History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 192

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 192
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 192

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).

. These committees were appointed by request of the Congress.

+ No committee appointed again till 1799, according to township min- utes.

: Only three (1852), with David K. Auten and Peter A. Du Mont styled supernumerary members.

784

SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Blue ; 1870, Joseph H. Van Cleef, Ab. Ammerman, Edward Sutpben ; 1871, Abram Veghte, Ab. Ammermao, Edward Sutphen ; 1872-73, Heo- ry Wilson, Jas. L. Voorhees, Edward Sutphen ; 1874, Henry S. Van Nuye, Edward C. Bennett, Geo. W. Vroom ; 1875, Henry S. Van Nuys, Henry H. Garretson, Garret Beekman ; 1876, Henry S. Van Nuys, Gar. P. Cortelyou, Garret Beekman, David K. Auteo, John F. Hall : 1877, Ab. N. Veghte, Gar. P. Cortelyou, Garret Beekman, David K. Auten, John F. Hall ; 1878, Ab. N. Veghte, Jas. W. Gulick, Andrew M. Baird ; 1879, John F. Hall, Reuben H. Hulick, Jas. Z. Bergen ; 1880, H. V. D. Van Liew, Reuben H. Hulick, Jas. Z. Bergen.

VILLAGES AND HAMLETS.

MILLSTONE is a small village on the left bank of Millstone River, 3} miles from its mouth, by the course of the river. It is a rural hamlet, without legal bounds. It contains (1880) 262 inhabitants, about fifty-five dwellings, one Reformed (Dutch) church, with a neat lecture- and Sunday-school room adjoining. There are three stores, one blacksmith- shop, two wheelwright-shops, and a district school. Although lying low, comparatively, the place is noted for its healthfulness.

Millstone was probably the most important place in the county in 1738, as the vote of the citizens of the county then determined that it was the proper place for the county-seat. A bridge over the river, in all probability, existed here at that date, as it was here that the Amwell road passed. The farmers in this vicinity made this the point of shipment for their produce. The farms were being taken up along the river, as reference to the article on land titles will show. The Harlingen tract was also already occu- pied. In 1738 there were about fifty families within three miles of the present village.

With the location here of the court-house there arose the necessity, if it did not exist before, of a public-house. Probably such a house existed before 1738. Two taverns flourished in the time of the Revolution, one on the site still occupied, a little northeast of the church, the other near the bridge, in what constitutes the door-yard of the present resi- dence of James Elmendorf. The court-house and jail stood a little south of this inn, on the premises now owned by Joseph Conover and wife, formerly by Miss Mary Suydam. Some of the large stones of its foundation are yet lying about. It must have been near by that the negro was burned for murdering his master, Jacob Van Nest, in 1752.

In 1760 the inhabitants built the small Presbyterian church, and in 1767 the Dutch church was erected on the site still occupied.

In 1800 there was no school-house, the children crossing the river into Franklin ; the church stood on the present site. Jacob Van Nuys lived in the house east of the church now occupied by Dr. Fred. Black- well. This house was used some time before 1800 by Henry Quick, a cabinet-maker. A hatter by the name of Jobes succeeded Van Nuys. In 1812, Dom- inie Zabriskie became its occupant, the church hav- ing bought it for a parsonage .*

In 1800, Cornelius Lowe, an old bachelor, kept the hotel near by; Isaac Fisher and Lowe Fisher pre- ceded him. The next building on the east side of the street was the Presbyterian church,-or the Eng- lish church, as it was popularly called by the Dutch,- opposite the present residence of Fred. V. L. Disbor- ough. Next was the house of Dr. Abram Van Buren, a sketch of whose life will be found elsewhere in this work; the site is now occupied by Van Mater Van Cleef. John Van Nest occupied the house on the north side of Peace Brook, next to the river, lately occupied by Nelly Van Tine ; he had at this time a son named Ezekiel. Paul Duryea occupied a house directly north, keeping in it a small store; it was subsequently resided in by the Suydams. After Dur- yea's death, his widow built a house about 100 feet farther north, leaving vacant the lots of the old court-house and jail, which were burned by the British in 1779.

John Christopher had a shoemaker-shop where the present wheelwright-shop is located, at the north end of the village, near the river, and a dwelling adjoining. The road at this time came down the hill to the bridge and followed the river, winding around between John Van Nest's and Dr. Van Buren's. The straight road west of James Elmen- dorf's house was opened about 1830.

Edward Van Harlingen lived in the house now on the straight road, at the foot of the hill. Here, also, the younger Dominie Van Harlingen lived for eighteen years preceding his death, in 1813. In this house the exercises of Queens College were held for a while during the Revolution.t

In 1800, Dr. Stryker lived in the house on top of the hill, long occupied by Dr. McKissack ; he had previously resided at Blackwell's Mills, in the house opposite the brick stable. Peter Hulick lived where his nephew Reuben Hulick now is, while Isaac Lott lived directly across the road. Martin Schenck had the next farm on the east side of the road, which had been the parsonage for Dominie Foering during the Revolution. Previous to 1800, Mr. Schenck had once lived on the lot east of the church, and had there kept a blacksmith-shop. On the west side of the road, the farm now possessed by John Brokaw was owned in. 1800 by Gen. Frederick Frelinghuysen, who had mar- ried Miss Ann Yard a few years previously ; the latter received that farm in 1778. North of this place we come successively to the farms of the Strykers, the Wilsons, and the Van Nests.

To return to the village of Millstone proper: Gen. Frelinghuysen in 1800 occupied the place now owned

+ " Hillsborough, May 25th, 1780 .- The vacation of Queens College, at Hillsborough, in tho county of Somerset, and of the grammar school in the city of New Brunswick, is expired, and the business of cach is again comunenced. Good lodgings may be procured in both places ut as low a. rate as in any part of the state. By order of the Faculty,

" JOHN TAYLOR, " Clerk, pro tem."

" See " Millstono Centennial," 1876.

785

HILLSBOROUGHI.

by Edward Baker ;* his farm included also the Dis- borough place. There were no houses between the last mentioned and the Dutch church. Directly west of the churchyard lived John Broach ; a Mr. Marshall had occupied that place previously. Cyrenius Thomp- son, long famous as the sexton, lived on the next lot, now occupied by John De Camp. Mrs. Thompson sold cakes and beer to the people between the two ser- vices on Sundays. Dominie Cannon, the pastor, was living near Six-Mile Run at this time.

Only one other house existed on the road west of the church, located on the lot lately owned by Garret Brokaw, and now by Mrs. Van Buskirk ; John Gallo- way then lived on this lot. John Atkinson lived on the corner south of the church, so long occupied by Gershom Bernart; Mr. Atkinson was a blacksmith, and had a shop in the northwest corner of the present parsonage-yard. John Broach had previously lived on the Atkinson place, and kept a cooper-shop; Peter Lewis lived on the same spot after Atkinson. West- ward on the Amwell road there was no house in 1800 until we reach the present place of Peter Sutphen Van Doren ; James Ellison then lived there.

Thc Van Doren farm was the one first south of the church. It had been in possession of the family since 1753, and is yet owned by them. The next place was that of Isaae Van Cleef; he had moved there some years prior to 1800, having come from the neighbor- hood of Pluckamin. The house stood where Garret Van Cleef now resides. Isaac Van Cleef died in 1804, and four years later the farm was sold; the sons Isaac and Peter bought it. Peter afterwards sold the northern part to Schenek Van Derveer. It is now occupied by Paul Beardslee.

Peter Ditmars occupied the next farm. He sold it to Abraham Beekman in 1815. . Dr. MeKissack mar- ried a daughter of this Ditmars, and they were the parents of Peter Ditmars MeKissack, MI.D., who died in 1872.

Mr. Cornell occupied the next farm, now owned by Jacob Schomp ; he soon died, and his widow engaged Frederick Probasco to work the farm, and afterwards married him. Mr. Cornell's son Joseph subsequently eame into possession ; he sold the place to - Ber- rien for about $70 an acre. Joseph Cornell then went West. John Blackwell bought it in 1816 for about $15 an acre.

Peter Staats occupied the place now owned by the Cor family ; his son Abram was the father of Rev. John A. Staats, who was born on this place. Archi- bald Mercer was the proprietor of the mill subse- quently known as Blackwell's Mills.

Millstone became, after the canal was opened, a place of considerable business. As many as 100,000 bushels of grain have been stored there at one time,

waiting for the opening of the canal. There were in 1834 four stores, three taverns, several mechanics, three storehouses for grain, and an extensive lumber- yard. With the opening of the railroad to New Brunswick, in 1856, the development of this village was perhaps retarded, as East Millstone, in Franklin, became the terminus of the railroad. In 1872 con- siderable property in and near Millstone was pur- chased by A. D. Melick & Co., of New York; it consisted of 1632 acres, for which they paid $241,550.

In 1873 the railroad was opened to Somerset Junc- tion, on the Delaware, to anticipate the new railroad from Bound Brook to Philadelphia. But the latter succeeded, being opened in 1876, and in 1880 the Mercer and Somerset road was abandoned.

NESHANIC is situated at the northwest declivity of Neslianic Mountain. It contains (1881) one Reformed (Dutch) church, one hotel (temperance), a district school, two stores, and some twenty-five dwellings. About ten more are at Neshanic Station. The country around is undulating and beautiful.

The land for some distance around Neshanic was owned in 1683 by John Bennett. The tract embraced several hundred acres, extended to the division line between East and West Jersey, and was bounded on the north by the South Branch. Neshanic tavern was kept by the Bennett family "in a time whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary." It was a nucleus about which a village afterwards gathered. Some of the earliest settlers were the Lows, Lotts, Huffs, Coersens (now Corson), Ryersons, Ten Eycks, Terhunes, Posts, Middaghs, Nevius, Wyckoffs, Hage- mans, Bergens, Van Arsdales, Strykers, Voorhees, etc. The old house of Dirick and Rebecca Low is yet stand- ing, on the farm occupied by Henry Van Derveer, on the Neshanic, near West's Mills. Another old house, the first homestead of the Lows, stands on the farm of John J. Van Liew, on the road leading from the Am- well road to the South Branch.

Bergen Hutľ built the first mill at Neshanie, about 1770. It stood some distance below the present one, and was abandoned about 1810. Some remains of it are still to be seen. The present mills were erected about 1810. In 1836 they were purchased from Cor- nelius and Peter Beekman by Judge Corle, and have since been known as Corle's Mills. They were again sold several years since by Judge Corle, and have been owned by at least five different parties; but, notwith- standing these frequent changes, they have "done the town grinding" and made large shipments since the railroad has been in operation. The old miller Nich- olas Huff was a Revolutionary pensioner, and great- uncle of Abraham Huff, who was born 1788. He says that his uncle Nicholas had his knee shattered by a musket-ball while on the retreat in the battle of Ger- mantown, Pa.

The old school-house stood on the spot where John Tunison's house now is, at the corner of Garret Voor- hees' field. The most prominent teacher then was

· When Gen. Frederick Frelinghuysen lived at Millstone his home was visited by some of the great statesmen of the day. Ou ono occnalon John Adama and Thomas Jefferson wore traveling Jogother on horseback, and honored Millstono by stopping over-night at the Frelinghuysen mansion.

786

SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Nathan Loring, whose memory is affectionately cher- ished. John Allen, a saddle- and harness-maker, lived with John Minor, the tanner, who carried on business not far from the old school-house. Garret Voorhees and John Allen lived on the south side of the brook. Sally Andrews lived close by the school- house, and from her spring the troop of children quenched their thirst. A store was kept in a build- ing that stood in front of the residence of Judge Corle. Among others who did business here were Mr. Phillips and Sheriff John Wyckoff.

FLAGGTOWN is situated a couple of miles east of Neshanic. It contains about twenty scattered dwell- ings, a store, and a school.

CLOVER HILL is on the Amwell road where it enters Hunterdon County, and lies partly in both counties. It contains about fifteen dwellings, a Re- formed Dutch church, and a school.

BLACKWELL's is situated on the west bank of the Millstone, about two miles south of the village of Mill- stone. Here is a flourishing flour- and grist-mill, owned by John L. Oakey, Esq. Half a dozen houses are in the immediate vicinity, a store kept by Corne- lius H. Broach, and a school near by. A bridge crosses the Millstone at this point to Franklin township. A mill has existed here since 1746, originally built by Peter Schenck. A post-office was established in 1872.

SOUTH BRANCH, sometimes known by the name of BRANCHVILLE, is situated on the South Branch, near its junction with the Raritan. It contains about fif- teen dwellings, a large store, and a Reformed Dutch church.

ROCK MILL is in the southwestern part of the township, in a depression in the Neshanic Mountain. It is partly in Montgomery township. Here are ten or twelve dwellings, a Methodist Episcopal church, a saw-mill, and a store.

ROYCEFIELD is located upon the South Branch Railroad, about 2} miles from Somerville. Since the railroad was opened the name of the station has been changed to "Ricefield," trouble having been experi- enced from the fact of there being another village of the same name in the State. Two country stores, a blacksmith-shop, two hay-presses, a school, and a post-office, besides the railroad buildings and a cluster of dwellings, constitute the village. James Hageman is station-agent, and also postmaster.

Roycefield derived its name from the early land- owner of this vicinity,-John Royce.

There are now in Hillsborough township the fol- lowing post-offices: Millstone, Blackwell's Mills, Flaggtown, Hillsborough, Neshanic, Roycefield (now called Ricefield), and South Branch.

SCHOOLS.

This township has (1880) within its bounds fourteen district schools. The following gives the statistical report for the year ending Aug. 31, 1879:

NUMBER AND NAME OF DISTRICT.

Total received from all sources

for public school purposes.

Present value of the school prop-

Children of school age residing

Average number of months the

schools have been kept open.

Children enrolled in school reg-

ister during the year.

Seating capacity.

30. Woodville

$300.00

$500.00

10.

40. Harmony Plains .....

515.04

1,500.00

0,5

41. New Centre ..

300.00

600.00

42. Liberty

300.00

1,200,00

43. Bloomingdale

300.00

500.00

10.

44. Millstone

400.00

1,000.00

45. Hillsborough

300 00

1,000.00

46. Black well'e ...

385.00

800.00

9.5

47. Pleasant View.

300.00

800.00

9,5

48. Mountain.

300.00

200.00

50. Flaggtown Station.

350 00

1,500.00

11.

51. Neshanic

1,183.08

25.00

111

52. Montgomery

300.00

500.00

53. Clover Hill

400.72

800.00

11,5

$5,633.84

$10,025.00

941

9.6

681

670

But few of these schools can be traced back to their origin, except in cases where school districts have been divided within the memory of those yet living.

The first school in Hillsborough was probably on the south side of the Raritan, situated on a little knoll on the roadside, on the line of the farms of Jacobus Quick and Peter Du Mont; it was abandoned as a school-house towards the close of the last century. It probably dates hack to 1720 or 1730. William Parrish early taught in this school.

About 1795 it was determined to build a house about a mile farther west, so as to accommodate the whole northwestern corner of the township. This would take in the present New Centre District, Flagg- town Station, the westerly portions of Woodville and Liberty, and the northern part of Bloomingdale. In that section, about 1790, there was a large number of children, The site chosen was a little strip of land between the road and the river, on the north end of John Van Middlesworth's farm. On the east was a small stream called Paw-ne-pack by the Indians. The building was about 24 feet square; a spacious fireplace was on one side. The structure was painted red, with white casings to the doors and windows. It was known as the Red School-House, and in later years as the Old Red School-House.

Master John Warburton was the first teacher. He was English by birth, and was supposed to have been in the British army in the Revolution. IIe had also taught in the preceding school-house, and was well known and respected by all. He was now about sixty years old, and, while kind in his government, was very decided. He believed in the efficacy of the birch. The "English Primer," Dilworth's spelling- book and arithmetic, and the Bible were the only books used; Webster's spelling-book made but slow progress in that community. Master Warburton's

in district.

erty.

787

HILLSBOROUGHI.

great points were order and method. The writing- books of his scholars were patterns of neatness; every line was fixed by scale and dividers. Thus he made the children proud of themselves and of work.

Mr. Warburton did not "board 'round," as was usual with teachers in olden times, but he lived alto- gether in the school-house. Each employer supplied him with food for a week. On Sunday morning he would breakfast with the family who was to supply him for the coming week, and would carry his own basket of provisions that day. He slept in a little garret over his school-room. Late in life he left this school and taught for a while in another, near the okdl Raritan bridge. He finally bought a few acres on the Second Mountain, north of Somerville. lIere he built a small house, and dug a cave which he sometimes used. Some okl friends supplied his wants until he died. The Old Red School-House stood until about 1830." Peter G. Quick, of Millstone, now ninety-two years of age, attended in 1794-95, and was a pupil for three years under Master War- burton. The school districts of New Centre and Woodville finally took the place of this famous old school. Peter Stryker (afterwards Rev. Peter Stry- ker), in 1782, was school-teacher at or near Mill- stone.t

Another school was at an early day located on the farm of Peter Wyckoff (more recently Capt. John Wyckoff"'s). The school-house stood on the hill, close by the brook, and on the cast side of the Am- well road. Mr. Gordon was a teacher here. This disappeared not far from the opening of the present century.

About the same time Dr. Lawrence Van Derveer gave land for a school lot a little south of the small graveyard on his place, and this district was divided about 1837 into the present Roycefield and Blooming- dale districts. With the cessation of the school on the Wyckoff place, a school-building which had stood in the bed of the canal as it now runs, about 250 yards north of the East Millstone canal bridge, was removed to Millstone and located on the Amwell road west of the church, where Mr. Hoffman now lives; this was in 1807. James Ellison {residing where Peter Sutphen Van Doren now lives) was the teacher in this school. He was a carpenter by trade, but a man of considerable ability. Mr. Belcher suc- ceeded him. The school remained on this site until 1814, when Daniel Disborough gave for a school lot the plot, 38 hy 130 feet, now occupied by the lecture- room. A two-story building, known as the academy, was here erected. The second story was used for prayer-meetings and religious lectures, and nt first, for a time, for the smaller children in the day-school, while the lower story was occupied as the school-

room proper. Abram Montfort was the teacher, in the academy, in 1814; Mr. Wallbridge in 1821-28.

In 1860, by an act of the Legislature of the State, this school district (No. 44) obtained permission to sell this lot, in order to locate the school on the hill, north of the town, its present position. The former school lot, in the rear of the church, was bought by certain trustees in behalf of the members of the church of Hillsborough living in said school district, to be used by them for educational and moral pur- poses.# William Lytle taught in the academy in 1832-33, and was succeeded by Mr. Kingsley, Stephen H. Rowan (afterwards lost at sea), James S. Taylor, and Mr. Pillsbury (married Matilda Nevius).

The inhabitants of the northeastern part of Hills- borough at first sent their children to a school near the small graveyard at Weston. This continued for about a hundred years, until 1834, when the building was burned and the present Ifarmony Plains distriet formed. Weston was then, according to a State map of 1767, called Van Nest's.

Until 1840 the present Cross-Roads and Pleasant View districts were united. The school-house stood near where the railroad now crosses the farm of I. J. Stryker. The school in the southeastern part of the township was originally north of Blackwell's Mills, where the brick stable now stands. It probably origi- nated about the time the mill was built,-1746. In 1813 the location was changed to the southeast corner of Theodore Layton's farm. The school near the Neshanic church probably dates back to 1750. A new school-house was in 1856 erected in the Wood- ville district, on the northwest corner of land of Thomas F. Smith, at an expense of $688.

At Roycefield (old District No. 13), in 1836, a new house was erected on the land of John Van Zandt ; Brogun J. Brokaw, Peter Van Zandt, and William Wilson were the building committee. F. D. Brokaw, James J. Bergen, and John Van Zandt were the trus- tees. March 28, 1837, the new house was called "The Liberty School-House." Albert Hulce was the first teacher.

New Centre district in 1856 built a new school- house on land of Cornelius Peterson, at an expense of about $600.

In 1829 the township embraced twelve school dis- tricts .¿ In 1830 the school committee| divided these into eleven, and in 1838 into fifteen. There were some subsequent changes, but in 1871, a county school superintendent having been appointed, the numbers

* Seo Governor Vroom's description of this school and teachers In Dr. Messler's county history.

+ Sco Corwin's " Manual," pp. 474, 475.

* " Millstone Contennial," 44.

¿ The twelve districts embraced thirteen schools and 332 scholars.

I The first school committee of Hillsborough township (1829) was com- posed nf James Elmendorf, Peter P. Vroom, and Jucob R. Schenck ; the last (1846), Dr. James D. Elmendorf, Gilbert B. Taylor, and Dr. C. C. Hoagland, the Intter becoming the first township superintendent of schools In the following year ; he remained six years. Peter N Beck- man served in 1851-62 ; John L. Bellis In 1835-56, and 1801-63 ; William R. Smith In 1857-60 and 1464-66, when, the office of county superinten- dent being established, they were no longer appointed.

788

SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

of the districts in the township were changed to a general system including the whole county.

CLASSICAL SCHOOLS IN HILLSBOROUGH.

Queens College, about 1780, on account of the dangers of the Revolution, was temporarily located at Millstone, and Dominie Van Harlingen, about the opening of the century, was accustomed to teach the classics to those desiring to prepare for college.

Abram G. Voorhees subsequently taught a Latin class at the house of Dominie Zabriskie, and the dom- inie himself at times heard recitations. Iu 1826-27, Mr. Zabriskie had a class studying Latin with him ; it consisted of James Van Derveer (afterwards M.D. at North Branch), Peter D. McKissack (afterwards M.D. at Millstone), Outhout Van Harlingen, J. V. D. Hoagland, John B. Staats, John A. Staats (after- wards Rev.), and John Broach.

Rev. John Cornell conducted a classical school at Millstone from 1828 to 1835. He lived on the Fre- linghuysen place, now occupied by Edward Baker. This school was continued by Mr. Addis, Joseph P. Bradley (now one of the justices of the United States Supreme Court), and William I. Thompson. A clas- sical school was also kept by Rev. P. D. Oakey, at Neshanic Station, from 1870 to 1876.

RELIGIOUS HISTORY.

Hillsborough township has long been famed for its religious privileges. The Dutch Church has indeed had the field almost exclusively. The inhabitants of the northern part of the township have always sought their spiritual instruction at Somerville or Raritan ; a few have gone to' Bound Brook. In early times, the people of the southern and eastern parts went to Six-Mile Run or Three-Mile Run, in Franklin. There are now four Reformed (Dutch) Churches in the town- ship,-viz., Neshanic, Hillsborough (or Millstone), Clover Hill, and Branchville. There was a Presby- terian Church at Millstone from about 1759 to 1800. The Dutch Church at Clover Hill became Presbyterian in 1840, and so remained until 1862, when it returned to the Dutch body. There is also a Presbyterian mis- sion church on the top of Neshanic Mountain, sup- ported by the neighboring Dutch and Presbyterian Churches on either side; also one small Methodist Church at Rock Mill. A Roman Catholic Church exists in East Millstone.

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History of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 192

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