A personal note: I am writing this series on the Lenape of Central New Jersey for the benefit of my fellow residents of Delaware Township, who have lacked a local history for all of their nearly 175 years as a township. I realize I am wandering into an area that has been deeply researched by accomplished scholars, and that it is all too easy to get things wrong about this shadowy yet fascinating subject. I am prepared to stand corrected, but hope it won’t be necessary.
This year residents of Delaware Township in Hunterdon County celebrate the 175 years since the township was created. Five years ago, in celebration of its 170th anniversary, I published a series of articles on the website “The Delaware Township Post.” It seems appropriate to republish those articles this year on my own website, slightly edited. Here is part two:
I see from the Planning Board minutes that a house on Locktown School Road (Block 5 lot 5) is likely to be demolished, as part of a subdivision plan. I’m never happy to learn that an old house is going to disappear. Perhaps it’s in terrible shape now—I don’t know, having never been inside it. I considered waiting to publish a story about the house until I could get a photo, but it looks like it will be awhile before that happens. And in truth, just because a property has a history does not mean that the house that is standing there is the one with the history. The house was not included in the Township’s Historic Sites Survey, so there’s no picture to be found there either. But with a title like Higgins-Horner-Hawk House, how could I wait?
A response to the article written by Egbert T. Bush on August 7, 1930 entitled “Buchanan’s, A Tavern With A Long History”
(Part One and Part Two)
Continuing on the quest to find Buchanan’s Tavern, let us return to Daniel Robins, who died in 1763. My previous post mentioned that his wife Frances was named administrator of his estate. Surety (“fellowbondsman”) for administration of the estate was Thomas Atkinson, merchant. The Inventory was made by John Mullinner and John Emley. These were all important men in early Kingwood Township, which is some reflection on Daniel Robins. Thomas Atkinson ran an important store in Kingwood.1 John Emley was a wealthy Quaker and large landowner in Kingwood Township. (He was close enough to the Robins family to be named to make the inventory of Daniel Robins, along with Hugh Hicks.) John Mullinner was also a Quaker of Kingwood Township. With these three Kingwood men involved in the estate, one might conclude that Daniel Robins lived there also, but there is no evidence that he did. Perhaps the real connection was their Quaker religion. Sure enough, the minutes of the Kingwood Monthly Meeting show that on the 10th day of the 7th month (Sept. 10), 1758, Daniel Robins declared himself a Quaker.
Previously I have written about the old stone house sitting on top of Robins or Buchanan’s Hill, on the old track of County Route 579. In that article, The Two Taverns at Robins Hill, I described this early resident of Hunterdon County, who died around 1737. After the article was published, I was contacted by Carl MacDonald who’s family has owned the property, and he sent me an early picture of the house.
This year residents of Delaware Township in Hunterdon County celebrate the 175 years since the township was created. The story of how this came about is a surprising one, and a little disheartening.
Many years ago while researching the family of Albertus Myers of Amwell Township (now Delaware Township), I came across his pension application on microfilm at the David Library. There, much to my joy, I found a page from the family bible. I assume they tore it out of the bible and included it with the application; they certainly didn’t photocopy it.
A response to the article by Egbert T. Bush on August 7, 1930 titled
“Buchanan’s, A Tavern With A Long History” and a continuation from Part One, A History of the Old Stone House on Robins Hill (Raritan Twp. Block 60 lot 40)
Anyone who has attempted to sort out land titles in the 18th century, particularly in New Jersey, knows what frustration is. It’s true, there are some records, but they are so incomplete, so full of hints that can’t be verified, that I feel just a little uneasy about the claims I am about to make. But make them I will.
A response to the article written by Egbert T. Bush on August 7, 1930 entitled
“Buchanan’s, A Tavern With A Long History”
Never, never assume. That’s a lesson I have just learned again. When I began looking into the history of Buchanan’s Tavern, I was operating on the assumption that the original 18th century tavern was the old stone house at the top of the hill on Route 579, just north of the intersection of County Routes 523 and 579. And the newer Buchanan’s was the old house on the northeast corner of the intersection, now owned by the Micek family. Turns out, I was wrong, but now I know why. And I’ve gotten a chance to write about one of my favorite early settlers, Daniel Robins. Here is the tale:
Property Was Formerly Owned by Judge Adam O. Robbins
Stood at Important Crossroads
by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, N.J.
published in the Hunterdon County Democrat, August 7, 1930
This article needs many more footnote annotations than most of the Bush articles I have published so far. In fact, despite the 24 footnotes in this article, there is so much to say about it, that I find it necessary to write a separate post. It is called “The Two Taverns at Robins Hill.“
