Tree Cutting on Quaker Bridge Rd.

Boyd

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Thanks for tje info Boyd I checked these site earlier with no luck, Don

You didn't look hard enough, it is in the Rutgers collection here. Very clean scan, you can zoom way in at this link:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/ser...3~1100119:Topographical-map-of-the-southern-p


fruitland.jpg
 

Gibby

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Teegate, this thread reminded me of our discussion after we hiked to go see the Arethusa. I mentioned to you several cellar holes and the sand.
 

Don Catts

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You didn't look hard enough, it is in the Rutgers collection here. Very clean scan, you can zoom way in at this link:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/ser...3~1100119:Topographical-map-of-the-southern-p


View attachment 2348

I saw this one. I am looking for the map of Fruitland itself, with more detail, street names, dimensions, etc. I am interested in how far east of the train tracks it went. Did it go as far as the Stone Bridge Farm on Quaker Bridge Rd. I would like to plot Banjo Jack place and locate Banjo Jack's fishing hole, a popular place for the boys from the Atsion school to fish when played hookey. The Claypole family and the widow Mary lived on the left after you cross the tracks. Quaker Bridge Road was alive at one time.
I have no special reason just something I am interested in.
 

Don Catts

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Ah, ok. You said you were looking for a map of Fruitland so I posted one....

Thanks Boyd, I appreciate you checking for me. I know you folks leave no stone unturned and that is one of the things I like about this forum, if there is a question someone always finds the answer. Don
 

Don Catts

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From the north off of Quaker Bridge Road. The road is not bad, some soft sand and I donot use 4wd there. I see cars there frequently.

Thanks Ed, when the weather cools a little I'll try it. I was down that road several years ago with a 2wd F-150, the road was so sandy I turn around at first chance and left. Now I drive a 2010 Ranger 4wd with off road package but at my age the last thing I need is to get stuck back in the woods.
Don
 

Teegate

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P.S. How bad is the road back to Locks Bridge? Do you go in from the north side (Mullica River Rd) or the south side (BatstoFireLine Rd).

If you go in on the Great Swamp side of the river (south) don't do it in a car. I was driving there on Saturday morning and most likely could have made it all the way but the risk was too high when I was so close I could walk. There is a sandy section that most cars won't make it through. I am sure I could have but I wanted to walk the swamps anyway so I parked here.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.729369578088736&lng=-74.71024990081787&z=16&type=h&gpx=

Here is the present bridge in 2004.

lock.JPG


And on Saturday from the other side of the bridge. You can see it is not long for this world. The photo was dark so I brightened it up for better viewing.

IMG_0411.JPG



Guy
 
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Don Catts

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If you go in on the Great Swamp side of the river (south) don't do it in a car. I was driving there on Saturday morning and most likely could have made it all the way but the risk was too high when I was so close I could walk. There is a sandy section that most cars won't make it through. I am sure I could have but I wanted to walk the swamps anyway so I parked here.


I always wanted to try the south side but it just looked to sandy. Up until two years ago I had a F-150 which may have been ok but if I had to stop in that sand for some reason I don't know. Now that I have a 4wd I may give it a go.

Don
 

Don Catts

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No problem with a 4x4 unless the water levels in the puddles go up. Right now they are dry. This is a good time to go.

Guy

Will do. By the way your pictures are great the only question I have is who in the world built that bridge? It looks more like a dance platfrom for elephants.
 
Don:

I had recalled the Richards v. Drinker, et al. case ended up before the New Jersey Supreme Court and I just happened to come across a digitized version of the proceedings in conducting another search. Here is the URL:

http://books.google.com/books?id=g1AtAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA307&lpg

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania holds two collections crucial to understanding Atsion:

The Foster-Clement Collection:
Josiah Foster served as justice of the peace for Burlington County, N.J., in 1788 and 1798 and for Gloucester County, N.J., in 1812; as a judge for the Common Pleas Court of Burlington County in 1798 and of Gloucester County in 1812; and, as deputy surveyor of New Jersey in 1773 and 1781.William Foster, circa 1775, served as one of the King's judges of the Common Pleas Court of Burlington County, N.J. Samuel Clement served as a Justice of the Peace for Gloucester County, N.J. in 1748, 1812, and 1822; as a judge in 1755, as deputy surveyor appointed to establish township boundaries in Gloucester County; as a member of the Assembly from the Western Division of New Jersey in 1761; as a trustee of the poor in 1807; and as an incorporator of the Salem National Banking Company.Papers on early settlements in and largely by the Clement and Foster families of Burlington and Gloucester counties, New Jersey: deeds, 1677-1875; wills, 1681-1867; family papers, 1761-1819, which includes papers and receipts of Josiah Foster and William Foster, draft of William Foster's land, will of William Foster, will of Josiah Foster, Clement and Foster genealogies, long book (account book) of Benjamin Robinson, 1784 and surveying notebooks of Josiah Foster, 1778-1779, 1794-1795, Account of Sleepcreek Mill book, of which Josiah Foster was director, 1785-1786, and correspondence largely of Josiah Foster and Samuel Clement; Indian papers, 1777-1819 and pamphlets, 1778-1819, in which the former section includes papers on Indians and the sale of lands in New Jersey and Charles Mooles' Vandeu[?] (sale) book, and the latter section contains pamphlets pertaining to legislative bills; New Jersey Land Society, ca. 1788, which was involved in the Burr Conspiracy; abolition societies; friends meetings; New Jersey elections; New Jersey State Gazette; and religious tracts.Miscellaneous legal papers, 1762-1873, which includes judgments, bonds, agreements, papers on the Albertson v. Norcross case, involving Josiah Albertson, circa 1753-1833 and Isaiah Norcross, and other legal documents concerning Gloucester and Burlington counties; cashbook, 1781-1783 and dockets, 1790-1794, 1798-1801 of Josiah Foster; and, land surveys, 1687-1801, which includes an undated volume entitled Penn's Survey in New Jersey copies from the surveyor general's books at Burlington, N.J., 1712-1784, and road maps in and around Burlington County, ca. 1802-1846, which show detailed maps of surrounding tracts, and Atsion Company (of Josiah Foster) papers, 1764-1799.

And the Henry Drinker Collection:

Henry Drinker was a Philadelphia merchant and Quaker. Drinker was the partner of Abel James in the firm of James and Drinker, which traded extensively with London, England, Dublin, Ireland, and other American cities. The partnership appears to have dissolved in 1786 although both partners remained involved in the operation of the Atsion Iron Works and the Union Saw Mill in New Jersey, and speculated jointly and separately in lands in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.The collection contains voluminous documentation of the efforts of Drinker and his executors to develop and keep track of Drinker's interests in lands in Beaver, Bradford, Cambria, Clearfield, Cumberland, Jefferson, Luzerne, Lycoming, Northampton, Northumberland, McKean and Tioga counties.Included are James & Drinker letterbooks, 1756-1786; a volume of the firm's "foreign letters," 1772-1784; Henry Drinker's own letterbooks, 1762-1809; his journals, 1776-1809; his ledgers, 1786-1809; and the ledger of the Atsion Iron Works, 1786-1801. Included, too, are the more fragmentary records of the executors of Drinker's estate, Thomas Stewardson, Henry S. Drinker and William Drinker: William Drinker's journal of estate accounts, 1816-1841; Henry S. Drinker's estate letterbook, 1816-1828; Thomas Stewardson's letter books, 1821-1841; the cashbook of Stewardson's estate, 1844-1854; and a ledger of the estate of Henry Drinker, 1809-1824.There are other miscellaneous records and accounts of the Drinker land-holdings including a volume of surveys, 1794-1804; ledgers for the "Beech Lands" in Luzerne and Northampton counties, 1788-1805, and for "Stockport," 1789-1807; a compendium of tax information for Pennsylvania counties and townships, probably begun for Henry Drinker in the 1780s; a narrative of the settlement of the estate of Samuel Wallis, 1798-1807; and accounts of the sales of Drinker estate lands, 1844-1869. Also included are bonds, deeds, mortgages, and surveys of Drinker lands.

It has been many years since I examined the materials in these collections, so I plan to revisit them Wednesday of next week. If I am successful in going, workload permitting, I will report back what I find.

Best regards,
Jerseyman
 
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Don Catts

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Don:

It has been many years since I examined the materials in these collections, so I plan to revisit them Wednesday of next week. If I am successful in going, workload permitting, I will report back what I find.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

Jerseyman, I just told Boyd, the folks on this forum leave no stone unturned and here is another example. This is great stuff and so fast. All I can say is thanks.
I guess with the right lawyers these cases can go on forever? In the meantime Atsion Company kept drawing water, flooding ore beds and cutting someone elses wood. I bet this was a real battle with both companies on the same river. I hope you get a chance to take a peep Wednesday.

Don
 
Jerseyman, I just told Boyd, the folks on this forum leave no stone unturned and here is another example. This is great stuff and so fast. All I can say is thanks.
I guess with the right lawyers these cases can go on forever? In the meantime Atsion Company kept drawing water, flooding ore beds and cutting someone elses wood. I bet this was a real battle with both companies on the same river. I hope you get a chance to take a peep Wednesday.

Don

Don:

To say that my visit to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania last evening was disappointing would be an understatement! I reviewed every box of material from the Foster-Clement Collection that they could find and there was not a single piece of paper from Foster’s connection with the Atsion Company! The collection is still housed in the same folder and boxes into which it was first placed when HSP received it from John Clement in 1904. The staff had no answers for me when I inquired about the material reviewed versus the catalog description available online. I did leave them my email address in case they found the missing Atsion material. It does not speak well of HSP’s collection management abilities!

While there, however, I did prepare a partial transcription of a badly damaged broadside. The date for the broadside was missing (although definitely post-1802, since the land is in “Washington Township”), but the information should be of interest:

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.
No. 2–one moiety or half-part of five lots, containing the whole 19½ acres, on the Molocus river, two miles below the forks, at a place called Mordecai’s Landing; formerly laid out in lots and sold by David Fisher; whereon is a good herring fishery; and is as good a situation for the landing of hay or other produce As any on the river.
No.4–containing 13½ acres of old cedar swamp, lying on the upper, or northerly side of Bard’s Bridge, that crosses the Unknown Swamp, two miles from Hampton Works and about the same distance from the Tavern at the Stone-Hills.
To be sold at William Imlay’s Hotel in Burlington.

The collection does contain an account book from the Sleepy Creek Mill, which Josiah Foster operated during 1785-1786, but I did not note any information of import for these forums.

If and when the institution locates the Atsion material, I will return, again pay $8, and finally review what I should have received last evening.

Best regards,
Jerseyman
 

Don Catts

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Jerseyman,

Thanks so much for checking the Foster-Clement collection for information on the Atsion Company, a disappointment for sure, but still greatly appreciated. From the HSP’s website you would think this information is filed and easily accessible.

Maybe we can put a positive spin on item No.1 of your transcription. Does anyone know where Sleepy Mill is actually located in the field. If it is about three miles below Atsion Work and in Washington Twp. it must be near the locks in the Locks Bridge area. “where boards are taken from the mill-tail by water to the forks” sounds like it may be on the Atsion River? Right now my take on the Locks is that they were locks that’s where the name comes from, and the Atsion Company used them to get their boats with finished iron products on them down river to sea. And when they did they flood some Batsto ore beds and this may have been part of the problem. (I don’t know if Batsto ore beds were that far up river?)

On May 23, 1765 Charles Read signed an agreement to cut all the coal wood on John Estell’s land lying between the Batsto River and the Atsion River. The only description is the land between the Batsto and Atsion rivers. If this is not all the land between the Batsto and Atsion rivers then there is no way of knowing just where Estell’s land was. If it is all the land between rivers, then the 700-acre Sleepy Mill Tract is on Estell’s land?

Josiah Foster ran the Sleepy Creek Mill, interesting, is this the same Josiah Foster that surveyed the Brotherton Reservation when they sold it in 1802 and bought the two best tracts for himself. One had the Indian sawmill on it. Oh, and by the way, he was also one of the Indian commissioners.

It’s been some time since I was into this so, if I have something wrong please let me know.

Thank much Jerseyman,

Don






 
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Thank you for this info, Jerseyman!

No. 2–one moiety or half-part of five lots, containing the whole 19½ acres, on the Molocus river, two miles below the forks, at a place called Mordecai’s Landing; formerly laid out in lots and sold by David Fisher; whereon is a good herring fishery; and is as good a situation for the landing of hay or other produce As any on the river

Am I reading this incorrectly, or is it saying that there was a herring fishery at Mordecai Landing?

.
 

Don Catts

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Thank you for this info, Jerseyman!



Am I reading this incorrectly, or is it saying that there was a herring fishery at Mordecai Landing?

And who was this Josiah Foster character?
.
Thank you for this info, Jerseyman!



Am I reading this incorrectly, or is it saying that there was a herring fishery at Mordecai Landing?

And who was this Josiah Foster character?
.


pinelandpaddler

You are reading it correctly, I know there was a herring factory down that way but I can not remember the actual location.
Josiah Foster was Indian Commissioner, he surveyed the reservation, cutting it into 100Ac lots, when they sold them he got the two prime lots which contained the Sawmill and the high ground where the indian village was location. And, I think he re-sold shortly after for good profit.

The only Sleepy Creek I know is where you are pointing but this Sleepy mill is in Washington Twp, Burlington County which is north of the river.

Don
 
Apr 6, 2004
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pinelandpaddler

You are reading it correctly, I know there was a herring factory down that way but I can not remember the actual location.
Josiah Foster was Indian Commissioner, he surveyed the reservation, cutting it into 100Ac lots, when they sold them he got the two prime lots which contained the Sawmill and the high ground where the indian village was location. And, I think he re-sold shortly after for good profit.

The only Sleepy Creek I know is where you are pointing but this Sleepy mill is in Washington Twp, Burlington County which is north of the river.

Don

Don, well the mill site on Sleepy Creek was just at the boundary of Washington Township. I have little doubt this is the mill being referenced. BTW, welcome to the site. Looks like you have a keen interest in local history.
 
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