History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 115

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 115
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 115

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Dr. Neilson married Joanna, daughter of Andrew Coeyemans, who came from Holland with his mother, the widow of Andreas Coeyemans, and settled on the Hudson on Coeyeman's patent, afterwards removing to Raritan, or Raritan Landing, N. J. Dr. Neilson died in 1745, in consequence of an accident, and while a young man.

His only son, the subject of this sketch, was mar- ried Dec. 31, 1768, to Catharine Voorheese, daughter of John Voorheese, who owned and lived on lands now the College Farm, including the site on which James Neilson, their son, some sixty years ago, built the house now in the possession of his widow and son. John Neilson settled at New Brunswick with his unele as a shipping merchant, and succeeded to his business. In those days.New Brunswick was the market and shipping-point for a large section which has since found various outlets by rail and canal.

The commercial importance of the city at this early date appears from a letter of James Alexander to ex- Governor Hunter in 1731, in which he asserts "that a lot of ground there is grown to near as great a price as so much ground in the heart of New York." In a previous letter the same year he says, "Plantations north of the Raritan have risen extravagantly high, even to three, four, and five pounds per acre." He had refused twelve hundred pounds for five hundred acres of improved land south of the Raritan, helong- ing to Governor Hunter. The small sea-going ves- sels of that day sailed up the Raritan directly to New Brunswick. As has always been the case, wealth and intelligence followed in the track of commerce. New Brunswick rapidly became a flourishing town, and among its inhabitants were to be found a large pro- portion of men of note in the State and nation.

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary war with Great Britain, John Neilson, "bitterly resenting," to use his own words, "the attempt of a venal Par- liament, bonght by an oppressive ministry, to tax his country," threw himself with energy into the struggle, reminding his fellow-citizens "that the only alternative was victory or slavery." He raised a company of militia, was appointed their captain, and was soon called into service to the east end of Long Island, under command of Gen. Heard, for the pur- pose of disarming the Tories there. On Ang. 31, 1775, he was appointed colonel of the battalion of minute-men in the county of Middlesex, and was commissioned by the Provincial Congress of New Jersey. His commission was signed by Hendrick Fisher, president. A draft of an address made by him on assuming command remains among his papers, and reveals a man who had thrown his whole soul into the struggle, with a thorough appreciation of the merits of the contest, and must have awakened a spirit of enthusiasm among his hearers.

Such was the public appreciation of Col. Neilson's ability and patriotism that he was urged early in 1776 to take a seat in the Continental Congress of that year, which was to consider the grave measure of the declaration of independence. His presence in the State was, however, considered so necessary that he was led to decline the honor.

A copy of the Declaration was sent him by Con- gress, as the man whose patriotism and influence would be most likely to secure it a favorable recep-

John Neilson

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MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

tion in his part of the State. A meeting, which comprised a large portion of the inhabitants of the neighborhood, was held on the public streets of New Brunswick to hear it read, and a violent opposition was feared; but Col. Neilson, fearless of personal danger, read the instrument to the people, and at its conclusion was greeted with loud cheers by so great a majority that the opponents of the measure did not dare to avow themselves.

During the dark and gloomy days of 1776, when Washington's army was reduced to a mere handful, and his country's canse was trembling in the balance, Col. Neilson was bending every energy to its service. He devoted himself to recruiting, the most important service, perhaps, of the time, infusing his own patri- otie spirit into his countrymen, was employed in guarding the State from the incursions of the British, cutting off their supplies, and otherwise harassing them.

Appointed colonel of the Second Regiment Middle- sex militia Aug. 1, 1776, in September and October he served in command of his own regiment and of the Middlesex militia on the lines in Essex and Ber- gen Counties.

In December he retired with the army under Gen. Washington to the west bank of the Delaware, with Lieut .- Col. Taylor and Maj. Van Emburgh, field-offi- cers of his regiment, and Col. Frelinghnyseu, and others of the Somerset militia, all of whom joined the army as volunteers.

On the 31st of December, Gen. Washington issued · an order directing Col. Neilson, with the militia offi- cers before mentioned, to proceed into New Jersey, and use their exertions to call together and embody the militia of the State.

The efforts of these and a few other brave men at this critical time, and the patriotic response of the State militia, made possible the victories of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth, which turned the scale from deep despondency, and finally resulted in the establishment of American independence.

On Feb. 18, 1777, with a detachment of his regi- ment, he surprised and captured every man of an out- post of refugees stockaded on Bennett's Island, or Lawrence's Neck, now known as the Island Farm, about three miles below New Brunswick on the river, without firing a gun. The colonel and his kinsman, Capt. Farmer, both powerful men, seized the senti- nels and bound them before they could give the alarm. In acknowledgment of his services he was appointed brigadier-general of militia, Feb. 21, 1777.

During the winter of 1777 the British troops had gone into winter-quarters at New Brunswick, Lord Howe making his headquarters at Col. Neilson's house in Burnet Street, which building remains in the possession of his grandchildren. An old syca- more-tree, now some four feet in diameter, from which the British flag then floated, still flourishes in front of the door.

In the months of September, October, and Novem- ber, 1777, the colonel was in service on the lines at Elizabethtown, with the militia of Middlesex and Somerset Counties. In June and July, 1778, he served in Monmouth County, being part of the time under command of Gen. Dickerson, and a part holding a separate command.

On Nov. 6, 1778, he was chosen by the Assembly and Council of the State a delegate to the Continen- tal Congress, together with Witherspoon, Scudder, Frelinghuysen, and Fell, but again his services could not be spared from the State for the length of time required for this service, so that he never took his seat.

In January and February, 1778, he served as a dele- gate from this State, together with John Cleves Symmes and Moore Furman, to meet delegates from the Middle and Eastern States at New Haven, on the recommendation of Congress, to devise, if possible, some means of arresting the alarming depreciation of the currency.

In the spring and summer of 1779 he commanded the militia on the lines at Elizabethtown and New- ark, and on the 20th of September, 1780, he was ap- pointed deputy quartermaster-general for the State of New Jersey. This position threw upon him great re- sponsibility, while the State frequently failed to pro- vide for the support of the army either by taxes or loans. The currency was depreciated, and forage, food, clothing, and transportation was at best hard to be obtained. He continued in this position until the close of the war.

On the 18th of June, 1782, he was appointed, with W. Houston and James Ewing, commissioners to settle the remaining account of depreciation in the money value of their pay with the New Jersey line, thus closing his useful and honorable Revolutionary career.

Col. Neilson enjoyed the confidence and friendship of Washington, Lafayette, Governor Livingston, and indeed of all with whom he was associated who were inspired with the same lofty purpose.

Lafayette, in evidence of his appreciation, pre- sented him with a sword, and during his visit to this country in 1824 called on him and evinced the warmest pleasure at seeing him again.

While the British occupied New Brunswick, Mrs. Neilson was at Morristown with the army. Her seat at table was next Gen. and Mrs. Washington.

After the war, Washington never passed through New Brunswick without calling on Col. Neilson.

So well assured were the enemy of the importance of the colonel's influence and exertions to the Amer- ican cause that many attempts were made to seize his person. His popularity was the means of preserving him from these attempts, as he always received suffi- cient notice from some one of his numerous friends to enable him to escape.

At the close of the war he succeeded to the prop-

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HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

erty and business of his uncle, James Neilson, to whom reference has been made and by whom he had been adopted, and carried on an extensive trade with Lisbon, Madeira, and the West India Islands.

He was still called upon for services to the public, being a delegate from his county to the State Conven- tion called to consider the adoption of the present Constitution of the United States. Of the forty mem- bers of that convention he was the last survivor.

In 1790 and 1791 he was appointed by act of the Legislature one of the commissioners to build bridges over the Hackensack, Passaic, and Raritan Rivers. The names of John Bayard, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Dr. Lewis Dunham, Jacob R. Hardenbergli, and others were included in the same service.

In 1800 and 1801 he was a member of the Assem- bly, where, as usual, he took a prominent part.

Throughout his life he was an active and devout member of the Presbyterian Church of New Bruns- wick, also an elder and trustee. He remained clerk of the session for fifty years, which position, together with that of president of the board of trustees, he held to the end of his life. His death, which oc- curred on the 3d of March, 1833, in his eighty-eighth year, was regarded as a public loss. Business was suspended on the occasion of the funeral, and the long procession of citizens who followed his remains to their last resting-place gave evidence of the affec- tionate regard with which his memory was cherished.

The Common Council of the city adopted resolu- tions which but reflected the public appreciation of his high character ; referring to his services in the field and his virtues as a man, they testified to his daily life as the walk of a consistent and humble Christian, eminently worthy of all commendation.

The title of colonel has been used throughout this sketch as that by which he was familiarly known by his family and townsmen. He was entitled to that of brigadier-general.

JAMES NEILSON, son of Col. John Neilson, was born at New Brunswick in December, 1784, just after the close of the Revolution. He inherited from his parents a strong love of his country, his State, and his native town. As a young man he was engaged in the shipping business with his father, and later with his brother, A. S. Neilson.

During the war of 1812 he raised a company, was elected their captain, and was stationed at Sandy Hook, in expectation of the landing of the British forces. He was afterwards commissioned colonel of the State militia.

He was greatly interested in the public works of the State, and was recognized as the prime mover in the organization of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company. He was the treasurer of that company from its organization until 1852, and continued a di- rector and member of the executive committee of the joint canal and railroad companies until his death in 1862.

Mr. Neilson perceived at an early day that the commercial importance of New Brunswick could not continue, and failing to interest others, he, together with Commodore R. F. Stockton, organized the New Brunswick Manufacturing Company about 1845, and built a mill for the manufacture of print cloths, which concern was merged after his death in the Norfolk and New Brunswick Hosiery Company, and which at present contributes to the prosperity of the city by furnishing employment to one thousand peo- ple.

Mr. Neilson took the same interest in the Presbyte- rian Church of New Brunswick as did his father. He became a member, was generous in his gifts, and continued president of the trustees until his death. As a business man he was liberal as well as success- ful. He recognized that business transactions should be for the advantage of both parties. He was a trus- tee of Rutgers College and of the Presbyterian Theo- logical Seminary at Princeton.

CHAPTER LXVI.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.1- (Continued.)

Condition of Affairs in 1776 .-- The latter part of the year 1776. which witnessed the occupation of New Brunswick and the country adjoining by the British, was the darkest hour of the war of the Revolution. No aid had been received as yet from France, and as yet was scarcely hoped for. A por- tion of the people sympathized with the invaders; and the patriots were everywhere exposed to their bitter hatred or despicable cupidity, and were kept in constand dread of their treachery. Neighbor sus- pected neighbor, friend distrusted friend, and even fathers and sons ranged on opposite sides. Trade and industry were paralyzed. The husbandman hesitated to plow his fields or plant a crop; or, if he did so, confined his labors to the production merely of what was absolutely necessary for the bare subsistence of his family. The precious metals had vanished from the land as the armies of the king swept triumphantly along ; and the paper money had little more value than the brown forest-leaves of that bitter autumn. The means of the patriots were almost exhausted, and their hope was well-nigh extinguished. They had re- sponded again and again to the calls for men and other material aid, until none but old men and women and children remained at home; and their houses and garners were gleaned of every superfluity, and even of the necessaries of life.

An illustration is furnished of the doubt and sus- picion which prevailed, and of the summary methods

1 From a historical paper by Charles D. Deshler.

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MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION.

that were resorted by the patriots to intimidate the disaffected Tories, in a letter written at the time by a British officer to a friend in England. "Everything," he says, " is transacted by the Committee,1 which is composed of barbers, tailors, cordwainers, etc., whose pertness and insolence wonld raise any Englishman's indignation, for the better sort endeavor to keep their own necks out of the halter, and make use of these fellows only as catspaws. One of our friends had got several thousand in the back country brought over to our interests ; but about a month ago a mob of about 100 dissolute fellows surrounded his house, with an intention to tar and feather him, upon which he came out armed, and while he was reasoning the case with them at the door he was knocked down with the butt end of a musket, then laid like a calf across a horse, and tied to a tree, while yet insensible, and tarred and feathered." 2

Another instance is related by another British cor- respondent, who quotes from a "rebel newspaper," as follows :

" At Quibbletown, Middlesex Co., N. J., Thomas Randolph, cooper, who had publicly proved himself an enemy to his country hy reviling and using his utmost endeavors to oppose the proceedings of the Conti- mental and Provincial conventions and committees in defence of their rights and liberties, and he being judged a person of not consequence enough for a severer punishment, was ordered to be stripped naked, well coated with tar aud feathers, and carried in a wagon publicly round the town, which punishment was accordingly inflicted; and as he soon be- came duly sensible of his offence, for which he earnestly begged pardon. and promised to atone as far as he was able hy a contrary behavior for the future, he was released and suffered to return to his house in less than half an hour. The whole was conducted with that regularity and decornm that ought to be observed in all public punishment " 3

A glimpse is afforded of a still different form of "public punishment" inflicted by the patriots on their Tory neighbors in a letter from an officer in the British army to his friends in England, to whom he writes under date of Aug. 17, 1776: "The persecu- tion of the loyalists continues unremitting. Donald Maclean, Theophilus Hardenbrook, Young Feuter, the Silversmith, and Rem Rappalge have been cruelly rode on rails, a practice most painful, dangerous, and peculiar."+ Even the boys shared the sympathies and antipathies of their fathers, forming themselves into bands for "liberty" on the one side and the " king" on the other, resulting in innumerable black- ened eyes and broken heads. I have heard my grand- father, the late Jacob Dunham, M.D., of New Bruns- wick, relate that when he was a lad eight or ten years old and went to school in that city, his preceptor, much to the disgust of the great body of the scholars, was an ardent loyalist, and outspoken in his disap- proval of the "irregular" proceedings of the Whigs. The boys determined upon a " public punishment" suitable to school-boy ideas. Overawing into silence a few of their comrades who sympathized with the

teacher, they prepared a large foolscap placard, on which they printed in huge letters the obnoxious word "TORY !!! " Seizing the opportunity of the dismissal of school at noon, they stealthily pinned this upon the master's back, who, unobservant of the trick, walked down the street to his house, followed by the boys marching in procession behind him at a safe distance from his cane, and furtively pointing out to the passers-by the label with which they had adorned him. This school-boy trick led to the dis- missal of the preceptor from his position and the breaking up of the school, to the great satisfaction, doubtless, of the youthful patriots.

Unquestionably the Tories had hard lines measured out to them by the Whigs. If persons were known or suspected to be " disaffected," to have "spoken disrespectfully" of the Provincial or Continental Con- gress or of the Committee of Safety, to have encour- aged opposition to the laws and regulations that were put forth by either of these bodies, or to be engaged in stimulating gatherings or uprisings against the revolutionary authorities, they were promptly re- ported to the Provincial Congress, or in its recess to the Committee or Council of Safety, when they were speedily arrested, examined, confronted with their accusers (who oftentimes were of their own kin), and if specially malignant or obstinate were confined in jail, or if repentant were required to take the " oath of allegiance," and to give bonds for their behavior. In numerous instances they and their families were summarily driven into the lines of the enemy with whom they sympathized, and their property was either confiscated or suffered to run to waste. I have not discovered an instance, however, where any one of the Tories was deprived of his life, or suffered any further violence than either a "whipping," a coat of tar and feathers, or an unpleasant ride upon a rail. Although an innocent man may have occa- sionally suffered through the accusations of vindic- tive personal enemies, in the main there was ample confirmation of the charges brought against them, and they were afforded a fair and full hearing before men who were carefully observant of the rights of others, and of the forins and safeguards of law, and whose decisions appear to have been singulary dis- passionate, deliberate, and equitable.

The Tories, on the other hand, retaliated with alacrity whenever they had the opportunity. When the British army made its appearance in a neighbor- hood they industriously pointed out those who were directly or remotely identified with the party of lib- erty. They maliciously led them to the spots where the patriots had concealed their property and valu- ables, and aided them to pillage or destroy them. The most of the foraging parties of the enemy were accompanied or guided by such as these, and nothing escaped the keen scent of their hatred. As was nat- urally to have been expected, they exhibited intense bitterness, and many of their acts were marked by

1 Referring to the Committee of Safety.

2 Scots' Magazine, 1776.

3 Ibid., for February, 1776.

+ Ibid., October, 1776.

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HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

meanness, cupidity, cowardice, despicable treachery, and relentless barbarity.

Immediately after the battle of Brooklyn, which was followed by the evacuation of Long Island and the city of New York, the storming of Fort Wash- ington with the loss of its valuable stores and over two thousand men, and the evacuation of Fort Lee (which last event occurred Nov. 18, 1776), the Amer- ican army retreated across New Jersey, too weak to make a stand at any point, and so completely bereft of all means of defense as to be " without a single in- trenching tool."1 They were rapidly followed by the British so closely that the music of one army was often heard by the other, who spread themselves over the entire central, wealthiest, and most populous por- tion of the State. On the 28th of November, 1776, Washington retreated, says Marshall,2 " to Brunswick, a small village on the Raritan," and on the same day the enemy entered Newark. During the few days that Washington lay at New Brunswick before he was again forced to retire before the invaders a large portion of his army became entitled to their dis- charge, and it was impossible by any remonstrance to detain them. They abandoned the cause of their country at the hour of its supremest need, and left Washington powerless of all means of offense or defense, and almost so of the ability to flee. He could offer no resistance, and on the 2d of December, 1776, as the British advanced guards showed them- selves at the opposite side of the bridge he evacuated New Brunswick, retreating through Princeton to Trenton, and the British occupied the place.3

The gloom which hung over the patriot army, and which in a special manner enveloped all this part of New Jersey, was now at the blackest. No ray of hope penetrated the darkness. The protracted cam- paign had been marked by rapidly successive dis- asters. The whole country was in possession of the British soldiery, who insulted and preyed upon the people. The British army was large, well supplied with all the effective means for waging war, and pre- sented a splendid appearance, while the fugitive American army (of whom one-third were Jersey militia) consisted of less than three thousand men, shortly afterward diminished to fifteen hundred, was almost destitute of the commonest munitions of war, was obliged to rely for its bullets upon the lead that could be gleaned from "in and about houses," from " the leaden weights from windows and clocks," and from those used " in shops, stores, and mills," and its men were tentless, shoeless, ragged, squalid, hungry, and lacking even the utensils for dressing their food. At this supreme crisis it was reported, and the report seemed so probable as to be generally believed, that the Continental Congress was about to disperse and to abdicate its powers. Everything seemed lost.

At this juncture Lord Howe, the British com-

1 Marshall, vol. I. p. 119. 2 Ibid., vol. i. p. 121. 3 Ibid., vol. i. p. 121.

mander, issued a proclamation commanding all per- sons assembled in arms against the British government to disband and return to their homes, ordering all civil officers to relinquish their usurped authority, and offer- ing a FULL PARDON to every person who would within sixty days subscribe a declaration of submission to the royal authority. The proclamation completed the apparent rnin of the patriot cause. Timed, as it was, when everything seemed lost, it was taken advantage of by thousands throughout the State who had hitherto espoused the side of independence more or less warmly, and who now flocked daily to make their peace with the successful representatives of the crown, and to obtain their protection. For ten days after the publi- cation of this proclamamation two or three hundred persons a day came in to Lord Howe at New Bruns- wich to renounce their adhesion to the patriots, and to take the oath of allegiance to the British crown. Among these were Samnel Galloway, a member of the first Continental Congress; Col. George Taylor, of Monmouth, successively colonel of the battalion of "Detached" Militia of Monmouth Connty and colonel of the First Regiment of Monmonth; and Col. John Dnyckinck, of Middlesex, successively first major of the Second Regiment of Middlesex, major of Col. Samuel Formnan's battalion of " De- tached" Militia, lieutenant-colonel of the Second Regiment of Middlesex, and colonel of the Third Regiment of Middlesex. These were all gentlemen of consequence and influence, and their desertion to the enemy produced great despondency. But among all those prominent and influential persons who aban- doned the cause at this dark hour the one whose weakness or treachery provoked the profonndest de- jection was Samnel Tucker, of Trenton. Represent- ing the body of the people, -he was a cordwainer,-he had early embraced the cause of independence; had been a delegate to the Provincial Congress in the ses- sions of May, June, August, and October, 1775; was elected its vice-president in May, 1775, and its presi- dent in October, 1775, and acted in this latter capacity so near the period of his defection as August, 1776. He had also been one of the Committee of Safety, appointed to act, with extraordinary powers, in the recess of the Provincial Congress, and one of the treasurers of the colony. His defection was a cruel, almost a stupefying, blow. The people felt that their earliest and most trusted leaders were abandoning them, and they knew not who next would follow.

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History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 115

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