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HISTORY
OF
CHATHAM NOW JE
F 144 CA9PS
1800
Class FIAT
Book , CA9P5
PRESENTED BY
Brief History of Chatham
Morris County, New Jersey
By Charles A. Philhower, M. A.
New York Lewis Historical Publishing Co. 1914
Gin Author ( Forma)
DEC _2 1915
PREFACE
The first thought of compiling this history of Chatham was prompted by the assembling of certain facts concerning the town for use in composing a community drama entitled "Amanda Minton's Dream." After the writing of this play by Mr. H. T. Strong and myself, and the successful rendi- tion of it by "The Chatham Players," I set about to amplify the brief data assembled and to put that which I found in readable form. Urgent requests were made by many of the citizens of the town that the material collected be published. When the History of Morris County was undertaken in 1913 by the Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Mr. Chas. M. Lum was chosen as one of thic editorial staff, and it was in response to Mr. Lum's request that this brief sketch was written for that publication. After the manuscript was finally accepted many of the citizens of the town expressed the desire to have the material bound in a separate pamphlet. This was found feasible at a small expense on the publishing side, and in consequence this history of the town is submitted.
Grateful acknowledgment is herewith made to all who contributed in any way whatsoever to this work. Especially do I wish to make mention of the materials presented by H. T. Strong, James R. Littlejohn, Wm. H. Lum, Geo. Spencer, Guy Minton, Washington Bond, Nelson Kelley, Sr., and Miss Phoebe Potter.
The work done by Mr. James R. Littlejohn in compiling data and making the maps in this pamplilet is of inestimable worth.
While individuals might observe omissions and question certain state- ments, the greatest precaution has been exercised, and wherever it has been thoughit advisable the source of information has been interpolated in the text.
C. A. P.
Oct. 9, 1914.
CONTENTS.
Geological Story. Geological formation-Glacial period-Lake Passaic-Dead Lake.
I
Indian Occupation . Land of Scheyichbi - Minsi Indians - Local tribes - Passaics - Sachems-Indian villages.
2
Early Settlement New York-Bergen-Newark-Elizabeth Town-First Purchases- Gov. Nicholls-Geo. Carteret-Confirmations to inhabitants of Newark- Assignment to Robt. Gordon-Settlement at Whippany-West Jersey Proprietors-Conflicting Claims-First Settlers-Development of town east of river.
4
Revolutionary Period. Declaration of war-Gen. Chas. Lee and his army-Col. Ford's Militia-Gen. Maxwell's Troops-Gen. Sullivan-Tories-Sentinel at Prospect Hill-Revolutionary Soldiers-Patriotism of Whigs-Col. Shel- don - New Jersey Journal - Shepard Kollock - Chatham Imprints - Encampment at Lowantica, 1776-1777-Count D'Anteroche-Exchange of Prisoners-Encampment at Morristown, 1779-'80-General Court- martial at Chatham-Inroads of British Soldiery-Gen. Maxwell's Brigade-Battle of Connecticut Farms-Battle of Springfield-Mutiny of N. J. Troops-French and Continental Troops March through Chat- ham. 1781-Imprisonment of Capt. Asgill-Poem "Chatham Bridge."
IO
The War of 1812-Visit from Lafayette
26
Churches Indian Missionary, Rev. David Brainard-Presbyterian Church at Bottle llill-Methodist Church at Turkey-Union Church at Chatham- First Presbyterian Church-First Methodist Church-Catholic Church- Congregational Church-Episcopal Church-Cemeteries.
26
The Public Schools. Old Log School House-"Old Academy"-Teachers of the Acad- emy-School on Passaic Avenue-School on Fairmount Avenue-List of Principals-Private Schools-Schools at Coleman's Hill, Union Hill, and Long Hill-State School Funds-Nathaniel Niles.
30
Travel Minisink Path-Road to Elizabeth Town-Newark and Morris Turn- pike-Original Names of Streets-Morris & Essex R. R .- D. L. & W. R. R .- Morris County Traction Co .- Elevation of Railroad Tracks.
34
Hotels, Stores and Post Offices. Timothy Day's Tavern-Crowell's Tavern-Condit's Tavern-Mer- chants: Jacob Morrell, Foster Horton, Rev. James Caldwell. "Gen." Mahlon Minton-Postmasters : Daniel Crane, Wm. R. MacDougal- Stanley Post Office.
35
Chatham Fish and Game Protective Association-Chatham Wheelmen .38
38
Industries "Old Forges" -- Distillery-Saw Mills-Flour Mills-Brick Making- Rose Growing-Vapo-cresoline-Building Sand.
41
Bobilation Day
Doctors and Lawyers. 41 Dr. John C. Budd-Dr. Jephtha B. Munn-Dr. Geo. M. Swaim, et al. Lawyers: Frederick H. Lum-Chas. M. Lum-Guy Minton, et. al.
Slavery 11
Civil War. 45
Liberty Pole-Company C, 15th N. J .- List of soldiers from Chatham.
Modern Growth. 47 Chatham Library-Chatham Press-Village of Chatham, Borough of Chatham-Mayoralty of Frederick H. Lum-Mayoralty of Frank L. Kelley.
Officials of the Borough of Chatham, 1913. 49
ILLUSTRATIONS:
The Munn House, McLaughlan House, Railroad Station. Bonnel House, Day House, Morrell House. Lum House, Chatham Hotel. Stanley Mill, Parrot Mill.
MAPS: Plots of land, 1695. Jolin Day's Bridge, 1749. Map of Revolutionary Time. Map of 1845.
HISTORY OF CHATHAM
The history of Chatham may be considered under seven divisions, as follows: Geological story, Indian occupation, early settlement, Revolu- tionary period, community development, Civil War period, and modern growth.
While the geological story of a locality is popularly not deemed a part of its history, yet it seems permissible to include such consideration when the record is especially noteworthy. Consequently, since the vicinity of Chatham has had a most remarkable geological carcer, it has been concluded wise both from the point of interest and of information to make it a part of this brief treatment.
The region about Chatham like all others has passed through those formal periods of geological history which in the aggregate cover approxi- mately from 75.000,000 to 100,000,000 years. It had its beginning of life in the Archean era, when from 5,000 to 10,000 feet of sandstone and shale were laid down on various parts of the earth's crust. Then came the period of old life or paleozoic era at which time contemporaneously with the forma- tion of limestones, quartzites, and schists, swarms of animal life filled the waters and impenetrable jungles of vegetable growth covered the land. At the expiration of this period which possibly marks the termination of some 80,000,000 years, our specially considered locality had not yet protruded from the antediluvian seas.
Within the mesozoic era or period of middle life massive beds of red sandstone were deposited to the depth of 15,000 feet, and the vicinity of north central Jersey became a part of the continental mass of land. Soon after this event a great geological catastrophe took place. Those gigantic strata which made up the immediate bed-rock of much of the eastern part of Morris county were tilted, bent, warped, and broken. Great upheavals of molten rock emitted from the interior of the earth and the consequent result was the Long Hill Mountain, the First and Second Watchung Mountains, Riker's, and Hook's Mountains, together with the Palisades on the Hudson. On the outskirts of these mountains abbreviated lava flows were deposited and across the valleys dikes of trap rock were pushed up as adamantine as the surrounding hills.
For some unknown reason the climatic conditions changed and in a brief geological period which followed, this region of volcanic heat and eruption was transformed into one of a most arctic character. It should be stated however that this transformation took place within that modern geo- logical time known as the cenozoic era or period of new life. There was so much snow and the cold was so intense that a great layer of ice was formed over the whole upper half of North America, reaching as far south as central New Jersey. This enormous ice sheet had a depth of a mile or more, and the limit of the southward advance of this extensive glacier was marked by a long line of glacial gravel which passed through what is now Chatham in its upward curve across the State from the site of Amboy on the
2
HISTORY OF CHATHAM
coast to Riegelsville on the Delaware. Later there was another change in the climate and the thick floor of ice began to melt. Large streams of water flooded over this ice front and eventually heaped up great mounds of gravel like Coleman's Hill, Duchamp's, and Molitor's sand pits. In certain stagnant pools a silty limestone sediment was laid down making clay beds like those of the old brick yard and the deposit west of Passaic avenue, in the vicinity of the old school. Previous to this glacial period the trunk stream which drained the country west of the Watchung Mountains flowed through a deep gap beneath what is now Morris avenue in Summit. When the glacier receded this gap was filled with gravel and sand to a depth of about 200 feet, and the water from the melting ice was shut in behind the hills making a lake extending from Pompton and Little Falls around to Millington and the Great Swamp. When this lake was at its maximum depth the vicinity of Chatham was about 150 feet beneath its surface, and the outlet was at Muggy Hollow near Liberty Corner. Finally the lake broke through the First and Second Watchung Mountains at Little Falls and Paterson, and drained the consequent valley through the present stream bed of the Passaic river. The gravel of the terminal moraine originally piled up by the glacier formed a barrier in the drainage of this lake at Stanley, and for a consid- erable time a minor body of water referred to in geological history as Dead Lake, extended southwestward from Stanley towards Millington. This
lake eventually broke through the gravel deposit at Stanley, and the Passaic Valley throughout its whole extent was finally drained, leaving no vestige of the former lake excepting shore deposits now observed here and there on the hill sides. (U. S. Geolog. Survey, Passaic Folio I.) Even to the present day remembrance of "old Lake Passaic" is had in the springtime in the way of the freshet which overflows the meadows for many miles. After its drainage there were without doubt many marshes left in the vicinity of the lake bottom. That locality known from the earliest settlement as the "sunken lands" in and about Canoe Brook is a typical form of those marshes.
Considerable evidence attests that the hills and valleys of this region were overrun with animals of a gigantic size. Direct proof of this is had in finding about the year 1865 the teeth and bones of a mastodon in the bottom of a spring in the sunken lands on the Morhouse farm. One of these teeth is now in the possession of Mr. David Dickinson. However plentiful these animals might have been very few remains are found, and it is certain that they were extinct long before the coming of the American Indian.
Indian Occupation-The Lenni-Lenape Indians who were the original inhabitants of the land of Scheyichbi ( Indian name for New Jersey) came into this country from beyond the Delaware or Lenapewihittuck (The River of the Lenape) at a very early date, probably 800 to 1000 years ago. [ Stockton's "Stories of New Jersey," p. II.] These Indians were divided into three divisions; the Minsi of the northern part of New Jersey, the Unami of the Central, and the Unalachtigo of the southern part. The vicinity of Chatham lay within the dominion of the Minsi. The central seat of their encampment however was back of the Blue Mountains along the Delaware north of the Water Gap. It is said that regularly in the spring- time these Indians would migrate over the old Minisink trail, which path came through Culver's Gap, by way of Lake Hopatcong, through Dover, and Chatham, through the Short Hill's Gap, thence to Elizabeth Town, and across the Raritan at Perth Amboy to Shrewsbury Inlet. There they would enjoy themselves feeding on the oysters of the coast. The name Minisink Crossing which was applied to the ford of the Passaic River in Chatham
3
MORRIS COUNTY
derived its name from this practice, and was one of a number of river cross- ings in the path leading from the Minisink country.
It is questionable whether that tribe of Indians known as the Sanhicans which lived on the flats east of the Watchungs, and were inveterate enemies of the Manhatae held dominion west of the Watchung Mountains. [ Barber & Howe, p. 60.] Tradition has it that the local tribe of Indians resi- dent in the Passaic Valley in and about Chatham were known as the Passaics or Passaya. The name Passaic is of Indian origin, and was without doubt the name of the tribe which inhabited the valley west of the Watchungs. The original pronunciation is rather uncertain. Even the word Pecheise is used in early documents. [Answer to Bill of Chan- cery, p. 38.] Various members of the tribe pronounced the name with slight variations in consequence of speech impediments and char- acteristic enunciations. This is evidenced by the various spellings of the name in the old Indian deeds and consignments. The following are some of the original spellings: Passaya, Pessaya, Pessayak, Passayonck, Pasagack, Passawa, Pasawack, Pishawack, Passawick, Pesawick, Piscawick, Pesainck, Pesoick, Passaiacke, Pissaick, Pisaicke, Passick, Passaick, Passaic. [Col- lected from N. J. Arch., Ist series, vol. xxi.] It will be observed that there is a rather interesting evolution of the pronunciation from Passaya to Pas- saic. The first spelling given is that found in an Indian deed to Arent Schuyler, dated June 6, 1695, and is doubtless the most nearly correct of any. The Minisink Crossing of the Passaic is sometimes referred to as the crossing of the Fishawack in the valley of the great Watchung. This word Fishawack is probably a corruption of Pishawack. The letter P was pos- sibly misinterpreted for the letter F. The Indian interpretation of the word is a valley, however the word Passayak has been interpreted as meaning peace.
John Reid's account of the "mountainous districk" of Nova Caesarea, 1685, states "Indian natives are few." [The Model of the Government of the Province of East New Jersey in America, Edinburgh, John Reid, 1685, p. 70.] Reference to a tribe of Indians called the Passayoncks is made in the "Hand Book of American Indians" and reads as follows: "A Delaware village on Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania in 1648. Macaulay calls the band a part of the Manta, and says that they lived along the west bank of the lower Delaware extending into the state of Delaware." [Hand Book of American Indians, ii, p. 208.] Manta according to Brinton is a corruption of Monthee, the dialectic form of Munsee or Minsi among the Mahicans and tribes of Northeast Jersey. Later these east Jersey Indians lived on the eastern bank of the Delaware in the vicinity of Salem. This is quite con- clusive evidence that the Passayoncks were none other than a division of the Minsi who occupied the Passaic valley in the 16th century, left this lo- cality in the early part of the 17th century, and migrated to south Jersey where in the 18th century they were incorporated with the Unalachtigo Dela- wares. Thence they went to Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. In consequence the Passaic Valley was found in 1685, according to John Reid, inhabited by few Indians.
The names of sachems or chiefs of the petty kingdoms east of the Passaic were Seweckroneck, Mindowaskein, and Canundus. The Indian sachems living on the western side of the Passaic and at the foot of Long Hill (known and called by the Indians Tantomwom) were Sennachus, Non- sechem, and Nowenock. [Bill of Chancery, pp. 56-59.]
Much evidence concerning the location of Indian villages in this vicinity
4
HISTORY OF CHATHAM
is obtained through the implements picked up. From arrow heads and stone axes found it has been concluded that there were camp sites at the following places : Dickinson's farm, the Budd farm down Budd Lane, Coleman's Hill, Duchamp's sand pit, the spring near the pumping station, the bluff on the western bank of the Passaic north of Main street, the knoll on the Vander- poel estate, the hillside in the vicinity of Stanley, and the farm of Mr. Schwartz on the Black Swamp. Some of these sites were probably not permanent, being used occasionally during the wanderings of the Indians over the state. As recently as the early part of the 19th century the Indians were known to pass through Chatham on their way to the coast. The late Barnabas Bond said that he remembered the Indians stopping for the night in his father's barn, and that he had vivid recollections of seeing them pay for their night's lodging by performing a war dance in the morning as an amusement for the town folk. It is said that up to 1850 delegations were sent from the remnant tribes of this locality living at that time in the west, to look over their old hunting fields in the Passaic Valley, the Indian burial ground at Hanover Neck, and to renew in their traditional history recollec- tions of the old land marks. [Tradition. reported by Wm. Budd. ]
Previous to the year 1680 the Watchung Mountains formed a frontier barrier beyond which the white man dared not venture. Hostile Indians had their encampments dotted throughout this wilderness, and trails led from one Indian settlement to another. The clearings along the banks of the Passaic are said to have been the scene of many a battle between the aboriginal tribes. The fields beyond the Cheapside Bridge are often referred to as one of these battle grounds. The Indian has now long since left this valley and the only recollection of him at the present time is the occasional arrow-head picked up by the farmer or the student of Indian lore.
Early Settlement-It was seventy-five years or more after Henry Hud- son first sailed up the river bearing his name, in 1609, before any settlement was made by the white man beyond the Watchung Mountains. A trading post was established at Bergen (Jersey City) in 1614, and scattered settle- ments were made at Hoboken in 1641. After the Indian massacre in 1643 and the consequent outbreak of the Indians against the whites in Pavonia (name for the Jersey shore of the Hudson) in 1654, emigrants were advised to make their settlements in groups in order to protect themselves from the Indians. In consequence of this. the first concentrated settlement was made at Bergen, 1660. Four years later a settlement at Elizabeth Town was headed by Daniel Denton, and in 1666 some New Englanders from Connec- ticut settled at Newark. It was from these settlements, particularly the latter, that carly adventurers came into the land beyond the Great Watchung. One of the first descriptions of this territory is contained in the follow- ing: "There are little hills from the Raritan River which is about the middle of this Province, that go to the very North-West bounds of it, in which are abundant of good Mill Stones to be had, and there are many, both corn and Saw Mills set and setting up already, also on the other side of these Moun- tains, there is found fresh Rivulets, fit for setting of In-Land-Towns, and a great deal of Meadow-ground upon the banks thereof so that there is abund- ance of Hay to be had for Foddering of Cattle in the Winter time and these meadows show the Country is not altogether covered with Timber." [The model of the Gov. of the Prov. of East New Jersey in America, Edinburgh, John Reid, 1685, p. 68.]
The first purchase including the territory west of the Watchung Moun-
5
MORRIS COUNTY
tains was made by Governor Nicolls, on October 28, 1684, from the Indian chief Matano. The land covered by this patent was of great dimension and embraced not only the present Union county, but also a small part of Morris county and a considerable portion of Somerset. The Nicolls Grant covering the western part of Morris county included Chatham. Stephen Osborn accompanied by the Indian sagamores marked out the boundaries of the purchase. The particular Indian who helped decide the western boundary was Wewanapo, a cousin of one of the sagamores that sold the land origin- ally. The line which was established on the 16th day of July, 1684, and set the first boundaries of Elizabeth Town, ran from Piscataway westward towards the Green river near where it comes out of the mountain; from thence the surveyors encompassed the foot of the mountain directed by the Indian till they came to the Minisink Path, and then came down to Elizabeth Town. It was affirmed however by an Indian chief that this compass in- cluded only a part of the town's land. [Hatfield's "History of Elizabeth Town." pp. 36 and 228.] When the boundaries of Elizabeth Town were definitely passed by the Assembly in October of the year 1693, a great part of Morris county was included within the township. It was described by the legislature as follows :- "The Township of Elizabeth Town shall include all the land from the mouth of the Raway River west to Woodbridge-Stake, and from thence westerly along the Line of the County to the Partition Line of the Province, and from the mouth of the said Raway River, up the Sound to the mouth of the Bound Creek, from thence to the Bound Hill, and from thence northwest to the Partition Line of the Province." This territory included Union county and large portions of Somerset, Hunterdon, Morris. Warren and Sussex counties including Chatham, Morristown, Schooley's Mountain and Newton. [Hatfield's Hist, Elizabeth Town, page 240.]
The Indian sachems, Wewanapo, Sennachus, and Nonsachem sold to George Carteret for the sum of £55, on April 23. 1680, a tract of land lying up in the mountains. This purchase lay upon the brook, "called by the Indians Oppinqua," (possibly Day's Brook), "there being a long mountain called by the Indians Tantomwom." Proof is given in the Bill of Chancery [p. 60] that this Long Mountain was Long Hill. If the Oppinqua were Day's Brook the purchase covered this immediate vicinity. It is possible that the brook referred to might have been the Black Brook of the Great Swamp. On October 30, 1684, Gawen Lowry and others of Elizabeth Town bought of the Indians, Seweckroneck, Mindowaskein, Canundus and We- wanapee large tracts about Green Brook and the Blue Hills ( the Watchung Mountains were referred to in the carly times as the Blue Hills). This pur- chase lay on the eastern side of the Passaic river and extended from Scotch Plains northward to the locality of Canoe brook. A part of this land is known in the Bill of Chancery as lots 125 and 126. [ Bill of Chan .. p. 56.]
Land was frequently purchased by the whites through deceptive bar- gainings with the unsophisticated Indians. A tricky method resorted to by the settlers in making purchases along the Passaic has been handed down to his posterity by Mr. Harvey Lum. Occasionally agreements were made for tracts of land as large as that which could be embraced with the hide of an ox. The Indian, thinking that the land in question was no larger than that which the hide would cover, made the exchange for a small consideration. But the interpretation placed on the bargain by the white man was quite different from that understood by the Indian. Instead of the land being the size of the hide, it was, to the contrary, of rather extensive dimensions. The
6
HISTORY OF CHATHAM
ox hide was cut into the narrowest possible strips and linked together into one continuous cord. In consequence of this strategy the land embraced be- came a lot of considerable size. On not a few occasions was property thus inveigled from the original inhabitants of this locality.
It appears in the records in Trenton among the deeds and assignments of land between 1664 and 1703 that small plots of land were sold to the inhabitants of Newark at the point where the Indian trail to Minisink crossed the Passaic river. Considering that the size of these plots was somewhere about twenty acres, one may justly conclude they were purchased for the purpose of making a settlement. Tuttle, in his history of the Pres- byterian Church of Madison, states that about 1685 a few families from Elizabethtown and Newark settled beyond the Watchung Mountains. The following confirmation shows that a number of the inhabitants of Newark had purchased land previous to the year 1698 at the Minisink crossing in Chatham and is rather conclusive evidence that a settlement was made soon after this date.
The following is an excerpt taken from the records in Trenton : "1698, March 28. Confirmation to Elizabeth, widow of David Ogden, in Newark, in right of her father, Capt. Samuel Swaine of Newark, deceased, of twenty acres there on the south side of Long Hill, south the road, west Nathaniel Wheeler and John Johnson, north George Day, east John Curtis and a piece of meadow, northeast Thomas Peirson, southeast the "great island," south- west Samuel Freeman, northwest the creek." [N. J. Arch., Ist series, vol. 21, p. 281.] Each of these landowners lived at the time in Newark. It is quite probable that Day and Peirson moved on their lands soon after this date. This particular tract was located west of the Passaic river and north of the Minisink trail. The great island referred to was without doubt the island in the river at the crossing which was possibly called, "the great island," in contradistinction to the little island at the crossing in Stanley. The location of this tract is most definitely determined through the com- bined references to Long Hill and this island, since there is no other island in the Passaic river to which reference may be made as, "the great island," in the vicinity of Long Hill. The statement that this land was on the side of Long Hill does not necessarily place it immediately on the slope of the mountain. The land at this juncture along the river might justly have been referred to at this time as lying on the side of Long Hill.
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