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n  Memorial  Library 


3   1735  060  728  304 


/OO'^VQfO 


SKETCHES 


FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS 


NEWTON  TOWNSHIP, 


OLD  GLOUCESTER  COUNTY, 


WEST   NEW  JERSEY. 


BY  JOHN    CLEMENT,  OF   HADDONFIELD,  N.  J. 


"An  Ungrateful  Generation  Neglected  the  Memory  of  its  Fathers." 


CAMDEN,  N.  J.: 
Printed  by  Sinnickson  Chew,  N.  E.  Corner  Front  and  Market  STRKET9i 

1877. 


0 


x^ 


Entered,  according  to  an  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1877,  by  John  Clement,  in  the 
office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


TO 

MY    FATHER'S   MEMORY 

THIS   WORK    IS    DEDICATED,    THE    MERITS    OF    WHICH,    IF    ANY    IT    HAS,    ARK     DUE    TO     HIS 
INTEREST    IN   A   CORRECT 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  SETTLERS 

ABOUT   HIS   NATIVE    PLACE,    WHICH    INTEREST    HE   SO    FAITHFULLY   SOUGHT  TO 
IMPART   TO 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


THE  colledtion  and  preservation  of  fa(5ls  illustrative  of  the 
early  history  of  West  New  Jersey  have  always  been, 
to  the  author  of  this  volume,  a  pleasing  task.  The  little 
interest  manifested  in  these  events  which  are  so  rapidly 
passing  from  memory,  and  which  hitherto  have  attra6led 
so  little  attention,  has  prompted  this  purpose  and  given 
it  greater  importance.  The  arrangement  of  the  material 
here  presented  to  the  public,  it  is  hoped,  may  not  be 
entirely  without  value,  for  the  reason  that,  by  this  means, 
some  fa6ls  may  be  saved  from  oblivion,  inquiry  assisted, 
and  new  light  shed  upon  a  subje6l  too  long  neglected, 
and  too  much  mystified  by  time.  The  method  of  reference 
which  has  been  adopted  will  enable  the  reader  to  consult 
the  authorities  used,  and  thus  any  particular  line  of  inquiry 
may  be  the  more  fully  pursued. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  these  Sketches  are  a  complete 
history  of  the  times  to  which  they  relate,  although  much 
effort  has  been  made  in  that  direction ;  nor  that  they  are 
entirely  free  from  error;  yet,  if  any  interest  shall  be  excited, 
or  any  one  stimulated  to  examine  the  subjedl  still  more 
critically,  their  purpose  will   not  be  wholly  defeated. 


■mil  V.  ■■'■ 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  first  Dutch,  Swedish  and  English  settlements  on  the 
Delaware  river  have  been  so  comprehensively  considered 
by  various  writers  within  the  last  half  century,  except  those 
included  within  the  limits  of  Newton  Township,  Gloucester 
County,  West  New  Jersey,  now  embraced  in  the  city  of 
Camden  and  Haddon  Township,  Camclen  County,  and  places 
adjacent  thereto,  that,  to  recite  their  history  here,  would  be  a 
needless  repetition.  Upon  that  subject  little  uncertainty  now 
remains,  since  nearly  all  the  leading  facts  that,  for  many 
years,  appeared  contradi6lory  or  doubtful,  have  been  reconciled 
and  settled,  so  that  no  reader,  however  particular  or  inquisitive, 
need  go  astray. 

But  the  persons  who,  separately  or  colle6lively,  made  up  the 
English  colonies  upon  the  New  Jersey  shore  of  the  Delaware 
should  not  pass  unnoticed;  nor  can  they  be  lost  sight  of, 
however  prominently  the  results  of  their  undertaking  may  be 
presented.  They  were  men  of  decided  views  and  positive 
characteristics,  of  clear  and  discerning  minds,  able  to  consider 
a  subje6l  in  all  its  bearings,  and  endowed  with  courage  to  over- 
come obstacles  apparently  insurmountable. 

Feeling  that  the  abuse  of  power  had  not  only  made  their 
property  insecure,  but  was  also  destroying  the  quiet  of  their 
firesides,  they  naturally  looked  for  some  other  land  in  which 
these  troubles  could  be  avoided.  With  the  warmest  attachment 
to  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  government  under  which 
they  lived,  they  were  forced  to  seek  a  new  home,  where  these 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

principles  could  be  enjoyed  in  their  original  purity.  Adhering 
to  their  religious  belief  with  a  tenacity  that  could  not  be  shaken, 
and  in  that  belief  finding  nothing  that  encouraged  resistance,  the 
"  Plantations  in  America "  were  the  only  asylum  in  which  the 
proper  administration  of  law  could  be  assured,  since  these 
colonies  were  too  distant,  and  of  too  little  importance,  to 
attra6l  the  attention  of  those  in  authority  at  home.  Not  long 
did  it  take  to  put  these  conclusions  into  shape,  and  the  unan- 
imity with  which  they  were  accepted  gave  force  and  character 
at  once  to  the  movement. 

Here  was  a  novel  and  responsible  enterprise ;  one  new  in  its 
inception,  new  in  its  development  and  uncertain  in  its  results; 
dependent  for  its  success  upon  the  business  capacity  and  per- 
sistence of  those  who  had  enlisted  in  the  cause;  yet  little 
time  elapsed  before  such  as  were  equal,  or  unequal,  to  the 
task  began  to  appear.  Among  the  original  projectors,  the  timid 
were  soon  replaced  by  others  more  sanguine,  and  such  as  hesi- 
tated, at  once  found  those  who  were  glad  to  accept  their 
positions. 

With  a  common  obje6l,  no  radical  difference  of  opinion 
delayed  its  consummation ;  hence  a  general  outline  of  procedure 
was  soon  adopted,  and  the  leaders  found  themselves  clothed 
with  responsibilities  hardly  anticipated.  Their  obje6l  was  a 
declared  and  open  one,  to  be  obtained  without  bloodshed,  yet 
through  privation,  suffering  and  sacrifice.  They  were  not 
mere  adventurers  in  search  of  wealth  to  be  procured  by  rapine 
and  the  sword,  regardless  of  the  rights  of  others ;  nor  did  they 
endeavor  to  seduce  the  unsuspecting  into  their  scheme  by  plau- 
sible or  specious  promises.  Their  purpose  was  to  secure  a  new 
home  in  the  wilds  of  America,  and,  in  so  doing,  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  a  government  that  would  give  to  themselves  the 
enjoyment  of  liberty  in  its  legally  restri6led  sense,  and  would 
perpetuate  the  same  blessings  to  their  descendants.  How  well 
they  did  this  needs  no  answer  from  the  present  generation, 
which  now  reaps  the  full  fruition  of  the  labors  of  these  pioneers 
in  their  efforts  to  obtain  civil  and  religious  liberty.  In  this  light 
it  is  proper  to  regard  them,  and  to  admire  their  fidelity  in  laying 
so  broad  and  deep  the  fundamental  principles  of  human  rights,  so 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

that  these  have  come  to  us,  after  two  hundred  years,  as  pure  and 
inspiring  as  when  first  published  to  the  world.  Nor  did  they 
hesitate  when  they  found  themselves  in  a  strange  land,  sur- 
rounded by  difficulties  even  greater  than  they  had  looked  for. 
Without  a  dwelling,  save  such  as  could  be  made  of  the  sails  of 
their  vessels;  without  an  acre  of  land  prepared  for  culture,  and 
without  a  friend  to  welcome  or  dire6l  them ;  they  at  once 
established  their  religious  meetings,  organized  their  form  of 
government,  and  put  in  operation  their  code  of  laws,  the 
liberality  of  which  is  felt  to  the  present  time.  Nothing  shows 
their  intention  to  abandon  the  imdertaking,  or  to  yield  to  the 
discouragements  that  met  them;  but  each  successive  day  proved 
the  wisdom  of  their  plans,  and  strengthened  their  belief  that 
success  must  ultimately  follow. 

The  influence  of  female  example  also  deserves  to  be  com- 
mended. Taken  from  their  homes  and  from  the  circle  of  relatives 
and  friends  where  the  refinements,  if  not  the  luxuries,  of  life 
could  be  enjoyed,  and  where  the  strongest  ties  of  human  nature 
exist — the  courage  and  the  faithfulness  of  the  wives  and  daughters 
of  the  first  comers  to  the  soil  of  New  Jersey  must  excite  the  admi- 
ration of  every  reader.  The  trials  and  exposures  through  which 
they  passed  cannot,  in  our  day,  be  fully  appreciated.  In  the 
midst  of  a  wilderness  where  even  shelter  was  an  obje6l,  these 
women  are  found,  showing  by  word  and  deed  that  no  complaint 
of  theirs  should  bring  despondency  upon  the  little  company. 
Resolute  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty,  and  unceasing  in  their 
efforts  to  contribute  to  the  comfort  and  encouragement  of  their 
companions,  they  displayed  those  traits  of  character  which  belong 
to  the  sex  alone,  and  which  always  accomplish  so  much  when 
brought  into  a6lion.  Having  shared  every  sacrifice  and  met 
every  requirement,  their  position  in  the  first  endeavor  to  settle 
our  State  with  English  colonists  should  be  made  a  promi- 
nent one  and  must  ever  command  respe6l. 

From  these  small  beginnings  at  Salem,  at  Burlington,  and  at 
Newton,  can  be  traced  the  development  of  West  New  Jersey; 
and  to  the  families  who  made  the  first  adventure,  many  of  its 
citizens  can  follow  their  direct  line  of  blood. 


The  letters  O.  S.  G.,  used  in  the  foot  notes,  refer  to  the  records  in  the 
office  of  the  Surveyor-General  of  West  New  Jersey.  All  other  references, 
except  those  specially  noticed,  are  made  to  the  records  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Trenton,  N.  J.  Those  indicated  by  letters 
contain  records  of  deeds,  and  those  by  numbers  contain  records  of  wills. 

Many  of  the  wills,  probates  and  letters  of  administration  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Burlington  and  Gloucester  counties — part  of  Mercer  county  then 
being  in  Burlington,  and  Atlantic  and  Camden  counties  being  part  of 
Gloucester — are  on  file  and  not  recorded.  The  like  documents,  however, 
of  Salem  county — then  embracing  what  now  form  Salem,  Cumberland  and 
Cape  May  counties — are  entered  in  the  Salem  books  in  the  same  office 
at  Trenton.  The  records  of  many  marriages  of  early  times  will  be  found 
in  the  court  minutes  of  Salem  and  Burlington  counties  ;  some  also  will 
be  found  in  the  book  of  "Licenses  of  Marriages,"  of  later  date  in  the 
same  office. 


ROBERT   ZANE. 


ROBERT  ZANE  was  the  pioneer  of  the  settlement  at 
Newton.  He  was  the  first  of  that  colony  who  left  the 
shores  of  his  native  land  to  seek  a  new  home  in  an  unknown 
and  unsettled  country.^  He  did  not  wait  the  tardy  move- 
ments of  his  associates,  but  took  advantage  of  the  first 
opportunity  by  which  he  could  become  acquainted  with  the 
place  in  which  his  life  was  to  be  spent,  his  children  to  be  reared 
and  his  bones  to  be  laid.  With  the  vigor  of  youth  and  a 
fondness  for  adventure,  he  entered  upon  his  purpose  with  a 
determination  that  could  not  be  foiled.  He  was  too  young  to 
be  the  victim  of  religious  i)ersecution,  yet  his  sympathies  were 
with  those  whose  estates  were  being  wasted,  and  whose  persons 
were  at  the  caprice  of  unrestrained  authority.  While  these 
abuses  excited  his  indignation,  riper  minds  than  his  had  con- 
vinced him  that  new  homes,  new  laws  and  new  rulers  were 
the  only  hopes  for  security  and  peace.  The  records  of  his 
time  follow  so  close  upon  his  footsteps  that  he  is  seldom  lost 
sight  of,  and,  from  the  first  to  the  last,  no  question  arises  as 
to  his  identity  under  so  many  different  aspects. 

Thomas  Sharp,  in  his  Memorial,  refers  to  him  as  coming  from 
the  city  of  Dublin  to  Salem  four  years  before  he,  Sharp,  came 
to  Newton;  and  all  authorities  agree  that  he  was  one  of  the 
members  of  the  first  Friends'  Meeting  established  at  Salem  in 
1675.  He  probably  was  in  the  ship  with  John  Fenwick,  among 
many  other  emigrants  who  arrived  at  Elsinburg  in  September 


I  Hazzard's  Annals  of  Pennsylvania,  422. 


12  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

of  the  year  named,  this  vessel  being  the  first  which  came  to 
Salem  under  the  auspices  of  that  remarkable  man.  There  is 
abundant  evidence  that  his  stay  at  Salem  was  designed  to  be  but 
temporary,  although  his  name  frequently  occurs  in  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Friends'  Meetings  of  that  place,  from  the  year  1678 
to  the  time  of  his  removal.  His  name  is  not  among  those 
signed  to  the  agreements  made  by  the  planters  with  the  chief 
proprietor ;  nor  was  he  of  those  who  located  lands  in  the 
Salem  Tenth,  and  received  their  title  from  the  same  person  with 
a  view  to  permanent  settlement.  He  does  not  appear  to  have 
participated  in  the  government  of  the  colony,  or  to  have  been 
a  party  to  the  troubles  between  Fenwick  and  his  Dutch  and 
English  rivals.  His  only  purchase  of  real  estate  during  the 
four  years  of  his  residence  there,  was  that  of  a  town  lot,  which 
he  subsequently  sold  to  William  Royden  in  1689,  several  years 
after  he  had  settled  at  Newton.^  Thus  the  whole  course  of 
his  a6lions,  previous  to  the  coming  of  Thomas  Thackara  and  of 
the  others  with  whom  he  associated,  shows  that  his  departure 
from  home  with  John  Fenwick  was  made  in  expe6tation  of 
being  followed  by  them,  and  of  their  forming  a  united  settle- 
ment within  the  bounds  of  the  Irish  Tenth,  many  miles  from 
the  place  of  his  first  arrival.  The  limits  of  the  territory  in 
which  this  settlement  was  to  be  made,  were  shown  to  him  soon 
after  the  arrival  of  the  London  and  Yorkshire  commissioners, 
as  lying  between  Penisaukin  and  Timber  creeks,  two  large  and 
well  defined  streams.  Beside  these,  but  two  others,  at  all  navig- 
able, found  their  way  into  the  Delaware  within  the  bounds 
fixed  ;  upon  any  one  of  which  the  sele6tion  could  be  made. 
No  one  can  doubt  that  Robert  Zane  traversed  each  of  these 
to  examine  locations,  test  the  soil  and  discover  the  most  eligible 
place  "to  settle  down  by."  Opposite  to  where  the  Swansons 
had  made  their  farms,  and  where  now  stands  the  southerly  part 
of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  the  mouth  of  Newton  creek  opened 
into  the  river  and  was  in  full  view  from  the  spot  where  their 
houses  stood.  Near  their  dwellings  a  few  scattered  huts  were 
already  built,  which  gave  the  place  some  pretensions  to  a  town, 
whose   inhabitants,   however,   at    that   time,  were    all    Swedes. 


2  Salem  Deeds  No.  4,  16 


ROBERT  ZANE.  13 

About  this  time  William  Penn  arrived  at  Shackomaxin,  and  the 
prospedl  was  that  a  town  would  be  laid  out,  extending  along  the 
river  front  from  the  last  named  point  down  to  the  little  Swedish 
village;  and  including  it.  To  be  near  this  growing  place, 
Robert  no  doubt,  considered  desirable  ;  and,  when  his  friends 
arrived  from  Ireland,  he  called  their  attention  to  these  advan- 
tages, and,  through  his  representations,  the  place  on  the  north 
bank  of  Newton  creek  was  fixed  upon,  and  an  embryo  town 
soon  built. 

These  friends  and  associates,  to  whom  reference  has  before 
been  made,  may  be  known  through  two  separate  and  distin6l 
papers,  bearing  widely  different  dates,  and  made  for  entirely 
different  purposes.  The  first  is  a  deed,  dated  April  12th,  1677, 
made  by  Edward  Bylinge  and  his  trustees  to  Robert  Turner, 
of  Dublin,^  ^'■Robert  Za/ic,  of  Dublin,  Serge  Maker,  and  others 
for  one  whole  share  of  Propriety  in  West  New  Jersey;"  and 
the  second  is  the  Memorial  of  Thomas  Sharp,  dated  in  1718,  in 
which  a  history  is  given  of  all  their  proceedings  down  to  the 
writing  of  the  same,  covering  a  space  of  forty-one  years,  and 
until  after  the  death  of  several  of  those  in  the  first  interested. 
Taking  these  papers  together,  the  one  as  the  first  and  the  other 
as  the  last,  the  coincidence  of  names,  dates  and  localities  are 
remarkable,  and  puts  at  rest  any  question  touching  the  persons 
participant  in  that  adventure. 

As  an  artisan,  Robert  Zane  was  a  worker  in  wool,  manufac- 
turing a  kind  of  material  that  bears  the  same  name  to  this  day, 
and  which  is  used  for  the  same  purpose.*  It  is  probable  that 
he  brought  his  looms  with  him,  but  he  found  no  use  for  them 
here  for  several  years  after  his  coming,  for  the  reason  that  the 
required  material  was  not  produced  until  agriculture  had 
been  somewhat  advanced,  and  the  people  had  made  themselves 
farms  from  lands  where  before  had  stood  an  unbroken  forest. 
A  majority  of  his  associates  were  educated  to  the  same  kind  of 
labor,  and,  although  producing  a  different  stuff  from  their  looms, 
yet  all  came  under  the  general  head  of  "Weavers,"  and  were 
thus  known  among  their  neighbors. 


3  Lib.  B-i,  52. 

4  Lib.  B-i,  52. 


14  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SE  TITERS. 

In  1679  he  married  Alice  Alday,  of  Burlington,  in  the 
Friends'  Meeting  at  that  place.  Alice  was,  in  all  proba- 
bility, an  Indian  maiden.  A  faithful  search  among  the  names 
of  the  early  settlers  reveals  none  similar  to  hers;  and  it  may 
fairly  be  concluded  that  Robert  became  enamored  of  the 
bronzed  beauty  in  one  of  his  perambulations  among  the  natives 
of  the  soil.  Perhaps  some  hunting  expedition  found  him  at 
night-fall,  hungry  and  foot-sore,  near  the  hospitable  wigwam  of 
an  Indian  chief,  by  whom  he  was  invited  to  rest  and  accept  the 
good  cheer  set  before  him ;  and,  while  the  assurance  of  welcome 
delayed  him  for  the  night,  he  may  have  noticed  a  daughter  of 
his  host,  of  artless  ways  and  graceful  movements. 

"  What  though  the  sun  with  ardent  frown, 
Had  sUghtly  tinged  her  cheek  with  brown," 

he  could  see  in  her  a  comely,  and,  to  his  youthful  eye,  an 
attra6live  person.  To  the  talk  by  the  evening  fire,  during . 
which  the  old  chief  questioned  him  about  "the  story  of  his  life," 
the  dark-haired  damsel  would  listen,  and  with  "a  greedy  ear 
devour  up  his  discourse,"  and  thus  give  him  an  opportunity 
to  watch  her  interest  in  his  words,  and  to  draw  from  her,  at 
least,  a  look  of  sympathy.  In  relating  the  sad  story  of  the 
wrongs  that  drove  him,  and  those  who  were  soon  to  follow, 
from  their  homes,  he  enlisted  her  pity,  and  thus  won  her  love. 

In  settling  the  preliminaries  of  the  marriage,  a  name  known 
in  the  English  tongue  must  be  agreed  upon ;  this  trouble  was 
easily  overcome  by  those  whose  hopes  and  wishes  now  so 
closely  assimilated.  A  due  regard  for  the  discipline  of  the 
church  required  that  her  ideas  of  religious  belief  should 
conform  to  the  notions  of  Friends;  this  being  made  satis- 
fa6tory,  and  a  name  having  been  fixed  by  her  parents,  nothing 
remained  but  the  consummation  of  the  nuptials. 

This  marriage  doubtless  brought  together  a  strange  assemblage 
within  the  tent  in  which  the  meetings  at  Burlington  were  then 
held.  Beside  the  plain  and  unpretending  dress  of  the  Quaker 
might  be  seen  the  gaudy  and  warlike  costume  of  the  aborigines, 
and  while  the  one  was  chara6teristic  of  non-resistance  and 
peace,  the  other  bespoke  resentment  and  revenge.  In  the  one, 
humility  and  a  patient   waiting  for  results   were   apparent;    a 


ROBERT  ZANE.  15 

bold  and  defiant  expression  could  be  seen  in  the  bearing  of  the 
other.  The  restraining  influence  of  civilization  was  strikingly 
contrasted  with  unlettered  barbarism. 

The  arrival  of  his  friends  from  Dublin  in  1681,  and  their 
purpose  to  take  up  their  abode  in  the  Irish  Tenth,  made  it 
necessary  that  Robert  Zane  should  remove  from  Salem  in  order 
to  carry  out  the  original  agreement  formed  before  his  coming  to 
New  Jersey.  This  may  be  inferred  from  Friend  Sharp's  history 
of  that  event,  as  well  as  from  the  deed  before  named.*  In  the 
search  "up  and  down,"  he  doubtless  was  the  leader,  and 
pointed  out  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  the  different 
points,  and  gave  them  his  knowledge  of  the  surrounding 
country.  His  right  was  one-tenth  of  a  whole  share,  and  this, 
under  the  several  dividends,  gave  him  the  privilege  of  making 
surveys,  of  which  he  and  his  sons  took  advantage,  as  appears  by 
the  records  of  that  time. 

In  the  division  of  the  original  survey  of  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  as  made  in  1681,"  he  took  for  his 
share,  the  upper  part  which  extended  from  Newton  creek  to 
Cooper's  creek,  and  which  now  includes  the  Collings  estate, 
the  Barton  farm,  and  the  plantation  formerly  held  by  Amos 
Haines,  with  other  sub-divisions.  He  was  the  owner  of  prop- 
erty at  Gloucester,  which  he  disposed  of  previous  to  his  death.'' 

With  the  political  matters  of  the  colony  he  had  somewhat  to 
do,  being  elected  to  the  first  Legislature  in  1682,  and  returned 
in  1685.''  During  these  sittings  many  important  laws  were 
passed,  their  necessity  arising  out  of  the  new  order  of  things, 
and  being  based  upon  a  new  charter  of  rights.  The  most  of 
these  were  found  to  be  salutary,  and  but  little  complaint  arose 
among  the  people. 

In  1684  and  also  in  the  following  year,  he  filled  the  office  of 
constable  ;  but  what  executive  duties  he  had  to  discharge  when 
the  inhabitants  were  so  few,  it  is  hard  to  understand.  Each 
tenth  appears  to  have  had  an  officer  of  this  chara6ter,  appointed 
annually  by  the  Legislature,  whose  authority  was  confined 
to  the  bounds  of  the  same,  while  the    sheriff,  who  was   also 


5  Thomas  Sharp's  Memorial.  7  Lib.  W.,  59,  O.  S.  G. 

6  Revels'  Book,  52,  8  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


1 6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

appointed  by  the  same  power  and  for  the  same  time,  had  his 
duties  enlarged  to  the  vaguely  defined  boundaries  of  the  coun- 
ties, which  boundaries  in  after  years  led  to  much  trouble  and 
litigation. 

Although  his  name  does  not  appear  among  the  records  of  the 
Newton  Friends,  yet  he  was  an  a6live  member  in  that  meeting 
and  sought  to  maintain  and  advance  their  religious  principles. 
In  his  day  and  generation  opinions  were  well  defined  upon 
those  points,  and  men  were  advanced  in  accordance  with  their 
views  expressed  or  understood. 

In  the  year  1686,  Robert  Zane  fell  into  a  difficulty  with  a 
female,  formerly  a  servant  in  his  family,  touching  some  obliga- 
tions on  his  part  not  complied  with.  The  trouble  assumed  such 
proportions  that  it  got  beyond  the  control  of  the  meeting,  and 
found  its  way  to  the  courts  of  justice,  in  which  it  became  a 
matter  of  public  record.  The  minute  book  of  the  court  sitting 
at  Gloucester  explains  the  dispute,  and  the  entire  copy,  as 
found  and  extradled  by  Isaac  Mickle,  Esq.,  is  its  best  history.® 

"Upon  ye  complaint  of  Rebecca  Hammond  against  her  late 
master,  Robert  Zane,  for  want  of  necessary  apparel,  as  also  his 
failure  in  some  covenants  that  he  was  by  his  Indenture  to 
perform  ;  it  was  ordered  yt  ye  said  Robert  Zane  before  ye  first 
day  of  ninth  month  next,  shall  find  and  give  to  ye  said 
Rebecca  Hammond  apparel  to  the  value  of  three  pounds  seven 
shillings  and  sixpence.  And  also  fifty  acres  of  land  to  her  and 
her  heirs  forever.  And  in  case  ye  said  Robert  dislike  this  order, 
then  to  stand  and  abide  by  ye  a61;  of  Assembly  in  ye  like  case 
provided.  Whereupon  the  said  Robert  Zane  did  at  last  declare 
that  he  would  comply  with  ye  aforesaid  order  and  answer  ye 
same. ' ' 

This  appears  to  have  been  an  a6t  within  the  power  of  the 
court  upon  complaint  of  the  servant,  under  the  law  passed  in 
1682,  which  gave  authority  to  examine  into  and  settle  such 
controversies  between  master  and  servant.^"  The  law  required 
that  the  servant  should  have,  at  the  end  of  the  term,  ten  bushels 
of  corn,  necessary  apparel,  two  horses  and  one  axe.     The  fifty 


9  Mickle's  Reminiscences  of  Old  Gloucester,  39. 
10  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


ROBERT  ZANE.  17 

acres  referred  to  were  known  as  "head  land,"  to  which  able 
bodied  servants  were  entitled,  and  which  the  court  direfled  to 
be  conveyed.  Friend  Zane  was  not  lessened  by  this  suit  in  the 
good  opinion  of  his  neighbors,  for  his  name  is  found  in 
conne(5lion  with  many  positions  of  trust  after  that  time. 

His  house  stood  fronting  Newton  creek,  near  to,  and  perhaps 
a  short  distance  above,  the  place  where  the  Camden  and  White 
Horse  turnpike  crosses  that  stream,  and  on  the  farm  lately 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  Edward  Z.  Collings,  deceased.  Like  all 
others  of  its  day,  no  taste  was  displayed  in  its  construction,  but, 
being  surrounded  by  the  primeval  forest,  and  near  a  beautiful, 
living  stream  of  water,  its  wild  and  romantic  appearance  would 
be  attractive  to  an  artist's  eye.  The  clearing  of  the  land,  at 
that  day,  was  a  slow  process,  accomplished  with  few  laborers 
and  poor  implements,  while,  to  add  to  the  difficulty,  heavy 
timber  had  to  be  felled  and  removed  ;  yet  these  people  soon 
began  to  write  to  their  friends  at  home  of  the  prolific  soil, 
the  favorable  climate,  and  the  plenty  that  pervaded  the  land. 

With  all  such  flattering  accounts,  however,  it  is  to  be  sup- 
posed that  much  of  the  means  for  the  comfort  and  sustenance 
of  the  first  settlers  was  derived  from  the  forest  and  streams  that 
teemed  with  game  and  fish  of  many  kinds,  which  kept  the  wolf 
from  the  door  in  more  than  a  single  sense. 

An  incident  that  occurred  during  the  career  of  Robert  Zane, 
showing  the  care  with  which  the  Society  of  Friends  regarded 
the  disputes  among  their  members,  and  how  much  scandal  was 
avoided  by  the  settlement  of  such  troubles  within  the  pale  of 
the  church,  may  be  noticed  here. 

John  White,  a  resident  of  Newton,  died,  leaving  his  brother 
Joseph,  William  Bates,  Thomas  Thackara  and  Robert  Zane, 
executors  of  his  will.  The  property  which  he  left  to  be  man- 
aged by  his  executors  for  the  benefit  of  his  children,  was,  for 
those  times,  considerable.  In  the  progress  of  the  settlement,  a 
difficulty  arose  between  Joseph  White  and  the  other  executors, 
which  found  its  way  into  both  the  Newton  and  the  Salem 
Meeting,  causing  much  discussion  and  ill  feeling.  A  committee 
of  six  members  from  each  meeting  was  appointed  to  settle  the 
matter.     This  committee  met  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Gard- 


1 8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

iner,  Jr.,  at  Woodbury  creek,  to  hear  what  could  be  said  by 
each  party.  A  conclusion  was  reached,  and  an  award  signed  by 
eleven  of  the  committee,  Richard  Darkin  of  the  Salem  Meeting 
dissenting.  This  award  was  laid  before  the  Salem  Meeting 
upon  the  26th  day  of  the  eighth  month,  1691,  and  by  it 
approved.  Joseph  White  appealed  to  the  Quarterly  Meeting, 
which  confirmed  the  a6l  of  the  Monthly  Meeting.  In  these  pro- 
ceedings, Richard  Darkin  gave  his  reasons  for  not  signing  the 
award,  which  were  considered  by  each  meeting  in  its  review  of 
the  same.  In  regular  order,  the  parties  took  the  matter  to  the 
Yearly  Meeting,  held  at  Burlington,  and,  on  the  29th  day  of 
the  second  month,  1693,  Richard  Darkin  on  the  one  part,  and 
Thomas  Sharp,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  award,  on  the  other 
part,  were  heard  by  Francis  Davenport,  Alexander  Brearley, 
Samuel  Carpenter  and  James  Fox,  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  meeting.  After  due  consideration,  the  meeting  confirmed 
the  award  aforesaid  in  all  things.  Much  dissatisfaction  still 
existed,  but,  on  the  24th  day  of  the  fourth  month,  1695,  the 
decision  of  the  committee  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  was  reported 
to  the  Salem  Meeting,  and  the  controversy  abandoned  so  far  as 
regarded  the  trouble  among  the  executors. 

John  Hugg  subsequently  became  the  guardian  of  William 
White,  son  of  the  said  John  White.  He  also  fell  into 
difficulty  with  Joseph  White,  the  contentious  executor,  about 
the  payment  of  money  due  the  ward,  which  was  in  his 
hands.  In  1698,  the  guardian  made  complaint  to  the  Salem 
Meeting  of  this  default,  and,  in  the  next  year,  Edward  Shippen, 
Anthony  Morris  and  Isaac  Norris  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  adjust  the  same.  This  committee  reported  against  Joseph 
White.  In  1 703,  the  matter  makes  its  appearance  again  at  the 
Yearly  Meeting  in  Salem.  At  this  meeting  Joseph  White  is 
rebuked  for  his  negle6t  in  the  premises.  In  the  twelfth  month 
of  that  year,  however,  he  appeared  before  the  meeting  at 
Salem,  and  showed  that  a  settlement  had  been  made  between 
himself  and  William  White,  thus  putting  an  end  to  this  tedious 
controversy. 

Robert  Zane's  will  was  executed  in  1694,  the  year  in  which 
he  departed   this  life.     This  paper  is  a  ragged,  damp-stained 


ROBERT  ZANE.  19 

manuscript,  in  the  files  of  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State, 
where  it  has  probably  escaped  the  eyes  of  searchers,  for  a 
century  past.  It  contains  much  valuable  information  about 
his  real  estate,  and  also  gives  some  fafts  concerning  his  family. 
Elizabeth,  a  second  wife  and  mother  of  several  of  his  children, 
was  made  executrix.  She  died  in  1700,  before  a  settlement 
of  the  estate  was  effected."  She  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Willis,  of  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  who  was  appointed  by  the 
court  to  close  up  the  executrix's  accounts.  The  posthumous 
child,  as  named  in  his  will,  was  a  daughter,  and  was  called 
Rachel. 

Nothing  appears  upon  the  papers  to  show  who  were  the 
children  of  the  first  wife,  so  that  the  native  blood  can  be 
traced  to  the  later  generations  of  the  family.  They  were 
Nathaniel,  who  married  Grace  Rakestraw,  of  Philadelphia,  in 

1697;    Robert,    who   married    Jane   ;    Elnathan,    who 

married  ;  Simeon,  who  died  without  children  ; 

Mary,  Esther  and  Sarah.  Nathaniel  died  in  1727  ;  his  children 
were  Joseph,  Jonathan,  Ebenezer,  Isaac,  William,  Margaret, 
Abigail  and  Hannah.''' 

Robert  deceased  in  1744;  his  children  were  Robert,  who 
married  Mary  Chattin  ;  Joseph  ;  William  ;  Simeon,  who  married 
Sarah  Hooten  3  Isaac,  who  married  Asuba  Wilkins  ;  Rebecca, 
Rachel,  Elizabeth,  Esther ;  and  Sarah,  who  married  James 
Whitall."-" 

Elnathan  died  in  1732.  He  was  a  shoemaker,  and  resided  in 
Haddonfield.  In  1703,  he,  Elnathan,  sold  127  acres  of  land  to 
John  Fisher,  the  same  being  part  of  the  estate  owned  by  his 
father,  lying  next  to  Cooper's  creek.  John  Fisher  sold  to 
Arthur  Powell  in  17 16,  who  conveyed  to  William  Cooper, 
of  Philadelphia,  in  1730."  The  same  property  passed  through 
a  branch  of  the  Burroughs  family  to  Amos  Haines,  who,  in 
1804,  devised  it  to  his  son  Amos.  Two  of  the  children  of 
Elnathan  Zane,  Nathaniel  and  Elnathan,  also  lived  in  the 
same  place ;  the  last  named  of  whom  married  Bathsaba 
Hartley,  in   1761,  a  daughter  of  Roger  and  Rebecca  Hartley, 


11  Gloucester  files,  1700.  13  Lib.  AB,  152. 

12  Lib.  No.  2,  510.  14  Lib.  No.  3,  138.     Lib,  K,  i. 


20  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  half-sister  to  Mathias  Aspden.  This  person  was  a  son, 
by  a  second  marriage,  of  the  widow  of  Roger  Hartley  with 
Mathias  Aspden,  in  1756.  As  a  shipping  merchant,  he 
accumulated  a  large  estate  and,  upon  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Revolutionary  war,  sympathized  with  the  Crown  and 
removed  to  England.  In  1779,  he  was  attainted  of  treason,  and 
his  property  sold.  In  1786,  the  attainder  was  removed,  and 
damage  awarded  for  the  waste  of  his  estate.  He  never  married, 
and  died  in  London,  August  9,  1824.  His  estate  followed  the 
direction  of  a  will  made  by  him  in  1791,  and  went  to  his 
heirs  at  law}^  These  few  words  occupied  the  courts  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  at  an  expense  of  thousands  of  dollars ;  the 
English  heirs  being  claimants  on  the  father's  side,  and  the 
American,  being  claimants  in  the  maternal  line.  In  1833,  Judge 
Baldwin  decided  in  favor  of  the  first  named.  An  appeal  was 
taken,  and  a  new  trial  granted.  In  1848,  the  verdict  of  a  jury, 
before  Judge  Grier,  in  Philadelphia,  was  in  favor  of  the  Amer- 
ican claimants,  which  virfually  put  an  end  to  the  suit.  The 
estate  amounted  to  ^600,000,  and  was  distributed  accordingly. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  male  branch  predominated  in  the  Zane 
family;  but  many  of  them,  having  a  spirit  of  unrest,  incident 
to  the  blood  in  the  maternal  line,  wandered  into  the  West,  far 
beyond  the  line  of  civilization,  and  the  original  estate  passed 
out  of  the  name  in  a  few  decades  after  the  death  of  the  first 
owner.  By  his,  Robert's,  will,  one-third  of  the  estate  went  to 
his  son  Nathaniel,  and  the  same  proportion  to  his  son  Robert. 
Nathaniel  died  in  1727,  and  devised  his  part  to  his  son  Joseph, 
who  also  bought  his  uncle  Robert's  share  in  1740.  Joseph 
deceased  in  1759,  and  gave  this  estate  to  two  of  his  children, — 
Esther,  wife  of  Richard  CoUings,  and  Rhoda,  wife  of  Thomas 
Heppard.'''  The  last  named  sold  the  undivided  half-part  to 
Richard  Collings,  in  1762,  whereby  the  latter  became  owner 
of  the  original  estate,  as  before  named."  A  portion  of  the 
same  is  still  held  in  the  family ;  but  much  the  larger  part  has 
passed  to  other  owners.'* 

This  Richard  Collings  (who  was  one  of  the  descendants  of 
Francis  Collins),  on  account  of  the  numerous  family  of  that 


15  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  No.  160.     17  Lib.  W.,  59,  O.  S.  G. 

16  Lib.  No.  9,  238.  18  Lib.  B,  316,  Gloucester  Records. 


ROBERT  ZANE.  2X 

name  in  this  region,  and  for  the  purpose  of  distindlion,  changed 
the  spelHng  of  his  name,  by  introducing  the  letter  g ;  this  has 
led  to  some  confusion  in  genealogy ;  yet  the  tradition  is 
generally  accepted,  and  is  looked  upon  as  correct. 

James  Whitall,  who  married  Sarah,  one  of  the  daughters  of 
the  second  Robert  Zane,  settled  on  a  farm  which  he  purchased 
of  Samuel  Shivers,  in  1725.  This  property  fronted  Cooper's 
creek,  in  Haddon  township,  and  was  formerly  known  as  the 
"Ann  Burr  Farm."  James  Whitall  must  have  died  a  few  years 
after,  for,  in  1729,  his  executors  sold  the  same  to  John  Eastlack. 
In  1742,  it  became  part  of  the  estate  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh  (by 
her  husband's  will),  who  deeded  it  to  her  nephew,  Ebenezer 
Hopkins,  in  1752;  one  of  whose  children  was  the  before- 
named  Ann  Burr. 

Isaac  Zane,  a  grandson  of  the  second  Robert,  in  his  wander- 
ings among  the  early  settlers  of  the  Western  States,  was  captured 
by  the  Indians,  and  remained  with  them  for  many  years.  The 
contradidlory  statements  made  in  regard  to  this  person  have 
lead  to  much  doubt  as  to  the  truth  of  the  story ;  and,  with  some, 
he  is  placed  in  a  different  family  and  conne6led  with  a  different 
history.  DeHass,  in  his  history  of  the  Indian  wars  of  Western 
Virginia,  published  in  185 1,  says  that  the  family  is  of  Danish 
origin,  that  it  first  moved  to  France,  thence  to  England,  and 
finally  emigrated  to  America ;  and  that  one  branch  settled  in 
New  Jersey,  nearly  opposite  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  other  in 
Virginia.  From  the  Virginia  branch,  this  historian  traces  the 
pioneers  of  the  Western  wilds,  and  places  Ebenezer  Zane  at  the 
head  of  these  brave  men.  His  first  cabin  was  built  where  the 
city  of  Wheeling  now  stands,  and  there  he  eredled  a  stockade 
for  the  prote6lion  of  his  family,  in  1777.  He  was  employed  by 
the  United  States  government  in  various  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility,  and  always  discharged  his  duties  to  satisfadlion. 
From  this  man  the  name  and  family  have  become  numerous  in 
Western  Virginia.     He  died  in  18 ii." 

Reference  is  made  to  Jonathan  and  Silas  Zane,  brothers 
of  Ebenezer,  who  were  his  companions  in  arms  against  the 
Indians.     Jonathan  was  considered  the  most  expert  hunter  in 


19  DeHass's  History  of  Indian  Wars  in  Western  Virginia,  331. 


22  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

his  day,  and  often  aided  in  the  capacity  of  a  spy  in  the 
troubles  with  the  red  men.  Reference  is  also  made  to  Isaac 
Zane,  who,  the  account  says,  was  captured  when  about  nine 
years  of  age,  and,  becoming  thoroughly  Indian  in  habits 
and  appearance,  married  the  sister  of  a  Wyandotte  chief. 
By  her  he  acquired  a  large  landed  estate,  and  had  a  family 
of  eight  children.  He  remained  true  to  the  whites,  and, 
by  timely  information,  saved  them  from  many  bloody 
visitations.  In  consideration  of  these  services,  the  govern- 
ment granted   him  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  on  Mad  river. 

The  remarkable  coincidence  of  Christian  names  in  this  narra- 
tive with  those  of  the  descendants  of  the  first-comer  to 
Newton,  would  suggest  some  error  on  the  part  of  DeHass  in 
fixing  the  location  of  their  settlement,  and  would  lead  to  the 
supposition  that  he  had  been  misinformed  in  this  respe6l. 

Letters  and  other  memoranda  now  in  possession  of  the  family 
in  this  part  of  our  State,  place  the  identity  of  Isaac  beyond  a 
question.  In  1798,  an  account  of  his  captivity,  marriage  and 
position  among  the  Indians,  was  published,  and  a  visit  which  he 
made  to  his  friends  and  relatives  about  Newton,  goes  to  show 
that  he  was  of  the  New  Jersey  family,  and  that  Robert  Zane  was 
his  ancestor.^" 

The  family  is  numerous  in  most  of  the  Western  States  ;  it  has 
sprung  from  the  hardy,  brave  men  whose  love  of  adventure  and 
fondness  for  the  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  kept  them  in 
advance  of  civilization.  About  the  old  homestead  plantation, 
no  one  bearing  the  name  has  owned  any  of  the  soil  for  many 
years ;  and,  but  for  the  titles  and  traditions  that  are  inseparably 
connecled  therewith,  they  would  have  long  since  been  forgotten. 

20  Family  Papers. 


THOMAS  SHARP. 


OF  the  few  colonists  who  settled  in  Newton  in  1681, 
Thomas  Sharp  was  the  master  spirit.  He  infused  his 
Energy  and  good  judgment  into  the  whole  company  ;  was  their 
adviser  and  guide,  and  was,  no  doubt,  as  he  deserved  to  be, 
their  leader  in  all  important  undertakings.  He  was  an  Irish- 
man, and  by  occupation  a  "woolstead  comber,'"  but  appears  to 
have  had  better  opportunities  for  education  than  most  persons 
at  that  time,  or,  certainly,  than  those,  with  whom  he  was 
associated. 

Although,  as  he  says,  a  young  man,  he  had  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  his  companions,  and  the  end  shows  that  this  confidence 
was  not  misplaced  or  abused.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Anthony 
Sharp,  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Dublin,  who  became  the  owner 
of  several  shares  of  propriety  ;  part  of  which  he  conveyed  to 
Thomas,  who  also  adled  as  his  agent  in  the  sale  of  the 
remainder.  Under  this  conveyance  he  made  all  his  locations, 
and  took  part  in  the  government  of  the  Province. 

A  faithful  sketch  of  the  life  of  this  man,  from  the  time  of 
his  arrival  in  New  Jersey  until  his  death,  would  be  a  history 
of  Gloucester  county  for  that  period,  and  would  be  the  most 
reliable  basis  upon  which  the  writer  could  found  his  statements. 
His  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country,  his  acquaintance  with 
the  settlers,  and  his  truthful  accounts  of  the  progress  of  the 
colony,  as  ])y  himself  recorded,  have  made  him  an  authority 
not  to  be  questioned. 

I  Lib.  G-3,  36. 


24  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Touching  the  first  settlement  at  Newton,  no  better  account 
can  be  given  than  his  own,  so  that  future  generations  may 
have  the  evidence  of  a  participant  therein.  Although  written 
thirty-seven  years  after  that  event,  yet  it  contains  an  exa6l 
statement  of  fadls,  and  embodies  everything  necessary  to  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  that  undertaking.  Every  reader  will 
peruse  it  with  interest,  and  may  thank  Friend  Sharp  for  doing 
so  good  a  work  for  those  coming  after  him.  It  is  here 
presented  entire,  as  copied  from  Liber  A,  of  Gloucester  county 
deeds,  page  98,  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at 
Trenton,  New  Jersey  : — 

"Let  it  be  remembered  yt  upon  ye  nineteenth  day  of  Sep- 
tember, in  ye  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-one,  Mark  Newby,  William  Bates,  Thomas  Thackara, 
George  Goldsmith  and  Thomas  Sharp,  set  saile  from  ye  Harbor 
belonging  to  ye  city  of  Dublin,  in  ye  Kingdom  of  Ireland,  in  a 
pink  called  ^Ye  owners  adventure,^  whereof  Thomas  Lurtin,  of 
London,  was  commander,  and  being  taken  sick  in  ye  city,  his 
mate,  John  Dagger,  officiated  in  his  place  ;  in  order  to  trans- 
port us,  and  yt  we  might  settle  ourselves  in  West  Jersey,  in 
America.  And  by  ye  good  providence  of  God  we  arrived  in 
ye  Capes  of  Delaware  ye  eighteenth  day  of  November  following, 
and  so  up  ye  bay  until  we  came  to  Elsinburg,  and  were  landed 
with  our  goods  and  families  at  Salem,  where  we  abode  ye 
winter.  But  it  being  very  favourable  weather  and  purchasing 
a  boat  amongst  us,  we  had  an  opportunity  to  make  search  up 
and  down  in  yt  which  was  called  ye  Third  tenth,  which  had 
been  reserved  for  ye  proprietors  dwelling  in  Ireland,  where  we 
might  find  a  place  suitable  for  so  many  of  us  to  settle  down 
together,  being  in  these  early  times  somewhat  doubtfuU  of  ye 
Indians,  and  at  last  pitched  down  by  yt  which  is  now  called 
Newton  creek,  as  ye  most  invitingist  place  to  settle  down  by, 
and  then  we  went  to  Burlington,  and  made  application  to  ye 
commissioners  yt  we  might  have  warrants  dire6led  to  Daniel 
Leeds,  ye  Surveyor  General,  to  survey  unto  every  of  us,  so 
much  land  as  by  ye  constitution  at  yt  time  was  alloted  for  a 
settlement  being  five  hundred  acres,  or  yt  we  had  a  right  to,  for 
a  taking  up  it  under,  which  accordingly  we  obtained. 


THOMAS  SHARP.  25 

"At  which  time  also  Robert  Zane,  who  came  from  ye  city  of 
Dublin,  and  had  been  settled  in  Salem,  four  years  before, 
joined  in  with  us  who  had  a  right  to  a  tenth.  Mark  Newby  to 
a  twentieth,  William  Bates  to  a  twentieth,  Thomas  Thackara  to 
a  twentieth,  Thomas  Sharp  (out  of  his  uncle  Anthony  Sharp's 
right)  a  twentieth,  and  George  Goldsmith  (under  ye  notion  of 
Thomas  Starkey's  right)  a  tenth;  all  which  of  us,  excepting 
William  Bates  who  took  his  on  ye  southerly  side  of  Newton 
creek,  we  took  our  land  in  one  tract  together  for  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  bounding  in  ye  forks  of  Newton 
creek  and  so  over  to  Cooper's  creek,  and  by  a  line  of  marked 
trees  to  a  small  branch  of  ye  fork  creek  and  so  down  ye  same 
as  by  ye  certificate  of  it  standing  upon  record  in  ye  Secretary 
otifice  it  doth  appear.  And  after  some  time  finding  some 
inconveniency  in  having  our  land  in  common  together  being 
at  ye  time  settled  at  ye  place  now  called  Newton  in  ye  manner 
of  a  town  for  fear  as  aforesaid  at  which  being  removed  we  came 
to  an  agreement  to  divide.  George  Goldsmith  he  choose  the 
head  of  the  creek,  Thomas  Sharp  the  forks  or  lower  end  of  the 
land  next  towards  the  river,  by  which  means  the  rest  kept  to 
their  settlements  without  any  disadvantage  to  themselves. 

"And  so  ye  land  was  divided  according  to  every  man's  right. 
But  it  is  to  be  understood  as  I  have  so  much  hinted  before,  that 
by  ye  constitution  of  ye  country  at  yt  time,  no  person,  let  his 
right  be  never  so  great,  should  survey  and  take  up  above  five 
hundred  acres  in  one  tra6l  to  make  one  settlement  of,  and  yt 
within  six  months,  or  otherwise,  it  was  free  for  any  other  person 
that  had  rights  to  land  to  survey  it  to  himself  as  if  it  had  never 
been  taken  up  for  any  other  person.  Whereupon  many  were 
obliged  in  order  to  secure  good  places  to  themselves  to  give  one 
hundred  acres  to  secure  the  rest ;  and  many  were  deterred  from 
taking  up  their  land  yt  could  not  find  means  to  secure  it  leaste 
they  should  spend  money  to  no  profit.  Now  ye  state  of  ye 
case  touching  George  Goldsmith  (having  a  full  and  certain 
knowledge  thereof)  is  this  wise.  Thomas  Starkey  did  desire 
and  order  George  Goldsmith  to  take  up  some  land  for  him  in 
West  Jersey ;  when  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  he  had  a  right, 
but  brought  nothing  with  him  to  make  it  appear,  and  ye  com- 


26  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

missioners  at  yt  time  gave  way  by  ye  credit  of  the  report  of  ye 
rest  concerned  that  he  might  take  up  five  hundred  acres,  but  it 
never  was  returned  in  Starkey's  name. 

"George  Goldsmith  being  uneasy  under  ye  circumstance  he 
lay,  writ  several  times  to  Thomas  Starkey,  giving  him  to  under- 
stand he  had  taken  up  five  hundred  acres  of  land  for  him 
provided  he  would  allow  him  one  hundred  acres  of  it  for 
settling  the  same  as  ye  general  custom  then  was.  The  letters 
either  miscarried  or  otherwise  the  demand  being  ungrateful  to 
him  he  answered  them  in  silence.  Supposing  as  it  may  be 
supposed  yt  ye  land  being  taken  up  for  him  could  not  be  taken 
from  him,  it  could  not  be  allowed. 

"Now  this  put  George  upon  further  thought  what  to  do  to 
secure  himself,  whereupon  he  made  application  to  Robert 
Turner  and  layeth  his  case  before  him,  signifying  if  he  would 
allow  him  one  hundred  acres  of  yt  land  whereon  he  had  made 
his  improvements,  he  would  suffer  him  to  take  up  yt  five 
hundred  acres  in  his  own  right.  Robert  taking  the  matter 
in  due  consideration  and  searching  the  records  at  Burlington 
about  it,  and  finding  it  so  to  be  recorded  in  George  Gold- 
smith's name,  who  had  no  right  at  any  time  to  take  up  any 
land  in  yt  province,  agrees  to  survey  it  to  himself,  and  accord- 
ingly did,  and  records  it  as  such  in  ye  Secretary's  office; 
conveys  one  hundred  acres  of  ye  same,  according  to  agreement, 
to  George  Goldsmith,  and  unto  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever. 
The  other  four  hundred  acres  he  sold  unto  Isaac  Hollingsham. 

"The  foregoing  is  a  true  relation  of  yt  settlement  of  Newton, 
as  also  a  true  and  impartial  account  of  ye  foregoing  tract  of 
land,  settled  by  George  Goldsmith.  Given  under  my  hand  the 
3rd  month,  3rd,  1 718. 

"Thomas  Sharp. 

"Allowed  by  John  Kay,  the  3rd  month,  4th,  1718." 

In  addition  to  the  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  located  as  before  named,  there  were  also  one  hundred 
acres  of  meadow  land  taken  up  at  the  mouth  of  Kaighn's  run, 
and  fronting  on  the  Delaware  river.  This  was  done  for  the 
purpose  of  procuring  hay  for  their  cattle  through  the  winters ; 
and  it  shows  how  careful  they  were  in  obtaining  lawful  posses- 


THOMAS  SHARP.  27 

sion  of  the  soil  before  they  applied  its  products  to  their  own 
purposes. 

In  many  of  the  old  papers  this  stream  is  called  Little  Newton 
creek,  but,  like  others,  this  title  has  been  lost  and  that  of  an 
adjacent  owner  substituted. 

Like  the  larger  tracts,  the  meadow  was  soon  divided  into 
lots,  showing  that  their  being  held  in  common  led  to  trouble 
among  the  owners.''  The  map  here  given  is  the  only  history  of 
that  transaction,  but  is  sufficient  to  show  the  manner  in  which 
it  was  accomplished. 

For  some  reason  not  explained,  the  bounds  of  the  county 
of  Gloucester  were  not  defined  by  Legislative  ena6lment  until 
the  year  1694,  although  the  judicial  limits  thereof  seem  to  have 
been  recognized  as  early  as  1682,  in  which  year  Thomas  Sharp 
was  appointed  constable  of  the  third  tenth,''  which  same 
became  part  of  the  said  bailiwick.  This  executive  office, 
although  defined  as  that  of  constable,  must  have  extended  to 
that  of  sheriff,  since,  in  the  same  year,  Burlington  and  Salem 
counties  each  had  a  sheriff  appointed  under  the  same  authority, 
yet  no  such  action  was  taken  in  regard  to  the  third  and  the 
fourth  tenth.  As  suggested  by  Isaac  Mickle,  Esq.,  in  his 
notice  of  this  matter,  the  confusion  caused  by  Edward  Byllynge 
in  the  colony,  and  the  long  adjournment  of  seven  years  of  the 
Legislature,  may  be  accepted  as  the  reasons,  but  nothing 
satisfactory  appears  of  record  in  regard  to  the  matter.  The 
inhabitants  of  that  region  of  country,  however,  did  not  wait 
the  tardy  movements  of  their  law  makers,  but  proceeded  with 
all  due  solemnity  to  establish  a  county  for  themselves — a 
faithful  record  of  which  a(5lion,  made  by  Thomas  Sharp  at 
the  time,  is  still  preserved  in  the  Clerk's  office,  of  Gloucester 
county,  at  Woodbury.     It  runs  as  follows  : — 

"  Gloucester,  ye  28th  of  May,  1686.  By  ye  propyetors,  free- 
holders and  inhabitants  of  the  third  and  fourth  tenths,  (alias. 
County  of  Gloucester,)  then  agreed  as  foUoweth  :  Imprimis — 
That  a  courte  be  held  for  the  jurisdidlion  and  limits  of  the 
aforesaid  tenths  or  county,  one  tyme  at  Axwamus,  (alias, 
Gloucester,)  and  another  tyme  at  Red  Bank. 


2  Revel's  Book,  50-59. 

3  Learning  &  Spiccr's  Laws,. 


28  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Item : — That  the  four  courts  for  ye  jurisdiction  aforesaid, 
be  held  in  one  year  at  ye  days  and  times  hereafter  mentioned, 
viz  :  Upon  ye  first  day  of  ye  first  month,  upon  ye  first  day 
of  ye  fourth  month,  upon  ye  first  day  of  ye  seventh  month, 
and  upon  ye  first  day  of  ye  tenth  month. 

Item : — That  ye  first  courte  shall  be  held  at  Gloucester 
aforesaid,  on  ye  first  day  of  September  next. 

Item : — That  all  warrants  and  summons  shall  be  drawn  by 
ye  Clerk  of  ye  courte,  and  signed  by  ye  Justice,  and  soe 
delivered  to  ye  Sheriff  or  his  Deputy  to  execute. 

Item: — The  body  of  each  warrant,  &c.,  shall  contayne  or 
intimate  the  nature  of  ye  adlion. 

Item : — That  a  copy  of  the  declaration  be  given  along  with 
ye  warrant  by  ye  Clerk  of  ye  courte,  that  soe  ye  defendants 
may  have  the  longest  tyme  to  consider  ye  same  and  prepare 
his  answer. 

Item: — That  all  summons,  warrants,  &c.,  shall  be  served, 
and  declarations  given  at  least  ten  days  before  ye  courte. 

Item  : — That  ye  Sheriff  shall  give  ye  jury  summons  six  days 
before  ye  courte  be  held  on  which  they  are  to  appear. 

Item : — That  all  persons  within  ye  jurisdi6lion  aforesaid, 
bring  into  ye  next  courte  ye  mark  of  their  hoggs  and  other 
cattell,  in  order  to  be  approved  and  recorded."* 

With  these  novel  proceedings,  clerk  Sharp  had  much  to  do, 
and,  in  all  probability,  prepared  the  paper  as  recorded  ;  which 
in  after  years  was  received  as  legitimate,  and  so  recognized 
by  the  Legislature  of  the  colony.  After  that  time  the  records 
were  regular,  and,  all  such  as  had  occasion  to  appear  at  courts, 
either  voluntarily  or  otherwise,  submitted  to  the  a6lion  thereof 
without  protest.  Isaac  Mickle,  Esq.,  author  of  "The  Rem- 
iniscences of  Old  Gloucester,"  has  copied  many  interesting 
things  from  these  ancient  books  into  his  valuable  work,  which 
show  Thomas  Sharp  to  have  been  an  efficient  recorder  and 
master  of  his  duties.  In  view  of  the  much  labor  and  the  poor 
pay,  our  clerk  facetiously  gets  off  the  following  lines,  doubtless 
after  a  hard  day's  work  : 

"  The  clerks  of  this  county  I  think  I  may  proclaim, 

Will  not  at  present  the  owner  of  it  load  with  much  gain. 

T.  S." 


4  Lib.  A,  Court  Minutes,  Woodbury. 


THOMAS  SHARP.  29 

More  truth  than  poetry  is  certainly  here  contained,  yet 
nothing  appears  to  prove  that  any  duty  was  negle6led,  or 
further  complaint  made  by  that  worthy  man.  After  the 
machinery  of  the  new  county  was  fairly  adjusted  and  found 
to  run  smoothly,  Thomas  Sharp  withdrew  from  the  duties 
of  clerk,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  Reading,  who  served 
the  people  for  many  years  after. 

Being  the  only  surveyor  in  these  parts,  his  time  was  much 
occupied  in  that  kind  of  business.  In  addition  to  the  recording 
of  deeds  for  the  county,  he  kept  a  private  book  of  all  his 
proceedings,  in  which  he  placed  maps  and  memoranda,  showing 
his  great  care  in  such  matters  and  his  ability  as  a  pradlical  man. 
He  also  made  other  books  containing  plans  of  houses,  calcula- 
tions of  the  movements  of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  many  other 
things  in  accordance  with  his  taste  and  leisure.  One  of  these 
volumes  was  left  in  the  hands  of  Hannah  Ladd,  after  his  decease, 
and  was  deemed  so  valuable,  that  an  adl  of  the  Legislature  was 
passed  to  have  the  same  placed  in  the  office  of  the  Surveyor- 
General  at  Burlington,  N.  J. ;  thus  it  was  made  a  lawful  record, 
and  has  been  so  recognized  to  the  present  time.  His  money 
accounts,  settlements  and  charges,  will  be  found  scattered 
through  them.  An  occasional  extract  from  them  may  prove 
interesting.  In  the  year  1720,  he  paid  several  subscriptions  for 
John  Estaugh,  towards  the  building  of  the  meeting  house  at 
Haddonfield,  of  fifteen  pounds  each  ;  he,  at  that  time,  having 
charge  of  much  of  that  person's  estate,  in  the  colle6lions  of  rents, 
&c.  In  the  discharge  of  these  duties,  he  traveled  to  Amboy  in 
one  dire6tion,  and  to  Cohansey  in  another,  at  each  of  which 
places  John  Estaugh  had  landed  estate.  In  1686,  he  appears  to 
have  paid  the  expenses  of  transporting  Isaac  Gooden  and  family 
from  England,  which  he  itemized  in  the  following  manner  : 

Passage  for  self  and  wife,    ------ 

Lost,         --------- 

For  carrying  goods,  ------ 

For  burial  of  his  wife,    ------- 

For  nursing  child,     ------- 

Expenses  from  home  to  ship,     ------ 

In  shors,  [chores  ?]  ------- 

18    OS     06 


I 

s. 

d. 

II 

00 

00 

2 

03 

00 

00 

15 

00 

I 

16 

00 

00 

06 

00 

2 

00 

00 

00 

05 

06 

30  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

These  charges  are  light  when  compared  with  like  expenses 
of  the  present  day,  and  Show  about  the  average  cost  of 
removal  from  the  one  country  to  the  other  at  that  time. 

Perhaps  the  most  curious  part  of  these  books  is  the  poetry 
therein.  Among  the  multifarious  duties  of  this  man  as  Sur- 
veyor, County  Clerk,  as  Judge  of  the  Court,  weaver,  dyer, 
and  others  not  known,  he  found  time  to  woo  the  muse,  and 
has  left  in  rhyme  somewhat  of  the  history  of  his  times,  of  the 
trials  that  vexed  the  church,  and  of  other  things  to  be  gathered 
by  the  reader. 

Part  only  is  here  given — not  to  be  criticised  too  severely — 
but  to  show  the  chara6ler  of  the  man,  and  the  various  occupa- 
tions in  which  he  engaged.  Like  many  of  the  old  records, 
much  has  been  defaced,  and  parts  entirely  obliterated  by  damp, 
but,  perhaps,  enough  has  been  secured  to  show  the  meaning 
of  the  author. 

"  By  way  of  introdudtion — 
The  settlement  of  Newton  and  its  state, 
As  then  it  was,  and  now,  I  do  relate. 
Because  my  knowledge  thereof  was  most  true; 
As  by  what  follows  here  doth  plainly  shew. 
An  introdu(5lion  doth  this  work  begin 
Like  silken  clew  for  guide  of  strangers  in. 
That  in  time  to  come  it  may  plainly  be. 
And  they  that  know  not,  may  be  made  to  see. 
The  matters  here  contained,  as  thou  may  find. 
Have  been  with  pressure  some  years  on  my  mind; 
But  now,  at  last,  I  have  thought  it  well. 
And  to  Posterity,  its  good  to  tell. 

1681. 

In  eighty-one,  in  Salem  we  did  arrive. 

At  which  time  then  the  People  began  to  thrive. 

And  had  in  store  for  to  supplj'  our  want. 

Which,  otherwise,  would  have  been  rather  scant. 

If  to  Burlington  had  gone,  as  we  were  bound, 

We  should  be  lost  and  disadvantage  found 

It  would  have  been  most  surely  unto  us. 

And  must  have  pinched  and  punished  ye  purse. 

Now  being  settled  on  this  wise,  I  say, 

The  winter  mild,  and  nothing  in  the  way. 

We  had  ye  advantage  for  to  try  and  find 

A  place  that  was  agreeing  to  our  mind. 

After  some  time  and  labor  spent,  we  agreed  on 

The  Creek,  ye  seat  and  place  now  called  Newton. 

The  persons  yt  thus  had  ye  care  to  fi-f. 

Did,  in  ye  whole,  amount  to  number  six. 

So  in  ye  Spring  we  made  our  settlement. 


THOMAS  SHARP.  31 

And  lived  so  as  that  we  were  content ; 

Although  somtimes  we  were  hard  bestead. 

Yet  the  Lord  in  kindness  did  afford  us  bread. 

In  Newton  then   there  did  shine 

Some  yt  were  zealous  and  divine; 

They  largely  did  with  care  provide 

For  those  yt  come  from  ye  true  guide, 

To  dire(5t  their  minds  to  stand  in  truth. 

They  had  received  in  they  er  youth  ; 

Yet  in  a  while  some  youth  did  show 

That  they  in  goodness  did  not  grow. 

But  now  poor  Newton  is  decayed  ; 

The  youth  not  zealous,  I  am  afraid. 

Nor  don't  endeavor  with  ye  care 

Their  forfathers  took  a  larger  share. 

I  shall  be  glad  I  live  to  see 

Their  zeal  increased  and  better  be, 

And  they  endeavour  to  remove 

By  real  adlion  in  true  love  ; 

Then  I  am  in  hopes  ye  case  will  mend. 

And  be  far  better  in  ye  end ; 

But,  if  they  careless  do  remain. 

Then  will  ensue  both  loss  and  pain. 

The  love  I  have  yt  they  may  come. 

And  with  true  drawings  really  won 

And  settle  in  ye  lasting  truth 

Their  forfathers  set  in  their  youth. 

That  in  ye  end  they  may  obtain 

That  which  will  be  their  lasting  gain, 

And  leave  yt  odour  unto  theirs, 

As  did  their  fathers  who  are  in  their. 

— By  T.  S.,  the  14th  of  ye  12th  mo.,  1718." 

To  return  to  the  pra6lical  regarding  the  subje6l  of  our 
sketch, — he  may  be  again  found  in  the  discharge  of  a  good 
work,  the  keeping  of  a  town  book,  commenced  in  1723.  This 
contains  the  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  town  meetings 
of  the  people  of  Newton,  the  entries  being  made  in  his  quaint, 
odd  manner,  with  a  style  of  penmanship  peculiar  to  himself. 
This  duty  he  continued  until  1728,  inclusive,  when  his  son 
Samuel  succeeded  him.  Thus,  in  every  new  undertaking,  he 
was  the  pioneer,  laying  down  the  general  outlines  of  pro- 
ceedings, and  giving  up  the  duties  when  the  same  went 
forward  properly. 

His  map  of  the  land  in  Newton  township,  made  in  1700, 
and  here  given,  is  a  paper  that  must  interest  every  resident 
within  its  bounds,  not  only  for  the  information  therein 
contained,  but  also  as  showing  the  labor  which  he  was  willing 
to  bestow  upon  a  subje6l  purely  for  the  public  good.     This 


32  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

is  but  part  of  the  valuable  records  of  that  nature  which  he 
has  left, — records,  extending  over  a  large  amount  of  territory  in 
West  New  Jersey,  in  which  he  was  commissioned  as  a  deputy 
surveyor.  The  compass  and  protracting  instruments  used  by 
him  were  of  rude  constru6lion,  compared  with  those  of  our 
day,  now  so  nicely  and  accurately  adjusted  by  machinery ; 
yet,  laboring  as  he  did  under  these  disadvantages,  his  field 
work  and  maps  are  not  behind  the  best  of  the  present  time. 
In  1689,  he  "laid  out  the  city  of  Gloucester,  designed,  no 
doubt,  as  a  rival  to  Salem  and  Burlington,  which  were  already 
villages  of  some  pretension.  These  towns  had  even  start  with 
Philadelphia,  but  they  have,  many  years  since,  lost  all  com- 
parison in  present  or  prospe6live  importance. 

By  appointment  of  the  Legislature  in  1684,  with  Henry 
Wood,  Francis  Collins  and  William  Bates,  he  became  one  of 
the  commission  to  lay  out  highways,  which  same  appointment 
was  continued  the  next  year. 

In  1685,  he  was  returned  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  the 
session  of  which  commenced  May  12th,  and  sat  for  one  day.* 
At  the  November  session  in  the  same  year,  his  name  does  not 
appear,  which  would  seem  to  imply  that  two  eledlions, 
preceding  each  sitting  of  that  body,  were  had  in  each  year. 

The  trouble  among  the  people  settled  about  the  Penisaukin 
creek,  concerning  the  line  between  the  counties  of  Burlington 
and  Gloucester,  appears  to  have  existed  for  several  years,  and 
led  to  many  wordy  combats  and  considerable  legislation. 
The  Grand  Jury  of  each  county  took  adion  in  the  premises, 
and  assumed  a  belligerent  attitude  toward  each  other,  seeming 
to  lay  aside,  for  the  time,  the  element  of  forbearance  and 
non-resistance  so  prominent  in  the  early  days  of  Quakerism. 
In  1689,  the  courts  of  Gloucester  county  appointed  a  Com- 
mission to  run  and  mark  the  said  boundary  line,  and  Thomas 
Sharp  was  the  Surveyor.^  The  people  of  Burlington  county 
were  notified,  and,  if  they  chose,  could  have  appeared  and 
seen  the  work  performed.  Three  years  after  the  Legislature 
appointed  four  of  its  number  to  report  upon  this  difficulty, 
but,  their  decision  being  unsatisfadlory,  the  law  was  repealed 


5  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

6  Minute  Book,  Woodbury. 


THOMAS  SHARP.  33 

at  the  next  session.  In  1694,  an  a6l  was  again  passed,  defining 
the  boundaries  of  Gloucester  county,  but  still  leaving  the  cause  of 
the  difficulty  an  open  question,  by  not  fixing  upon  which  branch 
of  Cropwell  river,  or  Penisaukin  creek,  the  said  boundary  was  to 
run.  In  1709,  however,  an  end  was  put  to  these  differences 
by  a  law  clearly  naming  the  south  branch ;  and  this  has 
remained  as  then  fixed  to  the  present  time." 

In  1700,  Thomas  Sharp  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
several  courts  of  Gloucester  county,  and,  if  pra6lical  knowledge 
has  any  merit,  he  was  eminently  qualified  for  that  position. 
That  he  took  an  interest  in  the  advancement  and  prosperity 
of  the  religious  denomination  of  which  he  was  a  member,  may 
be  seen  from  the  frequency  with  which  his  name  occurs  among 
the  proceedings  of  that  society.  He  was  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  Newton  Meeting,  and,  no  doubt,  assisted  in  the  eredlion 
of  the  first  house  that  was  set  apart  for  religidus  worship. 
With  Elizabeth  Estaugh  he  selected  the  site  for  the  meeting 
house  at  Haddonfield,  surveyed  the  lot,  wrote  the  deied,  and 
put  the  same  on  record  in  his  private  book,  after  she  returned 
from  England  with  it,  having  the  signature  of  her  father 
thereunto  attached.  In  this  paper  he  has  again  shown  his  odd 
style  of  description.     It  reads  thus  : 

"As  they  shall  see  convenient  to  lay  out  from  the  tra<5l  of 
land  settled  by  John  Estaugh,  lying  in  ye  township  of  Newton, 
any  where  on  ye  north  side  of  ye  road  yt  leads  out  of  ye 
King's  road  to  Newton,  as  far  from  ye  west  corner  of  John 
Gill's  fence  as  where  ye  said  road  intersects  the  same." 

Upon  the  deed  he  placed  a  map  of  the  lot  conveyed,  by 
which  all  vagueness  and  uncertainty  of  description  are  cor- 
redled.  This  remarkable  man  has  left  other  interesting 
memorials  and  writings — generally  of  a  religious  charadler — 
not  here  copied  for  want  of  room.  He  participated  in  every 
political  movement  in  and  about  the  colony,  and  his  name  will 
be  oftener  found  among  the  records  at  Burlington,  Trenton  or 
Woodbury,  than  that  of  any  other  man  of  those  early  times. 


7.  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


34  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

In  the  division  of  the  original  survey  as  jointly  held  under 
the  location,  he  says  :  "I  took  the  forks  or  lower  end  of  the 
land  next  toward  the  river.  "^  There  he  settled,  cleared  a 
farm  and  improved  some  meadow.  He  owned  property  in 
other  parts  of  the  county,  although  not  the  holder  of  much 
real  estate. 

Thomas  Sharp  was  also  appointed  ranger  for  Gloucester 
county.  The  duties  of  this  office  cannot  be  better  understood 
than  by  copying  in  full  the  commission  and  instru6lions  to  the 
appointee. 

"  Province  OF /- '        '^  To  Thomas  Sharp,   of   ye  county  of 

^^        ^               \  SEAL  [■  Gloucester,  greeting : 

New  Jersey,    (           J  r^,           <.i,i,\i,-ju 

•^                  ^-v— '  Ihou  art  hereby  authorized  by  ye 

Western  Division.  power  and  order  of  ye  Councill  of 
Proprietors  to  be  Ranger  for  Gloucester  County.  In  all  things 
well  and  faithfully  discharging  thy  said  office,  and  ye  trust  in 
thee  reposed,  according  to  ye  instrudlions  herewith  sent. 
And  from  time  to  time  and  at  all  times,  to  give  an  account 
of  thy  proceedings  in  ye  said  office  to  ye  President  of  ye 
Councill  for  ye  time  being,  when,  and  so  often  as  thou  shalt  by 
him  be  thereunto  required,  and  make  good  to  him  ye  effe6ts 
due  to  ye  Proprietors  forth  of  ye  Royalty  of  rangeing. 

' '  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal,  ye  fifth  day  of  November, 
Anno  Dom.,  1708." 

Attached  to  the  commission  is  a  copy  of  instrudlions  to 
rangers,  explaining  at  once  the  purposes  of  the  office,  their 
duties  and  authority.     These  instrudlions  are  as  follows  : 

"Instructions  for  Rangers. 

"ist.  All  unmarked  horses  and  mares  above  ye  age  of  thirty 
months  shall  be  accounted  wild,  and  none  others. 

"2nd.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  ye  several  rangers  within  their 
respedlive  limmitts  to  take  up  such  horses  and  mares,  and  shall 
give  notice  thereof,  by  fixing  of  papers  ffor  discovery  of  ye 
same  in  three  of  ye  most  publick  places  in  ye  County  where 
they  shall  happen  to  be  taken  up. 


8  Revel's  Book,  50. 


THOMAS  SHARP.  35 

"3rd.  After  such  publication  ye  same  not  being  owned  within 
ye  space  of  four  weeks,  they  shall  be  appraised  by  two  honest 
men,  indifferently  to  be  appointed  by  ye  Constable  of  that 
jurisdiction,  and  after  that  exposed  to  sale  by  public  vendue, 
ye  one  half  part  of  ye  price  thereof  to  be  paid  into  ye  hands 
of  ye  President  of  ye  said  Councill  for  ye  time  being,  and  ye 
other  halfe  to  ye  ranger. 

"4th.  Any  such  horses,  mares  or  other  cattle  which  shall  be 
found  unmarked  and  taken  up,  being  claimed  by  any  person, 
and  its  appearing  by  ye  oaths  or  affirmations  of  two  witnesses 
taken  before  one  justice  of  ye  peace  within  ye  time  above 
limited,  that  ye  said  creatures  do  belong  to  ye  persons  claiming 
ye  same,  and  it  happening  yt  ye  owners  and  ranger  cannot 
agree  about  ye  reward,  they  shall  choose,  each  of  them,  one 
indifferent  and  substantial  man  of  ye  same  County  to  allot 
and  award  ye  said  ranger  his  fees  and  reward,  ffor  taking  up 
ye  same." 

His  first  wife  and  the  mother  of  his  children  was  Elizabeth 
Winn,  whom  he  married  in  1701.  In  1729,  he  departed  this 
life,  and  was,  no  doubt,  buried  in  the  old  Newton  grave  yard. 
He  left  a  will,  executed  in  the  year  of  his  death,  in  which  he 
named  his  children  and  disposed  of  his  property. ** 

Five   years   before   his   death,   he   probably   married    Judith 

Potts,  the  widow  of  Thomas,  and  daughter  of ,  Smith. 

From  this  marriage  there  was  no  issue.  His  children  were 
Thomas,  who  married  Catharine  Hollingham  ;  Isaac,  who 
married  Margaret  Brathwill;  Samuel,  who  married  Martha 
Hall;  Joseph,  an  idiot;  John,  who  married  Elizabeth  Paine; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Hallowellj  Mary,  who  married 
Smith;   and  Sarah,  who  married  Pearce. 

In  1723,  Thomas  Sharp  gave  by  deed  part  of  the  homestead 
property  to  his  son  Samuel,  who  settled  thereon;  and  in  the 
same  year,  he  conveyed  another  part  to  his  son  John,  who,  in 
1 731,  sold  to  his  brother  Samuel.  At  that  time  John  resided 
in  the  parish  of  Christ's  Church,  London,  and  carried  on  the 
business  of  a  weaver.'"     He  was  the  youngest  son  ;  but  why  he 

9  Lib.  No.  3,  56. 
10  Lib.  DD,  358.  O.  S.  G. 


36  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

took  up  his  home  in  the  mother  country  does  not  appear. 
Seven  years  after  the  death  of  his  father,  Samuel  sold  his  land 
to  Tobias  Halloway,  and  probably  removed  from  the  neigh- 
borhood. In  these  latter  days  this  estate  is  known  as  the 
"Burrough  Farm,"  now  part  of  the  property  of  Samuel  C. 
Champion,  deceased."  As  the  holders  of  any  land,  none  of 
the  name  have  been  residents  hereabout  for  many  years. 
John  Hallowell,  who  married  Elizabeth,  was  a  resident  of 
Darby,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  ancestor  of  a  large  and  respe6l- 
able  family  in  that  se6lion  of  the  state.  Mary  and  Sarah  may 
also  have  left  this  part  of  the  country  after  their  marriages,  as 
they  cannot  be  traced  with  any  certainty  at  this  date.  It  is 
remarkable  that  the  descendants  of  a  man  who  played  so 
prominent  a  part  in  the  first  settlement  of  Gloucester  county, 
and  who,  more  than  any  other,  was  careful  to  have  the  history 
of  his  time  preserved  to  coming  generations,  should  so  soon 
be  lost  sight  of,  and  not  known  among  the  families  of  the 
present  day. 


II  John  Burroiigh's  Re-survey,  1810,  O.  S.  G. 


MARK   NEWBIE. 


THIS  man  was  an  Englishman,  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
London,  and  a  tallow  chandler.  He  was  a  member  of 
a  Friends'  Meeting,  whose  house  of  worship  was  in  a  street  of 
that  city,  called  "Barbican."  Some  of  the  antiquarians  say 
that  it  derived  its  name  as  follows  : 

"Barbican  is  a  street  near  Smithfield,  London.'  The 
Barbican,  originally  a  Roman  watch  tower,  lay  little  north  of 
this  street ;  it  was  an  appendage  to  most  fortified  places, 
and  from  it  the  street  took  its  name."  Another  says:  "Bar- 
bican is  a  good,  broad  street,  well  inhabited  by  tradesmen."'^ 

In  1 68 1,  the  persecutions  that  were  carried  on  towards  the 
religious  society  of  which  he  was  a  member,  led  many  Friends 
to  remove  to  Ireland,  where  the  rigor  of  abused  law  was  not 
so  keenly  felt,  and  where  for  several  years  this  class  of  citizens 
enjoyed  comparative  peace  and  quiet.  Among  them  was  Mark 
Newbie,  who  disposed  of  his  property  in  London,  and  had  a 
temporary  residence  in  Dublin,  with  a  view  to  settling  in  America 
and  making  it  his  permanent  home. 

The  question  of  removal,  was,  at  that  time,  and  for  the 
reasons  before  stated,  very  gravely  considered  among  Friends, 
and,  in  fadl,  with  some  communities  had  already  assumed  a 
pra(5lical  shape.  The  movements  of  William  Penn  in  this 
matter  were  watched  with  interest,  for  he  had  a  controlling 
influence  in  the  Society,  and  his  steps  therein  were  ready  to  be 


1  Smith's  Antiquarian  Rambles,  Vol.  2,  170,  &c. 

2  Murry's  Hand  Book,  31. 


38  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

followed.  His  opinions  soon  became  known,  and  these  influenced 
others  accordingly.  In  this  movement  Mark  Newbie  saw  an 
opportunity  to  assist  in  Carrying  out  his  previously  settled  purpose, 
for,  in  the  same  year,  he  joined  with  William  Bates  and  a  few 
others,  to  make  the  adventure  which  ended  in  their  settlement 
at  Newton. ■'  The  history  of  this  has  been  well  related  by 
Thomas  Sharp;  it  combines  the  reasons,  fa6ls  and  incidents 
thereof,  better  than  any  other  account  given,  or  that  could  be 
gathered  at  this  late  day.  There  are  many  reasons  for  supposing 
that  Mark  Newbie  was  a  man  or  considerable  estate,  and, 
although  he  lived  but  a  short  time  after  his  arrival,  yet  he 
became  the  owner  of  several  tra6ls  of  land,  and  had  valuable 
personal  property.  The  situation  of  his  house  in  the  settlement 
(which  was  an  humble  and  unpretending  habitation,)  is  a 
question  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  to  antiquarians,  and 
to  all  such  as  care  to  preserve  the  history  of  the  times  in  which 
lived  these  brave  men,  who'  planted  the  seed  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  now  enjoyed  by  the  millions  occupying  the 
soil.^ 

Upon  an  old  map  left  by  Thomas  Sharp,  designed  to  show 
the  several  tra6ls  of  land  owned  by  Robert  Turner,  within 
the  bounds  of  Newton  township,  this  faithful  historian  has 
marked  the  position  of  several  houses,  as  they  were  placed  the 
year  after  the  arrival  of  the  settlers,  and  after  their  separation. 
This  map  fixes  it  near  the  north  side  of  the  main,  or  middle 
branch  of  Newton  creek,  opposite  to  where  William  Bates  had 
placed  his  cabin,  a  short  distance  below  the  old  grave  yard, 
but  above  the  late  residence  of  Samuel  C.  Champion,  deceased. 
Upon  consulting  a  later  map  made  by  Friend  Sharp,  in  1700, 
much  change  may  be  seen  as  to  the  situation  of  the  dwellings 
of  the  inhabitants  ;  but  the  house  designated  as  Mark  Newbie's 
has  the  same  position  as  on  the  first  paper  showing  its  locality. 
At  the  last  date,  Stephen  Newbie  owned  that  part  of  his  father's 
land  extending  from  the  main  branch  to  fork  branch,  and 
occupied  the  old  homestead ;  while  his  brother  Edward  had 
ere<5led  buildings  upon  the  part  of  the  paternal  estate  that  lay 


3.  Lib.  A,  98,  Gloucester  Records. 
4  Kile  T,  O.  S.  G. 


MARK  NEWBIE.  39 

north  of  the  last  named  stream,  and  there  lived.  This  division 
of  the  original  property  of  Mark  Newbie  has  been  the  cause  of 
some  doubt  as  to  the  true  position  of  his  residence,  but  the 
comparing  of  the  two  maps  aforesaid  places  it  beyond  cavil. 

In  one  of  the  accounts  of  this  colony  left  by  Thomas  Sharp, 
in  his  quaint  manner  he  says  :  "And  immediately  there  was  a 
meeting  set  up  and  kept  at  the  house  of  Mark  Newbie,  and  in 
a  short  time  it  grew  and  increased,  unto  which  William  Cooper 
and  family  that  lived  at  the  Point  resorted."  This  clearly 
proves  not  only  where  the  house  was  situated,  but  also  that 
within  its  walls  was  established  the  first  Friend's  Meeting  in 
Gloucester  county,  and,  after  Salem  and  Burlington,  the  first 
in  West  New  Jersey.  In  this  dwelling,  built  of  logs,  with  the 
earth  for  a  floor  and  a  bark  roof  for  a  ceiling,  were  the 
doctrines  of  a  revealed  religion  first  proclaimed  upon  our 
shores  by  those  who  had  left  their  homes  and  friends,  to 
enjoy  this  privilege  that  was  denied   them   there. 

The  lapse  of  time  has  swept  away  from  us  every  appreciation 
of  this  privilege,  for  no  attempt  has  since  been  made  to  abridge 
the  rights  of  citizens  in  the  enjoyment  of  religious  opinions. 
No  change  of  government  or  political  excitement,  for  the  last 
one  hundred  and  ninety  years,  (save  the  abortive  attempt  by 
Lord  Cornbury,)  has  sought  to  infringe  this  fundamental 
principle,  so  plainly  and  broadly  laid  down  in  the  conces- 
sions and  agreements  of  1676.  In  this  building  assembled 
the  families,  in  all  not  more  than  twenty  persons,  (attended, 
perhaps,  by  a  few  friendly  Indians,  who  must  have  observed 
the  similarity  of  these  silent  sittings  to  their  own  dignified  and 
quiet  assemblages,)  who  had  come  to  take  up  their  abode  in  the 
wilderness,  and  build  for  themselves  and  their  posterity  a 
government  free  from  intolerance  and  persecution. 

Who  among  them,  no  matter  how  enlarged  their  views  or 
speculative  their  notions,  could  foresee  the  nation  which  was  to 
rise  out  of  such  imperfe6l  beginnings  ?  That  the  latent  powers 
embodied  in  their  simple  form  of  government  should  spread  to 
the  limits  of  a  continent,  and  be  the  pride  of  a  free  and 
independent  people  ?  That  these  elements,  based  in  justice 
and    founded    in    right,   would    be    the    centre  whence  would 


40  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

radiate  civil  and  religious  liberty,  to  be  enjoyed  and  appre- 
ciated by  all  who  should  come  within  its  influence  ? 

This  was  the  initial  point  whence  originated  the  many 
religious  communities  according  to  the  order  of  Friends  that 
are  known  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  some  of  which  have 
gone  to  decay,  and  to  the  present  generation  are  unknown. 

Mark  Newbie  was  also  the  founder  of  the  first  bank  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey,  having  a  charter  granted  to  him  by  the 
Legislature, — the  words  of  the  a6l  running  in  this  wise  : 

"And  for  the  more  convenient  Payment  of  small  Sums,  be  it 
ena6led,  by  the  Authority  aforesaid,  that  Mark  Newbie' s  half- 
pence called  Patrick's  half-pence  shall,  from  and  after  the  said 
Eighteenth  Instant,  pass  for  half-pence  Current  pay  of  this 
Province ;  provided,  he,  the  said  Mark,  give  sufficient  Security 
to  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  for  the  use  of  the  General 
Assembly  from  Time  to  Time  being.  That  he,  the  said  Mark, 
his  Executors  and  Administrators,  shall  and  will  change  the  said 
half-pence  for  pay  Equivalent  upon  demand ;  and  provided 
also,  that  no  Person  or  Persons  be  hereby  obliged  to  take  more 
\\\zxifive  shillings  in  one  Payment."^ 

This  law  was  passed  at  the  session  of  May,  1682,  and  doubtless 
went  into  effect  as  soon  as  the  said  Mark  had  entered  the  proper 
security  as  required  under  the  a6l. 

The  history  of  this  bank  may  be  readily  followed  through 
the  records  of  those  days,  and  enough  gathered  to  show  its 
beginning,  progress  and  end.  As  security  to  the  people  of  the 
Province,  and  as  required  by  law,  Mark  Newbie  conveyed  to 
Samuel  Jennings  and  Thomas  Budd,  as  commissioners,  a  tra6l 
of  land  in  Newton  township  containing  three  hundred  acres, 
located  by  the  said  Mark. 

When  a  settlement  was  made  between  the  administratrix  and 
the  commissioners,  a  deficiency  of  thirty  pounds  was  discovered 
in  the  banking  operations,  which  was,  however,  made  good  out 
of  his  personal  estate,  thus  releasing  the  land  before  named. 
By   request    of    the   widow,    Hannah,    Samuel    Jennings    and 


5  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


MARK  NEWBIE.  41 

Thomas  Budd  conveyed  the  same  to  Thomas  Hohiies,  William 
Bates  and  Thomas  Jenney  in  trust  for  Edward  Newbie,  the 
second  son  of  Mark,*in  1685  ;  "but,  if  Edward  die  before  he 
attain  his  majority,  then  to  his  brother  and  sister,  Stephen  and 
Rachel. "« 

Edward,  however,  lived  to  become  the  owner  in  fee,  and  by 
his  will  gave  said  land  to  his  two  sons,  Nathan  and  Gabriel. 
Nathan  died  single  and  intestate,  and  his  estate  was  merged 
into  that  of  his  brother  Gabriel,  who  devised  the  same  to  his 
son  John.' 

On  March  14th,  1764,  John  Newbie  conveyed  all  the  unsold 
parts  of  said  tra6l  to  Isaac  Cooper,  in  whose  name  and  family 
the  larger  portion  remains  to  this  day. 

The  deficiency  before  named  was  doubtless  causes!  by  the 
death  of  the  banker,  the  time  being  too  short  for  him  to  perfe6l 
his  arrangements  in  relation  thereto.  Had  he  lived,  its  useful- 
ness might  have  been  much  enlarged,  accommodating  the  com- 
munity around  him,  and  proving  a  profitable  and  commendable 
enterprise. 

This  half-penny  was  a  copper  coin  struck  by  the  Roman 
Catholics  after  the  massacre  in  Ireland  in  1641,  and  was  generally 
known  as  St.  Patrick's  half-penny;  it  had  the  legend  Floreat 
Rex  on  the  obverse,  and  on  the  reverse,  EccE  Grex.**  In 
1 680,  half-pence  and  farthings  were  coined  by  royal  authority, 
with  the  national  symbol  (the  harp)  and  the  date.**  The  worth 
of  the  half-penny  was  about  one  cent  of  our  currency,  but,  on 
account  of  the  unsettled  standard  of  values,  varied  from  that 
according  to  circumstances. 

Struck  without  the  authority  of  law,  and,  perhaps,  only  to 
commemorate  some  event  in  the  history  of  that  unfortunate 
people,  this  coin  never  obtained  circulation  in  the  old  country. 
Through  the  foresight  of  Mark  Newbie,  it  was  bought  in  quan- 
tities at  a  slight  discount)  brought  to  -West  New  Jersey,  and 
made  to  answer  the  wants  of  the  settlers,  which  wants  were 
recognized  by  the  Legislature  in  the  a6l  before  named,  and 
it  answered  their  purposes  for  several  years. 


6  Lib.  B,  126.  8  Humphrey  on  Coins,  Vol.  2,  511. 

7  Lib.  V,  78.  9  Vol.  2,  686. 


42  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

In  these  latter  days  this  coin  is  not  in  circulation,  and  can  only 
be  found  in  the  cabinets  of  those  that  are  curious  in  such  matters, 
and  fond  of  studying  the  progress  of  artistic  mechanism  in  this 
particular  line.  Numismatics  has,  for  many  years,  attra6ted  the 
attention  of  persons  of  taste  and  leisure,  by  whom  large  sums 
of  money  have  been  paid  for  rare  specimens  of  coin.  Their 
interest  and  enthusiasm  has  done  much  to  develop  the  progress 
of  art  through  the  various  ages  of  the  world  as  conne6led  with 
civilization,  with  the  advance  of  commerce  and  the  spread  of 
the  human  race. 

As  a  legal  tender  among  the  colonists,  the  a6l  made  a  strange 
provision,  if  the  value  was  as  before  stated  ;  for,  by  that  a6l, 
no  person  was  required  to  receive  more  than  a  certain  number 
of  pieces  toward  the  discharge  of  a  debt.  As  a  matter  of  con- 
venience, this  part  of  the  law  was.  perhaps  a  nullity,  since  the 
settling  of  accounts  and  all  other  ordinary  money  transa6lions 
would  necessitate  the  use  of  various  amounts. 

^"Previously  to  the  passage  of  the  a6l  regulating  the  value  of 
Mark  Newbie's  money,  the  Legislature  established  the  standard 
of  Old  England  shillings  and  New  England  shillings,  and  also 
in  1693,  did  the  same  thing  in  regard  to  the  Spanish  coin, 
which  by  that  time  had  come  to  be  in  circulation.  For  many 
years  after  the  first  settlements  in  New  Jersey,  there  was  much 
trouble  among  the  people  concerning  the  standard  value  of  the 
various  coins  as  established  in  the  several  Provinces.  The 
colonial  government  attempted  to  remove  this  trouble,  but  it 
seems  to  have  utterly  failed.  Paper  money,  the  first  of  which 
was  issued  in  New  Jersey  in  1709,  had  a  double  value,  that  in 
East  Jersey,  regulated  by  the  worth  of  a  guinea  in  New  York, 
and  that  in  West  Jersey  controlled  by  the  worth  of  a  guinea  in 
Pennsylvania,  thus  leading  to  confusion  and  loss  among  the 
inhabitants. 

The  chapter  styled  "Currency  of  New  Jersey,"  attached 
by  Judge  Elmer  to  his  history  of  Cumberland  county,  is 
interesting  and  instru6live,  being  an  exhaustive  dissertation 
upon  th^t  subjeft,  and  showing  great  labor  and  research. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  Mark  Newbie  had  any  authority 
under  the   law,  to   make  this  coin  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 


10  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


MARK  NEWBIE.  43 

up  the  circulation,  and  to  enlarge  his  credit,  whereby  to  get 
gain  and  establish  his  name  as  a  successful  financier  ;  but  he 
was  careful  to  keep  the  amount  circulated  within  proper 
bounds,  for  the  very  cogent  reason  that  part  of  his  estate 
was  pledged,  to  make  good  any  short-coming  in  this  regard. 
Without  these  restraints,  the  influence  of  the  church  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  and  the  watchful  care  of  those  around  him 
to  prevent  a  hazard  of  his  credit,  made  him  what  in  these  days 
would  be  called  a  careful  banker,  too  slow  to  make  money  and 
altogether  behind  the  age. 

In  this  cojine6lion  the  historian  of  the  banking  system  of 
America,  in  his  researches  to  discover  where  it  originated,  will 
fall  upon  the  a6l  of  the  Legislature  of  New  Jersey,  of  1682, 
and  at  once  seek  to  discover  where  this  institution  was  situated, 
how  constructed,  what  its  success,  and  what  its  end. 

The  a6lion  of  the  Legislature  showed  the  foresight  of  our 
law-makers,  even  at  that  early  day,  in  securing  the  people 
against  imposition  or  fraud,  and  proves  that  they  had  a  correct 
view  of  banking  privileges,  when  they  required  a  specie  basis 
with  real-estate  security.  To  emulate  this  in  these  latter  days 
would  have  saved  much  loss  that  'has  fallen  upon  innocent 
persons,  and  would  have  prevented  the  scandal  now  surrounding 
this  class  of  corporations. 

Within  the  same  township,  therefore,  on  the  same  spot,  and 
in  the  same  building,  originated  the  first  religious  denomination 
according  to  the  order  of  Friends  in  Old  Gloucester  county,  as 
well  as  the  first  banking  corporation  in  New  Jersey, — perhaps,  in 
America. 

If  the  early  associations  of  the  settlement  of  a  neighborhood 
have  any  interest  ;  if  the  wide  spread  good  of  any  institution, 
be  it  religious,  political  or  financial,  can  be  felt  in  a  community 
and  traced  to  its  beginning,  be  that  beginning  ever  so  humble 
and  unpretending  ;  such  as.sociations,  such  incidents,  and  such 
history  deserve  some  record,  so  that  those  who  make  inquiry 
hereafter,  may  not  consider  this  an  ungrateful  generation. 

"  Here,  the  dawn  of  reason  broke 
Upon  the  trampled  rights  of  man  : 
And  here  a  moral  era  woke — 
The  brightest — since  the  world  began." 


44  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

The  seledlion  of  Mark  Newbie's  house  in  which  to  hold  the 
first  meetings  of  Friends,  shows  him  to  have  been  a  leading 
man  in  the  church,  and  one  who  had  much  influence  in  matters 
ecclesiastical.  In  the  political  affairs  of  the  colony  he  took  a 
prominent  part,  and  filled  several  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility.^^ At  the  May  term,  in  1682,  of  the  Legislature,  he 
appeared  as  a  member,  and  was  sele6led  by  the  Governor  as 
one  of  his  council.  He  was  made  one  of  the  commissioners 
for  the  dividing  of  land,  and  one  of  the  committee  of  ways 
and  means  to  raise  money  for  the  use  of  the  government,  at  the 
same  time.  The  amount  of  money  assessed  upop  the  third 
tenth  for  that  year,  which  consisted  of  what  is  now  Gloucester, 
Atlantic  and  Camden  counties,  was  fo7-ty  shillings,  a  sum  of 
money  that  contrasts  strangely  enough  with  the  large  amounts 
paid  for  taxes  by  the  people  in  the  same  territory  at  the  present 
time. 

At  the  September  session  of  the  same  year,  he  again  appeared 
and  sat  as  one  of  the  Governor's  council,  and  participated  in 
the  making  of  many  important  laws,  and  was  again  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  divide  land. 

In  this  year,  the  question  whether  the  Proprietors  had  the 
right  of  government  seems  to  have  been  mooted ;  a  question  of 
serious  import  to  the  purchasers  of  the  soil,  and  one  which  they 
considered  as  involving  their  success  as  a  colony,  and  materially 
affecting  their  privileges  in  religious  toleration. ^^  It  assumed 
such  a  shape  that  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  number 
of  queries  touching  the  question,  to  be  submitted  to  the  home 
government,  and  to  Edward  Byllynge,  in  order  to  know  whether 
any  difficulty  in  this  regard  really  existed.  Mark  Newbie  was 
one  of  the  persons  selected  to  discharge  this  important  duty, 
but  he  died  many  years  before  the  question  was  settled. 

In  the  proceedings  of  the  May  term,  1683,  the  minutes  say 
that  Thomas  Olive  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  Governor's 
Council,  "in  place  of  Mark  Newbie,  Dead,"  thus  showing  that 
he  deceased  between  the  two  terms  of  the  Legislature  ;  and  this 
corresponds  with  many  of  the  records  relating  to  his  real  estate. 

11  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

12  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


MARK  NEWBIE.  45 

He  died  intestate,  but  no  steps  were  taken  to  settle  his  estate 
until  the  4th  of  the  7th  month,  1684,  when  administration  was 
granted  to  his  widow,  who  proceeded  with  the  appraisement, 
which  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  together 
with  a  large  real  estate.'"' 

So  far  as  can  be  discovered,  his  family  consisted  of  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  were  born  before  the  parents* 
settlement  here.'^  They  were  Rachel,  who  married  Isaac 
Decou,  in  1695  ;  Stephen,  who  married  Elizabeth  Wood,  in 
1703;  Edward,  who  married  Hannah  Chew,  in  1706;  and 
Elizabeth,*  who  married  John  Hugg,  in   1714. 

Hannah;  the  widow  of  Mark  Newbie,  married  James  Atkin- 
son in  1685.  After  this  marriage  it  is  probable  that  meetings 
continued  to  be  held  at  the  house  in  which  Mark  had  deceased ; 
as  the  records  refer  to  several  marriages  that  were  consum- 
mated there.  It  does  not  appear  there  were  any  children  by 
this  marriage. 

Stephen  and  Elizabeth  Newbie  had  but  two  children,'^ — Mark 
who  died  single,  in  1735,  ^^^^  Hannah,  who  married  Joseph 
Thackara.'"     Stephen  deceased  in   1706." 

Edward  and  Hannah  Newbie's  children  were  Nathan,'* 
Gabriel,  Rachel,  and  a  child  unborn  at  the  time  of  Edward's 
death  in  1715.''  Nathan  died  single;  Gabriel  married  and 
deceased,  leaving  one  child,  John.'-*" 

It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that,  after  two  generations,  the 
family  name  was  confined  to  one  person,  perhaps  the  last  in 
this  region  of  country.  Hereabout,  the  blood  may  be  traced 
through  the  Huggs  and  the  Thackaras,  although  in  some  lines 
with  trouble  and  doubt. 

Among  the  children  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Thackara'^'  were 
two  sons,  Stephen  and  Benjamin.^-  Stephen  deceased  in  1767, 
having  lived  on  part  of  the  original  estate.''^  He  had  three 
sons,  Joseph,  Thomas  and  James,  and  perhaps  other  children. 


13  Gloucester  files  1683.  19  Lib.  No.  2,  104. 

14  Lib.  Bi,  126.  20  Lib.  Y,  78. 

15  Lib.  Y,  78.     Lib.  No.  i,  169.  21  Lib.  No.  11,  106. 

16  Lib.  No.  4,  129.  .      22  Lib.  No.  4,  129. 

17  Lib.  No.  I,  169.  23  Lib.  W,  22,  O.  S.  G. 

18  Lib.  Y,  78. 


46  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Benjamin  owned  and  lived  on  that  part  of  the  property  lately 
held  by  Samuel  C.  Champion,  and  there  he  died  in  1785. 
His  wife  Mary  and  twelve  children  survived  him.  They  were 
Isaac,  Abigail,  Ann ;  Hannah,  who  married  Joseph  Jones ; 
Mary,  who  married  Joseph  Elfreth ;  Mark ;  Margaret,  who 
married  John  Tuft;  Benjamin,  who  married  Hannah  Horner; 
William;  Rachel,  who  married  Francis  Bilderback ;  Jacob; 
and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Abraham  Reeves." 

Persons  of  this  and  other  branches  of  the  family  settled  in 
Salem  and  Cumberland  counties,  but  among  them  the  name  of 
Newbie  has  never  been  known.  The  fatality  that  seems  to  have 
attended  the  Huggs,  has  left  but  little  opportunity  to  follow  the 
line  in  that  direction,  yet  full  access  to  the  papers  of  the  family 
might  develop  the  whole  conne6tion  of  the  descent  to  the 
present  day. 

The  tracing  of  genealogies,  or  tiie  knowledge  of  families,,  has 
not  yet,  in  this  country,  become  an  attra6live  feature  in  its 
history ;  and  the  meagre  scraps  that  happen  to  be  gathered 
already  can  only  be  hoped  to  make  the  beginning  of  a  more 
careful  and  successful  research.  Labor  under  endless  discour- 
agements, is  the  only  means  of  attaining  the  proper  end  in  this 
regard  ;  and,  until  better  compensated,  it  will  not  enter  a  field 
where  profit  is  so  seldom  known  to  follow.  As,  among  the 
descendants  of  Mark  Newbie,  there  are  many  with  whom  the 
name  has  become  extin6l ;  so,  in  others,  it  has  spread  so  rapidly 
that  quite  as  much  trouble  attends  the  arrangement  of  the  one 
as  the  other  ;  a  difficulty  seldom  appreciated  and  never  repaid. 

24  Lib.  No.  17,  461. 


WILLIAM   BATES. 


IN  the  year  1670,  this  person  lived  in  the  county  of  Wickloe, 
Ireland,  where  his  occupation  was  that  of  a  carpenter.^ 
The  county  town,  which  has  the  same  name,  is  situated  on  the 
coast  of  the  Irish  sea,  about  thirty  miles  south  of  the  city  of 
Dublin,  at  which  place  considerable  trade  is  carried  on  with 
other  parts  of  (jreat  Britain. 

Here,  also,  all  the  courts  are  held  for  that  distri6l,  and  here 
may  be  found  the  common  jail  for  the  security  and  punishment 
of  offenders  within  its  limits. 

In  this,  and  in  several  different  previous  years,  Parliament 
passed  a6ls  to  prevent  and  suppress  conventicles  within  the 
kingdom.  These  a6ls  were  made  especially  oppressive  toward 
the  Quakers,  and  under  them  many  outrages  were  committed 
upon  their  persons  and  property.^  If  the  policy  of  the  govern- 
ment, the  administration  of  its  laws  and  the  condition  of  its 
people,  be  any  evidence  of  the  progress  of  civilization ;  then 
England  stood  in  no  enviable  light,  during  the  few  years  before 
and  after  the  date  above  named,  in  respe6l  to  religious  toleration 
within  her  borders. 

Loathsome  prisons  crowded  to  suffocation,  courts  busy  with 
the  trials  of  unoffending  citizens,  and  arrogant  officials  robbing 
the  people  of  their  hard  earnings  to  sustain  a  voluptuous  and 
wicked  clergy,  are  dark  spots  scattered  through  the  history  of 
a  nation  that  boasts  of  the  rights  of  her  citizens. 


1  Lib.  Bi,  52. 

2  Besse's  Suflferings,  Vols,  i  and  2. 


48  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

During  these  days  a  meeting  of  the  religious  Society  of 
Friends  was  held  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Trafford,  in  the 
town  of  Wickloe,  at  which  place  William  Bates  was  a  regular 
attendant.^  Neither  the  small  number  that  assembled  there,  nor 
the  san6lity  of  a  private  residence,  saved  them  from  annoyance 
by  the  soldiery,  for  they  were  soon  dragged  to  the  jail,  and  there 
confined  for  several  weeks,  away  from  their  homes  and  families. 
At  the  next  sessions  they  were  indi6led,  and,  upon  refusing  to 
enter  into  bonds  for  their  subsequent  appearance  at  court,  were 
sent  immediately  to  prison.  No  regard  was  paid  to  sex  or 
condition  in  life  while  under  confinement,  and  so  obnoxious 
were  the  dampness  and  foul  air,  in  which  they  were  forced  to 
exist,  that  many  died  and  the  greater  number  suffered  in  health. 
In  167 1,  a  declaration  suspending  the  penal  laws  in  ecclesi- 
astical matters  w.as  signed  by  Charles  Second,  at  that  time  king. 
This  was  a  great  relief  to  this  class  of  citizens ;  but,  on 
account  of  jealousy  towards  the  Papists,  the  declaration  was 
withdrawn  the  next  year,  and  Friends  again  felt  the  displeasure 
of  those  in  authority.*  Laboring  under  these  disabilities,  it 
was  most  natural  that  all  such  as  sympathized  with  George  Fox 
and  his  doctrines,  should  seek  for  a  new  country  where  tolera- 
tion, to  a  degree  at  least,  existed,  and  where  they  could  enjoy 
their  religious  opinions  in  quiet. 

During  these  persecutions  the  settlement  of  the  land  in 
America  was  much  talked  of,  and  some  few  colonies  had  been 
successful  in  getting  a  foot-hold,  and  had  sent  back  to  their 
friends  in  England  flattering  accounts  of  the  country  and 
climate.  In  the  adjustment  of  the  trouble  between  Edward 
Byllynge  and  John  Fenwick,  the  attention  of  William  Penn  and 
other  prominent  men  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  was  attra6led 
to  the  territory,  through  which  the  river  Delaware  flowed,  and 
very  soon  the  initiatory  steps  were  taken  to  secure  a  title  for  the 
same,  and, — which  was  most  desirable, — to  have  the  right  of 
government  to  follow  in  the  same  channel. 

The  books  of  record  of  that  date  are  full  of  the  deeds  made 
from  Byllynge  and  his  trustees  to  persons  wishing  to  get  away 


3  Besse's  Sufferings,  Vol.  2,  479. 

4  Besse's  Sufferings,  Vol.  i,  27, 


WILLIAM  BATES.  49 

from  the  abuses  that  surrounded  them,  and  to  remove  to  a  wild 
and  unknown  land,  rather  than  to  remain. 

Among  these  is  a  deed,  dated  April  12th,  1677,  from  William 
Penn  and  others  to  Robert  Turner,  linen  draper,  of  Dublin  ; 
Robert  Zane,  serge  maker,  of  Dublin  ;  Thomas  Thackara,  stuff 
weaver,  of  Dublin  ;  William  Bates,  carpcnte)',  of  the  county  of 
Wickloe,  and  Joseph  Slight,  tanner,  of  Dublin,  for  one  whole 
share  of  Propriety  in  West  New  Jersey." 

Touching  William  Bates,  it  is  very  safe  to  say  that  his 
conclusions  in  regard  to  this  step  were  reached  in  the  common 
jail  at  Wickloe,  where  many  dreary  days  were  passed  while  his 
family  was  suffering  at  home.  However  vague  and  indistin6t 
his  ideas  of  the  rights  of  persons  were,  in  the  form  of  govern- 
ment under  which  he  lived,  or  how  much  such  rights  could  be 
abused  by  authority  of  law,  we  cannot  at  this  time  judge;  but 
we  may  suppose  that  they  had  come  to  be  pratlical  questions 
with  him,  placed  beyond  discussion  and  without  the  chance  of 
amendment.  The  decision  to  remove  to  New  Jersey  was  made 
under  much  deliberation,  Snd  after  considerable  inquiry  in 
regard  to  locality,  since  it  was  important  that  the  colonists 
should  be  near  each  other  for  fear  of  the  Indians. 

This  deed  shows  the  place  of  residence  and  the  occupation 
of  each  grantee,  and  doubtless  is  a  faithful  record  of  these  fa6ls 
at  the  time  therein  named,  which,  taken  in  connexion  with  the 
memorial  left  by  Thomas  Sharp,  shows  conclusively  who  were 
the  persons  that  originated  the  settlement  at  Newton.  Mark 
Newbie  became  a  subsequent  owner,  while  Thomas  Sharp  and 
George  Goldsmith  represented  the  interests  of  others,  which  six 
persons  were  the  founders  of  that  settlement. 

During  the  four  years  that  elapsed  between  the  date  of  the 
deed  and  their  coming,  Joseph  Slight  disposed  of  his  interest, 
and  Robert  Turner,  having  acquired  a  large  amount  of  property 
in  Pennsylvania,  turned  his  attention  to  that  in  preference  to 
his  West  Jersey  estate,  and  did  not  become  a  dire6l  partner  in 
this  enterprise. 

It  is  readily  seen  that  Robert  Turner  was  the  merchant 
through  whom  Robert  Zane  and  Thomas  Thackara  disposed  of 


S  Lib.  Bi,  52. 

4 


50  FIRSl^  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

their  mamifa6tured  goods,  and  that  their  business  relations 
brought  them  frequently  together,  whereby  the  partnership 
here   presented   was   created. 

Although  the  county  of  Wickloe  is  some  distance  south  of 
the  city  of  Dublin,  yet  William  Bates  had  business  or  religious 
intercourse  with  Robert  Turner,  and  was  influenced  by  him 
to  be  a  participant  in  this  novel  and  important  movement. 
Of  all  the  callings,  his  was  likely  to  be  the  most  useful,  and 
his  services  to  be  the  most  in  demand,  when  once  they  had 
arrived  at  their  place  of  destination,  for  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  provide  some  kind  of  shelter  for  their  families. 

This  was  in  the  shape  of  rude  huts  made  of  poles,  placed 
partly  in  the  hill  side,  and  covered  with  the  skins  of  animals 
or  the  bark  of  trees.  Without  any  other  floor  than  the  earth, 
with  no  windows,  a  stick  chimney  and  a  single  apartment,  it 
needs  no  sketch  of  fancy  to  see  how  inconvenient  and  uncom- 
fortable the  habitations  of  these  first  comers  must  have  been. 

On  March  loth,  1681,  being  the  time  of  the  survey  made  to 
the  other  partners  on  the  north  side  of  the  middle  branch  of 
Newton  creek,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  William  Bates 
took  his  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  on  the  south  side  of  the 
same  stream,  opposite  the  upper  end  of  that  tradl,  and  there 
he  built  his  house.''  Two  years  after  he  made  another  survey 
adjoining  the  first  and  of  like  number  of  acres,  and  made  a 
subsequent  purchase  of  Robert  Turner  of  other  adjoining  land, 
which  extended  his  estate  from  the  Graysbury  line  to  William 
Albertson's  boundary.''  Much  of  this  is  included  in  the  farms 
now  owned  by  Jeremiah  Ridgway  and  the  heirs  of  Joseph 
Eldridge,  deceased.  His  habitation  stood  by  the  creek,  just 
below  the  mouth  of  Bates's  run,  and  near  the  house  on  the 
Ridgway  farm. 

In  common,  however,  with  the  other  owners,  he  had  an 
interest  in  the  meadow  land  at  the  mouth  of  Kaighn's  run, 
whence  he  obtained  the  hay  for  his  cattle  for  the  winter 
months,  a  necessary  provision,  as  no  other  means  of  sustaining 
their  stock  was  obtainable  at  that  early  day.*    As  the  master 


6  Revel's  Book,  25. 

7  Revel's  Book,  53. 

8  Revel's  Book,  25. 


WILLIAM  BATES.  51 

mechanic,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  who  planned  and  built  the 
first  meeting  house  at  Newton,  in  1684;  who  constructed  the 
rude  seats  and  erected  the  plain  unpretending  galleries,  in 
which  sat  the  forefathers  of  this  people,  who  were  faithfully 
carrying  out  the  belief  and  the  form  of  religious  worship  as 
brought  with  them  across  the  sea. 

To  the  descendants  of  William  Bates  this  is  a  reminiscence 
worthy  to  be  remembered,  and  to  be  told  to  their  children, 
becoming  more  interesting  as  the  lapse  of   time  increases. 

In  1683,  he  was  one  of  the  representatives  from  the  Irish 
tenth  in  the  Legislature  of  the  Province,  and  was  the  same 
year  appointed  constable.''  The  next  year,  he  was  again  returned 
as  a  member,  and  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners 
for  laying  out  highways,  which  last  office  he  held  for  two  years. 
That  he  was  a  useful  man,  both  as  a  mechanic  and  a  private 
citizen,  is  evident,  and  in  each  position  he  commanded  the 
respe6l  of  those  around  him.  He  died  in  the  year  1700, 
leaving  a  will,  now  on  the  files  of  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  State,  but  never  placed  on  record.  His  children  were  born 
in  Ireland,  some  of  whom  were  married  in  a  few  years  after 
their  arrival  here.  They  were  Jeremiah,  who  married  Mary, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Spicer;  Joseph,  who  married  Mercy 
Clement  in  1701;  Abigail,  who  married  Joshua  Frame  in 
1687;  William,  who  married  an  Indian  girl;  and  Sarah,  who 
married  Simeon  Ellis  in   1692.'" 

Jeremiah  settled  on  part  of  the  original  tradt,  as  conveyed 
to  him  in  1693  by  his  father,  who  occupied  it  as  a  farmer.'^ 
Although  his  father  left  a  will,  yet  the  records  say  that  he  died 
intestate  as  to  another  part  of  his  real  estate,  of  which  Jere- 
miah, as  the  oldest  son,  became  seized.  This  is  possible,  but  a 
closer  incpiiry  may  explain  the  difficulty,  if  necessary,  and 
show  that  the  will  covered  all  the  real  estate.  This  last  named 
tra6l,  however,  was  given  by  Jeremiah  Bates  in  his  will  to  his 
son  William,  who  re-surveyed  the  same  in  1731;  and  upon  this 
land  the  said  William  lived  at  that  date.'"' 


9  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws.  ii  Lib.  G3,  348. 

10  Lib.  G3,  257,  and  Newton  Meeting  Records,     12  Lib.  No.  6, 331.    Lib,  Mi,  165,  O.  S.  G, 


52  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Jeremiah  and  Mary  Bates  were  the  parents  of  four  daughters 
and  one  son:'^  Martha,  who  married  James  Wall;  Abigail,  who 
married  Thomas  Thackara;  Mary;  Sarah,  and  William. '"^ 

William  Bates  married  and  had  three  children — two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy — leaving  but  a  daughter,  Mary,  who  married 
William  Harry,  of  Philadelphia.'^  Jonathan  Zane  was  her 
guardian  in  1750,  her  father  having  died  two  years  before  that 
time.'" 

In  1759,  Mary  and  her  husband  conveyed  to  Daniel  Cooper 
a  part  of  the  land  of  which  her  father  died  seized,  intestate; 
in  this  deed  her  conne6lion  with  the  first  William  Bates  is 
apparent.  In  this  branch  of  the  family,  the  name  was  lost  in 
the  third  remove  from  the  first  comer. 

Jeremiah  Bates  deceased  in  1723,  leaving  a  will,  in  which 
document  he  named  his  progeny,  and  disposed  of  his  landed 
and  personal  property.'"  He  sold  part  of  his  land  in  1700  to 
Elias  Toy,  a  Swede,  who  probably  settled  on  the  same.'^ 

In  the  year  1706,  Joseph  Bates  settled  on  a  tradl  of  land 
which  he  purchased  of  Joseph  Thorne.  This  lay  on  the  south 
side  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  in  Gloucester 
to\vnship,  near  where  the  White  Horse  tavern  now  stands. 
Part  of  this  is  now  owned  by  Jacob  Lippincott.'*"^"  His  home 
was,  in  all  probability,  a  cave  in  the  hill  fronting  the  creek, 
where  his  children  were  born  and  his  family  reared.  At  that 
time,  he  was  beyond  the  line  of  settlements  that  were  extending 
from  the  river  towards  the  east  and  south,  but  was  not  far  from 
the  trail  that  went  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek  past  where 
Long-a-coming  (or  Berlin)  now  stands,  towards  the  sea  coast. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jane  Clement,  who  had 
come  from  England  and  settled  on  Long  Island.  She  was  the 
first  of  the  name  within  the  bounds  of  Gloucester  county;  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage  she  lived  with  the  family  of  John 
Hinchman,  in  Newton  township,  with  whom  she  doubtless  had 
come  from  Long  Island.  This  marriage  took  place  according 
to  the  order  of  Friends,  at  John    Hinchman's   house,   as  was 


13  Gloucester  Files  of  Wills.  17  Gloucester  Files  of  Wills. 

uLib.  5,275.  18  Lib.  G3,  j2i. 

15  Lib.  S,  274.  '9  Lib-  A,  84. 

16  Lib.  No.  6,  375.     Lib.  No.  7,  97.  2j  Lib.  A,  47,  of  Divisions,  Woodbury. 


WILLIAM  BATES.  53 

sometimes  the  pra6tice  in  those  days,  owing  to  the  distance 
from  meeting  houses  and  the  bad  condition  of  the  roads. 

The  difficulty  in  tracing  this  branch  of  the  family  is  the  same 
that  often  occurs  in  others;  it  arises  from  the  continuance  of 
one  Christian  name  from  father  to  son  and  grandson,  compli- 
cating the  distinctions  beyond  the  possibility  of  solution.^' 
The  records  show  that  Joseph  Bates  died  in  1731,  and  that 
Elizabeth  Bates  became  his  administratrix. 

Among  the  children  was  a  daughter  Abigail,  who  married 
Samuel  Lippincott,  a  son  of  Freedom  and  Elizabeth."  They 
resided  in  Pilesgrove,  Salem  county,  N.  J.,  with  the  following 
children:  Joseph,  Samuel,  Joshua,  Mercy,  Abigail  and  Eliza- 
beth. Many  of  the  descendants  of  this  branch  of  the  family 
still  reside  in  that  section  of  the  State. 

In  1734,  another  Joseph  Bates  died,  leaving  a  will;  but 
which  of  these  was  the  subjedl  of  this  sketch,  it  is  difficult  to 
determine. -■'  The  last  named  had  a  daughter,  Abigail,  who 
married  John  Hillman,  and  other  daughters. 

His  sons  were  Benjamin,  Thomas  and  Jonathan.  Jonathan's 
wife,  Elizabeth,  survived  him,  and  died  in  1765,  leaving  several 
children.  The  estate  passed  out  of  the  family  in  1767,  by 
deed  to  Jonathan  Aborn,  and,  after  several  conveyances,  became 
the  property  of  John  Cathcart  in  1794,  who  built  the  present 
brick  mansion  standing  on  the  premises.'-'*  He  had  also  a  park 
for  deer  on  part  of  his  estate,  for  deer-hunting  was  one  of 
the  manly  pastimes,  fashionable  at  that  day.  The  adva.ice  of 
agriculture  has  done  much  to  change  the  habits,  amusements 
and  prejudices  of  our  people,  for,  where  once  the  hunter's  horn 
and  the  music  of  the  hounds  were  heard  at  nearly  all  seasons  of 
the  year,  now  the  generous  soil  may  be  seen  yielding  its  fruits 
to  the  husbandman.  Where  once  were  the  well  known  haunts 
of  bears  and  burrows  for  foxes,  are  now  spread  out  green 
pastures  and  growing  crops,  the  assurance  of  reward  to  thrift 
and  industry. 

Abigail  Bates,  who  married  Joshua  Frame,  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania with  her  husband,  whose  descendants  at  this  day  have 


21  Lib.  A,  47,  of  Divisions,  Woodbury.  23  Lib.  No.  3,  432. 

22  Lib.  No.  3,  140.  24  Lib.  A,  47,  of  Division;,  Woodbury. 


54  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

no  knowledge  of  the  pedigree  of  their  maternal  ancestor ; 
neither  is  anything  known  of  her  in  this  region  of  country. 

William  Bates  settled  on  the  east  side  of  a  tributary  of  the 
south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  known  as  Tyndall's  run,  about 
two  miles  east  of  Haddonfield.  His  house  was  near  the  resi- 
dence of  Joseph  Browning,  and  within  the  bounds  of  a 
small  survey  which  he  made  in  1687. '■^"  In  March  of  the  same 
year,  he  purchased  of  Robert  Turner  an  adjoining  tra6l  of  land 
containing  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  increased  his  bound- 
aries by  subsequent  purchases.*"  His  place  was  near  an  Indian 
settlement,  where  this  people  raised  their  corn  and  pumpkins, 
and  made  their  homes  through  the  winter,  when  not  away  upon 
their  hunting  expeditions. 

It  is  possible  that  William  Bates  married  an  Indian  girl,  like 
many  of  the  early  settlers ;  this  would  account  for  his  making 
his  home  in  one  of  the  villages  of  the  nation,  and  thus 
securing  the  title  of  the  land  to  himself. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  records  of  the  marriages  of  the 
first  comers  to  West  New  Jersey,  with  the  native  females  have 
been  lost,  in  so  many  instances,  and  that  so  few  are  now 
known,  and  they  only  through  a  vague  and  uncertain  tradition. 
Like  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke,  those  who  are  sure  of  this 
kind  of  conne6lion  with  the  aborigines,  boast  of  the  purity 
of  their  lineage,  and  are  proud  of  this  line  of  ancestry.  In 
very  many  families,  even  at  this  late  day,  may  be  discovered 
the  strain  of  Indian  blood  thus  originated,  unmistakably  crop- 
ping out  in  feature  or  form,  and  showing  the  peculiarity  so 
distinctly  as  to  place  it  beyond  controversy. 

As  in  all  newly  settled  countries,  the  scarcity  of  females 
among  the  emigrants  made  it  rather  a  necessity  than  a  choice 
to  seek  marriages  among  the  natives.  At  the  same  time  there 
were  among  these  many  comely  and  attractive  maidens,  who, 
being  to  "the  manor  born,"  were  much  better  suited  to  the 
situation  than  those  unused  to  the  hardships  and  trials  of  a 
frontier  life.  In  these  marriages  the  consent  of  the  swarthy 
girl  was  not  the  only  difiiculty  to  be  overcome,  for  she  stood 


25  Lib.  Gi,  23. 

26  Lib.  G2,  131. 


WILL /AM  BATES.  55 

in  all  her  native  beauty,  without  a  natne  known  to  the  English 
language,  and  this  defect  had  to  be  supplied  before  the  cere- 
mony could  be  performed  in  accordance  with  the  law,  then,  as 
now,  in  existence. 

Our  ancestors  being  Friends,  and  using  the  language  as 
they  wore  their  clothing,  pure  and  simple,  would  very  naturally 
cast  aside  all  romantic  or  suggestive  names,  and  attach  to  the 
bride  one  after  their  own  style,  thus  increasing  the  difficulty 
of  discovering  her  nativity. 

The  enchantment  lent  by  distance,  has  much  to  do  with  the 
romance  that  has  always  surrounded  these  associations,  and, 
although  the  hand  of  the  artist  may  favorably  impress  us  with 
the  beauty  and  grace  of  the  female  aborigines,  yet  an  intro- 
du6lion  into  real  life  has  invariably  changed  the  notions  of 
such  as  have  thus  ventured. 

So  far  as  good  housewives  were  concerned,  the  little  oppor- 
tunity for  display  in  this  regard  among  the  first  settlers,  placed 
all  upon  a  level,  and,  as  the  improvement  in  dwellings  and  the 
surrounding  comforts  increased,  the  chances  were  that  the 
Indian  wife  and  mother"  kept  pace  therewith,  and  at  last  came 
to  be  as  cleanly  and  economical  as  the  best. 

In  this  branch  of  the  family  somewhat  more  certainty  can 
be  reached,  yet  the  knowledge  of  much  that  is  desirable  has 
been  lost. 

William  Bates,  the  second,  died  intestate,  and  his  estate 
descended  to  his  son  Joseph,  who  also  dying  intestate,  the 
same  estate,  by  the  same  law,  became  the  property  of  his 
son  Thomas.  ' 

It  is  a  fair  presumption  that  there  were  other  children  of 
both  William  and  Joseph,  but,  at  this  late  day,  no  means  exist 
whereby  they  can  be  discovered,  by  reason  of  the  law  which 
regulated  descents  of  land  and  carried  the  entire  real  estate 
to  the  oldest  male  heir. 

Thomas  Bates  deceased  in  1783,  having  devised  nearly  all 
this  estate  to  his  son  Joseph,  who  lived  where  his  ancestor 
made  his  first  settlement,  near  Tindall's  run.  At  that  time  he 
owned  about  four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  one  tradl.  extending 
from  the  farm  now  owned  by  Abel   Hillman,  0:1  the  wjst,  to 


56  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Peterson's  mill  stream  on  the  south,  now  divided  into  several 
plantations. 

In  the  year  1786,  Joseph  Bates  made  a  re-survey  of  these 
lands,  in  which  his  title  is  fully  set  forth." 

Sarah  Bates,  who  married  Simeon  Ellis,  resided  with  him  at 
Springwell,  which  place  was  near  where  Ellisburg  now  stands. 
She  survived  her  husband  several  years,  and  dealt  somewhat  in 
real  estate  after  his  decease.     Her  children  were  Simeon,  who 

married ;   Thomas,  who  married  Catharine  Collins, 

in  1722;  Jacob,  who  married  Cassandra  Albertson,  in  1750; 
Jonathan,  who  married  Mary  Hollingshead,  in   1737;   William, 

who  married  Sarah  Collins  ;   Joseph,  who  married  Mary ; 

and  Sarah,  who  married  John  Kay,  in  1730. 

It  will  be  seen  that  from  Joseph  and  William,  the  sons  of  the 
first  emigrant  of  this  name,  must  the  family  be  traced,  which, 
in  the  lapse  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  years,  has  spread 
through  nearly  every  State  of  the  Union. 


27  Lib.  U,  66,  o.  s.  G. 


THOMAS   THACKARA. 


THIS  man  was  probably  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
where  the  family  suffered  much  religious  persecution,  by 
reason  of  their  adherence  to  the  opinions  and  pradlices  of 
George  Fox.  In  1656,  Thomas  Thackara  was  taken  from  a 
religious  meeting  at  Leeds,  and  confined  for  several  weeks  in 
York  Castle.  In  the  same  year,  Daniel  and  Christopher 
Thackara  were  sent  to  the  Wakefield  prison  in  Yorkshire, 
and,  in  1660.  Thomas  and  Daniel  were  again  confined  in  the 
same  jail.'  At  a  later  date,  in  1683,  Hannah  Thackara  with 
several  others  was  taken  from  the  meeting  at  Leeds,  and 
confined  in  the  Moothall  ])ris()n  at  that  place,  during  cold 
weather  without  fire,  and  there  kept  for  nine  weeks.  From 
this  kind  of  records  it  can  be  safely  concluded  that  in  and 
about  Leeds  in  Yorkshire,  the  family  of  this  name  may  claim 
their  nativity,  and  frmn  the  records  thereabout  may  trace 
their  origin. 

The  first  information  that  can  be  discovered  of  the  subjedl 
of  this  sketch,  is  traced  to  Dublin,  Ireland,  where  he  was 
engaged  as  a  ''stuff  weaver,"  in  the  year  1677,  and  became  one 
of  the  grantees  of  the  deed  made  to  Robert  Turner,  William 
Bates,  and  others,  for  real  estate  in  West  New  Jersey.'^  It 
may  be  too  broad  an  assertion  to  say  that  he  was  the  same 
Thomas  Thackara  who  was  imprisoned  in  York  Castle,  in  1656, 
although   the  lapse  of   time  between   that   occurrence  and   the 


1  Bessc's  Sufferings,  Vol.  2, 

2  Lib.  Bi,  5-'. 


58  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

date  of  the  conveyance  may  be  reconciled,  supposing  him  to  be 
but  a  middle-aged  man,  when  a  resident  of  that  city.  This  is  a 
question  that  can  only  be  settled  by  access  to  private  family 
correspondence,  very  little  of  which  has  been  preserved  through 
the  several  generations  that  have  lived  since  ^the  coming  of  the 
first  adventurers ;  being  considered  as  worthless  material  by 
most  of  tidy  housekeepers,  and  therefore  committed  to  the 
flames. 

The  deed  before  named  calls  him  a  "stuff  weaver,"  one  having 
something  to  do  with  the  manufa6lure  of  flax;  large  quantities 
of  which  were  cultivated  in  Ireland  at  that  time,  and  made 
into  the  linen  material  so  useful  and  so  much  admired,  even 
at  the  present  day. 

Robert  Turner  was  the  merchant  who  sold  the  manufadlured 
article  ;  being  a  man  of  large  estate,  he  was  in  intercourse  with 
traders  in  other  localities.  This  gave  him  the  opportunity  of 
knowing  the  inclinations  and  purposes  of  Friends  in  other 
parts,  and  by  this  means,  those  in  his  neighborhood  were  also 
advised  in  regard  to  their  removal  to  America.  Of  these 
were  the  persons  joined  with  him  in  the  deed  aforesaid, 
and  thence  their  intentions  may  well  be  inferred.  Thomas 
Thackara  was  a  man  of  some  estate ;  this  is  evidenced  by  the 
original  purchase,  as  well  as  by  the  many  surveys  made  after 
his  coming ;  he  was  also  a  married  man  with  family  before  he 
left  the  shores  of  his  native  land  to  make  his  home  in  the 
wilds  of  America.  Whether  he  was  a  creditor  of  Edward 
Byllynge,  or  had  made  the  purchase  for  the  purpose  before 
named  only,  and,  like  many  of  the  same  religious  persuasion, 
had  determined  that  no  change  could  be  for  the  worse,  does 
not  appear. 

Enough  has  been  left  on  record,  and  enough  therefrom 
written,  to  show  where  and  how  originated  the  settlement  of 
Newton  in  1681.  Thomas  Sharp,  then  a  person  just  coming 
to  manhood,  and  filled  with  the  spirit  of  adventure,  gives 
much  by  his  memoranda,  and  the  various  writings  left  behind 
him.  Imagination  may  readily  carry  us  back  to  some  humble 
dwelling  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  in  which  these  persons  would 
meet  from  time  to  time,  to  consult  as  to  the  best  means  to 


THOMAS   THACKARA.  59 

carry  out  their  i)urpose,  as  well  as  to  know  how  many  were 
bold  enough  to  follow  their  example.  Anthony  Sharp  and 
Robert  Turner,  both  Quakers,  and  both  men  of  fortune,  were 
the  guides  in  this,  and  not  only  gave  their  advice  as  to  the 
detail  of  the  movement,  but  also  covered  the  doubtful  points 
by  contributions  of  their  means.  Friends  all,  thus  there  was 
but  a  single  channel  wherein  ran  their  opinions,  as  to  the 
necessity  of  the  thing,  and,  as  the  sequel  proved,  all  other 
difificulties  were  forced  (o  give  way  to  the  objedl  before  them. 
The.se  meetings  of  business,  like  many  of  their  religious  sittings, 
were  secret,  and  the  conclusions  arrived  at  were  known  only 
among  their  own  se6l.  Robert  Zane  was  the  pioneer,  and 
came  with  the  Fenwick  colonists  to  accomplish  the  necessary 
explorations,  and  to  fix  upon  some  place  where  to  make  their 
homes.  The  difificulties  existing  between  Byllynge  and  Fen- 
wick, and  the  period  occupied  in  their  arrangement,  gave 
Robert  Zane  ample  time  to  examine  the  country  and  write 
home  to  inform  those  of  his  partners  who  were  to  follow  him, 
of  his  opinions  and  success  therein. 

By  some  agreement  among  the  Proprietors,  and  for  reasons 
not  known,  the  third  tenth  was  set  apart  for  such  of  the 
emigrants  as  came  from  Ireland,  and  within  the  limits  of  this 
tenth  it  is  apparent  that  the  .searchings  for  a  site  for  a  town 
were  made.  These  limits  were  Penisaukin  creek  on  the  north, 
and  Timber  creek  on  the  south,  extending  back  into  the 
woods  an  indefinite  distance ;  and  the  point  was  not  finally 
settled  until  1765,  when-  Samuel  Clement  first  ran  and  fixed 
the  head  lines  of  the  townships  within  the  bounds  of  old 
Gloucester. 

To  return  with  our  sketch  to  Dublin,  where  the  receipt  of 
letters  from  Robert  Zane  was  looked  for  with  much  anxiety, 
and  where  these  were  read  before  the  little  meeting  of  such 
as  were  closing  up  their  affairs  to  take  a  final  leave  of  home 
and  friends, — it  can  be  well  understood  what  attention  was  given 
to  their  import,  their  advice  and  their  dire6tion.  What  argu- 
ments arose  out  of  their  different  construdlions,  and  how  the 
ho|)es  and  the  fears  of  those  present  predominated  as  conclu- 
sions  were    reached  I      How  the   sanguine    temperaments  were 


6o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

checked  by  the  more  prudent  and  older  heads,  and  how  the 
opinions  and  suggestions  of  some  were  modified  and  dire6led 
by  those  of  more  experience,  but  of  no  less  decision  of  char- 
adler  !  How  wives,  mothers  and  daughters  attentively  listened 
to  the  expressions  of  opinion,  made  on  such  occasions,  and  now 
and  then  participated,  when  their  comforts  were  made  part  of 
the  conversation  !  How  they  encouraged  the  doubtful,  and 
restrained  the  impulsive,  smoothing  over  the  rough  points  of 
the  stronger  sex,  and  healing  the  differences  of  opinion  by  soft 
words  !  How  prolific  a  subje6l,  and  how  beautiful  a  theme  for 
the  pen  of  the  novelist,  who  desires  to  have  his  story  based 
upon  fa6t,  and  conform  to  the  truths  of  history  ! 

"It  was  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  September,  1681,  from  the 
harbor  belonging  to  the  city  of  Dublin,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Ireland,  that  Thomas  Thackara  with  his  family  set  sail  in  the 
pink  "Ye  Owners  Adventure,"  with  other  persons  of  like 
intent  for  the  capes  of  the  Delaware ;  where  they  arrived 
on  the  eighteenth  day  of  November  following,  and  so  up  the 
bay  until  they  came  to  Elsinburg,  and  were  landed  with  their 
goods  and  families  at  Salem,  where  they  abode  the  winter."^ 
Their  arrival  was  anticipated  by  Robert  Zane,  who  had  come 
four  years  in  advance,  and  who  in  that  time  was  familiar  with 
the  country  and  the  difficulties  that  surrounded  them.  The 
condition  of  these  was  not  so  desolate  as  that  of  many  others, 
for,  upon  their  landing,  they  were  welcomed  by  friends  and 
provided  with  shelter  at  once.  Although  not  at  the  end  of 
their  journey,  yet  the  exposure  to  an  American  winter  was 
avoided  by  this  arrangement,  and  opportunity  given  for  the 
men  to  pass  judgment  upon  the  a6lion  of  Robert  Zane,  and 
to  decide  where  to  fix  their  permanent  abode.  The  winter, 
however,  was  mild,  and  their  traveling  about  was  done  in  a 
boat  which  they  purchased  at  Wickaco,  of  the  Swansons,  and 
with  which  the  several  creeks  within  the  third  tenth  were 
explored  before  a  conclusion  was  reached. 

This  done,  and  they  having  submitted  their  title  deeds  to 
the  commissioners  at  Burlington,  Daniels  Leeds,  the  surveyor- 
general,   came    in   person   to    set   apart    their   lands   by   metes 

3  Lib.   A,  98. 


THOMAS    THACKARA.  6i 

and  bounds,  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  as  laid  down 
by  the  Proprietors.  In  all  these  operations  Thomas  Thackara 
doubtless  took  a  leading  part,  and  was  familiar  with  every 
step  made  to  secure  a  clear  estate  and  to  have  the  boundaries 
well  defined.  The  survey  bears  date  March  tenth,  i68i,  and 
appears  to  have  a  discrepancy  when  compared  with  the  time  at 
which  they  set  sail  from  Dublin,  (September  nineteenth),  in 
the  same  year,  which,  according  to  the  present  chronology, 
would  make  the  taking  up  of  the  land  some  six  months 
before  their  departure  from  home.*  This  trouble  is  recon- 
ciled when  it  is  understood  that,  under  the  old  style,  March 
was  the  last  month  in  the  year,  and  that  the  last  day  of  the 
year  was  the  twenty-fourth  of  that  month,  thus  making  the 
twenty-fifth  of  March  under  the  old  system  correspond  with 
the  first  day  of  January  under  the  present. 

The  first  survey  of  i,6oo  acres  Mark  Newbie,  Thomas 
Thackara,  Thomas  Sharp,  Robert  Zane  and  George  Golds- 
mith held  in  common  ;  but  it  was  soon  found  that  this  kind 
of  estate  would  lead  to  difficulty,  and  Thomas  Thackara  was 
the  first  to  separate  his  interest  by  taking  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  as  his  share,  and  receiving  a  title  therefor  from  the 
other  owners.'^  In  1695,  he  purchased  an  adjoining  tra6l  of 
two  hundred  acres  of  Isaac  Hollingsham,  and  this  purchase 
extended  his  landed  estate  from  Newton  to  Cooper's  creek. 
These  tra<5fs  lay  between  Robert  Zane's  share  above,  and  Mark 
Newbie's  below,  including  the  farm,  now  the  property  of  John 
Campbell,  the  old  Newton  grave  yard  and  some  other  adjoining 
lands.  He  erected  his  first  house  near  where  the  present  farm 
buildings  of  John  Campbell  stand,  and  there  he  continued 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Excepting  sixty  acres  that 
he  gave  to  his  son-in-law  John  Whitall,  Thomas  Thackara 
retained  the  whole  until  his  death;  all  then  descended  to  his 
oldest  son  Benjamin. 

Benjamin  conveyed  fifty  acres  to  his  brother-in-law,  John 
Eastlack,  and  by  his  will  gave  the  remainder  to  his  son  Joseph, 
who  re-surveyed  the  same  in  1760.     Stephen,  the  son  of  Joseph, 


4  Revel's  Book,  25. 

5  Revel's  Book,  59. 


62  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

inherited  this  estate  under  the  will  of  his  father,  and,  by  his  own, 
gave  parts  of  it  to  his  sons  Joseph,  James  and  Thomas.  In 
connexion  with  this,  Stephen  held  considerable  land  in  Newton 
township,  coming  to  him  through  his  mother  ;  but  this,  like 
the  other  property,  passed  out  of  the  name  many  years  since. 
The  elecStion  of  Thomas  Thackara  as  a  member  of  the  first 
Legislature  that  sat  at  Burlington  to  frame  and  adopt  laws  for 
the  province  of  West  New  Jersey,  shows  him  to  have  been  a 
leading  man,  and  one  on  whose  good  judgment  his  neighbors 
relied.  It  was  a  responsible  position  ;  for  these  new  comers 
found  themselves  the  inhabitants  of  a  land  without  law,  except 
so  far  as  generally  promulgated  through  the  original  concessions 
which  did  not  enter  into  detail,  or  through  t,he  pra6tical  appli- 
cation of  the  principles  therein  embodied.  This  had  to  be 
done  to  put  the  government  in  operation  and  make  it  what  was 
promised  by  the  owners  of  the  soil.  It  is  needless  to  write  of 
their  success  in  this  regard,  for  they  gave  to  the  world  the 
evidence  of  sound  morality,  unflinching  justice  and  a  faithful 
regard  for  right,  that  has  been  the  admiration  of  all  lovers  of 
liberty  from  that  time  to  the  present. 

Together  with  Mark  Newbie  and  William  Cooper,  he  v/as 
appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the  court  for  the  third  tenth 
in  the  year  1682,  and  was  continued  in  that  place  until  1685, 
inclusive.*  The  authority,  in  all  probability,  only  extended  to 
that  of  Orphans'  Court,  Quarter  Sessions  and  Common  Pleas, 
and  was  held  for  the  judicial  division  as  named  in  the  law, 
until  the  year  1686,  when  the  third  and  the  fourth  tenth  were 
made  one  bailiwick  by  the  inhabitants,  and  thereafter  so  recog- 
nized by  the  Legislature  of  the  province.  It  does  not  appear 
that  any  records  of  their  proceedings  were  kept ;  if  they  were, 
some  careless  person  has  long  since  committed  them  to  the 
flames.  How  great  the  pity,  that  such  valuable  memoranda  as 
these  are  not  appreciated  by  every  one  into  whose  hands  they 
may  fall ;  so  that  all  like  papers  might  be  saved  to  coming 
generations  !  Where  these  courts  were  held  ;  what  the  business ; 
who  the  litigants,  and  whence  the  advocates ;  tradition  does  not 
give  any  knowledge,  and  we  are  left  to  surmise  and  speculation 


6  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


THOMAS   THACKARA.  63 

upon  a  point  of  much  interest  in  the  early  history  of  our 
neighborhood.  The  records  commence,  however,  in  i686, 
and  are  carefully  preserved  in  the  clerk's  office  of  Gloucester 
county  ;  curious  and  instru6live  documents,  to  such  as  care 
to  be  familiar  with  the  doings  of  our  ancestors. 

Thomas  Thackara  was  also  one  of  the  land  commissioners, 
the  discharge  of  which  duty  was  important  and  responsible  ; 
he  had  to  examine  titles,  dire6l  the  deputy  surveyors  in  locating 
land,  and  prevent  the  interference  of  adjoining  surveys,  which 
duty  required  discretion,  good  judgment  and  firmness,  but 
withal  very  often  was  liable  to  -censure,  and  frequently  to 
personal   abuse. 

Perhaps  there  was  no  one  thing  that  proved  the  regard  in 
which  this  person  was  held,  in  the  religious  denomination  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  and  of  the  community  at  large,  so  much 
as  his  selection  to  sign  the  address  of  the  Newton  meeting  to 
the  yearly  meeting  of  London,  protesting  against  the  conduct  of 
George  Keith,  in  his  differences  with  the  Society  of  Friends. 
To  defend  the  opinions  and  pra6lices  of  the  society  against  the 
subtle  reasoning,  and  ingenious  arguments  of  such  a  man, 
required  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  tenets  upon  which 
it  stood,  and  much  talent,  coupled  with  forbearance,  to 
successfully  guard  them  against  overthrow.  William  Cooper 
was  his  associate  in  this,  and  the  paper  forwarded  to  the 
Friends  in  London,  proves  them  to  have  been  equal  to  the 
occasion.  ^ 

The  first  Friends'  meeting  house  built  at  Newton,  stood 
upon  lands  conveyed  by  him  to  the  trustees  of  the  society, 
and  doubtless  without  compensation.  The  original  deed  for 
this  has  been  lost,  nor  is  it  of  record,  but  enough  remains 
of  memoranda  and  recitals,  to  settle  any  doubt  in  this  matter. 

In  the  year  1702,  administration  was  granted  upon  his  estate, 
which  is  evidence  of  the  time  of  his  decease.'  His  first  wife 
probably  died  after  his  settlement  here,  as  in  1689  he  married 
Hepzibah  Eastlack,  a  daughter  of  Francis,  also  a  resident  in 
these  parts. 


7  Gloucester  Files. 


64  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

His  children  were  Benjamin,  who  married  Mary  Cooper,  a 
daughter  of  William,  and  a  grand-daughter  of  the  first  William; 
Thomas,  who  married  Ann  Parker,  and  Abigail  Bates ;  Hannah, 
who  married  John  Whitall ;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Eastlack, 
and  Hepzibah  ( perhapg  a  child  by  the  last  wife),  who  died  single. 
Benjamin  married  Mary  Cooper  in  1707,  according  to  the  order 
of  Friends,  and,  the  record  says,  at  John  Kay's  house. ^  This 
may  appear  strange,  but  there  is  reliable  information  for  asserting 
that  a  meeting  was  held  there  for  several  years,  for  the  con- 
venience of  Friends  at  Evesham  and  Penisaukin,  alternating 
each  first-day  with  one  held  at  Penisaukin  for  the  same  purpose. 
John  Kay's  house  stood  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of 
Joseph  W.  Cooper,  deceased,  near  Ellisburg;  but  no  vestige 
of  it  can  be  discovered  at  this  day.  He,  Benjamin,  settled 
on  the  property  where  his  father  deceased,  and,  being  the 
oldest  male  heir,  inherited  the  whole  estate;  but,  with  that 
fairness  so  commendable  in  all  like  cases,  he  gave  his  brother 
and  sisters  a  proportionate  share  of  their  parents'  property. 
He  died  in  1727,  leaving  his  widow  and  three  children, — 
Joseph,  Hannah  and  Mary. 

Joseph  married  Hannah  Albertson  in  1731,  and  Hannah 
Newbie,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  grand-daughter  of  Mark 
Newbie,  the  first  of  the  name  hereabouts. ^^^  Hannah  married 
Peter  Champion  in  1740;  Mary  married  Thomas  Wright.  It 
is  through  this  branch  of  the  family  that  the  present  genera- 
tion must  trace  their  conne6lion  with  Thomas  Thackara,  the 
emigrant  from  Ireland. 

.In  1699,  at  the  Newton  Meeting,  Thomas  Thackara  and 
Ann  Parker  were  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony.  She 
was  a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  where  she  probably  lived  with 
her  parents.  Jeremiah  Bates,  in  his  will,  dated  1728,  mentions 
that  his  daughter  Abigail  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Thackara." 
By  these  records,  the  matrimonial  affairs  of  this  son  can  be 
understood  with  some  certainty,  and  they  show  in  what  line 
the  descendants  may  look  for  their  pedigree.  Thomas  Thackara, 
perhaps  a  son  of  the  second  Thomas,  who  married  Elizabeth 


8  Lib.  No.  I,  479.  10  Lib.  No.  4,  129. 

9  Lib.  No.  2,  462.  II  Gloucester  Files. 


THOMAS   THACKARA.  65 

,  removed  within   the  limits  of  the   Salem  Meeting   in 

the  year  1759,  where  that  branch  of  the  family  still  remain. 
Their  children  were  Hannah,  born  1754;  William,  born  1756, 
and  dying  in  1776;  Stephen,  born  1760;  Jacob,  born  1763; 
Joseph,  born  1765  ;  and  Thomas,  born  1771. 

John  Whitall  and  Hannah  Thackara  were  married  according 
to  Friends'  rules,  in  1696,  at  the  house  of  the  bride's  father 
in  Newton  township ;  and,  on  the  first  day  of  March  in  the 
same  year,  (perhaps  at  the  time  of  the  marriage,)  Thomas 
Thackara  presented  his  son-in-law  a  deed  for  sixty  acres  of 
land,  the  same  being  part  of  his  homestead  estate.  This  piece 
of  property  lay  in  the  northern  part  of  his  survey,  and  is  now 
included  in  the  estate  of  the  late  John  C.  Decosta,  deceased. 
On  this  John  Whitall  made  his  home,  and  there  he  resided  until 
his  death  in  1718.  The  immediate  position  of  the  house  can- 
not at  this  time  be  discovered,  but,  probably,  it  stood  near  the 
residence  of  the  present  owner,  an  unpretending,  comfortless 
habitation. ^'^  The  issue  of  this  marriage,  so  far  as  can  be 
discovered,  was  three  children :  Mary,  who  married  John 
Wood ;  Hannah,  who  married  Henry  Wood ;  and  Job,  who 
married  Jane  Siddon.  Job  settled  at  Red  Bank,  in  Gloucester 
county,  and  from  him  the  name  may  be  traced,  which  at  this 
time  is  spread  through  every  State  in  the  Union.  He  deceased 
in  1722.  John  Eastlack,  who  married  Sarah,  another  daughter 
of  Thomas  Thackara,  also  settled  on  part  of  his  father-in-law's 
estate.  ^^  This  was  fifty  acres,  conveyed  to  his  wife  by  her 
brother  Benjamin,  in  1706;  it  lay  adjoining  the  land  owned 
by  John  Whitall,  but  no  vestige  of  the  house  can  be  traced- 
at  this  time."  Thomas  Sharp,  on  his  map  made  in  1700, 
marks  one  hundred  acres  as  owned  by  John  Eastlack,  which 
had  been  previously  held  by  George  Goldsmith.  Part  of 
this  trad  is  now  owned  by  John  Stoy,  whereon  he  now 
resides.  It  was  taken  from  the  northwest  portion  of  Richard 
Mathews'  survey,  which  afterwards  became  the  estate  of  John 
Haddon.  Whether  this  was  the  land  mentioned  by  Thomas 
Sharp,  as  given  to  George  Goldsmith,  to  settle  the  difficulty 

12  Lib.  No.  2,  257. 

13  Lib.  No.  2,  202. 

14  Lib.  A,  107. 


66  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

about  his  locating  Thomas  Starkey's  rights,  does  not  appear; 
yet  its  situation  on  Newton  creek,  about  "as  high  as  the  tide 
flows,"  would  seem  to  answer  the  calls  of  the  deed,  and  fix 
the  place  of  his  first  settlement. 

By  an  agreement  with  the  widow  of  John  Whitall,  John 
Eastlack  became  the  owner  of  this  property  in  1724,  and  so 
continued  until  his  death  in  1 736,  at  which  time  his  son  John 
was  seized  of  both  tradls  by  the  will  of  his  (ather;  and  upon 
this  estate  he  lived  and  died.^^ 

In  1760,  he  made  a  re-survey  of  the  said  two  tradts  of  land, 
thereby  settling  the  boundaries  and  showing  the  antecedent 
title.  This  may,  at  some  future  day,  prove  to  be  a  very 
important  record,  now  spread  out  in  the  books  of  the  Surveyor- 
General's  office  of  West  New  Jersey.  In  1718,  he  purchased 
a  farm  of  John  Wright,  in  Newton  township,  lying  on  the 
south  side  of  the  main  branch  of  Newton  creek,  which  estate 
remained  in  the  family  for  many  years  after.  ^®  John  and  Sarah 
Eastlack  had  six  children  :  Sarah,  who  married  James  Mickle, 
in  1732;  Samuel,  who  married  Ann  Breach,  in  1733;  John, 
who  married  Mary  Bolton,  in  1737,  and  Patience  Hugg,  in 
1 741;  Daniel,  who  married  Mary  Cheesman,  in  1740;  and 
Esther,  Elizabeth  and  Hannah. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  in  which  Thomas  Thackara 
made  his  first  home,  none  of  the  name  have  lived  for  many 
years ;  and  the  land  which  he  seledled  as  his  choice  of  the 
estate,  having  been  held  in  common,  passed  into  the  ownership 
of  strangers  before  the  third  generation  from  himself  had  died. 

As  in  some  other  families,  the  female  branches  have  pre- 
dominated, and  the  day  may  soon  come  when  the  blood  must 
be  traced  among  other  names. 


15  Lib.  No.  s,  131. 
i6  Lib.  A,  loo,  III. 


GEORGE  GOLDSMITH. 


THOMAS  SHARP,  in  his  memorial  of  the  settlement  of 
Newton,  says  that  George  Goldsmith  was  one  of  the 
persons  who  came  with  him  in  the  pink  called  "Ye  owners 
adventure,"  of  which  Thomas  Lurtin,  of  London,  was  com- 
mander. In  another  paper,  also  left  by  Friend  Sharp,  he  says 
George  Goldsmith  "is  an  old  man," — an  expression  rather 
indefinite,  but  supposed  to  mean  a  middle-aged  person  without 
family.  It  may  also  be  inferred  that  he  came  without  any 
estate,  since,  in  the  location  of  land,  he  represented  a  tenth  of 
one  whole  share  owned  by  Thomas  Starkey.  Although  he  had 
no  written  authority  from  Thomas  Starkey,  yet  Thomas  Sharp 
had  knowledge  of  his  desire  that  Goldsmith  should  make 
sele6tions  of  land  for  him;  and,  upon  these  representations, 
the  commissioners  allowed  a  survey  to  be  made,  extending 
from  Newton  creek  to  Cooper's  creek,  containing  about  five 
hundred  acres  of  land.  Upon  further  investigation,  it  was 
discovered  that  Thomas  Starkey  did  not  furnish  the  "rights" 
necessary  to  complete  the  title  to  said  survey,  and,  as  George 
Goldsmith  found  himself  in  a  "strait,"  he  (Goldsmith)  induced 
Robert  Turner,  of  Philadelphia,  to  return  the  location  in  his 
own  name,  the  latter  allowing  Goldsmith  one  hundred  acres 
of  land,  in  view  of  his  trouble  in  the  premises. 

The  one  hundred  acres  which  Robert  Turner  allowed  to 
George  Goldsmith,  were  conveyed  by  deed,  dated  the  thirtieth 
of  the  ninth  month,  1687,  but  in  separate  tracls,  one  of  eighty 
acres  and  one  of  twenty  acres,  lying  some  distance  apart.' 

I  Lib.  G,  31. 


68  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

The  larger  piece  was  part  of  the  survey  as  made  by  Gold- 
smith ;  it  fronted  on  the  main  branch  of  Newton  creek,  and 
adjoined  the  upper  line  of  the  first  general  survey  of  the 
Newton  peoples,  as  expressed  in  one  of  the  old  deeds.  The 
exa6l  position  of  this  piece  of  land  has  been  lost  sight  of 
through  the  various  alterations  of  boundaries,  and  the  many 
changes  of   titles  since  that  date. 

The  smaller  tra6l  was  situated  near  the  forks  of  the  main  and 
the  north  branch  of  the  last  named  stream,  adjoining  Thomas 
Sharp's  and  Stephen  Newbie's  lands. 

George  Goldsmith  made  his  improvements  on  the  upper  or 
larger  piece  of  land,  for  he  conveyed  the  twenty  acres  to 
Stephen  Newbie  the  next  day  after  he  had  procured  his  title.'' 
On  the  same  day  on  which  he  sold  the  twenty  acres  to 
Stephen  Newbie,  (tenth  month  first,  1687,)  he  purchased  a 
like  quantity  of  land  of  Francis  Collins,  adjoining  the  upper 
lot ;  thus  making  his  plantation  of  one  hundred  acres  at  one 
place  on  the  creek,  "about  as  high  as  the  tide  flows. "^ 

The  map  showing  Robert  Turner's  lands  in  Newton  town- 
ship marks  the  residence  of  George  Goldsmith  as  on  the  twenty 
acres  in  the  forks  of  the  creek ;  but  this  is  probably  an  error, 
since  the  records  prove  the  conveyance  of  that  piece  of  land 
as  before  stated. 

This  is  further  proved  by  the  writings  of  Thomas  Sharp  in 
this  relation,  in  which  mention  is  made  of  the  agreements 
between  Turner  and  Goldsmith  to  have  his  land,  where  he  had 
made  his  improvements,  referring  no  doubt  to  the  five  hundred 
acres'  location. 

But  little  importance,  however,  attaches  to  this,  except  to 
show  where  the  first  comers  erected  their  humble  habitations 
and  removed  the  forest  to  plant  their  crops.  The  instances  are 
but  few  where  such  first  settlements  are  known  to  have  been 
made,  as  later  generations  found  more  eligible  spots,  and  had  little 
regard  for  the  places  where  the  old  homes  stood.  Even  with 
the  original  proprietor,  such  were  only  temporary  buildings,  and 
were  changed  as  soon  as  time  and  circumstances  would  permit, — 
forgotten  before  the  second  generation  had  passed  away. 


2  Lib.  G,  25. 

3  Lib.  G,  2^. 


GEORGE    GOLDSMITH.  69 

Robert  Turner  kept  the  remainder  of  the  five  hundred 
acres'  location  until  1693,  when  he  sold  it  to  Isaac  Hollings- 
ham,  whose  son  Isaac,  a  few  years  after,  conveyed  the  same 
to  Sarah  Ellis,  widow  of  Simeon ;  and  in  her  family,  parts 
thereof  remained  for  many  years. 

Joseph  Ellis,  a  son  of  Sarah,  settled  on  these  lands,  which 
in  progress  of  time  passed  to  the  female  branches  of  his  family, 
and,  consequently,  out  of  the  name. 

Although  the  name  of  George  Goldsmith  enters  much  into  the 
documents  and  papers  of  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  yet  of 
himself  or  family,  if  any  he  had,  but  little  can  be  discovered. 
He  was  a  member  of  Friends'  meeting,  but  the  only  notice 
of  his  participation  in  religious  matters  is  the  minute  of  the 
Salem  Meeting  in  1681,  when  Richard  Robinson  and  George 
Goldsmith  were  appointed  a  committee  to  speak  to  Thomas 
Smith  "about  his  disorderly  walking,"  &c. 

This  was  during  the  first  winter  after  his  arrival  from  Ireland 
and  before  the  settlement  at  Newton,  showing  that,  although  a 
stranger  among  the  Salem  people,  yet  he  was  soon  called  upon 
to  discharge  a  delicate  and  important  religious  duty.  If  the 
first  books  of  records  of  the  Newton  Meeting  had  been  preserved, 
perchance  his  name  would  have  occured  therein,  and  have 
shown  something  of  his  standing  among  his  neighbors  and  the 
interest  he  took  in  the  advancement  of  the  church  in  America. 
He  appears  to  have  been  something  of  a  land  jobber,  for,  in 
1693,  he  sold  ''rights"  to  William  Albertson.* 

In  1694,  he  conveyed  to  Nicholas  Smith  twenty-four  acres 
of  land  in  Newton  township,  situated  on  the  north  branch  of 
the  creek  of  that  name,  and,  in  the  nex't  year,  conveyed  one 
hundred  acres  near  the  last  named  tra6l  to  John  Iverson,  who, 
in  1697,  sold  said  one  hundred  acres  to  Margaret  Ivins.^ 

He  appears  to  have  kept  clear  of  the  political  troubles  that 
surrounded  him,  and  avoided  all  the  religious  controversies 
then  being  carried  on  in  the  colonies.  His  name  is  not  men- 
tioned among  the  appointments  of  colony,  county,  or  township 
officers,  nor  in  any  of  the  paper  warfare  so  diligently  waged 
among  the  religious  zealots  of  the  times. 


4  Lib.  G3,  199. 

5  Lib.  G3,  41,  242. 


70  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

The  records  of  the  Friends'  meeting  of  Philadelphia  in  the 
year  1696,  show  that  George  Goldsmith  and  Ellen  Harrison 
were  married  according  to  the  good  order  of  that  Society, 
after  the  several  "passings"  then  customary  on  such  occa- 
sions. As  all  means  of  identity  (except  the  name)  have  passed* 
away,  some  doubt  exists  as  to  whether  the  two  names  mean 
the  same  person;  or  whether  the  George  Goldsmith,  of  Newton, 
in  the  colony  of  West  New  Jersey,  is  the  same  George  Gold- 
smith that  married  Ellen  Harrison  in  Philadelphia  in  1696. 
Such  marriages  frequently  occurred,  and  often  mystify  the 
genealogy  of  families,  sometimes  to  the  entire  defeat  of  the 
searcher. 

It  has  happened  that  persons  were  supposed  to  have  died 
single,  and  the  family  tree  has  so  been  made  up,  when  the 
truth  is,  that  such  had  gone  from  their  particular  meeting  and 
contracted  matrimony  in  other  places. 

If,  as  Thomas  Sharp  says,  George  Goldsmith  was  an  old 
man  in  1681,  the  fifteen  intervening  years  could  not  have 
added  anything  to  his  youth,  or  his  inclinations  toward  matri- 
mony; and  the  fair  presumption  is  that  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  not  the  person  named  in  the  records  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Friends'  Meeting,  in  conne6lion  with  the  aforesaid 
marriage. 

The  little  that  is  known  of  him  in  after  years,  leads  to  the 
inference  that  he  removed  from  this  region  of  country,  dis- 
posed of  his  real  estate,  and  left  none  of  his  blood  or  name 
behind  him.  In  Pennsylvania,  and  in  other  parts  of  New 
Jersey,  the  name  sometimes  occurs ;  but,  in  Old  Gloucester, 
since  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and,  in  fadl, 
since  the  departure  of  this  man,  but  few  of  like  surname  have 
resided. 

This,  however,  is  speculation,  and  not  intended  to  lead 
any  one  astray,  for  his  descendants  may  be  traced  through 
the  female  branches  of  his  own  blood,  as  definitely  and  as 
corre<5lly  as  in  any  other  manner,  if  such  theory  be  a  proper 
one,  and  the  starting  point  be  beyond  a  doubt. 

Such  difficulties  in  genealogy  add  much  to  the  interest  of 
the  search,  provided  always  that  success  attends  the  labor,  and 
a  knotty,  troublesome  question  is  solved. 


FRANCIS    COLLINS, 


FRANCIS  COLLINS  was  a  son  of  Edward  and  Mary 
Collins  of  Oxfordshire,  England ;  he  was  born  January 
6,  1635.  His  father  was  the  owner  of  considerable  landed 
and  personal  property  in  that  county,  which,  after  his  decease, 
passed  to  the  control  of  his  widow.  Francis  was  apprenticed 
to  a  bricklayer,  and  subsequently  removed  to  London,  where 
he  was  convinced  of  the  corredlness  of  the  religious  principles 
of  George  Fox,  and  at  once  became  one  of  his  followers.  In 
1663,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Mayham,  at  the  Bull  and 
Mouth  Meeting  of  Friends,  and  settled  at  Ratliff,  in  the  parish 
of  Stepney,  county  of  Middlesex,  which  parish  was,  at  that 
time,  within  the  built  up  portion  of  the  city  of  London.  In 
an  account  book  of  his,  still  in  existence,  he  made  the  following 
entry:  "Francis  Collins,  his  book,  this  25th  day  of  the  first 
month,  1675,  '^O'^^  living  at  Ratliff  Cross,  next  door  to  the 
Ship  Tavern;" — fixing  his  place  of  residence  at  that  time 
beyond  a  question. 

His  adherence  to  the  Quakers  was  obnoxious  to  his  family, 
as  is  shown  by  the  will  of  his  mother  and  also  by  that  of  his 
sister  Elizabeth. 

In  the  book  before  named  are  many  curious  things,  written 
in  a  style  hard  to  decipher  at  this  late  day.  Among  these 
are  the  names  and  dates  of  the  births  of  his  children  by  the 
first  marriage ;  the  names  of  many  persons  with  whom  he 
had  business  relations;  alsq  the  account  of  moneys  paid  to 
him   for   rebuilding   the   Friends'    meeting   house   at    Stepney 


72  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

that  had  been  destroyed  by  a  mob  a  few  years  previous  to 
that  time.  This  book  also  shows  that  he  was  a  bricklayer 
and  builder,  and  kept  a  store,  evidently  seeking  for  gain  in 
various  ways,  yet  adhering  stridlly  to  his  religious  opinions 
and  example. 

After  rebuilding  the  meeting  house  in  1675,  no  other  dis- 
turbance appears  of  record  in  that  sedlion,  much  to  the  credit 
of  the  authorities  and  much  to  the  peace  of  Friends.  The 
parish  of  Stepney,  like  many  other  ancient  places  in  and  around 
London,  has  its  own  legends, — told  to  this  day  among  the 
superstitious,  as  no  less  wonderful  than  true.  This  parish  being 
by  the  side  of  the  river  Thames  and  a  resort  for  seafaring 
men,  a  tradition  still  exists  among  the  English  sailors,  that 
all  who  are  born  upon  the  ocean  belong  to  Stepney  parish, 
and  must  be  relieved  in  case  of  distress  by  the  authorities 
thereof. 

Francis  Collins  was  among  those  who  were  imprisoned  and 
fined  for  their  adherence  to  their  religious  principles;  and 
this  doubtless  had  much  to  do  with  his  coming  to  America, 
where  his  opinions  could  be  enjoyed  in  peace. 

For  the  first  two  years  after  his  arrival,  his  movements  are 
somewhat  uncertain ;  he  was  employed,  perhaps,  in  searching 
to  and  fro  through  the  primitive  forests  for  a  suitable  location 
for  himself  and  family. 

In  1682,  he  ere6ted  the  first  Friends'  meeting  house  in 
Burlington,  and,  in  the  next  year,  he  received  two  hundred 
pounds,  and  one  thousand  acres  of  land  from  the  Legislature 
for  building  a  market  house  and  court  room  at  the  same  place. 

There  may  be  another  reason  for  his  coming  to  New  Jersey, 
disclosed  in  a  deed  from  the  trustees  of  Edward  Byllynge,  made 
in  1677,  to  Francis  Collins,  of  Ratliff,  of  the  parish  of  Stepney, 
in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  bricklayer,  Richard  Mew,  of 
Ratliff,  aforesaid,  merchant,  and  John  Bull,  of  London, 
merchant,^  for  certain  shares  or  parts  of  shares  of  propriety. 
The  deed  says  that  Edward  Byllynge  was  indebted  to  Francis 
Collins  in  the  sum  of  two  hundred  pounds,  to  Richard  Mew 
one   hundred   pounds,    and    to    John    Bull    fifty   pounds ;    to 

I  Lib.  B2,  681, 


FRANCIS   COLLINS.  73 

discharge  which  this  conveyance  of  real  estate  in  New  Jersey 
was  made. 

The  first  taking  up  of  any  land  by  him  was  on  the  23d  day  of 
06lober,  1682,  when  he  located  five  hundred  acres  in  Newton 
township,  bounded  on  the  west  side  by  the  King's  road;  upon 
which  land  part  of  the  village  of  Haddonfield  now  stands.^ 
Two  days  after,  he  made  another  and  adjoining  survey  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  lying  on  the  southwest  side  of 
the  first  and  extending  to  the  south  branch  of  Newton  creek. ^ 
Perhaps  no  better  sele6lion  for  soil  and  situation  could  have 
been  made,  showing  that  he  a6led  deliberately  and  understand- 
ingly  in  this  the  first  step  towards  a  settlement  in  a  new  and 
unknown  country. 

"To  secure  a  landing,"  he  made  a  survey  of  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  acres,  bounded  on  the  south  side  by  Cooper's 
creek ;  most  of  which  is  now  owned  by  John  E.  Hopkins  and 
Joseph  C.  Stoy.*  Francis  Collins  sold  this  survey  to  Richard 
Gray,  whose  son  John  conveyed  the  same  to  Ebenezer  Hopkins 
in  1746. 

Francis  Collins  built  his  house  on  the  hill  south  of  the 
village,  where  formerly  resided  John  Gill,  perhaps  where  he 
found  a  few  acres  cleared  of  the  timber,  and  ready  for  him 
to  cultivate  his  summer  crop. 

He  styled  his  new  place  "Mountwell,"  that  being  according 
to  the  English  custom  of  having  some  particular  name  for  each 
person's  estate;  which  name  often  follows  through  the  various 
conveyances  from  one  generation  to  another  for  many  years. 
The  frequent  changes  in  the  ownership  of  land  in  New  Jersey 
may  be  the  cause  of  the  disappearance  of  these  names,  yet 
the  examination  of  old  deeds  and  dilapidated  records  often 
discovers  curious  things  in  this  regard.  The  Mountwell  estate, 
at  this  day,  is  divided  among  many  owners,  and,  if  each  were 
tenacious  of  the  old  title,  much  confusion  would  ensue. 

Being  here  some  years  before  Thomas  Sharp  and  his  com- 
panions, he,  in  connedlion  with  others,  did  something  by  way 
of  advice  in  their  seledlion  of  a  place  "to  settle  down  by;" 


2  Revel's  Book,  39. 

3  Lib.  G2,  25. 

4  Lib.  GH,  360. 


74  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

giving  them  his  experience  in  the  wild  woods,  and  his  inter- 
course with  the  aborigines,  a  subje6l  of  much  interest  to  these 
new  comers. 

His  residence  was  isolated,  some  five  miles  from  the  little 
village  at  Newton,  and  without  any  intermediate  settlements ; 
for,  in  1 700,  Thomas  Sharp  places  but  five  houses  on  his  map 
between  Mountwell  and  Newton,  thus  showing  how  slowly  the 
country  filled  up  in  the  intervening  eighteen  years. 

The  Salem  road  marked  out  as  passing  near  where  the  village 
of  Haddonfield  now  stands,  could  have  been  nothing  more  than 
a  bridle  path,  and  but  seldom  used  except  by  the  Indians. 

His  dwelling,  in  all  probability,  was  only  a  rude  wigwam 
surrounded  by  many  other  like  habitations,  the  homes  of  those 
who  were  becoming  more  and  more  familiar  with  the  pale  faced 
intruders,  in  whom  they  could  discover  nothing  but  peaceful 
intentions.  Although  of  slow  growth,  the  confidence  once 
established  was  never  impaired  by  any  a6l  of  emigrant,  or  of 
aborigines. 

With  the  political  affairs  of  the  colony  Francis  Collins  had 
much  to  do.  In  1683,  he  was  returned  as  a  member  of  the 
Assembly  to  represent  the  interests  of  the  third  tenth,  and 
at  that  session  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  for 
dividing  and  regulating  land.  In  the  difficulty  between  the 
proprietors  and  Edward  Byllynge  about  the  government  having 
passed  with  the  fee  to  the  soil,  he  was  one  of  the  committee 
to  adjust  the  matter  among  those  interested.^  A  long  epistle 
was  prepared,  in  which  several  queries  were  submitted  to 
some  Friends  in  London  touching  this  important  question ; 
but  no  conclusion  was  arrived  at  until  the  surrender  in  1701, 
when  all  the  rights  of  the  government  were  given  to  the  Queen. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  the  third  month,  1683,  Samuel 
Jennings  was  ele6led  Governor,  and  named  Francis  Collins 
as  one  of  his  council,  showing  that  his  Excellency,  considered 
him  worthy  of  that  honorable  and  responsible  position. 

In  1684,  he  was  again  ele6led  to  represent  the  third  tenth, 
and,  at  that  session,  was  made  one  of  the  judges  of  the  several 
courts  of  that  division  of  the  territory  of  West  Jersey,  it  being 


5  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


FRANCIS   COLLINS.  75 

before  the  bounds  of  Gloucester  county  were  defined  and 
settled.  In  1685,  he  was  appointed  to  the  duty  of  laying  out 
highways,  a  task  which  seemed  to  have  been  easily  discharged, 
since  the  Indian  trails  were  generally  adopted  for  roads,  and 
so  remained  for  many  years  after  that  time. 

May  28th,  1686,  the  "Proprietors,  Freeholders  and  inhabi- 
tants" of  the  third  and  the  fourth  tenth,  agreed  to  call  that  ter- 
ritory the  county  of  Gloucester,  and  they  established  all  the 
political  and  judicial  machinery  necessary  to  set  the  bailiwick 
in  motion.  In  September  following,  the  first  court  was  held 
at  Arwamus,  alias  Gloucester,  at  which  Francis  Collins  adled 
as  one  of  the  judges.  In  this  position  he  continued  for 
several  years,  discharging  his  various  duties  acceptably  to 
the  people.  Some  mystery  surrounds  this,  as  he  had  removed 
into  Burlington  county  soon  after  his  second  marriage;  yet 
his  name  appears  as  one  of  the  judges  of  Gloucester  county, 
and  as  participating  in  all  the  business  thereof.  He  was  a 
public  man  in  many  other  positions,  as  the  ancient  records 
conclusively  show. 

In  religious  matters  he  doubtless  took  much  interest.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Newton  meeting,  then 
the  only  place  of  public  worship  in  this  region  of  country. 
Among  the  few  marriage  certificates  preserved  from  those  early 
times,  is  one  stating  that  Thomas  Shable,  of  Compton  house, 
in  ye  province  of  West  Jersey,  was  married  to  Alice  Stalles, 
of  Newton  township,  in  ye  same  province,  twelfth  month, 
twenty-third,  1686,  at  Newton  meeting.  The  autographs  to 
this,  prove  that  all  the  daughters  of  Francis  Collins  were 
present,  thus  displaying  the  curiosity  of  the  sex,  and  leaving 
evidence  that  this  chara6leristic  is  not  of  modern  growth. 

Their  hand  writing  shows  them  to  have  been  young  ladies  of 
more  than  ordinary  education,  which  was  procured  while  they 
were  residents  of  the  mother  country,  since  no  opportunities 
for  learning  existed  here  at  that  time.  Glad  of  any  excite- 
ment about  their  quiet  forest  home,  it  was  most  natural  that 
they  should  take  advantage  of  such  an  interesting  event,  to 
break  the  monotony  that  surrounded  them.  Their  dress,  made 
to  conform  to  the  plainness  of  the  se<fl,  did  not  destroy  their 


76  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

graceful  movements,  or  the  comeliness  of  their  persons.  The 
only  means  of  travel,  except  by  water,  being  on  horseback, 
they  doubtless  from  long  pradlice  were  admirable  equestrians, 
which  exercise  detradled  neither  from  health  nor  from  beauty. 

They  drew  around  them  many  admirers,  and,  in  the  progress 
of  time,  left  the  parental  home,  and  became  the  heads  of  fam- 
ilies, and  the  maternal  ancestors  to  long  lines  of  descendants. 

Mary,  the  wife  of  Francis  Collins,  died  soon  after  his 
settlement  here,  leaving  him  six  children, — Joseph,  who  mar- 
ried Catharine  Huddleston  of  Mansfield,  Burlington  county, 
N.  J.,  in  1698;®  Sarah,  who  married  Robert  Dimsdale,  M.  D., 
of  Chatteris  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  in  1713;  Rebecca, 
who  married  Thomas  Briant,  in  1698;  Priscilla,  who  married 
John  Hugg;  Margaret,  who  married  Elias  Hugg;  and  Eliza 
beth,  who  married  Josiah  Southwick. 

Doctor  Dimsdale  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  day,  and 
deserves  notice  here.  He  was  confined  in  the  prison  in  Hert- 
fordshire, for  prafticing  medicine  without  a  bishop's  license; 
whether  he  refused  or  negle6led  to  obtain  one,  does  not  appear. 
He  was  a  man  of  much  talent  in  his  profession,  and  was  the 
inventor  of  some  popular  nostrums  that  brought  money  to  his 
purse  and  notoriety  to  his  name." 

He  came  with  William  Penn  to  Pennsylvania,  but,  in  1683, 
surveyed  a  large  tradl  of  land,  south  of  Mount  Holly,  in 
Burlington  county,  lying  on  both  sides  of  a  stream  that  falls 
into  Rancocas  creek  at  Lumberton,  called  Dimsdale's  run.® 
He  was  owner  of  one-third  of  a  whole  share  of  propriety, 
bought  of  Nicholas  Lucas,  in  1682.®  On  this  tra6l  he  ere6led 
a  brick  house,  and,  being  a  man  of  wealth,  dispensed  a  liberal 
hospitality  to  his  friends  and  visitors.  He  was  somewhat 
interested  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day,  and  sat  as 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  courts  of  the  county,  wherein  he 
lived. ^°  In  preparing  for  his  return  to  England  in  1688,  he 
appointed  John  Tathen  and  others,  his  attorneys  to  manage 
his  estate  in  America.  In  1699,  he  revoked  this,  and  made 
Francis   Davenport,   John   Shinn  and  John  Scott,  his  agents, 


6  Friends'  Records.  9  Lib.  GH,  533. 

7  Burlington  County  files,  1720.  to  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

8  Revel's  Book,'  33.     Basse's  Book,  231. 


FRANCIS   COLLINS.  ti 

with  like  powers."  His  property  here  increased  in  value, 
but  he  did  not  return  to  look  after  it.  The  records  show 
many  of  the  transa6lions  concerning  his  land  in  New  Jersey, 
but  may  never  get  beyond  the  iron  doors  of  the  building 
where  now  preserved,  except  as  some  enthusiast  be  curious 
enough  to  disentomb  them.  In  1688,  he  returned  to  England, 
and  settled  at  Theydon  Garnon,  near  Epping,  in  Essex,  where 
he  died  in  1 718.  By  a  previous  marriage,  he  had  two  sons, 
John  and  William,  neither  of  whom  came  to  this  country. 
Their  estate  in  West  New  Jersey  passed,  in  1746,  to  Richard 
Smith  (the  younger),  and  Ebenezer  Large. '^ 

His  widow,  Sarah,  by  whom  there  was  no  issue,  returned  to 
New  Jersey,  and  resided  in  Haddonfield  during  the  remainder 
of  her  life,  taking  an  a6live  part  in  the  religious  society  of 
which  she  was  a  member,  and  being  frequently  associated  with 
Elizabeth  Estaugh  in  her  christian  labors.  In  these  persons, 
the  intimacy  of  the  families,  as  it  existed  in  England,  was 
here  represented,  keeping  alive  the  kindly  feeling  there  so 
closely  united,  by  reason  of  the  trials  and  persecutions  passed 
through  in  the  early  days  of  their  religious  profession.  The 
name  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh  as  a  witness  to  her  will,  proves  that 
their  friendship,  ended  only  by  her  death.  She  died  in  1739, 
distributing  her  estate  among  the  children  of  her  brothers 
and  sisters,  by  her  last  will  and  testament.'^  By  a  deed  from 
her  father  in  1 714,"  she  became  the  owner  of  a  tra6l  of  four 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Newton  township,  being 
the  second  survey  made  by  him — now  owned  in  part  by  the 
Hinchmans,  Samuel  Nicholson,  Jeremiah  Willits  and  others — 
extending  from  near  Haddonfield,  southwesterly  to  the  south 
branch  of  Newton  creek.  Upon  the  first  day  of  April,  1725, 
Sarah  Dimsdale  sold  the  whole  tra6t  to  Simeon  Breach  and  Caleb 
Sprague,  who  held  it  in  common  until  April  30th,  1726,  at 
which  date  they  made  division  thereof.  By  this  deed  of  par- 
tition, Caleb  Sprague  took  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  in 
the  northerly  part  of  the  tradl:,  and  Simeon  Breach  took  two 
hundred  and  forty-five  acres  next  to  King's  run.     None  of  the 


11  Lib.  B2,  487,  546,  66q.  13  Lib.  No.  4,  208. 

12  Lib.  GH,  542.  14  Lib.  A,  11. 


78  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

papers  touching  this  transadlion  are  of  record ;  a  circumstance 
which  may  lead  to  much  trouble  in  days  to  come,  should  some 
sharp-scented  lawyer  insist  on  knowing  the  titles  to  these 
lands  from  the  first  taking  up.  Such  difficulties  must  often 
occur  in  relation  to  the  land  in  West  New  Jersey,  by  reason 
of  the  frequent  negledl  of  owners  in  this  regard. 

Joseph  Collins,  the  only  son  of  Francis  by  the  first  mar- 
riage, settled  on  the  homestead  farm,  and  there  remained 
during  his  life.  Upon  the  second  marriage  of  his  father, 
this  estate  was  involved  in  a  trust  to  Robert  Dimsdale  and 
John  Budd,  for  the  use  of  such  children  as  might  be  the 
issue  of  that  connexion. '^  This  was  done  to  guard  against 
the  operation  of  the  law  of  descents  in  force  at  that  day, 
which  gave  the  oldest  male  child  all  the  real  estate  of  which 
the  parent  died  seized.  This  trust  was  defeated  in  1716,^* 
as  the  father  and  his  second  wife,  in  connecSlion  with  the 
trustees,  conveyed  Mountwell  to  Joseph  in  fee,  and,  in  171 7, 
the  children  by  the  second  marriage  released  all  their  right 
in  the  same  to  their  elder  brother." 

Joseph  died  in  1741,^*  leaving  the  following  children, — 
Benjamin,  who  married  Ann  Hedger;  Sarah,  who  married 
Simeon  Ellis ;  Catharine,  who  married  Thomas  Ellis ;  and 
Rebecca,  who  married  Samuel  Clement.^® 

Benjamin  was  a  carpenter,  and  lived  in  Haddonfield.  Joseph 
Collins  and  his  wife  Catharine  executed  to  Benjamin  a  deed 
for  a  portion  of  the  Mountwell  tra6l  fronting  on  the  south 
side  of  the  main  street  of  the  village,  retaining  to  themselves 
a  life  estate  therein.  Part  of  this  was  sold  by  the  parties 
interested,  in  1734.  Benjamin  died  in  1756,  leaving  two 
children,  Joseph  and  Priscilla,  both  minors  at  that  time.^" 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  name  in  this  branch  of  the  family 
is  only  perpetuated  by  two  persons,  Benjamin,  the  son,  and 
Joseph,  the  grandson. 

Previously  to  his  death  in  1735,  Joseph  Collins  and  Catharine, 
his  wife,   conveyed    to  Samuel   and  Rebecca  Clement   a  part 


15  Lib.  A,  76.  18  Lib.  No.  4,  294. 

16  Lib.  B2,  572.  19  Lib.  No.  8,  395. 

17  Basse's  Book,  138.  20  Lib.  No.  8,  395,  544.     Lib.  No.  4,  294. 


FRANCIS   COLLINS.  79 

of  the  Mountwell  tradl,  for  considerations  which>  showed  them 
to  be  in  favor  with  the  parents.  These  were  the  sums  of  one 
hundred  pounds,  and  sixteen  pounds,  annually,  during  the  life 
of  the  said  Joseph  and  Catharine  and  the  survivors  of  them." 

Rebecca,  who  married  Thomas  Briant,  lived  with  her  husband 
on  his  estate  near  Mount  Holly,  Burlington  county,  where  he 
owned  a  large  tradl  of  land.  In  an  affidavit  made  by  this  man 
in  1733,  in  relation  to  the  identity  of  George  Elkinton,  who 
came  to  New  Jersey  as  a  servant  of  Daniel  Wills,  he  says  that 
he  was  born  at  Shippen  Warden,  Northampshire,  England,  and 
in  that  year  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age,  and  married  Rebecca 
Collins.  He  was,  in  all  probability,  a  servant  of  Daniel  Wills, 
as  Daniel  appears  to  have  brought  several  persons  with  him  in 
that  capacity,  the  most  of  whom  became  valuable  and  influ- 
ential citizens. 

In  the  year  1704,  Francis  Collins  conveyed  to  Thomas  Briant 
and  his  wife  Rebecca,  a  tra6l  of  land  containing  four  hundred 
acres  situate  in  the  "forks"  of  Timber  creek,  a  short  distance 
west  from  Chew's  Landing.  Rebecca  survived  her  husband 
and  died  in  1743. 

Her  children  were  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Daniel  Haines  ;  Sarah, 
wife  of  John  Fennimore;  Ann,  John,  Abraham  and  Benjamin. 
The  descendents  of  this  woman  are,  at  this  day,  connedled 
with  some  of  the  most  respedlable  families  in  West  New  Jersey, 
who,  with  a  little  care,  may  trace  their  lineage  to  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  colony. 

John  Hugg,  who  married  Priscilla,  had  considerable  estate 
and  resided  at  Gloucester,  (now  Gloucester  city,)  to  whom 
the  family  now  scattered  over  the  country  may  trace  their 
ancestry.  His  death  is  thus  noticed  by  Smith  in  his  History 
of  New  Jersey : 

"In  this  year  (1730)  died  John  Hugg,  Esq.,  of  Gloucester 
county.  He  was  about  ten  years  one  of  the  council.  Riding 
from  home  in  the  morning  he  was  supposed  to  be  taken  ill 
about  a  mile  from  his  house ;  when  getting  off  his  horse  he 
spread  his  cloak  on  the  ground  to  lie  down  on — and  having 

21  Liber  EF,  65. 


8o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

put  his  gloves  under  the  saddle  and  hung  his  whip  through 
one  of  the  rings,  he  turned  the  horse  loose,  which  going  home 
put  the  people  upon  searching,  who  found  him  in  this  circum- 
stance speechless ;  they  carried  him  to  his  house  and  he  died 
that  evening." 

In  1695,  Francis  Collins  conveyed  to  John  Hugg  and  his 
wife  Priscilla  a  tradl  of  land  lying  south  of  Haddonfield,  and 
bounding  on  Little  Timber  creek,  which  they  in  a  few  years 
afterward  sold  to  John  Hinchman.''^^ 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  nothing  conclusive  can  be  discovered 
in  regard  to  the  children  of  Priscilla,  as  she  had  deceased,  and 
John  Hugg  had  married  a  second  wife,  by  whom  there  was 
issue  also.  His  children  were  numerous,  but  he  made  no  dis- 
tin6lion  as  to  their  mother.  In  regard  to  the  children  of 
Margaret,  a  like  difficulty  occurs,  which  may  never  be  solved, 
except  by  some  persevering  genealogist  interested  in  tracing  his 
own  blood. 

Josiah  Southwick,  who  married  Elizabeth,  the  youngest 
daughter  by  the  first  marriage,  was  a  resident  of  Mount 
Holly,  and  interested  in  an  iron  foundry  established  at  that 
place.  He  was  a  man  .of  considerable  estate  and  left  some 
descendants,  who  still  reside  in   New  Jersey. 

The  children  of  Josiah  and  Elizabeth  were  Josiah,  James, 
Ruth  and  Maham.^^  This  family  name  never  became  exten- 
sive in  New  Jersey,  and  now  is  confined  to  but  few  persons. 

The  marriage  settlement,  as  before  named,  between  Francis 
Collins  and  Mary,  his  second  wife,  bears  date  December  21st, 
1686,"  about  which  time  this  marriage  took  place  at  Burlington 
meeting.  She  was  the  widow  of  John  Goslin,  a  pra6lising 
physician  and  merchant  of  the  town  of  Burlington,  and  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  Budd,  one  of  the  largest  proprietors  and 
earliest  settlers  in  the  colony,  who  became  a  prominent  man 
in  the  religious  and  political  troubles  of  that  day. 

The  one  son  by  her  first  marriage  is  the  ancestor  of  the 
name  in  New  Jersey.     Upon  the  consummation  of  this  max- 


22  Liber  A,  183. 

23  Census  of  Northampton  Township,  1709. 

24  Liber  B2,  572, 


FRANCIS   COLLINS.  8i 

riage,  Francis  Collins  removed  to.  Northampton  township, 
Burlington  county,  where  he  resided  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  Perhaps  no  more  reliable  information  of  this 
man  and  his  family  can  be  had  than  from  a  copy  of  the 
census  of  Northampton  township,  made  in  1709,  and  pre- 
served by  the  Historical  Society  of  New  Jersey.  Among 
those   there  noticed   are  these : 

Francis    Collins,   aged    74 ;    Mary   Collins,   aged    44 ;    John 
Collins,   aged    17  ;    Francis    Collins,  aged    15  ;    Mary  Collins,  . 
aged    II  ;    Samuel   Collins,  aged   9. 

John  died  in  1761."^  His  wife  was  Elizabeth,  a  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Moore  of  Burlington  county.  They  had  a  numer- 
ous family,  of  whom,  according  to  the  best  data  to  be  obtained, 
the  following  are  the  names  and  marriages  :  Sybilla,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Gaskill ;  Susanna,  who  married  Daniel  Garwood  in 
1737;  John,  who  married  Patience  ;  Francis,  who  mar- 
ried Ann  Haines  (widow),  and  Elizabeth (he  dying,  the 

latter  afterwards  married  Ishmael  Kent) ;  Joseph,  who  married 
Diana  Pritchett ;  Charity,  who  married  Charles  Kain  ;  Sarah, 
who  married  Samuel  Bates  ;  Lizzie,  who  married  Samuel  Hugg, 
Robert  Friend  Price  and  Daniel  Smith  ;  Mary,  who  married 
James  Budd,  and  Priscilla,  who  married  Joshua  Evans  (his  second 
wife).  Joshua  Evans  was  a  preacher  among  Friends,  and  of 
that  society  there  was  no  more  exemplary  or  self-denying  mem- 
ber. He  adhered  stri6lly  to  the  spirit  and  letter  of  his  belief, 
yet  was  not  intrusive  or  objedlionable  in  so  doing.  He  saw  the 
evils  of  intemperance,  and,  by  his  example  and  precept,  induced 
many  members  of  the  same  society  to  abandon  the  use  of  liquor, 
even  at  that  early  day.  He  resided  on  part  of  the  estate  now 
owned  by  Joseph  O.  Cuthbert,  near  the  centre  of  old  Newton 
township.  A  history  of  his  labors  as  a  public  Friend,  published 
several  years  after  his  decease,  shows  him  to  have  been  an 
acceptable  member  of  his  church,  faithful  in  his  duties  and  a 
consistent  Christian. 

It  may  be  seen  that  the  blood  of  John  Collins  is  distributed 
among  so  many  collateral  lines,  that  its  tracing  would  be  almost 
impossible. 


25  Lib.  No.  10,  346. 

6 


82  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Francis  settled  on  land  (which  his  father  conveyed  to  him  by 
deed  of  gift,)  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's  creek,  lately  Aaron 
Moore's.^®  The  house,  a  brick  one,  was  burned  in  1866.  It 
had  some  pretension  to  size  and  style  in  its  day,  but  was  both 
small  and  unsightly,  when  compared  with  those  of  the  present 
time.     He  sold  part  of  this  land  to  Jacob  Horner   in    17 18. 

His   children  were  Joshua,   who   married  ;    Job, 

who  married  Haines  and  Elizabeth  Ballinger ;    John, 

who  married  Ruth  Borradale ;  Priscilla,  who  married  James 
Mulock,  M.  D. ;  Charles,  who  married  Ruth  Starkey,  and 
Sarah,  who  married  Ephraim  Haines. 

Mary,  the  only  daughter  by  the  last  wife,  married  Thomas 
Kendall,  and  settled  in  Burlington  county. 

Samuel,  the  youngest  child  of  Francis  and  Mary  Collins, 
married  Abigail  Ward  in  1721.  Their  children  were  Samuel, 
who  married  Rosanna  Stokes ;  Mercy,  who  married  Samuel 
Thomas  and  Solomon  Haines. 

Samuel  and  Rosanna  settled  at  Colestown,  where  his  business 
was  that  of  a  blacksmith.  He  purchased  land  of  Thomas  Cole 
on  the  west  side  of  Penisaukin  creek,  and  built  a  house  and 
resided  there  during  his  life.  This  property  was  since  owned 
and  occupied  by  George  T.  Risdon,  now  deceased. 

Their  children  were  Abigail,  who  married  John  Lippincott ; 
Rachel,  who  married  Joseph  Champion,  and  Hannah,  who  mar- 
ried Enoch  Allen. 

The  children  of  Samuel  and   Mercy  Thomas  were  Samuel, 

who  married  Hannah  Bishop,  and  Hannah,  who  married 

Clyne.  Mercy's  child  by  the  last  marriage  was  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Isaac  Mullen. 

Much  speculation  has  arisen  in  regard  to  the  first  Samuel 
here  named,  as  to  his  being  a  son  of  Francis  and  Mary  Collins. 
That  they  had  a  son  of  that  name  is  beyond  cavil,  and  his 
marriage  appears  in  the  proper  order  of  time.  In  1728,  Mary 
Collins,  as  executrix  of  Francis  Collins,  deceased,  conveyed  to 
this  person  a  lot  of  land  at  Gloucester  and  a  portion  of  a  share 
of  propriety,  part  of  which  share  of  propriety  Samuel  conveyed 
to  his  son  Samuel,  the  blacksmith.     This,  in  connedlion  with 

26  Lil    H,  52      Lib.  BR,  104. 


FRANCIS   COLLINS.  83 

other  like  data,  seems  to  identify  this  person  with  Francis  and 
Mary  Collins  in  a  manner  sufficiently  conclusive  as  to  such 
relationship. 

John  (the  son  of  John)  settled  in  Waterford  township,  near 
Glendale.  His  residence,  a  large  brick  house,  not  now  remain- 
ing, stood  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  Stafford.  He  had 
considerable  real  estate  in  that  region,  and  deceased  in  1768. 
His  wife  survived  him,  and  his  child  Mary,  who  was  then  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Hugg,  of  Gloucester." 

He  gave  his  land  to  his  daughter  during  life,  and  to  her 
children  (if  any  she  left),  in  fee  after  her  death;  and,  in  default 
of  such  issue,  the  same  was  to  pass  absolutely  to  John  and  Job 
Collins,  sons  of  his  brother  Francis. 

The  daughter  Mary  died  without  children  "her  surviving," 
and  the  land  became  the  property  of  John  and  Job,  who  occu- 
pied it  for  several  years;  but,  at  this  present  time,  none  of  it 
is  held  in  the  name  or  blood  of  the  family.^* 

In  1720,  and  but  a  short  time  before  his  death,  Francis 
Collins  executed  his  will  (which  remains  on  file  in  the  proper 
office),  expressing  his  desire  in  regard  to  the  remainder  of  his 
property.-*  To  his  children,  as  they  arrived  at  their  majority,  he 
conveyed  portions  of  his  land, — a  circumstance  which  decreased 
the  amount  of  property  that  passed  by  his  will.  He  was  probably 
a  man  of  wealth  and  adlive  business  capacity.  Much  known 
through  the  colony,  he  commanded  the  respe6l  of  all.  He 
lived  to  see  his  descendants  increase  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
and  occupy  much  space  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  He  took 
part  in  all  the  changes  and  troubles  of  the  colony,  from  the 
beginning  until  the  government  was  fixed  upon  a  solid  basis, 
and  the  people  contented  and  prosperous. 

He  could  not  but  notice  its  advancement  in  all  material 
interests,  beyond  the  expectations  of  the  most  hopeful,  and, 
in  his  declining  years,  observe  the  many  changes  that  had 
been  wrought  since  he  set  his  foot  upon  the  soil.  Where  had 
been  but  a  few  Indian  huts,  towns  and  cities  were  coming 
into  existence;  and,  where  miles  of  forests  once  extended,  the 


27  Lib.  No.  i;^,  297. 

28  ( jloucestcr  County  Records,  1805. 

29  Burlington  County  Files,  1720. 


84  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

plantations  of  the  settlers  now  gave  evidence  of  progress  and 
prosperity.  The  doctrines  of  George  Fox  had  spread  abroad 
in  the  land,  and  the  fruit  thereof  was  a  religious,  moral,  and 
law-abiding  community. 

In  his  visits  to  his  son  Joseph  at  Mountwell,  where  he  first 
broke  the  virgin  soil  to  test  its  productiveness,  he  could  see 
how  rapidly  the  country  was  filling  up,  and  that  already  an 
embryo  village  had  made  its  appearance,  on  the  King's  road 
near  his  place. 

A  site  for  Elizabeth  Estaugh's  meeting  house  had  been 
sele6led.  John  Gill  had  fenced  the  land  near  the  same,  and 
a  few  mechanics  had  settled  hard  by,  each  extending  his  busi- 
ness as  the  folk  increased  in  the  neighborhood. 

At  Gloucester  also,  where  his  daughters  then  lived,  a  marked 
change  was  observable  since  his  first  passage  up  the  river  to 
Burlington  ;  and  Philadelphia  was  already  a  place  of  growing 
importance,  the  centre  of  trade  for  West  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania. 

Nearly  two  hundred  years  have  passed  away ;  generation  after 
generation  has  followed  since  that  time,  each  increasing  in 
numbers,  and  each  augmenting  the  breadth  of  cultivated  acres, 
until  the  primeval  forests  have  disappeared  before  a  teeming 
population,  and  the  aggressive  spirit  of  the  age. 

The  little  companies  who  settled  at  Salem,  Philadelphia, 
Burlington  and  Newton,  formed  but  the  centres  from  which 
have  radiated  those  energies,  that  till  the  soil,  fill  the  work- 
shops and  crowd  the  cities. 

From  these  have  gone  out  the  multitudes  that  have  made  the 
waste  places  to  bloom,  and  the  generous  land  to  yield  its 
increase;  that  have  changed  our  rivers  into  great  highways 
of  commerce,  and  forced  the  mountains  to  give  up  their 
treasure;  that  have  founded  a  government,  which  has  become 
the  pride  of  its  citizens  and  the  admiration  of  the  world. 


WILLIAM  COOPER. 


WILLIAM  COOPER  and  his  wife  Margaret,  before  their 
emigration  to  New  Jersey,  lived  at  Coleshill,  in  the 
parish  of  Amersham,  Hertfordshire,  England.  This  town  lies 
about  twenty-six  miles  northwest  of  the  city  of  London,  in 
which  he  was  born  in  1632.  After  he  attained  his  majority, 
his  occupation  was  that  of  a  blacksmith.  They  were  Friends 
and  members  of  the  Upperside  Monthly  Meeting,  in  whose 
minutes  the  records  of  the  births  of  their  children  may  be 
found,  which  are  as  follows  : 

William  was  born  ninth  month,  26th,  A.  D.  1660; 
Hannah  was  born  ninth  month,  21st,  A.  D.  1662  ; 
Joseph  was  born  seventh  month,  22d,  A.  D.  i666; 
James  was  born  third  month,  loth,  A.  D.  1670; 
Daniel  was  born  first  month,  27th,  A.  D.  1673. 

James  probably  died  young,  as  no  mention  of  his  name 
appears  in  any  papers  relating  to  the  family ;  the  others  came 
over  with  their  parents,  and  afterwards  were  the  ancestors  of 
the  family  in  these  parts. 

Like  others  of  the  same  religious  persuasion,  William  Cooper 
suffered,  both  in  estate  and  person,  from  those  who  considered 
that  they  were  doing  God's  service,  in  molesting  such  as  chose 
to  differ  from  them  in  opinion  and  practice, — despoiling  him 
of  his  horses  and  cattle,  and  dragging  him  to  prison  from  the 
place  where  he  was  attending  religious  service. 


S6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Samuel  Smith,  in  his  history  of  New  Jersey,  does  not  fix 
the  time  of  the  arrival  of  this  person  with  his  family;  which 
was  probably  not  for  a  year  after  the  first  emigrants  had  come 
to  Burlington.  Neither  is  the  name  of  the  vessel  given,  the 
place  of  landing  nor  the  names  of  those  who  came  with  him. 
Among  persons  tracing  their  family  from  the  one  continent  to 
the  other,  this  break  in  their  history  is  always  a  regret ;  it  is  an 
omission  that  Samuel  Smith  might,  perhaps,  have  filled,  but,  at 
that  period,  he  did  not  attach  much  importance  thereto.  The 
time  has  passed,  however,  to  remedy  this  defe6l,  except  in  a  few 
cases,  a  defe6l  which  always  leaves  a  shade  of  doubt  as  to  iden- 
tity, and,  sometimes,  a  breach  that  nearly  destroys  it.  In  this 
particular  case  no  question  exists,  since  the  documents  of  a 
religious  and  legal  chara6ler  follow  each  other  so  closely  and  so 
continuously,  that  the  William  Cooper  of  Coleshill,  of  1660, 
was  the  William  Cooper  of  Pyne  point,  in  1682,  beyond  a 
doubt. 

The  first  is  the  certificate  of  the  Monthly  Meeting  at  Coles- 
hill,  which  is  as  follows  : 

"Whereas,   William    Cooper,  of    Coleshill,   in    the  parish  of 
Amersham,  and  the  county  of  Hertford,  hath  signified  unto 
us  that  he  hath  an  intention,  if  the  Lord  permit,  to  transport 
himself  with  his  wife  and  children  unto  the  plantation  of 
West  New  Jersey,  and  hath  desired  a  testimonial  from  this 
meeting  for  the  satisfadlion  of  Friends  there  or  elsewhere, 
unto  whom  he  may  be  outwardly  unknown  ; 
"We,  therefore,  whose  names  are  here  underwritten,  do  hereby 
certify  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that  the  said  William  Cooper 
and  Margaret,  his  wife,  having  lived  in  these  parts  for  many 
years,  ever  since  the  first  of  their  convincement,  have  walked 
conscienciously  and  honestly  among  us,  agreeably  to  the  profes- 
sion   and    testimony   of    truth,   according    to   the    best   of   our 
observation  and  knowledge  of   them. 

"In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands,  this, 
the  fifth  day  of   the  twelfth  month,   1678." 

This  fixes  his  nativity  (the  previous  record  showing  the 
names   and   ages   of    his  children),   and    also    proves   that   he 


WILLIAM  COOPER.  87 

contemplated  coming  to  "the  plantation  of  West  New  Jersey." 
He  could  not  have  arrived  here  before  the  middle  of  the  year 
following,  the  twelfth  month  being  February,  ana  not  a  proper 
season  for  ships  to  start  upon  long  voyages.  He  could  not, 
therefore,  have  come  with  the  first  adventurers. 

The  next  a(5l  of  William  Cooper,  as  the  records  show,  was 
one  for  the  purpose  of  locating  lands  in  New  Jersey;  this, 
doubtless,  occurred  soon  after  his  arrival  here,  and  bears  the 
date  of  October  5th,  A.   D.,   1680.^ 

At  that  date,  he  sele(5led  fifty  acres  within  the  town  bounds 
of  Burlington,  and  had  the  same  surveyed  and  returned  to 
himself.  It  is  possible  that  there  was  some  delay  in  having 
the  bounds  defined,  and  in  putting  them  on  record. 

There  can  be  but  little  doubt,  however,  that  on  this  piece 
of  land  he  ere6led  his  first  house  and  made  a  home  for  his 
family.  The  troubles  between  the  London  and  Yorkshire  com- 
missioners in  regard  to  the  parts  of  the  territory  each  were 
to  take,  hindered  the  fixing  of  the  boundaries  of  individual 
settlers,  and  may  account  for  the  difference  in  the  known 
arrival  of  some  and  the  return  of  their  surveys ;  yet,  in  the 
the  case  of  William  Cooper,  the  fa6l  that  the  time  of  his 
arrival  was  not  exa6lly  known,  leaves  the  taking  up  of  his 
first  location  and   his  coming  still  an  open  question. 

In  a  short  time  it  was  found  that  the  lines  of  the  fifty  acres 
interfered  with  those  of  an  adjoining  tra6l,  owned  by  the 
"widow"  Perkins;  this  trouble  was  afterwards  settled  by 
John  Woolstan,  unto  whose  wife  William  Cooper  conveyed 
the  same  in  1695,^  she  being  his  only  daughter.  Whether  he 
continued  his  business  after  his  settlement  here,  and  attended 
to  the  necessary  wants  of  the  inhabitants,  which,  in  his  par- 
ticular line,  were  important,  there  is  no  record,  for  the  worker 
in  iron  of  that  day  was  skilled  in  many  other  branches  of 
mechanism,  now  in  no  way  connedled  therewith. 

He  probably  had  knowledge  of  the  coming  of  the  settlers 
at  Newton,  some  perhaps  being  known  to  him  in  the  mother 
country,  as  they  had  secured  the  title  to  their  land  but  fifteen 


I  Revel's  Book,  7. 
1  Lib.  Bz,  500. 


88  FMST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

months  before  he  accomplished  the  same  for  his  property  at 
Pyne  Point,  to  which  place  he  soon  removed  from  Burlington. 
The  intimacy  so  soon  established  between  them  warrants  this 
conclusion;  so  do  many  other  incidents  scattered  through  the 
history  of  the  times,  showing  that  the  intercourse  here  was  but 
a  continuation  of  that  begun  before  this  adventure  was  under- 
taken. The  survey  of  three  hundred  acres  at  Pyne  Point 
bears  the  date  of  June  12th,  1682.°'  Within  its  bounds  was 
a  large  Indian  settlement,  and  in  this  William  Cooper  with 
his  family  made  his  abode.  The  position  was  well  taken, 
being  one  of  the  most  commanding  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  and  a  good  location  for  a  town.  The  point  of  land 
made  by  the  jun6lion  of  the  creek  (afterwards  called  by  his 
name)  with  the  Delaware  river,  was  sele6led  as  the  site  for  his 
house,  this  site  now  being  under  water  by  the  encroachment 
of  the  river  upon  the  shore. 

Before  William  Cooper  sele6led  this  land,  however,  William 
Roydon  had  made  a  survey  lower  down  the  river,  with  which 
the  boundaries  of  William  Cooper's  tra6l  was  found  to  inter- 
fere. It  is  evident  that  much  controversy  grew  out  of  this 
trouble,  and  that  it  was  not  settled  during  the  life  of  William 
Cooper.  In  1723,  William  Cooper,  the  son  of  Daniel  and 
grandson  of  William,  became  the  owner  of  much  the  larger 
part  of  Roydon's  survey;*  and,  being  seized  of  his  father's 
adjoining  real  estate  at  the  same  time,  this  difficulty  may  be 
said  to  have  ended  there. 

William  Roydon  located  other  tra6ls  of  land  in  New  Jersey, 
and  crossed  the  ocean  several  times  between  the  arrival  of  the 
commissioners  at  Burlington  and  his  death.  In  his  will  he 
styles  himself  "citizen  and  grocer  of  London,"  in  which  city 
he  died  during  the  year  named. 

If  tradition  be  corre6l,  he  was  a  shrewd  business  man,  and 
did  not  always  heed  the  precepts  laid  down  by  Friends,  when 
his  own  interest  was  involved.  Although  he  speaks  in  his  will 
of  William  Cooper  as  "his  trusty  friend,"  yet  the  trouble 
about  the  bounds  of  their  adjoining  land  did  not  make  the  same 


3  Revel's  Book,  J2. 

4  Lib.  D,  456. 


WILLIAM  COOPER.  89 

impression  upon  the  mind  of  William  Cooper.  Nearly  one 
hundred  years  after  his  death  a  copy  of  his  will  was  brought 
to  Philadelphia  and  recorded  in  the  proper  office,  being  a 
necessary  link  to  the  title  to  some  of  his  real  estate  in  America. 
His  family,  if  he  had  any,  did  not  settle  here.  He  had  a 
brother  Robert  and  a  sister,  Esther  Wright,  both  of  Essex, 
and  a  sister  Eve,  wife  of  Richard  Crews  of  London. 

The  Indians  were  not  molested,  and,  although  Arasapha, 
their  king,  conveyed  to  William  Cooper  all  the  estate  that 
they  had  within  the  bounds  of  his  location,  yet  no  claim  was 
set  up  by  the  grantee,  and  no  trouble  appears  to  have  taken  place 
between  the  old  and  the  ne^v  inhabitants.  The  consideration 
in  the  deed  between  the  aborigines  and  the  settlers  was  made 
up  of  rum,  match-coats,  beads,  guns,  pots,  kettles,  pans,  and  such 
articles  of  general  utility  and  fancy  as  satisfied  this  simple- 
minded  people  and  always  prevented  any  trouble  in  the  future. 
This  town  was  opposite  a  similar  Indian  .settlement  on  the  river 
called  Shackomaxin ;  between  these  places  a  ferry  was  already 
established,  as  to  the  beginning  of  which  "the  memory  of  man 
runneth  not  to  the  contrary."  Here  the  adventurers  under 
the  patronage  of  William  Penn  landed,  and  set  up  the  first 
Friends'  meeting  in  his  colony.  In  the  third  month,  1681, 
a  meeting  was  fixed  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Fairman ;  and 
it  was  thus  kept  for  more  than  a  year,  until  the  Friends  united 
with  those  in   Philadelphia. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  religious  intercourse  that  was 
maintained  between  the  Quakers  on  each  side  of  the  river, 
an  intercourse  which  lead  to  many  marriages  among  the 
younger  members,  and  to  some  complicity  in  tracing  the 
genealogies  of   such. 

In  1682,  a  six-weeks'  meeting  of  business  was  held  alternately 
between  Shackomaxin  and  Pyne  Point,  which  was  maintained 
for  several  months;  the  said  meetings  being  held  at  the  house  of 
Thomas  Fairman  of  the  one  place  and  at  that  of  William  Cooper 
of  the  other.  This  custom  appears  to  have  been  established  by 
the  yearly  meeting  held  at  Salem,  for  the  convenience  of  Friends  ; 
but  it  did  not  long  continue,  for  a  place  of  worship  was  soon 
built  at   Philadelphia,  and  also  one  at  Newton,   thus   avoiding 


90  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

the  necessity  of  using  private  dwellings.  The  meeting  at 
Mark  Newbie's  house,  to  which  William  Cooper  of  the  Point 
resorted,  had  been  kept  before  he  removed  from  Burlington, 
showing  where  the  principles  of  George  Fox  were  first  pro- 
mulgated in  this  sedlion,  and  making  it  a  point  of  interest  to 
such  as  care  to  inquire  thereinto. 

The  intercourse  of  William  Cooper  with  William  Penn  and  the 
other  trustees  of  Edward  Byllynge  was  frequent,  by  reason  of 
the  large  amount  of  land  which  he  purchased  for  himself,  and 
also  as  agent  for  others,  still  residents  of  England  or  Ireland. 
He  was  present  at  the  celebrated  treaty  of  Penn  with  the 
Indians,  and  doubtless  gave  that  great  man  the  advantage  of 
his  experience  among  this  strange  people.  The  similarity 
of  the  condu6l  of  each  toward  them,  and  the  continued  and 
lasting  amity  preserved  from  the  first,  show  the  same  element 
of  kindness  and  fair  dealing  to  have  a6luated  and  controlled 
both.  The  same  principles  of  justice  and  of  right,  so  much 
extolled  in  the  conduct  of  the  Patroon  of  Pennsylvania,  were 
no  less  rigidly  adhered  to  by  the  Proprietors  of  New  Jersey, 
always  accomplishing  the  same  end  and  deserving  the  same 
measure   of   praise. 

In  the  progress  of  time,  the  children  of  William  Cooper 
took  upon  themselves  the  responsibilities  of  matrimony,  and 
set  up  their  own  establishments.  Hannah  married  John  Wool- 
stan  in  1681,  and  before  her  father  removed  from  Burlington. 
This  was  his  second  marriage,  the  first  Avife  being  a  sister  of 
Thomas  Olive,  at  that  time  governor  of  the  province.  He 
came  in  the  same  ship  as  the  commissioners,  and  at  his  house 
were  held  the  meetings  of  worship  for  Friends  in  the  early 
settlements.  He  was  a  worthy  citizen,  and  the  ancestor  of 
numerous  and  respectable  descendants.  By  the  first  marriage 
he  had  a  son  John,  who,  in  1683,  married  Lettice  Newbold. 
In  1698,  he  (the  father),  died,  disposing  of  a  large  landed 
estate  by  will.*  His  children  by  Hannah  Cooper  were  Samuel, 
who  died  single  ;  Jonathan,  who  married  Sarah  Pearson  in 
1707;  Hannah,  who  married  George  Nicholson  in  1706;  Sarah, 
who   married    Edward    Borton  ;    Mary,    who    married    Samuel 


S  Burlington  County  Files. 


WILLIAM  COOPER.  91 

/ 

Bunting  in  1713;  Joshua,  who  married ;  Michael; 

Elizabeth,  who  married   Daniel   Wills   in    1714,  and   Rebecca, 
who  married   Francis  Smith  in   1714. 

Jonathan  removed  to  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  resided  in  1715.*^  The  daughters  settled  in  their  native 
State,  and  became  the  maternal  ancestors  of  some  of  the  most 
respectable  families  hereabout. 

The  name  of  John  Woolstan  occurs  among  the  Friends  in 
England  who  suffered  persecution  for  religious  opinions.  His 
house  was  the  first  ere6led  in  Burlington,  and  in  it,  the  first 
monthly  meeting  of  Friends  was  held  after  their  arrival. 

Hannah,  his  widow,  married  John  Surkett  of  Burlington, 
as  her  second  husband;  he  deceased  in  1709,' and  she  then 
married  John  Wills,  son  of  Daniel,  one  of  the  commissioners, 
and  father  of  Daniel,  who  married  her  daughter  Elizabeth. 
There  was  no  issue  by  either  of  the  last  marriages. 

William  Cooper  married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Edward  Bradway 
of  Salem,  N.  J.,  in  1682.  He  died  in  1691,  leaving  a  will,  in 
which  he  names  his  father,  William  Cooper,  his  father-in-law, 
his  wife  Mary,  and  three  children,  John,  Hannah  and  Mary.' 
He  probably  died  at  Pyne  Point,  and  perhaps  unexpectedly, 
as  Samuel  Spicer  and  Henry  Wood,  both  residents  near  that 
place,  were  witnesses  to  his  will. 

The  inventory  of  his  personal  property  discloses  that  he  was 
a  resident  of  Salem,  and  a  blacksmith. **  His  children  married 
as  follows  :  John  married  Ann  Clark  ;  Hannah  married  John 
Mickle,  and  Mary  Benjamin  Thackara.  As  may  be  seen, 
William  was  about  twenty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
coming  to  New  Jersey.  He  was  employed  by  his  father 
in  his  own  calling;  this  made  him  a  useful  man  among  the 
adventurers.  He  died  young,  and  by  his  will  left  the  care  of 
his  children  to  Edward  Bradway  and  John  Kay. 

John  deceased  in  1730,  leaving  his  widow  Ann  and  the 
following  children,  James,  John,  David,  Mary,  Ann,  Sarah, 
Hannah,  and  a  child  unborn.^" 


6  Lib.  A,  38.  9  Lib.  A,  Salem  Wills,  65. 

7  Lib.  No.  I,  337.  10  Lib.  No.  3,  118. 

8  Lib.  A.  Salem  Wills,  85. 


92  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Joseph  Cooper  married  Lydia  Riggs  in  1688.  This  female 
was  of  Irish  parentage,  but  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was 
a  resident  of  Philadelphia.  It  is  probable  that,  in  1695 
(in  which  year  the  ferry  and  adjoining  land  were  given  to 
Daniel),  William  Cooper  conveyed,  by  deed  of  gift,  to  Joseph, 
a  tradl  of  land  bounded  by  Cooper's  creek,  east  of  his  father's 
residence,  where  he,  Joseph,  settled.  On  February  i8th,  1708, 
William  Cooper  conveyed  two  hundred  and  twelve  acres  to 
Joseph.  The  words  of  the  deed  are,  "William  Cooper,  late  of 
Cooper's  Point,  in  Newton,  Gloucester  county,  New  Jersey,  to 
Joseph  Cooper,  of  the  same  place,  for  his  house,  land  and  farm 
called  Cooper's  Point,  where  he  lately  dwelt."  " 

He  had  previously  erefted  a  house  and  out-buildings  on  a 
tra6l  of  land  which  he  had  located  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's 
creek,  in  Waterford,  now  Delaware,  township.  A  portion  of 
this  house  is  still  standing,  it  being  part  of  the  homestead  of 
Benjamin  B.  Cooper,  deceased,  about  one  mile  from  Ellisburg 
toward  Camden ;  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  land  marks  of  early 
times.  To  this  place  he  removed,  but  not  long  to  remain,  as 
he  died  in   1710. 

In  1697,  Joseph  Cooper  purchased  of  Abraham  and  Joshua 
Carpenter  four  hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  land,  in  Newton 
township,  bounded  by  Cooper's  creek, — now  constituting  the 
most  easterly  part  of  the  Cope  estate. ^^  This  he  conveyed  to  his 
son  Joseph  in  1714,  just  as  he  had  purchased  it  of  the  Car- 
penters. He  owned  much  other  real  estate.  He  died  in  1731, 
disposing  of  his  property  by  will."  His  children  were  Isaac, 
who  married  Hannah  Coates ;  Joseph,  who  married  Mary  Hud- 
son and  Hannah  Dent;  Benjamin,  who  married  Rachel  Mickle 
and  Elizabeth  Burcham  (widow) ;  Lydia,  who  married  John 
Cox;  Hannah,  who  married  Alexander  Morgan;  Sarah,  who 
married  Joshua  Raper;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Samuel 
Mickle. 

The  most  noticeable  of  these  was  Joseph,  who  erected  a 
large  brick  house  on  the  Carpenter  tra6l,  and  there  lived. 
There  were  several  children  by  his  first  marriage,  all  of  whom 


11  Lib.  AAA,  382. 

12  Lib.  A,  08. 

13  Lib.  No.  3,  173. 


WILLIAM  COOPER.  93 

died  young,  excej^t  Mary  (and  she  before  her  father"),  who 
married  Jacob  Howell.  She  left  two  daughters,  Hannah,  who 
married  John  Wharton,  and  Mary,  who  married  Benjamin 
Swett  in  1762.  Joseph  Cooper,  in  his  will,  gave  a  tradl  of 
land,  situated  on  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  in  Water 
ford,  now  Delaware,  township,  to  these  children,  subjedl  to 
the  life  estate  of  his  second  wife,  Hannah,  which,  after  her 
death  in  1754,  was  divided  between  them.  This  tra6l  of  land, 
in  the  old  papers  called  the  "Wharton  tradl,"  many  years 
since  passed  out  of  the  family;  it  is  now  divided  into  several 
valuable  farms,  among  which  is  one  owned  by  the  widow  of 
Charles  H.  Shinn,  deceased;  and  on  it  stands  the  old  mansion, 
built  before  1728,  at  which  time  it  was  occupied  by  George 
Ervin,  a  tenant  of  Joseph  Cooper,  the  son  of  the  first  settler. 

Hannah  Dent,  the  second  wife  of  Joseph  Cooper,  whom  he 
married  in  1735  i"  Philadelphia,  was  a  minister  among  Friends, 
and  came  from  England  to  New  Jersey  in  1723.  The  memorial 
published  by  the  monthly  meeting  of  Haddonfield,  after  her 
death  in  1754,  shows  her  to  have  been  held  in  much  esteem 
by  that  religious  society.  There  were  no  children  by  this 
marriage. 

Joseph  Cooper  died  in  1749.'*  During  his  life  he  was  an 
adlive  business  man.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
this  State  for  nineteen  consecutive  years,  which  shows  that  he 
represented  the  people  of  Gloucester  county  in  a  manner  satis- 
fa(5lory  and  acceptable,  and,  although  more  than  one  hundred 
years  have  passed  away  since  that  time,  yet  no  like  confidence 
has  been  extended  to  any  representative  of  the  constituency 
of  this  region.  He  held  other  official  trusts  in  the  county, 
which  he  discharged  with  fidelity ;  and  he  seems  to  have  been 
universally  respected.  The  Haddonfield  Monthly  Meeting  also 
noticed  his  death,  and  left  on  record  evidence  of  the  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Society  of  Friends. 

Daniel  Cooper,  the  youngest  son  of  William,  came  to  New 
Jersey  when  about  seven  years  of  age.  There  was  no  portion 
of  his  life  of  which  his  recoUedlions  were  so  vivid  as  that 
occupied   in  coming   here.     Alive   to  every  objedt  about  him, 

14  Lib   No.  6,  274. 


94  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

in  the  novel  position  in  which  he  then  was,  he  could  never 
forget  them,  and  he  doubtless  in  after  years  could  enter  more 
into  the  details  of  the  voyage,  than  any  other  who  shared  it 
with  him. 

Without  a  regret,  he  looked  happily  forward,  and,  amid  ever 
changing  scenes,  did  not  share  the  sorrow  of  his  seniors  in 
parting  from  friends  and  home.  Of  an  age  to  attra6l  atten- 
tion, he  doubtless  made  the  acquaintance  of  all  on  board, 
ventured  into  every  part  of  the  ship,  and  was  soon  on  social 
terms  with  the  crew.  Their  odd  dress,  wonderful  sea  stories, 
and  quaint  ballads,  excited  his  childish  curiosity,  and  impressed 
upon  his  plastic  mind  things  there  to  remain  as  long  as  he 
should  live. 

Daniel  was  twice  married.  In  1693,  to  Abigail  Wood,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Hannah,  who  lived  near  by  his  father's 
place,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  Cooper's  creek.  At  that 
time  he  took  possession  of  the  Roydon  ferry,  previously  pur- 
chased by  his  father,  and  continued  the  same  under  the  license 
granted  to  Roydon  by  the  court  sitting  at  Gloucester. 

The  license,  as  granted,  is  a  curious  document,  but  it  embodies 
everything  necessary  to  be  said,  either  by  way  of  explanation 
or  for  the  exercise  of  authority  in  exacting  tolls.  No  better 
history  can  be  given  of  it  than  an  entire  copy  from  the  record. 

"Whereas,  at  a  court  held  at  Gloucester  upon  ye  first  day 
of  ye  first  month  in  ye  year  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  it  was  presented  to  ye  Bench  that  a  constant  and 
common  ferry  was  very  usefull  and  much  wanted  from  Jersey 
to  Philadelphia,  and  also  that  William  Roydon 's  house  was 
judged  a  place  convenient,  and  ye  said  William  Roydon  a 
person  suitable  for  that  employ ;  and  therefore  an  order  from 
ye  court  was  then  granted  for  ye  establishment  and  fixing  of 
ye  same.  Whereto  ye  bench  did  then  and  there  assent,  and 
refferred  to  ye  Grand  Jury  ye  methodizing  of  ye  same,  and 
to  fix  ye  rates  thereof,  which  was  by  them  agreed  and  con- 
cluded upon  as  hereunder  follows : 
"Therefore  we  permit  and  appoint  that  a  common  passage 

or  ferry  for  man  and  beast  be  provided,  fixed  and  settled  in 


WILLIAM  COOPER.  95 

some  convenient  and  proper  place  between  ye  mouths  or 
entrances  of  Cooper's  creek  and  Newton  creek,  and  that  ye 
government,  managing  and  keeping  of  ye  same  be  committed 
to  ye  said  William  Roydon  and  his  assigns,  who  are  hereby 
empowered  and  appointed  to  establish,  fix  and  settle  ye  same 
within  ye  limits  aforesaid,  wherein  all  other  persons  are  desired 
and  requested  to  keep  no  other  common  or  public  passage  or 
ferry. 

"And  ye  said  William  Roydon  shall  prepare  and  provide 
good  and  sufficient  boats,  with  other  conveniences  suitable  to 
ye  said  employ,  to  be  in  readiness  at  all  times  to  accommodate 
people's  a6lions,  and  shall  take  no  more  than  six  pence  per 
head  for  such  persons  that  shall  be  by  him  ferried  over  ye 
River,  and  not  more  than  twelve  pence  for  man  and  horse 
or  other  beast,  and  so  not  exceeding  twelve  pence  per  head 
for  any  sort  of  beast  so  ferried  over,  as  above  said:  except 
swine,  calves  and  sheep,  which  shall  pay  only  six  pence  per 
head  and  no  more.  . 

"Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  at  ye  Court  held  at 
Gloucester  for  ye  Jurisdiction  thereof,  this  ye  first  day  of 
ye  first  month,  in  ye  year  of  our  lord  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred eighty  and  eight. 

FrAncis  Collins,  Christopher  Watkins, 

Andrew  Robeson,  Samuel  Spicer. 

John  Wood, 
"Entered,  Examined  and  Recorded  this  24th  day  of  April, 
Ano  1689, 

per  me,  John  Reading,  Recorder."'* 

The  accommodations  at  this  ferry  were  nothing  more  than 
open  boats  fitted  with  oars,  and  occasionally  with  sails,  which 
occupied  much  time  in  crossing,  to  say  nothing  of  danger  and 
exposure  to  passengers.  A  few  trips  each  day  were  all  that 
could  be  made  in  fair  weather,  and  during  a  storm  communi- 
cation ceased  altogether.  Abigail  Cooper,  the  wife  of  Daniel, 
died  in  a  short  time  after  their  marriage,  and  without  children, 
for,  in  1695,  he  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Esther 

15  Lib.  Gi,  no. 


96  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Spicer,  who  also  lived  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's  creek 
near  Pyne  Point.  On  the  6th  day  of  the  second  month,  1695, 
William  Cooper  conveyed  to  Daniel,  the  ferry,  with  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  acres  of  land  attached,  and  by  the  same  deed 
other  real  estate  in  Gloucester  county.^®  Daniel  and  Sarah 
Cooper's    children   were   three   sons, — William,    who   married 

Mary  Rawle,   of   Philadelphia;  Samuel  S.,  who  married  

,  and  Daniel,  who  married . 

Daniel  Cooper  died  intestate,  in  1715."  The  appraisement 
of  his  personal  property  amounted  to  four  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  including  two  ferry  boats,  showing  that  he  resided 
at,  and  kept  the  ferry  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  His  real 
estate  was  large,  and  he  was,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
men  of  his  day.  In  1730,  William  Cooper,  the  son  of  Daniel, 
petitioned  Lord  Cornbury,  then  Governor,  for  a  license  to 
keep  a  ferry  ' '  where  one  had  been  kept  for  more  than  forty 
years;"  which  license  was  granted,  "with  the  exclusive  right 
of  ferry  for  two  miles  above,  and  two  miles  below,  so  long  as 
lie  accommodated  the  people,  upon  the  payment  of  one  shill- 
ing yearly  on  the  fast  day  of  St.  Michael  the  Archangel."'^ 
This  charter  was  certainly  a  liberal  one,  extending  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  present  city  of  Camden,  without  any  time 
fixed  for  its  termination,  and  with  a  tax  that,  by  the  face 
of  the  document,  was  to  be  but  nominal.  It  was  a  monopoly 
so  far  as  regarded  these  privileges,  within  the  distance  named, 
but  in  after  time  it  became  modified,  and  finally  was  abandoned. 
The  exa6l  position  of  this  ferry  upon  the  river  front  is  not 
now  known ;  it  was  probably  between  Cooper  street  and  Market 
street,  as  Royden's  survey  extended  but  a  short  distance  above 
the  first  named  street. 

The  amount  of  business  done  at  this  river  crossing  may  be 
inferred  from  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  this  region  in  those 
days.  The  census  of  Gloucester  county,  taken  in  1737,  shows 
a  population  of  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven, 
including  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  slaves.^®  A  large  pro- 
portion of  these  lived  near  some  navigable  stream,  depending 


i6  Lib.  A,  39.  18  Lib.  AAA,  249. 

17  Gloucester  Files.  19  Lib.  GH,  i. 


WILLIAM  CO  OPER.  9  7 

upon  boats  as  a  means  of  travel ;  and,  in  going  to  Philadelphia, 
they  would  use  their  own  transportation  and  not  cross  either  at 
Gloucester  or  Cooper's  ferry.  Also  it  has  been  seen  that,  in 
1 715,  Daniel  Cooper  had  but  two  ferry  boats,  no  doubt  of  ordi- 
nary size  and  without  capacity  for  carrying  many  people ;  which 
kind  of  evidence  goes  very  far  to  prove  that  the  means,  though 
scanty,  were  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  the  public. 

Daniel,  the  youngest  son  of  Daniel,  in  1728,  settled  near 
the  head  of  the  north  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  on  the  farm 
lately  owned  by  William  Hooten,  deceased.  He  was  a  farmer, 
but  was  sometimes  called  a  drover.  This  latter  occupation  was 
only  occasionally  indulged  in,  to  procure  cattle  from  along  the 
sea  shore  for  himself  and  neighbors.  These  were  bred  upon 
the  meadows,  and  in  the  endless  forests  abounding  there  in 
those  days.  Wild  and  nearly  unmanageable,  it  required  much 
ta6l,  patience   and  woodcraft  to  control  them. 

The  first  William  Cooper  deceased  in  1710,  leaving  a  will, 
in  which  he  named  his  children  and  disposed  of  the  remainder 
of  his  property.^"  His  personal  estate  amounted  to  upwards  of 
seven  hundred  pounds  sterling, — a  large  sum  for  the  times,  but 
of  small  account  in  these  days  of  wealth  and  pretension. 
Under  the  residuary  clause  of  his  will,  parts  of  the  estate 
passed  to  his  grandchildren,  who,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  were 
John  Cooper,  Hannah  Mickle,  Mary  Thackara,  Joseph  Cooper, 
Benjamin  Cooper,  Isaac  Cooper,  Lydia  Cox,  Hannah  Thackara, 
Sarah  Raper,  Samuel  Cooper,  Daniel  Cooper,  Jonathan  Wool- 
stan,  Samuel  Woolstan,  Mary  Bunting,  Sarah  Borton,  Elizabeth 
Wills,  William  Cooper,  Rebecca  Smith,  Hannah  Nicholson,  and 
Elizabeth  Mickle. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  William  Cooper  was  an 
eminent  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  participated  in 
everything  that  went  to  the  advancement  and  stability  of  the 
church  whose  tenets  he  had  espoused.  He  was  a  preacher 
among  them,  and  lived  at  a  time  when  the  expounders  of  such 
do6lrines  were  especially  obnoxious  to  the  mass  of  the  people 
of  Great  Britain;  he,  therefore,  like  others,  suffered  much 
thereby ;    but,  before  his  death,  he  saw  the   success   of   these 


20  Lib.  No.  I,  260. 

7 


98  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

do(5lrines  and  their  free  development  in  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. He  had  much  to  do  with  the  political  management  of 
the  colony,  being  a  member  of  the  first  Legislature  that  sat 
for  the  framing  of  laws.  This  was  a  work  of  great  labor, 
but,  in  the  end,  it  showed  good  judgment  and  pra6lical  com- 
mon sense. 

Adopting  the  statutes  of  England  as  the  basis,  they  made 
the  new  features  of  their  system  conform  thereto,  so  far  as 
was  consistent  with  the  rights  of  the  settlers.  Inducements 
were  held  out  for  emigration,  and  the  system  of  jurisprudence 
made  as  liberal  as  possible  to  accomplish  that  end.  Through 
the  several  sittings  of  this  session  William  Cooper  was  present, 
and  participated,  no  doubt,  discharging  his  duties  acceptably. 
He  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  divide  land, 
and  also  one  of  the  committee  to  devise  means  for  raising 
money  for  the  use  of  the  colony.  The  next  year  he  was  con- 
tinued a  member.  In  1684,  when  the  trouble  with  Edward 
Byllynge  in  regard  to  the  government  was  taken  up,  and  Samuel 
Jennings  and  Thomas  Budd  sent  to  England  as  commissioners 
therefor,-^  the  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds  was  allowed  to  each 
for  expenses ;  and  to  William  Penn  was  to  be  paid  a  like  sum  for 
services  in  the  same  matter.  To  assure  the  payment  of  these 
several  sums,  William  Cooper,  with  nine  others,  joined  in  a 
bond  as  security  therefor. 

In  1685,  he  was  again  returned  as  a  member  of  the  Leg- 
islature, and  also  continued  commissioner  for  the  division  of 
land.  In  1696,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
several  courts  of  the  county  of  Gloucester ;  he  also  filled  many 
other  minor  appointments  in  a  township  capacity. 

The  remaining  part  of  his  original  survey,  being  a  small  tradl 
of  land  fronting  on  Cooper's  creek  and  adjoining  William  Roy- 
don's  survey,  William  Cooper  conveyed  to  two  of  his  grand- 
sons, John  Cooper,  son  of  William,  and  Joseph  Cooper,  son  of 
Joseph  ;^'^  this  was  the  last  of  the  real  estate  held  by  him  in 
Newton  township.  He  had  made  other  surveys  in  different 
parts  of  Gloucester  county,  some  of  which  he  conveyed,  and 
some  passed  by  his  will. 


21  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

22  Lib.  A,  28. 


WILLIAM  COOPER.  99 

Parts  of  this  real  estate,  particularly  those  within  the  city 
of  Camden,  still  remain  in  the  family,  and  have  followed  the 
blood  of  the  first  owner,  under  the  proprietors,  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  for  nearly  two  hundred  years. 

This  is  remarkable  where  the  laws  regulating  the  descent  of 
real  property  are  so  liberal,  and  where  the  third  generation 
seldom  hold  the  land  of  their  ancestors.  Ability  to  possess, 
and  a  desire  to  perpetuate,  family  estates,  are  commendable 
traits ;  they  deserve  emulation  and  should  become  to  a  greater 
extent  charadleristics  of  Americans.  Yet,  in  our  haste  to  get 
gain,  all  things  else  become  secondary,  and  the  exceptions  are 
among  those  who  are  not  willing  to  venture  the  paternal  acres 
in  fortune's  lottery. 


WILLIAM   ALBERTSON. 


THE  name  of  Albertson,  or  Albertsen,  as  it  is  sometimes 
written,  may  be  found  among  those  of  the  earliest  Dutch 
emigrants  to  New  Amsterdam,  who  came  here  to  barter  with 
the  natives  for  furs  and  the  few  other  commodities  which  they 
had  among  them  for  trade. ^  As  early  as  in  1650,  the  records  of 
births  and  baptisms  in  New  York,  indicate  that  Albert  Albertson 
had  a  child  baptized  in  the  church  of  that  place,  and  that 
others  of  this  name  had  the  same  rite  administered  to  their 
offspring.  Other  records  of  that  date  show  this  family  to  have 
had  several  representatives  in  the  colony,  some  of  whom  were 
men  of  considerable  estate  and  influence. 

At  this  period  a  few  small  dwellings  of  the  humblest  char- 
a6ler  stood  close  around  the  fort  at  the  outlet  of  Hudson  river, 
where  the  Hollanders  had  a  small  garrison  for  prote6lion  against 
the  natives,  and  where  also  were  collected  the  articles  of  exchange 
that  made  the  little  commercial  trade  about  that  spot. 

It  was  at  the  time  when  each  Dutchman  had  his  farm  or 
bowery,  somewhere  within  the  busiest  part  of  the  present  city 
of  New  York,  and  drove  his  cow  to  pasture  along  the  tortuous 
paths  leading  to  his  lot ;  some  of  which  same  paths  are  now 
among  the  most  crowded  thoroughfares  of  the  metropolis  of 
America.  It  was  in  the  good  old  times  of  sour-krout  and  wild 
tobacco,  when  a  promising  cabbage  patch  and  a  small  quantity 
of  smoked  herring,   rendered   each   inhabitant  happy  for  the 


I  Manual  of  Common  Council,  N.  Y.,  740,  Library  N.  Y.  His.  Soc. 


I02  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

coming  year  at  least ;  and  these  were  the  days  when  the  ances- 
tors of  the  Knickerbockers  sought  the  Battery  to  enjoy  a  quiet 
smoke,  and  to  listen  to  the  merriment  of  the  negroes  at 
Communipaw. 

As  the  town  enlarged,  the  family  in  question  also  increased, 
and  their  names  may  be  found  in  various  relations  as  time  went 
on.  True  to  their  native  blood,  litigations  and  difficulties  grew 
out  of  their  stubbornness;  and  the  court  minutes  show  how 
tenaciously  any  supposable  right  was  adhered  to,  and  how  often 
these  troubles  ended  in  a  law-suit.  The  Dutch  settlements 
upon  the  Delaware  would  naturally  be  the  cause  of  more  or  less 
intercourse  with  those  upon  the  Hudson  river  ;  and  persons  and 
families  can  be  traced  from  the  one  to  the  other,  they,  doubt- 
less, changing  their  abodes  to  improve  their  condition  and 
advance  their  estate. 

In  1656,  Hans  Albertson  purchased  a  patent  for  a  tra6l  of 
land  at  Fort  Casimir,  on  South  (Delaware)  river,  whereon  he 
settled.^  In  1672,  Derick  Albertson  had  built  a  mill  near  the 
same  river,  one-half  of  which  was  claimed  by  William  Toms. 
This  claim  had  to  be  settled  by  a  suit  at  law.^  This  was  pre- 
vious to  the  establishment  of  any  court  on  South  river,  and, 
as  a  consequence,  the  parties  were  forced  to  appear  before  their 
High  Mightinesses  at  New  York,  taking  thereto  all  their  wit- 
nesses and  proofs  at  much  expense,  a  practice  yet  chara(5ler- 
istic  to  the  last  degree.  By  this  it  may  be  seen  that  members 
of  this  family  found  their  way  to  the  colony  on  South  river,  and 
made  permanent  settlements ;  yet  there  can  be  no  question  of 
their  nativity,  or  of  their  arrival  on  the  shores  of  America. 

In  the  progress  of  events  William  Penn  became  the  owner 
of  the  territory  of  Pennsylvania,  which  included  all  the  Dutch 
and  Swedish  settlements  on  the  west  side  of  the  Delaware  river. 
The  do6lrine  of  ethics,  laid  down  by  him  as  the  basis  of  his 
government,  destroyed  very  much  of  the  litigious  element  that 
formerly  existed,  and  produced  a  new  state  of  things  among 
the  inhabitants.  Quarrels  and  disputes  that  previously  had 
ended  in  court,  were  now  disposed  of  in  a  manner  much  less 
conspicuous,  and  more  satisfa6lory  to  those  interested. 

2  Dutch  Manuscripts,  383. 

3  Dutch  Manuscripts,  350,  Library  N.  Y.  His.  Soc. 


WILLIAM  ALBERTSON.  103 

Differences  of  opinion  that  often  led  to  estrangements  between 
families  and  among  neighbors,  were  settled  within  the  quiet 
precincts  of  the  church,  where  the  outside  world  was  prevented 
from  meddling,  and  where  good  advice  and  restraining  influ- 
ence prevailed. 

Gradual,  yet  positive  and  well  defined,  was  the  progress  of 
the  teachings  of  Quakerism  among  the  older  settlers ;  and 
its  footsteps  may  be  discovered  from  time  to  time,  until  the 
new  dispensation  pervaded  the  communities  within  its  bounds, 
and  but  slight  traces  of  the  old  order  of  things  could  be  seen. 

On  May  2d,  1682,  William  Albertson  located  a  tra6l  of  land  in 
Newton  township,  between  the  south  and  the  middle  branch  of 
the  creek  that  bears  that  name,  and  settled  thereon.*"^  It  does 
not  appear  whence  he  came,  but  the  probability  is  that  he 
was  of  Dutch  extradlion,  as  before  named,  and  that  his 
parents  were  among  the  Hollanders  of  New  York.  The  house 
which  he  built — no  doubt,  a  small  one — stood  by  the  middle 
branch,  and  nearly  fronting  the  little  settlement  called  Newton ; 
but  in  a  few  years  it  entirely  disappeared.  He  was  a  mar- 
ried man  with  a  family  when  he  came  there ;  shortly  after  he 
removed  to  Byberry,  Pennsylvania,  and  gave  the  possession 
of  the  estate  to  his  son  William.  This  occurred  before  1692, 
for,  in  that  year,  he  purchased  a  tradl  of  land  in  the  town  bounds 
of  Gloucester,  the  deed  for  which  names  him  as  then  a  resident 
of  the  place  above  mentioned.*' 

Upon  the  setting  apart  of  a  lot  of  land  at  Newton  whereon 
to  build  a  meeting  house,  he  was  one  of  the  persons  who 
accepted  the  trust  therefor,  and  no  doubt  took  an  a6live  part 
in  the  ere6lion  of  that  place  of  worship.^  This  trust  was 
continued  until  1708,  when  other  and  younger  men  were  called 
to  occupy  the  same  position. 

He  made  several  locations  and  purchases  of  land,  while  a 
resident  here ;  but  his  removal  so  soon  from  this  neighborhood 
leaves  but  little  of  his  history  among  us,  yet,  so  far  as  his 
record  goes,  he  was  a  person  much  respected  in  his  day  and 
generation.     In    1685,  he  was   returned   as   a   member  of  the 


4  Lib.  T,  355,  O.  S.  G.  6  Lib.  S6,  405,  O.  S.  G. 

5  Lib.  G3,  141.  7  Sharp's  Book,  50,  O.  S.  G. 


I04  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Colonial   Legislature ;    he   also   held   other   minor   county  and 
township  offices  during  his  settlement  here.** 

His  children  were  William,  who  married  Esther  Willis, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary,  of  Westberry,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y.,  in  1695;^  Abraham,  who  married  Hannah  Medcalf;" 
Rebecca,  who  married  Joseph  Satterthwaite;  Ann,  who  mar- 
ried Walter  Forrest "  and  John  Kaighn  ;  Cassandra,  who  mar- 
ried Jarvis  Stockdale;    Benjamin,  who  married ; 

and  Josiah,  who  married  Ann  Austin  of  Evesham,  Burlington 
county,  N.  J. 

At  the  time  of  his  decease,  he  resided  at  Poquesin,  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  owned  grain  and  saw  mills, 
and  considerable  other  property.  He  died  soon  after  the 
execution  of  his  will  (1709),  survived  by  his  widow  Hannah, 
and  by  all  his  children  except  Ann.^^ 

To  his  son  William,  in  the  year  1698,  he  deeded  the  home- 
stead property,  whereon  he  remained  until  his  decease  in  1720.^^ 
This  was  a  valuable  estate,  and  he  improved  it  by  enlarging  and 
banking  the  meadow  attached  to  the  property,  which,  at  that 
time,  was  the  only  soil  from  which  hay  and  pasture  were  derived. 
The  artificial  grasses  now  used  upon  the  upland,  had  not  then 
attracfled  the  attention  of  agriculturists,  for  which  reason  the 
meadow  and  marsh  lands  along  the  streams  commanded  much 
the  higher  price,  and  were  considered  as  a  necessary  appendage 
to  every  farm.  The  meadow  land  on  each  of  the  branches  of 
Newton  creek,  was,  no  doubt,  the  attraction  that  brought  the 
settlers  first  to  this  place,  and  was,  in  fa6l,  the  only  means  they 
had  for  sustaining  their  cattle. 

To  avoid  expense  and  to  secure  the  land  from  the  overflow 
of  the  tide,  William  Albertson  placed  a  dam  across  the  south 
branch,  and  reclaimed  much  of  the  marsh  above  the  same. 
In  this  dam  there  were  tide  gates,  the  construction  and  utility 
of  which  need  not  be  explained  here."  These  were  kept  in 
use  until  the  dyke  was  put  across  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  at 
the  river,  in   1786,  when  all  the  improvements  on  the  several 


8  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws.  ii  Lib.  No.  6,  Salem  Records,  32. 

9  Friends'  Records,  Long  Island.  12  Philadelphia  Records.     Lib.  M,  75,  O.  S.  G. 
10  License  Book,  25,     Lib.  No.  7,  Salem  13  Lib.  A,  104.     Lib.  G3,  139.    Lib.  No^  2,  139. 

Records,  156.  14  Albertson  Papers. 


WILLIAM  ALBERTSON.  105 

tributaries  of  the  same  were  abandoned.  The  utility  of  this 
manner  of  making  meadow,  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  is  very 
questionable ;  the  miasma  arising  from  the  stagnant  water  and 
from  exposed  vegetable  matter,  incident  to  the  system,  is  una- 
voidable ;  it  spreads  disease  through  the  entire  neighborhood, 
and  very  much  lessens  the  value  of  property  within  its  baneful 
influence. 

The  owner  ere61;ed  a  substantial  brick  house,  which,  at  the 
time  it  was  built,  ranked  among  the  best  in  this  se6lion  ;  but, 
when  compared  with  the  present  system  of  archite6lure,  it 
appears  insignificant  enough.  This  house  still  stands,  and 
shows  at  a  glance  the  many  years  that  have  passed  away 
since  its  ere6lion. 

In  front  of  and  at  a  short  distance  from  it,  may  be  seen  the 
ditch  and  bank  that  surrounded  the  park  for  deer,  which  cov- 
ered many  acres  of  land  and  extended  to  the  south  branch 
of  the  creek.  On  the  bank  stood  a  high  and  substantial  fence, 
that  effe6tually  prevented  the  game  from  escaping  when  once 
within  its  bounds;  and  there  the  owner  and  his  invited  friends 
could  find  excellent  sport  at  any  season  of  the  year. 

Conne6led  also  with  the  place  was  a  race  course,  where  the 
speed  of  the  pretentious  horses  in  the  neighborhood  could  be 
tested,  and  where,  doubtless,  the  conceit  was  often  taken  out 
of  various  owners  and  backers,  who  resorted  thither  to  fleece 
a  jockey  disguised  as  a  greenhorn. 

All  these  prove  not  only  that  the  owner  was  a  man  of  wealth, 
but  also  that,  in  its  enjoyment,  the  drift  of  his  inclination 
brought  around  him  a  class  of  associates  that  had  similar  tastes. 

William  Albertson  was  an  adlive  man  in  the  affairs  of  the 
colony,  and,  besides  holding  other  positions  of  public  trust,  was 
returned  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly  in  1685.'^  He  was  for 
several  years  a  member  of  the  council  of  proprietors,  and  at 
a  time  when  men  of  the  best  judgment  were  called  upon  to  adl 
in  that  capacity. "*  In  the  affairs  of  the  township  his  name 
is  often  seen,  which  shows  that  he  looked  after  the  interests 
of  his  neighbors  as  well  as  the  enjoyments  of  his  own  estate. 


15  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

16  Minutes  of  Council,  O.  S.  G. 


io6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

He  died  in  1720,  leaving  a  widow  and  the  following  named 
children :  John  ;  Abraham,  who  married  Sarah  Dennis ;  Wil- 
liam, Jane,  Mary  and  Esther." 

Part  of  this  estate  descended  under  the  name  of  William 
Albertson  through  four  generations  to  a  daughter  Sarah,  the  only 
child  of  the  last  William,  who  married  David  Henry,  in  whose 
name  a  portion  of  the  same  still  remains ;  thus  continuing  part 
of  the .  original  property  in  the  line  of  blood  for  nearly  two 
hundred  years;  one  of  the  rare  occurrences  of  lineal  inher- 
itance touching  landed  property  in  New  Jersey.^* 

Abraham  settled  on  the  traft  of  land  which  his  father  pur- 
chased of  Andrew  Robeson  in  1692,  situated  in  the  town 
bounds  of  Gloucester  and  on  the  south  branch  of  Newton 
creek,  which  his  father  conveyed  to  him  in    1698.^' 

He  died  in  1739,  leaving  the  following  named  family:'^" 
Isaac;  Jacob,  who  married  Patience  Chew;  Abraham,  who 
deceased  without  children ;  Ephraim,  who  married  Kesiah 
Chew;  Joseph,  who  married  Rose  Hampton;  Aaron,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Albertson ;  Levi,  who  married  Kesiah  Rob- 
erts ;  Jonathan ;  Rebecca,  who  married ;  Beverly, 

and ,  who  married  Richard  Chew.'^ 

The  estate,  as  held  by  the  father  in  1757,  belonged  to  four 
of  the  sons,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Isaac  and  Ephraim,  among  whose 
descendants  parts  of  it  were  held  for  many  years,  but  at  this 
writing  it  has  passed  out  of  the  name  and  blood. 

Of  Rebecca,  who  married  Joseph  Satterthwaite,  nothing 
is  known  ;  as  families  after  two  or  three  generations  are  apt 
to  forget  the  maiden  name  of  their  maternal  ancestors,  and  it 
is  probable  that  all  traces  of  her  as  the  daughter  of  William 
Albertson  have  been  lost. 

Ann,  the  wife  of  Walter  Forrest,  settled  with  her  husband 
in  Salem  county  as  early  as  in  1686.  They  were  married  at 
Newton  meeting,  according  to  the  order  of  Friends,  to  which 
they  adhered  as  long  as  they  lived.  Her  husband,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  brothers  Francis  and  John,  purchased  a  large 
tradl   of   land    in    that  county,  in   1678,  on   Salem   creek,   of 


17  Lib.  No.  2,  139.  20  Lib.  No.  5,  136. 

18  Lib.  T,  355,  O.  S.  G.  21  Family  Papers. 

19  Sharp's  Book,    Lib.  S6,  405,  O.  S.  G. 


WILLIAM  ALBERTSON.  107 

John  Fenwick,  and  there  they  erected  a  corn  mill,  called  the 
"Brothers'  Forrest,"  perhaps  the  first  of  the  kind  in  Fenwick 
colon y.^^  In  the  same  year,  they  purchased  other  lands  of  John 
Fenwick,  and  afterwards  became  the  owners  of  adjoining  trails. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  purchase  they  were  residents  of  Bur- 
lington, and  doubtless  came  over  among  the  first  emigrants. 
When  Walter  Forrest  died  in  1692,  he  was  a  resident  of 
Byberry,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had  some  estate. ^^  There 
was  no  issue  by  this  marriage.^*.  About  two  years  after  his 
death  the  widow  married  John  Kaighn,  who  was  a  carpenter 
and  resided  at  Byberry,  where  it  may  be  supposed  the  marriage 
took  place. ^^  They  soon  after  removed  to  Newton  township, 
and  settled  on  a  tra6l  of  land  which  he  had  purchased  of 
Robert  Turner,  fronting  on  the  Delaware  river. ^®  At  this 
place  she  died,  leaving  one  child,  Ann,  who  died  in  1715, 
unmarried,  thus  ending  this  branch  of  the  family  in  the  second 
generation." 

By  the  will  of  his  father,  dated  December  17th,  1709, 
recorded  in  Pennsylvania,  Josiah  Albertson  received  a  tra6l 
of  land  in  Gloucester  township,  bounded  on  the  south  side  by 
Otter  branch,  and  thereon  he  settled  and  cleared  a  farm.'** 
In  1727,  he  married  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Francis  Austin,  of 
Evesham,  Burlington  county,  N.  J.  Her  father  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  that  neighborhood  \  and  many  of  this  name 
are  still  to  be  found  thereabout.  There  the  first  habitation  of 
Josiah  and  Ann  was  built,  on  the  land  given  him  by  his  father, 
at  a  short  distance  south  of  the  old  Salem  road,  where  he 
both  plied  his  calling  of  shoemaker,  and  at  the  same  time 
removed  the  timber  from  the  soil. 

He  enlarged  the  breadth  of  his  acres  by  purchase  and  loca- 
tion until  his  possessions  were  double  those  left  him  by  his 
father.  In  1743,  he  built  a  large  and  substantial  brick  house, 
perhaps  on  the  site  of  his  log  cabin  ;  part  of  which  is  now 
standing  and  is  occupied  by  his  lineal  descendant,  Chalkley 
Albertson,   who  owns   much   of   the  original   estate.     Whether 


22  Lib.  B,  16.     Salem  Deeds.  26  Lib.  G3,  127. 

23  Salem  Wills,  A,  69.  27  Lib.  No.  2,  162. 

24  Salem  Wills,  No.  5,  98.  28  Lib.  Mi,  75,  O.  S.  G. 

25  Salem  Deeds,  No.  6,  32. 


io8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Josiah  continued  his  business  of  making  shoes,  tradition  does 
not  reveal,  but  the  chances  are  that  liis  farming  interests 
and  lumber  operations  consumed  all  his  time,  and  that  the 
business  of  his  youth  was  soon  forgotten.'^'' 

The  children  of  Josiah  and  Ann  Albertson  were  eight 
daughters  and  one  son ;  Hannah,  who  married  Jacob  Clement  3 
Mary;  Cassandra,  who  married  Jacob  Ellis  and  Jacob  Burrough ; 
Patience,  who  married  Isaac  Ballinger;  Elizabeth;  Josiah,  who 
married  Eleanor  Tomlinson  and  Judith  Boggs ;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Webster ;  Katurah,  who  married  Isaac  Townsend, 
and  Ann,  who  married  Ebenezer  Hopkins  and  Jacob  Jennings.^" 
These  daughters  were  remarkable  for  their  healthy  look  and 
comely  appearance.  In  their  attendance  at  meeting,  they  rode 
on  horseback,  presenting  quite  a  cavalcade  when  several  were 
together. 

Their  attra6live  appearance  abroad  and  substantial  qualities 
at  home,  made  them  desirable  wives  for  those  of  the  same 
religious  denomination  in  search  of  such,  and  the  records  show 
that  such  qualifications  were  understood  and  appreciated ;  none 
of  those  that  arrived  at  suitable  age  were  left  as  "single  sisters." 

In  the  collateral  branches  of  this  part  of  the  Albertsons, 
it  may  be  seen  how  many  families  can  trace  their  lineage  to 
them;  and  how  widely  spread  may  become  the  conne6lions 
of  a  particular  stock,  when  the  families  are  numerous  and 
change  their  names,  localities  and  associations. 


29  Lib.  T,  310,  O.  S.  G. 

30  Family  Papers, 


ELIZABETH    ESTAUGH. 


THE  life  and  chara6ler  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh  are  especially 
interesting  to  every  resident  of  Newton  township  and  its 
neighborhood,  since  her  name  and  example  will  always  com- 
mand the  respe6l  and  admiration  of  any  one  at  all  familiar  with 
her  history.  Although  only  the  collateral  ancestor  of  a  large 
family  in  this  region,  yet  her  name  in  this  connection  is  always 
spoken  of  with  commendable  pride  and  deserving  reverence. 

The  passing  away  of  one  generation  after  another  has  not 
blunted  the  interest  felt  in  her  good  deeds,  nor  has  the  lapse 
of  time  obliterated  the  traditions  handed  down  from  parent 
to  child.  One  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  not  destroyed 
the  attractions  that  surround  the  romance  of  her  early  life, 
and  no  mention  can  be  made  of  the  history  of  this  neighbor- 
hood, that  is  not  conne6led  with  the  a(5ls  and  associations  of 
Elizabeth  Estaugh. 

She  came  to  New  Jersey  a  young,  unsophisticated  girl, 
comparatively  alone.  Fresh  from  the  care  of  solicitous  and 
affectionate  parents,  she  left  a  home  in  which  she  had  been 
surrounded  by  friends  and  by  all  that  rendered  life  attractive, 
to  cast  her  lot  in  the  midst  of  an  unbroken  forest,  at  some  dis- 
tance from  her  nearest  neighbors — a  stranger  in  a  strange  land. 

Whatever  may  have  been  her  youthful  fancy  of  a  life  in  the 
wilds  of  America,  separated  from  her  parents  and  friends,  the 
realities  of  her  situation  must  have  occasionally  pressed  heavily 
upon  her  spirits,  and  caused  her  almost  to  regret  the  strange 


no  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  responsible  position  which  she  had  assumed.  Perhaps  at  no 
period  of  her  eventful  life,  did  the  leading  traits  of  her  char- 
acter appear  to  a  better  advantage  than  thus  early  in  her  career. 

Self  reliance  and  decision  of  purpose,  based  upon  conscien- 
tious motives,  were  here  developed,  and  these  in  the  hour  of 
trial  did  not  desert  her. 

She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Haddon,  a  Friend,  who  lived  in 
Rotherhithe,  in  the  parish  of  St.  George,  borough  of  South- 
wark,  county  of  Surrey,  England,  then  a  suburb  of  the  city 
of  London,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  Thames.^ 

The  long  crooked  street  of  Rotherhithe,  lying,  as  it  does, 
near  to  and  parallel  with  the  river,  remains  to  this  day  the 
same  narrow  thoroughfare  as  when  John  Haddon  resided  there. 

The  old  Horslydown  meeting  near  by,  where  Friends  assem- 
bled for  worship,  has  long  been  abandoned,  and  it  is  now  used 
as  a  carpenter's  shop.  The  Southwark  meeting  house  has  also 
given  way  to  modern  improvements,  and  the  ground  where 
once  lay  the  remains  of  deceased  members,  is  now  occupied 
by  the  foundation  of  a  railroad  bridge,  leaving  no  vestige  of 
this  place,  of  so  much  interest  to  such  as  care  to  visit  the 
homes  of  their  ancestors. 

John  Haddon  was  a  blacksmith,  extending  his  business  to 
the  making  of  anchors,  and  had  his  shop  between  the  street 
before  named  and  the  river. ^ 

Diligence  and  economy  produced  their  legitimate  ends,  and, 
in  the  course  of  time,  brought  to  him  a  large  estate,  which  he 
used  with  discretion  during  life,  and  disposed  of  judiciously  at 
the  time  of  his  decease. 

The  ancestry  of  this  man  may  possibly  be  traced  to  the 
manor  of  Haddon  in  Derbyshire,  now  part  of  the  estate  of 
the  Duke  of  Rutland. 

The  old  baronial  mansion  of  Haddon  Hall  is  still  standing, 
and  is  one  of  the  points  of  interest  to  be  visited  by  tourists. 
Although  abandoned  as  a  residence  by  the  owner,  yet  every- 
thing remains  as  used  and  occupied  many  centuries  since.  As 
its  name  indicates,  it  was,  perhaps,  the  seat  of  the  Haddon 


1  Lib.  AAA,  6i,  245.     Lib.  A,  203.     Lib.  D,  413,  419. 

2  Lib.  G3,  458,  O-  S.  G.    Sharp's  Book.  43,  O.  S  G. 


ELIZABETH  EST  A  UGH.  iii 

family  before  the  conquest;  but,  in  the  arbitrary  distribution 
of  territory  by  William,  this  estate  was  given  to  his  son,  and 
the  original  owners  were  driven  from  the  soil,  or  degraded  by 
their  Norman  rulers. 

John  Haddon  lived  in  the  times  of  the  persecution  of  Friends, 
and  suffered,  in  common  with  others  of  like  persuasion,  from  the 
tyranny  and  oppression  of  those  in  authority.^ 

His  children  were  born  during  this  abuse  of  power.  They 
heard  and,  perhaps,  saw  much  of  the  distress  that  was  brought 
upon  their  friends,  and  had  impressed  upon  their  youthful 
minds  the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  parents,  which  early 
impressions  no  doubt  adhered  to  them  through  life.  Whatever 
of  forbearance  and  forgiveness  may  have  been  instilled  into 
their  riper  opinions  and  judgment  by  the  teachings  of  a  true 
religion,  the  remembrance  of  these  wrongs  done  to  an  unof- 
fending and  law-abiding  people  could  never  be  obliterated. 

He  was  not  among  the  first  that  became  interested  in  the 
lands  of  West  New  Jersey,  but  no  doubt  knew  of,  and  perhaps 
participated  in,  the  advancement  of  the  little  colony,  hoping 
that  it  might  prove  to  be  an  asylum  for  those  of  like  opinions 
who  were,  at  home,  borne  down  by  the  fanaticism  of  others. 

Although  the  plan  of  settlement  was  novel,  and  the  system 
of  government  contained  elements  that  were  especially  attra6l- 
ive  to  this  class  of  professing  Christians,  yet  it  was  no  matter 
of  money  speculation  among  those  who  originated  it,  and  did 
not  in  the  end  accrue  very  much  to  their  pecuniary  advantage. 
The  inception  and  carrying  out  of  the  whole  plan  were  in  good 
faith,  and,  although  difficulties  subsequently  occurred,  yet  these 
were  from  no  fault  of  the  principles  adopted  by  the  Proprietors. 

The  success  of  the  scheme  in  its  various  phases  was  canvassed, 
on  many  occasions  at  the  home  of  John  Haddon,  by  those 
already  interested,  and  in  the  presence  of  his  children;  they 
thus  became  familiar  with  its  workings,  and  the  progress  which 
it  was  making  among  the  people.  Various  circulars  and  pamph- 
lets were  published,  and  letters  also  were  written  home  by  those 
already  emigrated,  which  attracted  much  attention;  and  the 
daughter  Elizabeth  could  not  have  been  indifferent  to  the  move- 
ments made  by  her  friends  in  that  diredlion. 


3  Besse's  Sufferings,  Vol.  i,  126,  485. 


112  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

He  does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  creditor  of  Edward 
Byllynge,  and,  like  many  others,  to  have  accepted  an  interest 
in  the  land  to  save  a  debt  likely  to  be  lost :  but  he  purchased 
of  Richard  Matthews  one-eighth  of  a  right  of  propriety  in  the 
year  1698,  some  twenty-four  years  after  the  acceptance  of  the 
trust  by  William  Penn  and  others  for  the  purpose  of  paying 
Byllynge's  debts.* 

John  Haddon  had  but  two  children,  Sarah,  who  married 
Benjamin  Hopkins,  a  wine  merchant  of  the  city  of  London, 
and  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  in  1682  and  married  John 
Estaugh.^ 

In  the  year  of  the  purchase  above  named,  another  was  made 
of  Thomas  Willis,  a  son  of  John  Willis,  of  a  tra(5l  of  land 
in  Newton  township,  bounded  on  the  north  side  by  Cooper's 
creek,  containing  about  five  hundred  acres  of  land."  In  view 
of  these  purchases,  John  Haddon  may  have  contemplated 
removing  to  New  Jersey  with  his  family  and  settling  among 
his  friends,  many  of  whom  had  already  preceded  him,  in- 
tending to  make  it  their  permanent  home.  There  was  some 
restraining  influence,  however,  that  prevented  the  carrying  out 
of  this  purpose,  which  cannot  be  explained,  except  that  the 
daughter  Sarah  was  already  married  and  settled  in  the  city 
of  her  birth,  whom  the  mother  was  not  willing  to  leave  behind, 
perchance  never  to  see  her  again.  If  intended,  the  idea  was 
abandoned  before  Elizabeth  left  her  home,  for  her  father  execu- 
ted to  her  a  power  of  attorney  to  become  his  agent  in  New 
Jersey  for  the  location,  purchase  and  sale  of  lands;  this  he 
would  not  have  done,  had  he  expe6led  to  come  here  in  person.'' 

In  1 701,  being  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  her  age,  Elizabeth 
Haddon  left  the  home  of  her  parents,  in  company  perhaps  with 
a  few  friends,  and  came  to  New  Jersey  to  occupy  and  look  after 
the  possessions  of  her  father.  In  this  adl  were  first  manifested 
that  courage  and  decision  of  charadler,  of  which  so  much  was 
seen  in  after  years.  At  that  age,  to  attempt  such  an  adventure 
showed  a  great  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the  parents,  and  much 
self-reliance  on  the  part  of  the  child.     In  man  nothing  is  so 


4  Lib.  G3,  458.  6  Lib.  A,  80. 

5  Lib.  No.  3,  58.  7  Lib.  G3,  347. 


ELIZABETH  ESTAUGH.  113 

much  admired  as  high-toned  moral  courage,  with  a  disinter- 
ested and  unselfish  purpose  to  accomplish ;  and  no  less  will  be 
accorded  to  this  young  female  who  assumed  responsibilities 
that  many  of  the  other  sex  would  avoid,  even  with  much 
greater  attra6lions  than  those  that  lay  before  her.  Perhaps 
a  motive,  as  yet  undeveloped,  may  have  had  something  to 
do  with  this  a6l,  a  motive  to  be  explained  by  what  occurred 
within  a  year  after  her  arrival  and  settlement  in  her  new  home. 

A  short  time  before  this  voyage  was  undertaken,  a  young  man 
of  much  talent — a  native  of  Kelvedon  in  Essex,  afterwards  a 
resident  of  Rotherhithe,  in  Surrey" — had  appeared  among  the 
Quakers  of  London,  and  attradled  considerable  notice  as  a 
public  speaker.  He  had  scarcely  arrived  at  man's  estate,  yet 
he  stood  an  accepted  minister  in  expounding  and  defending 
the  religious  belief  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

An  acquaintance  and  frequent  visitor  at  the  house  of  John 
Haddon,  an  intimacy  grew  up  between  himself  and  the  daugh- 
ter Elizabeth,  which  very  naturally  ripened  into  a  stronger 
feeling. 

This  young  man  was  John  Estaugh,  born  upon  the  second 
month  23d  day,  1676,  at  Kelvedon,  a  small  town  about  fifty 
miles  northeast  of  London.  He  became  convinced  of  Friends' 
principles  by  hearing  Francis  Stamper  of  London  preach  at 
the  funeral  of  a  neighbor;  and  he  appeared  in  the  ministry 
when  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Cogshall  Quarterly  Meeting,  in  the  county  of  his  birth. 

He  received  a  minute  from  that  meeting,  dated  seventh 
month  28th,  1700,  allowing  him  to  go  to  America  on  a 
religious  visit.  He  was  accompanied  by  John  Richardson, 
and  arrived  in  the  river  Patuxent,  Maryland,  in  the  first 
month   of    the   following   year. 

They  travelled  in  Virginia  together,  visiting  many  meetings, 
and  returned  through  Pennsylvania  to  Philadelphia.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  John  Estaugh  first  met  Elizabeth  Haddon 
after  her  arrival,  while  she  remained  among  her  friends,  and 
before  she  took  up  her  abode  on  the  estate  of  her  father  in 
New  Jersey.     Perchance  a  mutual  pleasure  was  manifested  when 

8  Lib.  A,  03. 


114  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

they  met,  that  betrayed  a  latent  feeling  common  to  both ;  and, 
although  taught  from  childhood  to  avoid  expressions  of  joy 
or  grief,  yet,  upon  an  occasion  like  this,  such  expressions 
were  pardonable  in  those  whose  hopes  so  closely  and  warmly 
sympathized. 

While  in  Philadelphia,  on  this  occasion,  John  Estaugh 
thought  it  his  duty  to  go  back  to  Virginia,  "not  feeling  his 
mind  clear  of  that  province." 

Some  doubts  existed  in  the  minds  of  John  Richardson  and 
John  Estaugh,  as  to  the  propriety  of  separating,  and  several 
of  the  elders  were  convened  and  made  acquainted  with  their 
prospe6ls  in  this  regard,  and,  after  proper  deliberation,  the 
wishes  of  John  Estaugh  were  granted.  He  therefore  separ- 
ated from  John  Richardson,  and  spent  considerable  time  in 
Virginia,  preaching  among  the  people  scattered  through  those 
"wilderness  countries." 

In  the  meantime,  Elizabeth  Haddon  was  making  preparations 
to  occupy  her  new  home:  and  the  appearance  among  them 
of  so  young  a  female,  who  had  crossed  the  ocean  without 
her  parents,  attra6led  the  attention  of  the  hardy  pioneers. 
The  scenes  before  her  must  have  contrasted  strangely  with 
those  that  surrounded  her  home  in  the  suburbs  of  the  great 
city  of  London.  Here  the  prospe6live  streets  of  the  town 
were  only  defined  by  marks  upon  the  trees  of  the  forest,  and 
the  few  scattered  houses  showed  but  little  of  the  large  city 
that  now  occupies  the  soil.  The  hill-side  upon  the  Delaware 
front  was  yet  full  of  caves,  where  lived  the  emigrants  who  had 
not  means  or  opportunity  to  ere<5l  better  dwellings;  and  the 
strange  appearance  of  the  natives  must  have  filled  her  mind 
with  misgivings  as  to  the  security  of  the  new  settlers. 

Francis  Collins,  the  friend  and  companion  of  her  father, 
who  had  settled  at  "Mountwell,"  extended  to  her  the  hos- 
pitalities of  his  house,  and,  by  his  dire6lion  and  advice,  con- 
trolled her  in  much  of  her  future  condu6l.  In  going  to  his 
residence,  they  crossed  the  river  at  the  ferry  kept  by  Daniel 
Cooper,  and  performed  the  remainder  of  the  journey  on  horse- 
back, as  nothing  more  than  a  bridle  path  led  from  one  settle- 
ment   to   another.      This   road   passed    through   a   continuous 


ELIZABETH  ESTAUGH.  115 

forest,  save  the  few  settlements  at  Newton;  there  she  was 
greeted  by  those  who  had  preceded  her  to  this  new  country, 
and  who  listened  to  such  information  as  she  might  give  them 
of  friends  left  behind. 

The  surroundings  to  her  were  all  new  and  strange.  Every 
thing  being  in  a  state  of  nature,  she  at  last  came  to  realize  the 
privations  through  which  her  associates  had  already  passed, 
and  the  difficulties  that  must  beset  her  in  this  novel  under- 
taking. In  passing  along  they  turned  away  from  the  road  to 
look  at  the  land  purchased  of  Thomas  Willis,  where  this 
"youthful  emigrant"  was  to  make  her  home  in  the  future, 
and  where  she  expedled  to  dispense  the  hospitalities  of  her 
household,  in  a  manner  consistent  with  her  condition  in  life 
and  her  liberality  of  spirit. 

Two  miles  beyond,  they  reached  "Mountwell,"  where  the 
yet  single  daughters  of  her  escort  gave  her  that  welcome 
which  she,  in  her  lonely  condition,  could  well  appreciate ; 
and  the  kind  regard  for  her  comfort  that  was  extended  to  her 
in  their  humble  dwelling,  was  proportionate  to  that  which  she, 
in  after  years,  fully  and  gratefully  returned. 

It  has  been  generally  believed  that  she  ere6led  the  first  house 
on  this  tradl  of  land,  bringing  with  her  much  of  the  material 
from  England.  This  is  an  error,  as  a  map  of  the  land  made 
by  Thomas  Sharp  in  1700  (which  was  before  her  arrival),  proves 
that  buildings  were  already  on  the  land;  and  it  is  supposable 
that  she  occupied  those  already  there."  John  Willis,  the  locator 
of  the  survey,  no  doubt,  put  the  dwelling  there  and  lived  on  the 
premises  some  time,  for  fourteen  years  had  elapsed  between 
the  date  of  the  taking  up  and  John  Haddon's  title.  She 
probably  enlarged  and  improved  the  house,  so  as  to  accord 
with  her  notions  of  convenience  and  comfort,  and  to  receive 
her  friends  in  a  proper  manner ;  for  it  is  known  that  she  never 
turned  the  stranger  away  from  her  door,  or  suffered  her  acquaint- 
ances to  look  for  entertainment  elsewhere. 

This  house  stood  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  on  the  south  side  of 
Cooper's  creek,  at  Cole's  landing,  about  two  miles  from  Had- 
donfield,  in   a  commanding   situation,   and   near  that  stream, 

9  Lib.  A,  80. 


ii6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

which  in  those  days  was  much  used  as  a  means  of  travel ;  and, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  times  in  giving  a  name  to  such 
settlements,  it  was  called  "  Haddonfield." 

This  name  was  retained  until  the  building  of  the  new  house 
in  1 713,  ere6led  still  nearer  the  village  as  it  now  stands;  after 
which  it  was  called  "Old  Haddonfield,"  in  order  to  distin- 
guish it  from  the  more  modern  and  extensive  settlement  last 
mentioned.^" 

Mrs.  Maria  Child,  in  her  story  which  she  called  "The  Youth- 
ful Emigrant,"  of  which  Elizabeth  Haddon  is  the  heroine,  says 
that  John  Estaugh  did  not  visit  her  until  the  winter  following 
her  arrival  and  settlement  here.  That  John  cultivated  forbear- 
ance as  one  of  the  Christian  virtues,  and  attended  closely  to 
his  Master's  work,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  but  the  fair  authoress 
has  little  knowledge  of  human  nature,  if  she  supposed  that  so 
great  a  temptation  as  a  visit  to  this  new  home  of  Elizabeth 
(which  home,  by  the  way,  was  not  the  greatest  attra6lion  to 
this  place  in  the  forest)  could  be  resisted.  The  many  associa- 
tions that  surrounded  their  friends  in  England,  furnished  subjedls 
for  conversation,  interesting  and  agreeable,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  new  and  wonderful  things  that  met  their  observation  at 
almost  every  step  in  their  present  situation.  The  meeting  at 
Newton  needed  some  one  to  minister  spiritual  things  to  its  few 
attendants ;  and  who  could  blame  him  for  being  present  occa- 
sionally at  their  sittings?  and,  after  these,  for  accompanying 
his  friend  to  her  residence,  to  continue  their  conversation  over 
her  plentiful  board? 

Again,  in  weaving  together  the  threads  of  her  romance, 
Mrs.  Child  presents  the  scene  in  which  these  two  persons 
are  depi6led  as  adjusting  the  saddle  girths  of  the  horse  upon 
which  Elizabeth  rode,  as  taking  place  while  on  their  way 
to  attend  the  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends  at  Salem ;  and, 
while  this  is  being  done,  she  represents  the  fair  damsel  as 
breaking  to  John  a  subje6t,  that  she  believed  she  was  dire6led 
in  this  manner  to  approach,  regardless  of  the  conventionalities 
which  generally  govern  in  like  cases.  Without  any  desire  to 
criticise  or  destroy  the  drift  of  this  well  told  story,  we  must 

10  Lib.  No.  II,  113. 


ELIZABETH  ESTAUGH.  117 

suggest  that  the  probability  that  these  long  journeys  were 
accomplished  by  water,  must  interfere  somewhat  with  the 
romance  thrown  around  it,  and  mar  the  certainty  of  the  fa6ls 
involved,  which,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  the  authoress  designed 
to  observe.  For  many  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
no  extended  journey  was  attempted,  except  by  water,  where  the 
place  to  be  reached  was  near  a  navigable  stream;  and,  in  the 
case  in  question,  the  facilities  for  traveling  from  Philadelphia  to 
Salem  by  packets  were  sufificiently  attractive  to  avoid  horseback 
riding  for  so  long  a  distance.  Upon  the  last  point,  the  delib- 
erate condu6l  of  Friend  Estaugh  may  have  been  rather  slow  for 
Elizabeth's  impulsive  nature,  and,  although  something  had  been 
evasively  said  upon  the  delicate  subje6t,  yet  their  probable  sepa- 
ration for  a  time  rendered  it  excusable  on  her  part  to  wish  to 
have  the  matter  settled.  It  was  a  commendable  proceeding; 
and  how  many  suitable  companions  by  either  sex  might  be 
secured,  if  more  speed  were  observed  by  the  one,  and  more 
courage  by  the  other ! 

Whether  John  performed  this  part  of  the  courtship  awk- 
wardly, or  whether  Elizabeth  showed  her  courage  and  good 
sense  by  a6ling  as  before  mentioned,  matters  not,  for  the  mar- 
riage was  accomplished  at  her  residence  on  the  first  day  of  the 
eighth  month,  1702,  in  the  presence  of  a  committee  of  Friends, 
and  of  a  few  invited  guests."  Among  the  guests  several  of  the 
aborigines  might  have  been  seen.  Their  knowledge  of  the 
bride  was  attained  by  hearing  the  story  of  her  life  from 
her  own  lips,  which  excited  their  admiration  for  her  courage — 
among  them  a  leading  virtue;  and  she  commanded  their  regard 
and  respe6l  ever  after.  They  were  dressed  after  their  peculiar 
style,  in  garments  made  especially  for  the  occasion,  displaying 
upon  these  the  rude  taste  of  their  people,  and  their  interest  in 
the  present  event. 

Their  apparent  indifference  to  the  scene  before  them  was 
much  like  the  calm  demeanor  of  the  rest  of  the  company; 
yet  they  were  keen  observers  of  all  that  passed,  and  supposed 
the  ceremony  had  but  commenced,  when  they  were  told  that 


II  Friends'  Memorials. 


ii8  FIJiST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

"the  brave  pale-face  girl"  and  John   Estaugh  were  husband 
and  wife,  until  death  should  separate  them. 

The  solemnizing  of  marriages  in  public  meetings  was  not 
generally  observed  in  early  times;  for  what  reason  does  not 
always  appear,  yet  such  was  the  fa61:,  as  is  seen  in  the  record 
referring  to  those  dates. 

Soon  after  this  marriage  had  taken  place,  John  Estaugh 
became  the  attorney  of  John  Haddon,  and  took  charge  of 
his  landed  interests  in  New  Jersey;  which  had  become  large 
by  location  and  purchase,  and  required  much  of  his  time  and 
attention.  He,  however,  continued  an  acceptable  minister  among 
his  people,  and  made  many  religious  visits  during  his  life.^^ 

He  was  also,  for  several  years,  agent  for  an  association  in 
London,  known  as  the  "Pennsylvania  Land  Company,"  the 
last  settlement  with  the  society  having  been  made  by  his  widow 
as  his  executrix  (two  years  after  his  death. 

As  the  country  filled  with  settlers,  mechanics  be-ame  more 
plentiful,  and  building  materials  were  more  readily  obtained ;  the 
eredlion  of  a  new  house  was  contemplated,  more  suitable  for  the 
accommodation  of  their  many  friends  and  consistent  with  their 
wealth  and  position  in  society.  Another  site  was  sele6led, 
and,  in  1713,  a  brick  house  was  built,  a  short  distance  from 
the  village  of  Haddonfield,  where  the  present  residence  of 
Isaac  H.  Wood  now  stands.  This  was  on  a  tra6l  of  land 
which  John  Haddon  purchased  of  Richard  Mathews,  and, 
after  the  house  was  finished,  it  was  called  "New  Haddon- 
field."^''' In  a  few  years,  however,  the  name  was  lost  to  both 
places,  and  attached  to  the  village  which  stands  partly  on  the 
last  named  tra6l  of  land."  The  house  was  substantially  built, 
and  bore  the  evidence  of  wealth  and  taste  in  the  owner ;  it 
was  designed  to  secure  the  comfort  of  the  occupants,  so  far  as 
the  knowledge  of  archite6lure  and  convenient  arrangement 
went  at  that  day.^^  Among  other  things,  and  what  would 
seem  strange  at  this  time,  a  distillery  was  attached  to  the 
premises,  and  the  smith  shop  which  was  there  before  the  pur- 
chase by   John    Haddon,   was    kept    up,    and    the    tools   were 


12  Lib.  Gi,  203      Lib.  AAA,  245.  14  Lib.  B,  44,  Woodbury. 

13  Lib.  Q,  460.  15  Lib.  No.  11,  113. 


ELIZABETH  EST  A  UGH.  119 

disposed  of  by  Elizabeth  Estaugh  in  her  will.'*'  This  stood 
near  the  jundlion  of  Tanner  street  and  the  turnpike  road, 
and  was  in  existence  within  the  memory  of  some  now  Uving. 

The  garden  was  surrounded  by  a  brick  wall,  part  of  which 
is  standing  at  this  time.  In  the  yard  are  the  yew  trees,  planted 
by  the  hands  of  the  first  residents  ;  they  are  the  admiration 
of  every  visitor  to  this  interesting  spot.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
years  leave  them  as  almost  the  only  monuments  of  the  liberality 
and  taste  of  those  who  originated  this  place,  and,  fortunately,  they 
have  stood  through  successive  generations  to  conne6l  the  present 
with  the  past.  The  yard  and  garden  show  the  care  and  judg- 
ment exercised  by  this  remarkable  woman;  and,  what  is  com- 
mendable in  the  present  owner,  everything  that  is  known  to 
have  originated  with  her,  is  preserved  with  scrupulous  care. 
The  old  house  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1842.  To  the  anti- 
quarian this  place  has  much  that  is  attra6live,  for  here  may 
be  found  those  relics  of  by-gone  days  that  have  escaped  the 
too  often  vandal  hand  of  progress — relics  which  grow  more 
interesting  with  their  age. 

The  neighborhood  of  New  Haddonfield  was  gradually  being 
occupied  with  new  comers,  most  of  whom  were  Friends,  when 
the  propriety  of  establishing  a  new  meeting  was  considered 
among  them ;  the  Newton  Meeting  being  several  miles  away, 
with  miserably  bad  roads  to  travel  most  of  the  year.^'  About 
1720,  and  perhaps  earlier,  a  meeting  house  was  built  near  the 
King's  road,  and  meeting  was  regularly  continued  there.  The 
energy  and  liberality  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh  were  again  shown 
in  putting  this  meeting  on  a  permanent  basis,  for,  in  1721,  she 
went  to  England,  and  procured  from  her  father  a  deed  for  one 
acre  of  land,  and  on  this  stood  the  new  building,  as  a  place  of 
public  worship.'** 

The  quaint  description  of  the  boundaries  no  doubt  originated 
with  Thomas  Sharp,  who  prepared  the  deed  before  it  was  taken 
across  the  ocean  for  the  signature  of  the  donor;  and,  as  one 
of  the  witnesses  to  this  document,  stands  the  name  of  Elizabeth 
Estaugh,  in  her  own  peculiar  style  of  penmanship.     The  trus- 


16  Lib.  No.  II,  113. 

17  The  Friend,  Vol.  4,  206. 

18  Sharp's  Book,  43,  O.  S.  G. 


I20  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

tees  were  William  Evans,  Joseph  Cooper,  Jr.,  and  John  Copper. 
In  this  way  and  at  this  time,  originated  the  Friends'  Meeting  at 
Haddonfield,  where  it  has  until  the  present  continued ;  it 
being,  until  the  year  1818,  the  only  place  of  public  religious 
worship  in  the  village. 

By  deed  of  gift,  in  1722,  John  Haddon  conveyed  all  the  land 
which  he  had  purchased  of  Richard  Mathews,  to  John  and 
Elizabeth  Estaugh,  and  in  the  deed  called  the  tra6l  ''New 
Haddonfield;"  in  1732,  they  conveyed  one  and  a  quarter 
acres  adjoining  the  lot  where  the  meeting  house  stood,  to 
John  Mickle,  Thomas  Stokes,  Timothy  Matlack,  Constantine 
Wood,  Joshua  Lord,  Joseph  Tomlinson,  Ephraim  Tomlinson, 
Joseph  Kaighn,  John  Hollinshead,  Josiah  Foster  and  William 
Foster,  as  trustees  to  and  for  the  use  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  ^« 

In  1763,  the  trust  was  continued  by  deed  from  Ephraim 
Tomlinson,  Josiah  and  William  Foster,  to  John  Gill,  Joshua 
Stokes,  Nathaniel  Lippincott,  Samuel  Webster,  John  Glover, 
James  Cooper,  John  Lord,  John  E.  Hopkins,  John  Brown, 
Isaac  Ballinger  and  David  Cooper,  as  trustees  for  the  same 
purpose. 

In  1828,  all  these  trustees  were  dead,  and  Samuel  Webster,  as 
the  oldest  son  of  Samuel  Webster  (one  of  the  trustees  afore- 
said), continued  the  trust  to  other  members  of  said  meeting  for 
like  purpose.'"^  The  first  meeting-house  was  built  of  logs;  it 
was  much  larger  and  more  confortable  than  the  old  house  at 
Newton,  but  every  part  of  the  work  was  scrupulously  plain,  and 
without  paint  or  ornament  of  any  kind.  It  stood  upon  the 
site  of  the  brick  house  that  was  ere6led  in  1760  and  taken 
down  in  1852,  and,  when  the  brick  house  was  built,  the  old  one 
was  removed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  Ferry  road  and  used 
as  a  stable.  If  some  person,  curious  in  such  things,  had  made  a 
faithful  sketch  of  the  old  log  meeting-house,  as  it  appeared  in  its 
latter  days,  and  the  sketch  were  in  existence  at  this  time,  some 
enterprising  photographer  would  find  for  the  duplicates  a  ready 
sale  in  this  region  of  country. 

19  Lib.  B,  44,  Woodbury. 

20  Lib.  VV,  322,  Woodbury. 


ELIZABETH  ESTAUGH.  121 

John  Haddon  died  in  London,  in  1723.  In  his  will  he  men- 
tions that  his  wife  had  just  died,  with  whom  he  had  lived  for 
forty-seven  years — a  remarkable  clause  in  such  a  document,  but 
placed  there  to  perpetuate  his  affe6lion  for  her,  the  companion 
of  a  life  time.'^^ 

By  his  will  he  devised  his  entire  estate  (except  a  few  small 
legacies)  to  his  two  children,  and  made  them  executrixes.  The 
estate,  however,  was  to  vest  as  a  joint  tenancy ;  to  defeat  which, 
Benjamin  and  Sarah  Hopkins,  and  John  and  Elizabeth  Estaugh 
conveyed  said  real  estate  to  John  Gill  (who  was  their  cousin 
and  resided  at  Haddonfield),  in  1726,  in  trust  for  certain 
uses.''''^ 

In  this  a6t,  that  regard  for  each  other  which  existed  between 
Elizabeth  Estaugh  and  her  husband,  and  which  had  been  shown 
from  the  first,  was  again  manifested ;  for,  in  the  deed  of  re-con- 
veyance from  John  Gill  to  them  in  1727^^  for  one-half  of  the 
same  land,  the  estate  was  made  to  vest  in  the  survivor,  thus 
showing  that  any  advantage  that  might  be  derived  from  the 
law  regulating  the  descents  of  land,  should  not  defeat  the  wishes 
of  the  owners.^*. 

The  husband,  however,  died  first,  and  the  entire  estate  passed 
to  Elizabeth  Estaugh  in  fee  simple,  as  if  the  deed  had  not  been 
executed. 

John  Estaugh  had  some  skill  in  chemistry  and  medicine,  which 
he  made  useful  in  his  neighborhood,  especially  among  the  poor. 
He  traveled  in  the  ministry,  beside  writing  many  letters  to 
meetings  in  other  parts:  and,  while  in  London  in  1722,  he 
addressed  a  long  epistle  to  the  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Salem 
and  Newton  of  which  he  was  a  member.  His  writings  were 
colledled  and  printed  in  1744,  by  Benjamin  Franklin  in 
Philadelphia. 

He  died  in  Tortula,  one  of  the  West  India  Islands,  on 
the  sixth  of  the  tenth  month,  1742,  while  on  a  religious  visit 
there."  The  brick  tomb  eredted  by  order  of  his  widow  over  his 
remains  which  lay  at  that  place,  has  long  since  gone  to  decay, 


21  Liber  No.  3,  58.  24  Liber  W,  254. 

22  Lib.  D,  413,  415.  2S  Lib.  No.  4,  357.     Friends' Memorial. 

23  Lib.  D,  419. 


122  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

he  being  only  known  by  the  people  there  as  a  stranger,  who,  in 
the  course  of  events,  was  soon  lost  sight  of  and  forgotten. 

No  better  evidence  need  be  had  of  the  respe6l  in  which  he 
was  held  by  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  than  the  mem- 
orial set  forth  in  the  minutes  of  the  Monthly  Meeting  at  Had- 
donfield,  immediately  after  his  death.  While  mourning  his  loss 
to  themselves  as  a  valuable  member,  it  bears  witness  of  his 
consistent  religious  life  and  usefulness  among  them,  and  added 
to  this  is  the  testimony  of  his  widow,  recording  the  confidence 
of  a  companion  who  knew  him  as  a  man  and  a  Christian  in  the 
every-day  walks  of  life.  This  sincere,  but  subdued  expression, 
coming  from  a  bereaved  wife,  proves  that  the  traits  of  a  true 
professor,  had  controlled  and  governed  him  in  all  his  intercourse 
with  his  fellow  men.  By  his  will  he  gave  all  his  estate  to  his 
widow. 

Elizabeth  Estaugh  survived  her  husband  some  twenty  years, 
and  lived  in  the  house  built  in  1713,  in  the  same  manner  as 
during  his  life,  entertaining  Friends  in  their  visits  to  the  various 
meetings  in  the  neighborhood.  Her  consistent  Christian  pro- 
fession showed  itself  in  many  ways,  not  the  least  of  which  was 
her  kindness  toward  the  poor  of  the  surrounding  country, 
observing  the  Bible  injundtion  of  secrecy  in  this  regard. 

The  farm,  of  which  about  one  hundred  acres  were  arable 
land,  was  under  her  own  care,  and  received  her  personal 
attention.  Having  no  children  of  her  own,  she  adopted  Eben- 
ezer  Hopkins,  a  son  of  her  sister  Sarah,  who  came  to  this 
country,  was  educated  by,  and  resided  with,  his  aunt  at  New 
Haddonfield,  and  who,  in  1737^  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of 
James  Lord,  of  Woodbury  creek,  and  died  intestate  in  1757.''® 

In  1752,  his  aunt  conveyed  to  him  a  tra6l  of  land  fronting 
on  Cooper's  creek,  in  Haddon  township,  generally  known 
as  the  "Ann  Burr  farm,"  which  adjoined  other  lands  owned 
by  him  at  that  date,  and  derived  from  the  same  source."  On 
this  estate  he  probably  resided,  and,  in  addition  to  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  turned  his  attention  to  the  surveying,  the 
laying  out  and  the  conveying  of  land. 


26  Lib.  No.  9,  38. 

27  Lib.  S,  No.  6,  124,  O.  S.  G. 


ELIZABETH  ESTAUGH.  123 

His  wife  survived  him,  and  the  following  named  children : 
John  E.,  who  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  William  Mickle; 
Haddon,  who  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of  Joshua  Stokes ; 
Ebenezer,  who  married  Ann,  a  daughter  of  William  Albertson ; 
Elizabeth  E.,  who  married  John  Mickle;  Sarah,  who  married 
Caleb  Cresson ;  Mary,  who  married  Joshua  Cresson,  and  Ann, 
who  married  Marmaduke  Burr.  From  these  came  the  Hopkins 
family  that  is  now  spread  through  many  parts  of  the  United 
States;  one  branch  of  which  still  remains  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  first  settlement,  owning,  however,  but  little  of  the 
original  estate. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Sarah  Hopkins  removed  to 
Haddonfield,  and  occupied  a  house  and  lot,  purchased  in 
1752  by  Elizabeth  Estaugh  of  the  estate  of  Samuel  Mickle, 
deceased. ^^  The  house  stood  on  the  westerly  side  of  the  Main 
street,  on  the  site  of  the  present  residence  of  Sarah  Hopkins, 
the  widow  of  a  lineal  descendant  of  Ebenezer  and  Sarah.  It 
was  removed  some  years  since,  and  now  stands  on  the  north 
side  of  Ellis  street,  owned  and  occupied  by  Mary  Allen.  It 
is  a  small,  hipped-roofed  building,  and,  although  somewhat 
altered,   yet  retains  much  of  its  antiquated  appearance. 

No  other  building  is  now  left  that  can  be  associated  with 
Elizabeth  Estaugh.  Here,  doubtless,  she  made  daily  visits  to 
the  widow  and  her  children,  looking  closely  after  the  comfort 
of  the  one,  and  the  moral  training  and  education  of  the  others. 
It  is  evident  that  she  took  much  interest  in  them,  since  in  these 
orphans  she  saw  the  perpetuity  of  her  large  landed  estate  in  her 
own  blood,  and  the  tone  of  her  will  indicates  a  long  settled 
intention   in   this  regard. 

In  this  house  resided  her  only  collateral  descendants,  and 
those  who  were  to  her  the  continuation  of  her  family  in 
America. 

There  was  perhaps  no  Z.&.  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh  during  her 
life,  that  showed  more  of  her  business  qualifications  than  her 
last  will  and  testament,  which  bears  date  November  30th,  1761."' 
In  this  is  exhibited  a  thorough  knowledge  of  her  estate,  both 


28  Lib.  Q,  480. 

29  Lib  No.  II,  113. 


124  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

real  and  personal ;  and  in  her  disposition  thereof  is  manifested 
consummate  judgment  and  sound  discretion.  She  provided  for 
her  nearest  relatives,  but  did  not  forget  the  humblest  of  her 
servants. 

Her  real  estate  was  principally  given  to  the  children  of  her 
deceased  nephew,  Ebenezer  Hopkins,  while  some  portion  of 
her  personal  property  she  gave  to  others  of  her  connedlions. 
In  disposing  of  some  of  her  personal  estate  to  the  single  daugh- 
ters of  her  nephew,  she  provided  that  they  should  marry  in 
accordance  with  the  order  of  Friends,  or  the  legacy  should 
follow  another  dire6lion,  a  contingency  that  might  press  hard 
upon  some  of  these  young  girls,  yet  it  showed  the  bent  of  her 
mind,  and  the  strength  of  her  prejudices  in  favor  of  her  relig- 
ious belief. 

This  remarkable  woman  died  March  30th,  1762,  in  the  eigh- 
tieth year  of  her  age.^"  It  is  unfortunate  that  she  did  not,  near 
the  close  of  her  life,  prepare  or  diftate  her  autobiography,  so 
that  the  incidents  of  her  eventful  career  could  have  been  pre- 
served, as  she  would  not  then  have  left  the  most  interesting  and 
romantic  parts  of  her  life  to  vague  and  uncertain  tradition. 

Of  men's  charadters  much  can  be  gathered  from  their  partici- 
pation in  public  affairs,  from  their  condu6l  in  the  purchase  and 
sale  of  real  estate,  from  the  more  general  knowledge  of  them 
in  the  community,  and,  finally,  in  the  disposition  of  their 
property  by  will ;  but  of  females,  whose  sphere  of  a6lion  is 
more  limited,  whose  duties  are  quite  as  important  yet  less 
conspicuous,  and  whose  influence  may  be  observed  in  all  classes 
of  a  community,  but  not  always  acknowledged  by  the  stronger 
sex,  the  chances  of  securing  a  faithful  history  are  at  best  uncer- 
tain and  perhaps  erroneous.  This  may  be  said  of  the  subje6l 
of  this  sketch,  who,  although  forced  to  assume  responsibilities 
that  many  men  would  shrink  from,  still  always  exhibited  the 
chara6leristics  of  the  true  woman.  The  estimation  in  which 
she  was  held,  appears  in  the  notice  taken  of  her  death  by  the 
meeting  of  which  she  was  a  member;  in  which  her  valuable 
services  are  acknowledged,  and  by  which  it  is  shown  that  she 
was  adorned  with  every  Christian  virtue.     Her  remains  were 


30.  Friends'  Memorials 


ELIZABETH  EST  A  UGH.  125 

interred  in  the  yard  at    Haddonfield,  but    nothing  marks  the 
spot  of  her  burial. 

Who,  at  this  day,  would  not  be  gratified  if  some  monument, 
however  rough  tlie  stone  or  rude  the  letters,  had  been  ere6led 
to  show  where  were  laid  the  remains  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh, 
whose  life  was  spent  in  contributing  to  the  good  of  those 
around  her,  and  whose  labor  in  well-doing  is  felt  and  appre- 
ciated unto  the  present  day. 

"  Is  it  not  a  noble  thing  to  die 
As  dies  the  Christian  with  his  armor  on ! — 
What  is  the  hero's  clarion,  though  its  blast 
Ring  with  the  mastery  ot  a  world,  to  this?" 


JOHN    GILL. 


JOHN  GILL  came  to  New  Jersey  under  the  patronage  and 
guardianship  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh.  The  blood  relationship 
that  existed  between  these  two  persons  may  be  inferred  from 
expressions  that  occur  in  the  various  papers  of  Elizabeth 
Estaugh,  in  reference  to  John  Gill,  and  in  her  will,  particularly, 
she  names  him  as  "//<?r  kinsman.'"  His  parents  resided  in  or 
near  London,  and  his  mother  was  probably  a  sister  of  John 
Haddon,  father  of  Elizabeth. 

Some  of  the  name  lived  in  Cumberland,  others  in  Cornwall, 
Devonshire  and  Huntingdonshire ;  being  Friends  they  were 
subje6ted  to  fines  and  imprisonments,  for  refusing  to  pay  tithes, 
or  attend  the  national  church,  and  to  do  other  things  required 
under  the  laws  then  in  existence. 

Henry  Gill  lived  at  Godalming,  in  the  county  of  Surrey, 
London,  in  1670,  and  was  fined  on  two  occasions  for  not 
attending  church  at  Guilford.  This  was  in  the  same  part  of 
that  city  in  which  John  Haddon  resided,  and  this  Henry  Gill 
was  probably  the  father  of  John. 

This,  however,  is  but  conjecture,  and,  until  a  faithful  search 
be  made  among  the  records  of  the  meetings  in  that  part  of 
London,  may  so  remain.  The  instances  are  but  few  in  which 
the  genealogies  of  families  in  America  can  be  properly  con- 
nected with  those  in  England,  a  defe6l  always  to  be  regretted. 

John  Gill  was  a  young  man  of  considerable  education,  which 
was  the  exception  at  that  day ;  he  certainly  had  the  confidence 


128  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  good  opinion  of  his  uncle  and  cousin,  this  good  opinion 
being  assured  by  the  gift  of  a  tradl  of  land  made  to  him  by  John 
Haddon,  which  gift  was  bestowed,  in  all  probability  in  order 
that  he  might  participate  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  colony, 
then  in  much  confusion. 

The  time  of  his  coming  over  is  in  doubt,  and  that  of  his  age 
at  such  coming;  yet  enough  may  be  seen  upon  the  records  to 
prove  that  he  must  have  followed  his  cousin  very  closely. 

In  1709,  he  was  appointed  administrator  of  the  estate  of 
William  Higgs,  deceased,  of  Newton  township, — conclusive 
evidence  that  he  had  arrived  before  that  date,  and  also  had 
attained  his  majority.  So  far  as  noticed,  this  is  the  first  record 
of  his  name,  and  has  much  to  do  with  settling  the  question 
here  mooted.^ 

In  connexion  with  John  Estaugh,  the  management  of  John 
Haddon's  estate  here  was  controlled  by  him,  and,  no  doubt, 
many  of  the  locations  returned  to  John  Haddon  were  sele6led 
through  his  advice  and  observation. 

John  and  Elizabeth  Estaugh,  and  Benjamin  and  Sarah  Hop- 
kins conveyed  all  their  landed  estate  to  him  in  1726,  that 
which  was  in  New  Jersey  being  large  and  valuable.  It  was 
done  to  defeat  the  joint  tenancy  created  under  their  father's 
will,  and  to  place  each  share  within  the  absolute  control  of  its 
owner. ^'^  After  the  decease  of  John  Estaugh,  he  became  the 
attorney  and  adviser  of  his  widow,  and  managed  her  large 
estate  in  a  proper  and  acceptable  manner.  It  is  needless  to 
follow  this  line  to  prove  the  confidence  that  existed  between 
Elizabeth  Estaugh  and  John  Gill,  for,  during  his  life,  she  took 
no  step  in  the  disposition  of  her  estate,  without  some  a6l  of  his 
appearing  in  conne6lion  therewith. 

As  to  his  position  as  a  church  member,  he  may  also  be 
judged  by  the  intimacy  between  his  cousin  and  himself;  for 
it  can  be  accepted  as  a  truth,  that  Elizabeth  measured  every 
one  according  to  the  religious  tenets  to  which  she  so  rigidly 
adhered,  and  which  were  laid  down  by  the  great  prototype  and 
leader  in  her  belief,  George  Fox. 


1  Gloucester  Files,  1718. 

2  Lib.  D,  4T3,  415. 

3  Lib.  D,  419. 


JOHN   GILL.  129 

In  1723,  commences  the  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
town  meetings  of  Newton,  in  a  book  which  Thomas  Sharp 
says  that  he  was  ordered  to  purchase,  and  for  which  he  paid 
nine  shillings.     The  first  entry  is  this: 

"At  a  town  meeting  held  at  Newton  for  the  township,  the 
twelfth  day  of  the  first  month  called  March,  1723,  in  order 
to  choose  officers  for  the  ensuing  year,  Joseph  Cooper  and 
John  Gill  were  continued  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  and  having 
made  up  their  accounts  there  is  found  to  remain  in  bank  for  ye 
service  the  sum  of  six  pounds  fourteen  shillings  and  ten  pence." 

The  overseers  of  the  poor  appear  to  have  had  charge  of  all 
the  moneys  of  the  township  at  that  time,  paying  out  the  same 
and  rendering  a  yearly  account  of  such  disbursements.  This 
was  continued  for  several  years,  which  made  the  office  one  of 
the  most  responsible  and  important  in  the  township.  But  John 
Gill  withdrew  from  that  position  after  the  next  year,  the  reason 
for  which  appears  in  a  minute  made  in  the  book.  The  discharge 
of  this  duty  he,  no  doubt,  considered  outside  of  his  office,  and 
that  the  best  way  to  avoid  a  repetition  thereof  was  to  resign. 
The  entry,  as  made,  is  as  follows: 

"At  said  meeting  it  was  agreed  yt  Jonathan  Bolton  give 
some  hay  and  corn  to  Ann  Morris's  horse,  in  order  to  make 
him  capable  to  carry  her  to  ye  place  from  whence,  she  came, 
and  that  she  stay  but  until  the  seventeenth  day  of  this  instant ; 
and  after  that  the  overseers  of  the  poor  force  her  away  if  she 
refuse  to  go ;  and  that  what  charge  is  expended  in  ye  perfeding 
of  it  shall  be  allowed  by  this  meeting." 

What  became  of  Ann  Morris  or  her  horse,  does  not  appear 
from  the  record  :  but,  it  being  a  new  feature  in  the  duties  of 
the  overseers  of  the  poor,  neither  Joseph  Cooper  or  John  Gill 
accepted  the  position  for  several  years  after  that  time. 

When  John  Gill  died,  in  1749,*  his  son  John  was  old  enough 
to  take  his  place  in  the  several  positions  which  he,  the  father, 
had  been  called  to  fill,  and,  more  particularly,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  estate  of  Elizabeth  Estaugh,  which  was  constantly 


4  Lib.  No.  6,  231. 

9 


I30  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

increasing,  and  which  required  his  personal  attention  and  good 
judgment;  and,  although  Ebenezer  Hopkins,  her  nephew,  had 
married  in  1737  and  settled  near  her  residence,  yet  John  Gill, 
the  son,  appears  to  have  had  the  same  oversight  of  her  estate 
that  his  father  had  during  his  life  time. 

He  was  a  much  more  adlive  business  man  than  his  father; 
this  appears  by  his  location,  purchase  and  sale  of  lands  in 
various  se6lions  of  the  country,  by  his  participation  in  political 
affairs,  and  by  the  discharge  of  many  duties  involving  the  con- 
fidence of  his  neighbors  and  the  public.  He  was  one  of  the 
persons  sele6led  by  Elizabeth  Estaugh  as  executors  of  her  will, 
which  trust,  thus  bestowed,  evidenced  her  regard  for  his  capa- 
bility and  honesty. 

The  first  grant  of  land  made  by  John  Haddon  to  John  Gill 
was  in  1714;  it  was  for  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the 
survey  which  he  had  purchased  of  Thomas  Willis,  a  son  of 
John,  in  1698.'  This  land  was  situated  in  Waterford  township, 
now  Delaware,  on  both  sides  of  the  Haddonfield  and  Berlin 
road,  and  near  the  head  of  what  was  formerly  known  as  Swett's 
mill  pond,  now  owned  by  Joseph  C.  Staff'ord,  and  others. 
The  conveyance  says  that  the  land  was  then  in  the  occupation 
of  John  Gill,  the  inference  of  which  is  that  he  resided  thereon; 
if  so,  he  lived  in  a  small,  hipped-roof  frame  house,  which 
stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream  that  falls  into  the  mill 
pond — a  house  many  years  since  torn  down.  It  was  surrounded 
by  locust  trees,  some  of  which  yet  stand  and  mark  the  spot 
where  his  dwelling  was  situated.  Although  this  place  was  in 
the  midst  of  a  forest,  yet  he  was  not  entirely  without  neighbors. 
William  Bates  had  settled  on  Tindall's  run,  about  one  mile 
west,  where  he  was  living  with  his  Indian  wife.  George  and 
Timothy  Matlack,  who  purchased  land  the  same  year,  had  their 
plantations  about  two  miles  south;  and  Joseph  Cooper  had 
cleared  some  of  the  land  given  to  him  by  his  father,  and  had 
built  a  house  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  not  far  from 
the  residence  of  John  Gill.  This  was  before  his  marriage,  but 
the  comforts  of  his  bachelor  home  were,  no  doubt,  looked  after 
by  some  elderly  female  unknown  to  the  present  generation. 

5  Lib.  A,  13, 


JOHN  GILL.  131 

Previously  to  the  year  1739,  this  tra6l  of  land  passed  into 
the  possession  of  Bartholomew  Horner,  who,  with  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  ccmveyed  it  to  their  son  Jacob.  Jacob  died  intes- 
tate, and  it  descended  to  his  oldest  son,  Isaac.  He  conveyed 
to  his  two  brothers,  Nathan  and  Jacob,  and  the  first  conveyed 
his  interest  to  the  last  in  1 771.  In  Jacob's  family  it  remained 
for  many  years,  but  it  now  has  passed  out  of  the  name. 

The  next  residence  of  John  Gill  in  Waterford  township  was 
near  the  north  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek, 
where  the  King's  highway  crossed  the  same,  and  where  the 
road  leading  to  Edward  Clemenz's  landing  turned  to  the 
westward  from  that  thoroughfare.  This  property  is  now  owned 
by  James  H.  Billington. 

It  was  a  public  place  at  that  time,  the  landing  being  the 
highest  on  the  creek;  and  thither  all  the  wood  and  lumber  in 
the  region  round  about,  intended  for  the  Philadelphia  market, 
were  taken  to  be  transported  in  vessels.  The  remains  of  the 
old  wharf  may  yet  be  seen  near  the  forks  of  the  creek;  and 
this  place  in  the  days  of  our  ancestors  was  the  scene  of  much 
business  adlivity,  occasioned  by  the  teams  in  bringing,  and  the 
boats  in  taking  away  the  only  articles  of  sale  and  exchange 
among  the  people  at  that  time.  After  1715,  it  was  known  as 
Axford's  landing,  and  it  still  retains  the  name;  but  some  of  the 
oldest  inhabitants  must  be  found,  before  the  inquirer  can  know 
where  to  look  for  that  place. 

In  a  deed  from  William  Lovejoy  to  Thomas  Kendall,  in 
1697,  a  tradl  of  land  was  conveyed,  situated  at  a  place  called 
Uxbridge,  "lying  on  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek  on 
the  road  leading  from  Salem  to  Burlington.'"^ 

This  tra6l  of  land  was  near  where  John  Gill  lived,  and  the 
name  was  probably  given  in  expedlation  of  a  town  springing 
up  at  that  point,  several  years  before  there  was  any  thought 
that  Haddonfield,  as  a  village,  would  have  a  name  or  an 
existence.  The  description  in  the  deed  is  conclusive  as  to 
the  locality,  and,  although  affixed  twenty-five  years  before  the 
present  name  was  attached  to  the  village,  yet  it  never  obtained 
any  notoriety,  and  seems  to  have  no  history  except  in  the  old 

6  Lib.  B'2, 645. 


132  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

conveyance  above  referred  to.  Although  the  name  may  more 
particularly  apply  to  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream, 
yet,  if  a  few  houses  had  been  built  in  1697,  and  the  improve- 
ments extended  to  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  the  chances  are 
that  our  forefathers  would  have  adhered  to  the  original  title 
given  at  that  period,  and  that  the  name  of  Haddonfield  would 
never  have  been  known,  except  as  attached  to  the  two  residences 
of  Elizabeth  Estaugh.  From  this  it  may  be  inferred  that 
William  Lovejoy  came  from  the  town  of  Uxbridge,  which  is 
in  Middlesex,  England,  about  twenty  miles  from  London,  and 
that  he  wished  to  keep  the  name  of  his  native  place  in  remem- 
brance, like  many  of  his  associates  who  came  to  New  Jersey 
about  the  same  time. 

In  1 718,  John  Gill  married  Mary  Heritage,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  granddaughter  of  Richard  Heritage, — the  first  of 
that  name  in  these  parts.®  Richard  was  a  carpenter,  and  came 
from  Brayle's  Inn,  Warwickshire,  England.'  He  purchased  rights 
of  Edward  Byllynge,  in  1684,  and,  upon  his  arrival  here,  made 
a  location  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  south  branch  of 
Penisaukin  creek,  in  Burlington  county,  and  called  his  new 
home  "Hatten  New  Garden."*  He  purchased  other  rights, 
and  made  other  locations  in  that  region.  None  of  the  land,  as 
originally  held  by  him,  has  been  owned  by  the  family  for  many 
years;  and  none  of  the  name  reside  in  that  sedlion  of  the 
country  at  the  present  time. 

Richard  Heritage  died  in  1702,  without  a  will,  and  such  parts 
of  his  land  as  he  had  not  previously  conveyed  to  his  children, 
passed  to  his  oldest  son  John,  as  his  heir  at  law.®  His  children 
were  John,  who  married  Sarah  Slocum  in  1706;  Joseph,  who 
married  Hannah  Allen  in  1697;  Sarah,  who  married  William 
Clark  in  1687;  and  Mary. 

John  died  intestate  in  1716,  leaving  two  daughters,^" — Mary, 
who  married  Hasker  Newberry,  and  Naomi,  who  removed  to 
Blanden  county,  North  Carolina,  and  died  a  single  woman. 
He  lived  on  the  homestead  property  after  his  father's  death  and 
until  his  own  decease,  but  his  descendants  never  occupied  it. 


6  Lib.  No.  8,  358.  9  Lib,  AL,  456. 

7  Lib.  G2,  6q.  10  Lib.  No.  2,  82. 
&  Lib.  Gi,  141. 


JOHN  GILL.  133 

Joseph's  father  conveyed  considerable  land  to  him,  much  of 
which  he  sold."  It  lay  on  both  sides  of  the  creek,  and,  at  the 
present  time,  it  is  divided  into  several  valuable  farms.  The  part 
which  he  occupied,  was  in  Burlington  county,  and  was  bounded 
by  the  creek.  He  died  in  the  year  1756,  leaving  a  will.^'^  His 
children  were  Richard,  who  married  Sarah  Whitall  and  Sarah 
Tindall;  Joseph,  who  married  Ruth  Haines;  Benjamin,  who 
married  Kesiah  Matlack;  John,  who  married  Sarah  Hugg; 
Mary,  who  married  John  Gill  and  John  Thorne;  and  Hannah, 
who  married  Roberts. 

John  and  Mary  Gill  had  but  two  children, — John,  who  mar- 
ried Amy,  a  daughter  of  David  Davis  of  Salem  county,  in  1741, 
and  Hannah,  who  married  Thomas  Redman  of  Haddonfield  in 
1737.  John  Gill  died  in  1749,  and  his  widow  married  John 
Thorne  in   1750. 

In  1728,  John  and  Elizabeth  Estaugh  conveyed  to  John  Gill 
two  tra6ls  of  land,  one  in  Haddonfield,  and  the  other  (meadow) 
lying  in  Waterford  (now  Delaware)  township.'''  The  first 
named  tra6l  was  bounded  by  the  westerly  side  of  the  King's 
road,  and  extended  from  Cooper's  creek  nearly  to  the  Metho- 
dist church  and  contained  eighty-seven  acres.  Four  years  after, 
the  same  persons  granted  John  Gill  three  other  lots,  the  largest 
of  which  joined  the  last  named  on  the  southwest ;  it  is  now 
divided  by  Grove  street  into  nearly  equal  parts."  The  second 
of  these  is  owned  by  Rennels  Fowler  and  the  devisees  of 
John  Clement,  deceased,  on  the  front;  but  nearly  all  the  original 
lines  have  been  obliterated.  The  third  lot  passed  into  the  pos- 
session of  his  daughter,  and  upon  it  the  old  Thomas  Redman 
mansion  formerly  stood. 

These  grants  were  "for  love  and  affe6lion,"  which  the  grant- 
ors bore  the  grantee.  Part  of  this  estate  still  remains  in  the 
family,  and  is  now  owned  by  John  Gill,  whose  lineage  can  be 
readily  traced  to  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  region. 

The  first  tra<5l  of  land,  as  herein  named,  John  Gill  sold  in  a 
short  time.  He  soon  after  came  within  the  bounds  of  Newton 
township,  where  he  made  his  permanent  residence  upon   the 


11  Lib.  G3,  182.  13  Lib.  E,  373. 

12  Lib.  No.  8,  358.  14  Lib.  E,  375. 


134  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

estate  conveyed  to  him  for  a  nominal  consideration  by  John  and 
Elizabeth  Estaugh,  between  whom  and  himself  there  existed  the 
pleasantest  social  intimacy. 

This  tra6l  of  land,  or  a  large  part  thereof,  was  an  open  field, 
covered  with  wigwams  and  cabins  of  the  natives.  Prior  to 
1720,  John  Gill  had  enclosed  part  of  it,  and  had  the  land 
under  cultivation  ;  for,  in  the  description  of  the  lot  of  land 
conveyed  by  John  Haddon  to  Friends  for  the  meeting-house 
lot,  John  Gill's  fence  is  named  as  part  of  the  boundary,  which 
fence  stood  near  where  the  turnpike  road  leaves  the  main  street 
of  Haddonfield.^^  On  this  field,  and  perhaps  at  John  Gill's 
house,  were  held  the  eledtions  for  members  of  the  Assembly, 
annually.  These  ele6lions  were  condu6led  in  accordance  to 
law,  but  they  would  appear  strange  to  us  of  these  latter  days. 
By  the  a6l  of  1682,  the  freeholders  could  meet  at  any  place 
which  they  chose,  and  eledl  the  members  in  any  manner  thought 
best  at  the  time.  The  time,  however,  fixed  by  law,  was  the 
fourteenth  day  of  the  second  month  (being  the  14th  day  of 
April)  of  each  year.  This  law  was  changed,  and  the  sheriff, 
or  some  other  person  appointed  by  the  governor,  was  authorized 
to  take  the  ballot  box  from  place  to  place  within  the  county, 
with  two  other  persons  seledted  by  the  candidates  to  a6l  as 
officers  of  eledlion.  The  consent  of  the  candidates  to  remove 
from  the  place  last  sele6led,  was  required,  but  the  rule  gener- 
ally required  two  days ;  at  the  end  of  that  time,  the  polls  were 
changed  to  some  other  desirable  locality,  within  the  county  and 
convenient  for  the  people.  To  accomplish  an  ele6lion  there- 
fore, several  days  were  consumed,  as  the  territory  of  Gloucester 
was  large,  Atlantic  and  Camden  counties  then  being  within  the 
bounds  of  the  old  bailiwick. 

Another  curious  feature  of  these  ele6lions  was  the  few  votes 
then  polled.  In  1737,  there  was  but  nine  hundred  and  thirty 
white  male  persons  above  the  age  of  sixteen,  within  the  limits 
of  the  county ;  it  may  readily  be  seen  how  light  the  canvass 
was,  and  how  few  the  inhabitants,  even  after  some  fifty  years 
from  the  first  settlement.  The  voting  was  done  by  voice,  and 
not  by  ballot,  as  now ;    the  name  of  the  voter  and  that  of  the 

15  Sharp's  Book,  43,  O.  S.  G. 


JOHN  GILL.  135 

person  voted  for,  were  recorded  and  copied  for  any  person 
willing  to  pay  for  the  same ;  publicity  thus  being  given  to  the 
a(5l  of  each  person, — a  peculiarity  that  would  not  be  allowed 
at  this  time.  The  penalties  against  bribery  and  corruption 
were  severe;  but  it  is  supposable  that  chicanery  and  deception 
were  winked  at  among  the  ele6lors,  and  that  every  kind  of 
expedient  was  used  by  one  party  to  defeat  the  other,  each 
arguing,  no  doubt,  that,  unless  their  opponents  were  defeated, 
the  country  would  be  utterly  ruined. 

George  Fox,  the  founder  of  Quakerism,  during  his  travels  in 
America  in  1672,  in  going  from  Maryland  to  New  York,  passed 
through  West  New  Jersey,  and  was,  on  several  occasions,  enter- 
tained by  the  Indians.  It  is  well  known  that  the  Indian  trail, 
first  traveled  by  the  whites  from  Salem  to  Amboy,  crossed 
Gloucester  county  near  where  Haddonfield  now  stands,  and 
that  the  same  trail  was  used  for  many  years  after  the  earliest 
settlements.  Along  that  path  George  Fox  and  his  associates 
must  have  traveled,  and  it  is  no  stretch  of  fancy  to  say  that 
they  were  entertained  by  the  natives  who  lived  at  the  "Great 
Fields,"  now  the  town  aforesaid.     In  his  journal  he  says: 

"  We  came  one  night  to  an  Indian  town  and  lay  all  night  at 
the  king's  house,  who  was  a  very  pretty  man.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  received  us  very  lovingly,  and  his  attendants  (such  as 
they  were)  were  very  respe6lfull  to  us.  They  laid  mats  for  us 
to  lie  on;  but  provisions  were  very  short  with  them,  having 
caught  but  little  that  day." 

Whether  the  king,  whose  fine  appearance  and  noble  bearing 
attradled  the  attention  of  this  remarkable  man,  resided  here  or 
not,  cannot  be  known  at  this  late  day.  It  is,  however,  a  pleas- 
ant incident  in  the  early  history  of  the  village  to  associate  his 
movements  in  this  connedlion. 

In  the  year  1740,  John  Gill,  as  attorney  for  the  heirs-at-law 
of  Joseph  Elkinton,  deceased,  went  to  England  to  recover  an 
estate  claimed  by  them,  and  at  that  time  remaining  unsettled. 
This  property  was  situated  in  Oxfordshire  and  Warwickshire, 
where  suits  at  law  were  prosecuted  for  obtaining  possession 
thereof;    which,  after  several   years  of   litigation,  proved  sue- 


136  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

cessful.  The  children  of  Joseph  Elkinton,  who  was  a  son  of 
George,  the  first  comer  to  New  Jersey  of  that  name,  were 
Mary,  the  wife  of  David  Stratton,  of  Evesham,  Burlington 
county,  N.  J. ;  Ann,  the  wife  of  Stephen  Brooks,  of  the  same 
place;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Lippincott,  also  of  the  same 
place  ;  Frances  and  Amy  Elkinton.  Numerous  affidavits  were 
taken  here  and  appear  on  record,  showing  whence  and  when 
George  Elkinton  emigrated  to  New  Jersey,  whom  he  married, 
and  many  other  particulars  necessary  to  connect  the  claimants 
here  with  the  family  remaining  in  England.^®  The  matter  was 
fiercely  contested  in  the  courts,  consuming  much  time  and 
money  before  its  conclusion.  The  account  book  of  John  Gill 
relating  to  this  transa6lion,  is  still  preserved  in  the  family, 
showing  the  care  and  precision  observed  by  him  in  rendering 
a  statement  of  his  proceedings  in  the  premises. 

During  his  absence,  his  wife  Mary  and  son  John,  a6ling  by 
letters  of  attorney,  sold  a  lot  of  land  in  Haddonfield  to  Timothy 
Matlack  (1744),  and  had  general  oversight  of  his  affairs  here- 
about. While  living  there  (1746),  he  purchased  a  tra6l  of 
land  of  John  Cox,  also  a  resident  of  London,  lying  on  the 
south  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek  about  two 
miles  from  Haddonfield.  The  next  year  after  the  purchase,  he 
deeded  this  survey  to  his  son  John,  a  part  of  which  has  remained 
in  the  family  and  name  to  the  present  day.  The  old  Salem 
road  passed  through  this  tradl,  and  the  second  John  sold  most 
of  that  which  lay  west  of  the  same.  Like  many  other  such 
pieces  of  land,  the  old  lines,  owing  to  the  division,  sale  and 
exchange  of  property,  have  become  entirely  unknown  to  this 
generation. 

The  account  book  before  mentioned  shows  that  John  Gill, 
while  residing  in  London,  frequently  paid  his  brothe7-  William 
for  "diet  and  lodging,"  proving  that  there  were  others  of  the 
name  and  family  in  that  city.  He  never  returned  to  the  land 
of  his  adoption,  but  died  in  London. 

The  children  of  John  and  Amy  Gill  were  Mary,  who  married 
Jacob  Roberts ;  Sarah,  who  married  Job  Whitall ;  Amy,  who 
married   Joab  Wills ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Jacob  Burrough  ; 

16  Lib.  AAA,  229. 


JOHN  GILL.  137 

John,  who  married  Anna  Smith  ;  and  Mercy,  who  married 
Samuel  Abbott. 

Amy  deceased,  and,  in  1767,  he  married  Abigail  Hillman, 
widow  of  Daniel  and  daughter  of  Samuel  Nicholson.  She 
died  without  issue,  and,  in  1781,  he  married  Sarah  Pritchett, 
widow  of  Josiah  and  daughter  of  John  Cowperthwaite.  There 
was  no  issue  by  the  last  marriage.  John  died  in  1794.  A 
noticeable  feature  in  the  genealogy  of  this  family  is  that,  for 
several  generations,  there  has  been  but  one  son,  to  whom  has 
always  been  given  the  christian  name  of  the  first  comer,  which 
has  limited  the  surname  of  the  branch  of  the  family  hereabout 
to  but  few  persons. 

Thomas  Redman,  who  married  Hannah,  should  be  noticed 
in  this  connedlion.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  one  of  the  leading 
mechanics  at  that  time.  In  171 2,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  and  participated  much  in  the  affairs  of  the  colony 
during  William  Penn's  residence  there. 

The  son  was  apprenticed  to  a  druggist,  and,  upon  attaining 
his  majority,  removed  to  Haddonfield,  and  continued  the  same 
business.  He  was  held  in  great  respedl  among  Friends,  and 
traveled  much  as  a  minister  in  that  religious  denomination. 
Hannah,  his  wife,  died,  leaving  three  children, — Mary,  who 
married  Mark  Miller;  Thomas,  who  married  Mercy  Davis  in 
1747,  of  Salem  county;  and  John,  who  married  Sarah  Branson. 

He  married  Mary ,  a  second  wife,  and  died  in   1766, 

leaving  a  will,  in  which  he  disposed  of  a  large  amount  of  real 
and  personal  property;"  the  appraisement  alone  amounting  to 
more  than  five  thousand  pounds,  sterling.  There  was  no  issue 
by  the  last  marriage. 

The  third  Thomas  Redman  was  also  educated  as  a  druggist, 
and  continued  the  same  calling,  but  was  more  of  a  public  man, 
politically  speaking,  than  his  father.  He  was  a  careful  business 
man,  and,  as  a  conveyancer,  had  the  confidence  of  the  entire 
community.  Although  he  adhered  to  the  detailed  and  elab- 
orate forms  of  English  titles,  yet  plainness  of  penmanship  and 
clearness  of  intention  charadlerized  all  his  legal  papers.     His 

17  Lib.  No.  12,  363. 


138  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

corre6lness  in  copying  was  proverbial,  and  Chief  Justice  Kirk- 
patrick  of  this  State,  on  one  occasion,  paid  him  the  compli- 
ment of  not  comparing  documents  prepared  by  him,  saying 
that  "papers  from  the  hands  of  Thomas  Redman  needed  no 
such  scrutiny. ' ' 

He  was  a  valuable  man  in  the  society  of  Friends,  and  did 
much  to  sustain  the  church  in  this  region  of  country.  Many 
anecdotes  are  related  of  him,  showing  that  he  was  an  upright 
business  man,  plain  of  speech,  consistent  in  his  profession, 
faithful  in  his  trusts,  and  scrupulous  in  all  his  dealings. 

Among  the  several  positions  of  public  trust  which  John  Gill 
was  called  upon  to  fill,  was  that  of  commissioner  of  loans,  he 
being  one  of  the  three  appointed  for  Gloucester  county.  The 
obje6l  of  the  law,  and  the  duty  of  the  commissioners,  appear 
to  have  been  to  loan  bills  of  credit  issued  by  the  State,  to  such 
persons  as  could  give  satisfa6lory  security  for  the  repayment 
of  the  same ;  and  this  security  had  to  be  in  the  shape  of  mort- 
gages on  real  estate,  of  the  value  of  which  the  commissioners 
were  to  be  satisfied  by  personal  view. 

These  commissioners  were  constituted  bodies  politic  and 
corporate,  in  succession,  in  fa6l,  and  in  law,  to  sue  and  be 
sued,  and  with  various  other  powers  in  the  a6t  named.  No 
greater  sum  than  four  hundred  pounds,  nor  any  less  than  fifteen 
pounds,  could  be  loaned  to  one  person  for  the  space  of  twenty 
years,  at  five  per  cent,  per  annum.  This  system  of  supplying 
the  country  with  money  was  in  operation  for  several  years,  but 
at  last  fell  into  disuse,  and  the  law  finally  repealed.  While 
John  Gill  was  thus  a6ling  as  commissioner,  and  had  charge 
of  the  securities  during  the  revolutionary  war,  his  house  was 
pillaged  by  a  party  of  British  soldiers,  and,  among  other  things, 
these  were  carried  off  and  not  recovered.  By  an  a6l  of  the 
Legislature  of  New  Jersey,  in  1779,  he  was  idemnified  from 
any  loss  concerning  the  same. 

Although  many  of  this  name  may  be  found  in  New  Jersey, 
yet  they  do  not  appear  to  have  originated  with  the  family 
herein  mentioned. 


ARCHIBALD    MICKLE. 


THIS  man  was  an  Irish  Quaker.  The  records  of  Friends 
in  Philadelphia  indicate  that  he  came  from  Lisbrun,  a 
town  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  of  Antrim,  Ireland, 
and  that  he  arrived  at  that  city  on  the  second  day  of  the  sixth 
month,  A.  D.  1682. 

He  probably  was  among  the  adventurers  that  followed  Wil- 
liam Penn  to  his  new  colony,  bringing  with  him  considerable 
estate  and  a  full  supply  of  implements  to  continue  the  business 
of  a  cooper,  in  which  calling  he  had  served  as  an  apprentice 
in  the  land  of  his  nativity.  This  was  worth  much  to  him 
among  the  settlers,  who  generally  arrived  with  but  little  house- 
keeping material,  and  had  to  be  supplied  with  their  wooden 
ware  of  home  manufacture,  when  a  new  establishment  was  to 
be  set  up.  Coopers  were  also  in  demand  along  the  sea  coast, 
as  whale  fishing  occupied  much  of  the  time  of  the  people,  and 
barrels  were  necessary  to  carry  away  the  oil.  This  was  the 
most  lucrative  business  among  them,  and  more  capital  was 
invested  in  it  than  in  any  other  branch.  In  a  letter  from  the 
West  New  Jersey  Society  to  Jeremiah  Basse,  their  agent,  then 
residing  at  Cape  May,  dated  December  24th,  1692,  he  is 
diredled  to  secure  the  services  of  a  French  cooper  at  Plymouth, 
skilled  in  making  casks.  The  letter  further  says:  "In  the 
season  let  him  make  a  little  wine  and  brandy,  and  send  us 
the  wine  in  casks  and  the  brandy  in  bottles. ' ' '     Much  is  also 

1  Lib.  B2,  423. 


I40  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

said  about  barrels  for  the  fishing  season,  and  the  quantity- 
required  would  certainly  employ  several  persons,  and  among 
them  it  is  possible  that  Archibald  Mickle  was  one. 

The  next  notice  made  of  him  was  in  1686,  when  he  married 
Sarah  Watts,  at  the  same  meeting  at  which  his  certificate  of 
membership  and  the  date  of  his  coming  had  been  recorded. 

Four  years  after  that  time,  he  purchased  a  tra6l  of  land  of 
Robert  Turner  in  Newton  township,  Gloucester  county,  con- 
taining two  hundred  and  fifty  acres. ^  This  survey  was  situated 
near  the  head  of  the  south  branch  of  Newton  creek,  adjoining 
lands  located  by  Francis  Collins.  This  tra61;  afterward  became 
the  property  of  Joseph  Lowe,  who  occupied  the  same. 

At  the  date  of  this  purchase,  Archibald  Mickle  was  still  a 
resident  of  Philadelphia,  but  he  soon  after  came  to  Newton 
township  and  settled,  and  there  remained  until  his  decease 
in  1706.  In  1697,  he  made  another  purchase  from  the  same 
man,  of  five  hundred  and  ten  acres,  which  survey  fronted  on 
the  river  Delaware  and  extended  eastward  towards  Cooper's 
creek. ^  This  deed  excepted  several  meadow  lots,  and  is  valu- 
able as  showing  the  antecedent  title  of  the  grantor. 

He  did  not  make  the  first  improvements  there,  for  a  man 
named  Thomas  Spearman  lived  in  a  house  on  the  tra6l  at  the 
time  of  his  purchase,  which  house  stood  near  the  river  shore 
and  near  where  the  former  residence  of  Isaac  Mickle,  deceased, 
is  situated. 

He  was  the  owner  of  considerable  other  real  estate  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  the  inference  is,  therefore,  that  he  was  a 
man  of  more  means  than  most  of  his  neighbors,  and,  excepting 
William  Cooper,  of  any  other  in  the  township.  In  the  political 
affairs  of  the  colony,  his  name  does  not  appear,  but  the  fa6l  of 
his  being  a  Quaker  and  a  stri6l  adherent  to  his  se6t,  may  be 
drawn  from  that  clause  of  his  will  which  dire6led  that  any  one 
of  his  children  marrying  without  consent  of  Friends  was  to 
only  have  one-half  of  his  or  her  share  of  his  estate.  This 
is  certainly  a  significant  expression,  and  places  his  religious 
proclivities  beyond  a  doubt. 


2  Basse's  Book,  119. 

3  Lib  G3,  133. 


ARCHIBALD  MICKLE.  141 

His  will  was  dated  in  1 706 ;  in  which  he  gave  his  real  estate 
to  eight  of  his  children.*  His  widow  Sarah  survived  him,  she 
being  the  mother  of  all  his  children.  After  the  father's  death, 
the  estate  was  conveyed  to  the  widow,  and  she,  by  her  will 
(17 18),  gave  the  property  to  three  of  her  sons,  Archibald, 
James  and  Joseph,^  who  divided  the  same  by  quit  claim  in 
1727. 

Seven  sons  and  three  daughters  were  the  representatives  of 
this  couple,  as  follows:  John,  who  married  Hannah  Cooper 
(daughter  of  the  second  William),  in  1704;  Samuel,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Cooper  daughter  of  Joseph,  in  1708; 
Daniel,  who  married  Hannah  Dennis,  in  1711  ;  Archibald, 
who  married  Mary  Wright  in  1719  ;  Isaac,  who  married 
Sarah  Burrough,  daughter  of  Samuel  \  Joseph,  who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Eastlack  in  1723;  James,  who  married  Sarah 
Eastlack  in  1732;  Sarah,  who  married  Ezekiel  Siddon;  Mary, 
who  married  Arthur  Powell ;  and  Rachel,  who  married  Benja- 
min Cooper  in   1718. 

John  Mickle,  the  oldest  son,  was  an  a6live  man  in  the  politi- 
cal matters  of  the  colony  in  his  day,  and  also  dealt  much  in 
real  estate.  By  Thomas  Sharp,  as  his  deputy  surveyor,  he 
located  several  tradls  of  land  in  different  parts  of  West  Jersey. 
In  1733,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the  several 
courts  of  Gloucester  county,  and  filled  other  offices  of  public 
trust  and  responsibility. 

In  1703,  ''for  natural  love  and  affedlion,"  his  father  conveyed 
to  him  a  farm  containing  one  hundred  and  fourteen  acres, 
bounded  on  the  south  side  by  the  south  branch  of  Newton 
creek,  and  being  within  the  town  bounds  of  Gloucester.*  On 
this  farm  he  settled,  and  there  remained  during  his  life.  He 
deceased  in  1744,  his  wife  and  the  following  children  surviv- 
ing him:  William,  who  married  Sarah  Wright  in  1732;  John, 
who  married  Mary  Stockdale,  of  Burlington  county,  in  1741,' 
and  deceased  in  1765;  Samuel,  who  married  Letitia  Matlack  in 
1742  (he  having  deceased  in  1750,  she  married  Thomas  Hinch- 
man);  and  Hannah,  who  married  John  Ladd  in  1732. 


4  Lib  No.  I,  149.  6  Lib.  A,  184, 

5  Lib  No.  2,  95.  7  Lib.  No.  5,  63. 


X42  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Samuel  Mickle  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  village  of 
Haddonfield.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  lot  next  adjoining 
the  tavern  property,  lately  belonging  to  John  Roberts,  deceased, 
and  there  he  ere6led  a  dwelling.  Timothy  Matlack,  his  wife's 
father,  owned  the  Roberts's  estate  and  another  lot  to  the  east, 
fronting  on  the  street.  Timothy  was  a  shopkeeper,  and  was  so 
taxed  by  the  township. 

Of  John  Ladd,  the  father,  and  John  Ladd,  the  son,  much 
appears  in  the  various  records  and  traditions  of  their  times, 
which  proves  them  to  have  been  conspicuous  persons.  They 
were  prominent  in  the  political  and  religious  matters  that  sur- 
rounded them,  and  the  subjedls  of  much  hard  talk,  for  which 
some  of  their  defamers  appear  in  no  very  enviable  position. 

As  early  as  1690,  Samuel  Tayjpr  puts  himself  on  record, 
admitting  that  he  had  been  uttering  falsehoods  about  the  eldei: 
John  Ladd  and  Sarah  his  wife,  but  upon  what  particular  subjedl 
these  words  originated,  does  not  appear.  He,  however,  made  a 
clean  breast,  and  admitted  that  all  his  assertions  were  slander, 
and,  in  the  form  common  in  those  days,  the  retradlion  thereof 
has  come  down  to  the  present  generation.  The  entire  record  is 
copied  here  to  show  the  manner  of  so  doing, — a  pra<5lice  that 
has  no  existence  now.     It  runs  as  follows: 

"This  may  certify  all  persons  whom  it  may  concern;  that, 
whereas,  I,  Samuel  Taylor,  of  Gloucester  river,  within  the 
Province  of  West  Jarsey,  Sawyer,  have  of  late  publicly  reported 
several  false,  scandalous,  reproachful  and  detracting  speeches, 
of  and  concerning  John  Ladd,  of  ye  same  place  aforesaid, 
Yeoman,  and  Sarah  his  wife,  which  were  of  infamous  import, 
and  tending  to  prove  ye  said  parties  to  be  of  unjust  dealings 
and  evil  and  dishonest  lives  and  conversations;  therefore  I, 
ye  said  Samuel  Taylor,  being  moved  to  ye  said  report  by  my 
precipitate  and  unadvised  passion  and  anger  against  ye  parties 
above  said,  do  hereby  certify  that  I  herewith  repent  of,  and  am 
unfeignedly  sorrowful  for  my  speaking,  declaring  and  publishing 
any  report  of  such  evil  tendency  aforesaid,  and  do  freely  and 
voluntarily  own  and  acknowledge  that  I  have  grossly  abused, 
traduced  and  wronged  ye  said  John  Ladd  and  Sarah,  his  wife. 


ARCHIBALD  MICKLE.  143 

by  means   of   ye    false,  slanderous   and    defaming  reports  and 
speeches  above  said. 

"In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  put  my  hand  this 
24th  day  of  June,  Anno  Domini,  1690. 

"Samuel  Taylor. 

"Recorded  by  order  of  Court,  this  ye  loth  day  of  August, 

1690. 

"John  Reading,  Recorder."® 

The  father  was  a  pra6lical  surveyor,  and  assisted  in  laying 
out  the  city  of  Philadelphia  for  William  Penn.  The  compass 
and  chain  used  by  him  in  this  work  are  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  at  its  rooms  in 
Philadelphia;  they  are  preserved  as  a  valuable  relic  of  those 
early  times.  In  compensation  for  his  services,  the  Patroon 
offered  him  thirty  pounds,  or  a  square  of  land,  within  the 
limits  of  his  town,  but  John  decided  to  take  the  money. 

William  Penn,  surprised  at  this,  said:  "Friend  John,  thou 
art  Ladd  by  name,  and  a  Ladd  in  comprehension.  Dost  thou 
not  know  this  will  become  a  great  city?" 

In  measuring  the  distances  over  the  rough  soil,  and  in  mark- 
ing the  lines  of  the  streets  upon  the  trees,  John  could  not 
realize  the  assertions  of  Friend  William,  and  concluded  that 
his  expedtations  had  gotten  the  better  of  his  judgment. 

While  wading  about  the  swamps  of  Dock  creek,  and  fixing 
the  intersedlions  of  Market  and  Chestnnt  streets  with  those  of 
Third  and  Fourth  streets  in  that  vicinity,  our  surveyor  doubtless 
reflected  much  upon  what  had  been  suggested,  and  thought  the 
whole  scheme  was  a  huge  castle  in  the  imagination  of  his 
employer. 

Time,  however,  as  in  all  similar  cases,  has  shown  which  of 
these  entertained  the  better  notions;  and,  although  the  one  was 
considered  as  hazardous  in  his  ideas,  yet  the  other  a6led  as  a 
prudent  man,  and  was  influenced  by  the  opinions  of  those 
around  him.  But  few  of  the  men  that  accompanied  William 
Penn  to  America  comprehended  the  extent  and  importance  of 
his  undertaking.     This  may  account  for  many  of  the  hindrances 

8  Lib.  G2,  72, 


144  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

which  he  met  with  in  carrying  out  his  proposed  plans.  Not 
understood  in  his  purposes,  he  soon  became  the  objedl  of 
censure  and  abuse;  but,  as  a  Christian  and  a  philanthropist, 
he  has  long  since  come  to  be  appreciated.  That  he  was  actu- 
ated by  the  purest  of  motives  and  governed  by  the  desire  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  his  people,  at  this  day,  is  not  questioned. 

After  the  lapse  of  another  half  century,  John  Ladd  the  son, 
appears  to  have  been  traduced  by  one  of  his  neighbors  in  some 
of  their  political  or  religious  controversies,  and,  not  resting 
very  comfortable  under  the  same,  he  required  of  William  Ives 
a  legal  admission  that  he  had  said  some  ugly  and  untruthful 
things  about  him.  This  admission  was  spread  upon  the  records 
over  his  own  signature,  done  in  open  court,  and  witnessed  by 
the  judges  thereof. 

"A  Knight  of  the  Post"  implied  that  John  had  been  con- 
victed of  some  petty  offence,  and  been  punished  at  the  whipping 
post,  or  set  in  the  stocks,  a  means  much  in  use  at  that  time  to 
vindicate  the  honor  of  the  commonwealth  and  to  preserve  its 
dignity. 

The  insinuation  that  he  could  not  be  trusted  as  a  sworn 
witness,  perhaps  touched  John's  pride  quite  as  much  as  the  first 
charge,  and  led  to  the  arrest  of  William  Ives  and  his  admission 
to  the  falsity  of  the  whole. 

This  means  of  the  vindication  of  the  chara(5ler  has  passed 
out  of  use  many  years  since,  and  to  the  present  generation  is 
unknown.  Like  the  first,  the  entire  record  is  copied  that  the 
reader  may  draw  his  own  inference  therefrom. 

William  Ives's  Acknowledgment,  made  in  open  Court 

AT    Glo'STER. 

"Whereas,  I,  William  Ives,  of  the  township  of  Gloucester,  in 
Gloucester,  in  the  province  of  West  Jersey,  yeoman,  in  the 
presence  of  divers  creditable  persons,  inhabitants  of  the  said 
county,  sometime  since  did  falsely  and  without  any  cause  or 
reason,  speak  and  say  that  John  Ladd,  of  the  said  county  was 
a  Knight  of  the  Post,  and  that  I  did  not  know  but  I  might 
sue  one  Henry  Sparks,  but  that  I  could  not  trust  to  the  said 
John  Ladd's  testimony,  and  I  acknowledge  likewise,  that  I 


ARCHIBALD  MICKLE.  145 

spoke  and  said  sundry  false,  scandalous  words  touching  and 

concerning  the  reputation   and   character  of  him,   the  said 

John  Ladd. 

"Now  I  do  hereby  acknowledge  and  publickly  declare  that  I 

have  wronged  and  injured  the  said  John  Ladd's  chara6ter  by 

the  uttering  and  speaking  the  said  false  scandalous  words  and 

sayings,  having  not  the  least  shadow,  colour  or  foundation  for 

the  same;  and  I  do  hereby  desire  forgiveness  of  the  said  John 

Ladd,  for  the  injury  done. 

"Gloucester,  ye  28  October,  1744. 

"William  Ives. 

"Witnessed  by  Ja.  Hinchman,  one  of  ye  Judges  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  at  Gloucester,  Wm.  Harrison,  Daniel 
Mestayer. 

"Recorded  February  8th,  1744. 

"Charles  Read,  Sec."* 

Hannah  Ladd  survived  her  husband,  and,  being  in  possession 
of  his  papers,  she  discovered  that  one  of  the  books  left  by 
Thomas  Sharp  was  among  them.  It  was  one  of  his  private 
records  as  surveyor  and  conveyancer,  and  was  considered  of 
such  value  that  an  a6l  of  the  Legislature  was  passed,  that  it 
might  be  made  part  of  the  public  records  of  the  Surveyor 
General's  office,  where  it  has  remained  since  that  time. 

Daniel  Mickle  deceased  in  171 2,  leaving  a  will.  In  that 
document  he  mentioned  his  wife  and  a  child  unborn.'"  This 
posthumous  child  was  a  boy,  and  was  named  Daniel.  His  grand- 
mother, Sarah  Mickle,  provided  for  his  maintenance  and 
education;    and  also  anticipated   the  needs  of  the  widow. 

Archibald  Mickle  died  in  1735,  without  children;  his  widow 
survived  him,"  and,  in  1736,  married  Blackinston  Ingledon  of 
Philadelphia,  to  which  place  she  removed  with  her  second 
husband. 

James  Mickle  deceased  the  year  following  the  death  of  Archi- 
bald, leaving  his  widow  and  two  children,  Rachel  and  Jacob. '^ 

Ezekiel  Siddon,  the  husband  of  Sarah,  was  a  butcher,  and 
resided  upon  a  property  which  he  had  purchased  of  Jacob  Coffing 


9  Lib.  GH,  41.  II  Lib.  No.  4,  52. 

lo  Lib  No.  I,  406.  12  Lib.  No.  4,  65. 

10 


146  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

in  1709.  This  fronted  on  the  river  in  Newton  township,  and  is 
now  part  of  the  Mickle  estate. ^^  He  was  the  owner  of  other 
real  estate  near  his  homestead.  He  died  intestate,  and  but  little 
is  known  of  his  family  at  this  time. 

Arthur  Powell,  the  husband  of  Mary,  was  a  son  of  Arthur 
Powell,  who  first  settled  on  Penapaca  creek,  in  Philadelphia 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

He  came  thence  from  the  town  of  Flushing,  Long  Island,  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  where  his  name,  that  of  his  wife 
Margaret,  and  those  of  two  sons  are  set  down  in  the  census  list 
made  in  1698.  According  to  that  record  he  was  of  French  ex- 
tradlion. 

In  1692,  he  (the  father)  purchased  of  Thomas  Chaunders, 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  West  Jersey,  at  Mulberry  Point, 
on  the  sea  coast,  near  Great  Egg  Harbor."  In  the  same  year,  he 
purchased  a  like  number  of  acres  of  Robert  Turner,  at  the  same 
place,  and  thereon  he  probably  settled.  The  value  of  the  whale 
fisheries,  which  were  so  attra6live  to  the  new  comers  in  that 
region,  may  have  induced  his  removal  from  Pennsylvania.  He 
had  two  sons,  Arthur,  a  carpenter,  and  Richard,  a  shoemaker. 
He  died  intestate  in  1718.^"  In  1716,  Arthur  (the  son)  purchased 
a  farm  of  John  Fisher,  in  Newton  township,  bounded  by  Cooper's 
creek,  being  part  of  the  original  estate  of  Robert  Zane,  the  first 
settler,  and  there  he,  Arthur,  made  his  home.^®  John  Fisher 
purchased  said  land  of  Elnathan  Zane,  a  son  of  Robert,  in  1703, 
who  became  owner  thereof,  by  the  will  of  his  father,  and  sold 
the  same  when  he  attained  his  majority.  Arthur  and  Mary 
Powell  had  but  three  children  (two  of  them  daughters) :  James ; 

Rachel,  who  married  Lewis ;  and ,  who  married 

Kent.     In  1730,  he  purchased  a  large  tra6l  of  land  on 

Timber  creek,  of  John  Brown,  and  also  became  the  owner  of 
other  real  estate.''  He  died  in  1749.'^  In  Newton  township 
the  family  was  never  very  large,  yet  in  other  parts  of  old  Glou- 
cester county  the  name  often  occurs. 

Rachel,  who  married  Benjamin  Cooper,  died  in  a  short  time 
without    children.     Benjamin   subsequently   married    Elizabeth 


13  Lib.  A,  144.  16  Lib.  A,  loo. 

14  Lib.  G2,  133, 134.  17  Lib,  Gz,  26. 

15  Lib.  A,  178.  18  Gloucester  Files,  1749. 


ARCHIBALD  MICKLE.  147 

Burcham,  widow  of  Jacob,  and  daughter  of  Samuel  Cole.  The 
issue  of  this  marriage  was  numerous,  and  as  follows  :  Joseph, 
who  married  Elizabeth  Haines ;  James,  who  married  Sarah  Ervin 
and  Hannah  Saunders  ;  Samuel,  who  married  Prudence  Brown  ; 
Benjamin,  who  married  Elizabeth  Hopewell ;  William,  who 
married  Ann  Folwell;  Isaac;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married 
George  Budd. 

Benjamin  Cooper  was  a  son  of  Joseph,  and  a  grandson  of  the 
first  William ;  which  William  conveyed  to  the  first  Joseph,  two 
hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  land  in  1709,  who  also  conveyed 
the  same  to  his  son  Benjamin  in  1728.^®  This  included  the  ferry 
at  Cooper's  Point,  which  Benjamin  conveyed  to  his  son  Samuel, 
with  about  thirty-eight  acres  of  land  adjoining,  in  1769.^" 

Of  the  division  of  Archibald  Mickle's  original  purchase,  as 
made  between  Archibald,  James  and  Joseph  in  1727,  Joseph's 
portion  passed  into  the  Kaighn  family;  and  Isaac  Mickle, 
senior,  in  later  years,  became  the  owner  of  Archibald's  share 
and  James's  also,  and  conveyed  them  to  his  nephew,  Isaac- 
Mickle,  junior,  in    1780. 

The  land  between  the  south  line  of  the  original  Mickle 
estate  and  Newton  creek  was  located  by  Robert  Turner  (in 
1687),  and  by  Richard  Arnold  (in  1702).  Richard  Arnold 
purchased  of  Robert  Turner,  and  conveyed  the  two  tracSIs 
of  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  Martin  Jarvis  in  1700.^' 
In  1702,  Martin  Jarvis  sold  two  hundred  and  eight  acres  from 
off  the  eastern  part  of  the  tra(?t  to  John  Wright,  and  four  years 
after  conveyed  the  remainder  to  Jacob  Coffing.  After  various 
conveyances,  too  numerous  to  name  in  this  connexion,  the 
larger  part  of  the  Turner  and  Arnold  surveys  became,  in  1790, 
the  estate  of  Isaac  Mickle,  junior,  who  re-surveyed  the  same 
in  that  year.^^ 

In  tracing  the  genealogy  of  this  family,  the  want  of  heirs  in 
the  male  line  is  constantly  occurring,  which  frequently  leads 
to  doubt,  and  occasionally  to  error.  Like  the  Coopers,  they 
remained  upon  the  original  estate,  and  held  tenaciously  to  the 
acres  of  which  Archibald  first  became   the  owner ;    in  some 


19  Lib.  AE,  205.  21  Basse's  Book,  26. 

so  Lib.  AE,  213.  22  Lib.  U,  443,  O.  S.  G. 


148  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

generations  increasing  the  family  name,  and,  in  others,  finding 
it  reduced  to  but  few  persons;  until,  within  the  last  decade, 
it  has  passed  entirely  away.  No  portion  of  the  land  at  this 
time  remains  in  the  blood  of  the  Mickles;  and  already  the 
old  estate  is  in  the  hands  of  strangers,  traversed  by  avenues, 
and  divided  into  town  lots.  Another  decade  may  see  the 
fishing  grounds  covered  with  piers  and  docks,  the  busy  mart  of 
commerce,  and  without  a  vestige  of  its  present  rural  beauty. 

Isaac  Mickle,  deceased,  author  of  the  "Reminiscences  of 
Old  Gloucester,"  was  a  descendant  in  the  paternal  line  of  this 
family.  That  he  was  a  zealous  and  reliable  antiquarian,  no  better 
evidence  can  be  adduced  than  the  book  just  named.  In  this 
work,  his  industry  and  good  judgment  are  manifest;  he  has 
condensed  and  arranged  many  fa(5ls  touching  the  early  history 
of  West  New  Jersey,  not  before  noticed.  Accepted  as  reliable 
on  all  subjects  there  treated,  no  library  intended  to  illustrate 
the  history  of  our  State,  is  complete  without  it,  and,  as  the 
desire  to  become  better  acquainted  with  this  subjedl  increases, 
so  will  this  book  become  more  appreciated.  With  all  such  as 
are  seeking  knowledge  in  this  diredlion,  the  name  of  Isaac 
Mickle  will  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance. 


JOHN    KAIGHN. 


IN  the  year  1694,  John  Kaighn  was  a  resident  of  Byberry,  in 
Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  carpenter,  and  the 
husband  of  Ann,  the  widow  of  Walter  Forrest  and  daughter  of 
William  Albertson.'  Walter  Forrest  came  to  Burlington  in  1678, 
and  very  soon  purchased  a  large  tra6l  of  land  in  Salem  county, 
bounded  by  Salem  creek ;  in  conne6lion  with  his  brothers,  he 
ere6led  a  mill  thereon,  the  first  in  that  se6lion  of  the  State.'' 
Before  his  decease,  however,  he  had  removed  to  Byberry.  This 
occurred  in  1692.  By  his  will  he  gave  considerable  property  to 
his  widow's  brothers,  situated  in  Salem,  which  they  in  a  few 
years  disposed  of.'^  There  was  no  issue  by  this  marriage.  Ann, 
the  widow,  so  remained  for  two  years,  when  she  married  John 
Kaighn.  By  this  marriage  there  was  one  child,  a  daughter,  who 
bore  the  mother's  name. 

The  daughter  was  born  June  24th,  1694,  and  the  mother  died 
July  6th,  of  the  same  year.  The  daughter,  who  died  single  in 
1 7 15,  gave  by  her  will  her  property  to  her  two  half-brothers 
by  the  father's  second  marriage.* 

In  1696,  John  Kaighn  married  Sarah,  the  widow  of  Andrew 
Griscom  and  sister  of  John  Dole,  then  a  resident  of  Newton 
township. 

The  blood  of  the  Albertsons,  therefore,  was  not  conne6led  with 
this  family  any  longer  than  till  the  death  of  Ann,  the  daughter 


1  Lib.  No.  6,  32,  Salem  Records.  3  Salem  Wills,  A,  69. 

2  Lib.  B,  16,  Salem  Records.  4  Lib.  No.  2,  162. 


I50  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

of  Ann  and  John  in  1715,  leading  those  who  wish  to  follow  the 
maternal  line  in  another  dire6lion. 

As  a  carpenter,  John  found  abundant  business,  for  every  ship 
that  arrived  was  crowded  with  emigrants,  whose  first  purpose, 
after  landing  and  sele6ling  sites,  was  the  ereftion  of  dwellings. 
These,  in  most  instances,  were  rude  and  unpretending,  yet  the 
services  of  a  mechanic  were  necessary  in  some  parts  ;  hence  the 
constant  employment  of  the  carpenters  of  that  early  period  in 
providing  shelter  for  the  new  comers. 

The  nativity  of  John  Kaighn  is  easily  traced  through  a  letter 
in  possession  of  the  New  Jersey  branch  of  the  family,  dated 
August  26th,  1702,  endorsed  "To  Mr.  John  Kaighn — Linener, 
in  West  New  Jersey,  nigh  on  Delaware  river  side,  opposit  to 
Philadelphia  city,  in  America."  It  was  from  his  mother,  Jane 
Kaighen.  It  was  written  from  her  residence,  at  that  time,  in 
Kirk  Andrew,  a  town  in  the  north  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  where 
she  lived  with  her  daughter  and  son-in-law,  Daniel  Lane. 

She  informs  her  son  that  liis  father  died  the  November  previous 
to  her  writing  ;  tliat  his  sister  Ellen,  born  after  he  left  the  Isle, 
was  married  and  settled  in  the  parish  of  St.  German,  on  the 
west  coast  of  the  island  ;  that,  for  a  short  .time  after  the  decease 
of  her  husband,  she  had  lived  with  her  son  Charles,  at  Balla- 
cragga,  on  the  south-east  coast,  but,  not  being  happy  there,  had 
removed  to  Kirk  Andrew.  On  the  same  sheet  of  paper,  John 
Kaighn  has  left  an  unfinished  letter,  without  date,  in  reply  to 
his  mother,  generally  of  a  religious  character. 

In  this  she  is  told  that  he  had  "lost  two  good  and  loveing 
wives,  in  a  few  years  time — and  left  alone  with  young  babes;" 
that  these  were  two  boys  and  one  girl,  "the  youngest  yet  at 
nurse." 

Sarah  Dole  came  with  her  father's  family  from  Wales,  but 
from  what  part  cannot  be  traced. 

The  first  purchase  of  real  estate  by  John  Kaighn  in  Newton 
township,  was  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  ninth  month,  1696, 
when  Robert  Turner  conveyed  to  him  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  acres  of  land,  fronting  on  the  Delaware  river  and  extending 
from  Line  street  to  Little  Newton  creek. ^ 

S  Lib  G3,  127. 


JOHN  KAIGHN.  151 

Like  many  of  the  old  English  deeds,  this  discloses  the  whole 
of  the  original  title  as  vested  in  the  grantor,  at  once  valuable 
and  interesting  to  such  as  care  to  push  their  inquiries  thus  far. 

In  1699,  John  Dole  purchased  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  this  tra6l  from  John  Kaighn,  and  settled  thereon."  He  was 
a  shoemaker,  and  came  from  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
had  married  Mary  Jessup,  of  Jericho,  in  1688.  He  died  in 
J  715,  and  by  his  will  gave  this  land  to  his  two  sons,  John  and 
Joseph."  Joseph  Dole  married  Hannah  Somers,  a  sister  of 
Richard,  in  1714,  and  removed  to  Great  Egg  Harbor,  where 
he  died  in  1727,  leaving  a  will.*  His  children  were  Hannah, 
who  married  Daniel  Ingersoll ;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Scull ; 
Rebecca,  who  married  Joshua  Garwood ;  Mary  and  Servia. 

John  Dole  also  removed  to  Great  Egg  Harbor,  and  died  in 
1748,  without  a  will.^  What  family  he  left,  if  any,  is  not 
known. 

John  Dole  conveyed  his  undivided  part  of  the  tra6l  of  land 
in  Newton  township,  devised  to  him  by  his  father,  to  his 
brother  Joseph,  who  conveyed  part  thereof  to  John  Kaighn  in 
1723,^°  and  the  remainder  to  Joseph  Cooper  in  the  same  year." 

Andrew  Griscom  was  the  owner  of  a  tra6t  of  land  adjoining 
that  of  John  Kaighn's  and  part  of  Samuel  Norris's  survey;  but 
from  whom  purchased,  and  the  e.xa6l  locality  of  the  land,  are' 
not  known. 

Andrew  Griscom,  by  his  will  in  1694,  gave  the  same  to  his 
wife  and  two  children,  Tobias  and  Sarah,  and,  upon  certain 
contingencies,  to  John  Dole  in  fee.  At  the  time  of  John 
Kaighn's  death,  he  was  the  owner  of  this  land,  but  in  what 
manner  does  not  appear.  ^^ 

Tobias  Griscom,  a  son  of  Andrew,  married  Deborah  Gabitas, 
at  Burlington  meeting,  in  171 1,  and  settled  in  Newton  town- 
ship, where  he  remained  until  his  decease. 

He  dealt  considerably  in  real  estate,  and  made  several  loca- 
tions in  his  own  name  under  "rights"  which  he  purchased  in 
1 716   and    1 71 7.      In    the    last    named   year,   he  purchased    of 


6  Lib.  G3,  240.  10  Lib.  D,  52. 

7  Lib.  No.  2  of  Wills,  08.  11  Lib.  D,  436. 

8  Lib.  No.  2  of  Wills,  430.  12  Lib.  A,  83.     Lib.  D,  52,  54. 

9  Lib.  No.  6  of  Wills,  331.  Lib.  C,  240.     Lib.  G3,  240. 


152  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Hugh  Sharp,  several  tra6ls  of  land  in  Gloucester  county,  near 
the  sea  shore,  valuable  for  the  cedar  swamps,  some  of  which  still 
retain  the  name  of  the  former  owner. ^'''  In  1721,  and  after  his 
death,  his  widow  as  executrix  of  his  will,  re-conveyed  the  same 
properties  to  the  original  grantor. 

Tobias  Griscom  deceased  in  17 19,"  leaving  his  widow  and 
the  following  children :  William,  who  married  Sarah  Davis, 
and  who  was  a  saddler  and  lived  in  Haddonfield ;  Tobias,  who 
died  a  minor;  Andrew,  who  married  Susanna  Hancock,  and 
who  was  a  blacksmith  and  settled  at  Tuckahoe;  Mary,  who 
married  Tobias  Halloway;  and  Samuel,  a  house  and  ship  car- 
penter, who  resided  in  Philadelphia.  The  latter  assisted  in  the 
ere6lion  of  Independence  Hall,  and  lived  for  many  years  on 
Arch  street  between  Third  and  Fourth  in  that  city. 

John  Kaighn  had  much  to  do  with  the  settlement  of  the 
estate  of  Walter  Forrest,  the  deceased  husband  of  his  first 
wife.  A  large  part  of  the  real  property  was  purchased  by 
him,  among  which  was  the  mill  called  the  "Brothers  Forrest," 
and  three  hundred  acres  of  land  attached.  This  was  conveyed 
to  him  in  1701,  but  he  sold  it  the  next  year  to  Isaac  Pearson.^* 
With  this  sale  his  interest  ended  in  that  se6lion  of  West  Jersey, 
but  he  continued  to  increase  the  borders  of  his  land  in  Newton 
township  until  he  found  himself  one  of  the  largest  owners  in 
this  sedlion.^'^  On  March  7th,  1708,  he  became  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Newton  meeting  with  Benjamin  Thackara,  Wil- 
liam Cooper,  William  Albertson,  Thomas  Sharp,  Joseph  Cooper 
and  John  Kay.  He  is  thus  shown  to  have  been  an  adlive 
member  of  the  religious  Society  of  Friends ;  and  his  remains 
doubtless  lie  buried  within  the  walls  that  now  surround  part 
of  the  first  estate  dedicated  to  such  purposes  in  this  region  of 
country.  In  171 2,  Benjamin  Thackara  conveyed  a  small  adjoin- 
ing piece  of  land  to  the  same  trustees  for  the  same  use.  In 
1 7 71,  it  was  discovered  that  all  the  trustees  had  died;  and  to 
continue  the  property  in  the  right  channel,  Josiah  Kay,  the 
heir  at  law  of  John  Kay,  who  was  the  last  deceased,  made 
a  deed  in  the  same  year  to  John  Gill,  Joshua  Stokes,  Nathaniel 


13  Lib.  A^  87,  208.  IS  Lib.  No.  6,  32,  Salem  Records 

14  Lib.  No.  2, 132.  16  Lib.  No.  7,  156. 


JOHN  KAIGHN.  153 

Lippincott,  James  Cooper,  John  Brown,  David  Cooper,  Joshua 
Lord,  John  E.  Hopkins,  John  Evans,  Isaac  Ballinger,  Samuel 
Webster  and   John  Glover." 

In  1808  again,  the  trustees  were  dead,  except  Samuel  Webster, 
who,  in  that  year,  made  title  to  Joseph  Glover,  Joseph  Burrough, 
Jr.,  John  Albertson,  Abel  Nicholson,  Josiah  Webster,  Joseph 
Kaighn,  Joseph  Sloan  and  Benjamin  Cooper. 

From  about  the  year  1797  to  1811,  much  trouble  existed 
between  the  trustees  of  the  Newton  Meeting  house  property 
and  James  and  Joseph  Sloan,  in  relation  to  the  boundaries  of 
the  same.  James  and  Joseph  Sloan  had  become  the  owners  of 
part  of  Thomas  Thackara's  estate,  which  adjoined  the  Friends' 
property,  and  claimed  a  portion  of  the  land  by  them  occupied,  in 
fa6l,  that  portion  on  which  the  old  meeting  house  stood.  This 
particular  lot,  measuring  sixty  feet  in  width  and  forty-five  feet  in 
depth,  with  another  lot  adjoining,  was  conveyed  by  Joseph  Sloan 
to  James  Sloan  in  1810,  and  by  him  held  until  1819,  when  he 
released  his  interest  therein  to  Samuel  Eastlack  and  others,  who 
had  charge  of  one  part  of  the  burial  ground.^**  In  181 1,  Joseph 
Sloan  abandoned  his  claim  by  his  deed  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Haddonfield  Monthly  Meeting,  which  extended  to  the  old  grave 
,yard  within  the  brick  wall,  and  some  adjoining  lands. '^  The 
removal  of  Friends  from  the  neighborhood,  and  the  eredtion 
of  other  places  of  worship,  gradually  decreased  the  interest 
of  the  society  in  these  premises;  and  the  destru(5lion  of  the 
old  meeting  house  by  fire  on  the  night  of  December  2 2d,  A.  D. 
1817,^"  was  the  end  of  any  further  assembling  upon  the  spot 
made  memorable  by  the  many  associations  that  surround  it. 
The  disputes  before  named,  which  at  that  time  were  considered 
a  scandal  to  the  church,  may  be  the  means  of  identifying  where 
stood  the  old  meeting  house,  where,  at  some  future  day,  a  suit- 
able monument  will  be  placed  in  remembrance  of  its  purposes, 
and  to  point  out  its  locality. 

In  1699,  John  Kaighn  was  appointed  by  the  Legislature,  one 
of  the  judges  of  the  several  courts  of  Gloucester  county,  and 
was  so  continued   for  three  years  thereafter.      Upon   the  first 


17  Lib.  M,  172,  Gloucester  Co.,  Woodbury.     19   Lib.  O,  597,  Gloucester  Co.,  Woodbury. 

18  Lib.  W,  585,  Gloucester  Co.,  Woodbury.     20  Joseph  Hinchman's  Journal. 


154  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

entry  of  his  name,  the  clerk  of  the  joint  meeting,  spelled  it 
"Cahaen,"  which  doubtless  surprised  Friend  John,  when  he 
came  to  look  upon  the  record  and  found  the  orthography  of 
his  name  so  sadly  tortured,  yet,  when  pronounced,  so  near 
corredl.'^' 

The  duties  of  the  judges  of  the  courts  at  that  day  had  not 
been  well  defined,  and  the  minutes  of  their  proceedings  contrast 
strangely  enough  with  those  of  the  present.  In  township  affairs 
he,  no  doubt,  took  part ;  but,  as  Friend  Sharp  was  not  author- 
ized to  buy  a  book  until  1723,  which  was  near  the  time  of  his 
decease,  no  record  of  such  transactions  has  come  down  to  the 
present  generation. 

In  1 710,  he  sat  as  a  representative  from  Gloucester  county  in 
the  Legislature,  only  a  few  years  after  the  surrender  of  the 
government  by  the  proprietors  to  Queen  Anne,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  troublesome  times  of  the  people. 

John  Kaighn's  will  was  proved  June  12th,  1724,  in  which 
he  gave  a  house  and  lot  in  Philadelphia,  to  his  wife  Elizabeth, 
and,  after  a  life  interest  in  some  other  parts  of  his  property, 
the  remainder  to  his  two  sons,  John  and  Joseph. ^^ 

These  sons  were  by  the  second  wife,  and  were  born  as  fol- 
lows: John,  December  30th,  1700,  and  Joseph,  December  4th, 
1702,  each  taking  the  blood  of  the  Doles,  and  basing  the 
maternal  origin  in  New  Jersey  upon  the  same  line  as  that  of  the 
Griscom  family. 

His  third  wife  was  Elizabeth  Hill,  of  Burlington,  at  the 
meeting  in  which  place  they  were  married  in  1710.  By  this 
marriage  there  was  no  children. 

The  inventory  of  his  personal  estate  amounted  to  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  pounds,  sterling,  showing  him  to  have  been 
one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his  day.  The  next  year  after 
their  father's  death,  Joseph  conveyed  to  John  all  his  interest 
in  the  real  estate  devised  to  them,  consisting  of  much  valuable 
property,  with  fisheries  and  meadows  attached ;  ^^  and,  soon 
after,  John  re-conveyed  the  entire  homestead  property  to  Joseph, 
who  so  held  the  same  until  his  death. 


21  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

22  Lib.  No.  2,  267. 

23  Lib.  C,  19. 


JOHN  KAIGHN.  155 

In  1727,  Joseph  Kaighn  married  Mary  Estaugh,  of  Phila- 
delphia, a  daughter  of  James  and  niece  of  John  Estaugh,  of 
Haddonfield.  This  fa6l  is  proved  by  various  expressions  used 
by  Elizabeth  Estaugh,  in  her  will,  wherein  she  names  the 
children  of  Mary  Kaighn,  and  places  them  among  her  legatees. 

Joseph  Kaighn  was  an  adtive  man  in  the  affairs  of  the  town- 
ship. He  was  initiated  therein  by  his  eledlion  as  one  of  the 
surveyors  of  highways,  in  1723.  His  associates  were  Jacob 
Medcalf,  Samuel  Shivers  and  Thomas  Dennis.  What  the  duties 
of  these  officers  could  have  been,  may  always  remain  a  mystery, 
as,  at  that  date  and  for  many  years  after,  the  roads  were  simply 
the  widening  of  the  Indian  trails,  without  regard  to  the  shortest 
distance  or  the  best  location ;  yet  these  officers  were  annually 
eledled,  and,  no  doubt,  had  some  important  labors  to  perform. 
The  year  of  his  marriage,  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
overseer  of  the  poor,  then  the  most  responsible  office  of  the 
township.  As  such  officer,  he  received  and  disbursed  all  the 
funds  raised  for  public  purposes,  as  appears  by  the  annual 
report  spread  out  on  the  pages  of   the  township  book. 

From  the  year  1736  until  his  death  (excepting  the  year  1738), 
he  was  assessor,  and  also  held  other  minor  positions  among  the 
people.  His  will  bears  date  May  7th,  1749,  in  which  year  he 
died,'''*  having  carefully  described  each  tradl  devised  to  his  chil- 
dren by  metes  and  bounds, — a  precaution  too  often  neglected 
when  a  large  real  estate  is  thus  to  be  disposed  of. 

The  old  brick  house  near  the  Kaighn's  Point  ferry,  was 
probably  the  residence  of  Joseph.  It  has  lost  its  identity 
with  the  past,  as  the  march  of  improvement  has  destroyed 
its  proportions,  and'  left  but  part  of   the  original  building. 

The  box  and  yew  trees,  which  were  planted  when  the  dwell- 
ing was  being  ere^led,  are  the  only  land  marks  to  show  where 
one  of  the  ancestors  of  the  family  had  his  home.  The  centre 
building  was  two  stories  high,  and  ornamented  by  various 
colored  bricks,  with  a  wing  on  each  side  built  of  stone.  The 
site  was  well  chosen,  since  a  good  view  was  had  of  the  river, 
and  of  William  Penn's  "brave  town,"  which,  for  many  years, 
did  not  reach  as  far  south  as  Dock  creek. 

24  Lib.  No.  7,  05. 


156  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

The  farm  and  meadow  land  are  now  traversed  by  paved 
streets,  and  covered  by  the  habitations  of  a  thrifty  population, 
separated  only  by  such  political  divisions  as  are  incident  to  all 
good  governments,  aiding  in  every  respedl  the  advancement  of 
the  people. 

Joseph  Kaighn's  wife  survived  him,  and  the  following  named 
children:     Joseph,  who  married  Prudence  Butcher,  widow  of 

Butcher,  and  daughter  of Rogers;   John,  a  physician 

who  died  single,  about  forty  years  of  age;  Isaac,  who  died  in 
his  minority ;  James,  who  married  Hannah  Mason ;  and  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Arthur  Donaldson. 

In  1753,  Mary,  the  widow  of  Joseph,  married  Robert  Stevens, 
a  resident  of  Newton  township,  who  died  in  1759;  and  before 
his  last  wife.     By  this  marriage  there  was  no  issue. 

Robert  Stevens's  first  wife  was  Ann  Dent,  whom  he  married 
in  1739.  She  was  an  English  lady,  and  sister  of  Joseph 
Cooper's  second  wife.  They  came  from  Yorkshire,  the  last 
named  being  a  minister  among  Friends,  a  testimony  from 
Haddonfield  Monthly  Meeting,  showing  that  she  was  accept- 
able as  such. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  Joseph  Kaighn,  all  his  children 
were  minors.  The  real  estate  devised  to  the  daughter,  was 
to  be  hers,  "if  she  married  with  her  mother's  consent,"  a 
restri6lion  mostly  disregarded  by  parents  as  well  as  children. 
Joseph  and  Prudence  Kaighn  had  four  children,  William,  Mary, 
John  and  Joseph.  The  first  three  named  died  in  their  infancy, 
and  Joseph  married  Sarah  Mickle,  in  1795,  ^  daughter  of 
Joseph. 

In  1732,  John  Kaighn  married  Abigail  Hinchman,  one  of 
the  children  of  John  Hinchman,  the  first  of  that  name  who 
settled  in  Gloucester  county.  He  deceased  in  1749,  leaving  a 
will.-^  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  followed  his  business  in 
Haddonfield  for  several  years;  but  afterwards  he  removed  to 
a  farm  on  Newton  creek,  where  he  died  and  was  buried  in  the 
old  grave  yard  at  the  meeting  house  near  his  residence.  The 
property  in  Haddonfield  he  gave  to  his  daughter  Sarah,  subject 
to  the  use  thereof  by  the  mother  during  her  life.     His  children 

25  Lib.  No.  6,  230. 


JOHN  KAIGHN.  157 

were  Sarah,  born  1733;  Elizabeth,  born  1736;  Samuel,  born 
1737,  who  married  Mary  Gerrard;  John,  born  1740,  and  Ann, 
born   1744. 

The  widow  Abigail  afterwards  married  Samuel  Harrison, 
and  resided  near  Gloucester.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was 
a  daughter,  Abigail,  born  1751,  who  married  Richard  Edwards 
in  176S.  They  had  ten  children,  all  of  whom  died  single, 
excepting  Samuel,  who  married  Martha  Heulings,  and  Sarah, 
who  married  Joseph  Collins.  Abigail  Harrison  survived  her 
last  husband,  and  died  in  1795,  at  Taunton  iron  works,  Bur- 
lington county,  where  lived  her  son-in-law,  Richard  Edwards. 

Like  his  brother  Joseph,  John  was  somewhat  of  a  township 
politician,  for  in  1725  he  was  elected  freeholder,  and,  at  dif- 
ferent times  thereafter,  held  the  same  position.  His  name  is 
found  upon  the  town  book  almost  every  year  from  1725  to  the 
time  of  his  decease.  He  a6led  as  clerk  from  1732  to  1741, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Samuel  Mickle. 

This  family  name  is  oftener  associated  with  others  of  like 
pronunciation  and  different  spelling  than  any  other  in  this 
se6tion ;  which  has  frequently  led  to  trouble  and  difficulty. 
One  family  writes  the  name  Cain,  another  Kain  and  another 
Kane,  and  they  are  in  no  wise  related  to  each  other. 

The  descendants  of  John  Kaighn,  the  subjeft  of  this  sketch, 
never  became  numerous  in  this  part  of  the  State  of  New 
Jersey,  but  some  of  his  descendants  have  adhered  to  portions 
of  the  original  landed  property  to  the  present  time.  The 
increase  in  the  city  of  Camden  has  covered  the  larger  portion 
with  substantial  improvements;  and  another  half-century  will 
find  the  entire  estate  thus  occupied. 


THE   GRAYSBURYS. 


IN  the  year  1692,  James,  Joseph  and  Benjamin  Graysbury, 
brothers  and  ship  carpenters,  came  from  the  island  of 
Bermuda,  to  Philadelphia.'  It  does  not  appear  whether  they 
were  Friends,  banished  from  England,  or  whether  they  were 
natives  of  the  said  island.  The  opportunity  for  getting  ship 
timber  to  carry  on  their  business  was  certainly  an  attra61:ion 
in  these  parts,  and  may  have  been  the  secret  of  their  settle- 
ment here.  They  had  their  place  of  business  in  Philadelphia, 
and  probably,  Joseph  and  Benjamin  there  remained  during 
their  lives.  The  next  year  after  their  arrival,  they  joined  in 
a  purchase  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  of  Robert  Turner, 
which  land  was  situated  in  Newton  township,  and  on  the  south 
side  of  the  main  branch  of  Newton  creek. '^ 

At  that  time,  Robert  Turner  was  a  merchant  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  but  owned  much  land  in  New  Jersey,  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  neighborhood  of  the  above  named  tradl.  From 
a  map  made  by  Thomas  Sharp,  showing  his  lands  lying  on 
Newton  and  Cooper  creeks,  the  amount  appears  to  have  exceeded 
two  thousand  five  hundred  acres  within  the  township ;  he  there- 
fore was  much  the  largest  owner  of  real  estate  in  this  region. 
This  map  also  indicates  that  Robert  Philips,  planter,  had 
already  settled  thereon ;  but  where  his  habitation  was,  does 
not  appear.     After  this  man,  James  Graysbury  made  the  first 


1  Lib.  G2,  174. 

2  Lib.  G3,  426. 


i6o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

improvement  on  this  purchase;  but  where  his  cabin  stood,  is 
also  in  doubt.  He  probably  cleared  considerable  land,  looking 
somewhat  to  agriculture  for  the  maintenance  of  his  family. 
This  man  was  the  son  of  James,  so  far  as  the  records  can  be 
digested;  yet  the  vague  manner  of  expression  used  in  many 
conveyances  and  wills,  renders  a  proper  understanding  of  them 
almost  impossible. 

James  (_one  of  the  brothers)  died  in  1700,  leaving  one  son, 
James,  his  two  other  children  being  born  after  his  decease. 
In  anticipation  of  this,  he  made  provision  in  his  will  that  his 
share  of  said  tradl  of  land  should  belong  "to  his  child  or 
children  yet  to  be  born,"  and  it  proved  that  the  issue  was 
twins,  named  by  the  mother,  Elizabeth  and  Annie. ^  In  the 
progress  of  time  the  second  daughter  here  named  married 
Daniel  Martin,  a  resident  of  Philadelphia.  In  1722,  the  sisters 
conveyed  the  said  land  to  James,  upon  which  he  resided  until 
his  death. 

Benjamin  (another  brother)  died,  seized  of  his  share  of  said 
five  hundred  acres,  leaving  two  children,  Margaret,  and  Mary, 
who  married  Richard  Kelley,  also  a  resident  of  Philadelphia. 
They  conveyed  their  interest  to  James,  their  cousin,  in  1720.* 

Joseph  (the  last  brother)  died  intestate  and  without  children. 
His  undivded  interest  of  said  land  descended  to  his  nephew, 
James,  he  being  the  eldest  son  of  James,  who  was  the  eldest 
brother  of  Joseph.^ 

The  law  regulating  the  descent  of  real  estates  in  force  at  that  «. 
time,  deprived  the  children  of  Benjamin  and  the  sisters  of 
James,  of  all  right  in  the  property  of  their  uncle  Joseph, 
although  standing  in  the  same  blood  relationship  as  James. 
The  rule  of  "the  oldest  male  heir"  is  in  this  case  clearly 
exemplified,  and  shows  how  unjust  was  the  application  of  the 
law  of  primogeniture, — a  law  that  has  long  since,  in  the  State 
of  New  Jersey,  given  way  to  a  more  rational,  just  and  equitable 
distribution  of  real  estate.  For  many  years  the  English  code 
obtained,  contrary  to  the  progress  and  spirit  of  the  age,  and 
at  variance  with  the  liberality  and  intentions  of  our  law  makers. 


3  Sharp's  Book,  03,  O.  S.  G. 

4  Lib.  D,  253. 

5  Lib.  M,  no,  O.  S.  G. 


THE    GRAYSBURYS.  i6i 

The  infringements  on  this  were  gradual,  but  always  in  favor 
of  the  female  heirs,  until  every  barrier  was  swept  away,  and  the 
daughters  of  an  intestate  had  the  same  rights  of  inheritance. 

Immediately  upon  obtaining  the  title  to  his  property,  James 
Graysbury  proceeded  to  perfed  the  same  and  to  establish  the 
boundaries  by  a  re-survey;  which  was  accomplished  in  1721.® 

It  will  be  noticed,  that,  after  the  death  of  the  three  brothers, 
there  was  but  one  person  to  represent  the  family  name  5  thus 
became  centered  in  James,  the  son  of  James,  the  genealogy  of 
future  generations,  as  well  as  the  title  to  most  of  the  original 
estate,  as  by  them  purchased  of  Robert  Turner. 

The  only  severance  from  the  first  purchase  was  that  of  fifty 
acres  sold  to  John  Willis,  a  ship  carpenter  of  Philadelphia,  in 
1696;  which  land  fronted  on  the  creek.  There  John  Willis 
eredled  a  house.'  This,  however,  after  several  conveyances, 
became  the  property  of  Caleb  Atmore,  and  in  his  name  it 
remained  for  many  years. 

James  Graysbury  conveyed  said  estates  to  two  of  his  sons 
(James  and  Joseph),  and  they  immediately  after  conveyed  the 
same  to  their  brother  Benjamin,  who  then  resided  on  the 
premises.  In  1783,  Benjamin  bought  of  Caleb  Atmore  the 
fifty  acres  that  had  been  sold  to  John  Willis  in  1696,  by  his 
grandfather  and  great  uncles,  and  became  therefore  owner  of 
the  original  tra6l.  This  now  includes  the  farm  lately  Joseph 
FewSmith's,  deceased,  on  the  east,  and  that  of  Edward  Bettle, 
on  the  west,  and  all  the  intermediate  property,  showing  it  to 
have  been  one  of  the  best  locations  made  in  the  township, 
whether  soil  or  situation  be  regarded. 

On  the  farm  first  named  is  the  old  family  graveyard,  where 
rest  the  bones  of  the  earliest  generations  of  the  Graysburys, 
and  of  some  of  their  descendants.  In  the  same  neighborhood 
lived  Simeon  Breach,  Joseph  Low,  Caleb  Sprague,  John  Hinch- 
man,  and  others,  who,  in  all  probability,  were  also  there  interred, 
with  many  of  their  descendants.  Nearly  all  were  slave-holders, 
as  appears  by  the  wills  of  several;  this  part  of  their  personal 
property  found  a  final  resting  place  in  Hinchman's,  now  gener- 


6  Lib.  M,  HO,  O.  S.  G. 

7  Lib.  A,  189. 


1 62  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

ally  known  as  Hurley's  graveyard.  For  many  years  the  memory 
of  the  forefathers  was  held  in  respect,  but  the  presence  of 
strangers  has  left  no  trace  of  the  immediate  locality  of  the 
old   Graysbury  graveyard. 

"  Perhaps  in  this  negledled  spot  is  laid 

Some  heart  once  pregnant  with  celestial  fire, 
Hands,  that  the  lod  of  empire  might  have  sway'd, 
Or  waked  to  ecstacy  the  living  lyre." 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  genealogy  of  the  three  brothers 
who  originated  the  family  in  New  Jersey,  cannot  be  traced  with 
more  accuracy,  the  greatest  difficulty  being  that  the  female 
branches  so  largely  predominated,  the  name  thus  soon  dis- 
appearing in  subsequent  marriages.  The  will  of  James  Grays- 
bury was  executed  in  1760,  but  he  lived  for  some  years  after 
that  time.  His  wife,  Mary,  survived  him;  also  the  following 
children :  James ;  Joseph  ;  *  Mary,  who  married  John  Frank- 
lin ;  Ann,  who  married  Warner;   and  Benjamin.     The 

number  of  Benjamin's  marriages  involves  the  maternal  line  of 
his  progeny  in  much  doubt.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Sharp,  and  granddaughter  of  Thomas 
Sharp  (the  first  surveyor  in  Newton).®  His  second  was  Lydia 
Matlack,  daughter  of  John;  next  he  married  Letitia  Shivers, 
and,  after  her  death,  he  married  Ann  Morton.  Ann  survived 
him  and  married  Jonathan  Morgan. 

In  1783,  it  will  be  seen  that  Benjamin  Graysbury  was  the 
owner  of  the  original  estate,  and  was  the  only  one  of  the  family 
that  remained  in  the  neighborhood.  He  probably  built  the 
house,  part  of  which  is  still  standing  on  the  farm  lately  owned 
by  Joseph  FewSmith,  deceased,  now  by  William  Bettle ; 
and  there  he  resided  during  his  life.  He  acquired  much 
other  real  estate,  and  was  classed  among  the  wealthy  men  of 
his  day.  A  shade  of  romance  connected  with  the  third  wife 
of  Benjamin  may  not  prove  uninteresting  here. 

By  the  will  of  John  Tomlinson,  who  died  a  single  man,  in 
1760,  he  devised  to  Letitia  Shivers  nearly  all  of  his  estate, — 
"out  of  regard  to  her."^"     These  are  significant  words,  when 

8  Lib.  No.  12,  282. 

9  Lib.  AR,  359. 

10  Lib.  No.  10,  387. 


THE    GRAYSBURYS.  163 

used  in  the  conne(5lion  in  which  they  here  stand,  and  the  most 
.rational  conclusion  must  be  that  marriage  was  contemplated 
between  them,  but  that  death  prevented  its  consummation. 
Fifteen  years  after  that  time  she  became  the  wife  of  one  of 
the  most  respedlable  citizens  of  Gloucester  county,  and,  per- 
haps, the  mother  of  some  of  his  children.  Doubtless  many 
of  the  grandmothers  of  the  last  century  could  tell  over  the 
sad  romance  connedled  with  this  affair;  having  knowledge  of 
the  particulars,  and  always  remembering  it  as  one  of  the  inci- 
dents of  their  younger  days. 

Benjamin  Graysbury  died  in  1747."  His  children  were 
Benjamin;  James,  who  married  Beulah  Warrick;  Mary,  who 
married  Isaac  Kay;  and  Abigail,  who  married  John  Branson. 
Whether  these  were  the  children  of  one  mother  or  of  more 
than  one,  does  not  appear,  and  may  never  be  disclosed,  unless 
some  enthusiast  indulge  in  a  waste  of  time  and  labor  never 
repaid  and  seldom  appreciated.  Although  the  collateral  branches 
of  the  family  have  become  extensive  in  West  Jersey,  yet  the 
name  has  never  been  much  known  except  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  first  settler. 

On  the  south  side  of  Newton  creek  and  near  the  end  of 
Atmore's  dam,  not  many  years  since,  stood  a  small  antiquated 
house,  built  partly  of  brick  and  partly  of  frame,  one  and  a  half 
stories  high,  Avith  hipped  roof,  small  windows  and  low,  narrow 
doors.  In  early  times  this  was  kept  as  a  tavern,  and  stood 
beside  the  public  road  leading  from  Philadelphia  to  the  sea- 
shore. It  was  probably  built  by  John  Willis,  the  ship  carpenter 
before  noticed,  as  it  was  on  the  land  which  he  purchased  of  the 
Graysburys.  The  dam  being  the  easiest  means  of  crossing  the 
stream,  all  the  travel  passing  between  the  points  before  named 
was  centred  here,  making  this  "hostelry"  a  desirable  stopping 
place,  since  here  the  greatest  number  of  folks  could  be  seen  in 
a  given  time.  It  was  enlarged  until  its  ancient  form  was 
entirely  lost  to  the  later  generations,  who  did  not  know  it  as 
a  resting  place  for  travelers. 

Being  the  head  of  navigation,  all  the  trade  carried  on  with 
Philadelphia  by  water  in  that  neighborhood  started  from  that 

II  Lib.  No.  38,  40. 


1 64  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

point,  and,  perchance,  a  packet  left  every  day  for  the  city  to 
accommodate  tlie  people,  being  a  much  easier  means  of  com- 
munication than  travel  over  the  circuitous  and,  no  doubt,  bad 
roads  that  led  to  the  ferries.  If  the  owners  of  the  property 
were  the  keepers  of  the  inn,  then  Joseph  Kirlee  succeeded 
John  Willis,  and  John,  the  son  of  Joseph  Kirlee,  followed, 
who,  in  1718,  sold  to  Thomas  Atmore.  About  the  year  1773, 
Thomas  died,  and  his  son  Caleb  took  possession,  and  by  this 
name  it  has  been  known  among  the  people  of  later  times.  The 
situation  being  near  the  middle  of  the  township,  it  was  a 
suitable  place  for  business  meetings,  and  there  the  politicians 
of  that  day  "most  did  congregate,"  to  discuss  the  affairs  of 
the  colony.  Here,  for  many  years  the  few  inhabitants  ele6led 
the  various  officers  to  carry  on  the  machinery  of  their  little 
municipality,  and,  here,  personal  rivalry  and  political  prejudice 
cropped  out,  just  as  in  these  days  of  ambition  and  greed  for 
ofiEice.  Before  the  days  of  mails,  this  was  the  place  where 
news  from  the  city  or  county  could  be  gathered,  and  whence 
correspondence  could  be  forwarded  to  various  parts  of  Glou- 
cester and  Salem  counties  by  the  few  travelers  going  to  and 
from  their  several  homes.  The  name  of  this  inn  has  passed 
into  oblivion.  No  doubt,  some  high  sounding  title  from  the 
mother  country  was  emblazoned  on  the  sign  that  hung  before 
the  door,  and  informed  strangers  that  they  approached  the 
Bull  and  Mouth,  the  King  and  Cross,  or  some  other  names 
that,  in  these  days,  are  not  attached  to  such  public  resorts, 
but  are  regarded  as  antiquated  and  out  of  date. 

Inside,  the  low  ceilings  and  ill  arranged  rooms  told  that 
ventilation  and  convenience  were  not  regarded;  yet  the  well 
sanded  floor  and  the  bright  pewter  dishes  betrayed  the  good 
house-wife  and  thrifty  matron.  The  bar-room  opened  by  a 
double  door,  cut  horizontally,  and  within  might  be  seen  the 
crib  which  screened  the  liquors  and  protected  the  dealer. 

The  immense  open  fire-place,  arranged  with  a  bench  on 
each  side,  made  sitting-room  for  guests  by  day,  and  beds  for 
dogs  at  night, — to  say  nothing  of  the  straight-backed  slat- 
bottomed  chairs  that  stood  around  the  walls.  The  visitors 
were  mostly  rude,  uneducated  people,   unused   to   the   refine- 


THE    GRAYSBURYS.  165 

ments  of  society,  and  contending  with  adversity  in  its  many 
ugly  shapes.  The  means  of  comfort,  as  now  understood,  were 
not  at  hand,  and  several  decades  passed  away  after  the  first 
adventurers  arrived,  before  anything  beyond  the  necessity  of 
their  conditions  was  attempted. 

At  this  old  tavern  might  occasionally  be  seen  a  party  of 
hunters,  pledging  their  good  opinion  of  each  other  in  a  bowl 
of  whiskey-punch,  or  ''stone-fence,"  and  enjoying  in  their 
peculiar  way  the  last  of  a  successful  chase.  Wrestling,  running 
and  jumping  were  indulged  in,  when  a  few  of  the  neighbors 
met;  and  every  man  that  participated,  was  soon  graded  as  to 
his  ability  in  each.  The  fare  was  abundant,  and  such  as 
epicures  of  the  present  day  would  revel  in.  It  was  dried 
venison,  bear's  meat,  fresh  fish,  and  wild  fowl,  with  corn  bread 
or  hoe  cake,  well  prepared,  and  made  inviting  by  the  tidy 
appearance  of  the  surroundings.  The  liquors,  also,  though 
drawn  from  wooden  casks,  and  drank  from  horn  tumblers, 
imparted  an  invigorating,  healthy  effect;  and,  when  evapo- 
rated by  a  good  night's  sleep,  left  no  suspicious  feelings  after 
them. 

Of  this  ancient  house,  not  one  stone  rests  upon  another, 
as  it  stood  in  the  days  of  our  forefathers;  and  nothing  but  a 
slight  depression  in  the  ground  shows  its  place.  In  the  midst 
of  a  quiet,  agricultural  neighborhood,  the  visitor  now  cannot 
appreciate  the  busy  scenes  that  formerly  surrounded  it.  The 
creek,  once  a  beautiful,  living  stream,  from  being  dammed  at 
the  mouth,  was,  for  many  years,  only  a  muddy  ditch;  and, 
where  once  spread  the  sails  of  the  graceful  water-craft,  nothing 
remained  save  a  miasmatic  bog,  affe6ling  the  health  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  the  value  of  adjacent  land  as  well.  Of 
late  years,  however,  the  tide  is  allowed  to  flow,  and  the  many 
advantages  incident  thereto  will  follow  in  due  time. 

The  highway  that  took  its  tortuous  course  through  the  grand 
old  forests,  passing  around  the  heads  of  streams,  avoiding  the 
hilly  places,  and  extending  for  miles  into  the  country  without 
a  habitation  near  it, — this  road,  that  brought  the  few  travelers 
past  the  door,  is  scarcely  known  and  is,  in  many  places,  entirely 
obliterated. 


1 66  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Wealth,  enterprise,  and  the  increase  of  population,  have 
changed  these  routes  into  straight,  well  cared-for  thorough- 
fares, while  the  Indian, trails  at  this  day  cannot  be  remembered 
by  the  oldest  inhabitant.  When  this  tavern  at  Atmore's  dam 
opened  its  doors  to  the  public,  or  when  ended  the  days  of 
its  usefulness,  no  record  can  be  found ;  but,  like  many  other 
places  of  interest  to  the  seeker  after  ancient  things,  enough 
has  been  gathered  through  tradition,  that  deserves  a  faithful 
search  the  more  thoroughly  to  know  its  history. 

Around  the  broad,  open  fire  of  the  bar-room,  the  legends, 
the  arguments  or  the  songs,  will  never  be  renewed ;  nor,  upon 
the  green  before  the  door,  will  the  wrestlers  ever  again  join 
hands. 

"  Thither  no  more  the  peasant  shall  repair 
To  sweet  oblivion  of  his  daily  care  ; 
No  more  the  farmer's  news,  the  barber's  tale. 
No  more  the  woodsman's  ballad  shall  prevail  : 
No  more  the  smith  his  dusky  brow  shall  clear. 
Relax  his  ponderous  strength,  and  lean  to  hear ; 
The  host  himself  no  longer  shall  be  found. 
Careful  to  see  the  mantling  bliss  go  round ; 
Nor  the  coy  maid,  half  willing  to  be  prest, 
Shall  kiss  the  cup  to  pass  it  to  the  rest." 


JOHN    KAV. 


AMONG  the  leading  men  of  the  times,  the  name  of  John 
Kay  occurs  as  often  as  that  of  any  other  person.  He 
was  a  son  of  Garvis  Kay,  and  came  to  New  Jersey  about  the 
year  1680.  The  history  of  this  family  in  England  is  worthy 
of  notice  in  this  connection,  and  may  not  prove  uninteresting 
to  those  of  the  name  in  this  region  of  country.  Lower,  in 
his  Dictionary  of  Family  Names,  says:  "The  family  of  Kaye 
is  of  great  antiquity  in  the  county  of  York,  being  descended 
from  Sir  Kaye,  an  ancient  Britton,  and  one  of  the  Knights 
of  the  warlike  table  of  that  noble  Prince  Arthur,  flower  of 
chivalry !  The  truth  seems  to  be  that,  at  Woodsome  in  York- 
shire, there  resided  in  very  early  times  a  family  of  Kaye,  the 
head  of  which,  some  centuries  later,  was  created  Baronet  by 
Charles  I.  The  patent  expired  in  1810,  but  was  revived  shortly 
afterwards  in  favor  of  the  reputed  son  of  the  fifth  Baronet." 

Some  of  the  family  may  be  found  in  Durham  and  Berkshire, 
but  it  is  more  numerous  in  Yorkshire  than  in  any  other  county 
in  England.  Many  of  them  were  Friends,  and  consequently 
suffered  persecution  at  the  hands  of  those  in  authority,  in  the 
shape  of  fines  and  imprisonments.  At  the  court  of  quarter 
sessions,  held  at  Wakefield  in  Yorkshire,  in  1661,  John  Kay, 
Baronet,  was  the  presiding  judge,  and  committed  sixty  Quakers 
to  prison.  Ten  years  after,  John  Kay  was  fined  for  attending 
meeting  at  York  in  the  same  shire.  It  is  possible  that  the 
latter  was   the  same   person   as   the    former;    and    that,  while 


1 68  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

the  committing  magistrate,  he  became  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  do6lrines  preached  by  George  Fox,  laid  aside  his  titles, 
and  suffered  with  the  Friends  in  person  and  estate.' 

In  1675,  Garvis  Kay  of  Holmforth,  in  the  Parish  of  Kirk- 
Burton,  Yorkshire,  was  prosecuted  for  tithes,  committed  to 
prison  for  contempt,  and  there  kept  for  two  years.  He  was 
released  for  some  flaw  in  the  indi6lment,  but  again  committed 
by  proceedings  against  him  in  the  ecclesiastical  courts. 

Although  it  would  be  a  venture  to  say  that  the  two  Kays 
here  named  were  the  same  that  came  to  New  Jersey,  yet  the 
dates  and  incidents  may  be  reconciled,  and  such  suggestion 
really  may  be  a  fa6l.  This,  however,  must  be  left  for  some 
one  in  the  blood,  and  curious  to  trace  the  family  beyond  the 
ocean. 

The  first  of  the  name  hereabout  was  John  Kay,  who  purchased 
one  hundred  acres  of  Francis  Collins,  in  1684,  situated  on  the 
north  side  of  the  north  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  adjoining 
a  trail  of  land  which  he  (Francis  Collins)  afterwards  sold  to 
Simeon  Ellis. ^'^  These  one  hundred  acres  are  now  part  of  the 
farm  lately  owned  by  Joseph  W.  Cooper,  deceased,  and  lie  about 
one  mile  east  of  Ellisburg,  in  Delaware  township.  In  1696, 
Jarvis  Kay  located  one  hundred  acres  of  land  situated  on  the 
southerly  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek;  but,  from 
the  vague  and  uncertain  description,  its  exadl  position  cannot 
be  discovered.*  This  tra6l  is  probably  now  included  in  the 
landed  estate  of  John  Gill,  and  lies  about  one  mile  south  of 
Haddonfield  in  Centre  township,  bounded  by  the  stream  afore- 
said. Whether  the  Jarvis  Kay  here  mentioned  was  the  father 
of  John,  or  whether  he  lived  on  the  survey  before  mentioned, 
is  unknown  at  this  late  day,  and  without  much  trouble  and 
bootless  research,  may  always  so  remain. 

There  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  the  first  habitation 
of  John  Kay  on  the  tra6l  of  one  hundred  acres  was  a  cave 
in  the  hillside  near  the  creek,  and  that  there  he  and  his  family 
resided.  This  is  probable,  as  many  of  the  first  settlers  adopted 
this  mode  of  shelter,  until  time  could  be  had  to  clear  a  portion 


1  Basse's  Sufferings,  Vol.  i,  14.  3  Basse's  Book,  236. 

2  Lib.  A,  01,  Gloucester  Deeds.  4  Lib.  A,  32,  O.  S.  G. 


JOHN  KAY.  169 

of  their  land  and  eredl  log  cabins,  which  were  universal  in  the 
first  settlement  of  the  country.  Were  the  dwelling  a  cave  or  a 
cabin,  there  is  much  of  interest  surrounding  the  place  where  it 
stood;  and  it  deserves  a  faithful  search  in  order  to  discover 
its  true  locality. 

In  1685,  a  religious  meeting  was  established  by  consent  of 
Burlington  Friends,  at  the  house  of  John  Kay,  in  conne6lion 
with  one  of  the  same  charadler  to  be  held  at  the  house  of 
Timothy  Hancock,  at  Penisaukin,  on  alternate  first-days,  for 
the  accommodation  of  Friends  in  Evesham,  and  about  Penis- 
aukin and  Cooper's  creek.  ^  These  meetings  were  continued 
until  1707,  at  least,  as  the  records  show  marriages  to  have  taken 
place  there  as  late  as  that  time.  William  Clark  and  Mary 
Heritage  were  married  there  in  1696.  Benjamin  Wood  and 
Elizabeth  Kay,  and  Benjamin  Thackara  and  Mary  Cooper, 
were  married  there  in  1707,  as  were  doubtless  many  others, 
the  record  of  whose  marriages  has  been  lost. 

At  that  date  (1685),  the  settlers  in  Evesham,  or  the  Vale 
of  Evesham,  as  the  neighborhood  is  called  in  some  of  the  old 
titles,  were  but  few,  and  wide  apart. "^  Among  them  were 
William  and  Elizabeth  Evans,  who  lived  in  a  cave  near  Mt. 
Laurel,  on  a  tra6l  of  land  which  William  had  located  in  1682; 
and  here  were  born  their  children.  Noel  Mew  and  his  Indian 
wife  had  settled  on  part  of  a  large  tra6l  of  land  located  by 
his  father,  Richard  Mew.  His  habitation  was  on  the  farm 
lately  owned  by  James  Wills,  and  near  a  stream  of  water 
called  Noel's  run,  which  doubtless  received  its  name  from 
him.  Thomas  Evans,  a  brother  of  William,  also  settled  in 
that  neighborhood ;  his  family  was  small,  however,  he  having 
but  a  wife  and  one  daughter. 

John  Inskeep  resided  east  of  Marlton,  in  a  small  cabin  sur- 
rounded by  Indians,  with  whom  he  lived  on  excellent  terms. 
Thomas  Eves  lived  near  by,  as  well  as  Henry  Ballinger,  Francis 
Austin,  and  others,  who  were  known  in  those  days  as  the 
"Evesham  Friends,"  and  attended  the  meeting  at  John  Kay's 
house.     Elizabeth   Evans,   the  wife  of   William,  was   a  public 


5  Asa  Matlack's  Mem. 

6  Revel's  Book,  72. 


170  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Friend,  and  doubtless  followed  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
founder  of  her  profession,  and,  in  their  meetings  at  this  place, 
frequently  exhorted  those  around  her  to  do  likewise. 

John  Kay's  house  was  several  miles  from  where  these  people 
lived,  but  it  proved  how  much  they  were  attached  to  their 
religious  principles,  and  what  difficulties  they  were  willing  to 
overcome  in  order  to  observe  the  requirements  of  the  society. 

In  this  conne6lion  it  may  be  proper  to  notice  another  meet- 
ing of  Friends,  held  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Shackle,  from  the 
year  1695  to  1721.  Some  one  who  has  had  access  to  the 
minute  book  of  the  Friends'  Meetings  in  this  sedlion,  has 
made  the  following  extra6l  therefrom: 

"The  Monthly  Meeting  of  Gloucester  from  the  year  1695, 
was  held  alternately  at  Newton  and  at  the  house  of  Thomas 
Shackle,  until  the  twelfth  month,  1721,  at  which  time  it  was 
held  at  the  meeting  house  at  Haddonfield,  which  was  built 
in  the  fore  part  of  that  year,  on  ground  given  by  John  Estaugh, 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  Monthly  and  Quarterly  Meetings. 
After  some  time,  two  meetings  a  week  for  worship,  were  con- 
stantly kept  there,  which  are  still  continued,  excepting  when 
that  on  the  first-day  is  held  at  Newton.'  The  Monthly  Meeting 
is  now  constantly  held  at  Haddonfield,  and  the  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing alternately  there  and  at  Salem.  The  Quarterly  Meeting 
was  first  set  up  by  order  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  at  Burlington, 
to  be  held  alternately  at  Salem  and  Newton." 

The  house  of  Thomas  Shackle  stood  upon  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Amos  Kaighn,  in  Delaware  township,  a  short  dis- 
tance northwest  of  the  Haddonfield  and  Moorestown  road, 
and  about  one  mile  from  Ellisburg.^  The  land  Thomas  Shackle 
purchased  of  Francis  Collins  in  1689,  and,  in  1735,  it  became 
the  property  of  John  Burrough.' 

This  extra6t  fixes  the  year  in  which  the  meeting  house  at 
Haddonfield  was  built,  the  ere6lion  of  which  centred  all  the 
meetings  at  one  point,  much  to  the  comfort  and  convenience 
of  the  people. 


7  "The  Friend,"  Vol.  4,  206. 

8  Lib.  Gi,  97. 

9  Lib.  X,  14. 


JOHN  KAY.  171 

Proud,  in  a  foot  note  to  his  History  of  Pennsylvania,  says 
"that  John  Y^ey  was  the  first  child  born  of  English  parents  in 
Philadelphia,  and  that  William  Penn  gave  him  a  square  of 
ground.  He  was  born  in  a  cave  long  afterwards  known  by 
the  name  of  Penny  Pot,  near  Sassafras  street."  He  remem- 
bers him  to  have  been  in  the  city  about  six  years  before  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1767.  He  was  buried  at  Kennett,  in 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had  previously  resided. 

The  subje6t  of  this  sketch  and  the  person  named  by  Proud 
cannot  be  the  same,  although  the  name  is  frequently  spelled 
differently,  which  sometimes  leads  to  doubt. 

John  Kay  became  the  owner  of  many  tradls  of  land  near 
his  first  purchase,  some  of  which  he  located,  and  some  of  which 
he  bought  of  the  settlers.  One  of  the  old  deeds  calls  him  a 
clothier,  which  implies  he  was  a  manufadlurer  of,  or  a  dealer  in 
cloth.  Whether  this  had  reference  to  his  calling  before  or  after 
his  settlement  here,  does  not  appear. 

The  coloring  matter  for  his  goods  was  not  one  of  the  troubles 
in  manufa6luring,  for  our  Quaker  ancestors  were  careful  to  avoid 
anything  in  dress  that  pertained  to  style  or  pretension.  Of 
the  few  changes  that  have  made  any  inroads  upon  the  pradlices 
of  primitive  Friends,  this  is  the  most  radical.  In  England, 
the  members  of  this  se6l  cannot  be  distinguished  by  their  dress, 
and  such  may  soon  be  the  case  in  America. 

In  1 710,  John  Kay  purchased  the  Lovejoy  survey,  partly 
covered  by  the  village  of  Haddonfield,  which  purchase  included 
the  mansion  house  and  corn  mill  built  by  Thomas  Kendall  in 
1697,  now  part  of  the  estate  of  Josiah  B.  Evans,  deceased; 
both  of  which  buildings  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek, 
and  within  the  bounds  of  Newton  township.  To  this  place 
John  Kay  removed,  and  he  there  resided  until  his  death. ^" 

This  "corn  mill,"  in  the  days  of  our  ancestors  known  as  the 
"Free  Lodge  mill,"  as  then  constructed,  would  be  a  curiosity 
to  the  mechanics  of  the  present  time."  The  driving  of  one 
run  of  stone  was,  perhaps,  all  that  was  desired,  the  machinery 
being  so    heavily  and   clumsily  made    that    it   would    contrast 


10  Basse's  Book,  237. 

11  Basse's  Book,  62. 


172  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

strangely  with  the  perfe6l  application  of  power,  the  avoidance 
of  fri6lion,  and  the  nice  adjustment  secured  by  experience 
and  ingenuity  to  the  same  uses  at  the  present  day. 

The  mill  stood  some  distance  below  the  dam,  at  the  end 
of  the  race-way  cut  in  the  bank,  which  secured  additional 
head  and  fall  without  increasing  the  expense.  The  remains 
of  this  race-way  may  yet  be  seen,  but  the  site  of  the  mill  is 
entirely  obliterated.  That  it  literally  was  a  corn  mill  there 
can  be  no  question,  as  no  other  kind  of  grain  was  raised  here 
for  many  years  after  its  ere6lion,  nor  was  bolting  apparatus 
introduced  after  other  cereals  were  cultivated,  but  our  fore- 
fathers ate  their  bread  made  of  the  dark  flour,  taken  up  with 
the  bran  still  remaining  therein ;  which,  although  it  detra(fted 
from  the  appearance,  yet  aided  materially  in  the  digestion. 

A  story  is  still  extant,  much  to  the  scandal  of  our  worthy 
ancestors,  that,  in  going  with  a  "grist"  to  the  mill,  they  always 
put  a  stone  in  one  end  of  the  sack,  the  better  to  balance  the 
grain  in  the  other,  when  hung  across  the  horse  or  ox  that 
carried  it,  not  understanding  that,  with  grain  in  place  of  the 
stone,  a  double  portion  could  be  thus  transported.  If  this 
be  true,  then  the  improvement  in  the  mode  of  getting  a  grist 
to  and  from  the  mill  is  quite  as  discoverable  as  the  advantage 
derived  from  modern  well  adjusted  machinery.  This  was  prob- 
ably the  first  grain  mill  in  Gloucester  county,  and,  if  it  stood 
now  as  in  the  days  of  its  usefulness,  many  would  be  the  visitors 
to  examine  its  arrangement  and  inspe6l  its  odd  constru6lion. 

In  1685,  John  Kay  was  ele6led  a  member  of  the  Assembly 
of  the  province  of  West  New  Jersey,  and,  in  1 703  and  1 704, 
again  filled  the  same  position. ^^  During  this  time  he  was  also 
appointed  one  of  the  justices  of  Gloucester  county,  which, 
under  the  laws  of  the  State,  then  existing,  made  him  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  several  courts  of  the  same.  He  held  several 
local  offices,  and  discharged  their  duties  to  the  satisfa6lion  of 
the  community. 

In  1 710,  he  was  again  ele6ted  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Provincial  Assembly  from  Gloucester  county,  which  was  part 
of   the  fourth  session  of   the   Legislature   after  the   surrender 


12  Minutes  of  Assembly,  State  Library,  Trenton. 


JOHN  KAY.  173 

made  to  Queen  Anne,  and  in  the  ninth  year  of  her  reign. 
Upon  the  meeting  of  this  body  at  Burlington,  he  was  chosen 
speaker,  which  appointment  at  that  time  was  sufficient  to  mark 
him  as  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  Robert  Hunter 
was  governor,  holding  his  commission  from  the  Queen,  and, 
by  her  instru6tions  and  authority,  striving  to  settle  the  diffi- 
culties then  existing  between  the  colonies,  but  now  united 
under  his  administration.  Much  depended  on  the  discretion 
and  good  judgment  of  the  Legislature  in  making  the  surrender 
acceptable  to  the  people,  and  John  Kay  was  a  prominent  man 
during  all  these  difficulties.  He  was  continued  speaker  through 
the  sessions  of  1711-12  and  1713. 

Upon  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature  in  1716,  Daniel  Coxe 
was  returned  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly  in  place  of  John 
Kay,  and  was  chosen  speaker.  The  proceedings  of  that  body, 
however,  show  in  what  way  this  occurred ;  for  William  Harri- 
son, sheriff  of  Gloucester  county,  was  arrested  and  brought 
to  the  bar  of  the  House  by  the  sergeant-at-arms,  and  repri- 
manded "for  adjourning  the  ele6lion  poll  from  the  "great 
field"  near  John  Kay's  house,  to  William  Cooper's,  several 
miles  distant,  without  the  consent  of  the  candidates,  which 
was  contrary  to  law."'^  By  this  transa6lion,  the  defeat  of 
John  Kay  was  brought  about,  which  led  to  the  censure  of  the 
principal  executive  officer  of  the  county.  What  sheriff  Har- 
rison's explanation  or  apology  was,  does  not  appear  upon  the 
record,  yet  it  is  evident  that  he  was  in  sympathy  with  Dr.  Coxe, 
and  enlarged  his  authority  to  carry  out  his  wishes.  John  Kay 
at  that  time  resided  at  the  corn  mill,  and  the  "great  field"  was 
part  of  John  Haddon's  estate,  bounded  by  the  King's  road 
and  part  of  the  village  of  Haddonfield. 

Although  several  years  had  passed  away  since  the  assumption 
of  the  government  by  Queen  Anne,  yet  the  participants  in  the 
political  troubles  previous  to  that  had  not  forgotten  their  ani- 
mosities, as  was  evidenced  in  the  foregoing  transadlion.  Daniel 
Coxe  made  himself  obnoxious  to  Governor  Hunter,  and,  at  the 
next  session,  absented  himself  from  the  Assembly,  at  which 
time  John  Kinsey  was  eledled  speaker  in  his  stead.  Coxe  was 
afterward  reprimanded  and  expelled  from  that  body. 


13  Minutes  of  Assembly,  State  Library,  Trenton. 


174  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Another  peculiarity  about  this  ele6lion  was  the  returning  of 
Daniel  Coxe  for  the  counties  of  Salem  and  Gloucester;  so, 
upon  the  organization  of  the  Assembly,  he  was  called  upon  to 
decide  which  of  the  two  counties  he  would  represent.  After 
much  controversy,  in  which  he  manifested  considerable  ill  feel- 
ing, as  well  as  his  ignorance  of  the  laws,  he  concluded  to  serve 
for  Gloucester,  considering  doubtless  that  the  influence  of  John 
Kay  would  hinder  the  consummation  of  his  plans,  if  sitting  as 
a  member  at  that  time.  This  made  it  necessary  that  a  warrant 
should  issue  for  a  new  eledlion  in  Salem ;  upon  its  return  it  was 
found  that  William  Clews  was  eledled ;  but  delay  was  caused 
in  his  taking  his  seat  by  reason  of  his  scruples  in  regard  to  the 
necessary  oath.  After  considerable  explanation,  this  trouble 
Avas  overcome,  and  the  hindrance  caused  by  a  fa(ftious  and 
unprincipled  man  removed. 

Among  the  colonial  records  in  the  state  paper  office  in 
London,  England,  notice  of  his  election  is  entered;  it  is 
there  imputed  to  the  ''inundation  of  the  Swedes,^*  reference 
being  had  to  such  of  that  nationality  as  were  inhabitants  of 
Salem  and  Gloucester  counties. 

Daniel  Coxe  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Daniel  Coxe  of  London, 
who  became  the  owner  of  twenty-two  whole  shares  of  propriety 
in  West  New  Jersey,  and  was  governor  of  the  province  from 
1687  to  1690.  In  1691,  a  number  of  persons,  residents  of 
London,  formed  themselves  into  what  they  called  the  "West 
New  Jersey  Society,"  and  purchased  of  him  the  above  named 
shares,  he  reserving,  however,  surveys  already  made,  being 
large  tra6ls  in  Salem  county,  then  including  both  Cumberland 
and  Cape  May.  This  deed  also  contained  grants  for  two 
hundred  thousand  acres,  called  the  "Merrisinbes  Province," 
contiguous  to  West  Jersey;  two  shares  of  propriety  in  East 
Jersey;  three  whole  shares  in  Merrimack,  New  England;  ten 
thousand  acres  in  Pennsylvania;  a  dwelling  house  and  pottery 
house  with  all  the  tools,  in  Burlington;  town-lots  at  Perth 
Amboy,  and  Town-lots  at  Gloucester  and  Egg  Harbor.  The 
society  consisted  of  forty-eight  persons  having  a  common  seal, 
with,  perhaps,  a  charter  from  the  King.     Many  large  surveys 


14  Publications  of  the  New  Jersey  Historical  Society,  Vol.  5,  93. 


JOHN  KAY.  175 

were  made  and  sold,  realizing  considerable  money  to  the  associa- 
tion ;  but  the  troubles  with  their  agents  here,  and  the  dissensions 
among  themselves  at  home,  finally  reduced  the  number  of  persons 
to  but  few,  who  eventually  sold  the  entire  estate  to  Benjamin  B. 
Cooper,  of  Gloucester  county,  N.  J.  Even  at  this  date  large 
sums  of  money  are  held  by  the  treasurer,  waiting  the  lawful 
owners;  who  may  have  some  trouble  in  making  the  legal  con- 
nedlion,  after  such  a  lapse  of  time,  with  those  who  constituted 
the  original  society. 

Daniel  Coxe  (the  son)  was  bred  to  the  law,  and  was  a  man  of 
good  education  and  many  redeeming  traits  of  chara6ler,  but  of 
an  erratic  and  impetuous  temperament,  which  was  continually 
getting  him  into  difficulty  with  those  in  authority.  He  was  a 
member  of  Lord  Cornbury's  council,  and  sympathized  with 
him  in  many  of  his  arbitrary  and  illegal  a6ls  done  under  the 
color  of  law;  this  rendered  him  especially  unpopular  with 
the  Quakers  of  the  province. 

In  the  year  1734,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  associate 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Jersey,  and  discharged 
his  duties  with  much  satisfadlion  to  the  people ;  age  and  exper- 
ience having  tempered  his  composition  and  made  him  a  valuable 
and  exemplary  member  of  society.  He  remained  on  the  bench 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1739.  Judge  Field,  in  his 
History  of  the  Provincial  Courts  of  New  Jersey,  says  of  him : 

"His  early  career  in  New  Jersey  was  clouded  by  his  con- 
nedlion  with  Lord  Cornbury,  and  his  difference  with  Governor 
Hunter,  but  he  lived  to  enjoy  the  confidence  and  respe6l  of  the 
community,  and  his  judicial  duties  appear  to  have  been  dis- 
charged with  ability  and  integrity." 

At  the  ele6tion  which  occurred  in  November,  17 16,  John 
Kay  was  again  returned  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly  and, 
although  not  elected  speaker,  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  all 
the  proceedings  of  that  brajich  of  the  government.  Among 
other  matters  of  importance,  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
to  procure  the  settlement  of  the  boundary  line  between  New 
York  and  New  Jersey,  then  a  subje<5t  of  much  controversy  and 
ill  feeling. 


176  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

He  was  also  chairman  of  the  committee  to  prepare  a  law  to 
fix  the  partition  line  between  East  and  West  Jersey, — a  matter 
that  interested  the  council  of  proprietors  of  each  division ;  that 
has  found  its  way  into  every  tribunal  in  the  State,  and  that 
remains  to  this  day  a  subje6l  of  trouble  and  litigation.  At  this 
session  he  also  procured  the  passage  of  an  a6l  to  make  per- 
petual an  a6l  entitled,  "An  a6l  that  the  solemn  affirmation  of 
the  people  called  Quakers  shall  be  accepted  instead  of  an  oath 
in  the  usual  form,  and  for  qualifying  and  enabling  the  said 
people  to  serve  as  jurors  and  to  execute  any  place  of  trust  in 
the  province. ' '  From  this  may  be  dated  the  law  that  relieved 
Friends  from  the  many  difficulties  that  grew  out  of  a  legal 
formality,  and  which  had  been  a  source  of  annoyance  to  them 
since  the  surrender  of  the  government  to  Queen  Anne,  and, 
particularly,  since  the  arrival  of  Lord  Cornbury,  her  first  execu- 
tive officer.  He  was  in  advance  of  his  times  in  discerning  the 
necessities  of  the  people  and  the  interests  of  the  province.  He 
grew  up  with  the  emigrants,  had  knowledge  of  all  the  political 
difficulties  through  which  they  passed,  shared  all  their  priva- 
tions, was  participant  and  assisted  in  the  settlement  of  all  the 
leading  questions  of  the  day  in  which  he  lived,  and  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  his  constituency  until  the  last.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Newton  meeting  from  1708  until  his  death. 

As  one  of  the  members  of  the  Council  of  Proprietors  of 
West  New  Jersey,  he  was  also  a  prominent  man,  sought  out 
many  abuses  incident  to  the  location  of  land,  and  had  the  same 
corre6led  during  his  continuance  in  that  office.  It  does  not 
appear  that  he  was  a  pra6lical  surveyor,  yet  his  thorough  busi- 
ness qualifications  placed  him  on  an  even  footing  with  the 
deputies;  by  which  means  he  understood  the  whole  manner 
of  procedure  in  the  laying  on  of  rights  according  to  the  rules, 
and,  sometimes,  to  the  discomfiture  of  that  class  of  men. 

John  Kay  died  in  1742,  a  wealthy  man,  leaving  a  widow 
(Sarah),  who  survived  him  several  years.  Their  children  were 
John,  who  married  Sarah  Langstone  in  1707;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried James  Norris;  Mary,  who  married  Benjamin  Wood  in 
1707;  Isaac,  who  married  Mary  Ann  Gregory  in  1738;  Josiah, 


JOHN  KAY.  177 

who  married  Rebecca  Davenport  in  1713,  a  daughter  of  Francis, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  who  came  from 
Whittington,  Derbyshire,  England  ;  Benjamin  who  deceased, 
single,  in  1732;  and  Joseph,  who  died  in  1721,  leaving  a  widow, 
Elizabeth,  and  children. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  John  Kay  owned  all  the  land  on 
the  east  side  of  the  main  street  in  Haddonfield,  extending  from 
Cooper's  creek  to  Ellis  street  (excepting  a  few  lots  which  he  had 
sold}]  also  land  lying  between  the  two  branches  of  Cooper's 
creek,  extending  some  two  miles  up  each  branch,  and  a  large 
tra6l  on  the  north  side  of  the  north  branch,  beside  surveys  in 
other  parts  of  Gloucester  county.  In  1727,  he  conveyed  to  his 
son  Josiah,  the  one  hundred  acres  which  he  purchased  of  Francis 
Collins,  upon  which  Josiah  settled,  who,  in  1745,  conveyed  the 
same  to  his  son  Francis.^'  It  is  probable  that  this  tra<?t  of  land 
remained  in  the  family  and  name  for  many  years  after  the  last 
conveyance,  but,  at  this  writing,  it  has  lost  its  identity  therewith. 

In  the  same  year  (1727),  John  Kay  conveyed  to  his  son  Isaac 
several  tracts  of  land,  the  whole  containing  seven  hundred  and 
thirty-four  acres,  situated  on  both  branches  of  Cooper's  creek. ^® 
In  this  deed,  the  grantor  is  called  "John  Kay  of  the  Grist  Mill, 
at  the  head  of  Cooper's  creek,  in  Newton  township,  Gloucester 
county,  New  Jersey,"  his  residence  and  occupation  at  that  time 
thus  being  proved  beyond  a  question.  The  only  part  of  the 
original  landed  estate  that  has  remained  in  the  family  and  name 
from  the  location  to  the  present  time,  is  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Joseph  Kay,  of  Haddonfield,  and  situated  on  the  south  side 
of  the  north  branch  of  Cooper's  creek  in  Delaware  township. 
This  tra6l  has  descended  continuously  through  the  blood  and 
name  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  never  having  passed  by  a 
deed  from  one  owner  to  another  in  that  time.  Excepting  a 
small  portion  of  the  land  occupied  by  Sarah  Norris,  the  son  John 
possessed  all  the  land  owned  by  the  father  on  the  east  side  of 
the  main  street  in  Haddonfield,  extending  nearly  to  Ellis  street. 
His  children  were  Isaac,  who  married  Hope  French  \  John,  who 
married    Rebecca    Hartley;  Mathias;    William,   who    marrried 


15  Lib.  S6,  338,  o.  s.  G. 

16  Lib.  DD,  175. 


178  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Barbary  Smith;  Rebecca;  Hope,  who  died  before  her  father, 
single;  Ann,  who  married  Joshua  Evans;  and  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Abraham  Heulings. 

James  Norris,  a  shipwright,  who  married  Sarah,  built  one  of 
the  first  houses  in  Haddonfield,  on  land  then  owned  by  her 
father,  where  he,  during  his  life,  and  his  widow,  after  his  death, 
kept  a  store.  James  Norris  deceased  in  1742  intestate,  leaving 
one  child,  Elizabeth,  who  married  Isaac  Smith  in  1739,  and 
John  Hinchman  in  1747.^" 

Sarah  Norris  died  in  1755,  leaving  a  will. ^*  She  gave  Jona- 
than Axford  two  horses  and  the  use  of  her  house,  set  her  slaves 
free,  and  bequeathed  a  sum  of  money  to  the  Newton  Meeting.  ^^ 
The  inventory  of  her  personal  property  amounted  to  nearly 
four  hundred  pounds.  She  continued  her  store  until  her  death, 
dealing  in  all  the  various  commodities  incident  to  the  trade 
of  a  country  merchant.  Of  such  of  her  customers  who  were  slow 
to  pay,  she  would  hand  over  the  accounts  to  the  officers  of  the 
law,  to  secure  the  debt  already  in  danger,  and  as  a  terror  to  all 
others  in  like  manner  offending.  Her  property  accumulated 
under  her  management,  showing  that  she  had  good  business 
qualifications.  Her  daughter  Elizabeth  had  two  children  by 
her  first  husband  (daughters),  but  none  by  the  last.  She  died 
about  the  year  1804,  surviving  John  Hinchman  several  years. 
Her  children  were  Sarah,  who  married  Joseph  Hugg  in  1761, 
and  Mary,  who  married  Jacob  Jennings  in  the  same  year. 

Mary  (the  wife  of  Benjamin  Wood),  deceased  before  her 
father,  leaving  four  children,  namely :  Abigail,  who  married 
Robert  Hunt;  Mary,  who  married  Joseph  Cole  and  Richard 
Matlack;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Elias  Toy;  and  Hannah,  who 
married  Joseph  Heulings.'^" 

Isaac  (to  whom  his  father  had  conveyed  land  in  1727)  had  his 
residence  on  what  is  generally  known  as  the  "Fotteral  Farm," 
now  owned  by  Hannah,  the  widow  of  Josiah  B.  Evans,  deceased. 
In  the  year  1791,  most  of  the  land  owned  by  Isaac  was  re-sur- 
veyed by  his  son  Joseph,  and  the  boundaries  settled." 


17  Lib.  No.  4,  376.  20  Lib.  S,  6i. 

18  Gloucester  Files,  1758.  21  Lib  W,  190,  O.  S.  G. 

19  Lib.  No.  7,  390. 


JOHN  KAY.  179 

Isaac  Kay  died  in  1757,  leaving  the  following  children: 
Isaac;  Joseph;  Sarah,  who  married  Abraham  Bryant;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Isaac  Horner;  and  one  child  not  born  at 
the  time  of  his  decease.^''  This  part  of  the  estate  has  not  been 
in  the  name  for  many  years. 

As  before  stated,  Josiah  lived  on  the  old  homestead,  where 
he  died  in  1771.  His  children  were  Francis,  who  married 
Jemima  French ;  Joseph,  who  married  Ann  Thompson  (and  who, 
dying  before  his  father,  left  children);    Isaac;   and  Elizabeth, 

who   married   Parker.     This  family  increased   rapidly. 

There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  its  genealogy  as 
here  given. 

Although  the  sons  of  the  first  settlers  remained  on  the  pater- 
nal estate,  yet  the  second  generation  soon  spread  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  name  may  now  be  found  in  all 
sections  of  the  Union. 

The  descendants  of  Mary  have  multiplied  largely;  they 
would  find  some  trouble  in  tracing  their  line  of  blood  to  its 
source,  so  tortuous  and  so  diluted  has  it  now  become. 

At  this  day,  it  is  probable  that  the  family  of  Sarah  Norris  has 
no  existence.  The  second  generation  from  her  was  limited  to 
two  females,  and,  if  from  them  it  has  been  enlarged,  no  knowl- 
edge of  the  fa6t  is  possessed  in  this  region  of  country. 

22  Lib.  No.  8,  350. 


SIMEON    ELLIS. 


SAMUEL  SMITH,  in  his  History  of  New  Jersey,  says, 
"Thomas  Ellis  came  to  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  in 
1677."  He  came  from  Burlington,  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
as  one  of  the  servants  of  George  Hutchinson,  who  was  a 
distiller.  In  reference  to  this  class  of  persons,  a  note  is 
appended,  which  says:  "Many  that  came  servants  succeeded 
better  than  some  that  bought  estates.  The  first,  inured  to 
industry  and  the  ways  of  the  country,  became  wealthy,  while 
others  Avere  obliged  to  spend  what  they  had  in  the  difficulties 
of  the  improvements.  And  others,  living  too  much  on  their 
original  stock,  for  want  of  sufficient  care  to  improve  their 
estates,  have  in  many  instances  dwindled  to  indigency  and 
want."  Thomas  Gordon,  in  his  history  of  this  State,  copied 
after  Smith,  and  mentions  another  Thomas  Ellis,  who  arrived 
a  few  years  later;  but  the  same  person  is  probably  meant, 
as,  by  some  oversight,  the  name  may  have  been  repeated. 

He  settled  on  a  town  lot  located  to  him  in  Burlington,  in 
1680,  and  died  two  years  after,  leaving  a  daughter  Elizabeth, 
who  was  apprenticed  to  John  Brown  the  same  year.  This 
was  done  by  the  judges  of  the  court,  and  appears  among  its 
proceedings.' 

William  Ellis  also  came  to  Burlington  county  in  1683,  and 
made  a  location  of  a  considerable  tra6l  of  land  in  Springfield 


I  Revel's  Book,  04. 


1 82  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

township.  He  was  from  Tunstall,  in  Holderness,  Yorkshire, 
England,  and,  in  all  probability,  was  of  the  same  family  as 
Thomas.^ 

Of  the  nativity,  or  of  the  arrival  of  Simeon  Ellis  in  New 
Jersey,  nothing  is  known;  and  it  may,  perhaps,  always  remain 
a  doubtful  question,  for  the  reason  that  very  many  of  the 
emigrants  of  that  day  had  no  entry  made  of  their  names  upon 
the  ship's  books,  and  also  because  many  of  these  books  have 
been  destroyed  through  the  carelessness  of  the  owners,  or  of 
those  into  whose  possession  they  may  have  fallen. 

It  is  probable,  however,  that  he  was  not  among  the  first  that 
landed  here,  as  he  did  not  purchase  any  real  estate  until  1691 ; 
at  which  date  many  settlements  had  been  made  in  Burlington 
and  Gloucester  counties,  and  the  city  of  Philadelphia  had 
come  to  be  quite  a  thrifty  village.^  This  purchase  consisted 
of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  conveyed  to  him  by  Francis 
Collins,  and  was  part  of  a  survey  of  eight  hundred  acres  made 
by  him,  bounded  by  the  north  side  of  the  north  branch  of 
Cooper's  creek/  The  two  hundred  acres  lay  on  both  sides  of 
the  King's  highway,  as  the  same  had  been  but  a  short  time 
before  laid  out  by  the  commissioners  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

Simeon  built  his  log  cabin  near  the  stream,  and  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  road;  here  he  always  after  lived,  and  here 
were  all  his  children  born.  As  was  the  custom  in  those  days, 
his  place  had  to  be  designated  by  some  title,  and  he  adopted 
that  of  "Springwell;"  but,  like  the  position  of  the  first  habi- 
tation, it  has  long  since  been  forgotten.  This  practice  was 
brought  by  our  forefathers  from  England,  where  every  gentle- 
man's "seat"  had  a  particular  name,  which  name  is  tenaciously 
adhered  to  from  generation  to  generation  by  the  family.  The 
constant  change  of  the  title  to  land  in  New  Jersey,  and  the 
disposition  of  many  families  to  remove  from  the  ancestral  acres, 
are  reasons  why  so  few  estates  at  the  present  day  retain  the 
names  by  which  they  were  christened  at  the  first  settlement. 
Some,  however,  may  so  be  found;  also,  in  possession  of  the 
owners,  may  be  seen   the  original  title  to  the  estate,  coming 


2  Lib.  Bi,  121. 

3  Lib,  G2,  127. 

4  Lib.  P,  238. 


SIMEON  ELLIS.  183 

down  through  the  same  blood,  with  the  pride  of  family  always 
apparent. 

In  1695,  Simeon  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  land  of  Elias 
and  Margaret  Hugg,  adjoining  his  first  purchase.  This  Margaret 
was  a  daughter  of  Francis  Collins,  who  had  conveyed  the  said 
four  hundred  acres  to  Samuel  Jennings  and  Robert  Dimsdale, 
as  trustees,  in  1687 — part  of  the  eight  hundred  acres  survey 
before  named.* 

These  first  purchases  of  Simeon  Ellis,  as  described  by  present 
localities,  include  the  village  of  Ellisburg,  in  Delaware  town- 
ship; they  are  almost  equally  divided  by  the  Camden  and 
Marlton  turnpike,  and  the  Moorestown  and  Haddonfield  road. 
But  few  of  the  original  boundaries  are  left,  excepting  the  water 
course,  as  the  purchase,  sale  and  division  of  land,  in  the  space 
of  one  hundred  years,  obliterate  very  many  ancient  land  marks. 

Several  other  purchases  were  made,  some  of  which  lay  on  the 
south  side  of  the  north  branch,  now  included  in  the  farms  of 
John  Ballinger  and  of  others  adjoining.''  A  part  of  this  estate 
is  now  owned  by  Joseph  Ellis  and  the  heirs  of  Josiah  Ellis, 
deceased,  lineal  descendants  of  the  first  settlers.  iVll  the 
remainder  has  passed  out  of   the  name  many  years  since. 

Simeon  Ellis  was  not  a  participant  in  the  political  troubles  of 
the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  does  not  appear  as  an  office 
holder  upon  any  of  the  records.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  among  those  who  made  up  the  little 
assemblage  at  John  Kay's  house,  a  short  distance  from  his  own  ; 
where  he  met  the  few  of  the  same  se6l  that  came  from  Evesham. 

Simeon  Ellis  died  in  1715,  dividing  his  property  by  will 
among  his  children.''  His  personal  effe6ls,  by  appraisement, 
amounted  to  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  pounds,  sterling,  and 
he,  doubtless,  was  considered  a  "well-to-do"  farmer  by  his 
neiglibors,  for  his  estate  ranged  much  above  the  average  of 
that  time.  His  wife,  who  survived  him,  was  Sarah,  a  daughter 
of  William  Bates,  to  whom  he  was  married,  according  to  the 
order  of  Friends,  in  1692,  at  the  old  Newton  meeting  house, 
then  a  short  distance  from  the  home  of   the  bride. 

5  Lib.  G3,  71. 

6  Basse's  Book,  28. 

7  Lib.  No.  2,  05. 


1 84  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Sarah,  the  widow  of  Simeon  EUis,  dealt  somewhat  in  real 
estate  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  as,  in  171 7,  she  bought 
some  four  hundred  acres  in  Newton  township,  fronting  on 
Cooper's  creek,  and  extending  to  the  main  branch  of  Newton 
creek.*  This  she  purchased  of  Isaac  Hollingsham,  and,  the 
next  year,  her  son  Thomas  conveyed  her  an  adjoining  tra6l, 
making  her  at  that  time  one  of  the  largest  land  holders  in  the 
township. 

Portions  of  this  property  remained  in  the  family  and  name 
for  many  years  after  the  death  of  the  widow,  following  the 
collateral  branches  to  the  present  generation  ;  but  they  are  now 
divided  into  lots  and  farms,  parts  being  owned  by  Edward  C. 
Knight,  William  P.  Tatem,  John  C.  De  Costa,  and  others. 

The  landed  estate  of  Simeon  Ellis  and  of  his  widow  Sarah, 
in  her  own  right,  was  therefore  large;  and,  lying  as  it  mostly 
does,  in  the  improved  se6lions  of  Camden  county,  if  taken 
as  a  whole,   it  would  now  be  of   much  value. 

In  disposing  of  his  property  by  his  will,  Simeon  Ellis  men- 
tioned seven  children,  namely:  Thomas,  who  married  Catha- 
rine Collins,  daughter  of  Joseph,  in  1722;  Joseph,  who  mar- 
ried   ;  William,  who  married  Sarah  Collirs,  daughter 

of  Joseph;  Simeon,  who  married  ;  Jonathan,  who 

married  Mary  Hollingshead  (the  latter  surviving  him,  and  after- 
wards  marrying    Robert    Stiles);    Mary,  who   married  

;    and  Sarah,  who  married  John  Kay,  in   1730. 

The  homestead  estate,  which  was  devised  to  Thomas,  William 
and  Simeon,  was  held  by  them,  as  given  by  their  father,  until 
1754,  when,  owing  to  some  trouble  in  regard  to  the  boundaries, 
they  joined  in  a  re-survey  of  the  same,  which  settled  all  matters 
in  dispute  with  adjoining  owners.^  This  proceeding  also  showed 
in  what  manner  the  three  sons  held  the  paternal  estate,  and  on 
what  part  of  which  each  lived  at  that  time. 

Thomas  had  three  hundred  and  nineteen  acres  of  the  western 
part,  fronting  on  the  creek  and  extending  north.  His  residence 
was  on  what  is  generally  known  as  the  Lewallen  farm  (a  short 
distance  from  Stevenson's  mill).     The  Ogden  estate,  being  for- 


8  Lib.  A,  56,  101. 

9  Lib.  S,  338,  O.  S.  G. 


SIMEON  ELLIS.  185 

merly  the  farm  of  Charles  Collins,  deceased,  was  part  of 
Thomas's  share;  and  also  much  other  adjoining  land;  all  this 
is  now  divided  and  sub-divided  into  plantations,  the  primitive 
forests  being  gone  and  most  of  the  ancient  boundaries  oblit- 
erated. In  1766,  he  sold  the  larger  part  of  the  same  to 
Joseph  Collins,  who,  by  his  will,  divided  it  among  his  sons.^" 

This  Joseph  Collins  was,  perhaps,  the  son  of  Benjamin  and 
nephew  of  Catharine,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Ellis,  and  the  only 
person  of  that  branch  of  the  family  who  carried  the  name  to 
the  present  generations. 

William  had  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres  in  the  most 
northerly  part  of  the  original  tra<5l,  lying,  as  it  now  does,  on 
both  sides  of  the  Haddonfield  and  Moorestown  road,  and 
mostly  absorbed  in  the  farms  of  William  Morris  Cooper  and 
the  heirs  at  law  of  Batheuel  Heulings,  deceased.  In  1757,  he 
lived  in  Newton  township,  at  which  time  his  occupation  was 
that  of  a  carpenter ;  but  he  afterwards  removed  to  his  part  of 
his  father's  estate,  and  there  died  intestate,  in  1759."  His  wife 
Catharine  became  his  administrator.  He  had  but  two  children, 
namely:'-'  Abigail,  who  married  John  Cox  in  1744;  and  Ann, 
who  married  Peter  Chamjjion  in  1746,  John  Stokes  in  1751,  and 
Samuel  Murrell.'^ 

The  landed  property  was  divided  between  the  two  daughters; 
it  has  many  years  since  passed  out  of  the  name  and  blood." 

The  daughter  Ann,  by  her  several  husbands,  had  the  follow- 
ing issue:  By  Peter  Champion,  one  child,  Joseph,  who  married 
Rachel  Collins;  by  John 'Stokes,  none;  by  Samuel  Murrell,  a 
son  Samuel,  who  married Hubbs. 

The  children  of  John  and  Abigail  Cox,  were  William,  who 

married  Phuebe  Duffield  ;  John,  who  married Tallman  and 

Ann  Dylwin  ;  and  Samuel,  who  married  Sarah  Emlen. 

A  short  distance  east  of  the  Haddonfield  and  Moorestown 
road-,  and  on  the  Heulings  farm,  is  the  spot  where  were  buried 
the  slaves  of  the  Ellis  family,  a  spot  scarcely  known  to  the 
present  generation,  but  not  as  yet  used  for  farming  purposes. 
Occasionally  a  member  of  the  owner's  family  would  be  interred 

10  Lib.  L,  109,  Woodbury.  i^  Hook  of  Licences  of  Marriages,  Trenton. 

Ti   Lib.  P,  4';9.  14   Lib.  AH,  385. 

12  Lib.  No.  9,  313. 


i86  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

at  such  place,  and  consequently  be  lost  sight  of  among  the  after 
generations  of  the  proprietor. 

Simeon  had  the  larger  share  in  acres,  as  well  as  the  homestead 
improvements,  for  his  portion  of  the  paternal  property,  it  being 
three  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres,  with  an  extensive  front  on 
the  creek.  He  occupied  the  house  built  by  his  father  and  tilled 
the  land,  from  which  the  latter  had  cleared  the  timber,  when  he 
made  his  settlement  at  that  place.  He  was  an  intelligent  man 
for  his  day,  and  the  ancestor  of  the  family  that  still  retain  parts 
of  the  original  estate.  As  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  one  who 
sought  to  develop  agriculture,  he  was  a  public  benefactor;  as  a 
dispenser  of  the  law  in  the  guise  of  a  country  squire,  he  com- 
manded that  deference  which  in  years  gone  by  was  paid  to  such 
individuals,  maintaining  the  dignity  of  the  realm  and  respe6l 
for  the  King. 

His  docket  is  a  curious  volume,  interspersed  with  the  entries 
of  a6lions  at  law,  charges  for  grain,  credit  for  money  paid  for 
labor  on  his  farm,  and  much  other  matter,  foreign  entirely  to 
the  purpose  for  which  the  book  was  intended.  In  the  year 
1742,  Sarah  Norris,  who  kept  a  store  in  Haddonfield,  being  out 
of  patience  with  many  of  her  delinquent  customers,  applied  to 
Squire  Ellis,  to  try  his  remedy ;  upon  whose  record  her  name 
frequently  appears  as  plaintiff  in  suits  there  entered.  To  show 
that  she  was  in  earnest,  the  execution  soon  followed  the  judg- 
ment ;  which  meant  that  the  claim  must  be  discharged,  or  the 
defendant  be  sent  to  jail.  That  a  man  could  more  easily  pay-his 
debt  when  fast  in  prison  than  at  liberty,  was  one  of  the  absurd- 
ities of  English  jurisprudence,  brought  to  New  Jersey  by  our 
ancestors;  but  the  notion  has  been  exploded,  having  given  way 
to  common  sense  and  a  more  liberal  sentiment. 

The  quarter  sessions  court,  in  fashion  then,  consisting  of  two 
justices  of  the  peace,  with  authority  to  try  petty  crimes,  some- 
times sat  at  Simeon's  house.  Perchance  some  scamp,  without 
the  fear  of  law  before  his  eyes,  had  robbed  his  neighbor's  hen- 
roost, and  he,  while  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  meal  therefrom,  had 
been  pounced  upon  by  a  constable  and  taken  at  once  to  trial. 

The  court,  with  all  gravity,  and,  in  consideration  of  the 
importance  of  the  crime,  would  listen  to  the  evidence;  hear 


SIMEON  ELLIS.  187 

the  story  of  the  defendant;  and,  after  much  judicial  hesita- 
tion, declare  the  criminal  guilty.  If  an  old  offender,  twenty 
lashes  on  the  bare  back  would  only  be  sufficient  to  vindicate 
the  dignity  of  the  law ;  which  sentence  would  be  passed  with 
a  hint  of  more,  if  again  convi6led. 

To  a  tree  near  by,  in  the  most  public  manner,  would  the 
culprit  be  taken;  and  there,  in  the  presence  of  the  crowd, 
tied,  stripped  and  beaten, — a  proceeding  which  degraded  alike 
the  vidlim  of  the  law,  and  those  whose  morbid  tastes  could 
induce  them  to  witness  the  sentence  carried  into  effeft. 

Like  the  court,  these  scenes  have  become  obsolete.  Elements 
of  Christianity  have  been  infused  into  the  corre6live  systems 
of  our  government,  more  charitable  in  their  operation,  and 
less  humiliating  to  the  unfortunate. 

By  the  gracious  favor  of  his  Majesty,  the  peace  officers  of 
the  realm  were  clothed  with  authority  to  solemnize  marriages. 
Although  much  the  larger  portion  of  the  inhabitants  in  West 
Jersey  were  Quakers,  and  careful  tliat  the  young  folks  should 
adhere  to  their  form  in  this  regard,  yet  it  sometimes  happened 
that  an  alliance  would  be  made  in  which  the  "beau  or  belle" 
was  outside  the  pale  of  the  church.  In  these  cases,  Simeon 
Ellis  was  often  called  upon  ;  and  he,  without  the  presence  of 
any  one  except  the  jjarties  themselves,  would  join  them  in  the 
bonds  of  holy  wedlock.  This  breach  of  discipline  was  fre- 
quently overlooked;  and,  if  a  proper  explanation  was  made, 
and  an  acknowledgment  forwarded  to  the  meeting,  the  erring 
one  was  retained  in  membership. 

From  the  year  1727  to  1791  inclusive,  a  law  was  in  force 
requiring  a  man  who  contemplated  marriage,  to  file  a  bond 
under  his  hand  and  seal,  with  the  Governor  of  the  State,  with 
sufficient  security;  the  condition  of  which  was  that  he  had  no 
lawful  let,  impediment  of  pre-contra6l,  affinity  or  consanguinity, 
to-  hinder  the  same.  A  copy  of  one  of  these  is  here  given, 
which  may  prove  of  interest  to  the  reader.     It  is  as -follows: — 

"Know  all  Men  by  these  Presents,  That  We,  James 
Mulock  of  the  County  of  Gloucester,  in  the  Province  of  New 
Jersey,  Pra6licioner  of  Physi*  k,  and  Robert  Friend  Price,  of 
the  same  Place,  Esq.,  are  holden  and  do  stand  justly  indebted 


t88  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

unto  His  Excellency,  Jonathan  Belcher,  Esq.,  Captain-General 
and  Governor-in-Chief  of  New-Jersey,  &c.,  in  the  sum  of  Five 
Hundred  Pounds  of  current  lawful  Money  of  New-Jersey;  to 
be  paid  to  His  said  Excellency  the  Governor,  his  Successors  or 
Assigns.  For  the  which  Payment  well  and  truly  to  be  made 
and  done,  We  do  bind  ourselves,  our  Heirs,  Executors  and 
Administrators,  and  every  of  them, 

firmly  by  these  Presents.  Sealed  with  our  Seals,  Dated  this 
Sixteenth  day  of  April  Anno  Domini  One  Thousand  Seven 
Hundred  and  Fifty-Seven,  [1757]. 

"The  Condition  of  this  Obligation  is  such,  That  where- 
as the  above  Bounden  James  Mulock  hath  obtained  License  of 
Marriage  for  himself  of  the  one  Party,  and  for  Priscilla  Collins 
of  Gloucester  County  of  the  other  Party,  Now,  if  it  shall  not 
hereafter  appear,  that  they  the  said  James  Mulock  and  Priscilla 
Collins  have  any  lawful  Let  or  Impediment  of  Pre-contra6l, 
Affinity,  or  Consanguinity,  to  hinder  their  being  joined  in  the 
Holy  Bands  of  Matrimony,  and  afterwards  their  living  together 
as  Man  and  Wife:  then  this  Obligation  to  be  void,  or  else  to 
stand  and  remain  in  full  Force  and  Virtue. 

"JAMES   MULOCK,  [seal.] 

"ROBT.  FR'D   PRICE.         [seal.] 

^''Sealed  and  Delivered  in 
the  Presence  of 

"Jos.   Harrison." 

If  no  other  good  was  accomplished,  the  great  value  of  the 
papers  arising  from  the  operation  of  the  law  is  sufficient.  These 
bonds  and  certificates  arranged  in  chronological  order,  are  well 
cared  for  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Trenton; 
and  they  contain  an  amount  of  information  that  otherwise 
would  have  been  lost.  Occasionally  the  records  show  that  the 
parties  were  from  another  state,  by  reason,  no  doubt,  of  an 
inexorable  parent  or  stubborn  guardian,  whose  consent  to  the 
marriage  could  not  be  had. 

Weddings,  in  those  times,  frequently  extended  through  days 
of  hilarity  and  frolic.     Dancing,  blind-man's  buff,  and  pawns 


SIMEON  ELLIS.  189 

were  the  usual  means  of  enjoyment,  and  were  entered  upon 
with  a  zest  that  proved  that  every  one  was  in  search  of  pleas- 
ure. Like  many  others,  these  customs  have  passed  away,  and 
time  has  interposed  so  many  generations  that  the  present  has  no 
remembrance  of  them.  Our  sturdy  ancestors  on  these  occasions 
seemed  boisterous  and  rude,  but  it  should  be  considered  that 
they  had  other  occupations  than  the  study  of  refinement  and 
polish.  Those  who  remove  the  timber  and  conquer  the  soil  of 
a  new  country,  seldom  have  time  to  indulge  in  education  or 
luxury. 

Simeon  Ellis  died  in  1773,  leaving  a  will.  Parts  of  his  land 
he  conveyed  to  his  sons,  but  much  passed  to  them  by  devise.'* 
He  survived  his  wife,  and  left  the  following  children:  Isaac, 
who  married  Mary  Shivers  (daughter  of  Samuel);  Benjamin, 
who  married  Sarah  Bates;  William,  who  married  Amy  Matlack; 
John,   who    married    Priscilla    Peterson    (widow);    Sarah,   who 

married  William    Duyre;    and    Simeon,   who    married   

Bates  (sister  to  Benjamin's  wife.) 

Isaac  settled  on  that  part  of  the  homestead  now  included  in 
Ellisburg,  and  built  part  of  the  present  tavern  house. 

Benjamin  ere<5led  a  home  on  a  few  acres  given  to  him  by  his 
father,  on  that  side  of  the  road  opposite  the  late  residence  of 
David  D.  Burrough,  deceased,  and  there  he  lived  and  died. 

William  removed  to  the  landed  estate  of  his  wife,  near  Glen- 
dale,  part  of  which  is  still  owned  by  Joseph  H.  Ellis;  he  here 
occupied  himself  as  a  farmer.  His  fondness  for  hunting  and 
field  sports  drew  around  him,  during  the  winter  months,  men 
of  like  tastes,  and  his  house  was  generally  the  starting  point  for 
such  as  enjoyed  those  manly  pastimes.  These  traits  of  char- 
adler  have  not  been  lost  in  the  latter  generations,  and  only  lack 
full  development  from  want  of  deer  and  foxes,  so  plenty  in  days 
of  yore. 

Simeon  remained  on  part  of  the  original  purchase,  leaving 
but  few  immediate  descendants. 

Joseph  settled  on  his  mother's  property  in  Newton  township, 
and  probably  had  his  home  on  the  north  side  of  the  main 
branch  of  Newton  creek,  generally  known  as  the  former  resi- 


ts Lib.  No.  16,  144. 


I90  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS.  , 

dence  of  Jacob  Stokes,  deceased.  He  became  the  owner  of 
all,  or  the  largest  part  of  the  maternal  estate,  and  so  held  it 
during  his  life.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer,  and 
he  does  not  appear  to  have  participated  in  the  political  matters 
that  occasionally  agitated  the  community  around  him. 

He  died  in  1757,  intestate.^®  Having  no  sons,  the  estate, 
upon  his  demise,  soon  passed  out  of  the  name,  and,  except  by 
the  examination  of  the  old  titles,  no  trace  of  it  can  be  discov- 
ered. His  immediate  descendants  consisted  of  four  daughters, 
namely :  Priscilla,  who  married  Jacob  Stokes ;  Sarah,  who 
married  John  Buzby  and  Isaac  Mickle;  Abigail,  who  married 
Caleb  Hughes;  and  Kesiah,  who  married  Benjamin  Vanleer, 
M.  D.^^  Excepting  the  descendants  of  Jacob  Stokes,  none  of 
the  family  are  known  in  this  region  at  the  present  day.^^ 

Jonathan  lived  in  Haddonfield,  but  what  his  occupation  was 
does  not  appear.  In  1733,  John  Gill  sold  him  a  lot  on  the 
west  side  of  the  main  street,  where  he  built  himself  a  house. 
Three  years  after,  he  sold  the  property  to  John  Kaighn.  He 
died  a  young  man  and  intestate. ^'' 


16  Lib.  C,24i,  Woodbury.  i8  Lib.  T,  398. 

17  Lib.  O,  368.  19  Lib.  Q,  460,  475. 


JOSEPH   TOMLINSON. 


THIS  person  came  to  New  Jersey  from  the  city  of  London. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Horslydown  Meeting  of  Friends. 
This  meeting  was  on  the  Surrey  side  of  the  river  Thames, 
which,  even  at  that  day,  had  become  part  of  the  great  metrop- 
olis by  means  of  the  several  bridges  already  ere6led.  He 
appears  to  have  been  in  some  way  under  the  patronage  of 
Anthony  Sharp,  an  uncle  of  Thomas  Sharp  already  mentioned. 
Many  of  this  name,  however,  suffered  persecution  in  England, 
from  1654  to  1690,  for  their  religious  opinions.  These  were 
residents  of  Lancashire  and  Derbyshire;  they  were  fined  and 
imprisoned  for  conforming  to  the  belief  of  Friends,  laid  down 
at  that  period.^  Whether  Joseph  was  of  the  same  family  can- 
not be  known  at  this  day,  except  by  persistent  and  fortunate 
search. 

He  arrived  previously  to  the  year  1686,  and  became  an 
apprentice  of  Thomas  Sharp,  who  had  settled  on  Newton 
creek  five  years  before  that  time.*  Although  his  education 
was  better  than  that  of  many  of  his  day,  yet  his  apprentice- 
ship was  to  learn  the  business  of  woolstead  comber  or  dyer, 
that  being  the  occupation  of  his  master  when  not  upon  some 
surveying  expedition,  or  not  engaged  in  his  official  duties. 

In  addition  to  this,  he  was  further  advanced  in  the  common 
branches   of    English   education,    and,    when   he   attained   his 


1  Besse's  Sufferings,  Vols.  1-2,  145,  327. 

2  Sharp's  Book,  O.  S.  G. 


192  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

majority,  was  well  fitted  for  business  of  any  kind,  and  soon 
participated  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  colony.  He  was 
something  of  a  carpenter  as  well;  for,  in  1686,  he  made  an 
agreement  with  his  master  to  build  him  a  house  for  a  specified 
sum,  and  to  furnished  all  the  material  except  the  nails. '^  The 
dimensions  and  style  of  this  dwelling  do  not  appear,  but  the 
presumption  is  that  it  was  small  and  unpretending  in  both; 
and  required  but  little  archite6lural  skill  in  any  particular. 

It  is  possible  that  Joseph  Tomlinson  was  one  of  the  persons 
who  eredted  the  Friends'  meeting  house  in  Newton,  the  first 
building  set  apart  for  religious  worship  in  Gloucester  county, 
and  the  second  in  West  New  Jersey. 

For  some  reason  the  articles  of  apprenticeship  were  set  aside, 
and  Thomas  Sharp  agreed  to  pay  him  five  pounds  per  annum 
for  his  services,  and  four  pounds  at  the  end  of  the  term.  In  a 
letter  copied  by  Sharp  into  his  book,  as  written  by  Joseph  Tom- 
linson to  Anthony  Sharp  in  Ireland,  dated  Newton,  May  3d, 
1691,  mention  is  made  of  the  trouble  between  them;  but  the 
record  is  so  much  defaced  by  time,  and  the  book  so  little  cared 
for,  that  the  matter  contained  therein  cannot  be  deciphered.* 

A  copy,  however,  is  here  given,  leaving  blank  such  parts  as 
cannot  be  intelligently  made  out,  to  be  supplied  by  such  as 
have  leisure  and  patience  to  make  the  attempt. 

"Copy  of  a  letter  sent  by  Joseph  Tomlinson  to  my  Uncle 

Anthony : 

"Newton,  May  3,  1691. 

"Most  Respected  Master: — Having  this  opportunity  good 
to  write  to  thee,  hoping  thou  together  with  *  *  my  *  * 
thy  family  are  in  good  health,  as  I  am,  praised  be  *  *  *  * 
wonder  that  I  never  received  any  letter  from  thee  *  *  years, 
but  only  in  a  letter  to  thy  cousin,  wherein  *****  jq 
complain  of  us  boath  without  just  cause  *  *  *  in  Ireland 
understand  not  the  difficulties  *  *  *  *  and  thou  seemest 
to  be  offended  with  Thomas  because  *****  which 
I  took  of  thee  was  not  performed  *  *  *  j^g  j-gig  *  *  * 
complained  to  thee  by  letter  that  I  was  demanding  performance, 

3  Sharp's  Book,  O.  S.  G. 

4  Sharp's  Book,  O.  S.  G. 


JOSEPH  TOMLINSON.  193 

but  my  writing  was  not  for  that  purpose  *  *  *  you  passed 
strange  censure  on  my  *  *  *  say  I  had  deserved  to  have 
my  time  given  to  me  *  *  *  not  performed  which  I  did 
not,  for  I  thank  God  I  have  your  charitie.  God  having  given 
me  my  limbs  to  *  *  *  *  my  living  and  if  I  had  com- 
playned  of  extraordinary  *  *  *  to  thee  I  should  not  only 
deserved  to  be  released  *  *  *  *  j  ^^^  for  jt  would  have 
been  worse  for  me  if  it  had  *  *  *  than  it  is,  and  I  am 
very  well  satisfied  that  *  *  Yet  notwithstanding  if  it  had 
been  or  could  have  *****  for  my  parents  sake  and 
my  fathers  sake  *  *  *  me  had  I  dyed  on  it  I  would  have 
gone     ******     the  effedls   that  we   have     *     *     * 

*  *  *  used  and  the  taking  up  of  land  here  is  more  chary  * 
than  you  think  of,  and  I  myself  was  taken  *  *  so  danger- 
ously that  I  had  like  to  have  lost  my  *  *  and  have  lost  one 
of  my  big  toes,  and  I  was  lame  *  *  months  and  for  the 
charge  my  master  paid  five  pounds  *  *  *  chisurgeon  which 
for  his  lost  time  and  promise  I  *  *  paid  him  again  before  I 
left  him  *  my  service  *  *  *  well  and  truly  served  and 
computed  the  like  *  *  *  services  of  me.  *  *  the  stock 
would  at  last  have  been  five  pounds  and  the  goods  that  thou 
sentest  are  merchantable.  No  more  at  present,  but  *  *  * 
receive  a  Release  from  under  your  hand  that  *  *  *  wholy 
free  from  that,  the  which  you  have  not  *  *  *  so  remayne 
your  friend  to  serve  you. 

''Joseph  Tomlinson. 

"Remember  my  love  to  my  father,  mother,  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  *  *  *  any  of  them  be  yet  alive  *  *  *  ^^ 
letter  diredled  to  them  come  to  thy  hands. 

"Farewell." 

Friend  Sharp,  with  his  accustomed  particularity,  made  a 
note  thereof  in  the  same  book,  as  follows:  *"  Joseph  fell  lame 
the  29th  of  July,  1688,  and  so  continued  until  the  29th  of 
November,  but  in  as  much  as  he  found  himself  some  parts  of 
the  time,  and  did  some  small  matters  of  work,  we  reckon  but 


5  Sharp's  Book,  O.  S.  G. 


194  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

three  months'  diet  at  four  shillings  a  week,  &c.,"  Other 
entries  referring  to  him  are  made,  which  seem  to  show  that  the 
relations  between  them  were  not  the  happiest,  perhaps  growing 
out  of  Joseph's  youthful  fancies,  or  Friend  Sharp's  exadling 
policy  towards  him.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  their 
association  was  of  much  use  to  the  younger  person,  since,  in 
addition  to  the  moral  and  religious  training  which  he  received, 
his  education  was  improved  and  advanced  through  the  care  of 
his  preceptor.  The  difficulties  before  named  do  not  appear  to 
have  destroyed  the  friendly  feeling  between  them,  for,  in  after 
years,  the  kind  offices  of  his  old  master  are  seen  in  several 
business  transadlions. 

As  time  progressed,  Joseph  took  unto  himself  a  wife,  and 
settled  down  to  be  a  good  business  man  and  valuable  citizen. 
In  1690,  he  located  one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres  of  land 
on  the  east  side  of  Gravelly  run  in  Gloucester  township,  adjoin- 
ing a  tra6l  of  land  which  he  had  previously  purchased  of  Joseph 
Wood,  and  on  which  he  had  settled  and  first  lived  after  leav- 
ing the  house  of  Thomas  Sharp  in  Newton.®  This  stream  of 
water,  sometimes  called  McGee's  branch,  is  a  tributary  of  the 
north  branch  of  Timber  creek,  and  falls  into  the  same  on  the 
south  side  about  two  miles  above  Chew's  Landing.  He  soon 
increased  the  breadth  of  his  acres,  so  that  his  possessions 
extended  from  Gravelly  run  on  the  north  to  Holly  run,  or 
Sharp's  branch,  on  the  south.  These  he  retained  through  life, 
and  gave  to  his  sons  by  will  after  his  death. 

What  could  have  been  the  inducement  for  Joseph  Tomlinson 
to  purchase  and  settle  on  land  so  far  beyond  the  line  of  civili- 
zation, is,  at  this  day,  difficult  to  imagine.  At  that  time, 
the  settlements  had  scarcely  reached  beyond  the  navigable 
streams,  and  even  there  were  but  few  and  far  apart.  Yet,  in 
his  case,  his  abode  was  surrounded  with  miles  of  unbroken 
forest;  and,  was  without  any  neighbors  within  half  a  day's 
travel,  while  large  tra6ls  of  unlocated  land  were  between 
Newton  and  the  place  which  he  had  sele6ted  for  his  future 
home,  the  title  of  which  could  have  been  secured  for  a  mere 
pittance.     He  had  to  go  some  ten  miles  to  attend  the  Newton 


6  Sharp's  Book,  O.  S.  ti. 


JOSEPH  TOMLINSON.  195 

Meeting,  and,  if,  as  a  farmer,  he  took  his  produce  to  the 
Philadelphia  market,  the  distance  was  still  increased.  True, 
he  was  within  two  miles  of  navigation  on  Timber  creek,  but 
it  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  he  kept  his  boat  to  carry  his 
family  to  meeting,  and  himself  to  market  in  the  city,  or  to 
court  at  Gloucester  and  Red  Bank. 

It  is  needless,  however,  to  speculate  upon  these  things  one 
hundred  and  eighty  years  after  their  occurrence ;  and  the  con- 
clusion must  be  that  the  reasons  for  such  an  isolated  settlement 
as  made  by  Joseph  Tomlinson  were  sound  and  sufficient,  unto 
his  mind  at  least.  His  leisure  hours  in  this  secluded  spot  were 
not  wasted,  for  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  reading  and 
understanding  of  the  laws  of  the  community  of  which  he 
deemed  himself  a  part,  and  in  which  he  was  soon  to  fill  con- 
spicuous and  responsible  positions.  In  examining  the  appoint- 
ments of  the  Legislature  for  Gloucester  county,  it  is  seen  that  he 
was  made  sheriff  in  1695;  and,  for  the  year  1696,  the  following 
may  be  found,  "King's  Attorney,  Joseph  Tomlinson."' 

This  means  that  he  was  made  the  law  officer  of  the  province, 
to  defend  its  honor  and  dignity,  and  for  the  prosecution  of  all 
offenders  against  the  peace  and  tranquility  of  the  same.  That 
he  was  first  examined  as  a  laAv  student  and  licensed  to  pra6lice, 
there  can  be  no  question ;  and  he,  therefore,  stands  as  the  first 
attorney,  according  to  the  record,  of  Gloucester  county.  This 
appointment  appears  to  have  been  made  for  three  years,  for,  in 
1 700,  he  was  re-appointed  to  the  same  position ;  which  shows 
that  his  duties  were  acceptably  discharged,  and  that  he  retained 
the  confidence  of  those  in  authority.  It  will  be  seen  that  these 
duties  commenced  under  the  proprietary  government,  as  insti- 
tuted by  our  Quaker  ancestors,  and  extended  beyond  the  sur- 
render to  Queen  Anne,  when  the  courts  were  put  upon  a  different 
basis  and  surrounded  by  much  more  parade  and  display. 

In  the  first,  the  stridlest  simplicity  was  observed,  both  in  the 
manner,  and  in  the  means  of  dispensing  justice  among  the  few 
litigants  that  sought  their  rights  through  this  channel;  for  the 
judges  who  sat  were  elders  in  their  own  religious  denomination, 
and    regarded   such   things  as  essential  to  the  purity  of  their 


7  Learning  &  Spiccr's  Laws. 


196  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

belief.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  their  Honors  remained 
covered  while  on  the  bench,  wearing  their  broad-brimmed  hats 
and  their  plain,  uncolored  coats  as  an  evidence  of  their  disre- 
gard of  the  customs  of  the  court  and  the  vanities  of  the  flesh. 
In  the  jury-box,  the  same  thing  could  be  observed ;  in  the  dress 
and  demeanor  of  the  bar,  the  same ;  and,  when  a  prisoner  was 
charged,  the  style  and  phraseology  of  the  language  partook  of 
all  such  peculiarities.  Perhaps  so  rigid  was  the  court  on  this 
point,  that  no  gesture  or  vehemence  was  allowed  on  the  part  of 
the  advocates;  and,  without  regarding  the  earnestness  of  the 
talker  or  the  extremity  of  his  case,  any  breach  of  decorum  was 
deemed  a  contempt,  and  punishable  accordingly. 

Not  so  after  the  surrender.  Lord  Cornbury,  cousin  to  the 
Queen,  and  the  first  governor  under  her  authority,  came  to  the 
United  Province,  filled  with  the  forms  and  ceremonies  of  a 
proud  and  exa<Sling  court. 

In  1700,  an  a6l  was  passed  making  it  the  duty  of  the  sheriff 
of  each  county  to  meet  the  provincial  judges  and  other  officers, 
when  riding  the  circuit,  at  the  verge  of  his  county,  to  escort 
them  to  the  seat  of  justice,  and  then  remain  in  attendance  until 
the  court  adjourned  and  they  were  again  beyond  his  bailiwick. 
The  costume  of  the  judges  consisted  of  scarlet  robes  with  deep 
facings  of  black  velvet,  and  powdered  wigs  adorned  with  silk 
bags.  The  lawyers  wore  black  silk  gowns  and  wigs,  and  all 
the  attendants  were  dressed  in  a  somewhat  similar  manner.® 
With  these  innovations,  were  brought  in  many  new  forms  and 
rules,  putting  our  Quaker  judges  completely  at  fault,  and  at 
once  creating  trouble  and  confusion.  Obedience  to  those  in 
authority  was  a  maxim  too  deeply  instilled  to  be  entirely  dis- 
regarded, yet  the  presence  of  cocked  hats,  gold  lace  and  side 
arms,  was  almost  too  much  for  that  forbearance  upon  which  our 
ancestors  prided  themselves. 

Through  all  these  radical  changes  Joseph  Tomlinson,  as  prose- 
cutor of  the  pleas,  attended  to  his  duties,  though,  if  very  stri6l 
as  a  Friend,  he  saw  himself  surrounded  with  much  that  was 
inconsistent  with  his  notions  of  propriety,  and  that  taxed  his 
patience  to  the  utmost. 


8  Fields's  Provincial  Courts. 


JOSEPH  TOMLINSON.  197 

He  probably  held  the  position  of  prosecutor  of  the  pleas  until 
1 710;  in  this  year  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
several  courts  of  Gloucester  county,  for  which  position  he  was 
well  fitted,  after  having  so  much  experience  in  the  modes  and 
procedures  of  that  branch  of  the  government.'  Whether  he 
accepted  the  position  with  its  observances  of  form  and  dress, 
or  adhered  to  the  plainness  and  simplicity  of  his  religious 
associates,  does  not  appear.  He  remained  a  member  of  the 
court  until  his  death,  doubtless  a  useful  man  therein,  from  his 
pra6lical  knowledge  and  familiarity  with  its  uses  and  purposes. 

Many  of  these  formalities  were  adhered  to  until  after  the 
Revolutionary  war;  in  fail,  within  fifty  years  of  this  writing, 
the  judges  were  escorted  from  the  hotel  to  the  court  room  by 
the  sheriff,  and  constables  bearing  staves,  who,  in  the  large 
counties,  made  considerable  parade.  All  these  have  gradually 
fallen  into  disuse,  until  the  true  republican  simplicity  of  our 
ancestors  is  a  noticeable  feature  about  our  seats  of  justice. 

In  the  year  1719,  Joseph  Tomlinson  died,  leaving  his  wife 
Elizabeth  and  the  following  named  children :  ^°  Ephraim,  who 
married  Sarah  Corbit  and  Catharine  Ridgway;  Joseph,  who 
married  Lydia  Wade,  of  Salem,  N.  J.,  and  Catharine  Fairland, 
of  Chester,  Pa.,  (the  last  in  1738);  Ebenezer;  Richard;  John, 
who  married  Mary  Fairland,  of  Chester,  Pa.,  in  1736;  Othniel, 
who  married  Mary  Marsh,  of  Salem,  N.  J. ;  William,  who  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Wills;  Margaret,  who  married  Edward  Borton; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Bartholomew  Wyat,  of  Salem;  Mary, 
who  married  Samuel  Sharp;  and  Ann,  who  married Gaunt." 

Bartholomew  Wyatt  came  from  Worcestershire,  England,  to 
Salem  county,  N.  J.,  about  the  year  1690.  His  name  first 
occurs  in  the  Salem  Meeting  records  in  1693,  when  he  was 
appointed  one  of  a  committee  to  attend  the  Quarterly  Meeting 
at  Newton,  Gloucester  county,  N.  J.  In  the  same  year  (1693), 
he  married  Sarah  Ashton.  They  had  two  children,  namely: 
Bartholomew,  born  1697,  who  married  Elizabeth  Tomlinson; 
and  Elizabeth,  born  1707,  who  married  Robert  Smith.  The 
first  Bartholomew  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  civil  affairs  of 


9  Learning  and  Spicer's  Laws. 

10  Lib.  No.  2,  136. 

11  Lib.  No.  4, 122.    -Lib.  No.  s,  308. 


1 98  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

the  county,  as  well  as  adtive  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  one  of  the  largest  contributors  to  the  fund  for 
the  ere6lion  of  the  brick  meeting-house  which  once  stood  in 
the  present  graveyard  in  Salem.      He  died  in  1726. 

The  second  Bartholomew  was  also  an  a6live  member  of  the 
same  religious  denomination.  In  1730,  he  was  recognized  as 
a  preacher,  and  much  respedled  as  a  consistent  and  upright 
man.  His  wife,  in  1732,  also  appeared  as  a  public  Friend, 
whose  preaching  was  acceptable.  Bartholomew  had  two  chil- 
dren, Bartholomew  and  Sarah.  The  latter  married  Richard 
Wistar  of  Philadelphia. 

Ephraim,  the  oldest  son,  settled  on  a  tra6l  of  land  which 
his  father  gave  him  by  deed,  adjoining  the  homestead  on  the 
east,  and  extending  towards  the  north  branch  of  Timber  creek. ^^ 
In  1732,  he  purchased  of  the  executors  of  Abraham  Porter, 
deceased,  six  hundred  and  nineteen  acres,  lying  on  both  sides 
of  the  last  named  stream;  which  extended  his  possessions 
nearly  to  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek. '^  He  was  a 
preacher  among  Friends,  and  held  in  much  estimation.  A 
testimony  from  the  Haddonfield  Meeting  is  abundant  evidence 
of  his  consistent  and  exemplary  life.  He  was  born  in  1695 
and  departed  this  life  in  1780,  leaving  a  second  wife,  Catharine, 
a  son,  Ephraim,  and  two  daughters, — Elizabeth,  who  married 
Aaron  Lippincott  and  Mary,  who  married   James  Gardiner. " 

To  the  son  Joseph,  the  father  devised  the  homestead  property, 
containing  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  whereon  he  settled 
after  the  death  of  the  testator.  During  his  life  he  purchased 
considerable  real  estate.  ^^  He  deceased  in  1758,  leaving  a 
widow,  Catharine,  two  sons,  Joseph  and  Samuel,  and  three 
daughters. 

By  the  will  of  his  father,  John  took  about  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  higher  up  Gravelly  run,  upon  which  he  settled 
and  remained  until  his  decease  in  1755.  His  wife  survived 
him,  and  also  three  children,  namely :  Isaac ;  Hannah ;  and 
Eleanor,  who  married  Josiah  Albertson. 

William  settled  on  a  farm  in  Waterford  township  near  Had- 
donfield, which  he  bought  of  the  executors  of  John  Lord  in 


12  Lib.  DD,2oo,  O.  S.G.  14  Lib.  P,  187. 

13  Lib.  P,  230.  15  Lib.  Mz,  339,  O.  S.  G. 


JOSEPH  TOMLINSON.  199 

1 733;  he  lived  there  but  a  short  time,  as  he  died  in  1737. 
His  wife  and  three  sons  survived  him.  They  were  Samuel, 
who  married  Ann  Burrough ;  William ;  and  Daniel,  who  married 
Mary  Bates.  ^^ 

Othniel,  who  married  Mary  Marsh  in  1744,  first  settled  in 
Salem  county,  and,  in  the  year  1753,  removed  to  Chester 
county,  Pennsylvania,  to  a  place  within  control  of  the  Con- 
cord Monthly  Meeting.     Othniel  died  in   1756.^' 

By  this  marriage  there  was  but  one  child,  Mary,  who  married 
Samuel  Hibberd  in  1770,  and  who  had  seven  daughters.  In 
1760,  the  widow  married  Aaron  Ashbridge.  It  is  not  known 
whether  there  was  any  issue  by  this  marriage.  '* 

It  is  probable  that  others  of  the  sons  deceased  in  their 
minority,  and  the  daughters,  following  the  fortunes  of  their 
husbands,  have  long  since  been  lost  sight  of  in  the  genealog- 
ical labyrinth  built  up  through  this  lapse  of  years.  The  family 
has  not,  however,  lost  its  identity  with  the  first  settler,  and 
much  of  the  landed  estate  owned  by  him  still  remains  in  the 
name.  Of  the  life  of  the  subjedl  of  this  sketch,  there  are 
doubtless  very  many  interesting  incidents,  which,  by  patient 
research  among  the  musty  records  still  extant,  could  be  brought 
to  light,  and  would  show  much  of  the  history  of  his  times, 
in  connedlion  with  the  progress  of  the  people  in  their  social, 
judicial  and  political  condition;  and  which  would  contrast 
strangely  with  such  as  pervade  our  system  at  the  present  day. 
That  he  was  a  progressive  man  is  shown  by  his  sele6ling  his 
home  so  far  from  the  first  settlements,  in  the  depth  of  the 
wilderness,  surrounded  only  by  the  aborigines,  where  nothing 
but  industry  and  perseverance  could  procure  him  a  farm. 

In  connexion  with  these  difficulties  he  became  proficient  in 
legal  knowledge.  He,  therefore,  attra6led  the  attention  of  the 
community,  and  was  called  to  fill  the  responsible  positions 
before  named.  These  things,  when  viewed  from  a  proper  stand- 
point, stamp  him  as  a  man  whose  career  through  life  is  worthy 
of  being  tra.ed  and  recorded,  and  who  deserves  a  much  better 
biography  than  the  foregoing  brief  and  imperfe6l  notice. 


16  Old  Deeds,  not  recorded. 

17  Records  of  Salem  Friends'  Meeting. 

18  Goshen  and  Wilmington  Meetings,  Pa.  and  I  'el 


200  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

It  is  perhaps  proper,  in  this  connedlion,  to  mention  that  John 
Tomlinson  located  and  settled  on  a  tra6l  of  land  at  the  Indian 
town  of  Oneanickon,  or  Mount  Carmel,  in  the  year  1685.^' 
This  place  was  in  Springfield  township,  Burlington  county, 
near  the  old  Copany  meeting-house.  He  resided  here  until 
1 69 1,  when  he  sold  the  same  to  Matthew  Champion,  and 
removed  from  that  locality.  It  is  likely  that  he  was  a  brother 
of  Joseph,  and  that  he  may  have  settled  with  him,  on  the  head 
of  Timber  creek,  as  he  sold  about  the  time  of  Joseph's  purchase 
at  that  place.  Of  his  family  nothing  is  known,  and  all  of  the 
above  in  relation  to  him,  except  the  location  and  sale  of  the 
land,  is  conjedlure. 


19  Revel's  Book,  77, 


SAMUEL   COLE. 


SAMUEL  COLE  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  emigrated  from 
Cole's  Hill,  Hertfordshire,  England,  and  landed  on  the 
Jersey  shore  above  Philadelphia.  His  name  does  not  appear 
among  those  given  by  Smith  or  Gordon  in  their  histories  of 
the  first  settlements  of  New  Jersey ;  the  reason  for  which  may 
be  that  he  came  as  a  servant  with  but  little  estate. 

He  was  a  haberdasher  and  hatter,  and,  in  all  probability, 
plied  his  calling  after  his  arrival  here.^  He  came  among  the 
first  of  the  emigrants,  and  made  judicious  seledlion  of  his  land 
whereon  to  seat  himself,  but,  for  some  reason,  soon  after  he 
had  eredled  a  dwelling,  he  sold  his  first  location  and  removed 
further  into  the  country.  The  return  of  this  survey  bears  date 
3d  month,  13th,  A.  D.  1682.  It  includes  five  hundred  acres 
of  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  mouth  of  Cooper's  creek  and 
fronting  on  the  river. "^  William  Cooper,  who  emigrated  from 
the  same  place,  had  settled  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream 
in  the  midst  of  an  Indian  village,  and  "over  against"  the 
Indian  town  of  Shackomaxin,  so  that  Samuel  Cole's  plantation 
was  not  far  from  other  habitations  of  man,  although  in  the  midst 
of  the  primeval  forest.  Being  a  neighbor  to  William  Cooper 
at  Cole's  Hill,  he  again  finds  himself  near  by;  from  this  it 
may  be    inferred  that  he  was  governed  in  his  choice  by  the 


1  Lib.  G2,  33. 

2  Revel's  Book,  63, 


202  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

advice  and  direftion  of  his  former  associate  and  friend.  A  few- 
settlements  were  made  near  him,  bounding  upon  the  creek  and 
laying  higher  up  the  stream,  that  water  course  at  that  time  being 
the  only  highway  upon  which  the  people  traveled  to  and  from 
the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

He  was,  perhaps,  one  of  the  creditors  of  Edward  Byllynge, 
as,  in  1676,  William  Penn  and  the  other  trustees  conveyed  to 
him  and  Benjamin  Bartlet  one-ninetieth  part  of  a  share  of.  pro- 
priety ;  under  which  he  claimed  the  title  to  the  land  by  him 
taken  up.^'*  Although  this  was  a  small  portion,  yet  it  placed 
him  upon  an  equal  footing  with  the  largest  holders  as  touching 
the  political  affairs  of  the  colony;  under  this  right  he  was 
afterwards  called  to  fill  several  important  offices. 

Samuel  Cole  cleared  a  few  acres  and  built  a  house  on  the  land 
which  he  had  located,  but  soon  after  sold  the  buildings  and  one 
hundred  acres  of  his  survey  to  Henry  Wood,  who  occupied  the 
same.^  In  1687,  he  sold  the  balance  of  the  survey  to  Samuel 
Spicer,  as  well  as  a  quantity  of  rights,  which  Spicer  soon  appro- 
priated.'' He  had  other  lands  at  the  same  place,  which  were 
disposed  of  to  settlers  thereabout. 

Upon  the  sale  of  his  dwelling  and  part  of  his  estate  on  the 
Delaware  to  Henry  Wood,  he  removed  to  a  place  called  Penis- 
aukin  and  purchased  five  hundred  acres  of  Jeremiah  Richards 
(1685),  who  had  previously  eredled  buildings  thereon  and  cleared 
some  land.'  This  was  near  the  settlement  of  William  Matlack, 
Timothy  Hancock  and  others,  but  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek 
that  now  bears  that  name.  The  rights  under  which  Richards 
had  made  his  survey,  he  purchased  of  Henry  Stacy,  who  had 
emigrated  to  New  Jersey,  but  soon  returned  to  England,  where 
he  deceased.  Like  most  of  the  settlers,  he  had  not  been  long  the 
owner,  before  he  gave  his  place  the  name  of  "New  Orchard," 
which  name  was  remembered  for  many  years,  but  has  long  since 
been  lost  sight  of.  This  plantation  was  near  the  head  of  the 
south  branch  of  the  stream  before  named,  but  has  years  ago 
lost  its  identity  by  the  division  and  sub-division,  sale  and  trans- 
fer, incident  to  real  estate  in  New  Jersey.     Several  other  adjoin- 


3  Lib.  A,  4.  6  Lib.  G,  in, 

4  Lib.  G2,  33.  7  Lib.  B,  75. 

5  Lib.  B,  66. 


SAMUEL    COLE.  203 

ing  surveys  were  made  by  him,  and,  at  his  death,  he  was  the 
owner  of  more  than  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  then  in 
unbroken  forest,  but  now  many  valuable  farms.®  The  dire6l 
and  collateral  branches  of  this  family  are  still  owners  of  much 
of  this  land. 

Samuel  Cole  had  much  to  do  in  the  political  troubles  of  the 
province ;  among  which  was  the  settlement  of  the  boundary  line 
between  the  counties  of  Burlington  and  Gloucester,  and  in 
which  he  was  personally  interested,  as  his  land  lay  on  the 
stream  of  water  and  on  both  sides  of  the  highway  where  the 
trouble  existed.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  the 
years  1683  and  1685,  in  which  last  year  commissioners  were 
appointed  to  fix  the  line,  who  settled  it  to  be  from  the  forks 
of  Penisaukin,  up  the  south  branch  to  the  Salem  road;  then 
along  the  road  to  the  north  branch  of  the  same  creek;  thence 
to  the  head  thereof;  and  thence  upon  a  southeast  course  to 
the  utmost  boundary.  ®  With  this  boundary  the  people  about 
Penisaukin  were  dissatisfied,  and,  in  1693,  the  a6l  was  set  aside, 
and  the  present  line  was  agreed  upon  about  the  year  1700. 

A  few  years  after  Samuel  Cole  had  settled  at  New  Orchard, 
he  returned  to  England  to  arrange  some  unsettled  business ;  in 
coming  back  to  New  Jersey,  the  vessel  touched  at  the  island  of 
Barbadoes,  where  he  was  taken  sick  and  died.  At  this  place 
there  was  a  large  settlement  of  Friends,  many  of  whom  had 
been  banished  from  England  during  the  religious  troubles,  and 
many  others  of  whom  had  gone  into  voluntary  exile,  to  join 
their  connexions  and  to  be  free  from  intolerance  and  bigotry. 

Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Cole  had  but  two  children, — Samuel, 
who  married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Kendall ;  and  Sarah, 
who  married  James  Wild. 

Thomas  Kendall,  above  named,  came  to  New  Jersey  as  one 
of  the  servants  of  Daniel  Wills.  Being  a  bricklayer,  he  was  a 
useful  man  in  the  province.  He  built  the  first  corn  mill  in 
Gloucester  county,  in  1697  (now  Evans's,  near  Haddonfield), 
and  became  the  owner  of  considerable  real  estate.  As  Samuel 
Cole  died  intestate,  and  his  widow  was  appointed  administratrix 

8  Basse's  Book,  29. 

q  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 


204  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

ninth  month,  23d,  1693,  the  whole  of  his  real  estate  descended 
to  his  son  Samuel,  who  occupied  the  same  until  his  death  in 
1728.^°  He  was  a  man  of  some  political  aspirations,  having 
been  appointed  sheriff  in  1 710,  in  1713  and  in  1724.  He  left 
a  will, "  and  the  following  named  children :  Samuel,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Lippincott;  Joseph,  who  married  Mary  Wood; 
Thomas,  who  married  Hannah  Stokes;  Kendall,  who  married 
Ann  Budd;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Jacob  Burcham  and  Ben- 
jamin Cooper;  Mary,  who  married  Edward  Tonkins;  Susanna, 
who  married  William  Budd ;  and  Rachel,  who  married  Enoch 
Roberts. 

In  1739,  the  devisees  of  the  second  Samuel  Cole  re-surveyed 
the  original  estate,  which  shows  how  their  ancestors  held  it. 
The  old  house,  as  eredled  by  the  first  Samuel  Cole,  is  shown 
on  the  map,  and  is  now  (1877)  standing,  but  it  has  been 
long  since  abandoned  as  a  dwelling.  It  is  built  of  logs,  is  one 
story  high,  has  two  windows  and  one  door.  It  stands  in  the 
door  yard  of  the  farm,  formerly  Joseph  H.  Cole's,  deceased. 
It  is  used  for  various  purposes  and  is  fast  going  to  decay. 
Another  generation,  and  it  will  be  forgotten. 

James  Wild  was  a  wheelwright,  and  settled  on  the  north  side 
of  the  south  branch  of  Penisaukin  creek,  on  five  acres  of  land, 
which  he  purchased  of  John  Cowperthwaite  in  171 2,  and  at  but 
a  short  distance  from  the  residence  of  his  father-in-law.  He 
died  in  1731,  leaving  a  will. ^^  His  children  were  James,  Sam- 
uel, John,  Sarah  (who  married  Jonathan  Thomas),  Jonathan, 
Elizabeth,  and  Rachel.  His  widow  Rachel,  who  was  a  second 
wife,  survived  him.  In  his  will  he  speaks  of  Alexander  Morgan 
as  his  brother-in-law,  but  how  such  relation  existed,  cannot  at 
this  writing  be  discovered.  Four  years  after,  his  widow  Rachel 
died,  intestate,  but  leaving  some  considerable  estate.  Of  this 
family  nothing  is  known  at  the  present  day,  as  none  of  the 
name  have  lived  in  this  region  for  many  years;  and  the  above 
defe6live  sketch  is  only  here  introduced,  that  something  may  be 
gathered  therefrom  of  interest  to  such  as  search  with  better 
facilities  and  greater  success. 


10  Gloucester  Files,  1683. 

11  Lib.  No.  3,  02. 

12  Lib.  No.  3,  450. 


SAMUEL    COLE.  205 

Within  the  bounds  of  the  land  of  which  Samuel  Cole  died, 
seized,  on  the  west  side  of  the  King's  road  from  Salem  to 
Burlington,  and  about  one-half  mile  south  of  Penisaukin  creek, 
stands  St.  Mary's  church,  better  known,  however,  as  "the 
old  Cole's  Town  Church,"  having  been  always  under  the 
control  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  denomination  of  New 
Jersey.  The  history  of  this  church  dates  back  into  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighteenth  century,  and,  in  all  probability,  had 
its  origination  in  the  Keithean  controversy,  which  separated 
many  Quaker  families  from  the  religious  do6lrines  as  laid  down 
by  George  Fox,  and,  as  a  consequence,  drew  them  around  the 
dissenter  whose  talent  and  eloquence  made  the  tenets  of  his 
new  belief  attra6live  and  acceptable  wherever  he  preached. 

After  his  separation  from  Friends,  brought  about  by  contro- 
versy upon  dodlrinal  points  and  church  discipline,  both  in 
America  and  before  the  yearly  meetings  of  London,  he  came 
again  to  the  colonies  under  the  patronage  of  the  ' '  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,"  established 
in  London  by  a  few  members  of  the  church  of  England.  He 
traveled  through  most  of  the  towns  and  villages  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  South  Carolina,  seeking  for  his  proselytes  among 
the  members  of  the  society  from  which  he  had  been  expelled, 
and  established  churches  in  many  places  where  sufficient  num- 
bers of  his  followers  lived  in  the  same  neighborhood.  In  his 
journal,  which  was  published  before  his  death,  he  says:  "Sep- 
tember 15th,  1703,  I  preached  at  the  house  of  William  Heulings 
in  West  Jersey,"  which  was  but  a  short  distance  from  where 
the  old  church  stands,  and  this  may  be  safely  accepted  as  the 
beginning  of  St.  Mary's  church  at  Colestown.  Although  not 
all  the  requirements  of  a  religious  organization  were  complied 
with  at  once,  yet  the  interest  then  and  there  commenced  was 
never  lost  sight  of  or  abandoned,  simply  for  want  of  numbers; 
and  the  intervals  of  religious  service  at  the  dwelling  houses 
of  such  adherents  as  resided  thereabout,  were  never  so  widely 
separated  as  to  destroy  the  connedlion  of  George  Keith's 
preaching  in  1703  witK  the  ultimate  success  and  establish- 
ment  of  the   church. 


2o6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

The  first  building  was  eredled  about  the  year  1752,  and 
was  repaired  in  1825,  without  any  change  as  to  the  interior 
arrangement.  In  subsequent  years,  and  after  the  same  religious 
denomination  had  ere<5led  churches  at  Camden,  Moorestown 
and  Haddonfield,  the  old  house  was  suffered  to  fall  into  decay, 
and  well  nigh  tumbled  to  the  ground ;  but  a  few  of  the 
descendants  of  the  old  families  that  worshiped  there,  with 
commendable  liberality  and  good  taste,  in  1866  again  repaired 
the  old  house,  faithfully  preserving  its  ancient  form  and  anti- 
quated appearance. 

In  further  conne6lion  with  this  matter,  John  Rudderow,  who 
emigrated  from  England  about  the  year  1680,  and  who  lived  in 
Chester  township,  Burlington  county,  N.  J.,  between  the  north 
and  south  branches  of  Penisaukin  creek,  and  died  in  1729, 
inserted  the  following  clause  in  his  will:  "I  give  ten  pounds 
towards  the  building  of  a  church  in  that  place  to  be  convenient 
hereaway.  "^^  This  man,  who  settled  at  the  place  in  which  he 
deceased,  was  an  Episcopalian,  and  was,  no  doubt,  a  participant 
in  the  religious  quarrel  of  which  George  Keith  was  the  leader; 
around  him  most  of  the  few  families  in  that  region  colledled, 
and  formed  the  body  of  the  church.  His  education  (he 
having  graduated  as  a  lawyer  in  England),  and  influence  in 
the  neighborhood  as  an  upright  and  conscientious  man,  would 
make  him,  next  after  Keith,  the  principal  person  in  such  an 
enterprise,  and  the  devise  made  in  his  will  shows  clearly  what 
was  in  contemplation  even  at  that  early  day,  and  how  desirous 
he  was  that  such  an  enterprise  should  be  carried  out. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  years,  another  incident  occurred,  that 
establishes  an  additional  link  in  the  history  of  this  church,  and 
that  may  be  held  quite  as  reliable  as  the  devise  of  John  Rud- 
derow, before  named ;  and  is,  in  fa6t,  the  connedling  link  that 
unites  beyond  controversy  its  earlier  and  latter  days.  To  the 
perseyerance  and  care  of  Asa  Matlack  is  due  what  is  recorded  of 
the  sayings  of  Abigail  Rudderow  (widow  of  William,  who  was  a 
grandson  of  the  first  John,)  touching  this  matter.  This  lady 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Rebecca  Spicer,  and  of  remark- 
able intelligence  and  memory.     She  was  born  in  1742,  and  lived 

13  Lib.  No.  3,  308. 


SAMUEL    COLE.  207 

to  the  age  of  eighty-three.  She  always  resided  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and,  doubtless,  was  conversant  with  every  matter  of 
moment  which  occurred  in  that  sedlion  of  the  country.  She 
was  married  when  she  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  lived 
to  see  her  descendants  multiplied  in  more  than  ordinary  pro- 
portion, and  scattered  through  the  various  States  of  the  Union. 
Relative  to  the  traditions  in  question,  her  own  version  of  it  is 
more  interesting  than  any  other: 

''At  nine  years  of  age  I  was  baptised  at  the  church  by  Dr. 
Jenny,  which  at  that  time  was  being  built,  the  roof  being  on 
and  the  weather-boarding  up  as  high  as  the  window  sills.  The 
ground  had  been  previously  consecrated  by  Dr.  Jenny  from 
Philadelphia." 

This  gentleman,  the  Rev.  Robert  Jenney,  A.  M.,  came  to 
New  York  as  chaplain  in  the  royal  army  stationed  in  that  city. 
In  1722,  he  was  chosen  re<flor  of  the  church  at  Rye,  in  West 
Chester  county.  New  York,  but  only  remained  there  four  years. 
He  removed  to  Hempstead  on  Long  Island,  and  afterwards  to 
Philadelphia  as  re6lor  of  Christ  church.  He  died  in  1762, 
aged  seventy-five  years." 

This  baptism,  which  occurred  in  1751,  and  was  so  likely  to 
be  remembered  by  Abigail  Spicer,  fixes  the  ere6lion  of  the 
church  beyond  a  question.  Its  subsequent  history  from  that 
time  to  1825,  the  year  of  her  decease,  was  familiar  to  her;  and 
how  great  the  regret  that  some  person  had  not  saved  it  from 
loss!  Being  placed  upon  social  equality  with  the  clergy  who 
officiated  there,  her  knowledge  of  their  coming,  time  of  service 
and  removal,  was  reliable,  and  would  have  made  the  reminis- 
cences of  the  old  chapel  of  deep  interest  to  such  as  emulate 
their  forefathers  in  worshiping  around  its  altar. 

The  births,  baptisms,  marriages  and  burials,  were  incidents 
that  would  naturally  attra(5l  more  or  less  attention  in  a  rural 
distridl ;  and,  with  a  person  whose  religious  feeling  was  centred 
in  that  spot,  they  would  be  indelibly  marked  upon  the  memory. 
Although  many  years  have  intervened  between  the  incidents 
connedled  with   this  ancient  church,   yet    they  are  so    linked 


14  History  of  Rye,  312. 


2o8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

together,  and  relate  so  plainly  to  the  same  objedl,  that  its 
history  can  be  traced  through  the  times  of  its  usefulness  with- 
out uncertainty  or  doubt;  just  as  among  the  land  marks  of  a 
long  neglecSted  pathway  that  time  and  circumstances  have,  in 
the  lapse  of  years,  well  nigh  destroyed,  enough  is  sometimes 
left  to  trace  its  diredtion  and  discover  its  place.  Events  are 
evanescent,  passing  from  the  memory,  never,  perhaps,  to  be 
re-called,  and,  but  for  the  care  of  some,  to  make  a  record 
thereof,  would  in  a  few  decades  be  forgotten. 

The  high,  boxed  pulpit,  the  small,  narrow  chancel,  the  dark, 
ill  arranged  galleries,  and  the  badly  shaped,  uncushioned  benches, 
leave  no  doubt  that  this  structure  was  ere<5led  long  before  com- 
fort was  regarded,  or  convenience  studied.  The  outside  appear- 
ance is  plain  and  unpretending ;  without  steeple  or  belfrey, 
stained  windows  or  arched  roof,  it  stands,  the  evidence  of 
simplicity  in  the  taste  of  our  forefathers,  and  of  the  little 
means  which  they  had   to  expend  in  such  an  edifice. 

Around  the  building,  and  in  the  small  burial  ground  origin- 
ally attached,  lay  the  remains  of  those  who  worshiped  within 
its  walls  from  time  to  time,  and  who,  in  the  fulness  of  their 
days,  passed  to  the  same  account  as  those  before  them,  strength- 
ening the  links  of  fraternal  regard  that  have  conne6led  genera- 
tion with  generation  unto  the  present  day. 

Of  the  ministers  who  have  supplied  this  church  at  various 
periods,  there  is  no  continuous  record.  All,  however,  have  adled 
in  the  capacity  of  missionaries,  the  church  standing  in  a  thinly 
settled  neighborhood,  and  being  several  miles  from  any  town. 
William  Sturgeon  (the  assistant  of  Dr.  Jehny,  who  was  then 
re6lor  of  Christ  church,  Philadelphia,)  visited  the  people  once 
in  each  month  while  the  house  was  in  progress  of  building. 
Nathaniel  Evans,  a  young  man  of  finished  education  and  great 
talent,  had  charge  also  of  St.  Mary's  and  the  church  at  Glou- 
cester, and  resided  with  his  parents  at  Haddonfield.  He  was 
admitted  to  holy  orders  by  Dr.  Terrick  of  London,  and  came 
immediately  to  New  Jersey  in  discharge  of  his  duties.  He  was 
a  man  of  much  literary  taste,  and  a  volume  of  his  poems  was 
published  after  his  death,  a  copy  of  which  may  be  found  in  the 
Franklin  Library  of  Philadelphia.     He  followed  Mr.  Sturgeon 


SAMUEL    COLE.  209 

and  took  charge  of  the  church  when  finished,  and  there  he 
preached  for  six  years.  He  died  Odlober  29th,  1767,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five,  and  was  buried  at  Christ  church,  Philadel- 
phia. An  interval  of  five  years  now  occurred,  when  Robert 
Blackwell  was  seledled,  November  19th,  1772.  He  married 
Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Harrison,  and  resided  in  Had- 
donfield.  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  he  became  a  chaplain 
in  the  army,  and  the  church  was  again  left  without  regular 
service. 

Henry  Miller,  president  of  the  college  of  Philadelphia,  was 
his  successor,  and  he  was  soon  followed  by  the  Reverend  John 
Wade.  He  died  in  1799.  His  remains  were  interred  in  front 
of  the  main  entrance  to  the  church,  the  stone  that  marks  his 
grave  at  this  day  being  buried  beneath  the  soil. 

Samuel  Sprague,  who  lived  in  Mount  Holly,  and  ministered 
in  spiritual  things  to  the  people  of  that  region  of  country, 
occasionally  preached  here.  Andrew  Fowler,  next  followed ;  in 
the  quaint  language  of  the  recorder,  "he  had  a  wife  and  three 
children  and  three  churches  under  his  charge."  When  he  was 
there,  or  how  long  he  remained,  is  not  known.  After  him  came 
Levi  Heath,  of  Burlington,  and  then  Samuel  Pussey,  who  was 
the  cause  of  much  trouble  in  the  church.  He  was  an  impostor, 
having  produced  the  ordination  papers  and  their  accompanying 
documents  of  a  clergyman  who  died  on  the  passage  over  with 
him.  With  these  testimonials  he  was  accepted  as  a  minister, 
and  so  continued  until  the  truth  was  discovered.  In  succession 
came  Daniel  Higbee  in  1807,  and,  after  him,  Richard  Hall. 

The  last  named  person  preached  there  in  the  year  1811. 
Since  that  time,  various  vicissitudes  have  befallen  the  old  chapel. 
As  before  stated,  these  fa(5ls  were  gathered  by  Asa  Matlack  from 
Abigail  Rudderow,  and  may  be  relied  upon  as  corre6l. 

The  oldest  legible  stone  now  standing  in  the  yard  is  that  of 
Philip  Wallace,  who  was  there  buried  in  1746,  aged  eighty-two 
years;  and  dated  in  the  same  year  is  that  of  Mary  Wallace,  his 
wife,  aged  eighty. 

These  were- among  the  first  English  settlers  about  the  mouth 
of  the  Penisaukin  creek,  and  were  Friends  until  the  schism 
caused  by  George  Keith,  when  they  became  his  followers  and 

14 


2IO  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

were  identified  with  the  church  of  England.  The  name  is 
sometimes  differently  spelled,  but  the  family  is  the  same. 

In  1760,  Humphrey  Day  and  Jane,  his  wife,  were  buried  here, 
the  first  being  seventy-five,  and  the  latter,  sixty-five  years  of  age. 
They  lived  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's  creek,  owning  part 
of  the  estate  lately  held  by  the  Shivers  family.  He  was, 
perhaps,  a  son  of  Steeven  Deay  (as  he  spelled  it),  who  was 
a  resident  of  Chester  township,  Burlington  county,  in  1696. 

Elias  Toy  was  here  interred  in  1762,  aged  forty-seven  years. 
His  residence  was  in  the  last  named  county  near  the  river  shore, 
where  part  of  his  land  still  remains  in  the  name.  He  was  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  Swedish  families  who  settled  on  the 
shores  of  the  Delaware  long  before  the  English  came,  and 
whose  ancestors  worshiped  at  Tinakum  and  Wicaco,  much 
after  the  faith  and  forms  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church 
of  the  present  day. 

Many  of  the  rude,  rough  monuments  ere6led  there  to  point 
to  the  resting  place  of  friends  and  families  have  yielded  to  time 
and  exposure,  showing  at  this  date  only  parts  of  letters  and 
figures,  from  which  nothing  definite  can  be  deciphered. 

If  a  descendant  of  "Old  Mortality"  had  chanced  here  a 
hundred  years  ago,  wandering  through  the  country,  clad  in 
hodden  gray,  with  black  cloth  leggins  and  strong  clouted 
shoes,  riding  upon  a  white  pony  around  whose  neck  there 
hung  a  canvass  pouch  containing  his  tools,  following  the  bent 
of  his  ancestor  with  the  same  sincere  devotion,  he  would  have 
found  here  abundant  room  to  gratify  his  strange,  but  commend- 
able vocation. 

Here,  day  after  day,  could  have  been  seen  his  faithful  beast, 
tethered  among  the  graves,  to  seek,  as  best  he  could,  a  pre- 
carious living,  while  his  master  sat  upon  the  defaced  tomb- 
stones, striving,  with  chisel  and  hammer,  to  restore  the  almost 
worn-out  names  and  dates  to  their  original  freshness.  Refus- 
ing any  reward,  save  the  bare  entertainment  of  himself  and 
beast,  his  a6ls  would  have  been  held  in  grateful  remembrance 
by  those  who,  but  for  him,  might  have  sought  in  vain  for 
relatives  or  friends  in  this  long  negle6led  spot.  Considering 
it  a  religious  duty  and  upon  himself  incumbent,  nothing  would 


SAMUEL    COLE.  211 

have  hindered  him  except  his  answers  to  the  words  of  some 
observer  curious  to  know  his  objedl,  and  then,  only  to  clear 
his  glasses  and  arrange  his  tools,  the  better  to  prosecute  the 
work  before  him.  The  task  completed,  and  his  pony  sad- 
dled for  his  departure,  he,  perchance,  would  have  repeated  the 
memorable  language  of  his  predecessor  in  view  of  the  kind  offices 
extended  to  him.  "The  blessing  of  our  Master  be  with  you. 
My  hours  are  like  the  ears  of  the  latter  harvest,  but  your  days 
are  in  the  spring ;  yet  you  may  be  gathered  into  the  garner  of 
mortality  before  me,  for  the  sickle  of  death  cuts  down  the  green 
as  oft  as  the  ripe ;  and  there  is  a  colour  in  your  cheek  that,  like 
the  bud  of  the  rose,  serveth  oft  to  hide  the  worm  of  corruption. 
Wherefore  labour  as  one  who  knoweth  not  when  his  master 
calleth.  And,  if  it  be  my  lot  to  return  to  this  spot  after  ye 
are  gone  home  to  your  own  place,  these  old  withered  hands 
will  frame  a  stone  of  memorial  that  your  name  may  not  perish 
from  among  the  people." 

Other  associations  than  these  are,  however,  around  this  place. 
Along  the  King's  road,  which  passed  close  to  the  door,  traveled 
all  those  going  north  or  south  to  various  parts  of  the  province, 
when  our  State  was  in  its  infancy,  and  the  dwellings  of  the 
settlers  were  separated  by  miles  of  forest ;  while  here  stood 
the  church  in  a  lonely  spot,  like  an  oasis  in  the  wilderness, 
inviting  the  travelers  to  rest  under  the  shade  of  the  broad 
topped  oaks  that  grew  near.  If  it  were  an  ancient  burial  place 
of  the  Indians,  none  of  the  tribes  but  would  pause,  in  going 
to  their  hunting  grounds,  to  show  their  reverence  for  the 
graves  of  their  fathers. 

Along  this  highway  moved  the  contending  armies  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and,  no  doubt,  the  doors  of  the  church 
were  open  alike  to  friend  or  foe.  Here,  under  the  prote6lion 
of  the  standard  of  St.  George,  listened  British  officers  to  the 
preaching  of  their  chaplains,  resting  on  their  way  to  carnage 
and  death,  to  hear  the  persuasive  eloquence  of  the  teachers 
of  religion.  Here,  likewise,  may  the  immortal  Washington 
have  laid  aside  his  sword,  and,  kneeling  at  the  little  chancel, 
have  partaken  of  the  Holy  Communion,  after  the  recSlor  had 
preached  "peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men."    Here,  the 


212  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

representatives  of  the  King  acknowledged  the  same  religious 
creed  that  the  early  teachings  of  a  mother  had  left  upon  the 
then  impressible  memory  of  the  great  commander. 

In  this  connexion,  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  this  relic 
of  olden  times  has  been  preserved  to  the  present  generation, 
through  the  liberality  of  those  who  regard  the  days  of  their 
ancestors  and  hold  fast  to  antiquated  things.  Would  that  more 
were  like  them. 

Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  the  first  Samuel  Cole,  married  Grif- 
fith Morgan,  who  was  a  mariner,  and  resided  in  Philadelphia. 
The  license  of  marriage  was  granted  by  the  chancellor  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  bears  date  December  loth,  1693.  In  1697, 
he  purchased  a  tra6l  of  land  of  William  Frampton,  situated  in 
Gloucester  county  near  the  mouth  of  Penisaukin  creek,  whereon 
he  settled,  and  remained  until  his  decease.  He  also  owned 
other  land  in  Gloucester  county,  as,  in  1677,  he  purchased 
real  estate  of  David  Lloyd. and  Isaac  Norris.  The  issue  of  this 
marriage  was  one  son, — Alexander,  who  married  Hannah,  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  Cooper,  and  grand -daughter 
of  William  the  first  settler.  Alexander  remained  on  the  home- 
stead estate,  which,  before  his  death,  became  valuable.  The 
children  of  Alexander  and  Hannah  Morgan  were  Joseph,  who 
married  Agnes  Evans;  Benjamin,  who  married  Jane  Roberts; 
Isaac ;  Mary,  who  married  Edmund  Hollingshead ;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  William  Miller ;  Lydia,  who  married  Nathan 
Beeks;  and  Sarah,  who  married  Josiah  Burrough.  Both  the 
Coles  and  the  Morgans  that  came  from  the  same  maternal 
ancestors  are,  at  this  time,  conne6led  with  the  most  respedlable 
families  in  the  country,  and  have  spread  through  all  the  United 
States. 


SAMUEL   NICHOLSON. 


AMONG  the  few  persons  who  ventured  with  John  Fenwick 
across  the  ocean  to  make  the  first  settlement  upon  the 
land  in  which  he  had  become  interested  by  purchase  from  Lord 
John  Berkley  in  1673,  were  Samuel  Nicholson,  his  wife  Ann, 
and  their  children.  They  came  from  Wiston,  in  Nottingham- 
shire, England,  in  the  ship  "Griffith"  of  London,  Robert 
Griffin,  master.  They  arrived  in  the  Delaware  river  upon  the 
9th  month,  23d,  1675.     Their  children  were  as  follows: 

Parabol,  born  second  month,  7th,  1659; 
Elizabeth,  born  third  month,  2 2d,  1664; 
Samuel,  born  eighth  month,  30th,  1666; 
Joseph,  born  second  month,  30th,  1669  ; 
Abel,  born  fifth  month,  2d,  1672.^ 

This  little  company  ended  their  voyage  upon  the  river  Dela- 
ware, at  Elsinburg,  where  they  found  a  (ew  Swedes,  some 
Indians,  and  myriads  of  mosquitoes,  of  which  last  they  had  heard 
but  little  previously,  although  they  now  were  among  the  first  to 
make  their  acquaintance.  They  were  the  pioneers  of  the  English 
colonists,  and,  but  for  the  sanguine  temperament  and  deter- 
mined chara6ler  of  their  leader,  might  have  allowed  the  dis- 
couragements that  surrounded  them  to  induce  an  abandonment 
of  the  undertaking,  and  a  return  to  their  homes.  There  could 
be  nothing  in   tlie  |)rospe6l  before  them  that  was  in  the  least 


I  Friends'  Records  of  Salem,  N.J. 


214  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

inviting;  to  the  females,  especially,  it  must  have  been  dark 
indeed.  They  could  not  expe6l  to  obtain  anything  from  the 
soil  for  more  than  a  year,  for  it  was  still  covered  with  timber, 
and  in  no  condition  for  raising  a  crop.  The  feelings  of  the 
Indians  towards  them  were  yet  to  be  discovered,  and,  if  their 
condu6l  towards  those  who  had  preceded  them  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts colony,  was  to  be  an  index,  they  derived  but  little 
comfort  in  that  dire6lion. 

The  Dutch  and  the  Swedes  had  driven  off  a  colony  of  emi- 
grants who  came  from  New  Haven  in  1641,  and  had  made  a 
settlement  on  "Varken's  kill"  now  Salem  creek;  and,  at  the 
time  when  Fenwick  came,  no  vestige  of  their  habitations  could 
be  found.  The  jealousy  of  these  people,  as  well  as  the  suspicions 
of  the  Indians,  had  to  be  overcome,  and  no  small  degree  of 
diplomacy  was  exercised  to  steer  clear  of  these  difficulties  that 
surrounded  them  at  once. 

The  High  Court  at  Upland  had  judicial  authority  over  the 
Dutch  and  the  Swedes  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  river,  and 
the  church  at  Tinacum  was  the  place  whither  they  all  went  to 
attend  to  their  religious  duties,  and  to  have  their  children  chris- 
tened. These  were  powers  and  prejudices  hard  to  overcome, 
and  so  antagonistic  to  the  theory  and  pra6lice  of  those  who 
now  proposed  to  make  a  settlement,  that  no  compromise  could 
reconcile  the  differences;  and,  to  a  disinterested  spe6lator, 
this  state  of  affairs  would  appear  likely  to  lead  to  difficulty 
and  trouble.  Although  John  Fenwick  was  impetuous  and  hasty 
in  much  that  he  did  when  opposed,  especially  when  his  abso- 
lute authority  over  the  land  of  which  he  claimed  to  be  the  owner 
was  questioned,  yet  the  forbearance  and  good  counsel  of  those 
who  were  with  him,  prevented  any  trouble  with  his  neighbors, 
so  far  as  the  management  of  their  religious  affairs  was  concerned. 

Immediately  after,  or,  perhaps,  before  they  had  landed,  "the 
agreements ' '  between  the  patroon  and  the  planters  were  drawn 
up  and  signed  by  each  of  them.  These  may  now  be  seen  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Trenton,  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation.^  The  document  is  dated  June  28th,  1675  ;  it 
embodies  all  the  elements  of  a  good  government,  and  upon 


2  Salem  Records. 


SAMUEL   NICHOLSON.  215 

this  was  afterwards  established  the  kind  of  authority  that  made 
the  colony  a  desirable  place  for  settlement.  Among  the  thirty- 
three  persons  who  put  their  signatures  to  this  paper,  and  who 
were  mostly  heads  of  families,  may  be  found  the  name  of  Samuel 
Nicholson,  signed  by  his  own  hand,  which,  by  its  style,  shows 
him  to  have  been  a  man  of  some  education. 

Steps  were  immediately  taken  to  extinguish  the  Indian  title; 
this  was  done  for  a  satisfa6lory  consideration,  by  three  deeds 
from  several  chiefs,  who  held  the  territory  bounded  by  several 
large  streams,  by  which  the  grants  were  defined  therein.  This 
was  a  proper  and  just  movement,  and,  although  the  privileges 
of  the  aborigines  were  not  abridged  in  their  hunting  and  fishing 
expeditions,  yet  their  ideas  of  right  were  met  and  satisfied,  to 
the  avoidance  of  any  trouble  in  the  future. 

As  soon  as  abodes  were  provided  for  their  families,  which 
consisted  of  the  humblest  kind  of  habitations,  a  religious 
meeting  was  established  after  the  order  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  held  at  private  houses  for  several  years. ^  These 
meetings  took  place  twice  in  each  week  for  divine  worship,  and 
once  in  each  month  for  church  discipline.  It  is  curious  and 
interesting  to  examine  the  records  of  the  Friends  meeting  at 
that  place,  and  to  notice  the  various  movements  taken  to  secure 
a  locality  for  public  worship. 

Upon  the  fourth  month,  2d,  1679,  Richard  Guy,  Edward 
Bradway,  Nathan  Smart  and  Edward  Wade  were  appointed  to 
go  on  the  seventh  instant,  and  sele6l  a  place  for  a  meeting 
house  and  burial  ground,  and  to  report  at  the  next  monthly 
meeting.  Upon  the  eleventh  month,  5th,  1679,  Edward 
Wade,  James  Nevil,  John  Maddox  and  George  Deacon  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  treate  with  Samuel  Nicholson  and 
William  Penton  for  their  houses  and  plantations  in  Salem; 
and,  also,  to  see  the  widow  Salter  about  her  plantation,  &c. 
Upon  the  twelfth  month,  2d,  1679,  George  Deacon,  John 
Maddox,  George  Azeheard  and  Henry  Jennings  were  appointed 
to  take  a  view  of  Edward  Bradway' s  house  for  a  meeting  house. 

At  this  meeting  a  minute  was  made,  fixing  fourth  day  and  first 
iia\'  as  the  times  for  religious  worshij) ;  the  first  of  which  meet- 


3  Johnson's  Historj'  of  Salem,  ■ 


2i6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

ings  was  to  be  held  at  Robert  Zane's  house,  the  next  at  Samuel 
Nicholson's  house,  and  the  next  at  Richard  Guy's  house.  This 
arrangement  put  at  rest,  for  a  short  time,  the  trouble  about  a 
meeting  house ;  and  not  until  the  seventh  of  the  fourth  month, 
in  the  next  year,  does  anything  further  relative  to  the  subje6l 
appear.  Then  the  subscription  list  was  entered,  showing  who 
contributed,  and  the  amount  given  by  each  person. 

Upon  the  ninth  month,  ist,  1680,  another  committee  was 
appointed,  to  treate  with  Edward  Champneys  for  a  lot  on  which 
to  build  a  meeting  house  and  a  burial  lot,  and  to  report  at  the 
next  Monthly  Meeting.  Soon  after  this,  some  arrangement  had 
been  made  with  Samuel  Nicholson  for  his  property,  for  on  the  3d 
of  the  eleventh  month,  1680,  John  Thompson  and  Robert  Zane 
were  appointed  to  look  after  the  repairing  of  Samuel  Nichol- 
son's house  (lately  by  him  occupied)  for  a  meeting  house,  "and 
forthwith  get  said  house  fit  for  Friends  to  meet  in." 

The  next  year,  Samuel  Nicholson  and  Ann,  his  wife,  con- 
veyed to  the  trustees  of  the  Salem  meeting  his  sixteen  acre 
lot,  whereon  stood  the  house  aforesaid ;  and  the  same  com- 
mittee was  dire6led  to  enlarge  the  house  by  adding  "sixteen 
feet  in  length,  and  in  height  equal  to  the  old  frame,  with  a 
chimney  and  pair  of  stairs."  For  some  reason,  this  was  not 
done  until  the  next  year,  when  another  committee  was  named 
for  that  purpose.  Samuel  Nicholson's  house  was,  therefore,  the 
first  building  set  apart  for  public  religious  worship  in  West 
New  Jersey.  Various  alterations  were  subsequently  made  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  galleries,  and  in  the  mode  of  heating. 
This  latter  was  done  by  large,  open  fire  places  built  in  the  ends 
of  the  house, — a  method  which  did  much  to  preserve  a  circula- 
tion of  pure  air  in  the  room,  but  very  little  towards  making 
it  comfortably  warm.  Several  attempts  were  made  to  have 
the  floor  constru6led  of  boards;  but  they  failed,  as,  on  the 
twenty-seventh  day  of  the  twelfth  month,  1687,  Benjamin 
Knapton  and  Thomas  Woodroose  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  have  both  the  old  and  the  new  end  of  the  meeting  house 
floored  with  a  "good  clay  floor,"  and  to  have  it  ready  before 
the  yearly  meeting.  The  windows  consisted  of  four  panes 
each,  of  thick  bull's-eye  glass,  seven  inches  by  nine  in  size, 


SAMUEL   NICHOLSON.  217 

and  set  in  heavy  sash.  The  doors  were  clumsy  and  small,  cut 
horizontally  in  two  parts,  and  had  long  iron  hinges  and  wooden 
latch.  Imagine  a  large  open  fire  place  in  each  end,  no  ceiling 
under  the  roof,  and  the  benches  without  backs  or  cushions,  and 
some  idea  of  the  inside  appearance  of  this  place  of  worship 
may  be  had.  Forty-feet  in  front  and  sixteen  feet  in  depth, 
part  of  frame  and  part  of  brick,  and,  perhaps,  ten  feet  in 
heighth  of  story — these  items  give  a  fair  description  of  the 
outside  of  a  building  which,  at  this  day,  would  be  looked  upon 
as  an  odd  stru6lure  for  such  uses. 

The  first  Yearly  Meeting  held  at  Salem  was  on  the  fifteenth 
day  of  the  second  month,  1684;  but  the  Burlington  Friends 
negledled  to  send  a  committee, — a  matter  duly  noticed.  The 
next  Yearly  Meeting  there  held  was  on  the  twelfth  day  of  the 
second  month,  1687;  afterwards,  the  time  for  such  meetings  was 
changed  to  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  the  second  month,  and  so 
yearly,  "from  inconveniences  and  impediments  being  seen  in 
the  meeting  falling  out  so  early  in  the  spring."  These  meet- 
ings were  continued  at  that  place  for  several  years,  making  it 
clear  that  Friends  thereabout  were  able  to  entertain,  and  that 
their  place  of  worship  had  capacity  to  receive  the  strangers  thus 
coming  among  them. 

At  the  Yearly  Meeting  held  in  Salem  in  the  second  month, 
from  the  twenty-seventh  to  the  thirty-first,  1693,  George  Keith 
appeared  with  his  friends,  and  laid  before  the  meeting  their 
proposals  for  the  settlement  of  the  differences  among  them. 
These  were  in  the  shape  of  several  propositions,  covering  the 
points  at  issue  and  discussing  the  reasons  for  their  adoption. 
This  led  to  much  controversy,  and  to  the  final  separation  of 
many  members  from  the  society.  These  proposals  were  signed 
by  Jeremiah  Collat,  John  Penrose,  Nathaniel  Sykes,  Anthony 
Taylor,  Samuel  Cooper,  Isaac  Jacobs,  James  Shattuck,  Samuel 
Adams,  George  Keith,  Thomas  Budd,  Henry  Furnass,  Nicholas 
Pierce,  Robert  Granna,  William  Budd,  Benjamin  Morgan, 
Thomas  Withers  and  Andrew  Griscom. 

Thomas  Sharp  of  Newton  was  clerk,  at  that  time,  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting,  wherein,  no  doubt,  much  excitement  existed,  and 
many  controversies  were  had  touching  the  merits  of  the  matters 


2i8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

before  them,  which  so  sadly  vexed  the  church.  The  persons 
who  signed  the  proposals  with  George  Keith  were  influential  in 
the  communities  in  which  they  lived,  and  were  well  calculated 
to  draw  many  other  valuable  members  with  them  to  the  new 
dogmas,  as  laid  down  by  this  bold  and  popular  dissenter. 

The  arrival  of  new  settlers,  the  frugality  and  industry  of  the 
old  ones,  and  the  evident  success  of  the  colony,  made  it  neces- 
sary that  some  new  and  better  accommodations  should  be  had 
for  the  religious  meetings  held  in  that  place.  The  old  house 
met  the  wants  of  the  society  for  several  years;  but,  on  the 
twenty-ninth  day  of  the  sixth  month,  1698,  a  committee  of  the 
Monthly  Meeting  was  appointed  to  "have  a  new  meeting-house 
eredled."  In  the  same  year  they  agreed  with  Richard  Wood- 
nutt  to  do  the  brick  work,  and  Robert  Gillman  to  do  the  wood 
work.  Matters  did  not  go  far,  however,  before  the  meeting 
decided  that  the  house  according  to  the  plan  would  prove  too 
small,  and  ordered  it  to  be  increased  to  one  of  forty  feet  in 
front  by  thirty  feet  in  depth.  Whether  it  was  ere6led  on  the 
site  of  the  old  one  does  not  appear,  but  the  capacity  of  the 
new  was  not  very  much  greater  than  the  old  house,  nor  were 
its  proportion  any  better. 

On  the  thirtieth  day  of  the  first  month,  1702,  the  committee 
reported  the  building  finished,  and  that  the  entire  cost  was  four 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds,  thirteen  shillings  and  two 
pence.  The  long  list  of  subscribers,  and  the  amount  of  money 
severally  paid,  show  how  rapidly  the  neighborhood  was  being 
occupied,  and  the  increase  of  wealth  among  the  inhabitants. 
Several  Friends  in  other  parts  contributed ;  Samuel  Carpenter, 
then  a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  gave  fifteen  pounds;  Samuel 
Jennings  of  Burlington  gave  five  pounds,  and  many  others  con- 
tributed, who  doubtless  were  frequent  visitors,  and  felt  an  interest 
in  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  this  religious  society. 

Next  after  the  patroon,  Samuel  Nicholson  was,  perhaps,  the 
wealthiest  man  in  the  colony  at  that  time,  as  he  appears  to  have 
made  several  large  surveys  of  land  in  the  county,  and  also  sev- 
eral purchases  of  real  estate.  He  did  not  remain  in  Salem 
many  years,  but  removed  to  a  plantation  which  he  owned  upon 


4  Salem  Records  No.  a. 


SAMUEL   NICHOLSON.  219 

AUoway's  creek  or  Monmouth  river,  as  it  was  then  called, 
where  he  died  in  1685,  intestate.*  He  took  an  adlive  part  in 
the  religious  and  political  advancement  of  the  colony,  but  does 
not  appear  to  have  participated  very  much  in  the  difificulties 
of  John  Fenwick  with  the  Dutch  and  the  English  authorities. 
They  claimed  that  he  was  a  usurper,  and  must,  consequently, 
be  driven  away  or  imprisoned;  this  latter  misfortune  befell  him, 
much  to  his  discomfiture  and  pecuniary  loss.  The  oath  of 
Samuel  Nicholson  to  show  his  allegiance  to  the  government 
of  John  Fenwick  is  here  copied,  it  being  the  same  that  was 
taken  by  most  of  the  planters  upon  their  arrival : 

"I,  Samuel  Nicholson,  of  the  Town  of  New  Salem,  in  Fen- 
wick Colony,  in  the  Province  of  New  C?esarea  or  New  Jersey 
in  America,  Planter,  do  hereby  declare  and  promise  that  I  will 
endeavor  to  promote  the  honor  of  Almighty  God  in  all  my 
undertakings,  who  is  the  King  of  Kings  and  requires  all  men 
to  do  justly,  love  mercy,  and  walk  humbly  with  their  God ; 
and,  accordingly,  I  do  further  declare  and  promise  that  I  will 
bear  true  allegiance  to  the  King  of  England,  his  heirs  and 
successors,  and  also  that  I  will  be  faithful  to  the  interest  of 
John  Fenwick,  Lord  or  Chief  Proprietor  of  the  said  colony, 
his  heirs.  Executors  and  assigns,  and  endeavour  the  peace  and 
welfare  of  him,  them  and  of  his  said  Colony  accordingly.  In 
witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  this  July  5th, 
1676,  in  the  twenty-eighth  year  of  the  Reign  of  King  Charles 
Second,  &c."^ 

Samuel  Nicholson  must  have  been  a  favorite  of  the  patroon, 
for  he  gave  him  his  choice  of  lots  in  the  town  of  Salem,  which 
contained  sixteen  acres  with  a  tradl  of  marsh  fronting  on  the 
creek.  On  this  tra6t  of  sixteen  acres  he  built  his  house,  which, 
afterwards,  was  used  by  the  Friends  as  the  place  of  meeting 
before   named. 

Ann,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Nicholson,  survived  him  and  died 
in  1694.  Of  the  children,  Parabol  married  Abraham  Strand  in 
1677;  Elizabeth  married  John  Abbott;  Samuel  died  in  1694, 
without  family  and  unmarried ;  Abel  married  Mary,  a  daughter 


5  Salem  Surveys,  1676. 


2  20  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

of  William  Tyler;  and  Joseph  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Wood,  in  1695.® 

John  Abbott  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  deceased  before  Ann 
Nicholson,  leaving  three  children,  Rachel,  Mary  and  Elizabeth. 
Abel  settled  in  Elsinboro  on  the  homestead  property,  and  died 
in  1751-'  His  children  by  his  first  wife  were  Sarah,  Rachel, 
Abel,  Joseph,  William,  Mary,  John ;  Ruth,  who  married  John 
Evans  and  Samuel  Clement ;  Samuel,  who  married  Sarah  Den- 
nis; and  Ann,  who  married  John  Brick.  His  second  wife, 
Isabella,  survived    him. 

In  the  Friends'  meeting  at  Salem  there  was,  perhaps,  no 
more  influential  and  a6live  person  than  Abel  Nicholson.  The 
minutes  show  that  upon  almost  every  important  committee  he 
was  named.  Among  the  young  people  he  seems  to  have  been 
a  particular  favorite,  as  scarcely  a  wedding  occurred  in  which 
his  name  may  not  be  found  among  those  who  attended  on 
behalf  of  the  meeting,  to  see  that  everything  was  condu6led 
in  an  orderly  manner. 

Upon  the  death  of  Bartholomew  Wyatt,  he  Avas  appointed 
to  fill  his  place  as  one  of  the  overseers  of  the  meeting,  and, 
in  1733,  was  made  an  elder.  In  1729,  he  married  Isabella 
Daniels,  but  by  this  marriage  there  was  probably  no  issue. 
Some  of  his  children  came  into  Gloucester  and  Burlington 
counties ;  through  whom  some  of  the  present  generations 
may   trace    their   lineage. 

Henry  Wood,  whose  daughter  married  Joseph  Nicholson, 
in  1682,  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of  Samuel  Cole,  in 
Waterford  township,  near  the  mouth  of  Cooper's  creek,  front- 
ing on  the  river,  with  the  buildings  put  thereon  by  Cole;  to 
this  place  he  removed,  and  there  remained  during  his  life. 
He  called  this  place  "Hopewell."® 

The  same  year  in  which  Joseph  Nicholson  married  his  daugh- 
ter, he  removed  from  Salem  county  to  a  tradl  of  land  on  the 
north  side  of  Cooper's  creek,  that  he  had  previously  purchased; 
here  he  built  a  house  and  made  a  settlement.  In  1699,  he 
purchased  an  adjoining  tra6l  of  James,  a  grandson  of  Henry 


6  Salem  Wills  A,  i  »,  143.     Salem  Wills  No.  5    41. 

7  Salem  Wills  A,  120.     Lib.  No.  7,  250. 

8  Lib.  Bi,  66. 


SAMUEL  NICHOLSON.  221 

Wood,  which  made  his  landed  estate  quite  large  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Samuel  Nicholson,  the  brother  of  Joseph,  in  his  will  gave  him 
his  entire  estate ;  the  land  of  which  he  sold  to  George  Abbott 
in  1696.  The  deed  says,  "Joseph  Nicholson,  late  of  Salem 
county,  now  of  Gloucester  county."  This  language  establishes 
the  identity  of  Joseph  beyond  any  question,  and  connedls  the 
family  hereabout  with  Samuel,  the  first  comer. 

Joseph  Nicholson  deceased  in  1702,  intestate,*  and  leaving 
but  two  children,  George,  who  married  Alice  Lord  in  171 7, 
and  Samuel,  who  had  three  wives.  These  were  as  follows :  in 
1722,  he  married  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Burrough;  in 
1744,  he  married  Rebecca  Saint,  and,  in  1749,  he  married  Jane 
Albertson,  the  widow  of  William,  and  daughter  of  John  Engle. 
The  last  named  female  was  somewhat  remarkable  in  her  mar- 
riage relations,  having  had  four  husbands  and,  probably,  dying 
a  widow.  The  husbands  were  John  Turner,  William  Albertson, 
Samuel  Nicholson,  and  Thomas  Middleton. 

As  the  oldest  son,  Samuel  inherited  the  landed  estate  of  his 
father,  and  had  his  residence  on  the  tradl  of  land  purchased 
of  James  Wood  in  1699.  This  he  re-surveyed  in  1733,  which 
survey  discloses  the  title  and  the  number  of  acres  contained 
in  the  same.'"  He  was  neighbor  to  the  Spicers,  the  Woods, 
and  Humphrey  Day,  all  of  which  families  and  names  have 
long  since   been   lost  sight  of   in  that  region. 

Samuel  Nicholson  deceased  in  1750,  leaving  the  following 
named  children ;  but  how  distributed  among  the  several  wives, 
there  is  no  means  at  this  time  of  discovering."  Joseph,  the  first 
son,  married  Catharine  Butcher,  of  Burlington,  in  1738;  in 
1749,  he  purchased  half  an  acre  of  land  of  John  Gill  in  Had- 
donfield,  at  which  place  he  at  that  time  resided.  This  piece 
of  land  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  main  street,  and 
is  now  owned  by  Joseph  B.  Tatem.  He  probably  built  the 
house  now  standing  on  the  lot ;  but  of  this  there  are  no  certain 
data.  Abel  married  Rebecca  Aaronson,  daughter  of  Aaron  ; 
Abigail    married    Daniel   Hillman   in    1743,  and   John   Gill   in 

9  Files  of  Gloucester  Wills. 

10  Lib  M,  159,  O.  S.  G. 

11  Lib.  No.  7,  02. 


222  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1767;  Hannah  married  John  Hillman;  and  Sarah  died  single 
in  1756.  Abel  deceased  in  1761,  and  before  his  first  child 
was  born.  This  proved  to  be  a  son,  who  was  named  for  his 
father,  and  subsequently  married  Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Ellis.  The  widow  of  Abel  married  Isaac  Burrough,  and  deceased 
in  1768.  From  the  last  named  Abel,  the  family  in  this  imme- 
diate neighborhood  has  descended.  A  few  of  the  name  reside 
in  Salem  county,  but  the  family  is  not  large.  In  tracing  this 
family,  care  should  be  taken  not  to  confound  it  with  that  of 
George  Nicholson,  who  came  from  Borton  Stathers,  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  and  settled  in  Burlington  county,  N.  J.^^  His 
wife's  name  was  Hannah,  and  their  children  were  Grace,  born 
in  1677;  Samuel,  born  in  1679;  George,  born  in  1680;  Joseph, 
born  in  1684,  and  Mercy,  born  in  1687.  Samuel  died  at  Ches- 
ter, Pennsylvania,  in  1684.  Joseph  and  Mercy  were  born  at 
the  same  place,  the  other  children  being  born  before  the  coming 
of  the  parents  to  America.  They  probably  came  among  those 
designing  to  remain  in  Pennsylvania  under  the  patronage  of 
William  Penn,  but  finally  settling  in  New  Jersey. 


12  Friends'  Records,  Cherterfield  Meeting,  Burlington  Co. 


THOMAS    HOWELL. 


THOMAS  HOWELL  was  an  Englishman,  and  lived  in 
Staffordshire  previously  to  his  removal  to  New  Jersey.' 
It  is  somewhat  uncertain  whether  he  was  a  creditor  of  Edward 
Byllynge,  although  the  record  would  seem  to  show  that  he 
was;  yet,  if  so,  he* did  not  have  his  debts  discharged  diredlly 
by  that  man. 

Benjamin  Bartlett  (or  Braclett,  as  it  is  sometimes  written,) 
married  Gracia,  a  daughter  of  Byllynge,^  through  whom  many 
of  the  sales  of  proprieties  were  made,  and  who,  surviving  her 
husband  and  father,  in  1728,'^  sold  all  the  remainder  of  her 
interests  in  New  Jersey,  derived  as  the  only  heir  and  surviving 
child  of  her  father,  to  Daniel  Coxe,  of  London,  whose  son 
Daniel  came  here  to  look  after  his  father's  estate,  and  made  so 
much  trouble  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  colony.* 

The  first  estate  that  Thomas  Howell  acquired  in  New  Jersey, 
was  through  Benjamin  Bartlett  and  wife,  in  1675,  who  conveyed 
him  the  one-half  of  one-ninetieth  part  of  one  whole  share; 
under  which  he  proceeded  in  1685  to  sever  his  interest  from 
the  common  stock  in  land."  Although  his  name  does  not 
appear  among  those  who  first  arrived  here,  yet  he,  no  doubt, 
came  among  the  earliest  adventurers,  and  brought  some  con- 
siderable personal  property,  consisting  of  household  goods  and 


1  Lib.  G2,  33.  4  Lib.  A,  34. 

2  Lib.  A,  24.  5  Lib.  G2,  33. 

3  Lib.  EF,  370. 


224  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

money.  It  is  probable  that  his  immediate  residence  in  Staf- 
fordshire was  at  Tamworth,  a  town  in  the  western  part  of  that 
county,®  about  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  northeast  of  the  city 
of  London,  for,  in  a  division  of  his  estate  among  his  children 
in  1687,  his  son  Daniel  received  that  property  as  part  of  his 
share. ''■^  In  a  subsequent  agreement  between  Daniel  and  Mor- 
decai,  the  estate  passed  to  the  latter,  who,  in  all  probability, 
retained  it  during  his  life,®  it  being  the  ancestral  residence  of 
the  family,  and  for  this  reason  deserving  his  adherence  thereto. 
It  does  not  appear  that  Thomas  Howell  was  a  Friend ;  if  such, 
he  did  not  participate  much  in  the  religious  affairs  of  that 
society.  The  short  time  that  he  lived  after  his  settlement  here 
may  account  for  this,  as  he  deceased  in  1687,  only  a  few  years 
after  his  arrival.  He  was,  however,  a  member  of  the  Assembly 
in  1683,  but  only  served  a  single  year.^" 

The  survey  he  made,  fronting  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's 
creek,  in  Waterford  (now  Delaware)  township,  included  what  is 
generally  known  as  the  Jacob  Troth  farm,  on  the  east,  and 
extended  down  that  stream  nearly  one  mile,  and  back  into  "the 
woods"  about  the  same  distance.  This  traft  of  land  is,  at  the 
present  day,  divided  into  many  valuable  farms."  It  was  located 
for  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  but  doubtless  contained  within 
its  bounds  a  much  larger  quantity  of  land.  Thomas  Howell 
ere61:ed  a  dwelling  on  the  same,  and  there  resided  for  the  little 
time  that  he  lived  after  his  settlement.  Without  any  tradition 
as  to  where  his  house  stood,  the  probability  is  that  it  was  near 
the  creek,  and  perhaps  where  the  buildings  on  the  "Barton" 
farm  have  been  eredled.     He  called  his  place  "Christianity."*" 

The  will  of  Thomas  Howell  has  no  date,  but  is  undoubtedly 
a  genuine  document.  It  discloses  some  matters  of  interest 
which  deserve  notice  here.'^  Reference  is  made  to  his  wife's 
not  coming  to  America,  of  whom  he  appeared  to  know  nothing 
at  the  time  of  making  his  will.  He  makes  provision  for  her, 
however,  which  shows  that  he  had  some  regard  for  her  comfort, 
although  she  did  not  choose  to  participate  in  his  adventure. 


6  Lib.  G2,  42.  10  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 

7  Lib.  G2,  61.  II  Revel's  Book,  68. 

8  Lib.  Gi,  42.  12  Lib.  B,  140. 

9  Lib.  Gi,  42.  13  Gloucester  Files,  1693. 


THOMAS  HOWELL.  225 

The  will  is  not  signed  by  the  testator,  but  is  subscriljed  to  by 
three  witnesses,  who  appeared  when  the  same  was  offered  for 
probate.  The  court  allowed,  and  the  devisees  accepted  the  will 
as  valid.  It  doubtless  conformed  to  the  custom  of  the  Dutch 
courts  in  like  cases,  prevalent  in  New  York  at  that  date  and 
for  many  years  after.  He  made  other  locations  in  Gloucester 
county,  which  showed  him  to  be  a  man  with  means  to  buy,  and 
of  good  judgment  in  the  location  of  his  land.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  a  wife,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely :  Samuel ; 
Daniel,  who  married  Hannah  Lakin,  of  Philadelphia,  in  1686; 
Mordecai;  Priscilla,  who  married  Robert  Stiles;  Marion,  who 
married  Henry  Johnson;  and  Catharine."  Before  his  death 
in  1687,  Thomas  Howell  sold  Richard  Wright  one  hundred 
acres  of  his  land  on  Cooper's  creek,  where  the  family  of  the 
latter  lived  for  several  years  thereafter.  ^^ 

Of  the  son  Samuel,  nothing  appears  to  indicate  that  he  was  in 
New  Jersey  as  he  did  not  join  in  any  of  the  conveyances  of 
real  estate  after  his  father's  death,  nor  is  his  name  mentioned 
at  all,  except  in  the  will  of  his  father.  The  son  Mordecai  was 
one  of  the  witnesses  in  the  controversy  between  the  Penns  and 
Lord  Baltimore.  In  this,  he  says  that  he  came  to  America  about 
the  year  1682,  and  ascended  the  Delaware  river  in  company 
with  the  ship  that  brought  William  Penn  to  Philadelphia.  This 
evidence  was  given  by  him  in  1736,  which  proves  that  he  did 
not  decease  before  that  date. 

After  Thomas  Howell's  death,  his  son  Mordecai  returned  to 
the  paternal  estate  at  Tamworth,  England,  and  there  remained 
about  three  years.'"  Afterwards,  he  returned  and  lived  on  the 
homestead  property  on  Cooper's  creek."  In  1697,  he  sold  to 
Henry  Franklin,  a  bricklayer  of  New  York,  a  part  of  the  origi- 
nal tra6l,  which  the  latter  sold  to  John  Champion,  in  three 
years  after.'®  Perhaps  Franklin  never  came  thither,  but  sold  to 
Champion,  who  then  resided  at  Hempstead,  in  the  same  state; 
from  which  place  he  removed  soon  after,  remaining  until  his 
death.     He  called  his  place  "Livewell,"  being  situated  on  that 


14  Gloucester  Files,  1687.     Friends'  Records,  Fhila.     16  Lib.  Gi,  42.     Lib.  G2,  42. 
Lib.  Gi,  42.     Lib.  63,17.  17  Lib.  G2,  114.     Lib   03,03,08. 

15  Lib.  Gi,  14-     Lib.  Ga,  114,  117,  120.  lai.  18  Lib.  G3,  122,  465. 


2  26  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

part  of  the  estate  now  known  as  the  "Champion  farm,"  which 
name  has  much  significance,  and  perhaps  originated  with  those 
who  enjoyed  the  hospitality  and  good  cheer  of  the  owner.  ^* 

Previously  to  this  sale,  Mordecai  Howell  had  eredled  a  saw 
mill  on  a  small  branch  near  the  easterly  part  of  the  tra6l,  where 
that  stream  emptied  into  Cooper's  creek.  This  mill  was  kept  in 
use  many  years  after  it  came  into  the  hands  of  John  Champion. 
In  1687,  Thomas  Howell  (the  father)  ere6led  the  dam;  but  he 
was  indidled  by  the  grand  jury  of  the  county  for  stopping  the 
water  of  the  stream  contrary  to  law,  and  consequently  aban- 
doned the  work. 

It  is  probable  that  Catharine,  the  widow  of  Thomas  Howell, 
came  to  America  with  the  son  Mordecai  upon  his  return,  as  she 
was  a  resident  of  Philadelphia  in  1693,  and  conveyed  eighty- 
eight  acres  of  land  to  Henry  Johnson,  then  about  to  marry  the 
daughter  Marion.^"  This  was  part  of  the  estate  on  Cooper's 
creek,  on  which  the  son  Mordecai  at  that  time  lived.  Henry 
Johnson  subsequently  took  up  his  abode  there  with  his  wife,  and 
through  their  family,  the  property  passed  to  other  names. 

Robert  Stiles,  who  married  the  daughter  Priscilla,  settled  on 
the  north  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Penisaukin  creek  on  land 
now  owned  by  Samuel  Roberts.  He  deceased  in  1728,  leaving 
two  sons,  Robert  and  Ephriam  ;  from  whom  have  sprung  the 
family  of  that  name  in  these  parts. '^' 

Gabriel  Thomas,  the  first  historian  of  West  New  Jersey,  thus 
speaks  of  the  head  of  this  family.  ''The  trade  of  Gloucester 
county  consists  chiefly  in  pitch,  tar  and  rosin,  the  latter  of 
which  is  made  by  Robert  Styles,  an  excellent  artist  in  that  sort 
of  work,  for  he  delivers  it  as  clear  as  any  Gum  Arabick." 

Thomas  Howell,  in  his  will,  gave  his  daughter  Priscilla  one 
hundred  acres  of  the  homestead  property.  This  herself  and 
husband,  in  1690,  conveyed  to  her  brother  Mordecai. ^'^ 

The  minute  book  of  the  supreme  court  of  New  Jersey — still 
in  good  preservation,  commencing  1681,  and  now  in  the 
vaults  of  the  office  of  the  supreme  court,  at  Trenton — presents 
a  curious  trial  of  Daniel  and   Mordecia  Howell  in   1685,  for 


19  Lib.  G3,  03.  21  Lib.  Ga,  94. 

20  Lib.  G3,  17.  22  Lib.  B,  94. 


THOMAS  HOWELL.  227 

shooting  and  carrying  away  the  hogs  of  William  Cooper.  They 
were  indicted,  tried  and  convidled,  the  court  sitting  at  Burling- 
ton, and  were  fined  five  pounds  each.  The  trial,  which  was 
a  protracted  one,  discloses  the  peculiar  manner  of  our  ances- 
tors in  conducting  such  cases.  The  identity  of  the  porkers  was 
the  turning  point  in  the  case,  as  the  ears  had  been  cut  off,  and 
the  marks  destroyed.  But  wlien  Daniel  Cooper,  son  of  William, 
testified  to  having  seen  a  dead  hog  on  the  back  of  one  of  the 
defendants,  before  its  ears  were  cut  off,  and  identified  it  as  one 
of  his  father's  swine,  there  was  no  room  for  further  doubt,  and 
hence  the  convi6lion.  There  was  much  of  that  kind  of  litiga- 
tion among  the  old  folks  hereabout,  as  the  negle(5t  to  enter  the 
"ear  marks"  in  the  court  records  was  often  a  means  by  which 
persons  escaped  punishment. 

In  1687,  Daniel  sold  his  brother  Mordecai  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  land  with  the  buildings  on  Cooper's  creek,  prob- 
ably the  farm  on  which  their  father  deceased.''^  In  1688,  Daniel 
sold  one  hundred  acres  of  the  homestead  to  Moses  Lakin, 
bounded  by  the  stream  before  named.  '^*  This  person  was, 
probably,  a  brother  of  his  wife ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  he 
ever  occupied  it.  He  subsequently  disposed  of  a  great  amount 
of  proprietory  rights  to  various  persons,  showing  that  his  landed 
estate  in  New  Jersey  was  large  and  valuable.''* 

In  1690,  Daniel  Howell  sold  sixty  acres,  part  of  the  original 
tradl,  to  Josiah  Appleton,  which  joined  other  lands  owned  by 
John  and  Richard  Appleton,  at  a  place  then  called  Apple-town. 
This  was  a  village  which  stood  near  the  most  westerly  boundary 
of  the  original  tra(5l  fronting  the  navigation  of  Cooper's  creek, 
and,  no  doubt,  deriving  many  advantages  therefrom.''®  What 
tradition  and  ancient  records  have  done  for  the  faithful  searchers 
after  the  curious  and  the  true  among  the  almost  forgotten  stories 
and  negledled  books  that  attradl  the  attention  of  antiquarians, 
has  escaped  the  notice  of  such  seekers,  in  order  to  bring  down 
to  the  present  generation  the  site  and  history  of  Apple-town, — a 
place  that  had  a  name  and  a  locality  in  1690,  but,  at  the  present 
day,  has  left  no  trustworthy  memorials. 


23  Lib.  G2,  62.  25  Lib.  G2,  104,  io8. 

24  Lib.  Gi,  83.  26  Lib.  B2,  442. 


2  28  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

In  the  year  1691,  he  removed  from  Cooper's  creek  to  a  new 
residence  near  Philadelphia,  which  he  called  Hartsfield;  and, 
after  a  short  stay  at  that  place,  he  removed  thence  to  "Stacy's 
Mills,"  at  the  falls  of  the  DelaAvare ;  around  which  place  now 
stands  the  city  of  Trenton. "  Mahlon  Stacy,  who  came  over 
with  the  first  emigrants,  made  a  large  survey  on  both  sides  of 
the  Assunpink  creek  at  this  place,  and  eredled  a  corn  mill 
thereon.  A  Friends'  meeting  was  established,  and  the  buildings 
eredled  thereabouts  soon  began  to  assume  the  proportions  of  a 
town.  In  1 714,  Mahlon  Stacy,  son  of  Mahlon  who  deceased  in 
1703,  sold  this  property,  which  his  father  called  Bathfield,  to 
William  Trent,  from  whom  the  present  name  of  the  city  w^as 
derived ;  previously  to  this  sale,  however,  considerable  of  the 
land  had  been  purchased  in  small  parcels,  whereon  to  eredt 
dwellings. 

Among  the  first  and  most  prominent  of  the  settlers  there,  the 
name  of  Daniel  Howell  occurs,  who  may  have  been  a  son  of 
Thomas,  before  named.  His  religious  proclivities  were  Presby- 
terian, as  he  was  an  adlive  man  in  that  denomination,  and 
resided  there  when  the  first  church  was  ere6led.  If  these  sug- 
gestions are  correal,  then  the  descendants  of  Daniel  Howell 
in  and  about  the  city  of  Trenton  can  make  the  connedtion  with 
their  emigrant  ancestors  complete,  and  can  know  where  he  lived 
the  little  time  in  which  he  remained  in  the  forests  of  New 
Jersey,  as  well  as  his  place  of  nativity  in  England,  where,  no 
doubt,  the  lineage  of  the  family  can  be  traced  for  many  gen- 
erations beyond  his  departure.'^* 

Mordecai  Howell  was  quite  a  land  jobber,  and  dealt  largely 
in  real  estate  in  Gloucester  county.  In  1702,  he  purchased  the 
Lovejoy  survey  of  Henry  Tredway.  This  included  all  that  part 
of  Haddonfield,  lying  east  of  Main  street,  as  far  south  as  Ellis 
street,  and  the  "corn  mill"  built  by  Thomas  Kendall,  which 
stood  near  the  present  mill,  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  Josiah  B. 
Evans,  deceased.^*  While  he  held  this  property,  he  located  fifty 
acres  of  land  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Buckman's  run,  which  falls  into  Cooper's  creek, 


27  Lib.  G2,  138,  140. 

28  Lib.  No.  3,  382. 

29  Basse's  Book,  239. 


THOMAS  HOWELL.  229 

at  a  short  distance  below  where  the  present  mill  stands.  By  this 
survey,  the  place  then  called  Uxbridge,  but  having  long  since 
lost  its  identity,  is  clearly  defined.  It  may  be  said  to  have  been 
where  the  Salem  road  crossed  the  creek,  before  the  King's  high- 
way was  laid  by  law,  nearly  in  its  present  position.  This  point 
was  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  run  before 
named,  and,  no  doubt,  above  the  head  of  the  pond  as  the  flow 
then  stood;  which  pond  was  a  diminutive  affair,  in  comparison 
to  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water  that  now  covers  the  same  and 
much  larger  premises.  The  name,  however,  was  not  confined 
to  the  particular  place,  but  was  applied  generally  to  the  sur- 
rounding neighborhood ;  yet,  as  the  road  was  changed  and  the 
bridge  went  to  decay,  the  name,  in  like  manner,  was,  in  the 
lapse  of  time,  forgotten. 

Near  the  head  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek  in 
Gloucester  township,  he  purchased  several  adjoining  tra6ls  of 
land  of  different  persons;  part  of  which  was  sold  to  Joseph 
Thorne  in  1706, ''"who  sold  part  to  Joseph  Bates  in  the  same 
year.-"  This  property  adjoined  the  estate  of  John  Hillman, 
including  several  farms  around  where  the  White  Horse  tavern 
now  stands.  The  deed  made  by  him  to  Joseph  Thorne  included 
the  homestead  estate  on  Cooper's  creek,  and,  perhaps,  extin- 
guished his  title  to  land  in  West  New  Jersey. 

At  the  time  of  the  last  sale  he  had  removed  to  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania ;  previously  to  which  he  had  visited  the  home  of 
his  ancestors  in  England  to  look  after  the  interests  given  to  him 
by  his  father.^'-  His  residence  being  beyond  the  bounds  of  New 
Jersey,  there  is  no  means  of,  tracing  him  to  the  time  of  his 
decease.  He  was  probably  a  bachelor,  as  his  signatures  to  the 
various  conveyances  made  by  him  stand  alone,  conclusive 
that,  however  large  his  estate,  he  did  not  halve  his  sorrows 
and  double  his  joys  by  taking  to  himself  a  helpmate  in  the  days 
of  his  youth.     Alas,  for  him  ! 


30  Lib.  G3,  3. 

31  Lib.  A,  84. 

32  Lib.  A,  84, 


WILLIAM    MATLACK. 


"t  T  TILLIAM  MATLACK  of  the  county  of  Burlington  in 
V  V  the  Province  of  West  Jersey,  aged  about  seventy-two 
years,  came  before  me  the  underwritten,  being  his  Majesty's 
Judge  of  the  Common  Pleas  for  said  county,  and,  upon  his 
solemn  affirmation,  did  declare  that  he,  the  said  William  Mat- 
lack,  about  the  latter  end  of  October  in  the  year  ( 1677),  came 
to  Burlington  along  with  his  then  master  Daniel  Wills,  who  was 
one  of  the  commissioners  for  laying  out  the  lands  in  the  West- 
ern Division  of  New  Jersey,  and  several  others  in  the  first  boate 
that  came  there  to  settle  the  said  Towne  of  Burlington ;  and 
that,  as  soon  as  he  and  the  rest  were  landed,  he  was  present  and 
saw  the  lots  fairly  drawn  for  the  nine  acre  lots  mentioned  in  the 
next  page  and  on  the  other  side  of  this  leaf  in  this  book ;  which 
lots  were  surveyed  by  Richard  Noble;  and  that  the  said  lots 
fell  to  the  ten  persons  mentioned  in  said  page,  and  in  the  three 
following  pages,  and  in  the  same  order  as  they  are  there  set 
down.  And  further,  this  deponent  says  that  he  is  well  assured 
and  very  well  knows  that  the  said  Richard  Noble  was  appointed 
surveyor  by  the  commissioners,  and  did  soon  after  survey  all  the 
remaining  part  of  the  Island  on  the  west  side  of  the  High  street, 
and  bounded  by  the  river  and  creek;  and  when  it  was  divided, 
it  was  lotted  to  the  said  ten  persons  according  as  in  the  said  two 
pages  it  is  particularly  described. 

''Attested  before  me,  this  tenth  day  of  December,  in  the 
seventh  year  of  the  reign  of  King  George  of  Great  Britain, 
Anno  Domini   1720.  "Joshua  Humphreys."^ 


I  Basse's  Book,  216. 


232  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

From  the  foregoing  declaration  much  information  may  be 
gathered  beside  that  which  pertains  to  the  subje6t  in  question. 
It  discloses  the  age  of  William  Matlack  in  1720;  it  shows  that 
he  had  attained  his  majority  before  his  arrival  in  America. 
According  "to  an  agreement  then  common  among  the  emigrants, 
he  was  to  serve  Daniel  Wills  for  four  years  after  his  coming 
hither ;  in  which  service  he  worked  as  a  carpenter.  They  came 
in  the  ship  "Kent,"  Gregory  Marlow,  master;  after  having 
touched  at  Sandy  Hook,  they  found  their  way  into  the  river 
Delaware,  and,  from  some  unknown  cause,  the  passengers  were 
landed  nearj^the  mouth  of  Raccoon  creek.-'  Their  destination 
was  evidently  higher  up  the  stream,  as  the  commissioners  soon 
left  the  vessel,  and  proceeded  in  a  small  boat  to  Chygoe's 
island  (afterwards  Burlington),  and,  according  to  a  tradition  in 
the  family,  William  Matlack  "was  the  first  person  that  put  his 
foot  upon  the  shore."  It  is  also  shown  that  the  island  referred 
to  was  not  that  in  the  river,  but  the  piece  of  land  on  which  the 
city  of  Burlington  stands,  nearly  surrounded  by  the  Assiscunk 
creek,  which,  Samuel  Smith  says,  procured  its  name  from 
an  Indian  sachem  who  lived  there.  The  first  "boate"  men- 
tioned was  the  little  craft  in  which  the  commissioners  and  a  few 
other  persons  came  from  Raccoon  creek,  and  not  the  ship  Kent, 
which  was  probably  injured,  and  did  not  proceed  to  the  end  of 
the  voyage.  The  passengers,  after  suffering  many  privations, 
mostly  found  their  way  to  Burlington,  and  settled  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

William  Matlack  came  from  a  small  village  in  Nottingham- 
shire, England,  called  Cropwell  Bishop,  which  lies  about  seven 
miles  southeast  of  the  city  of  Nottingham.  As  a  mechanic,  he 
worked  upon  the  first  houses  built  in  Burlington,  and  helped  to 
ere6l  Thomas  Olive's  corn  mill,  the  first  of  that  kind  in  West 
Jersey.  He  saw  a  town  rise  up  in  the  midst  of  the  forest, 
surrounded  by  a  thriving  population,  busy  in  clearing  the  land 
and  enjoying  the  reward  of  their  labor.  His  leisure  hours  were 
spent  among  the  natives,  watching  their  peculiarities  and  striv- 
ing to  win  their  good  will.  Following  the  advice  and  example 
of  the  commissioners,  every  promise  made  by  him  to  the  abo- 
rigines was  faithfully  kept,  and  every  contra6l  stri6lly  adhered  to. 

a  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  93. 


WILLIAM  MATLACK.  233 

In  1 68 1,  there  came  from  Brayles,  a  small  town  in  the 
southern  part  of  Warwickshire,  a  young  man  named  Timothy 
Hancock,  accompanied  by  his  sister,  who  was  about  fifteen 
years  of  age.  Without  friends  or  means,  they  lived  in  a  very 
humble  manner  among  the  settlers,  but  the  demand  for  work- 
men soon  found  Timothy  employment,  and  the  demand  for 
wives  did  not  leave  Mary  long  without  a  suitor.  She  was 
married  to  the  subjedl  of  this  sketch  the  next  year.  They 
then  removed  to  a  tradl  of  land  which  he  had  located  between 
the  north  and  south  branch  of  Penisaukin  creek  in  Chester 
township,  Burlington  county. ''  Her  brother  also  located  a 
survey  adjoining,  and,  in  1684,  married  Rachel  Firman.  These 
surveys  contained  one  hundred  acres  each,  and  were  generally 
known  as  "head  lands,"  being  the  quantity  to  which  each  male 
person  coming  as  a  servant  was  entitled  under  the  regulation 
established  by  the  proprietors.  Many  young  men  were  styled 
"servants"  and  received  their  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  who 
were  persons  of  education,  and  who  afterwards  became  promi- 
nent citizens  in  the  colony. 

This  was  near  the  Indian  town  of  Penisaukin,  where  the 
natives  for  many  years  after  had  a  village,  and  where  may 
yet  be  seen  the  remains  of  the  graveyard ;  which  burial  places 
they  held  in  so  much  reverence  and  respedl,  that  long  journeys 
were  made  to  visit  the  remains  of  their  departed  friends  and 
connections.  Within  the  memory  of  those  now  living,  have 
these  burial  places  been  visited  by  this  peculiar  ])eople,  around 
which  they  would  remain  for  a  few  days,  and  then  mysteriously 
disappear  from  the  neighborhood.  This  sacred  regard  for  the 
dead  formed  a  strange  contrast  with  •  other  characteristics  of 
their  savage  natures;  it  showed  a  tenderness  of  feeling  and 
a  degree  of  refinement,  not  always  found  in  civilization. 

This  stream  (Penisaukin  creek)  bears  one  of  the  few  Indian 
names  that  have  come  down  to  the  present  generation,  and, 
although  much  corrupted,  it  has  enough  remaining  to  dete6t 
its  origin. 

In  1682,  when  John  Roberts,  William  Matlack,  and  Timothy 
Hancock  located  the  land,  they  called  it  Pen-is-au-kin — giving 


3  Basse's  Book,  35. 


234  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

the  stream  the  same  name  as  that  by  which  the  Indians  styled 
their  village  then  adjoining.  This  word  has  been  spelled  in 
various  ways,  with  as  many  definitions,  one  of  which  is  that 
William  Penn  reserved  a  hawking  privilege  in  the  sale  of  lands 
there,  and  thence  called  the  stream  Pennshawking  creek.     This 

'idea  is  at  once  demolished  upon  an  examination  of  the  records, 
for  there  it  may  be  found  as  obtained  from  the  natives,  and  as 
by  them  pronounced. 

The  corruption,  or  rejection  of  the  Indian  names  of  streams 
and  localities  in  America,  is  to  be  regretted;  for  their  signifi- 
cance and  beauty  have  no  parallel  in  the  English  tongue,  and 
they  are  passing  away  like  the  people  that  gave  them  chara6ler 
and  expression,  almost  without  a  history  or  a  kindly  remem- 
brance. The  yielding  of  the  weaker  to  the  stronger  race,  of 
savage  life  to  the  progress  of  civilization,  has  left  but  a  remnant 
of  this  people  among  us.  Being  without  a  written  history,  their 
legends,  their  language,  and  their  names,  will  soon  be  among 
the  things  that  have  passed  beyond  the  possibiHty  of  restoration. 

,  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  the  development  of  literature  and  the 
advancement  of  education,  so  little  has  been  done  to  colle6t 
and  arrange  the  language  of  the  aborigines  of  our  land.  But 
a  single  record  of  their  language  is  known  to  have  been  made 
in  West  New  Jersey,  and  that  by  the  authorities  of  Salem 
county ;  it  is  contained  in  one  of  their  first  books,  now  on  file  in 
the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  at  Trenton,  in  which  much  care 
has  been  taken,  and  from  which  much  information  may  be  had. 
William  Matlack  and  Timothy  Hancock  soon  found  their 
neighborhood  was  a  desirable  one;  for  new  settlements  were 
made  there  in  a  short  time,  and  went  on  increasing  until  a 
meeting  of  Friends  was  established  at  the  house  of  Timothy 
Hancock  by  the  consent  of  Burlington  Friends  in  1685.  This 
was  held  on  alternate  first-days  with  one  at  the  house  of  John 
Kay,  on  the  north  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  Friends  at  Penisaukin  and  Evesham.  These  were 
continued  until  about  the  year  1707.  At  these  places  many 
marriages  were  solemnized  during  that  time,  the  knowledge  of 
which  would  add  much  to  the  early  history  of  this  se6lion  of 
the  State. 


WILLIAM  MATLACK.  235 

Thomas  Story,  an  eminent  public  Friend,  who  traveled  in 
America  in  1700,  says  that  he  went  from  Philadelphia  to  the 
Chester  meeting  (now  Moorestown,  Burlington  county)  by 
water,  and  upon  his  return  stayed  at  night  at  the  house  of 
Esther  Spicer,  the  widow  of  Samuel  Spicer,  where  he  was  well 
entertained.  This  widow  lady,  who  survived  her  husband  sev- 
eral years,  then  lived  near  the  river  shore  on  the  north  side  of 
Cooper's  creek,  now  Stockton  township,  Camden  county. 

The  Matlack  family  in  New  Jersey  have  been  remarkably 
prolific,  which  peculiarity  began  with  William  and  Mary;  and 
any  attempt  to  follow  the  genealogy  would  lead  to  endless 
collaterals,  and  be  attended  with  much  doubt  and  uncertainty. 
The  children  of  the  first  settlers,  however,  were  John,  who 
married  Hannah  Horner  and  Mary  Lee ;  George,  who  married 
Mary  Foster  and  Mary  Hancock;  Mary,  who  married  Jonathan 
Haines  and  Daniel  Morgan ;  William,  who  married  Ann  Antrim ; 
Richard,  who  married  Rebecca  Haines  and  Mary  Cole ;  Joseph, 
who  married   Rebecca  Haines;    Timothy,   who   married  Mary 

Haines ;  Jane,  who  married Irvin ;  and  Sarah,  who  married 

Carlyle  Haines.  From  these  marriages  has  sprung  one  of  the 
largest  families  in  New  Jersey,  and,  one  which,  at  this  date, 
has  found  its  way  into  every  state  in  the  Union. 

In  1 701,  William  Matlack  purchased  about  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  of  Richard  Heritage,  situated  in  Waterford  and 
Gloucester  townships,  in  Camden  county  (then  Gloucester), 
lying  on  both  sides  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek, 
around   and    near    the   White    Horse    tavern.* 

In  1705,  John  Matlack  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
of  Francis  Collins  in  Waterford  township.  In  1708,  he  mar- 
ried Hannah  Horner,  and  settled  upon  his  purchase.  A  part  of 
this  estate  is  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  John  Wilkins,  deceased, 
who  there  reside.  The  old  house  ere6led  by  the  first  owner 
stood  a  short  distance  from  the  handsome  edifice  of  the  present 
occupants ;  this  old  house  was  pulled  down  a  few  years  since,  for 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  rendered  it  unfit,  both  in  comfort 
and  style,  for  further  use. 

In  1 7 14,  William  Matlack  gave  his  son  George  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Waterford  township,  being  part  of  that  which 

4  Lib.  G2,  143. 


236  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

he  had  purchased  of  Richard  Heritage/  George  had  previously 
married  Mary  Foster,  and  settled  on  this  tra6t.  His  house 
stood  near  the  residence  of  Israel  Riggins,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  present  Haddonfield  and  Berlin  road,  near  Glendale.  He 
built  the  saw  mill  on  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  for- 
merly known  as  "Hilliard's"  mill,  having  gone  to  ruin  many 
years  since.  This  tra<5l  of  land  is  now  divided  among  several 
good  farms. 

In  1 71 7,  William  Matlack  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  of  John  Estaugh,  as  attorney  of  John  Haddon,  on  which 
his  son  Richard  settled  in  1721 — the  same  year  in  which  he 
married  Rebecca  Haines.^  This  tra6l  lies  in  Waterford  and 
Delaware  townships.  Upon  it  is  situated  the  old  Matlack  grave- 
yard, where  lay  the  remains  of  nearly  all  the  older  branches  of 
the  family.  Richard  (the  first  settler),  who  deceased  in  1778, 
was  the  second  person  buried  here,  his  son  Benjamin  being  the 
first.  In  1779,  this  estate  passed  out  of  this  name  to  William 
Todd,  but  was  subsequently  purchased  by  Richard  M.  Cooper, 
father  of  the  present  owner,  and  a  lineal  descendant  in  the 
materal  line  of  the  first  settler. 

In  1714,  William  Matlack  gave  his  son  Timothy  the  remain- 
ing part  of  the  tract  of  land  which  he  had  purchased  of  Richard 
Heritage  in  Waterford  township.  Here  Timothy  built  a  house 
and  settled."  The  house  stood  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Ephraim  Tomlinson,  a  short  distance  from  Glendale.  In  1720, 
Timothy  married  Mary  Haines.  He  remained  on  the  farm 
only  a  short  time,  as,  in  1726  he  sold  the  same  and  removed  to 
Haddonfield,  where  he  eredled  a  house  and  kept  a  store. 

Among  the  children  of  Timothy  Matlack,  a  son  Timothy  was 
born  in  Haddonfield,  1730.  He  removed  to  Philadelphia  at  an 
early  age,  and  became  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  that 
place.*  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  although  a  Quaker,  he 
held  a  colonel's  commission  in  the  army,  and  was  an  a6live 
officer  throughout  that  struggle.  For  this  he  was  dealt  with,  and 
lost  his  membership  in  that  religious  body.  In  connedlion  with 
Benjamin   Franklin,   Robert   Morris  and  others,  a  society  was 


5  Lib.  A,  09.  7  Lib.  A,  08. 

6  Lib.  A,  50.  8  Lives  of  Eminent  Philadelphians,  &c.,  685. 


WILLIAM  MATLACK.  237 

established  in  Philadelphia,  called  the  "Free  Quakers."  He 
was  secretary  to  the  Continental  Congress  for  some  time,  while 
it  sat  in  that  city,  and  was  known  as  an  open  and  decided  advo- 
cate for  the  separation  of  the  colonies  from  the  mother  country. 
His  portrait  now  hangs  in  the  Hall  of  Independence,  among 
many  of  his  contemporaries  of  that  eventful  period.  He  died 
in  1829,  and  was  buried  in  the  graveyard  of  the  religious  society 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  in  south  Fifth  street,  Philadelphia. 

He  never  lost  his  interest  in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  and,  in 
his  declining  years,  often  related  the  story  of  his  being  in  one 
of  the  apple  trees  in  John  Gill's  orchard,  and  listening  to  John 
Estaugh  preach  in  the  Friends'  meeting-huuse  near  by.  This 
was  when  he  was  a  boy.  If  Friend  John  had  espied  him  preying 
upon  his  fruit,  the  inclinations  of  the  flesh  would  have  prompted 
him  to  visit  condign  punishment  upon  the  offender;  but  Tim- 
othy understood  his  habits  too  well,  not  to  know  when  to  make 
these  predatory  excursions,  and  get  .safely  away,  loaded  with 
plunder.  This  further  shows  that  John  Gill's  farm  extended 
along  the  north  side  of  the  King's  road  to  the  meeting-house; 
mention  of  which  is  made  in  the  deed  for  the  meeting-house  lot. 

Asa  Matlack,  now  deceased,  a  descendant  of  the  first  settler 
and  formerly  residing  near  Moorestown,  Burlington  county. 
New  Jersey,  on  a  part  of  the  original  estate,  colledled  and 
preserved  a  history  of  the  dire<St  and  collateral  branches  of  the 
family,  showing  how  rapidly  it  spread  through  the  country  and 
became  conne6led  with  those  of  the  early  settlers.  Although 
not  arranged  for  easy  reference,  yet  the  coUedlion,  as  it  stands, 
evidences  much  labor,  and  is  invaluable  to  any  one  in  search 
of  genealogical  matter  connected  therewith. 

The  tra(5t  of  lands  owned  by  William  Matlack  and  his  sons 
John,  Timothy  and  Richard,  extending  from  the  White  Horse 
tavern  to  the  farm  of  Joseph  H.  Ellis,  both  included,  and  lying 
on  both  sides  of  the  Moorestowii  and  Woodbury  road,  con- 
tained some  fifteen  hundred  acres;  it  passed  out  of  the  name 
more  than  sixty  years  since,  part  by  marriage,  but  much  the 
larger  part  by  sale. 


JOHN    HINCHMAN. 


IN  the  year  1675,  a  valuation  of  the  estates  of  persons  resident 
in  Fhishing,  Long  Island,  made  known  that  John  Hinch- 
man  was  an  inhabitant,  and  the  owner  of  one  negro,  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land,  two  horses,  four  oxen,  four  cows,  two  colts, 
four  hogs  and  forty  sheep.  He  was  then  a  well-to-do  farmer  for 
the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  much  in  advance  of  most  of 
his  neighbors.  In  the  year  1698,  another  list  was  ordered  by 
the  proper  authorities  of  the  same  town  (or  township.)  This 
shows  the  nativity  of  each ;  and  among  the  French  settlers  occur 
the  names  of  John  Hinchman  and  Sarah  his  wife,  and  of  their 
children,  John,  James,  Mercy,  Mary  and  Sarah,  as  well  as  that 
of  one  negro  slave  called  He6tor,  set  down  as  belonging  to  the 
said  John  Hinchman ;  also  the  names  of  Thomas  Hinchman 
and  of  Miriam  his  wife,  and  two  children,  Thomas  and  Sarah. 
Among  the  names  composing  the  list  of  freemen,  is  that  of 
Robert  Hinchman.  These  assessments  evince  a  degree  of  care 
not  generally  looked  for  at  so  early  a  date,  and  disclose  many 
valuable  and  interesting  fa6ls  not  to  be  obtained  through  any 
other  channel.  The  liberality  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
of  New  York  in  securing,  arranging  and  publishing  all  the 
documentary  evidence  that  relates  to  the  early  settlement  of 
that  state,  cannot  be  too  highly  commended ;  it  deserves  to  be 
followed  by  every  other  commonwealth  in  the  Union.  To  this 
liberality  are  all  those  indebted  that  would  know  anything  touch- 
ing the  history  of  the  first  comers,  of  their  success  and  their 
subsequent  movements. 


240  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Among  the  inhabitants  of  Oyster  Bay,  Southampton,  Hemp- 
stead, Flushing  and  other  places  on  Long  Island,  may  be  found 
the  names  of  many  who  became  the  heads  of  families  hereabout, 
and  who  did  much  to  clear  up  and  develope  the  virgin  soil  in 
this  se6lion  of  the  country. 

The  inducements  held  out  by  William  Penn,  John  Fenwick 
and  others,  who  were  interested  in  the  lands  in  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania,  made  it  to  their  advantage  again  to  break  up  their 
homes  and  remove  hither.  Among  them  were  the  Hinchmans, 
the  Burroughs,  the  Clements,  the  Harrisons  and  others,  whose 
names  are  now  familiar  to  every  inhabitant  in  this  region  of 
country.  In  fa6l,  these  two  sedlions  were  so  closely  connedled 
in  this  regard,  that  the  history  of  the  one  is,  to  a  great  extent, 
the  history  of  the  other.  In  ecclesiastical  affairs  they  were 
nearly  identical,  for  what  in  church  matters  agitated  the  people 
of  one  region  was  equally  exciting  among  the  people  of  the 
other. 

The  name  was  not  confined  to  Long  Island,  as  Edward 
Hinchman  was  a  resident  of  Maryland  in  1658,  and  was  fined 
for  refusing  to  bear  arms.  This  person  was  a  merchant,  and 
had  business  intercourse  with  Barbadoes  in  1672.  He  was 
subsequently  banished  for  his  Quakerism,  and  passed  through 
much  bodily  suffering  therefor.  There  is  nothing,  however,  to 
indicate  any  connexion  between  the  last  named  person  and  the 
Hinchmans  of  Long  Island,  and  any  search  in  that  direction 
might  prove  fruitless. 

On  the  eighteenth  day  of  May,  1699,  John  Hugg  and  Pris- 
cilla,  his  wife,  conveyed  to  John  Hinchman  of  Long  Island, 
one  thousand  acres  of  land,  situated  in  Newton  township, 
Gloucester  county.  New  Jersey.^  Part  of  this  tra6l  was  given 
by  Francis  Collins  to  his  daughter  Priscilla,  and  other  parts 
John  Hugg  had  purchased  of  various  persons.  Parcels  of  this 
land  still  remain  in  the  name,  but  much  the  larger  portion 
passed  out  of  the  family  many  years  since.  According  to  the 
best  data  that  can  be  colle6led  from  old  maps  and  indefinite 
descriptions,  in  ancient  deeds,  this  estate  extended  from  near 
the  head  of  the  south  branch  of  Newton  creek  (including  the 

I  Lib.  G3,  279. 


JOHN  HINCHMAN.  241 

Hurley  farm  on  that  side),  northeasterly  toward  Haddonfield, 
taking  in  the  Hinchman  estate,  the  farm  of  Charles  L.  Willits 
and  other  properties.  Much  information  touching  the  title  to 
this  land  may  be  derived  from  a  re-survey  of  parts  of  the  tradl, 
made  by  the  third  John  Hinchman  in  1759;  which  re-survey 
appears  in  the  records  of  that  year,  in  the  Surveyor-General's 
office  at  Burlington.  The  house  of  John  Hinchman  stood  on 
the  north  side  of  the  stream  named,  about  where  the  late  resi- 
dence of  James  S.  Hurley,  deceased,  is  ere<5ted.  Near  the 
house,  but  on  the  south  side  of  the  water-course,  is  an  ancient 
burial  place,  in  these  days  known  as  "Hurley's"  graveyard, 
but  established  by  the  first  owner  as  a  place  to  inter  his  slaves. 
Of  this  kind  of  property,  he  was  one  of  the  largest  holders  in 
the  country;  their  descendants  make  up  many  of  the  families 
in  this  region,  and  these,  until  a  short  time  since,  were  buried 
at  the  place  before  spoken  of. 

Possessing  an  extensive  tradl  of  land,  and  a  large  number  of 
slaves,  it  may  be  inferred  that  he  was  a  man  of  wealth,  and 
lived  in  somewhat  more  style  than  most  of  those  around  him. 
His  residence  stood  near  the  king's  highway,  where  it  crossed 
King's  run,  in  going  from  Burlington  to  Salem;  it  was  a  build- 
ing of  some  pretension,  and  one  in  which  a  liberal  hospitality 
was  dispensed.  As  a  Quaker,  his  entertainments  extended  to 
those  traveling  Friends  who  felt  it  their  duty  to  leave  their 
homes  in  England  to  visit  the  churches  in  America,  at  that 
time  scattered  over  a  vast  extent  of  country.  The  colonies  in 
North  Carolina,  Virginia  and  Maryland,  to  the  south,  and  in 
East  Jersey,  Long  Island  and  Connedlicut,  to  the  east,  were  a 
long  distance  apart;  and  the  journey  to  and  fro  was  always 
attended  with  many  difficulties. 

The  journals  of  these  missionaries  all  show  that  they  passed 
through  the  same  kind  of  trials,  and  had  the  same  obstacles  to 
overcome.  In  his  removal  from  Long  Island,  John  Hinchman 
doubtless  brought  with  him  several  slaves,  the  increase  of  Avhom 
in  a  few  years  overcrowded  his  plantation  with  laborers,  and 
made  a  full  supply  for  his  children  as  they  settled  in  life. 

Slave  property  was  something  more  than  that  of  horses  or 
cattle ;  in  the  purchase  or  sale  of  a  slave  a  deed  was  executed 
16 


242  FmST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  delivered,  conveying  the  estate  of  the  owner,  and  frequently 
guaranteeing  soundness  and  tra<5lability.  One  of  these  indent- 
ures is  here  given  in  full,  explaining  in  itself  the  character  of 
the  transa6lion,  and  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  made. 

"Know  All  Men  by  these  Presents,  that  I,  John  Hugg, 
of  Gloucester  county,  New  Jersey,  for  and  in  consideration  of 
the  sum  of  thirty-five  pounds  to  me  paid  by  John  Hinchman,  of 
the  same  place,  before  the  ensealing  and  delivery  of  these  pre- 
sents the  receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged ;  have  bar- 
gained, sold,  and  by  these  presents  do  bargain  and  sell  unto  the 
said  John  Hinchman  a  certain  negro  boy  named  Sambo,  aged 
ten  years  next  March  or  May,  as  is  said.  To  have  and  to  hold 
the  said  negro  boy  by  these  presents  bargained  and  sold  unto 
the  said  John  Hinchman,  his  heirs,  executors,  administrators 
and  assigns  for  ever.  And  I,  the  said  John  Hugg,  for  myself, 
my  executors  and  administrators,  the  said  negro  boy  bargained 
and  sold  unto  the  said  John  Hinchman,  against  me  the  said 
John  Hugg  and  against  all  and  every  other  person  whatsoever 
claiming  or  pretending  to  claim  any  right  or  property  thereunto, 
shall  and  will  warrant  and  forever  defend. 

"In  witness  whereof,   I  have  hereunto  set  my  seal,  this  the 
third  day  of  July,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  nine,  1709. 
"  Sealed  and  delivered     ^ 

in  presence  of  ■, 


Thomas  Sharp,        I 
Joseph  Collins."    ] 


"JOHN  HUGG.       |l.  s.  j 


Noticeable  features  in  many  of  the  last  wills  of  the  first  settlers 
in  New  Jersey  are  the  number  of  slaves  disposed  of  thereby, 
and  the  high  value  which  was  attached  to  them. 

With  some  owners  they  were  badly  used,  but  among  Friends 
they  were  generally  treated  with  consideration.  The  unnatural 
separation  of  husband  and  wife,  and  of  parents  and  children, 
soon  attradled  the  attention  of  the  more  considerate  in  the 
Society ;  and  steps  were  taken  to  guard  against  this'  cruelty, 
which  eventually  led  to  an  open  declaration,  opposing  the 
institution   itself. 


JOHN  HINCHMAN.  243 

These  humane  influences  ultimately  extended  to  the  law- 
making power  of  the  State;  an  adl  was  passed,  under  which 
means  were  adopted  for  the  gradual  extinguishment  of  slavery 
within  its  borders..  The  operation  of  this  law  frequently  entailed 
a  burden  upon  families  in  which  slaves  had  been  held ;  but  it 
was  accepted  by  the  people  as  just  to  this  unfortunate  class, 
and  due  to  their  inability  to  provide  for  themselves. 

The  census  of  i860  showed  but  few  slaves  in  the  State  of  New 
Jersey;  these  were  too  old  and  infirm  at  that  date  to  carry  a 
vestige  of  the  institution  to  the  present  decade. 

John  Hinchman  dealt  somewhat  in  real  estate,  and  located 
several  surveys  in  Gloucester  county.  He  does  not  appear  to 
have  meddled  in  politics,  or  to  have  joined  in  the  religious 
bickerings  so  prevalent  in  those  days.  His  wife  was  Sarah, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Harrison,  whom  he  married  while  a 
resident  of  Long  Island;  where  also  part  of  his  children 
were  born.  He  deceased  in  1721,  leaving  a  will.^  The  inven- 
tory of  his  personal  property  amounted  to  two  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds,  sterling,  which  he  disposed  of  with  his  real  estate 

among  his  children.     They  were  John,  who  married  Sarah , 

and  Elizabeth  Smith   (widow) ;    Joseph,  who  married  Phoebe 

;    Jacob,  who  married   Abigail   Harrison ;    James,  who 

married  Kesiah ;   Sarah,  who  married  Thomas  Bispham; 

Jane,  who  married  Jones ;  Letitia,  who  married  Thomas 

Thorne ;  Ann,  who  married  John  Thorne ;  Abigail,  who  mar- 
ried John  Kaighn  and  Samuel  Harrison ;  and  one  child  born 
after  the  father's  decease,  named  William.  John,  the  oldest 
son,  settled  on  part  of  the  paternal  estate,  now  mostly  owned 
by  Charles  L.  Willits,  Benjamin  Cooper,  Nathan  B.  Willits, 
and  others,  extending  southwardly  from  an  ancient  boundary 
line,  west  of  the  old  Salem  road,  to  the  head  of  Little  Timber 
creek,  adjoining  the  Jenning's  estate.  His  dwelling  house  is 
now  part  of  the  residence  of  Charles  L.  Willits ;  it  will  be 
remembered  by  some  as  a  small,  hipped-roof,  brick  building — 
but  now  entirely  changed  in  shape  and  appearance.  In  its  day, 
it  had  some  pretension  to  style  and  comfort,  but,  at  this  time, 
no  such  claims  would  be  made.     In  the  political  affairs  of  the 

2  Lib.  No.  2,  198. 


244  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

colony  John  Hinchman  participated,  for,  in  1705,  he  was 
appointed  ensign  in  one  of  the  military  departments  of  the 
county;  in  1722,  he  was  made  coroner,  and*  afterwards  a6led 
as  sheriff.  In  1747,  he  married  Elizabeth  Smith  (a  second 
wife),  the  widow  of  Isaac,  only  child  of  Sarah  Norris  and 
granddaughter  of  John  Kay,  who  was  the  first  of  the  name 
here.^  She  survived  him,  and  died  the  owner  of  considerable 
real  estate  in  Haddonfield,  situated  on  Potter's  street.  By  this 
marriage  there  was  no  issue.     He  died  intestate  in  1754.*     His 

children  were  John,  who  married ,  and  died  without 

issue ;  Hannah,  who  married  Samuel  Stokes  ;  Ann,  who  mar- 
ried    Bispham;  Amy,  who  married  Joshua  Stokes;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Joseph  Bispham,  and,  after  his  decease, 
John   Hatkinson. 

Joseph  Hinchman  was  a  butcher,  and  lived  on  part  of  the 
original  estate  in  Newton  township.^  He  died  in  1731,  leaving 
a  widow  and  two  sons,  James,  who  married  Sarah  Bircham,  and 
Isaac,  who  married  Letitia  Woolston.  James  settled  in  Green- 
wich township,  and  Isaac,  in  Newton.*  Jacob  Hinchman  died 
in  1742,  leaving  a  widow  and  one  child,  Mary.'  James  Hinch- 
man took  that  part  of  his  father's  property  now  partly  owned  by 
the  heirs  of  Jeremiah  Willits,  deceased,  and,  formerly,  by  James 
S.  Hurley,  deceased;  he  lived  where  the  last  named  person  died. 
In  1733,  he  received  a  commission  from  the  King  appointing 
him  one  of  the  judges  of  Gloucester  county,  in  which  capacity 
he  appears  to  have  acceptably  served.  He  died  in  1750, 
leaving  a  widow,  but  no  children.*  The  estate  is  now  divided 
into  several  valuable  farms,  any  one  of  which  is  more  pro- 
du6live  than  the  whole  tra6l  as  then  managed.  Letitia,  who 
married  Thomas  Thorne,  settled  with  her  husband  on  land 
which  he  purchased  of  Thomas  Cole  and  James  Wild,  in 
Delaware  township,  bordering  on  the  south  side  of  Penisaukin 
creek  ;  part  of  this  property  is  now  owned  by  Asa  R.  Lippin- 
cott.  Thomas  Thorne  also  came  from  Long  Island,  but  several 
years  after  John  Hinchman.  He  was  a  man  of  large  estate, 
and,  like  his  father-in-law,  was  the  owner  of  numerous  slaves, 


3  Gloucester  Files,  1758.  6  Lib.  L,  384. 

4  Lib.  No.  7,  497.  7  Lib.  No.  4,  366. 

5  Lib.  No.  2,  126.  8  Lib.  No.  6,  423, 


JOHN  HINCHMAN.  245 

part,  perhaps,  the  dowry  of  his  wife,  and  part  obtained  by  pur- 
chase. They  had  three  children,  namely:  Hannah,  who  married 
George  Turner  ;  Sarah,  who  married  Jacob  Burrough,  son  of 
Samuel ;  and  Thomas,  who  married  Abigail  Burrough,  daughter 
of  Samuel.  Although  the  property  has  not  entirely  passed  out 
of  the  blood,  yet  the  name  has  been  lost  sight  of  for  many 
years.     Thomas  Thorne  died  in  1757,  intestate.* 

John  Thorne,  the  husband  of  Ann  and  brother  of  Thomas, 
purchased  a  tracfl  of  land  in  1702  of  John  Reading,  lying  in 
Centre  township  between  the  south  branch  of  Newton  creek 
and  Little  Timber  creek,  including  the  farm  lately  owned  by  J. 
Stokes  Brick,  deceased,  the  estate  of  John  D.  Glover,  and  other 
properties.^"  By  his  will,  made  in  1768,  he  gave  this  real  estate 
to  his  son-in-law,  John  Glover,  in  fee."  His  children  were 
Thomas,  who  deceased  before  the  making  of  his  will ;  Mary, 
who  married  John  Glover;  and  Sarah,  who  died  single  in  1769, 
but  after  her  father.'^  Ann  died  a  few  years  after  her  marriage, 
and  John  Thorne  married  Mary,  the  widow  of  John  Gill  and 
daughter  of  Richard  Heritage.  He  died  in  1769,  having 
removed  to  Haddonfield  several  years  before  that  occurrence. 
He  was  a  man  of  considerable  estate,  and  was  much  respecfted 
in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  Thomas,  his  son,  died  in 
1759,  leaving  a  will. ^'^  His  children  were  Elizabeth  and  Abigail, 
the  wife  of  William  Harrison. 

William  Harrison  owned  and  lived  upon  the  farm  south  of 
Mount  Ephraim,  lately  the  property  of  Jesse  W.  Starr  ;  he  was 
buried  in  a  small  family  graveyard,  near  the  old  brick  house — 
now  torn  down. 

John's  last  wife  survived  him  six  years,  as  her  will  was 
admitted  to  probate  on  October  4th,  1775."  This  instrument 
of  writing  puts  at  rest  any  doubt  of  her  being  the  widow  of 
John  Gill,  and  the  maternal  ancestor  of  the  family  of  that 
name  in  this  region.  There  was  no  issue  by  her  last  marriage. 
She  was  in  possession  of  more  than  a  sufficiency  of  this  world's 
goods,  and  disposed  of  them  among  her  children  and  grand- 
children.     Of  the   many  articles   devised,   she   gave    her   son 


9  Lib.  No.  9,  38.  12  Lib.  No.  17,  132. 

10  Lib.  W,  196.  .  13  Lib.  No.  9,  41  r. 

11  Lib.  No.  14,  192.  14  Lib.  No.  17,  241. 


246  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

John  Gill  ''a  pair  of  gold  studs  and  a  silver  spoon," /r<fj<?«/^</ 
to  her  by  Elizabeth  Estaugh;  to  which  she  evidently  attached 
much  value,  considering  it  an  heir-loom  worthy  of  her  especial 
regard.  She  lived  to  see  several  of  her  granddaughters  married, 
but  the  surname  of  her  first  husband  was  limited  at  her  death  to 
two  persons,  her  son,  and  her  grandson,  John  Gill. 

Samuel  Thorne  also  purchased  land  near  Gloucester  about 
the  same  time,  and  perhaps  took  up  his  abode  thereon.  In 
1706,  William  Thorne  (as  the  deed  says,  "late  of  Long  Island, 
but  now  of  Gloucester  county,  N.  J.,")  purchased  three  tradls 
of  land  of  Mordecai  Howell. ^^  Part  of  this  land  was  near  the 
head  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek,  and  the  north 
branch  of  Timber  creek.  On  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  last 
named  stream,  he  ere6led  a  saw  mill,  the  site  of  which  may 
yet  be  seen;  this  stream  is  still  known  as  Thome's  mill  branch. 
At  this  place  he  probably  settled  and  reared  a  large  family. 
For  many  years  the  name  was  a  prominent  one  in  that  se6lion, 
but  latterly  it  is  scarcely  known ;  as  attached  to  any  of  the 
original  estate,  it  is  almost  forgotten,  and,  but  for  the  ancient 
deeds,  would  not  in  these  days  be  remembered. 

Thomas  and  John  Thorne  were  the  sons  of  Joseph  Thorne 
of  Flushing,  Long  Island ;  they  came  to  West  New  Jersey, 
after  the  example  of  John  Hinchman,  Jacob  Clement,  and 
some  others,  seeking  a  home  among  the  newly  settled  Quakers 
in  these  parts.  ^* 

John  Glover  also  came  from  Long  Island,  where  quite  a 
number  of  that  name  had  settled.  He  was  probably  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Sarah  Glover,  who  were  residents  of  Southold  as 
early  as  the  year  1675.  ^^^  ^^'^^  year,  his  personal  estate  was 
assessed  at  one  ox,  three  cows,  and  one  horse  ;  but,  eight  years 
after  that  time,  his  taxable  property  amounted  to  one  hundred 
and  four  pounds,  proving  him  to  be  a  thrifty  man.  In  1698,  he 
was  still  an  inhabitant  of  the  same  place,  and  was  surrounded 
by  a  numerous  family.  His  son  Samuel,  in  1700,  was  appointed 
lieutenant  in  a  company  of  infantry  of  that  town,  he  having 
departed  from  the  example  of  George  Fox,  doubtless,  much 
to  the  chagrin  of  his  parents. 


15  Lib.  A,  84. 
f6  Lib.  Q,  4SI. 


JOHN  HINCHMAN.  247 

With  John  Glover  came  two  brothers,  William  and  Richard. 
William  settled  in  Newton  township,  the  creek  dividing  his 
estate  from  that  of  John's.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable 
property,  for,  by  his  will,  he  disposed  of  legacies  amounting 
to  more  than  one  thousand  pounds,  sterling.  He  was  a  bachelor, 
and  deceased  in  the  year  1798.  Much  of  the  estate  in  Newton 
township  still  remains  in  the  name,  as  well  as  that  of  John 
Glover,  in  Centre  township,  coming  to  the  present  owners 
from  John  Thorne,  as  before  named."  In  1728,  Richard  Glover 
married  Rachel  Clark,  and  settled  in  Burlington  county,  N.  J. 

John  Glover  had  a  numerous  family,  naiTiely :  Thomas,  who 
married  Mary  Stiles  (he  dying,  she  married  Peter  Thompson) ; 
John  T. ,  who  married  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Joseph  Ridgway  and 

daughter   of  Olden ;    Sarah,  who  married  Peter  Hanna ; 

Isaac,  who  married  Phoebe,  daughter  of  John  Duel ;  Rachel 
who  married  Isaac  Stiles;  Samuel,  who  married  Hannah  Albert- 
son  ;  Mary,  who  married  Thomas  Potter ;  Joseph,  who  married 
Sarah  Mickle;  and  Jacob,  who  married  Mary  Branson. 

Thomas  and  Sarah  Bispham  settled  in  Philadelphia.  His 
business  was  that  of  an  "inn  keeper,"  but,  in  what  part  of  the 
city,  it  is  not  known.  Thomas  died  there  in  1771,  leaving  a 
will.'*  His  wife  survived  him,  and  the  following  children: 
Joseph;  Benjamin,  who  married  Hope  Fortiner ;  Thomas; 
Hinchman ;  and  Elizabeth,  who  mafried  James  Hartley.  They 
held  a  number  of  slaves,  and  owned  land  in  New  Jersey.  By 
each  marriage  the  daughter,  Abigail,  had  issue  ;  her  descendants 
may  easily  trace  the  maternal  blood. 

Joseph  Hinchman  was  a  brother  of  the  first  John,  and  came 
also  from  Flushing,  on  Long  Island,  A.  D.  1708.  Any  doubt 
of  the  relationship  is  put  at  rest  by  a  single  passage  in  the  will 
of  John,  in  which  he  devised  a  tra6l  of  land  to  his  son  John ; 
in  the  description  of  one  of  the  boundaries,  he  says,  ''to  a 
corner  in  the  line  of  my  brother  Joseph  Hinchman's  land." 
He  was  a  man  of  some  estate,  as  he  purchased  land  of  John 
in  that  part  of  the  original  one  thousand  acres  which  lay  nearest 
to  Haddonfield.     His  house  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  king's 

17  Lib   No.  37,  413. 

18  Lib.  No.  IS,  42. 


248  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

road,  a  short  distance  from  where  it  crossed  the  "shore"  road 
that  passed  over  Atmore's  dam,  going  towards  Philadelphia. 
It  was  perhaps  nothing  more  than  a  log  cabin,  built  of  the 
timber  that  had  stood  upon  the  ground  where  it  was  erected. 
He  purchased  about  fifty  acres  of  Joseph  Collins,  which  brought 
his  property  to  the  stream  of  the  main  branch  of  Newton  creek, 
which  still  continues  one  of  the  boundaries  thereof.  He  also 
added  some  other  adjoining  tradls,  dying  the  owner  of  a  large 
body  of  valuable  land.  His  will  bears  date  April  5th,  1737. 
He  made  his  wife  Sarah  sole  executrix,  with  power  to  sell  land, 
to  discharge  debts,  and  to  manage  the  estate  generally.^® 

His  children  were  Thomas,  who  married  Sarah  Clement,  a 
daughter  of  James  of  Long  Island,  and,  after  her  decease,  in 
1750,  Letitia  Mickle,  widow  of  Samuel  and  daughter  of  Tim- 
othy Matlack;  Sarah,  who  married  Edward  Collins;  Hannah, 

who   married   James   Gill ;    Mary,    who   married   Zane ; 

Deborah;  and  Emily. 

The  paternity  of  Thomas  Hinchman's  first  wife  is  beyond 
question,  as  James  Clement  names  her  in  his  will,  dated  May 
5th,  1724.  By  this  marriage  there  was  no  issue.''"  By  the  will 
of  his  father,  Thomas  was  seized  of  all  the  real  estate,  and  lived 
thereon.  He  deceased  in  1758,  his  wife  dying  seven  years 
before  that  time,  and  perhaps  upon  the  birth  of  his  only  child, 
Joseph,  to  whom  the  property,  as  purchased  by  his  grandfather, 
passed. 

Joseph  was  born  February  i8th,  1751,  in  the  old  log  cabin,  for 
his  father  died  before  he  had  finished  the  ereflion  of  the  house 
now  occupied  by  William  C.  Hinchman, — a  house  which,  for 
nearly  one  hundred  years,  was  the  only  dwelling  on  the  estate. 
The  broad  acres  and  primitive  forests  that  .surrounded  him  in 
his  youth,  his  manhood  and  his  old  age,  came  to  him  through  a 
line  of  ancestry  of  which  he  was  the  only  living  representative  ; 
and  he  adhered  to  them  with  a  tenacity  that  proved  his  deter- 
mination never  to  break  in  upon  the  ancient  land  marks.  His 
knowledge  of  the  titles,  and  his  familiarity  with  the  boundaries, 
show  that  his  ownership  had  afforded  him  a  pleasurable  study, — 


19  Lib.  No.  2,  154. 

20  Lib.  No.  10,  New  York  Wills,  53. 


JOHN  HINCHMAN.  249 

one  of  great  advantage  to  himself,  and  to  those  who  were  to 
follow  him.  He  married  Sarah  Kain,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Charity,  and  great-granddaughter  of  Francis  Collins,  the 
first  settler  in  this  part  of  Newton  township.  Of  systematic  and 
industrious  habits,  a  close  observer,  and  of  good  judgment,  he 
combined  the  farmer  and  mechanic  in  a  remarkable  degree. 
He  was  one  of  the  few  persons  of  his  day  and  generation,  who 
deemed  it  necessary  to  make  a  record  of  events  passing  under 
his  notice.  His  journal,  commenced  in  181 1  and  continued  to 
1827  inclusive,  is  a  curious  book,  and  contains  much  that  is 
valuable.  The  record  of  marriages,  births  and  deaths,  is  of 
local  interest,  and  it  should  be  preserved  for  reference  to 
coming  generations ;  disclosing  much  that  has  been  already 
lost  sight  of,  and  that,  but  for  such  memoranda,  could  not  be 
restored.  Although  portions  of  this  book  are  taken  up  with  his 
private  affairs,  yet  the  larger  part  refers  to  matters  of  increasing 
value  in  conne6lion  with  the  families  in  this  region  of  country  ; 
it  will  be  consulted  in  future  days  upon  important  and  material 
subjedls. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  more  regard  is  manifested 
towards  old  manuscripts,  and  that  an  increasing  interest  now 
prevails  to  save  such  from  loss.  How  much  of  the  history  of 
families  and  of  neighborhoods  is  now  hidden  in  garrets  and 
neglected,  out-of-the-way  places,  where  the  hands  of  such  as 
would  appreciate  their  value  may  never  reach  them.  The  time 
spent,  and  the  ingenuity  exercised  in  solving  an  intricate 
question,  may  add  to  its  interest ;  but  to  be  unable  to  establish 
an  acknowledged  tradition  for  want  of  documentary  evidence, 
thoughtlessly  destroyed,  refle6ls  sadly  upon  the  want  of  care  in 
this  regard  among  the  people. 


JOHN   SHIVERS. 


JOHN  SHIVERS  appears  to  have  been  the  first  of  the  name 
in  this  neighborhood.  He  probably  came  as  a  servant 
with  some  of  the  first  emigrants,  and  was  consequently  not 
named  among  the  lists  of  passengers;  this  class  of  persons 
being  numbered  to  the  individual  who  entered  them  as  emi- 
grants, a  system  which  secured  to  each  one  a  certain  amount 
of  land  upon  his  arrival.  Very  many  young  men  who  had 
some  estate,  and  were  proficient  as  mechanics,  chose  to  come 
out  in  this  way,  and,  soon  after  their  arrival,  acquired  more 
property,  and  had  better  positions  than  those  whom  they  were 
pledged  to  serve.  Mechanics,  in  particular,  were  in  great  demand, 
and,  if  economical,  in  a  few  years  became  classed  among  the 
wealthiest  of  the  inhabitants.  The  subje6l  of  this  sketch  was 
called  a  butcher,  which  occupation  he,  no  doubt,  followed  at 
home;  but,  when  he  came  here  and  settled  in  an  unbroken 
forest,  with  but  few  families  about  him,  "his  occupation  was 
gone."  Apart  from  Philadelphia,  there  was,  within  his  reach, 
no  colle6lion  of  dwellings  that  could  be  called  a  town,  where 
he  could  ply  his  calling;  but,  perhaps,  with  the  energy  charac- 
teristic of  these  pioneers,  he  traveled  twice  each  week  in  his 
boat  to  the  embryo  city,  and  supplied  its  people  with  their  meat 
fresh  from  the  knife.  The  demand  was  small,  and  his  means  of 
supply  were  equally  so,  for  people  at  that  day  had  no  appli- 
ances for  raising  and  fattening  cattle,  except  in  giving  them  the 
range  of  the  woods. 


252  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

In  fadl  this  was  so  done,  as,  for  many  years  after  the  begin- 
ning of  the  colony  a  law  was  in  force  requiring  all  persons  to 
mark  their  cattle,  and  report  their  mark  to  the  clerk  of  the 
county,  so  that  the  same  might  be  recorded.  An  examination 
of  the  old  books  of  minutes  of  the  counties  will  show  this ; 
in  many  instances  the  mark  is  illustrated  by  a  fac-simile  copy, 
without  any  other  description  than  the  name  of  the  person  who 
reported  it.  The  similarity  of  these  evidences  of  ownership 
often  led  to  disputes  and  litigation,  in  which  much  more  money 
and  time  were  wasted  than  the  cause  of  the  trouble  was  worth ; 
yet,  as  is  frequently  the  case  at  the  present  day,  those  who  were 
fierce  in  the  defence  of  their  real  or  supposed  rights,  did  not 
stop  to  inquire  whether  such  a  course  of  policy  "would  pay." 

In  1692,  John  Shivers  purchased  a  tra6l  of  land  of  Mordecai 
Howell,  in  Waterford  township,  which  was  bounded  on  the 
south  side  by  Cooper's  creek  and  partly  by  a  stream  branching 
therefrom,  whereon  Mordecai  had  ere6led,  or  was  about  to  ere6l, 
a  mill  ;^  for,  in  the  next  year,  John  Wright,  an  adjoining  owner, 
released  to  him  tl>e  privilege  of  flooding  the  meadow  for  the  use 
of  the  same.  On  this  tra6t  John  Shivers  ere6led  a  dwelling, 
and  remained  until  his  death."  He  deceased  intestate  in 
1 716,  his  widow  Sarah  having  been  appointed  administratrix.^ 
He  was  a  man  of  considerable  estate,  and  owned  other  lands 
than  the  tradl  here  named  ;  among  which  was  one-half  of  two 
hundred  acres  that  he  had  bought  of  Anthony  Sturgiss  in  1699, 
lying  in  Newton  township,  fronting  on  Cooper's  creek,  and 
nearly  opposite  his  homestead  place.*  This  tra6t  he  held  in 
common  with  Henry  Johnson  ;  but  at  what  time  it  passed  out 
of  the  family,  and  who  were  the  subsequent  owners,  are  matters 
of  no  interest  in  this  connedlion.*^ 

In  1720,  Sarah  Shivers,  the  widow  of  John,  purchased  of 
John  Wright  before  named,  the  adjoining  tradt  of  land  which 
lay  between  the  homestead  and  Cooper's  creek,  and  which  he 
had,  in  1693,  bought  of  Mordecai  Howell.*  This  purchase 
extended  the  Shivers  estate  down  and  along  the  east  side  of  the 
pond  raised  by  Howell  for  the  use  of  his  mill,  the  remains  of 


1  Lib.  G3,  8.  4  Lib.  GG,  297. 

2  Lib   G3,  513.  5  Lib.  G3,  345. 

3  Gloucester  Files,  1721.  6  Lib.  A,  170. 


JOHN  SHIVERS.  253 

the  dam  of  which  can  yet  be  seen.  This  was  one  of  the  first 
saw  mills  ere6led  in  Gloucester  county,  and,  if  in  use  at  this 
date,  with  the  primitive  forest  close  around  it,  as  in  1693,  it 
would  prove  a  useful  and  valuable  institution.  The  site, 
however,  was  not  a  desirable  one,  being  subje6l  to  the  flow  of 
high  tides  from  the  creek,  which  would  frequently  check  the 
speed  of  the  wheel  ;  for  this  reason  it  was  abandoned  many 
years  since. 

The  dwelling  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Richard  Shivers  in 
Delaware  township  is,  perhaps,  the  spot  whereon  John  Shivers 
ere6led  his  first  house  ;  and  portions  of  the  present  building 
may  have  been  used  in  the  first.  His  dying  intestate  leaves 
some  doubt  as  to  the  number  of  his  children,  their  names,  and 
marriages,  yet  they  are  judged  to  have  been  the  following  : 
Samuel,  who  married  Mary  Deacon  ;  John,  who  married  Mary 
Clement ;  Mary,  who  married  Thomas  Bates  ;  Hannah,  who 
married  John   Matlack;   and  Josiah,  Avho  married  Ann   Bates. 

In  1720,  Samuel  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  Francis 
Collins,  adjoining  the  homestead  property  on  the  north,'  and, 
the  next  year,  he  conveyed  his  interest  in  his  father's  estate 
to  his  brother  John,  who  remained  on  the  old  farm,  and  in 
whose  descendants  parts  of  the  same  remain  to  the  present  day, 
and  in  all  probability  will  so  remain  for  many  years  to  come.' 
Samuel  settled  in  Newton  township  on  the  property  which  his 
father  purchased  of  Anthony  Sturgiss  in  1699,  for,  in  1724,  he 
a6led  as  one  of  the  surveyors  of  highways  of  that  township, 
as  appears  by  Thomas  Sharp's  record  of  the  same. 

During  the  life  of  the  second  John,  the  house  in  which  he 
lived  was  by  him  kept  as  a  tavern,  standing,  as  it  did,  close  by 
the  north  side  of  the  ferry  road  leading  out  of  Evesham,  and 
other  parts  of  Burlington  county,  towards  Philadelphia.  This 
was  no  doubt  a  favorite  stopping  place  for  the  market  people, 
where  the  price  of  poultry,  eggs  and  butter  could  be  discussed, 
so  that  such  as  were  on  their  way  to  sell,  might  know  how  to 
deal  with  their  keen  and  wary  customers.  There  is  no 
tradition,    however,    that   a   Jerseyman  ever  came   off   second 

7  Lib.  T5,  Woodbury. 

8  Lib,  GG,  297. 


254  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

best  in  a  bargain,  or  that  he  left  the  market  without  the  worth 
of  his  commodities.  The  quiet,  unassuming  manner  of  these 
folks  was  sometimes  taken  for  ignorance,  and  those  who  consid- 
ered themselves  sharp  in  trade,  only  discovered  their  error 
when  they  found  the  advantage  was  on  the  wrong  side.  The 
natives  of  this  State  are  known  throughout  our  land  as  shrewd 
dealers, — a  trait  that  may  have  come  down  to  us  from  our 
Quaker  ancestors,  sharpened  by  long  pradlice,  and  deeply 
instilled  by  continued  example. 

Afterwards  Samuel  removed  to  Greenwich  township,  Glou- 
cester county,  where  he  became  a  prominent  citizen,  and  a 
wealthy  man.  He  deceased  in  1771.®  Part  of  his  real  estate 
consisted  of  "Raccoon  island,"  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  of  the  same  name,  in  Gloucester  county,  which  he  pur- 
chased of  James  Lowns  in  1747.^° 

A  part  of  this  island  he  leased  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1769, 
to  William  Kay  for  ninety-nine  years,  which  term  carried  the 
possession  of  the  estate  beyond  several  generations  of  his 
descendants,  and  rendered  it  questionable  in  some  instances 
upon  whom  the  remainders  a6tually  fell.  This  lease  was  based 
upon  a  rental  of  eighty  pounds  per  annum,  and  the  payment 
made  a  lien  upon  the  estate.  At  that  date,  and  for  many  years 
after,  the  only  means  of  procuring  hay  and  pasture  was  by 
improved  meadow  lands;  which  rendered  the  marshes  fronting 
on  the  tidal  streams  of  West  Jersey  valuable  for  such  purposes ; 
and  the  records  show  that  these  marshes  or  flats  were  sought 
after,  and  located  at  an  early  date.  This  lease  is,  perhaps,  the 
only  one  in  this  region  that  covered  so  much  time,  and  involved 
so  much  valuable  real  estate.  The  devise  of  this  was  to  three 
of  his  daughters,  involving  the  fee  as  well  as  the  rent ;  one- 
fourth  was  given  to  Sarah  Tatem  ;  one-fourth  was  given  to 
Martha  Booys,  and  two-fourths  were  given  to  Anna  Sydonia 
Shinn,  who,  perhaps,  all  enjoyed  the  income  of  rent  during  their 
lives ;  but  the  lapse  of  years  was  too  great  for  them  to  say  to 
whom  the  possession  and  fee  of  the  land  at  the  end  of  the 
lease  would  come.      Subsequently,  the  estate  passed   entirely 

9  Lib.  No.  15,   158. 
10  Lib.  IK,  423. 


JOHN  SHIVERS.  255 

out  of  the  family,  and  some  years  since  other  owners  had 
secured  the  title.  The  abolishing  of  the  ancient  limitations 
as  touching  real  estate  in  New  Jersey,  allows  many  new  owners 
to  this  kind  of  property  in  the  course  of  one  hundred  years. 
Thrift,  prudence  and  economy,  are  the  only  guarantees  to  the 
long  keeping  of  land  in  any  particular  line  under  the  present 
laws,  and  a  disregard  of  these  often  makes  room  for  enterprise 
and  improvement  where  old  fogyism  might  reign  fonever. 

John  Shivers  having  but  two  sons,  the  name  is  even  at  this 
time  limited  to  few  families;  this  circumstance  often  occurs, 
although  the  blood  of  the  ancestors  may  be  found  in  the  veins  of 
many,  distributed  there  by  the  female  descendants,  who,  upon 
marriage,  lose  their  names,  and,  after  two  or  three  removes, 
almost  lose  their  genealogical  identity. 


JOHN    HILLMAN. 


JOHN  HILLMAN  was  an  husbandman,  and  the  first  plan- 
tation upon  which  he  lived  and  which  he  owned,  he 
purchased  of  Francis  Collins  in  1697.^  It  contained  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres  of  land,  and  was  situated  in  Gloucester 
township  (now  Centre),  adjoining  the  estate  of  John  Gill,  part 
of  which  is  now  owned  by  William  Chapman.  Like  most  of 
the  early  settlers,  he  sele6led  a  light  sandy  soil  whereon  to  clear 
his  farm;  this  made  that  operation  of  much  less  trouble,  and 
the  tilling  of  it  much  less  laborious.  In  1697,  agriculture  had 
made  but  little  progress,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  timber, 
then  so  plenty,  which  our  ancestors  worked  and  sold,  the  wants 
of  the  people  would  have  been  but  poorly  supplied.  The 
leading  crops  were  corn  and  rye,  which  followed  each  other 
in  continued  succession,  until  the  return  would  hardly  pay  for 
the  seed,  and  then  another  piece  of  land  would  be  cleared  and 
used  in  like  manner,  with  the  same  results.  Everything  was  in 
the.  most  primitive  condition,  not  only  the  manner  of  farming, 
but  also  the  implements  wherewith  to  work.  Wooden  ploughs, 
brush  harrows,  straw  collars  and  grapevine  gearing,  may  be 
thought  to  be  an  overdrawn  pi6lure  of  the  farming  implements 
of  the  early  settlers  in  this  region,  and  one  which  strikes  the 
farmers  of  the  present  day  with  surprise.  Yet  these,  and  still 
more  limited,  were  the  means  of  the  people  to  eke  out  a  liveli- 
hood in  the  wilderness  of  New  Jersey.     With  no  shelter  for 

I  Lib.  C,  15. 

17 


258  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

their  cattle,  no  prote6lion  for  their  crops  when  gathered,  and 
with  the  rudest  of  cabins  for  themselves,  their  condition  can 
scarcely  be  appreciated  at  this  day  by  us,  with  our  many 
improvements  and  comforts  of  every  description. 

John  Hillman's  farm  lay  on  both  sides  of  the  present  road 
from  Haddonfield  to  Snow  Hill  \  and  his  house  stood  near  the 
present  residence  of  William  Chapman.  Attached  thereto  was 
a  portion  of  meadow  land,  from  which  were  obtained  pasture 
for  his  cattle  during  the  summer,  and  hay  to  keep  them  alive 
through  the  winter.  The  "old  Egg  Harbor  road"  passed  near 
his  house,  which  was  in  after  years  kept  as  a  tavern,  although 
not  noted  as  a  place  of  resort.  At  a  short  distance  south  of 
this  place  the  old  road  "forked;"  the  branch  was  called  the 
Salem  road,  and  crossed  Timber  creek  at  or  near  Clement's 
bridge. 

In  1720,  John  Hillman,  by  deed  of  gift,  conveyed  this  tradl 
of  land  to  his  son  John,  anticipating  his  will  in  that  particular. 
The  will  bore  date  in  1707,  but  was  not  proved  until  1729,  soon 
after  the  decease  of  the  testator.  The  inventory  of  his  personal 
property  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  pounds. '^ 
His  children  appear  to  have  been,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
Daniel,  John,  Ann  and  Abigail.  Margaret,  his  widow,  also  sur- 
vived him. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  John  Hillman  sold  the  home- 
stead ;  but,  by  subsequent  conveyances,  it  became  the  property 
of  Joseph  Hillman  (a  son  of  the  second  John),  who  lived  there 
a  short  time,  and,  in  1760,  sold  the  same  to  Daniel  Scull,  of 
Egg  Harbor.  In  a  few  years  after,  it  became  part  of  the  estate 
of  John  Gill,  who  devised  a  portion  of  it  to  his  daughter  Mary 
Roberts,  during  her  natural  life,  and  the  remainder  to  her  son, 
John  Roberts;  the  latter  sold  his  share  many  years  before  his 
death.  For  more  than  one  hundred  years  the  real  estate  upon 
which  the  first  John  Hillman  settled,  has  been  out  of  the  name; 
it  is  now  partly  covered  with  the  town  of  Snow  Hill,  and 
is  divided  among  many  owners. 

In  1745,  John  Hillman  (the  second),  who  married  Abigail, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Bates,  a  resident  of  that  se6lion,''  pur- 

2  Gloucester  Files,  1731. 
_3  Lib.  No.  3,  432, 


JOHN  HILLMAN.  259 

chased  about  five  hundred  acres  of  land  from  Thomas  Atkinson. 
This  tradl  lay  near  the  White  Horse  tavern,  and  extended  from 
the  south  branch  of  Cooper's  creek  to  the  north  branch  of 
Timber  creek.*  To  this  land  he  removed,  and  built  the  house 
where  now  resides  Hinchman  Lippincott,  whose  farm  is  part  of 
the  original  tra6l.  Six  years  after  this  purchase,  he  bought  at 
the  sale  of  John  Mickle,  sheriff  of  Gloucester  county,  one 
hundred  acres  adjoining,  as  the  property  of  Meam  Southwick.^ 
Included  in  the  first  purchase  was  a  saw  mill  on  Timber  creek, 
which  was  owned  by  Thomas  Webster,  Thomas  Atkinson,  and 
Meam  Southwick,  and  probably  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  grain 
mill  now  the  property  of  Ephraim  Tomlinson. 

These  lands  were  located  by  Abraham  Porter,  in  1 714,  '15 
and  '16,  who  settled  thereon,  having  his  house  near  the  south 
side  of  Cooper's  creek,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Josiah 
Jenkins,  where  he,  in  all  probability,  kept  ''bachelor's  hall"® 
Of  this  person  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  tradition  or 
history  among  the  people  who  now  own  and  occupy  his  estate, 
nor  can  he  be  traced  with  any  certainty  through  the  record 
beyond  his  day  and  generation.  It  is  evident  that  he  was  not 
a  Quaker,  as  he  was  appointed  captain  in  the  military  depart- 
ment of  the  province  in  1722,'  while  William  Burnett  was 
governor,  during  the  reign  of  George  I  of  England;  he  was 
afterwards  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major.-  The  little  military 
spirit  that  had  been  developed  among  the  people  at  that  early 
day,  in  a  neighborhood  where  the  Quaker  element  overshadowed 
every  other,  would  make  it  supposable  that  but  few  soldiers 
oould  be  found  thereabout.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  Capt. 
Porter  did  command  a  company  of  volunteers  of  the  county  of 
Gloucester,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and  a6led 
as  the  escort  of  the  Governor  of  the  province  in  his  "circuit" 
from  one  part  of  the  State  to  another,  to  hold  the  assizes  for 
the  crown. 

These  visits  of  the  governor  to  the  lower  counties  of  the 
State  were  quite  an  event ;  for,  holding  their  commissions  by 
appointment  for  the  crown,  they  are  exceedingly  pun6tilious 


4  Lib.  K,  85.  7  Lib.  AAA,  182. 

5  Lib.  K,  83.  8  Lib.  AAA,  187. 

6  Basse's  Book,  195.  , 


26o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  exa6ling  in  showing  their  authority,  and,  to  that  extent, 
made  themselves  obnoxious  to  our  plain  and  matter-of-fa6l 
ancestors.  The  conduct  of  Captain  Porter  must  have  pleased 
those  who  held  the  reins  of  government,  for  he  was  soon  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  major,  which  position  he  could  not  have 
obtained,  unless  he  had  been  recommended  to  the  king  by  those 
whose  prerogative  it  was  to  fill  all  such  appointments. 

Abraham  Porter  did  not  live  many  years  thereafter,  as  his 
will  bears  date  1729.  It  is  a  curious  document,  and  discloses 
that  he  was  a  single  man,  or,  if  married,  had  no  children.'  He 
gave  to  the  churches  at  Philadelphia,  Burlington  and  Salem, 
each  ten  pounds ;  to  the  minister  at  Raccoon,  five  pounds,  and 
to  the  meetings  at  Haddonfield  and  Salem,  five  pounds,  each. 
The  estate  upon  which  he  resided,  consisted  of  some  twelve  hun- 
dred acres,  and  he,  no  doubt,  had  a  valuable  personal  property. 
Why  he  should  have  lived  alone  so  far  from  the  settled  neigh- 
borhood, and  in  a  place  that  was  some  distance  from  the  nearest 
road,  and  that  one  but  little  traveled,  is  an  inquirythat  can  not 
be  answered  at  this  late  day.  After  his  death,  his  executors  sold 
the  land,  and  nothing  appears  to  indicate  that  any  of  the  family 
have  been  in  that  region  since.  Although  a  military  man  and 
holding  his  commission  from  the  king,  yet  he  had  regard  to 
the  advancement  of  religion  and  morality  in  West  New  Jersey, — 
a  trait  that  commends  his  memory  to  the  respect  of  all,  and  one 
well  worthy  of  emulation. 

John  Hillman  lived  on  this  tra6l  of  land  many  years,  and, 
like  many  others,  worked  the  timber  that  stood  thereon  into 
lumber  and  cord  wood,  hauling  the  same  to  Chew's  Landing 
on  Timber  creek,  whence  it  went  by  water  to  Philadelphia,  to 
be  sold.  As  his  sons  grew  to  be  men,  they  likewise  settled 
within  the  bounds  of  his  surveys,  and  made  farms  for  them- 
selves, each  of  which  was  surrounded  by  the  primitive  forest. 

In  this,  as  in  some  other  families,  a  few  favorite  names  have 
been  adhered  to,  names  which,  being  attached  to  two  or  three 
living  at  the  same  time,  mystify  the  genealogy  when  examined 
through  a  lapse  of  one  hundred  years.  From  this  cause  a  gen- 
eration is  sometimes  left  out  or  added;  this  error  it  is  often 
impossible  to  corre6l, 

5  Lib.  No.  3,  94. 


JOHN  HILLMAN.  261 

As  before  stated,  John  Hillman  had  two  sons,  Daniel  and  John, 
and,  probably,  a  son  Joseph.  Daniel  deceased  in  1754,  leaving 
his  wife  Elizabeth  surviving  him,  and  four  sons,  John,  Daniel, 
James  and  Joseph.'**  John  deceased  in  1764,  leaving  his  wife 
Elizabeth  surviving  him,  and  five  sons,  Joab,  Josiah,  Daniel, 
James  and  John."  Joseph  died  in  1768,  his  wife  Drusilla,  his 
sons,  Daniel,  Samuel,  and  a  daughter,  Letitia,  surviving  him.'^ 
By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  each  son  had  a  son  Daniel,  and  two 
of  the  sons  had,  each,  a  son  John.  One  of  these  Daniels  mar- 
ried Abigail  Nicholson,  and  one  of  these  Johns  married  Hannah 
Nicholson,  both  daughters  of  Samuel  Nicholson,  who  lived  in 
Waterford  township,  near  the  river  Delaware.  The  difficulties 
of  tracing  a  genealogy  like  this  are  at  once  apparent,  and  unless 
the  family  records  are  correctly  and  continuously  kept,  such  dif- 
ficulties cannot  be  overcome. 

In  1745,  John  and  Daniel  Hillman  purchased  of  Timothy 
Matlack  a  lot  of  land  in  Haddonfield,  on  the  northwest  side  of 
the  street,  where  the  Methodist  church  now  stands,  extend- 
ing to  John  Gill's  line.  Part  of  this  became  the  property  of 
John  Shivers  in  1758,  although  a  portion  remained  in  the 
family  for  many  years  after. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  little  interest  taken  in  agriculture 
during  the  first  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  the  settlement  of 
this  part  of  New  Jersey,  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  lands 
of  John  Hillman,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  Cooper's  creek, 
and  the  lands  of  the  sons  of  William  Matlack,  which  lay  on  the 
north  side  of  the  same  stream,  were  underlaid  with  green  sand- 
marl,  the  fertilizing  properties  of  which  are  now  so  well  under- 
stood. The  existence  of  this  peculiar  deposit  must  have  been 
known  to  the  dwellers  in  that  region  of  country,  for  no  well 
could  be  dug,  or  excavation  made,  in  which  it  would  not  appear ; 
and  yet  there  is  no  evidence  that  this  material  has  been  used 
upon  the  soil  until  within  the  last  forty  years.  These  estates 
taken  together  and,  as  originally  held,  extending  from  the 
north  branch  of  Timber  creek  on  the  south,  to  the  north 
branch  of   Cooper's  creek  on   the  north,   covered  very  much 


10  Lib.  No.  8,  367. 

11  Lib.  No.  12,  8. 

12  Lib.  No.  12,  496. 


262  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

of  the  green  sand-marl  belt  in  this  region  of  country, — a  deposit 
which  has  made  it  one  of  the  best  agricultural  distridls  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey.  Strange  as  this  disregard  for  a  fertilizer 
so  convenient  and  abundant  may  seem,  it  is,  nevertheless,  true ; 
and  it  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  little  value  of  farmers' 
produce,  and  the  consequent  lack  of  interest  in  seeking  out  any 
means  to  increase  their  crops  or  improve  the  soil.  Commerce 
and  manufa6luring  had  not  been  sufficiently  developed  to  con- 
sume the  excess  that  might  have  been  thus  produced ;  therefore 
no  inducements  existed,  either  to  increase  the  breadth  of  cleared 
land,  or  to  advance  the  fertility  of  that  already  in  use. 

New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  that  day,  made  but  little 
demand  upon  the  country  for  their  supplies,  while  the  ashes 
arising  from  the  consumption  of  wood,  and  the  debris  that 
colle6led  in  the  street,  were  considered  worthless,  and  given 
to  such  as  would  remove  them  out  of  reach.  The  diminitive 
barns  and  corn-cribs  of  the  farmers  of  one  hundred  years  ago 
would  compare  strangely  with  the  capacious  buildings  that  now 
stand  upon  the  same  land,  filled  to  their  utmost  extent  with  the 
crops  raised  upon  the  same  soil. 

Within  the  memory  of  the  older  people  of  the  present  day, 
the  section  of  country  in  question  was  covered  with  timber, 
interspersed  with  a  few  half  cultivated  farms,  to  which  the 
Gloucester  hunting-club  looked  for  the  best  sport  in  their 
manly  and  exhilarating  pastime.  The  thick  underwood  grow- 
ing from  the  rich  soil  made  the  best  of  cover  for  game ; 
and  no  little  skill  was  necessary  to  drive  Reynard  forth,  the 
securing  of  whose  brush  was  the  objedl  of  the  chase.  The 
young  men  of  the  neighborhood  joined  with  the  club  in  these 
hunts,  and  showed  as  much  horsemanship  and  daring  as  those 
better  equipped  and  more  accustomed.  Among  these  was 
Jonas  Cattell,  whose  knowledge  of  wood-craft  and  wonderful 
endurance  made  him  ever  welcome.  So  much  was  he  liked, 
that  the  historian  of  the  club  secured  his  full  length  portrait, 
and  made  it  a  part  of  his  book. 

"Delightful  scene  ! 
When  all  around  is  gay — men,  horses,  dogs  ; 
And  in  each  smiling  countenance  appear 
Fresh  blooming  health,  and  universal  joy." 


JOHN  HILLMAN.  263 

Daniel  Hillman  settled  on  a  tra6l  of  one  hundred  acres  given 
to  him  by  his  father  in  his  will,  which  he  had  purchased  of 
William  Sharp,  the  locator  in  1701  ;  and  here  Daniel  erected  a 
house  and  cleared  his  farm.'^  This  was  situated  in  what  was 
then  Gloucester  township,  as  distinguished  from  Gloucester 
town,  but  is  now  the  township  of  Centre;  it  is  partly  included 
in  the  farm  of  Zophar  C.  Howell.  His  dwelling  stood  near  the 
present  farm  house  on  the  Howell  estate,  and,  perhaps,  was  a 
substantial  log  cabin,  with  clay  floor  and  stick  chimney.  Daniel 
gradually  extended  his  estate  towards  the  south,  while  it  adjoined 
the  lands  of  the  Clarks  on  the  west,  and  those  of  the  Albertsons 
on  the  east,  which  are  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  Joseph  Davis, 
deceased,  and  others  in  that  region." 

The  Salem  road  that  branched  from  the  Egg  Harbor  road 
near  the  residence  of  his  father,  as  before  named,  passed  through 
his  land  toward  Clement's  bridge  and  South  Jersey.  This  road 
was  undoubtedly  an  Indian  trail,  and,  consequently,  was  used  by 
our  ancestors  in  traveling  through  the  province,  several  years 
before  the  Legislature  established  the  king's  highway;  which, 
although  more  dire6t,  was  obje6lionable  by  reason  of  the  many 
ferries  to  be  passed  on  the  route,  found  at  every  stream,  where, 
at  the  present  day,  good  and  substantial  bridges  supply  their 
places.  Perhaps  before  Daniel,  some  one  of  the  aborigines  had 
cleared  a  few  acres,  upon  which  the  female  part  of  his  family 
could  raise  their  corn  and  pumpkins,  while  the  head  of  the  house 
and  his  able-bodied  sons  spent  their  time  in  hunting  and  fishing. 
All  representations  of  Indian  life  prove  that  the  women  per- 
formed the  drudgery  and  labor,  while  the  men  led  a  life  of 
idleness  and  ease.  These  small  spots  of  land,  free  from  timber, 
were  sought  after  by  the  first  settlers,  and  were  purchased  from 
the  Indians,  as  they  facilitated  farming  operations,  and  saved 
much  labor  and  expense. 

In  1754,  Daniel  Hillman  died,  and,  by  his  will,  gave  this 
tra6t  of  land  to  his  four  sons,  James,  John,  Daniel  and  Joseph, 
who  held  it  for  several  years  in  common,  and,  doubtless,  built 
dwellings  for  themselves  on  various  parts  of  it.'*    In  1784,  Jacob 


13  Lib.  D,  50.     Basse's  Book,  50. 

14  Lib  M,  76.     Lib.  U,  65.     Lib.  T,  338,  O.  S.  G. 
J5  Lib.  No.  8,  367. 


264  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Jennings  became  the  owner  of  Joseph  Hilhiian's  portion,  and, 
the  next  year,  re-surveyed  the  same.^*'  This  included  most  of 
the  one  hundred  acres  located  by  William  Sharp,  and  here  stood 
the  first  dwelling  of  his  father.  In  1786,  a  re-survey  was  made 
of  other  parts  of  the  said  land  ;  after  which  it  was  sold,  and 
none  of  the  present  generation  of  descendants  have  any  estate 
therein.^'  James  had  died  before  this,  and  his  property  was 
represented  by  John  Gill  and  his  widow,  then  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Garwood,  as  executors  thereof. 

Samuel  and  Seth  Hillman,  sons  of  the  third  John,  settled  on 
land  in  Deptford  township,  Gloucester  county,  on  Almonessing 
branch;  which  estate  came  to  them  from  their  grandfather, 
Daniel,  who  had  purchased  of  John  Ashbrook.^^  This  family 
has  now  spread  itself  through  nearly  all  the  states  of  the  Union 
and,  dire6lly  and  collaterally,  has  a  very  extensive  relationship. 
Of  Daniel  Hillman,  there  is  one  a6l  worthy  of  notice,  which  , 
proves  that  he  was  a  man  of  foresight  and  good  judgment, 
anticipating  his  wants  and  those  of  his  children,  as  farmers. 
In  1726,  in  conne6lion  with  Joseph  Lowe,  he  located  the  first 
tra6l  of  cedar  swamp  on  Great  Egg  Harbor  river,  below  where 
Berlin  (Long-a-coming)  now  stands. ^^  It  lay  south  of  Blue 
Anchor,  where  tradition  says  that  the  Indian  trail  crossed  the 
swamp, — the  only  trail  known  to  have  existed  for  many  years. 
On  the  east  side  stood  an  Indian  wigwam,  where  travelers 
were  entertained  before  the  white  man  came,  and  where  a 
lodging  place  was  kept  for  such  as  were  going  from  one  part  of 
the  State  to  the  other.  It  is  well  known  that,  at  Shamong  in 
Burlington  county,  and  at  Tuckahoe  in  Cape  May  county, 
resided  two  powerful  tribes  of  this  peculiar  people,  who,  being 
upon  friendly  terms,  kept  up  a  constant  interchange  of  visits. 
In  going  from  the  one  place  to  the  other,  they  crossed  at  the 
point  above  named,  where  may  yet  be  seen  the  remains  of  a 
rude  bridge.  The  pathway  through  the  swamp  was  narrow, 
crossing  an  island  in  its  course,  but  generally  going  in  a  straight 
line.  Its  position  is  well  defined,  as  the  owners  of  timber  now 
use  it  for  a  wagon  road,  thus  turning  to  pra6lical  purposes  the 


16  Lib.  T,  338,  O.  S.  G.  18  Lib.  U,  383,  O.  S.  G 

17  Lib.  U,  327,  O.  S.  G.  19  Lib.  M,  77.  O.  S.  G. 


JOHN  HILLMAN.  265 

path  in  which,  in  olden  times,  traveled  the  kings  and  queens 
of  the  aborigines  of  our  land.  In  going  eastward,  the  trail 
passed  near  where  Blue  Anchor  tavern  now  stands,  and  where 
the  Indian  trail  going  from  the  ocean  to  the  Delaware  river 
was  interse6led,  a  circumstance  which,  in  all  probability,  gave 
rise  to  this  once  public  place.  Near  the  swamp  may  yet  be 
seen  the  spot  upon  which  stood  the  house  of  entertainment  in 
which  some  Indian  landlord  dispensed  cheer  to  all  the  passers 
by,  and  that  without  license,  restraint  or  fear  of  law. 

This  accounts  for  Daniel  Hillman's  sele6ling  his  tra6l  of 
swamp  at  that  place,  while  larger  and  more  valuable  timber 
stood  in  profusion,  above  and  below  the  same.  For  some 
reason,  this  trail  was  abandoned,  and  another  made  about  two 
miles  lower  down  the  river,  where  formerly  stood  the  old 
Inskeep  saw-mill.  When  the  mill  was  first  ere6led,  has  passed 
beyond  the  memory  of  man;  but,  in  1762,  when  John  Inskeep 
made  the  survey  where  stood  the  building,  he  put  a  post  as  the 
commencement-corner  by  the  east  side  of  the  river,  "and  where 
a  ford  crosseth  the  same."  This  was  the  Indian  path  going 
between  the  points  before  spoken  of,  as  changed  from  the  old 
track,  and  was  used  by  them  so  long  as  any  remained  at  both 
settlements.  Here  they  generally  made  a  resting  place  for  the 
night,  always  camping  in  the  open  air,  without  regard  to  the 
.season,  and  never  remaining  after  the  sun  rose  in  the  morning. 
David  Beebe,  lately  deceased,  whose  father  resided  at  that 
place,  distin<511y  remembered  that  small  companies  of  these 
people  were  wont  to  stop  there  for  the  night,  and  that  the 
females  visited  the  house  during  the  evening. 


THE   CLEMENTS. 


THE  name  of  Gregory  Clement  is  conne6led  with  one  of 
the  most  important  events  of  English  history;  with  one 
of  those  convulsions  of  a  nation  that  destroy  its  ancient  land 
marks  and  ere6t  new  stru6lures  upon  their  ruins;  with  one  of 
those  eras,  the  prominence  and  importance  of  which  make  new 
starting  points  for  the  religion,  the  morals,  the  habits  and  the 
politics  of  a  people  ;  with  one  of  the  incidents,  the  causes  of 
which,  the  means  applied  and  the  ends  accomplished,  have  been 
a  theme  for  historians,  and  a  subje6l  for  moralists,  ever  since 
the  causes,  the  means  and  the  end,  have  had  an  existence. 

He  was  born  when  the  seeds  were  being  sown  that  produced 
oppression,  bloodshed  and  revolution.  His  early  life  was  spent 
among  the  contests  for  power  and  the  lawful  resistance  of  the 
people.  His  manhood  brought  him  into  contadl  with  those  who 
knew  no  limit  to  royal  authority,  as  well  as  with  those  who 
dared  to  threaten  and  accomplish  their  overthrow.  His  opin- 
ions and  his  charadler  made  him  prominent  among  the  men 
who  were  foremost  in  placing  the  government  upon  a  new  basis ; 
among  those  who  sat  in  judgment  upon  the  conduct  of  their 
king,  and  signed  the  warrant  which  brought  that  king  to  an 
ignominious  death. 

The  reign  of  Charles  I.  as  Sovereign  of  England,  from  1625 
to  1649,  '^  crowded  with  the  deeds  of  a  people  advancing  step 
by  step  in  civil  and  religious  liberty.  It  is  a  period  in  which 
the  vague  and  ill-defined  outlines  of  the  rights  of  citizens  were 


268  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

coming  into  conta6l  with  the  kingly  prerogative,  and  when  the 
latent  privileges  of  the  subje6l,  so  long  abridged,  began  to  show 
signs  of  vitality  and  to  bring  forth  some  fruit.  In  like  degree 
also,  the  abuse  of  power  became  more  palpable,  and  bolder  in 
the  accomplishment  of  its  purposes,  culminating  at  last  in  the 
overthrow  of  the  government,  the  execution  of  the  king  and 
the  exile  of  the  royal  family. 

Then  followed  the  Commonwealth,  which  brought  to  the 
surface  the  extravagance  of  religious  fanaticism  and  the  folly 
of  political  bigots,  combined  with  visionary  and  speculative 
systems  of  government,  each  failing  in  its  turn,  and  reje6led 
by  the  people. 

The  trial  of  the  king  brought  his  judges  into  notice,  who, 
upon  the  return  of  his  son  to  the  throne,  became  the  especial 
obje6ls  of  punishment.  The  arrest  of  Gregory  Clement  is 
related  in  this  narrative.  It  took  place  about  the  same  time 
as  those  of  his  associates.  Then  followed  the  trials  of  the 
regicides,  the  history  of  which  has  been  faithfully  given  by 
Mr.  Cobbett  in  his  "State  Trials."  Portions  of  these  have 
been  herein  copied,  and  may  not  prove  uninteresting  to  the 
reader.  These  trials  began  at  Hick's  Hall,  Old  Bailey,  in 
the  county  of  Middlesex,  06lober  9th,  1660.  Twenty-nine 
persons  were  indidled  by  the  grand  jury;  as  each  Avas  brought 
to  the  bar,  he  was  charged.  In  the  case  of  Gregory  Clement, 
the  language  was  as  follows : 

Clerk. — "Gregory  Clement  hold  up  your  hand.  How  sayest 
thou?  Art  thou  guilty  of  the  treason  whereof  thou  standest  in- 
di6led,  and  for  which  thou  art  now  arraigned? — or  not  guilty?" 

Clement. — "My  Lord,  I  cannot  excuse  myself  in  many  par- 
ticulars; but,  as  to  my  indi6lment  as  there  it  is,  I  plead  not 
guilty." 

Clerk. — "How  will  you  be  tried?" 

Clement. — "By  God  and  the  Country." 

Clerk. — "God  send  you  a  good  deliverance." 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  much  altercation  took  place 
between  some  of  the  prisoners  and  the  court,  in  regard  to  the 
form  and  substance  of  the  various  charges  laid,  which  occa- 
sioned considerable  delay  and  confusion.     On  the  third  day 


THE    CLEMENTS.  269 

Thomas  Harrison,  Adrian  Scroop,  John  Carew,  John  Jones, 
Gregory  Clement  and  Thomas  Scot  were  brought  into  court 
for  the  purpose  of  being  tried  together;  but,  on  account  of  the 
trouble  in  regard  to  the  challenging  of  jurors,  the  court  deter- 
mined to  try  them  separately.  Near  the  close  of  the  fourth 
day's  proceedings,  Gregory  Clement  was  again  brought  to  the 
bar,  and,  being  called,  retra6led  his  plea  of  not  guilty.  Sir 
Orlando  Bridgman,  Lord  Chief  Baron  and  president  of  the 
court,  then  asked  him,  as  follows : 

Lord  Chief  Baron. — ''If  you  do  confess  your  offence,  your 
petition  will  be  read." 

Clement. — "  I  do,  my  Lord." 

Lord  Chief  Baron. — "  If  you  do  confess  (that  you  may 
understand  it),  you  must,  when  you  are  called  (and  when  the 
jury  are  to  be  charged),  you  must  say,  if  you  will  have  it  go 
by  way  of  confession,  that  you  may  waive  your  former  plea  and 
confess  the  fact." 

Clerk. — "Gregory  Clement,  you  have  been  indicted  of  high 
treason,  for  compassing  and  imagining  the  death  of  his  late 
Majesty,  and  you  have  pleaded  not  guilty:  are  you  content 
to  waive  your  plea,  and  confess  it?" 

Clement. — "I  do  confess  myself  to  be  guilty,  my  Lord  !" 

Clerk. — "Set  him  aside." 

Many  of  the  prisoners  followed  this  example,  seeing,  as  they 
did,  that,  there  was  no  escape  under  the  ruling  of  the  court 
and  the  prejudice  of  the  people.  At  the  close  of  the  several 
trials,  each  person  convidled  received  the  following  sentence  : 

"That  you  be  led  back  to  the  place  from  whence  you  came, 
and  from  thence  to  be  drawn  upon  a  hurdle  to  the  place  of 
execution  ;  and  there  you  shall  be  hanged  by  the  neck,  and, 

being  alive,  shall  be  cut  down  and ,  your 

entrails  to  be  taken  out  of  your  body,  and  (you  living)  the 
same  to  be  burnt  before  your  eyes  \  and  your  head  to  be  cut 
off,  your  body  to  be  divided  into  four  quarters,  and  head  and 
quarters  to  be  disposed  of  at  the  pleasure  of  the  King's 
Majesty — and  the  Lord   have   mercy  on    your  soul." 

Barbarous  as  this  sentence  may  appear,  yet  it  was  literally 
carried  out ;    and  many  revolting  scenes  occurred  at  Charing 


2  70  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Cross,  where  these  sentences  were  executed,  Odlober  17.  The 
next  day  after  being  sentenced,  Gregory  Clement  and  Thomas 
Scot  were  taken  on  the  same  sled  to  the  scaffold,  disem- 
boweled and  quartered  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  throng 
of  spe6lators. 

Of  the  subje6l  of  this  sketch,  it  is  recorded  that  "he  was 
very  silent  both  in  the  time  of  his  imprisonment  at  Newgate 
and  at  the  time  of  his  execution  at  Charing  Cross ;  only  it  is  said 
that  he  expressed  his  trouble  (to  some  of  his  friends  in  prison) 
for  yielding  so  far  the  importunities  of  his  relations  as  to  plead 
guilty  to  the  indictment ;  and,  though  he  spoke  little  at  the 
place  of  execution,  yet,  so  far  as  could  be  judged  by  some 
discerning  persons  that  were  near  him,  he  departed  this  life 
in  peace." 

Another  historian  of  the  times  says,  "these  victims  were 
hanged,  and,  before  life  was  extindl,  were  cut  down,  and  their 
bowels  taken  out  and  burned  in  their  presence.  It  is  said  of 
General  Harrison,  that,  while  cutting  open  his  body,  he  rose 
up  and  struck  the  executioner  on  the  ear." 

When  Col.  Jones,  the  last  victim  of  that  day,  was  brought 
to  the  scaffold,  the  hangman  was  so  horrified  with  what  was 
passing  around  him,  that  he  fell  fainting  to  the  ground ;  while 
his  son,  as  his  assistant,  carried  out  the  sentence  of  the  law. 
Revolting  as  it  was,  it  refle6led  the  tone  of  public  sentiment 
at  the  time,  which  can  only  be  offered  as  an  explanation,  and 
not  as  an  apology,  for  such  administration  of  justice. 

Ludlow,  in  his  narrative  of  these  dreadful  events,  says  of 
Gregory  Clement:  "He  Avas  chosen  a  member  of  Parliament 
about  the  year  1646,  and  discharged  that  trust  with  great  dili- 
gence ;  always  joining  with  those  who  were  most  affe6lionate 
to  the  commonwealth,  though  he  never  was  possessed  of  any 
place  of  profit  under  them.  Being  appointed  one  of  the  com- 
missioners for  the  trial  of  the  king,  he  durst  not  refuse  his 
assistance  in  that  service.  He  had  no  good  elocution,  but  his 
apprehension  and  judgment  were  not  to  be  despised.  He 
declared  before  his  death,  that  nothing  troubled  him  so  much 
as  his  pleading  guilty  at  the  time  of  his  trial  to  satisfy  the 
importunity  of  his  relations ;  by  which  he  had  rendered  him- 
self unworthy  to  die  in  so  glorious  a  cause." 


THE    CLEMENTS.  271 

Stiles,  in  his  Lives  of  the  Regicides,  says:  "He  was  a 
citizen  of  London — a  merchant,  and  a  trader  with  Spain.  He 
returned  to  Parliament  in  1646.  He  sat  in  the  trial  of  Charles 
I.,  on  January  8,  22,  23  and  29,  1648.  He  was  expelled  from 
Parliament  for  some  misdemeanor,  and  did  not  return  until 
after  Cromwell's  death.  He  secreted  himself  in  a  house  near 
Gray's  Inn,  and  was  dete6ted  by  better  eatables  being  carried 
there  than  generally  went  into  such  humble  habitations,  and, 
upon  search  being  made,  he  was  discovered  and  arrested  May 
26,  1660."  There  was  much  difficulty  in  identifying  him, 
until  a  blind  man,  who  happened  to  hear  him  speak,  and  then 
said  :   "That  is  Gregory  Clement :   I  know  his  voice." 

The  Rev.  Mark  Noble,  in  his  Lives  of  the  Regicides,  Vol.  I, 
page  145,  says  of  Gregory  Clement:  "It  is  probable  he  was  a 
cadet  of  a  knightly  family  in  Kent,  and  that  Major  William 
Clement  in  the  London  militia  was  his  son." 

Immediately  after  the  Restoration,  those  in  authority  set 
about  the  trial  and  punishment  of  the  judges  of  the  king's 
father,  using  the  greatest  vigilence  to  prevent  their  escape  from 
England.  A  strange  feature  is  that  so  few  seemed  to  antici- 
pate the  certain  consequence  of  remaining  within  the  realm, 
and  fell  an  easy  prey  to  their  enemies.  The  shadows  of  coming 
events  could  not  have  been  mistaken,  and  the  wonder  is  that  all 
such  as  participated  in  the  trial  of  the  king,  did  not  flee  from 
their  country  and  avoid  what  was  sure  to  follow.  Much  to 
the  credit  of  Charles  II,  but  six  of  those  who  sat  in  the  trial 
were  executed,  while  the  others  were  placed  in  the  various 
prisons  of  the  country,  and  soon  passed  into  obscurity.  The 
estate  of  Gregory  Clement  being  confiscated,  his  family  was 
scattered,  and  one  of  his  sons,  James,  and  his  wife  Jane, 
emigrated  to  Long  Island  in  the  year  1670.  The  family  is 
extensive  in  England,  and  can  be  traced  from  before  the  tenth 
century  down  through  the  various  political  and  religious 
changes  that  have  occurred  in  the  nation  since  that  time. 
The  wife  of  William  Penn  was  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
family  ;  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania  has  colle6led 
and  published  some  interesting  correspondence  between  the 
widow  of  that  great  man  and  Simon  Clement,  her  uncle. 


2  72  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

James  could  not  have  been  blessed  with  much  of  this  world's 
goods  at  his  first  coming,  for,  in  the  valuation  of  estates  in 
Flushing  in  1675,  where  he  then  lived,  he  is  rated  with  four 
acres  of  land,  three  cows,  two  young  cattle,  and  two  pigs.^ 
The  inference  is  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  religious  Society 
of  Friends,  which  inference  is  strengthened  by  his  subsequent 
conduct.  At  the  time  of  the  ere6lion  of  the  Friends'  meeting 
house  at  the  place  last  named,  (1695),  James  Clement  prepared 
the  deed  for  the  lot  upon  which  the  house  was  to  be  built,  and 
recorded  the  same ;  for  which  service  he  received  eleven  shillings 
and  four  pence.  He  also  did  some  work  about  the  building,  and 
received  in  payment  a  small  pittance;  all  of  which  appears 
among  the  papers  of  the  society  still  in  existence.  In  1702,  he 
was  one  of  the  grand  jury  of  Queens'  county,  that  was  directed, 
in  the  charge  of  the  court,  to  find  bills  of  indidlnient  against 
Samuel  Bownas,  an  eminent  Quaker  preacher  and  one  known  to 
all  readers  of  the  history  of  that  se6l.  This  the  grand  jury  refused 
to  do ;  and  the  refusal  led  to  much  bitter  controversy  between 
the  judge  and  that  body.  Friend  Bownas  was  then  in  prison,  and 
so  remained  for  nearly  a  year,  as  the  judge  hoped  that  the  next 
jury  empaneled  would  listen  to  his  charge  with  more  respedl, 
and  obey  his  commands.^  He  fell  into  a  like  mistake  the  second 
time,  and  ultimately  released  his  prisoner  and  abandoned  the 
prosecution.  This  proceeding  was  charadleristic  of  Lord  Corn- 
bury  towards  this  class  of  citizens  throughout  both  provinces, 
and  frequently  led  to  trouble  between  that  officer  and  the 
people,  especially  in  West  New  Jersey. 

During  the  year  1676,  and  while  John  Fen  wick  was  a  prisoner 
in  the  fort  at  New  York,  Jacob  Clement  became  one  of  the 
witnesses  to  several  deeds  executed  by  Fenwick  to  purchasers 
in  Salem  county,  N.  J.*  This  person  was  probably  a  brother  of 
James,  as  it  was  two  years  before  his  son  of  that  name  was  born. 
He  may  have  been  a  resident  of  that  city  and  have  remained 
there,  but  his  descendants  are  not  known  in  these  latitudes. 

James  Clement  was  somewhat  of  a  public  man  in  the  affairs 
of  the  county  wherein  he  lived,  and,  so  far  as  can  be  discovered, 

1  Doc.  His.  of  N.  Y.,  Vol.  2,  p  263. 

2  Thompson's  History  of  Long  Island. 

3  Salem  Records,  No.  i. 


THE    CLEMENTS.  273 

discharged  his  duties  acceptably.  His  second  wife  was  Sarah, 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Field.  He  died  in  1724, 
leaving  a  will,  his  wife  dying  the  same  year.  The  names  of 
his  children,  and  the  time  of  their  births  were  as  follows :  James, 
born  1670,  who  married  Sarah  Hinchman  ;  Sarah,  born  1672, 
who  married  William  Hall,  of  Salem  county,  N.  J.  (second 
wife);  Thomas,  born  1674;  John,  born  1676;  Jacob,  born 
1678,  who  married  Ann  Harrison,  daughter  of  Samuel ;  Joseph, 
born  1681  ;  Mercy,  born  1683,  who  married  Joseph  Bates; 
Samuel,  born  1685,  and  Nathan,  born  1687.^  The  only  persons 
of  the  family  that  can  be  traced  to  Gloucester  county,  were 
Jacob,  Thomas,  John,  Sarah  and  Mercy,  who  emigrated  from 
Long  Island  with  the  families  of  Samuel  Harrison,  John  Hinch- 
man and  some  others,  about  the  year  1 700.  In  a  sketch  of  the 
history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  West  Jersey,  made  by  the 
Rev.  Allen  H.  Brown,  he  states  that  John  Clement  was  employed 
in  1 716,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  to  preach  at  Glou- 
cester and  Pilesgrove ;  this  person  was,  in  all  probability,  the 
son  of  James.  If  so,  he  had  laid  aside  his  Quakerism  and  had 
entered  a  new  field  of  religious  duties,  the  antipodes  of  that 
which  he  had  left.  His  labors  extended  over  a  large  territory, 
which  is  now  occupied  by  his  own  and  other  denominations, — 
showing  by  their  activity  that  the  religious  sentiment  of  our 
people  has  kept  pace  with  their  material  advancement. 

Jacob  and  Thomas  purchased  lots  at  Gloucester  and  resided 
there  for  several  years.*  Jacob  was  a  shoemaker,  and  plied  his 
calling  in  the  old  fashioned  style,  going  to  the  dwellings  of 
most  his  employers  to  do  the  work  for  the  family.  This  was 
called  "cat-whipping,"  and,  like  the  harvests  of  our  forefathers, 
generally  ended  in  a  hard-cider  frolic,  accompanied  with  an  all 
night's  dance.  These  times,  like  the  pleasant  traditions  that 
surrounded  them,  have  passed  away,  and,  by  reason  of  modern 
innovations,  may  never  be  renewed. 

William  Hall,  who  married  Sarah,  came  to  Salem  county  in 
1677.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Pyle. 
She  died  in  1699,  leaving  three  daughters.     The  children  of 


4  Lib.  DD,  449. 

5  Lib.  Q,  182. 

18 


2  74  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Sarah  were  William,  born  1701  ;  Clement,  born  1706,  and 
Nathaniel,  born  1709.  From  these  sons  have  come  some  of  the 
most  respe6table  families  in  West  Jersey,  at  one  time  holding 
extensive  tra6ls  of  real  estate.  Branches,  dire6l  and  collateral, 
may  be  found  in  every  state  in  the  Union,  still  retaining  the 
elements  of  wealth  and  respectability. 

From  Jacob,  John  and  Thomas  Clement,  therefore,  must  the 
family  name  be  traced  in  West  New  Jersey  ;  which  has  also 
spread  far  beyond  the  limits  of  this  part  of  the  State  since  the 
first  coming.  In  this  immediate  neighborhood,  the  children  of 
Jacob  and  Ann  Clement  represent  the  family,  from  whom  have 
come  the  direct  and  collateral  branches  thereof.  They  were 
Samuel,  who  married  Rebecca  Collins,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Catharine ;  Thomas,  who  married  Mary  Tily ;  Jacob,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Tily,  daughters  of  Nathaniel,  a  cooper,  and 
resident  of  Gloucester  ;  Ann,  who  married  Joseph  Harrison  ; 
Sarah  and  Mary. 

In  the  year  1735,  Joseph  and  Catherine  Collins  executed  a 
deed  to  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Clement,  for  a  large  tra6l  of  land 
at  Haddonfield,  extending  from  the  main  street  southwardly  to 
a  line  running  from  Cooper's  creek  westerly,  a  line  at  this  day 
entirely  obliterated."  The  consideration  for  this  was  one  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  the  annual  payment  of  ten  pounds  so  long  as 
the  survivor  of  the  said  Joseph  and  Catherine  should  live, — 
a  circumstance  significant  of  the  good  feeling  existing  between 
the  parents  and  children.  Upon  this  property  Samuel  Clement 
lived  for  many  years,  a  consistent  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  and  a  participant  in  the  political  affairs  of  his  day  and 
generation.  Being  a  practical  surveyor,  he  was  intrusted  with 
the  running  and  settlement  of  the  several  township  lines  of  the 
county  of  Gloucester,  and  also  of  the  boundaries  between  that 
and  Burlington  and  Salem  counties.  This  was  done  in  1765; 
it  was  the  first  attempt  clearly  to  define  these  disputed  matters, 
which  had  caused  much  quarreling  among  the  inhabitants,  and 
some  litigation  between  the  several  incorporations.  This  duty 
Samuel  Clement  discharged  faithfully,  and  the  papers  connedled 
therewith  are  still  in  good  preservation. 

6  Lib.  EF,  65. 


THE    CLEMENTS.  275 

Jacob  Clement  was  a  tanner.  He  settled  in  Haddonfield  in 
1743,  where  he  purchased  land  of  Timothy  Matlack  and  William 
Miller.'  His  property  was  opposite  the  "temperance  house" 
in  the  village,  and  joined  Sarah  Norris's  lot  on  the  east ;  there 
he  carried  on  considerable  trade.**  In  those  days,  most  of  the 
hides  were  procured  from  the  people  living  along  the  sea  coast, 
who  took  in  exchange  the  leather  already  prepared  for  use  ;  thus 
keeping  up  a  business  intercourse,  although  separated  by  many 
miles  of  dreary  forest  travel.  The  people  of  the  present  gen- 
eration, who  move  with  railroad  speed,  cannot  appreciate  the 
patience  of  our  ancestors  in  performing  these  journeys,  some- 
times with  teams  of  oxen,  heavy,  badly  built  wagons,  and  upon 
the  worst  of  highways. 

Mercy  Clement,  who  married  Joseph  Bates,  settled  with  her 
husband  on  land  which  he  had  purchased  of  Joseph  Thorne, 
which  lay  on  the  south  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's 
creek,  about  where  the  White  Horse  tavern  now  stands.  None 
of  the  estate  has  been  in  the  name  or  family  for  many  years, 
and  it  would  be  difficult  to  trace  the  maternal  blood  in  that  line 
at  the  present  day.^  The  family  name  of  Clement  is  sometimes 
confounded  with  that  of  Edward  Clemenz,  who  purchased  a 
tra<5l  of  land  lying  in  the  forks  of  the  north  and  the  south  branch 
of  Cooper's  creek,  near  Haddonfield.  There  is  no  question  of 
the  distinction;  as  the  first  is  English,  and  terminates  with  /, 
while  the  last  is  German  and  ends  with  z.  In  1684,  Edward 
Clemenz,  who  was  called  "captain,"  removed  from  Long 
Island  to  a  tradl  of  land  which  he  had  purchased  in  Middlesex 
county,  N.  J.,  on  the  south  branch  of  Raritan  river;  whence 
he  came  in  1692,  and  settled  on  the  land  first  named.  He 
established  a  landing  where  the  two  streams  came  together, 
which,  at  that  time,  was  the  head  of  navigation  and,  for  many 
years  after,  a  place  of  much  business.  In  his  will  he  gave  the 
landing  and  a  few  acres  of  land  to  his  daughter  Hannah  Axford, 
whose  name  was  attached  thereto  and  has  ever  after  so  remained. 

Edward  Clemenz  deceased  in  17 15,  leaving  five  children,^" 
namely :   Edward,  who  married  Elizabeth  Allen,  a  daughter  of 


7  Lib.  UH,  gi 

8  Lib.  L,  35. 

9  Lib.  A,  84. 


276  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Judah  and  Deborah,  (which  Deborah  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Adams,  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Moorestown,  Burlington 
county)  ;  Hannah,  who  married  Jonathan  Axford  ;  Sarah,  who 
married  Thomas  Cheeseman  ;  Rachel ;  and  Mary,  who  married 
Thomas  Bates.  Edward  removed  to  Chester  township,  Bur- 
lington county,  where  he  died  in  1746,  leaving  his  widow  and 
three  sons,  Benjamin,  Judah,  and  Ephraim."  In  1764,  Judah 
purchased  a  tra6l  of  land  of  John  Burrough,  Jr.,  (late  part  of 
the  estate  of  David  D.  Burrough,  deceased,)  near  EUisburg, 
whereon  he  settled.  This  was  sold  from  him  by  the  Sheriff  in 
1735  to  Jacob  Haines,  who  conveyed  part  to  Esther  Clemenz, 
the  wife  of  Judah  and,  perhaps,  the  daughter  of  the  grantor, 
in  1789.  Some  portions  of  this  branch  of  the  family  still  reside 
in  this  neighborhood.  By  the  marriage  of  Jonathan  and  Han- 
nah Axford  there  was  one  child,  who  deceased  before  the 
mother.  The  landing  and  surrounding  property  they  sold  to 
John  Gill  in  1763;  these  have  been  out  of  the  name  for  many 
years. 

The  descendants  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Bates  reside  in  this 
sedlion  of  the  country,  intermarried  with  many  of  the  old 
families,  but  not  occupying  any  of  the  estate  coming  from  their 
German  ancestor,  and  having  scarcely  enough  of  the  native 
blood  to  make  it  traceable. 


10  Lib.  No.  2,  2. 

11  Lib.  No.  5,  283. 


HENRY   STACY. 


ROBERT  STACY  was  one  of  the  persons  who  came  to 
West  New  Jersey  in  1678,  to  represent  the  interests  of 
the  Yorkshire  owners  of  the  land  that  they  had  taken  of 
Edward  Byllinge,  in  consideration  of  moneys  which  he  owed 
them,  and  which  he  was  otherwise  unable  to  pay.^  Joseph 
Helmsley  anti  William  Emley  were  his  associates,  together  with 
Thomas  Olive,  Daniel  Wills,  John  Penford  and  Benjamin  Scott, 
who  represented  the  London  owners,  and  who  also  became 
seized  of  these  lands  from  the  same  person  and  for  the  same 
reasons.  Robert  Stacy  first  settled  at  Burlington  in  disc!"'arge 
of  his  duties  imposed  ui)on  him  as  commissioner;  he  here 
became  a  leading  member  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  took 
part  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  colony.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  a  tanner;  this  business  he  did  not  resume  until  his 
removal  to  Philadelphia,  which  occurred  a  few  years  after  his 
arrival;  he  there  remained  until  his  death.''  Among  his  chil- 
dren was  a  son  Henry,  who,  together  with  his  wife  Mary,  came 
to  New  Jersey  soon  after  his  father,  and  also  settled  at  or  near 
Burlington.  Besse,  in  his  "Sufferings  of  Friends,"  mentions 
that  Henry  Stacy  was  taken,  on  two  different  occasions,  from 
religious  meetings  at  Cirencester,  in  Gloucestershire,  to  prison, 
and  there  detained  for  some  time.  This  was  in  1660  and  1662 ; 
the  subject  of   this  sketch  was,   doubtless,   the   same   person. 


I  (jordon's  History  of  New  Jersey,  39. 
:  Lib.  G3,  128, 


2  7S  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

During  his  stay  here  he  was  appointed  to  a  membership  in  the 
governor's  council,  a  position  at  that  day  given  only  to  persons 
of  talent  and  stri6t  integrity,  and  a  station  which  was  one  of 
the  most  responsible  and  difficult  to  fill.^ 

In  addition  to  the  inducements  offered  by  his  father's  coming 
here,  he  was  perhaps  tempted  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  new 
colony  by  letters  sent  to  him  from  those  already  settled,  whose 
representations  of  the  country  and  its  produ6lions  were  cer- 
tainly very  flattering.  A  letter  from  John  Cripps  to  Henry 
Stacy  will  show  in  what  light  New  Jersey  was  held  by  those 
already  here,  in  early  times;  and  how  they  wrote  to  their 
friends  still  in  England,  whom  they  sought  to  induce  to  follow 
them  to  a  countr)'  that  had  so  many  advantages.     It  is  as  follows : 

"From  Burlington  in  Delaware  River, 

The  26th  of  the  Eighth  Month,  1677. 

"Dear  Friend: — Through  the  mercy  of  God  we  are  safely 
arrived  at  New  Jersey;  my  wife  and  all  mine  are  very  well,  and 
we  have  our  healths  rather  better  here  than  we  had  in  England ; 
indeed  the  country  is  so  good  that  I  do  not  see  how  it  can  rea- 
sonably be  found  fault  with.  As  far  as  I  perceive,  all  the  things 
we  heard  of  it  in  England  are  very  true,  and  I  wish  that  many 
people  (that  are  in  straits)  in  England  were  here.  Here  is 
good  land  enough  lies  void  that  would  serve  many  thousands  of 
families,  and  we  think  if  they  cannot  live  here  they  can  hardly 
live  in  any  place  in  the  world;  but  we  do  not  desire  to  persuade 
any  to  come  but  such  as  are  well  satisfied  in  their  own  mind. 
A  town  lot  is  laid  out  for  us  in  Burlington,  which  is  a  conven- 
ient place  for  trade.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
up  the  Delaware ;  the  country  and  air  seem  to  be  very  agreeable 
to  our  bodies,  and  we  have  very  good  stomachs  to  our  vidtuals. 
Here  is  plenty  of  provision  in  the  country;  plenty  of  fish  and 
fowl,  and  good  venison  very  plentiful  and  much  better  than  ours 
in  England,  for  it  eats  not  so  dry,  but  is  full  of  gravy  like  fat 
young  beef.  You  that  come  after  us  need  not  fear  the  trouble 
that  we  have  had,  for  now  is  land  here  ready  divided  against 
you  come.     The  Indians  are  very  loving  to  us,  except  here  and 


3  Learning  &  Spicer's  T.aws 


HENRY  STACY.  279 

there  one,  when  they  have  gotten  strong  liquor  in  their  head, 
which  they  now  greatly  love.  But  for  the  country,  in  short  I 
like  it  very  well,  and  I  do  believe  that  this  river  of  Delaware  is 
as  good  a  river  as  most  in  the  world.  It  exceeds  the  river 
Thames  by  many  degrees. 

"  Here  is  a  town  laid  out  for  twenty  proprieties,  and  a  straight 
line  drawn  from  the  river  side  up  the  land  which  is  to  be  the 
Main  street,  and  a  market  place  about  the  middle.  The  York- 
shire ten  proprietors  are  to  build  on  one  side,  and  the  London 
ten  on  the  other  side,  and  they  have  ordered  one  street  to  be 
made  along  the  river  side  which  is  not  divided  with  the  rest, 
but  in  small  lots  by  itself,  and  every  one  that  hath  any  part  in 
a  propriety  is  to  have  his  share  in  it.  The  town  lots  for  every 
propriety  will  be  about  ten  or  eleven  acres,  which  is  only  for  a 
house,  orchard,  and  gardens;  and  the  corn  and  pasture  grounds 
are  to  be  laid  off  in  great  quantities. 

"I  am  thy  loving  friend, 

"John  Cripps."* 

Many  such  letters  as  the  above  were  written  by  the  new 
comers  to  their  friends  in  England  and  Ireland,  some  of  which 
were  published  as  circulars  among  the  people,  and  aided  much 
in  the  settlement  of  the  colony.  In  1698,  Gabriel  Thomas 
published  a  History  of  West  New  Jersey,  where,  as  he  says, 
he  "resided  about  fifteen  years;"  it  is  a  small  book  of  thirty- 
four  pages,  part  of  which  is  taken  up  with  a  glossary  of  Indian 
names  and  translations.  This  curious  old  document  was  lost 
sight  of  and  remained  out  of  print  for  many  years,  until  a  copy 
was  secured  by  Henry  A.  Brady,  of  New  York  city,  who  had 
the  same  faithfully  lithographed  and  a  few  copies  reprinted, 
most  of  which  found  their  way  into  the  various  public  libraries 
of  the  country.  Gabriel  excels  all  in  his  praises  of  the  land 
and  climate  in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  and  is  only  equaled 
by  some  of  the  papers  put  forth  by  sharp  land-speculators  of 
the  present  day,  by  which  many  verdant  folks  are  sadly  cheated." 

Henry  Stacy  did  not  remain  here  many  years;  he  returned 
with   his  family  to    England  in   1683,   and  settled  at  Stepney, 

4  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey. 

5  Learning  and  Spicer's  Laws. 


28o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

near  London,  where  he  deceased  in  1689.*  He  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely :  Samuel,  who  died  young ;  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried William  Burge  in  1705,  and  settled  in  Philadelphia;  Mary, 
who  married  Jonathan  Wilson,  and  resided  in  London;'  and 
Sarah,  who  married  Robert  Montgomery,  and  lived  in  New 
Jersey.^ 

In  1683,  and  before  his  departure  for  England,  Henry  Stacy 
made  a  location  of  four  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  land  in 
Newton  township,  near  the  head  of  the  middle  branch  of 
NeAvton  creek,  and  east  of  the  Graysbury  land.®  By  his  will 
all  the  real  estate  was  given  to  his  children ;  and,  by  division  of 
the  same  effe6led  in  1711,  the  tra6l  of  land  above  named 
became  the  property  of  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Robert  Mont- 
gomery.^" About  the  year  171 5,  Robert  Montgomery  built  a 
house  on  this  tra6l  of  land,  and  removed  thither  from  Mon- 
mouth county,  where  he  had  previously  resided. 

On  April  ist,  1715,  Robert  Montgomery  and  Sarah,  his  wife, 
conveyed  forty  acres  of  land  to  Jonathan  Bolton  and  Hannah, 
his  wife,  being  part  of  the  survey  before  spoken  of.  The  deed 
is  a  curious  document,  the  purpose  being  to  secure  some  means 
by  which  the  children  of  the  grantors  might  have  an  opportunity 
for  education."  Jonathan  was  a  shoemaker,  and  came  from 
Burlington  county  together  with  his  wife  Hannah,  who  appears 
as  an  important  personage  in  the  transa6lion.  The  lot  con- 
veyed adjoined  Thomas  Miller's  and  Joseph  Hinchman's  land, 
"to  be  laid  out  proportionately  in  one  entire  square  tra6t  until  it 
amount  to  forty  acres, — to  the  said  Jonathan  and  Hannah,  his 
wife,  for  ninety-nine  years,  if  the  said  Jonathan  and  Hannah 
shall  so  long  live,  or  either  of  them  during  their  natural  lives." 
The  consideration  was  the  "paying  of  one  ear  of  Indian  corn 
yearly ;  and  that  the  said  Hannah  shall,  at  any  time  hereafter — 
as  soon  as  the  said  Bolton  shall  get  a  house  built  fit  to  live  in — 
teach  or  instru6l,  or  cause  to  be  taught  or  instru6led,  to  read 
English  and  to  do  seamstry  work,  or  any  other  a6l  or  parts  of 
a6ls  that  she,  the  said  Hannah,  is  capable  to  perform,  or  inform 

6  l>ib.  A.AA,  128.  9  Revel's  Book,  37. 

7  Lib.  CH,  80.  10  Lib.  A,  33. 

8  Lib.  A,  33.  u  Lib.  A,  90. 


HENRY  STACY.  281 

or  direct  all  the  children  of  the  said  Montgomery  and  Sarah  his 
wife,  or  either  of  them,  or  their  children,  as  it  may  happen,  or 
any  child  belonging  to  their  family  that  they  shall  think  fit  to 
send  to  learn."  Whether  the  said  Hannah  possessed  any  quali- 
fications to  discharge  the  duties  thus  imposed,  does  not  appear  ; 
and  whether  the  said  Jonathan  was  to  assist  in  the  intervals  of 
his  "  making  and  mending,"  is  also  in  obscurity;  yet  it  may  be 
assumed  that  this  was  the  first  institution  of  learning  established 
in  the  eastermost  part  of  Newton  township ;  and  it  shows  the 
liberality  of  the  founder  to  have  been  applied  in  a  commendable 
dire6lion.  The  covenants  on  the  part  of  the  said  Jonathan  and 
Hannah  were  equally  curious.  They  were  not  to  put  any  other 
person  in  their  place  or  stead  ;  were  not  to  take  more  than  one 
crop  of  winter  corn  off  the  premises  in  each  three  years  \  nor  to 
sell,  steal  or  waste  any  timber,  except  for  rails  or  fire  wood.  The 
agreement  on  the  part  of  Jonathan  and  Hannah  that  they  would 
not  steal  the  timber,  would  imply  that  Henry  and  Sarah  ques- 
tioned their  honesty,  but  were  forced  to  entrust  the  education 
of  their  children  to  them  by  reason  of  the  few  persons  suitable 
for  such  a  purpose.  The  contradling  parties  appear  to  have 
understood  each  other  in  this  matter,  and  considered  it  best  to 
use  plain  terms,  not  susceptible  of  double  meaning  or  contro- 
versy. On  what  part  of  the  survey  was  laid  out  this  proportion- 
ately square  tra6l  of  land,  or,  on  what  part  of  the  same,  Jonathan 
and  Hannah  ere6led  their  seminary,  no  means  are  at  hand  to 
discover  ;  a  regret  that  all  must  feel,  in  view  of  its  being  the 
spot  where  commenced  the  intellectual  development  of  our 
country,  at  least  in  this  particular  section.  Jonathan  and  Han- 
nah's house,  "fit  to  live  in,"  was  nothing  more  than  a  log 
cabin,  of  one  room.  The  furniture  was  in  keeping,  and  the 
accommodation  of  the  scholars  may  well  be  conjeClured.  Little 
patience  and  plenty  of  birch  were  part  of  the  system  of  instruc- 
tion in  those  days,  and  lessons  in  "reading,  writing  and 
cyphering"  were  frequently  enforced  in  this  way,  and  thus 
made  a  lasting  impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  pupil.  With 
the  approbation  of  parents,  the  pedagogue  became  the  terror 
of  the  rising  generation  in  general,  and  of  evil-doers  in  par- 
ticular. 


282  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

■'  Well  had  the  boding  tremblers  learn'd  to  trace 
The  day's  disasters  in  his  morning  face. 
Full  well  they  laugh'd,  with  counterfeited  glee, 
At  all  his  jokes  ;  for  many  a  joke  had  he ; 
Full  well  the  busy  whisper,  circling  round, 
Convey'd  the  dismal  tidings  when  he  frown'd. 
Yet  he  was  kind,  or,  if  severe  in  aught. 
The  love  he  bore  to  learning  was  in  fault. 


But  past  is  all  his  fame.     The  very  spot 
Where  many  a  time  he  triumphed,  is  forgot." 

This  survey  lay  east  of,  and  adjoining  the  Graysbury  land, 
bounded  partly  by  Newton  creek  and  extending  to  John  Had- 
don's  estate;  now  owned  by  Rhoda  Hampton,  the  Websters, 
and  others.  The  house  ere6led  by  Robert  Montgomery  stood 
near  the  late  residence  of  John  M.  Whitall,  deceased,  at  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  old  Philadelphia  and  Egg  Harbor  road, 
which  then  crossed  Newton  creek  at  Atmore's  dam.  After 
residing  here  for  a  few  years,  the  owners  of  the  land  broke  up 
their  establishment,  and  returned  to  Monmouth  county,  leaving 
no  one  of  the  name  within  the  limits  of  Old  Newton.  Of  the 
Montgomery  family,  Thomas  H.  Montgomery,  of  Philadelphia, 
has  published  a  valuable  genealogical  history,  showing  a  com- 
mendable industry,  of  much  credit  to  the  author  and  interest  to 
the  reader. 


JOHN    HUGG. 


THERE  is  no  one  thing  that  interferes  so  much  with  the 
conne6ling  of  events  in  the  early  history  of  the  settlement 
of  New  Jersey  with  the  adventurers  who  originated  them,  as 
the  loss  of  the  names  of  the  passengers  that  came  over  in  the 
first  ships.  This  was  one  of  the  difficulties  that  Samuel  Smith 
sought  to  overcome  in  the  first  history  of  the  State;  but  the 
fewness  of  the  names  which  he  secured,  and  the  meagreness  of 
the  sketches  given  in  his  book,  show  that  he  has  failed  in  this 
particular.  In  isolated  cases  a  family  of  emigrants  may  be 
traced  beyond  the  sea;  but  this  is  the  case  only  when  litigated 
estates  find  a  record  among  the  archives  of  the  Commonwealth, 
involving  the  particular  family  before  such  emigration  took 
place.  It  is  remarkable  that  corre6l  and  complete  records  were 
not  kept  by  the  proprietors,  in  whose  interest  most  of  the  early 
settlers  came,  and  from  whom  the  title  to  their  land  had  to  be 
derived.  If  such  were  now  in  existence,  much  valuable  and 
interesting  information  could  be  obtained.  The  number  and 
the  names  of  the  vessels  that  arrived  here  have  but  a  vague  and 
uncertain  account  rendered  of  them,  while  the  families  and 
individuals  which  they  brought,  in  very  many  instances,  have 
been  lost  sight  of  altogether.  The  first  record  of  Salem  colony, 
in  1675,  gives  the  names  of  most  of  the  persons  that  came  over 
with  John  Fenwick;  but  there  doubtless  were  many  names  of 
heads  of  families,  and  of  those  who  afterwards  became  such, 
that  were  left  out  of  these  lists  ;  and  the  connection  of  such 
with  their  settlement  at  home  has  thus  been  entirely  destroyed. 


284  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

The  court  minutes  of  Burlington,  commenced  in  1680 — a  curious 
volume  in  its  way,  also  give  the  names  of  most  of  the  free- 
holders that  arrived ;  but  they  are  silent  concerning  such  as 
neither  held  land,  nor  fell  into  litigation  with  their  neighbors, 
constituting  a  large  number,  perhaps,  a  majority  of  those  that 
made  up  the  community. 

Through  this  kind  of  negleft,  it  is  impossible  to  trace  the 
history  of  persons  whose  participation  in  the  affairs  of  the 
colony  rendered  them  prominent  during  their  day  and  genera- 
tion ;  of  whose  antecedents  as  well  as  those  of  their  ancestors, 
it  would  be  desirable  to  know  something.  The  subjedl  of  this 
sketch  is  in  this  category. 

John  Hugg  was  probably  an  Irishman,  coming  from  the  parish 
of  Castle  Ellis,  in  the  county  of  Wexford,  Ireland.^  Although 
not  a  partner  in  the  Newton  settlement,  he  had  some  dealings 
with  those  adventurers,  and  was  acquainted  with  them  in  the 
mother  country.  He  was  a  Friend,  since,  in  1669,  he  was 
imprisoned  for  not  paying  a  tax  to  repair  the  church  at  Rosan- 
ellis.  Queens'  county,  Ireland."  He  was  a  man  of  considerable 
estate,  but  was  not  a  partner  in  the  enterprise  that  brought  his 
wife's  family  to  New  Jersey,  neither  does  his  name  appear  in 
any  of  the  proceedings  in  relation  to  the  title  of  their  land. 
His  first  residence  stood  upon  the  Browning  estate,  where  Little 
Timber  creek  falls  into  Great  Timber  creek,  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  river  Delaware,  commanding  a  view  of  both  streams, 
as  well  as  of  much  of  the  river  before  his  house.  For  the  pur- 
poses of  a  landing,  and  for  the  accommodation  of  the  immediate 
neighborhood,  none  better  could  be  procured ;  this  made  it  a 
public  place  for  many  years  after  the  death  of  the  first  owner, 
as  a  wharf  for  wood  and  lumber  to  be  taken  away,  and  for  hay 
brought  thither  from  the  river  islands,  to  be  consumed  among 
the  farmers  in  that  region. 

His  first  location  included  five  hundred  acres,  which  he  pur- 
chased of  Robert  Zane  in  1683;  the  property  was  bounded  by 
both  streams,  extending  more  than  a  mile  up  the  same,  and  by  a 
line  running  nearly  south  from  one  to  the  other. '^   At  this  writing, 


1  Lib.  EF,  246. 

2  Friends'  Writings. 

3  Revel's  Boole,  55. 


JOHN  HUGG.  285 

it  is  probable  that  very  bttle  of  the  old  head-line  is  in  existence, 
as  the  exchange  and  division  of  real  estate  adjoining  the  same, 
since  its  first  running,  have  destroyed  its  identity.*  For  some 
reason,  the  owner  devised  part  of  said  tra6l  of  land  to  his  great - 
grand-son  William  Hugg,  who  did  not  come  into  possession  of 
the  same  for  nearly  a  half  century, — showing  the  desire  on  the 
part  of  the  donor  to  keep  his  estate  in  the  name  and  family.^ 
During  that  lapse  of  time,  a  bridge  was  built  over  the  Great 
Timber  Creek,  and  a  highway  established  between  Salem  and 
Burlington,  which  has  also  been  changed  and  improved  since 
the  first  laying  out.  What  was  then  an  unbroken  forest,  has  in 
these  latter  years  been  brought  into  cultivation,  and  is  now 
among  the  most  valuable  of  our  real  estate. 

The  place  where  John  Hugg's  house  stood  has  much  of  his- 
toric interest  about  it  from  the  fa6l  of  its  being  claimed  as  the 
spot  where  stood  Fort  Nassau,  which  was  built  by  the  Dutch  in 
1623,  and  was  the  first  attempt  at  settlement  by  the  Europeans 
on  the  shores  of  the  river  Delaware.  This,  for  many  years,  has 
been  a  mooted  question  among  historians  without  any  approach 
to  a  conclusion,  and  it  may  always  so  be.  Of  the  existence 
of  such  fort,  called  by  that  name,  built  ~by  the  Hollanders  and 
near  that  place,  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  yet  the  exa6l  spot 
where  it  stood  will  always  remain  an  open  question,  and  a 
fruitful  subject  of  controversy  among  antiquarians.  On  Van- 
derdonck's  map  of  1656,  it  is  placed  below  the  mouth  of 
Great  Timber  creek.  The  map  found  in  Campanius's  history 
has  the  fort  in  the  same  place,  and  Gabriel  Thomas  marks  it 
upon  his  map  as  a  Dutch  fort  above  the  mouth  of  Cooper's 
creek.  Upon  a  map  of  the  Dutch  and  Swedish  settlements 
along  the  Delaware,  attached  to  Ferris' s  history,  this  point  of 
dispute  is  placed  where  the  city  of  Gloucester  now  stands,  and 
is  stated  to  have  been  ere6led  twenty  years  before  the  fort  at 
Elsinburg  was  built,  or  a  settlement  attempted  to  be  made  at 
that  place.  Other  maps  made  in  the  interest  of  the  various 
claimants,  extending  in  date  from  1656  to  1702,  put  the  fort  in 
different  places,  but  always  within  a  few  miles  of  the  mouth  of 

4  Dividend  Book,  21,  O.  S.  G. 

5  Bull's  Book,  106,  O.  S.  G. 


286  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Timber  creek ;  but  as  none  of  these  were  published  until  after 
it  was  destroyed  by  the  natives,  such  authorities  may  themselves 
be  questionable  upon  this  subje6l. 

The  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  being  much  inter- 
ested in  the  settlement  of  this  question,  in  1852  appointed  a 
committee  to  institute  inquiries  touching  the  location  of  Fort 
Nassau,  in  which  Edward  Armstrong,  of  Philadelphia,  took  an 
a6live  part,  and  visited  several  places  near  Gloucester  for  that 
purpose.®  From  what  was  colle6led,  this  gentleman  prepared 
and  read  a  paper  before  that  Society,  and  also  before  the  New 
Jersey  Association  ;  this  paper  was  exhaustive  and  interesting, 
yet  he  leaves  the  difficulty  about  where  he  found  it,  to  be  pursued 
by  some  ambitious  person  determined  to  accomplish  that  in 
which  all  his  predecessors  have  failed.  The  attention  of  Mr. 
Armstrong  was  called  to  the  particular  spot  above  named  by 
John  Redfield,  a  gentleman  who  has  for  many  years  resided  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  taken  much  interest  in  the  discovery  of 
the  site  of  the  old  fort. 

A  daughter  of  this  gentleman  having  upon  one  occasion 
brought  home  a  rare  flower  from  the  river  shore,  one  which, 
he  suspe6led,  was  not  indigenous,  he  visited  the  spot  where  it 
was  plucked,  and  found  pieces  of  Dutch  brick  and  ware  near 
by,  and  portions  of  a  wall  surmounted  by  a  few  logs,  indicating 
the  remains  of  a  redoubt  or  building  ereded  for  defence.  This 
evidence  is  certainly  very  strong,  and,  in  the  absence  of  better, 
will  go  far  towards  settling  this  much  vexed  question.  The 
interval  of  two  hundred  and  forty-six  years  leaves  a  wide  gap  in 
the  history  of  events  ;  and  a  careful  preservation  of  interme- 
diate occurrences  must  happen,  or  else  the  corroding  hand  of 
time  will  destroy  every  trace. 

Whether  the  house  of  John  Hugg  stood  upon  the  site  of  the 
old  fort,  partly  built  of  Dutch  brick  and  surrounded  by  Dutch 
flowers,  cannot  be  settled  at  this  writing,  but  it  is  certain  that 
he  remained  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1706.^ 
His  children  consisted  of  four  sons :  John,  who  married  Priscilla 
Collins  ;  Elias,  who  married  Margaret  Collins  (both  daughters 
of  Francis)  ;  Joseph,  who  married  Sarah ;  and  Charles. 

6  Proceedings  of  N.  J.  His.  Society,  Vol.  6,  loo,  102,  157,  185. 

7  Lib.  No.  I,  166, 


JOHN  HUGG.  287 

He  was  probably  a  middle-aged  man  when  he  came  to  New 
Jersey,  and  his  children  of  marriageable  age,  for  they  soon  set- 
tled around  him  and  became  prominent  citizens.  Excepting  as 
a  member  of  the  colonial  Legislature  in  1685,  he  does  not  appear 
to  have  participated  in  political  affairs,  and  but  little  is  known 
of  him  beyond  his  buying  and  selling  of  real  estate  in  the 
se6lion  where  he  lived.*  Among  that  which  he  disposed  of,  was 
a  lot  in  Gloucester,  sold  to  Henry  Jennings,  of  Salem,  in  1703.^ 

This  is  probably  the  individual  about  whom  so  much  inquiry 
has  been  made,  as  being  the  connedling  link  between  a  large 
number  of  descendants  scattered  through  this  region,  and  a 
fabulous  amount  of  money  held  in  abeyance  in  the  strong 
government  chest  in  old  England,  seeking  for  an  owner  through 
his  blood.  He  was  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  Jennings,  of 
the  parish  of  Clemond-deane,  in  the  county  of  Surrey,  Eng- 
land. He  was  born  7th  month,  21st,  1642,  and  married  Margaret 
Busse,  of  the  parish  of  St.  Bartholomew,  London,  ist  month, 
1 8th,  1666,  a  daughter  of  Paul  Busse  of  York  city."  Their  last 
abode  before  emigrating  was  at  Kingston-near-on-the-Thames. 
They  came  to  Salem  in  the  ship  Kent,  and  arrived  6th  month, 
23d,  1677.  By  occupation,  he  was  a  tailor.  He  became  the 
owner  of  considerable  estate  in  Salem  and  the  neighborhood, 
where  he  remained  several  years  after  his  settlement  there." 
His  name  frequently  occurs  among  those  of  the  first  settlers ; 
but  whether  he  was  the  prospe6live  heir  to  the  immense  estates 
which  his  descendants  claim  for  him,  may  appear  in  the  future. 
He  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  deceased  in  1705,  leaving 
but  a  small  family  and  a  limited  amount  of  property.''^ 

His  widow  survived  him,  and  in  her  will  made  mention  of 
his  family,  and  thus  did  much  to  conne6l  her  husband  with  those 
of  that  name  in  these  parts,  with  which,  with  but  little  trouble, 
the  relation  could  be  made  complete. ^^  In  that  writing  she  gave 
a  portion  of  her  real  estate  to  Isaac  Jennings  and  Sarah  Jennings, 
^^ reputed  son  and  daughter  of  my  husband,  Henry  Jennings,'"- — a 
significent  expression,  and  one  that  may  clear  up  a  long  con- 
tinued difficulty. 


8  Lib.  03,470.  II  Salem  Records. 

9  Basse's  Book,  in.  12  Files  of  Salem  Wills. 
JO  Salem  Records.                                                                        13  Gloucester  Files,  1718. 


288  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

As  a  starting  point,  however,  his  settlement  here  is  material, 
and,  if  accepted  as  a  basis,  might  lead  to  valuable  developments 
in  both  dire6lions.  If  the  half  be  true  that  is  said  of  the 
barrels  of  coin  and  square  miles  of  land  awaiting  the  lawful 
claimants,  more  persistent  efforts  may  be  made  to  secure  their 
distribution  among  the  patient,  yet  hopeful  owners. 

John  Hugg,  Jr.,  was  one  of  the  most  a<5live  public  men  of  his 
day.  For  six  years  from  1695,  he  was  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
several  courts  of  Gloucester  county,  and,  for  ten  years,  was 
sele6led  by  the  governor  as  one  of  his  council,  an  evidence 
of  his  worth  as  a  just  and  upright  man.  In  1703,  he  was 
appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  purchase  land  of  the 
Indians,  and  to  adopt  a  plan  with  that  people  to  colle6l  them 
together  in  certain  localities  in  West  Jersey, — a  duty  which 
required  good  judgment  and  much  delicacy,  so  as  to  avoid 
the  difficulties  that  generally  attend  such  undertakings,  and 
frequently  led  to  the  shedding  of  blood:  The  strong  attach- 
ment of  the  Indian  to  the  home  of  his  childhood  and  the  graves 
of  his  ancestors,  has  always  been  a  marked  feature  in  him,  and 
the  attempt  to  break  in  upon  these  feelings  has  seldom  ended  in 
peace.  In  the  discharge  of  these  duties,  however,  the  commis- 
sioners accomplished  everything,  and,  in  after  years,  the  last  of 
this  people  took  their  departure  for  other  and  better  hunting 
grounds,  without  a  word  of  censure  or  reproach  towards  those 
who,  very  soon  thereafter,  occupied  their  abandoned  possessions. 

The  last  public  position  that  he  held,  was  perhaps  that  of 
sheriff,  to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1726,  and  in  which  he 
served  for  four  years."  Between  1696  and  17 10,  he  made 
several  locations  of  land  between  Great  and  Little  Timber 
creeks,  extending  nearly  to  the  head  of  the  latter  and  across  to 
the  former,  including  what  is  now  known  as  the  Crispin  farm, 
which,  taken  in  connexion  with  the  surveys  made  by  his  father, 
brought  all  that  territory  within  the  one  family,  from  whom 
the  title  can  be  traced.^*  He  also  made  surveys  on  Mantua  and 
Raccoon  creeks  in  Gloucester  county,  and  on  AUoway's  creek 
in  Salem  county. 


14  Lib.  AAA,  193. 

15  Lib,  A.  19  to  no,  O.  S,  G. 


JOHN  HUGG.  289 

In  1703,  he  conveyed  to  the  church  wardens  of  the  Swedish 
church   at    Raccoon,    in    Gloucester   county,  one   lot  of  land 
^' where  the  church  was  late  ereded,''  and  also  another  tradl  on 
Raccoon    creek. ^*    The   church   wardens    were   Wollo    Dalbo, 
William  Cobb,  Wollo  Peterson  and  Frederick  Hoffman.     This 
church  is  one  of  the  connedling  links  of  the  present  with  the 
early  history  of  the  settlements  of  West  New  Jersey,  the  history 
of  which  deserves  preservation.^'     His  wife,  as  the  daughter  of 
Francis  Collins,  had  received  from  her  father  part  of  one  of  his 
surveys,  which  John  Hugg  and  wife,  in  conne6tion  with  parts 
of  his  own  land,  conveyed  to  John  Hinchman  in  1699.'®    This 
grant  extended  to  the  north  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Newton 
creek,  including  about  one  thousand  acres  of  land  ;  the  remain- 
der of  his  estate  reached  southwardly  to  Great  Timber  creek, 
showing  his  landed  property  to  have  been  large  and,  even  at 
that  early  day,  very  valuable.     The  residence  of  this  man  was 
probably  near  the  last  named  stream,  on  that  part  now  known 
as  the  Crispin  estate,  which  he  called  "Plain  Hope  ;"  where  a 
great  breadth  of  meadow  land  was  secured,  and  the  advantage 
of  navigation  enjoyed.     He  was  noted  for  the  great  number  of 
slaves  in  his  possession,  the  descendants  of  whom  now  constitute 
a  large  part  of  the  colored  population  among  us. 

John  Hugg  deceased  in  1730,  his  death  being  noticed  by 
Smith  in  his  history  of  New  Jersey,  in  which  reference  is  made 
to  his  services  as  a  public  man  and  a  trust-worthy  public  ser- 
vant.^* He  was  found  on  the  ground  near  his  house,  speechless ; 
he  died  the  same  day,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His 
second  wife  (Elizabeth  Newbie,  whom  he  married  in  1714),  and 
the  following  named  children,  survived  him :  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Lippincott  ;  Hannah,  Sarah,  Priscilla,  Joseph, 
Gabriel,  John,  Elias  and  Jacob.  John  died  under  age,  and 
Elias  without  children. 

The  old  homestead  fell  to  the  share  of  Elias  Hugg,  who  lived 
in  the  domicile  occupied  by  his  father,  where  he  doubtless  kept 
a  store  to  supply  watermen  and  lumber  dealers  with  such  provi- 
sions as  they  found  necessary.     The  occupation  and  charadler 


16  Lib.  EF.  126.  18  Lib.  G3,  279. 

17  Lib.  A,  183.  19  Smith's  Historj'  of  N.  J.,  424. 

19 


290  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

of  his  customers  made  whiskey  and  tobacco  large  items  in  his 
sales,  and  his  premises  furnished  the  scene  of  many  carousals 
among  them  when  detained  by  wind  or  tide. 

The  land  that  Francis  Collins  conveyed  to  Margaret,  the 
wife  of  Elias  Hugg,^°  they  sold  before  the  death  of  her  father ; 
part  of  this  was  purchased  by  Simeon  Ellis,  being  bounded 
on  the  south  side  by  the  north  branch  of  Cooper's  creek. 
It  included  the  town  of  Ellisburg,  and  several  surrounding  farms. 
Other  tradls  they  disposed  of  to  various  persons,  and,  at  her 
death,  none  of  her  estate  remained  in  their  possession. ^^ 

Joseph  Hugg  settled  at  Gloucester  Point,  as  known  in  1722, 
and  kept  the  ferry  for  several  years  after  that  time.  The  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  the  ferry  from  Gloucester  to  Wick- 
aco  can  be  traced  through  the  records  with  much  accuracy, 
showing  that,  although  the  distance  was  greater  than  ordinary, 
yet  the  demand  for  transportation  was  sufficient  to  make  it 
remunerative.  This,  like  others  of  its  day,  consisted  of  an 
ope^  flat-boat,  worked  with  long  sweeps  and  small  sails,  but 
controlled  very  much  by  the  movement  of  the  tide.  The  first 
license  for  a  ferry  between  the  points  above  named,  was  granted 
by  the  county  courts  to  William  Royden,  in  1688,  one  year 
before  the  town  was  laid  out  by  Thomas  Sharp. ^'^  Wickaco  had 
also  been  put  in  shape  by  the  surveyor  sent  out  by  William 
Penn;  and  what  had  been  the  residence  of  a  few  Swedes  and 
Finns,  was  now  the  embryo  city  of  Philadelphia,  with  straight 
and  redlangular  streets,  meeting-houses  and  markets.  In  1695, 
John  Reading  became  the  owner,  and  was  licensed  by  the  same 
authority.''^  In  1707,  John  Spey  (whose  term  of  office  as  sheriff 
had  just  expired,)  became  the  proprietor,  and  so  continued 
until  1722,  when  Joseph  Hugg  succeeded  him.^*  He  maintained 
it  for  eight  years,  and  disposed  of  the  same  to  Richard  Wildon, 
who  was  followed  by  John  Ladd  in  1735.  -^^  roads  were 
straightened  and  improved,  bridges  built  and  the  country  more 
thickly  settled.  Cooper's  ferries  had  the  preference  among  trav- 
elers, since  the  distance  across  the  river  was  much  shortened, 
with  less  risk  and  much  greater  speed.     These  advantages  had 


20  Lib.  G3,  71.  23  Lib.  AAA,  80. 

ai  Lib.  S,  No.  6,  338,  O.  S.  G.  24  Lib.  AAA,  iSa. 

22  Gloucester  Records. 


JOHN  HUGG.  291 

their  effedl,  which  the  public  were  prompt  in  discovering,  and 
the  Gloucester  ferry,  with  varying  fortunes,  maintained  but  a 
secondary  importance,  until  the  introdudlion  of  steam  and 
other  various  improvements  on  both  shores  of  the  river.  It 
need  hardly  be  said  here  that  Gloucester  was  the  county  town 
for  many  years,  where  the  courts  were  held  and  the  records 
kept.  In  the  progress  of  improvement,  it  gradually  lost  its 
central  position  and  became  less  desirable  for  such  purposes; 
it  was  ultimately  abandoned,  and  soon  forgotten  as  the  political 
and  judicial  nucleus  of  the  old  bailiwick.  In  the  early  days  of 
the  colony,  the  records  were  not  considered  of  much  value,  and 
were  kept  in  the  dwelling  of  the  clerk,  in  constant  danger  of 
loss  by  fire  or  miscarriage.  An  affidavit  of  John  Reading,  made 
in  1 71 1,  in  which  year  he  was  clerk,  has  been  entered  among 
the  books  at  Burlington,  showing  that  his  house  was  burned  in 
that  year,  and  that  many  deeds  and  other  valuable  papers  were 
destroyed. ^^  This  accounts  for  the  absence  of  many  title  papers 
often  inquired  for,  but  never  found,  as  well  as  for  a  break  in 
the  records  of  Old  Gloucester,  that  has  led  to  much  trouble 
among  land  owners  and  claimants. 

Joseph  Hugg  deceased  in  1757,  leaving  but  two  children, 
Samuel  and  Joseph.^"  The  family  at  this  day  is  limited, 
and  a  continued  decrease,  for  the  next  half  century,  may  leave 
none  of  the  name,  where,  for  nearly  one  hundred  years,  it  was 
as  numerous  as  any  other.  The  large  landed  estate  once  in 
possession  of  the  second  generation  has  long  since  passed  away 
from  the  blood,  only  to  be  remembered  among  the  blurred  deeds 
and  musty  records  of  the  past.  Although  the  collateral  branches 
of  the  family  maintained  through  the  female  line,  are  numerous, 
yet  a  fatality  seems  to  have  attended  the  other  sex  and  to  have 
well  nigh  extirpated  it  from  among  us. 

25  Lib.  BBB,  9'3. 

26  Lib.  No.  9,  66. 


SAMUEL  SPICER. 


SAMUEL  SPICER  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Michal  Spicer, 
and  was  born  in  New  England,  prior  to  1640.  In  1685, 
he  (Samuel)  purchased  of  Samuel  Cole,  part  of  his  tra6l  of 
five  hundred  acres,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  mouth  of 
Cooper's  creek,  and  fronting  on  the  Delaware  river,  in  Water- 
ford,  now  Stockton  township,  Camden  county.^  The  deed  of 
conveyance  says  that  he  then  lived  at  Gravesend,  on  Long 
Island ;  whence  came  himself,  his  wife  Esther,  and  three  chil- 
dren, the  next  year,  and  settled  thereon.  Esther  was  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  Tilton  of  Gravesend ;  but  they  were  married 
at  Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island,  the  21st  of  the  third  month,  1665.* 
Gravesend  is  one  of  the  towns  or  townships  of  King's  county, 
New  York ;  it  has  an  ancient  historical  record  running  back  to 
1640,  about  which  time  a  few  English  Quakers  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  joined  a  number  of  others  who  were  dire<5l  from 
England.  It  is  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  Island, 
fronting  on  the  sea,  where  the  ' '  Narrows ' '  open  into  the  Atlantic 
ocean.  Like  many  other  towns  of  that  date,  it  originated  in 
the  persecution  of  Friends,  of  whom  some  had  previously 
settled  in  America,  where  intolerance  was  as  vindictive  and 
overbearing  as  at  home ;  and  some  had  come  to  seek  an  asylum 
free  from  such  evils,  in  which  religious  opinions  could  be 
developed  and  enjoyed.     Among  those  who  came  from  Massa- 


1  Lib  A,  44.    Lib.  Gi,  iii. 

2  Friends'  Records,  Long  Island. 


294  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

chusetts  was  the  lady  Deborah  Moody,  a  woman  of  rank, 
education  and  wealth,  who  entertained  opinions  in  common 
with  the  followers  of  George  Fox,  and  who  had '  become  an 
obje(5l  of  disfavor  and  ill-treatment  among  the  Puritans  of  the 
Bay  State. 

The  patent  for  the  town  was  obtained  from  Governor  Kieft, 
in  1645,  ^^^  among  the  patentees  was  the  name  of  the  female 
hereinbefore  named,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  person  of 
decided  opinions  ;  this  ultimately  led  her  into  difficulty  with 
the  elders  of  the  church,  and  caused  her  to  be  expelled  there- 
from, after  which  she  removed  to  Long  Island.  The  immediate 
cause  of  her  excommunication  was  her  assertion  that  "infant 
baptism  was  no  ordinance  of  God,"  which,  together  with  her 
adherence  to  the  doctrines  of  George  Fox,  made  her  obnox- 
ious to  the  rulers  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts. 

Thomas  Spicer  was  one  of  this  little  colony,  and  was  the  head 
of  a  family,  for,  in  1656,  among  the  freeholders  of  the  town, 
may  be  found  the  names  of  Samuel  Spicer,  Jacob  Spicer  and 
Thomas  Spicer,  who  were  probably  his  sons,  having  then  grown 
to  manhood  and  there  settled.  That  Samuel  Spicer,  the  person 
who  bought  the  land  of  Samuel  Cole  in  1685,  was  a  member  of 
this  family,  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  and,  if  the  records  of 
Friends  made  at  that  date  were  accessible,  the  family  could  be 
traced  beyond  the  sea.^"*'^ 

Tradition  says  that  Samuel  Spicer  purchased  his  land  one  year 
before  he  came  to  settle  on  the  same,  from  which  it  may  be 
inferred  that  he  had  been  in  this  region,  examining  the  various 
localities,  or  perchance  on  a  religious  visit  among  the  few  who 
had  taken  up  their  residence  here,  and  whose  religious  notions 
agreed  with  his  own.  Henry  Wood,  who  had  purchased  a  part 
of  the  same  tracSl,  was  already  a  resident,  around  whom  a  few 
emigrants  had  made  their  homes,  generally  choosing  the  land 
fronting  on  Cooper's  creek  in  preference  to  that  upon  the  river; 
which  land  had  been,  however,  located  and  somewhat  improved 
before  his  coming.  As  the  land  was  occupied,  'and  the  inhabi- 
tants increased,  facilities  for  travel  became  necessary,  and  various 
means  were  used  to  accommodate  the  public,  the  first  of  which 

3  Lib.  A,  44.     4  Lib.  Gi,  iii.     5  Lib.  Bi,  66. 


SAMUEL  SPICER.  295 

appear  to  have  been  ''ferries,"  across  the  smaller  streams  at 
various  points,  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  fording  at  places  near 
their  source,  which  would  have  added  much  to  the  distance 
between  certain  towns  and  more  thickly  inhabited  se6lions. 

Burlington  county,  about  the  present  city  of  Burlington,  had 
filled  up  with  people  more  rapidly  than  any  other  part  of  West 
Jersey ;  and,  as  land  travel  had  begun  between  these  parts  and 
the  embryo  city  of  Philadelphia,  Samuel  Spicer  soon  found  that 
his  plantation  lay  in  the  most  dire(5l  route  between  the  two  points, 
and  that  a  ferry  over  Cooper's  creek  was  needed  to  maintain 
this  line  of  travel.  Such  ferry  he  established,  which  was  situ- 
ated near  the  site  of  the  present  bridge,  and  was  always  known 
as  "  Spicer's  ferry".  It  consisted  simply  of  a  flat-boat,  suffi- 
ciently large,  whereon  to  stand  a  few  horses  or  cattle,  moved  by 
ropes  on  each  shore,  and  only  used  when  some  one  wished  to  go 
over,  provided  the  ferrymen  were  in  good  humor  and  the  pay 
large  enough  to  compensate  for  their  labor ;  the  demands  of  the 
public,  or  the  wishes  of  travelers,  being  a  secondary  considera- 
tion. 

This  ferry  was  maintained  until  1747,  when  a  new  straight 
road  was  laid  from  Burlington  to  Cooper's  ferries,  and  a  bridge 
was  eredled  in  its  stead.®  This  was  a  draw  bridge,  and  proves 
that  considerable  trade  was  carried  on  along  Cooper's  creek 
by  means  of  vessels  transporting  wood  and  lumber  to  Phila- 
delphia, which  trade  had  its  claims  as  well  as  those  who  traveled 
by  land.  The  manner  in  which  the  funds  were  to  be  raised 
to  build  this  bridge,  as  provided  in  the  law,  is  worthy  of  notice, 
and  shows  that  the  purpose  of  the  Legislature  was  to  make  such 
of  the  inhabitants  pay  for  its  ere6lion  as  were  most  to  be  accom- 
modated therewith.  In  the  a6l,  the  commissioners  were  dire6led 
to  receive  voluntary  contributions  for  six  months,  and  then  to 
assess  the  remainder  of  the  cost  on  the  inhabitants  of  all  the 
townships  of  the  county  of  Burlington  except  the  townships  of 
Nottingham  and  Egg  Harbor,  and  upon  the  inhabitants  of  that 
part  of  Waterford  township  in  Gloucester  county  which  extended 
from  the  river  to  the  Salem  road,  and  upon  Cooper's  ferries.'' 
This  shows  how  sparse  were  the  settlements  in  Burlington  and 


6  Lib.  Gi,  no. 

7  Laws  of  1747. 


296  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Gloucester  counties  at  that  day,  and  what  part  of  the  territory- 
was  to  be  accommodated  by  a  bridge  in  the  place  of  a  ferry. 

Samuel  Spicer  took  a  leading  part  in  the  religious  and  political 
affairs  of  the  colony,  and  his  name  may  be  found  in  many 
matters  of  public  interest  whereby  the  development  of  the 
country  was  to  be  advanced.  In  religious  matters  he  was  a 
consistent  and  faithful  member  of  his  profession.  For  a  long  time 
meetings  of  public  worship  were  held  at  his  house  ;  these  were 
continued  after  his  death  by  his  widow,  who  was  also  an  a6live 
member  in  the  same  denomination.  In  1687,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  several  courts  of  Gloucester  county; 
he  also  filled  other  offices  of  minor  importance.  His  will  was 
executed  in  1692,  in  which  year  he  probably  died.* 

Esther  Spicer,  his  widow,  remained  upon  the  homestead  estate, 
entertaining  many  Friends,  and  extending  her  hospitality  to 
the  large  circle  of  acquaintances  that  surrounded  her.  On  the 
24th  day  of  the  Seventh  month,  1703,  she  was  killed  by  light- 
ning in  her  own  house,  together  with  Esther  Saxby,  her  servant, 
and  Richard  Thackara,  son  of  Thomas,  he  being  about  eleven 
years  of  age.  This  event  is  still  preserved  among  the  traditions 
of  the  family.  The  sudden  death  of  this  person,  at  that  season 
of  the  year,  necessitated  an  early  burial.  The  funeral  occurred 
the  night  after  her  decease,  the  family  and  friends  going  in  boats 
down  Cooper's  creek  to  the  river,  and  by  the  river  to  Newton 
creek,  and  thence  to  the  Newton  graveyard,  the  place  of  inter- 
ment. Each  boat  being  provided  with  torches,  the  scene  upon 
the  water  must  have  been  pidluresque  indeed.  To  the  colonists 
it  was  a  sad  spe6lacle,  when  they  saw  one  so  much  esteemed 
among  them  being  borne  to  her  last  resting  place.  To  the 
Indians,  it  was  a  grand  and  impressive  sight..  Arasapha,  the 
king,  and  others  of  his  people  attended  the  solemn  procession 
in  their  canoes,  thus  showing  their  respe6t  for  one,  the  cause  of 
whose  death  struck  them  with  awe  and  reverence.  The  deep, 
dark  forest  that  stood  close  down  to  the  shores  of  the  streams 
almost  reje6led  the  light,  as  it  came  from  the  burning  brands  of 
pine  carried  in  the  boats ;  and,  as  they  passed  under  the  thick 
foliage,  a  shadow  was  scarcely  refledled  from  the  water.     The 


8  Gloucester  Files  of  1692, 


SAMUEL  SPICER,  297 

colonists  in  their  plain  and  unassuming  apparel,  the  aborigines 
clad  in  gaudy  and  significant  robes,  and  the  negro  slaves  (as 
oarsmen)  with  their  almost  nude  bodies,  must  have  presented, 
from  the  shore,  a  rare  and  striking  pidlure.  Here — all  unde- 
signed— was  the  funeral  of  a  Friend,  in  which  ostentation  and 
display  are  always  avoided,  made  one  of  the  grandest  pageants 
that  the  fancy  could  imagine,  a  fertile  subjedl  for  the  pencil  of 
the  artist,  and  one  well  deserving  an  effort  to  portray  its  beauty. 

She  left  a  will  and  disposed  of  her  estate,  which  together  with 
that  of  her  deceased  husband,  as  retained  by  her,  passed  at  that 
time  to  their  children.  The  last  will  of  each  of  them  may  be 
found  on  file  in  the  office  of  secretary  of  state  at  Trenton ;  these 
prove  them  to  have  been  persons  of  education,  and  of  consider- 
able property.®  Their  children  were  born  at  Gravesend,  where 
the  names  and  ages  of  each  may  be  found  entered  in  the  books 
of  the  Friends'  Meeting  of  that  place.  ^"  They  were  as  follows  : 
Abraham,  born  1666  ;   Jacob,  born  1668,  who  married  Judith 

;    Mary,    born     1671,    who    married    Jeremiah    Bates; 

Martha,  born  1676,  who  married  Joseph  Brown  and  Thomas 
Chalkley  ;  Sarah,  born  1677,  who  married  Daniel  Cooper; 
Abigail,  born    1683,  who   married    Daniel    Stanton  ;    Thomas, 

born ,  who  married  Abigail  Davenport ;  and  Samuel,  born 

,  who  married . 

The  old  graveyard,  which  is  on  the  land  settled  by  Henry 
Wood,  where  many  of  the  Spicers  were  buried,  is  still  in  exist- 
ence, and  some  degree  of  care  has  been  given  to  it  by  the 
descendants  of  the  family.  It  is  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Lemuel  Horner,  near  the  site  of  the  Camden  city  water  works. 
As  in  many  similar  instances,  the  rule  of  Friends  was  observed, 
and  no  memorials  were  placed  at  the  graves  of  the  first  settlers 
of  the  soil, — a  source  of  unceasing  regret  with  such  as  care  to 
know  the  resting  place  of  their  ancestors.  It  is  particularly 
unfortunate  for  those  in  search  of  old  things,  as  much  valuable 
information  is  often  obtained  from  this  source,  which,  but  for 
this,  would  be  entirely  lost. 

Samuel  Spicer,  in  his  will,  gave  his  son  Jacob  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  attached  to  the  homestead,  bounded  by  the  river 


9  Gloucester  Files,  1702. 
10  Lib.  G3,  257.      Proceedings  of  N.  J.  His.  Society,  Vol.  ix,  02. 


298  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Delaware  and  Cooper's  creek;  and  to  his  other  sons,  Samuel 
and  Thomas,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  each.  Samuel 
died  a  minor,  and  his  portion  of  land  passed  to  his  brother 
Jacob.  Subsequently,  in  1728,  Jacob  and  Thomas  made  an 
exchange  of  land  by  which  Jacob's  amount  of  acres  was 
increased  to  two  hundred  and  sixty,  and  Thomas's,  whose 
plantation  fronted  the  creek,  had  somewhat  less  within  its 
boundaries.  Thomas  remained  on  this  property,  and  died 
in  1759,  leaving  a  will."  His  children  were  as  follows  :  Jacob, 
who  married  Mary  Lippincott ;  Thomas,  who  married  Rebecca 
Day ;  and  Samuel,  who  married  Abigail  Willard  and  Sarah 
Potter.  From  this  branch  of  the  family,  came  those  of  the 
collateral  issue,  who  retain  the  blood  in  these  parts,  although 
the  name  has  disappeared  for  many  years. 

In  the  year  1 7 1 1 ,  Jacob  and  Thomas  made  a  division  of  some 
other  portion  of  their  landed  estate  ;^^  and,  in  the  same  year, 
Jacob  sold  parts  of  his  share  of  the  paternal  property  to  Samuel 
Burrough  and  other  persons. ^^ 

Jacob  removed  to  Cape  May  county,  where  he  settled  as  early 
as  1 69 1.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  1709  to 
1723,  and  surrogate  of  that  county  from  the  last  named  year  to 
1 741,  and  for  many  years  one  of  the  judges  of  the  court.  He 
was  born  in  1668,  and  deceased  in  1741."  The  reading  of  the 
minutes  of  the  proceedings  of  the  legislature  during  the  time  in 
which  he  sat  as  a  member,  discloses  many  curious  things.  One 
of  the  troubles  was  the  difficulty  of  keeping  a  quorum  present 
to  do  business  ;  and  the  sergeant-at-arms  was  always  busy  in 
hunting  for  absentees.  In  1716,  this  officer  went  to  Gloucester, 
Salem  and  Cape  May  counties  in  search  of  delinquents.  It  was, 
at  that  day,  a  toilsome  and  difficult  journey,  even  under  more 
propitious  circumstances.  These  representatives  heard  of  his 
coming,  and,  suspe6ling  the  purpose  of  his  visit,  started  for  Bur- 
lington by  another  road  than  that  usually  traveled.  Striking 
their  trail,  he  pursued  them  with  his  warrant  of  arrest  nearly  to 
Gloucester,  where,  again  to  avoid  him,  they  betook  themselves  to 
the  water,  and  crossed  the  river  into  Pennsylvania.  Here  the 
sergeant-at-arms  was  completely  at  fault,  and  no  remedy  was 

II  Lib.  No.  9,  306.  13  Lib.  A,  205. 

13  Lib.  A,  45.  14  Lib.  No.  4,  318. 


SAMUEL   SPICER.  299 

left  to  him  but  to  report  to  the  speaker  of  assembly.  Some  of 
them  appeared  in  a  few  days  and  were  reprimanded  ;  but  Jacob 
Spicer  returned  home,  and  writs  were  issued  for  a'new  ele6lion 
in  Cape  May  county.  This  did  not  cure  the  difficulty,  for  Jacob 
was  again  ele6led,  and  still  negle6led  to  appear  as  the  represent- 
ative from  that  county.  Another  warrant  was  issued,  and  the 
officer  on  this  occasion,  found  him  sick  in  bed.  Not  to  be 
cheated,  the  sergeant  required  the  honorable  member  to  proceed 
to  Burlington  with  him,  and  appear  at  the  bar  of  the  house, 
according  to  the  requirements  of  authority  in  him  vested. 
Jacob  pleaded  indisi)osition,  and  was  released  until  he  recovered  ; 
at  which  time  he  explained  his  absence,  and  was  allowed  to  take 
his  seat  as  a  member. 

His  son,  Jacob  Spicer,  deserves  a  more  particular  notice.  He 
was  born  in  1716,  and  became  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
1744;  which  station  he  occupied  for  a  period  of  twenty-one 
years,  first  in  conne6lion  with  Henry  Young,  and  afterwards, 
until  his  death,  with  Aaron  Leaming.  He  bore  a  prominent 
part  in  the  proceedings  and  business  of  the  house,  and  was 
appointed,  in  conne6lion  with  Aaron  Leaming,  to  revise  the 
laws  of  the  State;  and  "Leaming  and  Spicer's  "  colle6lion, 
the  result  of  their  labors,  is  well  known  at  this  day  as  a  faithful 
exposition  of  the  statutes.  He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  habits, 
of  strong  and  vigorous  imagination,  and  stri6lly  faithful  in  his 
business  relations  with  his  fellow  men. 

He  married  Judith,  daughter  of  Humphrey  Hughes,  who  died 
in  1747,  and  afterwards  married  Deborah  Leaming,  widow  of 
Christopher  Leaming,  in  1752.^^  The  marriage  agreement 
entered  into  with  the  last  named  female,  shows  much  sound 
sense  and  discriminating  judgment.  In  1756,  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  the  West  Jersey  Society  in  the  county  of  Cape  May, 
constituting  what  has  since  been  known  as  the  'Vacant  Right. '^^ 
In  1762,  he  made  his  will  of  thirty-nine  pages,  the  most  volumi- 
nous and  elaborate  testamentary  document  on  record  in  this 
State."  He  died  in  1765,  and  was  interred  in  the  family 
burial  ground  at  Cold  Spring, — a  spot  now  overgrown  with 
large  forest  timber.'® 


15  Maurice  Beasley's  Memo.  17  Lib.  X,  44010461. 

16  Lib.  A,  154.  18  Lib.  B2,  549. 


300  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

He  kept  a  diary  for  many  years,  in  which  he  not  only  recorded 
remarkable  events,  but  also  entered  in  detail  the  cost  of  his 
household  and  the  profits  of  his  business.  Stri6lly  honest  in  all 
his  dealings,  plain  and  decided  in  all  his  opinions,  prompt  and 
exa6l  in  all  his  agreements,  he  had,  as  he  deserved,  the  confi- 
dence and  regard  of  his  neighbors  through  all  the  years  of  his 
business  life,  and  served  his  constituents  faithfully  as  their  repre- 
sentative until  his  death.  Many  extradls  from  his  diary  have 
been  published  by  the  Historical  Society  of  New  Jersey,  which 
evince  the  peculiarities  of  the  man,  his  views  of  duty  toward 
himself,  and  toward  those  with  whom  he  had  intercourse. 


THOMAS   STOKES. 


THOMAS  HOOTEN  of  the  Parish  of  St.  Ann,  Black 
Friars,  and  John  Stokes  of  Wentworth  street,  in  the 
Parish  of  Stepney,  both  of  which  places  are  in  London,  in  the 
county  of  Middlesex,  England,  became  the  owners,  as  tenants 
in  common,  of  a  certain  amount  of  proprietory  rights  in  West 
New  Jersey.  Thomas  was  a  tallow  chandler,  and  John  a  baker ; 
by  these  avocations  they  respe6lively  maintained  their  families, 
and  gained  some  extra  means  to  make  a  venture  in  the  enterprise 
so  much  talked  of  among  Friends  at  that  time.  The  deed  con- 
veying this  interest  was  made  from  William  Penn  and  the  other 
trustees  of  Edward  Bylynge  to  Thomas  Hooten  in  the  year 
1676,  who  immediately  conveyed  the  undivided  half-part  thereof 
to  John  Stokes.^  It  is  possible  that  they  were  creditors  of 
Edward  Bylynge,  whose  failure  in  business  a  short  time  before 
involved  so  many  of  his  creditors  in  loss,  and  led  to  much 
trouble  concerning  his  estate. 

Thomas  Hooten  and  John  Stokes  were  relatives ;  perhaps 
their  wives  were  sisters ;  both  were  members  of  the  religious 
denomination  of  Friends,  and  were  seeking  some  new  place  of 
abode,  where  their  notions  of  right  might  be  more  freely 
indulged  in,  with  some  hope  of  promulgating  their  do(5lrines 
in  peace.  Thomas  Hooten  came  immediately  to  New  Jersey 
to  look  after  their  interests,  leaving  his  family  in  London  until 
he  should  be  heard  from,  and  some  conclusion  be  reached  in 
regard  to  a  permanent  removal  to  the  new  place.  On  the  29th 
day  of  the  8th  month,  1677,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  as  follows  : 

I  Lib.  BBB,  191. 


302  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

"I  am  this  present  at  the  town  of  Burlington  where  our  land 
is ;  it  is  ordered  to  be  a  town  for  the  ten  Yorkshire  and  ten 
London  Proprietors.  I  like  the  place  well ;  our  lot  is  the  second 
next  the  water  side.  It's  like  to  be  a  healthful  place  and  very 
pleasant  to  live  in.  I  came  hither  yesterday,  being  the  28th  of 
October,  with  some  friends  that  were  going  to  New  York.  I 
am  to  be  at  Thomas  Olive's  house  until  I  can  provide  better 
for  myself.  I  intend  to  build  a  house  and  get  some  corn  into 
the  ground.  And  I  know  not  how  to  write  concerning  thy 
coming  or  not  hither  ;  the  place  I  like  very  well,  and  believe 
that  we  may  live  here  very  well.  But  if  it  be  not  made  free,  I 
mean  as  to  the  customs  and  government,  then  it  will  not  be  so 
well,  and  may  hinder  many  that  have  desires  to  come.  But  if 
these  two  things  be  cleared,  thou  may  take  thy  opportunity  of 
coming  this  summer. 

Thomas  Hooten."* 

The  reference  here  made  about  the  customs  relates  to  those 
exadled  at  New  Castle  by  diredlion  of  Governor  Andros,  they 
being  a  percentage  upon  all  the  goods  brought  by  emigrants, — 
an  impost  which  was  so  much  complained  of  that  it  was  in  a 
short  time  abandoned.  Thomas  Hooten's  wife  soon  closed  up 
the  affairs  of  her  husband  in  London,  and  followed  him  to 
America.  Thomas  Hooten,  the  son,  married  Elizabeth  Stanley 
of  Philadelphia,  in  1686,  at  which  place  he  then  resided,  and 
continued  to  reside  for  many  years  after.'' 

John  Stokes,  however,  remained  in  London,  supplying  the 
people  with  bread,  and  husbanding  his  means  to  develop  his 
interests  here  through  his  brother  Thomas.  Of  this  there  is 
undoubted  evidence,  for,  as  late  as  in  1719,  in  a  conveyance  of 
land  in  this  State,  he  is  called  John  Stokes  of  Wentworth 
street,  London,  biscuit  baker,  etc.* 

Thomas  married  Mary  Bernard  of  Stepney,  in  1668,  where 
he  remained  until  the  proje6l  of  removing  to  America  induced 
him  to  abandon  his  home  and  calling.  He  and  his  family 
came  among   the   first,  as   they  arrived   at   New   Castle  about 


2  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  105. 

3  Friends'  Records,  Philadelphia. 

4  Lib.  BBB,  191. 


THOMAS  STOKES.  303 

the  middle  of  the  6th  month,  1677,  in  the  ship  Kent, — 
the  same  that  brought  the  commissioners  appointed  by  Wil- 
liam Penn  and  others — and  went  immediately  to  Burlington. 
He  perhaps  remained  here  until  the  next  year,  with  the  others, 
for  mutual  defence,  and  to  view  the  country  before  he  made 
seledlion  of  a  place  for  settlement.  This  was,  however,  done 
in  due  time,  and  was  chosen  from  among  many  on  North- 
ampton river,  or,  as  it  is  now  generally  known,  Rancocas  creek. 
It  is  probable  that  three  of  his  children  were  born  in  London, 
and  three  in  New  Jersey.  They  were  as  follows  :  Sarah,  who 
married  Benjamin  Moore  ;  Mary,  who  married  John  Hudson  ; 
John,  who  married  Elizabeth  Green  ;  Thomas,  who  married 
Deliverance  Horner  and  Rachel  Wright ;  Joseph,  who  married 
Judith  Lippincott  and  Ann  Haines  (widow)  ;  and  one  other 
son,  who  removed  to  North  Carolina,  but  whose  name  and 
family  have  been  lost  sight  of.  Mary,  the  mother  of  these 
children,  died  in  1699,  and  Thomas,  the- father,  in  1718,  aged 
78  years.*  The  obligations  of  the  family  are  due  to  Charles 
Stokes  of  Rancocas,  a  descendant,  for  colle6ling  and  arranging 
much  of  the  history  of  the  same  ;  who  also  has  taken  pains  to 
save  from  loss  many  incidents  that  relate  to  the  early  history  of 
West  New  Jersey.  How  much  might  yet  be  preserved,  if  more 
of  our  citizens  would  emulate  his  example.  In  this  region, 
nothing  is  known  of  John  Stokes,  save  what  may  be  gathered 
from  the  records  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state  at 
Trenton.  In  1716,  an  inventory  of  his  estate  was  made,  upon 
which  is  the  following  endorsement :  "Came  to  his  end  by 
an  unnatural  death,  in  ye  lower  end  of  Gloucester  county." 
Too  many  years  have  intervened  to  bring  the  story  of  his 
death  to  the  present  generation,  however  interesting  it  might 
now  be  to  his  descendants. 

In  the  year  1709,  the  second  Thomas  herein  referred  to, 
purchased  of  John  Kay  of  Springwell,  three  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Waterford  township,  (now  Delaware,)  Camden  county, 
the  larger  part  of  which  tradl  is  now  owned  Mark  Ballinger, 
and  by  the  heirs  of  Jacob  Anderson,  Nathan  M.  Lippincott, 
and  Daniel  Hillman,  deceased.     This  land  is  bounded  on  the 

5  Lib.  No.  2,  138. 


304  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

south  side  by  the  north  branch  of  Cooper's  creek ;  it  extends 
along  both  sides  of  a  tributary  of  the  same,  and  includes  what 
is  now  some  of  the  best  soil  in  the  neighborhood.*  He  settled 
on  this  tra6l,  his  house  standing  near  the  present  residence  of 
Mark  Ballinger.  By  his  first  wife,  Delieverance  Horner,  were 
the  following  children :  Thomas,  who  married  Abigail  Mat- 
lack  ;  Deliverance,  who  married  Darling  Conrow ;  Lydia, 
who  married  Samuel  Haines;  and  Rachel,  who  married  John 
Cowperthwaite.  By  the  second  wife,  Rachel  Wright,  who 
was  of  Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  to  whom  he  was 
married  7th  month,  ist,  1715,'  were  Joshua,  who  married  Amy 
Hinchman  ;  Hannah,  who  married  Thomas  Cole  ;  Jacob,  who 
married  Priscilla  Ellis;  John,  who  married  Ann  Champion, 
(widow)  in  1751  ;  Rosanna,  who  married  Samuel  Collins  and 
Joseph  Browning;  and  Kesiah.  Thomas  deceased  in  1736, 
and  Rachel  in  1747.* 

This  settlement,  as  made  by  Thomas  Stokes  in  1709,  was  in 
the  midst  of  an  Indian  neighborhood,  which  extended  from  the 
north  branch  southerly  to  a  tributary  of  the  south  branch  of 
Cooper's  creek,  that  formed  what  is  generally  known  as  Peter- 
son's mill-pond.  On  a  map  left  by  Thomas  Sharp,  showing  a 
large  survey  made  to  John  Willis  in  1686,  he  wrote  beside  the 
water  course  last  named,  ''the  stream  the  Indian  King  liveth 
on."'  This  was  a  survey  of  some  thirteen  hundred  acres,  and 
lay  on  both  sides  of  the  branch,  the  original  boundaries  of 
which  have  long  since  been  obliterated. 

Judging  from  the  first  settlement  by  the  emigrants,  the 
residence  of  the  king  referred  to  by  Friend  Sharp  may  be 
believed  to  have  been  on  the  farm  owned  by  Joseph  H.  Ellis. 
Around  his  palace  were  collected  a  few  other  wigwams,  in 
which  lived  the  retainers  of  the  royal  household.  This 
community  of  aborigines  was  within  the  bounds  before  men- 
tioned, consisting  of  some  families  with  a  few  acres  of  cleared 
land  near  the  streams ;  but  all  were  subordinate  to  the  authority 
named  by  Friend  Sharp.  This  authority  was  absolute,  dispens- 
ing law  and  equity  to  the  people,  regardless  of  the  precedent 
and  without  appeal.     The  wigwam  of  the  king  doubtless  had 

6  Lib.  BBB,  75.  8  Lib.  No.  4,  98. 

7  Friends'  Records,  Long  Island.  9  Sharp's  Book,  11,  O.  S.  G. 


THOMAS  STOKES.  305 

more  pretension  than  others  that  surrounded  it,  and  was  distin- 
guishable by  its  size  and  the  more  outlandish  hieroglyphics  seen 
upon  the  skins  that  made  its  covering. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  our  Quaker  surveyor,  in  the  multiplicity 
of  his  records,  did  not  leave  some  account  of  this  people  who 
have  so  entirely  passed  away  from  the  land ;  some  history  of 
their  principal  settlements,  their  form  of  government,  their 
religion,  habits,  language  and  traditions.  His  intercourse  with 
them  in  the  purchase  of  land,  and  his  frequent  entertainment 
by  them  in  their  own  manner  of  hospitality,  while  traveling 
through  the  country  as  deputy  surveyor,  gave  him  abundant 
opportunity  to  study  all  these  peculiarities  ;  and  in  his  own 
quaint  manner  he  might  have  saved  to  future  generations  that 
which  has  been  entirely  lost.  There  is  evidence  that  this 
settlement  extended  northwesterly,  and  along  Tindall's  run, 
nearly  to  the  main  south  branch,  as  the  remains  of  one  of  their 
burial  places  may  be  seen  near  Tindall's  run,  east  of  the 
Haddonfield  and  Berlin  road.  Within  the  memory  of  some 
now  living,  a  few  of  these  people  eked  out  a  miserable 
existence  on  part  of  the  land  formerly  owned  by  Thomas 
Stokes,  near  the  residence  of  Aquilla  Hillman  and  brothers  : 
drunken,  lazy,  worthless  beings,  they  were  a  hinderance  to 
a  progressive  community,  and  the  last  of  an  unfortunate  race. 

Joshua  Stokes  occupied  the  homestead  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  and  there  he  remained  during  his  life  ;  his  brothers  and 
sisters  settling  in  other  parts  of  Burlington  and  Gloucester 
■  counties,  whose  various  descendants  have  multiplied  so  rapidly 
that  no  attempt  to  trace  them  would  prove  successful.  Of  the 
landed  estate,  as  purchased  by  the  second  Thomas  in  1709,  only 
a  small  portion  is  held  by  his  descendants  in  the  dire6l  line. 
One  hundred  and  sixty  years  have  wrought  many  changes  in  the 
ownership  of  this  property,  the  beginning  and  end  of  several 
generations,  and  the  gradual  extindlion  of  the  many  land  marks 
by  which  it  was  identified.  But  a  single  branch  of  the  family  is 
left,  that  feels  any  attachment  to,  or  has  any  knowledge  of 
the  localities  familiar  to  the  first  settlers  ;  that  is  able  to  tell 
where  the  natives  had  their  wigwams,  and  where  they  buried 
their  dead;  where  the  medicine-man  dispensed  his  nostrums. 


3o6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  where  the  fortune-teller  mumbled  over  her  divinations,  to 
the  terror  of  children,  the  amusement  of  youth,  and  the  won- 
derment of  all.  The  descendants  of  those  who  were  born  upon 
the  soil,  have  passed  away ;  their  places  have  been  left  to  other 
occupants  who,  after  a  like  lapse  of  time,  will  also  be  forgotten. 
A  part  of  this  family  owned  a  tra6l  of  land  in  Newton  township, 
lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  middle  branch  of  Newton  creek, 
and  resided  there  many  years.  These  were  the  descendants  of 
Jacob  Stokes,  who  married  Priscilla  Ellis,  a  daughter  of  Joseph, 
and  granddaughter  of  Simeon  and  Sarah  Ellis  of  Springwell, 
the  first  of  the  name  hereabout.  The  original  estate  was  con- 
veyed by  Isaac  Hollingsham  to  Sarah  Ellis,  aforesaid,  then  a 
widow,  in  171 7,  which  afterward  became  the  property  of  her 
son  Joseph,  who  deceased*  in  1757,  leaving  four  daughters,  one 
the  wife  of  Jacob  Stokes.^"  He  died  intestate;  and,  there  being 
no  male  issue,  the  land  descended  to  his  children  in  equal  parts, 
of  which  Jacob  Stokes  became  the  owner  about  the  year  1760, 
by  purchase,  and  there  he  deceased.  The  other  daughters  of 
Joseph  Ellis  were  Abigail,  who  married  Caleb  Hughes  ;  Sarah, 
who  married  John  Bubzy  and  Isaac  Mickle  ;  and  Kesiah,  who 
married  Benjamin  Vanlear,  M.  D." 

Portions  of  the  estate  remained  in  the  name  until  1828,  when 
George  Lee,  now  deceased,  became  the  owner  of  the  homestead ; 
and  by  his  name  it  is  more  familiarly  knoWn  among  the  people. 
Of  the  diredl  and  collateral  line  of  this  family  much  the  larger 
part  remained  in  Burlington  county,  where  they  still  represent 
a  fair  portion  of  the  wealthy  and  influential  inhabitants.  The 
name,  however,  may  be  found  in  many  of  the  states  of  the 
Union,  and  may  be  traced  to  John  Stokes,  biscuit  baker,  of 
Wentworth  street,  in  the  parish  of  Stepney,  Middlesex,  which, 
at  this  day,  is  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  London. 


10  Lib.  A,  56. 

11  Lib.  C,  241,  Woodbury. 


GRIFFITH    morgan; 


AFTER  Samuel  Cole  had  fixed  his  abode  at  New  Orchard, 
across  the  creek  from  the  little  village  of  Penisaukin,  and 
was  laboring  diligently  to  increase  the  extent  of  his  cultivated 
acres,  so  that  his  farm  might  yield  a  comfortable  support  to  his 
family,  he  was  summoned  to  his  old  home  in  Hertfordshire, 
England,  to  arrange  some  unsettled  business  at  that  place.  But 
for  the  care  and  attention  extended  to  his  wife  and  children  by 
the  few  families  then  living  at  the  town  before  named,  their 
condition  would  have  been  lonely  enough  in  their  wild  forest 
home ;  yet  his  absence  was  relieved  by  this  friendly  intercourse 
and  protedlion,  as  well  as  by  the  confidence  that  had  grown  up 
between  the  emigrants  and  natives,  from  whom  they  had  nothing 
to  fear.  The  deference  and  respedl  observed  toward  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  the  emigrants  by  these  untutored  children  of 
the  forest  must  always  be  a  redeeming  trait  in  their  charadler, 
and  commend  their  memories  to  us  for  all  time  to  come. 
Though  the  emigrants  were  at  their  mercy  for  many  years,  yet 
no  accusation  of  tyranny  or  brutality  is  recorded  against  them  ; 
although  the  settlers  were  without  the  means  of  prote6lion  or 
defence,  yet  no  advantage  was  taken  by  the  natives  of  their 
superiority  to  satisfy  a  feeling  of  envy  or  revenge. 

The  imperfedl  knowledge  of  navigation,  and  the  primitive 
constru6lion  of  vessels  at  that  day,  rendered  a  voyage  across 
the  otean  dangerous  and  tedious,  and  the  time  occupied 
was  usually  more  than  double  that  now  taken  by  sailing-vessels. 
The  time  of  return  of  Samuel  Cole  was  doubtless  fixed  upon 


3o8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

between  himself  and  wife,  always  excepting  the  dangers  and 
delays  of  the  sea,  and,  as  the  period  of  his  coming  approached, 
the  anxiety  of  his  family  to  see  him  again  very  naturally 
increased.  On  the  return  voyage  of  the  ship  in  which  he 
came,  the  island  of  Barbadoes  was  taken  as  a  point  of  stop- 
ping ;  this  lengthened  the  trip,  and  in  a  degree  added  to 
the  uncertainty  of  arrival.  At  that  place,  however,  Samuel 
Cole  was  attacked  by  one  of  the  diseases  incident  to  those 
latitudes,  and,  before  the  departure  of  the  ship,  had  died,  and 
was  buried.  The  extended  distance  of  the  voyage,  and  con- 
sequent delay  therefrom  not  being  known  to  the  wife,  she  made 
frequent  visits  to  Philadelphia  to  meet  her  husband  and  welcome 
him  to  his  family  again.  Tradition  says  that  she  would  stand 
for  hours  by  the  water's  edge,  looking  anxiously  down  the  river 
for  the  sail  that  would  bring  the  father  of  her  children.  These 
visits  and  watchings  at  last  attra6led  the  attention  of  a  young 
mariner  who  frequented  the  port,  and  who  was  not  long 
in  discovering  the  cause  of  her  anxiety.  Sympathizing  with 
her,  he  extended  his  inquiries  in  her  behalf,  and  at  last 
discovered  that  her  husband  had  died  on  his  return,  as  before 
named.  Her  grief  for  this  sad  bereavement  enlisted  his  feelings, 
and,  finding  that  she  was  about  to  return  home  alone  in  her 
boat,  he  offered  to  accompany  her  and  manage  the  same.  This 
offer  she  accepted,  and  he  sailed  the  craft  up  the  river  to  Peni- 
sauken  creek,  and  thence  nearly  to  her  residence,  thus  bearing 
the  sad  news  to  her  children  and  neighbors. 

This  man  was  Griffith  Morgan,  who,  after  a  proper  interval  of 
time,  sailed  his  own  skiff  up  the  creek  aforesaid  to  offer  his 
consolations  to  the  widow,  and  to  interest  himself  about  her 
children  and  estate.  This  solicitude  soon  assumed  another 
shape,  and  culminated  in  the  marriage  of  Griffith  Morgan 
and  Elizabeth  Cole.  Many  interesting  incidents  are  still 
remembered  in  the  family  touching  this  courtship  and  mar- 
riage, and  will  pass  from  generation  to  generation  by  reason 
of  the  commendable  desire  to  preserve  everything  relating 
thereto.  The  log  house  was  but  lately  standing  on  the  farm 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  Joseph  H.  Coles,  now  deceased,  just 
as  left  by  Samuel  Cole  on  his  departure  to   his  native   place 


GRIFFITH  MORGAN.  309 

in  England ;   its  limited  dimensions  and  primitive  appearance 
leave  no  doubt  as  to  its  many  years  of  existence. 

Griffith  Morgan  was  probably  a  native  of  Wales,  whence  he 
emigrated  to  America  on  account  of  the  religious  persecution  of 
Friends  in  that  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain.  In  1684, 
he  was  imprisoned  in  Haverford  West  for  not  attending  church, 
with  many  others  who  refused  to  pay  tithes  for  the  support  of 
the  re6lor  of  the  parish  wherein  they  lived,  or  to  attend  at  the 
place  where  he  dispensed  the  gospel  to  the  people.  Some  years 
previously  to  this  time,  he  was  arrested  in  the  public  road  and 
beaten  by  the  officers,  for  a  similar  disregard  of  the  laws  and 
customs  of  the  land  in  which  he  lived  ;  but  to  these  exactions 
he  could  not  yield,  nor  could  he  a6l  in  opposition  to  his  religious 
belief  in  such  matters.^  Although  he  appears  to  have  been  in 
this  country  in  1677,  yet  he  may  have  visited  his  old  home, 
and  have  subjedled  himself  to  the  outrages  above  named,  as 
was  the  case  with  many  of  the  emigrants.  Without  assuming 
that  any  proof  of  identity  be  made  out,  yet  the  probabilities 
are  that  these  fadls  relate  to  one  and  the  same  person. 

The  marriage  referred  to  took  place  in  1693,  in  Philadel- 
phia, the  issue  of  which  was  one  son,  Alexander.  Previously 
to  this,  however,  Griffith  Morgan  had  purchased  several  tradls 
of  land  in  Gloucester  county,  New  Jersey.  This  is  evidence 
that  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  estate.  The  probability  is 
that  he  continued  his  sea-faring  life,  as  he  does  not  appear 
to  have  participated  in  the  religious  or  the  political  affairs  of 
the  colony  at  that  time.  Upon  his  marriage,  he  made  a  settle- 
ment upon  a  tra6l  of  land  which  he  had  bought  of  David 
Lloyd  and  Isaac  Norris,  executors,  in  1677,  being  part  of 
the  estate  of  Thomas  Lloyd  of  Philadelphia,  a  contemporary 
and  intimate  friend  of  William  Penn.^  This  tra6l  was  bounded 
by  the  river  Delaware  and  partly  by  Penisauken  creek.  The  old 
mansion  is  still  standing,  but  so  much  enlarged  and  changed  as 
scarcely  to  be  recognized.  This  tra6l  of  land  appears  to  have 
been  located  by  Samuel  Jennings,  the  first  governor  of  New 
Jersey  j  it  was  resurveyed  in    1 7 1 7  by  Alexander,  the   son   of 


1  Besse's  Sufferings,  Vol.  I.,  748 — 759. 
3  Lib.  B2,  590. 


3IO  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Griffith  Morgan.'  It  contained  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  and 
extended  more  than  a  mile  up  the  creek  aforesaid,  and  about 
one-fourth  that  distance  along  the  river.*  The  house  is  just 
where  a  son  of  Neptune  would  have  it, — near  the  mouth 
of  the  creek,  with  a  clear  and  uninterrupted  view  of  the  river 
Delaware,  where  every  kind  of  craft  on  both  streams  must 
pass   in   sight. 

Elizabeth  Morgan  survived  her  last  husband,  and  died  in 
1 719.  By  her  will,  she  bequeathed  much  personal  property 
among  her  children."  They  were  Samuel  Cole  and  Rachel 
Wild,  wife  of  James  Wild  (by  her  first  husband),  and  Alexander 
Morgan  (by  her  last).  This  paper  indicates  beyond  question 
that  she  was  twice  married,  and  also  the  number  of  children  by 
each.  Her  estate  was  large  for  the  day  in  which  she  lived,  and 
was  fairly  distributed  to  those  nearest  of  kin. 

According  to  the  good  order  of  Friends  at  the  Newton 
Meeting,  in  the  year  1717  Alexander  Morgan  was  married  to 
Hannah,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  Cooper,  and  grand- 
daughter of  William  Cooper,  the  first  emigrant.  This  marriage 
connedled  the  Morgan  family  with  the  Mickles,  the  Hopkins, 
the  Ladds,  the  Coxes,  the  Coateses  and  the  Clements,  of  West 
New  Jersey,  and  with  the  Rawles,  the  Riggses,  and  other  families 
in  Pennsylvania, — forming  a  line  of  consanguinity  which  was 
strengthened  by  subsequent  like  conne6tions  and  in  some 
instances  brought  down  to  the  present  day.*  Alexander  Morgan 
settled  and  remained  on  the  homestead  property  during  his  life, 
making  but  little  change  therein,  either  by  purchase  or  sale. 
He  deceased  in  1751,  leaving  his  widow  and  several  children, 
as  follows  :''  Joseph,  who  married  Agnes  Jones  ;  Benjamin,  who 
married  Jane  Roberts  1761  ;  Isaac  ;  Mary,  who  married 
Edmund  Hollingshead  j  Elizabeth,  who  married  William  Miller; 
Lydia,  who  married  Nathan  Beeks  ;  Sarah,  who  married  Josiah 
Burrough  ;  Hannah,  Rachel,  and  Alexander,  who  died  young. 
Joseph  and  Agnes  Morgan  had  one  child,  Griffith,  who  married 
Rebecca  Clement,  daughter  of  Samuel,  in  1766.  The  first  wife 
of  Joseph   Morgan  deceased,   and  he  married   Mary    . 


3  Lib.  W,  386.  6  Lib.  No.  4,  77. 

4  Sharp's  Book,  39.  O.  S.  G.  7  Lib.  No.  7,  165. 

5  Gloucester  Files,  1718. 


GRIFFITH  MORGAN.  311 

Their  children  were  Joseph,  who  married  Mary  Evans  and  Mary 

Butcher  ;  Hannah,  who  married  Saterthwaite  ;  Elizabeth, 

who  married  Joseph  Reeves  ;  and  Sarah,  who  married  James 
Hinchman.  Mary,  the  second  wife  of  Joseph  Morgan,  having 
died,  he  married  Mary,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Stokes.  Their 
children  were  Isaac,  who  married  Sarah  Ridgway ;  Alexander  ; 
Mary,  who  married  Joseph  Bennett,  and  Benjamin,  who  married 
Mary  Champion.  Mary,  the  third  wife,  deceased,  and  Joseph 
Morgan  married  Elizabeth  Atkinson.  By  the  last  marriage  there 
was  no  issue.  Benjamin  and  Jane  Morgan's  children  were 
Hannah,  Benjamin,  who  died  young,  and  Benjamin  R., 
who  never  married.  He  owned  part  of  the  paternal  estate  on 
Penisauken  creek,  which,  at  his  death,  he  gave  to  his  cousin 
Alexander,  of  Philadelphia.     Edmund  and  Mary  Hollingshead's 

children  were  Joseph,  who  married  Alice  ;   Edmund, 

who  married  Hannah  Foster  ;  Morgan,  who  married  Rebecca 
Matlack  ;  John,  Samuel,  Hannah,  Lydia  and  Sarah.  Nathan 
and  Lydia  Beeks  had  one  child,  named  Morgan.  The  diredl 
line  of  conne6lion  with  the  Morgan  family  of  such  as  are 
of  the  blood  in  the  region  of  Gloucester  county,"  may  be 
traced  through  Griffith  and  Rebecca.  The  issue  of  this 
marriage  were  three  daughters  :  Agnes,  who  married  Enos 
Eldridge  ;  Rebecca,  who  married  James  B.  Cooper;  and  Ann, 
who  married  William  E.  Hopkins.  The  family  conne6lion  is 
very  extensive  throughout  the  United  States,  yet,  in  many 
cases,  the  blood  is  so  much  diluted  as  to  be  scarcely  traceable. 
Where  the  Penisaukin  creek  falls  into  the  Delaware,  and 
about  where  the  old  Morgan  house  is  situated,  some  two 
hundred  years  ago  stood  Fort  Eriwonack,  it  being  one  of  the 
centres  from  which  a  colony  was  to  radiate  and  fill  the  territory 
that  now  constitutes  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  with  an 
industrious  and  happy  people.  In  1634,  Charles  I.,  king  of 
England,  made  a  title  to  Sir  Edmund  Ployden,  knight,  etc.,  for 
all  the  territory  lying  between  New  England  and  Maryland, 
with  that  vague  and  doubtful  kind  of  description  incident  to 
the  little  knowledge  of  the  estate  being  conveyed, — a  kind  of 
description  which  in  so  many  instances  led  to  disputes  and, 
sometimes,  to  bloodshed  among  the  owners  and  settlers.^     No 

8  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  24 — 60. 


312  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

regard  was  paid  to  the  claims  of  the  Dutch  or  Swedes  within 
the  limits  of  this  grant,  and,  as  a  consequence,  trouble  very 
soon  emanated  from  this  source  ;  so,  in  the  same  manner,  was 
Ployden's  title  ignored  when  the  king  made  a  deed  to  his 
brother,  the  Duke  of  York,  for  the  same  sedlion  of  country. 
The  government  was  also  fully  vested  in  Sir  Edmund,  and  the 
territory  was  called  "the  Province  of  New  Albion,  to  be  and 
remain  a  free  County  Palatine,  in  no  wise  subject  to  any 
other.  "^^  Sir  Edmund  was  made  Earl  Palatine,  which  gave 
him  regal  power  in  all  things  save  allegiance  to  the  king  ;  and 
each  of  his  family  was  also  titled,  in  contemplation  of  a 
settlement  to  be  effedled  in  the  wilds  of  America." 

Steps  were  immediately  taken  to  know  something  of  this 
land ;  and  Beauchamp  Plantaganet,  a  friend  of  the  earl,  was 
despatched  to  America  to  make  the  necessary  examinations 
and  report  accordingly.  This  trip  was  undertaken  in  1636; 
and,  after  much  traveling  through  the  forests,  and  intercourse 
with  the  natives,  this  adventurer  ascended  the  Delaware  river 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Penisauken  creek,  where  some  of  his 
company  had  already  ere6led  a  fort,  and  where  they  were 
waiting  for  the  government  of  Sir  Edmund  Ployden  to  be 
established.  About  the  same  time,  another  settlement  was 
made  near  where  Salem  now  stands  ;  but  the  adventurers 
were  driven  away  by  the  Dutch  and  Swedes,  who  were  jealous 
of  their  success,  and  feared  their  influence  among  the  natives. 
The  fort  at  Penisauken  creek  was  occupied  for  four  years  by 
those  under  the  patronage  of  Earl  Ployden,  and  considerable 
trade  was  carried  on  with  the  Indians.  Subsequently,  a  small 
colony  of  Swedes  occupied  the  place,  and  doubtless  remained 
until  the  proprietors  assumed  the  government  of  West  New 
Jersey  and  established  their  title  to  the  land.  It  is  needless 
to  follow  the  history  of  this  matter,  and  only  necessary  to  say 
that  none  of  the  brilliant  imaginings  of  the  founder  of  this 
"palatinate"  were  realized,  and  that  the  whole  thing  was 
ultimately  abandoned. 

A    remarkable    feature    in    this    attempt    at    settlement    in 

9  Mickle's  Reminiscences,  24. 

10  Mulford's  History  of  New  Jersey,  72, 

11  New  Jersey  Historical  Society  Proceedings,  Vol.  I.,  38. 


GRIFFITH  MORGAN.  313 

America  is  that  each  of  the  historians  of  New  Jersey,  from 
first  to  last,  has  been  unsuccessful  in  colle6ling  and  arranging 
the  fadls  in  relation  thereto.  Each  in  his  turn  has  explored 
musty  records  and  consulted  new  authorities  upon  the  subject, 
and  has  extradled  something  overlooked  by  his  predecessor  ; 
yet  each  became  satisfied  that  other  and  more  reliable  knowl- 
edge was  in  existence,  but  knew  not  where  to  find  such 
desirable  information. 

As  late  as  in  1784,  a  person  named  Charles  Varlo  came  to 
Philadelphia,  claiming  to  have  an  interest  in  the  palatinate* 
and  enlisted  that  able  jurist,  William  Rawle,  in  his  behalf, 
making  some  stir  among  the  holders  of  the  land  in  this  region 
by  reason  thereof.  One  faithful  and  industrious  antiquarian  of 
that  day,  John  Penington,  of  the  city  just  named,  made  this 
matter  a  specialty,  bringing  his  knowledge  and  experience  to 
the  purpose,  to  accomplish  what  so  mapy  others  had  failed  in ; 
but  at  last,  despairing  of  success,  he  pronounced  the  whole 
matter  a  fabrication,  and  Sir  Edmund  Ployden  an  imaginary 
being. 

To  Isaac  Mickle  is  due  the  merit  of  giving  this  matter  a  most 
thorough  investigation,  and  of  colledling  the  reliable  authorities 
in  his  valuable  book,  so  that  the  reader  may  see  at  a  glance  the 
trouble  that  has  always  surrounded  it,  and  the  doubts  that  may 
always  attend  it.  It  is,  however,  one  of  the  incidents  of  the 
history  of  New  Jersey,  and  of  this  particular  neighborhood, 
that  is  worth  remembering ;  the  truth  of  which,  at  some  future 
day,  may  be  brought  to  light,  and  may  make  the  first  settlement 
of  Griffith  Morgan  a  point  of  particular  attra6lion  to  such  as 
care  to  preserve  those  myths  of  historical  romance  so  pleasantly 
blended  through  the  early  settlement  of  our  country. 

A  gold  mine  was  also  said  to  exist  near  Fort  Eriwonack ;  and 
its  value  was  held  out  as  an  inducement  for  persons  to  come 
here  and  settle,  unbounded  wealth  being  promised  to  such  as 
would  make  the  venture.  This  belief,  like  the  old  fort,  has 
passed  away  with  those  that  occupied  the  land  long  before  our 
ancestors  came  ;  it  being  one  of  the  fancies  of  the  brain  that 
promised  so  much  in  the  New  El-dorado,  and  yet,  for  those  who 
accepted  all  as  truth,  realized  so  little.     This  spot  is  therefore 


314  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

surrounded  with  much  of  antiquarian  interest ;  and  whether 
the  story  of  the  Palatine  of  New  Albion  be  true  or  false,  it  will 
always  be  a  fertile  subje6l  of  inquiry  for  those  that  labor  with- 
out reward  and  enjoy  the  search,  though  nothing  be  found. 
To  such  as  have  patiently  turned  from  page  to  page  among 
the  dusty  tomes  that  are  crowded  into  the  dark  corners  and 
out-of-the-way  shelves  of  the  various  libraries  and  offices  of 
record  in  our  country,  the  last  lines  will  be  fully  understood 
and  appreciated. 


THE   BURROUGHS. 


EDWARD  BURROUGH  was  a  distinguished  Quaker  in 
England  from  1652  to  1661,  during  the  bitterest  perse- 
cutions that  raged  against  that  religious  se6t.  He  resided  at 
Underbarro,  in  Westmoreland.  He  was  convinced  through  the 
preaching  of  George  Fox  when  a  young  man,  and  soon  became 
a  prominent  defender  and  expounder  of  his  belief.  He 
and  a  companion,  who  held  the  same  faith,  were  the  first 
Friends  that  visited  the  city  of  London,  and  preached  their 
do<5lrines  to  the  people.  He  addressed  several  letters  to 
Oliver  Cromwell,  asking  his  protedlion  for  those  of  his 
belief,  and  after  his  death  appealed  to  his  son  Richard,  but 
without  success. 

In  1654,  he  was  mobbed  in  the  city  of  Bristol  for  preaching 
to  the  people  in  the  streets,  and  cast  into  prison  in  Ireland  for 
a  like  offence,  and  finally  banished  from  the  island.^  After 
Charles  the  Second  came  to  the  throne,  he  obtained  a  personal 
interview  with  the  king,  and  procured  an  order  from  him  to 
prevent  the  persecution  of  Friends  in  New  England  ;  which 
order  the  Friends  in  London  forwarded  by  a  ship  that  they  had 
chartered  specially  for  that  duty,  at  an  expense  of  three 
hundred  pounds.  He  was  an  eminent  preacher  and  an  influ- 
ential man.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  was  ever  in  this 
country. 


1  Besse's  Sufferings,  Vol.  I.,  39. 


31 6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

John  Burrough  was  imprisoned  in  Buckinghamshire  in  1660, 
and  Joseph  Burrough  suffered  the  same  injustice  the  same  year 
in  Essex.  The  son  and  daughter  of  William  Burrough  were 
maltreated  in  Warwickshire  on  their  way  to  Banbury  meeting. 
These  facts  prove  that  the  family  was  numerous  in  England 
and  mostly  Quakers.  The  names  are  here  given  to  show  the 
probability  of  their  emigrating  to  America,  for  the  same  are 
found  among  the  inhabitants  of  Long  Island  in  a  few  years 
after  the  dates  above  given.  , 

In  September,  1675,  the  assessor's  list  of  the  town  of  New- 
town, in  Long  Island,  showed  that  John  Burrough  was  the  owner 
of  forty  acres  of  land,  one  horse,  four  oxen,  four  cows,  and 
twenty-four  sheep ;  and  that  Jeremiah  Burrough  was  the  owner 
of  six  acres  of  land,  two  horses,  two  oxen,  three  cows,  and  one 
pig.  In  1683,  in  the  same  town,  Joseph  Burrough  was  assessed 
with  eighteen  acres  of  land,  one  horse,  one  ox,  and  three  cows ; 
and  John  Burrough  with  ten  acres  of  land,  two  horses,  and  one 
cow.  In  this  year,  Jeremiah  had  increased  his  territory  to 
twenty  acres  of  land,  two  oxen,  four  cows,  and  two  pigs.  In 
the  last  named  year,  Edward  Burrough  was  assessed  in  the 
town  of  Jamaica,  in  Long  Island,  with  five  acres  of  land,  and 
one  cow.  In  1689,  Jeremiah  Burrough  was  lieutenant  in  one  of 
the  "train  bands"  of  Newtown.  This  is  rather  strong  evidence 
against  his  being  much  of  a  Quaker ;  yet  he  doubtless  is  the 
same  person  hereafter  named  in  this  connection. 

The  inference  is  but  a  fair  one  that  the  persons  named  as 
having  suffered  in  England  for  their  religious  opinions,  and 
those  named  as  being  residents  of  Long  Island,  are  the  same  ; 
and  it  is  only  to  be  regretted  that  some  better  account  of  them 
has  not  been  left  on  record,  so  as  to  make  it  conclusive.  The 
first  of  the  name  that  came  in  Gloucester  county  was  John 
Burrough,  who  settled  at  Gloucester,  and  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  weaver.*  He  was  here  in  1688,  as,  in  the  first  month 
of  that  year,  he  purchased  rights  of  Robert  Turner,  and,  in  the 
tenth  month  of  the  same  year,  he  purchased  more  of  such  real 
estate  from  Joseph  Wood.^  These  rights  John  Burrough  put 
into  one  survey  on  the  north  side  of  Gloucester  river  or  Great 


2  Lib.  G2,  57. 

3  Lib,  Gi,  129. 


THE  BURROUGHS.  317 

Timber  creek,  extending  from  Beaver  branch  on  the  south,  to 
Little  Timber  creek  on  the  north.*  In  1690,  he  lived  on  this 
survey,  but  the  situation  of  his  house  is  not  known.  This  loca- 
tion is  now  divided  into  many  farms,  among  which  are  the 
Crispin  estate,  the  property  of  Isaac  G.  Eastlack,  and  others. 
In  1693,  it  became  the  property  of  Thomas  Thackara,  and 
subsequently  was  owned  by  the  Huggs  and  the  Harrisons.  In 
1759,  '^is  survey  and  the  adjoining  lands,  extending  north- 
westerly between  the  branches  of  Great  and  Little  Timber 
creek  to  their  jun(5lion,  were  resurveyed  ;  this  re-survey 
discloses  the  title  of  the  said  lands,  and  is  valuable  in  this 
respe6l. 

The  next  that  came  was  Edward  Burrough,  who  purchased 
one  hundred  and  seven  acres  of  land  of  Thomas  Atkinson  in 
1693,  it  being  part  of  the  tra6l  that  he  had  purchased  of  Francis 
Collins  in  1691.^  In  1698,  Edward  bought  an  adjoining  tradl 
of  John  Martin,  the  same  day  that  Martin  sold  another  part  of 
the  said  tradl  to  Joseph  Tindall,  from  whom  the  stream  of 
water  that  passed  through  it  takes  its  name.^  This  land  was 
about  one  mile  south  of  Haddonfield,  in  Delaware  township, 
and  fronted  on  the  north  side  of  the  south  branch  of  Cooper's 
creek,  part  of  which  is  now  owned  by  William  H.  Mason. 
Edward  Burrough  built  his  house  beside  the  old  Salem  road, 
a  short  distance  from  the  stream,  and  there  he  resided  several 
years.  This  old  Salem  road  was  not  part  of  that  laid  out  by 
order  of  the  Colonial  Legislature,  but  was  an  Indian  trail  going 
in  the  direction  of  that  town,  crossing  the  heads  of  most  of  the 
streams  in  its  way.  It  has  been  lost  sight  of  for  many  years, 
and  no  part  of  it  in  this  neighborhood  is  now  open.  It  is 
possible  that  he  removed  to  Salem  before  his  decease,  as,  in 
1730,  letters  of  administration  were  granted  to  Priscilla  Bur- 
rough upon  the  estate  of  Edward  Burrough  (her  husband), 
deceased.  No  other  reference  in  regard  to  his  death  has  been 
noticed ;  and,  if  this  suggestion  be  true,  his  descendants  may 
be  found  in  that  region  of  country. 

The  tra6t  of  land  before  mentioned  was  held  by  those  of  the 

4  Lib.  G2,  172. 

5  Lib.  Gi,  01. 

6  Lib.  G3,  266. 


3i8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

family  name  for  many  years,  and  until  Elizabeth  Burrough,  a 
daughter  of  John,  married  Samuel  Matlack,  whose  descendants 
still  hold  portions  thereof.  This  John,  however,  was  a  son  of 
Samuel,  hereafter  noticed  ;  but  in  what  manner  he  became  the 
proprietor  of  this  estate  is  not  apparent  at  this  writing,  for 
want  of  sufficient  records  and  a  proper  care  of  family  traditions. 
Of  the  immediate  descendants  of  John  and  Edward  Burrough, 
nothing  is  known  at  this  time,  the  male  branches  of  the  family 
being  but  few,  and  not  the  owners  of  much  land  in  this  sec- 
tion,— a  circumstance  which  adds  to  the  difficulty  of  tracing 
their  lineage.  Samuel  Burrough  (frequently  spelled  Burrows) 
was  the  third  person  of  the  name  that  came  within  the  bounds 
of  Old  Gloucester.  He  is  first  noticed  at  the  little  town  of 
Penisaukin,  with  William  Matlack,  Timothy  Hancock  and  John 
Roberts,  where  he  married  the  daughter  Hannah  of  the  last 
named  person.  This  marriage  occurred  in  1699,  at  the  house 
of  Sarah  Roberts,  widow  of  John.  This  female  was  a  notice- 
able character  in  her  day.  When  the  inhabitants  of  Chester 
township,  Burlington  county,  in  the  year  1696,  thought  proper 
to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  a  corporation,  Sarah  Roberts 
was  the  only  female  that  signed  the  agreement  as  one  of  the 
residents  and  taxpayers  therein. 

In  the  year  1 700,  James  Adams,  a  son  of  John  Adams,  con- 
veyed one  acre  of  land  to  the  Friends  of  Chester,  for  the 
purpose  of  a  meeting  house  and  burying  place.'-  The  grantees 
consisted  of  thirteen  persons,  of  whom,  Sarah  Roberts  was  one, 
she  being  the  only  instance  of  a  female  a6ling  in  the  capacity 
of  a  trustee  for  real  estate  in  that  religious  society.  These 
things  mark  her  as  a  woman  understanding  and  participating 
in  matters  generally  left  for  the  sterner  sex  to  manage  and  con- 
trol, and  show  that  her  opinion  was  regarded,  and  her  influence 
sought  in  things  of  public  importance. 

The  first  purchase  of  Samuel  Burrough  was  made  on  the  i6th 
of  November,  1698;  it  was  one  of  three  hundred  acres  of  land 
from  Joseph  Heritage.  This  tra6l  lay  on  the  south  side  of  the 
south  branch  of  Penisaukin  creek,  in  Waterford  (now>  Delaware) 
township,    Gloucester   county.^     At   that   time   Samuel   was   a 


7  Lib.  GH,  373. 

8  Lib.  G3,  285. 


THE   BURROUGHS.  319 

resident  of  Burlington  county,  and  perhaps  did  not  move  to 
his  plantation  until  his  marriage  in  the  next  year.  In  1699,  he 
bought  of  the  same  person  an  adjoining  piece  of  land,  and,  in 
1703,  purchased  of  Richard  Bromley  two  hundred  acres,  also 
adjoining,  which  last  was  called  a  farm ;  and  thereon  the  said 
Richard  Bromley  "did  lately  dwell."  To  this  place  Samuel 
Burrough  soon  after  removed,  and  there  he  remained  until  his 
decease.  The  present  residence  of  Edward  Burrough,  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Samuel,  in  Delaware  township,  stands  upon  the 
site  of  the  original  dwelling  eredled  by  Richard  Bromley. 
Samuel  Burrough  must  have  been  a  man  of  large  means,  as  he 
continued  to  purchase  real  estate  until  the  year  1730,  when  he 
found  himself  the  owner  of  some  two  thousand  live  hundred 
acres  of  land,  which,  at  this  day,  includes  many  of  the  best 
farms  in  Camden  county.  He  was  a  careful  man  in  regard  to 
his  titles,  for  they  may  be  found  regularly  upon  record  as  the 
purchases  were  by  him  made. 

One  of  these  tradls  was  conveyed  by  Hugh  Sharp,  in  1715, 
to  Samuel  Burrough  and  Hannah,  his  wife,  and  to  the  heirs  of 
their  bodies, — not  an-  ordinary  expression  in  a  deed,  and  one 
which  carried  the  estate  to  the  survivor  of  the  two  persons 
therein  named.'  In  his  will,  he  devised  this  particular  tra6l 
to  his  daughter  Sarah,  ''if  she  please  her  mother,"  doubtless 
referring  to  her  marriage.  The  evidence  that  she  pleased 
her  mothei"  in  her  marriage  with  Samuel  Nicholson  is  that 
she  made  a  deed  for  the  same  land,  in  1732,  to  Samuel 
Nicholson  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  thus  carrying  out  the  intention 
of  Hugh  Sharp,  who  designed  the  estate  to  remain  in  the 
family.^"  Sarah  died  soon  after  the  last  title  was  executed,  but 
her  husband,  in  good  faith,  conveyed  the  same  to  their  son 
Joseph  in  1747."  This  shows  that  Joseph  Nicholson  in  the 
dire6l  line  descended  from  Samuel  and  Hannah  Burrough, — 
a  fact  which  may  be  of  interest  to  the  present  descendants  of 
the  said  Joseph. 

Neither  John,  Edward  nor  Samuel  Burrough  appears  to  have 
taken  part  in  the  politics  of  West  Jersey,  although  each  lived 

9  Lib.  A,  220. 

10  Lib.  AD,  242. 

11  Lib.  AD^  245. 


320  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

in  Gloucester  county  when  there  was  much  trouble  among  the 
people  in  this  regard.  Samuel  Burrough's  will  bears  date  June 
19th,  1720,  but  was  not  proved  until  1732,  in  which  year  he 
died.^^  The  homestead  property  he  gave  to  his  son  Samuel, 
thus  continuing  for  another  generation  this  part  of  his  estate  in 
his  own  name.  He  divided  his  land  among  his  children,  giving 
his  daughters  a  fair  proportion,  in  opposition  to  the  notion 
entertained  at  that  day  regarding  the  rights  of  females,  much  to 
his  credit,  however,  and  far  in  advance  of  his  generation.  The 
children  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  Burrough  were  Samuel,  who 
married  Ann  Gray  ;  John,  who  married  Phoebe  Haines ;  Isaac, 
who  married  Deborah  Jennings  and  Abigail  Hewlings ;  Jacob, 
who  married  Sarah  Thorne  and  Cassandra  Ellis  ;  Esther,  who 
married  William  Bidgood  ;  Kesiah,  who  married  Samuel  Parr  ; 
and  Sarah,  who  married  Samuel  Nicholson. 

Asa  Matlack,  in  a  note  made  by  him  of  this  family,  says  that 
Samuel  Burrough  and  his  son  Benjamin  were  drowned  in  the 
river  Delaware ;  but  under  what  circumstances,  or  at  what 
particular  time,  it  does  not  appear.  A  son  Benjamin  is  men- 
tioned in  the  will  of  Samuel  Burrough,  but  no  part  of  the 
estate  passed  to  him  after  the  father's  death,  nor  does  his 
name  occur  in  any  place  conne6led  therewith.  This  would 
give  the  story  some  color  of 'truth,  and  it  may  be  accepted 
as  reliable,  for,  Asa  Matlack  who  resided  near  the  old  homestead, 
made  himself  familiar  with  all  the  traditions  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. A  son  Joseph  is  also  named,  who  probably  died  after 
the  making  of  the  will,  and  before  his  father.  After  the  death 
of  Samuel  Burrough,  his  widow  Hannah  married  Richard 
Bidgood.  There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  issue 
by  this   marriage. 

Ann  Gray,  the  wife  of  the  son  Samuel,  was  a  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Esther  (Gillott),  who  settled  on  a  tra6t  of  land  in 
Newton  township."  Richard  purchased  land  of  Francis  Collins 
in  1 701,  now  mostly  owned  by  Joseph  C.  Stoy  and  John  E. 
Hopkins,  fronting  on  the  south  side  of  Cooper's  creek,  where 
Francis  Collins  had   his  landing.     Richard  Gray  deceased  in 


12  Lib.  No.  3,  193. 

13  Lib.  G2,  25. 


THE  BURROUGHS.  321 

1736,  leaving  but  two  children,  John  and  Ann.'*  The  second 
Samuel  was  born,  lived  and  died  at  the  old  homestead,  and,  in 
the  course  of  his  life,  accumulated  some  other  real  estate.  He 
adhered  stridlly  to  the  religious  faith  of  his  father,  and  was  a 
regular  attendant  at  the  Haddonfield  Meeting.  His  children 
were  numerous  ;  the  following  are  their  names :  Hannah,  who 
married  Robert  Stiles;  Sarah,  who  married  Isaac  Mickle;  Mary, 
who  married  Archibald  Mickle;  Ann,  who  married  Joseph 
Tomlinson;  Jo.seph,  who  married  Mary  Pine,  Kesiah  Aronson 
and  Lydia  Tomlinson ;  Abigail,  who  married  Thomas  Thorne; 
Bathsaba,  who  married  Jacob  Haines  ;  Samuel,  who  married 
Sarah  Lamb ;  and  Rachel,  who  married  Benjamin  Pine  and 
David  Davis.  The  intricacies  of  this  genealogy  are  very 
apparent,  and  will  hardly  be  ventured  upon,  except  by  some 
expert  with  mucli  patience  and  little  hope  of  reward.  To  his 
son  John,  Samuel  Burrough  gave,  by  his  will,  four  hundred  acres 
of  land,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  Penisaukin  creek,  which 
he  increased  by  purchase  from  his  eldest  brother  Samuel,  in 
the  year  1735.  The  most  of  this  property  passed  out  of  the 
name  and  blood   many  years  since. 

On  a  part  of  this  estate  John  Burrough  lived;  his  children 
were  as  follows :  John,  who  married  Barbara  Fussell;  Samuel, 
who  married Spencer  and  Mary  Black;  Josiah,  who  mar- 
ried Sarah  Morgan;  Gideon,  who  married  Phoebe  Burnett; 
Benjamin,  who  married  Phoebe  Potter;  Esther,  who  married 
Juda  Clemenz ;  Martha,  who  married  Benjamin  Clemenz  ; 
Mary,  who  married  Richard  Gibbs ;  Enoch,  who  married 
Deborah  Middleton ;  and  Hannah,  who  married  Joshua  Gibbs. 
Among  these  may  be  recognized  the  ancestors  of  several  families 
of  Gloucester  and  Burlington  counties,  at  this  day  unknown 
through  the  little  care  paid  to  the  preservation  of  family  bibles 
with  their  continued  memoranda  of  births,  deaths  and  marriages. 

The  John  last  named,  who  married  Barbara  Fussel,  was 
a  blacksmith ;  he  owned  and  lived  on  part  of  the  farm  lately 
David  D.  Burrough's,  deceased,  in  Delaware  township,  near 
Ellisburg,  where  yet  may  be  seen  the  remains  of  his  shop. 
His  residence  was   a   tavern,  standing   near  where   the   Eves- 


14  Lib.  No.  4,  1 
21 


322  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

ham  road  crossed  the  King's  highway  leading  from  Salem 
to  Burlington.  This  position  made  it' one  of  the  most  public 
places  in  the  county.  This  was  part  of  a  survey  made  by  William 
Cooper;  it  came  into  the  Burrough  family  about  the  year  1720, 
and  became  the  property  of  John  Burrough  in  1735.  Subse- 
quently, however,  it  passed  out  of  the  name  by  sale,  but,  like 
much  other  real  estate,  has  again  come  to  be  owned  by  one  of 
the  name  and  family  who  held  the  fee  nearly  a  century  and  a 
half  since.  The  house  stands  on  the  west  side  of  the  old  road ; 
it  is  built  of  brick  and  has  every  evidence  of  having  been 
ere6led  many  years  ago.  How  long,  and  from  what  time  it 
was  kept  as  an  inn,  there  is  no  means  of  knowing  at  this  late 
day,  as  those  who  received  its  hospitality  and  enjoyed  the 
many  sports  that  centered  there,  have  gone  to 

"  That  undiscovered  country  from  whose  bourne  no  traveller  returns." 

Apart  from  its  use  to  the  traveling  community  and  to  the 
neighborhood  as  a  resort  for  business  and  gossip,  it  was  a  place 
where  many  of  the  out-door  manly  pastimes  were  enjoyed,  and 
where  colle<Sled  those  who  in  them  participated.  In  front  of 
and  to  the  north  of  the  house,  was  a  level,  straight  piece  of 
road,  kept  smooth  and  used  as  a  race-course,  where  the  "quar- 
ter-nags" from  far  and  near  were  brought  to  compare  their 
mettle  and  speed,  and  where  their  owners  and  admirers  would 
back  their  opinions  with  a  bowl  of  punch  or  a  bottle  of  meth- 
eglin.  Horses,  like  politicians,  unless  successful,  soon  wear 
out  in  public  estimation,  and  the  animal  that  baulked,  shied 
or  bolted,  lost  his  friends  and  had  no  place  upon  the  turf. 
In  those  early  days,  small  purses  and  short  races  were  the 
fashion,  and  thimble-rig  or  faro-bank  were  unknown.  This 
amusement  with  our  ancestors  was  a  genuine  sport,  clear  of  all 
the  evil  tendencies  which  now  cling  to  it.  The  improvement 
of  the  stock  of  horses  was  not  set  up  as  an  apology,  neither  was 
jockeying  then  reduced  to  a  science;  but  they  engaged  in  it 
for  the  "fun  of  the  thing,"  and  faced  the  censure  accordingly. 

Fox  hunting  was  also  an  out-door  recreation.  There  was  no 
scarcity  of  game ;  the  country  was  free  from  fences ;  good  dogs 
and  practiced  hunters  abounded.  Every  farmer  and  farmer's 
son  had  his  steed  and  saddle,  ready  (after  the  crops  were  safe) 


THE  BURROUGHS.  323 

to  engage  in  the  exciting  sport.  Being  acquainted  with  the 
haunts  and  familiar  with  the  habits  of  the  animal,  there  was  no 
uncertainty  of  a  day's  sport  whenever  they  took  the  field,  and 
frequently  more  than  one  "brush"  was  secured  during  the 
hunt.  The  assembling  was  generally  by  arrangement  near 
the  ground  where  game  was  plentiful ;  but,  by  common  consent, 
the  day's  sport  ended  at  a  country  inn,  where  the  incidents 
and  mishaps  could  be  talked  over  before  the  open  wood-fire 
of  the  bar-room,  and  while  surrounding  a  bowl  of  egg-nogg, 
"called  in"  by  the  man  who  carried  the  brush  in  his  hat.  This 
old  way-side  tavern  was,  in  its  palmy  days,  often  the  scene  of 
the  last  of  a  hard  day's  hunt,  where  the  boldest  rider  and  the 
luckiest  sportsman  would  receive  the  rude  gratulations  of  his 
companions  in  the  chase;  while  others,  who  were  unhorsed  or 
thrown  out  in  some  of  the  many  ways  incident  to  the  sport, 
would  arrive  singly,  only  to  be  jeered  and  laughed  at  for  their 
ill  luck,  and  made  to  drown  their  chagrin  by  drinking  deep 
from  the  bowl  before  them.  But,  like  the  old  tavern,  their  sports 
have  passed  away ;  the  inroads  of  agriculture  upon  the  forests, 
and  the  filling  up  of  the  country  with  a  thrifty  and  industrious 
people,  have  left  no  shelter  for  reynard  in  this  part  of  New 
Jersey. 

John  Burrough  rented  the  tavern  and  his  shop,  and  removed 
to  Haddonfield,  where  he  plied  his  calling  for  several  years 
before  his  death. 

Isaac  Burrough,  upon  his  marriage  with  Deborah  Jennings, 
settled  in  Waterford  township,  near  the  Delaware  river,  but, 
after  his  second  marriage,  removed  into  Newton  township, 
where  he  deceased.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Jennings,  reputed  to  be  a  son  of  Henry,  and  claimed  as  the 
person  who  connedls  the  large  property  in  England  with  so 
many  expectants  in  the  United  States. ^^  The  collateral  branches 
of  the  family  are  numerous  in  New  Jersey.  Their  genealogy  has 
been  carefully  digested  and  arranged  in  anticipation  of  the  call 
for  the  heirs  of  Isaac  Jennings  to  receive  the  property  which 
has  so  long  been  without  an  owner.  The  children  were  Isaac, 
who  married  Rebecca  Nicholson  (widow  of  Abel  and  daughter 
of   Aaron  Aaronson) ;    Priscilla,  who  married  James  Cooper  j 

15  Lib.  No.  9,  157. 


324  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

Jacob,    who   married    Elizabeth    Gill ;    Hannah,    who    married 
Joseph  Mickle ;  and  Reuben  and  Jacob,  who  both  died  young. 

Samuel  and  Hannah  Parr  settled  on  part  of  the  "Burrough" 
estate,  in  Waterford  township,  where  Samuel  deceased  in  1753, 
leaving  the  following  children :  ^^  John,  Mary,  Samuel  and 
James.  Hannah,  his  widow,  died  in  1750.  Samuel  was  a  promi- 
nent person  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  and,  perhai^s,  a  preacher." 
None  of  the  name  reside  in  this  region  at  the  present  time. 

William  and  Esther  Bidgood,  in  a  few  years  after  their  mar- 
riage, removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  they  both  deceased.^* 
Nothing  is  known  of  the  family. 

Sarah,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Burrough,  died  soon  after  her 
marriage  in  1751,  as,  in  1753,  Jacob  married  Cassandra,  the 
widow  of  Jacob  Ellis  and  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Ann  Albert- 
son.  The  Burroughs  are  among  the  ancient  Quaker  families  of 
the  neighborhood  of  Haddonfield,  and  belong  to  those  that 
originated  and  sustained  the  society  hereabout  for  more  than  one 
hundred  years.  In  the  name  has  been  held  some  of  the  most 
valuable  real  estate  in  the  county  of  Gloucester;  but,  in  the 
progress  of  time,  this  has  passed  to  other  owners,  strangers 
to  the  blood.  The  collateral  branches  of  the  family  are  num- 
erous as  well  as  those  in  the  dire6l  line;  and  much  trouble 
and  uncertainty  attend  the  effort  to  colle6l  and  arrange  them 
corre6lly. 


16  Lib.  No.  7,  312. 

17  Lib.  No,  8,  345. 

18  Lib.  Z,  297,  481 


THE   WOODS. 


THERE  were  more  persons  of  this  name  among  the  first 
English  emigrants  who  came  to  New  Jersey  than  of  any 
other.  They  must  have  been  pleased  with  the  scheme  of  settle- 
ment as  laid  down  by  the  commissioners  and  proprietors,  and 
must  have  considered  its  success  as  certain  from  the  beginning. 
They  were  men  of  some  estate,  for  they  purchased  their  proprie- 
ties before  they  left  their  native  land;  and  men  of  education,  for_ 
they  at  once  participated  in  the  management  and  control  of  the 
new  government,  as  novel  in  its  operations  as  were  the  people 
and  the  scenery  that  surrounded  them  in  their  adopted  country. 
Men  of  decided  chara6leristics,  they  were  well  calculated  to 
develop  any  new  system  ;  and,  a6ling  from  a  proper  motive,  they 
would  soon  draw  around  them  those  who  naturally  sought  such 
guides  in  this  adventure.  They  were  all  Quakers,  and  a  perusal 
of  Besse's  History  of  that  se6t  will  show  the  reason  why  the 
members  of  this  family  were  so  ready  to  break  up  their  homes 
in  England  and  seek  others  in  the  wilds  of  America,  regardless 
of  the  privations  and  troubles  that  attend  such  an  undertaking. 
From  1654  to  1683,  persons  of  this  name  were  imprisoned 
in  the  Hertfordshire,  Lancashire,  Yorkshire,  Durham,  or  Cum- 
berland jails,  for  attending  the  meetings  of  Friends,  no  matter 
how  quietly  or  secretly  the  same  were  held.  Frequently  some 
of  these  were  kept  for  two  years  in  these  loathsome  places, 
without  any  means  of  redress  or  opportunity  to  attend  to  the 
wants  of  their  families.  The  adls  against  conventicles,  as  passed 
by  the  parliament,  and  the  little  reliance  to  be  placed  in  the 


326  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

promises  of  the  king,  left  no  hope  for  an  end  of  the  persecu- 
tions which  this  religious  body  suffered.  As  late  as  in  1681,  the 
House  of  Commons  reje6led  the  following  resolution  : 

"That  in  the  opinion  of  the  House,  the  persecutions  of  the 
Protestant  dissenters  upon  the  penal  laws,  is  at  this  time  grevi- 
ous  to  the  subje6l,  a  weakening  of  the  Protestant  interest,  an 
encouragement  to  Popery  and  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  the 
Kingdom." 

Those  who  observed  this  reflex  of  public  sentiment  could  not 
be  mistaken  in  regard  to  the  rigorous  enforcement  of  the  laws ; 
and  such  as  suffered  thereby  were  forced  to  look  to  some  other 
place  where  this  kind  of  intolerance  could  not  reach  them. 

William  Wood  arrived  at  Burlington  in  the  "Willing  Mind," 
John  Newcomb,  commander,  in  November,  1677;  and,  in  the 
records  of  the  first  court  held  at  that  place  in  1680,  William 
and  Thomas  Wood  appear  as  grand  jurymen,  when  that  part 
of  the  government  was  put  in  motion.^  William  was  the  first 
to  change  his  place  of  settlement  and  take  up  his  abode  in  New 
Jersey.  In  the  year  last  named,  he  located  thirty-six  acres 
within  the  town  bounds  of  Burlington,  where  he,  no  doubt, 
built  himself  a  log  cabin,  perhaps  emulating  his  neighbors  in 
its  style  and  finish.     He  married  Mary  Parnell  in  1682.^ 

In  the  year  1677,  John  Wood  of  Atterclifife  in  the  parish  of 
Sheffield,  Yorkshire,  purchased  of  George  Hutchinson  a  quan- 
tity of  proprietary  rights,  to  be  used  by  him  on  his  arrival  in 
West  New  Jersey;*  and  the  ship  book  of  the  "Shield"  has  an 
entry  which  says,  "that  John  Wood  of  Attercliffe,  in  the  parish 
of  Sheffield,  Yorkshire,  was  a  passenger  in  that  vessel,  and 
arrived  in  the  Delaware  in  the  tenth  month,  1678."*  His 
family  consisted  of  five  children,  who  came  with  him,  and 
whose  names  also  appear  on  the  said  book."  They  were  John, 
Joseph,  Esther,  Mary,  who  married  Thomas  Coleman,  and 
Sarah.*'  Thomas  Wood,  a  brother  of  John,  came  in  the  same 
ship ;  he  located  a  lot  of  land  in  Burlington  and  built  a  house 


1  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  102,  4  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania. 

2  Revel's  Book,  12  5  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  log. 

3  Lib.  Bi,  q8.  6  Revel's  Book,  79. 


THE    WOODS.  327 

thereon.'     He  married  Mary  Howie  in  1685,  but  of  his  family 
nothing  is  known.* 

This  was  the  first  English  vessel  that  passed  up  the  river  as 
far  as  Burlington.®  It  was  moored  to  a  tree,  and  the  next 
morning  the  passengers  went  ashore  on  the  ice.  A  "godlie 
companie"  of  Friends  came  in  this  boat,  and  doubtless  were 
well  received  by  those  who  had  preceded  them. 

In  1682,  John,  Constantine  and  Jeremiah  were  residents  of 
the  town  of  Bury  in  Lancashire,  and  in  that  year  they  each 
bought  of  the  trustees  of  Edward  Byllynge  proprietary  rights 
in  anticipation  of  their  removal  to  America."  This  town  lies 
about  forty  miles  northeast  of  Liverpool,  and  has,  since  their 
departure  therefrom,  become  a  place  of  considerable  proportions. 

It  may  be  safely  concluded  that  the  first  John  herein  named 
is  not  the  John  herein  secondly  mentioned ;  but,  when  spoken 
of  in  other  connedlions,  the  distin6lion  does  not  appear  so  clear. 

Jonathan  Wood  (husbandman),  a  resident  of  the  parish  of 
Maltby  in  Yorkshire,  England,  also  became  the  owner  of  rights 
about  the  same  time ;  but  he  abandoned  the  idea  of  moving  to 
the  ''Plantations  in  America,"  and  sold  his  acres  to  Christopher 
Snowdon  in  1684,  who  came  over  and  settled  in  Burlington 
county  about  the  time  of  his  purchase." 

John,  Constantine  and  Jeremiah  Wood  came  to  New  Jersey 
the  same  year  in  which  they  made  their  purchases.  On 
September  4th,  1682,  Henry  Wood  bought  of  Samuel  Cole 
a  tradl  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's  creek,  bounded 
by  the  land  which  Samuel  Cole  subsequently  sold  to  Samuel 
Spicer.  and  extending  to  the  river  Delaware.'^  This  appears 
from  maps  of  the  Woods'  and  Spicers'  lands  in  the  office  of 
the  Surveyor-Qeneral  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  as  re-surveyed  in 
1 723  and  1 728.  The  deed  says :  "situate at  Arwawmosse,  in  West 
Jersey,  also  the  dwelling  house  or  tenement  which  he,  the  said 
Samuel  inhabiteth,  with  the  folds,  yards,  &c.,  excepting  one 
cow  house,  &c."  This  farm  fronted  on  both  streams,  and  was 
part  of  the  survey  returned  to  Samuel  Cole  a  few  months  before 
this  sale,  upon  which  the  improvements  were  all  new.     The 


7  Revel's  Book,  27.  10  Lib.  Gi,  01,  03,  05. 

8  Lib.  Bi,  123  II  Lib.  Bi,  248. 

9  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  108.  12  Lib.  Bi,  66. 


328  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Indian  name  of  this  plantation  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
retained  through  many  generations,  as  no  mention  of  it  is  made 
in  any  of  the  papers  after  that  time.''* 

The  Henry  Wood  last  named  was  not  of  the  family  first 
noticed.  He  with  his  wife  and  children  came  from  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  as  appears  by  the  records  of  the  Friends'  Meeting 
of  Newton ;  but  not  until  a  year  or  so  after  the  purchase,  as  his 
certificate  of  removal  is  dated  twelfth  month  5th,  1687.  He 
was  probably  a  son  of  William  Wood,  author  of  a  much  read 
Quaker  pamphlet,  called  "New  England's  Prospe6l,"  published 
in  1634;  he  returned  to  England  in  1635  with  his  brother  John 
in  the  ship  Hopewell,  from  which  Henry  named  his  homestead 
property. 

John,  Constantine  and  Jeremiah  seledled  their  land  at  the 
mouth  of  Woodbury  creek,  also  in  Gloucester  county,  where 
had  already  settled  a  few  Swedes.  In  1683,  John  Wood  located 
three  hundred  acres  at  that  place,  within  the  bounds  of  which 
these  persons  ere6led  their  habitations."  This  hamlet  is  deserv- 
ing of  more  than  a  passing  notice,  for  from  it  radiated  all  the 
settlements  in  that  part  of  Gloucester  county,  as  well  in  the 
unexplored  forests  as  along  the  river  shore.  In  John  Wood's 
house  a  meeting  was  established  after  the  order  of  Friends,  to 
which  place  those  in  that  se(5lion  resorted  for  religious  worship.'" 
It  was  known  among  the  people  at  that  day  as  "The  Shelter," 
although  the  name  does  not  often  occur,  neither  does  it  appear 
to  have  any  significance.  This  meeting  was  so  kept  until  1696, 
in  which  year  John  Wood  conveyed  to  Thomas  Gardiner, 
William  Warner  and  Joshua  Lord,  a  lot  of  land  for  a  grave- 
yard, and  upon  this  a  meeting  house  was  ere6led  the  same 
year."*  No  vestige  of  the  old  building  remains,  but  the  spot 
in  which  were  laid  the  bodies  of  those  hardy  pioneers  is  still 
held  sacred.     So  may  it  always  be. 

Those  who  were  contemporary  with  John,  Constantine  and 
Jeremiah  Wood  in  this  little  colony,  and  who  joined  in  the 
meeting  at  John's  house,  were  Joshua  Lord,  Henry  Tredway, 
Thomas  Gardner,  Thomas  Mathews,  John  Ladd,  George  Ward, 
William  Warner  and  others.     The  several  locations  of   these 


13  Revel's  Book,  63.  15  The  Friend,  Vol.  4,  206. 

14  Revel's  Book,  43.  16  Lib.  G3,  214. 


THE    WOODS.  329 

persons  extended  along  the  river  shore  as  far  as  Eagle  Point, 
up  the  creek  to  about  where  Woodbury  now  stands,  and  also 
on  Mathew's  branch,  a  tributary  of  the  last  named  stream. 
Previously  to  the  settlement  by  the  English,  these  localities 
were  called  "Long  Harris's  creek"  and  "Batchelor's  bank;" 
but  these  names  were  soon  lost  sight  of  after  their  coming." 
In  what  way  they  were  derived  does  not  appear. 

There  were  a  few  Swedish  families  about  the  mouth  of  Wood- 
bury creek  previously  to  the  coming  of  these  colonists.  This 
may  have  been  an  inducement  for  stopping  at  that  place.'®  The 
Dalboos  had  land  thereabout,  and  Walla  Swanson  of  Wickaco 
was  likewise  an  owner  of  two  hundred  acres.'"  In  his  will  dated 
in  1692,  he  gave  these  to  his  children,  John,  Peter,  Swan,  Mary, 
wife  of  William  Warner,  Lydia,  wife  of  Josiah  Harper,  Bridget, 
Catharine,  wife  of  James  Laconey,  and  Judith.^"  They  divided 
the  same  in  1729." 

In  1 71 5  John  Swanson  conveyed  to  John  Ladd,  Henry  Wood 
and  John  Cooper,  one  acre  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  the 
creek  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  King's  road,  no  doubt  to 
be  used  for  a  burial  place,  and  thereon  to  ere(5l  a  meeting 
house.  ■^'' 

John  Wood  sat  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  the  year 
1685,  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  for  dividing  land 
in  the  same  year,  and,  in  1687,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  courts 
of  Gloucester  county.  From  1695  to  1700,  he  was  continuously 
appointed  one  of  the  coroners,  and  in  1701  made  king's  attor- 
ney. In  1687,  he  was,  with  William  Warner,  presented  by  the 
grand  jury  for  assisting  two  "notorious  criminals"  to  go  out  of 
the  county.  John  Wood  appeared  at  the  bar  of  the  court, 
made  proper  explanation  of  the  matter  and  acknowledged 
his  error;  and  the  case  was  abandoned.-'^  It  was,  perhaps, 
through  his  influence  that  the  courts  were  held  at  Red  Bank  for 
a  few  years;  but  this  was  soon  found  to  be  an  out-of-the-way, 
inconvenient  place,  and  accordingly  abandoned. 

John  Wood  deceased  in  1705,  having  a  large  landed  estate. 


17  Revel's  Book,  68.  zi  Revel's  Book,  6i. 

i8  Lib.  Z,  454  22  Lib.  A,  145. 

i-^  Lib.  E,  423.  23  Minute  Book  of  Gloucester  County 

20  Lib.  X    177.  Courts,  Woodbury. 


330  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

which  he  disposed  of  by  his  will.'^*  The  homestead  property 
fronting  on  the  creek  and  the  river,  he  gave  to  his  son  John. 
In  this  devise  he  excepted  the  graveyard  and  meeting  house 
property,  doubtless  to  avoid  any  trouble  after  his  death  in 
regard  to  the  boundaries  and  rights  of  the  society  to  the  same. 
His  wife  Sarah  and  the  following  named  children  survived  him : 

John,  Joseph,  Esther,  Constantine,  who  married  Alice and 

died  in  1 734.  Mary,  Henry,  Sarah,  who  married  Joshua  Lord, 
and  Alice. 

It  is  probable  that  the  daughter  Sarah  died  before  her  father, 
as  mention  is  made  of  her  four  children  in  his  will.  Portions 
of  this  estate  remained  in  the  name  and  family  for  many  years 
after  his  decease. 

Henry  Wood  remained  on  the  premises  which  he  purchased 
of  Samuel  Cole,  and  there  died  in  1691,  having  been  a  member 
and  constant  attendant  of  the  Newton  meeting.  He  was  some- 
what of  a  public  man,  as  he  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  in 
1683  and  1684;  but  in  the  last  year  did  not  attend. ^^  In  1684, 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  for  laying  out  land 
and  purchasing  from  the  Indians;  and,  in  1685,  he  a<5led  as  a 
commissioner  for  opening  highways  and  keeping  the  same  in 
repair.  He  rendered  service  in  many  other  minor  positions, 
and  was  a  useful  man  in  his  time.  All  his  traveling  was  done 
by  water,  and  the  daughters  as  well  as  the  sons  were  experts  in 
managing  a  boat.  No  fishing  excursion  was  defeated  for  want 
of  a  man  to  work  the  skiff,  nor  sailing  party  put  off  because  the 
beaux  Avere  not  there  to  manage  the  helm.  To  be  equal  to 
every  emergency  in  this  means  of  locomotion,  was  part  of  an 
education  not  to  be  negle6led ;  and  no  little  table  talk  origi- 
nated in  the  rivalry  of  those  who  prided  themselves  upon  their 
nautical  ability,  and  who  were  always  ready  to  test  their  knowl- 
edge by  a  race  on  the  water. 

Newton  creek  (perchance,  before  the  tide  was  checked  by 
dam,  or  the  stream  narrowed  by  banks,)  has  been  the  scene  of 
many  such  trials.  The  merits  of  every  new  craft  must  needs  be 
tested,  and,  with  a  good  breeze,  the  temptation  was  too  great 
not  to  know  the  strong  and  the  weak  points  thereof.     Some 


24  Lib.  No.  I,  173. 

25  Learning  and  Spicer's  Laws. 


THE    WOODS.  331 

public  friend,  upon  his  return  from  meeting,  may  have  unwill- 
ingly found  himself  in  the  midst  of  one  of  these  contests,  and, 
while  having  fast  hold  of  his  hat,  may  have  yielded  for  the 
moment  to  the  excitement  that  surrounded  him,  forgetting  that 
the  force  of  example  always  strengthened  precept.  In  our  day, 
horse  flesh  supplies  this  means  of  travel,  and  the  followers  of 
George  Fox  have  now  as  keen  an  eye  for  the  good  points  of  a 
roadster  as  our  ancestors  had  for  the  sailing  qualities  of  their 
water  craft. 

Early  and  constant  training  will  control  the  bent  of  our 
nature,  yet  its  latent  propensities  may  occasionally  crop  out  in 
a  diredlion  not  consistent  with  our  education,  or  with  the 
examples  that  sometimes  surround  us.  The  line  that  separates 
a  commendable  purpose  from  that  which  leads  to  error,  may, 
in  our  zeal,  be  overlooked,  and,  unless  experience  and  ripe 
judgment  be  regarded,  the  dangers  of  a  wrong  dire6lion  are 
much  increased. 

In  1683,  Henry  Wood  located  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land  on  the  north  side  of  and  fronting  Cooper's  creek;  this 
he  afterward  sold  to  Matthew  Burden  in  16S6,  who  probably 
settled  on  the  same.'^''  This  grantee  was  a  resident  of  Ports- 
mouth in  Rhode  Island  at  the  time  of  the  purchase,  and  in 
some  way  connected  with  the  grantor."  The  name  of  Burden 
does  not  often  occur  among  the  early  settlers  hereabout. 
Richard,  a  son  of  Matthew  Burden,  conveyed  this  land  to  John 
Cox  in  1711  ;  much  of  it  is  now  included  in  the  Browning 
cstatQ,  and  divided  into  various  farms.  He  was  the  owner  of 
much  other  land  in  West  New  Jersey,  but  he  disposed  of  the 
greater  part  before  his  death. "^^ 

Henry  Wood's  will  bears  date  April  2d,  1691,  and  was 
admitted  to  probate  in  June  of  the  same  year.'^®  Samuel 
Carpenter  of  Philadelphia  and  George  Smith  of  West  New 
Jersey  were  made  trustees,  and  Walter  Clark  and  Benjamin 
Newberry  of  Rhode  Island  were  appointed  executors.  In  this 
writing,  he  says  that  he  was  a  resident  of  Hopewell,  in 
Gloucester  county,  West  New  Jersey,  which  name  has,  how- 
ever, been  lost  to  the  estate  for  many  years.     Although  much 


26  Basse's  Book,  150.  28  Lib.  BBB,  (^8. 

27  Lib.  BB,  67.  29  Lib.  No.  13,  518. 


332  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

real  estate  passed  under  this  document,  yet  it  does  not 
appear  of  record  for  more  than  half  a  century  after  its 
probate, — an  occurrence  that  but  seldom  happens,  and  that 
remains  uuexplained.  The  appointment  of  persons  residing 
in  Rhode  Island  as  executors,  is  accounted  for  by  his  having 
left  friends  and,  perhaps,  relatives  in  that  colony  upon 
his  removal  hither.  His  children  were  Henry,  James  (a 
shipwright,  who  lived  in  Philadelphia  and  married  Mary 
Pellor  in  1715)  ;  Richard;  Judith,  who  married  Thomas 
Willard  in  1689 ;  Abigail,  who  married  Daniel  Cooper  in 
1693;  Hannah,  who  married  Joseph  Nicholson  in  1695; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Stephen  Newbie  in  1703;  and 
Benjamin,  who  married  Mary  Kay,  daughter  of  John,  in 
1707. 

His  widow  Hannah  survived  him  several  years.  In  1754, 
the  son  Henry  died  a  single  man,  and  by  his  will  disposed  of 
the  real  estate  given  to  him  by  his  father  among  his  brothers 
and  sisters. •^''  Thomas  and  Judith  Willard  settled  on  a  planta- 
tion near  that  of  her  father's.  Thomas  died  there  in  1734, 
intestate,  leaving  three  sons,  James,  Henry  and  Thomas. ^^ 

Abigail,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Cooper,  died  in  a  short  time  after 
her  marriage,  and  without  children.  Joseph  Nicholson,  a  son  of 
Samuel,  and  the  first  of  the  name  that  settled  in  Gloucester 
county,  became  the  owner  of  the  homestead  in  1699,  by  deed 
from  James  Nicholson,  and  with  his  wife  made  that  his  home.'^ 
Joseph  deceased  in  1702,  intestate,  leaving  but  two  children, 
George,  who  married  Alice  Lord  in  171 7,  and  Samuel,  who 
married  Sarah  Burrough  in  1722,  Rebecca  Saint  in  1744,  and 
Jane  Albertson,  widow  of  William  and  daughter  of  John  Engle, 
in  1749.^^ 

Stephen  and  Elizabeth  Newbie  settled  in  Newton  township 
on  part  of  the  land  taken  up  by  Mark,  the  father  of  Stephen. 
He  died  in  1 706 ;  his  widow  and  two  children  survived  him. 
Of  these,  Mark  died  single  in  1735,  and  Hannah  married 
Joseph  Thackara. 

After  the  decease  of  Joseph  Nicholson,  Benjamin  Wood 
purchased  the  homestead  estate,  and  thereon  he  resided  until 


30  Gloucester  Files.  3=  Lib.  G3,  214. 

31  Lib.  W,  386.  33  Gloucester  Files. 


THE    WOODS.  333 

his  death  in  1738.  Like  his  father,  he  called  the  old  place 
Hopewell,  the  original  Indian  name  of  Arwawmosse,  as  men- 
tioned by  Samuel  Cole  when  he  conveyed  to  Henry  Wood, 
having  been  abandoned  at  an  early  date  in  their  ownership. 
Benjamin  Wood's  plantation  fronted  on  the  river.  His  wife 
Mary  survived  him,  and  the  following  children :  Mary,  who 
married  Joseph  Cole  and  Richard  Matlack ;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Elias  Toy ;  Hannah,  who  married  Joseph  Heulings ; 
Abigail,  who  married   Robert   Hunt ;   Benjamin,   who  married 

,  the  latter  dying  in  1750;  John,  Judith  and  Jane.''* 

By  his  will,  the  real  estate  of  which  he  died  seized,  passed  to 
his  children ;  but  in  that  generation  much  thereof  was  alienated, 
and,  at  this  writing,  no  part  of  the  soil  is  held  in  the  name.''^ 

The  graveyard  commenced  by  the  Woods  and  Spicers,  which 
stands  upon  the  original  tradl  of  land  as  surveyed  to  Samuel 
Cole,  is  still  in  existence.  Some  of  those  in  whose  veins 
flows  the  blood  of  the  first  English  settlers,  have  with  com- 
mendable care  preserved  its  boundaries,  and  saved  it  from 
encroachment.  In  later  years  memorials  have  been  raised  to 
show  where  lie  the  remains  of  some  of  the  younger  branches 
of  the  families ;  but,  of  the  first  there  interred,  no  tradition  or 
record  has  been  left  to  point  out  their  particular  resting  place. 

The  majestic  oaks  that  stood  around,  and  upon  whose  bark 
had  been  rudely  traced  the  names  of  many  of  the  occupants, 
are  gone.  These  marks,  which,  to  the  heedless  axeman,  were 
without  meaning,  bore  in  themselves  a  history,  full  of  interest 
to  the  descendants  of  those  whose  memory  they  were  designed 
to  preserve.  No  trace  of  these  old,  living  monuments  is  left, 
and  with  them  passed  away  the  only  remembrance  of  the  first 
settlers  in  that  part  of  the  colony.  Where  stood  the  primitive 
forests,  as  owned  by  Henry  Wood  one  hundred  and  eighty  years 
since,  the  soil  is  now  divided  into  valuable  farms,  and,  before 
another  like  lapse  of  time,  will  be  included  in  the  city  of 
Camden  and  be  covered  with  the  dwellings  of  its  inhabitants. 

34  Lib.  No.  7,  367. 
3<j  Lib.  No.  4,  135. 


RICHARD   MATHEWS. 


IN  1699,  Richard  Mathews  was  a  ''factor,"  and  resided  in 
Stokenewington,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  England.' 
He  had  previously  resided  in  the  city  of  London,  but  had  prob- 
ably been  driven  from  that  place  on  account  of  the  persecution 
of  Friends.  He  was  largely  interested  in  the  proprieties,  and, 
through  his  agents  in  West  New  Jersey,  made  several  surveys  in 
Gloucester  county.  In  1683,  a  survey  of  five  hundred  acres 
was  returned  in  his  name  as  made  in  Newton  township ;  upon 
which  now  stands  the  larger  part  of  the  village  of  Haddonfield.'' 
In  1691,  he,  through  Elias  Farr,  his  attorney,  conveyed  one 
hundred  acres  of  the  same  to  William  Lovejoy,  it  being  that 
part  of  the  survey  which  lay  east  of  the  main  street  of  the 
town,  at  that  time  nothing  more  than  a  bridle  path  or  Indian 
trail.''"'  The  remainder  of  the  tra6l  was  by  him  sold  to  John 
Haddon,  in  whose  family  it  was  held  for  many  years. ^  The 
l)lacksmith  shop,  which  is  marked  on  a  map  of  the  same  made 
in  1700,  and  is  the  only  building  thereon  represented,  was,  in  all 
probability,  placed  there  by  William  Lovejoy,  who  attended  to 
the  wants  of  the  small  community  around  him  in  his  particular 
line.  It  is  supposable  that  his  business  included  the  duties  of  a 
tinker,  a  gunsmith  and  a  clock  maker  also,  and  that  he  looked 
after  all  the  hardware  of  the  housekeepers  near  his  place ;  kept 
all  the  fowling-pieces  and  muskets  in  good  order;  and  regulated 


1  Lib.  G3,  458.  3  Basse's  Book,  237.    4  Lib.  G3,  93. 

2  Revel's  Book,  38.  5  Lib.  Gi,  07. 


336  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

the  clocks  thereabout  when  the  sun  shone  and  his  dial  was 
properly  adjusted." 

In  1684,  Edward  Byllynge  appointed  Thomas  Mathews  as  his 
attorney,  with  the  consent  of  George  Hutchinson,  to  sell  thirty 
shares  of  propriety  of  West  New  Jersey.  This  shows  that  he 
had  the  confidence  of  the  patroon.'  It  would  appear  that  Wil- 
liam Lovejoy  was  an  apprentice  to  Thomas  Mathews,  for,  in 
1696,  Thomas  Gardiner,  as  administrator,  conveyed  to  Lovejoy 
fifty  acres  of  land  for  services  rendered.*^  These  services  were 
those  of  a  blacksmith;  but  this  calling  he  abandoned  after 
a  few  years. 

In  1686,  a  survey  was  made  to  Richard  Mathews  on  a  branch 
of  Woodbury  creek,  called  Mathew's  run,  containing  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres,  whereon  his  son  Thomas  and  Thomas 
Gardiner,  who  married  his  daughter  Hannah,  settled.  Another 
survey  was  made  near  Red  Bank  of  three  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres,  which,  together  with  all  his  other  real  estate,  passed  out 
of  the  name  many  years  since.  There  is  nothing  to  show  that 
Richard  Mathews  himself  ever  came  to  America;  while  but 
part  of  his  family  came,  consisting  of  one  son,  Thomas,  and 
a  daughter,  Hannah,  who  married  Thomas  Gardiner,  Jr.,  in 
1684,  at  Friends  meeting  in  Burlington.''  The  probability  is, 
however,  that  these  were  his  only  children,  and  that,  like 
Elizabeth  Estaugh,  they  came  hither  to  look  after  the  estate 
of   the   parent. 

Thomas  Mathews,  the  son,  settled  on  the  tra6l  of  land  near 
Woodbury  creek,  and,  if  he  was  not  a  bachelor,  he  died  without 
children,  and  intestate,  as  his  entire  landed  property  passed  to 
his  sister  Hannah  Gardiner,  through  whose  blood  at  this  time 
there  remains  no  connexion  with  this  particular  family  in 
New  Jersey."  Richard  Mathews  died  about  1696,  and  the 
son  Thomas  about   1702. 

In  the  year  1683,  Thomas  Mathews  made  a  proposition  to 
the  Legislature  to  exchange  one  thousand  acres  of  land  for  a 
site  to  build  a  saw  mill  in  the  forks  of  Rancocas  creek.  The 
matter  was  referred   to  commissioners,  and,  perhaps,  was  con- 


6  Lib.  B,  129.  9  Lib.  S,  465. 

7  Lib.  Gi,  139.  10  Basse's  Book,  52,  123. 

8  Lib.  G2,  176. 


RICHARD  MATHEWS.  337 

summated  ;  but  where  the  saw  mill  stood,  and  whether  it  has 
been  maintained  to  the  present  time,  do  not  appear. 

In  1685,  he  was  returned  as  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  from  the  fourth  tenth ;  at  which  time  he  resided 
at  Woodbury  creek.  In  the  same  year,  he  represented  Ben- 
jamin Bartlett,  Robert  Squib  and  Robert  Squib,  Jr.,  as  their 
proxy  in  the  disposal  of  proprieties,  and  in  voting  for  members 
of  the  council  of  proprietors ;  this  privilege,  from  some 
irregularity,  the  Legislature  revoked,  and  passed  a  resolution 
to  meet  the  trouble.  The  Legislature  was  jealous  of  the 
power  and  adlion  of  the  council,  and  much  diplomacy  had 
to  be  used  by  the  more  conservative  members  of  each  body 
to  prevent  difficulty  between  them.  The  interest  of  many 
members  of  the  Legislature  in  the  soil,  and  their  desire  to 
encourage  emigration  and  settlement,  prevented  the  clashing 
of  the  two  bodies,  which,  otherwise,  would  have  led  to 
disastrous   results. 


22 


ROBERT  TURNER. 


THIS  person  was  never  a  resident  of  New  Jersey.  Being 
a  man  of  large  estate,  he  became  interested  in  the  various 
speculations  going  on  in  England,  touching  the  settlements 
in  America,  and  rendered  much  service  to  such  as  desired 
to  remove,  but  had  not  the  means  wherewith  to  accomplish  that 
end.  He  was  an  Irish  Quaker,  engaged  in  merchandise.  He 
resided  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  where  he  much  advanced  the 
spread  of  the  religious  do6lrines  which  he  had  espoused ;  and 
this  brought  upon  him  an  equal  measure  of  persecution  from 
those  who  conceived  their  authority  to  be  absolute.'  In  1662, 
he,  with  many  others,  was  taken  from  a  religious  meeting  of 
Friends,  and  confined  in  the  Bridewell  prison.  Two  years 
before  he  had  been  locked  up  in  Newgate  for  a  like  offence. 
In  1665,  he  was  imprisoned  and  despoiled  of  his  goods,  and, 
in  1669,  had  his  property  again  taken  for  the  reason  that  he  had 
refused  to  pay  tithes.  His  estate  seems  to  have  had  an  attrac- 
tion for  such  as,  in  those  days,  went  about  with  religious  zeal 
to  punish  those  who  differed  with  them  in  opinion. 

Immediately  upon  the  consummation  of  the  grant  of  territory 
in  America  by  the  king  to  William  Penn,  he  closed  his 
business  in  Ireland,  and  removed  to  Philadelphia.  He  came 
in  the  ship  "Lion  "  of  Liverpool  from  Dublin,  with  the  certifi- 
cate of  the  Men's  Meeting  of  Friends  from  the  last  named 
place,  and  arrived  in  Philadelphia  on  the  14th  of  the  eighth 
month,  1683.    He  brought  with  him  his  family  and  some  twenty 

I  Lib.  Bi,  52. 


340  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

persons  as  servants.  With  William  Penn  he  was  on  the  most 
intimate  terms,  having  been  associated  with  him  in  his  various 
religious  difificulties ;  and  he  was  frequently  his  companion  in 
his  travels  in  England.  From  among  the  extensive  correspon- 
dence that  occurred  between  them,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting 
to  copy  a  letter,  in  which  an  explanation  is  given  of  the  way 
in  which  the  appellation  that  his  territory  now  bears,  was  fixed, 
showing  how  fearful  he  was  that  the  same  might  appear  egostis- 
tical.     It  runs  as  follows: 

"To  Robert  Turner.  5  of  ist  Mo,  1681. 

Dear  Friend :  My  true  love  in  the  Lord  salutes  thee,  and  dear 
friends  that  love  the  Lord's  precious  truth  in  those  parts. 
Thine  I  have,  and  for  my  business  here.  Know  that  after 
many  waitings,  watchings,  solicitings  and  disputes  in  Council, 
this  day  my  country  was  confirmed  to  me  under  the  great  seal 
of  England,  with  large  powers  and  privileges  by  the  name  of 
Pennsylvania — a  name  the  King  would  give  it,  in  honour  of 
my  father.  I  chose  New  Wales,  being  as  this  is  a  pretty  hilly 
country,  but  Penn  being  Welsh  for  a  head,  as  Penaumoire  in 
Wales,  and  Penrith  in  Cumberland,  and  Penn  in  Buckingham- 
shire, the  highest  land  in  England,  he  called  this  Pennsylvania, 
which  is  the  high  or  head  Woodland;  for  I  proposed,  when  the 
secretary,  a  Welshman,  refused  to  have  it  called  New  Wales, 
Sylvania,  and  they  added  Penn  to  it ;  and  though  I  much  opposed 
it  and  went  to  the  King  to  have  it  struck  out,  and  altered,  he 
said  it  was  past,  and  would  take  it  upon  him.  Nor  could 
twenty  guineas  move  the  under  secretaries  to  vary  the  name, 
for  I  feared  least  it  should  be  looked  on  as  a  vanity  in  me,  and 
not  as  a  respe6l  in  the  King  as  it  truly  was  to  my  father,  whom 
he  often  mentions  with  praise.  Thou  mayst  communicate  my 
grant  to  friends,  and  expe6l  shortly  my  proposals.  It  is  a  clear 
and  just  thing,  and  my  God  that  has  given  it  to  me  through 
many  difificulties,  will,  I  believe,  bless  and  make  it  the  seed  of 
a  nation.  I  shall  have  a  tender  care  of  the  government,  that 
it  will  be  well  laid  at  the  first.  No  more  now,  but  dear  love 
in  truth.     Thy  true  friend, 

William  Penn." 


ROBERT  TURNER.  341 

In  this  letter  are  disclosed  the  real  sentiments  of  the  writer 
upon  the  subje6t  in  question,  as  well  as  the  history  of  a  matter 
now  of  much  interest  to  all.  In  a  money  point  of  view,  this 
grant  discharged  a  debt  which  the  creditor  feared  never  would 
be  paid,  and  about  which  there  had  been  much  controversy  and 
dispute.  The  influence  of  William  Penn  with  the  king  was 
a  cause  of  jealousy  among  those  who  surrounded  him,  and  who 
sought  the  same  position  that  he  undoubtedly  held  at  court. 
This  was  the  secret  of  all  the  opposition  to  the  settlement 
of  the  claim,  and  the  fa6l  that  hindered  its  consummation. 

The  charter,  which  contained  "large  powers  and  privileges," 
has  become  a  venerable  document.  It  has  been  framed,  and  it 
now  hangs  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  the  commonwealth  at 
Harrisburg.  It  is  ornamented  with  heraldic  devices  on  strong 
parchment,  and,  at  the  top  of  the  first  page,  displays  a  finely 
executed  likeness  of  Charles  the  Second,  king  of  England,  &c. 

The  letter  contains  one  other  sentiment  worthy  of  note, 
which  is  that  this  grant  of  land,  and  the  laws  that  he  proposed 
to  establish  there,  would  make  the  colony  ^^  the  seed  of  a  nation^ 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  expedtations  of  this  great  man  in 
regard  to  the  people  that  should  spring  up  on  his  new  acquisi- 
tion, or  whatever  he  hoped  that  time  would  develop  in  the 
re.sources  and  advantages  of  the  soil  within  its  bounds,  he 
never  could  have  contemplated  any  such  advancement  as  the 
present  generation  beholds  at  this  day.  He  only  knew  it  as  it 
lay  upon  the  river  Delaware  ;  which  stream  would  offer  all  the 
water  communication  that  was  necessary  for  the  wants  of  the 
people.  The  immense  forests,  the  inexhaustible  mineral 
resources,  the  advantages  of  water  power  for  manufadluring 
purposes  and  inland  transportation,  as  well  as  the  extensive 
agricultural  distridls  that  lay  within  the  bounds  of  his  pur- 
chase, were  things  beyond  his  view,  and  beyond  the  scope 
of  his  imagination.  The  "tender  care"  which  he  had  for 
the  government,  that  emigrants  might  be  assured  of  justice 
to  all,  marked  him  as  a  man  of  foresight  and  deserving  merit, 
and    in   this   he  certainly  planted    the  "seed   of   a  nation." 

Many  difficulties  occurred  in  regard  to  titles  to  land  made  by 
Penn,  some  concerning  the  boundaries,  and  others,  the  right  of 


342  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

possession  ;  these  troubles  were  frequently  referred  to  Robert 
Turner,  who  mostly  settled  them  to  satisfa6lion.  As  Thomas 
Sharp,  and  those  other  adventurers  who  settled  at  Newton, 
came  from  Dublin,  and  took  their  land  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Irish  tenth,  as  laid  forth  in  West  Jersey,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  Robert  Turner  knew  them  before  they  came, 
and  continued  the  acquaintance  after  their  arrival  here.  In 
the  memorial  left  by  Sharp  touching  this  part  of  their  history, 
reference  is  made  to  the  adjustment  of  a  difficulty  by  Robert 
Turner  in  relation  to  land  taken  up  by  George  Goldsmith. 
In  this  settlement  he  showed  his  good  feeling  toward  Goldsmith 
by  conveying  him  a  portion  of  the  survey  whereon  he  had  made 
his  improvements.  The  remainder  of  this  survey  he  sold  to 
Isaac   Hollingsham. 

The  Graysburys  purchased  a  tra6l  of  land  lying  in  Newton, 
which  he  had  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  branch  of 
Newton  creek.  He  made  other  surveys  in  the  township,  some 
of  which  were  bounded  by  Cooper's  creek,  and  some  by  the 
river  front,  now  included  in  the  city  of  Camden.'  For  the  five 
years  immediately  after  the  first  settlement,  he  perhaps  owned 
more  land  in  this  township  than  any  other  individual,  and  no 
doubt  took  much  interest  in  its  advancement  and  progress. 
In  the  sales  of  land,  as  made  in  Pennsylvania  by  William  Penn 
to  those  who  were  settling  there,  and  to  many  residents  in 
England,  and  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  who  never  came  thence, 
the  name  of  Robert  Turner  often  occurs  ;  and,  at  his  death,  his 
landed  estates  must  have  been  large  and  valuable.  In  the  city, 
he  owned  several  squares  of  ground,  which  he,  no  doubt,  used 
for  farming  purposes,  but  which  are  now  in  the  centre  of  the 
metropolis. 

The  wife  of  Robert  Turner  was  Susanna,  daughter  of  William 
Welch,  and  their  children  were  Edward,  who  married  Catharine 
Carter.     (He   dying,  she    married    John    Baldwin.'     She   also 

survived  him  and  married Cloud  of  Chester  county,  Pa. ) ;  * 

Martha,  who  married  Francis  Rawle  ;  and  Mary,  who  married 
Joseph  Pidgeon.*  Mary  Rawle,  a  daughter  of  Francis,  married 
William  Cooper  in  1732,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  grandson  of  the 

2  Sharp's  Book,  03.     O.  S.  G.  4  Lib-  E,  69- 

3  Lib.  G3,  379.  5  Lib.  BBi,  352. 


ROBERT  TURNER.  343 

first  William.®  Her  husband  settled  with  her  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.'  He  was  the  owner  of 
much  land  in  Camden,  coming  to  him  from  his  paternal 
ancestors.  Mary  Pidgeon  deceased  in  1733,  leaving  one  son, 
Joseph.  Francis  and  Martha  Rawle  had  other  children  than 
Mary,  as  follows  :  Robert,  Francis,  William,  Joseph,  John, 
Benjamin,  Jane,  Rebecca,  and  Elizabeth.  Robert  Turner  died 
intestate. 

Although  not  a  resident  of  the  colony,  yet,  in  1685,  he  was 
returned  as  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  third  tenth  in  the 
Legislature  of  West  New  Jersey ;  but  he  did  not  appear  at  the 
first  sitting  thereof.®  At  the  second  session,  his  name  appears, 
at  which  time  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to 
regulate  the  sale  of  land,  and  to  contra6l  with  the  Indians  for 
the  purchase  of  their  right  in  the  soil.  He  was  also  appointed 
one  of  the  committee  to  examine  proxies  sent  by  the  proprie- 
tors residing  in  England,  since  some  difficulty  had  arisen  con- 
cerning their  legality,  the  manner  in  which  they  were  obtained, 
and  the  way  in  which  they  were  being  used. 

The  exercising  of  these  privileges  by  Robert  Turner  would 
seem  to  show  that  he  lived  in  West  New  Jersey  for  a  short  time, 
although  nothing  beside  would  lead  to  such  conclusion ;  or  that 
the  custom  prevailing  in  England  at  that  time,  and  still,  to  some 
extent,  followed  there,  of  ele6ling  persons  of  one  se6lion  of  the 
realm  to  represent  those  of  another,  in  this  single  instance 
obtained  here.  Supposing  such  to  be  the  fa6l,  the  rule  was 
much  strained  in  this  case,  for  he  then  resided  in  another  com- 
monwealth, based  upon  a  different  constitution  and  governed  in 
many  particulars  by  different  laws.  That  he  had  large  interests 
here  is  well  known.  He  was  also  as  desirous  as  the  inhabitants 
were  that  wholesome  regulations  should  be  provided  for  the 
growing  colony,  in  order  that  new  comers  could  be  induced  to 
settle;  for,  as  a  consequence,  the  value  of  the  land  held  for 
sale  would  be  greatly  increased.  It  would  appear  that  Robert 
Turner's  interest  in  New  Jersey  was  not  confined  to  the  western 
division,  for,  in  1683,  ^^  one  of  the  owners  of  East  New  Jersey, 


6  Lib.  F,  03,  Philadelphia  Records. 

7  Vol,  IX.,  19,  New  Jersey  Historical  Society  Proceedings. 

8  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws  of  New  Jersey. 


344  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

he,  by  his  proxy,  voted  to  confirm  Gawen  Lawrie  as  deputy 
governor  of  that  province  under  the  appointment  of  Robert 
Barclay,  he  being  empowered  so  to  do  by  the  original  covenant 
entered  into  with  the  proprietors.® 

He  was  also  one  of  the  signers  of  the  letter  from  the  pro- 
prietors to  the  planters  in  that  province,  about  the  same  date ; 
in  which  is  expressed  a  desire  that  equity  and  justice  may 
rule,  and  that  right  shall  be  done  to  all  who  may  transport 
themselves  into  that  country.  But  little  is  said  of  him  in  the 
many  histories  and  narratives  of  those  early  times;  which  is 
surprising  in  view  of  the  large  estates  which  he  held  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, East  and  West  New  Jersey.  He  did  not  participate  very 
much  in  the  political  affairs  of  these  colonies,  and  is  not  known 
in  any  of  the  troubles  that  occurred  in  those  times.  His  place 
seems  to  have  been  that  of  umpire  in  the  settlement  of  personal 
troubles  to  the  avoidance  of  law  suits  and  other  like  scandal. 

9  Learning  and  Spicer's  Laws  of  New  Jersey. 


SAMUEL  CARPENTER. 


THE  business  relations  of  William  Penn  with  Edward 
Byllynge  and  his  creditors,  and  the  disposal  of  the 
latter' s  landed  estate  in  West  New  Jersey  to  settle  their 
claims  against  him,  as  well  as  his  troublesome  diplomacy 
with  John  Fenwick,  are  said  to  have  been  the  first  motives 
that  attradled  his  attention  toward  the  establishment  of  a  colony 
in  America.  The  indebtedness  of  the  crown  to  his  father  for 
valuable  naval  services,  which  remained  unpaid  at  the  time  of 
his  decease,  and,  in  the  financial  condition  of  the  government 
treasury  at  that  period,  were  likely  so  to  remain,  was  an  additional 
incentive  for  the  son  to  petition  for  a  grant  of  land  in  liquida- 
tion of  the  claim. 

This  petition  was  strongly  opposed  in  the  privy  council ;  some 
of  whom,  on  the  subje6l  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  were  hostile 
to  his  views.  He  succeeded,  however,  after  much  importunity, 
in  securing  a  charter  for  the  territory  of  Pennsylvania,  and  at 
once  took  steps  to  transport  emigrants  thereto.  His  position  in 
the  Society  of  Friends,  his  known  honesty  and  singleness  of 
purpose,  soon  drew  around  him  very  many  persons  who  were 
willing  to  "make  the  adventure,"  a  greater  part  of  whom  had 
sufficient  of  this  world's  goods  to  make  their  outfit  comfortable, 
with  enough,  after  their  arrival,  to  prote6l  them  from  want. 
His  form  of  government  and  code  of  laws  were  especially 
acceptable  to  such  as  were  thus  suff"ering  from  the  intolerance 


346  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

that  surrounded  them  in  England ;  and  of  these  they  took 
advantage  by  joining  the  various  companies  of  emigrants 
coming  to  Pennsylvania.  One  important  principle  involved 
was  set  forth  in  these  words:  "That  all  persons  living  in  this 
province,  who  confess  and  acknowledge  the  one  Almighty  and 
Eternal  God  to  be  the  Creator,  Upholder  and  Ruler  of  the 
world,  and  that  hold  themselves  obliged  in  conscience  to  live 
peaceably  and  justly  in  civil  society,  .shall  in  no  wise  be 
molested  or  prejudiced  for  their  religious  persuasion  or  prac- 
tices in  matters  of  faith  and  worship ;  nor  shall  they  be  com- 
pelled at  any  time  to  frequent  or  maintain  any  religious  worship, 
place,  or  ministry  whatever. ' ' 

All  these  things  took  place  within  three  years  after  the  arrival 
of  the  first  emigrants  at  Burlington.  The  settlements  of  the 
English  on  both  sides  of  the  Delaware  river,  were  thus  made 
almost  identical.  The  same  enlarged  views  in  the  form  of  gov- 
ernment, and  the  same  liberality  in  the  sale  and  disposal  of  land, 
were  as  faithfully  observed  in  the  one  colony  as  in  the  other ; 
and  whatever  was  considered  as  advantageous  to  the  one  was 
certain  to  be  adopted  by  the  managers  of  affairs  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  The  social  and  religious  intercourse  that  was 
constantly  kept  up  between  the  settlements  introduced  many 
business  transadlions,  some  of  which  involved  the  sale  and  pur- 
chase of  real  estate  on  one  side  of  the  stream  to  persons  residing 
upon  the  opposite  side ;  and  it  was  frequently  the  case  that 
persons  in  Pennsylvania  owned  considerable  tra6ts  of  land  in 
New  Jersey ;  many  of  which  were  held  for  terms  of  years, 
and  sometimes  descended  through  several  generations  of  the 
same  family.  Of  these  persons,  Samuel  Carpenter  was  one. 
The  first  purchase  of  land  made  by  him  in  Gloucester  county 
was  of  Samuel  Jennings  in  1684.  It  was  one  of  six  hundred 
acres,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  Timber  creek,  and  having 
considerable  front  on  the  river  Delaware.  ^  This  included 
what  has  since  become  the  valuable  fisheries  at  Howell's  Cove, 
though,  at  the  time  of  purchase,  they  had  no  worth  in  the  eyes 
of  the  contradling  parties.  These  lands  remained  in  the  family 
for  many  years,  passing  to  the  son  Samuel,  whose  widow, 
Hannah,  sold   part   thereof,  as   executrix   of  her  husband,  to 

I  Lib.  Bi,  43. 


SAMUEL    CARPENTER.  347 

Samuel  Ladd,  through  whom  they  descended  to  his  daughter, 
Deborah  West.^ 

In  1689,  Samuel  Carpenter  bought  fifty  acres  of  William 
Royden,  situated  in  Newton  township,  with  a  front  on  the  river. 
This  was  part  of  the  survey  that  Royden  had  previously  made, 
extending  from  the  river  easterly  to  Cooper's  creek.''  Upon 
this  now  stands  the  principal  part  of  the  city  of  Camden, 
which,  after  several  conveyances,  became  the  property  of  Wil- 
liam Cooper.  The  fifty  acres  extended  down  the  edge  of  the 
stream  from  near  Cooper  street,  and  back  from  the  shore 
sufiiciently  far  to  obtain  the  full  quantity,  as  called  for  in  the 
deed.  This,  however,  he  sold  the  same  year.  He  did  not 
make  any  subsequent  purchase  of  land  in  the  tOAvnship.  In 
Bowden's  History  of  Friends,  may  be  found  a  short  sketch 
of  Samuel  Carpenter.     This  says  : 

"  He  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  a  few  years  after  its  settle- 
ment. He  had  previously  resided  in  Barbadoes,  when,  in  1673, 
and  again  in  1685,  he  suffered  considerably  in  distraints,  for  his 
faithful  testimony  in  bearing  arms.  Next  to  William  Penn,  he 
was  considered  the  most  wealthy  person  in  the  province,  for, 
besides  large  mills  at  Bristol,  Darby  and  Chester,  and  dwelling 
houses,  warehouses  and  wharves  in  Philadelphia,  he  also  held 
nearly  twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  in  different  parts  of  the 
province,  and  was  largely  engaged  as  a  merchant.  In  1693,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  and,  a  few  years  later,  one 
of  the  council,  and  ultimately  treasurer  of  the  province. 
Through  a  great  variety  of  business,  he  preserved  the  love 
and  esteem  of  a  large  and  extensive  acquaintance.  His  ability, 
adlivity  and  benevolence  of  disposition  in  divers  capacities,  but 
more  particularly  among  his  friends,  the  Quakers,  are  said  to 
have  distinguished  him  as  a  very  useful  and  valuable  member, 
not  only  of  that  religious  society,  but  also  of  the  community  in 
general.     He  died  in  1713." 

He  took  an  a6live  part  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  being,  for  several  years  previous  to  1712,  one 
of   the  members  of   council,  and,   in    1701,  also   sitting  as   a 


2  Lib.  AL,  496. 

3  Lib.  C,  128.     Lib.  G,  io8. 


348  FIJiST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

member  of  the  Assembly,  representing  a  larger  constituency 
than  any  other  person  elected.  Beside  the  real  estate  which 
he  held  within  the  city  bounds,  he  was  also  the  owner  of  large 
tra6ls  of  land  in  the  interior  of  the  State,  the  grant  for  which 
was  made  dire6lly  to  him  by  the  patroon.  Near  the  mouth 
6f  the  Schuylkill  he  had  considerable  marsh  land,  which  he 
improved  into  meadow,  and  which  for  many  years  was  called 
Carpenter's  island. 

Whether  he  was  a  native  of  the  Island  of  Barbadoes,  or  was 
banished  from  England  on  account  of  his  religious  principles, 
does  not  appear ;  but  that  he  was  a  consistent  and  a6live  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  cannot  be  questioned.  On  that 
island  there  were  many  of  this  religious  pursuasion,  and  to  this 
place  nearly  all  the  ministers  of  this  Society  that  visited 
America  resorted  before  their  return  to  England.  This  was 
before  settlements  were  attempted  in  Pennsylvania  or  New 
Jersey;  and  the  island  was  looked  upon  as  a  place  of  banish- 
ment for  those  who  fell  under  the  displeasure  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  whose  adherence  to  their  creed  and  pra6lice  could 
not  be  abated  by  any  of  the  punishments  inflidled  at  home. 
A  few  years  corre6led  much  of  the  misery  and  destitution  that 
was  intended  by  those  in  power,  who  not  only  imprisoned  such 
as  became  subje6l  to  their  tyranny,  but  robbed  them  of  their 
property,  and  transported  them  without  any  means  of  future 
support;  for,  in  a  short  time,  those  who  had  been  previously 
sent  for  like  offences,  had,  by  thrift  and  economy,  secured 
enough  to  assist  others  who  came  under  similar  circumstances, 
and  to  render  their  condition  comparatively  comfortable. 

By  the  industry  and  perseverance  of  this  class  of  citizens, 
the  agricultural  advantages  of  the  island  were  soon  developed ; 
and  the  increase  of  revenue  to  the  home  government,  as  well 
as  large  exportations  of  the  produ6ls  to  England  for  trade, 
appeared  as  a  reproach  upon  those  who  had  so  shamefully  driven 
these  people  from  their  home  and  estates  for  opinion's  sake. 

The  purchase  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  by  Friends, 
whose  liberal  form  of  government  was  so  attra6live,  opened 
an  asylum  for  such  as  remained  under  persecution.  Hither 
they  soon  direfted  their  footsteps,  and  here  they  laid  the  found- 


SAMUEL    CARPENTER.  349 

ation  for  the  institutions  that  now  surround  us,  ''where  none 
should  make  them  afraid." 

Samuel  Carpenter  married  Hannah  Hardiman  in  1684.  She 
was  of  South  Wales,  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  with  her 
parents.*  Their  children  were  Hannah,  who  married  William 
Fishburn  in  1701;  John,  who  married  Ann  Hoskins  in  1710; 
and  Samuel,  who  married  Hannah  Preston  in  1 7 1 1 .  Samuel 
removed  to  Gloucester  county,  New  Jersey,  where  he  deceased 
in  1747,  leaving  a  widow  and  children.*  Many  of  the  name 
are  now  residents  of  this  State,  and  the  diredl  and  collateral 
branches  are  numerous  throughout  the  United  States.  As  the 
record  of  the  family  of  Samuel  Carpenter  is  uncertain,  by  reason 
of  the  early  branches  thereof  residing  in  another  state,  it  is 
perhaps  proper  that  a  conveyance  of  land  made  by  Robert 
Turner  to  Abraham  Carpenter,  a  mariner,  and  Joshua  Carpen- 
ter, a  brewer,  both  of  Philadelphia,  in  1693,  should  be  referred 
to.®  This  tra6l  contained  four  hundred  and  twelve  acres,  and 
lay  in  Newton  township,  fronting  on  Cooper's  creek  and  adjoin- 
ing the  lands  of  Archibald  Mickle,  Edward  Newbie  and  others. 

In  1697,  the  Carpenters  sold  the  whole  to  Joseph  Cooper, 
who,  in  1 714,  gave  the  same  to  his  eldest  son,  Joseph.'  This 
tra<5l  of  land  now  constitutes  the  most  easterly  part  of  the 
Cope  estate,  lying  between  Haddonfield  and  Camden.  These 
men  were  brothers  of  the  first  Samuel,  and  resided  in  Philadel- 
phia. Joshua  was  a  man  of  considerable  real  estate  in  the  city, 
and  adled  as  commissioner  for  William  Penn  in  the  sale  of  his 
land  in  Pennsylvania. 

That  the  subje6l  of  this  sketch  was  always  a  resident  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  came  to  Philadelphia  before  it  had  shape  as  a 
town,  has  generally  been  accepted  as  historic  truth.  Yet  there 
is  doubt  upon  this  point,  as  will  appear  from  the  following 
references.  In  the  year  1685,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Friends' 
Meeting  at  Salem,  as,  on  the  30th  day  of  the  9th  month,  he 
was  one  of  a  committee  to  visit  a  member  for  some  shortcoming. 
In  the  next  year,  he  discharged  a  similar  duty,  and  was  also  a 
contributor  (^he  subscribing  the  largest  sum)  to  finish  the  new  end 
of  the  meeting  house.     On  the  25th  of  5th  month,  1687,  he 

4  Vol.  IX,  19,  N.  J.  Historical  Society  proceedings.         6  Lib.  A,  148. 

5  Lib.  No.  5,  433.  7  Lib.  A,  08,  Gloucester  Deeds. 


350  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

was   appointed    one   of  a   committee  to  attend  the  Quarterly 
Meeting  at  Newton. 

In  the  year  1700,  when  the  Yearly  Meeting  was  held  in  Salem, 
he  took  an  adlive  part  in  the  proceedings,  and  was  one  of  the 
committee  to  receive  money  for  the  support  of  the  Yearly  Meet- 
ing, on  behalf  of  the  Salem  Meeting.  In  Learning  and  Spicer's 
revision  of  the  laws  of  New  Jersey,  which  also  contains  full  lists 
of  the  members  of  the  Legislature,  may  be  found  the  name 
of  Samuel  Carpenter,  as  returned  to  represent  the  Salem  tenth. 
This  was  in  May  1685 ;  and  the  inference  would  naturally  follow 
that  he  resided  within  the  limits  of  that  division  of  the  province 
at  that  time,  and  was  selected  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the 
people  in  those  parts.  A  note,  however,  appended  to  the  list 
says,  "Robert  Turner  and  Samuel  Carpenter  appear  not." 
A  curious  feature  of  this  session  was  that  the  Legislature  sat 
but  a  single  day,  and,  in  the  words  of  the  resolution,  agreed 
"to  continue  things  upon  the  same  foot  and  bottom  as  formerly, 
until  things  shall  be  controverted  in  England,  or  the  king's 
pleasure  be  further  known  therein."  The  day  was  spent  in 
appointing  justices,  commissioners,  treasurers,  clerks,  sheriffs 
and  constables  for  the  several  divisions,  and  in  assessing  a 
general  tax  upon  the  people. 

On  the  25th  of  the  ninth  month  in  the  same  year,  this  body 
again  assembled,  at  which  time  Samuel  Carpenter  appeared  and 
took  his  seat,  representing  the  Salem  tenth,  and  was  appointed 
one  of  the  council.  The  sitting  on  that  occasion  was  for 
nine  days,  in  which  time  a  number  of  salutary  laws  were 
passed,  and  several  resolutions  adled  upon,  concerning  the 
duties  devolving  upon  them.  All  this  looks  as  if  Samuel 
Carpenter  had  been  a  resident  of  West  New  Jersey  until 
about  the  year  1702,  as,  in  that  year,  he  gave  fifteen  pounds 
to  ere6l  the  new  meeting  house  at  Salem,  in  which  contribution 
he  is  mentioned  as  residing  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  soon  grew 
into  the  confidence  of  the  patroon  and  rendered  him  valuable 
services  in  the  government  of  the  colony  and  the  selling  of  his 
land.  In  reference  to  the  laws  of  New  Jersey  passed  while  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  the  first  a6l  recorded  may 
interest  many  persons  at  the  present  day,  as  it  shows  how  our 


SAMUEL    CARPENTER.  351 

Quaker  ancestors  avoided  the  inconsistency  that  is  generally 
charged  upon  them,  in  regard  to  the  military  establishment 
attached  to  the  province,  which  they  saw  the  necessity  of  main- 
taining thereafter.     It  is  as  follows : 

"That  whereas  the  purchasers  and  chief  inhabitants  for  the 
generality  in  this  province  of  West  New  Jersey,  are  a  people 
whose  principles  for  conscience-sake  cannot  bear  arms  nor  be 
found  in  the  exercise  of  war:  Nevertheless  and  notwithstand- 
ing, that  such  their  principles  may  not  be  found  or  judged 
injurious  to  the  King's  and  Queen's  service,  (under  whose  pro- 
tecflion  we  now  live,  and  heartily  receive  them  as  such,  as  by  our 
Proclamations  thereof  may  appear) ;  Be  it  enadled  by  the 
Governor,  Council  and  Representatives  now  in  General  Assem- 
bly met  and  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  that 
such  our  principles  and  practices  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  no  ways 
binding  or  obliging  to  restrain  such  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
province  whose  freedom  and  principles  induce  them  to  serve 
the  King  in  the  defence  of  the  Province  in  such  posture  and 
form  as  the  Governor  and  Council  shall  seem  meet,  being  the 
liberty  that  we  claim  to  ourselves,  may  not  justly  be  denied  to 
them,  least  we  should  do  as  we  would  not  be  done  unto.  Any 
a6l  or  law  made  to  the  contrary  heretofore  notwithstanding." 

In  the  framing  and  passage  of  this  a6l,  Samuel  Carpenter,  no 
doubt,  took  part.  It  bears  the  marks  of  great  concession  on 
behalf  of  Friends  in  this  particular,  and  shows  that  no  trouble 
would  arise  on  their  part  with  the  executive  of  the  govern- 
ment, touching  a  matter  at  that  time  considered  so  essential 
to  its  dignity  and  existence.  Andrew  Hamilton  was  then 
governor;  he  differed  with  the  representatives  of  the  people 
in  many  matters  relating  to  the  laws,  and  in  their  observance 
and  enforcement ;  yet,  in  this  enadlment,  he  could  not  but  see 
the  yielding  of  this  religious  sedl  to  his  wishes,  and  their  desire 
to  avoid  trouble  among  the  people. 


THOMAS  GARDINER. 


THOMAS  GARDINER  came  to  Burlington  in  1678  with 
his  wife  and  children,  bringing  also  considerable  estate. 
His  house  was  the  first  dwelling  ere6led  within  the  limits 
of  the  town.  Although  of  logs,  it  was  of  larger  dimensions 
than  any  other  among  his  neighbors,  and  was  finished  with 
more  care  and  expense ;  in  it  was  held  the  first  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of  Friends  in  New  Jersey.  He  probably  came  from  the 
city  of  London,  as  some  real  estate  owned  by  him  there 
became  the  property  of  his  grandchildren,  who  were,  at  the 
time,  residents  of  Burlington.  This  is  an  inference  only,  and 
may  prove  erroneous. 

James  Bowden,  in  his  History  of  Friends,  says:  "At  Burling- 
ton Monthly  Meeting  in  the  third  month,  i68i,  it  was  concluded 
to  establish  a  Yearly  Meeting,  the  first  to  be  held  in  the  sixth 
month  following.  A  notice  of  this  conclusion  was  circulated 
among  Friends  of  the  provinces  of  East  and  West  Jersey,  and 
on  the  28th  of  the  sixth  month,  1681,  the  meeting  assembled 
at  the  house  of  Thomas  Gardiner,  of  Burlington.  But  very 
little  information  of  the  proceedings  of  this  Yearly  Meeting, 
which  occupied  four  days,  has  been  preserved." 

In  one  of  the  manuscripts  of  Samuel  Smith,  the  historian,  has 
been  found  the  following  passage:  "1685.  This  year  eredled 
a  large  and  commodious  meeting  house.  Samuel  Jennings, 
Thomas  Budd,  John  Gosling,  Richard  Guy,  William  Brighton 
and  Thomas  Gardiner  were  the  principal  promoters  and  con- 

23 


354  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

tributors."  The  authority  from  which  this  is  derived  cannot 
be  questioned,  and  is  conclusive  as  to  the  building  of  the 
"great  meeting-house  at   Burlington." 

The  Monthly  Meeting,  as  above  named,  was  regularly  estab- 
lished three  years  previous  to  this  time,  the  original  records 
of  which  have  been  preserved,  and  from  which  the  first  minute 
there  entered  is  here  copied,  as  follows: 

"Since,  by  the  good  Providence  of  God,  many  Friends  with 
their  families  have  transported  themselves  into  this  province 
of  West  Jersey,  the  said  Friends  in  the  upper  parts  have  found 
it  needful,  according  to  the  pra6lice  in  the  place  we  come  from, 
to  settle  monthly  meetings  for  the  well  ordering  of  the  affairs 
of  the  church.  It  was  agreed  that  accordingly  it  should  be 
done  the  15th  of  the  fifth  month,  1678." 

This  Monthly  Meeting  consisted  of  Friends  settled  about  the 
Falls  (now  Trenton),  and  of  the  particular  meetings  of  Ranco- 
cas,  in  New  Jersey ;  Shackomaxon,  and  Chester  in  Pennsylvania. 
From  all  of  these  places,  Burlington  could  be  reached  by  water ; 
and  of  this  easy  mode  of  transportation  those  attending  the 
Monthly  Meeting,  no  doubt,  took  advantage.  It  also  shows 
that  the  Friends  who  had  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
had  not  as  yet  organized  their  meetings,  and  were  not  yet  in  a 
position  to  assume  the  business  relations  necessary  to  a  proper 
intercourse  with  kindred  associations.  In  fa6l,  the  yearly  meet- 
ings were,  for  several  years,  alternately  held  at  Burlington  and 
Philadelphia,  which  included  all  the  meetings  in  New  Jersey 
and  Pennsylvania. 

The  history  above  referred  to  also  contains  a  copy  of  the  first 
epistle  of  Friends  at  Burlington  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  Lon- 
don, written  in  1680,  and  signed  by  the  most  prominent  Quakers 
then  resident  in  the  province.  It  alludes  to  their  present  pros- 
perous and  hopeful  condition,  shows  their  attachment  to  the 
dodlrines  which  they  had  espoused,  and  the  zeal  with  which 
they  adhered  to  their  religious  belief.  To  such  as  are  interested 
in  the  early  history  of  this  religious  denomination,  the  work 
above  quoted  is  especially  attra6live,  the  author  having  had 
access  to  much  of  the  correspondence  of  the  first  emigrants, 
and  free  use  of  the  books  of  records  of  Friends  in  England, 


THOMAS   GARDINER.  355 

and  in  America,  from  which  he  has  collated  a  reliable  and  inter- 
esting history  of  Friends  in  America. 

Among  the  records  of  the  Salem  Friends'  Meeting  are  several 
entries  in  regard  to  William  Bradford,  the  first  printer  in  West 
New  Jersey,  which  may  prove  interesting  in  this  connedlion. 
At  the  Yearly  Meeting  held  at  Burlington  in  1690,  several 
Friends  agreed  to  raise  a  sum  of  money,  if  he  would  continue 
his  press  there,  and  publish  Friends'  books  as  heretofore.  Each 
particular  meeting  belonging  to  that  Yearly  Meeting  was  solicited 
to  assist  in  raising  money,  and  the  request  was  responded  to 
accordingly.  This  shows  how  well  the  new  comers  understood 
the  free  circulation  of  the  do6lrines  and  opinions  held  by  them, 
in  the  shape  of  printed  pamphlets;  and,  as  William  Bradford 
was  the  only  artisan  of  that  kind  in  these  parts  at  that  time, 
it  was  necessary  to  hold  out  certain  pecuniary  advantages  to 
have  him  remain.  In  England,  this  policy  had  been  pursued 
with  much  advantage,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  an  equal 
benefit  should  not  be  derived  here.  As  showing  who  was  the 
first  printer  in  West  New  Jersey,  his  name  and  residence,  this 
particular  record  has  much  interest  and  is  worth  preservation. 

The  first  meetings  of  Friends  in  Burlington  were  held  in  a 
tent  made  of  the  sails  taken  from  the  vessels  in  which  they 
crossed  the  ocean ;  in  it  they  assembled  for  the  first  year  after 
their  arrival,  and  until  Thomas  Gardiner's  house  was  finished: 
thus  proving  that  they  allowed  no  difficulties  or  hindrances  to 
prevent  them  from  discharging  their  duty,  as  sincere  and  consis- 
tent Christians.  In  all  the  doings  of  this  little  colony,  both 
religious  and  political,  Thomas  Gardiner  took  an  adlive  and 
prominent  part,  and  appears  to  have  commanded  the  confidence 
and  respedl  of  the  community  around  him.  He  was  a  tailor, 
and  the  chances  are  that  he  had  the  whole  business  to  himself, 
free  from  competition  and  with  no  one  to  differ  with  him 
about  the  fashions,  as,  with  singular  tenacity,  the  society  of 
Friends,  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  has  adhered  to  the  same 
form  of  dress. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  first  provincial  legislature  of  West 
New  Jersey,  that  sat  at  Burlington  in  1682  ;  was  one  of  the  first 
commissioners  for  dividing  and  regulating  land ;  and  was  one 


356  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

of  the  committee  of  ways  and  means,  who  represented  the 
London  tenth,  to  provide  money  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
government,  appointed  at  that  sitting  of  the  assembly.^  At  the 
same  time,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the  courts  of 
Burlington  county.  As  such  he  served  the  people  acceptably 
for  several  years.  ^  The  next  year  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
governor's  council,  and  made  one  of  the  treasurers  of  the  prov- 
ince. Some  of  these  appointments  were  continued  through 
several  years,  and  until  refused.  This  shows  in  what  estimation 
he  was  held  by  the  people  of  his  county  and  province.^  He 
deceased  in  1694,  leaving  a  widow  and  several  children,*  namely: 
John,  who  deceased  the  same  year  as  his  father,  unmarried;* 
Mathew,  who  settled  at  Raritan  previous  to  1716,  but  died  with- 
out children;^  Esther,  who  married  John  Wills;  and  Thomas, 
who  married  Hannah  Mathews.' 

Without  any  certain  data  to  prove  it,  the  probability  is  that 
Thomas  Gardiner  was  a  brother  to  Peter  Gardiner,  a  public 
Friend,  who  resided  near  Castle  Hedingham,  in  Essex,  England. 
Peter  Gardiner  was  an  a6live  man  in  the  ministry  during  the  per- 
secutions of  Friends  in  England,  and  suffered  in  person  and 
estate,  as  did  the  most  of  those  who  dared  to  preach  and 
pradlise  the  dodlrines  of  George  Fox  and  Robert  Barclay  in 
those  times.  Upon  his  return  from  a  gospel  mission  to  Scot- 
land, he  was  taken  ill  of  small-pox  at  Carlisle,  in  Cumberland, 
and  there  died  in  1695.  Although  Thomas  Gardiner  was  the 
first  of  the  name  that  came  to  New  Jersey,  yet  he  was  not  the 
first  in  America. 

In  1658,  there  resided  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  a  woman 
named  Hored  Gardiner,  who  left  her  family  of  several  children 
to  go  on  a  religious  visit  to  Weymouth,  in  the  province  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, distant  some  sixty  miles,  mostly  through  the  wilder- 
ness. She  carried  with  her  an  infant,  and  was  accompanied  by 
a  small  white  girl  only.  At  that  time  Governor  Endicott  was 
much  embittered  against  the  Quakers,  who  deemed  it  proper 
to  make  religious  visits  among  the  colonists,  and  whom  he  pun- 
ished   severely  for  so   doing.     Upon    this   female's   arrival   at 


1  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws.  5  Lib.  2,  717. 

2  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws.  6  Burlington  Files  of  Wills. 

3  Lib.  BBB,  82.  7  Basse's  Book,  164,  280. 

4  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey. 


THOMAS   GARDINER.  357 

Weymouth,  she  was  arrested  and  taken  before  the  Governor, 
who  used  abusive  language  to  her,  and  ordered  that  she  and  her 
young  attendant  should  receive  ten  lashes  each  upon  their  naked 
bodies.  This  punishment  was  infli6led  upon  the  woman  while 
she  held  her  infant,  which  was  only  protedled  from  the  lash 
by  the  arms  of  the  mother.  As  repulsive  as  this  kind  of  pun- 
ishment was  to  the  more  conservative  class  of  citizens,  yet  the 
authorities  indulged  their  malice  and  bigotry  in  many  instances 
toward  the  people,  and  continued  so  to  do  until  at  last 
restrained  by  the  home  government,  before  which  many  com- 
plaints were  laid  by  those  of  like  persuasion  in  England. 
Imprisonment  in  loathsome  and  filthy  dungeons,  dragging  at 
the  cart's  tail,  and  sitting  in  the  pillory,  were  some  of  the 
inflidlions  visited  upon  the  Quakers  in  New  England  in  the 
first  colonizing  of  that  part  of  America. 

In  examining  and  reviewing  the  actions  of  the  first  English 
settlers  in  West  Jersey,  it  is  often  inquired  why  they  passed  so  far 
up  the  river  in  seledling  a  site  for  a  town,  leaving  behind  them 
so  many  suitable  places,  where  greater  depth  of  water  could  have 
been  had,  and  the  settlement  would  have  been  many  miles  nearer 
the  sea.  The  Swedish  settlements  did  not  extend  far  above 
the  mouth  of  Raccoon  creek,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
number  of  colonists  at  Woodbury  creek  ;  and  the  next  point 
at  which  they  found  any  inhabitants  besides  the  natives,  was 
where  a  few  Hollanders  had  settled,' and  where  one  kept  a 
tavern  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers,  on  the  river's 
shore  above  the  mouth  of  the  Assiscunk  creek,  and  near  where 
these  adventurers  seledled  their  site  for  "Bridlington."  The 
records  of  Upland  Court  as  held  at  Chester,  Pa.,  at  the  date 
heretofore  given,  will  prove  conclusively  that  such  a  tavern 
was  there  kept ;  at  which  place  a  ferry  was  also  maintained 
for  the  use  of  the  few  persons  passing  from  New  York  to  Vir- 
ginia by  the  way  of  land,  it  being  the  only  place  below  the 
falls  where  persons  could  cross  with  horses  in  going  from  the 
one  point  to  the  other.     The  record  runs  as  follows : 


In  an  adlion  of  trespass 

I       upon  the  case. 
Thomas  Wright  and 


358  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

f 
Godfrey  Hancock,  Def  ts.  j  ^  "^^^  ^^'  ^    '^' 

"The  plaintiff  declares  that  in  ye  year  1668  he  obtained  a 
permit  and  grant  of  Governor  Philip  Carteret  to  take  up  ye  land 
called  Leasy  Point,  lying  and  being  over  against  Mattinagcom 
Island,  now  Burlington,  to  settle  himself  there  and  to  build  and 
keep  a  house  of  entertainment  for  the  accommodation  of 
travelers,  all  which  ye  plaintiff  accordingly  hath  done  and 
moreover  hath  purchased  of  Cornells  Jorissen,  Jurirus  Macelis 
and  Jan  Clarssen,  each  their  houses  and  land  at  Leasy  Point 
aforesaid,  which  was  given  them  by  the  Dutch  Governor  in  the 
year  1666,  for  all  which  Governor  Carteret  promised  your 
plaintiff  a  patent,  all  which  said  houses  and  lands  ye  plaintiff 
had  in  lawful  possession  until  the  year  1670,  at  which  tyme 
your  plaintiff  was  plundered  by  the  Indians,  and  by  them  utterly 
ruined,  as  is  well  known  to  all  the  world,  so  that  your  plaintiff 
then  for  a  time  was  forced  to  leave  his  land  and  possessions  afore- 
said and  to  seek  his  livelihood  and  to  repair  his  loss  in  other  places 
and  to  leave  his  land  as  aforesaid  with  intention  to  return  when 
occasion  should  present.  But  so  it  is,  may  it  please  your  wor- 
ships, that  with  the  arrival  of  these  new  comers  called  Quakers 
out  of  England,  these  defendants,  Thomas  Wright  and  Godfrey 
Hancock,  have  violently  entered  upon  your  plaintiff's  said  land 
and  there  have  by  force  planted  corn,  cut  timber  for  houses, 
mowed  hay  and  made  fences.  Notwithstanding  they  were  fore- 
warned by  your  plaintiff's  friend,  Henry  Jacobs,  in  your  plain- 
tiff's behalf  in  the  presence  of  Capt.  Edmund  Cantwell  and 
afterwards  by  your  plaintiff  summoned  before  your  magistrates 
at  Burlington,  who  making  no  end  of  it,  the  case  was  with  said 
magistrates'  and  these  defendants'  consents  removed  by  him 
before  your  worships.  Wherefore  your  plaintiff  craves  your 
worships  to  order  the  defendants  and  all  others  not  to  molest  ye 
plaintiff  in  the  quiet  possession  of  the  said  land,  &c. 

"The  defendants  in  court  declared  themselves  to  be  very  will- 
ing to  stand  ye  verdidl  and  judgment  of  this  court.  Whereupon 
the  court  (having  heard  the  debates  of  both  parties,  and  examined 


THOMAS   GARDINER.  359 

all  the  papers)  are  of  opinion  that  since  Mr.  Peter  Yegou  had 
Governor  Carteret's  grant,  and  was  in  quiet  possession  of  ye 
land  before  the  said  land  was  sold  by  John  Lord  Berkley  unto 
Edward  Byllinge,  and  that  he,  ye  said  Peter  Yegou,  hath  also 
bought  the  land  and  payed  ye  Indians  for  ye  same, — that  there- 
fore Mr.  Peter  Yegou  ought  peaceably  and  quietly,  to  enjoy 
ye  same  land  and  appurtenances  according  to  grant  and  pur- 
chase."* 

The  Legislature  of  the  province  in  1683  made  restitution  to 
Thomas  Wright  on  account  of  the  difficulty  which  he  had  thus 
fallen  into,  by  giving  him  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  another 
place,  to  be  surveyed  according  to  the  rules.  In  1697,  another 
adl  was  passed  in  relation  to  this  piece  of  land,  to  confirm  the 
title  to  John  Joosten  and  John  Hamel,  who  held;  after  several 
conveyances,  under  Peter  Yegou ;  this  settled  the  possession 
and  estate  of  said  land,  so  that,  after  eighteen  years  of  litiga- 
tion, the  purchaser  could  hold  it  in  peace.  It  is  easy  to  dis- 
cover by  this  how  the  name  of  Yegou,  or  Cheygou,  attached  to 
the  island,  which  is  really  that  part  of  the  fast  land  surrounded 
by  the  creek  where  the  city  of  Burlington  now  stands,  the  name 
being  of  Dutch  origin,  and  not  that  of  an  Indian  chief,  as 
generally  considered.  The  truth  of  history  often  destroys  the 
romance  and  beauty  that  surround  an  obje(5l,  yet  a  faithful 
adherence  to  fa6ls  ought  not  to  be  disregarded. 

George  Fox,  in  traveling  from  Middletown  harbor  to  New 
Castle,  lodged  at  this  place  in  1672,  and  at  this  point  he  crossed 
the  river.  He  says  it  had  been  deserted  from  fear  of  the 
Indians.  This  statement  is  confirmed  by  the  before-copied 
record,  and  also  explains  why  the  first  emigrants  sailed  so  far 
up  the  river,  before  they  landed ;  for,  at  this  place,  the  only 
inhabitants  above  Raccoon  creek  were  found. 

An  extradl  from  his  journal  may  not  prove  uninteresting  upon 
this  point ;  it  will  show  how  well  the  history  of  this  place  is  cor- 
roborated. "Next  day  we  traveled  fifty  miles  as  we  computed, 
and,  at  night,  finding  an  old  house  which  the  Indians  had 
forced  the  people  to  leave,  we  made  a  fire  and  lay  there  at 
the  head  of  Delaware  Bay.     The  next  day  we  swam  our  horses 


8  Publications  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Penna. 


360  FIUST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

over  the  river,  about  a  mile,  twice,  first  to  an  island  called 
Upper  Dinidock  and  then  to  the  main  land,  having  hired 
Indians   to   help  us  over  in  their  canoes." 

During  the  first  ten  years  that  elapsed  between  the  marriage 
of  Thomas  Gardiner,  Jr. ,  and  the  death  of  his  father,  he  resided 
on  part  of  the  estate  owned  by  his  wife  at  Woodbury  creek, 
where  also  her  brother  lived  on  part  of  the  same  property.  At 
that  time  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Friends'  Meeting 
at  that  place,  and  participated  somewhat  in  the  political  affairs 
of  the  province.  He  was  a  pra6tical  surveyor,  and  a6led  as 
one  of  the  judges  of'  the  court  of  Gloucester  county,  when 
they  were  held  at  Red  Bank.*  After  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  removed  to  Burlington,  and,  in  a  short  time,  was  appointed 
surveyor-general  of  the  western  division  of  New  Jersey,  by  the 
council  of  proprietors,  which  office  he  appears  to  have  filled 
with  satisfa6lion  for  several  years. ^°  The  duties  of  this  position 
at  this  time  were  onerous  and  responsible ;  he  was  required  to 
review  all  the  maps  and  locations  of  land  made  by  the  several 
deputy  surveyors,  to  examine  the  calculations  as  to  the  quantity 
of  acres  named,  to  test  the  several  bearings  as  marked  upon  the 
maps,  and  to  certify  to  the  council  that  they  were  corre6l  in  all 
these  particulars.  If  any  disputes  occurred  among  the  claimants 
(which  often  happened),  he  became  the  executive  officer,  and 
went  upon  the  land,  so  that  he  could  report  where  the  real 
difficulty  existed.  During  the  term  of  his  office,  which  extended 
from  1 701  to  171 7,  (in  which  last  year  he  died,)  there  was 
much  trouble  among  the  proprietors  in  the  taking  up  of  land 
where  the  Indian  title  had  not  been  extinguished."  In  this 
particular,  the  council  was  careful  to  prevent  surveys  from 
passing  this  board  beyond  the  bounds  of  any  "purchase" 
already  consummated  with  this  simple-minded  people.  It  may 
not  be  uninteresting  to  copy  here  an  advertisement  published 
by  the  council  touching  one  of  these  purchases;  it  shows  the 
manner  in  which  the  assessments  were  made,  so  that  from  such 
funds  all  the  contrafts  should  be  faithfully  carried  out. 


9  Learning  &  Spicer's  Laws. 
10  Basse's  Book 
n  Minutes  of  the  Council  of  Proprietors,  O.  S.  G. 


THOMAS    GARDINER.  361 

ADVERTISEMENT. 

"These  are  to  give  notice  to  the  proprietors  of  the  Western 
Division  of  New  Jersey,  that,  the  Council  chosen  to  negotiate 
the  affairs  of  the  said  division  having  resolved  to  proceed  to  a 
fourth  dividend,  in  order  thereunto,  have  treated  with  the 
Indians  and  bargained  with  them  for  a  very  large  quantity 
of  land  for  which  divers  payments  are  to  be  made  them  in 
a  short  time.  All  persons  that  have  rights  to  take  up  on  a 
fourth  dividend,  or  any  part  or  parts  of  their  first,  second 
or  third  dividend  are  desired  to  meet  the  council  of  proprie- 
tors on  the  20th  day  of  0<5lober  next,  at  Burlington,  to  enter 
the  quantities  which  they  have  a  right  to,  as  also  to  provide, 
as  speedy  as  may  be,  their  proportion  of  the  purchase  money, 
which  will  amount  by  computation  to  six  shillings  of  the  cur- 
rency of  New  York  per  hundred ;  for  the  colle6lion  of  which 
money  with  the  least  loss  of  time  that  may  be  (and  converting 
it  into  goods  to  be  paid  to  the  natives),  Peter  Fretwell  at 
Burlington,  Richard  Bull  at  Gloucester  and  John  Budd  at 
Philadelphia,  are  appointed  to  receive  the  same,  and  the 
agents  of  such  proprietors  as  are  abroad,  are  desired  to  take 
notice  hereof  that  due  care  may  be  taken  of  their  constituents' 
interests. — May,  1717."^^ 

This  paper  explains  the  manner  in  which  the  title  of  the 
natives  to  the  soil  was  extinguished,  and  proves  that  the  council 
of  proprietors  would  not  consent  to  the  occupation  of  their 
lands  until  a  contra6l  had  been  made  and  carried  out.  Many 
of  these  "Indian"  deeds  are  still  in  existence;  some  among 
the  owners  of  the  estate  conveyed,  and  many  on  file  in  the 
office  of  the  secretary  of  state  at  Trenton,  with  all  sorts  of 
hieroglyphics  attached  as  the  signatures  of  the  grantors,  which 
are  quite  as  unexplainable  as  the  names  which  they  stand  to 
represent.  Under  these  grants  no  attempt  was  made  by  the 
settlers  to  interfere  with  the  privileges  of  the  Indians,  or  to 
remove  them  from  their  places  of  abode;  and,  only  as  they 
deceased,  and  from  time  to  time  abandoned  their  towns,  were 
these  places  occupied  by  the  whites.  Through  West  Jersey 
there  are  still  many  places  remembered  as  Indian  settlements, 


13  Minute  Book  of  the  Council  of  Proprietors,  O.  S.  G. 


362  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

and  some  of  their  burial  grounds  are  known;  but  the  gradual 
falling  off  in  numbers,  and  the  colle6ting  of  families  into  the 
more  thickly  settled  neighborhoods,  which  ended  at  Shamong, 
or  Brotherton,  in  Burlington  county,  gave  the  purchasers,  under 
the  rules  of  the  proprietors,  full  and  complete  possession,  with- 
out any  dispute  or  difficulty :  thus  were  avoided  the  bloodshed 
and  murders  that  attended  the  advance  of  civilization  in  the 
Western  States  at  a  subsequent  period. 

With  the  framing  of  these  titles  fixing  the  boundaries  of 
the  sections  of  land  to  be  conveyed,  the  surveyor-general 
had  much  to  do.  It  was  afterward  his  duty  to  watch  the 
progress  of  the  locations,  and  see  that  they  were  kept  within 
the  limits  of  the  purchase.  During  the  term  of  Thomas  Gard- 
iner, the  greatest  of  these  troubles  existed ;  and,  having  to 
contend  with  avarice  and  unjust  dealing  in  opposition  to  what 
was  his  sworn  and  palpable  duty  towards  those  whom  he  repre- 
sented, he  was  often  the  subject  of  complaint  to  the  council,  and 
of  misrepresentation  and  abuse  among  the  people.  Under  his 
administration,  new  and  more  rigid  rules  were  established  in 
defining  the  boundaries  of  locations,  making  them  plainer  and 
more  definite ;  and  thus  much  contention  and  trouble  were 
avoided  in  the  future.  In  one  instance,  he  found  it  necessary 
to  prevent  his  deputies  from  making  locations  in  the  new  Indian 
purchase  until  some  existing  dispute  should  be  arranged ; 
again,  in  making  surveys,  he  ordered  that  they  should  be  laid 
adjoining  each  other,  and  as  near  as  possible  in  parallel  lines. 
These,  with  other  like  regulations,  were  necessary  and  useful, 
and  showed  him  to  be  a  man  that  understood  and  looked  after 
the  interests  of  those  whom  he  represented.^^  In  1710,  Thomas 
Gardiner  sold  part  of  his  real  estate  at  Woodbury  creek  to  James 
Whitall,  and  subsequently  disposed  of  all  the  land  owned  by  his 
wife  at  that  place."  He  died,  seized  of  considerable  landed 
property  about  Burlington,  some  of  which  he  previously  con- 
veyed in  trust  for  the  use  of  his  children.'^  His  family  consisted 
of  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Matthew,  and  of  two  daughters, — 


13  Lib.  A,  194. 

14  Lib.  E,  418. 

15  Lib.  GH,  51,  53. 


THOMAS   GARDINER.  363 

Elizabeth,  who  married  Abraham  Bickley,  and  Hannah,  who 
married  Isaac  Pearson. ^*■^'■'^ 

Abraham  Bickley  was  a  distiller;  he  lived  in  Philadelphia, 
and  died  about  1747.  Ten  years  before  his  death,  he  located 
a  tradl  of  land  in  Gloucester  county,  N.  J.,  generally  known 
as  the  Blue  Anchor  tradl ;  whereon  was  the  tavern  that  bore 
the  same  name,  so  long  and  favorably  known  by  the  traveling 
public  in  this  se6lion  of  the  State.  The  old  house  stood  upon 
the  Indian  trail  that  went  from  the  coast  to  the  Delaware  river, 
and  at  about  an  equal  distance  from  each.  This  location  made 
it,  for  more  than  a  century,  a  place  of  rest  for  persons  crossing 
this  part  of  the  State.  The  building  of  the  Camden  and  Atlantic 
railroad  has  destroyed  its  usefulness,  and  the  next  generation 
will  have  no  remembrance  of  it. 

Isaac  Pearson  was  a  silversmith,  and  resided  in  the  city  of 
Burlington,  where  some  of  his  descendants  still  remain.  The 
male  branch  of  the  Gardiners  being  limited,  the  name  is  not 
very  extensive  in  West  New  Jersey,  although  the  collateral 
connection  is  numerous. 


16  Lib.  BBB,  195,  318      17  Lib.  B2,  717.     18  Lib.  BB,  318. 


JOHN   CHAMPION. 


AS  early  as  in  the  year  1673,  Johi"i  Champion  and  Thomas 
Champion  and  their  families  were  residents  of  the  town 
of  Hempstead,  on  Long  Island,  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
Ten  years  after  that  date,  the  constable  and  overseers  of  the 
said  town  made  a  valuation  of  the  estates  of  the  inhabitants; 
but,  for  some  reason,  John  Champion  was  not  included  in  the 
list.  His  name,  however,  appears  among  those  who  were  in 
default,  and  had  negledled  or  refused  to  give  the  officers  the 
proper  information.  That  paper  was  attached  to  the  first,  and 
is  headed  as  follows : 

"These  under-written  are  ye  remainder  of  ye  inhabitants 
of  ye  said  towne,  which,  having  not  brought  in  their  valuation, 
are  guest  att  by  ye  Constable  and  Overseers  of  ye  towne  afore- 
said." 

In  this  the  name  of  John  Champion  is  seen,  and  his  estate 
is  "guest"  to  be  worth  one  hundred  pounds,  sterling.  The 
family  was  probably  English,  and  was  among  the  first  that 
occupied  that  part  of  Long  Island,  where  the  hardy  pioneers 
soon  made  themselves  comfortable  homes.  As  soon  as  John 
Fen  wick  had  effe6led  a  landing  at  Salem,  in  1678,  and  the 
Yorkshire  and  London  Friends  had  fixed  upon  Burlington  as 
the  place  for  a  town,  the  settlers  about  Long  Island  estab- 
lished dire(?t  and  frequent  intercourse  with  them,  which  lasted 
for  many  years  thereafter. 


366  FmST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Matthew  Champion,  who  lived  in  Burlington  about  the  year 
1690,  and  purchased  land  of  John  Tomlinson,  at  Onanickon, 
in  Springfield,  the  next  year,  does  not  appear  to  have  been  of 
this  immediate  family.  Neither  is  connedled  with  it  the  family 
of  the  same  name  which  emigrated  to  Tuckahoe,  in  Cape  May 
county — a  family  which  was  among  the  first  settlers  in  that 
sedlion,  and  which  has  now  become  numerous  along  the  sea 
shore  of  this  State. 

On  May  13,  1700,  Henry  Franklin  conveyed  to  John  Cham- 
pion, of  Hempstead,  Queen's  county.  Long  Island,  a  tradt  of 
land  lying  on  the  north  side  of  Cooper's  creek,  in  Waterford, 
(now  Delaware)  township,  Camden  county,  New  Jersey,  to  which 
place  the  said  John  removed.^  This  tra6l  contained  three 
hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  ;  it  was  the  same  as  that 
which  Henry  Franklin  had  purchased  of  Mordecai  Howell 
three  years  before,  and  which  in  that  deed  is  described 
as  being  situated  at  "Livewell."^  Henry  Franklin  was  a 
bricklayer.  He  resided  at  Long  Island  at  that  time,  but 
perhaps  never  removed  to  this  purchase.  Part  of  this  estate 
is  what  has,  for  many  years,  been  known  as  the  "Barton"  farm, 
and  thereon  stood  the  residence  of  John  Champion.  This  was 
near  where  one  of  the  roads  crossed  Cooper's  creek  in  going 
from  Burlington  to  Philadelphia,  and  where  travelers  had  much 
trouble  in  crossing  the  stream.  It  is  recorded  in  one  of  the 
minute  books  of  Old  Gloucester,  that  "John  Champion  makes 
great  complaint  of  his  great  charge  in  setting  people  over 
Cooper's  creek  at  his  house;  whereon  ye  Grand  Jury  propose 
that  in  case  ye  said  John  Champion  will  find  sufficient  conve- 
nience to  put  people  over  at  all  seasons,  the  said  Champion  may 
take  for  ferriage  as  follows :  For  two  persons  together,  two  pence 
per  head ;  for  one  single  person,  three  pence,  and  for  a  man  and 
horse,  five  pence.     To  which  ye  bench  assents." 

In  conne6lion  with  this,  Isaac  Mickle  says:  "It  will  be 
observed  that  no  mention  is  made  in  any  of  these  regulations 
of  carriages.  Such  refinements  were  not  introduced  generally, 
even  in  Philadelphia,  until  the  Revolution.  In  West  Jersey, 
most  journeys  were  performed  on  horse-back,  and  the  marriage 


I  Lib.  G3,  465. 
3  Lib.  C,  132. 


JOHN  CHAMPION.  367 

portion  of  the  daughters  of  the  most  wealthy  men  consisted 
of  a  cow  and  a  side-saddle.  "^  Funerals  were  frequently  attended 
in  boats,  and  the  bodies  of  the  deceased  taken  from  Cooper's 
creek  to  the  old  Newton  graveyard  by  water. 

The  coming  of  John  Champion  from  Long  Island  to  New 
Jersey  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  marriage  of  his  daughter 
Elizabeth  to  John  Wright,  a  son  of  Richard  Wright,  who  had 
purchased  land  of  Thomas  Howell,  on  Cooper's  creek  and 
settled  there.*  The  minutes  of  the  Gloucester  county  courts 
of  1687,  show  a  dispute  between  Richard  Wright  and  Thomas 
Howell  about  the  conveyance  of  this  land.^  The  verdi<5l  of  the 
jury  was  in  favor  of  Wright,  and  Howell  was  required  to  carry 
out  his  contract.  In  1691  and  in  1693,  the  son  John  increased 
his  possession  by  purchases  of  adjoining  tracts  from  Thomas 
Howell's  heirs,  which  lands  lay  near  to  those  of  his  father-in- 
law.  This  marriage  is  additional  proof  of  the  intercourse 
existing  between  the  sedlions  named,  and  shows  that  families 
removing  from  one  place  found  easy  means  to  preserve  their 
intimacies  with  friends  living  at   the  other. 

The  application  of  John  Champion  for  a  ferry  license  is 
evidence  that  he  came  hither  soon  after  his  first  purchase ;  and 
here  he  resided  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Living,  as  he 
did,  near  a  navigable  stream,  his  intercourse  with  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  was  frequent,  and  he  knew  it  long  before  sufficient 
of  the  timber  had  been  removed  to  show  even  the  diredlion  of 
the  streets.  The  bank  fronting  the  river  Delaware,  being  filled 
with  caves  and  rude  huts,  where  the  citizens  lived  and  where 
stood  much  of  the  primitive  forest,  must  have  presented  a 
strange  appearance  in  approaching  it  from  New  Jersey.  Oppo- 
site the  mouth  of  Cooper's  creek  was  the  most  populous  part  of 
the  town ;  and  perhaps  he  did  not  live  to  see  it  enlarged  beyond 
the  limits  of  Shackomaxon.  The  many  troubles  through  which 
William  Penn  had  passed,  and  the  difficulties  which  he  had  in 
regard  to  the  sale  and  settlement  of  his  lands  in  Pennsylvania, 
were  a  hinderance  to  the  enlargement  of  the  city,  and  prevented 
the  rapid  settlement  that  he  had  anticipated. 

3  Mickle's  Reminiscences  of  Old  Gloucester,  42. 

4  Lib.  G,  14.     Lib.  G2,  114. 

5  Lib.  G3,  5. 


368  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

In  the  year  1718,  John  Champion  divided  his  landed  estate 
between  his  sons  Robert  and  Nathaniel,  by  a  line  running  from 
the  creek  "into  the  woods,"  and  made  each  a  deed  bearing  the 
same  date  (April  24).®  His  other  children  were  Thomas  and 
Phoebe.  He  died  in  1727,  leaving  a  will,  and,  by  that,  disposing 
of  the  remainder  of  his  estate.  The  son  Robert  was  made 
executor.  He  had  removed  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where 
he  deceased  soon  after  his  father,  and  before  the  will  was  offered 
for  probate.'  The  second  son  Nathaniel  proved  the  writing, 
and  as  administrator  settled  the  estate.* 

On  September  13th,  1720,  Robert  Champion  sold  his  part  of 
the  real  estate  given  to  him  by  his  father,  to  Tobias  Halloway, 
but  the  latter  re-conveyed  the  same  to  him  on  the  24th  day  of 
July,  1723.*  At  the  date  of  the  deed  (1720),  Robert  lived  on 
the  property  at  Cooper's  creek,  and,  as  no  female  joined  with 
him  in  the  conveyance,  he  was  probably  unmarried  at  that  time. 
Like  a  large  majority  of  the  settlers  hereabout,  he  could  not 
write  his  name ;  which  inability  was  also  the  case  with  his 
father.  He  afterwards  married,  and  had  one  child, — a  son, 
Peter,  who,  in  the  year  1740,  married  Hannah  Thackara, 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin.  She  deceased,  and,  in  1746,  he 
married  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Simeon  Ellis  (the  son  of  Simeon). 
By  the  last  marriage  there  was  one  child,  Joseph.  Peter 
Champion  deceased  in  1748,  and  his  widow,  Ann,  became 
the  administratrix  to  the  estate,  he  leaving  no  will.^" 

A  short  time  before  his  death,  he  conveyed  a  piece  of  meadow 
land  to  John  Shivers,  being  part  of  the  homestead.  He  was 
therefore  the  owner  thereof  after  his  father's  demise.  In 
1 75 1,  Ann,  the  widow,  married  John  Stokes,  and,  after  his 
demise,  she  married  Samuel  Murrell,  1761."  By  each  marriage 
she  had  children,  thus  rendering  it  difficult  to  trace  the  descend- 
ants of  Ann  Ellis,  and  to  know  the  paternal  line.  Joseph 
Champion,  the  issue  of  the  second  marriage  of  Peter,  married 
Rachel  Collins,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rosanna  (Stokes). 
Samuel  was  a  blacksmith  and  plied  his  calling  at  Colestown, 
then  in  Waterford  township.     This  Samuel  Collins  was  a  son 


6  Lib.  A,  165—166.  9  Lib.  A,  236. 

7  Lib.  No.  2,  437.  10  Lib.  No.  6,  76. 

8  Lib.  No.  2,  441.  II  Lib.  AH,  385. 


JOHN  CHAMPION.  369 

of  Samuel  and  Abigail  (Ward),  who  was  the  youngest  son  of 
Francis  and  Mary,  the  last  wife  of  Francis,  the  widow  of  John 
Goslin,  M.  D.  and  daughter  of  Thomas  Budd.  Ann  Ellis 
inherited,  through  the  blood  of  her  ancestors,  a  tra6l  of  land 
in  Delaware  township,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Haddonfield 
and  Moorestown  road,  now  mostly  owned  by  William  M.  Cooper 
and  the  heirs  of  Batheuel  Heulings,  deceased. 

In  1723,  Nathaniel  Champion  sold  his  lands  on  Cooper's 
creek  to  James  Parrock,  who,  soon  after  the  death  of  Nathaniel, 
conveyed  the  same  to  Mary,  his  widow,  she  remaining  the  owner 
thereof  during  her  life  and  devising  it  to  John  Barton  by  her 
^j^_i2.is    Nathaniel  died  in  1748,  leaving  the  following  children : 

Nathaniel,  who  married ;  Benjamin,  who  married 

Ann  Hewitt;  Thomas,  who  married  Deborah  Clark,  daughter 
of  William;  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Barton;  and  Sarah." 

The  widow  of  Nathaniel  remained  on  the  estate  for  many 

years  after  her  husband's  decease.     Her  will  bears  date  , 

1772.  In  this  paper  she  names  her  children  and  several  of  her 
grandchildren.  She  gave  the  farm  on  Cooper's  creek,  "where 
she  then  dwelt,"  to  her  son-in-law  before  named. 

Thomas,  the  son  of  Nathaniel,  was  a  tailor,  and  resided  in 
Haddonfield,  where  some  of  his  descendants  were  known  to 
the  older  inhabitants  now  living.  He  probably  owned  the 
lot  whereon  stood  the  mansion  built  by  Matthias  Aspden, 
now  the  property  of  the  heirs  of  Benjamin  W.  Blackwood, 
M.  D.,  deceased.  This  house  was  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
village,  and,  when  eredled,  was  more  commodious  and  expen- 
sive than  most  of  those  around  it.  Upon  the  death  of  Samuel, 
the  son  of  Thomas,  it  passed  out  of  the  name;  and  that 
branch  of   the  family  removed   from  the  village. 

John  Wright,  husband  of  the  daughter  Elizabeth,  made  his 
home  on  part  of  the  Howell  estate  before  John  Champion 
purchased  his  land.  In  the  grant  to  him  by  Mordecai  Howell 
in  1693,  Howell  reserved  the  right  to  overflow  the  meadow  and 
use  the  water  in  the  stream  for  his  corn-mill,  which  he  built 
about  that  time.     In  1702,  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  eight 


12  Lib.  A,  166.    13  Lib.  GG,  356. 
14  Lib.  No.  5,  ^24. 

24 


370  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

acres  of  Martin  Jarvis,  in  Newton  township.'^  This  tra6l  lay 
near  the  mouth  of  Newton  creek,  and  extended  up  that  stream 
to  Fork  branch,  and  also  up  that  on  the  north  side  for  a  consid- 
erable distance.  It  now  includes  several  valuable  farms  in  that 
part  of  the  old  township  of  Newton. ^^  The  estate  on  Cooper's 
creek  passed  out  of  the  name  and  blood  many  years  since,  even 
beyond  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant  in  that  se6lion. 
Only  such  as  have  occasion  to  examine  the  ancient  deeds  or 
records  relating  to  the  land  here  spoken  of,  will  know  that  such 
owners  ever  there  resided;  and,  unless  some  defe6l  in  the  title 
should  appear  in  passing  through  the  heirs  of  Richard  Wright 
and  of  his  son  John,  no  inquiry  may  ever  be  started  in  regard 
to  their  genealogy. 

Richard  Wright  died  in  a  few  years  after  his  coming  hither, 
leaving  a  widow  named  Constance,  and  three  children,  John, 
Sarah  and  Hannah."  It  is  remarkable  that  so  few  of  the  name 
of  Champion  are  now  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  old 
estate;  and  a  few  more  decades  may  remove  it  entirely. 

The  mutation  of  families  is  an  interesting  and  instru6live 
study,  deserving  labor  and  attention.  Some  go  on  increas- 
ing for  generations,  while  others  fall  away  and  altogether 
disappear.  While  one  family  may  be  found  for  a  century 
where  the  first  settlers  placed  it,  another  has  been  scattered, 
and  the  old  homestead  forgotten.  Where  one  family  adheres 
to  the  land  of  its  forefathers  with  an  admirable  tenacity, 
another  has  no  regard  for  ancient  things,  and  parts  with 
them  without  a  regret.  The  laws  regulating  the  descent  of 
lands  in  New  Jersey  makes  it  of  importance  that  a  corredl 
knowledge  in  this  regard  should  be  had;  but,  in  the  absence 
of  legislative  adlion,  it  must  always  be  surrounded  with  trouble 
and  doubt. 


15  Basse's  Book,  38. 

16  Lib.  A,  III. 

17  Lib.  G2,  177. 


JOHN    EASTLACK. 


AMONG  the  Friends  who  settled  in  the  island  of  Bermuda, 
some  of  whom  were  banished  by  the  British  authorities, 
while  others  followed  to  be  near  their  families,  was  one  Francis 
Eastlack,  or  Eastlake,  as  sometimes  spelled,  who  appears  to  have 
been  a  prominent  man  in  that  place.  He  was  persecuted  in  like 
manner  by  the  rulers  of  the  island  for  the  course  which  he  pur- 
sued in  religious  matters,  and  was  frequently  imprisoned  and 
sometimes  beaten  and  put  in  the  stocks.  In  1660,  he  was  taken 
from  a  religious  meeting  and  tied,  hand  and  foot,  so  that  he 
could  not  move;  in  1666,  he  was  beaten  and  fined,  and,  in 
other  ways,  maltreated  in  person,  and  despoiled  of  his  goods. 
He  was  a  public  Friend,  and  proclaimed  his  views  and  do6lrines 
among  the  people.  This  made  him  obnoxious  to  those  in  power, 
and  the  object  of  dislike  to  such  as  differed  with  him  in  opinion. 
During  his  stay  at  that  island  he  fell  into  a  religious  controversy 
with  one  Sampson  Bond,  a  leading  man  in  some  other  persua- 
sion. This  ended  in  the  printing  of  a  book  on  each  side,  some 
few  copies  of  which  have  been  preserved  by  the  curiosity-hun- 
ters in  the  literary  line,  and  may  be  found  hidden  away  in  the 
libraries  of  such,  being  shown  as  typographical  wonders  though 
but  seldom  read.  These  books  made  their  appearance  in  the 
year  1683,  and,  like  all  such,  were  only  of  interest  to  those  who 
'  knew  the  parties  and  resided  in  that  particular  locality. 

The  early  Quakers  were  prolific  in  the  produ6lion  of  pamph- 
lets and  books  in  defence  of  their  dodlrines  and  mode  of 
worship;  these  led  to  replies  from  their  opponents,  and,  conse-" 


372  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

quently,  added  much  to  the  printed  matter  of  those  times,  and 
now  give  a  very  fair  reflex  of  the  controverted  points,  as  well 
as  of  the  manner  of  maintaining  and  rebutting  them.  The 
book  of  which  Francis  Eastlack  was  the  author  bears  the  title 
of  "The  truth  in  Christ  Jesus  with  the  Professors  thereof  in  the 
Island  of  Bermuda,  (Commonly  called  Quakers,)  cleared  from 
the  three  ungodly  false  charges.  Charged  upon  them  by  Samp- 
son Bond  (teacher  in  said  Island);  in  a  Book  entitled  'The 
Quakers  in  Bermudas  tryed,'  &c.,  by  a  Friend  and  Lover  of  the 
Truth  in  the  same  Island,,  called  Francis  Eastlacke." 

This  was  printed  in  London  in  1683  and  no  doubt  had  con- 
siderable circulation  in  the  island,  as  well  as  among  Friends  in 
London  and  thereabout.  Much  pains  has  been  taken  of  late 
years  to  colle6l  and  preserve  all  such  publications ;  which  has 
brought  to  light  many  that  had  been  lost  sight  of  and,  in  the 
lapse  of  years,  entirely  forgotten.  About  the  date  last  named, 
Francis  Eastlack  came  to  West  Jersey  and  settled  in  Newton 
township;  but  the  exadt  locality  of  his  habitation  cannot  be 
discovered,  as  he  does  not  appear  to  have  been  the  owner  of  any 
real  estate.  He  was  probably  advanced  in  years,  and  did  not 
participate  much  in  the  religious  or  political  matters  of  the 
colony.  Those  of  his  own  religious  persuasion  doubtless 
sympathized  with  him  in  the  trials  and  persecutions  through 
which  he  had  passed,  to  show  the  world  his  attachments  to  the 
dodlrines  which  he  had  espoused.  So  far  as  can  be  discovered, 
he  had  four  children,  namely:  John,  who  married  Sarah 
Thackara,  daughter  of  Thomas ;  Hepsibah,  who  married 
Thomas  Thackara ;  Jemima,  who  married  William  Sharp ; 
and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Joseph  Mickle.  Taking  this  as 
the  starting  point,  and  assuming  it  to  be  correal,  the  surname 
was  confined  to  one  person  even  in  the  second  generation,  and 
the  family,  as  a  whole,  limited  to  but  few  persons. 

The  first  settlement  of  John  Eastlack  was,  in  all  probability, 
upon  fifty  acres  of  land  conveyed  to  him  by  his  brother-in-law, 
Benjamin  Thackara,  in  1706,  who  thus  carried  out  the  inteni 
tions  of  the  father  of  his  wife,  not  consummated  during  his 
life.^     This  adjoined  another  trail  given  to  the  daughter  Han- 

^      I  Lib.  A,  107. 


JOHN  EASTLACK.  iii 

nah,  the  wife  of  John  Whitall,  who,  with  her  husband,  had  also 
thereon  eredled  a  dwelling.  The  exa6l  locality  of  this  fifty 
acres  would  be  difficult  to  trace  at  this  time,  but  it  lies  in  the 
estate  late  of  John  C.  DaCosta,  deceased,  near  the  head  of  the 
Fork  creek,  in  old  Newton  township.  The  building  was  doubt- 
less a  substantial  log  cabin,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
cleared  acres  for  farming  purposes,  surrounded  by  the  primitive 
forest.  The  creek,  at  that  time  open  to  the  flow  of  the  tide, 
provided  a  means  of  travel,  and  a  source  whence  food  also  could 
be  procured ;  thus  removing  all  anxiety  from  the  minds  of  these 
adventurers  in   regard   to  a  full  supply  for  the   inner  man. 

Among  the  many  inducements  held  out  by  these  pioneers  to 
their  friends  still  in  the  old  country,  none  were  made  more 
prominent  than  the  abundant  supply  of  food  always  at  hand 
in  the  rivers  and  forest ;  and  the  fadt  that  the  danger  of 
starvation  could  not  by  any  possibility  surround  them.  From 
Gabriel  Thomas  to  the  last  correspondent  on  record,  this 
assurance  is  faithfully  held  out  and  was  always  found  good  by 
such  as  chose  to  test  it. 

Thomas  Sharp  shows  on  his  map  of  the  lands  in  Newton  town- 
ship, made  in  1700,  one  hundred  acres  owned  by  John  Easly, 
being  part  of  Thomas  Matthew's  survey,  afterwards  owned  by 
John  Haddon, — at  this  writing  held  by  the  heirs  of  James  Stoy, 
deceased.  This  title  is  so  obscured  by  various  conveyances  and 
the  tautology  of  English  deeds,  that  no  intelligent  explanation 
can  be  arrived  at;  and  whether  John  Easly  (Eastlack)  had  an 
indefeasible  estate  therein,  and  disposed  of  it  by  the  regular 
channel,  is  yet  to  be  discovered. 

John  Eastlack  was  a  man  of  some  estate,  and  dealt  in  land, 
even  in  those  early  times. ^  In  17 16,  he  purchased  a  plantation 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres,  of  Benjamin  Richards, 
situated  on  the  north  branch  of  Timber  creek,  and  three  years 
after  sold  the  same  to  Thomas  Smallwood.  This  probably  lay 
west  of  Chew's  Landing,  and  parts  of  it  may  yet  be  in  the 
name  of  the  last  named  grantee.  In  1718,  he  purchased  a 
lot  of  meadow  land  of  John  Wright,    in    Newton   township  on 

2  Lib.  A,  109,  118. 


374  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

Fork  creek,  near  to  or  adjoining  the  fifty  acres  before  named. 
This  much  enlarged  his  boundaries  thereabout.' 

The  old  documents  sa}'  that  John  was  a  weaver,  a  worker  in 
wool ;  which  calling  occupied  his  long  winter  evenings  in  a 
useful  and  commendable  manner.  Buckskin  breeches,  with 
coat  and  vest  to  match,  supplied  in  a  great  measure  the 
demand  for  cloth ;  and  our  worthy  ancestors  could  often  have 
been  seen  in  the  gallery  of  the  meeting  house,  or  in  the  halls  of 
legislation,  clad  in  this  array,  making  a  very  presentable  appear- 
ance. Buttons  for  vests,  and  buckles  for  the  knees  of  breeches, 
were,  for  several  generations,  considered  an  heir-loom ;  and  the 
son  who  found  himself  the  possessor  thereof  was  always  marked 
as  the  favorite  of  the  paternal  head  of  the  family.  John  Whitall, 
the  brother-in-law  of  John  Eastlack,  died  in  171 8,  having,  by 
his  will,  diredled  his  land  to  be  sold.  John  Eastlack  was  the 
executor,  and  with  the  widow  made  a  deed  for  said  lands  to 
Isaac  Willowby  in  1724.  Isaac  Willowby  re-conveyed  the 
same  to  John  Eastlack  the  same  year.  These  were  sixty  acres 
given  by  Thomas  Thackara  to  John  Whitall  in  1696  upon  his 
marriage  ;  they  adjoined  John  Eastlack' s  fifty  acres.  These 
two  trails  passed  to  the  second  John  by  will,  who  re-surveyed 
said  lands  in  1760.^  As  before  hinted,  these  trails  lie  in  the 
estate  late  of  John  C.  DaCosta,  deceased. 

In  1729,  John  Eastlack  purchased  another  property  in 
Newton  township,  fronting  on  Cooper's  creek,  of  which  James 
Whitall  died  the  owner.  He  conveyed  the  same  to  John 
Estaugh  in  1735.^  By  the  will  of  John  Estaugh,  all  his  landed 
estate  passed  to  his  wife,  who  deeded  the  said  farm  to  her 
nephew,  Ebenezer  Hopkins,  in  1747.®  John  Eastlack  bought 
and  sold  much  other  land  in  Gloucester  county,  showing  himself 
to  have  been  a  business  man  with  an  eye  to  thrift  and  care  taking. 
He  died  in  1736,  leaving  a  will  by  which,  after  a  few  legacies,  he 
gave  the  remainder  of  his  estate  to  his  sons,  John  and  Samuel.' 
He  was  a  resident  of  Newton  township,  but  of  what  part  does 
not  appear.  An  inventory  of  his  personal  effe6ls  discloses  their 
value  to  be  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  pounds.     His  children 

3  Lib.  A,  110.  6  Lib.  S6,  124,  O.  S.  G. 

4  Lib.  H,  484.  O.  S.  G.  7  Lib.  No.  5,  131. 

5  Lib.  GG,  09. 


JOHN  EASTLACK.  375 

were  Sarah,  who  married  James  Mickle;  Samuel,  who  married 
Ann  Breach;  John,  who  married  Mary  Bolton  and  Patience 
Hugg;  Daniel,  who  married  Mary  Cheesman;  Esther,  Eliza- 
beth and  Hannah.  Samuel  died  intestate  in  1744;  Elizabeth 
remained  a  single  woman  and  deceased  in  1757,  also  without 
a  will.«-» 

James  Mickle,  the  husband  of  Sarah,  deceased  in  1736,  about 
four  years  after  his  marriage,  leaving  a  will.'"  His  wife  survived 
him  with  two  children,  Rachel  and  Jacob. 

The  husband  of  Jemima  was  probably  a  grandson  of  Thomas 
Sharp,  the  surveyor,  and  one  of  the  first  emigrants  to  Newton. 
Of  the  descendants  of  this  daughter  nothing  can  be  at  this  date 
discovered. 

Daniel  Eastlack  settled  in  Greenwich  township  now  Glou- 
cester county,  and  is  the  ancestor  of  the  family  in  that  region 
of  country.  John  Eastlack  settled  in  Newton  township  on  the 
land  by  him  re-surveyed ;  part  of  which  came  to  him  in  a  dire6l 
line  from  his  maternal  ancestor,  Sarah  Thackara,  and  part  from 
Hannah  Whitall,  the  widow  of  John.  He  also  purchased  a  tra6l 
of  land  in  Newton  township  of  Gabriel  Newbie,  in  1742.  His 
two  sons,  John  and  Samuel,  were  also  grantees  with  him  in  the 
title  as  joint  tenants,  and  the  son  John,  being  the  survivor, 
conveyed  the  whole  to  Joseph  Mickle  in  1752.  He  became  the 
owner  of  much  other  real  estate  in  Gloucester  county,  some  by 
the  will  of  his  father,  and  some  by  purchase.  None  of  these 
acres,  now  so  valuable,  have  been  in  the  name  or  family  for 
many  years,  and,  but  for  the  time-stained  deeds  that  carry  the 
title  from  one  purchaser  to  another,  the  name  would  long  since 
have  been  forgotten.  The  little  increase  in  the  male  line  will 
account  for  the  small  number  of  the  name  now  left,  and  the 
blood  must  in  a  few  years  be  sought  for  among  the  female 
descendants. 


8  Lib.  No.  5,  86.     9  Lib.  No.  8,  437. 
10  I,lb.  No.  4,  '^5. 


THE   LIPPINCOTTS. 


(Contributed  by  James  S.  Lippincott  of  Haddonfield,  New  Jersey.) 


Sons  of  the  Quaker  sires, 

And  daughters  of  a  noble  race  of  old, 
List !  while  a  love  of  olden  time  inspires 

The  simple  story  in  these  pages  told ! 
Here  shall  ye  find  the  faith  that  must  prevail. 

Mighty,  through  God,  o'er  every  evil  thing ; 
The  faith  that  scorned  the  scaffold  and  the  jail 

Could,  e'en  in  dungeons,  hallelujahs  sing. 
A  love  of  liberty  their  souls  possessed  ; 

Nor  sought  they  freedom  for  themselves  alone  ; 
The  truth  they  brought,  their  hearts  had  truly  blessed ; 

And  broail  and  deep  their  charity  had  grown. 
No  servile  sycophants  to  worthless  kings, 

No  semi-Jewish  ritualists,  were  they; 
But  Christ's  true  light  was  their  illumining, 

And  led  their  spirits  by  a  better  way. 
The  native  of  the  wilds,  whose  lands  they  bought. 

The  swarthy  Afric  borne  across  the  main — 
To  those  the  law  of  love  and  truth  they  taught ; 

From  these  they  struck  the  weight  of  slavery's  chain. 
No  fairer  scene  can  history's  page  unfold. 

No  more  Arcadian  age  shall  time  display. 
Than  Jersey  annals  in  our  "age  of  gold," 

Ere  pure  Astraea  took  her  heavenward  way. 
Sons  of  the  Quaker  sires, 

And  daughters  of  those  worthy  ones  of  old. 
Re-kindle,  then,  the  pure  and  heavenly  fires 

That  warmed  your  fathers  in  our  "  age  of  gold  !" 

THE  name  of  Lippincott  is  one  of  the  oldest  English  sur- 
names of  local  origin.  It  has  been  traced  to  Lovecote 
of  the  "Domesday  book"  of  William  the  Conqueror,  compiled 
in  1080.     Lovecote  still  bears  its  ancient  name.     It  is  an  estate 


378  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

lying  near  Highampton,  Devonshire,  England.  The  earliest 
known  name  derived  from  Lovecote  is  found  in  the  rolls  of  the 
king's  court  of  the  time  of  king  John,  1195,  in  which  that 
of  Roger  de  Lovecote  is  recorded.  In  the  time  of  Edward  I, 
1274,  the  names  of  Jordamus  de  Loginggetot  and  Robertus 
de  Lyvenescot  and  Thomas  de  Luf kote  appear  in  the  Hundred 
Rolls.  The  manor  of  Lufifincott,  now  the  parish  of  that  name, 
on  the  west  border  of  Devonshire,  twenty  miles  distant  from 
Lovecote,  comprising  nearly  1,000  acres,  was  the  property  of 
Robert  de  Lughencot  in  1243,  and  remained  in  the  family  until 
1 41 5.  This  property  is  also  described  as  having  pertained  to 
Robert  de  Lyvenscot  in  1346.  The  above  mentioned  names, 
and  many  more  which  we  could  recite  in  a  modified  spelling, 
are  evidently  the  same  upon  which  the  early  scribes  tried  their 
skill  and  tested  the  plasticity  of  the  English  language. 

Another  branch  of  the  family  resided  at  Webworthy,  pro- 
nounced ''Wibbery,"  in  northwestern  Devon,  where  they  held 
extensive  estates  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  years.  Their  name 
was  spelled  Luppingcott  and  Luppincott.  The  last  of  the  line, 
Henry  Luppincott,  resided  at  Barcelona,  Spain,  and  died  in 
1779.  A  branch  of  this  family  removed  to  Sidbury  in  East 
Devon,  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  from  which 
descended  Henry  Lippincott,  a  distinguished  merchant  of 
Bristol,  who  was  made  a  baronet  in  1778  by  George  HI;  also 
his  son  Sir  Henry  Cann  Lippincott,  baronet,  whose  descendants, 
Robert  Cann  Lippincott  and  his  sons,  Robert  C.  Cann  Lippin- 
cott and  Henry  Cann  Lippincott,  are  probably  the  only  living 
male  representatives  of  this  ancient  branch  of  the  family  now 
residing  in  England.  The  residence  of  the  last  named  is  at 
Overcourt  near  Bristol.  The  Lippincotts  of  England  held  a 
good  position  in  the  world,  as  is  shown  by  the  numerous  coats- 
of-arms  granted  to  them.  No  less  than  eight  coats  appear  to 
have  been  bestowed  upon  gentlemen  of  the  name ;  some  of  them 
probably  as  early  as  in  1420,  when  John  Lippingcott  of  Wibbery 
is  found  bearing  his,  from  which  several  others  were  derived  by 
modification.  One  style,  granted  to  one  whose  name  was 
spelled  Luffyngcotte,  diverges  widely  from  the  others,  and  was 
probably  granted  at  the  time  of  the  Crusades.     "A  black  eagle, 


THE  LIPPINCOTTS.  379 

sprinkled  with  drops  of  blood,  and  displayed  upon  a  field  of 
silver,"  is  the  description  of  this  remarkable  shield. 

Richard  Lippincott,  the  ancestor  of  the  family  in  America, 
emigrated  from  Devonshire,  England.  He  was  probably  nearly 
conne6led  with  the  branch  settled  near  Sidbury,  which  early 
inclined  towards  Puritanism.  He  associated  with  the  settlers  of 
the  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  was  made  a  freeman  by  the 
court  of  Boston,  May  13th,  1640.  In  1641,  Richard  and  his 
wife  Abigail  resided  in  Dorchester,  near  Boston,  when  their 
eldest  son  Rememberance  was  born  and  baptized  in  the  seventh 
month  of  that  year.  They  removed  to  Boston,  where  a  son  John 
was  born  in  1644;  also  a  daughter  Abigail,  who  died  in  infancy, 
in  1646.  In  1651,  having  become  influenced  by  other  Christian 
views,  he  withdrew  from  the  Church  and  was  excommunicated 
therefrom,  fifth  month  6th,  1651.  Thus  this  conscientious 
man,  having  obtained  a  deeper  insight  into  the  nature  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  was  preparing  to  accept  the  views  held  by  the 
Friends,  though  no  books  by  the  teachers  of  that  se6l  had  yet 
been  issued.  In  1652,  he  returned  to  England,  and  in  the  next 
year  his  son,  Restored,  or  Restore,  was  born  at  Plymouth.  This 
name  was,  no  doubt,  bestowed  in  commemoration  of  his  restor- 
ation to  his  native  land  and  to  the  communion  of  more  congenial 
spirits.  With  these  he  early  associated,  was  a  partaker  with 
them  in  suffering  for  his  faith,  and  was  imprisoned  in  the  jail 
near  the  castle  of  Exeter  in  February,  1655.  His  offence  appears 
to  have  been  his  assertion,  "that  Christ  was  the  word  of  God 
and  the  Scriptures  a  declaration  of  the  mind  of  God."  His 
home  was  now  at  Plymouth,  where  he  was  not  a  quiet  spectator 
of  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  the  Friends,  for,  in  May,  1655,  as 
stated  in  Sewell's  history  of  the  Quakers,  he,  with  others,  testi- 
fied against  the  a6ts  of  the  mayor  and  the  falsehood  of  the 
charges  brought  against  them.  In  the  same  year  a  son,  Free- 
dom, was  born,  doubtless,  so  named  in  commemoration  of  his 
release  from  "durance  vile."  A  daughter,  Increase,  was  added 
to  his  family  while  residing  at  Stonehouse,  near  Plymouth,  in 
the  tenth  month,  1657;  and  a  son  Jacob  in  the  year  1660,  at 
the  same  place,  who  died  in  1689.  I^^  the  latter  year,  he  was  , 
again  imprisoned  by  the  mayor  of  Plymouth  for  his  faithfulness 


38o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

to  his  religious  convidlions,  having  been  taken  from  a  meeting 
in  that  city.  His  release  was  brought  about  by  the  solicitations 
of  Margaret  Fell  and  others,  who  influenced  the  newly  restored 
king  (Charles  II.)  to  grant  the  liberation  of  many  Friends. 
The  colony  of  Rhode  Island  offering  to  the  Friends  freedom  in 
the  exercise  of  their  mode  of  worship,  Richard  Lippincott 
again  removed  to  New  England,  where  he  sojourned  for  a  time. 
Having  been  preserved  from  persecution  and  the  perils  of  the 
sea,  he  named  his  son  Preserved,  who  was  born  here  upon 
Christmas  day,  1663,  but  who  died  in  infancy.  The  names  of 
the  surviving  children  of  Richard  and  Abigail  form  the  words 
of  a  prayer,  which  needed  only  the  addition  of  a  son,  Israel,  to 
have  been  complete ;  thus :  Remember  John,  Restore  Freedom, 
Increase  Jacob  and  Preserve  {Israel')  !  This  arrangement  was 
doubtless  accidental,  having  never  been  premeditated  by  the 
parents,  though  inclined  to  ways  in  fashion  among  the  Puritans 
at  that  day. 

A  new  charter  having  been  granted  by  the  king  (Charles), 
incorporating  the  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  plantations,  in 
1663,  and  the  New  Netherlands  having  come  into  possession  of 
the  English  in  1664,  and  a  patent  having  been  granted  to  a 
company  of  Friends  from  Long  Island  in  1665,  who  first  bought 
the  land  of  the  natives, — Richard  Lippincott  was  induced,  with 
others  from  Rhode  Island,  to  become  a  patentee  with  the  resi- 
dents on  or  near  Shrewsbury  river.  He  thus  became  a  member 
of  the  first  English  colony  in  New  Jersey,  in  which  he  was  the 
largest  shareholder.  He  was  an  a6live  officer  of  the  colony. 
In  1669,  he  was  a  deputy  and  overseer,  and,  in  the  next  year, 
an  overseer  of  Shrewsbury  town.  In  1670,  the  first  meeting  for 
worship  was  established  by  the  Friends,  which  was  visited  by 
George  Fox  in  1672,  who  was  entertained  by  Richard  Lippin- 
cott. His  residence  was  on  Passequeneiqua  creek,  a  branch  of 
South  Shrewsbury  river,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  northeast  of  the 
house  of  his  son-in-law,  Samuel  Dennis,  which  stood  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  town  of  Shrewsbury. 

It  is  probable  that  Richard  Lippincott  made  another  voyage 
to  England,  and  was  there  in  1675,  when  John  Fenwick  was 
preparing  to  remove  to  West  New  Jersey ;   and  that  he  then 


THE  LJPPINCOTTS.  381 

obtained  a  grant  of  1,000  acres  of  land  in  Fenwick  colony, 
having  advanced  the  purchase  money  to  aid  that  colonist.  In 
1676,  the  title  was  conveyed,  the  consideration  being  twenty 
pounds  with  a  royalty,  or  quit  rent,  of  two  bushels  of  wheat, 
annually.  This  tradl  of  land  Richard  conveyed  to  his  five 
sons  in  1679,  but  it  was  never  occupied  by  them.  Having  at 
length  found  a  fixed  place  of  residence,  Richard  Lippincott 
lived  an  adtive  and  useful  life  in  the  midst  of  a  worthy  family, 
in  the  possession  of  a  sufficient  estate,  and  happy  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  religious  and  political  freedom.  Here  he  passed  the 
last  eighteen  years  of  his  life  of  varied  experience,  and  here  he 
died  on  tiie  25th  of  the  ninth  month  (November,  old  style), 
1683. 

The  Dutch  proprietors  of  New  Amsterdam  had  long  been 
engaged  in  the  slave  trade,  and,  at  the  surrender  in  1664,  the 
colony  contained  many  slaves;  some  of  whom  were  owned  by 
the  Friends.  As  early  as  in  1652,  members  of  this  society  at 
Warwick,  Rhode  Island,  passed  a  law  requiring  all  slaves  to  be 
released  after  ten  years'  service,  as  was  the  manner  regarding 
English  servants.  The  court  of  Shrewsbury  colony  also  made 
a  law  against  trading  in  slaves,  in  1683.  These  are  the  earliest 
instances  of  legislation  in  behalf  of  these  oppressed  bondsmen. 
Richard  Lippincott  was  owner  of  several  slaves,  some  of  whom 
were  set  free  under  the  will  of  his  widow  Abigail,  who  deceased 
in  1697,  leaving  to  her  children  and  grandchildren  much  real 
estate  and  considerable  bequests  in  money. 

Rememberance  of  Shrewsbury,  eldest  son  of  Richard,  mar- 
ried Margaret  Barber  of  Boston,  and  died  in  1722,  aged  eighty- 
two  years.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  affairs  of  the  colony, 
and  an  opponent,  as  were  his  brothers,  of  George  Keith,  in  his 
attempt  to  seduce  the  Society  of  Friends  from  its  faith.  He 
had  received  a  gift  in  the  ministry  which  was  usefully  exercised. 
His  friends  sum  up  his  life  in  a  few  words:  "Rememberance 
Lippincott  was  a  clerk  of  our  Monthly  and  Quarterly  Meetings 
many  years,  a  diligent  attendant  of  our  meetings  for  worship; 
his  labour  was  acceptable  to  Friends."  He  had  four  sons  and 
eight  daughters,  four  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  they  were 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (twins),  Abigail,  Richard,  Elizabeth, 
Joseph,   William,  Abigail,   Sarah,   Ruth,   Mary  and  Grace. 


382  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

The  descendants  of  Rememberance  through  his  sons,  Richard 
and  William,  were  numerous.  Some  of  these  who  derive  their 
descent  from  Jacob,  son  of  Richard,  have  resided  in  Chester 
township,  Burlington  county;  N.  J.,  and  have  inter-married 
with  the  families  of  Clemenz,  Rudderow  and  Matlack.  Those 
derived  from  William,  son  of  Rememberance,  claim  their  blood 
through  Wilbur,  Samuel  and  Darius.  Richard,  one  of  the  sons 
of  Wilbur,  removed  to  Philadelphia,  and  married  Mary  Scull, 
daughter  of  Jasper  of  Reading,  Pa.  From  Samuel  a  numerous 
posterity  has  descended  :  first,  through  his  son  Joseph,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Engle  and  lived  for  several  years  at  Haddon- 
field,  where  he  pra6liced  the  art  of  a  silversmith,  and  a6led  as 
town  clerk  from  1777  to  1788.  His  children  were  Mary,  born 
1769,  and  married  to  Turner  Risdon;  Elizabeth,  Hannah;  and 
Samuel,  born  1778,  who  married  Elizabeth  Edwards.  Samuel 
resided  in  Philadelphia  and  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.,  and  was,  for 
thirty-three  years,  associated  with  the  business  of  the  Lehigh 
Navigation  Company. 

Samuel,  the  son  of  William,  the  son  of  Rememberance,  had 
several  sons,  some  born  after  he  removed  to  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.  Many  of  their  descendants  now  reside  in  Pitts- 
burg and   other  western  cities. 

John   Lippincott,    yeoman,    of   Shrewsbury,    second   son   of 

Richard,  was  born   1644,  and  married  Ann  .     She  dying 

in  1707,  he  married  Jennett  Austin,  three  years  after,  and  died 
in  1720.  His  first  wife  left  him  eight  children, — John,  Robert, 
Preserved,  Mary,  Ann,  Margaret,  Robert  and  Deborah.  Their 
numerous  descendants  reside  chiefly  in  Monmouth  county,  N. 
J. ;  Green  county,  Pa.,  and  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

Restore  Lippincott  of  Shrewsbury,  afterwards  of  Northamp- 
ton, Burlington  county.  New  Jersey,  third  son  of  Richard,  was 
born  in  1653,  and  married  Hannah  Shattock  of  Boston,  in 
1674.  She  deceased,  and  he  married  Martha  Owen  in  1729, 
and  died  in  1741.  By  his  first  wife  there  were  three  sons 
and  six  daughters;  namely:  Samuel,  Abigail,  Hannah,  Hope, 
Rebecca,  James,  Elizabeth,  Jacob  and  Rachel.  Restore  Lip- 
pincott was  a  useful  citizen,  exemplary  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  and  much  respecSled  by  the  community  on  account  of  his 


THE  LIPPINCOTTS.  383 

regard  for  truth  and  justice.  In  1703  and  1705,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  governor's  council  of  West  New  Jersey,  to  which 
he  had  removed  in  1692.  In  that  year,  he  bought  of  Thomas 
Olive  five  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land  in  Northampton, 
Burlington  county,  N.  J.,  upon  which  he  settled.  About  1698, 
he  made,  in  company  with  John  Garwood,  a  further  purchase 
of  2,000  acres,  lying  to  the  east  of  the  present  town  of  Pem- 
berton.  Restore  had  many  descendants.  Of  those  from  his 
own  son  Samuel  and  the  latter' s  son  Samuel,  who  married  Mary 
Arney,  some  now  reside  upon  the  first  purchase,  between  Mount 
Holly  and  Pemberton.  Among  the  most  adlive  have  been  James, 
the  Rev.  Caleb  A.,  a  methodist  preacher,  and  his  son  the  Rev. 
Joshua  A.,  now  professor  of  mathematics  in  Dickinson  College, 
Pa.,  and  Isaac  K.  of  Freehold  and  Philadelphia,  deceased. 

The  descendants  of  James,  who  married  Anna  Eves,  have 
resided  in  Northampton,  in  Evesham  and  in  Philadelphia. 
Among  the  latter  and  most  noteworthy,  are  Joshua  B.,  the 
distinguished  publisher,  Benjamin  H.,  for  many  years  a  public 
man  in  Burlington  county,  and  Aaron  S.,  a  successful  cotton 
manufadlurer  in  Philadelphia. 

The  descendants  of  Jacob,  who  was  born  in  1692,  and  mar- 
ried Mary  Burr,  daughter  of  Henry,  in  1716,  are  numerous, 
living  chiefly  in  Gloucester  and  Salem  counties.  Among  them, 
however,  was  Joshua  of  Philadelphia,  at  one  time  a  dire6lor  of 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States  and  president  of  the  Schuylkill 
Navigation  Company. 

Freedom  Lippincott,  fourth  child  of  Richard,  described  as  a 
tanner,  lived  by  Rancocas  creek,  where  the  king's  highway 
crossed  the  same,  about  where  Bridgeboro  now  stands.  Having 
sold  his  Salem  land,  he  located  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight 
acres  in  1687,  whereon  he  settled.  To  the  trade  of  a  tanner  he 
probably  added  that  of  a  smith,  and  could  shoe  a  horse  or 
"upset"  the  axes  of  his  neighbors  with  some  skill.  However 
that  may  have  been,  we  find  that,  in  the  summer  of  1697, 
while  shoeing  a  horse,  he  was  killed  by  lightning.  His  widow 
and  five  children  survived  him,  the  oldest  being  but  thirteen 
years  of  age.  The  children's  names  were  Samuel,  who  married 
Hope  Wills;  Thomas,  who  married  Mary  Haines;  Judith,  who 


384  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

married  Joseph  Stokes;  Mary,  who  married  Edward  Peake;  and 
Freedom,  who  married  Elizabeth  Wills. 

The  descendants  of  Freedom,  through  his  sons,  Samuel, 
Thomas  and  Freedom,  are  most  numerous  in  the  western  town- 
ships of  Camden  and  Burlington  counties.  Judith,  who  married 
Joseph  Stokes,  became  the  ancestor  of  many  of  that  name. 
The  descendants  of  Samuel,  through  his  youngest  son  Aaron  and 
the  latter' s  son  Samuel,  who  married  Theodosia  Hewlings,  have 
resided  in  Evesham,  near  Marlton,  Burlington  county.  Those 
now  living  and  bearing  the  Lippincott  name  claim  their  descent 
through  Samuel's  sons,  Samuel  and  Jacob. 

Thomas,  second  son  of  Freedom,  purchased  in  1708  a  tra<51; 
of  one  thousand  and  thirty-four  acres,  extending  from  Penis- 
aukin  creek  to  Swedes'  run,  joining  the  No-se-ne-men-si-on 
tradl,  reserved  to  the  Indians;  from  which  the  name,  Cinna- 
minson,  is  derived.  The  village  of  Westfield  stands  upon  the 
northern  border  of  the  Lippincott  tradl.  The  name  was  origi- 
nally given  to  the  meeting-house  which  was  ere(5led  in  1800,  in 
Thomas  Lippincott' s  western  field. 

Thomas  Lippincott  was  an  adlive  and  useful  man  in  the  busi- 
ness affairs  of  Chester  township,  in  which  his  lands  were  then 
included.  The  first  house,  built  by  him  about  1711,  stood 
where  Samuel  L.  Allen  now  (1877)  resides;  and  his  descend- 
ants occupied  the  same  and  a  second,  built  upon  its  site  in 
1800,  for  one  hundred  and  thirty  years.  The  first  meeting  of 
Friends  in  this  distridl  was  held  in  his  house,  and  there  con- 
tinued to  be  held  until  1800.  He  married  Mary  Haines  in 
1711.  Their  children  were  Nathaniel,  who  married  Mary 
Engle  in  1736;  Isaac,  who  married  Hannah  Engle;  Thomas, 
who  married  Rebecca  Eldridge  in  1745;  Abigail,  who  married 
Thomas  Wills;  Esther,  who  married  John  Roberts;  Mary, 
who  deceased ;  and  Thomas,  who  married  Mercy  Middleton. 
Thomas  had  three  daughters,  namely:  Patience,  who  mar- 
ried Ebenezer  Andrews  in  1742;  Phoebe;  and  Mercy,  who 
married  Ephraim  Stiles. 

Nathaniel  Lippincott,  son  of  Thomas,  settled  in  Goshen, 
Chester  county.  Pa.,  about  the  year  1737,  where  his  two  eldest 
children  were  born.     Thence  he  removed  to  a  farm  on  the  road 


THE  LIPPINCOTTS.  385 

leading  from  Haddonfield  to  Milford,  now  owned  by  Aquilla  S. 
Hillman  and  brothers,  in  Camden  county,  N.  J.  The  descend- 
ants of  Nathaniel,  through  his  sons,  John,  Caleb  and  Seth,  are 
numerous.  Those  from  John,  through  his  son  Thomas,  settled 
in  Chester  township,  Burlington  county,  N.  J.,  in  Philadelphia, 
and  in  the  State  of  Illinois ;  General  Charles  Ellet  Lippincott, 
now  auditor  of  the  latter  State,  being  the  most  distinguished. 
Caleb  and  Seth  have  representatives  living  in  the  vicinity  of 
Moorestown  and  Haddonfield. 

The  descendants  of  Thomas  through  his  son,  Isaac  of  West- 
field,  are  also  numerous  through  the  latter' s  sons,  Thomas,  Isaac 
and  Samuel;  all  of  whom  settled  on  part  of  their  grandfather's 
tra6l  in  Cinnaminson  and  Chester  townships,  Burlington  county, 
and  in  Philadelphia.  Among  them  may  be  noticed  Joshua,  a 
cloth  merchant,  and  Samuel  R.,  a  diredlor  of  the  National  State 
Bank  of  Camden,  N.  J. 

Although  Freedom,  youngest  son  of  the  first  Freedom  Lippin- 
cott, settled  early  in  Cropwell,  Burlington  county,  N.  J.,  but 
few  of  his  descendants  are  now  found  there.  His  son  Solomon, 
born  in  1720,  removed  to  Upper  Greenwich,  Gloucester  county, 
N.  J.  His  name  is  commemorated  by  "Solomon's  Meeting," 
which  he  built  in  that  township.  Another  son  Samuel,  a  mem- 
ber of  Pilesgrove  Meeting,  Salem  county,  N.  J.,  was  a  minister 
among  Friends.  Descendants  of  the  younger  children  are  now 
living  in  Evesham  and  Haddonfield. 

Increase,  only  daughter  of  Richard  and  Abigail  Lippincott, 
married  Samuel  Dennis,  and  removed  from  Shrewsbury  and 
settled  in  Salem  county,  N.  J.  Some  of  their  children  married 
among  the  Mickles  and  Tindalls,  and  were  members  of  the  old 
Newton  Meeting  in  Gloucester  county,  N.  J.  The  name  of 
Dennis  has  not  been  known  hereabout  for  many  years,  and  no 
trace  now  remains  of  this  branch  of  the  family. 


as 


MARRIAGES. 


The  following  lists  of  marriages,  coUedled  from  various 
sources,  are  defedlive  in  many  particulars.  Although  the  dates 
and  the  names  given  may  be  considered  as  corre6l,  yet  there 
are  errors  as  to  the  meetings  to  which  they  are  assigned ;  more- 
over they  are  not  the  whole  record,  nor  are  they  arranged  in 
chronological  order.  They  may,  however,  as  here  presented, 
assist  in  tracing  family  descent,  and  aid  in  settling  many 
doubtful   questions. 

BURLINGTON. 

Marriages  of  Friends  at  the  Burlington  Meeting  in  Burlington 
county,  N.  J.,  who  were  conne<5led  with  the  families  belonging 
to,  or  settled  within  the  limits  of,  the  Newton  Meeting  in  Glou- 
cester county,  N.  J. 

1679  Robert  Zane  to  Alice  AUday. 

1680  William  Heulings  to  Doratha  Eves. 
1682     William  Wood  to  Mary  Parnell. 

1686  Francis  Collins  to  Mary  Gosling,  widow. 

1698  Thomas  Bryant  to  Rebecca  Collins. 

1 701  Thomas  Sharp  to  Elizabeth  Winn. 

1704  Thomas  Stokes  to  Deliverance  Horner. 

1707  John  Matlack  to  Hannah  Horner. 

1709  George  Matlack  to  Mary  Foster. 

1 710  John  Kaighn  to  Elizabeth  Hill. 


388  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1 71 1  Tobias  Griscom  to  Deborah  Gabitas. 

1 713  William  Matlack  to  Ann  Antrim. 

1 716  John  Wood  to  Susanna  Furness. 

1 721  Joshua  Lord  to  Sarah  Wills. 

1 721  Bartholomew  Horner  to  Elizabeth  Wills. 

1723  Samuel  Shivers  to  Mary  Deacon. 

1730  John  Hugg  to  Mer:y  Middleton. 

1 731  William  Tomlinson  to  Rebecca  Wills. 

1732  Thomas  Webster  to  Sarah  Vinacom. 
1732  Thomas  Lippincott  to  Mercy  Hugg. 
1734  Isaac  Decou  to  Hannah  Nicholson. 

1 738  Joseph  Nicholson  to  Catharine  Butcher. 

1738  Hugh  Clifton  to  Mary  Wood. 

1740  Thomas  Smith  to  Rebecca  Wood. 

1 741  John  Mickle  to  Mary  Stockdale. 

Marriages  solemnized  in  open  court  at  Burlington,  N.  J., 
as  recorded  in  the  Minute  Book  thereof,  on  file  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Trenton,  N.   J. 

1682  Charles  Buggley  to  Elizabeth  Stephens. 

1682  Thomas  Sherman  to  Frances  Ward. 

1682  Walter  Reeves  to  Ann  Howell. 

1682  William  Barnes  to  Martha  Bromley. 

1682  Francis  Boswick  to  Priscilla  Parrock. 

1683  William  Lee  to  Joan  South. 
1683  Richard  Boyes  to  Mary  Dodson. 
1683  John  Woolstan  to  Latitia  Newbold. 

1683  George  Elkinton  to  Mary  Bingham. 

1684  Peter  Jennings  to  Anne  Nott. 
1684  Jodia  Higgins  to  Mary  Newbold. 
1684  Robert  Ingalls  to  Joan  Home. 
1684  Jonathan  Stephenson  to  Mary  Allen. 

1684  Timothy  Hancock  to  Rachel  Firman. 

1685  Seth  Hill  to  Mary  Grubb. 

1685  Edward  Ingleton  to  Sarah  Hoult. 

1685  John  Snape  to  Anne  Clark. 

1685  Jo^^"  Smith  to  Elizabeth  Ball. 

1685  Thomas  Wood  to  Mary  Howie, 


MARRIAGES.  389 


[685  Thomas  Kendall  to  Mary  Elton. 

[  685  Henry  Tredway  to  Anne  Driver. , 

[685  George  Willhouse  to  Mary  Hill. 

[685  Samuel  Smith  to  Mary  Appleton. 

1686  John  Renshaw  to  Mary  Stacy. 

[686  Thomas  Knight  to  Elizabeth  Brown. 

[686  John  Langford  to  Isabella  Bowman. 

[686  Daniel  Wills  to  Margaret  Newbold. 

[687  William  Bustill  to  Elizabeth  Tonkin. 

[688  Daniel  Sutton  to  Agnes  Carr. 

[688  John  Chadwick  to  Elizabeth  Light. 

[688  James  Creek  to  Frances  Churther. 

[688  Robert  Rigg  to  Jane  Bayliff. 

18  Anthony  Elton  to  Elizabeth  Revell. 

19  Thomas  Peachee  to  Mary  Miller. 
[690  Thomas  Kendall  to  Ann  Jennings. 
:69o  Eleazor  Fenton  to  Elizabeth  Stacy. 
[690  Joseph  Houldin  to  Hannah  Jonson. 
[691  Gilbert  Murrell  to  Judith  Hancock. 
[691  Edward  Smout  to  Jane  Abbott. 
[691  Edward  Hunlock  to  Mary  Bassett. 
[692  John  Tuelie  to  Judith  Murrell. 

[692  Thomas  Clark  to  Margarett  Duhurst. 

[692  John  Bowne  to  Frances  Bowman. 

[692  Thomas  Wilson  to  Ann  Silvers. 

[693  Thomas  Bibb  to  Ruth  Kettle. 

[693  Bartholomew  Minderman  to  Jane  Joyner. 

[693  Henry  Marjerman  to  Jane  Rigg. 

[694  John  Meridith  to  Elizabeth  Lambert. 

[694  Joseph  White  to  Ann  Revell. 

[694  Richard  Francis  to  Mary  Major. 

[694  Edward  Andrews  to  Sarah  Ong. 

[694  Nathaniel  Cripps  to  Grace  Whitten. 

[695  Benjamin  Maplin  to  Elizabeth  Lee. 

[695  Thomas  Dugles  to  Mary  Odonoghas. 

[695  John  Reeve  to  Ann  Bradgate. 

[695  William  Heulings  to  Mary  Lovett. 

[695  William  Righton  to  Sarah  Biddle. 


39©  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1695  Charles  Sheepy  to  Elizabeth  Davis. 

1695  James  Newbold  to  Elizabeth  Powell. 

1695  Daniel  Wills  to  Mary  Shinn. 

1695  Richard  Dell  to  Elizabeth  Decou. 

1696  John  Baker  to  Mary  Peachee. 
1696  Robert  Powell  to  Mary  Perkins. 
1698  Thomas  Potts  to  Mary  Record. 
1698  Richard  Dell  to  Elizabeth  Basnett. 

1698  William  Ogborn  to  Mary  Cole. 

1699  James  Harpen  to  Sabilla  Clayton. 
1699  John  Paine  to  Abigail  Curtis. 
1699  Joshua  Ely  to  Rachel  Lee. 

1699  Jacob  Decou  to  Elizabeth  Newbold. 

1699  Robert  Dummer  to  Martha  Warren. 

1699  Abinelock  Hudson  to  Pricilla  Beswick. 

1700  Andrew  Sim  to  Margaret  Hutchinson. 

1 701  Jacob  Gibbs  to  Elizabeth  Casson. 
1 701  Hugh  Huddy  to  Martha  Hunlock. 

1 701  Thomas  Smith  to  Elizabeth  Hibbard. 

1701.  John  Briggs  to  Sarah  Smith. 

1 701  James  Verier  to  Valbert  Williams. 

1 701  Robert  Edwards  to  Sarah  Bennett. 


SALEM. 

Marriages  solemnized  in  open  court  at  Salem  New  Jersey,  as 
recorded  in  the  Minute  Book  thereof,  No.  2.,  on  file  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Trenton,  N.  J. 

1682     January  11,  Anthony  Dixon  to  Elizabeth  Camel. 

1682  January  19,  John  Paine  to  Elizabeth  Wotton. 

1683  July  16,  John  Fuller  to  Ellenor  Lewis. 

1683     August  23,  Anthony  Windsor  to  Elizabeth  Adams. 

1683  February  19,  John  Walker  to  Mary  Smith,  daughter  of 

John  Smith. 

1684  May  21,  William  Hall  to  Elizabeth  Pyle. 

1684     November  6,  John  Worledge  to  Ann  Leupuvre. 


MARRIAGES.  391 

1686     August  10,  William  Price  to  Ann  Croutcher. 

1686     August  10,  John  Allen  to  Mary  Huthings,  daughter  of 

Roger  Hutchings. 
1686     September  7,  Mark  Reeve  to  Ann  Hunt. 
1686     November  24,  Thomas  Jones  to  Hannah  Prior. 

1686  February  3,  Hugh  Hutchings  to  Mary  Adams,  daughter 

of  John  Adams. 

1687  June  14,  William  Shute  to  Mary  Clark. 
1687     August  18,  Fenwick  Adams  to  Ann  Watkins. 

1687  August  18,  Alexander  Smith  to  Hannah  Ashbury. 

1688  October  17,  John  Bacon  to  Elizabeth  Smith,  daughter  of 

John  Smith. 

1688  January  i,  Bernard  Hedge  to  Elizabeth  Prague. 

1689  June  18,  William  Wilkinson  to  Mary  Nicholson. 

1690  April  24,  John  Hughes  to  Martha  Buckley. 

1690  October  5,  Charles  Angello  to  Katharine  Noer. 

1 69 1  March   18,   Charles  Peterson,  widower,  to  Ann  Kerrt, 

widow. 

1 69 1  March  23,  Joseph  Burgin  to  Jane  Silver. 

1693     March  26,  William  Remington  to  Mary  Woodhouse. 

1693  August  7,  Joseph  Bacon  to  Elizabeth  Pancoast. 

1694  July  19,  Ebenezer  Ashbury  to  Margaret  Depfos. 

1694  January  22,  Samuel  Woodhouse  to  Ann  Hudson. 

1695  October  31,  Samuel  Hunter  to  Katharine  S.  Keene. 
1699     January  16,  Nicholas  Winton  to  Doratha  Davis. 

1702     July  2,  William  Braithwaite  to  Ann  Worlidge,  widow. 
1702     November  24,  William  Pope  to  Mary  Hersley. 

Marriages  of  Friends  at  the  Salem  Meeting  in  Salem  county, 
N.  J.,  who  were  connected  with  the  families  belonging  to  the 
Newton  Meeting,  in  Gloucester  county,  N.  J.,  or  who  settled 
within  the  limits  of  the  meeting. 

1677  Abraham  Strand  to  Rachel  Nicholson. 

1687  VVilliam  Bradway  to  Elizabeth  Wood. 

1692  William  Cooper,  Jr.,  to  Mary  Bradway, 

1693  Bartholemew  Wyat  to  Sarah  Ashton. 
1693  Abel  Nicholson  to  Mary  Tyler. 
1704  Isaac  Sharp  to  Margaret  Brathwill. 


392  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1 710  William  Tyler  to  Mary  Abbott. 

1722  Hugh  Clifton  to  Elizabeth  Tindall. 

1723  Robert  Smith  to  Elizabeth  Wyat. 
1729  John  Brick  to  Ann  Nicholson. 

1729  Abel  Nicholson  to  Isabella  Daniels. 

1730  John  Evans  to  Ruth  Nicholson. 
1734  Joseph  Tomlinson  to  Lydia  Wade. 
1737  Erastmus  Fetters  to  Rebecca  Thompson. 
1 740  William  Griscom  to  Sarah  Davis. 

1740  John  Nicholson  to  Sarah  Powell. 

1 741  John  Gill  to  Anne  Davis. 

1743  Samuel  Nicholson  to  Sarah  Dennis. 

1 744  Othniel  Tomlinson  to  Mary  Marsh. 

1746  Jacob  Spicer  to  Mary  Lippincott. 

1747  Thomas  Redman  to  Mercy  Davis. 

1748  Isaac  Ellis  to  Mary  Shivers. 

1749  William  Haines  to  Sarah  Lippincott. 
1749  Joshua  Ballanger  to  Naomi  Dunn. 
1753  Andrew  Griscom  to  Mary  Bacon. 
1756  Richard  Haines  to  Elizabeth  Test. 
1758  Joseph  Kay  to  Ann  Thompson. 

1 761  Joseph  Clement  to  Ann  Brick. 


NEWTON. 

Marriages  of   Friends  who  were  members,  or  who  married 
members,  of  Newton  Meeting,  Gloucester  county,  N.  J. 

1684  James  Atkinson,  of  Philadelphia,   to    Hannah   Newbie, 

widow  of  Mark,  of  Newton.^ 

1685  John  Ladd  to  Sarah  Wood.'' 

1686  Walter  Forrest  to  Ann  Albertson.^ 
1686     Thomas  Shable  to  Alice  Stalles.^ 

1686  Samuel  Toms  to  Rachel  Wood.' 

1687  Joshua  Frame,  of  Pennsylvania,  to  Abigail  Bates.* 
1687     William  Clark  to  Mary  Heritage.' 


1  At  Hannah  Newbie's  house. 

2  At  James  Atkinson's  house. 

3  At  Newton  Meeting. 


MARRIAGES.  393 

1688     John  Hugg,  son  of  John,  to  Pricilla  Collins,  daughter  of 
Francis.' 

1688  Joseph  Cooper  to  Lydia  Riggs.^ 

1689  Thomas  Thackara  to  Hepsibah  Eastlack.' 

1689  Thomas  Willard  to  Judith  Wood,  daughter  of  Henry.* 

1 69 1  John  Butcher  to  Mary  Heritage.' 

1692  Simeon  Ellis  to  Sarah  Bates,  daughter  of  William.^ 

1693  Daniel  Cooper  to  Abigail  Wood,  daughter  of  Henry.® 
1695  Daniel  Cooper  to  Sarah  Spicer,  daughter  of  Samuel.' 
1695  William  Sharp  to  Jemima  Eastlack,  daughter  of  Francis.* 
1695  Joseph   Nicholson,   son  of   Samuel,   to   Hannah  Wood, 

daughter  of  Henry.® 

1695  Isaac  Decou  to  Rachel  Newbie,  daughter  of  Mark.^ 

1699  Thomas  Thackara  to  Ann  Parker,  of  Philadelphia.* 

1 701  Joseph  Bates  to  Mercy  Clement,  daughter  of  James.® 

1702  John  Estaugh  to  Elizabeth  Haddon.' 

1703  Stephen  Newbie  to  Elizabeth  Wood,  daughter  of  Henry.s 

1704  John   Mickle,   son   of   Archibald,    to   Hannah    Cooper, 

daughter  of  William,  Jr.^ 

1705  Josiah    Southwick    to    Elizabeth    Collins,    daughter    of 

Francis.'" 

1706  Joseph  Brown  to  Mary  Spicer,  daughter  af  Samuel.* 

1 706  Edward  Newbie  to  Hannah  Chew.* 

1707  Benjamin  Wood  to  Mary  Kay,  daughter  of  John." 
1707     Benjamin  Thackara  to  Mary  Cooper,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam, Jr." 

AT   NEWTON    MEETING. 

1707     John  Hallowell,  of  Darby,  to  Elizabeth  Sharp,  daughter 
of  Thomas. 

1707  John  Kay,  son  of  John,  to  Sarah  Langstone. 

1 708  Samuel  Mickle  to  Elizabeth  Cooper,  daughter  of  Joseph. 
1708     Ezekiel  Siddons,  son  of  John,  to  Sarah  Mickle. 


1  At  Francis  Collins'  house.  7  At  Samuel  Spicer's  house. 

2  At  William  Cooper's  house.  8  At  John  Hinchman's  house. 

3  At  James  Atkinson's  house.  g  At  Elizabeth  Haddon's  house. 

4  At  Henrj'  Wood's  house,  Hopewell.  10  At  Joseph  Collins'  house. 

5  At  Newton  Meeting.  ti  At  John  Kay's  houst^ 

6  At  Hannah  Wood's  house. 

26 


394  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1709     Simeon  Breach  to  Mary  Dennis. 
1 709     John  Harvey  to  Sarah  Hasker. 

1709  Robert    Braddock   to   Elizabeth    Hancock,   daughter   of 

Timothy. 

1 710  Thomas  Bull  to  Sarah  Nelson. 

1 710     William  Harrison  to  Ann  Hugg,  daughter  of  John. 
1 710     Thomas  Middleton  to  Mercy  Allen. 
1 7 10     Joseph  Stokes,   son  of  Thomas,  to  Judith  Lippincott, 
daughter  of  Freedom. 

1 710  Thomas  Sharp  to  Catharine  HoUingsham. 

1  711     Thomas  Smith  to  Sarah  Hancock,  daughter  of  Timothy. 

1 71 1  Jonathan  Haines,  son  of  John,  to  Mary  Matlack,  daugh- 

ter of  William. 
171 1     Daniel  Mickle  to  Hannah  Dennis. 
1 71 1     Samuel  Dennis  to  Ruth  Tindall. 

1 71 1  Thomas  Lippincott,  son  of  Freedom,  to  Mary  Haines, 

daughter  of  John. 

1 71 2  Abraham  Brown  to  Hannah  Adams,  Jr. 
1 714     Joseph  Dole  to  Hannah  Somers. 

1 714  John  Hugg  to  Elizabeth  Newbie. 

1 714  John  Cox  to  Lydia  Cooper,  daughter  of  Joseph. 

1 7 16  John  Adamson  to  Ann  Skew. 

1 716  Francis  Richardson  to  Sarah  Cooper. 

1 716  Thomas  Robinson  to  Sarah  Lowe. 

1 716  William  Sharp  to  Mary  Austin,  daughter  of  Francis. 

1 71 7  Alexander  Morgan,  son  of  Griffith,  to  Hannah  Cooper, 

daughter  of  Joseph. 

1 718  Benjamin  Cooper,  son  of  Joseph,  to  Rachel  Mickle. 

1 718  Thomas    Rakestraw   to    Mary   Wilkinson,   daughter    of 

Thomas. 

1 718  Samuel  Sharp  to  Martha  Hall. 

1 718  John  Gill  to  Mary  Heritage. 

1 719  John  Sharp  to  Jane  Fitchardall. 
1 7 19  Thomas  Eyere  to  Pricilla  Hugg. 
17x9  Joseph  Gibson  to  Elizabeth  Tindall. 


MARRIAGES.  395 


AT    HADDONFIELD    MEETING. 

1720  Timothy  Matlack  to  Mary  Haines. 

1720  Jedediah  Adams  to  Margarett  Christian. 

1720  Joshua  Raper  to  Sarah  Cooper,  daughter  of  Joseph. 

1720  Thomas  Adams  to  Hannah  Sharp. 

1722  Samuel    Nicholson    to    Sarah     Burrough,    daughter    of 
Samuel. 

1722  Thomas  Ellis  to  Catharine  Collins. 

1723  Samuel  Burrrough  to  Ann  Gray. 

1723  Joseph  Mickle  to  Elizabeth  Eastlack. 

1724  James  Wills  to  Sarah  Clement. 

1724  Thomas  Sharp  to  Elizabeth  Smith. 

1725  John  Hudson  to  Hannah  Wright. 
1725  Robert  Jones  to  Sarah  Siddon. 

1725  Isaac  Albertson  to  Rachel  Haines. 

1726  John  Burrough,  son  of  Samuel,  to  Phoebe  Haines,  daugh- 

ter of  John. 

1726  John  Wills,  son  of  Daniel,  to  Elizabeth  Kaighn. 

1727  Joseph  Kaighn  to  Mary  Estaugh,  daughter  of  James. 
1727  Ephraim  Tomlinson,  son  of  Joseph,  to  Sarah  Corbit. 

1727  James  Cattle  to  Mary  Engle,  widow  of  John. 

1728  John  Haines  to  Jane  Smith. 

1728  Isaac  Knight  to  Elizabeth  Wright. 

1729  Thomas  Wright  to  Mary  Thackara. 

1729  John  Turner  to  Jane  Engle. 

1730  Timothy  Matlack  to  Martha  Haines. 
1730  Samuel  Sharp  to  Mary  Tomlinson. 
1730  John  Kay  to  Sarah  Ellis. 

1730  Bartholemew  Wyat  to  Elizabeth  Tomlinson. 

1730  David  Price  to  Grace  Zane. 

1 731  Daniel  Morgan  to  Mary  Haines,  widow. 

1732  William  Mickle  to  Sarah  Wright. 

1733  Samuel  Abbott  to  Hannah  Foster. 
1733  Thomas  Egerton  to  Sarah  Stephens. 

1733  Richard  Bidgood  to  Hannah  Burrough,  widow. 

1734  Peter  White  to  Rebecca  Burr. 

1735  Nathan  Beaks  to  Elizabeth  Hooten. 


396  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1736  Edward  Borton  to  Margarett  Tomlinson. 

1736  Thomas  Bishop  to  Rachel  Matlack. 

1736  Nathan  Lippincott  to  Mary  Engle. 

1736  Walter  Faucett  to  Margarett  Killings. 

1736  David  Stratton  to  Mary  Elkinton. 

1737  Jacob  Taylor  to  Ann  Andrews. 
1737  Thomas  Redman  to  Mercy  Gill. 
1737  Jacob  Howell  to  Mary  Cooper. 

1737  Thomas  Thorne  to  Mary  Harrison. 

1738  Thomas  Egerton  to  Esther  Bates. 

1739  James  Whitall  to  Ann  Cooper. 
1739  Charles  French  to  Ann  Clement. 
1739  Robert  Stevens  to  Ann  Dent. 
1739  Isaac  Lippincott  to  Hannah  Engle. 

1739  Thomas  Rakestraw  to  Mary  Mason. 

1740  Jacob  Hinchman  to  Abigail  Harrison. 

1 741  Samuel  Stokes  to  Hannah  Hinchman. 
1 741  Thomas  Stokes  to  Abigail  Matlack. 

1 741  William  Albertson  to  Jane  Turner. 

1 741  Joshua  Stokes  to  Amy  Hinchman. 

1742  Isaac  Burrough  to  Deborah  Jennings. 
1742  John  Ashard  to  Mary  Middleton. 
1742  Thomas  Hooten  to  Mercy  Bates. 

1742  Samuel  Mickle  to  Latitia  Matlack. 

1743  Henry  Wood  to  Ruth  Dennis. 
1743  Daniel  Fortiner  to  Rebecca  Smith. 
1743  Joseph  Wilkins  to  Sarah  Hartshorn. 

1743  Daniel  Hillman  to  Abigail  Nicholson. 

1744  Abraham  Haines  to  Sarah  Ellis. 
1744  Samuel  Nicholson  to  Rebecca  Saint. 
1744  John  Warrington  to  Hannah  Ellis. 
1744  Job  Siddon  to  Achsa  Matlack. 
1746  James  Cooper  to  Deborah  Matlack. 
1746  John  Hillman  to  Hannah  Nicholson. 

1746  Samuel  Noble  to  Lydia  Cooper. 

1 747  William  Miller  to  Elizabeth  Woodward. 

1747  Jacol)  C'lement  to  Hannah  Albertson. 

1 748  Joseph  Snowdon  to  Rebecca  Howell. 


MARRIAGES.  397 

1748  Michael  Lents  to  Rachel  Richardson. 

1748  Samuel  Clement  to  Ruth  Evans. 

1748  Benjamin  Champion  to  Ann  Hewitt. 

1748  William  Matlack  to  Mary  Turner. 

1 748  Samuel  Collins  to  Rosanna  Stokes. 

1749  Samuel  Nicholson  to  Jane  Albertson,  widow. 
1749  James  West  to  Mary  Cooper. 

1749  Jacob  Stokes  to  Pricilla  Ellis. 

1749  John  Jaffereys  to  Mercy  Butcher. 

1749  Archibald  Mickle  to  Mary  Burrough. 

1750  Thomas  Hinchman  to  Latitia  Mickle,  widow. 
1750  Jacob  Ellis  to  Casandra  Albertson. 

1750  John  Branson  to  Sarah  Sloan. 

1750  John  Thorne  to  Mary  Gill,  widow. 

1750  John  Barton  to  Elizabeth  Champion. 

1750  Jonathan  Fisher  to  Hannah  Hutchison. 

1750  Simeon  Breach  to  Mary  Shores. 

1 75 1  Jacob  Burrough  to  Sarah  Thorne. 

1 75 1  Enoch  Burrough  to  Deborah  Middleton. 

1 75 1  John  Glover  to  Mary  Thorne. 

1 75 1  Joseph  Bispham  to  Elizabeth  Hinchman. 

1752  Samuel  Hugg  to  Elizabeth  Collins. 
1752  Thomas  Bates  to  Sarah  Pancoast. 
1752  Restore  Lippincott  to  Ann  Lord. 
1752  Charles  West  to  Hannah  Cooper. 

1752  James  Hinchman  to  Sarah  Bickam. 

1753  Joshua  Evans  to  Pricilla  Collins. 
1753  Nathan  Beaks  to  Lydia  Morgan. 
1753  Robert  Stevens  to  Mary  Kaighn. 

1753  Jacob  Burrough  to  Casandra  Ellis. 

1754  Samuel  Burrough  to  Hannah  Spence. 

1755  John  Hillman  to  Mary  Horner. 

1755  Isaac  Ballinger  to  Patience  Albertson. 

1756  William  Bates  to  Elizabeth  Hooten. 

1756  Isaac  Horner  to  Elizabeth  Kay. 

1757  Josiah  Burrough  to  Sarah  Morgan. 

1757  Caleb  Hughes  to  Abigail  Ellis. 

1758  Samuel  Clement  to  Bulah  Evans. 


398  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

1758  Daniel  Tomlinson  to  Mary  Bates. 

1758  John  Buzby  to  Sarah  Ellis. 

1758  Samuel  Tomlinson  to  Ann  Burrough. 

1758  Joseph  Morgan  to  Mary  Stokes. 

1759  Thomas  Thorne  to  Abigail  Burrough. 
1759  Samuel  Webster  to  Sarah  Albertson. 

1759  John  Branson  to  Sarah  Sloan. 

1760  John  Starr  to  Eunice  Lord. 
1760  John  Brick  to  Abigail  French. 

1760  Thomas  Champion  to  Deborah  Clark. 

1760  Chatfield  Brown  to  Hannah  Andrews. 

1760  Constantine  Lord  to  Sarah  Albertson. 

1 761  John  Sharp  to  Sarah  Andrews. 
1 761  Simeon  Zane  to  Sarah  Hooten. 

1 761  Elnathan  Zane  to  Bathsaba  Hartly. 

1 761  Jacob  Jennings  to  Mary  Smith. 

1 761  Richard  Gibbs  to  Mary  Burrough. 

1762  Jacob  Cozens  to  Esther  Zane. 

1762  John  Mickle  to  Elizabeth  E.  Hopkins. 

1762  James  Brown  to  Catharine  Andrews. 

1762  John  E.  Hopkins  to  Sarah  Mickle. 

1762  Stephen  Thackara  to  Elizabeth  Sloan. 

1762  David  Davis  to  Martha  Cole. 

1762  James  Gardiner  to  Mary  Tomlinson. 

1763  Job  Kimsey  to  Elizabeth  Eastlack. 

1764  James  Whitall  to  Rebecca  Matlack. 
1764  Caleb  Lippincott  to  Ann  Vinacomb. 
1764  James  Starr  to  Elizabeth  Lord. 

1764  James  Cooper  to  Mary  Mifflin,  widow. 

1764  Ebenezer  Hopkins  to  Ann  Albertson. 

1765  Jonathan  Knight  to  Elizabeth  Delap. 
1 765  William  Cooper  to  Abigail  Matlack. 

1765  Joseph  Burrough  to  Mary  Pine. 

1766  Griffith  Morgan  to  Rebecca  Clement. 

1 766  Constantine  Jeffreys  to  Patience  Butcher. 

1766  Isaac  Townsend  to  Katharine  Albertson. 

1767  John  Wilkins  to  Rachel  Wood. 

1767  Josiah  Albertson  to  Elinor  Tomlinson. 


MARRIAGES.  399 


1767  Caleb  Cresson  to  Sarah  Hopkins. 

1767  John  Redman  to  Sarah  Branson. 

1767  Aquilla  Jones  to  Elizabeth  Cooper. 

1767  Joshua  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Wood. 

1767  Robert  Cooper  to  Mary  Hooper. 

1767  Mark  Miller  to  Mary  Redman. 

1767  John  Gill  to  Abigail  Hillman. 

1768  Jacob  Haines  to  Bathsaba  Burrough. 

1768  Samuel  Brown  to  Rebecca  Branson. 

1769  Job  Whitall  to  Sarah  Gill. 

1770  Joshua  Cresson  to  Mary  Hopkins. 
1770  James  Sloan  to  Rachel  Clement. 

1770  Jonathan  Iredell  to  Elizabeth  Hillman. 
1 7  71  Joseph  Gibson  to  Sarah  Haines. 

1 77 1  Isaac  Buzby  to  Martha  Lippincott. 

1772  Joseph  Mickle  to  Hannah  Burrough. 
1772  Thomas  Wright  to  Mary  Branson. 
1772  Benjamin  C.  Cooper  to  Ann  Black. 

1772  Amos  Cooper  to  Sarah  Mickle. 

1773  Samuel  Allison  to  Martha  Cooper. 
1773  George  Ward  to  Ann  Branson. 

1773  John  Barton  to  Amy  Shivers. 

1774  Joseph  Reeve  to  Elizabeth  Morgan. 
1774  Benjamin  Catheral  to  Esther  Brown. 
1774  Joshua  Stretch  to  Lydia  Tomlinson. 
1774  William  Zane  to  Elizabeth  Hillman. 
1774  William  Kneas  to  Sarah  Pederick. 
1774  James  Stuart  to  Mary  Ballanger. 

1774  Enoch  Allen  to  Hannah  Collins. 

1775  Joab  Wills  to  Amy  Gill. 

1775  William  Edgarton  to  Tabitha  Herison. 

1775  John  Haines  to  Hipparchia  Hinchman. 

1775  Caleb  Lippincott  to  Zilpah  Shinn. 

1776  Nathaniel  Barton  to  Rachel  Stokes. 
1776  John  Clement  to  Hannah  Griscom. 

1776  Jonathan  Brown  to  Sarah  Ballinger. 

1777  Samuel  Tomlinson  to  Martha  Mason. 
1777  Joshua  Evans  to  Ann  Kay. 


400  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

:777  Job  Cowperthwaite  to  Ann  Vickers. 

;777  David  Branson  to  Elizabeth  Evans. 

778  Joseph  Burrough  to  Lydia  Stretch. 
1778  Marmaduke  Cooper  to  Mary  Jones. 
:778  William  "White  to  Ann  Paul. 

;779  Samuel  Stokes  to  Hope  Hunt. 

:779  Joshua  Paul  to  Mary  Lippincott. 

779  James  Hinchman  to  Sarah  Morgan. 
;779  Jededia  Allen  to  Ann  Wilkins. 

779  Benjamin  Test  to  Elizabeth  Thackara. 

779  Richard  Snowdon  to  Sarah  Brown. 

:78o  Benjamin  Hooten  to  Sarah  Snowdon. 

;78o  William  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Folwell. 

;78o  Samuel  Tomlinson  to  Mary  Bates. 

;78i  Peter  Thompson  to  Mary  Glover. 

:78i  John  Gill  to  Sarah  Pritchett. 

781  Robert  Zane  to  Elizabeth  Butler. 
:78i  Daniel  Hillman  to  Martha  Ellis. 
:78i  Isaac  Ballinger  to  Mary  Bassett. 
:78i  John  Webb  to  Amy  Wills. 

;78i  Edward  Gibbs  to  Hepsibah  Evans. 

[782  Joshua  Cooper  to  Abigail  Stokes. 

1782  John  Barton  to  Rebecca  Engevine. 

:782  John  Reeves  to  Beulah  Brown. 

782  David  Ware  to  Sarah  Shinn. 

:782  Restore  Lippincott  to  Deborah  Ervin. 

[782  Joshua  Harlan  to  Sarah  Hinchman. 

783  Zacheus  Test  to  Rebecca  Davis. 
[  783  Isaac  Stiles  to  Rachel  Glover. 
[783  Jacob  Jennings  to  Ann  Hopkins. 

783  Asher  Brown  to  Mary  Ward. 

784  James  Thackara  to  Jane  Guant. 
1784  Charles  Fogg  to  Ann  Bates. 

[784  William  Knight  to  Elizabeth  Webster. 

784  James  Hopkins  to  Rebecca  Clement. 

784  Darling  Haines  to  Mary  Lippincott. 

:784  James  Mickle  to  Hannah  Lord. 

1784  Jonathan  Morgan  to  Elizabeth  Fisher. 


MARRIA  GES.  401 


:785  Daniel  Roberts  to  Hannah  Stokes. 

785  Abraham  Warrington  to  Rachel  Evans. 

785  Peter  Thompson  to  Sarah  Stephenson. 

785  John  Stuart  to  Deborah  Griscom. 

1785  John  Evans  to  Elizabeth  Browning. 

8  Isaac  Jones  to  Sarah  Atkinson. 

8  Caleb  Atkinson  to  Sarah  Champion. 

8  Francis  Boggs  to  Ann  Haines. 

789  William  Rogers  to  Mary  Davis. 

789  Joseph  Davis  to  Mary  Haines. 

789  William  Saterthwaite  to  Mary  Prior. 
1789  Samuel  Glover  to  Hannah  Albertson. 
:789  John  Thorne  to  Mary  Duberee. 
:79o  Thomas  Knight  to  Hannah  Branson. 

790  Thomas  M.  Potter  to  Mary  Glover. 

790  James  Wood  to  Ruth  Clement. 

:  790  Josiah  Kay  to  Elizabeth  Horner. 

791  George  Abbott  to  Mary  Redman. 

791  Samuel  Abbott  to  Martia  Gill. 
:79i  Jeremiah  Wood  to  Mary  Horner. 

792  Joseph  Burrough  to  Martha  Davis. 
;792  John  Gill  to  Susanna  Branson. 
:793  Jesse  Lippincott  to  Mary  Ann  Kay. 

793  Joseph  Cooper  to  Sarah  P.  Buckley. 
793  Marmaduke  Burr  to  Ann  Hopkins. 
793  Jacob  Glover  to  Mary  Branson. 
793  Abraham  Silver  to  Sarah  Knight. 

;  793  Joshua  Roberts  to  Sarah  Cole. 

:794  Obediah  Engle  to  Patience  Cole. 

;  794  John  Albertson  to  Ann  Pine. 

:  795  Isaac  Ballanger  to  Esther  Stokes. 

:  795  Job  Bishop  to  Lardle  Jones. 

:795  Joseph  Kaighn  to  Sarah  Mickle. 

795  Jesse  Smith  to  Mary  Paul. 

795  William  E.  Hopkins  to  Ann  Morgan. 
:796  Joseph  Glover  to  Sarah  Mickle. 

796  Aaron  Pancoast  to  Ann  Cooper. 
796  Joseph  Bennett  to  Mary  Morgan. 

27 


402  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1796  Reuben  Braddock  to  Elizabeth  Stokes. 

1797  Jonathan  Knight  to  Elizabeth  Kaighn. 
1797  Peter  Hammit  to  Mary  Duel. 

1797  Joseph  C.  Swett  to  Ann  H.  Clement. 

1798  Richard  M.  Cooper  to  Mary  Cooper. 
1798  Joseph  Burr  to  Mary  Sloan. 

1 798  Abel  Ashard  to  Ann  Jennings. 

1799  Robert  Rowand  to  Elizabeth  Barton. 
1 799  William  Roberts  to  Ann  Brick. 

1 799  Isaac  Thorne  to  Rachel  Horner. 

1799  Samuel  Hooten  to  Sarah  Ballanger. 


CHESTER. 

Marriages  of  Friends  who  were  members  of  Chester  Meeting, 
(Moorestown),  Burlington  county,  N.  J. 

1692     William  Hollingshead,  son  of  John,  to  Elizabeth  Adams, 

daughter  of  John.^ 
1696     Edward  Buzby  to  Susanna  Adams,  daughter  of  John.' 

1696  Francis  Austin  to  Mary  Borton.^ 

1697  Joseph  Heritage  to  Hannah  Allen,  daughter  of  Juda.^ 
1699     Thomas  Eves,  son  of  Thomas,  to  Mary  Roberts,  daughter 

of  John.* 
1699     Samuel  Burrough  to  Hannah  Roberts,  daughter  of  John., 

1 701  Juda  Allen  to  Deborah  Adams,  daughter  of  John* 

1702  Hugh  Sharp  to  Rachel  Allen,  widow  of  Mathew.® 

1705  Enoch  Core  to  Sarah  Roberts,  daughter  of  John.* 

1706  John  Heritage,  son  of  Richard,  to  Sarah  Slocum^ 

AT   CHESTER  MEETING. 

1 71 2  John  Roberts  to  Mary  Elkinton. 
1 714  Henry  Allen  to  Abigail  Somers. 
1 714     John  Antrim  to  Amy  Andrews. 


1  At  John  Adams's  house.  5  At  Chester  Meeting. 

2  At  Thomas  Wilkins's  house.  6  At  Rachel  Allen's  house. 

3  At  Richard  Heritage's  house.  7  At  John  Heritage's  house. 

4  At  Sarah  Roberts's  house. 


MARRIA  GES.  403 

1 719  Abraham  Haines  to  Grace  Hollingshead. 

1 7 19  John  Hancock  to  Mary  Gurnell. 

1 719  Henry  Warrington  to  Elizabeth  Austin. 

1 72 1  Richard  Haines  to  Agnes  Hollingshead. 

1722  Joseph  Matlack  to  Rebecca  Haines. 
1724  Benjamin  Clark  to  Mary  Hooten. 
1724  John  French  to  Sarah  Wickawan. 
1724  John  Lewdell  to  Hannah  Ward. 

1724  Henry  Willard  to  Elizabeth  Ballanger. 

1725  Thomas  Bickam  to  Elizabeth  Hooper. 

1727  Derrick  Tyson  to  Ann  Hooten,  daughter  of  Thomas. 

1728  Henry  Warrington  to  Elizabeth  Bishop. 

1729  John  Swain  to  Mary  Buzby. 

1729  Richard  Heritage  to  Sarah  Tindall. 

1729  George  Ward  to  Margarett  Bennett. 

1730  Hasker  Newberry  to  Mary  Heritage. 

1730  William  Hooten  to  Ann  Sharp,  widow. 

1 731  John  Buzby  to  Hannah  Adams. 

1 731  Anthony  Sharp  to  Mary  Dimack. 

1 73 1  Thomas  Clark  to  Mariba  Parker. 

1734  Hugh  Hollingshead  to  Ann  Eves. 

1734  Samuel  Haines  to  Lydia  Stokes. 

1 734  John  Cowperthwaite  to  Rebecca  Stokes. 

1736  Thomas  Bishop  to  Rachel  Matlack. 

1737  Jonathan  Ellis  to  Mary  Hollingshead. 
1737  William  Sharp  to  Elizabeth  Risdon. 
1737  Andrew  Griscom  to  Susanna  Hancock. 
1737  Benjamin  Moore  to  Mercy  Newberry. 
1737  Edward  Hollingshead  to  Mary  Morgan. 
1737  John  Maxwell  to  Hannah  Matlack. 
1737  Nathan  Allen  to  Martha  Stokes. 

1737  Ebenezer  Brown  to  Elizabeth  Ives. 

1737  Rol)ert  French  to  Hannah  Cattel. 

1738  John  Tanner  to  Susanna  Alcott. 
1738  John  Higbee  to  Mary  Barton. 

1738  Amos  Wilkins  to  Susan . 

1739  Isaac  Warren  to  Pricilla  Matlack. 

1740  Samuel  Butcher  to  Mercy  Newberry. 


404  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 

1740  Abraham  Iredale  to  Sarah  Coffin. 

1740  Daniel  Packer  to  Ruth  Warrington. 
I  740  Michael  Mills  to  Sarah  Moore. 

1 741  Habakuk  Ward  to  Hannah  Lord. 
1 741  William  Barton  to  Abigail  Lord. 

1 741  Joshua  Roberts  to  Rebecca  Stokes. 

1742  John  Roberts  to  Esther  Lippincott. 

1742  Thomas  Hooten  to  Mercy  Bates. 

1743  Benjamin  Heritage  to  Kesiah  Matlack. 

1743  George  Matlack  to  Rebecca  Hackney. 

1744  James  Delzel  to  Elizabeth  Hancock. 
1744  Edward  Barton  to  Elizabeth  Middleton. 

1744  John  Rowand  to  Sarah  Matlack. 

1745  Richard  Matlack  to  Mary  Cole. 

1745  Hudson  Middleton  to  Christian  Hopwell. 

1 746  William  Allen  to  Judith  Stokes. 
1746  John  Brown  to  Sarah  Cooper. 

1746  Joseph  Stokes  to  Ann  Haines,  widow. 

1746  Richard  Ward  to  Hannah  Warrington. 

1746  George  Ward  to  Martha  Bates. 

1 747  Thomas  Warrington  to  Mary  Roberts. 

1748  Ebenezer  Andrews  to  Mary  Warrington. 

1749  Robert  Hunt  to  Martha  Ward,  widow. 

1749  Ezekiel  Lindsey  to  Rachel  Shores. 

1750  William  Middleton  to  Ann  Barton. 
1750  Thomas  Eyres  to  Sarah  Mills. 
1750  Nathaniel  Brown  to  Mary  Bircham. 
1750  Benjamin  Matlack  to  Susanna  Hewitt. 
1750  Thomas  West  to  Deborah  Wills. 
1750  Daniel  Bassett  to  Mary  Lippincott. 
1750  John  Risdon  to  Sarah  Turner. 

1750  Isaac  Mason  to  Sarah  Price. 

1750  William  Cushin  to  Phoebe  Young. 

1750  Joseph  Browning  to  Kesiah  Stokes. 

1 75 1  Thomas  Evans  to  Hannah  Roberts. 
1754  William  Rogers  to  Sarah  Warrington. 
1754  William  Snowden  to  Margarett  Ballanger. 
1754  Joseph  Buzby  to  Hannah  Warrington. 


MARRIAGES.  405 

1754  Samuel  Andrews  to  Phoebe  Cowperthwaite. 

1754  William  Wilkins  to  Elizabeth  Swain. 

1754  Amos  Haines  to  Mary  Conrow. 

1755  John  Hankinson  to  Elizabeth  Bispham,  widow. 
1755  William  Cathcart  to  Mary  Orin. 

1755  Joseph  Hackney  to  Agnes  Haines. 

1756  John  Lippincott  to  Ann  Matlack. 
1756  John  Newbold  to  Mary  Cole. 

1756  Caleb  Evans  to  Abigail  Hunt. 

1757  David  Saterthwaite  to  Mary  Wright. 
1757  Robert  Stiles  to  Mary  Ellis,  widow. 
1757  Hudson  Middleton  to  Sarah  Haines. 
1757  Joseph  Stokes  to  Atlantic  Bispham. 

1757  Jacob  Wilkins  to  Ann  French. 

1758  Isaac  Haines  to  Deborah  Roberts. 
1758  Aaron  Wills  to  Rachel  Warrington. 

1758  Ephraim  Haines  to  Sarah  Cheesman. 

1759  George  Turner  to  Hannah  Thorne. 
1759  John  Moore  to  Hannah  Eyre. 
1759  John  Mason  to  Mary  Moore. 

1759  Lewis  Darnell  to  Grace  Thomas. 


EVESHAM. 

Marriages  of  Friends  who  were  members  of  Evesham  Meet-, 
ing,  Burlington  county,  N.  J. 

1703  Henry  Newberry  to  Sarah  Boyes,  daughter  of  Richard. 

1703  Henry  Clifton,  of  Philadelphia,  to  Jane  Engle,  widow. 

1705  William  Newberry  to  Mary  Hasker,  daughter  of  William. 

1707  John  Engle  to  Mary  Ogborn. 

1 713  Mark  Stratton  to  Ann  Hancock,  daughter  of  Timothy. 

1 713  Emanuel    Stratton    to    Hannah    Hancock,    daughter    of 

Timothy. 

1 715  Thomas  Evans  to  Esther  Haines. 

1 71 7  William  Hudson  to  Jane  Evans,  daughter  of  William. 

1 72 1  Richard  Matlack  to  Rebecca  Haines. 


4o6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1 721  Luke  Gibson  to  Sarah  Clark. 

1 72 1  Jacob  Coffin  to  Hannah  Wilkins. 

1 72 1  Carlisle  Haines  to  Sarah  Matlack. 

1 721  Zachariah  Pritchett  to  Mary  Troth. 

1722  John  Darnell  to  Hannah  Borton. 

1723  John  Ratherwell  to  Mary  Ballanger. 
1723  Jonathan  Ladd  to  Ann  Wills. 

1723  John  Pirn  to  Lydia  Briggs. 

1724  William  Garwood  to  Jane  Troth. 

1725  Nathan  Haines  to  Sarah  Austin. 

1725  Amaziah  Ballanger  to  Elizabeth  Garwood. 

1726  Nathan  Crosby  to  Elizabeth  Garwood. 

1727  Josiah  Albertson  to  Ann  Austin. 

1727  Thomas  Wilkins  to  Mary  Core. 

1728  Richard  Clark  to  Elizabeth  Flanagan. 

1728  Edward  Richardson  to  Mary  Richardson. 

1729  William  Foster  to  Hannah  Core. 
1729  Thomas  Pederick  to  Rebecca  Bickam. 
1 731  William  Borton  to  Deborah  Hedge. 

1 731  Thomas  Jennings  to  Ann  Borton. 

1 731  John  Cripps  to  Mary  Eves. 

1 731  Samuel  Cole  to  Mary  Lippincott. 

1 731  Amos  Haines  to  Rebecca  Troth. 

1732  Philip  Pederick  to  Hannah  Bickam. 
1732  Thomas  French  to  Mary  Cattel. 

1732  John  Wills  to  Abigail  Lippincott. 

1733  Joseph  Hopwell  to  Sarah  Briggs. 
1733  Thomas  Garwood  to  Mary  Ballanger. 
1 733  Francis  Dudley  to  Rachel  Wilkins. 

1733  David  Davis  to  Mary  Musgrove. 

1734  Brazilla  Newbold  to  Sarah  Core. 
1734  Josiah  White  to  Rebecca  Foster. 
1734  Samuel  Hopper  to  Mary  Johnson. 
1734  John  Haines  to  Ann  Ashard. 

1737  Daniel  Garwood  to  Susanna  Collins. 

1737  Isaac  Decou  to  Mary  Cripps. 

1738  William  Evans  to  Sarah  Roberts. 

1739  William  Earl  to  Mary  Sharp. 


MARRIAGES.  407 

1739  Thomas  Budd  to  Rebecca  Atkinson. 

1739  Freedom  Lippincott  to  Hannah  Rakestraw. 

1740  Joseph  White  to  Martha  Lippincott. 
1740  Joseph  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Evans. 
1740  John  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Elkinton. 
1740  Jonathan  Haines  to  Hannah  Sharp. 
1740  Thomas  Middleton  to  Esther  Barton. 
1740  David  Elwell  to  Mary  Haines. 

1740  Timothy  Middleton  to  Elizabeth  Barton. 

1 741  Joshua  Ballanger  to  Martha  Stratton. 
1 741  Sylvester  Sharp  to  Mary  Mills. 

1 741  William  Austin  to  Mary  Robeson. 

1 741  Samuel  Wickward  to  Sarah  Buzby. 

1742  Jonathan  Davis  to  Esther  Haines. 

1742  Ebenezer  Andrews  to  Patience  Lippincott. 

1743  Freedom  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Ballanger. 
1743  Eber  Decou  to  Sarah  Eves. 

1743  Gabriel  Davis  to  Sarah  Ballanger. 

1743  William  Pinyard  to  Mary  Young. 

1 743  Robert  Stiles  to  Hannah  Burrough. 

1744  Solomon  Lippincott  to  Sarah  Cozens. 

1744  Amaziah  Ballanger  to  Ruth  Collins. 

1745  John  Green  to  Catharine  Hustead. 
1745  Isaac  Evans  to  Bathsaba  Stokes. 

1745  Thomas  Lippincott  to  Rebecca  Eldridge. 

1745  Jacob  Shinn  to  Hannah  Lippincott. 

1746  Aaron  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Jennings. 
1746  Samuel  Atkinson  to  Esther  Evans. 
1746  John  Garwood  to  Charity  Wright. 
1746  Enoch  Stratton  to  Amy  Elkinton. 

1746  Francis  Collins  to  Ann  Haines,  widow. 

1747  Samuel  Hammock  to  Esther  Sharp. 
1747  Joseph  Butcher  to  Prudence  Rogers. 
1747  John  Fisher  to  Grace  Mason. 

1747  Jonathan  Austin  to  Rebecca  Mason. 

1748  William  Haines  to  Elizabeth  Ballanger. 

1749  Jacob  Evans  to  Rachel  Eldridge. 
1749  Job  Haines  to  Esther  Hammitt. 


4o8  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1749  William  Austin  to  Hannah  Thomas. 

1 749  John  Pinyard  to  Martha  Wilkins. 

1749  Aaron  Silver  to  Ann  Hall. 

1749  Obediah  Borton  to  Mary  Driver. 

1751  Amaziah  Ballanger  to  Mary  Ashbrook. 

1 75 1  James  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Lippincott. 

1752  Thomas  Eyre  to  Catharine  Moore. 
1752  John  Eves  to  Jane  Evans. 

1752  Abner  Woolman  to  Mary  Aronson. 

1752  Joseph  Lowe  to  Rebecca  Waite. 

1752  Joseph  Wilcox  to  Sarah  Iredell. 

1752  Thomas  Andrews  to  Catharine  Webster. 

1752  Caleb  Lippincott  to  Hannah  Wilkinson. 

1752  Julius  Ersan  to  Sarah  Middleton. 

1752  Richard  Saterthwaite  to  Elizabeth  Wright. 

1752  William  Sharp  to  Mary  Haines. 

1753  John  Ballanger  to  Mary  Andrews,  widow. 
1753  Henry  Burr  to  Elizabeth  Foster. 

1753  Aaron  Lippincott  to  Elizabeth  Tomlinson. 

1753  Thomas  Middleton  to  Jane  Nicholson,  widow. 

1753  Joseph  Johnson  to  Mary  Ellis. 

1753  Thomas  Cummings  to  Mary  Craig. 

1754  Edward  Darnell  to  Jane  Driver. 
1754  Joseph  Sleeper  to  Hannah  Haines. 

1756  Edward  Andrews  to  Tabitha  Richardson. 

1756  Ezekiel  Lippincott  to  Bathsaba  Matlack. 

1756  Jacob  Evans  to  Mary  Cherrington. 

1756  Joshua  Lippincott  to  Rachel  Dudley. 

1756  Benjamin  Gaskill  to  Sarah  Heustead. 

1756  William  Montgomery  to  Mary  Ellis. 

1757  Joshua  Gibbs  to  Hannah  Burrough. 
1757  William  Troth  to  Esther  Borton. 

1757  Abraham  Eldridge  to  Mary  Lippincott. 

1758  John  Brackney  to  Mary  Cheesman. 
1758  John  Peacock  to  Susanna  Ballanger. 
1758  Jacob  Pritchett  to  Elizabeth  Philips. 
1758  Caleb  Austin  to  Lydia  Mason. 
1758  Abel  Lippincott  to  Jemima  Evans. 


MARRIAGES.  409 


1758  William  Sharp  to  Elizabeth  Lippincott. 

1758  John  Haines  to  Mary  Shreeve. 

1758  John  Miller  to  Sarah  Andrews. 

1758  Isaac  Halloway  to  Mary  Haines. 

1759  Brazilla  Pritchett  to  Sarah  Sharp. 
1759  Samuel  Sharp  to  Rosanna  Pritchett. 
1759  Clayton  Newbold  to  Mary  Foster. 

1759  John  Painter  to  Susanna  Stratton. 

1760  Joseph  Engle  to  Mary  Borton. 

1760  Thomas  Rogers  to  Elizabeth  Craig,  Jr. 

1 761  Isaac  Borton  to  Mary  Hooten. 

1764  Thomas  Stokes  to  Sarah  Inskeep. 

1765  William  Wills  to  Ann  Craig. 

1766  John  Jessup  to  Elizabeth  Ballanger. 
1766  Joseph  Gibson  to  Mary  Ballanger. 
1769  Jesse  Thomas  to  Sarah  Beckett. 


WOODBURY. 

Marriages  of  Friends  who  were  members  of  Woodbury  Creek 
Meeting,  Gloucester  county,  N.  J. 

1689     Joshua  Lord  to  Sarah  Wood,  daughter  of  John. 

1 709  Joshua  Lord  to  Isabella  Watts. 

1 7 10  James  Dilks  to  Ann  Barker. 

1 7 10  John  Wood  to  Mary  Whitall. 

1 7 1 3  Samuel  Ladd  to  Mary  Medcalf. 

1 7 1 4  Thomas  Hackney  to  Rebecca  Wilkins. 

1 715  Henry  Wood  to  Hannah  Whitall. 

1716  Job  Whitall  to  Jane  Siddon. 

1 71 7  Abraham  Chatten  to  Grace  Mills. 

1 71 7  William  Wickawan  to  Sarah  Mason. 

1 71 7  George  Nicholson  to  Alice  Lord. 

1 7 18  James  Whitall  to  Sarah  Rakestraw. 
1 718  John  Hill  to  Sarah  Whitall. 

1 721     John  Lord  to  Mary  Tindall. 
1 72 1     Luke  Gibson  to  Sarah  Clark. 

28 


41  o  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1722  John  Haines  to  Hannah  Wood,  widow. 

1722  James  Caffery  to  Margarett  Zane. 

1725  Richard  Bickam  to  Mary  Wood. 

1725  James  Smith  to  Jane  Whitall,  widow. 

1727  William  Clark  to  Phillis  Ward. 

1728  Moses  Ward  to  Mary  Clark. 
1730  John  Borton  to  Elizabeth  Lord. 
1730  Thomas  Wilkins  to  Joanna  Wood. 

1730  Joseph  Parker  to  Mary  Ladd. 

1 73 1  John  Saunders  to  Elizabeth  Wilkins. 

1732  John  Ladd  to  Hannah  Mickle. 

1733  Francis  Eastlack  to  Phcebe  Driver. 
1733  Richard  Chew  to  Abigail  Wood. 
1733  John  Wilkins  to  Sarah  Wood. 
1733  Obediah  Gibson  to  Mary  Lord. 

1 733  Thomas  Saunders  to  Ann  Hopper. 

1734  William  Wood  to  Hannah  Wood. 
1734  John  Howell  to  Catharine  Ladd. 
1734  Abraham  Moss  to  Ann  Ladd. 
1734  Edmund  Lord  to  Elizabeth  Wood. 
1737  Ebenezer  Hopkins  to  Sarah  Lord. 
1737  John  Jessup  to  Margarett  Whitaker. 
1737  James  Wood  to  Sarah  Kinsey. 

1 739  James  Whitall  to  Ann  Cooper. 

1 739  William  Wood  to  Rachel  Stockdale. 

1740  Thomas  Kinsey  to  Hannah  Ward. 

1 740  Habakuk  Ward  to  Hannah  Lord, 

1 741  William  Barton  to  Abigail  Lord. 

1742  Robert  Downs  to  Catharine  Ladd. 

1743  John  Mitchner  to  Sarah  Wilkins. 
1743  Robert  Zane  to  Martha  Chatten. 

1745  Abraham  Chatten  to  Mary  Wood. 

1746  Joseph  Gibson  to  Sarah  Lord. 

1 747  Jacob  Wills  to  Deborah  Ladd. 

1748  John  Heustead  to  Sarah  Lord. 
1748  Joseph  Cowgill  to  Ann  Arnold. 
1 75 1  Isaac  Wilkins  to  Elizabeth  Bliss. 
1751  Ebenezer  Cook  to  Elizabeth  Zane. 


MARRIAGES.  411 


1752  Thomas  Robeson  to  Sarah  Chatten. 

1752  Francis  Wood  to  Rachel  Zane. 

1752  John  Lawton  to  Elizabeth  Stevens. 

1753  James  Wood  to  Sarah  Bickam. 
1753  Nathan  Lord  to  Ruth  Snowdon. 
1758  James  Wood  to  Rebecca  Wilkins. 
1760  James  Wilkins  to  Mary  Ward. 
1760  Samuel  Mifflin  to  Mary  Jessup. 
1762  John  Tatem  to  Sarah  Ward. 
1768  Jeremiah  Andrews  to  Ann  Wood. 
1768  Thomas  Saunders  to  Rachel  Stevens. 

1 771  Phineas  Lord  to  Mary  Gibbs. 

1772  William  Mickle  to  Sarah  Lord. 
1777  William  Wood  to  Hannah  Ladd. 
1780  John  Tatem  to  Elizabeth  Cooper. 
1780  Richard  Wood  to  Ann  Cooper. 
1782  George  Ward  to  Edith  Wood. 
1794  George  Ward  to  Deborah  Saunders. 
1794  Benjamin  Hopkins  to  Rebecca  Ward. 


LICENSES   OF   MARRIAGE. 

A  copy  of  the  licenses  of  marriage  granted  by  the  Governor 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  as  taken  from  the  license  books  and 
from  the  files  relating  thereto,  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  of  Burlington  and  Gloucester  counties. 

1727. 

Benjamin  Wood,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Mary  Ashton,  of 
Philadelphia. 

Thomas  Thorne,  of  New  York,  to  Laticia  Hinchman,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Robert  Bishop  to  Mary  Hall,  of  Burlington  county. 

Thomas  Briant  to  Sarah  Dunn,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Richard  Buckle  to  Sarah  Johnson,  "  " 

Thomas  Cheesman  to  Sarah  Coleman,         "  " 

William  Ward  to  Mary  Ann  Warder,  "  " 

Jonathan  Wood  to  Doratha  Dogsflesh. 


452  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1728. 

William  Budd,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Susanna  Cole,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 
Joseph  Inskeep  to  Mary  Matlack,  of  Burlington  county. 
Richard  Glover  to  Rachel  Clark,  "  " 

Jonathan  Bolton  to  Mary  Champion,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Gabriel  Hugg  to  Patience  Ervin,  "  " 

Amos  Ashard  to  Cecelia  Cheesman,  "  " 

George  Gilbert  to  Hannah  Fish,  "  " 

Benjamin  Ingersoll  to  Hannah  Dole,  "  " 

1729. 

Benjamin  Cooper,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Hannah  Carlisle,  of 

Philadelphia. 
Edward  Hurley  to  Frances  Warrick,  of  Burlington  county. 
Thomas  Briant  to  Martha  Middleton,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Isaac  Tindall  to  Ann  Harland,  "  " 

Josiah  Shivers  to  Ann  Bates,  ''  " 

Henry  Roe  to  Hannah  Cheesman,  **  " 

1730. 

Samuel  Harrison,  of  Gloucester  county,  to   Mary  Preston,  of 

Philadelphia. 
Benjamin  Cheesman  to  Kesiah  Lawrence,  of  Gloucester  county. 
John  Testor  to  Hannah  Briggs,  "  " 

Joseph  Heritage  to  Sarah  Whitall,  "  " 

William  Holmes  to  Rebecca  Jones,  "  " 

1731- 

Jacob  Albertson  to  Patience  Chew,  "  " 

Joseph  Thackara  to  Hannah  Albertson,  "  " 

Ebenezer  Jones  to  Mary  Hampton,  "  " 

Joseph  Cole  to  Mary  Wood,  "  " 

1732. 

Edward  Gaskill  to  Elizabeth  Lippincott,  of  Burlington  county. 
Aaron  Ward  to  Phoebe  Holmes,  of  Gloucester  county. 
John  Ashbrook  to  Esther  Hamilton,  "  " 


MARRIAGES. 


413 


John  Holmes  to  Esther  Fawsett,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Thomas  Cole  to  Hannah  Stokes, 

John  Kaighn  to  Abigail  Hinchman, 

Remembrance  Lippincott  to  Hannah  Bates, 

James  Mickle  to  Sarah  Eastlack, 

Thomas  Bates  to  Mary  Shivers, 

Tobias  Holloway  to  Mary  Ladd,  widow, 

1733- 

Edward  Tonkins,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Mary  Cole,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Samuel  Parr,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Hannah  Burrough,  of 
Gloucester  county. 

Robert  Hunt,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Abigail  Wood,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Jacob  Matlack  to  Ruth  Woodathall,  of  Burlington  county. 

Isaac  Matlack  to  Rebecca  Bates,  of  Gloucester 

Isaiah  Ross  to  Ruth  Tindall, 

John  Preston  to  Margarett  Macintosh, 

John  Kentee  to  Hannah  Sharp, 

Samuel  Eastlack  to  Ann  Breach, 

William  Kent  to  Sarah  Powell, 

John  Wright  to  Ruth  Mapes, 

John  Maher  to  Edith  Jones, 

1734- 

Benjamin  Cooper  to  Elizabeth  Burdsall,  widow,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Abraham  Siddon  to  Mary  Cooper,  widow,  of  Gloucester  county. 

1735- 

George  Vaughn,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Hannah  Smith,  of 

Burlington  county. 

Abraham  Sharp  to  Mary  French,  widow,  of  Burlington  county. 
William  Sharp  to  Ann  Austin,  ''  '< 

Henry  Cooper  to  Elizabeth  Curtis,  "  *' 

Thomas  Budd  to  Jemima  Leeds,  **  " 


414 


FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTIERS. 


Benjamin  Collins  to  Ann  Hedger,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Thomas  Potter  to  Rachel  Wainwright, 

John  Eastlack  to  Margarett  Hillman, 

George  Ellis  to  Sarah  Wild, 

William  Heppard  to  Deborah  Hinchman, 

Andrew  Morton  to  Emily  Somers, 

William  Guess  to  Christiana  Archard, 

Elias  Champion  to  Mary  Steelman, 

Benjamin  Holmes  to  Hannah  Roberts, 

John  Kain  to  Mary  Worriman, 

Charles  Axford  to  Rebecca  Beeks. 

Reuben  Eldridge  to  Susanna  Perkins. 

Samuel  Reeves  to  Mary  Hill. 

1736. 

Charles  Taylor,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Rachel  Horner,  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Jeremiah  Wood,  of  Long  Island,  to  Catharine  Lloyd,  of  Salem 
county. 

Blackinstone  Ingledon,  of  Philadelphia,  to  Mary  Mickle,  widow, 
of  Gloucester  county. 

John  Chambers,  of  Philadelphia,  to  Mary  Mickle,  of  Gloucester 
county. 

Nathan  Middleton  to  Mary  French,  of  Burlington  county. 

Amos  Austin  to  Esther  Haines,  " 

John  Goslin  to  Sarah  Budd,  " 

Hugh  Caldwell  to  Jane  Cox,  of  Gloucester 

John  Shivers  to  Mary  Clement,  " 

Samuel  Morton  to  Lydia  Cox,  " 

Henry  Willard  to  Ann  Wetherill,  " 

George  Flanagan  to  Sarah  Jennings,  " 

John  Matlack  to  Hannah  Shivers,  " 

Jeremiah  Birch  to  Mary  Jones,  " 

Samuel  Butcher  to  Susanna  Marple,  of  Philadelphia. 

Charles  Hopkins  to  Ann  Green,  of  Salem 

John  Hampton  to  Ann  Deval,  " 

Abraham  Lord  to  Arnica  Mullica,  ** 


MARRIAGES,  415 

1737- 

John  Collins,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Elizabeth  Moore,  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  of  Burlington  county. 

William  Hugg  to  Sarah  Harrison,  daughter  of  Samuel,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

William  Kaighn  to  Abigail  Cooper,  daughter  of  Mary  Siddons, 
of  Gloucester  county. 

Samuel  Few  to  Susanna  Collins,  daughter  of  Edward,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Abraham  Albertson  to  Hannah  Medcalf,  widow,  of  Gloucester 
county. 

John  Bishop  to  Rebecca  Matlack,  of  Burlington  county. 

Roger  Hartley  to  Rebecca  Packer,  " 

John  Hooten  to  Sarah  Kay,  " 

Thomas  Clement  to  Mary  Tylee,  of  Gloucester 

Archibald  Jolly  to  Deborah  Cheesman,         " 

Joseph  Albertson  to  Rosanna  Hampton,       " 

John  Eastlack  to  Mary  Bolton,  " 

John  Green  to  Elizabeth  Browning,  " 

John  Norton  to  Hannah  Eastlack,  " 

Ephraim  Norton  to  Sarah  Mickle,  '' 

1738. 

Isaac  Kay  to  Mary  Ann  Gregory,  daughter  of  Joseph,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Benjamin  Donnoly  to  Susanna  Collins,  daughter  of  Elizabeth 
Kent,  of  Burlington  county. 

Henry  Siddons  to  Elizabeth  Sharp,  daughter  of  Samuel,  of 
Gloucester  county. 

Henry  Jones  to  Naomi  Cheesman,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Jonathan  Thomas  to  Sarah  Ellis,  widow,       "  " 

Daniel  Barber  to  Margarett  Hanxpton,  "  " 

Robert  Turner  to  Abigail  Burne,  "  " 

David  Roe  to  Elizabeth  Taber,  "  " 

John  Wiltshire  to  Elizabeth  Williams. 

John  Johnson  to  Mary  Redman. 


41 6  FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 

1739- 

John  Chew  to  Ann  Jennings,  daughter  of  Isaac,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Isaac  Smith  to  Elizabeth  Norris,  of  Gloucester  county. 

1740. 

Abraham  Inskeep  to  Sarah  Ward,  daughter  of  George,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 
Jones  Cattel  to  Mary  Pratt,  of  Burlington  county. 
Philo  Leeds  to  Sarah  Shinn,  "  " 

William  Wallace  to  Dorathy  Connolly,  of  Gloucester  county. 
James  Ward  to  Mary  Hackney, 
Daniel  Eastlack  to  Mary  Cheesman, 
Nathaniel  Paul  to  Deborah  Vaneman, 
Clement  Russel  to  Sarah  Purdy, 
Peter  Champion  to  Hannah  Thackara, 
John  Wild  to  Sarah  Chew, 
Thomas  Spicer  to  Rebecca  Day, 
Jacob  Horner  to  Zabatha  Wright, 

1741. 

Gabriel  Newbie,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Elizabeth  McCop- 
pering,  of  Cumberland  county. 

John  Heritage,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Ann  Hugg,  daughter 
of  Joseph,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Edward  Fennett,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Margarett  Smith, 
widow,  of  Burlington  county. 

William  Bates,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Rebecca  Tomlinson,  of 
Burlington  county. 

John  Githens  to  Rebecca  Frame,  daughter  of  Joshua,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Jacob  Clement  to  Elizabeth  Tylee,  daughter  of  Ann  Ellison 
late  Tylee. 

James  Shivers  to  Rebecca  Doster,  of  Burlington  county. 

Michael  Bowker  to  Mary  Collins,  "  " 

Thomas  Kingston  to  Sarah  Cripps,  "  " 

Edward  Hampton  to  Sarah  Breach,  of  Gloucester       " 

John  Eastlack  to  Patience  Hugg,  widow,      "  *' 


MARRIAGES.  417 

Joseph  Cooper  to  Deborah  Taylor,  of  Monmouth  county. 
Thomas  Simpson  to  Abigail  Burleigh,  of  Pennsylvania. 
Ephraim  Albertson  to  Kesiah  Chew,  daughter  of  Thomas. 
Joseph  Heulings  to  Hannah  Wood,  daughter  of  Benjamin. 

1742. 

Casper  Fish,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Sarah  Collins,  daughter 
of  Edward,  of  Philadelphia. 

Owen  Carty,  of  Gloueester  county,  to  Esther  Watson,  of  Bur- 
lington county. 

Abraham  Albertson  to  Sarah  Dennis,  daughter  of  Esther  Cowgill. 

1743- 

John  Franklin  to  Mary  Graysbury,  daughter  of  James,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

Francis  Kay  to  Jemima  French,  daughter  of  Charles,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 

William  Kay  to  Barbara  Smith,  of  Burlington  county. 

Samuel  Spicer  to  Abigail  Willard,  of  Gloucester  county. 

1744. 

John  Cox,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Abigail  Ellis,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Hugh  Middleton  to  Mary  Fairly,  of  Burlington  county. 
Laban  Langstafif  to  Ann  Hewitt,  of  Gloucester       " 
Joseph  Morgan  to  Sarah  Mickle,  ''  " 

1745- 
Tames  Wood,  of  Philadelphia,  to  Rachel  Cooper,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
John  Hammit  to  Sarah  Hilliard,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Jeremiah  Chew  to  Hannah  Ashbrook,  '*  " 

1746. 

Daniel  Bates,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Sarah  Higbee,  of  Bur- 
lington county. 
Joseph  Heritage  to  Ruth  Haines,  of  Burlington  county. 
Abraham  Hess  to  Elizabeth  Hammit,  *'  '* 

29 


4i8 


FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 


Vespasian  Kemble  to  Rachel  Haines,  of  Burlington  county. 

Thomas  Bates  to  Mary  Clemenz,  of  Gloucester 

John  Erwin  to  Mary  Bellows, 

Richard  Cheesman  to  Hannah  Cheesman, 

Peter  Cheesman  to  Ann  Ellis, 

Edward  Castle  to  Ann  Norton, 

Thomas  Clark  to  Ruth  Hooten, 

Isaac  Mickle  to  Sarah  Burrough, 

Samuel  Champion  to  Sarah  Dilks, 

1747- 
John  Bates,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Sarah  Collins,  of  Glou- 
cester county. 
Jonathan  Wright  to  Mary  Inskeep,  of  Burlington  county. 
James  Inskeep  to  Mary  Patterson,  " 

James  Gill  to  Hannah  Hinchman,  of  Gloucester 
Abraham  Hammit  to  Mary  Hilliard,  " 

William  Albertson  to  Hannah  Harrison,       " 
John  Hinchman  to  Elizabeth  Smith,  widow,  " 

1748. 

Charles  Collins  to  Ruth  Starkey,  of  Burlington  county. 

Joseph  Nicholson  to  Rachel  Livzey,  of  Gloucester  " 

Daniel  Fortiner  to  Bathsaba  French,  "  *' 

Edward  Hollingshead  to  Susanna  Shivers,    "  " 

Samuel  Packer  to  Elizabeth  Hawkes,  "  " 

John  Holmes  to  Esther  Carty,  "  ** 

Joel  Hillman  to  Laticia  Cheesman,  "  " 

Isaac  Kay  to  Hope  French,  "  " 

1749. 
William  Southerly  Cooper  to  Mary  Cheesman,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Joseph  Harrison  to  Ann  Clement,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Charles  Hubbs  to  Mary  Eastlack,  "  " 


1750- 
William  Dwyer  to  Sarah  Ellis, 
Josiah  Ward  to  Kesiah  Albertson, 


MARRIAGES.  419 

1751-      ' 
John   Eastlack,  of  Gloucester  county,   to  Elizabeth  Read,  of 

Salem  county. 
Richard  Lippincott  to  Hannah  Clemenz,  of  Burlington  county. 
John  Stokes  to  Ann  Champion,  widow,  of  Gloucester       '' 
Edward  Browning  to  Grace  Oldale,  *'  *' 

1752- 
Jacob  Spicer  to  Deborah  Leaming,  widow,  of  Cape  May  county. 

1753- 
Isaac  Hinchman  to  Laticia  Woolstan,  of  Gloucester  county. 

1754- 

Thomas  Bispham,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Sarah  Hinchman, 

of  Gloucester  county. 
John  Mullen  to  Hannah  Collins,  of  Burlington  county. 

James  Brown  to  Alice  Wood,  of  Gloucester  " 

Henry  Crawford  to  Elizabeth  McCuUock,    "  " 

James  Hillman  to  Mary  Smallwood,  "  " 

1756. 

Levi  Albertson,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Kesiah  Roberts,  of 

Burlington  county. 
Joseph  Inskeep,  of  Salem  county,   to   Hannah  McCullock,  of 

Gloucester  county. 
Joseph  Heulings  to  Elizabeth  Hammit,  of  Burlington  county. 
Aaron  Albertson  to  Elizabeth  Albertson,  of  Gloucester       "" 
Elijah  Clark  to  Jane  Lardener,  "  " 

William  Ellis,  Jr.,  to  Amy  Matlack,  ''  "■ 

Jonathan  Knight  to  Elizabeth  Clement,  "  " 

1757- 
Abraham  Heulings  to  Sarah  Perkins,  of  Burlington  county. 
Thomas  Rakestraw  to  Elizabeth  Zane,  ''  " 

James  Mulock,  M.  D.,  to  Pricilla  Collins,  of  Gloucester  county. 
David  Hurley  to  Sarah  Branson,  of  Monmouth  county. 


420 


FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 


1758. 
John  Buzby,  of  Burlington  county,  to  Sarah  Ellis,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
John  Budd,  of  Salem  county,  to  Rosanna  Shivers,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Abraham  Heulings  to  Mary  Ann  Kay,  widow,  of  Burlington 

county. 
John  Inskeep  to  Elizabeth  Buckman,  of  Burlington  county. 
Joseph  Hillman  to  Sarah  Shivers,  of  Gloucester       " 
William  Rudderow  to  Abigail  Spicer,  "  " 


1759- 
Benjamin  Cooper,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Elizabeth  Hopwell, 

of  Burlington  county. 
Thomas  Ellis,  Jr.,  to  Hannah  Albertson,  widow,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Richard  Collins  to  Sarah  Griffith,  of  Burlington  county. 
Samuel  Gaskill  to  Sybilla  Collins,  " 

Titan  Leeds  to  Hope  French,  " 

Charles  Day  to  Laticia  Albertson,  of  Gloucester 
Hugh  Creighton  to  Mary  French,  widow,     '' 
William  Harrison  to  Abigail  Thorne,  " 

John  Parker  to  Elizabeth  Kay,  " 

Biddle  Reeve  to  Anne  Clement,  " 

1760. 

Capt.  Joseph  Ellis  to  Mary  Hinchman,         '' 
Simeon  Ellis  to  Pricilla  Bates,  " 

1761. 

Isaac  Albertson  to  Deborah  Thorne,  " 

James  Cooper  to  Sarah  Ervin,  " 

Thomas  Heppard  to  Rhoda  Zane,  " 

Joseph  Hugg  to  Sarah  Smith,  " 

Joseph  Harrison  to  Kesiah  Tallman,  " 

Josiah  Hillman  to  Elizabeth  Pancoast,  " 

Joab  Hillman  to  Mary  Matlack,  " 

Samuel  Hugg  to  Elizabeth  Thorne,  '' 


MARRIAGES.  421 

Samuel  Murrel  to  Ann    Stokes,   of   Gloucester  county. 
John  Cane  to  Hannah  Tice,  *'  " 

Robert  Friend  Price  to  Mary  Thorne,  "  *' 

1762. 

Thomas  Gill,  of  Gloucester  county,  to  Mary  Wallis,  of  Bur- 
lington county. 
Samuel  Boggs  to  Margaret  Halloway,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Benjamin  Hartley  to  Mary  Bates,  "  " 

John  Kay  to  Rebecca  Hartley,  "  " 

Joseph  Holmes  to  Elizabeth  Guthridge. 

1763. 
Joseph  Hillman  to  Drusilla  Cheesman,         ''  " 

1764. 

Nathan  Albertson  to  Jane  Thorne,  ''  " 

Abraham  Albertson  to  Sarah  Albertson,        "  '' 

Samuel  Hugg  to  Mary  Collins,  ''  '' 

1765- 
Thomas  Ellis,  of  Gloucester  county,   to  Anna   Humphries,   of 

Burlington  county. 
Aaron  Albertson  to  Margarett  Wells,  of  Gloucester  county. 

1766. 

Moses  Branson  to  Sarah  Borrodale,  of  Burlington  county. 
Haddon  Hopkins  to  Hannah  Stokes,  of  Gloucester       " 
Benjamin  Bates  to  Sarah  Hugg,  widow,         "  " 

Robert  Friend  Price  to  Lizzie  Hugg,  "  '' 

Isaac  Tomlinson  to  Elizabeth  Shivers,  '*  " 

1767. 

Isaac  Burrough  to  Rebecca  Nicholson,  '*  " 

Benjamin  Graysbury  to  Lydia  Matlack,         '*  " 

Joseph  Kaighn  to  Prudence  Butcher,  "  "  ^ 


42» 


FIRST  EMIGRANT  SETTLERS. 


1768. 

William  Bakely  to  Elizabeth  Albertson,  widow,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
Samuel  Kaighn  to  Mary  Gerard,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Joseph  Bates  to  Judith  Albertson,  "  " 

1769. 

George  Flanagan  to    Patience    Collins,   widow,  of   Gloucester 
county. 

1770. 

John  Lippincott  to  Abigail  Collins,  of  Burlington  county. 
Jacob  Albertson  to  Elizabeth  Flanagan,  of  Gloucester    " 
Samuel  Nicholson  to  Elizabeth  Haines,         "  " 

John  Blackwood  to  Hannah  Stretch,        of  Salem       " 
Joseph  Blackwood  to  Rebecca  Moss,  "  '* 

John  Eastlack  to  Jerusha  Parks. 


1771. 

Isaac  Burrough  to  Abigail  Marshall,  of  Gloucester  county. 
Brazilla  Hugg  to  Mary  Wood, 
Jacob  Rowand  to  Anne  Heppard, 

1772. 

Benjamin  Holmes  to  Phoebe  Heulings, 
Aaron  Haines  to  Pricilla  Collins, 

1773- 
Joseph  Albertson  to  Mary  Albertson, 
Job  Kay  to  Rachel  Adams, 

1774- 
Vespasian  Kemble  to  Esther  French,  widow, 
Silas  Lord  to  Elizabeth  Bates, 

1775- 
Ephraim  Albertson  to  Elizabeth  Warrick, 
Jacob  Burrough  to  Elizabeth  Gill, 
Samuel  Ellis  to  Hannah  Gilbert, 


MARRIAGES.  423 

Henry  Thorne  to  Elizabeth  Tice,  of  Gloucester  county. 

Benjamin  Graysbury  to  Laticia  Shivers,  **  *' 

William  Zane  to  Alice  Chatten,  "  "  " 

1777. 

Benjamin  Bates  to  Mary  Thackara,  **  " 

Thomas  Burrough  to  Rebecca  Fish,  '*  " 

Benjamin  Bates  to  Sarah  Hammel,  ''  " 

William  Davidson  to  Elizabeth  Eastlack,  "  " 

William  Kaighn  to  Mary  Cole,  "  " 

1779. 

William  Buzby  to  Sarah  Burrough,  "  " 

John  Kay  to  Kesiah  Thorne,  "  " 

1782. 
Isaac  Evans  to  Esther  Collins,  of  Burlington       " 

Isaac  Albertson  to  Sarah  Thackara,  of  Gloucester       ** 

Ephraim  Albertson  to  Charity  Langley,  "  " 

Abraham  Bennett  to  Mercy  Bates,  **  " 

Thomas  Kay  to  Mary  Mattson,  "  " 

1783. 

Benjamin  Burrough  to  Hannah  Wilkins,  *'  ** 

Levi  Ellis  to  Elizabeth  Hillman,  "  " 

1784. 

Samuel  Risley  to  Abigail  Somers,  **  ** 

1785- 

Isaac  Ellis  to  Sarah  Hillman,  "  " 

Alexander  Rowand  to  Phoebe  Clement,  "  " 

1786. 

Abel  Nicholson  to  Mary  Ellis,  **  «* 

1791. 
Nathan  Eyres,  of  Philadelphia,  to  Sarah  Kay,  of  Gloucester 

county. 
John  Roberts  to  Hannah  Bassett,  of  Gloucester  county. 


INDEX. 


A 


AitBOTT,  Elizabeth,  220. 

George,  221. 

John,  219,  220. 

Mary,  220. 

Rachel,  220. 

Samuel,  136. 
Aborn,  Jonathan,  53. 
Adams,  James,  318. 

John,  276,  318. 

Samuel,  217. 
Advkrtisemknt  of  Council  of  Pro- 
prietors, 361. 
AiJiERTsoN,  William,  50, 69,  loi,  103, 
104,  105,  106, 123,  152,  221, 

332- 
Aaron,  106. 
Abraham,  104,  106. 
Ann,   104,  108,  123,  324. 
Benjamin,  104. 
Cassandra.  56,  104,  108. 
Chalkley,  107. 
Derric,  102. 
Elizabeth,  106,  108. 
Ephraim,  106. 
Esther,  106. 

Hannah,  64,  104,  108,  247. 
Hans,  102. 
Isaac,  106. 
Jacob,  106. 
Jane,  106,  221,  332. 
John,  106,  153. 
Jonathan,  106. 
Joseph,  106. 

Josiah,  104,  107,  108,  198,324, 
Katurah,  108. 
Levi,  106. 
Mar)',  106,  108. 
Patience,  108. 
Rebecca,  104,  106. 
Sarali,  108. 

30 


Alldav,  Alice,  14. 
Allen,  iJeborah,  276. 

Elizabeth,  276. 

Enoch,  82. 

Hannah,  132. 

Juda,  276. 

Mary,  123. 

Samuel,  384. 
Antrim,  Ann,  235. 
Anderson,  Jacob,  303. 
Andrews,  Ebenezer,  384. 
ArrLP:T<)N,  John,  227. 

Josiah,  227. 

Richard,  227. 
Arasapha,  89. 
Arney,  Mar>-,  383. 
Aronson,  Aaron,  221,  323. 

Rebecca,  221. 

Kesiah,  321. 
Armstronc,  Edward,  286. 
Arnold,  Richard,  147. 
Arwawmosse,  75,  327,  ^^^. 
AsHARD,  George,  215. 
Ashbrid<;e,  Aaron,  199. 
ASHBROOK,  John,  264. 
Ashton,  Sarah,  197. 
Asi'DEN,  Mathias,  20,  369. 
Atkinson,    Elizabeth,    311. 

James,  45. 

Thomas,  259,  317. 
Atmoke,  Caleb,  161,  164. 

"  Dam,"  163,  166. 

Thomas,  164. 
ArsTiN,  Ann,  104,  107. 

Francis  107,  169. 

Jennetl,  382. 
AXKORD,  Hannah,  275,  276. 

Jonathan,  178,  276. 

"  Landing,"  131. 


426 


INDEX. 


B 


Baldwin,  John,  342. 
Ballinger,  Elizabeth,  82. 

Henry,  169. 

Isaac,  108,  120,  153. 

John,  183. 

Mark,  303,  304. 
Bank,  Mark  Newbie's,  40. 
Barber,  Margaret,  381. 
Barclay,  Robert,  344,  356. 
Bartlett,  Benjamin,  202,  223,  337. 

Gracia,  223. 
Barton,  John,  224,  369. 
Basse,  Jeremiah,  139. 
•' Batchelor's  Bank,"  329. 
Bates,  William,  17,  24,  25,  32,  38, 
40,  47,  48,  49.  50,  51,  52, 

53.  54,  55.  56.  57.  130.  183- 

Abigail,  51,  52,  53,64,258. 

Ann,  253. 

Benjamin,  53. 

Elizabeth,  53. 

Jeremiah,  51,  52,  64,  297. 

Jonathan,  53. 

loseph,   51,   52,   55,    56,    229, 
258,  273,  275. 

Mary,  52,  199,  276. 

Martha,  52. 

Sarah,  51,  52,  56,  189. 

Samuel,  81. 

Thomas,  53,  55,  253,  276. 
Berks,  Lydia,  311. 

Morgan,  311. 

Nathan,  212,  310,  311. 
Bennett,  Joseph,  311. 
Bernard,  Mary  302. 
Berkley,  John,  359. 
Bettlr,  Edward,  161. 

William,  162. 
Beverly,  106. 
BiCKLEY,  Abraham,  363. 
Bidgood,  Esther,  324. 

Richard,  320. 

William,  320. 
Bilderback,  Francis,  46. 
BiLLlNGTON,  James,  131. 
BiRCHAM,  Sarah,  244. 
Bishop,  Hannah,  82. 
Bisi'HAM,  Benjamin,  247. 

Elizabeth,  247. 

Hinchman,  247. 

Joseph,  244,  247. 

Thomas,  243,  247. 


Black,  Mary,  321. 
Blackwell,  Robert,  209. 
Blackwood,  Benjamin  W.,  369. 
Blue  Anchor  traefl,  363. 
BoGG,  Judith,  108. 
Bolton,  Jonathan,  129,  280,  281. 

Hannah,  280,  281, 

Mary,  66,  375. 
BooYS,  Martha,  254. 
Borradale,  Ruth,  82. 
BoRTON,  Edward,  90,  197. 

Sarah,  97. 
Bowden,  James,  353. 
Bownas  Samuel,  272. 
Bradford,  William,  355. 
Bradway,  Edward,  91,  215. 

Mary,  91. 
Brady,  Henry,  279. 
Braithwill,  Margaret,  35. 
Branson,  John,  163. 

Mary,  247. 

Sarah,  137. 
Breach,  Ann,  66,  375. 

Simeon,  77,  161. 
Brearlky,  Alexander,  18. 
Brick,  John,  220. 

J.  Stokes,  245. 
Bridgman,  Orlando,  269. 
Brighton,  William,  353. 
Bromley,  Richard,  319. 
Brooks,  Stephen,  136. 
Brothertox,  town  of,  362. 
Brown,  Allen  H.,  273. 

John,  120,  146,  153,  180. 

Joseph,  297. 

Prudence,  147. 
Browning,  Joseph,  54,  304. 
Bryant,  Abraham,  79,  179. 

Ann,  79. 

Benjamin,  79. 

Elizabeth,  79. 

John,  79. 

Rebecca,  79. 

Sarah,  79. 

Thomas,  76,  79, 
Budd,  Ann,  204. 

George,  147. 

James,  81. 

John,  78,  361. 

"Thomas,  40,  41,  80,  98,  217, 

353.  369- 
William,  204,  217. 


INDEX. 


427 


Bull,  John,  72. 

Richard,  361. 
Bunting,  Mary,  97. 

Samuel,  91. 
BURCHAM,  Elizabeth,  92,  147. 

Jacob,  147,  204. 
Burden,  Matthew,  331. 

Richard,  331. 
BuRi.iNCTON,  town  of,  84,  86,  88,  90, 

91,  170. 
Burlington  and  Gloucester  County 

lines,  32,  ii,  203. 
Burr,  Ann,  21,  123. 

Henry,  383. 

Marmaduke,  123. 

Mary,  383. 
BURROUGH,  Abigail,  245,  321. 

Ann,  199,  321. 

Bathsaba,  321. 

Benjamin,  320,  321. 

David,  189,  276,  321. 

Edward,   315,  316,  317,  318, 

Elizabeth,  318. 

Enoch,  321. 

Esther,  320,  321. 

Gideon,  321. 

Hannah,  319,  320,  321,  324. 

Isaac,  222,  320,  323. 

Jacob,  108,  136,  245,  320, 324. 

James,  324. 


BuRROUGH,  Jeremiah,  316. 

John,  170,  276,  316,  318,  320, 

321,  324- 
Joseph,  153,  316,  320,  321. 
Josiah,  212,  310,  319,  321,  322, 

323- 
Kesiah,  320. 
Martha,  321. 
Mary,  321,  324. 
Priscilla,  317,  323. 
Rachel,  321. 
Reuben,  324. 
Samuel,    141,    221,    318,  319, 

320,  321,  324. 
Sarah,  141,  319,  320,  321,  324, 

332- 
William,  316,  324. 
Burnett,  Phoebe,  321. 

William,  259. 
Burge,  William,  280. 
BussE,  Margaret,  287. 

Paul,  287. 
Butcher,  Catharine,  221. 
Mary,  311. 
Prudence,  156. 
BuzBY,  John,  190,  306. 
Byllynge,  Edward,  13,  27,  44,  48, 
58,  72,  74,  90,  98,  112,  132, 
202,223,277,301,327,336, 

345.  359- 
Gracia,  223. 


c 


Campbell,  John,  61. 
Cantwell,  Edmund,  358. 
Carew,  John,  269. 
Carpenter,  Samuel,   18,   218,   331, 
345,346,347,349,350,351. 

Abraham,  92,  349. 

Hannah,  347,  349. 

John,  349. 

Joshua,  92,  349. 
Carter.  Catharine,  342. 
Carterktt,  Philip,  358,  359. 
Cassimer,  Fort,  102. 
Cathcart,  John,  53. 
Census  of  (Gloucester  County,  96. 
Chalkley,  Thomas,  297. 
Champion,  John,  225,  226,  365,  366, 
367,  368,  369. 

Ann,  304. 

Benjamin,  369. 

Elizabeth,  367,  369. 


Champion,  Joseph,  82,  185,  368. 

Mary,  311,  369. 

Matthew,  200,  366. 

Nathaniel,  368,  369. 

Peter,  64,  185,  368. 

Phoebe,  368. 

Robert,  368. 

Samuel,  36,  38,  46,  369. 

.Sarah,  369. 

Thomas,  365,  368,  369, 
Champneys,  Edward,  216. 
Charles  I.,  King  of  England,  267, 

271. 
Charles   H.,  219,    271,    315,  341, 

380. 
Chapman,  William,  257,  258. 
Cha'ITIN,  Mary,  19. 
Chaunders,  Thomas,  146. 
Cheesman,  Mary,  66,  375. 

Thomas,  276. 


428 


INDEX. 


Chew,  Hannah,  45. 

Kesiah,  106. 

Patience,  106. 

Richard,  106. 
Child,  Mrs.  Maria,  116. 
Christianity,  224. 
Church  at  Swedesboro,  289. 
Clark,  Ann,  91. 

Deborah,  369. 

Rachel,  247. 

Walter,  331. 

William,  132,  169,  369. 
Clakssen,  Jan,  358. 
Clement,  Ann,  274. 

Gregory,  267,  268,  269,  270, 
271. 

Jacob,  108,  246,  272,  273,  274, 

275- 

James,  52,  248,  271,  272,  273. 

Jane,  52,  271. 

John,  133,  273,  274. 

Joseph,  273. 

Mary,  253,  274. 

Mercy,  51,  273,  275. 

Nathaniel,  273. 

Rebecca,  310. 

Samuel,  59,  78,  220,  273,  274, 
310. 

Sarah,  248,  273,  274. 

Simeon,  272. 

Thomas,  273,  274. 

William,  271. 
Clemenz,  Edward,  131,  275,  276. 

Benjamin,  276,  321. 

Ephraim,  276. 

Esther,  276. 

Hannah,  276. 

Juda,  276,  321. 

Mary,  276. 

Rachel,  276. 

Sarah,  276. 
Clews,  William,  174. 

Cloud, ,  342. 

Coates,  Hannah,  92. 

Cobb,  William,  289. 

COFFING,  Jacob,  145,  147. 

CoLLAT,  Jeremiah,  217. 

Collins,  Francis,  20,  32,  68,  70,  72, 

•  73-  74,  75,  76,  78,  79,  80, 
81,  82,  83,  95, 1 14,  140,  168, 
170,  177,  182,  183,235,240, 
242,249,253,257,286,289, 

290,317.  320,  369- 
Abigail,  82. 
Benjamin,  78,  185. 


Collins,  Catharine,  78,  79,  184,  274. 

Charles,  82,  185. 

Charity,  81. 

Edward,  71,  248. 

Elizabeth,  71,  76,  80,  81. 

Hannah,  82. 

Job,  82,  83. 

John,  81,  82,  83. 

Joseph,  76,  78,  79. 

foshua,  82. 

Lizzie,  81. 

Margaret,  76,  286,  290. 

Mary,  71,  80,  81,  82,  83,  369. 

Mercy,  82. 

Priscilla,   76,   78,   79,   81,   82, 
188,  240,  286. 

Rachel,  82,  185,  368. 

Rebecca,  76,  78,  79,  274. 

Samuel,  81,  82,  304,  368. 

Sarah,  56,  76,  78,  81,  82,  184. 

Susanna,  81. 

Sybilla,  81. 
CoLLlNGS,  Richard,  20. 

Edward  Z.,  15,  17. 
Cole,  Samuel,   147,  201,  202,   203, 
204,  205,  212,  220,  293,  294, 
307,308,310,327,330,333. 

Elizabeth,  203,  204,  212,  308. 

Joseph,  178,  204,  308,  T,y:,. 

Kendall,  204. 

Mary,  204,  235. 

Rachel,  204. 

Sarah,  203. 

Susanna,  204. 

Thomas,  82,  204,  244,  304. 
Coleman,  Thomas,  326. 
Conrow,  Darling,  304. 
Cooper,  William,  19,  39,  62,  63,  64, 
85,  86,  87,  88,  89,  90,  91, 
92,  93,  96,  97,98,  140,  141, 
147,152,173,185,201,212, 
226,310,322,342,343,347, 

369- 
Abigad,  95,  332. 
Ann,  91. 
Benjamin,   92,    97,    141,    146, 

147,  153,  175,  204,  243. 
Daniel,  52,  85,  92,  93,  94,  95, 

96,  97,  114,   226,  297,  332, 

342. 
David,  92,  120,  153. 
Elizabeth,  92,  141,  147. 
Hannah,  85,  90,  91,   92,  93, 

141,  212,  310. 
Isaac,  41,  92,  97,  147. 


INDEX. 


429 


Cooper,  James,  85,  91,  120,  147,  153, 

3".  323- 
John,  91,  97,  98,  120,  329. 
Joseph,  85,  92,  93,  97,  98,  120, 
129,  130,  141,  147,  151,152, 
156,  168,  212,  310,  349. 
Lydia,  92,  310. 
Margaret,  85,  86. 
Mary,  64,  91,  93,  169. 
Richard,  236. 
Samuel,  96,  97,  147,  217. 
Sarah,  91,  92,  96. 
Cote  Estate,  92. 
CoRHii,  Sarah,  197. 
CoRNHrRY,  Lord,  39,  96,   175,    176, 
196,  272. 


Cow  PERTHWAii  K,  Joh  n,  1 37, 204, 304. 
Cox,  Abigail,  185. 

John,  92,  136,  185,  331. 

Lydia,  97. 

Samuel,  185. 

William,  185. 
CoxE,  Daniel,  173,  174,  175,  223. 
Cresson,  Caleb,  123. 

Joshua,  123. 
Crews,  Eve,  89. 

Richard,  89. 
Ckipps,  John,  278,  279. 
Crispin,  William,  317. 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  315. 

Richard,  315. 
CUTHHEKI,  Joseph,  81. 


D 


Dagger,  John,  24. 
Dalbo,  Walla,  289. 
Daniels,  Isabella,  220. 
Darkin,  Richard,  18. 
Davenport,  Abigail,  297. 

Francis,  18,  76,  177. 

Rebecca,  177. 
Davis,  Amy,  133. 

David,  133,  321. 

Joseph,  263. 

Mercy,  137. 

Sarah,  152. 
Day,  Humphrey,  210,  221. 

Jane,  210. 

Rebecca,  298. 

Stephen,  210. 
Deacon,  George,  215. 

Mary,  253. 
DeCosta,  John,  65,  184,  373,  374. 
Decou,  Isaac,  45. 


Dennis,  Hannah,  141. 

Samuel,  380,  385. 

Sarah,  106,  220. 

Thomas,  155. 
Dent,  Ann,  156. 

Hannah,  92,  93. 
Dimsdale,  John,  77. 

Robert,  76,  78,  183. 

Sarah,  76,  77. 

William,  77. 
Dole,  John,  149,  151. 

Joseph,  151. 

Hannah,  15 1. 

Mary,  151. 

Rebecca,  151. 

Sarah,  150,  151. 
Donalson,  Arthur,  156. 
Duel,  Phoebe,  247. 
Duefield,  Phcebe,  185. 
DuYRE,  William,  189. 
Dylwyn,  Ann,  185. 


Eastlack,  John,  21,  61,  64,  65,  66, 

371.  372,  373'  374,  375- 
Daniel,  66,  375. 
Elizabeth,  66,  141,  372,  375. 
Esther,  66,  375. 
Francis,  63,  371,  372. 
Hannah,  66,  375. 
Hepsibah,  63,  372. 

31 


Eastlack,  Isaac  G.,  317. 

Jemima,  372. 

Samuel,  66,  153-  374,  375- 

Sarah,  66,  141,  375. 
Edwards,  Elizabeth,  382. 

Richard,  157. 

Samuel,  157. 

Sarah,  157. 


43° 


INDEX. 


Eldridge,  Enos,  311. 

Joseph,  50. 

Rebecca,  384. 
Elfreth,  Joseph,  46. 
Elkinton,  Amy,  136. 

Ann,  136. 

Elizabeth,  136. 

Francis,  136. 

George,  79,  136. 

Joseph,  135. 
Ellis,  Simeon,  51,  56,  69,  78,  168, 
180,182,  183,  184,186,  187, 

1 89,  290,  306,  36S. 
Abigail,  185,  190,  306. 
Ann,  1 85,  368,  369. 
Benjamin,  189. 
Catharine,  185. 
Cassandra,  320,  324. 
Elizabeth,  180. 
Isaac,  189,  222. 
Jacob,  56,  108,  324. 
John,  189. 

Jonathan,  56,  184,  190. 
Joseph,  56,  69,  183,  184,  189, 

237,  304,  306. 
Josiah,  183. 
Kesiah,  190,  306. 
Mary,  184. 

Priscilla,  190,  304,  306. 
Rebecca,  222. 
Sarah,  56,  59,   183,  184,  189, 

190,  306. 

Thomas,  56,  78,  180,  182,  184. 
William,  56, 180, 184, 185,189. 


Elmer,  L.  Q.  C,  42. 
Elsinburg,  II,  24. 
Emlen,  Sarah,  185. 
Emley,  William,  277. 
Engle,  John,  221,  332. 

Elizabeth,  382. 

Hannah,  384. 

Mary,  384. 
Eriwonack,  Fort,  311,  313. 
Ervin,  George,  93. 

Sarah,  147. 

Estaugh,  Elizabeth,  21,  33,  77,  84, 

109, 117,  119,  120,  121,  122, 

123, 125, 127, 128,  129,  130, 

132,133.134,155.236,246, 

336. 

James,  155. 

John,  29,  112,  113,  114,  116, 
117,118,120,121,128,133, 
134,155,170,236,237. 

Mary,  155. 
Evans,  Agnes,  212. 

Elizabeth,  169. 

John,  153,  220. 

Joshua,  81,  178. 

Josiah,  171,  228. 

Mary,  311. 

Nathaniel,  208. 

Thomas,  169. 

William,  120,  169. 
Eves,  Anna,  383. 

Thomas,  169. 


Fairman,  Thomas,  89. 
Fairland,  Catharine,  197. 

Mary,  197. 
Farr,  Elias,  335. 

Fenwick,  John,  11,48,  107,  213,214, 
219,240,272,283,345,365, 
380. 
Fell,  Margaret,  380. 
Fenimore,  John,  79. 
Ferry  License,  94,  96. 
Field,  Benjamin,  175. 

Elizabeth,  273. 
Firman,  Rachel,  233. 
FisHbURN,  William,  349. 
Fisher,  John,  19,  146. 
FoLWELL,  Ann,  147. 
FoRTiNER,  Hope,  247. 


Forrest,  Ann,  106,  149. 
Francis,  106. 
John,  106. 
"Walter,    104,    106,    107,    149, 

152. 
Foster,  Josiah,  120. 
Hannah,  311. 
Mary,  235,  236. 
William,  120. 
Fowler,  Andrew,  209. 

Rennels,  133. 
Fox,  George,  48,  57,  70,  84,  90,  128, 
135,168,205,247,294,315, 
331.356,359,380. 
James,  18. 
Frame,  Joshua,  51,  53. 
Frampton,  William,  212. 


INDEX. 


431 


Franklin,  Benjamin,  121,  237. 

Henry,  225,  366. 

John,  162. 
French,  Hope,  177. 

Jemima,  179. 
Fretwell,  Peter,  361. 
Friends'  Meeting,  Ciiester,  (Moores- 
town),  318. 


Friends'   Meeting,  Burlington,  353, 

354- 
Friends'  Meeting,  Haddonfield,  119, 

120. 
FURNASS,  Henry,  217. 
FussEL,  IBarbara,  321. 


Gabitas,  Deborah,  151. 
■Gardiner,   Thomas,   17,   328,   336, 

353.  355.  356,  360.  362. 

Elizabeth,  363. 

Esther,  356. 

Hannah,  363. 

Hored,  356. 
■James,  198. 

John,  356. 

Matthew,  356,  362. 

Peter,  356. 
Garwood,  Joseph,  264. 

Daniel,  Si. 

John,  3S3. 

Joshua,  151. 
Gaskill;  Samuel,  81. 
Gerard,  Mary,  157. 
GiBBS,  Joshua,  321. 

Richard,  321. 
Gill,  John,  33,  73,84, 120, 121,  127, 
128,    129,    130,    131,    132, 

133.  134,  i35>  136,  138, 
152,  168,  190,  221,  237, 
245,  246,  257,  258,  261, 
264,    276. 

Amy,  136,  137. 

Elizabeth,  136,  324. 

Hannah,  133,  137. 

Henry,  127. 

James,  248. 

Mary,  133,  134,  245. 

Mercy,  134. 

Sarah,  136. 

William,  136. 
■GiLLMAN,  Robert,  218. 
GiLLOTT,  Esther,  320. 
Gloucester,  county  of,  27,  75,  92, 

138. 
Gloucester  and  Burlington  counties, 
line  of,  32,  'i,'ii,  203. 


Glover,  Isaac,  247. 

Jacob,  247. 

John,  120,  153,  245,246,247. 

Joseph,  153,  247. 

Mary,  247. 

Rachel,  247. 

Richard,  247. 

Samuel,  246,  247. 

Sarah,  246,  247. 

Thomas,  247. 

William,  247. 
Goldsmith,  George,  24,  25,  26,  49, 

61,  65,  67,  69,  70,  342. 
Gooden,  Isaac,  29. 
Gordon,  Thomas,  180. 
GosLiN,  John,  80,  353,  369. 
Granna,  Robert,  217. 
Gray,  Ann,  320. 

Esther,  320. 

Richard,  73,  320. 
Graysbury,  James,  50,  159,  160, 161, 
162,  163. 

Abigail,  163. 

Ann,  160,  162. 

Benjamin,  159,  160,  161,  162, 
163. 

Elizabeth,  160. 

Joseph,  159,  160,  161,  162. 

Margaret,  160. 

Mary,  160,  162,  163. 
Green,  Elizabeth,  303. 
Greoory,  Mary  Ann,  176. 
Griscom,  Andrew,  149, 151,  152,  217. 

Mary,  152. 

Samuel,  152. 

Sarah,  149,  151. 

Tobias,  151,  152. 

William,  152. 

Guant, ,  197. 

Guy,  Richard,  215,  216,  353. 


432 


INDEX. 


H 


Haddon,  ElizabetTi,  iii,  112,   113, 
114,  116. 
John,  65,  no,  112,  113,  115, 
1 18,  120, 121, 127, 128, 130, 
134,  236,  282,  335,  373. 
Sarah,  1 12. 
Haudonfield,  Old  and  New,  74,  77, 
80,  115,  116,  118,  119,  120, 

125,  I33.I34,  I35.I36, 137, 
142,170,171,173,177,335. 
Haines,  Amos,  19. 

Ann,  81,  303. 

CarUsle,  235. 

Daniel,  79. 

Elizabeth,  82,  147. 

Jacob,  276,  321. 

Jonathan,  235. 

Mary,  235,  236,  384. 

Pheebe,  320. 

Rebecca,  235,  236. 

Ruth,  133. 

Samuel,  304. 

Solomon,  82. 
Hall,  Clement,  274. 

Martha,  35. 

Nathaniel,  274. 

Sarah,  274. 

William,  273,  274. 
Halloway,  Tobias,  36,  152,  368. 
Hallowell,  John,  35,  36. 
Hamel,  John,  359. 
Hamilton,  Andrew,  351. 
Hammond,  Rebecca,  16. 
Hampton,  Rhoda  Ann,  282. 

Rose,  106. 
Hanna,  Peter,  247. 
Hancock,  Godfrey,  358. 

Maiy,  233, '235. 

Susannah,  152. 

Timothy,  169,  202,  233,  234, 
318. 
Hardiman,  Hannah,  349. 
Harper,  Josiah,  329. 
Harrison,  Abigail,  157,  243. 

Ann,  273. 

Ellen,  70. 

Joseph,  188,  209,  274. 

Rebecca,  209. 

Samuel  157,  243,  273. 

Thomas,  269,  270. 

William,  145,  173,  245. 
Harry,  William,  52. 


Hartley,  Bathsaba,  19. 

James,  247. 

Rebecca,  19,   177. 

Roger,  19,  20. 
Hatkinsox,  John,  244. 
Hatten  New  Garden,  132. 
Heath,  Levi,  209. 
Hedger,  Ann,  78. 
Helmsley,  Joseph,  277. 
Hempstead,  19. 
Henry,  David,  106. 

Sarah,  106. 
Heppard,  Thomas,  20. 
Heritaoe,  Benjamin,  133. 

Hannah,  133. 

John,  132,  133. 

Joseph,  132,  133,  318. 

Maiy,  132,  133,  169. 

Naomi,  132. 

Richard,  132,   133,  235,  236, 

245- 

Sarah,  132. 
Heulings,  Abigail,  320. 

Abraham,  178. 

Batheuel,  185,  369. 

Joseph,  178,  m. 

Martha,  157. 

Theodocia,  384. 

William,  205. 
Hewitt,  Ann,  369. 
Hibbard,  Samuel,  199. 
HiGBEE,  Daniel,  209. 
Higgs,  William,  128. 
Hill,  Elizabeth,  154. 
HiLLMAN,  John,  53,  221,  229,  257, 
258,  260,  261,  264. 

Abel,  55. 

Abigail,  137,  258. 

Ann,  258. 

Aquilla,  305,  385. 

Daniel,    137,    221,    258,    261, 
263,  264,  265,  303. 

Drusilla,  261. 

Elizabeth,  261. 

James,  261,  264. 

Joab,  261. 

Joseph,  258,  260,  264. 

Josiah,  261. 

Letitia,  261. 

Margaret,  258. 

Samuel,  261,  264. 

Seth,  264. 


INDEX. 


433 


HiNCiiMAN,  John,   52,  77,  80,   156, 
161, 178, 239, 240, 241,  242, 

243,244,246,248,273,289. 

Abigail,  156,  243. 

Amy,  244,  304. 

Ann,  243. 

Deborah,  248. 

Edward,  240. 

Elizabeth,  244. 

Emily,  248. 

Hannah,  244,  248. 

Isaac,  244. 

Jacob,  243,  244. 

James,  77,  145,  239,  243,  244, 

3"- 

Jane,  243. 

Joseph, 77,  243,  244,  247, 248, 
280. 

Letitia,  243. 

Mary  239,  244,  248. 

Mercy,  239. 

Miriam,  239,  243. 

Robert,  239. 

Sarah,  239,  243,  248,  273. 

Thomas,  142,  239,  248. 

William,  24S. 
Hoffman,  Frederick,  11,  289. 
Holmes,  Thomas,  41. 
HOLLINGSHEAD,  Edmund,  212,  310, 

311- 

Hannah,  31 1. 

John,  120,  311. 

Joseph,  311. 

Lydia,  31 1. 

Mary,  56,  184,  311. 

Morgan,  31 1. 

Samuel,  311. 

Sarah,  311. 
HOLLINGSHAM,  Catharine,  35. 

Isaac,  61,  69,  184,  342. 
HOOTEN,  Sarah,  19. 

Thomas,  301,  302. 

William,  97. 
Hopewell,  Elizabeth,  147,  220. 
HovKiNS,  Ann,  123. 

Benjamin,  112,  121,  128. 

Ebenezer,    21,    73,    108,    122, 
123,  124,  130,  374. 

Elizabeth,  123. 

Haddon,  123. 

John   E.,   73,    120,    123,    153, 
320. 


Hopkins,  Mary,  123. 

Sarah,  121,  123,  128. 
William  E.,  311. 

HORSLYDOWN,   1  lO,   I9I. 

Horner,  Bartholomew,  131. 

Deliverance,  303,  304. 

Hannah,  46,  235. 

Isaac,  131,  179. 

Jacob,  82,  131. 

Lemuel,  297. 

Nathan,  131. 
HosKiNS,  Ann,  349. 
Howell,  Thomas,  223,  224,  225,  226, 

367- 

Catharine,  225,  226. 

Daniel,   224,   225,    226,   227, 
228. 

Jacob,  93. 

Marion,  225,  226. 

Mordecai,  224,  225,  226,  227, 
228,  246. 

Priscilla,  225. 

Samuel,  225. 

Zophar,  263. 
HowLE,  Mary,  327. 
Hudson,  John,  303. 

Mary,  92. 
HUDDLESTON,  Catharine,  76. 
HUGG,  John,  18,  45,  76,  79,  80,  240, 
242,283,284,285,286,288. 

Charles,  287. 

Elias,  76,  183,  286,  289,  290. 

Gabriel,  289. 

Hannah,  289. 

Jacob,  2S9. 

Joseph,    178,   287,   289,    290, 
291. 

Margaret,  80,  1S3,  290. 

Mary,  289. 

Patience,  66,  375. 

Priscilla,  79,  80,  240,  289. 

Samuel,  81,  83,  291. 

Sarah,  133,  289. 

William,  285. 
Hughes,  Caleb,  190,  306. 

Plumphrey,  299. 

Judith,  299. 
Humphreys.  Joshua,  231. 
Hunt,  Robert,  178,  333, 
Hunter,  Robert,  173,  175.  : 

Hurley,  James  S.,  162. 
HurcHiNSON,  George,  180,  326,  336. 


32 


434 


INDEX. 


Ingledon,  Blackinstone,  145. 
Ingeksoll,  Daniel,  151. 
Inskeep,  John,  109,  265. 
Isle  of  Man,  150. 


Ives,  William,  144,  145. 
IVERSON,  John,  69. 
IviNS,'  Margaret,  69. 


Jacobs,  Henry,  358. 

Isaac,  217. 
Jarvis,  Martin,  147,  370. 
Jenkins,  Josiah,  259. 
Jenney,  Robert,  207,  208. 

Thomas,  41. 
Jennings,  Deborah,  320,  323; 

Henry,  215,  287,  323. 

Isaac,  287,  323. 

Jacob,  108,  178,  264. 

Mary,  287. 


Jennings,  Samuel,  40,  74,  98,  183 
218,  309,  346,  347,  353. 

Sarah,  287. 

William,  287. 
Jessup,  Mary,  151. 
Johnson,  Henry,  225,  226,  252. 
Jones,  Agnes,  310. 

John,  269. 

Joseph,  46. 
JoosTEN,  John,  359. 
Jorissen,  Cornelius,  358. 


K 


Kaighn,  John,  104,  107,  149,  150, 
151,152,153,154,156,157, 
190,  243. 

Abigail,  157. 

Amos,  170. 

Ann,  149,  156. 

Charles,  150. 

Elizabeth,  154,  156,  157. 

Ellen,  150. 

Isaac,  156.  I 

James,  156. 

Jane,  150. 

Joseph,    120,    153,    154,    155, 

156,   157- 

Mary,  156. 

Prudence,  156. 

Samuel,  157. 

William,  156. 
Kain,  Charity,  81,  249. 

Charles,  81. 

Sarah,  249. 

William,  249. 
Kay,  John,  26,  56,  64,  91,  152,  167, 
16S,  169,170,171,172,173, 
174,  175,176,177,183,184, 
234, 244,  303.  332- 


Kay,  Ann,  178. 

Benjamin,  177. 

Elizabeth,  169,  179. 

Francis,  177,  179. 

Garvis,  167,  16S. 

Hope,  178. 

Isaac,  163,  176,  177,  178,  179. 

Joseph,  177,  178,  179. 

Josiah,  176,  177,  179. 

Mary,  176,  178,  332. 

Mathias,  177. 

Rebecca,  178. 

Sarah,  176,  179. 

William,  177,  254. 
Keith,  George,  63,  205,  206,  209, 

217,  218,  381. 
Kelly,  Richard,  160. 
Kendall,  Mary,  82,  203. 

Thomas,   82,    131,    171,    203, 
228. 
Kent,  Ishmael,  81. 
Kirlee,  John,  164. 

Joseph,  164. 
KiNSEY,  John,  173. 
Knapton,  Benjamin,  216. 
Knight,  Edward  C,  184. 


INDEX. 


435 


L 


Laconey,  James,  329. 
LadI5,  Hannah,  29. 

John,  142,  143,  144,  145,  291, 
328,  329. 

Samuel,  347. 

Sarah,  142,  143,  145. 
Lakin,  Hannah,  225. 

Moses,  227. 
Lamb,  Sarah,  321. 
Langstone,  Sarah,  176. 
Lane,  Daniel,  150. 
Large,  Ehenezer,  77. 
Laurie,  Gawen,  344. 
Leaming,  Aaron,  299. 

Christopher,  299, 

Deborah,  299. 
Lee,  George,  306. 

Mary,  235. 
Leeds,  Daniel,  24,  60. 
LiPPlNCOTT,  Aaron,  198,  383,  384. 

Abigail,    53,    37S,    380,   381, 
382,  384,  385. 

Ann,  382. 

Asa,  244. 

Benjamin,  383. 

Caleb,  383,  385. 

Charles,  385. 

Deborah,  3S2. 

Elizabeth,  53,  382, 

Esther,  384. 

Freedom,  53,  380,  383,  384, 

385.      . 
Grace,  382. 
Hannah,  382. 
Heniy,  378. 
Hinchman,  259. 
Hope,  382. 

Increase,  379,  380,  385. 
Isaac,  383,  384,  385. 
Jacob,  52,  379,  380,  382,  383, 

384. 
James,  377,  382,  383. 


LlPPiNCO'lT,  John,  136,  378,  380,  382, 

385- 
Joseph,  53,  382. 
Joshua,  53,  383,  385. 
Judith,  303,  384. 
Margaret,  382. 
Mary,  204,  298,  382,  384. 
Mercy,  53,  384. 
Nathan,  303,  385. 
Nathaniel,  I20,  153,  384. 
Patience,  384. 
Phoebe,  384. 
Preserved,  380,  382. 
Rachel,  382. 
Rebecca,  382. 
Rememberance,  378,  380,  381, 

382. 
Restore,  379,  380,  383. 
Richard,  378,  380,  381,  382, 

383,  385.  ^ 
Robert,  378,  382. 
Ruth,  382. 

Samuel,  53,  382,383,  384, 385- 

Sarah,  382. 

Seth,  385. 

Solomon,  385. 

Thomas,  384,  385. 

William,  382. 
Lloyd,  David,  212,  309. 

Thomas,  309. 
London  Commissioners,  12,  87. 
Long  Harris's  Creek,  329. 
Lord,  Alice,  221,  332. 

James,  120,  122. 

John,  198. 

Joshua,  120,  153,  328,  330. 

Sarah,  122. 
LovEjOY,   William,    131,    132,    171, 

Lowe,  Joseph,  140,  161,  264. 
Lucas,  Nicholas,  76. 
LuR'i  IN,  Thomas,  24,  67. 


Macelis,  Jiirirus,  358, 
Maddox,  John,  215. 
Marlow,  Gregory,  232. 
Marsh,  Mary,  197,  199. 
Martin,  Daniel,  160. 
John,  317. 


M 


Mason,  Hannah,  156. 

William  H.,  317. 
Mathiavs,  Hannali,  336,  356. 

Richard,   65,    112,   118,    120, 

333- 
Thomas,  328,  336,  373, 


4^6 


INDEX. 


Matlack,  William,   202,  231,  232, 
234,235,236,237,261,318. 
Abigail,  304. 
Amy,  189. 

Asa,  206,  209,  237,  320. 
Benjamin,  236. 
George,  130,  235,  236. 
Jane,  235. 

John,  162,  235,  237,  253, 
Kesiah,  133. 
Letitia,  141,  248. 
Lydia,  162. 
Mary,  235. 
Rebecca,  311. 
Richard,   178,  235,  236,  237, 

Samuel,  318. 

Sarah,  235. 

Timothy,  120,  130,  136, 
235-236,237,248,261, 
Mayham,  Sarah,  71. 
Medcalf,  Hannah,  104. 

Jacob,  155. 
Mew,  Noel,  169. 

Richard,  72,  169. 
MiCKLE,  Archibald,   139,   140, 
145,  147,  321,  349. 

Daniel,  141,  145. 

Elizabeth,  97. 

Hannah,  97,  142. 

Isaac,  16,  27,  28,  140, 
147,148,190,306,313, 
366. 

Jacob,  145,  375. 

James,  66,  141,  145,  147, 

John,  91,  120,  123,  141, 

Joseph,   141,    147,    156, 

372,  375- 
I^etitia,  248. 
Mary,  141. 

Rachel,  92,  141,  145,  146,375. 
Samuel,  92, 123, 141,  142,  157. 
Sarah. 123,  141,  145,  156,  247. 


142, 
275. 


141, 


141, 
321, 


375- 
259- 
324, 


MiCKLE,  William,  123,  141. 
MiDDLETON,  Deborah,  321. 

Mercy,  384. 

Thomas,  221. 
Miller,  Henry,  209. 

Mark,  137. 

Thomas,  280. 

William,  212,  275,  310. 
Montgomery,  Robert,  280,  281,  282. 

Sarah,  280,  281. 

Thomas,  282. 
Moody,  Deborah,  294. 
Moore,  Aaron,  82. 

Benjamin,  81,  303. 

Elizabeth,  81. 
Morgan,  Griffith,  212,  307,  308,  309, 
310,  311,  313. 

Agnes,  311. 

Alexander,  92,  204,  212,  309, 

310.  3"- 

Ann,  311. 

Benjamin,  212,  217,  310,311. 

Daniel,  235. 

Elizabeth,  212,  310,  3H. 

Hannah,  310,  31 1. 

Isaac,  310,  311. 

Jane,  311. 

Jonathan,  162. 

Joseph,  212,  310,  311. 

Lydia,  212,  310. 

Mary,  212,  310,  311. 

Rachel,  310. 

Rebecca,  311, 

Sarah,  212,  310,  31 1,  321. 
Morris,  Ann,  129. 

Anthony,  18. 

John,  309. 

Robert,  236. 
Morion,  Ann,  162. 
MouNTWELL,  73,  74,  78,  79,  84, 114. 
Mullen,  Isaac,  82. 
MULOCK,  James,  82,  187,  188. 
MURRELL,  Samuel,  185,  368. 


N 


Nassau,  Fort,  285,  286. 

Nevill,  James,  215. 

Newton,  9,  ii,  16,  24,  66,  74,  84, 

87,89,92,  103,  115,  170. 
■Newbie,  Mark,  24,  25,  37,  38,  39, 

40,  42,  44,  45,  46,  49,  61, 

62,  64,  90,  332. 
Edward,  41,  45,  349. 


Newbie,  Elizabeth,  289,  332. 

Gabriel,  41,  45,  375. 

Hannah,  40,  45,  64,  332. 

John,  41,  45. 

Nathan,  41,  45. 

Rachel,  45. 

Stephen,  t,%,  45,  64,  68,  332. 
Newbold,  Letitia,  90. 


INDEX. 


43  7 


Newcomb,  John  326. 
Newberry,  Benjamin,  331. 

Hasker,  132. 
Nicholson,  Samuel,   77,  137,  213, 
215, 216, 218,  219, 220,  221, 
222,  319,  320,  332. 

Abel,  153,  213,  219,  220,  221, 
222,  323. 

Abigail,  221,  261. 

Ann,  213,  216,  219,  220. 

Elizabeth,  213,  219. 

George,  90,  221,  222,  332. 

Grace,  222. 

Hahnah,  97,  221,  222,  261. 

Isal:)ella,  220. 

James,  332. 

John,  220. 


Nicholson,  Joseph,  213,  219,  220, 
221,  222,  319,  332. 

Mar\-,  220. 

Mercy,  222. 

Paraljol,  213,  219. 

Rachel,  220. 

Rebecca,  323. 

Ruth,  220. 

Sarah,  220,  221,  319. 

William,  220. 
Noble,  Richard,  231. 
NoRRls,  Elizabeth,  178. 

Isaac,  18,  212,  309. 

James,  176,  178. 

Samuel,  151. 

Sarah,  177, 179, 186,  244, 275. 


o 

Olive,  Thomas,  44.   90,   232,  277,    1    Owen,  Martha,  382. 
302,  383.  I 


Paine,  Elizabeth,  35. 
Parker,  Ann,  64. 

,  179- 

Parr,  Hannah,  324. 

James,  324. 

John,  324. 

Maiy,  324. 

Samuel,  320. 
Parnell,  Mary,  326. 
Parrock,  James,  369. 
Pearson,  Hannah,  363. 

Isaac,  152,  363. 

Sarah,  90. 
Peake,  Edmund,  384. 
Pellor,  Mary,  332. 
Penisaukin  creek,  12,  ^t^,  82. 
Penn,  William,   11,   13,  37,  48,  49, 
76,    89,    90,  98,   102,    112, 

137.  139.  I43>  155.  171, 
225,  234,  240,  271,  290, 
301,    303,    309,    339,    340, 

341,   342,    345.    347.    367- 
Pennington,  John,  313. 
Penrose,  John,  217. 
Penton,  William,  215. 
Penfori),  John,  277. 
Perkins,  Widow,  87. 
Peterson,  Priscilla,  189. 
Wallo,  289. 


Philadelphia,  84,  143. 
Philips,  Robert,  159. 
PiDGKON,  Joseph,  342,  343. 

Maiy,  343. 
Pierce,  Nicholas,  217. 
Pine,  Benjamin,  321. 

Mary,  321. 
Plantagenet,  Beauchamp,  312. 
Ployden,  Sir  Edmund,  311,312,313. 
Porter,  Abraham,  198,  259,  260. 
Potts,  Judith,  35. 
Potter,  Phctbe,  321. 

Sarah,  298. 

Thomas,  247. 
Powell,  Arthur,  19,  141,  146. 

James,  146. 

Margaiett,  146. 

Maiy,  146. 

Rachel,  146. 

Richard,  146. 
Preston,  Hannah,  349. 
Pritchett,  Diana,  81. 

Josiah,  137. 

Sarah,  137. 
Price,  Robert  Friend,  81,  187,  188. 
PussEY,  Samuel,  209. 
Pyne  Point,  86,  88,  89,  91,  96. 
Pyle,  Elizabeth,  273. 

Thomas,  273. 


438 


INDEX. 


R 


Rakestraw,  Grace,  19. 
Randolph,  John,  54. 
Raper,  Joshua,  92. 

Sarah,  97. 
Rawle,  Benjamain,  343. 

Elizabeth,  343. 

Francis,  342,  343. 

Jane,  343. 

John,  343. 

Joseph,  343. 

Martha,  343. 

Mary,  96,  342. 

Rebecca,  343. 

Robert,  343. 

William,  313,  343. 
Reading,   John,    29,   95,   143,   245, 

290,  291. 
Read,  Charles,  145. 
Redman,  Hannah,  137. 

John,  137. 

Mary,  137. 

Thomas,  133,  137,  138. 
Redfield,  John,  286. 
Reeves,  Abraham,  46. 

Joseph,  311. 
Richards,  Jeremiah,  202. 

Benjamin,  373. 


Richardson,  John,  113,  114. 
Ridgway,  Catharine,  197. 

Jeremiah,  50. 

Joseph,  247. 

Sarah,  311. 
RiGGS,  Lydia,  92. 
RiGGlNS,  Israel,  236. 
RiSDON,  George  T.,  82. 

Turner,  382. 
Robinson,  Richard,  69. 
Roberts,  Enoch,  204. 

Jacob,  136. 

jane,  212,  310. 

John,  133,  142,  234,258,318, 

384- 
Kesiah,  106. 
Mary,  258. 
Samuel,  226. 
Sarah,  318. 
Robeson,  Andrew,  95,  106. 

ROTHERHITHE,   IIO,   II3. 

Roydon,  Robert,  89. 

William,  12,  88,  94,  95,  290, 

347- 
RuDDEROW,  Abigail,  206,  209. 
John,  206. 
William,  206. 


Saint,  Rebecca,  221,  332. 
Salem,  12,  24,  116,  170,  198. 
Salter,  Ann,  215. 
Saterihwaite,  Joseph,  104,  311, 
Saunders,  Hannah,  147. 
Sax  BY,  Esther,  296. 
Scott,  Benjamin,  277. 

John,  76. 

Thomas,  269,  270. 
Scroop,  Adrian,  269. 
Scull,  Daniel,  258. 

Jasper,  382. 

John,  151. 

Mary,  382. 
Shable,  Thomas,  75,  170. 
Shackomaxin,  13,  89,  354,  367. 
Shattocks,  Hannah,  382. 

James,  217. 
Shelter,  The,  328. 


Sharp,  Thomas,  11,  13,  18,  23,  25, 
26,  27,  28,  29,  33,  34,  35, 
38,  39,  49,  58,  61,  65,  67, 
68,  70,  73,  74,  "5,  "9, 
129,  141,  145,  152,  162, 
191,  192,  194,  217,  242, 
253,  290,  304,  342,  373, 
375- 

Anthony,  23,  25,  59,  191. 

Elizabeth,  35,  162. 

Hugh,  319. 

Isaac,  35. 

John,  35. 

Joseph,  35. 

Mary,  35. 

Samuel,  35,  36,  162,  197. 

Sarah,  35. 

William,  263,  264,  372. 
Shinn,  Anna,  254. 

John,  76. 


INDEX. 


43  9 


Shippen,  Eilward,  i8. 
Shivers,  John,  251,  252,  253,  255, 
261,  368. 

Hannah,  253. 

Josiah,  253. 

Latitia,  162. 

Mary,  189,  253. 

Richard,  253. 

Samuel,  21,  155,  253,  254. 

Sarah,  252. 
SiDDON,  Ezekiel, -141,  145. 

Jane,  65. 
Sleighi,  Joseph,  49. 
Slocum,  Sarah,  132. 
Sloan,  Joseph,  153. 

James,  153. 
Smallwood,  Thomas,  373. 
Smart,  Nathan,  215. 
Smith,  Anna,  136. 

Barljara,  178. 

Daniel,  81. 

Elizabeth,  35,  243,  244. 

Francis,  91. 

George,  331. 

Isaac,  178. 

Mary,  178. 

Nicholas,  69. 

Rel)ecca,  97. 

Richard,  77. 

Robert,  197. 

Samuel,  79,  86,  iSo,  232,353. 

Sarah,  178. 

Thomas,  69. 

Joseph  Few,  161,  162. 
Snowdon,  Christopher,  327. 
SOMERS,  Hannah,  151. 

Richard,  151. 
SOUTHWICK,  James,  80. 

Josiah,  76,  80. 

Meam,  80,  259. 

Ruth,  80. 
Sparks,  Henry,  144. 

Spencer, ,  321. 

Spearman,  Thomas,  140. 
Spey,  John,  290. 

Spicer,  Samuel,   91,   95,   202,  293, 
294,  296,  297,  298. 

Abigail,  207,  297. 

Abraham,  297. 

Esther,  95,  235,  293,  294. 

Jacob,  294,  297,  298,  299. 

Martha,  297. 

Mary,  51,  297. 

Michel,  293. 

Rebecca,  206. 

Sarah,  95,  297. 


Spicer,  Thomas,  206,  293,  294,  297, 

298. 
Spicer's  Ferry,  295. 
Sprague,  Caleb,  77,  161. 

Samuel,  209. 
Springweij.,  182. 
Squiub,  Robert,  337. 
Stali.es,  Alice,  75. 
Stanton,  Daniel,  297. 
Stanley,. Elizabeth,  302. 
Staeforu,  Joseph  C.,  130. 

John,  83. 
Stamper,  Francis,  113. 
Starkey,  Ruth,  82. 

Thomas,  25,  26,  66,  67. 
Starr,  Jesse  W.,  245. 
Stacy,  Elizabeth,  280. 

Henry,   202,    277,    278,    279, 
280,  281. 

Mahlon,  228. 

Maiy,  280. 

Robert,  277. 

Samuel,  280. 

Sarah,  280,  281. 
Stevens,  Robert,  156. 
St.  Mary's  church,  Colestown,  205. 
Stiles,  Ephraim,  226,  384. 

Isaac,  247. 

Mary,  247. 

Priscilla,  226. 

Robert,  184,  225,  226,  321. 
vStoy,  James,  373. 

John,  65. 

Joseph  C,  73,  320. 
Story,  Thomas,  235. 
Stockdale,  Jarvis,  104,  106. 

Mary,  141. 
Stokes,  Thomas,  120,  301,  302,  303, 

304,305- 

Charles,  303. 

Deliverance,  304. 

Hannah,  123,  204,  304. 

Jacob,  190,  304,  306. 

John,  185,  301,  302,  303,  304, 

306,  368. 
Joseph,  303,  311,384. 
Joshua,    120,    123,    152,  244, 

304,  305- 
Kesiah,  304. 
Lydia,  304. 
Maiy,  303,  311. 
Rachel,  304. 
Rosanna,  82,  304,  368. 
Samuel,  244,  368. 
Sarah,  303. 
Strand,  Abraham,  219. 


440 


INDEX. 


Stratto'n,  David,  136. 
Sturgeon,  William,  208. 
Sturgiss,  Anthony,  252,  253. 
SuRKETT,  John,  91. 
SwANSON,  Bridget,  329. 

Catharine,  329. 

John,  329. 

Judith,  329. 


SWANSON,  Lydia,  329. 
Mary,  329. 
Peter,  329. 
Swan,  329. 
Wallo,  329. 

SWEDESBORO  church,    289. 

SWETT,  Benjamin,  93,  130. 
Sykes,  Nathaniel,  217. 


Tallman, ,  185. 

Tatem,  Joseph  B.,  221, 

Sarah,  254. 

William  P.,  184. 
Tathan,  John,  76. 
Taylor,  Anthony,  217. 

Samuel,  142. 
Thackara,  Thomas,  12,  17,  24,  25, 
45,  49,  52,  57,  58,  60,  61, 
62,  63,  64,  65,  66,  153,  296, 

317.  372,  374- 

Abigail,  46. 

Ann,  46. 

Benjamin,  45,  46,  61,  64,  65, 
91,  152,  169,  368. 

Christopher,  57. 

Daniel,  57. 

Elizabeth,  46. 

Hannah,  46,  57,  64,'  65,  97, 
368. 

Hepsibah,  64. 

Isaac,  46. 

Jacob,  45,  46. 

James,  45,  62. 

Joseph,   45,    61,    62,    64,    65, 
332. 

Margaret,  46. 

Mark,  46. 

Mary,  46,  64,  97. 

Rachel,  46. 

Richard,  296. 

Sarah,  64,  372,  375. 

Stephen,  45,  61,  65. 

William,  46,  65. 
Thomas,  Gabriel,  226,  279,  285,  373. 

Hannah,  82. 

Jonathan,  204. 

Mercy,  82. 

Samuel,  82. 
Thompson,  Ann,  179. 

John,  216. 

Peter,  247. 
Thorne,  Abigail,  245. 

Elizabeth,  245. 


Thorne,  Hannah,  245. 

John,  133,  243,  245,  246,  247. 

Joseph,  52,  229,  246,  275. 

Mary,  245. 

Samuel,  246. 

Sarah,  245,  320. 

Thomas,  243,  244,   245,  246, 

321- 

William,  246. 
Tll.TON,  Esther,  293. 

John,  293. 

Mary,  293. 
TiLY,  Nathaniel,  274. 

Elizabeth,  274. 

Maiy,  274. 
TiNDALL,  Joseph,  317. 

Sarah,  133. 
Todd,  William,  236. 
Toms,  William,  102. 
TOMLINSON,  Joseph,   120,  191,    192, 
193.    194,    195.    197.    200, 
321. 

Ann,  197. 

Catharine,  198. 

Daniel,  199. 

Ebenezer,  197. 

Eleanor,  108,  198. 

Elizabeth,  197,  198. 

Ephraim,  120,  197,   198,  236, 

259- 

Hannah,  198. 

Isaac,  198. 

John,  162,  197,  198,  200,  366. 

Joseph,  197,  198. 

Lydia,  321. 

Margaret,  197. 

Mary,  197,  198,  1 99. 

Othniel,  197,  199. 

Richard,  197. 

Samuel,  198,  199. 

William,  197,  198,  199. 
Tonkins,  Edward,  204. 
Townsend,  Isaac,  108. 
Toy,  Elias,  52,  178,  210,  333. 


INDEX. 


441 


Trafford,  Thomas,  48. 

Trent,  William,  228. 

Tredway,  Henry,  228,  328. 

Troth,  Jacob,  224. 

Tuft,  John,  46. 

Turner,  Robert,  13,  26,  38,  49,  50, 
54,  57,  58,  59,  67,  68,  69, 
107,  140,  146,  147,  150, 
159,  161,  316,  339,  340, 
342,  343,  349,  350. 


Turner,  Edward,  342. 

George,  245. 

John,  221. 

Martha,  342. 

Maiy,  342. 

Susanna,  342. 
Tyler,  Mary,  219. 

William,  219. 


Upper  Dinidock,  360. 


u 


UXBRIDGE,   131,   132,  229. 


Vanlear,  Benjamin,  190,  306. 


V 


Varlo,  Charles,  313. 


w 


Wade,  Edward,  215. 

John,  209. 

Lydia,  197. 
Wallace,  Philip,  209. 

Mary,  209. 
Wall,  James,  52. 
Ward,  Abigail,  82,  369. 

George,  328. 
Warner,  William,  162,  328,  329. 
Warrick,  Beulah,  163. 
Watkins,  Christopher,  95. 
Watts,  Sarah,  140. 
Webster,  Josiah,  153. 

Samuel,  108,  120,  153. 

Thomas,  259. 
Welch,  William,  342. 
West  New  Jersey  Society,  139.  174. 
West,  Deborah,  347. 
Wharton,  John,  93. 

Tradt,  93. 
Whitall,  Hannah,  65,  372,  375. 

James,  19,  21,  362. 

Job,  65,  136. 

John,  61,  64,  65,  66,  282,  374, 

375- 

Mary,  65. 

Sarah,  133. 
White,  John,  17,  18,  373. 

Joseph,  15,  18. 

William,  18. 
WiCKACO,  329. 

34 


Wild,  Elizabeth,  204. 

James,  203,  204,  244,  310. 

John,  204. 

Jonathan,  204. 

Rachel,  204,  310. 

Samuel,  204. 

Sarah,  204. 
Wildon,  Richard,  291. 
Wilkins,  Arsuba,  19. 

John,  235. 
Willard,  iVbigail,  298. 

Heniy,  332. 

James,  332. 

Judith,  332. 

Thomas,  332. 
Willis,  Esther,  104. 

Henry,  19,  104. 

John,  112,  115,  130,  161,  163, 
164,  304. 

Thomas,  112,  115,  130. 
WiLLiTS,  Charles  L.,  241,  243. 

Jeremiah,  77,  244. 

Nathan  B.,  243. 
Wills,  Daniel,  79,  91,  203,  231,  232, 
277. 

Elizabeth,  97,  384. 

Hope,  384. 

James,  169. 

Joab,  136. 

John,  91,  356. 

Rebecca,  197. 


442 


INDEX. 


Wills,  Thomas,  384. 

Wilson,  Jonathan,  280. 

Winn,  Elizabeth,  35. 

WiSTAR,  Richard,  198. 

Withers,  Thomas,  217. 

Wood,  Abigail,  94,  178,  332,  333. 

Alice,  330. 

Benjamin,  169,  176,  178,332, 

333- 
Constantine,    120,    327,    328, 

330- 
Elizabeth,  45,  178,  332,  333. 
Esther,  326,  330. 
Hannah,  94,  178,  332,  333. 
Henry,    32,  65,  91,  94,  202, 

219,    220,    294,    297, 
*  328,    329.    330,    331, 

Isaac,  118. 

James,  220,  221,  332. 

Jane,  ZZZ- 

Jeremiah,  327,  328. 

John,  65,  95,  326,  327, 

329.  330-  333- 
Jonathan,  327. 
Joseph,  194,  316,  329,  330. 
Judith,  332,  m. 
Mary,  178,  204,  326,  330,  ZZZ- 


327, 
332, 


328, 


Wood,  Richard,  332. 

Sarah,  326,  330. 

Thomas,  326. 

William,  326,  328. 
WOODNUTT,  Richard,  218. 
WOODROSE,  Thomas.  216. 
WOOLSTAN,  Elizabeth,  91. 

Hannah,  90,  91. 

John,  87,  90,  91. 

Jonathan,  90,  91,  97. 

Joshua,  91. 

Latitia,  244. 

Maiy,  90, 

Michael,  91. 

Rebecca,  91. 

Samuel,  90,  97. 

Sarah,  90. 
Wright,  Constance,  370. 

Hannah,  370. 

John,  252,  367,  370,  373. 

Rachel,  303,  304. 

Richard,  225,  367,  370. 

Sarah,  370. 

Thomas,  64,  358,  359. 
Wyatt,  Bartholemew,  197, 198, 

Elizabeth,  197,  198. 

Sarah,  198. 


Yegou,  Peter,  358,  359. 
Yegou's  Island,  Burlington,  359. 


Y 


Yorkshire  Commissioners,  12,  87. 
Young,  Hemy,  299. 


Zane,  Robert,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16, 
17,  18,  20,  21,  22,  25,  49, 
59,  60,  61,  146,  215,  216, 
284. 

Abigail,  19. 

Ebenezer,  19,  21. 

Elizabeth,  19. 

Elnathan,  19,  146. 

Esther,  19,  20. 

Hannah,  iq* 

Isaac,  19,  21,  22. 


Zane,  Jonathan,  19,  21,  52. 
Joseph,  19,  20. 
Margaret,  19. 
Nathaniel,  19,  20. 
Rachel,  19. 
Rebecca,  19. 
Sarah,  19. 
Silas,  21. 
Simeon,  19. 
William,  19. 


CORRECTIONS. 


Page  73,  second  paragraph;  for  "south,"  read  "north."  Page  89,  second 
paragraph;  for  "lead,"  read  "led."  Page  1 10,  foot-note;  omit  "O.  S.  G." 
after  458.  Page  161,  last  paragraph;  for  "Low,"  read  "Lowe."  Page  170; 
for  "Shackle,"  read  "  Shable."  Page  184,  last  paragraph;  for  "being  for- 
merly," read  "and."  Page  202;  in  foot-notes  5  and  7,  read  "Bi,"  &c. 
Page  213,  first  paragraph;  transpose  the  words  "Griffith"  and  "Griffin." 
Page  226,  first  paragraph;  for  "saw-mill,"  read  "corn-mill."  Page  253,  near 
the  top;  for  "saw-mill,"  read  "corn-mill."  Page  303,  near  the  bottom; 
insert  the  word  "by"  between  "owned"  and  "Mark  Ballinger."  Page  304, 
top  line;  for  "south  side  by,"  read  "north  by  the  south  side  of."  Page  345, 
last  line;  for  "thus,"  read  "then."  Page  357,  near  the  bottom;  for  "here- 
tofore," read  "hereafter."  Page  384,  third  paragraph,  seventh  line;  insert 
"subsequent  meetings"  before  "continued." 


EXPLANATION 

<3f  the  Numbers  Found  upon  the  Accompanying  Map. 


No.  on 
Map. 

I 


4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

ID 
II 
12 
13 

14 

15 
i6 

17 
i8 

19 

20 
21 
22 
23 


Name  of  the  Locator. 
1,600  acre.s  to  Mark  Newbie,  Thomas  Thackara, 
Robert   Zane,   George    Goldsmith    and   Thomas 
Sharp. 
250  acres  to  William  Bates. 

TOO   acres  to   Mark    Newbie,  Thomas  Thackara, 
Robert   Zane,   William    Bates,   Thomas    Sharp 
and  Robert  Turner. 
300  acres  to  William  Cooper. 
450  acres  to  William  Roydon  (also  the  island). 
350  acres  to  Mark  Newbie. 
500  acres  to  Francis  Collins. 
450  acres  to  Francis  Collins. 
490  acres  to  Henry  Stacy. 
500  acres  to  Richard  Mathews. 
28  acres  to  John  White. 
400  acres  to  Robert  Turner. 

500  acres  to  Robert  Turner. 

1,500  acres  to  Samuel  Norris. 

250  acres  to  Thomas  Carlton. 

900  acres  to  Robert  Turner. 

18  acres  to  John  Ashton. 

500  acres  to  John  Willis. 

1 1 7  acres  to  Francis  Collins. 

220  acres  to  William  Albertson. 

220  acres  to  Robert  Turner. 

200  acres  to  Richard  Arnold. 

500  acres  to  Robert  Turner. 


Reference  to  Record. 


Revel's 

Book, 

25- 
53- 

" 

25- 

32. 

95- 

,j 

42. 
39- 
39- 

« 

37- 
38. 

39- 

44. 

51- 
52. 
S3- 
51- 
25- 

Lib. 

A,  12 

80. 

Revel's 

Book 

39- 

ib.T,355,O.S.G. 

Revel's 

Book 

.51- 

Basse's 

Book 

.27. 

Revel's 

Book 

,51- 

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