Ocean County , NJ History

 New Egypt Press 19 May 1916 "A roamer", who was "mentally weak"

From the New Jersey Mirror 3 Apr 1907 Charles Gossip, a negro wanted for murder in Delaware, has been locked up in the Mount Holly jail during the past week as a vagrant, having been released on Monday morning. It was not until last night that the police learned from detectives on Gossip's track that their prisoner was a murderer. His whereabouts now are not known.

from the New Jersey Courier 29 Jul 1875 Last week, Louis, aged about 14 years, a son of Hon. Andrew Browne, of Middletown, met with a serioius accident by the accidental discharge of a pistol in his trouser's pocket. The ball entered the inner side of his leg and penetrated to a depth that the doctor was unable to extract it.

from the New Jersey Mirror 15 Jul 1875 Two men from Trenton named Gamble and Dirth were upset in Crosswick's Creek near Bordentown on Thursday night last, while fishing. Their boat capsized and Gamble, being an excellent swimmer, struck out for the shore, while Dirth, not knowing how to swim clung to the boat. Gamble was drowned and Dirth was saved. Gamble's body was found in the creek at Bonaparte's old wharf on Sunday. The body was much decomposed. Coroner Beatty of Mercer County held an inquest Monday morning.

from the New Jersey Mirror 26 Jul 1905 Charles Long, the negro for whom the police of Trenton are looking upon the charge of having murdered Matthew Cunningham, of that city, on July 16, is a native of this county, having been born and spent several long years of his life at Cookstown. Long was recently seen near a thick piece of woods by officers who fired at him, but the murderer managed to make his escape in the underbrush The next day, the New York Times even carried the story: SAY NEGRO MURDERER HAS FLED FROM SWAMP; Jersey Police Give Up Search in That Direction. FARMERS ARM THEMSELVES Long Is a Desperate Man, and They Think He May Seek Revenge for Pursuit Link to story then again, on 2 Aug 1905: Interest has been revived in the hunt for the negro murderer Charles Long, of Trenton, by the increasing of the reward to $500. An additional $250 reward has been offered by Mercer Co. Board of Freeholders, which brings the sum up to the amount named. and a link to a scanned ....

from the New Jersey Mirror 29 Jul 1875 M.H. Ivins, who has recently erected a new store at Florence station, remarked a day or two since that the water from the well in the cellar had a peculiar taste. On investigating the cause, he found that a molasses hogshead had been about half emptied by neglecting the tap, and the molasses had run into the well. It only needed vinegar to make a good summer drink

From the New Jersey Mirror, 29 Jul 1875 As William Irick, son of the late General William Irick, was driving up to the passenger depot, at Vincentown, on Thursday, to take the 1.50 p.m. train, his horse became alarmed at the drilling of the freight cars, and making a sudden turn, upset the carriage, throwing the occupants, Mrs. Morrow and daughter, and himself, beneath it. Mrs. Morrow received bruises on the side and breast, while Miss Morrow escaped uninjured. Mr. Irick struck his head with such force against the platform of the station that he remained insensible for several hours. He was taken to the home of John S. Sloan, where he received every attention. On Thursday evening Mr. Irick was not so well, complaining of his head .

According to the New Jersey Mirror of 15 Jul 1875, A short time since Hezekiah Haines, a farmer residing in Charleston, Burlington County, had three fine dogs poisoned, which died. How is that the totality of the story? Here in New Jersey last week, someone killed a dog, supposedly by throwing it out of a truck. Pages and pages of newsprint have been filled over it. And here's three dogs getting poisoned--it doesn't even speculate as to whom, or why, or any other information, like it's the most commonplace thing ever in 1875.

from the New Jersey Mirror 30 Jun 1864 A colored man John Henry, living in the Township of Evesham, committed a murderous assault upon a German woman named Elizabeth Baker, on Wednesday last, by shooting her with a double-barreled shot-gun and afterwards beating and stamping upon her. It appears that an unfriendly feeling had long existed between the parties, who were near neighbors: the woman who is represented to be of a very contentious, quarrelsome disposition, having for a long time, resorted to various petty devices to annoy and irritate the negro. On Wednesday, the latter was on his way to a neighbor's house, having in his hand a double-barreled gun, for the purpose, as he alleges, of defending himself from a vicious dog--when he encountered the woman on the road. An altercation took place between them, when Henry turned and shot the woman in the back, inflicting a dangerous wound, and then stamped upon the body. One of the woman's arms was broken and she lies in crit...

This item appeared in the 7 April 1819 issue of the New Jersey Mirror: Ten dollars reward will be paid to any person who will secure a Negro man, whose real name is Daniel Clark, but has passed under the following assumed names: Thomas Kitchen, Thomas Field, Paul Cuffee, David Mapp, Richard Allen, Jacob Stapler, John Gloster, and James Chatman. He is about 5 feet , 8 or 9 inches high, well set, very black, and looks remarkably well--is very insinuating in his manners and a complete adept in every species of Theft and Swindling. He sometimes calls himself a free-willed Baptist Preacher--sometimes says he is a Methodist preacher--and has preached for both persuasions at different places. When last seen, he had on a black coat and black vest, grey cassinett pantaloons, boots, a common fur hat, and very neat in his appearance.He has reported that he was raised by William Newbold, of Springfield, NJ, but his native place is not known. He took numerous articles with him from Mount Holly. ...

From the New Jersey Courier of 24 June 1875: Captain Samuel Crowley and William Sooy of Washington Township have a law suit on hand before Squire Brome, growing out of a disputed cedar swamp. The township committee of Washington Township have determined to investigate these charges of malfeasance against Captain Samuel Crowley. They have appointed Charles Brome, Joel VanSant,jr., and H.H. Miller, a committee to examine his work. Said committee will proceed to business next Friday June 55th [obviously a typo]

taken from Woodward, E.M., History of Burlington and Mercer Counties. pp. 58-63. CHAPTER X. CANALS AND RAILROADS. "IN Beecher’s Magazine for January, 1872, Judge Lucius Q.C. Elmer published an article entitled ‘General Bernard and Joseph Bonaparte.’ In December, 1823, an act was passel by the Legislature of New Jersey appointing Lucius Q.C. Elmer, Peter Kean, and George Holcombe commissioners for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability and expediency of a canal to unite the tidewaters of the Delaware and Raritan Rivers. There was at that time a board of engineers, organized by virtue of a special act of Congress as a board of internal improvements. This board came into New Jersey, and in conjunction with the State board made a hasty examination of the route previously surveyed, in 1816, by a State commission under John Randel, Jr., Esq. The final result of this examination was that the plan of making the canal a State or national work was abandoned, and in 1830 the Del...

taken from Woodward, E.M., History of Burlington and Mercer Counties. pp. 53-58. CHAPTER IX. OLD ROADS AND COURSES OF TRAVEL IN EARLY TIMES — STEAMBOATS ON THE DELAWARE —COLONIAL POST-OFFICES OF BURLINGTON COUNTY. NEW JERSEY, lying between the great sea-ports of New York and Philadelphia, naturally became the great highway of communication, not only between these early villages, but between the New England and Southern colonies. Prior to the coming of the English, the Dutch communicated between their settlements at New Amsterdam and those on the Delaware by an Indian trail. A portion of this "old Indian path" can even now be traced with great accuracy, and vestiges of the inhabitants of the forest, their corn-mills, in bowlders, are still found upon it. The late Hon. George Sykes, in a communication to the author, says,— "The old Indian path from Burlington to Shrewsbury left the Old York road on the farm now owned (1865) by William H. Black, on the north side of...

Sharing bits of information related to genealogy and history, mostly New Jersey related.  I also post the information on my website at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~batsto/ I'll also be posting photographs taken in my travels around the state for posterity.  Like this picture of a shack out on Cedar Bonnet Island taken around 2009.