History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 56

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

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The Rev. E. R. Hera became pastor in De- cember, 1846, and continued with the church about two years. Quite a number became members of the church during Mr. Hera's min- istry. For a few months in the year 1850 the church was supplied by John Hazlet, a licenti- ate of the Baptist Church at Keyport. In the spring of 1851 the Rev. William F. Brown re- moved here, and became pastor a second time. He left again in the latter part of the year 1853, and the church was without a pastor dur- ing a period of four years, till the Rev. J. Day- ton Merrill was called to the pastorate, in De- cember, 1857. He was a licentiate of the Flemington Baptist Church, and was ordained at Squan, January 19, 1858. He left the Squan Church the 1st of April, 1864, having been their pastor six years and a quarter. His successor was the Rev. Eli M. Lockwood, who took charge of the church on the 1st of May in the same year (1864), and was ordained as pas- tor of the Squan Church and supply for Kettle Creek on the 10th of Angust following. Mr .. Lockwood had been a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal denomination, and was baptized into the fellowship of the Baptist Church by the Rev. Alexander Folwell, of Athens, N. Y. He died August 13, 1866.

The church was destitute but three months, and then called the Rev. Samuel L. Cox, who accepted the call January 26, 1867. For a few months he spent a portion of his time with the little church at Eatontown, after which his labors were divided between Kettle Creek and Squan. This pastorate, however, lasted only about one year, owing to ill health in his family, which was supposed to be caused by the

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sea air. He was at once succeeded by his father, the Rev. Charles Cox, who, after nearly twenty-four years' absence from the pastorate of this church, returned to it the second time at the close of the year 1867. He was succeeded in the pastorate, September 11, 1871, by the Rev. Theodore S. Snow, who remained until 1874, when he was succeeded by the Rev. E. M. Baker, whose successor is the present pastor, the Rev. D. S. Parmelee, who assumed the. over- sight of the church in 1877.

The first house of worship of this church was erected in 1808. This building was put up in the pines, on the road leading from Squan village to Burrsville, and on the south side of Manasquan River, in what is now Ocean County. It was a plain wooden structure, and answered the purpose for which it was erected till the church moved tlie location to the north side of the river, in 1842. This year marked an era in the community, as it was then that the first meeting-house was built in or near Squan village. This was the " Free Meeting- House on the Hill," as it is called. Here the Baptist Church continued to worship in regular turn with other denominations till the dedica- tion of the basement of their new church, in the month of January, 1869. The main audi- ence-room of the newly-finished house was entered January 19, 1870. The building is well adapted to the wants of the congregation, is pleasantly located, and cost four thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars.

The Manasquan Chureli united with the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1805. It remained a member of that body ten years, or until 1815, when it withdrew and became con- nected with what was then known as the New Jersey Baptist Association (organized in 1811). It continued in this relation until 1828, when it went out with several other churches to form the Central New Jersey Baptist Association, in which connection it remained till 1865, when it again withdrew to help form what is now known as The Trenton Baptist Association. The church has generally received aid from the New Jersey Baptist State Convention to assist in the support of the ministry among them:

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT MANA- SQUAN dates back in its organization less than forty years, though Presbyterian worship was held in this vicinity before the Revolutionary War. When the Rev. Charles MeKnight was serving at Shrewsbury, one of his preaching- places was at the locality known as Squan. It was nearly a hundred years later that religious services were first regularly held at the place. In 1842 a free house of worship was erected. In April, 1848, the Presbytery organized a chureli at this place, and on the 29th of June, 1848, the corner-stone of a Presbyterian Church, 36 x 56 feet in size, was laid. An address was delivered by the Rev. Dr. McLean. The Rev. Morse Rowell, who was pastor at Manchester, held occasional services at this place, and in 1850 he was called to the pastorate of the church and was installed June 13, 1850. He resigned May 5, 1856. The Revs. H. R. Avery and S. A. Freeman filled the pulpit as stated supplies until November 4, 1868, when the Rev. Charles F. Worrell was called and settled, but was not installed until January 31, 1872. He remained until 1881, when ill health compelled his resignation. A call was extended in March, 1881, to the Rev. F. F. Brown, D.D., of Ann Arbor, Mich., which he accepted, and is still the pastor of this church.

During the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Worrell, repairs and improvements were made upon tlie church edifice to the amount of three thousand dollars.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH of Manasquan dates back several years prior to 1857, during which time the Methodists of the locality had held services in the Free Church. On the 30th of July in that year they laid the corner-stone of a church edifice, which was com- pleted and dedicated in the spring following. This building was used until its destruction by fire, March 27, 1869. A new church, thirty- six by fifty-six feet in size, was then erceted at a cost of five thousand dollars, and was dedi- cated December 31, 1869.

The pastors of this church have been B. C. Sharp, 1857-59; William C. Chattin, 1860-61; J. Stiles, 1862-63; J. L. Roe, 1864-65; R. B.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Suteliffe, 1869-70; C. F. Downs, 1874-75; J. Garrison, 1876-77; J. Wagge, 1878-80; T. C. Carman, 1881-83.

The first newspaper published in Manasquan was The Seaside, a tri-weekly, four-column paper, twelve by sixteen inches in size. The first number was issued June 14, 1877, and it was continued until September 8th next follow- ing, when its publication was suspended until June 1, 1878, when it reappeared as a weekly paper, enlarged to five columns, twelve by twenty inches in size. Since then it has been enlarged several times, the last enlargement being made January 1, 1883, at which time the name was changed to The Manasquan Seaside. At the commencement of this paper Enoch Perrine was its editor, and E. S. V. Stultz proprietor and publisher, which continued until the death of the tri-weekly. Since its change to a weekly issue it has been entirely under the management of E. S. V. Stultz.

The Coast Democrat was first issued in 1881 . as the South Amboy Citizen. In August, 1884, it was moved to Manasquan under the present name, and is issued from the office, corner of Main and Broad Streets, in Errickson & Wain- wright's building. It is an eight-column paper, Democratie in politics, edited by J. W. Laugh- lin.

The post-office of Manasquan was established February 15, 1819, with Samuel F. Allen as postmaster, the office being first located at Man- asquan Bridge, which was on the mail-route es- tablished by act of Congress April 20, 1818, which route was from Freehold, by Squankum, Manasquan, Tom's River, Cedar - Creek and Manahawkin, to Tuekerton, where an office had been established twenty years before,- January 1, 1798.

From Manasquan Bridge the office was re- moved to the Union Landing, thenee again to the Bridge, and from there, about 1840, it was removed to Squan village, a mail-route having then been established from Squan to Red Bank. Prior to this time the office had been variously held, after S. F. Allen, by Conover Osborne and . Allen Osborne. Upon its removal to Squan,

Osborne Curtis was appointed postmaster. He was succeeded by Eugene Hyde, David Riddle and William S. Moore, the present postmaster, who has held the office since 1871.

The first physician of Manasquan was Dr. John Morford, a native of the county, who set- tled here in the year 1825, and who remained in practice until his death, in 1839. A more extended notice of him has been given in the history of the Monmouth Medieal Society. Dr. Robert Laird, a native of Freehold, settled near Squan in December, 1838, and is still in prac- tiee. Until 1854 he was the only physician in many miles around this place. His son, Charles A. Laird, studied with his father. He com- menced practice in 1871 and died in 1876. Dr. Peter D. Knieskern settled at Manchester in 1841, and at Squan village in 1846. He re- mained in practice until 1854, when he removed to Shark River, where he died September 12, 1871, aged seventy-four years. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Lockwood, in a sermon delivered upon the occasion of his death, makes mention of Dr. Knieskern's career before coming to this county, as follows :

"In 1836 the great State of New York projected the gorgeous enterprise of a great Natural History of the State; the plan took in geology, mineralogy, agricul- ture, botany and zoology, and, so far as finished, it now oeeupies twenty-two massive imperial volumes. The botany was assigned to Professor John Torry, then the greatest light on that subjeet on this eontinent. Dr. Torry at once secured as co-workers in the actual field, Dr. Knieskern, now deceased, and another young man, Professor O. R. Willis, Ph.D., the originator of the Freehold Institute. Professor Torry's work in the de- partment assigned him was given to the State in two massive volumes, entitled the 'Botany of the State of New York.' In the preface to the first volume Dr. Torry makes his aeknowledgements of indebtedness, and first in this respect is placed the name of Peter D. Knies- kern, M.D. Even the name of the present Professor Gray, who is now the acknowledged light in America on botauieal seience, is made to follow that of Dr. Knieskern in the matter of services rendered in the New York survey. In 1842, Dr. Kuieskern published a catalogue of the plants of Oneida County, N. Y., pronounced by Professor Torry to be fulland accurate. And in the conduct of the geological survey of our own State of New Jersey, Dr. Knieskern published a catalogue of the indigenous plants of Monmouth County, and a part of Ocean. The doctor was a

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member of several of the learned societies, among which might be mentioned the New York Lyceum of Natural History, and the Academy of the Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. As a botanist he greatly ex- celled, his skill making him an authority. His name frequently occurs in botanical works. But the Doctor was also a general naturalist, and to him is due not a little of discovery in the paleontology of Monmouth County."

Dr. A. A. Higgins, a native of Princeton, located in Freehold in 1853; remained a year, and in November, 1854, settled in Squan Vil- 'lage, where he is still in practice. Since that time several physicians have come and gone and others are still here in practice.

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF MANA- SQUAN was chartered in the spring of 1883, and organized June 11th in that year, with a capi- tal stock of $50,000. A banking-office of brick was crected on Main Street, in which business was opened November 19, 1883.

The following are the officers of the bank : President, C. J. Parker ; Cashier, John Ter- hune ; Directors, C. J. Parker, E. C. Erriek- son, E. S. Van Leer, J. W. Borden, Howard Osborne, James L. Allgor, Sidney Herbert.

Excelsior Lodge, No. 88, I. O. of O. F., was chartered February 1, 1849, with the following- named persons as officers : John J. Irons, N. G .; Thomas P. Barkalow, V. G .; William I. James, Sec., and James D. Cornelius, Treas. Meetings were held in different places until after the completion of Masonie Hall, in 1878, sinee which the lodge has occu- pied a room in that building. The present Noble Grand is Edgar Herbert ; Secretary, E. P. Tilton. The lodge has now a member- ship of about eighty.

Wall Lodge, No. 73, F. and A. M., was char- tered January 18, 1866, with the following- named officers : A. A. Higgins, W. M .; David L. Hunsinger, Sen. Warden ; Lewis P. Brown, Jun. Warden. The lodge has now a member- ship of seventy-seven. F. P. Philbrick, W. M .; S. W. Newberry, Sec.

In 1878 the Curtis and Conover Block was erected, the third story of which was fitted as a Masonic Hall. It was dedicated as such Octo-

ber 16th in that year, and has since been used for meetings of the lodge.

Goodwin Chapter, No. 36, R. A. M., was chartered in 1881. It has now about forty-five members. F. P. Philbrick is M. E. H. P., and A. A. Higgins, Secretary. Meetings are held in Masonic Hall.

Vredenburgh Post, No. 47, G. A. R., was instituted July 26, 1880, with twenty members. Meetings were first held in Zimmerman's Hall; at present in Errickson & Wainwright's Hall. The post has now thirty-eight members. The officers are : Commander, William S. Moore; S. V. C., John S. Williams; J. V. C., David N. Curtis ; Quartermaster, David W. Morton : Officer of the Day, Abel H. Lovett ; Chaplain, Joseph Snyder; Officer of the Guard, Charles Boker; Delegate to the Encampment, David N. Curtis ; Alternate, Frank Getsinger.

The Loyal Ladies' League was chartered January 24, 1882, with twelve members. Its meetings are held in the room of Vredenburgh Post. The present membership is twenty. The officers are: Phebe Truax, President ; C. L. Moore, S. V. ; Lavinia Hardy, J. V .; Jennie Tomlinson, Sec. ; Rebecca Curtis, Treas. ; Julia Stevens, Chaplain.

Ocean View Lodge, I. O. of G. T., was in- stituted January 15, 1874, with forty members. It is not now in existence.

Pearl Lodge, No. 51, K. of P., was instituted October 20, 1883. The officers are : Monroe Wyckoff, Chancellor Commander; T. A. Zim- merman, Vice-Chancellor ; Dr. A. P. Yelving- ton, Keeper of Records and Seals.

In May, 1872, N. Wyekoff Morris purchased thirty acres of land south of and adjoining Mana- squan village, and extending to Manasquan River. This tract was laid out into lots and named Sea View. It is practically an addi- tion to Manasquan village, and is already well built up.

The Union Landing is at a point about two miles below Manasquan village. At this place William Brown began the building of vessels in 1808. He remained there a few years, and then removed to Navesink. He was succeeded at the Landing by Morris Freeman,

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

who continued until about 1837. About 1850, Captain Jamies H. Green erected a boarding- house at the place, and Captain John M. Brown, some years later, built the Union. Captain Brown is a son of William Brown, who began business at the landing in 1808. He was in the employ of the Coast Wrecking Company from 1829 to 1873, and later agent for the dis- trict from Sandy Hook to Great Egg Harbor. The post-office was here for a time before its removal to Squan village, in 1840.

THE BRIELLE LAND ASSOCIATION was in- corporated July 7, 1881, with a capital stock of fifteen thousand dollars. The corporators (fourteen in number) were gentlemen from Jer- sey City and Newark. The first purchase was about one hundred and fifty acres of land lying southeast of Manasquan village. The place (which is called Brielle) is under the charge of Moses K. Killam, of Jersey City. It contains the Carteret Arms Hotel and three cottages

SEA GIRT is a summer resort situated on the shore, directly east of Manasquan village, with an ocean frontage two miles in length, extending a mile back to a gradual, but slightly undulat- ing elevation, covering an area of five hundred acres of forest, orchards and fields, with New- berry's Pond, or Stockton Lake, forming the northern and the Manasquan River its southern boundary.

For many years prior to 1853 the shore at what is now called Sea Girt was the place where the farmers and other inhabitants of this section met to celebrate their annual harvest home festivals. In May of the year named Commodore Robert F. Stockton purchased of Thomas Shearman 1 a tract of about two hun- dred and fifty acres of land, including this place, and he also purchased three other contiguous lots of about twelve acres each, one of which was described as "all that tract of salt meadow and island sedges lying southcast of land for- merly of Samuel Osborne, and at the mouth of Manasquan River."

On the land purchased by Commodore Stock- ton, as above mentioned, he erected a very large

and commodious mansion-house for the use of himself and family and the entertainment of hi- numerous friends. This mansion, which, with its grounds, he named Sea Girt, forms the cen- tral part of the present hotel, wings, each one hundred feet in length, having been added. The property was sold by Commodore Stockton, July 9, 1866, to Panl and Stephen L. Thurlow, of Wilkesbarre, Pa., who also purchascd other lands adjoining. On the 11th of July, 1871, Paul Thurlow sold his interest to Stephen Thurlow, who, on the 15th of February, 1875, conveyed the property to the Sea Girt Land Improvement Company, by whom it was laid out in lots, with wide streets and avenues. Crescent Park is a plat of twenty acres of ground, well wooded, situated south of the Beach House, fronting on the ocean beach, and its rear line being semicircular. The Sca Girt property is under the management of John S. Lucas.

SPRING LAKE is a popular summer resort, situated in the east part of the township, near the sea-shore. The land on which it is located was patented originally by Robert Hunter Morris about 1760. In 1832 a part of it be- longed to Jeremiah Chandler, and was by him sold in that year to Samuel Emmons. It was at that time heavily wooded; many thousand cords of wood were cut off, after which it was sold (in 1838) to Abram Osborne. In 1875 the property belonged to Captain Forman Osborne and James Pearce, whose lands lay on both sides of Fresh Pond, now known as Spring Lake. In that year, John Reading, James Hunter and Paul Thurlow, of Philadelphia, purchased of Forman Osborne and James Pearce thrce hun- dred and fifty acres of land adjoining Wreck Pond, and running northerly about three-quarters of a mile, which they laid out and improved. Later, these gentlemen sold the property to John C. Lucas, who now owns it. The property is bounded by the ocean, Wreck Pond, or Sea Girt Inlet, and the highway from Manasquan to Long Branch. Spring Lake is a fresh-water pond, of which the overflow runs into Wreck Pond.

On the 12th of October, 1875, the Lake

1 A part of this tract had been purchased by Thomas Shearman, Sr., of William Wilson in 1806.

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House Company was incorporated, with a capital stock of seventy-five thousand dollars, for the purpose of constructing a sea-side boarding-house at Spring Lake. The corporators were George, Maurice and Abraham Browning, of Camden ; Edward Browning, James Hunter, Paul Thur- low, G. A. Nichols and J. G. Reading, of Phila- delphia. In 1876 this company erected the Monmouth House, which was at that time the finest hotel on the coast. It is situated on a plat of seven acres, midway between Spring Lake and the ocean, and about two hundred yards from each. Other hotels and many fine cottages have since been erected there. Mrs. Matthew Baird, of Philadelphia, built several cottages at this plaee, which are kept as board- ing-houses, under two managements, by the names Essex and Sussex.

A PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH building was erected at Spring Lake, on a lot donated for the purpose by Mrs. Matthew Baird, who also sub- scribed liberally towards the building of the church. Subscriptions to the amount of sixteen thousand dollars were obtained from other sum- mer residents. The building was commenced in November, 1882, and was completed in the following spring. It issixty by eighty feet in size, with a tower eighty feet in height. The bell, of fifteen hundred pounds weight, was the gift of George Griffiths, of Philadelphia. The audience- room has a capacity of seating five hundred per- sons. The church was dedicated July 17, 1883. The Rev. Matthew Newkirk, of Philadelphia, presided ; the dedicatory sermon was preached by Professor John Dewitt, D.D.

THE SPRING LAKE EPISCOPAL CHURCH building was erected in the fall of 1880. These churches are used during the summer season, preaching being supphed by ministers visiting the place.

OCEAN BEACH is the name given to a very popular summer resort and town which lies on the south side of Shark River, extending along its shore from the ocean beach to and above the Shark River bridge.

In 1872 twenty-five gentlemen then having summer cottages at Ocean Grove, purchased, through A. Bitner, Jr., several tracts of land

embracing about one hundred acres south of Shark River, intending to have each four aeres. The Peter White farm, which lay between this tract and the river, could not then be purchased. Subsequently, and before any improvements were made, Mr. White was induced to sell, and through Mr. Joseph Bayard, of Trenton, the purchase was effected. The first purchase, made by A. Bitner, Jr., September 24, 1872, was from John Brown, Peter Brown, Anthony Brown, Isaac Newman, Stephen Bennett, Samuel Lud- low and Benjamin D. Pearec, who had purchased the tract, December 12, 1861, of Edward Brinley.

On the same date (September 24, 1872) Mr. Bitner purchased of James A. Bradley, of As- bury Park, one-eighth interest in the West Pond and traets of twenty-five acres and eleven acres, and the same date of Richard Newman, fifty-eight acres. The second purchase was of the Peter White farm of two hundred and thirty acres, November 1, 1872, White reserv- ing one acre which he had the right to select on any street or road then open ; also nine acres of sedge or salt meadow adjoining, and one- fourth interest in West Pond. On the 11th of December, 1872, Joseph B. Yard purchased one- eighth interest in the West Pond of Joseph D. Newman, and October 24, 1872, one-quarter interest in the West Pond of Richard White. May 31, 1873, Mr. Yard bought of Charles D. S. White a lot of about eight acres. The White tract in 1790 was in possession of Jacob Wardell, who, by will dated Jnne 23d in that year, gave it to his son, Joseph Wardell. On the 1st of September, 1800, Joseph Wardell sold to John Lippet White six hundred acres of land lying on the south side of Shark River, bounded westerly by " Polypod Bogg" and lands of Joseph Fleming and John Newman. Thistract John L. White, by will dated February 15, 1821, gave to Richard White aud Peter White, viz. : " all my lands and bildins, to be equally divided between them." In November, 1837, Richard White sold his half of the farm to Peter White. On the 10th of August, 1820, West Pond, containing about fifteen acres, was taken up by Andrew Bell, surveyor-general, for Rich- ard and Peter White and Joseph and David Newman.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

On the 12th of November, 1701, Gawin Drummond patented from the proprietors about twenty-seven acres of land on the south side of Shark River. Ninety acres, also on the sonth side of Shark River, were patented to William West, August 28, 1701. The land was sold by West to Robert Drummond, of Shrewsbury, July 27, 1702. These lands are mostly in- cluded in the White farm.

The Ocean Beach Association, composed of sixty members (among whom were the twenty- five gentlemen for whom the purehases of land had been made, in 1872, by Bitner and Yard) was formed, with the following-named directors : Hon. William S. Yard, A. G. Richey, Trenton; William M. Force, Esq., Hon. James L. Hays, James G. Barnet, Newark ; A. Bitner, Jr., Ocean Beach ; James S. Yard, Freehold ; Wil- liam L. Piper, J. R. Bitner, S. S. Spencer, Lan- caster, Pa. ; Thomas Kennedy, D. H. Wilson, J. S. James, Philadelphia, Pa .; and J. W. Fielder, Brooklyn, N. Y. The act of incor- poration of this association was approved March 12, 1873. On the 20th of May, 1873, Joseph B. Yard conveyed to the association the lands he had purchased, and A. Bitner, Jr., conveyed his purchases June 27, 1873. Mr. Bitner was appointed superintendent, and the labor of grading and laying out the grounds commenced immediately.

At this time the White homestead1 stood near the road that leads from Long Branch to Mana- squan. The bridge crossing the river at this place was built in 1858. The Ocean Beach House was built in the summer of 1873, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and the Mana- squan road, at the south end of the bridge.

The Ocean Beach tract contains about four hundred aeres, with a front on the ocean of one mile, and on Shark River of one mile and a half. The sea-front has an easy slope to the beach, and along the river-front is a low bluff, covered with verdure, and crowned with a heavy growth of trees. The river at this point spreads into a lake two miles in diameter, with high lands in the west. This river is the planting-

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History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 56

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