USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Passaic > The Passaic valley, New Jersey, in three centuries.. Vol. 1 > Part 18
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Midland Park is situated in the southeastern part near Ridgewood. Just below this village the railroad enters Franklin from Ridgewood and passes westward toward the Ramapo Mountains, along whose feet it goes in search of the Pequannock River, through whose valley, and on its sonth- ern bank, it makes its way westward.
Wyckoff, written Wikhoof in some ancient deeds, is in the northeastern part, a short distance above Wortendyke. Here on Angust 17, 1720, John and William Van Voors Haze bought five hundred and fifty acres of land from some French merchants of New York, and settled. It is on the line of the same railroad as is a smaller hamlet bearing the singular name of Camp Gaw.
Franklin was named after the last colonial governor of New Jersey, William Franklin, a son of Benjamin Frank- lin, who, to his father's great disappointment, became an adherent of the king of Great Britain in the Revolution.
Ridgewood is a very small municipality-the smallest in the county,-having only 4,429 aeres, of which about one thousand are still uncleared. It is very irregularly shaped, and runs northward to a short point between Franklin and
THE "DEEP A VOLL " HOMESTEAD: MIDLAND PARK. (Property of John Schnoering.)
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RIDGEWOOD TOWNSHIP
Orvill. It is bounded north by Orvill, east by Orvill and Midland, south by Saddle River, and west by Franklin. It has great diversity of scenery, characterized by beauty of landscape charming to the eye, and presenting many beauti- ful sites for the dwellings of summer visitors. lis central position and occasional elevations secure salubrity of air. Two railroads give easy access and certainty of travelling facilities to those who may seek homes in its valleys and upon its ridges. The Erie, with a station at Ridge- wood, runs near- ly through the center of the township; the New York, Sus- quehanna and Western passes through the southeast corner, with a station at Midland Park. The Saddle River drains its eastern SCENE ON THE HUDSON. boundary, the Ilohokus runs through its central part, and several small streams, tributaries of these two, sufficiently water the country. The manufacturing interests of the municipality are not large, the people being mostly engaged in agricul- ture. Large quantities of berries and other small fruits are raised for the New York market.
New names again appear among the first settlers, such as Van Dien, Zabriskie, Terhume, and Banta, but all the
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first immigrants were of Holland stock, and most of them are represented to-day among the present residents, sev- eral of whom will be found occupying the ground where first resided their ancestors. It can not be stated with certainty when the first settlement was made in Ridgewood. It can only be approximated by reference to the history of the church at Paramus, a village situated on the eastern boundary of Ridgewood on Saddle River. The main part of this village is in an adjoining township, but a portion of the locality called Paramus extends over into Ridgewood. Undoubtedly, while unsupplied with appliances of their own for religious worship, if there were a church so near as one at Paramus would be the religious dwellers in Ridge- wood would have gone thither.
There was a Reformed Church at Paramus early in the eighteenth century and some sort of church organization there as early as 1725. A minister, named Reinhart Erick- sen, wrote in that year that he " was then minister at Hack- ensack, Schraalenburgh, and Peremus." In 1735 the first church edifice was erected at the last named place. This fact is authenticated in the flyleaf of the " Doop " book- that is, the baptismal record,-on which appears a state- ment in the Dutch language which, when translated into English, reads: " On the 21st day of April, 1735, was the first stone of the church laid." This, however, does not settle definitely the exact date.
This church at Paramus was historical, one of the oldest in this part of the country, and has wielded a dominating influence in religious affairs. Prior to this date found on this baptismal record, on January 15, 1734, a meeting of the congregation at Paramus was held, when Cornelius Vander- beck and Johannes Wynkoop were selected to superintend the building of the church. There were settlers in Ridge-
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RIDGEWOOD TOWNSHIP
wood prior to this date who attended church at Hacken- sack, Acquackanonk, or Tappan.
There is only one village in the township and that bears
ANCIENT DUTCH TOWN, SHOWING CROW-STEPPED GABLES.
the same name, but was once known as Godwinville. It is situated on the Erie Railroad in the extreme western part of the county. At first it seemed as if it would remain a mere hamlet, but it attracted the attention of some New
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York business men, who were invited by the beauty of its location and the easy access afforded by the railroad to take up their residences there. It is now a thriving, busy town, with some commercial and manufacturing enterprises and many elegant residences.
Ridgewood was incorporated by act of the Legislature approved March 30, 1876, by which act it was set off from Franklin. Although a masterful new element has been in-
HISTORIC MILL ON THE SADDLE RIVER AT RED MILLS. ( PHOTO, BY VERNON ROYLE, PATERSON.)
troduced into the population the old Holland race still hold their grip on the offices of the township.
Saddle River is the only township of Bergen County al- ready mentioned which is situated on the Passaic. It is one of the oldest municipalities in the county, and at one time comprised much more territory than is contained with- in its present bounds. There is much difficulty in estab- lishing the exact date of its organization. It once formed a part of New Barbadoes, which at one time included all of Bergen County between the Hackensack and Passaie Riv- ers up to the New York line. When the township was ere-
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SADDLE RIVER TOWNSHIP
ated it covered all there was of New Barbadoes between the Hackensack and the Passaic as far northward as the boundary between New York and New Jersey. But the creation of Franklin, which af first included Hohokus, Ridgewood, and what is now Franklin, reduced Saddle River to its present dimensions. It certainly had an indo- pendent organization as early as 1734, for in that year John Berdan and Martin Ryerson are recorded as the freeholders of Saddle River. It takes its name from its fancied rosem- blanco when first organized to a saddle. From that year until the present the names of its officers are so unmis- takably Holland that there is no doubt of the preponderat- ing influence still felt of the descendants of first settlers.
The township is bounded on the north by Ridgewood and Franklin, east by Ridgewood, Midland, and Lodi, south by Lodi, and west by the Passaic River. It contains 9,525 acres, all upland, of which about two thousand acres are woodland. The Passaic on its west and Saddle River on its Past and several small streams, tributaries of the two just mentioned, afford sufficient means of drainage. The inter- ests of the people are mainly agricultural, and there is not much attention given to manufactures. Near its southern extremity Dundee Lake, jo which reference has already been made, forms part of its western boundary.
The influence of the manufactures established in connec- tion with the power afforded by this collection of water has extended over into Saddle River, and some of the operatives in the mills at Passaic have sought homes on the east bank of the river. It is quite certain that in the near future this influence will be extended and a large town spring up tilled with homes for the workmen of the busy, populous city on the west bank of the Passaic.
The same difficulty as to the time of the first immigra-
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THE PASSAIC VALLEY
tion of other localities in Bergen is found in Saddle River. The original immigrants were few in number; they kept no records; but they remained, living quiet, peaceful lives, in- tent on the cultivation of their farms, having few wants and fewer aspirations.
The Doremus family was prominent among the early resi- dents in Saddle River. John Doremus, the an- cestor, a well known Whig in the Revolu- tion, was captured by the British and con- fined in the old sugar house in New York City. One of his de- scendants still ocen- pies the homestead on which lived his ances- tor John.
RHINELANDER SUGAR HOUSE: NEW YORK. There is only one church, a Reformed, in the township. The congregation began worship in a small edifice built in 1873 and dedicated in December. This build- ing was burned May 20, 1880, and exactly one year afterward a new one was dedicated which is still standing. About seventy-five years ago, when the township had its full di- mensions, Goffe and the village of Manchester, now parts of Paterson, lay within the boundaries of Saddle River.
Midland comes properly within the Valley of the Passaic, although removed from the actual influence of that river and bordering on the Hackensack. Still its nearness to the Passaic entitles it to a mention, at least, in a history of its valley. It formerly formed part of New Barbadoes, and
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MIDLAND TOWNSHIP
was set off from that township in 1871 and declared an in- dependent municipality by an act approved March 7. Its history, of course. prior to that date, is identified with that of its parent township, but the territory now comprised in Midland has an interest arising from its Revolutionary on- vironments. It was often visited by Washington during the Revolutionary War, and the memo- ries of the visits made by him to some of the families then resident there are cherished by the now living representa- lives with reverential pride.
Here again ap- pear new Holland names among the early immigrants, LIVINGSTON SUGAR HOUSE: NEW YORK. such as Kipp, Cooper (originally Kuyper), Oldis, and Lutkins -- many of them be- ing found to-day among the present residents. It is bounded on the north by Franklin, Orvill, and Washing- ton, on the east by Harrington, Washington, Palisades, Englewood, and Ridgefield, south by Lodi, and west by Sad- dle River and Ridgewood.
The Demarest family, so well and so favorably known all over the State, is descended, probably in all its branches. from David des Marest, a French Huguenot, who, with many co-religionists, ded from France to escape persecu- tion. He made his way to New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, and it is said bought all the land now covered by
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Harlem; but in 1677 he made his way to Bergen and bought two thousand acres of land in what is now Midland. He had difficulty with the title, however, and was obliged, so says tradition, to buy part of the whole tract four times over to quiet his possession. The name is now written Demarest by all who are entitled to bear it.
The same preponderating influence of Holland stock is shown in this township by the lists of its officers, as is already demonstrated in the several municipali- ties before noticed.
WASHINGTON'S WRITING TABLE.
Several in- teresting and beautiful vil-
lages and hamlets are located in Midland. Spring Valley, named from the number of its springs, one of which is called Washington in memory of the fact that the great commander drank of its water during the war when a part of his army was encamped at this place. Paramus is the name applied to a portion of the township near the village of that name in Ridgewood.
Cherry Hill has the ouly Reformed Church in the town- ship. River Edge is of historic interest. Here in the Revo- lution the troops, after evacuating Fort Lee, crossed the Hackensack River over a bridge which was burned by them to prevent pursuit by the British. Arcola and Oradell are other hamlets situated in Midland.
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LODI TOWNSII'
Lodi is in the southeastern part of the county. It con- tains 9,649 acres, nearly two thousand of which are salt marsh covered by the tide from the sea, and abont the same number of acres of meleared land. Its territory runs to a sharp point at its northern extremity between Saddle River and Midland, and its surface is marked by two great di- versities of appearance, its eastern and southern portions being enveloped by the tide marsh, an extension of coun-
Nieuw Amsterdam onlngs Nieuw Jorck gerent ende hernomen bysde Nederlanders op den. ag Ang. 1673 . cindelyk aan de Engelle vedere fueraan
NEW YORK IN 1673.
tryonce covered by valuable cedar growth, but now denuded of any forest whatever, and given up to salt grass, swamp flowers, and coarse woods. This grass is of some value to farmers, being cut in the summer, then suffered to remain on the ground where it is ent until the winter frost hardens the soil so that teams may travel over it. in the western part the ground is nearly all upland, capable of high culti- vation and of growing vegetables and other garden products for the New York market.
Lodi is bounded north by Midland and Saddle River, east by Midland, Englewood, and the Hackensack River, sonth by the same river and Union, and west by Saddle River, Union, and Acquackanonk. It belongs to both the Passaic and Hackensack Valleys, but its usefulness is almost entire-
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ly dependent upon the former stream, as its eastern portion, bordering on the latter, is wholly composed of marsh.
Its territory when formed into a township was much larger than it is at present, as Union was afterward severed from it and some of it added to Hudson County when that county was created. In its western part, near Saddle River, it has some manu- facturing interests, where were established some years ago grist and saw- mills, bleaching and dye- PETER SCHUYILA -CALEA IN THE PROVINCE OF NESLO ing factory, and the Lodi MOHAWK & Chemical Works.
A COLONIAL VASE.
Berry's Creek is the only stream of any importance in the township besides the two large rivers, the Passaic and Hackensack. which form its western and eastern boundaries.
Some new Dutch names appear among the pioneer settlers in the territory now called Lodi. They are Berry, Brincker- hoof, Van Schanek, Romaine, Schoonmachers, and Terhune. Like the immigrations into other townships the same diffi- culty obtains here in the ascertainment of any date of its first settlement. Some came, as near as can be learned, as early as the latter part of the seventeenth century.
The township was taken from New Barbadoes in 1825, by act of incorporation passed by the Legislature, and since that time the names of Holland descent are largely in the majority in the record of the township officers.
The township has two important towns: Lodi and Carl-
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LODI AND UNION TOWNSHIPS
stadt, of which Lodi is the older, its origin being almost simultaneons with that of the township. It is situated in the northern part on Saddle River, which stream at this point furnishes a very valuable water power, not, however, utilized until a little more than half a century ago. The village has large manufacturing interests, but, unlike most factory towns, it has especial charms in the ornamentation of its streets, in many elegant residences, and in many public buildings, especially the railroad depot. There are five church edifices in the town and school buildings for the accommodation of the children of its inhabitants. Much of the beauty of the town and its prosperity in its early his- tory were due to the liberality and public spirit of Robert Rennie and Richard Terhune, two of the principal manufac- turers of the place.
In the opposite end of the township, and extending over into Union, is the larger town of Carlstadt, built on quite an elevation and overlooking both valleys. This locality was the result of the operations of a company of two hun- dred and forty Germans, who organized an association com- posed of themselves, and bought one hundred and forty acres for sixteen thousand dollars, which they plotted into city building lots, apportioning seven to each member. A com- pact town was the result, which was incorporated and is governed by a board of trustees who are elected by the real estate owners who are voters. It is a thriving town, popu- latel almost entirely by German operatives, whose object in establishing Carlstadt was to furnish comfortable homes at moderate prices to the members. The success which at- tended this enterprise induced the formation of other asso- ciations and the purchase of land in other localities in the township with a view of establishing villages or towns. Success has not always attended these attempts.
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Carlstadt was named in honor of Carl Klein, the projector of the town, who became the first president of its board of trustees.
Woodridge is situated a short distance north of Carlstadt, and is a small hamlet, as is also Corona, still farther north. Little Ferry, in the eastern portion of Lodi near the junction of English Creek with the Hackensack, is somewhat impor- tant for its connection with the extensive brick works on the last named river.
Union is situated in the extreme southern end of Bergen Connty. and is one of its small municipalities. It has 8,957 acres, of which 4,093 are tide marsh, 467 are covered with water, and abont 1,000 are still forest land. Almost the whole eastern portion is composed of salt meadows. A nar- row strip on the Passaic is elevated above the marsh and river, and can be utilized for agricultural purposes or for the location of villages. Union formed part of New Barba- does until 1825, when Lodi was incorporated; then it was made part of that township. It remained under its juris- dietion until Hudson County was created in 1840, when it was added to the new county and placed within the bounds of Harrison Township. The inhabitants of the territory were not pleased with their new associations, and in 1852 Union was made an independent municipality and reunited ro Bergen. It was well known to the Hackensack Indians, who frequented this part of the country and claimed owner- ship of the land in the eastern and northeastern portions of the State on and around the Passaic, Hackensack, and Hud- son Rivers. They called this part of their possessions by the euplonious name of " Mighectlick."
The territory of Union Township was purchased by Cap- tain William Sandford from the proprietors in 1668. Cap- tain Sandford was a maternal ancestor of one branch of
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THE SANDFORD FAMILY
the Pennington family, of Essex County, so distinguished in the history of New Jersey. William Sandford Penning- ton, one of that race and one of the most prominent men of his time in the State, being judge of the Supreme Court, governor and chancellor of the State, and judge of the United States District Court, was a nephew of an- other William Sandford, a descendant of the captain. and was named for him. The nephew was an ardent Whig and the uncle was as ardent a loyalist. He had annonneed his determina- tion of making his nephew and namesake the heir of his great possessions, a large part of which were situated in Cuion, and threatened his relative with disinheritance if he AN INDIAN KING. continued in his opposition to the king. Young Pennington preferred his country and its liberty to the tempting bribe, entered the patriot army, and of course was disinherited.
Union is bounded on the north by Lodi, on the east by Lodi and the Hackensack, and on the west by the Passaic. Besides these two rivers I'nion has two smaller streams of some importance: Berry's Creek and Saw Mill Creek, and several small brooks, tributaries to the larger stream.
The disadvantages arising from the marshy character of a large portion of this township did not make it a desirable
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place of residence, or perhaps deterred settlers seeking conun- try abodes from examining the land, and thus caused them to overlook many desirable localities. The Holland immi- gration did not flow in so great a volume into this part of Bergen County as it did elsewhere, but several prominent families of that race were found there quite early. Schuyler, Holsman, Vreeland, Joralemon, Outwater, Van Winkle, Kip, Van Riper, Brinkerhoof, and Ackerman are some of their names. A few names of English extraction were ex- ceedingly prominent in the early history of Union, such as Rutherford, Kingsland, and Sandford.
A purchase of several thousand acres in Union made by Captain William Sandford, already mentioned, was in the interest of Stephen Kingsland, who came from Barba- does in the seventeenth century and settled on the land then bought. He had enough influence to give the name New Barbadoes to the township, in which Hackensack, the capital of the county, is situated.
The Rutherford family owned a large estate here, on which was built a large mansion, occupied for several gen- erations by the descendants of the first owner, but the race has now disappeared from this section of the State. One or two descendants are living in the City of New York, one of whom has become distinguished for his astronomical studies and discoveries. .
The list of officers of the township proves that the Dutch element of its inhabitants is appreciated by the voters, but there also appears a large sprinkling of other names.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad aroused the interest of those desiring to escape the dis- advantages of city life to the fact that there were several suitable locations for summer residences in Union, access to which was easily obtained over the new road. The re-
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LYNDHURST AND RUTHERFORD
sult was the villages of Kingsland and Lyndhurst. The Kingsland family owned and occupied a large extent of land on the line of the railroad. The railroad company bought some land in this locality, ntil- ized it for the oree- tion of workshops, built a station here, and named it Kings- land in honor of the owners of the prop- erty. The workmeu needed dwellings. These were erected and the hamlet be- came quite a thriv- ing village.
Lyndhurst is also on the line of the railroad. Here are some handsome resi- dences and some factories employing many operatives A WASHINGTON CHAIR. and giving impetus and strength to a flourishing village.
Rutherford is in the northern part of the township, and is the result of the efforts of several gentlemen from New York who were attracted to the spot by its beauty and de- sirability for residences. A never failing spring of pure, cool water, of sufficient flow to send from its margin quite a stream, was found here, and near it a small, inconvenient station was erected by the railroad company, now controlled by the New York and Erie. The existence of this spring
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gave the name at first of Boiling Spring to the locality. Very soon several land associations were formed and land was bought from the reluctant Dutch owners, who were averse to selling the land upon which their families for many generations had dug and delved in quiet. But the purchases were finally made, the land thus bought was plotted into building lots, streets and avenues were laid out, and some private residences were built with taste and with appliances for comfort; and now a thriving and im- portant town is the result. The first land was purchased in 1858 and the town is still improving. It is now called Rutherford after the family of that name formerly resident in Union.
There is a small settlement bearing the same name as that of the township, situated on the Passaic River.
Nearly opposite Belleville, in Essex, is the Schuyler cop- per mine, formerly belonging to Arent Schuyler, for whom the mine was named. It was operated as early as 1719, when it was discovered by one of the slaves of the original owner. He, however, did not give much attention to its development. His son, John Schuyler, after his father's death, worked it with considerable profit. As early as 1738 the mine was credited with 13,086 tons of ore which had been taken from it and shipped to England. In 1753 John Schuyler introduced, at a cost of three thousand pounds sterling ($15,000), the first steam engine ever used in America. The mine was in operation in 1868, being then mentioned and described by Professor Cook in his annnal geological report for that year. It has been spasmodically worked since that time, but often virtually abandoned.
CHAPTER XXIV
ESSEX COUNTY AND ELIZABETHTOWN
€ SSEX COUNTY was one of the four counties cre- ated by the Legislature in 1682. But there was mention made of counties in New Jersey prior to that date-indefinite mention most certainly, but interesting from one or two points of view: one to learn what sort of legislation governed the Province in the early times when this mention is made, the other to watch for the beginning of the law-making provided for the division of the Province into these political divisions. At the first session of the provincial Legislature begun on the 5th day of November. 1675, at Elizabethtown, during the admin- istration of Philip Carteret, the first colonial governor of New Jersey, appointed by Berkeley and Carteret, lords pro- prietors, and on the 13th of that month, the following pro- amble and act were passed :
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