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 65
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
494
WARREN COUNTY.
៛
English. Here it was, it is believed, that the great founder of Methodism, John Wesley, became acquainted with them, from whom he imbibed some of his peculiar sentiments. In 1741, they settled near the forks of the Delaware. Count Zinzendorf, then on a missionary tour in America, visited this place at Christmas, in that year, and lodged in a log-house, attached to which was a stable. From this circumstance the name of Bethlehem was given to the settlement.
The count was undoubtedly pre-eminently fitted for a pioneer in the cause. He is represented to have been one of the most extra- ordinary divines that have appeared since the reformation-a man of fervent piety, powerful imagination, original genius, and exten- sive acquirements, and a sound, though perhaps eccentric theolo- gian. In his portrait, he is dressed in a plain, single-breasted coat, a mantle partially thrown over the shoulder, and a white cravat gathered in a simple fold ; the hair dark, smoothly parted on the left side, and hanging in graceful ringlets down the neck and shoul- ders ; the forehead high and even ; eye penetrating ; nose long and aquiline ; mouth large, but well formed, and the general expression highly intellectual, denoting purity of thought and benevolence. When here, he travelled much among the Indians, generally on horseback, but not unfrequently on foot. Once or twice he narrow- ly escaped being slain by them.
No people have probably done so much in the cause of missions, in proportion to their means, as the Moravians. The sufferings and devotedness of their missionaries have been without a parallel : and many interesting anecdotes are given of them. They have gone forth, single-handed and unknown, among the slave popula- tion of the West Indies, the sour, licentious hordes of Greenland, and the savages of our own country. In some instances ten, in oth- ers nearly fifty years have elapsed ere they saw any fruit ; yet they continued to labor, full of faith, and struggling against mis- representation, suffering, and loss of life.
The total number of missionaries, with their wives, employed in- 1838, was 230. These had 51,000 souls under their care, of whom 16,000 were communicants. Owing to their simple mode of living. and the practice in some instances of supporting themselves by per- sonal labor, this great scheme of missionary effort has been con- ducted on a very economical scale. The annual outlay of the so- ciety for the support of their forty-two stations, pensions to retired missionaries, and widows, and the education and apprenticing of their children, and other expenses, amounts to about $50,000.
There are at present in the United States several societies of Moravians, besides their independent communities ; but as they do not come under their social regulations, cannot in the fullest sense be considered as belonging to them. Their communities are at Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Litiz, in Pennsylvania, and at Salem in North Carolina.
Bethlehem, their largest town, has about one thousand inhabitants,
1
5
495
WARREN COUNTY.
who are mainly of German descent, and speak and worship in that language. The village is romantically located, compactly built, and combines the attractions of both town and country. Their government is administered by a board elected biennially. The land belongs to the society, and is let out for building lots and other , purposes, at a trifling annual rent. This enables them to keep their village free from all unworthy persons; but they ever admit the temporary residence of such as are willing to conform to their ex- - ternal regulations. The inhabitants are engaged in the usual me -. chanical, mercantile, and agricultural employments ; and some have acquired considerable property. It was formerly the custom here, and is still in Germany, to have separate establishments for such as had not families, viz : the single brethren's house, for young men and apprentices, where they lived and carried on their respective em- ployments,-the sisters' house, for the abode of unmarried females, and the widows' house. But as the society has increased in wealth, the necessity for them has vanished, and it is believed they do not now exist anywhere in the Union.
The young of both sexes were not then generally allowed to as- sociate. When a young man wished to marry, he would hand in the name of the lady to the board of elders. If judged improper, from pecuniary disability, or other reasons, recourse was had to the lot to decide the question. This was always entered upon with so- lemnity, and preceded by prayer. If favorable, the young lady had the privilege of refusal. In extraordinary cases it is even now re- sorted to : for instance, when a young lady receives proposals of marriage from a missionary, and is undecided, she sometimes re- quests the lot to be taken.
Meetings are held every evening in the week. Sunday mornings the litany is read, and a sermon delivered in the church ; services are also performed in the evening. Certain festival days, such as Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, &c., are celebrated. As usual among the Germans, great attention is paid to music ; almost every dwell- ing has its piano, and it forms one of the most interesting features of their public worship. Before the Lord's supper they have a love feast, when all assemble expressly to listen to vocal and instrumen- tal music, interspersed with hymns. in which the congregation join, while they partake of a cup of coffee, tea, or chocolate, and light cakes, in token of fellowship and brotherly union. Easter morning is devoted to a solemnity of a peculiar kind. At sunrise the con- gregation assemble in the graveyard ; a service, accompanied by music, is celebrated, expressive of the joyful hopes of immortality and resurrection, and a solemn commemoration of those who in the course of the last year have gone to heaven.
Soon as a person dies, the event is announced by solemn instru- mental music, from a band stationed in the church tower. Differ- ent tunes are played, signifying the age, sex, and condition of the deceased ; so it is then usually known who is dead. These death hymns, sounding, as they often do, upon the still morning or evening
1
١٠
1
496
WARREN COUNTY.
air, must have a singularly melancholy effect upon the hearer, re minding him that he too is mortal. Their funeral services are usu- ally performed in church ; from thence the congregation march to the grave, preceded by a band of music. If the deceased is a fe- male, the ladies follow first after the coffin; if a male, the re- verse. They consider death as no evil, but the entrance to eternal bliss, and therefore do not mourn for friends, nor wear insignia of 'grief. In alluding to the departed, they use the expression, " heim gehen." signifying that they have gone home. The graveyard, like most of this denomination, is laid out as a garden, and planted with trees, under which are seats for visitors. The graves are devoid of the disagreeable coffin-like shape of our own ; but resemble flower-beds, and in many cases are covered with myrtle and other ornamental plants. The monuments are small slabs laid horizon- tally upon the graves, the inscriptions uppermost, and bearing sim ply the name, age, and place of decease.
The. following interesting particulars respecting Count Zinzen dorf's visit to this country, are from Chapman's History of Wy- oming.
Upon his arrival in America, Count Zinzendorf manifested a great anxiety to have the gospel preached to the Indians ; and although he had heard much of the ferocity of the Shawanese, formed a resolution to visit them. With this view he repaired to Tulpe- hocken, the residence of Conrad Weiser, a celebrated Indian interpreter, and Indian agent for the government, whom he wished to engage in the cause, and to accompany him to the Shawanese town. Weiser was too much occupied in business to go imme- diately to Wyoming, but he furnished the count with letters to a missionary by the name of Mack, and the latter, accompanied by his wife, who could speak the Indian language, proceeded immediately with Zinzendorf on the projected mission.
The Shawanese appeared to be alarmed on the arrival of the strangers, who pitched their tents on the banks of the river a little below the town, and a council of the chiefs having assembled, the declared purpose of Zinzendorf was deliberately considered. To these unlettered children of the wilderness it appeared altogether improbable that a stran- ger should brave the dangers of a boisterous ocean three thousand miles broad, for the sole purpose of instructing them in the means of obtaining happiness after death, and that too without requiring any compensation for his trouble and expense; and as they had observed the anxiety of the white people to purchase lands of the Indians, they nat- urally concluded that the real object of Zinzendorf was either to procure from them the lands at Wyoming for his own uses, to search for hidden treasures, or to examine the country with a view to future conquest. It was accordingly resolved to assassinate him, and to do it privately, lest the knowledge of the transaction should produce a war with the English, who were settling the country below the mountains.
Zinzendorf was alone in his tent, seated upon a bundle of dry weeds which composed his bed, and engaged in writing, when the assassins approached to execute their bloody commission. It was night, and the cool air of September had rendered a small fire ne- cessary to his comfort and convenience. A curtain formed of a blanket and hung upon pins was the only guard to the entrance of his tent. The heat of his small fire had aroused a large rattlesnake which lay in the weeds not far from it ; and the reptile, to en- joy it more effectually, crawled slowly into the tent and passed over one of his legs un- discovered. Without, all was still and quiet except the gentle murmur of the river at the rapids about a mile below. At this moment the Indians softly approached the door of his tent, and slightly removing the curtain, contemplated the venerable man too deep- ly engaged in the subject of his thoughts to notice either their approach, or the snake which lay extended before him. At a sight like this, even the heart of the savage shrunk from the idea of committing so horrid an act, and quitting the spot, they hastily returned to the town, and informed their companions that the Great Spirit protected the white man, for they had found him with no door but a blanket, and had seen a large rat-
.
1
-
497
WARREN COUNTY.
tlesnake crawl over his legs without attempting to injure him .* This circumstance, to. gether with the arrival soon afterward of Conrad Weiser, procured Zinzendorf the friend- ship and confidence of the Indians, and probably contributed essentially toward inducing many of them at a subsequent period to embrace the Christian religion. The count, having spent twenty days at Wyoming, returned to Bethlehem, a town then building by his Christian brethren on the north bank of the Lehigh, about eleven miles from its junc- tion with the Delaware.
In the village burying-ground at Hope are the graves of about 40 or 50 of the Moravians. A slab of gray stone about two feet long is placed horizontally over each grave, each with a simple inscription recording the name, birth, and death ; the following is a copy of two of the inscriptions : -
No. 33. CONRAD OMENSETTER, Born December 18th, 1740, In Germany. Departed July 2, 1792.
MARIA SALOME BLUM, Born June 11, 1718. In Hope, Departed Aug. 30, 1778.
INDEPENDENCE.
Independence is 8 m. long, 6 broad; and is bounded NW. by Hardwick, NE. by Green and Byram, Sussex co., E. by Roxbury and Washington, Morris co., S. by Mansfield, and W. by Hope. There are in the township 11 stores, 1 furnace, 6 flouring-m., 3 grist-m., 1 oil-m. ; cap. in manufac. $65,650 ; 13 schools, 580 scho- lars. Pop. 2,284.
The " Great Meadows" is a tract 5 m. long by 2 wide, in the W. part, which is drained by the Pequest river, The Musconetcong, with its fertile valley, is in the eastern part of the township, and the Morris canal enters the co. near the NE. corner of the township.
Hackettstown, on the Musconetcong creek, 17 m. NE. of Belvi- dere, was founded previous to the American revolution, and derives its name from Mr. Samuel Hackett, a large landholder. A Pres- byterian church was erected in 1763, as appears from the date on the gravestone of Mr. Nathaniel Foster, who, with two others, was accidentally killed at the raising of the building. Just after the war, there were ten dwellings in the place. It gradually increased from that period until 1830, since which it has nearly doubled in population. The annexed view was taken in the main street of the village, which is about half a mile in length, and, being thickly studded with stores, mechanic shops, and dwellings, has a thriving, business-like appearance. On the left, near the spectator, is seen a part of the Methodist church, built in 1833, and the spire in the
* This circumstance is not published in the Count's memoirs, lest, as he states, the brethren should think the conversion of a part of the Shawanese was attributable to their superstition. The author received the narrative from a companion of Zinzendorf, who afterward accompanied him to Wyoming.
63
W
498
WARREN COUNTY.
distance is that of the Presbyterian church, a handsome building of wood, with pillars in front, erected in 1819, on the site of the old one. Schooley's mountain, 3 m. from the village, appears in the
Central View in Hackettstown.
background. Hackettstown contains a woollen manufactory, a cupola furnace, 2 large flouring-m., 2 taverns, (one of which is large, and capable of accommodating many guests,) 1 tannery, about 25 mechanic shops of various kinds, 6 mercantile stores, 91 dwellings, and about 700 inhabitants. The Morris canal runs three quarters of a mile W. of the village, at the base of Bucks Hill, a bold eminence, deriving its name from the deer formerly abounding there. The land in the vicinity of the village is fertile, under excellent cultivation, and is valued at from $50 to $100 per acre.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the graveyard adjoining the Presbyterian church at Hackettstown :
This marble, sacred to the memory of Rev. JOSEPH CAMPBELL, D. D., was erected by the congregation of Hackettstown, N. J., who enjoyed his able and faithful labors in the gospel ministry upwards of 31 years. Though extensively honored for his literary and scientific attainments, and respected for his piety, he was yet a man of great humility, and wore as his daily and most distinguishing habit, the " ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." He was licensed to preach the gospel A. D. 1808, ordained in 1809, and departed this life Sept. 6th, A. D. 1840, in the 65th year of his age, " full of faith and the Holy Ghost."
Sacred to the memory of William Stewart, who departed this life Feb. 17th, 1810, in the 72d year of his age. For 32 years, he was a ruling elder in the church, highly re- vered and esteemed by all its members for his edifying life and conversation. And his care in instructing the youth of the congregation, while destitute of a pastor, will long be remembered by the friends of Zion. With truth it may be said, here lies the affectionate husband, the kind father, the devout Christian.
In God's own arms he left the breath That God's own Spirit gave ; His was the noblest road to death, And his the sweetest rave.
24:
499
WARREN COUNTY.
Danville, on the road to Hope, on the western line of the town- ship, 5 m. from Hackettstown, contains about 16 dwellings, seve- ral mechanics, and a Presbyterian church built of stone. Vienna, 1 m. E. of Danville, on the same road, is a village of about the same size. Alamuche and Warrenville are also small settlements in the NE. part of the township, containing each about a dozen dwellings, and some mechanic shops, mills, &c. In the N. part of the township is a Friends meeting-house.
MANSFIELD.
Mansfield is 11 m. long, 5 wide, and is bounded NW. by Hope and Oxford, NE. by Independence, SE. by Musconetcong creek, separating it from Hunterdon co., and SW. by Franklin. There are in the township 8 stores, 1 tannery, 1 grist-m., 3 saw-m. ; cap. in manufac. $66,950 ; 12 schools, 1,027 scholars. Pop. 3,057.
The Pohatcong creek, and the Morris canal, pass lengthwise through the township. The valleys of the Musconetcong and Po- hatcong, in this township, are extremely fertile. Large quantities of limestone are burnt and used in manuring the land in this re- gion, and the appearance of the farms and dwellings indicates a more than ordinary degree of prosperity.
South View of Washington.
The village of Washington is in the SW. part of the township, 8 m. SE. of Belvidere, and 12 from Easton. This place is of recent origin. Previous to 1811, there were not any dwellings here ex- cepting a few small huts. In that year, the brick tavern was erected by the late Col. Wm. Mccullough, of Asbury. A year later, the dwelling now owned by Mr. Gershom Rustin was built ; since which the village has grown up, and progressed to its pres- ent prosperous condition. Washington is principally built on a single street, running E. and W. The annexed view was taken
சேர்வது
500
WARREN COUNTY.
on the hill S. of the village, on the road to New Hampton. On the extreme right is seen the Methodist church, a substantial brick structure, erected in 1825. In the central part of the view is the Presbyterian church, also of brick, and ornamented with a hand- some spire. The corner-stone of this edifice was laid July 4, 1837. Previously, the congregation worshipped in a stone church erected about half a century since, now unoccupied, and standing half a mile S. of the village. Before it was built, a log church- stood on its site. There are several mechanic shops, stores, &c., in the vil- lage, and about 40 dwellings in it and vicinity. The Morris canal runs about half a mile N., where there are two store-houses and several dwellings. The village being new, well built, and pleasant- ly situated in a fertile valley, has a cheerful, thriving appearance. Beatty's town, (in the fertile valley of the Musconetcong,) New- berg, Changewater, Anderson, and Port Colden, (where there is a Baptist church,) each.contain from 10 to 25 dwellings.
OXFORD .*
Oxford is 9 m. long, 6 wide, and contains about 50 square miles, bounded on the N. by Knowlton and Hope, on the E. by Mansfield, on the S. by Harmony, and on the W. by the Delaware river. There were in the township, in 1840, 12 schools, 822 scholars. Pop. 2,853.
A ridge of gneiss, here called Scott's mountain, but in Sussex known as the Hamburg or Iron mountain, running nearly SW. and NE., forms a kind of irregular table-land along the eastern side of the township, having a general elevation of about 600 feet above the level of the sea, but sometimes rising 200 or 300 feet higher. A great part of this high land is yet occupied by forests of chest- nut and oak, but is almost all capable of cultivation, and, when manured with lime, yields very good crops. Along the foot of Scott's mountain extends a narrow valley of limestone, separating it from a low gneiss ridge, an extension of Jenny Jump mountain, remarkable only for the singular effect which it has had upon the limestone in its vicinity, which has been converted into a beautiful marble, in some places pure white, and at others resembling rose- colored feldspar, speckled with crystals of epidote, mica, and other minerals. NW. of this ridge lies a valley of limestone, about two miles wide, which is followed by a ridge of clay slate, crossing the Delaware a short distance above Belvidere, and running nearly parallel with it to the upper end of the township, having part of the way a narrow belt of rich alluvial land between it and the river. The limestone is generally of a grayish blue color, and be- longs to what is called the ancient secondary formation. It forms a good building-stone, and yields excellent lime. Some varieties
* Note .- The compilers are indebted to the Hon. J. P. B. Maxwell for the article on Oxford township, excepting that part giving the history of the Presbyterian church.
-
501
WARREN COUNTY
contain a large proportion of magnesia, and then form a good water cement. The soil over the limestone is very fertile. The slate is of a coarse quality, suited only for building-stone or flags. The soil upon it is lighter and thinner than that on the limestone, but, with the aid of lime, yields good crops. Iron ore in the form of red hematite is found, in connection with the limestone, near the Foul rift, but has not been mined to any extent on the Jersey side. It is of an excellent quality, and large quantities are taken out on - the Pennsylvania side of the river. Scott's mountain is remarkable throughout its whole extent for the quantity of valuable minerals with which it abounds. The only ore of much importance in this township, is iron ore, found in the form of a black magnetic oxyde, in great abundance and of the finest quality, near Oxford Furnace. It yields about 60 per cent. of a remarkably tough iron, well calcu- lated for the manufacture of gun-barrels, cutlery, and machinery. Black oxyde of manganese, plumbago, and sulphuret of iron. are also found in Scott's mountain, but not in sufficient quantities to be of value. Quartz crystal, asbestos, crystallized epidote, and some other curious minerals, are also found in different parts of the township.
There are in Oxford township 2 Baptist, 2 Episcopalian, 2 Meth- odist, and 2 Presbyterian churches ; 8 grist-m., 7 saw-m., 3 iron foundries, and 1 blast furnace. As agriculture is the chief occupa- tion of the people, they are mostly scattered about on farms; and the villages are generally very small, and consist merely of a few houses collected at a mill or cross-roads. Besides Belvidere, the county town, Oxford township contains the villages or hamlets of Bridgeville, Butzville, Oxford Meeting-house, Oxford Furnace, Ram- saysburg, Rifton, and Sarepta. Bridgeville, on the Pequest, 3 m. above Belvidere, consists of a store, tavern, and ten or a dozen houses and shops. Butzville, on the Pequest, 5 m. above Belvidere, has a Methodist church, (incorporated March 31, 1841,) a tavern, and 2 or 3 houses. Oxford Meeting-house, 2 m. E. of Belvidere, contains a Presbyterian church, a grist-m., saw-m., tannery, tavern, schoolhouse, and about a dozen houses and shops. The church is one of the oldest establishments in the county,-the present frame building having been erected in 1785, in place of a log church which had been used for many years previous. Oxford Furnace, 5 m. E. of Belvidere, has an iron furnace, grist-m., store, and half a dozen dwelling-houses. The furnace was established nearly 100 years ago. It now yields about 800 tons of pigs per annum. The mines are less than half a mile from the furnace. Ramsaysburg, on the Delaware, 5 m. above Belvidere, consists of an Episco- palian church, a Baptist church, a tavern, 2 stores, and a few scattered houses. The Episcopalian church, St. James's, is the old- est of that denomination in the county, having been established at least as early as 1785. Rifton, at the Foul Rift falls, on the Delaware, 13 m. below Belvidere, has a grist-m., a saw-m., and 4 dwelling-houses. The river falls 6 feet at the Little rift, and 16 at the Foul rift ; and a canal of a mile in length would form a
المعاقل
502
WARREN COUNTY.
water-power almost unequalled in the state. Sarepta, on Beaver brook, a branch of the Pequest, 3 1-4 m. NE. of Belvidere, has an iron foundry, grist-m., and saw-m., and 4 dwelling-houses.
The first settlement in the township was made by two men named Axford and Green, probably about 1730. The tradition is, that on coming into the country they ascended Rattlesnake hill, and there climbed a tree, to survey the country and fix upon a spot for their residence. Axford's attention was attracted by the natu- ral meadows at Oxford Furnace, while Green preferred the banks of the beautiful little lake which still bears his name. The de- scendants of both these adventurers may still be found around the places of their original settlement. The name of Axford was very generally pronounced Oxford, and it is probable the township took its name from him.
Belvidere, from near the Washington Turnpike.
Belvidere, the county-town of Warren, is beautifully situated on both sides of the Pequest river, at its junction with the Delaware, in lat. 40° 47' N., and lon. 1º 50' E. from Washington ; 65 miles W. of New York, 65 N. of Philadelphia, and 13 above Easton. It has a courthouse, clerk's and surrogate's offices, a bank, 3 churches, (Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian,) 4 schools, (and an academy now building.) 2 printing-offices, at which weekly papers are published-the " Belvidere Apollo," (whig,) established in 1824, and the "Warren Journal," (dem.) established in 1833- 4 hotels, (one new and very large,) 3 grist-mills, (one of which is very large,) two saw-mills, (one of them double,) 3 board-yards, 2 iron-foundries ; 3 clergymen, 7 lawyers, 3 physicians ; 12 stores; 1 apothecary, 1 baker, 3 butcher, 3 black- smith, 2 cabinet-maker, 2 carpenter, 1 chairmaker, 4 confection- er, 2 hatter, 2 harness-maker, 6 milliner, 7 shoemaker, 2 sash- maker, 2 silversmith, 1 silver-plater, 2 stonecutter, 1 tinsmith, and 2 wheelwright shops; 162 dwelling-houses, and upwards of
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.