Goodspeed Histories: May 2022
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May 28, 2022
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James Anderson’s Tavern
My previous article, featuring the old “Point Tavern” near the village of Klinesville, kept running into references to “the road from Anderson’s Tavern to Flemington.” But my favorite local historian, Egbert T. Bush, knew nothing about Anderson’s Tavern–so I had to find out for myself.
It turns out to have been the tavern in the village of Cherryville–sadly no longer standing. (It burned down in the 1950s.) It had been in business since at least the middle of the 18th century, so it must have been quite something to see. Any traveler from Flemington heading north who missed the Klinesville Tavern or the Point Tavern would be grateful for it. When traveling by horseback, Clinton was still a long way off.
The two most important families associated with the article were the Anderson and McPherson families. So I have published families trees for them: Anderson and McPherson.
Two other families of note are the Jones and Bray families. A Bray Tree has been published but probably needs updating. A Jones tree will also have to wait.
There was so much to say about the Cherryville Tavern, in what was once known as the village of Dogtown, that I had to postpone the second half of the story. Egbert T. Bush will tell some of it, but of course, I will have plenty to add.
And following that, I might as well keep going and take a look at the history of Quakertown’s tavern.
Mark Your Calendar:
On Thursday, June 9, 2022 and again on June 16th, at 7 p.m., both days, the Hunterdon County Historical Society is offering an online genealogy workshop led by Betty DeSapio, focusing on how to wring every bit of information out of a genealogical record. Local records can be pretty quirky and it takes a lot of practice to know how to make use of them–I’m still learning. Betty is a local historian for Kingwood Township, but is also a professional genealogist who really knows the importance of genealogical sources and how to make use of them.
The HCHS is holding these workshops via Zoom, to make them available to as many people as possible. The sessions are free to members of the Society, and only $10 to nonmembers. Check out the website (https://hunterdonhistory.org/hchs-hosts-2-genealogy-workshops-in-june/ ) to learn the details of how to sign up.
Some Thoughts:
Lately it has felt as if we were living in an historic period, a time that will have its own chapter in the history books, and it won’t be a good one. It gets harder and harder to imagine an earlier time when one could get on a horse and ride past farmsteads to villages with taverns where people could gather; where children could attend one-room schoolhouses without fear.
And yet, people have always attacked each other. The war in Ukraine is wrong and inexcusable, but not unique. The tragedy in Uvalde is also not unique, even though it should be.
We have always had challenges, but the difference now is the level of our technology–of the power of social media to spread panic and falsehoods, of the lethal quality and huge number of guns that are now available.
History tells us we will always have conflicts, that people will always be troubled. This weekend, when we remember the brave ones who have defended us in the past, we must also face up to the world we are living in today and change what can be changed.
Marfy
May 7, 2022
The Point Tavern (https://goodspeedhistories.co
While researching the tavern Klinesville in Raritan Township, my attention was called to several references to the nearby tavern known as The Point. I was also intrigued by Egbert T. Bush’s confusion about the tavern run by Peter C. Chery, which he thought was in Cherryville. But in fact, it wasn’t–it was the Point Tavern. As usual, researching the history of a tavern’s ownership was an intriguing challenge.
Unfortunately, WordPress decided to make some upgrades that are baffling. You will certainly have trouble dealing with footnotes, for which I am very sorry. As soon as I figure out what WordPress intends, I’ll do my best to fix it. (Oddly enough, footnotes in the older articles seem to work fine.)
Some wonderful photographs are shared on Facebook by Raymond Storey and Gus Manz. One in particular is pertinent to my story of the Point Tavern, and that is a photo shared by Raymond Storey of the old Frank’s Tavern at the corner of South Main and Route 202, another geographic point. Perhaps some of you will recognize it.
Some Items from the Hunterdon Gazette
Long-time readers know that I depend heavily on the abstracts of the Hunterdon Gazette made by Bill Hartmann and his crew of volunteers. Here are a couple gems:
From April 25, 1832:
WAS LOST, On Thursday last, the 19th inst. from the Belvidere Stage, on the road between Pennington and Rocktown, a second- hand SADDLE, together with several pair of SHOES. They were lashed on behind the stage, and supposed to have become loose and fallen off. Any person finding the same is requested to leave them at any tavern on the road between Trenton and Flemington, and a reasonable compensation will be allowed for the trouble. [signed] Abel Cox. Flemington
This caught my eye because of the idea that one could leave these items at any tavern between Trenton and Flemington, and could be retrieved by their owner. And then there is the matter of lashing a saddle and shoes to the back of a stage coach. Such a puzzle. And Abel Cox is a mystery. This was the only reference to him in the Gazette, and he did not appear at all in the Hunterdon Republican. I thought he might be connected with the family of Albert Schenck Cox, about whom I wrote in Klinesville People (https://goodspeedhistories.co
And in keeping with the current political season, we have this from the Oct. 23, 1850 issue:
SHERIFFALTY! DAVY CROCKETT IN THE FIELD! To the Voters of the County of Hunterdon ─ I offer myself as an INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE for the office of Sheriff, at the coming election, and if elected I pledge myself to discharge its duties impartially and to the best of my ability. David Coughlin, Milford.
David Coughlin (c.1805-1869) was the son of William Coughlin & Sarah Robinson. He was married to a sister of Nathaniel Britton, and operated a hotel in Milford for many years. His attempt to win election as Sheriff of Hunterdon Co. did not succeed.
Very interesting that Davy Crockett, who died in 1836, was still a powerful American legend in 1850. Did you know he was elected to Congress in 1827 and “vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
Hoping today’s article will counter the dark skies we’re having this weekend,
Marfy