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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 6114I have recently finished reading a book titled Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh, 1680-1762, Building the Quaker Community of Haddonfield, New Jersey, 1701-1762<\/em>, by Jeffery M. Dorwart and Elizabeth A. Lyons.<\/p>\n It is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the life of one of West New Jersey\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s early settlers\u201a\u00c4\u00eea young woman who came to the Province on her own in 1701.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am not the only one intrigued by her history. The people of Haddonfield in Camden County, where Elizabeth lived, have extolled her virtues for many years, sometimes to excess, wandering into the realm of legend. Thankfully, the authors of Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh<\/em> have relied on careful documentary research to give us a true history of Elizabeth\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s life, along with that of her father John Haddon and her husband John Estaugh.<\/p>\n It is not easy to gather information on the lives of New Jersey\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s proprietors, especially the ones who remained in England, as John Haddon did. Sources are not easy to come by. The authors have succeeded in giving us the history of a real family, not a mythical one<\/p>\n My focus here will not be on the history of Haddonfield, but rather on a large proprietary tract that was surveyed for Elizabeth\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s father, John Haddon, in 1712. It was located in Amwell Township, Hunterdon County. Although the survey was made in John Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s name, it was Elizabeth who applied for the survey on her father\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s behalf, and Elizabeth and her husband who managed the property.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n John Haddon, born in Northamptonshire in 1653, became a member of the Quaker religion at a fairly young age, probably about the time his parents converted. At one point his father was imprisoned for attending a Quaker meeting. Being a Quaker in the late 17th<\/sup> century was not easy, as the Stuart monarchs saw these rabble rousers as a threat, and did all they could to make their lives difficult.<\/p>\n Sometime after 1670, John Haddon moved to London where he became a blacksmith. In a fairly short time, he established an iron foundry in the\u00ac\u2020neighborhood of Bermondsey where he specialized in making ships\u201a\u00c4\u00f4 anchors. That is where his daughter Elizabeth was born in 1680.<\/p>\n During this time, Quakers continued to be persecuted by the Stuart government. Vandalism and repressive fines were a big problem. Despite these troubles, Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s business did well, and he benefitted from many business contacts who were not Quakers. He even got a contract from the Royal Treasury to mint coins to pay for military endeavors, which shows that he was not so doctrinaire that he would miss a good business opportunity.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, William Penn and other Quakers had set up a system for investing in the Province of West New Jersey. It required purchasing one of 100 proprietary shares, or a fraction of one. John Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s Quaker friends encouraged him to invest, and he began to do so in the 1690s. Between 1698 and 1700, when dividends of land were made available to proprietors, Haddon was able to have properties surveyed in Gloucester County. Haddon was especially interested in locations that might prove advantageous for mining operations, since that was his line of work.<\/p>\n Because of the complexity of the land system, some properties were accidentally surveyed to more than one owner. Sometimes surveys were made so carelessly that boundary lines overlapped. This was the case with some of Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s properties. He realized that he needed someone on the scene in West New Jersey to negotiate satisfactory solutions to these problems. But because of his many business commitments in England, as well as his age and concern for his health, he could not do this himself without a great deal of disruption and risk.<\/p>\n Instead, he sent his 20-year-old daughter Elizabeth to act as his agent. This was remarkable, not only because of her youth but because Elizabeth was a single woman.<\/p>\n Elizabeth Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s mother (also named Elizabeth) was very involved in her Quaker community. She was active in Quaker meetings and served on committees to help the poor and the persecuted. This no doubt set an important example for her daughters, who were educated to read and to write, and raised in an environment that promoted the ideal of equality for women.<\/p>\n Elizabeth was not only well-educated, she was devoted to her father and became interested in his business matters. She must have been both precocious and reliable.\u00ac\u2020If not, her father would never have chosen her to represent his interests in West New Jersey.\u00ac\u2020She made the trip to America on her own in 1701, and brought with her a power of attorney to act as father\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s general agent.<\/p>\n While Elizabeth Haddon was still living in London she had become a devoted follower of a Quaker minister named John Estaugh. Estaugh come to America soon after Elizabeth did, and in 1702, they were married. The ceremony was attended by many prominent Quakers, including Samuel Jennings.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n John and Elizabeth Estaugh were quite busy setting up their home in Gloucester County as well as sorting out John Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s real estate investments. They did not limit themselves to resolving disputes; they also applied for surveys in John Haddon\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s name whenever the opportunity arose.<\/p>\n Addendum:\u00ac\u2020 Recently (August 2018) I found a beautiful picture of the Haddon-Estaugh house in Haddonfield, known as Haddon Hall, posted on Facebook by Margaret Westfield. Here it is:<\/p>\nThe Haddons of England<\/h3>\n
Elizabeth Haddon<\/h3>\n