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 82
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 82
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 82
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Fairs for the sale of all lawful goods were ap-
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HISTORY OF SALEM COUNTY.
pointed by law at Salem, on the 1st and 2d of May and on the 20th and Plet of October in each year, and it was provided that all should be free from arrest during the two days of the fair and during the two days next preceding and following it. These immu- nities came to be abused, and on the 15th of April, 1098, at a town-meeting,-
"It being then taken into consideration that since faire have been held in this town that forder is do Block from other parts, not only of this county, last of the nightoring ; rovince. do s .!! lipior by retati during the time of such fairs, thereby encroaching upon the privilege of the id alitents of this town, who orly are authorized, and none else, to sell by retail as aforestit :
" Be it therefore enacted, That no person or persons, frotu and after the date hereof, do prestithe to sell liquors by retail during the time of the fairs so held or to. to holden, either at the place of the fairs or within the limits thereof, but the inhabitants of this town only. And whyso- ever persons presuming, contrary to this act, to sell liquors as aforesaid, shall, upon information, be found guilty of the -aid breach, shall forfeit all lignets found in his enstedy at the said place of fiir, or anywhere within the linnts of this town of creek, to be seized l'y virtue of a war- rant from the burgess of thus to wni, wl., roof che-half of the said goods is to be allowed to the informer and the other half to the burgess.
" Signed, with consout of the meeting, nemine contradiceute. " WILLIAM HALL, " Burges."
Trade and Social Condition .- With the increase of population and of merchantable produce merchants established themselves at Salem and elsewhere, and a thriving trade was carried on. Usually a partner of each trading firen was located in New York, where most of the trade from here was then done, and to him consignment- were made. The articles of export were varions,-cedar posts, shingle-bolt-, shingles, staves, wheat, corn. beef, tallow, pork, and peltries of all kinds. On their return trips the vessels brought such goods as the people here needed for the supply of their wants, which were not then as numerous or varied as those which wealth and modern fashion create. The people who left their homes in England, and came here to enjoy the freedom of conscience and quiet that were denied them there, were ready to adapt themselves to their surroundings, to be satisfied with the results of their industry, and not to pine for the luxuries of the land they had left. The ground which they cleared and cultivated, and the forests and streams in which they hunted and fished, furnished them with more than sufficient to satisfy the demand- of appetite ; the industry of their wives and daughters supplied them with clothing, and in the free exercise of their religious opinions there were none to molest or make them afraid. In their -ocial relations there were none of the jealousies and rivalries that invade and embit- ter modern society. Each rejoiced in the prosperity of his neighbor, or sympathized with him in his ad- versity. Their visits to each other were without any of the conventional forms and ceremonies that modern fashion prescribes. They were anticipated with plea -- ure, and rememberel without regret.
Rangers, --- At that carly period the animals that were reared by the inhabitants were mostly permitted to roam at large in the forests, and for their own jay- tection the people procured the enactment of a law .
for the appointment of a chief ranger, who, as state ! by Johnson,' " was also euthanized to appoint depu- ties, if he thought proper, whose duties were to in k through the woods and waste lands, and take up a !! horses and other cattle over two years of age not having a brand or ear-mark, for such were to be at - counted -trays, and forfeited to the Lord Proprietar of the province, unless the person claiming could estah- lish his right of property therein before two justices of the peace. It was also the law that no person whatsoever should mark any of his beasts unless in the presence of some justice of the peace, constable. or chief ranger, under the penalty of twenty pound -. All these precautions were taken that the rightful owners in this kind of property might have it pro- tected in safety, for in those early days vast number> of horses and cattle were raised in the woods and marshes, and they were only brought into the in- closures for two or three months during the inelem- eney of winter. This ordinance of marking was de- signed to prevent dishonest people of the county, horse-coursers and drovers, from taking them away by stealth and converting them to their own use ; and no horse dealer or drover could pass his drove of beasts out of the province without a certificate from the ranger, or his deputy, or some justice of the peace, under penalty of the forfeiture of the whole of them."
Boundary Question, and Fishing Rights .- Be- tween the States of New Jersey and Delaware there exist conflicting claims of jurisdiction over a portion of the Delaware opposite the county of Salem. On the part of New Jersey the "film aqua," or centre thread of the river, is claimed as the boundary ; while Delaware claims jurisdiction to low-water mark on the eastern shore, including. of course. the right to control and regulate the fisheries in the entire width of the river. It is not proposed to enter into a dis- cussion of the legal que-tions which these adver-e claims involve, but simply to give a brief recital of the original titles on which they are based.
On the 12th of March, 1664, King Charles granted to the Duke of York, by patent, "all lands from the west side of the Connecticut to the east side of Dela- ware Bay." June 24th of the same year the Duke of York conveyed to Berkeley and Carteret " that por- tion of the lands called New Jersey from the west of Long Island to the Delaware Bay."
On the 6th of August. 1680, the Duke of York, hy a deed, confirmed to the trustee- in whom the title was then vested the moiety of the same territory, " and also the free use of all tays, rivers, and waters leading into of lying between the sud pretties, or any of them, in the said parts of America, for naviganos, free trade, leking, or other wise."
On the 24th of Augn-t, 1652, the Duke of York deeded
" to William Penn his heils and bestens, forever, all that the town of Noir Costin, otherwise called Delaware, and all that tract of hand lene
1 History of the Settlement of salem County, p. 74.
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GENERAL HISTORY.
. then the comptes or circle of twelve miles about the same, situate .me and being upon the mer Delaware, and all the islands in said vor Delaware, and the sand river, and the soil thereof lying north of a.theruthost part of snid circle of twrive miles about zandl town, 1 all the rights, titles, interests, powers, and property, claim, of de- And of the Duke in or to the same," etc.
On the 224 of March, 1682-83, about seven months Boter than the date of the above, Charles the Second conveyed, by patent, to the Duke of York the same premises that the duke had conveyed to William Penn, describing them as
"all that tract of lind lying within the compasso of a circle of twelve ; sales aboute the said towne, situato lying and being upon the River Iwlaware, and the said river and the soyle thereof lying north of the snithernmost parte of said circle of twelve miles about the said towne."
On these last two grants is based the claim of the State of Delaware, as the successor of William Penn, to the soil under the river Delaware, and the control of the fisheries in the entire width of the said river.
CHAPTER LVIIL.
AGRICULTURE IN SALEM COUNTY.1
THE agriculture of Salem County had its beginning with the first settlements. However rude in method , with the people who first settled here.
depended upon for subsistence, and formed the agri- , ern part of the county, carly settlements were made.
or limited in extent, the products of the soil were culture of the time. The parcels of land along the shore of the Delaware, first tilled by brave men from northern Europe, early in the seventeenth century, were farms, and their produce was the result of prim- itive efforts at land tillage in this part of the county. This began two hundred and fifty years ago, and has been continued for several generations, and the names of first settlers are still attached to portions of the same or other lands in the vicinity.
Farming operations in this part of the State have been conducted by the Swedes and Finns and their descendants, and by people from England, following Fenwick in his great work of founding a colony on the shore of this portion of New Jersey. Later, people from New England, New York, and neighbor- : ing counties of this State settled here, bought lands, converted them into farms, made homes for them- -elves and families, and bequeathed them to their children.
The character of the people who came here was marked by earnestness of purpose and habits of in- dustry. And of such it might be said that wherever they settled a successful agriculture would attend their efforts.
The ereeks of the county, in their course to the Delaware River and Bay, divide it into sections which have their characteristics of surface and soil. A con- -ideration of these shows their capability to form a Imsis of successful agriculture.
The principal part of the land north and west of Salem Creek is of a light character, better auded to the growth of corn and garden esenlents than to wheat and grass. There is, however, a number of valuable farms where the grains are raised, and tracts of valuable meadow for grazing and dairy purposes. The part west of the creek, constituting one of the townships of the county, contains good grain farms, with a large extent of good meadow land. It con- tains lands of light soil, well adapted to the growth of vegetables, readily marketed in the neighboring cities.
Much of the river side of the county is highly im- proved. Northward, and along the Delaware to Oldinan's Creek, the land is mainly of a light char- acter. There are, however, fine meadows and farms, producing abundantly in grain, especially in corn. Truck and melons of every variety are raised, and to a great extent. These are distributed to the markets of Wilmington, Chester, Philadelphia, New York, ; and Boston. This branch of farming favors the cut- ting of the land into small farms, and many of these are now to be seen. The facility with which the land is tilled, nearness to the great river, and ease of acces- to prospective markets were leading inducements
South of Alloways Creek, forming the southwest- Some of the first cultivated farms are in this sec- tion. Names of prezent landholders run back several generations, Nearness to navigation, tracts of land suited to farming, an exhaustless supply of fertilizing material for the uplands from the meadows, enabling owners to maintain or restore fertility, would, in the nature of things, attract attention and lead to farm- ing enterprise. Hence this portion was soon taken possession of, and made the basis of remunerative farming operations. Near the mouth of Alloways Creek, on its south side, there has long been a place of shipment, a convenient port for the farming com- munity and dealers in the agricultural prodnets of the adjacent country, at Haneoek's Bridge. A large acreage of meadow land has been seeded to herd- grass, the yearly returns from which in the seed alone materially add to the resources of the farmer. Owners of these lands are said to have bad for a period in the past a monopoly of the trade in herd- seed. The demand is continuous, though the price Las varied. The average price is stated to be fifty cents per bu-hel. South of Alloways Creek have been large tracts of heavy timber, which have been converted into ship-stuff, building material, and cord- wood. Of the last there is authority for saying that millions of tons have pared down this stream to market. The presence of white-oak timber indicates a heavy soil, and the cultivator of the land had heavy soils to till. So long as timber resources continued, - i little was done by way of land improvement. But the time came when these grew less, and the fields
1 By William H. Jteed.
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HISTORY OF SALEM COUNTY.
had to be improved. By the use of lime and other lands of this section it may be said to be s. fertilizers, they have been brought to a profitable con- dition. The reduced farm-lands of clay soils have been so managed that they produce good yields of wheat, grass, and corn.
A portion of this section of the county, to the southeast of Alloways, in the vicinity of Freasburg, contains lands of good natural quality, which are well . lands of the first quality of natural soil. The origi !. improved and cultivated. This is a part of the slightly elevated tract which divides the water falling thereon, a part flowing to the Cohansey, and a part to Allo- ways Creek. It is a continuation of a comparatively elevated portion of country, extending across the county from Gloucester to Cumberland.
From this towards the bay, and on the line be- tween Salem and Cumberland, there are marl-dig- gings along streams running into Stow Creek. The names of Minch, Hummell, House, and Ayers are counected with these beds as owners. This marl bas been used to a considerable extent, and its effects have proved very beneficial. It has been said of the Jands in the neighborhood (they had become so ex- hausted by continued cropping that wheat could not be raised, and the yield of corn was reduced from an average of fifty bushels to twenty bushels per acre), "The whole country about this marl out-crop has be- come a wheat-growing region instead of raising poor crops of rye." There is a skirting of light land next to Cumberland, and crops suited to such soils are cul- tivated. The capabilities of the soil appear from what is now raised, and what is raised on similar soils in other parts.
That section of the county lying between the creeks, Salem and Alloways, and along the branches of the former above tide-water. contains the principal part of the farm-lands of the county. It comprises the middle portion. It extends from river and bay- shore, between the mouth- of the creeks. A line running midway between the creeks, first northeast- erly and then easterly, to the ridge of land in Upper Pittsgrove township, which divides the waters run- ning into Salem Creek from those running into Mau- rice River, would be about twenty miles. The coun- try for several miles from the shore is level and savanna-like. It then become- slightly rolling, and is a succession of hill and dale on to the centre of the county, and even to that part ou which the streams take opposite direction-, some flowing to the east and others to the west. About the middle of the county this section, following the line of the Pile purchase of ten thousand acres, the line between Pile-grove and Upper Penn's Neck townships, spreads out in a north- erly and westerly direction to Oldman's Creek, and southerly to the north branch of Alloway. Creek. Forty per cent. of the acreage of the county, dednet- ing tide-mar-h lands out-ide, is contained within the limits of the midland section. The tide-marsh lands inside cover six thou-and acres.
Of the natural quality of the great body of the
Every variety of soil found in this part of the >: .:. is to be found here. The clay-loum is con-idered i predominate. The level lands of lower Manning: have long been known for their productive capack. Farther inland, the ridges, upoa which grow :.. hickory and the walnut, are regarded as containit :
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capacity of these has been estimated at fifty bu-he .- and upwards of corn to the acre. Continued fal:,- ing, without adequate return of fertilizing matt ;. brought them, however, to a low state of productis .. ness. Of the lower portion of the middle section of the county it may be said that farmers there hav- been and are especially favored in the possession of tracts of meadow that annually yield a growth which. notwithstanding it may vary in quality, has from tip beginning been a material support to the adjacent upland. The meadows themselves, to an extent. have been made to yield corn, wbeat, and other pro- duce. Large outlays of time and means have been expended in banking, ditching, and general car .- taking of the meadows.
In bringing the farm-lands near the meadows t. their present condition of productiveness the mendon growth has not been depended upon alone. Lin : and other fertilizers have been extensively used. P. the past, when the farms of the upper part of the county had become reduced by long tillage, the pri- ucts of the upper portion-timber, in the form ... frame-stuff, posts, rails, etc .- were exchanged for !!:. hay of the low lands.
Cattle from the farins above were pastured, a pat: of the season, on the meadows below. Meadow land was purchased by farmers in the interior, to seetre the supply needed, in hay and pasture, to email .. them to carry the stock desired. Farms wit .. meadows attached have been regarded as especial'; valuable. Of this part of the county, first settled !; Fenwick and his followers, it is considered that be: few places could have been selected on the coast; New Jersey where the success of a farming con .. munity could have been better a -= ured.
The eastern end of the county has, to a great er- tent, been covered with timber even to a late d :. and at present there is a growth of timber on a luat proportion of it. In the past the timber has !.. .. worked to profit by business men of the neigh! ! hood. There are tracts that have been occup ! ... farmis for many years. These, like other, more :.. vored, were reduced by a long course of farming. . . have been well improved of late years, and now i comfortable homes and farms yielding fair return-
The new settlements to the cast, in the adj c". counties, have made a market for the produce of : part of the county, and given an impetus to 1: improvement there. . . . Farming in the cent! !! ! southeast-central parts of the county, embracing " two town-lips of Pibegrove and Upper Pitests
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GENERAL HISTORY.
lors had its clearly-marked periods. There was a simre when the natural fertility of the soil was de- pended upon, and but little was done to keep up its ; roluctivene -. Then followed insufficiency of crop returns, and the working of the timber was reported to in order to supply the deficiency. There were no tide-marsh lands in either of these townships. Lands of good natural soil were used for a long time before they became undesirable possessions. They did. how- ever, come to be of nominal value. At this time a number of owners parted with their farms, and went where good land could be obtained at low rates, or turned their attention to other pursuits.
This was a period of anxiety to those who re- mained. The future to the land-owners was not encouraging. It proved, however, that industry and energy, with earnestness of purpose, was to carry them through.
Marl .- It was during the third decade of the pres- ent century that it was discovered that marl was accessible within the limits of Salem County, and could be turned to publie benefit as a fertilizer. The existence of marl in Pilesgrove township had been recognized, and limitedly used, but was first regularly dug and put upon the market by Jonathan Riley, at Woodstown, in his meadow on the east side of the creek, near by the town. This was in the year 1826.
-atne time the lime and lime-earth from the land- of Allen. Ridgway. Elwell, Barber, and Bonner were inch and proftably used. Some mart was dug in the township of Upper Penn's Neck, principally at Seulltown, now Aubura.
It is estimated that at least twenty-five acres of marl-land have been dug in Pile-grove township, and that over five hundred thousand tons, or eight mil- lion bushels of marl have been earted upon the lands of the two townships named, Pilesgrove and Pitts- grove, and that the greater part went into the latter township. A part of the lot first dug over was redug. some thirty years after, by the Dickinson Brothers, of Wood-town, and Mr. John Morris, of Philadel- phia. A floating dredging-machine was used. A hundred thousand tons were dug from the earth, out of which marl to the depth of from twenty to twenty- five feet had been dug; this in a period of nine years, seven by the Dickinson- and two by Morris.
The effect of the application of marl upon lands reduced in productiveness exceeded anticipation. Where wheat could not be raised before marling, soon after, excellent crops grew. Corn was increased from fifteen and twenty to forty, fifty, and sixty bushels per acre. Rye, which had been the principal winter grain, became a secondary crop. Where grass had been thin, and, indeed, where the Indian grass had been Reports of the use and benefit derived from marl in one of the upper counties of the State are said to have led to its trial upon lands here. It came into general use in a few years. The results proving satis- factory, it was sought by farmers in Pittsgrove, dis- tant from seven to nine miles. It was earted to and Counties, a still greater distance, and with the best results, even from the lightest applications. Such . and dairying has, to an extent, taken the place of fat- was the demand that pits were opened on the meadow-lot of William J. Shaw, adjoining, and just above on the creek, the lot where the first digging was made. prominent, clover and timothy grew in heavy burdens. Farms ranked with the best grain farms in the State. Fields suitable were set apart and prepared for per- manent grazing. These were used for this purpose a number of years, some for upwards of thirty years, making cattle among the best in the market. The beyond the line between Salem and Cumberland . competition of the Western with the Eastern trade in caldo bas of late years lessened the number flattened, tening of cattle. The raising of the Irish or round potato, so called, engaged the attention of farmers in the marl region as well as in other parts of the county. Marl was considered an advantage in raising this In a few years from ten to twelve acres were dug over, and the "chances" les-ening in value, on ac- count of the depth of uncovering, new openings were made about a mile to the west, on a branch of the creek, on lands of John Dickinson, Henry Allen, and Mrs. Abigail Wallace. Considerable marl was dug on land of Joli Wallace, on the creek, opposite the Shinn meadow. The marl-lands along the branch of the creek were extensively worked for a period of ten or twelve years, yielding an incalculable amount of marl. A number of farms in the township contained marl-land, and yielded thousands of tons, but those whose owners are named were most used by the public. crop, as the potato raised with marl was more uni- formily of a smooth appearance than when rai-ed with barn-yard manure alone. Large erops were raised. The price, which had been twelve, fifteen, and twenty cents per bu-hel, increased to forty, fifty, and some seasons, at gathering-time, to seventy-five cents and a dollar a bushel. The average price for a period of fifteen years, during the most prosperous time of potato-rai-ing, was sixty-four cent- per bushel. The yield, ou good land, by the aid of both marl and manure, was from a hundred and fifty to three hun- dred bushels per acre. 1 ea-e too important to be left to tradition should be recorded as a fact in the history of the agriculture of Salem County : it is that Samuel Lippincott, a thoroughly practical farmer, father of Samuel M. Lippincott, the present owner of the farm, early in the time of potato-raising, as a farm crop, succeeded in raising four hundred and twenty-
Good results from the application of marl to the lands of Pile-grove and Pitt-grove led to the digging of marl to a considerable extent in the township of Mannington, where pits of Atkinson, Prior, Pettit, Slape, and Bassett have been worked; and at the . tive ba-hols of marketable potatoes on each of several
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HISTORY OF SALEM COUNTY.
aeres planted. It will not surprise the reader to learn that the field was close by a bed of superior marl. Not only in this but in other parts of the county, where the conditions of soil and fertilizers were ade- quate, the returns from the cultivation of the potato were profitable. The prosperous period of potato- raising was between 1840 and 1860. As a consequence, under an improved condition of lands from the use of marl, and from the prices that obtained, land in- creased in value and in price. It rose from eight and ten dollars per acre to eighty and upwards, the most valuable from seventy and eighty to one hundred and ten and a hundred and twenty and twenty-five dol- lars per aere. Occasional instances of one hundred and fifty and a hundred and seventy-five dollars an aere were obtained.
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