USA > New Jersey > Cape May County > The history of Cape May County, New Jersey : from the aboriginal times to the present day > Part 18
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On November 22, 1791, the State tax was again fixed for the county at £219:6:6, and a year later, November 22,1792, at the same amount.
About this time Cape May was provided with a military organization, and on November 30, 1792, an act was passed for its organization, and Eli Townsend was made a com- missioner to organize them. On the 5th of the following June an act was passed forming the Cumberland, Cape May and Salem companies into a brigade. The Cape May men
222
HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY.
were to drill on the first Monday of each October and the day following.
During the years 1794, '95, '96 and '97 the county's share- of the State expense amounted to £202:17:10} each year.
On November 23, 1795, Eli Townsend was appointed judge of the court, and Christopher Ludlain a justice. On. February 23, 1796, the Legislature empowered the inhabi- tants of Cape May to stow and lay their boats on "Cape Is- land road," leaving two-thirds of the road clear and not distant over 12 roods from high water mark. On Marchn 16 this year the Legislature decided that the horsemen or' Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties make one com- pany.
On January 28, 1797, Henry Ludlam, Reuben Townsend and Parmenas Corson were appointed judges, and Henry Ludlam, Reuben Townsend. Parmenas Corson, Elijahı. Townsend, Elijah Godfrey and Robert Edmonds justices of the peace, and on March 3 Christopher Ludlam was added' to the list of judges and Eleazer Hand to the list of justices.
Military commissions were issued on March 27, this year, to Spicer Leaming as captain and Joseph Ware as ensign.
In the annual election of this year there arose a dispute over the election of sheriff and coroners, the result being. that two sheriffs and a double portion of coroners received. certificates of election, none of which the court justices re- fused to recognize. As a consequence the Legislature on: the 6th of March passed an act requiring the county clerk to call an election for the 21st of the same month to settle. the question. On the 14th of October following a State commission was granted Jeremiah Hand, the successful candidate for sheriff, and to John Swain, Jonathan Town- send and Seth Hand as coroners. Sheriff Hand served from 1798 to 1800. During this year, 1797, Persons Leam- ing became a member of the Legislature. He was born July 25, 1756. He served in the Assembly from 1797 to 1798 and from 1801 to 1803. He died March 29, 1807.
By act of the Legislature of the 8th of March this year- (1797) the county's representation in the Assembly was re- duced from three members to one, and Persons Leaming was the first Assemblyman under the new order. From'
223
THE ENDING AND INDEPENDENCE.
then to present time Cape May county has had only one member of the Legislative Council (now Senator) and one Assemblyman. The election day at the same time was changed to second Tuesday of October.
During the year 1798 the following military appointments were made: Jacob Hughes, lieutenant, June 23; Seth Hand, ensign, July 23; Jeremiah Hand, Jr., ensign, July 23; Robert Edmunds, ensign, July 10, and Ludlam Johnson, ensign, August 7. The Cape May "training days" were then the second Tuesday of March and second Tuesday of Novem- ber, and the "battalion training" on the second Tuesday of April.
By act of the Legislature of February 13, 1798, the county Board of Chosen Freeholders was incorporated, and soon after organized. On the 21st of February the Upper, Middle and Lower precincts were incorporated into townships, with boundaries nearly as those which exist to-day, excepting that Upper township formerly comprised all of what is now (1896) Upper and Dennis townships. The Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions Courts then met in Middle township four times a year, namely, in February, May, August and October, while the circuit judge of the Supreme Court ap- peared in Cape May only in May.
Jonathan Leaming was granted two State commissions as sheriff in October of both 1798 and 1799, but Jeremiah Hand seems to have actually served from 1798 to 1801, as mentioned before.
In the incidental bill of the Legislature of February 21, 1799, Elijah Townsend received £3 15s. for taking to Tren- ton the papers of the late Elijah Hughes, when the latter was surrogate.
CHAPTER XVII. THE COUNTY IN 1800.
In the beginning of the present century the foundations of nearly all the villages now in existence had been laid by the sparsely settled hamlets. They were located upon the two natural highways that ran through the county, either parallel with the seashore or with the bay side. The total number of residents of the county in 1800, according to the Federal census, was 3066, of which 98 were slaves. The proportion was as follows: White males under ten, 487; be- tween ten and sixteen, 242; between sixteen and twenty- six, 334; between twenty-six and forty-five, 264; over forty- five, 197; females under ten, 449; between ten and sixteen, 227; between sixteen and twenty-six, 272; between twenty- six and forty-five, 279; above forty-five, 137; all other free persons, 80.
Among the villages which were centres of life at the time were Middletown (now Cape May Court House), Cold Spring, Cape Island (now Cape May City), Tuckahoe, East Creek (now Eldora), West Creek, Dennisville, Goshen, Fishing Creek, Green Creek and Seaville. The first post- office was established at Dennis Creek in 1802, when Jere- miah Johnson was appointed postmaster, October 9. In the following year Jeremiah Hand was appointed the first postmaster at Cape May Court House, on January I. On January 30, 1804, the office at Cape Island was established, with Ellis Hughes as postmaster. Cold Spring was desig- nated a postoffice in 1809, and Aaron Eldredge commission- ed in charge on October I. The mails were previous to this time carried by private parties. The stage routes had not yet been established, and the vessel was probably the prin- cipal means of transportation.
In the fall election of 1800 Jonathan Leaming had been chosen sheriff and was commissioned October 21, and Rob-
225
THE COUNTY IN 1800.
ert Parsons, James Ludlam and Humphrey Stites, coroners, who were commissioned October 18.
Dr. Beesley, speaking of the cordwood industry, begun „about this time, says:
"It was not until recently, within the present century, that cord wood became a staple article of trade. Many thou- sand cords are annually shipped from the county, in return for goods and produce of various descriptions, of which flour and corn were formerly the most heavy articles.
"The failure in some measure of wood and lumber, and the improvements progressing in all parts of our State in agricultural pursuits, have prompted our farmers to keep pace with the era of progression, so much so that the corn and wheat now raised in the county fall but little short of a supply ; and when the grand desideratum shall have been achieved, of supplying our own wants in the great staple of corn and flour, it will be a proud day for Cape May, and her people will be stimulated to greater exertions, from which corresponding rewards and benefits may arise."
Among the civil commissions granted in the State in 1801 were: Christopher Smith, justice, February 26; Stephen Hand, justice, February 26; Aaron Eldredge, surrogate, July 31; Thomas H. Hughes, sheriff, October 17; Enoch Townsend, coroner, October 17; James Ludlam, coroner, October 17; Elijah Townsend, justice, November 24. In 1802 State commissions were issued as follows: John Town- send, surrogate, June 15; Thomas H. Hughes, sheriff, Oc- tober 16; James Ludlam, Seth Hand and Aaron Eldredge, coroners, October 16. Aaron Eldredge, a son of Jeremiah Eldredge, was born June 13, 1771, and died August 21, 1819, and is buried at Cold Spring.
At the opening of the century Cape May was already "known as a summer resort, and probably the first advertise- ment of the fact was that of Postmaster Ellis Hughes, of "Cape Island, which appeared in the "Daily Aurora," of Philadelphia, on June 30, 1801, which read as follows:
"The public are respectfully informed that the subscriber has prepared himself for entertaining company who use sea bathing, and he is accommodated with extensive house-
226
HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY.
room, with fish, oysters, crabs, and good liquors. Care willi be taken of gentlemen's horses.
"The situation is beautiful, just at the confluence of the Delaware Bay with the Ocean, in sight of the Light House, and affords a view of the shipping which enters and leaves the Delaware; Carriages may be driven along the margin. of the ocean for miles, and the wheels will scarcely make an. impression upon the sand; the slope of the shore is so regu- lar that persons may wade a great distance. It is the most delightful spot the citizens can retire to in the hot season.
"A Stage starts from Cooper's Ferry on Thursday in ev- ery week, and arrives at Cape Island on Friday; it starts from Cape Island on Friday and Tuesday in each week, and arrives in Philadelphia the following day.
"Gentlemen who travel in their own carriages will observe the following directions: Philadelphia to Woodbury is 9 miles, thence to Glass-house, 10, Malaga Hill, Io, Lehman's Mill, 12, Port Elizabeth. 7, Dennis Creek, 12, Cape May, 9, pitch of the Cape, 15. is 84; and the last 18 is open to the sea shore. Those who choose water conveyance can find vessels almost any time. . ELLIS HUGHES."
The hotel which Ellis Hughes kept was called the Atlan- tic, and was made away with to give place to the New At- lantic. It was located at what is now the foot of Jackson street.
The resort grew in favor to some extent, but not so stead- ily until after the second war with Great Britain. The old way of getting to Cape May after the war was by carriages. and by stage. In 1815 a sloop began to carry passengers, often taking two days to come to Philadelphia. At that time the Old Atlantic was the only hotel, and was the re- sort of men of prominence and wealth for years. Commo- dore Decatur, the gallant naval officer, for years visited the island. Congress Hall was built in 1816 and was at first a large boarding house, but when destroyed in the fire of 1818 was 200 by 300 feet in size. It was owned by Thomas H. Hughes.
In 1802 Ephraim Hildreth, a son of Joshua Hildreth, was- busily engaged in running a packet from Cape May to Phil-
227
THE COUNTY IN 1800.
adelphia, and we find that he måde quick trips, leaving here on one day and reaching Philadelphia the next and vice versa. He was connected with many enterprises and record- ed his doings faithfully in the diary which he kept.
The first Methodist church's meeting house in Cape May county was finished in 1803, in Dennis township, and its trustees were: Constantine Smith, James Ludlam, Christo- pher Ludlam, Nathan Cresse and J. Tomlin. John Goff preached the first sermon. The members of the class were Nathan Cresse and wife, R. Woodruf, William and John Mitchell, John Townsend, Jr., and wife, Jeremiah Sayre and wife, Sarah Wintzell, Mrs. Enoch Smith and David Hil- dreth, who was a local preacher.
Commodore Decatur, spoken of before, in 1804 began to keep his record of the encroachment of the sea at Cape Is- land. It is indorsed "Statement of No. of feet gained by the Sea at Cape Island from 1804 to 1829, by Commodore De- catur." It reads: "A statement of the number of feet gained by the sea on the Beach at Cape Island measured by Com. Decatur."
1804 from Ellis Hughes' house to beach
334
1806 66
..
66
324
1807
294 1808 66
273
1809
267
1810 .6
..
..
266
1812
256
1816
66
225
1817
210
1818 66
66
204
1819
66
66
188 180
1820
66
66
1821
66
66
66
174
Aug. 30th, 1829, from Beach
64
1824 from Capt. Hughes' gate to Beach 606
The statement shows that the sea in that space of time had eaten away 275 feet of land. The late Jeremiah Mecray once told the author that he remembered when fields of corn were grown where the pavilion of the iron pier now (1890) stands.
Persons Leaming, the sixth son of Aaron Leaming, 2d,
16
66
228
HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY.
represented Cape May in the Assembly from 1797 to 1798 and from 1801 to 1803. He was born July 23, 1756, and died March 29, 1807.
William Eldredge, who was a member of State Legisla- tive Council (Senate) from 1805 to 1806, was an Englishman, who came from Long Island to Cape May late in the eigh- teenth century. His wife was Judith Corson, a daughter of Nathan Corson, a man of wealth, who owned what is now the Mount Vernon neighborhood. He was one of the early settlers of Cape Island, buying his land of Thomas Hand, it being located west of Ellis Hughes'. He was born about 1754, and was a Presbyterian in faith. He died in 1809.
Matthew Whilldin, who about this time was very promi- nent in affairs of the county, was a son of Joseph Whilldin, the patriot. He was born in 1749, and died July 16, 1828, aged 79 years.
He was for nearly a half century a ruling elder of the Cold Spring Presbyterian Church, to which position he was elect- ed probably in the year 1790. Because of his long service in that church he was appointed June 27, 1828, to write a history of the church, which he was never allowed to do, because of a severe kick he received from a vicious horse, which ended his life nineteen days after his appointment. In a civil capacity Mr. Whilldin was a valued citizen, and was in the State Legislature for nearly twenty years. He was first in the Assembly from 1791 to 1794, and then in the Legislative Council from 1794 to 1796. Again in 1804 he re-entered the Assembly, serving one year, and then re- entered the Legislative Council twice afterward, serving from 1806 to 1807, and from 1809 to 1811.
Jacob Hughes, who was sheriff of Cape May county from 1808 to 1809, was born about 1770 and died in 1830. He was commissioned a lieutenant of the Cape May militia June 23, 1798.
Cape May men were early in the habit of saving life from wrecks. In February, 1809, the British ship "Guatamoozin," with a cargo of teas and silks from the coast of China for New York, came ashore on Seven-Mile Beach, near Town- send's Inlet. She was a full-rigged ship. The beach, then a desolate waste of cedars and sand, was covered with two feet
229
THE COUNTY IN 1800.
of snow. An old hut was the only semblance of life there, and that was only temporarily occupied by Humphrey Swain, Nathaniel Stites and Zebulon Stites, who were there gunning. These gunners went to the mainland, notified the farmer residents, and then all returned to aid the ship- wrecked mariners. The crew was safely landed, but the cargo was lost. The rescuers and rescued experienced great hardships, and that was probably the most disastrous ship- wreck that ever came upon Cape May's shores, save one ten or fifteen years later.
By the census of 1810 Cape May county had a population of 3632, of which 81 were slaves and III were free negroes; 1803 were males and 1637 females.
In 1810 the first Methodist preachers appeared in Cape Island. They were Rev. William Smith and Rev. Joseph Osborn. They preached at the house of Mennican Hughes, a well-known Delaware River pilot.
Of Nicholas Willets, who served in the New Jersey As- sembly from Cape May county, from 1806 to 1807, from 1808 to 1809, from 1811 to 1812, from 1815 to 1819, and from 1821 to 1822, Dr Maurice Beesley says:
"Among those who deserve a passing notice as one of Cape May's favorite sons, was Nicholas Willets, a grandson of John. In 1802 he took up the profession of surveying, which he practiced with great success, and obtained the confidence and respect of all who knew him, by the spright- ly and urbane deportment which he ever manifested, to- gether with stern integrity and strict impartiality in his various business relations with his fellow-man. It will be seen he was a member of the Legislature nine years, and closed a life of general usefulness in the year 1825, aged about fifty-six years."
The centre-board which has given to America the victory in every international yacht race for forty years was invent- ed by shipbuilders in this county in 1811, and the letters patent granted them by the United States are still preserved, so that the evidence is beyond dispute that the famous de- vice was first made use of in Cape May county. The ship- builders referred to did business near Seaville, and were Ja-
230
HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY.
cocks Swain and his two sons, Henry Swain and Joshua Swain.
The name given to the patent was "leeboard." The paten- tees, it is said, made very little money out of the invention, because the patent was evaded by building centre-boards to work between the main keel and a kelson instead of through the middle of the keel, as provided in the patent. A copy of the patent follows:
"The United States of America.
"To all to whom these Letters Patent shall come.
"Whereas, Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain and Joshua Swain, Citizens of the United States, have alleged that they have invented a new and useful improvement
in the Lee Board,
which improvement they state has not been known or used before their application and have affirmed that they do verily believe that they are the true inventors or discoverers of said improvement, have paid into the Treasury of the United States the sum of thirty dollars, delivered a receipt for the same and presented a petition to the Sec'y of State, signify- ing a desire of obtaining an exclusive property in the said improvement, and praying that a patent may be granted for that purpose: These are therefore to grant according to law, to the said Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain and Joshua Swain, their heirs, administrators or assigns for the term of fourteen years from the tenth day of April, 1811, the full and exclusive right and liberty of making, constructing, us- ing and vending to others to be used, the said improvement; a description whereof is given in the words of the said Ja- cocks Swain, Henry Swain and Joshua Swain themselves, in the schedule hereto annexed and is made a part of these presents.
"In testimony whereof, I have caused these Letters to be made Patent and the Seal of the United States to be here- unto affixed.
"Given under my hand at the City of Washington this tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thonsand
231
THE COUNTY IN 1860.
«eight hundred and eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the thirty-fifth.
"JAMES MADISON. "By the President.
"JAS. MONROE, "Secretary of State." ""City of Washington, to wit:
"I do hereby certify That the foregoing Letters Patent were delivered to me on the Tenth Day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eleven to be examined; that I have examined the same and find them conformable to law; and I do hereby return the same to the Secretary of State, within fifteen days from the date afore- said, to wit: on this tenth day of April, in the year aforesaid. "C. A. RODNEY, "Attorney General of the United States."
The "schedule" referred to reads as follows:
"The schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same, containing a description in the words of the said Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain and Joshua Swain themselves, of their new invented Lee Board.
"The vessel that is intended to be built with a Lee Board through the bottom, the keel must be worked wide in the middle so as to give sufficient strength after the mortice is worked through for the Lee Board to pass; then there must be two pieces of timber worked the same thickness that the mortice is through the keel, and wide enough to be suffi- ciently strong, and one set at the forward end and the other at the after end of said mortice, and let down into the keel two-thirds of the depth through, so as to stand on a square from the keel and bolted into the keel; then a rabbet is to be cut on each side of said mortice in the keel, of the same "width of the thickness of the plank that is intended to plank up the sides of the sheath for said Lee Board, and deep enough into the keel to spike into the same; then fit down a plank on each side into each rabbet and spike them in the first mentioned timbers, then the lower part of the sheath is formed; then after floor ribbands of the vessel is run, then fit knees enough on each side of said sheath to make it suffi-
232
HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY.
ciently strong, running from the floor heads to the aforesaid .. plank, from thence by plumb line high enough to tennant into the combing fitted into the beams, then when the deck frame is in fit up plank on each side to the deck, fitting the- same tight to beams, then in planking up the intermediate" space may be trunneled on every other one, first and leaving one end of the opening an inch or two wider than the other,. and then when the shutters are put in by working theni large and driving them in end foremost it may be made sufficiently tight without any caulking.
"The Lee Board is made as follows: It is to be made of" two thicknesses of plank laid together crossing each other enough to make it sufficiently strong and thick enough to play through the aforesaid mortice and haul up into the said sheath when ever necessary, and wide enough to fill up said sheath from near the bottom of the keel to the beams that passes across the top of said sheath and the length agree- able to the length of said sheath with the after end sweep off on a true sweep from the bolt hole that it hangs on; said bolt hole to hang it by is to be about four fifths from the after end and near enough to the bottom for a true sweep. that strikes the forward end to strike the bottom, and work- ed off to the same; it is to be hung on a bolt sufficiently strong passing through one pair of the aforesaid knees with a head on one side and a forelock on the other, high enough to fetch the bottom within the knee; with a clasp and thini- ble ribbeted on the upper side of the after end for the pur- pose of a lanyard or a tackle to be made fast to hoist it into the sheath when necessary, the top of the sheath the after part to pass through the deck, with a chock fitted at the after end of the same with a shreve in it for a lanyard to pass through for the purpose of hoisting it up; and to make the said sheath sufficiently strong there must be a keelson run on each side of the same and bolt through the aforesaid" knees into the keel.
"Witnesses,
"Elijah Townsend,
"John Townsend."
CHAPTER XVIII. THE WAR OF 1812.
Previous to the second war with Great Britain regular "trainings" were kept up by the Cape May militia, and the residents were ready for any emergency which might arise. They were trained in both land and sea service. The mili- tary commissions issued from 1800 to the opening of the war follow:
Uriah Smith, captain, March 11,1800. Jeremiah Daniels, ensign, April 8, 1800.
James Ewing, captain, March 15, 1802. Jeremiah Daniels, lieutenant, March 15, 1802.
Daniel Garretson, ensign, March 15, 1802. Nicholas Willets, captain, March 27, 1802. Enoch Young, lieutenant, March 27, 1802. Joseph Hughes, adjutant, June 1, 1802. Abijah Smith, paymaster, June 1, 1802. Jonathan Hand, Jr., captain, May 28, 1802. George Cresse, lieutenant, May 28, 1802. Cornelius Bennett, ensign, May 28, 1802. John Dickinson, colonel. November 25, 1806.
Commissions were issued November 23, 1808, to Cresse Townsend, Jeremiah Johnson, James Ludlam, Joseph Cor- son, Isaac Smith, Jacob Foster and Levi Foster for various officers from captain and under. On November 25, 1809, a commission was issued to Eli Stephenson, and Nove viber 1. 1810, commissions were given Shamgar Hewitt and Levi Smith. What offices these commissions were for we have not discovered. When the War of 1812 broke out Cape May county had its "Independent Regiment," and the com- missions issued to its officers were as follows:
First Battalion.
Jacob Foster, lientenant, first company; appointed Au- gust 9, 1806; commissioned December 26, 1806.
234
HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY.
Jonathan Nottingham, ensign, first company; appointed August 9, 1806; commissioned December 26, 1806.
Jacob G. Smith, captain, second company; appointed March 12, 1814; commissioned May 6, 1814.
Elisha Collins, lieutenant, second company; appointed March 12, 1814; commissioned May 6, 1814.
Richard S. Ludlam, ensign, second company; appointed March 12, 1814: commissioned May 6, 1814.
John Goff, lieutenant, third company ; commissioned Feb- rnary 12, 1814.
-
Jacob Eldridge, ensign, third company; appointed August 9, 1806; commissioned December 26, 1806.
Second Battalion.
Amos C. Moore, major; appointed November 3, 1813; commissioned same day.
John Douglass, captain, second company; appointed March 17, 1814: commissioned May 6, 1814.
Christopher Hand, lieutenant, second company; appoint- ed March 17, 1814; commissioned May 6, 1814.
Swaine Townsend, ensign, second company; appointed March 17, 1814; commissioned May 6, 1814.
Aaron Hughes, captain, third company; appointed March 27, 1813; commissioned April 15, 1813.
Jacob Hughes, captain, third company; appointed March 12, 1814; commissioned May 6, 1814.
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