USA > New Jersey > Salem County > Salem > History and genealogy of Fenwick's colony > Part 28
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
DE
יעאריאל קני
EDWARD VAN METER.
Born 1811. Died 1875.
VANMETER FAMILY.
The VanMeters in company with several other families, emi- grated from Holland to the State of New York, between the years 1650 and 1660, settling at what is now known as Ulster county. Between the years 1712 and 1714, a company of the citi- zens of the Dutch Reformed, or Presbyterian faith removed from the neighborhood of Esopis, to Pilesgrove now Upper Pittsgrove, their minister David Evans accompanied them, and his tombstone, with appropriate inscriptions, can be seen in the Presbyterian burial ground at Daretown, in Upper Pittsgrove, Salem county, New Jersey. That these emigrants were families of respectability, may be inferred from the standing of their pastor, who was recognized as a man of learning and piety. These families seemed to have been mindful also, of the advan- tages of education, inasmuch as a first-class school for that early time, was established by them, and the most competent teachers procured. Parents from long distances sent their children to this school, and some of the most distinguished men in the State, in subsequent years, were proud of the learning obtained at the Pittsgrove College, as it was termed. John Moore White, one of West Jersey's ablest lawyers, was educated there. He was one of the Associate Judges of the Supreme Court for many years, and also Attorney General. Among the company who left New York, were three brothers, and their families by the name of Van Meter. Some of the family settled in East Jersey, chiefly in Monmouth county ; one of the brothers, Jo- seph VanMeter settled in that county, and the other two brothers John and Isaac settled in Pilesgrove township, Salem county. Occasional intercourse, as one of the family writes, and visiting continued between the East Jersey and Salem county VanMe- ters, for some years, but as the older members of the family died, communication between the younger branches of the fam- ily gradually ceased. For some reason the name in East Jersey has been changed in spelling to Vanmater, and Vanmartin, but in West Jersey it is uniformly spelled VanMeter. The first and earliest records of the family to be seen in the Clerk's Office at
302
VANMETER FAMILY.
Salem in 1714 is spelled in that way, and ever since, in all the public records it appears the same.
The Presbyterian Church at Pittsgrove was organized 30th of 4th month, 1741, David Evans being the pastor. The church covenant was signed by the following members: Isaac Van- Meter, Henry VanMeter, Cornelius Newkirk, Abraham Newkirk, Barnett Dubois, Lewis Dubois, Garrett Dubois, John Miller, Francis Tully, Jeremiah Garrison, Eleazer Smith, William Alderman, John Rose, Simon Sparks, Thomas Sparks, Richard Sparks, John Craig, William Miller, Nathan Tarbel, Hugh Moore, Peter Haws, James Dunlap, Jacob Dubois, Jr., Joshua Garrison, and Jost Miller. Tradition of a reliable nature states, that the above families did not constitute themselves a church organization, or connect with any Presbytery from the time of their settlement. Religious services were held in their school house and families, from 1714 until 1741, when they ereeted a log church, and in 1767 the substantial brick church, which is still standing, was erected. A new church opposite the parson- age was dedicated 15th of 8th month, 1867. Many of those early settlers seem to have been men of means. John and Isaac VanMeter located in company with the Duboises, a tract of 3,000 acres of land, from Daniel Cox, of Burlington, New Jersey, the record of which can be seen in the Clerk's Office in Salem, recorded in 1714. These parties divided their lands by the compass, the Duboises taking theirs on the north side of a line, the VanMeters the south side. The VanMeters continued to purchase until they owned a very large portion of the land, reaching from the Overshot Mill in Upper Alloways Creek near Daretown, southerly, south-east to Fork Bridge, about 6,000 acres in all, and most of the titles to the lands held by the present occupants go back to the VanMeter titles. The early VanMeters were noted for their desire to reach out, and obtain broad acres of land, and their love of good horses, the latter is characteristic of the family to the present time, although careful of display. At the organization of the church in 1741 or 1742, John VanMeter's name does not appear, he had no doubt died previously to that date, leaving a son Henry to represent him, and in that Henry most, if not all of the VanMeters who now reside in the county of Salem, can properly claim their ancestorship. Isaac VanMeter was one of the founders of the original church ; he had a son, Garrett, who married a daughter of Judge John Holme, in 1774. Garrett emigrated to Virginia with his family, and some of his descend- ents are there still.
303
VANMETER FAMILY.
Henry VanMeter, son of John, was married four times. The following named children are mentioned in his will-Joseph, Ephraim, John, David, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Jacob and Benja- min VanMeter. The two last were children of his last wife, Mary Fetters, of Salem. About the year 1685, Erasmus La- Fettre and wife emigrated from England to West Jersey, and settled in the town of Salem. They lived on Yorke street, near Elsinborough line, it being so near it was sometimes called Am- blebury. Doubtless some of the elder inhabitants of the town of Salem remember in the early part of the present century an old hip-roof brick house, standing where David Fogg's apple orchard is now. That was, I have been informed, LaFettre's mansion. Erasmus LaFettre was a French Huguenot; he left his native country, together with thousands of others, soon after the revocation of the edict of Nantz, by order of Louis XIV., and fled to England. Erasmus and his wife were members of the Society of Friends. They had several children-Erasmus, Thomas, Sarah, Mary, Hannah and one other daughter, whose name is not given, who married James Sherron's son ; they had two children-Roger and Griffith. Thomas Fettres, for that generation of children omitted La when writing their names, and spelled it Fettres. Thomas located in the city of Philadel- phia, became a mariner in 1722, and settled on one of the Ber- muda Islands. Iu the same year he gave his intimate friend, Captain Benjamin Vining, a citizen of Philadelphia, and like- wise a mariner, a general power of attorney to have charge of his estate in America, personal and real, and to sell and forward the proceeds to him. The instrument of writing was executed in the city of Philadelphia the Sth of 8th month, 1722, before James Logan. Sarah Fettres married Lewis, son of Rudroe and Jael Morris, of Elsinborough ; there were five daughters- Sarah, who married Thomas, son of John and Susanna Smith Goodwin, of Salem ; Mary married William, brother of Thomas Goodwin ; Jael Morris married William Shipley; Ann married Samuel, son of Elisha and Abigail E. Bassett; Hannah Morris married John Whittal. Mary Fettres, as before stated, married Henry VanMeter.
Erasmus Fetters, the eldest son of Erasmus, was a tanner by trade and carried it on in the town of Salem at the old mansion on Yorke street. In 1739 he purchased of John Acton, on Fen- wick street, a house and tan yard, containing one acre and a half of ground as set forth in the deed ; he was twice married, his last wife was the widow of James Chambless, Jr., of Allo- ways Creek. Erasmus died in 1757 without issue, making his
304
VANMETER FAMILY.
will in 1756 and disposing of his estate in the following man- ner: gave the house and premises bought of John Acton to his nephew John Whitel; to Roger Sherron £56; to Griffith Sher- ron £10; to John, son of William Goodwin, £10; Susanna Goodwin £10; Lewis Goodwin, £10; to his last wife's three daughters, Rebecca, Sarah and Mary Chambless, £10 each, also their mother's wearing apparel; to his nieee, wife of Thomas Goodwin, £10; to Mary Goodwin, wife of Wil- liam, £10; to his niece Jail Shipley, wife of William, £10; to his niece Ann, wife of Samuel Bassett, £10; to John Whitel's two daughters, Hannah and Sarah Whitel, £5 each; his negro boy Dick he bequeathed to William Good- win for ten years, on condition that at the expiration of that time he should be set free. The remainder of his estate both real and personal was bequeathed to his sister Mary VanMeter's two sons, Jacob and Benjamin VanMeter. William Goodwin and John Whitel were his executors. His personal estate, after his just debts were paid, amounted to £1119 18s. 5d., as was filed in the - office at Burlington in 1758 by his exec- utors.
Jacob VanMeter settled in Genesee county, New York, and left a family, who in former days visited the home of their ancestors. Benjamin VanMeter married Bathsheba, daughter of Captain James Dunlap, of Pittsgrove; he was the son of Captain James Dunlap, Sr., of Penn's Neck. The Dunlaps came from Delaware to Penn's Neek, and are supposed to be of Irish descent. James Dunlap's will was written in 1758 ; he died the same year, leaving three sons and one daughter-John, James, Thomas and Mary Ann. James, Jr., married Anna Hunter, and died 19th of 9th month, 1773 ; his wife died 16th of Ist month, 1780. The Hunter family were from East Jersey ; a branch removed and settled in Salem county. Rob- ert Hunter died, leaving a widow and two daughters-Anne and Mary. His widow married Hugh Moore; they had issue, one son, Richard Moore, who settled at Lower Alloways Creek; he died, leaving one son and five daughters. One of the daugh- ters married George Grier. Johanna married Jonathan Hil- dreth. One married James Sayres, one married Solomon Du- bois, one married Daniel Stretch. As has been stated Anne Hunter married James Dunlap, Jr .; they had one son and two daughters-Bathsheba and Mary Dunlap. Bathsheba, the eldest daughter, married Benjamin, the son of Henry and Mary Fetters VanMeter. Mary, daughter of Robert Hunter, married Samuel Purviance; left one son and three daughters. Mary,
305
VANMETER FAMILY.
the eldest daughter of Samuel and Mary Purviance, married Samuel Eakin,a Presbyterian pastor, their children were Samuel, James, Ann, Susan and Johanna. The latter married Isaac Hazel- hurst ; she died in 1809, leaving five children-Richard Hunter, Samuel, Isaac, Jr., Andrew Purviance and Mary. The other daughter of Samuel and Mary Purviance married William P. Leigh, of Virginia. These Hunters are believed to be the de- scendants of Robert Hunter, one of the Colonial Governors of New Jersey, who held office from 1710 to 1720. The Hunters were distinguished in early history for their prominence in the pulpit, and State offices, and for their learning and eloquence. Benjamin VanMeter, as before stated, married Bathsheba Dun- lap. He settled in early life on his ancestral estate, and was a useful man in his time, being a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church at Daretown. He was the owner of a number of slaves, but becoming convinced in his own mind that it was an evil to hold his fellow man in bondage, he liberated all of them a few years before his death. At that time there was no law to compel him to do it, and he had been so kind a master that some of his slaves refused to leave, and accordingly ended their days with him. Benjamin VanMeter departed this life 15th of 10th month, 1826, aged eighty-two years; his wife died 7th of 11th month, 1831, aged eighty-four years. Their children were James, Mary, Ann, Sarah, Erasmus Fetters, Robert Hunter and Bathsheba. James, the son of Benjamin VanMeter, was a physician, and commenced practicing medicine at Alloways Creek when a young man. He boarded with John Hancock. However he remained there but one year, and then removed to the town of Salem, and soon afterward married Ruth, the daughter of Thomas Jones. He had a very extensive practice as a physician, perhaps greater than any other one physician that ever resided in the town of Salem, particularly so among the members of the Society of Friends. He was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in that place, and died in 1847, aged eighty years. His wife died a few years before him, aged sixty-three years. They left an only child, a son, Thomas Jones VanMeter, who graduated in early life as a physician. He never practiced to much extent. He married Hannah, daughter of Anthony and Hannah Keasbey, of Salem. Their children are Artemisa K., Martha J. and James Anthony VanMeter (the latter died in childhood). Hannah, wife of Dr. Thomas VanMeter, died in 3d month, 1871.
Mary, daughter of Benjamin and Bathsheba VanMeter, mar- ried Matthew Newkirk, and died in early life, 7th of 7th month,
39
306
VANMETER FAMILY.
1802, leaving four daughters, Bathsheba, Elizabeth, Ann and Sa- rah Newkirk. Bathsheba, the eldest, married Jeremiah Stull, and had several children. John married Julia, daughter of Daniel Garrison of Salem; Mary Stull married a person by the name of Cloud, of Maryland. Caroline Stull married Dr. Wallace. Sarah married James Johnson. Bathsheba married Jacob Mench -all of them have children. Elizabeth, daughter of Matthew and Mary Newkirk, married a person by the name of Effinger, and had several children. Ann, daughter of Matthew and Mary Newkirk, married Henry Van Meter; they had one daughter, who afterwards married a person by the name of Carruthers, and had several children. Sarah, the daughter of Matthew and Mary Newkirk, married a person by the name of Olmstead ; they had several children. Ann, daughter of Benjamin and Bathsheba VanMeter, died 10th of 9th month, 1851. Sarah and Fetters VanMeter, children of Benjamin and Bathsheba Van- Meter, died in infancy. Erasmus, son of Benjamin and Bath- sheba VanMeter, married Mary Burroughs; he inherited the family homestead, and died 7th of 11th month, 1842, aged sixty- six years. He was a ruling elder in the church of his fathers at the time of his death; his wife died 10th of Sth month, 1860, aged sev- enty-five years. Their children were Benjamin, John, William, James, Elizabeth and Bathsheba VanMeter. Benjamin Van Me- ter married Hannah McQueen ; they had several children, and removed West. John VanMeter, son of Erasmus, married and died, leaving children. William VanMeter, son of Erasmus, went West, married there, and has several children. Elizabeth, daughter of Erasmus VanMeter, married Samuel Swing; they had four children-Erasmus V., Mary Jane, Ruth Ann and Alfred. Erasmus V. Swing is a practicing physician. He mar- ried a Burroughs, and settled in Pennsylvania. Alfred was killed in the late rebellion. Bathsheba, daughter of Erasmus VanMc- ter, married Thomas Brooks; they had two children-Rebecca and Benjamin Brooks. Rebecca married James Robinson, and Benjamin married Amanda Johnson. James, the son of Eras- mus and Mary Van Meter, married a sister of James and Wil- liam Coombs ; they settled in the State of Ohio. Robert Hun- ter, son of Benjamin and Bathsheba VanMeter, graduated as a physician in 1799, and settled in Pittsgrove. His first wife was Rachel Burroughs of the same place; she died three months after marriage; his second wife was Sarah Leake Whitaker, daughter of J. Ambrose and Rachel Leake Whitaker. They moved to Salem in 1809. Dr. Robert VanMeter was also one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in Salem, and a ruling
307
VANMETER FAMILY.
elder in the church at the time of his death; their children were Emma, Mary, James, Robert, Edward, Mason, Josiah and Harriet.
Emma, daughter of Robert and Sarah VanMeter, died near Baltimore 16th of 11th month, 1869. Mary, daughter of Robert and Sarah VanMeter, married Enos R. Pease, of Con- necticut, and died 17th of 4th month, 1834, leaving one child, Alvin Robert Pease, who died in Alleghany City, Pennsylvania, in his seventeenth year. James, Robert and Josiah, children of Robert and Sarah VanMeter, died in infancy. Edward, son of Robert and Sarah Van Meter, married Caroline, daughter of Isaac and Ann Whitaker. They had three children-Mary Caroline, Harriet Fetters and Anna' Hunter VanMeter. Edward Van- Meter died 4th of 1st month, 1875. He studied law in early life in his native town of Salem, and it appears at that time he was not much attached to his profession, for he soon after went into the mercantile business at Hancock's Bridge. The firm was known as VanMeter & Dubois. Soon after leaving the store he was employed by Jonas Miller as his book-keeper. Jonas was the proprietor of one of the largest public houses at the time on Cape Island. Edward continued with him two or three seasons. Soon after he was married, he turned his atten- tion to his first calling, that of law, as attorney and solicitor in chancery. He did a large amount of public business in his time, and was considered one of the best business men in the city of Salem.
Mason, son of Robert and Sarah VanMeter, is still unmarried, living in Salem. Harriet, daughter of Robert and Sarah Van- Meter, married R. J. Cone, of New York, a clergyman. They had two children-Norris Hunter and Charles Kirtland Cone. Norris Hunter Cone graduated from Lafayette College 6th month, 1872, and went to Colorado where he now resides. Ilis brother, Charles Kirtland Cone, died at the age of nine years.
Bathsheba, daughter of Benjamin and Bathsheba VanMeter, married William Mayhew; they had one daughter, Maria, who married a person by the name of Johnson, and had one daugh- ter, Anna, who married Charles Burroughs. After the death of Maria's first husband she married James Richman, and has several children. Bathsheba Mayhew died 17th of 9th month, 1866.
CHRISTOPHER WHITE FAMILY.
Christopher White, son of Thomas White, was born at Omnar, in the county of Cumberland, England, in the year 1642. From thence he removed to London in 1666, and in 1668 he married Elizabeth Leath. She was a widow, and was the daughter of John Wyatt, of the county of Yorkshire. They had one daughter Elizabeth, who was born in Shadwell, near London, in 1669. His first wife Elizabeth died about the year 1671. It appears he married his second wife in the year 1674, whose first name was Esther, but her last name is not given in the records. Josiah White, son of Christopher and Esther White, was born in Lon- don, in 1675. Christopher and his wife and their two children, and their two servants, John Brinton and Jane Allen, emigrated to America, and landed at Salem 23d of 6th month, 1677. They had one son-Joseph White, born in Salem 5th of 11th month, 1678. Christopher White, like several other emigrants, had purchased one town lot in Salem, together with 1,000 acres of land, of the proprietor before he left his native country. He resided on his property in Salem until about the year 1682, and he then removed and took possession of his allotment of land in Alloways Creek. In 1690 he built a large brick house on his property in said township, the King's Highway from Salem to Cohansey running through his lands, the house was built near said road, not far from the meadow. There is a tradition in the neighborhood that he sent to England for an architecture, and likewise had the brick imported from that country for the house. The following is the description and size of the build- ing, given to me by Judge Ephraim Carll, who had an excellent opportunity of knowing-he and his family having resided there for several years, and was also present when the building was taken down :
The main building was thirty-two by eighteen feet, and two stories high. The walls were eighteen inches in thickness up to the second story, and the joist of that story projected beyond the walls five feet, making a projection of that width on three sides of the building, and the walls from that point were twelve
309
CHRISTOPHER WHITE FAMILY.
inches in thickness. The joist in the main building were clear yellow heart pine, and floor boards were of the same material, being one and a half inches in thickness. Beyond the main walls of the building was an extension from the foundation built, being eight by ten feet, for a stairway to the second story and garret. On top of said walls was an arch roof which gave the building a singular appearance. There was also a cellar under the whole of the main building, which was paved by square English brick. The basement floor, and likewise the second and attie floors, were supported by large beams twelve by fourteen inches, which extended across the middle of each floor. The main entrance to the main building on the west side of it, took five large stone steps from the ground to enter the building, and on the east side there was a one-story kitchen attached, which likewise was built of brick, sixteen by twenty feet in size. There was a good sized yard around the house which, at one time, was paved with square brick, but at the time the house was removed many of the yard bricks had been broken up and removed. I have been more particular in describing this build- ing on account of the interest the old inhabitants of the town- ship had respecting it, and when it was erected. The late Robert G. Johnson told me the year after it was taken down, that he regretted very much that there was not a photo- graph drawing of the building for the Historical Society of New Jersey.
Israel Harrisson married Esther, the daughter of Christopher and Esther White, of Monmouth precinct, about 1693. Israel and his wife Esther had two children. Joseph, their son, born 1694, and Sarah, the daughter of Israel and Esther Harrisson, was born 14th of 12th month, 1696. Israel died in 1704.
Christopher White died about the year 1698, leaving a widow and three children-Elizabeth, Josiah and Joseph White. Christopher White appears to have been a man of an energetic turn of mind, and a high moral tone of character, and those traits were transmitted to his descendants for several genera- tions. His daughter Elizabeth married William Bradway, in the year 1689. Josiah White, son of Christopher, I believe, married Hannah Ashbury in 1698. Their son Christopher White, was born 23d of 6th month, 1699, and died a minor. Their son, Josiah White, was born in 1705. Hannah White, daughter of Josiah and Hannah White, was born at Alloways Creek in 1710. Josiah White, Sr., died abont the year 1726, leaving his landed estate to his son, Josiah.
As early as 1698, the owners of the meadows and low lands
310
CHRISTOPHER WHITE FAMILY.
bordering on Alloways creek obtained a law from the West Jer- sey Legislature to enable them to put a dam across the said creek, and to put a sufficient sluiceway to drain all the low lands lying above the present Hancock's Bridge. For some cause which has never been explained, the work was not undertaken until the year 1723, at which time the Company contracted with Josiah White to build the dam. He was the son of Josiah White, and grandson of Christopher White, the emigrant. Jo- siah was born 21st of 6th month, 1705, at the old homestead of the family, called at that time Monmouth Precinct. He made a contract to erect a dam and put in a sufficient sluiceway for a specific sum, the amount of which I have never learned, and guaranteed it to stand one year before he was to receive his pay. But the meadow owners above the dam soon discovered that their lands did not drain as well as before, and besides losing the navigation of the ereek, which was an incalculable loss, for there was as much valuable timber on the land bordering the creek at that time as in any part of West Jersey. Before the expiration of the year the dam broke. Since that day immense quantities of the best quality of ship timber, and thousands of cords of fire wood, together with products of the farms, have been sent to market from the lands bordering the creek above the dam, by the navigable highway which nature designed Mon- mouth river to be. Within a few years past, by the wear of the creek, many of the ancient piling and other timber on the south side became a hindrance to navigation, and the Freehold- ers of the county determined to have the timber removed out of the stream. They offered proposals for the lowest bidders to clear the navigation. Edward and Lewis S. Carll agreed to do it, they being the lowest bidders, for the sum of $210. Many of their friends were fearful they would incur a loss by the un- dertaking, but by good management and perseverance they have been successful in removing a large quantity of heavy timber.
The dam was constructed with two cribs, twenty feet each, making the width of the embankment full forty feet wide. About fifty or sixty feet from the south side of the creek, which, I presume, at that time, was near the channel, they found large quantities of wood cut in lengths to cord tightly in between the three rows of piling and land ties, which, I have no doubt, was used as a tumbling dam until such time as the other part of the enbankment could be raised above tide water. Many of the piling, drawn by means of a stump puller, were imbedded fif- teen and some nearly twenty feet in the mud and gravel. The land ties drawn to the shore from the bottom of the creek, were
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.