USA > New Jersey > Gloucester County > Newton in Gloucester County > Sketches of the first emigrant settlers in Newton Township, old Gloucester County, West New Jersey > Part 20
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Joseph Hinchman was a brother of the first John, and came also from Flushing, on Long Island, A. D. 1708. Any doubt of the relationship is put at rest by a single passage in the will of John, in which he devised a tract of land to his son John ;. in the description of one of the boundaries, he says, "to a corner in the line of my brother Joseph Hinchman's land." He was a man of some estate, as he purchased land of John in that part of the original one thousand acres which lay nearest to Haddonfield. His house stood on the west side of the king's
17 Lib No. 37, 413.
18 Lib. No. 15, 42.
248
FIRST EMIGRANT SETTLERS.
road, a short distance from where it crossed the "shore" road that passed over Atmore's dam, going towards Philadelphia. It was perhaps nothing more than a log cabin, built of the timber that had stood upon the ground where it was erected. He purchased about fifty acres of Joseph Collins, which brought his property to the stream of the main branch of Newton creek, which still continues one of the boundaries thereof. He also added some other adjoining tracts, dying the owner of a large body of valuable land. His will bears date April 5th, 1737. He made his wife Sarah sole executrix, with power to sell land, to discharge debts, and to manage the estate generally.19
His children were Thomas, who married Sarah Clement, a daughter of James of Long Island, and, after her decease, in 1750, Letitia Mickle, widow of Samuel and daughter of Tim- othy Matlack; Sarah, who married Edward Collins ; Hannah, who married James Gill; Mary, who married - Zane ; Deborah; and Emily.
The paternity of Thomas Hinchman's first wife is beyond question, as James Clement names her in his will, dated May 5th, 1724. By this marriage there was no issue. 20 By the will of his father, Thomas was seized of all the real estate, and lived thereon. He deceased in 1758, his wife dying seven years before that time, and perhaps upon the birth of his only child, Joseph, to whom the property, as purchased by his grandfather, passed.
Joseph was born February 18th, 1751, in the old log cabin, for his father died before he had finished the erection of the house now occupied by William C. Hinchman,-a house which, for nearly one hundred years, was the only dwelling on the estate. The broad acres and primitive forests that surrounded him in his youth, his manhood and his old age, came to him through a line of ancestry of which he was the only living representative ; and he adhered to them with a tenacity that proved his deter- mination never to break in upon the ancient land marks. His knowledge of the titles, and his familiarity with the boundaries, show that his ownership had afforded him a pleasurable study,-
19 Lib. No. 2, 154.
20 Lib. No. 10, New York Wills, 53.
249-250
JOHN HINCHMAN.
one of great advantage to himself, and to those who were to follow him. He married Sarah Kain, a daughter of William and Charity, and great-granddaughter of Francis Collins, the first settler in this part of Newton township. Of systematic and industrious habits, a close observer, and of good judgment, he combined the farmer and mechanic in a remarkable degree. He was one of the few persons of his day and generation, who deemed it necessary to make a record of events passing under his notice. His journal, commenced in ISr and continued to 1827 inclusive, is a curious book, and contains much that is valuable. The record of marriages, births and deaths, is of local interest, and it should be preserved for reference to coming generations ; disclosing much that has been already lost sight of, and that, but for such memoranda, could not be restored. Although portions of this book are taken up with his private affairs, yet the larger part refers to matters of increasing value in connection with the families in this region of country ; it will be consulted in future days upon important and material subjects.
It is gratifying to know that more regard is manifested towards old manuscripts, and that an increasing interest now prevails to save such from loss. How. much of the history of families and of neighborhoods is now hidden in garrets and neglected, out-of-the-way places, where the hands of such as would appreciate their value may never reach them. The time spent, and the ingenuity exercised in solving an intricate question, may add to its interest ; but to be unable to establish an acknowledged tradition for want of documentary evidence, thoughtlessly destroyed, reflects sadly upon the want of care in this regard among the people.
,
JOHN SHIVERS.
OHN SHIVERS appears to have been the first of the name J
in this neighborhood. He probably came as a servant with some of the first emigrants, and was consequently not named among the lists of passengers; this class of persons being numbered to the individual who entered them as emi- grants, a system which secured to each one a certain amount of land upon his arrival. Very many young men who had some estate, and were proficient as mechanics, chose to come out in this way, and, soon after their arrival, acquired more property, and had better positions than those whom they were pledged to serve. Mechanics, in particular, were in great demand, and, if economical, in a few years became classed among the wealthiest of the inhabitants. The subject of this sketch was called a butcher, which occupation he, no doubt, followed at home; but, when he came here and settled in an unbroken forest, with but few families about him, "his occupation was gone." Apart from Philadelphia, there was, within his reach, no collection of dwellings that could be called a town, where he could ply his calling ; but, perhaps, with the energy charac- teristic of these pioneers, he traveled twice each week in his boat to the embryo city, and supplied its people with their meat fresh from the knife. The demand was small, and his means of supply were equally so, for people at that day had no appli- ances for raising and fattening cattle, except in giving them the range of the woods.
PHINE
-
252
FIRST EMIGRANT SETTLERS.
In fact this was so done, as, for many years after the begin- ning of the colony a law was in force requiring all persons to mark their cattle, and report their mark to the clerk of the county, so that the same might be recorded. An examination of the old books of minutes of the counties will show this ; in many instances the mark is illustrated by a fac-simile copy, without any other description than the name of the person who reported it. The similarity of these evidences of ownership often led to disputes and litigation, in which much more money and time were wasted than the cause of the trouble was worth ; yet, as is frequently the case at the present day, those who were fierce in the defence of their real or supposed rights, did not stop to inquire whether such a course of policy "would pay."
In 1692, John Shivers purchased a tract of land of Mordecai Howell, in Waterford township, which was bounded on the south side by Cooper's creek and partly by a stream branching therefrom, whereon Mordecai had erected, or was about to erect, a mill ;1 for, in the next year, John Wright, an adjoining owner, released to him the privilege of flooding the meadow for the use of the same. On this tract John Shivers erected a dwelling, and remained until his death .? He deceased intestate in 1716, his widow Sarah having been appointed administratrix.3 He was a man of considerable estate, and owned other lands than the tract here named ; among which was one-half of two hundred acres that he had bought of Anthony Sturgiss in 1699, lying in Newton township, fronting on Cooper's creek, and nearly opposite his homestead place.+ This tract he held in common with Henry Johnson ; but at what time it passed out of the family, and who were the subsequent owners, are matters of no interest in this connection.5
In 1720, Sarah Shivers, the widow of John, purchased of John Wright before named, the adjoining tract of land which lay between the homestead and Cooper's creek, and which he had, in 1693, bought of Mordecai Howell.6 This purchase extended the Shivers estate down and along the east side of the pond raised by Howell for the use of his mill, the remains of
I Lib. G3, 8.
2 Lib G3, 513.
3 Gloucester Files, 1721.
+ Lib. GG, 297.
5 Lib. G3, 345. .
6 Lib. A, 170.
253
JOHN SHIVERS.
the dam of which can yet be seen. This was one of the first saw mills erected in Gloucester county, and, if in use at this date, with the primitive forest close around it, as in 1693, it would prove a useful and valuable institution. The site, however, was not a desirable one, being subject to the flow of high tides from the creek, which would frequently check the speed of the wheel ; for this reason it was abandoned many years since.
The dwelling on the farm now owned by Richard Shivers in Delaware township is, perhaps. the spot whereon John Shivers erected his first house ; and portions of the present building may have been used in the first. His dying intestate leaves some doubt as to the number of his children, their names, and marriages, yet they are judged to have been the following : Samuel, who married Mary Deacon ; John, who married Mary Clement ; Mary, who married Thomas Bates ; Hannah, who married John Matlack; and Josiah, who married Ann Bates.
In 1720, Samuel purchased two hundred acres of Francis Collins, adjoining the homestead property on the north," and, the next year, he conveyed his interest in his father's estate to his brother John, who remained on the old farm, and in whose descendants parts of the same remain to the present day, and in all probability will so remain for many years to come.3 Samuel settled in Newton township on the property which his father purchased of Anthony Sturgiss in 1699, for, in 1724, he acted as one of the surveyors of highways of that township, as appears by Thomas Sharp's record of the same.
During the life of the second John, the house in which he lived was by him kept as a tavern, standing, as it did, close by the north side of the ferry road leading out of Evesham, and other parts of Burlington county, towards Philadelphia. This was no doubt a favorite stopping place for the market people, where the price of poultry, eggs and butter could be discussed, so that such as were on their way to sell, might know how to deal with their keen and wary customers. There is no tradition, however, that a Jerseyman ever came off second
7 Lib. T5, Woodbury.
8 Lib. GG, 297.
254
FIRST EMIGRANT SETTLERS.
best in a bargain, or that he left the market without the worth of his commodities. The quiet, unassuming manner of. these folks was sometimes taken for ignorance, and those who consid- ered themselves sharp in trade, only discovered their error when they found the advantage was on the wrong side. The natives of this State are known throughout our land as shrewd dealers,-a trait that may have come down to us from our Quaker ancestors, sharpened by long practice, and deeply instilled by continued example.
Afterwards Samuel removed to Greenwich township, Glou- cester county, where he became a prominent citizen, and a wealthy man. He deceased in 1771.9 Part of his real estate consisted of " Raccoon island," situated at the mouth of the creek of the same name, in Gloucester county, which he pur- chased of James Lowns in 1747.10
A part of this island he leased on the first day of April, 1769, to William Kay for ninety-nine years, which term carried the possession of the estate beyond several generations of his descendants, and rendered it questionable in some instances upon whom the remainders actually fell. This lease was based upon a rental of eighty pounds per annum, and the payment made a lien upon the estate. At that date, and for many years after, the only means of procuring hay and pasture was by improved meadow lands; which rendered the marshes fronting on the tidal streams of West Jersey valuable for such purposes ; and the records show that these marshes or flats were sought after, and located at an early date. This lease is, perhaps, the only one in this region that covered so much time, and involved so much valuable real estate. The devise of this was to three of his daughters, involving the fee as well as the rent; one- fourth was given to Sarah Tatem; one-fourth was given to Martha Booys, and two-fourths were given to Anna Sydonia Shinn, who, perhaps, all enjoyed the income of rent during their lives ; but the lapse of years was too great for them to say to whom the possession and fee of the land at the end of the lease would come. Subsequently, the estate passed entirely
9 Lib. No. 15, 158.
10 Lib. IK, 423.
JOHN SHIVERS.
255-256
out of the family, and some years since other owners had secured the title. The abolishing of the ancient limitations as touching real estate in New Jersey, allows many new owners to this kind of property in the course of one hundred years. Thrift, prudence and economy, are the only guarantees to the long keeping of land in any particular line under the present laws, and a disregard of these often makes room for enterprise and improvement where old fogyism might reign forever.
John Shivers having but two sons, the name is even at this time limited to few families; this circumstance often occurs, although the blood of the ancestors may be found in the veins of many, distributed there by the female descendants, who, upon marriage, lose their names, and, after two or three removes, almost lose their genealogical identity.
JOHN HILLMAN.
OHN HILLMAN was an husbandman, and the first plan- tation upon which he lived and which he owned, he purchased of Francis Collins in 1697.1 It contained one hun- dred and seventy acres of land, and was situated in Gloucester township (now Centre), adjoining the estate of John Gill, part of which is now owned by William Chapman. Like most of the early settlers, he selected a light sandy soil whereon to clear his farm; this made that operation of much less trouble, and the tilling of it much less laborious. In 1697, agriculture had made but little progress, and had it not been for the timber, then so plenty, which our ancestors worked and sold, the wants of the people would have been but poorly supplied. The leading crops were corn and rye, which followed each other in continued succession, until the return would hardly pay for the seed, and then another piece of land would be cleared and used in like manner, with the same results. Everything was in the most primitive condition, not only the manner of farming, but also the implements wherewith to work. Wooden ploughs, brush harrows, straw collars and grapevine gearing, may be thought to be an overdrawn picture of the farming implements of the early settlers in this region, and one which strikes the farmers of the present day with surprise. Yet these, and still more limited, were the means of the people to eke out a liveli- hood in the wilderness of New Jersey. With no shelter for
I Lib. C, 15.
17
258
FIRST EMIGRANT SETTLERS.
their cattle, no protection for their crops when gathered, and with the rudest of cabins for themselves, their condition can ยท scarcely be appreciated at this day by us, with our many improvements and comforts of every description.
John Hillman's farm lay on both sides of the present road from Haddonfield to Snow Hill; and his house stood near the present residence of William Chapman. Attached thereto was a portion of meadow land, from which were obtained pasture for his cattle during the summer, and hay to keep them alive through the winter. The "old Egg Harbor road " passed near his house, which was in after years kept as a tavern, although not noted as a place of resort. At a short distance south of this place the old road "forked;" the branch was called the Salem road, and crossed Timber creek at or near Clement's bridge. -
In 1720, John Hillman, by deed of gift, conveyed this tract of land to his son John. anticipating his will in that particular. The will bore date in 1707, but was not proved until 1729, soon after the decease of the testator. The inventory of his personal property amounted to one hundred and ninety-two pounds.2 His children appear to have been two sons and two daughters, Daniel, John, Ann and Abigail. Margaret, his widow, also sur- vived him.
After the death of his father, John Hillman sold the home- stead ; but, by subsequent conveyances, it became the property of Joseph Hillman (a son of the second John), who lived there a short time, and, in 1760, sold the same to Daniel Scull, of Egg Harbor. In a few years after, it became part of the estate of John Gill, who devised a portion of it to his daughter Mary Roberts, during her natural life. and the remainder to her son, John Roberts; the latter sold his share many years before his death. For more than one hundred years the real estate upon which the first John Hillman settled, has been out of the name ; it is now partly covered with the town of Snow Hill, and is divided among many owners.
.
In 1745, John Hillman (the second ), who married Abigail, a daughter of Joseph Bates, a resident of that section,3 pur-
2 Gloucester Files, 1731.
3 Lib. No. 3, +32,
259
JOHN HILLMAN.
chased about five hundred acres of land from Thomas Atkinson. This tract lay near the White Horse tavern, and extended from the south branch of Cooper's creek to the north branch of. Timber creek.' To this land he removed, and built the house where now resides Hinchman Lippincott, whose farm is part of the original tract. Six years after this purchase, he bought at the sale of John Mickle, sheriff of Gloucester county, one hundred acres adjoining, as the property of Meam Southwick.5 Included in the first purchase was a saw mill on Timber creek, which was owned by Thomas Webster, Thomas Atkinson, and Meam Southwick, and probably stood upon the site of the grain mill now the property of Ephraim Tomlinson.
These lands were located by Abraham Porter, in 1714, '15 and '16, who settled thereon, having his house near the south side of Cooper's creek, on the farm now owned by Josiah Jenkins, where he, in all probability, kept "bachelor's hall''6 Of this person there does not appear to be any tradition or history among the people who now own and occupy his estate, nor can he be traced with any certainty through the record beyond his day and generation. It is evident that he was not a Quaker, as he was appointed captain in the military depart- ment of the province in 1722,' while William Burnett was governor, during the reign of George I of England; he was afterwards promoted to the rank of major." The little military spirit that had been developed among the people at that early day, in a neighborhood where the Quaker element overshadowed every other, would make it supposable that but few soldiers could be found thereabout. It is possible, however, that Capt. Porter did command a company of volunteers of the county of Gloucester, about one hundred and fifty years ago, and acted as the escort of the Governor of the province in his " circuit" from one part of the State to another, to hold the assizes for the crown.
These visits of the governor to the lower counties of the State were quite an event ; for, holding their commissions by appointment for the crown, they are exceedingly punctilious
4 Lib. K, 85.
5 Lib. K, 83.
6 Basse's Book, 195.
7 Lib. AAA, 182.
8 Lib. AAA, 187.
260
FIRST EMIGRANT SETTLERS.
and exacting in showing their authority, and, to that extent, made themselves obnoxious to our plain and matter-of-fact ancestors. The conduct of Captain Porter must have pleased those who held the reins of government, for he was soon pro- moted to the rank of major, which position he could not have obtained, unless he had been recommended to the king by those whose prerogative it was to fill all such appointments.
Abraham Porter did not live many years thereafter, as his will bears date 1729. It is a curious document, and discloses that he was a single man, or, if married, had no children.9 He gave to the churches at Philadelphia, Burlington and Salem, each ten pounds ; to the minister at Raccoon, five pounds, and to the meetings at Haddonfield and Salem, five pounds, each. The estate upon which he resided, consisted of some twelve hun- dred acres, and he, no doubt, had a valuable personal property. Why he should have lived alone so far from the settled neigh- borhood, and in a place that was some distance from the nearest road, and that one but little traveled, is an inquiry that can not be answered at this late day. After his death, his executors sold the land, and nothing appears to indicate that any of the family have been in that region since. Although a military man and holding his commission from the king, yet he had regard to the advancement of religion and morality in West New Jersey,- a trait that commends his memory to the respect of all, and one well worthy of emulation.
John Hillman lived on this tract of land many years, and, like many others, worked the timber that stood thereon into lumber and cord wood, hauling the same to Chew's Landing on Timber creek, whence it went by water to Philadelphia, to be sold. As his sons grew to be men, they likewise settled within the bounds of his surveys, and made farms for them- selves, each of which was surrounded by the primitive forest.
In this, as in some other families, a few favorite names have been adhered to, names which, being attached to two or three living at the same time, mystify the genealogy when examined through a lapse of one hundred years. From this cause a gen- eration is sometimes left out or added; this error it is often impossible to correct.
9 Lib. No. 3, 94
261
JOHN HILLMAN.
As before stated, John Hillman had two sons, Daniel and John, and, probably, a son Joseph. Daniel deceased in 1754, leaving his wife Elizabeth surviving him, and four sons, John, Daniel, James and Joseph.10 John deceased in 1764, leaving his wife Elizabeth surviving him, and five sons, Joab, Josiah, Daniel, James and John.11 Joseph died in 1/68, his wife Drusilla, his sons, Daniel, Samuel, and a daughter, Letitia, surviving him.12 By this it will be seen that each son had a son Daniel, and two of the sons had, each, a son John. One of these Daniels mar- ried Abigail Nicholson, and one of these Johns married Hannah Nicholson, both daughters of Samuel Nicholson, who lived in Waterford township, near the river Delaware. The difficulties of tracing a genealogy like this are at once apparent, and unless the family records are correctly and continuously kept, such dif- ficulties cannot be overcome.
In 1745, John and Daniel Hillman purchased of Timothy Matlack a lot of land in Haddonfield, on the northwest side of the street, where the Methodist church now stands, extend- ing to John Gill's line. Part of this became the property of John Shivers in 1758, although a portion remained in the family for many years after.
As an evidence of the little interest taken in agriculture during the first hundred and fifty years of the settlement of this part of New Jersey, it is worthy of notice that the lands of John Hillman, lying on the south side of Cooper's creek, and the lands of the sons of William Matlack, which lay on the north side of the same stream, were underlaid with green sand- marl, the fertilizing properties of which are now so well under- stood. The existence of this peculiar deposit must have been known to the dwellers in that region of country, for no well could be dug, or excavation made, in which it would not appear ; and yet there is no evidence that this material has been used upon the soil until within the last forty years. These estates taken together and, as originally held, extending from the north branch of Timber creek on the south, to the north branch of Cooper's creek on the north, covered very much
10 Lib. No. 8, 357.
II Lib. No. 12, 8.
12 Lib. No. 12, 496.
262
FIRST EMIGRANT SETTLERS.
of the green sand-marl belt in this region of country, -a deposit which has made it one of the best agricultural districts in the State of New Jersey. Strange as this disregard for a fertilizer so convenient and abundant may seem, it is, nevertheless, true ; and it can only be accounted for by the little value of farmers' produce, and the consequent lack of interest in seeking out any means to increase their crops or improve the soil. Commerce and manufacturing had not been sufficiently developed to con- sume the excess that might have been thus produced; therefore no inducements existed, either to increase the breadth of cleared land, or to advance the fertility of that already in use.
New York and Philadelphia, in that day, made but little demand upon the country for their supplies, while the ashes arising from the consumption of wood, and the debris that collected in the street, were considered worthless, and given to such as would remove them out of reach. The diminitive barns and corn-cribs of the farmers of one hundred years ago would compare strangely with the capacious buildings that now stand upon the same land, filled to their utmost extent with the crops raised upon the same soil.
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