Full – 4 Column – Page 61 – GOODSPEED HISTORIES

Washington’s Headquarters, Raritan Township, 1777

March 21, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Amwell Township, Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, J. M. Hoppock, Opdycke Tags: taverns, The Revolution

by Jonathan M. Hoppock

Democrat-Advertiser, 26 September 1901

The above view of this old mansion now standing on the farm of Manning Dilts in Raritan Township, at the top of what is known as Buchanan’s or Dilley’s Hill, built in 1725, making it one hundred and seventy-six years old, was recently photographed by Mr. J. C. Sunderlin of Flemington.¹ From this elevation the eye has a view of the Raritan valley as far east as Bound Brook. Also from this point a view can be had of the Sourland Mountain range from the Delaware on the west, extending through the counties of Hunterdon and Somerset, presenting to the view a greater scope of country than can probably be seen from any other point in the county.

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White Hall Recruiting Station, 1775-1781

March 20, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Amwell Township, Delaware Township, Headquarters, J. M. Hoppock, Opdycke Tags: taverns, The Revolution

by Jonathan M. Hoppock

Democrat-Advertiser, 24 October 1901

The White Hall Tavern in Headquarters, NJ

This old building, erected in 1758 at Head Quarters, now Grover, standing on the corner of the road on the farm at present owned by Smith Skinner, was, between the dates given above, used as a recruiting station.¹ As shown by papers in possession of the writer, Captain David Jones, of the Continental line, was the recruiting officer, and at this point, when the alarm was given that the then hated minions of King George had made a landing at Paulus Hook (Jersey City) or Amboy, would assemble the patriotic old citizen-soldiery, armed with the flint-locks, home-made bullets and powder horns, and from thence hasten to the front to assist the great Washington in beating back the invaders.²

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Civil War Taxes, part 5

March 5, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Hunterdon County, Lambertville, Raritan Township Tags: Civil War, local government, taxes

John Kuhl, a Hunterdon historian of the Civil War, pointed out to me in an email that

“Bonds and loans initially financed the war, the 5-20s, 7-30s, and 10-40s as advertised in the local newspapers. And the increased taxes took it from there. Besides your income tax, there were hefty boosts in real estate taxes to especially cover the local soldier bounties paid by the municipalities.”

Washington’s Headquarters, July 1777

March 2, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Carrell, Delaware Township, Headquarters, J. M. Hoppock, Opdycke Tags: The Revolution

by Jonathan M. Hoppock
Democrat-Advertiser, 11 October 1901

Headquarters Farm 1901 — Headquarters Farm in 1901

Obituary of Jonathan M. Hoppock

February 26, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, J. M. Hoppock, Sergeantsville

I intend to publish the articles written by J. M. Hoppock, with commentary in footnotes, but thought it wise to begin with his obituary, so that readers can get an idea of who he was. The obituary itself is a marvel, redolent of the turn of the 20th century in its phrasing and perspective.

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The Magic of Myths

February 20, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Headquarters, Hunterdon County, J. M. Hoppock Tags: The Revolution, thoughts

In my last post I wrote about the durable story that George Washington visited with John Opdycke and that, as a result, the village where Opdycke lived took on the name of Headquarters. Some people will read that sentence and conclude that it happened and is not a myth. They will ignore that phrase “durable story.”

Washington Didn’t Sleep in Delaware Twp.

February 17, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Opdycke Tags: The Revolution

And he probably didn’t visit either. But the notion that he spent a leisurely afternoon drinking fresh water under a shady tree in the company of John Opdycke just won’t go away. It probably never will.

Interpreting Lenape

February 14, 2011 By Marfy Goodspeed in West New Jersey Tags: Indians

I am no expert on the Lenape language. In fact, like most people, I am clueless. Recently someone asked me if I knew the meaning of a Lenape creek name, Octoraro. This is the answer I sent him:

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