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.

“Aunt Achsah.” See Achsah Lambert. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807.

“Achsah.”  Susan’s aunt Achsah Dennis (1771-1814), or her cousin Achsah Dennis (1797-1852) who married John K. Paxson. Mentioned in the letter of 22 Feb 1807.

“Little Achsah.” Probably Achsah Dennis age 13, daughter of Thomas Dennis and Achsah Lambert. Mentioned in letter of Feb. 1, 1808.

“Aunt Amelia.”  The only Amelia I’ve got in this family is Amelia Dennis, daughter of Achsah Lambert and Thomas Dennis, who would be Susan’s cousin, not her aunt. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807. In the letter of 28 Dec 1807, we learn she is “getting her wood hauled.” So she has to be an adult in 1807. My guess is she was Amelia Dennis (1764-1844), unmarried daughter of Hannah Little and Benjamin Dennis.

“Aunt Amelia, Hannah and Betsey.” The daughters of Achsah Lambert and Thomas Dennis. Mentioned in letter of 2/22/1807.

“Aunt Merriam.”  see Merriam Lambert. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807.

“Betsey.”  Elizabeth Dennis, sister of Achsah, Amelia and Hannah Dennis. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807.

“Bill” – see Wm. L. Hoppock. Mentioned in a letter of 5 Jan 1807.

“Billy.”  William L. Hoppock, older brother of Susan M. Hoppock. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan, 22 Feb and 11 Dec 1807 (Billie).

“Billy, Samuel, Merriam, Maria, George.”  Mentioned in letter of 2/22/1807. The children of Amy Lambert and George Hoppock born before 1807 were Wm. L. (‘Billy’), John L., and Susan. I wonder if George & Amy had additional children, like Samuel and George. Maria might be the daughter of George and Catharine Larison. Merriam is the daughter of John Lambert and Hannah L. Dennis; she would be 20 years old in 1807. Could George be George Larison? Seems unlikely. There is no one of the right age in Lambert’s family in 1807 named George. Perhaps George, like Samuel, is a Wilson.

George and Grand Paa.  This sounds like a reference to the Wilsons. The father of Wm. W. Wilson was George Wilson who was taxed on land in Amwell in 1807. I know nothing more about him except that his wife was Hannah Mason of Kingwood twp.  Mentioned in letter of Feb. 1, 1808.

“grand mamy” is Hannah Little Dennis Lambert, John Lambert’s second wife, and Susan’s step-grandmother. Mentioned in a letter of 5 Jan, 9 Feb, 22 Feb 1807 (“Grandma”), and  and Feb. 1, 1808 (“Grandmammy”).

“Granny, mammy, Merriam, Maria, Aunt Acsah, Aunt Amelia, little Achsah, Betsey.” From letter of 28 Dec 1807. Little Achsah and Betsey were daughters of Thomas Dennis and Achsah Lambert. Merriam and Maria were daughters of John Lambert and Hannah Dennis.

“mamy” see Amy Lambert. What a funny expression. It’s one we associate with the old South. Mentioned in a letters of 5 Jan, 9 Feb, and 22 Feb 1807 (“Mammy”).

“Maria.” She is not Anna Maria Lambert, daughter of John Lambert and Hannah Dennis, who was not born until 1811. She is probably Mary Larison, born c.1800 to George and Catey Larison. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807 and 22 Feb 1807.

Cousin Polly and the little girls.  Polly is a nickname for Mary, so this most likely is Mary Johnes, daughter of Capt. David Johnes. She was the wife of Capt. John Lambert (1777-1828), the nephew of Sen. Lambert. Capt. John married Mary/Polly Johnes in 1798. They had 3 daughters: Deborah, Eliza and Elizabeth. Trouble is, the last two were not born until after 1808. Perhaps they had other daughters I am not aware of. Mentioned in letter of Feb. 1, 1808.

“Samuel.” Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807 and 22 Feb 1807. See Samuel Wilson.

“Uncle” see Thomas Dennis.

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Hannah Brown.  I have no Hannah Brown in my database, or any Hannah married to a Mr. Brown. I wonder if she might have been a housekeeper. A search of Deats’ Hunterdon Marriages shows a Hannah Brown marrying Joseph Parker on July 28, 1818 (Taylor, JP; 2-154), but no Mr. Brown marrying someone named Hannah. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807. In the letter of 28 Dec 1807, Lambert wrote: “you must tell Hannah Brown, she had best to write me a letter, & have it enclosed with the packet that comes from home and when I com home I will give her a kiss.” The mystery grows.

Cousin Betsey Corle. I don’t have an Elizabeth Corle who fits the time period. But Elizabeth Lambert (1775-1847), daughter of Joseph Lambert and Elizabeth Wilson, was married to Benjamin Corle and had 3 children by this time. Joseph Lambert (1749-1821) was John Lambert’s brother. Elizabeth Wilson (1749-1890) was the daughter of George and Eleanor Wilson, both of whom were long dead by 1808. George Wilson lived near the Lambert farms, and after his death in 1788, his executors sold his farm (D62/12) to Gershom Lambert. Mentioned in letter of Feb. 1, 1808.

Samuel Currie. Samuel Currie/Curry, born in Pennsylvania, was the son of Laughlin Curry and Margaret Barber. The Laughlin Currie family was living for a time near the Barbers on Lambertville-Headquarters Road. Samuel Currie was a nephew of John Lambert’s wife Susannah Barber. He was also  the brother of Robert Curry who partnered with Mahlon Cooper to run the mill at Raven Rock. In 1805, Samuel Curry and his brother-in-law Nathaniel Shewell gave a mortgage to the cash-strapped Cooper and Curry. By then, Samuel Curry was living in New Britain, Bucks Co., where he was counted in the census of 1800. By 1850, there was a Samuel Curry, age 81, born about 1769, living at Mt. Pleasant, Washington Co., Pennsylvania, with wife Mary. Mentioned in letter of 12/11/1807.

Mr. Darby dec’d. Mr. Darby was Ezra Darby Esq. of Scotch Plains. He was a member of the Democrat-Republican party, who was elected a member of Congress in 1804. He died on January 27, 1808, and his death was announced in the Feb. 15, 1808 edition of the Trenton Federalist, which noted that the funeral was held on January 28th. The pall-bearers were his fellow New Jersey representatives, including John Lambert, and he was buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Achsah L. Dennis. Daughter of Thomas Dennis and Achsah Lambert, granddaughter of John Lambert. She is also Susan Hoppock’s first cousin, but I have no information on what happened to her. Mentioned in a letter of 5 Jan 1807.

Achsah Dennis. “Aunt Achsah has but little wood. . . I hope your uncle Thomas will not let her suffer.”  – letter of 28 Dec 1807. This makes me think that Thomas had a sister Achsah as well as a sister Amelia. This would explain his daughters’ names—Achsah and Amelia. Obviously I need a definitive source for the children of Benj. Dennis and Hannah Little. Benjamin Dennis died intestate, and Hannah appears not to have written a will either. And for that matter, neither did John Lambert.

Amelia Dennis. (1764-1844) unmarried daughter of Hannah Little and Benjamin Dennis. In the letter of 28 Dec 1807, she was “getting better,” and got “her wood hauled.”

Thomas Dennis (abt 1770-1813). “Uncle.” Susan Hoppock’s uncle, husband of Amy Lambert’s sister Achsah. He was the son of Hannah Little and Benjamin Dennis, and therefore a sort of step-son of John Lambert’s. He would die during the War of 1812. Mentioned in the letters of 16 Jan and 28 Dec 1807.

Capt. Ent.  Mentioned in the letter of 9 Feb. 1807.    This was probably Capt. Peter Ent (1749-1829), son of Valentine Ent and Susannah Moore. He was a captain during the Revolution, as listed in Stryker’s Officers & Men, and afterwards owned land bordering John Lambert in Amwell Township. Peter Ent moved to Ohio about 1820 where he got a land grant of 80 acres for his military service

         His brother Daniel also fought in the Revolution and returned to acquire a farm along Route 523 near Sandy Ridge Road. He remained in Amwell, then Delaware Township until his death in 1847. He was listed among the remaining veterans of the Revolution in the 1840 census.

Capt. Ent, Mrs. Ent and all the little girls.  Mentioned in letter of 22 Feb 1807. Capt. Daniel Ent and his wife Elizabeth Douglas, who married on July 30, 1783, had two sons (Daniel and John) and four daughters: Amelia c.1796, Elizabeth 1794, Rebecca c.1795 and Achsah c.1801. The use of the names Amelia and Achsah suggests the Ent family was close to the Lambert/Dennis family.

Mr. and Mrs. Farley. Lambert was probably referring Caleb Farley (1757-1808) and wife Anna Fisher (1767-1851). Caleb and Anna are buried in the Barber Cemetery. They had no children. Caleb Farley died on October 6, 1808; he left his property to his wife and to his siblings. His home was in Headquarters, on the southeast corner. Mentioned in the letter of Feb. 1, 1808.

George Hoppock.  (1763-1798) Husband of Amy Lambert and father of Susan M. Hoppock, John Lambert’s granddaughter and correspondent. He was the first son of Capt. Cornelius Hoppock and Catherine Corle. George and Amy Hoppock had three children: Wm. L. Hoppock, John Lambert Hoppock, and Susan M. Hoppock. In the 1790s, George Hoppock ran the tavern in Stockton (then called Howell’s Ferry). He died without writing a will, at only 35 years of age, probably from an accident. He had an inventory worth £1125.4.3, which is considerable for the time.

Susan M. Hoppock 1798-1883. Daughter of Amy Lambert and Geo. Hoppock, and granddaughter of John Lambert. Lambert may have had special affection for her because her father died 9 months after she was born (1798). Susan was 9 years old when she and her grandfather began their correspondence. Most of the letters in this series were written to her. About the time that the correspondence ended, Susan married David Wilson (1793-1857), son of Capt. John Wilson and Jane Deremer. They had no children. Both were buried in the Barber Cemetery.

Wm. L. Hoppock (1792-1874), Susan M. Hoppock’s brother. Later on he became the owner of the Prallsville mill complex and an important man in Hunterdon County. Married Jane Heed, daughter of Abraham and Jane Heed, about 1815 and had seven children with her: George H., Achsah, Caroline M., John F., Samuel C.,, William L. Jr., and Jonathan H.

Aunt and Uncle Jones. This was probably James Jones (1754-1823), husband of Jerusha Lambert, the daughter of Gershom Lambert and Sarah Merriam. Jerusha was the sister of John Lambert, so she would be an aunt to Amy Lambert Hoppock. James Jones, like the Farleys, lived on the west side of Headquarters. It appears that Jerusha Jones died young, and that Jones married second, Hannah Rouser, daughter of Rev. Gideon Rouser. But since James Jones did not leave a will, it is hard to say. Perhaps Hannah was the first wife, rather than Jerusha. Neither Hannah nor Jerusha were buried with James Jones, who is interred in the Moore family burying ground. The Jones wives were not buried in the Barber Cemetery. James Jones died the same year that Sen. Lambert did, 1823. Phyllis D’Autrechy, in her book More Hunterdon Records, Vol. II, observed that “many administrations appear to be missing from June to December 1823” [pg 83].  Mentioned in letter of Feb. 1, 1808.

Achsah Lambert (1771-bef 1826), “Aunt Achsah,” daughter of John Lambert & Susannah Barber, married Thomas Dennis about 1790, son of Hannah Little and Benjamin Dennis. Thomas and Achsah Dennis had four daughters: Achsah, Amelia, Hannah and Elizabeth (Betsey). Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807.

Amy Lambert. (“mamy”) Daughter of John Lambert and Susannah Barber. Married George Hoppock who died in 1798. Mother of Wm. L. Hoppock, John Lambert Hoppock and Susan M. Hoppock. As far as I can tell, Amy did not remarry, and probably moved back to her childhood home on Seabrook Road, with her 3 children.

Maria Lambert. (c.1789-26 Feb 1838) , daughter of John Lambert and Hannah Dennis. Buried at Barber Cemetery: “Mary L. Wilson, wife of William, died 26 Feb 1838 age 49 {born c. 1789}.” No obituary for her in either the Hunterdon Gazette or the Hunterdon Co. Democrat. See William Wilson, below.

Anna Maria Lambert. (16 May 1811-24 Dec 1852). Married Wm. W. Wilson on 29 March 1831, had daughters Mary (1832) and Jane (1834). Buried in Barber Cemetery: “Anna L. Lambert Wilson, wife of Wm. W. Wilson, b. May 16 1811; d. Dec 24 1852.” She as listed in the 1850 Federal Census for Delaware Township as Ann, age 46, the wife of William W. Wilson.

Gershom Lambert Sr. (22 Feb 1754-1 Mar 1847), son of John Lambert (1714-1763) and Mary Carr (abt 1715-?). He was a first cousin of John Lambert Esq. His first wife was Mary Barber, sister of John Lambert’s wife Susannah, so John and Gershom were both first cousins and brothers-in-law. Gershom’s second wife’s maiden name was Curry, as in Samuel Curry, above. They had a son named Asher in 1788, who married Jerusha Thatcher in 1831, when Asher was 42 years old. He died in 1850, and Jerusha married second Wm. W. Wilson, Esq., who was married first to Ann/Anna Lambert and maybe to a Maria Lambert.

John Lambert (1791-1882). “John Lambert has gone to Philadelphia to learn to be a Doctor.” from letter of 28 Dec 1807. This might be John (1791-1882), the son of Gershom Lambert Sr.,  who was Sen. Lambert’s first cousin. But that seems unlikely, since he would only be 15 years old. Another possibility is John H. Lambert (c.1791-1847), son of Jeremiah Lambert (1765-1844) and Elizabeth Holcombe (c.1770-bef 1802). A letter was sent to John Lambert in 1817 from his nephew John H. Lambert, residing at the time in Huntingdon, PA (reprinted in The Lamberts of Amwell, p.25).  But I have no record of this John H. Lambert becoming a doctor. One who did was John Prall Lambert, who might have been a son of Joseph Lambert and Mary Holcombe, and therefore also a nephew of Sen. John Lambert. But he was born around 1805, much to late to be studying medicine in 1807.

Merriam Lambert (1787-1868) “Aunt Merriam,” daughter of John Lambert & Hannah Dennis; married James Seabrook (1775-1852) on Nov. 8, 1809, so she is still unmarried at this point. Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807 and 22 Feb 1807.

George and Catey Larason. Catharine (Catey) Lambert, daughter of John Lambert and Susan Barber, married George Larison abt 1790, had Charles, Mary, Lavinia before 1807. Mentioned in the letter of 22 Feb 1807.

Hannah Little. 1746-1835 (“grand mamy”) Married Benjamin Dennis in 1764, and had five children with him: Amelia, Jacob, John, Thomas and Isabella. Maj. Dennis died in 1779 during the Revolution. Hannah then married John Lambert in 1781 as his second wife and had three children with him. She survived John Lambert by 12 years.

Uncle and Aunt Romine. Probably Lambert’s neighbor James Romine (1736-1817) and wife Eliada or Sarah Barber (1748-1828). She was the sister of Susannah Barber, John Lambert’s first wife. The Barbers and Romines were nearly as prolific and confusing as the Lamberts were. Mentioned in letter of 22 Feb 1807.

Furman and Mrs. Romine. Furman Romine (1772-1847) was a son of James Romine, and was bequeathed the farm that bordered John Lambert’s. His wife was Ann Holcombe (1775-1852), daughter of Richard and Hannah Emley Holcombe. Mentioned in letter of 22 Feb 1807.

“Daddy Wilson”  Mentioned in the letter of 16 Jan 1807. Not sure who this is. Perhaps it is Capt. John Wilson (1754-1822), whose son David married Susan Hoppock in about 1815 or later. But why would he be called “Daddy”? It is not George Wilson, father of the Wm. W. Wilson (1796-1875) who married John Lambert’s daughter Anna Maria in 1831 (see Maria Lambert above). “Daddy Wilson” was not a second husband for Amy Lambert Hoppock. She was buried in the Barber cemetery as “Amy L. Hoppock, wife of George, b. May 20 1769; d. Jul 12 1848.” So whose “Daddy” was he?

Grandfather Wilson.  Using this term suggests that Wilson was either of John Lambert’s generation or even one older. Capt. John Wilson would qualify. But how does he get to be “grandfather”? He was probably the “Daddy Wilson” mentioned in the letter of Jan. 16, 1807. Mentioned in the letter of 22 Feb 1807.

Samuel Wilson. No doubt this is the Samuel that he has been referring to in previous letters. And almost certainly, the son or grandson of the unknown Daddy Wilson. I do not have a Samuel Wilson who would be the right age, living in Amwell at this time. Lambert wonders if he is going to school, so he must have been born c.1795-1800. Mentioned in letter of 11 Dec 1807. From letter of 28 Dec 1807: “I do not know whether sam Wilson lives at my house or not I have not heard a word about him.”

William Wilson. I am having trouble with this person. There were two William Wilsons in John Lambert’s neighborhood at the same time.

I)  William Wilson (born 1782 Ireland, died after 1850 in Delaware Twp.) Listed in the 1850 Delaware Twp. census as a 68-year-old farmer, born in Ireland, probable wife Elizabeth age 46 (c.1804), born NJ; also John M. Wilson 7 (born c.1843), presumably a grandchild. Also Anderson Holcombe 19 and Mary C. Holcombe 17. A separate family in the same household was John Wilson 29, born Ireland, Mary 23, George W. 2 and Harriet 2 months, all born NJ.

William Wilson married Mrs. Elizabeth Holcombe on 26 March 1840, which means he could have been married to the Mary/Maria Lambert who died in 1838. Mrs. Holcombe was Elizabeth Jones, daughter of Benjamin Jones and Catherine Anderson, and widow of Allen B. Holocmbe (1795-1834), son of Richard Holcombe and Elizabeth Closson. The children of William and an unknown first wife were John M. Wilson (b.1821) and William M. Wilson (b.1822), both born in Ireland. Elizabeth was most likely William’s third wife. They had a son John M. Wilson born in 1843. Two John M. Wilsons in the same family is a bit problematic.

II)  William Wilson (born c.1785 NJ, died after 1850), son of Capt. John Wilson (1754-1822) and Jane Deremer (1755-1834). Wife Sarah (22 Jan 1787-18 Aug 1851) buried in the Barber Cemetery: “wife of Hon. W. W. Wilson, d. 18 Aug 185_, age 64-7-16.”