USA > New Jersey > Burlington County > Burlington > History of the church in Burlington, New Jersey : comprising the facts and incidents of nearly two hundred years, from original, contemporaneous sources > Part 26
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ister of the Church of England in the Service of St. Mary's Church in Burlington aforesaid ; the Interest of which Fund is at all times hereafter to be at the Sole Disposal of the Wardens and Vestry of the said Church, for the use aforesaid. Witness Our hands the thirteenth day of March, 1775.
" Dan Ellis, £15:0:0; John Tonkin, 10:0:0; Jnº Lawrence, 15:0:0 ; Jacob Perkins, 6:0:0; Jam How, 15:0:0; Abraham Heulings, 15:0:0; John Neale, 3:0:0; Arent Schuyler, 10:0:0 ; William Gamble, 6:0:0; John Fort, 4:0:0; Thomas P. Hew- lings, 10:0:0; William Heulings, 10:0:0; Daniel Hancock, 6:0:0 ; Thomas Neale, 5:0:0; Mary Tonkin, 10:0:0; Edward Kemble, 10:0:0 ; William Newbold, 15:0:0; R. Strettel Jones, 15:0:0; Jos : Bloomfield, (provided the Wardens & Vestry are elected by the Parishoners,) 15:0:0; William Smith, 5:0:0; Wm. Coxe, jun., 10:0:0; Jacob Perkins, 3:0:0; Isaac Perkins, 3:0:0; William Perkins, 3:0:0; Rob Lucas, 3:0:0; George Painter, 6:0:0 ; Thomas Hancock, 3:0:0."-Parish Archives.
DR. ODELL PRACTICES MEDICINE TO MAINTAIN HIS FAMILY.
Dr. Odell to the Secretary. Extract. " Burlington April 17, 1775. " REVEREND SIR, * " In the conclusion of your Letter (for the polite and friendly manner of which I sincerely offer you my thanks) you intimate that 'the opinion entertained by some Members of the Society in respect to the value of my Mission' had been an obstacle to the obtaining of my request concerning the Lots in Burlington. In answer to which I must beg leave to observe that notwithstanding the value of my Mission I should actually find it difficult, if possible, to maintain my Family which is a growing one, f did I not call into my aid the practice of Physick, for which Profession I was originally educated. And even with the addition which that has made to my Income (though I can
¡ The Parish Register has these entries : "Baptized, April 21st 1773 at Bur- lington, Mary, first-born of Jonathan Odell and Anne his Wife, born the 19th of March preceding."
" Baptized-Novr 13-1774 William Franklin, 2d Child of Jonathan & Anne Odell-born Octr 19."
U
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truly declare that I have all along made it a point to avoid every unnecessary Expence) I am now but just out of Debt. It is pain- ful to a mind susceptible of any ingenuous feelings to be drawn as it were to make a boast of such things as ought rather to be left for the generous discovery or the candid acknowledgement of others.
" Revd Sir &c
" JONN ODELL."
DR. ODELL, CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE TO PRESENT A CHARTER.
" At a general meeting of the New Jersey Medical Society, held at New Brunswick, May 9th 1775, it appearing on the last minutes, that Doctors Cochran, Odell and Barnet were appointed to present a petition to the Governor and Council for a Charter of Incorporation for this Society, Doctors Cochran and Barnet being present, were called upon and do report, that they did (pursuant to their appointment) present a petition, with a copy of a Charter, and some objections were made to the Charter, which they mentioned. And thereupon it was agreed by the Society that the Charter should be carefully inspected and amended, and again presented at Burlington, the next Conven- tion of the Governor and Council, by the following gentlemen, viz., Doctors Odell, Cochran, Burnet, Smith, Wiggins and Bain- bridge, or any three of them." Transactions of N. J. Medical Society, p. 38.
STATE OF THE CHURCH IN NEW JERSEY.
In the year 1775, we find the following : "The state of the Church in New Jersey is of late become a very respectable one, through the charitable interposition of the Society. The Mis- sionaries are all unblameable in their conduct, and some of them eminently useful. Instead of the small buildings, out of repair, in which the congregations used to assemble twenty years ago, they have now several that make a handsome appearance, both for size and decent ornament, particularly at Burlington, Shrews- bury, New Brunswick and Newark; and all the rest are in
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good repair; and the congregations in general appear to be as much improved as the churches they assemble in.
" The Society are indebted for this agreeable intelligence to their very excellent missionary Dr. Chandler, of Elizabethtown."
OUTBREAK OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
The causes which resulted in sundering the colonies from the Mother country, were complex and, some of them, secret. The " religious element " entered more largely into them than many suppose. The unpublished MSS., on both sides, show that they extended through a long period of time. More than seventy years before armed hostilities commenced, John Talbot, in a letter to his friend, uttered a prophetic warning. See his re- markable words, on p. 33, under date 10th April, 1703.
To supply a link in these papers, we quote the familiar facts from White's Universal History :
" The contest began at Lexington in the spring of 1775, by a skirmish, between the British troops and the armed provincials, for the possession of certain magazines. At the same time the deputies assembled at Philadelphia, assuming the title of ' Con- gress of the United Colonies of North America,' resolved upon raising an army for the defence of the country, and issued a paper currency for its payment. The first battle was fought at Bunker's Hill, near Boston, on the 17th June; and though neither side could boast of any decisive success, the royal troops suffered severely, and the real advantage remained with their antagonists. George Washington, who had acquired consider- able military reputation in the late colonial war with France, now received from congress the command in chief of the insur- gent forces."
" MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH BOUND TO PROMOTE PEACE." Dr. Odell to the Secretary. Extract. " Burlington July 7, 1775.
" REVEREND SIR,
" The Society will doubtless, expect from their Missionaries, at this important & melancholly crisis every effort of prudent zeal in the discharge of their duty, as Ministers of the Church,
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always bound to promote as far as in them lies, a spirit of peace and good order among the Members of their Communion. At the same time the Society cannot be unacquainted with the diffi- culties under which we now labor in this Country. But I think it unnecessary for me to trouble the Society upon this distressful topic ; because they will receive every needful information from better hands; and in particular from an Address of the Philadel- phia Clergy to the Bishop of London, to which Address I beg leave to refer you, for a just & true representation of the present state of the Church and of the situation of the Clergy in general in these Colonies. We think it of the utmost importance to the general good of the British Empire, that these matters should be thus truly stated and we most ardently pray that in these per- plexing & alarming troubles, we may by prudence & integrity of conduct contribute our mite towards obtaining a recovery and securing the future permanency of that harmony & peace upon just and practicable grounds, which is essential to the happiness & glory of the whole Empire.
" I am Rev Sir, &c " JONN ODELL." TWO LETTERS OF DR. ODELL SEIZED.
"In Oct. 1775, a man named Christopher Carter, was arrested on his departure for England and his papers seized by the local committee of Inspection and Observation. Among them were two letters from Dr. Odell ; one anonymous, addressed to the Rev. Dr. Thomas B. Chandler, London, the other signed 'Jon. Odell,' directed to 'Mrs. Bullock, Brixton Causeway, Surry, near Westminster.' The Committee having taken the Doctor's parole not to leave the city, referred the matter to the Council of Safety, before whom he appeared Oct. 8th. The Council resolved to send the letters to the Committee of Safety of New Jersey, and on their prisoner giving his word of honor to appear when required, he was discharged.
"In the New Jersey Provincial Congress, Oct. 12th, 1775, among other proceedings, 'A letter from the Chairman of the Committee of Safety of Penn., enclosing two letters said to have been written by the Rev. Mr. J. Odell, of Burlington, to cer-
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tain persons in Great Britain, and referring the consideration of the said letters to this Congress, was laid before the Congress, and the several letters were read, and ordered a second reading.'
"A memorial from Rev. Mr. Odell prays that this Congress will be pleased to appoint an hour for his being heard this day, was read, and ordered a second reading.
" Ordered : That Mr. Odell hath leave to return to his house at present, upon his parole of honor to attend this Congress on Tuesday next, at 3 o'clock, P. M.
" Tuesday, Oct. 17, 1775.
"3 P. M. Pursuant to the order of the day, the Congress resumed the letter of the Committee of Safety of Penn., the letters said to be written by the Rev. Mr. Odell and Mr. Odell's memorial ; and Mr. Odell attending was called in and heard, and then ordered to withdraw. Whereupon, after deliberating thereon, the previous question being put, that the determination of Mr. Odell's case be postponed till to-morrow morning; re- solved accordingly.
" Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Congress resumed the considera- tion of Mr. Odell's case ; and having deliberated thereon, are of opinion that it appears, from the general purpose of Mr. Odell's letter that he disapproves of, and is in principle opposed to, the measures of defence adopted by the Continent, to prevent the oppressive designs of the British ministry ; but, as this Congress would by no means violate the right of private sentiment, and as Mr. Odell's letter does not clearly appear to have been in- tended to influence public measures, and as some degree of ambiguity is contained in several parts thereof, this Congress do therefore decline passing any public censure against him." -American Archives, Series Fourth, Vol. III, pp. 1224, 1227.
THE EARNEST WISHES OF DR. ODELL.
In the report of the S. P. G. from Feb. 1775 to Feb. 1776, we find the following : "The Rev. Mr. Odell in his letters expressed his most earnest wishes that in the present alarming troubles, the prudence and integrity of the missionaries may contribute towards a recovery of harmony and peace, or at least
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secure them from the violence of the times; but the Society have reason to believe that Mr. Odell has met with a disappoint- ment of his wishes in his own person."
SONG FOR A FISHING PARTY NEAR BURLINGTON, ON THE DELAWARE, IN 1776.
[To the 3d verse Dr. Odellt has appended this note: "Protestant was a term adopted by a circle of Loyalists."]
How sweet is the season, the sky how serene; On Delaware's banks how delightful the scene ; The Prince of the rivers, his waves all asleep, In silence majestic glides on to the Deep.
Away from the noise of the fife and the drum, And all the rude din of Bellona we come ; And a plentiful store of good humour we bring To season our feast in the shade of Cold Spring.
A truce then to all whig and tory debate ; True lovers of Freedom, contention we hate ; For the Demon of discord in vain tries his art To inflame or possess a true Protestant heart.
True Protestant friends to fair Liberty's cause, To decorum, good order, religion and laws, From avarice, jealousy, perfidy, free ;
We wish all the world were as happy as we.
We have wants, we confess, but are free from the care Of those that abound, yet have nothing to spare; Serene as the sky, as the river serene,
We are happy to want envy, malice and spleen.
While thousands around us, misled by a few, The Phantom of pride and ambition pursue, With pity their fatal delusion we see ; And wish all the world were as happy as we !
ODE FOR THE KING'S BIRTH-DAY.
[Written by Dr. Odell on occasion of the King's birth day, June 4th, 1776, and sung by a number of British officers, (cap- tured at St. John's and Chambly by Gen. Montgomery) who were prisoners at that time at Burlington ; and who, to avoid offence, had an entertainment in honor of the day prepared on
+ " Dr. Odell and Mr. Stansbury were the two most important loyal versi- fiers of their time." " As a political satirist," says Winthrop Sargent, in his collections of "The Loyalist Poetry of the Revolution," p. 202, "Dr. Odell is entitled to rank high. In fertility of conception, and vigor and ease of expres- sion, many passages in his poems will compare favorably with those of Churchill and Canning."
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an island in the Delaware, where they dined under a tree. They had their band of music on the island, and "that," says Craft, " had liked to have made a Rumpus." Was "Hail Columbia," suggested by these lines ?]
O'er Britannia's happy Land, Ruled by George's mild command, On this bright auspicious day Loyal hearts their tribute pay. Ever sacred be to mirth, The day that gave our Monarch birth !
There, the thundering Cannon's roar Echoes round from shore to shore ; Royal Banners wave on high ; Drums and trumpets rend the sky.
There our Comrades, clad in Arms, Long enured to War's alarms,
Marshall'd all in bright array, Welcome this returning day.
There the temples chime their bells ; And the pealing anthem swells ; And the gay and grateful throng Join the loud triumphant song !
Nor to Britain's Isle confin'd- Many a distant region joined
Under George's happy sway, Joys to hail this welcome day.
O'er this Land among the rest, Till of late supremely blest, George, to sons of Britain dear, Swelled the song from year to year.
Here we now lament to find, Sons of Britain, fierce and blind, . Drawn from loyal love astray, Hail no more this welcome day.
When by foreign Foes dismay'd, Thankless Sons, ye call'd for aid ; Then, we gladly fought and bled, And your Foes in triumph led.
Now, by Fortune's blind command, Captives in your hostile Land ; To this lonely spot we stray, Here unseen to hail this day.
Though by Fortune thus betray'd, For awhile we seek the shade, Still our loyal hearts are free, Still devoted, George, to thee.
Britain, Empress of the Main, Fortune envies thee in vain ; Safe, while Ocean round thee flows, Though the world were all thy Foes.
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Long as Sun and Moon endure, Britain's Throne shall stand secure, And Great George's royal line, There in splendid honor shine. Ever sacred be to mirth, The day that gave our Monarch birth !
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
"The congress," says White's Universal History, " now re- solved on the decisive step of a declaration of independence, which was issued on the 4th of July, 1776; and they at the same time established a federative union among the belligerent colo- nies, assuming the title of 'The United States of America.' But the slender forces of the new republic were for some time hardly able anywhere to face the numerous and well-appointed armies of Britain. They lost New York and New Jersey, and congress was compelled to take refuge in Maryland."
DR. ODELL PAROLED.
" July 20, 1776. Ordered, That Peter Tallman, Esq., Chair- man of the County Committee of Burlington, be directed to take the parole of the Rev. Jonathan Odell, a person suspected of being inimical to American liberty ; that he confine himself on the East side of Delaware river, within a circle of eight miles from the Court House in the city of Burlington."
"Thursday, August 1, 1776. A letter from the Rev. Mr. Odell, praying, for certain reasons, that he may be excused from signing the parole heretofore ordered, and offering a new parole binding himself not to hold any political correspondence with the enemy, or to furnish them with provisions or intelligence, read. Whereupon the Convention having taken the same into consideration, Ordered, that Mr. Odell sign the original parole sent to the Committee of Burlington."-Force's American Ar- chives, 4th Series, Vol. VI, pp. 1651, 1656.
GOV. FRANKLIN CONFINED AS A PRISONER OF WAR.
" All the hopes, no doubt for several years fondly indulged' in by Governor Franklin, of the final success of the royal cause,. were doomed to disappointment. He was arrested by order of the Provincial Congress in 1776, and confined as a prisoner of
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war. He was not exchanged until he had suffered an impris- onment of two years and five months. In the mean time his library was burned by an accidental fire ; and his wife, who is represented as an elegant woman, amiable and intelligent, died in New York. He took up his residence in that city, remain- ing there several years, aiding the royal arms, as President of the Board of Associated Royalists, and by all other means in his power. In 1782, he returned to England, after a sojourn in America of twenty years.
" In consideration of the losses he had sustained by the con- fiscation of his property and otherwise, the British government granted to him eighteen hundred pounds, nearly nine thousand dollars, and allowed him a pension of nearly four thousand dol- lars a year, thus placing him, in a pecuniary point of view, in a better situation than if he had remained Governor of New Jersey. He afterwards married again, an Irish lady, and died in 1813, at the age of about eighty-three.
" The author of a work published in 1802, says : 'Governor Franklin, in point of person, is above the common size, with the eye and figure of a veteran. Although subject to the gout, he appears to be strong and athletic, and was accounted one of the handsomest men in America. He is now about sixty-five years of age, and resembles his father in a variety of particulars. Like him he is cheerful, facetious, admirably calculated for tell- ing a pleasing story, and no enemy to social converse, hilarity, and the pleasures of the table, when indulged in moderation. Like him, too, he makes his ablutions every morning, and is equally partial to an air and a water bath.'"-Elmer's Biograph- ical Sketches.
THE EXHIBIT OF PAROCHIAL WORK BY DR. ODELL.
From the day when Dr. Odell became the rector of St. Mary's Church, to Dec. 21st, 1776,-a period of nine years and five months-the Parish Register has twenty-six closely written folio pages, of most neatly, and accurately, kept records ; the totals of which are, Baptisms 249, Marriages 122, Burials 131, -a very large exhibit.
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DR. ODELL WILL NOT SACRIFICE ANY PRINCIPLES, AND BECOMES A REFUGEE.
Dr. Odell to the Secretary. Extract. " New York Jany 7, 1777. " MY DEAR SIR :
" You may possibly have heard that I attempted to send a Letter to you above a twelve month since, and that my Letter being intercepted embarassed me not a little with Committees and Conventions, who were willing to find offence where none was intended. I told them and have had several occasions of telling them since, a very honest truth, that I did not mean to dissemble my sentiments concerning the measures of Congress, but that I had made it a Rule to myself from the beginning of our troubles, not to interfere directly or indirectly in Public Affairs, and tho' I neither could nor would make any sacrifice of my principles or duty, either as a Loyal Subject or a Minis- ter of the Church of England,t yet my political conduct should be inoffensive, if they would allow a passive conduct to be so, and in short that I presumed it reasonable in me to expect I should be indulged in the unmolested enjoyment of my private sentiments so long as I did not attempt to influence the senti- ments or conduct of other men, and that private sentiments ought not to be made matter of public notice, much less of public cen- sure. I concluded such a tenor of conduct in our situation was not only necessary but at the same time becoming the characters of Clergymen and especially of Missionaries and therefore would be approved of by the Society. But this specific system did not screen me in particular from much jealousy and misrepresentation.
¡ When a Deacon is ordered in the Church of England, "before the Gospel, the Bishop, sitting in his chair, causes the Oath of the King's Supremacy, and against the power and authority of all foreign Potentates, to be ministered unto him as follows : ' I,- - do swear, that I do from my heart abhor, detest, and abjure, as impious and heretical, that damnable Doctrine and Position, That Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, or any Authority of the See of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their Subjects, or any other whatsoever. And I do declare, that no foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State, or Potentate, hath, or ought to have, any Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, Pre- eminence, or Authority, Ecclesiastical or Spiritual, within this Realm. SO HELP ME GOD.'"-Ordinal of the Church of England,
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" A Parole was demanded of me, limiting me to within 8 miles of Burlington & binding me to forbear all political correspondence on the subject of the public dispute, not to furnish any provis- ions nor to give any intelligence to the Kings Troops. After giving this Parole I remain'd unmolested at home till about the middle of last Month, when a Body of Hessians under the com- mand of Count Donop came to Burlington intending to take Post with us for the Winter. Some of my Neighbours thought it advisable to meet the Commandant on his approach to the Town and to request him to spare the Inhabitants from Insult and their property from pillage, they requested me to go with them & assist in this charitable Address as an Interpreter. I did so and had the pleasure to find that I had a pretty good prospect of being of real service to my peaceable Neighbours. But five Gon- dolas lying in the River began to cannonade the Town in order to prevent the Troops taking Quarter with us. Many Houses were damaged but nobody hurt. The Hessian Commandant however having with him no heavy Cannon thought proper to retire that Night to Bordentown intending to return with Artil- lery sufficient to make good his quarters. In the mean time tho' I believe every candid man will wonder why we should be pun- ished for having been left defenceless and for having solicited safety from the Kings Troops in our defenceless condition, even supposing us to have assented to those measures which had brought the Troops into the country & even to our Doors; yet true it is, that as soon as it was known on board of the Gondolas that the Troops had left us, the Town was cruelly insulted and from day to day kept in Alarm by those River Tyrants. Mr Lawrence, young Mr Hawlings & myself were in particular pur- sued by two captains & a number of armed men. We made our escapes & were under the necessity of taking refuge among the King's Troops, and as the design of taking Post at Burlington was soon after given up, I have been obliged to leave my wife & 3 children (the youngest not five weeks old) and to ramble as a Refugee God knows when to return.
" In this situation I take the liberty to request that you will communicate the contents of this Letter to the Society ; perhaps I ought rather to have written to the Secretary, but my little
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narrative seemed to require a stile of more minute freedom than one can well use, unless to an intimate acquaintance and I hope the Society will admit of this apology. I suppose it can hardly be necessary to tell you what I presume you will take for granted that I among most of my Brethren thought it my duty to shut up my Church and discontinue my attendance on the Public Worship from the fatal day of the Declaration of Independency.
" Public news I need not give you as you will receive better intelligence from others. I shall only mention that if the Kings Troops on their arrival at Trenton had crossed the River Dela- ware (which notwithstanding the want of Boats was most un- doubtedly practicable) they would certainly have taken posses- sion of Philadelphia without any opposition. You will oblige me by informing the Society that I lost almost all the Fence round the Point Lot last Winter by the Soldiers quartered in the Barracks at Burlington, who made Fuel of the Rails and it has cost me £36 to renew the Fence, which after all will prob- ably be again destroy'd this Winter. Two years Rent of the Glebe Land near Prince Town amounting to £60 I expect to lose and indeed there is no prospect of my getting any Rent from that quarter nor any Salary from my Parishioners in future, until this unnatural War is happily terminated, and when that will be God only knows, though I hope it may be nearer than many are apt to imagine.
" I am &c
" JONN ODELL."
"THE PEOPLE ALMOST UNANIMOUS IN THEIR AVERSION TO INDEPENDENCY."
Dr. Odell to the Secretary. Extract. "New York Jan 25. 1777
" REVEREND SIR :
" The Society has doubtless of late received from the Clergy of this City and some Missionaries who have taken refuge here a general account of the State of the Church in this unhappy and distracted Country. For my own part this is the first
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opportunity I have had for a long time of writing to England, except a few days ago immediately after my arrival here, when I wrote in great haste to Dr. Chandler by the Bristol Man of War just then on the point of Sailing.
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