Seeking historical background on lower Mullica river life, mid-18th century

[MarkBNJ]

Hey guys. For a current project I am trying to find historical sources for life on the lower Mullica in the mid-18th century through the close of the Revolution. Specifically I am interested in the towns of Chestnut Neck, Leed's Point, The Forks, but also more generally the entire economic region extending from the bay up the river to the head of navigation ca. 1765 - 1780. My goal is to be able to synthesize a believable portrait of the times, so really any source can be useful.

I've consulted quite a few of the sources that come readily to mind, i.e. all of Beck's work that touches on the area, Barbara Solem-Stull, William Scudder-Stryker's "The Affair at Egg Harbor...", Thomas F. Gordon's "The History of New Jersey", The New Jersey Archives ("Documents Relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey").

I think "Absegami" would be very useful but so far I have only located Vol. 2 online, and it covers a later period than the one I'm interested in. The novel "Kate Aylesford" has some decent background, and I'm reading it, but more interested in historical sources than another writer's perspective. Searching through Google Books and the LOC has yielded surprisingly little for an area that played such a pivotal role in the Revolution, and was so economically important to the region in the years leading up to it.

Anyway, all suggestions will be mightily appreciated!

 

[Ben Ruset]

Mark,

Have you checked out Absegami Yesteryear by Jack Boucher?

 

[MarkBNJ]

Mark,

Have you checked out Absegami Yesteryear by Jack Boucher?

No, the one I have is "Absegami: Annals of Eyren Haven and Atlantic City 1609-1904" by Heston, but just Vol. 2. "Absegami Yesteryear" seems to be available used, but I didn't see any descriptions. Does it cover the right period?

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Mark,

As you know, I'm also researching and writing about the historic Mullica. I wish I had the resources you are looking for. You are correct: There is so very little material that would shed much light on how things were in those old river towns. Have you looked over Heart of the Pines? There really is a lot of useful information there.

Pm me. I have some suggestions.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

BTW, a very oft-repeated claim is that Clark's Landing was founded by a Captain James Clarke , and this claim can be traced back to Heston, as far as I can tell. However, he gave no source for his claim. I've searched in vain for any further information on this James Clarke.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Mark,

As you know, I'm also researching and writing about the historic Mullica. I wish I had the resources you are looking for. You are correct: There is so very little material that would shed much light on how things were in those old river towns. Have you looked over Heart of the Pines? There really is a lot of useful information there.

Pm me. I have some suggestions.

Heart of the Pines... is that Pearce? If so I don't think I can afford it .

Was James Clarke any relation to Elijzh Clark, who supposedly paid for the fort at Fox Burrow along with Wescoat?

My project is fiction, so my obligation is to get as close as possible, but I can fudge what I don't know . I have plenty of sources for colonial life in New England, Phila., etc. throughout the period. I'm really just trying to gather enough info that a sense of the time and place forms in my head. So my questions derive from the gaps in the picture. How many people lived in Chestnut Neck in 1765? On Nacote Creek? At The Forks? What was the balance between Quakers and Presbyterians? Were there still significant numbers of Lenape in the area? Did they interact with the townsfolk? How many shipyards were there? The only one I've seen named is Van Sants at The Forks. How many people were engaged in fishing, cutting cedar, riving, charcoaling, smuggling, smelting. How much commerce was there between The Forks and Phila.?

I know hard answers to some of these questions will be almost impossible to come up with, but the more authors I read the more I'll be able to fill in around the facts. It's an absolutely fascinating time and place, and deserves to be a lot less obscure.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Presumably, James Clarke and Thomas Clark (Elijah's father) were somehow related.
Anyway, let's join heads on this. I like your idea for a fictional account of life along the historic Mullica.
To answer some of your questions:

Clark's Landing was strictly a Presbyterian settlement. Leed's point was largely (if not strictly) a Quaker community. I'm not sure about chestnut Neck, but I think it was largely Presbyterian. (Do you have a copy of Kemp's Nest of Rebel Pirates?) What is now Port Republic on Nacote Creek was then a Presbyterian settlement. Elijah Clark's brothers established a Prebsyterian meeting house there around 1762, and the town was called Clark's Mills (not to be confused with the Clark's Mills near Sweetwater, which was established around the same time by Elijah).

Let me dig some stuff up that might help answer some of your questions. We should work together on the research.

Also, as you know, Jerseyman has a better handle on all of this stuff than just about anyone, so perhaps he has some light to shed on the subject.

Heart of the Pines... is that Pearce? If so I don't think I can afford it .

Was James Clarke any relation to Elijzh Clark, who supposedly paid for the fort at Fox Burrow along with Wescoat?

My project is fiction, so my obligation is to get as close as possible, but I can fudge what I don't know . I have plenty of sources for colonial life in New England, Phila., etc. throughout the period. I'm really just trying to gather enough info that a sense of the time and place forms in my head. So my questions derive from the gaps in the picture. How many people lived in Chestnut Neck in 1765? On Nacote Creek? At The Forks? What was the balance between Quakers and Presbyterians? Were there still significant numbers of Lenape in the area? Did they interact with the townsfolk? How many shipyards were there? The only one I've seen named is Van Sants at The Forks. How many people were engaged in fishing, cutting cedar, riving, charcoaling, smuggling, smelting. How much commerce was there between The Forks and Phila.?

I know hard answers to some of these questions will be almost impossible to come up with, but the more authors I read the more I'll be able to fill in around the facts. It's an absolutely fascinating time and place, and deserves to be a lot less obscure.

 

[piker56]

If any of you guys publish a book on this (fiction or non-fiction) please let us know. It would be fascinating to read.
Greg

 

[pinelandpaddler]

No, the one I have is "Absegami: Annals of Eyren Haven and Atlantic City 1609-1904" by Heston, but just Vol. 2. "Absegami Yesteryear" seems to be available used, but I didn't see any descriptions. Does it cover the right period?

It does.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

If any of you guys publish a book on this (fiction or non-fiction) please let us know. It would be fascinating to read.
Greg

Well, mine will be awhile in the makin'! But will do.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Clark's Landing was strictly a Presbyterian settlement. Leed's point was largely (if not strictly) a Quaker community. I'm not sure about chestnut Neck, but I think it was largely Presbyterian. (Do you have a copy of Kemp's Nest of Rebel Pirates?) What is now Port Republic on Nacote Creek was then a Presbyterian settlement. Elijah Clark's brothers established a Prebsyterian meeting house there around 1762, and the town was called Clark's Mills (not to be confused with the Clark's Mills near Sweetwater, which was established around the same time by Elijah).

That's good color. The first settlers up the river were Scotch Quakers, right? They established themselves at The Forks in the late 1600's if the sources I've found are correct. I don't know what the first industries were, but I assume cedar cutting and related woodcrafts, and later shipbuilding. Fishing had to be significant as well.

I've also read that Leeds Point was settled in the late 1600s. More Scotch Quakers?

I don't have any date for the founding of Chestnut Neck, or its population circa 1765. I've seen it characterized as the largest village on the Jersey coast until the Revolution. I don't know what that means. A couple of hundred people? I have to assume that all those towns grew significantly from the mid-60's onward as onerous British taxes made smuggling more and more lucrative. Then things really took off with privateering during the war. But even prior to that The Forks were described as a major east coast port of entry, and the default port of entry for Philadelphia-bound goods when the Delaware iced up.

"Nest of Rebel Pirates" looks very interesting... and expensive. Pretty amazing how pricey some of these out-of-print history books are. I may ultimately have to spend some coin. The subject is esoteric enough that I'm not finding much in the publicly available sources.

 

[Ben Ruset]

The Pierce book was, at least a few years ago, still available at Batsto for under $100. The folks charging $500+ on eBay and various other used book sites are insane.

At $100 it's well worth the money. It's a seriously good book.

 

[MarkBNJ]

The Pierce book was, at least a few years ago, still available at Batsto for under $100. The folks charging $500+ on eBay and various other used book sites are insane.

At $100 it's well worth the money. It's a seriously good book.

It wouldn't be my first ~$100 history book (smiles in Jerseyman's general direction). I'll have a look around for a decent copy.

One thing that's already driving me nuts is place names, which always seems to be the case when researching the past. As far as I can tell the bay may be called Egg Harbor (Eyren Haven), Egg Bay, Great Egg Harbor, or Great Egg Bay. The river may be the Great Egg Harbor River, Great Egg Harbor Creek, or the Mullica River. One source mentions a village on the shore of the bay called Great Egg Harbor, which might explain why the region between Port Republic and The Forks seems generally to be referred to as Little Egg Harbor... although that might actually just be The Forks now that I think about it. Port Republic didn't really exist by that name at the time as far as I can tell, but there was a Wrangleboro there, and one source mentions some mills on Nacote Creek and a place called Gravelly Landing. Chestnut Neck was a land feature between Nacote Creek and the Mullica, but the sources are in disagreement over how much of a village was there (anything from "the largest village on the New Jersey" to "twelve houses" to "a couple of storehouses"), or what it was called.

 

[janwor]

John Pearce's Heart of the Pines is available at the Batsto Visitor Center and at Buzby's in Chatsworth. I believe that Batsto's price is $60.00. Batsto also sells Nest of Rebel Pirates - not sure of the price.

Janet

 

[pinelandpaddler]

It wouldn't be my first ~$100 history book (smiles in Jerseyman's general direction). I'll have a look around for a decent copy.

One thing that's already driving me nuts is place names, which always seems to be the case when researching the past. As far as I can tell the bay may be called Egg Harbor (Eyren Haven), Egg Bay, Great Egg Harbor, or Great Egg Bay. The river may be the Great Egg Harbor River, Great Egg Harbor Creek, or the Mullica River. One source mentions a village on the shore of the bay called Great Egg Harbor, which might explain why the region between Port Republic and The Forks seems generally to be referred to as Little Egg Harbor... although that might actually just be The Forks now that I think about it. Port Republic didn't really exist by that name at the time as far as I can tell, but there was a Wrangleboro there, and one source mentions some mills on Nacote Creek and a place called Gravelly Landing. Chestnut Neck was a land feature between Nacote Creek and the Mullica, but the sources are in disagreement over how much of a village was there (anything from "the largest village on the New Jersey" to "twelve houses" to "a couple of storehouses"), or what it was called.

Actually, the Mullica was historically known as the Little Egg Harbour River, not the Great Egg Harbor River. BTW, you should be able to find Nest of Rebel Pirates at the Batsto Visitor Center. Turtle here would know.

 

[joc]

This may or may not be of help ( But i hope it does help !
- Cornelius Weygandt's - " Down Jersey "
Beck's " Jersey Genesis " - Story of the Mullica .
Both focus on exactly what you are seeking . The Weygandt is most certainly out of print , but can be found .Some may view as folklore, but you will glean info .
Joe

 

[MarkBNJ]

This may or may not be of help ( But i hope it does help !
- Cornelius Weygandt's - " Down Jersey "
Beck's " Jersey Genesis " - Story of the Mullica .
Both focus on exactly what you are seeking . The Weygandt is most certainly out of print , but can be found .Some may view as folklore, but you will glean info .
Joe

I haven't seen the "Down Jersey" book. I'll have a look for that. Thanks for the tip . I'm all over Beck, and he provides some good color and the occasional nugget of fact, but his books are long on anecdote, quite rambling with information scattered throughout, and his geography is often so far off I wonder whether he did it on purpose. Still among the first sources I check, and always a pleasure to read for sure.

 

[joc]

Mark , the "Down Jersey " book is on e- bay for $70 .It appears to be an original copy from 1940 , leather bound The Bergen County library system probably still has a copy , town of Wood-Ridge or Hasbrouck had it as well .

 

[MarkBNJ]

Actually, the Mullica was historically known as the Little Egg Harbour River, not the Great Egg Harbor River. BTW, you should be able to find Nest of Rebel Pirates at the Batsto Visitor Center. Turtle here would know.

Ah, I was completely confused here. Thanks for making me stop and think about it. Great Egg Harbor river is behind Ocean City. Funny, it looks smaller on the map than the Little Egg Harbor River. Do you happen to know about when the name "Mullica" came to refer to the river? Was that a 19th century development?

Edit: I'm looking at a 1777 map that labels the upper part "Mullicus Creek," and another 1777 map that labels the whole thing "Mullicus R." So when was it called "Little Egg Harbor River?" Or were the two names in use at the same time?

Edit 2: and a 1770 map also labels it "Mullicus River." Interestingly this map shows "Chestnut Ridge" about where the neck should be. A 1748 map also uses "Mullicus." So that seems pretty definitive for the whole period I'm interested in, at least as far as the cartographers were concerned.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Anyone know of any diarists who wrote about traveling in the area around the time of the Revolution?