Lock's Bridge

Tracker Jim

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Dec 18, 2014
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Ponder this one for a while. We have a sale date on the Sleepy Creek property by Wescoat Bog.

sleepy.jpg
Hmmm, interesting Teegate. Interesting because we have Josiah Foster putting the Sleepy Creek property up for sale in 1782. Then, in 1795 the Sleepy Creek mill and property is being sold by Samuel Murdock.

Publication: The Pennsylvania Gazette
Date: February 11, 1795
Title: FOR SALE
FOR SALE,

SIX hundred acres of PINE LAND, in New Jersey, bounded by Atsion river and Sleepy creek, about 5 miles from Atsion and Basto [Batsto] iron-works: there are on this land, a quantity of timber, fit for boards and scantling, also a saw-mill on Sleepy creek, and a cedar dwelling house. The mill is conveniently situated, adjoining a large cedar swamp, and will have the advantage of cutting the timber that grows thereabout, as there is not another saw-mill within many miles; sea vessels may come up the river within a mile of the mill, from which lumber may be rafted, and loaded for Philadelphia, New York, or the West Indies. For further particulars, enquire of the subscriber, living in Front street, Southwark, No. 264. SAMUEL MURDOCK. Philadelphia, Feb. 9
 

Don Catts

Explorer
Aug 5, 2012
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Indian Mills
We know western Atlantic County has a fascinating iron industry legacy, but what predated the furnace land-use?

Here’s Clement’s (Volume 3, page 83, Historical Society of Pennsylvania) “Map of Cedar Swamp in the Great Swamp near the “Jorden Place” owned? by Coopers–Evans–?–Shin etc. on maps in file of the exceptions in Atsion Lands om page 81? (copied from Coopers ? maps called Cooper & Newbold’s Maps)".


The writing is too poor for a definitive interpretation, but I’ve tried to guess names as best as possible with the resource at hand. It appears that the neck of land southwest of West Mill was a busy place. The 13-acre mystery tavern(?) tract by Desolation Pond is shown at survey’s bottom on Old Forks Road. Middle Road would be likely be ?’s Crossway. The creek above Evans Swamp appears to be today's Great Swamp Branch. John Jorden’s house was located in a cluster of duck-pond sized spungs. The Jordens are also living at the Steelman Plantation on the Lochs-of-the-Swamp on the King’s Road to Nesco at the intersection of the Cohansey and Long-A-Coming trails by mile-long Lookout (Loch-Out?) Pond. I've colorized a copy of the c.1867 Wright map (Davis Collection at the Township of Hamilton Historical Society) for convenience.


The Steelman Plantation King’s Road (Wright 1867, Weymouth exceptions map in the Davis Collection at the Township of Hamilton Historical Society) made a bee line for Nesco, and continued north to West Mill. Whether the West Mill segment was still a King's Road or not is not known.

I’ve excerpted the Shin parcel. Does the map say “now CH Shin” or "now to H. Shin”?

S-M


Spung-Man,
as I said, this is a nice find, you must of had CHICKEN SCRATCHING 101 in school.
My vote is "Now C H Shin". Do you know the date on the map. When it says Shinn's now it means people were in this area before the time of the map.
I'm sure you know that the first pioneers in the pinelands were after lumber. They would find a good location on the water, set up a sawmill, cut off all the good lumber then sell the land and move on. I think that's what may have happened in the area on your map, but on a larger scale, small settlement maybe. We do know that your map shows a busy area, but 1872 when the article in post #190 was written, "Except at the Cranberry bogs not a house is seen, nothing but a vast plain covered with a stinted growth of vegetation, except in spots where is rich deposits of decayed and decaying vegetation matter". Maybe when the lumber was cut off the area was slowly abandon. Maybe there is some remnants of an old sawmill dam under water, like Sleepy Creek dam. This is an interesting area to look into for sure.
I wonder if anyone exploring in this area has ever come across any sign of early settlers. Maybe a clearing where a homestead may have been, stones, trees or bushes not native to the area, trash sites or old bottles/glass etc.
You did a lot work on this thanks, Don
 
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bobpbx

Piney
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...we partook of an excellent lunch...mirth and jollity prevailed, toasts and witticisms seemed to flow freely...as if no weighty cares were resting on their thoughtful brows

That sounds exactly like the first night of one of those geological get-togethers that Spung-Man often attends in other countries where they ponder greatly upon the how and why the earth's upper crust has shifted and changed over the years. :)
 
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turtle

Explorer
Feb 4, 2009
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a village...in the pines
Reading through a link that was provided on the West Jersey History site and saw two names that are relevant to this thread.
John West as it is shown in the Atsion Sale that Jim attached from 1763 and Charles C. Shinn of the "Where were the Shinn's? discussion" by SM and others. These names both show in a page of the Acts of Legislature of the State of NJ in the same article.
Maybe coincidence, but when the short-lived Township of Coaxen was created from portions of Washington, Northampton, Evesham and Little Egg Harbor Townships; their first meeting took place at the Inn of Charles C. Shinn, Vincentown. Second meeting at John West of Mt. Holly. This was in 1845.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Tmc4AAAAIAAJ&pg=RA3-PA73&lpg=RA3-PA73&dq=#v=onepage&q&f=false

SM, isn't CH an abbreviation for Charles? Realizing that the map you provided was much earlier and did they abbreviate in that time period?
I only post because I found it coincidental to see the same names together.
Enjoying the thread..... :)
 
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Spung-Man

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Collection: The Pennsylvania Gazette
Publication: The Pennsylvania Gazette
Date: March 20, 1782

Title: TO BE SOLD,

Also the ruins and iron work of an old sawmill, on one of the branches of Little Egg Harbour river, about 5 miles from the Forks, where lumber may be transported from the mill tail by water; with about 800 acres of pine land, and 50 acres of cedar swamp, mostly cut over, but is now growing up with a great quantity of young timber, and within one mile of a large cedar swamp fit to cut, with a good cedar plank house at the mill, almost new. Any person desirous of purchasing may be shewn the same, by applying to HENRY SHINN, tavernkeeper, on the Egg Harbour road.

TJ,

Could the ruins of an old sawmill and iron work "on one of the branches" be West's Mill?

I've updated an older post of the historic map with new annotation for discussion.

Screen shot 2015-09-20 at 11.48.03 AM.png

Added are possible inn sites where Shinn might have served applejack, each with watering holes (spungs). In retrospect I am not so surprised at Middle Road's potential antiquity. Great Swamp would have had abundant cedar stock, and a corduroy causeway was needed to get the interior stumpage to West Mill.

We need to determine West Mill's age, but my gut tells me it is a very old boom-bust logging venture, hence forgotten. Maybe the 1782 sale reference to the ruins of an old sawmill attests to its antiquity.

About the newly added Rosedale tavern. I had a client that lived adjacent to this site, and long ago he indicated that there was indeed a nearby tavern. On this excerpt of Clement (Volume 3, Page 36, Historical Society of Pennsylvania) I read the chicken-scratch to say "formerly Caines Tavern" or "formerly Clines Tavern" on Old Forks Road.

Screen shot 2015-09-20 at 12.52.18 PM.png
Here is the same newly added place on another excerpt of Clement (Volume 2, Page 67, Historical Society of Pennsylvania) showing the location on Old Forks Road at the county line.

Screen shot 2015-09-20 at 12.53.26 PM.png

S-M
 
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Tracker Jim

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Dec 18, 2014
98
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Leeds Point NJ
TJ,

Could the ruins of an old sawmill and iron work "on one of the branches" be West's Mill?

I've updated an older post of the historic map with new annotation for discussion.

Added are possible inn sites where Shinn might have served applejack, each with watering holes (spungs). In retrospect I am not so surprised at Middle Road's potential antiquity. Great Swamp would have had abundant cedar stock, and a corduroy causeway was needed to get the interior stumpage to West Mill.

We need to determine West Mill's age, but my gut tells me it is a very old boom-bust logging venture, hence forgotten. Maybe the 1782 sale reference to the ruins of an old sawmill attests to its antiquity.

About the newly added Rosedale tavern. I had a client that lived adjacent to this site, and long ago he indicated that there was indeed a nearby tavern. On this excerpt of Clement (Volume 3, Page 36, Historical Society of Pennsylvania) I read the chicken-scratch to say "formerly Caines Tavern" or "formerly Clines Tavern" on Old Forks Road.

Here is the same newly added place on another excerpt of Clement (Volume 2, Page 67, Historical Society of Pennsylvania) showing the location on Old Forks Road at the county line.


S-M
I am under the impression that the 1782 advertisement that reads: "...ruins and iron work of an old sawmill, on one of the branches of Little Egg Harbour river, about 5 miles from the Forks" is the mill formerly owned by John Estell which was located on the Sleepy Creek. The main reason for this impression is that it is being sold by Josiah Foster whom I know acquired both Estell mills (the one at the locks and the one on Sleepy Creek). I've never known Foster to own West Mill.

Also the mill at the locks is described as being two miles from Atsion and seven miles from the forks. The Sleepy Creek Mill is about 2.5 miles further down stream, so the "about 5 miles from the Forks" works.

This ad also mentions a " ...a good cedar plank house at the mill...". The 1795 Samuel Murdock sale ad. which we know is Sleepy Creek, also lists a Cedar dwelling house as a asset (not that cedar plank house is that unique).
 
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Spung-Man

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Thanks TJ!

I'm still trying to figure out West Mill. Are there two ancient mills operating within two miles of each other – Sleepy and West? What is the earliest references we have for each?

According to the Pennsylvania Gazette advertisement the saw mill for sale is in ruins by 1782, although its iron work infrastructure remains intact.

Jerseyman in an earlier post indicated that Foster et al. sold the Sleepy Creek Mill during the late 1780s or early 1790s to Samuel Murdock, and in turn Murdock was selling an operating mill in 1795.


If the Murdock advertisement description is accurate ("as there is not another saw-mill within many miles"), then West Mill (~2 miles distant from Sleepy) was already in ruins by 1795.

If the Pennsylvania Gazette advertisement was about Sleepy Creek Mill, then Foster would have needed to rebuild on the ruins of an older Sleepy Mill.

According to Jerseyman, Sleepy Creek Mill is first referenced as “old” starting c.1850.

Sleepy Creek Mill is about five miles from the Forks, West Mills about five-and-a-half miles from the Forks.

S-M
 

Tracker Jim

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Dec 18, 2014
98
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Leeds Point NJ
Thanks TJ!

I'm still trying to figure out West Mill. Are there two ancient mills operating within two miles of each other – Sleepy and West? What is the earliest references we have for each?

According to the Pennsylvania Gazette advertisement the saw mill for sale is in ruins by 1782, although its iron work infrastructure remains intact.

Jerseyman in an earlier post indicated that Foster et al. sold the Sleepy Creek Mill during the late 1780s or early 1790s to Samuel Murdock, and in turn Murdock was selling an operating mill in 1795.


If the Murdock advertisement description is accurate ("as there is not another saw-mill within many miles"), then West Mill (~2 miles distant from Sleepy) was already in ruins by 1795.

If the Pennsylvania Gazette advertisement was about Sleepy Creek Mill, then Foster would have needed to rebuild on the ruins of an older Sleepy Mill.

According to Jerseyman, Sleepy Creek Mill is first referenced as “old” starting c.1850.

Sleepy Creek Mill is about five miles from the Forks, West Mills about five-and-a-half miles from the Forks.

S-M
I figure that it was rebuilt and continued to operate into the next century.

You ask for the earliest references for each of the mills. According to the Colonial Conveyances and other sources, here is a bit of a timeline.
1. On Aug. 15, 1761 John Estell acquires land "situate along Sleepy Creek" from John Monroe and Vincent Leeds.
2. On Aug. 28, 1764 John Estell acquires land from James Inskeep "Atsion, Bur"
3. On May 23, 1765 John Estell sells land to Charles Read "Near Atsion R. Bur & Glo"
4. In 1765 John Estell obtains the right to dam the Little Egg Harbour River
5. On Sept. 12, 1774 John Estell sells to Josiah Foster "Gloucester". This may have included both the Sleepy Creek mill and the mill at the lock.
6. On Feb. 5, 1777 Josiah Foster puts ad out for the sale of the mill at the lock [see post #102]
7. On July 23, 1777 Josiah Foster again runs an ad for the sale of the mill at the lock [see post #103]
8. On March 20, 1782 Josiah Foster publishes an ad in the Pennsylvania Gazette for the mill on the Sleepy Creek to be sold. [see post #104]
9. On March 2, 1791 in the Pennsylvania Gazette
an advertisement offering the Atsion works for sale includes as assets 2 saw mills in good working order and a mill seat complete with dam. These may be the saw mill at the works the other operational mill may be West's which they had acquired by this point. The mill seat would be the site of the former mill at the lock [see post # 172]
10. The Sleepy Creek mill ends-up in the hands of Samuel Murdock who put it up for sale on Feb. 11, 1795 [see post # 205]
11. The Atsion Works again goes up for sale on Dec. 8, 1804 offering the same, almost word for word as the 1791 advertisement. [see post #172]
12. The date of this next sale advertisement is unknown but must be sometime after 1802 because it says it is in Burlington County:

Tracts of Land for Sale in Washington Township, Burlington County:
No.1–Two-fifths parts of Sleepy Mill Tract, supposed to contain in the whole 700 acres, well covered with Pine, fit for sawing; the foundation of the mill is supposed to be good, the dam ready made. This mill-seat will be very valuable, being within one-fourth of a mile of a large cedar swamp, where boards are taken from the mill-tail by water to the Forks. This tract lies three miles below Atsion Works.

As for the West's Mill, I have that advertisement in the Pennsylvania Gazette on Nov. 10,1763 offering it to be sold or lett. [see post #172]
In the Colonial Conveyances we have a number of entries for John West and his relations with the same surname.
It is difficult to tell which may pertain to the mill in question. One in particular stands out:
July 28, 1783 John West to Henry Drinker "glo".
 
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Tracker Jim

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This may interest some of you. This is from the Batsto Citizens Gazette. I will have the followup article tomorrow and some information about it also.

View attachment 6275
Referencing the names mentioned in the Batsto Citizens Gazette, I found these three entrees in the Colonial Conveyances...
1. June 16, 1760 to John and Vincent West et al; from William Heulings et al. for "unappropriated land"
2. July 10, 1760 to John and Vincent West et al; from Daniel Ellis for "unappropriated land"
3. Aug. 34, 1762 to John and Vincent West from John Bispham for "unappropriated land"
 

Spung-Man

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I Googled William Heulings and this early survey reference popped up.

Nelson, William. (2013). New Jersey Biographical and Genealogical Notes from the Volumes of the New Jersey Archives (Vol. 9). London: Forgotten Books. (Original work published 1916)



William Heulings Clk." He began to buy land at a very early date.
John Childs and the rest of the West Jersey Society, by Lewis Johnson, their attorney, conveyed to Charles Read, Esquire, of the City of Burlington, for "48, eight hundred acres of unappropriated land to be taken up and surveyed in West Jersey, said conveyance being dated January 25, 1755. On February 3, 1755, Read, for the consideration of "40, assigned this deed to Joseph Holinshead and Daniel Ellis, both of the City of Burlington." West Jersey Deeds, Liber M., pp. 440-442. By deed dated August 9, 1755, Thomas Gardiner, chairmaker, of the City of Burlington, conveyed to Daniel Ellis, of the same place, for "30, 1128 acres of land in Gloucester County, "beginning at a twin cedar standing by a creek called Attsionk, being the bounds between Burlington and Gloucester counties, and marked T. G.; thence south 41 degrees, W. 85 chains to a cedar marked T. G. E. standing by a branch of the Mullekeys river called Mechescatuckzing thence down sd branch to a Creek called Sleepy Creek," etc. " West Jersey Deeds, Liber M, p. 430. On September 10 following, Thomas Gardiner and Daniel Ellis re conveyed said premises to Charles Read, for the nominal consideration of 5s., and a yearly rent of "4. 10s. " West Jersey Deeds, Liber Y., p. 113. By deed dated September 6, 1755, Daniel Ellis bought from Filo

Who thinks the Mullica should revert back to Mullekeys?

S-M
 

willy

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Jul 16, 2014
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galloway nj
I Googled William Heulings and this early survey reference popped up.

Nelson, William. (2013). New Jersey Biographical and Genealogical Notes from the Volumes of the New Jersey Archives (Vol. 9). London: Forgotten Books. (Original work published 1916)



William Heulings Clk." He began to buy land at a very early date.
John Childs and the rest of the West Jersey Society, by Lewis Johnson, their attorney, conveyed to Charles Read, Esquire, of the City of Burlington, for "48, eight hundred acres of unappropriated land to be taken up and surveyed in West Jersey, said conveyance being dated January 25, 1755. On February 3, 1755, Read, for the consideration of "40, assigned this deed to Joseph Holinshead and Daniel Ellis, both of the City of Burlington." West Jersey Deeds, Liber M., pp. 440-442. By deed dated August 9, 1755, Thomas Gardiner, chairmaker, of the City of Burlington, conveyed to Daniel Ellis, of the same place, for "30, 1128 acres of land in Gloucester County, "beginning at a twin cedar standing by a creek called Attsionk, being the bounds between Burlington and Gloucester counties, and marked T. G.; thence south 41 degrees, W. 85 chains to a cedar marked T. G. E. standing by a branch of the Mullekeys river called Mechescatuckzing thence down sd branch to a Creek called Sleepy Creek," etc. " West Jersey Deeds, Liber M, p. 430. On September 10 following, Thomas Gardiner and Daniel Ellis re conveyed said premises to Charles Read, for the nominal consideration of 5s., and a yearly rent of "4. 10s. " West Jersey Deeds, Liber Y., p. 113. By deed dated September 6, 1755, Daniel Ellis bought from Filo

Who thinks the Mullica should revert back to Mullekeys?

S-M
https://books.google.com/books?id=o...-Ch0fkQBV#v=onepage&q=Mullekeys river&f=false
Just a little more of the Daniel Ellis story
 

Teegate

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Hmmm, interesting Teegate. Interesting because we have Josiah Foster putting the Sleepy Creek property up for sale in 1782. Then, in 1795 the Sleepy Creek mill and property is being sold by Samuel Murdock.

Publication: The Pennsylvania Gazette
Date: February 11, 1795
Title: FOR SALE
FOR SALE,

SIX hundred acres of PINE LAND, in New Jersey, bounded by Atsion river and Sleepy creek, about 5 miles from Atsion and Basto [Batsto] iron-works: there are on this land, a quantity of timber, fit for boards and scantling, also a saw-mill on Sleepy creek, and a cedar dwelling house. The mill is conveniently situated, adjoining a large cedar swamp, and will have the advantage of cutting the timber that grows thereabout, as there is not another saw-mill within many miles; sea vessels may come up the river within a mile of the mill, from which lumber may be rafted, and loaded for Philadelphia, New York, or the West Indies. For further particulars, enquire of the subscriber, living in Front street, Southwark, No. 264. SAMUEL MURDOCK. Philadelphia, Feb. 9

I was looking my map over and I had it upside down. So the sale to William Salter was on the south and south west side of Wescoat and not the north and north east where the dam was/is. So turn the map over in post 199.
 
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Tracker Jim

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Leeds Point NJ
I was looking my map over and I had it upside down. So the sale to William Salter was on the south and south west side of Wescoat and not the north and north east where the dam was/is. So turn the map over in post 199.
Thanks for the clarification Teegate. I can understand how it could be confused because the map maker is referring to the Mechesactauxin as "Sleepy". This appears to be the same map that you posted in the thread entitled "The Sale of Atsion Furnace" post#21 & 22. If so, the map maker labeled both creeks the same name?
 

smoke_jumper

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Mar 5, 2012
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We spent a few hours today at Locks today. The beavers are very active out there. We ran into the Superchooches and the kids had a great time together. With the low water there seems to be a natural spring right at the bridge I'd love to take credit in finding it but Mrs Superhooch was the first to notice it. Like John described it's very iron rich. This explains the orange coating over the entire pond downstream. If the water level was higher it would never be seen.
 
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