USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > Trenton > History of the city of Trenton, New Jersey : embracing a period of nearly two hundred years, commencing in 1676, the first settlement of the town, and extending up to the present time, with official records of the population, extent of the town at different periods, its manufactories, church history, and fire department > Part 4
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A LTHOUGH the English had very early made the discovery of North America, a considerable time elapsed before any advantages accrued. Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1584, was the first Englishman who attempted to plant a colony in it .*
In this year he obtained a patent from Queen Elizabeth, for him and his heirs, to discover and possess forever, under the crown of England, all such countries and lands as were not then possessed by any Christian prince, or inhabited by any Christian people. This was the first patent granted to Sir Walter Raleigh. Encouraged by this grant, Raleigh and other partners at divers times fitted out ships, and settled a colony at Roanore,} in Virginia; but, notwithstanding various attempts, they met with
* That is, a regular colony under grants. Sir Armigell Wadd, of Yorkshire, a clerk of the Council of Henry VIII., and Edward VI., and author of a Book of Travels, was the first Englishman that made discoveries in America. H. Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting, vol. ii, Catalogue of Engravers, pp. 18, 19.
+ Now Roanoke, in Virginia. At that time the country was divided into but two great divisions; the first or southern division was granted to the London company, and the second or northern division, to the Plymouth company. The portion of territory to which the name of Virginia was given extended from the,thirty-fourth to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude. Mulford's History, p. 26.
CX
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such discouragements that no great improvements were made until sometime afterwards.
In the year 1606, King James, without any regard to Raleigh's right, granted a new patent of Virginia, in which was included New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Mary- land. From Queen Elizabeth's time to the time of this patent, the whole country bore the name of Virginia, which was given it by Raleigh, in honor of the virgin queen of England, as some say, though others claim that it took its rise from the fact of its never having been settled before-being virgin soil.
The patentees were Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hakluyt, (clerk), Edward Maria Wingfield, Thomas Hanham, and Raleigh Gilbert, Esqs., William Parker, George Popham,* and others. The extent of the land granted was from thirty-four to forty-five degrees north latitude, with all the islands lying within one hundred miles of the coast. Two distinct colonies were to be planted by virtue of this patent, and the property invested in two different bodies of adventurers, the first to belong to Somers, Hakluyt, and Wingfield, under title of the London adventurers, or the London company, and was to reach from thirty-four to forty-one degrees, with all lands, woods, mines, minerals, &c.
The other colony was to reach from the end of the first, to forty- five degrees ; granting the same privileges to Hanham, Gilbert, Parker, and Popham, under the name of the Plymouth company, with liberty to both companies to take as many partners as they pleased ; forbidding others to plant within those colonies without their license ; only reserving the fifth-part of all gold and silver mines, and the fifteenth-part of copper, to the use of the crown.
The London company, by virtue of this grant, fitted out several ships, with artificers of every kind, and all things requisite for a new settlement, which sailed for America and planted a colony there, but in the year 1623, there were so many complaints made of bad management, that on inquiry, a quo warranto was issued against the patent, and after a trial had in
* Lord Chief Justice of England.
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the King's bench, it was declared forfeited ;* after which Virginia remained for a long time under the immediate direction of the crown.
In the year the patent was granted, the Plymouth company also attempted to make a settlement, but with no great success until about the year 1620, when they sent fresh recruits from England, under the command of Captain Standish, who arrived at Cape Cod, in the latitude of forty-two degrees, and having turned the Cape, found a commodious harbor, opposite the point at the mouth of the bay, at the entry of which were two islands well stocked with wood. Here they built a town which they called Plymouth. About this time, the colonies in New England were much augmented by multitudes of dissenters, who, thinking this a good opportunity of enjoying liberty of conscience, offered their services to the Plymouth company, and the grand patent being delivered up to the king, particular patents were granted to the Lord Musgrave, the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Carlisle, and Lord Edward Gorges, and new colonies were planted in divers places on this continent.
From what has been said, it is evident that the colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland were in- cluded in the great patent last mentioned ; but that becoming void, the crown was at liberty to re-grant the same to others.
But it does not appear that any part of those provinces was settled by virtue thereof ; nor indeed was any distinct discovery of them made until many years afterwards. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other lands adjacent, notwithstanding the ancient right of the crown of England, deduced as aforesaid, had two pretenders to them-the Dutch and the Swedes.
The claim the former set up was under color of a discovery made in the year 1609, by Henry Hudson, an Englishman by birth, and commander of a ship called the Half-Moon, fitted out from Holland by the East India company, for the purpose of discovering, by a northwest passage, a nearer way to China.
* Other accounts say the patent was dissolved by the King's proclamation in 1624, and that though a quo warranto was issued against it, no determina- tion followed in the courts of justice.
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In this voyage he sailed up to the place now called New York, and up the river, which he called Hudson's river, and returning sometime after to Amsterdam, the Dutch pretended to have purchased the chart he made of the American coast, and having obtained a patent from the states in the year 1614, to trade in New England, they settled in New York, which place they called New Netherland, and kept possession until Sir Samuel Argole, governor of Virginia, disputed their title, alleging that the country having been discovered by an Englishman, in right of his master, he could not suffer it to be alienated from the crown without the king's consent. He therefore compelled the Dutch colony to submit to him, and to hold it under the English. Soon after, a new governor coming from Amsterdam, they not only neglected to pay their usual acknowledgment to the governor of Virginia, but in the year 1623, fortified their colony by building several forts: one on the Delaware, (by them called South river), near Gloucester, in New Jersey, which they named Fort Nassau ; a second on Hudson's (the North river), in the province of New York, which they named Fort Orange, and a third on Connecticut river, (by them called Fresh river), which they namcd the Hirsse of Good Hope.
Having examined into the Dutch claim to this continent, let us look for a moment at that set up by their neighbors, the Swedes.
In the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, in the year 1626, an eminent merchant, William Useling, who had visited this country, on his return gave a glowing description of it, applauded its fruitful and fertile lands as abounding with all the necessaries of life, and by many arguments he endeavored to persuade the Swedes to settle a colony here. Literally carried away by the glowing descriptions given by Useling, Gustavus issued a proclamation at Stockholm, exhorting his subjects to contribute to a company associated for the purposes aforesaid.
This company was very soon formed, and called the West India company, and was confirmed by Gustavus.
In a general convention assembled the year following, large sums of money were raised to carry on the intended settlement, of which the king, the lords of the council, the chief of his barons,
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knights, coronets, principal officers in his militia, bishops, clergy, and many of the common people of Sweden, Finland, and Liffland, contributed.
In 1627, the Swedes and Finns accordingly came over hither. Their first landing was at Cape Inlopen (now called Henlopen). Here they were so well pleased with the sight presented that they called it Paradise Point. Sometime after they purchased of some Indians, (but whether of such as had the proper right to convey we are not informed), the land from Cape Inlopen to the falls of the Delaware, on both sides of the river. These falls laid opposite, or rather on the west of the city of Trenton-hence, what is now the city of Trenton was included in that purchase. The Delaware was called by them New Swedeland stream ; and they made presents to the Indian chiefs in order to obtain peaceable possession of the lands they had already purchased.
But the Dutch continuing their pretensions, in 1630, one David Petersz de Vries built a fort within the capes of Dela- ware, on the west, about two leagues from Cape Cornelius, at what is now called Lewistown, which was then called by the name of Hoarkill.
In 1631, the Swedes also built a fort on the west of Delaware, to which they gave the name of Christeen, the ruins of which are still visible. This fort was erected near Wilmington, from which the name of the noted creek, Christiana, is derived.
A small town was here laid out by Peter Lindstrom, their engineer, and here they first settled, but although this settlement was afterwards demolished by the Dutch, yet in 1810, Christiana township, including the village of the same name, numbered six thousand six hundred and ninety-eight inhabitants, and in 1820, eight thousand three hundred and thirty-five inhabitants.
On an island called Tinicum, sixteen miles above Christiana, and on the Delaware, below the mouth of Darby creek, about six miles below Philadelphia, the Swedes erected another fort, which they called New Gottemburgh.
On the 2d of September, 1655, the Dutch besieged Christiana fort and town, and destroyed New Gottemburgh, together with all the houses that were outside the fort.
From this time till the year 1664, New Sweden and New
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Netherland continued in possession. and under government of the Dutch, who had built a city on Manhattan Island, at the mouth of Hudson's river, which they named New Amsterdam, (New York) and the river they sometimes called the Great river. About one hundred and fifty miles up, they built a fort and called it Orange (Albany); from thence they drove a profitable trade with the Indians, who came overland as far as from Quebec to deal with them.
The first bounds of New York were Maryland on the south, the main land as far as could be discovered westward, the river of Canada, (now St. Lawrence) northward, and New England eastward.
We have now arrived at that period when, by the grants made, this province was reduced into a much smaller compass.
That province now called New Jersey* was by one of these grants set off from New York. It was probably called New Jersey in honor of Sir George Carteret, one of the proprietors, and a Jerseyman.
The Duke of York being seized, did, on the 23d and 24th days of June, 1664, in consideration of a "competent sum of money, grant and convey unto Lord John Berkley, Baron of Stratton, and unto Sir George Carteret, of Saltrum, in the county of Devon, to their heirs and assigns forever, all that tract of land adjacent to New England, west of Long Island and Manhattan's Island, and bounded on the east by the main sea, a part of Hudson's river; on the west by the Delaware bay and river, extending southward to the main ocean, as far as Cape May, at the mouth of Delaware bay, and north by the northernmost branch of said bay or river of Delaware, which is in forty-one degrees and forty minutes of latitude, in a straight line to Hudson's river, said tract of land hereafter to be called Nova Cæsarea or New Jersey ; and also all rivers, mines, minerals, woods, fishings, hawkings, huntings, and fowlings; and all other royalties, profits, commodities, and hereditaments what- soever to the lands and premises belonging or in anywise apper-
* It was said to have borne for some time the name of New Canary, and afterwards Nova Cæsarea, or New Jersey.
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taining, with their and every of their appurtenances, in as full and ample a manner, as the same is granted unto the Duke of York by the before recited letters patent."
Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret, under this first grant, became sole proprietors, and so continued till the province became divided in 1676. Sir George Carteret then became the sole proprietor of the eastern division. The county of Bergen was the first settled place. A great many Dutch being already there when the province was first surrendered, remained under the English government. A few Danes were probably concerned in the original settlement of this county, from whence came Bergen, after the capital of Norway.
In 1664, John Bailey, Daniel Denton, and Luke Watson, of Jamaica, Long Island, purchased of certain Indian chiefs, inhab- itants of Staten Island, a tract or tracts of land, on part of which the town of Elizabeth now stands, and for which, on their petition, Governor Richard Nicholls, granted a deed or patent to John Baker, of New York, John Ogden, of Northampton, John Bailey and Luke Watson, and their associates, dated at Fort James, in New York, the 2d of December. This is what is- commonly called the Elizabethtown grant.
Numbers of industrious, reputable farmers, most of whom were English residents of Long Island, fixed their residences about Middletown, from whence by degrees they extended their settlements to Freehold and thereabouts.
To Shrewsbury, there came many families from New Eng- land, and there were very soon four towns in the province, Elizabeth, Newark, Middletown, and Shrewsbury, and these with the country around, were in a few years plentifully inhabited by the accession of the Scotch; and many came from England, besides those of the Dutch that remained in the colony.
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Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret appointed Philip Carteret governor of the colony of New Jersey, and gave him power, by advice of a majority of the council, to grant lands to all such as by the concessions were entitled thereto, and though there is no provision in the concessions for bargaining with the
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Indians,* Governor Carteret, on his arrival, thought it prudent to purchase their rights.
Governor Carteret did not arrive to take charge of the govern- ment till 1665, up to which time the province was under Richard Nicholl's administration, then governor of New York.
Governor Carteret, on his arrival, took up his residence at Elizabethtown, which it is said he named after Elizabeth, wife of Sir George Carteret, his brother.
He invited others to settle in the province, by sending ambas- sadors throughout New England, to which many responded and soon came and settled, some at Elizabethtown, others at Woodbridge, Piscataway, and Newark.
Thus the province of East New Jersey increased in settlements and continued to grow until the Dutch invasion in 1673, when they took possession of the country and put a stop to the English government.t
Philip Carteret remained governor till his death in 1682. During his lifetime the general assemblies and supreme courts sat at Elizabethtown.
In 1675, a few passengers arrived from England for West Jersey. One-half of the province at this time belonged to Lord Berkley, while the other half was sold to John Fenwick, in trust for Edward Billinge and his assigns.
The same year Fenwick sailed from London in a ship called the Griffith, and landed at a rich and pleasant spot near Dela- ware, which he called Salem, from the peaceable aspect which it bore. He brought his two daughters over with him, besides a number of servants, two of whom, Samuel Hedge and John Adams, married.
Among the passengers who came with Fenwick, were Edward
* This in 1672 was supplied by particular instructions, directing that the governor and council should purchase all lands from the Indians, and be reimbursed by the settlers as they made their purchases.
¡ Governor Andross, of York, in 1680, undertook to dispute the title of Carteret as governor of Jersey. He therefore sent an armed force to Eliza- bethtown, seized and carried him prisoner to New York, on pretence of his: commission not being a good one.
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Champness, Edward Wade, Samuel Wade, John Smith and wife, Samuel Nicholls, Richard Guy, Richard Noble, Richard Han- cock, John Pledger, Hipolite Lufever, and John Matlock. These, and others with them, were masters of families. This is the first ship that came to West Jersey, and none followed for nearly two years, owing probably to a difference between Fenwick and Billinge. But this difference was settled to the satisfaction of both parties by the good offices of William Penn.
Articles of concession were agreed upon and signed by a number of inhabitants of West Jersey, which were confirmed by a letter dated "London, 26th of 6th Month, 1676." Article Ist described the boundary of the new concession, as follows : "We have divided with Sir George Carteret and have sealed deeds of partition each to the other, and we have all that side on Delaware river from one end to the other ; the line of partition is from the east side of Little Egg Harbor, straight north, through the country to the utmost branch of Delaware river, with all powers, privileges, and immunities whatsoever ; ours is called New West Jersey; his is called New East Jersey."
This, with four additional articles relating to the partition of the colony, was signed by Gawn Lawrie, William Penn, Nicholas Lucas, E. Billinge, John Eldridge, and Edmond Warner.
In 1677, two companies of Quakers, one in Yorkshire and one in London, made purchase of some of the West Jersey lands, and sent out the following commissioners to purchase the lands of the Indians. (It may be worthy of remark here, that none of the land in Jersey was ever taken from the Indians, except by purchase, satisfaction being rendered therefor on all sides). The commissioners above named were Thomas Ollive, Daniel Wills, John Kinsey, John Penford, Joseph Helmsley, Robert Stacy, Benjamin Scott, Richard Guy,* and Thomas Foulke. They fitted out a sailing vessel called the Kent, and landed their passengers, two hundred in number, at Raccoon
* Richard Guy came in the first ship; John Kinsey died at Shackamaxon soon after landing; his remains were interred at Burlington in land appro- priated for a burial ground, but now a street.
D
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creek, while the commissioners sailed around to a place they called Chygoes Island,* afterwards Burlington.
Their first purchase through their Swedish interpreters, Israel Helmes, Peter Rambo, and Lacy Cock, extended from Timber creek to Rancocas creek, and another from Oldman's creek to Timber creek.
After this they got Henrie Jacobson Falconbre to be their interpreter, and purchased from Rancocas creek to Assunpink.+ But when they had agreed upon this last purchase they had not Indian goods sufficient to pay the consideration, yet gave them what they had to get the deed signed.} They were, however,
* From Chygoe, an Indian sachem who lived there.
¡ Meaning Stony creek.
į The deed for the lands between Rancocas creek and Timber creek bears. date the 10th of September, 1667; that for the land from Oldman's creek to Timber creek the 27th of September, 1677; and that from Rancocas creek to Assunpink the 10th of October, 1677. By the consideration paid for the lands between Oldman's and Timber creek a judgment may be formed of the rest. It consisted of thirty match-coats, twenty guns, thirty kettles and one great one,. thirty pairs of hose, twenty fathoms of duffelds, thirty petticoats, thirty narrow hoes, thirty bars of lead, fifteen small barrels of powder, seventy knives, three Indian axes, seventy combs, sixty pairs of tobacco tongs, sixty scissors, sixty tinshaw looking-glasses, one hundred and twenty awl-blades, one hundred and twenty fish-hooks, two grasps of red paint, one hundred and twenty needles,. sixty tobacco-boxes, one hundred and twenty pipes, two hundred bells, one hundred jewsharps, and six anchors of rum. In the year 1703, another purchase was made by the council of proprietors of West Jersey of lands lying above the falls of Delaware; another was also made about that time of lands at the head of Rancocas river, and several purchases afterwards, included the whole of the lands worth taking up in West Jersey, except a few plantations reserved to the Indians.
An Indian sachem, called King Charles, laid an English right on a large plantation at Weekpink, in the county of Burlington, which was so contrived as to remain inalienable from his posterity forever. At a meeting of the council of proprietors held at Burlington the 2d day of November, 1703, present- George Deacon (president), Samuel Jennings, Thomas Gardener, Christopher Wetherall, and John Reading, it was ordered that John Wills, William Biddle, jan., and John Reading, should go up to the Indians above the falls, and par- ticularly to Caponockous and to Nimhammoe's wigmam, to treat with them,. and to have the bounds of the lands lately purchased from the Indians properly laid out, and to get from them deeds for the same.
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obliged to agree with the Indians not to settle till the remainder was paid.
These commissioners, by mutual consent, laid out and settled New Beverly, which they afterwards called Bridlington, but soon changed it to Burlington. The town was divided into tenths between the London and Yorkshire companies.
Several of the first settlers of the Yorkshire tenth in West Jersey had built upon the lowlands, near the falls of Delaware, in the year 1676, where they lived for about sixteen years, improving to a considerable extent their habitations and lands. They had been told by the Indians that their buildings were liable to be damaged by freshets, and the low situation of the place must have made it probable. They had, however, got up several wooden tenements and out-houses, which in the spring of 1692, were generally demolished. The snows suddenly melting above caused an uncommon overflow of the river, which came upon them so unexpectedly that many houses were surrounded with water and their inhabitants saved from destruction by the neighbors, who seeing their perilous condition, came with their canoes and landed them on the shore opposite. The water continued rising till it reached the upper stories of some of the houses, then most or all of them gave way and were dashed to pieces; many cattle were drowned, and beds, kettles, and other furniture were picked up on the shores below. The inhabitants were very much terrified, and considerable damage was done. Two persons in a house were carried away by the sweeping cur- rent and lost their lives before they could be rescued. By this accident the owners were taught to fix their habitations on higher grounds. This they called the great flood at Delaware falls.
It has been asserted that the first settlement of Trenton was called by the Indians Littleworth, in consequence of its liability to be destroyed by a flood in the river. My impression, how- ever, is, that the inhabitants never recognized it as the name of the town. Mahlon Stacy, who was one of the first purchasers of land here, in letters written in 1680, dates them from "the Falls of Delaware." Rev. Dr. Cooley, who is supposed to have been the author of a series of articles published in the "State Gazette"
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of this city, some years ago, and from which articles I have obtained considerable information for this and subsequent chapters, stated that he had seen a deed of two lots lying east of Greene street, between Second street (now State) and the Assanpink, which were described as "being in Littleworth." If the inhabitants ever called any part of Trenton by that name it must have been the lowlands between Front street and the creek, as it is but a few years since that was low meadow ground and has been overflowed by freshets within the memory of most of our citizens, and has within a few years been filled up until it has attained its present condition, being made ground. We are not prepared to dispute its being the name of the town at its earliest settlement, but have grave doubts of such being the fact.
CHAPTER IV.
First settlers of Yorkshire tenth, northern part of Hopewell township-When taken up-Trenton and Ewing-Location- Population-Religious institutions, etc .- Lands in Trenton and Hopewell.
T 'HE province of Nova Cæsarea or New Jersey was included in the original grant made by Charles II. King of England, to his brother James, the Duke of York, on the 20th of March, 1664,* and in June of the same year, the Duke of York conveyed it to Lord John Berkley and Sir George Carteret, jointly. The province was called Nova Cæsarea or New Jersey from the name of the Isle of Jersey, in the English channel, the country of Sir George Carteret.
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