USA > New Jersey > Salem County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > New Jersey > Gloucester County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > New Jersey > Cumberland County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 30
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Sheriff's Fees .- At the meeting on the 21st of November, 1721, the following demands, among others, were audited and allowed :
" first allowed unto ye sheriff ffor Executing James More, his hors saddle, & Brass Pistoll."
" Item to Josiah Kay, Sheriff, tfor the Execution of Christian Boff, alias Logon, & other flees, the sum of $9 8s."
What was the erime for which the first suffered the extreme penalty of the law does not appear ; the last had been presented by the grand jury for " murther- ing her child."
In the minutes of the proceedings of the board May 3, 1750, the following appears :
" At sd Board Samuel Harrison, Sheriff for ye County of Gloucester, . brought in a Bill wherein he Charges ye County :
DE
£
8. d.
To whipping James Mc Bride.
00
10
0
For his time in getting a whiper, & whipers ferriages 00
7
6
To Executing John Johnson, Johu Steward, & Ebenezer Carai
15
For Ropes to Execute them
To the Executioners Expenses, 1
*
To Digging Graves for sd Men ..
17 12 ₾1
"The Board, taking sd. Bill into Consideration, allow for ye Ropes & Diging ve Graves, 148-8 ; & for ye rest are of Opinion yt its ye Sheriffs Ofice to see ye Law Executed upon Convicts, & as they know no Law yt latitles hum to any Pay for ye Execution of his Office in Such Case, think therefore it would be a ill Presedent, & not wartentable in them to allew ad Bill, or any of ye like kind."
Parliamentary Rules .- From the following entry in 1722 it appears that questions concerning parlia- mentary rules arose at the meeting of the freeholders and justices :
" Whereas, a Debate hath a Bisen what Should make a Certain: Peci- sion m any matter or thing yt might arise in debate before the meeting of Justices & freeholders. The Conclusion of this meeting is that two off the three Justices, one being of ye Quorum, Together with ye major- : ity of ye ffrechulders, shall be sufficient to Confirm any mutter yt may be thought necessary to be Dun."
IMPORTATION OF PAUPERS.
March, 1734. " Whereas, it appears to this court that William Herril hath lately brought and imported into this County of Gloucester a cer- tain Margaret Jane, as a Servant to him, and it also appearing to ye Court that ye sd Margaret is a weakly and Impotent petson, and likely to be- come chargeable to this County, ot to some Township within ye same, it is thereupon ordered by ye Court that ye same Wm. Herril do forthwith give Security by way of Recognizauce to carry and transport ye ad Mar- garet to ve place from whence he Imported her," etc. Mr. Herril gave bonds " that to morrow morning he will convey ye sd Margaret Jane to ye plice fre m whence he Imported her."
s.
" Every Pint of Madera Wine ... 1
Every Quart Bowl of Punch, Diade of Loaf Sugar, and Good Kum, and fresh Limes 1
Every like Bowl of Punch made with Lime Juice. 1
Every Quart of Merabo, made of Muscovado Sugar
0400
Every Quart of Metheglin. 1 Every Quart of Cyder Hoval G Every Quart of Egy P'nich .. 0
Every quart of Milk Punch .. 0
Every Quart of Cyder. from Ist of september to let of Jau'y ...
3
Froin the Ist of Jan'y to Ist of Sept'r ..
0 Every Quatt of Strong Beer. 0 Every Jill of Brandy.
4
Every Jill of other Cordial Drams. 0
5
Every Jill of Ruin. 0
3 ! And so in proportion for greater or smaller quantities of each sort.1
Every Breakfast of Tea, Coffee, or Chocolate. 0 8
Every Breakfast of other virtual .... 0 6
Every Hot Dinges or Supper, provided for a single person, with a fent of strong Beer or Cyder ..... 1 0 Every Hot Dinner or supper for a company, with a quart of Strunz Beer or Cyder each .... 1 0 Every Cold Dinner or Supper, with a pint of Strong Beer or Cyder each ...... 0 8
8 Every two quarts of oats or Other Grain .. 0 3
" Adopted at the Court of General Sessions and County Court &c.,
0 held at Gloucester the eighth June Ann. Dom. 1742."
Township and County Boundaries Regulated. -On the 13th of May, 1761, Richard Mattock, Henry Wood, John Hinchman, William Davis, Jame, White- all, Joshua Lord, Franci, Batten, and Jacob Spicer were appointed to determine and fix the boundaries
Every Night's Lodging, Pach person 0 3
HORSES, ETC.
Stahling every horse each night, and clover hay enough 0 3 stalling each Night, and other Huy enough. 5
0 Every night's Pasture for a Horse.
8
1
-
112
HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER COUNTY.
of the several townships in the county, according to an act of Assembly, and were authorized to employ Samuel Clement, a deputy surveyor, to run the lines,
At the meeting in September of the same year they reported to the board that they had done this work, and presented to the board a map of the same, certi- fied by Samuel Clement. This map was ordered to be placed in the office of the county clerk, and in that of the secretary of Western New Jersey.
A committee, consisting of Francis Battin, George Flannigan, and Thomas Denny, Esq., was appointed, in 1764. to join a like committee appointed by the board of justices and frecholders in Salem County, to run and mark the line between the two counties, pur- suant to an act of Assembly. Thomas Denny was appointed surveyor for this purpose. This committee, in June, 1765, reported that they had accomplished this work as directed.
In 1765 the justices and freeholders ordered that the arms belonging to the county be divided into four equal lots and delivered. one lot to John Hinehman and John Mickle, one to Samuel Harrison and John Rider, one to Alexander Randall and George Flan- nigan, and the fourth to Michael Fisher and John Sparks. These commissioners were directed to sell the arms delivered to them, and account for their doings to the board. This was done, and the proceeds were paid over to the county collector.
-
CHAPTER XXVI.
ROADS AND BRIDGES.
IT is not practicable, within reasonable limits, to give a full history of the highways and bridges in this county which changing circumstances have necessi- tated within the last two centuries. Here, as in other regions, roads were constructed to supply the imme- diate apparent wants of the people at the time, ratber than to meet possible or even probable future exigen- eies, and when onee these highways were established, their influence in directing the subsequent develop- ment of the region was potent. A few only of the earliest highways and bridges can be noticed here, and knowledge of these is limited to the meagre statements concerning them which are to be found in old records.
It must be remembered that early immigrants came here by way of the Delaware River, and that the first settlements were made on that river or on its navigable affinents. The first paths and roads, of course, were made from these into the surrounding country in those directions in which the tide of set- tlement happened to flow. These roads, in a short time, met each other and became thoroughfares be- tween the settlements, with lateral branches running
from them, to be abandoned or changed, as circum- stances required, when the country became more thickly inhabited. Thoroughfares were, however, in some instances established between distant and im- portant points, or those which appeared likely to become important.
The Old King's Highway .- One of these, the old King's Highway, leading from Perth Amboy. or Perth Town, as it was called two hundred years ago, to Salem, was first " surveyed, set forth, and laid out" in two sep- arate and distinct sections or parts. The first, from Burlington to Salem, was directed to be laid out in the year 1681 by the General Assembly of the prov- ince of Jersey, at Burlington, while in a state of sep- aration from East Jersey. The following is a copy of the act by which it was authorized :
" Be it also further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that there shall be a highway surveyed and set forth between Burlington and Salem, the same to be begun at or before the first day of the second month next, and that twenty men in the whole shall be appointed for said work, ten thereof from Burlington and ten frein Salem." 1
Between Burlington and Perth Amboy it was di- rected to be laid out in 1683. The width of this great highway, as they called it at that time, was not men- tioned in the act, but that it was laid out and opened of the width of six rods there can be no doubt. The general law of the province of New Jersey, and after- ward of the State, recognized public roads of that width, that is, from four to six rods, but in 1799 an act was passed " that every public road or highway which should hereafter be laid out, should not be more than four nor less than two rods wide," and the former regulation was repealed. This is the present law. though it was enacted in 1871 that a greater width, if the applicants desired it, should be specified in the application for the road. In 1879 this was repealed, and public roads may not now be more than four nor less than two rods in width.
Again, in May, 1799, an act to alter part of the public road in the township of Greenwich, in the county of Gloucester, leading from Woodbury to Salem, was passed as follows:
" Be it enacted, d.c., that so much of the road called Salem Road as runs through the tract of laud belonging to Thomas Clark be, and the same is, hereby vacated and made void, provided nevertheless, and it is further enacted, that a road, sic ruds in width, beginning in the middle of said Salem road, between the said Thomas Clark's house and samuel Mickle's house, and thence running along the line between said Samuel Mickle's land and said Thomas ('lark's land south fifty-three degrees and thirty minutes west, forty-four chains and twenty links to the middle of said salem road at Samuel Tomkins' line, shall be and the same is hereby es- tablished as a public highway in the place and stead of the road hereby vacated and made void."
The Legislature at that time would not have passed the foregoing law to replace the forty-four chains and twenty links of king's highway vaeated by a six-rod road, unless the whole of it had been laid out of that width.
An act was passed, in 1790, appointing commissioners
I Laws passed in West Jersey in 1081, page 435.
113
GENERAL HISTORY.
to alter, relay, and vacate a part of a sir-rod road in Woodbridge township, Middlesex County. The Legis- iature would not have passed this act except for the reason above given.
The actual width of this old road in the city of Woodbury, and in the towns of Clark boro and Swedesboro, when the houses were erected on or near the boundary of the street, was six rods; and in Swedesboro it is six rode by actual measurement. This road, having been laid by authority of the Council and General Assembly of the State, could not be vacated or altered by any inferior power, until a law was passed authorizing such road- to be vacated and altered by surveyors of highways appointed by the court. What the State had done or ordered to be done by the supreme power thereof could not be un- done except by the same power.
Although this road was, in 1799, declared unalter- able, it was, in 1821, made subject to the same laws that govern other roads.
This road was subsequently altered and straight- ened. but it continued as a publie highway till 1851, i when it was vacated, and became the Salem and Gloucester turnpike.
Action of Court concerning Roads and Bridges. -The following extracts from the minutes of the court, which was at first the legislative as well as the judicial department of the county government, show at the same time what were some of the earliest roads that were established by authority, and how they were established. These extraets also show some of the earliest acts of the county authorities eoneerning bridges, the erection, rebuilding, and repair of which have ever since engaged a large share of the attention of the county legislative board.
The following entry appears in the court record for "the 14th day of April." 1087:
" Whereas, there were severall persons snmoned to make the Roade betwixt Salem and Burlington, by Wooly Dalho, one of the surveyors within the lower Division of ye County of Gloucester, and these per- -ous following Refusing or neglecting to appear, or doe their proportion of that work, viz .: Martin Holt, Edward Eglington, ThonMis Matthews, Thomas Gardiner, James Thomas, John Post, and the occupyers of James Sanderlin's plantation, the Grand Jury did present, and with the Comment and Concurence of the Court, fined each and every of the foresaid persoos six shillings a piece, and the clark was ordered to give a warrant to leavy ye same by way of Di-tress," etc.
In the record for the December term, 1687, it ap- pears that Francis Collins was engaged to build a bridge " over ye upper Branch of Gloucester River;" and at the same term
"Complaynt being made to ye Grand Jury for ye want of sufficient Briviges in five soverall places in ye pt of ye Road leading to Salem, wch ought to be made good by Audrew Robeson Jr., and Wooley Dalbo, overseers of ye Highways, wchi Said person> ye Grand Jury doe present for their neglect and default. Therein the Court orders that if ye Bridges be not good, and ye way passable without danger, ou or before Je loth day of ye 2nd mouth next, the overseers shall be severely fyned a: ye discretion of ye court."
From time to time the grand jury, "ye Beneh as- senting," appointed persons to construct or repair bridges or roads as appeared necessary. 8
At the June session of the court, in 1696,
" the Grand Jury Present ye necessity of making Bridges marking and mending ye way leading towards great Egg harbour. Propose Julin Inge, Jr., Tuomas Sharp, and Tho Gardiner, or any two of them, with all Convenient Speed to view ye sil Road for about Ten miles from Gloers- ter, In order to have ye same mended, marked &e as above, and the persons doing je sd work to be paid ont of ye County Tax. To all which ye Bruch as-ents."
" Jaimes Steelman, Elected Overseer of ye Highways, to mik and make the Road from Egg harbour towards iHocester, and that he have power to summon together ye Inhabitants of Egg harbour to ve por- Pose. "
"Julio Hopman, elected overseer of ye high ways for ye Township of Greenwich. "
June 1, 1697,
" the tirand Jury present ye necessity of a new Road to be laid ont aud made from ye fals of oldman's creek to yo mouth of Glocester River, and so from Elias Hneg's up to ye old Road, in ye most Convenient place, and order Andrew Robeson and Wm. Palboe to lay forth ye same on Je lower side of Gloster River, and Thomas Sharp to se ye same Effected from Elias Hugg's up ye old Roade, To wch ye Bench assents, and order ye performanre of ye same with all convenient expedition."
At the next court, in September of the same year,
"the Grand Jury present ye northerly Branch of Glocester River, and ye logg bridge in ye fork thereof. The Bench order a speedy repair of ye same."
The road between Gloucester and Great Egg Harbor was presented by the Grand Jury in September, 1698, and the Bench ordered that it be repaired.
The first record of a road established after the ter- mination of the proprietary government is as follows :
"Wee, whose names ar- heare Subscribed, Commissioners for the Highways for this County of Glocester, at the Request of Julin Wood & divers Others of the Neighbours, have laid ont a way for the use of the People in & about Dedford Township, and also others that may have Occasion for ye same, beginning at a marked Pine Sapling standing by the Path which Comes down from the Widow Laicons to John Woods howse, which sd marked Pine Saplin Stands about half amile from John Woods howse; from thence Eastwardly through the woods in a direct line as neare as Conveniently will allow, avoiding the Swamps and low wet grounds, to ye out Side of Henry Threadways Cleared Ground, and so to a fast landing upon the branch of Woodbury Creek, called Matthews his branch, where was formerly and now must be made a bridge Over the Said branch, and Caseway through ye Swamp to the fast land on ye Other Side ye branch ; from thence in a direct line to ye outward Corner of Thomas Nixons field, and So Along ye Outside of ye said field straight into ye Queens Roade, neare Debtford Bridge, which said Way is to be Sixteen ffoot wide.
" Dated this 8th day of angnet, 1708.
Signed : WILLM WARNER, MAT. MEDCALFE."
At the first recorded meeting of the justices and freeholders, April 5, 1715,
" the Managers Chose for the Rebuilding of Timber Creek Bridge are Constantine Wood and William Harrison, and to make itt in Breadth, from outside to outside, Eleven floot. the Sleepers & Campseils to be made of Good white oake. Got in a proppre Srate, and to Jutt over as is necessary to Rayle ye bridge in of Each Syde."
After this date the care of highways and bridges was exercised by the board of justices and frecholders till 1798, when the freeholders became the legislature of the county.
Jan 6, 1724. "Ordered by the Said Court, nyon application made by the upper part of ye "Township of Greenwich, that ye order for rebuilding of their part of Manto Creek Bridge be sett aside; and that the Inhab- itants aforesaid be allowed to do it by day Labour as formerly, Provided they do it with what speed may be, and according to ye Dementions
114
HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER COUNTY.
agreed upon By ye overseers, Justices, Ffrecholders, and Surveyors, mett together for that purpose at The House of Robert Gerrards, a copy of wch Steven Jones and John Young are to be Served with, and that yo Tax Levyed for ye doing said work be dropped, and they that have paid the same be Reimbursed."
Managers were at many different times appointed for the repair of bridges, especially Timber Creek bridge, and finally, at the meeting Jan. 15, 1789,
" Samt. Harrison & Geo. Ward, who were at ye Last meeting appointed managers to repair Great Timber Creek Bridge, on viewing ye sd Bridge find it not to be in a Condition to be repaired, but that it must be Re- built ; and therefore the Board order that the Sum of one hundred & sixty Pounds be Raised for ye Building ye sd Bridge, & for the Country's use, and that ye sd Sum be Levied as follows," etc.
Great Timber Creek bridge was often repaired by order of the freeholders, and in 1773 it was rebuilt at a cost of £202 1s. 7d. The commissioners or man- agers for rebuilding it were John Hinchman, Isaac Mickle, Joshua Lord, and Joseph Hugg.
In 1794 the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds, Great Timber Creek, or that part belonging to the County of Glon- cester."
in addition to fifty pounds directed by law, was ap- propriated for "laying out and clearing the publick road directed by law to be laid out from Woodbury to Bridgetown;" also thirty-five pounds for similar work on the Mount Holly road. In 1795 five hun- dred pounds were ordered to be collected in the town- ships of Waterford, Newtown, Gloucestertown, Dept- ford, Greenwich, and Woolwich for expenditure on the same roads.
Seven hundred pounds were ordered to be raised, in 1798, to be expended on the road from Woodbury to Bridgeton and Roadston in Cumberland County. The commissioners for opening this road were Aaron Pancoast, Thomas Carpenter, and Joshua L. Howell.
In 1799 the proprietors of the lower bridge over Raccoon Creek relinquished their claim to the same, and the bridge, by the action of the treeholders, was accepted as public property.
These few extracts from the proceedings of the court, and afterwards of the board of freeholders, are sufficient to show what was the system of man- agement of roads and bridges in early times. It is not practicable to make further mention here of par- ticular roads or bridges. No striking change or improvement in highways was made during many years. The character of the soil was such that if roads were much used it was difficult to trausport heavy loads over them, by reason of the depth to which the sand became loosened.
Turnpikes .- About the year 1850 what has been termed the " turnpike mania" began to prevail, and within a decade many toll-roads were built in the county. These roads soon came to be regarded with great favor by the people, because of the greatly im- proved facilities for travel and transportation which they afforded, and in many cases the public high ways were vacated, and the right of way was freely given to turnpike companies.
In 1849 the board of freeholders adopted a reso- lution
"to give to the Mullica Hill and Woodbury Turnpike Co. all the County bridges, and the material therein contained, which may be upon the road now about to be constructed by said Company between Mullica Hill and Woodbury without any charge and expense."
In 1850 the board of freeholders adopted the fol- lowing preamble and resolution :
" WHEREAS, The Legislature of this State has recently passed several laws incorporating Turnpike companies in the County of Gloucester, an- thorizing said companies to construct turnpike or plank roads on public bighways in said county, upon their being vacated according to law and whereas, this board are of the opinion that the interests of the County will thereby be relieved from the expense of maintaining the bridges upon said roads :
" Therefore, Resolved, That this board do hereby agree to give to the Woodbury and Gloucester Plank road and turnpike company all the Conuity Bridges, and material therein contained, which may be upon said road, as shall be turnpiked or planked, without any charge there- for. Provided, however, that if the said company (from any canse) shall not continue in operation, that then the county bridges on said road sball revert to and become the property of the county, the above grant being made upon this condition ; and also provided, that the said com- pany pay the expense lately incurred repairing the Truss Bridge over
In 1851 the same with reference to the bridges on the Salem and Gloucester Turnpike Company's road.
The Red Bank and Woodbury Turnpike Company was chartered, and the road built, in 1848, four miles in length; the Mullica Hill and Woodbury turnpike, eight miles in length, in 1849; and in 1853 a supple- ment to the charter of the first authorized the exten- sion of it through Woodbury, so as to connect the two. The effect of the construction of these roads was to enable farmers to carry seventy to one hundred baskets of produce at a load, where before they were limited to about thirty.
The Gloucester and Salem turnpike was soon built from Woodbury to Woodstown, through Berkeley, Clarksboro, and Swedesboro, as was also the Glouces- ter City turnpike, which was first a plank road, and afterwards was converted into a graveled road. The evident utility and success of these roads induced the construction of many others, some of which continue to be operated as toll-roads, while others have be- come public highways. Of these last it may truly be said that what was a loss to the companies was a gain to the public.
CHAPTER XXVIL.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
THE first action for the erection of any public buildings taken by the county authorities, which then consisted of the grand jury and "ye bench," was at a court held on the 2d day of December. 1689, between three and four years subsequent to the or- ganization of the county.
First County Prison .- The grand jury did at that time, in due form,
115
GENERAL HISTORY.
"present ye County of Gloucester for their not erecting a common E ale for the seeming uf prisoners, " whereupon " Damel Reading un- sertakes to build a go.de or logghouse of bfteen or sixteen fout square. provided be may have one Lott of Land conveyed to him and his bor irs forever ; and ye sd house to serve for a prison till ye county makes a common goole, or until ye al logge house shull with age be destroyed or middle insufficient for that purpose. And Wm. Hoyden undertakes to convey ye lott, he being paid thee ponuds for the same at or before ye next courte."
Second Prison and First Court-House .- The "logge house" thus provided was used as a jail till December, 1695, when it was
"Ordered that a prison be with all convenient expedition built six- teen feet long, twelve feet wide iu the clear, and eight foot high, to be made of loges, with a floor of loggs, above and below, covered with cedar shingles, and a partition in the middle."
Till that time the courts had been held at taverns or private houses ; but on the 1st of June, 1696, the preceding order was changed so as to require
"a prison of twenty foot long and sixteen wide, of a sufficient height and strength, made of loggs, to be erected and builded iu Gloucester, with a Court House over the same, of a convenient height and largeness, covered of and with cedar shingles, well and workmanlike to be made, and with all convenient expedition finished. Matthew Medcalfe and John Reading to be overseers or agents to lett the same or see the said buildings done and performed iu manner aforesaid, they to have money for carrying on of the said work of the last county tax."
The following entry on the record appears under date of the 5th of October, 1708:
" We, the Grand Inry for the county of Gloucester, being mett to- gether at Gloucester to consider of the present imergancies of the same. doe consider itt necessary that an addition be made to the Prison and Courtt House in the manner following, viz .: That it joyne to the sonth end of the ould one, to be made of stone and brick, twelve foot in the cleare, and two story high, with a stack of chimneys joyning to the ould house, aud that itt be uniform from ye foundation to the Court House."
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