Full – 2 Column – Page 68 – GOODSPEED HISTORIES

Daniel Coxe, Part 1

April 7, 2010 By Marfy Goodspeed in West New Jersey Tags: Daniel Coxe

I’ve been absent for 3 months. (I left off with West New Jersey in 1687.)

Perhaps one reason I stopped blogging is the work it takes to write about a whole year in one post. My daughter-in-law (who has a new blog about gardening that I highly recommend) suggested breaking things down into smaller posts. That’s what I thought I was doing when I decided to take one year at a time. But it turns out that so much happened in these years, one year has become too big a unit of measurement.

William Cooper’s Manor House

January 15, 2010 By Marfy Goodspeed in Gloucester County, West New Jersey Tags: architecture, early settlers, Going, houses

Today, Slate Magazine featured the work of Camilo Jose Vegara, who makes it his business to document the slow decay of American buildings and neighborhoods. His photographs are utterly fascinating to me, but what really caught my attention today was his photograph of the William Cooper Manor House located in Camden, New Jersey.

West New Jersey in 1687, Part Two

January 11, 2010 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bull, Gloucester County, Reading, West New Jersey Tags: early settlers, proprietors, surveying

West New Jersey In Debt

The West Jersey Assembly met in May of 1687. The minutes of their meeting are not included in Leaming and Spicer’s Grants and Concessions, so for many years, people thought they had not met at all. We know of two matters undertaken by the Assembly in 1687. The first was the problem of the Province’s debt. Despite the fact that taxes had been levied, they could not be collected. Much of this was due to the scarcity of coin, which had to come from abroad. By May of 1687 the debt had risen to £1,250.

West New Jersey in 1687, Part One

January 9, 2010 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bull, Gloucester County, Green, Howell, Reading, West New Jersey Tags: land titles, proprietors, surveying

The year 1687 was intense for West New Jersey and for England in matters concerning politics and management of land, but not very much for the families of Gloucester who might have been connected with Samuel Green. If your interests are limited to genealogy, then you must wait for part two of 1687. If the politics of days long gone are your fancy, then this year and the next will be of particular interest.

John Reading and the Town of Gloucester, 1686

December 31, 2009 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bull, Gloucester County, Reading, West New Jersey Tags: early settlers

The Town of Gloucester

Over the years of researching Hunterdon County history, I have often wondered about the early settlers of Gloucester, because many of them became early settlers of or investors in Hunterdon County, chief among them John Reading and Richard Bull. Now, thanks to this blog, I have a chance to learn about this town and how Reading and Bull fit into its history.

West New Jersey, 1686

December 20, 2009 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bull, Burlington County, Gloucester County, Green, Howell, Pettit, Reading, West New Jersey Tags: early legislation, early settlers

Straws in the Wind

In 1686, there were a few events that boded ill for West New Jersey.

The Declaration of Indulgence, which James II issued in March (or April), was James’ attempt to get the Protestant English accustomed to having Catholics and dissident Protestants more visible in daily life. It granted amnesty to those imprisoned under laws against the practice of these religions. Following this, James granted many commissions to Catholics in the army. Seems like a good thing, but it was also a good example of how James misread his subjects, who truly feared that a strong Catholic sovereign like James might turn their country into an appendage of Catholic France.

West New Jersey, 1685

December 11, 2009 By Marfy Goodspeed in Burlington County, Gloucester County, Reading, West New Jersey Tags: early legislation, early settlers

The New King

On February 2, 1684, Charles II, only 54 years old, suffered a stroke. Perhaps he might have survived it, but given the medical practices of the day, he was doomed to die, which he did four days later. His brother James was now King of England.

How to Survive in West New Jersey

December 7, 2009 By Marfy Goodspeed in West New Jersey Tags: early settlers, thoughts

Recently a friend, Ian Schoenherr, sent me a copy of a painting by Howard Pyle that beautifully depicts the life of the first settlers along the Delaware River.

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