Fullwidth – Page 67 – GOODSPEED HISTORIES

Buckwheat Cakes & Trimmer Stew

February 24, 2018 By Marfy Goodspeed in E. T. Bush, Historians

An interesting view of 19^th century rural cooking from the perspective of one who grew up on it, and was able to compare it to the food available in the 1930s, when food processing had begun to be modernized. Commercial food production was just coming into its own back then. If Mr. Bush could take a stroll down the aisles of today’s supermarkets, he would be astonished, and probably dismayed. In many ways things have gotten worse.

But they have also gotten better, especially in Hunterdon County. We have access to wonderful locally grown produce and natural ingredients, especially in our many local farmers’ markets. And today there are many creative cooks who have figured out how to make better use of some of these ancient cooking techniques, as well as new ones.

Hoppock Farm Over 600 Acres

February 17, 2018 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Twp, E. T. Bush, Heath, Hoppock Tags: early settlers, Haddon Tract, land titles, roads

Not long ago I published some articles about properties located in what was once known as The Haddon Tract (The Haddon Tract, part one). Today’s article by Egbert T. Bush concerns a very large farm located in that tract that I have not yet written about. It was sold by Jacob Sniter and Nicholas Sayn to John Peter Foxe of Amwell, who subsequently sold it to Jost Hoppock in 1749.

Tavernkeeper of Skunktown

February 3, 2018 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Twp, Families, Gordon, Kitchen, Lair, Lake, Rockafellar, Sergeantsville Tags: hotels, houses, taverns

Most of you, my dear readers, know that the famous Rockafellar family had its roots in Amwell Township, Hunterdon County. And we’re all familiar with one particular descendant of this German immigrant family, a man who prospered hugely from the opportunities afforded him in America—the famous John D. Rockafellar. Another descendant, although not a direct ancestor of John D., became the tavernkeeper at Skunktown (now known as Sergeantsville), and I am much more interested in him.

As I began work on this article I soon realized that I have neglected to publish an article on this website about the Skunktown Tavern itself, which later on got the title of the “Sergeantsville Hotel.”¹ That would have been after 1827, when the name Skunktown was changed to Sergeantsville.

Sergeantsville Hotel aka Skunktown Tavern