1871, Abram Veghte, Ab. Ammerman, Edward Sutphen ; 1872-73, Hen-
ry Wilson, Jas. L. Voorhees, Edward Sutphen ; 1874, Henry S. Van
Nnys, Edward C. Bennett, Geo. W. Vroom ; 1875, Henry S. Van Nuys,
Henry H. Garretson, Garret Beekman ; 1876, Henry S. Van Nuys,
Gar. P. Cortelyou, Garret Beekman, David K. Auten, John F. Hall ;
1877, Ab. N. Veghte, Gar. P. Cortelyou, Garret Beekman, David K.
Auten, John F. Hall ; 1878, Ab. N. Veghte, Jas. W. Gulick, Andrew
M. Baird; 1879, John F. Hall, Reuben H. Hulick, Jas. Z. Bergen;
18S0, H. V. D. Van Liew, Beuben H. Hulick, Jas. Z. Bergen.
VILLAGES AND HAMLETS.
Millstone is a small village on the left bank of
Millstone River, Sh miles from its mouth, by the
course of the river. It is a rural hamlet, without
legal bounds. It contains (1880) 262 inhabitants,
about fifty-five dwellings, one Reformed (Dutch)
church, with a neat lecture- and Sunday-school room
adjoining. There are three stores, one blacksmith-
shop, two wheelwright-shops, and a district school.
Although lying low, comparatively, the place is noted
for its healthfulness.
Millstone was probably the most important place in
the county in 1738, as the vote of the citizens of the
county then determined that it was the proper place
for the county-seat. A bridge over the river, in all
probability, existed here at that date, as it was here
that the Amwell road passed. The farmers in this
vicinity made this the point of shipment for their
produce. The farms were being taken up along the
river, as reference to the article on land titles will
show. The Harlingen tract was also already occu-
pied. In 1738 there were about fifty families within
three miles of the present village.
With the location here of the court-house there
arose the necessity, if it did not exist before, of a
public-house. Probably such a house existed before
1738. Two taverns flourished in the time of the
Revolution, one on the site still occupied, a little
northeast of the church, the other near the bridge,
in what constitutes the door-yard of the present resi-
dence of James Elmendorf. The court-house and
jail stood a little south of this inn, on the premises
now owned by Joseph Conover and wife, formerly by
Miss Mary Suydam. Some of the large stones of its
foundation are yet lying about. It must have been
near by that the negro was burned for murdering his
master, Jacob Van Nest, in 1752.
In 1760 the inhabitants built the small Presbyterian
church, and in 1767 the Dutch church was erected on
the site still occupied.
In 1800 there was no school-house, the children
crossing the river into Franklin ; the church stood on
the present site. Jacob Van Nuys lived in the house
east of the church now occupied by Dr. Fred. Black-
well. This house was used some time before 1800 by
Henry Quick, a cabinet-maker. A hatter by the
name of Jobes succeeded Van Nuys. In 1812, Dom-
inie Zabriskie became its occupant, the church hav-
ing bought it for a parsonage.*
• See " Millstono Centennial," 1870.
In 1800, Cornelius Lowe, an old bachelor, kept the
hotel near by ; Isaac Fisher and Lowe Fisher pre-
ceded him. The next building on the east side of
the street was the Presbyterian church, — or the Eng-
lish church, as it was popularly called by the Dutch, —
opposite the present residence of Fred. V. L. Disbor-
ough. Next was the house of Dr. Abram Van Buren,
a sketch of whose life will be found elsewhere in this
work ; the site is now occupied by Van Mater Van
Cleef. John Van Nest occupied the house on the
north side of Peace Brook, next to the river, lately
occupied by Nelly Van Tine ; he had at this time a
son named Ezekiel. Paul Duryea occupied a house
directly north, keeping in it a small store ; it was
subsequently resided in by the Suydams. After Dur-
yea's death, his widow built a house about 100 feet
farther north, leaving vacant the lots of the old
court-house and jail, which were burned by the British
in 1779.
John Christopher had a shoemaker-shop where the
present wheelwright-shop is located, at the north
end of the village, near the river, and a dwelling
adjoining. The road at this time came down the
hill to the bridge and followed the river, winding
around between John Van Nest's and Dr. Van
Buren's. The straight road west of James Elmen-
dorf 's house was opened about 1830.
Edward Van Harlingen lived in the house now on
the straight road, at the foot of the hill. Here, also,
the younger Dominie Van Harlingen lived for
eighteen years preceding his death, in 1813. In
this house the exercises of Queens College were
held for a while during the Revolution.!
In 1800, Dr. Stryker lived in the house on top of
the hill, long occupied by Dr. McKissack ; he had
previously resided at Blackwell's Mills, in the house
opposite the brick stable. Peter Hulick lived where
his nephew Reuben Hulick now is, while Isaac Lott
lived directly across the road. Martin Schenck had
the next farm on the east side of the road, which had
been the parsonage for Dominie Foering during the
Revolution. Previous to 1800, Mr. Schenck had once
lived on the lot east of the church, and had there kept
a blacksmith-shop. On the west side of the road, the
farm now possessed by John Brokaw was owned in,
1800 by Gen. Frederick Frelinghuysen, who had mar-
ried Miss Ann Yard a few years previously ; the latter
received that farm in 1778. North of this place we
come successively to the farms of the Strykers, the
Wilsons, and the Van Nests.
To return to the village of Millstone proper: Gen.
Frelinghuysen in 1800 occupied the place now owned
t " Hillsborough, May 25th, 1780.— The vacation of Quoons Collogo, at
Hillsborough, in tho county of Somerset, and of tho grammar school in
the city of Now Brunswick, is expired, and tho husinoss of each is again
commenced. Good lodgings may ho procured in both places at as low a
rato as in any part of tho ritato. By order of the Faculty,
" John Taylou,
" Cleric, pro lem."
HILLSBOROUGH.
785
by Edward Baker;* his farm included also the Dis-
borough place. There were no houses between the
last mentioned and the Dutch church. Directly «v-l
of the churchyard lived John Broach ; a Mr. Marshall
had occupied that place previously. < lyrenius Thomp-
son, long famous as the sexton, lived on the next lot,
now occupied by John De Camp. Mrs. Thompson
sold cakes and beer to the people between the two ser-
vices on Sundays. Dominie Cannon, the pastor, was
living near Six-Mile Run at this time.
Only one other house existed on the road west of
the church, located on the lot lately owned by Garret
Brokaw, and now by Mrs. Van Buskirk ; John Gallo-
way then lived on this lot. John Atkinson lived on
the corner south of the church, 80 long occupied by
Qershom Bernart; Mr. Atkinson was a blacksmith,
and had a shop in the northwest corner of the present
parsonage-yard. John Broach had previously lived
on the Atkinson place, and kept a cooper-shop; Peter
Letrie lived on the same spot after Atkinson. West-
ward on the Amwell road there was no house in 1800
until we reach the present place of Peter Sutphen
Van Doren; James Ellison then lived there.
The Van Doren farm was the one first south of the
church, ll had been in possession of the family since
I7'> :. and is yet owned by them. The next place was
that of Isaac Van Cleef ; he had moved there some
years prior to ]X0n, having come from the neighbor-
hood of Pluckamin. The house stood where Garret
Van Cleef now resides. Isaac Van Cleef died in
Iso I, ami lour years later the farm was sold; the
sons Isaac and Peter bought it. Peter afterwards
sold the northern part to Schenck Van Derveer. It is
now occupied by Paul Beardslee.
Peter Dibnars occupied the next farm. He sold it
to Abraham Beekman in 181o. Dr. McKissack mar-
ried a daughter of this Ditmars, and they were the
parents of Peter Ditmars McKissack, M.D., who died
in 1872.
Mr. Cornell occupied the next farm, now owned by
Jacob Sehomp ; he soon died, and his widow engaged
IVederick l'rohasco to work the farm, and afterwards
married him. Mr. Cornell's son Joseph subsequently
came into possession; lie sold the place to • l!cr-
rien for about £70 an acre. Joseph Cornell then
went West. John Blackwell bought it in 1816 for
about s|."> an acre.
Peter Stoats occupied the place now owned by the
DOS fainih ; his BOB \bram was the lather of liev.
John L StaatB, who was horn on this place. Archi-
bald Mercer was the proprietor of the mill subse-
quently known as BlackweU's Mills.
Millstone became, after the canal was opened, a
place of considerable business. As many as liin.onn
bushl Is of grain have been stored there at one time.
• Whon Hon. Fradadek Pnllnghajmn liv.-.t «t UlMitone lit- borne »n-
visit.'.i bytonit of tlio great itebMmra of Hio day. On on melon John
nd Thomai Jofltanon won tnwnUns I ; ,> k, and
DOI 1 MIHltMW by Itopplflg ovor-ntghtal tho Froliughnyson mansion.
waiting for the opening of the canal. There were in
1834 four stores, three tavern-, several mechanics,
three storehouses for grain, and an extensive lumber-
yard. With the opening of the railroad to New
Brunswick, in 1856, the development of this village
was perhaps retarded, as East Mill-tone, in Franklin,
became the terminus of the railroad. In 1S72 con-
siderable property in and near Millstone was pur-
chased by A. D. Melick & Co., of New York; it
consisted of 1632 acres, for which they paid .$241,550.
In is;:; the railroad was opened to Somerset Junc-
tion, on the Delaware, to anticipate the new railroad
from Bound Brook to Philadelphia. But the latter
succeeded, being opened in 1876, and in 1880 the
Mercer and Somerset road was abandoned.
NESHAKIC is situated at the northwest declivity of
Neshanic Mountain. It contains (1881) one Reformed
(Dutch) church, one hotel 'temperance), a district
school, two stores, and some twenty-five dwellings.
About ten more are at Neshanic Station. The
country around is undulating and beautiful.
The land for some distance around Neshanic was
owned in 1688 by John Bennett. The tract embraced
several hundred acres, extended to the division line
between Kn-t and WY-t Jersey, and was bounded on
the north by the South Branch. Neshanic tavern was
kept by the Bennett family "in a time whereof the
memory of man runneth not to the contrary." It was
a nucleus about which a village afterwards gathered.
Some of the earliest settlers were the Lows, Lotts,
Hud's, Coersens (now Corson), Rycrsons, Ten Eycks,
Terhunes, Posts, Middaghs, Nevius, Wyckoflfo, Hage-
mans, Bergens, Van Arsdales, Strykers, Voorhees, etc.
The old house of Dirick and Rebecca Low is yet stand-
ing, on the farm occupied by Henry Van Derveer, on
the Neshanic, near West's Mills. Another old house,
the first homestead of the Lows, stands on the farm of
John J. Van Liew, on tin' road leading from the Am-
well roail to the South Branch.
Bergen Hull' built tin' first mill at Neshanic, about
177o. It stood some distance below the present one,
and was abandoned about 1810. Some remains of it
arc -till to I.,- seen. The present mills were erected
about 1810. In 1886 they were purchased from Cor-
nelius and Titer lleekman by Judge Corle, and have
since been known as Oorle's Mill-. They were again
sold several years since by Judge < 'orb', and have bean
owned by at least live different panic-; but, notwith-
standing these frequent changes, they have "done tho
town grinding" ami made large Bhipmenta since the
railroad has been in operation. The-, .hi miller Nlch-
olos llutf was a Revolutionary pensioner, and great-
uncle of Abraham Huff, who was born 1788, Be says
that his uncle Nicholas hail hi- knee shattered by a
musket-ball while on the retreat in tin' battle of t br-
mantown, l'a.
Tl hi school-house si 1 on the- -pot where John
Tunison's house now is, at the corner of < larrel \'.>.>r-
hecs' field. The most prominent teacher then was
786
SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
Nathan Loring, whose memory is affectionately cher-
ished. John Allen, a saddle- and harness-maker,
lived with John Minor, the tanner, who carried on
business not far from the old school-house. Garret
Voorhees and John Allen lived on the south side of
the brook. Sally Andrews lived close by the school-
house, and from her spring the troop of children
quenched their thirst. A store was kept in a build-
ing that stood in front of the residence of Judge
Corle. Among others who did business here were
Mr. Phillips and Sheriff John Wyckoff.
Flaggtown is situated a couple of miles east of
Neshanic. It contains about twenty scattered dwell-
ings, a store, and a school.
Clover Hill is on the Amwell road where it
enters Hunterdon County, and lies partly in both
counties. It contains about fifteen dwellings, a Re-
formed Dutch church, and a school.
Blackwell's is situated on the west bank of the
Millstone, about two miles south of the village of Mill-
stone. Here is a flourishing flour- and grist-mill,
owned by John L. Oakey, Esq. Half a dozen houses
are in the immediate vicinity, a store kept by Corne-
lius H. Broach, and a school near by. A bridge crosses
the Millstone at this point to Franklin township. A
mill has existed here since 1746, originally built by
Peter Schenck. A post-office was established in 1872.
South Branch, sometimes known by the name of
Branchville, is situated on the South Branch, near
its junction with the Raritan. It contains about fif-
teen dwellings, a large store, and a Reformed Dutch
church.
Rock Mill is in the southwestern part of the
township, in a depression in the Neshanic Mountain.
It is partly in Montgomery township. Here are ten
or twelve dwellings, a Methodist Episcopal church, a
saw-mill, and a store.
Roycefield is located upon the South Branch
Railroad, about 23 miles from Somerville. Since the
railroad was opened the name of the station has been
changed to " Ricefield," trouble having been experi-
enced from the fact of there being another village of
the same name in the State. Two country stores, a
blacksmith-shop, two hay-presses, a school, and a
post-office, besides the railroad buildings and a cluster
of dwellings, constitute the village. James Hageman
is station-agent, and also postmaster.
Roycefield derived its name from the early land-
owner of this vicinity, — John Royce.
There are now in Hillsborough township the fol-
lowing post-offices: Millstone, Blackwell's Mills,
Flaggtown, Hillsborough, Neshanic, Roycefield (now
called Ricefield), and South Branch.
This township has (1880) within its bounds fourteen
district schools. The following gives the statistical
report for the year ending Aug. 31, 1K79 :
Number and Name
op District.
Ill
to
.a
i' 2
— a
If
o ^
s.3
6 |
â– 5
â– 3 ti
si
bo
$300.'00
615.04
300.00
300.00
300.00
400.00
300 00
385.00
300.00
300.00
350 00
1,183.08
300.00
400.72
$500.00
1,600.00
600.00
1,200.00
500.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
800.00
800.00
200.00
1,500.00
25.00
600.00
800.00
61
80
46
60
48
91
67
66
48
84
62
111
47
80
10.
9.5
0.
9.
10.
9.
9.
9.5
9.5
9.
11.
9.
9.
11.5
28
63
24
50
32
67
54
62
37
37
67
65
44
71
50
40
40
60. Flaggtown Station.
70
$5,633.84
$10,925.00
941
9.6
681
670
But few of these schools can be traced back to their
origin, except in cases where school districts have
been divided within the memory of those yet living.
The first school in Hillsborough was probably on
the south side of the Raritan, situated on a little
knoll on the roadside, on the line of the farms of
Jacobus Quick and Peter Du Mont; it was abandoned
as a school-house towards the close of the last century.
It probably dates back to 1720 or 1730. William
Parrish early taught in this school.
About 1795 it was determined to build a house
about a mile farther west, so as to accommodate the
whole northwestern corner of the township. This
would take in the present New Centre District, Flagg-
town Station, the westerly portions of Woodville and
Liberty, and the northern part of Bloomingdale. In
that section, about 1790, there was a large number of
children. The site chosen was a little strip of land
between the road and the river, on the north end of
John Van Middlesworth's farm. On the east was a
small stream called Paw-ne-pack by the Indians.
The building was about 24 feet square; a spacious
fireplace was on one side. The structure was painted
red, with white casings to the doors and windows. It
was known as the Red School-House, and in later
years as the Old Red School-House.
Master John Warburton was the first teacher. He
was English by birth, and was supposed to have been
in the British army in the Revolution. He had also
taught in the preceding school-house, and was well
known and respected by all. He was now about sixty
years old, and, while kind in his government, was
very decided. He believed in the efficacy of the
birch. The "English Primer," Dilworth's spelling-
book and arithmetic, and the Bible were the only
books used; Webster's spelling-book made but slow
progress in that community. Master Warburton'S
HILLS BORi.M/LilL
T-7
great points were order and method. The writing-
books of his scholars were patterns of neatness;
every line was fixed by scale and dividers. Thus
he made the children proud of themselves and of
work.
Mr. Warburton did not "board 'round," as was
usual with teachers in olden times, but he lived alto-
gether in the school-house. Each employer supplied
him with food for a week. On Sunday i ming he
would breakfast with the family who was to supply
him for the coming week, and would carry his own
basket of provisions that day. He slept in a little
garret over his school-room. Late in life he lefl this
school and taught for a while in another, near the
old Raritan bridge. He finally bought a few acres
on the Second Mountain, north of Somerville. Here
he built a small house, and dug a cave which he
sometime- used. Sonic old friends supplied his wants
until he died. The Old Red School-House stood
until about 1830.* Peter G. Quick, of Millstone,
now ninety-two years of age, attended in 17'J4-!l-~>,
and was a pupil for three years under Master War-
burton. The school districts of New Centre and
Woodville finally took the place of this famous old
school. Peter Stryker (afterwards Rev. Peter Stry-
ker), in 1782, was school-teacher at or near Mill-
stone, f
Another school was at an early day located on the
farm of Peter Wyckoff (more recently ('apt. John
VVyckofTs). The school-house stood on the hill,
close by the brook, and on the east side of the Am-
wi II road. Mr. Gordon was a teacher here. This
disappeared not far from the opening of the present
century.
About the same time Dr. Lawrence Van Derveer
gave land for a school lot a little south of the small
graveyard on his [dace, and this district was divided
about I s 87 into the present Roycefield and Blooming-
dale districts. With the cessation of the school on
the Wyckoff place, a Bchool-building which had stood
in the bed of the canal as it mm run-, about 250
yards north of the Ka-t Mill-tone canal bridge, was
removed t" Mill-tone and located on the Amwell
mad weal of the church, where Mr. Hoffman now
lives; this was in 1807. James Ellison residing
where Peter Sutphen Van Doren now lives) was the
teacher In this school. He was a carpenter by trade,
hut a man of considerable ability. Mr. Belcher suc-
ceeded him. The school remained on this Bite until
1814, when Daniel Disborough gave for a school lot
the plot, ;iX by |:!H led, now occupied hj the lecture-
room. A two-story building, known as the academy,
was here creeled. The B id -lory WSJB Used for
prayer-meetings and religious lectures, and at first,
for a time, for the smaller children in the day-School,
While the lower story was occupied as the sehool-
• Soo Governor Vroom's description of this school ind teat
Mewler'a county history.
t Sco CorwinV " Manual, 11 pp. 474, 47">.
room proper. Abram Montforl was the teacher, in
the academy, in 1814; Mr. Wallbridge in 1821 28.
In I860, by an act of the Legislature of the State,
this school district (No. 44) obtained permission to
sell this lot, in order to locate the school on the hill,
north of the town, its present position. The former
school l.,t, in the rear of the church, was bought by
certain trustees in behalf of the membi i- of the
church of Hillsborough living in said school district,
to be used by them for educational and moral pur-
poses.} William Lytic taught in the academy in
1832-33. and was succeeded by Mr. Ivingsley, Stephen
H. Rowan (afterwards lost at sea), James S. Taylor,
and Mr. rill-bury married Matilda Nevius).
The inhabitants of the northeastern part of Hi
borough at first sent their children to a Bchool near
the small graveyard at Weston. This continil
about a hundred years, until 1834, when the building
was burned and the present Harmony Plains district
formed. Wc-ton wa- then, according to a State map
of 1767, called Van Nest's.
Until 1840 the present Cross-Roads and Pleasant
View districts were united. The school-house stood
near where the railroad now CTOSSI - the farm of I. J.
Stryker. The school in the southeastern part of the
township was originally north of Blackwell's Mill-,
where the brick stable now stands. It probably origi-
nated about the time the mill was built, — 1740. In
1813 the location was changed to the southeast -
of Theodore Layton's farm. The school near the
Neshanic church probably dates back to 1750. A
new school-house was in 1856 erected in the W 1-
villi- di-trict, on the northwest corner of land of
Thomas F. Smith, at an expense of $688.
At Roycefield (old District No. 13), in 1836, a new-
house was erected on the land of John Van Zandt ;
Brogun J. Brokaw, Peter Van Zandt, and William
Wilson were the building committee. F. D. Brokaw,
James J. Bergen, and John Van Zandt were the trus-
tees. March 28, 1837, the new house was called I at
Liberty School-House." Albert Hulce was the first
teacher.
New Centre district in is. "id built a new school-
house on land of Cornelius Peterson, at an expense of
about $600.
In 1829 the township embraced twelve school dis-
trict-.! In 183H the school imittee divided these
into eleven, and in L888 into fifteen. Then- were
Borne subsequent changes, but in 1871, a count] school
superintendent having been appointed, the numbers
â– Millstone Continnlnl," 44.
| Tho twalro dJatrl -Mrtoon schools and 332 scholars.
I The first pobool c mlttae «-f HUlaborongh townablp (182S
1 Unas Blmtndorf, P < k ; tho
last (IMS), Dr. Jamaa it. Elmandorf, cin-rt B. Taylor, aid i
n imlng tha fie-t townablp inpartntcndanl "f
schools In tho following roar; he remained six ycarv Fatal '
. Willl.m
li. siniili I.. i AS, whan, tha offlca of oonntj onpartnUn-
i, tin\ wan Hi tonga n|ipolnled.
788
SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
of the districts in the township were changed to a
general system including the whole county.
CLASSICAL SCHOOLS IN HILLSBOROUGH.
Queens College, about 1780, on account of the
dangers of the Revolution, was temporarily located
at Millstone, and Dominie Van Harlingen, about the
opening of the century, was accustomed to teach the
classics to those desiring to prepare for college.
Abram G. Voorhees subsequently taught a Latin
class at the house of Dominie Zabriskie, and the dom-
inie himself at times heard recitations. In 1826-27,
Mr. Zabriskie had a class studying Latin with him ;
it consisted of James Van Derveer (afterwards M.D.
at North Branch), Peter D. McKissack (afterwards
M.D. at Millstone), Outhout Van Harlingen, J. V.
D. Hoagland, John B. Staats, John A. Staats (after-
wards Rev.), and John Broach.
Rev. John Cornell conducted a classical school at
Millstone from 1828 to 1835. He lived on the Fre-
linghuysen place, now occupied by Edward Baker.
This school was continued by Mr. Addis, Joseph P.
Bradley (now one of the justices of the United States
Supreme Court), and William I. Thompson. A clas-
sical school was also kept by Rev. P. D. Oakey, at
Neshanic Station, from 1870 to 1876.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
Hillsborough township has long been famed for its
religious privileges. The Dutch Church has indeed
had the field almost exclusively. The inhabitants of
the northern part of the township have always sought
their spiritual instruction at Somerville or Raritan ;