Just to review, in 1680, James Duke of York, with prodding from William Penn, agreed to confirm the 1664 grant of West New Jersey to John Lord Berkeley. This, along with a special deed, confirmed the grant to Edward Byllinge, Berkeley’s successor. Byllinge thereby claimed the governorship of the colony, even though there was no provision for the position of Governor in the Concessions & Agreements.1
The Irish TenthDuring the winter, the Irish Quakers who had arrived at West New Jersey in September 1681, were given shelter in Salem. When spring 1682 arrived, they set to work building their own settlement. The location they chose was a site opposite what would soon be Philadelphia. They laid out their own Tenth, running from Timber Creek to Pennsauken Creek, and established a town center called Newton. The original site of Newton was in the present-day city of Camden.
This post is another side trip in my journey through Hunterdon history by way of Samuel Green. While looking through the Delaware Papers by Charles T. Gehring, I happened upon some interesting items dating to 1680.
Well, it looks as if I can’t get more than one year’s worth of information in a single post. Can’t help it—the times were just too interesting.
In January 1680/81, Gov. Andros, who had been carrying out the wishes of his patron, James Duke of York, was recalled to England to answer charges of financial corruption. His heavy-handed tactics, especially in East New Jersey, had made him a liability to James, who was having problems of his own. Andros returned home in May 1681, but instead of imprisonment, he was knighted, after the charges were dropped in December 1681.
While Mahlon Stacy was enjoying the fruitful new land he and his fellow Quakers had settled in, a time bomb was ticking, set off by a poorly spelled letter written in Sept. 1679 by the Attorney General in England, Sir John Werden,1, which concluded with this: Quaere?
Sorry for the delay. Got waylaid by a virus.
I was thinking about that cold winter when the ‘Shield’ arrived in the Delaware River and the passengers walked to land over ice, and then, thinking about how Mahlon Stacy wrote about the bountiful life in the Yorkshire Tenth. It was a little surprising that he did not mention the chilly weather. Of course, Stacy intended his letter to be reread to English Quakers who were debating whether or not to make the trip to America, so he put the best face of things.
The history of the newly created Province of West New Jersey shaped the history of the creation of Hunterdon County.
I have continued to struggle with the problem of finding the origins of Samuel Green, surveyor of West New Jersey, without much success. For one thing, records are limited. There are many deeds and surveys recorded for properties in West New Jersey, but other than the 1/32nd share mentioned before that Richard Green purchased and then sold to Anna Salter, there is nothing much to go on.
Where have I been? Catching up on my research. It’s amazing how much more you can learn when you think you’ve already got a subject covered.
I’ve got lots of good stuff in the pipeline, but some polishing is still needed. In the meantime, I want to acknowledge some help I got from Mary Jackes, who sent me part of a book written by Watson Kirkconnell called “Climbing the Green Tree and some other Branches,” a regrettable title.