History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 1, Part 67

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 974

USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 1 > Part 67

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).

" JOHN REID, " JOHN HEBRON, " Commissioners."

" Also another drift-way or road laid out by, and beginning upon the top of ye hill where ye path now goes, up over ye part of Swimming River that leads up to Henry Leonard's saw-mill, where ye road that comes from William Lawrence's to Shrewsbury crosses said river : thence running southwest to a small black oak tree, being ye corner tree of Johan- nes Polhemus and Ouka Leffers; and thence along ye line of ye said Polhemus' and Leffers, to lie and remain upon Polhemus' land until it comes to where ye aforesaid road crosses said Polhemus and Leffers' land or line; to lie and remain ye breadth of one rod, allowing one swinging gate nearest to the aforesaid corner tree, and another at or near to the west end of Polhemus' new cleared land." Signed by Obadiah Bowne and Elisha Lawrence, commissioners, and dated June 13, 1710.

" Laid out in Shrewsbury a highway of two rods wide, beginning at a white oak tree, a corner between ye land of John Eaton and that of William Hull by the highway that goes by ye meeting-house and Long Branch, and running south sixty-five degrees west fifty chains, to into ye way by Henry Allen's N. E. corner; thence, as ye way goes, south eighty-three degrees west twenty-three chains; thence south eighty-six degrees west fourteen chains; thence south sixty-one degrees west seventeen chains; thence west fifty-two chains and one rod, to ye road that comes from Manasquan to ye Falls.1 ... "

An entry of the laying out of roads in Monmouth County, dated October 13, 1713,

1 Signed by John Reid and John Leonard, commission- ers, without date,

376

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

and signed by John Ried, Obadiah Bowne and John Hebron, commissioners, is as follows :

" Then laid out several drift-ways in Middletown "Laid out a highway from Henry Leonard's saw- mill to Barnegate ; that is, from said saw-mill along John Hawkins' path to Haypath ; then to ye head of Sarah Reape's meadow, and down ye side of ye said meadow as ye line of mark't trees to ye Fish Path ; thence as that goes, to Manasquan ; thence along ye Fish Path to the Cedar Path, and along the Cedar bounds : (First) that part of the way from Middle- town to Chinquerors [near Keyport], beginning at a white-oak tree on the east side of Daniel Tilton's mill-dam; thence to the east end of the dam, and then over along upon the dam to the other side thereof, and then along the way to Chinquerors; to be two rods wide, except on the dam, where 'tis to be | Path as the marked trees that lead to Metetecunk, and of a convenient bredth for strength and substance. following the mark't trees to Goose Creek, called Tom's River, and over said river by marked trees to the line of land late of Thomas Hart. Also another way of a rod and a half wide from Chin- · querors' road by the corners of the fences of James Hubbard and Cornelius Covenhoven, and running "Laid out a drift-way from Burlington Road to Thomas Melag's mill; beginning at a black oak tree marked by ye road which goes from Shrewsbury to Burlington about ten chains eastward from Cornelius Thompson's house, and following ye line of marked trees to the said mill. This third day of April, Anno Dom'n 1714. Tis two rods wide." along by Dr. Hubbard's house and thence to the bridge on Hop Brook; and thence over the brook along the line between Benjamin Stout and Hendrick Hendrickson to a valley near the end of it; then to Joseph Golden's southwest corner of his new field, and following his and Obadiah Bowne's line to the gully ; then rounding the hill to Mahoras Run, where "Memorandum, this 29th day of November, 1714: Laid out a part of a drift-way from ye way which crosses ye brook and dam of Daniel Tilton's, begin- ning at a chain westward of sª Tilton's Mill-House, and running down on ye tops of ye bank about four chains to a small red oak tree on ye top of ye bank ; thence right across the brook and the best and shortest way into ye way again, which was formerly laid out." the path from Daniel to Hendrick Hendrickson's passes, and following the path to Daniel's line, and then through his field, as he shall appoint, to the line between him and John Wall, and along between 'em over the swamp and along by Wall's fence and path to the line between Thomas Smith and Cornelius Dorn, and then the best way to the mill-dam of Thomas Tilton, and over along the dam to the path that goes to Wakick Landing, and following the same path to the said landing. Also another way from the old path at the line between Daniel Hen- drickson and Peter Wyckoff, and following the line between 'em and to the old ford of Mahoras Brook ; and then along the south side of Andrew Wilson's to Samuel Buckman's, and between him and Wilson to John Buckman's, and along between John and Samuel Buckman's to Middletown."

In 1714 the commissioners of roads for Mon- mouth County were John Reid, Obadiah Bowne, Elisha Lawrence, John Hepburn, John Wool- ley, Richard Stout and Stoffel Longstreet.2 The

1 Afterwards Tanner's Landing.

1 In Book D of Monmouth County Deeds, page 211, is found the following: "Memorandum .- This seventh of March, 1714, We, the under Subscribers, Surviving Commissioners appointed by the Act of the General As- sembly for laying out highways in ye County of Mon- mouth, do appoint Capt. Richard Stout and Stoffel Long- street in place of Benjamin Borden, who is removed out of said county above a year, and Capt. John Leonard, deceased, above a year.

" JOHN REED,

" OBADIAH BOWNE,

" ELISHA LAWRENCE,

" JOHN HEPBURN,

"JOHN WOOLLEY."

records show the following entries of roads laid out in the county in that year, viz. :

The preceding extracts from the minutes of the laying out of roads by the Monmouth com- missioners extend down to the time when the county seat was established in what is now the town of Freehold, but then, and for almost a century afterwards, known only as "Mon- mouth Court-House." With reference to the route of travel at that time from Middle- town to the court-house, the Honorable G. C. Beekman, who has made a careful study of the matter, says that the highway, as actually used in those early years, "followed the road to Shrewsbury as far as the old Hub- bard house, lately owned by R. P. Smock ; thence turning southwesterly, crossing the stream near the brick house built by David Williamson; then following nearly the same di- rection as the present road by the Barnes Smock farm ; then across Hop Brook at the present bridge, and up the hill by the old Van Meter race-track; then over to the road running to Phalanx; thence turning southwesterly on the present course of the road past S. W. Jones' house; thence by a road (now closed) to the south of Edinburgh ; and so over to the old

377

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

Barrentown road, now called Montrose ; thence following the general course of the present road and Dutch Lane to Freehold. This road avoided all streams of any size except Hop Brook and the brook near Williamson's brick house, and nearly all hills, ravines and mead- ows, and was for the most part sandy, and, there- fore, better in winter than in summer. There was an important highway, and one greatly used until about 1730, running from Middle- town over to Holland, by the old Luyster house and Hendrickson house, to the Crawford neigh- borhood ; from thence to what is now Jackson- ville,1 in Middlesex County, and from there a path ran to the Indian Ford, on the Raritan, three miles above its mouth, and also a road down to the mouth of the river, near where the railroad docks are now located. This road from Raritan River to Middletown was what was called a 'King's Highway,' that is, six rods wide, without swinging gates, and free for all to travel without molestation. In early times it was deemed a very serious offense to offer violence or indignity to a person on a King's Highway."

During the first century of the existence of the county many roads which appear on the re- cords as having been laid out were never ac- tually opened and made passable, or were par- tially opened, and then, from want of use, grew up again with trees. Others, again, degenerated into mere drift-roads, winding through the woods, and were frequently changed by indi- viduals without legal authority as clearings were made and new farms and settlements came into existence.

On an ancient map of New Jersey, 2 from sur-

1 Formerly Cheesequakes.

" The title and remarks printed on this map, are as fol- lows :

"The Province of New Jersey. Divided into East and West, commonly called the Jerseys."

"Engraved and Published by William Faden, Charing Cross [London], December 1, 1777.

" This Map has been drawn from the Survey made in 1769, by order of the Commissioners appointed to settle Partition Line between the Provinces of New York and New Jersey, by Bernard Ratzer, Lieutenant in the Sixtieth Regiment, and from another large Survey of the Northern Parts, in possession of the Earl of Dunmore, by Gerard Bancker. The whole regulated and ascertained by Astro- 'nomical Observations."

veys made in the year 1769, and purporting to show the principal roads of the province at that time there appear only the following described roads within the county of Monmouth, viz:

1. A road running from Bordentown, by way of Crosswicks, to Monmouth Court-House; thence to a little village located where Holm- del now is, and laid down on the map as "Free- hold ;" thence by way of Middletown to the Highlands.

2. A road running from Black Point by way of Shrewsbury to the "Freehold" village, there crossing the first-mentioned road, and con- tinuing thence to a point a little east of Cran- bury, Middlesex County where it intersected the "lower road " from Long Ferry (Amboy) to Burlington. From a point on the road between Shrewsbury and old "Freehold " a branch road ran to Tinton Falls, and thence to the sea-shore in the vicinity of Long Branch.

3. A road from Middletown to the west boundary of the county, and thence continuing to Spottswood.

4. A road from Shrewsbury, by way of Mid- . dletown, to Long Ferry, at (Amboy).

5. A road from Shrewsbury to Tinton Falls and to a point a mile or two south of the Falls, where it ended abruptly.

This short piece of road south of the falls is supposed to have been constructed for the haul- ing of ore for Lewis Morris' Tinton Iron- Works.

6. A road from Monmouth Court House run- ning north-westerly into Middlesex county, by way of Englishtown.

Projects for the building of plank-roads were much agitated from about 1847 to 1856, and several were incorporated, to be constructed wholly or in part in Monmouth County. Only three of these, however, were built. The first was the Monmouth County Plank-road, from Freehold to Keyport, by way of Matawan. The next was the Freehold aud Howell plank- road, constructed chiefly for the transportation of marl, which required the use of a great num- ber of wagons. Another plank-road was laid from Middletown village, through Chanceville (now New Monmouth), to Port Monmouth, as that point on Shoal Harbor was then called for

378

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

the first time. The company was incorporated in 1854, with the following-named corporators ; William Morford, David Luyster, Samuel I. Taylor, Charles Morford and George C. Murray. At Port Monmouth the transportation com- pany built a long pier, which was the northern terminus of the plank-road, and from which the steamer " Eagle" made regular trips to New York. The plank-road enterprises proved unsatisfac- tory and unprofitable, and were abandoned after a few years' use.

The construction of turnpike roads in Mon- mouth County was commenced at a compara- tively recent date. In 1857 two companies were incorporated for the building of turnpikes, one from Shrewsbury town, by way of Tinton Falls, to Colt's Neck, and the other from Red Bank to Shrewsbury town. The latter was built and proved to be a great advantage to travel between the points named. A number of other turn- pike charters have been obtained, and under these charters turnpike roads have been con- structed (in most cases over the old road-ways) between all the most important points in the county.

The first railroad line constructed within the county of Monmouth was that running from Freehold to Jamesburg, which was first defi- nitely projected in 1849, and was put in success- ful operation four years later.

The discovery and use of marl, and the con- sequent increase of agricultural products, popu- tion and business of all kinds, had created a pressing demand in the central parts of Mon- mouth County for an easier mode of communi- cation than then existed with the markets of the great cities. Before the construction of the railroad, travelers and freight had to be trans- ported a long distance in carriages and wagons to the sea-coast, Raritan Bay or the Delaware River, which was both tedious and expensive ; and many articles of produce that are now re- munerative would then have perished and be- come worthless while on the way to market.

The project of building a railroad from Free- hold to some point of daily communication with the great cities was talked of for several years before any action was taken. There seemed to

be a general belief that such a road would be built, and an advertisement is found (dated five years before the road was actually commenced) of real estate for sale in Freehold, with a posi- tive statement, as an inducement to purchasers, to the effect that a railroad would be in opera- tion within five years from that time. In the mean time public attention was directed to the subject through the press and by public meet- ings, and the necessity for such a mode of con- veyance became more and more apparent the more it was discussed. At one of the meetings, Mr. Richardson, principal of the Young Ladies' Seminary, related his difficulties in making his first visit to Freehold. He was in New York City and could find no one there who could give him any information about getting to Freehold, so he went by railroad to Philadelphia, where he found a person who was able to give him the desired information.

Jamesburg being the nearest point on the line of the Camden and Amboy line, many peo- ple advocated the building of a railroad to that place. For the purpose of bringing it into notice, Mr. James Buckalew, of Jamesburg, and Mr. Nathaniel S. Rue, of Freehold, on the 21st of July, 1845, commenced running stages be- tween the two villages, carrying passengers and connecting with the Camden and Amboy Rail- road. To their surprise, the stage-line soon proved a profitable enterprise, and in June of the following year they commenced running, in connection with their stages, a line of baggage- wagons for the purpose of carrying freight.

The subject of procuring a charter for a com- pany to build the proposed road from Freehold to Jamesburg was agitated for several years before any action was taken towards that end, the friends of the project urging that it was the only feasible route, being the shortest and cheap- est one to build, and affording equal facilities for New York and Philadelphia travel. On the 2d of January, 1849, the Hon. James M. Red- mond, of Mercer County, chairman of the Com- mittee on Corporations in the General Assembly, reported a bill to incorporate the Frechold and Jamesburg Railroad, but this bill was defeated by a vote of twenty-eight to twenty-seven. On the 15th of February, 1850, the Hon. John A.

379

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

Morford, then Senator from Monmouth, intro- duced the same bill in the Senate, where it was passed unanimously on the 21st of the same month, but it was defeated in the House of As- sembly, on the 1st of March following, by a vote of thirty-two to twenty-three, some of the mem- bers from Monmouth and all of those from Middlesex County voting against it. One of the reasons given for this opposition was that it was thought to be a measure that would further the interests of the Camden and Amboy Com- pany, but probably the most powerful influence which defeated it was the opposition of the people of Hightstown, who wished that place to be made the terminus of the proposed road.

When the result in the Legislature became known, the citizens of Freehold held an indig- nation meeting with reference to the matter, on which occasion a number of speeches were made, and one of the most prominent men of the vil- lage took the ground that the Legislature had no right to refuse a charter for the reason that the Camden and Amboy Company would be interested and help build the road; on the con- trary, he thought the company should be com- pelled to build roads to all places where the interests of the people demanded it, in consider- ation of the exclusive privileges that company had received from the people of the State. At this meeting a large delegation of citizens was appointed to go to Trenton and endeavor to impress on the Legislature the claims of the people of Freehold to a charter for the road. The delegation so appointed was almost as large in numbers as the Legislature itself, and was largely composed of leading farmers of the cen tral portion of the county. On their arrival at Trenton they were met by delegations of citizens of Hightstown and Middletown Point, who op- posed the bill so vigorously that the Legislature again refused to pass it.

The friends of the project, though twice de- feated, were not discouraged. They again made application in the session of 1851, and this time they were successful. A bill was passed March 21st, incorporating "The Freehold and James- burg Agricultural Railroad Company," appoint- ing John C. Cox, Henry Bennett, Joseph Combs, Aaron Gulick and Richard McDowell commis-

sioners to receive subscriptions to the capital stock, and authorizing the company, when or- ganized, "to survey, lay out and construct a railroad from some suitable point at or near the village of Freehold to the railroad running from New Brunswick to Trenton, at or near the depot at Dean's Pond, crossing the Camden and Am- boy Railroad at or near Jamesburg."

The commissioners opened the books for sub- scriptions to the stock at the hotel of Nathaniel S. Rue, in Freehold, on the 19th of May, 1851; on the 20th they sat at Englishtown; on the 21st, at Jamesburg ; on the 22d, at Kingston ; and again at Freehold on the 26th, at which time about thirty thousand dollars had been subscribed. The books were kept open at the office of Joseph Combs, but only about ten thousand dollars more were subscribed during the year. It being thus evident that the neces- sary amount could not be raised by individual subscription, the friends of the enterprise applied to the Camden and Amboy Company for assist- ance, which was promptly promised, provided the necessary authority could be obtained from the Legislature. Application was accordingly made in the session of 1852, and an act was passed authorizing a subscription of one hundred thousand dollars by the company.

The way now being open for the construction of the road, a meeting of the stockholders was held at Jamesburg on the 29th of June, 1852, for the purpose of electing directors. At this meeting Aaron Gulick was chairman and Henry Bennett secretary, and the following-named persons were elected directors of the company, viz .: Edwin A. Stevens, John R. Thom- son, John P. Stockton, Peter Vredenburgh, Joseph Combs, William D. Davis, Daniel H. Ellis, Aaron Gulick and James Buckalew. The commissioners appointed the first meeting of the directors to be held at Bordentown on the 12th of July, following. They met as ap- pointed at Kester's Hotel, and organized the board, electing Colonel William .D. Davis president, and John P. Stockton secretary and treasurer. General William Cook was chosen chief engineer, and Peter Vredenburgh, Aaron Gulick and James Buckalew appointed a com- mittee to procure additional contracts for right

380

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

of way. Mr. Amos Richardson presented a resolution, adopted at a meeting of citizens of Freehold, relative to the location of the depot, a warm discussion having been had upon this subject, which was finally settled by referring the matter to the company, with the simple request that it be located as near the centre of the village as possible.

The preliminary surveys were commenced on the 8th of September, 1851, by Mr. Isaac S. Buckalew, afterwards superintendent of the road. The first line was run north of the vil- lage of Englishtown, and the surveys were con- tinued at intervals through the remainder of that year. At a meeting of the board of di- rectors, held on the 27th of July, 1852, the "southern route" was adopted, it being found to be easier of grade and cheaper of construction than the northern route, though about a half- mile longer.

On the 1st of September following, the en- gineer was authorized to advertise for proposals to grade the road. Various proposals were received, and on the 11th of October the direc- tors awarded the contracts as follows : Sections 1, 2 and 5, to James Buckalew; Section 3, to Forman & Van Wickle; 4, to McShane & Smith ; 6, to Andrew Hague; 7 and 8, to Thomas O'Brien; and 9 and 10, to A. Nelson ; the work to be completed by the 1st of April, 1853. . .

The work of grading was commenced on the 19th of October, on Section 1, by James Buck- alew. The work of laying the track was com- menced April 4, 1853, and on the 16th of June of the same year the first locomotive rolled over the soil of Monmouth County. The track was so far completed on the 5th of July following that a train of passenger cars ran to Mrs. Roy's residence, within three miles of Freehold, to which place the track was finished on the 14th of the same month ; and on the 18th passenger trains commenced running regularly from Free- hold to Jamesburg. The cost of the road, eleven and one-half miles in length, was 8220,- 666, leaving the company in debt to the amount of $90,000 over the amount of stock subscribed and paid in. On the 12th of February, 1855, the company purchased the locomotive " Wash-

ington and three passenger cars, the necessary rolling-stock having previously been furnished by the Camden and Amboy Company.

THE RARITAN AND DELAWARE BAY RAIL- ROAD COMPANY was incorporated by an act passed on the 3d of March, 1854, the corpora- tors being William Haight and Samuel W. Jones, of Monmouth ; Washington MeKean and William Torrey, of Ocean ; Thomas H. Rich- ards and George McHenry, of Burlington ; Jon- athan Pitney and Edward Taylor, of Atlantic ; and Edmund L. B. Wales and Samuel S. Marcy, of Cape May County. The capital stock of the company, as authorized by the act of incorpora- tion, was one million five hundred thousand dol- lars. The amount necessary for organization (three hundred thousand dollars) having been subscribed, the company organized at May's Landing in July, 1855, with the following- named board of directors, viz .: Francis B. Chetwood, of Essex; William H. Bruere, and B. F. Randolph, of Monmouth ; William Torrey, of Ocean ; Thomas H. Richards, of Burling- ton ; Edward Taylor and Judge Walker, of Atlantic ; Thomas Williams and W. B. Miller, of Cape May; Samuel Branson and Clayton Allen, of Philadelphia. The board elected Francis B. Chetwood president, William A. Torrey secretary, B. F. Randolph treasurer, and Israel Pemberton chief engineer.

The company was authorized to build its road from a point on Raritan Bay, eastward of Key- port, to the village of Tom's River, in Ocean County, thence to May's Landing, in Atlantic County, and thence, through the counties of At- lantic and Cape May, to Cape Island, on the Atlantic Ocean. The northern terminus of the road, on Raritan Bay, was fixed at Port Mon- mouth, where a pier of great length (nearly five thousand feet) was built for the accommodation of its business. Southward from this terminus the route of the railway through Monmouth County is through Middletown township, passing a little east of Heddin's Corners, to and across the river at Red Bank, thence to Eatontown and Farm- ingdale, and thence, through Howell township, to the county line and Bricksburg.

The commencement of the work of construc- tion on the Raritan and Delaware Bay road

381

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

was celebrated by festivities at Port Monmouth, on the 20th of May, 1856. The work progressed but slowly to its completion from Port Mon- mouth to Eatontown, and on the 18th of June, 1860, a branch road was opened for travel from the latter place to Long Branch. The road was completed and opened from Port Monmouth to Squankum (Farmingdale) in February, 1861, and soon afterwards from thence to Bricksburg.

In 1870 an act was passed changing the name of the Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad Company to that of the New Jersey Southern Railroad Company. The old company had become financially involved beyond recovery, and the road was placed in the control of a re- ceiver, by whom it was reopened in February, 1874. Finally, the line passed to the control of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Com- pany, by which corporation it is now operated. It has never been a very prosperous road, but its construction and opening has been of great advantage to that part of Monmouth County through which it runs.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 1, Part 67

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co. Number of Pages: 974

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 974