Gloucester County NJ Archives History .....The King's Highway ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nj/njfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 2, 2008, 12:20 pm "The King's Highway"* * By GIDEON PEASLEE. About 1681 the General Assembly at Burlington passed an act to survey and set forth a public highway between Amboy and Burlington and thence to Salem, along the Indian trail through the primeval forest. This was destined to become a very important highway, as it was laid six rods, or about one hundred feet wide, and connected the capitals of East and West Jersey, Amboy and Burlington, and long before the advent of railroads it was a much traveled thorofare between New York and Philadelphia. When my father, Amos J. Peaslee, was a boy, he lived near Bordentown (1825) and enjoyed going to that place to see the stage coaches arrive from New York and transfer passengers to boats for Philadelphia. From Burlington, the Highway was laid through Mt. Holly, Moorestown, Haddonfield, passing near the home of Elizabeth Haddon, for whom the place was named, thence on to Timber creek, which it crossed on a bridge a little further up stream than the present structure, thence through Westville on to Woodbury, crossing that creek a little below Broad street, near the home of ex-Surrogate Livermore, on through Woodbury —diverging a little from Broad street. At the south end of the town it passed over line of present road to Mantua, until near the toll-gate, where it took southwesterly course by way of Parkville Station to Mantua Creek—crossing the same beside the present bridge. John Pierson, born 1805, who lived to be a little over one hundred years old, told the writer he had traveled the old road when a boy, with his father. The road was straightened to its present course in 1812. In doing so, they desired to locate the bridge over Mantua Creek a little further down stream, to make the route more direct from Mantua Grove to Mount Royal, or Berkley, or Sandtown, as it was then called, but found it so difficult to secure a proper foundation, they erected the new bridge beside the old structure, so the depression on the east of the present roadway and immediately beside it marks the line of the "King's Highway." After crossing Mantua Creek and looking to the northwest, about one half mile distance, on the old Tatum, now Jacob Nolte, farm can be seen, according to a Pennsylvania botanist, the largest oak tree within one hundred and fifty miles of Philadelphia. Measurement in 1905—six feet from the ground—a circumference of twenty-five feet two inches, height ninety feet, spread of branches one hundred and sixteen feet; near this tree the great emancipator first saw light. An account of his life states that father Tatum fixed up an old hen house for a temporary dwelling for his daughter—located near the Great Oak, as it was then called—and in it Isaac Tatum Hopper was born in the year 1770. Passing through Mount Royal, in which place is an old graveyard, neatly enclosed by wall, which belongs to the Episcopal Church—in 1770 a church was erected here where the congregation worshiped until the present house in Clarksboro was built. One Thomas Clark, was a very prominent member of the old congregation. Passing through Mount Royal, where the railroad to Salem intersects the stone road, stands an old stone dwelling that in those days was used for a hotel, which they called "The Death of the Fox." A fox was once killed in a clump of bushes just south of the building, where the sportsmen in those days sallied forth astride a horse, accompanied by a dog and gun, in quest of the wary animal. Who first reached the victim and secured the coveted brush, with which he decorated his hat, hastened to the old Inn, where he was soon surrounded by his fellow hunters who assembled there to lubricate their exhausted muscles and joints before disbanding from the chase. The friends of "John Barleycorn" were no better prohibitionists then than they are now. In those days, was a well in the middle of the "Highway," with a road passing on either side of the pump, which brought forth very good water much used to refresh man and beast wearied from traveling the sandy roads then so prevalent. A shed was attached to the north end of the hotel, under which was located a pump which drew water from the well through a pipe. When the gravel turnpike was built, in 1852, the wooden pump was drawn out and a large stone capped the well. The writer remembers the old stick lying beside the road when he was a boy. Passing through Clarksboro the "Highway" was shaded at Mickleton with a fine large old oak— measured in 1912—circumference, six feet from ground, 17 feet 4 inches; height, 91 feet; spread of branches, a little less than 100 feet—it was damaged by a leaky gas pipe and taken down in 1914. Nearby stands the old Friends' meeting, erected in 1798 in place of one located near Solomon's Graveyard, destroyed by fire. The present site was donated by Samuel Mickle and Samuel Tonkin. Prom the gallery of the house the writer has heard William Haines give many good sermons. His son, William P. Haines, called the "fighting Quaker" because he went with a New Jersey regiment to the Civil War, here delivered a very interesting address about the "old oak," which he published with a good picture of the old landmark. He spoke of the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania halting under its branches when riding to Salem on horse back. Cornwallis's men have rested here after their labor of burning the old Tonkin House, just below, so you see, the fine tree sheltered friend and foe under its branches. The home of Tonkin was in the south of Mickleton; place now occupied by John C. Heritage. The fine old stone house is quite a historic building, having been burned twice. During the Revolution the farm was occupied by Bodo Otto. A member of his family was surgeon in charge of a hospital at Valley Forge. The house was burned either in the fall of 1777 or summer of 1778 by the British; it was burned by accident some years later, and rebuilt in 1819. Edward Tonkin, who succeeded his uncle, Samuel Tonkin, in the ownership of the farm, took great interest in and soon began to raise some exceptionally fine cattle. About 1835 we began to hear talk of two unusually large and fine oxen. The "Big Cattle" were heralded far and wide—statesmen, governors, congressmen and persons of all classes came to view and admire them. An English nobleman passing through Philadelphia came down to see them and told Mr. Tonkin he was interested in cattle raising in England, yet he had never seen any oxen to equal them. The old Salem mail stage often halted and gave the passengers fifteen or twenty minutes to look at them. It was not unusual to see six or eight carriages standing by the wayside while the occupants were admiring the cattle. One winter's Sunday, the sleighing being excellent, the visitors began to arrive early in the morning and continued in crowds the entire day; a member of the family kept an account; the number was over 1,000. Mr. Tonkin employed an Englishman, Thomas Pacy, to take care of them. The currycomb and brush were used on them daily. An excavation was made in the ground about three feet deep, sloped at one end and roofed over; into this they were allowed to go, to be protected from the extreme heat of summer. In February, 1838, they were sold to a firm in Washington for the sum of $3,500. On the 24th of February, 1838, a huge box, built on four wagons, passed up the road, and every one living on the road for miles knew that the "Big Cattle" were to be taken away. This box was built by Messrs. Reeve, at Alloway, who took the measurements of the covered bridges—to insure the passage through them. The hindermost wheels of the wagons were lowered somewhat, by excavating the ground, so as to lessen the incline of the bridge by which they were driven into the box. The box had a partition which was put in place when the first one had entered. Twenty horses and mules were used to haul them to Camden, where they arrived late in the afternoon, and found the tide so low they could not be put on the boat. This story was narrated by the late Daniel L. Pine, on April 13, 1903, in the writer's hearing: A pilot, then living, told him that Sunday morning, February 25, he saw them hauled to R. R. Ferry at the foot of Bridge Avenue, and placed on the steamer "State Rights," and landed at the foot of Walnut Street, Philadelphia. This was a boat especially constructed to carry the railroad passengers in the early days of the old Camden and Amboy R. R., and was the only ferry boat whose gangway was wide enough to admit of two wagons abreast. Once in Philadelphia, the horses were taken away and the wagons moved by men grasping a rope after the old manner of handling fire engines. One was taken to Washington and slaughtered; the other, after being exhibited in several cities, was taken to New Orleans and killed. Their weights were 3,750 and 3,800 pounds. Just below the Tonkin's farm the "Highway" took a southeasterly course to avoid Craft's Hill, passing by the places now occupied by John G. Roberts, Walter Heritage, back of Theodore Brown's, by the house of his grandfather, John Brown, on to Swedesboro, passing very near the home of former Governor Stratton— crossing Raccoon Creek a little north of the present bridge—there are persons who believe it passed the opposite end of the old Episcopal Church—but I have been unable to find any record of such course; passing through Swedesboro it took the Sharptown route on through that village, then to Salem. Many large old oaks can be seen from this traveled "Highway"; not the least of these was the fine old Monarch, still standing near the road's terminus in Friends' Graveyard, Salem, N. J. Measurements, by Joseph B. Livezey, in 1905, circumference at the earth, twenty-eight feet three inches; spread of branches, one hundred and eighteen feet four inches. There is much speculation as to the age of these old trees; the last one mentioned must have seemed very ancient to Robert J. Burdette, who told a whole audience in Salem the tree was four years older titan the Atlantic Ocean, and no one seemed to question his authority for the statement. Several old mile stones have been resurrected near Swedesboro and reset along the present road—marked respectively "18, 19, 20 miles to Coop's Fy. S.," at the top—bottom of the stone, "to Salem 1773." A portion of the distance indicated must have been measured on the "Kings Road," which started at Cooper's Ferry and intersected the "Highway" near Westville. Many have heard the oft told romance said to have occurred along the Old Highway, between Parkville R. R. Station and Mantua Creek. In Elizabeth Haddon's hospitable home many English Friends were entertained, who felt concerned to come to this country on religious visits. Upon this important occasion, a company of Friends started from Haddonfield on horseback to attend meeting in Salem. In passing through the ravine, which is still visible just south of Parkville Station, her saddle girth became loose ( ?) accidentally. She called upon John Estaugh, a young minister in the party, to adjust it. After the others had passed on and they were alone, she took the opportunity to tell him she believed the Lord had sent him to this country to be a life companion for her. It took the young man rather unawares. He told her the Lord had commissioned him to perform an extensive religious visit and could not give her proposition much attention until that service was accomplished. After performing the religious visits, he returned; their marriage resulted in 1702, and they lived happily together until his death, in 1742. About 1744 she wrote some account of the life and religious labors of John Estaugh, published by one Benjamin Franklin, a printer in Philadelphia. I saw in Haddonfield recently a copy of the publication. Samuel M. Janney in his "Memoirs of Friends" says of Elizabeth Haddon: "Her father having lands in New Jersey, proposed to settle upon them and sent persons to make suitable plans for their reception, but being prevented from coming, his daughter Elizabeth, then a maiden less than twenty years of age, came over, with her father's consent, and fixed the habitation where he proposed to have done. She was endowed with good natural ability, which being sanctified by divine grace, rendered her eminently serviceable as a benefactor of the poor, a sympathizer of the afflicted and an influential member of religious society." Clarksboro, N. J., Jan. 25, 1917. Additional Comments: Extracted from: NOTES ON Old Gloucester County NEW JERSEY HISTORICAL RECORDS PUBLISHED BY THE NEW JERSEY SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA VOLUME I Compiled and Edited by FRANK H. STEWART HISTORIAN OF THE SOCIETY 1917 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/njfiles/ File size: 13.1 Kb This file is located at http://files.usgwarchives.net/nj/gloucester/history/local/kingshighway.txt