USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > Old times in old Monmouth > Part 19
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We rode twenty miles to Emley's Church where the great revival of religion was some years ago. I felt a little of the old good spirit there still.
May 30th, 1806. 1 preached at Lower Freehold. I came home with Simon Pyle. Ah ! what a death there is in the Leonard family.
May Ist, 1806. I breakfasted with Throck- morton ; his loss is his gain-he has lost his birthright as a citizens of the state but he has the blessing of God on his soul
Sunday April 23rd, 1809. I preached at Tuckerton ; my subject was 2 Cor. 4-2. In the afternoon I preached again. On Mod- day I preached at Waretown. I staid awhile with Samuel Brown and came to
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Thomas Chamberlain's ; I was compellen by uncomfortable feeling to go to rest at six o'clock. At David Woodmanse's (Good- luck ?) on Tuesday I preached on 2nd Tim. 2 -- 15. On Wednesday after a rain I set out for Polhemus' chapel (Polhemus Mills) where I preached. My friends were ex- ceedingly kind and I was very sick. I rose unwell on Thursday and took medi- cine and set out for Squan river. My host here, Derrick Longstreet, has been married twenty-four years ; his wife once had twins and she has made him the father of six.
teen children all of whom are sound and ! others and was appointed class leader; and well. I had a noble congregation here of women and children ; the men were gen- erally gone from the neighborhood, either to the waters or to work. I was seriously unwell. On Friday at Newman's at Shark river I had women not a few. I suited my subject to my bearers and preached from Luke 10. 44-42. Ah ! how many Marthas' and how few Marys ! In the afternoon I spoke again at P. White's. We have meet- ings twice a day and sometimes at night. and the prospects are pleasing. The weath- er is severely cold.
Sunday, September 30th, 1809. At Long Branch my subject was Acts 3-26. It was given me to speak in strong words, words of God and from God At 3 o'clock I preached in the Episcopal church at Shrewsbury. I came home with John Throckmorton.
Monday, May 10th 1813. I preached at Allentown, nearly two hours and had gra- cious access to God and to truth. Welodged with John Hughes. I am filled with God.
REV. WILLIAM MILLS-AN OLD MONMOUTHI PREACHER ; A HERO OF THE WAR AND A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS.
The following sketch of Mr. Mills is by Rev. George A. Raybold, author of Metho- dism in West Jersey, whose ministrations in Monmouth county some forty odd years ago are so favorably remembered by many of our older citizens.
" Mr. Mills was a native of Monmouth, of Quaker descent. The fire of patriotic feeling irduced him, Quaker as he was, in 1776, to enter the American army in which he became an officer. He was taken pris- oner by the British and was sent, after be ing changed from one vessel to another, to the West Indies. At length he was carried to Europe, from whence at the close of the war, he returned home and again settled in New Jersey. About the year 1792 the Methodist preachers came
into the region of country where he re- sided. His wife solicited him to hear them, but he resisted : stating his belief that he had been so wicked his day of grace was past. By a remarkable dream he was at length convinced that there was mercy for him. He then attended the means of grace, until as he sought the Lord with all his heart, he soon found mercy and peace through faith in Jesus. He became a mem- ber of the first class formed in the vicinity of Shrewsbury in Monmouth. Soon after be found the Lord, he began to exhort
in the spring of 1799 he was received into the travelling connexion. His labors as an itinerant began on Milford circuit, Dela- ware, from whence he was sent to various places and finally returned to Jersey. In 1813 he was sent to Freehold, the place of his nativity and the first field of his Chris- tian efforts. The soldier who had faced death at the cannon's mouth on the land and on the sea, now, as his end approached In reality felt no fear. He had a presenti- ment of his death and told his wife that " death seemed to follow him everywhere." His zeal for God and labors for the salva- tion of souls increased. The last time he leit home he gave his wife sundry direc- tions and advices in case he should die. He started as well as usual, and filled all his appointments, preaching most fervent- ly until a short time before his death. On the 4th of December he left Long Branch, met class, and then returned to Mr. Lip- pencott's at the Branch. On Sunday morn- ing he went into a room in Mr. Lippen- cott's to prepare for the service in the church, which was to commence at half past ten o'clock. The congregation was then collecting and the family, thinking he stayed too long in the chamber sent in to know the cause and found him fallen in a fit of apoplexy, almost deprived of sense. After a time he revived a little and on be- ing asked if they should send for medical aid, he replied, " The Lord is the best phy- sician." At about twelve o'clock the stu por and other unfavorable symptoms re- turned ; he lingered until about six the next morning and then peacefully depart- ed for a world of rest. Thus suddenly fell into the arms of death another faithful minister of the gospel ; a zealous, faithful and acceptable preacher; an Israelite, in- deed, in whom there was no guile; long however has he lived in the affectionate remembrance of the people of West JJer- sey, who knew him well."
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In the year 1812, the year previous to Mr. Mills being sent to preach in Freehold circuit, the number of members embraced in the charge was seven hundred and thir- ty-six.
MONMOUTH COUNTY-WHEN ESTABLISHED.
OFFICIALS ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY YEARS AGO.
The name Monmouth was officially giv- en to the county March 7th, 1683, as will be seen by the following extracts :
" Att a Councill held the 7th day of the mo-1 called March 1683 * * * *
" A bill sent downe from the Deputyes for devideing the p'vince into Countyes read and agreed vtno."-Journal of Proceed- ings of Gov. & Council, 1682-1703.
The following is an extract from the bill referred to:
"At a General Assembly begun and holden at Elizabethtown in this Province of East New Jersey, the first day of the Month called March Anno Domini 1682 and in the Five and Thirtieth year of the reign of King Charles the Second. over England &c, and there continued by sev. eral adjournments thereof until the twenty eight day of the said Month of March, for the public Weale of this Province was Enacted as follows : * *
* **
" IV. An Act to divide the Province into Four Counties .- Having taken into consid- eration the necessity of dividing the Prov- ince into respective C unties for the bet- ter governing and settling Courts in the same :-
THE LEGAL AND THE HISTORICAL YEAR- DISCREPANCIES EXPLAINED.
In the foregoing may be noticed an ap- parent discrepancy in giving the year when the act referred to was passed .- Some authorities give the date as March, 1683; the " Journal of the Proceedings of the Governor and Council of the Province of East New Jersey. from 1682 to 1703," gives the date as March 1683, which leaves the general reader in doubt as to which year is meant-1682 or 1683; and " Leam- ing & Spicer's Grants and Concessions," published in 1752, expressly says the act was passed in March, 1682. This appar- ent discrepancy is explained by the fact that at that time the English legal year commenced March 25th ; hence the legal year 1682 began March 25th, 1682, and ended March 24th, 1683. (See Leaming and Spicer, p 74 ;) and all acts passed in 1683 previous to March 25th, would be dated the legal year 1682. In the Journal of the Proceedings of the Legislature from 1682 to 1703, before referred to, two dates are given in such a manner that it would seem quite puzzling were it not for this explanation. On page 32 the date of the meeting of the Co .neil is March 24th, 1683. As March 25th, was Sunday the next daily session was March 26th, when the year is given as 1683. In ancient records when a date is given with what seems a fraction at the righthand, as in the case above mentioned, 1683, the mean- ing is that the upper figure gives the le- gal year and the lower one the historical year.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF THE COUNTY.
The name Monmouth was given to the county through the influence of Col. Lewis Morris who at the beginning of this ses- " Elected for Shrewsbury " as a Deputy, but his place declared vacant, probably because he had been selected by the Gov- ernor as a member of the council at that time.
" Be it Enacted, by this General Assembly, sion (March Ist,) was said to have been and the Authority thereof. that this Prov ince be divided into four counties as fol- loweth : ( Here follows the bounds of Ber- gen, Essex, and Middlesex, after which the bounds of Monmouth are given as fol- lows :)
.. Monmouth County to begin at the West- ward Bounds of Middlesex county, con taining Middletown and Shrewsbury and - so extend Westward, Southward, and Northward to the extream Bounds of the Province. Provided this distinction of the Province into Counties, do not extend to the infringement of any Liberty in any Charter already granted."-Leaming and this plantation he gave the name of Ti- Spicer.
Colonel Morris had purchased a large tract of land, in what was afterwards known as Monmouth County, October 25th, 1676, said to contain 3540 acres, whereupon he located, as described in 1680, "his iron mills, his Manors, and divers other buildings for his servants and dependants ; together with 60 or 70 ne- groes about the Mill and Husbandry, To tern (corrupted afterwards to Tinton ) after
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an estate which had belonged to the fami- ly in Monmouthshire, England, and from hm Monmouth county received its name."
Col. Lewis Morris, Joseph Parker, Peter Tilton and John Hance of Shrewsbury ; and John Bowne and John Throgmorton (Throckmorton ?) of Middletown. Richard Gardner was elected Clerk of the County Courts, Richard Hartshorne High Sheriff, and Richard Lippencott coroner. Rich- ard Hartshorne tendered his resignation as Sheriff the following May, but it was not accepted ; he appears to have refused to serve still, and May 31st Eliakim War- dell of Shrewsbury was elected.
In the act erecting County Courts it is enacted that " the JJudge or Justices of the respective sessions of the County Courts shall be the Justices of the Peace of the said respective counties or three of them at least." Col. Morris was probably presiding judge. The following year the same justices were reelected. with the ad- dition of James Grover of Middletown.
Two or three days after the passage of the acts establishing the two Courts above referred to the General Assembly passed " A Bill to settle the Court of Common Right," which was "the Supream Court of this Province," to which actions or suits from lower Courts, the debts or damages of which were five pounds or upwards, could be removed, and which had power to " Correct Errors in Judgement and reverse the same if there be just cause for the saine." Of this Court the first members from Monmouth were Col. Lewis Morris
(The learned, indefatigable correspond- ing Secretary of the New Jersey Historical Society, Hon. Wm. A. Whitehead, to whom our state is indebted more than to any other person for efforts to preserve the fading records of the past history of New Jersey, and to whom we have been indebted for several items in these chap. ters, a few years ago published a sketch of Col. Morris's life to which we may refer hereafter.)
As to the probability of some of the prominent early settlers favoring Col. Morris's propositon to name the county Monmouth, because of a friendly feeling for the Duke of Monmouth, beheaded a few years later, we shall endeavor to speak hereafter.
COURTS ESTABLISHED AND OFFICERS APPOINTED.
On the 13th of March, 1683, two acts were passed under the following titles :
' An Act to erect a Court of small Causes " and "An Act to Erect County Courts."- The Court for the trial of small causes was to be held in every township the first Wednesday of every month, and to have jurisdiction for " determening small causes and debts under forty shillings."
The act establishing County Courts fix- ed the following times and places for ses- sions in Monmouth, viz :
" The County of Monmouth, their ses- sions to be the fourth Tuesday in March in the public meeting house at Middle- town yearly. The fourth Tuesday in June in the public meeting house at Shrews- bury yearly. The fourth Tuesday in Sep- tember in the public meeting house at Middletown, and the fourth Tuesday in December in the public meeting house in Shrewsbury."
The next day after the passage of the above acts (on March 14th, 1683,) Lewis Morris, jr., was elected by the Council "high Sheriff for the succeeding yeare from the 25th of this Instant Month," which he probably declined, as Richard Hartshorne was confirmed for the same office some ten days subsequently.
The following were the first Justices of the Peace appointed for Monmouth Coun- ty (March 24th, 1683), viz :
(by virtue of being a member of the Coun- cit) and John Bowne.
During the same session (March, 1683), the following persons were authorized " to make and settle highways, passages, land- ings, bridges and ferries" in the county, VIZ :
The Surveyor-General Sammel Groome, Col. Lewis Morris, Capt. John Bound, Richard Hartshorne, John Hance, Joseph Parker, Lewis Morris, jun.
Among the members of "The General Assembly of the Province of East New Jersey " which met at Elizabethtown March 1st, 1683, were, from Monmouth, Colonel Lewis Morris of the Council, and Richard Hartshorne, John Bowne, Joseph Parker and John Hance, Deputies.
When Monmouth County was establish- ed its population was supposed to be be- tween nine hundred and one thousand .- Secretary Nicholls (of N. Y.) estimated the population in 1682 of Shrewsbury at. four hundred inhabitants; and Middle- town one hundred families which would probably be about five hundred inhabi- tants.
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OLD TIMES IN OLD MONMOUTH.
AN ACT FOR THE MILITIA-FIRST OFFI- CERS IN MONMOUTII.
An act with the above title was passed December 1st, 1683, and December 3d it was ordered for the better settling and ex- ercise of the Militia under its provisions "that there bee one Major, and so many Captaines Com'issionated in each County as there be inhabitants to make up Com panyes." For the County of Monmouth Captain John Bound was commissioned Major, and for Middletown James Grover Lieutenant, Safety Grover Ensign. For Shrewsbury, John Slocomb Captain, Geo. Stowlett Lieutenant, and Lewis Morris En- sign.
The Act for the Militia ordered that ev- ery male person between the ages of six- teen and sixty should be provided with arms, equipments, ammunition, &c., at his own expense under penalty of prescribed fines for each article not provided. A ser- jeant and corporal were authorized "to view arms eyery quarter or as often as the officer shall see cause." It was enacted that there should be four training or muster- ing days m a year, "two in the Spring and two in the Fall of the Leaf," under prescribed penalties.
CHIEF RANGER OF MONMOUTH.
December 3d, 1683, Captain John Slo- comb was appointed "Chief Ranger " for Monmouth County. The duty of this offi- cer is thus described :
" Forasmuch as many abuses are and have been committed within this Province, in the taking up, marking, selling and dis- posing of horses, mares and geldings * be it enacted that there shall be one per- son appointed for each County who shall take up and receive all strays, register the same &c." The Chief Ranger was author- ized to employ as many deputies as he thought proper. The importers of att cat- tle and horses were required to furnish the Ranger with a description of each head imported, and all drovers were re quired to do the same. The fees and pen- alties under the act must have made the office of the Ranger of considerable im- portance.
*
How TAXES WERE LEVIED-ASSEMBLY MEN'S SALARIES.
The following persons were appointed to make assessment of taxes in Monmouth under an act passed Dec. 5th, 1683, viz :
Captain John Bound, John Throgmor- ton (Throckmorton ?) Peter Tilton, John Hance, Judah Allen and Joseph Parker.
This act " for defraying the public char- ges of this Province," enacted that fifty pounds be raised to defray public charges as follows : Bergen eleven pounds, Essex fourteen pounds, Middlesex ten pounds, Monmouth fifteen pounds. By this it would seem that even at this early date Monmouth was considered the richest county in East Jersey.
The taxes were to be paid in wheat at four shillings and sixpence the bushel ; summer wheat at four shillings the bush- el ; Indian corn at two shillings and six- pence the bushel ; and good merchantable pork at fifty shillings the barrel. Henry Lyon of Essex was appointed Treasurer of the Province to whom the tax was to be handed for the purpose of paying the clerks of the Council and Deputies four shillings each per day and ten pounds for transcribing the laws.
In addition to the above tax each town was required to pay its own Deputy to the General Assembly at the rate of four shil- lings per day ; the year previous the rate of pay for the Deputies had been three shillings each, and as many of the towns had failed to pay their representatives then, provisions were inserted in this act to enforce the assessing and collecting the arrearages.
A fair idea of how far a member of the Assembly's per diem would go then to- wards meeting his expenses is gained by noticing the prices fixed for grain in the bill. The first year his per diem would buy a little over a bushel of corn ; the sec- ond year a bushel of summer wheat. If he expended it for pork it would buy six- teen pounds.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT MIDDLE- TOWN.
THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN NEW JERSEY. ITS MEMBERS, PASTORS, TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS.
The following sketch of the noted church is from " Morgan Edwards, Materials, &c., of the State," published in 1792, with ad. ditions by Rev. David Benedict of Rhode Island, and published in his History of the Baptists, sixty years ago, (1813.)
" This is the oldest Baptist church in the State ; it is thus distinguished for the village where the meeting house stands in a township of the same name, and county of Monmouth, about seventy-nine miles E. N. E. from Philadelphia. The meeting
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house is forty-two feet by thirty-two, erect- ed on the lot where the old place of wor- ship stood."
For the origin of this church, we must look back to the year 1667, for that was the year when Middletown was purchased from the Indians by 12 men and 24 asso- ciates. Their names are in the town book. Of them the following were Bap- tists :-
Richard Stout, William Cheeseman, William Layton,
John Stont, John Wilson, Wm. Compton,
James Grover, Walter Hall, James Ashton,
Jon'than Brown, John Cox. John Brown,
Obadiah Holmes, Jonathan Holines,
Thos Whitlock,
John Buckman, George Mount,
Ja. Grover, jr.
It is probable that some of the above had wives and children of their own way of thinking; however the forenamed 18 men appear to have been the constituents of the church at Middletown, and the winter of 1668 the time.
How matters went on among these peo- ple, for a period of twenty-four years, viz., from the constitution to 1712, cannot be known. But in the year 1711, a variance arose in the church, insomuch that one party excommunicated the other and imposed silence on two gifted brothers that preached to them, viz , John Bray and John Okison. Wearied with their situa- tion, they agreed to refer matters to a council congregated from neighboring churches. The council met May 12th, 1712. It consisted of Rev. Messrs Timothy Brooks, of Cohansey ; Abel Morgan and Joseph Wood, of Pennepek ; and Elisha Thomas, of Welsh Tract; with six elders, viz : Nicholas Johnson, James James, Griffith Mills, Edward Church, William Bettridge and John Manners. Their ad- vice was-" To bury the proceedings in ob- liyion and erase the records of them;" accordingly four leaves are torn out of the church bock. "To continue the silence imposed on John Bray and John Okison, the preceding year." One would think by this that these two brethren were the cause of the disturbance. "To sign a. covenant relative to their future conduct ;"' accordingly 42 did sign and 26 refused ; nevertheless most of the non-signers came in afterwards: but the first 42 were de- clared to be the church that should be owned by sister churches. "That Messrs. Abel Morgan, Sen., and John Burrows, should supply the pulpit till the next yearly meeting, and the members should keep their places and not wander to other societies," for at this time there way a
Presbyterian congregation at Middletown, and mixed communion in vogue.
The first who preached at Middletown was Mr. John Bown, of whom we can learn no more than he was not ordained, and that it was he who gave the lot on which the first meeting house was built. Cotem- porary with him was Mr. Ashton, of whom mention will be made hereafter, and after him rose the forementioned Bray and Oki- son, neither of whom were ordained and the latter disowned. Mr. George Eagles- field was another unordained preacher ; but the first that may be styled pastor Was-
REV. JAMES ASHTON .- He probably was ordained by Rev. Thomas Killingsworth, at the time the church was constituted in 1688; for Killingsworth assisted at the constitution, which gave rise to the tradi- tion that he was the first minister. Mr. Ashton's successor was-
REV. JOHN BARROWES .- He was born at Tannton, Somersetshire, England, and there ordained ; arrived at Philadelphia in the month of November, 1711, and from thence came to Middletown in 1713, where he died at a good old age. Mr. Barrowes is said to have been a happy compound of gravity and facetiousness ; the one made the people stand in awe of him, while the other produced familiarity. As he was travelling one day a young man passed by him at full speed, and in passing Mr. Bar- rowes : said " If you would consider where you are going you would slacken your pace." He went on but presently turned back to inquire into the meaning of that passing salute. Mr. Barrowes reasoned with him on the folly and dangers of horse-racing (to which the youth was hast- ening ; ) he gave great attention to the re- proof. This encouraged Mr. Barrowes to proceed to more serious matters. The is- sue was a serious conversation. Here was a bow drawn at venture and a sinner shot flying! Mr. Barrowes was succeeded by-
REV. ABEL MORGAN, A. M .- He was born in Welsh Tract, April 13th. 1713, had his learning at an academy kept by Rev. Thomas Evans in Pencader; ordained at Welsh Tract in 1734, became pastor in 1748 ; died there November 24th, 1785 .-- He was never married, the reason it is supposed that none of his attention and attendance might be taken off his mother, who lived with him and whoni he honor- ed to an oneommen degree. Mr. Morgan was a man of sound learning and solid
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judgement; he has given specimens of both in his public disputes and publica- tions, for it appears that he held two pub. lic disputes on the subject of baptism .- The first was at Kingswood, to which he was challenged by Rev. Samuel Harker, a Presbyterian minister. The other was at Cape May in 1743, with the Rev. (after- wards) Dr. Samuel Finley, President of Princeton College. Mr. Morgan's success- or was-
REV SAMUEL MORGAN .- He was born in Welsh Tract August 23d, 1750; called to the ministry in Virginia ; ordained at Mid- dletown November 29th, 1785, at which time lie took on him the care of the church. No account of Mr. Morgan's death has been obtained. This ancient church has for its pastor (1813) Mr. Ben- jamin Bennett. It was once well endowed but a considerable part of its temporali- ties were sunk by that sacrilegious thing (as Edwards calls it) Congress money .- What are its present posessions I have not learned.
PHILIP FRENEAU, THE POPULAR POET OF THE REVOLUTION.
AN ANCIENT MONMOUTH JOURNAL.
In the library of the New York Historical Society is preserved a copy of an ancient journal published in Monmouth county, which presents quite a contrast with the papers published in the county at the pres- ent time. This journal was called " The New Jersey Chronicle," and was published at "Mount Pleasant, near Middletown Point." The first number was issued May 2nd, 1795 and continued weekly for a year when it suspended for want of support. This Chronicle was quite a curious affair. It was printed by the author, Philip Fre- neau himself, who had mustered a medley of types for the purpose. The first num- ber way of the humble dimensions of eight small quarto pages of seven inches by eight. This spirited little paper was soon enlarged, but typographically, at least, it always appeared of a somewhat sickly con- stitution.
The office types however were well ein- ployed in printing, this year, 1795, a new and comprehensive edition of Freneau's poems, in an octavo volume of 456 pages to which we shall refer before concluding. Its typographical execution is admirable for its day and speaks well for the pioneer printing press of Monmouth county.
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