USA > New Jersey > The history of New Jersey : from its earliest settlement to the present time : including a brief historical account of the first discoveries and settlement of the country, Vol. I > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38
2d. To every master or mistress that shall go before the Ist day of January, 1665, one hundred and twenty acres of land ; and for every able man-servant that he or she shall send or carry, armed and provided as aforesaid, and arriving within the time aforesaid, the like quantity of one hundred and twenty acres of land ; and for every weaker servant, male or female, exceeding the age of fourteen years, arriving there, sixty acres of land ; and to every Christian servant, to their own use and behoof, sixty acres of land.
31. To every free man or free woman that shall arrive in the uid province, armed and provided as aforesaid, within the
70
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
second year, from the Ist day of January, 1665, to the Ist day of January, 1666, with an intention to plant, ninety acres of land, English measure ; and for every able man-servant that he or she shall carry or send, armed and provided as aforesaid, ninety acres of land, like measure.
4th. For every weaker servant or slave aged as aforesaid, that shall be so carried or sent hither within the second year, forty- five acres of land of like measure; and to every Christian servant that shall arrive the second year, forty-five acres of land of like measure, after the expiration of his or their time of service, for their own use and behoof.
.
5th. To every free man and free woman arriving in the third year, with the intention to plant, from January, 1666, to Jan- uary, 1667, and provided as aforesaid, three score acres of land, and the same quantity to every able man-servant ; and for every weaker slave aged as aforesaid, thirty acres of land ; and to every Christian servant, thirty acres of land, after the expiration of their time of service.
And that the lands may be more regularly laid out, and all persons the better ascertained of their titles and possessions, the governor, council, and general assembly (if any be) are to take care and direct that all lands be divided by general lots, none less than two thousand one hundred acres, nor more than twenty-one thousand acres in each lot, excepting cities, towns, &c., and the near lots of townships ; and that the same be divided into seven parts, one-seventh part to us, our heirs, and assigns, the remainder to persons as they come to plant the same, in such proportions as is allowed.
2d. That the governor, or whom he shall depute, in case of death or absence, if some be not before commissionated by us as aforesaid, to give to every person to whom land is due, a war- rant, signed and sealed by himself, and the major part of his council, and directed to the surveyor-general or his deputy, commanding him to lay out, limit, and bound, (the number of ) acres of land, (as his due proportion,) is for such a person, in such allottment, according to the warrant.
3d. We also grant convenient portions of land for highways and streets, not exceeding one hundred feet in breadth in cities, towns, and villages, &c., and for churches, forts, wharffs, keys,
71
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
harbors, and for public houses, and to each parish, for the use of their ministers, two hundred acres, in such places as the general assembly shall appoint.
4th. The governor is to take notice, that all such lands laid out for the uses and purposes aforesaid, in the next preceding article, shall be free and exempt from all rents, taxes, and other charges and duties whatsoever, payable to us, our heirs or as- signs.
5th. That in laying out lands for cities, towns, villages, boroughs, or other hamlets, the said lands be divided into seven parts, one-seventh part whereof to be by lot laid out for us, and the rest to be divided to such as shall be willing to build there- on, they paying after the rate of one penny or half-penny per acre, (according to the value of the land) yearly to us.
6th. That all rules relating to the building of each street, or quantity of ground to be allotted to each house within the said respective cities, boroughs, and towns, be wholly left, by act as aforesaid, to the wisdom and discretion of the general assembly.
7th. That the inhabitants of said province, have free .passage through or by any seas, bounds, creeks, rivers, or rivulets, &c., in the said province, through or by which they must necessarily pass, to come from the main ocean to any part of the province.
8th, and lastly. It shall be lawful for the representatives of the freeholders to make any address to the lords, touching the governor or council, or any of them, or concerning any griev- ance whatsoever, or for any other thing they shall desire, with- out the consent of the governor and council, or any of them.
Given under our seal of our said province, the 10th day of February, in the year of our Lord 1664.
BERKELEY, G. CARTERET.
This was the first constitution of New Jersey, and it continued entire, till the province became divided in 1676.
I have not given it entire, only the main points contained therein.
Sir George Carteret, then the only proprietor of the eastern division, confirmed and explained the concessions, with few additions.
72
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
The county of Bergen was the first settled place. A great many Dutch being already there when the province was sur- rendered, remained under the English government. A few Danes were also concerned in the original settlement of the county, from whence they derived the name of Bergen, after the capital of Norway.
The manner of their original settlement was singular. They had but small lots where their dwellings were, and these were built contiguous in the town of Bergen ; their plantations, from whence their subsistence was obtained, being at some distance from their residences.
The reason for building thus, was from fear of the numerous Indians in the early days of their settlement,* about forty or fifty years previous to the surrender of the Dutch to the English.
In 1664, John Bailey, Daniel Denton, and Luke Watson, of Jamaica, Long Island, purchased of certain Indian Chiefs, who at that time inhabited Staten Island, a tract or tracts of land, on part of which the city of Elizabeth now stands, and for which (on their petition) Governor Richard Nicholls, granted a deed or patent to John Baker, of New York; John Ogden, of Northampton ; John Bailey, and Luke Watson, and their asso- ciates, dated at Fort James, in New York, the 2d of Decem- ber.t This was before Lord Berkely and Sir George Carteret's title was known, and by this means this part of the province had some few very early settlements.
Shrewsbury was first settled by emigrants from Connecticut in 1664, and Middletown by the English in 1666, and it is sup- posed that there were Dutch and English settlers at both these places before that time.
About 1669 these places were a great resort for industrious reputable farmers; the English from the west end of Long Island, removed here in great numbers, and most of them fixed about Middletown, from whence by degrees, they extended their settle-
* Morton, in his memorial published in 1620, tells us that the Hollanders had a large trade on Hudson's river previous to that time.
t This is what is commonly called the Elizabethtown grant.
73
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
ments to Freehold, and its immediate vicinity. To Shrewsbury there came many families from New England.
There were very soon four towns in the province-Shrewsbury, Middletown, Elizabeth, and Newark ; and these, with the sur- rounding country, were in a few years plentifully inhabited by the accession of the Scotch, of whom there came a great many ; as well as from England, together with the Dutch who remained, as well as settlers from the neighboring colonies.
Lord 'Berkeley and Sir George Carteret in 1669, appointed Philip Carteret governor, and gave him power, with the advice of a majority of council, to grant lands to all such as by the con- cessions were entitled thereto. In these concessions there was no provision for bargaining with the Indians .* But when Governor Carteret arrived, he thought it prudent to purchase from the Indians their right in the land.
It is worthy of remark here that all the lands in New Jersey were first purchased from the Indians before they were settled.
The sums paid for the lands, to the Indians, were inconsider- able in comparison with the damage a neglect might have occa- sioned.f For though the Indians about the English settlements,
* This was supplied in 1672, by particular instructions directing the gover- nor and council to purchase all lands from the Indians and be reimbursed by the settlers as they made their purchases.
. t We are informed that Richard Hartshorn, a considerable settler at Middle- town, who came over in this year (1669), had like to have experienced some disadvantages from this neglect in the patentees of that town. "The Indi- ans," says he " came to my house and laid their hands on the post and frame of the house, and said that house was theirs, they never had anything for it, and told me if I would not buy the land, I must be gone. But I minded it not,'thinking it was Davis' land, and they wanted to get something of me; they at last told me they would kill my cattle and burn my hay, if I would tut buy the land nor be gone; then I went to the patentees, which were James Grover, Richard Stout, John Bound, and Richard Gibbons. They told me it was never bought, nor had the Indians anything for it. Nicholls de- weed of them and the Indians also, only to have leave to set a trading house ; an ! at that time, they did not intend any one should have the land, but keep it for the use of the country ; always giving leave for any man to trade with e»als, and not otherwise. But I told them I would not live on those terms, and not only so, but it was dangerous, for the Indians threatened to kill my
74
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
were not at this time considerable as to numbers they were strong in their alliances, and besides of themselves could easily annoy the plantations; and there having been several skir- mishes between the Dutch and Indians, in which some- blood had been spilled, fear was entertained in regard to obtaining their friendship.
The governor therefore thought it best, and so ordered that all new comers were either to purchase of the Indians them- selves, or if the lands were before purchased, they were to pay their proportion.
The plan adopted by him answered his expectation, as the Indians parted with the lands to their own satisfaction, they be- came a jealous, shy people, serviceable and good neighbors. Frequent reports of their coming to kill the white people disturbed their repose, yet no instance ever occurred of their doing them any injury in the early settlements.
cattle. They told me no man had power to buy but the patentees, and they would buy it. Thus it continued some months. I considered the thing as well as I then was capable, and went to Gravesend and bought William Goulder out, and when I came back the Indians were at me and I.did. James Grover, Richard Stout and Samuel Spicer, were at Wakecake when I bought Wakecake and paid for it, I being then a patentee as well as the rest."
CHAPTER IV.
1669-1680.
Stratagem of a Settler-Penelope Stout-Her Rescue-Her De- scendants-Wampum the chief Currency of the Country- Proclamation of the Governor- Division of the Province- Yorkshire and London Purchasers-Meeting of Proprietors.
IN the Dutch skirmishes with the Indians, the English from I
Long Island, together with such as were settled among the Dutch, used to join the latter in frequent excursions up the rivers to annoy the Indians.
There is a tradition that in one of these expeditions up a Jersey river, one of the company, of more curiosity or boldness than the rest, went at some distance in the country to discover an Indian town, which at last he did, by coming upon it before he was aware of his situation. 'He there found quite a number seated together. At the instant he saw them, they saw him. He was surprised, but quickly recollecting himself, took a paper out of his pocket, and with it boldly went up, telling them it was proposals from the government at New York, and read at ran- dom such things as came into his head. By this stratagem he got off without molestation, and having acquainted the inhabi- tants at New York as to what he had seen, notified the govern- ment there that if they would send a party against the Indians he would act as pilot for them. A party was accordingly sent, and coming upon the Indians in the night, some of them found means to get to windward of their little town, and setting fire to it, burnt it down. Their wigwams being built close together, and made of flags, bushes, and other light combustible matter,
76
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
covered with the bark of trees, so that the fire burnt with great violence. The Indians, notwithstanding their surprise, armed with their bows and arrows, fought with dexterity and courage, but being overpowered by numbers, many of them were destroyed.
nother tradition informs us that while New York was in possession of the Dutch, about the time of the Indian war in New England, a Dutch ship coming from Amsterdam was stranded on Sandy Hook, but the passengers succeeded in get- ting to shore. Among them was a young Dutchman, who had been sick during most of the voyage. He was taken so sick after landing that he was unable to travel, and the other pas- sengers being afraid of the Indians, would not stay till he recovered, but made such haste as they could to New Am- sterdam. His wife, however, would not leave him. The rest promised to send on for him as soon as they arrived. They had not been long gone before a party of Indians, coming down to the water and hastily coming to the spot, discovered them, and soon killed the man, cutting and dreadfully mangling the woman, so that they left her for dead. She had strength enough, however, after they had gone, to crawl up to some logs not far distant, and getting into an old hollow one, lived there several days, upon what she could pick off from the tree. The Indians had left some fire on the beach, which she managed to keep together, and by that means she kept herself warm. She re- mained in this manner several days. On the seventh day she saw a deer pass with some arrows sticking in it, and soon after appeared two Indians, one an old man, the other a young man. She was glad to see them, hoping they would soon put her out of her misery. Accordingly one made towards her, to knock her in the head, but the elderly man prevented him. They had quite a dispute in reference to her, the old man insisting on keeping her alive, while the other wanted to dispatch her at once. After they had debated the point for a considerable time, the first hastily took her up, and tossing her upon his shoulder, carried her to his wigwam at Middletown, where he dressed her wounds and soon cured her. After some time the Dutch at New Amsterdam, hearing of a white woman among
77
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
the Indians, concluded it must be her, and some of them came to her relief. The old man who had preserved her, gave her choice either to stay or go. She preferred the latter, and was taken to New York among her countrymen. In New York she married Richard Stout, being at that time in her twenty-second year, he being in his fortieth year, and an Englishman of good family. They settled at Middletown. The old Indian who saved her life used frequently to visit her. At one of his visits she observed him to be more pensive than common, and sitting down, he gave three pensive sighs.
She then took the liberty of asking him what the matter was. He told her he had something to tell her in friendship, though at the risk of his own life, which was, that the Indians were that night to kill all the whites at Middletown, and advised her to go off to New Amsterdam. She asked him how she could get off, and he told her he had provided a canoe, at a place which he named.
Having left her, she sent for her husband out of the field, and told him what the Indian had communicated to her, and he not believing it, she told him the old man had never deceived her, and that she with her children would go. Accord- ingly, going to the appointed place, she found the canoe and paddled off.
When they were gone, her husband began to consider the matter, and sending for five or six of his neighbors, they set themselves upon their guard, and about midnight they heard the dismal war-whoop. Presently there came up a company of Indians.
The inhabitants expostulated with them, and told them if they persisted in their bloody design, they would sell their lives very dear.
Their arguments prevailed, and the Indians desisted and entered into a league of peace, which they kept inviolate. From this woman, thus miraculously saved, is descended a numerous posterity of the name of Stout, at present inhabiting New Jersey.
She retained her scars throughout a long life, had several children, and lived to the age of one hundred and ten years,
.
78
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
and before her death saw her offspring multiplied to five hundred and two, in about eighty-eight years.
Her maiden name was Penelope Vanprinces, and she was born in Amsterdam, about the year 1602.
When the Indians had killed her. first husband, and as they thought, her too, they stripped them of their garments and left them on the beach for dead. Penelope, however, revived, although her skull was fractured and her left shoulder so injured that she was never after able to use it like the other ; besides, she was so cut across the body that her bowels protruded, and she was obliged to keep her hand upon her wound.
At the time this affair occurred, there were supposed to be about fifty families of white people and five hundred Indians inhabiting this part of New Jersey.
Carteret did not arrive in his province as governor of New Jersey till the latter part of the summer of 1665, until which time the province was under Nicholls' jurisdiction.
On the arrival of Carteret, he summoned a council, granted lands, and administered the government on the plan of the general concessions, and took up his residence at Elizabeth Town, to which it is said he gave the name after Elizabeth, wife of Sir George Carteret. He brought with him about thirty people, some of them servants. They brought goods proper for the planting of a new colony, and the governor soon after sent persons into New England and other places for the purpose of publishing the proprietors' concessions and to invite people to settle there, upon which many soon came, some of whom settled at Elizabeth Town, others at Woodbridge, Piscataway, and Newark.
The ship that brought the governor remained about six months, then returned to England, and the following year made another voyage.
Sundry other vessels were from time to time sent by the pro- prietors with people and goods to encourage the planting and peopling the lands. Thus the province of East New Jersey in- creased in settlement, and continued to grow till the Dutch in- vasion in 1673, when they, having got possession of the country, some stop was put to the English government, but the treaty
1
79
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
afterwards between King Charles II. and the States General, at London, 1673-4, put all general difficulties of that kind out of dispute.
In the sixth article, we find the following :
" That whatever country, island, town, haven, castle, or for- tress, hath been, or shall be taken by either party from the other since the beginning of the late unhappy war, whether in Europe or elsewhere, before the expiration of the times above limited for hostility, shall be restored to the former owner in the same condition it shall be in at the time of publishing this peace."
Though the inhabitants were at variance among themselves, there was also a considerable number of settlers arriving between the years 1665 and 1673, after which time they increased rapidly.
But the Elizabethtown purchasers and others, setting up a right, differing in some respect from that of the proprietors, and other incidents, having fallen out, some of which were of considerable consequence, while others were so small in their nature, that one would think they might easily have been settled ; yet, being nourished by a more vindictive spirit than was necessary on all sides, they occasioned much disturbance among the settlers .*
In the summer of 1672, Carteret went to England, and left Captain John Berry, his deputy, to govern the province during his absence.
In 1674, he returned and found the inhabitants more dis- posed to peace and union among themselves. He brought over with him the King's proclamation, with a new commission and instructions from Sir George Carteret, whereupon he imme- diately summoned the people, and published them, which for a time had a good effect towards restoring proprietary authority, and the public peace. He remained governor until his death in 1682.
* We do not propose to enter particularly into these disturbances, which in several instances went to disreputable lengths. Governor Andross, of York, in 1680, undertook to dispute the commission of Governor Carteret, of Jersey, and sending to Elizabethtown, an armed force, seized and carried him prisoner to New York.
80
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
During his time the councils and general assemblies, as well as the supreme courts, sat at Elizabethtown. The secretary's office, and nearly all the other public offices were located there, and the residences of most of the officers of the government were also there.
In September, 1671, an extraordinary council was held at New York, composed of the principal officers of the two provinces. There were present at this council, Governor Francis Lovelace, together with the mayor and secretary of New York, Major Steenwick, Governor Philip Carteret, and Capt. James Carteret, of New Jersey.
The cause of the assembling of this extraordinary council, was the arrival of William Tomm and Peter Alricks, from Delaware, with particulars of the Indian murders before mentioned ; that two Christians, (Dutchmen) had, as there related, been murdered by some Indians at the Island of Matinicunk,* on the Delaware. Alricks being present at the council, imparted to them of what nation these murderers were ; that they consisted of about fifty or sixty persons, and that the outrages committed on the river for the last seven years, had been traced to them ; that the Indians, who were their confederates, (as it was supposed they would be in case of war), numbered about one thousand persons, besides women and children.
That two of the sagamores, (a King or Chief) of the nation of. the murderers, promised their best assistance to bring them to . justice, or procure them to be knocked in the head, if sustained by the government, and that many other Indians he met on the road, severely disapproved the murder, were very sorry for it,
* The upper island situated partly between Burlington and Bristol, after wards taken up by a proprietary right, by Robert Stacy, and by him given to Burlington, and in 1682 confirmed by a proprietary law, for the use of a free school, forever. It is detached from the main channel by a small channel occasioned by the waters of Assiscunk creek. When Gookin, a former gover- nor of Pennsylvania, was about obtaining a grant of the islands in the Dela- ware river, it is said the lords of trade excepted this island in their report to the King and council, as having been already occupied, and therefore not on a footing with the other islands. It is inconsiderable as to value, compared with many others, yet long possession and some improvements, have rendered it useful to Burlington.
81
HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY.
and offered every assistance in their power in apprehending the murderers.
.
Alricks further stated, that it was proposed by the Sachems, (chiefs) as the best scheme to set upon this nation, to cause a kintecoy, (act of rejoicing or merriment), to be held, and that in the midst of their mirth one should be hired to knock them in the head ; and adding, as his own opinion, that the best time to fall upon them was about the 25th of October, because after that their usual custom was to go a hunting, and then they could not easily be found. But the immediate danger now was of their destroying the corn and cattle of the Christians, and that the murders were owing to Sashiowycan, who, having a sister dying, expressed great grief for her, and said the Mannetta hath killed my sister and I will go kill the Christians; and taking another with him, they together executed the barbarous acts.
The council, after having considered this information, came to the conclusion that Thomas Lewis, then bound with his sloop for New Castle, should delay his voyage for three or four days, at which time Alricks and Henry Courturier would be ready to go with him; that in the mean time, general instructions should be given to take with them. That the Governor of New Jersey and Capt. James Carteret, (who were then present,) should, with as much expedition as possible, order a general as- sembly to be called in that government, (according to their cus- tom on all emergent occasions,) to know the strength of the people and their readiness, as well as how far they were willing to contribute towards the prosecution of a war against the In- dians.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.