part four in the series, The Route Not Taken
This is part four of the history of the landowners living along the proposed railroad route that was surveyed for the Delaware Flemington Railroad Company in 1873 and was intended to run from Prallsville to Flemington.
(1) Martin Johnson (1754 – 1828) & Anna Trout (1758 – 1812)
I have very little information on Martin Johnson before his first appearance in Amwell township in 1798 when he purchased a large farm along the Delaware River from John Vancamp. His father was probably Daniel Johnson of Cumberland County, who named son Martin in his will of 1757. Martin Johnson served in some capacity during the Revolution, and may have become acquainted with Amwell Township during that time. This possibility is reinforced by the fact that in 1779 Johnson married Anna Trout, daughter of Amwell landowners George Trout and Hannah Lequear. The Trouts were present in Amwell in the 1750s. Their daughter Anna was the oldest of 11 children.
part three in the series, The Route Not Taken
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
