This article is part of my series on the Delaware Flemington Railroad Company and the rail line it had planned to build in 1873 to run from Prallsville to the Flemington Depot. My focus has been on the landowners along the proposed route beginning at the river in Delaware Township and running northeast through Sergeantsville and Sand Brook to the neighborhood of Copper Hill. Today’s article resumes the trip with properties located between Johanna Farms Road and Dayton Road in Raritan Township.1
Delaware Township
Delaware Township in Hunterdon County, NJ is my hometown, and so, as you might expect, I know more about this town than any other that I write about. Prior to 1838, Delaware Township was a part of Amwell Township, created in 1708–which means that Amwell’s history is also very familiar to me. There is no end to the stories that can be written about this place, so expect many additions to this list in the coming years.
Hunterdon Divided
(Hunterdon’s Militias, part 2)
My previous article (Hunterdon’s Militia) included mention of the Locktown Volunteers and their Captain, John Bellis, who happened to be “an ardent Republican” in a neighborhood of equally ardent Democrats or Copperheads.1 How Bellis managed to get along with his neighbors is an interesting question.
Hunterdon’s Militia
Hunterdon County, like all the other counties in New Jersey, had a state militia system in place since before the Revolution. Gen. Washington relied on these volunteers as he fought the British in New Jersey, and they did their part during the War of 1812. But after that, there was little need for them—not until the mid 1850s, when they began to reorganize.
Postscript to The Heaths of Locktown
Shortly after publishing last week’s article, the Heaths of Locktown, David Sherman sent me four very interesting documents from his collection of Heath & Sherman memorabilia. They shed new light on the lives of Edward M. Heath and his son Robert, as well as their friend Lester B. Sherman, and his wife Fayetta Reep’s family.
The Heaths of Locktown
The Heath family turns up fairly often in my articles without ever getting the attention it is due. They were ‘fruitful and multiplied’ and owned quite a lot of land in various parts of the county.1
From Sand Brook to Raritan Township
Route Not Taken, part 7
In this episode of the saga of the unbuilt rail line we travel from Sand Brook into Raritan Township, on our way to Walnut Brook. Here is a detail of the railroad survey map.
A Train Through Sand Brook
Part 6 in the series on the Delaware Flemington Railroad Company and its proposed route from Prallsville to Flemington.
Kitchen’s Mill
The Mill in Sand Brook
Original version published in “The Bridge,” Fall 2002
This article precedes the next episode in my series on the route of the Delaware Flemington Railroad, a rail line that was surveyed, but never built. It was planned to run right through the village of Sand Brook, very close to the old mill.
Hardscrabble
This article by Egbert T. Bush concerns a family who lived in the Croton neighborhood in the mid-19th century. I thought it typical of Mr. Bush’s style of writing, which may seem a bit florid, but is full of empathy for the characters he described.
Route Not Taken, Part Five
The train continues on its way to Sand Brook. Having passed through the southern side of the Village of Sergeantsville, it now proceeds through the properties of James Carrell, Othniel Fauss, William Aller, Acker Moore and Mrs. Sergeant.