USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2 > Part 33
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
Farmingdale District, No. 104, has one hun- dred and seventy-nine school children. The first sehool-house in this locality was built be- fore 1800 on land now owned by Samnel Brewer. The last school taught there was in 1828; Jas- per Cooper was the last teacher. A new house was built in 1829 on a vacant lot adjoining tlie present Methodist Church, and was used till 1838, when it was rebuilt. In May of that year it was advertised that at the " new school- house in Upper Squankum " there were thirty- five scholars then attending school, and that a teacher was wanted. In September, 1870, it was decided to erect a new school-house, at a cost of six thousand dollars. The present site
was then purchased, and the building erected and dedicated in March, 1871.
Fort Plain District, No. 105, was formerly, and for many years, known as the White Dis- trict. Over eighty years ago a lot of four acres was donated from the Parker tract, and on it a school-house was built, in the woods. In early days, children from Blue Ball, West Farms and Bennett's Mills attended here. The house was eighteen by twenty-six feet in size, and was used in its original condition until 1879, when it was rebuilt. Between 1835 and 1840, Messrs. Figgins, Bishop and Ewer were teachers. The district now contains forty-five children of school age.
West Farms District, No. 106, has now sixty- seven scholars. In this locality, on a site near; the present residence of James Johnson, an old school-house stood, when, in 1857, the present house was erected on the McGill estate. It had been ereeted a school district, but for some: reason was abolished in 1860, and again ereeted into the present district.
Squankum District, No. 107, has now eighty- nine school children. A sehool-house was built near this place in 1839, as in December of that year Stephen M. Disbrow, Joseph Tilton and E. B. Wainwright, as trustees, advertised for a teacher at "Lower Squankum new School -. House." The old house is standing (unoccu- pied) on the road from Squankum to Farming- dale. The present house was built on land of T. Brittan, in 1879.
Bethel District, No. 108, has one hundred and eight scholars. About 1870 a school-house was erected at this settlement.
Greenville District, No. 109, lies on the line between Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The school-house is on the Monmouth side. It was built many years ago, and was used also for relig- ious worship until the church near it was erected. The district contains ninety-six children of school age. This was formerly known as " Brewer's."
Morris Distriet, No. 110, has forty-eight pu- pils. The school-house was built at this place in 1850.
North Farmingdale District, No. 111, has fifty-two school children. This house was built on land of James Fitzeroft in 1856.
655
MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP.
Bedford District, No. 112, has now forty-six school children. The lot on which the school- house stands was donated by J. S. Partrick in 1862, and the house was built in that year.
CHAPTER XXI.
MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP.
THE township of Millstone was erected in 1844 by an act of the Legislature, passed on the 28th of February in that year, declaring
" That all that part of the townships of Upper Free- hold and Freehold, in the County of Moninouth, and of the township of Monroe, in the County of Middle- sex, lying within the boundaries and descriptions fol- lowing, to wit : Beginning in the middle of the Mount Holly road, near Asher Smith's tavern,1 and where the road to Preston's factory strikes the same, in the town- ship of Freehold; thence running along the middle of the road leading from the said Smith's tavern to Han- nah Clayton's Inn, to where the publie roads cross near the said Inn; 2 thence following the middle of the public road northerly to a point opposite the dwell- ing-house of William Osborn ; thence north, twenty- nine degrees west, to the county line between Mon- mouth and Middlesex ; thence westerly in a direct line through the township of Monroe, in the County of Middlesex, to the bridge over the Millstone brook, on the public road near Daniel D. Reed's dwelling- house; thence down the middle of the said Millstone brook until it reaches the county line between Mer- cer and Middlesex, at or near the head of Peter Wi- koff's mill-pond ; thence southerly, following the said county line, to the Monmouth County line; thenee south westerly following the said Monmouth County line, to the bridge over the Assanpink brook and the York road; thenee up the middle of the said brook easterly, till it strikes the bridge on the land of Joseph L. Ely, son of Isaac Ely, deceased, in the middle of the new road leading from Hightstown to Britton's tavern, sometimes called the stone tavern; thence southerly in a direct line to a point in the publie road one rod west of said Britton tavern ; thence running, as the needle now points, south six degrees and thirty minutes east, over Sugar Loaf Ifill, to the Ivanhoe or north branch of Lahaway Creek ; thence up the mid- dle of said Ivanhoe to its head, at a spring near the late residence of Isaac Carr, deceased; thence a due east course to the Mount Holly road; thence north- easterly along the middle of the said Mount Holly
road to the place of beginning, shall be, and hereby is, set off from the townships of Upper Freehold and Freehold, in the county of Monmouth, and Monroe, in the county of Middlesex, and made a separate township, to be called and known by the name of 'The Township of Millstone.'"
By a further provision of the act, all that part of Monroe township which had been thus included in the new township of Millstone was taken from Middlesex County and annexed to Monmouth (as before mentioned); but this change of jurisdiction being found to be unsat- isfactory to the people, it was restored to Mid- dlesex in the following year by an act of Assembly. Two years later, however, an act was passed giving to Millstone, and to Mon- moutlı County, a small triangular piece of the territory of Monroe township, lying to the southward of a line "to begin at the point in the Middlesex and Mercer County line where the middle of the public road leading from Milford by way of Disborough's northwest corner to Perrineville crosses the same, and thence along the middle of the said road an easterly course till it strikes the present Middle- sex and Monmouth County line ; the residue of the northern boundary line of the township of Millstone remaining as heretofore."
In the same year that Millstone was erected a new township was also formed from parts of Freehold, Upper Frechold and Dover, and named "Jackson," in honor of ex-President Andrew Jackson. This township, which is now entirely in the county of Ocean, embraced, at its formation, a small part of what is now Millstone township, north of the present county line of Ocean and Monmouth. That part was annexed to Millstone by an act passed in 1846.
Millstone is one of the townships lying on the northwest border of Monmouth County, its boundary in that direction being formed by the counties of Mercer and Middlesex. On the northeast it is bounded by the township of Maualapan, on the southeast by Freehold township and Ocean County and on the south and southwest by Upper Freehold. There are no large streams in Millstone township. The Assanpink Creek, liere flowing in an easterly eourse, forms a part of the boundary between Upper Freehold and Millstone; Rocky Brook
I Now Smithville.
? Now Manalapanville.
--
656
HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
flows northwesterly from this township into Mercer and Middlesex counties, and finally enters Millstone River. Another tributary of the same river is Millstone Creek, which flows north wardly from this township into Middlesex ; and Lahaway Creek flows from the southern corner of Millstone township into Upper Free- hold, where it joins the main stream of Cross- wicks Creek. Millstone township has no rail- way line within its limits. The population of · the township, by the United States census of 1880, was two thousand and eighty.
Following is a list of the chosen freeholders of Millstone township, from its erection to the present time, viz :
1844-45. Thomas M. Perrine.
1844. Hartshorne Tantum. 1845. Paul Morris.
1846-50. Charles Allen.
1846-47. George Gravatt. 1848. Paul Morris.
1849. Elias C. Clayton. 1850. Isaac C. Hatch. 1851-53. John B. Robins.
1854-55. James J. Ely.
1856. James M. Smith.
1857-59. Thomas S. Gravatt.
1860-62. Thomas Baird.
1863-67. Charles Allen.
1868-72. Elias C. Clayton.
1873-74. Samuel Gravatt.
1875-77. Aaron L. Eldridge. 1878-80. David Baird. 1881-83. Morgan Wright.
1884. George J. Ely.
THE VILLAGE OF PERRINEVILLE is situated in the northern central part of Millstone town- ship, on Rocky Brook.
The first store at this place was established by a man from New England before 1825, on the site of the Moffat Perrine store. In 1825 the father of Governor William A. Newell opened a store on the east side of the brook, and in 1832 he was succeeded by William Snowhill, a son-in-law of David Perrine. After two or three years he abandoned the business, and John D. Perrine opened a store on the west side of the brook, in the old academy building, but kept it only a year or two. In 1836, William Mount built a store building and occupied it for several years.
The grist-nill at Perrineville was first built by - Newell, and was owned by David Per- rine in 1830, at which time the place took its name. In 1835 the mill was sold to John M. Perrine, who operated it until 1850, when it was purchased by Nelson Silvers. It is now owned by Charles Allen.
Soon after the building of the grist-mill, a saw-mill was built below it, on the stream, by Moffat Perrine. The mill remained in possession of the Perrine family until 1882.
The first hotel at Perrineville was opened by Ezekiel Davison in 1842, and was kept by him for about ten years. The present hotel was opened about 1850 by Joseph C. Thompson, who was succeeded by George Ely and Paul Talman, the latter of whom is still its propri- etor.
A classical school was opened by the Rev. William Woodhull soon after he took charge of the Presbyterian Church, in 1826. He erected a school building on the east side of the brook, adjoining the parsonage, and in that building he taught the school until about 1830, but not later. At this school William A Newell (sinee Governor of New Jersey), Nathaniel S. Rue and D. C. Perrine (now of Freehold) were among the pupils of Mr. Woodhull.
In the fall of 1877 the Rev. George W. McMillan, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Millstone, opened a preparatory school near the parsonage. It has been continued with success to the present time, having had an average of twenty pupils attending.
THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF MILLSTONE, though a little less than sixty years old in its organization, properly dates back to the year 1785, when the Rev. Dr. John Wood- hull, pastor of Tennent Church, employed Joseph Clark, a student of theology under him, to con- duct regular religious services at Perrineville. He continued to labor there until 1788, when he was settled pastor over the Presbyterian Church of Allentown, from which time Perrine- ville was supplied with preaching by the pastors of Tennent, Cranbury and Allentown Presby- terian Churches until 1826. During Mr. Clark's ministry, from 1788 to 1796, a plat of ground was purchased and a house of worship
.
79 . .. "
657
MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP.
erected, comnieneed, " but inasmuch as suffi- cient funds could not be raised," says Judge William P. Forman, "the church could not be finished, and stayed in that state for some forty years. It was inelosed, a pulpit erected, and temporary seats arranged by boards being laid on blocks. It was not so large, but was pat- terned after the mother-church, the pulpit being in the north side. Preaching was kept mp for many years by Mr. Woodhull, once in every four weeks, on Friday. A goodly num- ber generally attended. Frequently ministers of other orthodox denominations, by consent, occupied the pulpit on Sabbath and at other times, mostly Methodists, many of them much to the edification of the people. This state of things continued until 1826, when the church received a new impulse. A congregation was organized, the church remodeled, enlarged and finished, and a minister called and established. Between that time and the remodeling and en- larging of the church edifice, 1856, regular wor- ship and preaching were supported, a number of ministers at different times having presided." After the repairs and remodeling of 1856 the. edifice was dedicated October 2d, in that year. It was then in use until January 6, 1884, when it was entirely destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt at a cost of six thousand dollars, and was dedi- cated, free of debt, December 18, 1884. The building is fifty by seventy, with Sunday-school rooms attached, and is finished in light wood. Thomas Perrine's sons contributed the bell, and also the Bible and hymn-book for the pulpit. The pulpit desk, made of carved and polished wal- nut, is the gift of Mr. D. C. Perrine, of Freehold.
In 1826 the Presbytery of New Brunswick organized a church, with thirteen members, as the Presbyterian Church of Upper Freehold, but the name was soon after changed to Mill- stone. The church has a present membership of one hundred and twelve and a thriving Sunday-school.
The following-named ministers have served as pastors of this ehureh, viz. :
William Woodhull, installed September 6, 1826 ; dismissed May 7, 1832.
L. S. Beebe, installed September 16, 1834; dis- missed November 8, 1836. 42
William S. Betts, installed June 13, 1838; dis- missed August 25, 1840.
Charles F. Worrell,1 D.D., installed April 2, 1842; dismissed March 9, 1867.
Daniel F. Lockerby, installed July 13, 1869; dis- missed September 9, 1871.
George W. McMillan, installed November 1, 1873.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CONGREGATION AT PERRINEVILLE was first organized, in 1871, by the reetor of the Catholie congregation at Freehold, Rev. Frederick Kivelitz. Mass was said once a month, on Sundays, and religious instruction given to the young onee a week in a private house. In 1879 a briek and terra-cotta chureli, of Gothie design, thirty by fifty-five feet, capable of seating two hundred and fifty persons, was erected. In 1880 the rector re- signed his charge, together with another one he held at Jamesburg, N. J., in favor of a new priest, the Rev. Joseph Ruesing, who settled at Jamesburg, and from there attended the church at Perrineville every week. In July, 1884, he resigned his charge, and no new appointment has yet been made.
THE VILLAGE OF CLARKSBURG is situated in the western part of Millstone township. Near the site of this village the old "Willow-Tree Tavern" was a well-known stand in the early years of the present century. Mention of it is found under date of January, 1815, as "the Willow-Tree Tavern, owned by Aaron Eldridge, formerly by Hartshorne Tantum, situated on the main road leading from Philadelphia to Long Branch, eight miles from Allentown and twelve from Monmouth Court-House, in the occupation of Joseph Jerman." In the period from 1829 to 1834 it was kept by Peter John- son and William Hankin. In the latter year it was discontinued as a tavern, and the present Clarksburg Hotel was ereeted and opened as a public-house by John Clayton. Afterwards Stephen Clayton was its proprietor. It is now kept by Henry Britton.
At Clarksburg, about 1820, John J. Ely opened a store, which, in 1829, was kept by Addison Mount. It stood where the hay-scales
1 The Rev. Dr. Worrell died at Perrineville, January 27th, aged seventy-seven years.
.
658
HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
now stand. A few years later Sheriff Charles Allen built the present store building. A store is now kept at this place by P. Elmer.
The Clarksburg post-office was established when Addison Mount was keeping the store, and he was appointed postmaster. His success- ors have been David Bowman, Charles Allen, Thomas Gravatt, James Snediker and the present postmaster, Mrs. Renben G. Strahan.
THE METHODIST CHURCH AT CLARKSBURG was organized before 1845, and in that year `(August 23d) David Bowman sold to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Clarks- burg a half-acre of land to build thereon a church edifice. It was located half a mile west of the Willow-Tree Tavern. A church was soon after erected, and services have been held in the house with some regularity since that time. The pulpit is supplied by pastors from other churches having this in charge.
THE MANALAPAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH was organized in 1856. In the preceding year the people living in the vicinity of Manalapan- ville (which is a small village situated on the line between Millstone and Manalapan town- ships) began the erection of a church building, and, in July of that year, several members of the First Church of Millstone petitioned the Presbytery of New Brunswick for the organi- zation of a new church. This was granted, and the organization of the church and the dedica- tion of the new building were concluded at the same time (July 31, 1856), the services on that occasion being conducted by the Rev. Dr. Henry, who had also led in the ceremony of the laying of the corner-stone of the church, on the 10th of October, 1855. In the spring of 1857 the Rev. John L. Kehoo was called to the pastorate, and he was installed on the 30th of June following. He remained pastor of the church until April 26, 1874, when he resigned on account of failing health. His successor was the Rev. George Warrington, who was installed pastor December . 16, 1874, and continued until 1879. On the 1st of August, 1880, the Rev. Daniel Langhlin, a recent graduate of Prineeton College, was ordained and installed pastor of this church, and . he is still (November, 1884) in charge. The
church has now a membership of two hundred and eighty.
BERKSVILLE, in Millstone township, has its name from John Berke, who, more than half a century ago, was located at that place, and keeping a tavern which has been continued to the present time, and is now kept by Abram Jameson. A store has been kept at the place at different times.
"Carr's Tavern " is a place where a public house has been kept for nearly a hundred years. The place derived its name from Elisha Carr, who was the landlord fifty years ago. Wil- liam Holman, the present proprietor, has kept it since 1864. Joseph De Bow has a store at this place. On a stream near it the De Bows have operated saw-mills for one hundred and thirty years.
BURNT TAVERN, in -Millstone township, is an old and well-known stand, where, as early as the beginning of this century, was a house which was burned before 1806. It was re- built and named Burnt Tavern, and a sign was raised on which was painted a picture of a house with flames issuing from the windows. It was kept in early days by Dye, Jewell, Wil- liam Brotherton and others. Later, it was owned by Asher Morse, who kept it for a time, then rented it to different ones, among whom were Jacob Dennis, Charles Potts and Henry H. Wolcott, a son-in-law of Morse, who also kept a store in the house. In 1847 he closed this tavern and rented the house now known as Charleston Springs Hotel (then kept as- a store by Wolsey Baldwin), opened it as a hotel and kept it till his death, a few years ago. In 1880 the property was purchased by Joseph C. Thompson, who now keeps the hotel.
SCHOOLS OF MILLSTONE .- The township is divided into eight sehool districts, which con- tain seven hundred and forty-seven children of school age. The school property is valued at six thousand dollars.
On the 21st of December, 1845, William Hutchinson conveyed to the trustees of schools of Millstone, for a period of one hundred and ninety-nine years, a lot, then described as "near the house where Joseph Gravatt now lives."
659
MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP.
The terms of this lease were that the trustees were to ereet a school-house on it and "to finish said house within the term of twelve months from this date, and to keep it in good and complete repair for a school to learn children to read, write and ciphier, and said house shall be used occasionally for preaching or Public worship. . . . Said trustees are not to cut or cause to be cut any timber on said land." The house then built stood on the county line be- tween Monmouth and Mercer Counties, at the place where the Hightstown and Perrineville turnpike crosses it. The old building has long sinee disappeared.
. Fairplay School District, No. 24, in Millstone, contains seventy children of school age. The first school-house in this locality was erected over a hundred years ago on land now owned by Thomas Kuilty. It was abandoned more than seventy-five years ago. A school-house was built about 1812 on land owned by Joseph Storey, which was used many years, and not abandoned until the formation of the present district. This was the house at which pupils from Perrineville and adjacent points attended. About 1845 the Rev. Charles Worrell, pastor of. the First Presbyterian Church at Manalapan, urged the building of a school at that place, whiel was done. This caused the people of this section to petition for the formation of a new district, which was granted, and it was named " Fairplay." Soon afterwards, and before 1847, the present school-house was erected. The lot was donated by Abijah Mount. Judge Wm. P. Forman was an early teacher in this house.
Church District, No. 25, now contains one hundred and thirty-one children of school age. Shortly after the Rev. Charles Worrell assumed the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at Perrineville, he urged the people to erect a school-house. The children then attended at the Storey school-house, some distance away, and the private schools and academy, the latter of which had then been abandoned. A large two-story frame school-house was erected in the grove near the Presbyterian Church, and it was also used as a session-room for the church. It .was occupied at that place until its removal to · its present site, in August, 1884.
In Manalapan District, No. 26, the first school-house stood about three hundred yards north from the west end of the mill-dam on the Reed farm. Judge William P. Forman at- tended school there in 1817, and says it was then an old house. It was abandoned about 1835, and another one was built about half a mile from it, on the south side of the road lead- ing to Hightstown. This was used about ten years, when difficulties arose and the present district, and also Grove District, were formed. The present house was erected about 1846.
Sweetman Lane District, No. 27, has seventy- nine children of school age. Within the bounds of the present district a school-house was standing in 1806 on the farm now owned by Samuel Gravatt. In that year Mrs. Mary McKnight (now eighty-four years of age) at- tended school there, and she says it was then an old house. It was destroyed by fire in 1829. Of the teachers in that house were Joseph Johnston, Charles Smith and Prentiss B. Emory. About 1830 the present school-house was built on half an acre of land, donated for school purposes by Mr. Johnson. Of early teachers in this house were Prentiss B. Emory, Judge Wil- liam P. Forman (in 1835) William R. Wilson and Harriet Pittinger.
Grove District, No. 28 has one hundred and three children of school age. The school-house stands on the road leading from Bergen Mills to Hightstown, and was built about 1846, when the new district was formed. It is partly in Mill- stone township and partly in Middlesex County. At the time the school-house was built it was iu Millstone township, but it is now in Middlesex Connty.
De Bow School District, No. 29, has one . hundred children of school age. Three school- houses have stood within one hundred yards of the present site. The first was built before 1820, and was destroyed about 1830. A new house was soon after built, which stood until 1879, when it was torn down and the present house was erected.
Clarksburg School District, No. 30, has ninety-six children of school age. As early as 1815 a school-house was erected about half a mile northwest of the Willow-Tree Tavern.
-
660
HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
School was taught in it by William W. Williams. It was used many years. A school- house was erected on the present site, near the Methodist Church, about 1850.
Burnt Tavern School .- After the destruction of the old school-house on the Burnt Tavern road, a portion of the eliildren went to Sweet- man Lane School. A school also was opened in the house of Dr. Harvey Baldwin, near the present hotel. In 1838 a school-house was erected and used till 1868, when it was moved away and the present one erected upon the site.
Union School District, No. 38, contains eighty-one children of school age. This school- house was erected about 1830. It has since and duty to number himself with the people of been repaired, and is still used.
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.