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Ben: The strain in the relationship between Beck and Ewan occurred because Ewan could be very prickly and he held Beck’s approach to documentation in low regard. I have heard more than one story of the verbal clashes when these two men ran into each other. Yes, Ewan’s photographic and...

Bill: Here is my list of early twentieth-century South Jersey historians—actually six in number, when I thought about it—in alphabetical order: Boyer, Charles DeCou, George Ewan, Nathaniel Heston, Alfred Sickler, Joseph Stewart, Frank The worst part of this process is figuring out who is...

Willy: The David Oliphant who placed this advertisement in The Pennsylvania Gazette is the same David Oliphant who operated the mills pictured above, but he had extensive landholdings as the sale notice suggests. The 1859 Parry, Sykes and Earl New Map of Burlington County still depicts the...

I couldn't agree more, Ben. I am no fan of Heston: he was not a very good historian and he was a racist to boot! Of the five most famous early twentieth-century local historians in South Jersey, I would rank him as dead last. I own the two volumes as part of my Jerseyana collection, but they...

Here you go, Bill: Vol. I, Page 268 Unhitiching Pippin, heedless of the gaping mouths and quizzical eyes of the Mayslanders, we were soon beyond the limits of the county town. We crossed the dam abreast of the cotton mill, passed the old-time tavern, known as Baker's, and leaving the State...

Bob: The steam pipes ran directly out of the boiler, providing steam heat to the rooms. The pipes served the same purpose as radiators, except the owner did not incur the added expense of purchasing the cast-iron appliance. The "resting on iron" phrase indicates the pipes sat on iron saddles...

Ben: That mill is Olyphant's grist and saw mill, once located where Hartford Road intersects Taunton Boulevard in Medford Township. Joseph Hinchman had already given up milling there and abandoned the complex when William B. Cooper took this photograph. Best regards, Jerseyman

Johnny: That is very nice of your wife to volunteer at the Dr. Still center. While there, she will likely encounter one or more person who claims to an "expert" on Dr. Still and the herbal medicine he produced and used in his practice. The truth is, however, that no records remain from Still's...

I am sorry to have asked you to do so, Guy, but I thank you for your action. I’m sure kbright64 only wanted to help provide more information in the thread about the branch and he likely did not consider copyright issues, but we all need to be aware of such matters. I hope all involved understand...

I completely concur with your assessment, Guy. Either kbright64 needs to delete the post or the administrators should act. Jerseyman

Best regards, Jerseyman

Guy: "W.O." stands for "White Oak." Surveyors would often pick a tree in a survey area that would stand out from the other trees. Other similar abbreviations exist for these survey point or witness trees, depending upon the species of the tree. Best regards, Jerseyman

Willy: Not to put too fine a point on it—and I knew of the Jersey Wagon Jaunts reference—Beck cites the year 1928, which is two years after Heston released his two-volume set of jaunts. Perhaps Beck just had the date wrong, in which case it is Vol. 1 as you cite; or it may be something else...

Bill Sprouse: In reviewing the Heston reference in Jersey Genesis, Beck fails to provide his readers with the exact nature of Heston’s 1928 recounting of the story concerning the birth of the Jersey Devil and Estellville. It certainly did not appear in any published book or pamphlet that I have...

jdragon130: The easiest and fastest access to understand the chronology of railroads in South Jersey is here: www.westjersey.org and select the link labeled “Railroad Evolution into South Jersey (1832-1897).” Best regards, Jerseyman

Wow! I fail to look at the forums for a couple of days and look what I miss! jdragon130: The original Raritan & Delaware Bay Railroad extended from Port Monmouth, up on Raritan Bay, to Atsion, where it connected with the Camden & Atlantic Railroad using the Batsto Branch in 1862. In 1867...

Willy: Makes me wonder if there are any probation documents at the State Archives associated with the estate. I will probably be visiting the Archives sometime in the near future, so I will check. Best regards, Jerseyman

Merry Christmas to all my Pine Barrens friends! One hundred years ago on Christmas Eve, this amazing and unique occurrence happened: Best regards, Jerseyman

I am just as dubious of the whole thing, Ben. Based on my review of research materials, I suspect searching for an original source may be on a fool's errand! Best regards, Jerseyman

Don: If you want to make a trip to Camden, the Camden County Historical Society holds the original plans for the Batsto Branch from the early 1860s. I suggest you call and make an appointment before going there as they are not keeping regular hours at present. The plans cover either two or...