This is part three of my series on the Delaware Flemington Railroad Company. Part One was an article by Egbert T. Bush describing the birth and death of the company. Part Two described the reasons for the company’s failure and how its directors fared afterwards. This article will focus on the route that was planned for the new rail line.1
A Mystery Solved
A Guest Post by Pamela Jean Milam
Great Granddaughter of Jane Bell Lockerbie Wilson
Last April, I received an email from a reader, Pamela Milam, describing a tragic incident in her family’s history. I was struck by how unusual and dramatic it was and encouraged her to write it up. But she knew it needed more research, so she set to work. Each version she sent me was better than the previous one, and in time she finished the story, as it is presented here. I hope Pamela’s experience will encourage others to consider writing up a chapter of their own family history. It can be very rewarding.
Aristocratical Stocktons
Party Politics in 1803
Recently, my son, Ben Zimmer, sent me a clipping that a friend of his had found in the Trenton True American for March 7, 1803. This friend, Barry Popik, was researching the expression “Uncle Sam,” (see “New Light on “Uncle Sam”), and had found an instance of its use in this letter to the editor:
Stockton Tree
This example of a Stockton family tree is very tentative. I have not done a lot of research on this family and expect to be making additions and corrections over time. My purpose in compiling this tree is to show how the family of Richard and Annis Stockton of Princeton, featured in my article “Aristocratical Stocktons,” connected with the rest of the Stockton family. I have underlined the names of those mentioned in that article.
Sandbrook Hostilities
My next article on the proposed route of the Delaware Flemington Railroad is not ready for publication. However, a few years after the railroad company collapsed, one of the company’s directors found himself confronted by an angry man.
Higgins Family Tree
Hunterdon County Descendants of Jediah Higgins & Hannah Stout
I have not researched the entire Higgins family of Hunterdon County, so this tree should be considered as suggestive, rather than definitive.
I have designated as the first Higgins generation the family of Jediah Higgins (born 1691 in Piscataway, Middlesex County, NJ) and Hannah Stout (born 1694 in Middletown, Monmouth County). Many of the eight children of Jediah and Hannah Higgins moved to Hunterdon. However, Jediah and Hannah both died in Kingston, Middlesex County, Jediah in 1772 and Hannah in 1779.
Kessler & Co.
This is part two of my series on the Delaware Flemington Railroad Company. Part One was Egbert T. Bush’s history of how this company failed. He provided us with lots of information derived from the company papers that had been saved. But so many questions were raised, and not addressed, starting with the people who thought up the idea and promoted the company.
“Old-Time Debates”
The next presidential debate for Democratic candidates is coming up on September 12th. In light of that and also with thoughts about the kind of discourse Americans are having these days, it seemed appropriate to publish Mr. Bush’s article on a practice that went out of fashion long ago—local debating societies. Somehow it was possible for 19th-century neighbors to dispute current issues without making enemies of each other.
The Railroad That Wasn’t Built
This article by Egbert T. Bush caught my attention because it is reminiscent of PennEast’s attempt to dig a pipeline across Delaware Township and other parts of Hunterdon and Mercer Counties. The big difference here is that many landowners along the proposed route of this railroad supported it because they expected real benefits, whereas PennEast’s pipeline is likely to do more harm than good.
The Deremer-Wilson Farm
or Dilts Farm Revisited, part two
Part one focused on the family of Judson Rittenhouse and Martha Bodine, who lived on the farm now known as the Sarah Dilts Farm Park in Delaware Township for most of their lives. The farm was purchased by Judson’s father, Wilson Bray Rittenhouse, in 1844. This article will first describe Wilson and his family, and then will trace the history of this property back to the first European owner.