USA > New Jersey > Morris County > History of Morris County, New Jersey > Part 83
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There were several graveyards in Rockaway Valley or adjoining localities besides the public cemetery at the Methodist Episcopal church. The Martin Hiler place contains many old headstones, yet to be seen close by the upper road. This was first used over one hundred years ago, judging from statements made by David Smith, of Greenville. Martin Hiler was the great-great-grandfather
About 1865 a Roman Catholic church known as St. Patrick's was erected at Hibernia, or rather at Upper Hibernia; and about 1876 a similar church, designated as St. Cecelia's, was built at Rockaway, near the Righter pond. The former belongs to the Roman Catholic of Mr. Smith on his mother side, and Mr. Smith is now
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HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.
84 years of age. He also speaks of a graveyard on the Scott place between Denville and Powerville, evidences of which still remain; one on the Demouth road, near Stony Brook, and one on the John P. Cook place, near where the "Cook " church stood. The Cook graveyard is the principal one for Denville.
Another very old burial place exists on the Alexander Egbert farm (now on the Cobb farm), on the road from Hibernia to Green Pond, better known as "Egbert's Corner." It is unenclosed, in an open field, and contains over fifty graves. There is no deed for the site. It is kept up by two or three old families in the neighborhood.
The " Winters " burying ground is about half a mile south of the Greenville school-house; and is an old one, the Winters family being among the very early settlers; it is unenclosed. The land is now owned by A. B. Cobb's estate. An occasional interment is made here, among the last of which was Peter D. Henderson, an old resident. There is no charge for lots; the friends pre- pare the ground by clearing off the brush, stones, etc., and open the grave. The " Zeek " graveyard near Greenville is also in the same open condition.
The "Cuff " burying ground is on lands owned by Theodore Brown, near Newfoundland. It is one of the oldest, judging from the date of an old .stone house, given on a stone over the door as 1773.
There is a burying ground-not used at present-at Hibernia, near the Green Pond Road, on lands belonging to the Barton farm. St. Patrick's cemetery at Hibernia public road from Hibernia to Newfoundland, on the 5th
adjoins the Catholic church, and was consecrated for its purpose about seven years ago.
At the Durham forge, between Greenville and Char- lotteburgh, a plat of ground was formerly used for a bury- ing place, and also one on the old Shawger farm, on the road from Michael De Graw's to Green Pond.
On the farm of John O. Hill, at Franklin, a family graveyard exists; although it was originally private, inter- ments have been made for persons outside of the Hill family, by the courtesy of Mr. Hill.
The "Harriman " graveyard is used by the public, and is an old location, a short distance east of William Lathrop's farm, between Rockaway and Denville.
The cemetery of St. Cecelia, at Rockaway on the road to Mt. Hope, was first opened for interments by the Cath- olic church at the time the church of St. Cecelia was erected at this place.
ROADS AND BRIDGES.
Nearly all the present roads in the township were origin- ally bridle paths or by-roads, and in many localities, being in a rough, hilly and broken territory, were not susceptible of any great degree of improvement. Even now some of the oldest mountain roads are in use by the public, but not laid out, or under the township author- ities.
The first road record in the county is in Book A of Roads, page 9, and refers to a public road from Rocka- way to Dover. It will be interesting to give the return of the road entire, as follows:
" We the commissioners of Morris county, being legally called and mett, have agred and laid out a three. rod road, and beginning at Rockaway Meeting House, and then Running just to the west of David Beaman's Meadow, strat to William Jackson's house; thence to kep along the cleared road until it coms near to a Hill; then to turn to the right hand of Said road, to continue a strait to the head of the Hollow, leaving the Hills upon the right hand; then down into the hollow to a white oak tree, upon the right hand; then to continue a straight corse, just to the west of the low land in Amos Lindsley field; thence to Continue a Straight Course down to the Riding place in Rockaway River near William Ross's; then to keep its Cors to the grate Causeway that is on the King's Road in Captain Wind's land, near the East Side of his field that adjoins to his house. The above road is all laid out in Morris county and in Pequannock and Mend- ham townships, as witness our hands this 16th day of . September Anno Dom. 1761: William Winds, Peter Young, Ichabod Case, Jacob Gould, Hartshorn Fitz- Randolph, Nathaniel Horton."
"David Beaman's meadow," referred to in this record, is now the Halsey meadow, near the race-course; "Wil- liam Jackson's house " was near the Wiggins house, by the canal; "William Ross's" is now the John Dickerson place. The house of Captain Winds stood at the west end of the site of the lower barn of R. F. Oramn, on the Winds farin, on the north side of the road from Dover to Morristown, referred to as "the King's road." The Winds well is to be seen there at this time.
Surveyors were appointed by the court to lay out a of October 1803, and made their return on the 26th of October 1804, over a year after the proceedings to lay the road were commenced. This road began on a course S 5° W 290 from Hibernia furnace stack, in the old road, and continued to George Shawger's dwelling . house. This is the road leading from Hibernia, by the Barton and Scott farms, Egbert's Corner and the Shawger house, over the Green Pond Mountain, by the hotel of James L. Davenport, to Newfoundland. The Shawger dwelling is standing on the farm of Frederick Mathews, and is pointed out as the large log house on the left side of the road after leaving Egbert's Corner, toward the Mathews house. George Shawger was a German, and one of the first settlers in that part of the township. Tradition says the log house is over a hundred years old, and to appear- ance it looks good for another century. It is not occu- pied at this time.
In a survey of a lot of land on Green Pond Mountain made August 12th 1793 (Book S 10, p. 240) one of the courses is described as beginning at a small white oak tree " standing I chain, 55 links northwest from where the path leading from Newfoundland over the Green Pond Mountain by the edge of the pond crosseth a brook at the outlet of a bog meadow." This path is no doubt the public road crossing the mountain from Newfoundland.
The road leading from Rockaway to Hibernia followed the present road bed until it came to the David Beaman house, east of the homestead farm of the late Hubbard S. Stickle, where the present road to the White Meadow mine leaves the Hibernia road; from which point it fol-
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ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP.
lowed the mine road some distance and kept to the rear of the Beaman house, through the woods, and came out on the Hibernia road north of the barn on the farm of Dr. Columbus Beach, at Beach Glen. Benjamin Beach, the grandfather of Dr. Beach and Samuel S. Beach, was in 1780 living at Beach Glen, operating a forge, a grist- mill, a farm and other business enterprises, and was us- ing his influence to get a shorter and better road from Beach Glen to Rockaway. He made many efforts to open a road over the present road bed from the Beaman house to the Glen; but was vigorously opposed by the owner of the land and others (among whom were James and Matthias Kitchel), on the score of expense and taxes. Mr. Beach offered to build the road, and went so far as to agree to purchase a right of way for the road and open it, and give it to the township; but failing in all these plans, finally purchased the Beaman farm and opened the road. David Beaman died about 1800, or before that; he devised his farm to his two children, Samuel and Joanna Beaman, and they in May 1803 con- veyed the property to Benjamin Beach, who then opened the road and dedicated it to the public.
Rockaway township lay in the track of public com- munication with Newark and Sussex county, and several turnpike companies were chartered to construct roads and support them by toll-gates. The first turnpike within the bounds of the township was located by virtue of an act of the Legislature for facilitating communica- tion from Morristown, through Dover and Mount Pleas- ant, to Sparta, in Sussex county, passed February 23d 1804; this road was afterward built. Elias Ogden, Joseph Hurd, Jacob Losey, Edward Condit and John De Camp were incorporators named in the act, and the corporate name was "The Union Turnpike Company." This com- pany is still operating the road, keeping it in repair and maintaining toll-gates between Dover and Sparta. It was successful for many years and paid large dividends to its stockholders, who were a fortunate few; but the competition of railroads has diverted the travel from that as well as from other like thoroughfares, and it is now barely self-sustaining. No stages have been on the road for several years.
On the 27th of February 1806 an act was passed in- corporating Joseph T. Baldwin, Nathaniel Beach, Isaac Pierson, Hiram Smith and Joseph Jackson as a company to be called " The President and Directors of the New- ark and Mount Pleasant Turnpike Company," with power to lay out a turnpike road, beginning not more than 12 rods south of Peck's bridge, over Great Meadow Brook near the town of Newark, and running as straight as the nature of the ground permitted to intersect the Union turnpike at or near Mount Pleasant. The road was not to pass through any burying ground, place of worship, or dwelling house, without the consent of the owners. This road was built, but the part from Rockaway to the Union turnpike, which it intersected near the Baker homestead, was not used as a turnpike, and was very soon abandoned. That part as it leaves the village of Rockaway crossed the Morris Canal west of the pres-
ent Mt. Hope ore docks and is very hilly; and Col. Jo- seph Jackson, who was one of the corporators, opposed locating the road over these hills and advocated the route around the head of the old pond on the Mt. Hope road and so out to Mt. Pleasant; meeting with vigorous opposition he finally withdrew from the company. This company's charter was surrendered in 1872.
On the 15th of November 1809 the Legislature passed an act to incorporate the Parsippany and Rockaway Turnpike Company. Tobias Boudinot, Israel Crane, Benjamin Smith, Lemuel Cobb, John Hinchman and Jo- seph Jackson were named as corporators. The road was to begin at James Van Dyne's lands in Morris county, at the end of the branch of the Newark and Pompton turnpike road; thence to run through Parsip- pany near the meeting-house to the village of Rockaway near the post office; thence to intersect the Union turn- pike where the public convenience and the interest of the stockholders would be best promoted. The corporators were known as the "President and Directors of the Par- sippany and Rockaway Turnkpike Company." This turnpike was built through Denville and was of great convenience to the traveling public for many years, but was finally abandoned. A toll-gate was maintained at Denville. In July 1822, on application of Dr. John D. Jackson, of Rockaway, this road was made a township road over its entire length.
The next turnpike road originated from an act to in- corporate the "Mount Hope and Longwood Turnpike Company," which was passed on the 11th of February 1815, wherein John De Camp, William Jackson and Lewis Phillips were made the incorporators, and em- powered to build a turnpike, not to exceed four rods wide, beginning at the Rockaway and Parsippany turnpike road at or near Rockaway, thence running to Mount Hope and across the Green Pond Mountain, till it intersected the Union turnpike road at or near Berkshire Valley. The parties above named as corporators were required to give security to the governor of the State to pay the sub- scription moneys which they might receive to the treas- urer of the turnpike company. They were to be known by the name of "The President and Directors of the Mount Hope and Longwood Turnpike Company," and were to have their first meeting at the house then kept by Stephen Dickerson in Berkshire Valley. On the 7th of February 1820 a supplement was passed extending the time for completing the road to the first of January 1825, and empowering the company to limit the road bed over the Green Pond Mountain to twenty feet in width, and also in such other places as would not admit of a greater width. This road was constructed as far as Mount Hope, but soon fell into the hands of the town committee. Parts of the old road bed were used in the construction of this turnpike.
Another road built before the Revolutionary war was the one called the Mine road, leading from Hibernia to Char- lotteburg, and passing the present residence of Michael De Graw near Greenville.
There were two roads leading from Powerville and
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350
HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.
Rockaway Valley to Rockaway Village; one by Beach Glen, near the late residence of Dr. Columbus Beach, now residing in Dover, and one by the Matthias Kitchel place, called the Bald Hill road by reason of its going on the top of that hill.
The original roads from Rockaway to Dover were by Franklin and by Swedes mine-the former located nearly the same as now, but the latter turning to the right near the present farm of Charles A. McCarty.
The road from Mt. Hope to Middle forge at the time Colonel Ford, John Jacob Faesch and others were work- ing the forges passed through the Walton farm instead of going to the east of it as it now does. In going from Middle forge to Denmark forge the road led up to the head of the pond, on the southerly side, and then crossed the brook and came out below the Denmark forge dam on the Green Pond side.
The road from Mt. Hope to Denmark lay to the left of the present road after it had passed the house of Michael Doland, and in some places was half a mile from the road bed as now used. The course of this old road can be very plainly traced through Mr. Doland's swamp, not only by the surface indications on the ground, but by the wear of the wagon wheels on the rocks.
As a matter of course the facilities for travel were very rude in the early days in this part of the county; an oc- casional " gig " was the only light-wheeled vehicle that any of the early settlers indulged in, and this was almost exclusively used by the doctor or the minister. Heavy farm wagons and such as could be used to transport iron ore or manufactured iron through the mountains were the next best conveyance. Traveling on horseback was the most convenient and expeditious.
The construction of roads created another public ne- cessity which came under judicial authority, namely bridges. This branch of road construction was under the care of the justices and the freeholders of the county, and reference to the proceedings of this body, retained in the county clerk's office from 1760 or about that time, shows how the art of building bridges and spending the public money was conducted in those days; one thing is quite certain-there were no extras, nor raising of vouch- ers, nor favoritism, as in the modern dark ways of build- ing and paying for bridges. The earliest record for Rockaway township is as follows: "1781, March 9th, bridge built across Rockaway River at house of Josiah Beman's, sold to Abraham Osborn; inspected and report- ed 4 feet short and I foot wider than contract, and think it no disadvantage, and order it paid. [Signed] William Windes, Eleazer Lampson. N. B. Our charges for in- spection is 2s. 6d. a peace."
May 2Ist 1782 Abraham Kitchel, Williani Ross and John Jacob Faesch, justices, and Job Allen and Ebene- zer Farrand resolved to build a bridge across the Rock- away River between Stephen Jackson's and Seth Greg- ory's. The contract specifies the size of timbers and other particulars of the work in detail, and is signed by the above named justices and freeholders. Seth Gregory agreed to build this bridge for £48 proclamation money,
valuing a Spanish milled dollar at 7s. 6d. in hard money. The bridge was not built according to the contract, and on the 7th of October 1783 a committee appointed to in- spect the bridge (viz., Stephen Jackson, Jacob Drake and Silas Hathaway) deducted £5 on account of timber not being according to contract.
November 2nd 1782 William Ross and Abraham Kitchel as justices, and Job Allen and Anthony Mandeville as two of the freeholders, ordered a bridge to be built over Beaver Brook near Francis McCarty's house. The job was sold to Helmer Kent for £19 10s. Helmer Kent is - named as a member of the Rockaway parish in 1782. He died previous to 1802, as appears from a deed given to Benjamin Beach by his daughter Mary Kent in March 1808, for a lot of eight acres on Beaver Brook.
The Francis McCarty place was the late homestead farm of Hubbard S. Stickle, on the road from Rockaway to Beach Glen, and Beaver Brook is the stream coming down from Split Rock Pond, running through the mead- ows to the east of the said road.
SCHOOLS.
In recording the history of the schools of Rockaway township we will commence with the village of Rock- away, and embrace therein the valuable information pro-" cured by E. D. Halsey and published in the "Centennial Collections of Morris County." He says: The first mention we find of a school or school-house in Rockaway village is in a deed given by Jacob Mintun (Miller) to David Bea- man for one-half of the grist-mill standing near " Rocka- way old Forge," dated October 29th 1774, which de- scribes the lot as " beginning at an elm tree standing on the bank of said river, about eight rods below said mill, and running a westerly course to a corner of Robert Gaston's land, near the school-house." Robert Gaston lived in and owned the house (now an old tenement house) owned by John F. Stickle, and the school-house stood about where now stands the kitchen of Dr. Jack- son's house, to make room for which it was removed in 1800. Hubbard S. Stickle, who was born in 1783, recol- lected the building, but only knew from tradition of its being a school-house. It was a little frame building, used in his day as a sort of lumber room, and occasion- ally as a tenement house. We find another paper en- dorsed by Colonel Jackson, " This was the first school ever taught in Rockaway." It is in the handwriting of the teacher, and is as follows:
" The state of a school which has been taught by George Harris, at Rockaway, and ended on the 26th day of April 1784, is as follows: Scholars' names-Elizabeth Jack- son, Agnes Jackson, Joseph Jackson, James Jackson, Margaret Jackson, John Jackson, Katherine Smith, Bernard Smith, James Smith, Elizabeth Smith, Elizabeth Wrights, Aaron Wrights, Zebins Williams, Robert Wil- ¡liams, Sarah Leonard, Moses Hoppin, Peter Parcel, Wil- liam Jackson, Ziba Jackson, Isaac Jackson, Jacob Losey, James Conger, Rhoda Conger, Josiah Hadden, Daniel Hadden, Coon Stroke, Abigail Baker, James Baker. Proprietors-Captain Stephen Jackson, Bernard Smith, Godfrey Wrights, Jonas Williams, Elijah Leonard, Seth Gregory, Edward Jackson, Benjamin Jackson, Captain
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THE FIRST SCHOOLS IN ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP.
James Losey. Joseph Conger, Aaron Hadden, Henry Stroke, David Baker."
This paper is beautifully written, and opposite the names are the time and value of the tuition, amounting to £8 2s. 9d. From Dr. Tuttle we learn that " Old Har- ris," as he was called by his pupils, first taught in the school-room by the grist-mill, and afterward in the old school-house on the Glen road. He was very cruel, and on one occasion was run over by the older boys, among whom were Bernard Smith's and Stephen Jackson's boys.
This old school-house on the Beach Glen road was on the hill where William Gustin now lives. Mr. Stickle re- membered attending school there to his father, George Stickle, and others. It was a long building, with a chim- ney at each end, and was torn down about 1812 by Wil- liam Jackson, to whom it fell in the division of his father's estate. Mr. Stickle's father was teaching school at Rock- away when he became acquainted with Sarah Beaman, whom he married in 1782, and he narrated incidents which occurred while he taught in the old church-show- ing that that also was used as a school-house.
The next documentary evidence of a school is an agreement with William Harris, signed by him and Ste- phen Jackson and James Kitchel, June 4th 1804, where- by Harris engages to instruct any number of scholars not exceeding forty in "reading, writing, arithmetic, ge- ography and English grammar, according as they may be capable of learning," during the next six months, for which he was to receive $100 and to be provided with suitable board and lodging.
Of the same date is a subscription paper referring to this agreement, and in it the subscribers promise to pay Mr. Jackson and Mr. Kitchel "two dollars per quarter for every child we have subscribed." The names upon this paper are as follows: Stephen Jackson 4, Benjamin Beach 2, James Kitchel 3, Ashur Lyon 1, Thomas Con- ger 2, James Hyler 1, James Jackson 2, Tritstum Harri- man 1, John Hall 2, William Harriman 1, David Gordon, Frederick Dormeyer 1, Mary Smith 2, Benjamin Jackson r, William Ketchum 1, Daniel Lewis 2, David Conger 1, Jacob Hellar 2, Henry Berry i for one quarter, Francis McCarty I for one quarter, Samuel Cummins I for one quarter. The school was to be in the "old Rockaway school-house," no doubt the one on the Beach Glen road. On the back of the papers is William Harris's re- ceipt for $roo, dated November 24th 1804.
In 1806 or 1807 John Ford-afterward for so many years pastor at Parsippany, then studying for college un- der Rev. Mr. King and boarding with Colonel Jackson -taught school in the store-house nearly opposite the colonel's, the foundation of which is visible just east of the well.
The next written memorandum is a book which begins . _ with ."articles of an agreement for building a school- house in Rockaway and for organizing a school," which is dated January 26th 1813. The house was to be built on the meeting-house lot, to be one story, 872 feet high, 36 by 18, with a chimney at each end, to be divided into two rooms communicating by folding doors, have white-
wood weather boards and oak shingle roof; and, though principally designed for the accommodation of a school, it was to be free for the use of the trustees of the parish or the church session, or any religious meetings of the Presbyterian church at any time, provided they did not interfere with the school; and religious services might be held in it on the Sabbath whenever it should be deemed most convenient. The articles then provided for the ap- pointment of committees, etc., to build the house, for contributions in material, and for the organization of a school after it was built. The school committee was to be chosen annually; the ordained and settled minister of the First Presbyterian congregation at Rockaway to be ex officio chairman of the committee. Three hundred and fifty-nine dollars were subscribed, of which Joseph, Wil- liam and John D. Jackson each gave $50, H. Berry $20, James Kitchel $12, and Noah Estile, Thomas Conger, Rev. Barnabas King, David Ross, Titus Berry, Francis McCarty and Benjamin Jackson, each $10. March 30th 1813 the subscribers met and appointed Noah Estile, William Jackson, Henry Berry, David Ross and James Kitchel as building committee; and this committee Octo- ber rith 1813 made an agreement with David Harriman and Daniel Harriman, carpenters, to build the house by Christmas day for $roo, material and mason work to be furnished by the committee; November 9th 1813 an agreement was made with Joel Brown to do the mason work for $50. January 5th 1814 the subscribers met, received the house from the building committee, and voted nem. con. that the Rev. Barnabas King, Joseph Jackson, Ford Kitchel, Thomas Conger and Ben- jamin Jackson be appointed the school committee for the first year. Thus the old red school-house was built near where the present brick church stands, to give way to which in 1832 it was removed to the other side of the Mt. Hope road, and placed on the present school- house lot, where it stood till torn down in 1853, the pres- ent two-story building being then put up in its place. January 14th 1814 the school committee met and voted to engage Jacob P. Stickle to teach the school. He used the rod with a freedom that brought blood even on the backs of his girl pupils. October 10th 1814 John J. Derthick made to the committee the following proposals: To teach at Rockaway reading, arithmetic, writing, Eng- lish grammer, and geography, “ at $1.50 per quarter for those that write and spell, and $1.75 for those that write, study grammar, etc." The price was to be "reconded " for the time that the " schollars " went to school; Mr. Derthick must be boarded by his employers. This pro- posal was for one quarter at first; whereupon the com- mittee agreed to accept the terms, and voted that the school be organized accordingly. On the 3d of the next month it was resolved that every person who sent to school should deliver at the school-house a quarter of a cord of good sapling wood for each scholar sent to school for each quarter's school from that date until the first day of May next, and have it cut off to a suitable length for the fireplace and piled up; notice of this regulation to be posted at the grist-mill, at the store of Joseph Jackson
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