SUSSEX COUNTY t SESQUI-CENTENNIAL ----SEPTEiVIBER 2, 1903 ---

INCLUDING CENTENNIAL ADDRESS OF BEN JAMIN B. EDSALL

&iited bv JACOB L. BUNNELL by resolution of Sesqui­ Centennial Committee.

The New Jersey Herald Press, Newton, N. J.

SESQUI-CENl~ENNIAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE

WILLIAM W. WOODWARD

THEODORE SIMONSON

JOHN C. HOWELL

HENRY 0. RYERSON

JACOB W. C. CARBER

LEWIS J. MARTIN

JACOB L. BUNNELL

~4NDREW J. VANBLARCOM

WILLIAM W. WOODWARD, President. THEODORE SIMONSON, Vice-President. JOHN C. HOWELL Treasurer. HENRY O. RYERSON. JACOB W. C. CARBER. HON. LEWIS J. MARTIN. JACOB L. BUNNELL. ANDREW J. VAN BLARCOM, President Newton Board of Trade. ISRAEL L. HALLOCK, Secretary Sesqui-Centennial Committee.

SUSSEX SESQUI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Some lazy ages, lost in sleep and ease, No action leave to busy chronicles: Such superior felicity but makes In story chasms, in epochs mistakes. -Dryden. The charge of the celebrated English poet laureate and historiographer of the sixteenth century certainly cannot be applied to Sussex County. Ever since its erection, one hundred and fifty years ago, its citizens have manifested most commendable interest in all that pertained to the history of the county and to the record of the lives of the energetic and noble men who have so continuously wrought for the growth and prosperity of the county and for the best welfare and happiness of its citizens. If any "chasms" occur in our county's history, as there undoubtedly do, we fancy they are more attributable to the rapid pace at which we are living than to any intentional thoughtlessness on the part of the citizens of the county. To the end that no further mistakes be made in the recording of the "epochs" of Sussex County, we are in hearty sympathy with the movement looking toward the establishment of the Sussex County Histori­ cal Association, and if the germs of so valuable an acquisition to our county can be traced, as they justly can, to the Sesqui-Centennial move­ ment, so patriotically observed Wednesday, September 2, 1903, the pro­ moters of that celebrated occasion ha-v-e still another most important reason to rejoice at the emphatic success crowning their efforts. The idea of celebrating the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Sussex County found its inception in the observance, October, 1896, of the Sesqui-Centennial of Princeton University, an institution held in partic­ ularly high esteem by the citizens of Sussex County, which was attended by ~Ir. W. W. Woodward, the well known citizen and esteemed business man of Newton. With the thought of this celebration in mind, Mr. Wood­ ward, at a meeting of the Newton Board of Trade, in the parlors of the Newton Club, at its regular monthly meeting, March 3, 1902, suggested that a similar celebration be observed upon the occurrence of the one hundred and :fiftieth anniversary of Sussex County. This suggestion struck a popular chord. With much enthusiasm, the Board adopted the following: Whereas, The County of Sussex was erected by act of Provincial Legisla­ tnre June 8, 1753, which act ·was subsequently approved by King George the Second, and the name given by Jonathan Belcher, the Governor of the Province in compliment of the Duke of Newcastle, whose family seat was in the County of Sussex, England, we are now within about fifteen months of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its estab­ lishment ; now therefore be it 6 Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the President of this Board of""Trade to consider what action is necessary to arrange for the proper observance of the Sesqui-Centennial of our county. Andrew J. VanBlarcom, President of the Board of Trade, appointed as such committee: William W. V{oodward, Theodore Simonson, Henry 0. Ryerson, John C. Howell, Jacob W. C. Carber. On motion of :M:r. A. F. O'Donnell, the committee was given po,ver to appoint the necessary additional committees to assist them in their labors, such appointments to be subject to the appro,al of the Board of Trade. Immediately following their appointment, the gentlemen of what was afterward regarded the Sesqui-Centennial Central Committee, organized by the appointment of William W. Woodward, President; Theodore Simonson, Vice President; John C. Howell, Treasurer. The committee was fortunate in securing a gentleman of the business ability and experi­ ence of Mr. Howell as its Treasurer. His report of the finances of the celebration is printed in this publication. It is especially interesting from the fact that it shows that not only was sufficient money subscribed to defray all the expenses of the anniversary, but in addition to this to pay a dividend of fifteen per cent. to every subscriber to the fund-a most remarkable incident in the history of such enterprises. 1Ir. Israel L. Hallock was, by a unanimous vote, chosen Secretary to the committee. The selection was a very proper one, Mr. Hallock proving a painstaking, thoroughly competent and most accommodating official. The initial steps looking to our county's Sesqui-Centennial celebra­ tion were taken more than a year prior to that event, to the end that the historian might be afforded ample opportunity to prepare a sketch of the history of the county in a ma,nner creditable to that important event. Accordingly the matter of the selection of a historian was the first busi­ ness to occupy the attention of the Central Committee. A number of available names were recommended and discussed. The name of Justice Francis J. Swayze, of Newark, an esteemed and honored native of New­ ton, met the approval of the entire committee. Being notified of his selec­ tion, Mr. Swayze accepted the important trust, advising the committee that he would enter upon the preparation of his address immediately upon his return from a contemplated visit to Europe, previously arranged. How well, faithfully and altogether acceptably this address was prepared can be the better appreciated by its careful reading. The address, as per­ sonally revised by Justice Swayze, is included in this publication, and is printed in its entirety. During the months that followed many informal conferences and per­ sonal interviews were held with numerous representative citizens of the county, principally of the older class more familiar with local facts and traditions. Subsequently the committee secured the active aid of many men from the various townships and boroughs of the county by placing them upon local committees. January 3, 1903, there appeared in a Newton paper a three column editorial relati,e to the appropriateness of the cele­ bration of this important event in our county's history, together with the portraits of the individual members of the Central Committee. The writer is advised by the chairman of the committee that this publication aroused general interest and enthusiasm, not only among citizens of the 7 county but in the minds of many who had gone from its borders to make their homes elsewhere. The earliest response, probably the result of this publication, was by the late T. A. :Ofarshall, for a generation or more Superintendent of the Passaic Zinc Company, of Ogdensburg, in the fol­ lowing letter highly characteristic of the public spirit of the man : OGDEXSBURG, N. J., Jan 7, 1903. MR. W. W. "\V00DWARD, Chairman of Committee:- Dear Sir:- I am aware that your noble undertaking of the Sesqui­ Centennial cannot be carried out without strong :financial aid. If the different township committees would resolve to get a list of one-hundred subscribers, at $5 each, or fifty subscribers at $10 each I -would be only too pleased to be on either list. This would be $500 from each township, not including subscriptions from mines and factories. Respectfull yours, T. A. ~I. SILENT OBSERVER. Various meetings of the Central Committee were held during the winter and spring months, when the first public meeting was announced at the Court House, Newton, May 5, at 1: 30 P. M·. Subsequent to this meeting the Central Committee selected the following gentlemen from the various townships .filld boroughs of the county to represent their indi­ vidual localities in completing arrangements for the proposed celebration. It will be noticed with genuine pleasure that the gentlemen thus select€d are principally, if not wholly, descendants of those constituting the gen­ eral committee of the Centennial celebration of 1853: Andover-Luther Hill, Virgil B. Freeman, Watson R. Ayers. Byram-Peter D. Smith, John Wills, Dr. Harry H. Nelden. Bo. of Brooklyn-R. L. Edwards, Gustave Reinberg, Rev. Theo. A. K . Gessler. Bo. of Branchville-William l\IcDanolds, Dr. J. C. Price, Noah H. Hopkins. Bo. of Sussex-Rev. E. A. Hamilton, Theo. F. Margarum, John D. Simmons. Frankford-Henry S. Phillips, Robet V. A.rmstrong, Frank Roe. Green-Nathan H. Shafer. Philip R. Hardin, Wm. I. Young. Hampton-John Couse, Wm. S. Hardin, Moses H. Northrup. Hardyston-Daniel D. Munson, Horace E. Rude, Gabriel L. Law• rence. Lafayette-Samuel Warbasse, Raymond Snyder, Robert L. Everett. Montague-James E. Cole, Sanford Nearpass, Jacob McCarty. Newton-W. W. Woodward, Theo. Simonson, John C. Howell, Henry 0. Ryerson, J. W. C. Carber. (Hon. Lewis J. Martin, Jacob L. Bunnell and Andrew J. VanBlarcom were afterward added to the Newton com­ mittee.) Sandyston-William Clark, Elvin E. Smith, Washington DePue. Stillwater-Wm. P. Coursen, Lewis Roy, Levi J. Lewis. Sparta-P. J. Dolan, Henry Folk, Peter S. Gunderman. Vernon-Henry B. DeKay, David Hynard, Daniel Bailey, . Walpack-Emmet H. Bell, Nicholas Tillman, John S. Smith. Wantage-Gabriel S. Ludlum, Jacob Swartwout, Wm. T. Wright. The attendance at the initial public meeting of the Sesqui-Centennia.l anniversary in the Court House, Newton, was surprisingly large, almost 8 the entire committee being present. The absentees were principally among those who ·were detained to pay the last sad rites of respect to the memory of a highly esteemed and prominent citizen of the county (Albert Puder) whose obsequies ,\·ere obseryed at the same hour. This meeting proYed an object lesson, ~eatly increasing the interest and arousing the enthusiasm of the people of the county from Carpenter's Point to Lake Hopatcong. The meeting ,v-as called to orde:r by ]\fr. Woodward, Chair­ man of the Central Committee, who spoke as follows: · "It affords me great pleasure to extend a most cordial greeting and a hearty welcome to you to-day as members of the general committee to proYide for the suitable obsen,.ance of the approaching one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the erection of the County of Sussex. It has been the design of, those charged with the responsibilities of :providing for the suitable obsenance of this occasion to make it a popular celebration, not for Newton, but for the er:.ti:re County of Srn~sex, and it is our sincere hope that our l"epresentative citizens will take hold of it with a degree of enthusiasm and earnestness that will ai;su.:-e its successful consummation, and be an occasion for the regathering of the scattered sons of Sussex from near and far, and to that end we not only invite yom.- co-operation, but will ask that you do in your seYeral localities what may be ,vithin your power to insph-e your neighbors and friends ,,ith such enthusiasm as shall make it a. proud day for us all.~' Remarks of an enthusiastic and encouraging character were made by Rev. E. A.. Hamilton, D. D., of the Borough of Sussex; Theodore Sin1on­ son, Esq., of Newton; Captain Daniel Bailey, of Vernon; M:r. Henry S. Phillips, of Frankford, and Mr. Henry 0.Rye~scn, of Newton. The ad­ dresses were full of inspiration. They left the in1pressio:u that eYery member of the committee felt commendable p:::-ide in the fact that he was a. part of the committee and that it was in his hea!."t to do all in his po,ver to make the celebration wo::."thy the one hundred a.nd fiftieth annh·erssry of Sussex County. _.\.n important meeting of the Board of Trade was held July 20, 1903. At this_ meeting the original Sesqui-Centennial committee made a report of the work already done and stated the demands confronting the com­ mittee, and at thei::.- request, the committee asked for the a:ppointinent of the following gentlemen to co-operate with them : Hon. Lewis J. Ma::.-­ tin, Jacob L. Bunnell and Andrew J. VanBlarcom. This request was com­ plied with by the unanimous vote of the Board of Trade. At this meeting it was announced that Col. John A. "\Yildrick, of Blairstow·n, a for1ne::.' resi­ dent of Newton, had been selected Marshal of the day and that he had accepted this important position. On motion of 1fr. Thon.1as W. Bentley, committees were appointed on Finance, Transportation, Entertainn1ent, Badges and Press, und upon motion of rrfr. Levi H. 1\10:ris, the general committee, including the President cf the Boa::.·d of Trade, ,,as naIXl.ed to appoint the special ccmmittees. A motion by Ja~ob L. Bunnell, that the general committee be authorized to issue notice foI" a mass meeting, at the Court House, Tuesday, July 28, calling the to,vnship committees and the people of Sussex County together for the purpose of arousing enthusiasm·, was adopted. This meeting was held July 28. It was enthusiastic and the atten- 9 dance large. Andrew J. VanBlarcom, President of the Hoard of Trade, briefly stated the object of the meeting. Senator Lewis J. Martin was chosen chairman. In accepting the position he delivered a strong and stirring address, in plain language telling his hearers that to carry on in a proper manner the celebration proposed money was required, and with­ out money it would be useless to further proceed. Senator Martin's re­ marks were vigorously cheered. Addresses were made by Rev. A. B. Richardson, D. D., pastor of the First liethodist Church of Newton; Rev. C. H. Rannels, pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Newton; Prose­ cutor Henry Huston, former County Superintendent of Public Schools Luther Hill, of Andover; Nathan H. Shafer,[of Green township; Capt. Daniel Bailey, of Vernon, and Theodore Simonson, of Newton. The re­ marks followed the path outlined by Senator Martin. They had the right ring, and the meeting was full of the kind of confidence that begets suc­ cess. The following Finance Committee was appointed-Andrew J. V anBlar­ com, chairman; Virgil B. Freeman, John Wills, Gustave Reinberg, Noah H. Hopkins, Henry S. Phillips, Nathan H. Shafer, Moses H. Northrup, Daniel D. Munson, Samuel Warbasse, Jacob McCarthy, Levi J. Lewis, P. J. Dolan, Rev. E. A. Hamilton, Daniel Bailey, M. A. Devaney, Wil­ liam W. Woodward, Theodore Simonson, H. 0. Ryerson, J. W. C. Carber, Thomas Murray, R. L. Edsall, Seymour H. Lawrence, Lewis J. Martin, Jacob L. Bunnell, Levi H. Morris, George A. Williams, William H. Earl, William D. Ackerson, John C. Howell, William F. Howell, James Decker, Nathan H. Hart, Ora C. Simpson, William L. Dutcher, Thomas W. Bent­ ley, Emmet H. Bell, Gabriel S. Ludlum, Charles E. Stickney, John Linn, A. E. Rutherford, William E. Ross, James B. Tanking. Invitation Committee-Charles M. Woodruff, Chairman; R. F. Good­ man, Martin Rosenkrans, Lewis S. Iliff, Dr. J. C. Price, N. A. Stack­ house, Theodore Morford, Dr. M. N. Armstrong, William E. Ross, Judge Henry C. Hunt, John J. Stanton, Dr. Joseph H. Hunt. Transportation-0. W. Cooke, William W. Roe, Henry Huston. Badges-Charles S. Steele, Daniel L. Fisher. Press-Jacob L. Bunnell, Thomas Dutton, Israel L. Hallock. The members of the various committees above named, by resolution, were merged into a general reception committee, to meet at the Court House, which would be recognized as general headquarters on the day of the celebration. ' The finance committee entered upon their labors with great vigor, and their work was crowned with the reward it deserved. The labors of the com­ mittee were lessened by the superb contributions of $300 by Robert H. Mc­ Carter Potter; $200 by lt-Ir. Rutherforq. StuY'""esant; $100 by !\Ir. \V. C. Whittingham and $50 by ~Ir. W. I. Young. The central, and the no less active sub-committees, held meetings almost every evening (and frequent­ ly mid-day meetings) for ten days preceding the great celebra­ tion, providing for every detail. Everybody seemed interested in the event. Liberal, not extravagant, policies were adopted. A special com­ mittee conveyed an invitation to his Excellency Franklin Murphy, Gov­ ernor of the State, by whom it was graciously accepted. Invitations were also extended and accepted by United States Senators John Kean and John 10 F. Dryden. The Supreme Court Justices were iuvi ted ; Attorney General of the State Robert H. Mccarter, Congressman William Hughes and a long list of conspicuous State officials. The selection of an orator of the day was necessarily deferred until a late hour. The Central Committee were very desirous that this distin­ guished honor should fall to that brilliant son of Sussex County, former United States Attorney General John \V. Griggs. Unfortunately it was impossible, much to his regret, for ~fr. Griggs to be present. However, the following letter to Mr. Wood ward se-tisfactorily explained his inability to be with us: "Your letter was forwarded here, ,,here I found it on my arrival yesterday from the wilds of Canada. I had pre-,iously written 1¥Ir. Hal­ lock from Gaspi, stating the impossibility of my being at Newton on the second of September. As I told him, I expect to have to go to Vancouver about that time on affairs of the Great Northern Railroad Company, be­ sides which I must be at Lynchburg, Va., du.ring the latter part of August engaged in•a case before the Inter-State Commerce Commission. I am ex­ tremely sorry those things should come along just at that time, as I should like very much to participate in your celebration. Very truly yours, JOHN W. GRIGGS. Hotel Champlain, N. Y., July 25, 1903." Upon receipt of this explanatory and very courteous letter, the Com­ mittee at once set about diligently to secure an acceptable substitute for Mr. Griggs. ...f\. number of names were had under consideration. A unan­ imous choice was made in the selection of former Comptroller John S. Gibson, of Newark, a native of Sussex County, and at one time the local editor of "The New Jersey Herald." He was waited upon by the com­ mittee that in person conT"eyed the invitation to the celebration to Governor Murphy, to ,vit: Senator 1Iartin, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Simonson. Mr. Gibson accepted the invitation, although just at that moment submerged in business and personal matters, and came with an address delivered w·ith all the force of a strong, vigorous manhood, ringing with eloquence and full of love for his native county and encour­ agement to the young man entering upon life's battle, the more especially if that young man were so fortunate as to call Sussex the county of his nativity. The address of Mr. Gibson immediately follows the historical address of ~fr. Swayze. Two days before the celebration, the various committees met in final session. The meeting was one of much enthusiasm, and very general con­ gratulation. It was found that the individual committees had been so judicious in the expenditure of money allotted that sufficient funds were in the hands of Treasurer Howell to cancel the entire expense of the cele­ bration and still leave a creditable balance, which, by resolution, it was decided to distribute pro rata among the subscribers. Every step tending to the success of the anniversary had been taken ; every detail carefully looked after, and especially were the individual members of the various committees pleased and gratified at the liberality with which the people had subscribed to this worthy and patriotic occasion. These kindly feel­ ings were extended to the newspapers of the county to which so much of 1i the success of the Sesqui-Centennial celebration was due from the fact of the hearty and spontaneous endorsement it had received from the county and state press almost from the very moment of its inception. "\Vednesday, September 2, 1903, the one hundred and fiftieth anniver­ sary of Sussex County dawned bright and beautiful. Not a cloud marred the perfect sky. Promptly at 6 o'clock the church bells were rung, fac­ tory whistles blown and National salutes fired. It was a thrilling mo­ ment in the life of New-ton. It marked an illustrious epoch in the lives of the citizens of Sussex County-the erection of a most imporant milestone in our county's history. Everybody was astir. The air was filled with melody and rejoicing. Feeble indeed the pulse not quick­ ened by the pervading enthusiasm. As early as 9 o'clock every thoroughfare terminating at Newton was lined with conveyances, principally great family wagons carrying any­ where from a half a dozen to double that number of persons, whose faces beamed with eager interest, so anxious were they to reach the county town; enter upon the joyous county birthday exercises, and witness the magnificent display of fireworks announced for the evening. Some idea of the immensity of the crowd that thronged the town of Newton can be gleaned from the fact that a telephone message from Mr. A. D. Cornell, of Stillwater, stated that within a single hour just one hundred wagons passed his mill in that village en route for Newton. Thousands of people were brought to the celebration from distant cities and towns by regular, special and excursion trains on the various lines of railway lead­ ing into the county. The line of procession was formed at the depot at 11 o'clock, Spring street from that point to the Court House was bordered with a continuous throng of people, while at the homes of residents of the town guests num­ bering anywhere from ten to twenty was no unusual occurrence. All along the line of march residences, public buildings and business places were decorated as never before in the history of the town. The pro­ cession was formed as follows: Marshal and Aids. (Col. John A. Wildrick, Col. E. W. Davis, Ca.pt. Theodore F. Northrup, Col. E. A. Hamilton, Capt. Joel Wilson, James E. Cole, Gilbert ::.M:artin, Assemblyman Lewis S. Iliff. ) Newton Concert Band-40 pieces. Governor 1\1:urphy and Staff in carriages. State Officials, Historian, Speaker and Officers of General Committee. Veterans of Civil "\Var. Survivors of Centennial Celebration-1853. Board of Freeholders and County Officers. Visiting Delegations. Chief D. L. Fisher and Asst. Chief N. H. Hart. Union Band of Borough of Sussex. 1fayor and Common Council of Borough of Sussex. Chief Edward Fisher and Asst. Chief James E. Stanton. Borough of Sussex Fire Department. Stanhope Band. Sussex Chemical Company. 12 Hamburg Cornet Band. Kittatinny Hose Company. Newton Steamer.Company. Newton Drum Corps. Newton Hose Company, No. 3. Sussex Juniors, No. 2-35 juveniles under charge of Chas. H. Watkins. Line of March-Parade to form at Depot, right resting on Spring street. Down Diller avenue to Sparta avenue ; up Sparta avenue to Spring street; Spring to Water; down Water street to Trinity; through Trinity to Union Place; through Union Place to Madison street; down Madison street to Halsted; Halsted to ~Iain; Main to Park Place; Park Place to High street; up High to Liberty street; through Liberty to Main; cross Main to Elm; Elm to Maple avenue; ];faple avenue to Main; down Main to Park Place and disband. A finer parade was never witnessed in Newton nor never in the his­ tory of the connty had a line of march ever been graced by a Governor and his staff. The line disbanded at 12 :3~ o'clock, and the participants were distributed among the various hotels of town; we!."e entertained at the expense of the committee in the Opera House or retired in large num­ bers to private residences as the guests of friends and relatives. Justice Swayze entertained a company of fifty distinguished guests at his home in the Barrett mansion, on Main street. Among the vast assemblage ap­ peared many who participated in the Centennial celeb::-ation of 1853, among whom were noticed Gilbert Ingersoll, of Lafayette, who acted as, standard bearer in the parade of the Sesqui-Centennial, carrying the Cap of Liberty; Franklin Moran and George Lattimore, of Newark; 0. B. Wintermute, of Branchville ; Thomas Gray, Irvington; William Drake, Newton; Phineas Drake, Newton; William Keene, Rockaway; Williams. Ha.rd.in, Hampton; Judge William McDanolds, and John S. McDanolds. Branchville; Major William R. ~Iattison, New York; Levi Space, An­ dover; Henry J. Bunnell, Waverly, N. Y.; John S. Smith, Flatbrookville; Thomas Perigo, Frankford; Manley T. Hough, Papakating; John H. VanGilder, Washington; Henry VanGilder, Newton; James Auble, Ne­ braska.; George J. Bowman, Branchville; Gabriel Ludlum, Wantage, whose father was County Clerk of Sussex in 1853, and carried the Cap of Liberty in the parade; N. A. Stackhouse, Andover; John Couse, Wash­ ingtonville; Andrew Hammond, Stillwater; Luther Hill, Andover; Wil­ liam I. Young, New York; Dr. John C. Johnson, Blairstown; George Armstrong, Mont.ague; John Dill, Hope; Henry Space, Johnsonsburg; Peter D. Smith, Waterloo; Oscar Shotwell, Lafayette; Stephen Smith, Branchville; Halsey Miller, Springdale; Isaac Struble, Andover; John P. Wilson, Hamburg; Newman E. Benjamin, ~fonroe; John Lantz, Hardy­ ston; Robert Sheeler, Newton; \Villiam Allen, \Vantage; Anthony D. :Morford, Nyack, N. Y.; Henry W. Johnson, 1\fatawan; Thomas Ander­ son, Newark; George R. and Robert Gray, Newark; Mrs. Hugh Mc­ Laughlin, Brooklyn; Mrs. Elizabeth Mackerly, Newark ; 1\Irs. Martha Comings, Hampton; Mrs. Benjamin B. Edsall and Mrs. F. G. Westbrook, Newton; lfrs. E. M. Wildrick, Warwick; Benjamin Cole, of Walpack; Robert Adams, Frankford; Jedediah Hetzel, Stillwater; Benjamin W. Decker and wife, Borough of Sussex; Mrs. George C. Shaw, Newton; 13 Lewis Adams, Borough of Sussex. At 2 o'clock the great. platform, covering almost the entire northern boundary of the public park, was filled ,vith guests, while surrounding it was a vast concourse of people. J\,Irs. Benjamin B. Edsall, wife of the author of the celebrated Centennial address of 1853, printed in this vol­ rune, by special invitation of the Central Committee, was honored with a prominent seat upon the platform, her appearance being the occasion of hearty applause. The exercises were introduced by Mr. Woodward, Chairman of the Sesqui-Centennial Central Committee, who spoke as fol­ lows: "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens of Sussex County and former citizens of Sussex, and our distinguished guests, who come again to this beautiful hill country to rejoice with us on this glad anniversary day :-I extend most cordial greetings of welcome to each of you, and as we to­ day grow reminiscent and look back over the century and a half of the history of the noble men and women, who from these mountains and val­ leys have gone forth to adorn the walks of private and public life in our broad land, and also to mingle with and take part in the activities of other nations of the world, I esteem it no small honor to present to you, (for I know he needs no introduction to a Sussex County audience) Hon. Theodore Simonson as master of ceremonies on this occasion. You will all agree with me that the selection is in every way an eminently proper and happy one, as Mr. Simonson represents one of our oldest and most honorable families, ,vhose history has been cotemporaneous with the county from revolutionary times, and who have been prominent in its social and political !ife. ' ' Former County Prosecutor Theodore Simonson, who had been de­ signated by the Central Committee, very appropriately, as presiding officer of the day spoke as follows : Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens of the County of Sussex and invited guests :-I am not unmindful of the honor that the Committee have bestowed upon me in asking me to preside at this time, and gentle­ men of the Committee, I thank you for the same. We are here to-day to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the County of Sussex. This county was created by an act of the Council of this state on the 8th day of June, 1753; and for 150 years we have been plodding along here in the northern part of the state as a county. At our creation, or at its creation, it embraced, at that time, the whole of the northern part of New Jersey, For Warren County was sev­ ered from Sussex in 1824, and since that time ,ve have been an indepen­ dent organization, just going along in our quiet and peaceful way. Sussex has been loyal to the people of Sussex County. Sussex Co~nty has been loyal to the State of New Jersey. Proud of all the achievements of the state, willing to enter into anything that ,vill promote its welfare and happiness of its people. Sussex has been loyal to the Governor. It has always responded at the nation's peril, and an emblem of the loyalty of Sussex County is here in our midst; and all you need to do is to turn your eye to the monument that was erected in .honor of those who fought in the dark days of the country in defence of the govern­ ment. 14 Fellow citizens of Sussex County, I am not going to dwell at any length in an argument or speech. \Ve have others here who will fill that position-those positions. I am glad to ·welcome the people of Sussex County to this celebra­ tion. I am glad to see a large multitude of people-a vast multitude coming from all parts of the county. I see people here from the upper end of the county, in the eastern section; in the township where I was born. Over in the other end of the county, in the west, along the Del­ ay.are, and from Warren County, and from the Township of Walpack. ,valpack, I may say here, ,vas one of the first settled townships in the county, and whose people, in those day ssuffered more for civilization and existence than any other township in the county. Now, ladies and gentlemen, and fellow citizens, I welcome you all to this, our celebration. And to those people of Sussex County who have gone out and gone away from us, and sought other fields, I welcome you all here this day. We are glad to meet you upon your return, and hope this day may be one of pleasure, which you will all, in after years, look back to ,vith joy and with happiness. Fellow citizens of the County of Sussex, never upon any occasion have we had the privilege and pleasure of being represented by the State of New Jersey. I say the Stat-e of New Jersey when I allude to our Gov­ ernor who is here with his staff and his representatives. We ha,e with us our U. S. Senators and other state officers, and some judges of the court. The government of New Jersey is transferred from Trenton to-day to Newton, in the County of Sussex. And gentle­ men, it is something we should be proud of as citizens of the county to have this man here with us, and it is with pleasure that we welcome the Go,ernoi" and his staff and these other distinguished gentlemen. Now, I will not attempt, as I said, to make a continued speech. The program is long and we have distinguished people here who will address you, and take up the historical matters of the county, and we will pro­ ceed to business, owing to the lateness of the hour. \Ve ,vill now have an invocation by the Rev. Dr. Richardson. Invocation by Rev. A. B. Richardson, D. D., pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal chµrch of Newton : 0 Lord! How excellent is thy name in all the earth! All thy works praise Thee, 0 God! We worship Thee as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we bow with reverence before Thy throne of grace. We rejoice in Thee as our Heavenly Father and come with filial confi­ dence into Thy holy presence. We thank Thee for the revelation of Thy­ self in Thy word and works. We praise Thee as infinite in power, wis­ dom and lo\"'e. Thou art the unchanging one, the same yesterday, to­ day and forever. Our fathers have told us of the wonderful things Thon dids't in their day. We thank Thee for Thy special favors to this land; for its discovery and dev-elopment. We thank Thee for the great and good men whose devotion and self sacrifice have made this country the foremost nation of the earth. We thank Thee for our civil and religious liberty; for our form of government and for the equal rights of our citi­ zens. We thank Thee for peaceful national and international relations. \Ve thank Thee for our nation's prosperity. We pray thy blessing on the 15 President of these United States, on his family, on his cabinet. We pray for our National Houses of Legislature. Counsel our counsellors and teach our Senators wisdom. We pray thy blessing upon the Gover­ nors of all our states. Give them wisdom and courage and a deep sense of their high privileges and grave responsibilities. Especially, we pray for the state of New Jersey. God bless and preserve our Governor! We thank Thee fol' his Christian character, acknowledged ability and wise administration. We pray Thee to make him a terror to evil doers, and a praise to them that do well. Bless our State Legislators, help them to enact such laws as shall benefit our citizens and glorify Thee. As we gather here to-day to celebrate and commemorate the Sesqui-Centennial of our county, we give Thee thanks for its wonderful history; for the great and good men who have lived within its borders and gone beyond its limits. We thank Thee that so many have been born in its homes, educated in its schools and converted in its churches, who to-day are occupying positions of honor and trust and blessings in other counties and states. .A.s we assemble to-day to review the past, rejoice in the present and plan for the future, we pray Thee to accept our gratitude, pardon our sins, and qualify us for better service. May our congratula­ tions be followed by a re-consecration of all we have and are to Thee from whom all blessings flow. Help us to be true to municipality, State and Nation. May we all be worthy the rich heritage bequeathed and conscientiously discharge the important duties imposed. May Thy gra­ cious aid be given to those who shall address us. Give them words of wisdom and inspiration. Give us grace that we may do our part as citi­ zens and Christians serving faithfully our county, State, Nation and our God. All of which we ask in Christ's name, to whom with the Father and Holy Spirit we offer equal and endless praises. Amen. By invitation, Rev. G. W. Lloyd, former pastor of the Branchville Presbyterian church, was invited and kindly consented to prepare an ode for the occasion. _.\!though the time allotted for such a work was brief, the masterly manner in which he responded to the demands of the occasion reflect most creditably the ability and facility with which he performed the task assigned him. The infirmities of advanced age pre­ vented Mr. Lloyd the pleasure of being present at the celebration. At his personal request his poem was effectively read by Rev. James H. Northrup, of Branchville, a native of Sussex county who had just return­ ed from his studies in Berlin, Germany:

Old harp of mine, 'tis many a day Since I thy vibrant strings have swept; For, while I've paced a weary way, Thou in thy quiet place has slept. But come once more and aid this tongue To sing again a worthy strain ; As we of yore have often sung Let us together sing again. Oh, voice His praise whose word of might Cimm.erian Chaos chased away, 16 Flooded these lovely scenes "·ith light, Sweet emblems of :redemption's day Sit we on this secluded height, AbO"ve us the cerulean blue, Beneath the rippling ·waters bright, And naught but Sussex land in view. The bar behooveth, fancy free, To muse on what these scenes once were, Ere later forms of land and sea, When fire and water shaped the sphere. Deep fathom 'neath old Ocean's face These solid hills have been submerged, Till force volcanic gave them place Where furious billows never surged. Thus aeons upon aeons passed; In numerous change their record shows, Till Vulcan banked his fues at last .A.nd gave' the worried Earth repose. She, now, in festh·e raiment drest, .And free from elemental strife, Grew lovelier for her welcome rest And teemed with wondrous forms of life. Reptilian shapes and monsters dire, Long terrors of the meres and fens, Slunk off to more congenial mire And perished in their oozy dens. Now :ruminent flocks and herds appear, Prophetic of their coming Lord : Divinely breathed, lo ! He is here Whom nature hails with glad accord. The fertile ground with plenty smiled; No sign of evil could one see; The birds for every joy were wild And lavish of their minstrelsy. The :E'rost King watched with jealous gaze Earth's blooming beauty growing still, And sent his myrmidons to raze Whate'er they could and work her ill. I!e scanned the mass a mighty whole Of ice and sno·w long ages grown: Then said: ''Here's weight to shift the pole And set it on the temperate zone!'' Soon viewless hands fell wonders wrought; The gelid mountains toppled o'er; 17 Then ice and sno-w, by whirlwinds caught, Careering ,vildly, southward bore. Now, o'er wild seas, the land submerged, Vast crashing icebergs furious rage, By fierce tornadoes onward ur~ed, Telling their tale of cosmic change. Here, where on Kittatinny's bro,v In fancy mood I took my place, A!ter ten thousand years-e,en now, Thei:r rock-shod f cotsteps you may trace. Well, peace at l~st, poor, harried Earth, Freed from her long, death dealing strife, .As from long, dangerous pangs of birth, Rises to ne,Y and beauteous life. Did some mysterious power malign God's Eden spoil he inade so fair? Lo, present still, the hand Divine The fearful ruin to repair. Come gaze with me from. this fair height­ To gaze intent is to adore: You'll sav "It's a wond:;:."OUS sight " .J ' - ' This fragment of God'~ temple fl.om.·. Beneath its roof, yon concave grand, Such glorious anthems greet the ear Angels iµust pause, with harp in hand, The thrilling harmonies to hear. '' Old Sussex, '' with ca.ressing pride We call thee, as to memory's view·, Thy sons march braYely side by side The reeking fields of carnage through. Thy daughters also, brave as fair, Tearful, yet nobly bear their part; Smiling through sorrow hard to bear, Ea.ch yields thi3 treasu?e of her heart. Oh, blest the land, f rmn perils free, Should war's loud clarion break our per.ce, Invaded homes can ne-v·e::.· be With sons and daughteI"s such as these. But grant it, heaven, v-·;-ar·s hateful ban May vex humanity no !ll.0re, Make true the brotherhood of m.an; Oh, come, the goldm.1 age restore. High aspiration urge us still Fleet-footed on the npwa:rd ,vay, 18 Enlightened, cultured, strong of will, All noble impulse to obey. Fair homes be ours where Love's pure light Shall guide the impatient feet of youth, Warn them of danger, set them right, Decrying falsehood, crowning truth. Clear heads, strong hands, achieving worth For laboring brain and manual toil, Be ever theirs who boast their birth Or live their lives on Sussex soil. And when the years have cycled 'round Another Sussex jubilee, Then may a happy world be found From every wrong forever free. Justice Francis J. Swayze, the historian, was introduced by the pre­ siding officer, Mr. Simonson. During the entire reading of his address he was listened to with the most attentive interest. His voice was distinct and clear and could be heard not only by the hundreds upon the platform but by those surrounding it. He was frequently cheered and satisfaction was everywhere expressed at the masterly manner he discharged the im­ portant trust imposed to him by the committee in charge. FRANCIS J. SWAYZE, Historian.

PREFACE

In the preparation of this address I have been greatly assisted by the historical sermon of the Rev. Peter Kanou.se, delivered in 1844; by the address delivered by the late Benjamin B. Edsall in 1853; by the history of Sussex and Warren Counties published by Everts & Peck in 1881; by the accurate and interesting pamphlets and newspaper articles of Miss Martha Morris Lawrence, and of Charles E. Stickney, Esquire. I am particularly indebted for the later history to the compilation from the files of the Sus­ sex Register, by Mr. Robert E. Foster, without which my work would have been quite impossible. It is a matter of great regret that Mr. Fos­ ter's compilation was never published in book form. Those who have saved the issues of the newspaper containing these extracts are to be con­ gratu.lated. I am also indebted to numerous friends who have assisted me, and among whom I ought to mention especially Charles E. Stickney, Esquire, who freely put at my disposal his valuable collection of pam­ phlets; Mr. John J. Stanton, who compiled for me the later history of the Borough of Sussex; Hon. Horace E. Rude, for information as to the min­ ing and industrial history of Hardyston, which I have substantially em­ bodied in the following address; to Mr. James W. McCoy, for copies of early returns; to Mr. Henry B. DeKay and Captain William A. Ogden; to Miss Clarinda Fowler, to Mr. John C. Howell, to Joseph H. Hunt, M. D., to Captain Daniel Bailey, Rev. E. A. Hamilton, and Rev. M. A. McManus, and to others for their ready assistance. FRANCIS J. SWAYZE. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

BY FRANCIS J. SWAYZE

The history of Sussex County covers a period of about two hundred years. The imagination may pierce the mists which obscure the early settlements, and we may conjecture with great-probability that even dur­ ing the Dutch occupation of New Netherlands, prior to 1664, miners had penetrated into the valley of the Delaware and fur traders from l\Ian­ hattan were dealing with the Indians inhabiting the forests which then covered the county. It is certain that the earliest settlements were made along the Delaware by settlers following the valley of the Wallkill, from Esopus now Kingston on the Hudson, who penetrated to the valley of the Delaware, and followed its course southward. An early map of the year 1656, a reproduction of which appears in "New Jersey as a Col­ ony and a State'' depicts our streams as flowing into the Wallkill _and the Hudson as well as into the Delaware. The errors of the map attest the ignorance of the geographer. !fining operations were certainly carried on at a very early period in what is now the township of Pahaquarry, in the present County of Warren, not far from the Sussex 'county line. To afford access to these mines, a road was constructed which was early known as the '' Old Mine Road, '' one hundred miles in length, leading throught the Delaware Valley, across the county of Orange, and thence to the Hudson. This is said to have been the first road constructed in the United States. The intercourse of the early settlers was with the people to the northwa!'d, like themselves of _Dutch descent, rather than with the settlers along the lower Delaware, by the more ready communication of the river. Mr. Edsall quotes a tradition from Hazard's Register based upon letters of Samuel Preston, dated in the year 1828, that in 1730 the govern­ ment in Philadelphia, evidently meaning the proprietors of West Jersey, sent one Nicholas Scull to investigate a settlement said to have been made in the '' :Thieenesink. '' This agent is repo1·ted to have been hospi tably entertained at the venerable Samuel Dupuis' and to have admired a g!"ove of apple trees of size far beyond any near Philadelphia. From this tradition, the inference is fairly dra-,vn that there was a settlement at that point ..many years before 1730. \Ve are assured on better testimony that the settlements in. the Dela--ware "\-ralley then known as the Minisink coun­ try must have been of little consequence as late as 1694. In that year Arent Schuyler was sent by the government of Ne-w York to learn whether the French, who then controlled the valley of the St. Lawrence and the region around the Great Lakes, or any of the Indians in allian:ce with 21 them, had been in the Minisink country. Captain Schuyler left New York February 3, 1694, hired two men and a guide at Bergentown, now a part of Jersey City, stopped at Hackensack, and went by way of an In­ dian place called Peckwes to '' Maggahkamieck, '' which is supposed to be Port Jervis, and from thence to the Minisink. There he met two Indian sachems and two other Indians of whom he inquired if the French or the French Indians had sent for them or been in the Minisink country. Schuyler would hardly have sought this information from the Indians if there had been white settlements at which inquiries might be made. He was pleased with the country; and on the twentieth of May, 1697, a patent for 1,000 acres of land was issued to him under authority of the Province of New York. It is described as situate upon a certain run known by the name of Minisink before a certain island called Menayack, which is adjacent to or near to a tract of land called by the Indians ''Mag­ hakeneck. '' This patent appears to have covered the land between Port .Jervis and the Minisink Islands and to have included the Islands. The journey of Schuyler, and the grant of land under the authority of New York proves that the Minisink country at that time, as it was for seventy years thereafter, was claimed by New York. In 1704 a grant was made under the authority of New York for land along the boundary line be­ tween the two colonies. This grant is known as the Minisink patent and conveyed thousands of acres, embracing a large portion of Orange County, and extended to the south end of the Great Minisink Island. These dates are the earliest authentic dates in the history of the county. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. In 1739, Jan Cortrecht, of "Mannissinck," conveyed to Hendrick Jans Cortrecht a lot of thirty acres on the ''Great Mannissick, '' Hunterdon County, West New Jersey, comprehended in Lot No. 4, anddescribedasad­ joining Matthew Kuykendall 9.nd Anthony Westbrook; a lot of upland containing 25 acres between Johannes Westbrook and Anthony West­ brook, and a house lot of 24 acres. The consideration named in this conveyance is three hundred pounds lawful money of New York. The amount indicates that land had already reached a considerable value; the reference to New York money points to a recognition by the parties of the jurisdiction of that province. The settlement was of sufficient con­ sequence to require a school and burial place ; in 1731 ground was given for those purposes by Johannes Westbrook; and in 1737 the Reformed Church at Montague was organized. It is said in the "History of Sussex and \Varren Counties" that settlements were made by many of the Low Dutch farmers from Ulster county, New York, just prior to 1700. This :is very probable, for in 1701 the inhabitants of Great and Little Mini­ sink ,v-ere authorized by the New York legislature to vote in Ulster County. After 1709 they were treated as part of Orange County. \Vhile this settlement was growing at Minisink, another settlement ·was growing further down the river in the neighborhood of the place where Samuel Dupuis was living at the time of Scull's visit in 1730. The earliest deed that I have found upon record in our clerk's office is dated September 10, 1723. By this deed, Joseph Kirkbride of Pennsyl­ vania conveys to John Hutchinson of Pennsylvania twelve hundred and 22 fifty acres surveyed by virtue of a warrant dated ~!arch 10th, 1715. The land is described as situated on the river Delaware bounded by Daniel Cox and Joseph Hilbey. This land was probably in the township of Wallpack to which Kirkbride's attention seems to have been attracted; for in 1718 a tract was located by him about three miles above Pahaqua­ lin, an Indian village, in the county of Hunterdon. This village is said by the compiler of the History of Sussex and Warren Counties to have stood on a hill below 1Iillbrook. The information was undoubtedly de­ rived from the late Thomas G. Bunnell, who was an indefatigable and accurate sto.dent of our history, and may be relied upon. The records of that period in the Minisink and Mackhackamack churches contain entries as early as 1716. In the years 1716, 1717 and 1718 there were twelve baptisms by the Rev. Petrus Vas, of Kingston. There is a gap in the records from 1716 to 1737, when Georg Wilhelm Ma.ncius became minister. From that date until 1741, when the churches in the Dela.ware valley secured a pastoi- of their own, there are regular records of baptisms twice in each year upon the occasions when Dominie Mancius was able to visit his distant congregation, The number bap­ tised in 1739 was twenty-six. The Wallpack church was organized in the same year as the Minisink church. The deed for the land bears date February 1, 1737, and conveys land to the "inhabitants of Wallpack and the near inhabitants thereabout." A reference to the burying-yard proves that settlements existed at Wallpack prior to the date of this deed. The population in the Delaware Valley had by the year 1737 become large enough to sustain four churches, two of which, the one at Minisink and the one at Wallpack, were within the bounds of Sussex County; one was at Port Jervis and one was at Smithfield. In 1741 the Rev. Johan­ nes Casparus Fryenmuth ( or Fryenmoet, as the name is sometimes spelled) was regularly settled as pastor over these four churches, at the age of twenty. He had been educat~d at the expense of the churches, who, amidst the hardships of the wilderness and in great poverty, had sent him to Holland to be trained in the principles of the Dutch church. There he had been ordained by the classis of Amsterdam. He returned as minister to a district which stretched fifty miles from north to south. This district he served at a salary of seventy pounds per annum, of which each church contributed one-fourth. Afterward and evidently in view of his approaching marriage two of the churches together agreed to p3y forty pounds, or twenty pounds each, but with am.using prudence stipu­ lated that if he remained unmarried they should only be liable to pay him thirty-five pounds, or seventeen pounds, ten shillings each. With the encouragement of the extra five pounds, he married Lena Vanetten July 23, 1742. He continued to minister to his churches until the out­ break of the French and Indian war in 1756. His congregation felt un­ able to support him as was "needful and necessary" and they petitioned the Board of Proprietors for a grant of land to assist them. This peti­ tion is without date, but as it was addressed to t.he Proprietors of East Jersey, it was probably after 1743, when the line bet,veen East and West Jersey was run. The petition was successful, and on May 24th, 1752, Jam.es Alexander, by direction of the Board of Proprietors, conveyed t,vo hundred and ten acres in Sandyston to Abram Van Campen and Garret 23 Brink, for the use of the Reformed Dutch Church of Wallpack and Paha­ quarry professing the doctrines of Calvin; the consideration was six pence and a pint of spring water yearly from the large spring on the premises if demanded. This land was held by the church for more than a century; part was sold in 1864 and the remainder in 1869. The pro­ ceeds were invested for the benefit of the congregations of Upper and Lower Wallpack. The attention of the Proprietors of West Jersey was attracted to other portions of the county at about the same time that Kirkbride located his land in Wallpack. References in deeds from Jonathan Hampton for lands embracing a large portion of what is now the town of Newton, show that the Penns had located the land upon which we stand early in the eigh­ teenth century, and a deed from the trustees of William Kelley of Lon­ don to John Jay, Philip Livingston and John Rutherford, conveys a tract of 5,000 acres in Newtown ( as the name was then spelled) being Lot No. 91 surveyed to and for William Penn by virtue of a warrant dated March 10, 1715. This conveyance included the land owned by the late George M. Ryerson just outside the bormds of Newton which was called the Jay farm. The Paulin's Kill had long been known and is referred to in this deed by its Indian name of Tokhokkonetkong ( the spelling varies in different documents). Beginning with 1732, advertisements of lands for sale along this stream appear in the Philadelphia. papers. The earli­ est I have found is in the Pennsylvania Gazette of April 13, 1732. About the same time adertisements offer for sale lands along the Peqliest. The tracts offered are large, of 2,500 acres, and sometimes more. Settlements must have begun elsewhere than in the Delaware Valley very early in the century; for in the Journal of one Reading, who was surveying along the Musconetcong, rmder date of June 1, 1715, we find a.n entry that "Thomas Stephenson and Samnel Green ca.me up the river in quest of us and told us that our labor there bestowed upon the river was all in vain; for they had surveyed that land before us. In the end it proved they had la.id out a lot which was prior to ours.'' This Samuel Green may have been the same man who was living thirty-eight years afterward at Johnsonburg, and although this settlement is not within the present bounds of the county of Sussex, we can feel some assurance that settlements once begun so near our line would soon be followed by others further to the north. In addition to the large grant in New York known as the Minisink Patent of which I have already spoken, another large grant was made a.long the boundary line to the southeast of the Minisink Pa.tent and known as the Wawayanda Patent. In 1724, 1,200 acres of this land were conveyed to Colonel Thomas DeKay, of the City of New York. A portion of it is still in the ownership of his lineal descendant Henry B. DeKay. Col. DeKay did not remove immediately from the City of New York; (in 1733 he was alderman of the out ward of that city), but he must have come shortly afterward, and the date ascribed to his settlement-the first authentic date for the settlement of Vernon township,-is 1734. Within a few years thereafter Petrus Decker in 1742 had settled at what is now known as the Borough of Sussex, which for a long time bore the name of its :first settler. This is the earliest settlement of which I have knowledge within the township of 24 Wantage, but I am told that in 1739 taxes were imposed by Orange County upon property in Wantage for the cost of building the Goshen jail, and a deed from James Alexander to Johannis Dirckse Westbrook for the Woodburn mill property dated March 30, 1753, recites that the Proprietors in 1746 had agreed to give him three acres for garden if he would thereon erect a mill for the convenience of the inhabitants, and that he had erec­ ted the mill in accordance ·with the contract ; this land on the west branch of Papakating was therefore conveyed to him for the use of his mill and garden spot for an annual rental of one ear of Indian corn year­ ly, if demanded on the premises. The recitals in this deed prove that in 1746 there was a sufficient population in the neighborhood of Woodburn to require a mill, and to justify the Proprietors in making a donation of land for the convenience of the inhabitants and incidentally no doubt for the encouragement of other settlers, and prospective purchasers of land. The rent reserved of one ear of Indian corn is interesting in view of the statement sometimes made that in the early days Sussex farmers thought our mountainous region too cold for Indian corn to mature. It is hardly likely that the Proprietors would have reserved the rent of one ear of Indian corn in a deed evidently intended as a gift unless Indian corn had been readily procurable ''on the premises.'' Ju.st prior to 1750 notices of settlements become more and more fre­ quent. In 17 42, the same year in which Decker settled at Sussex, two Germans, John Peter Bernhardt and his son-in-law Caspar Shafer, loca­ ted at Stillwater, and were soon followed by another son-in-law Pet.er Wintermute. Henry Bale, also a German, settled at Lafayette and built a log grist mill fifty yards east of the present railroad station, about 1750. Thomas Woolverton, Darius Young and John Buchner settled in the neighborhood of Huntsville about the same time, and in 1752 Samuel Hunt of Lawrenceville, now in Mercer County, died while visiting and improving his property at Hunt's Pond, and is buried there; in 1756 Joshua Opdyke purchased 320 acres from Richard Green, including land of the late Samuel H. Hunt. The early returns recorded at Perth Amboy for lands along the Pap9.kating and the Wallkill date from 1750. Most of them are made to the heirs and assigns of Anthony Sharp and the de­ visees of Mary Alexander. Returns to DeLancey and Cuyler, to Lewis Morris, and to Walter Rutherford cover lands along the same streams. There are indications in some of the early records that the mineral re­ sources of the county had already begun to attract attention, and in 1755 Governor Belcher in an official report to the Lords of Trade says that the counties of Morris and Sussex are chiefly mountainous, rocky lands which yield plenty of iron ore and timber and that there are three furnaces within them which yield a considerable quantity of pig iron, and a great number of forges for melting bar iron into pigs, and a considerable num­ ber of forges or Bloomeries which make bar iron out of the ore; these counties, he says, '' are so well timbered that they can supply coal enough for a long time for those and many other iron works. '' Governor Belcher was evidently more impressed by the possibility of making charcoal and iron than he was by our fertile valleys, the development of which had fairly begun. ~ti THE FORMATION OF THE COUNTY. The population of Sussex had increased to such a point that the people were no longer content to go as far as l\Iorristown to attend Court, and on the eighth day of June, 1753, the Legislature passed an act for erecting the upper parts of Morris County in New Jersey into a separate county to be called the county of Sussex, and for building the court house and jail in each of said counties. This was the beginning of the separate existence of Sussex County, and it is this event which we com­ memorate to-day. Originally Sussex County, as well as Morris and War­ ren, was supposed to be a part of West Jersey. At first our territory was comprised within the county of Burlington. In 1714 the upper part of the west.em division of New Jersey was made into a new county called the county of Hunterdon, and in 1739 the territory which is now the counties of Morris, Warren and Sussex was separated from the rest of Hunterdon county and called the county of Morris. We were separated from what is now Morris County by the act of 1753. The boundaries of the county by that act were the Musconetcong River from its mouth to the head of the Great Pond (now known as Lake Hopatcong) from thence northeast to the line that divides the Province of New York and New Jersey; thence along that boundary line to the Delaware River; and thence down the Delaware River to the mouth of the l\Iusconetcong. These boundaries, except upon the north and the northeast, were natural monuments, which could not be mistaken. The northern boundary, or the state line, was long a subject of conflict of which I must speak later. The northeast boundary, from the head of the Great Pond to the line of New York State, was determined by commissioners appointed in 1758, who in conjunction with a comlilittee of Morris county settled the county line by a report dated November 27, 1758 and confirmed by our court at Feb­ ruary Term, 1759. By this report it was determined that the most north­ east point of the Great Pond should be esteemed the head, and a rock oak tree a little to the southeast of a brook emptying into the pond common­ ly known by the name of Ash Swamp Cove, was marked for a corner. The line was run from that point northeast along a range of marked trees to the Pompton or Pequanock, where a small white ash was marked about a mile below the upper fork. The head of the Great Pond as fixed by the commissioners was the head of the pond as it then existed, and not the present head of the pond at Woodport. The extension of the lake surface is due to the dam built by the Morris Canal Company. The population of Sussex at the time of its organization as a county was composed of immigrants and descendants of immigrants from many different sources. In 1747 a Moravian Missionary preached at the Minisink church to an audience of Swedes, English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh, Germans, "\Valloons, Shawanese, Mohawks, Delawares and Catabas. The predominant element in the Delaware Valley were the descendants of the early Dutch settlers. In that valley, the early churches are still of the Dutch Reformed faith, and the names of the leading families still attest their Dutch origin. The Irish and Scotch-Irish came into Warren County, and many of them early worked their way into Sussex. Quakers from Pennsylvania settled 26 around the '' Quaker settlement.'' Huguenots appeared in various parts of the county. Some of the early German settlers have already been named. The pressure of population in Hunterdon and Morrjs drove many to seek new fortunes in the wilderness, and a stream of New England stock began to come in. Although the foundation was laid for a substantial growth, settle­ ments were still infrequent, roads were few or none, means of convey­ ance were extremely primitive, and accommodations for travelers hardly existed. David Brainard, the missionary to the Indians, who made a journey across the county to the forks of the Delaware just before 1750, describes it as a desolate and hideous country. There were no towns as in New England; there were no large plantations as in Virginia. The houses were of logs, with perhaps here and there a stone house in the Delaware Valley for better protection against the Indians. There were no fortifications, as Governor Belcher lamented at the outbreak of the French and Indian War. TENURE OF LAND. The land was still held in large tracts, too large for proper farming, but the process of division had already begun. The Proprietors, both of East Jersey and of West Jersey from the very beginning adopted the wise and liberal policy of attracting settlers by making grants of land in fee simple. In the original concessions of the Proprietors of East Jer­ sey they agreed to grant unto all persons "who have already adventured to the Province of New Jersey or shall transport themselves or servants before January 1, 1765, '' following proportions of land: to every freeman that shall go with the first Governor, armed with a good musket, ten pounds of powder and twenty pounds of bullets, with bandeleers and match convenient and with six months provisions for his own person, 150 acres of land; and for every able man servant that he carries with him, armed and provided as aforesaid, 150 acres of land; and for every weaker servant or slave, male or female exceeding the age of fourteen years, 75 acres of land; and in addition to that 75 acres of land to every Christian servant above the ege of fourteen years after the expiration of his time of service. Less extensive grants were promised to settlers who went after the first year. The Proprietors of West Jersey, in 1667, made similar agreements but promised less land. Sometimes quit rents were reserved, but these soon disappeared. The system afterward changed, but the policy of making grants of land in fee simple to actual settlers, continued. By this wise or fortunate policy, the land came to belong to the actual cul­ tivators. Gradually the larger tracts taken up by the Proprietors them­ selves, were divided and sold in farms of a proper size, but a consi­ derable quantity of land continued to be held in large blocks- even into the nineteenth century. The general policy that was adopted is indica­ ted by the course which was taken with 2,500 acres of land on part of which the town of Newton now stands. This land had originally been taken up by the Penns; it became Jonathan Hampton's; soon after Hamp­ ton's death, and in 1783 and subsequent years, this land was conveyed by Hampton's trustees to different persons in lots of varying size. It would 27 have been quite impossible in such a state of society as existed in the col­ onies for the Proprietors to retain the title to their lands and hold the actual settlers merely as tenants. Such a procedure would not only have stifled the growth of t11e colony, but would have rendered the lands unproductive to the Proprietors themselves and might have led eventually to such conflicts as later occurred in New York bet-ween the landlords claiming the rights of the old Dutch patroons and the settlers whose un­ willingness to pay such rents almost led to a civil war. Fortunately a wiser policy was pursued in this state than that pursued by the patroons in New York. EARLY MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. The settlers had difficulties enough to contend with in their struggle to effect a settlement in the wilderness. Trees had to be felled, the • ground broken up, roads and bridges built, while wolves and panthers were near at hand to despoil the farmer of his flocks. The chief expenses of the county du.ring the :first years of its exis­ tence were for the fees of the Freeholders some of whom bad to travel more than forty miles to reach the county seat, and for bounties paid for wolves and panthers. These bounties continued to be paid as late as 1834. Roads, of course, did not exist at that early day, with the exception of the Old Mine Road from the mines at Pahaqu.arry to Esopus, of which I have already spoken. There were Indian trails through the woods, following in all probability the course of the streams. Perhaps the most important as what was known as the Minisink Path running from Eliz­ abethtown on tidewater to the Minisink country along the Delaware. I find reference also in an old return under date of 1751 to the Indian Path from the Drowned Lands to Pompton. Rev. Mr. Kanouse is authority for the statement that in 1764, marked trees indicated the footpath from Deckertown, which then consisted of three houses, to Unionville. When the settlements had increased sufficiently to make roads necessary, the method of working them was by forced labor, substantially as roads have always been ma.de and worked in primitive communities. Overseers of the highway were chosen in each township and precinct; they were re­ quired to serve under penalty of a :fine; they were obliged by law at least once in two months to view and inspect all the highways, roads, bridges and causeways within their district, and whenever they should perceive any of them decaying or wanting reparation, they were required to call to­ gether the inhabitants, ,v-ho were bound to attend or to send a hand above the age of sixteen and under sixty year·s, before the sun should be t,vo hours high in the morning, with proper tools, and to continue at work until sunset, with an hour allowed for dinner. The statute gives us an indication of the manners and customs of the times in a section which recites that the too free use of liquor by persons working on the road is of mischievous consequence, and enacts that if the overseer or any person working on the road, or with them as a spectator, shall ask of any traveller money, drink or other reward, or shall by any contri­ vance extort or receive anything from any traveller, he shall be liable to a. penalty. As travel increased, taverns became necessary, and within six 28 years after the county seat was fixed at Newton a tract of land of three­ tenths of an acre at the northwest corner of the Green, part of which is now occupied by Judge Huston's law office, ,vas conveyed by Jona­ than Hampton to Martin Delaney, evidently for a tavern, and a public house was kept on that spot until within the last fifty years. A. few years later the owner is described in a deed as an innkeeper, and in 1778 it was conveyed to Jonathan Willis, who kept a tavern in Newtown in 1781 when the Marquis de Chastellux, then on Rochambeau's staff, passed through the county on his way to Philadelphia. Although this was twenty-eight years after the organization of the county, the account of the Marquis gives us an interesting view of the customs of that early time. He found his room at the tavern too cold to be comfortable, and spent the evening in the parlor where a crowd had gathered to drink grog. He complains that one of them whom he names, who as I learn from other sources had recently been Sheriff of the county, smelled horribly. I am afraid that the custom described by the Marquis was in existence before the year 1781, and I do not feel sure that it has alto­ gether gone out of fashion in 1903. In those early days the most prom­ inent man in the community was likely to be the tavern keeper. He was in public business; he came in contact with many persons, and was in a position to make friends who might prove serviceable when he desired an office, whether by vote of the people or by appointment of the Governor. Our early sheriffs and judges were many of them tav­ ern keepers, and in later days a story is told of a clergyman who added to his salary as a minister of the Gospel, the profits derived from keeping a public house. Mr. Edsall calls attention to the fact that the tav em keepers did not always voluntarily give full measure and charge fair prices, so that it was necessary not only to regulate their charges by orders of the court, but to require them to give full measure also. EARLY MILLS. In a farming community mills are a necessary industry. Perhaps the earliest mill established in the county was established by Caspar Shafer at Stillwater. I quote from Mr. Edsall's description : "He con­ structed it in the following manner : First, throwing a low dam made of cobble stones, filled in with gravel, across the kill, to create a small water power ; he next drove piles into the ground to sustain the super­ structure; upon these he erected a little frame or log mill house, in which he placed a small run of sto!le, with water-wheel and gearing in a corresponding style of simplicity. This diminutive concern was capable of grinding not more than from three to five bushels of grain per day; yet it answered the demands of the sparsely settled country for the time, and was resorted to from far and near. In a few years he erected one better mill, and commenced shipping flour to Philadelphia. He loaded a flat boat at his mill, which floated with the current down Paulins Kill to the Delaware and thence to its destination. The Paulins Kill was thus proved to be navigable, but it was much more valuable as a mill stream and soon became so obstructed by dams that Mr. Shafer was compelled to relinquish the use of his boat.'' The mill at Wood­ burn WM constructed as I have already said between 1746 and 1753. 29 About the same time Bale's mill was built at Lafayette. In 1761, the stone mill was built at Andover and others mills were constructed in other localities until the water power of the county had been put to good use. As an illustration of the extent to which our small streams were used for this purpose, I am told that the Cooper family, one of the prominent families in Wantage township, built six mills along the Clove creek-a mill every two or three miles. THE IR ON INDUSTRY. The most important industry of the county in the middle of the eigh­ teenth century and the only one of sufficient consequence to attract the attention of Governor Belcher was the charcoal and iron industry. The development of the mines had begun. In a return to the heirs of An­ thony Sharp of a tract of 494 acres on the Wallkill in 1750, the land is referred to as being above the iron mines. The mines at Andover were worked before 1760, In that year Jonathan Hampton advertised for sale 6,000 acres of land at Hardwick, in the county of Sussex, about two miles from the old jail, on both sides of "Pawling's" Kill, within half a mile of Samuel Green's mill. He describes it as well stored with white oak timber, of which quantities of staves and headings are made and transported down "Pawling's" Kill and Delaware to Philadelphia, and he adds that it is about ten miles from Mr. Hackett's new furnace to the falls of the "Pawling's" Kill on this tract. This, I think, must refer to the Andover furnace. In 1761 the Pennsylvania Gazette advertises a reward for two men who ran away from the Andover Iron Works, to be paid either by John Hackett, at the Union Iron Works, or Benjamin Cooper, at Andover Furnace. An insight into the customs of the times is given in the narrative of William Kirby, a deserter from the British army during the French and Indian War. In 1762, he passed through Sussex county, stopping at Sussex Court House where he sold a pair of stockings for seven shillings. ''There'' he says '' we bought a bottle of rum and on our march we met an old woman and gave her a dram." As he went by Col­ onel Hackett's house, he saw the Colonel sitting on his porch. Col. Hackett immediately surmised that he was a deserter from the army, and told him so plainly, but offered to keep his secret if Kirby would work for him at the Andover mine. Kirby agreed to do so, and. remained for some time, and went thence to Ringwood. He tells how the men tried to cheat each other. The wood chopper piled his wood so as to cheat the collier. The collier put his charcoal into baskets in such a manner as to deceive the iron master; and the iron master, not to be outdone, sold his provisions to the men at an extortionate price...... \.s a consequence '' ,vhen they had worked six months, if they had anything coming, they may per­ haps get a few rags to cover their nakedness at a very dear price, but as for money they will get none though they have ever so much need of it. '' METHODS OF TAXATION. An interesting subject is the method of taxation in those early days. The statute providing for the raising of taxes passed in the very year in which our county was organized, contains a long list of special subjects of 30 taxation, with the amount each was to pay within certain limits. Met• chants were to be taxed not under one shilling and sixpence, nor above one pound, five shillings. Sawmills, not under five shillings, nor above two pounds, ten shillings. Grist mills, for every pair of stones, not under two shillings and sixpence, nor above two pounds ten shillings. Fulling mills, not under three shillings nor above one pound ten shil­ lings. Furnaces, not under one pound two shillings and six pence, nor above two pounds ten shillings. Forges that worked pig iron, not under five shillings nor above one pound five shillings. Forges, or bloomeries that made bar iron immediately out of the ore, not under two shillings and six pence, nor above one pound and five shillings. Stills that dis­ tilled molasses, two pounds five shillings. All other stills that distilled spirituous liquors, not under one shilling and three pence nor above twelve shillings and six pence. All brew houses, not under two shillings and six pence nor above one pound five shillings. Every single man that worked for hire and kept a horse, two shillings. Every bought servant and slave, being a male of sixteen years old and upwards except such slaves as were not able to work, one shilling. Cattle, horses, mares and geldings, of two years old and upwards, were to be valued at twenty-five shillings each head; sheep of one year old and upwards at three shillings each head. All profitable tracts of land whereon any improvement was made were in the county of Morris to be valued at not above twenty pounds nor under five pounds per 100 acres. EARLY CHURCHES. Churches were few in the county at that early period. I find no record of any except those already mentioned in the Delaware Valley. The first church of which I find mention in Wantage township is the First Baptist church of Wantage which was organized in 1756. The earl­ iest church in Newton is Christ Church chartered by the King of England in 1769. The settlers were too few and too widely scattered to support regular pastors. Even those who could afford to contribute to the support of the minister were not always willing to do so, and a charge of six shillings was therefore made by the churches in the Minisink country for the baptism of a. child, which was reduced to three shillings •'for those who live without our bounds.'' THE TITLE TO L.A.ND. I have already touched upon the subject of the tenure of land, and it may not be out of place to describe the method adopted by the Proprietors in dividing the territory of the state. All titles in New Jersey have their origin in a grant made by Charles II to his brother James, Duke of York, in 1664. The Duke of York in the same year conveyed the state of New Jersey to John, Lord Berkeley, and Sir George Carteret. Berkeley conveyed his half to John Fenwick. Fenwick and Edward Billinge conveyed to William Penn, Ga.wen Lawry and Nicholas Lucas. In 1676 Sir George Carteret who owned one-half, Penn, Lawry and Lucas, who owned the other half, and Billinge who claimed an interest therein, joined in what is called the "quinti-partite deed" in which the share held by Penn and his associates was called West Jersey. It included that portion of the 31 state lying west of a. line extending from Little Egg Harbor to the most northerly point of the land conveyed by the Duke of York to Berkeley and Carteret. After this division East Jersey was conveyed to twenty­ four proprietors. Dividends were made in East Jersey at first of 10,000 acres to each proprietor, with a right to locate such number of acres as each thought proper wherever he could find land not before appropriated. These rights were subject to sale by each owner in such proportions as he chose. Upon exhibiting to the register of the Board of Proprietors a title to unlocated rights, a warrant was issued to survey and locate the same. A survey was then made by the Surveyor General or one of his deputies of any land that had not already been located or taken up. This survey was returned to the Council of Proprietors, inspected by them, and if approved, ordered to be recorded. This made a. title to the lands. lt was a method adopted by the proprietors for pa.rti tion of lands held by them in common. A similar proceeding was adopted in West Jersey where the first dividend for each proprietor was fixed at 5,200 acres but soon enlarged to 25,000 acres. All titles in Sussex county a.re founded •:first upon rights derived through the Proprietors to locate land; second, a. warrant to survey the land; third, the actual survey; fourth, the re­ turn duly inspected and recorded by the Board of Proprietors. In the early days, as was quite natural, many settlers seized upon land without an actual right of property derived from the Proprietors, and the act for taxation which I have already mentioned, provided that they should pay tax for the land actually in their occupation. OUR EARLY HISTORY AS A SEPARATE COUNTY. The first meeting of the boa.rd of justices and freeholders by whom the county was then governed, was held March 21, 1754, at the dwelling house of Samuel Green, in or near what is now the village of J ohnsons­ burg just over the line in the present county of Warren. Four justices, Abram VanCa.mpen, Jonathan Pettit, Thomas Woolverton and Samuel Wilson, and six freeholders, Joseph Hull, Joseph Willits, Richard Lundy, Jr., Robert Wilson, Derik Westbrook and Oomelius Westbrook attended. They ordered an election to select a place for the jail and court house to be held at Green's on the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth of April next ensuing. At that meeting, it was determined to build the jail by Jonathan Pettit's the whole cost to be paid by the county of Sussex. This jail was built upon land owned by Samuel Green. It is known in local his­ tory as the log jail, and it probably served as a. model for the jails made famous in this part of New Jersey by the universal complaint of the sheriffs that they were unable to keep the prisoners in, and the threat of the prisoners that they would not stay in unless the sheriff would keep the sheep out. At a. meeting on the eighth of May, Thomas Woolverton was elected county collector. On the eighteenth of June, one hundred pounds was ordered to be raised by taxation, of which thirty-seven pounds, two shillings and ten pence was for the cost of the jail, and the balance for bounties fo:r killing wolves and panthers. The first meeting in New­ town was held May 12, 1756, at the house of Thom.as Woolverton, at or near Huntsville, and the meetings continued to be held there until 1762. 32 The county was originally divided into four townships ; Wallpack and Newtown included all of Sussex excepting what is now Stillwater and Green; Hardwick and Greenwich included all of Warren county and the townships of Stillwater and most of Green in Sussex county. At May term, 1754, the commission appointed by the court under the authority of the act creating the courts, formed three new precincts, -Wantage, which was formed with the same "or substantially the same bounds as at present, Oxford and Mansfield-Woodhouse, now a part of ,varren County. In 1759 Montague was formed by royal patent, and in 1762 Sandyston was formed out of the township of Wallpack. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNTY SEAT. Newtown, including all of the county east of the Blue Mountain ex­ cepting Stillwater and Green, soon became the most important township in the county; in 1759 out of one hundred and ninety-four pounds raised by taxation in the county, forty-one pounds was apportioned to New­ town; the next largest quota, thirty-two pounds, ten shillings and two pence was imposed upon the township of Hardwick. The importance oi the township of Newtown made itself felt in legislation, and by an act of December 12, 1761, the inhabitants of the county were authorized to erect and build a court house and jail for the county on the plantation in the possession of Henry Harelocker, or within half a mile of Hare­ locker's dwelling house; the particular spot was ordered to be :fixed with the consent of the owner of the land by a majority of the Justices and Freeholders of the county. We detect at once in the requirement that the court house should be upon Harelocker's plantation, or within half a mile of his dwelling house, the familiar sign of some personal interest behind the legislation. Harelocker's house stood where the farm house on the Horton farm now stands, nearly opposite the residence of Mr. Joseph Hill. It is difficult to understand why a majority of the Justices and Freeholders who had to determine upon the exact location, should ha,e selected a point beyond the extreme limit of distance allowed by the statute. The statute permitted the location of a court house upon the le'\""el ground near Harelocker's dwelling. The actual location is more than half a mile from the Ha.relocker house upon the side of a hill half w·ay to the snmm it. The surveyor in measuring the half mile con­ tracted his chain at the same time that he stretched his conscience. Jonathan Hampton was the owner of the land on which the court house stands and of some twenty-five hundred acres thereabouts, and had been an influential man in the French and Indian War, and was a man of consequence in the colony, and may have been influential in procuring the passage of the act and the location of the court house. Just fi,e months after the passing of the act, the Justices and Freeholders met at the house of Henry Harelocker and voted five hundred pounds towards building a Court Honse and jail at the place which had been already fixed half a mile south of Henry Harelocker's dwelling house. The courses and distances are given in the Freeholders' minutes. The money was ordered to be raised by the second of August ensuing, and the Assessors were directed to meet on the fifteenth of June at the house of Caspar Shafer to fix the quotas of the different precincts. On the twenty-third of November 33 ensuing, twelve hundred pounds were appropriated, of which 614 pounds, 10 shillings and 9 pence was for the completion of the court house. The money thus raised made it possible to erect a substantial stone building which with repairs and improvements served its purpose until 1847. A picture of the old court house is given in Barber & Howe's Historical Collections of New Jersey and another representation on an old tavern sign is in the possession of :r-1r. Henry M. Ward. The Court House was built, but the county did not yet own the land on which it stood. The deed for the land was made two years later and bears date the 31st day of August, 1764. It conveys two acres and eight tenths for the use of the Court House yard and green so long as the Courts shall be continued there. It is in the form of a rectangle with the space occupied by the Court House itself tacked on to one corner. The ground lies before us as I speak, but the two acres and eight-tenths which were intended for a Court House yard and green have been narrowed by the economy of our forefathers in utilizing a large portion of the space for Spring street, Main street, Park Place and High street, all of which are upon the property conveyed by Hampton for a. green. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. The eleven years between 1753 and 1764 were :filled with great events. The hostility of the house of Austria to Frederick the Great culminated in the Seven Yea.rs War, and this conflict between two European pow­ ers involved all western Europe in war and let loose upon the colonists in America, thousands of miles distant and entirely unconcerned in the struggle, the Indian tribes. Sussex county was upon the frontier. A forest wilderness scarcely occupied except by the Indians stretched be­ tween the Delaware and the French settlements on the Ohio. The Indians with whom the citizens of New Jersey had met had been peaceable and well disposed. No Indian wars or massacres stain our earlier annals. The policy adopted by Penn at Philadelphia had been followed in New Jersey, and attempts had been made to acquire the Indian titles by fair purchase. The pacific disposition which the colonists adopted from the Quakers had been aided by the policy of a peaceful trade which they in­ herited from the Dutch; but wherever a stronger and more intelligent race comes in contact with a weaker and more ignorant race, the fairest plans and the most just legislation cannot overcome the greed of the un­ just and violent. The English surveyors, if they did not carry inaccurate chains, were probably not more scrupulous in measuring lands and defin­ ing boundaries than in locating court houses, and a Dutch or English trader was not likely to get the worst of the bargain in purchasing furs of the Indians or in selling them muskets, gunpowder or whiskey. The defeat of Braddock at Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburg) afforded the Indians a fair opportunity for revenge, and the inhabitants of Sussex anticipated an immediate inroad. On November 26, 1755, Col. Abram Vancampen, then one of the most prominent citizens of the county, a resident of the township of Wallpack, learned of the burning of a Mor­ avian town in Pennsylvania and the murder of its inhabitants, and the burning of one house· the night before, only six miles from our borders. Immediately upon the receipt of the news, in pursuance of orders from 34 Governor Belcher, Col. Anderson marched 100 men out of Sussex County to the assistance of Pennsylvania; they were followed within a day or two by 150 men from Morris County, and then by 150 more, and within a week 300 foot and three troop of horse were sent from Essex County, Col. Johnson's regiment from Middlesex, Col. Stout's from Hunterdon, and Col. VanHorn's from Somerset. The soldiers, it is said, went as will­ ingly as if they were going to help a neighbor at any work, but cursed the cowardly or peaceable disposition of the Pennsylvanians and thought it hard to assist people who would not assist themselves. The Legislature on December 24, 1755, provided for the issue of 10,000 pounds in bills of credit for the defence of the frontiers and more particularly for making provision for the guard and defence of the frontiers along the river Dela­ ware in the county of Sussex. The act provided that block houses, not more than four in number, should be erected at convenient places and at suitable distances from each other near the river Delaware, in Sussex county. Others must have been built later, for in May, 1758, Hampton names seven. The first, Fort Reading, was twelve miles above Easton; the second, at Col. Van Camp's ( or VanCampen's) eighteen miles fur­ ther north; the third, Fort Walpack, six miles further; the fourth, head­ quarters, six miles from Walpack; the fifth, Fort Nomanock, eight miles distant; the sixth, Fort Shipeconk, four miles from N omanock; the seventh, Cole's Fort, eight miles further. These were on the river. Fort Gardiner below the Great Mountain, was beyond our boundaries. Before these block houses could be finished, perhaps even before they could be begun, the Indians had invaded the province. The courts n;iet at Woolverton's in February, 1756, but the grand jurors were not sworn on account of troublesome times with the Indians. In May, 1756, a party of Indians burned the house of Captain Hunt at Hunt's Pond in the township of Green and carried off his brother and a negro servant. A bout the same time the same party burned the house of Anthony Swartwout near Swartswood Lake, killed three of his child­ ren at the house, scalped the father about seven miles away and killed another daughter. They carried with them two of Swartwont's children, young Hunt and the negro. Three months later, on the twenty-ninth of August, three men arrived at Elizabethtown in a poor, weak, and starving condition. They were Thomas Sherby, Benjamin Springer and John Denite. They were almost naked, having nothing to cover their naked­ ness except old Indian blankets. They told how they had made their es­ cape from the Indians at a place called Venango, an Indian town near the head of the Susquehanna; they suffered for thirty-two days in the w·oods fo:.:- want of food and were obliged to eat rattlesnakes, black­ snakes, frogs and such vermin and sometimes had nothing to eat for days together. Cole's Fort, at the upper forks of the Delaware, was the first settlement where they found any inhabitants. The more remote settle­ ments had no doubt been abandoned. They looked more like Indians than Christians ; they were swarthy ; their hair was en t after the Indian fash­ ion and they were dressed only in Indian blankets. Pathetic and pro­ bable as this story was, Springer was afterward accused of complicity in the Swart,vout murder. The next year he was tried in Morris county by virtue of a special act passed October 22, 1757, which was made 35 necessary because the commotion caused by the Indian incursions made it difficult if not dangerous to hold a court of oyer and terminer in Susseex Oounty. Springer was convicted on the positive testimony of Swart­ wont's son, who had returned from captivity. His own story is said in one of cur old law books to have been self contradictory. He was defend­ ed by eminent counsel and his conviction was at the time satisfactory to most or all present. He was executed in Morris county, declaring his in­ nocence to the last. Hunt and the negro who had been carried off at the time of the Swartwout murder were taken as prisoners to Canada and subsequently returned to New Jersey. They declared that they did not see Springer until they got to the Indian town, and perhaps the general opinion now is that Springer was wrongfully convicted. If he was guilty, it is diffi­ cult to account for his voluntary return through great hardships to the scene of his crime. The difficulties with the Indians became more and more serious, and on the third of June, 1757, the legislature authorized the immediate en­ listment of one hundred and twenty men for the defence of the frontiers. All who enlisted were free from arrest in civil actions for less than ten pounds; their goods were free from attachment, execution and other legal process during their continuance in the service ; and for a further encouragement to the officers and soldiers cheerfully to enter into the ser­ vice, there was to be paid to each who ca.me, furnished a.nd armed with a. good and sufficient musket, cartouch box, powder horn, cutlass or hatchet, blanket, knapsack and wearing apparel, the following sums during their continuance on the frontier: To each captain fo'D.1" shillings per day; each lieutenant three shillings; each sergeant and corporal two shillings; each private soldier, two pounds, ten shillings per month. Jonathan Hamp­ ton was appointed paymaster and victualler of the forces and was re­ quired to provide for each officer and soldier every week seven pounds of bread, seven pounds of beef, or in lieu thereof four pounds of pork, six ounces of butter, three pints of peas, and half a pound of rice; for which he was to be allowed, seven pence half penny per day for each man. He had :five pounds per month for his own services. Several prisoners were at the time confined in the Sussex jail upon civil process. On ac­ count of the common danger they were likely to suffer and the sheriff was required to discharge any prisoners confined upon any civil action. The prisoners were free from restraint only until the first day of Decem­ ber next ensuing, after which time~;the sheriff was authorized to retake them. The plan of giving prisoners for debt a vacation of six months is novel and it would be interesting to know, if it were possible to ascertain, how it actually worked in practice. The building of the block houses and the enlistment of additional troops did not prevent entirely the Indian incursions. On May 15, 1758, about two o'clock in the afternoon, thirteen Indians rushed into the house of Nicholas Cole in his absence. They pinioned i\I:rs. Cole, toma­ hawked her son-in-law, scalped her eldest daughter, aged thirteen, a boy of eight and her youngest daughter of four. They ran their spears into the infant in the mother's presence; they rifled the house and carried off Mrs. Oole and her son Jacob. On the same day another party killed and 36 scalped a settler in Anthony Westbrook's field near Minisink; took two Germans captive, and joined the party which had massacred the Coles. Cole, upon his return home, secured the aid of soldiers from Fort Noma­ nock, buried the dead, and prepared to way lay the Indians on the road to Wyoming. About two o'clock at night the Indians were heard com­ ing down the hill into the main road to cross the Delaware; one of the party fired upon the Indians who immediately fled, and Mrs. Cole and her son made their escape. On the same :fifteenth of liay, a man was wounded near Samuel DePeuy's. At about the same time the daughter of the widow Walling living near Fort Gardner, between Goshen and Minisink, ·while gathering chips for her fire, was shot by three Indians. On June 13, 1758, seven New York soldiers were murdered at West­ Falls. Sergeant , ... anTile, with nine soldiers, pursued them about four miles in Pennsylvania. They saw an Indian making his way toward a saw mill on the Delaware five miles above Cole's Fort. This led them to believe that the Indians were along the river, and they soon discovered ten of them on an island on the Jersey side, making a raft. The soldiers crawled up the river opposite the island and lay all night waiting for the Indians to cross. The Indians rowed their raft up the river in the morn­ ing about tw·o hundred yards. Our men crept secretly along the shore, but were discovered; the alarm was given and fourteen more Indians arose. A sharp engagement followed. One Indian was shot on the raft and tumbled into the river, and both sides took to the trees. The In­ dians finally fled leaving four good guns, four tomahawks, three spears, eighteen pair of ''magasons, '' sixteen pairs of Indian stockings, five shirts, twelve blankets, three hats, one laced coat, five silver buckles, ten belts, three strings of wampum, five scalping knives, four scalps just taken, with many trifles more. Among the other exploits of the time was that of a lad named Tit­ sort, seventeen years of age, who was pursued by an Indian, reserved his fh.·e until the Indian was near, fired, and ran away. A party went out ·w·i th dogs and found that the lad had killed a famous partisan called John Armstrong, whose beads and other finery indicated an Indian of considerable importance. The legislature, on August 12, 1758, as a re­ ,vard directed that twenty Spanish dollars be paid to VanTile and Titsort and ten dollars to each of the party under VanTile's command, and that there should be presented to ·vanTile and Titsort each a silver medal of the size of a dollar '' ·whereon shall be inscribed the bust or :figure of an Indian, prostrate at the feet of the said VanTile and lad aforesaid, im­ J)orting their victory over them, and to commemorate their bravery and their country's gratitude.'' YanTile and Titsort were authorized to wear these medals in view· at all public occasions which they might hap- 11cu to attend "to excite an emulation and kindle a martial :fire in the breast of the spectators, so truly essential in this time of general war." The act by which this reward was given to , ... anTile and Titsort provided for the raising of 150 additional n1en for the defense of the frontier. It authorized also the building of a new block house near the mouth of Paulin's Kill, and in order to better pursue the Indians, authorized the paymaster to procure fifty good, large, strong and fierce dogs, and to supply them with food equivalent to that allowed for ten men. The Indians ,vero nnt ahvays the aggressors, and stories are told of the 1nurder cf Indians by the ,,hites in time of peace. Of these tales, the best kno·.vn are those of T01n Quick. Some of these stories are myths, and many the mere boasts of a lawless f:;:ontiers-man. The records sho,, the exasperated feelings a:rising from this sort of ".,.a1·fare. The news <'4: the murder· of Swart,1vout led to the offer of rewards by Goverr..or Belcher for the capture or killing of male Indians over fifteen years of age, and for the capture of females or r'.Jales under fifteen. At the time the act of August, 1758, ,vas passed, negotiations were pend­ ing with the Indians. January 27, 1758, Francis Bernard, an English la.. wyer, a graduate of Oxford, was appointed Governor of New Jersey. He landed at Perth Amboy on the fourteenth of June and immediately took energetic measures for the defense of the colony and the restora­ tion of peace. His plan was to defend the frontier of ninety miles along the Delaware by erecting ten blockhouses ten miles apart, ,vith a guard of twenty-fi:v-e men at each house and a sufficient number of dogs to scent the tracks of the Indians and to prevent ambuscades; to make two paths along this line of houses, one along the banks of the river, the other half a mile inland; and to have a patrol from one house to another three or four times a day. He ho:ped that if any of the Indians crossed the river, it would be known in a few hours, he says "probably before their scent, which is very strong by their using bear's grease, is gone off the ground." The assembly granted only a part of what the Governor wished. They provided for one additional blockhouse and fiity dogs. The Governor, while energetic in measures fox defense, knew that to put an end to the Indian incursions, peace must be made. The ex­ pense of the war had become burdensome; large amounts of paper money had been issued, and the resources of the colony stretched almost to their limit. In response to an invitation by the Governor to the Minisink Indians and to Teedynscung, the chief of the Wyoming Indians, he was met at Burlington on August 7-8, 1758, by three Mounseys, one Caynga.n, (who appeared on behalf of the Six nations), and two Delawares. They invited the Governor to council with the Governor of Pennsylvania at Easton at the next full moon. A conference was accordingly held, and the Treaty of Easton agreed upon. The Indian claims were two-fold, one on the part of the Delawares and other Indians of the southern part of the province, the other of the ~iinisink and Pompton Indians on the northern part. The southern Indians agreed to accept 3,000 acres of land, and in consideration thereof released all their claims to lands south of the Raritan. The claim on the part of the Minisinks, which was the cause of the ,var, "Tas settled by the payment of $1,000, in consideration of ,vhich the Iudian.5 1·2leased all their claims to the province of New Jersey. The deeds exec--.1tod by the Indians were ,vitnessed by the chiefs and published in the presence of the United nations, the Iroquois or six nations, the Dela,vares and the :lYiinisinks. All the Indian nations ad­ joining the province of New Jersey concurred in the transaction as a full acquittal and discharge of all Indian claims upon the province of New Jersey. Governor Bernard deserves great credit for his conduct of this affair. \Vi thin a fe,v months he had settled the difficulties which had troubled 38 the frontier for so many years. The tide of war elsewhere in the colon«. ies had already turned in favor of the English and against the French,. and doubtless this turn in the tide assisted Governor Bernard to conduct his negotiations with success. In March, 1759, he was able to write that: the French had been obliged to abandon the country about the Ohio "andi those very Indians who had hitherto defended them in the possession of it, have received the English and desired to be restored to that good friendship which they formerly had with them." "Many Indian. nations'' he adds ''to the westward and southward intend to take thi~ opportunity to put themselves under the protection of the British empire,. some renewing and others now first commencing an alliance with the· English nation. '' Governor Bernard was afterward Governor of Massa­ chusetts and was involved in the controversy with the General Court·. which grew out of the attempt of the British parliament to tax the colon-­ ies, but whatever opinion may be entertained of his administration in. Massachusetts, we ought to be grateful to him for securing peace on our frontiers. The frontier guard was disbanded before June 15, 1759,. and the Governor felt warranted in constituting the township of Monta­ gue '' a country,'' he says '' that a year ago no one would venture to live: in.'' THE BORDER WAR WITH NE,v YORK. While the war ,vi th the Indians was being ,vaged on our western. border, a dispute with New York led to conflicts on our northern bound­ ary. By the original grant from the Duke of York, the boundary be­ tween New Jersey and New York was to run from "the river Delaware,. which is in forty-one degrees and forty minutes of latitude and crosseth over thence in a straight line to the Hudson river in forty-one degrees of latitude." It was a simple matter with proper instruments to ascertain the forty-first parallel of latitude upon the Hudson river; it ,vould have been an equally easy matter with proper instruments to have ascertained where the parallel of forty-one degrees and forty minutes intersected the Delaware, but for one difficulty. .A.bove the forks of the river at Port Jervis, the stream was then not called the Delaware ; it was either the Fishkill or the illackhackemack (afterward the Neversink.) The intent of the grant, however, was clear, and the difference of names ought not to have led to serious difficulty. Private interests intervened ; the Minisink and \Vawayanda patents were bounded by the line between the two provinces, and the owners were interested in locating that line as far south as possible. It ·was even claimed by New York that the line ran from the station point upon the Hudson river to the forks of the Delaware at Easton. This claim ,vas too absurd for the Ne"- York authorities to expect it to prev-ail. Efforts ,vere made in the very early days to determine the north station point on the Delaware-in 1719 a commission was issued in the name of King George (the First) to Robert Walter, Isaac Hicks and Allan Jarratt as commissioners on the part of New York, to act in conjunction with commissioners and sur­ veyors on the part of New Jersey for the purpose of inspecting such of the streams of water forming the river Delaware as the commission­ ers might think necessary in order to determine which of the streams 39 was the northernmost branch, and to find out, and properly mark the place of the northernmost branch that lies in the latitude of forty­ one degrees and forty minutes. They were also to ascertain the boundary on the !Iudson river and to surrey and mark out a straight line from the point on the Hudson to the north partition point on the Delaware. John Johnston, George Willocks and James Alexander were appointed commissioners for the same purpose on the part of East Jersey and Joseph Kirkbride, John Reading and James Alexander on the part of West Jersey. These commissioners, after an examination of the country above Port .Jervis, executed upon the twenty­ .fifth day of July, 1719, the "tri-partite indenture." The three parties to the agreement were the commissioners for New York, the commissioners for East Jersey, and the commissioners for West Jersey. They joined in declaring that the stream or river commonly called by the name of the Fishkill was the northerum.ost branch of the Delaware, and they fixed the north station point upon the low land in the Indian town called "Cosheghtonk," and this point they fixed by references giving courses and distances. Jarratt, ,vho was the scientist and mathematician of the New York commissioners, signed the tri-partite indenture in July, but two months later formally objected to fixing the station points as the commissioners had determined, upon the ground that the instruments with which the observations had been made to determine the latitude, were imperfect_ The line fixed in 1719 was never ratified, although it was practically adopted in New Jersey. Meantime the settlements in the Waywayanda patent and the Minisink patent on one side of the line, and in Sussex County on the other, increas­ ed. Conflicting claims arose upon the border between land owners claim­ ing under New York grants and land owners claiming the same land under grants from the Proprietors of East Jersey. About 1720 a dispute arose between the Swartwouts claiming under New York, and the West­ falls claiming under New Jersey. Major Swartwout equipped the men on his farm with guns to repel the attacks of the Jerseymen, but an attack was made in his absence, and the Jerseymen took possession. Swart­ wout secured aid from Goshen and turned the Jerseymen out by force. These difficulties were settled in the courts of New York and by arbitra­ tors in 1723, and peace prevailed until 1740. In that year, the Orange County authorities forced Jerseymen to train in the Orange County militia, and to pay taxes to that county. In 1742, eight ejectment suits were brought in the New York courts against tenants of the East Jersey proprietors at Romopack. Solomon Davis and Abraham Vanaken, Justices of the Peace at Minisink Island, were arrested by the Orange County authorities and imprisoned in the Orange County Jail for acting in the execution of their office about the year 1743, and Johannes Hooghteline (Hotalen ?)a constable, was pursued by the people of Orange County who shot his horse under him and committed him to prison at Goshen. Their regret that they had shot the horse ,vhen they intended to shoot him only, vtas not comforting. Colonel DeKay ,vho had settled in Vernon in 1734, claimed his title under the \Vawayanda patent, and when Daniel Harrison, a Jerseyman, tried to serve DeKay with papers in an ejectment suit, he was imprison- ed over night in the house, taken to the Orange County jail and there detained until he could inform his friends in Ne,vark. In 1753 Richard Gardner was making a survey when he and his assistants, John Herring and Peter Decker, were forcibly assaulted by Col. DeKay and his sons and their instruments taken from them. We can hardly credit the ac­ count of Herring that the Jerseymen offered no resistance and that Decker looked on while Herring was being beaten, but we cannot wonder that Colonel DeKay had to nail up his doors every night and to keep a guard for fear of being surprised in his bed by Jerseymen. On the twenty-first of August, 1754, Samuel Finch, a constable of Minisink, in the county of Orange, was at work at his shop about sixteen miles from the lower end of Great Minisink Island when he was seized by Cornelius West-Fall, Sol­ omon Cartwright, Petrus West-Fall, Jacobus West-Fall and Urian West­ Fall by virtue of a warrant from a New Jersey Justice and dragged nearly a. quarter of a mile through bushes and swamps, and would have been carried to the Sussex jail if he had not been rescued by one of the Jus­ tices of Orange County. In a report made by a committee of the New York assembly in Octo­ ber, 1754, complaint is made that the people of New Jersey, from time to time, had collected in large bodies and had violently ousted divers persons holding lands in the Mi:c.isink under New York grants; that the New York officers were repeatedly beaten, interferred with in the execution of their offices, taken prisoners and carried into parts of New Jersey remote from their homes. The report says that New Jersey has recently erected a new county called Sussex, a great part of which extends many miles to the northward of the boundary as claimed by New York. The Jerseymen are said to have beset the houses of the New Yorkers by night, to hn,e attempted to seize and take prisoners citizens of New York, and to ha,e been encouraged by the off er of rewards and by payments made by the pro­ prietors of East Jersey. ..::\. highway had been recently laid out by the county of Sussex, through the ~Iinisink country and taxes had been assessed under the autho::.-ity of Sussex County by means of which :niany were prevented from paying taxes in Orange County. The East Jersey proprietors in their memorial, accuse the New York­ ers of being the aggressors and profess their own willingness to submit the controversy to the Courts. It is probable that in each case the party which was the stronger for the time being on the spot, was the aggressor. The J erseymen proved the stronger in the , end. · The more timid Nev-: Yorkers retired to remote portions of Orange County, and the more reso­ lute converted their dw·ellings into places of defense and \\""ent armed against sudden attack. Col. DeKay applied to Jan1es Alexander, the Sur­ veyor General of the Jerseys, to endeavor to reach some agreement until the line should be fi.!l.ally settled. Alexander absolutely refused to con­ sent unless DeKay v;ould agree to hold his lands unde:r New Jersey, be­ come a Jerseyman and fight for Ne,, Jersey against New York. DeKay refused to comply w·ith this demand; a number of armed men came to his house, threatened to shoot him through the heart, to star,e him out, to burn the house o,ei- his head, and they boasted that they had strength enough to take all Goshen and w·ould do it in time. The Governor of New Jersey ordered Col. Van Camp (or Van Campen) to protect the set- 41 tlers claiming under Jersey rights. The contest became more and more heated. New York kept a watch of twenty-fi-r;e o::.- thirty men at Colonel DeKay's and another at Goshen jail. The effort on the part of New York ·was to have the boundary ques­ tion submitted for determination to the king; the reason was that the land in Ne·w York alon_g the disputed boundary could be made to produce a revenue in the way of quit rents to the crown, while if the land was decided to belong to New Jersey, -the quit rents and all other profits would go not to the crown but to the proprietors of East Jersey. Governor Har­ dy distinctly suggested in a letter to the Lords of Trade that the revenue to be derived by the crown from the lands in dispute might amount to as much as 2,000 pounds per annum. Governor Belcher was equally pressing in his desire to secure a settlement of the boundary, but wanted the ques­ tion submitted to prominent citizens of the colonies. The activity and vigilance of the citizens of this county was such that by 1762, the New Yorkers were practically driven out of the Minisink country. The New York legislature in that year became convinced of the necessity of a amicable settlement and in December passed an act submitting the ques­ tion to such methods of decision as the King might determine. A similar act of the New Jersey legislature in 1763 was disallowed by the King for some unknown reason; it was re-enacted February 23, 1764. On June 26, 1767, the King appointed several of the most prominent citi­ zens of the different colonies commissioners to settle the bon-dary line. .Among the names appear those of Andrew Oliver, Secretary of the pro­ vince of Massachusetts Bay; Payton (Peyton) Randolph, Attorney­ General of Virginia ; Jared Ingersoll, of Connecticut, and Benjamin Franklin, of Pennsylvania. New Jersey had been successful in the border warfare; she was not successful in the arbitration. The commission abandoned the north station point at Cochecton and selected instead the for~ or branch formed by the junction of the stream, called the l!achhack­ amack with the ri er called Delaware or Fishkill, in the latitude of forty-one degrees, twenty-one minutes and thirty-seven seconds. This point is now the tri-states rock. Doubtless the commissioners sought to com­ promise between the conflicting claims, and New York's claim of the forks of the Delaware at Easton as a corner, absurd as it was, very likely influenced the commissioners in fixing the north station point at the more northerly forks at Port Jervis. The boundary as thus fixed was confirmed by the legislature of New York in 1771 and by the legislature of New Jersey in 1772. Both acts were approved by the king in 1773. New Jersey lost 210,000 acres ,vhich properly belonged to her. In this way the colonists settled peaceably if not amicably a conflict of a kind which has often involved nations in destructive war. Those who think that terrritorial question_s involving rights of property, the allegiance of citizens, and the jurisdiction of government, are so much a matter of National honor that they can only be decided by gunpowder and the sword, can learn a lesson from the manner in which this con­ flict between two independent governments was finally settled by peaceful arbitration. The acres which New Jersey lost by the compromise ·were of small value compared with the loss she would have sustained by a border war. Disputes like this between New Jersey and New York led to 42 the provision in the federal constitution extending the judicial pow·er of the federal courts to controversies between citizens claiming lands under grants of different states. I can see no reason ,,hy disputes of this kind should not always be settled by a judicial tribunal. THE EAST A.ND WEST JERSEY LINE. The boundary line between New Jersey and New York was not the only boundary line which made trouble in the colonial days. New Jersey was a single province from 1702 under the rule of royal Go-vernors, but the land in New Jersey belonged to the Proprietors of East Jersey and to the Proprietors of West Jersey, and not to the government. The line between East and West Jersey was fixed by the quinti-partite deed of 1676. After the establishment of the north station point at Cochecton in 1719, it be­ came possible to run the partition line from Little Egg Harbor to that point, but the line was not actually run until 1743 when John Law­ rence was appointed by the Proprietors of East Jersey for that purpose. He fixed the line where it has ever since remained. In this county, it is the line between the townships of Stillwater and Wallpack on the south and the townships of Hampton and Sandyston on the north. It can still be recognized by the fence lines in some parts of the coun­ ty, although I suppose all the original marked trees on the line must have long since disappeared. In their ignorance of the exact location of the partition line prior to 1748, grants had been made by the Proprietors of West Jersey of lands which were found to lie in East Jersey, for in­ stance the Penn tracts near Newton, and grants made by East Jersey were found to lie in West Jersey. After the running of the Lawrence line, compensation was made by grants of other lands to those who were likely to suffer from the error. \Vhen, in 1773, the north station point was finally established at Port Jervis, the Proprietors of West Jersey sought to establish a new partition line from the new nortl.. station point as fixed in the settlement with New York, to Little Egg Harbor. Such a line would have given about half of Sussex County to West Jersey. The Proprietors of East Jersey insisted that the line as run by Lawrence, should be adhered to, and this line has since been recognized by our courts. THE GROWTH OF THE COUNTY. The unsettled state of the country during the French and Indian war had retarded the growth of the country. Families along the border mov­ ed away; the work of Fryenmuth in the churches along the rh·er ,vas suspended and the energies of the people ,vere absorbed in the effort to protect the settlements against invasion. Although there were some Indian outbreaks after the conclusion of peace, the country immediately began to grow. The court house was completed and occupied for the first time on July 11, 1763, and with the completion of the court house, Newton began to offer attractions for lawyers. Thomas Anderson came from Hunterdon county and bought land on the upper side of the park ,vhere Park Block now stands. He was one of the most prominent citizens of the county, Surrogate for many years and commissary for the army dur­ ing the Revolutionary war. Jonathan Willis came from Elizabeth and 43 became one of the early tavern keepers. Other immigrants came from different parts of the state, and the county soon had a sufficient popu­ lation to entitle it to representation in the Assembly. It had previously joined with Morris and Hunterdon counties in electing representatives, but in 1768 Morris and Sussex were each authorized to choose two repre­ sentatives. Only freeholders having 100 acres of land in their own right, or worth fifty pounds sterling money of Great Britain in real or personal estate were allowed to vote; each representative was required to have 1,000 acres of land in his own right, or to be worth 500 pounds sterling money of Great Britain in real and personal estate, and to be a resi­ dent of the county. The Assembly was elected for seven years. The act allowing representatives to Sussex was confirmed by the king in council in 1770, and from that time the colony was regularly represented. In 1771, the total population of the county, including what is now Warren County, was 8,944, and there were 1,469 dwelling houses. There were then thirteen counties in the state, eight of which made reports to Governor Franklin. The population of Sussex was exceeded only by Hunterdon, Burlington and Morris. With the increase of population, came better roads and the beginning of bridges erected by the Free­ holders. The first of which I find mention in the records, is a bridge over the Musconetcong river in 1770, and the first appropriation made for bridges is 150 pounds in May, 1773. The issue of paper money which seemed to meet but really increased the expenses of the war, brought the usual distress caused by depreciated currency and made profitable the crime of counterfeiting. The county collectors were imposed upon and received counterfeit bills in payment of taxes ; there are frequent entries of allowances made to the collector for losses by this cause. THE AD MINIS TR.A. T ION OF JUSTICE. The courts had been interrupted during the war and were not regularly held thereafter. In 1772 the Freeholders resolved that a petition be sent to the chief justice on behalf of the board to request the Supreme Court to be held here as soon as may be. The administration of justice was not neglected on account of the irregularity of the sessions of the courts, for at that same meeting the county collector was given credit in his account for the sum of ten shillings paid to a constable of Newtown for executing corporal punishment on a prisoner. Entries of this chararter continue until 1831. The county was not free from crime, but that there was a disposition to do justice, appears from the trial of Seamour at a special court of oyer and terminer before Judge Read in 1766 for the murder of an Oneida Indian. Indians were procured to attend; John Pettit was paid forty shillings for his time and expenses in fetching an Indian to the trial. Seamour was convicted and executed, a detachment of militia attending the execution to preyent a rescue. Mr. Edsall says that Seamour had broken jail and fled to parts unknown with the assis­ tance of some friends and that he found no record in the court minutes of their conviction and punishment. A letter of Governor Franklin to the Earl of Shelburne announcing Seamour's execution proves that Seamour must have been re-captured, and it was indeed worthy of note that so soon after the Indian War, a jury could be found to convict for the 44 murder of an Indian, and that the testimony of the Indians ,,as received upon the trial. This execution of Searnour was, I believe, the first exe­ cution in the county. Minor crimes occasionally appear in the records. In 1777 a horse thief was locked up in jail, and the Sheriff was ordered by the Freeholders to dispose of him for what he could get. The Freeholders were evidently tired of boarding him, and it was rather expensive ; for on July 8, 1777, there was paid to Thomas Anderson for himself and John Pettit for costs and for boarding the "horse thief" twenty-four pounds and three shill­ ings. He was sold pursuant to an order of the court at vendue to Hugh Quig of Morris County. Quig gave a note for the purchase price and before the note became due went over to the British army. When the estates of the tories were confiscated, Thomas Anderson was authorized in behalf of the county to prosecute for the money of the commissioners of Morris County for seizing· absconding to:ries' effects. THE FORMATION OF THE TOWNSHIPS. The increase of population natu:rally led to the creation of additional townships for the convenient conduct of business. Montagne had already been added to the original townships in 1759. Sandyston was set off from Wallpack and Hardyston from Newton in 1762 by royal patents. Hardyston then included Vernon which became a separate township in 1792, and a portion of Sparta which was formed from parts of Hardyston, Frankford, Newton and Byram in 1845. Frankford was set off from New­ ton in 1797 ; it then included a part of Lafayette and a part of Sparta. Byram was formed from Newton in 1798. Lafayette was formed from parts of Newton and Frankford in 1845. This completes the list of the townships with the exception of Stillwater w·hich was formed out of that portion of the Township of Hardwick which was left in the County of Sussex after the separation of Warren, and Green which was formed out of that portion of the township of Independence northeast of the divi­ sion line between Sussex and Warren, and so much of Hardwick north­ east of the line as was not included within the bounds of Stillwater. The formation of Andover and Hampton out of what remained of New­ ton in 1864 left the town of Newton as it is at the present day with the exception of a small portion added to it from Andover in 1869. A YEAR OF DISTRESS. The years from 1760 to 1775 were years of growth, and upon the whole years of prosperity, but the county ,Yas as yet poor and with little ac­ cumulated wealth, and times of scarcity must have come more than once when even the means of the most frugal living failed. The legislation of the state bears witness to the difficulties which beset the early setters. An act was passed June 20, 1765, reciting that the board of justices and freeholders of the county of Sussex had represented to the general assem­ bly that the inhabitants of the county were reduced to great distress for want of bread corn, and that the justices and freeholders were incapable of relieving the sufferers for want of money to enable them to purchase grain for their exigencies. The legislature, therefore, authorized the treasurer of the colony to pay to certain citizens of Sussex any sum not 45 exceeding two hundred pounds to be disposed of to the best advantage in purchasing "bread corn" for the inhabitants of the county or to be distri­ buted as the gentlemen named should think fit. The money was intend­ ed only as a loan from the colony, and care was taken to authorize the assessment of a ta:&: for the purpose of raising money to repay the loan ,vithin two years. I can only surmise what is meant by "bread corn," but as the usual English term for wheat and rye at that time was, as it is to-day, "corn" and as in this country the word com is appropriated more especially to the maize or Indian com, I surmise that what was intended was either wheat or rye, and that it '\Yas called "bread corn" to distinguish it from the Indian corn. THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION. Amid prosperity and adversity, the inhabitants of the county con­ tinued in their work of suduing the wilderness, of bringing land under tillage, of opening roads and building bridges. In public affairs a greater storm was impending than had before been known. We find no traces of the approaching conflict with the mother country in our Sussex County records prior to the year 1774, but the storm then raised by the legislation of the British parliament penetrated to the remotest settle­ ments. On July 16, 1774, at a meeting held at the Court House, presided over by Hugh Hughes, resolutions were adopted which had been drawn np by John Cleves Symmes, of Wallpack, who was then or soon became one of the most prominent citizens of the county, an officer in the army, a member of Congress, a Justice of the Supreme Court-who after serving the people in these capacities, emigrated to Ohio, in 1787 took np a large tract of land about the city of Cincinnati, became a Judge of the North­ west Territory and lived to see his daughter, a native of Sussex, married to "\Villiam Henry Harrison, after,vard President of the United States. These resolutions ,vhich he presented at the meeting in July, 1774, affirm the duty of citizens to render true and faithful allegiance to the King of Great Brita.in and to support and maintain the just dependence of the colonies upon the crown, but they added the significant expression "under the enjoyment of our constitutional rights and privileges." They asserted as one of those rights, the right to be taxed only by their con­ sent; they denounced the act of Parliament for imposing taxes and the act closing the port of Boston as oppressive, unconstitutional and in­ jurious to American freedom. The Bostonians were declared to suffer in the general cause of America. The resolutions recommended an agree­ ment not to use any articles imported from Great Britain or the East Indies. 'rhey declared that our county ,vould join other counties in send­ ing a committee to meet with committees of other colonies for the purpose of choosing representatives in a general Congress of the colonies. They pledged the citizens of Sussex to adhere to such regulations and restrict­ ions as should be agreed upon by the members of Congress; and they ap­ pointed a committee of correspondence. The proceedings of the Continental Congress are a matter of general history, but by the time the freeholders and justices met on May 10, 1775, Lexington and Concord had been fought. To the freeholders, the 46 judge appo1nted under royai authority represented the power of the crown, and at this meeting it was ordered that from henceforth no judges expenses should be paid by this county. A committee of safety was formed. Its records, after being lost to sight for many years, were finally disco,ered by :Oir. Edsall fifty years ago among .some loose papers in the clerk's office and are preserYed in his address. They show that the reins of go,ernment had fallen from the hands of the royal governor and the old assembly and council, into the hands of the provincial con­ gress of New Jersey, and in Sussex county into the hands of the com­ mittee of safety. At the meeting of this committee in August, 1775, means were taken to raise Sussex County's quota of the 10,000 pounds ordered to be raised by the provincial congress to purchase arms and ammunition and for the exigencies of the province. Caspar Shafer was appointed collector to take charge of the funds. The cases of persons who refused had to join the colonies in the opposition to the established government, were considered, and Captain John McMurtry and Lieu­ tenant William White, of Oxford township, who were about to join the army under Washington at Boston received the necessary recommendation certifying to their place of abode, character and reputation. The outbreak of the war caused a rise of prices, and the committee of safety undertook, as so many have undertaken unsuccessfully before and since, to control the matter by dealing with the merchants or traders against whom complaint might be made, according to the rules of the continental congress. The officers of each regiment and battalion in the county were ordered to make strict inquiry into the state of their several companies with regard to firearms and make a return of all deficiencies. Forty pounds was voted for ammunition for the battalion under Colonel Symmes' command, to be raised at once in the three townships on the northwest side of the Pahaquala Mountain and to be credited to the quota of tax apportioned to those townships. While this temporary government by means of the provincial Congress and the committee of safety was taking measures to arm soldiers and raise money to carry on the war, the last royal governor of the state, William Franklin, was still in office, but the legislature convened by his writs ceased to act December 6, 1775. The real powers of government had fallen into the hands of the provincial congress constituted without royal authority by the voluntary obedience of the people. Franklin, by proclamation in the name of the king, summoned the regular legislature to meet on June 20, 1776. Thereupon, the provincial congress, by a vote of thirty-eight to ele-ven, resolved that the proclamation ought not to be obeyed. The congress further resolved that the governor by his pro­ clamation had acted in contempt of the resol,e of the continental congress, that he had discovered himself to be an enemy to the liberties of his country; and that measures ought to be immediately taken for securing his person ; and all payments of money were ordered to cease. Only one member from Sussex voted against these resolutions. On July 2, 1776, a new constitution was adopted for the state, two days before the Decla­ ration of Independence was adopted at Philadelphia. The first act of the new legislature constituted under the authority of the people was passed September 13, 1776. 47 In the Revolutionary ,var, Sussex County did not suffer as in the French and Indian \\.,.ar. '\Ve were remote from hostilities in a mountain­ ous country unfavorable for great military operations, but we possessed fertile lands and were able to furnish supplies for the continental army. The continental congress early discovered the mineral wealth of the county and sent a representative to look for supplies of flint and lead. The Andover furnace was used to supply iron. Deserters were carefully looked after, troops were furnished, and the county did its part in sup­ plying soldiers for the army. The road from New York and the east to Philadelphia and the south through Sussex County was protected by the range of mountains to our east, and prisoners of war were marched through Sussex and our records show that some were confined in the Sussex jail. Some citizens, as was to be expected, adhered to the royal government, and there was at one time a tory association in the county, but the committees of safety were vigilant, the sentiment in favor of the Continental Congress was overwhelming, and the tories did not prove very active. When the estates of Tories were confiscated, the principal owners of Sussex land who suffered, were Delancey and Cuyler, who were non-residents, and Joseph Barton who lived on 1\Iain street opposite this green. The best known Tory partisan was James Moody, who is by tradition called "Bonnell" ],!oody but he was not a resident of Sussex. I have seen a phamphlet published by him in England shortly after the war, giving an account of some of his exploits in Sussex County. The stories are a matter of local tradition and are interesting on that account rather than by reason of the importance of the acts which they relate. Moody's first appearance in Sussex was toward the end of the war, and after May, 1780. There was then confined in the Sussex jail under sentence of death, one of Burgoyne's soldiers. The inhabitants of the town, Moody says, were generally disaffected, by which he means that they favored the cause of the colonies. He entered the town at night with six men, called the keeper of the jail, and when asked his business, answered that he had one of Moody's men to deliver into custody. The jailer refused to open the door, as he had received strict orders not to open after sunset, and directed Moody to wait until morning before delivering the prisoner whereupon :M:oody threatened to pull down the court house about his ears unless he immediately delivered the keys. Moody's men raised an Indian war whoop ,vhich so frightened the people, as he says, that their only thought was to escape to the ,voods. The town was composed at the time of only twenty or thirty houses. ::.Moody made his way into the jail, was assisted by one of the prisoners, released the prisoners and escaped ·with­ out injury notwithstanding a warm pursuit of several days. In the spring of 1781, Moody intercepted dispatches from \Vashington; and as a reward was made a lieutenant in the British army. He attempt­ ed unsuccessfully to seal the archives of congress and only escaped by hid­ ing in a ditch and in some stacks of cornstalks where he remain-· ed for two days and two nights without food. His brother was captured and executed at Philadelphia November 3, 1781, just after the surrender of Yorktown. The county suffered during the war from incursions of the Indians in 48 alliance with the British, as twenty years before it had suffered from the Indians allied with the French. Interesting stories are told of these incursions and the massacres that accompanied them. Most of them n.re connected with the name of the well kno,:vn chief, Brandt. In 1777, some Indians were repulsed in an attack upon the house of Captain Abraham Shimer in Montague. The next year Brandt appeared in the Minisink country but is said to have confined his operations to the settlements north of our boundary. Stories a7e told of the slaughter of a school­ master, Jeremiah Vanaken, in the presence of his scholars. The scholars, it is said, would have been tomahawked also, had it not been for Brandt's protection of the little girls who in their turn concealed their brothers under their aprons. A funeral procession was attacked when leaving the Machackanack church for the burying ground and the infant settlement w-as burned. These stories rest upon tradition, but I have seen a newspaper clip­ ping from the Newburg TelegI"am purporting to be copied from the Sparks manuscripts in the Harvard College library, giving a full re­ print of Brandt's own account of his foray in July, 1779, into Minisink. He intended to arrive a little before daylight, but did not reach Minisink until noon, and as the cattle were all in the woods, he could get but few. He says: "We have burned all the settlement called :Minisink, one fort excepted round which we lay about an hour, and had one man killed and one ,vounded; we destroyed several small stockaded forts and took four scalps and three prisoners, but did not in the least injure women or children. The reason that ,ve could not take more of them was owing to the many forts without the place into which they were always ready to run like groundhogs.'' This foray of Brandt wa follow­ ed by an immediate pursuit and Mayor ·Meeker and Captain Harker, of the Sussex militia. took part. Our troops fell into ambush near Lacka­ waxen. They took refuge on a high hill and defended themselves as long and as well as they could, but were finally overpowered by superior num­ bers and half of the whole force was killed. This is the battle of the Minisink. Although it did not take place within our borders, it is as­ t:>Ocia ted with the early traditions especially in the Delaware Valley, and was participated in by Sussex militia. No other conflicts took place dur­ ing the war in this county. The most famous of the Sussex soldiers was General William Maxwell, who is buried in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian church of Greenwich in the present county of Warren. Colonel Symmes I have already mentioned. Major Samuel Meeker and Captain Joseph Harker took part in the battle of the l\Iinisink. The names of Colonel Kennedy and Colonel Gardne:r, Colonel Johu Rosenkrans and Colonel John Sew­ ard; Majors Samuel Westbrook, Robert Hoops, Abraham Besherrer and Thomas Dunn have come do,vn to us. The ladies also did their part, and a committee ,~as formed to receive contributions for the relief and encouragement of the soldiers in the continental army. The members from the County of Sussex were Mrs. Robert Ogden, Jr., of Hardyston ; Mrs. Mark Tompson, of Hardwick; Mrs. Robert Hoops, of Oxford, and Mrs. Thomas Anderson, of Newton. I can only add to the account which I have thus derived from Mr. Edsall's address, a reference in an old 49 newspaper published at Ne,v York, February 3, 1777, du.ring the Briti!h occupancy of that city. The newspapers says : "An epidemic disorder prevails in the county of Sussex, in New Jersey, which was brought thither by the rebels who formed the northern army under Gates; and many have been carried off ,,ith it. In short, the rebels, as a just punishment from Heaven, begin to feel the triple scourge of pestilence, famine, and the sword ; and, if they persist in their delusion, will pro­ bably soon receive those dreadful calamities in extreme degree." Ignor­ ance and malevolence in 1777, as in 1903. can see the judgment of Heav­ en in the misfortunes of others, and the wri te:r of the old newspaper ac­ connt probably felt as confident as some foolish people feel to-day, that he was entrusted with the secrets of Heaven and that the pestilence among his adversaries was a punishment from above. AF TE R THE WAR. The war left the people with a heavy burden of taxation caused by the necessity of raising funds to meet the bills of credit which had been issued for the purpose of carrying on the contest. It is interesting to note that the amount to be raised in Sussex in 1781 was 8,038 pounds, six shillings and 5 pence, nominally about $40,000. The extent of the depreciation, I do not know. It was necessary to raise taxes both in paper money and in hard money as it is called in the records. The budget to which I have referred for the year 1781 indicates by its appor­ tionment of the tax the approximate relative wealth of the townships. Hardwick stood :first on the list with a quota of 1726 pounds, Knowlton was next with a quota of 1040 pounds, and then followed Greenwich, 1025 pounds ; Oxford, 827 pounds. All of these were wholly in the Coun­ ty of Warren, excepting Hardwick, which then included the townships of Green and Stillwater. Of the townships in Sussex county, Newtown had to bear the largest proportion of the tax, 819 pounds ; Hardyston stood next with 688 pounds ; Wantage was third with 409 pounds, and then followed Wallpack, Montague and Sandyston in the order named. The next year the confusion in the currency had become such that the appropriation of the Board of Freeholders directed the raising by taxation of 4,000 pounds payable in money and certificates, 2,000 pounds payable in gold, sih·er and copper coin, and 600 pounds payable in gold, silver and copper-probably meaning bullion. \Vith such confusion in the currency, we need not be surprised that there was confusion in the accounts of the townships and county collectors, for many years there­ after the attention of the freeholders was occupied with the effort to secure settlements with different collectors, and the payment to the county of the balances :r-etained in their hands. \Vith the opening of the nineteenth century, in.ore systematic method5 seem to have been adopted and complaints beca1ne less frequent. There is little to be told of the action of Sussex County in the forma­ tion of the new federal government. The Yictory of the small states in the federal convention at Philadelphia which resulted in the provision of the federal constitution for the equal representation of the states in the senate, made ratification by New Jersey an easy matter, and the federal constitution was adopted without a contest. Sussex was repre- 50 sented in the State Convention which adopted the constitution, by Robert Ogden, Thomas Anderson and Robert Hoops. The coming of peace, the formation of a stable government, and the increase of wealth, led owners of land who resided in New York and Philadelphia and other cities along the seacoast to adopt their Sussex estates for their personal residence. The Ogdens had already settled at Sparta. Lewis Morris, the third, had bought land near Hamburgh and had it cultivated by his slaves and the produce sent to his home in West­ chester county during the war. After the war his son-in-law, Thomas Lawrence, brought his family from Philadelphia on the long and tire­ some ride over a rough mountain road from Paterson, to live upon this property. He purchased it in 1800. This farm or a portion of it still belongs to his descendants of the same name and was a part of the farm of the late Senator Lawrence, an admirable citizen and upright gentle­ man, still remembered by the most of us. In the same year that Thomas Lawrence settled at Hamburg, John Rutherford, a grandson of the old proprietor and Surveyor General, Jam.es Alexander, and one of the largest land owners in the state, came to reside on the farm at Tranquility now occupied by his great grandson. In 1788, he was elected a member of the legislature, and in 1790 and 1796 was elected to the :senate of the United States from which he resigned in 1798. The Phillipses, Rorbachs~ Johnsons, Warbasses, and Ryersons are said to haYe settled in Newton some time between the end of tho French War and 1800, some of them before the Revolution. Captain Elias Cooper came into Wantage in 1812. The names Coykendall, Cortright, Tits­ worth, Winfield, Cuddeback, Baxter, McCoy, Westbrook, Ayers, Horn­ beck, Shepherd and Swarts figure about this time in the history of Wantage, while the names of Rosenkrans, Dimon, Losey, Dewit, Cole, Fuller, Smith, Myers, Jones, Vanauken, Hull and Bunnell are named among the settlers in \Vallpack. The names of Munson, Wade, Sutton, Kemble, Linn, and Rude were prominent in Hardyston. In Vernon, I :find the names of Simonson, Chardevoyne, Edsall, Ryerson, Farber, \Valling, Simpson, Bailey, Hynard. In Montague, Westbrook, Shimer, ,restfall, Bennet, EYerett, Bonnell, Hornbeck, Nearpass, VanEten and Cole ; in Lafayette, Kays, Struble, Bell, Snook, Lantz, Shotwell, Huston, Ackerson, Ingersoll, Gunderman, Simmons, Hopkins, Snyder, Northrup and 1Iackerly ; in Stillwater, Coursen, Goble, Roy, Mains, Hunt and "\Vinterm.ute; In Frankford, Price. Colt, Bray, Armstrong, Pellet, Osborne, Adams, Roe, Dalrymple, ircDanolds, StiYers and \Vyker ; in Sparta, "\Yade, Lanterman, Decker, Cory, Braisted, , ... anBlarcom, VanKirk, Boss and Beatty; in Sandyston, Shay, Layton, Beyans, Brink, Jagger, Warner, 1Ierring, Clark and Hough ; in Green, Young, Hart, Reed, Wilson, Hill, Hunt and Dildine ; in Byram, Heminover, Byerly, Dickerson, \Vhite, ~IcKain, Byram and Rose ; in Andover, which was until 1864 a part of Newton, Onsted, Harding, Hines, Iliff, House, l\Iills, Quackenbush, l\fcPeake; in Hampton, Morris, Roof, Hendershot, Couse, Struble, Griggs, Halsey, Cassidy, Sherred and Coursen. \Vith the increase of population physicians began to find employment. Samuel Kennedy who located near Johnsonsburg seems to haYe been the pioneer. 51 THE EARLY SCHOOLS. The town of Newton had begun to develop and in 1800 contained about fifty buildings. The only streets ,v-ere Spring street, Park Place, Church street and Liberty street. J\Iain street was known as the road to New York, and High street as the road to Easton. Just where they approached each other by the green, Hampton had taken care to secure a large tract of land from Penn, which had already been divided into lots and farms and sold in 1783. Schools were still in their infancy. There are scattered notices of schools in very early days, such as the school said to have been taught by the Rev. Joseph Shaw at Wallpack before the middle of the eighteenth century and the gift of land by Westbrook for a school at Montague of which I have already spoken. There are said to have been three schools in Wantage prior to 1770. The trustees of the Newton Academy were incorporated February 2, 1801. A lot on J\.Iain street where Dr. Newman's residence now is, had been donated by Mr. Hampton for an academy and graveyard. It includes that portion of the graveyard lying northeast of the central path. After the incorporation of the trustees, and on June 17, 1807, a deed was executed by the surviv­ ing trustee of the Hampton estate to the ne,v corporation, and there the academy remained for many years until the property was sold and the school removed to the lot at the comer of Division street and the lane leading from Liberty to Church street where many of us will recall it as being located. Charles Morford, the first Latin teacher in the county, taught in 1814, and Benjamin McCarter and Harvey Hallock some years later. Schools were few and the distances which the pupils had to tra,el were great, but many boys secured a good education. I have seen letters of David Ryerson, whose education must ha,e been secured in the eigh­ teenth century, written before he attained his majority, which would have done credit to a college graduate; and I have been shown an address delivered before a literary society in Newton, in 1814 by Joseph Warbasse which was thought worthy of being printed, and shows a diligent reading of the English classical authors. Early in the nineteenth century, a greater interest began to be taken in the schools; in 1804 the Unity Company was incorporated to build the Unity school house, at the high point in the township of Wantage. In 1809 the Vernon Union school house was incorporated. In 1812 the Harmony school, the Sparta academy, and the Peters ''alley society ; in 1818 the Andover school society in 1820 the Union school house on the Clove road in Montagne. In 1816, Joseph Hill leased land at Springdale to the trustees of the Springdale school for 99 years at a rental of one cent per year if demanded. Most of these schools were established before the state had passed the first act for the support of free schools on the 12th of February, 1817. These were common schools where reading, WTiting and arithmetic were taught. There was a growing demand for schools of a higher grade. Parents were beginning to think of sending their boys to college ; \Vil­ liam T. Anderson seems to have been the first boy of Sussex birth v:ho went to Princeton, whe:re he graduated in 1796, returning to Newton to practice law until his death in 1850. 52 Ea.rly in the nineteenth century, Rev. Edward Allen opened a school, I believe at Harmony Vale, which was a famous classical school in its day and the forerunner of others. Perhaps it was the school incorporat­ ed in 1812 under the name of the Harmony School Society. In 1820 Re,. Clarkson Dunn, for many years a prominent figure in the county, came to Newton as rector of Christ Church. In addition to his labors as rector of the church, and his labors at churches in Warren county miles away, he found time to cultivate a tract of land in Newton, to look after a farm belonging to the church two or three miles out of town, and to conduct a most successful school, which was remembered with gratitude by men whom I myself have known. This school appears to have been conducted by Mr. Dunn from 1824 to 1843 and to have reopened as a church school in 1844. On February 2, 1829, an advertisement ap­ peared in. the newspapers stating that the Potwine house-the house on Liberty street now occupied by Mr. W.W. Woodward-would be opened as a school for young ladies by William Euen. ~.\.n educational committee of the county was in existence, and in November, 1828, had reported that twenty districts in the county were without schools and 1,500 children without instruction; that not more than half of the children in the coun­ ty had teaching of any Talue, and that many of the teachers were incom­ petent and too loose in morality. In 1833 one of the most famous schools of its day was opened by William Rankin at Deckertown. Mr. Rankin came from Tennessee and is said to have been an uncouth and ungainly youth, but to have astonish­ ed the committee who examined him by his knowledge. His school at Deckertown was opened under great difficulties. It was in a building about fourteen feet square, formerly used for a tailor shop, and half way up a very steep hill. The building had never been painted and was black with age. There was no furni tu.re, neither stove, chairs, bench or stool. It was winter and the school on the hill side was diffi.­ cul of access. Mr. Rankin borrowed a pick, dug steps in the frozen ground, and rented a broken stove of his landlord. Before he could use his sto-\e, he had to take it a mile and a half to a blacksmith to be repair­ ed. He rigged up a sort of skid with some poles and cross pieces on which he placed the stove and to which he hitched a horse. With the opening of his school, on the ensuing Monday morning, he found a single scholar waiting for him, the late John A. "\\'hitaker. Such was the unpromising beginning of the school which in twenty years educated scores of young men and between four and five hundred school teachers. In the following year in an ad,e1tisement of his school in the Sussex Register, he said: '' The village of Deckertown has formerly been famed and with too :cinch correctness for the practice of vice and destitution of intellectual and moral culti,ation ; but an advance has been made toward a better state, and therefore now contains a goodly portion of pious and moral citizens. ' ' In the same year in which Rankin opened his school at Deckertown, Edward A. Stiles opened another famous school a mile or two away at Mount Retirement. These schools must have been close rivals for in 1844 Rankin had 76 students and Stiles 74. Mr. Rankin subse­ quently left Sussex county, but the Mount Retirement seminary con- 53 tinned under the charge of Mr. Stiles until 1865 when he relinquished the control. This school did a great and good work, and during pa.rt of the time it had the advantage of having as one of its teachers irr. Stiles' son the late \Villiam A. Stiles, one of the ablest and most attractive men of our time-a man remembered with affection and esteem not only by those who were his pupils, but by the men with whom he came in con­ tact in public affairs throughout New Jersey and in the City of New York. The education of women was not neglected. In April, 1826, I find a notice of a meeting of what was called the Female Education Society of Newton. This was just prior to the opening of the school for young ladies in the Potwine house, where a successful school was conducted for many years. This school was in existence as late as 1856, perhaps later; its place was supplied by the Newton Collegiate Institute which ha.d been first incorporated as the Newton Presbyterial Academy in 1852. It is noteworthy that a President of Wellesley College, Miss Helen .A. Shafer, was a native of Sussex, and received her early education in Newton. In 1839, a school for young ladies was opened by Mrs. Dayton, at Sparta. More recently a classical school was conducted near Union ille by S. S. Hartwell and still more recently one by Professor Seeley at Sussex. I have mentioned the fact that the first school law of the state was the act of 1817. This act merely appropriated the interest of certain stocks of the state and ten per cent. of the state taxes to a. school fnnd to e invested in the bonds of the United States, the interest of which was to be accumulated. By the act of 1818, the interest was directed to be applied to the support of public schools. ~he first act providing for the establishment of common schools is the act of 1829 by which the town­ ships were authorized at their annual town meetings to raise money by taxation for the support of the schools. By the act of 1846 they were required to raise money in addition to the state appropriation, at least equal to the amount of that appro:priation but not more than double the amount. Under that law in 1851 four of the townships refused to raise money as the statute required. The :first money raised for public schools in Newton appears to have been voted that year. Two years later the town meeting in Newton voted 155 to 164 against raising money for schools. The people had not yet learned how necessary it is to "educate our rulers." With the passage of the school law of 1867, the public school system of the state took a. new start. It is needless to trace in detail its development in this county. It is enough to say that the school property which in 1866 was valued at $39:,000 is valued by the last annual school report at $194,000, while the appropri­ ations which were given so grudgingly or not given at all in 1851, amount­ ed last year including the appropriation by the state to $78,000. THE EARLY CHURCHES. I have already mentioned the early churches in the Delaware Valley, and the organization of the First Baptist church of Wantage, in 1756, first located at Hamburg, then along the Papakating, and finally at Deckertown (now Sussex.) Another called the First Baptist Church of Newton was organized about 1830, and admitted to membership in the \Varwick Baptist .Association iii July of that year. In 1833, at a meeting of Baptists near Newton, of ,vhich Jonathan I-iill '"·as chairman, the building of a Baptist church in Newton was proposed. The execution of the plan '\\~as made p0ssible by the receipt of a bequest cf several thou­ ~and dollars from the estate of Sarah :Hill shortly after 1838 ; the church was dedicated on February 25, 184 i. I cannot in this sketch mention all the church organizations in the county; I select a fe,.; only which have come to 1ny notice. One of the oldest is Christ Church at Newton, ·whose royal charter from George III is dated 176n. The first rector was Rev. Uzal Ogden. From his resig­ nation in 1784 until 1S.20, the church remained ,vithout a rector. His suc­ cessor, Rev. Clarkson Dunn c-a.me from Elizabeth. \\i11en the teamster who brought his household furniture, reached Newton, he urged Mr. Dunn not to have the "\Tagon unloaded, but to return at once fron:. such a miserable looking town as Newton appeared to him ; but ::&Ir. Dunn took up the ,,ork and :remained the rector until his resignation in 1857. He found six communicants and about forty-five contributors, but by his conciliatory disposition and his sterling character with a great deal of hard work, he made the church successful. Christ Church was one of the objects cf Jonathan H3mpton's bounty. He gave a tract of ten acres on the New York road, now 1viain street, on ,vhich the first rectory was built. It is a substantial stone building~ still standing, and is undoubt­ eclly the oldest building in Newton, although the property thirty-fi'\'"e years ago passed out of the hands of the church. The church also bene­ fitted by the gift of a large farm of 200 acres from the Proprietors, which remained its property nntil 1868 or 1869. The first church edifice was built in 1823, and served the purpose until the present church was erected in 1868. The new building was consecrated October 19, 18G9. Other Episcopal churches have been built at Hamburg, ·v ernon and Stanhope. The Presbyterian chul"ch in Ne~ton dates from 1786 when the original building ,vas begun. The church was for many years embarrassed by debt. It was temporarily helped by a lottery shortly after 1790, but only tem1)orarily ; the property was sold by the Sheriff and purchased by Daniel Stuart. It was not out of debt until 1818 and it was only in 1828 the congregation ws.s able to build a ne,v and larger church. This served until 1869. The l)resent church was dedicated nfay, 1871. The Clove church in the Clove ·valley, above Sussex, ,vas originally connected vdth the Dutch Reformed denomination. It subsequently be­ came a Presbyterian church, and in the pastorate of Rev. Edward Allen had fi,e hundred 1nembers. The congregation at one time ,vas so large that many had to sit in wagons outside the building, and listen to the preaching through the open windo"s. The church ·was fortunate in hav­ ing the services of 1',Ir. Allen and of ReY. Peter Kanouse, and afterward from 1844 to 1871 of Rev. Sylvester Cooke. Another early Presbyterian church is the Sparta church, incorporated as the First Presbyterian church of I-Iarclyston, November 23, 1786. It was the first church incor:porated under the Act authorizing the incorporation of religious societies. Robert Ogden, Jr., ·was the President ; the trustees were Japhet Byram, Thomas VanKirk, Christopher Hoagland and Robert Ogden, Sr. This was closely followed by the First Presbyterian church in Hardwick, incorporated January 23, 1787, and commonly known as the '' Yellow Frame. '' In 1809 the Frankfo:-d Union ~,Ieeting house was incorporated and a church soon afteI' erected at Frankford Plains. The articles of incorpor­ ation state that it ·was to be free for all Christian denorn.inations, but the Congregationalists were to have the preference. In 1811 the North Pres­ byterian Church of Hardyston was incorporated, follo-\ved in 1813 by the United Presbyterian and Anabaptist Society at Hamburg. By this time the Presbyterians ,vere thoroughly established in different parts of the county. The first notice I find of the lfethodist organization is the incorpor­ ation in 1811 of the Frankford :Ofethodist Society, although it is said that the Rev. Robert :r,fcOoy preached &s ea::.-ly as 1800. Occasional services were held in the Court House after 1817. The :fh-st Sabbath service was held in a bai·n owned by William T. Anderson near the Merriam Shoe Factory. A.fter 1823, the Court House was used for services eveTy other Sunday afternoon. In 1831, the :Methodist Society of Newton was incorporated. Their church building, then situated on Division street, was dedicated February 15, 1834, an'1 used until 1,1:arch 17, 1861. The ll,I'esent building was dedicated on the 23rd and 24th of l\farch of that year. The first Catholic service was held by Rev. Richard Bolger at New­ ton on November 25, 1821; from that date until 1854, the Catholics of the county were entirely dependent upon visiting clergymen from Dover, from ~Iadison, frorn New York, or more distant points. Among these missionaries, w~s the present Bishop of Rochester, the Rt. Rev. B. J. McQnaid. Catholics were to be found at Deckertown, Wawayanda, 1Ionta­ gne, Hamburg, Vernon, Stanhope, Andover, Newton and as the mines and furnaces developed, nt Ogdensburg and Franklin. In Newton, they worshipped at the house of Edward McCormick on Spring street and the home of Francis Graey then living on Church street. In 1854, Father McMahon was appointed to the parish of Sussex county. At that time many Catholics ,vere liYing at Andover, and Father 1\Icl\Iahon hesitated whether to locate a chU!'ch at that point or at Newton ; he finally decided in favor of Newton. ~.\. church building ·w·as erected which is said to have been without pews, unplaste!'ed, thinly painted, and rough boarded without. In 1861 Father ].fc~fahon was succeeded by Rev. Edward l'rfcCosker who in the nineteen years he was here, saw the church rapidly gro·w. He had the courage in 1870 to begin the building of the present brick church upon Halsted street. A church was built at Franklin Fur­ nace, followed in 1902 by a handsome stone church. A church was also built at Deckertown and one at Ogdensburg, and in 1881 a parochial school was started at N ewto:a. The Bible Society ,vas organized in 1817. T HE B E GINN IN GS OF NE \VS PA PE R S. The growth and development of schools and churches naturally in­ creased the interest in learning and literature. The Newton library was incorporated September 1, 1800. A lyceum was organized and the first number of the Fanners' Journal and Newton Advertiser was pulished 56 January 8, 1796. This newspaper lived two or three years only. On July 5, 1813, the first number of the Sussex Register appeared, and for many years, sometimes amidst great difficulties, it was sustained by the energy and ability of John H. Hall, and afterward of Benjamin B. Edsall, who fifty years ago stood in the place which I now occupy. Mr. Edsall's ability and force were such that he was known and his opinions quoted throughout the state. He became famous as a political speaker, was his party's candidate for Congress, and to the date of his death at the early age of fifty-se"\""en, exerted great influence. I have been told by the late Chief Justice Depue that in Warren county the Register was never spoken of by its title, but was universally known as '' Ben Edsall' s paper.'' The New Jersey Herald was established in 1829 by Col. Grant Fitch. Other papers had an ephemeral existence-the Sussex County Home Journal of Deckertown, established 1849 ; the Sussex Democrat establish­ ed in 1858 as the organ of the Democrats opposed to Buchanan's adminis­ tration ; the Branchville Record and the Sussex Regular. There may have been others which have not been brought to my attention. In 1870 the Sussex Independent began publication and soon became an influential newspaper. It has been followed by the Wantage Recorder. The Newton Record has been established at Newton, and the Stanhope Eagle at Stan• hope. LITERARY INSTITUTIONS. The early library association ceased after a precarious existence of a few years, and it was not until 1868 that the Newton Library Association was formed. It was shortly afterward enabled by the gift of A. L. Den­ nis, of Newark, to erect the present building of the Dennis Library upon the site of a quaint old structure known as the Conover house. said to have been built before the Revolutionary War. The first Teachers' Institute was held at Newton, October 16, 1854, and in the winter of 1856-1857. a course of public lectures was given in Newton. Lectures on agricultural subjects had been given in the Court House, and the Freeholders seem to have been always willing to allow the use of the Court House for this purpose, although they frequently resolved not to allow its use for other purposes aside from the business of the county and the courts. TURNPIKE ROADS AND STAGES. With the opening of the nineteenth century, came the rapid de"\""elop­ ment of turnpike roads. Railroads were then unheard of, and the in­ crease of trade made better facilities for transportation a necessity. The Morris turnpike incorporated in 1801 was authorized to build a road from Elizabethtown through Morristown, and thence into the county of Sus­ sex. The Union turnpike incorporated in 1804 was at first authorized to build from Morristown through Dover and Mt. Pleasant to Sparta, and in 1806 to extend through Culver's Gap to the Delaware river. Portions of this turnpike were still used as turnpike roads until w'ithin the last ten years. In 1814 the road from Morristown to Milford, by way of Newton, was made a post road. In 1806, the Paterson & Hamburg Turn­ pike was incorporated and authorized to build a road from Acquackanock 57 Landing to Deckertown, and in 1809 the company was authorized to eX:• tend to the Delaware river, at a place nearly opposite !d:ilford. This road became a post road in 1808. In 1811 the Vernon Turnpike Company was authorized to build from the house of Thomas DeKay, the third, to William Winant's, and to intersect the Paterson and Hamburg turnpike near John VanGelder's but it seems to have been supplanted in 1814 by a new corporation called the Vernon and Newton Turnpike, which was authorized to build from the house of Thomas DeKay, the third, in a straight line, to William Winant's, thence to Hamburg, at or near Martin Ryerson's; thence to George Beardsley's, and thence to Sussex Court House. In 1817 the Pochuck Turnpike Company was incorporated to build a road from the Hamburg and Goshen stage road through Pochuck to the thirty-fifth mile stone, in the state line between New York and New Jersey. In 1814 the Deckerton and Newton Turnpike was incor­ porated to build from the thirty-eighth mile stone in a straight line through the village of Deckerton and through Wantage, Frankford and Newton, to or near the Court House. Most of this road was never built ; in 1831 the company was authorized to abandon seventeen miles of it from Gideon Gould's to the Court Honse. This charter is interesting as it shows the first attempt, and as far as I know the only attempt, to change the name of Deckertown to Deckerton, as the name of Newtown had been changed to Newton. The em of railroads was fast approaching and no other charters to turnpike companies were granted in Sussex county until the Coleville and Carpenter's Point road was incorporated 1851 and authorized to build a road across the Paquahaling mountain. This charter contains the last reference I have found to the mountain by its ancient name. One more charter was granted in 1852 to the Zinc Mines Plank Road Company for a plank road from the zinc mines to the Morris canal between Dover and Plane No. 4. The coming of the railroad probably made the building of this road unnecessary, as I find no further reference thereto. The first mention I find of a stage is August 15, 1808. In 1815, the stages between Newton and New York left Newton once a week at nine o'clock in the morning and reached New York at twelve o'clock the next day. In 1819 the stage which left New­ ton at four o'clock in the morning, reached Jersey City at six o'clock the same afternoon. In 1824, stages began running three times a week from New York to Oswego, through Newton, and in 1825 s daily stage began running from New York to Buffalo by way of Newton, Ithaca and Geneva. Communication along roads requires bridges as well as highways. The first mention I find of a bridge over the Delaware is in November, 1825. The bridge was completed at a cost of $16,000. It was thirty-eight feet wide with two arche8 of 180 feet span each ; the taking of tolls be­ gan Nov mber 17, 1826. THE MORRIS CAN AL. Another means of communication for many years was an important factor in the development of the country. The Erie canal had recently been built from Lake Erie to New York, and this probably suggested the desirability of connecting the Hudson and the Delaware by a waterway. A survey was made in the year 1823, and on the 12th of August, 1881, 58 navigation w·as opened from Stanhope to Newa1·k. The first shipment to Easton was made October 30, 1831. That was the day of small things, and it is said that the Banking privilege contained in the charter of the canal company was more important than the navigation of the canal. The canal was enlarged shortly after 1850, but the railroads were close at hand and the decline of the importance of the canal began. A canal was proposed, also in 1823, to run from Columbia along the Paulin's Kill, crossing the watershed between that and the Wallkill, and following the course of the Wallkill to the Hudson, but this w·as never built. PROGRESS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Progress appears in other ways. The first agricultural society was organized in 1821, and the first county fair was held October, 1822. The medical society dates from 1829, but an earlier one had been in existence several years before. Nor ought a sketch like this to omit as unworthy of notice, the introduction of dahlias into our flower gardens in 1841 and of hydrangeas and gladiolus in 1843, and the beginning of the culti­ vation of peaches in 1852. The first peach orchard, a small one of only t,vo hundred trees, is thought to have been on the farm of Obed Wilson in Green township. There were other orchards soon after, but the in­ dustry did not become of importance until about 1880. When Iwasa boy, most of the :peaches sold in Newton, came from Morris County in great covered wagons. After 1880, Sussex County began to ship peaches in large quantities. On some farms, the orchards were very remunerative ; on others, very disappointing. It is said that there are now few pro­ ductive orchards outside of Vernon township. An insight into the habits of the first half of the century is afforded by a note that lard was used instead of oil (whale oil, of course) for lighting in 1841. Kerosene dates only from the early sixties. The spirit of improvement was shown by the building of sidewalks in Newton for the first time in 1842, the building of the new fence around the green in 1845 and its disappearance in 1872. The trees under which we stand are not as old as might be supposed ; in 1839 the Register speaks of the green as treeless. It was used for years as place of deposit for lumber and all sorts of rubbish, in spite of the efforts of the Freeholders to protect it. '\Ve ought all to rejoice that no action was ever taken by the town to build a market house on the green in accordance with the per­ mission granted by the Freeholders in 1808. Between 1840 and 1850, the people became alive to the importance of preserving this spot as a green in accordance with Mr. Hampton's original intention. The late George H. Coursen assisted in planting the trees upon this spot, and I find from the files of the Register that the plan ting of shade trees in our streets began in 1849. Some had taken an interest in the subject at an earlier date. The two noble elms at the head of Elm street were planted by Charles M. Halsted more than seventy years ago, and David Ryerson planted some of the trees about his house on Main street early in the forties. Pride in our town has constantly increased. No one would tolerate no,v the pasturing of cows in the streets, which was so common as to attract comment in 1856. In turning over the files of the newspapers, I learned what seems hardly credible that the first milk 59 wagon began delivering milk in Ne·wton in 1863. 1Iany people in the village then kept their own cows, and had their o,vn pasture lots on the outski:i:-ts. Cows were kept by some fa_.TD.ilies until ,vithin the last twenty years; but the custom has no\V been almost entirely adaudoned. I must not omit to mention the interest taken in 1·aising horses. Old IIa1nbletonian, I beliesre, was a Sussex horse, and Goldsmith ~faid, long famous as the fastest trotter in the country, was raised in the county. The amusements of the people are ,vo:rthy of record. The exhibition of an elephant in 1823 attracted attention then, but ,,?onld be unnoticed now. Soon the circuses began to come regularly every year. Baseball is fi:;:-st mentioned in 1865, croquet in 1867, velocipedes in 1869 ; in 1871 occurred the first excursion to the seashore and Rockaway Beach. Among the ente1·tainments of a people interested in public affairs, politi­ cal meetings occupy a proIBinent place, and we read of great wagon loads of people accompanying a log cabin to Stanhope to hear Webster in 1840. Nor are we surprised to learn of the crowds which gathered to her Stephen A. Douglas at :Newton in 1852 ; John Sherman at Deckertown in 1878, and James G. Baine and Robert G. Ingersoll at Newton in 1880. THE WAR OF 1812. The War with England, which began in 1812, had little effect in this county. Troops were not readily obtained. In 1814 the Board of Freeholders appointed a committee to make terms with the United States recruiting officer for the enlistment of two prisoners confined in jail, thus attempting to discharge their obligation to the national government and to save the county the expense of maintaining the prisoners. It had become so difficult to secure soldiers that a draft was necessary, and in September, 1814, the drafted men began their march to Paulus Hook, now Jersey City. Early in the year, twenty-three British prisoners of war passed through the town. At least one Sussex county name was prominent during the war of 1812, Major Benjamin Rosenkrans, who was at one time in the service at Sandy Hook. The war with the Barbary states a few years before was signalized, as all will remember, by the ex­ ploits of Decatur and Preble. A participant in that war was Lieutenant Thomas Oakley Anderson, a citizen of Newton who died here April 14, 1844; he was with a single exception the last survivor of the party of offi­ cers who destroyed the frigate Philadelphia at Tripoli February 16, 1804. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BANKS. The continued development of the county after the war with Great Britain was ended by the treaty of Ghent, made it possible and advisable to establish a bank in Newton ; in 1818 the Sussex Bank was opened. The first report I have found of its deposits is in 1837. They amounted to $17,462. A comparison of those figures with the present deposits averag­ ing more than half a million, gives a good illustration of the growth and progress of seventy years. The first President of the bank was Daniel Stewart. His successors Ephraim Green, David Ryerson, David Thompson and David R. Hull were among the leading citizens of the county in their day. The first cashier, Samuel D. Morford, was succeed­ ed by his son Theodore Morford, now the President of the Bank, and 60 he in turn by his son, Lewis l\L :Morford, the present cashier, a remark­ able record of an important position held by the same family for nearly a century. No other bank was organized in the county until the Farmers' Bank of Wantage was established in 1850 under a charter granted in 1849. The first President was James C. Havens ; he was succeeded by Jona­ than Whittaker, John A. Whittaker and Theodore F. l\Iargarum. ,vi th the close of the Civil War, came the establishment of the third bank, the Merchants' National of Newton, the first National bank in the county. The most prominent men in its organization were Robert Ham­ ilton, for many years one of the leading Ia,vyers of the county and after­ ward a member of Congress ; Dr. Franklin Smith, a prominent physician, and Jacob L. Swayze, afterward a member of the Constitutional Commis­ sion of 1873. Robert Hamilton was the first President and was succeeded by Jacob L. Swayze, Samuel H. Hunt and John C. Howell. Although the }Ierchants' Bank was the first national bank in the county, the Sussex Bank and the Farmers' Bank which had been organized originally as state banks, became national institutions in July, 1865. Recently a Trust Company has been organized at Newton with Frank M. Hough as Presi­ dent, and with a National Bank at Blairstown and another at Netcong just across the county line, the banking facilities of the county seem ample. In 1865, when the Merchants' National Bank was organized, the total deposits in all the banks of the county, was about $200,000. The total is now $1,500,000, and most of these deposits belong to the resi­ dents of the county. Fifty years ago, the specie in circulation was not all of American coinage as it is to-day. Spanish and_ Mexican silver was current and when Congress in 1857 fixed the rate at which Spanish and Mexican coin should be received at the Treasury and the post offices, the Register urged our merchants to receive it only at the value fixed by Congress, so that eventually it might give way to our own coins. The paper money of those days was the bills of State banks, much of it depreciated ; some of it Yalueless, all of it more or less doubtful value. One of the Orange County banks issued a yellow bill, which was known as butter money, and became a great fa,orite for that reason. The uncertainty as to the value of the bank bills opened the door for speculation, and the late 0. P. Armstrong used to tell of meeting a man in Iowa who had a lot of Sussex Bank bills which he offered at fifty cents on the dollar. 1\Ir. Armstrong was glad to take them at that price, and make the profit. THE DIVISION OF THE COUNTY. The county retained its original boundaries for more than seventy years after its organization. From time to time after the beginning of the nineteenth century there were movements for a division. iien who had to travel from points below Phillipsburg, nearly fifty miles, to attend courts and meetings of the Freeholders at Newton naturally became dissatisfied. In those days, before the existence of railways, a journey of fifty miles was a very serious burden. When ·we recall also that the southern part of Sussex county, now embraced in the county of Warren, was the more wealthy and populous portion as early as 1781, we cannot 61 wonder that the formation of a new county was demanded. In 1813, it was proposed to divide the county by the east and ·west Jersey line. This ·would have gi'\"'en the lower county the present territory of \Varren, the townships of \Vallpack and Stillwater and the greater portion of the township of Green. The influence of Newton and the upper portion of the county was sufficient to defeat the movement at the time. In 1818 and 1819 an unsuccessful effort was made to procure an act permitting the courts to be held alternately at Newton and in the township of Ox­ ford or the township of Mansfield. At last on November 20, 1824, the legislature passed an act to erect the southwesterly part of Sussex county into a separate county to be called the County of \Varren. The division line began on the river Delaware at the mouth of Flatbrook and ran a straight course to the northeast corner of the Hardwick church, and from thence in the same course to the middle of the Musconetcong creek. The Hardwick church referred to as a monument is the old building known as the Yellow Frame church, still standing. The :pastor of this church while the congregation worshipped in the old building stood in Sussex and preached to a congregation in Warren. There were subsequent movements for the organization of new counties out of portions of Warren, Sussex and Morris. In 1844, the year in which Theodore Frelinghuysen was the Whig candidate for Vice President, the county of Frelinghuysen was proposed ; in 1850 it was proposed to form the townships of Wantage, Vernon, Hardyston, Monta­ gue, and part of Lafayette, Frankford and Sandyston into a new county to be called Kossuth. Propositions were pending at the same time to create the county of Livingston and the county of Musconetcong. All came to nothing. In 1869 the late Caleb H. Valentine, of Hackettstown, was a Member of the Assembly, and by his influence and persuasive argu­ ment, succeeded in carrying through the lower House a bill creating the new county of Musconetcong to be composed of portions of Sussex, War­ ren and Morris. The memory of the struggle of 1847 over the location of our county seat was then still fresh, and Samuel H. Hunt, then our Member of Assembly, realized that the creation of a new county would give the upper portion of Sussex a preponderance in the Board of Free­ holders and probably lead to the removal of the county seat from New­ ton. He secured the aid of prominent men of both political parties, and the bill for the new county was defeated in the Senate. THE EFFORT TO CHANGE THE COUNTY SEAT. The county seat had been located in Newton in 1762. A substantial court house had been built ; in 1801 a clerk's office had been built upon the green, and in 1825 a surrogate's office had been added. The accom­ modations of the court house became unsatisfactory; the jail was in­ secure ; prisoners escaped, subjecting the Sheriff to liability of personal loss ; the county had more than once paid debts for which escaped prison­ ers were liable, and taken worthless notes in payment, which were burn­ ed from time to time by order of the Freeholders ; the Sheriff for many years and until 1860, or later, protested to the Freeholders against the insecurity of the jail. The Freeholders were economical. In 1806 they had authorized the purchase of a supply of nails for the repair of the 62 roof "in addition to the old ones now in the roof "-an interesting reminder of the time ·when nails were worth more than the labor requir­ ed to draw and straighten them. In 1844, $3,000 ,Yas appropriated for repairs to the Court House, but the committee by mistake or by design undertook repairs and improvem.ents, the cost of "'""hich exceeded the appropriation. '\Ye can read between the lines of the official minutes the vigorous discussion that this action occasioned. The committee in a long and exhaustive report justified their action. Their a1·gnments or their influence proved successful, and they secured an additional appro­ priation of $3,000. The remodeled Court House was occupied in Novem­ ber, 1844. The cost of the improvements \Yas less than $5,000. The county did not long enjoy the remodeled building. On January 28, 1847, the Court House -was totally destroyed by fire. The Freeholders met in special session en the twenty-third of February and voted to rebuild on the old site by a vote of 18 to 8. $8,500 was eppropriated by the county and $6,500 was contributed by citizens of Newton. There had been a movement for the removal of the county seat as early as 1842, ,vhen the need of extensive repairs to the old building became plain. The eight Freeholders -who ,oted against rebuilding the Court House on the old site were from the townships of Frankford, Lafayette, Vernon and Wantage. I can only surmise that the Freeholders of these town­ ships prefer.red that the county seat should be located at Deckertown (now Sussex). The rebuilding ·was immediately begun, but at the regular meeting of the Board of Freeholders in May, a resolution was offered directing that the building be stopped. The evident intent was to secure a removal of the county seat to a more central location. Gov. Haines, whose first term as Governor had expired and whose second term had not begun, had been elected a Freeholder from the township of I-Iardyston. The men who were interested in retaining the county seat at Newton had been alert and had secured a careful opinion from emi­ nent counsel, which was read to the Board. to the effect that the county seat could not be changed without the action of the Legislature. The tradition is that Augusta was suggested as the county seat, and the votes of the Freeholders from Sandyston and Wallpack in favor of the reso­ lution would indicate that the place proposed must have been some point more con,enient for them than Newton ; Augusta may have been talked of. It is quite likely. however, that if the resolution had prevail­ ed, some of the Freeholers who voted for it, or their constituents, might have been disappointed, and that the actual location might finally have been at a point more convenient for the upper end of the county. I have been told that Pelletto-wn was the place which some of the advo­ cates of the change had in vie-\v. Speculation upon this subject is fruit­ less ; for the high character and great influence of Gov. Haines, the opinion of counsel, and according to tradition, more occult influences and more solid and tangible (I had almost said specious) arguments com­ bined to bring about the defeat of the resolution. It -was defeated by a vote of 14 to 12. Those voting in the majority were the Freeholders from Byram, Green, Hardyston, 1'-Iontague, Newton, Stillwater, and one Free­ holder from Wantage and one Freeholder f:i.·om Vernon. Those voting for a change were the Freeholders from Frankford, Lafayette, Sandys- 63 ton, Sparta, Wallpack and one each from Vernon and '\Vantage. If the Freeholders from Wantage and Vernon had united in favor of the change, as was naturally expected from the geographical location of their town­ ships, the resolution would have carried. The Legislature would hardly have opposed the vote of a majority of the Freeholders, and the county seat would doubtless have been removed from Newton.

T HE CARE OF T HE PO OR. The care of the poor in the early days was not a serious burden, but in 1819, the burden upon Hardyston and Newton, had become more serious, and a movement for a county almshouse began. The subject was discussed by the Freeholders at different times in 1819, in 1824, and in 1828. In 1830 the town meetings of Newton and Hardyston instructed their freeholders to bring the matter of a county almshouse before the board, but the board declined to act. In 1831 Freeholder Lanterman, of Hardyston, secured the appointment of a committee who visited the almshouse in Warren county and several almshouses in New York and Pennsylvania. The number of paupers in the county at the time ,vas seventy-two, eighteen of whom were in Hardyston and sixteen in New­ ton. The interest of these townships in securing a county almshouse is obvious. At a special meeting on June 27, 1831, four thousand dollars was appropriated for the purpose. A farm of 337 and 26-100 acres was bought for $10,017.80. Ninety acres were sold for $2,722.20, and the building of an almshouse contra!cted for at a cost of $4,800. The com­ mittee largely exceeded the appropriation and had been obliged to give a. mortgage upon the property, but no objection was now raised to the expense. The building was completed prior to December 14, 1832, and at a meeting on that day arrangements were made for the conduct of the almshouse. Several propositions were made to take charge of the farm and the poor in consideration of a sum of money to be paid by the county. The Free­ holders refused to adopt this ancient and horrible method of selling the paupers to the lowest bidder. The oppression to which that method led, was intolerable to an enlightened community. It was decided to employ a steward at the coll!lty's expense. The almshouse was occupied in the spring of 1833, and the Freeholders announced in the newspapers that the paupers of Wallpack, Sandyston and Montagne would be admitted April 15th ; those of Stillwater and Wantage on the 16th ; Green and Hardyston on the 17th ; Byram and Newton on the 18th ; Vernon and Frankford on the 19th ; and the announcement added, '' All must be thoroughly washed and cleansed from dirt, filth and vermin.''

NE \V C OUN TY B U IL DIN GS. I have only to add that during the last fifty years our county build­ ings have been impro,ed by the erection of a new building for the clerk and surrogate in 1859, which has now become inadequate ; the erection of a jail in 1868, which was somewhat better than the old cells in the cellar of the court house, but was so unsanitary and ill-contrived that it is a wonder it was endured as long as it was. It was succeeded in 1896 by the present jail. 64 AN IMPORTANT LAW SUIT. The court house has been the scene of some stirring and exciting trials, I pass over the trials for murder. Those who are curious in such matters may find accounts of them already in print. Such trials excite great public interest for the time but are of less real importance than civil suits involving far reaching legal principles. },.. leading case in the jurisprudence of our state, in which our courts adopted a principle at variance with other jurisdictions, the effect of which has been to save our counties and municipalities from much litigation and great expense, arose in the county of Sussex. In 1834 the first claim was made to the Board of Freeholders for injuries due to a defective bridge. The Free­ holders dismissed the claim, and suit was brought, and a verdict recover­ ed. The case was taken by the Freeholders to the Supreme court and it was there held that a civil action could not be brought by a private citizen against a public municipal corporation for injuries arising from the negligence of the corporation in the performance of its public duties. This is the famous case of Strader vs. the Freeholders of Sussex. It has been somewhat modified by later decisions but is still the foundation of our law on this subject. By a statute passed after the decision in the Strader case, the county is made liable for injuries due to defective bridges. While the appeal was pending, Strader managed to get his money7 and when subsequently it was suggested that restitution be de­ manded, the county had tired of the litigation, and nothing further was done. The most memorable litigation was that which lasted nearly :fifty years, with varying fortunes, over the zinc mines at Franklin, and was settled by a consolidation of the conflicting interests only a few years ago. THE LAST FIFTY YEARS. The end of the first century of the county's existence was celebrated by a large gathering in the meadow on Mill street in front of the resi­ dence of James R. Hull, on October 5th, 1853. That celebration is still remembered and the address of Mr. Edsall is preserved with care in many of our homes. I am greatly indebted to the painstaking care with which that address was prepared, and my own researches, as will be obvious to those who are familiar with Mr. Edsall's work, have added little to our know ledge of the period he covered. That celebration marks the culmination of the agricultural develop­ ment of the county under the old system of farming. The great inven­ tions of the last fifty years, which although they have not lightened human toil, have enabled one man to do the work of many, were just beginning. The means of transportation in this county which were substantially the same in character as had existed in the world for many centuries. were about to be revolutionized by the railways. The intro­ duction of labor saving machinery and the opening of railways led to pro­ digious changes which in the agricultural counties of the eastern states have worked an economic revolution. The :first notice I have found of improved farm machinery is the advertisement of a revolving horse rake in 1852 ; when this gave way to the wheel rake I do not know. In 1853, the mowing machines were un- 65 satisfactory and clogged in heavy grass. This difficulty was said in an advertisement to have been overcome in 1854, and many different makes of machines, were soon for sale. Contests ·were held to determine the merits of different machines, and before many years every farmer cut his grass by machinery. The iron plow eventually gave place to the steel plow ; threshing machines and harvesters were in traduced ; the sewing machine came to lighten the labor of women. THE BUILDING OF RAILWAYS. The more revolutionary force of the railway was at work. As early as January 7, 1836, a public meeting had been held at Deckertown to ad­ vocate and encourage the building of a railroad across our county be­ tween the Hudson and the Delaware, and in that same year a survey was made through Culver's Gap. Railroads were the constant subject of discussion in Newton, but I find no notice of a meeting until April 17, 1847. A.t that time the thoughts of the people were of a railway connection with the Erie Railroad at Port Jervis or some other point ; but the Morris & Essex Railroad was in course of construction, and in May, 1847, a wagon began to run regularly carrying farm products from this county to the railway at Morristown. The great products of the county at that time were butter and pork, and butter wagons were run to Chester and Goshen on the Erie and to liorristown and later to Dover on the Morris & Essex. For years it remained doubtful whether our county would find its railway outlet through the valleys of the Delaware or the Wallkill to the Erie Railroad, or through the mountains to the Morris & Essex Railroad. The question was finally decided for the southern part of the county by the purchase of the old Andover iron mines by Cooper & Hewitt in 1847, and the reopening of the mines after fifty years of idleness. Economical transportation for ore was essential to the successful operation of the mines. The Sussex ~!ine Railroad was incorporated in 1848 to connect the Andover mine with the Morris canal with the privilege of extending to Newton. In 1850, four railroad plans across the county were discussed, one to run from Newburgh on the Hudson river to the coal mines of Pennsylvania; one to run from Dover to the Water Gap ; one to follow the ~I usconetcong valley and connect with the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and last one to ex­ tend the Sussex Mine Railway to Newton. On August 28, 1852, the plan for the extension of the Sussex ],fine Railroad took definite shape. A meeting was held in Newton, and aid to the extent of $100,000 in cash and the gift of the right of way from N e,,ton to Andover was asked. The aid finally took the shape of a loan secured by first mortgage bonds for $100,000. On January 3, 1853, subscription books were opened at New­ ton. 1Ieetings in aid of the proposed railroad were held at Newton, on January 24, and at Lafayette on January 26. At that time the right of way from Newton to Andover had been promised by all the land owners whose land was taken except three, but these subsequently caused con­ siderable difficulty. On the tweJ.ty-sixth of February, the Register an­ nounced that $90,000 of the bonds had been taken and workmen had been set to work upon the construction of the road. By the 19th of March the whole amount of $100,000 had been subscribed. The bonds were taken by 66 ninety-two persons, most of them residents of Newton in amounts ranging from $250 to $15,000. On November 15, 1854, the whistle of the locomo­ tive was heard in Ne,vton for the first time, and on the twenty-seventh, the arrival of the locomotive at the Newton station was announced. The road was formally opened on the ensuing eleventh of December. A public meeting was held to celebrate the completion of the railroad. The opening of the railroad made Newton the center of trade for nearly the whole of Sussex County and a large part of Warren County. Chester, in the county of Orange, which had been the great freighting point for this county, lost that trade, and the two butter wagons which ran each week from Sparta to Chester, must have soon stopped running. Within a month after the opening of the Sussex Railroad, in January, 1855, Eleazer Ogden began running a stage from Newton to Port Jervis. On December 20, 1856, the Register announced that since September a continuous train of loaded farm wagons had poured into Newton. It is interesting to know that the shipments from the Newton station for the week ending December 13, 1856, were 1047 hogs weighing about 92 tons; 252 firkins and 462 tubs of butter weighing 19 and¼ tons, four tons of poultry, two tons of beef, 34 tons of flour, three carloads of new barrels and hoop poles, besides smaller freight. It would be interesting to put alongside this list of shipments in 1856, a statement of the shipments of to-day. The butter, the :flour and the hogs would disappear from the list, and I am afraid almost the only article of commerce would be milk. The growth of Newton began immediately with the advent of the railway. The map published in 1856 shows new streets like Hamilton street and Trinity street with scarcely a. house, while four years later Dr. Carlos Allen's map shows additional streets like Halsted and Madison, all of which have long since been built up. It is not surprising that the people of Newton felt interested in the Sussex Railroad, and that when traffic ·was suspended by a great snowstorm on January 24, 1857, eighty citizens of the town gathered at the station to assist in clearing the read, working sou th ward from Newton until they met the railroad employees working northward, just below Drake's Pond. The Sussex Railroad continued for seventeen years the only railroad in the county. .A.n attempt in 1864 to secure money to build what was called the Sussex and Warren Railroad which had been incorporated in 1851, to build from the New York State line to the Delaware near the Wate:r Gap, within three quarters of a mile of the court house st )Sew­ tou, was unsuccessful. The traffic of the Sussex road was not large and as late as January, 1865, the managers thought it advisable to cease rn!lning its early morning train every day, and to run it only every alternate day ; but shortly afterward the daily service was resumed, and from that; time the improvement although seemingly slow, has been constant. In 1866 ,vork was begun at Branchville for the extension of the Sus­ sex road to that point, and I have been told that the right of way from Drake's Pond to Branchville was secured by '\"\.,.illiam H. Bell without the authority of a railway charter, and that this portion of the road was built by him as a private enterprise. The first train from Newton to Lafayette ran on Janua~ 1, 1869, and the road was opened through to 67 Branchville on July 3rd of that year. The suggestion that the Sussex road be extended to Franklin Furnace by a route not passing through Newton was met in 1868 by a pledge of $25,000 by certain of the leading citizens of Newton at their indi,idual risk in return for ,vhich the ex­ tension to Franklin was constructed by way of Newton. This money was subsequently secured under a permissive act of the legislature by bonds of the town, a form of public aid which has since been ,visely prohibited by our state constitution. A charter had been secured in 1832 for the New Jersey, Hudson & Delaware Railroad Co., and as I have already said the first suggestion of a railroad in the county contemplated one from the Hudson to the Delaware. Nothing was done under this charter until February 16, 1870, when work was begun near DeckertO"\vn (now Sussex). In that year the New Jersey, Hudson & Delaware Company was consolidated with the New Jersey Western Railroad Company and the Sussex Valley Railroad Company, and the new corporation was called the New Jersey Midland. In this movement John Rutherford and John Loomis were prominent. A meeting was held at Deckertown in support of the lfidland project on June 15, 1869. After the consolidation into the New Jersey J\fidland, the railroad was pushed to completion. On June 19, 1871, a train was run from Newton through to Deckertown over the Sussex & Midland Roads, and on the Fourth of July a great celebration was held at Decker­ town in honor of the form.al opening of the road between Franklin and Unionville. On January 22, 1872, the first train on the Midland was run to Newfoundland, and the road was finally completed to West End in Jersey City where it connected with the Pennsylvania tracts. With the building of this railroad, the usefulness of the stages between Pater­ son and Deckertown was at an end, and on June 29, 1872, the stage line ceased its existence of se,enty-five years. The effort afterward made in 1873 to extend the Midland railroad by way of Newton, Johnsonblll"g and Hope to Belvidere was abandoned, but in 1882 an extension was built from Ogdensburg through Sussex and Warren Counties to Stroudsburg which w~s afterwards continued to the coal fields, and this extension with the old Midland Railroad became the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. About the same time the Lehigh & IIuclson Railroad was built running from Belvidere through Warren and Sussex counties and connect­ ing with the Erie at Greycourt. Later the Boston & Scuth Mountain Railroad Company, the construction of which was began at Blairstown on August 26, 1873, after vicissitudes of fortune and change of names from Boston & South l\Iountain to Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie & Boston, Pennsylvania & Ne"... England, a11d Lehigh & Ne·w· England, finally succeeded in completing a road from the coal fields in Pennsyl­ vania to the Poughkeepsie bridge. For a short time in 1891, a through Pullman train was run over this road :fron1 Viashington to Boston. The development of tha railroad system of the country, naturally re­ calls the names of t-wo prominent men-Ross 1.,Vinans, of ,..,.ernon, one of the most prominent men in the building and equipment of railroads, under whose direction the early railway systems of the Empire of Russia were constructed ; and John I. Blair, if we cannot claim him as a citi- 68 zen of the present county of Sussex, we at least remem er that he was by birth a citizen of our county and spent his life almost within sight of our borders. The building of these railroads has made all parts of the county except the townships along the Delaware river, readily accessible, but the building of the three later roads has drawn from the trade of New­ ton as the building of the Sussex road drew from the trade of the towns along the Erie. Mr. Edsall, if he were alive to-day, would not be able to rejoice, as in 1856, over the continuous train of loaded wagons coming into Newton. At the close of his address fifty years ago he indulged in a pleasing prospect of the prosperity to be brought to Sussex county by the building of the railway. "Our waste :places" he said "will be speedily reclaimed; our vacant lands occupied, and the latent fertility of our soil fully developed.'' He looked for a doubling of our 900 tons of butter and our 8,000 tons of pork; of the cattle raised and fattened for sale, the increase in the production of wool and of mutton, of milk, of calves, and of smaller products. He predicted the wealth to be drawn from our surplus stores of grain and from the burden of our fruit trees, our berries and our nuts, our timber and our bark, not forgetting even the wild game. It was a pleasing prospect, but the railroad which brought us nearer to market did not stop at our doors, and the vast ex­ tension of the railway system of the country from ocean to ocean, opened the fertile fields west of the Mississippi which fifty yea.rs a.go were almost uninhabited. AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION. Our farmers can no longer compete with the wheat fields of Minne­ sota or Dakota, with the vast corn fields of Iowa or lliinois, and our mil­ lers ha'"°e long since found it impossible to produce flour in competition with the great mills of Minneapolis. Our pork and our beef comes to us from Chicago or Kansas City instead of being raised at our doors. Elgin creamery butter has supplanted the Sussex and Orange butter which led the quotations in the New York market less than forty years ago ; thirty years ago the manufacture of oleomargarine was begun which may in time, if unhampered by hostile legislation, prove a. formidable ri'"°al to butter. The twelve quart pans which used to be such a. familiar sight on our dairy farms have given way to the forty-quart milk cans. The railways have made it possible for our farmers to substitute milk for the butter and pork which they used to sell. The milk traffic over the railroads must have begun with the railroads themselves. The first local notice I find is a statement of the number of cans shipped over the Erie in June, 1846. In February, 1858, appears the first notice of a milk train, and on January 22, 1863, appears the first notice of a regular milk train every evening, ,,ith the expression of the hope that it will become per­ manent. To handle this traffic, creameries and condensaries have been built in the county, and I suppose the books of many of our farmers to-day would show that almost all the cash receipts of the farm come from the sale of milk. If we have not suffered from the competition of western agriculture as much as rural counties in New England, we must attribute it to our railroads. Yet we have suffered ; the changes of fifty 69 years have been accompanied by a fall in the price of land which in many instances has led to many hopeless, almost tragic struggles, by men of industry and frugality who have found themselves unable to pay for farms, not through any fault of their own but because they were crushed by the changes which no man could foresee. EMIGRATION TO THE WEST. The building of the railroads brought the new lands of the west into competition with our farms. The development of machinery and the use of steam, transferred the manufactures of the country to great factories dependent upon great centers of population for a steady supply of labor; and the increase of wages due to the increased demand for labor from the railroads and the factories changed the method of farming, and made it necessary for farmers to conduct their operations with fewer laborers and to avail themselves to the utmost of labor saving machinery. The result has been a decrease in the population of the agricultural portions of the county. In 1820 Sussex County was the most populous county in the state. It then embraced the whole of Warren, but Essex county at that time embraced the whole of Unic!!. and part of Passaic. Our county reached its greatest population in 1830, and it has remained stationary since that time. The growth of Newton, Sussex, Franklin, Stanhope, Hamburg, Branchville and Ogdensburg, has only sufficed to make up tho losses of the fanning townships. Smaller villages which early in the nineteenth century were able to sustain a store, a tavern and a blacksmith shop, have disappeared, and many of our citizens and their descendants have gone to the cities or have assisted in peopling the west. There was emigration to Ohio as early as 1788; it was so large as to attract attention in 1817. Sussex county names are comm.on in · Michigan ; lliinois and Wisconsin received their share, and the discovery of gold in California. attracted many adventurous men to that state. In 1855 Iowa lands were advertised for sale in our local papers, and doubt­ less many settlers were attracted to that most beautiful state. In 1856 the emigration to Kansas began and the traveller to-day finds Sussex county men in Nebraska, Minnesota. and Colorado; about 1878 a colony went to Texas. NEW INDUSTRIES. The farmers have suffered from the economic revolution of the last fifty years. The owners of industrial establishments have been entirely crushed out. The early industries of fulling and dyeing, of spinning and carding, of weaving, which filled the early issues of the Register with their advertisements are gone. The last woolen mill, I believe, disappeared when Ryerson's mill at Branchville was burned in 1854. The flouring mills have ceased to grind the flour for our bread. The boys have necessarily sought the largest towns, and have filled with their labors the cities of Newark, of Paterson, of Jersey City. The returning tide brings them back in the summer and on special occasions like the present. New industries have arisen in the county. The development of the mines at Franklin and Ogdensburg, of the furnaces at Franklin and 70 Stanhope, of the factories at Newton, Sussex, and Hamburg, have given employment to those who would otherwise have been forced to emigrate. As early as 1839, the Franklin iranufacturing Company offered iron ore for sale. In 1840 an advertisement makes known the need of charcoal at Stanhope. The great development arose from the value of Franklinite. Zinc is mentioned in 1836, and the first shipment of zinc ore was in 1843. In the growth and development of the mines and furnaces at Franklin and Ogdensburg, Dr. Samuel Fowler was the pioneer. He was a success­ ful physician with a large and extensive practice, greatly interested in public affairs and became a member of congress, but he is chiefly remem­ bered for the interest he took in the minerals at Franklin. He gave the name to the town and from this the Franklinite ore derived its name. The esteem in which he was held by his brother mineralogists is shown by his correspondence. They named the mineral Fowlerite for him. He realized the value of the Franklinite found in his neighborhood and brought it to the attention of scientific men as early as 1826. His early experiments with Franklinite and his efforts to make iron out of the ore were unsuccessful, and it was only after his death that the full value of the mines at Franklin was realized. Their growth since then has been continuous. I have been furnished by the Hon. Horace E. Rude with an account of the early industries of Hardyston township, most of which I quote. He says: "The forge owned and operated by Adam Smith and Christian D. Day at Cannisteer for many years, the forge owned by the late Stephen F. Margarum at Margarum's, and owned by John 0. Ford of Stockholm, and run at different times by John 0. Ford, Sidney Ford and John M. Ford, his sons, and afterwards by Jeta.r R. Riggs have all now become things of the past. The John 0. Ford forge at Stockholm built in the third decade of the last century, the :Methodist forge built in the nine­ teenth decade of the eighteenth century by Caleb Rude ; the lower Stock­ holm. forge owned by John Lewis and the J\'Ic Vannah forge both built in the :first half of the last century became anchor shops, converting their iron product into anchors during the decade preceding the Civil War. The site of the Canisteer forge is near the center of the reservoir belong­ ing to the city of Newark. The sites of all others may be traced by crumbling stone and weed covered debris. The Hamburg furnace erected in the thirties of the last century by the Hamburg Furnace Company drew its last breath about 1850. Upon its ruins has since been erected a paper manufacturing establishment, giving employment to several scores of workmen. The old Franklin furnace built by the Franklin Furnace Co., about 1832 was afterward owned by Oliver Ames and sons, and run by \Villiam L. Ames between 1840 and 1848. After lying idle some time the Boston Franklinite Company was organized but met with indifferent success until 1867. At that time the property was purchased by \Villiam E. Dodge, 2rloses Taylor, John I. Blair, Joseph H. Scranton and others who were members of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company of Scran­ ton, Pa. In 1872 the Franklin Iron Company was organized. It built the new hard coal furnace on modern lines, of large capacity, and put it into blast in Januray, 1874, and continued to run it with success a part of that year ; but it finally went out of blast in sympathy with the general collapse of business. The lime works of Hardyston are noticeable. The \Vindsor Lime Works and Hamburg Lime Works opened in 1876, the one by J\iiarcus Sayre and Peter Vanderhoof of Newark, and the other by Joseph E. Sheldon and others. The last plant is consolidated ·with the White Rock 71 Lime & Cement compnay at McAfee in Vernon under the name of the New Jersey Lime Compnay. Ha.rdyston's most important industry centers in her zinc mines. Metallurgy in this country was in its infancy in the thirties and forties of the nineteenth century, and but little was done until the sixth decade of the century toward its development in Hardyston and Sparta. The crude ore was hauled to Woodport for shipment. An effort -was made to manufacture zinc paint by roasting the ore and collecting the metallic substance in great suspended sacks but with indifferent success. After 1867, the industry took a more rapid growth. The litigation between the New Jersey Zinc & Iron Company and the Lehigh Zinc Company was :finally settled by their consolidation into the New Jersey Zinc Com­ pany. The most memorable contest and the greatest victory was achiev­ ed by the Lehigh Zinc & Iron Company at the Parker shaft. Borings made in 1891 and 1892 showed rich zinc deposits 800 to 1200 feet under ground. A shaft was sunk 1000 feet and a rush of water flooded the shaft submerging pumps and machinery. A battle royal for possession was fought for nearly a year between the subterreanean fountains and the skill of man employing steam driven pumps with a lifting capacity of 600 or 800 gallons per minute, night and day. At last the fountain grew less; wells and never failing springs hundreds of yards away went dry, and the famous Green Spot Spring that gave name to the place from its perennial verdure, succumbed to the persistent courage and determined energy of man. The mining interests being united great improvements in the methods and appliances have been made. A crushing and refining plant has been erected, ore from the mines is automatically dumped in the cars, carried to the crushers, dried, crushed, separated and conveyed to receiving bins ready to drop into transportation cars for shipment.'' I have time only for brief reference to the growth of factories at Newton and Sussex. From 1888 to 1901, the Ewald Shoe Factory was operated at Sussex. In 1895 the Oliphant Silk Mill was opened, but burned in 1896 ; in 1892 the Sussex County Condensed Milk and Cream Company started at Sussex and is still continued. For two years from 1888 to 1890 the American Sanitary Washable Wall Paper Company carried on its business and then removed to Passaic. From 1897 to 1899 the !\{ellor Manufacturing Company was engaged in business and was suc­ ceeded in 1900 by the Sussex Mills Company. The Sussex Silk Company is the latest industry. The citizens of Sussex have always shown a desire to assist these and other industrial enterprises. It was incorporat­ ed as a borough in 1891, and has grown steadily. The greatest manufacturing development has been at Newton where the lack of natural advantages and the entire absence of water power has not deterred public spirited citizens from assisting new industries. On October 1, 1872, a movement began for the building of a shoe factory in Newton, and on the 10th of June, 1873, the fact(\ry was in full oper­ ation. Its success encouraged the organization of other factories which, although conducted with an enterprising spirit, were unfortunate. In 1896 the manufacture of silk goods was begun in N e,vton and has been successfully prosecuted, and in 1900 the manufacture of photographic supplies was started. The town has changed within thirty years from a shipping point for agricultural products to a prosperous factory town, and its population has increased from 2,500 to 5,000. In 1847 the use of slate for roofing was first mentioned in the Sussex Register. In 1854 the manufacture of roofing slate was begun at a point on Academy street near the Collegiate Institute, known until recently 72 as the slate cut. In 1861 the present slate quarry on Love Lane was opened. Slate quarries have also been opened at Lafayette, and in 1871 a limestone quarry was opened at Andover to supply the Stanhope fur­ nace. POLIT IC .A.L HISTORY OF FIFTY YE AR S. The political history since 1853 has been eventful. The heat of the slavery struggle which began with the Kansas-Nebraska legislation of 1854 made itself felt in our county, and the opposition to Buchanan's administration growing out of its support of the Lecompton constitution for Kansas, led to a b:;:-each in the ranks of the ruling party which result­ ed in its defeat in 1858, and the election of Edward C. 1\I:oore as Senator and Peter S. Decker as Sheriff. This was the prelude to the great con­ flict of the Civil War. Hon. ~Iartin Ryerson, who had been made a Justice of the Supreme Court in 1855, resigned in 1859, and was able to add the weight of his extraordinary political ability, his intellectual force and his knowledge of men to the support of the Union. He had the assistance of the greatest lawyer the county has ever had, Hon. Thomas N. M0Carter. The political campaign of 1860 was made picturesque by the parades of the Wide Awakes, with torches, sometimes made of balls of candle­ wick soaked in cam.phene; and many of the boys who were ''Wide Awakes" in the fall, became "Boys in Blue" after April 12, 1861. With the outbreak of the war, all good citizens in Sussex rallied to the support of the national government. Colonel Fowler, then prominent in the Democratic party, and a speaker of unusual eloquence, had early declar­ ed his readiness to fight in defense of the government. A great meeting was held at Newton on .April 22, 1861, a. few days after Fort Sumter was fired upon. Men were eager to enlist in the army. Money was raised by voluntary contributions to equip soldiers and support their families. The banks pledged their aid to the government. On May 21, 1861, the first Sussex companies left for Trenton. The chief regiments in which we a.re interested are the Harris Light Cavalry, the Second New Jersey, the Fifteenth, the Twenty-seventh, and the Thirty-third. The names of Col. Fowler, of Col. Ryerson of Col. Cooke, of Captain Griggs, of Captain Walker, of Captain Hamilton, of Captain Broderick, of Captain Fitts, of Captain Williamson, of Captain :McDanolds, and Chaplain Haines will recur at once to all of you. Colonel Wildrick fortunately is with us to-day as our marshal. Doubtless there are others whose names I should be glad to recall and whom you will remember with esteem. You have, I know, been watching me to see if I would omit to mention the greatest soldier of them all-the gallant, the dashing, the impulsive, warm hearted, bravest of the brave, Gen. Judson Kilpatrick. I can hardly realize that more than twenty-one years have passed since his death, and that he died when he was but little older than I now am, hav­ ing accomplished a work for which he will always be remembered. The living I must forbear to mention. You will, however, permit me to express our regret at the absence of one whose familiar presence has for many years been to us a constant reminder of the severe struggle of the Civil War, and you will join me in extending our best wishes to Captain 73 Lewis VanBiarcom. The early enthusiasm of the civil war was somewhat dampened by the hardship of the fight. By July, 1862, the Skedaddle army, so called, took up its march to Canada to avoid a draft. Notwithstanding this and notwithstanding the treasonable sentiments openly uttered by many our regiments were recruited and on the 25th of August, 1862, the Fif­ teenth Regiment was mustered into service, and on the 10th of October, the 27th regiment, having been mustered in, left Newark for the south ; the Thirty-third regiment left nearly a year later on September 8, 1863. It is humiliating to read that some citizen of Sussex displayed a rebel flag on the green, but it is pleasant to know that the loyal men soon took it down. It is amusing now, as it was forty years ago, to read of a meeting at Walpack Center on March 21, 1863, to take action against the unconstitu­ tional conscript law ; yet a serious man must regret that the citizens who were so ready to take action against the law, were not willing to take action in support of their country. The expression of treasonable senti­ ments and the display of the enemy's flag were foolish, but did little harm. Not so, however, with the assaults made upon the venerable gentleman whose poem has been just read to you, the Rev. G. W. Lloyd. He was then pastor of the Presbyterian church at Branchville and his expression of loyal sentiments subjected him to peculiar animosity on the part of a few whose names now have the kindly shelter of oblivion. He was finally shot at in his own pulpit. Fortunately the muzzle of the gnn was knocked upward as the load was discharged, and the bullets lodged in the ceiling. We can forget differences of political sentiments upon a constiutional question which was then unsettled, but an attempt at murder has always been condemned by all civilized people. Although the tremendous burden of the war led to much opposition to the govern­ ment in this county, yet the county did its pa.rt. Sensible men of all parties united. The severity of the struggle is nowhere better shown than in the story of the sacrifices of men and of money made by this little county. Up to October, 1861, there had been one recruit for the army to every seven voters and the war had only just begun. We can hardly realize how difficult it subsequently became to secure enlistments for the army. It is difficult to believe that the government could have been in such straits that in October 1861, it was necessary for Governor Olden to appeal publicly through the newspapers for a supply of rubber blankets for the army. We can form some idea of the :financial sacrifice involved when we read that the amount expended by the county for bounties was $644,915.80 I have brought the story down to the close of the Civil War. In spite of the disheartening decline in the value of farming lands since 1873, the period has been one of growth and improvement. The establishment of gas works at Newton in 1869 ; of electric lighting plants at Sussex in 1892, and later at Branchville, at Stanhope and at Newton ; the building of public water works in 1894 and 1895 at Newton and Sussex ; the build­ ing of new churches and new school houses throughout the county; the growth of the deposits in the banks ; the improvements of our houses ; the building of better roads ; the introduction of iron bridges, and the 74 building of new stone bridges, are all visible signs of prosperity which cannot be mistaken ; and with the increase of wealth has come an im­ provement in manners and morals. Intemperance has decreased ; dis­ tilleries are almost a thing of the past, and no one to-day can truthfully dra,v as dark a picture as Rev. Mr. Kanouse dre·w in 1844. Slavery was abolished in 1846, and the last Sussex County sla,?e died in 1860. Im­ prisonment for debt has been abolished. Poor debtors no longer sleep upon straw in our jail-a bedding allowed them by the Freeholders as a special concession in 1823. They no longer exercise small trades in the Court House to obtain food which they may cook by favor over a fire in their prison ; they no longer even are confined to the ''limits. '' The monstrous law which permitted imprisonment for debt disappeared in 1842. But the personal property of women upon their marriage, became their husband's property and subjeet to their husband's debts until 1852. This injustice no longer exists. Our elections are conducted with­ out the violence which the Legisature found it necesssary to forbid by the act of 1797. We no longer hear of stuffing ballot boxes, as was done in one township at least in 1844, as was afterward confessed by one of the participants. We no longer permit men's votes to be known by the use of colored ballots, as was possible until 1867. \Ve no longer allow the ignorant to be tricked by deceptive and fraudulent ballots, as was possible until 1891. We would not tolerate the carrying of town meet­ ings by a wild rush up or down the hill, and men of my age can hardly believe that voting by ballot at town meeting was introduced with great difficulty, and was tried in Newton for the first time in 1858. A public meeting on the green is no longer an occasion for settling old scores by a fist fight. An election is no longer an occasion for a general row about the polls, an optimist may even be allowed to hope that the time will come when enlightened public sentiment will condemn bribery and punish it with the same certainty as other crimes. I intended to metion some of the men who made the county what it is, but the limits of time ha v-e already been passed. I cannot pass over the few ·whose public gifts have evinced their lov-e for their birthplace or their home. Alfred L. Dennis, David ~I. Sayre, and Pemberton Brittin whose gifts to the Dennis Library are a continuing benefit ; Joshua Hill and John S. Martin whose gifts to Newton and Sussex are a lasting monument, and Henry \V. Merriam whose gift to the Boards of the Presbyterian Church will long preserve his beautiful home. ~Iay their example be followed by many others ! ::\Iy task is done. I wish it were better done. I may indulge the hope that the citizens of Sussex fifty years hence will feel the same interest in its annals that you haYe shown to-day, and it is a pleasing thought that perhaps the speaker at that time looking upon a fairer tow·n, dw·elling in a more populous and wealthier county, amid a happy and contented people, w"ill think it worth while to rescue for the moment my work fro1n the obli"\""ion ,,-hich awaits it. JOHNS. GIBSON

ADDRESS OF HON. JOHN S. GIBSON OF NEW ARK, N. J.

Delivered at the Sesqui-Centennial of Sussex County, at Ne,vton, September 2, 1903.

You have listened to-day to the story of the good old county of Sussex told in a way which ought to make the hearts of her sons and daughters beat more proudly from the knowledge that to them has de­ scended this goodly heritage. Once before has her story been told, and in the fifty years which have elapsed since Benjamin B. Edsall presented his scholarly and inspiring address, Old Sussex has again proved the sterling stuff of which she is made, the partiotism and loyalty shown by her sons having contributed in no s1nall deg::.-ee to the saving of the Union in the dark days of the Civil "\Var. It has ever been found that we must look to the hill countries for a people hardy and courageous, imbued by a,J!ove of freedom, with steadfast­ ness to maintain it, and characterized by those virtues of frugality and thrift which are the best foundations for the prosperity of a nation. The story of Switzerland, of brave little Greece in her fight against over­ whelming odds, and of many another familiar to you all, bear out the truth of my statement. Nor have the men from the hills of Sussex proved an exception to this rule. In every hour of the nation's need her sons have been among the foremost to offer their lives in the service of liberty. From the old red school house and the rocky farm have gone forth many who have done yeoman work in establishing upon a broad and firm foundation the honor and credit of our country, in extending her boundaries, and in raising her to a foremost place among the nations of the earth. Nor do I need to read the bead roll of those from Sussex who are honored wherever the name o~ our state is known. Everywhere throughout our fair land they may be found, and nearly every state in the Union owes some of its power and stamina to the men and women of Sussex county. You have heard to-day a resume of the county's history for 150 years, and, as the list of her achievements is recounted, one fact be­ comes increasingly evident-the history of Sussex is written in the lives of her people. Let us trace for a moment, the nature of the record thus handed down for a century and a half-yea, for more than two centuries -for long before the county had been granted a name our sturdy fore­ fathers were evincing the same qualities of determination and indepen­ dence which have always marked the dwellers among our rugged hills. From the day on which settlers first entered the province of New Jersey 76 the spirit of freedom ruled the minds of her people and many a royal Governor f onnd the sturdy pioneers "ho were placed under his charge to be but a '' thorn in the flesh'' in their manful resistance to any invasion of their rights. Even so early as 1681 the people asserted their right to a voice in the government, and the House of Deputies, ·when ordered to appear before Governor and Council, and to reply to sundry charges against them of rebellious utterances, refused compliance even at the risk of being summarily dismissed from office. One hundred years before the doctrine of resistance to "taxation without representation" spread like wild.fire throughout the colonies, and kindled the flame which result­ ed in the independence of these United States, the people of West Jersey had remonstrated against the imposition of duties without their vote, declaring it to be a self evident truth that "the King cannot justly take his subjects' goods without their consent.'' Then, too, in the defense of their property rights, the people of North Jersey have eve:r shown their belief that "they have rights who dare maintain them ; '' and maintain them they did, even in the face of an opposition that might well have daunted those of a weaker fibre. When, in the middle of the eighteenth century, the question arose as to the validity of and titles held under purchase from the original Indian owners, the Lords Proprietors attempted to summarily settle the question by claiming that no purchase was good unless made from them, and that no redress was due to those who had bought lands in good faith from the Indians, and had settled upon and improved them in the belief that they would be homesteads for themselves and their children after them. The royal Gov-ernors upheld this claim, and much injustice resulted to dwellers in all parts of the colony. Nowhere was there greater trouble caused than in the northern counties and the "Title Riots," as they were called, widened the breach between the King and his New Jersey subjects. One incident may be adduced to show that even the clergy of those days belonged to the church militant. John Cross, the Presbyterian minister of Baskingridge, is to be remembered for the fact that he not only used argument and persuasion in the defense of his homestead, but that he appeared in person with a band of his neighbors and fought valiantly therefor, even going to the length of raising the courage of his adherents by supplying them with three gallons of rum, as is shown by the affidavit in the case. Nor was the aggressive spirit in which our forefathers ,iewed any en­ croachment upon their rights confined to their relations with England and Lords Proprietors. Although joined with New York under the same Gov­ ernor, New Jersey had good reason throughout the colonial period to regard the adjoining colony with suspicion, by reason of many attempts on the part of New York to impose upon her weaker neighbor. The erection of Sussex County, in 1753, seemed to be taken as a direct challenge by New York, and the question as to the location of the northern boundary of New Jersey, which had been raised at intervals for more than fifty years, be­ came at once a burning and vital issue. " Boundary Riots" as they were called, broke out all along the disputed territory, and many Sussex families cherished traditions of the days when their ancestors struggled 77 bravely for the right to live in their chosen colony. Almost up to the time of the breaking out of the Revolution did these riots continue, and they were accompanied by strenuous efforts on both sides to obtain recognition of their claims from the mother country. At last, in 1773, the decision came, manifestly unfair and giving to Nevi York the lion's share of the disputed territory. Yet the stout efforts of the Jersey far­ me~s had this effect-that New Jersey to-day could be smaller by a large part of Sussex County were it not that our ancestors stood for their rights. As an illustration of the arguments advanced on behalf of New York, I need cite but one-that all unoccupied land belonging to the Colony of New Jersey would belong to the Lords Proprietors, while the same lands, if ceded to New York, would become Crown lands, and might be disposed of for the benefit of the King. If we consider for a moment the share which Sussex County bore in the various wars in which New Jersey has engaged, both as a colony and state, we will find that no people of any country, ancient or modern, have surpassed the men and women of our native county, in patriotism and high courage. Even at the time of the French and Indian War, which was practically coincident with the birth of the county, the north­ ern part of the colony furnished its contingent of troops with a speed and readiness which won the admiring comment of the comrnander-in­ chief, and later these troops bore their part with great bravery in the disastrous Canadian campaign of 1758. In the stormy days which preceded the Revolution, and during the great struggle itself, Old Sussex passed through a time of trial in the way which testified to the mettle of her people. When every husband and father who left his home to toil in the fields knew that he might return at nightfall to find his home in flames, and his wife and children mur­ dered by Brandt and his savage Indian allies ; when many a mother saved herself from death, or from outrage and torture worse than death, by concealment in the neighboring forest, exposed to cold and starvation, in imminent danger from prowling wild beasts, which were yet more merci­ ful than their savage foes; when men left their homes knowing that they must endure every privation and danger, and offered their lives in pledge for the freedom of their country ; when women went out into the fields to plow and sow and reap the scanty harvest, that their children might ha,e bread, and food be sent to the starving army ; when all suffering was gladly endured, and every danger boldly faced in the sacred name of freedom, who can question that these rude, untutored Sussex farmers showed those qualities for which men have been honored in all ages and by all natio!ls. The loyalty shown in the county was so universal that Toryism scarce dared raised its ,enomous head. The few wretches guilty of disloyalty met with universal execration, and e-ven to the present day their names ha-v-e come down to us stained by the blackest crime of which man could be guilty. From her position New Jersey was little more than a battle field for the larger part of the struggle, and was traversed again and again by the contending armies. This state of affairs offered abundant opportunity and many inducements to those capable of treachery, and, while it is unfortunately true that Toryism flourished in some parts of the State, and County of Sussex remained loyal to the core, nor counted the cost of any effort to help the patriot cause. With victory gained and freedom won, Sussex applied herself to her share in the building of the nation. How great a task this was can hardly be realized by those of the present generation, to whom the name of our country seems but a synonym for power and prosperity. Torn by faction, and impoverished by the long struggle against her mighty foe, the new born nation had before her an uphill fight against almost in­ surmountable difficulties. With the same indomitable spirit that they have ever shown in time of trial, the people of Sussex: girded up their loins to the task required of them. Again the thrift and frugality, the courage and perseverance which had stood them in such good stead in the old pioneer days, and in their long struggle against a foreign foe, served them well in their effort to establish a stable government and to wrest prosperity from the soil. So well did they succeed that, at the outbreak of the Civil War, the beautiful ,alleys of Sussex were covered with the homes of a thriving and contented people. If the::.-e was little wealth, there was less poverty, and the standard of manhood was higher for the scant likelihood of those evil days when "wealth accumulates and men decay." The average of intelligence was high, for the Sussex man who always thought for himself, found his forum in his town meeting, and rubbed his ideas bright over a knotty political argument. Shortly after the centennial anniversary of the creation of the county, the men of Sussex again pro'\"'ed their loyalty and devotion to the princi­ ples of popular government. 'Ihey were still following their peaceful pursuits when the great struggle of the Civil War was thrust upon us, and the life of the nation was once more at stake. Even up to this period the life of the county was primitive and pastoral. Only one rail­ road had penetrated our border, and that for but a short distance. Scant opportunity was afforded for employment in mechanical pursuits because of the lack of factories and workshops. The young men of Sussex in that day were in the main the sons of sturdy farmers who tilled the soil. Their young lives had been spent amid the pursuits of peace, and none had knowledge of the training necessary to acquit themselves effectively in the pursuits of war. But there was fighting blood in their veins when occasion should stir it. It had come to them through generations of stout hearted ances­ tors, who ne,er shrank from peril when principle and patriotism were involved. ,,~en the alarm of war rang through these northern hills it aroused the dormant fighting energy of bygone generations, and fe,v communities of like population produced such splendid fighting stock as the men who went to the front from Sussex County. The regiments in which they served were among the most distinguished of those who bat­ tled in their country's holy quarrel. It would be impossible within the brief time allotted to my remarks to speak of the service performed by the various commands in which they were enlisted. A mere allusion to the exalted rank of two upon the Union armv's roll of honor, will suffice to show the valor and endurance of the regiments in which the sons of Sussex were enrolled. Our pulses throb more quickly, and our hearts glow with pride, when ·we remember how many Sussex boys rode in the ranks of the First New Jersey Cavalry, so distingui~hed for its 70 arduous service during the long struggle, and for its heroism and losses jn nearly a hundred engagements. And while deeds of human valor are recorded there will live the history of the Fifteenth New Jersey Infantry, crowned with the proud achievement of having been fourth upon the roll of Union regiments in the number of lives offered for the salvation of the Republic. Our children's children will read with pride the story of how this dauntless command stood the test of the awful hell of carnage in the "Bloody Angle" of Spottsylvania; of how these farmer lads faced the horror of nearly certain annihilation for many weary hours, while more than half of their number were killed, wounded and missing-a loss fifty per cent. greater than that sustained by the Light Brigade in its famous charge at Balaklava. There were vacancies in many Sussex homes, and grief beyond the telling, but in the annals of the county it will ever be recorded with pride that nearly one half of this splendid command was composed of sons of Sussex. In truth the record of the Civil War shows most eloquently the stuff of which the Sussex men of that eventful period were made-the material that produced such splendid exemplars as Kilpatrick, Broderick, Ryerson, Cook, Fowler, Griggs, Haines, Hamilton, Walker, McDanolds, VanBlarcom and VanNoy. Need I speak to you of the kind of men who in this day and gener­ ation, have gone out from the homesteads of Sussex to find places among the workers of the world? They have entered the crowded cities of this and other states. and have accomplished such success as to make an enviable reputation for Sussex men. They are men whose influence has been felt in the public concerns of municipalities, states and the general government. They have ranked high in the legal and other professions, and have assumed commanding positions in the avenues of commerce and trade. And so, from frontiersman to Cabinet officer, from Indian fighter to famous cavalry general, everywhere and always, the men of Sussex county have held fast to their heritage of those sterling qualities which make for success in every condition of life. They have been good workers, good :fighters, and best of all, they have been good stayers. So well known has become this well earned reputation that to hail from Sussex County is considered a recommendation to any lad seeking employment in other parts of the State. And what is the reason why, for generation after generation, the people of Sussex have preserved the stout hearts and stout bodies which have made possible their splendid record of achievement? The answer is evident to any who know the conditions under which the home life of the average Sussex county farmer ,ivas passed, up to the time when the railroad brought city and country so close together. There is an old Chinese proverb : ' 'If you your children's good desire, Keep them not always filled and by the fire." This doctrine was most heartily accepted by our sturdy forefathers, and their children made it perforce their rule of action. The farmer's lad who rose at four o'clock in the bitter chill of winter's morning, crept down stairs with the knowledge that before he could hope for warmth and food he must build the fire and carry in the water. The 80 countless chores to be done, indoors and out, about any farm house, always fell to the lot of the young folks of the family, and the day~ were never long enough for the ·work they had to do. To a boy thus bred his scanty days at school seemed more a recreation than a task, and, though lessons were few and instruction mainly confined to the three R's, yet what little was learned w·as at least well learned, and stood those taught in good stead, when they took up the battle of life for themselves. Although to many such a life may seem bare and crude yet it developed grit and self reliance, and the homely farm life of Sussex in earlier days was the best discipline her sons could have. Far remov­ ed from the enervating influences of too much luxury, forced to labor for daily bread from early boyhood, taught by precept and example to be frugal, industrious and independent, it is small wonder that a race was bred among these Sussex hills strong and hardy enough to bequeath to its descendants not only the memory of its deeds of valor, but also what is even of more worth-something of the mental and physical stamina which was the incentive of those deeds. To you, men and women of Sussex, is entrusted the honor of the county, and it is for you to see that in the future, as in the past, Sussex County may s~and in the fore front in support of all that inures to good government. Remindful of the high example set you, ''Quit you like men, be strong." To those who, responsive to the tug of home ties and the thrill of kindred, are with you to-day to help celebrate this anniver­ sary, I need not say they ought never to forget the birthplace to which they owe so much. I believe it to be true, and I think you will bear witness to this, that to every man who goes out from Sussex, home means the hills where he first saw the light, and where his boyhood days were passed. And the good, old mother county sends this message to all who love her and bear her reverence for the debt they owe her · Give me men to match my mountains!"

REMARKS OF GOVERNOR FRANKLIN MURPHY

Upon being introduced to the vast audience by Chairman Simonson, Governor Franklin Murphy was vigorously cheered. The lateness of the hour prevented a more extended address. He said : LADIES A:SD GE:XTLE:ME~ : -I am here with you to see and to listen and not to speak. If I were here to address you, I should feel as though per­ haps the grounds had all been so ,,ell co,ered that it was needless for me to add anything to what has been said in the two eloquent addresses to which we have listened. But my purpose and the purpose of my friends, U. S. Senator Dryden, and U. S. Senator Kean, in coming to see you to-day was to join with you in this unusual celebration. It is useful at all times to refresh our memories with the story of heroism and patriotism of our forefathers. It is especially fitting on an GOV. FRANKLIN MURPHY

81 occasion like this, that you have so much to be proud of that the names and deeds of our forbears should be placed before you again to incite you to new deeds of patriotic devotion. Now, if I were to continue in this strain, you will believe that I am not sincere in the statement that I did not come here to make a speech. I did not come here to make a speech, but I have enjoyed greatly being here with you, and I have enjoyed going about your beautiful city. One of my friends said to me as we rode about the town this morning, he said, ''Governor, you should be proud of Sussex County.'' I replied, '' I am proud of Sussex County, and of the whole State of New Jersey." I yen­ tnre to say that there is perhaps no county in the state of New Jersey that has furnished more strong, sturdy and useful manhood and woman­ hood, in comparison with its population, than the county in which we now are. I congratulate you upon its record, and I thank you sincerely for the privilege of joining with you to -day in these ceremonies. With the singing of "Amercia" by a large number of voices, accom­ panied by the N ewt-0n Concert Band, the exercises closed.

Al\IERICA. My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing ; Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrim's pride, From ev'ry mountain side Let freedom ring. My native country ! thee, Land of the noble free, Thy name I love ; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills ; My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above. Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom's song ; Let mortal tongues awake, Let all that breathe partake. Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong. · Our father's God, to thee, Author of liberty, To thee we sing : Long may our land be bright "\Vith freedom's holy light; Protect us by thy might, Great God, our King. REPORT OF JOHN C. HOWELL, Treasurer Sesqui-Centennial Fund.

DR. TO AMOUNTS RECEIVED FROM FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF COUNTY. Albert Chambers ...... S 10 00 N. Y. & N. J. Telephone Co .. 2500 ,v. H. Rog~~ and wife..... 10 00 H. V. H. Snyder...... 5 00 Ezra C. W 1lhams...... 5 00 George R. Gray ...... 2.5 00 John L. Swayze...... 10 00 Emma Hill Westbrook ...... 5 00 Charles D. Thompson...... 2.5 00 James C. Pettit...... 10 00 Total...... $ 130 00 FROll ANDOVER TOWNSHIP. W- R . .A.i.~RS LIST. v. B. FREEMAN list continued David L. Hinds ...... $ 50 Samuel J. Willson...... 50 F. N. YanSyckle ...... 1 00 Augustus McMickle...... 1 00 A... D. Hart ...... 10 00 Amos H. Struble...... 50 Otis Rochelle ...... 25 B. D. Totten... •...... 1 00 Samuel Vansyckle ...... 1 00 R. P. Roe...... 1 00 8tackhouse & Son ...... 5 00 S. H. Willson...... 50 \V. R. Ayers ...... 2 00 $2100-- $19 75--- LUTHER HILL LIST. v-. B. Fr.EE~AN LIST. w. M. Slat~r...... S 2 00 V. n. Freeman ...... $ 5 00 Luther Hill...... 5 00 \V. E. ·wmson...... 2 00 c. F. Slater...... 2 50 D. L. Horton. Jr...... 2 00 W. S. Slater...... 2 50 S. 8. Wills...... 3 00 C. M. Howell & Son...... 5 00 Daltis K. Stiff...... 1 00 Joseph R. Rose...... 1 00 \Y. K. Longcor...... 1 00 C. C. Cox...... 5 00 L. S. Cornine...... 50 Peter Sharp...... 25 ,rm. K. Young...... 25 Charles Huffman...... 2 00 Wm. )foDavitt...... 25 James J. Shotwell...... 2 00 .Tohn "~asher...... 50 $27 25--- E. ~-Reed...... 1 00 Total received in Andover.. S GS 00 FROM BOROUGH OF BR~.\.NCHVILLE. N- H. HOPKDIS LIST. D. L.B. Smith ...... :! 00 \Ym. ~IcDanolds ...... $ 5 00 George Devore ...... 1 00 Jacob C. Price...... 5 00 Peter Smith ...... 1 00 N. H. Hopkins...... 5 00 Total...... $ rn oo FROM BYRA:\! TOWNSHIP. PETER D. S)IITH LIST. A. L. Cas.sedy ...... 2 00 P. D. Smith ...... S 10 00 John Wills ...... 10 00 8. H. Smith...... 10 00 Total...... s 32 00 FRO~! BORO"CGH OF 8USSEX.

\V. H. SEC:LEY A~D S. II. L.A.'WRE:XCE LIST. F. W. and G. S. Lawrence .. . 2 0 I John D. Simmons ...... S ri 00 Ra!Ph Decker ...... 1 00 Henry C. Hunt...... ;i 00 B. P. Walling ...... I 00 :-;_ S. Vandruff...... 2 (~) Theo. F. l\largarum ...... 5 00 ~- H. Lawrence...... 2 00 C. A. Wilson ...... 5 00 E. A.. Hamilton...... :i 00 Swartwout & VanGaasbeek 5 00 J. )I. \Villson...... 1 00 Cash ...... 50 Chas. E. Stickney...... l 00 Cash ...... :10 Lawrence & Hayward...... 1 00 Capt. Theo. .Xorthrup ...... 10 00 E. C. Tuttle...... 1 00 --­ J. D. Haggerty...... 1 00 Total...... $ 51 80 83 FROM FRANKFORD TOWNSHIP. HENRY S. PHILLIPS LIST. FRANK ROE LIST. Henry S. Phillips ...... $ I 00 B. L. VanAuken...... I 00 Frank Roe ...... S IO 00 G. \V. Clark .... - ...... 50 George Roe ...... 3 00 Daniel Dalrymple...... 50 Jacob R. Roe ...... 3 00 Willis Clark...... 5t) R. V. Northrup. Jr ...... 2 00 'l'heo. l\L Roe...... 1 00 l\I. F. Lantz ...... I 00 Jacob VanAuken...... f>O ,John De Kay ...... I 00 Victor Compton...... 50 \Vm. C. Roe ...... I 00 W.W. De\Yitt...... 50 R. V. Armstrong ...... 5 00 Linus Clark...... I 00 G. N. Armstrong ...... 5 00 Daniel :l\Iarlett...... 50 $31 oo--- James H. Ayers ...... 50 Frank R Dalrymple...... 50 Total received in Frankford $39 50 ss 50--- FROM GREEN TO\VNSHIP. P. R. H.A.RDIN LIST. NA.THANH. SHA.FER list continued. P.R. Hardin ...... S 5 00 John N. Decker...... I 00 D.R. Warbasse...... 3 00 George W. Slater...... 2 00 Dayton N. Warbasse...... 2 00 Abram Hu!l...... I 00 l\I. S. Hibler...... 3 00 Harvey Smith...... I 00 D. L. Horton...... 5 (}'.) ·wm. N. \Vest brook...... I 00 Wm. C. Roy...... I 00 T. J. :E'redenburgh...... 2 00 Wm.C. Gray...... I 00 H. l\L l\Iorris...... I lH) Willson Bros...... 3 00 Geo. L. Huff...... I 00 A. C. Snook...... I 00 Theo.}'. Young...... I 00 I. M. R. Snook...... l 00 James Harden...... I 00 $25 00--- Wm. H. Valentine...... 2 00 NA.THANH. SHAFER LIST. 0. ,v. \Villson...... 1 00 N th H Sb f $ 5 OO Samuel VanSyckle...... I 00 i~E.ila'1r:..:~:::::::::::: i ~ J_r~n~:i1l~~~:~::.:::::::::.": i ~ J ete1s L b a m. · · · · · · · · · · · ·· A. E. Decker...... I 00 Jnoi n· a ar. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1 00 LesliP- A. Dennis...... I 00 We LroVn. ·"}if"··· · · · · · · · · 1l on00 Austin Berry...... 1 00 J m. '"':bboug · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Jno. Phillips...... 1 00 Jnx_-u-1 l····lir············ 1001 00 LL.Labar...... 100 c· Ffst°i 0fg ·· · · · · · · · · · · · Herbert S. Drake...... 1 00 i T: c er Yivlr~. · · · · · · · · · · · 1 90 Rutherford 8tuyvesant...... 200 00 W S oP1P1!9n , ames...... 1 00 \V. I. Young...... 50 00 • · C1 ips. ··· · · · ·· · · · · · · - •) Jos. H. Hunt ...... _.. 10 00 G eorge o1 ~man...... 00 $304: oo--- Nathan Coleman.············ 1 00 Total received from Green Geo. M. Runion...... 1 Oo T l • A. P. Lanning...... I 00 owns up ...... FROM HAMPTON 'i'OWNSllIP. M. H. NORTHRUP LIST. M. H. NORTHRUP list continued. John H. Nelden...... 10 00 Robert C. Gray ...... S 2.=5 $~25---- Peter l\L Roof...... 1 • o J. R. Stoll...... l 00 SANDFORD J". CR.A.WN LIST. J. L. VanHorn...... 50 Sanford J. Crawn ...... $ 1 00 Harding & Coursen...... 1 00 Albert Rose...... 1 00 Samuel Cassidy. Jr...... :!5 If rank Emmans...... 1 00 Wm. s. Hardin...... 1 00 \V. R. Calvin...... 1 00 Frank H. Comings...... 50 ·w. \V. Hoy...... 1 00 E. C. :Maines ...... : I 00 Geo. Van Horn...... 1 00 E. N. Wyker...... I 00 Geo. \V. Snook...... 1 00 Richard V. Northrup...... I 00 W. P. Bale...... 1 00 Alonzo Em mans...... 1 00 l\Iilton Hoy...... 1 00 Jacob Ackerson...... 2:5 Benj. Fritts...... 1 00 Wm. Wyker...... ;')l) -- John Couse...... 2 00 SlO 00 l\I. H. Northrup...... 5 011 'l,otal from Hampton Town- John Swartswelder...... I 00 ship ...... $ 38 25 FRO.:VI HARDYSTO~ TO\VNSHIP. ,JA.:UES B. TOXKING LIST. -TA::\IES B. TOXKIXG list continued. Kew Jersey Zinc Co ...... S 100 00 .r a mes C. Stephens...... 2 00 ,Tames B. Tonking...... 10 00 .John T. ::Uoyse...... 2 00 E. D. Shuster...... '.! 00 $123 00-- C. R Ricker...... '.! 00 I!OR.!.CE E. RUDE LIST. H. W. Case...... 1 00 H. ,J. Kummerer...... 1 oo Horate E Bude...... 25 00 C. W. Herr...... 1 oo F. T. Rubidge...... 2 00 S25 oo A. l\L Julier...... 1 00 Total from Hardyston Uzal S. Haney...... 1 00 Township ...... $ 150 00 84 FROM LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP. SAMUEL W .ABBA.SSE LIST. R. E. EVERETT list continued. John Demarest...... 3 00 Wm. Hiles...... l 00 N. Ackerson...... 50 J'. C. Lock burner...... 1 00 Jos. VanBlarcom...... 50 .J. B. HopJ)er...... 1 00 John Simmons...... 50 Newark Milk & Cream Co.. 5 00 Brice Stanton...... 5e S. E. Ingersoll...... 1 00 John H. Barber...... 2 00 R .•J. Blauvelt...... 2 00 W. H. Couse...... I 00 J. Frank Backster...... l 00 Samuel Warbas~e...... 2 50 Raymond Snyder...... 3 00 Gilbert Ingersoll...... 2 00 R. L. Everett...... 2 00 $14 50 R. L. EVERETT LIST. $20 00 B. H. Titman...... 2 00 Total from Lafayette Town- L. D. McCloud...... l 00 ship ...... S 32 50 FROM NEWTON TOWNSHIP. W. D. ACKERSON LIST. L, J. MARTIN LIST. Robert H. Snook...... 100 00 W. D. Ackerson ...... •...$ 75 00 Grant C. Steele...... l 00 Morris Davis...... 25 00 Fred DeKay...... 1 00 Jacob L. Bunnell...... 25 00 Hopkins Williams Co...... 50 0.1 Ellsworth McCluskey...... 2.=i 00 Harry J. McDanolds...... 1 00 J. W. C. CarbPr...... 25 00 M. l\IcDanolds...... 1 00 S:imuel Hill. Jr...... 25 00 S. Swanberg...... 2 00 0. E. Armstrong...... 15 00 C. L. Kyte...... 2.5 00 H. David Couse...... 10 00 Lanterman & Iliff...... 10 00 N. H. White...... 5 00 Walter D. Wild...... 5 00 Whit Gray...... 5 00 Theodore Simonson...... 2.5 00 C. C. McCluskey...... 5 00 A. Lyons ...... -.. .. I 00 Martin A. DeVaney...... 10 00 C. M. Dampman...... 1 00 Daniel L. Fisher...... 10 00 J'. A. Hamilton...... 5 00 D. K. Marshall...... 5 00 $228 ()()--- P. Heintz...... 10 00 HORTON M. BEEGLE LIST. Chas. Fredenburgh ...... _.. 5 00 W. H. Anderson...... • 5 00 A. N. Cosner...... I 00 G. C. Gennert...... 10 00 C. Werner...... 25 L. Reed...... 25 $295 00------W. Aumick...... 2.5 H. 0. RYERSON LIST W. Sites...... 25 H. Weller...... 50 H. o. Ryerson ...... $ 10 00 $250-- Wm. Findlay...... 5 00 E. A. Muir...... 15 00 THOMA.S W. BE:STLEY LIST. Dr. V. M. Rundle...... 10 00 Thomas W. Bentley...... $ 50 00 Mrs. F. W. Miller...... 3 00 Richard F. Goodman...... 25 00 Martin E. Hough...... 5 00 s. H. Hon_kins...... 25 00 Mrs. C. L. Inslee...... 10 00 Chas. M. Wood ruff...... 25 00 E. Morrison. M. D...... 2.5 00 $58 00 Frank Rosenkrans...... 2.5 00 O'Donnnell & McManiman.. 25 00 THEODORE SIMONSON LIST. M. P. Tully...... 10 00 Theodore Morford...... 10 00 J. V. Rosenkrans...... 10 00 L. M. Morford...... 5 00 R. Tuttle ...... :...... 10 00 James English...... 3 00 $'230 001--- E. M:. Quick...... 2 00 c. F. C.A.RLSO:S LIST. Rolland T. Hull...... 5 00 C. F. Carlson...... $ 1 00 John M. Hotalen...... 5 00 B. D. Schooley...... I 00 Geo. A. Walker...... 2 00 Wm. Odell...... 25 Chas. 8. Steele...... 5 00 Ed. Thompson...... 2.!i Fred Grover...... 2.; $37 00 ·wm. Titsworth...... 50 !rL Crumm...... 25 M. A. DEVA..~EY LIST. Andrew Fox...... 25 L. J. Martin ...... $ 25 00 Arthur Pierson...... 25 ,v. P. Wilkinson...... 10 00 W. Regan...... 2.5 C. l\L Glesner...... 2 00 CharlPs Keepers...... 2.~ B. Doglioli...... 10 00 Edw. 0. Kishpaugh...... 2;'i Mrs. Maria DeVaney...... 5 00 J:t.,red Struble...... 2.=i ,v. W. Woodward. Jr...... 2 00 N. Anderson...... 25 Arseius Boglioli...... 3 00 Geo. E. Slaght...... 50 $57.00'--- Chas. S. Gunn...... 25 w. L. DUTCHER LIST. $6.00--- E. Merriam Dutcher...... $ 3 00 .JA:MES DECKER LIST. Geo. L. Dutcher...... 5 00 Louis Ratti...... $ 2 00 Edward W. Merriam...... 2 00 James Decker...... 20 00 ,v. H. Hall...... 5 00 W. B. Ogden...... 2 00 Thomas M. Kays...... 3 00 W. A. Story...... 3 00 John R. Dunn...... 1 00 $27.00-- $1900·-- 85 FR011 NEWTON TOWNSHIP-Continued.

'\".A.LEXTINE &: BENTLEY SILK CO. LIST. Valentine & Bentley Silk Co. List con- E. Matthews ...... tinued. Fred l\I urphy ...... Amanda E. Castner ...... Wm. Hutt ...... l\Iary Wells ...... Daniel Brown ...... Nellie Burd ......

John C. Howell ...... S ;i() 00 \'V. \V. Hoe ...... $ 2.5 00 Mrs. M. S. Devore...... ~ OiJ Levi H. Morris ...... 10 0(.1 E. A. Kanouse...... :!5 00 Geo. H. Savacool...... 5 on W. L. Dutcher...... :!.l 00 Itoof & Snyder...... 10 on Geo. S. Martin...... 35 00 Arminda Newman and sister 5 00 Fred L. Foster...... 1 00 John Demarest ...... 5 00 Grover & Beemer...... 10 00 Aurelius Drake ...... 5 00 Wm. H. Nicholls...... JO 00 .Jos. Quackenbush ...... 1 00 Geo. A. Smith...... 20 00 L. D. Harris ...... IO 00 Frank B. Boss...... 5 00 F. !vi. Hough ...... 5 00 Sarah E. Doyle...... 10 00 John Kalberg ...... 2 00 Jacob Grimm...... 2 00 Cha,. A. \Yalker ...... I 00 Thos. Dutton...... 5 00 ,John T. Jackson ...... 1 50 W. N. Stelle...... 2 00 ~-50--- J. N. Miller...... 10 00 Robert E. Foster. Jr...... 1 00 Cyrus K. Foster...... 10 00 OR3. C. SIMPSON LIST. Adelaide L. Pierce...... 10 00 0. C. Simpson...... 25 00 J. H. Valentine...... 2 00 Alfred T. Booth...... l 00 L. A. Dalrymple...... 1 50 \Vm. Teets...... :1 00 John Farrell...... 2 00 H. R. Rnyder...... 2 00 W. J. Lit7.enberger...... 2 00 F. H. Earl...... 10 00 E. Dana Ely...... I 00 Eugene Bowman...... I 00 Franklin E. Losee...... a 00 .J. Snyder & Son...... 5 00 Geo. B. Case...... 5 oo John T. Wheeler...... 2 00 James E. Baldwin...... 5 00 Jacob S. Wise...... 5 00 Chas. F. Gibbs...... 2 00 Hugh Lattimore...... 3 00 S54: 00 Jacob M. Demarest...... 10 00 John Smith Decker...... 1 00 GEORGE A. WILLIA.MS LIST. John Bryant...... I 00 R. W. Wright...... 2 00 R.H. l\IcCarter Potter...... $ 300 00 Robt. B. Hunt...... 2 00 Mrs. Jen sen...... 75 00 Horton M. Beegle...... 1 oo Georee H. Griebel...... IO 00 Lewis H. Wilson...... 2 00 W. C. Whittingham...... IOU 00 A- H. Konkle...... 2 00 H. Clarence Cole...... 15 00 8. s. Shaw...... 5 00 Joseph W. Poole...... 5 00 C. J. Majory...... 2 50 Hendershott & Cooke...... 10 t:0 SU300-- S515 00-- .A.. J. '\-. ~BLA.ECOM LIST.

LEYI H. MORRIS LIST. S. J. Paddock. Subscribed $"25 00. Later refused to 0. J. Steckel...... $ IO 00 pay. E. Arvanites...... 10 00 .James Mc Kee...... 5 00 M. J. Greer...... 5 00 .John W Lane's Sons .....•• 10 00 F. S. Kauffmau...... 5 00 Henry Huston ...... 1000 Shepard Voorhees...... 10 00 Peter S. Decker...... 5 00 Blanchard & Umphred...... 5 00 Newton Gas & Electric Co .. ~ 00 I. L. Hallock...... 5 00 Miss Ryerson ...... 10 00 J. C. Andress...... 5 00 Mrs. W. M. Smith ...... 5 00 Geo. N. Harris...... 5 00 Dr. Harvey .J. Mccloughan. 5 (Y.) John Beidleman...... 2 00 Horace I. Beemer...... 1000 Anna C. Strader...... 3 00 Mary A. Quick...... 2 00 $85 00 Harry Catton...... 1 00 Allen R. Shay...... 2 00 W. H. EARL LIST. Lunch Wagon...... 2 00 Wm. H. Earl...... S 50 00 Frank White...... 1 00 ,vm. G. Drake ...... 2 00 ,vm. McMurtrie...... 10 00 0. D. Reeve ...... 5 00 $8300-- Hatley Earl...... , ...... 1 00 $:-:>800--

~-II.HA.RT LIST. W. W. WOODWARD LIST. W. "\"\·. Woodward ...... $ 25 00 A. J. VanBlarcom ...... S 2.5 00 W. H. Hawk...... 2 50 A. B. Brickner...... 2.5 00 Hixson Bros...... 4 00 Hart & Iliff ...... 5000 Albert Grover-...... 2 00 Bruno Hood, M. D ...... 10 00 H. P. Wardell...... I 00 John N. Calvin ...... 5 00 Edgerton Bros...... :~ 00 Judson Gunn ...... 2 00 Justin A. Edgerton...... I 00 John McClusky ...... •. I 00 Van Campen Bros...... 10 00 F. Weiss & Co ...... 5 00 J.E. Williams...... 2 oo Wm. Dekay ...... 5 00 P. S. Wilson...... 5 00 Belden Hankinson ...... I 00 Chas. Boyd ...... • l 00 $55 50--- $130 00-- Total from Town of Newton $2.560 00 87 FROM SPARTA TOWNSHIP. I!ENBY FOLK LIST. P. J. DOL.iL.'i LIST. Henry Folk ...... ,. .... $ 10 00 John Sweeney. Jr ...... $ 2 01) Benj. F. Cromwell...... 5 00 Cash .. _...... 50 Wm. E. Ross...... 5 00 P. J. Dolan ...... 10 00 James Condon...... 2 00 :313 50--- Eugene Cory...... 1 00 Edwin Dunn...... l 00 A. W. Ellingham...... 1 00 Henry W. Folk...... 5 00 Car>_tain Wm. Ogden...... 5 00 ~T. B. Titman...... 5 00 $40 00--- Total from Sparta township :, 52 50 FRO:\1 STILLWATER TOvVNSHIP. WM. p. COUESEN LIST. LEVI J. LEWIS list continued. W. R. Morris...... $ 1 00 D.S. Wintermute...... !10 J. J. Shotwell...... I 00 A .•J. Hendershot...... ~o Gruver Bros...... 1 00 Elijah Grover...... 50 Boudewine Roy...... I 00 M. M. Bunn...... 1 CO Cornelius Emery...... 1 00 A. C. Yetter...... 5') Thomas H. Earl...... 1 00 J.P. Hendershot...... 50 Roy R. Gob IE:'...... 1 00 .J.E. Huff...... 50 1Vm. P. Coursen...... 5 00 M. E. Smith...... 50 $12.00--- S. Rosenkrans...... 50 Allen Smith...... 50 LEVI J'. LEWIS LIST. Warren VanAtta...... 50 L. ,T. Lewis ...... $ 5 00 A. W. Huff...... r,o P. E. Garris...... 2 00 Austin Huff...... 50 A. C. VanAuken...... 1 00 C. Hendershot...... 1 00 Wm. Chammings...... 1 00 T. F. Hull...... 25 8. V. Chammings...... l 00 Wm. P. Struble...... 50 Eli?.abeth Emmans...... I 00 Lace Anderson...... 50 J. A. Wintermute. Jr...... I 00 .John T. Demarest...... 2.i:i Jos. Andress...... 1 00 Wm. E. Titman...... 2-5 Charley Keen...... 50 $31.50-- :Merritt Swart8wood...... • . 2 00 Simeon Yetter...... 1 00 LEWIS ROY LIST. PeteDrHMu. ffRoof...... l 0050 Lewis Roy ...... $ 5 00 H...... Ed d Wils . 1 00 .T. W. Blackford...... 50 D W[r d on.············· Wilbert Lambert...... 50 rp ~ es.·················· 1 00 E.Ogden...... 50 J.8 ohimis ...._ ...... ?()()50 James J. Kithcart...... 25 RosepM ·H. enp.is. · · · · · · · · · · - ... Charles R. Westbrook...... 50 tev. r. iggins. · ·· · · Si0.50--1 00 Isaac H. Yetter...... 50 Geo. M. Hull...... l 00 Total...... S 54 00 FROM VERNON TO\VNSHIP. Daniel Bailey ...... $ 25 00 Thomas Rosewall...... I 00 $"25.00--- Allen Kindred...... 2 00 JOHN F. WRIGHT LIST. S5.()()i--- l ohn F- Wright ...... $ 1 00 Total from Vernon Town~ Allen Kindred...... I 00 ship ...... s 30 00 FROM WALPACK TOWNSHIP. Emmet H. Bell ...... $ 5 00 John S. Smith ...... 2 00 Nicholas Tillman...... 5 00 s 12 00 FROM ,VANTAGE TOWNSHIP. J. Anson McBride...... 5 00 GEO- v.A...~DRU:E'F list continued. S5 OO Halsey Bery...... I 00 JACOB SWARTWOUT LIST. F. D. Longcor...... 50 Jacob Swartwout ...... $ 5 00 William S. McCoy...... I 00 W. T. Wright...... 5 00 S. McKee...... 1 00 Pet{lr P. Swarts...... I 00 Levi Hall...... !10 $11 00--- W. A. VanGorden...... I 00 1\1. L. Luts...... !10 GEO. V.A.NDRUl:"F LIST. Moses Green ...... 50 G. Ludlum ...... -S 5 00 N. Hall...... 50 A. T. McKee...... I 00 E. A. Beemer...... ;if) ,las. R. McCoy...... I 00 .J. W. Newman...... 75 Wm. A. Ro;v...... I 00 ,v. S. Martin...... I 00 S. E. Dennis. . . . . • ...... I 00 "\V. D. Wilson...... 1 00 8. M. Parcell...... I 00 $2275-­ J as. A. ·wnson...... I 00 Total from Wantage Town~ A. D. Hough...... 50 ship ...... $38 75 D. W. Kernick...... 50 E. B. Cortright...... 50 J. F. Shelley...... 50 Total amount received .... $3,637 30 88 JOHN C. HOWELL, Treasurer, CR. By disbursements as follows: Collector George Yandrufl'. ( retained l...... $ 2 75 FIRE WORKS. Paine's ...... $ 571 94 Paine's ...... 2806 Powder. Salutes ...... 7 3.:,; Rent and firing salutes...... ---- 15 00 LIVERY. Roof & Snyder ...... $ 67 00 Gro,·er ...... • 8 00 Rosenkrans ...... 81 00 Rosenkrans ...... 4: 00 MEALS. C. L. Kyte...... $ 56 00 George S. Martin...... 30 00 Day. Morristown ...... 380 40 R. H. Snook...... 51 75 R. H. Snook ...... 8 50 R. H. Snook ...... 6 00 Other meals ...... 3705 Jensen's Hotel ...... 18 50 Glesner. Tables ...... 16 39 W W. Roe. Chairs ...... 6 00 H. 0. Ryerson. Telegraphing ...... 3 56 Library_ Hall ...... 13 00 W. H. Earl ...... 1 50 628 65 MUSIC. Gillam. Drum Corps ...... S 2000 Hamburg Band ...... 5000 Newton Cornet Band. :fl nieces ...... 183 50 2.=i3 50 BADGES. ---- Whitehead. Hoag & Co ...... 242 05 GRAND STAND. O. H. Thorp ...... $ 75 00 Amos Litte 11...... 3 00 .\11.en Hom ...... 3 00 Decorating Stand ...... 1000 Lanterman & Ili:tY. Seats ...... -...... 3540 Hart & Ilitt. Cut Lumber ...... •...... l-l-48 140 88 Invitations ...... 29 97 Deputy Sheriffs ...... 6800 POSTAGE. PRINTING AND STATIONERY. Postini;r Bills ...... $ a3 75 Advertising ...... 93 00 N. J. Herald ...... 9 75 N. J. Herald ...... 3825 Newton Record ...... 9 2.li Register ...... 3800 Independent ...... 1 00 Recorder ...... 1 2.~ N. J. Herald ...... 13 50 J. L. Bunnell. express charges ...... 3 06 I. L. Hallock, Secretary ...... 11 79 J. C. Howell. Printin~ ...... 12 50 265 10 Toilet. Public Utility ...... $ 18 5.~ Special Committee. Trenton ...... 1-t 00 Salary. Secretary...... 2"0 00 Publishing Treasurer's Report ...... 12 00 Balance on hand ...... S APPROPRIATED AS FOLLOWS : New Jersey Herald, 1.000 copies publication of exercises with ad- dress of Benj. B. Edsall. addenda ...... $ :c~ O'.! Dividend 15 per cent. to subscribers ...... 545 60 Distribution of copies and return of dividends. estimated ...... 98 88 979 ;l() Total...... $3,637 30 The Commmittee desires to acknowledge the following courtesies rendered Messrs. Townsend Bros.• use of team for parade. George M. Emmans. Floral Wreath for Soldiers> Monument. Citizens of the Borough of Sussex. for services of Union Cornet Band. Citizens of Stanhope. for services of Stanhope Band. Various citizens for liberality in the rendering of their res1>eetiYe bills. BENJAMIN 8. EDSALL Compliments of The Sussex Register.

TO THE READER.

In preparing the following address, I have been favored with items of in­ formation by Dr. Caspar Schaeffer, of Philadelphia, H. D. ~Ia:xwell, Esq., of Easton, Pa., William P. Robeson, Robert S. Kennedy, Caleb Sw·ayze, and James Wilson, Esqrs., of Warren County, and David Ryerson, R. R. Morris, John H. Hall, Samuel H. Hunt, William H. Johnson, and John J. Coopers, Esqrs., of Sussex county. Whitfield S. Johnson, Esq., of Newton, has assisted me in collecting materials, and I am under obli­ gations to Thomas Anderson, Esq., also of Newton, for kindly placing in my hands such of his grandfather's papers as had escaped destruction. As a general rule every person of whom I requested information, or aid in procuring materials, has cheerfully accommodated me so far as was in his power. Samuel Lane, John S. Brodrick and Andrew Shiner, Esqrs., and Rev. Nathaniel Pettit, deserve mention for their courtesy and assis­ tance. In returning my grateful acknowledgements to the above named gentlemen, however, it is proper to say, that the main portion of the address is the frni t of my own researches. I am especially indebted to Thomas I. Ludlum Esq., clerk of Sussex county, for giving me free access to the books and papers in his office, and also to Daniel S. Ander­ son, Esq., clerk of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, for a similar favor. I have derived considerable assistance from Eager's "History of Orange County," Barber & Howe's "Historical Collections of New Jersey," Rev. Peter Kanouse's ''Historical Sermon,'' delivered at Beemersville in 1844, Smith's "History of New Jersey, "Allison's and Neville's "Laws of New Jersey," and other works. The time alloted for preparing the address was too short for one in my situation. Compelled to labor daily for a livelihood, I had my evenings only to devote to the subject; nor had I leisure to travel from place to place to visit aged men who possibly have treasured in their memories facts and incidents of interest and value. So much time was consumed in the collection and examination of materials, that little was left for composition, and every page, it is to be feared, bears in conse­ quence the marks of undue haste. During the three months I have been engaged in this investigation, an average of two hours per day was all I could devote to it ; and now, as I look back upon the piles of loose papers, the thousands of pages of musty records, and the hg,lf dozen print­ ed volumes through which I waded, I am thankful that I found time to write out even so imperfect a sketch of Sussex county as is herewith pre­ sented to the reader. Probably what I have with my limited opportu­ nities accomplished, may induce some abler man to devote for a few months his undivided attention to the subject, whereby a work much more elaborate, interesting and satisfactory can most certainly be produced. BENJAMIN B. EDSALL. NEWTON, October 17th, 1853. CENTENNIAL ADDRESS BY BENJAMIN B. EDSALL.

Republished by resolution of Central Committee of Sesqui-Centennial Celebration a(jopted October S, 1903.

L1"IIABIT.A.XTS OF SUSSEX A..i.~D '\V .A.RREN COUNTIES: In the spirit of filial affection and reverence you ha,e come forward to pay the tribute of grati­ tude to the memory of your forefathers. You are the favored members of a happy and flourishing family, the possessors of a goodly inheritance ; yet, unlike those upstart worldlings who are ashamed of the parents whose "homely toil" enriched them, you feel it to be a privilege and a gratification to look back and contemplate the small beginnings of that flood of fortune upon whose topmost wave you are now floating. Al­ though the hands which laid the foundations of your prosperity, and the stout hearts, which dared, for your sakes, the perils of pioneer life, have long reposed nerveless and pulseless in the grave, the blood ,vhich vitalized their action,now courses in your veins, and imposes upon you the duty, not only of honoring their memory, but of vindicating their good names by your own deportment and conduct. The early annals of Sussex county occupy but a brief space on the historic page. This, however, is to be accounted for without detracting in any degree from the character or merit of your ancestors. Blood and rapine-civil and ecclesiastical feuds-intrigue and usurpation-kingly duplicity and aggression-are the prominent topics of history ; while the deprivations and hardships endured in the subjugation of the wilder­ ness, the frequent encounters with beasts of prey, the daily exposure to the vengence of the treacherous savage, and the numerous other dangers which beset the path of the pioneer, are matters which receive only a. passing notice. Nevertheless, these latter transactions have formed the basis of all national superstructures, ever since the first couple were sent forth from Eden to people the whole earth with their seed. The men who, from time immemorial, have gone out to subdue the forests and reclaim the waste places, have displayed greater courage than any of the titled warriors, who, at the head of panoplied hosts, have desolated the nations of the earth, and been deified in marble. If the deeds of the first settlers of Sussex have not been preserved in the pages of the annalist, they are engraven in more enduring characters upon the hills and vales, and plains and promontories of our county. The "continuous woods," which originally shadowed the fat soil, yielded acre by acre, to their sturdy blows-the cabin of hewn logs replaced the first rude hut-orchards 91 were planted, and the virgin soil displayed its strength in its rich product of waving grain. The streams which had flowed for centuries in the gloom of the o'er-arching trees, were opened at intervals to the light of day-the click of the busy mill in due time was heard upon their banks, and the verdure which skirted their margins was cropped by lowing herds. The unerring rifle drove the beasts of prey from the clearings, and in their places flocks of sheep, whose fleeces were wrought by fair hands into garments, disported upon the hill sides. And, finally, to complete the picture, "Where prowled the wolf, and where the hunter roved, Faith raised her altars to the God she loved.'' One hundred and fifty years ago, the territory comprising the coun­ ties of Sussex and Warren was uninhabited by civilized men, except a small portion in the present township of Pahaquarry. The settlers in this secluded nook were Hollanders, who had penetrated the country in search of minerals. Following the course of the Hudson from New -~sterdam northwardly, they landed and entered the wilderness at or near Esopus, now called Kingston, in Ulster county, New York, and, exploring the liamakating valley, they discovered a mine of lead about :fifty miles from the point of their debarkation. Encouraged by this success, they continued their explorations, and about fifty miles further another mine, probably of copper, was fonnd "on the Dela.ware river, where the mountain nearly approaches the lower point of Pahaquarry Flat.''* This was within the limits of our territory;

*The following, from Hazard's Register, throws some light on the early settlements on the Delaware, in this section of country. It is ex­ tracted from the letters written by Samuel Preston, Esq, and dated Stock­ port, June 6th and 14th, 1828. MEENESINKMINE HOLES, &c.-In 1787, the writer went on his first surveying tour into· Northampton county; he was deputy under John Lukens, surveyor-general, and received from him by way of instructions, the following narrative respecting the settlement of Meenesink, on the Delaware, above the Ki ttany and Blue ]\fountain : That the settlement was formed a long time before it was known to the Government in Philadelphia. That when Government was informed of the settlement, they passed a law in 1729, that any such purchases of the Indians should be void, and the purchasers indicted for "forcible entry and detainer,'' according to the law of England. That in 1730 they appointed an agent to go and investigate the facts ; that the agent so appointed was the famous surveyor, Nicholas Scull, that he, James Lu­ kens, was then N. Scull's apprentice to carry chain and learn surveying. That he accompanied N. Scull. As they both understood and could talk Indian, they hired Indian guides, and had a fatiguing journey, there being no white inhabitants in the upper part of Bucks or Northampton county ; that they had a very great difficulty to lead their horses through the Water Gap to Meenesink Flats, which were all settled with Hollan­ ders ; with several only could they be understood in Indian. .At the venerable Samuel Dupuis's they found great hospitality and plenty of the necessaries of life. J. Lukens said that the :first thing that struck his admiration was a grove of apple trees of size far beyond any near Phila­ delphia. That as N. Scull and himself examined the banks, they ,vere fully of the opinion that all those flats had some very former age been a deep lake before the river broke through the mountain, and that the best interpretation they could make of Meenesink was, the water is 92 and there are cogent reasons for fixin~ the date of the advent of theee Hollanders as early as 1650, fourteen years before the Duke of York be­ came the patentee of New Jersey, and twenty years before William Penn secured a patent for the :flourishing commonwealth which bears his name. The first great need of these enterprising men was a road to afford an outlet for their ores, and this they appear to have lost no time in supplying, although the distance from Pahaquarry to Esopus was about one hundred miles. This road was substantially built, and was in use some time before the English took possession of New Amsterdam, now known as the city of New York. It is still a public thoroughfare, and bids fair to remain for ages an enduring monument of the energy and preseverance of these hardy pioneers. It was the first road of any considerable length made in North America ; it was built without govern­ ment aid ; though its course ran through a howling wilderness, and its construction must have been attended with immense difficulties and in­ numerable dangers, it owes its existence solely to the enterprise of a few men who were stimulated to push it to completion by the hope of acquir­ ing personal emolument from their mineral discoveries. This hope, how­ ever, was nipped in the bud. The conquest of the New Netherlands by the British, in 1664, put an end to the enterprise of these adventurous

gone. That S. Dupuis told them when the rivers were frozen he had a good road to Esopus ( now Kingston, ) from the mine holes, on the mine road some hundred miles. That he took his wheat and cider there for salt and necessaries, and did not appear to have any knowledge or idea where the river ran, Philadelphia market, or being in the govern- ment of Pennsy1 vania · They were of opinion, that the :first settlements of the Hollanders in Meenesink were many years older than Willia.m Penn's charter, and as S. Dupuis had treated them so well, they concluded to make a. survey of his claim in order to befriend him jf necessary. When they began to survey, the Indians gathered around ; an old Indian laid his hand on N. Scull's shoulder, and said, "Put up iron string, and go home;" then they quit and returned. * * * * * * I had it in charge from John Lukins to learn more particulars re­ specting the mine road to Esopus, &c. I found Nicholas Dupuis, Esq., (son of Samuel, )living in a spacious stone house in great plenty and affluence. The old mine holes were a few miles above, on the Jersey side of the river, by the lower point of Pahaquarry Flat; that the Meenesink settlement extended forty miles or more on both sides of the river. That he had well known the mine road to Esopus, and used, before he opened the boat channel through Foul Rift, to drive on it several times every winter with loads of wheat and cider; as also did his neighbors to pur. chase their salt and necessaries in Esopus, having then no other market or knowledge where the river ran to. That after a navigable channel was opened through Foul Rift, they generally took to boating, and most of the setttlement turned their trade down stream, the mine road became less and less traveled. This interview with the amiable Nicholas Dupuis, Esq., was in June, 1787. He then appeared about sixty years of age. I interrogated as to the particulars of what he knew as to when and by whom the mine road was made, what was the ore they dug and hauled on it, what was the date, and from whence and how came the first settlers of Meenesink in such great numbers as to take up all the flats on both sides of the river for forty miles. He could only give traditional accounts of what he had heard from older people, without date, in substance as follows : 93 miners, as it did to many other schemes of aggrandizement devised by the Hollanders. The main body of these men are believed to have return­ ed to their native land ; yet a few unquestionably remained, who settled in the vicinity of their abandoned mines. In this county we may class the Dupues, Ryersons, and probably the Westbrooks and Schoonmakers as among the descendants of those ancient immigrants. Here then we have the point at which the first settlement in Sussex county was made, clearly established. Here log cabins were built and orchards planted when the site of Philadelphia was a wilderness. The Swedes in West Jersey, and the Dutch and Norwegian settlers in Bergen, antedate the pioneers of Pahaquarry but a very few years. The light of civi­ lization had shone but for a brief period upon the eastern and southwestern borders of New Jersey, ere it penetrated our northern wilds. Feeble at first, it grew brighter as time advanced. News of the fertility of the Delaware Flats was doubtless carried to Esopus, whence it was taken to Communipaw, to the island of Manhattan, and even unto Bushwick and the vales of Mespat. Esopus was a favorite place of resort from 1660 to 1685, because of the great strength and richness of its soil; but immi-

"That in some former age there came a company of miners from Holland, supposed from the great labor expended in making that road, about one hundred miles long, that they were very rich. or great people in working the two mines, one on the Delaware where the mountain nearly approaches the lower point of Pahaquarry Flat, the other at the north foot of the same mountain. near half-way between the Delaware and Esopus. He ever understood that abundance of ore had been hauled on that road, but never could learn whether lead or silver. That the first settlers came from Holland to seek a place of quiet, being persecuted for their religion. I believe they were Arminians. They fallowed the mine road to the large flats on the Delaware ; that smooth, cleared land, and abundance of large apple trees suited their views; that they bona. fide bought the improvements of the native Indians, most of whom then removed to Susquehanna; that with such as remained there was peace and friendship until 1755. '' I then went to view the Pahaquarry mine holes. There appeared to have been a great abundance of labor done there at some former time, but the mouths of these holes were caved full and overgrown with bushes. I concluded to myself if there ever had been a rich mine under that mountain, it must be there yet in close confinement. The other old men I conversed with, gave their traditions similar to Nicholas Dupuis, and they all appeared to be grandsons of the first settlers, and generally very illiterate as to dates and anything relating to chronology. In the summer of 1789, I began to build on this place, there came two venerable gentlemen on a surveying expedition. They were the late Gen. James Clinton, the father of the late DeWitt Clinton, and Chris­ topher Tappan, Esq., clerk and recorder of Ulster county. For many years before they had both been surveyors under Gen. Clinton's father when he was surveyor general. In order to learn some history from gentlemen of their general know ledge, I accompanied them in the woods. They both well knew the mine holes, mine road, &c., and as there was no kind of documents or records thereof, united in the opinion that it was a work transacted while the State of New York belonged to the government of Holland, that it fell to the English in 1664, and that the change of government stopped the mining business, and that the road must have been made many years before so much digging could have been done. That it undoubtedly must have been the first good road of that extent ever made in any part of the United States. 94 grants, who came in there from around the bays and inlets of New York, Bergen and Long Island, and who found the best locations occu­ pied, turned their thoughts to those bottom lands on the Delaware where­ of many-tongued rumor had frequently spoken; and, led by necessity and curiosity, they followed the l\Iamakating, until at last the blue out­ lines of the Pohaquolin mountain greeted their vision, and the cabins of three or four hermit-like settlers were found reposing beneath its shadow. Here they met a hospitable welcome, and here they made their locations, enlarging by their ingress the social circle, and affording strength to the infant colony. A great impulse to emigration from Europe was given by the efforts of William Penn and other American landed proprietors, towards the close of the seventeenth century. Hundreds also, who would have preferred to pass their days in the lands of their fathe:rs, were induced to cross the ocean to escape persecution on account of their religious faith. Many of the French Protestants who fled from France to Holland and other European countries, in 1685, when Louis XIV. exposed them t-0 Papal vengeance by revoking the edict of Nantz, found their way to .A.merica, and quite a number settled at the mouth of the Wallkill, in Ulster county, New York. Thence they spread inland, and the Huguenot names of Gumaer, Cuddeback, Dekay, Dildine, Be-vier, &c., appear upon the early records of the Minisink region, in connection with the Van­ Campens, VanAukens, Coles, Deckers, Winfields, Westfalls, Courtrights, Titsworths, Nearposses, Davises, VanEttens, Westbrooks, etc. What was originally known as the Minisink* country, now forms a portion of the three St.ates of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. It comprehended the soil upon both banks of the Delaware river. from the Water Gapt to the Lackawaxen, and probably in common parlance was often used to indicate a still greater extent of territory. That the early settlers on the Delaware managed to live peacefully with the Indians is apparent from the fact, that no difficulties with the red men are of record before the year 1755, or have been handed down by tradition.

*This name is a corruption of the Indian word .Minsies. The tradi­ tion of the Indians in this vicinity at the early settlement of the county was that their nation lived at Kittatinny (now called Blue Mountains,) in Warren county, New Jersey, and means "main or chief town ; " that at an early period there was a difficulty or disagreement of some kind in the nation, and the discontented portion removed to the other, or north side of the mountain, upon the low lands along the Delaware. The tradition also ,vas, that long ago and before the Delaware river broke through the mountain at the '\\tater Gap, these lands, for thirty or forty miles along it, were covered by a lake, but became drained by the breaking down of that part of the dam which confined it. When the dis­ contented retired from the nation, they settled upon the lands from which the waters had retired, and by others were called the '' Minsies, '' be­ cause they lived upon the land from which the water had gone. The name in the first instance was descriptive of the land from which "the water is gone,'' and afterwards applied to the Indians who li,ed upon it.-Ea.ger,s Hist., of Orange Co., pp. -107, 408. tThe scenery in the vicinity of the Water Gap is grand and picturesque. "On the Jersey side of the Gap is a place where the ledge comes boldly down to the road side, called the 'Indian Ladder,' which a few years 95 They appear to have purchased their lands of the Indians, and to have ensured the sa.fety and quiet of their little comm.unity by dealing equit­ ably with the aborigines, and by according to them those privileges of hunting and fishing which were essential to their existence. Thus isolated from the busy world, they cleared and cultivated the soil, and gradually augmented in numerical strength, by the addition of new settlers who came in between the years 1680 and 1720, until both banks of the Delaware for many miles above the Water Gap, as well as the borders of the Mahackamack, or Navarsink, exhibited here and there the abodes of civilized men. The houses were not scattered, however, promiscuously. Although upon good terms with the Indians, there was no security that the bonds of amity might not at some unexpected moment be rudely broken. Hence, it was the custom for three or four neighbors to place their log dwellings as nearly together as practicable, so that all might be with­ in hail, if either required assistance. Loop holes for musketry were also provided, and not only the males but females were taught the use of :fire arms. These arts and precautions were necessary on another account. Wolves, bears a.nd panthers abounded in our wilds, and hunger occasion­ ally drove them to the doors of the settlers. If the males were absent, the wife or daughter would be at hand, and the musket be made to do swift execution, with equally unerring aim, upon the ravenous intruder. All the territory comprised in old Sussex was originally treated by our Provincial authorities as belonging to West Jersey. By the Act of 1709, which defined the boundaries of the several counties in the Province, our soil was comprehended within the limits of Burlington. When Hunterdon was erected into a county, in 1713, our section formed a part of it ; and in 1738, when Moxris county was created, our hills and valleys shared the new designation. Between the years 1738 and 1753, something like municipal regulation was extended over the scattered population of this portion of the State. Townships were formed, with metes and bounds very imperfectly defined, yet answering in some sort the wants of the people. These townships were Wallpack, New Town, Hardwick and Greenwich-one of which (Hardwick) was erected by Royal Patent. Wallpack and New Town at this period comprised all the territory which now constitutes the present county of Sussex except so much as is comprehended in Stillwater and Green; which two latter precincts with all the present county of Warren were covered by Hard­ wick and Greenwich. The settlements at this time were principally in Wallpack and Greenwich, and at certain points on the Wallkill, Papa­ kating, Paulinskill and Pequest. In 1738, the population of the whole Province of New Jersey was only 47,369-of which amount Sussex did

since, before the road was constructed, came down perpendicularly to the water's edge, and prevented the inhabitants from having a free com­ munication with other parts of the county. In olden times the Indians had there a kind of ladder made of an upright tree ; afterward a rope ladder was made by the whites ; but it was a dangerous place to get over, being thirty or forty feet in height and only surmountable by foot passengers. On the summit of the Blue (or Pohaquolin) mountain are two beautiful lakes, probably on land 1,000 feet above the level of the Delaware. Near one of them is a chalybeate spring, called the 'Paint Spring,' which deposits ferruginous ochre.' '-Hist. Collections, p. 505. 9& not probably contribute more than 500 or 600. There was not at this time a school or a meeting-house within our limit. Only one grist mill was then in operation, so far as t can learn, which was located some­ where near the confluence of the Flatbrook and the Delaware. Neither this mill, nor any which was erected for twenty-five years thereafter, performed any other operation than that of grinding; the bolting being done by hand, for which purpose sieves were an indispensable domestic utensil. There were hardly any roads laid out, especially in the country south-east of the Blue Mountains. \V'agons were unknown, sa.ve in the Minisink region, and there they were mainly constructed of wood : the wheels were without iron tire, but were composed of thick felloes, held together by wooden pins. Sleds were in general use, rudely con­ structed, and shod with wood. Flax, tow and rawhide were the mate­ rials of which harness was ma.de. The plough and the harrow differed but little from those in use forty or fifty years ago, and answered the purposes of cultivation very well. A blade, some twenty inches in length, fastened to a wooden handle, and somewhat resembling a hemp hook, was the instrument wherewith wheat and rye were cut. The reaper also carried with him a small iron hook to gather up the sheaves as he toiled his weary way through the burdened fields. Flails were in use, and horses were occasionally employed to tread out the grain ; while the operation of cleaning was facilitated by fans composed of wil­ low rods. Scythes, cradles and fanning mills came into use simultan­ eously about the year 1750. The first saw mills erected were located, one at Carpenter's Point, another on the Flatbrook, and a third at the mouth of the Paulinskill, '' In the log cabins of the pioneers of this county," (says the Rev Mr. Kanouse, * ) "there was no furniture to dazzle without profit. Oiled paper might serve for window glass, a pail of water for a. mirror, a pine knot for a candle, and the wheel and the loom made the music of the family. The father supplied the flax and the wool; and the fair hands of our mothers and their daught~rs"T fur­ nished the thread, the cloth, and the ready made garment. They were rich in their own resources. Their wants were few and simple. The trencher and the wooden bowl were the china, and pewter was the sil­ verware of the family, with milk and water for their tea, a burnt crust for their coffee, and brown bread for their cake. '' Groceries and mer­ chandize figured small in the list of family necessaries. Instead of silks, satins, cashmeres, gems, pearls and cosmetics, to adorn and beautify the fair sex, their forms were clad in the flaxen tissues and linsey woolseys fabricated by their own industry. Of course, with such a generation, the physician had but little to do. If privation and toil were their com­ panions, health was the reward.'' The settlers in Minisink ,,ere the vanguard of our pioneers, and very properly took the lead in providing for the public ministration of the gospel. Living for a considerable period without the advantages of the preached word, they yet retained Christian feelings and principles. Some of them had endured persecution for conscience sake, and had thus given proof of the strength and vitality of their professions. They

*Historical Sermon delivered at Beemerville, 1844:. 97 eagerly looked forward, from the beginning of their settlement, to the time when public worship could be instituted, and, as soon ae possible, perfected arrangements for the enjoyment o! that invaluable privilege. Having no one among them properly qualified to expound the Scriptures, they selected a. young man named John Casparis Fryenmouth, who had devoted himself to some extent to theological studies ; sent him to Holland, pa.id for his education, and upon his return in 1742, had four buildings provided for him to preach in ; one on the Mahackemack, or Navarsink river, near where Port Jervis now stands another called the Minisink church, located about a mile from the present Dutch Re­ formed church, in Montagne ; a third called the Wallpack church, in the bend of the river; and the fourth in Smithfield, Pennsylvania. To these churches, whose congregations embraced nearly all the inhabitants of :Minisink, Mr. Fryenmouth divided his time equally, giving one-fourth thereof to each. In this way he labored faithfully, until the Indians invaded that region in 1755. For nine years after this savage irruption, the churches had no stated supply. Rev. Thomas Romeyn, of Bushwick, Long Island, removed thither in 1764, and served seven years, when another interregnum. occurred, lasting, with occasional exceptions, until 1780, when the Rev. Elias Van Benschooten commenced his labors in that extensive parish. It is not within the scope of the plan proposed in my address upon this occasion, to go into a review of the establishment and progress of Christian churches in Sussex. Fortunately, that interesting branch of our local history is committed to abler hands. My object in alluding to the above congregations, is simply to direct attention to the fact, that at this early period, the population of so much of the Minisink region as was within the bounds of our territory was equal to all the rest ; for while one of the four churches was in New York, and another in Pennsyl­ vania., two were in New Jersey. This fact would seem to indicate very satisfactorily, that the New Jersey portion of Minisink was first settled, as its population was the most numerous ; and it gives force also to the presumption that the ancient minister of Paha.quarry, who remained in the vicinity after the downfall of the New Netherlands, very generally pitched their tents upon the Jersey side of the Delaware. It is well es­ tablished, that in the year 1697 when the Schuyler and Swartwout patents for lands in the Minisink country were derived by pur0hase from the Indians, and by grants from the Province of New York, there were settlements south of the Na.varsink, and so on down the Delaware ; and unless those settlements were made by the miners, or by very early accessions, by w·ay of Esopus, their origin is unaccountable. I am of the opinion that the early settlers upon the lands southeast of the Minisink mountain, and west of the '\Vallkill, in the section now known as Wantage, were regarded as inhabitants of Minisink. Their names are identical with those of the Delaware and Navarsink borders, and they unquestionably by kindred and association, constituted one comm unity. One of the earliest settlements east of the Blue Mountains was in the Papakating valley, and was made by l\Iessrs. Colt, Price* and Gustin,

* Robert Price, one of the first settlers of Frankford, when a small 98 who were originally from New England. Many of this class of emi­ grants, in their progress westward from the land of the Puri tans, had first settled upon Long Island, but hoping to better their con.di tion, they removed to Orange county, New York, and Bergen, Somerset, Hunterdon, and other counties in New Jersey. About the year 1700, a great many of. the settlers upon Long Island removed to the places indicated, be­ cause the land was cheaper and better than that which they tilled upon the Island. Hunterdon and Orange were the favorite counties of this description of immigrants ; in these they established homes, but their own cosmopolitan disposition was transmitted to their children, who in their turn, plunged also in the wilderness, and entering Sussex at her northern and southern extremes, explored the various rivulets to their sources, and upon the lands drained alike by the tributaries of the Hudson and the Delaware, kin met with kin in the heart of our coun­ ty, and their blood, separated for from fifty to seventy years, again commingled. Of this class I venture to mention the Greens, Hunts, Blackwells, Bla.nes, Browns, Brokaws', Howells, Beegles, Townsends, Stileses, Kechams, Collards, Mills, Havens, Trusdells, Moores, Hills, Dentons', Cases, Knapps, Youngs, Smiths, Coes, John.sons, Pettits, Wal­ lin.gs, Hopkins, &c., &c. Next to Wallpack, a part of the township of Greenwich is beyond question the earliest point of settlement. Just after the commencement of the eigthteenth century, land was patented and settled near Phillips­ burg, by Messrs. Lane and Merrill, both of whom were Irishmen. In 1735, three brothers named Green settled in that part of Greenwich now known as Oxford township, who were soon followed by the McKees, McMurtries, McCrackens, Axford.s, Robesons, Shippens, Anderson, Kennedys, Stewarts, Loders, Hulls, Brands, Bowlbys, Swayzes, Shackle­ tons, Scotts, Armstrongs, all of whom were Scotch-Irish Presbyter- ians, with-- the exception of Robeson and Greens, and possibly one or two others. Here, as a consequence of this correspondence of religious faith, the :first Presbyterian church in the county was erected, bearing date in the year 1744, only two years after the formation of the Minisink congregations. Rev. James Campbell was the first minister who officiated for this people. He was followed by the celebrated missionary, David Brainerd, whose labors among the Indians called him frequently in the vicinity. In fact, Brainerd lived for some time at the Irish settlement, in Pennsylvania, now known as Lower Mount Bethel, about five miles from Belvidere, and the site of the cabin occupied by himself and his interpreter, is still shown to the traveler. The first furnace for manu-

boy, -was taken prisoner by the Indians at one of the massacres in the Eastern States. He and his mother were marched off together, and, she being somewhat con-versant with the language of the savages, soon learned from their conversation and gestures. that she herself was to be despatched, and immediately communicated the intelligence to her son. She told him that he must not cry when they killed her, or they would kill him too. She marched but a few rods farther before she was killed, and the boy was eventually adopted by one of the squaws as her child, she having lost one a few days previous. He lived with the In­ dians u:itil he was over twenty-one years old, and was then rescued by his friends. It was a long time before he became thoroughly reconciled 99 fa.ctn.ring iron in Sussex county, was erected by Jonathan Robeson, in the then town of Greenwich. It was commenced in 1741, but iron was not run until the 9th of 1Iarch, 1743. He called this "Oxford fur­ nace," in compliment to Andrew· Robeson, his father, who had been sent to England and educated in Oxford University. From this furnace the town of Oxford, which was formed twelve years aferwards, took its name. Jonathan Robeson was one of the first judges of Sussex county. His father and grandfather both wore the ermine before him in Pennsyl­ vania ; while his son, grandson, and great-grandson, each in his turn have occupied seats on the judicial bench. William P. Robeson, of Warren county, is the sixth judge in regular descent from his ancestor, Andrew Robeson, who en.me to America with William Penn, and was a. member of Governor Markham's Privy Council. In this country, where the accident of birth confers no special right to stations of honor, and where ability and honesty are, or ought to be, the only passports to public distinction, this remarkable succession of office in one family affords a rare example of hereditary merit, and is, so far as I know, without a parallel in our judicial annals. The "Quaker Settlement'' was peopled, as its name imports, by mem­ bers of the Society of Friends, who came from Maiden's Creek, (now Attleborough,) Pennsylvania and from Crosswicks, New Jersey, about the years 1735 or '40. They were the Willsons, Lundys, &c., and must be set down as among the very first settlers of ancient Hardwick. In the beginning, these people were compelled to go to Kingwood, in Hunter­ don county, to have their grain ground; a trip ·_which was usually per­ formed on horseback, and occupied when the weather was favorable, and the intervening streams not too much swollen, about two days. The first frame house erected in this region, is still standing, and is occupied by Samuel Cook. To raise its timbers, so few were the settlers, that help had to be procured from Hunterdon county. It is still a. sound. substantial building, although it has endured the blasts of at least one hundred and ten winters. The deed for the ground upon which the old Quaker meeting-house stands, was gh.. en by Richard Penn, grandson of William Penn, and bears date in the year 1752. It may not be out of place to state here. that a few miles from this locality, the first meeting house in the county of Sussex of the Methodist Society, was erected in the year 1810, upon land donated by John Cummins. The Methodists were among the last to raise a house of worship in our county, yet they are now probably the most numerous of any denomination of Christians within our limits. In that part of ancient Newton, now known as Vernon* township,

to civilized society, and he sometimes expressed a desire to return to the Indians; but the feeling gradually wore away. Several years after his release, he removed to this county.-IIist. Collections of New Jersey, pp.465, 466. -~ Near the south part of ·ve1·non com1nences the marshy tract, known as '' the drowned lands of the Y? allkill. '' The ,alley of the Wallkill is narrow until it crosses into the State of Ne-w York, where the marsh extends five miles in width, through which the river flows, with a scarcely perceptible current. No successful effort has been made 100 there were some eariy settiements, principaily consisting of those who had first tried their fortune in Orange county. My information from this quarter is very meagre. One Joseph Perry, who had prepared for the erection of a. frame house there, about the year 1740, could not raise the timbers without procuring help from New Windsor. Colonel DeKay settled in New York upon the edge of this township in 1711 ; some of his lands, which he then held under a New York patent, now lie this side of the boundary line. The McCamly's, Campbells, Edsalls, Winans, Hynards, Simonsons, &c., did not come in until just before the Revo­ lution, at which period a considerable amount of population had spread not only over Vernon, but throughout Hardyston. Joseph Sharp, the father, I believe, of the late venerable Joseph Sharp, of Vernon, who had obtained a. proprietary right to a large body of land stretching from Deckertown to the sources of the Wallkill, came from Salem conn ty a. few years before the Revolution, and erected a furnace and a forge about one mile south of Hamburgh, which were known for some years a.s the ''Sharpsborongh Iron Works ;'' this was the second furnace erected in Sussex county. Sharp lost a great deal by this enterprise; and partly from the annoyance which he met with from the sheriff of the county, who, under certain circumstances, is well known to be a most unwelcome visitor, he abandoned the works. A few years after a couple of men from Trenton named Potts, erected another furnace in this neighbor­ hood, but they soon ''followed in the footsteps of their illnstrions predecessor ; '' the sheriff had a particular attachment for their pro­ perty, and they were finally compelled to let that ery officious per­ sonage have his own way. Thenceforth there was an end to the iron manufacture in any considerable quantities in that quarter, until the late Dr. Samuel Fowler and John 0. Ford, Esq., commenced the busi­ ness, and by superior activity and energy, derived handsome profits from their well directed enterprise. Among the earliest settlers was Robert Ogden, who removed from Elizabethtown in 1765 or '66. He was a good man and a true patriot. He was long one of the judges of our courts, and a leading citizen of our county. He sent forth three sons to fight in the War of Independence, one of whom, Col. Aaron Ogden, command-

to wholly drain this tract. Wherever it has been done, it discloses a soil of rich vegetable mould. The fallowing is an extract from a published article on the mineral character of this region, by the late Hon. Samuel Fowler, who was a man of science, and spoke from actual observation : '' Perhaps in no quarter of the globe is there so much found to interest the mineralogist as in the white crystalline calcareous valley, commencing at Mount Adam and Eve, in the county of Orange, and State of New York, about three miles from the line of the State of New Jersey ; and continuing thence through Vernon, Hamburgh, }.,ranklin, Sterling, Sparta and Byram, a distance of about twenty-five miles in the County of Sus­ sex, New Jersey. This limestone is highly crystalline, containing no organic remains, and is the great imbedding matrix of all the curious and interesting minerals found in this valley. When burned, it pro­ duces lime of a superior quality. Some ,arieties, particularly the granular, furnish a beautiful marble. It is often white, with a slight tinge of yellow, resembling the Parian marble, from the island of Paros ; at other times clouded black, sometimes veined black, and at other times arborescen t. ' ' 101 ed that honored regiment which bore the name of the Life Guards of the Immortal '\Vashington. _ From the year 1740 to the close of the Revolution, there was, in addition to the sources of increase which have heretofore been mentioned, a considerable emigration from Germany. Among the first of the class of persons, were John Peter Bernhardt and Caspar Shafer, his son-in­ la.w. They had purchased lands where Stillw·ater village is now situated, of persons in Philadelpha, and in the year 1742, by way of the Delaware, and the valley of the Paulinskill, they journeyed to their destination, and took possesson of the tracts indicated by their title deeds. They were followed in a few years by the \Vintermutes, the Snovers, Swa.rstwel­ ders, Staleys, Merkels, Schmucks, Snooks, ~fains, Couses, and a large number of other Germans who principally settled in the valley of the Paulinskill, although a portion branched off in other directions. Mr. Bernhardt lived only a few years after his arrival ; he died in 1748, and was the first person buried in the cemetery of the old German Church. It must not be understood, however, by this statement, that there was a church erected there at that period. The ground only for such an edifice, and for burial purposes, had been set apart, but the building itself was not constructed until 1771. Mr. Shafer, in the be­ ginning of his experience of life in the backwoods, found himself under the necessity of crossing the Pohoqualin mountain to get his grain ground ; which was performed by following an Indian trail, and leading a horse upon whose back the sack of rye or wheat was borne. This was an inconvenience that he was not disposed to endure, and he determined to construct a mill upon his own property. This project he carried into effect ; but his mill, to tell the truth, was a perfect curiosity. It was peculiarly of domestic manufacture. He constructed it in the following manner : first, throwing a low dam made of cobble stones, :filled in with gravel, across the kill, to create a small water power; he next drove piles into the ground to sustain the superstructure ; upon these he erect­ ed a little frame or log mill house, in which he placed one small run of stones, with water wheel and gearing in a corresponding style of sim­ plicity. This diminutive concern was capable of grinding not more than from three to five bushels of grain per day ; yet it answered the demands of the sparsely settled country for the time, and was resorted to from far and near. In a few years he erected a better mill, and com­ menced shipping flour to Philadelphia. He loaded a flatboat at his mill, which floated with the current down the Paulinskill to the Delaware, and thence to its destination. The Paulinskill was thus proved to be navigable ; but it was much more valuable as a mill stream, and soon became so obstructed by dams, that ~Ir. Shafer was compelled to relin­ quish the use of his boat. Shad were caught in this stream originally but the same causes which shut off the passage of boats, operated to exclude the periodical ascension of this migratory species of fish. Mr. Shafer was the first man in this region who opened a business intercourse with Elizabethtown ; he heard from the Indians in his vicinity, that there was a large place far away to the southeast, which they called '' Lispatone, '' and he determined to ascertain the truth of this assertion ; he travelled over mountains and through bogs and forests, and after 102 a rough journey of some fifty miles, he arrived at the veritable "Old Borough.'' He opened a traffic in a moderate way at this time, and thus laid the foundation of that profitable intercourse between the sou th east­ ern towns and cities and Northern Jersey, which has augmented from that time to the present, and has almost entirely excluded Philadelphia from participation in the trade of this section of the State. Peter Decker built the first house* in Deckertown in the year 1734. He was I believe, the son of John Decker, of Minisink, and was among the earliest of the pioneers who crossed the mountain, and founded the township of Wantage. He was a man of enterprise and energy, and serv­ ed the county for many years as magistrate. Robert Paterson was the first settlert of Belvidere ; and Samuel Hackett, an early explorer of the l\Iusconetcong, founded the flourishing borough which bears his name. Henry Hairlocker, a Hollander, about the year 1750, settled near the present site of Newton. His cabin ·was built where Maj. John R. Pettit's dwelling now stands. There was then not another cabin visible for miles around. The village of Newton was unthought of, and probably would never have been founded, but for the act of 1761, establishing the county seat on the plantation occu­ pied by Hairlocker. This made a market for building lots, and houses for public accommodation were put up without delay. In 1769, Newton contained an Episcopalian congregation, the first formed in the county ; a.bout the same time a. German congregation was gathered, and a Presby­ terian congregation was soon brought together. That ''long, low, rakish''

* This house stood near the site of the present residence of Jonathan Whitaker, Esq. A short time after Decker, two other individuals of the Navarsink settlement also crossed the Blue mountain in pursuit of tillable land ; these were named Winfield and Cortracht. After making diligent search throughout the Wantage valley, they could :find as they supposed but little land fit for cultivation ; exhibiting an instance of the Hollader's error in judging of the quality of land in a country differ­ ent from his own. It seemed that these people, on coming to this coun­ try, though no land worth cultivation but level flats. Winfield selected a spot of about eleven acres on the farm now owned by Thomas I. Lud­ lum Esq., this he supposed might be worth clearing for the purpose of growing grain. Cortracht found five acres nearer the mountain ·which he thought might also pay the labor of cultivation. From this time im­ migrations continued to be made into this valley, and additions to the infant settlement.-Hist. Coll. p. 484. t Paterson settled on the site of Belvidere, about the year 1755. '' Shortly after, a block house was erected, on the north side of the Pe­ quest, some thirty or forty yards east of the present toll-house of the Belvidere Delaware bridge. Some time previous to the Revolutionary War, a battle w~s fought on the Pennsylvania side of the river, between a band of Indians, who came from the north, and the Delawares, residing in the neighborhood, aided by the whites, in which the latter were de­ feated and driven to the Jersey side." The village was named "Belvi­ dere," by Maj. Robert Hoops, because of the beauty of its situation. "In 1824, Belvidere was chosen as the county seat for the newly formed county of Warren, and the court house and offices were, during the year 1825, built on land granted for the purpose by Garret D. \Vall, Esq. The commissioners assigned by the Legislature, to locate the county buildings, were Nathaniel Saxton, Esq., of Hunterdon, Col. McCourry, of Morris, and Thomas Gordon, of Trenton. ''-Hist. Collections, p. 508. 108 looking building which is driven endforemost into the gentle acclivity of our public green, and which is used as a Hall of Records for the county, is not coeval with the existence of the village. It is more weather beaten than ancient ; though it looks as if it were almost crush­ ed by the weight of ages, its years number bare fifty-one. It is a pro­ duct of the nineteenth century ; and we point it out to strangers as the finest specimen of the cow stable order of architecture to be found in the Union. The man by whose genius it was designed is not known­ that is, no one wants to know him ; the universal desire is, that his name, like that of the architect of the temple of Diana at Ephesus, may rest for ever in oblivion. The Greens, Armstrongs, Kennedys, Pettits, VanHorns, Linns, Hazens, Dyers, Cooks, and Shaws, settled the region around the present village of Johnsonburgh. Here Dr. Samuel Kennedy, the first practis­ ing physician we have any record of, fixed his location. His practice extended so far over the county, that professional visits of twenty or thirty miles were common events in his career. He was an able practi­ tioner, and prepared a great number of students for the profession. Drs. Linn, Everitt, and several other physicians of the last generation, derived their first knowledge of the healing art from this Escul.a.pian veteran of old Sussex. Dr. K. died at an advanced age, in the year 1804. I may as well remark here as elsewhere, that the practice of medicine has never been a very lucrative business in this county. The air of our mountains is peculiarly favorable to health and longevity. The multitude here assembled afford living proofs of the salubrity of our geographical position. Here may be seen at a glance, in any direction, :fine specimens of physical vigor in all their graditions, from chubby infancy to robust old age. The average of human life in this county must greatly exceed that attained in cities, from the fact that deaths in infancy are far less frequent here than there. The proportion of old men to the whole population is also very considerable. Seventy, eighty, and ninety years are not uncommon ages among our citizens. Yet one hundred years, it must be confessed, is very seldom reached. The greatest age ever attained here was by Matthew Williams, who died in the township of Frankford, on the 3rd of January, 1814, in his one hundred and twenty­ fourth year. He was a native of Wales, born in 1690; he served in the British navy and army for thirty years, and was in numerous battles ; he was with Wolfe at the taking of Quebec; and after that event he retir­ ed from the service, and took up his residence in Sussex. Here he married, when a little over seventy years of age, but lost his wife after she had borne him two sons. Upon the breaking out of the Revolution, he enlisteti in the Continental army, although eighty-six years of age, and fought through the whole war with the vigor of a man of forty. He survived the Peace of 1783, more than thirty yea.rs, and died a pen­ sioner of the United States. *

• As a counterpa.rt to this instance of longevity, it may not be out of place to state, that Sussex county is the place of nativity of the fat­ test person ever known. Mrs. Catharine Schooley, who is now exhibiting herself in the principal cities of the Union, was born in Greenwich 104 Peter B. Shafer, the son of Caspar, coustructed a large mill near the present village of Paulina, about the close of the Revolutionary war. Col. 1Iark Thompson subsequently built a mill higher up the stream, which formed the nucleus of the village of ~iarksboro. 't Col. Thompson was a meritorious officer in the war of the Revolution, and served t"\YO terms in Congress under the administration of President "\Vashington. The first fulling mill in the county was erected about the year 1775, by Peter Wintermute, half a mile below Stillwater village, the water power being obtained from the "big spring" at that place. This, in its day, served a most useful purpose, and accommodated the inhabitants scattered over a large extent of country. The first forge erected for the purpose of making refined iron from pig metal, ''""as in 1790, on the Paul­ inskill, below Fall mills. Judge Armstrong was the proprieto::.-, but the business proving unprofitable, he abandoned it. In 1769, the Moravian Brethren from Bethlehem, Pa., purchased 1500 acres of land of Samuel Green, for the sum of 563 pounds, or about $1500, and founded the village of Hope. This Samuel Green was a deputy-surveyor for the West Jersey proprietors, and owned several large tracts of land in ancient Hardwick and Greenwich. The 1Ioravians remained at Hope some thirty-five years, when they commenced selling their property, and returned to Bethlehem. Sampson Howell, who settled at the foot of the Jenny Jump mountain, near Hope, a year or two before the ~Iora - vians arrived, erected a saw mill, and supplied the lumber for the con­ struction of the very substantial buildings erected by the United Breth­ ren. The present "Union Hotel" at Hope, was built for a meeting house, in 1780, and is still a :firm structure. Sampson Howell has a large number of descendants, who cherish his memory, and who preserve many anecdotes illustrative of his energy and activity. He was a man of great versatility. He drove his farm and saw mill, preached the Gospel, &c., and yet found time to kill more deer and trap a greater number of wild turkeys than any hunter in that region. The village of Hamburg* possesses considerable age, though I cannot township, Sussex county, in the year 1816. She ·weighs seven hundred and sixty four pounds, about one hundred pounds more than the far-fam­ ed Daniel Lambert, of England. Her arm is three feet two inches in circumference, and her waist is nine feet six inches around it. He I" pa.rents, Anthony and Catherine Learch, were Germans. Her mother died when she was a few days old, and her father says he "raised her mit der spoon." At the age of nineteen she married \Villiam Schooley. also of Greenwich, and soon after removed to Ohio. t Near this place is the "White Pond." a great natural curiosity. Its sides and bottom are covered with small white shells, which are cast up from some subterranean deposit by an agency unknown. These shells contain a large percentage of phosphate of lime, and are used for fertili­ zing lands. Various theories have been formed to account for this phe­ nomenon, but none that I have heard is satisfactory. I shall not there­ fore, recapitulate any speculations which have been offered upon the sub­ ject, contenting myself with a simple statement of the fact. * In the year 1770, a few Baptist families from New England settled where Ha.mburgh now is, and built the first houses there. Their names were Marsh, Hart and Southworth. They selected one of their number, 105 trace any mention of it prior to the year 1770. The first meeting house of the Baptists, in this county, was erected there in 1777. Sparta also dates its foundation, prior to the Revolutionary War ; but I am unable to give any particulars of its early history. In this place the First Presby­ terian Church of Hardyston was located, and was the first to a,ail itself of the Act of 1786, providing for the incorporation of religious societies. There are a few· other villages and hamlets in Sussex and Warren which I cannot spare time to notice. :rYiost of them, however, have been built within the memory of men of middle age, and special refer­ ence to their origin would be neither novel nor instructi,e. In order to satisfy myself as to the European nations to which Sus­ sex is chiefly indebted for her original population, I have compiled a list of all the names of persons to be found upon the public records for the first six years of the existence of our county. This list contains 402 names, of which those indicating an English and Scotch origin are the most numerous ; those pertaining to Holland and Germany follow next, and the residue are derived from France, Ireland, Wales and Norway. As eariy as the year 1715, when there were but two or three points of our territory occupied by the cabin of white men, surveyors pene­ trated the heart of our county, and established the butts and bounds of many tracts of land, which the sagacious proprietors of West Jersey foresaw at that early day would ultimately be valuable. Among others, William Penn located three tracts of land containing 10,000 or 12,000 acres, in and around this immediate vicinity. In this way the best locations were generally entered before any immigrants had arrived in the central portions of our county, and they had to cultivate the soil when they did come as tenants or trespassers. When Morris county was set off in 1738, Northern Jersey began to attract attention. It was then ascertained, that, although this section had at a remote period evidently been a favorite residence of the Indians,* most of them had departed, and occupied hunting grounds farther to the north. Little danger was, therefore, to be apprehended by those who settled in the central portions of our territory from the red men ; for even if they should become hostile, the line of settlements on the Delaware from the Musconetcong to the Navarsink, would be most apt to bear the brunt. Hence immigrants flowed in, and by the year 1750, they had become

Mr. Marsh, to be their preacher, and thus laid the foundation of the first Baptist church in the county. In the year 1777, Rev. Nicholas Cox, from Philadelphia, became the preacher in this Baptist Church. * There were in early times several Indian settlements in Sussex, viz. : one in Greenwich township, near Phillipsburg ; another upon the present site of Belvidere ; a third near Greensville, in Green town­ ship, on the farm now owned by Charles Kelsey; a fourth near the village of La4?ayette, in Lafayette township ; a fifth on the norhwest side of the Big (Swartwout's) Pond; a sixth in Pahaquarry. near the Water Gap ; and others at two or three points which are not now recollected. The Minisink region was originally peopled with Indians, of whom the earlier settlers procured their lands, the red men removing further north as they parted with their possessions. All these points of Indian settle­ ments were well chosen, as they were each and all very favorable for hunt­ ing, trapping and :fishing. iOG

!O numerous, and had experienced so much inconvenience :from being compelled to go to Morristown to attend to public business, that they very generally petitioned the Provincial Assembly to "divide the coun­ ty," and allow them "the liberty of building a court house and gaol." The request was deemed a reasonable one, and on the 8th day of June, in the year of our Lord, 1753, the Assembly passed '' An Act for erecting the upper part of Morris county, in New Jersey, into a separate county, to be called the county of Sussex, and for building a court-house and gaol in each.'' The designation which our county bears, was be­ stowed by Jonathan Belcher, Esq., then governor of the Province, in com­ pliment to the Duke of Newcastle, whose family seat was in the county of Sussex, in England. By this act. Sussex was allowed all the rights and privileges enjoyed by other counties, except the choice of representa­ tives in the General Assembly. It ·was provided, however,· that "all her citizens, legally qualified,'' might at the proper time, ''appear at Trenton, or elsewhere in the county of Hunterdon, as occasion should be, and there vote in conjunction with the Freeholders of Morris and Hunter­ don for two persons to serve as members of said Assembly.'' As Trenon was very distant from Sussex, and the road thither a most forbidding one, it is reasonable to presume that this privilege of voting was not often exercised. In fact, our county, in this way, was practically de­ prived of direct representation in the _.\.ssembly ; and so she continued for a. period of nineteen years. By an act, passed May 10th, 1768, she was authorized to choose two representatives for herself. This was confirmed by the King in Council, on the 9th of December, 1770, the con­ firmation proclaimed in New Jersey, in 1771 ; and on the 17th of Aug­ ust, 1772, Thomas VanHorne and N aha.niel Pettit were elected the repre­ sentatives of the county of Sussex. Pettit served until the Royal authority was suspended in this State by the adoption of a Republican Constitution on the 2nd of July, 1776. Van Horne died in 1775, and Joseph Barton was elected to fill the vacancy. The new constitution cut him off also. Under the new order of affairs, Sussex was allowed three members of Assembly and one member of the Legislative Council. John Cleve Symmes was the first Councillor, and Caspar Shafer, * .Abia. Brown and Thomas Peterson the first Assemblymen, who represented Sussex in the new government founded under and by virtue of the authority of the people. On the 20th day of November, 1753, the first Court of Justice held in the county of Sussex was opened in the house of Jonathan Pettit, in Hardwick township. His .Majesty's ordinance, t constituting the * ?.Ir. Shafer was a. member of the Legislature several years. He was a man of few words, but clear-headed and energetic, and wielded much influence in the House. When matters appeared to him to be going wrong, his usual mode of expressing dissent, as I am informed, was to rise in his seat, and with considerable vehemence, and in a strong­ ly marked German accent, exclaim, "Tas is nicht recht ! Tas is nicht recht !" and then he would briefly give his views and explanations ; whereby the attention of members would be arrested, and not unfre­ quently the current of the proceedings be changed. t The following is a verbatim copy of the ordinance: '' George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Fa.i th, &c., To all whom these pre- 107 Courts of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions was read ; as also were the commissions of Jonathan Robeson, Abraham Van Campen, John Anderson, Jonathan Pettit, and Thomas Woolverton, Esqrs., Judges of the Pleas. These men ·were likewise empowered to act as Justices of the Peace, in connection with Richard Gardiner, Obadiah Ayres, Japhet Byram, and Petrus Decker. Jeremiah Condy Russell was appoint­ ed Clerk, aad Joseph Brackenridge was duly qualified to serve as High Sheriff of the county. Joseph Perry, of New Town, was sworn as Con­ stable, and the organization of the Court was completed with the excep­ tion of the attendance of Grand and Petit Jurors, who necessarily had not been summoned for lack of officers duly empowered to select and notify them. Nothing was done at this term except to grant tavern li­ censes, and affix the rates at which inn-keepers should dispose of their liqu<'rs, provender, &c. The persons thus licensed were-Thomas Woolverton, Joseph Carpenter, Jonathan Pettit, Isaac Bell, Abraham Car­ man, Henry Harelocker, and Caspar Shafer. The business of tavern­ keeping at this time, and for at least fifty years afterward, was a step­ ping stone to public distinction, as well as a source of pecuniary profit. Nearlv all the early Judges, Justices, Sheriffs, Chosen Freeholders, &c., were inn-keepers. The number of host~lries continually augmented, in consequence of the repute and influence which they gained for their proprietors ; but what was little to the credit of the fraternity was the

sents may in anywise concern, Sendeth Greeting : Whereas by a late act of our Governor, Council and General Assembly of our Province of New Jersey, made in the Twenty-sixth year of our Reign, the upper Parts of our County of Morris was separated from said County of Morris and erected int.) a distinct County and called the County of Sussex; and Whereas, the several times for the holding our Court of General Sessions of the Peace and the inferiour Court of Common Pleas for our sd County of Sussex are not as yet fixed, Wherefore for Ascertaining the same, Now Know Ye that of our especial Grace and meer motion, we have Constituted, Ordained & appointed, and by these presents, do Constitute, ordain & Appoint, that our Courts of General Sessions of the Peace and Inferiour Court of Common Pleas, for our said County of Sussex be held on the days and times following, to wit : One of the times for holding said Courts for our said County to begin on the third Tuesday in November, another on the third Tuesday in February, another on the fourth Tuesday in May, and the other on the fourth Tuesday in August in every year, Each of which Courts shall continue and be held for any time not exceeding four days in each term. We, also, Will, Ordain & Appoint that our Several Courts for our said County of Sussex, shall be held and kept at the Dwelling house of Jonathan Pettit, Esqr. at the place now called Hardwick in sd County for Sussex, until there shall be a new Court House built & erected in & for said County, pur­ suant to the Act of our Governonr, Council & General Assembly made in the Twenty-sixth year of our Reign, and no longer, and when said Court House for our said County of Sussex shall be built & erected, then We Will, Ordain & Appoint that our sd several Courts of General sessions of the Peace and Inferior Court of Common Pleas shall here after be held at the times herein before appointed at sd Court Honse to be built as af'd and for sd County of Sussex. We also will, Give & Grant that the Justices of the Peace of our sd County of Sus­ sex, and the .Judges of our sd Inferiour Court of Common Pleas for our sd County of Sussex do Exercise, use & have all such Powers and Juris­ dictions in the sd several Courts at the times herein Appointed as by 11\Q .LVV fact that some of them, in order to increase their profits, would use diminutive measures in selling liquors, oats, &c. The Court felt itself scandalized by this mode of doing business, and by way of repressing it, took the precaution, for several years successive to add to the annual Rate Bills, wl.ich it made out, an official notification, in these words : "Liquors and Oats, when called for, are to be delivered in full measures." Great inducements to wholesale lodging were also held out in those days, the charges being, for one man in bed, 5d. ; for two in bed, 3d. each ; and for three in bed, 2d. each. Hence, when three men chose to bundle together instead of sleeping singly, they sa,ed 3d. each by the oper­ ation-jut enough to buy a gill of New England rum for their respective !timulation, provided they had a partiality for that most pungent and odoriferous of all alcoholic liquids. Upon the formation of the county, one of the first and most pressing needs to be supplied was the erection of a gaol. Accordingly on the 21st day of March, 1754, the Board of Justices and Freeholders (the first body of the kind ever convened within the limits of Sussex,) met at the dwel­ ling house of Samuel Green, in Hardwick, (near where the village of Johnsonsburg now stands,) and appointed a meeting of all qualified persons in the county to be held at the house of said Green, on the 16th,

Law they may & ought to Exercise, use and hold. In Testimony whereof we have caused the Great Seal of our ~d Province of New Jer­ sey to be hereunto Affixed. Witness our trusty and well Beloved Jona­ than Belcher, Esq. our Captain General & Commander in Chief of our said Province of New Jersey and Terri tori es thereon depending in America, Vice Admiral & Chancellor in the same, &c., at our Borough of Elizabeth, the thirteenth day of October in the Twenty-seventh year of our reign. 17 53. "Read. " "Let the Great Seal of the Province of New Jersey be affixed to the within Commission. "To the Secretary of State ~ of New Jersey, f J. BELCHER. '' The following is the form of the "Oath," which all our early civil and military officers were required to take and subscribe : "I, A. B., do sincerely Profess and swear, that I will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to His l!ajesty, King George the Second. So help me God. "I, A. B., do swear, That I from my Heart, abhor, detest and ab­ jure, as impious and heretical, that damnable Doctrine and Position, that Princes, excommunicated or deprived by the Pope or any Authority of the See of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their Subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no Foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State or Potentate, hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, Preheminence or Authority, Ecclesiastical or Spiritual, within the Realm of Great Britain. So help me God. '' I, A. B. , do heartily and sincerely Acknowledge, Profess, Testify and Declare in my Conscience before God and the ·world, That our Soverign Lord King George the Second is la,,yful and rightful King of Great Britain, and all other His Majesty's Dominions and Countries there­ unto belonging. And I do solemnly and sincerely declare, That I do believe in my Conscience that the Person pretended to be Prince of Wales during the Life of the late King James and since his Decease, pretending to be and taking upon himself the Stile and Title of King of England by the Name of James the Third, or of Scotland by the Name of James the Eighth, or the Stile and Title of King of Great Britain, hath not any 109 17th and 18th days of April, 1754, "to elect a place to build a Gaol and Court House." This meeting of the citizens was duly held-the gaol was ordered to be built near Jonathan Pettit's tavern, and the county to bear the expense. Jonathan Pettit and Richard Lundy, Jr., superintended the erection, &c., of the building ; and Samuel Green, upon whose premises it was located, gave an obligation in the penalty of 500 pounds to secure the county of Sussex "the uninterrupted liberty and use of the ground where the gaol is built by Jonathan Pettit's, while the court is continued there ; and when removed from thence, the liberty of taking away the iron in said gaol. whenever the Board of Justices and Freeholders shall see fit to do so." In the course of a few weeks the building was completed and the Board of Freeholders met in Paha­ quarry to examine the expenditures for materials and labor. The cost was ascertained to be 32 pounds 2s. 10d. The gaol, however, was not considered to be properly finished, and the Board directed Samuel Will­ son, Esq., and Richard Lundy, Jr., to agree with workmen to complete it ''as they should deem needful.'' This additional work swelled the total cost of the building to the sum of 41 pounds, 3s. ld. ; about 30 pounds

Right or Title whatsoever to the Crown of Great Britain or any other the Dominions thereunto belonging. And I do renounce, refuse and objure any allegiance or obedience to him. And I do Sw~ar, That I will bear Faith and true Allegiance to His Majesty King George the Third, and him will defend to the utmost of my Power against all Traitorous Conspiracies which I shall know to be against Him or any of Them. And I do faith­ fully Promise to the utmost of my Power, to Support, Maintain and De­ fend the Succession of the Crown against him the said James and all other Persons whatsoever. Which Succession by an Act entitled An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown and better securing the rights and Liberties of the subjects ; is and stands limited to the Princess Sophia, Electress and Dutchess, Dowager of Hanover, and the Heirs of her body, being Protestants. And all these things I do plainly and sincerely Acknowledge and Swear according to the express Words by me spoken, and according to the plain and Common sense Understanding of the same Words, without any Equivocation, mental Evasion, or secret Reservation whatsoever. And I do make this Recognition, Acknowledg­ ment, Abjuration, Renunciation and Promise, heartily, willingly and truly, upon the faith of a Christian. So help me God. '' I, A. B., do solemnly and sincerely in the Presence of God, Profess, Testify and Declare, that I do believe that in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, there is not any Transubstantiation of the Elements of bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, at or after the Conse­ cration thereof by any Person whatsoever. And that the Invocation or Adoration of the Virgin Mary or any other Saint and the Sacrifice of the Mass as they are now used in the Church of Rome, are Superstitious and Idolatrous. And I do solemnly in the Presence of God, Profess, Testify and Declare, That I do make this Declaration, and every Part thereof, in the plain and ordinary Sense of the \Vords read unto me as they are commonly understood by English Protestants, Without any Evasion, Equivocation or mental Reservation whatsoever, and without any Dis­ pensation already granted me for that Purpose by the Pope or any other Authorized Person whatsoever, or without any hope of any such dispensa­ tion from any Person or authority whatsoever, or without thinking that I am or can be acquitted before God or man or absolved of this Declaration or any Part thereof, although the Pope or any other Person or Persons or Power whatsoever should dispense with or annul the same, or declare that it was null and void from the beginning. So help me God.'' 110 whereof were expended for iron and blacksmithing, leaving for logs, boards, labor, &c., only about 11 pounds. It may well be imagined that a building thus cheaply constructed, was not very well adapted to the safe keeping of prisoners; and so it proved in the sequel. Escapes from it were frequent ; notwithstanding that it was guarded from time to time by a watchman who was paid the sum of 5s. for every twenty four hours he was on duty. During the nine years it was used as a place of public detention, the county became responsible, on account of the flight of imprisoned debtors, to the amount of nearly 600 pounds. or fourteen times the sum expended in erecting it. The different Sheriffs protested to the Board and the court, at every aYailable opportunity, "against the insufficiency of the Goal for the safe keeping of prisoners,'' and in this way exonerated themselves from personal and official responsibility. The names of the Freeholders, who, in connection with the Justices, directed the construction of the log gaol, were Derrick Westbrook, Cor­ nelius Westbrook, Joseph Hull, Joseph Willets, Richard Lundy, Robert Willson, William Heneire and James Anderson. The taxes collected dur­ ing the yea.rs 1754 and 1755 furnished the means of defraying the expense. The sum of 100 pounds -was assessed upon the county each year three­ fifths of which were applied to paying bounties for the destruction of wolves. It is a notable fact, and one also which shows how plentiful those ferocious beasts were in the county, that in these two yea.rs, about 120 pounds were paid for wolf scalps, or nearly three times as much as it cost to erect the gaol. · Thomas Wolverton, the first county Collector, received for his services an average of 2 pounds lls. per annum; so that this office was no sinecure, whatever it may be now. This circumstance shows very strikingly the change that the lapse of a. hundred years has occasioned. The office was quite· as onerous as now; yet at the present day the fees of tne Collector exceed in amount the whole sum assessed upon the county in the early yea.rs of its existence. Immediately after the county was formed, great anxiety was mani­ fested to have the limits of the old townships defined, and new ones set off. To such a pitch did this impatience reach, that the Court, in the term of February, 1754, had to interfere, and authoritatively direct, "That the townships of Wallpack, Greenwich, Hardwick and New Town, sh&ll remain and continue in the county of Sussex, as they formerly were in the county of liorris, until further orders.'' In the term of May, 1754, Benjamin Smyth, Williams Schooley, John Depue, Johannes Cornelius Westbrook, Joseph Hull, Richard Gardiner, and Richard Lundy, Jr., who were appointed to divide the county into precincts, made a report, which was adopted, and which added three precincts to the original townships, viz.: ,vantage was formed from a part of Newtown, and Oxford and Mansfield Woodhouse from parts of Greenwich; Hard­ wick and Wa.llpack retaining their original limits. The townships th1.1s defined, continued unaltered a few years, when the increase of popula­ tion led to further divisions. In 1759, Montague was erected from Wall­ pa.ck, by Royal Patent. In 1762, another slice was ta.ken from Wallpack, and christened Sandyston, and in the same year Hardyston was for med from the northern portion of Newtown. Knowlton was set off from Oxford in 1764 ; Independence from Hardwick in 1782 ; Vemon from 111 Hardyston in 1792 ; Frankford from !iewton in 1797 ; and Byram aiso from Newton in 1798. These divisions multiplied the four original townships to fifteen ; and there was no further alteration of the muni­ cipal landmarks until the County of Warren was set off from Sussex in the year 1824. The Courts were held at the house of Jonathan Pettit, near the log gaol, in Hardwick, from November, 1753, to February, 1756, when they were opened in the house of Thomas Woolverton, in Newtown. Wool­ verton lived on the borders of the Pequest, where Huntsville now is. A forge was erected there soon after the removal of the Courts, which obtained its ore from the present Andover mine a furnace was also built and put in operation at the mine, and the iron manufactured there was held in high reputation as the best for general purposes that could be procured at home or abroad; another forge, which used the same ore, was built on the Musconetcong, near the present site of Waterloo. The laws of the British Parliament designed to suppress American manufactures, bore hard upon the Andover furnace, as they did upon all similar enter­ prises, yet it withstood all opposition, and not until the year 1795, or thereabout, when the wood for coaling in the vicinity of the works had mostly been cut off, was the business of smelting ore finally relinquished. Thenceforth _the rich deposits in this mine remained undisturbed until Messrs. Cooper & Hewitt, of Trenton, purchased the property a. few years ago, and again made its ores comm.erically available. During the Revolu­ tionary War, the Provincial Congress had it in contemplation to draw from this mine a portion of the munitions necessary for military opera­ tions, but nothing decisive appears to ha,e been accomplished in the premises. During the brief time the Courts were held in Hardwick, the busi­ ness mainly related to the collection of debts ; some cases of assault, and a few offences against chastity, were reached and punished by in­ dictment, but no crime of special magnitude required to be judicially investigated. The Grand Jurors appeared to be vigilant-probably a little too much so; indeed, some of their presentments would be regarded, at the present day, as trifling and frivolous. In searching out small offences, upon one occasion they pounced upon a luckless wight, named Richard Duddy, and formally presented him ''for damning his Grace the Duke of Cumberland!'' This certainly was manifesting an excess, of loyalty. The Duke had never set his foot upon American soil ; he was merely a leading general in the British army, who was defeated at Fontenoy by the French, but who had balanced that misfortune by de­ feating the forces of the Pretender, in Scotland, on the field of Culloden, where he infamously signalized himself by inflicting the most savage cruelties upon the poor Scots whom he had vanquished. Duddy was doubtless a Scotchman, and the ebullition was entirely natural. The Duke will certainly have escaped well, if, after "life's fitful fever," he experienced no other damning, in righteous expiation of his crimes at Cullonden, than that denounced against him by the irascible Richard Duddy. Upon the assembling of the Court at Woolverton's, in February, 1756, the Grand J'urors appeared, but were not sworn, "by reason," as 112 the record says, '' of troublesome times w1 tn the 1nct1ans. ' ' The term of May, 1756, found the condition of affairs in our county equa.lly alarm­ ing, and the Grand Inquest ,vas again dispensed with. The "troublesome times" here spoken of, were times of massacre and pillage. The people were filled with consternation. They saw at a glance that the Indians with whom they had long maintained friendly intercourse, had suddenly become their enemies, and no wonder that a deep sense of danger pervaded the minds of the scattered settlers of the county. When they beheld the tribes of Indians, known as the Chihohockies, or Dela­ wares, the Wapings and the Minsies, who constituted a part of the Six Nations, and who, as such, had ever been friendly with the inhabitants of the British Colonies-who had waged relentless war against the French for nearly seventy years-who had never forgiven the French General, Denonville, for brutally massacreing, in 1687, their brethren, the Senecas-who had not forgotten Frontenac, who, six years afterwards, entered the valley of the Mohawk, and moistened the soil with the blood of slaughtered red men-and who had, moreover, in 1746, at Albany, by all the Chiefs of the Six Nations renewed the bond of friendship with their old English allies, and repeated their vows of eternal enmity against the Gallic executioners of their brethren; when our citizens beheld these very Indians pouring from the North into the valley of the Minisink, murdering and plundering the inhabitants, and burning and destroying their property, it certainly was an event peculiarly alarming; for perfidy was evidently at the bottom of the bloody foray, and imparted a deeper hue to its atrocity. The settlements on our northern borders were the most exposed, and preparations for their defence were made without delay. The militia of the county, or so many of them as were not occupied in conveying their families to places of safety, gathered on the frontier. Judge VanCampen repaired to Elizabethtown by express, to acquaint the Provincial author­ ities with the calamities which had befallen, or were impending over the inhabitants of Sussex. The Legislature promptly passed an act authoriz­ ing the erection of four block houses, at suitable distances from each other, near the river Delaware, in the county of Sussex, under the direction of John Stevens and John Johnston, Esqrs., ("who had volun­ tarily offered themselves for that service gratis ;") also ordering the enlistment of two hundred and fifty men to garrison said block houses, and providing for the issue of bills of credit to the amount of 10,000 pounds to pay the expense of protecting the frontier. Jonathan Hamp­ ton was appointed commissioner of supplies for the troops, and John Wetherill, commissary and paymaster. These troops were to serve one month, and until their places could be supplied by others. To encourage enlistments, exemption from arrest upon civil process, for debts of less than 15 pounds, as well as the protection of property from execution, was the immunity guaranteed to recruits ; the wages of the soldiers, too, was increased ueyond the ordinary average, although, to us, the per diem allowed them appears very small at the best, viz : the commander­ in-chief of the block houses, was to be paid 6s. per day ; each captain, 4s. ; lieutenant, 8s. ; sergeant, corporal and drummer, 2s.6 d. each ; and privates 2s. per man. This act was passed on the 27th of December, 113 1755, at which time, according to its preamble, the 1na1an atroc1t1es were confined to that portion of Pennsylvania "which bordered upon the upper limits of New Jersey," (:probably in the valley of the Laxa­ waxon,) but it was apprehended that they would carry their cruelties and devastations into Sussex county. This apprehension proved too true. Our frontiers were, in their turn, invaded ; and by the month of Feb­ ruary, 1756, as I have heretofore stated, so great had become the alarm in the county, that the administration of justice was obstructed. No time was lost in erecting the block houses, and procuring men to garrison them; the preparations for defence, in fine, were such as to give assurance that the interior of the county was in all probability safe from any formidable savage irruption, whatever might be the imminence of such a calamity upon the frontiers and in the autumn of 1756, the public business of the county was resumed and transacted without hindrance or molestation, save that an occasional tragedy or sanguinary skirmish on the borders of the Delaware or Navarsink, during the eighteen months wherein the conflict :fitfully continued to rage, would cast a mo­ mentary gloom upon the brows of our citizens, or inspire them with a burning desire to retaliate upon the aggressors. The ranks of the troops on the frontier were in consequence augmented by a succession of recruits, who thirsted to revenge themselves upon the savage bands, which had ruthlessly severed the ties of kindred, or carried friends and relations into captivity. One of the most audacious acts in the whole series of predatory ag­ gressions, was the incursion of a party of Indians into the township of Hardwick, the very heart of the county, where they captured a boy named Thomas Hunt, and a negro belonging to Richard Hunt ; and on their retreat, by way of the Big Pond, they surprised and made prisoners a man named Swartwout, and two of his children, a son and a daughter, having :first shot his wife who stood in the door when they reached his house. Swartwout lived on the tract now occupied by the village of New Paterson. Near him there had been an Indian settlement, which was abandoned but a short time previous to the occurrences I am now relating. The band which assailed him were composed of only five In­ dians, all, of whom had been his neighbors ; they knew him well, as they also did the white settlers generally in that region. When they went to the house of Richard Hunt, (an elder brother of the boy Thomas,) they found young Hunt and the negro 9,lone. The latter were enjoying them­ selves as youngsters are wont to do "hen their seniors are absent ; the negro was :fiddling and dancing, and the boy a gratified spectator of Cuffy's accomplishments, as well in sawing the strings as in rattling off a double shuffle. In the midst of their hilarity, the Indians were dis­ covered close at the door and just about to enter. Quick as thought, the boys sprang to the door, closed and bolted it. The intruders bore this rebuff apparently with philosophy, and soon disappeared, but re­ turned in about an hour. Their footprints indicated that they had re­ connoitred in their absense, the house of a lir. Dildine, where Richard Hunt happened to be at the time; but they evidently dared not make an attack at that place. They returned to Hunt's house, and made a move­ ment to set it on fire, as the surest method of making the boys open the 114 door. This !!trata.gem succeeded ; the boys yielded, and were forced to accompany the savages. At Swartwout's house, after murdering his wife, they attempted to enter, but he seized his rifle and held them in check. Finally he agreed to surrender, if they would spare his life and the lives of his son and. daughter. They consented to this proposition; but they either violated their pledge themselves, or permitted, or what is worse, procured, a white man to take his life, for Swartwout was un­ doubtedly murdered. His two children were taken to an Indian town on the Susquehanna, situated somewhere near the present borough of Wilkes­ barre; while Hunt and the negro were conveyed to Canada. Hunt was sold by his captors to a French military officer, and accompanied him as his servant. His mother, anxious for his deliverance if alive, at­ tended the General Conference at Easton, in October, 1758, where a Treaty was made with the Six nations, and finding an Indian there who knew her son, she gave him 60 pounds to procure his freedom. and re­ turn him to his friends. This proved to be money wasted. Hunt was soon after liberated under that provision of the Treaty of Easton which made restoration of prisoners obligatory upon the Indians, a::id reached home in 1759, after a servitude of three years and nine months. Swartwout's children must have been freed in about a. year aft-er their capture, for we find his son in New Jersey in 1757, active in causing the arrest of a. white man named Benjamin Springer, whom he charged with being the murderer of his father. Springer was appre­ hended, and confined in the jail of Essex county. An act was passed by the Provincial Assembly of New Jersey, on the 22nd of October, 1757, authorizing his trial to take place in the county of Morris, "because the Indian disturbances in Sussex rendered it difficult, if not dangerous, to hold a Con.rt of Oyer and Terminer there.'' The Act also ordered that the expense of the prosecution should be borne by the Province. "Pur­ suant to this Act, (says Allison, * ) Springer, on the positive testimony of Swartwout's son, and the contradictions in the prisoner's own story, after a full and fair hearing, at which an eminent c0uncillor attended in his behalf, was convicted, to the satisfaction of most all present, and was executed in liorris. He declared himself innocent of the crime; and on the return of Thomas Hunt and a negro who had been taken a few miles distant by the same party that captivated Swartwout's family, (with which party it was proved at the trial Springer was, a.ud that he killed Swartwout,) it appearing by their declarations, that they did not see Springer nntil they got to the Indian town, some inclined to believe that he might not ha,e been guilty. Thus the question seemed obscured. It is, ho-we,er, agreed (continues Allison) that his trial was deliberate and impartial, and many still think that his life was forfeited to the laws of his country.'' Springer was a Virginian ; he decli;tred on the scaffold that Thome.s Hunt kne,v him to be innocent ; and his parents, after Hunt's return, came on to this county, to learn if their son was really guilty. Hunt assured them, as he did e,ery one else to the end of his days, that he considered him innocent. He did not see Springer until he arrived at

* Allisons Laws, p. 215. 115 the Susquehanna. Flats, where he found him, like himself as he supposed and believed, a prisoner. Neither did he see Swartwout murdered ; but he was confident that the deed was done about one mile northwest from his own house; he and the negro at the time were guarded by two In­ dians, the others being busy not a great way off despatching Swart­ wout ; he heard his cries-heard him beg for his life, and promise to go with them peaceably, if they would spare him. He was an athletic, resolute man; and the Indians were afraid of him, and therefore, as Hunt always declared, they murdered him ; they tied him to a tree, toma­ hawked him, and left his body to the wolves and birds of prey. Altogether, this incursion of Indians into our county, was, in its results, one of the most remarkable occurrences of those "troublesome times;" and in attempting to describe it, I have discarded the many ex­ aggerations long current in reference to the matter, and stated nothing but what may be relied upon as authentic. Whether Springer was guilty or innocent, always has been a subject of dispute, and so it must forever remain. For my own part, I must say, that Hunt's statement casts a strong shade of suspicion upon the "positive testimony" of Swartwout's son ; yet it does not overthrow it. As for Springer, if he did really kill Swartwout, let us hope, in charity, that he was compelled to do the deed by his savage captors or associates. One thing which bore hard upon Springer was the fact that when apprehended, his hair was dyed black. Young Swartwout, in the outset, described the murderer of his father as a man whose hair was red, and the prisoner when first taken, did not answer the description in this particular. This discrepancy would have proved fatal to the boy's credibility, had not the lapse of a few weeks revealed the fact, and afforded '' confirmation strong as proof of Holy Writ'' that the prisoner had at a recent period so disguised himself as to render his personation of an Indian a very easy matter. It is to be regretted that few of the names of those citizens of Sussex who distinguished themselves during the Indian war of 1755 have been preserved. Col. Abraham Van Campen, of Wallpack, was actively en­ gaged in defending the frontier. Capt. James Anderson, of Greenwich, wa.s also in the service. It is possible that Anderson was the leader in a skirmish which took place at Westfall's block-house, or Fort, on the Na.va.rsink. It seems that a party of Indians, at one time in the course of the war, lay in ambush, watch.ing an opportunity to take the Fort. "They sent two of their party to espy it ; who discovered only two women there. While the two spies returned to info.rm the party, a small company of soldiers, marching from New Jersey to Esopus, accidentally came a.long, and stopped at the Fort. They we:re scarcely seated before the Indians rushed in, and when they unexpectedly found a number of men in the house, they immediately fired their guns, and fell on the men with tomahawks. The soldiers fled to the chamber and other parts of the building, from which they shot at the Indians, and after a des­ perate fight, compelled them to retire without taking the Fort, though several of the soldiers were killed." * To silence the cavil that these

* A little boy, a son of irr. \Vestfall, was taken prisoner during the war, near this fort, and remained among the Indians till after the war 116 could not have been Jersey soldiers, because they were on their way to Esopus, it is only necessary to state that the militia of this Province were authorized by law to march into contiguous Provinces, if deemed advisable, but not to remain absent from our soil more than twenty days upon any one excursion. On the 3d of June, 1757, the General ....\.ssembly of New Jersey, after reciting that "the savage Indian enemy have lately perpetrated cruel murders on the frontiers of this colony; and the inhabitants there have, by their petitions, set forth their distresses, and supplicated a number of troops for their Assistance and Protection, ' ' euacted, that one hun­ dred and twenty men be immediately raised, with the proper number of officers; that Jonathan Hampton be appointed Paymaster and Victualler for the Company, and that he provide and allow unto each officer and soldier the following provisions every week, viz : 7 lbs. of Bread, 7 lbs. of Beef, or in lieu thereof, 4 lbs. of Pork, six ounces of Butter, three pints of Peas, and half a pound of Rice. Neither tea, coffee nor sugar appear in these rations, for the very sufficient reason that they were all luxuries at that day, and few could afford to use them. It was also enacted that all persons imprisoned for debt should be set at liberty, because they might, "in this time of common danger, suffer for want of persons to look after them.'' This Jubilee of the prisoners was, how-

of the Revolution. When informed that by the death of his father he had become heir to apart of his estate, he came to the town with an interpre­ ter to get it. He was taken to the premises where his father had lived, and where he had been taken prisoner, and he said he had no recollec­ tion of any object there, except a little pond of water near the house where he was captured. His mother was then living, and being satisfied that it was her son, endeavored by personal appeals and every maternal and filial consideration to persuade him to stay and abide with her ; but he would not. His residence with the Indians had steeled his heart and feelings against all those considerations which actuate the conduct of civilized men ; he sold his estate, and joyfully returned to Indian life, among his friends in the wilderness. While the war lasted, the Indians continued their aggressions during the open winters, in one of ,vhich they attacked the upper fort on the Navarsink, the inmates of which at the time were principally soldiers. During the assault, the house took fire from the burning of the barn, as was supposed, and the heat soon became so intense that the occupants were obliged to flee or perish. In their flight they were all killed but one. A woman-the wife of the Captain of the garrison-and a black woman went into the cellar and remained there until the fire began to fall through the floor, when the white woman ran out and round the house, and the Indians follov:ed and killed her. The black woman got out unperceived by them, and secreted herself on the bank of the river till dark, ·when by a circuitous route through the fields and woods she gained the fort at Gumaer's, the only survivor to tell the tale of Indian horror. The captain was not at home at the time, but when he came and learned the history of the sad catastrophe. grieved much at the loss of his wife. The day the fort was attacked, two women had been there, and while they remained the soldiers were quite merry, and told the black woman, who was very fleshy, among other things, that they soon expect­ ed an attack, and that as she was so fat as not to be able to run, she must not expect to escape, &c. The race was not to the swift, in this in­ stance. -Eager's Hist. of Orange Co., pp. 381, 382. 117 ever, limited to six months ; after ·which, the Sheriff had authority to recover and incarcerate them. A subsequent Act extended non-imprison­ ment for debt, in Sussex, six months longer ; at the expiration of which time the system of immuring a man to gratify a merciless creditor was resumed in full, and this disgrace of civilization was suffe:red to continue in this state for more than eighty years. Happily, it is now exploded. The kindred barbarism of the whipping-post w-as the first to fall before an enlightened public opinion ; imprisonment for debt followed ; and lastly the property qualification for voters and officers was swept away; and now the citizens of New Jersey, standing upon the platform of the Declaration of Independence, are indisputably endowed witll those "inalienable rights" which the patriots of 1776 shed their life's blood to secure. Upon the first breaking out of hostilities, in 1755, most of the set­ tlers, as well upon the south east as upon the north western slope of the Blue Mountain, fortified their houses by building stockades around them. Casper Shafer, in the Stillwater valley, was one who took this precau­ tion. There were at that time a few Indians living in his neighborhood, and, though not previously hostile, it was not known that their conduct would continue to be pacific. At iir. Shafer's house it was common for the neighbors to congregate upon each recurring alarm. One night, however, when Mr. S. was alone, the Indians showed signs of hostility by yelling around the house and threatening violence. Mr. S. thereupon fastened up the house and started across the fields to procure neighbor­ hood assistance. Soon he found himself hotly pursued by one of the enemy, and likely to be overtaken by his more agile adversary; where­ upon, he turned upon his pursuer, and being an athletic man, he seized, threw, and with his garters bound him hand and foot, leaving him pros­ trate, while he went on his way, and procured the desired assistance. A Mr. Depue, in Wallpack, bad also a narrow escape from the tomahawk and scalping knife. ...~ party of Indians broke into his house at mid­ night, with murderous intent, and he being aroused from slumber, seized his loaded gun, and levelled it at the foremost aggressor, who, realizing his danger, uttered the peculiar Indian exclamation, "ugh!" dodged away and :fled; so acted the next, and another, and another ; and thus, without firing his gun, he succeeded in driving the whole gang from his dwelling. At a time when the frontier was believed to be well protected, four block-houses having been erected and garrisoned, the family of Nicholas Cole, of Wallpack, was attacked by the Indians, and most of them mur­ dered, while the remainder were carried into captivity. Other murder! followed ; and the Legislature, on the 12th of August, 1758, in compli­ ance with the petitions of the inhabitants on the frontier, praying "further Defence and Protection against the hostile attacks of the Indians," ordered an additional levy of one hundred and fifty men, none of ,vhom, with the exception of the officers, should be recruited from the mHitia of the county of Sussex, as "the whole of said militia might be wanted in case of any formidable attack.'' ...~ new block-house was also ordered to be erected "below Pehoqualin Mountain, near the mouth of the Paulinskill, or between that and the said Mountain.'' 118 Twenty guides, well acquainted ,vith the country, were to be hired by the commanding officer to conduct the troops through the wilds and fast­ nesses of our county and it was further provided, that, inasmuch as the Indians (to use the words of the .Act,) "are a very private and secret en­ emy and as it has been thought Dogs would be of great service not only in discovering them in their secret retreats among the swamps, rocks, and mountains, frequent in those parts therefore, be it enacted, &c., that it shall and may be lawful for the Paymaster aforesaid to procure, upon the best terms they can, Fifty good, large, strong and fierce Dogs and the same so procured to supply with food necessary for their subsistence, equal to ten men's allowance in quality which said Dogs shall be disci­ plined for, and employed for the service, in such manner as the said Major, in conjunction with the commission officers, or the major part of them, shall think proper. This provision shows that the provincial authorities had determined to assail and drive out the savages, by any and every means available, without regard to those humane considerations which in all ages have had more or less influence in mitigating the ferocity and horror of war. The fact that in neither of the former Acts passed for raising men and means for the protection of the frontier, dogs were resorted to as effective agents for driving out the ambushed Indians, shows that the General Assembly regarded them as of questionable propriety, and not to be em­ ployed while any other mode of accomplishing the expulsion of the enemy remained untried. In this act of the 12th of August, 1758, is embodied the first expres­ sion of Legislative thanks-the first tangible Legislative recognition of personal bravery that appears upon our Provincial records. It is a mat­ ter, too, of some local pride that the objects of this official compliment and reward, were, so far as I can fix the location of the men, inhabitants of Sussex. .A.s this part of the act is especially interesting, I shall quote it precisely as it stands upon the statute book : * "Whereas, it's not only strictly just, but highly prudent, to reward and encourage such acts of martial Bravery, as have a tendency to dis­ tress the Enemy, and defend Ourselves : And Whereas it's credibly report­ ed, that John Vantile, a sergeant in the Pay of this Colony, with a party of nine more under his command, have lately exerted themselves against the common Enemy upon the Frontiers of this Colony, in a signal :O:Ian­ ner and that a lad, aged about seventeen years, surnamed Titsort, when pursued by the Enemy, shot one of them, and secured his Retreat from the imminent danger with which he was threatened. losing his gun ; Therefore, as a just reward to those persons, and to excite others to imitate their heroic Example, Be it further enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That it shall and may be lawful for the Paymaster aforesaid, and he is hereby directed, to pay unto the said John Vantile, the sum of Twenty Spanish Dollars, and to each of the Party under his command the sum of Ten Dollars apiece ; and to the said Lad, surnamed Titsort, as afore­ said, the sum of Thirty Dollars ; And shall also procure for, and present the said John Vantile, and the said Lad surnamed Titsort, ,vith a Silver

* Neville's Laws, p. 202, vol. II. 119 Medal each, of the size o-Z a Dollar, whereon shall be inscribed the Bust or figure of an Indian, prostrate at the feet of the said Vantile and Lad aforesaid, importing their Victory over them, and to commemorate their Bravery, and the Country's Gratitude upon the occasion. Which Medals, the said Vantile and Lad aforesaid, shall or may wear in view, at all such public occasions which they may happen to attend, to excite an Emulation, and kindle a martial Fire in the Breast of the Spectators, so truly essential in this time of General War.'' If this enactment shows more warmth that the Colonial Assembly were wont to exhibit, the solution of their zeal is to be found in the fa.ct, that from May, 1757, to June, 1758, no less than twenty-seven per­ sons were murdered on the frontiers of Northern Jersey. They felt that it was time to be in earnest ; and yet with a humane desire to stop the effusion of blood, they took measures to procure a Conference with the Indians, and made appropriations to defray the expenses of the delega­ tions from each tribe in traveling to and from the point proposed for the meeting. Francis Bernard, Esq., who succeeded John Reading, as Governor of the Province of New Jersey, in the spring of 1758, was indefatigable in procuring a conference with the hostile Indians, and this object, in conjunction with Gov. Denny and Gen. Forbes of Penn­ sylvania, he was enabled to carry into effect. After a preliminary consul­ tation with the Indians at Burlington, the final Conference was held at Easton, Pennsylvania, in October, 1758, and the grievances and com­ plaints recited and preferred by the sons of the forest, were explained and liberally redressed. * From this time until the period of the Revo-

* In June, 1758, Gov. Bernard, of New Jersey, consulted Gen. Forbes and Gov. Denny, of Pennsylvania, as to the measures best calculated to put a stop to the unpleasant warfare ; and through Teedyescung, King of the Delawares, he obtained a conference with the Minisink and Pomp­ ton Indians, protection being assured them. (Smith's New Jersey, pp. 447, 448.) It shows no little regard for truth and the prevalence of a humane and forgiving spirit on the part of the whites, as well as confi­ dence on the part of the Indians, that one party should venture, after what had passed, to place themselves so completely in the hands of their enemies, and the other to profit not thereby. The conference took place at Burlington, August 7th, 1758. On the part of the province, there were present, the Governor, three Commis­ sioners of Indian affairs of the House of Assembly, and six members of the Council. Two Minisink or Munsey Indians, one Cayugan, one Dela­ ware messenger from the Mingorans, and one Delaware, who came with the Minisinks, were the delegates on the part of the natives. 'l'he Con­ ference opened with a speech from the Governor. He sat, holding four strings of wampum and thus addressed them : "Brethren, as yon come from a long journey, through a wood, full of briers, with this string I anoint your feet and take a,vay their soreness ; with this string I wipe the sweat from your bodies ; with this string I cleanse your eyes, ears and mouth, that yon may see, hear, and speak clearly; and I particularly anoint your throat that every ·word you say may have a free passage from your heart. And with this string I bid you welcome. '' The four strings were then delivered to them. The result of the conference was that a time was fixed fol" holding another at Easton at the request of the Indians ; that being, as they termed it, the place of the '' old council. '' The act passed in 1757, appropriated 1,600 pounds for the purchase of Indian claims; but, as the Indians living south of the Raritan prefer­ red receiving their proportion in lands specially allotted for their ooou• 120 lutionary war, our long distracted and harassed frontier enjoyed exemp­ tion from savage aggression. The Indians in the Conference at Easton assigned several reasons in justification of their hostile acts-some of whicb, to ch·ilized men, would appear to be far-fetched and untenable. They complained that a party of Shawanese, in passing through South Carolina, to make war upon their enemies, were taken up and put in prison, whereby one of the head men of the tribe lost his life ; that a party of eight Senecas returning from the war, through Virginia, had been inveigled by some white soldiers to march in company with them, whereupon the soldiers suddenly made an attack upon them, killing two of the eight warriors, and kidnapping a boy ; that after the French had settled near the Indian wigwams on the Ohio river, they (the French) artfully dilated upon the wrongs suffered by the red men, and incited them to hostile acts, and to appeal to their brethren, the Delawares, to assist them; that when the French first came among them, the Senecas sent word to the Governors of Virginia and Pennsylvania to supply them with arms to repel the intruders, but those Governors did not heed their request, and they had to be friendly and trade with the newcomers : that the lfinisinks were wronged out of a great deal of land by the Eng­ lish settlers, and their reserved liberty of hunting abridged and denied, &c., &c. Upon these grounds, the Indians contended that the white men had given the first offence, and claimed that what they had done was pa.ncy, 3,044 acres in the township of Evesham, Burlington county, were purchased for them. A house of worship and several dwellings were subsequently erected, forming the town of Brotherton; and as the selling and leasing of any portion of the tract was prohibited, as was also the settlement upon it of any persons other than Indians, the greatest har­ mony appears to have preYailed between its inhabitants and their white neighbors.-Allison's Laws, p. 221. On t!°'e 8th October, 1758, the Conference commenced at Easton. It was attended by the Lieutenant-GoYernor of Pennsylvania, six of his council, and an equal number of the House of Representatives; Gov. Bernard, of New Jersey, five Indian Commissioners, George Croghan, Esq., (deputy Indian agent under Sir William Johnson,) a number of magistrates and freeholders of the two provinces, and five hundred and seven Indians, comprising delegates from fourteen different tribes. Gov. Denny being obliged to return to Philadelphia, the business of the Con­ ference was mainly conducted by Gov. Bernard, who, in its manage­ ment, evinced no small degree of talent and tact. It was closed on the 26th October, and the result was a release, by the Minisink and Wapping Indians, of all lands claimed by them within the limits of New Jersey, for the sum of 1,000 pounds. Deeds were also obtained from the Delawares and other Indians, and they were all desired to remember, "that hy thesP two agree-­ ments, the Province of New Jersey is entirely freed and discharged from all Indian claims. ' ' At least such was the opinion of Gov. Bernard and the Indians ; but the Assembly the ensuing !vfarch, in answer to the Governor's speech, mention a small claim of the Totamies, and some private claims, still outstanding. The minutes of this interesting Con-­ ference are printed at length in Smith's History. The Governor recom­ mended to the succeeding Assembly the continuance of a guard and the establishment of a regular trading house; but neither measure was adopt­ ed. The amicable relations, thus happily begun, remained undisturbed for several years. In 1764 a frontier guard of two hundred men was again kept up for some time, in consequence of disturbances in Pennsyl- 121 only in accordance with their notions of a righteous retaliation. From this statement of the subject, it is evident that the Indians of the Six Confederated Nations were not, as is often flippantly asserted, acting in 1755 and two or three succeeding years, as the compacted allies of the French, but only incidentally aided the latter against the English, in so far as the redress of their own grievances w·as concerned. After the Treaty of 1758, the Six Nations buried the hatchet, though the war between the French and English continued in full vigor until the sceptre of Gallic power upon the American continent was forever broken by Gen. Wolfe's defeat of Gen. Montcalm on the plains of Abraham. There can be no doubt that the prosperity of our county was greatly retarded by the "troublesome times" which I have briefly and imperfect­ ly described. But the men of that day were made of '' stern stuff,'' and allowed no amount of misfortune to paralyze their energies. The pro­ jects which they had formed prior to the war, both of a private and public character, were resumed as soon as a comparative condition of peace would admit. When the Courts were removed to Woolverton's, it was with the intention of holding them there no longer than until such time as they should be enabled to erect county buildings suitable for the transaction of public business. Accordingly, at the earliest convenient period, Abraham Vancampen, Esq., was despatched to Perth Amboy with the petition of the people to the General Assembly, praying for au­ thority to erect a Court House and Gaol; and on the 12th of December, 1761, that body passed an Act granting the privilege sought, and order­ ing that the building required should be erected ''on the plantation in possession of Henry Hairlocker, or within half a mile of said Hairlock­ er's dwelling house; the particular spot to be fixed, with the consent

va.nia, but the alarm soon subsided. In 1769, Gov. Franklin attended a Convention held with the Six: Nations by several of the Colonial Governors, and informed the Assembly, on his return, that they had publicly acknowledged, repeated instances of the justice of the New Jersey authorities in bringiug the murderers of Indians to condign pun­ ishment; declared :hat they had no claim or demand whatsoever on the Province ; and iu the most solemn manner conferred on its government the title of "Sagorighiviyogstha, or the great arbiter," or doer of jus­ tice-a namP. which, the Governor truly remarked, reflected high honor upon the Province.-New York Journal, October 26th. In 1802, the small remnant of the original possessors of the soil, re­ maining in Burlington County, obtained permission to sell their lands, and remove to a settlement on the Oneida Lake, in the State of New York, where they continued until 1824 : when with other Indians, they purchased from the Menominees a tract bordering upon Lake Michigan, and removed thither. In 1832, the New Jersey tribe, reduced to less than forty souls, applied to the Legislature of the State for remuneration on account of their rights of hunting and :fishing on uninclosed lands, which they had reserved in various agreements and conventions with the whites. Although no legal claim could be substantiated, yet the Legisla­ turt', in kindness, and through compassion for the wanderers, directed the treasurer to pay to their agent two thousand dollars, upon filing in the office of the secretary a full relinquishment of all the rights of his tribe.-(Gordon's Hist. of New Jersey.) Thus was extinguished every legal and equitable claim of the Indians to the soil of New J er~ey-a fact which must gratify every citizen of the State.-'' Glimpses of the Past,'' in the N ewa1'.'k Daily Advertiser. 122 of the owner of the land, by a n:Iajority of the Justices and Freeholders of said county.'' The "owner of the land'' occupied by Hafrlocker, ,vas Jonathan Hampton, a citizen of Essex county ; and he, in conjunction ·with the Board, took the matter immediately in hand, and decided that the course from Hairlocker's dwelling should run south, which brought the site of the Court House, at the termination of the half mile, diTectly in the hol­ low in the rear of the present residence of Daniel S. Anderson, Esq. However, by stretching the chain, they managed to crowd the site partly up the hill, and there it remains to this day ; upon a spot al­ together unfavorable for architectural display, w·here taste and skill have been exerted to no purpose, and where the most faultless Doric temple would challenge admiration in vain. I have been particular in looking into this question, because vrhenever the disadvantageous loca­ tion of our Court House is commented upon, the fault is invariably attributed to a blunder of the Legislature. This is not true. The Legis­ la.tnre did not requixe the Board and the ' 'owner of the land'' to take any particular course in n1nning out the half-mile from Hairlocker's dwelling, and consequently if our local authorities so managed the mat­ ter as to land in a ditch, they alone are to blame. The site of the Court House being fixed, the next step was to raise means for its construction. This was begun by authorizing the levying of a tax of 500 pounds upon the county for the year 1762, and following it up for two or three years by additional assessments, until the whole amol;lllt required for the construction and equipment of the building was raised. As nearly as I can ascertain, from an examination of the books, the total cost of the buildings and the furni tnre necessary for the purposes to which it was dedicated, was 2.100 pounds proclamation money-equal to $5,600. The Manager's under whose direction the building was erect­ ed, were-Abraham VanCampen, Jacob Stam and John Hackett. In 1763, the cells, or that porion which was devoted to the purposes of a Gaol, were so far completed as to admit of the confinement of prisoners there­ in. In the term of 1\Iay, 1765, the Courts were opened in the building, and the Managers delivered it to the care of the Board of Justices and Freeholders as a :finished edifice. For a period of seventy-nine years this solidly constructed Temple of Justice, unaltered in its external ap­ pearance, firmly resisted the "corroding tooth of time," and retained its identity amid surrounding change and innovation. Venerable men, tot­ ~ering under the weight of four-score years, gazed upon its familiar front, and the days of their youth rose up be4:ore them. When the phrase ''Old Sussex'' ,,as uttered, we had only to glance at the antique propor­ tions of our time honored Court House, to feel its full force and signifi­ cance. -.\.round and within its hoary walls the recollections of thousands still cluster, and the household memories of nearly every family in the county are full of its history. Devoted originally to the conservation of Royal authority, it became in a few years the agent and exponent of Republican equality and justice. Opened under vice-regal auspices, it survived the expulsion of its patrons, and became an heirloom of Free­ dom: as such it was endeared to us and as such it was enjoyed, until, in the lapse of time, and by the increase of population and business, its 123 accommodations, once ample and convenient, became year by year rela­ tively more contracted, and finally, in the year 1844, the old edifice was enlarged. Its steep, angular roof disappeared-its gray walls, which had ·vdthstood the blasts of eighty winters~ received a coating to co"Ver their nakedness, and massive pillars, surmounted by a corresponding entabla­ ture adorned its front, entirely obscuring the familiar outlines of the ancient building. 'I'hus enlarged and renovated, it stood until Thursday, the 28th day of January, 1847, when it was destroyed by fire. Immedi­ ate measures were taken for its re-construction~ ancl the present commo­ dious Court House arose upon its n1ins. The names of the lawyers who first practiced in our Courts were Bernai-dus Lagrange, John Smith, Abraham Cottnam, John DeHart, William Pidgeon, Jasper Smith and Aaron Do11d. None of these practi­ tioners resided in our county, except Doud, who acted as Deputy to De­ Hart, while the latter held the office of County clerk. DeHart belonged to Elizabethtown, and there, I believe, he remained, notwithstanding his official position in Sussex. The Attorney General of the Province, Cortlandt Skinner, attended our Courts pretty regularly. In his ab­ sence, _.\.aron Doud or Jasper Smith acted for him. This Skinner was a zealous Royalist, and became a Brigadier General under Sir Henry Clin­ ton in the war of the Revolution-in which position he rendered himself forever infamous by his attempts to procure the kidnapping of William Livingston, the first Republican Governor of New Jersey. About the time the Court House was completed in this town, Thomas Anderson, a young lawyer, who studied under Abraham Cottnam, of Trenton, came to Newton and settled here permanently, and proved himself a useful and patriotic citizen. Robert Ogden, Jr., another man of merit and public spirit, subsequently became a resident of Sussex and a practitioner in our courts. Judges Neville, Saltar and Read, of the Supreme Court, attended in this county when it was necessary to hold Courts of Oyer and Terminer, and the county paid their bills for food, lodging and drink-the latter item being by no means the smallest in the "account rendered." I mention this last matter in no invidious spirit. It was the custom in those days for Judges to imbibe strong drink; and the records of our county show frequent instances wherein the Court adjourned to meet at the tavern, for no other purpose than to moisten their judicial clay with milk punch or rum toddy. Excess, however, appears to hav been regarded as disgraceful, especially by men in authority. Drunken­ ness, indeed, was then. as it is now, held to be disreputable ; and the early laws of the Province are full of provisions for its discouragement and suppression, by the old fashioned "moral suasion" of pains and pen­ alties. Nevertheless, the vice of intemperance became far too common in this county. It deadened the consciences of men, in~aded the family circle, and surrounded many a hearth stone with ""ant, misery, suffer­ ing and degradation. Just before the revolutionary ,var, this hideous evil had swelled to gigantic proportions, yet it continued to expand until the whole frame work of society was shattered by its destructive energy. For fifty years this pestilence raged unchecked, displaying in its train the kindred vices of gambling, rioting and blasphemy. It was a terrible ordeal for our county to pass through ; yet we were not alone in our 124 debasement ; the evil extended o,er the whoie country and, though a few good men here and there labored to resist the tide, the current was not measurably stayed, until the truth was brought home to the public con­ science, that civil and religious liberty was of little value so long as our citizens allo'\"Ved their appetites for alcoholic stimulants to imbrute and enslave them. The first settlers of this county, and of the Colonies gen­ erally, we:re pre-eminently temperate, honest and God-fearing ; and had it not been that, amid all the degration in which too many of their de­ scendants voluntarily wallowed, there yet remained in the body politic some portion of the old leaven, the work of reform would have been infinitely more difficult th:1n the laborers in the cause of temperance have hitherto found it. But let us rejoice that the day of more perfect liberty is dawning, and the hour of general emancipation from debasing indulgences draws on apace ; for when the "fires of the still" shall be quenched, and soul and body cease to be sacrificed to the Moloch of Intemperance, then will the beauty of our Republican institutions shine forth in full lustre, and the whole Christian world be constrained to ac­ knowledge that Ci,il Freedom and Religious Liberty are not hollow mockeries, but vital immunities, of abounding beneficence, essential to the prevalence of social happiness, and best calculated to promote the vital interests of mankind. The land upon which our court house stands, with the public green annexed, containing two acres and eight-tenths, was conveyed to the Board of Chosen Freeholders of the county of Sussex, on the 31st day of August, 1764, by Jonathan Hampton, of the county of Essex and Pro­ vince of East Jersey. The deed of conveyance for this tract is addressed "to all Christian People," and is gi,en "for divers just and good causes, and especially for and in consideration of the sum of five shillings law­ ful money of said Province to him in hand paid.'' The deed was acknow­ ledged by Abm. VanCampen, one of the Judges, and sealed and delivered in the presence of Ephraim Darby and Isaac Winans. This donation of land for public use was the finale of Mr. Hampton's ef­ forts to secure the erection of the county buildings in this place. Through his exertions, mainly, the Legislature was induced to select Newton instead of the village of Stillwater, which latter place, by its then central position in the county, was our most formidable competitor. Mr. Hamp­ ton also conveyed land to this ,·illage for an academy, being the same tract which now forms the larger portion of the Newton Cemetery. He also endowed the Episcopal Church of this place, with the lands which it now holds, and which to this day afford the main support of the rec­ tor of the parish. From these facts it will be readily inferred that Mr. Hampton was a man of activity and public spirit, and especially a bene­ factor of this village. I regret that I have not been enabled to collect materials for a brief sketch of his life. He appears to have been well known to the Provincial authorities of New Jersey, and was honored with their confidence in the Indian ,var of 1775, having been appointed to disburse the public moneys and procure supplies for our troops on the frontier ; an office which he filled with :fidelity, and upon the final settle­ ment of his accounts, unlike too many of our modern occupants of respon­ gible stations, who manage when they handle the public money, to have 125

i..._.:_ -,:::_,..e_,... t....,... 1--.,,.,.~ ,:i..,,... .,_,,.._,...... ,, +h" +... " .... ,... .. ,.,...... ""' .1-- ... z:L- ---L:--_pu.L IJ.LU.L.L 01.J.lvA_.. :~, ... •-l,V ..l.11v.1.L llil5 .1.0, .Uv .1.lQ.U. u.uc .L.I.V.lll l:UC l:.1.C'GU:lU.1.0.L. V.L 11.UO Province the sum of 236 pounds, 11 s. I trust I may say, in this place, without offence, that it is far from creditable to the citizens of this coun­ ty, that the name of Hampton has been suffered by them to pass into comparative oblivion ; not a town, village, hamlet, literary institution, or incorporated company, within our confines, having ever, by the de­ signation bestowed upon it, been made available for the :perpetuation of his memory. In taking a brief survey of the transactions within the walls of our court house, we may felicitate ourselves upon the fact that crimes of the first magnitude have occupied but a small portion of judicial attention. The doom of death has been denounced against only six persons since our county had an existence, and two of these had not committed mur­ der. The two who were thus executed with hands fortunately unstained by human blood~ were named lrlaxwell and 1IcCoy, and were the first victims to capital punishment in the county. They were hung on the public green in the year 1781, for breaking into the house of John 1Iaxwell, of Greenwich township, robbing the same, and severely beating and bruising the owner. They protested their innocence to the last ; and it subsequently was made manifest that their dying asseverations were true. Though two girls, who were in the plundered house, and were compelled to light the robbers through the apartments, swore positively to the iden­ tity of 1Iaxwell and McCoy, it was nevertheless discovered that the crime was committed by a party of tories. who a few years afterwards returned the property stolen to the owner.* Thus, the first use of the gallows in Sussex was most unfortunate, and is still treasured in the mem­ ory of aged citizens not as an event in which justice was vindicated, but as a most deplorable judicial tragedy. The main business of our county courts from the beginning, has been the collection of debts, and the settlement of disputed land titles. The adjudications of all matters in dispute have been treated with re­ spect. Impartial justice has been administered from the first by our courts, and never were any people more distinguished than those of Sussex for an abiding reverence for the precepts and principles of public law. No difficulty has ever been ~experienced in executing the decrees of our courts. Insubordination and contempt of the constituted authorities are not among the characteristics of our citizens, and never have been. Our courts of justice from the very outset have so acted as to secure the respect of the people. Guarding the rights of others they have never permitted their own immunities to be infringed without stern and dignified rebuke. At a very early :period, a certain hot headed person who mistook the sim­ plicity w·ith which our Judges administered the law, for a lack of self-

* Robert S. Kennedy, Esq., a great grandson of John Maxwell, ".,.rites me that the family never believed that evidence, afterwards discovered, was sufficient to establish the absolute innocence of the men executed. Besides the testimony of the two girls, there was a great deal of strong circumstantial e-,idence ; one point in particular Mr. K. regards as very decisive, viz : in the desperate struggle, old l\Ir. Maxwell placed his hand, which was bloody, upon the back of one of the robbers, and by the mark on his coat thus made, he was apprehended next day. This was 126 respect, ventured to pronounce them in o:pen court a pack of rascals : but he found the joke a costly one ; he was 1nade to pay instanter the sum of 20 pounds for his timerity, and was glad to escape as cheaply as that, when he saw the spirit which his insolence had evoked not only from the bench, but from the spectators in the court room. Another individual, summoned as a grand juror, made his appea1·ance at the pro­ per time, but refused to be sworn or affirmed, and thought by his ob­ stinacy to weary the patience of the Court. But he took nothing by his motion, unless, in journeying home, he found it facilitated locomo­ tion to travel with pockets pretty effectually emptied. Prior to the Revolutionary War, as I have before stated, there was no execution f o:r murder or othe!" crime. Neither was there any trial had for an offence involving the forfeiture of life upon conviction of the defendant, except in the case of one Charity Moore, a woman, who was indicted for murder in 1767, but was not hung. The next nearest ap­ proach to a trial for a capital crime, was in reference to one Robert Seymour, who was apprehended upon a charge of murdering an Indian; but by the assistance of three friends he broke jail, and fled to parts un­ known. His three friends were indicted for aiding his escape, but I have been unable to find in the Court minutes any record of their convic­ tion and punishment. The offence next in magnitude to that perpetrated by Seymour, was committed by one William Atkinson, in the year 1775. He stole a horse, was pursued, taken, found guilty, subjected t-0 thirty­ nine lashes, and imprisoned until the costs of his prosecution should be paid. Here he remained 418 days, running up a board bill with John Pet­ tit, gaoler, of 15 pounds 3s. 6d., being an average of about 9d. a day. The county paid the bill, and also 7 pounds to Thomas Anderson, for prosecuting him to conviction, but was loath to incur expense any longer, and so upon application to the Court, an order was made to put up At­ kinson at public sale, and dispose of his services for what they would bring. He was struck off for the sum of 11 pounds, to one Hugh Quig, of Morris county, who gave his note, payable a few days after date, and departed with his purchase. Before the note became due, Quig went over to the British army, and forgot to leave funds behind to pay the county of Sussex. This was an unexpected turn of the wheel, and puz­ zled our worthy Board exceedingly. They hated to be outwitted in

certainly strong proof, but we are informed that the man proved on the trial that upon the evening in question, he visited a girl whom he was courting, and the family, when he arrived at her house, were cleanin~ a quantity of shad. He took a knife and assisted the party, and while their hands were bloody from handling fish entrails, some playful scuff­ ling took place, in the course of which he must have received the mark on his garment. .John Maxwell, whose life came very near being sacri­ ficed in this affair, was the first settler of that name in Greenwich ; he was one of the first elders and founders of the Presbyterian Church in that township ; he was the father of Gen. Wm. Maxwell and Capt. John l\!axwell, of the Revolutionary Army, both of whom were absent in the service of their country, when the robbery was committed. He had one son, Robert, at home, at the time, who was assailed in the begin­ ning of the aflray, knocked senseless, and left for dead. He did not re­ vive until the plunderers had accomplished their work, and left the premises. 127 this way, and so upon taking legal advice, they authorized Thomas _i\.nderson to bring suit fol' the amount of the note against "The 1',forris County Commissioners for seizing absconding tori es. '' The only result of this step was an increased expenditure, and at last they gave up the chase, satisfied that as the matter thus far had been without profit, its further pursuit would be equally unp:roductive of honor. In the year 1765, it was represented to the Provincial Legislature by the Board of Justices and Freeholders, that "the inhabitants of the county of Sussex were reduced to great distress for want of bread corn,'' and that the Board "were incapable of administering to the relief of the sufferers for want of money to enable them to pu:rchase grain for their present exigencies." In consequence whereof, the Legislature, on the 20th of June, passed an act, authorizing the Treasurer of the Pro­ vince to pay to Abm. Vancampen, John Hackett, Jacob Starn, Richard Shackleton, Samuel Lundy, Richard Bowlby, Hendrick Kuykendahl, and Henry Winter, or any three of them, a sum not exceeding 200 pounds, to be disposed of '' to the best advantage in purchasing bread corn for the inhabitants of said county" or to "distribute the said money to such persons and in such proportions as they or the majority of them should think fit.'' It was also provided that said money should be returned to the Provincial Treasurer within two years after the publication of the Act. I have searched the records of the county in vain to ascertain the causes of this scarcity of breadstuffs, nor can I obtain any information by inquiry of old men. It could not have resulted from the interruption of agricultural operations in the Indian War, for that contest had been ended six years previously. The only solution that I can give to the mystery is, that population flowed into Sussex about that period to such an extent, as to consume all the surplus grain, &c., and produce a scarcity. A similar occurrence took place in Michigan a few years ago ; though a large producer of wheat, that state, at the time alluded to, was forced by an excess of immigration, to become a heavy purchaser of flour for home consumption. What particularly fortifies this conjecture is the fact, that Sussex, when her agricultural advantages :first became known, attracted an immediate influx of populatioL. In 1753 she had less inhabitants than any of her sister counties. In 1790 she had outstripped them all except Hunterdon. -:-:• Another cause of the rapid settlement of Sussex, is to be found in the fact, that large quan­ tities of her soil were owned by non-residents, who were anxious to effect improvements, and engaged persons to occupy their lands at cheap rents. This system of settlement would have been well enough, if the land owners had been willing to sell small tracts to such of their tenants as wished to purchase ; but this they declined to do ; and thus, although the county augmented in population, it increased but little in wealth. I am told by an aged citizen, that within his recollection nine-tenths of the land in the township of Newton was held in la:rge tracts by non-resident

* The following is the Census of :New Jersey, by counties, for the year 1790, viz : Hunterdon, 20,153 ; Sussex, 19,500·; Burlington, 18,095; Essex, 17,785; Monmouth, 16,918; Morris, 16,216; J\iiiddlesex. 15,956; Gloucester, 13,363 ; Bergen, 12,601 ; Somerset, 12,296 ; Salem, 10,437 ; Cum­ berland, 8,248; Cape May, 2,571. Total, 184,139. 128 owners, and other portions of the county were more or less subjected to the paralyzing influence of a similar monopoly. But the owners finally took a different view of their duty, as well as interest. Instead of holding on, in the hope of ultimately getting large prices, they sold out to as good advantage as they could, ere the virgin soil of their respective tracts should become completely exhausted ; and every portion of our county soon felt the beneficial influence of the change. !\inch of our county prosperity is undoubtedly due to the improvements in agricul­ ture within the last forty or fifty years ; nevertheless, it is undeniable, that the first grand impulse to enterprise and thrift, was given when the fee-simple of our lands passed from non-residents, and became vested in the same hands which guided the plough. Every man who ceased to be a tenant at will, in order to take position as an undisputed lord of the soil, formed a fresh spoke in the wheel of progress ; and now the car of prosperity rolls along with a steady and gratifying motion. The plough-share has been yearly driven into newly cleared acres ; pesti­ lent morasses have been converted into beautiful meadows; and the pursuit of wealth has been made subsidiary to the promotion of public health. The system of leasing lands which has been thus happily sup­ planted, is an immitigable curse wheresoeT"er it exists. Under its lethar­ gic in:fluencie the community is benumbed ; a "stupor settles on the arts of life; the dispirited and discouraged tenant reluctantly drags the plough and harrow to the field only ·when scourged by necessity ; the axe drops from his nerveless hand the moment his own fire is supplied with fuel ; and the fen, undrained, sends up its noxious exhalations, to rack with cramps and agues, the frame already too much eneTTated by a moral epidemic, to creep beyond the sphere of the material miasm. '' At the time the county of Sussex was set off from the county of Mor­ ris, and for at least half a century before that period, the settlers and land-holders near and upon the division line between New Jersey and New York, had occasional quarrels in reference to their rights, and acts of violence were not unfrequent. The first record of this conflict of title to lands, dates as far back as November 1, 1700, and is to be found upon the Journal of the Colonial Assembly of New York. Disturbances in consequence of an unsettled boundary had at that early period taken place, and a recommendation was made to the Governor to take measures for having the line of partition defined. Nothing decisive, however, flowed from this notice of the subject, * and the people were left to fight

~- In October, 1748, an act for running and ascertaining the line be­ tween the Provinces, passed by the Assembly of New Jersey, was laid be­ fore the Assembly of New York, for their objections, if any. Before the House had acted upon it, the inhab;tants of Orange all along the line, got up a petition against the act, which they presented to the Honse, and desired to be heard by counsel. This was granted, and on the 28th of October, 1748, the petitioners were heard by their counsel against the New Jersey Act. On the 29th, the House considered the objections against the act, and "Resolved, That they were strong and well-grounded ; that the peti­ tioners take measures, if they think fit, to oppose it ; and that the Speaker transmit their objections to Mr. Charles, agent for the Colony in Great Britain, with directions to oppose said act, when it shall be 129 their own battles until immediately after the erection of the county of Sussex. The fact is, until the latter event, the New Yorkers appear to have committed their infringements upon New Jersey rights, without any further resistance than a few scattered settlers upon our northern extremity could themselves exert, unaided by a J\.-Iunicipal organization. But the erection of the county of Sussex put a different face upon the matter. Civil jurisdiction, through the county authorities, was extended by the Province of New Jersey over this long neglected portion of her territory ; and the arrest and imprisonment of several of the intruders who had covered New Jersey rights by New York land grants, gave convinc­ ing evidence to all concerned that farther aggression would rot be toler­ ated. * The officers of the county charged with the duty of preserving the inviolability of our soil, acted with spirit and energy, and if the pro­ vincial Assembly of New Jersey had followed up these initial proceed­ ings with equal boldness and determination, there is every probability that the partition line would have affixed the northernmost limits of our county at Cochecton, instead of Carpenter's Point, and a scope of 200, - 000 acres of good land been saved for the use of our citizens. But New Jersey unfortunately dozed over her rights, while New York was wide a wake. The county of Sussex had been organized barely eleven months, before the New York Assembly had an elaborate report drawn up, giving its own version of the boundary difficulties, and artfully set­ ting forth the facts so as to exonerate its own citizens and throw all the odium of all the breaches of the peace upon the persons who held their lands by virtue of Jersey grants. In this Report, after befogging the case as much as possible, in reference to what stream might be regarded as the "most northwardly branch of the Delaware," or what part of that river is in latitude 41 degrees 40 minutes ; the main "consideration" upon which New York rested her claim, is acknowledged to be the loca­ tion of the Minisink and Wawayanda patents, both of which had

transmitted for His !\Iajesty's royal assent.'' Mr. Charles wrote back to know whether the expenses of opposing the law were to be borne by individuals or the public ; whereupon the House ''resolved, that they be paid by the public.' '-Eager's Hist. of Orange County, p. 372. * The following is an extract from the I\finu tes of the General As­ sembly of the Province of New York : "April 24, 1754.-The Hon. James De Lancey, Esq., Lieutenant Governor, communicated as follows : '' Gentlemen-The division line between this GoYernment and the Province of New Jersey, not being settled, has given rise to great tu­ mults and disorders among the people of Orange County, and the adjacent inhabitants of New Jersey, and may produce ,vorse evils, unless prevent­ ed by a timely care. Nothing can answer this purpose so effectnally, I think, as the fixin~ of a temporary line of peace between us, until his Majesty's pleasure shall be known in the matter. Gov. Belcher assures me of his sincere desire that amicable and conciliatory measures may be fallen upon by the GoYernments to make the borders easy ; and I have proposed to him the running such line conforn1ably to the opinion of his Majesty's Counsel, signified in their report to me, which I shall order to be laid before you, and if it receives your approbation, I shall forth­ with appoint Commissioners for running such line of peace, and apply to that Government to do the like on their part.'' 180 their boundaries so imperfectly describeu, that the holders thereof treated them as ''floating paten ts, ' ' to be run out with a gum elastic chain ; and accordingly located them to suit their fancy, caring little how distances ,vere stretched, or upon what territory their measurements trenched, so long as their very flexible consciences did not recoil before the magnitude of their own greediness. The southv.ard bounds of the lands thus locat­ ed, the report assumes to be the rightful boundary between the two pro­ vinces, and takes it for granted that the Jersey settlers, who were re­ mote from the seat of their Colonial Government, isolated, and practi­ cally without any representative in their Provincial Assembly and who consequently were compelled to submit to what they could not prevent, concurred in so regarding it. But this was not, and could not be true. *

* As a specimen of the complaints made against Jerseymen, we ex­ tract the following paragraphs from the report to the New York Assem­ bly, on the 29th of October, 1754 : "That the people of New Jersey have from time to time for a con­ siderable time past, collected themselves in large bodies, and with vio­ lence have arrested divers of his Majesty's subjects, holding lands under this Province to the Northward of said bounds, and taken possession of their lands and do now forcibly hold the same. "That the Government of New Jersey hath, within a few years past, erected a new county called Sussex, a great part of which they have ex­ tended many miles Northward of the bounds aforesaid. "That Justices of the Peace and other officers have been and are frmn time to time, appointed in the said county, and do from time to time exercise authority and jurisdiction over the persons and possessions of a gren.t number of his 1fajesty's subjects, holding their lands under and paying submission to the Government of this colony. ;'That, in consequence of the exercise of such authority and jurisdic­ tion, his l\fajesty's Justices of the Peace and other subordinate officers and ministers, in and for Orange county have been frequently beaten, in­ sulted, and prevented in the execution of their respective offices, taken prisoners and carried into parts of New Jersey remote from their habita­ tions and the oppor-tunity of being relieved, and ha"Ve been thrown into jail and held t0 excessive bail, and p!'osecuted by indictments and that others of His :Majesty's subjects belonging to Orange county have also met with similar treatment. "That the people of Jersey haYe also, from time to time, and as often as they are able, pos3essed themselves of the vacant lands in Orange County. "That they frequently beset the houses of his l\Iajesty's subjects in Orange county by night, and att~mptecl to seize and take prisoners, such of his ~,Iajesty·s subjects, and are encouraged to do this by the offer of large rewards 1nade to them, and are also actually kept in pay for that pu:rJ)Ose, by the proprietors of Ea.st Ne,v Jersey. "That the com1nissioners of highways for the said nev; county ha,e laid out a neY, high,,ay through 1'.v1inisink aforesaid, which now, hy the abo,e me~~irmerl conduct of the p2ople of New Jersey, is almost, if not-. flntirely. :r0dnC'P<1 t0 a subjection to the government of New· Jersey. "That th,:-~ ·:.111blic o:ffi.cers of Re-w .Jersey assess and raise taxes upon the people dv.elling to the Nm~thwar. Col. Beekman and Capt. Winne, the CommiLtee, reported that they had laid the report be­ fore the Lieut. Governor, who was pleased to say that "He ,Yould cou­ sider thereof, and lay the same before his r,Iajest:r's Council." Thus the controversy remained till :February 18, 1756, when a nev{ memorial was presented to the Honse by the proprietors of the l\Hnisink and Wawayanda patents, dated Feb. 10, 1756, which was ordered t0 be printed. This memorial ·..vas ve:i.·y long, and contained a legal argument upon the points in dispute. Nothing decisive, howe..-er, was done upon the consideration of this memorial.-Eage~·s Hist. of Orange County, pp. 37 4, 37 5. 132 expressly fixing the northernmost limits of the township at Cochecton, or Station Point. Thus, the judgment of impartial men, as well as Royal authority, sustained the claim of New Jersey ; yet New York perserved, making up in audacity what she lacked in title, and finally secured nearly all she claimed. The New York Report, to which I have called your attention, was transmitted to England to be laid before His Majes­ ty's Council. But this led to nothing immediately decisive, albeit it may have disposed some of the Council to view Jersey rights with distrust. In the meantime the authorities of Sussex county persevered in extend­ ing their jurisdiction over the territory set down as within our limits, and so effectually did they accomplish their duty, that a petition was read in the New York Assembly, in December, 1762, in which it was stated that the precinct of Minisink "had been wholly wrested from the Colony of New York, and is now subject to the Government of New Jersey." The Provincial Assembly of New York, thereupon passed an act submitting the dispute to the decision of such Commissioners as the Crown of Great Britain might be pleased to appoint ; and the Assembly of New Jersey, which had by procrastination, let the golden opportunity slip for a successful assertion of the rights of this province, was forced by this display of New York disinterestedness, to come in and play second fiddle, and by an act passed on the 23rd of February, 1764, she also submitted her cause to the same description of Royal Arbiters. New York aggression originated the whole dispute, yet it turned to the decid­ ed advantage of the trespasser, the moment New Jersey admitted, as she did by the act of 1764, that ''by reason. of the unsettled state of the limits of the two colonies, not only the extent of their respective jurisdfotions remain uncertain, and the due and regular administration of Government in both Colonies is by that means greatly impeded; but also frequent and dangerous riots have been occasioned, and are still like­ ly to arise between the borderers, as well concerning the extent of the respective jurisdictions, as the property of the soil, to the great distur­ bance of the public peace, and the manifest discouragement of His Maj­ esty's good subjects in the settlement and improvement of that part of the country." Pursuant to these Acts by the Legislatures of New York and Ne,v Jersey, the King of Great Britain, by Royal Commission, bear­ ing date the 7th of October, 1767, appointed certain persons to determine the boundary line ; which duty they performed, fixing it where it now is, and the two Legislatures by a joint Act ratified and confirmed it, in the year 1772. The titles to the lauds held by Jersey grants on the north, and by New York grants on the south of this line, were also con­ firmed to their respective possessors, and the King of Great Britain gave his Royal Approyal to the whole proceeding on the 1st of September, 177:3. Thus a controversy which was kept up with more or less virulence for a period of seventy years, was terminated finally and conclush·ely. The acts of violence which were occasionally committed under this boundary dispute, are remembered only in part, and it would be quite as well were they all forgotten.* The accounts we have of them all come

* Major Swartwout resided on the lands in dispute. Some of the Jersey claimants were watching for an opportunity to enter his house 133 through New York sources, and invariably represent the Jersey claimants as the aggressors. If this be true, New York, in the final settlement of the matter, managed to turn the blows her citizens received to profitable account; for she certainly obtained about 1000 acres for each and every New Yorker who was threshed, even though the number of the poor in­ nocents thus flogged by the Jersey Blues should be set down at full two hundred. I think it not improbable that New Jersey consented to the line run by the Royal Commissioners, the more readily, because the country had become agitated by momentous questions which demanded for their suc­ cessful solution the most perfect harmony between all the colonies. The Stamp Act of 1765, practically asserted the right, which some British politicians held to be the prerogative of the Crown, of taxing the Col­ onies to any extent which accorded with the will and pleasure of the Mother Country; and its attempted enforcement brought home to the bosoms of the colonists the stern conviction that the hand of arbitrary power was upon them. Every instrument of writing-every printed sheet-the lawyer's parchment and the officers' commission-the innkeep­ er's license and the apprentice's indenture-the marriage certificate

and get possession before he could procure help from his neighbors. He was aware of it, and to counteract the attempt and repel the invaders, kept a number of guns ready loaded in his house, with some additional men to work his farm, and lend assistance in case of emergency. He was a bold, resolute man, and feared by those who wished to dispossess him. Nohvithstanding his precautions to defend his possessions, it appears that, at a certain time about the year 1730, his family were ex­ pelled and his goods removed out of the house, and possession taken by the intruders. This was in his absence, and while his wife was confined to her bed by the birth of a child, and it caused her death. In order to re-instate the Major, assistance was procured from Gos­ hen, which, with the neighbors, concluded to go secretly and lay in ambush on a hill, in a piece of woods near the Major's house-that Peter Gumaer should go to the house, and discover the situation of the enemy, and when the opportunity became favorable for them to enter the house, then go into the orchard and throw up an apple as a signal for the party to come on. After the party had ambushed themselves and the opportunity became favorable, Gumaer left the house, went into the orchard, and threw up an apple, whereupon the party rushed into the house, expelled the inmates, and reinstated the Major. The uccupants, now fearing that they might be taken by surprise, by a force they coul~ not resist, managed to have a spy among the Jersey claimants, at some t-wenty miles 11.istance, through whom, from time to time, they received information of all the projects of the claimants. * * * * * * The last struggle between the parties was to capture and imprison the Major and Johannes Westbrook, both of whom lived on the battle ground. Any open effort to capture the Major ·was known to be environed with great difficulty; and the Jerseyman undertook to effect it on the Sabbath, at the door of the Mahackamack church. This \Vas between the years 176-1 and 1767, while Rev. Thos. Romeyn was the pastor. To accomplish it. they had collected a strong party, who came armed with clubs on the day appointed, and surrounded the church. After the services were ended, and the Major and Capt. ,vestbrook had gone out, they were captured and made prisoners, after a harsh rough and tumble struggle. The 1\1.ajor vras taken and. confined in the Jersey prison, from which, however, he was soon released.-Eager's Hist. of Orange Co., pp. 378, 379. 134 and the dying citizen's last will-every act of the court or counting house- every record required from the cradle to the grave-each and all bore the inexorable impress of a foreign master. The duty laid upon each article was comparath·ely small, but the principle involved was of vast and far reaching consequence. Our forefathers were wise enough to discern the end from the beginning, and they had courage enough to meet the insiduons intrusion of despotism at the very threshold. They '' scented the approach of tyranny in the tainted air.'' They romonstrated against the obnoxious law, and sternly opposed its enforcement. The British ministry w·avered, and repealed the act, but at the Eame time re-asserted their right to "bind the Colonies in all cases whatsoever." A brief calm succeeded, but it was the calm that gives augury of the earth­ quake. The British ministry returned to the charge, and a new and equally odious tax was laid upon paper, glass, paints, tea, &c. ; a Board of Commissioners was appointed to manage, at Boston, the revenue aris­ ing from the duties imposed ; and the Colonies ordered to provide means for the support of such British troops as the Crown might send among us to uphold by their bayonets the arbitrary laws enacted by Parlia­ ment. These measures revived the flame of resentment, and the fires of Colonial opposition burned more intensely than ever. The people every where met and adopted resolutions of the most spirited character, binding themselves not to import anything from the mother country. A collision between the people of Boston and the British soldiery quarter­ ed there, in March, 1770, which resulted in bloodshed, was regarded by many as inagnrating an era of sanguinary despotism, and viewed by all as a. positive proof that the loyalty of the colonies would inevitably be obliterated if mercenary troops should continue to be stationed in our populous towns. Time wore on, while the spirit of resistance was deepening, and in 1773 the disputes relative to the importation of tea led to the destruction of a cargo of that article in the harbor of Boston. This exasperated the British Parliament ; the port of Boston was closed, and the franchises of the province of liassachnsetts revoked, depriving the people of the right of choosing their own local officers. When these arbitrary acts were proclaimed in America, a general sentiment of in­ dignation and opposition pervaded the continent. iiassachnsetts recom­ mended a meeting of delegates from all the Colonies, at the same time electing :five persons for that purpose. On the 4th of September, 1774, the deputies of eleven colonies appeared in Philadelphia, and agreed to various measures intended to restore to the country the rights which had been invaded and trampled upon. To this Colonial Congress, New Jersey elected five delegates ; and I now hold in my hand a copy of their credentials*. They were chosen by a Provincial Convention assembled

1- The following is a copy of the credentials above mentioned, tran­ scribed from a copy found among the papers of the late Thomas Ander­ son, Esq., of Newton, viz : To James Kinsey, Wm. Livingston, John Dehart, Stephen Crane, and Richard Smith, Esq., and each and every one of yon : The Committees appointed by the several Counties of the Colony of New Jersey to Nominate Deputies to Represent the same in General Congress of Deputies, from the other Colonies in America, Convened at 135 at New Brunswick, on the 23d of July, 1774, in which body the county of Sussex was represented by Thomas Anderson, Abia Brown and Mark Thompson. I mention this fact to f?how that the inhabitants of Northern Jersey, though hemmed in by mountains, and distant from the marts cf commerce, were among the .first to resist the encroachments of tyranny, and to participate in the adoption of measures for the vindication of colonial liberty. Let it not be understood, however, that at this period, a separation from the mother country was contemplated. This was not the fact. The grand idea of American Independence first developed itself when patriot blood crimsoned the soil of Concord and Lexington ; the conflict at Bunker Hill strengthened it ; and what at first was uttered in whispers now began to be mentioned in tones of confidence. Still the main remedy most universally desired, even at this late period of popu­ lar alienation. was the redress of grievances, and the recognition of the rights of the Colonies. The Continental Congress, in its first two sessions of Sept. 1774, and Jviay, 1775, breathed an earnest desire to settle the con­ troversy amicably, and the cry of reconciliation and redress was contin­ ued with more or less fervency, until it was lost amid the din of resound­ ing arms, and a resort to a formal and authoritative Declaration of Inde­ pendence became imperative as the distinctive rallying point, the bond and pledge of union, for the champions of right, of justice, and of liberty. A significant instance of the spirit which early pervaded this county, was given by the Board of Freeholders~ a.t their session on the 10th of May, 1775. It is contained in the following extract from their minutes on that occasion, viz. : '' Ordered, that the Sheriff be paid the sum of four pounds, it being money advanced by him to discharge the Judges' expenses of two Su­ preme Courts; and this Board orders, that from henceforth no Judges' expenses be paid by this County." -i\.s the Judges who were thus laconically notified that their further ser­ vices were not desirable, derived their authority from the Crown. and as they were almost the only visible link which connected the people of Sussex with royalty, this order may be set down as a local declaration of i:i;ide­ pendence. It bears date twenty-one days after the battle of Lexington, and thirty-eight days before the battle of Bunker Hill. It preceded the National Declaration of Independence about fourteen months. When the great work of establishing the Freedom and Independence of the American Colonies was finally entered upon, the most serious impediment in the way of the Patriots was the defection of a large num­ ber of theil" fellow citizens. The men who were thus found wanting in the hour of need had nearly all been eager for a remission of the burdens

the City of New Brunswick, have nominated and hereby do Nominate and appoint you and each of you Deputies to Represent the Colony of Ne,v Jersey in the sd General Congress. In testimony whereof, the Chairman of the several Committees here }Iet have hereunto set their hands this T,venty-third Day of July, the 14th year of his Majesty's Reign, 1774 : \Vm. P. Smith, Jacob Foord, John Moores, Robt. John­ ston, Robt. Field, Robt. F. Price, Peter Zabriske, Samuel Tucker, Edward Taylor, Hendrick Fisher, Archd. Stewart, Thomas Anderson, Abia. Brown, Mark Thomson~ 136 imposed upon them by the British Parliament, and had petitioned for relief : but when they found that redress ,vas only to be obtained by an appeal to the sword, a portion of them lacked the nerve to pass the dread ordeal. Others had religious scruples which forbade their doing any act whereby blood might be shed ; and a third class, looking upon the Colonies as too weak to contend with the mother- country, were eager to place themselves upon the strongest side and sought to commend themselves to Royal regard by turning their arms against their own neighbors and brethren. "\Ve may well entertain charity for those whose constitutional timidity caused them to cower in the presence of danger; and we may also forbear to judge harshly the conduct of men who in those times of trial could not conscientiously resist their enemies to the sacrifice of human life ; but for that band of traitors and fratricides who robbed, pillaged and murdered their friends and kindred-who acted as spies and guides for the armies of the oppressor-who took the bread out of the mouths of their brethren, to bestow it upon the troops who were ravaging the land-and who even consorted and complotted with the Indian savages, piloting them to the abodes of the white settlers, and rejoicing when the barbarians sunk their tomahawks into the brains of helpless women and children-for such fiends incarnate there can never be harbored in the true American bosom any other feeling than that of the bitterest scorn and execration. If the infamy of these men clings to their descendants, let us not attempt to lip:hten the load of those who stagger under the weight of the "sins of their fathers," bnt let us rather heed the lesson, which so plainly teaches us, that in all national emer­ gencies where external force is brought against us for our subjugation, to cling to the cause of our country, and stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends and neighbors. He who violates the laws of health, trans­ mits to his posterity a physical curse ; and so he who sets at naught all social obligation and stabs with traitorous hand the community which nurtured him, by e,ery principle of political justice, bequeaths a por­ tion of his infamy to the luckless issue of his detested body. These are my views ; and what is much more to the purpose, they are the views of the great mass of mankind ; they may not bear the rigid analysis of cold and passionless philosophy, but they nevertheless well up warm from the heart, and arise so incontestibly from the noblest impulses of our com­ mon humanity, that we embrace them by intuition. I utter these senti­ ments in the presence of the children, grand-children, and great-grand­ children, of the men of the Revolutionary Era ; and I do it with the more gratification, because in all this vast assemblage there is probably not one descendant of that class of fratricidal Tories upon whose memories I would invoke eternal maledictions. When I was honored with an invita­ tion to address you, I feared that I might find a portion of the imputa­ tions which have been cast upon the patriotism of your forefathers, justi­ fied by the record, so far as any record of the events of the Revolution existed. But the fe,v materials which I have been enabled to find by an industrious exploration of every receptacle of old papers within reach, all go to disprove the charges which have been made, and to brand as base and slanderous the idle stories to the discredit of your ancestors, in which :flippant ignorance has too long been permitted to indulge. The 137 county of Sussex, in 1776, contained not far from 13,000 inhabitants; of which, according to the usual ratio, 2,600 were males over the age of twenty-one years. Of all this number, 96 only were attainted for joining the army of the King, and their property confiscated to the state ; while, of those who were not freeholders, there certainly was not more than an equal number who refused to take the oath* abjuring their allegiance to the crown of Great Britain. Adding both these classes together, we have about 200 disaffected per­ sons in 2,600-a proportion of only one in fourteen. If any county in the state can show a greater preponderance of patriotism in '' the days that tried men's souls," we will cheerfully yield the palm ; but until they do, let us not hear Sussex stigmatized as a "nest of tories." It is true that our mountain fastnesses afforded places of retreat for outlaws and robbers, and now then some roving tories, under the leadership of one Bonnell Moody, of Hunterdon county, availed themselves of those advantages ; but there is no evidence that this gang found a congenial sphere for their operations in this quarter. Many tales of Moody's prowess are kept afloat upon the stream of tradition, nearly all of which are fabulous. The exploit of entering the village of Newton, one stormy night, and stealthily effecting ingress into our jail, where he intimidated the keeper, and forcing him to surrender his keys, unlocked the cells and set the prisoners free, is doubtless true. t This was in the year 1781, when

* The following is a copy of the oath of abjuration and allegiance administered to all our officers and citizens, after the establishment of a Republican form of Government in New Jersey, in 1776, viz : "I, A. B., do sincerely Profess and Swear, that I do not hold myself Bound to Bear Allegiance to the King of Great Britain. So help me God. "I, A. B., do sincerely Profess and Swear, that I do and will bear true faith and allegiance to the Government established in this state, under the Authority of the People. So help me God." t It is probable that the following incidents collected by the late Nelson Robinson, Esq., in reference to Moody, are based upon truth : It is related that one cold night in winter, he suddenly entered the dwelling of Robert Ogden, Esq., near Sparta. He robbed the house of considerable valuable plate, and searched for money ; but was disap­ pointed in not obtaining the amount be appears to have anticipated was in the old gentleman's possession. He then took him out back of his house, and forced him to take an oath not to make known his visit until suffi­ cient time had elapsed for himself and bis confederates to escape pursuit. One or more hired men, however, who had been concealed in the upper part of the house, an i who were not bound by their employer's oath, immediately upon their departure sounded the alarm, and a small party of the neighbors immediately gave chase. They came very near overtak­ ing them next morning ; for they tracked them through the snow to where they had lain in their blankets over night, and where their fires were still burning when discovered. They tracked the plunderers to Goshen, in the State of New York, and there recovered some of the booty which had been taken away. On one occasion the Whigs of Newton supposed this daring highway­ man was cooped up in the house of an individual suspected of being tinctured with toryism. They searched every nook and cranny, stuck pitchforks into the hay and straw stacks, but no Moody was discovered ; he, nevertheless, afterward emerged from beneath the floor, where he had been snugly packed away in straw, to tarry until his hunters had withdrawn from the premises. the war had been virtually ended by the surrender of Cornwallis, and the precaution taken by our citizens for the security of the Jail were measur­ ably intermitted. ,vhat became of him after this e,ent, I know not ; but that he speedly relie'\""ed this county of his presence is undoubted. The search immediately made for him, had he remained, would have been suc­ cessful, and his days of infamy fitly terminated by an ignominious death. That he had few sympathizel"s among us, is probable ; but that any citizen of Sussex was a member of his gang of marauders, is not susceptible of proof. I am persuaded that the fabulous adventures which are attribut­ ed to this To:ry highwayman ha-ve contributed more than any one thing to destroy the reputation of our county. and lead uninformed men to harbor the notion that the number of our Patriots were so few and ir­ resolute that they permitted a small band of thievish "cow boys" to rav­ age on:r towns and villages, with scarcely a shadow of resistance. Cer­ tainly, it is high time that this apocl'yphal episode in our local history should receive the stamp of reprobation ; and I rejoice that all the frag­ ments of our perishing Revolutionary annals which I have been fortunate enough to recover, go to ,indicate the patriotism of our citizens, and show the general unanimity with which they embraced the cause of struggling and beleagured Freedom. I have heretofore mentioned that Sussex pa.:rticipated in the primary measures which called the first Colonial Congress into existence. This fact rests upon. documentary proof, and cannot be invalidated. Con­ temporaneous with this movement, or very soon after it, Revolutionary Committees of Safety were established in all our townships, delegates

On another occasion, just as the Whigs were on the point of spring­ ing upon him and his band, a negro conveyed intelligence of their de­ signs, and J\Ioody, with his men narrowly escaped; the bread which was baking for him, and the other provisions which were prepared, falling into their hands. While the American army lay at Morristown, and an officer was drilling some troops not long enlisted, a man, very shabbily dressed, mounted on an old broken down nag, one day was seen riding carelessly along before the lines, like a simple hearted and rather soft headed rus­ tic, not ovel" well supplied with either worldly sense or substance. Sus­ picion at length induced the belief that there was more about that old horse and his awkwardly inquisitive rider than at first view one would conjecture. One of the soldiers thought he had seen that face before, and a horseman was soon dispatched to bring him back. Moody-for he was the suspicious character on whose track he was sent-shot him dead as he came up to him, dragged his body into the woods out of sight, and once more narrowly escaped by secreting himself in a contiguous swamp. Moody is believed to ha,e been employed by the English to obtain recruits in this section of such as might be found favorable to Great Britain. He likewise was to act as a spy upon the n1ovements of the Whigs, and to check and overawe them by a show of opposition in their midst ; by making divisions and difficulties close at hand, and thereby drawing off their attention and assistance from the Colonial army. For a short period he concealed himself in a cavernous retreat among the rocks at the lower extremity of the Muckshaw Pond, about two miles south ~f the village of Newton. Two or three miles southwest of this spot, on the Pequest river, resided some disaffected persons, who are suspected of having furnished Moody with supplies while he was hidden in the ravines near the Muckshaw. 139 from which formed a County Committee of Safety, which met in the Court House once a month. This County Committee exercised a general supervision over the town­ ship organizations, provided means for promoting the popular cause, and procured the oath of abjuration to be administered to every citizen of the county, carefully noting down the names of those who refused, with the grounds upon which they based such refusal, and causing the re­ cusants to be presented by the Grand Inquest of the county, to the end that they might appear in Court and openly recant, or give bonds for their peaceable behaviour. The minutes of the sittings of his important Committee were carefullly written out, for the information of subordi­ nate Committees ; and, with a little care, might have been preserved ; but like the great mass of local memoranda, which now would be esteem­ ed invaluable, they appear to have been regarded as possessing a merely ephemeral interest, and were thrown aside as so much rubbish so soon as they had answered the immediate purpose in hand. I esteem it peculiar­ ly fortunate that, amid the general destruction of these important papers, the minutes of one of the early meetings of the county Committee have been preserved, and are now in my possession. I found the manuscript among some loose papers in the Clerk's office, cast aside as of no ac­ count, and left to moulder undisturbed amid dust and cobwebs. The proceedings which this ancient document discloses, took place at the ses­ sion of the County Committee of Safety held in the Court House on the 10th and 11th days of August, 1775-about eleven months before the Declaration of Independence was made by the representatives of the United Colonies. At this meeting delegates appeared from all the town­ ships except Hardyston, viz: William Maxwell, Benjamin McCollough and James Stewart, of Greenwich ; Edward Demond, Samuel Hazlet and William Debnam, of Mansfield; John Lowry, John McMurtrv and William White, of Oxford ; Abraham Besherrer, Nathaniel Drake and Andrew Waggoner, of Knowlton; Casper Shafer, of Hardwick; Archi­ bald Stewart, Robert Price, John Stoll, Thomas Anderson, Jacob McCol­ lum, * Phillip Dodderer, and Jacob Stoll, of Newtown ; Jacob Dewitt and Joseph Harker, of Wantage; Abm. Vancampen, Daniel Depue, Jr., Moses Vancampen Joseph Montanye, Emanuel Hover, John C. Symmes and John Rosekrans, of Wallpack ; Samuel Westbrook, Abraham Brokaw and Henry Hover, of Sandyston ; and Henry W. Courtright and John Courtright, of Montague. Wm. Maxwell, of Greenwich, was chos­ en Chairman, and Thomas Anderson, of Newtown, Clerk. Returns were

* Jacob McCollum was elected to the Legislature in 1778, and served in that body for a few years with great acceptance. He was a man of primitive habits, and is still remembered as one of the most character­ istic representatives of the frontier population of Old Sussex. In his time, members were allowed only four shillings per day, and there were no railroads nor ':free tickets." In preparing for his journey to ''Trent Town,'' he would pack his wardrobe in a bundle, and his provis­ ions in a capacious wallet, and thus equipped, with knapsack on his back and staff in hand, he wended his way to the capital on foot. When the public busine8s was concluded, he returned home in the same inde­ pendent style, and, like Cincinnatus, after serving his country resumed with a willing hand the unobtrusive labors of the husbandman. 140 called for from the several towns of the names of those who refused to sign the Articles of Association for the respective townships. In Green­ wich, seven persons were returned as ha,ing refused to sign, four of whom were Quakers who declared it to be ag'.linst their conscience to take up arms. one gave no reason, and the remaining two "would take time to consider ! '' From J\'Iansfield, two names we:re returned, but no reason for refusal assigned. In Sandyston, all signed except two "who are willing to do so when opportunity offers." In Montague, every citi­ zen signed ; and in Wantage, all signed "except Joseph Havens and one or two more Quakers, who are Whigs, and are willing to contribute.'' The other Towns, says the record, '' not having had the association parti­ cularly carried to the Inhabitants. ordered, that the Committees of said towns wait upon the People and make return at the next meeting of this Committee. '' What report was made from the "other towns" is not now known; bnt may be inferred from the complexion of the returns just given. These items afford us an insight into the state of feeling which prevaded the county at that early day, and conclusively refute the gross imputa­ tions which have been recklessly and maliciously cast upon the patriotism of our Revolutionary citizens. At this meeting means were taken to raise by tax the county's quota of ten thousand pounds ordered by the Provincial Congress of New J er­ sey, for the purpose of raising money to "purchase arms and ammuni­ tion, and for other exigencies of the province.'' Casper Shafer was ap­ pointed collector of the county, to take charge of the funds to be raised under the authority of the Committee of Safety. It was also ordered that "the captains of the respective companies of militia send an account to the next meeting of the Committee of all i:,ersons upwards of 16 and under 50 years old, in their several Districts, who refuse to sign the mus­ ter Rolls, that their Names may be forwarded to the Provincial Con­ gress.'' Capt. John McMurtry and Lieut. William White, of Oxford township, being desirous to go to Boston where the Americans were rallying under the standard of Washington then just appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental forces, requested the Committee to certify as to their "place of abode, character and reputation ;" which was at once complied with. On motion, it was "Resolved, nem. con., That any person thinking himself aggrieved by any merchant or trader, in this county taking an exorbitant price for any article of goods, make application to the Chair­ man of the Town Committee where such merchant or trader resides, who is to call a meeting of said Committee as soon as convenient thereafter, which said meeting to consist of five members at least, And the said Com­ mittee when convened shall notify the said merchant or trader to appear and show why he has taken so great a price, and if it shall appear that he has taken an unreasonable profit, or shall refuse to attend or give any satisfaction in the premises, that he be cited by the said Committee to appear at the next meeting of the County Committee, there to be dealt with according to the rules of the Continental Congress.'' A memorial on this subject was also drawn up and ordered to be 141 presented to the Continental Congress, praying that the latter body would make inquiry and ascertain if the Philadelphia and New York merchants, of whom the traders in this county purchased their goods, were not at the bottom of this system of extortion, speculating upon the public necessity by affixing exorbitant prices upon their merchandize. I am unable to state here what were the general prices so earnestly com­ plained of, but I am informed that about this period fifty bushels of wheat were exchanged, upon one occasion at least, for one bushel of salt; and that calico was sold at 15s. per yard, while rye would only bring ls. 8d. per bushel. The ladies at that day, like those of the present, indulged the pardonable vanity of displaying their charms to the best advantage, but the ruinous rates at which all articles of dress were held, restricted their desires, and caused the short gown, which required for its comple­ tion only two and a half yards of calico, to come into fashion. Only one pair of shoes per year could be afforded, which were generally pur­ chased about Christmas, and which the fair owners carefully preserved from dilapidation through the summer by going barefoot, like the en­ chanting goddesses that figure in ancient mythology. But to return to the proceedings of the Committee of Safety. It was ordered. that the "colonels of each regiment and battalion in the county issue orders to the several ca:!_)tains to make strict inquiry into the state of their several companies, with regard to firearms, and make a return of all deficiencies." It wa~ also ordered that a sum not exceed­ ing 40 pounds be applied to the purchase of ammunition for the battalion under the command of Col. John C. Symmes, and that said sum be im­ mediately raised in '~the three townships on the north west side of the Pahaquala mountain,'' and credited to them in ''the quota of said towns of the money to be raised in the county agreeable to the directions of the Provincial Congress.'' On motion of Thomas Anderson, it was resolved "that it be recommended to the Committee of Knowlton to get the As­ sociation in their town signed as speedily as possible, and to suppress any riot there in its infancy, as threats of a riot from that town had been reported." From this it appears that Knowlton was the only town­ ship in which contumacy had assumed so bold a front as to require the notice of the committee. The explanation of this circumstance, in my opinion, is to be found in the fact, that in this township James Moody, a brother of Bonnell Moody, resided. He was a royalist of the most in­ famous stamp, and in conjunction with Bonnell, labored to produce all the mischief he could. He succeeded in gathering around him a num­ ber of confederates, but the place soon became too hot to hold him and his tory coadjutor. He and they precipitately fled to the British lines, and his property, as well as the property of those who were governed by his traitorous counsels, was finally confiscated to the state. Thus far, in transcribing the proceedings of the Committee, I have invited your attention to those points which involved or contemplated needful action, without being intermingled with those expressions of sentiment which proclaim the spirit, or animus, which actuate associa­ tions of men. Let me tax your patience with one more extract from this document, to complete the picture, and show how brilliantly '' the fire of the old flint'' scintillated in the county of Sussex even at that 142 early day. On motion of John Cleve Symmes, the following preamble and resolution were adopted : "Whereas, There are some men, who, after having signed the Asso­ ciation, have basely turned their backs upon the sacred cause of liberty, and vilely aspersed her true sons, and wickedly endeavored and do still endeavor, to sow sedition, create confusion, and fill the minds of the good people of the county with groundless fear and jealously, to the great detriment of the public cause, that therefore this board take the same into consideration. Resolved, nem. con., That if any person or persons in any of the towns of this county, shall hereafter asperse any of the friends of liberty in this county on account of their political sentiments, or shall speak contemptuously or disrespectfully of the Continental or Provincial Con­ gresses, or of any of the Committees of and in this county, or of any measures adopted or appointed to be pursued by the Congresses or Com­ mittees for the public good and safety, on complaint being made thereof to any one of the Committee of the town where such person shall re-side, the Chairman shall, ,~ith the consent of a majority of said Committee, at the next meeting, issue an order to the captain of the next company of militia, to send a party of five or six men of his company, to take such offender or offenders and forthwith bring him or them before the said Committee ; and if such offender or offenders ~on proof being made of the fact laid to his or their charge, shall refuse to retract or express sor­ row and contrition for his or their offences, and will not promise amend­ ment in future, the said Chairman shall a day or two previous to the next meeting of the county Committee, direct said captain to send a party of his men as aforesaid, to take said offender or offenders, and bring him or them forthwith before the county Committee to be dealt with, according to his or their deserts.'' I have now :finished all that is necessary to quote from this docu­ ment, and I submit it to the judgment of this assemblage, whether in the face of so complete an organization of the sons of liberty, as is here shown, any considerable number of tories did or could make the county of Sussex a safe abiding place? The names which appear on the list of this Committee are worthy of being held forever in grateful remem­ brance. Two or three became men of distinction. William Maxwell, the Chairman, was a brigadier general in the army of Washington, and every inch a soldier. He served in the French War of 1755, as an officer of Provincial troops ; was with Braddock when that general was defeat­ ed, and fought under Wolfe at the taking of Quebec. He was afterwards attached to the Commissary Department, and was posted at Mackinaw, holding the rank of colonel. As soon as he heard that the Colonies which bordered upoL the Atlantic. had resolved to resist the Crown to death, rather than submit to be enslaved, he resigned his commission in the British army, marched on foot to Trenton, and tendered his services to the Provincial Congress, then in session. They were accepted, and a colonel's commission bestowed upon him, with orders to raise a battal­ ion to march for Quebec. He succeeded in enlisting a fine body of men, and was engaged in recruiting when the meeting of the Sussex county Committee of Safety, in August, 1775, was held. He took up his line 143 of march according to orders, but the defeat of Montgomery occurred be­ fore he could possibly reach Quebec, and nothing remained but to re­ tul"n to head-quarters. He was S'JOn after raised to the rank of brigadier­ general1 and served ,v1th distinction in the battles of Germantown, :rt!onmouth, Brandywine Springfield, Wyoming and elsewhere. His per­ sonal frankness and the absence of all haughtiness in his manners, made him a great favorite with the soldiers ; but his merits, as is too often the case, excited envy ; some of the officers, who boasted a more aristo­ cratic lineage, than he could claim, showed much jealously of his ad­ vancement ; and in 1782, when one of this class, succeeded in obtaining promotion over his head, he resigned his commission. He enjoyed to the last the special regard of Gen. Washington, who frequently eulogized him in his letters. Unfortunately for biographical purposes Gen, Max­ well's house took fire just after the close of the Revolution, and all his valuable papers and correspondence ·were destroyed. ·:t- His brother, Capt. John 1\i!axwell, in the darkest hour of the Revolutionary conflict, when Washington had been forced to evacuate New York, and was retreating hither and thither through the Jerseys-when his dispirit­ ed troops dropped off daily, and when his forces had become so reduced that it is said he could call every man by name he had under him-ap­ peared with one hundred men, recruited in Greenwich and the neigh­ boring townships, and tendered their services to the great chieftain. It was upon this occasion that Washington. surprised and gratified, ex­ claimed "What ! one hundred men, good and true, from Sussex!" im­ porting thereby that he was agreeably astonished to find, that while the people of the counties which were peculiarly exposed to the ravages of the British troops, were falling way from him, the men who were secure­ ly nestled in the mountains had not caught the infection, as he feared might be the case but remained in adversity, as they had been in pros­ perity, "good and true." This anecdote which involves a. great compli­ ment, has been distorted by the slanderers of our county into precisely

* The following inscription. written by his friend and compatriot. Gov. Howell. of New Jersey. is placed over the remains of this gallant officer. in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich township ; Beneath this marble Lies the body of BRA.GA.DIER-GENERAL WILLIAM MAXWELL. Eldest son of John and Anne Maxwell. of the township of Greenwich. county of Sussex. and State of New-Jersey. who departed this life On the 4th of November. in the year of our Lord. 1796. In the 63d year of his Age. In the Revolutionary \Var which established the Independence of the United 8tates He took an early, an active part ; A distinguished military partisan, He arose, through different grades of the American Army. To the rank of Brigadier-General : A Genuine Patriot, H~ was a firm and decided Friend To the Constitution and Government of his Country : In Private Life. he was equally devoted to its service. And to the good of the community of which he was a member. An honorable and charitable Man. A warm and affectionate Friend, A zealous advocate of the Institutions and And an active promotor of the Interests of the Christian Religion. 144 opposite meaning-it has actually been adduced as a proof that Washing­ ton did not think there were one hundred honest patriots in Sussex ! Nothing, I am confident, could have been farther from his real opinion. Even had he doubted the integrity of our people he would ne-ver have proclaimed it ; he was not precipitate in forming his judgment nor petulant in his expressions ; and they who distort his meaning in this instance, not only insult the people of this county but cast dishonor upon the memory of Washington. Capt. Maxwell's company pro,ed a valu­ able acquisition to the American army, "ere efficient in aiding to turn the tide of the Revolution at Trenton, and did good service in the fierce conflict of the Assanpink, and the sanguinary battle at Princeton.* Thomas Anderson, Clerk of the Committee of Safety, remained in the county, ferreting out the tories and bringing them to the test of giving in their adhesion to the cause of liberty, or submitting t.o such painsand pen­ alties as could be legally inflieted upon them. In this work, he was heart­ ily assisted by Evi Adams, Esq., of Wantage, and James Davison, Esq., of Greenwich. For a considerable portion of the war he acted as Assistant Deputy Quarter :Master General. and attended to forwarding flour, chopped feed, hemp, &c., from this county, for the sustenance and use of the army. The three points to which supplies from Sussex were sent, were Trenton, l!orristown and N~w Windsor. Cctvalry horses, which were worn down in the service, were consigned to l\Ir. Anderson, who had to procure keep­ ing proper to resuscitate and fit them for a.cti'\"'e service. This office was one of great importance, and l\Ir. A. discharged it with skill and fidelity. There were few wagons in the county, and it was necessary to procure some from a distance. Teams were scarce and dHfi~ult to be obtained. Besides, our roads were new, and ill adapted to teaming purposes. Yet M:r. A. persevered, until it was found in1practicable to forward supplies with the means at command ; in this emergency, an order was received by :Mr. Anderson's principal, ~loore Furman, from General Washington, empowering him to impress teams~ whenever necessary, and where forage could not be

But why Man's merit or his worth disclose. While doomed to mou der in this dread abode? Our Hope of Endless happiness repose. Alone on our Redeemer and our God. • The following inscription upon the tombstone of this sterling patriot. in the Green­ wich churchyard. briefly recites his history and describes his worth : In Memory of JOHN l\IA.XWELL. ESQ.• Second son of John and Anne Maxwell. He was born in the county of Tyrone. Ireland. Nov. ~th. A. D .• 1739. And at an early age emigrated with his Father rro New Jersey. He was a Lieutenant in the First Company raised in Sussex County. for the defence of his adopted Country, In the Hevolutionary \Var : And soon after. in the darkest hour of her fortunes, joined the Army of General \Vashington. as Captain of a Company of Volunteers. He was engaged in the Battles of Trenton. Princeton. Brandywine. Germantown. Monmouth and Springfield. And ever distinguished him';elf as a brave and able officer. Havin~ served his Country in various civil and military offices. And faithfully discharged his various dutie5. As a Soldier. Citizen. and a Christian. He closed a long and useful life. at his residence At Flemington. February. 15th. A. D.1828. In the Eighty-Ninth year of his Age. 145 procured by purchase, to impress supplies of that also.* This delicate duty Mr. A. discharged with firmness-the public interests demanded extraordi­ nary measures-and, if there were a few cases of individual hardship pro­ duced by this summary system of management, the general good was pro­ moted. The army supplies raised in Sussex, and forwarded to the various military posts, were of great efficacy in strengthening the sinews of war; and all engaged in this useful business were quite as effectually rolling on the ball of Revolution, as they who" spent their dearest action in the tented field." Mr. Anderson was appointed in 1785, the first Surrogate in our coun­ ty, which office he held by successive re-appointments, until his death, in 1807. He was also acting Clerk of the county from the year 1770 to to 1777. Col. John C. Symmes, a leading member of the Committee, repaired with the battalion under his command to }!orris county, in the fall of 1776, and formed a part of the brigade of Col. Jacob Ford. On the 14th of December, in that year. while quartered at Chatham, and charged with the duty of covering the retreat of Washington through New Jersey, Col. Ford received intelligence that 800 British troops, commanded by Gen. Leslie, had ad­ vanced to Springfield, four miles from Chatham, and he ordered Colonel Symmes to proceed to Springfield and check the approach of the enemy. if possible. Accordingly, Col. S , with a detachment of the brigade, marched to that village, and attacked the British in the evening. This was one of the first checks Leslie met with after leaving Elizabethtown, but others soon followed, and his further progress in that direction was effectually stopped. In the skirmish at Springfield, Capt. Samuel Koykendahl, of this county, had his hand split from the middle finger to the wrist by a musket ball-a wound which ultimately deprived him of the use of his arm. Col. Symmes, being soon after made one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, his judicial duties compelled him to retire from the field. A few years after the Independence of the United States was established, Judge Symmes removed to Obio, where his accomplished daughter attracted the attention of a gallant officer of the army, in command of Fort Hamilton, and was united to him in marriage. This young officer was William Henry

--The following is a literal transcript of a copy of General Washington's order for the impressment of teams, &c., found among the papers of the late Thomas Anderson, Esq., of Newton, viz.: To :M:oORE FURYA.,.~, ESQ., Deputy Q. M. Genl. , The present critical and important conjuncture requiring every possible effort to forward the Stores and Provisions for the use of the Army, and the present embarrassm~nt in the Quarter l\Iaster Genera:'s Department render­ ing it impracticable to provide competent means in the ordinary way. You are hereby authorized and empowered to impress in as many teams in the State of New Jersey, as you may find necessary for the Purpose above men­ tioned with respect to those articles which are under your direction. And in order that an adequate supply of forage n1ay be had, you will provide, by purchase, impress or otherwise the quantity necessary, for which this shall be your warrant. Given at Head-Quarters, Robinson's house, State of New York, July 30th~ 1780. (Copy.) 146 Harrison, who after a life of patriotic public service, had his dying eyes closed by the wife of his youth in the Executive Mansion of the United States at Washington. Timothy Symmes, a brother of John C., was an active man in the Revolution, and a Judge of our Courts. He was the father of John Cleve Symmes, Jr., whose novel theory that the earth, like an eviscerated pumpkin, was hollow-that its interior was habitable, and that an orifice to enter this terrestrial ball would undoubtedly be found at the north pole-attracted great attention throughout the United States some thirty years ago, more especially as a very eloquent lawyer named Rey­ nolds, became a convert to Symmes's views, and made addresses in support of their soundness in all our principal cities. Poor Symmes wearied out his existence in a vain effort to produce means for fitting an expedition to ex­ plore the inner portion of the shell of the earth; he gained however, more kicks than coppers. and only succeeded in furnishing a theme for the wits of the land to exercise their waggery upon. '' Symmes's Hole" not only figured in newspapers, but grog-shops bore it upon their signs with various devises to illustrate it. On~ I recollect, was the representation of a hollow watermelon, with a tiny mouse peeping out of the orifice at its polar extrem­ ity; to see if Symmes's Expedition had yet" hove in view. " Capt. Joseph Harker, another member of the Comn1ittee of Safety, was in active service, and distinguished himself at the battle of Laxawaxon, as it was originally designated, but which is now more generally known as the battle of Minisink. As the circumstances connected with this bloody con­ flict are of dirf=!ct interest to our citizens, it will be necessary to go some­ what into detail. The Minisink country which, in the war of 1756, was pe­ culiarly exposed to Indian hostilities, continued to be in the war of the Revolution a favorite theatre for the Indians to display their ferocity. That ill-fated region suffered greater calamities from the irruptions of the savages in the struggle for American Independence than it did when first subjected, some twenty years previously, to the merciless sway of the tomahawk and scalping-knife. This last terrible infliction they would have been spared, had not the British Government allied itself with the Indians, and urged them on to massacre the settlers-to spare neither age nor sex, but to riot in indiscriminate butchery. There is scarcely a family in all that beautiful scope of country but can trace its connection with some one or more victims to that infernal compact between th~ English ministry and the American savages; and never, until the human intellect shall be incapable to transmit from sire to son the stoLV of unexpiated wrong, will the British name in that quarter cease to be loathed and execrated. No Christian nation ever sullied its escutcheon with so foul and dastardly a crime as Great Britian did when she sent forth the untameable red men of our forests to slaughter the women and children upon our frontiers. The first bloody proofs which the dwellers on the boarders of the Delaw·are had of this atrocious alliance, was in 1777, when a party of savages slaughtered t·wo or three families north of the Navarsink, anci then crossed into :Montague, where they tomahawked a family named Jobs, and next attacked the d \-Yelling of Capt. Abraham Shimer, who by the assistance of three or four negro servants, and by the indomitable resistenue which he himself made, compelled them to retire. In a few days after, they returned and captured a Mr. Patterson and his two small boys; but Mr. Patterson managed to escape, when near the borders of 147 Canada, and after enduring incredible hardships, at last found his way back.* His two children remained with the Indians, grew up to manhood among them, and adopted their mode of life. These events opened a field for the employment of our local militia ; and the valley of the Delaware was the scene for two or three years of active service. Among the officers who commanded in this region, and who by their efficiency protected our State so well that the savages confined their atrocities almost exclusively to those portions of Minisink lying in New York and Pennsylvania, were Colonels Hankinson and Seward, 1'Iajors :Meeker and Westbrook, and Captains Cort­ right, Harker, Shafer, Beckwith, Rosenkrantz, Bockover, Winter and Hover. The block-houses in the " three river townships" stretching from the Water Gap to Carpenter's Point. were furnished with men to defend them, and scout­ ing parties were kept almost constantly in motion. Brandt, the Mohawk Chief, who bore the commission of a British colonel, in the autumn of 1778, after carrying fire and slaughter through the valley of Wyoming, appeared in the Minisink country at the head of about one hundred Indians and tories, but he confined his atrocities to the settlements north of the Jersey boundary

* Mr. Patterson, being carelessly gu~rded, while a prisoner, had several opportunities of escaping, but as he hoped to save his sons, he continued with the Indians until within one day's journey of the Niagara frontier, where he was confident a cruel death awaited him. In the night, while the Indians were asleep, he took two horses, which they had stolen from him, and escaped. The second day, being without food, he killed one of them. The other being alarmed at the scent of blood, broke loose, and Mr. Pat­ terson, going in pursuit, not only lost him. but was unable to find the spot where his slaughtered companion lay. In the course of this day he heard Indians yelling in pursuit. He: howe\'"er eluded them, and travelled on by the sun for five days. without any food except buds and roots, and a snake and a toad he had killed, when he arrived at the head waters of the Susque­ hanna. There he crooked a pin for hook, and attaching it with a worm at the end of a line made·of the bark of a slippery elm, caught five .fish and ate them raw. This appeased his hunger and gave him strength to construct a rude raft, on which he floated down to the Wyoming settlements, and from thence home. '£he sons were adopted by the Indians, become domesticated among them, and thoroughly savage in their habits. Elias, the younger, when a man, returned to Montague, and married, still retaining many of his Indian customs. Here he resided until 1888, when he and hi~ wife left for the Tuscarora Reservation.-Hist. Coll. pp., 470. 471. Rhice Nicholas, Esq., of Flanders, :Morris county, communicates to me an Indian adventure, which he derived from S. P. Hull, Esq.. of l\:Iorristown. It appears that about the period Paterson was captured, three Indians, after lying in wait for some time, succeeded one moonlight night in taking Major Vancampen, of Walpack, prisoner. I think his name was Moses, a son of Judge Abraham Vancampen, and consequently he belonged to a family whom the savages had been taught to stand in dread of. Their object was to take him to the head waters of the Susquehanna, and there murder him by lingering torture. They pinioned his arms, and two led him, while the third guarded him with rifle and tomahawk, the others also being armed in the same way. At night they compelled him to lie down with his elbows tied to his back, one of his captors, reposing on each side of him, and the other standing guard. It so happened, however, that all three of the Indians fell asleep, when Vancampen by a desperate exertion of mus­ cular power burst his fetters asunder. and, quick as thought, seizP-d a toma­ hawk and killed two of the three sleeping sa.vages. The other awoke, and springing to his feet, ran for his life. VanCamp3n hurled the tomahawk after him, with such sure aim that it struck him on the shoulder and stuok 148 line, murdering a few families* there, and then returning to the confines of Canada. In Julv~ 1779, he re-appeared with a larger force, and dividing it into small detachments, accomplished in a few days a horrible. amount of pillage and massacre, the principal sufferers being the settlers on the borders of the Navarsink river A number of the inhabitants who were assembled to bury a deceased neighbor were suddenly attacked just as they were bearing the corpse from the door of the house. by a party of Indians who had lain in ambush, and seYeral were brutally murdered. Jeremiah Van Auken, a schoolmaster, was dragged from his school, and slaughtered in the presence of the children assembled there, and the little ones would also have been indiRcriminately toma,hawked, had not Brandt himself appeared, and by a sudden impulse of humanity, interfered and saved the major portion of them.+ This Brandt was the son of a Ger­ man by a Mohawk squaw, and receh·ed a Christian education at Dartmouth College. It is not improbable that when he saw this array of youthful pu­ pils, old memories of boyhood crowded his mind~ and constrained him to stay the hand of slaughter. James Vanauken, an uncle of Jeremiah, was killed about the same time at his " fort,'' in what is called "the lower neighborhood," on the Navarsink. His place had been attacked by a band of Indians, whom he repulsed, and their firing ceased. To satisfy himself, however, that they had decamped, he ascended to the roof, and was taking

fa..c:;t. the Indian not attempting to withdraw it until he was well out of sight. VanCampen gathered up the rifles and other accoutrements of the fallen Indians, and returned safely to his friends. Vancampen afterward removed to Alleghany Co., N. Y., and Mr.Hull some thirty years ago. settled there also and edited a newspaper. He became ac­ quainted with VanCampen as a J erseyman, and also formed an intimacy with an old Indian in the vicinity, whom he understood had in his early days resided near the Jersev frontier on the Delaware. l\Ir. Hull introduced Van­ Campen to the Indian~ and he turned out to be the same person that had run­ away with the tomahawk sticking in his shoulder-in proof of which he showed Hull and Van Campen the scar made by that weapon. Thenceforth the two old enemies became warm friends, and so continued until Van Camp­ en died. :E-They first fell upon the family of :M:r. Westfall, and killed one man. They next attacked the house of ~Ir. Swartwout. who was at home with his sons, the women having been removed to the fort. They all endeavored to escape, but one of the sons was shot down between the house and barn. An­ other ran to the rivar half a mi.le off, swam it, and was shot near the opposite shore. The father. an old man, and. two of his other sons assisting hin1, ran on together, but finding that they would soon be overtaken, the father told his son James. a very active, strong man. to run and save himself, which he did. The Indians pursued hin1 half a mile over fences and across lots, when he gained the fort, and they gave up the chase. The fat.her and the other son were soon overtaken and clespatched.-Eager's Hist. of Orange county, p. 386. This same James Swartwout, some ten rronths afterward, happened to be in Van Etten's black~mith shop, ,T•hen the Indians suJdenly came in sight. He crawled up the chimney. and remained there undetected, although the savages made a pretty thorough search of the premises. t Some of the boys in the school were c1eft with the tornahawk ; others fled to the woods for concealment from their bloody assailants : while the little girls stood by the slain body of their teacher bewildered and horror struck, not knowing their own fate, whether death or captivity. While they were standing in this pitiful condition, a strong muscular Indian suddenly 149 a survey of the field, when an Indian, ·who lay concealed, discharged his rifle with fatal effect, and he fell a corpse. About the same period the in­ habitants generally attended the funeral services of one of their number at the l\Iahackenack Church, "and when the procession was leaving it for the burying ground, (says the Rev. P. Kanouse,) the Indians came down upon their settlement, and, before they had time to reach their homes, the flames of the church gave signs of their narrow escape, and the smoke of their mills~ barns and houses, foreshowed the doom of Navarsink. Some of the whites-the number is unknown-were massacred in the most mer­ ciless manner ; others, and among them mothers with their children in their arms or by their sides, fled to thickets, swamps and standing grass, for concealment and safety.'' These and many other atrocities, which I have not time to recount, were committed in the brief space of two or three days, and by the morning of the 20th July, 1779, the inhabitants had almost to a man fled from the settlement. Col. Tustin, of Goshen, who received on the evening of that day, an express acquainting him with the calamities which had been inflicted upon the Navarsink region, summoned the officers of his regiment, with all the men they could gather, to rendezvous the next day at Minisink. They promptly attended, and Major lieeker and Capt. Harker, of the Sussex militia, with a number of men under their command, also ap­ peared on the ground. A consultation was forthwith held. The enemy, it was then reported, was 500 strong, 200 of which were tories painted so as to resemble Indians, and the whole under command of Col. Brandt. It was consequently thought by Col. Tustin unadvisable, with the small force then assembled, to pursue the Indian invaders. But Maj. Meeker, a bold and resolute man, but of rash and impetuous disposition, mounted his horse, and, drawing his sword, exclaimed ''Let the brave men follow me-cow­ ards may stay behind ?" This energetic language decided the question, and the concourse, falling into military order: marched in pursuit of the enemy, and at a distance of seventeen miles from the place of rendezvous halted for the night. On their march, Col. Hathorn, of Warwick, with a small detach­ ment of men, joined them. They encamped on the samQ ground which the Indians and tories had occupied the night before. Here evidences were visible that the force of the enemy was full as great as had been represented ; and again Col. Tustin advised against proceeding further without increasing their numbers by re-inforcements. In this counml, Col. Hathorn, ,vho w·as his senior, and who had taken command of the expedition, entirely concurred. But Meeker, by an appeal to the cour- come along, and with a brush dashed some black paint across their aprons, bidding them "hold up the mark when they saw an Indian coming and it vrould sa,e them ;" and ·with the yell of a savage, plunged into the woods and disappeared. This was Brandt, and the little daughters of the settlers were safe. The Indians, as they passed along and ran from place to place, saw the black mark, and left the children undisturb­ ed. The happy thought, like a flash of lightning, entered these little sisters, and suggested that they should use the mark to save their broth­ ers. The scattered boys were quickly assembled, and the girls threw their aprons over the clothes of the boys and stamped the black impres­ sion upon their oute!" garments. They in turn, held up the palladium of safety as the Indians passed and repassed, and these children were thus saved from injury and death to the unexpected joy of their parents. 150 age of the party assembled, similar to that made by him in the outset, overturned all dissuasive arguments, and the interception and attack of the Indians was resolved upon at all hazards. On the morning of the 22nd the march was resumed, and in a few honr8, our troops being in the hills which skirt the Delaware, saw the Indians leisurely strolling along near the river, abQut three-quarters of a mile ahead. Intervening hills and trees, however, soon shut them from sight, and the 1u.ilitia push­ ed on, intending to attack Brandt opposite the month of the Lackawack, where he had forwarded his plunder, and where there was a fording place for crossing the river. But the wily Indian, under cover of the hills, passed to the right, concealed his force in a deep ravine, over which our troops marched without suspicion, and soon he showed him­ self in the rear. This gave him an opportunity to choose his point of attack. He managed to detach about 50 of our men from the main body~ leaving only 80 for him to contend against. These latter he completely surrounded, and exerted all his energies to exter1ninate. The beleagnred militia, being short of ammunition reser-\·ed their fire, while the circle of the Indians and tories was rapidly contracting but when they did dis­ charge their pieces, the precision of their aim told upon the savages with deadly effect. But bravery availed little ; for just at the point when Brandt was about to beat a retreat, a failure of ammunition left no other resource for our men than to club their muskets and prepare for a :flight. Dr. Wilson, in describing this battle says ; "Several attempts to break into our lines had failed, but just as the fire began to slacken, one man who had guarded the north east angle of the hollow square, and who had kept up from behind a rock, a destructive fire upon the enemy, fell, and the Indian and tory crew broke in upon our ranks lixe a resistless deluge.'' I have authority for saying that the man who thus held the Indians in check was Moses Dewitt, of Wantage, nor did he fall as represented ; his musket, by repeated discharges, became too hot for handling, and seeing at a little distance a comrade, who had a gun which he was not using, for he seemed intent only upon seltering himself from the enemy; Dewitt started to get that unemployed gun; in doing so he exposed his person, and the balls immediately rattled around him like hail ; he :fled for his life; a number of the enemy pursued him ; they fired at him repeatedly; but soon a ravine presented itself ; he turned into it, and the Indians fortunately lost his trail. Venturing out as soon as he dared, he laid his course for the nearest block-house ; upon reaching the river :flat, he overtook two of his comrades, one of whom could not walk, having cut and lacerated his feet by running upon the rough stones and rocks. Dewitt had a canvass jacket, which he took off, rent it in twain, and bound the man's feet. Still he could not travel ; and so, to drag him to as good a place of concealment as could. be found with­ out loss of time, and take care of themselves, were their only alterna­ tives, and they fortunately proved effectual. Soon after they reached the fort, a horse was procured, and under cover of night, their crippled com­ rade was found, and his life was saved. Of the eighty men engaged in the action, forty-four were killed in battle, or died of their wounds in the surrounding forest. Col. Hathom, :M:aj. Meeker, and Capt. Harker were among the survivors. The bones of the victims were gathered 151 forty-three years after the massacre, and interred at Goshen, where a monument to perpetuate their memory has been erected, with forty-four names inscribed thereon. How many of these patriotic victims belonged to this county I am ur able to say. I can speak positively of only three, viz. : Daniel Talmage, Capt. Stephen 1t'.fead and Nathan Wade, although it is not irnprobable that at least one-fourth of the whole were citizens of Sussex. I am particular in mentioning these facts, because the history of this battle, as given by Dr. Willson, in his address at Gos­ hen, on the 22d of July, 1822, upon the occasion of interring the bones of the ill-fated men, does not recognize any other persons than citizens of Orange county as having taken part in the action. Nor does Dr. W. stand alone in thus withholding credit from those to whom credit is due. The share which Sussex is justly entitled to in that memorable display of human bravery, is excluded from view by nearly every writer who has attempted to describe the battle. But fortunately we have upon the judicial records of our county abundant proofs, given under the signa­ tures of Col. Hathorn and others, to warrant us in correcting history on this point. The claim of old Sussex to a participation in the honors as well as the adversities of Minisink, rests upon an impregnable basis. Whatever of glory was won in that sanguinary conflict by the dauntless valor of her sons, is hers by indefeasible right ; and I now prot-est on her behalf against all the attempts which have been made to rob her of her inheritance. "Let justice be done though the heavens fall." Soon after the battle of Minisink, Gen. Sullivan was dispatched with 4,000 men to chastise the Indian allies of Great Britain. This ex­ pedition was completely successful ; he broke up their settlements on the Susquehanna. and drove the Five Nations to the Niagara front­ ier. They never again made an irruption into the settlements on our north-western borders, and that portion of our county has reposed ever since in uninterrupted security. All traces of those days of calamity have disappeared ; the men who participated in the perilous encounters which no,v live in our fire-side memories, have also passed away ; and their possessions, which were literally baptized in fire and blood, are now enjoyed in peace by their children and grand-children. I have little more to add to the Revolutionary annals of Sussex. She honored the drafts made upon her from time to time for men and means, during the struggle for Independence. But the names of those who re­ sponded to the calls of their country have not been preserved. Besides the officers already mentioned, I may add that Col. Kennedy and Col. Gardiner both commanded regiments of the Sussex militia, and Majors Robert Hoops, Abm. Besherrer and Thos. Dunn were likewise in active service. I have reasons for believing that a regiment of Sussex militia, under Col. John Rosenkrantz, accompanied Gen. Sullivan in his cam­ paign against the Five Nations. One battalion of this regiment, led by Major Samuel Westbrook, had an engagement with a party of Indians on the 19th of April, 1780, in which Capt. Peter Westbrook was killed. In the year 1780, on the 4th day of July, the ladies of Trenton, "emulating "(to use their own language,) "the noble example o~ their patriotic sisters of Pennsylvania., and being desirous of manifesting their zea.l in the glorious cause of American Liberty,'' assembled, and took 152 measures to open a general subscription throughout New Jersey," "for the relief and encouragement of those braYe men in the Continental Army, who, regardless of danger have so repeatedly suffered, fought and bled in the cause of virtue and their oppressed country." They appoint­ ed ladies in every county in the State to receive and forward donations. Those who were deputed to act in Sussex county, were Mrs. Robert Ogden, Jr., of Hardyston ; l\Irs. l\Iark Thompson, of Hardwick ; Mrs. Robert Hoops, of Oxford ; and lrirs. Thomas Anderson, of Newton, Hwhose known patriotism" (says the circular of appointment,) "lea\-es no room to doubt of their best exertions in an undertaking so humane and praiseworthy. '' I mention this incident to show that the women· of the Revolution took an active part in securing the liberty of the country. Their exer­ tions in the cause were unobtrusive. yet none the less effective. It was appropriate that the men should take that position in the great struggle, which made their services conspicuous ; but it is not appropri­ ate, nor just, in us, their descendants, to overlook and forget the mothers of the land in paying the tribute of gratitude which we owe to our fath­ ers. They beheld husband, father, brother, son, go forth to battle ; yet they complained not, nor allowed the great deprivations which they en­ dured to prostrate their energies. As a general rule, they rose superior to adversity. Besides discharging the household duties to which they had been accustomed, they cheerfully went forth to the :fields and successfully pe:rform.ed those hardy tasks which in civilized communities are properly imposed upon masculine muscles. Just listen a moment to a paragraph which is extracted from a newspaper, dated July 25, 1776 : "We hear from New Jersey and Connecticut, that a great part of the men being absent on military service, and the time of harvest com­ ing on, the women, assisted by the elderly men whose age rendered them unfit for the army, have so effectually exerted themselves, that they have generally got in their harvest completely, tte laudable example being set by the ladies of the first character in each place. And we are credi­ bly informed that many of them have declared that they will take the farming business upon themselves, so long as the Rights and Liberties of their country require the presence of their Sons, Husbands and Lovers in the field. ' ' After such testimony as this to the patriotic manner in which the females of the Revolution deported themselves, I need not add any­ thing further than to remark that the women of Sussex, in self-denial, in patient endurance, and in display, when needed, of truly heroic quali­ ties, were exceeded by none in the land. Here they have been known to take up the rifle to defend themselves against the ; Indians, or to mount the fleet charger and ride for miles through the wilderness, amid storm and darkness, to summon aid ,vhen danger was impending. Such were your mothers, citizens of Sussex-women who possessed all the tenderness of feeling, all the shrinking modesty ,vhich becomes the sex but who scorned, as all right minded females ought to scorn, that con­ temptible affectation of timidity which shrieks to see a spider crawl and swoons at the sight of a mouse. I have thus, fellow citizens, dug from the grave of the past few 153 facts and incidents illustrative of the early history of this county. I have groped darkly through your buried annals, picking up here and there a frag1nent, ,vhich, however imperfect in itself, may yet possess great relative significance. The comparative anatomist needs only a tooth, a claw, or scale, to enable him to give you an outline of the beast, bird, or fish which it prefigures ; and I presuade myself that I have placed before you sufficient remanants of the early history of your county, to serve as the basis of a tolerably clear conception of the form and linea­ ments of Ancient Sussex. What events have transpired, and what progress in the arts of life has been made since the Revolutionary era, neither my time nor your patience will allow me to describe. Suffice it to say, that this county in all national emergencies has remained true to the spirit of 1776. She has never faltered in her patriotism. In the year 1794, two companies of her cavalry volunteered to take part in the Western Expedition against the'' Whiskey Boys, '' as the insurrectionists in Pennsy1 v-ania, who under­ took to resist by force a tax imposed by Government upon distilleries, were called. One of these companies was commanded by Capt. Abra­ ham Shafer, of Stillwater, and the other by Capt. Cadwallader Evans, then one of the proprietors of the Andov-er Mine and Furnace, but after­ wards a leading citizen of Philadelphia. They were absent from the county three months, and though by the submission of the insurgents, no opportunity had been afforded for ';:fleshing their maiden swords,'' they had the satisfaction of being presented at Bedford, Pa., to the im­ mortal Washington-an incident much more gratifying to be dwelt upon in after life, than any event that could have transpired had they been reduced to the sad alternative of shedding fraternal blood. Capt. James Conov-er, of this county, was also engaged in this service, commanding, I believe, a company in the Regular Army. In the war of 1812, Sussex county responded to every call made upon her, and sent forth her sons to repel the aggressor, with an alacrity and heartiness worthy of her character and fame. I might dwell at some length upon this manifestation of her patriotism ; but it is not essential at this time ; there are men round me whose memories comprehend the whole of that glorious period, and who have doubtless by their fire-sides made their children familiar wth its history. In 1765, when the Court House was opened for public business at Newton, there were eight small houses of worship in our county, which altogether did not cost $3,000 ; now there are in the same territory ninety-two, valued with the lands attached, at $193,800. At the same date there were not more schools in the county than churches ; now there are in Sussex and Warren two hundred and thirty-seven, and in addi­ tion, sev-eral classical academies for young men, and seminaries for young ladies. On the 8th day of January, 1796, the first newspaper was issued in Sussex, entitled the "Farmers' Journal and Newton Adver­ tiser," printed by Elliot Hopkins and William Rustin ; but it died in about a year from its birth, for want of sustenance. The county then contained more than 20,000 inhabitants; but our fathers, I am sorry to say, had not yet become a reading people. Now there are in Sussex and 154 Warren four* .flourishing newspapers, although the population has only increased, since 1796, about 100 per cent. Well patronized journals are only found in those communities where intelligence and enterprise abound. There is no surer test of general thrift than this. The presence of a newspaper in a family is a proof that the seeds of education have been sown therein ; and where education has germinated, good fruit, with rare exceptions, is the product. In a former portion of my rambling and discursive remarks, I touch­ ed upon the subject of Agriculture. This pursuit is the most ancient, the most important, and the most useful of human arts and avocations ; and it has from the beginning, in this county, been the main stay of our prosperity. In the first settlements made upon our soil, a mere sub­ sistence appeared to be all that was aimed at, and little produce was raised beyond what was consumed upon the spot. Farming implements were few, and of rude construction, and the ground was scratched rather than cultivated. The land was natural to grass ; and cattle, which could be driven to market, when roads were nearly unknown, were al­ most the only articles of exportation. t When mills began to be erected, grain in small quantities became a merchantable commodity, the millers being the forwarders. Indian Corn, for many years after the settlement of our county, was not cultivated. Probably, as late as 1780, there were not five acres devoted to this useful product in our whole county.+ Tim­ othy and clover, which now form so important an element of our prosper­ ity, were introduced at even a later date. There are men now present who can recollect when these grasses first made their appearance here. The chief improvements in agriculture have been made within fifty

* The "Sussex Register" was established in the year 1813, by John H. Hall, who is still its proprietor ; the "Belvidere Apollo." (now call­ ed the ''Belvidere Intelligencer,'') was first issued in 1824, by Charles Sitgreaves, and _is now published by A. C. Hulzhizer ; the "New Jer­ sey Herald" was established in 1828, by Grant Fitch, and is now pub­ lished by V. M. Drake ; and the "Warren Journal" was established in 1832, by John S. Brown, and is now published by Wm. H. Heminover. t In early days, horseback riding was a universal accomplishment­ the females being quite as expert as the males in managing the spirited steed. Old and young traveled in this way, as well when paying a visit a few miles off, as when taking a journey. The wives and daughters of those farmers who could afford it, had riding horses for their especial use. Seventy years ~go, in what is now the heart of our county, wagons for farming purposes were almost unknown. Grain was generally car­ ried in the winter, on sleds, to those points where millers or merchants purchased it. The precursors of wagons for agricultural operations, were ox-carts, of rude construction, with wheels sawed from large butts, having holes made in their centres to receive the axle. About 40 years ago, the chair and gig were introduced and used, until the light four-wheeled carriage appeared, and entirely superseded them. + The late Thomas Armstrong, Esq., who emigrated to Sussex from 1Iiddlesex county, first became acquainted with this section of the State by bringing Indian corn hither and exchanging it for wheat. He follow­ ed this business as late as the year 1784, at which time, to the best of his knowledge, Indian corn was not cultivated here. It was the universal belief of Sussex farmers seventy years ago, that it was too cold in this mountainous region for that grain to mature. 155 years; and what a change has thereby been wrought among us, not only in physical comforts, but in moral and intellectual wealth. Schools have sprung up everywhere, and churches ha-ve multiplied, just in pro­ portion as agricultural improvement has enhanced the general prosperi­ ty. Lands hidden by stones or submerged by stagnant waters have been cleared and drained, and made fruitful ; and, as if to furnish con­ clusive proof of the sympathy between matter and mind, the rank weeds and pestilent mists of ignorance have at the same time been removed from the popular intellect, and the fructifying light and air of know­ ledge been freely admitted. And yet, friends and fellow citizens, though much has been done, much more remains to be accomplished. Perfec­ tion is not yet reached. The full powers of our soil-the aggregate pro­ duction of which our county is capable-have never been tested. Agri­ culture, I may say, is yet in its infancy among us. We stand now upon the threshhold of a new era. One hundred years have passed since our county was carved out of a comparative wilderness, and when we look upon what it now is, and imagine what it has been, we feel that a mighty work has been wrought. But the next century will exhibit still mightier results. The iron horse now stands impatient upon our bord­ ers, and soon he will be in our midst, to be followed in a brief period by the magnetic telegraph-that wonderful agent of modern enterprise, that most astonishing contrivance of American ingenuity, which freights the lightning with the treasures of thought, bestows upon it the gift of speech, and causes it to pursue defined currents, the obedient vassal of the human will. Good roads, convenient access to the marts of com­ merce, and certainty and celerty of transportation, are the accessories of agricultural prosperity. These we have never yet had, but they are now at hand. For want of them, large tracts of our soil have not yet been brought into use, nor have those portions ·which have long been under cultivation been made to yield the p~ofusion of which they are suscepti­ ble. But the power of steam, ,vhich annihilates distance and brings remote communities into harmonious proximity, is soon to be exerted for our benefit, and a market for our commodities will be placed at our very doors. Then will our waste places be speedily reclaimed, our va­ cant lands be occupied, and all the latent fertility of our soil be fully developed. Instead of nine hundred tons of butter and three thousand tons of pork, we will p!."oduce double that amount per annum, realizing therefrom not much short of a million and a half dollars ; the number of cattle raised and fattened for sale will be greatly augmented, with a proportionable remuneration; the flocks of sheep upon our hills will be multiplied, materially enhancing ou:r.- "·ealth, as well by their fleeces as their flesh ; milk, young calves, poultry, eggs, honey, potatoes, &c., now regarded as compa:ratively of little valnc, will then be worthy of attention, and become sources of income to the annual amount of thou­ sands of dollars ; our surplus stores of grain ,vill not then be frittered away or wasted, yielding ns no appreciable increase, but the returns will be felt in the replenishment of our coffers ; our fruit trees, now producing a surplus almost entirely profitless, will then bear a burden which may be advantagecusly disposed of ; every thing, in short, requir­ ed for the sustenance or luxury of man, which is indigenous to our soil 156 and location, or susceptible of acclimation, not forgetting tbe luscious berries, the fruit of the chestnut, hickory and walnut, and the various medicinal herbs, which yield in their season in spontaneous profusion throughout our limits, may be made sources of gain; the timber and bark of our forests, too, with wild game that inhabits the tangled wood, will form prominent items in the estimate of our possessions, and add largely to the individual and general prosperity of our citizens. But. this summary of the resources of our county only points to the abundance that is, and may be, gleaned from the surface of the earth ; while the treasures which lie beneath-our inexhaustible mines of the best qualities of iron ore ; our vast beds of zinc and Franklini te, more valuable than the coveted "placers" of California ; our mountains of the finest limestone ; our quarries of marble ; our endless layers of the best slate ; our rich deposits of marl ; our vast beds of meadow muck, susceptible of ready conversion, by cheap scientific processes, into the very fertilizing material which our lands most need to be assimilated with-all fountains whence millions of wealth may be made to flow-are not taken into the account. Include the latter, however, and we apprehend that there are few sections of country whose resources, actual and latent, more imperiously require the power of steam to aid and stimulate them. Give us the modern facilities of intercourse-let us have for our bulky products and commodities a cheap, rapid and uninterrupted transit to the cities of the sea-board-exempt us from the ruinous rates of freight upon all that goes out or comes in to the county, upon all that we sell and a large portion of what we consume-and a spirit of activity will be awak­ ened, compared with which the present plodding for a livelihood will appear as a snail-like apathy. Give us the advantages which our posi­ tion and resources require, and our county will rapidly advance to the high destiny which should be attained by one so peculiarly blessed by that Being, who has made her vales fertile to exuberance, filled the bowels of her hills with treasures too vast to be computed, vouchsafed an unwonted share of salubrity to her atmosphere, crowned her highest mountains with trees and verdure, gemmed her surface with crystal lakes, crossed and divided it by silvery rills and rivulets, and so dispos­ ed of her scenery as to represent every form of rural beauty and sublim­ ity, and to impart to the higher qualities of the intellect and to the moral sense, those emotions of admiration and gratitude which prompt to deeds of benevolence, foster the spirit of patriotism, and incite to ,irtuous actions. When another hundred years shall be added to the age of our county, he '\\"'ho no,v speaks, and all who hear him, will rest beneath the clods of the valley. E,en the names of most of us ·will have faded away from the memory of men. But let us all act well our parts-let us be just to ourselves, and mindful at the same time of the welfare of those who are to come after us-and our works, cur improvements, our displays of public spirit, will live and honor us, even though our individual histor­ ies shall be forgotten. The fame of fe-w· men survh·es beyond the third generation ; for society is progressive, and much more disposed to pry into the future than dwell upon the past. Let us then leave our names to perish when they may, discarding all morbid longings for the ap- 1:57 planse of posterity, do our duty upon earth manfully, and by a Yirtuous life and conduct strive to i::ecure that incorruptible inheritance ~hich shall outlast the memory of the greatest of human achie'\"'ments, and en­ dure when pillared fame, pyramid and cenotaph shaU crumble to dust, and even the ''flaming bounds of til!!.e. e.nd space''' be swallov.-ed up in eternity.