Surface and Soil - Early
Settlers and Descendants - The Huggs, Brownings, Hillmans, Hinchmans
Thornes, Glovers and later Comers - Civil History - Village of Snow
Hill - Societies - Churches - Magnolia - Guinea Town - Mount
Ephraim.
TOPOGRAPHY. - This township is bounded as
follows: On the north, by Haddon township, from which it is
separated by the south branch of Newton Creek; on the northeast by
Delaware township, separated in part by a branch of Coopers Creek;
on the east and south by Gloucester township; on the south and west
by Deptford township, in Gloucester County, being separated there
from by Great Timber Creek; and on the west by Gloucester City.
The general surface of the township is level,
though elevated in some localities to have the appearance of hills,
chief among which are Mount Ephraim and Irish Hill. The latter was
used before the era of telegraphs for signal purposes, being one of
a number of places in a chain of communication from Wilmington to
New York. On Irish Hill a tall oak-tree was used as the base of a
station, which was supplied with colored lights at night and
shutters in daytime to communicate the news of the owners of the
line. It is said to have been used chiefly by sporting men, who took
this means to apprise their friends of the result of a lottery or a
horse-race, often reaping large sums by reason of having the
earliest news. At this place is a valuable deposit of clay, which
has been only partially developed.
The soil of Centre township, generally, is a sandy
loam, and, with careful cultivation, is very productive. The
drainage is afforded by the boundary streams and Beaver Branch and
Little Timber Creeks, both flowing into Great Timber Creek, which is
a tidal stream. Valuable meadows have been made along these streams
(where the first settlements were made) by means of dykes and dams,
and here are found some of the most desirable farms in Camden
County. In some localities are areas of porous sand, making the soil
nonproductive for some crops, but the same section has been made to
yield rich returns in the hands of the fruit-grower and
market-gardener. Much attention has been directed, within late
years, to those interests, and the value of the lands has been
proportionately increased. The township has good roads, being
traversed by the Blackwoodtown and White Horse turnpikes from north
to south, and old highways from east to west.
EARLY SETTLEMENT, EARLY SETTLERS AND THEIR
DESCENDANTS. - None of the early settlers within the area now
embraced in the township of Centre had more landed possessions or
enjoyed greater prominence than the Huggs. At one time all the land
lying between the Little Timber Creek and the main creek of that
name, for a distance of three miles, was owned by members of the
Hugg family. The name Hugg is of Irish origin. John Hugg, one of the
early settlers, came from the parish of Castle Ellis, in Ireland. He
was a Friend, and, though not a partner in the enterprises which
brought many Friends to this country at that period, was yet a
person of considerable means. His first settlement was on five
hundred acres of land (lying at the junction of the two streams)
which he purchased of Robert Zane in 1683, and a part of which he
then devised to his grandson, William Hugg, who did not come into
possession of it until some fifty years later. His first residence
stood where the Little Timber Creek flows into Great Timber Creek.
From it a view of the Delaware River was afforded, as well as much
of the stream before his house. He established a landing, which had
the character of a public place for many years, and where
considerable shipping is yet done. The place where the house of John
Hugg stood is regarded by some antiquaries as the site of old Fort
Nassau, which was built by the Dutch in 1623, when they first
attempted a settlement on the Delaware. It is said that some pieces
of Dutch brick and pottery were here found after the lapse of more
than two hundred and forty years, which indicated this spot as the
possible site of that historical fortification. Whatever doubts may
attach to such a belief; it is well known that John Hugg lived there
until his death, in 1706. He had four sons, namely, John and Elias,
who both married daughters of Francis Collins, Joseph and Charles
being younger. They were also of adult age when John Hugg took up
his home here in Centre township, as they soon after settled around
him and became prominent citizens.
John Hugg, Jr., was very active in public affairs.
"For six years, from 1695, he was one of the judges of the courts of
Gloucester County, and, for ten years, was a member of the
Governor’s Council, which is evidence of his worth as a just and
upright man."
From 1726 to 1730 he was sheriff of the county,
which was probably his last service in a public capacity. Between
1696 and 1710 he located several tracts of land between the Great
and Little Timber Creeks, extending nearly to the head of the latter
and across to the former, including what was lately known as the
Crispin Farm. It is believed that he resided in that locality, where
he had the advantages of navigation, and a great breadth of meadow
lands could be secured by building a bank along the stream to
prevent their overflow by the tide. This place was called "Plain
Hope," but, in 1811, when Samuel L. Howell was the owner, the name
was "Marlboro’ Farm," which title it retained for years.
William Crispin, an Englishman, became the owner
of this place in 1846, and added to its improvements. He was also
the owner of the adjoining farm, known as the "Parker Place," each
having about two hundred acres. The meadows on these lands cause
them to be among the most valuable farms in the township.
John Hugg was noted for the number of slaves he
owned, many of the colored people in this township having descended
from those who were formerly in his service. From all accounts he
must have been a kind master, as his slaves considered it a great
honor to be servants in the Hugg family. In 1709 he sold one of his
negro boys (Sambo), to John Hinchman, as is elsewhere noted.
The death of John Hugg occurred in 1730 and is
thus described by Smith, in his "History of New Jersey," -
"In this year died John Hugg, Esq., of Gloucester City.
He was about ten years one of the Council. Riding from home one
morning, he was supposed to be taken ill about a mile from his
house, when, getting off his horse, he spread his cloak on the
ground to lie down on, and having put his gloves under the saddle
and hung his whip through one of the rings, he turned his horse
loose, which, going home, put the people upon searching, who found
him in this circumstance speechless; they carried him to his house
and he died that evening."
He died respected by all who knew him, leaving to
survive him a second wife and the following named children: Mary
(married to Thomas Lippincott), Sarah, Priscilla, Hannah, Joseph,
Gabriel, John, Elias and Jacob. John died when yet young and Elias
without children.
Elias Hugg, the brother of John and son of the
emigrant, lived in the house occupied before him by his father and
probably kept a store to supply the wants of the people of those
days, whiskey and tobacco being staple commodities. As many of his
customers were watermen, "his premises, no doubt, furnished the
scene of many carousals among them when detained by wind and tide."
The large landed estates of the Huggs in this
township, after passing to the second and third generations,
eventually ceased to be owned by any of the lineal descendants of
the family and for many years no male members by the name have
remained in the vicinity.
In the course of years part of the original Hugg
tract became the property of Isaac Browning, the youngest son of
George Browning, who emigrated to this country from Holland before
1752, and who settled in what is now Stockton township. There Isaac
was born, December 1, 1775, and at the time of his death lived at
the mouth of Timber Creek. He had three sons and two daughters,
namely Joshua P., George Benjamin, Cooper P., Mary and Catherine.
The first-named son, lived on the homestead of his father several
years, when he moved to Haddonfield. He was married to Amelia, a
daughter of John Clement, and was an influential man in the interest
of public improvements. In Centre township the Brownings were
progressive citizens and the landing on the creek is still known by
their name.
In 1697 John Hillman purchased one hundred and
seventy acres of land of Francis Collins, adjoining the estate of
John Gill, where he settled. His land lay on both sides of the
Haddonfield road to Snow Hill, and his house stood near the present
Chapman residence. As the old Egg Harbor road passed by his house,
he kept a tavern, but his place did not become noted as a resort, in
the sense that attached to some of the taverns of that period; since
the travel was comparatively light. A short distance below this
house two roads diverged, one going to Salem by way of Clements
Bridge, and the other towards the shore.
The soil here is light and the place was no doubt
selected on account of the ease with which a clearing might be made,
as the growth of timber in these sandy places was never very heavy.
In 1720 John Hillman devised this tract of land to
his son John, who, however, settled in Gloucester township, near the
White Horse Tavern. His son Joseph lived on the homestead some time,
but in 1760, sold to Daniel Scull, of Egg Harbor. Thus, for more
than a hundred years, this property has been out of the name of
Hillman, and, being now the site of the hamlet of Snow Hill, has
been disposed of to many owners.
Daniel Hillman, a brother of John, who settled in
Gloucester, located on a tract of one hundred acres of land which
had been surveyed for William Sharp in 1701. He gradually extended
his estate towards the south, while it joined the lands of the
Clarks on the west, and those of the Albertsons on the east. His
house stood on what became the Howell estate and was a plain log
building. In 1754 Daniel Hillman died and gave this tract to his
four sons, James, John, Daniel and Joseph, who improved the same,
erecting dwellings thereon. In 1734 Joseph sold his interest to
Jacob Jennings, who had the same resurveyed the following year. In
this purchase the greater part of the hundred acres, located in
1701, was included, and as the older members of the family had died
or moved, the lands thus became the property of strangers. Many
descendants of the Hillmans still reside in the township, but on
lands not of the original estate.
It may have been noted that before the discovery
of fertilizers, the farmers in this section soon exhausted the
natural richness of their lands, which thereafter afforded them but
scanty subsistence, making it impossible to put up good improvements
out of their earnings of the soil. The use of marl and other
fertilizers has changed all these conditions.
John Hinchman, the oldest son of John Hinchman, of
Newton township, located on part of the paternal estates, now mostly
owned by the Willitses and Coopers, extending from the old Salem
road to the head of Little Timber Creek, and adjoining the Jennings
property. This land was part of the tract which had been conveyed to
John Hinchman in 1699, by John Hugg and his wife, Priscilla, who had
inherited some of the same from her father, Francis Collins.
The dwelling-house of John Hinchman was a small,
hipped-roof brick building, which, in its day, had some pretension
to style and comfort. Its shape has been entirely changed and it now
forms a part of the modern residence of the late Charles L. Willits.
John Hinchman had a sort of a military career,
having been appointed an ensign in one of the departments of the
county in 1705. He was sheriff of the county after 1722, and in his
day was quite prominent. As his second wife he married a
granddaughter of John Kay. His son, John, settled in Gloucester.
John Thorne, was a brother-in-law of John
Hinchman, having married his sister Ann. He came from Flushing,
N.Y., following the Hinchmans in their migration from that State. In
1702 he purchased a tract of land of John Reading, lying between the
south branch of Newton and Little Timber Creeks, his tract including
the farms known as the "Stokes Brick Farm" and the John D. Glover
Farm. By his will, made in 1768, he gave his property to his
son-in-law, John Glover, in fee. The latter married his daughter,
Mary. In his day he was a man of marked influence. A few years
before his death, in 1769, he removed to Haddonfield, where his
widow continued to reside. His son Thomas died in 1759, leaving a
daughter who was married to William Harrison. The latter owned and
lived on a farm south of Mount Ephraim, known in later years as the
property of Jesse W. Starr. He was a man of considerable prominence,
serving as sheriff in 1716. In this capacity he was instrumental in
causing the defeat of John Kay, by ordering the election to be held
at a point more favorable to Kay’s opponent, Dr. Daniel Coxe.
He was buried in a small family grave-yard, near
the old brick house, which was demolished some years ago.
John Glover, who lived on the John Thorne place,
also came from Long Island and was a brother of William and Richard
Glover. The former settled in Newton township, the creek dividing
his lands from John’s. He was a bachelor and died in 1798, but much
of the estate which he owned is still in the Glover name. John
Glover, the husband of Mary Thorne, reared a numerous family, some
having descendants who still remain in the township. Near the
residence of John T. Glover, on Newton Creek, his grandfather, John
T., had a fulling-mill which descended thence to James Glower. It
was abandoned many years ago.
On Little Timber Creek, in the neighborhood of
Mount Ephraim, was another power, in the early history of this
section, where William Eldridge put up grist and fulling-mills. In
1805 he sold this property to Hezekiah Shivers, who disposed of it
to John T. Glover, whence it passed to John O. Glover. The mills
were near his residence. They have been unused for a long time.
A hundred years after the general settlement of
the territory now embraced in this township the principal owners
were persons bearing the following names: Gill, Wilson, Brown,
Chapman, Browning, Atkinson, Glover, Budd, Zane, Willits, Crispin,
Starr, Bell, Eastlack, Budd, Mather, Thackara, Clark, Kinsey,
Haines, Lippincott, Kay, Davis, Strang, Rudlow, Rowand, Mickle,
Webb, Brick, Harrison and Brazington. Many of these have descendants
remaining in the township.
CIVIL ORGANIZATION. - By legislative
enactment, November 15, 1831, all that part of the township of
Gloucester contained within the following described bounds became a
new township: "Beginning at the mouth of Beaver branch where it
empties into Great Timber Creek; thence up the said creek to
Clements Bridge; thence along the middle of the Evesham Road to the
bridge over Coopers Creek; thence down said creek to the corner of
the township of Newton; thence by the said township of Newton and
Gloucester Town to the beginning, together with all that territory
known by the corporate name of the Inhabitants of Gloucestertown in
the county of Gloucester, hereafter known as the township of Union."
The people in the territory described, sustained
that township relation twenty-four years, when another division took
place whereby the township of Centre was created March 6, 1855, as
follows:
"Beginning in the middle of Great Timber Creek at the
mouth of the southerly branch of Little Timber Creek; thence along
the middle of Little Timber Creek to a point where the old King’s
Highway crossed the same; thence northerly along the highway to the
southwest corner of Cedar Grove Cemetery and corner of James H.
Brick’s land; thence along said line and by the lands of Aaron H.
Hurley, crossing the Mt. Ephraim Road to the corner of the lands of
John Brick, deceased; thence along the lands of Brick and John C.
Champion and John R. Brick to Newton Creek, on the line of Newton
Township; thence eastwardly by Newton Creek, on the line of Union
and Newton, until it strikes the line of the townships of Union and
Delaware; thence up the same to Burrough’s Bridge; thence on the
middle of the highway and on boundary line between the townships of
Union and Gloucester to Clements Bridge, on the Great Timber Creek;
thence down the middle of the said creek to the place of beginning."
The name of Centre was suggested by the
intermediate position which the new township would occupy, with
reference to Gloucester and the township of Newton, north and south
of it.
Under the act authorizing the erection of the
township, the first annual town-meeting was held at the public-house
at Mount Ephraim, March 14, 1855. Chalkley Glover was chosen
moderator and Jehu Budd clerk.
"It was voted that the township borrow $100 to pay
the current expenses; that a tax of $2.00 be levied for school
purposes, for every child returned between the ages of five and
eighteen years; that the township be divided into two districts for
the overseers of the highways."
Since 1863 the township meetings have been held at
the public hall at Mount Ephraim, and the following have been the
principal officers selected each year: Zebedee W. Nicholson, Chas.
L. Willitts and David A. Shreve, school superintendents until the
county superintendency was established.
Township Clerks.
|
1855.
|
Jehu Budd.
|
1867 -68.
|
Isaac G. Eastlack.
|
1858.
|
Isaac Kay.
|
1869.
|
George F. Howell.
|
1857-60.
|
Jehu Budd.
|
1870 -75.
|
George T. Haines.
|
1861 -63.
|
Benj. A. Starr.
|
1873 -78.
|
John D. Glover, Jr.
|
1864-65.
|
David A. Shreve.
|
1879 -81.
|
John Hutchinson.
|
1866.
|
Jehu Budd.
|
1882 -84.
|
Wm. H. Turley.
|
|
|
1885-86.
|
Jared B. Chapman.
|
Assessors
|
1855 -58.
|
Joseph Budd.
|
1869.
|
George Broadwater.
|
1859.
|
John North, Jr.
|
1870.
|
Joseph G. Davis.
|
1860.
|
Benjamin Shivers.
|
1871 -75.
|
John Hutchinson.
|
1861 -62.
|
Jehu Budd.
|
1876 -80.
|
George T. Haines.
|
1863.
|
Isaac Brasington.
|
1881 -82.
|
Hiram E. Budd.
|
1864 -65.
|
Jehu Budd.
|
1883 -84.
|
Nathaniel Barton.
|
1866-68.
|
Joseph Budd Webb.
|
1885 -86.
|
W.H. Turley.
|
Collectors
|
1855.
|
Champion Goldy.
|
1866 -68.
|
George F. Howell.
|
1856-57.
|
Joseph M. Atkinson.
|
1870.
|
Joseph B. Webb.
|
1859 -60.
|
Simon W. Mitten.
|
1871 -73.
|
Henry Charman.
|
1861-62.
|
John P. Curtis.
|
1874 -81.
|
Nathaniel Barton.
|
1863.
|
Joseph M. Atkinson.
|
1882 -84.
|
David A. Shreve.
|
1864 -65.
|
Champion Goldy.
|
1885.
|
Samuel Bacon.
|
|
|
1886.
|
Henry Charman.
|
Justices of the Peace
|
1855.
|
John W. Chester.
|
1856.
|
John P. Curtis.
|
|
Joseph Fish.
|
|
John W. Hay.
|
1856.
|
Joseph Budd.
|
|
T. Oliver Goldsmith.
|
|
Joseph C. Zane.
|
|
Henry Charman.
|
|
Frederick Lister.
|
|
Hiram E. Budd.
|
|
Abraham Rowand.
|
|
John P. Curtis.
|
THE VILLAGE OF SNOW HILL is two miles from
Haddonfield, on the elevated lands along the road to that town. Its
population is composed almost exclusively of colored people. It
contains several small stores, two good society buildings, three
churches and within a radius of a mile are six hundred colored
inhabitants. Although a number of colored people had settled in this
locality at a much earlier period, the village was not regularly
laid out until about 1840. At that period Ralph Smith, an
Abolitionist, living in Haddonfield, who had advanced ideas of the
future condition of the negro, purchased a tract of land and had
William Watson survey the same into lots for him. In accordance with
his purpose, to give the negro a village of his own, the place was
appropriately called Free Haven. The lots being offered
cheap, and as much effort was made in Philadelphia and other cities
to induce settlement, a large number were soon sold, only a few of
which were improved. Among those who first settled here were Stephen
Thomas, James Arthur, Isaac Arthur, Samuel Sharp, Perry Gibson,
Thomas Brown and Thomas Banks. The last-named was a man of superior
attainments, which caused him to be looked upon with deference, but
at the same time made him an object of suspicion among his fellows,
who accused him of self-aggrandizement. In the main, the settlers
were harmonious and the community law-abiding and orderly. Many of
the settlers came from the vicinity of Snow Hill, Md., from which
circumstance came the name. Free Haven, as applied by Ralph Smith,
never obtained any hold upon the people, and the original name still
remains good. The village plot was enlarged by Jacob C. White, a
colored dentist, of Philadelphia, who was warmly interested in the
development of the place.
Within the last few years small stores have been
kept at Snow Hill by Joseph E. Gray, John Williams and P.S. Smiley.
A few shops are also maintained, but most of the inhabitants find
occupation in agricultural pursuits.
SOCIETIES. - In few places of its size are
more secret societies successfully maintained than by the colored
people of Snow Hill. A sketch of the various lodges of the village
that existed in January, 1886, is here given. The Daughters of
Ebenezer, organized 1842, a local beneficial society for women,
having twenty-two members; Mt. Zion Beneficial Society, also local,
instituted in 1850 and having thirty members; St. Matthew Union
Lodge, No. 10, Independent Order of Good Samaritans, instituted
October 7, 1852, and incorporated March 18, 1872, had one hundred
and twenty-five members. In 1870 a spacious two-story hall was
erected by this order, the upper room being used for lodge purposes,
the lower room for general meetings. In this building also meet the
Daughters of Samaria, whose membership is composed of women only.
Hiram Lodge, No. 5, A.F.A.M., was instituted in September, 1874, and
has thirty members. The meetings of this Masonic lodge are held in
the Samaria Hall. Star of Liberty Lodge, No. 1062, G.O. of O.F., was
instituted March 9, 1863, with nine members, which number has been
increased to eighty-six. In 1882 a very fine hall was built by the
lodge, in the upper story of which meetings are regularly held. In
this hall, also, meets the Household of Ruth, a Ladies’ Odd-Fellow
Auxiliary Society, which was organized in 1878, and which had
thirty-six members in June, 1886. The Union Republican Association
of Snow Hill, incorporated February 19, 1886, is one of the youngest
benevolent organizations at this place.
SCHOOLS. - Separate schools for the
education of colored children were established about 1848, Samuel
Sharp being the teacher. The present school-house was built in 1872,
and is a large two-story frame structure. There are one hundred and
twenty-seven children of school age, many of whom have a keen
interest in educational matters. Among the later teachers have been
Edward Miller, John Jackson and John Goodwin.
THE MT. PISGAH AFRICAN METHODIST CHURCH was
originated soon after 1800, and became a permanent organization in
1813. Until that time Methodists of both the white and colored race
of the vicinity held religious services together in a small frame
building which stood upon the present church lot; but, following the
advice of a colored minister, Richard Allen, who subsequently became
a bishop, the colored element declared themselves independent of the
Methodist Episcopate, whereupon some of the colored members and the
whites withdrew to form the Methodist Church at Greenland. Bishop
Allen then became the pastor of the independent church, and for many
years served it, in connection with the Bethel Church (colored), in
Philadelphia. From this fact the members of Mt. Pisgah Church are
sometimes called the "Allenites." The present bishop is R.H. Kane,
and the preacher in charge is T.A.V. Henry, who also supplies the
mission at Haddonfield. The members number sixty-three.
In 1867 the old meeting-house was replaced by the
present large frame building which was neatly repaired in 1884. Its
seating capacity is increased by the use of galleries on two sides
and one end. The property appears neatly kept and is in charge of
Trustees Isaac Jackson, Charles Arthur, Richard Tilman, Alfred
Arthur, Joshua Arthur, Peter S. Smiley and Warner Gibbs. Ebenezer
Mann and Peter Mott were former local preachers, and the latter
organized the first Sunday-school about 1854. The present
superintendent is John H. Jackson, and the membership of the
Sunday-school is about seventy. In connection with the church is a
grave-yard, where are buried some of the first colored settlers of
this part of the township.
THE MT. ZION AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
- Not long after Allen’s congregation declared itself an independent
church, the colored members adhering to the Methodist Episcopacy
organized themselves into a church body and, in 1828, secured their
own house of worship. In this meetings were regularly held until it
was burned down in 1835. A new church was then built, which became
too small to accommodate the growing membership, and, in 1868, it
was taken down and the present church built in its place. It is a
frame of neat proportions and has a large seating capacity. A part
of the old church building was converted into a parsonage, this
appointment forming a charge in connection with Jordantown. The
membership of the church is large, numbering nearly one hundred and
seventy-five, and the Sunday-school has one hundred and sixty
scholars, having as its superintendent Henry D. Wilson. Upon the
church lot is a grave-yard, and the property has, in 1886, the
following trustees Robert Cooper, Franklin Fossett, William Henry,
Anthony Baynard, Albert A. Calles, Cupid Moore and Joseph E. Tray.
SNOW HILL ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. - The
building in which the members of the Catholic Church of this
vicinity worshipped was built in 1859, on a lot of ground donated
for this purpose by James Diamond. It was here located on account of
its central position, in a large scope of country, which was taken
up as a mission, many of the members living beyond Kirkwood,
Blackwood, Chews Landing and Haddonfield, and all being whites. The
communicants number nearly a hundred, and semi-monthly services are
held by clergymen from Camden and Gloucester. At the latter place
interments are made. The church is a small frame building of very
humble appearance.
MAGNOLIA is southeast from Snow Hill and
extending beyond the Evesham road, on and in the neighborhood of the
White Horse turnpike. It is the old hamlet of Greenland, properly
called Magnolia, since the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad
located a station with that name near the place where a post-office
is now established. The term Greenland was applied on account of the
prevalence of a greenish soil in this locality very closely
resembling marl. For many years the upper part of the settlement was
called Frederickville, after Frederick Hines, one of the first
settlers there, and by occupation a weaver. Joseph Webb, another
early settler, followed the same trade, while John Albertson and
Samuel Barrett were farmers.
For the greater part of half a century John P.
Curtis, a local Methodist preacher, has lived in this place. Barrett
varied his occupation of a farmer by keeping a small store at the
corner of the turnpike and the public road, where James Lee was
afterwards engaged in trade. Within the past few years James
Barrett, Jr., has opened a store in a new building, not far from the
old stand, and in the same neighborhood a good smithy has been
established.
At the crossing of the Haddonfield road, opposite
the toll-house on the pike, Frederick Besser had a store and was
succeeded by Joel G. Clark. The latter sold out to A.H. Wolohon, who
built the present store about 1851, and converted the old stand into
a residence. Nearer Snow Hill, Joseph Fish opened another store
about 1855, where, for a number of years, Henry Charman has been in
trade. The village has several hundred inhabitants, most of whom are
whites.
THE GREENLAND METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. -
Methodism was preached in this locality as early as the beginning of
this century by the preachers named in the account of the Blackwood
Church, and later by others, whose names have not been preserved.
The appointments were numerous and separated many miles, two
preachers serving the circuit in 1826. It is said that David Daly,
one of the preachers, was of the opinion that the members were
heavily burdened to raise the pay of the preachers, about six
hundred dollars per year, and that the pioneer, Jacob Gruber,
thought that one man should be able to serve the circuit, which
embraced the most of old Gloucester and Burlington Counties. It is
an interesting historical fact that the same territory now supports
about forty preachers, and that nearly one hundred thousand dollars
is raised annually for the promotion of the church work, where a
little more than sixty years ago a hundredth part was raised with
difficulty. It is evidence not only of the increase of population,
but also of the hold that Methodism has upon the people.
The first meetings were held at Snow Hill in a
building which was the joint property of the whites and the blacks,
but which was relinquished in favor of the colored people about
1813. Soon after Samuel Barrett set aside an acre of land, on the
Evesham road, for church and cemetery purposes, where a small frame
meeting-house was built in 1815, which was thenceforth the spiritual
home Of the white Methodists in this section of the country. Among
the early members, and those who participated in building this
house, were Samuel Barrett, Christopher Sickler, Joseph Webb,
William Heppin and Frederick Hines. The church was used until 1867,
when the present building was erected in its place by a building
committee composed of J.P. Curtis, John W. Chester and Samuel
Barrett. It is a frame house, thirty-five by forty-five feet, of
very modest appearance. The membership of the church is small,
numbering but forty in 1886. The church has no regular pastor, but
was last connected with Glendale to form a circuit. A flourishing
Sunday-school has John Harley as its superintendent.
In the fall of 1885 a Ladies’ Aid Society of the
neighborhood built a hall near the church, in which social
gatherings may be held for the purpose of securing funds to
encourage church work. The efforts of the ladies in this direction
have already been attended with gratifying success.
GUINEA TOWN is another hamlet wholly
inhabited by colored people. It is located on the Blackwood
turnpike, on the sand-hills near Beaver Branch, and was formerly
more populous than at present. The village site was a part of the
Hugg estate, and the first houses built belonged to the former
slaves of that family, who were settlers here under the provisions
of an act, which required owners of negroes to provide homes for
them and to prevent them from becoming a public charge. Some of the
inhabitants of Guinea Town were Cubit Waterford, Archibald Farmer,
Daniel Williamson, Daniel Stevens, Edward Jackson, Thomas Quann and
the Still family, who had been slaves of persons living near. The
last-named claimed royal descent, their ancestor being a prince in
the direct line, when he was captured in Guinea and brought to
America as a slave. The Stills were superior, both in stature and
mental endowments, and after their removal some of them became
prominent in the learned professions.
The soil at Guinea Town being unproductive, many
of the inhabitants removed, after living there a few years, and the
hamlet decreased in size until but a few houses remained of what was
quite a large settlement about 1805.
INCIDENTS OF THE REVOLUTION. - Along Great
Timber Creek, landings were established at convenient points, where
considerable business was transacted before railways afforded more
expeditious transportation. The landing at Clements Bridge has a
Revolutionary interest attaching to it. On the 24th of October,
1777, the Hessian troops, twelve hundred strong, crossed here on
their retreat from the battle-field of Red Bank. They had marched
through the township, by the King’s Highway, two days previously,
crossing Little Timber Creek; but the Americans destroyed the bridge
at that point, which prevented them from going back to Haddonfield
by that thoroughfare. Worn out and disheartened, it is said that
they threw two brass field-pieces into the creek near where now is
Clements Bridge, where they have since remained. The King’s Highway
had a course to the north, near the lower part of the township,
crossing Little Timber Creek half a mile below its present bridge.
In that locality was a tavern, called the "Two Tuns," which was kept
during the Revolution by an old lady known as "Aunty High-cap," from
the head-gear she wore. Here the British officers were wont to
assemble and regale themselves with the rum the old lady dispensed,
having little fear of attack or disturbance by the Americans. This
over-confidence led to the death of one of their number, who was
shot by a patriot more than a third of a mile from the house, and
whose presence was never discovered by the British.
The tavern was abandoned after the course of the
road was changed, and the tavern nearer what is now Brownings
Landing was also discontinued. At this landing and at Crispins
Landing large quantities of moulders’ sand were formerly shipped,
and manure and coal received in return. Small scows yet occasionally
land at these places, but they are not important in a business point
of view.
MOUNT EPHRAIM has a beautiful location,
midway between Gloucester and Haddonfield, five miles from Camden,
on the Blackwood turnpike. It is also the terminus of a branch of
the Reading Railroad, which was completed to this place as a
narrow-gauge road June 10, 1876, and changed to a standard gauge, in
1885, by the present company. Six trains per day afford
communication with Camden, at Kaighn’s Point, five miles distant,
while half that distance only separates it from Gloucester. Its
situation and healthful surroundings are favorable to its becoming a
thriving suburban town.
Though an old business point, its growth has been
slow and was uneventful until the completion of the railroad. That
year the first regular plat of lots was made by James Davis, the
original village not being laid out, except a few lots by Hezekiah
Shivers, about 1820. In 1876 Joseph Warrington also laid out an
addition, and Mary K. Howell one the following year. John D. Glover
made an addition in 1886, as also did the Mount Ephraim Land and
Improvement Company, which was incorporated March 8, 1886. These
additions aggregate more than two thousand lots. In the fall of 1876
the Iowa State Exposition Building was removed to this place from
Philadelphia, and was converted into a residence for Joseph H.
Bower, and since that time a number of fine residences have been
erected. In June, 1886, the village had a public hall, store, tavern
and twenty-five dwellings.
The town hall was built in 1862 for both school
and public purposes, and is a neat, two story frame building. In it
the Baptists have maintained a Sabbath-school for several years, but
in the summer of 1886 that denomination built the first house of
worship in the village. The chapel was erected for mission purposes,
under the direction of the Baptist Church of Haddonfield.
A public-house has been kept in this locality from
a period so remote that the memory of the oldest citizen does not
reach it. The first keeper is not remembered, but it is believed to
have been Ephraim Albertson, from whom the village obtained its name
and who owned the land. He was a farmer, and it is quite probable
that he added to his other duties those of a tavern-keeper. William
Batt was the proprietor of the old hostelry in 1825, and James
Jennett came after him, achieving considerable reputation as a
landlord and horse-trainer. He often had a large number of
thoroughbreds in his stables, some coming from States as far distant
as Kentucky. Among other horses he prepared for the race-course were
those of General Irwin, of Pennsylvania, and Dr. McClellan, of
Philadelphia, father of the late General McClellan, of New Jersey.
Jennett had a track near his tavern and also used the course near
Camden, where famous trials of speed took place. The old tavern has
had many owners, among them being Charles Buckingham, who is still
the proprietor, though not the keeper of the place.
Opposite the tavern was, the first store, a small
farm building, which was removed in 1877, after Charles C. Clark had
put up the present stand on an adjoining lot. Clark has since been
in trade, and is also postmaster of the Mt. Ephraim office, which is
the only one in the township. In the old building a number of
persons traded, among those best remembered being Jonathan Johnson,
James M. Glover, Joseph Tomlinson, Samuel Eastlack, Peleg Brown,
William Garrett, John I. Brick and Charles Brown.
On the corner beyond the turnpike Wm. Hugg
formerly had an undertaker’s shop which was changed to a store by
Daniel Lamb, where Simon W. Mitton and James Cordery afterwards
traded. William K. Cook was the last there engaged in merchandising,
and converted it into a residence which is now occupied by him. On
this corner several mechanics’ shops are carried on, but the
proximity of Mt. Ephraim to older and larger towns has limited its
interests and occupations to what has been above rioted.
THE HEDDEN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. -
This house of worship is in the old Budd neighborhood, on the
Blackwood turnpike, a little less than a mile from Mount Ephraim. It
is a large, plain frame building, standing on a spacious lot,
connected with which is a cemetery of about an acre of ground. As it
now stands it was erected in 1868, at a cost of $2500, but prior to
that time a smaller house, built about 1840, had been occupied. The
church has been connected with other appointments in this and
Gloucester County to form a circuit, belonging at present to Chews
Landing Circuit. Its membership in 1886 was sixty, and the board of
trustees was composed of Hiram J. Budd, J.C. Curtis, John Webb, John
Williams, John Peters and James McManus. A Sunday-school of
eighty-five members has George W. Barnes as its superintendent.
In the cemetery the following interments have been
noted, most of these persons named having been connected with the
church:
Jehu Budd, died 1882, aged fifty-two years.
Jacob Wagner, died 1884, aged eighty-five years.
Amy Wagner, died 1850, aged fifty-seven years.
William W. Webb, died 1879, aged seventy years.
Elizabeth Curtis, died 1853, aged sixty-four
years.
Joseph Webb, died 1854, aged eighty years.
Rebecca Webb, died 1855, aged seventy-one years.
Hugh H. Garrettson, died 1853, aged fifty-eight
years.
Elizabeth Johnson, died 1849, aged sixty-six
years.
Martha Cook, died 1885, aged sixty-seven years.
Patience Gladden, died 1885, seventy-four years.
Joseph D. Fox, died 1876, aged seventy-one years.
Sarah Curtis, died 1879, aged seventy-seven years.
Eli Brasington, died 1843, aged forty-two years.
John Peters, died 1852, aged sixty-four years.
Mary Peters, died 1880, aged seventy-eight years.
Mary Ogg, died 1866, aged seventy-six years.
Elizabeth Sayers, died 1869, aged forty-five
years.
Elizabeth Budd, died 1879, aged seventy-one years.
Sarah Hendry, died 1842, aged eighty-three years.
David Galaway, died 1842, aged thirty-two years.
Philip Peters, died 1851, aged fifty-eight years.
Mary A. Peters, died 1876, aged eighty-five years.
Micajah Beakley, died 1875, aged sixty-three
years.
Joseph Budd, died 1862, aged sixty-three years.
John Stewart, died 1867, aged seventy-eight years.
Martha Stewart, died 1864, aged seventy-five
years.
Frederick Lister, died 1871, aged forty-nine
years.
Jane E. Zane, died 1874, aged sixty-six years.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
JOSEPH M. HAINES. - The family from which
Joseph M. Haines is descended came from England shortly after the
arrival of the "Commissioners in Burlington, in 1678." They settled
in Evesham township, Burlington County, and among the names are
William, Thomas, Daniel, Nathan, Samuel, Sarah, Deborah and Amos.
In the reign of one of the English Kings, one of
their ancestors offered the King a bowl of punch as he rode along
the highway, and he was knighted on the spot for his hospitality.
This characteristic has been transmitted with their good name to the
present generation. As early as 1711 Jonathan Haines married Mary
Matlack. He died in 1729, leaving in his will the old homestead
farm. In 1738 Nehemiah and John Haines conveyed land to John
Peacock, and the old "Haines Saw-Mills," on Rancocas Creek, was
their property. In the earlier periods of our country’s history they
were stirring and energetic men. Jacob Haines was born in Burlington
County; he was married twice, and his children were as follows:
Samuel, Abel (father of Joseph M.), Jacob, Beulah, Stokes and
Hannah.
Abel Haines married Nancy Moore, daughter of
Joseph and Nancy Moore, whose maiden-name was Heulings, by whom he
had the following-named children: Jacob, Mary Ann, Rachel M., Eliza,
Samuel, Ann Eliza, Abel and Joseph M. and William, all deceased but
Samuel and Joseph M. Abel, after his marriage, settled upon the farm
situated on Beaver Branch and now owned by Joseph M., and he was
considered the "pioneer farmer of the neighborhood." He was the
first to bring fertilizers of any kind up Great Timber Creek in
vessels, and of his skill and knowledge in husbandry John Gill used
to say, "I borrowed from his book."
Joseph M. Haines has always been a farmer and
lived on the old homestead until quite recently, when he retired to
Mount Ephraim, near which place he was born on August 15, 1826.
On the 22d day of April, 1869, he was married to
Martha D. Calm, daughter of Davis W. and Hannah (Lacy) Calm,
daughter of Thomas and Phoebe Lacy. Their children are Joseph E, Ann
Eliza, Emily M., Abel, Martha R. and Henry C. Ann Eliza is deceased.
Joseph M. Haines is a Friend, as were his
ancestors. In politics, a Republican. He has been township
collector, member of township committees, commissioner of appeal,
member of Board of Chosen Freeholders, and for eight years on the
standing committees continuously. While freeholder he has always
been noted for strict justice and integrity, and at the age of sixty
enjoys good health. The Haineses are well-known in Burlington and
Camden Counties, and are connected by marriage with the oldest
families.
Joseph M. holds the deed given in 1689 by John
Hugg to his son John, the Huggs at that time owning vast properties,
while now none is held in their name, while in the name of Haines it
descends from father to son through the different generations.
SOURCE: Page(s) 704-712, History of
Camden County, New Jersey, by George R. Prowell, L.J. Richards & Co.
1886
Published 2010 by the Camden County Genealogy Project