History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 42

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 42
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 42

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

age, but lost his wife after she had borne him two sons. Upon the breaking out of the Revolution he enlisted in the Continental army, although eighty-six years of age, and fought through the whole war with the vigor of a man of forty. lle survived the peace of 1783 more than thirty years, and died a pensioner of the United States.

It may not be out of place to mention in this con- nection that Sussex County is the birthplace of the fat- test person ever known. Mrs. Catharine Schooley, who twenty-five years ago was on exhibition in the prin- cipal cities of the United States, was born in Green- wich township, Sussex Co., in the year 1816. She weighed seven hundred and sixty-four pounds,- about one hundred more than the far-famed Daniel Lambert, of England. Her arm was three feet two inches in circumference, and her waist measured nine feet six inches. Her parents, Anthony and Catharine Leareh, were Germans. Her mother died when she was but a few days ohl, and her father says he "raised her mit der spoon." At the age of nineteen she mar-

ried William Schooley, also of Greenwich, and soon after removed to Ohio.

The general healthfulness of Sussex County made it almost a fruitless field for physicians at an early day, and hence few of them settled in the county prior to the Revolution. The number has never been great compared with some other sections of the coun- try, and those in practice have had, for the most part, a wide and generally healthy scetion to ride over.

Another circumstance affecting the production of the county at an early day was the fact that large quantities of land were owned by non-residents, who, while they encouraged immigration for the purpose of settling and improving their lands, diverted from the support of actual settlers a considerable portion of the grain and products raised. This system of settlement would have been well enough if the land- owners had been willing to sell small tracts to such of their tenants as desired to purchase them; but this they declined to do, and thus, although the county augmented in population, it increased but little in wealth. Up to a comparatively late date nine-tenths of the land in the township of Newton was held in large tracts by non-resident owners, and other por- tions of the county were subjected more or less to the paralyzing influence of a similar monoply. Had this

164

SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

state of things continued and been general, the county would have been like Ireland,-its lands held by a monopolizing aristocracy and peopled by a poor and dependent population. "But the owners finally took a different view of their duty, as well as their interests. Instead of holding on in hope of ultimately getting large prices, they sold out to as good advantage as they could ere the virgin soil of their respective tracts should become completely exhausted ; and every por- tion of the county soon felt the beneficial influence of the change." The passing of the fee-simple of the soil into the same hands which guided the plow gave a new impulse to agriculture, which, being since sup- plemented by scientific and improved methods, by greater variety, and by the advantages of new and accessible markets, has made Sussex County one of the most prosperous and desirable agricultural sec- tions of New Jersey.

II .- OTHER ELEMENTS OF PROGRESS-POST- OFFICES.

If we compare the present state of the county with its condition in the past, we find a wonderful advance. In 1737, Benjamin Franklin, as postmaster at Phila- delphia, advertised that "Henry Pratt is appointed Riding Post Master for all the stages between Phila- delphia and Newport in Virginia, who sets out about the beginning of every month and returns in twenty- four days." In 1739 the mail was carried between New York and Philadelphia once a week on horse- back during the summer, and Gouverneur Morris sub- mitted the proposition to Postmaster-General Spots- wood "whether it be not fit to direct the rider to stay one night in such towns where the Governor happens to be resident."" In 1743, April 13th, ten years before this county was organized, Franklin advertised that " after this week the northern post will set out for New York on Thursdays, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, till Christmas. ' The Southern post sets out next Monday at 8 o'clock for Annapolis, and con- tinues going every fortnight during the summer season." At that time, "during the winter, the post between Philadelphia and New York went once a fortnight."+ During the Revolutionary war horse- expresses were provided to give dispatch to news. After the Revolution a humble stage-wagon per- formed this duty between our great cities once a week, taking two days for the journey. The early postal arrangements for the connties of Morris and Sussex we have not the means at hand for ascertain- ing, but from a package of letters dating back to 1774, written by John Jacob Faesch, of New York, to his agent at Mount Hope, we are led to suppose there was then no post-route farther west than Morristown, since these letters were evidently sent by a private messenger. Perhaps an examination would show that there was not a post-route or post-office in this

county from the organization of Sussex until the close of the Revolution. This we cannot affirm, but such is our impression. But the time is within the remembrance of men still living when it took a whole week for the stage-wagon to accomplish its journey from Newton to New York and back.

We find in Alden's "New Jersey Register" for 1811 the following notices of stage-routes: "There are five lines of stages which run daily, except on the Sab- bath, between New York and Philadelphia. Three of these leave each city at the hours of 8 and 10 A.M. The mail-stage leaves each city at 2 o'clock P.M., and arrives at 6 the following morning. From May to November the 'Expedition Line' leaves each city early in the morning and performs the distance by daylight. The 'Swiftsure Line' passes through Springfield and Somerset by Coryell's Ferry, on the old York Road, and the other line through the prin- cipal post-towns by the way of Delaware Bridge." It was advertised that "Fulton's steamboats, in the course of the year 1811, are to be employed at the Paulus Hook Ferry, when the passing from the City of Jersey to the City of New York will be safe, ex- peditious, and pleasant."

There were at that time eighty-seven post-offices in the State of New Jersey, of which Sussex County contained six, at the following places, with the post- masters named :

Andover, Lemuel D. Camp ; Belvidere, John Kinney, Jr. ; Hackettstown, Benajah Gustin; Hamburg, Thomas Lawrence ; Johnsonsburg, Thomas Stinson ; Newton, Charles Pemberton.

In 1837 the number of post-offices in the State had increased to two hundred and seventy-one, while those in Sussex County had attained the number of twenty- five, showing a considerably greater ratio of increase for Sussex County than for the State at large. The post-offices, with the names of postmasters, of Sussex County in 1837 were as follows :

Andover, Joseph Northrup ; Augusta, Abraham Bray ; Benville, Benja- min Tuttle ; Bevan's, James C. Bevan; Branchville, Samuel Rice; Coursenville, Lewis L. Smith ; Deckortown, Samuel Whittaker ; Flatbrookville, Jacob Smith ; Fredon, Isaac V. Coursen ; Gratitude, Benjamin J. Lowe; Hamburg, Robert A. Lewis; Harmonyvnle, Isaac Beardslee; Lafayette, Alexander Boyles ; Libertyville, Silas Hemingway ; Lockwood, Alexander McKnin; Marksborough, James Blair; Montagne, James Stoll ; Newton, George II. McCarter; Sandy- ston, John D. Everitt ; Sparta, Elias Black ; Stanhope, Charles Mun- son ; Stillwater, Poter B. Shafer; Vernon, R. S. Denton ; Walpack, Daniel Shoemaker; Wantage, David H. Gale.

The notaries publie in Sussex County in 1810 were John Linn, Daniel Stuart, George Bidleman, and Henry Hankinson.

There were in 1811 five lodges of Free and Accepted Masons in the county,-viz., Harmony Lodge, No. 8, at Newton; Farmers' Lodge, No. 14, at Wantage; Olive Branch Lodge, No. 16, at Greenwich ; Augusta Lodge, No. 23, in Frankford ; and United Lodge, No. 24, in Sandyston. These lodges were all operated under warrant from the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, which was instituted at New Brunswick, Dec. 18, 5786.

* Morris Papers, p. 70. + Spark's "Franklin," vol. i. p. 132.

165

PROGRESS-INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

III .- RAILROADS.

The first company chartered with a view to the con- struction of a railroad in any part of Sussex County was the New Jersey, Hudson and Delaware Railroad Company, in 1832. This company was incorporated with a capital stock of one million five hundred thou- sand dollars, and was empowered to construct a rail- road from some point on the Delaware River between the New York State line and the mouth of the l'au- linskill, thence by Snufftown, in Sussex County, to the Hudson River opposite the city of New York. In addition to this, in February, 1836, the company was authorized to construct a lateral road from the Delaware River, near the mouth of the Paulinskill, to some point on the New York State line between the Warwick and Blue Mountains within five miles of the Wallkill, and to build a bridge over the Delaware, with the consent of Pennsylvania. This lateral road was intended to be a connecting link between the New York. Hudson and Delaware road-which was to commence at Newburg, on the Hudson, and terminate at the New Jersey line in the valley of the Wallkill-and the Delaware and Susquehanna road, which was to commence on the Delaware at some point between Belvidere and the Water Gap, and terminate in the immense coal-regions of the Susquehanna valley.

A survey of this road was made, following the val- ley of the Wallkill and Papakating to the table-lands dividing the tributaries of the Hudson from those of the Delaware, near Augusta ; thence dowu the Pau- linskill valley to Columbia, on the Delaware; thence up the Delaware and through the Water Gap to oppo- site Dutot's Island, the place proposed for crossing the river with the Delaware and Susquehanna road. The whole distance of this lateral road was abont forty-five miles, and the cost per mile for construction was esti- mated at 87484.92. The route was surveyed in 1836 by James B. Sargent, engineer of the New York, Hudson and Delaware Railroad.

THE NEW JERSEY MIDLAND RAILROAD.

Such was the first system of railroads contemplated for Sussex County, or intended to intersect the county in bringing the immense coal-fields of the Susquehanna into connection with the New York market. The company did little more than to secure an extension of the time limited by its charter and the passage of certain supplementary acts by the Legislature of New Jersey till about the time of the survey of the Midland Railway from Oswego to New York. An act to extend the time for commencing and completing the road was approved Feb. 22, 1842, and other nets supplementary to the act of incorpora- | tion were approved March 17, 1846, Feb. 11, 1847. Feb. 5, 1856, and Feb. 10, 1862. Two routes were surveyed for the road, -one known as the Sink Hole, the other as the Wallkill route,-and the work of construction was begun in the township of Wantage

in April, 1870, just prior to the consolidation of the company with the New Jersey Midland Railway Company.

This consolidation included, besides the New Jer- sey, Iludson and Delaware Railroad Company, in- corporated in 1832, the New Jersey Western Railroad Company and the Sussex Valley Railroad Company, both incorporated in 1867. It may be well to give some account of these latter two companies and the objects of their respective charters.

The New Jersey Western Railroad Company was chartered in 1867 by certain citizens of Bergen County for the purpose of constructing a railroad westward from Jersey City, or from some point on the Hud- son River opposite New York, through the coun- ties of Bergen, Passaic, Morris, and Sussex to the Delaware River opposite Milford, whence branches were to extend northerly to the Erie at Port Jervis and southerly to the coal-fields at Scranton, This road was designed to take the place of the contem- plated Midland Railroad through the counties re- ferred to, as the latter enterprise had been delayed and little confidence was entertained of its early com- pletion through New Jersey. This road would form an important western connection by the most direct and feasible route from New York City, shortening the distance between Port Jervis and the metropolis by twenty-four miles, or an hour's travel, as compared with the Erie, and would open a way to the mines and furnaces in Morris, Passaic, and Sussex Counties. The route was surveyed from Jersey City to Bloom- ingdale, thence up the Pequannock Creek to New- foundland, thenee across the mountain to the mines at Franklin, and thence through Culver's Gap to the Delaware. The distances, as laid down by the engi- neers, were: From New York to Bloomingdale, 32 miles ; from New York to Franklin, 50 miles; from New York to Scranton, 102 miles; from New York to Port Jervis, 64 miles ; and from New York to Mon- ticello, 87 miles ; thus making the latter distance to New York twenty miles less than by the Midland Railroad.

Meetings were held in the interest of the New Jer- sey Western Railroad at various points along the line, and large amounts subscribed. Prior to the consoli- dation the road had been constructed and put in operation to Paterson.

Meanwhile, the agents and projectors of the Mid- land road were actively engaged. Losing the assist- ance of Port Jervis, which had been turned over to the New Jersey Western, they adopted a new route by the way of Middletown. In July, 1869, a series of meetings were held in the interest of the Midland at Deekertown, Ogdensburg, and other villages in Sussex County, terminating with a grand gathering at I'nionville, in Orange County. At the meeting in Deckertown, Hon. D. C. Littlejohn stated that the Midland road won't be speedily put through provided the northern and eastern towns of Sussex and Mini-

166

SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

sink, in Orange County, would give the right of way and subscribe $400,000 to aid in building the road, in the following proportions : Minisink, $100,000; Wan- tage, $150,000 ; Hardyston, $50,000; Sparta, $50,000. The respective quotas were raised by Wantage, Mini- sink, and Hardyston. In Hamburg one gentleman alone-Governor Haines-subscribed $10,000. The Ogdensburg Zine Company pledged $50,000. Other liberal sums were subscribed in Paterson and along the eastern end of the road. At all the meetings the benefits and advantages likely to be derived by the several towns from the construction of the road were ably set forth by Messrs. Littlejohn and Low in behalf of the company. The editor of the Middletown Mail gives the following report of the remarks of Judge Low at the Unionville meeting:

" He stated that the Midland project first assumed definite shape some three years since at Delhi, and that the work through to Middletown was now pro- vided for, and the question that now presented itself was, ' What route shall the road take from there ?' There are two routes open to us,-viz., Greenwood Lake, and the other through Sussex County by the way of Munson's Gap. The Greenwood Lake route is from five to seven miles shorter than the Sus- sex route; but, on the other hand, they would pass through a better country on the line of the Munson's Gap route, and obtain a better local business, which would nearly equalize the advantages of the two routes. The directors of the Midland were now on their way through to see what the people of New Jer- sey would do towards aiding their road, as they in- tended to put the work under contract in four weeks.

"Hon. D. C. Littlejohn was then introduced to the meeting. He stated that the Midland company now control a charter in New Jersey, and parties have agreed to build a road and give the Midland a per- petual interest at seven per cent. He considered the Sussex ronte very favorable on account of its agricul- tural and mining resources, and knew of no other un- occupied line which had advantages equal to it. The grades nowhere would exceed sixty-five feet, except- ing a distance of two or three miles, perhaps, at Mun- son's Gap. The distance from New York to Newton will be fifteen miles less by Munson's Gap than by any other route."

At this meeting Unionville pledged $150,000 with only one dissenting vote.

At a meeting held in Paterson in July, 1869, it was stated by Mr. Littlejohn that $6,000,000 had been raised and one hundred and fifty miles of the north- ern portion of the road built; that Oswego had sub- scribed $725,000, and Norwich $475,000. The estimate for building the entire road was about $15,000,000.

The Sussex Valley Railroad Company, consoli- dated with the New Jersey Midland, was incorporated in 1867. Its charter anthorized it to "lay out and construct a railroad from some suitable point in the county of Sussex on the boundary line between

this State and the State of New York, within three miles on either side of where the Wallkill stream crosses said boundary line to or near the village of Deckertown, in said county, with the power and priv- ilege of extending said railroad, on the most feasible route, from said point at or near the village of Deck- ertown, by the way of the Paulinskill valley through the counties of Sussex and Warren, to a point at or near Columbia, on the Delaware River, in the county of Warren, and to intersect with any railroad crossing said Delaware River, by and with the consent of said company so to be connected with, and with power to said company to connect their road with any railroad constructed or to be constructed in the county of Orange, in the State of New York, by and with the consent of the said company in Orange County, with the privilege of constructing such spurs and branches thereto as may be necessary to intersect with any other railroad or railroads now constructed or here- after to be constructed in the county of Sussex, or to any mines, iron-works, or stone-quarries in the said county of Sussex, subject to the restrictions herein I contained ; and said railroad may be in four divisions, -that is to say, one division from the beginning of said road on the boundary line between this State and the State of New York to or near the said village of Deck- ertown ; and one division extending from the village of Deckertown to intersect with the railroad now being constructed to the village of Branchville, in the county of Sussex ; and one division to extend from the said intersection with the road being constructed to the said village of Branchville to a point at or near the village of Marksboro', in the county of Warren, with the right to said company to cross the said road leading to Branchville on the same grade; and one division to extend from said point at or near Colum- bia on the Delaware River afuresaid, and to intersect with any railroad crossing the Delaware River."

Consolidation .- By an act of the Legislature of New Jersey approved on the 17th of March, 1870, entitled " An Act to Authorize the Consolidation of the Capital Stock, Property, Powers, Privileges, and Franchises of the New Jersey, Hudson and Delaware Railroad Company with those of the New Jersey Western Railroad Company, the Sussex Valley Rail- road Company, the Hoboken, Ridgefield and Pater- son Railroad Company, or any or either of them," three of the corporations named in the act-viz., the New Jersey, Hudson and Delaware Railroad Con- pany, the New Jersey Western Railroad Company, and the Sussex Valley Railroad Company-consoli- dated and merged their several acts of incorporation into one, in pursuance of the act of consolidation, on the 13th of July, 1870, and from thenee became known as the New Jersey Midland Railway Company. This consolidation was effected in accordance with articles of agrcement entered into on the 26th of April, 1870, and signed by the presidents of the respective cor- porations,-viz., John Rutherford, president of the

167

PROGRESS-INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

New Jersey, Hudson and Delaware Railroad Com- pany ; C. A. Wartendyke, president of the New Jer- sey Western Railroad Company ; and John Loomis, president of the Sussex Valley Railroad Company.

At a meeting of the stockholders of the New Jer- sey Midland Railroad Company, held on the 3d of May, 1870, at Taylor's Hotel, in Jersey City, agreea- bly to notice given, Elisha P. Wheeler chairman, the following-named persons were duly elected a board of directors : D. C. Littlejohn, C. Vreeland, II. R. Low, J. W. Hewson, E. P. Wheeler, J. Rutherford, H. Watkins, M. J. Ryerson, Isaac Demerest, John Loomis, C. A. Wartendyke, J. N. Pronk, Julius II. Pratt ; Martin J. Ryerson, Secretary.

The New York and Oswego Midland Railway went into full operation on Monday, Aug. 18, 1873; pas- senger-trains then started for the first time from each terminus to go over the entire line. The New Jersey division is eighty-eight miles in length, the Middle division is one hundred and forty-five miles, and the Western one hundred miles, making the entire dis- tance from New York to Oswego three hundred and thirty-three miles. The road was projected in 1865; on the HIth of January, 1866, the company was in- corporated. Work was begun June 29, 1868, and the first train was run Nov. 5, 1869. A large portion of the road opens up a region of country hitherto de- prived of easy access to market.

The New Jersey Midland Railway enters the county of Sussex upon its northern border, and, making a crooked course through the townships of Wantage and Hardyston, leaves the latter at Snufftown, where it passes into Passaie County, and thence to its eastern terminus at New York. The stations on this road within the county are Deckertown, Hamburg, Frank- lin, Ogdensburg, and Snufftown.

We append the following statistics, taken from the commissioners' report for 1880: Capital stock, $2,000,000; bonded debt, $5,400,000; receipts for 1879, 87-45,069.93 ; expenditures, 1879, 8740,118.55.

SUSSEX RAILROAD.

This road was chartered and built under the name of the "Sussex Mine Railroad." Previous to its in- corporation, Messrs. Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt, proprietors of the iron-mines at Andover, had built and successfully operated a mule-road ex- tending from their mines to Waterloo, on the Morris Canal. This not being sufficient to meet the demands of their business and of other contemplated enter- prises, these gentlemen conceived the project of build- ing a railroad to their works, which should also con- neet with other mines as well as those in the vicinity, and aid in developing the rich mineral resources of Sussex County. The charter was granted by the Legislature in 1815, David Ryerson, Peter Cooper, Nathan Smith, Abram S. Hewitt, Andrew A. Smal- ley, John Wills, Alexander MeKain, and Edward Cooper being the commissioners named in the

act of incorporation. The capital stock was placed at $50,000, with liberty to increase it to $250,000. The company was authorized to construct a railroad from the Andover mines, in the county of Sussex, to some convenient and accessible point on the Morris Canal, in said county, and with the privilege of ex- tending the said road to the village of Newton, in the said county of Sussex, and of constructing such spurs or lateral roads, not exceeding, each, five miles in length, as might be necessary to afford access to the adjacent mines in the said county.

Various amendments were made to the charter, among others the following : March 18, 1851, to enable the company to extend their road to any point to be selected by them in Sussex, Warren, and Morris Coun- ties, so as to connect with the Morris and Essex Rail- road, and to empower them to issue and execute bonds; Feb. 5, 1853, an act changing the name to the "Sussex Railroad Company," and empowering them to extend their road from Andover to the village of Newton, and thence to any point on the Delaware River, in Sussex County, with power to construct a bridge across the Delaware; Feb. 4, 1863, an act authorizing the company to construct a branch road from some convenient point on the present line to Franklin Furnace, and thenee to such other point in the county as might be deemed for the public good, and to make contracts with other companies for the transportation of milk, lime, coal, etc., to the city of New York.

In consideration of the citizens subscribing $60,000 upon security of the first mortgage bonds, the com- pany extended the road to Newton, the county-seat, and the line was built and went into operation front Waterloo to Newton in December, 1854. The length of this part of the route is eleven miles. The cost of construction and equipments was about $300,000, of which Cooper & Hewitt, the builders, paid $150,000, taking stock for it, and $150,000 was raised at six-per- cent, mortgage bonds, payable in twenty years, and due in 1873.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 42

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