History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 101

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224

USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 101
USA > New Jersey > Union County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 101

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Villages and Hamlets .- SCOTCH PLAINS .- This village contains three churches, school-house, two tav- erns, three groceries and dry-goods stores, two black- smith- and wheelwright-shops, fur-factory, paper- factory, drugs and medicines, one shoemaker, two butchers. It is pleasantly situated on the Springfield, Rahway, Westfield and Plainfield roads, and has on the northwest the range of Blue Hills, which gives to this valley a picturesque appearance. There are about three hundred and twenty-five in population ; a number of fine residences line the fine avenues, oc- cupied generally by business men from the city of New York. Many of the residences are being im- proved and giving way to neat homes for new-comers to this beautiful village.

FANWOOD is the name giveu by the then president, John Taylor Johnson, in 1867, to the new depot on the line of the Central Railroad. Here are located the lumber and coal yards, doing considerable business throughout the county. There are about three hun- dred and fifty acres belonging to the Central Land Improvement Company, called " Fanwood Park," with serpentine roads well kept in order, offering great inducements to those in search of a desirable location.

ALTON, a small hamlet in the southerly portion of this township, has a school-house, store, blacksmith- shop and tavern. It is about two and a half miles from the city of Plainfield, and contains about twenty houses. The residents of the neighborhood are mostly occupied in raising produce and early vegetables for the neighboring towns. The early settlers were Terrys, Connets, Pain, Potter, Lambert, Little, Hetfield, and Randolphs. The soil is very productive, and the farms are kept in good order and make a fine appearance.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

THOMAS LEE.

The Lee family were of Scotch origin. Thomas Lee, grandfather of our subject, was born April 15, 1755, in the vicinity of Rahway, N. J. His first wife, Miss Littell, bore him one child, whose name was Gershom Lee, and died a few months afterwards. Mr. Lee, being but a young man at this time, formed

the acquaintance of one Miss Susan Tucker, whom he married, and by this union the following children were born, viz .: Elizabeth, Sallie, Moses, Lydia, Samuel, the father of our subject, Frazee, Esther, and Phebe. Thomas, the son of Samuel Lee and Susan W. Frazee, was born Nov. 12, 1831, and is the youngest in a family of three, having one brother, Frazee, and one sister, Ann. Mr. Lee is living on the old homestead farm where he was born. His father died Dec. 23, 1857, when Thomas took charge of the farm, which was divided among the three children. Here he still lives to enjoy the comforts of life. Mr. Lee was married to Susan F. Melick, daughter of Isaac Melick, Feb. 13, 1861. To them have been born the following children, viz .: Emma F., Carrie R., Samuel F., and Georgetta, all of whom are living at home. Mr. Lee is a Democrat in poli- tics, but has never taken any active part therein. He is one of the substantial farmers of his township, having a beautiful farm about two miles south of Fanwood station, containing between two and three hundred acres of land, which is in a high state of cultivation.

LEVI DARBY.

His great-grandfather, John Darby, was one of the early settlers of old Westfield township, whose de- scendants have been residents of the same township and vicinity since. His grandfather, John Darby, resided at Scotch Plains, where he owned several hun- dred acres of land, now in part occupied by the vil- lage and by the Central Railroad of New Jersey. He was captain of a company, and served in Col. Recompence Stansbury's regiment during the Revo- lutionary war, and died in 1828, at about the age of seventy years. His wife, a sister of Col. Stansbury, survived him several years, and bore him the follow- ing children : Recompence, died at Tuckertown, in South Jersey ; John, resided at Scotch Plains, where he died ; Levi, also died at the same place ; Cather- ine, unmarried; Margaret, became the wife of William H. Cleaver, of Newark, and is the mother of ex-Judge Cleaver, receiver of the city of Newark; Aaron, father of our subject; William, died in Jerseyville, Ill .; Joseph, was a merchant at Scotch Plains, where he died.

Aaron Darby was born at Scotch Plains, June 1, 1797 ; married, June 4, 1821, Elizabeth, daughter of Deacon Zopher Hetfield, of the same place, who died Jan. 15, 1842, aged forty-six years. After his mar- riage Aaron Darby resided for a time at Scotch Plains, but in 1829 purchased some seventy acres of land where the subject of this sketch, Levi, his only son, now resides, now in the township of Fanwood. Here he spent the remainder of his active business life, a farmer, and in a quiet, unostentatious way fol- lowed agricultural pursuits. He died on his farm, March 15, 1862.

Levi Darby was born Dec. 7, 1822, and after reach-

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HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

ing the age of eighteen years took charge of his father's farm. He married, Feb. 12, 1843, Frances M., daughter of Job and Rachel De Camp, of Rah- way, who was born Sept. 26, 1825. Their children are Aaron ; John L .; Loretta, deceased, was the wife of Peter Quackenbush, of Paterson, N. J .; Smith B., deceased ; James B., deceased ; Levi Douglass ; Frank and Fannie (twins), the former deceased.

In 1859, Mr. Darby erected a substantial brick resi- dence on the homestead which he inherited from his father, and has added also by purchase seventy-five acres of adjoining land, formerly belonging to Levi and John Frazee.

In addition to the cultivation of his farm, he has since 1853 manufactured on his premises cider brandy and apple whisky in considerable quantities.

The Darbys were formerly members of the old Whig party, and Mr. Darby is now a Republican. He was one of the Township Committee for several years, and officiated in that capacity at the time of the erection of Fanwood from parts of Westfield and Plainfield townships.

Although Mr. Darby had limited educational op- portunities in boyhood, he gained practical ideas of business, and is one of the representative and sub- stantial business men of his township.

JOHN LAMBERT.

The Lamberts are among the pioneer families of Union County, and of English origin, our subject

representing the sixth generation in this country. Robert Lambert emigrated from England some time prior to the year 1673. John Lambert, his son, set- tled at Willow Grove, Westfield township, and his son, James Lambert, was the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war, was taken prisoner, and died in the city of New York. His wife was Elizabeth Aiken. His son, James Lambert, born in 1755, married Hannak Littell in the year 1774. Their son, Simeon Lambert, married Freelove Littell, who was born in 1804. John Lambert, son of Simeon, born in 1824, was brought up on the farm of his father at Willow Grove, whose united occupation was that of farming, milling, and fruit distilling, mills for which purpose were erected about the year 1803 or 1804, a business which John Lambert now successfully conducts. John Lam- bert was united in marriage in 1854 to Susan Ann, daughter of Isaac, and granddaughter of Zopher Hetfield. To them have been born ten children,- viz .: Ira C., born 1855; James B., born 1857 ; Simeon W., born 1860; Laura, born 1862; Julia J., born 1864; Isaac H., born 1866; Pheba H., born 1868; Ada, born 1870; Anna, born 1872; and Clarence, born 1874.

In politics Mr. Lambert is a Democrat, though he takes no active part.

His early education was limited to four winter terms, but notwithstanding this he has become a thoroughly successful business man, and is surrounded with home comforts.

Johne Lambert

MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

CHAPTER LVIIL.

ORGANIZATION OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

Jersey were taken by the Dutch of New Netherlands. In 1661 they established the jurisdiction of the in- corporated town of Bergen over all the outlying and contiguous plantations on the west side of Hudson River. These were embraced between the Hudson and the Hackensack, and constituted all the settle- ments in East Jersey under the Dutch rule. The conrts at Bergen, under the supreme authority of the director-general and Conncil at Manhattan, were suf- ficient to meet all the requirements of local adminis- tration over so limited a district of country, and were continued without change or addition for more than a decade after the English had come into possession of the country.

In the mean time a sufficient population had set- tled about Newark Bay, along the Passaic, the Rari- tan, and southward of the latter to the Highlands of Navesink to foreshadow, in outline at least, the ne- cessity for erecting the four original counties of East Jersey. As yet the province of New Jersey had not been divided, but the Legislature in session for the whole colony in 1675 enacted that " Bergen and the adjacent Plantations abont them be a County," that " Elizabethtown and Newark make a County," that " Woodbridge and Piscataqua be a County," and that the "two towns of Nevysink make a County."1 The " two towns" referred to were Middletown and Shrews- bury ; they are often alluded to in old acts and records as "the two Navesink towns." By this act the in- cipient counties were neither named nor their limits defined. A more definite division was made seven years later, when (the province having been divided into East and West Jersey) the proprietors of the eastern division established a government over their portion of the territory under Governor Barclay, Thomas Rudyard being deputy. Having exclusive jurisdiction over their territory, the Eastern proprie- tors now divided it into connties as they saw fit. The West Jersey proprietors had previously adopted a very different mode of division, having passed an act by the " General Free2 Assembly" in 1681 divid-

ing the province into "Tenths." "This was in ac- cordance with a plan prescribed in the 'Concessions and Agreements' of the propietors, set forth in 1676,

THE first steps towards civil organization in East , which provided that West Jersey should be divided into ' One Hundred Parts,' which were again to be divided into 'ten equal parts or shares called Tenths ;'3 and in 1683 a portion of these Tenths was represented in the General Assembly, held that year at Burling- ton, the members being designated as from the ‘ first Tenth' (being the town of Burlington), the ‘ second Tenth,' and 'Salem Tenth' (being the town of Salem). At this session commissioners were appointed for the dividing and regulating of lands, and another Tenth was represented on this commission under the diffu- sive title of 'The other Tenth.' In a session of the Assembly held in September, 1685, another Tenth was represented, entitled the 'Fourth Tenth.' At some time between 1685 and 1692, Burlington, Salem, and Gloucester were erected into Counties, and in the latter year Cape May was added to the number."

The General Assembly of East Jersey, convened at Elizabethtown in 1682, passed an act erecting the four connties of Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, and Monmouth. The reason for the erection of these counties is given in the preamble, which says, " Having taken into con- sideration the necessity of dividing the province into respective counties for the better governing and settling Courts in the same, be it enacted by this General As- sembly, and the Authority thereof, that this Province be divided into four Counties, as follows :

" Bergen County to contain all the settlements be- tween Hudson's River and Hackensack River, begin- ning at Constable's Hook, and so to extend to the uppermost bounds of the Province Northward be- tween said Rivers.

" Essex, and the County thereof, to contain all the settlements between the West side of Hackensack River and the parting line between Woodbridge and Elizabeth-Towne, and so to extend Westward and Northward to the utmost bounds of the Province.

" Middlesex County to begin from the parting line between Essex County and Woodbridge line, con-

1 Leaming and Spicer, p. 96.

$ In East Jersey from: 1664 till 1682 the title of the legislative body was" The General Assembly," the full title beiog "The Governor, Con-

cil, and Burgesses of the General Assembly of the Province of New Cæsarea or New Jersey." After 1682 the lille was simply "The General Assembly." In West Jersey it was etyled "The Geoeral Free Assembly" from 1681 till 1685, after which it was entitled " The Governor, Council, and Representatives of the Province of West Jersey."-Leaming and Spicer.

3 Leamiog and Spicer, p. 383.

417

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HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

taining Woodbridge and Piscataway, and all the plantations on both sides of the Raritan River as far as Chesquake Harbour Eastward, extending South West to the Division Line of the Province, and North West to the utmost bounds of the Prov- ince.

" Monmouth County to begin at the Westward bounds of Middlesex County, containing Middle- town and Shrewsbury, and to extend Westward, Southward, and Northward to the extreme Bounds of the Province." 1

In March, 1688, an act of Assembly was passed setting off Somerset from Middlesex, for the reasons, as given in the preamble, that "the uppermost part of Raritan River is settled by persons whom in their husbandry and manureing of their land are forced npon quite different ways and methods from the other farmers and inhabitants of the County of Mid- dlesex, because of the frequent floods that carry away their fences on their meadows, the only arrable lands they have, and so by consequence their interest is divided from the other inhabitants of the said County."2 For many years, however, this division was nominal only; and in 1709-10, by an act of the Assembly,3 Somerset was continued "subjected to the jurisdiction of the courts and officers of Middlesex for the want of a competent number of inhabitants to hold courts and for juries." The same act also pro- vided that "juries might be taken promiscuously from both or either of said counties." Courts con- tinued to be held in Middlesex for the two counties as late as 1720, at which the surveyors of highways and constables for Somerset were appointed.+

Acts relating to the Boundaries of Middlesex. -On the 31st of January, 1709-10, an act was passed for determining the boundaries of the several coun- ties. This act defines the boundaries of Middlesex as follows :

" The County of Middlesex begins at the mouth of the creek 6 that parts the land of George Willocks and the land that was formerly Cep- tain Andrew Bowne's, deceased ; thence along the said Captain Andrew'e line to the rear of the said land; thence upou a direct course to Warr'e bridge on the brook where Thomas Smith did formerly live; thence upon a direct course to the southeast corner of Barclay's tract of land that lies near Matchiponix; thence to the most southermost part of the said tract of land, including the whole tract of land in Middlesex County; thence upon the direct line to Sanpinck Bridge on the high road, including William Jones, William Story, Thomas Richman, and John Gnyberson, in Monmouth County; thence westerly along the said Aaron Robin's line and James Lawrence's line to the line of the eastern and western division aforesaid,6 including the said Robins and Lawrence in Monmouth County ; thence northerly along the said line to Sanpinck Brook, being part of the hounde of the said Somerset County ; thence following the line of Somerset and Essex Counties, and so to the Sound ; and theuce down the Sound to Amboy Point; and from thence to the creek where it firet began."

1 Leaming and Spicer, p. 229. 2 Ibid., p. 305.

8 Allison's Laws, p. 13.

4 Minutes County Court.

5 Whale Creek, culled Chingarant Creek on the commissioners' map, 1769.

6 This was the Keith line, run in 1687; the Lawrence line was not run till 1743.

March 15, 1713, in an " Act for settling the Bounds between Somerset, Middlesex, and Monmouth Coun- ties," it is enacted

"That the boundary line between Somerset and Middlesex Counties shall be and begin where the road crosseth the Raritan at Inians ferry, und to run from thence along the said old road by Jedediah Higgins' house, leading towards the falls of the Delaware, so far as the eastern division of the province extends."

According to this act Somerset County extended down to what is now Abany Street, in the city of New Brunswick. " Inians ferry" was at the foot of this street, and "the old road by Jedediah Higgins' house, leading towards the falls of the Delaware," was the road through New Brunswick to Trenton and so on to Philadelphia. This road was then the boundary line between Somerset and Middlesex Counties as far west as the partition line between East and West Jersey.

Nov. 24, 1790, " An Act for altering and resettling part of the boundary line between the counties of Somerset and Middlesex" was passed, which enacted as follows :

" SECTION I. That the middle of the main six rod road, as established by law, from the ferry to the city of New Brunswick, formerly called Inian's ferry, to the boundary line of the county of Hunterdon, on the road to Trenton, shall be the boundary line of those parts of the coun- ties of Middlesex and Somerset which are on the south side of the river Raritan.

" SECTION 2. That the lands and tenements lying to the northward of the line hereinhefore establisbed, and heretofore belonging to the county of Middlesex, shall be and are hereby annexed to the county of Somer- set ; and all the lands and tenements on the southwerd of said line, here- tofore belonging to the County of Somerset, shall be and are hereby annexed to the County of Middlesex."

This act made the "middle" of the main six-rod road from New Brunswick to Trenton the boundary line between Middlesex and Somerset.

Nov. 28, 1822, a supplementary act was passed. Iu this

" the easterly hounds of the county of Middlesex are declared to be the middle or midway of the waters of the Sound, adjoining the same, to the middle of the channel, at the junction of the waters of the Sound with the waters of the Raritan River, to the enstward of the flat or shoal which extends from Amboy or Cole's Point, and thence to the mouth of Whale Creek, the beginning of the bounds of the counties of Middlesex and Monmouth."

March 29, 1855, " An Act to define that part of the division line between the counties of Middlesex and Somerset, lying between Kingston Bridge and Little Rocky Hill." This enacts that

" A line commencing at a point in the centre of the Kingston bridge where the same crosses the Millstone river, and running easterly along the Princeton and Kingston branch turnpike to the forks of the old road leading to New Brunswick and said turnpike; thence along the centre of the old road leading to New Brunswick, the several courses thereof as the road now rune, until it strikes the present division ut the top of Little Rocky Hill, be and is hereby constituted the division line between the said counties."

Feb. 6, 1858, the boundaries were again changed by an act of the Legislature, which says,-

" SECTION 1. From and after the passage of this act the boundary line between the counties of Somerset und Middlesex shall commence In the centre of the Franklin and Georgetown turnpike road, at the point where the said road intersects and forms the boundary line of the city of New

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ORGANIZATION OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.

Brunswick, and runs thence along the centre ol said turnpike road to William E. Barker's Ten Mile Run.

"SECTION 2. The inhabitants of North Brunswick and South Bruos- wick townshipe that may be set over to the township of Franklin, in Somerset County, by the passage of this uct shall be liable to all laws and entitled to all benefits that the inhabitants of the aforesaid town- ship of Franklin are subject or entitled to, and that the inhabitants of Frankliu that may be set nver to the townships of North and South Brunswick shall be liable to all the lawe and entitled to all the benefits that the inhabitants of the aforesaid townshipe of North and South Brunswick, in the aforesaid county of Middlesex, are or may be entitled to."

By act of Feb. 22, 1838, part of Middlesex was set off, with a portion of the counties of Hunterdon and Burlington, to form the county of Mercer.

By act of March 8. 1851, the county of Middlesex was declared to extend over and include all the waters of the Sound between Staten Island and New Jersey lying south of Woodbridge Creek, and the waters of Raritan Bay lying westward of a line drawn from the light-house at Prince's Bay to the mouth of the Raritan, so far as the exclusive jurisdiction thereof is conceded to the State of New Jersey by virtue of the agreement set forth in the act entitled " An Act to Ratify and Confirm an Agreement made between the Commissioners appointed by the Governors of the respective States of New Jersey and New York."

---

By act of Feb. 16, 1860, a part of the county of Middlesex, in the township of Woodbridge, included within the limits of the city of Rahway, was annexed to Union County.

April 5, 1871, an act was passed annexing a portion of Plainfield to Piscataway, in Middlesex County.

Townships .- The first act dividing the counties into townships was passed in 1693. By this act Middlesex was divided into the "Corporation Town of Woodbridge," the "Township of Perth Amboy," and the "Township of Piscataway." It is our pur- pose to give in this place only a brief summary or outline of the early or initial facts respecting these townships, and the points at which settlements were first made within their limits. This is all that will be necessary here, as each township has its separate and exhaustive history in another part of this work.

The town of Woodbridge was originally a tract six miles square. The township of Perth Amboy in- cluded, besides its present bounds, all the territory now comprised in the township of South Amboy. The limits of the township of Piscataway were much greater than either of the others, and far transcended their present bounds. It took in all the land from Woodbridge to the partition line between East and West Jersey, including the now existing towns of New Brunswick, Princeton, Cranbury, Spotswood, etc. It also embraced lands on the Millstone, at Rocky Hill, and Royse's patent, about what is now Roysefield.1 The language of the act relative to the bounds of the townships originally constituting Mid- dlesex County is as follows :

1 Elizabeth Bill in Chancery, p. 53. Whitehead's East Jersey, p. 122.

" In the county of Middlesex, the corporation town of Woodbridge, being bounded according to their charter, reserving what is therein re- served for Amboy Point. The township of Perth Amboy, including also all the land upon Chesqueak's Creek to the boonde of Monmouth County, and along the said bouods to the west branch of South River, and down the South River to Raritan, and down the Raritan River to Chesqueak's Creek. The township of Piscataway includes all the land from the corporation town bounds of Woodbridge, oo Raritan River, thence north to Woodbridge stake, thence west to Cedar Brouk, thence down the said brook to Bound Brook, thence down the Bound Brook to Raritan River, thence down the river to Woodbridge bounds, therein including also all the land from the mouth of the South River to the bounds of Somerset County, on Raritau River, and from thence to the partition line of the province, and along the partition line to Monmouth County, and thence along the line of Monmouth County to the west branch of South River, and dowo the said river to the mouth thereof." 2

" As early as 1664 there were a few settlers at Woodbridge and Piscataway. Among the earliest of these were Benjamiu Dunham and his wife, Eliza- beth, who came from England in 1650, landing at the site of Perth Amboy and settling in Piscataway, where their son Edmond, afterwards the Rev. Ed- mond Dunham, was born in 1661, being, it is be- lieved, the first child born of white parents in Piscat- away. He was an influential Baptist clergyman, and preached in his native township from 1705 till 1734, when he was succeeded by his son, also a clergyman, Rev. Jonathan Dunham, who officiated from 1745 till 1777. 'In 1666, on the 21st of May, Governor Car- teret agreed for the settling of two townships, called Woodbridge and Piscataway (upon a portion of the tract negotiated from Governor Nicolls in 1664 by Daniel Denton and his associates), with John Pike, Daniel Pierce, and Abraham Topping, who had been induced by agents of Carteret to come from New England ; and a deed was executed by him to them, Dec. 11, 1666, conveying "one moiety of the land from Raritan River to Rahway River, as far as the tide flows. . .'" Among these settlers from New England were the following, all of whom appear in the list of those to whom patents for land at Wood- bridge were entered between 1669 and 1701, namely : Capt. John Pike (ancestor of Gen. Zebulon Mont- gomery Pike, killed at the battle of Queenstown in 1812), Thomas Bloomfield (one of whose descendants, Joseph Bloomfield, was afterwards Governor of New Jersey ), Capt. John Bishop and John Bishop, Jr., Jon- athan Haynes, Henry Jacques, Stephen Kent, George March, Abraham Tapping (Tappan), Elisha Ilsley, Hugh March, John Bloomfield, Samuel Moore, Na- thaniel Webster, and John Ilsley.3

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History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 101

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts Number of Pages: 1224

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224