List of Questions Developed At Meeting
April 28, 2002
9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
NOTE: These are notes on the meeting. Some statements have been shown to be false or inaccurate.
Those Present
Ceil Leedom, Historian, South Brunswick
Ed Lengel, Charlottesville, Virginia (Papers of George Washington)
John Hencheck Lambertville, NJ
John McManus , Lambertville NJ (President, Lambertville Council)
Molly Padgett, Hopewell NJ Historical Society
Jeannette Muser, Rocky Hill Historian, author of 'Rocky Hill, Kingston
and Griggstown'
Betty Wagner Cranbury Historical Society,
Robert Von Zumbusch, (Kingston Greenways, D and R Canal Coalition,
etc.)
Jim Luce, (author of a book on the Sourland Mountains, lives in Hopewell)
Joan Luckhardt, Dayton Village Citizens Coalition
John Fabiano, Allentown/Upper Freehold Historical Society
Ursula Brecknell, Montgomery, Van Harlingen Historical Society
Rich Walling, East Brunswick, Friends of Monmouth Battlefield
Charlie Dieterich, Kingston
Elaine Zeltner, Hopewell
Stacy F. Roth, Burlington NJ.
Thank you to Hopewell Borough, and David Knights for use of the station!
Agenda
1) Review First Workshop
2) Road to Monmouth
3) Main crossing
- May have been crossings north and south of Lambertville–how many boats
and how long did it take?
- A few months ago someone referred to a letter saying: Somebody in
Ringoes should get forage ready for the horses
Review of last meeting’s results:
1) Develop at List of Roads From Rocky Hill to Monmouth Jct.
2) Identify where a longbridge could be
3) How did they get from Longbridge to Cranbury and from Cranbury to
Englishtown (Bank of China property in Jamesburg area was an encampment
area-- how do we know this?)
Review Resources:
1) Rich Walling showed copies of Maps in the NY Historical Society
by Erskine
Description of the resource: There are large negative copies available
(prints for purchase as well). They have hundreds of maps of Washington’s
movements, most of New Jersey
A. One section from Pennytown to Morristown (Route 31 corridor), showing
taverns, roads
Marshall’s Corner has a building labeled “schoolhouse”, and letter
describes Washington going past stone schoolhouse.
B. Continuation from Pennytown to Monconckie’s Ferry. These overlay
over current maps. Some roads go from Corryell’s Ferry, etc.
Pennington road goes up to Ringoes Tavern in NJ.
C. Amwell Meeting House, now known as Mt. Airy is on Map
D. Eastern Route goes to Allentown, Hightstown, Wetherill’s tavern
in Crossroads,
80 chains to the mile/inch. This works with nj topigraphical
maps that use one inch to the mile.
E. Maps good from Route 31 to the Delaware River via Mt. Airy.
If Erskine didn’t walk it, he didn’t map it. This is a short
coming as there are gaps in the maps.
It shows the Village of Cranbury along the Georges Road corridor.
Frank Hendershot (?) took the Erskine maps and overlaid them over the
modern maps digitally using GIS.
(Which we need a copy of)
Questions from the agenda:
What do we know about the crossing of the Delaware?
John Hencheck:
Crossing the Delaware was financed by the Corryells. And the Holcomb’s.
They took continental currency which later broke them. Paid for forage
for the horses. Snell and larger historians take a snapshot of the
articles.
The Corryells did not have receipts
Holcomb kept their receipts., (they were Quakers!)
Note: there is evidence of Crossing at Stockton NJ too.
South of Lambertville there may be a crossing, but no evidence.
Roads were poor around Lambertville at that time.
Summary of what we know
Most crossed at Coryell’s ferry (now Lambertville)
With some crossing at Stockton
and an assumption somewhere south of Lambertville (either at Washington’s
Crossing which is 6 miles south, or another ferry about 3 miles south).
Lee reconnoiters 3 to 6 miles south of Lambertville is the note.
References were written by McHenry, physician with Washington or a
book in Cape May Courthouse documents, we should find this source!
Washington stayed in Lambertville at the Holcombe house.
Swan creek, south of the ferry, floods in heavy rain and hence he would
not be able to cross it by bridge (it rained heavily at that time).
Washington signed a receipt to the Holcombs.
Charles Lee to George Washington: (We should get this exact text.)
Letter describes the location for the army to camp-- on Stony Brook,
near a mill, near Pennington road and Hopewell road (?). Where is
this?
Puts the location at the Stony Brook down at Marshall’s corner.
This is the incline that the RR takes into Hopewell. Just a
hop skip and a jump from the school house at Marshall’s corner.
Could mean Marshall’s corner and Glenmore, just across Stony
Brook were encapment. (Same mill, different names Ringoes Mill (?).
McHenry letter (Get exact text) says we just passed the stone schoolhouse…
Could this be Marshall’s Corner?
Some question about if the stone schoolhouse in Marshall’s Corner is
the original stone schoolhouse. Current one is 19th C.
Jim Luce:
Snydertown road also goes to the Baptist meeting house. It was
his belief that the army went over the Snydertown road. It is also
on Stony Brook, with mill and road to Hopewell and is on Pennington Road.
It is also closer to Rock Road and Rocktown-Lambertville Road and Mt Airy.
Lee went north to Ringoes, wrote from Amwell Meeting House and then went south to a Mill on the east side.
Along the river, it would be about Washington Crossing. [?? What does this line refer to in the conversation?]
The Main Army crosses at Corryell’s ferry.
(REF?) Speaks of Bungtown Road, now abandoned. It should be also looked at or an Indian trail which goes to Harbourton; Rte 579 goes south to Marshall’s corner (strange road in that it doesn’t really go to towns).
No easy way to go south from Lamberville, the important road was a way
to get south.
Malaik (Indian name??) trail could and 579 follows it now.
Lambertville (Corryell’s ferry) is surrounded by steep slopes. Only two ways to leave. Rte 179 today (Old York Road), another Farmer’s highway (it goes up across the mountain to Pennington Road, and maybe Snydertown road).
Lamberville became known as a place where logs could be prepared for mills. Farmers would bring their crops in. Now 179 to Ringoes, it was an unofficial road. They don’t show Rock Road in some maps because it was unofficial. Discontinued road. A water company (Lambertville Water Co.) did not want people using the road because it was where the lakes for potable water were located. Roads known by many names. Rock road east and west and then Harbortown road it was known.
Big finger of hillside, and 579 steeply goes down to the creek and then
up again. At Harbortown, there is a store there, which dates from
1732.
Going up rock road, area that was closed off. Down in Lambertville. There is a mill near Meyers (?). The house was now at Stimetz (?) road, which is the old Rock road. Once you get past Whitney house, which goes back to second quarter of the 1700s. Pitcock’s mill is looking for evidence back there. May have been eliminated. Road was not paved. And another part of it was gravel. Foundations along the road; very small buildings along the road. Continue through rock road, you’re on a flat until you get to Route 31.
Ege (‘Iggy’ ) (a reference book on Hopewell Valley History source information.)
Chopped up zig-zag is the county line between Amwell and Hopewell. It goes back to the Cox property line. (REFERENCE? Says a road along the Cox line was in the old the way to Bungtown, much traveled at the time.
Mr. Snook purchased it, Stony brook as the SW line. If Rocktown road continues, for Mr. Brooks house that is on the Erskine map. He calls it rocky creek.
General observation on what makes a good road for an army:
Dry roads were important
The luggage went another route
In one of the days orders, it says they prepared three days food at
a time.
In Lambertville, a council of war took place behind the Holcomb house.
How far back the road goes, the Rocktown lambertville road (deed references
to the Rock road)
Why don’t these roads show up on old maps?
Ege writes that Bungtown road, he says there were dragoons on that
road about a mile of Hopewell west where they are buried near 518.
This project Needs a bibliography.
Rutgers collections don’t seem to show where the roads are.
So in summary.
Army encampment from Vandyke road to Greenwood ave in Hopewell. ‘On the Sourlands’, names the farms and some of the requisitions document it. Encampment NW of present downtown Hopewell.
Lee’s headquarters is where the road bends the Provinceline Road.
Shows up on the 19th century maps. The army is in several divisions.
Up on the slopes to avoid the (????).
The Stoutsburg area. He’s close to where Washington is (on Province
Line Road).
Up where the Lindberg estate is. There were 10,000 troops.
Headquarters north of town, Hopewell. [What does this mean?
Washington is NE of town, army is N,NW of town]
Washington’s stay near Hopewell, notes on the council of war, have
houses identified. This is something we Know.
Units sent to harass British:
Need to know where Scott went south. As well as Morgan south
from Hopewell (may have gone down what is now the Great Road into Princeton)
Scott crosses through Dutch Neck we know (REFERENCE?). They may have
gone through Princeton. Volunteer takes looking at the roads they
used. (Diary indicates someone went through Princeton)
What do we know of the army’s march from Rocky Hill?
The 518 from Hopewell to New Brunswick is the old road
bed from Hopewell. When they got into Rocky Hill, then we have something
else. Getting to Kingston through road across present quarry pit,
to church street or Laurel Avenue.
McHenry (REFERENCE?) says Washington’s staff stopped at Rocky
hill, Rockingham for tea (breakfast) at Mrs. Berrien’s.
PLUG:
Rockingham needs support: Letters go to the Governor asking to release
money for the completion of the move. (So please write!)
Side stories.
Solar elcipse noted in Private Yankee Doodle
Baptist meeting hall stories?
Cadwalder stories
What about the guides to the army. Was that common? Guides
were local. Show them the way, for a while, get paid and leave.
Pension requests told where they served.
There may be a story of house on route in South Brunswick where soldiers
(nephew and uncle) one in army one in NJ Militia both lived.
Birth certificates, called fraqtures (??), were important in getting
pension. Often like samplers.
Where is the reference to the forage to be gathered in Ringoes?
Someone
referred to it a while back, but no one seemed to know where it is.
(As
with all references, Stacy Roth has agreed to make a bibliography of
reference information with short abstracts.)
What do we know about Dead Rocks Farm (1735?) on Lambertville-Rocktown
Road? Does this place the road in the colonial era? Where
exactly is
it?
Can we summarize the motions of Charles Lee's advance party? Amwell
Meeting House? Marshall's Corner or Snydertown? etc. What
is the
reference, and what is the text?
Was Simon Dureya, who owned "Washington Well Farm", on the Monmouth
Campaign? (Did he ask for a pension, and can we find out from
that?)
The McHenry diary notes that Washington's unit passed "the stone
schoolhouse" on the way to Hopewell. Where was that?
Who exactly was
it who passed the schoolhouse, McHenry?
How wide a road did the army need? How did they travel?
Can someone ask Bob Mettler to see if his family history includes this
period?
Is Rocktown-Lambertville Road a colonial road? Can Frank Hendershott
help determine this?
What do we know of deeds for land along Rock Road?
Ege refers to Dragoons on the Bungtown Road, was that big enough, and
where was it? (What is the precise cite?)
Ege talks of graves under 518, what does he mean? What is the text?
Some deed maps in the Rutgers U. Special collections should have shown
Rock road or Rocktown-Lambertville Road, but they don't. What
maps were
checked, and can we list them in our bibliography? (with an abstract
saying what we didn't find on them!)
Betty Jane Hunt (?) wrote a book on West Amwell, and is still around.
What is her take on this?
Morgan and Scott went out from the main army, through Princeton (?)
What routes did they take?
What is the Fleury Journal (French Engineer w/ Washington)? What
does
it say about this campaign? (Who reads 18th c french?)
Was Baron DeKalb w/ the army at this time? (And why should this matter?)
How, if at all, was Cadawaler involved at this time?
Did the army hire local guides for this route? Is there a list
of
guides's names some where?
Does a list of Inns of West Jersey help us understand the route better?
And Jim Luce asks: In pursuit of Bungtown Road, who was James Brooks,
and where did he live on Woodsville-Marshall's Corner Road?