USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Paterson > History of Paterson and its environs (the silk city); historical- genealogical - biographical > Part 21
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Merry were the wedding parties in the olden days. A marriage was an event of the deepest concern to the whole neighborhood, and to all the rela- tives, far and near, of the young couple, and they manifested their interest by their personal attendance on the festivities incident thereto. A sweet young bride who lacked two months of her sixteenth year, went to the Domi- nie's to be married, in 1804, wearing a black silk dress (she was only a farmer's daughter, and had never worn anything more expensive than calico
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before, but insisted on this extravagance for this occasion), long drab silk gloves coming above the elbows, a light blue kerchief folded across her bosom, and her abundant light tresses concealed by a thin cambric cap bordered with lace and tied under her chin. The bridegroom wore a coat of brown cloth, linsey woolsey trousers, a sky blue cloth vest with a small figure through it, cowhide shoes and a castor hat. Among the guests at a wedding party in the middle of the last century, you might see women dressed in short gowns and petticoats ; in winter the gown would be of flan- nel, woven in stripes of various colors and sizes, perhaps with cuffs of dif- ferent colors ; at other seasons it would be of black and white stuff, striped linen, blue homespun, striped Holland, green woolen yarn with linen warp, checked linen and striped woolen, dark blue calico with light blue figure. The petticoats would be striped, a linen warp and woolen filling, in various colors, and often quilted, especially in cold weather. The cloak, of course, was an important garment, shawls being quite unknown. Cloaks were long or short, red, blue, brown, black, scarlet, etc .; sometimes lined with bengal, serge, or other material. There you might see a homespun cloak in three different colors, light green, dark orange and light blue; or a scarlet cloth coat, with binders of ribbon, red and green flowers ; or a short worsted cloak, in mixed colors. The ladies' hats were usually of cloth or silk, quilted for warmth; other patterns were platted hats, without lining; palmetto; black fur, shagged on the inside; all silk, or straw; a stylish head covering was the Persian black bonnet, or the black Bath jockey bonnet. An old lady always looked sweet in a fine Holland cap, with border of cambric or lace. The immense calash was carried by prudent women as a protection for their hats and bonnets in wet weather. Stockings were usually worsted, blue being the color most affected, sometimes varied with white clocks. The underwear was of linen, woolen garments being entirely unknown, for either men or women. The women aimed at getting a new dress every spring, and then the garment which had served as "best" during the year was worn every day.
The men wore coats of blue camlet, or blue broadcloth, lined with dark blue shalloon ; brown Holland, brown kersey, duroy, blue kersey, with slashed sleeves and brass, pewter or mohair buttons ; jackets of tufted fustian, plush, striped Holland, or linen, dimity or bengal; a more substantial garment, favored by seafaring men, was a black pea-jacket, double breasted, and lined with white flannel. For their nether limbs, the men might take their choice between knee-breeches of wash-leather, buckskin, sheepskin, plush trimmed with silver buttons, cloth or camlet ; or trousers of osnaburg, dimity or linen, all without lining. Their stockings would be homespun, of course, blue or white, and milled, if they wished. For head covering, there was the massive beaver or castor, the raccoon or 'coonskin cap, the cap of cotton, or the felt hat, which might be tarred on the crown against wet weather. Waistcoats were of grey homespun, with pewter buttons, or striped ticking, or hand- some cloth in various colors. There was not much choice in shirts-osna- burg, homespun linen, tow, garlix or Dowles. The plain, hardworking
P-11
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farmers and artisans of Acquackanonk and their wives and daughters seldom wore such finery as is described above, but such garments were to be seen in the staid community at times, and excited no little interest among the sober inhabitants.
As the wedding party assembled, from far and near you would see the older people coming along in a leisurely way in springless wagons, filled with straw, in which sat the young people, while the older women occupied chairs placed in the wagon for their accommodation. Young men would arrive on horseback, with merry girls seated on the bare back of the horse behind them, holding on to their cavaliers as much by skill as by strength, prepared to slide off to the ground whenever the horse shied, or when the young man would mischievously cause his steed to start or kick. Each arriving neigh- bor would bring a contribution to the feast, which else might have been too great a tax upon the hospitality of the host and hostess. And then what a jolly season of mirth there would be at the wedding supper! And the sport the young people would have in riding back home under the starry skies or the melting moon! And what new weddings were planned under the subtile spell of moon and stars, and the inspiration of the scene just left behind them, while to them
Heaven's ebon vault, Studded with stars unutterably bright, Through which the moon's unclouded grandeur rolls, Seems like a canopy which love has spread To curtain her sleeping world.
When a death occurred, the clocks were stopped, and the mirrors cov- ered with a white cloth. In some neighborhoods there was an aansprekker, whose office it was to go from farm to farm and announce to the relatives and friends that a death had happened, and to bid them to the funeral. In other localities this sad errand was performed by some friend of the family. Furnished with a dood-ceel, or list of those to be invited, he would go from place to place on horseback, and gravely announce, for instance: Vrerick is overleden, en UE (yellie) ben gevraagten op de begrafenis morgen op een uur namiddag. That is: "Frederick is dead, and you are invited to the funeral to-morrow afternoon at one o'clock." There were none of the modern appliances for preserving bodies, and burials took place within twenty-four or forty-eight hours after death, as a rule. This was another reason why it was essential for people to have their doodkleeder, or grave clothes, ready always; as children grew up they used these garments for everyday wear, and prepared new for their larger growth. The doodkist, or coffin, was hastily put together by the nearest carpenter, or by the dood- graver (sexton), and at the appointed hour the Dominie arrived at the house, where the funeral services took place. Reverently then did some of the stout friends or neighbors of the deceased lift the coffin upon their shoulders, or carry it on a bier, covered with the doodkleed, or pall, owned by the church and supplied for the occasion. Slowly and solemnly the relatives and friends followed on foot to the burying ground, often on the home farm, and there the final ceremonies occurred. Many of those assembled might have driven or walked many miles to attend the funeral, and accordingly it was the cus-
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tom to have a bountiful doodmaal prepared, whereat the "funeral baked meats" were set forth for the refreshment of the guests. Liquor was also provided without stint on such occasions. When Dominie Van Driessen, of the Acquackanonk church, lost his wife, the church paid the expenses of her funeral, as appears by this bill :
Ocktober D. 6-A0-1752-tot Agkuegnonk ontvange Van Joohannes Pou : Schenck Deyaken Van De kerck Een pont Seeven Schel en 8 pens voor suyker en rom en Butter voor De Begraffenes van yan van Drises Vrou en vollen als getuygt myn hant schreft onder CASP-ZABOISKI.
Aside from the outlay for entertaining friends, funerals were far less expensive in the former days than now. For one thing, burial lots cost less. Thus, we read in the Totowa church records, June 21, 1813:
At a Meting of the Duch consistory of the totoway church have unani- mous A greed that Every Person is to Pay for Laying and to Be Buyried in this Church yard, to Pay the Sum of for Twelve years and upwards is to Pay the Sum of one Dollar and under Twelve years the Sum of fifty Cents.
Gerrebrandt Van Houten, of Totowa, whose personal estate was inven- toried and appraised April 7, 1789, at $996.93, was buried at an expense of only $10.43.
When Cornelis Westervelt, of Wagaraw, died, in 1816, although he left a large estate his funeral expenses were but $17.62. Richard Berdan was paid $4.50 for making a coffin; Albert Van Saun, sexton, voorleser, etc., charged $4 for services, and Adrian Van Houten's bill for "Funeral Ex- pinces," was £3, 13s., or $9.12. As Adrian Van Houten kept a grocery, it is probable that he contributed liquid and other refreshments for the funeral party. In December, 1816, Mr. Van Saun charged Dr. Marvin $3 for bury- ing his wife, and $2 for burying his child. Certainly the people in those days could not be charged with wasteful extravagance in the matter of funeral expenses.
No stone in this vicinity was suitable for monuments, and the people could not afford to buy the Connecticut brownstone; accordingly, the oldest tombstone in the Acquackanonk churchyard dates no further back than 1737 -more than half a century after the settlement began. Prior to that date rude bits of fieldstone only were used to mark the graves of the departed, sometimes with initials scratched on the surface, but for the most part with no attempt at inscription.
CHAPTER V.
The "King's Highway"-Old coaching days-Turnpikes and fords-First bridge over the Passaic river in Paterson-The Bowery-Laying out Market street-Main street of secondary importance as a thorough- fare.
I know each lane, and every alley green, Dingle, or bushy dell, of this wild wood, And every bosky bourn from side to side, My daily walks and ancient neighbourhood. "Comus."-Milton.
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The first routes of travel through the new country were the Indian trails-mere foot-paths through the wilderness, which had been worn by the aborigines as they traversed the forests, meadows and mountains in going from one settlement to another, or in quest of game. These trails were generally adopted by the whites in laying out their roads, except where they interfered too much with farm lines. In ancient road returns the expression is often used: "as the path now goes," the reference being to the Indian trail. Such a "path" is mentioned in the first deed for land in the present Passaic county, July 15, 1678. In a patent for land on the Singack brook, August 10, 1696, it is described as "beginning where the Minasinks Path doeth Cross the said Brook." The Minisinks had several great trails across New Jersey, from their tribal campfire in the mountains to tide-water. This one probably passed through the Great Notch, across Singack, Pompton Plains and through the Wanaque or Pequannock valleys, or both. As the Indians selected the easiest routes, to avoid hills, swamps and difficult water courses, we find the old roads laid over their "paths" winding along river banks and the gentle slopes of hillsides, economy of exertion rather than of time having been the first consideration in laying them out. When Acquacka- nonk was first settled the patentees undoubtedly found an ancient Indian path along the west bank of the Passaic river, and laid over it a road. The oldest reference to a public road in Acquackanonk is in a Dutch instrument, of April 10, 1693, which mentions "the King's Highway" along the river, near the Acquackanonk church-now Main avenue, Passaic, near the docks. As the patentees laid off their farms, they left "driftways" or narrow roads between them, which came in time to be recognized as public roads, without the usual formalities of official action. Van Houten's lane, Franklin avenue, Gregory avenue and the Speertown road, in Passaic and Acquackanonk, are old driftways or dwarslines; Crooks avenue, Hazel street, East Eighteenth street and York avenue, Willis street east of East Eighteenth street, and Broadway, west of East Eighteenth street, are also old driftways between farms. The oldest record we have of the laying of a public road within the present Passaic county, is dated March 26, 1707, when a road was ordered to be opened as follows :
Beginning at the North End of Newark and running to Hockquacko- nong, as the path now runs ; thence along by the North End of Hockquacka- nong Meeting House near Maunases Land, to the south West corner of John Mackelson's Land, thence by the rear of Jacob and John Mackelson's land on the north side sd Mackelsons to a White Oak standing by a fence, thence by a row of marked Trees as the path runs to Pompton.
This road began at the southern line of the Acquackanonk patent, or near Third river, followed the river bank as the road still runs, to the old church in the present city of Passaic, so along the existing Main avenue and Prospect street, to near the line of Hermanus Van Wagoner, and on to Main avenue and to Lexington avenue, which was then but a path "blazed" through the forest ; thence along Lexington avenue, the Wesel road, Market road, Market street, Vreeland avenue, Willis street, East Eighteenth street, Broad-
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سياسب
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MELDEN FOUNDATIONS
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way, Mulberry street, River street to near the foot of Bank street, across the river by a ford, along Water street to Clinton, up Clinton street, Mc- Curdy street, and so along the edge of the hill to Haledon avenue, thence to the old Goffle road, and so out to the valley wherein lie Franklin Lake and other ponds, and so to Pompton and the country beyond. It will be observed that this road was simply a "path" or Indian trail from Monroe street, in Passaic, to Pompton.
Willis street was laid out from Vreeland avenue easterly to the river, September 18, 1719. It was altered and relaid from the river westerly to East Eighteenth street, August 9, 1762, to be one chain wide.
The settlement of Pompton and Pacquanac, in 1695 or 1696, necessitated the laying out of roads to that region, but the first mention of such a road is in 1707, when there is a reference to the "Pomton Road, that Leads towards the falls Pisaike River." This probably ran from Pompton to Lower Preak- ress or Singack, and so to Totowa. The old Totowa road originally ran from the foot of the hill, near the corner of Hamburgh avenue and Water street, nearly on the line of Ryle avenue and Totowa avenue, to near Maple street, thence nearly to the Falls, and then diagonally in a southerly direction to Totowa avenue again, at or near Paterson avenue; thence along Totowa avenue to near Preakness avenue; thence southerly toward the river, which it followed until it again came out on the present road, and so to Laurel Grove cemetery, and thence by the Totowa or Singack road to Lower Preak- ness and Singack. Totowa avenue was straightened as it now is, about 1865- 67. This road was relaid, three rods wide, from Singack bridge to "the Bridge across Crakall Vall near Gerrebrant Van Houtens," or near the West Side Park, October 20, 1787.
The road laid from Acquackanonk to Pompton, in 1707, was relaid from the present Paterson, southerly, December 22, 1761, thus :
Beginning at Totawaw Bridge, thence along the Bank of the River about southwest, to the Southeast corner of the mill of Hendrick Gerretson, then about south till it comes to Hellamoe Vanhoutten's line then east Eight Degrees South as the line runs between the lands of sd Hellamoe Vanhoutten, John Vanhoutten, and Abraham Gordon till, it comes to the rear of the Lot, to the Division line; then along the sd line, between Hellamoe Vanhoutten & Hartman Vreeland till it comes to the Lots of Simeon Vanwincle and John Vanblarcom till it comes to the slough as by a Patten of John Verkerk ; thence about South Westerly, as the Old Road now goes, that leads down to Acquackanon River at the store House of Abraham Gordon; this Aforesd Road, we the afsd Surveyors do lay out four Road Broad.
It would seem that this road has shrunk with age, at least in spots, as in Mulberry street, Park avenue, and in Passaic, it being but fifty feet wide, and even less in various places.
By deed dated May 5, 1849, Aaron S. Pennington, executor of Rachel B. Wallace, conveyed to Joseph Smith, of Manchester, for $4,450, a lot at the southeast corner of Broadway and Main street, "about" 20 feet 8 inches front on Main street, and 50 feet deep on Broadway. On July 2, 1849,
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Smith began the erection of a brick building on the lot, extending the build- ing about three feet northerly beyond the line of Broadway, as previously built upon. He was indicted, September 7, 1849, for a nuisance, in building upon and obstructing the public highway. The case was tried in June, 1850, before Chief Justice Green, twenty-three witnesses being examined, princi- pally as to what was the true line of Broadway. Smith was convicted, and his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court, at the July term, 1851, and by the Court of Errors and Appeals, at the June term, 1852. Smith was thus compelled to abate the nuisance, which he did by cutting off so much of the north side of the building as projected over the street ; this wall was of brick ; he substituted boards, and so the building remains. Smith was one of the leading butchers of the town, but this litigation and other attendant troubles ruined him, and he died in the almshouse. It is a noteworthy fact that although the same offence is popularly believed to have been repeated constantly since his time, nobody has been indicted therefor in Passaic county.
A road four rods wide was laid March 30, 1771, from Haledon avenue to Preakness ; it is still known as "the old road." West of the mountain it is now sometimes called the "Ratzer road," running nearly parallel with the former Hamburgh turnpike.
The settlement of Paterson soon caused a demand for a more direct route to Acquackanonk, and to the country west and north. To meet this need the Paterson and Hamburgh Turnpike Company was formed, and in- corporated by the Legislature, March 12, 1806. The company speedily caused a survey of its proposed new road to be made, which was filed Octo- ber 18, 1806. Its road from Acquackanonk Landing to Paterson was almost entirely new, from about Bloomfield avenue, in Passaic, to Market street, in Paterson, and perhaps to Broadway; and thence via the present West street, Hamburgh avenue and what is known as the old turnpike, most of the way to Pompton. Part of the way it was laid over old roads.
Broadway east of East Eighteenth street was an old driftway, but was not opened as a public highway until about 1816, when Garrison's lane was laid out in Bergen county, making a new route to Hackensack. The road over the Broadway Hill was exceedingly steep, but was gradually lowered by successive cuttings. To avoid this ascent, in part, a road was opened on the east side of the hill, from Park avenue to Broadway, about 1816. This was called Passaic avenue. It has been for the most part replaced by new roads since the East Side park came into being. Broadway was straight- ened and widened from East Eighteenth street to the river, about 1870.
East Eighteenth street, or York avenue, was opened from Broadway northerly to the river probably as early as 1730, to afford access to the farms for which it formed the dwarsline.
Redwoods avenue was laid out, April 11, 1795, from Totowa avenue to Lower Preakness. That portion lying northwest of the Oldham brook was vacated about 1865, or earlier.
Crooks avenue and Hazel street were formally laid, one chain wide,
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May 13, 1796. The return speaks of the road as "a certain driftway for- merly called a cowpath in the old writings which said driftway was allowed by the pattentees of Acquackanonk for Public use and it never having been opened, the surveyors met and agreed To open the same."
There are references in old records to the "Bowery" in Paterson. By a deed, dated May 8, 1826, Francis R. Post sold a tract of land in the "Bowery" to William Sandford, having bought the property from Abraham Van Blar- com on March 20, 1826, for $1,400. The "Bowery" was apparently the tri- angle bounded by Market street, Park avenue and Straight street.
On November 23, 1792, Halmagh Van Houten (called Rooe, Dutch for "red," to distinguish him from another Halmagh Van Houten) bought from John Van Blarcom half an acre of land at what is now the northwest corner of East Eighteenth and Park avenue, and built a small frame house and swung to the breeze a sign bearing a rude figure of a bull's head as a token that entertainment was there to be had for man and beast. Standing thus at the turn of the main road from Paterson to "the Landing" and New York, the "Sign of the Bull's Head" drew much custom from the wayfarer. The prosperity of the new tavern was greatly threatened when the surveyors of the highways met on January 25, 1798, and laid out Market street, from Hamilton street to the Wesel road, thus opening a new and more direct route from the town to New York, which, however, had the disadvantage of pass- ing a long distance from this tavern. But "Rooe" was equal to the emer- gency. He secured the appointment of new surveyors, who met on July 30, 1798, at the house of John I. Post (the ancient stone house still standing on the south side of Willis street, between Madison avenue and East Nineteenth street), and decided to vacate the new road "and to Relay the same from where the Road that leads from the Liberty Pole falls into the street by the Hotell to the House of Halmigh Van Houtin at the Sign of the Bulls head :" -that is to say, they not only vacated the proposed new road, which threat- ened Halmagh's business, but they laid another road that would make his a "corner stand." Park avenue, then called Willis street, was for some years thereafter known as "the public road that leads from the factory to the Bull's Head."
Christopher Breese. on October 1, 1818, bought from Daniel Holsman, the tavern property on Totowa avenue, near the crest of the hill, for $2,750. He advertised it "as known by the name of 'the Sign of the Bergen County Hotel.'" He sold the place with other property, including "one equal un- divided half part of the fishery thereunto belonging at the Great Falls," to Daniel K. Allen, May 1, 1822, for $1,900. The tavern was on the southwest side of Redwoods avenue, between Totowa avenue and the Falls ; there was a bend in Totowa avenue, which then ran down toward the Falls. It is said that when Breese was about to buy the tavern property on the Falls, Abra- ham Van Houten offered him most of the block bounded by Broadway, Main, Van Houten and Prospect streets, for about the same price as the Falls property. Breese preferred the latter, however, as the Totowa road was more traveled than Main street.
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In the "Supplement to the Gazette and Weekly Mercury," printed in New York on Monday, November 28, 1774, there appeared the following advertisement :
This is to acquaint the public that there is a stage-waggon erected to go from the house of Abraham Godwin, near the Great Falls, to Powles Hook, through Schuyler's Swamp, twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays-to set out at eight o'clock on every Monday morning, and to return the next day, at ten o'clock in the morning, from Powles Hook to said Godwin's, and likewise on Saturdays and Fridays at the aforesaid hours. The price of the stage is two shillings and ninepence up or down. By this road the distance from the Falls to Powles Hook is only 19 miles.
The route followed by the stage apparently was up Broadway to what is now East Eighteenth street, then the "Old York Road," to the landing near Dundee dam, and from thence through Belleville along the river to Powles Hook, or Jersey City. This was the only road leading from Pater- son to New York until 1806, when a charter was granted for a turnpike from Paterson Landing through Paterson to Hamburgh. Ten years later this road was extended from Paterson Landing over Berry's hill to Hoboken. On January 23, 1828, a charter was obtained for the turnpike leading from Paterson to Little Falls and soon after the subject of railroad began to occupy the public mind. On January 31, 1831, a charter for the Paterson & Hudson River railroad was obtained, on the 22nd of April of the same year the surveyors began work, on the 4th of July ground was broken at the Paterson terminus, on June 1, 1832, the cars were run to the Landing, and on November 24 of the same year, the road was opened for travel to the junction with the Newark road on Bergen Hill. The bridge then built over the Hackensack river was the first railroad drawbridge constructed. The Paterson & Newark Railroad Company was organized October 25, 1864.
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