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STORIES OF NEW JERSEY
by
FRANK R. STOCKTON
New York--Cincinnati--Chicago
American Book Company
1896
Copyright, 1896, by
American Book Company.
STO. OF N. J.
W. P. I
PREFACE.
This volume of stories, composed of historical incidents, or material
connected with the history of New Jersey, is not intended to be a
record, even in a condensed form, of the rise and progress of the State.
The stories are arranged chronologically, but there has been no attempt
to give a complete and continuous account of events or epochs. The
material for the stories has been collected from many sources; and the
selections have been made with regard to the interest, the
instructiveness, and as far as possible the novelty, of the matter
chosen. There has been a constant endeavor, however, to present a series
of historical incidents in a panoramic form, so that the reading of the
stories in their regular succession would give an impressive idea of the
discovery and settlement of the State, of its people, manners, and
customs, and of its progress and achievements, as it was gradually
evolved from the Indian region of Scheyichbi into the State of New
Jersey.
In these stories there is nothing imaginative or fanciful, except where
a reference is made to the early imaginings and fancies of the
aborigines. The stories are not founded on facts, but they are made up
of facts carefully collected from the authorities referred to in the
table of contents. Some of the stories are well known, but could not be
omitted because of their representative character; but others, it is
hoped, will be found familiar only to the professed student of history.
The period of the stories extends from the earliest times of Indian
tradition down to what may be called our own day; but as there was so
much available matter, and so little space for it, and as there was no
intention to give a comprehensive history of the State, it was deemed
well to deal only with the incidents and people that have passed out of
the boundaries of current history.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
THE STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF SCHEYICHBI; or, The Aborigines
of New Jersey. (Period, prior to 1600.) 9
_Authorities_: MSS. regarding Indians. Rev. John Heckewelder.
"History of New Jersey." T. F. Gordon.
"History of New Jersey." I. Mulford.
THE STORY OF A PEACEMAKER. An Indian Woman's Friendly Act.
(Period, 1632.) 18
_Authority_: "History of New York." Brodhead.
THE WINNING OF THE PRIZE; or, The English Ownership of New
Jersey. (Period, 1664.) 24
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." I. Mulford.
"History of New Jersey." S. Smith.
"History of New Jersey." T. F. Gordon.
HOW SCHEYICHBI REALLY BECAME NEW JERSEY. (Period, 1609-1758.) 31
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." S. Smith.
"History of New Jersey." I. Mulford.
"History of New Jersey." T. F. Gordon.
FINS, RATTLES, AND WINGS; or, The Wild Animals of Early Days. 42
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." S. Smith.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"The Burlington Smiths." R. M. Smith.
THE STORY OF A GIRL AND A HOGSHEAD. A Story of the Swedish
Settlers. (Period, prior to 1655.) 51
_Authority_: "Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
THE STORY OF PENELOPE STOUT. (Period, prior to 1669.) 57
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." S. Smith.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. C. Mellick.
THE SCHOOLMASTER AND THE DOCTOR. (Period, from 1693.) 69
_Authorities_: "Colonial History of New Jersey." Grahame.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"History of Medicine in New Jersey." S. Wickes.
THE SLAVES OF NEW JERSEY. (Period, 1626-1860.) 83
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." T. F. Gordon.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
A JERSEY TEA PARTY; or, The Burning of the Tea at Cohansey.
(Period, 1774.) 93
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." I. Mulford.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
THE STORY OF A SPY. (Period, 1758-80.) 102
_Authority_: "Our Home," published in Somerville, N.J., 1873.
A MAN WHO COVETED WASHINGTON'S SHOES; or, The Story of
General Charles Lee. (Period, 1758-85.) 117
_Authorities_: "Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
"Life of Lord Stirling." W. Duer.
THE MAN IN THE "AUGER HOLE." From the Journal of Mrs.
Margaret Hill Morris. (Period, 1776-82.) 130
_Authorities_: "The Burlington Smiths." R. M. Smith.
"History of New Jersey." T. F. Gordon.
THE STORY OF TWO CAPTAINS. Captain Huddy and Captain
Asgill. (Period, 1781.) 141
_Authorities_: "Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
THE STORY OF TEMPE WICK. (Period, 1780.) 155
_Authorities_: "Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
"Morris County History." W. W. Munsey.
"Authors and Writers Associated with Morristown." J. K. Colles.
THE STORY OF FORT NONSENSE. (Period, 1776-80.) 163
_Authorities_: "Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
AN AMERICAN LORD. Lord Stirling of Basking Ridge. (Period,
1726-83.) 177
_Authorities_: "Life of Lord Stirling." W. Duer.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"Story of an Old Farm." A. D. Mellick.
MOLLY PITCHER. (Period, 1778.) 186
_Authorities_: "History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
THE MORRISTOWN GHOSTS. A Story of 1788 193
_Authorities_: Pamphlet published in 1792. Anonymous.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
A JERSEYMAN AND HIS ROYAL CROWN. Joseph Bonaparte at Bordentown.
(Period, 1815-39.) 204
_Authorities_: "Encyclopædia Britannica."
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
"Bordentown and the Bonapartes." J. B. Gilder.
"Joseph Bonaparte in Bordentown." F. M. Crawford.
"New Jersey Newspaper Clippings."
THE DEY, THE BEY, AND SOME JERSEY SAILORS. The Barbary
War. (Period, 1800-4) 214
_Authorities_: "History of the United States Navy." J. F. Cooper.
"Historical Collections." Barber and Howe.
SEA FIGHTS WITH A NOBLER FOE. The War of 1812 230
_Authorities_: "History of the United States Navy." J. F. Cooper.
"Field Book of the Revolution." B. J. Lossing.
THE STORY OF THE TELEGRAPH AND THE STEAMBOAT. (Period,
1787-1838.) 239
_Authorities_: "Appletons' Dictionary."
"New Jersey Newspaper Clippings."
"American Inventors of the Telegraph." F. L. Pope.
"History of New Jersey." J. C. Raum.
NEW JERSEY AND THE LAND OF GOLD. The Conquest of California.
(Period, 1816-66.) 246
_Authorities_: "Appletons' Dictionary."
"Biographical Encyclopædia of New Jersey."
STORIES OF NEW JERSEY.
THE STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF SCHEYICHBI.
The North American Indians, the earliest inhabitants of this country of
whom we know anything definite, were great story-tellers; and their
histories consist entirely of stories handed down from parents to
children, or, more likely, from grandparents to grandchildren, for
grandfathers and grandmothers are generally more willing to tell
stories than fathers or mothers. And so these traditions, probably a
good deal brightened by being passed along century after century, came
down to the Indians who were first met by white people, and thus we have
heard many of them.
The stories told by the Indians inhabiting the country which is now the
Middle States, all agree that their remote forefathers came from some
region beyond the Mississippi River. Like the traditions of most
nations, these go so very far back that they are vague and misty; but,
as this gave the Indians a great opportunity for their imaginations, it
is not wonderful that they improved it. These Indians believed that in
the very earliest stages of their existence they were all animals, and
lived in caves under the earth. They were hunters; but their game
consisted of mice, and creatures of that sort. One of them accidentally
discovered a hole by which he got out on the surface of the ground; and,
finding it so exceedingly pleasant, it was not long before the whole of
his tribe came out, and began life in the light of day.
It may be supposed that these animals gradually changed to human beings,
and built villages, and planted corn; but in one respect they did not
change, nor have they changed at this present day. Many of them still
call themselves after the names of animals; and now the greater part of
the noted Indians of our country have such names as "Sitting Bull,"
"Black Bear," and "Red Horse." But the stories say that all of the
animals did not come out of their underground homes. Among these were
the hedgehog and the rabbit; and so some of the tribes will not eat
these animals, because in so doing they may be eating their family
connections.
Gradually the ancestors of the Indians who told their stories to the
first settlers, and who afterwards called themselves the Lenni-Lenape,
moved eastward, and after many years they reached the Mississippi River.
By this time they had become a powerful body. But in the course of their
journeys they discovered that they were not the earliest emigrants in
this direction, for they met with a great tribe called the Mengwe, later
known as the Iroquois, who had come from a country west of the
Mississippi, but farther north than that of our Indians.
We do not hear that these two great tribes of early Indians interfered
with each other; but when the Lenni-Lenape investigated the other side
of the Mississippi, they found there still another nation, powerful,
numerous, and warlike. These were called the Alligewi, from which we
have derived the name Allegheny. At first the latter tribe was inclined
to allow the Lenape to pass the river; but after a time, finding that
the newcomers were so numerous, they fell upon them and drove them back.
But the Indians at that remote period must have been as doggedly
determined to move eastward as are our pioneers to move westward; and
they were not to be stopped by rivers, mountains, or savage enemies. The
Lenape were not strong enough to fight the Alligewi by themselves, and
so they formed an alliance with the Mengwe; and these two nations
together made war upon the Alligewi, and in the course of time overcame
them, and drove them entirely from their country.
After years, or perhaps centuries (for there are no definite statements
of time in these Indian traditions), the Mengwe and the Lenape, who had
been living together in the country of the Alligewi, separated; and the
Mengwe emigrated to the lands near the Great Lakes, while the Lenape
slowly continued their progress eastward.
They crossed the Alleghanies, and discovered a great river, which they
called Susquehanna, and then they moved on until they came to the
Delaware. This grand stream pleased them so much, that they gave it a
name of honor, and called it the Lenapewihittuck, or "The River of the
Lenape." Then they crossed the river and discovered New Jersey.
Here they found a pleasant climate, plenty of game, and no human
inhabitants whatever. They therefore appropriated it as their own, and
gave it the name of Scheyichbi; and any one who endeavors to pronounce
this name will be likely to feel glad that it was afterwards changed by
the white settlers.
Before this first discovery of New Jersey, the Lenni-Lenape had settled
themselves in the beautiful and fertile country about the Susquehanna
and the west shore of the Delaware, and here established their right to
their name, which signifies "original people;" and if their stories are
correct, they certainly are the original inhabitants of this region,
and they discovered New Jersey from the west, and took rightful
possession of it.
It is a law of nations, founded then upon the same principles of justice
as it stands upon now, that discovery by a nation, or the agent of a
nation, of unknown lands entirely uninhabited, gives the discoverers the
right to those lands; and, in accordance with that law, the Lenape
became the discoverers and original owners of New Jersey.
We will not now allude to the rights they then acquired to the country
which is now Pennsylvania and other States, because we are confining
ourselves to what relates to the country of Scheyichbi, the land where
their eastward migrations ceased. Now, they could go no farther towards
the rising sun, and they were satisfied to stop.
These Lenape, or "Grandfather Tribe" as they were often called, were not
merely cruel and ignorant savages: they had many admirable traits of
character, and some of their manners and customs might well have been
imitated by those who found them here.
They had an admirable system of government; and at regularly appointed
periods their wisest men met at the great "Council House" to make laws,
and arrange the affairs of the nation. Their conduct in their councils
was far more decorous and becoming than that we often hear of among
legislators of the present day, whether they are met together in
Congress, Parliament, or Reichstag. These chiefs, chosen for their
wisdom and experience, treated each other with the highest regard and
respect. When one of them arose to address his fellow-legislators, every
man in the council room paid the strictest attention to what he said;
and interruptions, jeers, and ridicule, such as legislators often make
use of at the present day, were totally unknown among these grave and
earnest Indians.
There can be no doubt that the Lenape were superior to other Indian
nations, and worthy of the proud title which they gave themselves; and
in later years, when the river was named after Lord De la Warre, and
they were called the Delawares, they were considered the noblest of the
Indian tribes.
I dwell upon the good qualities and high character of the Lenape,
because it was from their main body that numerous tribes came across the
Delaware River, and became the first Jerseymen, or, if any one likes it
better, Scheyichbians. They settled in many pleasant places, building
wigwam villages, many of which have since grown into modern towns, and
still bear their old Indian names. In fact, the modern Jerseyman has had
the good sense to preserve a great many of the names given to rivers,
mountains, and villages by the first owners of the soil.
But, after all, Scheyichbi was not sufficiently discovered and settled
for the purposes of civilization, and its fertile soil waited long for
the footsteps of the new immigrants. These came at last from the east.
About the end of the fifteenth century there was a strong desire among
the maritime nations of Europe to find a short passage to China and the
East Indies. It was for that reason that Columbus set out on his
expedition; but with his story we have nothing to do, for he did not
discover the continent of North America, and in fact never saw it. But
after John Cabot and his son Sebastian, then looking for a passage to
Cathay in the interest of the King of England, made a voyage to North
America, and had contented themselves with discovering Newfoundland,
Sebastian came back again, and accomplished a great deal more. He sailed
along the coast from Labrador to the southern end of Florida, and in the
course of this voyage discovered New Jersey. He made a map of the whole
coast, and claimed all the country back of it for the King of England.
There is no proof that Cabot knew whether this country had inhabitants
or not. He saw it from his ships; but he did not make any attempt to
settle it, and thus establish a legal right to the soil. He simply
declared it the property of the Crown of England, and it is upon this
claim that England afterward based her right to the eastern coast of
North America.
And so New Jersey was discovered from the east.
About a quarter of a century after Sebastian Cabot's voyage, the French
took up the idea that they would like to discover something, and Francis
I. sent an Italian mariner, named John Verrazano, across the Atlantic
Ocean.
After having sailed far enough, John Verrazano discovered the coast of
North America, which he called "a new land never before seen by any man,
ancient or modern." He took possession of it in the name of his king,
and, in order to settle the matter, called the whole coast New France.
There is reason to believe that Verrazano discovered the southern part
of New Jersey, for in sailing northward he probably entered Delaware
Bay.
But it appears that New Jersey was not yet sufficiently discovered, and
after having been left for a long time in the possession of its true
owners, the Lenni-Lenape, it was again visited by Europeans. In 1609 the
celebrated Henry Hudson, then in the service of the Dutch East India
Company, started westward to try to find a northwest passage to China.
In those bygone days, whenever a European explorer set out to find an
easy passage to the East, he was very apt to discover New Jersey; and
this is what happened to Henry Hudson. He first discovered it on the
south, and partially explored Delaware Bay; then he sailed up the coast
and entered New York Bay, and sailed some distance up the river which
now bears his name.
Hudson did more for New Jersey than any of the other discoverers, for
his men were the first Europeans who ever set foot upon its soil. Some
of them landed in the vicinity of Bergen Point, and were met in a
friendly way by a great many of the original inhabitants. But the fact
that he found here possessors of the soil made no difference to Hudson:
he claimed the country for the Dutch. Five years afterwards, that nation
made a settlement at New York, and claiming the whole of the surrounding
country, including New Jersey, gave it the name of New Netherland.
Thus was New Jersey discovered on the north; and after the efforts of
four nations,--the Indians first, the English under Cabot, the French,
and the Dutch (for Hudson was now in the service of that nation),--it
may be said to have been entirely discovered.
THE STORY OF A PEACEMAKER.
After the outside boundaries of New Jersey had been pretty thoroughly
discovered, it was quite natural that some nations who laid claim to the
State should desire to find out something in regard to its interior, and
make settlements upon its soil.
This was not done by the English, who had made the first claim to the
land, but by the Dutch. In the early part of the seventeenth century,
the West India Company of Holland sent out a ship containing the
foundation for a little colony,--men, provisions, and all things
necessary. They sailed into Delaware Bay; and the commander, Cornelius
Jacobsen Mey, gave his name to Cape May. The expedition went up the
Delaware River till they reached Timber Creek, probably not much more
than ten miles from the spot where Philadelphia now stands. There they
settled, and built a fort, which they called Fort Nassau. But this was
not looked upon with favor by the Indians, and it was not long before
the whole colony was destroyed.
This unfortunate beginning of the white settlement of New Jersey did not
deter the Dutch, who are a persevering and dogged people. About twelve
years later, another Dutch commander, De Vries, sailed up the Delaware
River, or, as the Dutch called it, the South River; his main object
being to catch whales, very different from the Delaware fisheries of the
present day. He set up a little colony on shore; but it appears that the
Indians were very much opposed to this sort of thing, and this
settlement was destroyed before long.
But De Vries still kept up the whaling business; and in the course of
time, getting out of provisions, he left his vessel, and sailed up the
river in a small craft which was called the "Squirrel." He went up as
far as the deserted Fort Nassau, and there anchored to trade with the
Indians.
It is quite plain that the Indians of New Jersey were now greatly
concerned about the visits of white people to their shore; for they
perceived that these newcomers were inclined to settle and occupy such
places as pleased their fancy, without asking permission, or proposing
to buy or to pay rent. All this was very disagreeable to the red men,
who had never shown any disposition to open up their country to foreign
immigration.
When De Vries anchored, he was very well received; and about forty
Indians came on board his yacht, and made a call upon him. They were
dressed in their best, and, in order to make the visit more agreeable,
they brought some of their musical instruments with them, and gave the
Dutchmen a taste of Indian music.
The dress of some of these visitors was a surprise to De Vries and his
men, of whom there were only seven on the yacht. It was winter time, and
most of the Indians were arrayed in furs, but several of them wore
jackets made in the English fashion. The visitors were very friendly,
and urged De Vries to sail his vessel up a stream, now known as Big
Timber Creek, which, they declared, was a much better place for trading.
Now, according to some of the old histories, a woman appeared in the
double character of peacemaker and guardian angel.
Among the Lenni-Lenape, as well as the other tribes of North America,
women often had a peculiar part to play in national and social affairs.
If ever the services of a peacemaker were desired, that position was
always given to a woman. It was considered derogatory to the dignity of
a male Indian that he should at any time, of his own accord, desire
peace. He and his enemy might both be thoroughly tired of fighting; but
neither of them would lower himself in his own estimation, and in the
estimation of his countrymen, by allowing any man to know the state of
his mind.
But he did not in the least object to tell his wife that he wanted to
stop fighting; and she, very gladly in most cases, would confer with the
wife of the other brave; and when they had concluded peace, the two men
would immediately sit down together, smoke the calumet, and be good
friends; and all this without the slightest loss of dignity.
This method of making peace was pursued not only by individuals, but by
nations. Very often women had this important political duty thrust upon
them,--a duty for which they were probably very well qualified, for it
is seldom that the women of a nation desire war.
This national disposition in regard to peacemaking was once the occasion
of a serious misfortune to the tribe of Lenni-Lenape. The tribes to the
north, who had formed themselves into a powerful body called the Five
Nations, had long been jealous of their neighbors the Lenni-Lenape, and
contrived a plan to humiliate them, and render them less important in
the eyes of the Indian world. Being at war with some other tribes, these
Five Nations came to the Lenni-Lenape and pretended to desire peace, but
stated that this was too important a case to be managed by women. They
declared that this was a great work, which should be given only into the
hands of a quiet, dignified, and honorable tribe, such as their great
neighbors, and urged the Lenape to undertake negotiations for the
cessation of hostilities.
As all this seemed reasonable enough, the Lenape were at last persuaded
to become peacemakers, and, as might be supposed, they were entirely
successful; but they suffered for their kindness and good feeling. Ever
afterwards they were looked upon by other Indian tribes as no better
than women. In Cooper's novels there are references to the fact that the
noble Lenape were sneered at as peacemakers and squaws.
But we will now return to our guardian angel. It was after a visit of
the Indians to the vessel of De Vries, that the peacemaking instinct
took possession of the wife of one of the Indian chiefs; and quietly and
stealthily, unperceived by her people, she managed to get on board the
"Squirrel," when she informed the commander of the real object of his
visitors, who had invited him to sail up Timber Creek. It was the desire
of the Indians to destroy this company of white men; and the narrow
stream where they wished to make the attempt was much better adapted for
their purpose than the broad waters of the river.
Wishing to prevent an encounter in which the sturdy Dutchmen would
probably kill some of her countrymen before they themselves were
destroyed, she had come to implore the whites not to run into the trap
which had been set for them. She told them that the crew of an English
shallop, which not long before had come to visit the place, probably
from a ship afraid to venture higher up the river, had all been
slaughtered, and that it was the jackets of these men that some of her
countrymen were wearing.
Like a sensible man, De Vries paid attention to this story, and did not
venture into Timber Creek. Whether or not he rewarded the good woman who
came to warn him of his danger, is not known; but his account of the
affair places her in the position of one worthy of a monument by the
women of the State.
When the Indians came again to De Vries, he declared to them that his
Great Spirit, or "Maneto," had revealed their wicked purposes, and that
he would not sail up the Timber Creek, nor would he allow one of them
upon his vessel; and, having ordered them all on shore, he dropped some
distance down the river.
This conduct doubtless inspired the Indians with great respect for the
brave Dutchmen, and shortly afterwards the chiefs from nine different
tribes came on board the "Squirrel" for the purpose of making a treaty
of peace and commerce with the Dutch. All of these were now dressed in
furs, which were their ordinary garments; but some of them were
recognized as the same men who had formerly worn the jackets of the
murdered English sailors. These, however, were just as cordial and
friendly as any of the others, and there is no reason to suppose that
they now intended treachery. The visitors sat down on the deck of the
yacht, and held a regular council, and, with appropriate ceremonies,
made presents of beaver skins to the whites, and solemnly concluded a
treaty of friendship.
THE WINNING OF THE PRIZE.
After the importance of the discovery of North America came to be
properly appreciated by the nations of Europe, the ownership was looked
upon as a great national prize, and there were several nations who were
anxious to play for it. This country, so readily approached by the
Delaware, became attractive not only to kings and sovereigns, but to
settlers and immigrants. Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden granted a charter
to a company called the West India Company, which was formed for the
purpose of making settlements on the shores of the Delaware Bay and
River, and commissioned them to take possession of this country, without
the slightest regard to what the English sovereign and the Dutch
sovereign had granted to their subjects.
The Swedes came to Delaware Bay. They stopped for a while at Cape
Henlopen; and then, of course, they sailed up the Delaware, when things
soon began to be very disagreeable between themselves and the Dutch, who
were there before them.
The Swedes were a warlike set of people, and they held their ground very
well. Besides making some settlements, they built a fort which they
called Elsinburgh; and, if a Dutch ship happened to pass by that fort,
it was obliged to strike its flag in token of submission to a superior
power. The Indians, who were perhaps as much opposed to the Swedish
settlement as they had been to those of other nations, do not appear to
have been able to attack this fort with any success; and as for the
Dutch, it is not certain that they even attempted it. So the Swedes at
that time governed the passage up and down the Delaware, as the English
now govern the passage through the Straits of Gibraltar.
It was probably winter time or cool weather when the Swedes built their
proud fort on the banks of that river which they now named "New
Swedeland Stream;" but when the warm and pleasant days came on, and it
was easy to travel from the interior to the river shore, and when the
weather was so mild that it was quite possible to spend the nights in
the woods without injury, there came an enemy to Fort Elsinburgh which
proved far more formidable than the Indians or Dutch.
The fort was surrounded; and frequent and violent attacks were made upon
it, especially in the night, when it was almost impossible for the
garrison to defend themselves. Many bloody single combats took place in
which the enemy generally fell, for in bodily prowess a Swede was always
superior to any one of the attacking force. But no matter how many
assailants were killed, the main body seemed as powerful and determined
as ever. In course of time the valiant Swedes were obliged to give way
before their enemy. They struck their flag, evacuated the fort, and
departed entirely from the place where they had hoped a flourishing
settlement would spring up under the protection of their fort.
The enemy which attacked and routed the Swedes was a large and
invincible army of mosquitoes, against whom their guns, their pistols,
their swords, their spears, and their ramparts afforded them no defense.
After that, the deserted fort was known as Mygenborg, meaning Mosquito
Fort.
The Dutch looked with great disfavor on the Swedes, who continued to
establish themselves at various points; and although they did not make
an alliance with the body of natives who had driven these northern
people away from Elsinburgh,--for a compact of that kind would be
dangerous in many ways,--they took up the matter by themselves; and
finally the Dutch, under their valiant Peter Stuyvesant, completely
conquered the Swedes, and sent their leaders to Holland, while the
ordinary settlers submitted to the Dutch.
But this state of things did not continue very long; for the English,
who, although they had not yet settled in New Jersey, had never given up
their pretensions as the original discoverers, came in strong force,
subdued the Dutch, occupied their principal town, New Amsterdam, and
took possession of the country, including New Jersey.
But it seemed to be a good deal easier to discover New Jersey than
finally to settle its ownership. Now that the Dutch and the Swedes were
disposed of, there arose difficulties regarding the English claims to
the State. Early in the seventeenth century, Queen Elizabeth had granted
an immense tract of land to Sir Walter Raleigh, which was called
Virginia, and that included the whole of New Jersey. Afterwards Charles
II. granted to his brother, the Duke of York, an immense tract of land,
which also included New Jersey, and which was called New York. So what
is now New Jersey was then at the same time both Virginia and New York.
The Duke of York, who then owned New Jersey, leased the whole
State--lands, forests, rivers, wigwams, Indians, fisheries, Dutch
settlers, Swedish settlers, everything--to John Berkeley (Baron of
Stratton) and Sir George Carteret for the sum of twenty nobles per year
(thirty-two dollars of our money). Some authorities, indeed, state that
the sum paid was much smaller.
After a time, however, the claims of Virginia were withdrawn; and not
only did Berkeley and Carteret enjoy undisturbed possession of the
State, but they gave it a name, and called it _Nova Cæsaria_, or New
Jersey, its name being given on account of Carteret's connection with
the Isle of Jersey. The Latin name was used for a time; but the settlers
preferred English, and so the name now stands. New Jersey was soon
afterwards divided into two provinces,--East Jersey and West Jersey. The
accompanying map shows the line of division between the two provinces,
which was made in 1676. It ran from the southern end of what is now Long
Beach, in Little Egg Harbor, to a point on the Delaware River. Two other
lines of partition were afterwards made, both starting from the same
point on the seacoast; one running somewhat to the west, and the other
to the east, of the original line.
After some changes in the proprietorship of the Colony, West Jersey came
into the possession of twelve men, one of whom was the celebrated
William Penn, whose connection with West Jersey began six years before
he had anything to do with Pennsylvania.
Penn and his colleagues gave West Jersey a purely democratic government,
founded upon principles of justice and charity, in which the people
themselves ruled. Full freedom in regard to religious views was insured;
trial by jury was granted; and punishments were made as lenient as
possible, with a view to the prevention of crimes rather than the
infliction of penalties. The result of this was that for a long time
there were no serious crimes in this Province, and the country was
rapidly settled by thrifty Quakers anxious to live where they would have
liberty of conscience.
In the course of time, East Jersey also came into the possession of Penn
and his eleven associates, and the number of proprietors was increased
to twenty-four. At the end of the century the two provinces were united
into one, and shortly afterwards they passed into the possession of the
Crown of England, and became subject to the ordinary British laws. For a
long time afterwards, however, the State was known as the "Jerseys."
HOW SCHEYICHBI REALLY BECAME NEW JERSEY.
A point in the history of New Jersey, more important in a moral point of
view than that of its European ownership, was that of the purchase of
the lands from the first and true owners, the Indians. As has been said,
Berkeley and Carteret issued an injunction that the settlers should
purchase their lands from the tribes which had lived upon them. This
system was subsequently carried out until every foot of the land of the
whole State was bought and paid for,--the first transactions of the
kind, having taken place several years before Penn's treaty with the
Indians in Pennsylvania.
Up to the time when the country finally passed into the hands of the
English, the Indians had resisted the attempts of the whites to settle
among them; but now, finding that they were to be fairly dealt with, a
better feeling arose, and the red men were content to dwell with the
whites as friends and neighbors. Of course, all the settlers did not
promptly pay for their lands, and there were some minor disputes from
this cause; but in general the whites regularly purchased the land upon
which they intended to make their homes, and in time all were obliged to
do so. As may be supposed, very large prices were not paid for these
lands; but the transactions were strictly honorable, because the parties
on each side gave what they had, and all were satisfied with what they
got.
The payments for land frequently consisted partly of ready-made coats,
kettles, and in some cases of jew's-harps. Tracts of land large enough
for a town were sometimes sold for a barrel of cider. Now, this might
appear rather a hard bargain for the Indians; but it must be considered
that they had more land than they wanted, and no ready-made coats, or
kettles, or jew's-harps, or cider.
But it was not to be expected that the Indians would always be satisfied
with their treatment; and in fact they had a good many grievances. As
has been said, a settler sometimes established himself on a good piece
of land without consulting the Indians of the neighborhood, or offering
them payment, and in such cases there would be remonstrances from the
red men. Then, again, the whites could not always understand the nature
of Indian bargains. A man would buy a piece of land, and think that he
owned not only the ground, but all that grew upon it, all that flew in
the air above it, and everything that swam in its waters; and when the
Indians, after having received payment for the farm, came there to hunt
and fish, and strip the bark off the trees, the purchaser was apt to
object.
A notable difficulty of this kind occurred on Sandy Hook, where a man
named Hartshorne had bought a tract of land from the Indians, and
afterwards found, that, according to their ideas, he had no exclusive
right to the fish, game, and timber of his new purchase; and he was
especially made to understand that he had not bought the wild plums.
This matter of the ownership of the plums afterwards became a source of
considerable trouble, and was settled by Hartshorne paying to the chief
of the neighboring tribe the sum of thirteen shillings, by which he
acquired the entire right to the plums and all the other things on his
land.
The Indians had also a grievance of a different kind. There was a
conference held in Burlington, between the Indians and the whites, in
1678, which was convened on account of a complaint by the Indians that
the English, in selling them some ready-made coats, had also sold them
the smallpox. The temper of the Indians may be shown by one of their
speeches on this occasion. A leading chief declared: "We are willing to
have a broad path for you and us to walk in; and if an Indian is asleep
in this path, the Englishman shall pass by him and do him no harm; and
if an Englishman is asleep in the path, the Indian shall pass him by and
say, 'He is an Englishman; he is asleep; let him alone; he loves to
sleep!' It shall be a plain path. There must not be in this path a stump
to hurt our feet. And as for the smallpox, it was once in my
grandfather's time, and it could not be the English that could send it
to us then, there being no English in the country. And it was once in my
father's time, they could not send it to us then, neither. And now it is
in my time, I do not believe that they have sent it to us now. I do
believe it is the man above who has sent it to us." Soon after this, the
two parties exchanged presents, and went away satisfied.
For many years after this, there seem to have been few or no troubles
between the Indians and the settlers of New Jersey. But matters changed
about the middle of the next century; and when the Indian wars began in
Pennsylvania, the red men of New Jersey showed symptoms of hostility to
the whites. Matters grew worse and worse; and the Indians began to
murder families, burn buildings, and carry away prisoners.
This state of affairs grew so alarming that the Legislature took the
matter in hand. They appointed commissioners to examine into the
treatment of the Indians, and see if there were any good cause for their
sudden enmity; and, after a conference with some of the chiefs, a bill
was passed by the Legislature to put an end to a good many of the
impositions of which the Indians complained. Among these was a habit of
the whites of giving the Indians spirits, and then making bargains with
them when they were not at all in a condition to do business of that
kind. The Indians also complained of the practice of trapping deer, thus
decreasing the game in the forests, and the occupation of land, without
payment, by the settlers who were continually coming into the country.
Another bill was passed appropriating ВЈ1600 to buy from the Indians the
entire right to all the lands which they yet held in New Jersey. But as
there was no desire to banish the Indians from their native land, one
half of this sum was reserved as payment for a large tract of land, or
reservation, which should be their home, and on which no white man would
have any right to settle, whether he was willing to buy the land or not.
When this had been done, it was necessary to submit the matter to the
Indians; and a council was called at Burlington, at which were present
the governor of the Province, and some of the most prominent Indian
chiefs.
At this conference there was a notable exhibition of Indian etiquette.
The governor had called the Minisinks, a tribe of the Delawares, to meet
him; and they had informed the Mingoians, who, with some other northern
tribes, were then gathered together at the grand council fire at the
forks of the Delaware, where is now Easton. This was done, because at
that time the Mingoians considered themselves superior to the Delawares,
from whom proper respect was due.
One of the chiefs from the council fire was sent down to represent the
Mingoians. After some speeches were made, he told the white governor
that the Minisinks, being Delawares, were women, and were not able of
themselves to make treaties, therefore he had come down to look into the
matter. As his people were then holding a grand council fire at the
forks of the Delaware, they did not wish to put it out and build another
council fire on this side of the Delaware. The reason which he gave for
this was figurative and Indian-like.
He stated that the river roared and thundered, and made a great deal of
noise; and, if the council were held on this side, the distant Indian
nations who dwelt to the west of the Delaware could not hear what was
said at the council, and therefore it would be unfair to them to hold it
on this side of the river. He concluded with a cordial invitation to the
governor and his party to meet the Indians at their own council fire.
About a month afterward, the governor, with some members of the
Legislature, and other white people from New Jersey and Pennsylvania,
met over five hundred Indians at the forks of the Delaware in grand
council. Some of the speeches on this occasion were very interesting. A
chief of the United Nations, speaking for the Delawares, who, having
made themselves women by becoming peacemakers, had no right to speak
for themselves, addressed the council as follows:--
"Brethren, we now remove the hatchet out of your heads, that was struck
into it by our cousins the Delawares. It was a French hatchet they
unfortunately made use of, by the instigation of the French. We take it
out of your heads, and bury it underground, where it shall always rest,
and never be taken up again. Our cousins the Delawares have assured us
they will never think of war against their brethren the English any
more, but will employ their thoughts about peace and cultivating
friendship with them, and never suffer enmity against them to enter into
their minds again."
Another chief said: "Brethren, I speak in behalf of the younger
nations,--those who are confederated with the Six Nations, the Cayugas,
Oneidas, Tuscaroras, Tutaloes, Nanticokes, and Conoys. A road has been
made from our country to this council fire, that we might treat about
friendship; and as we came down the road, we saw, that, by some
misfortune or other, blood has lately been spilt on it. Now, we make the
road wider and clearer. We take the blood away out of it, and likewise
out of the council chamber, which may have been stained. We wash it all
away, and desire it may not be seen any more, and we take the hatchet
out of your heads."
The governor of New Jersey also addressed this council, particularly
urging them to require the Indians who had taken away prisoners to
return these unfortunate people to their homes. In answer to this, one
of the great chiefs of the United Nations made a speech to the
Minisinks and the Delawares, in which he gave them a good scolding for
not having returned these prisoners before; for it seemed that they had
promised to do so.
The council continued several days; and the Minisinks promised
faithfully that they would search all the towns in their territory for
prisoners, and return them to their own people. This matter having been
settled, Governor Bernard made a formal proposition to buy all the lands
which the Indians still retained in New Jersey; and, after a good deal
of consultation, the chiefs of the United Nations advised the Minisinks
and Delawares to accept the terms which were offered. After much talk,
it was done, the necessary papers were signed, and the State of New
Jersey was formally bought from its Indian owners.
After this great matter had been settled, the tract of land which was to
be set apart for the occupation of the Indians of the State, south of
the Raritan River, in Burlington County, was purchased. It consisted of
three thousand acres, which reached to the seacoast. There was plenty of
fishing on it, and there were wild lands and forests, in which game
abounded. Here the Indians could live as they pleased after their
old-fashioned fashions, and never need fear disturbance by white men.
Here they removed, and here they did live, apparently perfectly
satisfied; and after this there were no further Indian troubles in New
Jersey.
The Indians on this reservation came to be known as the Edge-Pillocks,
and in course of time considerable civilization crept in among them. It
is a proof of this, that one of them, who took the name of Stephen
Calvin, kept a school, and that his son Bartholomew went to Princeton
College, and afterwards taught school. It is said that in his school
there were as many white scholars as Indians.
In 1801 these Edge-Pillock Indians were invited by the Mohicans of New
York to leave their New Jersey home and come and live with them. In
their invitation the Mohicans said they would like them "to pack up your
mat and come and eat out of our dish, which is large enough for all, and
our necks are stretched in looking toward the fireside of our
grandfather till they are as long as cranes."
The Edge-Pillocks sold their reservation, had the money invested for
them in United States stocks, and went to join the Mohicans. After that,
both tribes decided to buy land in Michigan, and the Edge-Pillocks
disposed of their stocks to pay for their share.
But our New Jersey Indians did not fare well in the West. Their fortunes
did not prosper, and they grew poorer and poorer, until in 1832 their
numbers decreased to about forty. Feeling the pressure of poverty, their
Indian disposition suggested to them a remedy. They remembered, that,
although they had sold their reservation, nothing had been said in the
deeds concerning the game and the fish on the property; and they chose
to consider that these still belonged to them. They therefore sent
Bartholomew Calvin, who was now their oldest chief, to New Jersey to ask
the Legislature to buy these remaining rights. The Legislature promptly
agreed to do this, and appropriated two thousand dollars, which was the
sum Bartholomew named, to buy of the Indians all their remaining rights
of every kind in New Jersey.
This act may be considered as one of kindness and charity to the former
owners of the land, rather than as an act of justice, because there is
no doubt, that when the Indians sold the reservation, and invested the
proceeds, they intended to sell every deer, fish, bird, and mosquito on
the whole tract. But it is an honor to the Legislature of that day that
it was willing to make happy the last days of the New Jersey Indians by
this act. That the Indians appreciated what had been done, may be seen
from the following extract from a letter from Bartholomew Calvin:--
"Upon this parting occasion I feel it to be an incumbent duty to
bear the feeble tribute of my praise to the high-toned justice of
this State in dealing with the aboriginal inhabitants. Not a drop
of our blood have you spilled in battle, not an acre of our land
have you taken but by our consent. These facts speak for
themselves, and need no comment. They place the character of New
Jersey in bold relief,--a bright example to those States within
whose territorial limits our brethren still remain. Nothing save
benisons can fall upon her from the lips of a Lenni-Lenape."
But the love of their old home did not die out entirely in the hearts of
all the Edge-Pillock Indians, who emigrated, first to New York, and then
to Michigan. There was one Indian brave and his squaw, who, after living
at Oneida for some time, began to long again for the old hunting ground
in New Jersey; and, before the rest of their tribe went West, these two
came back to Burlington County, and established themselves in a little
house near Mount Holly. Here these two Indians lived for about twenty
years; and when they died, they left a daughter, a tall powerful woman,
known in the neighborhood as "Indian Ann," who for many years occupied
the position of the last of the Lenni-Lenape in New Jersey.
She lived to be more than ninety years old; and her long straight black
hair, her copper-colored skin, and bright eyes, gave the people of the
neighborhood a good idea of what sort of people used to inhabit this
country before their ancestors came over the sea. She had many true
Indian characteristics, and loved to work in the open air better than to
attend to domestic matters in the house. Even when she was very old, she
would go into the woods and cut down trees as if she had been a man. She
did not die until December, 1894; and then the people who had known her
so long gathered together at her funeral, and buried the last of the
Indians of New Jersey.
