This is a sequel to the article by Egbert T. Bush titled “Crosskeys Tavern,” about the history of the village of Rosemont, which was published in its entirety last week. Here I will break it down to provide more information.
The Rittenhouse Family in America has been studied at some length and genealogies have been published covering all branches in America. The earliest identified Rittenhouse was Wilhelm (1644-1708) who married Gertrude Pieters (1646-1708) in 1665 at Mulheim, Westphalia, Germany. This couple immigrated to Philadelphia shortly afterwards, where at least two children were born. Their son Garret or Gerard married Mary Shoemaker and had at least two children, one of whom was William, born in 1696, below.
The Lair, Lehr, Lare family of Hunterdon County originated with the immigrants Johannes and Maria Lehr, who originated in Germany or eastern France. They may have been French Huguenot. There is a town of Lehr in Germany in the palatinate between France and Germany. And Lair is a family name from Lyon. The two children of Johannes and Maria that we know of were born there. After the death of Johannes Lair, the family migrated to America, probably encouraged to do so by other German immigrants.
The marvelous house on the northeast corner of the intersection at Rosemont (at Routes 519 and 604), once known as the Rittenhouse or Crosskeys Tavern, may be in search of a new owner in the near future. It is my sincere hope, and that of the current owners, that someone will take over who fully appreciates the historic value of the property. The sale has reminded me that I have not yet published Egbert T. Bush’s article on Crosskeys Tavern.
In a previous article, I told the story of Martin Kaffitz and his wife Hattie W. Fritts. Kaffitz was employed for many years by William Crater who ran the blacksmith shop in Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County. I learned about the life of Martin Kaffitz from the many entries about him in the Hunterdon Republican newspaper. That paper was equally informative about William Crater, although Crater led a very different sort of life.
I am publishing this article now because it ties in with the other articles I have recently written about residents of or near the village of Sandbrook in Delaware Township. This is one of Mr. Bush’s articles that could be taken as an historical document in itself, because it includes the contents of two old records—an account book from the 1830s and an old family bible.
There were two separate Moore families living in the vicinity of Sandbrook and Headquarters in Delaware Township in the 19th century. One was English and one was German, and oddly enough, they seem never to have intermarried. This page will list both of them. The German family is far more extensive than the English one.
This is a continuation of my study of the Cook Proprietary Tract, this time focusing on the southern half of the tract that was purchased by Richard Rounsavell in the mid 18th century. (See Rounsavells of Amwell.)
This article is a continuation of the history of the Cook Proprietary Tract,1 The previous articles dealt with the northern half of the tract. It is time to turn our attention to the southern portion, half of which came into the possession of the Rounsavell family at a very early date, and remained in the family for many years thereafter. The other half was acquired by John Young, and after his death was conveyed to John Hice in 1789. The Young and Hice families will have to wait for another time.