History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 58

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

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HOLMDEL TOWNSHIP.

of its western boundary against Marlborough, and all of its southwestern boundary against Atlantic township. Several small streams flow south from the central part of the township and enter Hop Brook. From the extreme north- east corner of Holmdel, Wakake Creek flows northwardly through Raritan township into Raritan Bay. The only railroad of the town- ship is the New York and Long Branch line, which crosses its northeastern part. The popu- lation of Holmdel, by the United States census of 1880, was fifteen hundred and seventy-five.

The territory of Holmdel was taken from Raritan, and erected a township by the pro- visions of an act passed in 1857, as follows :

"All that part of the township of Raritan con- tained within the following boundaries and lines, that is to say : Beginning in the centre of the publie road leading from Arrowsmith's Mills to Tanner's Landing, and in the line between the townships of Raritan and Middletown, at the northeast corner of lands of John P. Smith; and from thenee running in a southwest- erly direction in a straight line to the bridge near Murphy's Tan-Yard, in the publie road leading from Middletown to Middletown Point; thenee westerly along the middle of the said road to the intersection of said road with the road leading from Holmdel to Brown's Point; thence southerly along the middle of the. last-named road to the intersection of said road with the road leading from Beers' Corner to Mount Pleasant, near the residence of Ann Van Braekle; and thence running in a straight line on a southerly course to the northeast corner of the township of Marlboro', near the dwelling-house of Samuel Beers; thenee along the division line between the township of Raritan and the townships of Marlborough and Atlantic to the Middletown line; thenee northerly along the division line between the townships of Rari- tan and Middletown to the place of beginning. The same is set off from the township of Raritan and made a separate township, to be called Holmdel."

Following is a list of chosen frecholders of Holmdel township from its organization to the present time, viz. :

1857. Jonathan I. Holmes. 1858-68. John W. Hoff. 1869-73. John H. Heyer. 1874. William D. Hendrickson. 1875-85. John H. Heyer.

Holmdel township was so named for the Holmes family, several of whom were, now are and have been, for generations, large land-

owners and influential men in this region. From the first settlement of the county down to the present time many offices of honor and trust in Monmouth have been held by members of this family. With bnt few exceptions, they have led honorable lives, been good citizens and prospered in business. Much of the progress of the county in agriculture has been due to the industry and strong common sense which has characterized them. "For two centuries," says Judge Beckman, " they have intermarried with the old families of Monmonth, and at this time perhaps one-fourth of the inhabitants, who are descendants of the English Baptist and Quaker settlers and the Dutch, French Huguenot and Scotch settlers of this county, are connected by ties of blood with the Holmes' ancestor of this family, who was the Rev. Obadiah Holmes, second pastor of the old Baptist Church at Newport, R. I. He was a trusted and faithful leader of the Baptists of that colony; a stanch, conscientious man of profound and steadfast religious convictions, and, like many others of that period, he, on account of his faith, suffered persceution at the hands of the intolerant New England Puritans. When, as a penalty for preaching Baptist doctrines, he was sentenced by them to pay a fine or be pub- liely whipped, he refused to pay (though he was abundantly able to do so), for he regarded a payment of the fine to be an acknowledgement of error and a 'denial of his Lord,' and he chose to suffer by stripes rather than do this."

The Rev. Obadiah Holmes was one of the Monmouth patentees, to whom Governor Rich- ard Nicolls granted the territory of nearly the entire present county of Monmouth. Like some of the others of those patentees, he never actually settled here, but he made occasional visits to this region, and helped to organize the old Baptist Church at Middletown, which was the first of that denomination in New Jersey, and either the third or fourth in America. Two of the sons of Rev. Obadiah Holmes, however (Obadiah and Jonathan), came to settle on the Monmouth patent. Obadiah remained only a few years and then returned to Rhode Island. His brother Jonathan remained here perma- Dently, and was one of the first officers eleeted

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

at a meeting of the inhabitants of " Middle- town, on Newasunk Neck," and "Shrewsbury, on Navarumsunk Neck," held on the 19th of December, 1667. From these ancestors have descended the very numerous Holmes family of Monmouth County.

Another of the Monmouth patentces, Captain John Bowne, was one of the first, if not the first, of the settlers in what is now Holindel township, as his was also one of the first five families who settled in Monmouth County in 1664. It is not certain that his first house in Monmouth was in what is now Holmdel ; he may have settled first ncarer the bay, and afterwards re- moved here, but it is known for many years preceding, and until the time of his death, he lived on a farm near what is now known as Crawford's Corners, in Holmdel, it being the property which was owned by the late William H. Crawford, it having come to the Crawford family by marriage. Captain John Bowne was the original patentee of that tract of land. His widow, the " Widdow Bound," was often men- tioned in the ancient road records, from 1684 to 1693, and she was the same person to whom some of the Indian ehicfs deeded eertain lands on the 10th of August, 1690, as found in Deed Book A, B, C, of Monmouth records.

Captain John Bowne held the office of Speaker of the Provincial House of Deputies for several years, as also other positions of honor and trust; and through all the years of his life in Mon- mouth County he was not only one of its most prominent eitizens, but his universally recognized character was that of an upright, conscientious, Christian man. This is made apparent by the tenor of an ancient paper, written by his hand (or dietated by him), which was found among other old documents in possession of the late James G. Crawford, and of which the following is a copy :

'Some Words of Advice and Council spoken by Capt. John Bowne to his Children, as he lay on his death-bed, January ye 3d, 1683-84.'

"There is no way in the world for a man to obtain felicity in this world or in the world to come, but to take hecd to the ways of the Lord and to put his trust in Him who deals faithfully and truly with all men, for he knocks at the doors of your hearts, and calls you to come and buy, without money and without pricc.

" My desire is that in all actions of Meum and Tuum, you deal not deceitfully, but plain-hearted with all men, and remember that your dying Father left it with you for your instruction that when trust is with your honor, to preserve it. And in all contracts and bargains that you make, violate not your promise, and you will have praisc. Let your mother beyour coun- selor in all matters of difference, and go not to law- yers, but ask her counsel first. If at any time you have an advantage of a poor man at law, O, pursue it not, but rather forgive him if he hath done you wrong ; and if you do so, you will have help of the law of God and of his people. Give not away to youthful jolli- ties and sports, but improve your leisure time in the service of God. Let no good man be dealt churlishly by you, but entertain when they come to your honse. But if a vicious, wicked man come, give him meat and drink to refresh him, and let him pass by your doors. It has been many times in my thoughts that for a man to marry a wife and have children, and never take care to instruct them, but leave them worse than the beasts of the field, so that if a man ask concerning the things of God, they know not what it means, O, this is a very sad thing. But if we can season our hearts so as to desire the Lord to assist us, he will help us, and not fly from us."

Captain Bowne must have died shortly after giving these words of advice, as on May 27th of the same year (1684) there were executed an article of agreement signed by Lydia Bowne, his widow and exeentrix, by which the estate was divided between the widow, his sons, - Jolin and Obadiah Bowne,-Gershom Mott and daughters,-Deboralı, Sarah and Catharine.

The only village of the township is Holmdel, located in the southwestern corner. This place was previously known as Baptisttown. In Gordon's " Gazetteer " of 1834 it is mentioned as " Holmdel, or Baptisttown," with the follow- ing description : "It contains an academy, a Baptist Church, two stores and eight dwellings." There are few persons now living who are aware of the fact that the little hamlet which afterwards became Baptisttown, and is now Holmdel, was the original village of Freehold, and bore that name many years (probably three- fourthis of a eentury) before the village now known as Freehold was so called. This fact is shown beyond the possibility of dispute by an old map drawn from surveys made in 1769 by an officer of the British army.1 This map shows

1 The map is entitled, "The Province of New Jersey,

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HOLMDEL TOWNSHIP.

Freehold village, with a considerable cluster of houses, standing exactly where Holmdel now is, at the intersection of the road running (as then delineated) from Shrewsbury to Cranbury, with the road running from Middletown to Mon- mouth Court-House, which latter village is rep- resented by a much smaller cluster of houses than is given to Freehold (now Holmdel).

A store was kept in theacademy building at this village before 1820 by Daniel Holmes. Soon after that time he became associated in business with Aaron Longstreet, which partnership con- tinued until 1837 when it was dissolved. The academy in which Holmes had previously kept his store was again used (soon after 1820) for school purposes, and the firm of Holmes and Longstreet had their place of business where John Hance now keeps store. Thomas Sword and William H. Smock were merchants at Holmdel for many years.

The post-office at Holmdel was established about 1836 with Dr. R. W. Cooke ' postmaster. He was succeeded by Thomas Thorn, Gilbert H. Van Mater, George S. Jones and Henry W. Magee, the present incumbent, who has held the position since 1868.

About half a mile east of Holmdel village is the Van Mater mill site, which is said to have been occupied for mill purposes since 1788,- the first mill there having been erected and put in operation by one of the Holmes family. On the 29th of March, 1860, the large merchant and grist-mill at this place (owned by Gilbert H. Van Mater) was destroyed by fire, and it has not been rebuilt.

Divided into East and West, commonly called the Jerseys. Engraved and Published by William Faden, Charing Cross, December 1st, 1777.

"This map has been drawn from the survey made in 1769 by order of the Commissioners appointed to settle the Partition Line between the Provinces of New York and New Jersey, by Bernard Ratzer, Lieutenant in the 60th Regiment, and from another large Survey of the Northern Parts, in possession of the Earl of Dunmore, by Gerard Banker, the whole regulated and ascertained by Astronomi- cal observations."

At the time when Lieutenant Ratzer made this survey (1769) his regiment, or a detachment of it, was stationed at Perth Amboy.

1 A more extended mention of Dr. Cooke will be found in . the chapter on the Momouth Medieal Society.

Ely's Mills are situated on Hop Brook, in the southwest corner of the township, at the in- tersection of the township lines of - Holmdel, Atlantic and Marlborough. About two hundred yards below the present mill, Jacob Van Doren built a grist-mill about 1710, on a tract of seven hundred and seventy-six acres which he had purchased in this section some years pre- viously. This mill remained in the Van Doren family until 1820, when it was purchased by Sheriff Ely, who built a new mill on the present site, which is now owned and operated by his sons, Thomas and John Ely.

THE HOLMDEL BAPTIST CHURCH2 has a history dating back more than two centuries, but no clue to its ancient origin is found either in its name or the date of its recognition.

The Middletown Church had, in its begin- ning, two centres in the township of Middle- town, at each of which the Baptist settlers pre- dominated, where they erected meeting-houses, worshiping and transacting the church business in them alternately. One of these was the village of Middletown, the other Baptisttown, or the Academy. Baptisttown fitly designated its re- ligious type. It was a Baptist settlement.

Each place and assembly is designated in the church records,-that at Baptisttown as "The Upper Meeting-house," and the congre- gation as "The Upper Congregation ;" and that of Middletown village as "The Lower Meet- ing-house," and the congregation as "The Lower Congregation." These congregations were absolutely one, sharing equally in the responsi- bilities and privileges of the church. At Baptist- town there was a very certain proportion of social and financial strength, as well as of spiritual power. Reference to some of these men, the founders of our religious freedom, is necessary to the completeness of this sketch.

April 8, 1665, Richard Stout and others ob- tained a patent from Governor Richard Nicolls, conveying Middletown and Shrewsbury to them. These men were most of them Baptists, and they had this guarantee in their patent: "Unto any and all persons who shall plant and inhabit in any of the land aforesaid, they shall have free

? By the Rev. T. S. Griffiths.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

liberty of conscience, without any molestation whatsoever in their way of worship." Among these patentees was the Obadiah Holmes who suffered publie whipping in Boston for his Baptist faith. He did not reside there, but his son, Jonathan Holmes, became a resident, and in 1668 was a member of Assembly. Subsequently he re- turned to the homestead in Middletown, R. I., having settled his two sons, Jonathan and Oba- diah, upon his lands in Middletown, N. J., which, in 1713, he bequcathed to them.

These, Jonathan and Obadiah, grandsons of the Rev. Obadiah Holmes were constituents of the Middletown Church. Their descendants are still identified with "The Upper Congrega- tion." Baptisttown sprang up on this tract, known now as Holmdel, taking with the town- ship set off from Middletown a memorial name of a family identified with the earliest history of the county. The Stout tract and homestead joined that of Holmes. Our most authentic tradi- tion1 says that Penelope Stout was buried on it about two miles from Holmdel.

John Bray was a resident and property-owner in 1668, the reputed year of the organization of the church. He may have been a constitu- ent of it, though his name is not in the imper- fect list now in existence. Mr. Bray came from England. One of his descendants, Richard Bray, has a deed of 1688 of land to him, a part of the Lawrence traet. He bought a part of the Holmes tract, lived and died upon it, having given the land on which the church and parsonage are. The church minutes speak of him as a "man of gifts." He was a preacher, but it is not known that he was ordained; evi- dently an earnest man, he took a deep and active interest. in the welfare of Zion. To him the chureli is indebted for the property in Holm- del,-parsonage, mecting-house and burial- grounds. Others, also,-Bownes, Crawfords,2

Motts,3 Ashtons,' lived near "The Upper House."

The business of the church seems to have been transacted, as now in country churches, "at the meeting before Communion," indiscrimi- nately at cither house. We read in June, 1713, "at our yearly meeting in Middletown." In August, 1732, "appointed a quarterly meeting in Middletown." August, 1735, the entry is "Middletown, at the Upper Meeting-house;" and in the next month, "at the above said Mecting-house." In 1736, probably to avoid confusion, it was decided to hold "a yearly meeting for business in the old mecting-house, near John Bray's." No referenee is found to a change of this order. Yet fifty years later, in 1788, it appears that a ehange had been made, the communion seasons before that date having been held for six months consecutively in each place. Then, however, it was ordered "that the meetings sliall be in rotation in their sea- sons at each meeting-house." This arrangement continued until the division of the churchi, in 1836.

The grounds held by the Holmdel Church, including the parsonage and house of worship and burial-ground, contained four and one- third acres, and was the gift of John Bray, already spoken of.5

It is noteworthy that both the lot in the vil- lage of Middletown and that of Baptisttown, on which the houses of worship stand, were the gifts of ministers.

Obadiah Bowne and Garret Wall in a deed of acknowledgment of trust, dated December 18, 1705, address themselves "to all Christian people," and deelare "that John Bray and

'Stout tract is identified as part of the Hendrickson and Longstreet farms, near Holmdel. Penelope Stont is believed to have been buried in an old graveyard nearly one hundred yards south of the residence of the late John S. Hendrickson.

" The farm on which the venerable James Crawford lived was the homestead of Obadiah Bowne, passing by mar- riage into the Crawford Family.

3 Ancestor of Deacon G. Mott, First Church, Trenton ; father of General Mott, of Bordentown.

4 A minister and ancestor of Ashton, the first Baptist in Upper Freehold.

5 Morgan Edwards, in his " Materials for the History of the Baptist Churches in New Jersey," states that " the ground was partly given by John Bray and partly by Obadiah and Jonathan Holmes." This is a mistake. Oba- diah and Jonathan did not come into possession of their father's lands till after his decease, in 1713, eight years subsequent to thic date of the deed given by John Bray. Their father may have added to the church lot and prob- ably did.

. -

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HOLMDEL TOWNSHIP.

Susanna, his wife, on December 14, 1705, on mere special trust and confidenee, for the only use, benefits and belroofs of the society, commi- nity or congregation called Baptists," gave, etc., describing the property ; and further bind themselves to convey the property to the church, when it shall have a legal existenee. Not in- corporated until December, 1793, the title was thus held for eighty-eight years. The original deed of trust is now in the keeping of the trus- tees, and is the oldest deed held by any Baptist Church in the State. The title also, if not tlie oldest, is but little later than that on which the Lower House stood, of which, however, there is no record in the elerk's office. This land since bought from the Indians lias been owned by Baptists.

A house of worship and parsonage were built contemporaneously alongside of each other on the southwest corner of this property, immedi- ately adjoining the burial-grounds of the Bray family and of the church.1 By whom and when ereeted, tlie church record is silent. The buildings may have been put up prior to 1705. The Baptist families in the vicinity probably contributed to their erection. From the little known of John Bray, he is supposed to have had considerable force of character, as well as to have been large-hearted. We ineline to the opinion that he bore the brunt of the cost of these buildings, from the fact that the meeting- house was for many years known as the " Bray Meeting-house." In 1735 it is referred to in the church-book as " The Old Meeting-house near John Bray's." Some who worshiped in that built in Middletown village after 1700, and in that at Baptisttown, lave left word that "they were as mnelr alike as two peas." "The Old Bray Meeting-house " was probably the model of the other.

Substantial financial aid came also from the Holmeses. Jonathan Holmes, Jr., son of Jona-

thian Holmes, of Middletown (now Holmdel), a great-grandson of Obadialı Holmes, was a min- ister wliethier ordained or not, is not written. Having settled lris affairs and made his will, he visited the home of his fathers, in England, in 1737. On the return voyage he died at sea, 1738. He bequeathed four hundred pounds to the clinreh, -a great sum in those days. Sam- nel Holmes, James Tapseott and James Mott were his executors. The carefulness and integ- rity of these men, and of their successors, usually acting trustees of the church up to its incor- poration, as is shown by its records, is the high- est memorial of their Christian character.

It has been a question how, through the fluctuations and poverty of a new country, the wreek of all financial interests in the Revoln- tion, Middletown, a small country church, eould command for its pulpit and retain in long pastorates the best gifts of the denomination. The gift of eliurch properties and parsonage, and the use of the legacy of Jonathan Holmes, Jr., solve the problem. It was loaned to Abel Morgan, and he enabled to live in his own house. Repaid in the settlement of his estate, Samuel Morgan had the use of it. Returned when he resigned. It was husbanded and used to insure the labors of Mr. Bennet for twenty- three years. In 1818 .it was diverted from tlie support of the pastor, and part of it appro- priated to complete the parsonage at The "Upper Meeting-House." The balance was probably invested in the houses of worship now in use in Holmdel and in the village of Middletown.

At a church-meeting, September 18, 1794, Mr. Bennet, pastor, "A subscription was

ordered for a new meeting-house on Bray's lot." No further mention is made of how much, or by whom, or by what means the funds were se- eured for this object. Fifteen years elapsed,- years of trial and of eonstaney,-when, October 29, 1809, having worshiped in the old house more than a century, the minutes read : "The first Communion Season was held in the new meeting-house on Bray's lot." This was also a dedieatory service. Beside the pastor, Mr. Bennet, Pastors Wilson, of Hightstown, and Boggs, of Hopewell, and Bishop, of Lower Freehold (Upper ?), were present. Mr. Wilson,

' The great-grandson, a member of Holmdel Baptist Church, says that Jolin Brey built both. This was cer- tainly the first Baptist parsonage in New Jersey, and doubtless the first meeting-house built by Baptists for their own use. Tradition says the first house at Middletown was built for town purposes, and the church used it. This was the case at Piscataway.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

who, twenty-four years before, had preached in money, the pastor received the parsonage and " his fuel carted to his door." Up to the settle- ment, this has continued to be " the portion" of the Holmdel pastors. When " The Upper Con- gregation" was organized into " The Second Middletown Church," this property, really theirs by gift and purchase of themselves, and which, for so many generations, they had freely bought for five hundred and fifty dollars. the funeral sermon of Abel Morgan, and two days after, the ordination sermon of Samuel Morgan, and who was also one of the two ministers at the ordination of Mr. Bennet, preached on Lord's Day morning, from Psalm cxxxii. 15; Mr. Boggs, in the afternoon, from Exodus xx. 24. On Monday, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Boggs each preached again. The given for the use of the whole church, they house was thirty-six feet by forty-five .. It has sinee undergone enlargements and improve- ments. Many interesting associations belong to the old sanctuary. Here, July, 1792, the trustees were instructed to obtain an act of in- corporation, and, at the same meeting, Mr. Bennet was ealled to ordination, " as a transient minister," not pastor, as is graven upon his tombstone. Six months later he was invested with the pastor's office. Mr. Bennet never was a member of Middletown Church. A minute of July, 1816, reads : " Appointed John Beers to superintend the building of a house on the meeting-house lot of the upper house, com- monly called the Bray Meeting-house of the size twenty-five feet square, two stories high ; no ceiling overhead ; and the same John Beers to proceed in the business so far as the money raised will go." The same house is still the parsonage of the Holmdel Church. Like the house of worship by which it stands, it has been improved and enlarged at various times ; but we know not at what expense or how pro- vided for, except that in 1819 the trustees ordered money at interest to be called in to pay the balance due on the building. A room was prepared in the house for the library of Abel Morgan, to which, by vote of the church, in June, 1818, it was ordered to be removed.

Elliot, King, Roberts, Hires, Nice, Mulford and Wilson have successively occupied, as a study, this " prophet's room over against the wall." Prior to the separation of the church into two bands, in 1836, she owned no other parsonage. Mr. Bennet alone, of all the pastors sinee 1805, is known not to have lived in either the first or second parsonage. A wood-lot of twenty-two aeres was bought by " The Upper Congregation," for the uses of the church, in 1825. Thenceforth, besides his salary

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History of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pt. 2, Part 58

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