USA > New Jersey > Hunterdon County > Quakertown > History of land titles in the vicinity of Quakertown, New Jersey > Part 2
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The old house was a rather curious looking structure and is thus described by our venerable friend, Scott Allen, who dwelt there in his boy- hood. "It had kitchen and cellar on the first floor, the fireplace was very large, we could put in a back log eight feet long. The joists were large enough for girders in a barn. There was a long flight of steps on the out- side to reach the second story, which made it look very odd. The second floor had three rooms, one large one, and two bedrooms. The garret was one long room and was used to store grain in, and it was no light task to carry it up those two long stairways. The roof was quite steep or would be for our day. The house was very old. The first summer we lived there, 1837, a gentleman from the West visited us, who said he was born there just fifty years before, and it was an old house then." Samuel Willson, Jr., probably removed to Morris County (now Warren) about 1743. In 1747 he sold the 150 acres to Samuel Stevenson, Stevenson sold to Thos. Runyan in 1753, and after Runyan's death in 1770 it was bought by his son Absalom in 1771. Absalom Runyan and Wincha, his wife, conveyed it to Dr. James Willson, son of Samuel, Sr., May 1, 1772. Dr. Willson died in 1777 and be- queathed this tract to his eldest son, Samuel, who conveyed the same to his nephew, John Willson, in 1822, who deeded it to his brother Samuel in 1831, and in the division of his lands after his death in 1846 it was allotted to his son-in-law. Henry S. Trimmer, who sold a lot of 19 acres from the northern part to Wm. Cliffton in 1855, which lot now forms part of John Brown's farm, and from the southern part he sold 60 acres to Wm. R. Mathews in 1860. The remaining portion he sold to Charles Marshall in 1872, of whom it was bought by David Case in 1875, and after his death was purchased by John Opdycke, the present owner, in 1894. Samuel Large, to whom Samuel Willson, Jr., sold in 1743 the 77 acres lying south of the above-described tract and separated from it by the road was doubtless the son of Joseph Large, one of the early settlers in Bucks County, Pa. He married Rebecca Willson, daughter of Robert and Ann, in 1710, bought the land adjoining the northern half of the Willson tract on the west in 1729 and lived where Wm. Dubon now does from that time until his death in 1765. Jacob, his eldest son, married Mary Bunting, of Burlington County, in 1746 and doubtless settled on the 77 acres which his father conveyed to him and which is now included in the farm owned by Annie E. Wolverton. Not many years since the site of an ancient dwelling was distinctly visible about 300 yards south- easterly from the present one. From Jacob Large, who died in 1799, the tract descended by will to his youngest son, William, who, with Susanna, his wife, conveyed it to Samuel Willson, the third, in 1801. Samuel deeded it to his nephew, John, in 1813, and it being sold as his property in 1819 by Jas. S. Manners, Sheriff, was bought by Samuel Willson, Jr., after whose death in 1846 it became the property of his son James, the father of the present owner.
At the time of Samuel Large's purchase of the 77 acres in 1743 the land adjoining on the south was owned by Richard Heath, who married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Willson the elder, in 1736 and doubtless purchased of
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his father-in-law and settled there at once. The next owner of whom we have any knowledge was Wm. Coate, from whom it passed with other lands to Daniel Pursel, Nov. 3, 1785. Daniel Pursel, who died in 1805, left it by will to his son Benjamin, who with Mary, his wife. deeded 231 acres to Jos. Opdycke, Feb. 15, 1828, for $3,000. After the death of Opdycke, deed for the land was made by his executors, Geo. Arnwine and Isaac R. Shrope, March 23, 1850, to Opdycke Arnwine, who the same day conveyed it to Geo. Arn- wine, whose deed to Jos. Myers also bears the same date. It is now owned and occupied by Israel Myers.
That part of the Willson tract on which Samuel, the elder, built his dwelling containing about 220 acres, was sold to his son, Dr. James Willson, in 1742. At his death in 1777 it passed by will to his youngest son, James, who, dying at the early age of 25, left it with other lands to be divided be- tween his two sons, Samuel and John, who were left to the care of their uncle Samuel. John Willson and his wife Ruth gave to his brother Samuel a quit-claim deed Dec. 20, 1813, for the 220 acres and also for a lot of 19 acres at the extreme southern part of the tract. On this lot Samuel built in 1805 a saw mill, which he operated from that time until his death in 1846. In the division of his lands in 1847, 143 acres from the northern end of the tract were allotted to his son Edward, who dwelt thereon until his death in 1866, after which the farm was bought by his brother Samuel, and after his death in 1889 it was sold to Dr. W. D. Wolverton, the present owner. The southern part of the homestead tract was allotted to Josiah Willson, who built and operated in connection with the saw, a steam flouring mill until 1885, when he sold the property to his son-in-law, W. Howard Lake.
We find the southeastern part of the tract purchased by Jacob Doughty of Mathews Gardiner in possession of Thomas Hains as early as 1743. Thos. Stevenson was probably the next owner. He was presumably the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Searle) Stevenson, who brought a certificate to the Kingwood meeting of Friends in 1748 from Middletown meeting, Pa., Samuel being a son of Thos. Stevenson, of Bucks County, who owned large tracts of land both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Stevenson dwelling stood a few hundred yards north of the present one on the premises now owned and occupied by Geo. W. and Jacob Race. Thos. Stevenson married Rachel Baker and was grandfather of the late Samuel C. Stevenson, of Franklin Township. Pursuant to directions in Thos. Stevenson's will dated Oct. 5, 1813, his executor, Joseph Anderson, sold the tract containing 132 acres to John Willson and Philip Case, Oct. 27, 1819. John Willson deeded it Dec. 15, 1831, to his son Samuel, who died in Iowa in 1844. Jos. Brown, Jos. Thomp- son and Jos. Besson were appointed commissioners to sell the same and con- veyed it to Joseph K. Potts, April 1, 1846. Joseph K. Potts sold to Andrew J. Race, April 2, 1860, and after his death in 1867 it was purchased by the present owners. The land adjoining this farm on the west was probably purchased with other lands by Daniel Pursel of Wm. Coate in 1785. Daniel Pursel and Lydia, his wife, conveyed a lot of 65 acres, being that portion on which the buildings are situated, to Abraham Lawshe, April 11, 1803, and as
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his property it and also an adjoining lot of 24 acres bought by Lawshe of Peter Yawger in 1804 was sold by John Cavanagh, Sheriff, to Morgan R. Coxe, May 8, 1822. Coxe deeded the same lands Feb. 5, 1829, to Joseph Rob- bins, who conveyed them to David Burd, May 7, 1839. Burd purchased a small lot adjoining on the east of Jos. K. Potts in 1849 and one of the 24 acres adjoining on the west (which was a part of the Willson tract) of John Hoff in 1850 and deeded all the lots to his son Lemuel in 1879. After the death of Lemuel Burd the lands were deeded by his heirs to Sarah J. Trout, Nov. 2, 1893.
Jacob Doughty by indentures of lease and release dated 21st and 22nd of January, 1730, conveyed to John Coat a tract of 260 acres lying north of the lands last described and embracing lands now the property of Geo. W. Scott, Jos. R. Mathews and Lambert B. Mathews. Jan. 10, 1743, John and Esther Coat conveyed to Wm. Coat, weaver, of Bethlehem (doubtless a son) a "messuage or tenement and piece of land thereunto belonging in his actual possession and seizure now being" described as follows: "Beginning at a stone in line of Thos. Hains' land, thence west by said Hains' land 40 perches to a hickory corner, thence north by John Coat's land 80 perches, thence East by said John Coat 40 perches to another corner, thence south along the road that leads from Bethlehem to Amwell 80 perches to beginning, contain- ing 20 acres." This lot was the one on which stands the dwelling now oc- cupied by Geo. W. Scott and it is said the walls of the original tenement are still standing, forming a part of the present house. Thos. Coat conveyed the 20 acres to Nathaniel Leforge, who also bought of John and Esther Coat 15 acres adjoining on the north and in 1753 he deeded both lots to Gershom Lambert the elder. After his death his son Gershom became heir to the land and conveyed it to George Scott, mason, May 1, 1788. Geo. Scott prob- ably became owner of other lots which were taken from the Coat tract, and after his death in 1821 the several lots became the property of his son, John W. Scott, who purchased in 1850 of Isaiah Mathews a lot of 27 acres which was a part of the Coat tract. On this was visible not many years since the foundation wall of an ancient wind-mill said to have been used for grinding grain, but tradition does not give us the name of the builder. After the death of John W. Scott in 1858 the lots all descended by will to Geo. W. Scott, the present owner. The western part of the Coat tract was sold to Samuel Schooley previous to or in 1743. In 1788 it is spoken of as "Moore Furman's land," and in 1794 as "Runyan's plantation where his son Evan lives," Evan Runyan, Innkeeper, and Deborah, his wife, conveyed it to Peter Yawger, April 1, 1799. Yawger sold 40 acres from the south end to Abraham Lawshe, Oct. 10, 1804. This lot was sold by Gabriel Hoff, Sheriff, to Jacob Hoff, July 30, 1825. It was long rented and occupied by John Dalrymple, but after the death of Jacob Hoff was deeded by other heirs in 1864 to his son Wesley, who sold to Joseph Myers in 1867, of whose estate it was purchased in 1892 by Lambert B. Mathews, the present owner. The remainder of Yawger's tract containing 1241/2 acres was deeded by John P. Yawger, administrator of Peter Yawger, to Isaiah Mathews, May 4, 1829. After the death of his father,
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Samuel B. Mathews purchased it of the other heirs April 2, 1859, and heirs of Samuel B. Mathews deeded it to Joseph R. Mathews in 1880. .
The northern end of the Doughty tract remained longest in their posses- sion and it would seem that the homestead must have been on this portion, but so far all efforts to locate it have proved futile. After Daniel's second marriage he removed to Burlington County in 1747 and Oct. 23, 1750, he sold to 'Samuel McFerson a tract of 243 acres (possibly more) which included lands now owned by John Brown, John Robinson, Taylor Suydam and Wm. L. and Chas. B. Scott, besides some lots in the village of Quakertown. The McFerson homestead was on what is known as the "Still House Farm." The old dwelling stood eastward of the present one and nearer the spring. Samuel McFerson died in 1772 and by his will directed that his wife Re- beckah should have the use of the north end of the plantation on which he dwelt, and to his son Nathaniel he devised the "said north end of the plan- tation containing 143 acres to be surveyed with a straight line from east to west, together with all buildings to be possessed by him immediately after the death or marriage of his mother." To his sons Samuel and John he devised other lands and to his son Zachariah "the south end of the plan- tation where I now live containing 100 acres with all that appertains there- unto except the house on said premises, which is to be taken off." Zacha- riah McFerson dying, unmarried, and before he reached the age of 21 years, his land passed to other heirs and Samuel McFerson, the surviving executor of Samuel, the elder, and David McFerson, executor of John McFerson (the other executor of Samuel, the elder) gave a deed for it dated May 21, 1792, to Stephen Hambleton, of Solebury, Pa. But a doubt having arisen as to the' power of said grantors, the heirs, children, grandchildren of Samuel McFerson, the elder, gave a second deed Aug. 1, 1794. The tract contained 100 acres "and also one acre not meant to be included in this grant, given by Daniel Doughty to Friends for a burying ground." This lot was not deeded to Friends Meeting until 1764, but must have been used for a ceme- tery long before that time, probably several years before the one near the meeting house in Quakertown. It seems quite reasonable to suppose that it was devoted to that purpose soon after the Trenton road was laid out, which was evidently between 1727 and 1731. In the latter years a road was laid from the vicinity of the Kingwood Presbyterian Church eastward which, after it reached the western boundary of Samuel Large's land, ran directly east through that and Samuel Willson's land and on a line between lands of Jacob Doughty and Daniel Doughty "into a certain four rod road that was laid out some time ago." The surveyors were Benjamin Doughty and John Stevenson and the return of the survey is still in existence, being in pos- session of Dr. Race of Pittstown. This road must have run along the south- ern side 'of the graveyard lot. It is impossible to tell when the first inter- ments were made there, as the older graves are all unmarked. The remains of Samuel McFerson and many other members of the McFerson family were laid there, also those of William King and his wife Abigail, who was a daughter of Jacob Doughty, and of their daughter Amy and her husband,
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John Stockton. The one hundred acres sold to Stevenson Hambleton was by him transferred to his son, William, who doubtless resided thereon for several years. He married Mary, daughter of Samuel Kester, and three of his brothers married three of her sisters, while his sister married Benjamin Kester, Samuel's only son. What delightful family reunions they must have had!
In 1798 Wm. Hambleton sold the tract to John Finley, who with Eliza- beth, his wife, deeded 2814 acres from the western side to Peter Yawger, April 1st, 1800, and the remainder to Herbert Hummer, May 1st, 1800. The lot sold to Yawger or a part of it seems to have been subsequently reunited to the 100 acre tract. Herbert and Catharine Hummer sold to Robert Emley, Oct. 28, 1801, three acres from the southeastern corner, which lot was con- veyed by Robert Emley's heirs to Wm. Nixon in 1832 and is now owned by W. L. and C. B. Scott. Hummer also sold in 1801 to Jonas Cathburn four acres from the northeastern corner, bounding the graveyard on three sides; this after having changed ownership many times, successively possessed by several owners, is now the property of Sarah A. Coats. The remainder was conveyed by Hummer to George Holcombe, Jr., June 25, 1804. Later it was owned by John Holcombe, of whom it was probably purchased by John Allen about 1828. Peter Green became next owner by deed dated May 7, 1836, and he and his wife Nancy conveyed it to Holloway H. Race, May 7, 1838. After his death it was purchased by John W. Scott in 1855. from whom it descend- ed by will to W. L. and C. B. Scott, the present owners. The old dwelling which stood a little south of the site of the present one and was quite roomy for those days, was doubtless built by the Hambletons.
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APR 1 91915
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0 029 826 101 7
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