USA > New Jersey > Historical collections of the state of New Jersey : containing a general collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc. relating to its history and antiquities, with geographical desciptions of every township in the state. > Part 48
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 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68
364
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
generally of a square or oblong shape, the corners of which wore out the pockets. Our informant, a respectable revolutionary pensioner, in his younger days made shoe-buckles from coin of this description.
Tinton Falls, 22 miles SW. of Shrewsbury, is on a branch of Navisink river, and contains about 25 dwellings, a furnace, a grist and saw mill, 2 stores. In its vicinity is a Methodist church. It is named from the cascade in the river, which here precipitates over a sand rock about 30 feet in height, filled with animal remains. Below, the stream winds for some distance through a romantic dell overhung by trees of variegated foliage.
At the village is a chalybeate spring, once held in high repute by the Indians, who on selling out to the whites had reserved the spring and a small strip of surrounding land for public benefit. The water is composed of iron, copper, sulphur, &c. When taken from the spring it is clear, but on standing a few hours it assumes the color of cider, and discolors glasses in which it is placed.
When this country was first settled, deer and wolves abounded. Among the deer hunters was one Webberly West, who died just previous to the war of the revolution. He is said in the course of his life to have killed many hundred. Wolves were caught in pits covered by brush, with meat on the top as a decoy. Snapping turtles were for- merly numerous in the creek, and proved destructive to ducks ; they would catch them with their claws, tear them in pieces, and devour them. Some of the turtles weighed 20 or 30 pounds, and were much valued by the settlers as an article of food. They were so abundant that in two hours a person could catch a bushel-basket full. They laid their eggs in the sand, perhaps 30 or 40 in one spot ; which the foxes destroyed in great numbers. The Indians used to catch large quantities of clams on the seashore Their method of cooking was to dig pits, heat them with wood, and then put in the clams and cover them with seaweed and brush to confine the heat. They were consid- ered a great luxury.
View of the Capt. Huddy Mansion, Colt's Neck.
Colt's Neck, originally called Call's Neck from a resident of that name, is 5 miles from Freehold, on a neck of land formed by two branches of Swimming river. It contains 3 stores, a church, and 26 dwellings. On Widow Tillotson's land, about a mile N. from this place, in a clay bank beside a brook, is a cave formerly divided into several rooms. The mouth being now broken in, it is destroyed as an object of curiosity. It can only be entered when the stream is low ..
The above engraving represents the dwelling in which resided
2
365
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
the brave Capt. Joshua Huddy, of revolutionary memory, now owned by Thomas G. Haight, Esq., and standing in the central part of Colt's Neck, a few rods back from the main road. Huddy dis- tinguished himself on various occasions in the war, and became an object of terror to the tories. In the summer of 1780, a party of about 60 refugees, commanded by Tye, a mulatto, one evening attacked this dwelling. Huddy, assisted only by a servant-girl,* aged about 20 years, defended it for some length of time. Several muskets were fortunately left in the house by the guard generally stationed there, but at this time absent. These she loaded, while Huddy, by appearing at different windows and discharging them, gave the impression that there were many defenders. He wounded several, and at last, while setting fire to the house, he shot their leader Tyet in the wrist. Huddy, finding the flames fast increas- ing, agreed to surrender, provided they would extinguish the fire.}
It is said the enemy on entering were much exasperated at the feebleness of its defenders, and could with difficulty be restrained by their leader from butchering them on the spot. They were obliged to leave, as the militia soon collected, and killed six on their retreat. They carried off with Huddy several cattle and sheep from the neighborhood, but lost them in fording the creeks. They embarked on board their boats near Black Point, between Shrews- bury and Navisink rivers. As the boats pushed from shore, Huddy jumped overboard, and was shot in the thigh as was supposed by the militia, then in close pursuit. He held up one of his hands toward them, exclaiming, " I am Huddy ! I am Huddy !" swam to the shore, and escaped.
Two years after, March, 1782, Huddy commanded a blockhouse at Tom's River, which was attacked by a party of refugees from New York, and taken after a gallant resistance. (See p. 328 of this volume.) The prisoners were carried to New York ; from thence Huddy was conveyed to Sandy Hook, and placed heavily ironed on board a guard-ship.
While confined he was told by one of the refugees that he was to be hanged, " for he had taken a certain Philip White, a refugee in Monmouth county, cut off both his arms, broke his legs, pulled out one of his eyes, damned him, and then bid him run." He an- swered, " It is impossible I could have taken Philip White, I being a prisoner in New York at the time, closely confined, and for many days before he was made prisoner." One or two of bis comrades
* The name of this heroine was Lucretia Emmons, afterward Mrs. Chambers. She died about 20 years since at Freehold.
t Titus, or Col. Tye, as he was commonly called, usually commanded a mongrel crew of negroes and tories. He died of lockjaw occasioned by this wound. He was a slave of John Corlies, and was born and bred in the south part of this township. He was an honorable, brave, but headstrong man. Several acts of generosity are remem- bered of him, and he was justly more respected as an enemy than many of his brethren of a fairer complexion.
# Marks of the fire are plainly discernible to the present day, (June, 1842 ;). and on the eastern end of the house are several bullet-holes.
366
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
corroborated this statement. Four days after, (April 12th.) Huddy was taken by 16 refugees under Capt. Lippencot to Gravelly Point, on the seashore at the foot of Navisink hills, about a mile N. of the Highland lighthouses, where he was deliberately exe cuted. He met his fate with an extraordinary degree of firmness and serenity. It is said he even executed his will under the gal- lows, upon the head of that barrel from which he was to make his exit, and in a handwriting fairer than usual. The following label was attached to his breast.
We the refugees having long with grief beheld the cruel murders of our brethren, and finding nothing but such measures daily carrying into execution ;- we therefore determine not to suffer without taking vengeance for the numerous cruelties ; and thus begin, having made use of Capt. Huddy as the first object to present to your view ; and further determine to hang man for man, while there is a refugee existing.
UP GOES HUDDY FOR PHILIP WHITE!
The gallows, formed of three rails, stood on the beach, close to the sea. Tradition states that Capt. Lippencot, observing reluc- tance in some of his men to take hold of the rope, drew his sword, and swore he would run the first through who disobeyed orders. Three of the party, bringing their bayonets to the charge, declared their determination to defend themselves-that Huddy was innocent of the death of White, and they would not be concerned in the murder of an innocent man.
The following circumstances, relating to the death of White, were obtained principally by conversation with a highly respecta- ble gentleman, a soldier of the revolution, now (June, 1842) a resi- dent of this township. White, the refugee, was a carpenter, and served his time in Shrewsbury. Six days after Huddy was taken, he was surprised by a party of militia lighthorse, near Snag swamp, in the eastern part of the township. After laying down his arms in token of surrender, he took up his musket and killed a Mr. Hen- drickson. He was, however, secured, and while being taken to Freehold was killed at Pyle's Corner, 3 miles from there. He was under the guard of 3 men, the father of one of whom was mur- dered at Shrewsbury, the year previous, by a band of refugees, among whom was White, and he was therefore highly exasperated against the prisoner. Some accounts state, that he was killed while attempting to escape; others, with more probability, that they pricked him with their swords, and thus forcing him to run, cruelly murdered him.
The corpse of Huddy was carried to Freehold, and buried with the honors of war. A funeral sermon was preached on the occa- sion by the Rev. Mr. Woodhull,* who afterward suggested to Gen. David Forman the propriety of retaliation. Forman wrote to this effect to Washington. The subsequent history of this affair is thus given in Ramsay's History of the Revolution.
* This clergyman was originally settled over a congregation in Pennsylvania. He was a strenuous whig, and while there, advocated the cause so eloquently from the pul- pit, that he succeeded in enlisting as soldiers every male member of his congregation
2
IT
.
367
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
Gen. Washington resolved on retaliation for this deliberate mur- der; but instead of immediately executing a British officer, he wrote to Sir Henry Clinton, that unless the murderers of Huddy were given up, he should be under the necessity of retaliating. The former being refused, Capt. Asgill was designated by lot for that purpose. In the mean time, the British instituted a court- martial for the trial of Capt. Lippencot, who was supposed to be the principal agent in executing Huddy. It appeared in the course of this trial, that Gov. Franklin, the president of the board of as- sociated loyalists, gave Lippencot verbal orders for what he did ; and that he had been designated as a proper subject for retaliation, having been, as the refugees stated, a persecutor of the loyalists, and particularly as having been instrumental in hanging Stephen Edwards,* who had been one of that description. The court, hav- ing considered the whole matter, gave their opinion-" That, as what Lippencot did was not the effect of malice or ill-will, but proceeded from a conviction that it was his duty to obey the orders of the board of directors of associated loyalists, and as he did not doubt their having full authority to give such orders, he was not guilty of the murder laid to his charge, and therefore they acquit- ted him." Sir Guy Carleton, who, a little before this time, had been appointed commander-in-chief of the British army, in a letter to Gen. Washington, accompanying the trial of Lippencot, declared " that, notwithstanding the acquittal of Lippencot, he reprobated the measure, and gave assurances of prosecuting a further inquiry." Sir Guy Carleton, about the same time, broke up the board of as- sociated loyalists, which prevented a repetition of similar excesses.
capable of bearing arms, he going with them as chaplain. In the spring of 1779, he was settled over the -Ist Presbyterian church of Freehold, where he continued until his death, in Nov., 1824.
* Stephen Edwards, a young man, in the latter part of the war left his home at Shrewsbury, and joined the loyalists at New York. From thence he was sent, by Col. Taylor of the refugees, a former resident of Middletown, back to Monmouth co. with written instructions to ascertain the force of the Americans there. Information having been conveyed to the latter, Jonathan Forman, a captain of cavalry, was ordered to search for him. Suspecting he might be at his father's residence, half a mile below Ea- tontown, he entered it at midnight with a party of men, and found him in bed with his wife, disguised in the nightcap of a female.
" Who have you here ?" says Forman.
" A laboring woman," replied Mrs. Edwards. The captain detected the disguise, and, on looking under the bed, saw Edwards' clothing, which he examined, and found the pa- pers given him by Col. Taylor. He then says, " Edwards, I am sorry to find you !- You see these papers-you have brought yourself into a disagreeable situation,-you know the fate of spies !"
Edwards denied the allegation, remarking, " he was not such, and could not be so considered."
This occurred on Saturday night. The prisoner was taken to the courthouse, tried by a court-martial next day, and executed at 10 o'clock on the Monday following. Ed- wards' father and mother had come up that morning to ascertain the fate of their son, and returned home with his corpse. Edwards was an amiable young man. The For- man and Edwards families had been on terms of intimate friendship ; and the agency of one of the members of the former in the transaction, excited their deepest sympathies for the unfortunate fate of the prisoner. This occurred at the period of the greatest trou- bles in the county .- Compilers of the Hist. Coll. of New Jersey.
-
368
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
The war, also, drawing near a close, the motives for retaliation, as tending to prevent other murders, in a great measure ceased. In the mean time, Gen. Washington received a letter from the Count de Vergennes, interceding for Capt. Asgill, which was also accom- panied with a very pathetic one from his mother, Mrs. Asgill, to the count. Copies of these several letters were forwarded to congress, and soon after they resolved, "that the commander-in-chief be di- rected to set Capt. Asgill at liberty." The lovers of humanity re- joiced that the necessity for retaliation was superseded, by the known humanity of the new British commander-in-chief, and still more by the well-founded prospect of a speedy peace. Asgill, who had received every indulgence, and who had been treated with all possible politeness, was released, and permitted to go into New York.
The following is from an ancient newspaper :
On the 30th ult., (April, 1780,) a party of negroes and refugees from the Hook, landed at Shrewsbury in order to plunder. During their excursion a Mr. Russel, who attempted some resistance to their depredations, was killed, and his grandchild had five balls shot through him, but is yet living. Capt. Warner, of the privateer brig Elizabeth, was made prisoner by these ruffians, but was released by giving them two half joes. This banditti also took off several persons, among whom were Capt. James Green, and Ensign John Morris, of the militia.
The annexed additional particulars were obtained by conversa tion with a resident at the time. Mr. Russel was an elderly man, aged about 60 years; as the party entered his dwelling. which was in the night, he fired and missed. They returned it, and young Russel fell. Wm. Gilian, a native of Shrewsbury, their leader, seized the old gentleman by the collar, and was in the act of stab- bing him in the face and eyes with his bayonet, when the fire blazed up, and shedding a momentary light upon the scene, enabled the younger Russel, as he lay wounded on the floor, to shoot Gilian. John Farnham, a native of Middletown, thereupon aimed his mus- ket at the young man ; but it was knocked up by Lippencot, who had married into the family. The party then went off. The child was accidentally wounded in the affray.
STAFFORD.
This township was incorporated in 1798. Its greatest length is 19 miles, breadth 12 miles. It is bounded N. by Dover, E. and SE. by bays of the Atlantic, and SW. by Little Egg Harbor town- ship, Burlington co. ; Little Egg Harbor and Barnegat bays stretch along in front of the township, to the east of which is an unbroken beach, excepting at the Barnegat inlet, through which vessels enter. On the main land, next to the water, is a strip of salt marsh, varying from one quarter to three miles in width; along on the shore, below the main post-road, the soil is fertile and there are some excellent farms. Inland, the surface is level, the soil mostly gravel and sand, and covered with pine and oak. There
369
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
are in the township 9 stores, 1 grist-m., 4 saw-m. ; 7 schools, 215 scholars. Pop. 2,149.
Manahocking, a flourishing village 45 miles from Freehold, con- tains a Baptist and a Methodist church, saw, grist, turning, and carding mills, 2 taverns, 3 stores, and about 40 dwellings. Wood, lumber, and cedar rails are exported in considerable quantities from this village. About 15 or 20 coasting vessels sail from this and the other places in the township, which carry off, with the other products of this timber country, large quantities of charcoal, here an article of increasing production. Barnegat, 42 miles N. of Mana- hocking, has 3 taverns, 3 stores, and about 30 dwellings. Waer- town, 43 miles from Manahocking, has a tavern, store, and a few dwellings. Westecunk, 5 miles below Manahocking, contains 2 stores, a tavern, saw-mill, and about 30 dwellings.
The following facts here given, relating to the catching of whales on this coast, at this late era, may be unknown to many of our readers. They are extracted from J. F. Watson's (MS.) trip to Manahocking, made in July, 1833. He says :
I was surprised to learn from old Stephen Inman, one of the 12 islanders of Long Beach, himself aged 75 years, that he and his family have never ceased to be whale catchers along this coast. They devote themselves to it in February and March. Generally catch two or three of a season, so as to average 40 or 50 barrels of oil apiece. Sometimes whales are taken making 90 barrels of oil. Whalebones of a large size are seen bleaching about the sand.
The following relating to the infamous John Bacon. one of the refugees who had murdered several citizens and plundered many defenceless families, is from the Jersey Gazette of January 8th, 1783 :
On Friday, the 27th ult., Capt. Richard Shreve, of the Burlington county lighthorse, and Capt. Edward Thomas, of the Mansfield militia, having received information that John Bacon with his banditti of robbers was in the neighborhood of Cedar creek, eol- lected a party of men and went immediately in pursuit of them. They met them at the Cedar creek bridge. The refugees, being on the south side, had greatly the advantage of Capts. Shreve and Thomas' party in point of situation. It was, nevertheless, deter- mined to charge them. The onset, on the part of the militia, was furious, and opposed by the refugees with great firmness for a considerable time; several of them having been guilty of such enormous crimes as to have no expectation of mercy should they sur- render. They were, nevertheless, on the point of giving way, when the militia were unexpectedly fired upon from a party of the inhabitants near that place, who had suddenly come to Bacon's assistance.
This put the militia in some confusion, and gave the refugees time to get off. Mr. William Cooke, jr., son of William Cooke, Esq., was unfortunately killed in the attack, and Robert Reckless wounded, but is likely to recover. On the part of the refugees, Ichabod Johnson (for whom government has offered a reward of 25l.) was killed on the spot ; Bacon and three more of the party are wounded. The militia are still in pursuit of the refugees, and have taken seven of the inhabitants prisoners, who were with Bacon. in the action at the bridge, and are now in the Burlington jail, some of whom have. confessed the fact. They have also taken a considerable quantity of contraband and stolen goods in searching some suspected houses and cabins on the shore.
In the spring ensuing, Bacon was surprised and killed at Egg Harbor by a detachment of Shreve's lighthorse, commanded by Cornet Cook.
47
W
الرسالة
T
370
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
UPPER FREEHOLD.
This township is about 15 miles long, 10 wide, and is bounded N. by E. Windsor, Mercer co., E. by Freehold, S. by Dover, and W. by Hanover, Burlington co. The surface is level, the south- eastern part covered with pines. There are some excellent farms in the township, particularly on a strip of land called Cream ridge, running centrally across it. There are in the township 23 stores, 7 tanneries, 2 grist-m., 1 saw-m. ; 18 schools, 1,200 scholars. Pop. 5,026.
Allentown was probably first settled about the year 1700. It is on the road from Bordentown to Freehold, 8 miles from the former, 18 from the latter, and 11 from Trenton. It is a village of con- siderable business, and contains an academy, a grist and two saw mills, 6 mercantile stores, 1 Methodist church, 1 do. for colored persons, a Presbyterian church, about 100 dwellings, and 5 or 600 inhabitants. A little west of the village, on the road to Trenton, is
SK
View of the Presbyterian Church, Allentown.
a woollen factory and several dwellings. The principal part of the village is on the E. side of Doctors creek, On the western bank of this stream, on a gentle elevation, stands the Presbyterian church, a substantial brick structure erected in 1837; this society was founded in 1756, and the Methodist about the year 1810. Just previous to the battle of Monmouth the British marched through the village and encamped on Montgomery hill.
New Egypt, a flourishing village near the western line of the county, contains 2 stores, and about 500 inhabitants. The soil is light, but made fertile by marl and lime. Imlaystown, Horners- town, Prospertown, Goshen, Varmintown, Cat-tail, and Cabbage- town, are small villages or neighborhoods in the township ; the first of which is a post-village, containing a store, tannery, a grist and a saw mill, 1 wheelwright, 1 cabinet-maker, 1 saddler, 1 black- smith-shop, and about 17 dwellings.
As previously mentioned. Monmouth co., in the American revo
1
371
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
lution, suffered severely from its intestine enemies, particularly the refugees, who took up arms against their former neighbors and friends. Whole families were divided, fathers and brothers taking different sides, and mingling in savage conflict in murderous oppo- sition to each other. Between them occurred scenes of ferocity, and incidents of individual daring, sufficient to fill a volume of hor- ror. At one time the refugees gained the ascendency, and had pos- session of Freehold village for a week or ten days, but at last were driven out by the whigs. Some of them took to the swamps and woods, and, like the pine robbers, secreted themselves in caves bur- rowed in sand, where their friends covertly supplied them with food. The most ferocious of them were hung .* Those more mild, or merely suspected, were put on their parole of honor or sent prison- ers to Hagerstown, to prevent their communicating with the ene- my, and at the close of the war had their property restored. Many of the refugees fled from this state to New York, and were formed into a military corps under the name of " The Associated Loyalists," of which Wm. Franklin, the last royal governor of New Jersey, was president.
-
.
This county was more afflicted by their marauding parties, than all the rest of the state combined; and the inhabitants, favorable to the popular cause, were compelled to draw up articles of agree- ment for the purposes of retaliation. Annexed is a copy of this paper, with the names of the associators. It comprises the names of prominent families in this county at the present day. The origi- nal is in the secretary of state's office, Trenton.
Whereas from the frequent incursions and depredations of the enemy (and more particularly of the refugees) in this county, whereby not only the lives but the liberty and property of every determined whig are endan- gered, they, upon every such incursion, either burning or destroying houses, making prisoners of, and most inhumanly treating aged and peaceable in- habitants, and plundering them of all portable property, it has become es- sentially necessary to take some different and more effectual measures to check said practices, than have ever yet been taken ; and as it is a fact, no- torious to every one, that these depredations have always been committed by the refugees (either black or white) that have left this country, or by their influence or procurement, many of whom have near relations and friends, that in general have been suffered to reside unmolested among us, numbers of which, we have full reason to believe, are aiding and accessary to those detestable practices. We, the subscribers, inhabitants of the county of Monmouth, actuated solely by the principles of self-preservation, being of opinion that the measure will be strictly justifiable on the common prin- ciples of war, and being encouraged thereto by an unanimous resolve of the honorable the congress, passed the 30th of Oct., 1778, wherein they in the most solemn manner declare that through every possible change of fortune they will retaliate, do hereby solemnly associate for the purpose of retaliation,
* No less than 13 pine robbers, refugees, and murderers, were executed at different times on one gallows, which stood near where Fagan was hung, in the vicinity of the courthouse. Dr. Samuel Forman, of Freehold, from whom the above fact was obtained, assisted in the erection of this gallows.
.
T
372
MONMOUTH COUNTY.
and do obligate ourselves, our heirs, executors, and administrators, and every of them jointly and severally, to all and every of the subscribers and their heirs, &c., to warrant and defend such persons as may be appointed to as- sist this association in the execution thereof ; and that we will abide by and adhere to such rules and regulations for the purpose of making restitution to such friends to their country as may hereafter have their houses burned or broke to pieces, their property wantonly destroyed or plundered, their persons made prisoners of whilst peaceably at their own habitations about their lawful business not under arms, as shall hereafter be determined on by a committee of nine men duly elected by the associates at large out of their number ; which rules and regulations shall be founded on the following principles, viz :-
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.