History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 110

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148

USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth county, New Jersey > Part 110

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An amusing incident concerning the old church building at Blue Ball, related by For- man Rogers (born in 1805), is that when he was about five years old, and attending services there with his parents, the preacher appeared in the pulpit with his spectacles on wrong side up, whereupon young Rogers spoke out and called attention to it, which caused a laugh in the con- gregation. The preacher on this occasion was James Quail, whose name appears as preacher on this cirenit in 1812. Mr. Rogers' father, William Rogers, then lived near Freehold, and this was the only Methodist Church in this sec- tion. Among those who were members at his first recollection were his father and his grand- father, Richard Rogers, William and Job Throckmorton, Job Clayton, Joseph Haviland (then an old man), Solomon Ketcham and Joseph Goodenough (of Upper Squankum, now Farmingdale), Joseph Patterson, Simon Pyle (at one time a circuit preacher, but at that time living on a farm at Colt's Neck), Negro Bob (a słave of Judge Henderson's, living near what is now West Freehold), Tunis Lane and Henry Tunis, Henry Conine and wife, Moses Bennett (of Bennett's Mills), Honce Richmond1 (then an old man), Mr. Reynolds and wife (from Har- mony) and Stephen Barkalow and wife. Mr. Barkalow run the grist-mill here, and was

1 Said to have been the first Methodist in all this region

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

grandfather of the late Thomas P. Barkalow, of Freehold. Within the recollection of Mr. Rogers, the old church was eeiled inside with boards ; previous to that time it had no other inclosure but cedar weather-boards. The pulpit was raised as high as the galleries of the present church, with a flight of stairs on each side; it was about eight feet long, with a bench running the length of it ; the breast of the pulpit was raised so high that only the head and breast of the preacher could be seen by the congregation. In front of the pulpit was a wide altar, with a railing and a kneeling-board covered with a cushion.

The present church was built on the opposite side of the road in the old cemetery lot. The corner-stone of the church was laid June 7, 1849. The building was finished in the following spring, and was dedicated April 11, 1850. The ministers who have served the church since 1874 are as follows : 1874-75, T. D. Sleeper ; 1876-7, A. M. Lake; 1878 to 1880, E. Hutchins ; 1881, J. J. Graw ; 1882 to 1884, R. B. Steverson.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT LOWER TURKEY (now Fairfield) was in existence in 1828, when a church edifice was erected on the site of the present Baptist Church. The Rev. William Woodhull was in charge. It was dis- continued about 1840, and the building was finally sold to Charles Butcher, who is now using it as a barn. About 1857, Austin H. Pat- terson, then in the Legislature, succeeded in getting a bill passed authorizing the people of the district to decide, by a two-thirds vote, to which denomination the church lot should pass. The vote gave it to the Baptists, and the trustees of the Presbyterian Church conveyed it to the trustees of the Baptist Church, who soon after erected the present Baptist Church build- ing upon it.

THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF HOWELL was organized November 10, 1859, by twenty- eight members of the Baptist Church at Free- hold, residing in and contiguous to the village of Fairfield (formerly called Lower Turkey), and on the following September 7, 1860, it was duly recognized as properly organized by a council

of Baptist ministers and laymen from various surrounding churches. On January 22, 1861, they elected as deacons the following persons : Abraham Havens, Sr., Abraham Havens, Jr., Charles Butcher and Jonathan C. Croxson. Abraham H. Croxson was chosen clerk, and Levi G. Irwin treasurer. The trustees elected were Charles Butcher, Levi G. Irwin, Abraham Havens, Jonathan C. Croxson, Oliver Huff, James Donahoy and Job Cottrell. In October, 1860, the Rev. Henry Westcott became their first pastor.

Religious services, thus far, were held in a school-house at Fairfield. Opposite this house was an old dilapidated Presbyterian meeting- house. Attached to it was a graveyard, in which were buried many of those who died years ago. The graves were exposed to intrusion and desecration. The fence was broken down and the mounds left to the ravages of time, and the hoofs of cattle trod on earth saered to the mem- ory of the departed. The old church build- ing was fast falling into ruins. The pews had fallen down. the galleries in their unfin- ished state looked bare and the stamp of ruin seemed placed on every part of the building.

Those who had friends buried in the grave- yard felt a strong aversion to the condition of the ground and a desire to render it secure from vandal intrusion; hence citizens of the commun- ity drew up a petition to the Legislature of the State, requesting that body to give authority to sell the house thus neglected, and devote the proceeds to build a fence around the graveyard, and coupled with the proviso that the ground be given to any religious evangelical denomina- tion which would engage to build a house of worship thereon (having first obtained the assent of at least two-thirds of the district in which the cemetery was located). This petition was presented by the member of the Legislature then residing in the township of Howell, and the bill passed the Legislature.

The newly-organized church realized their favorable chance to procure the lot, and having obtained a requisite number of names of the resident citizens, the property was secured to the Baptist denomination, subject to the proviso that they should erect thereon a house of wor-

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ship. The grant being secured, the inhabitants -of Fairfield soon erected on the premises a neat and commodious meeting-house, which was dedicated August 14, 1861. They also repaired, fenced and adorned the old graveyard.

Twenty-five years have passed since the or- ganization of the church at Fairfield and the erection of their meeting-house. Within that time the church has had the following pastors: Henry Westcott, David B. Jutten, Asa C. Bron- son, Asa J. Wilcox, C. G. Gurr, Edwin S. Brown, William Archer and Henry Westcott, the present pastor.

Besides services held in the church at Fair- field, the pastor officiates in Jerseyville, Pleas- ant Grove and Fort Plains, in school-houses, to encouraging congregations, and the congrega- tion at Fairfieldl is comparatively large and at- tentive, thus affording hope relative to the future. In April, 1884, a lot was purchased adjoining the church, and on it a parsonage has been erected.

The officers of the church are as follows : Pastor, Rev. Henry Westcott; Deacons, Levi G. Irwin, John Dillatash, James H. Butcher; Church Clerk, Horatio Croxson; Treasurer, Levi G. Irwin; Trustees, Levi G. Irwin, John Dillatash, James S. Morris, A. H. Patterson, James H. Butcher.

BETHEL is comparatively a new settlement, located in the southwest part of the township. Here, in 1865, a lot was donated by Israel Reynolds, on which to erect a Methodist Church. It was built in 1866. The Rev. Sam- uel Asa was the first pastor. The present pas- tor is the Rev. S. M. Hilliard. The church has about seventy-five members. About 1870 a school-house was erected. In 1872, Henry H. Williams opened a store, and in 1882, John T. Reynolds also opened a store and was appointed postmaster of the office named "Southard," which was established at that time.

JERSEYVILLE, in the northwest corner of Howell township, is a small hamlet which, prior to 1854, was known as " Green Grove." On Saturday evening, June 3d, in that year, the inhabitants of the neighborhood met at the

house of John I. Cottrell, for the purpose of adopting a different name for the place. R. V. Lawrence was called to the chair, and Nason Borden was chosen secretary. By a vote of the meeting, the place was then given its present name,-Jerseyville.

In 1849 a school-house was erected here, in which Methodist worship was held at times, until the completion of the Methodist Church edifice, the corner-stone of which was laid in the fall of 1869. The lot was donated by Sid- ney Hampton. The society was organized at about the same time. The church building cost four thousand two hundred and forty dollars, and was dedicated January 19, 1872. The church at this place is under care of the neighboring churches of the denomination.

"Our House " is a tavern-stand on the road leading from Blue Ball to Farmingdale. It was first built as a store, but was opened as a tavern over seventy years ago. In 1841 it was kept by John Mariner, and later by Samuel Naylor, John Wheeler and (from 1851 to 1881) by John Antonides. It is now kept by T. H. Clayton.

THE "INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCHI " of Ilowell was in existence more than a cen- tury ago. On the 22d of February, 1808, John F. Longstreet, living near where now stands " Our House " tavern, between Blue Ball and Farmingdale, sold a lot of land to Zenas Conger and others for the use of the Independ- ent Methodist Church Society. On this a house of worship was commenced, but was never fin- ished. Services were held in the woods near by, with preaching by Zenas Conger, Matthias Barkalow and others. The place was aban- doned after a few years. When the transfer of the property of the Independent Methodist Church was made to the Methodist Protestant Church, about 1850, this lot was also conveyed to the latter, who sold it in 1858, and the pro- ceeds were used in the erection of the Methodist Protestant Church at IIopeville.

SCHOOLS OF HOWELL TOWNSHIP .- In 1847 the township contained twenty-one school dis- tricts. By the erection of Wall township, in

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

1850, from part of Howell, the number was reduced to fourteen, and in 1851 to nine dis- tricts. The township now contains twelve dis- . triets and one thousand and sixteen children of school age. The school property is valued at thirteen thousand three hundred dollars.

Blue Ball Distriet, No. 101, contains eighty- three children of school age. In this locality the first school house stood adjoining the old church on the opposite side of the road from the present Bethesda Church. It was built about 1820. On May 1, 1841, A. Simpson, John Hall, Jesse Cowdriek, Abram Ackerson and Thomas Croxson, school trustees, leased for twenty years of Miles Cooper a lot containing one-quarter of an acre of land, "on the north side of the road leading from Blue Ball to Mar- riner's tavern " ("Our House "). To this lot the old house was removed, and it is still in nse.

Jerseyville District, No. 102, contains one hundred and sixteen children of school age. For many years there stood, a short distance from the village, a log school-house, which was kept in use till the present briek school-house was erected, in 1849.

Turkey Distriet, No. 103, has now eighty- seven school children. A school-house was built about 1835 nearly on the site of the pres- ent one at Fairfield Haven. It was fifteen by sixteen feet in size, and is now a carriage-shed at the Baptist parsonage. A new school-house (the present one) was built about 1855. The old house was used until this was built.

Farmingdale District, No. 104, has one hun- dred and seventy-nine school children. The first school-house in this locality was built be- fore 1800 on land now owned by Samuel 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 the present Methodist Church, and was used till 1838, when it was rebuilt. In May of that vear 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 ereet a new school-house, at a cost of six thousand dollars. The present sit?

was then purchased, and the building erected and dedicated in March, 1871.

Fort Plain Distriet, No. 105, was formerly, and for many years, known as the White Dis- trict. Over eighty years ago a lot of four aeres 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 erected a school district, but for some reason was abolished in 1860, and again erected into the present district.

Squankum District, No. 107, has now eighty- niue school children. A school-house was built near this place in 1839, as in December of that ycar 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 (unoecu- pied) on the road from Squankum to Farming- dale. The present house was built on laud of T. Brittan, in 1879.

Bethel Distriet, No. 108, has one hundred and eight scholars. About 1870 a school-house was erceted at this settlement.

Greenville Distriet, 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 District, 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.

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MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP.

Bedford Distriet, No. 112, has now forty-six school children. The lot on which the school- house stands was donated by J. S. Partriek in 1862, and the house was built in that year.

CHAPTER XXI.

MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP.

THE township of Millstone was ereeted in 1844 by an aet of the Legislature, passed on the 28th of February in that year, deelaring

" That all that part of the townships of Upper Free- hold and Freehold, in the County of Monmouth, and of the township of Monroe, in the County of Middle- sex, lying within the boundaries and descriptions fol- Jowing, 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 public 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 ; thenee 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 sontherly, following the said county line, to the Monmouth County line; thence southwesterly 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 sontherly in a direct line to a point in the public 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 Hill, to the Ivanhoe or north branch of Lahaway Creek ; thenee up the mid- dle of said Ivanhoe to its head, at a spring near the Jate residence of Isaac Carr, deceased ; thenee 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 aet, all that part of Monroe township which had been thus ineluded 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- mouth 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 Mereer County line where the middle of the publie road leading from Milford by way of Disborough's northwest eorner to Perrineville crosses the same, and thence along the middle of the said road an easterly eourse 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 ereeted a new township was also formed from parts of Freehold, Upper Freehold 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 Manalapan, 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, here flowing in an easterly course, forms a part of the boundary between Upper Freehold and Millstone; Roeky Brook

1 Now Smithville.

? Now Manalapanville.

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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 northwardly 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- wieks 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 1. 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-mill 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. Rne and D. C. Perrine (now of Freehold) were among the pupils of Mr. Woodhull.

In the fall of 1877 the Rev. George W. MeMillan, 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- duet 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

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erected, commenced, " but inasmuch as suffi- cient funds could not be raised," says Judge William P. Forman, " the church could not be Charles F. Worrell,1 D.D., installed April 2, 1842 ; dismissed March 9, 1867. finished, and stayed in that state for some forty Daniel F. Lockerby, installed July 13, 1869; dis- missed September 9, 1871. years. It was inelosed, a pulpit erected, and temporary seats arranged by boards being laid George W. McMillan, installed November 1, 1873. on blocks. It was not so large, but was pat- THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CONGREGATION AT terned after the mother-church, the pulpit | PERRINEVILLE was first organized, in 1871, being in the north side. Preaching was kept ' by the rector of the Catholic congregation at up for many years by Mr. Woodhull, once in Freehold, Rev. Frederick Kivelitz. Mass was said onee a month, on Sundays, and religious instruction given to the young once a week in a private house. In 1879 a brick and terra-cotta church, of Gothic 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. 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 Freehokl.

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 110

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co. Number of Pages: 1148

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148