USA > New Jersey > Salem County > Salem > History and genealogy of Fenwick's colony > Part 42
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The precinct of Mannington contains, by the original survey, 58
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28,000 acres. It appears to have been the favorite township of the proprietor. In Upper Mannington he had his country seat, called Fenwick's Grove, which contained 6000 acres. Adjoin- ing the said tract on the south, Fenwick had two thousand acres laid off to his favorite daughter, Annie Fenwick, and her hus- band, Samuel Hedge; it was called, fer several generations, Hedgefield.
John Pledger and his wife, Elizabeth, were married in 1672; they lived in Portsmonth, Sonthampshire; he was a ship car- penter. They had one son born in England, Joseph Pledger, on the 4th of 6th month, 1672. Their son, John Pledger, was born in Salem, 27th of 9th month, 1680. Hypolyte Lefevre, it has been stated, was a French Huguenot. He left his native country on account of religious persecution, and went to Eng- land. He and his wife, Mary Lefevre, were residents of St. Martins in the fields of Middlesex, London. Being a man of considerable means he was known as a gentleman. He and John Pledger purchased 6,000 acres of John Fenwick in the fall of 1674. They, with their families, arrived in West New Jersey several months before the proprietor. In the summer of 1676 their lands were surveyed by Richard Noble and were located within the bounds of Mannington township. I think neither Hypolyte or John Pledger, Sr., ever resided on their large allotment, but lived and died in Salem. Hypolyte and his wife, Mary Lefevre, had one son, Hypolyte, who married Hannah Carll, of Philadelphia. Hypolite, the elder, died previous to 1698. The principal landholders and residents of the township of Mannington, in the latter part of the seventeenth and the fore part of the eighteenth century, were John Smith, of Smith- field, and his sons Joseph, David and Samnel, William Hall, Jr., Bartholomew Wyatt, and his son Bartholomew ; James Sherron, who was killed by Hagar, his slave ; John Hedge, Jr., Richard Woodnutt and his two sons, Joseph and Richard ; James Whit- tan, Thomas Mason and his four sons, Jonathan, Samuel, Aaron and James Mason ; Benjamin Cripps, John Vining, Ezekiel Peterson, Jedediah Allen, Benjamin Wyncoop, Henry Wam- sley, Thomas Hackett, Edward Weatherby, Giles Smith. Sam nel and Anna Fenwick Hedge resided in the township of Man- nington up to 1684. After the death of their father, John Fenwick, they removed to Salem. The precinct of Pilesgrove formerly contained 87,000 acres. It derived its name from Thomas Pyle, who was a citizen and upholsterer in the city of London. He purchased 10,000 acres in said township.
Thomas Pyle probably died before 1690, I find no record of
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him after that time. The Sharps were among the most con- spieuous men that resided in the preeinet at the first settlement. They located on 2,000 acres of land, the greater part of which was in the township of Pilesgrove, but some portions were in the township of Mannington. The Salem County Alms House farm is the part that was formerly of the Sharps; also, their family grave-yard was located in the same township, where the mortal remains of John Fenwick were buried. The Colson family were among the first inhabitants of Pilesgrove; likewise John Davis, who emigrated from Long Island with his four sons-John, Isaac, Malachi and David Davis. The latter became active and useful in civil and religious life, and was a Judge for many years in the Salem Courts. There were also the Bassetts, Lippineotts, and Dunns. Zaecheus Dunn had a large family of children. He was the son of Zaccheus and Deborah Dunn, born in' Pilesgrove in 1698. The large town- ship of Pilesgrove was divided about the time of the American revolution ; there were about 27,000 acres which is now known as Pilesgrove. The new township was named by the patriots of that day Pittsgrove, in memory of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, who advocated the rights of the colonies in the Brit- ish Parliament. Among the active and influential persons in the new township were the Duboises, Newkirks, Elwells, Coombs, Johnsons, Mayhews, VanMeters, Swings and Hitchners. About 1832 there was an act passed to divide the township, which was done, one part retaining the old name, Pittsgrove, the other, Upper Pittsgrove. Penn's Neck was settled by Europeans carlier, perhaps, than any other portion of Salem county. The Finns and Swedes settled there as early as 1638 or 1640. The original survey of the township amounted to about 54,000 acres. Many of the early Swedes and Finns took deeds for the land they settled on from the Indian chiefs. When the proprietors arrived the said tracts of land were re-surveyed, and each one of the former inhabitants agreed to pay Fenwick and his heirs a certain amount annually, called quit-rents. The names of most of the Swedes and Finns were Andrew Sinaker, Fop Joan- son, Gille Joanson, Mat Neilson, Abram Vanhyest, the Peter- sons, Engsons, Vanculans, Shonons, and others. The first Eng- lish emigrant that purchased lands there of John Fenwick was Roger Pedrick, in the fall of 1674, being one thousand acres ; it was surveyed to him by Richard Noble in the spring of 1676. There are a number of the descendants of R. Pedriek living in the township of Upper Penn's Neck at the present day. The said land was bounded on the east by Old Man's creek. The
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village of Pedrickstown stands on part of the Pedrick tract. Michael Baron was also a large landholder there; his tract con- tained one thousand acres in the lower district. The Adams family owned the greater portion. The sapona, in this town- ship, not far from Salem, was Tindeldale. Richard Tindell, the surveyor-general of the province, owned and resided there, while the deputy surveyor, John Woolidge, lived in the town of Salem. The house that he built and lived in is still standing on Broadway, near the old wharf, opposite Edward Bradway's brick building.
The Jaquetts were French Huguenots, who emigrated to West Jersey, and became large landholders in Penn's Neck. Thomas Dunn purchased land as early as 1689, and many of his descendants are residents of the township at the present time. Edward Mecum, Cornelius Copner, Thomas Lambson, Thomas Baldwin and William Hewes were among the first English emi- grants that purchased lands in the upper district bordering on Old Man's creek. His great grandson, Hezekiah Hewes, was a cabinet maker and undertaker in the town of Salem as early as 1780 ; he continued in the business for more than twenty years. He purchased a farm in Elsinborough when he was past middle age, and went to farming. Towards the close of his life he re- turned to Salem, and carried on the trade again. Not being able to work much himself he employed Japhet Somers as his journeyman. It is probable that Hezekiah buried more persons in the ancient grave-yard of Friends in Salem than any other person. His wife was the daughter of Benjamin Wright, of Mannington. There were two children-Thomas and Jane Hewes. Samuel Hewes was also a descendant of Wm. Hewes. He was born in Penn's Neck, and learned the hatting business of David Smith, Sr., of Salem. After he became of age he and David Smith, the nephew of his former employer, carried on the trade near Concordville, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. The partnership did not last long. David Smith, the uncle of David, died in a short time after they went into business to- gether, leaving the greater part of his estate to his nephew, and consequently returned to Salem ; but Samuel Hewes continned in business and was prosperous. He was one of the directors of the Bank at Chester for a number of years. He resigned his office when the afflictions that attend old age came upon him. He lived to be nearly 92 years of age. He was twice married. By his first wife he had two children-John and Sarah Ann Hewes. His second wife was Mary, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Shourds, of this county ; they had one son, Charles
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Hewes. The Somers family left Egg Harbor a century or more ago. One of the brothers purchased a large farm bordering on the Delaware river, not far from Old Man's creek.
William Summerill and Thomas Carney (of whom mention has been made before) and their descendants, were large land- holders, and had great influence in the township ; likewise the Philpot family. The township of Penn's Neck, a number of years ago, was divided. The lower section contains about 22,000 acres, and retains the original name, Penn's Neck. The upper district is much larger in territory and in population, and is called Upper Penn's Neck.
The territory belonging to Fenwick Colony, now Cumber- land, was called in the first settlement of the county, and up to nearly the middle of the last century, North and South Cohan- sey precincts. That section was peopled largely by emigrants from New England, and also from East Jersey and the state of New York.
The names of some of the most prominent families that located in the North and South Cohansey precints were Obadiah Holmes, Sheppards, Ogdens, Sayres, Fithians, Moores, Bucks, Woods, Bricks, Batemans, Prestons, Whitaker, Harris, Maskell, Ewing, Swing, Mulford, Butcher, and Padgetts. Samuel Ba- con, probably, was one of the first Europeans that purchased lands in the North Cohansey precincts, now known as Bacon's Neck. He purchased it of an Indian chief, and the deed is still in possession of one of the branches of the Bacon family. A considerable portion of the land is held at this time by some of Samuel's descendants, being the sixth generation. William, Joseph and John, sons of Samuel Bacon, were prominent men. John was one of the Judges of the Salem Courts for a number of years. Mark Reeves located at the town of Cohansey in 1685, and in a short time afterwards he removed to Fairfield township, where he died about 1709, leaving three sons- Charles, Mark and Joseph. The large family of Reeves, of Cumberland, Salem and Burlington counties, are the descend- ants of Joseph, the youngest son of Mark Reeves, Sr. I think it probable that Charles, the eldest son of Mark, died single. Mark Reeves, Jr., married and had a daughter, who subse- quently married Alexander Moore ; they were the grandparents of the late John Moore White, of Woodbnry. There was a large conspicuous family located in the South Cohansey pre- cinct, by the name of Alexander, in the fore part of the last century. Daniel Elmer emigrated from Connecticut, and was pastor of the first Presbyterian church, near the New Eng-
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land town, South Cohansey ; his descendants are numerous in the county at the present day.
About 1720 Nicholas and Leonard Gibbon emigrated from England, settled at Cohansey, and took possession of a large tract of land that was conveyed to them by Francis Gibbon, their father. The traet contained 5,500 aeres and was situated in three townships-Greenwich, Stoe Creek and Hopewell, as the county is divided at this time. Leonard took the eastern portion and Nicholas the part next to Greenwiel.
The first Court of Records was held at the town of Salem the 17th of 9th month, 1706. The Judges were Thomas Killing- worth, of Salem, and Obadiah Holmes, of Cohansey precinct. Justices-Joseph Sayres, Cohansey ; Samuel Hedge, Jr., Salem ; James Alexander, Cohansey ; Walter Husted, Salem ; Samuel Alexander, Cohansey. The Grand Jury called were Joseph Eastland, foreman; John Paine, Isaac Pierson, John Sheppard, Isaae Bonner, John Williams, Edward Meeum, Henry Corneil- son, Thomas Lambson, John Swing, Samuel Fogg, James Bar- ret, Henry Fisher and John Lackey. Sheriff, William Griffin ; Micheal Hackett, under sheriff ; Isaae Sharp, deputy sheriff, and Elisha Bassett, constable for Salem. In 1707 Court held at Salem had the same officers of the preceding year. The Grand Jury being called were Henry Buck, foreman ; Samuel Curtis, Benjamin Baeon, Joseph Bacon, Richard Whitaker, Thomas Alderman, John Brick, Samuel Fogg, Jacob Garrison, Jeremiah Nickson, Gabriel Davis, Edward Meeum, Isaac Pier- son, Mark Elger, William Thompson and Thomas Wallin. It was the law at that time for the Court to appoint overseers of the poor for the several districts of the county. The Court ap- pointed the following named persons as overseers of the highways: For Salem-William Holoway and Samuel Hedge ; Elsinbor- ough-Abel Nicholson and Thomas Thompson ; Monmouth pre cinct-Joseph Ware and Jonathan Smith; Mannington-Thomas Hackett and John Culver ; Penn's Neck-William Neilson and Thomas Lambson ; Pilesgrove-Isaac Davis and George Colson ; Northern Precinct of Cohansey-John Williams and John Miller ; South Cohansey Precinct-Henry Buck and Francis Alexander. Overseers of the Poor in the several precinets : Salem-Robert Rumsey and Robert Brothell ; Monmouth- Nathaniel Chambless and Ephraim Allen ; Elsinborough- Richard Darkin and Thomas Thompson ; Penn's Neck-Jere- miah Nickson and Harris Shoval ; Mannington-James Sherron and Daniel Rumsey; Pilesgrove-Jacob Sharp and Thomas Wallin ; North Cohansey-Richard Butcher and Samuel Wood-
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house; South Cohansey-Richard Whitaker and Thomas Sheppard.
In the year 1747 the precincts of North and South Cohansey was set off from Salem, and was called Cumberland county. It has been stated the name was given to it by Jonathan Belcher, at that time Governor of New Jersey, out of respect to the Duke of Cumberland, which decision was confirmed by an act of Assembly in 1747.
It appears it was the intention of the commissioners to divide the county of Salem into two equal parts ; their first proposition was to make the mouth of Stoe creek the starting point, follow up the creek until they came to a small tributary, on which Seeley's mill pond is located, thence up to the head branches, and then by a direct course to the Gloucester county line. John Brick, Jr., at that time one of the Judges of the Salem County Courts, and a man of great influence, was desirous that his pos- sessions should be included in the new county, and insisted that the lower branch of Stoe creek (called at this time Gravelly Run) should be the line between the two counties, which, after considerable excitement, was made the boundary, thereby giving the new county a much larger territory than Salem.
EARLY MARRIAGES.
An account of some of the early marriages in Salem, Newton and Burlington meetings : Samuel Hedge married Ann Fen- wick, 1676 ; Abraham Strand to Parabol Nicholson, daughter of Samuel and Ann Nicholson, 1677; Thomas Leeds, of New York, to Margaret Collins, they were married at Newton in 1678; Robert Zane, of Salem, to Alice Alday, of Burlington ; they were married in Burlington meeting. She was the daugh- ter of an Indian chief. Judge Clement, in alluding to the marriage says : "It may fairly be concluded that Robert became enamored of the bronzed beauty in some of his perambulations among the natives of the soil. Perhaps some hunting expedi- tion found him at nightfall hungry and footsore, near the hos- pitable wigwam of an Indian chief, where he was invited to rest and accept what the good chief set before him. With the assurance of welcome he delayed for the night, and when he noticed a daughter of his host,
"What though the sun with ardent frown Had slightly tinged her cheek with brown,"
could see in her comely, and to his youthful eye an attractive person. The talk by the evening fire, when the old Chief would question him about " the story of his life," to which the dark haired damsel would listen, and with a greedy ear devour his discourse, and which gave him a chance to watch her interest in his words, and draw from her at least a look of sympathy. Perchance in the sad story of the wrongs that drove him from his home, and of those who were soon to follow, he beguiled her of her tears, and won her love." The residence of Robert Zane in Salem brought him in contact with John Fenwick. He purchased two 16 acre lots on Fenwick street, Salem, of the pro- prietor, and was one of the members that organized the Friends' Meeting in 1676. As as artisan he was a worker in wool, man- ufacturing a kind of material that bears the same name to this day, and is used for the same purpose. About 1680 he left Salem and purchased a large tract of land near the head of
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Newton creek, within the Irish tenth. He was considered the pioneer of Newton Meeting, and was elected to the Legislature in 1682, and again in 1685. He sold one of his town lots in Salem in 1689, and one of his sons became the owner of the other lot, upon which the old house is still standing on Fenwick near Yorke street. Robert Zane was twice married, and had issue by both of them. One of his great-grandsons went to Ohio, a territory then, and there settled. He was the founder of Zanesville in that State. His second wife's name was Eliz- abeth. Robert died in 1694. 17th of the 1st month, 1679, Richard Whitaker, of Salem, married Elizabeth Adkin, of Mon- mouth precinct. In 1680 Thomas Fairman to Elizabeth Kinsey, at Burlington. In 1684, John Abbott to Elizabeth Nicholson, at Salem, daughter of Samuel and Ann Nicholson, of Elsinboro. Married at Salem, in 1685, Israel Harrison to Hester White, daughter of Christopher White. At Salem, George Haselwood to Margaret Butcher, widow of John Butcher, in 1681. Mar- ried, at Burlington, in 1680, Thomas Borton to Ann Borton, daughter of John Borton. In 1680, Freedom; Lippincott, son of Richard, to Mary Curtis, of Burlington. At Burlington, 1681, John Woolson to Hannah Cooper, daughter of William Cooper, and sister of William Cooper at Salem. Married, at
Burlington, 1682, John Snowden to Ann Barrett. Married, at Salem, John Antrim to Francis Butcher, 1682, daughter of John Butcher, the emigrant. At Burlington, Seth Smith 'to Mary Pancoast, in 1682 ; she was the daughter of John Pan- coust, Sheriff of the London tenth. At Newton, 1682,,William Wood, of New York, to Mary Parnell. At Salem, Lawrence Morris to Virginia Cripps. In 1685, at Burlington, William Satterwaite to Ann Bingham, late servant of Thomas Olive. At Salem, Mark Reeve to Ann Hunt, in 1686. John Shinn to Ellen Stacy ; 1695, Joseph Nicholson, of Elsinboro, son of Sam- uel, to Hannah Wood, of Newton. 1696, at Salem, Edward Buzby, of Pennsylvania, to Susan Adams, daughter of John Adams. 1703, at Newton, Stephen Newby to Elizabeth Wood. 1702, at Newton, John Estaugh to Elizabeth Hadden. 1705, at Newton, Joseph Bates to Mercy Clement, daughter of James Clement, and sister of Sarah Hall. At Salem, 1704, John Mickell to Hannah Cooper, daughter of William and Mary Bradway. They were married at Newton. 1706, Joseph Brown, of Phil- adelphia, to Mary Spicer, daughter of Samuel Spicer, and sister of Jacob Spicer. They were married at Newton. At Salem, Joseph Ware Jr., to Elizabeth Walker, 1707. 1711, at Salem, Samuel Dennis to Ruth Tindell, daughter of Richard Tindell,
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of Penns Neck. 1714, at Burlington, John Cox to Lydia Cooper, daughter of Joseph and Lydia Cooper. 1718, at Salem, Samuel Sharp to Martha Hall, daughter of William Hall, Jr., of Man- nington. 1730, at Haddonfield, Bartholomew Wyatt, Jr., of Mannington, to Elizabeth Tomlinson, daughter of Joseph Tom- linson. 1731, at Burlington, William Borton to Deborah Hedge. 1731, at Burlington, John Cripps to Mary Eves. 1732, at Sa- lem, Philip Pedrick to Hannah Bickman. 1733, Samuel, the youngest son of George Abbott, of Elsinboro, married Hannah Foster, of Burlington county. 1734, at Burlington, Josiah White, grandson of Christopher, to Rebecca Foster, sister of Samuel Abbott's wife. 1737, John Jessup to Margaret Whit- aker, grand-daughter of Richard. 1744, Solomon Lippincott to Sarah Cozzins. William Rumsey and Ruth Gave were married 17th of the 1st month, 1679. William Warner of Alloways Creek married Jane Curtes, 10th month 2d, 1680. Richard Hancock of Alloways Creek married Elizabeth Denn, sister of James Denn, November 28th, 1680. Thomas Smith, of Co- hansey, married Ann Pancoast, 14th of 3d month, 1681.
ANCIENT BUILDINGS.
I think it probable that Salem county has as many or more ancient buildings standing at this time, according to her popula- tion, than any other county in West Jersey. The oldest build- ing standing at this time is in the city of Salem. It was built by Edward Bradway in 1691, and stands on Broadway street, which, at the time the building was erected, was called Wharf street. At the latter part of the last and first of the present century it was tenanted, and the doors and windows were gone. Thomas H. Bradway, son of Aaron Bradway, lineal descendant of Edward, repaired it by putting new doors and windows into it, and Sarah Ann, daughter of Thomas Bradway, inherited it. John S. Wood, her husband, made farther improvements to the ancient building, and had a piazza built to it fronting the street, and rented it a number of years for a boarding house. There is another ancient brick building standing near, on the opposite side of the same street, built on what was formerly the fair grounds, which land was given by John Fenwick for that purpose in 1676.
The inhabitants of Fenwick Colony continued to hold their publie fairs at that place. Officers were chosen yearly in the different towns and precincts within the Colony, whose business was to attend and keep order, and dispose of the grain and stock of various kinds which was brought to the fair ground for exhibition, and, if the several owners desired, to expose them for sale. It was the duty of those men, appointed as before mentioned, to superintend the selling at public auction. The fair generally lasted four or five days. The brick building, I have no doubt, was built about the year 1700, although some old men I have conversed with on the subject think it was built at an earlier period. John Mason's brick house on the same street, from the most authentic account, was built before he purchased in Elsinborough, which was about the year 1692. The house and sixteen acres of ground was purchased of John Mason, the grandson of the emigrant, in 1756, by Thomas Goodwin. The ancient mason building was taken down by A.
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Naudain Bell, whose wife was a lineal descendant of Goodwin, and some three or four years ago he built a large building upon its site; in the upper apartment is the "National Standard " office. Samuel Hedge, the son-in-law of John Fenwick, built a brick dwelling in 1684, in which he and his wife, Annie Fen- wick Hedge, resided until his death. It was taken down by William F. Miller, a few years ago, who built a more modern brick dwelling on the site of the old one, which had been stand- ing about 156 years. In this ancient dwelling died Samuel and Joseph Hedge, being the fourth generation from the first Samuel Hedge in this country ; about one hundred years after the death of their ancestor. Benjamin Acton, Sr., built a brick dwelling on East Broadway, in 1727, which is still standing. The house of Robert Zanes, Jr., on the same street, was built, as near as can be ascertained, about 1715, of hewn logs, and the roof was called a hip roof. The Edward Keasbey house being brick, nearly opposite the Zanes house, is also a very ancient building. On the same street stands what was once the Baptist church, which stood at Mill Hollow, about two and a half miles from Salem, and was built in 1743; it was subsequently moved to Salem, and is used at this time as a school house for colored children. It is one of the oldest frame building in the county. Alexander Grant's brick dwelling on Bridge, now Market street, is still standing, and was built early in the last century. James Rolph's dwelling stood near to Grant's, and was built about the same time ; it was taken down about twenty-five years ago. Edward Wade's house, which stood at the corner of Griffith and Market streets, was one of the first houses of any size in the city of Salem. By tradition it was built about the time John Fenwick and John Adams were on Ivy Point, about 1678. Wade's house was taken down by William N. Jeffers, who had previously purchased it, together with a large lot of ground, and he erected the commodious house on the spot, which is owned by Albert H. Slape, Esq., who resides there. Within fifty years the dwellings of John Fenwick, and his son- in-law, John Adams, on Ivy Point, were standing, it being upon an elevated piece of ground, about two hundred yards west of the line of Market street, near Fenwick creek ; they were built in 1677. It is probable that the proprietor had two reasons for choosing that spot for his domicile-it being near to a navigable stream, likewise a good view of his favorite Manto or Manning- ton, where his country seat, Fenwick Grove, was located. In Cow Neck stands an ancient one story brick dwelling. From the most reliable information I have, it was built by William
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Wilkinson, in 1692, and it is still in tolerable repair, and is owned, at this time, together with about forty acres of land, by Hugh L. Tyler. Ancient tradition, concerning this property, says at one time the Cow Neck farm was large, and the land was considered of an excellent quality. The daughter of Wil- liam Wilkinson became the owner of it, together with other large tracts of land in the county. She lived to be quite aged, and when on her death bed she sent to the town of Salem for a person to write her will, she devised her different traets of land as she desired, but not mentioning her homestead the writer asked her how she was going to dispose of her Cow Neck farm. That appeared to affect her: she gave a sigh, and then told him she believed she would hold on to her Cow Neck farm another year. How often the human family have their attachments so strongly on the things of this world, that even when death draw- eth nigh they still cleave to them ; thereby, in a great measure, preventing that quiet and peaceful close of life, which is so desir- able. Samuel Stewart, the eldest son of John and Mary Stewart, of Alloways Creek, bought their property about 1770, and there he and his wife, Sarah Tyler Stewart, lived and ended their days ; they were greatly respected for their many virtues.
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