I have just gotten some information that I must add to previously published posts on Nathaniel Saxton of Raven Rock.
The first will be added to Saxton in Raven Rock, as it concerns a business endeavor of his that I was previously unaware of: wool-carding.
The second addendum will be made to Saxton’s Saxtonville, in which an earlier date is found for the use of the village name of Saxtonville–1811, and we learn that Saxton also ran the ferry just south of Saxtonville.
Both of these interesting items were provided by Betty Davis, daughter of Anton and Bertha Schuck, formerly of Raven Rock. Betty, like her mother, is a life-long student of the history of this area.
The mill once owned by Mahlon Cooper and Robert Curry in Saxtonville became a hot potato during the War of 1812 and thereafter. It changed hands several times before Nicholas Baird acquired it in 1823.
Imagine Delaware Township being served by eleven different post offices, nearly all of them located within the township boundaries. This was necessary in the days before “Rural Free Delivery.” Getting one’s mail involved traveling to the nearest village, and in the process getting up to date on local news from others who were also collecting their mail, and visiting stores and taverns while they were at it. It sounds rather appealing, as long as the weather is nice.
In this article, I have listed the post offices first in chronological order and then alphabetically with their postmasters. I am tempted to add more biographical details, but that would turn this post into a book. Stockton has been included only for the time that it was a part of Delaware Township. It did not become an independent borough until 1898.
This post is a follow-up to the previous one about the Bray family of Delaware Township, Andrew Bray and Sarah Rittenhouse. That post includes copies of the portraits of Andrew and Sarah Bray by William Bonnell.
by Jonathan M. Hoppock published in The Democrat Advertiser, January 25, 1906
This article was written by J. M. Hoppock. I have added corrections and additions in footnotes. Mr. Hoppock’s very specific description of this building, which was demolished long ago, is invaluable to students of the township’s history and early architecture.
Mr. Bush Traces Ownership of Place Long Owned by Bray Descendants The Bray Family Portraits
by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, N.J. published by the Hunterdon Co. Democrat, April 19, 1934
The following article was written by Mr. Bush about a farm many people think of as the Chet Huntley farm or the Douglas Knight farm. I have added footnotes to flesh out the story.
Egbert T. Bush, for More Than 40 Years a Schoolmaster, Dies
Hunterdon County Democrat, November 25, 1937
This obituary was (almost certainly) written by D. Howard Moreau, one-time owner of the Hunterdon County Democrat, and long-time friend and admirer of Egbert T Bush.
This is another long post; it is the rest of a talk I gave in 1997 on Delaware Township villages (part one can be read here). Part two focuses on the villages in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There is far more to say about them, which I will attempt to do in future posts. Currently I have been researching the history of Raven Rock, which you can read about here and here.
