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Choosing Sides

The 1856 presidential election changed the political landscape in Hunterdon as well as the country.

Gazette Oct 17 1855

Political Turmoil

John C. Hopewell and many others in Hunterdon got caught up in a political movement that presaged the Civil War.

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One Man Makes a Difference

John C. Hopewell brought the Village of Flemington into the modern era, in a good way.

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Hunterdon Businesses in 1850

Egbert T. Bush was intrigued by a business directory loaned to him by Harlem Buchanan. And so am I.

Reading Mansion side

A Store, A Bank, A Mansion

It is impossible to write about one building on Flemington’s Main Street without including nearby properties; their histories are all entwined.

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Coming into the Station

After crossing land of J. C. Hopewell and Wm Hill, it’s the end of the line for the Delaware-Flemington Railroad.

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. It is only meant as a list; to find particular families use the sidebar. Some of the family names on this page are in caps, which is meant to indicate that they have a published family tree. Clicking on those names will bring you to the tree, but not to other articles.

“LOCALITIES.” Like Families, certain locations get studied more than others, and links on this page will take you to a listing of those places. Clicking each name will take you to a page of articles where those places are discussed. However, the sidebar provides links to additional places that are mentioned in the articles.

“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. Note, April 2021: I am not happy with the arrangement on the old Index. Now that I have published well over 500 articles, it is time to reconsider this page. So I have added the note that it is currently under re-construction.

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 (or bottom) of the page.