I low much, if any, longer «c cannot a -cert a in. a- the
records of the -New Brunswick Presbytery at this
period arc no( very full. The Dutch branch was
probably supplied most of the time b\ the pa-tor- in
charge al ( ierinan \'allc\ .
The Rev. John Banna supplied the Knglish con-
gregation, worshiping al the log meeting-house, from
about May, 1760, until his death, tfov. I. 1801. R â– ..
Iloiiowax W, Hunt followed, ami continued for forty
years; he resigned in 1842. Rev, Robert w. Landis
was aext in charge for two year-. Hi- -i essor was
Rev. Henrj B. Elliot, 1844 16. In the spring of
1846 the Rev. Cornelius S. Conkling accepted a call
and labored until February, 1871, when the present
incumbent, the Rev. Nathan S. Uler, aasi id the
ministerial charge.
VI 1,1. IQES.
Milford. - from manuscript field-notes of a sur-
vey by Elisha Bmlej . about L767, it is Been that there
was a saw-mill •'! chains above the mouth of the Wis-
sahawken Creek. To whom this belonged or when
erected we have no mean- of ascertaining. It was
probably a rude structure and of brief duration.
John Duckworth, a very aged citizen of Milford,
recently passed away, remembered back to the period
when there was no village at that place. The fir-t
grist-mill was built on piles about the middle of
where the pond now is. This mill was burned, and
the place took the name of "Burnt Mills." In a deed
of conveyance made in 1805 by Thomas Lowrey the
creek i- called the " Burnt Mill < 'reek." and the land
sold the •'Burnt Mill farm." Mr. Lowrey purchased
the old site of " Burnt Mjlls," and it was afterwards
called Lowreytown. He built, in 1796-97, for a rc-i-
dence for himself, the edifice since used for a hotel,
and known as the Gibson House. His wife not liking
the situation, he then built the house now occupied
by Edward Thomas.
Mr. Lowrey i erected the first flouring-mill by the
river-side, which be commenced in 1798 and finished
in 1800. His mill ami the saw-mill adjoining were
put up on contract by Thomas Klieott.
Soon after the building of the mills by the river a
saw-mill was put up by Julius Foster. Vboui 1 -" '•
or 1804 the place began to be called Milford,} It
then had, besides the mills mentioned, but three
dwellings and a store. In 1805, Mr. Lowrey sold the
two Baw-mills and part of the land to Jacob Housel,
a son-in-law, and .lame- and Thomas Alexander. In
1810 his executors, A. D. Woodruff and Dr. William
McGill, conveyed the flouring-mill and balance of
the land I reserving one house for the u idoTf to Jacob
Housel. This property was sold from him in 1822
by the sheriff, and purchased by Aaron Vansyckel.
It subsequently passed through various hands, and in
1858 came into the possession of its present owner-.
Wilson and Edward Thomas.
In is::::, Wilson Housel, son of Jacob, rebuilt the
saw-mill, which had been first built in 1798, and at
his death it was bought, in 1857, by the present
owners, W. ix E. Thomas, and again rebuilt in 1869.
The flouring-mill was also replaced with the present
structure by Mordecai Thomas in 1849. It contains
six run of burr-, and has a water-power of thirty-One
feet fall on 8 la-ting -tream.
While these change- ha\. been occurring relative
to the mills, the village ha- grown -lowly but steadily
in -i/.e and importance. It now ha- thn
lour -tote-, two hotel-, two grist-mills, olio -a w -m ill,
one drug-store, one hardware-store, one tin-and-stove
-tore, tWO cabinet-maker-' -hop., one carriage — hop,
two blacksmith-shops, a post-office, and a railroad
depot!
Spring Mills. -The mill at this place datec
to an early period in colonial lime-. In the fiehl-
1 hoi Hi i ■»!.•}■in Hi., hi.t r\ -I rtaalDfton,
rate.
: mil tad.
42S
HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
notes of Robert Emley, 1747, he speaks of "the road
to Petit's Mill." This mill had probably been built
and occupied by a tenant, or by a party who had lo-
cated on land for which he had obtained no title or
lease. In a letter in the writer's possession, of Sir
Robert Barker's to his attorney, William McAdam,
Esq., of New York, dated " Spring Gardens, Oct. 3,
1775," he says, — â–
" With regard to the purchase of the mill by Mr. Richie, you are the
Lest judge. I think, if I may he allowed to form any idea at this dis-
tance, he has some claim of preference."
We have no means at hand by which to prove to a
certainty that this relates to Petit's Mill, but think it
does.
Mr. Jacob R. Anderson, the present owner of the
Spring Mills property, says that William Godley pur-
chased of John Cooley in 1790, and in 1793 took
down an old rickety mill, " and in digging out the
foundation discovered where there had been a mill
previous to the one he took down." Mr. Anderson
has these facts from Mr. Augustus Godley, a son of
the above-mentioned William Godley.
A few years afterwards Mr. Godley built a saw-mill
also. In 1835, Mr. Augustus Godley, who had inher-
ited the property, took down both the grist- and the
saw-mill, and erected a large stone mill. In 1852,
Mr. Anderson, the present proprietor, bought the
mill-property and 16} acres. April 14, 1861, the mill
was burned, but rebuilt the same year on the old
foundation. Mr. Anderson is a grandson of Jacob
Anderson, a captain of State troops in the Revolu-
tionary army.
Mount Joy is an extension of Riegelsville, on
the Hunterdon County side of Musconetcong Creek.
It has one store and two saw-mills.
Amsterdam is a hamlet at the northwest side of
Gravel Hill. A shoe-shop, carpenter-shop, and saw-
mill comprise its places of business.
SMITH'S HOTEL.
A mile and a half above Milford, on the line of the
Belvidere Delaware Railroad, stands an old building
which fifty years ago was kept as a hotel. The pro-
prietor was James Smith. He had thirteen children,
— six sons and seven daughters, — all of whom are
still living. At this time (1880) the youngest is forty-
seven years old, and the eldest about seventy.
THE WARREN MANUFACTURING COMPANY
is a joint stock company, organized for the manufac-
ture of manilla paper. It is located near Hughcs-
villc, and has a capital of $40,000. Its factory was
commenced in 1872, and completed in August of the
following year. Its daily product is five tons of ma-
nilla paper.
KNIFE-FACTORY AT FINESVILLE.
About the close of last century Philip Fine built a
saw-mill, oil-mill, and flour-mill on the south side of
Musconetcong Creek, at Einesvillc. The saw- and
oil-mills went into disuse nearly half a century ago.
After the decease of Philip Fine the flour-mill was
continued by his son. In November, 1860, two-thirds
of the property was purchased by Amos Davis, Cyrus
Lawall, William Lawall, Tobias Worman, and Cyrus
Stover, who converted it into a paper-mill, and used
it as such until near 1869, when it was sold to Fred-
eric S. Taylor, Augustus Bunsby, and Francis Stiles,
who changed it into a knife-manufactory. It is still
used in this department of industry. The firm-name
is Taylor, Stiles & Co.
CALVIN'S FERRY.
Among some old manuscripts the following is
found :
" Upon application made to us, the Surveyors of the Roads for the
Townships of Bethlehem, Kingwood, and Amwell, for tho Alteration of
a Certain four Rod Road that runs from Colvin's* Ferry, on Delaware
River, Toward Everitts 1 Mill,f and we have called to our assistance Six
More Surveyors of the Ajacent County of Sussex, According to Law made
and Provided, and all Mett Together, this 24 day of August, X759, and
Upon a Vew of the said Road, and a Deleherute Consideration thereon,
have thought Reasonable the said Roud Should be Alter'd," etc.
Various documents we have seen convince us that
in 1759 the ferry at Frenchtown was called Calvin's.
In Erskine's map, used in the Revolutionary army,
1778-80, this crossing is called Sherrerd's Ferry. At
a later period it was called Erwin's Ferry, and still
later Prevost's Ferry.
OTHER EARLY FERRIES.
According to Faden's map, 1777, the road came
down Deep Hollow 50 yards above where Forman
Hawk's barn now stands, and ran directly across the
valley to the river at a point one mile below Milford.
Here was a crossing marked on the map as " London
Ferry."
For many years previous to the building of the
Milford Delaware bridge, in 1841, there was a ferry
at Milford known successively as Lowreytown Ferry,
Burnt Mills Ferry, and Milford Ferry.
The ferry opposite the village of Monroe, Pa., is,
probably, as old as the Durham, Pa., furnace, which
is quite near, and was built in 1727-28. It is desig-
nated on Faden's map, 1777, as Pursley (Purcell)
Ferry. For many years it has been known as John-
son's Ferry.
A half-mile above the 2 lrece ding is Stillwell's
Ferry, also called Brink's. It is opposite Durham
Cave, Pa. This ferry is probably as old as the pre-
ceding.
"Shank's Ferry" dates back to an early colonial
period. It was contemporary, or nearly so, with the
two preceding. It has been superseded by the Rie-
gelsville Delaware bridge.
TORY DEN.
On the farm of John M. Wolverton, on the northern
slope of the Musconetcong Mountain, just beyond
* Calvin's.
t Evorittstown.
IK I [-LAN 1 1.
4. '9
t)i<: summit, i- a small cavern called the "Tory I â–ºen."
It is formed by a large overhanging n»-k with projec-
tionjE on two sides; one side was walled up with stone,
go thai ii furnished quite a comfortable shelter.
There La a tradition of the neighborhood that in the
Revolutionary war (probably 1776-77) a small de-
tachment of marauding soldiers passed through
Oro awich, closel] pursued by Capt. John Maxwell's
c pany, as far as Shank's Ferry, where thej eluded
iluir pursuers. They then passed a shorl 'Ii- si
n|i the Bdusconetcong valley, ascended the mountain,
and concealed themselves in this rocky retreat. Sere
thej wintered, being clandestinely fed and cari d foi
b ome neighboring Tories. Prom this circumstance
the place was called by the patriots of thai section
: be " Torj I ten," n hich nami ii still retains.
OLD lit â– |:vinc-i;i;ipi-xi>.
About 150 yards south of the manufactory of Tay-
lor, Stiles & •''«.. at Finesville, on land of John L.
Etiegel, there was an old burying-grouud. Only one
gravestone now remains, and that is broken in four
pieces, lying by an ap|>le-trec since grown there. Tin-
stone has the following inscription :
" i d Uei y of El i ■• and Sarah Yama
Oi tobei i Itb, and Nine
M he."
The n. in: . Samans, so far as known to the writer,
qo longer occurs in Alexandria or 1 lolland.
SKETCH OF THE SINOL UR FAMILY.
Peter Cincleare (Sinclair) was a native of Germany,
and emigrated to America aboul 1750. He bi
with him his wife, Elizabeth, two sons, John and
Peter, and our daughter Marj . Pi ter was horn L719,
and died 1784; Elizabeth, his wife, was horn 1724,
anil died 1798. Their remains lie in St. James' Lu-
theran churchyard, Greenwich, X. J.
1 1 i- SOU John was born in < !crinan\ , Nov. 12, 17 IS,
and came with bis father to America in 1750. He
subsequently married Anna Alpaugh, and became the
owner of 220 aere- of land on tin Musconetcong
.Mountain, probably before the Revolution. Feb. 1 1.
1799, his house was destroyed by tire, at which time
all deeds and papers Were lost. The bouse Was re-
built the same year, a pari of which still stand-, and
is owned and occupied by Simeon D.Sinclair. It i-
a log structure.
John Sinclair disd Sept. I 1021 leaving cms thil
dren, Peter, bom L784 ; William. 1786; John, 1789;
Reuben, 1790; Samuel, 1791; Elizabeth, 1794; Ann.
1796; Mary, L799; Jesse, 1802. Of these last named,
Samuel Sinclair bad five children, — -three sons and
two daughters.
One of these boos, Jesse, bad eight children, only
Ihn f whom arc living. The Sinclairs arc numer-
ous, being now found in almost everj State in the
Union.
Contributed b] J
THE VAN SYI KEI 1 AMI1.1.
The following sketch of the Alexandria and Hol-
land branches i i th \ an *-\ Icel family from the fir I
to the sixth generation is i ipiled principally from
Dr. John W. Van Sick el'- " 1 [istory of the Family in
the United states : "
tor uf the
I family Id thU country, w<u born In the Netberland
dto a rlca Inli la Bui ipean an-
nowu. Be married, aboul 1060, Era Antonl
i by whom ho had elgltt ohlldren, of whom Relnierwaa the
I child of
: I
ii. \ an II -en; had four Bona, of wl Cornellue, Jan, and Reinier
removed to New Jeraey prior to 1720, and beco tin pi
Third Qaumtlon.— Belntet I - : le fourth child â–
and Jannotje, was born on Long [aland aboul 1097. He niani
. They had one child, Relator.
51 ttelcn, a son of Belnlor and Honab,
married Uei I by whom he had ten children, — Dlrck (Rich-
ard), Bynler, AnnoQe (Hannah I . Lydla,
Aaron, Peter, Samuel, and David.
Sycki I. ii verith child .-f Relnlei and
In Kingwood, July 8. lTi.t. He wai married, about
ma Opdyke, by wl i he b
children,— John, Elijah, Di I, Aaron, Mercy, William, v
Peter Van £ I U I of Relnlei and U
Aug. 25, 1766. He murrk-il, uIkiiiI i '. ' â– .shorn he
blldren, John, Samuel, '
Elizabeth, and Ellen. He lived In Alexandria townahlp, and keptthe
"Hickory Tavern," on account ol thi
thi brani b el i bii kory-tree Hi He I â– I L2, 1830.
Danlol Van Syi I
, s .... 2, 1790, He "ii- twice married, drat to Mary,
daughter of Oornelina Carbart,by wl i ho had ten children,— Holloway
Whltfli Id, Isabella, 8< Und .. Uguatus, Elbrid
Quatavui Adolphu , and
Itunkel, alatei to hh Brat wife Mary. No children bj thin
b mi, and alao carried on fai miug Hi dli t
Hoi -. 1801
John Van Syckel, tin- flrat child of Ellen Vanderbelt) and Peter, was
horn Jan. II, 1789. Howaa twice married, to Mary, daughter ol Luther
Calvin, by whom be had i ihlldren; and Mra, Oatharlna (Alpaugh)
Vjhi Syckel, iln' widow ..r in- brother Lewie, bj wh >>• l«-»- ' i"ur
children.
i â– i. ii cond child of Peter and Ellen, a
Dec. 11,1700. Be waa twice married, Brat to Margaret Hart]
children. Ho next marrii r, bj whom he had one
i vdla Catharine. Samuel dl
I, the Hfth child ol
bolt), waa born Sept 80, 1797, Ho man D
man,bywh ho had eloven children. He
I upatl m, and lived In Holland townahlp
i , \. . - ol, the elxlhoblld or Peter and Ellen Vanderbelt), waa
born Dae I b id Dva children ;
died Jul> i
John Vim Syckel, ill" fourth child "f Mary (Opdyke) and David Van
Syckel, who waa the tenth child of Mei | I
al, waa born Sepl 12,1808, Hi married Sarah Ann, daughter
i Michael Itallay, by whom l"- had eleven i blldren. He waa a fanner,
and lived neai Mill ird, In B U ind I iwr, ... H II I Ma
TIXSUAVS - \« Mll.l.,*
Finsman's saw-mill is a short distance below Rie-
gelflVille. It was tir-l erected about I 8 I 2 by llenry
Quinn, who emigrated to this country from Ireland.
t Wo an
ralaUn i â– i i wullla.
430
HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
He afterwards built a grist-mill at the same place.
These mills were destroyed by fire in 1848. The fol-
lowing year the saw-mill was rebuilt by John L. Rie-
gel, Thomas P. Tinsman, and George Quinn. It is
now the property of Thomas P. Tinsman.
RIEGEL'S SAW-MILL.
Thomas Purcell came to Alexandria from Durham
township, Bucks Co., Pa. He is believed to have
been the first settler at Monroe, in Durham (John-
son's Ferry), and is said to have built, in 1780, the
first house in that place. This house was afterwards,
and is still, kept as a tavern. He also built a saw-
mill, grist-mill, and blacksmith-shop, and established
a ferry across the Delaware. In 1793 he came to New
Jersey, having purchased 212 acres of land on the
south side of the Musconetcong Creek, near its mouth.
He built a saw-mill, now owned by Isaac T. Riegel, on
this property. Purcell, soon after, also built another
saw-mill on the same property, half a mile above the
former. This property was bought by Benjamin
Riegel, and the latter mill has since been taken down.
■w > a g £u - < i I I
FKANKLI N.
• GEOGRAPHICAL.
Franklin is a central township of Hunterdon
County. It is bounded north by Clinton borough ;
northeast by Clinton township, from which it is sep-
arated by the South Branch of the Raritan ; south-
east by Raritan and Delaware ; southwest by King-
wood; northwest by Alexandria and Union. Its
form is rhomboidal, its southeastern and southwestern
boundaries being straight lines meeting obliquely.
Its longest diagonal is about nine miles : its shortest,
about six. It has a farm area of 14,449 acres.
The act to establish the township has this pro-
" Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the Slate of Neto
Jersey, That all lliat part, of the township of Kingwood, in the county of
Hunterdon, lying north of a line to begin at a stone standing in the
Kingwood and Delaware line, in the great road near Elislia Warford's
farm, and from thenco in a straight line to the Alexandria and King-
wood line, in the middle of the great road, opposite the school-house
near the Episcopal church known by the name of St. Thomas' Church,
shall be, and the same is hereby, set off from the said township of King-
wood into a separate township, to be called and known by the name of
the township of Franklin."
This has been slightly modified by the act incorpo-
rating the borough of Clinton, as noticed elsewhere.
Two streams important for their water-power, the
Capoolon and the Lacatong, have their sources
within its borders. The Capoolon rises in the north-
west corner of the township, takes an east-by-north-
east course, and empties into the South Branch. The
Lackatong (in old deeds called the Laokolong) rises
below Quakertown, and flows southwesterly through
Kingwood and Delaware into the Delaware River.
NATURAL FEATURES.
The township presents no very striking scenery, yet
it has a diversity of rich and highly-cultivated farm-
ing districts. The surface is level in the southern
part, rolling or hilly in the northern. The soil is fer-
* By E. T. liush.
tile, producing abundantly all the grains common to
this latitude. Fruits are largely grown. Peaches
have lately become a leading production.
Franklin may still be considered a well-timbered
district. Oak, hickory, maple, and chestnut grow
plentifully, thus contributing to the general wealth.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Just when the lands were first taken up and who
were the first settlers are questions wanting a satis-
factory answer. That Franklin was a Quaker settle-
ment is undisputed, and that portions of it were set-
tled soon after 1700 is evident; but exactly when
and by whom may, perhaps, never be known.
The last will and testament of George Hutchinson,
of Philadelphia, bearing date April 29, 1698, be-
queathed to his daughter Rachel 1000 acres of land
near Quakertown, evidently lying to the west; a part
at least of the Laing property was included in it.
She died childless, and her nephew, George Hutchin-
son, fell heir to the property ; he sold it to James
Bollen in 1710. In 1723 it was sold to John Tantom,
who in 1742 willed it to his three daughters, Mary
Murfin, Anne Hughlings, and Sarah Lovett. These
heirs caused a division to be made, and the land was
subsequently sold in parcels.
In 1729, Jacob Doughty bought 1212 acres, extend-
ing from Oak Grove to Quakertown. This land was
bought of Mathews Gardiner, who had inherited it
from his father, by whom it had been taken up as a
" proprietary right." From this tract Doughty sold
various parcels, as elsewhere seen. His son Daniel
finally came into possession of what had not been other-
wise conveyed. The original owners, the Gardiners,
do not seem ever to have occupied the land.
Among the early landowners were George Deacon,
once owner of the Largo homestead ; John Emley,
who owned several hundred acres of land west of the
southern part of Doughty's purchase ; John Coats,
I'll WKl.l.N.
431
whose land, afterwards sold to Samuel Schooley,
joined the Doughtytracl on the east in I7::i>. V.moe
Stretth- seems to have b ien quite an extensive land-
owner at thai time, having purchased a large tract,
partly within the borders of Franklin, of Alexander
Beaton, of County Down, Ireland, by indenture bear-
ing date 17o2, the same having been purchased of
Maurice Trenl and I Ihester Allen, who had purchased
il of Ivlwanl liylliiigo :iml tru-tee-. I'Vnn, Lucas, ami
Lawrie, in 1680. In 1731, Edward Rockhill, "far-
mer in Bethlehem," bought "one whole propriety,
and jV of one propriety." This land was in two
tracts, one about I'itt-town ami the oilier southwest
of t *ak ( trove, described as " timber swamp." In all
there were 846 acre-, costing 6102. Charles Hoffwas
an extensive landholder as early as 1758. He lived
at Pittatown, then called " Hoff's," where he kept a
shop, and afterwards, in 17iil, carried on milling.
John Stevenson bought 200 acres east of the I loughtj
tract in 1727.
At a later day Joseph and Jeremiah King counted
their acres by the thousand in the lower part of the
township; their land lay in what is known as the
" I inat Swamp."
Ii is -aid thai lie l-'riemls sclect.il the vicinity of
Quakertown on account of the richness of the soil, the
beaut} of its situation, ami the absence of forests, the
lost, as is usually the case in new countries, being con-
sidered a meat advantage to the settler. Tradition
if a time, scarcely more than a hundred years
ago, when Quakertown could be seen from <>ak
Grove across a country that afterwards became densely
wooded. I'e this as it may, the earlj deeds, b\ sel-
dom describing any forest or timber-land, seem to
tiinony to the openness of the county. Much
of the timbered portion has been cleared off within
the past thirty or forty years, but si • large and val-
uable pieces of vi Hand -till remain.
This i- <aiil to have been a favorite resort for Indian
bunt-men. ami the truth of the tradition is attested
of arrow-heads found in many
places in the town-hip.
A village of Delaware Indians on ccupied the
ravine below the house now owned by Daniel Little,
on the property known a- the Kho, la Large lot.
The most reliable recorils that are now available
Concerning the early days are the minute- of the
Friends' meeting at Quakertown. Prom these many
fact- concerning the old families have 1 a gathered.
It i- unfortunate that they ilo not eo back to the lir.-t
settlement.
ui. li FAMILIES AND THEIR HOMESTEADS.
T'ne KiiiL's were among the lir-t -cttlers. liar-
menus King came from Holland with a colony of
Friends and settled at Burlington in or about 1777.
He had two sons, Joseph ami John. Joseph bought
I liars 1) i Undrr plaosd at oar dltpool bj I
Yuil, clerk "i" the moetliig,
954 acres of land along the South Branch in 1729, and
settled at or mar Young's Mill- SO na il in later
ami built tlie first mill at that place. The
date of bis settlement cannot be definitely fixed, but
hi- na -cur- a- trustee of the l-'riemls' meeting at
Quakertown (then Bethlehem) in 1783. He had two
-on-, Joseph ami William, ami a daughter named Re-
becca. William at one time lived at < 'berry ville.
where his son Joseph was born, lie subsequently
remove, 1 to the farm now owned by Edward Bidwell,
which In- purchased of Nehemiah Dunham in 17G3.
I Lie Joseph remained until after the purchase of the
[ J wuung now Km.- 1 .Mills property far hi onl^
son. William L., in Mil. William L. King married
Elizabeth Large, a great-granddaughter of the orig-
inal settler. Samuel Large. Their children were
Nancy ami Joseph, — till living at King's Mills, —
Man . Sarah, and Eli/a.
Jeremiah King .settled in the "Swamp.'' on the
farm now belonging to the estate of Jacob Philhower,
recently deceased. He was a chosen freeholder from
Kingvt 1 from 1768 to 1771. He was an extensive
landholder in that vicinity : be ami William Kin;,' are
popularly said to have "owned the Swamp." Ili-
children were John, Jeremiah, Joseph, Albertus,
Newton, Sarah, Mary, Rachel, ami a daughter who
married John Wood. Sarah was the «iti- of Dr.
James Pvatt ; she lived to an advanced age, ami died
a few years ago. Rachel married Thomas Little.
Newton married Elizabeth Case. Their children
were Sarah Ann. ( lharlotte, ami Margaret Charlotte,
now lb'- wife of Thatcher Trimmer. Sr.. still lives in
Franklin.
.lob n ('oats, in 1730, owned land east of the Will-on
tract. A part at least of this wa- subsequently sold
to Samuel Scl ley; but we I'm, 1 that Henry Coats,
who is thought to have been a SOU of John, anil
who a tradition in the family -ays was the first white