USA > New Jersey > Camden County > The history of Camden county, New Jersey > Part 123
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" Resolved, That the sum of eeveo hundred dollers be raised for township purposes. That the fees of the township committee be
1 By Hon. Edward Burrough
seventy-five cents per day. That the overseer of the highways be paid two dollars and twenty-five cents for plowing end machinery ; one dollar and seventy-five cents per day for two horses, wagon and driver ; one dollar aod twenty-five cente per day for one horse, cart and driver ; and laborers seventy-five cents per day; and ell work on the roads must be done between the first day of April and the first day of October. That all moneys derived from surplus revenue he appropriated for the purpose of education in the town- ship. That all moneys received from dog-tax be appropriated to pay for cheep killed hy dogs. That the constable be paid twenty-five cents for hie services and the township physiciens ten dollars each. That the inhabitants of the township shall vote hy ballot, unless otherwise ordered by said iohabitants. That the town-meetings be held at the towo-house in Ellisburg, and the election on the first day at the Union School-honse, and on the second day at the town- house."
The following officers were then duly elected for the ensuing year, viz. :
Judge of Election, Josiab Ellis ; Assessor, Evan C. Smith ; Chosen Freeholders, Jacob Troth, Joseph Kay, Jr. ; Surveyorsof Highways, Joseph H. Ellis, Aaron Moore ; Township Committee, Joseph K. Lippincott, Samuel T. Coles, Joseph A. Burrongh, Isaac Adams, Alexander Cooper ; Commissioners of Appeals, Joseph H. Coles, Charles Beck, Adam B. Evaul ; Overseers of Highways, Job Coles, William E. Matlack, Richard Shivers, Josbua Stons, Reuben Roberts ; Constable, John Lawrence; Overseers of the Poor, George Haines, Jacob H. Fowler, Joshua Stone ; School Committee, Benja- min W. Cooper, Joseph A. Burrough, Joseph C. Stafford ; Pound- Keepers, Joseph Ellis, Jonathan Fetters; Township Physicians, Charles D. Hendry, M.D., Richard M. Cooper, M.D.
The practice of holding elections in two places and on different days seems to have been aban- doned by a resolution passed at the next town- meeting, in March, 1845, which has never been re- scinded, and which directs that all elections be held in the town-house at Ellisburg. It is evident that at this meeting the township committee was in- structed to meet with the township committee of Waterford and effect a division of the debts and assets of the townships, as the following Article of Agreement between the committees of the town- ships of Delaware and Waterford is recorded in the records of the township:
"AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMITTEES OF THE TOWNSHIPS OF DELA- WARE AND WATERFORD.
"In pursuance of an Act of the Legislature, Entitled An Act to
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714
HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
establish a New Towoship, in the County of Gloucester, to be called the township of Delaware. We, the undersigned, being the town- ship committees of the said townships of Delaware and Waterford, having met the eighteenth day of March, 1844, at the house of Joseph Ellis, and having proceeded to ascertain the proportion of tax assessed in each part of the township of Waterford, that now constitutes the towoships of Delaware and Waterford do find that one-fourth part of the tax, assessed as aforesaid, was assessed in that part that now is the township of Waterford, and three fourthis in that part that now is the towoship of Delaware, and we do find and ascertain that there is on haod, in cash, the sum of two hundred and eiglity-six aod twenty eight ooe-hundredthe dollars, and there is a ponod built for impounding cattle of the value of twenty dollars, and there is two township grave-yards, hoth in the township of Delaware, and with their fences valued at thirty-six dollars, and a plough of the valne of ten dollars ; also a Town-House, built by the inhabit- aota of Ellisburg and vicinity, towards which the townsbip of Water- ford contributed two hundred dollars, amounting together to the sum of five hundred and fifty-two dollara and twenty-eight cente, three- fourths of which, beiog four hundred aod fourteen dollars and thirty one cents, belongs to the township of Delaware, and one hundred and thirty-eight dollars and seven cents, being one-fourth part, belongs to the towoship of Waterford. And we do find a Bond accompanied by a Mortgage against John Rogera for the sum of one hundred and sixty dollars, with interest ; there is also unpaid on the Tax warrants of the past and preceding years the sum of ten hundred and forty-nine dollars and twenty-four ceots, which, when collected, or such part" thereof as can he collected, is to he divided as before mentioned, viz." three-fourths to the township of Delaware, and one-fourth to the township of Waterford. There are also tax warrants in the handa of Caleh Nixon, former Constable, on which a part may probably be collected. Such sums as may be collected hereafter to be divided in the same proportion as before stated. The cash on hand was this day divided in the above proportions, and the moneys that may be hereafter collected are to he divided as above, after the township of Waterford deducta the sum of sixty-six dollars and fifty cents-its share of the property-all of which oow being io the township of Delaware.
Committee of the township of Dela- ware.
Committee of the township of Waterford.
" Alexander Cooper. Joseph A. Burrough.
Joseph Porter.
Richard Stafford.
Joseph K. Lippincott.
Joh Kirkbride.
Samuel T. Coles. Seth Caio.
John S. Peacock.
" MAHLON M. COLES, Town Clerk.
" March 18, 1844."
As will be noticed by reference to the settlement between this township and the mother township of Waterford, mention is made of the township's interest in the school-house at Ellisburg. Over the door of the school-house is a semicircular mar- ble slab bearing the inscription: "Ellisburg School and Waterford Town-House." This, it seems, the people wished changed so as to bear the name of the new township, and at the town-meet- ing in 1848, which passed the resolutions relating to Petty's Island, the following resolution was also adopted :
" Resolved, That whereas the name of Waterford is placed on the marble slab in front of the Town House, that the same be erased and Delaware in- serted in place thereof, and that a suitable person be appointed to employ a marble mason to do the same, provided the cost does not exceed the sum
of fifteen dollars, to be paid out of the funds of the township of Delaware."
Joseph Ellis was appointed to have the work done. But whether the sum appropriated was too small or whether a suitable man could not be found to do the work does not appear, but from some cause there was nothing further done iu the matter, and the same stone, bearing the original inscription, is still in its place, and is respected as a souvenir of past relations with Waterford town- ship.
Prior to the division of Delaware township there appears to have been a great reluctance on the part of the officers elected to accept their offices, as special town-meetings were held in 1847, 1853 and 1854 to elect officers to fill vacancies occasioned by refusals to serve and neglect to qualify.
AFFAIRS OF THE WAR PERIOD .- When the War of the Rebellion broke out the people of Del- aware township were not slow to respond to their country's call, and goodly numbers of her sons vol- unteered their services in response to the several calls for troops, and it can be said to her credit that her quotas were always promptly filled and none of her citizens were compelled to enter the service as drafted ones, although a number of them can show notifications of being drafted. The first action taken by the township was at a special town-meeting called expressly for that purpose on August 27, 1862, at which Joseph A. Burrough was elected chairman and Joseph H. Fowler clerk. The following resolutions were adopted : " Where- as, The inhabitants of Delaware Township having met at a special town-meeting to manifest their patriotism to their country and to facilitate volun- teering, Resolved, That the Town Committee of Delaware township be and are hereby authorized to borrow Three Thousand Dollars to be appropri- ated as a Bounty in sums of seventy-five dollars to each person that has or may volunteer in the nine months' service, and is accredited to Delaware township. Resolved, That the township committee pay the Bouuty as soon as the volunteers are mus- tered into the United States Service."
At the next annual town-meeting an assessment of fifteen hundred dollars was ordered to be levied towards paying off this debt.
On the 13th of August, 1863, another special town-meeting was held, at which it was " Resolved, To raise Twenty-Seven hundred dollars by taxa- tion to pay a bounty of One hundred and fifty dollars each to eighteen men, who shall be enlisted to fill the quota of the township, as soon as they are mustered into the United States Service."
Another special town-meeting was held on No-
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THE TOWNSHIP OF DELAWARE.
vember 28, 1863, and the township committee was ordered to borrow four thousand dollars and to pay volunteers to fill the township quota under the present call for troops, and Joseph C. Stafford was appointed to go to Trenton to secure the necessary legislatiou to make the township raise the money.
Another special town-meeting was held April 30, 1864. It was " Resolved, That the township committee are authorized to borrow such sum or sums of money as shall be necessary to pay the Bounty required to fill the quota, said loan or sums to be paid when there shall be sufficient funds in the Collector's hands to pay the same." At the same town-meeting a tax of five dollars per head was levied upon every male tax-payer in the township.
On July 13, 1864, another special town-meeting was held, at which it was " Resolved, That the township Committee have the Authority to get volunteers and to borrow money to pay the same."
Another special town-meeting was held October 4, 1864, at which the action of the meeting in July was confirmed, aud the sum of ten thousand dollars was ordered to be raised and a special tax of ten dollars per head was levied upon all male citizens above the age of twenty years, and that the tax be collected within thirty days.
Another special town-meeting was held January 2, 1865, at which Asa R. Lippincott was appointed chairman and Elwood H. Fowler secretary, and the following preamble and resolutions were adopted : " Whereas, The inhabitants of the town- ship of Delaware having met in special town- meeting, in order to fill the quota of the township and relieve the inhabitants from a draft, and the quota not having been assigned; Therefore Re- solved, That such persons as this meeting shall designate are here by authorized to loan such sums of money as shall be necessary to pay volunteers to fill quota, and that the loans so ordered shall not be redeemable until after the first of Novem- . ber, 1865, when such loans of money shall bepaid; that the amount necessary to pay said loans be assessed and collected at the same time and in the same manner as the county and township taxes are raised."
At the annual town-meeting held March 8, 1865, the action of the special town-meetings was ap- proved, and the sum of twenty-five thousand dol- lars was ordered to be raised to aid in paying off the debt. In 1866 the sum of twenty thousand dollars was appropriated to pay off the debt, and in 1867 five thousand dollars was ordered to be raised for a like purpose, which so reduced the debt that
only small amounts were raised in addition to the usual appropriations. These practically extin- guished the entire debt in three years after the close of the war. During this exciting period, and the hurry incident to enlisting and paying volunteers, the handling of such unusual amounts of money and the limited time often experienced in getting the money and paying it away, a discrepancy of about sixteen hundred dollars was found to exist in the accounts, and, after a year spent in trying to solve the mystery, the inhabitants, in annual town-meeting, resolved to assume the debt as it was, and exonerated the township committee from all blame. Throughout the whole proceedings in- cident to aiding the government in subduing the Rebellion, the people of this township evinced a determined and patriotic zeal to stand by the Union ; liberal bounties were always paid volun- teers, and money freely voted, and at all times in unlimited amounts. Taxes were promptly levied and collected, which enabled the township not only. to fill its quotas of volunteers for every call, and, in some instances, in advance of the calls, but also to extinguish its war debt within the same decade in which it was contracted. Since the extinguish- ing of the war debt the affairs of the township have been judiciously and economically adminis- tered, and no bonded debt contracted until the building of a new town-house, in 1885, when the sum of two thousand dollars was ordered bor- rowed to complete the structure.
At the forty-second annual town-meeting, held March 10, 1885, the following preamble and reso- lutions were adopted :
" Whereas, The present accommodations of the township of Dels - ware, now enjoyed in the towo and school-house, greatly interfere with the public school ; and Whereas, The trustees of Ellisburg School District have offered to pay to the township of Delaware a sum of money equivalent to the value of the tewoship interest in the present building ; and Whereas, Williamn Graff, & land-owner, ad- joining the school property, has offered to donate a sufficient amount of land to build a hall for township purposes; therefore be it Re- solred, That the proposition of William Graff to donate a lot of land sufficient to build a town hall, not less than sixty feet in front, and the same depth as the present school-lot, be accepted.
"Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed, who are hereby directed to proceed and secure & good and sufficient title to the land thus donated, and that as soon as the same shall be secured and the money raised, that they shall proceed to build & hall for the town- ship on said lot, in such manner and of such material as in their judgment shall be to the best interest of the township, and that the sum of one thousand dollars be raised especially for that purpose."
The committee appointed to do the work were William Graff, Isaac W. Coles and Edward S. Huston, with Alfred Hillman, Samuel L. Bur- rough and John A. Meredith, of the township committee, who completed the present building in time for the general fall election to be held therein.
716
HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
OFFICERS.
Judges of Election.
Josiah Ellis
From 1844 to 1848
Charles Knight
From 1848 to 1851
Evan C. Smith.
From 1851 to 1852
Thomas P. Clement.
From 1852 to 1853
Charles Knight.
From 1863 to 1854
Thomas P. Clements
From 1854 to 1859
Evan C. Smith
.From 1859 to 1863
John C. Shreeve. From 1863 to 1864
Benjamin M. Champion From 1864 to 1865
John G. Pcak From 1865 to 1866
David D. Burrough
From: 1866 to 1868
Thomas R. Black wood
From 1868 to 1870
Isaac W. Colea
.From 1870 to 1886
Town Clerks.
Mahlon M. Coles From 1844 to 1847
John Rudderow
From 1847 to 1849
Josiah H. Ellis.
From 1849 to 1853
Evan C. Smith From 1853 to 1854
Georga W. Armstrong From 1854 to 1855
Asa P. Horner. From: 1855 to 1856
Elwood H. Fowler, From 1856 to 1857
Samuel B. Githens. Froni 1857 to 1860
Joseph II. Fowler
From 1860 to 1864
Blanchard B. H. Archer. From 1864 to 1865
William C. Wood From 1865 to 1867
Edward Burrough From 1867 to 1879
Enoch C. Roberts
From 1879 to 1881
Joseph K. Hillman From 1881 to 1882
Clayton Stafford
From 1882 to 1886
Assessor8.
Evan C. Smith. From 1844 to 1849
John Rudderow
From 1849 to 1854
Evan C. Smith
From 1854 to 1855
Theodore W. Rogers
From 1855 to 1860
Samuel B. Githena,
From 1860 to 1864
Evan C. Smith
From 1864 to 1867
Isaac P. Lippincott
From 1867 to 1868
Joseph H. Fowler.
From 1868 to 1878
William D. Coles
From 1878 to 1836
Collectors.
George T. Riadoo
From 1844 to 1851
Asa P. Horner
From 1851 to 1855
Joel Horner
From 1855 to 1859
Elwood 1I. Fowler.
From 1859 to 1870
John T. Coles.
From 1870 to 1877
Edward S. Huston
.From 1877 to 1886
Township Committee.
Alexander Cooper .. From 1844 to 1849
Joseph A. Burrough
.From 1844 to 1845
Joseph K. Lippincott.
From 1844 to 1849
Samuel T. Coles.
From 1844 to 1849
Isaac Adame From 1844 to 1846
Charles Knight From 1845 to 1849
Adam B. Evanl
From 1846 to 1849
John H. Lippincott.
From 1849 to 1852
Thomas P. Clement
From 1849 to 1854
William Horner
From 1849 to 1850
William E. Matlack
From 1849 to 1854
Joseph H. Colea.
From 1869 to 1854
Isaac M. Kay.
From 1851 to 1853
Joseph C. Stafford
Fromi 1852 to 1854
Joseph F. Kay, From 1853 to 1855
Samuel E. Clement
From 1854 to 1855 William Horner .From 1854 to 1855
Isaac Browning
From 1854 to 1858
John H. Lippincott
From 1854 to 1856
Asa P. Horner.
From 1855 to 1856
Asa R. Lippincott
From 1855 to 1862
Thomas Evans, Jr.
From 1855 to 1858
Evan C. Smith.
From 1855 to 1856
Benjamin Horner From 1856 to 1859
Joseph C. Stafford From 1856 to 1867
William Carter. From 1858 to 1859
Job B. Kay From 1858 to 1861
Joseph A. Burrough
From 1859 to 1863
Isaac W. Nicholson
From: 1859 to 1869
Mordecai W. Hainea
From 1861 to 1862
Joseph H. Fowler From 1862 to 1864
Samuel S. Haines, From 1862 to 1869
Enoch Roberts From 1863 to 1867
William D. Coles From 1864 to 1876
Joseph H. Colea
From 1867 to 1869
Joseph F. Kay
From 1867 to 1872
Samuel L. Burrough From 1869 to 1874
Asa R. Lippincott
From 1869 to 1875
John H. Wilkins
From 1869 to 1872
Alfred Hillman
From 1872 to 1886
Leopard Snowden
From 1872 to 1874
Joseph Hinchman, Jr.
From 1874 to 1879
Abel Hillman .. From 1874 to 1877
Joseph G. Evans.
.From 1875 to 1877
Samnel L. Burrough From 1876 to 1881
William D. Coles. Froni 1877 to 1878
Charles E. Matlack From 1877 to 1879
John T. Colea ... From 1878 to 1879
Abel Hillman
From 1879 to 1882
William Graff
From 1881 to 1883
John A. Meredith
From 1882 to 1886
Samuel L. Burrough
From 1883 to 1886
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS .- The irregulari- ties of the boundaries of this township bring it near the boroughs of Merchantville and Haddon- field, in this county, and the villages of Marlton, Fellowship and Moorestown, in Burlington County. While it contains only two small villages and but one church-that of St. Mary's, at Colestown, be- ing the oldest Episcopal Church in West Jersey- and a Baptist Chapel, recently erected in Ellis- burg, which constitute the religious institutions of the township, and there are but three school build- ings in the township; yet, notwithstanding this seeming scarcity of churches and schools, there is no community in the county that enjoys better fa- cilities in these respects, owing to those in adjoining townships and whose school districts and parishes embrace large tracts in this township. The gen- eral character of the township is that of a prosperous agricultural community, composed of an intelli- gent, honest, economical and industrious class of citizens. The soil is that of a sandy loam, al- though nearly every variety of the soils of West Jersey are to be found within its limits. To a greater or less extent, nearly every branch of ag- riculture is pursued ; grain and grass, stock, truck, fruit and dairy-farming are largely carried on and its products and value of its lands compare favora- bly with any in the State, being well watered and drained by numerous live streams, tributaries of the two creeks forming its boundaries. The in- habitants of this township have always regarded
From 1849 to 1851 Joseph A. Burrough
717
THE TOWNSHIP OF DELAWARE.
a good system of highways essential to the welfare of the people, and since the formation of the township, expend annually the greater portion of the township taxes upon the highways.
MILLS .- The manufactures are chiefly composed of grist-mills and carriage-making shops. Of the former there are at present three in operation, with two or three vacant sites awaiting develop- ment. The mill now known as Leconey's Mill situated in the north western past of the township, on the Church road, about half a mile west of Colestown Cemetery, was built by Reuben Rob- erts in the year 1838, who several years after sold it to Richard Leconey, the present prosperous and respected owner. It has long been noted for the superior quality of the flour manufactured in it. Charles Matlack's mill, in the eastern part, was formerly known as Hopkins' Mill, and is still in good repair and doing considerable business. It was built by John Sparks near the close of the last century. A few years ago one of the largest and best grist-mills, situated in the southern part of the township, and known as Peterson's Mill, was burned down, and although the foundations of a new building have been erected, the site still re- mains vacant. Stevenson's Mill, near Ellisburg, was at an early day in a flourishing condition, but has been abandoned for the past decade and is fast going to decay. The most flourishing of all the establishments of the kind in the township is the mill of J. G. Evans & Co., on Coopers Creek, near the borough of Haddonfield, familiarly known as Evans' Mill. This mill was erected by Isaac Kay, in 1779, who, by will, left it to his son Joseph. It later passed to Mathias Kay, and in 1819 the prop- erty was purchased by Thomas Evans, by whom it was rebuilt and enlarged in 1839, and greatly improved by the introduction of modern machin- ery. Thomas Evans dying in 1849, left the mill by will to his son, Josiah B. Evans. He, with progressive ideas, had it thoroughly altered and changed and was assisted by Solomon Matlack, a first-class millwright, whom .Mr. Evans took in with him as one-third partner.
Josiah Evans died in 1869, leaving the property to his children, who now own it, and the business is carried on by the son, Joseph G. Evans, who is ably assisted by Reuben Stiles. In all these years the flour was made by the old-fashioned mill- stones, but in 1883 it was changed into a roller- mill and supplied with the Stevens rolls and many other improvements. Recently they added the Four-Reel Bolting Chest, manufactured by J. M. Latimer & Co. The mill has a capacity of seventy barrels per each twenty-four hours.
For an account of the Kay Mill prior to 1779, see the history of the borough of Haddonfield.
In 1870 the population of the township was six- teen hundred and twenty-five, and in the cen- sus of 1880 it is put down at fourteen hundred and eighty-one, showing a decrease in ten years of one hundred and forty-four.
EARLY SETTLERS .- The country comprising the township of Delaware was settled about the latter part of the seventeenth century, and many of the people who made this their home were followers of William Penn, and the Society of Friends claimed, perhaps, the greater portion of the in- . habitants. Among those who appear to have made an early settlement, and whose names appear on the township records, are the Bateses, Burroughs, Coleses, Coopers, Collins, Davises, Ellises, Gills, Her- itages, Haineses, Kays, Matlacks, Champions and Shivers, and their descendants, still bearing these names, are numbered among the present inhab- itants. Samuel Coles came from Coles Hill, Hertfordshire, England, and located a tract of five hundred acres of land on the north side of Coopers Creek, fronting on the river. This survey, according to "Early Settlers of Newton," bears date Third Month 13, 1682. Being a neighbor of William Cooper at Coles Hill was, no doubt, the cause of his locating near him in America, as William Cooper at that time lived on the opposite side of the creek, in the midst of an Indian village. These Indian neighbors informed Coles that there was better land farther back from the river; he determined to verify these statements, and find- ing them correct, he, in 1685, purchased of Jere- miah Richards a tract of over one thousand acres, which, although unbroken forest, he called New Orchard. This tract is now known as Colestown, and embraces many valuable farms, and much of the land still remains in the direct and collateral branches of the family. Samuel Coles was a member of the Legislature in 1683 and 1685, and was one of the commissioners appointed to locate the boundary line between Burlington and Glou- cester Counties. He returned to England a few years later, and died at Barbadoes, on his return voyage to America. He had but two children, Samuel and Sarah; the former inherited the whole of the real estate, and occupied the same until his death, in 1728. The old house, built by the first Samuel, was standing a few years since; it was built of logs, one story high, and had but two windows; it has been used for various purposes, and is located in the farm-yard of Joseph H. Coles, at Colestown, a lineal descendant from the first Samuel Coles, and in whom the title of the prop-
718
HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
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