USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > Perth Amboy > Contributions to the early history of Perth Amboy and adjoining country : with sketches of men and events in New Jersey during the provincial era > Part 38
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February 28, 1707-8, Thomas Pike.
John Ayers.
Lidea Bishop.
Mathew Fors.
Joseph Thorp.
Elizabeth Britton.
Daniel Britton.
Sarah Fors.
Richard Cutter.
Elizabeth Gray.
Sarah Pike.
Lidea Pangborn.
August 20, 1708,
Sarah Holland.
Mark Pike.
John Ilsley.
Mary Stilwell.
John Jaques.
Susannah Jaques.
John Skiner.
Desire Walker.
Nath'l Pike.
Mehitable Butler.
Mary Groves.
Hannah Freeman.
Ann Skiner. Elizabeth Ilsley.
Ester Blumfield.
Mary Cutter.
John Chaplin.
Oct. 31, 1708,
Benjamin Jones.
Daniel Dane.
John Robinson.
Mary Curtis. ;
Eliz'th Thorp.
Phebe Ayers.
Dec. 26, 1708, January 2, 1708-9, Feb'y 27, 1708-9 May 12, 1709,
Mary Ayers.
Sarah Conger. 1 Mary Sharp.
William Sharp.
Moses Ralph.
Hope Blumfield.
John Conger.
Edward Wilkinson.
Thomas Collier.
Mary Ralph.
Mary Conger. Anna Thorp.
Sam'l Butler.
June 26, 1709,
John Dille. Eliza'th Foard. Hannah Crowel.
Joanna Pangborn. Ruth Dille.
September 4, 1709, Peenelipoe Titus.
Niv. 6, 1709, Jan. 1,1709-10,
Rebeckah Phylip. Peter Pain. Joanna Ayers.
Hannah Right.
June 25, 17.0,
Benjamin Thorp.
John Scuder. Rebeckah Mills.
Sept. 10, 1710, Hannah Collier.
Oct. 3, 1710, Joannah Jones.
Stephen Tuttle. John Foard.
Richard Skiner, Assistant. Joseph Gray. Francis Skiner.
June 6, 1708, June 20, 1708, August 15, 1708,
In 1711, for some cause not now known, Mr. Wade became disliked by a number of the people. They seceded and formed an Episcopal Congregation, the Rev. My, Vaughan of Elizabeth- town visiting them at regular periods. Previous to this, Mr. Vaughan says in one of his letters, the people "born in New England and Scotland, had been bred in both places in the greatest prejudice and opposition to the Established Church of England."
The first notice of a settled clergyman thereafter, appears
Susannah Shippy.
Obediah Ayers.
Nat'l Dunham.
Mary Wade.
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WOODBRIDGE.
in 1714, when " Mr. John Pierson, Clerk " is mentioned as having been called from Connecticut, but as the salary seems no longer to have been raised by a general rate upon the in- habitants, there is not the same frequency of allusion to the minister as in the earlier years of the settlement. In 1722 and 1723, Mr. Pierson is mentioned in the town records in connection with the parsonage grounds as "our present min- ister," although for 11 or 12 years there had been a congre- gation formed within the town, worshipping in their own edi- fice according to the forms of the Church of England,-a signifi- cant indication of what was "the religion of the State."
Mr. Pierson was the son of the Rev. Abm. Pierson, Jr., whom the town had called in 1669, and the grandson of the Rev. Abraham Pierson, the first minister of Newark. He continued in Woodbridge until 1752. 1n 1739, his salary was assured to him by mutual agreement among sixty individuals. He was one of the first trustees of the College of New Jersey, and died at Hanover, N. J., in 1770, in his 81st year ; and in the 57th year of his ministry.46
He was dismissed from Woodbridge at his own request, and it is recorded of him that " he was justly reputed and es- teemed a worthy and able minister, sound in the faith, and of exemplary conversation and conduct. He well supported the dignity of his office, and had but few equals in his day, in theological knowledge. It was in his time, and by his in- fluence, that the congregation obtained a Royal Char- ter." 47
Mr. Nathaniel Whitaker, a Licentiate of the Presbytery of New York, followed Mr. Pierson as a supply, and was sub- sequently called to the pastorate, which he accepted, Decem- ber 10th, 1755, and was immediately ordained and installed. He continued to officiate until 1759 or 1760, when he re- signed his charge.
Mr. Azel Roe was then selected as their preacher, and after being among them for a year or two, was, in the autumn
46 Newark Daily Advertiser, Sept. but see a subsequent page for a some- what different picture.
11, 1848.
MS. account in Church Records ;
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of 1763, ordained, and installed pastor of the congregation. Some time during Mr. Whitaker's administration, a portion of the inhabitants residing in the southern part of the township formed a separate congregation, subsequently known as the Second Presbyterian Church of Woodbridge, and, eventually, as the Presbyterian Church at Metuchin. Mr. Roe officiated alternately in the two congregations very acceptably, and con- tinued among them during the Revolution.
In 1790, the old congregation were no longer satisfied to share the labors of their pastor with another, and after con- siderable opposition, effected a separation from the Metuchin Society ; and thereafter, until 1815, when he closed his long and faithful career in his 82d year, Mr. Roe continued to " go in and out " among them, respected and beloved, having been pastor of the same flock for about 54 years.
In April, 1803, a movement was made towards the erec- tion of a new place of worship ; and, so vigorously was the work prosecuted, it was finished and consecrated in De- cember of the same year. It yet stands, in all respects a convenient and suitable edifice.
The Rev. Henry Mills was called in 1816, to succeed Mr. Roe, and remained in charge of the congregation until 1821. The next year the Rev. Wm. B. Barton was installed, and for thirty years was their faithful minister. During his ad- ministration, the number of members reached 242 (in 1843), and at the time of his death, April 7th, 1852, there were 160 in communion with the Church. His successor was the Rev. Wm. M. Martin, the present pastor. 48
TRINITY CHURCH CONGREGATION.
The invitation given to Mr. Vaughan in 1711, from which originated the Congregation of Protestant Episcopalians in Woodbridge,49 was as follows :
48 The number of Church members at 1839-198; 1840-201; 1841-194; 1943-242; 1845-233; 1847-213; 1850-200; 1853-163. different periods was as follows : Janu- ary, 1787-82 ; 1830-160 ; 1831-157; 1832-170; 1833-181; 1834-184; 49 The Rev. George Keith, in h 1835-211; 1837-196; 1838-206; Journal, mentions Woodbridge as one
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WOODBRIDGE.
"Sir the unhappy difference between Mr. Wade and the people of Woodbridge, is grown to that height, that we cannot joyn with him in the worship of God as Xtians ought to do, it is the desire of some people here that if you think it may be for the Glory of God, and no damage to other Churches, that you would be pleased to afford us your help sometimes on the Sabbath days, according as you shall think convenient ; we do it not with any intent to augment the difference among us, but rather hope that with the blessing of God, it may be a means for our better, joyning together in set- ting up the true worship of our Lord Jesus Christ, here amongst a poor deluded people, this is the desire of your humble servants."
" Rich. Smith, John Ashton, Benj. Dunham, Amos Goodwin, Gershom Higgins, Hen'y Rolph, John Bishop, Will'm Bingle, George Eubancks.
Robert Wright,
A house was placed at the disposal of Mr. Vaughan, as a place of worship, by Benjamin Dunham, and for four or five years monthly services were regularly held. A convenient frame building was also put up and enclosed, but a stop was put to further proceeding, and to the growth of the congrega- tion by the death of Mr. Dunham on 31st Dec., 1715, in the 35th year of his age,50 and the transfer of Mr. Vaughan's ser- vices to Amboy and Piscataway.51
The ground upon which this edifice was erected is repre- sented to have been a portion of the 200 acres providently set apart by the Proprietors for parsonage lands, but the Rev. Mr. Halliday, who occasionally officiated after the withdrawal of. Mr. Vaughan, states in 1717, that the church was still without either floor or glass-and although divine service was some- times performed in it afterwards, it was never finished, and eventually went to ruin.
Subsequently the visits of clergymen of the Established Church became less frequent, and finally ceased entirely ; so that the Rev. Mr. Chandler, of Elizabethtown, on commenc- ing missionary labors there in 1752, wrote to the Secretary of
of the places at which he officiated; and the entry records an instance of generous catholicity which deserves notice. "On Thursday, Dec. 30, 1702, preached in Woodbridge, at the Inde- pendent Meeting House, at the desire of Mr. Shepherd and some others
there, on 1 Tim. 3, 16. After sermon Mr. Shepherd kindly entertained us at his house."
50 His grave is in the rear of the pres- ent church.
51 Mr. Vaughan's letter to the Se- cretary, Sept. 28, 1716.
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the Society in England " they had not been visited by any of our clergy for upwards of twenty years." Some few of the congregation had during this period attended public worship at Amboy, but many connected themselves with other denomina- tions. " Appearances now are much in favor of the church there," says Mr. Chandler-" and I have seldom had less than 200 hearers." He continued his visits monthly, the number of families professedly Episcopalians being about fifteen, and his audience generally numbering two hundred. In November, 1752, he wrote, that the Presbyterians had dismissed their minister, who had been with them for more than thirty years (the Rev. Mr. Pierson), in consequence of his being somewhat dull, and too feeble an antagonist of the Church, at the growth of which they were much disturbed.
WHITNEY & JOCELYN SE.
TRINITY CHURCHI, WOODBRIDGE.
Thus situated was the congregation for several years, ex- cepting that the other engagements of Mr Chandler, did not long admit of his visiting Woodbridge oftener than once in six weeks ; on intervening Sundays, James Parker, officiating
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WOODBRIDGE.
as lay-reader, to the general satisfaction of the congregation.52 In 1754, they erected a church-the specimen of minute architecture which is still standing, and of which a represen- tation is given on the preceding page.
In 1760, the small-pox carried off many useful and repu- table persons in the parish, much to the regret of their zealous missionary. "More than half of those who had the disease in the natural way died." Mr. Chandler himself took it in 1757, and did not entirely recover from its effects for three years.
In 1764, Woodbridge was placed in charge of the mission- ary at Amboy-the Rev. Mr. Mckean visiting it once every three weeks-and continued thereafter connected with that parish, until the Revolution put a stop to all religious services in the town according to the forms of the English Established Church-Mr. Bingley reading the service while the Rev. Mr. Preston was the missionary, and absent at Amboy. The con- gregation then, as for some years before, numbering about 14 families, although the auditories were large.
The Charter of the congregation was granted, December 6th, 1769. Samuel Jaques and Samuel Tingley being named therein as Wardens, and David Alston, Thomas Haddon, Joseph Donham and Ebenezer Foster, Vestrymen.
In February, 1770, Mr. Preston wrote, that his regular in- duction into the parish as Rector was thought advisable, in order that he might properly present a claim for a due portion of the glebe set apart by the Proprietaries ; but as affairs then stood he deemed it best to let the matter remain in abeyance, " till people "-he adds-" are grown a little cooler, so as to be able to distinguish that a trial of a matter of right is not an attack upon their principles ; which I am afraid would hardly be the case at present." The question was again agitated in 1774, and the worthy missionary, averse to entering into a lawsuit, prevailed upon the Vestry to propose a compromise, but
52 Mr. Parker, in a letter to the Secre- tary of the Society, dated September 1764, complains of the hostility of the " dissenters." "They claim that lib- erty of conscience for themselves," -he says-" which they don't seem
willing to allow to others. We do not trouble them, but they will not eat their bread in quiet with us."
See also letter of Rev. Mr. Skinner, of March 27th, 1722-3.
1
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possession being thought then as now " nine points in the law," no terms would be made by the Presbyterian congregation ; and a project was on foot to raise a fund to meet the expense of prosecuting the claim in the Courts, when the confusion and distractions of the war ensued, and effectually stayed the proceedings. If the author has been rightly informed, no por- tion of the lands set apart for the support of the ministry has been enjoyed by the Episcopal congregation, excepting the lot upon which the Church edifice is erected.
After the Revolution, Woodbridge was only visited occa- sionally by missionaries of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and as a natural consequence, both the temporal and spiritual interests of the congregation suffered. In 1810, such was the dilapidated condition of the church, that the Convention of the Diocese appointed a Committee to see to its repair, which was done in the course of the year, through the agency of Mr. Daniel Terrill, of Elizabethtown. From that time till 1830, the Rev. James Chapman, of Perth Amboy, officiated from time to time ; and during 1818 and 1819, the Rev. F. H. Cuming, also, gave the parish a portion of his services. From 1830 to 1840, the Rev. William Douglas had charge of it, in connection with St. James' Piscataway, and from 1840 to 1841, the Rev. Frederick Ogilby. From 1841 to 1842, the Rev. Hamble J. Leacock ministered in the parish, and from 1843 to the present time the Rev. James Chapman has per- formed missionary services within it, but the congregation has rather decreased in numbers, than otherwise, with the lapse of years.
TOWN SCHOOLS.
Although the allotment of a portion of the common lands for the benefit of Schools is evidence of the interest in educa. tion felt by the first settlers, yet there was no action on the part of the town to effect the establishment of a school until March, 1689, when James Fullerton was, by a resolution in town meeting, " to be entertained as Schoolmaster."
In February, 1694, however, there was no school, and John
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WOODBRIDGE.
Brown of Amboy, or any other person that might be suitable for that employ, was to be " discoursed with " by a Committee appointed for that purpose. The following month Mr. Brown was engaged at a salary of £24 sterling to keep a free school for the next year. Against this proceeding a protest was en- tered by John Conger, to which due weight will in all time to come be given, when it is stated that, on a subsequent page of the same records, the gentleman saves himself the trouble of writing his name by substituting therefor "his mark."
There may have been some cause for Mr. Conger's ob- jection, for we find that in November of the same year the town was in treaty with John Boacker to teach for six months, on trial, he to keep " ye school this winter time until nine o'clock at night,"-says the record. He was in the discharge of the duties of the office in June following-but thereafter no men- tion is made of the schoolmaster for several years : but in December, 1701, a piece of land "about ten rods " was allowed for a school-house, " provided it did not prejudice the highway." This is presumed to have been the renowned edifice on Strawberry Hill.
Thereafter nothing appears on the records respecting the school until March, 1735, when measures were taken to make the school lands more productive, by the appointment of a special committee to lease and manage them ; and such continued to be the mode of administration down to the present century. The first statement made of the amount of the fund which had accumulated for the use of schools, appears in March, 1761, when the sum of £321 11s. 11}d. is reported to be in the hands of the Committee, and from its rapid increase it is probable more attention was be- stowed upon amassing the means, than upon disseminating the blessings of education. In March, 1764, the fund was £434 7s. 9d. ; in March, 1765, £465 5s. 3d. ; in March, 1766, £533 8s. 2d. .
At this time a vote was taken " whether or not it was best to take part of the money that was arisen from ye use and Profits of the School Land, and make use of it for ye School- ing of Poor People's children, and the Votes passed in the negative." In September, 1769, the fund had increased to
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WOODBRIDGE.
£740; in September, 1770, to £794 ; in September, 1771, to £850; in March, 1773, to £900; in March, 1774, to £985 4s. 10d. ; in March, 1775, to £1,063 14s. 11d. ; and in November, 1775, to £1,062 12s. 6d.
What was the character of the schools established in the town is not known, but it would have been " best," assuredly, to have expended some of the fund upon the education of " poor people's children," than to have kept it to be dissipated or squandered during the troubles of the Revolution ; which was the case, for in March, 1783, the fund was reduced to £480 10s. 5d .- a less amount than that on hand in 1766, when the above-mentioned vote "passed in the negative."
The inhabitants, however, appear to have learned some- thing from experience, and, after 1789, the interest of the school fund in connection with the amount of tax assessed upon dogs, was appropriated for the schooling of poor children.
POOR RATES.
No regular assessment for the support of the poor seems to have been made prior to October, 1705, when £30 was authorized to be raised for that purpose. In 1707, £25, in 1711 and 1712, £30 each, and in 1714, £15 were the amounts appropriated, but the last-named sum was not raised until 1718. Subse- quently a rate was established almost yearly, varying from £30 to £60, till 1751, and thereafter till the Revolution from £70 to £100, and in some years going as high as £200, as in 1764 and 1765, and in 1775, to £220 ; but this was to cover the expense also of copying the old town book, it being "in a Dangerous Situation by Reason of its being old and Mutch to Peases ; " but this probably was never done, as the old book still exists, although the lapse of time has tended to increase the number of its " pieces " materially. After the Revolution the appropriations for the poor were from £100 to £300, an- nually, but towards the close of the century 400 pounds were raised for their benefit. As was usual before the Revolution- and may be still in many places-the paupers were supported by contract in private families, and in one year, 1770, the
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WOODBRIDGE.
announcement is made that " the poor are to be sold at pub- lic vendue."
A list of all those maintained by the town during the years 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800 and 1801, is before me, from which I take the following summary :
1797, 1798,
17
11 Paupers,
£184 4 0, 12 13 215 12 0, average £16 14 66 1. 7. 7.
1799, 13
195 7
0,
15 0
1800, 15
66 196 19 3,
13 2 8. 1801, 12 66
197 12 11,
66
16 19 5.
Total. 68 £989 15 2, average, £14 11 1.
During these years the poor were put out at auction to the lowest bidder, the person contracting for their mainte- nance being at all expense for clothing, medical attendance, funeral charges in case of death, &c. ; bonds being given to in- demnify the township, and to deliver the paupers up at the close of the year well clad. As some of them were able to work, a premium would sometimes be paid for the services of those who claimed their maintenance from the town.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
The first grist-mill was erected in 1670-1, by Jonathan Dunham, under an agreement with the town, in which he en- gaged to furnish " two good stones of at least five feet over." He was admitted a freeholder, and certain grants of land were made to him in consideration of his erecting the mill. His toll to be one sixteenth. In 1705 another mill was erected by Elisha Parker ; in 1709 another by John Pike and Richard Cutter, and in 1710 one by Richard Soper.
The first saw-mill in the township was erected by Jona- than Bishop, on Rahawack River, in 1682.
In February, 1703, John Clake (or Cleak) "for his en- couragement in fitting up a fulling-mill," received a grant for twenty acres on the southerly branch of the Rahawack.
It is difficult at the present day to realize the fact, that wolves should have given the inhabitants so much trouble as they seem to have done. There were town bounties estab-
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WOODBRIDGE.
lished from time to time, varying from ten to twenty-five shil- lings for each head, and there are frequent entries of the names of claimants, among them that of John Ilsley appears most frequently. He is mentioned twice in 1693, four times in 1695, twice in 1696 and in 1697, twice in 1698, and three times subsequently. In February, 1671, there were "two wolf pits " constructed by Ephraim Andros and Thomas Auger, and their respective companies.
The first " ordinary " established, was by Samuel Moore in 1683, and he was authorized, when Rum could be had at three shillings, or two shillings and sixpence per gallon, to charge three pence the gill, sixpence the half pint, and eighteen pence the quart, and if he gave more he might raise the price.
In April, 1697, an ordinance was adopted against the running at large, unless sufficiently fettered, of all "fadges " more than a year old. What were fadges ?
Previous to 1707, great regularity seems to have been ob- served in recording the proceedings of the Town ; but subse- quently they received less attention, and there are evident omissions. From 1714 to 1718, there was also, judging from the records, some irregularity in holding the usual meetings for the despatch of business,-but thereafter, although there was less attention given to minor matters (such as were pro- bably confided to the discretion of committees, with powers rendering the action of the town upon them unnecessary), the meetings were held regularly,53 until from 1775 to 1783, dur- ing which period they appear to have ceased, and also from 1784 to 1788.
Under date of July, 1712, John Pike and John Bishop, Justices, certify, that John Robison, when a child, had one of his ears partly bitten off "by a jade ; " that they had known him from childhood, and that he had never been guilty of any crime to merit such punishment. They give him the cer- tificate "to prevent any scandal that he may be liable unto by
53 There is only one instance in the ration of sundry officers elected, " But records of any disorganizing proceed- ye meeting got into confusion and so broke up." ings in the town; that was in March, 1764, when it is said, after the enume-
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WOODBRIDGE.
strangers in any place where the Providence of God shall cast him."
As almost all pasturage was in common in these early pe- riods of the history of the province, great necessity existed for 'the due identification of cattle by their respective owners, and their marks were consequently duly recorded in the "town book "-their number calling for the exercise of some ingenuity in devising the requisite variety ; thus we have for Elisha Par- ker's mark " A cross of the near Ear and a slit on the under side of the same ; " for Richard Potter's " three holes in the left ear ;" for Obadiah Ayres' " two half pennies on the under side of the off or right ear ; " and for Samuel Moore's " a half penny on the under side of the right or off ear, and a slit across the upper side of the near or left ear."
At the period of the Revolution the position of Woodbridge among the other towns of the colony was far more important than at present, exceeding greatly in influence many which now are far ahead in the great race of progress. The " Sons of Liberty " of Woodbridge and Piscataway took the lead in 1765-6 in several of the prominent measures of the day, and it was through their interference mainly, that William Coxe of Philadelphia was led to decline the office of Stamp Distrib- utor for New Jersey :- a deputation from them to that gentle- man, while instructed to treat him with great deference and respect, bearing to him a communication to the effect that, a week's delay in resigning the office would render a visit from them in a body necessary, and produce results mutually dis- agreeable.
The town was then on the great thoroughfare between New York and Philadelphia, and the road which was travelled over by the worthies of that day retains for miles the characteristics it then possessed ; so that when the octogenarian points along it and describes the passage through the place of Washington on his way to New York, to be inaugurated President, or de- tails other events occurring on the route, it is comparatively easy to conjure up the scenery and the actors. The main fea- tures of the country, too, are unchanged ; the pleasing undu- lations of the surface diversified with wood and meadow, ex- hibiting the good judgment of the early settlers in selecting
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WOODBRIDGE. '
the site for an agricultural community ; "the forms which the earth wore and the hues with which the air was beautified in ancient days, are still the same," in general appearance, how- ever changed may be the denizens of the place.
It is manifest, however, that it is still within the domain of Time, and subject to the modifications which he is for ever working. Many objects that were wont to meet the eye of the traveller have disappeared, not the least among them being the famous Elm-tree, upon which the author's boyish eyes were wont to gaze in admiration, and which was noted the country round, both for its size and for its pointing out the village tavern ; and there was no one thoughtful enough to perpetuate its memory either by pencil or description. Per- haps the woodman, beneath whose axe it fell, felt less its loss than he who, a thousand miles off, read its obituary in a stray paragraph of a newspaper 54 -another link of the chain con- necting the present with the past was severed,-the man's. hold upon the days of his childhood was less secure.
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