USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Orange > History of the Oranges, in Essex County, N.J., from 1666 to 1806 > Part 17
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Like the scholarly and excellent Caleb Smith, the purpose of the new minister seemed to be, by his teachings and his example, so to enforce the great principles of the Christian faith upon his hearers, that they should illustrate them in all the relations and conditions of life-civil, social and religious.
Nor was he narrow minded ; nor did he restrict his energy to the limits of his own parish or district. Every suggestion for the benefit of the community at large appealed to his sympathy, and called forth his personal efforts for its success. He assisted in the formation of the United Foreign Missionary Society ; afterwards merged in the American Board of Mis- sions, and of which he became a director. The great national societies for extending the knowledge of the Gospel, which were established in the early years of this century, received his encouragement. He cher- ished a lively interest in their operations, and contrib- uted his time and means generously to their support.
I. Annals of the American Pulpit, Vol. IV., p. 39.
Rev. Asa Hillyer, D. D. 225
In 1811, he was made a trustee of the College of New Jersey, and held the office to the close of his life. In 1812, he was chosen one of the first managers of the Princeton Theological Seminary, and retained the po- sition until the division of the Presbyterian Church. In 1818, he was made a Doctor of Divinity by Alle- ghany College. When the church was divided into Old and New School, in 1837, Dr. Hillyer, with the Newark Presbytery, of which he was a member, became identified with the New School branch. Although he regarded the division as unwise, it did not alter his old- time relations with those from whom he was thereby separated.
In the winter of 1839-40, he was enfeebled by a dis- ease, under which his physical force rapidly declined. His last public address was at the communion of his church, less than four weeks before he was taken from them. The occasion was one of deep interest to the congregation, as to himself-the aged pastor, rapidly approaching the gates of death. It was in the nature of reward for conscientious and well-directed effort, that he witnessed the accession of an unusually large number to the roll of membership. He had resigned the active duties of his charge in 1833. From tha time until his decease, he employed himself, on secu- lar days, in visiting his people at their homes, and in occasional religious services in public ; but, on the Sabbath, his voice was frequently heard in one or another of the three Presbyterian pulpits of the town. Wherever he went, he was welcome ; whatever he said or did, he was loved, honored and revered.
Dr. Hillyer was a little above the ordinary stature, and of a fine commanding presence; with regular features, and a benign, attractive expression of coun- tenance. He was remarkable for his prudence of
I5
226
History of the Oranges.
speech and blandness of manner in conversation. He was cheerful without levity, and dignified without pride ; an agreeable companion, and a faithful friend ; as a preacher, he was highly respected ; as a working pastor, he had but few superiors or even equals. With his people, in both their joys and their sorrows, he deeply sympathized. In the hour of affliction he was eminently a son of consolation. He was a grand spec- imen of the Christian gentleman, and under all cir- cumstances sustained the dignity of his sacred office. 1
He was born in Sheffield, Mass., April 6, 1763. His father, a native of Granby, Ct., removed to Sheffield to practice the art of medicine. There he married, and, when his son, Asa, was ten years of age, he re- turned to Granby ; and, with the exception of a two years' sojourn in Bridgehampton, L. I., lived there till his death. In the War of the Revolution, he was enrolled in the service as a surgeon ; and during a part of the time was attended by his son, then about six- teen or eighteen years of age. In 1782, the latter en- tered Yale College, from which he was graduated in 1786, at the age of twenty-three. He was converted to Christ while at the college. 2
I. Sprague's Annals, III. 533.
The author of this history came to Orange, as a resident, twelve years after Dr. Hillyer's death. His calling in life brought him into familiar re- lation with the people in all parts of the parish. He can bear witness to the abiding impression made by the old pastor upon the people of the town, not only among those of his own parish, but upon those of every Christian name. The great majority of the residents at that time were native-born. The memory of Dr. Hillyer was fragrant with them all. Even now, those who are living at an advanced age declare that the most cherished associa- tions and best impulses of their childhood and their youthful years, are in- wrought with the pleasant recollection of "Good old Dr. Hillyer."
2. Dr. Hillyer's father was living at this time in Bridgehampton, L. I. As the son was on his passage homewards from New Haven, the vessel in which he sailed was driven ashore on a stormy night, near the east end of Long Island. On board the vessel there were a mother and several small
227
Rev. Asa Hillyer, D. D.
After completing his academical course, he began the study of theology under the instruction of Rev. Dr. Buell, of East Hampton, L. I., and finished the the same under the Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston, of the Reformed Dutch Church, in New York city. He was licensed as an evangelist by the old Suffolk Pres- bytery of Long Island, in 1788. Then he was invited to preach at Connecticut Farms and at Bottle Hill. N. J., giving to each two Sabbaths in succession. The latter congregation invited him to become their pastor, and he was duly ordained and installed as such on September 29, 1789.
On June 8, 1791, he married Jane, the only child of Capt. Abraham Riker, 1 of New Town, L. I. She died at Orange, April 4, 1828. The fruit of the union was seven children, four sons and three daughters, namely : Asa, born August, 1792; Tace Bradford, born March 9, 1794 ; Margaret Riker, born February 7, 1797; Jane Elizabeth, born August 3, 1801 ; Abraham Riker, born August 20, 1803 ; Edward Dickson, born -, 1805 : and Edward Trueman, born August 1, 1811.
His success as a preacher and pastor is illustrated in the records of the Orange church, by the remarkable increase of its membership in certain years. The sub- urban element in the population did not manifest itself until many years after his resignation ; and, conse-
children, to whose preservation and comfort he gave his efforts ; and, as the morning dawned, placed them in a boat, and, plunging in the water, pushed the boat ashore. Until that time he had been a stranger to the hopes of the Gospel. He was then impressed with a sense of the dangers through which he had passed, and with gratitude to God for his life so mercifully spared, and on that solitary beach, he consecrated himself to the service of God.
I. Abraham Riker, born 1740, was a Captain in the American army. He was present at the fall of Montgomery at Quebec, and served also in the battle of Saratoga. In the next year (1773,) he died of spotted fever at Valley Forge, aged 37. His widow died at Orange, N. J., November 19, 1835, aged 95. Annals of Newtown, L. I.
228
History of the Oranges.
quently, the growth of the society, in any previous period, is a true indication of the power and fidelity of its chief officer. We observe that, in 1803, there were added twenty-eight new members; in 1808, one hundred and forty-six ; in 1814, thirty-five ; in 1817, (when he had the assistance of Rev. Dr. Hatfield, ) one hundred and thirteen ; in 1825, fifty-five; and, in 1832, sixty-three : in all, four hundred and forty.
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CHAPTER XI.
THE ORANGE ACADEMY.
W E have already said of Rev. Mr. Chapman, that he manifested a deep interest in the welfare and success of the College of New Jersey. His love of learning and his desire for its promotion are further illustrated by his efforts, soon after the War, in found- ing in his own parish an academy of such an order as to attract students from abroad. Through his influ- ence, at a public meeting of the parish, on April 21, 1785, it was unanimously agreed to build a house in the heart of the village "for the purpose of a public school." A committee, of which he was one, was then appointed to take measures to perfect the scheme. It was also voted that five trustees should be annually elected to have the care and control of the same. The first trustees so elected were Rev. Mr. Chapman, Dr. John Condit, Dr. Matthias Pierson, Josiah Horn- blower and Bethuel Pierson. Generous subscriptions were obtained, and great diligence was shown in pro- viding for the erection of the necessary building. Its site-one-tenth of an acre-was purchased from Mat- thew Condit, son of John Condit, who built and kept the tavern south of, and opposite to, the meet- ing-house. The deed, dated December 13, 1785, was
230
History of the Oranges.
made to Jedidiah Chapman, Col. John Condit and Henry Squier; and it declared that the school, to be erected, should be forever free for all the inhabitants of the neighborhood. The same three persons who received the deed, together with Josiah Hornblower and Bethuel Pierson, were afterwards made the sec- ond board of trustees. A substantial two-story brick building was put up, and, in the spring of 1787, the new school began its work,
The New Jersey Journal, of October -, 1787, con- tains the following advertisement : "The winter ses- sion of the Academy at Orange Dale will begin on the 22d, under the immediate instruction of Mr. Har- ris and Mr. Crow, both graduates of Nassau Hall." They were graduated in the early part of that year; the summer session of the school having been con- ducted by a temporary teacher. That the institution soon obtained a good name, is certified to by Winter- bottom, an English traveler, who wrote, a few years later :
"There are a good many academies in this State : one at Free- hold; another at Trenton, in which are about eighty students ; another in Hackensack, with upwards of one hundred scholars; another flourishing academy at Orange Dale, in the county of Essex, with as many scholars as any of the others, furnished with able instructors and good accomodations; also at Burlington, Newark and Elizabethtown."
After the decease of Mr. Chapman and Mr. Squier, Col. John Condit, the survivor, by his deed, dated November 14, 1823, made a conveyance of the lot, not however as the surviving trustee, but in his own right, to Stephen D. Day, Rev. Asa Hillyer, Daniel Babbit, John M. Lindsley, Daniel D. Condit, Abraham Winans and Samuel W. Tichenor, as trustees of the Orange Academy District, for the same use which had been
231
The Orange Academy.
specified in the original grant from Matthew Condit. 1
The deed from Col. Condit being given in his own right, it became necessary for the trustees, in 1845, to apply to the Legislature to remedy the defect. This was done by an act of that year. Col. Condit, in re- citing the terms of the original conveyance by Matthew Condit, declared in his deed of 1823 :
" It is the true intention and meaning of these presents, that no particular sect or profession of people in said place shall have any right to said premises, on account of the profits which may arise from it, more than another ; but it shall be and remain for a good, public and moral school of learning, for the use of all the inhab- itants that now are or ever shall be in said Orange, to the end of time."
In 1845, the trustees of the Academy District, hav- ing secured the necessary legislative aid, sold and con- veyed the academy and lot to John M. Lindsley. The property is still, (1888), in the possession of his heirs, and has been converted to other uses. The old struc- ture was taken down in the early days of August, 1888, to give place to a large brick building, erected in that year, and into the foundations of which the old mate- rial was worked. 2
I. Hoyt's History of First Presbyterian Church, Orange, p. 189.
2. There was a school of some note, in the first years of the present cen- tury at, or near, the Brick Church. It was known, in 1811, as the Lower Academy. In that year a house and lot were advertised for sale, and de- scribed as being located "at the junction of the Newark and Mount Pleas- ant Turnpike and the Caldwell and Cranetown Road, in the town of Orange, one door from the Lower Academy." Alexander H. Freeman, in his sketch of schools in Orange, says " that it was a stone building, and taken down about that time. The period of its erection is not known, but presumably about the middle of the last century." We have found no allusion to it in any other record before 1811. After the War there was also a school on the Ridgewood Road, known as the Washington Academy ; it was situated near the Silver Spring, between Orange and South Orange. We have no knowledge of its history, except through some dim recollections of a few of the old people who were born in its vicinity.
232
History of the Oranges.
THE PARISH SLOOP.
The support of the Gospel in the Mountain "settle- ment was not without its burdens. To increase the revenues of the parish, it was resolved in December, 1784, to build a sloop, to ply from Newark to New York, as well as to various points on the Hudson and Long Island Sound. The first settlers of the town recognized, at the outset, the importance of water com- munication with other ports on the coast. In the di- vision of their lands, a "boatman's lot," and provis- ion for its immediate use and occupancy, were among their earliest measures. In 1784, the Newark dock had been in use for more than a century, and, doubt- less, had been neglected during the years of the War. The Mountain parish therefore undertook its repair, and agreed to furnish a certain "Bill of timber" for the purpose.
The method adopted by the parish for raising the means for the building of the boat appears from an agreement, entered into at a parish meeting, as follows :
" Whereas, it is our indispensible duty to support the Gospel for the best interests of the parish : We, the' subscribers, think that a parish boat would, at present, be of great advantage to this society ; not only her profits would be saved, but if properly applied might go a great way towards the support of the Gospel among us; and we also think the best and most equal way of raising money for this purpose is that of a general rate raised on the same plan as Mr. Chapman's salary. We, the subscribers, do therefore agree, should this plan become general throughout the society, that our persons and estates should be assessed on the plan aforesaid, in order to raise money to build a parish boat for the purpose before mentioned ; and hereby promise to pay into the hands of the man- agers, who shall be chosen by the society at large to build said parish boat, the several sums levied by rate as aforesaid, or work
thereas it is the indifferentble doing to
the front the gospel and four mote the beth interests of the faith we the fuelforlou thenthe that opens boat work at present be of great armitage to the fourty not only her profitebouts de Java, but of property TO its we also think that the best and Juffport of the gospel mott equal way of ay of varying money for The groupofe. on that of a rate nailed on the fame youlow as It. Chaforam , ty Of/ ~~~ No Therefore agree, Shows the plan become general nel throughout the fourty . That our perfor and aftale filmato be ofrefred on the plan offer for. order to taufe money to build a parithe boat for the purpose before munitions. and herby promus the fray into the hands of the manager, who Shall be of Mojou by the focusting at large to build found farmi the Lost , The final form hvid Gyrate, an offer fand or work and materiale equivalent, To have called from by for manager; and that the profits owying from the offer fond brat thall be ofily's quarterly to word from my
William france 82at Orangeslowly"78,
Charter Quanto Want for
Noah crane Bethuel pierson JonathanMedden Fohur Duc. Thomas Williams Jimelty Comist
Darmenas Effeph Grane
vacu Crane Mathias Cuore Davon Crans gadus williams nathaniel Dal
David Harrison Haftes Burnett Josiah Baldwin John din't by Joseph Limagly
Lines Baldwing Moje Dol
Exckul Baldwin Sila Baldwin" Thomof martin David Crane
Caleb Johnson Lengy freeman Samuel. Doch Jonathan Convict
Elatim franc/8 Caleb Martin Joseph Baldrom Amat Jamking
Benjamin Grasses
Digeste Paulowi Harvifon Jonathan Cone Nathanael Crane
Stephen (name) Finir Range Oliver 60ance-
SUBSCRIPTION FOR BUILDING THE PARISH SLOOP, 1784.
233
The Parish Sloop.
and materials equivalent, when called upon by said managers ; and the profits arising from the aforesaid boat shall be applied quar- terly towards paying our minister's rate. Orange, Nov. 17, 1784."
Copies of this agreement were made and circulated, and were generally signed. One of them, signed by forty-nine persons, is still preserved ; a reduced fac similie being inserted, as the autographs will be inter- esting to many readers.
In the minutes of "a publick meeting of the Parish of Orange," held on December 22, 1784, it is recorded :
" Whereas, their hath been sundry subscriptions handed about in this parish, for the purpos of raising money to purchase or build a Boat for the benefit of its members ;
"Voted, Ist. That it is best to procede on to build a boat according to the plan of the Subscriptions.
" Vote, 2d. Captain Amos Harrison, Henry Squier, Jabez Pier- son were chosen Managers in the building of said Boat.
"Vote, 3d. Cpt. Thomas Williams, Joseph Baldwin, Isaac Munn, Cpt. Jonn Condit, John Lindsley, Isaac Freeman, Timothy Ward, Josiah Quinby, and Aaron Harrison, appointed to be a Com- mittee to Call upon and Settle with said Managers."
And, on January 3, 1785, the parish resolved that "The managers of Sloop ORANGE are authorized to appoint Boatmen."
For a short series of years the Orange sloop was a success, yielding to the parish a net annual revenue of from £45 to £60. It was freighted to a considerable degree with the productions of the mountains ; very largely with staves, to be reshipped at New York for the West Indies. On one occasion, at least, it went as far as Albany. At the beginning of the enterprise and till 1797, it was controlled by the parish ; then its management was transferred to the trustees. On the whole it was not a fortunate enterprise. Its yearly returns grew less and less. In 1800, one-half of the vessel was sold to Joseph T. Baldwin. Two years
234
History of the Oranges.
thereafter, "Aaron Munn and John Lindsley were appointed to sell the boat." (Parish Records.) And it is probable that every one in the congregation, from the minister down to widow Cundit, who swept the church, was glad when the vessel was disposed of.
THE ORANGE DOCK.
The Newark dock was abandoned by the Mountain people during the running of the sloop, and the Or- ange dock was built by the parish. In 1806, the trus- tees erected upon it, by subscription, a storehouse, 18×30 feet. The contract for the building was award- ed to Amos Harrison for $239.75. The dock was in possession of the parish and was rented by it until 1819, when it was sold to John I. Plume, for $400. Ezekiel Ball, William Halsey and John N. Cuming are named'in the deed, as being the owners of the adjoining lands. The dock was on the south line of Bridge Street, and extended one hundred feet on the river front.
THE PARISH NAILERY.
In an old account-book in the parish archives, are twenty pages of "Nailery Accounts," extending from February 25, 1768, to May 28, 1770. There is a tradition that there was a nailery at the Mountain, which gave name to Nailor's Brook, of which we have already spoken ; and that it was here that the nails were forged for the building of the second meeting-house in 1754. This date makes void the tradition, as the ac- counts of the nailery begin fourteen years after the church was built. The first entry in the accounts is, "to cash paid for advertisement, 2 | 6." Then follow charges for materials for building purposes, to wit : brick, stone, mortar, coal, shingles, iron and rum. It
77.29
HERELYES THE BODYOF ELIZABETH JOEVS WHO
DEPARTED THISLIFE D JUNE THE AGED& YERS
GRAVE OF ELIZABETH JOEUS; 1729.
The Old Graveyard. 235
was completed in about sixty days, at a total cost of £36, 8s. 3d.
The accounts being kept in a book of the parish, the preparation for manufacture by the erection of a build- ing and an advertisement of the same, lead to the in- ference that it was a parish scheme for revenue. The success of the venture does not appear in any state- ment of profit and loss. The expenses for the plant, labor and material, were £115, 11s. 11d. ; but there is no intelligible record of the receipts.
THE OLD GRAVEYARD.
The Parish Burial Place is one of the "first things" of the Mountain Society. Its earliest use for the repose of the dead is veiled in profound obscurity. Deeds, still preserved, record the dates and circum- stances of the purchase of lands for other parish pur- poses, even before it is supposed that the graveyard was occupied as such. Neither deed nor record of any deed for the first yard has been found. The offices of the Secretary of State at Trenton, and the Surveyor- General at Amboy, and the public records of Essex County have been carefully examined, but all in vain. Mr. Hoyt, in his History of the Mountain Society, writes : "It is said that the records of the Mountain Society perished or were lost in the time of the Revo- lution." Again, that they are " said to have perished in a fire," before 1800. Some manuscripts may have gone astray, but papers of value, together with the almost continuous records of the congregation during the pastorates of Rev. Caleb Smith and Rev. Jedidiah Chapman, have passed under the eye of this writer, and have been by him transferred to the pages of this history. The story of their loss is thus made void.
It is traditional, that Nathaniel Wheeler gave the
236
History of the Oranges.
original burial plot to the parish ; and this is not im- probable, because such a fact would be likely to be re- membered, and so brought down through the genera- tions. One newspaper sketch, which we have seen, says, as if quoting from an instrument of writing, that Wheeler gave the lot "as a burial place forever."
Nathaniel Wheeler held lands in this part of the Mountain district. For these, and other lands at South Orange, he received warrants of survey, in 1696, but no record appears of the issue of any patent to him. The only evidence, and that quite dim, that he owned the land where the early burials were made, is that found in Lib. 2, of Carteret's Book, page 231, to wit, a description of a survey in 1721, for John Wells :
" Within the bounds of Newark, and lying on the long hill near the meeting-house, at the parting of two paths, Beginning at the corner of a field of Nathaniel Wheeler, Senr. Contents 2 65-100 acres."
At that early day, an acre or so of land was not of much value. It was given sometimes without consider- ation or papers. Deeds were also occasionally passed by mere transfer from one person to another. The survey above mentioned seems to mark the "corner" of a field, at the intersection of Main and Scotland Streets. But the ownership by Wheeler is ascertained. And it is possible that he had allowed burials to be made upon the property.
The first grave with a memorial stone was that of Anthony Olef, who died March 16, 1723, at the age of eighty-seven years.1 Nathaniel Wheeler died and was buried there, three years afterwards, at the age of eighty-seven.
I. See Frontispiece.
Here Ties the Bol
of NAthandel Why
Who Dep.
Life Oar
Border With it
Anno
Nachabel Wheeler
March 14+1,33
And In the .8
i 8: " year of
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GRAVES OF NATHANIEL WHEELER, 1720; AND HIS WIDOW, ESTHER, 1732.
237
The Old Graveyard.
The settlements at the Mountain began about forty years before his death. In 1718, the population had increased sufficiently to sustain a religious society. That there had been many burials before that date, cannot be questioned. Some were made in the old graveyard at Newark, and others, perhaps, on the lands left by the deceased, or on the lands of their friends. It is not unreasonable to believe, in the ab- sence of any testimony on the subject, that the good old Nathaniel Wheeler suffered burials to be made on his corner lot, and at the northeasterly section of the same, convenient to the highways running east, west and south. Tradition claims that there were inter- ments made there several years before the earliest in- scription which has been preserved. The field had thus acquired sacredness as a place of burial. The body of Mr. Wheeler's old neighbor, Anthony Olef, was laid there; and when his own remains required sepulture, it was fitting and most natural that his sons and daughters, all living at the Mountain, should let them rest among those whom he had known and loved in life. It is worthy of note that he was the only one of the original signers of the Fundamental Agreement of 1667 who was buried at the Mountain.
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