History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 153

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140

USA > New Jersey > Sussex County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 153
USA > New Jersey > Warren County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 153

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George, son of Michael Boyer, was born near the " Dry Land Church," in Northampton Co., Pa., in 1776. Married Anna Maclin, of Saucon, Pa.

In March, 1800, he removed to Warren Co., N. J., and purchased and settled on two hundred acres of land in the township of Lopatcong, where he spent the remainder of his life as a farmer. He belonged to that sterling class of agriculturalists who make up the substantial citizens of a township. He died Jan. 10, 1868. His children were Catherine, deceased, who became the wife of Charles Shimer, of Saucon, Pa .; David W., deceased, was a farmer in Franklin township; and Michael.

Michael, youngest son of George Boyer, was born on the homestead in Lopatcong, March 26, 1804.

He succeeded his father on the homestead farn, and there resided, making improvements and beautify- ing the place, until 1840, when he purchased one hun- dred and fifty acres in Oxford township, where he spent the remainder of his active business life. His son John H. succeeded to the homestead in Lopateong, and his son George to the farm in Oxford.

Mr. Boyer was a man esteemed for his manly ways,

his correct habits, and for his moral and Christian principles. He was a promoter of church interests ; was a member of the Greenwich Church while a res- ident of Lopateong, and a member and elder of the Oxford Church after his removal to Oxford township. His influence was always for the good of society where he resided, and while he enjoyed pleasant surroundings and a comfortable home, he was interested that his friends and neighbors should also enjoy the blessings of life. In politics, Mr. Boyer was a Democrat, and although he did not seek after office he did not refuse to bear a share of public burden, and for several years officiated as one of the township committee. He died Sept. 10, 1869.

His wife was Naomi, daughter of John and Mary Howell, of Phillipsburg, who survives in 1880, and resides in Belvidere ; she was born Oct. 1, 1802.

Their children are John HI., deceased ; Thomas, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Titman, and resides in Oxford township; Mary, died at the age of nineteen ; George, married Ellen, daughter of William aud Margaret (Demott) Anderson, of Oxford, and resides in Belvidere; Savilla, deceased, was the wife of John Cline, of New Village; Ann C., deceased, was the wife of John M. Andrews; and Emeline, be- came the wife of Joseph Iliff, of Lopatcong.

Dosepse lle Roseberry

JOHN ROSEBERRY, grandfather of the above, was the first settler of the family in Warren County. Ile was n farmer where Phillipsburg is now located, and there died.

Ile had four sons and two daughters,-viz., John, Joseph, William, Michael, Ilannah, and Sally. Of those children, Michael was father of our subject. Ile was born on the home- stend, where he spent his days as n fariner, and died at the age of sorenty-four years. Ilis first wife was Elizabeth Feit. Ilis second wife was Margaret, a daughter of Joseph Mackey, whose father was among the early settlers of the county. She died in 1818.

Of this second union were born the following children : Mary, wife of Jesse Stewart, of Greenwich; John, of Greenwich ; Joseph M. ; Elizabeth, who was first married to John K'line, and second to Jacob Lovoll, of Harmony ; Michnel, went to Virginia, where he died; Jeremiah, a physicinn of Cedar Bluff, Wis .; Margaret, wife of Henry Seip, of Easton, Pa.

For his third wifo ho married Elizabeth Runyon, of Reading, Pu., who bore him children as follows : Isabella, wife of Johu Allshouse, of Harmony ; Valeria, wife of Sumnel Able, of Eas- ton ; Henrietta, decensed, wife of William Sharpo, of Greenwich ; Robert, deconsed ; Charles E., a physician in Easton, Pa. ; ond Louisa, wife of Edward Ackerman, of Enston, Pa.

Joseph M., son of Michael and Margaret Roseberry, was born on the homestead, Oet. 1, 1804. He remained at home until twenty-seven years of age, and received a fair education in the schools of his native place, where he learned thoso inestimable lessons of self-roliance and industry which havo 80 charneterized him through life. On Jun. I9, 1832, he married Sally Ann, daughter of Abraham Depue, and grand- daughter of Benjamin Depue, who was born in the city of Kingston, Ulster Co., N. Y., in 1727, was n commissary during the Revolutionary war, removed from Hister County in 1765 and settled at Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton Co., P'n., where he diod in 1811. His wife was Catharine, daughter of Col. Van Campen, of Revolutionary fame. She was born in 1770, and died in 1851. The Depues and Van Campens belong to tho most prominent of the Huguenot families which settled at Esopus, now Ulster County, and date back to the middle of the seventeenth century us sottlors on the. IIndson. Abrabnm

Depne had eleven children, as follows : Martha, deceased, wife of Henry Taylor, of Ningarn Co., N. Y .; James, Moses, Jacob, Abraham, and Jobn, died at Mount Bethel, Pa .; Benjn- min ; Catharine, deceased ; Philip, died in San Francisco, Cal. ; Susannah; and Sally, deceased, wife of Joseph M. Roseberry. Only Benjamin and Susannah survive in ISSO.

Ono daughter, Susannah, is the mother of Abraham Depuo Hazen, third assistant postmaster-general; and one son is Maj. Benjamin Depne, born Sept. 1, 1796, and is, in ISSO, n resident of Belvidere, N. J.

Mrs. Roseberry was born Jan. 21, 1815, and died May 30, 1880. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church nt Belvi- dere, wasa woman of high meral worth and Christian excellence, and educatod her children in nll that makes true womanhood and manhood.

The children of Joseph M. and Sally Ann Rosoberry aro Michael, a farmer in Washington township ; John and Abraham Depoe, farmers in Oxford township ; Kate D .; Maggie, wife of Willini Titman, of Oxford township; Nottie, wife of Jacob Long, of Bangor, Pa .; Joseph M., a student-at- law with J. G. Shipman, Esq., of Belvidere; Arabella; and Frank, a student at Princeton Collego.

In 1831, Mr. Roseberry settled on a farm of one hundred and thirty-two neres in Oxford township, which he subsequently purchased of his father, and has rosided there since. Upon this farm he has erected substantial buildings, besidos erecting other commodious buildings on a part of his property for ono of his sons. Ile is among the most thrifty and well-to. do farmers of Oxford, and besides necumulnting the fine property now in his possession, he has divided a considerable amount with his chil- dren. Mr. Roseberry is known as n man of untiring industry, of prudence and sound judgment, and possessed of strong force of character. He is positive in his opinions, and carries for. ward to a successful completion whatever ho undertakes and conceives to be right. Ile was a member of the old Whig party and is now n Republican, although he has never hell political office or been a socker after place. Ile has always been a promoter of all worthy foenl objeets, and as n member of the First Presbyterian Church, at Belvidere, he has sought to livo the life of a consistent Christinn man.

Caleb Wychoff

CALEB WYCKOFF is a great-grandson of Simon Wyckoff, who settled in Jackson Valley, Warren Co., from Readington, Hunterdon Co., where he purchased a farm of two hundred acres, May 1, 1771, which has been kept as a homestead of this family since, and is now owned by the heirs of the late Jacob Wyckoff.

The children of Simon Wyckoff were John, born Jan. 20, 1771; Caleb, born Oct. 25, 1774; Phebe, born Nov. 4, 1776; Jacob, born Oct. 3, 1784; and Charity, born Jan. 8, 1788.

Of these children, Caleb is grandfather of our subject, and settled in Mansfield township, near Pennwell, where he resided as a farmer as long as he lived.

He died Feb. 17, 1823. Ilis wife was Sarah Willever, born Jan. 16, 1770, whom he married Oct. 8, 1797. She died April 4, 1837. Their only child and son was Simon, who was born on the homestead in Mansfield, Dec. 24, 1797 ; married, March 23, 1834, Martha, daughter of Joseph and Sally (Lawrence) Colver, of Schooley's Mountain. She was born May 23, 1793, and died Aug. 6, 1833. The Culver family were early settlers on the mountain. The children of this union were Charity, wife of William W. Race ; Sarah C., wife of James G. Loder ; Caleb; and Elizabeth, wife of Michael Roseberry.

Simon remained on the place where he was born until 1833, when he removed to Buttsville and built a grist- mill, which he carried on for six years. He then pur- chased a farm of one hundred and seventy acres of land in the township of Oxford, about one mile from Belvi- dere, upon which he resided the remainder of his life. He was an active member of the Democratic party, and took an interest in all matters of a local nature. For several years he acted as justice of the peace, and for one term of five years he served as judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was of great activity, and was known as a man of correct habits and integrity in all the relations of life. At first he was a member of the Grove Church on Schooley's Mountain, but upon his removal to Oxford he united with the Presbyterian Church there, and remained constant in his connection with that body until he united with the church at Bel- videre, of which he was elder at the time of his death,

which occurred Nov. 25, 1868. For several years he was an elder of the Oxford Church.

For his second wife he married, March 23, 1834, Sarah C. Colver, a sister of his first wife, born Murch 7, 1804. She survives in 1880. Caleb Wyckoff, only son of Simon Wyckoff. was born on the homestead in Mansfield, Nov. 1, 1824. llis opportunities for an edu- cation from books were confined to the common schools of his native place. He settled with his parents on the farmi in Oxford in 1839, and upon the decease of his father succeeded to the homestead-farm, which he con- tinues to carry on. Since the settlement of the family on this farm they have very much improved it, and erected commodious and substantial buildings thereon. To this property Mr. Wyckoff has added other real estate, although not adjoining.

In 1847, October 19th, Mr. Wyckoff married Mary, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Hobler) Baker, of Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton Co., Pa. She was born June 9, 1823. Their children are Elizabeth, James, Jerome, who died at the age of twenty-one, April 26, 1872, and Sarah. James married Mary, daughter of Levi Mackey, of Oxford township.

After his marriage Mr. Wyckoff resided on a farm owned by his father in the township of Hope for two years. HIe resided in lla kettstown for four years, where he purchased a farm and carried it on. In 1853 he purchased a farm (known as the Titman farm) in Bridgeville, Oxford township, upon which he resided for sixteen years, when he settled on the farm first pur- chased by his father. Mr. Wyckoff is one of the sub- stantial farmers of Warren County, and seems to inherit the business ability of his ancestors, who have been among the sterling farmers and business men since the fir-t settlement of Warren County.

Like his father and ancestors, ho affilintes with the Democratic party, and, although not a seeker after politi- cal preferment, he was selected during the late war as freeholder, and has held other minor offices.

Mr. Wyckoff is interested in church and kindred interests, and he and his wife are members of the Presby Lerian Church at Belvidere.

Chamberlin

WILLIAM CHAMBERLIN'S grandfather, William Chamberlin, born Jan. 16, 1765, married Hannah Snyder, Nov. 16, 1788. He removed from Alexandria township, Ilunterdon Co., N. J., and settled in Oxford township in 1795, where he purchased a part of Hull's tract. This land, when surveyed, overrun and made two hundred and forty-four neres. Upon this he resided the remainder of his life, and died Jan. 13, 1850. ITis wife died Oct. 24, 1817, aged fifty-one years, leaving the following children : John, born Oct. 26, 1789; l'eter, born Feb. 20, 1792; Benjamin, born Dec. 24, 1798; Mary, born Aug. 27, 1801; and Rachel, born Jan. 16, 1805.

llis second wife was Susannah Prall, whom he married July 27, 1819. She died Sept. 25, 1851.

Peter Chamberlin was father of our subject, and mar- ried Elizabeth, daughter of William Kimple, who was born Oct. 3, 1800, and died Jan. 14, 1863. He died April 4, 1857. Hle was a farmer through life, and in- herited one-half of the homestead near Summerfield church, on the mountain, where he resided. Peter Chamberlin was one of the founders of the Oxford Baptist Church, and officiated as deacon. Both he and his wife were members, and contributors to church and kindred interests.

His children are William, born July 30, 1822, and George, born April 17, 1821.

William Chamberlin received only a common-school education, but in early life learned to depend upon him- self. Upon reaching his majority he went into the busy world to carve out a fortune for himself. He had no lack of resolution, but with willing hands and a robust constitution he met the obstacles to success and overenme the difficulties attendant upon every young man starting in life for himself without pecuniary ussistanco.

llo married, July 3, 1847, Sarah, youngest daughter of David and Anna (Oliver) Warman, who was born

on the Warman homestead, in Franklin township, April 9, 1828. Iler grandfather, Thomas Warman, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and died near New Village, at the home of his son. Her father died March 18, 1858, aged seventy-three years. Her mother died in October, 1865, nged seventy-five. David Warman's children were seven sons and four daughters, all of whom are living but one.

For three years following his marriage, Mr. Chamber- lin lived on rented farms. In 1850 he purchased the property first settled by his grandfather, where he resided until 1868, when he sold it and settled nt Old Oxford, where he has since resided.

Mr. Chamberlin has been a successful agriculturist, and his life has been one of activity and wholly devoted to business. In all his dealings and business relations he has been esteemed for his integrity and devotion to principle. He has always avoided such business as would lead to litigations or differences, and never sued a man or had a process of law served upon him.

Mr. Chamberlin is a supporter of local objects of a sectarian nature, and a member of the Summerfield congregation. Mrs. Chamberlin was raised under Pres- byterian influences, but is a member of the Summerfield Church.

Following the political line of his father, Mr. Cham- berlin is a supporter of Republican principles, and was originally a Whig.

They have an only child, Mary Elizabeth, who be- came the wife of Bartley Prall, a farmer in Oxford town- ship, and who has two children,-Mary Genevia and William Thomas.

The family of Warman is of English descent, and Mrs. Chamberlin's great grandfather was of English birth, and bad one son who was killed in the war of the Revolution. Her father was drafted to serve in the war of 1812, but supplied a substitute. The Chamberlin family is of Dutch origin.

MARSHALL P. MACKEY.

John Mackey, father of Marshall P., was born April 20, 1800, and was the son of William and Hannah (Hendershot) Mackey; he married Mercy Sharp, of Oxford. She was born Oct. 2, 1800, and bore him five children: Israel, deceased; Marshall P .; Abbie P., wife of John V. Deshon, of Belvidere; William M. ; Sarah E., widow of the late William Arm- strong; and Elias J.

John Mackey resided upon the farm now owned by Marshall P. the most part of his life. He was a representative farmer, and accumu- lated a large personal property, besides some three hundred acres of land. He was an attendant of the Oxford Church for many years, and during the latter part of his life he was a member of the Presbyterian congregation at Belvidere. He was esteemed for his manly virtues, for his sound judgment, his unas- suming ways, and for his good business ability. He died March 23, 1864.

Marshall P. Mackey, born July 16, 1831, succeeded to the homestead upon the death of his father, and has taken great pride in keeping in good repair the property so largely the result of his father's industry. He is safely numbered among the most intelligent farmers of Oxford, and his judicions management and thoroughness in all his undertakings give a look of thrift and prosperity to his home and its surroundings.

. He married, Nov. 25, 1858, Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Miller) Horn, of Pennsylvania. She was born Nov 4, 1834. Their children are George, Mabel, Bessie, and Nettie.

Mr. and Mrs. Mackey are members of the Belvidere Presbyterian congregation, and sup- porters of kindred interests.

Following in the line of the political princi- ples of his ancestors, he is a member of the Democratic party.

HARDWICK.

I .- GEOGRAPHICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.

THIS is one of the northeast border townships of Warren County, and is bounded on the northeast by Sussex County, on the southeast and sonth by Paul- inskill Creek, which is the dividing line between this and Frelinghuysen township, on the southwest by Blairstown township, and on the northwest 'by Paha- quarry township. It contains 15.91 square miles, or 10,182 acres. The population of the township, ac- cording to the census of 1880, was 583.

II .- NATURAL FEATURES.

The surface is very uneven, while all the waters rising in the township, or running through it, flow in a south or southeast direction. The Blue Mountains skirt the northwest border of the township, and form the dividing line between this and Pahaquarry town- ship. This is the highest point of land in the town- ship, and from this to the Paulinskill, which forms the other parallel boundary, is a succession of ridges and knobs till the valley of the Paulinskill is reached.

The principal stream running through the township is Blair Creek, which rises in the northeast corner of the township, flows in a southerly direction to very near the southwest corner of the township, and emp- ties into the Paulinskill at Blairstown village. Upon this stream are several good mill sites, some of which are necupied. Jacksonburg Creek takes its rise in the extreme northeast corner of the township and flows southwesterly at the foot of Blue Mountain and down through Blairstown township into the kill. The Paulinskill washes the southeast border, upon which has been, and still are, several mills. White Pond, a beautiful sheet of water lying about half a mile north from Paulinskill, and about half way between the southwest and northeast lines of the township. This name is given to the pond on account of the deposits of white shells distinctly visible at its bottom. Mud Pond and Shuster Pond are situated in the east cor- ner of the township. The latter was so named from one of the early settlers (Shuster) who located near it, and whose descendants occupy the old homestead. Mud Pond, about half a mile west of Shuster Pond, was so named from its muddy appearance. Both of these are small bodies of water, covering not more than six or eight acres each. Sand Pond is situated on Blue Mountain, on the northwest border of the town- ship, and finds an outlet in Jacksonburg Creek.

· By W. 11. Shaw.

III .- EARLY SETTLEMENTS AND PIONEER INCI- DENTS.

Among those who settled in what is now Hardwick township, in the first half of the last century, were Frederick and Jacob Snover, who located here us early as 1735 or 1740, on quite a large tract of land in the west part of the township, nearly all of which is now owned by parties outside of their descendants. Frederick Snover was also a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war.

John Wass, or Vass, as it is now spelled, was also among the settlers about the middle of the last cen- tury. The Konkles came in about the same time and located north of White Pond, and the Shuster family settled on the southeast side of the township, near what is known as Shuster Pond. John Teel and John Mingle both located here about 1755, taking up land which is still in possession of their descendants. The Armstrongs, Wintermntes, Wilsons, Walters, Luses, and the Savacools were also here previous to the Revo- lutionary war. Their numerous descendants are still the owners, in most cases, of the original homesteads.

The farm settled by Philip Wildrick, nnele of Isane Wildrick, late sheriff' of this county, is now owned by P. W. Squier. Jacob Armstrong was at one time owner of the larger part of what is now Hardwick township, and by some at the present day would not be considered a very large landholder at that.

Among the very first settlers in Hardwick were Jacob Lundy, Ebenezer and Jacob Wilson, Samuel Lundy, and Thomas Heason, or Hazen, as it is now spelled, and Daniel Harker, who were Quakers, and located here as early as 1735. In the beginning these people were compelled to go to Kingwood, in Hunter- clon County, for their milling, as no mills had been built in this section prior to 1783. The trip was usnally performed on horseback, and occupied, when the weather was favorable and the intervening streams not too much swollen, about two and a half days. About 1783 a grist-mill was built near the present village of Paulina, and shortly after this another was built at Marksboro' by Col. Mark Thomson.

INDIAN OUTRAGE.

One of the most audacious acts in the whole series of predatory aggressions by the Indians in this town- ship was the incursion of a party of Indians into Hardwick in 1755, when they captured a boy named Thomas Hunt, and a negro then belonging to Richard

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Hunt; and on their retreat by way of the Big Pond they surprised and made prisoners a man named Swartwout and two of his children, a son and daugh- ter, having first shot his wife, who stood in the door when they reached his house.

When they went to the house of Richard Hunt (an elder brother of the boy Thomas) they found young Hunt and the negro aloue. The latter was fiddling and dancing, and the boy Hunt was a gratified spectator. In the midst of their hilarity the Indians were dis- covered close by and about to enter. Quick as thought the boys sprang to the door, closed and bolted it. The intruding savages bore this rebuff with appar- ent philosophy, and soou disappeared, but returned in about an hour. Their footprints indicated that they had reconnoitered the house of a Mr. Dildine, in his absence, where Richard Hunt happened to be at the time, but they evidently dared not make an attack at that place.

They returned to Hunt's house and made a move- ment to set it on fire, as the surest method of making the boys open the door. This stratagem succeeded ; the boys yielded, and were forced to accompany the savages.

At Swartwont's house, after murdering his wife, they attempted to enter, but he seized his rifle and held them in check for a while, when he finally agreed to surrender if they would spare his life and the lives of his son and daughter, which proposition the Indians agreed to ; but, as usual in all such cases, they violated their pledges, tied him to a tree, tomahawked him, and left his body to the birds and beasts of prey. His two children were taken to an Indian town, Shawnee (now Plymouth), on the Susquehanna, on the opposite side of the river, and five miles below the city of Wilkes- barre, while Hunt and the negro were taken to Can- ada. Hunt was sold by his captors to a French mili- tary officer, and accompanied him as his servant. Hunt's mother, anxious for his return, if alive, at- tended the general conference at Easton in October, 1758, where a treaty was made with the Six Nations, and finding an Indian there who knew her son, she gave him £60 to procure his freedom and return him to his friends. This proved to be money wasted, but IIunt was soon after liberated under the provisions of the treaty of Easton, which made a restoration of prisoners obligatory upon the Indians, and reached home in 1759, after a servitude of three years and nine months.

EXTRACTS FROM RECORDS.

The first account we find of a general election was in 1791, as follows :

" We, the Judge of Election, Assessor, and Collector of the towaship of Hardwick, in the county of Sussex, do hereby certify that, having Proceeded to Receive the Votes of the Electors of the said Township, the following Is a list of all the Persons Voted for as Representatives from this State in the Congress of the United States, and the number of votes for each : Robert Hoops, ono hundred and ninety-four ; Elias Bndinut, one hundred and sixty-tlireo; James Linn, one hundred and forty-five; Abraham Clark, one hundred aud ninety; Jonathan Dayton, fifty-sovou ;

Abraham Ogden, five; Aaron Kitchel, twelve; John Baily, one; Robert Ogden, fifteen ; Lambart Cadwalider, three; Joseph Bloomfield, six ; John Wentherspoon, three: Joseph Ellis, one ; James Scureman, five.

"In testimony whereof we have herenuto subscribed our names and affixed our seals, the thirty-first day of January, 1791.

"AARON HANKINSON, Judge.

"GEORGE ARMSTRONG, Assessor. " THOMAS HAZEN, Collector.

" Attest, JOHN BROWN,

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History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 153

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1140

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140