USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > Narratives of Newark (in New Jersey) from the days of its founding > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
55
SYSTEM OF TAXATION INAUGURATED
will pass and is Accepted Between Man and Man upon the place, and the Town hath made choice of Henry Lyon to be their Town Treasurer for the Year Insueing, or until the first of January come Twelve Months."
Tillers of the soil made their way to Johnson's home and paid their stipulated tithe corn on the cob, shelled corn, wheat, pork, wood, pelts of wild animals; in fact, anything allowed in the way of exchange.
The treasurer took account of stock, handed a receipt to the collector and then proceeded to liquidate town obliga- tions. First a portion was returned to Johnson, for he was "Allowed Eight Shillings for His Son's beating the drum this Year, and Repairing the remainder of the Year." Corn was rated at three shillings per bushel, so the father of the drummer carefully measured two bushels and two-thirds of a bushel, good measure, of corn as his son's compensation. This allowance was rated at about 96 cents. Later, how- ever, the drummer received a large increase in his annual salary, it being fixed at five shillings per month or about $7.50 for the year.
Other items of the first tax levy were seventeen pounds for building the Meeting House, five pounds and more for raising and supplying nails in construction, and incidentals for erecting town pound, corn mill appropriation and sun- dries.
Five years later the Puritan was dilatory in squaring his account with the tax collector. Debate on the levy for 1671-1672 waited till the harvest was stored and then two days were required to complete the business, as the record shows:
Town Meeting 14th Nov'r, 1671, which Meeting adjourned to the 26th Inst. to finish what they Cou'd Not due this day; and Concerning rates it was agreed that all rates that shall be levied this Present Year. (Except the Lord rent and Surveying of Land), should be made and Levied by Persons Valued at 1s. 4d. per Head, by Lands the Home Lotts rateable at three half Pence pr Acre, and for the First division of Upland and Meadow
56
NARRATIVES OF NEWARK
to Goe at 1d. pr. Acre, and for the Second of land Not to be rated this Year; also Cattle to be rated as they were last year; and Concerning the Lord rent and Surveying of Land, the Charges thereof to be levied by lands only, which rates was Ordered as follows, viz: a Rate of 50 pounds was Granted to be Levied forth- with, to answer the Occasions of the Town, and where to any Unto whom they are Indebted.
Item-a rate of 20 pounds was ordered to be made to pay the Charges of Surveying Lands; which Monies are to be paid into the Treasurer's Hands.
Item-its agreed that a List of every Man's Estate Shall be Brought in to the men apointed, Between this and the 2d Decemb'r Next, and Every one that dwells in the North End of the Town to Serj't Jno. Ward, and those of the South End to Thos. Johnson, under RESCITE the Penalty of 6d. to be charged to the rates of any that are defective, ISSONS 1 having Had Notice of this order which 6d. Shall be Taken out of the The Lord Baltimore Shilling Rates of Those Men, that are put upon the trouble to get it; and the Men Appointed to make the rates are Mr. Obadiah Bruen, Serj't Jno. Ward, Thos. Johnson, Jno. Curtis and Jno. Brown, Jun'r, who are desired to attend the work and Issue It as soon as they Can: the prizes of Corn and flesh are the same as it's Expressed in the Country Laws.
Unresponsive were some of the planters to this appeal, their procrastination making the more prompt brethren nervous as the winter grew on apace. Delinquents must be brought to a knowledge of their civic duty, it was declared at the town meeting on January 1, 1671. Various motions were offered and then this item was made of record:
The Rates made for the Town were read and Published, and its agreed that every Man should pay his proportion to the Treas- urer between this and 10th Feb'y Next, or else the Constable, by order must destrain for it.
Indignation prevailed, rising and falling in about the same
William Meeker Homestead (1674) at Lyons Farms, near Elizabeth
57
SYSTEM OF TAXATION INAUGURATED
proportion that the mercury does in the barometer indicating atmospheric changes. Evidences are not lacking that a re- bellious spirit was exhibited against the word "distrain," culminating at the meeting on August 10, 1673, in a serious dispute. Expletives were injected into the discussion and several of the planters were called to account for unruly con- duct. The disturbance arose over the manner of raising the rate. Charges were made of individual attempts to dodge reasonable taxation. While the Recorder was writing the spicy particles of speech in the town book, including adjectives (Puritan), fearful looking on paper, he well knew they would all be expunged of record. This, for reasons un- explained, was not done, however, till February 25, 1675, two years and a half later.
Puritan temper moderated on November 14, when the business of compelling the planters to pay their share of taxes was discussed in orderly manner. Then it was "Agreed that every Man shall Bring in a List of their Estates to Jno. Curtis and Jno. Brown, Jun'r Next day after this Meeting; and if it's known they Leave out any of their Estates they shall forfeit 5s. in the pound; and if any Do not Bring in their Estates Timely, the said Johns shall have Is. for every one they Fetch." Some of the August temperature remained, but it was dropping by de- grees. A motion prevailed that "All Swine and Cattle that are Rateable which are now a Live, or hath been killed since August shall be Rated." Another resolution reads: "It's Agreed, that all land shall be a Like Rated Now and Hereafter, upon Condition that there may be no more dis- turbance in Town about the way of Rateing; Lands at 1d. pr. Acre, Cattle of all kinds as formerly."
This insight into the manner of raising taxes in the early days indicates that not the least of the troubles of the founders was equitable distribution of the burden of main- taining town government.
1
CHAPTER X
EXTERMINATING THE WOLF
T THE trials of the early Newark householders were com- plex. The proverbial Puritan patience was exhausted by the depredations of wild animals. Wolves strayed at will from their lairs above the ridge (where High Street now crosses) and a variety of game abounded within the two purchases extending from the river to the mountain-top. This well-watered land was a paradise for the feathered tribe and for the wild animals darting here and there through the thicket.
The young men, tramping through the woods and view- ing the wide-spreading vista from the rocky eminence at the western town limits, discovered several nests of eagles at the highest point, which became famous as a lookout station for Washington's scouts during the Revolutionary War. Turkey Eagle Rock was known far and wide and the name, abbreviated, has abided ever since. The striking beauty of the spot has made it an ideal retreat for the nature lover. Now included in the Essex County chain of parks, Eagle Rock has been saved for all time, though much of its former ruggedness has disappeared.
When winter snows were upon the ground the wild animals, nearly crazed for the want of food, stealthily ap- proached the clearings under cover of night. Wolves were the chief annoyers, and their need of satisfying meals sent them searching for live stock. They even attacked horses and oxen. It was no uncommon occurrence for a housewife, upon opening her door, to see snarling wolves displaying their fangs as they prowled about the yard. Bears also ap- peared at the doorways, but were more cautious.
Efforts were made in the very beginning of the settlement
58
·
59
EXTERMINATING THE WOLF
to exterminate the wolf. "The town agreed that any Man that would take Pains to kill Wolves he or they for their Encouragement should have 15s. for every grown wolf that they kill, and this be paid by the Town Treasury," is an item attached to the Fundamental Agreement. Sergeant Riggs, during the first two or three years, was the principal dispatcher of wolves. He acquired skill by similar exploits in Roxbury, Mass., Milford, Conn., and other places where he lived. His marksmanship was proved also in the Pequot War, where he won his military title for rescuing his captain and twelve men from an ambuscade. An expert in the use of firearms, he slew the animal upon sight. The wolf pit was also employed by Riggs. The keen olfactories of the sensitive animal detected from a distance the bait set under the thin layer of tree branches and earth and little time was lost in an investigation. It gin- gerly stepped upon the artificial covering in search of the tempting morsel and was plunged into the excavation underneath. The Sergeant then secured the prize, re- Map of East Jersey, 1682 moved the ears, took them to the magis- trate as evidence of his prowess, and received the bounty offered.
Restless nights were caused the Puritans by the wolves as they howled singly and in chorus when appearing in the settlement during the hours of darkness. An occasional crash at the enclosures where sheep, pigs and other animals were thought to be safeguarded, revealed the presence of the intruders. The ever-ready gun was brought forth in the hands of a trusty Puritan, and there was one less wolf to annoy the people after its well-directed charge reached its mark. Provoking indeed was the problem of conquering this beast. For a time it also appeared as if all the wild animals in the province were gathering in the Newark plantations.
Bears were seen about the uplands in the summer seeking
60
NARRATIVES OF NEWARK
berries and other food. They were trapped and also taken by hunters. Other fur-bearing animals were captured and their pelts used in making warm garments for the women and children. Wild pigeons, ducks, and turkeys, flocking about the watering places, furnished the homes with a choice array of edibles.
The summer of 1679 was trying to Puritan nerves. The wolf was growing bold in its successful raids and came into the town more frequently. As autumn approached the nui- sance was becoming unbearable for even the mild Puritanic temper, and on October 13, 1679, it was declared "that if any Person shall kill any Wolves and bring the Heads to the Constable, shall have allowed by the Town Ten Shillings per Head."
Bounties were offered continuously, leading the struggling colonists to enter the campaign of extermination. The routine of life was varied with exciting chases after the wary animal over the fields and through the woods, where in this day are comfortable homes and other evidences of a highly civilized community.
The planters more skilled in the use of firearms or at trap- ping added a considerable sum to their accounts. But they were suspected of shrewd practices, and at the town meeting of February 24, 1681, "it is agreed that if any Person or Persons kill any Wolves or Bears, which they require pay for from the Town, they shall only be such Wolves and Bears that are killed within our Town Bounds, that they shall be allowed pay for."
Other less ferocious animals, chiefly the deer, damaged fences surrounding the gardens, ate the tender shoots of new corn in the spring and trampled with impunity over the vegetables in the summer months.
The unconquered denizens of the forest so exasperated the people that on September 6, 1698, "it is agreed upon by vote for Incouragement to those that will kill wolves that they shall have Twenty Shillings p. Head ($2.50) allowed them in a Town Rate for this Year." Four years later (November
61
EXTERMINATING THE WOLF
2, 1702), "It is voted that those Persons that have killed Wolves since the last Town Rate or shall kill any wolves, shall be allowed twelve Shillings p. Head."
Decimation of the species was in process. An economical clause of the September meeting action provided that "those Creatures which People intend to kill for their Use, shall be Rate Free." The bear at first exempt, came under the ban when the town offered five shillings for the capture of cubs. An additional bounty was offered by the Provincial Assembly.
The deer ran wild in the mountain section till after the advent of the Nineteenth Century. In 1830 a fine specimen was brought down by a hunter on the site of the Elmwood School in East Orange.
Hunting parties from Newark found game of larger variety in the mountains and valleys for a century and a half after the settlement and the lesser animals-foxes, raccoons and opossum-till a recent period. Stories of exciting chases over the fields in the "brown October days" and the feasting afterward were incidents relieving an otherwise prosaic life.
-
1
CHAPTER XI
LESSENING OF PURITAN RESTRAINT
N EARLY seven years did the Puritan hope of mankind's redemption, embodied in the Fundamental Agreement, remain in force, till the restored Carteret Administration revoked the town privilege of selecting prospective planters, on December 11, 1672. Then the war between Holland and England-France placed the people under Dutch government. The province, once more restored to the English, Sir George Carteret, in his instructions to Governor Philip Carteret, on July 30, 1674, again announced that granting of letters of admission to towns in the province would only be through the Governor and Council. .
The Puritans did not act in the matter, however, till March 1, 1677, when this resolution was adopted:
It is voted as a Town Act, that all and every Man, that improves Land in the Town of Newark, shall make their appearance at Town Meetings, and there attend to any Business as shall be proposed as any of the Planters do, and be liable to any Fine as others are in Case of their Absence at the Call, or a whole day, or going away before the Meeting break up-and also that the Clerk is to set their Names in a list, and Call them as others are called.
Every planter was now on an equal footing irrespective of membership in the Established Church, and permitted by voice and vote to engage in town affairs. But there came a remorse of conscience. The Puritan spirit did not expire easily; the freedom given non-church members was not en- tirely approved of by the more staid of "the elect." "Abom- inations would creep in to the hurt of the town," one of the more sanctimonious remarked, the provincial authority to the contrary notwithstanding.
62
63
LESSENING OF PURITAN RESTRAINT
The situation was discussed periodically till November 7, 1685, when as a balm to the troubled feelings, an item was adopted at the meeting, providing that "William Camp and John Baldwin, Jun'r are chosen to go from House to House of those who have not subscribed to our fundamental Covenant and return their answer to the Town." But their report, if ever made, was not recorded. And in this way the Puritan ideal was eliminated from the official life. Never was a man again to be questioned about his church membership when voting at elections. Imagine a citizen in our day being ques- tioned about his religious affilia- tion before allowed to cast his ballot!
Even then, twenty years after Belt worn by Richard Hartshorne, Shrews- bury, 1667-1672 the signing of the historical docu- · ment, the dawn of a new liberty was appearing, dispelling restraint and ushering in gradually, it is true, a spirit of tolerance.
Frequently less than a majority of planters answered their names at regularly called meetings. Fines, as a result, were provided for absenteeism on November 28, 1672, personal visits were made upon the delinquents by townsmen and constables and every human power exercised to awaken a keener sense of the electorate's duty.
The drummer was directed not to save the instrument, but to beat it with all his strength when announcing the alarm for the assembly; but there are "none so deaf as those who will not hear."
Temper was near the breaking point at the meeting on January 1, 1683. The Puritan had no idea, however, of personal attack upon his brother. That would have been an awful departure, even with provocation, from the rules of behaviour. An instance of this kind has not been discovered in our early local history.
The ancestors were businesslike. "Whereas, there is an Order made by Vote 21 of March, 1675-6," begins the reso-
64
NARRATIVES OF NEWARK
lution, "for our Orderly attendance at Town Meetings, and for want of due Execution many are remiss in their Attend- ance, by which means Town Business is much hindered, and some as do attend are much damnified by losing their Time. We that are now present do assent that all past offences upon this account be past by us to this Day.
"And do now subscribe our names (provided that Three- fourths of the Planters do subscribe) to submit to all and every penalty in that Order before mentioned upon our late Coming, total Absence or a regular going away before the Meeting be dismissed.
"And whereas, the said order directs every Delinquent to give their Reasons to the Town. We do now agree and think it most fit that Three Men in each End of the Town be Chosen for each Person, that is remiss to repair to within two or three Days at the most after the Meeting, and if their Reasons are satisfying to them why they were absent they shall be remitted their Fine; otherwise within three Days after such Town Meeting their Names as are remiss shall be returned to the Constable, who is to gather up such Fines, and shall have half for his Pains."
"Having had much trouble about the disorderly coming to Town Meetings," reads the resolution of March 21st, referred to in the above articles, "the Town doth now agree that Twenty-four Hours shall be accorded legal Warning, and if any Man doth not come to the Place of Meeting to Answer to his Name, at the Second Beat of the Drum shall be fined 6s."
If absent a whole day "he is to be fined half a Crown, and for half a Day's Absence fifteen Pence, and for going away before the Meeting is dismissed without leave two Shillings, except he give a satisfying reason as afr'd.
"Also, if any man be absent Part of the Day, he shall be- side his fine, lose his Vote, and stand to what the Town hath done or shall do in his Absence."
Fines were levied upon the stay-at-home voters but often there was neither meat nor corn, let alone money, in the
Glow Oh Koam Will
11.
A MAHI K A N, Indian Chief of 1709, who roamed in the Valley of the Hudson River Courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History
65
LESSENING OF PURITAN RESTRAINT
households to pay them. "Well, then, said the Constable to a delinquent Puritan: "If ye have neither corn nor meat there is plenty of timber that needs cutting. Prepare fire- wood for the Minister!"
Anthony Oliff (proper spelling Olive) was appointed con- stable's deputy. His home was on a sixty-eight acre tract at the mountain, where Tulip Avenue and Oak Bend now intersect in Llewellyn Park. Cherry trees planted by Olive were standing there in 1852. He passed away on March 16, 1723, at the age of 87 years. His tombstone with its rude carving is the oldest one in Orange's Old Burying Ground. Felling trees, chopping wood and other menial work were assigned the dilatory settlers till their conscience was ad- justed to a better understanding of citizenship.
This is the roll of men who defied their fellow citizens by levying fines upon them:
John Ward, Thomas Johnson, Richard Lawrence, William Camp, Stephen Davis, John Baldwin, Jr., Samuel Plum, John Wilkins, John Johnson, John Burwell, Zachariah Burwell, John Bruen, Thomas Lyon, John Curtis, Samuel Potter, Joseph Brown, Edward Ball, Thomas Brown, Samuel Harrison, Samuel Tichenor, Joseph Riggs, John Ward, Jr., Thomas Luddington, John Bald- win, Sr., Joseph Walters, David Ogden, Theophilus Pierson, An_ thony Oliff, Samuel Lyon, Ephraim Burwell, Samuel Rose, Thomas Pierson, John Crane, Edward Riggs, Jonathan Tomp- kins, Jabez Rogers, Seth Tompkins, Stephen Brown, John Brown, Sr., Henry Lyon, Samuel Kitchell, Robert Dalglesh, Richard Fletcher, John Brown, Jr., Jonathan Sargeant, Joseph Harrison, Thomas Richards, Ebenezer Canfield, John Tichenor, Samuel Ward, Nathaniel Ward, John Ward, Turner, John Treat, Francis Lindly, Daniel Abett.
Prominent citizens are missing from this roll. The ab- sentees for the most part lived at the mountain, out of hearing of the town drum. The census of Newark on January 1, 1683, in the seventeenth year of the settlement, discloses a population of about 450, of which eighty were lot owners,
66
NARRATIVES OF NEWARK
including two widows. The latter were Mrs. Mary Bond and Mrs. Elizabeth Morris.
Matthews Williams, admitted a planter in 1680, and among the list of stay-at-homes, was the progenitor of the Williams family in Essex County. He possessed a large acreage fronting along the main highway. Grace Episcopal Church and the Y. M. C. A. buildings in Orange are occupy- ing part of his land. A weather-beaten tombstone in the Old Burying Ground in that city has this inscription:
M. W. Here Lies the Body of Matthew Williams, who departed this Life November 12, 1732. in the 81 year of his age Remember this as you pas by
As you are now so once was I As I am Now so you may be, Prepare for death and follow me.
As an alternative, favoring those planters who objected to the frequency of meetings, it was decided on January 8, 1685, to hold "four Town Meetings in a Year, at a Time Cer- tain (viz) : the first upon the first day of January, the Second the Second day of April, the Third the first second day of July, the fourth the first second day of October." Provision was also made for posting upon the Meeting House door the announcement "10 or 12 days before appointed by this Order."
The attendance improved and the affairs of town moved along in much smoother channels than they had for several years.
CHAPTER XII
CARE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS
E VERY year, beginning in January, 1668, two reliable men were chosen for the responsible offices of Fence Viewers. The first two appointees were known for their special qualifications in this task, tact and restrained temper. That all interests might be safeguarded, "Serj. Ed'd Rigs and Michael Tompkins are Chosen to be Viewers of Fences of our Town for this Year Ensueing," is recorded at a meeting held in that month.
Theirs was not an enviable office, yet they did not shrink from the performance of its duties. The annual inspection was made as soon as the frost disappeared from the ground in the spring and visits made at other times when exigencies demanded. Four score years was this practice continued, till stone walls were generally used for partitioning public and private property and the need of Fence Viewers had passed.
An all-day meeting on October 19, 1681, was concerned in the fencing of four acres of common land. To each and every homestead a task was assigned. No excuse was accepted. If an owner was physically unable to perform the stint, a substitute was provided. More than eighty allotments were made, ranging from two rods to fifteen and one-half rods. The more difficult labor of arranging the gates was assigned Aaron Blatchly, Samuel Harrison, David Ogden, John Curtis, John Baldwin, Sr., Deacon Michael Tompkins, William Camp, John Ward, Jr., Matthew Canfield, and Thomas Johnson. "The Barrs called Wheeler's Barrs to Joseph Riggs," we read, as the business of assigning portions of the work proceeded, "to be sufficiently made and main- tained from Time to Time, instead of Three Rods of Fence-
67
68
NARRATIVES OF NEWARK
there is two Rods of Fence allowed for the Two Mile Brook."
This item was faithfully placed in the day's record: "It is always to be understood that the Rod Pole this Fence was laid out by was 16 feet and 9 inches in length." Three inches more than a rod was indeed worth considering by the weary Puritan when the sun was high in the heavens, his back aching and the stretch apportioned him not more than half finished.
The planters met in the pasture land on a cool October morning, equipped for duty. Loads of chestnut posts and rails were drawn by oxen and horses guided by stalwart pioneers, to holes opened at regular intervals under the direction of the surveyor, and fence-making continued throughout the day with now and then a pause for refreshments. Toiling uncom- plainingly, the founders were proving by the sweat of their brow a right to citizen- ship. With the completion of the work an inspection was made by the Fence Viewers who reported the rails and gates all in their Candle-stick proper places and they, with their brother Puritans, rejoiced that an enclosure was at last provided for pasturing the town cattle.
The pound was one of the first institutions and authorized three years after the exodus, on May 24, 1669: "The Town Ordered and Agreed that for all unruly Cattle or Horses that are turned in or voluntarily Left in the Neck or Com'on Field, that they shall pay Five Shillings by the Head Pound- age; half to the Pounder and half to the Town, besides all damages that they shall do to any Man in his Corn, Grass, or Hay, or otherwise, and for all Cattle that are not unruly, Horses, Oxen or Cows, Four Pence by the Head Poundage, Besides any damages." The ox, most patient and useful animal, sharing honors with the horse as man's close friend in the brute creation, was not placed in the list of "unruly . animals." Docile and easy to manage, the faithful beast
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.