History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 140

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 140
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 140

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).

May 10, 1786, at a meeting of the board of justices and freeholders,

" Mr. Frelioghuysen, on behalf of the congregation of Raritan, re- quested the board, agrceably to articlee of agreement between the con- gregation aforesaid and the county of Somerset, that this board will order & eum of money to he raised to pay the expenditure of the coogre- gation in building the Somereet court-house, the congregation having resolved to quit thoir connection with the county in that building; aod he further moved that iadifferent men might be appointed, according to said articles, to appraise the damages done to this building by them. Wherenpoa ordered that, upon the supposition of the sum being £236, the conaty will raise £230 aod pay it for that purpose, and so in propor- tloo as 236 is to 230 for a greater or lesser enm."

The following is interlined beneath :

"Oct. 23, 1787, gave ao order in favour of P. D. Vroom, treasurer of Raritan congregation, for £228 68. 9d., being proportion of £234 68. 9d., the enm expended as above."

Dec. 28, 1795, the board of justices and freeholders met at the court-house, pursuant to a notice sent out to them by the sheriff, Joseph Annin. He stated as

his reasons for calling them together the necessity of a new jail for the county. After discussion "the question was voted upon and passed in the negative." After the protest of Sheriff Blair in 1797, as men- tioned above, the board, at a meeting held Jan. 3, 1798, gave the subject more careful consideration, and, on the question being put, it was carried in the affirmative, and it was unanimously agreed to build them of briek, and connected. Messrs. Blair, Veghte, Terhune, Vroom, and Bryan were appointed a com- mittee "to view the ground upon which to build, to present a plan for construction, and report in the afternoon." The committee reported, accordingly, "that in their opinion the place on which to ereet the court-house and gaol should begin at the northeast corner of the church lot, and run thenee on a strait line with the rear thereof such a distance as will make a direct line along the west side of James Tunison's lot; thenee along the road such a distance as will make a strait line with the westwardly line of the ehureh lot; thenee along the same to the beginning. It is impracticable at this time to designate a plan for the buildings, and they recommend that a com- mittee be appointed to visit neighboring gaols and court-houses and present a plan at their next meet- ing," to which the board agreed. Messrs. Veghte, Bryan, Voorhees, Nevius, and Vroom were appointed, and Jan. 15, 1798, presented a plan similar to that of the court-house and jail in Flemington. After due consideration it was "resolved that two feet be added to the width of the plan, so as to make the building 60 by 42 feet." Peter D. Vroom was appointed to survey the lot, secure a deed in the name of the board and their successors, and file the same in the office of the county elerk.

The work on the buildings was prosecuted with vigor. On the 11th of May in the same year autlior- ity was given by the board "to raise the sum of £1800, equal to $4000, towards completing the court- house and gaol." The manager called the committee together in August of that year, and after a careful examination it was decided to substitute a double piteh-roof in place of the one on the original plan. Aug. 9, 1799, the buildings were completed, and John Arrowsmith, jailer, was put in charge of the new buildings. On the same day a committee appointed to examine the accounts of the manager reported that they had "examined the accounts and vouchers, and find upon investigation of the same that the ex- penses of the said buildings amounts to £5644 08. 7d., New York currency (equal to $14,110.07), exelusive of the manager's fees; and they further report that the remnant of materials were sold by the manager, the nett proceeds whereof amounted to (after deducting certain services) £42 178. 5d. (equal to $107.18), which sum the said manager is to account for." It was re- solved that Mr. Annin, the manager, be allowed six hundred dollars for his services. In the record of the board of freeholders, under date of May 14, 1800, is

EARLY ROADS AND BRIDGES IN SOMERSET COUNTY.

573

an account of settlement with Mr. Annin, with the name of each individual who worked on the court- house or furnished material, and the amount paid cach, viz .:

Persons' Names to whom Payable.

Currency.

WIlHam Forman ....

John Pool ..

Francls Covenhoven ..

John Douuis, Jr ..

Johe Plum.

1.1

Enve Talmage

Benjamin Cook

James McCoy

Abrahom Ackerman.

John Sholdrun.

=81 1

Benjamin Dalgliph.

3.1

Joseph Compton.

William Itoy.

Porce Bonney

John Hierlod.

Samuel Haines

WHlllam Davis,

Isaac Cooper ..

Cornelius Van Deventer.

Frederick Van Llow.

Dickerson Miller

Ganin McCoy

Nicholas Ryelerson

Bernardes Von Neste.

Jacob Van Doren

James Hogg.

John Bryan.

111

Thomas Talmage ..

414

Willet Warns ..

1014

Richard Runyan

Isanc Howell

16 7

David Do Camp

Aaron Hoss ..

10 13

Cornelius Beekman

Joseph Stoll

Direk Tunison

253

Juhu Toople

1889 16 2)

The monager has received of the county col-

lector at different times ....

3857 13

The materials left were sold for.

42 17

Balance due the manager, for which a certifi-

cato was Issued ..

93 13

- -

£5881

714

May 12, 1802, an account of one hundred and fifty- nine dollars and fifty-two cents was audited by the board of justices and freeholders in favor of Peter D. Vroom for a bell for the court-house. At the same meeting a petition was presented from the Consistory of the congregation of Raritan and the requests of Somerville Academy asking that the grounds of the court-house lot be fenced and graded. The next day Jacob R. Hardenburgh was given charge of " fencing, leveling, and planting the ground with ornamental trees." The entire cost of this work was one hun- dred and ninety-six dollars and fifty-six cents.

No further improvements, repairs of buildings, or erection of new ones are mentioned in the records until Sept. 10, 1810, when the following action was taken :

"On application of Samuel Swon, clerk of the Courta of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions of the county, to build a fire-proof office for the preservation of the books and papers belonging to the clerk's and surro- gute's offices, it was unanimously

" Resolved, That an office of that kind be erected, that the sum of eight hundred dollars be appropilated for that purpose, and that the said aum

* Equal to $14,710.07.

be assessed on the inhabitants of this county, agreenbly to law. Orderel that Mr. Director,t Mr. Arrowsmith, and Mr. Rickey be a committee in- vested with fell powers as well to select o suitable pince for the site of the said office as to contract for and superintend the building of the same ; and that they be authorized at any time to draw on the county collector for any sum of money not exceeding the aum of eight hundred dollars.""

The records of the frecholders from this time to about 1833 are not known to be in existence. The elerk's and surrogate's offices were soon after built,- the former on the west side of the court-house, and the latter on the east side.

The old court-house was found to be inadequate to the requirements of the county business, and in 1846 the building was raised one story higher and a por- tico added on the front. The contract price for this work was ten thousand dollars.

The present jail of the county was erected in 1870. The contract for it was awarded to Mr. Richardson for ten thousand three hundred and seventy-five dol- lars, and Nov. 12, 1870, the entire cost was reported as ten thousand three hundred and seventy-five dol- lars contract, and five thousand two hundred and twenty-seven dollars and three cents extras, making a total of fifteen thousand four hundred and two dol- Jars and three cents.

In 1872 the question of building an addition to the clerk's office was presented to the board of frecholders, upon which, after consideration, "the committee on public buildings were authorized and instructed to make such alterations and additions to the elerk's office as they may deem advisable and necessary to the proper preservation of the books and papers of the county." The addition in the rear of the clerk's office was built in that year, and Jan. 7, 1873, the total cost was reported at three thousand seven hun- dred and sixty dollars and seventy-two cents.

CHAPTER V.

EARLY ROADS AND BRIDGES IN SOMERSET COUNTY .:

The first mention of " Ways" or Ronds-Deshler on Early Roads-The road " up Raritan"-Other Highways-Extract from old " Road Book" of Somerset County-New Jersey Turupike Company-Early Bridges -Marriages in 1797-List of Bridges in 1805, etc.

THE earliest legislative enactment relative to roads passed the Assembly of New Jersey April 6, 1676, and is as follows :?

" Be it enacted by this Assembly, That for the more sure and speedy pas- sago of the aforesald doputicel for the futuro, that can be taken by the Inhabitants of the town of Middlesex to make cholce of two or more mon out of the anid town, thon to join with two or more cheeen out of Piscataqua, to make out the nearest and most convenient way that may be found between the sald towna upon the county charge; and thils to bo done between this and tho tenth of May next upon the penalty of what Damages muay ensno for the want thereof."

+ Martin Schenck.

: By Austin N. Hungerford.

¿ Leaming aod Spicer, p. 118,

| Of Middlesex and shrewsbury to the meeting of General Ameoilily.

Poter Snydam.

40 U

Aaron Van Doron ..

Amount in York

Jehial Freeman, or order ..

Johiul Freeman. frogun Brokow

28 41

Nathaniel Bryon.

Doniol Whitehead.

574

SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

March 1, 1682, six years later, an act of Assembly passed which is the first of a general character upon the subject of roads, and is as follows :*

"AN ACT FOR MAKING AND SETTLING OF HIGHWAYS, PASSAGES, LAND- INGS, BRIDGES, AND FEDHIES WITHIN THIS PROVINCE.

" Be it enacted by the Governor, Council, and Deputies in General Assembly now met and assembled, and by authority of the same, That in and through- out this Province all necessary highways, passages, landings, and ferries, fit and apt for traveling, passages, landing of goods, shall be set, laid out, and appointed in and throughout every county within this Province by the respective Persone hereinafter mentioned,-that is to say in and for the County of Essex. . . . For the county of Bergen. . . . For the county of Middlesex and parts adjacent; the Governor or deputy Governor for the time being, the Surveyor-General, Capt. John Palmer, Thomas Warne, Stephen Warne, Samuel Dennie, Samnel Moore, Edward Slater, John Gillman, Hopewell Hull. For the County of Monmouth. .. . "

Following the appointment of these commissioners are provisions that confer powers for opening roads and assessment of taxes for their cost.

Mr. C. S. Deshler, in a paper on the "Early Roads of New Jersey," read before the Historical Society of New Brunswick, June 2, 1880, says,-

" Before the passage of this act the roads in New Jersey, with the ex- ception of the great highwaye already described,t were mere Indian tracka, cart-ways, or bridle-paths. In Gov. Lawrie'e time (from 1684 to I686) numeroue roads were opened-several of them of considerable im- portance-which remain in use to this day. The portion of the State lying along the two great highwaye and on the hanks of the Raritan, Delaware, Passaic, Hackensack, and their tributaries, had become quite thickly settled. The necessities of the people, in the quaint language of that time, for ways to church, to court, to the blacksmith-shop, to the landings, and especially to mill and to market, led to roade heing made in every direction, the upper and lower roade which traversed the State, and the rivere which penetrated the interior, forming the vertebræe from which all the lesser roads radiate or upon which they converged."

The earliest official record of the laying out of a road by commissioners is found in Liber A, p. 433, of "Deeds and Patents of East New Jersey," in the office of the Secretary of State at Trenton, and is as follows :

" Memorandum .- That whereas, by virtue of an act of Assembly, we the persons under subecribed were hy virtue of the said act appointed for the laying out the highwaye for the county of Middlesex, in prosecution thereof the twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh, and twenty-eighth dayee of this instant, we have marked and laid out the wayes as follows : On from John White's plantation on Raritan River along upon a ridge of upland on or near the old Indian path to the north side of Capt. Codrington's, and all the meadowes down to Maj. Jamee Gyle's, at which place there is to be a bridge for horse and waggon; from there to along the upland near the meadowes on Raritan River to Bellowes plantation, and through hie corn-field as the trees are marked; from thence to Aaron Jacob'a through his field, his house heing in the middle of the highway aa the treca are marked; from thence by marked trees to Viucent Rungimone'e land; and it is agreed that there should be a footway elevated along Raritan riverside through the long meadow, continued to Capt. Codring- ton's and upward, and from the marked trees there down to the river, the highways to be taken one-halfe out of Hopowell Ilull's lott and the other halfe out of Vincent's Lott, being in all one hundred feet in breadtlı; and from Vincent'e by the line of marked trees to Capt. Green- land'e; from thence in the old road to Piscataway; from thence in the old road to Woodbridge; from thence along the ordinary road above Capt. Pike's second crooke; from thence by line of marked trees through the woods along the east side of Capt. Pike'e fresh or hoggy meadow; thence into the highway that leads Into the market-place in Amboy, and from the highway that leads foto the sound through the eald market- place by a llee of marked trees to the north side of James Reid's fence ; from thence by the west eide of Capt. Codrlugton's land; from thence

along the northernmost end of Woolfe'e swamp; from thence by a line of marked trees into the road leading from Piscataway to Woodbridge; from Woodbridge the usual road to the corner of Samuel Smith'e land; from thence by a line of marked treee over the upper branch of the meet- ing-house brooke ; from thence by marked treee to the First Branch of Raway River; from thence by marked trees to the Second Branch of the said river.

" Dated the twenty-eighth day of the month called June, one thousand six hundred and eighty-fonr.

" GAWEN LAWRIE, " CONRAD SLATTER, SAMUEL DOUNDS, JOHN GREENMAN, SAMUEL MOORE."

" HOPEWELL HULL,

John White's plantation, from which this road started, is known as No. 6 on the map that accom- panies the Elizabethtown bill of chancery. It was one of the " Raritan Lotts," and may be described as lying on the banks of the Raritan, east of Peter's Brook and west of the old Van Veghten property.}

Two years after this road was laid out the trouble occurred between John Campbell (son of Lord Neill Campbell) and John White that caused the opening of the road from the North and South Branches to the main highway that started, as shown above, from John White's plantation.

The following, from C. S. Deshler, is of great in- terest in this connection, but, as the memorandum of June 28, 1684, fixes the date of the laying out of the road from John White's plantation eastward, the remarks apply equally as well to the remaining por- tion, from John White's west to the North Branch, and show the cause that led to the opening,-viz. :

" Prior to the passage of the general law which we have been coosid- ering, and until as late as IG86, the roads which have been above de- acribed were the only ones stretching over any considerable portion of the State or linking together its scattered plantationa, settlementa, and embryo towne. The next road of public and general importance was the one familiarly spoken of na a road up Raritan. This branched from the main highway that ran across the State, starting out from it at Piccata- way, and running to Bound Brook, and so through Somerset County to the North and South Branches. There is no official record in exiet- ence, so far as I have been able to discover, of the first opening of the road, and its exact date is difficult to he arrived at. In the course of my investigationa, however, some facts have come to light which enable me to fix the date with tolerable precision, and, as this road was an impor- tant one to our county,¿ at the same time that it was one of the earliest results of the pioneer plantations along the Raritan in Somerset County, and es it efterwarde became a leading contributor to its settlement and development, it has a strong claim upon our interest.

"Among the other roads laid out in 1705 by John Bishop, Georgo Drake, and John Matthews, commissionere of roade for the county of Middlesex, the record of which throwe light upon atill earlier roade, is one which ie described as follows : ' And aleo for one other public comon and general highway, to extend from Woodbridge to Piscataway; and aleo from Amboy to Piscataway, and from thence along the road to and through Somerset County to the North Branch, as it was formerly laid out in the late Gov. Laurie'e time.' So that if this record be accurate, thie road was first laid out during the administration of Gov. Laurie, which extended from IG84 to 1686. That it must have been laid out in

* Leaming and Spicer, pp. 256, 258.

t That is, the thoroughfare from Elizabethtown Pofut to New Bruns- wick, and thence, by the upper and lower routes, to the Delaware.

# As no meation has been made in any publication the writer has seen of the precise date of the laying out of the following road, it ie here given. It ie recorded in Liber A, tho same as the one heretofore given. May 29, 1685, a rond was laid out "from the turning out of Plecattawny Road to goo to Amboy along the north side of the great swamp com- monly known as Amboy'e great ewamp, winding along the swamp to the east end thereof, and from thonce to the intended town plott at Amboy, ns may be found most convenient." The commissionere who laid out this road were Samuel Dounde, Isaac Thornhill, and Hopewell Ifull. ¿ Middlesex.

575

EARLY ROADS AND BRIDGES IN SOMERSET COUNTY.

1686 appears from the following affidavits, which were made in 1720, when some difficulties had arisen about the true course of the ' road up Raritan,' and which are preserved in the old book of record of Middle- sox County, pp. 80, 81-21 :

"* First. William Sharp, of Woodbridge, in the County of Middlesex, In the province of New Jersey, ycoman, aged about fifty-seven years, maketh oath on ye Holy Evangelista of Almighty God that he, this de- ponent, from the one thousand six hundred and eighty-six (1686), that he settled upon the north side of ye Raritan River near the meeting of North and South Branches, he used y' rond which was commonly called and ceteemed ye highway, suld to be luid ont by the authority of ye gor- ornment of the province of New Jersey. During the nine years that he lived there the highwny lend from Bound Brook near to Mr. Gile'e house, through the land late in the tenor of John Rudyard, and so behind the improved land of Capt. Coddington," Mr. White's, and ye other ye inhab- itanta, unto ye North Branch of ye said river, to the upper end of a pau- tation ye weet side thoreof.

""WILLIAM SHARP, April 29, 1720.'

"+ Second. John Campbell, of Piscatun, in the county of Middlesex, in the province of New Jersey, yeoman, aged about fifty-eight years, maketh onth on the Holy Evangelista of Almighty God that in the year of our Lord 1686 this deponont was coming down Raritan River with several of the servants of Lord Neil Campbell, going to Woodbridge meeting. There belng no way this deponent knew but through the inclosure of Mr. John White, deceased, they were stopt by Mr. White by his gate for some little time, but then not before this depouent and other servants re- turned. Ye said John White went to Amboy to Governor Loury and complained agniust them, who were called before the snid Governor Loury, nud answered they knew no other way. The Governor said there should be a way appointed for to go up the country clear of Mr. White and the other Inhabitants' improvements. Accordingly, before this de- ponent, with others aforesald, wont up the way marked out, leading from Bonml Brook, near Mir. Gile'e house, through the land late in the tenure of Mr. John Rudyard, behind the rear of ell the improved fands behind his fields, and so several inhabitants on the said Raritan River, to the North Branch thereof, ut or near the upper end of a plantation on the west side of the auld branch belonging to Peter Van Voste,t and that during the space of nine years that this deponent lived up the Raritan and South Branch thereof, he always understood that to be yo highway layed out by yo authority of yo government of East Jersey.

"JOHN CAMPBELL, ApI. 29, 1720.'

" In connection with the deponent, who was a servant of Lord Neill Campbell, and in 1686 was on his way from the North Branch to attend church nt Woodbridge, it may be montioned that Lord Neill In 1685 be- come the owner of one-fourth of a twenty-fourth part of East Jersey. In January, 1685, he hnd loented sixteen hundred and fifty acres on the Raritan nud North Brunch, and it was from this 'plantation,' without doubt, that hie clansman was proceeding to Woodbridge when arrestod by Mr. John White.

" The course of the ' rond up Raritan' from Piscataway to Bound Brook is not clear. Certainly it did not come from Piscataway to Inian's Ferry and run from thenco along the river to Bound Brook as the rund now live, that road being of much later origin. After combining all the Inforaintion 1 have been able to gather, I am persuaded that the road left Piscataway (a six-rod rond; rocoril of ronda, my copy, p. 81), passed from thence in a northwesterly direction west of Metuchen, through Quibble- town and New Market to Bound Brook. Considerable portions of this rund remain eix roda wide to this duy, although much of the original rond has heon obliterated by the plow, und parts of the existing roud nro minde up of newer and narrowor ones. After reaching Bound Brook the roml extended to Somorville, running, as we have acon by the alive affi- davita, in the rear of the Improved lands and farm-houses on the banks of the Raritan, a little to the south of the present turnpike, following the north side of the Ratitan to the junction of the two branches, and from thence going west to Lambertville, at that time called Howell's Forry. There is in existonco another amdavit, made in 1720, relating to this road, which is of Interest because it was made by Peter Ynn Nest (or, as he is sometimes called, Yan Vosto), who was one of the early plo- Deors of Somerset County and a man of mark in his day, one of the branches of the Raritan, and also one of the bridges over the same, re- colving their names from him. This afflilnvit is of the same purport as those before recited, and is as follows :

" "l'oter Vnu Neste, of the county of Somerset, In the province of New

* Codringtou.

t l'eter Van Nesto.

Jersey, yeoman, aged about sixty years, Maketh Oath on the Holy Evan- geliste of Almighty God that this deponent, to the best of his knowledge, In the year 1686, Hendrick Corsended and William Itichardson came to this deponent's house and told him that by order of Governor Loury, the Governor of East New Jersey, they had been marking out a way leading from Mr. Codington's land behind the improved land of Mr. White, and so leading up cross a brook called, by the name of the deponent, l'oter's Brook, near that place, where he hath since erected a grist-mill, and con- tinuing behind all the Improved landa belonging to the inhabitants to the North Branch of the Raritan Rivier, near to a place whereon William Dunlap then lived, which is near to the upper end of a plantation on the west side of the said brunch belonging to tho deponent. Some time after, in the time when Col. Hamilton was Governor of East Jorsoy, this De- ponent wus chosen overseer of yo highways by yo luhabitants of Somer- aett, and, according to ye law or Custom of yo said province of East Jer- sey, he called ye inhabitants of Somersett together and repaired yo said highway from Bound Brook to that place, on yo North Branch aforesaid, and that ye said highway continued without any alteration, Bu far as the deponent knowoth, until within this four or two years that Jacob Rape- ties fenced in purt thereof. And further this Deponent sayeth not.

"IPETER VAN NESTE, JURAT COREMUS, WM. EIER. "' Aprilo ye 29th, 1720.'"

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History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 140

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