USA > New Jersey > Salem County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 2 > Part 35
USA > New Jersey > Gloucester County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 2 > Part 35
USA > New Jersey > Cumberland County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 2 > Part 35
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The first person known to have settled where Bridgeton now is was Richard Hancock, who, after he ceased to be Fenwick's surveyor-general, came to this place, and built a saw-mill on the Indian Fields Rum, from which the run was sometimes called Mill C'reck.
The run at that time flowed up where the Pearl Street dam now is, and around on the north side of the lionses which stand on the north side of Pine Street, facing the present race-way to the stone bridge, and so on up as at the present day. At high water the pre-en! meadow, reaching up nearly to Commerce Street, south of the Episcopal Church, was covered with water. Hancock's dam crossed the stream near where the present Pine Street dam is, and his mill stood on the low ground just below it. In 1:72, Col. Enossedley, who had come in possession of the prop- erty, ent the presout race-way, and removed the say- ent stone bridge. He also built the present Pearl
They were followed within a few years by a large number of others from Connecticut and from East- , and across the Pine Street dam at the foot of the hill, hampton and Southampton, on Long Island, many of whom had removed to those towns from Connecticut. These settlers possessed the thrift and enterprise which has made New England proverbial. They and their descendants for many years wielded a pre- dominating ininence on the south side of the Co- han-cy, as all the region cast and south of that river was called, and Lave made an inenaccable mark upon the whole history of the county, whether viewed in , mill to the lower end of the race, just below the pres- is religions, social, ur politicai aspect. Their dc-
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Street dam at the same time. How long Hancock remained here is not now known.
The first permanent settlement in the neighbor. houd of Bridgeton was at the Indian Fields, where Bridge had run out his tract into twenty-five-acre lots, and soon sold them out. Some of the New Eng- land Town people sentled on this tract, and owned farms comprising several adjoining lots on Bridge's plan. Robert Hood. James Riley, and EJward Lum- mis were among the number, and their descendants retained the property which they bought until within the last twenty years, the last being disposed of during the spring of this year. William Dare, Jr., son of Capt. William Dare, who came from the county of Dorset, England, to this region, and who was .cet Sockwell was here previous to 1719. Butli ": sheriff of Salem County from December, 1703. to these have left numerons descendants. Dickin- a Sheppard, son of John, one of the first settlers of the: family, bought the land where Newport now is i :. - 1722. Part of it he sold to Thomas and David She ;.. pard, but his sons, Dickinson, Jr., and Jonadab. : 1! his son-in-law, William Paulin, succeeded him in tl .. ownership of a large portion of it, upon which the; September, 1705, bought several of these lots in IF10, and settled there. It was the farm on the south side ! of the run, directly south of the canning establish- ment of Warner, Rhodes & Co. His descendants re- tained it until about 1867. Ephraim Seeley, the eldest sun of Capt. Joseph Seeley, of New England Town, settled on the lots at the southeastern corner of ' lived, and some of their descendants have ever since the Indian Fichis tract, which included the present resided in that vicinity. Hezekiah Lare settled is pond on Bast Commerce Street, known as East Lake, ' this neighborhood about 1783, and bought a tract . ' and all the land east of the west line of the Com- ' eight hundred and ninety-three acres in Antus. Neek. Seth Lare, probably a son of Hezekiah, sc :. tled at Dividing Creek as early as 1751, and owned part of the land covered by the village.
merce Street Methodist Episcopal graveyard, and south of Irving Avenue, now mostly covered with residence>. He probably put up the dam, and built the first grist-mill and fulling-mill. He died in 1723, and willed the mill property to his son Ephraim.
With the same spirit of enterprise which brought the New England settlers to Fairfield. they and their descendants soon spread over other portions of the county. Quite a large number of the first-comers re- moved to Greenwich and Hopewell, as already men- ! tioned, and some years later they became the first Daniel England located at Buckshutam, and ins: settlers in Deerfield. Benjamin Davis resided in the . a saw-mill there previous to 1705, at which date !!.. lower part of Duck Neck, near the present excursion resort on Ben Davis' beach, called Sea Breeze, which beach received its name from him for over twenty-five years. Abont 1725 he bought one thousand acres of land of Col. Daniel Cox, of Burlington, part of the society's middle tract. lying south of the Presbyterian Church, to which he removed with his wife and family of five sons and two daughter-, from whom the large family of that name in Deerfield township have decendel. Samuel Ogden also removed to Deerfield about that time, and left descendants. Among the other familie-, de-cendants of the Fair- Geld settlers, who removed to Deerfield were some of the Padgetts, Parvines, and Strattons.
large land-owner in Back Neck and in Lebanon Coi . Swamp, and was sherid' of Salem County from I .. ceiaber, 1703. to September. 1505, and hell var .... other important offices. He removed to Antuxit ! ! vivas to 1719, and died there in 1720. HE. ... Benani re-ided there also for many years, but ... moved to Greenwich previous to his death, in IT ?! Jeremiah Nixson, who was probably the son of Joy. Nixson, who lived and died near Salem Creek 5. 1692, settled at Autuxit previous to 1719. He wa- shoemaker, and was the ancestor of the Nixon fam?'. of this county. who are among the leading citizen- ... later years. Elmand Shaw's descendant- early 5. moved to this neighborhood from Fairfield, and La ..
Gabriel Glann, the ancestor of the large family .. that name, who have resided mostly in Downe an: Commercial town-hips, settled in that region as ear .: as 1728. William Dallas soon after that time settle: at what is now Port Norris, and established a ferry across the river. from which the neighborhoo.1 w ..- called Dallas' Ferry for many years.'
road from Salein to Maurice River was laid, and >:5. re-iled there in 1717. :
The earliest settlements along Maurice River we !. made by the Swedes, among them being the ance -! -- of the Hoffman, Peterson, Vanneman, Eric's. . " Lord, Henderson, and Riggins families of that nei ;.. hood. Andrew Errick-on rented from Thomas Byer a tract of land on the east side of Manrice Hiv .: near its mouth, as early as 1720, and in 1724 ! bought the same from Byerly. Joseph Lord of Joseph Thompson were also settlers who rented . Byerly as early as 1720. Peter Peterson settled at built on the east bank of the river, just above l' .: Norris, on the farm now or luiely owned by s. R. . .. . . son, about the same time John Peterson settle! .. the land where Mauricdown bow is, in 1701. .. owned a number of tract, of land near there liam Rawson settled on the Menantico, and ban.
The region about Newport, or Autuxit. as it wa- called until later years, had a few settlers at an early date. Garret Garrison and Jolin Garrison were there in 1710, and are probably the ancestors of the families of that name re-iding in that part of the county. . mill afterward- Leaming's mill previous to :26 Caja. Willian Dare came from Dor-et-hire, England. and about that time John Purple brought the and settled in Fairfield as early a- 1996, and was a , where Port Elizabeth now stands. Among ".
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GENERAL HISTORY.
varly residents along Maurice River were Daniel Dunaho, William Denton, Samuel Thompson, and William Reed, none of whom, as far as known, have descendants in the county.
At the organization of this county Greenwich was nearly the only place that could be called even a vil- lage. The New England Town settlers were located on their farms, with their church and a school-house as a common centre, but very few of the hou-es were clustered together, and the title of neighborhood better describe, it than either town or village. At Cohansey Bridge were not more than a dozen seat- tered houses, with one or two exceptions, all on the west side of the river.
The Deerfield people were located on their farms, with their church as a centre. At Indian Fields, a mile east of Bridgeton, was a small neighborhood, while at Cohansey Corners (now Shiloh ) and Sayre's Cross-Roads (now Roadstown) were, at most, two or three houses. At Autuxit and along Maurice River were scattered settlers, and the sites of Millville and Vineland were still covered with the primeval forest.
In the settlement of this county, as in all this por- tion of the State. the religious element was promi- nent. The Friends at Greenwich, the Baptists in Back Neck and about Bowentown, and the Presby- terians at New England Town and in Greenwich and Lower Hopewell, and at a later date at Deerfield, all brought with them strong attachments for their respective beliefs, and were earnest and active in propagating them. No sooner were they fairly set- tled than they turned their attention to perfecting their religious organizations and building houses of worship for themselves. That stability of character, uprightness, and purity of life which has ever marked the earnest believer in Divine truth were especially prominent in these early settlers, and have left an indelible impress on the whole history and progress of this county.
CHAPTER LXXX.
ROADS.
TitE early settlements were made along the streams, which afforded means of communication with one an- other and with other portions of the province. The need of landl communication was foreseen, and by the. Concessions and Agreements it was provided that convenient portions of land should be granted for highways and street-, not under one hundred feet in breadth, in cities, towns, and villages. At the first A-sembly, held at Burlington, Nov. 21-28, 16sl. a highway was ordered laid out from Burlington to Salem, to be began before the Ist of the next Apri!, and that ten men frote Burlington and ten from . Salem should be appointed for that work. This road
was laid out as ordered, and passed through Haddon- fell and Woodbury, and near where Clark-boro now is, and Swedesboro to Salem.
One of the corners of the Gibbon survey, made Nov. 15, 1682, is a white oak "standing near the Path which leads to Cohansey or Antioch Town Platt ; thence N.N. E. along the Path to a white-oak standing by the Path near the Pine Mount." The map annexed to the survey shows "the path" ran- ning from Antioch or Greenwich Town northward across the whole tract in two nearly parallel branches, which separated at the town, and ran not very far apart, but gradually widened as they ran northward. One of these was undoubtedly the path to Salem, and the other probably led to the fording-place over the Cohansey at the present site of Bridgeton. The carly settlers followed the Indian paths, and the use of the term "the path" indicates that it could have been at . that time scarcely more than an Indian trail. The first roads that were laid out generally followed the old Indian paths.
In May, 1683, the Assembly authorized the courts of each county to appoint overseers of roads in each tenth. They continued to be appointed by the courts until June 8, 1753. when an act was passed author- izing them to be elected at the annual town-meetings. In May, 1684, a general act was passed for the laying out of highways in each tenth, and commissioners were appointed for that purpose, viz. : for Salem Tenth. Andrew Thompson, George Dracon, Thomas Smith, James Pierer. Edward Champneys, and Jo- seph White. Another act was passed which recited that application had been made by several inhabitants of Salem Tenth for laying out of necessary highways there, and then enacts that such highways should be laid out in Salem limits, and appoints the above six persons commissioners, or any four of them, to do it. Two of them resided in the limits of this county,- Thomas Smith at Greenwich, and James Pierce op- posite Greenwich, in Shrewsbury Neck. The same commissioners were reappointed the next year. What roads in this county were laid out by them is unknown, but there is little doubt a highway was laid from Salen to Greenwich, and. across the river to Fairfield and Maurice River, somewhere near where the road laid in 1705 was more definitely fixed, the "old road" being continually referred to at that time. Comumnu- nication with the seat of government at Burlington, on the part of the settlers west of the Cohansey, was by way of Salem, and the King's Highway from there. The coming of the body of Fairfield settlers, a short time previous to 1097, made a demand for a more direct route, and a road was laid out from Fair- field to Burlington about that time which i- still in Use, and is the oldest road east of the Cohansey, and, excepting Greenwich Street, is probably the chest road in the county which navires the some ground where it was first laid. It ran froyo New England Town 10 Mill Creek, above Fairtou, crossing it where
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
the mill then stood, below the present dam, then (o)- lowing the Indian path, it caused the Italian Field- tract about a mile cast of Bridgeton, and through the present Carll-burg, in Deerfield town-hip, and along the road a- now used, west of the West Jersey Railroad, by the Lutheran Chapel, through Green- ville. to the Pine Tavern, which for many years was a noted place for the entertainment of man and horse on the line between Salem and Gloucester Counties, but no longer a bo-telry, and from there through Mul- lica Hill to the road from Burlington In Salem, near Clarksboro. It ran nearly along the water-shed be- . tween the Cohansey and Maurice Rivers, and thus , avoided crossing the streams and more elevated ridges between them. No record of it existing, it was relaid in 1768 as a four-rod road, from the county line to the line of FautSell township at Coney's Run. It is still in general use, except the portion in that town-bip, and is well known as the old Burlington road. That part of it in the city of Bridgeton is now called Burlington Avenue.
In November or December, 1705, a four-rod road was laid out "for the broad Road therein the Province from Salem to Greenwich, thence to Fairfield, thence , were more definitely fixed. toward Morrisces River." but the return being lost . by the death of the clerk of the court, a second re- turn was made in February, 150 ;. It ran from the foot of Broadway, in Salem, up that street "where the horse Mill was formerly which Did belong to Edward Chamnis," ---
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"then to Alloways Creek over the bridge that was called Tob!is Quinton's Bridge to the old bulge at the head of the Cedar Swamps; then olong the old road to Gravely ruime [at Jericho; Su along the old road to Long Bridge [over the run stiil called long Bridge run, neat the residence of the late Belford M. Ponham, decidi, keeping the old Fond untill itt Con? to an Oak tree marked with the Letter it in corner of the Gillion Survey; thetice down on the West Side of Pine Wucht branch to the Old greing over Hace Into the Tunne X-che jat the head of Greenwich, between Timothy Brandretire Lots & Jonathan Wheatun's Lofts; Then along the old ruade to Greenwhich Landing a: the Whard" and over Cohanzes Crocke over against the Wharfe let the March which was Joties Pear cea, Thener along Je Marsh about Six pearche, from the Side of the Creche ontill it: C. meth to the fast Land between Janus l'earses Land and Mark Reeves Land and along the Leine keeping the old road to henery Rucks att Fairfield; then alur.ge on the North Side of that place of Wat s probably Bar's Creek, throw ye Lott That was Thenit- MasTills. Then korting the road along lo- the Meting house 'nt l'airdell' and along by J.noph zveiyes to Grime's Bridge, Thence keeping the O'bi roul uutill itt C. Dieth to the road that goeth to Daniell England's Saw- Mill. 10 Trocak Tries Standingon Each eide of the Ibavi marked with the Letters Mi. 31."
Judge Elmer says that Daniel England's mill was at Buckshutum, and that Grimes' Bridge was prob- ably over Rattlesnake Run, at Fairton. This road took the place of the old road, which was probably laid about 1684, by the commissioners appointed by the Assembly. It is substantially the same road in use at the present day, some portions of it, however, having been changed.
road to John Mason's mill, and so from thence i !.. . ye ohi road near Grav. By Run, and in to Cohan -. ; " 'Greenwich ;. John Mann's mill had been built . ; a short time. It is now known as Ma-kell's mill, an 1 is on the upper branch of Stow Creek, in Lower .1. loways Creek town-hip.
The survey for Robert Hutchinson, in 1686. m. a. tions the " place of going over to Richard Hancock . mill," which stood on the Indian Field- Run, wlara Pine Street crosses the old channel of the str. a !. near the Second Ward school-house, in Bridgeton. The Cohansey was fordable here at low water, bat whey the tide was in the fording-place was about one- third of the way up the present Tumbling Dam Point. from the point of land above Ireland's mill cove across to the eastern side. The earliest road frota Greenwich led across the Cohansey at this place, and then in a southeastern direction to the road from Fairfield to Burlington. A bridge over the Cohan-ey. where Commerce Street now is, was built previous to 1716, and the road was changed to cross this bridet. After the county was set off from Salem, most of the roads used, many of which had never been laid out,
The road from Greenwich, through the lower part of Springtown to Sheppard's mill, and then thrones Bowentown to Cohansey Bridge, was laid out June .. 1763. The next day a road was laid from Cohansey Bridge to Joseph Brick's mills, at Jericho. It began in the road just mentioned, where that turns to the southward towards Greenwich west of Bowentow !. and then ran to " Annanias Fayre's house" (lind- town), then along the road to where the oldl ru ;! runs to the southward at David Cook's farm, by .1-a Harner's, Stow Creek. town hall, to Nathan Harner's. and then to Jericha. The same day the road from Joseph Brick's mills to Greenwich was relaid, leaving the last road at Nathan Harner's, and along the romi as now used by the farm of Charles Bitters, aera -. the head of Macanippuck Brauch, and down to the head of Greenwich. This is almost identical with the road laid in 1705. Ou the following day the safe surveyora laid out a road leading from Greenwich 1) the county line near Canton, across the head ni Seeley's mill-poud, and along where the lower Stor Creek sel:ool-house now stands. On the 5th and Stb days of the same month the same surveyors had fe- laid the road dividing Stow Creek from Hopewell, from the county line through Shiloh, Road-town, and Springtown, to the main street at Greenwich, at the Presbyterian meeting-house. This road wa, again laid out and straightened in 1700 by commissioner- appointel to lay out a road from Roalstown to Car den, since which it has been known as the Cot: missioner-' road.
In August of the same year a road was also hi from Carllown tas the neighborhood around ti. cro-road alove Columbia Corner, in Stowe 're
Sept. 21. 1709, the surveyors of the highways made return of another four-rod road from Salem to Co- hansey, by way of John Hancock's bridge, over Alloway's Creek, and then "along ye new marked township, was called for many years, crossing :
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GENERAL HISTORY.
present turnpike near the upper toll-gate, and along the southerly side of the county line stream to Jeri- cho, then along the road laid out the same year from Cohansey Bridge to Brick's mills to the place where Nathan Jlarner now lives, and then a general westerly course to John Barraelin's landing, on Stow Creek ( now called Stow Creek Landing). This gave the resi- dents of the upper parts of Stow Creek and Hopewell access both to Brick's mills and to a landing on which to deliver cordwood and lumber, a large business in wood being done for many years at every landing throughout the county, until the decreased supply lessened the business.
A road from Bridgeton to Dutch Neck was laid out in 175s, aud in 1796 it was altered and run as it is now, Fayette Street being the northerly end of it.
The straight road from Bridgeton to Road-town was first laid in June, 1789, but a certiorari was taken to the Supreme Court, and it was set aside at April term, 1791. A new application to the surveyors was made, and it was again laid, as it is now, ia January, 1702. A certiorari to set this return aside was also brought, but the Supreme Court dismissed it.
No record is known of the road leading from Co- hansey Bridge through the lower townships until 1763, although such a road existed prior to that date. In that year a four-rod road was laid from the bridge over the Cohansey up Commerce Street ; then turn- ing to the south near the Commerce Street Method- i-t Episcopal Church, it crossed the bridge over the head of the Hancock mill-pond, and up the hill to the old road, and from there to Joseph Ogden's mill- dam, at Fairton, which was lower down the stream than the present one. This road was extended to Dallas' Ferry in about a month, crossing Rattlesnake Gut; then to the cross-roads at New England Town, and along the road by the present farm of Harris Ogden to Cedarville, Middle Run, Shaw's mill, at Antuxit (then called Ogden's Mill), over Oranoken at the Beaver Diun, across Dividing Creek brilge, and to the Maurice River at Dallas' Ferry, by which name Port Norris wa- known for many years. The beginning of this road was changed in 1785, so as to run down Pearl Street from John Westcott's store-
house, which then stood on the southeast corner of Commerce and Pearl Streets, to Enos Seeley's land. and over his dam and mill-race, and then up what is now Willow Street to an intersection with the ok! road.
The road from the King's Highway, leading to Di- viding Creek through the present village of New- port, to Autuxit Landing was laid out in 1760 through Dickinson Shepherd's fehl-, he being the owner of fourteen hundred acres of land covering the location of this road. In 1799 the part from Newport to the Fast Landing on Autuxit was relaid.
The road from Port Norris northward through Ha- leyville to Buckshutum was laid out in 1793.
The straight road from Bridgeton to Fairton was laid in 1795; that from Fairton to the "Old Stone Church," in 1803; from New England Town, by the farm where ITarris Ogden now lives and the "Old Stone Church." to Cedarville mill-dam, in 1799; and from that dam direct to David Page's mill, on Au- tuxit Creek, in 1803; and the present road from said mill to the beaver dam on Oranoken, in the same year.
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A four-rod road was laid from Bridgeton, through May 12, 1697, "An Act for a road to and from Cape May" was passed, reciting " Whereas, The inhabitants of Cape May County do represent themselves as under extreme hardship for want of a road from Cape May, through their county, to Cohansey, in order to their repair to Burlington to attend the publie service," and appointed commissioners residing in Cape May to lay out a road before the 19th day of the next Sep- tember, the expense of the road to be borne by the inhabitants of Cape May. How soon it was laid ont it was opened through the cedar swamps extending across the entire county from the head of Dennis Creek to the head of Cedar Swamp Creek, a branch of Tuckahoe River. Deerfield to the county ling, in 1763, and in 1796 it was straightened and relaid from Commerce up Lan- rel Street, and the course of the present turnpike road to Loper's Run, and in IsIl from that run to Deerfield. The road from Bridgeton to Carll's Cor- ner, up the present North Pearl Street, was laid out in 1511, beginning at Irving Avenue and running the course of the present road. The straight road from Bridgeton through Indian Fields was laid in 1811, and those from Bridgeton to Shiloh, and from the . is not known, but it was not finished until 1707, when Commissioners' road above Shiloh, northwest to Marlboro in 1825, in which year the road from Shep- pard's mill, over the causeway to the lower part of Greenwich, was also laid out.
These swamps were the great obstacle to intereour-e by land between the more inhabited portions of Cape May below the swamps and the western part of the county and other portions of the province.1 Cape May County then inelnded all east of Maurice River, it not being reduced to its present limits until 1710.
The road ero-sed the cedar swamps above Dennis- ville at the bridge called Long Bridge, and farther north it is the present fine between this county and that portion of Maurice River township set off to Cape May in 1878; then it ran northwest across the head of Tarkiln Branch, which empties into Tuckahoe River ; then bears to the eastward around the head-waters of Muskee Creck and its branches; then a northwest course, a little south of the present straight road from Cumberland Furnace to Hunter's Mill, to Manamus. kin Creek, at Cumberland Furnace or Manamuskin Manor ; then across che Menantico at Leaming's Mill and Maurice River above the tide, erossing Chatfield
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