, 130.

Sewell, William J., U. S. senator, 260.

Sewing machines in Elizabeth, 195.

Sheldon, Colonel, 129.

Shipbuilding, 53.

Shippen, Captain, 98.

Shipyards in Camden, 194.

Shirley, governor of Massachusetts, 37.

Shreve, Israel, 129.

Shrewsbury, 18, 50.

Silk industry, 190, 192, 226.

Silverware, manufacture of, 185.

Simmonds, Henry, 84.

Six Nations, 128, 129.

Skeine, Gov. John, 258.

Slavery, 145, 172, 173.

Sloane, W. M., loi.

Smelting works, 50.

Smith, Isaac, 64.

Smith, James, U. S. senator, 260.

Smith, WiUiam P., 64.

Soap, manufacture of, 191.

Somerset county, formation of, 28, 257.

Somerset Court House (Millstone), 10 1.

Somerville, 257.

Sourland Hills, 106.

South Carolina Railroad, 150,

Southard, Gov. Samuel L., 163, 164,

259, 260.
Spain, war with, 177-180.
Specie, 50.

Speedwell Iron Works, 153, 154.
Spencer, Oliver, 129.
Springfield, 73.
Squan Beach, 197, 199, 201.
Stacy, Mahlon, 55.
Stage routes, 53, 54.
Stages, from Paulus Hook, 189.
Stamp Act, 40, 42.
State Arsenal, Trenton, 193.
State College, 211, 221.
State Home for Girls, Trenton, 194.
State Hospital, Trenton, 193.
State House, Trenton, 193.
State Prison, Trenton, 194.
Staten Island, Howe at, 107.
Steel, manufacture of, 191, 226.
Stephen, General, 82.
Steuben, Baron, 104, 195.
Stevens, Edwin A., 222.
Stevens, John, 194, 222.
Stevens, Robert L., 222.

HIST. NJ. — 18

Stevens Institute, 195, 222-223.
Stirling, Lord (William Alexander),
aids Major Lee, 132.

appointed general, 66.

at Metuchen Meeting House, 107.

at Monmouth Court House, 116, 117,

brigade at Trenton, 82.

forces of, 74, 75-

taken prisoner, 71.
Stockton, John P., U. S. senator, 260.
Stockton, Richard, 66, 75, 260.
Stockton, Robert F., 172, 260.
Stokes, Gov. Edward C, 259.
Stony Brook, 76, 97, 98.
Stratton, Gov. Charles C, 166, 259.
Strawberry, New Jersey, 183, 184.
Stuynhuysen, Engelbert, 58, 187-
Stuyvesant, Peter, 13, 14, 15.
Suffrage, right of, 238, 239.
Sugar refineries, 190.
Sullivan, Fort, 129.
Sullivan, General, at Trenton, 78.

attack on Hessians, 86.

/attack on Howe, 107.

attack on Iroquois, 129.

in Sourland Hills, 106,

taken prisoner, 71.
Sumter, Fort, 173.

Supreme court of judicature, 232, 250.
Surfboats, 203.
Surrogate court, 233.
Sussex county, formation of, 257.
Swedes in New Jersey, 13, 14, 47.

Tappan, 128.

Tar, production of, 50.

Tatham, John, 257.

Taxation of glass, tea, etc., 42.

"Tea parties," 44, 45-

Teachers' Institutes, 209.

Telegraph, Morse's, 154, 155.

Ten Eyck, John C, U. S. senator, 260.

Tennent, Rev. Gilbert, 57.

Tennent Church, 115, 121, 124, 125.

Texas, admission of, 171.

Text-books, free, 211.

Thompson, John R., U. S. senator, 260.

Thread manufactories, 185, 192.

Thurston, Robert H., 223.

Tiffany silverware plant, 185.

Timber, 50, 225.

Tioga Point, 129.

274

INDEX

Tobacco industrj', 50, 190.

Tom Thumb, locomotive, 150.

Tom's River, county seat, 257.

Tools and machines, 183.

Tory raids, 68, 69, 70, 73, 105, 132.

Treasurer, of New Jersey, 143.

Treat, Robert, 18.

Trent, William, 55.

Trenton, barracks at, 39.

battle of, 76-92.

capital of New Jersey, 143.

convention at, 168.

county seat, 257.

history of, 54, 55, 192-194.

post office at, 53.

State Library at, 224.

Washington at, 74, 94.

Washington arch at, 141, 142.
Trenton Ferry, 78.

Trenton Normal School, 194, 209, 210.
Troy, bloomer;' at, 50.
Trumbull, governor of Connecticut, 68.
Tucker, Samuel, 64.
Tuckerton, 56, 128.
Turpentine, production of, 50.

Uniforms, American and British, 114.

Union, 133, 195.

Union county, formation of, 257.

Union Hill, 131.

Upper Montclair Normal School, 213.

Vail, Alfred, 154, i55-

Vail, George, 155.

Vail, Stephen, 153, 154.

Valley Forge, Washington at, 109.

Van Vorsts, 189.

Varnish factories in Newark, 185.

Vegetables, raised in New Jersey, 226.

Vera Cruz, 172.

Veto of governor, 229.

Voorhees, Gov. Foster M., 179, 259.

Vroom, Gov. Peter D., 162, 163, 164,

259-

Wall, Garret D., U. S. senator, 162, 260.
Wall, James W., U. S. senator, 260.
Wallabout, 71.
Wampum, 50, 51.
War of 1812, 145-147.
Ward, Gov. Marcus L., 259.

Warren county, formation of, 257.
Washington, Captain, 89, 91.
Washington, George, appointed com-
mander in chief, 64.

at Monmouth Court House, 111-120

at Morristown, 132, 133.

at Philadelphia, 107.

at Princeton, 99.

besieges Boston, 66.

elected President, 141.

reprimands Lee, 115, 116.
Washington Headquarters Assoc., 102.
Washington, Martha, 104.
Watches, manufacture of, 185, 191.
Watson, Commodore, 179.
Wayne, Gen. Anthony, at Monmouth
Court House, 113, 117, 118, 119.

?* Paoli, 108.

attacked by mutineers, 135, 136.

checks enemy, 107.
Wenrock Brook, 123.
Werts, Gov. George T., 259.
West Jersey, 21, 22-31.
West Jersey Society of Proprietors, 258.
West Point, 136.
Whale fishing, 50.
Whale oil, production of, 50.
Whisky insurrection, 159.
White Plains, 72, 120.
Whitefield, George, 57.
Williamson, Gov. Isaac H., 161, 259.
Wilson, General, 69.
Wilson, James J., U. S. senator, 260.
Wilson's Tavern, 87.
Witherspoon, John, 66, 75, 217.
Woman suffrage, 167, 170, 211.
Woodbridge, 18, 19, 58, 73.
Woodbury, county seat, 257.
Woodhull, General, 71.
Woolen mills, 193, 194.
Woolman, John, 57.
Woolsey, Ephraim, 84.
Wright, William, U. S. senator, 260.
Wyoming Valley, massacres in, 129.

Yardley's Ferry, 78.

York, Congress adjourns to, 109.

York, Duke of, 15, 28. _^-\

Zinc, manufacture of, 191.

OCT 1 4 1942

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