Full – 2 Column – Page 36 – GOODSPEED HISTORIES

The Rittenhouse Cemetery, part one

July 3, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Green, Howell, Prallsville, Reading, Rittenhouse Tags: cemeteries

Several years ago (in 2007), me and my cemetery buddies (pardon the grammar) visited the mysterious and lovely Rittenhouse Cemetery overlooking the old Prallsville quarry. I have wanted to write about this place for some time, but put it off because of concern that by making it known it would be more vulnerable to vandals. It appears that my restraint did not make much difference. Bob Leith visited recently and found one of the stones with graffiti and another one with a shotgun blast to its face. So, there is not much point in secrecy anymore. But there is another reason why I am inspired to write about the cemetery now. It has to do with the oldest stone there.

The Kitchen Cemetery

June 27, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Kitchen, Sandbrook, Thatcher Tags: cemeteries

Also known as the Thatcher Cemetery,
but is not to be confused with the Thatcher Burying Ground in Sergeantsville.

One of the most interesting private cemeteries in Delaware Township lies hidden among the trees on an old farm located near Routes 523 and 579. In 1931, Egbert T. Bush wrote that half of the cemetery was located on the Thatcher farm and half on a farm owned by A. J. Dalrymple. Bush identified a few of the stones, and on a visit in 1995 I found a few more, for a total of 18 gravestones with initials.¹

Recital: From Robeson to Howell

June 19, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Gloucester County, Howell, Reading Tags: Recitals

In the last post, I described the recital in a deed of 1815. It began with the sale in 1727 of 147 acres in Amwell Township by Joseph Howell to John Wright. But how did Joseph Howell get the property? That was not explained, but I assumed it had to come from John Reading, who had the tract surveyed for him in 1715, as shown on the Hammond Map of Hunterdon County.

Recital: From Reading to Larison

June 12, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Green, Lambert, Larison, Reading Tags: early settlers, land titles, maps, Pauch Farm, proprietors, Recitals

For those of us who look for genealogical information in deeds, there is a very special word we hope to find: “Whereas.” This wonderful word introduces a clause that should appear in every deed, but often does not—the recital clause, which states who the seller of the property bought it from. Most of the time, that’s all it does—name the preceding property owner. But every once in a while, mostly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, you will get a recital that goes all the way back to the beginning, to the original proprietary owner.

The Democratic Club of Delaware Twp, 1863

June 5, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, Sergeant Tags: Civil War, politics

The most recent issue of the Hunterdon Historical Newsletter (vol. 51, no. 2) includes an article by me on the Democratic Club of Delaware Township. I thought the story an important one, so, for the benefit of those who do not subscribe to the newsletter, I am also publishing it here on my website, with a couple additional notes.

(I do hope you will consider becoming a member of the Hunterdon County Historical Society, which includes a subscription to the newsletter. It’s a great way to support the preservation of Hunterdon County history. Here’s their website: Hunterdon History.)

The Civil War in 1862

May 29, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, Locktown, Warford Tags: Civil War

as seen through Benjamin H. Ellicott’s eyes

This post provides transcriptions of Benjamin H. Ellicott’s notes on the Civil War from March to December 1862. (I have kept Ellicott’s spelling, and inserted questions marks for words I can’t read.) For most of this time, Ellicott and his family were living in Locktown, New Jersey. Baltimore was their home, but they left it in 1861 after the attack on Fort Sumter. The family returned to Baltimore on September 24, 1862, and remained there until 1863, when they resettled in Hunterdon County.

Ellicott’s Diary, Local News

May 22, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, Locktown, Warford Tags: churches, Civil War, Ellicott's Diary, flora and fauna, old ways, politics

Recently I wrote about the diary of Benjamin H. Ellicott, a Baltimore man who married into a Hunterdon family, and traveled with his family from Baltimore to Flemington in 1861.¹

“Copperheadism” in Locktown

May 15, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Carrell, Delaware Township, Heath, Kugler, Locktown Tags: churches, Civil War

During the Civil War, Republicans called Democrats who opposed the war “Copperheads,” likening them to poisonous snakes. Many of these “Copperheads” could be found in Northern States like New Jersey, and in Hunterdon County.

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