Amwell Township was created in 1708, in an area north of Burlington County. It did not belong to a county until 1714 when Hunterdon County was created. It contained Raritan, Delaware and East & West Amwell Townships until 1838 when Delaware and Raritan were created. In 1844, what was left of Amwell was divided into East and West. The Flemington, Lambertville and the Borough of Stockton also originated in Amwell Township.
by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, NJ
published in the Hunterdon County Democrat, May 7, 1931
Sundry notes from old histories and other sources though jotted down in a haphazard way may serve to awaken thought or to throw light upon the ways of the past.
This is a continuation of my research into the history of the Pauch farm in Delaware Township. This was once the property of Samuel Green, which is why I am publishing it here on my website. It was Samuel Green who got me started on this blog, back in 2009. Apologies to those of my readers who were interested in what I wrote 4 and 5 years ago for taking so long to return to Samuel Green’s life.
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting the old John Anderson tavern on Route 31 south of Ringoes. The building is inconspicuous with its tall evergreen hedge along the road, but inside one can see it was once a fine 18th century building.
This next chapter in the creation of Delaware and Raritan Townships involves a lot of politicking, a lot of ‘inside baseball.’ But it is the story behind the story, and should not remain hidden. I’ve leavened the article with some passing references to mad dogs, passenger pigeons and Lincoln’s first speech. The previous episodes in this saga can be found here: Part One and Part Two.
This year residents of Delaware Township in Hunterdon County celebrate the 175 years since the township was created. Five years ago, in celebration of its 170th anniversary, I published a series of articles on the website “The Delaware Township Post.” It seems appropriate to republish those articles this year on my own website, slightly edited. Here is part two:
A response to the article written by Egbert T. Bush on August 7, 1930 entitled “Buchanan’s, A Tavern With A Long History”
(Part One and Part Two)
Continuing on the quest to find Buchanan’s Tavern, let us return to Daniel Robins, who died in 1763. My previous post mentioned that his wife Frances was named administrator of his estate. Surety (“fellowbondsman”) for administration of the estate was Thomas Atkinson, merchant. The Inventory was made by John Mullinner and John Emley. These were all important men in early Kingwood Township, which is some reflection on Daniel Robins. Thomas Atkinson ran an important store in Kingwood.1 John Emley was a wealthy Quaker and large landowner in Kingwood Township. (He was close enough to the Robins family to be named to make the inventory of Daniel Robins, along with Hugh Hicks.) John Mullinner was also a Quaker of Kingwood Township. With these three Kingwood men involved in the estate, one might conclude that Daniel Robins lived there also, but there is no evidence that he did. Perhaps the real connection was their Quaker religion. Sure enough, the minutes of the Kingwood Monthly Meeting show that on the 10th day of the 7th month (Sept. 10), 1758, Daniel Robins declared himself a Quaker.
This year residents of Delaware Township in Hunterdon County celebrate the 175 years since the township was created. The story of how this came about is a surprising one, and a little disheartening.
A response to the article by Egbert T. Bush on August 7, 1930 titled
“Buchanan’s, A Tavern With A Long History” and a continuation from Part One, A History of the Old Stone House on Robins Hill (Raritan Twp. Block 60 lot 40)
Anyone who has attempted to sort out land titles in the 18th century, particularly in New Jersey, knows what frustration is. It’s true, there are some records, but they are so incomplete, so full of hints that can’t be verified, that I feel just a little uneasy about the claims I am about to make. But make them I will.
A response to the article written by Egbert T. Bush on August 7, 1930 entitled
“Buchanan’s, A Tavern With A Long History”
Never, never assume. That’s a lesson I have just learned again. When I began looking into the history of Buchanan’s Tavern, I was operating on the assumption that the original 18th century tavern was the old stone house at the top of the hill on Route 579, just north of the intersection of County Routes 523 and 579. And the newer Buchanan’s was the old house on the northeast corner of the intersection, now owned by the Micek family. Turns out, I was wrong, but now I know why. And I’ve gotten a chance to write about one of my favorite early settlers, Daniel Robins. Here is the tale:
In writing about Nathaniel Saxton in my series on Raven Rock, I learned about his investments outside of that village. One of his earliest deeds involved the sale in 1807 of 47.27 acres to Ann Anderson for $422.69.1 This property in today’s Stockton village has an interesting story, one which shows how vulnerable 18th and early 19th century people were to the miserable consequences of debt.
