USA > New Jersey > Ocean County > Historical reminiscences of Ocean county, New Jersey > Part 6
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Will, who had really drank but little, softly rose, found his hatchet, and soon dispatched his would-be captors.
It was a rule with Will not to waste any ammunition, and therefore he was bound to eat whatever game he killed, but a buzzard which he once shot, sorely tried him, and it took two or three days
Indian Will lived in a cabin in the woods near Cook's place ; one day lie brought home a muskrat which he or- dered his wife to cook for dinner; she obeyed, but when it was placed upon the table she refused to partake of it. "Very well," said he, "if you are too good to eat muskrat you are too good to
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live with me." And thereupon he took her down to the place or hole in the river spoken of, and drowned her. Mr. Cook gave another tradition as fol- lows : Indian Will had three brothers- in-law, two of whom resided on Long Island, and when, in course of time,
word reached them that their sister had said the original deed for the land on been drowned, they crossed over to Jer- sey to avenge her death. When they reached Will's cabin, he was inside eat- ing clam soup. Knowing their errand, he invited them to dinner, telling them he would fight it out with them after- ward. They sat down to eat, but before concluding their dinner Will pretended he heard some one coming, and hurried to the door, outside of which the visitors had left their guns, one of which Will caught up and fired and killed one Indian and then shot the other as he rushed to close in. In those days the Indians held yearly councils abont where Burrsville now is. At one of these councils Will met the third brother-in-law, and when it was over they started home together carrying a jug of whiskey between them. On the way, inflaimed with liquor, this Indian told Will he meant to kill him for drowning his sister. They closed in a deadly fight, and Will killed his antag- onist with a pine knot. which it was situated is dated August 24, 1758, and calls for 1 20-100 acres, " be- ginning at a stake 265 links north-west from the meeting house," by which it appears the edifice was already erected. There is a tradition that the church was originally erected as a free church, chief- ly through the instrumentality of James Haywood. That it was free to all de- nominations is quite evident, as in it meetings were held by Quakers, Presby- terians, and probably Methodists, and Rev. John Murray, the founder of Uni- versalism in America, also preached in it. In Webster's History of Presbyterianism it is claimed as a Presbyterian Churchi. The author probably supposed it to be such because ministers of that society held regular services in it-in fact, they held them many years before the Baptist Society was organized, and were enter- tained by Messrs. Haywood and Ran- dolph, subsequently named among the founders of the Baptist Society, as ap- pears by a letter written by Rev. John Brainerd in 1761. It is evident that the early settlers of Manahawken were not only anxious to hear the Word of Truth, but also believed in religious toleration.
Mr. Cook said, Indian Will finally died in his cabin above mentioned. From the traditions related to us many years ago, by Eli and John Collins and John Tilton of Barnegat, Reuben Williams of Forked River, and others, and from Thomas Cook's statements, it is evident Indian Will must have lived until about a century ago and if he protested against any sale of land it must have been against the titles ceded about 1758. At the treaties then, an Indian called Cap- tain John, claimed the lands from Mete- deconk to Toms River, but other Indians said they were also concerned.
BAPTISTS IN OCEAN COUNTY.
MANAHAWKEN CHURCH.
The first church built in Ocean county was the one generally known as the Bap- tist Church at Manahawken. It was built at least as early as 1758, as it is
The history of the Baptist Society at Manahawken, as given in its old church record, was evidently written many years after the organization of the society. It is well worth preserving in our local re- ligious history, though not as definite on some points as the sketch given in the Baptist Century Book. The following is substantially from the church record :
" About 1760, James Haywood, a Bap- tist from Coventry, England ; Benjamin, Reuben and Joseph Randolph, also Bap- tists, from Piscataway, settled in this
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neighborhood. They were visited by Rev. Mr. Blackwell, who preached and baptized among them. Other Baptists settled among them from Scotch Plains ; so that in 1770, they were multiplied to nine souls, which nine were constituted a Gospel church that same year by Rev. Benjamin Miller. They joined the Bap- tist Association, and were occasionally visited by other brethren, so that in 1776 they numbered fifteen. Rev. Henry Crossley resided among them some time, and was succeeded by Rev. Isaac Bon- nell, after whose departure there was no more account of Manahawken Church ; so that in 1799, at a meeting of the Bap- tist Association at Great Valley, they were about to be erased from the records, but at the intervention of one or two brethren they were spared, and visited by ministering brethren, and that not in vain, for though there could none be found of the character of Baptists save five female members, two of whom are since deceased, yet a number round about were baptized among them; but not meeting in membership with them, it remained doubtful whether they could be considered a church. Next season, they were represented to the Association with flattering prospects, and a query was made whether they really were a - church, which query was answered in the affirmative ; in consequence of which supplies were named, some of whom pro- posed the propriety of receiving into fel- lowship among them such as had been, or may be in future baptized among them. The proposition was generally accepted, both by the old members and young candidates, and in confirmation of which the first Sunday in July, 1802, was set apart for the above purpose, when Bros. Alex. McGowan 'and Benjamin Hedges gave their assistance. Brother McGowan, pastor of the church at New Mills (now Pemberton), by authority, and on behalf of Sarah Puryne (Perrine?) Mary Sprague and Elizabeth Sharp, the remainder of the church in the place,
[receiving into union, by right hand of fellowship, the following named persons, viz :
Daniel Parker and Elizabeth his wife ; Edward Gennings and Abigail his wife ; Thomas Edwards and Catharine his wife; Samuel Grey and Katurah his wife ; Amos Southard and wife ; Mary Fortune- berry ; Phebe Bennett ; Hannah White ; Martha Headley ; Leah Clayton ; Han- nah Sulsey ; Jemima Pidgeon; Hester Perrine." In the above, Mary Fortune- berry, we presume, should be Mary Falkinburgh.
The Baptist Century Book furnishes additional information to the above as follows :
" The Baptist Society at Manahawken was organized August 25tlı, 1770. In October 1771 there were eleven members, and Lines Pangburu was a delegate to the Baptist Association. The following were the appointments made for that year :
Rev. D. Branson, 3d Sunday in Dec. and May.
Rev. D. Jones, 3d Sunday in Nov. and March.
Rev. Jas. Sutton, 3d Sunday in Feb.
Rev. S. Heaton, 3d Sunday in April.
Rev. P. P. Vanhorn, 4th Sunday in July.
Rev. R. Runyon, 3d Sunday in Aug.
Rev. W. Van Horn, 3d Sunday in Sep.
In 1772 there were twelve members; delegates from Manahawken and Pitts- grove, Daniel Prine ; preachers appointed for the ensuing year, Rev. Messrs. Crossley, Miller, Kelsey, and David Jones.
1773. No delegates ; twelve members.
1774. Rev. Henry Crossley, delegate ; fifteen members; four had joined by letter, one by baptism and one died. The church this year is called "the Stafford Church."
1775. No delegates ; members the same.
From 1775 there are no returns until
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the year 1800, when five members are where he labored for over thirty years, reported. and died in 1781.
1801. Four members, one having died. For the items relating to the original The remaining members of the church deed of the church we are indebted to having some doubts in their minds be- the researches of Samuel H. Shreve, cause of the fewness of their numbers, Esq. whether they exist as a church or no, OTHER BAPTIST SOCIETIES. it is the sense of this Association that the church still exists, and while they re- joice in that prosperity which has lately attended the preaching of the Gospel among them, they exhort them to proceed to the reception of members and the election of officers.
1802. Edward Gennings appointed delegate ; four baptized, twenty received by letter, one dead ; remaining, 27 mem- bers.
1803. Thirty-three members.
1804. Amos Southard and Samuel Grey, delegates ; 31 members.
1805. Samuel Grey, delegate ; 74 members ; 44 baptized ; two received by letter, and three dismissed.
1806. Samuel Grey and Edward Gen- nings, delegates ; 69 members."
Here ends the record of this church in the Baptist Century Book.
It will be seen by the foregoing, that from the out-break of the Revolutionary war this society seems to have shared the fate of so many others in that event- ful period, being virtually broken up for a time. Some of its principal members and supporters responded to their coun- try's eall ; Renben F. Randolph became a captain in the militia, his sons members of his company ; Lines Pangburn, who we presume was the same person first elected delegate, was killed by the Refu- gees within sight of the church, and doubtless others were among the patriots from this village, who did military ser- vice during the war, particularly in guarding against marauding bands of Refugees who were active until the very close of the Revolution.
The Baptist Century Book says that "the Baptist Church of Squan and Dover" was received into the Baptist Association in October, 1805, and the same year Samuel Haven was delegate, and the society had 38 members. In 1807 Samuel Haven was again delegate ; 45 members.
In Gordon's History of New Jersey, it is stated that a Baptist Society was es- tablished at West Creek in 1792, which had, abont 1832, 33 members. This statement is given in elose connection to statistics of the Manahawken Church, and leads to the inference that West Creek, in Ocean County, is referred to. But we have never heard of a Baptist Society in past years here, and we are informed by Wm. P. Haywood, Esq., of that village, that none existed until within a couple of years, and that the West Creek referred to by Gordon, was in Cape May County.
OLD CRANBERRY INLET.
A century ago, Cranberry Inlet, oppo- site Toms River, was one of the best in- lets on our coast. We have no account of the exact depth of water on its bar, but large vessels like the loaded brig Hand-in-Hand, in 1770, and the ship Love-and-Unity, in 1778, came in with- out difficulty, and during the Revolution it was of much importance, and often used by privateers from New England. The question of the exact year when it was first opened, was brought before our courts, some years ago, in a snit in- volving title to land in its vicinity, but no decisive information was elicited. It
Rev. Benjamin Miller, who organized is probable, however, that it broke the church, belonged to Scotch Plains, through about 1750. It is laid down on
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Lewis Evans' map, published in 1755, high tide in the bay and low water out- and on an English map by Jeffreys, side ; but this enterprise also proved a failure-the sea washing sand in it, and speedily closing it. originally drawn by Capt. Halland, the same year. David Mapes, a well-re- membered, much-esteemed colored man, late of Tuckerton, when a boy, it is said, BARNEGAT INLET. was tending cattle on the beach for Sol- omon Wardell, when Cranberry Inlet broke through. He slept in a eabin, and was astonished one morning on waking up, to see the sea breaking across the beach near by. The Inlet finally closed about the year 1812, though for years previous it had been gradually shoaling.
ATTEMPTS TO OPEN NEW INLETS.
Barnegat Inlet has always been open from our earliest accounts. The first Dutch navigators called it Barende-gat, meaning " breakers' inlet," or an inlet with breakers, and the present name is a corruption of the original Dutch one. In the character of the inlet, depth of water and roughness on the bar, it has always been the same as now, except during the brief period Cranberry was open, when it was more shoal and difficult to use than before or since. The inlet has shifted up and down the beach, two or three miles, and, about twenty years ago, washed down the old lighthouse. At one time, there was an island in the inlet with a pond in the centre, but it soon washed away.
The closing of Cranberry Inlet caused great inconvenience to coasters, especial- ly those belonging to the upper part of the bay, as they had to go several miles out of their way to Barnegat Inlet. About the year 1821, an attempt to open a new inlet near the head of the bay was made by Michael Ortley. He worked at it, off and on, for several years, and spent considerable money in the under- BARNEGAT LIGHT HOUSE. taking. At length, one day, a large The first light house at Barnegat Inlet was built about 1834, Congress, by an act approved June 30th, of that year, having appropriated $6,000 for the pur- pose ; and it was refitted in 1855. The company of men volunteered to aid him in completing it. In the evening after finishing it, Mr. Ortley and his friends had quite a celebration ; but sad was their disappoiniment the next morning to new light house was completed in 1858, find that the running of the tide, which they supposed would work the inlet deeper, had a contrary effect, and had height of the light above the level of the raised a bulkhead of sand sufficiently large to close it up. The result was that the inlet was closed much more expedi- tiously than it had been opened.
an appropriation of $45,000 having been made to build it two years previous. The sea is 165 feet ; height of tower from base to light, 159 feet. It can be seen by an observer standing ten feet above the level of the sea, twenty-five English miles ; and from masthead, about thirty
Many supposed that if an effort was made to open an inlet farther down the miles. Its light is revolving, intervals bay in the vicinity of old Cranberry, it of flash ten seconds, and to aid mariners would prove more successful. Acting in distinguishing it, the upper half is upon this supposition, another effort was painted red and the lower half white. It is one of the finest light houses in the United States. Its majestic tower, mag- nificent light and curious revolving ma- chinery make it as well worth seeing as any light house on our coast. It is 38! miles from the Highland light houses, made to open one opposite Toms River. The work was done by some two or three hundred men under direction of Anthony Ivins, Jr., of Toms River, and completed July 4, 1847. In this undertaking, care was taken to let in the water when it was
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Its latitude is 39 deg. 45 min. 54 sec., and its longitude 74 deg. 6 min. 1 sec. Its tower is the tallest in the United States with one exception, that of Pensa- cola light, which is only one foot higher.
THE STOUT FAMILY.
The Stout families of Ocean and Mon- month counties descend from John Stout, a gentleman of good family, of Notting- hamshire England, whose son Richard had a love affair with a young woman beneath his rank, and on account of his father's interference he got angry and went to sea in a man of war and served seven years. He was discharged at New York (then called New Amsterdam) and lived there awhile, when he fell in with a Dutch widow, whose maiden name was Penelope Vanprinces, whom he married ; he was then said to be in his 40th year, and she in her 22d. They had ten children, seven sons and three daughters, and Mrs. Stout lived to the remarkable age of 110 and saw her off- spring multiplied into 502 in about 88 years.
The remarkable history of Mrs. Stout, as given in Smith's History, published in 1765, is substantially as follows :
While New York was in possession of the Dutch, a Dutch ship coming from Amsterdam was stranded near Sandy Hook, but the passengers got ashore ; among them was a young Dutchman who had been sick most of the voyage. He was so bad after landing that he could not travel, and the other passengers, being afraid of the Indians, would not stay until he recovered. His wife, however, would not leave him, and the rest prom- ised to send for them as soon as they ar- rived at New York. They had not been gone long before a company of Indians, coming to the water side, discovered them on the beach, and hastening to the spot soon killed the man and eut and mangled the woman in such a manner that they left her for dead. She had
strength enough to crawl to some logs not far distant, and getting into a hollow one lived within it for several days, sub- sisting in part by eating the exerescences that grew from it. The Indians had left some fire on the shore, which she kept together for the warmth. Having re- mained in that manner for some time, an old Indian and a young one coming down to the beach found her ; they were soon in high words, which she afterwards understood was a dispute ; the old In- dian was for keeping her alive, the other for despatching her. After they had de- bated the point awhile, the oldest Indian hastily took her up and tossing her upon his shoulder, carried her to a place where Middletown now stands, where he dressed her wounds and soon cured her. After some time the Dutch at New York, hear- ing of a white woman among the Indians, concluded who it must be, and some of them came to her relief ; the old man, her preserver, gave her the choice to go or stay ; she chose to go. Awhile after, marrying one Stout, they lived together at Middletown among other Dutch in- habitants.
The old Indian who saved her life used frequently to visit her. At one of his visits she observed him to be more pen- sive than common, and sitting down he gave three heavy sighs; after the last she thought herself at liberty to ask him what was the matter. He told her he had something to tell her in friendship, though at the risk of his own life, which was that the Indians were that night to kill all the whites, and he advised her to go to New York. She asked him how she could get off? He told her he had pro- vided a canoe at a place which he named. Being gone from her, she sent for her husband out of the field and discovered the matter to him, who, not believing it, she told him the old man never deceived her, and that she with her children would go ; accordingly at the place ap- pointed they found the canoe and pad- pled off. When they were gone the hus-
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band began to considered the matter and sending for five or six of his neighbors, they set upon their guard. About mid- night they heard the dismal war whoop ; presently came up a company of Indians ; they first expostulated, and then told the Indians if they persisted in their bloody designs they would sell their lives very dear. Their arguments prevailed ; the Indians desisted and entered into a league of peace, which was kept without violation. From this woman, thus re- markably saved, is descended a numer- ous posterity of the name of Stout, now inhabitants of New Jersey. At that time there was supposed to be about fifty other, who was an elderly man, prevented him ; and throwing his watch coat about her, carried her to his wigwam and eured her. After that he took her to New York and made a present of her to her countrymen, viz : an Indian present, expecting ten times the value in return. It was in New York that Richard Stout married her. He was a native of England and of good family ; she was now in her 22d year and he in his 40th. She bore him seven sons and three daughters, viz : Jonathan, John, Richard, James, Peter, David, Benjamin, Mary, Sarah, and Alice. The daughters married into the families of the Bounds, Pikes, Throck- families of white people and five hundred mortons and Skeltons, and so lost the Indians inhabiting those parts.
Another account of Penelope Stout is given in Benedict's History of the Bap- tists, as follows :
She was born in Amsterdam, Holland, about the year 1602 ; her father's name was Vanprinces. She and her first hus- band, whose name is not known, sailed for New York about the year 1620. The vessel was stranded at Sandy Hook; the crew got ashore and marched towards New York, but Penelope's husband be- ing hurt in the wreck could not march with them ; therefore he and his wife tarried in the woods. They had not been long in the place before the Indians killed them both, as they thought, and stripped them to the skin. However, Penlope came to, though her skull was fractured and her left shoulder so hacked that she could never use that arm like the other ; she was also cut across the abdomen so that her bowels appeared ; these she kept in with her hand. She continued in this situation for seven days, taking shelter in a hollow tree and eat- ing the excrescence of it. The seventh day she saw a deer passing by with ar- rows sticking in it, and soon after two Indians appeared, whom she was glad to see, in hopes they would put her out of her misery ; accordingly one made for her to knock her in the head ; but the
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name of Stout. The sons married into the families of Bullen, Crawford, Ashton, Truax, &c., and had many children.
Rev. T. S. Griffiths, pastor of the Baptist church at Holmdel, Monmouth county, in a late historical discourse says that is believed that Penelope Stout was buried in an old grave yard near Holm- del, about one hundred yards south of the residence of the late John S. Hen- drickson.
THE FALKINBURG FAMILY.
The Falkinburg families of Ocean county, it is said, are descended from Henry Jacobs Falkinburg, who came from Holstein, a little province adjoin- ing Denmark on the South. His name in old records is not always given alike ; Smith's History of New Jersey calls him Henric Jacobson Falconbre ; Jasper Dankers, who visited him 1679-80, at his residence near the upper edge of the present city of Burlington, calls him Jacob Hendricks, and sometimes, we be- lieve, he was called Hendrick Jacobs. The Dutch and Swedes at that day sel- dom had surnames, and from their usual mode of bestowing names their designa- tion of him would probably be rendered into English as Henry Jacob's son, of Falconbre or Falkinburg.
When the first English (came to settle
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in West Jersey, in 1677, the Bi-centen- nial of which was lately celebrated in Burlington, they wished an interpreter between them and the Indians living be- tween the Rancocas and the Assanpink, where Trenton now stands, and Falkin- burg was recommended to them. He appears to have enjoyed the confidences of Dutch, Swedes and Indians, and must have been somewhat of a linguist, as he seems to have understood their lan- guages and the English also. At that time he lived farthest up the Delaware of any white man, on a point of land on the river just above Burlington. H was quite successful in aiding the Quakers to negotiate with the Indians, and the land on both sides of the river was purchased by a treaty made Oct. 10th, 1677. When this land was divided off between the settlers, Richard Ridg- way, ancestor of the Ridgways of Ocean and Burlington counties, had 218 acres allotted to him on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, nearly opposite Tren- ton, as shown by a map made about 1679, a copy of which is given in the Journal of Dankers and Sluyter, pub- lished by the Long Island Historical Society. This Journal describes the dwelling of Falkinburg, which, as it was one of the best found by Dankers, in that section, in his travels in 1679, we copy as showing the contrast between dwellings then and now :
" Nov. 19th, 1679, Saturday : * Before arriving at the village (Burling- ton) we stopped at the house of one Jacob Hendricks, from Holstein, living on this side, but he was not at home. We therefore rowed on to the village in search of lodgings, for it had been dark all of an hour or more, but proceeding a little farther, we met this Jacob Hen- dricks, in a canoe with hay. As we were now at the village we went to the ordin- ary tavern, but there was no lodgings to be obtained there, whereupon we re-em- barked in the boat and rowed back to Jacob Hendrick's, who received us very
kindly and entertained us according to his ability. The house, although not much larger than the one where we were last night, was somewhat better and tighter, being made according to the Swedish mode, as they usually build their houses here, which are blockhouses, being nothing else than entire trees, split through the middle or squared out of the rough and placed in the form of a square upon each other, as high as they wish to have the liouse ; the ends of these tim- bers are let into each other about a foot from the ends, half of one into half of the other. The whole structure is thus made without a nail or a spike. The ceiling or roof does not exhibit much finer work, except among the most care- ful people, who have the ceiling planked and a glass window. The doors are wide enough, but very low, so that you have to stoop on entering. These houses are quite tight and warm ; but the chimneys are placed in a corner. My comrade and myself had some deer skins spread upon the floor to lie upon, and we were there- fore quite well off and could get some rest. It rained hard during the night, and snowed and froze and continued so until the 19th, Sunday, and for a considerable part of the day, affording but little pros- pect of our leaving."
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