themify domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/goodspeedhist/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Recently I wrote about the diary of Benjamin H. Ellicott, a Baltimore man who married into a Hunterdon family, and traveled with his family from Baltimore to Flemington in 1861.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n This article will feature some of Ellicott\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s preoccupations, starting with his family\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s health, local news and the weather. One of the most interesting topics in the diary was Ellicott\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s reports on the progress of the Civil War. I am saving those comments for a future article. I am also saving Ellicott\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s comments regarding his father-in-law\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s finances. More research is needed before I can write intelligently on that subject. In his Diary, Ellicott made reference to some people only by their surnames, and since I have not yet been able to identify them, I am leaving them out of my articles for now.<\/p>\n In my previous post, I observed that Ellicott wrote in his diary every day. That was true for awhile, even if all he had to report on was the weather, but eventually he began to skip a day here and there. Still he was a remarkably steady diarist. As far as the weather goes, Ellicott paid such close attention to it that I suspect climate scientists would be very interested in what he wrote, if only he had had a thermometer.<\/p>\n When we left the Ellicott family, they were living in \u201a\u00c4\u00faThe Swamp,\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 as Ellicott called it. That was the common term for the neighborhood. More specifically, they were living in the Locktown Hotel, under the management of William Nixon. Ellicott\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s first concerns were with his family\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s adaptation to the different climate of Locktown, compared to Baltimore. In February 1862, son George seemed to have recovered from his teething troubles, but a few days later (Feb. 22d) he was \u201a\u00c4\u00fastill ailing from an affection of his bowels or stomach, caused by his Teething, two having come through and two others being about to show the Ivory above his Gums.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 The rest of February and March went by without health problems, but things would get worse in July.<\/p>\n There were many days in a row when Ellicott had nothing at all to say except to take note of the state of the weather. Especially in April 1862 when the weather was quite chilly, with frosts, and snow (April 8-10), and another freeze on the 24th-27th. Here are some selections:<\/p>\n April 3rd<\/span> – Clear and pleasant all day during our mornings walk found and Killed 3 Snakes which with the one Killed on the 1st Inst. makes Four Snakes form the same den destroyed by us.<\/p>\n April 4th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear and pleasant all day. The Ground having become settled the Farmers hereabout are preparing to commence ploughing which has been<\/p>\n May 3rd<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Beautiful bright morning pleasantly warm without much wind – few if any fruit Trees yet in blossom in \u201a\u00c4\u00fathe Swamp\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 – but some of the earlier species are said to show bloom in the Valley –<\/p>\n May 5th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020clear & pleasant this morning and until 4 o\u201a\u00c4\u00f4clock P.M. when a gust arose with considerable rain and some lightning & thunder. Which has again dashed the hopes of the farmers who have calculated on commencing, if not completing, their ploughing & seeding this week. But little Garden Work has been attempted, and less accomplished, up to this time, in \u201a\u00c4\u00faThe Swamp\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 – \u201a\u00c4\u00faAngling\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 Stock has risen – Bud having caught 13 Fishes to-day, before the Gust – Gus. Fields fell in the Creek whilst fishing this afternoon, & would have drowned if Frany Myers had not been at hand and rescued him when he was almost exhausted<\/p>\n May 6th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear bright morning and for a part of the day became cloudy and showers in the afternoon with\u00ac\u2020quite a moderate temperature – Barn swallows and chimney birds have made their first appearance about the 1st Inst.<\/p>\n May 10th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear and pleasant to-day with the same smoky atmosphere that prevailed yesterday; The wind being Westerly by North this smoke has proceeded ; most probably from fire upon the Mountains in Pannsylv.<\/p>\n May 11th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear & cool this morning the wind having changed in the Night Northerly,\u00ac\u2020and the Smokey haze has disappeared – but towards Midday the action of the West Wind brought the same smoky haze as of from some fire in that direction –<\/p>\n June 5th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Cloudy with slight showers all day – The Delaware has raised very high & the freshet is running within a few inches only of the height of that of 1841, causing much destruction of Property which has been floating down to-day.<\/p>\n June 6th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Cloudy this morning and until towards evening – Millions of Dollars are said to be lost by the Flood in the River – besides several Hundred lives of Persons<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I was curious about this flood. But Bill Hartman wrote that \u201a\u00c4\u00fathere were no items of interest\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 in the June 13th issue of the Hunterdon Co. Republican. There was also nothing in Hartman\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s abstract of the Hunterdon Gazette for June 1862 concerning the flood. And the Gazette of June 11th had no deaths to report as a result of the flood. So was Ellicott really talking about people\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s lives? I\u201a\u00c4\u00f4ve studied that page (p. 28) several times, and it really does say \u201a\u00c4\u00falives of Persons.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p>\n June 16th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear and cold this morning quite cold enough for Frost had it not been prevented by the high wind prevailing during the night – Nevertheless E. Warford went off on horseback this morning early in his shirt sleeves after staying with us all night – Frost was seen this morning near the watercourses & fires to sit by are necessary for comfort this evening, tho\u201a\u00c4\u00f4 the air in the middle of the day was quite warm under a bright sun.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n March 23rd, Sunday<\/span> – Tolerably pleasant day, with some sunshine and Road drying off gradually – The absence of the usual March winds is a cause of general remark – Eleven (11) Converts under the ministration of Rev\u201a\u00c4\u00f4d Mr. Pitman, at the Chapel of \u201a\u00c4\u00faSoft Shell\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 Baptists<\/span> [my emphasis] were immersed in the Creek,\u00ac\u2020near this place (Lock\u00ac\u2020Town) at Noon to-day, in the presence of a large number of Spectators<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I hope these converts had a warm place to go after their drenching in cold water. \u201a\u00c4\u00faSoft Shell Baptists\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 were members of the congregation that broke away from the Kingwood Baptist Church in 1839, under the leadership of Rev.\u00ac\u2020James W. Wigg.2<\/a><\/sup> However, Rev. Pittman seems to have been ministering to a different church,\u00ac\u2020the Locktown Christian Church, which had been established in 1828. Perhaps by 1864 the congregation had aligned itself with the New School Baptists.\u00ac\u2020In 1866 there was a revival at \u201a\u00c4\u00fathe Christian Chapel in Locktown,\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 presided over by Rev. Wm. H. Pittman, according to the Hunterdon Co. Republican, Jan. 19, 1864.<\/p>\n Here is an explanation for \u201a\u00c4\u00fasoft-shell\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 from Wikipedia: \u201a\u00c4\u00faThose that hold to the doctrine that an individual is first begotten or quickened into life at the start of their travail are called the “hard shell side” of Old Regular Baptist, or the Old School Regulars. This appears to be the original view of the first Regular Baptist in America. Those who hold that life starts at the end of their travail (repentance) are called the “soft shell side”.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p>\n April 1, 1862<\/span> – \u201a\u00c4\u00faSteven W. Larg [sic] has recovered from [word left out?] and Richard Williamson takes possession of the Tavern Lot.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Tavern Lot was owned by Elisha Warford from 1861, when he bought it from Ely Britton, to 1868, when Warford sold it to John Picker.3<\/a><\/sup>. William Nixon was the innkeeper when the Ellicott\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s arrived in 1861, but a year later, on February 20, 1862, Ellicott wrote:\u00ac\u2020\u201a\u00c4\u00faWm. Nixon has executed a Lease with Joseph West for Dwelling, Wheelwright Shop and Lot of Ground at $50 per acre and leased to Mahlon Fields and John Harden the Dwelling and Grounds for $37.50 per acre.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p>\n The Joseph West dwelling was at Locktown, today the home of the Waverka family. Nixon must not have been living there since he rented out the dwelling. He turns up in Union Township in 1864 when he was named poundkeeper there, so I presume he had definitely left Locktown.<\/p>\n Richard Williamson (1797-1876), son of Cornelius Williamson and Styntje Demott, was married to Catherine Gulick (1797-1886). They were living in Hopewell in the 1820s, but relocated to Delaware Township in time for the 1840 census, where they remained until around 1870 when they moved to Kingwood. It appears that their children were not born until the 1830s. Richard and Catherine were buried in the Flemington Presbyterian Cemetery.<\/p>\n Stephen W. Large is a mystery\u201a\u00c4\u00eeI found no entry for him in Ancestry.com, although there were several for Stephen K. Large.<\/p>\n April 14th<\/span> – Town Meeting held to day at Sergeantsville for Delaware Township. Not being a Voter, & having no invitation to attend, I was not there, but understood that some excitement attended the proceedings owing to the contests for some of the offices – The result left Austin C. Servis out of all the offices to which he aspired by overwhelming majorities – The contest between Nixon & Moore for Constable was a close one – 79 for N and 81 for M. Judge Shrove died this morning of a protracted sinking after Typhoid fever.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I do not have an identity for Judge Shrove; perhaps this was David Shrove who was a previously referred to.<\/p>\n Austin C. Servis is better known. He was a saddler and harness maker of Delaware twp., born about 1822, died July 15, 1878, buried in the Sandy Ridge Cemetery. His wife was Elizabeth Lair, born March 1826. I have not identified which Lair family she was related to. She died after the 1900 census was taken, when she was living in Delaware township with her son George L. Servis. She was the mother of 7 children.<\/p>\n All of that information is fine, but doesn’t tell us much about what sort of person Austin C. Servis was. Now we know that he had political ambitions. But Mr. Ellicott has left us wondering why did people vote so overwhelmingly against him. I found no mention of him in the Hunterdon Gazette for 1862.<\/p>\n The Hunterdon Co. Republican reported that Servis was elected Constable and Overseer of the Poor for Delaware Township at their annual meeting in April 1860. There was no mention of him in 1861 or 1862. He served on a couple juries after this, but there was no obituary for him when he died in 1878.<\/p>\n May 15th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear and cool – Easterly winds having prevailed for several days past – Having borrowed \u201a\u00c4\u00faOld Jim\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 we went to Flemington on a shopping expedition – spent $14.31<\/p>\n May 16th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Warmer and foggy this morning – clearing away before noon. Bespoke shoes from Housel for Bud. Visited Mrs. E. Warford at Quakertown this afternoon.<\/p>\n May 17th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Clear and pleasant today but rather warm at Midday; Rachel, George and myself went through Sergeantsville to Centre Bridge, thence through Prallsville & Rosemont to Kingwood and Locktown, between 10 and 10 [sic] o\u201a\u00c4\u00f4clock<\/p>\n May 25th<\/span> \u00ac\u2020Cool and clear this morning with some frost sufficient to stiffen the grass, but supposed not be severe enough to injure the fruit or blossoms \u00ac\u2020A large collection of People have come to attend the Laneite Meeting today – At 12 O\u201a\u00c4\u00f4clock 150 Vehicles were in Locktown and quite a crowd congregated in and around the Chapel \u00ac\u2020Rev\u201a\u00c4\u00f4d Mr. Lane, the Founder of this Sect, preached upon this occasion \u201a\u00c4\u00ee<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When Ellicott referred to the \u201a\u00c4\u00faChapel,\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 he meant what we know as the Locktown Christian Church. As for the Laneites and Rev. Mr. Lane, I have no information.<\/p>\n March 24th 1862<\/span> – Ground frozen in the morning – the day pleasant, drying the Roads, considerably – Received invitation to the funeral of Elijah Warford (of Quakertown) to take place on the 26th Inst. at 11 o\u201a\u00c4\u00f4clock. It appears that he contracted a heavy cold from exposure to the weather and getting wet, about a week before his death, which occurred this morning about 8 o\u201a\u00c4\u00f4clock, resulting in Pleurisy or Pneumonia : He is related to us, his Father being a cousin of Elisha Warford, and he appears to be a person respected and beloved by a large circle of friends, for his probity & sterling good quantities [sic] – He has died in the [left blank] year of his age leaving a Wife & one child to mourn his very unexpected demise.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nFamily Health<\/h4>\n
Weather<\/h4>\n
Local News<\/h4>\n
Funeral of Elijah Warford<\/h4>\n