USA > New Jersey > Ocean County > Historical reminiscences of Ocean county, New Jersey > Part 4
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Of Joseph Smith's visit to New Egypt, | take work into meeting houses, the wo- some amusing stories, probably exagger- men knitting, the men whittling and ated, are told at the expense of converts, making splints for baskets, and every such as of a wealthy man being told by now and then contradicting the preach- Smith to repair to a particular tree at a ers. "This was seeking persecution," says one writer, "and they received plen- ty of it, insomuch that the New England- ers left some of them neither liberty, property nor whole skins." certain hour of the night and pray for direction from Heaven, and the Lord would reply. Accordingly the man sought the place and prayed as directed ; he was answered by a voice from above, which, among other things, directed him to give a good share of his worldly goods to the prophet Smith ; but the man seemed to doubt it being the voice of an angel-it sounded more like Smith him- small-pox was raging terribly in Boston, self concealed in the branches.
John Rogers, the founder of the sect, who, it is said, was as churlish and con- trary to all men as Diogenes, preached over forty years, and died in 1721. The occasion of his death was singular. The and spread an alarm to all the country around. Rogers was confident that he ROGERINE BAPTISTS OF WARETOWN. could mingle with the diseased and that the strength of his faith would preserve About the year 1737, a society of Rog- erine Baptists or Quaker Baptists, as they were sometimes called, located at Waretown in Ocean county. From vari- ous historical notices of this singular sect him safe from the mortal contagion. Ac- cordingly he was presumptuous enough to travel one hundred miles to Boston to bring his faith to the test ; the result was that he caught the contagion, came home and accounts of how they came to locate | and died with it, the disease also spread- in New Jersey, we extraet the following : ing in his family and among his neigh-
bors. This event one would think would faith of his followers, but on the contrary it seemed to increase their zeal.
This society was founded by John Rog- ers, about 1674. His followers baptized think would have somewhat shaken the by immersion ; the Lord's supper they administered in the evening with its an- cient appendages. They did not believe In 1725, a company of Rogerines were taken up on the Sabbath in Norwich, Connecticut, while on their way from in the sanctity of the Sabbath ; they be- lieved that since the death of Christ all days were holy alike ; they used no med- their place of residence to Lebanon ; icines, nor employed doctors or surgeons; they were treated with much abuse, and would not say grace at meals ; all prayers many of them whipped in a most unmer- to be said mentally except when the spir- ciful manner. This occasioned Gov. it of prayer compelled the use of voice; Jenks, of Rhode Island, to write spirit- they said "all unscriptural parts of reli- edly against their persecutors, and also gious worship are idols," and all good to condemn the Rogerines for their pro- Christians should exert themselves voking, disorderly conduct.
against idols, &c. Among the idols they
One family of the Rogerines was named placed the observance of the Sabbath, Colver or Culver, (Edward's History infant baptism, &c. The Sabbath they spells the name one way, and Gov. Jenks called the New England idol, and the methods they took to demolish this idol were as follows : They would on Sunday try to be at some manual labor near meeting houses or in the way of people going to and from church. They would
the other). This family consisted of John Colver and his wife, who were a part of the company which was treated so rudely at Norwich, and five sons and five daughters, who, with their families, made up the number of twenty-one souls. In
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the year 1734, this large family removed and wife without their sanction. "What," from New London, Conn., and settled in said the Governor, in apparent indigna- New Jersey. The first place they pitched tion, "do you tuke this woman for your upon for a residence, was on the east side wife ?" "Yes, I most certainly do," ro- of Schooley's Mountain, in Morris county. plied the man. "And do you take this They continued here about three years, man for your husband ?" said he to the and then went in a body to Waretown, woman. The woman replied in the af- then in Monmouth, but now in Ocean firmative. "Then," said the wily old county. While here they had their Governor, "in the name of the Common- meetings in a school house, and their pe- wealth I pronounce you husband and culiar manner of conducting services was wife-whom God hath joined together quite a novelty to other settlers in the let no man put asunder. You are now vicinity. As in New England, during married according to both law and gos- pel." the meeting the women would be engaged in knitting or sewing, and the men in making axe handles, basket splints or in other work, but we hear of no attempt to disturb other societies.
They continued at Waretown about eleven years, and then went back to Mor- ris county and settled on the west side of the mountain from which they had re- moved. In 1790 they were reduced to two old persons whose names were Thos. Colver and Sarah Mann ; but the poster- ity of John Colver, it is said, is yet quite numerous in Morris county. Abraham Wacir, from whom the village of Ware- town derives its name, tradition says was a member of the Rogerine Society. When the mam body of the society left, lie remained behind, and became quite a prominent business man, generally es- teemed; he died in 1768, and his de- scendants removed to Squan and vicinity near the head of Barnegat Bay.
Before concluding this notice of the Rogerines, it should be stated that an- other thing in their creed was that it was not necessary to have marriages performed by ministers or legal officers ; they held that it was only necessary for the man and woman to exchange vows of marriage to make the ceremony binding. A zeal- ons Rogerine once took to himself a wife in this simple manner, and then to tan- talize Gov. Saltonstall called on him to inform him they had married themselves withont aid of church or State, and that they intended to live together as husband
The couple retired much chagrined at the unexpected way the Governor had turned the tables upon them, despite their boasting.
MANAHAWKEN IN THE REVOLUTION.
Manahawken, during the Revolution, was noted for the patriotism of its citi- zens. From a manuscript originally found in Congressional records, but now in the library of the New Jersey Histori- cal Society, it appears that the militia company here was called the Fifth Com- pany of Monmouth, Reuben F. Randolphi, captain, and Nathan Crane, lieutenant. Captain Randolphi was originally from Middlesex county ; about the time of the war, he kept the public house at Mana- hawken, which in later years was kept by Joseph R. Wilkins. His sons, Thomas and Job, were in his company. As the names of the heroic men of his company should be preserved as far as possible, and especially by their descendants, we give a list of sucli as we have ascer- tained.
FIFTH COMPANY, MONMOUTH MILITIA.
Reuben F. Randolph, captain ; Nathan Crane, lieutenant ; James Marsh, ensign.
Privates :- Michael Bennett, Jeremiah Bennett, Samuel Bennett, Israel Ben- nington, Joseph Brown 1st, Joseph Brown 2nd, Joseph Camburn, Thomas Chamberlain, William Casselman, Luke Courtney, Seth Crane, Amos Cuffee,
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David Howell, David Johnson, Thomas Johnson, David Jones, Thomas Kelson, Philip Palmer, Jr., Benjamin P. Pear- son, Benjamin Paul, Enoch Read, Job Randolph, Thomas Randolph, David Smith, Joseph Soper, Reuben Soper, Zachariah Southard, Jeany Sutton, Lyons Pangburn, Sylvester Tilton.
Of the above, Reuben Soper was killed by the Refugees on Long Beach, in October, 1782. He left a son, named Reuben, who has children still living, among them Mrs. George W. Lippin- cott, of Tuckerton, who has preserved several interesting old-time relics ; and her brother, also named Reuben Soper, inheriting the patriotism of his grand- father, enlisted in the Union army, in the Rebellion, was mortally wounded, and died three weeks after in Saterlee hospital. Lyons Pangborn was killed in the skirmish at Manahawken, Dec. 30th, 1781. Sylvester Tilton was dangerously wounded at the same time. One of the Cranes was wounded near his own resi- dence.
THE SKIRMISH AT MANAHAWKEN.
At one time it was rumored that the Refugee, Captain John Bacon, with a party of his marauders, was on his way to Manahawken, on a plundering expe- dition, and such of the militia as could be notified, were hastily summoned to- gether at Capt. Randolph's house to pre- pare to meet them. The handful of mil- itia remained on the alert the greater part of the night, but towards morning, finding the enemy failed to appear, they concluded it was a false alarm, and re- tired to sleep, after stationing sentinels. Tradition says that the sentinels were stationed on the main road, two above the hotel, and two below, and that on one post were Jeremiah Bennett and Job Randolph, and on the other, Seth Crane and Samuel Bennett, and that Capt. Randolph superintended the look- out.
The Refugees came down the road
from the north, and the first intimation the sentinels stationed near the old Bap- tist Church had of their approach, was hearing their bayonets strike together as they were marching. The sentinels halted long enough to see that the party was quite large, double the number of the militia, and firing, ran across the fields to give the alarm. By the time the few militia were aroused, the Refu- gees were abreast of the house, and be- fore the Americans could form, they were fired upon, and Lyons Pangburn killed, and Sylvester Tilton severely wounded. The militia were compelled to retreat down the lane before they could organize, when, finding the Refu- gees had the largest force, and were well armed, they were reluctantly compelled to decline pursuing them. The Refu- gees passed down the road towards West Creek.
Tilton, who was so severely wounded, recovered almost miraculously, as the ball passed clear through him, going in by one shoulder and out at his breast ; the physician, as is well authenticated, passed a silk handkerchief completely through the wound. After the war was over, Tilton removed to Colt's Neck, where it is believed some of his descend- ants now live. Lyons Pangburn, who was killed, was probably the same person who aided in organizing the Baptist Church at Manahawken, was the first delegate to the General Association, and also the man referred to so very kindly by Rev. John Murray, as "Esquire " Pangburn.
Sylvester Tilton always believed that a Refugee named Brewer, was the man who wounded him, and he vowed to have revenge if he should ever meet him.
Several years after the war closed, he heard that Brewer was at a certain place, and he started after him unarmed, though he knew Brewer was always well provided with weapons. He found Brew- er and closed in on him before the Refu- gee could avail himself of weapons, and
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gave him a most unmerciful beating ; it Blue Ball,) with positive instructions would probably have fared worse with not to move until he should receive or- Brewer but for the interference of a ders, and through that memorable battle much esteemed Quaker named James Morgan was compelled to listen all day Willets. After Tilton had finished, he to the distant firing, chafing with impa- told Brewer, "You scoundrel, you tried tience for orders to join, but orders to kill me once, and I have now settled with you for it, and you've got to leave here and follow the rest of your gang." The rest of the Refugees had fled to Nova Scotia.
failed to come. The Manahawken mili- tia, when they got to Shumar's Mills, were probably placed under Morgan's command, and this would account for their not participating in the battle.
A PATRIOT WOUNDED ; ANOTHER CAPTURED. The Manahawken Militia. and the Battle of Refugees, taken prisoner and carried to a Monmouth.
During the war Captain Randolph was one night surprised in bed, at home, by swamp and tied to a tree, but managed to escape. At another time the Refu- gees surrounded and searched his house while he was in it, but his wife success- fully concealed him under feathers in a cask.
TWO UNARMED MILITIA CAPTURE THREE ARMED REFUGEES.
Tradition says that one warm summer evening during the war, there had been religious services at the Church, at Man- ahawken ; after services the minister went home with one of the Cranes, (Silas Crane, we think it was,) when the minister and Crane sat conversing until late in the evening. The front door was open, and also a window on the opposite side of the room, by which Crane sat.
Seth Crane and David Johnson, two members of the Manahawken militia, on At length, happening to look at the front their return from a fishing excursion one door, Crane got the glimpse of two or three men with muskets, and knowing the Refugees had threatened his life, he sprang through the back window ; as he jumped he was fired upon, and though severely wounded in the thigh, he man- aged to escape.
The notorious Refugee leader, John Bacon, it is said, worked as a farm labor- er, a year or two for the Crane family, before the war.
day during the war, were in their boat by the bank of a meadow, preparing to go home, when three armed Refugees came down to the boat, and the leader leaning his musket against the side of the boat, went aft, and unceremc- niously began to pick out the finest of the fish, and said he meant to have them. Crane told him he could not without paying for them ; the Refugee said he would take them by force. As quick as flash, Crane picked up an eel spear, and
Captain Randolph and his heroic mil- itia, just previous to the battle of Mon- holding it over him, told him to drop mouth, marched on foot, though the the fish or he would run the spear weather was intensely hot, to join Wash- through him. Crane was a small sized man, brave, but apt to be rather hasty, and his comrade Johnson, who was just the reverse, large, powerful, but apt to be too slow, now saw the probability of a serious fight before them, and as he stood on the meadow by the bow of the boat between the remaining two Refu- gees, instantly with his powerful fist, knocked one of them, musket and all, ington's forces beyond Freehold, but were unexpectedly prevented from en- gaging in the battle ; tradition fails to give a reason why they went so near, and yet did not participate, but the his- tory of the battle and of Washington's disposition of his forces sufficiently ex- plain it. Washington had stationed General Morgan at Shumar's Mills, (near
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into the water, and then grasping the and his men, who pursued them to West musket leaning against the boat brought it to bear upon the remaining tory, who was so startled by the unexpected turn of events, that he started to run, upon which he was told to drop his musket instantly, or he would be a dead man ; the terrified man did so. Johnson and but little to brag about, in a strong force Crane secured the muskets and then let the Refugees go with a seasonable warn- militia were driving over West Creek ing against stealing fish in future.
GIBERSON, THE REFUGEE, AND THE MAN- AHAWKEN MILITIA.
During the war the Refugee leaders appear to have had our shore divided in- to districts ; Davenport and his men had Dover township for their "stamping " ground ; Bacon from Cedar Creek to Parkertown, below West Creek ; around Tuckerton and below it Joe Mulliner and Giberson, from their head-quarters at the forks of the Mullica river, sailed forth on their predatory excursions. These men do not appear to have left their respective districts except to aid their confederates.
One time Giberson, with a part of his band, suddenly appeared at Tuckerton, and thinking they were safe went to Daniel Falkinburgh's tavern, (where Dr. Page's house now is,) and determined to have a good time. They began by mak- ing night hideous with their baechana- lian revels. Some of the villagers at once sent word to the Manahawken mil- itia, and Sylvester Tilton and three or four more started in a farm wagon to at- tempt to capture or disperse the outlaws. Giberson was informed by a Tory that the militia had been sent for, and so lie retreated towards the landing, to a good position near his boats, and when the
The militia jumped into their wagon and drove back, followed by Giberson
Creek bridge, where the Refugees halted. This little affair was about the only one during the war that gave the Refugees a chance to boast, and so they often re- lated the story with great glee and much exaggeration ; but after all there was causing the weak one to retreat. As the crossing a mishap occurred to the wagon tongue-one end dropping down, which checked them long enough to allow the Refugees to fire again, but fortunately without effect.
TERRIBLE CALAMITY AT MANAHAWKEN.
During the war (in December, 1780,) a shocking calamity occured at Manabaw- ken, by which several lives were lost. A dwelling house owned by William Pid- geon, on what was once known as the Haywood place, took fire and burned down. Captain Isaac Andrews lived in the house. His two daughters, one white hired man and two colored men were burned to death, so rapid was the fire, occasioned by a high wind. Six persons in the house managed to escape, but without apparel. Mr. Pidgeon at the time was ill in the house, and got somewhat burned, but leaped out of the second story window and was then taken to a neighboring house; he was taken worse from excitement, and caught cold that night, having been removed in his shirt, and died a few days after.
THE BURNING OF TOMS RIVER.
CAPTURE OF THE BLOCKHOUSE-INHUMAN BUTCHERY OF AMERICANS-A TERRIBLE DAY AT TOMS RIVER.
The attack by the British and Refugees militia arrived he poured into their ranks on Toms River, was made early in the morning of Sunday, March 24th, 1782. The blockhouse in the village was under
sneh a volley that they were compelled to retreat, as they found the Refugees were in greater force than had been , command of Captain Joshua Huddy, who represented.
received notice of the expected attack the previous evening, and at once notified the inhabitants, and carefully stationed
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ty missed the British, It is probable they went down the river road, while the enemy, guided by a Refugee named Wil- liam Dillon, came up the road where the Court House now stands. The sentinels, stationed some distance outside the fort, on the enemy's approach, fired their guns to notify the little garrison. Before reaching the fort, the British were joined by a band of Refugees under Davenport, whose head-quarters were in cabins and caves back in the woods in old Dover township.
sentinels, and towards morning sent a That he summoned them to surrender, is scouting party to reconnoitre. This par- clearly disproven by the affidavit of Es- quire Randolph, one of the guards, from which extracts will be given hereafter. Blanchard added that on their refusal to surrender "he ordered the place to be stormed, which was according done, and though defended with great obstinacy, was soon carried." He acknowledged that on his side two officers were killed, viz : Lieutenant Iredell, of the armed boatmen, and Lieutenant Inslee, of the Loyalists, and that Lieutenant Roberts and five others were wounded; but the damage inflicted on them must have been greater. A negro Refugee, killed, was left by them outside the fort for the Americans to bury. On the part of the Americans, the British in their exagger- ated report stated that among the killed was a major of the militia, two captains, one lieutenant, and five men beside, nine in all, and twelve made prisoners, two of whom were wounded, and the rest es- caped. The American account, as fur- nished to Gen. Washington, stated that Huddy and fifteen men were made pris- oners and that five men were deliberately murdered after surrendering and asking for quarter. Major John Cook, of the Second Regiment Monmouth Militia, was brutally killed outside the fort by a negro, after surrendering ; John Farr and James Kensley were also killed ; Moses Robbins was seriously wounded in ! the face. John Wainright fought until shot down with six or seven bullets in him. From circumstantial evidence, it is probable that Captain Ephraim Jenkins, of Toms River, was also killed. Among the prisoners taken were Captain Joshua Huddy, Esquire Daniel Randolph and Jacob Fleming. Tradition says that one of the sentinels named David Imlay es- eaped and hid in a swamp until the Brit-
The rude fort or block-house, which was unfinished, it is said was six or seven feet high, made with large logs with loop- holes between, and a number of brass swivels on the top which was entirely open, with no way of entering but by climbing over. The little garrison, said to have consisted of only twenty-five or six men, had, beside the swivels, muskets with bayonets and long pikes for defence. The enemy's force appeared quite for- midable, considering the weak garrison they came to attack. They left New York on the Wednesday preceding, under command of Lieut, Blanchard, of the British armed whale-boats, with (accord- ing to their own statement) about eighty men, with Captain Thomas and Lieuten- ant Roberts, of the Bucks County Roy- alists, and between thirty and forty other Refugees. They proceeded to Sandy Hook, where they were detained by un- favorable weather until Saturday, the 23d. Then under convoy of the British armed brig Arrogant, Captain Stewart Ross, they proceeded to Old Cranberry Inlet, and about 12 o'clock at night, the whale boats or barges entered the mouth of Toms River, and the party landed and reached the block-house about daylight. The sentinels fired as they approached, ish left.
and then retreated. Lieutenant Blanch- ard stated that he "summoned the gar- rison to surrender, which they not only refused to do, but bid him defiance."
Mr. Randolph's account of the attack, given under affidavit three weeks after- wards, and forwarded to Gen. Washing- tou, and by him sent to Congress, is a
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clear statement of so much of the affair was a niece of William Dillon, the Refu- as came under his own observation. In gee guide. Mrs. Studson's husband, Lieutenant Joshua Studson, had been murdered a short time before by the Refugee captain, John Bacon, and the British probably thought injury enough had already been done to her. Among the houses burned, was one belonging to Capt. Ephraim Jenkins, and also one on the south side of the river in which Abiel Aikens lived and in which the first Meth- odist sermon was preached at Toms River. Mr. Aikens' daughter came near being burned in the house; when the ruffians surrounded the house, she re- treated up stairs, and when she came down, the stairs were on fire, and fell just as she reached the bottom. Abont a mile north of the block-house, was a dwelling in the woods, belonging to a man named Wilbur, which appears to have been overlooked by the Refugees, as it was spared. his deposition, he stated that he resided at Toms River ; that on Saturday, March 23d, 1782, the inhabitants of the village were informed by Captain Huddy that a body of Refugees were approaching to attack the post ; that deponent joined the gnard ; that just as day began to appear, on Sunday morning, Captain Huddy de- tached a party of the guard to make dis- covery where the enemy were, and bring him accounts ; that this guard missed the enemy, and soon after, before it was broad daylight, the enemy appeared in front of their small unfinished block- house, and commenced an attack without any previous demand of surrender ; that Capt. Huddy did all that a brave man could to defend himself against so supe- rior a number ; that after quarter was called for, and the block-house surrend- ered, he, Randolph, saw a negro Refu- gee bayonet Major John Cook, and he also saw a number of Refugees jump into the blockhouse, and heard them say they would bayonet them, but he did not see it done to any person other than Major Cook.
After the capture of the block-house, the brutal enemy proceeded to burn the dwellings in the village. They boasted that they burned the whole town, which, they said, consisted of about a dozen houses, together with a grist and saw! mill and the block-house, and carried away two barges, one a fine one belong- ing to Capt. Adam Hyler, spiked an iron cannon and threw it into the river, and intended to visit other places to destroy them, but were prevented by the condi- tion of their wounded. The barges of Hyler, referred to by them, generally carried thirty or forty men.
All the houses in the village were burned, except two, one belonging to Aaron Buck and the other to Mrs. Stud- son. Aaron Buck was an active Whig, and one reason why it was spared was probably owing to the fact that his wife their return to New York, stated that the
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