Fishing rights in the Delaware River were legally transferable, and that gives us a hint of what was happening at Raven Rock and Bull’s Island in the 18th century. In 1782, Isaiah Quinby leased fishing rights in the Delaware River to various people. He may have done this before 1782, but this is the earliest record available.
Quinby
QUINBY. Although there were not a large number of Quinby’s in old Hunterdon, they were very important to the history of the Raven Rock area, and since I have written extensively about that place, the Quinby name turns up often. For my purposes, the most important of this family was Isaiah Quinby (1716-1807) and wife Rachel Warford (1725-1777).
Raven Rock (Saxtonville) & Bull’s Island, continued
John Ladd
John Ladd was one of the Quaker immigrants who came to West New Jersey in 1678. He was also on hand when William Penn was designing the layout of his new town of Philadelphia. Family tradition says that Penn offered him a choice of one of the best squares in the city or £30, and that Ladd chose the money, whereupon Penn said: “John thou art a ladd by name and a lad by nature, doesn’t thee know that Philadelphia will be a great city?” (Ah, Penn—such a joker.)
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