In a recent post I mentioned that I found two items at the Hunterdon County Historical Society that explained what Nathaniel Saxton was doing during the years 1808-1815. Besides investing in Raven Rock and a couple properties in other locations, and becoming an active supporter of the Federalists, Saxton was thinking of infrastructure, in particular, construction of a bridge between Bull’s Island and Lumberville.

Ferries v. Bridges

Up until this time, the only way to get across the river was by ferry. There were several ferries between Coryell’s Ferry (Lambertville) and Alexandria, later known as Frenchtown. The ferry closest to Bull’s Island was run by Martin Johnson, who had taken it over from Jacob Painter. It was located somewhere near the point where Federal Twist Road intersects with Highway 29. All evidence of it has been erased.

By 1810, there were only two bridges over the Delaware River, one at Easton and one at Trenton. They both opened in 1806, and their advantages must have been immediately obvious. A bridge avoided the biggest problem associated with ferries: it could be crossed in almost any kind of weather. Ferries could not run during spring freshets, or when the river was frozen over, or in the summer when the water level dropped too low. It is true that in some of those cases, horse-back riders could simply ride across the river, but often they could not and would have to wait in a nearby tavern for conditions to improve.

Bridges, especially sturdy covered bridges, were the answer. But these were not taxpayer-funded bridges. They were built by private companies, which explains why the bridges at Trenton and Easton were toll bridges. The companies raised funds for construction by selling shares, like any private company could. But the profits, which went toward bridge maintenance and to shareholder dividends, came from the tolls.

Saxton’s Petition

Nathaniel Saxton's signature on the Bull's Island Bridge petition, 1811

Enterprising people began to look up and down the river for other bridge locations, and Saxton was one of them. In 1810, he printed up a petition to the legislatures and began collecting signatures.¹ But he was not the only one circulating petitions. Supporters of a bridge at Howell’s or Mitchell’s Ferry (Stockton) and Coryell’s Ferry (Lambertville) had already submitted petitions to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey legislatures.

In composing his petition, Saxton made the argument for why Bull’s Island was a superior location. He noted that the river at Bull’s Island was far narrower than it was at other locations, making it ideal for a crossing. He calculated the distances between Easton, Trenton, and the three proposed locations, demonstrating that Bull’s Island was “the most central, and on this account the most eligible place.” He also claimed that the location was better for travelers:

The course of the river and the local situation of the country, are such as to give Bull’s-Island the preference. On the Pennsylvania side the roads from Mitchell’s and Coryell’s ferry to Philadelphia, meet at the Buckingham Meeting-House, and from thence follow the Old York Road. By reason of the circuitous course of the river, the distance from each of these places to Philadelphia, on that road, is 34 miles ; the distance from Bull’s Island (as the road is now used falling into the York Road but two miles from Mitchell’s,) is the same, and may be shortened 1 or 2 miles in the first 5, which will make it less than 33 miles to Philadelphia.

And passing over into New-Jersey in the direction of New York, the distance from Philadelphia to Flemington by Coryell’s will be 46 miles, by Mitchell’s or Bull’s-Island 44 miles, and in going to places lying above the direction of Flemington, particularly the upper part of the counties of Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, and to the state of New-York, (which, on a moderate computation, constitutes three-fourths of the crossing at those ferries,) the route by Bull’s-Island will be upwards of two miles nearer than Mitchell’s, and five miles nearer than Coryell’s.

He even managed to depict the Hunterdon plateau or Croton Swamp as an advantage:

In addition to which, Bull’s-Island lying at the point where the ridge, known at different places by the names of the Cushetunk Mountain, the Flemington and Bohannan’s Hills, terminates on the river, the great portion of travelling may entirely avoid that Hill and have a level road from the directions of Quakertown, Pittstown or Baptistown, through what is called the Great Swamp, or tract of level country lying above this ridge, and arrive by a gradual descent to the river.

It appears from the petitions that Saxton had no trouble getting signatures. I have not counted them up, but there were probably hundreds, from Bucks, Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties (Warren was still part of Sussex). There are at least 25 of these petitions in the collection at the Historical Society. Many of Saxton’s signatures came from residents of Solebury and Buckingham Townships in Bucks County. I wouldn’t be surprised if they also signed Mitchell’s petitions.

The Centre Bridge Company

Despite Saxton’s arguments and his success in collecting signatures, the promoters of a bridge at Mitchell’s Ferry won the day. (It appears that by this time, William Mitchell had taken over the ferry from the Howell family, who originally operated it from the New Jersey side.) I was somewhat confused about the chronology of the bridge petitions and legislation, until I came across a pamphlet titled The Centre Bridge Company, by Elmer Roberson (published by H. E. Deats, Flemington, NJ, 1928). The back and forth between New Jersey and Pennsylvania is a wonder to behold, so I am summarizing it here:

1809 February, residents of Mitchell’s Ferry (today’s Centre Bridge) petitioned the Pennsylvania legislature for a bridge. At the same session, petitions were presented by residents of New Hope for a bridge at their location. No action was taken.

1809 Autumn. The two petitions were presented to the New Jersey Legislature then in session. Two separate acts were passed favoring both locations and then forwarded to Pennsylvania for concurrence.

1809 Autumn. While the Pennsylvania legislature considered these two acts, New Hope residents submitted a petition requesting that the two locations be combined into one law and commissioners appointed to chose the best location. The Pennsylvania legislature passed this act and sent it back to New Jersey for concurrence.

1810-11, Saxton’s petition was now circulating and was presented to the NJ Legislature.

1811 Feb. 18, The New Jersey Legislature combined all three locations into one Act dated Feb. 18, 1811. Commissioners were appointed to represent New Jersey and to view locations along the river from Black’s Eddy south to Well’s Falls. None of the commissioners were from Hunterdon County.

1811, March 23, the Pennsylvania legislature passed an act of concurrence, and named its own commissioners.

1811 Sept 9, The Commissioners of NJ & PA met at the house of William Mitchell (which suggests the decision had already been made), and determined that Mitchell’s Ferry was the best location. They then named new commissioners to “receive subscriptions in stock.” Nathaniel Saxton was not among them.

1812 August/September, The company was not officially chartered until the requisite amount of stock had been purchased. Letters patent of incorporation were issued in New Jersey on August 17, 1812, signed by Gov. Joseph Bloomfield, and in Pennsylvania on September 1, 1812.

The commissioners of the new bridge company chose the name Centre Bridge Company. (I have always wondered about the spelling of Centre Bridge; the R is in the wrong place, but it appears to have been that way right from the beginning.) The name would seem to derive from the fact that it was to stand midway between the bridge at Trenton and the bridge at Easton. However, Elmer Roberson believed it was because the bridge was midway between the two other locations being considered, Bull’s Island and Coryell’s Ferry. Both cases are true.

Once the letters patent had been signed, the commissioners met again at Mitchell’s Ferry on October 21, 1812 and organized their new company. William Mitchell was elected president (no surprise); the New Jersey managers were Saxton’s friends Albertus King and George C. Maxwell, and also Pierson Reading. (I did not see their names on Saxton’s petitions.) The bridge was open for business on January 1, 1814. According to James P. Snell, Centre Bridge did not get its wooden cover until 1832.²

The covered bridge at Centre Bridge, PA and Stockton, NJ

The New Hope Bridge

According to Alfred G. Petrie, the New Hope bridge was promoted by Benjamin Parry of that town, and a bridge company was formed on September 25, 1811³ A charter was finally obtained from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey for the New Hope Delaware Bridge Company in the second session for 1812 (New Jersey’s law was passed January 23, 1812), and the bridge was open for traffic on January 13, 1814.

Neither Petrie nor Roberson nor Snell address the question of why the legislatures decided to authorize a second bridge, when the enabling legislation of 1811 only provided for one to be chosen among the three sites proposed. The Act of incorporation for the New Hope bridge company states that

 “it has been satisfactorily represented to the legislature that a number of the inhabitants of this state and of the state of Pennsylvania have associated together under the name and style of the “New-Hope Delaware bridge company,” for the purpose of erecting a bridge over the river Delaware at New-Hope (formerly called Coryells ferry) and it is desirable that the legislature would pass a law to incorporate said association, to enable them to carry their laudable undertaking into effect.”

Perhaps New Hope got its bridge because its supporters were so well-organized. The location did have the advantage of a main highway from Philadelphia leading to New Hope, and then on the New Jersey side, running northeast to New Brunswick and on to New York.

Why Did Saxton’s Petition Fail?

In a previous post, I described how Nathaniel Saxton had become an important member of the New Jersey Federalist party. In 1808, the governor of New Jersey was Joseph Bloomfield, a skillful politician strongly allied with the Jeffersonian Republicans. His skill was demonstrated in the way he managed to funnel patronage toward his supporters, and clearly, Saxton was not one of them.⁴ This did not help him in the legislature, which was also dominated by Jeffersonian Republicans. But I think it more likely that the other two locations had more supporters and better logistics than Bull’s Island had.

The Covered Bridge at Bull's Island and Lumberville

Eventually, Saxton’s bridge did get built, but not until after the Delaware & Raritan Canal had opened in 1834, which made a bridge at Bull’s Island far more desirable. The Lumberville-Bull’s Island bridge was finally opened in 1835. By that time, Nathaniel Saxton had greatly reduced his land-holdings in Raven Rock, but he still owned the Saxtonville Tavern, so eventually he did benefit from construction of a bridge at Bull’s Island.

The following is an update of a speech I delivered at the Locktown Stone Church in May 1997. I thought it would be a good idea to archive the speech here on my website, especially since it makes a nice short history of Delaware Township. When I gave the speech, I had two large maps showing locations of mills, taverns, ferries, the oldest roads. One map showed the 18th century version of Delaware Township, and one showed the 19th century version. Whatever happened to those maps?  If I find them, I’ll turn them over to Marilyn Cummings who has been working hard on just such a map project, one that can be seen on Google Earth.

The speech describes villages in general, and then focuses on each separate village. Because it was a speech, each description is brief and somewhat vague. But it produces a longer post than usual. So much longer that I’ve divided it into two parts.

Introduction

I began the speech with a disclaimer, knowing that there were many in the audience who knew much more about the township’s history than I do. I did not grow up here, nor did my parents, which puts me at a disadvantage. Even now, after living here for over 35 years, there are some who still think of me as a newcomer. It’s that kind of town.

There are many different ways to talk about our township’s history. Looking at its villages tells us a lot about how things got started and how they changed.

Villages don’t just happen. There’s a reason why each one comes into existence—sometimes not much of a reason, but people don’t need much reason for what they do. Villages are a little like roads; the ones that are now highly traveled highways sometimes began as paths taken by wayward animals, paths that were adopted by the Indians and then enlarged by early settlers, slightly modified by new landowners who wanted to protect their property lines, and then paved and made permanent.

Villages might start with a location where two trails intersected, or at a good fishing spot. A ferry attracted a tavern, a mill attracted a store, and soon there would be a village.

We should look at the very first villages. Lenape settlements were of two types, the semi-permanent village and the seasonal camp. The only village in this area that I am aware of was located at northern Lambertville, at the mouth of the Alexauken Creek. Evidence of Lenapes in other areas in Delaware Township—and there is lots of evidence—indicates seasonal fishing and hunting locations, especially at the mouths of the Wickecheoke and the Lockatong Creeks, but also inland at good deer-hunting locations.

Some of these Lenape camps were adopted by the later European settlers. There was often a cleared area where the Lenapes gardened, and cleared areas were always attractive to Europeans.

18^th century villages didn’t amount to much. But following the Revolution, village life became the best part of living in the country. Villages were the center of the neighborhood, the place where people gathered to take care of business, share their experiences and just have a good time. They were lively places, especially on Saturday nights.

And then the automobile took over the land. Especially following World War II, America became a different place, a place that no longer had much need for villages. Local post offices were closed, small stores yielded to larger ones further away,  so there were fewer reasons to spend time in a village.

Today Delaware is one of the few townships left in New Jersey that still has recognizable villages. We should know more about how they came into existence, what they were like during their heyday, and what we have left now.

Before It Became Delaware Township

Delaware Township is a very large municipality, almost 37 square miles. It used to be part of an even larger Amwell Township, which covered Delaware, Stockton, Lambertville, West & East Amwell, Flemington, Raritan, and a little of Readington and Lebanon. It was created in 1708 at the instigation of John Reading, back when he and his family were practically the only Europeans living here, besides possibly John Ringo and John Holcombe and their families.

The northern border of Amwell was the line between Delaware and Kingwood, which extended northeast past the South Branch all the way to the Black River, and the Somerset County line. It was huge. For many people that is a difficult space to identify with. It is much easier to relate to one’s own neighborhood. People have always needed to have a smaller, more local place to identify with. That is the case even today. Twenty years ago [sic, make that 35], when I first moved here, I met a woman at a party held near Sergeantsville. I asked her if she was from here, and she answered no, I’m from Stockton. Having just come to Delaware Township from the other side of the state, I was amazed by her answer, but it makes sense to me now.

So, aside from the Lenape camps, where was the first village in Delaware Township? I’m afraid the earliest village that the township can claim no longer belongs to it. I am referring to Prallsville and Stockton. Stockton separated from Delaware Township in 1898. Until then, it was Delaware’s most important community. We don’t think of it as part of Delaware now, but for much of its history it was the commercial center of Delaware Township. Delaware farmers brought their harvests to Stockton to be sent to market first by way of boat down the river, then by the canal or railroad. But Township meetings never took place there and Stockton had always been focused away from the rest of the town, towards the river and Pennsylvania. It took on the name of Stockton in 1853 when the post office was moved there from the Prallsville Store. It separated from Delaware when legislation made it easier for small boroughs to be created.

But back to Stockton’s beginnings:  One of Delaware’s earliest settlers was John Reading, who came here in 1708 or earlier and built a home on 1,440 acres of land that extended from the Lockatong on the west to today’s Route 519, and included the northern part of Stockton. That area (northern Stockton) and the area around today’s Prallsville Mill complex he gave to his daughter Mary and her new husband Daniel Howell as a wedding gift in 1710. Before moving to this area, John Reading had kept a ferry in Gloucester County that ran over to Philadelphia. So it was natural that he and his son-in-law would start one here in their new home. It became known first as Reading’s Ferry and later as Howell’s Ferry. It connected up with an old Indian path in Pennsylvania that led down to Philadelphia. But the destination on the New Jersey end was not Flemington (which didn’t exist in 1710), but the South Branch of the Raritan, which could lead a traveler to the eastern settlements of New Jersey and on to New York.

Traveling in the 18^th century was a very challenging and time-consuming endeavor. Often the river was impassable, which meant that travelers had to wait until storms blew over or ice melted. Enterprising ferry keepers were quick to help the poor travelers out by establishing taverns close to the ferries, and that is what Daniel Howell did. I can picture Mary Reading Howell, daughter of the important and prosperous John Reading, putting her foot down when travelers started camping out in her kitchen. But whether Howell simply enlarged his house or built a separate one for the tavern, I cannot say. Daniel Howell’s tavern was located at the corner of today’s Route 523 and Highway 29, where the defunct Baptist Church now stands.

But Daniel Howell was more enterprising than that. At an early date he also established a grist mill and an oil mill on the Wickecheoke near today’s Prallsville Mill. So—he had a ferry, a tavern and 2 mills, all businesses that attract people. There weren’t many people around from 1710 to 1733, the year when Daniel Howell died, but the ones that were here most certainly spent time at Howell’s Ferry, and some of them built houses there, log houses that are no longer standing. This meant that a store of some kind was also needed. I don’t have a record of a store at such an early period, but there certainly was one there by the time of the Revolution.

So these are the ingredients for an 18^th century village in Delaware Township: a ferry, a tavern, a mill, and a store. A blacksmith shop would also be an attraction. And it helps to have an intersection of roads. Such intersections were important for the simple reason that there were so few of them. The roads that did exist were not much more than dirt paths.

When settlement was sparse, people didn’t travel much. For one thing, there weren’t many places to go, and for another, it was just so difficult. They stayed on their farms where they were quite self-sufficient. But there were reasons to travel. Milling was an unavoidable necessity, as most farmers could not set up the equipment needed to grind their grain into flour. Stores provided goods that farmers could not provide for themselves, like coffee, tea, sugar, spices, tobacco, and later on, cotton and other manufactured fabrics. Taverns weren’t absolutely essential to local folk, since many people could and did make their own hard cider and beer. But you could get imported liquor, like rum and sweet wines there, and hear and share news from the travelers who passed through. The taverns began by serving the traveling public but became important institutions for local people, providing a neutral, public place to hold town meetings and conduct business.

But, back to the roads:  There were only a few main roads, so wherever they intersected, there was almost certain to be a tavern. Take the intersection of Routes 523 and 579, both very old roads. There was a tavern in operation there since about 1725, which makes it one of the oldest in Hunterdon County. It was probably run by Daniel Robins, and later taken over by John Buchanan. The location made sense, as anyone can tell you who tries to walk up the hill from Ringoes. But no village grew up around this tavern. About three 18^th century houses were built there, but no other attractions developed in this spot.

Another example of this was the Boarshead Tavern, located on Route 579 where the Boarshead Road intersects. Boarshead Road is a very ancient road that was once called the road to Baptistown. The tavern is also very old and was a well-known stopping place, even though it is only a little over two miles from Buchanan’s Tavern. Although the tavern was very popular, there was never a village or even the hint of one at this location. By the way, Buchanan’s Tavern is now a residence, but the Boarshead (which was actually on the Raritan side of the road) burned down, and a modern home was built on or near the foundation.

So, it takes more than an intersection and a tavern to make a village. In the 18^th century, a mill was needed, and an important one was built around 1735 in Headquarters. It was probably built by John Opdycke, who also built a handsome stone house next to the mill, and two other stone houses across the road. The man could not restrain himself, for he also built a mill and a stone house on the Wickecheoke. He seemed to prefer this second mill because in the 1760’s he sold the Headquarters mill to the son of Daniel Howell of Howell’s Ferry, But he kept the Wickecheoke mill for another ten years before giving it to his son Samuel Opdycke. Joseph Howell soon went bankrupt and sold his mill to Benjamin Tyson. Tyson did better, and the area was known all through the Revolution as Tyson’s Mill. Tyson’s Mill also had a store and a distillery, to turn all that grain that farmers used to pay for their milling into a marketable product. The tavern at Headquarters was known as the White Hall, and is said to have been the gathering and recruiting place for the Amwell Militia during the Revolution, from whence comes the name Headquarters. There was a lot of activity there, and people built houses near the mill and tavern. It is probably safe to say that during the Revolution, Tyson’s Mill was the most important village in what we today know as Delaware Township.

Opdycke’s Mill on the Wickecheoke was also a popular place to go for milling, but it had no store or tavern, so it never developed as a village. In the 1770’s the road we now call Route 604 or the Rosemont-Ringoes Road was known as the road from Tyson’s Mill to Opdycke’s Mill. Nothing was said about the village of Sergeantsville then because it didn’t really exist until after the Revolution.

Another example of a mill location that did not develop into a village is the Rittenhouse Mill on the Wickecheoke, on today’s Old Mill Road. That was a well-known mill (actually two mills, a grist mill and a saw mill) and it stayed in operation well into the late 19^th century. People traveled there from some distance, and yet no village developed. They came for their flour or their lumber, and they left.

As for other possibly pre-Revolutionary villages, there are only a couple that might qualify. One is Sand Brook. What did Sand Brook have? A mill, of course. This one was run by the Kitchen family, first Henry Kitchen, by 1739 or earlier, and then his son Samuel Kitchen. There may have been a store in Sand Brook at a fairly early date, but there was no tavern. People in Sand Brook went up the road (523) to use Buchanan’s Tavern.

Other than the Kitchen Mill, which was located on a very small body of water (i.e., the Sand Brook), there wasn’t much reason for people to go to there. Strangely enough, the road from Sand Brook to Headquarters was a very old road, definitely an 18^th century road, although not based on an Indian trail. You can see that by how straight it is. Here I’m speculating, but it seems as if many of the early roads connected the mills. I’m not at all sure why people would want to travel from one mill to another, but it must have been fairly compelling, since making roads and maintaining them took a lot of effort. On the other hand, most of the earliest roads did follow Indian paths, and the Indians traveled from their more permanent settlements to good hunting and fishing locations. Perhaps the mills got located where the fishing was good and people using the mills took advantage of the Indian paths. Just a theory.

But we should remember that by the 1750’s, there were virtually no Lenape present in Delaware Township. Disease, migration and war had taken their toll, and no real attempt was made by the Europeans to make room for them here.

Rosemont might claim to be a pre-Revolutionary village of sorts. William Rittenhouse and George Fox and their families were the earliest settlers there, and the Rosemont Cemetery was established in the 1720’s on land belonging to George Fox. Route 519 was another of those very early roads, almost certainly based on an Indian path. William Rittenhouse established a tavern around 1740 that was widely known as a landmark all through the 18^th century. His son Isaac took it over and is supposed to have named it the Crosskeys Tavern. I am not aware of any other village activity there before the Revolution.¹

So, what about Sergeantsville? Sometime before the Revolution, in the 1760’s, the Sergeant brothers John and Joseph set up a store on the southeast corner of the intersection, and later on a blacksmith shop on the northwest corner. The Thatcher and Gordon families were living here by the 1740’s. But there was no mill here. The intersection must have been important enough to sustain a store and a blacksmith shop. In 1780, the land that the Township Hall stands on was bought by Franklin Gordon and then sold to his brother Agesilaus Gordon.

Recently [back in 1997 before the web got useful] I looked up the name Agesilaus in the New Century Cyclopedia of Names and learned its correct pronunciation (a jes i lá us), along with its history. Agesilaus was a king of Sparta in Greece from 399 to 360 B.C. Agesilaus Gordon had a brother named Othniel, which was a Hebrew name meaning something like ‘God’s lion.’ What on earth were his  parents reading?

Records seem to show that Agesilaus Gordon started the tavern at the crossroads of the road from Howell’s Ferry to Flemington and the road from Tyson’s Mill to Opdycke’s Mill. Once the tavern got going, the crossroads became an attractive center with a very unattractive name: Skunktown. The word skunk comes from the Algonquian language, a variant of which the Lenape spoke. So the name could have been used here for a very long time. Cornelius Lake called it Skunktown in 1803 when he applied for a tavern license. In 1805 Godfrey Rockafellar applied for the tavern license and gave the name as Skoonkton, which suggests the writer was Dutch. But the Rockafellar family came from Germany in 1723. In 1821 William Rake called it Scuncktown in his tavern license application.

One wonders about the local Chamber of Commerce—how could they allow such an unfortunate name to be put to their village? The Gordons, Lakes, Thatchers and Sergeants (the most important families here) must not have been paying much attention. But it may have something to do with the fact that in the 18^th century, people were not much interested in naming places or naming roads. The roads were all identified as where they came from and where they went to, like the road from Tyson’s Mills to Opdycke’s Mill, mentioned before.

Try to imagine what it was like to live here then. There were perhaps as many as 500-800 people in today’s Delaware Township in the 18^th century, whereas today we have over 5,000 and are still considered lightly populated. With so few people, every house and farm became a landmark. Roads were known as ways to get to these houses, and everyone knew where everyone else lived. They had to, for neighbors depended a great deal on each other. They traded with each other, borrowed money from each other, chased each other’s animals, and helped erect each others houses and barns. They worshipped together and their children married into each others’ families.

Take my road, as an example, the Locktown-Flemington Road. In the 18^th century there were two houses on the stretch running from Route 579 to the intersection with Ferry Road. One was owned by John Besson, the other by Andrew Bearder and his family. From Ferry Road to the end of the road in Locktown, there were three houses, owned by the Myers, the Rockafellars, and the Lawbachers. You can be sure that everyone on the Locktown-Flemington Road knew everyone else on that road. During the Revolution, the road was called “the road from Flemington to the Swamp Meeting House,” which was how the Locktown Baptist Church was known back then. There was no village of Locktown until the 19^th century.

This leads me to the inescapable fact that the villages of Delaware Township as we think of them today did not really come into existence until the 19^th century. Following the Revolution and the War of 1812, village activity increased greatly, with new stores and shops of different kinds opening up. That wonderful innovation, the post office, arrived at Prallsville in 1817 or earlier, and in Lambertville in 1814. Most post offices were located in stores and sometimes in taverns, but always in established villages.

One of the earliest and most controversial post offices was the one established in Lambertville. The place was known as Coryell’s Ferry at the time, and the Coryell family dominated the southern part of the town, ever since Emmanuel Coryell came there in the 1730’s. But in 1814, Sen. John Lambert, a Delaware resident whose home was on Seabrook Road, pulled strings to get a post office set up in the village, in a store run by his nephew, John Lambert. That store is now the restored Lambert House. When the post office was established, the job of postmaster was given to the Senator’s nephew, and the office (and thereby the town) was given the name of Lambert’s Ville, later shortened to Lambertville. The Coryell family took offense and insisted on calling it “Lambertsvillainy.”

In 1827, it was Skunktown’s turn to get a post office. Clearly this was an opportunity to rid the town of an awful name, so the occasion was treated with due seriousness. A large meeting was called, a vote was taken and the Thatcher family lost out to the Sergeant family, who got the name. The Thatchers took it in stride since Jonas Thatcher got the job of postmaster, but that’s because he ran the store.

In 1834, the first Gazetteer of New Jersey was written and published by Thomas Gordon. Delaware Township had not been created yet, so it was not included. Gordon had no entry for Sergeantsville or for Headquarters or Raven Rock. He described Prallsville as having 1 store, 1 tavern, some 6 or 8 dwellings and a grist mill, along with “a fine bridge erected over the Delaware.”

Gordon had a listing for Amwell Township, which by 1834 was somewhat smaller than it was in 1708.  He wrote that it was 16 miles long and 15 miles wide, with 77,000 acres. The Amwell post offices were located at Flemington, Sergeantsville, Ringoes, Prallsville, and “Lambertsville.”

Delaware Township was incorporated in 1838. Two years later, Barber & Howe wrote another gazetteer. What they found was quite different from the 18^th century settlement. The population of Delaware Township had grown to 2,305, with 7 stores, 6 grist mills, 6 saw mills, 1 oil mill, $12,360 in manufacturing, 8 schools, and 227 scholars. What a dramatic change! Barber & Howe did not take the trouble to locate these mills and stores, although they did write that Sergeantsville had “a store, tavern, and a few mechanics, a neat Methodist church lately erected and about a dozen dwellings.” “Head Quarters” had a store, 2 grist mills and 8 dwellings. Raven Rock, which they called “Bool’s Island” at the head of the feeder canal had a store, tavern and 12 or 15 dwellings. And finally, Prallsville had a store, a tavern, a plaster, oil, grist and saw mill, and a few dwellings.

The Cornell Map of 1851 showed ten mills in Delaware Township (including a couple that hulled clover seed), eight hotels & distilleries, six stores, eleven “shops,” 2 tanneries, a copper mine near Yard Road, seven churches, and seven schools. Those hotels on the map were actually the old taverns, but by the mid 19^th century, the temperance movement had become so strong that taverns were now socially unacceptable, and so they morphed into hotels.

I should also mention that in 1851, Delaware’s eastern boundary ran the length of Route 579 down to Ringoes, and then from Ringoes southwest along the Alexauken Creek to the River. So we could argue that for a time, Ringoes was a Delaware Township village. But most of that area was handed over to East Amwell in 1854.

The next post (Part Two) will cover each of Delaware’s villages and neighborhoods (there is a difference) alphbetically, and what they were like in the 19^th century.

As a researcher, there’s one thing I keep learning over and over–if you go looking for an answer to a question, you might not find it, but chances are you will find answers to questions you never thought of.

That was definitely my experience today when I went to the Hunterdon Co. Historical Society, hoping to find some mention of Nathaniel Saxton in Saxtonville between 1808 and 1815, and most of all, some record of who might have been running the Saxtonville Tavern for him while he carried on his legal career in Flemington. No luck.

Address of 1808 Letter

Instead I found something different, and some might think better. Thanks to the help of Donald Cornelius in charge of the Society’s manuscript collection, I found a couple items that help to explain what Nathaniel Saxton was doing with himself after buying up a large part of Raven Rock.

1808 Letter - Senders

The first item was a letter that was sent to Saxton in July 1808 by James Alexander, Andrew Woodruff and Lucius Horatio Stockton expressing their concerns about the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. Thomas Jefferson was filling out the last months of his second term as president and as head of the Democratic-Republican party. Jefferson had soundly beaten the Federalist candidate, John Adams, and become president in 1800. Since that time, the Federalists were anxious to displace these upstart ‘Democratic Republicans’ with a candidate more sympathetic to their principles, especially someone who was opposed to the Embargo Act that Jefferson had enacted as a way to resist the British and the French without actually declaring war.

Alexander, Woodruff, Stockton and Nathaniel Saxton were  what came to be known as federal republicans, and later on as National Republicans, as opposed to Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans. But in the letter, they only refer to their “federal friends.” Political parties were still something quite new in America in 1808. But whenever anyone added the descriptive ‘federal,’ ambiguity vanishes.

I found the letter fascinating as both history and politics, and also for the way it sheds light on the activities of Nathaniel Saxton at this time in his life. To be addressed as he was in this letter shows that he had become well-established as a political activist for the federalists and the man in Hunterdon that political bigwigs chose to consult. It also tells us that Saxton’s sympathies were more with the Hamiltonian approach to government than the Jeffersonian one, unlike most of the residents of Hunterdon County, who ended up voting for Madison in 1808 rather than the federalist candidate Charles Pinckney.

So, here is a transcript of the 1808 letter to Nathaniel Saxton.

Dear Sir          Trenton July 12th AD 1808

A respectable meeting of our federal friends from various counties in the Eastern part of the State lately had at New Brunswick considering the importance of a united exertion among the federal republicans to effect a change in the administration of the state and general governments at the ensuing elections, recommended Alexander C. McWhorter of Essex, Evi Adams of Sussex, William Lloyd of Monmouth, Peter Stryker or Wm. McEowen of Somerset for electors, John Neilson of MIddlesex, Aaron Ogden of Essex and William Campfield of Morris for congress and requested us in the western counties (including Hunterdon) to nominate of four electors and three congressmen. We expect that our friends of the five lower counties will nominate three electors and two congressmen leaving one congressman and one elector to be fixed by the federal republicans of this county. In consequence of extensive conferences in this quarter among our friends we unanimously agree to propose for the consideration of our friends in the upper townships of the county General John Beatty for congress and Col. Jonathan Rhea for an elector; We wish you to consult as extensively as you can all our friends in your neighbourhood who must be sensible that they can not be individually addressed by Letter but who will please to consider themselves as if particularly named; and we request their and your concurrence with us in the above nominations. We beg of you to communicate to us as soon as possible the result of your opinions by letter directed to George Sherman. As to the County election for Hunterdon, it seems to be the general opinion here that on the whole it would be most prudent to run the federal ticket of the two last years unless our friends in the upper townships should wish some alteration of which in such case we expect to be informed. We learn from a communication received from below, that one elector General John Black, and one congressman William Free Esq. [?] is already agreed on from that quarter, & we are very respectfully your friends,

James Alexander, Andrew Woodruff, Lucius Horatio Stockton

N.B. We consider it desirable that as many of our federal friends as possible should meet on Wednesday the third day of August next at the hour of four o’clock in the after noon at the house of Jonathan Muirhead at Flemington in order to consult on measures to promote the success of the federal republicans at the ensuing elections.

Addendum, 2/18/2012:  The Federalists in New Jersey were not insignificant during the years of Jefferson’s presidency, and during the War of 1812, they managed to take control of the legislature and get a Federalist Congressional delegation elected. But in 1808, they could only win 44% of the seats in the legislature.¹

Correction: The initial version of this article had some mistakes regarding the political parties. I had confused the Jacksonian period with the Jeffersonian one. Fortunately, I’m married to a political expert who caught the mistake.

One way to kill time is to browse the census records for oddities. While looking at occupations in the 1880 census, I found something definitely out of the ordinary. It was on the page that covers the Village of Stockton, which was still a part of Delaware Township at the time. There, among the farmers, farm laborers, and craftspeople of all sorts, were brothers John and Uriah Larue, whose occupation was listed as “never knew how to do anything.” Really–that’s what it says. It was also noted that they had not been employed for the past 12 months, and were boarding with Isaac and Sarah Larue. Isaac, who worked as a laborer, and Sarah were both 29, and had three daughters. Uriah and John were 37 and 40 years old, respectively.

The brothers could have been paupers, but paupers were poor people who had no family to take care of them. I believe that John, Uriah and Isaac were the sons of Asa Larue and wife Rachel, who appeared in the 1870 census, Asa being a 51-year-old wheelwright with only $300 of property. He must have died before 1880. His sons John, Uriah, Isaac and Wilson were all working on his farm. But apparently John and Uriah (who were 25 and 24 in the 1870 census) did not learn anything from it.

For those of you who read the Hunterdon County Democrat, you will be familiar with a long-time feature of the newspaper. Titled “Old Ink,” it gives short excerpts from stories 125, 100, 75 and 50 years ago. For a little while, they were publishing items from 175 years ago, which I much appreciated, but the editors changed their minds and went back to the old formula.

One item that caught my eye was this:

1912 / LONG GONE–On a farm in Delaware Township owned by Elizabeth Carroll, known as the Gideon Moore farm, is an old neglected burying ground about 50 feet square in which sleep the early settlers. The ground is now overgrown with forest trees. The oldest date decipherable on the rough stones is 1683.

Whenever I hear of someone boasting that their house was built in the 1680s in Hunterdon, or, in this case, claiming a date like 1683 in a cemetery, I get a little irked. That is wishful thinking trumping plain facts. No one was here in southern Hunterdon County before 1700 except the Lenape, who did not bother to set up headstones on their graves with dates on them. I suppose it’s human nature to make such claims, since someone was doing it in 1887. And I’m sure this has been going on for much longer than that. But this is a good example of why it is wise not to believe everything you read.

The cemetery referred to is the Moore Cemetery, which I have already written about at The Delaware Township Post. The only people likely to qualify for a birth date in the 1680′s are Jacob Moore and his wife Anna or Amy. But their graves are no longer to be found. And their children were all born in the 18th century. Ah well.

Fortunately, some Moore descendants got to work and about 20 years ago, the cemetery was looking pretty good. I haven’t visited it recently, so perhaps nature is reclaiming it again.

One of the characteristics of these stories is the dry wit and subtle, sometimes very subtle, commentary on people’s ‘goings on.’ This week had a story of that nature which made me laugh.

1887 / DISBANDING–The news from Milford is to the effect that the Cornet Band of that town is about to disband. Whether this is good news or bad news to the people of Milford we cannot undertake to say at this distance.

But if they got closer, they might be very pleased. The next item tells us much about how people were living in 1887.

1887 / RUNAWAY HOME–Quite some excitement was caused in town last Wednesday when William B. Wean’s horse came running through town in the afternoon, driverless, hitched to a buggy at a runaway gallop. Mr. Wean had driven the horse to the woods in the morning about two miles from home, tied him to a tree, and began to cut down trees. For some time the horse was very uneasy and in Mr. Wean’s absence working in the woods, the horse untied itself, started for home at a wild gait and never stopped until the stable door was reached. It was a lucky go, running with two heavy blankets fasted on the animal. Not one thing was broken, neither harness nor wagon.

Nor, I gather, was the horse. That was one very smart animal. Perhaps it was spooked by something dead in the woods.

Horses were the automobiles of that day. If you took your horse in for a repair, you did not expect this to happen:

1887 / SICK HORSES–Mr. John Dalrymple lost his horse one day last week. He had driven it to Frenchtown to have it doctored for lameness and it died there. Mr. John Elgard has a very sick horse which the doctor thinks will not get well.

Those were the days. No one today reports on someone’s car dying at the repair shop. People worry about loss of privacy from technology, and I am certainly one of them. But it appears there wasn’t a lot of privacy back in 1887.

In an “Old Ink” article published on Feb. 8, 2007, was another of those tidbits that make you chuckle:

125 Years Ago [1882]–Scientific men assert that the only healthy way to sleep is with the head to the north. No attention has been paid to this by church architects, and yet astonishment is expressed by the falling off in church attendance.

Maybe too subtle?

Some time ago, I made reference to the map of the Delaware River prepared by Reading Howell. Some people pointed out to me that Howell had made such a map in 1792, but were surprised by the date 1785. I had seen a copy of that map but had been unable to find it in my papers—that is, until today, when I found a very nice copy among the news clippings and other items saved by Edna Laszlo of Raven Rock. I am sorry to say, there was no notation explaining where the original map is kept.

I had mentioned the map because it was such early evidence of the presence of the Quinby family at Bull’s Island, even though the name was spelled Quimby on the map. Now that I have rediscovered it, I am delighted to share Howell’s explanation here along with the pertinent section of the map.

Description of Reading Howell's Map of 1785

To save your eyes, here is what Howell wrote, with original spelling preserved:

“In Pursuance to the instructions of the Gentlemen Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania, I have made an accurate survey of the River Delaware and its navigable Branches,  And at the request of Moore Furman esquire Commissioner on the part of the State of New Jersey for setling the Jurisdiction of the Islands in River have delineated this Map or Chart thereof, consisting of three divisions of paper numbered 1, 2, 3 beginning at the head of tide Water, and extending to the Station point of Jersey aforesaid, and adapted to its Use, showing to which State said Islands are respectively attached and the Counties and Townships to which they are opposite; showing also the Falls, Rocks, Fish pounds, and other impediments to the Navigation of the Delaware aforesaid, with some remarks thereunto relating. — by your most devoted and very humble servant, Reading Howell

Philadelphia, December 3rd  1785″

The copy in Mrs. Laszlo’s files was no doubt made from paper No. 2, although it was not labeled. Here is the section of the map showing Bull’s Island:

1785 Reading Howell Map of Bull's Island

Granted, it’s not the easiest map to read, but it is full of fascinating information. Near the top of Bull’s Island, on the New Jersey side, is this: “Corner of the Townships.” This refers to the point where Kingwood and Amwell Townships meet at the river. North of that is “Reading’s Ferry.” This was owned by Joseph Reading Esq., who bequeathed it to his son Samuel Reading in 1806, although Samuel had probably been living there since the date of his marriage to Eleanor Anderson in 1793.

Directly across the river from Quimby, and it is very hard to see from this copy, is “A. Heed.” This would be Abraham Heed, gunsmith of Plumstead, who was often involved in Hunterdon County matters. He bought 122 acres from Joseph Reading in 1802.

Further down on the Pennsylvania side, below “Bulls’ Falls,” is George Wall, who established the village of Lumberville, PA, and later, in 1801, bought Bull’s Island from Moses Quinby and ran the fishery there.

What is most intriguing to me is that Howell has shown a house (the small square) next to “Quimby.” This suggests to me that Moses Quinby had more than just a house in that location; it suggests (and only suggests) that Quinby had already taken up store-keeping by 1785.

Also intriguing is a road that leads inland from the Bull’s Island, a short distance south of Quimby. Then it turns south and comes back to the river at Thorne’s Ferry. The only existing roads that could match that configuration are Quarry Road connecting with the lower part of Federal Twist Road.

The ferry, indicated as “Thorne’s Ferry” on the map, was located near the spot where Federal Twist Road meets Highway 29, and was run from there across the river to Lumberville. It was owned by Jacob McClain from 1775 to 1785. When Federal Twist Road was surveyed in 1775, it began at “Jacob McClain’s Ferry on the Delaware River.”

Robert Thorn(e) had been living in Amwell Township at least since 1780 when he was taxed there on 62 acres and a fishery. The fishery tells us he was living along the river, and may have been helping to run McClain’s ferry before he bought it about 1785. In that year, he mortgaged the ferry property of 100 acres to Jacob McClain.

I do not know what happened to Robert Thorne, or who his family was, but it appears that Moses Quinby came into possession of some of his land by 1805.

Thorne was succeeded at the ferry location by Thomas Rose (or Ross). Rose had begun as a miller in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. After Rose, the ferry was run by Jacob Painter, who was living in Salisbury [sic], Bucks County in 1797. He purchased 107 acres in Kingwood from Jacob Kyple Jr. that year. A road return of 1801 refers to “Painter’s Ferry.” In 1805, Painter sold the ferry and 80 acres to Martin Johnson, and from then on it was known as Johnson’s Ferry. In his will of 1825, Martin Johnson bequeathed the land bought from Jacob Painter to his son William. William Johnson probably leased the ferry to someone else, as he was a very large landowner in Amwell and probably too important to run the ferry himself.

When the bridge was constructed at Lumberville in 1835, the ferry probably fell into disuse, just like all the other ferries along the Delaware. But it had a very long run, longer than most of the other ferries nearby.

Going south along the river from Thorne’s ferry is “Hankinson’s.” That is a small stone house still standing today that was part of a farm owned by Thomas Hankinson and wife Jemima Stout. In 1781, ferryman Thomas Rose/Ross gave a mortgage to his neighbor, Thomas Hankinson, who wrote his will on May 7, 1784 and died the following year. He left all his real estate to his son William, who had not yet turned 21. Jemima Hankinson remained at the farm, and when she died in 1794, her estate was administered by her brother-in-law Joseph Hankinson of Readington. Included in her inventory was a shad fishery.

After William Hankinson came of age, he sold the property to Joseph Huffman in 1804. Much to my dismay, the deed (Book 12 page 5) is missing from the Hunterdon County Clerk’s Office.

Next to Hankinson’s is what looks like “Seyolong Creek.” It is actually Lockatong Creek, which was often called Laogaland or other variants. In fact, there were so many variants, that I can only conclude that the actual Lenape name for the creek was just too hard for English ears to understand.

So, that is the Reading Howell Map of 1785. My blessings upon Mrs. Laszlo, who died nearly 20 years ago. She was devoted to Raven Rock history and did all she could to help preserve the historic character of her beloved village.

This is a reply to Kevin Shepherd who wrote this comment on my “Basic Resources” page:

Keith Shepherd <kshepherd@yahoo.com> 1/3/2012:  Do you happen to have any information on the German or Dutch Shafer/Shepherd families of Amwell Township, Hunterdon County, NJ starting from about the mid 1750′s? I’ve been to the Hunterdon County Historical Society several times and found a few files on them but there are a lot of missing pieces. I’m trying to track down the first Shafer/Shepherd to arrive in 1754. The tradition is that he died on shipboard on his way over from Germany but his wife Margaret and their 4 children named John, Henry, Peter & possibly Richard (he may have been in his Mother’s womb) carried on to Amwell. She later married Andrew Bearder, who was on the ship with them when he traveled to America.

This is such an interesting question, I decided it needed its own post.

Dear Kevin,  I have a lot of unanswered questions about the Shafers of Hunterdon County. First, I am interested to see you have Henry Shafer as one of Margaret’s children. I have two Henrys in Hunterdon in 1780: one was taxed in Lebanon twp. and the other in Amwell twp. I know nothing else about them.

I also have a Richard Shaffer who was taxed in Amwell in 1780, but no Richard Shepherd. In fact, I have no Shepherds at all in Amwell in 1780. This gives support to the idea that Shepherds used to be known as Schafers, Shaffers or Shafers. 

In Lebanon township there was a Joseph Shafer and a William Shafer. Joseph’s wife was Mary Catharine. Joseph died intestate in 1774, and his widow was taxed in Lebanon in 1780. Their daughter married Joseph Nitzer.

William was also taxed in Lebanon twp. He was married to Susanna __, and wrote his will in the late 1780s. A “John William Shafer,” who might be the same person, was a miller who did something in the Revolutionary War, probably provided goods to the army.

The children I am aware of for Margaret Shafer are John, Peter and William, all as you say, born in Germany. William and Peter left Hunterdon County after the Revolution. John married Margaret Kemple and lived in Amwell twp. I do not know who his children were, but he did write a will in 1825 which I have not seen.

I do have information on Richard Shepherd of Amwell, but nothing about who his parents were. Perhaps that’s because he began as Richard Shaffer; I just do not know. The earliest record I have after 1780 is in 1797 when Shepherd was named executor of Casper Bair’s estate along with Andrew Bearder [his step-father? see below] and Jacob Fulper. In 1801, he was identified as bordering a tract of land in Amwell owned by George Holcombe, and in 1803 as bordering Henry Kitchen and James Jones. But I have not done the research to find when he first bought his own property in Amwell (now Delaware) Township.

Margaret Shafer married second George Henry Wambaugh/Wamback, born about 1720 in Germany, and present in Amwell township in 1741. Wambaugh lived near Rocktown in East Amwell and died in 1763. He and Margaret had 4 children: Henry, Elizabeth, Mary and Anthony.

Here is an abstract of his will:

1763  Jul 3, George William Wamback of Amwell, yeoman of Hunterdon County, will;

- my 212 acres in Amwell that I purchased of Wm Scouley and Jacob Burcham I give to my 3 children, Henry, Elizabeth and Mary Wamback;

- wife Margret £100;

- son Antoney not capable of providing for himself, so the others are to keep him for life;

- Executors Jacob Snyder, Christian Wart and John Young;

- Witnessed by George Servis, John Garrison, John Yoager

1763  Jul 28, Inventory £277-12-0 by Jonathan Smith and Richard Reed.

1764  Aug 15, Will proved [NJA 611J].

1764  Jun 14, Inventory £44-19-1 by Richard Reed and Jonathan Smith, goods found since the first one was taken.

1766  Jun 16, Account by Executors.

As you can see, Wamback/Wambough made no mention of the Shafer/Shepherd children. But this is just the New Jersey Archives abstract. We need to see the original to be sure.

After Wambough died, Margaret married a third time, about 1766. This third husband was Andrew Bearder, another German immigrant, who is said to have adopted Margaret’s previous children. I’ve always been interested in Bearder because he lived on my road. He and Margaret had one child, Jacob Bearder, born 1768. By that time Richard Shepherd was about 20 years old.

Much to my dismay, the will of Andrew Bearder, who died on Oct. 15, 1829, is missing from the Hunterdon Surrogate’s Court. I don’t know how that happened, but Phyllis D’Autrechy mentioned it in Vol. 2 of Some Old Records of Hunterdon County. So we don’t have his will to tell us if he made testamentary provision for his adopted children.

The only source of information on the confusion of names is the Deats Genealogical File, as far as I know, and pg 58 of The History of East Amwell. I see that I do not have that book on the list for basic Hunterdon sources. Your inquiry has reminded to me to add this useful book to the list.

Another question I wondered about was whether Margaret’s three husbands were known to each other (and to her) back in Germany. Wambough seems to have gotten to Hunterdon Co. first, being present in 1741, while Shafer never made it, and Bearder did not appear until at least 1760. There may be no way to answer this question.

Back to Richard Shepherd–he married about 1774 Mary Servis, daughter of John/Jurien Servis, and had ten children. I really need to get a copy of his will to see what provision he made for them. Following his death, about 1830, this advertisement appeared in the Hunterdon Gazette:

1830  May 19,  ”Sale of Real Estate–WILL BE SOLD, AT PUBLIC VENDUE, On Saturday the 19th day of June next, on the premises, A Lot of Land, containing 31 acres, situate in Amwell township, half a mile east of the road leading from Ringoes to Trenton, 2½ miles below Ringoes, and half a mile from Rocktown. A suitable proportion of the land is meadow and woodland. There is on the same a good house and barn, a handsome young orchard, and a good spring of water. The above will be sold as the property of Richard Sheppard, dec’d. ALSO, will be offered with the above, or separate, as may best suit purchasers, a LOT of three acres, adjoining the above, having on it a distillery with all the fixtures. Persons wishing to view the premises previous to sale, may apply to Samuel Sheppard living thereon. Sale to commence at 1 o’clock. -Attendance given &c.

This property would have been in East Amwell, on the east side of what is now Route 31 opposite Rocktown. However, Richard Shepherd’s home farm was in what is now Delaware Township, on Lambert Road near Sandbrook-Headquarters Road. After his death, his son Richard Jr. was the one who got the farm. He married Deborah Rounsavel and died in 1873. I believe their son Richard iii also lived on the Shepherd homestead, and since he died in 1895, that makes a more than 100-year run in one place by three men with the same name.

 ”Village Might Appropriately Have been Called Riven Rock
Quarry Once Busy Place”

By Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, N.J., published February 12, 1931

 Note:  This article was written by Egbert T. Bush, not by me. I have only added some footnotes for clarification and the photograph of Raven Rock Station, which was not part of the original article.

When going by rail up the Delaware some fine day, get off at Raven Rock.¹ You may be wondering why that name was ever given. So do others. The “Rock” is easily understood, but why “Raven?” Nobody knows. The post office by that name was established here long before the station took the same name. It has been thought possible that, when application was made for the post office, careless chirography might easily have made “Riven Rock,” as possibly suggested, look more like “Raven Rock.” However that may be, it does seem that some mistake has been made somewhere.²

Riven Rock would certainly be appropriate—a name for the great rock which is the distinguishing figure of the village. Less than half a mile up the road you will come opposite to the bold face of a perpendicular rock which seems to become overhanging as you advance. There it stands from 90 to 100 feet high, with a dwelling house so close that it appears to be at its foot. You think half-unconsciously of the famous Tarpeian Rock from whose summit many a culprit was flung, to die a shapeless form at the foot. But this looks as if it might reverse the process, do the tumbling itself, and crush houses and people in one common mass.

Go past the rock and take a backward look. You will be startled to see a rift two or three feet wide, separating this great rock from the mass back of it. Did Nature start to pry it loose for the purpose of making a broader channel for the river, then change her mind and leave this opening for  the river to take advantage of and do the rest herself? No matter, the river receded, and there stands the firm old rock, promising to defy time and storms for at least a few thousand years yet to come.

“Bool’s Island”

The old name for this village was “Bool’s Island,” the name of a famous long and narrow island opposite, which is said to have taken it’s name from one Bool, who owned the island and much land ashore.³ As Bool’s Island the name of the station persisted until in the ‘90s [that is, 1890s], when the island was fitted out as a place for picnics, under the name of “Elmaker Island,” and both station and village took the name of Raven Rock. But in very early days, the upper part, including the great rock and the old tavern, was known as “Saxtonville.”

April 6, 1808, Nathaniel Price, Sheriff, conveyed to Nathaniel Saxton, Esq., 30 acres on Bull’s Island—often so spelled—and 10 acres opposite, “adjoining lands of Robert Nailor and others, with grist mill and saw mill and two dwelling houses,” the mills being “turned by the waters of the Delaware.” This property was sold as the one-half interest of Robert Curry, the other half belonging to Mahlon Cooper.⁴ In 1814, George Holcombe conveyed to Nathaniel Saxton two lots for $1,000.⁵ At various other times he [that is, Nathaniel Saxton] purchased much property here and elsewhere. He was a prominent man about the county. We find him buying a grist mill, saw mill and fulling mill on the South Branch in 1804; living in Flemington in 1807; beginning his activities here [in Raven Rock] in 1808, and later purchasing land about Quakertown. Letters of administration on his estate were granted to Alexander V. Bonnell August 26, 1850.

Canal and Railroad

The digging of the canal soon after 1830, and the building of the railroad twenty years later, gave Bool’s Island impetus and newness of life. But, as we have seen, some of its industries far antedate both railroad and canal. In addition to the mills already mentioned, which evidently stood east of where the station now stands, there was a flax mill adjoining or near by. An oil mill stood between the station and the canal until some 40 years ago, but had not been operated for a long time.⁶

In the distant past, a distillery stood not far from the grist mill. Jackson Holt is given as the old-time distiller, but he does not appear to have owned the property.⁷ Soon after the canal came through, the Company tore down the old distillery and used the stone for purposes of the canal. Above the distillery, Joseph Rodman had a shop for repairing Durham boats; after him came William Britton to the same place and business.

This community was well supplied with taverns in the old days and somewhat later. Far up in old Saxtonville stands an interesting tavern house, with its four stone chimneys and low stone walls. It seems to be at least 150 years old, but has no date stone to prove its age. The builder is unknown, as are also the early keepers. It was no doubt built expressly for that purpose, everything about it seeming to spell tavern. This was evidently included among the Nathaniel Saxton properties.⁸ Bryan Rogan is known to have kept the old tavern 75 years ago. After him came one—Kiley, and then Austin Bray. Thomas McAlone bought the property later. It is now owned and occupied by his son Wallace W., teacher of the Sergeant’s School. No tavern has been kept here for about 60 years past.

The Tavern

A combination store and tavern was kept by Wesley Johnson on one of the Augustus B. Reading lots. This was later kept by Lorenzo Kerr until it burned down in 1876. The Reading bungalow now stands on the site of this building. Another public house, known as “Johnson’s Tavern,” stood in the lowlands a half mile below the station. This house was swept away by the great flood of 1841.⁹ A deed by the executors of Ambrose Barcroft to Aaron Barcroft, dated May 1, 1818, conveys a farm lying below and tells of a corner “in the road south of Johnson’s Tavern.”

Still another house rather famous in its day and a land mark ever since, was the “Stump Tavern,” a little over a mile northeast of the village, at the crossing of the roads, one leading down to Saxtonville and the other down “Federal Twist,” a great, winding hill, toward Rosemont. Joseph White owned the place for many years after the business was discontinued there. The old tavern house is still occupied, a snug little farm having been included in the property.¹⁰

The store now kept by Earl Kerr, postmaster, was previously kept by George W. Robinson, who purchased it of John McAlone in 1889, and carried on business there until his death in 1930, being also postmaster most of that time. George W. and his brother Samuel had been here in partnership earlier. They left, and kept the store at Headquarters for one year. Then the partnership was dissolved, George W. coming back to Bool’s Island, and Samuel going to Brookville (now part of Stockton), where he started a little store. The property had been conveyed by James Barcroft and Joseph Williamson, administrators of Aaron Barcroft, to John McAlone in 1882;  by Charles Heath to Aaron Barcroft in 1867; by Elijah Heath to Charles Heath in 1857; by Peter Dilts to Elijah Heath in 1839, “being a part of the same lot that was conveyed to Peter Dilts by Nathaniel Saxton May 20, 1819.”

A Basketmaker

Augustus B. Reading bought two tracts of land here in 1876.¹¹ He was a basketmaker by trade, and carried on the business here until his death Oct. 10, 1909. He worked in a little shop which is still standing, though fast going to wreck. Augustus had two sons, William and Robert, and a daughter Dora L., who was postmistress here for some years, then married Alexander Van Horn and removed to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She later became the owner of the three small lots in Raven Rock, which are now owned by her daughter, Olive Van Horn. William died in Wisconsin. Robert became a high-salaried salesman for the U.S. Steel Company, but quit and returned to Raven Rock, to take up the business of his father, which he carried on in the same shop until the time of his death about 5 years ago. All of the children of Augustus R. Reading died within a period of three years.¹²

George J. Reading (always “Jack”), father of the late Richard B., Horace M., George and Thomas, helped in the construction of the railroad, held important positions later, and in his last years was a track walker. In the performance of that duty, he was killed in November, 1885. He was coming down the road and a train was going up. Without looking around, he stepped from the main track to the switch at his side, down which another train was coming so near and so fast that escape was impossible.¹³

Family of Railroaders

All of Jackson Reading’s sons were railroaders. Thomas was killed in the serious wreck below Milford, October 4, 1877, a wreck in which several lives were lost. George became a conductor, and died in Philipsburg. Richard B. followed Mahlon Hoffman as station agent, telegraph operator and lock tender here, and held his position as agent until his death, though in his later years a resident of Lambertville. Col. Horace M. Reading spent most of his life as a resident of Stockton, though for many years located in Trenton, and for a long time before his death freight agent there.

Train Station at Raven Rock/Bull's Island

Augustus Sine followed Richard B. Reading as agent at Raven Rock, but was soon followed by Robert Hartpence, who held the position to the time of his death a few years ago. The station now has no agent, and is managed by a clerk under control of the Lambertville station. We are told that for some time after the building of the tank in 1876, Richard B. Reading took charge of that too, as a part of his duties here. Plenty to do, one would think. And so the Company came to think later. George Arnwine came here in 1874, took charge of the tank somewhat later, served in that capacity 43 years, and is now living in retirement at his home in Raven Rock.

The house that was the home of George Jackson Reading and family stands at the foot of Riven Rock and was purchased of the heirs of James McVay, deceased, April 15, 1867. McVay is said to have built the house there, and to have been a foreman in the construction of the railroad.

James Colligan helped dig the canal and remained in the employ of the Company as long as he lived, dying in 1886 at the age of 70. He left four children, namely: John, Mary, Rose and Jane. Mary married John P. Roach, who now owns the Colligan home, and died there in 1929. Rose lived with the Roaches here, and is still living in the house in which she was born, being the only survivor of the four.

Mended Railroad Rails

James Opdyke was blacksmith here in the ’60s [1860s]. An important part of his work was mending broken railroad rails as they were brought in. Strange though this seems now, it appears to have been common then, when new rails were more of a consideration than now.

The Raven Rock quarry was opened by the Nolan Brothers in either 1873 or 1874, with Dennis McAvoy (or was it McVay?) as foreman, and John Steel as one of the first workmen. The Nolan dwelling was “blown away” as an encumbrance long ago. A gaping hole now takes its place, as well as the place of other dwellings along the road. And even the public road itself has been blasted away for the sake of the underlying stone. One lonely old dwelling remains, looking as if it would like to tumble in and be lost in the gaping hole. Vast quantities of stone have been taken from that quarry, furnishing much business for the railroad, as well as for local workers. It appears to be very quiet now.

William Williamson was shoemaker here in the ‘70s. His shop was where George Arnwine, the retired tank man, now lives. Williamson sold the property to George Sutton, a quarry boss, brother of the late Uriah Sutton of Locktown.

The Gun Club

From about 1885 to 1895, the “Raven Rock Gun Club” headed by Richard B. Reading as President, was a lively organization here. The Club house was near the upper end of Bool’s Island, and target practice was an interesting sport for members from various points up and down the road, as well as back in Pennsylvania. An amusing incident is related by one of the members: They were shooting so as to allow the spent force to drop the shot into the river. That happened to be directly toward Reading and Johnson’s coal yard in Lumberville. A Pennsylvania wag came up the island, watched them intently for considerable time, and then remarked: “I know now why Reading and Johnson’s coal always weighs so heavy.”

Being asked to explain, he replied: “You fellows are shooting so much lead into it.”

That was fun for the jolly club, as probably it was meant to be. But who would have thought that members would recall it forty years later?

We are told that after its President removed to Lambertville, the club gradually disintegrated.¹⁴  Like so many other things around Raven Rock, it is now only a memory. The mills are gone. Scarcely a vestige remains to tell where any of them were. The taverns are things of the past, to be sure, but they died long before the law killed such institutions. The distillery is almost forgotten—almost, if not entirely traditional. One store does all of the work and would be glad to do more. The basket industry is dead, the canal amounts to nothing and the railroad is dwindling in importance. But there stands the fine old Riven Rock, an emblem of stability for the admiration of all good citizens. And there may it stand until no eye is left to gaze admiringly upon its threatening proportions.

Saxton’s First Appearance in Raven Rock

In 1802, Nathaniel Saxton witnessed the will and codicil of Guilbert Van Camp, who lived just east of Raven Rock. In 1807, he witnessed a deed from the estate of William Reading deceased, whose property was in the same vicinity.¹ These two events, and probably others I have not found yet, may have served to acquaint him with the neighborhood of Raven Rock.

He became acquainted with Sergeantsville in 1804 when he witnessed a deed between Agesilaus Gordon and Godfrey Rockafellar for sale of the 51.5-acre tavern lot.² The deed gives an extensive recital of the previous ownership, which makes me wonder if Saxton had a hand in drafting the deed.

The first time that Nathaniel Saxton bought property for a long-term investment was in 1808. Saxton was one of the two purchasers of the Cooper-Curry mill lot in Raven Rock. Saxton bought his share on March 15^th for $7, while George Holcombe, merchant of Amwell, bought his share on May 1^st for $50.³

In Search of a Miller

George Holcombe was busy running the Mill at Headquarters, and had probably bid on the Mahlon Cooper share in order to salvage something from his failed loan to Cooper. Saxton appears to have been the active manager of the Raven Rock mill. In the summer of 1809, Saxton wrote to his father Charles Saxton, then living at Shamokin, Pennsylvania, asking him to come to New Jersey to run his mill on the Delaware River. Here is part of the letter that Charles Saxton wrote back to his son Nathaniel on July 29, 1809 (with apologies for my flawed transcription):

“A few lines[?] From you. By Mr Lawshe [?] which Informed us that you was in Health  and also that you had purchased Mills on the Delaware, and that you wisht either N__[Nehemiah?] or my self to come Down and assist in taking care of them if you think it would be any advantage to you or to us I rather think one of us could come Next spring but I wish you to come up and see us as soon as you can and stay some time with us . . .”

There were other letters referring to the mill, but none of them show that Charles Saxton actually complied with his son’s request.⁴ One of those letters was dated September 24, 1809. It was mostly about money matters, but at the end he wrote:

“I have nothing more to write to at present only if you think that Nies[?] or my self would be any advantage to you in taking care of your Mill  we would one of us come Nies[?] would be a good careful hand in the mill  and would Like the sawmill very well I think . . . “

I have no idea who this Nies is. Perhaps he was a brother of Nathaniel’s. Since I know little of the Saxton family, Nies may remain a mystery. Census records are of no use for this time period. Charles Saxton’s persistent requests to his son Nathaniel to come visit were probably inspired not only by fatherly devotion but also by respect for Nathaniel’s legal abilities.

Making the trip would have been an ordeal since Shamokin is 126 miles away from Flemington, going by Google Maps. Communication between families who were separated the way the Saxtons were was extremely difficult. Without an efficient post office, people had to depend on unreliable travelers, as shown by this letter, written on September 26, 1809:

“Dear Son I send you a few lines to let you know that I wrote you last week by John Wolverton  I have nothing particular at present only garet Williamson called to see my Mare and told me that he had seen you Lately and told me that you was well and told me also that He had a letter from you to me But he Had lost it . . .”

I did not find any document in the Saxton Papers that identified a miller for Raven Rock. A road return of 1818 mentions John R. Hamilton as miller there, but that was three years after Saxton had sold his interest in the mill to George Holcombe.⁵ I have no other information about Mr. Hamilton.

Albertus King of Philadelphia

Among the Saxton Papers are letters from Albertus King that are worth including here for the light they shed on Saxton’s business practices. King was born in Amwell Township, in 1781, to Jeremiah King and Sarah Rittenhouse. In 1808, he married Margaret Thatcher, daughter of Joseph Thatcher of Amwell. Shortly afterward, the couple joined Margaret’s brother Joseph Thatcher in Philadelphia, but returned to Hunterdon in 1811 when King started a mill of his own in Croton.⁶ Once again, apologies for my faulty transcription:

May 30, 1809 Philadelphia, Letter to Nathaniel Saxton Esq. “D Sir  agreeable to promise, I bought 137 long potatoes for you on Saturday last but could not get to see Arnwine, he being constantly on the Easn ble? with his colleague I Waterhouse.  I find Elisha Reading in town with a Boat, which take him directly to your Mills. They cost eight pence P lb. I wish you great luck in East? ing from them   If there should come a run in the river I think you had better send what Board you have ready. — Do not forget the strips for piling as my stock is nearly worked up with Dusenberrys boards

Yours most respectfully, A. King

P.S. the method for planting of the potatoes for to raise the ground about a foot and form a hill of them put in diameter and bury them about two inches.”⁷

This suggests the breadth of Saxton’s interests. In addition to his law practice and surveying, he was concerned in finding a market for the products of his mill, and he was experimenting with, apparently to him, a new vegetable, to be grown for market. We take potatoes for granted now, but they were not so widely planted in 18o9.

Here’s another interesting letter:

 Jun 30, 1809, Letter from A. King, Philadelphia, by way of Mr. Robbins, to Nathaniel Saxton Esq., Flemington, NJ: “D Sir, Yours __ J. White [Jabez White] with the Raft came to hand this day. I hope to sell the Boards to good advantage. The boards sent to me last week were handsome and saleable, and run 2500 feet pannel and 1690 feet common worth 14 colls p thousand. A sap stained board will not pass for pannel — they were pretty well sawed and were what we call half inch; which is a saleable size, and I wish you to send as many as you can of that description, thhd [?] in 5/8 inch thick  so that they will be full half inch when seasoned. Inch cullens will bring from 10 to 12 Dolls at this time, and if you cannot do better with then send them in a Raft if the __ water keeps high enough.– it will not do to Boat them. 3/4 in cullens well not answer at this market inch is used for scaffolding & fencing. I did not get your letter sent me by mail until after I had returned from Jersey. I went in haste to bring down a Horse and having got hurt from a fall, I returned as soon as possible. I kept some money for you for some time, but as you did not come nor send last week I let it go, however, if you want more I will try and let you have some next week. Wishing you great success I remain yours &c. King.”⁸

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who can translate some of the words, like ‘cullens,’ Clearly, Saxton had an active sawmill going in 1809, and was shipping his boards to Philadelphia. The Bull’s Island location was perfect for this sort of thing, and Saxton appears to have had a good business partner in Albertus King.

Next post: Saxton Buys Up Land in Raven Rock

Nathaniel Saxton Esq. is one of the more intriguing characters to appear in Hunterdon County history. I have been looking forward to writing about him for a long time.

He was elected to the State Senate (called the Council) in 1834, and in 1841 served as Master of New Jersey’s Chancery Court, and later as the Court’s Reporter. Not only was he a well-respected attorney, he also had a winning personality. In his “Reminiscences of the Bench and Bar,” Lucius Q. C. Elmer wrote that “Nathaniel Saxton, the Chancery reporter, generally called Natty,” was one of the leaders in the fun at the little social gatherings at the Rising Sun Tavern in Trenton, where “songs were sung, old stories revived, and flashes of wit sparked, each one deeming it a duty to contribute as well as he could to the general amusement.”¹ After Saxton’s death, Charles Bartles, who studied law under him in 1822 and later became his partner in real estate investments, recollected that Saxton was “a most eccentric man,” who never married.² In those days, one did not speak of a person’s sexual predilections, and I have always wondered about Natty Saxton’s. Whatever they might have been, his reputation never suffered from them.

When Saxton died in 1850, at the age of 72, a fulsome obituary was published in the Gazette, based on a meeting of the bench and bar of the circuit court in Flemington.³ It read, in part:

Since the last term of this Court, Nathaniel Saxton, Esq., the oldest member of the Bar of this Court, and among the seniors of the Bar of the Supreme Court, has died.

He commenced the study of the law in this County, about the year 1795, with Lucius W. Stockton, Esq., who was at that time Clerk of the County. He continued with him during the term of his Clerkship, when the office was bestowed upon the late Ralph Hunt, Esq., during whose term the entire work and duties of the office were discharged by him [Saxton].

He was admitted to the Bar in 1804, at the age of about 30 years, and for a period of thirty-five years from that time was extensively engaged in the business of his profession.

He was a man of sound legal learning and of varied literacy and scientific acquirements.

Without the advantages of a liberal education, by careful and persevering study he in a great degree overcame the embarrassments incident to the want of early training in the schools.

Strong in the feeling of self-reliance, he was the artificer of his fame and fortune. His associations with the men of the olden time, aided by his quick perception and tenacious memory, rendered him an interesting chronicler of the stirring events of the past.

In the years 1835-6, he represented this County in the upper branch of the State Legislature, and subsequently, for a short period, was appointed Reporter of the cases in the Court of Chancery, as appears by the Volume of Reports bearing his name.

Origins

Saxton was born in Hopewell Township about 1775 to Charles Saxton and Elizabeth Pelton, who were married on April 24, 1774.⁴ From what I can tell, Charles Saxton was a yeoman farmer, and, as the above tribute described, was unable to provide his son with the sort of education he would need in his chosen profession. So Nathaniel Saxton had to get it on his own. He probably came to Flemington about 1800 when he was ready to begin studying law under Lucius W. Stockton, attorney and also Clerk of Hunterdon County.

Saxton’s Flemington Career

In 1798, Saxton’s name begins to appear on court documents, usually as a witness to performance bonds and wills. According to Snell, he was indefatigable in pursuing his education. While serving as a deputy in the county clerk’s office, he studied surveying and law. I have seen some of his surveys on file at the county archives. They are nicely drawn, but none of those I saw were in the vicinity of Raven Rock.

The first recorded deed for Nathaniel Saxton was dated 1803, when he was given power of attorney by George C. Maxwell Esq. of Flemington to collect debts owed to the estate of John Bryan Esq. of Somerset County, deceased. The debts were to be collected from a George [someone; surname illegible] living in Albemarle County, Virginia, so presumably, Saxton made the trip south to collect the debts.⁵

In 1804, Saxton was admitted to the New Jersey Bar.⁶ By 1805, he was working to obtain funding to survey a road to run from the court house in Flemington to the state house in Trenton, and collected subscriptions to pay him for the work. He only found eight people to sign up, and collected $18.⁷ A document in the Saxton Papers on file at the Hunterdon County Historical Society reads:

“We the subscribers agree to pay to Nathaniel Saxton or any other surveyor who may perform the same the sums annexed to our respective names toward defraying the expense of making an accurate survey and plan of the road from the Court house in Flemington to the State house in the City of Trenton. November 1, AD 1805. [signed] George Maxwell 3 dollars, John Snyder 2 dollars, Alex. Bonnell 3 dollars, Joseph Capner 1 dollar, James Gregg 1 dollar, C. D. Coxe 1 dollar, William Bennett 2 dollars, John Rutherford 5 dollars.”

Although the road did not get surveyed as Saxton hoped, this document shows that he had already made himself acquainted with some of the most important people in Flemington at this time, and had inspired sufficient trust for them to willingly pay him for his work.

The first time that Nathaniel Saxton purchased real estate for himself was on August 20, 1805, when he bought for $800 the one-half interest of James Reading in a grist mill, sawmill and fulling mill on the South Branch of the Raritan River, in “Readington and Amwell Townships.”⁸. The following May, he purchased for $150 at public vendue the remaining share, owned by one Ellis Reading who had been sued for debt.⁹ This gave Saxton full ownership of a mill that he had no personal interest in running. On July 27, 1807, he sold it to Samuel Taylor of Flemington for a handsome $3200.¹⁰ That was a pretty good start for a novice real estate investor.

The Anderson Farm

The first time Saxton purchased real estate in Delaware Township, he only acted as a middleman. It is a complicated story, one that shows how vulnerable people were at that time to bankruptcy, even more so than today. The property was not in Raven Rock, so I will describe it in a separate post [and provide the link here once I’ve published it]. For now, I will simply say that in 1807, Saxton bought a lot of 47.27 acres near Stockton from James Gregg Esq. of Flemington, assignee for former Sheriff John Anderson, and then turned around and sold the lot to Anderson’s widow Ann. Saxton made a profit of about $50 on the transaction, which seems to me more of a fee for services than anything else.¹¹

In 1807, Saxton made another land purchase, this time a woodlot of 8 acres in Kingwood from John Runyan.¹²

Saxton’s legal education continued during these years, and in 1808 he was admitted as a Counsellor at Law.¹³ In 1808-09, he served as Clerk to the Board of Freeholders.¹⁴ By this time, his career was definitely on its way.

It has been written that Saxton had a penchant for buying real estate, but seldom for selling, and that as a result, he did not prosper as he should have. I have compiled a list of his deeds as grantee or buyer (47 deeds recorded from 1803-1842) and as grantor or seller (66 deeds recorded from 1807-1852). That seems to argue convincingly against the idea that Saxton never sold what he bought. However, it is true that he died less prosperous than one would have expected.

Next Post: Saxton’s first investment in Raven Rock.

Addendum, 1/10/2012: Added information on Saxton’s sale of the Reading Mill to Samuel Taylor.

Addendum, 1/28/2012:  Regarding Nathaniel Saxton’s appearance on deeds relating to Delaware Township, I neglected to include deeds of 1804 that he witnessed in which Agesilaus Gordon conveyed his property in Sergeantsville, including the tavern lot that is now the township hall, to Godfrey Rockafellar.