USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > A History of the city of Newark, New Jersey : embracing practically two and a half centuries, 1666-1913, Volume I > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
' Fortunately, a good description of the character of the ground in the immediate neighborhood of the First Church building (which stood where Branford place and Broad street now meet) is preserved, in the so-called Century Sermon, by the Rev. Dr. Alexander Macwhorter, the intrepid pastor of the Newark flock at the time of the War for Independence. It is in part as follows: "Behind it [the church] and between that and the hollow or swamp, upon the brow of the hill, was the old, or first, training ground. Beyond the hollow or swamp was the burying place, on a rising knoll or tongue of land, which divided this from a greater swamp or pond [the farthest west of the two ponds, probably] westward of which the land rose into another hill, then presently sunk into a flat or brook called the "watering place." This last hill was the original burying ground; but long since, more than one hundred years ago, [and the Century Sermon was preached In 1790] it, some way, became private property, has been occupied and cultivated as such, and not a trace of the cemetery there remains."
This establishes the fact that the "Old Burying Ground" was not the original burying place and that the latter was several hundred yards further west. It received the bodies of those first to die in the hamlet, and in all probability contained very few.
The Sermon further says: "[It was] poor land, chlefly swamp, com- prehending three small knolls of high and dry land fit for a cemetery. The western knoll of the three was early relinquished as a burying place, for what reasons not now known, though a number of the first dead were buried there. This knoll is not so much as claimed by the Church, though the swamp or pond, which divides it from the next knoll eastward, is."
We can readlly gather from the above that many a hillock and other rough place In the centre of the city was leveled down or filled in early In the town's history, for all traces of the hills Dr. Maewhortor speaks of disappeared many generations ago.
101
HISTORY OF NEWARK
Another of the vanished streams of Newark is Hayes' Brook. This was a branch of Bound Creek. Its source was near South Orange avenue. A branch joined it near West Kinney street. It closely followed the line of Peddie street, Badger avenue and Boyd street. On this rivulet was a mill, which stood immediately west of Elizabeth avenue, opposite the old Almshouse (1912). Although long deserted, the last vestiges of it did not disappear until about 1900. There was a bridge over this stream across Clinton avenue, near Elizabeth avenue, in use early in the last half of the last century.
There was also a branch of Hayes' Brook, starting near West Kinney and Broome streets, flowing south and crossing Clinton avenue near Wright street, joining the main stream just west of the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks.
THE PASSAIC; AN OLD-TIME DESCRIPTION.
Besides the streams mentioned above, there were two or three other smaller ones, draining the High street hillside, and whose exact locations are practically lost. There were many small ponds, too, gleaming and sparkling in the sunshine of that May morning in 1666 when the pioneer settlers, cruising slowly up Newark Bay and into the river, gazed upon the beautiful prospect.
It is not possible to leave the subject of Newark's water courses without some description of the Passaic, which, although it flows by Newark territory for but a very small proportion of its length, has had a tremendous influence upon Newark's welfare from the beginning. A most excellent description of the Passaic was written about 1834 for "Gordon's Gazeteer of the State of New Jersey," and it is given below:
"This stream is endowed with a very singular character. Rising in and flowing through a mountainous country, it is the most crooked, sluggish and longest of the State, and presents the two most profound cataracts, and the greatest hydraulic force. Its extreme source is near Mendham, Morris county, where its head waters interlock with those of the north branch of the Rari- tan. Thence it flows a little east of south about 10 miles, in which distance it has considerable fall, turns several mills, and forms
102
HISTORY OF NEWARK
the boundary between Somerset and Morris counties; thence, turned by Stony Hill of the former county, at the north base of which it receives Dead River, it assumes a northeast course by the foot of Long Hill, dividing Morris from Essex county.
"On this line for 20 miles it steals its way, partly through a narrow vale and partly through a broad valley, with scarce a ripple or a murmur to indicate its course; and consequently with few mill-works of any kind. At the southwest point of the Horse Shoe mountain it receives the Rockaway River, which, having had for many miles a rapid, spirited and useful course, assumes the torpor of its recipient and spreads itself as if seeking rest after its hurried flow and mighty labors.
"Collecting its waters, the united stream meanders along the curve of Horse Shoe Mountain about 8 miles, when, deflected by the northeastern point, it inclines to the Second Mountain, still preserving its monotonous and sluggish character. But in its way through the mountain that character is suddenly changed for high and admirable energy. By two perpendicular leaps and a rocky rapid it descends, at the Little Falls, 51 feet in the distance of half a mile, into the valley north of the First Mountain.
"The first fall has a comparatively gentle and certainly a very beautiful appearance. It is 10 feet deep and more than a hundred yards broad, and has been artificially formed into a broad angle opening down the stream, over which the whole river, but now still and lifeless as a sea of glass, is precipitated in two broad and dense sheets * * * and then, hastening rapidly away beneath the bold and lofty arch of the aqueduct of the Morris Canal, as if regretting and gladly seeking its broken quiet. * * *
"Between the Little and the Great Falls, a distance of 51% miles, the river is broken by some inconsiderable ripples which afford sufficient fall for mills but do not much disturb the placidity of its course. But before the great leap it is again composed into a steady calm, as if concentrated for a new and more vigorous effort. Ere it reaches the perpendicular pitch, it rolls over the artificial dam, erected by the Passaic Manufacturing Company, and
a low ledge of rocks; and then pours itself in one unbroken column, 50 feet in altitude, into a deep and narrow chasm of about 60 feet in width; through which it dashes, foams and roars into a broad and still basin which it has excavated for itself. From this it roars impetuously by a rapid descent of 20 feet, beneath the level of Paterson plain, curbed by walls of trap rock and sandstone, whose loose and disjointed character has enabled the stream to excavate its passage through the deep chasm.
"From Paterson to the port of Acquackanonck, where the river meets the tide, its course is again sweetly still; and the tide waters of no river can present a more charming scene. The
103
HISTORY OF NEWARK
shore, spreading like an amphitheatre upon either side, is covered with verdure and studded with dwellings and other monuments of successful industry, which give it the appearance of a highway through a thrifty village; whilst the clear and quiet waters tempt the spectator to venture upon their bosom.
"Few rivers present more attractions than the Passaic River between Paterson and Newark, above the marshes; nor are the charms of its beautiful scenery diminished by the sport which the stream offers to the patient follower of Izaak Walton in the finny tribe with which it is stored. From Acquackanonck to the head of Newark Bay the distance may be 15 miles, and thus the whole course of the river is about 70 miles, in passing through which it has looked to every quarter of the compass save the west."
Such was the Passaic River some sixty years before it began to show signs of serious pollution (1890), about the time Newark became a city (in 1836) and when the other communities along its banks were villages. No wonder all Newarkers and all dwellers along the river's banks spoke and wrote of it with enthusiasm.
ANCIENT FORESTS; KINDS OF TREES!
The town site was not densely wooded throughout its entire extent. One of the largest forests was unquestionably that which filled a goodly portion of the Hackensack and part of the Newark meadows. It was of cedar and was partly destroyed by the advance of the salt marshes ages ago. It lay directly west and southwest of Snake Hill and it was thick enough to afford shelter for bandits along the line of the Turnpike early in the last century, when it was cut down to destroy the cover for the outlaws who there lay in wait for foot travelers or for insufficiently guarded coaches. In some sections the forest was so dense, at some early period, that engineers inspecting the meadows have found it difficult to run down a rod in the marsh without striking a log. Stumps of trees are still visible. Mention is made of these forests in a State geological report for 1868, as follows:
"The marshes about the mouths of the Passaic and Hacken- sack rivers are filled with the remains of cedar timber; and every traveler who crosses them by any of the railroads going to New York can see the timber in the ditches, the stumps standing in the meadows and occasionally a log projecting from the mud. In
10
HISTORY OF NEWARK
addition to this, stumps can be seen almost down to low water mark in the hard earth along the Newark Bay shore, between Bergen Point and the mouth of the Hackensack; and farther up the valley, north of the Erie Railroad, there are cedar swamps in which the gradual dying out of the trees is seen to be now in progress."
The settlers found no pine trees in their territory. There was an abundance of other varieties, however, including the following: oak, red, white and black, and the pin oak (which derives its name from the fact that it was used for making pins, used in fastening beams in house frames and for other similar purposes) which grew on the edges of the swamps; chestnut, hickory, several varieties of the elm, beech, black and white birch, black and white ash, tulip, maple, including the sugar maple, from which the settlers made molasses; sycamore, often of great size; both the sweet and bitter gum; dogwood, cherry, persimmon and wild apple. Many small fruits are believed to have been native to Jersey soil and to this region, including grapes, plums, raspberries, strawberries, currants, mulberries, peaches, persimmons, apples and quinces.5
THE WILD ANIMALS.
The only wild animals that gave the founders serious concern were the wolves. There were lots of them, and they were a great pest, ravaging the crops, destroying many of the smaller domestic animals and sometimes menacing the people, while their howling made the night hideous, at times, for a generation or more after the settlement. Their shining eyeballs were often seen gleaming through the chinks in the houses, and their prowlings often set the livestock in the tightly locked barns and outhouses in an uproar. One of the first items in the Minute Book is this: "The Town agreed that any Man that would take Pains to kill Wolves, he or they, for their Encouragement, should have 15s for every grown Wolf that they kill, and this to be paid by the Town Treasury." In 1680 the bounty was raised to 20 shillings and
" Wickes' "History of the Oranges."
-
105
HISTORY OF NEWARK
later lowered to 12 shillings. Rattlesnakes and copperheads, still to be met with in the northern part of the State, were a constant menace to Newark's settlers.
There were bear, elk, deer, panther, fox, coon, beaver, otter, as well as the muskrat and other small animals. It is a remark- able fact that red foxes were found in the Newark meadows as late as 1906 and one was shot in Weequahic Park a few years later by a park policeman. A bounty of ten shillings was offered in 1680 for the head of every full grown bear and five for that of a cub. But bears were not nearly so troublesome as the wolves. Bears were occasionally seen during the first years of the last century. Deer were often seen from the very doors of the houses in thickly settled sections until 1800, and for a short time there- after. There was plenty of sport for the hunter in Newark throughout the first quarter of the last century.
LAND READY FOR THE SETTLER.
The Newark territory presented no great natural difficulties to overcome, as the pioneers viewed it; for to them the meadows seem to have been no drawback, and there were no sterile sections, no high mountains, no cliffs, ravines or other disturbing features. All seemed ready to their hands for comparatively swift develop- ment to their uses. The topography of Newark has changed but little by man's touch in two hundred and fifty years. The minor roughnesses have, of course, been levelled to meet the needs of the growing community, but the actual elevations remain much as they were, except for the filling in of the marshes here and there within the city proper and upon its eastern edge. The highest elevation to-day is 228 feet above sea level at the corner of Lenox avenue and Geneva street, in the Vailsburg section, and it was probably the highest when the settlers came. Previous to the annexation of Vailsburg the highest point was at the corner of Fifteenth avenue and South Fifteenth street-223 feet. The highest elevation east of the Pennsylvania Railroad is thirty-one feet. The corners of Market and Broad street are 30 feet above sea level.
106
HISTORY OF NEWARK
APPORTIONMENT OF THE LAND.
In the apportionment of land among the settlers, a system practically identical with that practiced in the New Haven and Con- necticut colonies was used. There were three great divisions of the ground, by lot, with a new drawing for each, and each partition was made with marked solemnity and after prayer to the Almighty for guidance. And, indeed, it was a time for solemnity, this taking possession of the soil by the individual. It was to be theirs, and that of their heirs and assigns, forever; well-nigh free, they believed, from all the grinding oppression with which they and their immediate progenitors were all too familiar in England. They stood ready to fight for it, and to die for it as not a few of their descendants did in the War for Independence. They were already apprehensive, no doubt, of interference with their title by the Lords Proprietors, and they were in no lightsome mood when they assembled to take each his share of ground upon which to build his permanent home.
The formal and final apportionment of the first range of lots, the home lots, did not take place until all who were to be considered the first settlers or planters were on the ground, or had somebody here to represent them, which was in the early summer of 1667. It was agreed before the drawing of home lots took place that those previously on the ground should select their holdings in the same quarter where they had first set themselves down. Another preliminary agreement was that to Captain Treat should be given the distinguished and unique honor of selecting his home plot before everyone else and without any drawing by lot, and that while all the others were to be restricted to six acres, he should take eight. An additional portion was also allowed him. For the first, his home site, Captain Treat selected the southeast corner of Market and Broad streets. For the second plot he chose one fronting on Market street, immediately west of the "Frog Pond" and continuing west nearly, if not quite, to Washington street."
" See Chapter V, "Robert Treat."
R
>
Q
S
Q
0
T
R
2
River Pesayak
E
O
Q
U
N
P
×
M
E
L
D
0
ス
J
0
E
-
B
B
F
HGF 0 I
I
0
B
A
A
U
S
R
a
0
D
L
0
W
P
U
0
LL
Z
01
E
O
I
T
z
F
-
0
a
7
I
Q
-
K
R
5
*
T
U
V
W
+
*
NEWARK OR PESAYAK TOWNE _ 1666 _ 1680
242
A
A
J
.
K
M
O
I
L
J
Great
1
107
HISTORY OF NEWARK
THE ORIGINAL TOWN PLAT.
The map given herewith and showing the town lots of the early settlers of Newark is reproduced from the drawing prepared at the time of the bi-centennial celebration of the settlement, in 1866, by Samuel H. Conger and William A. Whitehead, for the New Jersey Historical Society. It is believed to be practically letter perfect.
Southeast
A. Robert Treat.
B. Abraham Pierson.
C. Robert Denison.
D. Thomas Johnson.
E. George Day.
F. Stephen Bond.
G. Zachariah Burwell.
H. Ephraim Burwell.
I. Martin Tichenor.
I. Thomas Ludington.
J. John Brooks.
K. Thomas Lyon.
L. Joseph Johnson.
M. John Treat.
N. Samuel Lyon.
O. Henry Lyon.
P. Joseph Walters.
Q. Samuel Camfield.
R. Robert Dalglesh.
S. Francis Lindsley.
T. Mathew Williams.
T. Thomas Pierson, jun'r.
U. Samuel Harrison.
V. John Brown, jun'r.
W. Edward Riggs.
X. Hugh Roberts.
* Azariah Crane, Treat's son-in-law.
Northeast
A. Laurence Ward.
B. John Catlin.
C. Samuel Kitchell.
D. Josiah Ward.
E. John Rogers.
I2. Robert Kitchell.
G. Jeremiah Peck.
Northwest
A. Samuel Swaine.
B. Robert Harrison.
C. Edward Ball.
D. John Morris.
E. John Ward, sen'r.
F. Matthew Camfield.
G. John Gardner.
Southwest
A. Meeting House Lot.
B. Treat's Recompense.
C. John Johnson.
D. Parsonage Home Lot.
E. John Brown. sen'r.
F. Nathaniel Wheeler.
G. Joseph Riggs.
H. William Camp.
J. Stephen Freeman.
K. John Curtis.
L. John Baldwin, sen'r.
M. Thomas Staples.
N. John Baldwin, jun'r.
O. Michael Tomkins.
P. Jonathan Tomkins.
Q. Ephraim Pennington.
R. Seth Tomkins.
S. The Tailor's Lot.
108
HISTORY OF NEWARK
Northeast
H. Jasper Crane.
1. Thomas Pierson, sen'r.
J. Benjamin Baldwin.
K. Thomas Ludington.
L. Alex. Munroe.
M. The Elder's Lot.
M. Stephen Davis.
N. John Ward, jun'r.
O. Richard Laurence.
P. Delivered Crane.
Q. Hans Albers.
R. Samuel Rose.
S. The Miller's Lot.
T. Samuel Dod.
U. Daniel Dod.
V. The Corn Mill.
Northwest
II. Obadiah Bruen.
I. The Seaman's Lot.
J. Thomas Richards.
K. John Harrison.
L. Aaron Blatchly.
N. Samuel Plum.
O. John Crane.
P. Jonathan Sergeant.
Q. Robert Lymon.
R. John Davis.
The above list shows all these to whom home lots were appor- tioned from 1666 to 1680, inclusive. Many of the second generation are represented, some of these indicated by "jun'r."
Thomas Blacthly and Ebenezer Camfield did .not have home lots, if the old Minute Book correctly sets down the several holdings. It is thought that Blacthly did not adhere to his original intention of settling here.
Daniel Tichenor and Azariah Crane seem to have drawn their home lots by proxy, as they did not become settlers until some time later.
It is a noteworthy fact that a portion of at least one of these home lots still remains (1913) in the hands of the descendants of the founder. This is Lot No. 10, of the Branford group, located on Washington street, west of Washington Park, and now occupied by Marcus L. Ward (1913), who thus lives on the spot where his ancestor, John Ward, senior, the first settler to hold the office of sergeant in the military organization of the community, reared his dwelling. The building of the Newark Young Women's Christian Association, by the way, which stands just south of the Ward residence, is on a portion of the plot set aside by the founders as "The Elder's Lot," but which was never assigned to an elder and was disposed of in small plots to several different settlers.
109
HISTORY OF NEWARK
It will be noted that in the drawing many more highways are given than the four original thoroughfares mentioned on a preceding page in this chapter. These additions were made within a few years after the settlement to meet the needs as they occurred. It is interesting to note, too, that the line of the common fence was practically parallel with the present Pennsylvania railroad tracks, and but a few yards east of them. The home lots were therefore confined within an area that may be closely described as bounded on the east by the present line of the railroad and the Passaic, on the south by Tichenor street and a single row of six lots running south from Lincoln Park, on the west by High street, and on the north by Second and Passaic rivers. It was but a modest proportion of the entire vast tract, bought from the Indians, and it left a magnificent area for growth.
THE FIRST PARTITION OF REAL ESTATE.
The regular and formal divisions of the land were: First, the partition of home lots to the original first settlers or founders; second, in February, 1667, the assignment by lot of "upland in the neck," meaning land east of the home lots, with a further partition of marsh, spoken of as "meadow," in January, 1669; third, in February, 1670, a second division of salt meadow; fourth, May, 1673, a partition of upland, principally to the west and north of the town proper. These allotments were virtually in three divisions or ranges, for the third was but an additional assignment of meadow land, a sub-division. The entire territory was divided into what were called three "ranges": the home lots, the marshes and the remainder of the purchase from the natives. In the third division, young men in the town who had already acquired home lots by purchase or by assignment from relatives, were allowed to take part. All these partitions were determined by lot, a new drawing on each occasion. There was at least one other partial or minor division. For instance, it was found after the first partition of meadow, that there were thirty-one lots more than there were men to draw. So a new drawing was held until the thirty-one parcels had been disposed of.
.
110
HISTORY OF NEWARK
It was out of the land that the town raised its first common fund, its treasury. Each and all of the settlers had to pay some- thing for the lands they held as heads of families, and the common fund thus accumulated was called "purchase money" since it was used to defray the cost of the land as purchased from the Indians and to defray what other common expenses there were, such as for the transportation of Pastor Pierson and his goods from Connecti- cut. From the time of Pastor Pierson's arrival, his salary was a fixed charge upon the town. The rate of payment was put in the hands of a committee of seven, as follows: "Mr." Robert Treat, [Deacon ] Ward, Samuel Swaine, "Mr." Camfield, Michael Tompkins, Richard Laurence and Joseph Walters, and five of whom shall have power to act herein.7 The settlers were allowed a generous period in which to pay.
THE FIRST TAX BOARD.
To this committee fell one of the most important of all the duties of the early settlers, the valuation of the property, the fixing of the assets of every head of a family and freeholder. This was done according to the following rule, as laid down at town meeting: "And for their [the committee's] Direction therein, the Town saw cause to allow and pass upon every Head of a Family, or that takes up Allotment in the Town, to be valued at £50, and for every Child or Servant in the Family besides, Ten Pounds by the Head, which shall be allowed as good Estate; and for all other kinds of Goods and Estates, real and visible, that Men intend, God willing, to transport on the Place, the Town wholly refers themselves and the sole determination into their Hands, according to whose Judge- ment it shall stand-which being done the Town saw Cause that One Third Part of every Man's Estate in generall through the whole Town should be deducted, and according to the Remainder both the Charges and Divisions of Land should be proportionated for this year (1667)."
Your financial obligation in the settlement was thus regulated by the value of your estate. In such fashion was the work laid out for Newark's first tax board. It is to be noted, too, that in that day they did not see fit or proper to tax a man upon the full and
1 Minute Book, page 7.
J
111
HISTORY OF NEWARK
true value of his estate, although, like all other Puritans they were almost morbidly anxious to follow the dictates of their consciences in all their dealings with God or man. It was a shrewd and sound basis upon which to begin the actual construction of the community, and it embodied some of the best principles made use of by the Puritans throughout New England.
THE ORIGINAL RATINGS.
Fortunately we have preserved to us the actual list of ratings made by this committee of seven, or "Sale Men," as the old records call them. It is spoken of as a "sure list of every man's estate," and as it seems to have met with no objection on the part of individuals, we are safe in believing that all felt that their valua- tions were just and equitable. Opposite each man's name was set the value of his estate in pounds, and against that sum the two- thirds upon which he was to be taxed. There are sixty-six names in all, with many curious variations in spelling, leaving one to infer that the men themselves did not always spell their names the same way-which indeed was a fact with no less a personage than the pastor, himself, who at times wrote "Peirson" and at others "Pierson." It is interesting to note also that ten of the sixty-six are given the title of "Mr.", one of honor and distinction; and while some of those of the largest estates received it, some of those with the least of this world's goods enjoyed it also. Some of those rated did not actually join the settlement, and a very few did not sign the "fundamental agreements," for reasons not explained.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.