USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > A history of Monmouth and Ocean counties : embracing a genealogical record of earliest settlers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties and their descendants, the Indians, their language, manners and customs, important historical events. > Part 21
USA > New Jersey > Ocean County > A history of Monmouth and Ocean counties : embracing a genealogical record of earliest settlers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties and their descendants, the Indians, their language, manners and customs, important historical events. > Part 21
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A church, which tradition says was free to all
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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES.
denominations, was built at Manahawkin as early as 1758, which was the first church built in Ocean County. This church is now known as the Baptist Church. The Baptist Society was organized in it August 25th, 1770.
The second church built in Ocean County was the noted Potter Church, at Goodluck, built by Thomas Pot- ter in 1766, which he intended to be free to all denomina- tions.
The third church built in Ocean County was the Quaker Meeting House, at Barnegat, erected as early as 1770. This was the first church in the county built for a particular society.
METHODISM IN OLD MONMOUTH.
THE PIONEERS OF THE SOCIETY.
There is reason to believe that the pioneers of Meth- odism visited the county within a very few years after the principles of the society were first proclaimed in America, and that occasionally some preacher would hold forth in some of our churches, schoolhouses or private houses as early as 1774. Some uncertainty exists as to where the first preachers held services in the county, owing to the fact that the early heroes of Meth- odism were not always very precise in giving the names of places where they preached, dates and other particu- lars interesting to the historian of the present day. The most complete and satisfactory journal is that of the faithful, zealous, untiring Bishop Francis Asbury, which is the more remarkable as it is doubtful if any minister of any denomination ever performed as much labor as he did in traveling and preaching. We append extracts from his journal relating to his labors in Monmouth. Other preachers had preceded him. Rev. William Watters, the first Methodist traveling preacher of Ameri- can birth, was stationed in our State in 1774, and he may have visited our county, though he makes no mention of it in his journal. That earnest minister of the Gospel, Rev. Benjamin Abbott, visited old Monmouth in 1778. Mr.
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METHODISM IN OLD MONMOUTH.
Abbott, in his journal, speaks of preaching in various parts of old Monmouth now composed within the limits of Ocean county, among which wore Mannahawkin, Waretown, Goodluck and Toms River. But after leaving Toms River he omits to name places ; he merely uses such expressions as "at my next appointment," &c., without naming where it was. He probably preached at Free- hold and other places within the limits of the present county of Monmouth.
Rev. John Atkinson, in his "Memorials of Method- ism in New Jersey," says :
"The Methodist Society of Monmouth (Freehold ?) must have been formed at an early period, probably about 1780, as in that year Job Throckmorton, of Free- hold, was converted under the ministry of Rev. Richard Garretson, and became a member of the society. He was one of the first members in that region. The Meth- odists were much persecuted there at that time. His house was a home for preachers, and very likely Asbury was entertained at his dwelling during his visits to Free- hold. Everitt, Freeborn Garretson, Ezekiel Cooper, Ware and others, were accustomed to stop at his house. He was accustomed to relate incidents of Rev. Benjamin Abbott's powerful ministry, one of which is as follows :
"On one occasion meeting was held in the woods, and after Freeborn Garretson had preached, Abbott arose and looked around over the congregation very sig- nificantly, and exclaimed: 'Lord, begin the work! Lord, begin the work now! Lord, begin the work just there!' pointing at the same time towards a man who was stand- ing beside a tree, and the man fell as suddenly as if he had been shot, and cried aloud for mercy."
In 1786 Trenton circuit probably included Trenton, Pemberton, Mount Holly, Burlington and Monmouth, Reverends Robert Sparks and Robert Cann, preachers. In 1787 Rev. Ezekiel Cooper and Rev. Nathaniel B. Mills were the preachers. In 1788 Revs. John Merrick, Thomas Morrell and Jettus Johnson were the preach- ers.
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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES.
EPISCOPALIANISM IN OLD MONMOUTH.
The following is an account of the missionary efforts of Rev. Thomas Thompson in old Mommonth, nearly a century and a half ago.
In his account of his visit it will be noticed that he speaks disparagingly of the early settlers in what is now Ocean county. His zeal for the tenets of the society by which he was employed, seems to have led him to make animadversions against the people here, which it would appear were not deserved according to the testimony of ministers of other denominations. It will be noticed that while he accuses them of great ignorance, he yet acknowledges having many conferences and disputes on religious topics with them, which shows that they were considerably posted in scriptural matters, but undoubt- edly opposed to the Church of England.
Mr. Thompson says: In the spring of the year 1745 I embarked for America, being appointed Missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts upon recommendation of my Reverend Tutor Dr. Thomas Cartwright, late Archdeacon of Colchester and a member of the Society, myself then a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. I went in a ship called the Albany. belonging to New York which sailed from Gravesend on the Sth day of May and providentially escaping some instant dangers on the passage, arrived at New York on the 29th of August. The Sunday following I preached both Morning and Afternoon at the Episcopal Church in that city, whereof the Reverend Mr. Commissary Vesey had then been rector more than forty years. On the next Sunday I passed over to Elizabethtown in New Jersey on my journey to Monmouth County in the Eastern Division where I was appointed to reside and have the care of Churches in that county, being also licensed thereto by the Right Reverend the late Lord Bishop of London.
Being come to the place of my mission I presented my credentials and was kindly received and took the first opportunity of waiting upon the governor Lewis Morris
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Esq., at his seat at Kingsburg which is in the Western Division, and took the oath of allegiance and supremacy and also the abjuration oath and subscribed the Declara- tion in presence of his Excellency.
Upon making inquiry into the state of the churches within my District, I found that the members were much disturbed and in a very unsettled state, insomneh, that some of them had thoughts of leaving our communion and turning to the Dissenters. The particular occasion of this I forbear to mention.
That part of the country abounding in Quakers and Anabaptists, the intercourse with these sects was of so bad influence, as had produced among the Church people thus conforming with their tenets and example. However, the main fault was rather carelessness of the baptism and a great deal was owing to prejudice respecting the matter of godfathers and godmothers.
I had three churches immediately in my charge, each of them situated in a different township, which had regular duty in such proportion as was agreed upon and subscribed to at a general vestry meeting soon after my coming there. The names of the townships are Freehold, Shrewsbury and Middletown. I also officiated at Allen- town in Upper Freehold while that church was destitute of a minister. These four townships comprised the whole county although 40 or 50 miles in length and in some parts of it considerably wide. I also did occasional duty at other places.
As to the church buildings I have found them all much out of condition, especially the church at Middle- town, which was begun to be built but the year before I came there, and had nothing done on the inside, not even a floor laid. So that we had no place for the present to assemble in Divine worship, only an old house which had formerly been a meetinghouse.
I had now a great and very difficult task of it to bring people to the communion. They that were con- formable to this sacred ordinance were in very small numbers. Many persons of 50 or 60 years of age and
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some older had never addressed themselves to it. I took all possible pains to satisfy their scruples, gave them frequent opportunities of the communion, and by the blessing of God gained most of the ancient people besides many others, who gave due and devont attention to it ever after.
The number of my catechumens began now to in- crease and several of riper years presented themselves with a seeming earnestness to receive the benefit of this instruction. So I carried it further and put Lewis' Ex- position into their hands and appointed them a day about once a month to come to the Court House and say the parts which I set them to get by heart, and this course I continued till some of them could recite it from end to end.
In the year 1746 the church at Middletown, which had stood useless, being, as I have before mentioned, only a shell of a building, had now a floor laid and was otherwise made fit to bave divine worship performed in it. The congregation of this church was but small and as the service could not be oftener than once a month, it was morally impossible to increase the number much, especially as there was a weekly meeting of Anabaptists in that town, so that it was the most I could propose to prevent those that were of the church from being drawn away by dissenters.
St. Peters, in the township of Freehold, which had been built many years but was never quite completed, was afterward fitted up.
The situation of St. Peters Church at Toponemes, which is distant from any town, is however, convenient enough to the congregation and was resorted to by many families in Middlesex county living within the several districts of Cranberry, Macheponeck and Soutlı River, their missionary, my friend and brother, Mr. Skinner, gladly remitting to me the care of them.
At a town called Middletown Point I preached divers times, the place being remote, and few of the set- tlers having any way for convenience of coming to church.
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The inhabitants of Freehold township were at least half of them Presbyterian. The church people and these interspersed among each other, had lived less in charity and brotherly love than as becomes churches. But they began on both sides to think less of the things in which they differed in opinion than of those in which they agreed.
The Church of England worship had at Shrewsbury been provided for by the building of a church before there was any other in the county; but this church was now too small for the numerous congregation. People of all sorts resorted thither and of the Quakers, which are a great body in that township, there were several who made no scruple of being present at divine service, and were not too precise to uncover their heads in the house of God.
I went sometimes to a place called Manasquan, almost twenty miles distant from my habitation where, and at Shark River, which is in that neighborhood some church families were settled who were glad of all oppor- tunities for the exercise of religion.
From Manasquan, for twenty miles further on in the country, is all one pine forest. I traveled through this desert four times to a place called Barnegat, and thence to Manahawkin, almost sixty miles from home, and preached at places where no foot of minister had ever come.
In this section I had my views of heathenism just as thoroughly as I have ever since beheld it. The inhabi- tants are thinly scattered in regions of solid wood. Some are decent people, who had lived in better places, but those who were born and bred here have neither religion nor manners, and do not know so much as a letter in a book.
As Quakerism is the name under which all those in America shade themselves that have been brought up to none, but would be thought to be of some religion; so these poor people call themselves Quakers, but they have no meetings, and many of them make no distinction of
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days, neither observing Lord's Day nor the Sabbath.
In my journeying through this part of the country I had many conferences and disputes with the people. Some of them were willing to see their errors, and others were as obstinate in defending theirs. It pleased God that I brought some to a true sense of them, and I gained a few to the communion, and baptised, besides children, seventeen grown persons, of which number was Nicholas Wainright, nearly eighty years of age.
I had now seen a great change in the state of my mission within the space of three years, through the grace of God rendering my labors effectual to a good end ; in particular as to the peace and unison which the church members, after having been much at variance among themselves, were now returned to, and the ceasing animosities betwixt them and those of other societies. For these I account the most valuable success that attended my ministry.
In the latter end of the year 1750, having then been about five years in America upon this mission, I wrote to the venerable and honorable society a letter requesting of them to grant me a mission to the coast of Guinea, that I might go to make a trial with the natives and see what hopes there would be of introducing among them the Christian religion. My request was granted and on November 25th, 1751, I went on board the brigantine " Prince George," bound for the coast of Africa.
The most noted among the first clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church who held services in the county, was the celebrated Rev. George Keith. When he first located at Freehold he was an active member of the Society of Friends, as it would seem were others of the first settlers. He left Freehold in 1689 and went to reside in Philadelphia. In 1694 he went to London, and soon after abjured the doctrines of the Quakers and be- came a zealous clergyman of the Church of England. He officiated some time in his mother country, and in 1702 he was sent to America as a missionary of the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." He
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THE ROGERINE BAPTISTS.
sailed from England April 28, 1702, in the ship "Cen- turion," bound for Boston. After his arrival he traveled and preached in various parts of New England and New York, accompanied and assisted by the Rev. John Tal- bot, who had been chaplain of the ship, and who, a few years later, located in Burlington, N. J., in charge of the Protestant Episcopal Society there. Mr. Keith arrived at Amboy and preached his first sermon in New Jersey in that place October 3, 1702. He says that among the audience were some old acquaintances, and some had been Quakers, but were come over to the church, par- tienlarly Miles Forster and John Barclay (brother to Robert Barclay, who published the "Apology for Quakers"). After stopping a few days with Miles Forster he left for Monmouth county, where he preached his first sermon October 10, 1702. He traveled and preached in various parts of the county for about two years, then went to Burlington and Philadelphia, and shortly sailed for England.
THE ROGERINE BAPTISTS.
A SINGULAR RELIGIOUS SOCIETY AT WARETOWN.
About the year 1737 a society of Rogerine Baptists, or Quaker Baptists, as they were then called, located at Waretown, now in Ocean county. From various notices of the history of this singular sect and how a society came to be located in Ocean county, we extract the fol- owing :
This society was founded by John Rogers about 1674; his followers baptised by immersion; the Lord's Supper they administered in the evening with its ancient appendages. They did not believe in the sanctity of the Sabbath. They believed that since the death of Christ all days were holy alike. They used no medicines nor employed doctors or surgeons ; would not say grace at meals ; all prayers to be said mentally, except when the spirit of prayer compelled the use of voice. They said, "All unscriptural parts of religious worship are
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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES.
idols," and all good Christians should exert themselves against idols, etc. Among the idols they placed the observance of the Sabbath, infant baptism, etc. The Sabbath they called the New England idol, and the methods they took to demolish this idol were as follows: They would on Sundays try to be at some manual labor near meetinghouses or in the way of people going to and from church. They would take work into meetinghouses, the women knitting, the men whittling and making splints for baskets, and every now and then contradict- ing the preachers. "This was seeking persecution," says one writer, "and they received plenty of it, inso- much that the New Englanders left some of them neither liberty, property or whole skins."
John Rogers, the founder of the sect, who, it is said, was as churlish and contrary to all men as Diogenes, preached over forty years, and died in 1721. The occa- sion of his death was singular. The smallpox was rag- ing terribly in Boston and spread an alarm to all the country around. Rogers was confident that he could mingle with the diseased and that the strength of his faith would preserve him safe from the mortal contagion. Accordingly he was presumptuous enough to travel one hundred miles to Boston to bring his faith to the test. The result was that he caught the contagion, came home and died with it, the disease also spreading in his family and among his neighbors. This event one would think would have somewhat shaken the faith of his followers, but on the contrary it seemed to increase their zeal.
In 1725 a company of Rogerines were taken up on the Sabbath in Norwich, Conn., while on their way from their place of residence to Lebanon. They were treated with much abuse, and many of them whipped in a most unmerciful manner. This occasioned Gov. Jenks, of Rhode Island, to write spiritedly against their persecu- tors, and also to condemn the Rogerines for their provok- ing, disorderly conduct.
One family of the Rogerines was named Colver, or Culver, (Edwards' History spells it one way and Gov.
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THE ROGERINE BAPTISTS.
Jeuks the other.) This family consisted of John Colver and his wife, who were a part of the company which was treated so rudely at Norwich, and five sons and five daughters, who, with their families, made up the number of twenty-one souls. In the year 1734 this large family removed from New London, Conn., and settled in New Jersey. The first place they pitched upon for a residence was on the east side of Schooley's Mountain, in Morris county. They continued here about three years and then went in a body to Waretown, then in Monmouth, but now in Ocean county. While here they had their meetings in a schoolhouse, and their peculiar manner of conducting services was quite a novelty to other settlers in the vicinity. As in England, during the meeting the women would be engaged in knitting or sewing, and the men in making axe handles, basket splints, or engaged in other work, but we hear of no attempt to disturb other societies.
They continued at Waretown about eleven years, and then went back to Morris county and settled on the west side of the mountain from which they had removed. In 1790 they were reduced to two old persons whose names were Thomas Colver and Sarah Mann; but the posterity of John Colver, it is said, is yet quite numer- ous in Morris county. Abraham Waeir, from whom the village of Waretown derives its name, tradition says was a member of the Rogerine Society. When the main body of the society left he remained behind, and became quite a prominent business man, generally esteemed. He died in 1768, and his descendants removed to Squan and vicinity, near the head of Barnegat Bay.
Before concluding this notice of the Rogerines, it should be stated that another thing in their creed was, that it was not necessary to have marriages peformed by ministers or legal officers. They held that it was not necessary for the man and woman to exchange vows of marriage to make the ceremony binding. A zealous Rog- erine once took to himself a wife in this simple manner, and then, to tantalize Governor Saltonstall, called on him
.
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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES.
to inform him they had married themselves without aid of church of state, and that they intended to live together as husband and wife without their sanction. "What!" said the Governor, in apparent indignation, "do you take this woman for your wife?" "Yes, I most certainly do," re- plied the man. "And do you take this man for your husband? " said he to the woman. The woman replied in the affirmative. "Then," said the wily old Governor, "in the name of the Commonwealth I pronounce you husband and wife-whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder. You are now married according to both law and gospel."
The couple retired, much chagrined at the unex- pected way the Governor had turned the tables on them, despite their boasting.
MORMONISM IN OCEAN COUNTY.
In 1837, Elder Benjamin Winchester preached the first Mormon sermon in. Ocean county, in a schoolhouse in New Egypt. Winchester was from the State of New York, and one of the early disciples of Joseph Smith. He continued for some time to hold regular services here, and in his discourses gave minute account of the alleged original discovery of the golden plates of the Book of Mormon near Palmyra, New York, by Joseph Smith, and their translation by him and Sidney Rigdon, and claimed that they were deposited by a people two thousand years before, whom they said were the Lost Tribes of Israel. He also preached in neighboring places. He made some fifty converts, who were baptized ; among them was Abra- ham Burtis, who became a preacher, and a large number . joined the society at Hornerstown, where they finally built a church, and where a good many respectable peo- ple adhered to the faith. The church has since gone down, but a few people remained favorably impressed with the principles. Their labors exten led to Toms River, and here, too, they built a small church on the south side of the river, which is remembered as the first building
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in which the Ocean County Courts were held after the County was established, and before the court house was built. Their preachers also went as far south as Forked River, where they made a considerable impression, and baptized some in the mill pond-the preacher compli- menting one convert, it is said, by saying, after immers- ing her, that he saw the devil as big as an owl leave her!
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, visited New Egypt, Hornerstown and Toms River, in 1840, and sealed a large number. William Smith, brother of the prophet, frequently preached at New Egypt ; he preached the funeral sermon of Alfred Wilson, who was originally a Methodist, but became a Mormon preacher. James L. Curtis, originally a Methodist, also became a Mormon preacher. The present successor of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, as head of the Mormon Church, is John Taylor, who has also preached in Ocean county, and was probably the last who preached as far south as Forked River. He held forth about 1851, in the old Forked Riv- er schoolhouse, and his sermon seemed to differ but little from an old-fashioned Methodist sermon on the necessity of salvation, as he made but little allusion to the peculiar tenets of Mormonism. Abont 1852 many Mormon con- verts left Ocean county for Salt Lake City, among whom were Joseph Chamberlain and family, of Forked River, and a number of respectable families from Toms River. They encountered serious hardships in crossing the plains. It is generally conceded that the Mormon con- verts were noted for sincerity, industry and frugality.
Of Joseph Smith's visit to New Egpyt, some amusing stories, probably exaggerated, are told at the expense of converts, such as of a wealthy man being told by Smith to repair to a particular tree at a certain hour of the night and pray for direction from Heaven, and the Lord would reply. Accordingly the man sought the place and prayed as directed ; he was answered by a voice from above, which, among other things, directed him to give a good share of his worldly goods to the prophet Smith ; but the man seemed to doubt it being the voice of an angel-
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it sounded more like Smith himself concealed in the branches.
The little Mormon church at Toms River was bought in 1878 by Franklin Harris and is now a part of his storehouse.
In June, 1878, Rev. Wm. Small, a Mormon preacher, held services in Shinn's Hall, New Egypt.
EPISCOPALIANISM IN BARNEGAT.
Rev. Mr. Shafer, an Episcopalian clergyman, of Bur- lington, held services once a month for a year or so in 1872-3 at Barnegat and Manahawkin, and Rev. Mr. Pettit, of Bordentown, preached at Manahawkin in 1873.
Bishop Odenheimer visited Barnegat, July 25, 1873, and held services in the M. E. church, assisted by Rev. Mr. Shafer, on which occasion Prof. B. F. North united himself with the Episcopal denomination.
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