USA > New Jersey > Burlington County > Burlington > History of Burlington and Mercer counties, New Jersey : with biographical sketches of many of their pioneers and prominent men > Part 18
USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > History of Burlington and Mercer counties, New Jersey : with biographical sketches of many of their pioneers and prominent men > Part 18
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518
HISTORY OF BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
and Cinnaminson were anxious to be his subordinates, and within a few days his company was made up of the brave mien of the townships. Capt. Ridgway commanded Company G, of the Twenty-third New Jersey Volunteers. Hc evinced remarkable ability as a leader and was brave to a fault, and received a rebel bullet while leading a desperate charge at the battle of Fredericksburg, on the 13th of December. 1862. His remains were embalmed; his funeral was from his home, and was attended by a great number of his friends and admirers. He was buried in the Friends' graveyard at Raneocas. His loss was mourned by the men under his command, and his courage and fame lives fresh in the memory of his comrades. Upon the organization of their fraternal organization, the Grand Army of the Republic, the post stationed at Beverly was named in his honor and memory.
By 1864 the country became almost drained of vol- unteers. The heavy losses upon the fields of battle . of war were at an end, and township authorities · kept the President making calls for recruits to the i began to direct their attention and proceedings to in-
amount of three hundred thousand at a time. Vol- unteers being slow to respond, the inhabitants of Willingborough beeame much alarmed at the pros- pect of a draft to proeure men to fill up the quota of the township. To decide on what to do, a special : Legislature of the State of New Jersey, entitled " An meeting of the inhabitants of the township was ealled Act to establish a system of public instruction." at the town-house, and a committee was appointed The act was repugnant and arbitrary in the minds of many of the old citizens throughout the State ; they believed it to be usurpation on the part of the Legis- lature, and at variance with the Constitution of the Statc. to devise means by which money could be raised to procure substitutes. Jarrett Stokes, one of the com- mittec appointed, drafted a bill, entitled “ An Act to authorize the inhabitants of Willingborough, in the county of Burlington, to raise money by taxation to pay bounties to volunteers," took it to Trenton, and on March 16, 1864, it became a law.
Under its provision, by the report of the township committee to a special town-meeting, bearing date 14th day of February, 1865, the tax duplicate of the "township for 1864 amounted to 87570.72, when at no previous time had it been more than 82122.66. The tax-payers agreed to suffer this heavy taxation rather than endanger their lives and liberty.
By the same report it appears that Wallace Lip- pincott, of Delran township, was employed as an agent to procure volunteers for the township wherever they could be bought. In the same report the same items appear : 5th mo. 9th, to cash paid for two re- cruits, $383.43.
. The demand of the general- government upon this township for thirteen recruits for the army of the United States, to be furnished before the 15th inst., and if the township failed to furnish them, that a draft would be made from among the inhabitants, stimulated all, women as well as men, to immediate action,-women fearing their husbands and sons would be forced into the war and their lives Hazarded upon the field of battle.
1
At a meeting of the township committee, held on the 23d of the same month, township bonds were
given to the amount of eight thousand dollars to raise money to fill the quota of men. One thousand dollars was borrowed from Mary N. Adams, and seven thousand dollars from Granville Stokes.
The report of the management of the township com- mittee, as represented in the report for the preceding year, was unanimously approved. In the township committee's report at the annual town-meeting, held March 14, 1865, the following item of expenditure appears, viz. : "To eash paid for ten additional re- eruits to complete the quota of thirteen. men under the last eall of the President, 87022.50."
The township by pursuing the foregoing course always avoided a draft, and protceted its male eiti- zens from the then rigorous demands of the national laws.
Educational .- On the 10th of April, 1865, when Lee's surrender was announced, joy burst forth throughout the land ; the direct dangers and demands ternal subjects. The first prominent subject to elaim their attention was that of public instruction. By 1867 a revolution in school matters had become insti- tuted. On the 21st of March, 1867, a bill passed the
On the 22d day of April, 1867, a special town-meet- ing of the inhabitants of the township of Willingbor- ough was ealled at the town-house for the purpose of deciding on the proper course for the township to pur- sue in regard to the aforesaid aet.
Among other things it was unanimously agreed that this act imposed new and untried responsibilities upon the township, and to a great extent takes the education of children from under the control of parents and guardians, and places it in the hands of a State Board of Education. So repulsive was this idea to those present that after a sober consideration of every feature of the aet, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted :
" Resolved, That the education of our children is a sacred trust, not to be wrested from their parents consistently with a republican form of government.
" Resolved, That all moneys from time to time appropriated to consti- tute a State fund for educational purposes by the Constitution of this State has been wisely withheld from legislative control, further than to direct the income thereof for the equal benefit of all people of the State.
" Resolved, That a portion of the surplus revenue belonging to the comty of Burlington by virtue of a contract entered into in the year 1837, by which the county assmined obligations to the State to repay it upon certain conditions in sail contract named, and npon no other con- ditions than so named can the State exercise control over it either fer school or any other purposes.
" Resolved, That the practice of the board of freeholders of this county of distributing the income of this fund among the townships, to be dis-
519
WILLING BOROUGH TOWNSHIP.
posed of as the inhabitants in town-meeting assembled may direct, is wise and judicious, in accordance with law, and should be coutinned.
" Resolred, That all funds raised by taxation or otherwise for school purposes belong equally to the whole people, and laws that would re- qnire parents to surrender their children into the hands of strangers to be edneated in a manner not approved by them, and make this a condi- tion upon which they can be benefited by such fund, but that such funds be for the benefit of only such as will thus surrender their chil- dren, is in every sense of the word unjust, and a system of education based upon principles of injustice must be charged with detriment to the morality of such as receive it, and a foundation laid for a class of citizens with very imperfect notions of the rights of property, and taught to believe that the hard earnings of others may with impunity be taken to maintain them and their children in idleness.
" Resolved, That the act to establish a system of public instruction passed at the late session of our Legislature does not meet with the ap- proval of this meeting in many of its provisions, and, rather than vol- untarily place ourselves under its requirements, we cheerfully.forego our just claim to a share of the sixty thousand dollars authorized to be taken from the State Treasury.
" Resolved, That the two hundred dollars directed to be raised for school purposes at our last towu-meeting, aud two hundred dollars ad- ditional, be appropriated out of the township funds. and, together with onr share of the income of the State school fund and surplus revenue, be divided, as heretofore, among our schools, for the equal benefit of all „of the people of the township.
" Resolved, In order that the guarantee in the Constitution of State may be maintained which was intended to secure ns the inalienable right to acquire and possess property, and that no sanction be given to the immorality of taking one man's for the benefit of another without his consent, the act above referred to should be repealed, or so moditied as to recognize the just rights of all the citizens of the State.
" Resolved. That the collector of the township be directed to hold such moneys as are raised by tax for school purposes in this township, the income of the surplus revenue, and this township's share of the forty thousand dollars appropriated from the state sebovi fund for the pur- pose of school education, and for the equal benent of the children in the township between the ages of five and eighteen years.
" Resolved, That the aforesaid sums, and such other moneys as may be under the control of the township for educational purposes, be equally appropriated for the benefit of all the children of the township, in the ratio of the number of days they attend school, provided no one shall receive more than sufficient to pay his or her school bill.
" Resolved, That John Stokely, Isaac F. Bishop, and James L. Kemble be a committee to ascertain the number of children between the ages of five and eigliteen years that patronize each of the schools in which the children of the township are tanght ; and that they meet at the town hall, at such time as the collector may appoiut, to assist him in the equal appropriation aforesaid; and that each of the said committee re- ceive one dollar per day for such time as may be necessarily employed in the service aforesaid.
" Resolved, That when the said appropriation be agreed upon, the col- lector be directed to pay the same to the order of the trustees represent- ing the schools in which the children of Willingborough are taught, or such other persons as may be duly anthorized to receive it.
" Resolved, That if any difficulty shall arise in regard to the distribu- tion of the moneys as aforesaid or otherwise, that the township con- mittee be applied to, whose judgment in writing shall be final.
" Resolred, That the township committee settle with the collector, , and make full report of the whole proceedings to the annual town- meeting.
" Resolved, That the foregoing proceedings be offered to the Mount Holly papers for publication."
The above resolutions controlled the educational subject in the township until 1869, when on March 9th, in annual town-meeting of the inhabitants, the following resolutions were subseribed by them :
- " Resolved, That a fund for the free schooling of the children of this township between the ages of five and eighteen years be provided by adding to this township's share of the surplus revenue, the State appro- priation, and State school fund snch amount raised by taxation as will be sufficient to pay five cents for each day that any such scholar between the ages aforesaid may attend any school within this or adjacent towti- chips.
"Resolved, That the irnstees of any school within this or an adjacent township where there are no trustees, the principa! who will make out and certify a list of the names of scholars between the ages of fire and eighteen years, residents of this township, and the nuuiler of days each one has attended said school, together with the name of the employers, parents, or guardians, and furnish the same to the township committee on or before the first days of the Sixth, Ninth, Twelfth, and Third months respectively.
" It shall be the duty of the township committee to draw orlers on the treasurer of this township in favor of the trustees or principal of ench school for such sums as shall pay five ceuts for each day that all scholars on such lists have attended such school within the three months immediately preceding each quarter-day ; and on the presenta- tion of such order, and not otherwise, the treasurer is directed to pay the same.
" Resolred, That the assessor of this township take a list of all the children of the towuship between the ages aforesaid, with the names of parents or guardians, and furnish the same to the collector. to be used by him to obtain this township's share of the public moneys afore- said, aud nutil such list be made the one last takeu be nsed for this pur- pose." -
The system of free sehools instituted by the fore- going resolutions gave unusual satisfaction, and was approved by the tax-payers because the schools got the full benefit of all moneys appropriated by patrons, because they insured good sehools, as only those that were well managed could expect patronage and sup- port, and by the people generally because they were free from seetarian interference.
These township sehool laws worked admirably, and are now referred to as the most just, practical, and effective that have yet been enaeted by any tribunal. But this system of free schools died a premature : death, as there was a law soon enacted by the Legis- lature disearding all schools which would not comply with the general sehool law in all particulars. In the natural course of events the inhabitants finally sub- mitted, and the public school districts Nos. 31 and 32 became instituted. Neither of the districts is con- fined to the township of Willingborough. District No. 31 was fixed by an act of the Legislature, ap- proved Sept. 27, 1777, and are as follows, viz .:
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 31 .- Beginning at a point in the Burlington and Bridgeboro' road where it erosses the township line, and running thence southeast- wardly along said line to the Coopertown road; thenee eastwardly along said road to the Salem road, in- cluding James Asay ; thence southwardly in a straight line to the Willingborough township line just west of Thomas Bridge's house; thence westwardly along said line to the point at which Mill Creek diverges from said line; thence southwestwardly in a straight line to a point in the Mount Holly and Beverly turn- pike, northwest of Franklin Park ; thence along the said line southwestwardly to the northwest corner of J. Buzby's land; thence along Buzby's west line southwestwardly to the Raneocas River ; thence down said river to its intersection Tom Sharpe's cast line ; thenee along said line between Sharpe's and Hammel to. its intersection with the old Mill Creek road : thence went along said road to the Burlington and Bridgeboro' road ; thence along said road to the place of beginning.
520
HISTORY OF BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 32 is as follows, viz. : Be- ginning at a point in Mill Creek where the townships of Burlington, Westampton, and Willingborough ad- join, and running thence westwardly along said ercek to the point at which it diverges from the township line; thence sonthwardly to the Mount Holly and Beverly turnpike, to a point just west of Franklin Park, including it ; thence along the said road south- eastwardly to the northeast corner of J. Buzby's land ; thence along Buzby's west line southwestwardly to the Raneocas River ; thence eastwardly up the river to Garrish's Landing ; thence northwardly to the in- tersection of the Beverly turnpike and Woodpecker lane ; thence northwardly in a straight line, including J. E. Deacon's and J. B. Hillyard, to Mill Creek ; thence westwardly along said creek to the place of beginning.
Albert Hansell, district elerk. The number of school children in the district is cighty-six.
, The present officers of school district No. 32 are Mordecai S. Haines, Alexander Thompson, and Wil- liam R. Wills, trustees, and Alexander Thompson district clerk.
Under the general school law the township col- lector has the charge of disbursing the school finances to the schools that are situated in his township, which identifies the school district with the township. Two school-honses are situated in Willingborough.
The building of the large two-story brick public school building of district No. 32 is described in the sketch of Raucocas village.
Charleston and Beverly Turnpike,-In 1868 an effort was made, principally by the inhabitants of the lower end of the township of Willingborough, to carry into effect the long-standing concern to turnpike the road leading from the village of Charleston to the city of Beverly. A bill was drawn and taken to Tren- ton. The Legislature, on the 2d day of April, enacted a law entitled " An Act to incorporate the Beverly and Charleston Turnpike Company." Section 1st of said act reads as follows :
" Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of Newc Jersey, That the subscription books of the capital stock of the Beverly and Charleston Turupike Company shall be opened by Jacob A. Van- sciver, Ephraim Garwood, Edward II. Master, Louis Stokes, Benjamin Buzby, M. A. Brett, P. W. Somers. Caleb A. Vansciver, Charles S. Master, Amos Buzby, Timothy M. Bishop, T. G. Reech, Granville Stokes, Jona- than Good, Benjamin F. Bishop, James D. Bennett, Robert Vansciver, Jolin B. Wills, or a majority of them, who are hereby appointed com- missioners to receive subscriptions to the said stock at such times and snch places as they or a majority of them may direct, giving notice at least twenty days prior to the opening of said books by publishing the same in one of the newspapers published in the county of Burlington."
Pier Bridge Road .- At a joint meeting of the township committee of the townships of Beverly and Willingborough, held on the 25th of 6th month, 1870, ou the causeway on the township line between said townships, leading from the fast land to pier bridge on the Raneocas River, the following agree- ment of partition was drawn and executed by Macajah Dobbins, Abraham Marter, and Theodore E. Belding, on behalf of Beverly, and Charles Stokes, James L. Kemble, and Caleb A. Vansciver, on behalf of Wil- lingborough, viz .:
" It is now agreed by the undersigned, committees of the townships aforesaid, that in future the township of Willingborough shall keep and repair that part of said causeway from said piet bridge to a post now marked on the westerly side of the road, being a distance of seven chains and forty-two links from the north end of said pier bridge, at the said township's said proper costs. And the said township of Beverly shall keep in repair that part of said causeway from the post aforesaid to the fast land aforesaid, it being a distance of seven chains and fifty- two links, at the said township's own proper costs, and that hereafter each of said townships shall take charge of and manage so much of said road or canseway as is hereby assigned to them respectively, aud cleared, exonerated from any expense attending repairs, or otherwise connected with so much of said road as is assigned to the other town- ships respectively."
The care of the respective ends of the causeway being assumed, as reeited in the above agreement, iu order to have material to keep up its end in all time to come the township of Willingborough became vested of one acre of marsh land adjoining the said causeway to the west, by virtue of a deed of convey- ance from under the hand and seal of Mary Hubbs to the inhabitants of the township of Willingborough, bearing date the 12th day of the 4th month, A. D. 1876.
Township Line Road .- The township road on the line between the townships of Beverly and Willing- borough having been abandoned by the company, at a joint meeting of the township committee of the aforesaid township, Charles Stokes, Jr., surveyed the road, planted a stone at the point of division, and drew the following agreement, which was properly executed on the 28th day of the 11th month. 1877, by Davis W. Mcclellan, Jacob V. Heisler, the township committee on behalf of Beverly, and George W. Wolf, Peter R. Heisler, and George W. Bentlitl, township committee on behalf of Willingborough, viz. :
" Whereas, The public road on the township line between the town- ships of Beverly and Willingborongh being in a neglected and dilapi- dated condition and much in need of repairs, we, the township con- mittees of the townships of Beverly and Willingborough, on behalf of our respective townships, that each township may know which portion of said public road is under its care and jurisdiction, do subscribe our names to the following article of division or agreement: that is to say, in future, or until said division or agreement may be canceled or changed, the township of Beverly will keep and repair at its own cost Beverly's portion of the causeway leading to the pier bridge, and run- ning on the several courses of said road a distance of seven thousand one hundred and seven fret to a stone erected on the west side of said river for a monument of division. And the township of Wiilingborough will keep and repair at its own cost and expense that portion of said roul connuencing at the said stone or point of division, and extending along the course of the road seven thousand one hundred and seven feet to the township line of the township of Burlington."
Pursuant to the aforesaid section, books were ; and expense that portion of said road beginning at the Fast land end of opened, stock subscribed, a survey made, and cuts and fillings calculated by William Parry, civil en- gineer, and the building of the turnpike commenced, which resulted in very much improving the grade of the road-bed, and benefiting the section of the town- ship through which it passed.
.
WILLINGBOROUGH TOWNSHIP.
521
Graveling Roads .-- The next and present subject claiming the attention of the township is the improv- iug and graveling and general improvement of the roads. -
In taking a retrospective view of the men who are dead, and who have been prominently identified with the township, who by their sterling characters and ability have served it wisely and usefully, will be seen Charles Stokes, James S. Hansell, Benjamin Ridg- way, Jacob A. Vansciver, and Jarrett Stokes. The present who are prominent in township matters are Joseph Wills, Joseph Bishop, Joseph Lundy, Charles Stokes, William Rogers, Williaui Stokes, and Timothy M. Bishop.
Prominent Men .- The names that represent the ; Mill Creek would be eighty-one thousand two hun- present prominent owners of the land and identified with the township are Lundy, Stokes, Buzby, Sharp, Parry, Borden, Vansciver, Wills, Wolf, Rogers, Seat- tergood, Ballenger, and Haines:
. The Rancocas River, which foruns the southern boundary of the township of Willingborough, euters the Delaware ten miles above Philadelphia, and drains an area of three hundred and fifty square miles of rich and prosperous agricultural country, containing numerous towns and villages. It was surveyed by Charles Stokes, Jr., civil engineer for
general, describing the obstructions to be situate as follows : " Hammell's Island bar," "Coates' bar," "mouth of Mill Creek," "below Vanseiver's," "above Vansciver's," "abreast of Buzby's," "above Joerts- whark," "below lime-works," "at Centreton," and "between Forks aud Mount Holly;" that the nature of obstacles is sand and mud ; that the dimensions of obstructions were one hundred and nipety-five thou- sand and forty cubic yards, one hundred thousand of which were between Forks and Mount Holly. That the cost per cubic yard for removal would be forty . cents, and that the total cost for removing obstrue- tions and erecting a required dike from the upper end of Hammel's Island to the bank above the mouth of dred and thirty-six dollars.
On application of the manufacturers, merebants. land producers, land-owners adjacent the stream, and farmers in the neighborhood, by petition drawn and subscribed to by Charles Stokes, Jr., the Congress of 1881-82, through the influence of J. Hart Brewer. M.C., appropriated ten thousand dollars to begin the work of improving the stream.
Steamboating on the Rancocas .-- Before the erection of the Camden and Amboy and the Burling- ton County Railroads, the Rancocas River was the the Riparian Commission of the State of New Jersey , medium of travel, which made plenty of work for a propeller steamboat which made daily trips to Phila- delphia. The earliest steamboat of which we have any knowledge that passed up the Rancocas River was the "Norristown," Capt. John Gardner, which ran between Philadelphia and Mount Holly in 1823.
in 1875. The original map is on file in the office of the chief engineer of the Riparian Commission at Jersey City, upon which is shown the tide lines, bars, soundings, fast and marsh lands, lines of old banks, wharves, impediments of all kinds, the names of ri- parian owners, and the lines of partition dividing their land, extending back from the river on both sides.
The Mount Holly and Rancocas Steamboat Com- pany was formed in 1824. Judge George Haywood was secretary. The said company had the steamboat "Lafayette" built ; she ran between Philadelphia and William Hillyard's wharf in 1825, and was commanded by Capt. Shaw. Owing to her construction and draught, " Lafayette" was unsuitable to run to Mount Holly, and was sold at auction in Philadelphia on the 1st of April, 1826.
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