History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 64

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 64

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The following-named persons have served as president of Monmouth County Agricultural Society from its commencement to the present time, viz. :

1854. William Henry Hendrickson.

1855. James S. Lawrence.

1856. Horatio Ely. 1857. Samuel W. Jones.

1858-59. William P. Forman.

1860. Peter S. Conover.

1861. Charles Butcher.

1862-63. William H. Conover.

1864-65. Gilbert H. Van Mater.

1866-67. Tunis V. Du Bois.

1868-69. Richard A. Leonard.

1870. Peter L. Cortelyou.

1871-72. Michael Taylor.

1873-74. Dr. J. C. Thompson.

1875-81. Nath. S. Rue.

1882-84. William Spader.

For the years 1883 and 1884 the entire list of officers of the society is given below, viz. :

1883.

President : Hon. William Spader, Matawan.

Vice-Presidents : Hon. George W. Brown, Ocean ; Hon. Charles D. Hendrickson, Middletown.

Board of Managers: William Spader, Nath. S. Rue, W. H. Davis, L. F. Conover, J. V. N. Willis, Edward Martin, John H. Denise, Henry Camp- bell, W. C. Taylor, John R. Du Bois, John B. Conover, Hlal Allaire, Azariah Conover, Charles D. Hendrickson, Samuel T. Hendrickson, Charles II. Butcher, George W. Brown, Thomas E. Morris, George F. Ward, Edgar Schenck.

Treasurer : Hon. Charles A. Bennett, Freehold. Recording Secretary : George F. Ward, Freehold. Corresponding Secretary : James J. Conover, Free- hold.

General Superintendent : Tunis Denise.

1884.

President : Hon. William Spader, Matawan.

Vice-Presidents: Hon. George W. Brown, Long

Branch ; Col. Charles D. Hendrickson, Keyport. Board of Directors: William Spader, N. S. Rue, George W. Brown, L. F. Conover, Azarialı Con- over, John W. Parker, Edward Martin, John H. Denise, J. V. N. Willis, Thomas E. Morris, C. D. Hendrickson, Hal Allaire, Cornelius Ackerson, C. H. Butcher, G. F. Ward, C. D. B. Forman, James H. Butcher, W. H. Davis, Theodore Aumack, Sherman B. Oviatt.

Recording and Corresponding Secretary: George F. Ward, Freehold.

Treasurer: Charles H. Butcher, Freehold.

DAVID DEMAREST DENISE, son of Jolin S. and Catharine Thompson Denise, was born on the 23d of September, 1840, on the home- stead in Freehold township, his youth having been spent in the pursuit of his studies, first at the school in the immediate neighborhood of his home, and later at the Frechold Institute. Hc had meanwhile removed with his parents to Freehold, and become interested in the ealling of a farmer, which has since that time, to a greater or less extent, engaged his attention. He was married, on the 20th of Jannary, 1864, to. Miss Julia P., daughter of Abel R. Taylor, of Mercer County, N. J., whose only child, Edith Taylor, born October 11, 1876, died Angust 31, 1879. Mr. Denise, in 1864, again made the township of Frechold his residence, and for eight years devoted his energies exclusively to farming, after which he returned to the town, which is his present home. He has made agriculture the study of his life and been largely identified with every movement, both in the county and State, having for its purpose the advancement of the agricultural interests of the-

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INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

county. He is a director of the Monmonth County Agricultural Society, and was one of the CHAPTER XV. leading spirits in the Grange movement, which INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS-POPULATION. resulted in the organization of the Monmonth Grange, No. 92, of which he was the first seere- Ix all countries and regions where the first settlers are of the Anglo-Saxon race their earliest labors are directed to the securing of practicable routes of travel, and the opening of these, however rude and primitive they may be, is the first step in the direction of public tary, and in which he has held various other offices. He is the secretary of the Monmonth County Board of Agriculture, and holds the ap- pointment of delegate from the county to the State Board of Agriculture, as also agricultural statistical reporter for the government. Mr. internal improvement. In interior regions,

DQ Denise

Denise is largely interested in religions and church work, having held the offices of both deacon and elder and acted as superintendent of the Sabbath-school of the Second Reformed (Dutch) Church of Freehold.

remote from navigable waters, the immigrant must bestow some labor-be it more or less- to open a route or road to the place where he proposes to make his home in the new country ; but in localities more favored by nature,-such as the early settlers found within the territory that is now the county of Monmouth,-where a vast area of eligible land is rendered accessible by reason of the numerous creeks and deep rivers that flow through it, they were not in-

370

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

mediately compelled to expend their labor in the opening of roads, for they had high ways ready for their use, over the boatable waters communicating with the bays and the ocean.

Most of the early settlers in Monmouth County were from Long Island, from West- chester County, N. Y., and from New England, and for fully forty years from the time when the first of them came to make their homes in the Navesink region, sloops and other small sailing- vessels made frequent trips, during the favorable seasons of the year, from Wakake and other landings on the rivers and bays of Monmouth to New York, to Gravesend, L. I., and to Rhode Island, forming a comparatively easy com- munication between the Monmouth settlers and the relatives and friends who remained on the homestead from which the farmer had emigrated. From Gravesend a highway ran across Long Island to the Sound, opposite Throgg's Neck, where the crossing was made into Westchester County, N. Y., whence travelers reached the great public road running from New York into the New England colonies.

In the period extending from about 1668 to 1690, Christopher Allmy, who came from Rhode Island and settled in Monmouth County, made occasional trips in the summer season, in a sloop, sailing from Shrewsbury River to the Rhode Island ports, carrying passengers, and also peltries and other articles of freight, and bringing back settlers, with their movables, and such goods as could be procured in New England, which were in demand in the New Jersey setttement. After a time, Allmy re- turned to live in his old home in Rhode Island, and it is not known that the sloop-line between that colony and Monmouth was continued by any other person. As the old settlers died, and the ties of consanguinity or early friendship became weakened by time, the intercourse be- tween the Monmouth people and those of the parent settlements in New England and Long Island gradually grew less frequent, and was finally almost entirely discontinued.

The first land highways used by the Mon- mouth settlers were the Indian paths, which generally ran over high ground, avoiding steep hills, ravines, swamps, bogs, deep streams, and

also shallow ones where they were bordered by miry meadows or liable to be rendered impassa- ble by freshets. Of these paths there were two principal ones traversing the county,-the Minisink Path, running from the Navesink Highlands and River to the Raritan, three miles above Perth Amboy, and thence to Mini- sink Island in the Delaware, and the Burling- ton Path, running from the Delaware at Burlington, by way of Crosswicks and the site of the town of Freehold, to the Minisink Path, near Middletown, thence to Clay Pit Creek and the Highlands, and also a branch forking be- tween Freehold and Middletown and running to Tinton Falls and Navarumsunk (now called Rumson). There were also other paths, among which were the "Fish Path " and " Cedar Path," traversing the county, and along several of which, roads were afterwards laid out.

A road (and perhaps more than one) had been laid out by the Navesink settlers prior to June 4, 1668, at which time a "General As- sembly," then convened at Portland Point (the Highlands), "Ordered that upon proposition and debate for another highway in Shrewsbury, on Narumsunk, the breadth of the said highway to be two rods and not under ; the breadth over it left at the discretion of the townsmen ; likewise, that those fences which are now made, which shall be found standing in the highway, are to remain in that place until they be . . . And this highway to be understood and meant the common passage highway and street which goes from one end of the town to the other."

In 1677, William Edmundson, traveling southward from New York, went by sloop to Wakake, and thence to Middletown, from which place he attempted, with an Indian guide, to cross the country to the Delaware ; but, after wandering in the woods for a day or more, was compelled to abandon that route and to go back to and up the Raritan River to "a small landing from New York" (probably Inian's Ferry, where New Brunswick now is), and thence to the Falls of Delaware (Trenton), over a track which had been partially opened to that place, but wholly to the west of the limits of Mon- mouth County. On this journey he "saw no tame animals in all the way."

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INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

At that time, and for at least a quarter of a because of the numerous references to the people century afterwards, the usual route for travelers then living at various points along the several to the Monmouth settlements was by sloop aeross " routes mentioned :

the bay to the Wakake Landing, then by the road to Middletown, from which place the usual way to Shrewsbury was by the road leading through Balm Hollow, by what was afterwards the John Golden farm to Ogden's Corner, by the John Bowne-Crawford farm; then through Mor- risville, past the old Hubbard house; then, turn- ing easterly, over, through or near the Middle- town Episcopal Church farm, and from there to Swimming River,1 at or near the present bridge on Leedsville road, and then the general course of the present road to Tinton Falls, and from thence to Shrewsbury. This road avoided all the steep ravines and high hills to the south of Middletown, and all meadows, bogs and streams, except Swimming River.

In 1682 the Proprietors' Assembly passed " An Act for making and Settling Highways, Passages, Landings, Bridges and Ferries within this Province," and appointing commissioners for the purpose. For Monmouth the commis- sioners were the surveyor-general, Colonel Lewis Morris, Captain John Bowne, Richard Hartshorne, James Hance, Joseph Parker and Lewis Morris, Jr. In 1686, John Throck- morton, John Sloeum and Nicholas Brown were appointed commissioners, in place of Colonel Lewis Morris, John Bowne and Joseph Parker. In the next succeeding year the commissioners laid out a number of roads in the county, as shown by the record, which is here given entire,

1 It is said that this name was given it because a certain traveler, who attempted to cross it during a spring freshet. found himself obliged to swim his horse to reach the other side. A bridge was built across this stream more than two centuries ago, as is shown by the following entry found in Book A of Monmouth Deeds, viz. :

"Att a Court of Sessions held at Shrewsbury, at ye house of Nicholas Browne, ye 2d, 3d, 4th of September, 1679. Present, Capt. John Bowne, Mr. Joseph Parker, Justices of the Peace ; Mr. Richard Gibbons, Mr. Jonathan Holmes, Assistants. . This Court also directs the bridge over Swimming River to be made new, at equal charge of the towns of Middletown and Shrewsbury and Tinton Manor ; and appoint, as overseers, Richard Gard- ner, of Tinton Manor; James Grover, Jr., of Middletown ; and John Slocum, of Shrewsbury." This shows that a bridge had been built across this stream at a time early enough for it to have become old and out of repair in 1679.

" Records off ye highways in ye counties of Mon- mouth laid outt ye second day of March, Anno Dom. one thousand six hundred and eighty-seven.

"From Shrewsbury Falls to Swimming River Bridge, as the road now lieth, to two white oaks girdled on ye south side of ye same, at John Ruckman's hill; then by stakes to the barrs near his house, all along ye King's highway, six rods broad? through Middletown Street, as ye road now lieth, to ye bridge, a little easterly from John Stout's house and into a drift way three rods, following ye old way through ye Poplar Fiekl, and out by James Grover's to the lott that was Jonathan Holmes'; thence following ye eart-way that now is to ye east side of ye lott which belonged to James Ashton ; thence following ye okl way laid out by James Grover to the most casterly side of Stephen Arnold's poplar lott; and thence keeping ye old path to William Layton's, and thence up the hill along the path that goes toward Portland Point, and so along that way till it comes to Poor- man's Plain ; thenee from the head of Poorman's Plain along through said Plain by now mark't trees, till it come to ye way that goes over ye Stony Runn, and so along ye way as it now goes to Richard Davis' most easterly lines, and then to turn down by now mark't trees, to the mouth of * * 3 Creek at * * River, and again from Richard Davis' most easterly lines, as the way now goes, to Samuel * * lands. So along Jeremiah Bennett's land as the * went, and so through Richard Hartshorne's lands, as the way now goes, to his house; and thence to the most northerly part of Sandy Hook Point.

" A drift way, three rods wide, running from John Stont's bridge, and beginning at the way by William Layton's, as the road now lyeth, to James Grover's Mill, and Mill brook and bog, at ye south of Stephen Arnold's lott, so called as the way now goeth, to ye head of ye okl Spring and * * line that parts James Ashton's land and Job Throckmorton's, and so along mark't trees till it comes to Thomas Harbert's Path, and thence, as ye way now goeth, to ye Bay side.

" A Highway, beginning at ye Pond, by Richard Gardner's meadow, and so through Thomas Harbert's path and house, as ye way goeth, to Benjamin Devill's [Deuill's] house, and so through Benjamin Devill's land, by mark't trees, till it comes in the way in Poor- man's Plain to ye grave.

2 " The front foundation walls of the tavern on one side, and the front foundation walls of Dr. Taylor's house on the other side : mark the original bounds of the road. These, and the corner of Charles Dubois' lot, are now the only landmarks to fix it."-Hlon. G. C'. Berkman.

3 These omissions are where the words are illegible in the record.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

" And beginning att Thomas Morford's, on Nave- sinks River, going along as the way now goes, to the Middletown road, by John Stout's Bridge.

" And beginning at the king's highway in Middle- town by the Indian [Path ?] thirtie chains in length, the breadth of the way * * Rod, lying betwixt Rich- ard Hartshorne's lott and Sarah Reape's, and thence as the way now goes, a drift path to William Comp- ton's.

" It is a king's highway from James Grover's to the mouth of Waykick Creek, as the way now goeth, being six rods wide. It is a drift way from Thomas Whit- lock's, as the way now lyes, to the King's highway in Middletown, and a passage for people over Waykick meadow to cart their hay, as the way now lieth, into the King's highway.

" And beginning att the King's highway in Middle- town, by the Prisson, on the west by Robert Hamil- ton's lott, and east by Mary Pedler's or Thomas Cox's lott, in length * * chains and in breadth eighteen rods, and thence a drift way to Swimming River Bridge, as the way lyeth,1 it beginning in ye north side of ye Prisson, running northerly two chains broad and twenty chains long, bounded west by Robert Hamil- ton's, east by Samuel Spicer's; and it is to be noted that these three highways above-mentioned are not to be hemed in. First, that six rods broad and thirteen chains long, lying betwixt Richard Hartshorne's land and Sarah Reape's, their lott. The second, that of eighteen rods broad and thirteen chains long, bounded west by Robert Hamilton's lott and east by Thomas Cox, lying from the Prisson south. And the third, eight rods broad and twenty chains long, bounded west by Robert Hamilton's and east by Samuel Spicer's, running from the highway over against the Prisson north. And it is to be noted that from ye King's highway east of the Leonard's, a drift way is to go to ye Leonard's Saw-mill, and thence as the cartway goeth to Peter Tilton's cartway to Hop River, round- ing the bank as the cartway goeth, and so westward of William Leeds' new house, and so along, as the old way now goeth, to the King's highway.

"And Burlington Path, being the King's highway from Crosswicks Creek, by George Keith's Plantation, to John Hampton's, as ye way now goeth, and so to the Leonard's [Saw-mill]. and thence to the Falls, as the way now goeth ; but it is to be made more straight at the Leonard's and some other places betwixt that and the Falls.

" And from John Hampton's plantation, the path being the King's highway, is to go as the path now goeth to Hop River, at the usual crossing westerly of William Lawrence's field, and so northerly by mark't trees through John Bray's land, and Eleazer Cottrell's, till it comes to a gullie, and thence along the said gullie bounding the said Cottrell's, and thence by

mark't trees, to goe betwixt Eleazer Cottrell's and Jonathan Holmes', their bound lines that bound be- twixt them, and so to the brook of Cheeseman's, and thence crossing the brook at the usual place, by mark't trees betwixt Cheeseman's and Morford's land, till it comes to the old path to Middletown.

"And from Middletown, a King's highway is to goe by the side of John Ruckman's hill,2 as aforesaid, to old Richard Stout's, as the way now lieth, and from thence, to the Widow Bound's, and so along, as the way now lieth, to the head of Cheesequakes,3 and thence to the ferry over against Perth Amboy.

"And a way is to goe from Shrewsbury Falls, as the way now goeth, to Richard Stout's, the younger, his plantation.

" And from the crossing of Hop River at Burling- ton Path, a way is to goe as it now goeth by mark't trees, to Jolin Reid's, and thence, as the way goeth, to the King's highway betwixt Middletown and Cheese- quakes.

"And a drift way is to goe from a marked tree, a black oak standing by Burlington pathway, on the east side, betwixt John Hampton and Hop River, on a ridge of land by mark't trees (the which ridge lieth betwixt the heads and branches of Hop River, east- erly, and South River westerly), into the King's high- way at Wickatoung,4 by mark't trees till it comes to a black oak by the south side of the highway, marked on four sides; thence by mark't trees to the east side of Baker's fence at Wiekatoung, and along the hill by the old way that goeth to the landing-place at Matte- awan Creek, on the south side.

In 1693 the commissioners laid out a large number of roads (principally King's highways), of which the records show the following returns :

"Road laid out * From the King's High- way that crosseth the brook-the bounds betwixt John Slocum and his brother Nathaniel. The breadth of the way lying eastward the King's Highway is to run by the east side of the brook, the breadth of the Highway lying easterly, to a mark't tree at the head of the brook, and then crossing the Highway to the head of Thomas Huett's land, the breadth of the highway running westerly, then to a white oak mark't, that is Henry Chamberlin's southwesterly corner Tree, that is on the King's Highway; thenee along the King's highway formerly laid out to a white oak tree mark't, standing by the Whale Pond Brook. And from Thomas Eaton's southeast corner to a black oak mark't, the King's Highway to run, as the road lyeth,

2 Residence of the late Rev. J. Ten Broeck Beekman is on the hill here named.

3 This was the road from Middletown to llolland, and thence by the residence of the late William II. Crawford, to Cheesequakes, now Jacksonville.

+ Wicatunk, near the present village of Marlborough.

I Road from Middletown to Nnt Swamp.

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INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

to the Whale Pond Bridge, as Sam. White's way goes to his House; the highway to run over his brook, westerly of his house; then to the Highway running sontherly of his house to Horse Pound, standing by the sea, by his Little Water Pond; and it is to be noted that the people of Dale [Deal] are to have a passage-way through Francis Jeffrey's land and John Tucker's land to their meadows. And a King's Ilighway is to run from Adam Channelhouse, his house, to the Whale Pond Bridge. And from John Williams' said corner to a white oak, being his most northerly and westerly corner, a King's Highway to run, as John Williams' line runs, to Nathaniel Comock's south and westerly corner; thence to the King's highway that goes to Whale Pond Bridge, the breadth of the highway lying westerly. And from Henry Chamberlin's south and westerly corner, the King's Highway to run, as his line runs, to the sea, the breadth of the highway being sontherly.

"And beginning at a mark't tree, a white oak, at the King's highway westerly of Thomas Eaton's Mill; thence running by mark't trees, as the way now goes, to the Falls of Shrewsbury, to a small red oak mark't, lying northeast of Coll. Morris' house, the breadth of the way lying southerly. And from Nich- olas Browne's said northwesterly corner, the King's Highway, by mark't trees to Edmund Laffetra's north and westerly corner; thence running by new mark't trees to the Falls, to the small red oak aforesaid, the breadth of the highway all lying northerly.

"It is to be noted that a King's Highway runs be- twixt John Lippincott's great lot and Jndah Allen to Navesineks River, and another King's highway to run from the King's highway that goes through Shrewsbury Town, betwixt Bryan Blackman and Peter Parker, to Navesincks River. And another King's highway, running along by William Stout's line, to Glassmaker's Landing, the breadth of the highway lying westerly. And another King's high- way, to run betwixt Robert West and Stephen West to the King's Highway that runs through Shrewsbury Neck. And another King's Highway to run to James Grover's Landing, beginning at a little walnut tree mark't, that goes through the town on Coll. Morris' land."

None of the roads embraced in the above return of 1693 were opened at that time nor for several years afterwards. In 1694 the As- sembly appointed the following-named commis- sioners of highways for Monmouth County : Lewis Morris (of Tinton), Lewis Morris (of Pas- sage Point), John Hance, John Stout, Nicholas Brown, William Lawrence, Sr., Benjamin Bor- den, Jolin Slocum, Richard Hartshorne and Thomas Boel ; these being in addition to the Governor and the surveyor-general, who were | and nearly on a direct line from Tinton Falls to Amboy.

members of the highway board in every county of the province. In 1705 the following roads were laid out by the Monmouth commissioners, and returned on the 27th of September in that vear, viz. :

" A Ilighway, beginning below Jobn Leonard, at the Landing known by the name of Cherry Tree Landing; thence along the south side of the house, as the road goes, to Remembrance Lippincott's cor- ner, of his fence ; thence upon a straight line to the Pear Tree in William Worth's field; thence on the north side of the Pear Tree to the Brook; thence along the south side of the highway at the south end of Richard Lippincott's corner; thence, as the road lies, to Francis Borden's corner tree by the highway (ye tree to stand in ye middle of ye Road); thence upon a straight line to the Brook by Bickley's; thence as the road lies to the corner of William Asten's or- chard ; thence to a white oak tree standing a little to the eastward of John Lippincott's, Jr. ; thence, as the Path is, to the old Road; thence along the Road to the corner of Joseph Parker's land; thence turning the corner up the path, as the old road did lye, to the corner of Nicholas Brown's fence by the Meeting- House ; thence as the road now lyes to near Wood- mancy's house, to go the most direct and convenient way to the place where Lewis Morris made a bridge on the Fall run a little above the Landing known by the name of the Fall Landing ; so over that place the most direct and convenient way, along the north side of the said Lewis Morris' cleared field to a place called Little Falls, in the old way to Freehold 1 and Amboy, and thence the most direct and convenient way to the north corner of Morris' wheat field, and thence along the north side of said field the most direct way to Hoping Bridge; thence to Peter Tilton's ; thence along the new mark't trees on Stony Brook to the old road ; thence along the mark't trees on the south side of the path till they come into the path again; thence by Job Throckmorton's; thence as the road lyes to Combs' Brook; thence as the road lyes to the gully between Thomas Forman's and the Scoole House ; thence, as the old road was laid out, to David Clayton's gully by his fence ; thence [illegible] road within his fence so into the path ; then along the old road as it was laid out that bound the tract of land, till it comes to Coales' Path; thence along the ridge between the two paths to Coales' Bridge ; thence along the new mark't trees to the same path to a black oak tree mark't on two sides; thence turning out on the north side of the road, running along the new mark't trees till it comes to Holman's road, against

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 64

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