Bowne Station

This article by Egbert T. Bush answers some questions about the Bowne farm that were raised in the previous post, “Dr. Bowne’s Homestead.“¹ Lora Olsen had pointed out that there were two houses on the property, one quite old, and one built in the mid 19th century. But it turns out there was a third house—one built for the slaves that lived on the farm.

In addition to the Bowne homestead, Mr. Bush also provides us with information about the homes of the Corle, Barber, Holcombe, Bosenbury, and Van Dolah families who all lived in the vicinity of Bowne Station and the Alexauken Creek, and also the African Americans living with these families. Mr. Bush writes of them in a way that would certainly be offensive today. But remember that despite his obvious humanity and kindness, he was writing in 1930 and was reflecting the opinions of the time.

Let’s Stop Off At Bowne Station For a Brief Stay

Dr. John Bowne Once Owned Large Acreage There
Bees Hurried a Funeral

by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, N.J.
published in the Hunterdon Co. Democrat, March 27, 1930

Down along the Flemington Railroad are many interesting things that did not come by train. They were here and along the Alexauken Creek long before Bowne Station or the railroad was dreamed of. The full age of that community, like that of many others of equal interest cannot be established. Proof in such matters is the great puzzle of present-day antiquarians. It is certain, however, that we may take any one of three or four points as our center, and be sure that we are surrounded by little communities that were ‘civilized’ well on to two hundred years ago.

Well, right there we run into some political incorrectness with the implication that Native Americans who preceded the European settlers were not “civilized.” But then, Mr. Bush did put the words in quotes, suggesting that this was a common attitude that he did not necessarily share. As for the idea that the area was well-settled by the early date of 1730, well—let’s see if he can make that case, beginning with the Moore-Bowne-Trout farm.

Let’s stop off at Bowne Station for a while and look around us for older things, feeling confident that we shall not be disappointed. The name “Bowne” at this place is about sixty years older than the railroad. Across the field northward from the station is the old Moore farm house in which Dr. John Bowne spent several years after coming here. The farm of 203 acres was conveyed by Henry Moore, Jacob Moore and Peter Moore, executors of the will of their father, Peter Moore, to John Bowne by deed dated June 19, 1795.² When it came into possession of the deceased [i.e., Peter Moore] is not revealed by the County records. Dr. Bowne farmed here and practiced medicine until the time of his death in 1857, sixty two years a surprisingly long term of service. His books still carefully preserved show that he had some busy professional times here, indicating that his farming activities must have been chiefly of a supervisory character.³

After his family grew up and more room was needed, Dr. Bowne erected a more commodious house between the old one and the entrance to his driveway. Into this he removed with his family, and spent the remainder of his days there.

Both houses are still in use and both have apparently been needed to meet the requirements of the farm. Still another old house now almost ready to tumble down, is a matter of much interest as the home of old-time slaves that lived and labored on this farm. They were all gone long before “the peculiar institution” died a legal death of 67 years ago. But their habitation still stands, a tottering reminder of other and very different days.

This photograph of the house can be found in the book “A History of East Amwell, 1700-1800” (p.61). I presume this is the second house that Dr. Bowne lived in. The caption under the photograph states that “off to the left of the house is a ruined brick chimney thought to have been part of the old slave quarters and tradition says there was a slave burying ground somewhere on the farm.”

Dan Williams’ Slave

Dr. John Bowne owned one slave, a young man named Dan Williams. Dan was five years away from freedom under the law, and the doctor bought those five years of Dan’s life for $200. When the slave had served faithfully one-half of his term of servitude, his master gave him the remaining half, as a matter of justice to a good man. As his own master, Dan continued to work earnestly and soon became prosperous. Seeing a likely colored girl, Jane, whose remaining time could be bought for $70, Dan jumped at the bargain and soon married the girl. Then he bought ten acres of ground near the Bowne farm and built a home for himself and Jane. There they lived and worked and raised a large family, becoming the ancestors of the Williams family (colored) of this vicinity. Later in life, Dan bought for his son Lorenzo, the “Negro Lot” that now forms a part of the farm of Frank V. D. Fisher, near Sergeantsville. Dan’s old home was recently torn down, as being of no further use. He and his wife rest in the cemetery of Sandy Ridge, and the memory of their humble worth lives after them.

Here I must take issue with the heading, “Dan Williams’ Slave,” that was added by the Democrat’s editor to Mr. Bush’s story. There is no mention of Williams owning a slave in the article, and clearly Williams was free in 1830. I don’t know what the editor was thinking, unless he was referring to Dan’s wife Jane.

Daniel Williams bought his first piece of property in 1822 from David and Elizabeth Moore.⁴ It was a lot of 7+ acres bordering Ann Ackers, Isaac Hainds, David Johnes, and John Bowne, for which he paid $350. He was counted in the 1830 census for Amwell township as a free colored male between the ages of 36 and 54; his wife the same, with three boys and two girls under the age of 10.

Williams was also counted in the 1840 census for Delaware Township. In 1844 he purchased a woodlot of 6.36 acres from Elizabeth A. Lawshe for $288. In 1852 he bought more land from Mrs. Lawshe (she was the widow of David M. Lawshe and daughter of Jacob Hice).⁵

In the 1850 census, Daniel Williams was described as a 60-year-old black man, no occupation listed, living with wife Jane 55 and four children, Urana 11, Ann 18, Robert 14 and Theodore 4 (his two oldest children, Nelson and Jeremiah, had moved away by that time). Daniel Williams does not appear on the Cornell Map of 1851, probably because that was a “subscription map,” and Mr. Williams declined to subscribe. In 1856 he sold properties to Albertus K. Wagner, William H. Moore, and Asa Moore.⁶ On March 31, 1859, Daniel Williams of Delaware twp. sold to his son Jeremiah Williams for $1,000, the lot of 7 acres and 3 perches of land, that Williams bought from David & Elizabeth Moore in 1822.⁷

Bush wrote above that Daniel Williams had bought a lot for his son Lorenzo on part of Frank V. D. Fisher’s farm near Sergeantsville. I found a deed to Frank V. D. Fisher dated October 10, 1907 from Edward and Emma Shepherd for a lot of 8 acres on the road from Stockton to Sergeantsville, “Excepting thereout and therefrom two and a half acres of land belonging to Daniel Williams and included in the above description.”⁸

Two months later, on June 1, 1859, Daniel Williams wrote his will.⁹ He ordered that $200 be given to each of his children—sons Nelson, Jeremiah, Lorenzo and Robert Williams, and daughters Urana Rex and Ann Wilson, which means he had an estate worth at least $1200. His wearing apparel was to be divided equally between sons Jeremiah, Lorenzo and Robert Williams. His eldest son Nelson had left Hunterdon County and his whereabouts were unknown, so Daniel Williams made provisions in his will, in case Nelson should return within 15 years. His Executor was John J. Sutphin; the will was witnessed by Joseph G. Bowne and James Wilson.

In 1860, Daniel Williams was 70 years old living with the family of Joseph G. Bowne, without any of the rest of his family. His wife must have died by then and all the children moved away. But he was still buying and selling land. In 1860 there are deeds recorded for his purchase of land from Henry H. Fisher and James Clark and in 1862 from Asher Hill.¹⁰ That last sale appears to have been an accommodation, as Williams sold land to William Hill the same year.¹¹

On January 23, 1864, Daniel Williams of Delaware Township sold a lot in Raritan Township and an access way that he had purchased from James Clark in 1860 to his daughter Urania Rex, wife of Anthony Rex of Raritan twp. for $500.¹² It bordered the Flemington Railroad and the road from Flemington to Copper Hill. That was the last recorded deed for Williams during his lifetime.

Daniel Williams died sometime before August 17, 1868, for on that date, Jos. G. Bowne made his Inventory with Ferdinand S. Holcombe. The estate consisted mostly of a Bond & Mortgage and a Note to his son Jeremiah Williams, and also a small loan to Enos Conover considered doubtful. He owned very little personal property; all that was listed was “truck & contents,” chest, quilt, washstand, rocking chair, and a garden rake. His executors sold land to Jacob H. Holcombe in 1869 and to William Bowen in 1870.¹³

Addendum, 12/8/2015: This item appeared in the Hunterdon Republican on Dec. 2, 1869:

Sale of Real Estate, to be held on Jan 22, 1870. John J. Sutphin, Executor of Daniel Williams, dec’d, will sell at the Hotel of Asa Rittenhouse in Sergeantsville, all that House and Lot, situate in Delaware Township, lying on the road from Sergeant’s Mills to Sandy Ridge Church, adjoining lands of Elias S. Johnson and others, containing 2 1/2 Acres of Land, more or less. There is a two-story frame house and other improvements. Persons wishing to view the premises may call on Lorenzo Williams, living thereon.

Two of old Peter Moore’s sons, Henry and Peter, lived on the farm, and carried on business there until the sale to Bowne. Cockfighting being an accepted sport in the neighborhood, Peter, the bachelor brother, concluded that he might as well add to the industries of the place and supply a local necessity as a sort of side-line to the chief occupation; so he specialized on breeding fighting cocks. With a market so handy, why not? The exact location of a fine cockpit on the farm just above where the station now stands is still pointed out. If one’s imagination is in good working order, he can almost see the husky pioneers of sporting proclivities enjoying themselves there amid the excitement and uncertainties of the game, while the “foolish” birds were murdering each other to make a neighborhood holiday. Perhaps he may even hear the excited cry of the good old colored “mammy” when she saw two birds, then in waiting and supposed to be properly secured, suddenly break out and pitch into each other without regard to bets or rules or an open cistern near by. “Mars Peter, Mars Peter! Come quick! Dem fool cocks done broke loose an’ bofe knock de oder in de cis’n! Dey sure be drowned—quick!” And they were.

History of the Farm

After Dr. Bowne’s death, his son Joseph G., locally always “Gardner Bowne,” State Senator from Hunterdon County, 1868-70, owned and operated the farm as long as he lived. John O. Bowne and Edward B. Holcombe, executors of Joseph G. Bowne, sold the farm to Joseph H. Bowne in 1889; and Joseph H. Bowne and others sold it to Mary M. Trout in 1893. She devised it to her husband, Archibald Trout, for life and then to go to their son, Frank L. Trout, who sold it and moved to Baptistown, N.J.

There are many things to say after this paragraph. First of all, the name John O. Bowne should be James O. Bowne (probably a typographical error). Joseph G. Bowne’s son John Milton Bowne predeceased him, dying in 1863 at the young age of 31. His son, James Oswald Bowne (1855-1945) was named Executor of the estate of Joseph G. Bowne along with a neighbor, Edward B. Holcombe (1834-1919), the son of Solomon Holcombe, Esq. and Catherine Barber.

On April 1, 1889, James O. Bowne and Edw. B. Holcombe conveyed to Joseph H. Bowne (brother of James O. Bowne) for $9,174.14 two tracts of land in Delaware Township, one of 142+ acres and the other of slightly less than 20 acres. On May 17th, Joseph H. Bowne sold his undivided half rights in these two properties back to James O. Bowne, for $4,587.07.¹⁴ Then on April 1, 1893, James O. Bowne and wife Addie M. Bowne of Newark and Joseph H. Bowne and Ida H. Bowne of East Orange conveyed the 142-acre farm to Mary M. Trout for $$5,403.12.¹⁵

I discussed the sale by Joseph H. Bowne to Mary M. Trout in the previous article, “Dr. Bowne’s Homestead,” and had speculated that Mary M. Trout was related in some way to the Bowne family, but it appears that was not the case. As Lora Olsen pointed out in her comment, Mary was the daughter of Francis Robert Lee (1802-1892) and Esther Dalrymple (1806-1882). She married Archibald Trout on Sept. 5, 1857 in Asbury, for some mysterious reason. The Lee family lived in Kingwood, and would seem to have had no relationship with the Bownes. So why was the farm sold to Mary rather than to her husband? The deed of 1893 gave no hint of a relationship.

As for original ownership of the Bowne farm, in the previous article I claimed that it was not Jacob Moore but Peter Moore who was the original owner. Once again, I stand corrected, this time from Bob Fusi, who commented that Peter Moore got his farm from his father Jacob Moore. I would like to study this question some more and save it for the next post. So, let us continue with Mr. Bush’s article.

The Corle Farm

The farm just across the public road, now owned by Dr. Wilfred F. Harrison, is the old Samuel Corle farm. He owned it at the time of the Revolution. Samuel was a Loyalist, strictly adhering to the cause of the northern country. And whenever “loyalty” and “patriotism” clash in a neighborhood, there is likely to be more or less trouble. Though no serious clashings of neighbor with neighbor here are of record, or even trouble with the state or colonial authorities, one night Samuel Corle disappeared as though the earth had gaped, swallowed him down and then closed its mouth so tight that no sign of lip or mouth could ever be found. Whether there had been foul play or whether he had fled in fear of it, Samuel Corle was never heard from after that night. His affairs, financial and otherwise, were all in satisfactory condition, and the natural supposition was that his attitude toward the struggle for liberty was in some way the cause of his disappearance.

His son, also named Samuel, owned the farm in later years. At that time it contained 200 acres.

Mr. Bush does not say whether Samuel Corle brought his wife along with him when he fled. Her identity is not known, and there is no evidence that she was buried in the Barber Cemetery where most of the Corle family can be found.

Samuel Corle, Jr. was born in 1745, so he was an adult when his father disappeared, and fully capable of taking over his father’s farm, which today is known as Woodsedge Wools on Bowne Station Road. Corle was a regular member of the Amwell militia, as his pension application shows. If his father was indeed a loyalist, that must have created much tension in the family as well as with the neighbors. Samuel Jr. married Catherine Deremer about 1769. She was the daughter of Abraham and Charity Deremer, a French family that came to Hunterdon County from Brooklyn, New York. In 1791, Abraham Deremer bequeathed to his daughter Catherine and son-in-law Samuel Corle the lands on the east side of his plantation for their life, then to grandson Benjamin Corle, who was to pay £200 to his sister Nancy (wife of Dr. John Bowne). He also named his two sons-in-law, Samuel Corle and John Wilson, his executors.

By his will probated June 7, 1834, Samuel Corle [Jr.] devised a part of it to his daughter [Catharine, 1749-1849] and her husband, William Barber [1780-1866], grandfather of John V. C. Barber,¹⁶ now living near Lambertville at the age of about 90 years.

Samuel Corle, Jr. wrote his will on September 28, 1829 leaving to his “dearly beloved wife Catharine a cupboard, two beds, one in each of the back rooms of the house where I now live, all my woollen coverlits & blankets, all my bed and table linen & every thing of that kind that I possess; all my looking glasses, the use & privilege during her life of the 2 back rooms of the house where I now live, also the use of any and every of my household and kitchen furniture that she may think necessary for her comfort and convenience.”¹⁷

The will stated that William Barber and his wife, Samuel’s daughter Catharine, were living with him and his wife, and that they should have his house and lands after his wife’s decease. He exonerated son-in-law Dr. John Bowne of two bonds which he held against him. And he made provision for the widow of his deceased son Benjamin Corle, and her children. He named William Barber and Joseph G. Bowne his executors, and the will was witnessed by John Barber, William W. Wilson and Jacob Godown. There was also a codicil made in 1833 that took into account the lower value of his farm “In consequence of the timber on my farm, having a great proportion of it decayed since the making of said will.” The will was recorded, as Mr. Bush wrote, on June 7, 1834. Wife Catharine died one year later. They are both buried in the Barber Cemetery.

By deed dated January 30, 1838, William Barber and wife conveyed about 90 acres from the northerly end of the farm to Cyrus Van Dolah, father of the last surviving Van Dolah, our friend Cyrus, of the old homestead farm. Cyrus Van Dolah, Sr. erected a full set of farm buildings on his land and made a fine farm of it, raising his family and ending his life there. In 1887 he sold the place to his son-in-law, Reuben Bissey, father of Cyrus J. Bissey, who sold it to Henrietta Meiniker in 1914.¹⁸

The railroad came through while the Barbers owned this farm, and the station here was at first and down into the ‘70’s [1870s] called Barber Station. Later it became Bowne Station and so remains, not seeming as likely to lose its name again, as to lose its chance for service to the traveling public. Here some 60 years ago, a post office was established under the name of “Oakdale.” This office was later removed to Dilt’s Corner, and was discontinued when R.D. Route No.1, from Stockton, went into operation.¹⁹

Ferdinand S. Holcombe, Samuel C. Barber and Nelson V. Young, commissioners to sell the real estate of William Barber and Catharine Barber, sold the remainder of the farm to George Muirhead in 1866 for $93.50 an acre. It later passed through several hands until bought by Dr. Harrison in 1920.²⁰

If we stroll down the railroad, we shall come to an interesting old farm on the southerly side thereof. This has long been known as the “Capt. ‘Lish Holcombe Farm,” taking its name from the original “Capt. Elisha,” a brother of Solomon Holcombe, merchant at Mt. Airy. Letters of administration on Capt. Elisha’s estate were granted Feb. 21, 1835. Some time later his nephew, another “Capt. ‘Lish,” came out from New York, bought his uncle’s old farm, grew old there and died about 1900.

I suspect that Bush has mixed the various Elisha Holcombe’s up, since the one who died in 1835 seems to have been connected with the Brookville area, not with Bowne Station. In fact the Elisha who died in 1835 was born 1788 to Richard and Hannah Emley Holcombe, married to Charity Brewer in 1810, and had seven children. He did not have a brother Solomon, and was not known as “Captain.” The Capt. Elisha of Bowne Station whose brother was Solomon was born 1785 to Samuel and Sarah Emley Holcombe, and never married. He died in 1856.

The nephew of Elisha Holcombe, also named Elisha, was the son of Thomas A. Holcombe and Mary Quick. He was born in Delaware Township in 1823, and was living in New York City in 1848 when he married Hannah C. Jones. Here is an abbreviated family tree showing just three of the 8 Elisha Holcombes that I am aware of (the numbers refer to generations):

1) John Holcombe & Elizabeth Woolrich

2) Samuel Holcombe & Eleanor Barber

3) Samuel Holcombe & Sarah Emley

4) Capt. Elisha Emley Holcombe

4) Thomas A. Holcombe & Mary Quick

5) Capt. Elisha Holcombe & Hannah C. Jones

3) Richard Holcombe & Hannah Emley

4) Elisha Holcombe & Charity Brewer

Jonas Bosenbury, Carpenter, Millwright

Before his farm came into the Holcombe family, it was owned by Cornelius Bosenbury, whose grandson, John Bosenbury was the father of Eli Bosenbury, Senator from Hunterdon, 1880-82, and also father of Jonas Bosenbury, the famous carpenter and millwright.

Here I have a problem. According to Mr. Bush, Hon. Eli Bosenbury was the son of John Bosenbury. But Find-a-Grave identifies him as the son of Joseph Bosenbury and Elizabeth Sutton. Like Jonas Bosenbury, Eli Bosenbury was a carpenter builder and lumber dealer, born 1817. He lived in Clinton, where he served as one of the Borough’s first councilmen in 1866. His wife was Rachel Ann Bonnell (1821-1888); they married on October 22, 1846.

Jonas Bosenbury was born in 1814 and lived in Franklin Township with his wife Ann Wolverton (1815-1862), daughter of Job Wolverton and Anna Housel. They had seven children. Jonas died on January 15, 1865 and was buried next to his wife in the Cherryville Cemetery. I visited the Hunterdon Co. Historical Society and the County Surrogate’s Court looking for a record that might clarify who the children of John and Joseph Bosenbury were. No luck. Perhaps a Bosenbury, Busenbury, Bosenbarack descendant can solve this conundrum.

The earliest Bosenbury in Hunterdon was Johannes Bosenbury who lived near Ringoes at a very early date, and bought the farm along the Alexauken in 1748. His grandson was the Cornelius mentioned by Mr. Bush, who got the farm in his father Abraham’s will, written in 1799. That farm, which Mr. Bush is referring to, was located on the Sandy Ridge-Mt. Airy Road at the township border line between Delaware and West Amwell. In his will of April 24, 1799, Cornelius’ father, Abraham ‘Bosenback’ of Amwell bequeathed to youngest son Cornelius, a plantation bounded by lands of Samuel Holcomb, Cornelius Hoppock, William Taylor and others; also the residue of his personal estate, he to pay the legacies to his five daughters.

Cornelius and wife Mary had ten children, I think, one of whom may have been the John Bosenbury referred to by Mr. Bush. Unfortunately, Cornelius Bosenbury died intestate in 1832, so we have no definitive list of his heirs. For more about Cornelius Bosenbury and his farm, see “Some Forgotten Graveyards” by Egbert T. Bush.

Jonas was noted among the farmers for his skill in constructing big barns and making everything come together just right on the great day of “raising.” I remember hearing as a boy of from 10 to 12 a great deal of talk about Jonas Bosenbury’s wonderful invention. They called it the boring machine, a device by which he kept the bit constantly turning instead of standing half of the time, as while the operator of an auger changes hands.

That was in itself sufficiently exciting; but there was an unsatisfactory ending to the story, which made it still more impressive. Jonas had been offered $20,000 for his invention. You can hardly imagine how big that looked. But Jonas had refused to sell and consequently got nothing. Because of some indiscretion or over-confidence on his part, another caught the details too soon and somehow slipped in ahead taking all the emoluments and leaving Jonas to lament over his trustfulness and lost opportunity.

Cornelius Bosenbury and his wife are sleeping on the old farm in a little field that lies over the railroad along the line of the Jonathan H. Hoppock farm, then owned by David Wilson. Cornelius is said to have made special request of his neighbor Wilson not to cut a certain tree that stood near the line, giving this as good reason for the request: “I expect to buried there and I want shade.” The request was duly respected by Wilson and by the Hoppocks. That farm, now owned by David W. Hoppock of Lambertville, was owned in time of the Revolution by a family named Taylor, several of whom are buried in a plot not far from the barn, with rough stones to mark their graves. These Taylors are said to have been either ancestors or collateral relations of the High Bridge Taylors of later years.

Straw in the Grave

Tradition says that a curious old custom was observed at the burial of Cornelius Bosenbury. That custom was to spread rye straw over the bottom of the grave, then lower the coffin and cover it carefully with the same material. There must be plenty of straw, but too much of it must not be used; and whatever was left over must be burned—never on any occasion should a bit of it be taken back to the home, or serious consequences were sure to follow. On sunny days, the fire was easily started by means of a “burning-glass,” a strong lens then often used for gathering the sun’s rays and starting a fire.

While those in charge were arranging the clean, long straw about the coffin in the wagon before starting for the grounds, a Negro man belonging to the family managed to overturn a nearby bench with several hives of bees on it. The excitement was great, especially as the waiting team shared in it and promptly ran away with the whole outfit. No serious damage was done. The Negro, being reprimanded for his carelessness, put up this excitement and rather illogical plea in self defense: “I-I wanted to give mars Kunnel a good sen’ off.”

Very weak, of course. But before we laugh too much at the darkey, suppose we look over the pleas put up by some of our own great ones, as excuse for doing things still worse and far more disastrous.

Like most others, this good old community appears to have had some strange customs—strange at least to us—and to have looked with tolerance, if not with approval, upon practices that might shock our feelings. But, after all, the change may not be fundamental. If we seem more ethical, that seeming may be less than skin-deep—merely a different kind of face powder; if we appear more humane, it may be that we have merely driven down the hollow and out of sight such things as would offend our keener vision. In spite of their ways, people of the olden times were mostly good and always interesting; in spite of our ways, we of to-day are mostly good and—sometimes interesting.

Footnotes: