History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 20

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

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name of the town of Dover." By other sections of the same aet, portions of Shrewsbury township lying in what is now Ocean County were an- nexed to Freehold and Upper Freehold, as is more fully mentioned in the histories of those townships.

The area of Shrewsbury was further reduced by the taking of parts of its territory to form Howell township in 1881; Atlantic township in 1847, Ocean township in 1849 and Eaton- town township in 1873. The histories of those townships include descriptions of the territory thus taken at the times mentioned, by which Shrewsbury was reduced to its present limits. The township as it now exists is bounded north by Navesink River, Swimming River and Hop Brook, which separates it from Middletown ; east by Shrewsbury River and the townships of Eatontown, Ocean and Neptune; south by Shrewsbury River and the townships of Eaton- town and Wall ; and west by the townships of Wall, Atlautie and Middletown. The only streams of importance in Shrewsbury township are the Navesink and Shrewsbury (sometimes called the North and South Shrewsbury) Rivers, both of which flow iu a northeasterly and then a northerly course, and, uniting their waters, empty into Sandy Hook Bay. The railway lines of Shrewsbury are the New York and Long Branch Railroad, which crosses the town- ship in a southeast direction from Red Bank ; and the New Jersey Southern, which enters the township at Red Bank, runs thence south into Eatontown, then re-enters Shrewsbury and crosses it, running in a southwesterly direction into Atlantie township, on the route to Farm- ingdale, Lakewood and Tom's River. The population of Shrewsbury township by the United States census of 1880 was six thousand five hundred and twenty-six.

Following is a list of chosen frecholders of Shrewsbury township, from the time when the board became an independent body 1 to the pres- ent, viz. :

1 The Board of Freeholders became an independent body in 1798. Prior to that timo they had exercised their official powers in conjunction with the justices of the county.

SHREWSBURY TOWNSHIP.

575

1798-1804. Theophilus Little. 1796-1802. Jacob Holmes. 1805-9. Robert Evilman. 1806-7. Thomas Morford. 1827-47. Elisha Lippincott. 1839-46. William R. Maps. 1847-48. Henry Wolcott, Jr. 1848. Henry Howland. 1849-50. Michael Taylor. 1849-53. John R. Conover. 1854-55. Samuel T. Hendrickson. 1856. John E. Norris. 1857-59. Robert W. Brower. 1860-62. John W. Parker.

· 1863-64. Samuel T. Hendrickson. 1865-72. William T. Conover. 1873-74. Corlies W. Thompson. 1875-77. Richard Applegate.

1878-80. James S. Throckmorton. 1880-84. Jacob Shults.

The old village of Shrewsbury lies about one and a half miles south of Red Bank, at a "four corners " formed by the crossing of the Red Bank and Eatontown turnpike and the Tinton Falls and Rumson Neck road, which latter is at this point identical with a King's highway which was laid out as such by the road commissioners of Monmouth County in 1685,-just two centuries ago,-to pass through the Shrewsbury settlement, which, even then, was twenty years old, and contained a Friends' Meeting-house, which had been erected in 1672, The suecessor of that old meeting-house still forms, a part of the village, and there are also here two other churches (Presbyterian and Epis- copalian) which date their origin back to years prior to 1790.

In 1695 the land in the northeastern angle of the Shrewsbury four corners was owned by John Lippincott, except that lot which he sold (for a nominal sum) to the Friends for a meet- ing-house. In 1706, Nicholas Brown owned the southeast eorner and sold to the Episcopa- lians, a part of liis farm on which Christ Church was erected. John West also lived near here and owned the "Great House," at which place the first election for freeholders of the town- ship took place, in Mareli, 1710. Samuel Dennis also lived here. He was a judge of the courts from 1704 to his death. He was buried in Shrewsbury, and his tombstone gives his history as follows :

"Here lies, in hopes of a joyful resurrection, Samuel Dennis, who came from Great Britain to this place A.D., 1675, and lived here to the day of his death, which was the 7th of June, 1723, aged seventy-two years and six months, leaving issue two sons and three daughters by his only wife, Increase, who de- parted this life twenty-eight years before him."

Jededialı Allen lived on the northwest corner, where Dr. Edmund W. Allen, a great-grandson, was born, in 1788, and where he lived until his death, in 1867. His son Joseph now resides on the homestead.

Among the prominent men who settled in Shrewsbury was Samuel Breese, whose father, Sidney Breese, was a merchant in New York, but who owned considerable property in this county. Samuel married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley, and came to this village and settled in 1767. She died the next year, leaving a daughter, who afterwards became the wife of the Rev. Jedediah Morse, whose sehool geography is well known. From this family Samuel Finley Breese Morse, the discoverer of the magnetie telegraph, was de- scended. The second wife of Samuel Breese was a daughter of John Garland, of New York City. He was for many years a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Chureh. He was also a colonel of provincial troops during the Revolution. He died in 1801, and was buried in the Presby- terian Churchyard. His son, Samuel S. Breese, resided in the village, and was the postmaster appointed upon the establishment of the office, January 1, 1796.

About 1732, Theodosius Bartow, a counselor- at-law, settled at Shrewsbury, where he died October 5, 1746, and was buried under the right aisle of Christ Church. His wife was Ann Stillwell. He received a promise from her on his death-bed that their unborn child should be named after himself. The child was a girl and was named Theodosia, who after- wards became the wife of Colonel Frederick Prevost and subsequently the wife of Aaron Burr, and from whom their ill-fated daughter, Theodosia (the wife of Governor Allston, of South Carolina), took her name. Theodosius Bartow was a son of the Rev. John Bartow, of England, a missionary from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

He married Helena, daughter of John Reid, of Freehold township, in 1706, and settled as rector of St. Peter's Church, in Westchester, N. Y., where he died in 1726.

An old house which stood on the north of and adjoining the Friends' Meeting-house lot, and which was taken down in 1879, is believed to have been built in 1746, as in taking it down a brick was found in one of the chimneys bear- ing the words and figures : " Michael White, his brick, 1746." In 1800 the house belonged to Jacob Holmes, and in 1821 it passed to Benja- min Stevens, who was the father of John L. Stevens, the author. There are now in the old village many elegant residences and finely laid- out grounds, along the quiet roads, which are shaded with sycamores, whose great size indi- cates that they were contemporary with the churches and old residences.

The post-office at Shrewsbury was established January 1, 1796, with Samuel S. Breese, post- master. He was succeeded, March 3, 1804, by Benjamin White, Jr., who served until about 1833. He was succeeded by E. H. Van Uxem, Joseph Allen, - Lippincott, Theodore Sickles, George D. Bradford and the present ineumbent, A. H. Borden.

THE FRIENDS' MEETING and Meeting-house at Old Shrewsbury were in existence more than two.centuries ago. Concerning them, the ear- liest information is gained from the journals of John Burnyeate and George Fox, distinguished members of the Society of Friends ; in company with them were Robert Withers, George Pati- son and others, some of whom returned by the same route a few months afterwards. These noted Quaker preachers left Maryland in the latter part of February, 1672, and arrived at New Castle, Del., about the 1st of March. The following is George Fox's account of the journey and also of his return trip :

"We departed thence from New Castle, Del., and got over the river not without great danger of some of our lives. When we were got over we were troubled to procure guides, which were hard to get and very changeable. Then had we that wilderness to pass through since called West Jersey, not then in- habited by English ; so that we have travelled a whole · day together without seeing man or woman, house or

dwelling-place. Sometimes we lay in the woods by a fire and sometimes in the Indians' wigwams or houses. We came one night to an Indian town and lay at the King's house, who was a very pretty man. Both he and his wife received us very lovingly, and his attend- ants (such as they were) were very respectful to us. They laid us mats to lie on ; but provision, was very short with them, having caught but little that day. At another Indian town where we staid, the King came to us and he could speak some English. I spoke to him much, and also to his people, and they were very loving to us. At length we came to Middletown, an English plantation in East Jersey, and there were friends there, but we could not stay to have a meeting at that time, being so earnestly pressed in our spirits to get to the half-yearly meeting of Friends of Oyster Bay, Long Island, which was near at hand. We went with a friend, Richard Hartshorne, brother to Hugh Hartshorne, the upholsterer in London, who received us gladly to his house, where we refreshed ourselves, and then he carried us and our horses in his own boat over a great water, which held us most part of the day in getting over, and set us upon Long Island."

From thence Fox proceeded to Gravesend, L. I. In June following he returned to New Jersey. Of his return trip he writes as follows:

"Being clear of this place we hired a sloop, and the wind serving, set out for the new country now called Jersey. Passing down the bay by Conny Is- land, Naton Island and Stratton Island, we came to Richard Hartshorne, at Middleton harbor, about break of day on the 27th of sixth month. Next day we rode about thirty miles into that country, through the woods and over very bad bogs, one worse than all the rest, the descent into which was so steep that we were fain to slide down with our horses and then let them lie and breathe themselves before they go on. This place the people of the place called Purgatory. We got at length to Shrewsbury, in East Jersey, and on First day had a precious meeting there, to which Friends and other people came far, and the blessed presence of the Lord was with us. The same week we had a men and women's meeting out of most parts of New Jersey. They are building a meeting-place in the midst of them, and there is a monthly and a general meeting set up, which will be of great service in those parts in keeping up the gospel order and gov- ernment of Christ Jesus, of the increase of which there is no end, that they who are faithful may see that all who profess the holy truth live in pure re- ligion and walk as becometh the gospel. While we were at Shrewsbury an accident befel, which for a time was a great exercise to us.

"John Jay, a friend of Barbadoes, who came with us from Rhode Island, and intended to accompany us through the woods to Maryland, being to try a horse, got upon his back, and the horse fell a running, cast

577

SHREWSBURY TOWNSHIP.

him down upon his head and broke his neck, as the people said. Those that were near him took him up as dead, carried him a good way and laid him on a tree. I got to him as soon I could, and feeling himn, concluded he was dead. As I stood pitying him and his family, I took hold of his hair, and his head turned any way, his neck was so limber. Whereupon I took his head in both iny hands and setting my knees against the tree, I raised his head and perceived there was nothing out or broken that way. Then I put one hand under his chin and the other behind his head, and raised his head two or three times with all my strength, and brought it in. I soon perceived his neck began to grow stiff again, and then he began to rattle in his throat, and quietly after to breathe. The people were amazed, but I bade them have a good heart, be of good faith and carry him into the house. They did so, and set him by the fire. I bid them get him something warm to drink and put him to bed. After he had been in the house a while he began to speak, but did not know where he had been. The next day we passed away and he with us, pretty well about sixteen miles to a meeting at Middletown, through woods and bogs, and over a river where we swam our horses, and got over ourselves upon a hollow tree. Many hundred miles did he travel with us after this.

"To this meeting came most of the people of the town. A glorious meeting we had, and the truth was over all, blessed be the great Lord God forever ! After the meeting we went to Middletown harbor, about five miles, in order to take onr long journey next morning through the woods towards Maryland, hav- ing hired Indians for our guides."

It is shown by these extraets that at that time the Friends were building a meeting-house at Shrewsbury. The exaet locality of their first meeting-house is not known. Mention is also made of a "monthly and general meeting" be- ing " set up." The society is now of the Shrewsbury Monthly, the Shrewsbury and Rah- way Quarterly and the New York Monthly Meetings.

On the 5th of March, 1695, the Trustees of the Friends' Meeting of Shrewsbury-Jede- diah Allen, Peter Tilton and Remembrance Lippincott-purchased of John Lippincott "all that pieee or parcel of land situate and being at the southeast corner of the said Lippincott's great lot joining to Thomas - land, whereon his dwelling-house now stands, in breadth eight rods easterly, and in length twenty rods north- erly, from thenee running easterly eight rods, and from thence southerly twenty rods, to the 37

place of beginning," abutting southward upon the highway, east and north on Jolin Lippineott and westward upon the highway, containing one acre of land, in trust "for the poor people ealled Quakers." Upon this lot the Friends erected a brick meeting-honse, which was used until 1816.

George Keith, who came to this country in 1685, was at that time a member of the Society of Friends. He was prominent in the erection of the Friends Meeting-House at Topanemus, in 1692. Soon afterwards he returned to Eng- land, and while there became a convert to Epis- eopalianism, and in April, 1702, returned to this country as a missionary for that church. He came to this society and proselyted among them, winning many over to the Episcopalian faith, some of whom were of the founders of Christ Churel.

On the 19th of August, 1717, the Friends bought of Preserved Lippineott, a half-aere of ground adjoining their land, and in 1816, when the present meeting-house was built, it was ereeted on both lots. It is a frame building forty by sixty feet in size, and shingled on the sides as well as on the roof.

The division among the Friends in 1827-28 reached this society. The Hieksites retained the meeting-house and lot, and the Orthodox rented a building, in which they worshiped until 1842, when they purchased a lot on the turnpike leading to Red Bank, and erected a meeting-house, which they used until April, 1880, when it was sold. The building was moved aeross the road, and is now Library Hall. The Orthodox Society is nearly extinet. The Hieksites have a membership of about sev- enty. The speakers who have preached liere have been Elizabeth Hunt and Ann Hopkins, who began about 1820 ; Joseph Woleott began speaking about 1828. He was followed by Josepli Lafetra, Sarah Underwood and Rachael C. Tilton, the last mentioned of whom is now speaker.

CHRIST CHURCH (Episcopal) of Shrewsbury and Christ Church of Middletown are identical in that part of their history extending down to 1854, when the church property was divided, and each became a separate parish.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Probably the most zealous chureliman in this county in 1700 was Lewis Morris, of Tinton Manor, afterwards Governor of New Jersey. He was a son of Richard Morris, of Morris- ania, N. Y., and a nephew of Colonel Lewis Morris, who purchased a large traet of land at the Falls of Shrewsbury (Tinton Falls), and died in 1692, leaving his estate to this nephew, Lewis Morris, who settled upon it. In the year 1700 (being then president of the Council of East New Jersey) he addressed a letter to the bisliop of London concerning the state of reli- gion in the two provinces. After writing of the province in general, he mentioned each of the ten towns of East New Jersey. Of Free- hold he said : "It was settled from Scotland (Mr. Keith began the first settlement there and made a fine plantation, which he afterwards sold and went into Pensilvania), and about the one- half of it are Seoteh Presbiterians and a sober people ; the other part of it was settled by Peo- ple (some from New England, some from New York and some from the fore-mentioned towns) who are generally of no religion. There is in this town a Quaker Meeting-house, but most of the Quakers who built it are come off with Mr. Keith ; they have not fixt yet on any re- ligion, but are most inclinable to the Church, and could Mr. Keith be perswaded to go into those countrys, he would (with the blessing of God) not only bring to the Church the Quakers that come off with him in East and West Jersey, which are very numerous, bnt make many con- verts in that country." Of Shrewsbury, he says it was "settled from New England, Rhode Island and New York; there is in it abt thirty Quakers of both sexes, and they have a meeting- house; the rest of the People are generally of no religion ; the youth of the whole Province are very debauchi'd and very ignorant, and the Sabbath-day seems to be set apart for Rioting and Drunkenness. There was, in the year one thousand six hundred and ninety-seven, some endeavours to settle a maintenance in that country for ministers, and the greater part of the House of Commons then were for it ; but one Richard Hartshorne, a Quaker, and Andrew Brown [Bowne], an Anabaptist, found means to defeat it that session, and before the Assembly ·

could sit again arriv'd one Jeremiah Bass, an Anabaptist Preacher, with a commission from the Proprietors of East Jersey to be their Gov- ernour, and with instructions and orders from them not to consent to any aet to raise a main- tenance for any minister of what persuasion so- ever, so that there is no hope of doing anything of that kind till that Governm is in other hands."

Morris elosed his letter by saying : "I shall now suggest some measures weh may conduce to ye bringing over to the church the People in those Countrys. First. That no man be sent a Governour into any of those Plantations but a firm Churehman, and, if possible, none but Churehmen be in his Counsel and in the Magis- tracy. 2ndly. That Churchmen may have some peculiar privileges above others. This (if prae- ticable) must be done by Aet of Parliament. 3aly. That there may be some measures fallen upon to get ministers to preach gratis in America for some time till there be sufficient numbers of eonverts to bear the charge."

The communieation of Lewis Morris was laid before the then recently organized1 Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and, at the same time, there was received by the society a letter from the Rev. George Keith, containing the following :

"In East Jersey I have several friends that eame off with me in the separation from the Quakers, and so continue, and, as I have been informed by a worthy gentleman, Colonel Mor- ris, formerly my seholar, who has a family and a good estate in that Provinee, they are well prepared to receive a Church of England Min- ister among them. The fittest places to set up a Church congregation are Amboy and the Falls in Shrewsbury, where Colonel Morris has his house and estate. There is not one Church of England as yet in either West or East Jersey,- the more is the pity ; and, except in two or three towns, there is no place of any public worship of any sort, but the people live very mean, like Indians."

The Rev. George Keith was appointed the

1 The society was chartered by William III. of England, June 16, 1701.

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SHREWSBURY TOWNSHIP.

first missionary of the society, with instructions to visit America. Lewis Morris visited Eng- land on official business in 1701-2 and sailed for America in the same vessel ("Centurion ") with Keith, the Rev. Patrick Gordon, another missionary, and Colonel Dudley, Governor of New England. They embarked April 24, 1702, and landed at Boston, June 11, 1702. The chaplain of the "Centurion," John Talbot, was so deeply impressed with Mr. Keith's un- dertaking that he left the ship and aecompa- nied him on his mission. On the 10th of October they arrived at Topanemus, where they officiated on the following day. The preaching at this place resulted in the formation of St. Peter's Church at Topanemus (now at Freehold). The following extracts are from Mr. Keith's journal :

"Sunday, October 17th, 1702 .- I preached at Mid- dletown, in East Jersey, where, before sermon, Mr. Talbot read the Church Prayers, and I preached on Matt. 28 : 19-20, one main part of my sermon being to prove Infant baptism to be ineluded in the Apostle's commission, as well as that of adult persons, their be- ing several of the audience who were Anabaptists, who heard me civilly without interruption ; but most of the auditory were Church people or well affeeted to the Church.

"October 24th, 1702 .- I preached at Shrewsbury, at a house near the Quaker Meeting-House, and it hap- pened it was the time of the Quaker Yearly Meeting at Shrewsbury. My text was 2d Peter, 2 : 1-2. The Church Prayers being read before sermon, we had a great congregation, generally well affected to the Church, and divers of them were of the Church, and that day I sent some lines in writing to the Quakers at their Yearly Meeting ; which Mr. Talbot did read to them in their meeting, wherein I desired them to give me a meeting with them some day of that week before their meeting was concluded; in which meeting I offered to detect great errors in their Author's books, and they should have full liberty to answer what they had to say in their vindication. But they altogether refused my proposition, and several papers passed be- twixt us. In some of their papers they used gross reflections on the Church of England as much as on me. We continued our meeting three days, as the Quakers did theirs. And the second day of our meet- ing at the saine house, where we had formerly met, I detected Quaker errors out of their printed books, par- ticularly out of the Folio Book of Edward Burroughs' Works, collected and published by the Quakers after his death, and did read quotations to the Auditory, laying the pages open before such as were willing to

read them for their better satisfaction, as some did read them.

"October 26th .- I preached again at Shrewsbury, on Matt. 7 : 13. In these meetings in Shrewsbury, Middletown and Toponemes, or where else in the Nethesinks, Mr. Louis Morris and divers others of the best note in that county frequented the congregations and places where we preached and did kindly enter- tain us at their houses, where we lodged as we travelled too and again, particularly at Mr. Morris, Mr. Inness, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Boels and Mr. Read. Mr. Inness being in Priest's orders often preached among them and by preaching and conferences frequently with the Quakers and other sorts of people, as also by his pious conversation, has done mueh good among them and been very instrumental to draw them off from their errors and bring them over to the Church."

Mr. Keith left Monmouth about the last of October, 1702, for Burlington and elsewhere. He returned in December, and says,-

" December 20th, 1702 .- I preached at Dr. John- ston's at Nethersinks, on Rev. 22 : 14.

"Dee. 25th, Friday, being Christmas .- I preached at the house of Mr. Morris, on Luke 21 : 10-11. And after sermon divers of the auditory received with us the Holy Sacrament; both Mr. Morris and his wife, and divers others. Mr. Talbot did administer it.

" December 27th, Sunday .- I preached at Shrews- bury Town, near the Quaker Meeting-House, at a Planter's house, and had a considerable auditory of Church people, lately converted from Quakerism, with divers others of the Church of best note in that part of the country. My text was Heb. 8: 10-11."

" January 3d, 1703 .- I preached again at his house on the same text, and before sermon Mr. Talbot baptized two persons belonging to the family of John Read, formerly a Quaker, but was lately come over to the Church, with all his children, one son and two daughters. His two daughters were baptized by Mr. Talbot, October 20th, 1702 ; as also the same day was baptized William Leads (Leeds?) and his sister Mary Leads, late converts from Quakerism to the Church.' And some days before, at the house of John Read, Mr. Talbot baptized the wife of Alexander Neaper and his

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History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 20

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