USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Passaic > The Passaic valley, New Jersey, in three centuries.. Vol. 1 > Part 14
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ENGLISH IMMIGRATION
ever they went they carried with them courage, energy, per- severance, and an abiding purpose to conquer all obstacles which stood between them and true liberty. The wilder- ness did not daunt them, the wild savage did not affright them, no danger could stop them in their progress. They were masterful in their attempts to found a home in this new world, where they and then descendants would be freed from oppression and perseention. They came from: England, where they had been taught to love lib- erty and religious tolerance by Pym and Cromwell and the worthies who battled for the right. They first settled in the valley of the Con- Hecticut, but there were fairer fields and bright- er prospects which beckoned them to New Jer- sey, and thither they came; and in the unbroken wil- derness on the Passaic at New- ark, with an abid- ing faith in the DUTCH COURTSHIP. God who thus far had led them on, they reared their log homes, patiently awaited developments, and began a career of prosperity unequalled in this world's great history.
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THE PASSAIC VALLEY
But there was another element in the population of Mor- ris County which must not be overlooked, although not so important so far as its numbers are concerned as the others already mentioned. Early in the eighteenth century a small band of immigrants founded a settlement at German Valley, in the southwestern corner of the county. This was only a small part of a large volume of immigration which left Germany early in the eighteenth century for this western world and spread from the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys in New York as far south as Savannah in Georgia, leaving large numbers, however, in Pennsylvania.
The settlement in Morris County was the result of an acci- dent. The design of this particular band was to reach the Mohawk Valley, but the vessel which brought them across the Atlantic was driven by stress of weather into Delaware Bay, and, landing at Philadelphia, the colonists, strangers in the country, unacquainted with the routes of travel, resolved to make their way overland to their original place of destination. When they reached the locality afterward, and by them, called German Valley, attracted by its goodly situation, its fertile soil, and its delightful climate, they determined there to fix their habitation. The land was before them; there were no inhabitants there except, perhaps, a few whites and some straggling, wandering In- dians. A beautiful stream making its way to the Raritan passed through the valley. The hillsides were covered with timber suitable for the erection of their dwellings. There they remained, and there are their descendants to this day. They reared their church, in which they worshipped accord- ing to the faith of their fathers. The log edifice has given place to a substantial and commodious structure, where godly men have ministered to them from generation to gen- eration.
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MORRIS COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION
Such are the elements which have peopled Morris Coun- ty, and such are the men who laid the foundations of its prosperity and made it what it is to-day. They little knew and in their wildest imagination never dreamed what were to be the mighty results of their labors. They builded deeper and stronger and reared a structure more colossal in its proportions than their fancy even conceived.
The part which the citizens of Morris County took in the Revolutionary War is deserving of the highest commenda- tion. The whole population with exceedingly few excep- tions were loyal to the cause of freedom. Their women and children manifested this loyalty in the strongest manner possible. Prior to the actual beginning of hostilities be- tween the colonies and the mother country, as early as 1772, full evidence was given of the restive spirit of Pro Patria The first Man that either distributes or makes use of Slumph Paper lethim take Care of his House, Person, & Effects. Vox Populi; We gave the people under the op- pressive acts of the King and Parliament of Eng- land. Morris County was too far removed from the actual scenes of oppression, and its situation was such that its people could be lit- A LIBERTY PLACARD. ile affected by the laws which were intended by the English authorities to strike at the seaboard towns and commercial and navigating in- terests. But beneath all the events which were agitating the colonists there were involved certain principles which their intelligent minds and consciences could and did ap- preciate. These principles were attacked by the action of the mother country, and that affected the patriots of Mor-
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ris County to such an extent that they were ready to make common cause with their fellow citizens in other colonies.
The first public demonstration of the patriotic feeling of the community was made on the 27th day of June, 1774, when a public meeting of the freeholders and inhabitants of the county was held, pursuant to prior call, at the court house in Morristown, Jacob Ford acting as chairman. Reso- lutions were passed expressing the sentiments of the meet- ing. These avowed loyalty to King George. but at the same time gave vent in the strongest terms to the indignation of the people and at the attempted invasion by the English Parliament of the rights of the colonists. They repudiated the action of the authorities in shutting up the port of Bos- ton, in raising a revenue by taxing the colonies; they protested against the Bos- ton port bill, and all other acts at all sub- QU versive of the rights of the people. They promised unqualified assistance to their oppressed fellow citizens of other colonies, I SHILLING declared that no purchase should be made 162 of any articles imported from Great Bri- R tain or the East Indies, and provided for the appointment of committees of corre- spondence in different parts of the country.
From the time when this meeting was STAMP-ACT STAMP. held the people of the county were ablaze with patriotism; the very best men in the county came to the front, and by the appointment of the people assumed the control of public affairs, and the communities in all parts of the county followed these leaders. Committees of correspondence and safety were appointed. It was nnsafe for a known and recognized Tory to remain in the county. A most excellent man, respected and beloved by his neigh-
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MORRIS COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION
bors and who had been elected to the office of sheriff, was an outspoken adherent of King George. He was at once notified that he must change his principles or leave the county. He was conscientious in his convictions and re- fused to submit to the dictation of his fellow citizens, and was obliged to leave.
The patriotism of the inhabitants of Morristown was so well assured that political prisoners who had been arrested for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the new gov- ernment were sent to be confined in that town. A single in- cident will show the universality of the patriotism which actuated all classes. In July, 1776, in a remote part of the county at a small hamlet, a Mr. Gaston conducted a country store, where could be found all the articles neces- sary for the simple wants of his customers. His book of accounts kept at that time is in existence and in the possession of one of his descendants, preserved with filial reverence. On the Fourth of July, 1776, page after page records the sales made of the ordinary articles required for household purposes. But on the day succeeding that, HANGING A TORY. on which the news of the Declara- tion of Independence was received, the entries in this old day book are all made up of charges for powder and ball and shot, and the persons so charged covered nearly all the inhabitants of the hamlet.
When the army visited Morristown in 1777 and again in 1780 and 1781 the people met them with open arms, wel- comed them to their homes, gave them gratuitously of their substance, and ummurmuringly bore all the burdens conse-
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quent upon the presence of so many additions to their num- bers.
The women of the county were not behind the men in their patriotism. They sustained and encouraged their husbands, brothers, and sons in their devotion to the public cause: they tilled the farms while the men were away with the army; they ministered to the wants of the sick and wounded, manufactured clothing for the soldiers, opened their doors to them as they passed, fed the hungry, and suf- fered privations and sacrificed much for their country. Said Anna Kitchell, wife of Uzal Kitehell and sister of Captain Timothy Tuttle, when by a timid friend urged to ac- cept British pro- tection: " I have a husband and five brothers in the American Army; if the God of battles does not care for us we will fare with the rest."
Morris County is Levis Morris named after Lewis Morris, the first inde- pendent colonial governor of New Jersey, and who was instrumental in se- curing the creation of the conuty.
More space has been given to this history of Morris Coun- ty and its subdivisions than perhaps may be deemed by
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MORRIS COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION
some it deserved, but it is hoped that it will be remembered that that county is one of the historic counties of the Valley of the Passaic, connected with the war which secured for this great republic its independence and its present proud position in the world; that around it and its history cluster memories dear to every American heart; and that it was natural for a citizen of the county and a descendant of heroes who perilled all for independence, and were resident in this memorable locality at the time, to believe that all who are now the recipients of the privileges of freedom gained by the struggles and sacrifices of patriots of the olden time would rejoice in the recital of some of the events which transpired in that day of the country's peril.
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MEDAL OF THE REVOLUTION.
CHAPTER XVII
PASSAIC COUNTY
P ASSAIC COUNTY is the most irregularly shaped of all the counties in New Jersey, and in this respect it almost defies description. It is difficult to un- derstand how it was possible that in the division of the State into counties one so irregular, so ill shaped, as is Passaie could possibly have been formed. It has its northern boundary on Orange County in New York; its westerly line impinges on Sussex and is drawn southward nearly to Stockholm in that county, at right angles with the division line between New Jersey and New York; its eastern boundary is also at right angles, or very nearly so, with the same division, so far as it extends southward he- tween Passaic and Bergen to Pompton. At this point the di- mensions of the county are so compressed that the northern and southern sides approach each other with hardly a mile distance between them.
This singular formation divides the county into two un- equal parts. The northerly part is considerably larger than the other, three sides of it being square-the side next to New York and those bordering on Sussex on the west and Bergen on the east. The other division broadens as it passes southeasterly from this compressed part, but again lessens until it reaches a sharp point at the end of Acquackanonk, between Essex and Bergen. As laid
VIEWS AT GRUENWAAN TAUT
229
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
ont on the maps the county has the appearance somewhat of an old fashioned hour-glass, very unsymmetrical, how- ever, and with ill shapen sides.
A large part of Passaie is mountainous, especially at the north and west. A range of mountains of small height come up from the south below Paterson and seem to stop abruptly at the Passaic River. In aud around Pompton are several hundred acres of very level land, composing part of what is called Pompton Plains, the larger portion of which, however, is located in Morris County.
Passaic is well watered. Besides the river from which it takes its name, and which has already been described, the Pequannock, its noble tributary, skirts the southern boun- dary of the county while making its way to its final resting place. The Wanaqua, or Wynockie as it is called by the in- habitants in its vicinity, has the whole of its course in the county. The Ramapo comes from Bergen and crosses Pas- saie at its narrow part. near Pompton, and a considerable stream from Greenwood Lake makes its entire way in Pas- vaic until it finds the Wanaqua Valley near Boardville. A stream called the Singac is of some importance in drain- ing the surrounding country.
There are numerous other small streams and streamlets, tributaries of the Pequannock and other rivers, and some that run into Greenwood Lake. That beautiful sheet of water, called also Long Pond and better known by that name to those who live near it, extends from New York into the northern part of West Milford, nearly one-half lying south of the dividing line between the two States. It is well stocked with fish of various kinds, and for genera- tions has been the resort of fishermen. But of late years it has been much sought by summer visitors, both in New Jersey and in New York. The Greenwood Lake Railroad
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THE PASSAIC VALLEY
has made its banks easy of access. Its location is charm- ing, and all lovers of wild scenery must delight in the land- scapes around it which meet their eyes.
The Bearfoot Mountains, the roughest, wildest, and most rocky in the State and the dread of explorers who seek to
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mount their rugged sides, enter New Jersey from New York at the northern extremity of West Milford and pass south- ward. They are covered with a thick growth of laurel and other gnarled bushes, of serub oaks, and some chestnut. They lie on the west side of Greenwood Lake and cover its western banks with a thick shade in the brightest of sum- mer days.
Some twelve or more ponds and larger bodies of water
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RAILROADS AND AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS
which may be called lakes are found in the county, mostly in West Milford, the largest of which is Macopin, an exceed- ingly beautiful body of water covering two hundred and ninety-nine acres, which seems to have hitherto escaped the attention of summer visitors. Greenwood Lake has one thousand nine hundred and twenty acres of land lying be- neath its waters.
Numerous railroads intersect the county in almost every direction, giving easy access to travellers into other parts of the country. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western runs from Hoboken northward, enters the county near the City of Passaic, then passes to Paterson, and from thence to Morris County, crossing the Pequannock at what was once called Mead's Basin, but is now known as Mountain View, and where there is a station on the railroad. The New York and Erie also starts from Hoboken, goes direct to Paterson and then into Bergen County, and after travers- ing a portion of that county makes its way into New York. The New York, Susquehanna and Western also reaches Paterson, finds its way from that city with a rather cir- cuitous route to the Pequannock, which it crosses at Pomp- ton, and then follows the last named river along the south- ern boundary of the county. The New York and Green- wood leaves the New York, Susquehanna and Western about midway between Pompton and Bloomingdale and finishes its course at Greenwood Lake, traversing Pompton and West Milford Townships.
The agricultural interests of Passaic are considerable. There are some excellent farms within its boundary, espe- cially in the vicinity of Pompton, some of which are culti- vated with profit. West Milford, although so wild and forbidding, has some good arable land near Macopin Pond,
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THE PASSAIC VALLEY
and the Dutch farmers on the Pequannoek, for two centuries and more, have enltivated most excellent farms.
Passaic County has 128,100 acres within its bounds : 126,- 454 of land and 1,646 water; 1,346 acres of the land covered with water lie within West Milford. Of the land 50,284
THE " VYVER " AT THE HAGUE.
acres are cleared; the balance is still covered with forests. Some idea of the growth of the population may be gained from these facts: in 1840, three years after the county was formed, its population was 16,734; in 1880 the combined population of the cities of Paterson and Passaic was 59,900; the whole population then of the county was 60,805. By
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS
the census of 1900 the people in Paterson alone numbered somewhat over 105,500.
In the rural districts outside of the two large cities, where the people are engaged in agricultural pursuits, they are permanent in their residences. This is especially applicable to the localities where Dutch immigrants settled in the early history of the county, and where many of their de- scendants are still found living on the same farms ocen- pied by their ancestors. This, however, does not apply to all who have Holland blood in their veins. Many of them of the present day have been impelled by the energy of their neighbors of other kin, have caught their spirit and prog- ress, and have mingled with the people and rivalled them in their application to other pursuits than agriculture and in their efforts to serve the community as citizens.
In the early records of the county, in the fists of civil officers, names of undoubted Dutch origin so offen ocenr that it may be asserted without fear of contradiction that more than three-fourths of those officers were of Holland descent. This state of affairs continued for many years, but of late the influx of men of foreign blood has turned the scale, and now these Holland names, so often once recorded, seldom appear.
At one time the very great majority of the people of the county were devoted to agriculture; now nearly all give their attention to mechanical and manufacturing pursuits, and in this respect it is not excelled by any other county in the State.
Passaic had no independent history of its own prior to the time of its incorporation as a county. Up to that period it had been so intimately connected with Essex and Bergen that it could have had no separate historical record. The Dutch had come over first from Manhattan to Bergen Con-
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ty, and then gradually they pushed their way in their slow, systematic manner into Acquackanonk and Pompton, occupying the lowlands found in those localities. There they built their substantial stone dwellings of one story, with outreaching eaves, cultivated their farms with perse- vering industry, living quiet lives, rearing their children, and teaching them the virtues which have so adorned the character of these phlegmatic men. Suddenly they were vonfronted by a new order of things. They were awakened by the splash of water wheels, by the clatter and swing of machinery, by the rush of a new, busy life. Their young men began to appreciate this great change going on around them, they awakened from their apathy, and soon learned that this new, busy life was before them, that it was for them, and that it meant something better, nobler than the dreary monotony of a farm. So they began to keep step with the push of this new existence and soon found that they had possibilities within them of which they had never dreamed, and took their proper place in the great battle around them.
Passaic County was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature approved on the 7th of February, 1837. In this act the county is thus described :
All those parts of the Counties of Essex and Bergen contained within the following boundaries and lines : Beginning at the mouth of Yantakaw or Third River, at its entrance into Passaic River, being the present boundary of the township of Acquachanuck; running thence northwesterly along the course of the line of said Township to the corner of said line, at or near the Newark and Pompton Turnpike; thence in a straight line to the bend of the road below the house now occupied by John Freeman, in the township of Caldwell, being abont one and a half miles in length ; thence to the middle of Passaic River; thence along the middle of said River to the middle of the mouth of the Pompton River by the two Bridges; thence up said River along the line between Bergen and Morris Counties to Sussex County; thence along the line between Sussex and Bergen Counties to the State of New York; thence Easterly along the line be-
COLT'S HILL: PATERSON.
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THE PASSAIC VALLEY
tween the two States to the division line between the townships of Pompton and Franklin; thenec along said line dividing said townships and the townships of Franklin and Saddle River to where it intersects the road commonly called Goetchius' lane; thence down the center of said road or lare to the Passaic River; thence down the middle of Passaic River to the place of Beginning.
When Passaic was first organized it had five townships: Acquackanonk, Manchester, Paterson, Pompton, and West Milford. Of these Acquackanonk was the oldest, having been made a township as early as 1693, when it formed a part of Essex, to which it continued to belong until the creation of Passaic, when it was added to the new county. Manchester was included in Saddle River, one of the town- ships of Bergen, but was transferred to Passaic in 1837.
Some reference has already been made to the early his- tory of Paterson in connection with the Society for the Es- tablishment of Useful Manufactures. A large part of it was originally severed from Acquackanonk in 1831, when it became an independent township, and was afterward, in 1851, incorporated as a city, but since that time has re- ceived large additions to its territory in its first and second wards by some part of Little Falls and a further portion from Acquackanonk. Pompton was also an ancient munici- pality, founded in 1797 from part of Bergen, from which county it was transferred to Passaic in 1837. West Milford belonged to Pompton until 1834, when it was made a town- ship, and three years afterward added to Passaic County. Since the formation of Passaic three new townships have been erected within its bounds: Little Falls, Passaic, and Wayne. Little Falls was once within the bounds of Acquackanonk, but in 1868 was made an independent town- ship. Passaic was taken from Acquackanonk in 1866 and made a township; three years later it became a village; and it was incorporated as a city in 1873. In 1847 Wayne was set off from Manchester.
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BOROUGH ORGANIZATIONS
Five boroughs have been created in Passaic; three, Pomp- ton Lakes, Tofowa, and Hawthorn, were incorporated prior to 1901. In 1901 two others were formed by the Legisla- ture: Prospect Park, by act approved March 13, and Hale- don, on March 20. Both were taken from the Township of Manchester.
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CHAPTER XVIII
WEST MILFORD, POMPTON, AND WAYNE
EST MILFORD TOWNSHIP is situated in the northwestern part of the county and is its largest municipality. There are few townships in the State that have so large an acreage and not many that have so few inhabitants. It is bounded on the north by Orange County in New York, on the east by Pompton Township, on the south by Morris County, from which it is separated by the Pequannock River, and on the west by Sussex County. Almost the whole of the township is covered by mountains, whose summits are bare of vegeta- tion and covered by seraggy rocks. The valleys of the Ring. wood and Wanaqna Rivers, which extend through the whole length of West Milford from north to south, and occasional valleys on the tributaries of these and other rivers, are filled with fertile farms, which in a measure compensate for the sterility found in other portions of the township.
The Wanaqua Valley, which begins at Pompton Plains, is beautiful and picturesque. More beautiful landscapes can not be found elsewhere. Iron ore of the very best quality has been mined in various parts of the township. The rich deposits of this metal, found in Morris County and at Ringwood and other parts of what is now Passaic, invited early in the eighteenth century immigration and capital from England and Europe. Large tracts of land were pur- chased, mines opened, and iron ore mined in great quanti-
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ties and of excellent quality; forges and furnaces were erected and iron manufactured. Germans came over from llesse-Cassel and other parts of the Fatherland. Of course all these facts led to explorations for the precious metal in parts of the country adjacent to the mines already opened. This led explorers into West Milford, and there iron was found of a superior character and in quantity.
West Milford was settled as early as 1720 by immi- grants from Germany and other parts of Europe, some coming from Holland. A few of the names of these early settlers still survive in the township, such as Stru- bel, Schuls- ter, Vree- land, and AFTER A BLIZZARD. Kanouse. The
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