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.
The Rockafellar family is enormous, and not just in Hunterdon County. Like many of my trees, this one features branches of the family that I have come across in my research. But there are many others I know little about. They have been left out until I learn more about them.
Most of you, my dear readers, know that the famous Rockafellar family had its roots in Amwell Township, Hunterdon County. And we’re all familiar with one particular descendant of this German immigrant family, a man who prospered hugely from the opportunities afforded him in America—the famous John D. Rockafellar. Another descendant, although not a direct ancestor of John D., became the tavernkeeper at Skunktown (now known as Sergeantsville), and I am much more interested in him.
As I began work on this article I soon realized that I have neglected to publish an article on this website about the Skunktown Tavern itself, which later on got the title of the “Sergeantsville Hotel.”1 That would have been after 1827, when the name Skunktown was changed to Sergeantsville.
