SMITH, GRANT AND IRONS FAMILIES OF New Jersey's Shore Counties Including the Related Families of WILLETS AND BIRDSALL Compiled by JAMES W. HOOK 80 Temple St. New Haven 6, Conn. I FOREWORD This book was written primarily to record what is known about Thomas Smith and his brother William of Cape May County, New Jersey and to carry the record of Thomas and connecting families nown four generations to an intennar­ riage with the Hook family in 1803. The task was a diffi­ cult one, first because of the many families of Smith and Grant that entered the scene at various times and places, ann second because of the 0iversity of records that had to be searched and coor~inated. Occasionally public records and the records of cemeteries, churches and family Bibles would show variations making it almost impossible to ascer­ tain which date or name should be accepted as correct. The writer did his best to be accurate and apologizes in advance for any errors tnat may be found. The families chronicled were interesting ones and lived in a time and in places when and where important history was made. Much more could be written than is writ­ ten about various members of these families and the events that transpired in the places where they lived but that task must be left to others. This writer hopes that this addi­ tional work will be done so that, in time, each family will be fully recorded for future generations to enjoy. The writer expresses his warmest thanks to each of those who supplied Bible and other records and read and corrected preliminary manuscripts as this work progressed. Particularly helpful were the Smith Bible recorns supplied by Mrs. J. Reid (Cora E.) Chambers of Dennisville, New Jersey and the family records of the Irons anti Grant fami­ lies that were mane availa.ble to the writer by Margaret Y. Menck of 'Rumson, New Jersey, Robert G. Crj_st fill~ his mother, Mrs. Robert w. Crist of Camp Hill, Pennsyl,rania, Russel Grant Conover :md Donald T. Applegate of Toms River, New Jersey, Mrs. George W. (Elizabeth Reid) Manson of Red Banlc, New Jersey, Dr. Albert M. Grant of Hanover, Pennsyl",:ania, Samuel M. Smith of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania and Mrs. Florence (Sturgis) Mcilvaine of Washinr,ton, Pennsylvania who supplied a wealth of information about the Smith, Grant and Hook families of Southwest Pennsylvania. The uniform courtesy shown this writer by the various II state, county and town officials who have custody of the public records and by Miss Eleanor Melson, custodian of the Ancient Friends Meeting Records at 302 Arch Street, Phila­ delphia, made the visits to these places pleasant as well as productive. The writer extends to each of them his sincere thanks. 80 Temple Street James W. Hook New Haven 6, Connecticut January 20, 195'5 III TABLE OF OONTENTS Foreword I, II Chart, genealogical IV Bellangee, family 53 Birdsall, family 174 - 193 Cresse, family 56 Dayton, family 39 Grant, family 110 - 173 Hand, family 41, 63 Howland, family 42 Irons, family 194 - 249 Johnson, famizy 43 Ludlam, .family 43, 57 Pharo, family 56 Scull, family 53 Smith, Abram (Abraham) 11 - 21 Smith, Anthony, family of 66 - 90 Smith, Elisha, f~mily 10 Smith, Families of Cape Mey 1 - LJ Smith, John, family 7, 16 Smith, Richard, family 4 Smith, Robert, family 4 Smith, Samuel, family 4 Smith, Thomas, family of 39 - 65 Smith, Thomas, Will of 45 - 51 Smith, William, family of 22 - 39 Smith, William, Abram and Thoma.s 13 - 21 Swaine, family 55 Wells, family 40 Willets, family 91 - 109 For continuance of Hook and Eller lines see Genealogies "James ~ook and Virginia Antho Eller", 1025 and "Ca.pt. James 4ook of d Margery Richard Greene Co., Pa.", l9t;2. Mar e Smith ~~,¥,~~~ william PP. 81 am 1~ Ho Willets Washburn Timot P. 95 P. 91 Lydia Willets WilletR, P. 11)'.) P. 102 Jane Annzube Grant don P:'. lh3 an➔ 144 r-- Ste hen 0 Mabel Birdsall Birdsall, P. 176 °'rl ? . r'-l'ou.hn::.:......:::::G~r-=an=---r P. ll8 and 178 ? +> 0. P. 122 John Grant Q) Cf) . t'­ James Irons Nathan Birdsall rl P. 17 . James Grant S ah Irona P. 196 Ste hen E Hook: PP. 122 and 200~~~--~~ Birdsall, P, 176..,___ ?__ ? ~ P. 146 co co James Hook rl Thomas Hooke o. 30 Sept. James Hook 1839; m. 21 John Hook Anna le runes Hook Nov. 1867 Mar aret . Virginia Eller Ste hen Hook Sarah Sim son Thrasher .D or Snowden b. in Wilkes PP. 145-146 ~ ~ Co. , N. C. , d a he William lee ~ of Harvey and Mary Caroline Martha lee John le ('.'annoy) E lier Arm Posanna Sarah l; le James Maholm .uel Maholm Ma Maholm ? Je.ne l CHAPTER I SMITH FAMILIES OF CAPE MAY COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Cape May County, New Jersey derived its name fran Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, a Dutchman, who explored the coast of lower New Jersey for the West Irrlia Company in 1621. He was not the first to set foot on the Cape, however, for Henry Hudson, 28 Aug. 16o9, anchored his ship, The Half Moon, in ~laware Bay and sent a scouting party ashore at what is now Cape May Point. Others were there in 1631 and later but it was not until 1685 that whalers from Cape Cod in the Mass. Bay Colony and Southampton, Long Island estab­ lished a settlement at New England Town, or Town Banlc, on the Delaware Bay side. Among these early settlers were Capt. Ezekial Eldridge of Falmouth, Joseph Whillden and Samuel Crowell of Yannouth and Christopher Leaming of South­ ampton, L:,ng Island. Others including Henry Stites, Joshua and Caleb Cannan, William Smith, John Reeves, Thomas Hand and Humphrey Hughes were settled at Cape May early in 169.3 or before. Joseph Whillden brought a Mayflower heritage with him, his wife Hannah Gorham being a granddaughter of John Howland the Mayflower pilgrim. One Whillden daughter, Hannah, married Thomas Leaming, son of Christopher, another, Mary, married Josiah Crowell, ~on of Sa~uel, and a third, Experience, married William Foster. The proprietary history of New Jersey is interesting. Passing over the successive Dutch and English claims of the very early rlays one cornes to t re more stable history of the province which began in 167u when the English took over the territory from the DJtch. The claims of Sir George Cartaret and William Penn were compromised on July 1, 1676 by the historic "Ouintiparti te Deed" which divided the territory into two parts called East and West New Jersey, Cartaret talcing the ea.st and Penn and his Quaker associates the west part. The line between the two sections began at near the south end of what is now the island of Long Beach at Little Egg Harbor and ran along what is now the east boundary of Burlington County and northwestward to a point on the Delaware River near the Delaware water gap. Cape May was in West Jersey and in 1687 was principally owned by Dr. Daniel Coxe of London whose local headouarters were at Town 2 Banlc in lower Cape May County on the Delaware Sound side, a mile or so north of the west entrance of the present Cape May Canal. His residence vas known as Coxe Hall. On January 20, 1692 a society of 48 persons, known as the West New Jersey Society, was forned to take over Coxe's holdings which ~otalled 95,000 acres or more, and on November 12 of the same year Cape May County was created. Thereafter, grants of land were made by the West New Jersey Society to the settlers, many, if not all, of them containing a curious quit rent provision that was in the grant of 130 acres to William Smith, dated 1 April 1699. This grant provided that the grantee be burdened with, "alsoe yealding and paying yearly and every year two fat capons or hens to the sd. Jeremiah Bass or his successor or successors for the ti.me bei~ as agent for and on behalf of the Society aforesaid as a cheif or quit rent payable to them or their assignes, factor or factors at the Man or of Cox Haul at Cape May afore­ said on the twenty fourth Day of DecP,mber as Lords of the Manor of Cox Haul if lawfully demanded and further that the sd. Jeremiah Bass Esq., agent --- shall at all times hereafter During the term of seven years next ensueing the Date hereof at the reasonable re­ quest, cost and charge of the sd. William Smith his heirs anr. assignes ~.a.lee Doe and Execute or cause to be Made Don or Executed such further lawful act or acts, thing or things, conveyances ano assurances for the further better, more fully in fact, Conveying and asureing and Confirmin~ the sd. premises hereby grant­ ed anrl every or any part of plot thereof with the appurtenances unto the srl. William Smith." ( Deed Book B, p. lS, Cape Mczy- Court House, New Jersey.) In another deect, dated 6 Sept. 1699, (Book B, p. 55, Cape May Court House, N. J.), namely ore from Jeremiah Bass, agent for West New Jersey, to Abraham Smith, for l~O acres, the wording about the capons is more clearly stated. It says in essense, "Jeremiah Bass etc. doth covenant and promise etc. that he hath done nothing willingly or unwittingly to put encumbrance on the property- as arzy- part or parcel thereof - otherwise however than the quit rents -- 3 ensueing to our Sovereign Lord the King his heirs and successors and the arrears thereof if any be and the yearly payment of two fat hens or capons yearly for­ ever to the sd.