History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 107

Author: Snell, James P; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1170

USA > New Jersey > Somerset County > History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 107
USA > New Jersey > Hunterdon County > History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 107

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).

This is said to have been a favorite resort for Indian huntsmen, and the truth of the tradition is attested by grent numbers of arrow-heads found in many places in the township.

A village of Delaware Indians once occupied the ravine below the house now owned by Daniel Little, on the property known as the Rhoda Large lot.

The most reliable records that are now available concerning the early days are the minutes of the Friends' meeting at Quakertown .* From these many facts concerning the okl families have been gathered. It is unfortunate that they do not go back to the first. settlement.

OLD FAMILIES AND THEIR HOMESTEADS.

The Kings were among the first settlers. Har- menus King came from Holland with a colony of Friends and settled at Burlington in or about 1777. He had two sons, Joseph and John. Joseph bought

954 acres of land along the South Branch in 1729, and settled at or near Young's Mills (so named in later years), and built the first mill at that place. The date of his settlement cannot be definitely fixed, but his name occurs as trustee of the Friends' meeting at Quakertown (then Bethlehem) in 1733. lle had two sons, Joseph and William, and a daughter named Re- becca. William at one time lived at Cherryville, where his son Joseph was born. He subsequently removed to the farm now owned by Edward Bidwell, which he purchased of Nehemiah Dunham in 1763. Here Joseph remained until after the purchase of the Twining (now King's) Mills property for his only son, William L., in 1811. William L. King married Elizabeth Large, a great-granddaughter of the orig- inal settler, Samuel Large. Their children were Nancy and Joseph,-still living at King's Mills,- Mary, Sarah, and Eliza.

Jeremiah King settled in the "Swamp," on the farm now belonging to the estate of Jacob Philhower, recently deceased. Ile was a chosen freeholder from Kingwood from 1768 to 1774. He was an extensive landholder in that vicinity ; he and William King are popularly said to have "owned the Swamp." His children were John, Jeremiah, Joseph, Albertus, Newton, Sarah, Mary, Rachel, and a daughter who married John Wood. Sarah was the wife of Dr. James Pyatt; she lived to an advanced age, and died a few years ago. Rachel married Thomas Little. Newton married Elizabeth Case. Their children were Sarah Ann, Charlotte, and Margaret. Charlotte, now the wife of Thatcher Trimmer, Sr., still lives in Franklin.

John Coats, in 1730, owned land east of the Willson tract. A part at least of this was subsequently sold to Samuel Schooley ; but we find that Henry Coats, who is thought to have been a son of John, and who a tradition in the family says was the first white child born in that vicinity, lived at a later day on the farm now occupied by MIrs. Mary Ann Mathews. lle married Deborah Newbold. Their children were Amy, born in 1754, John, Esther, Daniel, Lucy, Robert, Phebe, Elizabeth, Mary, John A., Henry, and Charles.

Robert Coats married a Smith. His son Charles married Elizabeth Case, and had nine children,- Elizabeth, Lney, Mary, Amy, Robert, Nancy, Sarah, William, and Thomas. The last named still lives near Quakertown.

Samuel Large was born in England in 1688; he settled within the present limits of Franklin before 1780. He married Rebecca Willson, sister to Samuel, the first of that family to settle here. They had five children,-Ebenezer, Robert, Jacob, William, and Ann. Jacob married Mary Bunting, and had seven children,-Aaron, Samuel, Anna, Mary, Ebenezer, William, and Rebecen.

Samuel the elder was a member of the Society of Friends; he died in 1761, and was buried in the

* These records havo been kindly placed at our disposal by Abram a. Y'all, clerk of the meeting.

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HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Friends' burying-ground. William, son of Jacob and Mary Large, married Susan Palmer. They had seven children,-Jacob, Aaron, John, Samuel, Achilles, Nelson, and William. John married Eliza, daughter of George Brown; they were the parents of William Large, now living near Quakertown.

The homestead, now owned and occupied by Wil- liam Dubon, about a mile and a half southwest of Quakertown, originally extended so far to the north as to include the farm now owned by Jeremiah Sny- der. It was bought of George Deacon, and remained in the family until 1807, when William, a grandson of Samuel, Sr., sold it and removed to the Quaker- town tavern. The purehaser was Uriah Larue, whose son Gordon, the father of the present Uriah and Paul C. Larue, lived on the homestead, and died there in 1871.

In 1746, Thomas Robeson and his wife came with a certificate from Wrightstown, Pa. Jonathan Robe- son was a prominent member of the Friends' meeting for several years. In 1764 be and his wife and their daughter, Mary, went with a certificate to Greenwich. He was one of the pioneers of the iron industry in this country. He is said to have built the Oxford Furnace. He had two sons, John and Morris. The latter married Tacy Paul, and lived part of the time at Oxford, and part at Philadelphia. He died in 1823, and was buried in the Friends' burying-ground at Quakertown by the side of his sister Elizabeth Robeson, who lived and died in that village. Morris was the grandfather of Hon. George M. Robeson, formerly Secretary of the Navy.

Jacob Race, the first of the New Jersey branch of the Race family of which we have any reliable record, was born in 1716. We find papers of the date of 1725 showing that he was then nine years old and had a guardian, Henry Boss, of Amwell. The family traditions are that his father came from Ger- many. Henry Boss lived in the neighborhood of Rocktown. Jacob Race, his ward, learned milling, and in 1768 purchased " Dalles' old mill," near Mount Airy, built by William Dalles, who purchased the property in 1727. His son, Jacob Race, was born in 1764, and brought up at that place. He and his son occupied the mill and a small farm adjoining till about 1790. In 1796 the younger Jacob and his aged father came to the old Race homestead in Franklin (then Kingwood) township, where the father died in 1804. Jacob Race, son of the latter, in 1787 married Anne, daughter of William Rockafeller ; they had five children,-William, Mary, Jacob, John, and An- drew. The first wife having died, he was again mar- ricd, in 1801, to Sophia, daughter of Cornelius Hoff and Margaret Eicke, his wife. By this marriage they had six children,-Cornelius, Holloway W., Samuel Anna, Henry, and Margaret. He died July 4, 1857, aged ninety-three. Of his children two only are living,-John Race, of Clinton, and Dr. Henry Race, of Pittstown.

Samuel Willson was born in Scarborough, England, in 1681. He removed to this country, and settled at Chesterfield prior to 1707. Here were born to him and his wife, Hester, eight children,-Samuel, Robert, Esther, Sarah, James, Ann, John, and Gabriel. In 1730 he removed with his family to what is now Franklin township, and died here in 1761. The oldest son, Samuel, went to Sussex County. James studied medicine, married Martha Laing, of Plainfield, in 1736, bought the homestead of his father in 1742, and lived there until his death, in 1777. The children of James and Martha Willson were Samuel, Josiah, James, Sarah, Esther, and Anne. Samuel never mar- ried. Josiah settled at or near Rahway, and died and was buried there in 1788, aged forty-four. James was born in 1760 ; he married Lucretia Freeman, and lived at the homestead, where he died in September, 1785, at the early age of twenty-five. He left two sons,- Samuel, born in 1782, and John, born in 1784. His widow died about four years later. Sarah married Jo- seph King, and died soon after. Anne remained single. She and Samuel lived and died at the home- stead.

Samuel and John, the orphan children of James and Lucretia Willson, were left in charge of their uncle Samuel, who brought them up according to the discipline of Friends. John married Ruth, daughter of George Scott. They removed with their children to the West. Samuel married Hannah Mason, and had six children,-Uriah, James, John, Samuel, Edward, and Josiah,-of whom all except Uriah and Edward live in Franklin. Uriah died at Quakertown. James married Mary Laing in 1836. Their children are Samuel, Anna, and Carrie. John married Elizabeth Allen, who died soon after. He subsequently married Amy Bray; they have one daughter, Belle, the wife of Rev. Frank Tomlinson. Samnel married Amanda, daughter of John Swallow. They have eight children,-George, Hannah, Luere- tia, Elizabeth, Sarah Eleanor, Edward, Samuel, and Charles. Edward married Mrs. Lucy Case, and had one child, Mary, who still survives. He lived at the homestead, and died there in 1866. Josiah married Mary Ann Bray ; they have two children,-Addie and Laura.

The Willson homestead lies a little more than a mile southwest of Quakertown. It was bought by Samuel Willson, of Jacob Doughty, in 1730, and from that time to the present it has never been out of the family. Originally it contained 600 acres and cost £300. It then included the farms now owned by David Case, William Mathews, James Willson, and Josiah Willson, besides portions included in other farms. It now contains about 100 acres of the orig- inal tract, and belongs to Samnel Willson, who pur- chased it after the death of his brother Edward.

The stone house was built by Samuel Willson in 1735 ; an addition was made to it by his great-grand- son, Samuel Willson, in 1819. Both parts are still

RES. OF JOHN WILLSON FRANKLIN TP. HUNTERDON CO.N.J.

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occupied,-the new by a son-in-law of the present owner, William H. IT. Woodruff, who tills the farm ; the old by another son-in-law, the writer of this sketch.

Richard Lundy and his wife came from Exeter, Pa., in 17-17. He died and was buried at Hardwick in 1772, aged eighty years.

Among the others of the name who are mentioned in the Friends' records are Jacob (probably a son of Richard, married Mary Willson in 1748; Thomas, came from Maiden t'reck in 17445; Joseph, married Sarah Willson in 1758; and Ann, married Abraham Webster in 1770.

Isaac Lundy died at Hardwick, at the age of twenty- seven. His son, Amos G., came to live with his uncle, Aaron Large, on the Large homestead. lle married Abigail, daughter of John Stockton, in 1804, after which they spent most of their time here until 1818, when they removed to the State of New York. Their children were Nancy, Amy, Geo. W. A. C. (now of Stockton), Arthur W. (now of Frenchtown), Eliza- beth, and John, all living except the last two.

John Emley settled on the farm now owned by Isaiah Mathews, evidently by or before 1730. He certainly owned the land at that date. In 1732 he built the stone house, which, after standing ninety- nine years, was rebuilt by Edward Mason in 1831. He had three sons, two of whom, John and Robert, in 1762, after the death of their father, bought the property, or at least a part of it, containing 600 acres. The other son was Elisha, to whom, in 1755, he deeded the Race farm, now owned by Judson Hoff. This is described as being part of a larger tract bought by John Emley of Robert Strettle in 1737. After the death of Elisha, in 1767, it was sold by his ex- ecutors to Robert Emley, who sold it to Thomas Hol- combe. Holcombe sold it to Jacob Race, father of Dr. Henry Race, in 1791. Ann Emley, daughter of John, married Dr. Aaron Forman in 1769. Robert, a surveyor, died in 1808. The family has entirely passed away, not one of the name remaining in the township.

The Stevenson family was among the carliest here, but the line of descent is not very clear. The first mentioned are Thomas and Sarah, whose chiklren- John, Sarah, and Mary-were all born here, the first in 1732. John married Mercy King; their children were Sarah, born in 1762, Mary, Joseph, Thomas, Abigail, Anna, Daniel, John, and James. Thomas married Rebecca Webster in 1794; Joseph, Susanna Koster in 1796. They had four children,-Anna, John, Amy, and Samnel.

Another Thomas Stevenson married a Jenning, and at the beginning of the present century lived on the farm now owned by George and Jacob Race. Their children were John, Samuel, and Arthur. Arthur married a Hlusted; Andrew, Samuel, Sally, Theodore, Thomas, Rachel, and Eliza were their children. Samuel, who still lives, near Quakertown, married

Sally C'ase. Their children, all living in the town- ship, are Henry, Elizabeth, and Martha Ann. Eliza- beth is the wife of James Hoff, of Quakertown.

The first Cliffton settler was Henry, who married Amy, daughter of Isaac Horner, in 1777. Horner lived on the property now owned and occupied by Dr. M. Abel at Quakertown. Cliffton seems to have settled there immediately after his marriage, and to have either purchased or hired the farm soon after. A part of this property was sold in 1744 by David Martin, sheriff, to Margaret Stevenson, who sold it to llenry Farnsworth in 1749. In 1758. Farnsworth willed it, together with other lands, to his sons, Daniel and Thomas, who shared it. Daniel sold his share, 96 acres, to John Mulliner in 1767. The latter sold it to Isaac Horner in 1772.

The stone house in which Horner, and probably the elder Farnsworth, lived is still standing in good preservation. It is certainly much more than a hun- Ired years old, but its exact age is not known.

Henry and Amy Cliffton bad one daughter, Eliza- beth, unmarried. She lived at the homestead, and died there in 1853.

William Cliffton, a half-brother to Henry, was born in 1768. He married Amy Hampton in 1796, and the same year purchased of Henry the farm now oc- cupied by Morris Hampton. Ile died in 1848, aged eighty. The children of William and Amy Cliffton were Sarah, Henry, William, Jacob, John, Rebecca, Joseph, and Amy, all deceased except Amy, who is the wife of Morris Hampton and lives on the home- stead. Morris and Amy Hampton have had three children,-Rebecca, William, and Sarah Elizabeth. The first two are dead; the last is the wife of George Leaver, of this township.

Hermanus Kester, born in 1703, removed to King- wood prior to 1733. His children were Susanna, Elizabeth, Samuel, John, Rebecca, Hermanus, Peter, Thomas, and Margaret. Samnel married Susanna Webster, and had ten children .- Benjamin, horn 1759, Anna, Rachel, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Susanna, Hannah, Amy, and Rebecca.

John Kester married Deborah Webster in 1765. We have no record of their family.

Benjamin, son of Samnel, married Rachel Hamil- ton in 1782. Their son William married Mary, daughter of Samnel Webster, in 1810.

Susanna Kester was interred in the Friends' bury- ing-ground " the 24th of the second month, 1532," aged ninety-five.

Nearly a hundred years ago the Kesters lived on the farm now owned by .I. T. Stires, but it does not appear whether or not this was the original place of settlement. None of the name remain in this vicinity.

John Allen, son of Joseph, married Mary, daughter of Jacob Large, in 1778. Their daughter Elizabeth married David Laing in 1807. These were the parents of Mary A, (deceased, wife of James Willson, Eliza-

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HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

beth, Rachel, Jacob, and John. The last mentioned still lives on the homestead, which was conveyed to his grandfather, John Allen, by Peter Potter in 1776. A part of the stone house remains just as it was during the Revolution. An addition was built to it in 1796.

Daniel Allen, a brother to John, married Elizabeth Lafatra. Their son John married Catharine Snyder, and lived and died at " Allen's Corner," where Jere- miah Robeson, a son-in-law, now lives.

Thomas Little came from Ireland and settled on a farm near Pittstown, where he died before 1785. His children were Andrew, John, Christy, Martha, and Robert. Christy married Rachel Cook, and had seven children, - Daniel, Sedgwick, Esther, Joanna, Ade- laide, Martha, and Thirza. The homestead is still in possession of the family, being owned by Daniel. Sedgwick lives on the opposite side of the road.

Herbert Trimmer came from Germany and settled on the farm now owned by Abram Dilts. The date cannot be exactly fixed, but he was living there during the Revolution. His children were Jackson, George, Peter, Tunis, William, and Anne. The children of Jackson were John E., Samuel, Charles, Aaron, El- dridge, Francis, and Thatcher. Three of these- John E., Samuel, and Francis-recently died in this township at an average age of eighty-five. Aaron died at the age of about fifty.

The children of John E. Trimmer were Asher, Ann, Eliza, Sarah, Jeremiah, John, Mahlon, and Catharine. John and Mahlon still reside in the township. Sarah, wife of Mahlon Fields, lives near Locktown. All the others died before their father, who lived to the age of ninety-two, dying in 1880.

Francis had three children,-Mahala, Thatcher, and James. The last is dead; Thatcher is a mer- chant in Quakertown, and Mahala, wife of Milton Schomp, resides at Flemington.

Samuel had three sons,-Aaron, Joseph, and Elias H. Joseph is dead, Aaron lives in Kingwood, and Elias H. in Flemington.

Thatcher Trimmer, Sr., still resides in the town- ship. His children, all living, arc Martha Ann, Amy, Elizabeth, William, Janette, Mary, Sarah, and New- ton.

John Trimmer, a half-brother to Herbert, was a blacksmith, and located below the old Boar's Head tavern, about a hundred years ago. Ile had three sons,-Henry, Amos, and John; his daughters were Mary, Sarah, Susanna, and Catharine. Amos mar- ried Susanna, daughter of George Scott, of this town- ship, and had six children, of whom Henry S. is still living in Quakertown, and John S. has spent nearly all his life in Franklin township.

Sarah, danghter of John Trimmer, married Jacob Bush, and lived and died in Franklin. They were the parents of John S., Susan, Sidney L., Sarah, and Jacob.

Tunis Trimmer, son of Herbert, had five sons, all deceased except Servis, who lives in this township.

Amos was the father of Joseph P. Trimmer, of Quakertown.

The MePherson family is an old one in this vicin- ity. The first by that name of whom we have any knowledge was Samuel, who in 1764 owned land extending from the graveyard at Nixon's to Quaker- town. He died in 1772. Our efforts to gain a certain knowledge of his family have been futile. There is little doubt that he was the father of three brothers,- Nathaniel, Samuel, and David,-of whom mention is made by their descendants, but there is no proof. Some assert that he was himself one of the three, but thirty-eight years intervened between his birth and that of David,-a difference not likely to exist be- tween brothers. These brothers, it is said, at one time owned most of the land between Quakertown and Cherryville. David, in 1768, bought 100 acres of Gershom Lee and John Griggs, described as being a part of the Mount Carmel tract, surveyed to Col. Daniel Coxe in 1712. Later David McPherson was located at Quakertown, keeping a tavern. He died in 1830, aged eighty-three, and was buried at Nixon's, by the side of his wife, Rebecca, who died in 1801.

Samuel McPherson lived between Sidney and Young's Mills, on a farm now occupied by his grand- son, Harry. His children were Asa, Daniel, Mary, Hetty, and George. The last, father of the present owner, died at the homestead.

Asa was the father of Samuel, Mary, Amos, and Theodore. The last two are living near Cherryville.

Reuben McPherson, Sr., was killed by the acci- dental discharge of a gun in 1795. He left a family of seven children,-Thomas, Rebecca, Sarah, Mary, David, Anna, and Reuben. Thomas married Mary Chamberlain, and had David, Elizabeth, Phebe, Ger- shom, Ann, Maria, Rebecca, Lucretia, Thomas, Cath- arine, Truman, and Samuel C.

Rebecca, daughter of Reuben, married John Cham- berlain ; Sarah married George, the father of John Q. Case, of Cherryville; Mary married George Tee- ple; Anna married Daniel Pierson. Five of the chil- dren of the last couple are living in the township,- Mary Pegg, Susan Case, John, Reuben, and Jacob S. Pierson. Reuben McPherson married Sarah Barton, and had Mary, Charity, John, Elizabeth, and Reu- ben. Ile was killed by falling from a mow in 1831. All these families, except the last three and the Races, belonged to the Society of Friends.

Bartholomew Thatcher, a Tory captain in the British army, was born in 1785. About 1810 he lived on the farm now occupied by John Trimmer, Jr. He afterwards lived and died where Mrs. Brown now re- sides, near Quakertown.

STORES.

The first store of which there is any knowledge was kept by Charles Hoff at Pittstown as early as 1758. A commissary store was kept by Moore Furman dur- ing the Revolution where now stands William R.

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FRANKLIN.

Smith's residence. Among others still remembered is one kept by "Captain Ralph" and Benjamin Guild -commonly called " Benny Giles"-about a hundred years ago, at Pittstown, near the present location of William Stryker's store. Nabor Boeman and Wil- liam R. Smith built the stone house in which Joseph Tharp now lives, and kept a store there about 18-10. Luther Opdyke kept in the same building about 1850. Both the store-houses now in that village were built by Sylvester Probasco, who still owns and occupies one of them. The one owned by Stryker was built in 1856, the other in 1867.

The first in Quakertown was kept by Henry Cliff- ton, in the house now owned and occupied by Dr. Abel. Cliffton settled there about 1777 ; but it is not known when he established the store; there is proof that he was in the business in 1796. He continued until about 1830. Another, on a lot now owned by Elijah Potts, was kept by John Coats about 1815 ; he was followed by Richard Arison. James Waterhouse, as early as 1824, kept in the oldl red honse now owned by E. H. Trimmer. It was subsequently kept by - Larison, Miller Kline, G. W. Waterhouse, and John Tenbrook. In 1843, on the lot now owned by Elijah Potts, Christopher and John Sullivan transformed un old cooper-shop into a store. They were followed by J. and E. 11. Trimmer, who in 1851 erected the store now owned by John II. Vail and occupied by J. D. Stires. G. W. Waterhouse and Benjamin Shackleton built the corner store in 1844. It has since been kept by Trimmer & Holcombe, Cronce & Allen, Gary & Brother, A. J. Green, Edward Mason, William and Thatcher Trimmer, and others. Theo- dore Probasco's furniture-shop was built by him in 1842, and Christopher Sullivan was the first occupant.

The first in Cherryville was built in is-tl by Wil- liam Aller. This burned down in 1864. John Hotf- man, who owned the property at the time, rebuilt in 1865. For several years past it has been kept by Reuben Pierson.

James Waterhouse kept for a short time in the old stone building east of the mill at Sidney, somewhere about 1835. In 1864, John M. Baldwin built the present store-honse at that place.

TAVERNS.

The Quaker influence was against taverns, but they sprung up and flourished in spite of this opposition. In the minutes of a monthly meeting held at Quaker- town in 1779 we find this entry :

" The committee on reformation report there in one Friend keeps a tavern, which Is under care; they are desired to continuo their care, and report to n futuro Meeting."

The old tavern-house at Cherryville was built in 1739, and still stands as the oldest landmark in that vicinity. It has recently been repaired in such a manner as to destroy its aged appearance, and also to conceal the stone on which was inscribed the date of its erection. Of the carly days of this tavern noth-

ing is known. About sixty years ago it was kept by one Fonner, who died and was believed by the super- stitious to have haunted the place. In 1830 it was kept by Reuben McPherson, who was killed by falling from the mow of the shed, Jan. 16, 1831. It is now several years since a tavern was kept here.

David MePherson kept a tavern at Quakertown about 1790,-some say on the lot on which William Cronce's house now stands. When or by whom the present building was erected is not known. William Large was landlord from 1807 until 1819. It is now the only licensed house in the township, and is kept by Abram Little.

Tradition says that whisky was sold as much as one hundred years ago at or near what in later years be- came known as the "Frog Tavern." There was a hut southwest of the spot on which the house now stands, in which darkeys dispensed the fiery beverage at "three cents a smaller." At a later day Amos Trimmer built a log house on the site of the present building, and kept a tavern there until his death. In 1851 this house was replaced by a frame building, under its present owner, Thatcher Trimmer, who kept the tavern until it was discontinued, a few years ago.

There used to be a tavern where Cornelius Aller now lives, above Sidney. It was kept by Thomas MePherson about 1825, and by James Waterhouse about 1830. Early in the present century a tavern was kept by Hugh Runyon at " Allen's Corner."

PHYSICIANS.

James Willson was probably the first physician within the limits of Franklin. Ho was married in 1736, and bought the homestead of his father in 1742. In existing documents the title of MI.D. is first connected with his name in 1756, but, as most of his earlier papers have been lost, it is very likely he be- gan to practice soon after his marriage. His account- books, still preserved, covering the years 1758 to 1765, and 1774 to 1777, show quite an extensive practice. lle died in 1777, aged sixty-four .*

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History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 107

Author: Snell, James P; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Snell, James P; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1170