History of the city of Paterson and the County of Passaic, New Jersey, Part 70

Author: Nelson, William, 1847-1914
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Paterson : Press Printing and Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 466

USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Paterson > History of the city of Paterson and the County of Passaic, New Jersey > Part 70

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Grandfather Godwin must have emigrated to this country about the year Seventeen hundred and twenty from England. Some time after father settled at Totowa Grandfather and Grandmother Godwin came to live with him they both died in the house father built over the river where Garrabrant Vanhoutten built afterwards, They were both old upwards of eighty years Grandfather Cole must have come to this coun- try from Holland in the year 17221 they remained in New York some

1 Phebe Cool, wife of Abraham Godwin, Ist, was doubtless a de- scendant of Barent Jacobsen Kool (pronounced Kole), who was in New Amsterdam as early as June 8, 1633, in the employ of the West India Company. He m. Marretje Leenderts, probably in Holland. Issue :

Second Generation.

I. Jacob, b. in Holland ; m. Marretje Simons.

II. Aeltje, bap. Sept. 23, 1640; m. Paulus Turck, Sept. 12, 1660. Is- sue-eleven children.

III. Dievertje, bap. Feb. 1, 1643.

IV. Apollonia, bap. Jan. 29, 1645; m. Willem Vredenbergh, Oct. 16, 1664. Issue -- ten children.

V. Leendert, bap. Dec. 1, 1647 ; m. Marretje Cornelis. Issue-six -

children.

VI. Arent, bap. Oct. 9, 1650 ; d. in inf.

VII. Theunis, bap. Aug. 17, 1653; m. Marretje Gerrits, wid., Jan. 12,. 1676.

VIII. Arent, bap. Oct. 10, 1655.

IX. Pieter, bap. Aug. 29, 1657 ; m. Ist, Henrica Jans, Nov. 3, 1680 ; 2d, Jannetje Dingman, at Kingston, Feb. 5, 1688. Issue-seven child- ren.

Third Generation.

Jacob-Barent Jacobsen Kool and Marretje Simons had children :

I. Barent, bap. March 27, 1661 ; d. in inf.

II. Barent, bap. Nov. 18, 1663 ; d. in inf.

III. Simon, bap. Feb. 1, 1665; m. Anna Hendricks, Oct. 2, 1681. Is- sue-Aeltje, Hendrick, Jacob, Aeltje.

IV. Arent, bap. March 7, 1666.

V. Marretje, bap. March 7, 1666 (twin with Arent) ; m. Johannes- Juriaensz Westphael (Westfall), Dec. 28, 1682.

VI. Barent, bap. Nov. 4, 1668 ; m. Grietje (bap. Aug. 17, 1659, dau .. of Hendrick Hendricksen) Obe.

VII. Claartje, bap. Oct. 21, 1671.

VIII. Jacob, bap. Jan. 1, 1673.

Fourth Generation.

Barent-Jacob-Barent Jacobsen Kool and Grietje Obe had children :

I. Jacob, bap. March 14, 1697, at Tappan ; m. Ist, Sara Pouwer,. Feb. 23, 1717 ; joined the Hackensack church on confession, April 12,

273

THE GODWINS.

years before they came to Totowa They lived after they moved to To- towa with Uncle David Griffith who was married to their daughter there I helieve [After] Grandfather died Grandmother staid with them till Aunt Sally died She then came to mother and lived with her till af- ter the war she died aged eighty four years.

Taking up the narrative of David Godwin at the begin-

1719; m. 2d, Jannetie Van Schyven, j. d., h. at Acquiggenenck, July 28, I723. Issue (hy his first wife) : 1. Isack, hap. Sept. 23, 1721; 2. Trintie, bap. March 15, 1724 : 3. Saartje, hap. - , 1725.

II. Hendrick ; m. Femmetje De Foreest, in New York, Nov. 10, 1723. She joined the Acquackanonk church, on certificate from N. Y., Dec. 31, 1727, and was dismissed to the Hackensack church, Nov. 26, I731.

III. Maria, hap. Feh. 1, 1702 ; m. Richard Norwood, in New York, Aug. 12, 172I.

Fifth Generation.

Hendrick-Barent-Jacoh-Barent Jacobsen Kool and Femmetje De Foreest had children :

I. Barent, hap. Jan. 1, 1725; d. in inf.

II. (proh.) Phehe, h. Nov. 29, 1726; m. Abraham Godwin, May 9, 1747, as stated above in the text.

III. (proh.) Margrita, or Grietje, m. Samuel Roome. Ch., Hendrick, b. Feh. 16, 1762.

IV. Barent, hap. July 23, 1732, at Hackensack ; m. Ist, Catrina Post ; 2d, Catrina Vandewater. After his brother-in-law, Abraham Godwin, had settled in Paterson, Barent removed hither, and hought (doubtless from Godwin) a tract of several acres on the north side of Broadway, out of Lot No. 8, West, in the Bogt, and lived in a stone house, near Straight street. He d. ahout 1800. Issue, all hap. at Totowa (by his first wife): 1. Femmetje, h. Jan. 28, 1764; 2. (proh.) Hendrick, m. Ahigail McCarthy (ch., Catrina, h. Nov. 12, 1786) ; 3. (proh.) John, m. Fytje Jacohusse (ch., Hendrick, h. Oct. 18, 1792) ; 4. (proh.) Annaatje, m. Anthony Van Blarcom (see p. 216) ; 5. (proh.) Adrian (Jan, Jaen), m. Elizabeth Lutkins (children-1. Annaetye, h. Nov. 8, 1786; 2. Gerret, h. Oct. 29, 1790; 3. Barent, h. Feh. 24, 1793 ; 4. John Westervelt, h. April 30, 1804; (hy his second wife) 6. Sara, h. May 3, 1776; 7. Catrina, h. Oct. 3, 1778 ; 8. Marregrietje, h. Nov. 22, 1780; 9. Gerrit, h. March 14, 1783 ; IO. Bornt (Barent), h. Nov. 5, 1784.

V. (proh.) Sara (Sally), m. David Griffith (Griffin, Griffises) ; he d. in 1801 ; she was living in 1805. Issue : 1. David, m. Sarah Conger, Oct. 16, 1790 ; ch., Jane, m. Rohert King, Feh. 17, 1810; 2. Hendrick, h. Feh. 14, 1775; 3. a dau., m. - Beach ; ch., Susan, m. John Clark, jun.

VI. (proh.) Rachel, m. Jacoh De Baen, April 17, 1752 ; hoth h. at Schraalenhurgh.

The Godwins, of course, were of English origin. The writer is in- clined to believe that Abraham Godwin was the son of Henry Godwin, and that he had an older hrother named Henry, who joined him at To- towa, with the following children :

I. Abraham, m. Aaltje Van Houten. Issue : 1. Dirck, hap. Jan. 29, 1769 ; 2. Antje, hap. Sept. 22, 1771 ; 3 and 4. Jannetje and Marretje, twins, hap. Jan. 4, 1788. (See p. 248).

II. Nathaniel (Nettennel), m. Catriena Hoogland. Issue : 1. Ca- triena, h. Aug. 22, 1776.

III. Joseph, m. Ruth Morgen. Issue: I. Joseph, h. Dec. 18, 1765 ; 2. John, h. Feh. 3, 1769. The Acquackanonk church records also give the haptism of Nathaniel, h. Nov. 13, 1768, child of Joseph Godwin and Elizabeth Griffisis, the witnesses heing Nathaniel Godwin and Antje Dohhs. There may he some error about this. Rohert Drummond, of Acquackanonk Landing, mortgaged one of the dock lots at that place to Joseph Godwin, of Acquachennonck, boatman, Feh. 14, 1771, to secure the payment of £100. Ezra F. Godwin, son of Joseph Godwin, of Mor- ris Plains, d. at the residence of Patrick McGee, in Paterson, Sept. 9, 1823. He was prohahly of the same family.

The name Godwin is unusual even now. How much more so in 1765-1788, in a Dutch community such as this was at that period. Yet all these baptisms of Godwins are found in the records of the Dutch churches at Acquackanonk, Totowa and Second River. This affords a strong presumption of relationship hetween them.

ning he gives us this account of his father's venturing into the wilds of Paterson :

After the Indians left Communipau they settled at Totowa on the now called Bergen-County side of the River Back of where the Church is now huilt in a peice of woods selected hy them for their Wigwams hack of which they had their hurying ground, a mound raised perhaps Eighteen inches or two feet above the level of the land which I often crossed even after the war. My father then living in New York a mas- ter carpenter had a wish to locate some where in the country to form a settlement-went to Totowa where he seemed satisfied to settle-He made known his intentions to the Chiefs of the Indians they were much pleased. He then returned to New York made known his intentions to my Mother who consented to go with him though in a Wilderness. The Dey family then owned hoth sides of what is now called Dey Street of- fered father if he would stay in town they would sell him the south side of Dey street from Broadway to Low water for Six hundred pounds and take it in work. Father's mind was made up to leave the City he said it was too much for such a strip of land you can judge the value of property in New York at that time (Ahout the year 1755.)1

Father commenced building a small house on the spot I huilt where the widow of Henry Godwin now lives.2 As soon as he had finished enough for his family he moved them there. Ahout that time an Eng- lish Company3 had erected Iron Works at Sterling and I believe Ring- wood also there then heing hut little communication to and from these places as the roads were very had it was necessary to have some place between them and the Aquoncnonc landing4 to stop at. They appointed father their agent to purchase goods in New York for their supplies and transport them from New York. Father had often to leave home for New York and to leave mother alone with her children though I believe hut two at that time. Their principal Chief the only name I remember perfectly to hear my mother say was Mashau when he heard father had to leave home, came over and told him to go all would he safe as he and another Chief would not leave the House untill his return which was strictly attended to. Father to gain their confidence and make their lives agreeable, would when he had a hogshead nearly empty of Rum put in some water with it and send for the Chief to take the Hogshead to their place to have a dance hut not let any harm arise from the effects of the Rum which was strictly attended to. and when the frolick was over the Hogshead was carefully returned, filled with their work, such as trays, howls, ladles &c. worth ten times as much as all the Rum. In this way they lived happy for several years. Father found it was time to try to encourage the place induced the Inhabitants a distance off, to come and settle near the river several of which did come, all of the Vanhoutens and Vangeesens5 and settled above the Falls at Totowa which name it holds I believe to this day. Father found it necessary to have a place to stop at. [with] The iron when the River was impassable. He commenced to build a house on the ground where the Heirs of Gar- rahrant Vanhoutten now have a house.6 After it was finished he moved his family over there made his house on the landing side a store to de-

1 In a communication hy Abraham Godwin, hrother of David, accom- panying a description of the Passaic Falls, and published in the Newark Gazette and New Jersey Advertiser, May 3, 1797, he also gives the year 1755 as the approximate date of his father's settlement at Totowa.

2 At the southwest corner of River and Bank streets.

3 They were Americans, the Ogdens, of Newark, and others, and their partnership was referred to in documents of the time as the "Amer- ican Company." Shortly before the Revolution they sold out to London capitalists.

4 Acquackanonk Landing-now Passaic.

5 This is a usual exaggeration, tending to glorify an ancestor. As previously shown (see p. 227), the Van Houtens hought on Totowa as early as 1715, and the Van Giesens probably not long after. Both fam- ilies preceded the Godwins hy many years. The first Godwin, however, is doubtless entitled to the credit of heing the original settler immediate- ly below the Falls, and his settlement was the nucleus ahout which grew quite a little hamlet, long before 1792, the date of the formal founding of "Paterson."

., 6 The eastern end of the present Doremus homestead, Nos. 115-121 Water street.

274

HISTORY OF PATERSON.

posit goods from the Landing as it often happened the River was too high to let the teams cross untill the water suhsided the light articles, the Indians would cross in Canoes hut the heavy articles and iron had to he deposited till convenient to cross as there was more than as muchı again water in the river as there is now the country was covered with wood and every low place near the river was a reservoir as the Sun did not dry any of the water away after living sometime over the river father commenced building the stone house steadily continuing his other husi- ness till it was finished, He then held a commission under the King as captain of a company of horse he had raised,1 though he bad to collect them from a distance as the inhabitants were thinly settled ahout the country they met twice a year at Totowa at one instance the inhahi- tants came with their teams to haul wood, a large pole was erected on the flatt opposite where the lower hridge is now huilt2 and a great quan- tity of wood hrought and piled around that Pole with a tar harrel at the top of it. I did not know the meaning of it nor do I believe that one half of them did till I made enquiry of mother what it did mean, She told me it was in memory of the Gunpowder Plot I knew no more than hefore, She told me that they had laid a Plot in England to hlow up the House Parliment met in with gunpowder which was discovered and this day kept as a day of rejoicing, and that it did not take place, I ever after till this day remember the 5th of November, and a great day it was, The inhabitants from all quarters assembled to celebrate the day and night, for it lasted all night they hurnt a great deal of wood and drank a deal of liquor, hut no quarrelling or bard words all was harmony till they hroke up and went home happy to follow their differ- ent occupations father had nearly finished the stone house he then moved back to it, sold the house over the river to Martin Ryerson who put his son in law, Isaac Vanderbeek in it who lived there several years till the end of the Revolution.3 Ahout the time father commenced building over the river the Indians found their hunting ground got to he too puhlick concluded to move hack, the Chiefs went and selected a spot on the river at Menesinck where they moved though the parting with them and the inhabitants was very hard They had lived in the greatest harmony for years the Chiefs would come down every Spring and fall to Totowa and spend a week or fortnight with father and hring as much Venison young Bears and Wild turkeys and small game as would last half of the inhabitants for a week this they kept up for some time after and while they were at Totowa whenever father went from home, they would not leave mother one hour alone I have heard her say they would take my little hrother with them to their Wigwam to play with their Purpooses and return him in the evening loaded with their little trinkets particularly with a little Purpoos,4 perfectly orna- mented with wampum and porcupine quills dyed in the most splen- did colors ahout this time the inhabitants had settled in different parts of the country so strong that they were able to huild a Bridge across the rivers hut it would almost every spring he a part taken away hy the drift wood falling from the hanks of the river in the water and come down the Falls. I have seen it carried away in part two or three times. Father then moved the house be first huilt over the Bridge to the corner near the Church there added a room for a family the other for a school Room where Ahraham and myself have gone to school,

Godwin seems to have made a favorable impression on his neighbors, as a young man of energy, ability and probity, for in April, 1758, he was chosen town collector for Saddle River township, which then included all of the present town- ships of Manchester, Wayne, Pompton and West Milford, in Passaic county and all of Bergen county, west of the

1 Doubtless a volunteer company of his neighhors. The records of commissions in the Secretary of State's office at Trenton make no men- tion of Abraham Godwin prior to 1800. Any commission he held would he from the Governor of New Jersey, hut in the King's name.

2 Say at the junction of Water and Temple streets, near the end of the present Main street hridge.

3 See p. 230.

4 This spelling indicates that David's narrative was copied hy some- one not so familiar as he with papooses.

5 This bridge was huilt in 1768, as will be bereafter sbown.

Saddle river. He was one of the subscribers to Nevill's Laws of New Jersey, Vol. II., issued in 1761. From a road return made Dec. 22, 1761, it appears that he then owned Lot No. 8, West, in the Bogt.1 This same return refers to the road "that leads down to Acquackanon River at the store House of Abraham Gordon,"2 which indicates that he also had at Acquackanonk Landing a place for the storage of iron, etc., similar to that at Totowa. By deeds dated Oct. I, 1761, and Jan. 19, 1762, he bought 46} acres of land at the Hartebergh, which he conveyed, Nov. 2, 1763, to Garre- brant Van Houten; in the deed he is described as "Abra- ham Godwin of Totowa, innkeeper."3 His other transac- tions in real estate on the Totowa side of the river have been already detailed.4 Having conveyed his property on Water street, Jan. 23, 1772, at the ensuing June term of the Essex county common pleas he applied for and was granted a license to "keep a public house for the year ensuing in the Place where he now lives," Jacobus Smith and John Post becoming his sureties in £to each. This was doubtess in the building afterwards known as the Passaic Hotel, on Riv- er street, opposite Bank street, but it fronted on the river, instead of toward the road. Up to this time, and for two years longer, Godwin enjoyed a monopoly in the way of entertaining casual visitors to the Falls, and also had ample time to look after the transportation of iron from Ringwood and Sterling to tidewater, to supply the needs of his neighbors from a general country store, and to follow his trade as a builder. Now he was threatened with competi- tion, as appears by this advertisement in the New York Ga- zette and Weekly Mercury of March 7, 1774 :

To he Let or Leased for a Term of Years, the new House at Passaic- Falls, in New Jersey, eight acres of Land & a good Barn : the House is two Story High, very convenient for a Tavern or store. For further Particulars apply to Rohert Drummond, Tunis Dey, and Henry Garrison Esqs, who will treat with them on reasonable Terms.

Possibly this was the stone house in River street, near Mulberry, opposite the grist-mill then on the river bank. It is more probable, however, that it was the property de- scribed in the following advertisement in the same paper for August 29, 1774 :

GREAT FALLS.'

This is to acquaint the Public, That the Suhscriher keeps good En- tertainment in the House where Cornelius Nefee formerly lived,5 at the Great Falls of Passaick. Ladies and Gentlemen or Parties of Either, shall he waited on and showed every curious Production of Nature at said Falls ; and as he lives most convenient, and on the Spot, makes no douht hut People in general will favor him with their Custom, which shall he gratefully acknowledged hy the Public's Most humble Servant

James Leslie

Our pioneer was equal to the occasion, and in the same paper, a week later, or September 5, 1774, made the follow- ing announcement :

The Subscriher has lately built a new and very commodious house for tavern keeping, ahout two hundred yards from his late dwelling house, at the foot of the hridge, and on the King's highway to Newark, and in- tends, God willing, to leave all business as shop keeping and farming,

1 See p. 74. 2 Hist. Passaic County Roads, 15.

3 Bergen County Transcribed Deeds, E, 202.

4 See pp. 228-230.

5 This was at or near the southwest corner of Totowa and Redwoods avenues.

275

THE GODWINS.

and apply himself solely to tavern keeping, and to keep as good a house as the country will afford, viz. Eating, drinking and lodging, with the hest accommodation for horses. All gentlemen and ladies who will please to favor him with their company, may depend upon the best and genteelest treatment. Should it appear too great a distance from his house to the Falls, any gentlemen or ladies who chuse to go there shall he supplied with horses gratis.

By the Public's Most humble Servant Abraham Godwin commonly called Gordon.

N. B. A convenient room for dancing, and a fiddler, will always he ready for the service of ladies & gentlemen who may require it. Also a guide to attend any strangers, who shall show them all the natural curi- osities at the Falls.

This is unquestionably a much better bid for patronage than Leslie's, though the latter was evidently the moving cause. Godwin's "new and very convenient house for tav- ern keeping," was undoubtedly the stone building, after- wards greatly enlarged, known as the Passaic Hotel. Abra- ham was not destined to prosper long in his new enterprise, upon which he had so piously invoked the Divine favor. Let his son resume his story :

Father huilt another house on the lot where the widow Vanwinkel now lives1 for his nephew Joseph Godwin, then a small house was built hy Powles Ruttan2 a shoemaker a good and faithful soldier during the war, then another house for Uncle Barnet Cole,3 and one hy H Vanhlarcom who erected a tan yard near the hig hrook.4 Then Ahm. Vanhoutten huilt a small house on the spot where the stone house now stands5 -At this time things hegan to look dark with the Colony and Great Brittan my father did not agree with their plans gave up his commission under the King and dismissed his company of horse this was enough to pro- nounce him a Rebel against his King At that time father dealt largely with Ahm. Lott in New York a great King's man and was in his deht to a considerable amount, though he had sufficient to pay double the amount as he owned the stone house and all the land from the house down the York road6 to the road leading to the Bought7 except a few lots where the buildings were put up upon the old road8 from the road at the corner leading to the Bought along the said road on straight line to the river excepting the land of Peter Post and the farm of Jacob Vanhoutten afterwards owned hy my hrother Ahm. Godwin.

David goes on to say that one of his father's neighbors, a Tory, persuaded Mr. Lott to press Abraham Godwin for the payment of his debt, so that he was forced to sell the prop- erty at a sacrifice, and it was bought in by his Tory neigh- bor. As tending to throw doubt on the strict accuracy of this statement it may be remarked that one of David God- win's sisters married a grandson of the man who is accused of having maliciously impoverished her father, and in those

days such alliances were very rare. The narrative contin- ues:

Father was compelled to sell and take what he had over to provide some place for his family the troubles then hegan the tory's came out holder, something must he done for the family and what or how to do did not know he went to Ahm. Vanhoutten told him his situation and wished him to sell him a half acre of ground at the end of his lot in the green woods he told him he did not like to break in on his lot father told him he was obliged to leave the house, he consented to let father have half an acre in the Green woods hy paying him extra.1 Father then mus- tered all the friends he had together in getting some place to put his family as the old tory gave him no peace till he got in the house which he did not enjoy very long as it pleased God to take him where he could do no more harm to any family the farm was then divided and it was not long before the house again come into the family where it should have remained and I trust as long as one stone is to he found the name of some of the Godwins will own it. Father had to take a commission as captain of Marines on hoard the Lady Washington lying in the har- hor at New York.

In December 17752 The Americans retreated through Jersey by the way of Totowa father supplied them with two days provisions hy pur- chasing grain from the farmers carried it to mill had it ground then pur- chased sheep hogs, beef, and vegetables for their supply, the News came the British were in pursuit of them all was confusion father strove to get certificates for their supplies hut could not ohtain any as all were striv- ing to make the hest of their way all that father obtained was one cer- tificate for ten dollars which I sold after the war for mother at two shil- lings on the pound which hrought her one dollar enough for one dinner for the two days supply for the army father then piloted them along the Newark mountain through the woods to wards Sesscon3 and put them on the road to New Brunswick

Wounded in battle, and tortured by anguish at the cruel treatment of his family, Abraham Godwin, the hero, the patriot, yielded up his spirit, Feb. 9, 1777. On his death- bed he made his will, in which he gave his sword to his youngest son, David; all the rest of his property he devised to his wife Phebe, during widowhood, with remainder to his children. He was buried with the honors of war at Fishkill, N. Y. His widow was licensed to continue the tavern, at the June term of the Essex county courts, Dr. Nicholas Roach and Hendrick Van Blarcom becoming her sureties in £20 each. A most touching account of her suf- ferings during these years of hardship is given in a letter from her, of April 13, 1780, printed on page 129, Part II., of this work. In the journal of Lieut. William S. Penning- ton, under date of May 4, 1780, is this entry:

Left Newark . arrived that evening at Totoway . . we put up that night at Mrs. Godwin's, where I had formerly heen acquainted and found the family principally sick, which gave me some uneasiness as it was a family I much respected.

1 Phobe Godwin, widow of Peter Van Winkle, lived in Bank street, near the hotel, in 1829, and probahly later. Prohahly the widow Cathar- ine Van Winkle is meant, who lived at the northwest corner of Broad- way and Summer street.

2 On the north side of Broadway, prohahly near Carroll street.

3 On Broadway, north side, near Straight street.

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History of the city of Paterson and the County of Passaic, New Jersey, Part 70

Author: Nelson, William, 1847-1914 Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Paterson : Press Printing and Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 466

Author: Nelson, William, 1847-1914
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Paterson : Press Printing and Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 466