History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 27

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 27

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).

Robert West, of London, patented fifteen hundred acres south of Burlington Path and east of Crosswieks Creek, January 22, 1689. John Smith, of Middletown, patented a tract

618

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

between Robert West and John Throckmorton. Peter Sonmnans patented fifteen hundred acres lying east of Crosswicks Creek and north of Burlington Path.

Between the years 1688 and 1695 a strip of land reaching nearly across the county was taken by men from Middletown, and is known as " Middletown Men's Lots." It reaches from the fifteen hundred acre tract of Peter Sonmans, along the northwest side of Burlington Path, to the Pines, and was divided as follows : Joseph Throckmorton, four hundred and eighty acres ; James Bowne, four hundred and eighty acres ; James Ashton, four hundred and eighty acres ; Philip Smith, four hundred and eighty acres ; Jolin Stout, three hundred acres ; Benjamin Bor- den, two hundred and forty acres ; Job Throck- morton, two hundred and seventy-four acres. The tract below the path contained four hun- dred and eighty acres, and belonged to John Throckmorton. It extended southerly to Lah- away Crcek.

The Lahaway Creek furnished several good mill-sites, at what is now Walnford and the Waln Mills. A tract of land, partly of the Dockwra tract and part of the Peter Sonmans, was purchased and a grist-mill erected. In 1760 it was in possession of Abram Brown, who, on the 5th of October, 1772, conveyed it to Rich- ard Waln, who had loaned money upon the property. He was a descendant of Nicholas Waln, who came over with William Penn, and a brother of Nicholas Waln, of Philadelphia. He moved to the place, and during the Revolu- tion built the present large and commodious mansion-house, which is still in as good condi- tion as when the British officers were entertained within its walls. Before 1800, Mr. Waln sent flour from this mill to Philadelphia, in scows, down Crosswicks Creek. A bridge now spans the stream within a stone's throw of the mill, the site of which is historic. It is near the " Province Line" and near the "Burlington Path." With reference to this bridge, there was published, some years since, an article from which the following is extracted :

" A body of the American forces, in retreat, probably from Bordentown, destroyed the old bridge. The English troops were in hot pur-

suit, and the object was to discommode and im- pede their advance. The enemy with great ce- lerity threw over a bridge a little distance up the stream, just above the head of the dam. Said an old lady of the Waln family, detailing to lier household what her own eyes had seen : 'I never saw the like. The soldiers cut down big trees, trimmed them, and then brought each tree on porters (i.e., short sticks, passed under). There was a long row of soldiers on each side of a tree; they carried it along as if the tree weighed nothing. And some went back for another. There were so many men, that as fast as one tree was brought another came close be- hind it, and so the bridge went up, and the troops crossed over.' The officer in command went to the house, where dinner was just ready. Its chief dish was souse. The officer sat down, his guards standing near, while the family re- frained from eating, but gave attention to the officer's wants. He ate heartily, and at the close of the meal a large pile of bones lay by his plate. Seeming ashamed, as if he had over- eaten, he swept them to the door, and withdrew. There was a sort of refinement in the officer's conduct, as though he would like to acknowl- edge the attention he had received. The body marched on, and not the least annoyance was al- lowed." The officer referred to by the lady, is sup- posed to have been General Knyphansen, and the occasion, the advance of the British army to Monmouth Court-House, in June, 1778.

Richard Waln favored the British cause and his property was protected. One of the officers while here lost his spur, which was found a few years ago by a workman while digging near the stream. Nicholas Waln, one of the older sons, took charge of the mill about 1795, and con- tinued it till his death, in April, 1848. His father died in 1809. In the division of the property, the mill was apportioned to Sarah Waln (Mrs. Jacob Hendrickson), who now owns the mill and occupies the mansion. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1821 and rebuilt the same size as the present mill, which was built in 1872.

On Lahaway Creek, near its junetion with Crosswieks Creek, is the farm of John G. Meirs, which in the time of the Revolution, was occupied by the noted Torv. Thomas Leonard,

619

UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP.

who was denounced by the Freehold Commit- open. The demand was made, ' Where is your tee of Vigilance, and who subsequently escaped to New York. At the close of the Revolution, when New York was evacuated by the British, Leonard went to St. John's, New Brunswick, where he settled.

In 1870 the frame of an old barn on the Leonard (Meirs) farm was moved, to be rebuilt as a part of some of the out-hoases. The re- moval, and some facts in reference to the old buildings at this place, was noticed in the Mon- mouth Democrat of that time as follows : "On tearing off the well-nigh worn-out siding the date of the building was found cut into the sill-beam-1777. It is surprising how those ancients built for time. The timbers are of white oak, and each one easily squares a foot. The siding was of the best white cedar and an ineh thiek. The building never had a coat of paint or lime, and yet, until quite recently, its siding was proof against the weather, but it was worn very thin ; while the timbers were every one as sound as the day they were felled in those primitive woods. Last year the same gentleman [Mr. Meirs] moved and fixed mp for a tool-house a singular little structure known as the ' hip-roof house.' It had a roof of that quaint old style, thus named. This queer little house was inhabited before the Revolution. Still its timbers are all sound, a part of the floor- ing is. there, and the old shingled roof is yet rain and storm-proof. In the Revolution it was owned by a Tory named Leonard, who lived in it with his wife. He must have been a trouble- some fellow, for the place is now pointed out where a party of Whigs, or Continentals, were concealed in watch for the traitor. They must have known that he was in the house; so a raid was made for liis immediate capture. The wife saw them coming, and as there was no possibil- ity of escape from the dwelling, she made him flee to the cubby-hole at one end of the peak of the hip-roof. The entrance was so small that the man had to strip off his clothing before he could squeeze into the poke-hole. The pursn- ers were now at the door. Carrying her hus- band's clothes in her arms, the woman ran down- stairs, put them on the seat of the chair and sat on them. At this moment the door was forced

husband ?' But the woman gave no sign ; not moving from her seat and keeping her counte- nance imperturbable. The men began at once a search of the house, but all in vain. Puzzled and baffled, they left, without having caused the woman to stir from her seat. The effeet was that Leonard received a thorough scare, and concluded it to be no longer safe for him to remain at home. But how to escape, when so determined a hunt was kept up for his life ? He was evidently a man of some shrewdness, and was equal to the emergency. Having blackened his face, he changed clothes with his old lame negro slave, and actually passed the party that had surrounded his house the day before, not one of them for a moment suspecting that the old black fellow that was limping by was old Leonard, the Tory himself. He got away safe to Nova Scotia, and never came back again. After the Revolution his property was confis- cated and sold at a very low figure. It was afterwards bought by General Forman, and about 1833 it came into the possession of the present family of Meirs.

"There is now standing on the farm, at a con- siderable distance from the house, an old walnut- tree. A tradition has long existed to the effect that near this tree was the residence of the father of the Loyalist, and that this one, the elder Leonard, when walking in his garden, was shot by an Indian, concealed behind some gooseberry bushes. As no vestige of any resi- denee or garden had been seen for many years, unless the old walnut-tree may date baek to that time, the present occupant, Mr. John G. Meirs, placed no confidence in the story. Still, the story was long told in all sincerity. About a year ago Mr. Meirs set a man to dig a treneh not far from the tree, to drain the land. The digger turned up an old-fashioned silver spoon, on which was engraved the initial L. This, with good reason, Mr. Mcirs believed to have be- longed to the father of the Loyalist, who was killed near that spot."

ALLENTOWN,1 situated in the northwest cor-

1 Many of the historical facts having reference lo the township of Upper Freehold, and particularly to the vil-

620

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

ner of the township, on Doctor's Creek, is the principal village of Upper Freehold. The first settler at this place was Nathan Allen, a son of Jedediah Allen,1 of Shrewsbury, and one of a large family of children. In 1706 he pur- chased of Robert Burnet, one of the proprictors of New Jersey, five hundred and twenty-eight acres of land lying on the north side of Indian Run, in what is now Washington township, Mer- cer County; and at the same time he purchased one hundred and ten aeres on Doctor's Creek and on both sides of the York road. In the same year he settled and built a grist-mill at the same place which became the village of Allen- tewn. In the previous year he had married Margery, daughter of the proprietor, Robert Burnet, from whom lie had made his purchase of land. She was living in 1716, but died pre- vious to 1721, and in that year he married Martha, widow of Franeis Davenport (2), whose maiden-name was Martha Newbury. By her he had two sons, Nathan and Benjamin, and two daughters, Martha and Margery. He died in 1837 and his widow, Martha, afterwards married -- De Bow.

Nathan, (2d), son of Nathan and Martha Allen, married Saralı Lawrence. He inherited from his father the grist-mill and plantation at Allentown, while Iris brother Benjamin inherited the fulling-mill with two and a half acres, part of the same property. He died in 1718, leav- ing one son, Nathan John Allen, and in 1750 his executors sold the mill property, two hun- dred and thirty-eight acres, to Stoffel Long- street, " late of Shrewsbury," etc. His widow,

Inge of Allentown, were furnished to the writer by Charles R. Hutchinson, of Allentown. Much valuable informa- tion concerning the history of Allentown has also been furnished by John C. Vanderbeck, and Mrs. Mary A. Fiske.

1 Jededinh Allen emigrated from New England to Shrews- bury previous to 1692; was a justice of the court there in 1700 and 1701. Will dated September 15, 1711, proven February 6, 1711 ; wife Elizabeth ; sons,-Ephraim, who married a daughter of William West, of Shrewsburry ; Elisha ; Nathan, of whom hereafter ; Judah, who married Deborah Adams, and died in 1721 : Ralph ; Henry ; Jona- than, David. Daughters,-Esther, who married James Adams ; Mary, who married - Wills; Patience, who married Samuel Tilton ; and Meribah, who married Wil- liam Thorn.

Sarah, afterwards married Thomas Lawrie, an old-time merchant of Allentown.

Benjamin, son of Nathan (1st) and Martha, in 1748, sold the fulling-mill to Isaac Price, who owned it until his death, in 1768. In 1771 it again became a part of the grist-mill property. It long since ceased to be used for its original purpose, and when the present grist-mill was erected upon its site, was removed, and is now a double dwelling-house on the westerly side of the bridge.

The mill property, since the time of its sale to Stoffel Longstreet, has been in possession of the following-named persons, viz. : James Eng- lish, Jr., purchased May 1, 1761 ; John Rhea (a Philadelphia merchant), June 1, 1767 ; Rob- ert Rhea, of Allentown, August 12, 1774; Joseph Haight, November 4, 1776; Arthur Donaldson, March 12, 1779; Peter Imlay, March 2, 1781 ; Robert Pidgeon, January 22, 1788 ; John Imlay, November 14, 1792 ; Rob- ert Evilman, December 29, 1792; Aaron and George Stewart, 1796. George soon after sold to Aaron, whose heirs (April 1, 1835) sold to Richard Brewer, who conveyed the property April 2, 1845, to Abel Cafferty, who now owns it. In 1852 Mr. Cafferty built the present briek mill, forty by fifty feet, three stories high.

Around Nathan Allen's grist-mill there were soon clustered a store, tavern, blacksmith-shop and other kinds of business. It is certain that the place had taken the name Allentown before 1732. In that year Nathan Allen and Lewis Carree died. The latter, in his will, is mentioned as Lewis Carree, of Allentown, mer- chant. His exceutors were authorized to sell his lands, by virtue of which his widow, Mar- garet2 (who later became the wife of Gabriel Stelle), conveyed a lot of land in Allentown to Elisha Lawrence for one hundred and twenty pounds, lying on the north side of the main street, and extending from the Baptist Church to, or near to, the line of Churel Street. His store was doubtless on this lot. About 1730 the Episcopal Church was ereeted, and in 1756 the Presbyterian (briek) Church was built. Dr. James Newell came to the place abont 1770 and

" Daughter of Thomas Gordon, surveyor-general.

UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP.

practiced till after 1812. He lived on the site of the Baptist Church. Dr. Edward Taylor studied medicine with him about 1782. For a more full account of Dr. Taylor the reader is referred to the Medical Society chapter of this history.

Of the other early . business interests of the village, but little has been learned. John Imlay removed to the place before 1790. Whether he was in business here before engaging in the ship- ping business in Philadelphia is not known. In 1790 he built an elegant residence that still stands in good condition on Main Street. His son William engaged in the hardware business in the village and also was postmaster for many years. The parlor and other rooms in the old Imlay mansion were papered with French paper, which now remains on the walls. It is as elegant in design as any modern papers. It was made in sheets of about two feet square. Mrs. Mary A. Fiske, a granddaughter of John Imlay, has framed the bill for the wall-paper, dated 1794, which she found among her grandfather's pa- pers.

Robert Debow, about 1805, erected the old brick store building that still stands on the south side of Main Street. This he occupied many years, and was succeeded by David Mc- Kean, who later moved to a building farther up the street.

Samuel Rogers, who, in 1798, was appointed postmaster, was captain of a militia company in 1807, and on July 27th of that year offered the services of his company to the government for the war that was then expected to result from the " Chesapeake " outrage.

Allentown has the honor of being the first town in this State in the forming of a temper- anee society. In 1805 the " Allentown Tem- perance Sober Society " was organized with fif- ty-eight members. But little more is known of this society except that it kept its existence for several years.

Some idea may be formed of the active busi- ness of the village in 1818 by the history of the Perseverance Fire Company, which was organized in Allentown, with fifty-one mem- bers, on the 23d of November, in that year. A number of inhabitants met at the house of

William Arnd, for the purpose of forming a fire company. A constitution was drawn up and adopted. Each member was to provide himself with a fire-bucket. The following are the names of the original members :

D. Mckean,

Robert De Bow,

R. M. Stout, Graham Newell,

William Imlay, John Vanhorn,

Joseph Robbins, .

James Cox,

Samuel Savidge,

Gabriel Allen,

Michael Forman,

Samuel C. Sprague,

William Foster,

Samuel Newell,

Peter I. Wyckoff,

John Bunting,

Lewis S. James,

George Ford,

George Sinclair,

James Clutch,

Nathaniel Britton,

Charles Ford,

Edmond Tilton,

Richard Bruere, Cornelius Vanderbeek,

R. D. L. Beatty,

John Clutch,

Lewis Steward,

George W. Taylor,

Gilbert Voorhes,

Eseck Robbins, -

Charles Beatty,

William Sinclair,

Joseph Lawyer,

Samuel Cafferty,

Jacob Ford,

David Hays,

John Rogers,

James Imlay,

William Butcher,

John Palmer,

Charles H. Britton,

John Chamberlain,

Isaac Rogers,

Samuel Rogers,

John Robbins,

Silas Dunsmore,

J. Beatty,

Garret Wikoff,

J. B. Beatty.

At that time William Arnd kept the hotel where the meeting was held (now the Union). His name is mentioned in the first business meeting, but does not appear on the original list. Ladders, fire-hooks and hand-engine, manufactured in Philadelphia, were purchased, and at a special meeting, held November 28th, five days after organization, a plan for an engine- house was presented and approved. The house was built, and still stands on the south side of Main Street. The original engine is still in possession of the company, and is kept in the house. The company has maintained its ex- istenee to the present, but is in feeble condition having but ten members. The first officers were David Hays, president ; Richard L. Beatty, vice- president ; David McKean, treasurer ; and Peter I. Wikoff, secretary. The presidents from that time to the present have been as follows : John Clutch, 1820; David MeKean, 1822; Garret P. Wikoff, 1823; William Imlay, 1837 ; George Sinelair, 1841 ; Richard L. Beatty, 1845 ; Cor-

---

621

622

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

nelius Vanderbeck, 1847; William Imlay, 1852; George Sinclair, 1858 ; Jolm H. Rulon, 1863 ; Henry H. Mayers, 1875. The last named was president until the death, in 1883. The company is at present without a president. A new constitution was adopted in 1829. Allentown in 1833 is thus described by Gordon's " Ga- zetteer :"1 "It contains from seventy-five to eighty dwellings, one Presbyterian Church with cupola and bell, handsomely sitnated on the hill . on the west, an Academy, two schools, one Methodist Church, grist-mill, saw-mill and tilt- mill, on Doetor's Creek, and a saw-mill on Indian Run, below which, at a short distance west of the town, is a cotton manufactory."

The above shows quite clearly the condition of Allentown at that time. The old Episcopal Church had been torn down ; the academy was still in use ; the two schools were private, as elsewhere mentioned ; the grist and saw-mill were then owned by the heirs of Aaron Stew- ard. Of the "tilt-mill " nothing certain has been ascertained. The history of the eotton- factory is given below. A tavern and post- office were also here at that time.

William Arnd was succeded in the tavern by Samuel Forman, whose widow, Rebecca, suc- ceeded after his death and kept it until about 1835, when her son-in-law, John Hendrickson, became the landlord. Later, Barzillai Johnson kept it, and in 1865 the present proprietor, William D. Konover, came into possession. Gabriel Allen, Aaron Allen, David Holloway, Nicholas Bird, George Newell and others have kept taverns in Allentown at different times.

Allentown has had remarkable honors in its representation in State and national offiees. Tlie first chief justice of the State of New Jersey was David Brearly, who was a native and resi- dent of Allentown. He served as chief justice from 1782 to 1790. James H. Imlay served in Congress four years ; Samnel Cox, four years ; Dr. George Holcombe, twelve years ; Dr. Wil- . liam A. Newell, six years; and George Middle- ton, two years. Dr. William A. Newell was

also Governor of the State, and afterwards Governor of Washington Territory.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH at Allentown is one of the most ancient in the county. The old parish of Christ Church was organized under the auspices of the Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts about the year 1730, and subsequently was served by sev- eral missionaries. The church building was erected at that time. The church records were lost during the Revolution and the congregation was much scattered. Afterwards the few who remained were scarcely able to maintain the reg- ular services. The church building had been used as a stable and somewhat injured by shot. The old Bible and prayer-book that were used prior to the Revolution are still sacredly kept by the present congregation. After peace was declarcd the Rev. Mr. Frazer, rector of St. Michael's Church, Trenton, officiated once a month ; also Rev. Mr. Waddell, who succeeded him. From time to time only infrequent sup- plies could be obtained. A short time previous to 1810 the church building was taken down, as was reported in the "Journal of Convention" of that year, "in a ruinous state," after which only occasional.services were held for the benefit of the remnant of the congregation in the churches and rooms kindly offered by the Pres- byterians and Methodists.

In 1845, after a period of thirty-five years without a church building, and with naught re- maining to tell of the existence of the former one, save the old graveyard, steps were taken by a few individuals to ereet a small and inexpen- sive church, in which, for a period of fifteen years, occasional services were held by the rec- tors of Trenton, Princeton and Bordentown Churches. In 1860, the Rev. E. A. Fogg be- came rector, officiating also as missionary at Hightstown and Crosswicks. He was succeeded, in 1861, by Rev. Mr. Carroll, whose rectorship continued over eight years. In 1869 the small church building in Allentown was superseded by a larger and more commodious edifice, in which have officiated successively the Revs. Bawn, Isaac, Du Bois, Mortimer A. Hyde and W. E. Daw, who is now the rector, and also in charge of the churches at Hightstown and Crosswicks.

1 The "Gazetteer" was published in 1834, on data gathered " in the previous year.

623

UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH of Allentown and vicinity has a history, which is here given in very nearly the exact words used by the present pastor, the Rev. George Swain, in a historical discourse delivered June 20, 1876.

It is to Nathan Allen, a sturdy pioneer, and no doubt stanch Quaker, who built a grist-mill and his house hard by, that we owe the name of our town. Thus founded, we may suppose that the village and vicinity contained in the first years, few besides those of the · Society of Friends. Scotch, no doubt, some of them were, and also in good circumstances, but they were the followers of George Fox, and had little sympathy with the religion of their country. Agreeing with this, Morgan,1 who, in 1709, was pastor of the church in Freehold township, speaks of having met with a cold reception as he sought to preach in our region. But though planted and named by those of West Jersey, our neighborhood very soon began to feel the influence of the more diverse population in the eastern provinee. A Hol- landish element was early introduced, coming mainly from the lower part of Monmouth, around Middletown and Shrewsbury. The Presbyterian Scotch, too, from about Freehold, reached out in this direction, and the result was, that by the year 1720 Allentown had a people well mixed as to nationality and religious belief. The Dutch and Scotch, how- ever, being followers of the same Calvinistic faith and practice, and having therefore much in common, were very naturally drawn to- getlier, and to them both we trace the rise of the Presbyterian Church in this place.

So numerous had these two coalescing ele- ments become by 1721 that Morgan, above mentioned, writes in cheering strain of the great change hereabouts with respect to Presby- terian ministers. Where before they were scarcely less hated than Papists,- he remarks to Cotton Mather,-now they are regarded with favor. Having preached here himself at inter- vals for a year or more, he felt the work to be of such promise and importance that he sought

for the growing congregation a stated minister. In 1722, by which time, says Webster, there was a house of worship,-and, we may suppose, a church fairly organized,-Morgan was able to send one Walton, a native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale, to take charge of the Presby- terian interests. His stay, however, was very short, for, proving an erratic genius, whose powerful preaching was accompanied by impru- dent and culpable; conduct, lic was the same year suspended by the Presbytery of Philadel- phia. This must have been a hard blow to the struggling, though hopeful, cause. Those in the community strongly enoughi opposed to what they termed a " hireling ministry," would scareely forget to make the most of Walton's inconsistencies.

From this unfortunate event till the year 1730 Allentown appears to have had no regular preaching. Such supplies as could be obtained from Presbytery were the sole dependence for a period of more than eight years. At the date above mentioned, and in view of an urgent re- quest to the Synod of Philadelphia from this congregation, Eleazar Wales, also from New England, became the settled pastor.

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. 2, Part 27

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