In the early 1860s, two men named John Barber got involved on opposite sides of the question – should the country support Lincoln’s prosecution of the Civil War, or should it not?1
Barber
The first of the Barber family in Hunterdon County was Samuel Barber. He and wife Eliada or Alida Johnson had seven children who became important in the history of Amwell Township.
Democrats & Union Men, continued
Here are some more of the Delaware Township gentlemen who took sides during the early years of the Civil War—men who joined the Democratic Club of Delaware Township in 1863, and also men living in the same vicinity who supported the Administration.1
1863 Politics in Delaware Township
This article is a follow-up to the Democratic Club of Delaware Township, published last spring.
The previous article described the Club’s principles and resolutions, reflecting the alarm felt by Hunterdon Democrats at the war measures taken by President Lincoln. The article was published in the Hunterdon Historical Newsletter.1 But because of length restrictions, short biographies of the club’s officers had to be postponed to a future newsletter.
Family Burying Grounds Matter
The following is the keynote speech I delivered on September 19, 2015 for the 2nd Annual Cemetery Seminar, sponsored by the Hunterdon Co. Historical Society and others. It is somewhat modified to make it more readable, less like a speech.
The Van Dolah School
Of all the one-room schools in Delaware Township, none seems to have inspired more devoted attachment than the Van Dolah School. The number of graduates was large, and many of them were highly accomplished in later life. It was probably one of the best photographed schools in the county. I have included many of them here.
The Amwell-Hopewell Road of 1736
The Road from Howell’s Mills and
John Reading’s Plantation to Trenton
Recently I wrote about the earliest known public road in Hunterdon County, recorded in January 1721/22 (The Amwell Road of 1721.) The next earliest, at least for the southern part of the county, was dated 1736, and followed part of the earlier route.
I will give the record in full, and then try to identify each course along the route.1
Delaware Township’s First Town Meeting
This is a revised version of an article first published April 2, 2008
on the website “The Delaware Township Post”
In light of the politics involved in the division of old Amwell Township and the local distress it caused, Delaware Township did not have a very auspicious beginning. But once the furor died down, local residents got to work and did what was necessary to set up a new township government.
A John Lambert Glossary
People Mentioned in the Letters of John Lambert to Susan M. Hoppock, arranged alphabetically first by given names that have no surnames, then by surname (married women are listed under their maiden names).
I have begun to realize that it is a challenge to keep track of all the people mentioned by John Lambert, mostly family but also friends and neighbors. So here is a list of them all so far, which I will add to whenever someone new is mentioned. This is most definitely a work in progress, and any help that readers can lend me for some of my mysteries will be most appreciated. I will include a link to this post with each subsequent letter published. To view those letters, click on the topic “John Lambert” in the right-hand column.
Letters of John Lambert, 12/11/1807
beginning in 1807 when Lambert was a member of Congress
ending in 1815 when Lambert was in his last year as a U. S. Senator
It has been nine months since Lambert’s last letter to his granddaughter. The last one was shortly before the Ninth Congress adjourned on March 4, 1807. A very unsatisfactory treaty with Great Britain had arrived the day before, but President Jefferson declined to order the Congress to remain in Washington to consider it, for he was too dissatisfied with it to present it to them. So Congress adjourned, and Lambert spent his time back at home tending to his farm and his library, as well as his extensive family, which was increased on July 28, 1807 when his grandson, James Larison, was born.
John Lambert’s Letters, 2/22/1807
beginning in 1807 when Lambert was a member of Congress
ending in 1815 when Lambert was in his last year as a U. S. Senator
I have transcribed the letters as Lambert wrote them, which is why there is an absence of commas and periods. I have added paragraph breaks to make reading the letters easier.