Special: 2 Books on the history of Somerset County New Jersey

Description

SAVE on this 2 BOOKLET SPECIAL!
SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ
New
39-Page
Illustrated
Booklet
The early days of Somerset County, New Jersey, and its various communities --
Baskingridge, Bedminster, Bernard, Blackwells, Bound Brook, Bridgewater, Flaggtown, Franklin, Harlingen, Hillsborough, Liberty Corners, Logtown, Millington, Millstone, Montgomery, New Shannack, North Branch, Pluckamin, Rocky Hill, Somerville (Raritan), South Branch, Vealtown, Warren, Weston --
are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this
New 39 Page Booklet
reprinted from two hard to find books: the 1847 edition of John Warner Barber and Henry Howe's
Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey
and
New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past
, a WPA project published in 1939. The spiral-bound booklet
is printed one-sided on 8.4 x 11" 60# paper, with the fine print enlarged for easier reading. A sheet of clear vinyl protects the front cover.
The Howe/Barber history covers the development of this area until about 1844, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic glympse from a 1939 vantage point, including interesting historical notes, especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities
.
Among the many and varied topics in the booklet are:
Early Settlers; a Physical Description of the County, including "Chimney Rock"; Various Church Histories; a Copper Mine; the Somerville Water Power Co.; the House of William Paterson, where Aaron Burr once lived; a Biography of Gen. Frederick Frelinghuysen and tombstone epitaphs of his family; an artist's description of Washington, and an incident that made the general laugh heartily; Washington's Farewell to his Troops, written at Rocky Hill; How Wooden huts were constructed without Nails; a military execution at Middlebrook; the death of Capt. G. P. Voorhies; an excerpt from British Lt. Col. Simcoe's Military Journal detailing his expedition into the area, called one of the "handsomest exploits" of the Revolutionary War; and other interesting bits of history and trivia.
The booklet contains delightful hand-drawn sketches by Barber and Howe depicting Gen. Charles Lee's Headquarters in Baskingridge, the Frelinghuysen Mansion, and the towns of Somerville and Bound Brook.
The National Association of County currently lists the following communities in Somerset County:
Basking Ridge, Bedminster Township, Belle Mead, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Blawenburg, Bound Brook, Branchburg Township, Bridgewater Township, Far Hills, Flagtown, Franklin Park, Franklin Township, Gladstone, Green Brook Township, Hillsborough Township, Kingston, Liberty Corner, Lyons, Manville, Martinsville, Millstone, Montgomery Township, Neshanic Station, North Branch, North Plainfield, Peapack, Pluckemin, Raritan, Rocky Hill, Skillman, Somerset, Somerville (County Seat), South Bound Brook, Warren Township, Watchung, and Zarephath.
Plus Second Book!
Revolutionary War Period, with Names of Early Residents!
Somerset County
New Jersey USA
New
Edition of Rare Book
Somerset County, NJ, in the 17th and 18th centuries is the focus of this fascinating booklet, reprinted from the very rare 1878 book:
Centennial History of Somerset County
by Abraham Messler, D.D. The
140 page
spiral bound 8 1/2" x 11" booklet, is printed on 60# paper. A vinyl sheet protects the front cover.
The booklet is newly reprinted from a very old, poorly printed text, with handset type (in one case an "e" is upside down!). The type varies in density and some leters are broken, but we've enlarged the printing to enhance readability. We are excited to be able to preserve this material, as it is filled with valuable data for genealogists researching this area and period. Names of early residents abound, and in addition there are biographies for
Thomas Codrington, John Delavall, Gabriel Minvielle, Richard Hall, Peter Sonmans, Gawen Lawrie, Jacob Bergen, Derrick Van Vegten, Hendrick Fisher, Col. John Mehelm, John Hardenburgh, Philip Van Horn, William Mercer, Rev. Balthazar Bayard, Peter Dumont, Court Vroom, William Churchill Houston, David Kirkpatrick, Gen. Frederick Frelinghuysen, William Paterson, William Alexander, Richard Stockton, and others.
For those more interested in history than genealogy, the chapters on "Scenes of the Revolution in Somerset County," "Simcoe's Raid, and Concluding Scenes of the Revolution," "The Ladies in the Revolution," "Washington in Social Life," and "Washington and Dr. Hardenburg" should prove of useful.
Other chapters of interest include one on "Servitude and Slaves," with several instances of slaves being publicly burnt at the stake. The chapter on Historical Houses concerns the Abraham Staats house, the unveiling of the Steuben Monument, Lord Sterling's mansion near Baskingridge, White's Tavern, the McCrea/Lane home, the Miller house -- where Gen. Washington and his wife spent a winter, the parsonage of the Rev. John Frelinghuysen, the Paterson House, the Berrien mansion where Washington wrote his farewell to his army, and others. Education in those early days is described in a chapter on "The Little Red School House" and in a section of the chapter on Somerville, called "The Academy." There's also a chapter on Bound Brook and briefly, Baskingridge and Lamington.
Wouldn't these make a unique gift?