Shippen Manor News

Shippen Manor

3 days ago

#DIDYOUKNOW FINESVILLE, POHATCONG TWP., NJ

Finesville is a 208-acre village and unincorporated community located within Pohatcong Twp. between the Pohatcong and Musconetcong Mountains and is located along the Musconetcong River about a mile from the Delaware River.

The Finesville-Seigletown Historic District was listed on the NJ Register of Historic Places on 7 Oct 2009.

Historic facts about Finesville:

• The settlement is named for Philip and John Fein (locals often misspelled their names as Fine) who settled in the area after arriving from Germany.

• Finesville became a permanent settlement in 1751 with the construction of the Chelsea Forge (a charcoal-iron forge) which was situated on the Musconetcong. During the American Revolution, Chelsea Forge provided the Continental Army with weapons to defend Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.

• The old Chelsea Forge was situated in Finesville and obtained its pig iron from the Durham Furnace in Pennsylvania, which made iron as early as 1727. It was then transported across the Delaware from the Durham Furnace on the ferry owned by Stillwell and Brinker.

• Philip Fein and his sons, Philip, Christopher and John, ran an oil mill, gristmill, sawmill, and store. John Fein built a hotel. In the early 20th c., C.C. Fine owned a general store and W.I. Jacoby a grist mill.

• When the Fein gristmill burned, it was later rebuilt as the Riegel Paper Mill, which later became the Taylor Stiles and Co. knife factory.

• Before 1800, the three Shank brothers occupied a log house on the other side of the river and operated a ferry across the Delaware at the confluence of the Musconetcong River.

• The Methodist Episcopal Church at Finesville dates back to 1835 or earlier. A Union church was built to be used by the Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans and other Christian denominations. It was purchased by the Methodists in 1870. Some of the preachers who served at this church were Revs. Carhart, Tuttle, George Banghart, Van Horne, Dedrick, Haggerty and Decker.

• The Finesville Dam spanned across the Musconetcong from Pohatcong Township (Warren Co.) to Holland Township (Hunterdon Co.). It was built in 1952 and was 9-foot high and 109-foot long. The earliest of the Finesville damns was built around 1751 to provide power to the Chelsea Forge. Later dams were rebuilt several times on the same site. The Musconetcong Dams are no longr necessary and if they haven’t been removed yet, they will be. None were ever designed to deal with flooding and are a liability.

• Seigletown is about a half mile from Finesville on Reiglesville-Warren Glen Road, located on the north side of the road. It was created in 1793 by Captain Benjamin Seigle who served in a PA militia during the Revolution. He purchased land here after the war and built a home, a pottery (produced red clay pottery pieces), gristmill, clovermill, and a blacksmith shop. The family also owned hematite mine and were also farmers. The pottery ran for about 100 years.

• Finesville Union Cemetery, located at 98 CR 627/Reiglesville-Warren Glen Road in Finesville. Find-a-Grave shows about 114 identifiable graves (www.findagrave.com/cemetery/696573/finesville-union-cemetery).

#Finesville #Seigletown #PohatcongTwp #WarrenCounty #NewJersey #LocalHistory #CountyHistory #AmericanRev #ChelseaForge #FinesvilleDam ... See MoreSee Less

Shippen Manor

5 days ago

The b&w pictures are from the Shippen Manor application for National Register of Historic Places.(This is before or around the time that the County would take possession of it from the State.)
The photographs were dark, so the pictures were lightened so that you could see the interior better. Also, a current picture was placed next to the old so that you can see the difference.
Remarkable, eh?

#ShippenManor #NationalRegistry #OxfordHistory #WarrenCountyHistory #NJHistory #OldHomes #ThrowbackWednesday ... See MoreSee Less

Shippen Manor

1 week ago

#DIDYOUKNOW ABOUT HUNTS MEADOW

HUNTS MEADOWS (AMERICAN REV SITE)
According to the sign posted on the north side of Riegelsville-Warren Glen Road in Finesville, Pohatcong Twp., Warren Co., “Patriot Edward Hunt settled here on his father’s 600 acres of land prior to 1772. In 1778, sixty cavalry horses belonging to the Continental Army were wintered here and ‘returned in spring in excellent condition’. Before the revolution, Edward began digging the millrace here. It is 8/10 mile long and once powered a sawmill and the gristmill that became the Reigle Paper Co.” The Pohatcong Township Historic Preservation Commission placed the sign on 1 Jan 1999. At least one bronze plaque is visible on the structure itself that designates it a National Registry site.

HUNT FAMILY GENEALOGY (FAMILY OF EDWARD HUNT)
*The information is incomplete as there are errors with much of the genealogical information. This is the most consistent that I have found.

Edward Hunt (c. 1734 in Amwell, Sussex Co. to 10 March 1786 in Greenwich Twp, Sussex Co., NJ)

His father: Thomas Hunt (1700 to 1790 in Amwell Twp, Hunterdon Co., NJ), son of Samuel Hunt and Mary Burroughs. He was born in the town of Maidenhead (Lawrence), NJ. In the 1730s, he acquired land in Hunterdon Co. where he remained until his death at around 90 years of age. His first wife was Hannah Pierson from Long Island. Unknown if they had any biological children. goodspeedhistories.com/hunt-family-tree/

His mother: Mary Heath Hunt (bc. 1705), widow of John Heath.

His wife: Mary Shuel/Shewell Hunt (1738 in Amwell, Hunterdon Co., NJ to about 1818 in Riegelsville/Greenwich Twp., Sussex Co., NJ), married in 1759 in Greenwich Twp., Sussex Co. NJ. They had several children.

Edward & Mary's children:

1. Ann Hunt (1763 in Sussex Co., NJ to 1789 in Sussex Co., NJ)--there is some suggestion that she was married to Benjamin McCullough, but I haven't found the proper information to support that.

2. Edward Hunt (5 Aug 1764 in NJ to 11 May 1811 in Ohio, buried in Elizabethtown, Hamilton Co., Ohio), married Charlotte Shank (5 Aug 1764, Bucks Co., PA to 21 Jan 1851, Elizabethtown, Hamilton Co., Ohio). They had ten children.

3. Rebecca Hunt (1765 in Greenwich Twp., Sussex Co., NJ to 5 Oct 1805 in NJ), married Andrew Sproul (b. 1762) in March 1784 in Greenwich Twp., Sussex Co., NJ. One known child—Colonel Thomas S. Sproull (1775-1846).

4. Keturah Hunt (1767 in Greenwich Twp., Sussex Co., NJ to 17 Sept 1788 in Asbury, Warren Co., NJ), married Lt. Daniel Vaughn (b. 1763) in about 1784, Greenwich Twp., Sussex Co., NJ. One known child—Edward Vaughn (b. 1785)

5. Hannah Hunt (9 Jan 1769 to 15 March 1851 in Empey Hill, Ontario, Canada), married John Empey (c. 1765-1850), lived in Ontario, Canada.

6. William Hunt (14 June 1771 in Greenwich, Sussex Co., NJ to 14 April 1820 in Greenwich, Sussex Co., NJ), married Rebecca Beavers (10 Nov 1772 to 22 Nov 1853, buried in Milford Union Cemetery, Milford, Hunterdon Co., NJ) in 1792. She father was Col. Joseph Beavers (1728 to 20 Dec 1816, buried in Greenwich Cemetery, Warren Co., NJ), aide-de-camp to Gen. Lafayette during the American Revolution and served in Hunterdon Co. militia during the war. Her mother was Elizabeth Armstrong Beavers (12 March 1729 in Johnsonburg, Warren Co., NJ to 19 Feb 1829 in Warren Co., NJ, buried in Mansfield-Woodhouse Cemetery, Washington, Warren Co., NJ).
*This is where we see another connection between families. In this case, Hunts, Armstrongs and Beavers. There is a previous post regarding the AM REV vets buried at the Greenwich Presbyterian Cemetery and also Mansfield-Woodhouse that includes members of the Beavers family.

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William & Rebecca had about thirteen children.

a. Wilson Hunt (23 December 1793 in NJ to 27 Nov 1868), married Catherine Simmons (1788-1859) on 11 Feb 1814. They had two children.

b. Catura/Katurah Hunt (1795-1847)

c. Nancy Hunt (1796-1836)

d. Sarah Hunt (18 Jan 1798 in NJ to 9 Jan 1878), married Samuel Melick (13 April 1793, Phillipsburg, Warren Co., NJ to 11 May 1832) on 3 Jan 1816 in NJ. They had about eight children.

e. Robert Hunt (2 Feb 1800 in NJ to 11 March 1877).

f. Ralph Hunt (22 Feb 1800 to 11 March 1877, buried in the Milford Union Cemetery, Milford, Hunterdon Co., NJ), married Eliza B. Hughes Hunt (24 Nov 1796 to 26 Nov 1870, buried in Milford Union Cem, Milford, Hunterdon Co.), daughter of Dr. John S. Hughes (1770-1825) and Maria Bergen Hughes (1772-1838), both buried in Hughesville Cemetery, Warren Glen, NJ). Ralph and Eliza had three children. After his first wife died, he married Mrs. Ann Rockafellow Woodruff. He was a tailor by trade until he married, then became a farmer and general store bookkeeping. Ralph was an old line Whig and Republican in politics and a member of the Presbyterian Church in Milford, NJ.
*Here is another familial connection between the Hunts and Hughes families, who were (somewhat) neighbors. There is a previous post regarding the Hughesville Cemetery that discusses Dr. John S. Hughes.

g. Rachel Hunt (1801-1819)
h. Pleasant Hunt (1802-1881)
i. Mary Hunt (1803-1819)

j. Permelia Hunt LaRoche (24 July 1805 in Finesville, Warren Co., NJ to 19 Oct 1857 in Lambertville, Hunterdon Co., NJ, buried in Lower Amwell Cemetery – Old Yard, Sergeantsville, Hunterdon Co., NJ), married Lewis Faughlevoy LaRoche (22 June 1800 in Hunterdon Co., NJ to 27 Jan 1879 in Hunterdon Co., NJ, buried in Lower Amwell Cemetery-Old Yard, Sergeantsville, Hunterdon Co., NJ). They had eight children.

k. Elizabeth Hunt Hamlen (11 April 1806 in Sussex Co., NJ to 19 Dec 1849 in Warren Co., NJ, buried in Greenwich Cemetery in Greenwich Twp., Warren Co., NJ), married William Hamlen (3 Sept 1830 in Warren Co., NJ to 15 Aug 1888 in Warren Co., NJ). They had about twelve children. Following her death, her husband married Lena Medick Hamlen (1831-1912).

l. Joseph Beavers Hunt (1 Dec 1808 in NJ to 27 Apr 1891 in Bryon, Ogle Co., IL), married Mary Hulshizer (1811-1906), married 1832 in NY. They had about seven children.
*Again, another local familial connection-- Beavers, Hunts and Hulshizers.

m. Edward Hunt (24 Dec 1809 to 1 Sept 1895, buried in Milford Union Cemetery, Hunterdon Co., NJ), married Effie Bloom (19 March 1812 to 15 Aug 1894, buried in Milford Cemetery, Hunterdon Co., NJ). Children includes Sarah Ellen Hunt Godley (b. NJ). He was a tailor by trade but also engaged in farming. He was a Whig and a Republican as well as a member and Elder of the Presbyterian Church in Milford, NJ. They had six children.

n. Harriet Hunt (1811-1885)
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7. John Hunt (18 Dec 1773 in NJ to 8 June 1851 in Greenwich, Sussex Co., NJ, buried in Finesville Union Cemetery, in Finesville, Warren Co., NJ), married Anna Taylor Hunt (1775/6 to May 1846 in Warren Co., NJ, buried in Finesville Union Cemetery, Finesville, Warren Co, NJ). They had nine children.

8. Amelia Hunt (bc. 1780), married Peter Creveling (c. 1775).

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*The Whig Party was a political party formed in 1834 and were opponents of the Jacksonian Democrats. The name "Whig" is derived from the English anti-monarchist party. When the Whig Party collapsed, the anti-slavery Whigs founded the Republican Party in 1854.

#HuntsMeadows #Finesville #RiegelsvilleWarrenGlenRoad #PohatcongTwp #HughesFamily #BeaversFaily #ArmstrongFamily #AmericanRevolution #WashingtonsCavalry #WarrenCounty #NewJersey #ShippenManor ... See MoreSee Less