USA > New Jersey > The early Germans of New Jersey : their history, churches, and genealogies. > Part 16
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Forty-six were received on confession of faith and six by letter, during that ten years from 1832-43. It was in the latter
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
year that the harvest time came. Sixty-six were added to the church on confession, and two entered by letter from another church. Fifty-two of these were converted during a series of special services, lasting from the last Sabbath in October until Sunday December 9th. During the period from January Ist, 1844, until January ist, 1857, only thirty-two were received into the church on profession of their faith and nine by letter. When the
NEW CHURCH
was opened in 1858, twenty-four, exclusive of those received from Lower German Valley, were added to the church. Sixteen of these made their first public confession of Christ.
In 1847 the trustees received a deed for a plot of ground on the south side of what was then the graveyard, the gift of Mrs. Maria H. Hunt. This was the first of that series of benefac- tions which only ceased at her death.
When the old stone church was remodeled is not known. That was done, doubtless, soon after Mr. Hunt became pastor.
These changes sufficed until April, 1857. A movement to build a new church was then started. On the 12th of April, 1857, the last communion was held in "the old house which had stood for more than half a century." It was torn down very soon after, and on the ground where it stood, but facing east and west, the new house was placed. This new building is, substantially, the church of to-day. On the 17th of April, 1858, the new edifice had been finished, and the session met in it for the first time.
Mr. Hunt was stated supply of Danville, probably, from 1831 until 1836. He was pastor of the Lower German Valley Church from the latter year until April 8th, 1856. In that year it appears from a meagre record of the Second Mansfield church he became its pastor, and held that position till he resigned both it and Pleasant Grove.
In April, 1860, Mr. Hunt had the pastoral relation, which had existed for more than twenty-eight years, dissolved. Heavy financial responsibility, which devolved upon him at that time, was the reason for his action. He left the church in a prosper- ous condition, with a new house of worship, and a membership
REV. JOSEPH CAMPBELL, D. D.
REV. BURTIS C. MEGIE, D. D.
189
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PLEASANT GROVE.
of 141 persons. He had done his work faithfully and disinter- estedly. Though thirty years have passed by he is still lovingly called "Our old pastor."
Two pastors had come before another decade elapsed. The first of these,
REV. GILBERT LANE,
was called prior to September, 1860, when he began his work as joint pastor of Pleasant Grove and Second Mansfield. He was installed at Pleasant Grove May 1st, 1861. He was pastor of the church but two years, when he resigned, and devoted his whole time to Second Mansfield.
Rev. Mr. Lane was succeeded by
REV. JAMES H. CLARK.
He had supplied the pulpit subject to Mr. Hunt's oversight in 1859, and had made some strong friendships and awakened a most enthusiastic desire to have him for a settled pastor at that time. It was to Rev. Mr. Clark that the congregation turned when Mr. Lane assumed sole charge of the sister church. Mr. Clark came on the field in July, 1863, and entered upon his pastorate October Ist, 1863. He was then a man thirty-three years of age, having been born in New York City on the 3d of March, 1830. He graduated from the Seminary at Princeton in 1859, and, on the 25th of September, in the same year, he was ordained in Iowa. After a three years pastorate in Burl- ington, Iowa, and a year's chaplaincy in the army, Mr. Clark settled in the East, as stated supply of the Throop Avenue Church in Brooklyn, N. Y. It was from Brooklyn he came to Pleasant Grove.
After having filled a large number of ministerial positions in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and also in the West, he resides in Yazoo City, Illinois, the pastor of a pleasant congre- gation there, in this year of our Lord 1894.
Rev. Mr. Clark was, at that time, a man of strong will, who prosecuted whatever he undertook with all the energies of his being. The pastorate of Mr. Clark closed after the expiration of six years, in the early part of November, 1869.
The parsonage was built in the year 1865, very probably
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
ready for occupation and occupied in the month of October. With this activity, spiritually and financially came a sense of strength, of importance, and of independence. For the first time in its history Pleasant Grove was supporting a pastor alone, and the people were encouraged and gratified at their success.
The next period in the history of the church extends to the year 1888. Three pastors, M. Ayers Depue, Rev. Samuel Saw- yer and Rev. B. C. Megie, D. D., filled the pulpit in succession during this time.
REV. MOSES AYERS DEPUE
was a young man, thirty years old, when he became pastor of Pleasant Grove. His birthplace was not far from Belvidere, N. J. He was ordained by the Presbytery of Londonderry on the IIth of July, 1867. He was stated supply of the First Church of Easton from 1866 until 1867, pastor in East Boston from 1867 till 1869, and stated supply of Lewisburg, Pa., from 1869, until early in 1870. He was an able young man, an eloquent preacher and of endearing character. He died while pastor of the church on the 12th of October, 1872, in Easton, Pa.
The year after Mr. Depue's death
REV. SAMUEL SAWYER
was called to the pastorate. He had labored as an organizer of churches in the South and West, and was preaching in East St. Louis, Illinois, 'at the time when he was called here. He was installed in the church on the 7th of May, 1873. Mr. Sawyer was, as a rule, a most eloquent preacher, and he was undoubtedly the most faithful and successful pastor who has served Pleasant Grove Church. He resigned the pastoral charge on the 11th of April, 1876, to go to Indiana, where he still lives, a very old man.
At that same meeting of Presbytery
REV. BURTIS C. MEGIE, D. D,
severed his connection with the church at Dover. Elder John T. Hoffman made bold to ask him to preach as a candidate for the vacant pulpit at Pleasant Grove. He consented. He had already been called on the 4th of June, 1876, and was installed
REV. HOLLOWAY W. HUNT.
REV. SAMUEL SAWYER.
191
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PLEASANT GROVE
soon after. Dr. Megie was born in New York City, December 4th, 1813. He was educated at the University of New York, and at Andover, Princeton and Union Seminaries. He was or- dained by the Presbytery of North River, October 31st, 1838. From 1838 until 1839 Dr. Megie was stated supply at New Paltz, New York, and from 1839 till 1876, thirty-eight years, he was pastor of the Dover church. For twelve years Dr. Megie went in and out among the people of Pleasant Grove. He resigned upon his election to the office of Superintendent of Public Schools for Morris County. He was the Stated Clerk of Morris and Orange Presbytery from its organization in 1871.
Dr. Megie was a man of kind heart and of wonderful activity for his years. He was a good preacher of the word. He died suddenly in 1890.
On the 27th of June, 1881, Daniel C. Anderson and Isaac Smith, of Little Brook and Stephensburgh, respectively, were inducted into the office of ruling elder, and thus became mem- bers of session.
Sixteen were added to the church while Mr. Depue was pastor. But it was during the three years of Rev. Mr. Saw- yer's pastorate that the church received the outpouring. Eighty seven united with the church on profession of their faith, and thirteen by letter during .'e three years he labored in Pleasant Grove. Beside these seventy-three were hopefully converted during a revival at Schooley's Mountain. The number of heads of families among these was remarkable. Additions to the church were perennial, two or three at a time. Prayer meet- ings were crowded ; gifts to benevolent objects multiplied : revivals arose in every quarter of the parish, and every depart- ment of church work felt a quickening.
The pastorate of Dr. Megie was also conspicuous for the number brought into the church. One hundred and thirty-six were added on profession of faith in Jesus, and thirty-six by letter, during the twelve years of his ministry. These were gathered in at revivals, rather than perennially. Twenty-one were added as the result of special services during the winter of 1886-7. Fifty-one were received as the result of meetings conducted by the Evangelist B. Fay Mills in 1886. The 170
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
members of the church in 1869 had increased to 230 in 1888.
The period which has passed since 1888 is too near to be spoken of at any length, and the writer will only state its main facts :
REV. SAMUEL J. MCCLENAGHAN,
a student of Princeton Seminary, was ordained and installed in the church of Pleasant Grove May 9th, 1889. For more than six months previous he had supplied the church in the relation of pastor-elect. Mr. McClenaghan served the church until July 5th, 1891, when he removed to East Orange to become the assistant pastor of the Munn Avenue Church, and have charge of its mission at Elmwood.
Mr. W. J. Mewhinney, at that time pastor of the Whippany Church, was installed in the church on the 28th of October, 1891.
On the 15th of December, 1889, James Everett, William Lindaberry and Jacob Ribbons were ordained elders. The session is, therefore, at the present time composed of the fol- lowing ruling elders : John T. Hoffman, now 85 years of age, who lives at Port Morris, George Lindaberry, the patriarch of the active members, Daniel C. Anderson, Isaac Smith, James Everett, Wm. Lindaberry and Jacob Ribbons.
While Mr. McClenaghan was still pastor-elect, a revival occurred that added forty-five on confession of faith and five by letter to the church. Fifty-nine on profession of their faith and sixteen by letter came into the church during his pastorate. Fifteen have been added. on examination and three by letter during the present pastorate.
During the ministry of Mr. McClenaghan the Woman's Missionary Society was organized in 1889. In the spring of 1892 the societies of Christian Endeavor of Pleasant Grove and Stephensburgh were organized. These societies have done good work in their respective spheres since their organization.
When one looks back from the settled orderly present to the uncertain beginning of eighty-five years ago ; when one compares the abundant preaching of the word, the many meet- ings for prayer and the steady instruction in the Sabbath schools with the dearth of those privileges in that early time ; and when one thinks of the many who have been saved through
193
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PLEASANT GROVE
the instrumentality of Pleasant Grove Church from that earlier time till now, is it possible to do anything else than to thank God and take courage ? Is it a wonder that there are many who love the Pleasant Grove Church and who loyally expect better thing for it and from it in the future ?
REV. WILLIAM JAMES MEWHINNEY, the present pastor, was installed October 28th, 1891.
CHAPTER XXII.
SETTLERS OF TEWKSBURY TOWNSHIP.
NEW GERMANTOWN.
NLIKE other settlements of the early Germans, the village of New German- town is older than its church organiza- tion. It is said, however, that a log church for Episcopal service was in exist- ence before the first edifice for Lutheran worship. This latter building was erected as we have seen in the year 1749, and dedicated December 4th. It was to take the place of the four smaller churches at Fox Hill, Rockaway (Potterstown), Leslysland (Whitehouse) and Pluckamin.
The land upon which the church was built was part of a lot of seven and a half acres, leased to the congregation by Ralph Smith. This lease is dated the 10th of November, 1749, and refers to the church as already built.
In 1768 it was converted into a fee by a commutation of the quit-rent. The trustees, whose names are given in the lease, were Baltis Bickle, Hones (john) Melek, Philip Weise, alias White, Casper Hendershot, Lawrence Rulifson, Samuell Bar- nard, David Meleck, Jacob Cline, Adam Vockerot, Jacob Ship- man, George Swart and Joseph Hornbaker.
These same names are found in another interesting docu- ment, a note, viz., given to Baltis Pickle for £80, dated 18th of December, 1750.
The congregation must have been in great need of money.
King &t.+
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Jonas Malato Psi20 6ch %
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Map of New Germantown
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8. 3 gº 2. 15 ch 96 lin
Protracted From a Scale of 2 Chows to an mich.
For Youmay 4th Day of March vy 505
EV. SAMUEL J. MC CLENAGHAN.
REV. JAMES H. CLARK.
195
SETTLERS OF TEWKSBURY TOWNSHIP
For at this time they had just built their stone church, which was estimated to cost £300, and their young pastor had insisted upon their buying a parsonage farm "near the church" for £120. These amounts may not seem large in themselves, but they had to be raised from a people diminished in number and impoverished in resourses by a long series of vexatious law- suits with the wicked Woolf.
A map of the church lot, obtained from Ralph Smith, which was made in 1755 by Wilmot, was kindly loaned to the author by B. Van Doren Fisher, Esq., and has been reproduced for this work.
This map gives evidence of the presence of a school at that early date. This was probably then and for a long time the only one in Tewkesbury township.
Ralph Smith is the real founder of New Germantown, to which he gave the name of Smithfield. It retained this name until about 1760, when the name New Germantown first appears in a deed.
Ralph Smith is said to have come to New Jersey from Boston in the year 1734. He removed in 1759 to some place, which he called Mount Lebanon. His property was conveyed by leases to run for various periods, but generally for one hundred years. The old church is said to have been an exact copy of the Epis- copal church built by General Washington at Pohick Creek, Virginia.
The very low walls were surmounted by an immense bar- rack-shaped roof, sloping to the four sides. The windows were small, square and high from the ground, and the pulpit with its immense sounding board, was opposite the large doors, which were in the middle of the south wall. In the centre of the church, in the broad aisle, was a long, shallow trench, in which charcoal would be heaped up and burned, to serve the purpose of a stove. There were five aisles, and two galleries at the sides; one being used as an organ loft and containing a fine instrument for those days.
From Wilmot's map we may get a fair idea of the village as it was at that time. At that early period a school-house stood a few feet east of the church, facing south on the line of
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
King street, now Church street, and was the German school spoken of in old documents.
The lot north of and adjacent to the church contained nearly an acre. On the opposite side of the Fox Hill road, now Main street, there was a school-house on the second lot. There was apparently no house on the lot south of this one, belonging to THOMAS HOLM (Helm?). The next lot, which was built upon, probably belonged to JOHN CARLISLE, no doubt the brother of Robert, of Chester, Morris Co. It is described, however, as occupied by a Mrs. Ireland.
JONAS MELICK owned the corner lot opposite to the church. He was born in Bendorf, Germany, in 1710, and was the brother of David, of New Germantown, and the son of John Peter, of Bendorf, Germany. Jonas was the cousin of John Melick, of the "Old Farm," whose story Mr. Andrew Melick has so charmingly told in his well-known work. John Fleet and Thomas Holm occupied the tavern lot, containing about three acres. which fronted about equally upon both roads.
The following is taken from "Our Home," published in 1873 :
The land opposite the church, fronting on King's road, was divided by Ralph Smith into seven lots of 66 feet front, and numbered from Main street eastward. No. I, containing one- fourth of an acre, was leased to James Cole in 1761, the quit claim subsequently coming into the possession of the church. The said Cole came from Boston in 1734, and had thirteen children.
No. 2 was the lot known as the "High house lot," owing to the house upon it having a basement and a very high porch. It was conveyed in 1753 to Michael Hendershot. In 1758 one Bryan Lafferty recovering judgment against Hendershot, the lot was sold by Moore Furman, the sheriff, to Frederick Schultz, for £80, the quit-claim subsequently coming into possession of the church.
This lot was afterwards occupied by Dr. Oliver Barnet and also by Major Rinehart.
No. 3 occupied by Edward Kreiter, at a later day known as
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SETTLERS OF TEWKSBURY TOWNSHIP
the "Betsey Adams" lot and occupied a few years ago by Har- mon Henry, also came into possession of the church.
On the 30th of October, 1766, John Welsh and Catherine his wife, innkeeper of New York, give a mortgage to William McDonald, of Somerset Co., N., J., for lot No. 3 in Smithfield, Tewksbury township, Hunterdon Co. It is described as on the north side of Kings street and beginning 64 feet from James Cole's corner and running eastward.
No. 4 was conveyed in 1759 to Andrew Shandler for one hundred years. This also came into possession of the church. It was occupied among others, at a later day, by Squire Demun and John Fisher.
No. 5 was sold by one Jonathan Toms to Major Godfrey Reinhart on a perpetual lease at fifteen shillings per year.
No. 6 contained a one story house formerly well remem- bered. The church still holds the original claim on this property.
No. 7 was owned by a Melick.
The purchase of the above lots by the church in 1768 was no doubt for the purpose of investing the legacy of £1,000 ($2,666 ?) which Baltis Pickle left to the church in the year 1766.
Godfrey Rinehart kept the first store in the village. In 1757 or S the parsonage house was built on the church lands, and the old stone house is still standing, being owned by Mr. Frederick Apgar, whose property includes the old church farm.
This house is the one mentioned by Dr. Muhlenberg as built to accommodate him, the former building not being large enough for his use. It was thus intended to offer him some inducement to come and live in this region at least for a time. He occupied this dwelling during his stay 1859-60. Here also no doubt lived his two sons, viz., Peter and Henry, who each in turn took the active charge of the Lutheran Churches here.
It is impossible to locate all the early settlers of Tewksbury township as the land was simply leased for a period and was not sold until about 1790 or later. The Livingston tract, speak- ing generally, belonged largely on the east side of the Fair- mount road and the Parker on the west. The land to the east of the West Jersey tract belonged to Budd and Logan. The
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
society line whose course was south forty-seven degrees west from Pottersville to Potterstown and ran along the road from the latter place to New Germantown, bounded these lands on the east.
POTTERSVILLE was first called Lamington and afterwards Potter's Mills. There were mills here as early as 1756, owned by William Willet. The grist mill was burned in 1820 and rebuilt. In 1840 it was remodeled and again rebuilt in 1878. The feed mill was first a factory for carding wool and weaving blankets. It was turned into its present use about thirty years ago. The village consists of a store, with a post office, flouring mill, feed mill, blacksmith shop, machine shop and foundry, shoe shop and fifteen dwellings. It was named after its prin- cipal citizen Sering Potter.
COKESBURG is claimed to be as old as 1754, when a furnace was built there, but the name does not appear on the township book and it therefore could not have been a place of any im- portance as early as that. It has a store, a blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, a Presbyterian and a Methodist Church and fourteen dwellings.
MINARD FARLEY settled near here before 1760. The family came from GEORGE, who was at Woburn, Mass., as early as 1641. From there the family went to Roxbury, Mass., and from there came to Trenton, N. J., where George and Caleb were found in 1709 as trustees of the Presbyterian Church. The former of these two was grandfather of Meindert.
MOUNTAINVILLE has been so called for 40 years, since the school house was built. J. C. Farley is the present store-keeper. It has two mills and twenty-three dwellings.
FARMERSVILLE has a school house and eight dwellings.
FAIRMOUNT has twenty-three dwellings, whose inhabitants have their post-office here. This was established in 1850.
REV. GILBERT LANE.
REV. MOSES AYERS DEPUE.
CHAPTER XXIII.
SETTLERS FROM SOUTHOLD AND SOUTHAMPTON.
OUTHOLD, Long Island, named after a town of the same name in Suffolk Co., England, from whence the first pastor, Rev. John Youngs probably came, is the oldest in Long Island. It was first set- tled in 1638, and the church there was organized October 31st, 1640.
Thus early did the religious sentiment of these sturdy Puritans assert itself. "In their deep poverty their liberality abounded," and before their lands were wholly cleared or their own homes hardly erected they built their house of worship and burdened themselves with the support of a preacher.
Among these settlers were then or very soon afterwards to be found the families among others, of Brown, Baker, Case, Corwin, Cooper, Corey, Cramer, Dickerson (or Dickinson), Haines, Horton, Howell, King, Moore, Overton, Paine, Salmon, Scudder, Swezey, Terry, Tuthill, Vail, Wells, Wiggins, Wines, Youngs and others.
Of these early settlers of Southold some removed to Eliza- beth, N. J. Such were William Cramer, John Dickerson, John Haines, William Johnson, Jeffrey Jones, Eva Salisbury, Barna- bas Wines, Jr., and Thomas Youngs.
Easthampton and Southampton were settled by branches of some of these same families. Thus when the Rev. Abraham
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
Pierson founded Newark, N. J., with a contingent from South- ampton, they found settled near them in Elizabeth, people of the same names as their own.
The people of Southold were very decided in their preferences as to the form of their church government. They were con- gregational of the type called Separatists. It is their church which is spoken of under that title in Smith's History of New Jersey (1765).
The township of Roxbury was formed 1740. The record of this event is as follows: December 24th, 1740 : A petition to the court from sundry of the inhabitants of the south- westerly part of the county of Morris praying that they be made a township for several causes therein set forth. The court grants their petition, and bounds said township, to be called henceforth Roxbury, from the bounds of Somerset Co., thence up the river commonly called Peapack, and up the same, including the same, to that branch, or part thereof, called Indian Run, and thence northerly and westerly by the bounds of Hanover to the Great Pond ; thence down by the same to the Musconetcong to the bounds of the county; thence by the bounds of Hunterdon, Essex and Somerset counties to the place first mentioned.
The bounds of the township are too indefinite to be pre- cisely defined. Indian River was that now called the North Branch. But they no doubt included not only the present townships of Chester (formed February, 1799), Washington (formed January, 1798), Mt. Olive (formed 1871), but also a part of Mendham, Randolph and Roxbury.
Morris Co. was formed March 15, 1738-9. Previous to this Hanover, as a township of Hunterdon, is recognized in 1722, and Walpack in 1732.
Mendham, formed in 1749, took off the eastern part of Rox- bury.
TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.
The township officers for the first year were as follows :
Appointed 1741, March 25, William Griffing, clerk; Nathaniel Drake and David Luce, freeholders; Samuel Coleman, as- sessor ; Obadiah Seward, collector; James Pitney and Theo-
-
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF CHESTER.
201
SETTLERS FROM SOUTHOLD AND SOUTHAMPTON
philus Case, surveyors of highways; Nathaniel Drake and Samuel Haton, overseers of highways; William Douglas, con- stable; Aaron Stark and George Halloway, overseers of the poor.
From December 22, 1741 to 1746, the new names that occur were Thomas and John Green, John Hardin, Joseph Langdon, Will. Pew, Ben. Luce for December, 1741; Israel and Richard Swayzie, Ezekiel Frost, Nathaniel and Richard Fansher, James Martin for 1742 ; James Wells, Richard Sutton, Jonah Hopkins, George Park, John Bell for 1744; Caleb Swayzie, David Hop- kins, Will Lorison, John Brown, John and Samuel Swayzie, for 1745; Daniel and John Budd, Benj. Manning and Samuel Horton, for 1746.
The statement, repeated by Mr. Johnson in his History of the Congregational Church, that Chester township was divided into lots in 1713 and 1714, can only be true of the original surveys which were taken up about that time. As we shall see the actual settlement could not have taken place in less than twenty or twenty-five years later.
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