NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

The Lamson Family
Morris Co. Up

Source: J. Percy Crayon, Rockaway Records of Morris County, N. J. Families, (Rockaway, N.J., Rockaway Publishing Co., 1902)

Additional information found in italics was supplied from the book A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin.

Three brothers of this family landed at Plymouth in 1636, soon after the settlement of the Plymouth Colony. One of them, John, came to New Haven, who is the progenitor of the LAMSON family of this section. He came to New Jersey in 1710, as the records of the New Jersey Proprietors at Perth Amboy show that the homestead farm near Dover was deeded by them in 1710.

John LAMSON or LAMPSON was an early settler at New Haven and probably died there. He married Elizabeth MORRIS, who with their son Eleazer, came to Newark. He is mentioned in the Newark Town Records as a fence viewer Jan. 1, 1693.

Eleazer married Abigail, daughter of Capt. Samuel SWAINE and wife Joanna. The SWAINEs came from London to Connecticut in 1635, came to Newark with the Branford Colony in May 1666. Had children:

  • Elizabeth, born 1649;
  • Joanna, born 1651, married Jasper CRANE , Jr., died Sept. 16, 1720.
  • Christiana, born 1659;
  • Sarah, born 1669, and
  • Abigail, who married Eleazer LAMSON.

Eleazer and Abigail had children:

  • Daniel,
  • Thomas, who settled at Orange, was revolutionary soldier, and
  • Eleazer, born 1720, died Mar. 24, 1789. He was at Rockaway, as a member of the Presbyterian church in 1779 and as a bridge inspector with Capt. Stephen JACKSON and Col. Jacob DRAKE in 1781. His wife Jane was born 1723, died Jan. 26,1796, both buried at Rockaway.
    • Newark records have Moses as a son of the first Eleazer, but as the records show that he was born 1750, and died Dec. 22, 1798, buried at Rockaway, it is conclusive that he was the son of Eleazer and Jane. Their other children were
    • Daniel, who resided near the Quaker church, also
    • Rhoda, who was born 1755, died at an advanced age and buried at Rockaway.
    • Thomas, who was born 1755, died Jan. 27, 1838, buried at Rockaway.
    • Benjamin, born Mar. 1, 1761, died 1824, buried at Rockaway.

[BKB - A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin has the following information:
Eleazer Lamson b. 17 Apr 1720 in Newark, Essex, NJ, d. 24 Mar 1789 at the age of 68 in Randolph, Morris, NJ. Buried at Rockaway Presbyterian Cemetery. Married Jane Bonnel. Jane was b. 24 Feb 1723, d. 28 Jan 1796 at the age of 72 in Randolph, Morris, NJ. Buried at Rockaway Presbyterian Cemetery.
Children:

  • Hannah b. 10 Feb 1751; d. in infancy
  • Sarah b. 10 Feb 1751; d. in infancy
  • Martha b. 19 Sep 1752; d. 2 Jun 1828; m. Aaron Hedden 22 Apr 1773
  • Thomas R. b. 1 Oct 1754; d. 27 Jan 1838; buried 1st Presbyterian Churchyard, Morristown
  • Daniel b. 23 Jan 1757
  • Moses b. 22 Dec 1758; d. 22 Dec 1798; buried Rockaway Presbyterian Cemetery
  • Benjamin b. 1 Mar 1761; d. 17 May 1824; m. Thankful Hathaway 9 May 1786
  • Rhoda b. 7 Jul 1763; d. 20 Jan 1857; buried Rockaway Presbyterian Cemetery; never married
  • Amos b. 12 Mar 1766; d. Oct 1809; m. Caroline ____
  • Eleazer b. 23 May 1769]

Benjamin married Thankful HATHAWAY May 9, 1786, she was the daughter of Jonathan and Lydia, and born May 15, 1787, died 1827, both buried at Rockaway. Benjamin was elder of the Rockaway Church in 1809, and inherited the property south of Dover and lived and died there.

Children:

  • [A son died 20 Mar 1787 in infancy - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Daniel, born Apr. 3, 1788, married Phebe JACKSON, July 3, 1816 [The Morris County Marriage Book A shows the date of marriage as 3 Feb 1810, with the marriage being performed by Rev. Barnabas King and the notation Pequannock. It is unknown if any of the party was from Pequannock, or if that was were the marriage was performed. The marriage records of the Presbyterian Church of Rockaway also list the date of marriage as 3 Feb 1810.- BKB]. She was daughter of John, the son of Benjamin JACKSON. This name is not on the JACKSON records however.
  • Ira, born Mar. 29, 1792; [m. Lydia Ward 26 Aug 1813; d. 4 Dec 1842 Bedford, Cuyahoga, Ohio - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • [A son b. 12 Jul 1795 d. 14 Jul 1795 - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Jonathan Hathaway, born June 2, 1799, married Lucy, daughter of Capt. Job and Sarah (COOPER) TALMAGE, of Franklin, Mar. 23, 1824. They removed to the Lake country in Western New York and probably died there. [He d. 27 Oct 1877 South Sodus, Wayne, New York - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Albert G., born Aug. 7, 1803; sold his share of the property to his brother Daniel and went to Western New York. [Albert Galatin, d. 7 Jun 1881, Wayne Co. New York; m. Mary Ann Clark 3 Nov 1825 - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Benjamin probably had son Eleazer and daughters, but have no records of them.

Children of Daniel and Phebe (JACKSON) LAMSON, who remained on the old homestead:

  • Jane, married Charles THOMPSON; [Jane b. 9 Apr 1817 m. Charles Tompkins 24 Oct 1850 - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Rhoda, married HEDDEN, of Center Grove; [Rhoda b. 2 Jan 1829 m. William Marvin Hedden 29 May 1855; she died 14 Sep 1879 Randolph, NJ - BKB]
  • Chloe, never married, lived at Philadelphia; [d. May 1888 at the age of 66 - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Eleazer, a school teacher, born Aug. 28, 1810, died Sept. 28, 1860, married Elizabeth A., daughter of Capt. John SEWARD, of Hurdtown. She was born June 10, 1812, died Mar. 14, 1893, both buried at Berkshire Valley.
  • Charles married Nancy CHRYSTAL of Dover. [Charles Jackson Lamson b. 28 Nov 1814 m. Nancy Crystal 6 Jun 1840 Dover, Morris, NJ; he died 18 Dec 1883 Randolph, Morris, NJ - BKB (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)]
  • Harriet b. 21 Mar 1812, Randolph, Morris, NJ m. Charles PAVERS; d. 23 Feb 1885 Randolph, NJ (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)
  • Thankful Tucker b. 11 Jul 1826, Randolph, Morris, NJ d. 11 Apr 1833 at the age of 6.

Children of Charles and Nancy:

  • Alfred, married Sophia Ann COOPER, daughter of David, of Franklin. [Alfred b. 26 Sep 1840 Randolph, NJ m. Abigail Sophia Cooper 24 Feb 1866 Franklin, Denville, Morris, NJ] (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)
  • Twins b. 1 Jan 1842 Randolph, Morris, NJ d. 1 Jan 1842 (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)
  • Mareus, went to war in 1861; Marcus b. 4 Dec 1842 Randolph, NJ (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)
  • George went West; George b. 2 Mar 1851 Randolph, NJ (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)
  • John C., married Esther AYRES, of Franklin present, resident of the old homestead. John Chrystal b. 2 Mar 1851 Randolph, NJ d. 10 Jan 1906 Randolph, NJ; buried Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Randolph NJ (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)
  • Martha, married Jacob KONTZ, of Ninkey. Martha Crystal b. 20 Aug 1844 m. John Jacob Juntz 10 May 1874 Randolph, NJ. (A History of Randolph Township: Morris County's First Bicentennial Community by Richard T. Irwin)

As will be seen by the church records, the latter part of the last century and the first part of this no stationed minister was at the Rockaway church, and if we consult the marriage records at Morristown we would find that at this period a large part of the marriage ceremonies were performed by the Justice of the Peace, generally spoken of as squire.

Esq. Benjamin LAMSON held that office at this period, and his finances must have been largely increased by the swains, young and old, in all this region around about. Tradition relates of one unprofitable investment. A twice widower, a resident of Pigeon Hill, had contracted a matrimonial alliance with a young widow, a resident of the mountain region above Hibernia, which under peculiar circumstances did not materialize. The best laid plans of mice and men, etc.

The arrangement was that the widower’s neighbors who had team and conveyance, was to go to the widow’s and bring all her household goods and chattels, including a barrel of soft soap, an indispensable article in those days to every thrifty housewife, and appear at Squire LAMSON’s where the widower would meet her and they two would be made one, and then proceed at once to the home of the widower, where a wedding supper would be waiting, prepared by the neighboring wives, and all, young and old had been invited for a grand jollification.

A messenger had been dispatched to Squire LAMSON’s to apprise him of the fact. The good natured squire immediately set his house in order; threw on an extra supply of wood in the open fire place, to give them a warm and comfortable reception, as the temperature out was below the freezing point.

At nine o’clock, the appointed hour, the parties arrived, the widower, like many others, could not stand prosperity, and his friends had induced him to imbibe too freely of the ardent spirits of that day, and on his arrival it took two of his friends to conduct him to the house. The widow, took in the situation at a glance, and would accept no apologies, but informed the would-be groom, that he was not the man who came up in the Hibernanian mountains in search of a wife and made a contract, and that she would not marry him under any circumstances.

The wedding supper, which had been prepared with great care and skill under the supervision of the neighboring housewives, must not be allowed to spoil, and it would certainly not save over until the next event, so all went to the house of the widower and great was the jollification thereof.

Another and similar circumstance happened soon after, so that the guests, many of them, could boast that they had partaken of four marriage suppers, at the residence of their friend only twice married.

There might be a moral attached to this bit of ancient history, that would benefit the present day and generation, but I shall not interfere with the morals, the manners or customs of that day or this.

Transcribed by John Cresseveur (1949-2003)

Copyright ©1999-2018 by Brianne Kelly-Bly, all rights reserved.