History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 14

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 994

USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2 > Part 14

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"Mr. Morgan was an ardent patriot in the times of our Revolution. There were many Tories in this part of the State; some in his church, as the records show, but there was no double-face nor dough-face in the preacher. His serions, which are still preserved, show this,-on Dec. 18, 1777, he preached from Hosea x. 12: ' It is time to seek the Lord.' Among the reasons presented why it was time to seek the Lord was the 'Dispersion among the churches oceasioned by the enemy's coming in among them, of diseord and contention among neighbors, relations and people, of war in our land, our bleeding, weeping land.' This was preached ' on a day of humiliation appointed by the Continental Congress on aeeount of the war, and also to give thanks to God for victory over the enemy.'

"In a serinon preached Mar. 15. 1778, speaking of God as delivering from imminent dangers and death, he says,-'Such as in this town from our combined enemies ; in this continent by the defeat and impris- ment of a whole division of an army with their Gen- eral, Burgoyne; a most remarkable escape from deatlı.'

" May 28, 1778, he preached 'in a funeral of a young man, John Pierce, who was slain by the enemy.' And May 29th, 1778, 'in a funeral of Leonard Hoffe, slain by the enemy murderously.' 'June 22, 1778, at the Court-House, in Freehold, at the request of some prisoners, I preached to eight under the sentence of death-a moving sight.'' Text-1 Timothy 1 : 15.

1 Two or three days after this, on intelligence being re-

530

HISTORY OF MONMOUTHI COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

On June 28th, 1778, Mr. Morgan preached from Ps. 62 : 8,-' Trust in Him at all times.' This was the day the battle of Monmouth was fought, and probably the roar of cannon was heard during the services. Mr. Morgan made this record on the sermon, -'At Mid- dletown, the very day the English army came into the neighborhood in the evening.' It was a sermon to in- spire hope and trust in God; what those who heard needed most to liear at that time, for doubtless their sons and husbands, brothers and fathers were on the fields where those cannon were booming.

"The enemy came into the village in the evening of that Sabbath; pouring down Ruckman's Hill, where - are now the Osborn and the Beekman mansions. On July 5, 1778, the next Sabbath, Mr. Morgan made this record, -' There was no meeting on this Lord's day, because of the enemy passing thro' our town the week past, putting all in confusion by their ravaging and plundering wherever they went.' On July 19, 1778, he preached from Ezra 9: 13-14,-' And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds,' &c.,-and puts this note upon his MSS.,-' At Middletown, in mine own baru, because the enemy had took out all the seats in the meeting-house in town.' He preached twice in 'mine own barn' that day, from the same text. From this he preached in several places up to Aug. 16, 1778, when again he preached in his barn. Aug. 30tli, he preached in the meeting-house, after which there is no further reference to war disturb- ances.

" At an earlier date we find some references to the French war in which England was engaged, in which Mr. Morgan shows his loyalty to the Crown. We give these two: 'Nov. 22, 1759, at Middletown, on a day of thanksgiving appointed by his Excellency, Francis Bernard, Esq., through the Province on ac- count of the success given to His Majesty's arms, &e.' 'Mar. 23, 1760, at Middletown, on a day of Thanks- giving appointed by our Governor, by order from our King George, on account of successes by sea and by land.'

"Abel Morgan preached the truth of God all over this part of New Jersey, and a hundred years after he has gone his power for good is felt. At Middle- town, Frechold, Crosswicks, Holmdel, Middletown Point, Checscquakes, Piscataway, Bordentown, Eng- lishtown, Hightstown, Shrewsbury and many other places, and in many private houses did he preach the Word, as the records on his sermons show. He scat- tered the good seed with a wide hand. He preached on his journeys where he stopped for the night, or would spend a few days and preach several times.

When he had been forty years at Middletown, he had preached 4493 times, as the number on his MES. . shows, an average of nearly 110 sermons a year for the whole time.

"Mr. Morgan was never married. His mother, for whom he cherished great love and reverence, kept his house till she died, at an advanced age. He owned his own home, situated, as it is understood, near the residence of Mr. William Conover, son of Colonel Elias Conover, about one mile from the church.' Athis death Mr. Morgan willed all his property, his library, sermons, &c., to the church which he had served so long and so faithfully. The house and grounds were sold after a time for one hundred and fifty pounds, and this was all he had saved for himself in a life- time.

"In his feebleness and old age the church cared for him. In the old records of the church we find this: 'Agreed, there should be a man hired at the expense of the said church members, for one, two or three months, as the occasion may require, for the benefit and service of the Rev. Mr. Abel Morgan, in his in- firm and low state of body, and the expense of wages for the hire of said man so employed shall be levied on each member according to their estate.'

"Of the last days of this eminent servant of God we have no further account than that he 'departed this life November 24, 1785, near 6 o'clock in the afternoon, in the Township of Middletown, County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey.'"

The Rev. Mr. Morgan left his library and sermons to the elmureh, which still has them in its possession. The library contains many rare and curious books, the oldest of which was printed in 1574. The sermons are rather notes of sermons, and are written on paper the size of foolseap. They are all carefully preserved in the library of the parsonage.

The Rev. Abel Morgan was succeeded by his nephew, the Rev. Samuel Morgan. He was born in Welsh Traet Angust 23, 1750; ealled to the ministry in Virginia; ordained at Middletown November 29, 1785, at which time he took on him the care of the church. No account of Mr. Morgan's death or resignation has been obtained.

He was, however, succeeded by the Rev. Benjamin Bennett before 1793, as in that year the church was incorporated under an act of Assembly, passed March 16, 1786, under the

ceived of the approach of the British army from Phila- adelphia, the prisonery here referred to were hastily removed by Sheriff Nicholas Van Brunt from Monmouth Court-House to the jail of Morris County. After the battle of Mormouth they were brought back, and some or . all of them were executed near the court-house.

' The ohl house of the Rev. Abel Morgan is now the parsonage of St. Mary's Catholic Church of New Mon- mouth.

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP.

531

name of " The Baptist Church of Middletown." The following are the names signed to the cer- tificate, June 20, 1793, followed by the record of the election of trustees :

Richard Crawford,

John Stillwell,

Anthony Smith, John Sinock,

Samuel Ogborne,

John Walling,

William Blair,

Joseph Stillwell,

Rebeccalı Stillwell,

James Bowne,

Anna Chascy, Sarah Bostwick, Samuel Bray,

Cornelia Dennis, Mary Holmes,

Obadiah Holmes,

James Patterson, Daniel Ketcham,

Jacob Covenhoven,

Jonathan Stout, Asher Holmes, Cornelius Hulshart, William Green, James Grover,

Phoebe Ketcham, James Walling, Joseph Brown, William Morford, Cornel's Hulshart, Jr.,

Thomas Jeffreys,

Thomas Stillwell,

Jehu Patterson, George Hunt,

Benjamin Hulshart,

Thomas Burrows,

Benjamin Bennett,

John Bowne,

David Burge, Daniel Hill, Phillip Walling, John Taylor,

Silvester Applegate,

John Wall,

Daniel Hendrickson.

· " This is to certify that at a meeting ofa number of signers for the incorporating the Baptist Church at Middletown, of which Benjamin Bennett is pastor, we, the following persons, were chosen as trustees for said church, to wit : John Smock, Jacob Covenhoven, Joseph Stillwell, William Blair, John Stillwell, Jon- athan Stout, and Daniel Ketcham, of whom Joseph Stillwell was by the others chosen president ; and hav- ing taken the oaths necessary as the law directs, and taken upon us the nameof the trustees for the Baptist Church at Middletown, with the seal marked Mx. B.C., do request the same to be recorded as the law in that case directs. As witness our ha ids and seals, the 16th day of December 1793.

Signed, "JOHN SMOCK, [L.S.] \' JACOB COVENHOVEN, [L.S. ] " JOSEPH STILLWELL, [L.S.] " WILLIAM BLAIR, [L.S.] "JOHN STILLWELL, [L.S.] "JONATHAN STOUT, [L.S.] " DANIEL KETCHAM. [L.S.]"

The Rev. Benjamin Beunett was succeeded about 1818 by the Rev. -- King, who, in 1823, was followed by the Rev. Thomas Roberts, who served the church with fidelity mutil 1837, when the Rev. D. B. Stout became pastor. He remained pastor until his death, in 1871. He was buried in the graveyard adjoining the church.

In 1876 the Rev. E. J. Foote accepted a call to the pastorate, and served until April 1, 1883. The present pastor, the Rev. F. A. Douglas, was installed December 20, 1883. The church has a membership of two hundred.

The church, according to Morgan Edwards, met first in a private house belonging to John Stout, one of the first settlers ; " but it does not seem as if they held worship there longer than while a public place was in building ; for when the first house was taken down, in 1734, the tim- ber was rotten, and therefore old ; and there were but sixty-seven years between the beginning of the settlement and the taking down of that house." The lot on which it was situated was a part of the present lot. On April 27, 1734, Robert Hartshorne deeded to the churchi, as a gift, nineteen hundred and ninety-eight square feet of land adjoining, and on this lot, in that year, the congregation erected a house of wor- ship thirty-two by forty-two feet in size, which was used until 1832, when the present house of worship was built.

CHRIST CHURCH (Episcopal) of Middletown and Christ Church of Shrewsbury are so closely connected in their early annals that the history of the latter (in Shrewsbury) has been written to include that of the Middletown Church until 1854, up to which time the two were, in fact, identical.

At the time of the division of church property, in 1855, the Rev. Harry Finch was the rector. The Middletown Church received as its portion a part of the large farm 1 on Swimming River, which was left to the two churches by William Leeds in 1735. Upon the formation of this church into a separate parish the Rev. Charles Woodward became the minister and missionary. The Rev. Eli Wheeler began labor as minister

1 By an aet passed May 2, 1854, to divide the farm property of Christ Church of Shrewsbury and Middletown, embracing four hundred and thirty-eight acres of land, mostly in Middletown, George House, Peter R. Smock and John B. Crawford were appointed commissioners to divide the property. Each took title to their church lot and edifice, and the farm was divided nearly equally, Christ Church of Middletown taking that portion of the farm lying west of the road leading from Leedsville southward into Atlantie township.

532

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

on Easter Sunday, 1858, and resigned October 1, 1859. The Rev. William N. Dunnell was called to be the rector in 1859, and began his labor April 1, 1860, and served ten years. He was succeeded in July, 1871, by the Rev. Peter M. Jaeqnes, who remained two years. The Rev. C. M. Parkmais beeame rector early in 1874 and resigned April 1, 1877. The Rev. Samuel Edson became the reetor, and occupied the pulpit for the first time on Easter Sunday in 1878. He continued until succeeded by the present rector, the Rev. Joseph T. Jowitt, in September, 1882. The church has at present but twelve members.

The first mention of Episcopal Church service in Middletown is in "George Keith's Jour- nal." On the 17th of June, 1702, he visited Middletown and preached a sermon on " Infant Baptism," and the Rev. John Talbot, a mission- ary who came to this country with him, read prayers. He says most of the audience were Anabaptists.

The Rev. Alexander Innes became a resident of Middletown before 1693, and after the de- parture of George Keith he preached oceasion- ally to the churches in the vicinity. He gave ten aeres of land, on which the Episcopal Church now stands, and by his will he left five pounds each to the churches at which he preaelied.

The Rev. Thomas Thompson, who came here as a missionary in 1745, says of the church buildings in the county,-

" As to the church buildings, I have found them all much out of condition, especially the church at Mid- dletown, which was begun to be built but the year before I came there, and had nothing done on the inside, not even a floor laid. So that we had no place for the present to assemble in Divine worship, only an old house which had formerly been a meeting- house.

" In the year 1746 the church at Middletown, which had stood useless, being, as I have before men- tioned, only a shell of a building, had now a floor laid and was otherwise made fit to have divine wor- ship performed in it. The congregation of this church was but small, and as the service could not be oftener than once a month, it was morally impossible to increase the number much, especially as there was a weekly meeting of Anabaptists in that town, so that it was the most I could propose to prevent those that were of the church from being drawn away by dissenters."

This church was used, with repairs, until 1835. It was rebuilt in that year, and conse- crated January 19, 1836, by the Right Rev. Bishop Doane, assisted by the Rev. George E. Hare. The church building is still in use, and the parish is in charge of Trinity Episcopal Church of Red Bank.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF MIDDLE- TOWN had its commencement before 1706, and a chnreh edifice was soon after erected on the old Presbyterian burying-ground lot. The congregation was under the care of the Rev. John Boyd, of the Scots Church (now Ten- nent). He was sueeeeded by the Rev. Joseph Morgan, in 1710, who preached here until 1728. It is stated that the church edifiec in Mr. Mor- gan's time was an old, dilapidated building, even then abandoned and left to decay. Its neglected condition annoyed him, and when riding by, if he saw the door or window open, he would stop, and, dismounting his horse, rev- erently close the open door or window before proceeding on his way. It was repaired under the Rev. Samuel Dennis, who took charge of the church in 1738. In September of that year, Shrewsbury and Middletown Presbyterian Churches ealled the Rev. Samuel Blair, who remained until September 5, 1739. From that time they were without a pastor until May, 1761, when the Rev. Elihu Speneer, D.D., became pastor and remained until May, 1764.

In March, 1767, the Rev. Charles MeKnight who was pastor of the church at Allentown, was ealled to the pastorate. The ehurehes under this eharge at that time were Middletown, Shrewsbury, Shark River and Middletown Point, at each of which plaees a church edifice was built. Rev. Dr. MeKnight remained in charge of the churches until his death, in 1778. He lived at Middletown and served his several churches from there. While visiting the Mid- dletown Point Church, in 1777, a party of British troops, led by Lieutenant Moody, at- tacked the place, burned the church and made the pastor and others prisoners. They were taken to New York and confined in a prison- ship, where Mr. MeKnight was kept for some time, and then released. His sufferings while a

533

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP.

prisoner caused his death soon after his release. He was a native of the north of Ireland, and became a prominent friend of American liberty. His son, Dr. Charles McKnight, was a surgeon in the army, and his son Robert was a captain. In the Trinity Churchyard, in New York City, is a tablet bearing this inscription,-

"To the memory of the Rev. Charles Mcknight, for many years a beloved pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He departed this life January 1, 1778."

After the death of Mr. MeKnight the Mid- dletown Presbyterian congregation became dis- persed. Morgan Edwards, in his " History of the Baptists of New Jersey," says of this place, in May, 1790,-" The Presbyterian congregation is broken up, and their house is converted to ano- ther use." This is the end of the history of the ancient Presbyterian Church at Middletown.

THE REFORMED CHURCH OF MIDDLETOWN was organized July 4, 1836, from members chiefly of the Reformed Church of Holmdel. A meeting of citizens friendly to the erection of a Reformed Church in Middletown was held at the public-house of William Wilson, February 25, 1836, and resolved to build a house of worship forty by forty-seven feet in size. The lot on which the school-house at that time stood, on the King's Highway, was purchased, and the corner-stone of a church was laid in June of the same year. The Rev. Abram Messler, of Somerville, delivered the address. The church was dedicated December 9, 1836, the Rev. Jacob T. B. Beekman offici- ating. The church was organized in the pre- ceding July, at which time John Harris, John C. Lyster and Robert P. Morris were chosen elders, and James C. Robinson, Frederick Dor- set and Peter Lyster were elected deacons. The consistory offered the pews of the church for sale December 14, 1836. The church was remodeled in 1880. The present parsonage was built in 1873.

The Rev. Jacob T. B. Beekman, residing here, became a supply of the church until 1839. In. September of that year John B. Crawford, a recent graduate of the Reformed Dutch Semi- nary of New Brunswick, was called to the

pastorate, and began his labors November 16, 1839, and closed them in 1841. The Rev. Alexander C. Millspangh was called Decem- ber 7, 1841, was ordained on the 15th, and served until March 31, 1866. The Rev. George Seibert was called May 31, 1866, ordained August 12th, in the same year, and resigned January 8, 1873, preaching his last sermon March 2d, following. The Rev. Luther Van Doren was called August 9, 1873, became pas- tor, and remained in service until his death, in October, 1876. The church was then served by supplies for a short time. On the 21st of March, 1877, the Rev. Charles D. Buek, D.D., the present pastor, was called, accepted and was installed May 21st following. The church has a present membership of eighty.

The early physicians practicing in Middle- town and vicinity were Dr. Jacobus Hubbard, of Tinton Falls, and Dr. Edward Allen, of Shrewsbury. Dr. Edward Taylor, a descendant of the George Taylor who purchased land where Dr. Taylor now lives, studied medicine in New Brunswick, and began practice in his native place in 1826, and continued until about 1874, when he retired, and is still living on the old homestead. His son, Dr. Edward F. Taylor, a graduate of the Medical Department of the university, located in Middletown in 1852, and is still in practice there.

In 1812 Middletown village contained two stores, a post-office, two taverns, the Baptist Church and Christ Church of the Episcopalians. William Murray was keeping a store on what is nowa vacant lot, opposite the parsonage of the Re- formed Church. He was appointed postmaster January 22d in that year, and kept the office in the store. George Crawford, who was keep- ing store in 1792, was still keeping it in 1812 in the store near liis residence (now Edwin Beek man's).

The Highlands of Navesink are embraced in the Indian purchase which was made by John Bowne, Richard Stout and others in the winter of 1663-64, as has been more fully noticed in the chapter ou Settlements and Land Titles, That purchase was ofthe "three neckes of land,"

534

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

which the natives called Newasink, Navarum- sunk and Pootapeck. To the purchasers of these Indian lands Governor Richard Nicolls, in 1665, granted the Monmonth patent, covering the same lands, and a great area of territory be- sides,-embracing nearly all of the present county of Monmouth. Afterwards the pro- prieters of East Jersey granted the lands to the patenters, ignoring the title of the Monmouth patent. Richard Hartshorne came . to New Jersey from London in September, 1669, and made his first purchase of land at and on the " Weikce" (Wakake) Creek, and built a house, and resided there until the year 1700, as is shown in various affi- davits and official records. In an affi- davit dated December 26, 1670, he says: "I; Richard Hartshorne, of Weikee," etc. November 25, 1672, " William Goulding, of Graves End and Richard Hartshorne, of Wei- kee," eame before Edward Tartt, town clerk, and declared their consent to the recording of a certain deed.

The proprietors granted William Lawrence, December 22, 1700, ten acres of land on the east side of Wakake Creek, bounded by the creek and land of Richard Hartshorne, and "fifteen aeres of unappropriated sedge and meadow on ye east side of said creek from Hartshorne's residence to ye mouth of ye creek. . . . "

Mr. Hartshorne had been in possession of the Highlands from about 1670, and a honse was upon the land in 1687, as in a road record dated March 2d in that year mention is made of the road as passing " through Richard Hartshorne's land, as the way now goes, to his house, and thence to the most northerly point of Sandy Hook." Mr. Hartshorne came to the possession of the Highlands by patent from the proprietors, with an additional grant of five hundred acres of land, also from the proprietors. The large tract contained two thousand three hundred and twenty acres, including Sandy Hook.

In an affidavit, made by Hartshorne in 1716, he says he was seventy-five years of age, by which it would appear he was born about 1641, and abont twenty-eight years old when he came " here. He was appointed high sheriff of Mon-

mouth County in 1683, but declined the office. He held various positions of trust in the county,-was deputy for several years, Speaker in 1686, a member of the Council in 1684, 1698-99, etc. In the minutes of the General Assembly, pages 122-123, it is stated that Gov- ernor Dongan, of New York, issued a writ, addressed to the authorities of New Jersey, ordering the arrest of Richard Hartshorne, then Speaker, and that he be taken to New York for trial, which the Council refused to execute. What was the offense charged against him is not stated.

In the year 1703, Richard Hartshorne made a deed of gift of the Highlands estate, including Sandy Hook, to his son, William, who lived at the place now called Portland. After this trans- fer Richard Hartshorne moved to Middletown village, where he had purchased lots at differ- ent times from May 24, 1670, and resided in the house, now standing, adjoining the Baptist Church parsonage. He lived in the house until his death, in 1722, and was buried in the burial- ground adjoining the house, and which he had set apart for that purpose. William, his son, lived at Portland until his death, in 1748, and left the Highlands estate mostly to his sons, Robert and Esek. John, another son, was left two hundred acres on Claypit Creek and Nave- sink River (which are now occupied by the Misses Hartshorne, who are descendants of Rich- ard), also a large traet of land in Rumson Neck. The Highlands estate of Hartshorne remained intact until 1762, when Esek released to Robert all his title to lands south of a line drawn east and west through the Highlands, making each tract about seven hundred and forty-seven acres, and each retaining a half-interest in Sandy Hook. The property of Robert (being the south part) lies on Navesink River. It was kept by him until his death, in 1801. His son Richard, born in 1765, came to the estate of his father, and lived at Portland until his death, in 1831. His son, Robert, born in 1798, also lived at Port- land till his death in 1877. The property is now owned by his sons,-Benjamin M. Harts- horne and Edward Hartshorne, of Portland.

The north part of the Highlands estate of Esek Hartshorne was sold by his executors,

535

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP.

June 8, 1797, to Tylee Williams, including an undivided half-interest in Sandy Hook, the whole being about eight hundred acres. The south part of this tract, containing one hundred and seventy acres, came to the possession of Nimrod Woodward before 1812. His executors sold it, in 1830, to Peter W. Sehenck. On the same date the west part was sold to James Patterson. A portion was still retained by the family, and is now the eastern part of the At- lantic Highlands.

On Navesink River, near Portland, is the club-house of the Neptune Club, of New York. The club was chartered in 1858, and erected a house on land of Benjamin M. Hartshorne. They number forty members.

The first settlement on the east side of what is now the Highlands of Navesink was made by Nimrod Woodward, who built a hotel there before 1812. It was kept by him and his fam- ily until March, 1830, when Peter W. Schenck bought the farm (consisting of one hundred and seventy aercs) of the executors of Woodward. Peter W. Schenck was a son of William Schenck, who served in the Revolutionary War, after which he settled temporarily at Middletown Point, and was then appointed keeper of the Sandy Hook light-house, which position he re- tained until his death.1 Peter, his son, had charge of the grounds from that time until 1831, when he removed to this place and kept the hotel. In 1841 he enlarged it and remained there until 1849, when Joseph I. Thompson rented it and conducted it until 1851, when he purchased eight acres of land south of the hotel, and on it erected the Atlantic Pavilion, of which he is still the proprietor.

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History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 14

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co. Number of Pages: 994

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 994