The Lequear Family in Hunterdon County is a very old one. I have written about them in The Old Lequear Farm, with a focus on the Amwell branch of the family, headed by Gerrardus Lequear. In the future, I hope to write more about the Kingwood branch, headed by Thomas Lequear and Elizabeth Bray.
part nine of The Route Not Taken
In this episode of the saga of the unbuilt rail line we travel from Sand Brook into Raritan Township, on our way to Walnut Brook. Here is a detail of the railroad survey map.
First Generation:(1) Johannes Swallow Sr. (c.1680 – 1749) & Agnes
I know little about this original Johannes and Agnes Swallow. With a name like Johannes, we can presume they were either German or Dutch. There is a record of March 25, 1737 when Johannes Swallow mortgaged 180 acres on “the road leading to Rarington,” which could be almost anywhere.1 A complicating factor is that his son Johannes Swallow, Jr. died the same year he did. Both men wrote wills a short time apart, Johannes Sr. on December 27, 1748 and Johannes Jr. on December 30th. Both were yeomen of Amwell.
part eight of The Route Not Taken
Proceeding along the proposed railroad route, we come to the village of Sandbrook. If the rail line had been laid out as planned it might have changed the village significantly.
The Holcombe family is one of the most extensive early families in Hunterdon County. I have included a sixth generation for them, but perhaps I shouldn’t have—there are just so many of them.
Please, share any corrections or additions you might have. And remember, I list the children of daughters, but not their grandchildren.
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.
This Kitchen family arrived in Hunterdon County in the early 1720s, and quickly became established. I’ve published this tree to support “Kitchen’s Mill,” my article about property in Sand Brook, Hunterdon County, owned by Henry Kitchen and his son Samuel.
