USA > New Jersey > Salem County > Salem > History and genealogy of Fenwick's colony > Part 44
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BEVERAGES.
practices produced, hence they in some measure were not accountable for it. But we, of the present generation, having seen the great wickedness arising from those two causes, should exert all our moral and religious force to expel the great evil from our land. Figuratively speak- ing, it has slain the first born of every family in this sec- tion of the country. From habitual drinking of the parent, it produces a settled disease of the nervous system, and is trans- mitted from father to son for several generations. Many an aged father and a loving mother, who have cared and waited upon their offspring in infancy with ardent solicitude for their temporal and moral welfare, have gone down prematurely to the grave with sorrow on account of their sons having become vagabonds by the use of intoxicating drink. The Friends were among the first who introduced malt and spirituous liquors in this country as a common beverage, but greatly to their credit they were the first who took a firm stand in a meeting capacity against the use of it as a common drink. Within a few years most of the other religious societies, and especially the Baptists and Methodists, are taking active measures in the cause of tem- perance among their own members, and their labors extend to all classes of society.
GENEALOGY.
Genealogy has arrested the attention of persons inTall Tages of the civilized world. William Blackstone, the son of a silk mercer, was born in London in 1723. He became an eminent lawyer, as well as a writer on English law. Since his time every student of law, both in England and America, who is de- sirous of becoming eminent in legal knowledge, is under the necessity of giving his days and nights to the study of; Black- stone's Commentaries on English Law. Blackstone wrote largely in regard to genealogy.
The following considerations will serve to show how wonder- fully men and families are knit together by the ties of blood : " When one reflects that his ancestory doubles in each assent ; or, to speak more correctly, increases in two-fold geometrical progression, he will easily see this. Thus as everybody has one father, two grandfathers, four great-grandfathers, and eight great-great-grandfathers, and so on; the case being, of course, the same on the female side. If we go back to the time of King John, which, (allowing three generations to a century) would he about nineteen generations, we shall find that in the space of little more than six centuries every one of us can boast of the astounding number of 524,288 ancestors; that is to say that the blood of more than 500,000 of the human race flows in our veins." This calculation supposes, however, that all are male an- cestors, having married strangers in blood, which has probably not been the case in any instance. A few matches with cousins or remote relations reduces the number. The same eminent lawyer long since called attention to the multitudinous number of ances- tral relations in his commentaries, where he gives a table of num- bers extending to the twentieth genealogical remove. At the fortieth remove, a period extending over about sixteen or ser- enteen hundred years, the total number of man's progenitors amounts to more than a million million ! The same eminent writer also shows from the most satisfactory data that we have all now existing nearly two hundred and seventy millions of kindred in the 15th degree, and if this calculation should appear
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incompatible with the number of inhabitants on the earth, it is because of intermarriage among the several descendents from the same ancestors. A hundred or a thousand modes of con- sanguinity may be consolidated in one person, or he may be related to us a hundred or thousand different ways, and without being aware of it. It is thus that I account for the extraordinary resemblance, both personal and mental, often occuring between persons not regarded as being related to each other. We know how both physical and intellectual characteristics are trans- mitted. A due consideration of these facts would be of great moral advantage to mankind, as serving to induce a kindness of feeling to all, whether lowly or exalted; since we know not by how inany ties of blood they may be connected to us, in a stronger sense than is usually affixed to the words " all men are brethren." I append here an illustrative anecdote about seventy or eighty years since. A shepherd named Tuppin was sent by his mother who resided near Eastbourn, Sussex county, to drive some sheep into South Devon. This man having discharged his commis- sion was returning homeward from his somewhat toilsome pil- grimage when, on passing a cottage about two hundred miles from his own habitation, on a spot which he had before visited, he was greeted with the familiar words " How do you do, Mas- ter Tuppin ?" The shepherd, with a rather bewildered air, turned round and found that the salutation had been addressed to him by a peasant's wife, the tenant of a cottage, a person of whom he had not the slightest knowledge. He told her as much, whereupon she apologized by saying that she had mistaken him for one Master Tuppin, a man who lived in a neighboring ham- let, but of whom the surprised shepherd had never heard. There can, however, be no doubt of the common origin of the two Master Tuppins, though all remembrance of kindred was lost.
EDITORS.
At the beginning of the present century there was not a newspaper published in Salem county, and the people depended upon the daily and weekly papers published in Philadelphia for news. There was the "Saturday Evening Post," published in Philadelphia, and edited by Samuel Atkinson, had a large ciren- lation in Salem county up to 1820, or later. The editor was a native of this section, and a lineal descendant of John Smith, of Amblebury ; his mother was the daughter of Richard and Rachel Dennis Smith, of Elsinborough. Rachel was the dangh- ter of Philip and Lucy Dennis, born in Greenwich township 6th of 4th month, 1742.
The first newspaper published in Salem was in 1816. Isaac Pollock was the editor and publisher. He was the brother of the late Sheppard K. Pollock, who was pastor of the Presby. terian church at Greenwich, Cumberland county, for fifteen years. The Salem " Gazette," as Pollock's paper was called, became obnoxious to the party that should have sustained it in what was known as the Court House election, in the year 1817, when the test was made relative to the removal of the court house and county building from off the one acre lot that was given by John Fenwick, and surveyed and set off for the county for the inhabitants of Salem county to build a court house and prison on by an order given by Samnel Hedge to John Wor- lidge, deputy surveyor, in 1688. The majority of the inhabit- ants in Pilesgrove, both Pittsgroves, Upper Penn's Neck, and Upper Alloways Creek were in favor of removing the county buildings from Salem to some central location in the county. Where the place should be there was a diversity of opinion ; some thought the village of Thompson Bridge (now Alloways- town) would be the the proper place, whilst others were in favor of Woodstown. By a survey of the county the almshouse farm was found to be the most central. The election was held to remove the county buildings to the south end of said farm, or for them to remain at Salem. It was decided by a large majority of voters for them to remain at Salem. The Salem
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" Gazette," for the part it took in the election, lost much sup- port, and its publication ceased.
In the early part of the year 1819 the Salem "Messenger," published by Elijah Brooks, followed the "Gazette." The "Messenger's " first number appeared in September, 1819, and was continued by Brooks until 1833, when the late James M. Hannah bought out the office. James had previously bought out the " American Statesman," edited and published by the late Henry H. Elwell, a native of Pittsgrove. The first num- ber of the " Statesman," edited by Elwell, appeared during the Presidential canvass, when General Andrew Jackson was one of the candidates. James M. Hannah, as before stated, having purchased both the "Messenger" and "Statesman " merged both in one, and called his paper the "Union." Previous to that, however, during the canvass for the Presidency, in which William Wirt was the candidate, Elijah Brooks published from the "Messenger " office a paper called the "Anti-Masonic Courier." The late Dr. James VanMeter, and also the late Alphonso L. Eakin, were contributors and supporters of the " Courier," which, when started, was designed to be permanent, but upon the failure of the Anti-Masonic party to show much strength, it ceased to be published. James M. Hannah contin- ned the publication of the " Union " until 1836, when he dis- posed of his interest to Samuel Prior, who at that time was the publisher of the "Freeman Banner." The "Freeman Banner" appeared April 1st, 1834, Sisty & Prior publishers. Sisty in a few months ceased his connection with the paper, and the "Ban- ner " was continued by Samuel Prior until November, 1840, when he sold the paper to Charles P. Smith, who changed its name to "National Standard."
Samuel Prior is a native of England. His grand-father, John Prior, was a miller and baker in the town of Coggeshall, in the county of Essex, England, and was born in 1746. He was a warm partisan with William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, in opposing King George III. and the British Parliament in their measures against the American colonies. The part the emi- nent statesman and orator took in behalf of the colonies was calculated to arouse the sympathies of many in England in favor of America, and John Prior was one of the number. He became a marked man by the supporters of the war of the American revolution, and subsequently when the difficulties occurred between the United States and England, out of which grew the war of 1812, John Prior, with still more tenacity, opposed the cause of England as inexcusable and unjust. He
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continued to reside at his childhood's home until 1845, when he died, aged 99 years. One of his brothers emigrated to the United States in 1790, and settled in one of the southern states. Samuel, son of John Prior, was born at Coggeshall, Essex, England, June, 1779. He emigrated to the United States, and landed at Philadelphia in May, 1816, and subsequently came to Salem to live. His wife was Rosamond Gardner. Samuel and Rosamond Prior had five children who lived to the age of twenty-one years-Samuel, Rodamond, John, Maria and Ann. The last three are deceased, leaving children who are residing in Philadelphia. Samuel Prior, Sr., died July, 1865, being in his 87th year. Samuel Prior, his eldest son, was born May 29th, 1812. With but a short intermission he has resided in Salem county since he was brought to Salem by his parents when in his fourth year. He was apprenticed to and learned the printing business of Elijah Brooks, publisher of the Salem " Messenger." On becoming of age he started a paper called the " Freeman Banner," and published the same for more than six years. On account of ill health he quit the printing busi- ness and went to farming, but after regaining his health went into the steamboat business between Salem and Philadelphia, in 1845, and continued in that business until within a year or two, when he retired to the oversight of his farm, which is located in the township of Mannington. Samuel's first wife was Cor- nelia, daughter of Thomas E. and Abigail Mulford. By that connection there was one daughter, Elizabeth Prior, who died in her 17th year. Samuel's second wife, who is still living, is Mary Ann, daughter of Henry and Hannah Hilliard. Their children were Lavinia Dunlap, (who married Charles W. Cas- per, the son of Thomas Jefferson and Mary Ann Anderson Cas- per, late of Mannington,) and Frank O. and Cornelia Prior. Frank married C. A. Wilson, daughter of Dr. W. Wilson, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Frank died in June, 1874, leaving two children-William W. and Samuel. Cornelia, the young- est daughter of Samuel Prior, remains single.
In 1840, as before stated, Samuel Prior sold his interest in the " Freeman Banner" to Charles P. Smith, and the name of the paper was changed by Smith to the "National Standard." He was the editor and proprietor for several years, and was sub- sequently elected to the State Senate. Whilst a member of that body, or soon after his term expired, he was appointed by the Governor, Clerk of the Supreme Court. I think he is a native of Philadelphia. His father was George W. Smith, of Virginia, and married Hannah, the daughter of John and Mary Smith
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Ellet, of the County of Salem. Charles is a lineal descendant of John Smith, of Smithfield, on the side of his mother. Mr. Smith sold lis interest in the "Standard" to William S. Sharp and Sinnickson Chew. The latter in a few years left Salem, removed to the city of Camden, and became the editor and pub- lisher of the " West Jersey Press," which is one of the leading papers published in that city. William S. Sharp continued to be the editor and publisher of the "Standard" during the late rebellion. About the close of that struggle he left Salem and re- moved to the city of Trenton, where he opened an extensive printing establishment, and commenced the publication of the " Public Opinion," a large illustrated weekly newspaper. The " National Standard" was bought by S. W. Miller, Jr., who is the editor of the paper at the present time. He is the son of Samuel W. Miller, of Allowaystown, in this county, who is the son of John Miller, a native of Germany. The latter emigrated to this country and settled near Greenwich, Cumberland county, and married Mary Hitchner, by whom he had several children. Samuel W. Miller located at Allowaystown soon after he be- came of age and engaged in the cabinet making business, which he subsequently abandoned and embarked in the lumber busi- ness, in which he is still engaged. He married Elizabeth, the daughter of John G. and Mary Edward S. Ballinger, who were among the first settlers of Allowaystown. They had seven children-Sarah, John B., William B., Samuel W., Richard C, James R. and Anna R. John B. is deceased. Sarah and Wil- liam are married. The former is the wife of Sinnickson Chew, editor of the Camden "Press," and the latter married Wilhe- mina, daughter of Almarine Woodruff, of Deerfield, Cumber- land county. The other children are unmarried.
The Salem "Sunbeam" was started in July, 1844, by Isaac Wells, who was a native of Burlington county, and who died in Trenton about 1849. Robert Gwynne and Nathan S. Hales succeeded Wells in March, 1849. Hales retired in April, 1850, and became one of the proprietors of the Sunday "Republic" in Philadelphia. Robert Gwynne continues to this time, having applied himself diligently to his calling for nearly twenty seven years. The "Sunbeam" is a good family newspaper, and is ably edited. The circulation at this time is about 1200. Rob- ert is a native of Ireland, coming to this country at the age of thirteen, and graduated in the office of the " Pennsylvanian," a leading newspaper in the city of Philadelphia, under Hamilton and John W. Forney. His ancestors were Welsh, and the fam- ily is associated with some of the leading families of Great Brit
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ain, the Gwynne Company of London and Londondery, in Ire- land, being founded by his ancestors. Leading bankers of the same name and family have done business for generations in the cities of Baltimore and New York. Robert Gwynne mar- ried Mary Jane, danghter of John Camp, an old citizen of Salem county. She died 1st of the 12th month, 1865, leaving four children-Jennie, Robert, Bella and Helen. Robert Gwynne also published a paper at Woodstown in 1852, called the "Frank- lin Herald." This was continued only a short time. Soon after the " Herald" the Woodstown "Register" was published by J. R. Schenck. The " American Eagle" and "Jersey Blue," were published at the same town : they had a short existence. In 1870, William Taylor, who for several years had been publishing a paper at Clayton, Gloucester county, removed his establishment to Woodstown, and continued the publication of the paper at that place as the Woodstown " Register." The "Register" is well sustained by the people of Woodstown, and is a credit to the publisher. The editor, William Taylor is, I believe, a mem- ber of the ancient and respectable Taylor family of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and of the State of Virginia.
I have been informed by an aged inhabitant of Salem that the first newspaper published in Salem was the "Observer," which was edited by an Englishman by the name of Black. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard and Rachel Smitlı, of Elsinboro. After a short period Black moved his press to Do- ver, Delaware. My informant did not give the date when the paper was published, but I presume it was two or three years before Pollock started his paper, which was first published in 1816.
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FARMING IMPLEMENTS.
The early agriculturists of Fenwick's colony, likewise all of West Jersey, labored under great disadvantage, as we should think at the present day, respecting their agricultural imple- ments. The plough they used in breaking up the virgin soil was made almost entirely of wood. Instead of plantation wag- ons, as used at the present time, sleds constructed in the rudest manner were the only vehicles for carting their grain and hay, and other products of the farm. As early as 1720, carts were gradually introduced in the place of the wooden sleds. About the year 1740, the plantation wagons were first used by some of the ablest farmers, and in a short time became common. There were no fan mills in the early settlement of this country. for cleaning the grain. The usual way of separating the chaff from the cereal, was to choose a windy day, in an elevated place, and then get a person with a large wooden scoop to winnow it by the wind. About the time of the American revolution fan mills were gradually introduced, from Lancaster county, Pennsylva- nia, although we of the present generation would consider these Dutch Fan Mills (as they were called) tedious in cleaning grain. But our ancestors appreciated them highly, as being a great improvement, and appreciated them greatly as labor-saving to the agriculturist.
PUBLIC CONVEYANCES.
The only way by land our forefathers traveled for more than a century from the first settlement of the colony was on horse- back-men, women and children. I was told, when young, by an antiquarian who has long gone to his resting place, an amus- ing anecdote respecting that ancient and valued friend, Barthol- omew Wyatt, 2d, of Mannington. His son-in-law, Richard Wistar, of Philadelphia, sent him a one-horse chaise in which to ride to meeting held at Salem, about three miles distant, Richard thinking his father was too old a man to ride on horse- back. Bartholomew tried his new vehicle, and rode in it to Salem, and when asked how he liked it, his reply was, "I thought it would kill me before I reached the meeting honse." Such is the effect of habit. Vessels were early used to convey merchandise and travelers to and from the towns of Salem and Greenwich to Philadelphia.
In 1819 the steamboat " Congress " with a party of gentle- men from Philadelphia, came to Salem, being the first steamer that ever entered Assamhoekin, or Salem ereek. In 1824 the first regular line from Philadelphia to Salem was advertised by B. & B. Cooper, merchants of Philadelphia, when the steam- boat " Lafayette" made a few regular trips, and then discon- tinued them. The steamboat called the " Albemarle" in 1825 was put on the line from Philadelphia to Salem. She made but a few trips, when she was completely destroyed by fire at night, while at Arch street wharf. Captain Enoch Boon, who form- erly was a citizen of Bridgeton, at that time a resident of Salem, had an interest in the steamer " Albemarle." And in 1827 the same Captain Boon, the father of the present Boon family of Salem, succeeded in selling sufficient stock to the citi- zens of Salem, and farmers of the country, to purchase the steamer " Essex," of New York. Captain Enoch Boon ran the boat a few weeks. Owing to a disagreement with the directors he sold his stock, and another captain was chosen. The "Essex" ran about two years from Philadelphia to Salem, when the line was sold to the Philadelphia and Baltimore Company, which
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Company discontinued the "Eesex," and put on a small boat called the "Salem," which ran from Salem to New Castle, con- necting there with the large boats of the Philadelphia and Bal- timore line. In 1835 George Boon and brothers, sons of Cap- tain Enoch Boon, purchased the steamer "Flushing," and run her from Salem to Philadelphia up to 1838, when they ex- changed her for the " Clifton." In 1836 the " Pioneer " was built by a chartered company, and run to Salem until 1848. A continuous line of steam navigation has been kept up between Salem and Philadelphia since the " Essex " commenced in 1827. The names of the boats on the line at the different periods were as follows : "Essex," "Salem," "Lenneas," "Flushing," "Pio- neer," "Clifton," "New Jersey," (the latter called the " Huckle- berry,") "Proprietor," "Portsmouth," "Hudson," " Antelope," " Wave," "Napoleon," "Burlington," "Cohansey," "Mianti- nomie," " Express," "Major Reybold," "John S. Ide," and "Perry," and a freight boat " Cynthia." Several of the boats ran to Salem but a short time. The "Major Reybold " and the steamer "Perry " are still on the line and in the summer season make daily trips.
Doubtless there were mails from Salem to Philadelphia under the colonial government ; by whom carried, and how often, there is no means of ascertaining with much certainty. The first post office established at Salem, by the post office depart- ment of the United States government, was on the 20th of March, 1793; and Thomas Jones, a citizen of Salem, was ap- pointed the same day post master. William Harvey, by an authentic authority, was the first contractor to carry the mails from Salem to Philadelphia, twice in each week, for $300 a year. Harvey continued to carry the mails until about the year 1809 or 1810. Atkinson Conrow about that time took the con- tract, and William Swing drove the stage principally for him. That was during the war of 1812. In 1815 John Tonkins, at Carpenter's Landing, in Gloucester county, took the contract for carrying the mails from Salem to Philadelphia, and Adam H. Sickler was his driver ; however, Tonkins held the contract only one year. In 1817 Adam Sickler and George Louden. slacker took the mail contract to carry it from Salem to Phila- delphia three times in each week, for the sum of $600 a year. They continued carrying the mails until 1824; Adam Sick- ler was the principal driver.
It is justice to record that it was generally admitted by the best horsemen that lived on the line of the road from Salem to Philadelphia, at that time, that Adam Sickler took more care
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and drove a better team than any of his predecessors. Adam is still living in the city of Salem, he being in his cighty-ninth year, and is highly respected by his fellow citizens. About that time, 1824, there was a daily mail established, and Benja- min Reeve, of Philadelphia, was the contractor, and Andrew McCready drove the stage.
About 1858 there was a company formed for the purpose of building a railroad from Salem to connect with the West Jersey Railroad at Elmer. The cars commenced running on the Salem road in 1861, and have continued twice a day up to this time. The mails leave Salem twice in each day by the railroad. We certainly ought to feel thankful for the many priviliges we have in this generation, compared with our early ancestors when they first settled in this wilderness country.
1
QUIT RENTS AND WARRANTS.
The point or neck of land bounded on the west by the Pan- tuxet river, as it was called by the Indians, now known as the Delaware river, on the south by Asamhocking ereek, now Sa lem, was called by the natives Obisquahosit. When John Fen- wick arrived in this country with his English colony, to take possession of his tenth of West New Jersey, he found a settle- ment of Finns and Swedes, who had emigrated from their fathi- erland, as early as 1638 or 1840, in company with a number of their countrymen, who had settled on the opposite side of the river, about the mouth of the Christiana, and along the said river, as far as where the city of Philadelphia now is. Many of the Finns and Swedes had purchased their lands of the natives and taken deeds from the Indian chiefs, but they early acknowl- edged that Fenwick was the rightful owner, and had their lands re-surveyed and deeded to them. For this they were to pay to the proprietor, or his heirs, certain sums for quit-rents, to be paid yearly, according to the number of acres each owned. Sam- uel Hedge, Jr., in 1690, made out a duplicate, or role as he called it, of what each landholder should pay quit-rent for that year. The said lands, I presume, were part of the reserved 150,- 000 acres, made by John Fenwick when he sold his proprietory right to William Penn, in 1682.
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