USA > New Jersey > Ocean County > Historical reminiscences of Ocean county, New Jersey > Part 11
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her young, so let me dwell at thine altars, 0 1833 - at which date we erected a Lord of Hosts, my King and my God. plain headstone at the grave of Potter, Blessed are they who dwell in thy house ; they - will be still praising thee. and engaged Benjamin Stout (then owner A day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness. of the Potter farm) to erect a paling fence. This was removed a few weeks since, and a beautiful and substantial iron one substituted, by an organization O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. known as the Goodluck Association. This Association also recently bought an acre of wooded ground adjacent to the meeting house as a sort of perpetual memorial.
Thy perfection is higher than heaven ; what can we do to celebrate thy praise ? It is deeper than hell ; what can we know of thy fathom- less love ?
We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the carth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting. To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein. To thee, cherubim and scraphim continually do ery :
Holy, holy, holy Lord of Sabaoth ! heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory !
The illustrious procession of the patriarchs praise thee ;
The jubilant assembly of the prophets praise thee ;
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee;
The noble army of martyrs praise thee ;
The Holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee, the Father of an in. finite majesty ;
Also thy well-beloved and consecrated Son, and the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.
O God, the King of Glory, help thy servants whom thou hast redeemed by the hand of thy mighty power :
Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save thy people and bless thy heri- tage : govern and lift them up forever.
Day by day we manifest thee ; and we wor- ship thy name ever ; world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us evermore without sin. All our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee I hare trusted ; Let me never t' confounded.
We have no present thought of estab)- lishing a worshiping assembly in that vicinity, and the courteous treatment re- ceived from all the neighbors, and from the Rev. Mr. Johnson, Methodist minis- ter in charge, gives us assurances that the door of the old meeting house will not be closed against us for an occasional service in years to come.
Truly yours,
ABEL C. THOMAS.
Philadelphia, Sept. 30, 1870.
THE INDIANS.
Of the different accounts by ancient writers of the manners and customs of the Indians of our part of the State and West Jersey, about the most vivid and readable is by the celebrated Swedish traveller, Professor Kalm, who visited our State in 1748, and from whose writ- ings the following extracts are taken :
INDIAN MODE OF FELLING TREES.
When the Indians intended to fall a thick, strong tree, they could not make use of their elumsy stone hatchets and,
It is nothing wonderful that the occa- for want of proper instruments, employ- sion should have special attractions for ed fire. They set fire to a great quantity mr. After the final visit of Murray to of wood at the root of the tree, and Goodluck (it was I believe in 1790) no made it fall by that means. But that Universalist clergyman had been there the fire might not reach higher than they would have it, they fastened some rags on a pole, dipped them in water, and kept constantly wetting the tree a little above the fire. until my first visit in 1832-being ac- companied by Richard Norton and James Ely, of Hightstown. I was again there, accompanied by several friends, in May
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MAKING CANOES-A SERIOUS TASK.
Whenever the Indians intend to hol- low out a thick tree for a canoe, they lay dry branches all along the stem of the tree as far as it must be hollowed out. Then they put fire to these dry branch- es, and as soon as they are burned out, they are replaced by others. While these branches are burning, the Indians are very busy with wet rags and pouring water npon the tree to prevent the fire from spreading too far in at the sides and at the ends. The tree being burnt hollow as far as they found it sufficient, or as far as it could without damaging the canoe, they took their stone hatchets, or sharp flints, or sharp shells, and seraped off the burnt part of the wood, and smoothed the boat within. By this means they likewise gave it what shape they pleased ; instead of using a hatchet they shaped it by fire. A good sized ca- noe was commonly thirty or forty feet long.
PREPARING LAND FOR CORN-RUDE FARMING.
The chief use of their hatchets was to Their hatehets were made of stone, in
make fields for maize plantations ; for if the ground where they intended to make corn fields was covered with trees, they cut off the bark all around the trees with their hatchets, especially at a time when they lose their sap. By that means, the trees became dry and could not partake any more nourishment, and the leaves could no longer obstruet the rays of the sun. The small trees were pulled out by force, and the ground was a little turned up with crooked or sharp branches.
MAKING FLOUR-INDIANS ASTONISHED,
to grind it, and did not so much as know a mill before the Europeans came to this country. I have spoken with old Frenchmen in Canada, who told me the Indians had been astonished beyond expression, when the French set up the first wind mill. They came in numbers even from the most distant parts to view this wonder, and were not tired with sit- ting near it for several days together, in order to observe it; they were long of opinion that it was not driven by wind, but by spirits who lived within it. They were partly under the same astonishment when the first water mill was built.
TOOLS OF THE INDIANS.
Before the coming of the Europeans, the Indians were entirely unacquainted with the use of iron. They were obliged to supply the want with sharp stones, shells, elaws of birds and wild beasts, pieces of bone and other things of that kind, whenever they intended to make hatchets, knives and such like instru- ments. From whence it appears they must have led a very wretched life. shape similar to that of wedges used to cleave wood, about half a foot long, and broad in proportion ; they are rather blunter than our wedges. As this hatchet must be fixed with a handle, there was a notch made all around the thick end. To fasten it, they split a stick at one end, and put the stone be- tween it, so that the two halves of the stiek came into the notches of the stone ; then they tied the two split ends together with a rope or something like it, almost in the same way as smiths fasten the instru- ments with which they cut off iron, to a split stick. Some of these stone hatchets
They had stone pestles about a foot were not notched or furrowed at the long and as thick as a man's arm, for upper end, and it seems that they only pounding maize, which was their chief held these in their hands to hew or strike and only corn. They pounded all their with them, and did not make handles to corn in hollow trees ; some Indians had them, Some were made of hard rock or only wooden pestles. They had neither stone. Fish hooks were made of bones wind mills, water mills nor hand mills or birds' claws.
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THE MURDER OF CAPTAIN JOSHUA HUDDY,
THE HERO OF TOMS RIVER.
Captain Huddy was in command of the block house at Toms River when it was captured by the British and Refu- gees on the memorable Sunday, March 24th, 1782. He, with Esquire Daniel Randolph, Jacob Fleming and other prisoners were taken to New York and lodged in the noted sugar house prison, where they remained until April 1st, when they were removed to the Provost guard and closely confined until April 8, when Huddy, Randolph and Fleming were carried on board a sloop, put in the hold and ironed, Huddy having irons on both his hands and feet by order of the notorious Captain Richard Lippen- cott. The next evening they were trans- ferred to the guard ship at Sandy Hook. On the 12th the Refugees took Captain Huddy on shore and near the Highlands they erected a gallows and barbarously hung him about 10 o'clock in the fore- noon. While under the gallows he signed his will on the barrel from which a few minutes later he was launched into another world. In this will he appoint- ed Samuel Forman, of Freehold, his ex- ecutor. A few years ago, Bennington F. Randolph, Esq., a favorably remem- bered member of the bar at Freehold, discovered among the papers of the late Col. Samuel Forman, Huddy's executor, this will, a copy of which was furnished to the writer by Mr. Randolph and reads as follows :
"In the name of God, amen: I, Joshua Huddy, of Middletown, in the county of Monmouth, being of sound mind and memory, but expecting short- ly to depart this life, do declare this my last will and testament. First, I commit my soul to Almighty God, hoping He may receive it in mercy ; and next, I commit my body to the earth. I do also appoint my trusty friend, Samuel For- man, to be my lawful executor, and after all my just debts are paid, I desire that
he do divide the rest of my substance, whether by book, debts, bonds, notes, or any effects whatever belonging to me, equally between my two children, Eliza- beth and Martha Huddy. In witness thereof I have hereto signed my name, this twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two. JOSHUA HUDDY."
The will was written on half a sheet of foolscap paper, on the back of which was the following statement :
" The will of Captain Joshua Huddy, made and executed the same day the Refugees murdered him, April 12th, 1782."
Captain Huddy's children subsequent- ly became Elizabeth Green and Martha Piatt ; the last named lived to an ad- vanced age. In early life she removed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Both daughters left descendants.
The Refugees alleged that they exe- cuted Huddy in retaliation for the kill- ing of Phil. White, and they fastened the following label to his breast :
"We, the Refugees, having long with grief beheld the cruel murders of our brethren, and finding nothing but such measures daily carried into execution, we therefore determine not to suffer without taking vengeance for the numerous cru- elties ; and thus begin, making use of Captain Huddy as the first object to pre- sent to your view ; and further, deter- mine to hang man for man while there is a Refugee existing.
UP GOES HUDDY FOR PHIL. WHITE."
The Refugees also asserted to Esquire Randolph and others that " Huddy had taken Phil. White prisoner, cut off both his arms, broke his legs, pulled out one of his eyes, damned him and then bid him run." It is inconceivable why such a monstrous falsehood should have been put forth, as it was notoriously false, for Phil. White was not taken prisoner by the Americans until a week after Huddy was captured by the British.
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While Huddy was standing on the leaped a fence on horseback and headed barrel he shook hands with Capt. Lip- pencott, whom he requested to come near for that purpose. After his inhu- man murder, his body was left hanging until afternoon, when the Americans came and took it to Freehold, to the house of Capt. James Green, where it was April 15th. He was buried with the honors of war. His funeral sermon was preached by the celebrated Rev. John Woodhull, of the First Presbyte- rian Church.
PHIL. WHITE'S CAPTURE AND DEATH.
him off when he made for a bog ; North jumped from his horse, dropped his gun and pursued him with drawn sword, and overtook him; White would not stop, and North struck at him with the sword which wounded him in the face, and White fell, crying that he was a dead man. Borden repeatedly called " White, if you will give up you shall have quar- ters yet." White's body was taken to Freehold, and the evidence of General David Forman and others who saw the body, showed that he had received no other wounds but the gun shot in his breast and cuts of a sword on his face.
Among some old residents, the Refu- gee version of Phil. White's death at The probability is that Phil. White supposed if he was taken to Freehold jail, that he would be tried and langed for his participation in the murder of the father of John Russell, one of his guards, and the attempt to kill Russell himself, as well as in other misdemean- ors, and so he determined to try to es- cape, and he made the effort at a place where he thought the woods, fences, marsh and brook would impede the light horsemen. one time seemed so far accepted as to imply a belief in wanton cruelty to White, and Howes' Historical Collection seems inclined to favor the same belief. But they seem not to have been aware that the whole matter was thoroughly investigated by both the British and Americans shortly after it occurred, and the evidence, subsequently filed in the State Department at Washington, con- clusively proves the falsity of the Ref- ugee assertions of wanton cruelty. This evidence is given in full in a report made THE ATTACK ON THE RUSSELL FAMILY. to Congress, Feb. 14, 1837, on a report This outrage was an unusually aggra- vated one, even for the Refugees, and the particulars will show why Phil. White was afraid that he would be hung if he reached Freehold. John Russell, one of his guards, after the war, remov- ed to old Dover township, near Cedar Creek, and his descendants now live at Barnegat. relating to pension claims of Capt. Josh- ua Huddy's heirs. Among the affidavits taken and forwarded to General Wash- ington were those of Aaron White, a brother of Phil. White, who was taken prisoner with him, John North, William Borden and John Russell, who were his guards. White was captured near Long Branch, and the guard was ordered to The following extract is from the New Jersey Gazette, published during the Revolution : take him to Freehold. Before starting he was told if he attempted to escape he would be shot down. When between "On the 30th of April, 1780, a party of negroes and Refugees from Sandy Hook, landed at Shrewsbury in order to plunder. During their excursion, a Mr. Colt's Neck and Freehold, White slipped off his horse and made for the woods ; the guards called on him to stop, but he refused to halt and they fired on him; Russell, who attempted some resistance the ball fired by Borden wounded him and he fell on his hands and knees, but got up and ran for the woods, but North
to their depredations, was killed, and his grandchild had five balls shot through lıim, but is yet living. Capt. Warner, of
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the privateer brig Elizabeth, was made his aim ; he was then fired upon and prisoner by these ruffians, but was re- killed. John Russell then fired upon and killed Gillian who had shot his fatlı- leased by giving them two and a half joes. This banditti also took off sev- er. During the affray John was shot in eral prisoners, among whom were Capt. James Green and Ensign John Morris of the militia."
The following is from Howes' Collee- tions :
" Mr. Russell was an elderly man aged about 60 years ; as the party en- tered his dwelling, which was in the night, he fired and missed. William Gillian, a native of Shrewsbury, their leader, seized the old gentleman by the collar, and was in the act of stabbing him in the face and eyes with a bayonet, when the fire blazed up and shedding a momentary light upon the scene, ena- bled the younger Russell, who lay wounded on the floor, to shoot Gillian. John Farnham, a native of Middletown, thereupon aimed his musket at the young man, but it was knocked up by Lippen- cott, who had married into the family. The party then went off. The child was accidentally wounded in the affray."
The Lippencott above mentioned, we presume, was Capt. Richard Lippencott, who subsequently had the command of the party which hanged Capt. Joshua Huddy. John Russell, mentioned above as having been wounded, and who sub- sequently was one of Phil. White's guard, lived to quite an advanced age, at Cedar Creek, and his account of the affair, as related to the late Captain Ephraim Atchieson, was substantially as follows :
the side, and the sears of the wound were visible until his death. After be- ing wounded, he fell on the floor and pretended to be dead. The Refugees then went to plundering the house, The mother and wife of John were lying in the bed with the child ; the child awoke and asked, "Grandmother, what's the matter ?" A Refugee pointed his gun at it and fired, and said " that's what's the matter !" Whether he intended to wound the child or only to frighten it is uneer- tain, but the child, as before stated, was badly wounded, but eventually recover- ed. As the Refugees were preparing to leave, one of their number pointed his musket at John Russell as he lay on the floor, and was about again firing at him, saying he didn't believe he was dead yet, whereupon another, probably Lippen- cott, knocked up the musket, saying it was a shame to fire upon a dying man, and the load went into the ceiling. After the Refugees were gone, John got up and had his wounds dressed, and ex- claimed to his wife, " Dneky ! bring me a glass of whiskey ; I'll come out all right yet." He did come out all right, and before the war ended he aided in visiting merited retribution on the Ref- ngees for their doings at this time. When some two years later he aided in the capture of Phil. White, one of the party who killed his father, it is not probable that he desired his death be- fore reaching Freehold, as it was quite certain justice would be meted out to
There were seven refugees, and he him there. Of the seven Refugees con- (Jolin) saw them through the window, cerned in the attack on the Russell fam- and at one time they got so that he told ily, at least three met with their just de- serts, viz : Gillian, killed at the time ; Farnham, subsequently captured and hanged at Freehold ; and Phil. White, killed while attempting to escape. his father he could kill four of them, and he wished to fire as he believed the other three would run. His father per- snaded him not to fire, but to do so when they broke into the house. When they broke in, the father fired first, but missed
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THE STOUT FAMILY.
GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF DESCENDANTS IN OCEAN COUNTY.
As stated in another chapter, the Stout families of Ocean county are descended from John Stout, a gentleman of Not- tinghamshire, England, whose son Rich- ard came to New York where he married about the year 1622, a Dutch widow whose maiden name was Penelope Van- princes. They had seven sons and three daughters. The order of their birth and the names of the daughters, as given in Benedict's History of the Baptists, have already been given ; but the follow- ing from Rev. G. C. Schenck, of Marl- borough, Monmouth county, differs a little in these particulars from the account by Benedict. But as the Rev. Mr. Schenck is probably the best informed person on the genealogy of many fami- lies in this State, and thorough and care- ful in his researches and statements, his version is undoubtedly correct. Speak- ing of his copy of the noted Stout manu- script, the original of which was drawn up by Nathan Stout, he says in a letter to the writer of this :
Richard Stout, of Squan, had a son Benjamin, who married Mary Johnson ; this Benjamin and Mary, his wife, had a son also named Benjamin, who is still well remembered and known as Captain Benjamin Stout, and who married Saralı or Sally Breese. Capt. Benjamin Stout bought the noted Thomas Potter farm at Goodluck, where he died February 13, 1850, aged 69 years, 7 months and 5 days, He had sons-Joseph, Benjamin B., " Richard and Penelope Stout had to- gether seven sons and three daughters, namely : Sons-John, Richard, Jona- than, Peter, James, Benjamin, David ; daughters-Deliverance, Sarah, Penelo- pe. All of these sons and daughters lived to raise large families. John, the eldest son of the first Richard, named his eldest son Richard, who, when married, Daniel, James and John-and several daughters. His descendants can trace their ancestry back in an unbroken line for over three centuries, and no family in New Jersey can go back further among ancestors. Their genealogy may be briefly stated thus : Joseph, Benjamin B., and other children of Benjamin Stout, who was the son of Benjamin, son settled at a place called Squan, and was of Squan Richard, son of John, son of Richard, son of John Stout, of Notting-
generally afterward called Squan Richard or Squan Dick, who raised a large fami- hamshire, England.
ly, some of whom scattered about Barne- gat Bay along shore, a great number of whose descendants are there to this day. The said John named his second son, John, who in consequence of following the sea was called Sailor John, of whose fam- ily I am unable to give but little account (although it was numerous), except one daughter whose name was Penelope, who married John Sutphen and afterwards
moved to Amwell near Shawnock. Feb- ruary 20, 1680, Richard and Penelope Stout, the first of the family in America, sold a lot of 16 acres in Middletown to Thomas Snowselle, and signed the deed by making their mark. July 20, 1686, Richard Stout, Sr., was still living. I have never seen a statement of the date of the death of either Richard or Penel- ope. December 19, 1689, Richard Stout (no doubt Junior) is said to be a resident of Squan."
One branch of our Ocean county Stouts descend, as stated by Benjamin B. Stout, Esq., of Goodluck, from the last-named Richard Stout-Squan Richard as he was sometimes called-as follows :
If the first Richard Stout was 40 years old when he married in 1622 (as stated in Benedict's History), he must have been born about 1582, and his father, John Stout, probably between 1550 and 1560. This would carry the genealogy from the present time back to the birth of the first John-about 325 years.
At the breaking out of the Revolution- ary war, a John Stout, who tradition
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says was a son of James Stont, lived in families, moved over in old Monmouth, old Dover township, which then extend- near Middletown. These were the first ed to Oyster Creek, between Forked white settlers in East Jersey ; and as River and Waretown. This John was a the other families were probably Dutclı, Richard Stout was the first Englishman of whom we have any account who set- tled in New Jersey. On account of hos- tile Indians, about 1655, these settlers were compelled to leave, and Stout lo- cated at Gravesend, L. I., with other English, About 1665, he, with other English, came back to Middletown, and made the first permanent settlement there, and members of his family were captain in the militia, and at times was in command of the military post at Toms River. He had sons-Daniel and John -who were in his company ; the last named, John, was killed by the British at Hornerstown, according to Strykes' Revolutionary Roster. Of Daniel, men- tion will be made hereafter. Capt. John Stout's father, James, must have been a son or grandson of the first Richard.
Garret Stout, the favorably-known among those who established the Baptist hotel-keeper of Cedar Creek, is a son of Church at Middletown, which was the Abraham Stout, whose father was also first Baptist Society established in New named Abraham,
Phoebe Stout, who about seventy-five years ago married Anthony Parker, was a daughter of David Stout, of old Shrews- grandson of the first Richard.
The old stock of the Stout family were noted for longevity, Penelope, wife of the first Richard, lived to the age of 110, and as it is stated she was born in 1602, she must have died about 1712. It is believed she was buried in an old grave- yard near Holmdel, abont one hundred yards south of the residence of the late John S. Hendrickson. Rev. Mr. Schenck states that the first Richard was living in 1686 ; he must then have been 104 years old, if he was 40 years old when lie married in 1622.
Richard and Penelope Stout appear to have lived in New York until the first English came to Long Island, when they located with them, and were living there in 1643. In 1648, they, with five other
Jersey.
ESQUIRE DANIEL STOUT.
Esquire Daniel Stout, one of the last bury township, who was probably a surviving heroes of the Revolution, who Anthony died at Stout's Creek near Goodluck, Parker and Phobe, his wife, located at September 2, 1843, was born November Forked River, and had children-Thom- 14, 1758, in old Dover township. He as, David Stout, who married Emeline had a brother John, and they both, at one Salter, Abigail who married Rev. David time, served in the war in the company B, Salter, John who married Hester of their father, Capt. John Stout. John, Woolley, and Joseph who married Eliza- Jr., was killed, it is said, at Horners- beth Predmore. Of these, Capt. David Stout Parker and ex-Sheriff Joseph Parker now live at Forked River.
town. The following record of the ser- vice of Daniel Stout during the Revolu- tion, we extract from the records of the Pension Office at Washington :
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