Shane's Castle, Waterford

[Don Catts]

Hey RednekF350, are you familiar with a 1700's log cabin that once stood along Clark Branch in Waterford called Shane's Castle. A neighbor of yours thinks it may have been on his property on Pastletown Road. I am familiar with the history of Shane's Castle but don't know the location. Do you have any info for me to go on?



Thanks, Don

 

[RednekF350]

Yes I do Don.
I will respond a little later when I have more time.

 

[Don Catts]

Thanks, no hurry, Don

 

[Jerseyman]

Don:

It is not my intention to inject myself into the exchange between yourself and Scott. Most people who know anything about Shane’s Castle, however, obtained the story from John Clement in George R. Prowell’s History of Camden County (1886) or some subsequent tertiary source. Clement made some fundamental temporal errors in recounting the story to Prowell and only additional research can ferret out the correct facts.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[RednekF350]

Actually, I was hoping you would jump into the mix Jerseyman !
What I know is based on discussions you and I had 10 years ago along with George when you were assisting him with his research.
Let me see if I can get this at least half right. At a minimum I'll shoot for very half-assed.

Clark's Branch, especially in its upper reaches is shown as Woas or Woos Branch on some maps and occasionally as Nield's Branch. The waterway was named after Mary Nield (sometimes Neal) who owned a large piece on the westerly side of Pestletown Road in the late 1800's. I don't have the old 1885 map of Waterford in front of me or the old Larry Hoppe Waterford tax maps but I seem to recall Nield's Branch on them.

My recollection is that the accounts of the existence of Shane's Castle placed it near the stream crossing beneath Pestletown Road
Branch because of references to the nearby cemetery in some (whose I do not know) accounts of Shane's Castle.
Here is a general reference to the cemetery or "Woos burial place":
https://sites.google.com/site/camdencountynjgenweb/history/old-grave-yards


I searched Ben's site and found my old post from 2004:
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/hidden-cemetery-near-atsion.645/page-2

As I said in that post, I have never found any remnants of anything at the stream crossing and I have been through the area on my hands and knees several times starting beagles on the rabbits that inhabited the once thick undergrowth.
Two years ago the stream crossing was upgraded and a lot of clearing and earthwork was done. The undergrowth is not as bad as it once was.

How'd I do Jerseyman ?
Do I qualify for the HAHA ?

 

[Don Catts]

Jerseyman and RednekF350, thanks for the information.



Jerseyman I read Clements and the History of Camden County. This is all I have to go on so any errors would throw me off. I did find a little genealogy on Sabastian Woos as follows:

Sabastian Woos (d. Bef. 15 Jun 1801)​

Sabastian Woos was born in Germany1056, and died Bef. 15 Jun 1801 in Waterford Twp., Gloucester Co., (now Camden County) NJ1057. He married (1) Clotilda Weiss on Bef. 1759 in New Jersey1058.
Notes for Sabastian Woos:
Came to America from Germany in the mid 1700's with 2 brothers to escape
conscription in the Germany Army. He was 22, Brother Ignatius 20, and
Xavier 18.They were orphans. They landed in Philadelphia, PA, crossed
the Delaware river into NJ and built a house one mile south of Waterford
(later called Shane's Castle). Sebastian sent for Clotilda Weiss to come
from Germany to America at which time he married her. Sabastian and
Clotilda had 3 daughters and a son. The eldest daugter was named
Catherine who later married Harmon Myrose from Amsterdam. The second
daughter married Eli Neild from Shanes Castle, Ireland. The third
daughter married Samuel Crowley.
Above information comes from the Gloucester County Historical Society. We are unsure at this time whether there was one wife or two and which one
it would be, also unsure of which kids would belong to which couple.
More About Sabastian Woos and Clotilda Weiss:
Marriage: Bef. 1759, New Jersey.1058
More About Sabastian Woos and <Unnamed>:
Marriage: 17 Apr 1759, Philadelphia, PA Old St. Joseph RC Church.1059
Children of Sabastian Woos and Clotilda Weiss are:

1. i. +Catherine Woos, b., Waterford Twp., Gloucester Co., New Jersey1060, d., Waterford Twp., Gloucester Co., New Jersey.
   
2. ii. Children of Sabastian Woos are:

i. +Catherine Woos, b., Waterford Twp., Gloucester Co., New Jersey1060, d., Waterford Twp., Gloucester Co., New Jersey.

I am not sure how much of this is correct

Scott,
on the 1885 Raleigh map of waterford I see a couple of houses on Mary Neild's property. Is it possible that one is Shane's Castle or is the map to late for it to be the original log cabin. Another daughter built on the land also, could the other one be hers?

Thanks again for you interest, Don

 

[RednekF350]

Not sure if any of those could be Shane's Castle. I will take another look on Monday when I get to work.
Samuel Crowley is buried in the cemetery on Pestletown Road.
Here is a tidbit on him.
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?pestletown::crowley::1853.html

 

[RednekF350]

On the the attached scan of the 1885 map I pointed out two structures near the stream crossing on Pestletown Road.
The one on the west side was demo'd in the 1980's after I moved to Waterford. It can be seen in multiple years on Historic Aerials.
The structure on the east side is a home and it still exists today. It is the second house north of the stream.
From my foggy recollections of discussions 10 years ago with Jerseyman and Largo from this site, I felt that Shane's Castle was on the east side of the road and very close to the stream. The 1885 map does not show a structure at that location.

 

[Don Catts]

Scott,

this is good info, it clears up a lot. I guess 1885 is well after Woos's log cabin was gone. My friend lives in the first house north of the stream on the east side of Pestletown Road between the still existing house and the stream. So if I am reading everything correctly, maybe Shane's castle was on his lot?

Thanks again, all your help is well appreciated. Don

 

[RednekF350]

Scott,

this is good info, it clears up a lot. I guess 1885 is well after Woos's log cabin was gone. My friend lives in the first house north of the stream on the east side of Pestletown Road between the still existing house and the stream. So if I am reading everything correctly, maybe Shane's castle was on his lot?

Thanks again, all your help is well appreciated. Don

My thoughts were that it may have been on or near Hal's lot or on the southerly side of the stream and still on the east side of the road.

 

[LARGO]

This is beyond crazy.
I have not been on the site for months and go on and first thread I see that peaks my interest is this one.
I would call this somewhat... Serendipitous.
kinda crazy reading some of this stuff, drudging up old memories and notes.
and yes Scott the Memorable Day spent in the Jerseyman den was awesome.
It is also fun to run behind the scenes and play a role in the goings on of Pestletown as I have had the good fortune to!

 

[LARGO]

A cemetary on Pestletown road.
Thank goodness there's only one or it would be a little bit more work to validate some of the theories.