iiml has ever since regularly performed divine sen tee In the sa ; and,
u tar as is consistent wlthoui Icnowli I s, his conduct and behavior has
been prudonl and exemplary, and in ovory respect becoming a minister
,.i the Gospel.
â– Wiiih-h "in hum! Mi is seventeenth day of S'-i't-'inl-i, in tin
"in Lord 1786.
" Kviuis i;.iil"\vn, Iti.li.-ii Sharp, M'urtlens.
"Josepli Etobi m, John \'"i , Jonas Cbatburn, Sam'l Opdyoke,
John Meldram, Bobert Stevenson, John Stevenson, John Totterson, David
Heath, John Welch, l- in
Of Mr. Frazer it remains to -a,\ that he continued
in the active discharge of hi- ministry and in teach-
ing :i classical scl I in Trenton i w hich Beems to have
been undertaken when tie' war suspended his public
services) until 1795, when, alter ;i Sundav spent in
tVmwell, he returned to his home, and died -u.l'lenh
the day following, at the age of fifty-two.
The death of Mr. l'ia/er [eft hi- large and impor-
tant held iii Hunterdon County witl t any other
care than the infrequent and irregular visits of the
clergymen in charge ofSt. Michael's, in Trenton, and
those IV the lower part of the Siaie, and in course
of time from the bishop, for nearlv fifty years.
The church seemed well-nigh extinct, "In 1845,
however, the Rev. Mr. Adams, having charge ol tin
Churches at Flemington, Alexandria, and Clinton,
came t" I. bertville, ii being within the limit- of
the ancient parish of \niw.ii. Hen I ol. John Sharp
and Judge .lol in Coryell, as surviving members of old
si. Andrew'-, co-operated with him in organizing the
corporation, under the general act of the Legislature
of New Jersey, under the title of St Andrew's Church,
\mwell, :ii Lambert) ille,' i lol. Sharp and I >r. John
Lilly being the warden-, and .Indue Coryell being
senior vestryman, thus continuing the old parish into
' iw. Under these auspices the present church
edifice was erected, and, tl gh there was a brief
pei 'I of prosperity, it soon passed away. Great
d estic sorrow desolating the I i of Mr. Adam-.
his departure became a matter of necessity, again
BUbjeCting the remnant who adhered to ihe church to
the -aiue infrequent and irregular ministrations that
in
had been its fortune for half a century, until, in the
providence of God, in the spring of I860, the Rev.
David Brown assumed the pastoral charge, which he
emit iniied to hold until August, 1867."
1 luring that summer the church building Was reno-
vated and greatly improved. "It was reopened for
divine w orship on Sim, lay, Aug. 1. 1867, » itfa appro-
priate services." The Kev. Dr. Putnam, of Jersey
( 'ity, who was deputed by Bishop < Idenheimer, he not
being able to be |.n-ent, read a history of the parish :
thi Rev. Dr. Walker, of Burlington, preached the
sermon; and an address was delivered by thi Rev.
David Brown. In the evening, owing to the sudden
death of the wife of the I ! Lilly, M.D.,
onlv the service was read, in which the Kev. Mr.
Forges, of Flemington. assisted.
I!) means of the repairs and alteration- then made
the church presents a very mat appearance. The
chancel was handsomely frescoed, the seats rearranged.
'Ju- wall- replastered, and one oi' Frink's patent re-
lleetor.s j >ut in. which illuminates the church in the
most perfect manner, throwing a mellow light in
every part of the room. The outward appearance of
the building was also somewhat changed, the cone on
the lower Inn iiiL' been removed and a mat scroll-work
substituted; a vc-try-room was al-o bud! at tin' rear
of the ediliee.
St. Andrew's Church has passed through many
trials and discouragements, but just now the outlook
i- more hopeful than it has been for several year-.
From September, 1866, till Aug. 1. L867, Ibv. F. B.
Chetwood acted a- assistant to the rector. From
Lugust, 1867 alter Mr. Brown's resignation), to May,
L868, Rev. \V. G. Walker. U.K. of Burlington, sup-
plied the pulpit. From Ma\ 24, L868, till Maj 1.
1869, the Rev. William McGlathery was rector; Sept
12, 1869, till March, |s:o. R ev . Charles Ritter; .Nov.
27, L870, till April m, L871, Rev. Samuel 11. Meade:
i)et. L5, L871, till Oct. I. L872, Rev. John Ireland;
Nov. 8, D7J, until the spring of L878, Kev. J. Van
Linge, D.D. During the remainder of 1878 the
church was in charge of the bishop of the diocese,
services being rendered bj several clergymen. From
January, 1874, Frederic I'. Davenport officiated as
lay-reader until hi- ordination to the deaconate, May
:'.l-l ol' ihe same year. From that time he continued
in chai i 3 mber, I B75.
I hi Rev. William Wanllaw officiated from < Ictober,
1875, till August, 1876; from October, 1876, till Aug-
ust, K77. the Rev. William I'.aum; from October,
L877, tili dan. jo. L879, the Kev. Thomas B. Newby.
IF- wa- elected rector Dec. i. i>77. Sept. 21, 1879,
the Kev. Elvin K. Smith, as missionary in Hunter-
don County by appointment of Bishop Scarborough,
became pastor of St. Andrew's Church, one of the
missions in ihe county.
Some account of the lite of the Ke\. David Brown,
who wa- for seventeen years a rector of St. Andrew's
Church, well de-erve- a place in these annal-. lie
282
HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
was born in Hopkinstown, R. I., Oct. 3, 1786. In
the spring of 1799 he removed to Stephentown, N. Y..
and from there to Cobleskill, Schoharie Co., N. Y.,
in 1800. He taught school for a number of years,
and married at the age of nineteen. In 1807 he
studied law. In 1816, feeliDg called to enter the
ministry, he went to the city of New York to study
divinity with the Rev. Theodore Lyell, D.D. In the
mean while he kept the church academy for one year.
He was ordained in 1816 by Bishop Hobart. His
first ministerial labors were at Hyde Park, N. Y. ;
afterwards he ministered in sacred things at Fredonia
and Lockport, in the same State. While at Fredonia
he had the pleasure, as well as the honor, of receiving
the "nation's guest," Gen. Lafayette, on his visit to
that village in June, 1825. In 1833 he removed to
St. Augustine, Fla., and from thence to Florence,
Ala. He then removed to Cold Spring, N. Y. In
July, 1850, he was instituted rector of St. Andrew's
Church, Lambertville, by Bishop Doane. He resigned
his charge in August, 1867, but continued to reside in
Lambertville until his death, in December, 1875. He
was married three times. His last wife died only a
few weeks before the termination of his own useful
and honorable life.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. '
Until 1843 there were no public schools in the
place. During that year a two-story brick school-
house was erected on the east side of Franklin Street,
between York and Coryell Streets, which has since
been turned into a dwelling.
Previous to 1843 there had been good private schools,
and at several times classical schools were commenced,
which flourished for a while and then declined. The
proximity to Trenton and the facility of communica-
tion with that city have induced many to send their
children to its excellent schools ; so that it has seemed
impossible to keep up a select school of a high grade
for any length of time in Lambertville.
The first principal of the public school here was
William H. Lord. He was assisted and succeeded by
a Mr. Sexton. After him, David Cole, Arthur W.
Lundy, and Enoch Drake successively had charge.
These all taught in the school-house in Franklin
Street.
The first trustees were Samuel Haselton, Jacob B.
Smith, George A. Kohl, James Britton, Burroughs
Hunt. Samuel Haselton was president of the board,
and George A. Kohl treasurer.
In 1853 the spacious school-house on Coryell's Hill
was built, and the services of an experienced teacher,
James M. Robinson, were secured. He continued as
principal for several years, when he resigned his po-
sition, and was succeeded by Thomas J. Willever.
William Lyman was the next principal. Upon his
resignation James M. Robinson was again placed in
charge, and continued to be principal until his death,
in 1871.
L. K. Strouse was appointed in his place, and after
serving for three years was succeeded by Thomas
Ruth, who was an incumbent of the office only one
year, at the expiration of which the present principal,
Charles W. Bunn, was chosen in his stead. Owing to
the lack of room in the school-house on Coryell's Hill,
and to the necessity of having a graded system of
schools, a building for a primary school was erected
in the Third Ward in 1875, and another building for
the same purpose in the First Ward in 1878.
The present valuation of school property is $16,000,
and the school expenses aggregate about $10,000 per
annum. Fifteen teachers are at present employed.
The school district is known as "Lambertville, No.
108."
REMINISCENCES— PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENTS
—MANUFACTORIES.
Within a few years after the establishment of the
post-office here under the name of Lambertsville, the
village came to be known altogether by that title.
In course of time the name was changed by usage
from Lambertsville to Lambertville.
The town-plat was gradually enlarged as street
after street was laid out. The Old York Road origi-
nally extended from the ferry below the site of the
Delaware bridge through what is now Ferry Street,
past the old stone tavern before mentioned to the cor-
ner of Main and Ferry Streets, thence up the river
road, or Main Street, to the corner of York, and
thence up the bed of the creek nearly in the line of
the present York Road.
When the corner-stone of the Presbyterian church
was laid there was an orchard immediately to the
east of it, the gate to which was a little to the east of
Gordon's Alley. Not long after this, Church Street
was laid out to Union Street, which was opened at or
before this time from Bridge to Coryell Street. Bridge
Street was laid out on the completion of the New
Hope Delaware bridge, and the Bridge Street Hotel
was built about the same time by Capt. John Lam-
bert.
Coryell Street, which was not legally laid out until
Dec. 1, 1813, must have been opened as early as 1803,
as the houses of Dr. Richard Kroesen and of Joshua
Anderson were built in that year.
The Georgetown and Franklin turnpike, extending
from Georgetown (or Lambertville) to New Bruns-
wick, was incorporated Feb. 25, 1816. The invest-
ment, however, was not at all remunerative : hence
the charter was given up, and the turnpike became a
public road, Sept. 14, 1841.
York Street must have been opened not long before
1826, as there were no houses built on it west of Maii:
Street until that date.
Union Street was a mere alley above Coryell Street
and half way to York until 1842, when it was made of
uniform width to Delevan Street.
Delevan Street was opened about 1832. At that
CITY OF I.AMIIKKTYIU.K.
283
time there was a thrifty orchard when- that street is,
between the river road, or Main Street, and Gordon's
Alley.
Formerly the river road, above I)elevan, had its
course a little east of its present location, there being
a turn in it eastward just above the old brewery, and
another westward, this side of the old llolconi be man-
sion. Where the road now runsjusl aliove the brew-
cry there was a small burying-ground for colored
people.
Below Swan's Creek, before 1849, there were no
streets [aid out. I 'mil the autumn of 1857, Delevan
Street was the farthest street north. At some time
during that autumn the lowlands belonging to John
lloleombe, lately deceased, -the son id' Richard and
grandson of the first Holcombe who settled here, —
were sold, and several streets were soon thereafter Laid
• ■lit and several dwellings erected. All the houses and
pli a of business which we now see above Delevan
Street have been built since the autumn of 18.17.
In 1871, Mr. Richard McDowell purchased the
tract east of Mount Hope < 'enietery, opened several
trei i and divided the tract into building-lots. This
has grown to be a very pleasant part of the town,
known as Cottage Hill, from every part of which a
fine view can be had of the surrounding country.
Before and during the period of the Revolution
there was no road along the river below Coryell's
Ferry. There was a by-road leading to the foot of
Goat Hill and Up to the farm-hon-e near the summit.
Years afterwards a road was opened, down the river
across Swan's ( 'reck near it- mouth and immediately
along the river-bank, to a point at the distance of two
miles, whence its course became identical with that
Of the present road. When the canal was excavated
(lie road was made an extension of Main Strict from
the foot of (ioat Hill, where it crowed the canal and
extended along its bank nearly iii the rse in which
the road had run before, hut elevated more above the
level of the river, to the point before mentioned two
mile- distant, whence, recrossing the canal, it became
identical with the mad as it now is from that point
onward. The road as first designated was not, how-
ever, legally laid oul from Bridge street to the Prime
Hope Mills (then existing), near Wells' Falls, until
Dec. 19, L827. When the Belvidere Delaware Kail-
mad was built it compelled the vacating of the public
road on the bank of the canal, between the canal and
the river, and the making of it along the base of Gont
Mill.
.lust at this point some mention of the public im-
provements which have done so much forLambert-
ville may naturally be made.
The feeder of the Delaware and Raritan Canal was
commenced in 188] and completed in the summer of
L884, The excursion in celebration of the canal was
made to Lambertville June 26th of the latter year,
and on the next day was the excursion to New Bruns-
wick.
The Belvidere Delaware Railroad was finished as
far as Lambcrtville in February, 1851. It was com-
pleted to Manunka chunk in 1857. The building of
this railroad gave aii impetus to business lure, stimu-
lated manufacturing, and gave value to the water-
power in affording facility of communication to the
great cities. The machine-shops of the railroad were
located here, and until the lease of the property of
the I'nited Railroads of Xew Jersey to the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad loc tives as wi II as passenger- and
In iv !il-cars were constructed at these shops. Al-
though this branch of industry has been removed,
yet the needful repair- to ears and locomotives -till
give employment to a large number of men.
There had been some manufacturing in the village
bet re the building ol the railroad. 1 he flouring mill
now under the management of Holcombe .V Niece
was built in 1835. A few years later the flouring- and
saw-mills now owned bj Frederic F. Lear were built
by William Hall. About the same time a -aw-mill
was erected by Burroughs Hunt. There had been a
small mill near Wells' falls, on the New Jersej side
of the river, about the time of the Revolution, but
thi- was demolished to make way for mills which
were considered quite extensive in that day. The
latter, known as the Prime Hope Mill-, were built
by Benjamin and l>a\i.l Parry, not far from the year
17'JO. The Messrs. Parry conducted an extensive
business -it these mills and at their mills in Xew Hope.
They were among the first to send kiln-dried corn-
meal to the West Indie-. When the Belvidere Dela-
ware Railroad was built the Prime Hope Mills had to
be demolished, and not a vestige of them remains
except a small part of the foundation walls.
I'p to the time of building the railroad the village
was still much resorted to for lumber. After that
time, however, there was quite a marked change in
tlii- respect. The lumber trade wa- much diminished.
To more than compensate for this, manufactures of
various kinds were much increased.
Tilt: i.\miu i:r\ n.i i CBON-WOBKS,
Which were lirst established here by I. aver ,V; Cow in
iii the spring of is p.i, arc now in the possession of
Ashbel Welch, Jr. The principal bu-iness consists
in the making of patent axles, of the patent Kelipse
safety-boilers, and of steam-engines. The making of
axles, which is a new branch of business in this estab-
lishment, i- steadily Increasing.
1NI'IA-KI -11111 i: U mUTAOTUBB.
The manufacture of India-rubber g 1- was com-
iii. uced in I860, but, not pro\ ing successful, the busi-
aess ceased tor a time. The property having passed
into other hand-, tin- business wa- begun again on
Jan. 18, 1866, but was carried on in a moderate way.
only 12 or 16 persons being at first employed. On
March 18, 1868, the main factory-building wa- de-
stroyed by lire. It was then decided to rebuild on a
larger scale and to add new and improved manufac-
284
HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
taring facilities. Hitherto the manufacture had been
confined principally to the lighter class of work, but
on the completion of the repairs and improvements,
in October, 1868, the manufacture of a heavier class
of goods, such as belting, packing, etc., was begun.
Additions and improvements have since been made
from time to time, requiring the employment of more
persons, until now there are 125 employed, and the
variety of work made is surpassed by only two or
tbree factories in the country. The boot department,
which was commenced in December, 1876, has greatly
enlarged the business of the company.
PAPER-MILLS.
The " Mountain Spring Mill," the first paper-mill in
Lambertville, was built by James C. Weeden. It
was commenced Dec. 4, 1859, and finished in the
summer of 1860. The business was very successfully
carried on by the firm of James C. Weeden & Co.
until the death of Mr. Weeden, in March, 1866. The
name of the firm, however, was continued, and the
business was conducted by the widow of Mr. Weeden
and her nephew, William H. Gandy, with the same
degree of success for several years. Aug. 16, 1878,
the firm was dissolved and the business, until July
31, 1879, was conducted in behalf of Mrs. Weeden by
Edward R. Solliday. Since that time it has been
managed for her by Cornelius Lake.
The " Perseverance Paper-Mill" was built by Wil-
liam McCready in the spring of 1868. The business
was conducted by him until July 1, 1870, when
an organization was formed with the title of the
"Lambertville Paper Manufacturing Company,"
under whose management the business has been con-
tinued ever since. The first officers were William
Cowin, President; Joseph Smith, Secretary and
Treasurer ; William McCready, Superintendent. Mr.
Cowin subsequently resigned his office, and Griffith
L. Williams was elected in his stead. Since that
time there has been no change in the officers of the
company.
The mill was much enlarged in the summer of 1879,
and again in the autumn of 1880. It has facilities
for steam- as well as for water-power. Its capacity
for production is 8000 pounds a day, and it gives
employment to 40 operatives. The products of its
manufacture are manilla and flour-sack paper, for
which the principal markets are New York and Phila-
delphia.
The " Centennial Paper-Mill" began operations
under the management of William H. Gandy & Co.,
July 4, 1876, but on November 1st of that year the
present firm — McDowell &Son — came into possession
of the mill. The firm is engaged in the almost exclu-
sive manufacture of manilla paper. About 30 opera-
tives are employed. The mill is capable of producing
more than 7000 pounds of paper daily.
In fact, all the paper-mills "1 Lambertville are
prospering under their several efficient managers,
and we hope are destined, with the other vigorously-
conducted manufacturing establishments, to add to
the wealth and prosperity of the town.
THE COTTON-MILL.
A meeting was held on Feb. 2, 1866, for the pur-
pose of considering the feasibility of organizing a
company for the manufacture of cotton thread, and it
was decided to form such an organization. Accord-
ingly, a charter for the " Amwell Mills Company"
was obtained on April 6, 1866. The first officers were
William Cowin, President; Joseph J. Frazer, Secre-
tary ; Joshua Hilton, Superintendent.
Mr. Hilton resigned his office March 9, 1868, when
Joseph J. Frazer was elected in his place, continuing
until December, 1873, when he resigned on his re-
moval to Massachusetts. Joseph Smith succeeded
Mr. Frazer in January, 1874.
Owing to the financial depression throughout the
country and the overproduction of cotton goods, the
company met with but little success, but was reorgan-
ized Nov. 1, 1877, under the corporate title of "The
Amwell Spinning Company," and has since been
more prosperous ; it lately declared a dividend of six
per cent., clear of tax, on its net earnings during the
past year.
The officers of the new company are as follows :
Ashbel Welch, President; Joseph Smith, Treasurer
and Manager; Ashbel Welch, Jr., Secretary.
The cotton yarn which the company manufacture
is reputed to be of excellent quality.
THE SPEOAT MANUFACTUEING COMPANY
was organized Nov. 1, 1880. It manufactures twine
and rope from jute, flax, and hemp. The capacity of
the mill is 2000 pounds i)er day, and it gives employ-
ment to 42 persons. The officers of the company are
Ashbel Welch, President; Joseph Smith, Secretary
and Treasurer; John Sproat, Superintendent.
In 1843, John Sproat (now deceased), the father of
the present superintendent, came to Lambertville and
leased of Jonathan Fisk a building which stood below
where the railroad-station now is and converted it
into a twine-factory, and with his brother Henry com-
menced business as the firm of J. & II. Sproat. In
1847 the factory was destroyed by fire. It was, how-
ever, rebuilt, and business was resumed.
In 1855 the firm sold out their interests to James
French, and the brothers Sproat removed to Lansing-
burg, N. Y., but in three years moved back again
and took possession of their former mill. In 1862,
John Sproat, Sr., removed into the substantial brick
building now owned by the Sproat Manufacturing
Company.
Upon the death of Mr. Sproat and the settling up
of his estate the mill lay idle for a considerable time,
but seems now to have commenced with most favor-
able auspices under the new management.
cm r of lami;i;i;t\ille.
285
Tin: LAMBERTVILLE 3P0KE-MANI FACTl KING I OMPANY
carries on an extensive business and sends its pro-
ducts to the most distant regions of the globe. Aus-
tralia, New Zealand, and < lalifornia, as well as I (real
Britain and some parts of the European continent,
furnish a market for its ware-. The business bas
within the last two years been greatly enlarged by
facilities for making wheels, a sufficient number being
manufactured every day to supply a hundred wagons,
The manufacture of spokes was commenced here
bj Mr. William Thatcher, who built the mill, in
1868, He continued in the business for a shorl time
only. For several years Mr. John Finney bas been
the leading member of the company, owning seven-
eighths of the stock.
I M 1871, William G. Moore commenced the manu-
facturing of Bpokes, but his mill is now running only
a part of the time.
Tin; STEAM s.wv-Mii.i.
owned and managed by Cornelius Arm-It was erected
in 1868. Large quantities of hard-wood, and occa-
sionally of pine, are sawed at this mill.
Mr. Arnett sends ship-timber to the ship-yards on
Btaten [aland and in New York City. He bas also
sent ship-timber to Australia. He is now larger) en-
gaged in preparing telegraphic supplies, sueli as pins
and brackets. These lie has sent largely to the
Southern States, and once filled a large order for mili-
tary service on the vasl plains be) I the borders of
e i \ I I i / : 1 1 i o 1 1 .
BANKING IND [NS1 R \XCE.
'ill I : i.\Mlii:ii I mi.i.i: NATIONAL BANE
was originally chartered as a State bank tinder the
general banking law of New Jersey. It- charter was
obtained June 20, 1857. Its first board of directors
\va- chosen .May ">, lS.'iS, and consisted of the follow-
ing persons: Samuel D. Stryker, James D. Stryker,
Thomas Ii. Carr, Nelson V. Large, Jacob Skillman,
Charles A. Skillman, [nghi toryell, John 1 1, [lead-
ing, Liscomb K. Titus, Charles M 'e, and John < '.
Hopewell. Samuel D. Stryker was chosen president
of the board, Charles V. Skillman secretary, and
Martin L. Reeve cashier. The first discount com-
mittee appointed were Samuel I >. Stryker, [ngham
< lorj ell, and t !harles A. skillman.
Samuel 1 1. stryker continued t" be president until
bis death, in January, 1863, when his brother, James
1 >. Stryker. was chosen to buci 1 bim, and has been
annually re-elected to the present time.
Martin L. Reeve served the hank faithfully as
cashier until his death, June II. 1871. William