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    The Lawshe House

    Just because a lot is small, 8+ acres in this case, doesn’t mean it lacks an interesting history.

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    Cyrus Vandolah, Jr.

    Cyrus Vandolah, Jr. was an interesting character, the last of his line. Also interesting was his pet turtle.

  • Cyrus featured

    The Vandolah Farm

    Even though Cyrus Vandolah, Sr. did not live on the Vandolah farm, his photo was too good to pass up.

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    Sandy Ridge, part six

    I stumbled upon another Ent relative from the 1700s, but she remains a mystery.

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    Sandy Ridge, part five

    The properties near the Sandy Ridge Church all have interesting histories, most of them connected to the earliest families. But not all.

  • Ent Deed 1750 icon

    Sandy Ridge, part four

    Egbert T. Bush’s article on Sandy Ridge brings us back to the proprietor Dr. Robert Dimsdale

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    Sandy Ridge, part three

    Mr. Bush travels along the Sandy Ridge Road describing its 19th century residents and the beauty of its “big woods.”

  • SR Mt Airy Rd

    Sandy Ridge, part two

    Egbert T. Bush takes a stroll through the Sandy Ridge Cemetery and remembers those who have gone before.

Goodspeed Welcome to Goodspeed Histories, a website for Hunterdon County history, early West Jersey history, and the history of my home town, Delaware Township. I began the website in 2009 as a way to discover the history of my ancestor Samuel Green, one of the early settlers in West New Jersey. In the process I became fascinated with the political history of that place, which led to many posts on the West Jersey Proprietors. I hope to do more. When my home town celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2013, I had to pay attention to all the stories that can be told about it, and the same thing happened the next year when Hunterdon County celebrated its 300th anniversary. There is so much more to write about all these places, so much more to learn. In the process, I hope to encourage readers who know even more about these places and the people who have lived here to share their knowledge with me here on Goodspeed Histories.

—Marfy Goodspeed

Regarding the Top Menu

“About” provides some background on the website and the kind of articles to be found here.

“List of Posts” used to be called “My Latest Posts.” It is actually a chronological list of all the articles published, starting with the most recent. Which is why I changed the name.

“Families.” Clicking on this will bring you to a page that lists some of the most frequently discussed families. Clicking on a family name will give you a page listing all the articles linked to that particular family. This year I will be adding an extra article to these family pages–a family tree. Readers are encouraged to make additions and corrections in the comments section of the family tree pages.

“Localities.” Like Families, certain locations get studied more than others, and this link will also take you to a listing of those places, and clicking each name will take you to a page of articles where those places are discussed.

“Index of Articles.” The above “List of Posts” is not helpful if you want to see a list of articles on various subjects. The Index is arranged to show articles about West New Jersey, Hunterdon County, Delaware Township, and articles by local historians.

The GH Newsletter

I send out an email newsletter with information about my most recent article and other history and research items every other week. If you would like to receive these notices from Goodspeed Histories, click on the link at the top of the page.