Harrisville Workers

[David Layland]

Hello All from Vancouver Canada!

I am looking to contact the author of the following article or perhaps wondering if a copy of the article is still around; reason being is that I am a descendant of one of the papermakers mentioned and the spelling is wrong by one or two letters.

Ideally I'd love to know more about the history of the paper mill and how an old document survived like this. I'd really love to get a copy of the original list.

A couple of other questions I would have are:

When my ancestors (Robert and Hannah Whiteley) came off the ship in 1853 from England, would they have already had a destination (Harrisville, New Jersey) or would he have told someone at that point that he was a papermaker and then been directed to where he had to go? What other kinds of records are available to me ? (I already have a couple of birth records from NJ state archives (Two children born in Harrisville to Robert and Hannah Whitleley).
Does anyone know if there was a cemetary in Harrisvile; I think they may have lost a child there as well?

http://www.njpinelandsanddownjersey...ntManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=134

Description :
By W. J. Hawthorn Reprinted with permission of the old South Jersey Magazine Part Three. Part Three deals primarily with the Harrisville and its paper mill in Burlington County. Formerly known as McCartysville.Full Text :
Photos here

Part 3 and Conclusion
Harrisville—Then and Now
By W. J. Hawthorn
The following is a list of people who lived and worked in Harrisville:
Richard and Beaulah Ogborn, Laborer
Collin and Hannah Truax, Blacksmith
Isaac and Hannah Broome, Carpenter
Burzella and Martha Bower, Laborer
James and Margaret Reade, Papermaker
John and Ann Wilkinson, Laborer
Joseph and Ella Albert, Laborer
John and Caroline Shelling, Laborer
Samuel and Caroline Schnavel, Laborer
Henry and Christanna Kirby, Laborer
James and Sarah Maxwell, Carpenter
Robert and Hannah Whiteby, Papermaker (should be Robert and Hannah Whiteley) D.L.
Jacob and Barbara Wagner, Papermaker
Henry and Hannah Kurtz, Papermaker
Christopher and Catherine Heinman, Papermaker
Howard and Rebecca Harris, Papermaker


Thanks everyone!
-David

 

[Jerseyman]

David:

Interesting post and fascinating to learn that your ancestor worked at Harrisville. Regarding the employment list, I can tell that Hawthorne did NOT derive it from either the federal (1850, 1860) census population schedules. Likewise, the 1855 New Jersey state census, the first one enumerated on a state level, did not contain the name of the wife or the occupation for the head of household. So, where does that leave us? Hawthorne may have discovered some documents in one of the following repositories:

1. Atlantic County Historical Society (now known as the Atlantic County Heritage Center)
2. Batsto, Truncer Library (although don't forget that vandals burned an archival and artifact storage center associated with Batsto some years ago to cover a theft, so the original document may no longer exist)
3. The Arthur D. Pierce Collection at the New Jersey State Archives (a collection primarily dedicated to Batsto, but an errant document from Harrisville may be there)
4. Burlington County Historical Society
5. In an unknown private collection (there are many!)
6. Part of a court action case file (New Jersey State Supreme Court; New Jersey State Court of Errors and Appeals; United States District Court; Burlington County Orphans Court; Burlington County Court of Common Pleas, etc.)

Although I enjoyed Shirley Bailey's South Jersey Magazine during its entire run, it was never a scholarly publication; rather, it popularized local history through photographs and text. Hence, the Hawthorne article fails to cite sources. You might still be able to contact Shirley in Millville to ascertain if Mr. W.J. Hawthorne is still around and how you might contact him.

Regarding this question:

When my ancestors (Robert and Hannah Whiteley) came off the ship in 1853 from England, would they have already had a destination (Harrisville, New Jersey) or would he have told someone at that point that he was a papermaker and then been directed to where he had to go?

There are several possible answers:

1. The Harris brothers may have advertised in the papermaking sections of England for experienced papermakers.
2. The Harris brothers may have advertised in Philadelphia or New York newspapers (or wherever the Whiteleys entered the country).
3. The Harris brothers may have posted a notice at the immigration station/port of entry.
4. Perhaps someone from the same village at the Whiteleys worked for the Harris brothers.


For this question:

What other kinds of records are available to me ? (I already have a couple of birth records from NJ state archives (Two children born in Harrisville to Robert and Hannah Whitleley).

See my initial response to the employment list above.

For this question:

Does anyone know if there was a cemetary in Harrisvile; I think they may have lost a child there as well?

I am not aware of a cemetery at Harrisville, However, if the Whiteleys were Anglican, I suggest they may have buried their deceased child at any number of hallowed burial grounds, including Episcopal churches in Mount Holly, Burlington, Glassboro, Millville, or Pemberton.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Ben Ruset]

Ideally I'd love to know more about the history of the paper mill

I wrote an article a few years ago about Harrisville, right around the time that I led a tour to the ruins. There are a number of excellent books - "Paper Town of the Pine Barrens" by Michael Fowler and William Herbert is a great start, and includes a really nice map. "Harrisville" by Angelo N. Dellomo, Jr. is another good one. Both books are long out of print, though.

When my ancestors (Robert and Hannah Whiteley) came off the ship in 1853 from England, would they have already had a destination (Harrisville, New Jersey) or would he have told someone at that point that he was a papermaker and then been directed to where he had to go?

It's hard to say. If they landed in New York City, they may have seen an advertisement for Harrisville. An agent of the Harrises may have posted an ad in an English newspaper, or even had solicited people over there. There were plenty of paper mills operating in America at that time - there's no real great reason why Harrisville would have stood out - unless your ancestors knew something about making paper from salt hay, which was what made Harrisville unique.

Does anyone know if there was a cemetary in Harrisvile; I think they may have lost a child there as well?

From what we know about the town, there was no cemetary. There was no church, even - worship was held at the public school on Sundays. The only major cemetery I know of nearby is Pleasant Mills.

 

[Jerseyman]

David:

Oops--missed your request for information on the history of Harrisville. In addition to the sources that Ben lists in his message, articles appeared over the years in The Batsto Citizens Gazette, a publication of the Batsto Citizens Committee, which is a "friends" group for Batsto. You can find a searchable index for this newspaper at:

http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/genealogy/batsto/

Henry Beck records some Harrisville tales in his Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, as does Arthur D. Pierce in his work, Iron in the Pines. John McPhee discusses Harrisville in his seminal work, The Pine Barrens. For even more arcane literature, check K. Braddock Rogers "Fragments of Early Industries in South Jersey," published in the Journal of Chemical Education, Vol. VIII, nos. 10, 11 (October-November 1931).

I did not mention the cemetery at Pleasant Mills because of its association with a Methodist church. If your Whiteleys turn out to be Methodist, there is a plethora of churches in the general Harrisville area, including Pleasant Mills, they could choose from. If by the off-chance that the Whiteleys were Roman Catholic, Pleasant Mills also contains St. Mary's.

While the Harrisville mill owners possessed a unique formulation for producing salt hay paper--essentially brown butcher's paper--the machinery for that production differed little from the machinery for any other type of paper production. So, a basic familiarity with papermaking provided any prospective employee at Harrisville with enough knowledge to quickly adapt to the process there.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Theressa]

Collin & Hannah (Shourds) Truax

Hello All from Vancouver Canada!

I am looking to contact the author of the following article or perhaps wondering if a copy of the article is still around; reason being is that I am a descendant of one of the papermakers mentioned and the spelling is wrong by one or two letters.

Ideally I'd love to know more about the history of the paper mill and how an old document survived like this. I'd really love to get a copy of the original list.

A couple of other questions I would have are:

When my ancestors (Robert and Hannah Whiteley) came off the ship in 1853 from England, would they have already had a destination (Harrisville, New Jersey) or would he have told someone at that point that he was a papermaker and then been directed to where he had to go? What other kinds of records are available to me ? (I already have a couple of birth records from NJ state archives (Two children born in Harrisville to Robert and Hannah Whitleley).
Does anyone know if there was a cemetary in Harrisvile; I think they may have lost a child there as well?

http://www.njpinelandsanddownjersey...ntManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=134

Description :
By W. J. Hawthorn Reprinted with permission of the old South Jersey Magazine Part Three. Part Three deals primarily with the Harrisville and its paper mill in Burlington County. Formerly known as McCartysville.Full Text :
Photos here

Part 3 and Conclusion
Harrisville—Then and Now
By W. J. Hawthorn
The following is a list of people who lived and worked in Harrisville:
Richard and Beaulah Ogborn, Laborer
Collin and Hannah Truax, Blacksmith
Isaac and Hannah Broome, Carpenter
Burzella and Martha Bower, Laborer
James and Margaret Reade, Papermaker
John and Ann Wilkinson, Laborer
Joseph and Ella Albert, Laborer
John and Caroline Shelling, Laborer
Samuel and Caroline Schnavel, Laborer
Henry and Christanna Kirby, Laborer
James and Sarah Maxwell, Carpenter
Robert and Hannah Whiteby, Papermaker (should be Robert and Hannah Whiteley) D.L.
Jacob and Barbara Wagner, Papermaker
Henry and Hannah Kurtz, Papermaker
Christopher and Catherine Heinman, Papermaker
Howard and Rebecca Harris, Papermaker


Thanks everyone!
-David

Here's information on the Truaxs:

​

COLLIN3 TRUAX, s/o JOSEPH2, grand/s of ELIAS1)1 was born 09 Mar 1803 in Stafford Twp., Monmouth Co., NJ, and died 27 Jan 1884 in Little Egg Harbor Twp. Burlington (now Ocean) Co, NJ. He married HANNAH SHOURDS2 15 Dec 1823 in L.E.H. Twp., By Rev. Abraham Wooston., she was the d/o SOLOMON SHOURDS and HANNAH HOWELL. She was born Mar 1805, and died 03 Mar 1885 most likely in L.E.H. Twp.

SOLD LAND: See Ocean Co., Deed Bk. #1, p. 191, Made 6 Sep. 1850, recorded 29 Nov 1850:
Collin Truax and his wife, Hannah of Washington Twp., Burlington Co., To Michael Spragg/Sprague of Stafford Twp., Ocean Co. for $55.00, 2 tracks in Stafford = 12 A 67/100 & 11 A 28/100, Collin seized by deed from Samuel Truax, Elias Truax, Barzilla Cranmer & Elizabeth Cranmer, late Turax. Jocob Truax dated 23 Sept 1826, Received Mon mouth Co., Deed Bk. M2, p.467.

Children of COLLIN TRUAX and HANNAH SHOURDS are:
1. SARAH ANN H.4 TRUAX, (1824-1894); married ROBERT PEOPLES/ PEEBLES.
2. JANE ELIZABETH TRUAX, (1827-?).
3. EDWARD H. TRUAX, (1828-?).
4. CHARLES E. TRUAX, (1831-?)
5. DAVID H. TRUAX, (1834-?).
6. JOSEPH TRUAX, (Abt. 1835-1870), Born & died in L.E.H. Twp., Burlington Co., NJ
7. LUCYANN MARGARET TRUAX A/K/A LUCY ANN M. (1835-1888) married ELI M.
GIFFORD4, (1832- 1911)
8. JOSEPH K. TRUAX, (1838-1870) born & died LEH, Twp. “Co.K.10th Reg, NJ Vol. Joined in 25th Sep. 1861, Mustered in Sep 1861, Discharged at US Army General Hosp., WashingtonDC, 23 Mar 1863. Made Corporal 3.23.1862 (Civil War Pension Oc 434140)”
9. ABIGAIL MARIAH TRUAX, (1841-?); m. EDWARD LUCK.
xi WILLIAM H. TRUAX, (1842/1843-?); married. (1) SARAH M. (CRANE) BROWN 1864 married. (2) MARY CORDERY.
10. MARION LILLIAN PEEBLES TRUAX, (1846-1925), married. CHARLES LEMUEL FALKINBURG (1844-1916).
11. HANNAH ELIZABETH TRUAX (1849-?), m. GEORGE C. DAYTON, (Abt 1844-?) He was from Pittsgrove, NJ.

 

[Theressa]

New Jersey Mirror found at Source: http://index.burlco.lib.nj.us/Mirror/ has the following on Whitelys. Perhaps they are connected to your family. Hope this helps.
T.

Hit# 1 Acsn# 38375 Category: OBITUARIES Headline: DIED.
Date: May 23, 1894 Page: 3 Column: 7
Summary: WHITELEY.--At New York, May 13, Mrs. Rebecca Whitely, widow of George Whiteley, formerly of Bordentown, aged 72 years. Interred in Bordentown cemetery.

Hit# 2 Acsn# 63328 Category: OBITUARIES Headline: DIED.
Date: February 16, 1881 Page: 2 Column: 5
Summary: WHITELEY.--At Crosswicks, February 9, Richard Whiteley, aged 89 years.

 

[spikefowler]

Paper Town of the Pine Barrens, Harrisville, New Jersey

Hello forum members; I just joined today and would like you to know I am the author of "Paper Town of the Pine Barrens, Harrisville, New Jersey". My name is Michael Fowler and the book was published in 1976. Unfortunately, Bill Herbert, my co-author died in 1988.
I would enjoy hearing from you and perhaps answering any questions if I can. You can get an idea of my activities related to the Pinelands at my website www.spikefowler.com.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Hi Mike,

I really liked your book. Also, I'm a Brookdale alum as well.

 

[james ungehajer]

Welcome to the site Mike.

Jim

 

[Jerseyman]

Welcome aboard, Michael—it is great to have another historian posting on Ben’s forums. Come back often!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Teegate]

Welcome Mike. What started your interest in Harrisville?

Guy

 

[spikefowler]

My interest in Harrisville

Hello Guy and others who have welcomed me to the forum. I started exploring the Pines in 1967 or so - around then. I had read John McPhee's "The Pine Barrens" and I became intrigued. I started exploring with my 4-wheel drive and camera which eventually led to a slide presentation that I gave to groups. Since that date, I've done about 250 slide shows on the Pines all over the State. My next presentation happens to be this coming Saturday, March 1 at the Pinelands Short Course.

I met quite a few people in my travels in those early days including Fred Brown, the "star" of McPhee's book. One individual, Steve Eichinger had some old photos of Harrisville. I took some professional photographers from my college down to see him and we were able to copy the photos. Eventually I became monomaniacally obsessed with the town and began research in earnest. I put my land surveying skills I learned several years earlier to task and eventually Bill Herbert and I had a complete and accurate map of the area. All in all, we spent about 3 years researching the place, trying to uncover as much as possible. In the meantime, we had lined up a small, local publisher who agreed to print 1,000 copies of the book which actually sold quite well. It is long since out of print and I happened to see a copy up for sale for $150! I was pleasantly surprised to see my work selling for that.

Much has happened since the publication. I met members of the Harris family who flew in from Canada and California and gave them a personal tour. The gentleman was Robert Harris whose grandfather was one of the last residents of Harrisville. He gave me some photos and most importantly a geneology chart of the entire Harris family. He was accompanied by his son, Richard, an Anglican clergyman in Canada.

I've also obtained a handwritten note by William McCarty, the founder of the paper factory written presumably on paper manufactured there. There are other incidentals as well.

One "incident" arose during the research. Bill and I met with another researcher who we found out was also working on a book about Harrisville. That turned out to be Angelo Dellomo. He was midway through his book on Harrisville and we were near the end. I think we were all disappointed that there were concurrent efforts to produce the definitive treatise on Harrisville. Rather than collaborate efforts, we each continued on our own paths. When his book finally was published, I was extraordinarily disappointed that not one mention was made of our efforts and our map had been copied point for point. One simply byline was all that was necessary.

I have a point of disagreement with Pearce who wrote "Heart of the Pines" with a segment on Harrisville. Pearce did acknowledge our research. He claims the famous "gas plant" in Harrisville was alongside the road and he found the hole where it was. Bill Herbert and I had found what he was looking at years earlier and determined it was impossible to be that. The gas plant clearly shows in one of the photos and by simple visual alignment, makes that hole way out of sight.

Nevertheless, I've ranted enough. I am pleased to find many of you who enjoyed the book and I want to thank you for your kind words.

Regards,
Spike Fowler

 

[Ben Ruset]

I also have a handwritten note from William McCarty. I scanned it and made it available on the site. I wonder if we have the same note:

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/local_links.php?action=jump&id=20&catid=2

A few years back I gave a tour of Harrisville and your map and book were very, very helpful in my efforts. I also think I found the other sawmill that you mentioned was very very hard to find.

 

[Summer Wind]

Hello All, I'm new here on this site and I have a copy of a book that was written about Harrisville. By a fellow Co-worker of mine. He is a teacher in the public school system I work for. To my knowledge and I maybe wrong. So please don't hold that against me please! In my reserch I only found a minal amount of information. . I know his book has been out of print for quite sometime. I can ask him if he has anymore copies.

The Book is called Harrisvile: A account of the Manufacture of Paper During the 1800's in the South Jersey Pine Barrens.

Hope tht helps, John

By Angelo N. Dellamo, Jr. Copyright 1977

 

[Teegate]

If you read two post above your post you will see him mentioned.


Guy

 

[Summer Wind]

Yeah, I didn't read the post entirely. Saw that when I went back to edit. So Thanks for the reply. Sorry. Just trying to give a little info. I got exited to see & read on Harrisville. I have been iterested in the place for a while and stumbled on this site from a link on Batsto.

Thanks, John