USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Orange > History of the Oranges, in Essex County, N.J., from 1666 to 1806 > Part 14
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WHISKEY LANE.
In the time of the war this was a path or lane, twenty or thirty feet wide, which led from the highway be- tween Newark and the Mountain, to the houses of Caleb Baldwin on its west side and Matthias Dodd on its east. It is spoken of by that name in conveyan- ces as late as 1840. About ten years after that date,
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Whiskey Lane.
by a vote of the neighborhood, it was widened to fifty feet, carried through to Forest Street, and named Grove street, from its passing through a pleasant grove.
Its original name is historic. During the war Jona- than Sayer, a merchant of Newark, had placed in his storehouse, on the Stone Dock, a considerable quantity of cider whiskey. Fearing that it might be plundered, he removed it for safe keeping to an empty barn be- longing to Caleb Baldwin, on the west side of the lane. The barrels were deposited in a bay of the barn and covered with salt hay, but not so deep as to conceal them. On a certain occasion a small company of light- horse, with a band of Hessian soldiers, encamped for the night on the property of Mr. Dodd, which was op- posite the barn. In the morning it was found that the whole company of footmen were drunk. An in- vestigation revealed the cause. The soldiers were pun- ished for their misconduct, and many of the barrels were staved and the liquor lost; though much re- mained. The owner thereupon abandoned all further care of it. It came to be regarded in the neighbor- hood as common property, and open to all who might wish to replenish their jugs and canteens. The road thus became known as Whiskey Lane. In 1814, the barn was torn down.
In 1845, the present owner of the Dodd property, a grandson of Matthias Dodd, in removing a stone wall on its front line, opposite the barn, found an old sword, much corroded by long exposure, which, being cleaned, revealed the name of a Hessian colonel. It is now in the museum of the New Jersey Historical Society-probably a memorial of the night of debauch which we have described.
.
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History of the Oranges.
JEMIMA CUNDICT.
The momentous events of the War of Independence, to some of which we have briefly referred, lose none of their grandeur when illustrated by an insight into the homes of the people, and a knowledge of their reflections upon the passing scenes.
We have had occasion before to draw upon Jemima Cundict's diary for some important facts in the his- tory of the Newark Mountains. It is a homely record, by a young girl, but none the less illustrative of what
Jemina Pandict Her Book
she saw and heard. We now propose to give a few extracts from her book ; the most of them relating to the war. She says :
HER BOOK.
" Monday Aug. 24th[ye 1772. This day I am 18 years old. The Lord has been so merciful to me as to spare me so long when I have been sinning against him dayly sins without number."
"Saterday october first 1774. It Seams we have troublesome times a coming, for there is great Disturbance abroad in the earth, & they say it is tea thats caused it. So then if they will Quarrel about such a trifling thing as that, what must we expect But war ; & I think or at Least fear it will be so."
This was written within a month after the meeting at Philadelphia, of a Congress of the delegates of eleven Colonies, which agreed upon a Declaration of Rights, wherein were recited the several acts infring- ing and violating them. The repeal of these acts was considered to be essential to the restoration of har- mony between Great Britain and the Colonies.
, I foule hot Bear the thoughts of Going to far from my fallers houg they told me
There was young men Plenty there Your me But I thought I was frind hurry for a husband at Present And If I was I thought it was too far to go whon uncertainty for Punctured to Hay where I was I Believe LShand Repent it Husband or what did am left of in the hot But they are a going I imorft Now take my leave of them vos
Don't know but for the Jaff time to I withit them. Well But They Said that want anay I mult write to them
I Drift I would
FROM JEMIMA CUNDICT'S DIARY, THURSDAY, OCTOBER -1774.
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Jemima Cundict's Book.
" A fast Day. I went with my Cousins to hear Mr. Green, 1 & the words of his Text was: the race Not always to Swift, Nor battle to the Strong. *
" Monday, which was Called Training Day. I Rode with my Dear father Down to See them train, there Being Several Companyes met together. I thought It would Be a mournfull Sight to See, if they had Been fighting in earnest, & how Soon they will be Called forth to the field of war we Cannot tell, for by What we Can hear the Quarrels are not Like to be made up Without bloodshed. I have Jest Now heard Say that All hopes of Conciliation Between Briten & her Colonies are at an end, for Both the King & his Par- liament have announced our Destruction ; fleets and armies are Prepareing with utmost dilegince for that Purpose."
*
The battle of Lexington occurred on April 19th, 1775. It was not long before its echoes were reflected from the Newark Mountains.
"April 23d, as every Day Brings New Troubles, so this Day Brings News that yesterday very early in the morning They Began to fight at Boston : the regulars We hear Shot first there ; they killd 30 of our men. A hundred & 50 of the Regulars. * *
" Monday May first [1775,] this Day I think is A Day of mourn- ing. we have Word Come that the fleet is Coming into New- York also, & to Day the Men of our Town is to have a general meeting, to Conclude upon measures Which may Be most Proper to Be taken ; they have chosen men to act for them, & I hope the Lord will give them Wisdom to Conduct wisely & Prudently In all Matters."
We make a long leap from May, 1775, to May, 1776, and resume our extracts.
" May the 17, 1776. it Was fast all over the Continent; & this Was Mr. Chapman's Text on that Day, O thou that hearest
I. Rev. Jacob Green, of Hanover, four miles from the writer's home.
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History of the Oranges.
Prayer, unto the Shall all flesh come. Iniquities Prevail against me : 55 Psalm. * *
" August the 4th, [1776.] Did Mr. Chapman Preach his fare- well Sermon, & is Gone out Chaplain in the army. His text on that Day was In the 13 Chapter of Corinthians, 11 verse : finally Brethren farewell; Be Perfect, be of good Comfort, be of one [mind] Live in Peace, & the God of Peace Shall Be with you : 2 Corinthians.
* *
" August the 6th. It Was fast, & Mr. Chapman Came Home, & Preached to us that Day ; the Words was in Joel, the 2 Chapter, the 12, 13 & 14th verses. *
"August the 16th. Then Died Jared freeman. he was taken Sick at newyork among the Sogers, & was brought home, & Died Soon After. *
"September, 1776. We hear News from our army at trentingue [?] and Several of them we hear is Dead Since there Departure. Benjamin Canfield & Stevan Morriss. David Lins Died with the Camp Disorder, & William acorn we hear was Killed by the ingins : Jabez Freeman the Son of the Late Diseast John Freeman is Dead also. Sias Heady Died up there with Sickness.
"When we are at home we think our Selves Secure But at home or abroad we are never Shure When or What our end is to Be - This in vewing others we Dayly may See."
About this time she gives the names of many others who had died ; some in the service, and more by the dysentery and small pox, which were epidemic in the township. The time of this part of her record was co- incident with the battles of Long Island, Harlem and White Plains.
* *
"September ye 12, 1777. on friday there Was an alarm, our Militia was Called. The Regulars Come over into elesabeth town, Where they had a Brush With a Small Party of our People ; then
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Jemima Cundict's Book.
marched Quietly up to Newark ; & took all the Cattle they Could. there was five of the milita [of] Newark they killd Samuel Crane, & took Zadock & Allen heady & Samuel freeman Prisnors. one out of five run & escapt. They went Directly up to Second River, & on Saterday morning march up towords wadsesson. our People atackted there, Where They had a Smart Scurmage. Some of our people got wounded there ; but I Do Not Learn that any was killed. there was Several Killed of the regulars, but the Number is yet unascertained.
"Desember the 18th. Set a part for a Day of thankgiving & Praise to almity God; it was a misty Day, & I Suppose you may Say I was Glad of any excuse, for I Did Not go to meet- ing. But our people went, & this Was the text, Jeremiah the 9 Chapter & 23d & 24 Verses.
* *
" Desember ye 26. Our People took three green Coats, 1 & they Swore they See Benjamin Williams over upon Statenisland, &c. So up on that they Sent a file of men and fecth him Amediately Down to Newark, Where he is to be kept In Close Confinement untill further examination."
Jemima Cundict was the third child of Daniel Cun- dict and Ruth, his wife, the daughter of Samuel Harri- son (2). Her father, a leading citizen, and a Lieuten- ant-Colonel in the Revolutionary Army, was the eldest son of Samuel Cundict, who first located lands in the Second Valley, between the First and Second Moun- tains. The latter built his home on the highway be- tween Orange and Swinefield. It stands to this day in the same place, upon the corner where the Sec- ond Valley Road crosses the highway. The German Church is on the corner opposite. The front part of the old house is now used as a small store ; back of
I. Loyalist troops. To distinguish them from the British regulars, they wore a uniform of green coats faced with white, with cocked hats, with broad white binding around them.
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History of the Oranges.
which is the kitchen of an annex building of more recent construction. Here Jemima was born on Au- gust 24, 1754. Her diary, kept from 1772 to 1778, is of considerable value, illustrating as it does the inci- dents of the time, the methods of household life, the sports and enjoyments of the young people, the epi- demics of disease and their fatality, the religious priv- ileges of the neighborhood, and the state of the public mind. She had an intelligent appreciation of events, a keen sense of the ridiculous, and a fine vein of hu- mor, chastened by a devout Christian habit of thought. Her chirography is good ; her book learning was too limited for elegance of style, and the first English dictionary, published in England one year after her birth, had not yet reached the schools in the Newark Mountains. She wrote better than she knew. Her record is a valuable legacy to those who have come after. From the number of her suitors, and from various incidents recorded by her with reflections in- tended for no other eye than her own, we infer that she was possessed of unusual personal attractions.
The diary closes in 1778. In that year she married Major Aaron Harrison. He was of good estate and lived to old age, respected and honored. Both of them were grandchildren of Samuel Harrison (2); one in the paternal and the other in the maternal line. The young wife died within a year after her marriage, leaving a son, a few days old. He was named Ira, and lived about ten years. By a second marriage, Aaron Harrison had three sons and one daughter. They are all deceased but one. Ira Harrison was named after the child of his father's first love. He now, at 93, in the golden years of old age, receives the rever- ent respect and love due to those who in their day have served well their God and their generation.
1 87
Samuel Harrison.
A time-worn monumental inscription in the old graveyard reads :
. " In memory of JEMIMA, wife of AARON HARRISON, who died Nov. 14, 1779, in the 24th year of her age."
We draw one more entry from the diary :
"1776 Sunday Sept. 17. Then Departed this life Grand father Harrison aged Ninety three years."1
SAMUEL HARRISON.
References to Samuel Harrison (2) and his settle- ment at the Mountain have appeared in the progress of this history. He became during his long life at the Mountain perhaps the most useful, enterprising
Samuel Harison
and influential man of the region. His account-book gives evidence of his ability as a man of business, and of the confidence reposed in him by the people as their agent in the execution of their affairs.
He was a large landholder, continually adding to his acres as opportunity offered. It used to be said of him that "if Samuel Harrison should get all the land on the earth he would still seek for a bit of the moon for a potato patch." He built the first saw-mill at the Mountain, we know not how early. His account-book shows charges for sawing in 1727, which was less than ten years after he became a settler there. A fulling mill built and owned by him was in operation in 1734. The former mill was located on Wigwam brook, where Cleveland Street crosses it ; the latter mill was on the
I. His tombstone gives September 20th, as the day of his death.
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History of the Oranges.
same stream, where it is now bridged to Park Street. He had a cider-mill in 1744 ; and charged for cider of his own production, also for the use of the press in making it for others. He also had a shop for repairing carts, ploughs and other farm tools ; charges for such work being frequent. One charge reads : "Amos Williams Jr to a cofen for your child £00, 03, 00."
In 1743 he was commissioned a magistrate. It ap- pears, by several entries in his account-book, that he was acting as a justice of the peace, at the same time that he was running the saw-mill, On a blank page is given the form of a bond for the payment of "cur- ant money of this provence" ; in which the obligor is described as a "yeoman," and the obligee as "Samuel Harrison, Esquier." The account against Azariah Crane shows charges not only for fulling cloth and dyeing a coat, but also for a "sumons, 7d," and for a "judgment, 10d," and for "administring an oath, 4d." And Thomas Day, who evidently was a believer in the advantage of "many witnesses," was charged with "four Supeneys, 2s. 4d." A lawyer will laugh to see the tables turned upon poor Samuel John, the "plaintive" in one suit, who "confest judgment for thirty-six shillings, with coste." Philip Commens was, in another case, punished by a judgment for the large sum of one shilling and eleven pence. And in several instances judgment was rendered generally for the "plaintive," without mention of any amount. He branded horses and cattle in the manner prescribed by law, sailed a periauger, named John Harrison, to New York and neighboring places. Charges for doctoring horses were not infrequent in his book. Loans of money to sundry persons are, at divers times, record- ed. The contract heretofore noticed for war sup- plies, 1 his visits to New England, New York and else-
I. See page 65.
189
Samuel Harrison.
where, for the common good, and his agency in pro- moting the building of the second meeting-house and parsonage, exhibit an energy and versatility of char- acter very remarkable. His account-book, which was kept up until 1766, was also used for recording the texts of the preacher on Sabbath days, giving evi- dence of a devout habit of thought. He made a pro- fession of his faith in Christ, on April 11, 1762, being then in his eightieth year.
He left a numerous posterity ; a very large propor- tion of whom have inherited his personal virtues, his worldly success, and his zeal for the best welfare of his town and the Church of Christ.
CHAPTER IX.
REV. JEDIDIAH CHAPMAN.
BEFORE THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION.
TI HE second pastor of the Mountain Society died in 1762; the year in which the French War was ended. For four years thereafter the church remained without a pastor, but at last the people became restless and impatient. The importance of the society in the Synod made the selection of a successor a serious ques- tion, not only for the congregation itself, but also for the neighboring clergy. All were agreed upon one point, however, and that was that he should be a young man, of full strength and vigor of body and intellect. There was more difference of opinion as to his theolog- ical views, because then, as now, the learned doctors were not at harmony among themselves, and then, as now, it was not easy to decide who were sound, and who unsound, in their interpretations of Scripture.
In the Bellamy Correspondence, preserved among the collections of the Presbyterian Historical Society of Philadelphia, is a letter from Mr. McWhorter to Dr. Bellamy, dated December 23, 1763, and written at the request of the Presbytery, in behalf of our church at the Newark Mountains. In it Mr. McWhorter says : "I hope, sir, you'll recommend them to some young
191
Rev. Jedidiah Chapman.
man whom you esteem for his knowledge of the truth ; and don't send us any of your Antinomians, or Armin- ians, or Sandemanians. We hear you have several such in New England." Soon after, and indeed in the same month, Mr. Joseph M. White wrote from Dan- bury, Conn., to the same divine, notifying him of the vacancy in the Mountain Church. He says : "In that country, they insist very much on a man's being a good speaker, and they hate the New England tone, as they call it. They insist likewise upon one who is apt to be familiar. But most of all, 'tis necessary that a man be a man of religious and good principles, in order to be useful among them. They seem to be a kind and courteous people, and willing to support the minis- try." 1
It was not until 1766, that the society was successful in securing a pastor. He was the Rev. Jedidiah Chap- man. From a letter of Rev. James Caldwell, of Eliz- forth Chapman abethtown, it appears that Mr. Chapman was examined by the Presbytery for ordination, and received parts of trial; and that his examination was satisfac- tory and well pleasing to the body. ? The date of his ordination and installation is written by himself, in a manuscript record in the possession of this author, as follows :
I. Rev. Joseph Bellamy was, at this time, in the prime of his life, and one of the ablest divines in America ; conspicuous as a teacher of theology, and for his method of preparing young men for the work of the ministry. He was also eminent for his eloquence, for his success as a preacher, and the soundness of his teachings in his published writings. He died in 1790.
2. Hoyt's History of First Presbyterian Church, Orange, N. J., p. 114.
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History of the Oranges.
"July ye 22. 1766. I, Jedidiah Chapman, by ye will of God took on me the Solemn Pastoral Charge of ye Church and Con- gregation of ye people of Newark Mountains."
When the new pastor began his work at the Moun- tain, he found a compactly organized church. He was welcomed by a board of six Elders. Three of these were, probably, the same Joseph Peck, Joseph Riggs and John Smith, who had been chosen at the organ- ization of the society. The others, namely: Josiah Crane, Bethuel Pierson and Amos Baldwin, had been amos Baldwin elected on February 9, 1762, in the last year of Mr. Smith's ministry. On the same occasion, Elder John Smith was elected to the Diaconate, to serve as an associate with Samuel Freeman. The record, in the handwrit- ing of the pastor, is still preserved. It reads :
"Tuesday, Feb. 9, 1762, Upon a Lecture, the members of this Church being generally convened by previous notice given for that Purpose, they proceed to choose Elder John Smith a Deacon, and Josiah Crane, Bethuel Pierson and Amos Baldwin to serve as Elders in this Church, who, after they had first consented to comply with the Desire and Choice of the church were Solemnly recom- mended to the Grace of God by a Prayer for the Services to which they had been respectively Elected."
It is interesting to notice that the expression of "Pastors and Elders," in the same manuscript of Mr. Smith's, first occurs under the date of May, 1758.
Mr. Chapman came to the parish about eighty years after the first settlement. The deer yet roamed the mountain heights, the frequent howl of the wolf was still heard, the catamount remained to seek its prey in the thickets of the forest, the bear was seen occasion- ally in the open fields, and the rattlesnake was always on the alert for the unwary intruder. The farm lands
Rev. Jedidiah Chapman. 193
were well cultivated, and were remunerative. The temporary houses of logs had long before been ex- changed for homes of taste and household comfort. Mr. Chapman was installed pastor, about four months after the repeal of the Stamp Act. The intense pop- ular excitement and discontent, caused by the attempts of the British Ministry to enforce it, were somewhat allayed. We can readily believe that the prospect of once more receiving the ministrations of a faithful pastor, was a source of happiness to the people. The season of the year was propitious for the attendance of the widely-scattered members of the parish upon his installation services.
One may easily imagine their march to the meeting- house, beginning in the early hours of that July morn- ing. The Harrisons and Williamses, from the north corner ; the Cranes from Cranetown ; the Dods from Rattlesnake Plain ; the Wards, and Baldwins, and Harrisons, from Wardsesson ; the Canfields, Pecks, Muns and Heddens, from the line of the highway to the river; the Camps, Balls, Riggses, Freemans, Browns, Lindsleys and Piersons, from Camptown, Stony Brook and Chestnut Hill ; the latter, as they passed through Scotland Road, being joined by the Smiths and Og- dens. To these add the tribes of Pierson, Williams and Condit, all from over the Mountain, coming down by the highway and the Christian's Path; with the tribes of Ward and Harrison from Horseneck, by the Swinefield Road ; either on horseback or in carts, (they had no wagons at that time,) but the greater number on foot; all moving with one purpose towards the house of God, with its silent belfry, in the highway.
We do not know who officiated at the installation services. Messrs. McWhorter, of Newark, and Cald-
I3
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History of the Oranges.
well, of Elizabethtown, were active agents in obtain- ing the new minister, and they, with Jacob Green, of Hanover, were ever afterwards among his warmest friends. We doubt not that the cocked hat of each of them found its place upon the wooden pegs on the wall above the pulpit.
It is reasonable to infer that, in the service of song on that eventful day, Watts' Psalmody took the place of the old metrical versions which were in use at the formation of the church. We know that Watts' Psalms and Hymns had been steadily growing in favor with all religious bodies since 1741, when the book was first published in Philadelphia by Franklin. It was advertised for sale in the New York Weekly Post Boy, July 25, 1743, and had become popular in 1749, as appears by an advertisement in the same paper, on July 25th of that year, which reads thus :
"The Sunday Evening Lectures being begun in the Presbyterian meeting in the city, as was usual before its reparation, where Dr. Watts' hymns are used, this may serve to notify that the said hymns are to be sold by the Printer hereof, price 2s. 6d. single, or 24s. a dozen. The Psalms of David imitated in the language of the new [old] Testament are also sold by the Printer hereof at the same rate."
The Rev. Caleb Smith had taken great delight in their lyrical beauty. On the morning before his death he called his family around him, and after having his little son placed in his arms, and with his enfeeble hand resting upon the child's head, he invoked for him the divine protection and blessing. Then, at his re- quest, his wife sang the last four verses of the 17th of Watts' psalms, beginning with the third stanza :
"What sinners value, I resign ;"
and ending with the stanza beginning :
" My flesh shall slumber in the ground."
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Rev. Jedidiah Chapman.
In 1763, the Synod of New York and Philadelphia gave permission to the churches to use the collection, if they so desired. Jemima Cundict's diary, in 1772, has many quotations from Watts, thereby testifying that his lyrics were, at that time, familiar to the peo- ple of this parish.
The salary of Mr. Chapman was fixed at £130, proc- lamation money, or about $330. It was raised, as in the case of Mr. Smith, by levying a rate upon the property holders ; the same to be collected by the pastor himself.
The minister of religion, in the early history of the New England parishes, was a leader in all matters per- taining to the public weal. He was cheerfully re- cognized as such by the people. With attainments above those of the masses, he was relied on to look after the education of the young, to settle all minor questions and disputes among the adults of the neigh- borhood, and to act as a lawyer in the drawing of deeds, wills, agreements, etc. A book of legal forms, together with copies of Blackstone on Principles of Law, and Boerhaave on Medicine, were not uncommon volumes in the libraries of the early clergy. When Mr. Chapman was settled, this condition of things was somewhat modified ; but, in his public relations, he held much the same place. It was the acknowledged function of the minister, by his influence and teach- ing, to mould public sentiment in civil as well as in spiritual concerns. Our young pastor was endowed with a native energy of character, strong convictions, and a steadfastness of purpose, which fitted him at once to assume the responsibilities of his position. The parish, when he came to it, had been four years without a spiritual guide. During these years, the minds of the people had been distracted by the op-
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