History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 118

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 118

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The lands mentioned above do not embrace the part of Keyport lying east of the Lupat- cong Creek. The Kearney estate was added to by later generations, and embraced at one time over nine hundred aeres, The Kearney plan- tation was named Keygrove Farm and was so known for many years. The point, prior to the Revolution and down to 1829 was known as " Fishing Point." It was celebrated as the home of the Chingarora oysters, which were free to all. Nearly every farmer for miles around owned clam-rakes and oyster-tongs, and obtained a part of his living from the bay.

James Kearney, a descendant of Thomas, and owner of the estate, died in Richmond County, N. Y., January 17, 1811, aged sixty-one years. He was buried on this estate, in the family vault. Edmund Kearney then came into possession, and moved to the place in the April following, and at his death, December 25, 1822, was in posession of this property, then em- bracing seven hundred and eighty-one acres. It was described as being " divided into many fields and pastures, all included by an exterior boundary fence, and by the creeks or rivulets forming with the shore on Raritan or Prince's Bay the exterior boundary thereof." A part of the estate was fine, arable land, but the greater part was covered with a heavy growth of valuable timber.

This large tract of land, by reason of its timu- ber and its coast advantages attracted the atten- tion of business men as an excellent place to

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

establish a town. James P. Kearney 1 one of the heirs-at-law, eame of age the next day after his father's death, and on the 9th of December, 1823, he mortgaged his interest to William Forman for money loaned. This not being paid in 1829, and Kearney being then in necessitous circumstances, conveyed (April 15, 1829) all his right, title and interest in the property to Daniel Holmes and John W. Holmes, who made application to the Orphans' Court for a division of the estate. It is stated that the purchase by the Holmeses was for the purpose of | bringing about a sale, that a port town might be established. In accordance with their appli- eation, the Orphans' Court, at the April term of 1829, appointed James Hopping, Edward Tay- Jor and Leonard Walling commissioners to divide the estate. These commissioners reported, July 10, 1829, that they had caused a map of the estate to be made, and after viewing it, were of the opinion that a division could not be made without great prejudice to the owners. Upon this report the court ordered the com- missioners to make sale of the property at pub- lie anetion. The sale was made on the 3d and 4th of November, 1829, to the following- named purchasers :

Lot No. 1, 224.82 acres, Isaac K. Lippincott. Lot No. 2, 56.42 acres, Thomas Carhart. Lot No. 3, 32.85 acres, Amos Walling. Lot No. 4, 18.43 acres, Jonathan Tilton. Lot No. 5, 59.52 acres, Ezra Osborn, Esq. Lot No. 6, 56.24 acres, Ezra Osborn, Esq. Lot No. 7, 48.46 acres, Isaac K. Lippincott. Lot No. 8, 24.11 acres, Richard C. Burrowes. Lot No. 9, 7.34 acres, Isaac K. Lippincott. Lot No. 10, 16.51 acres, Ezra Osborn. Lot No. 11, 59.13 acres, James Sproul. Lot No. 12, 26.02 acres, Thomas J. Walling. Lot No. 13, 49.42 acres, Amos Walling. Lot No. 14, 40.35 acres, Joseph Carhart. Lot No. 15, 61.34 acres, Horatio Kearney.

The sales amounted to nineteen thousand nine hundred and forty-one dollars and nine- teen cents. deeds to be given April 1, 1830, when one-half of the purchase money was to be paid, and remainder on April 1, 1831.

At the time of this sale it was suspected that

1 Edward Kearney left eight children,-Thomas, Anne, Catharine, Anastasia, Horatio, James P., John and Mary.

parties from Middletown Point, fearful that Fishing Point Lot, No. 8, might be purchased for the purpose of building a dock, had come there with the intention of buying it, that it

might remain unimproved, and thus leave Middletown Point without a commercial rival on Raritan Bay. Upon this, two or three men, with a view of the practicability of a dock at the place, decided to buy Lot No. 8, which was done on the second day of the sale. Others then joined with them and purchased other con- tignous lots. No thought of a dock company was had before the sale, but circumstances rapidly developed such a project, and brought about the formation of a Doek and Improvement Company, of which the following-named were the original members . Leonard Walling, Joseph Taylor, John I. Taylor, Davis S. Bray, John Hopping, James Hopping and Isaac K. Lip- pincott. The object of this company was to se- cure Lots 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, which was done, and others were also obtained afterwards. On the 9th of April, 1830, the place was surveyed and laid out into twenty-four lots by Leonard Walling, " near the fishing-point on the easterly side of Brown's Point Cove."

In February, 1830, a road or highway was laid out from the Middletown village and Mount Pleasant road to this new settlement and in the proposed village plat made in April following, it is laid down as passing between Lots. No. 8 and 21. Lot No. 8 was known as the " Fishing Point Lot."

The lands seenred by the company amounted to more than two hundred acres. In 1830 a dock was constructed on the site of the pres- ent Keyport Dock. A large store-house was erected in the same year. The dock and the store-house were in charge of Leonard Wal- ling, who also built a residence here in 1830. In the spring of 1831 the place first received the name of Keyport. In 1832 a tavern-honse was built and opened to the public. In the same year the sloop "New Jersey," of fifty tons, was built, eight miles below, on Comp- ton's Creek, and was put on to run from the doek to New York, under command of James Hopping. The next vessel was put on in 1836, and was soon followed by others

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THE TOWN OF KEYPORT.

which ran from Keyport to New York, carry- ing market supplies and prodnee, which had then begun to come in large quantities from the interior to Keyport for shipment. From this time the shipping business of the port at Middletown Point began to decline, and finally ceased altogether.

The old Kearney homestead was purchased by Isaac K. Lippincott, who owned it for many years. It is now occupied by Mrs. Barnes. In 1833, Isaac K. Lippincott erected tha first store of Keyport, and the same year Nimrod Bedle and Lewis Morris built dwell- ing-houses. On the 21st of May, 1832, the company divided sixteen of the twenty-four lots among the individual members. At that time the company consisted of James and John Hopping, Ezra Osborn, John I. Taylor, David L. Bray, Leonard Walling, Joseph Taylor and Isaac K. Lippincott.

In November, 1829, Septimus Stevens was was about one-quarter of a mile from the new proposed village, and the Kearney sale was held at his house. The new tavern was erected on Lot No. 5.

Gordon's "Gazetteer " of 1834 says of Brown's Point (Keyport),-"'There are here a good landing, two taverns, three stores, and twelve or fifteen dwellings." A statement in the Monmouth Democrat of 1837 says Key- port then had less than twenty houses and about one hundred population. In 1846 Key- port contained seventy dwellings, two stores, one good public-house, two docks or wharves and ten or twelve mechanic shops, besides other buildings. The property retained by the com- pany at the division, in 1832, was sokl, February 25, 1839, to Oliver Vanderbilt for seven thou- sand dollars, embracing fifteen acres, with all the buildings and improvements.

The site of Lockport was purchased at the sale of November 3 and 4, 1829, by James Sproul. It was nick-named Lockport in the early days, and was separated from the other land by Necius Pond, which is now entirely filled up and built over. Bedle's mill is on the pond. In 1844 there were one hundred houses upon it.

The dock was built by the Keyport Company in 1830, as before mentioned. They also built two sloops,-the "New Jersey " and the " Middle- town,"-which were run from Keyport to New York. As business increased others were added. On February 29, 1839, the company sold their docks and business to Oliver Vanderbilt, of Castleton, Richmond County, N. Y., for seven thousand dollars. A line of stages was established in 1836 to run from Keyport to Long Branch, and on May 2, 1839, the low- pressure steamboat "Wave," commanded by Captain Joseph Stoney, commenced making regular trips to New York, and in the next year a line of stages, to connect with the "Wave," was established to run from Keyport to Free- hold ; the stage-office was at the hotel of William Jacques (the Pavilion).

The property passed to other hands, and on February 19, 1851, the Keyport Dock Com- pany was incorporated. The docks were rebuilt, run to New York for both passengers and freight. It is still in use. A large amount of market produce is shipped daily from this dock.

landlord of a tavern at Brown's Point, which : and the steamer " Minnie Cornell" was built to

The Farmers' Transportation Company was chartered November 20, 1865. The corpora- tors were mostly farmers of Holmdel town- ship, who had large quantities of produce to ship. Joseph Rose was chosen president, and Rufus Ogden secretary. The present dock was built and the steamer " Holmdel" placed on the line. The dock and business was sold, in 1878, to G. W. Walling, superintendent of police of New York, who now owns it.

The Chingarora Dock Company was organ- ized in 1846, and built the dock called Chinga- rora Dock. The company was incorporated February 2, 1851. The "Golden Rule" and other sloops were built and put on the line. Abont 1875 the property passed to Captain George W. Johnson, and in 1881 to T. S. R. Brown, who now'owns it.

One of the first enterprises of the old Keyport Company was the building of the hotel in 1832, as before noticed. Its location was on Front Street, nearly opposite the present post-office, on the site of John Sproul's bakery. It was kept by

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Primrose Hopping until about 1834. He was succeeded by Tobias S. Hendrickson. The hotel was named the Atlantic. On September 1, 1842, Tunis J. Ten Eyek, who had kept a public- house at Middletown Point, became landlord of the hotel. He was succeeded by John L. Doty, who was succeeded, in 1846, by Joseph J. Reeves, who kept it for a few years. After he retired it was kept by several, until its destruction by the fire of September 21, 1877. Jesse Coldrick, of Tom's River, had leased the property and was moving in at the time of the fire. It was not again rebuilt.

In 1840, William Jacques built the Pavilion IIotel, and kept it until his death, July 4, 1849, while engaged in firing a salute. The property passed to Elisha Thomson, by whom it was operated until destroyed by the fire of 1851. Mr. Thomson died the week after the fire and the property was purchased by D. L. F. Schenck and rebuilt. It is now kept by Jacob Sickles.

The Mansion House was built by George Davison, of Burlington, N. J., who rented it. It was destroyed by fire in 1877 and rebuilt. It is now carried on by - Van Mater.

The first grist-mill at Keyport was built in 1856 by Andrew MeDowell. It is now owned by Stephen G. Lambertson. In 1867, James M. Burrowes and James Bedle erected the mill, now owned by James Bedle, on the site of Necius Pond.

On the site of the armory building, several years before that was erected, Uriah H. Dudley erected a canning-factory, which was used for a time, then burned, rebuilt and again destroyed by fire in February, 1877. Later, the citizens donated to Austin Nichols & Co., of New York, a lot of land on which to erect a canning-fae- tory, which was built and continued until its destruction by fire, in 1880. The lot now be- longs to the village.

The Keyport post-office was established at Keyport March 12, 1833, with Leonard Walling postmaster. Captain Joseph D. Hoff had at that time opened a store on Front Street, nearly op- posite the present post-office, and the office was then kept in this store, with Captain Hoff as assistant postmaster. In 1835, Captain Hoff sold the business to Henry Seabrook, who was

appointed postmaster and served until 1856, when Dr. J. E. Arrowsmith was appointed and served until 1861, when Rufus Ogden, the present postmaster, was appointed.

The great pier of the Freehold and New York Railway at Keyport, which was built by that corporation in 1880, is a really magnificent structure, though at the present time very little business is done on it. It was built at the Keyport terminus of the railway, and extends out into Raritan Bay for a distance of nearly two thousand feet. No expense was spared to make the pier substantial, and to fully adapt it to the uses which it was intended to subserve. As it is a fine specimen of engineering skill, peculiarly unique in its construetion (there being no other pier similar to it in this or any other country), a minute description of the structure is here given.

Crossing First Street, on the east side of the town of Keyport, at a point about midway be- tween Myrtle Avenue and Cedar Street, the railway runs, parallel with the two last-men- tioned streets, down to the shore of Raritan Bay. The company purchased of the State the riparian right to the bay-shore between Myrtle Avenue and Cedar Street. Bulkheads were erected along the shore extending one hundred and fifty feet outward into the bay, giving what is called the "bulkhead privileges," and fur- nishing excellent advantages for loading and unloading small craft, such as słoops, schooners, canal-boats, etc. The depth of water at thie outer edge of the bulkheads at mean high water is about eight feet, and at high water steamboats can have no difficulty in making a landing there. The pier proper begins about seventy- five feet back of high-water line and extending out into the bay eighteen hundred and twenty- five feet, then defleets to the right, making a total length of nineteen hundred and twenty- five feet. For a distance of thirteen hundred feet from the shore end the structure is eighteen feet in width, fourteen feet being occupied by the railway, and four feet by a foot-walk, which runs along the east side of the pier, pro- tected by a guard-rail, three feet high, extend- ing along the easterly edge as a protection

THE TOWN OF KEYPORT.

against falling overboard into the water below. passengers. On each corner of the wharf proper are immense mooring or belaying piles, while at convenient intervals along the string piece are iron belaying-cleats. The outer end of the pier is projected to the northeast some eighty feet, forming a wing thirty-three feet wide by eighty feet long. The northwest face of the pier is one hundred and thirty-four feet A- has been already stated, the pier for thirteen hundred feet from the shore end is wide enough only to admit of a single track and a footway. Beyond that it gradually broadens for a distance of two hundred and sixty feet, and becomes forty-eight feet in width. The object of secur- ing this additional width is to provide space for the laying of two side-tracks. The one on the , in length. The extreme end of the wing,

west, or left side, leaves the main track first and furnishes some two hundred feet or more of parallel track before reaching the wharf proper, this to be used as a siding for unloading freight by gravity from the cars into scows, barges and other small craft. The east side-track leaves the main track at a point further forward, and becomes parallel therewith when it reaches the wharf proper. The construction of the pier for the two hundred and sixty feet referred to is of the same general character, in respect to bents, stringers, footway, cte., as that of the thirteen hundred feet already described.

The wharf proper begins fifteen hundred and sixty feet from the commencement of the pier, and is constructed as follows: The structure at this point broadens to a width of sixty-five hundred to two thousand pounds weight, one feet, extending twenty-seven and one-half feet to the west of the main track and thirty-seven and one-half feet to the right of the same. It

thus admits of three platforms,-the first twenty- two and one-half feet in width, situated on the westerly side, and to be used for freighting pur- poses ; the second being a passenger platform ten and one-half feet in width, between the main track and the easterly siding; the third being a freight platform thirteen and one-half feet wide, and located just to the right of the easterly side-track. The bents of this portion of the pier reach the great length of sixty-five feet.

which is more exposed to the action of the waves and storms than any other portion of the structure, is protected by extra piling.

Mention has already been made of the fact that the piling averages fourteen by sixteen inches in diameter. In length the piles vary according to the depth of the mud into which they are driven. Beginning at the shore with twenty-five feet lengths, they gradually increase as they extend outward to seventy, eighty and even eighty-five feet. They were all driven down to a firm foundation, chiefly of clay, by means of one of Ross & Sanford's steam pile- drivers, with a hammer weighing three thousand three hundred pounds. As the ordinary ham- mer used for such purposes is from sixteen can faintly imagine what gigantie force was brought to bear upon these piles in order to secure that remarkable stability which charac- terizes the whole structure. The work of con- structing this immense pier was commenced on the 20th of May, 1880, and was finished in the following August.

The building of vessels was one of the first industries in Keyport. In 1831, John Cottrell established a yard on Brown's Point and con- tinned for twenty years. It is still carried on by his son, Francis Cottrell. In 1832, Roose- velt & Hoff established a yard on the lot now occupied by Warn's drug-store, where they built for three years. B. C. Terry carried on the business first at Brown's Point and after- wards at Lockport, where the business is still conducted by Mrs. Terry. In April, 1854, he had on the stocks three first-class ferry-boats and two steamboats. From 1866 to 1869 no

The forward end of the pier extends in a northeasterly direction, at an angle of thirty degrees with the main structure, so as to con- form to the direction of the channel of the bay, as well as to the course which the boat is to take in approaching or leaving the dock. This end of the pier is provided with two chutes for pas- senger purposes, the intention having been to , work was done, but in 1870 business was re- make this part of the pier the main landing for j sumed.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

The first physician who settled in Keyport Williams, and, second, John Snyder ; Maria, deceased ; Michael; Charles, of Burlington County ; and Josephi, of Bordentown. Michael was Dr. Jolin Griggs, who came about 1833 and remained until 1848. Dr. J. E. Arrowsmith, still a resident of the village, became a resident Taylor was born at Recklesstown, Chesterfield in 1845. Dr. Wilmer Hodgson settled in 1870; Dr. George T. Welsh in 1874.

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF KEYPORT, now only about one year old, is the result of ef- forts which have been made, at different times for nearly half a century, to secure the estab- lishment of a banking institution at Keyport. The first of these efforts was made in Deeem- ber, 1836, when notice was given that applica- tion would be made to the Legislature of New Jersey for a bank with $50,000 capital, to be called the People's Bank, and located at Key- port. This effort failed, and another was made in 1854; again in 1858; and again in 1859 and 1862; but all efforts to establish a bank at this place failed until April 23, 1884, when the First National Bank of Keyport was chartered. A lot was procured on Front Street and a brick banking-house, twenty-three by forty-five feet, was erected. Business was begun on Septem- ber 1, 1884. The following are the officers of the bank: Directors, Michael Taylor (presi- dent), George W. Walling, Ezra A. Osborn, T. S. R. Brown, Thomas Aumack, John W. Keough, Chrineyonce S. Holmes, John W. Hoff, Alfred Walling, Jr. ; Cashier, Garrett S. Jones; Assist- ant Cashier, A. W. Brown.

MICHAEL TAYLOR .- John Taylor, who was of English extraction, and a Friend by birth- right, resided in Chesterfield township, Bur- lington County, where, during the War of the Revolution, he followed his trade of a weaver and was also a prosperous farmer. To his | wife, a Miss De Cou, were born children, - Marmaduke, Thomas, Jedediah, Isaiah, Phœbe (Mrs. Dowell), Sarah (Mrs. Applegate), Maria (Mrs. Woolman) and Caroline (Mrs. Ross). Isaiah Taylor was born in Chesterfield township in 1789, and during his lifetime continued the occupations of a farmer, having married Sarah, daughter of John Hall, of the same township, whose children were Albert, deceased ; John, deceased ; Edna (Mrs. Robert Gillam), de- ceased ; Snsan, who married, first, Jonathan

township, Burlington County, on the 15th of May, 1820, in the dwelling which was also the place of his mother's birth. Having spent the first twelve years of his youth with his parents, he became a member of the family of Margaret Allison, of Burlington, N. J., a Quaker preacher, who married Benjamin Parker, of Shrewsbury, to which township she later removed. Here he remained until the age of sixteen, when, desiring to be independent by the mastery of a trade, he chose that of a black- smith, and having completed his apprenticeship, removed to Red Bank for one year in the capa- city of a journeyman. He then established a business and continued it until 1848, when, changing his vocation to that of an agricultu- rist, he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres on Rumson Neck, in the same county. Selling this property ten years later, at an advance, he made a second purchase at Crean Ridge, in Upper Freehold township, and remained eleven years at this point, when an advantageous offer induced him to part with the land, and Middletown became his home. This farm was three years after sold to D. D. Withers, Esq., at an advance, and after a brief interval spent at Red Bank, Mr. Taylor, with his family, removed to his present location, familiarly known as the John H. Holmes farm, and among the most valuable in the county. Michael Taylor was, on the 4th of October, 1842, married to Sarah, daughter of Captain Hendrick H. Bennett and his wife, Elizabeth Heyer. Their children are Elizabeth B., widow of Henry D. Probasco ; Evelina ; Charles .A., married to Mary K. Thompson ; Henry B. deceased, married to Emma Van Valken- burgh, of New York ; Sarah E. ; Emma H., wife of William H. Reid ; Maria L., wife of Henry E. Armstrong ; George MeC., married to Julia Whiting ; Julia, wife of John W. Hance ; Charlotte H .; Frank; and Clarence, deceased.

Mr. Taylor has always been in his political predilections an active and pronounced Demo-

Michael Maylow

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THE TOWN OF KEYPORT.

crat, and an influential representative of his party in the county. He was chosen representative to the State Legislature from 1862 to 1865, and during the latter year was, on the occasion of a tie vote, nominated for Speaker by his party. He has also served as freeholder and in various other township offices. IFe is a member, and was in- strumental, with others, in founding the Mon- mouth County Agricultural Society, of which he was for two years president. He is president

invaluable as administrator and counselor, and all important issues affecting the township or county have received both encouragement and substantial aid from him. His religions sym- pathies are with the Reformed (Dutch) Church of Holmdel, of which several of the family are members, and to which he is a liberal con- tributor.

GEORGE W. WALLING is the grandson of

George Mr. Malling

of the First National Bank of Keyport, and | was formerly director of the Princeton Fire Insurance Company. He is a director of the Monmouth Park Railroad, and, together with Nathaniel S. Rue, Samuel Stockton and ex- Governor Fort, was one of the projectors of the Pemberton and Hightstown Railroad, for which he seeured the charter while a legislator. Mr. Taylor's known business capacity and ac- knowledged integrity have made his services

Daniel D. Walling, a Revolutionary soldier, and his wife, Helena Hoff. His father was Leonard Walling, who married Catharine Aumack, of Middletown (now Raritan) township. Their son, George W. Walling, was born near Keyport, Monmouth County, on the 1st of May, 1823, and in 1832 removed with his father to Keyport, where he received such in- struction as the schools of the place afforded. He then entered the latter's store, and later

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

embarked upon a schooner sailing for Virginia. but takes no active part in the political move- ments of the times. He is identified with the business interests of his former home as a direc- tor of the First National Bank of Keyport. His religious sympathies are with the Baptist Church. He also, at a subsequent date, spent occasional winters in North Carolina, superintending his father's interest in that State. On the death of the latter he resumed the life of a mariner, both on the Hudson River and on Long Island Sound. During the year 1845 he was engaged in the revenue service on the steamer "Spencer." The first successful newspaper of Keyport was the Keyport Press, which was established in 1863. In the previous year B. F. Under- wood, F. D. Woodruff and Jacob R. Smith started a job printing office on Front Street, Keyport, under the firm-name of Underwood & Co. September 24, 1863, they founded the Keyport Press, a three-column, semi-monthly paper, which, after running about six months, ceased to be issued, the enterprise proving a failure. Mr. Underwood withdrew from the business, which was continued by Smith & Woodruff until 1866, when they sold out to G. W. & C. S. Henderson, who founded the Weekly Star on March 7, 1866. Its publi- cation was continued but a short time, and the office came back to Smith & Woodruff's hands. connection with the crime of counterfeiting. On Mr. Woodruff bought Mr. Smith out in March, 1867, and in January, 1871, sold out to Dr. Wilmer Hodgson, who immediately started the The removal of Mr. Walling to New York, in September, 1847, greatly influenced his later career, and eventually brought him into prom- inent notice in connection with the municipal police. He was, December 22d of that year, appointed to the position of patrolman on the New York police force. He was reappointed for four years, and during this time was detailed as stage inspector. On the 30th of September, 1853, he was promoted to the position of captain of the Eighteenth Ward, and continued thus to / act until 1866, having meanwhile been detailed , to harbor service at Seguines Point. He was, November 21, 1866, made inspector, having meanwhile had charge of the detective office and made many important arrests, notably those in the 23d of July, 1874, Inspector Walling was inade superintendent, which office he continues to fill with satisfaction to the people. In his Keyport Weekly. December 9, 1871, he sold long career the superintendent has had many hair-breadth eseapes, participating, as he did, in nearly every riot that raised its bloody and destructive hand in the city of New York since 18447.

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 118

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