Full – 3 Column – Page 26 – GOODSPEED HISTORIES

A Cricket for a Christmas Guest

December 30, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in E. T. Bush, Historians Revisited Tags: flora and fauna, old ways, thoughts

Egbert T. Bush wrote this charming piece at the end of 1931. It seemed like a nice addition to this year’s posts. Besides his visitor, he also took note of some unseasonable weather for the end of December. His conclusion was that it was just Mother Nature’s pendulum swinging one way, then another. This was probably true back in 1874 and 1889. Not so much today. However, his final thoughts do provide some solace during these disturbing times.

Return to Old Amwell

November 18, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Amwell Township, Hunterdon County

In my last post, I described a genealogical journey following my ancestors from my home in New Jersey through New York State into Michigan where I was born. That was the route taken by my grandfather’s ancestors. On the return trip home, I followed part of the journey taken by my grandmother’s ancestors.

“Michigan Fever”

November 7, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Amwell Township, Green, Howell, Hunterdon County Tags: early settlers

A Genealogical Journey

Many descendants of the early settlers of old Amwell Township in Hunterdon County remained in Amwell. But many others chose to move on, always looking for new land to start afresh. Such is the case with my ancestors, who made the journey from Amwell to northwest New Jersey, then on into New York State, ending up in Michigan. Both grandparents on my father’s side came from families who made that journey, the Goodspeeds through New York State, and the Rankins through Ohio.

The Gershom Lambert Farm

October 21, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Amwell Township, Barber, Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, Lambert Tags: early settlers, John Lambert, land titles

Because there has been some confusion about exactly where Sen. John Lambert lived, I have spent the past two articles determining that his farm was located on Seabrook Road and not on Lambertville-Headquarters Road, as some have thought. The confusion was caused by the fact that both farms were owned at one time by men named John Lambert and Gershom Lambert.

Sen. Lambert’s Farm, pt 2

October 10, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Barber, Delaware Township, Families, Hoppock, Lambert, Lambertville, Prallsville Tags: houses, John Lambert, land titles, mills

A continuation of the article on Sen. John Lambert’s home farm.

Having discovered which of two farms belonged to Sen. John Lambert, I realized how amazingly interconnected the Lambert family was. That will hold true even more so here in part two. However, I have not done all the research that could have been done before publishing this article. It was a question of when to stop.

Two Lambert Farms

September 25, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Amwell Township, Barber, Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, Lambert Tags: early settlers, ferries, houses, John Lambert, land titles, portraits, proprietors

There are two farms in southern Delaware Township that are particularly interesting. They were part of the old Dimsdale proprietary tract north of Lambertville until 1750, when John Lambert, a recent immigrant from Connecticut, purchased it.

Who Collected the Boats?

August 20, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bray, Clinton, Hunterdon County, Pettit Tags: The Revolution

Who really found the Delaware River boats in December 1776? the boats that Gen. Washington was supposed to rely on to carry his army across the river on Christmas Eve? For a long time I was certain it was David Johnes of Amwell, working with Daniel Bray and Jacob Gearhart. Now I’m not so sure. In fact, I now have serious doubts.

The Consequences of a Scam

August 6, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bray, Clinton, Families, Hunterdon County, Taylor

Taylor and Bray, continued.

This is the third in a series of articles about the founding of the town of Clinton in 1828. The two men who made this happen, Archibald S. Taylor and John W. Bray, Jr., came to grief in a fairly short time. The Town succeeded, but the founders failed miserably, and their original friendship turned into a deep hostility. This article focuses on what happened to them after Bray’s misdeeds were discovered.¹

The Ruin of A. S. Taylor

July 30, 2016 By Marfy Goodspeed in Clinton, Families, Hunterdon County, Taylor Tags: crime and punishment, portraits

In my last post I wrote about how the town of Clinton came to be. The man who made it happen was John W. Bray, with the financial backing of his brother-in-law Archibald S. Taylor. Building lots were laid out and sold, merchants and residents moved in and a new town came to life. In 1832 The Newark Daily Advertiser referred to Clinton as “a flourishing manufacturing village.”

However, Bray took some shortcuts that had dire consequences for his financial backer, and for himself.

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