USA > New Jersey > Somerset County > The Somerset hills : being a brief record of significant facts in the early history of the hill country of Somerset County, New Jersey > Part 3
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Early in: 1781 the tavern at Vealtown was the scene of a little army diplomacy. During that winter the Pennsylvania line under com- mand of General Wayne went into winter quarters on Kimball Hill near Morristown. It
would seem that the condition of the troops was but little better than during the mem- orable winter at Valley Forge.
"The men," wrote General Wayne, "are poorly clothed, badly fed and worse paid, some of them not having received a paper dollar for near twelve months; exposed to winter's piercing cold, to drifting snows, and chilling blasts, with no protection but old worn-out coats, tattered linen overalls, and but one blanket between three men." Small wonder they mutinied. They were devoted to their cause and to General Wayne, but he was quite unable to restrain them. So thirteen hundred withdrew from camp intent on march- ing to Philadelphia to present their claims to
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Congress. Their first halt for the night was at Vealtown and here Wayne followed them, meeting the non-commissioned officers of the mutineers in Bullion's tavern. The result of the conference was a compromise. General Wayne despatched a courier to Congress stating their grievances and claims, and Congress promptly sent a committee to confer with them. They met the mutineers at Princeton, relieved their necessities, granted the justice of their claims, and sent them back to camp.
Meanwhile an incident had taken place that proved they were no traitors, though in a state of mutiny. Emissaries from General Clinton met them, offering generous terms to join the King's troops. But Clinton had reckoned without his host. The emissaries were promptly seized as spies and turned over to the custody of General Wayne, to whose command the mutineers themselves soon re- turned. General Wayne's sobriquet of "Mad
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Anthony " was changed to "Dandy Andy " in New Jersey, where he was extremely popular. The sobriquet grew out of his gentlemanly sol- dierly appearance and fastidiousness in dress. The camp at Kimball Hill and various events in this and the preceding seasons fur- nish the materials for Bret Harte's pretty Rev- olutionary story, "Thankful Blossom." The house of the heroine was on one of the main roads leading from Kimball Hill to Vealtown.
When, in August, 1781, Washington boldly decided to cross the Hudson and unite with Lafayette and the French fleet in Virginia, the allied armies crossed New Jersey by different routes in four divisions.
The two divisions of our French allies lay at Whippany, Morris County, over night on August 28th. The first division camped at Bullion's Tavern, Bernardsville, the following night, and the next day pushed on to Mill- stone. On the 30th, the second division fol-
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lowed from Whippany, and they too camped at Bernardsville for the night, following the first in their southern course, one day later. The journal of the commissary of the French army records: "The road which I took to reach Bullion's Tavern is not disagreeable, but the farms are still middling, they were sown with maize and buckwheat; I also saw a little hemp there."
The appearance of the soldiers of his Christian Majesty Louis XVI., well drilled and in natty uniforms, must have been in striking con- trast to the ill-fed and half-clothed troops that passed through the village five years earlier after the defeat at Long Island. Then there had been no considerable victory over the royal forces. Now there was the memory of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth in New Jersey; of the capture of Burgoyne in New York. Then the Colonies were fighting single- handed; now they held the active and moral
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support of a powerful ally -the hereditary enemy of the British.
With this memorable march across the Jerseys, the Revolutionary memories of Bernardsville close; for the final victory at Yorktown fol- lowed two months later.
Perhaps the most interesting historic house architecturally is the old Kirkpatrick home- stead on the Mine Brook road. It is built of stone, two stories in height, in a severe and dignified style which the present owner has had the good taste to preserve and copy in all restorations and extensions. On a stone over the doorway are chiselled the initials D. M. K., 1765. The initials stand for David and Mary Kirkpatrick, the sturdy Scotch emi- grants who built the house, whose son Andrew was a distinguished Chief-Justice of the State (1803-1824).
Bathing Ridge Dei've 4: 13- 1976
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My Dr Gates
The in in genious thanallen of Jour
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has washing? The goodly fabrica We had been building - theriver was so davand a stroke- entre nous a certain great. Man & more damenably deficiente He has shown me into
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VI.
BASKING RIDGE.
Several existing records place the earliest settlement of Basking Ridge "about the year 1700." It is quite possible that squatters may have been settled in the vicinity as early as 1700, for in the transactions of the regular sale and deeding of the land there are sundry references to trouble in dispossessing the squatters. But inasmuch as the date of the purchase of a tract of some three thousand acres, including the site of the present village, is dated June 24th, 1717, the latter may be considered the date of the historic beginning of the village.
The purchase was made from an Indian chief named Nowenoik by one John Harrison, agent of the East Jersey Proprietors, the price paid being about fifty dollars. The tract extended
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east to the Passaic River at Millington and south to the Dead River. It was known as Harrison's Neck and was sold a few years later to four men, namely : Daniel Hollingshead, George Rissearick, Col. John Parker, of Amboy, and James Alexander, surveyor-general of the provinces of New York and New Jersey.
These gentlemen had it regularly surveyed in 1727 and laid out in farms of one hundred and fifty to two hundred acres each. These were then drawn for in lots, the lot to the northeast of the village having fallen to James Alexander, the surveyor-general of the province.
The name of the village is variously spelled- Baskinridge, Baskenridge, Basken Ridge, etc .- in published and written documents, during the first century of its existence. In the loose orthography of the period, this is nothing un- usual, but in the earliest authentic documents the word appears in its present form. This seems to indicate a purely English origin for
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the name, the local tradition being that the Ridge was a place of resort for the wild animals to bask in the sun.
A log meeting house was erected on the site of the present Presbyterian Church some time between the years 1725-1730. This was super- seded by a larger frame building in 1749. The earliest burial discoverable from the gravestones is dated 1736. But by 1740 Basking Ridge must have been the centre of a considerable and vigorous community. In that year the village was visited by the great English evan- gelist, George Whitefield, who himself recorded the visit in the following terms :
" When I came to Basking Ridge I found that Mr. Davenport had been preaching to the con- gregation. It consisted of about three thousand people. In prayer I perceived my soul drawn out and a stirring of affection among the peo- ple. I had not discoursed long, but in every part of the congregation, somebody or other
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began to cry out, and almost all were melted to tears."
This was the period known in the religious annals as The Great Awakening. They were days of fervent, genuine piety, even though marred by Puritan narrowness and intolerance. The spirit of the Puritan petition to parliament still obtained. "The service of God," that peti- tion records, "is grievously abused by piping with organ singing and trowling of psalms from one side of the choir to another, with the squeak- ing of chanting choristers disguised in white surplices, some in corner caps and silly copes." There was no organ and no choir in the village church at this period. The doleful hymns of the day were "lined out" by the pastor or a deacon, then sung by the congregation. The churches were cheerless and plain; in winter unheated, and the customary sermon, morning and afternoon, was one hour in length timed by an hour-glass. It is recorded of one Puritan
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preacher that he could rarely confine himself within the hour limit. When the sand had run out he would turn over the hour-glass deliberately and say: "Brethren, let us take another glass."
In 1751, the Rev. Dr. Kennedy was appointed to the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church, and soon after established a classical school of considerable repute throughout the State. He was a Scotchman, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, a Doctor of Medicine, and an all- around gentleman of culture. He died in 1786, and was buried in the churchyard. The present church structure, the third on the site, was erected in 1838.
At the outbreak of the Revolution, a culti- vated society already existed in Basking Ridge and the surrounding Somerset Hills. Lord Stirling had made his summer home here a per- manent residence. The distinguished Southard family were his neighbors. John Morton, of
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New York, had recently settled here in an attractive and well-furnished homestead. This society was soon augmented by exiles of prominence from New York and elsewhere, who found comparative security in these hills. Elias Boudinot, of Elizabeth, who as president of Congress signed the final Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, had placed his family in two farmhouses near the village. When Gov- ernor Livingston was obliged to abandon his home in Elizabethtown, Liberty Hall, his family was sent to Basking Ridge and were the guests of his brother-in-law, Lord Stirling, at The Buildings.
The capture or General Lee in the early period of the war was the beginning of a series of Revolutionary associations with the village.
For nearly a hundred years the measure of this adventurer's guilt was a subject of dispute, but thorough investigation leaves no doubt on that subject. Lee, who was second in com-
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Mrs. White's Tavern
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mand, coveted the post of commander-in-chief. After the battle of Long Island and the series of subsequent disasters, he was extremely dilatory in following Washington into Pennsyl- vania, hoping, it is charged, that with his small force some new disaster would befall him, and thus place his covetous second first in com- mand. On the 12th of December, 1776, Lee arrived in Bernardsville, where the army camped for the night. He, however, moved on to more comfortable quarters in Mrs. White's tavern in Basking Ridge, leaving the army in charge of General Sullivan. The following morning a party of thirty British dragoons, under Colonel Harcourt, suddenly appeared, surrounded the house, captured him, and carried him off to the British lines at New Brunswick, some eighteen miles distant, where, clothed only in dressing gown and slippers, the crestfallen would-be commander-in-chief created no little merriment. At the time, the capture of General Lee was
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counted another addition to a long series of disasters. It was, indeed, the darkest period of the war. But we know better now. The capture left General Sullivan in command of Lee's division, which promptly joined Wash- ington in Pennsylvania, and made possible the most brilliant strategic feat of the war-the capture of the Hessians at Trenton and the victory of Princeton. And we know now, too, that at the very moment of Lee's capture, he had but signed the following letter to General Gates :
BASKING RIDGE, Dec'r ye 13th, 1776.
My Dr GATES :
The ingenious maneuvre of Fort Washington has unhinged the goodly fabric we had been building. There never was so damned a stroke entre nous a certain great man is most damn- ably deficient. He has thrown me into a situation where I have my choice of difficulties.
Caricature of General Lee
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If I stay in this province I risk myself and army, and if I do not stay, the province is lost forever .. . Our counsels have been weak to the last degree. As to yourself, if you think you can be in time to aid the General, I would have you by all means go. You will at least save your army. . Adieu my dear friend. God bless you.
In "Janice Meredith," his romance of the Rev- olution, Mr. Paul Leicester Ford makes the cap- ture of Lee a conspicuous episode. With sub- stantial fidelity to facts, he gives a realizing picture of the tavern of the day, its keeper and patrons, and above all of the covetous, arrogant General Lee on that wintry December morn- ing in 1776. We see the cursing, crestfallen captive within the British lines at New Bruns- wick, and from thence forwarded to Cornwallis at Princeton.
There were great festivities in the village on July 27, 1779. The occasion was the marriage
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of Lady Kitty Stirling to Col. Wm. Duer, of the Continental army. The ceremony took place on the lawn in front of The Buildings, "under a cedar tree," so the local tradition states. It brought together a large and brilliant company, including many army officers. A barbecued ox and wine without stint furnished refreshment. The bridegroom is described by Judge Jones, the Tory historian of the period, as "William Duer, a West Indian, settled in the province of New York for several years, as great a rebel as ever lived."
Colonel Duer was, in fact, a native of Devon- shire, England, though his early life was spent in the West Indies. After the war, he lived in great state in New York City, but in 1792 his reckless speculations precipitated the first great financial panic known to New York.
The Duers were conspicuous during the period of social reconstruction in New York City fol- lowing the war. In the "Republican Court"
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which succeeded the Provincial court circle, they naturally occupied the prominent place to which their birth, breeding, and the public ser- vices of their respective families entitled them.
That Lady Kitty Duer had all the graces and accomplishments tradition attributes to her is attested by the existence of her letters which are models of graceful elegance. In the sum- mer of 1778 the Countess of Stirling and Lady Kitty visited Mrs. Robert Watts, Lord Stirling's elder daughter, in New York City. This was by special permission of Sir Henry Clinton, the commandant, during the British occupation. In a letter to her father on her return, Lady Kitty writes :
" I have made several attempts to obey an in- junction laid upon me by my dear papa, in a letter to General Maxwell, but have always been interrupted, or entirely prevented, by trivial accidents, which, though important enough to prevent my writing, are scarce worth mention-
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ing to you; Colonel Livingston going to camp, at last furnishes me with an opportunity of acquainting you with everything my memory retains of our jaunt to New York.
"In the first place we had the satisfaction of being treated civilly by the British officers. One indignity indeed we received from General Grant, who ordered a sergeant to conduct the flag to town, instead of an officer; but we were so happy at getting permission to go on that we readily excused his want of politeness. Our acquaintances in town were very polite to us : many, indeed, were remarkably attentive; but whether it proceeded from regard to them- selves, or us, is hard to determine. The truth is, they are a good deal alarmed at their situa- tion, and wish to make as much interest as possible on our side. The sentiments, I really believe, of a great number, have undergone a thorough change, since they have been with the British army; as they have many oppor-
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tunities of seeing flagrant acts of injustice and cruelty which they could not have believed their friends capable of if they had not been eye witnesses of their conduct. This convinces them that if they conquer, we must live in abject slavery.
" Mamma has, I suppose, mentioned to you the distressed situation in which we found poor Mary. The alarms of the fire and of the explosion, added to her recent misfortune, kept her for several days in a very weak state; but we had the satisfaction to leave her perfectly recovered. £ The child she now has is one of the most charming little creatures I ever saw, and by all accounts is more likely to live than either of the others. Mr. Watts, I am happy to find, is among the number of those who are heartily sick of British tyranny; and as to Mary, her political principles are perfectly rebellious. Several gentlemen of your former acquaintance in the British army made par-
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ticular inquiries after you. Col. Cosmo Gor- don, brother of the Duchess, was very desirous of making acquaintance with us on your account, but we happened, unfortunately, to be abroad whenever he called upon us. The Chief Justice, Lord Drummond, Mr. Barrow and several others begged to be remembered to you. Lord Drummond is very anxious to have his character cleared with respect to his parole: he says you know the circumstances, and wishes you would persuade the General to take the matter into consideration. I believe his lordship would be very happy to become an American subject if the British parliament would condescend to accede to our independ- ence, and he is therefore very solicitous to secure our good graces.
"Upon the whole, I think we may call our jaunt a very agreeable one, though it was checkered by some unlucky circumstances. For my own part, I liked it so well that I
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could wish to repeat it in a few months if my sister does not get permission to pay us a visit. I left mamma very well two days ago to pay a visit to the Governor's family, who sent the Colonel with an absolute com- mand to fetch me. They all beg to be re- membered to you."
This letter is dated "Parsippany, August, 1778," whither Lady Kitty had gone, it will be observed, to visit her uncle, Governor Liv- ingston.
During the winter of 1779-80, Washington and his army were encamped at Morristown for the second time. In February General Greene's division was moved to Basking Ridge, where it remained until the opening of the next campaign. During this season smallpox again broke out in camp, and a hospital was es- tablished for isolating and treating the victims. This was located on the road between the village and the Stirling estate, well back from
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the highway. The foundation of the old farm- house, which was the nucleus of the hospital, still exists, and human bones have been un- earthed in the vicinity. General Greene's headquarters were at The Buildings, the home of his companion in arms, Lord Stirling. At the same time Governor Livingston's wife and daughter were also guests of Lady Stirling. We have a hint of the social refinement at The Buildings in a private letter of General Greene to his wife. Referring to the Misses Livingston, he writes:
"They are three young ladies of distin- guished merit, sensible, polite and easy. Their manners are soft and engaging; they wish to see you here and I wish it too, but I expect long before that happy moment to be on the march towards Philadelphia."
In August, 1781, the village was gay with the passing French and Continental troops en route for Yorktown. Washington's pretended
East Front of Stirling Manor House
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menace of New York concealed his brilliant strategy, and almost before Sir Henry Clinton was aware of his design, the body of the Continental army and the French allies were well on their way to Virginia, there to co-oper- ate with the French fleet which had just arrived. The army marched in several divis- ions by different routes. Washington chose the route across New Jersey by way of Pompton, Morristown, Basking Ridge, Plucka- min, etc. With him were two thousand Continentals, General Knox and some artillery, and Count Rochambeau with a division of the French toops, including his favourite regi- ment of Bourbonnois. The latter were partic- ularly conspicuous for their brilliant uniforms, trim appearance, and military efficiency. ' The column halted at Basking Ridge and Bernards- ville. The French officers were entertained by Mr. John Morton, who lived near the village church. Living with the Mortons were
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Mrs. Morton's parents who were natives of Germany. They utterly refused to meet the hereditary foes of their native land, protest- ing that no good could possibly come to America from a French alliance. The halt was brief, and, doubtless, the progress of the French troops south continued to excite the interest and admiration of the countryside.
The Revolutionary annals of the village may fitly be concluded with a sketch of William Alexander, titular Earl of Stirling, Major-General in the Continental army. His father was James Alexander, engineer in the Jacobite uprising known as "The '15." This failure to restore the "Pretender" to the throne of his father led James Alexander and some of his asso- ciates to avoid embarrassments by escaping to America. He came well recommended, however, and in 1716, the year after his arrival in New York, he was appointed Sur- veyor-General of the Provinces of New York
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and New Jersey, a post which he held until his death forty years later. He studied law and was admitted to the provincial bar, where he soon rose to eminence. He appeared in defence of John Peter Zenger in the famous libel case in 1735-thirty-five years earlier than the same principle agitated all England by the publication of the "Letters of Junius."
He was a member of the Governor's Coun- cil, a member of the Board of Proprietors of East Jersey, and one of the founders of "The American Philosophical Society." Thus, sur- veyor-general, lawyer, statesman, scientist, the career of the sometime engineer-officer in the ranks of the Old Pretender is an early illustra- tion of the truism that America is another name for opportunity. In 1721 he married the widow of one Samuel Provost. He died in 1756, leaving to his widow and five children a large landed estate, including a tract of some seven hundred acres at Basking Ridge.
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In the division of the estate, this fell to his only son, William Alexander, known in American history as Lord Stirling.
The career of William Alexander, titular Earl of Stirling, is an interesting page from the romances of the British peerage. He was born in New York City in 1726, educated in the best schools of his day, his father instruct- ing him in mathematics and surveying. He entered business life at an early age, first as clerk, then as co-partner in the provision business his mother inherited from her first husband.
In the course of their trade, they took con- tracts for supplying the King's troops with clothing and provisions in the French and Indian War. He soon attracted the attention of the Commander-in-Chief, Governor Shirley, who invited him to join his personal staff, and eventually appointed him his private sec- retary. When, in 1756, Governor Shirley was
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summoned to England for trial, Alexander accompanied him as a witness, and his testi- mony contributed materially to the vindica- tion of the character of Governor Shirley.
William Alexander remained in England five years, during which time he presented and prosecuted his claims, first to the title, and then to a portion of the estate of the Earl of Stirling.
When Henry, fifth Earl of Stirling, died in 1739, the next in succession to the title was one Dr. William Alexander, who had settled in Jamaica, Long Island. Dr. Alexander was a nephew of James Alexander of New York, and the uncle urged the nephew to present his claims. This he refused to do, and when he died childless, in 1747, James Alexander fell heir to the title. It was his purpose to present his claim to the title, but public and private affairs prevented his departure for Scotland from year to year, and the claim was not entered and prosecuted
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until after his death, when his son William went abroad for that purpose.
The earldom of Stirling was not an ancient dignity, but the origin and history of the house are of extraordinary interest. The founder of the house was William Alexander (1580-1640), the court poet of the reigns of James I. and Charles I. These monarchs created him suc- cessively Lord Alexander of Tullibrodie, Vis- count of Canada, Earl of Stirling, and Earl of Dovan. Along with these titles came huge gifts of land in Nova Scotia, Canada, a "tract of Maine," and Long Island. To these were added great political and administrative pow- ers, among which was the power of creating one hundred and fifty baronets. As a matter of fact many English baronets to-day hold their titles from patents granted by the first Earl of Stirling. When, however, the fifth Earl of Stirling died, the American estates had van- ished, but it was the purpose of William
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