Pioneering Spirit

 

Tracing the Footsteps of Colonist,

 

John Adamson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Troy L. Adamson

 

 

 

 

Pioneering Spirit

 

Tracing the Footsteps of Colonist,

 

John Adamson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Troy L. Adamson

2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dedication

 

This work is dedicated to my loving father, David E. Adamson who taught me to honor the sacrifices made by our forefathers. Their founding principles of freedom and justice paved the way for the great democracy in which we live.

 

This work is also dedicated to my great cousin, Jerry F. Adamson, the genealogist with the most extensive and reliable database of Adamson family tree information in the world. His advice and guidance was invaluable.   
Table of Contents

 

Preface. 4

The Religious Society of Friends. 5

Friends Meetings. 6

New Jersey Beginnings. 7

The Arrival of Friends in the Delaware Valley. 10

The Newton Settlement 10

John Adamson’s Arrival in New Jersey. 12

The Newton Monthly Meeting of Friends. 13

Gloucester County. 14

Haddonfield. 15

Recorded Events of John Adamson’s Life in New Jersey. 16

Relocation to Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 20

Richland Township. 23

The Richland Meeting of Friends. 23

The Gwynedd Monthly Meeting of Friends. 24

Recorded Events of John Adamson’s Life in Pennsylvania. 25

Appendix I: John Adamson in Gloucester County, New Jersey Court Records. 28

Appendix II: Dual Dating and the Gregorian Calendar Conversion in Great Britain and its Colonies   31

Appendix III: Maps. 35

Bibliography. 37

 

 


Preface

 

For years, many Adamson family researchers have referenced a small handful of unreliable sources when recording a genealogy for New Jersey emigrant, John Adamson. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a considerable amount of misinformation that has spread like wildfire across the Internet; mostly propagated in haste by those who made false assumptions about this man’s lineage without first consulting historical documentation. Much of the errant information circulated around the Web was taken from the illegitimate entries made in the LDS Church’s Family Search database. Many are unaware that a large percentage of Family Search data is not submitted by genealogists and is not verified for accuracy. Though the Mormon records may be beneficial for some family lines, they are most definitely not a legitimate source for information on the John Adamson line.     

As a descendant of John Adamson, I felt compelled to seek out the original documents to verify, once and for all, the historical facts concerning my very great grandfather. I also sought to learn about the communities with whom he interacted and the events through which he lived. Following my research at the Camden County Historical Society Library, New Jersey, and the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, I found answers to questions many Adamson researchers have been debating for decades. My goal has been to set the record straight so the historical facts can be realized by John’s descendants. Some of my research challenges what has been presumed by many researchers to be factual.

The Gloucester County court documents referenced in this genealogy were recorded by county clerk, Thomas Sharp, an Irishman who was one of the earliest members of the Newton colony. Though Thomas was an educated man, he did not always show accuracy in the way he spelled some of the names of that era. There are many instances where he made creative phonetic attempts to spell the names of people and places. Some people were unable to read or write, so in many cases, Thomas spelled out names based on the way people verbalized them. In every instance in which John Adamson was referenced in court documents, his name was spelled, Addamson.

Most genealogists have areas of study in which they specialize. My passion for early British and American colonial history has led me to focus on the Late Middle Ages (1300-1500) and the Early Modern Era (1500-1800). Therefore, my research on the Adamson family line is directed prior to the 1800s. The focus of this summarization is on John Adamson. Additional research that traces the Adamson families of Great Britain will be included in a forthcoming work.

When appropriate, recorded dates in this work have been converted to coincide with the modern Gregorian calendar system. For detailed explanations on dual dating notation, and Gregorian and Quaker calendar conversions, please see the Appendix for the section entitled, Dual Dating and the Gregorian Calendar Conversion in Great Britain and its Colonies.              

 

 

Troy L. Adamson

 


The Religious Society of Friends

 

            Emigrant John Adamson was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, a sect of Protestant dissenters known more commonly as Quakers. The Society was formed in England around 1647 by founder, George Fox. Following the English Civil War (1642-1651), the group established its base in northern England then gradually moved southward and abroad. A sect that preached God could speak to average people through his risen son sounded appealing to common folk who had grown disillusioned by social upheaval and deception within the Church of England. Fox was convinced that it was possible to have a direct relationship with Jesus Christ without the need of a human intermediary or through reliance on outward sacraments. The Friends’ perspective focused on hearing God and allowing His spirit to influence free action in their hearts. They believed all people possess an Inner Light, or Inward Light of Christ, meaning God is within everyone, guiding them throughout their lives.

To prepare their hearts for worship and empty their minds of earthly distractions, Friends’ meetings for worship were conducted in silence. The congregation sat in silent waiting, where they could pray, meditate, or “listen to the Light of God” within themselves. Vocal ministry to the congregation arose when a member felt inwardly led to offer a specific message, prayer, or song. They would speak only when divinely inspired messages (the light within) were received.

Alongside the Church of the Brethren, Amish, and Mennonites, the Religious Society of Friends practiced pacifism. Since they believed strongly in testifying to their religious beliefs through their actions and in the way they lived their lives, they felt violence and participation in war was unrepresentative of Christian principles. Friends also accepted a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, an emphasis on simplicity of speech and dress, and a lack of creedal statements. They went to great lengths to base their lives on the doctrines of the New Testament. The Society was revolutionary for the times; they believed firmly in social justice, denounced slavery and actively worked toward its abolition, and believed in the spiritual equality of women.

            In seventeenth century Britain, Friends suffered extensive persecution; some of whom sealed their testimony with their blood. To be a Quaker was to accept the discrimination and suffering that came with it. Their conscientious noncompliance and refusal to abide by the unjust rules of the established church and government exposed them to corporal punishments, fines, cruel beatings, imprisonment, banishment, and even death (Malham, 1860, p. 543). Meetings for the purpose of worship were forbidden; constables stormed Friends’ meetings regularly, confiscating their goods and beating them before hauling them off to prison. The fines imposed upon them were often unreasonable and exorbitant, causing many lower class families to fall into destitution. Opposition to the Church of England resulted in dire consequences. The personal property of Friends was confiscated by the government for refusal to pay tithes and heavy fines were imposed for nonattendance at national church service. Friends were treated as criminals; they were publically beaten and whipped, and some were even branded like cattle. Only spirits of faithful perseverance and an overwhelmingly strong sense of religious duty could have endured such trials. It was not until the accession of King James II in 1685 that Friends were granted religious liberty.     

            Quaker monthly meetings in England kept “Books of Sufferings” which recorded the many acts of oppression against them. Notable Quaker minister James Adamson, Jr. and his father, James Adamson, Sr., George Adamson, and Mary Adamson were among those mentioned in the Books of Sufferings. Since the evangelism of the Quaker faith was strongest in northern England, it is unsurprising that most Friends who established colonies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania were from the North. Adamson families dating back to the thirteenth century can be traced to the North of England, some of whom became Quakers during the 1600s. During the seventeenth century, Adamson Quakers lived in the northern England counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, Durham, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.  

 

 

Figure 1: A map that illustrates locations in England and Wales where Quakerism was present in 1654.

 

Friends Meetings

 

Since meetinghouses were not allowed to be built in England until the 1689 Act of Toleration, most English Quaker meetings were either held secretly in private homes or in reconfigured second-hand structures. A national annual meeting of Friends from different parts of Britain began in 1668, but it was not until 1673 that the London Yearly Meeting was officially established. It was at the first yearly meeting in London on the 26th day [5] of the 3rd month [June], 1673, where minister James Adamson, soon-to-be Pennsylvania proprietor William Penn, eminent Scottish writer and future governor of the East Jersey colony Robert Barclay, and several other brethren members drafted an epistle which was distributed to the various quarterly, monthly, and worship meetings throughout Britain (Barclay, 1841, p. 336). This epistle was transcribed from a copy handwritten by Thomas Ellwood and compiled by Abram Rawlinson Barclay in a volume of letters and documents from early Friends.          

The Society devised an elaborate meeting structure. At the bottom of the meeting hierarchy was the meeting for worship. Similar to a church service but without a presiding minister, these meetings involved silence-based worship. Worshippers sat in silence, waiting upon the Light until moved to speak. Meetings for worship were under the care of a preparative meeting, the next level in the meeting hierarchy. At preparative meetings, the Society’s everyday business was conducted; it was where members brought forth the serious problems and concerns to be addressed at the monthly meeting. The meeting typically consisted of one or more meetings for worship, and often two or more preparative meetings formed a monthly meeting. The initial stages of disownment (involuntary termination of membership in a meeting) took place at preparative meetings, but official matters relating to membership or marriages occurred at monthly meetings. Most preparative meetings under the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting became monthly meetings or were discontinued.   

Monthly meetings were essentially business meetings held in the spirit of worship for conducting business. They included members in good standing who worshipped in one or more meeting places within a geographically defined area. During the monthly meeting, marriages and removals (document issued to persons for transferring membership from one monthly meeting to another) were authorized, social concerns addressed, and disownments maintained. If monthly meeting membership was spread over a large geographical area, members were not always able to attend every business session. For some, regular attendance involved too much travel. In some cases, representatives were appointed by a preparative meeting to ensure that the interests of the local group were represented. The monthly meeting reported to the quarterly meeting.

Quarterly meetings were held four times a year and attended by representatives from all of its member monthly meetings in a county or region. As an intermediary between the monthly and yearly meeting, it served as an appellate body for disciplinary matters, and took on problems too large for local meetings to solve. The quarterly meeting held the authority to establish or discontinue a monthly, preparative, or meeting of worship.  

The yearly meeting, highest in the meeting hierarchy, was the ultimate source of all doctrinal determinations. It met annually to conduct business, formulate discipline, receive reports and concerns from its constituent meetings, review the state of the Society, and communicate with other yearly meetings and non-Quaker organizations.   

Monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings for business were held by men and women in separate sessions until the late 1800s when men and women gradually began to meet in joint session. In Quaker historical records, it is common to find independent records for Men’s Minutes and Women’s Minutes. The term, “minutes,” refers to official records of proceedings kept for all Quaker business meetings (preparative, monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings).

 

New Jersey Beginnings

 

In 1664, an English fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor and took control of Fort Amsterdam, the Dutch administrative headquarters for the New Amsterdam settlement, resulting in annexation of the entire New Jersey province. Charles II gave his brother, James, Duke of York (later King James II), the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony. In turn, the duke granted land between the Hudson and Delaware rivers to his friends, Sir George Carteret and John, Lord Berkeley. As a result, Sir George Carteret became the Lord Proprietor of East Jersey and John, Lord Berkeley, the Lord Proprietor of West Jersey. So, from 1674 to 1702, the Province of New Jersey was governed as two distinct parts, the Province of East Jersey and the Province of West Jersey. In 1676, an east-west division line was projected based on the Quintipartite Deed, a legal document executed by William Penn, Gawen Lawrie, Nicholas Lucas, and Edward Byllynge. It was not until the rule of Queen Anne that the two sections of the proprietary colony were united as a royal colony on 15 April, 1702. East Jersey’s development was tied to New York, New England, and the former Dutch colony of New Netherland. The settlement of West Jersey on the Delaware River was a Quaker venture and was associated with William Penn and others involved in the colonization of Pennsylvania (Klett, 2008, p. 3).

The two New Jersey proprietors attracted settlers to the province by granting sections of land and through passage of the Concession and Agreement, a 1665 document that granted religious freedom to New Jersey inhabitants; in England, there was no such religious freedom as the Church of England was the state church. The document’s objective was to entice settlers so the two proprietors could profit by collecting quit-rents (annual fees paid on granted lands).

In 1665, the two proprietors appointed Philip Carteret as the first governor of New Jersey. He issued several grants of land to landowners, and charters were given to towns. Over time, it became increasingly difficult to collect quit-rents because many settlers refused to pay them. Since many had received land from Richard Nicolls, Governor of New York, they did not feel a financial obligation toward the proprietors. This forced Lord Berkeley to sell West Jersey to English Quaker, Edward Byllynge in 1673. A former officer in Cromwell’s army and a recent convert to the teachings of George Fox, Byllynge belonged to a group of Quaker entrepreneurs who dreamed of establishing a religious and economic refuge in the New World to escape growing persecution and confiscation of their property by the Anglican Church and British government officials.

The road to Quaker colonization took place in West Jersey seven years before Pennsylvania.  Following a missionary trip through Maryland, New Jersey, and New York in 1672, George Fox reported that the Delaware Valley offered fruitful land for the establishment of a Quaker commonwealth. His observations inspired London Quaker, William Penn to plan a colony on the west bank of the river on land given to him by James, Duke of York for repayment of debts owed Penn’s father. Fox’s discovery drew Byllynge’s interest as well, but due to excessive fines and property confiscation levied as punishment for his membership in Quaker meetings, Byllynge went bankrupt and could not finance a Quaker settlement. Fellow army officer and Quaker convert, John Fenwick agreed to hold the thousand-pound note for Byllynge. The Duke of York refused to recognize the transaction, because Fenwick had been at the head of Cromwell’s cavalry at the execution of the duke’s father. Fenwick further exacerbated the situation by claiming that he had bought proprietary rights and intended to go to the Delaware Valley as governor of a new province. Out of defiance, Fenwick founded his own colony on the Delaware River in 1675 along Salem Creek without consulting Byllynge or the Quaker meeting. An angry Byllynge submitted the dispute to the Quaker meeting and fellow Society members, Nicholas Lucas, Gawen Lawrie, and William Penn agreed to serve as trustees for the Byllynge/Fenwick purchase. Penn was especially anxious to have a secure Quaker community across the river from his planned City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia (Dorwart, 2001, p. 16). Byllynge allowed his trustees to sell his West Jersey properties to influential Friends.

The Society of Friends enlisted the support of its most substantial members in Great Britain and Ireland to sponsor the settlement along the Delaware River. The motivations for the settlement resulted from not only a desire to escape religious persecution in their homeland, but for an opportunity to conduct a holy experiment by which Quakerism could be proven to work, free from the hampering of government regulators and church officials. Familiarity with persecution taught the Quakers the value of personal freedom and liberty of conscience (Jones, 1923, p. 365).     

The Quaker trustees of West Jersey organized a joint stock company, dividing the territory into one hundred proprietary shares and granting Fenwick ten full shares. The remaining shares went to prominent Friends. In 1677, the trustees also issued the Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders, and Inhabitants of the Province of West New Jersey in America, which guaranteed religious toleration, the right to hold property free from feudal restrictions, trial by jury, and representative government by elected officials. The document also organized the property into ten equal parts (Tenths), outlined procedures to form townships, divided up farmland, and established local courts of justice (Dorwart, 2001, p. 17). Being largely a Quaker venture, West Jersey was a peaceful province with an open proprietorship.   

 

 

Figure 2: Map of East and West Jersey, 1664-1702.

The Arrival of Friends in the Delaware Valley

 

The first Quaker settlers of West Jersey came predominantly from England and were largely merchants and craftsmen of modest means. Unlike East Jersey, quit-rents were not required in the western province as land shares were divided into smaller fractions. This provided greater opportunity for less wealthy settlers to hold stock in colony land. The wider distribution of land rights resulted in greater competition for sales to settlers. The average West Jersey land unit was a medium-sized farm from fifty to three-hundred acres (Klett, 2008, p. 14). Also, indentured servants were fewer in West Jersey when compared with its eastern province counterpart.   

The first Friends emigration to West Jersey began in 1675 when John Fenwick and a number of Quakers sailed from London aboard the ship, Griffin; landing at a spot he named Salem, meaning, “peace.” Known also as Fenwick’s Colony (or, Salem Tenth), Salem became the first permanent English-speaking settlement in the Delaware Valley.  

The second Friends settlement came about in October, 1677 when a group of two hundred and thirty Friends from London landed at Raccoon Creek aboard the ship, Kent. Having hailed from London and Yorkshire, these Friends gave the settlement the English town name of Burlington. The two groups remained together on Rancocas Creek, but later settled in two different locations; the Yorkshire families settled the First Tenth (Yorkshire Tenth) and the Londoners chose the Second Tenth (London Tenth). Burlington became the capital of West New Jersey in 1681. By 1678, nearly eight hundred Friends had settled in the Delaware Valley, many of them persons of large property and great influence (Jones, 1923, p. 368). The different Quaker settlements aided each other in clearing roads. The old colonial highway, called the “Salem Road,” was laid out by men from Salem and Burlington.

 

The Newton Settlement

 

When John Adamson arrived in New Jersey, he settled in Newton Township, Gloucester County; a colony where a group of English Quaker shareholders of the West Jersey proprietorship had claimed property. These shareholders included wealthy London linen draper and merchant Robert Turner, serge maker Robert Zane, stuff weaver Thomas Thackara, and carpenter William Bates (Dorwart, 2001, p. 19). These Quakers had taken up temporary refuge in Dublin, Ireland to escape religious persecution in England and to make plans for the establishment of a Quaker colony in the New World. They purchased the Third Tenth of the ten-part property division. Having resided most recently in Dublin, the Newton Creek colonists were dubbed, “Irish Quakers,” and the Third Tenth became known for a while as the, “Irish Tenth.” The area of the Third Tenth comprised what is mostly present-day Camden County, from Pennsauken Creek to Big Timber Creek. The area called the Fourth Tenth (present-day Gloucester County) was previously part of the former colony of New Sweden and extended from Big Timber Creek to the northern boundary line of the Salem Tenth (Fenwick’s Colony), which was Oldman’s Creek. In 1694, the Third and Fourth Tenths became Gloucester County.   

Robert Zane, who arrived in Salem before 1679, served as an advance agent for his shareholding partners and another group of wealthy Quakers by locating the lands of the Third Tenth along the river. He bought a lot in Salem where he took up brief residence until the arrival of the Dublin proprietors. On 19 September, 1681, Thomas Sharp, nephew of merchant Anthony Sharp, and Zane’s partners Mark Newby, Thomas Thackara, William Bates, and George Goldsmith, left Dublin Harbor on the ship, Ye Owner’s Adventure, captained by John Dagger, the shipmate of Captain Thomas Lurtin. Newby, Thackara, and Bates brought their families along with them. After a two-month voyage, the ship carrying the Dublin Friends arrived in Elsinboro, Salem County, on 19 November, 1681. In Salem, the newly arrived Friends stayed in vacant houses through part of the winter. Some later traveled to Burlington to obtain warrants for surveying property located on the Third Tenth. In the spring of 1682, the Friends left Salem with Robert Zane and established a settlement on the Third Tenth, which became the town of Newton.

The settlers set up the first Friends meeting at the house of Mark Newby. Shortly afterwards, meetings were held conversely between the houses of Mark Newby and William Cooper; the Coopers had settled at Pine Point some time before. For a time, the Newton colonists received provisions from Salem. In his memoirs, Thomas Sharp wrote, “the settlement of this country was directed upon an impulse by the spirit of God’s people, not so much for their ease and tranquility, but rather for the posterity they should be after, and that the wilderness, being planted with a good seed, might grow and increase to the satisfaction of the good husbandman” (Mickle, 1845, p. 49).         

William Bates built a meetinghouse for the Dublin Friends on Newton Creek. Mark Newby operated West Jersey’s first banking house from his one-room log cabin along Newton Creek. Turner sold a tract below Newby’s to Archibald Mickle, founder of one of the most prominent families in Gloucester County. A few years later, Turner sold another tract along the riverfront, east of Mickle’s, to Philadelphia master carpenter John Kaighn (Dorwart, 2001, p. 20).

Much correspondence promoting the many advantages of West Jersey life beckoned Friends abroad to leave their homelands. Over the next several years, an increasing number of Friends left England and Ireland to escape religious persecution and start a new life in West Jersey. The ships that brought the many Quaker families sailed predominantly from London, Hull, and Dublin. Some ships stopped along the way to pick up additional passengers from ports at Leith, Dundel, Aberdeen, Aire, and Waterford. The price for voyage to West Jersey was typically £5 for adults, 50 shillings for children under twelve, and infants traveled free; the price included food, drink, and the transport of one chest (Llewellyn, 1976, p. 32).     

Just prior to the arrival of the proprietors of the Third Tenth, Englishman William Cooper surveyed the Delaware Valley and in the spring of 1681 took up permanent residence at the point where the Delaware River meets Deer Creek. He built his house near the river’s edge, just below the mouth of the creek and called it Pine Point, also known as Cooper’s Point. Additional Friends followed Cooper and settled near his home. On the 5th [15] day of the 7th month [September], 1681, the Burlington Monthly Meeting ordered Friends of Pine Point to hold meetings at Richard Arnold’s house, which was located a short distance above the mouth of Newton Creek. At the time, this was the only meeting held between Salem and Burlington. The Pine Point Meeting was later held at William Cooper’s house until the arrival of the Dublin Friends in 1682, at which point the meeting rotated between the houses of Mark Newby and William Cooper. Since the settlers at Newton became more numerous than the scattered families around Pine Point, a meetinghouse was built in 1684 on the middle branch of Newton Creek (Cooper, 1909, p. 12). This meetinghouse burned in 1817.

In 1682, a wherry (an oar and sail-powered longboat used as a ferry) was taken from Cooper’s riverfront landing to attend meetings across the river in Shackamaxon (later the Kensington area of Philadelphia). Cooper established the riverfront area as a ferry landing (Cooper’s Ferry) that bridged the Quaker communities of West Jersey to those of Philadelphia.

By 1686, several emigrants had arrived in West Jersey and settled about Red Bank, Woodbury, Arwames (Gloucester), Newton, and Pine Point. The occupants of this area grew tired of traveling all the way to Salem or Burlington to transact public business, so on 26 May, 1686, the proprietors, freeholders, and inhabitants of the Third and Fourth Tenths met at Arwames and formed the Gloucester County government. On 1 June, 1695, the Gloucester County Court established the town of Newton, which extended from the lowermost branch of Cooper’s Creek to the southerly branch of Newton Creek. The townships of Waterford and Gloucester were also established that year.

Newton was incorporated into a township of Gloucester County in 1695. On 13 February, 1828, the city of Camden was formed within the township. Newton Township and other portions of Gloucester County became part of Camden County on 13 March, 1844. On 23 February, 1865, portions of Newton were taken to create Haddon Township. Finally, on 7 March, 1871, the remaining portion of the township became part of Haddon Township, and Newton Township was dissolved. Current municipalities included in the area that was formerly part of Newton Township include Haddon Township, Collingswood, Audubon, Haddonfield, and Pennsauken Township.

 

 

Figure 3: 1775 map showing the locations of Newton, Haddonfield, and Gloucestertown.

 

John Adamson’s Arrival in New Jersey

 

As a young man, emigrant John Adamson set sail for the New World without the company of family. He was the first in his family line to step foot on the shores of the Delaware River. It is thought that he was an Englishman, possibly from the North of England. This theory is supported by two historical realizations; Friends who migrated to West Jersey and Pennsylvania during the early 1700s were predominantly from the northern counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire (Fischer, 1989, p.438). Some also came from London, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, but the origins of the great majority can be traced back to northern England. The North having been the Friends’ stronghold, it is understandable that the bulk of them came from around the North Midlands. The second realization involves locations of the Adamson Quaker families. Among the regions of England, Adamsons affiliated with the Society of Friends were most prevalent in the North. Quaker missionary, James Adamson, Jr. hailed from the North’s Cumberland County.    

John Adamson’s birth date is not known, but based on recorded historical events, a relatively accurate estimate of his age can be made. Since on 18/29 September, 1716, he served in the Gloucester County Court as a member of the grand jury, he would have been at least the age of twenty-one at that time. Under the royal Crown, English common law applied in New Jersey which required a man to be at least twenty-one years of age to serve on a jury. Also significant to the year 1716 was John’s marriage to Ann Skuse. Quaker society encouraged men to marry by age twenty-five, which further reinforces the likelihood that John was between the ages of 21-25 in 1716, meaning he would have been born between 1691-1695.      

Based on his approximate age at the time of marriage and first revelation of his presence in historical documents, it is thought that John Adamson arrived in New Jersey about 1715. There is no documentation in Quaker records, court documents or land records of his presence, or any other Adamson’s presence in West Jersey prior to 20 April, 1716. No New Jersey deed for John Adamson exists at the libraries of the Gloucester County Historical Society, Camden County Historical Society or at the Gloucester County Clerk’s Office. By 2005, the East and West Jersey colonial land records held by the proprietors were transferred to the State Archives in Trenton. The recorded Gloucester County colonial era deeds held by the West Jersey Proprietors were complied in John David Davis’ 2007 book, West Jersey, New Jersey Deed Records, 1676-1721, but one for John is not listed among them. He is also not found in the compilation of unrecorded deeds on file at the Gloucester County Historical Society and Camden County Historical Society libraries.

Since John served in the Gloucester County Court as a grand juryman, he would have been a freeholder; one who holds the title to land free and clear. As in the English homeland, only freeholders could serve on juries, hold office, or vote. Also, in 1716, John could not have been an indentured servant. Throughout the colonies, servants were excluded from jury service (Morris, 1946). It is not known how much land John possessed in New Jersey, but his motivation to later relocate to fertile farmland in Bucks County, Pennsylvania could suggest that his New Jersey land plot was rather small and incapable of sustaining a large family.  

 

The Newton Monthly Meeting of Friends

           

In 1681, the Burlington Monthly Meeting established a meeting of worship along the Delaware at Pine Point. The following year, a short-lived monthly meeting for Pine Point and Shackamaxon was formed by the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Though in 1686, the Salem Quarterly Meeting officially established the Newton Monthly Meeting, it is believed that the Newton meeting evolved from the division of the Pine Point and Shackamaxon meeting in 1682. By 1717, a Newton preparative meeting had been established. During the 12th month [February], 1721/22, the Newton Monthly Meeting removed from its site along Newton Creek to Haddonfield and its name was changed to the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting. Both meetings were under the guidance of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.  

            On the 11th [21] day of the 2nd month [April], 1682, a general meeting at Salem ordered Friends at Arwames and Shackamaxon meet together at William Cooper’s house at Pine Point; this joined the Friends settled on Woodbury and Cooper’s Creek. At a yearly meeting held at Burlington, the 8th [18] day of the 7th month [September], 1686, Friends ordered that the Salem Monthly Meeting and Newton Monthly Meeting combine to form the Gloucester (Newton) and Salem Quarterly Meeting to be held alternately at Gloucester (Newton) and Salem (Settlement of meetings, 1889, p. 243). From 1695 to 1721, the Newton Monthly Meeting was held alternately at the Newton meetinghouse and at the house of Thomas Shackle; it was at a monthly meeting held at Thomas Shackle’s house that John Adamson and Ann Skuse announced their intent of marriage in 1716. On the 12th month [February], 1721/22, the Newton Monthly Meeting was transferred to the Haddonfield meetinghouse which was build on land deeded from John Haddon.  

 

Gloucester County

 

Gloucester County was the first county in America established by its inhabitants. To conduct public business, the inhabitants of the Third and Fourth Tenths became fed up with the long trek to the capital in Burlington, so by 1685, the Burlington Court, which served as the government for the West Jersey province, granted the justices and freeholders of the Third and Fourth Tenths permission to form a county government. On 26 May, 1686, Cooper, Collins, Sharp, Bates, and Newby, the leaders of the Third Tenth (the upper precinct) met at Arwames (Gloucester) with representatives of the Fourth Tenth (the lower precinct), which extended from the Gloucester River south toward Fenwick’s Salem colony, where it was decided to hold alternate court sessions in each precinct.

The earliest Gloucester County court sessions met alternately between Red Bank (Woodbury) on Woodbury Creek, which adjoined the lands of Constantine Wood, Thomas Gardiner, and John Ladd, and on the north bank of the Gloucester River (Gloucestertown). The court sessions of 1686 convened first at Henry Tredway’s tavern in Red Bank and then at the large riverfront house of Gloucestertown brewer and ferry owner John Reading, who also served as the first county clerk to record business. The first court session in 1686 provided for election of justices and freeholders, passed ordinances to register earmarks for cattle and hogs, and appointed tax assessors and collectors. The government instructed road commissioners to make a passable highway (the Irish Road) and construct a usable bridge over the Gloucester River (now called Timber Creek) to connect settlers in the lower precinct with the more influential freeholders of the upper precinct (Dorwart, 2001, p. 21). The justices elected at the time were Francis Collins, Thomas Thackera, and John Wood.

Following a bitter court case between Woodbury Creek tavern owner Henry Tredway and Newton Creek founder Robert Zane, who accused Tredway of stealing his hog earmark, Tredway lost the privilege to hold county court sessions at his inn. Therefore, county court sessions were no longer held in the Fourth Tenth. Gloucester remained as the county seat until a fire destroyed the courthouse and jail in 1786, at which time the county seat reverted back to Woodbury.

In 1687, the freeholders and justices of Gloucestertown employed Newton Creek surveyor Thomas Sharp to survey town plats, lay out streets, and design a central market square. This map of the town, entitled, The Draft of the Town of Gloucester as it was Laid Out by the Agreement of the Proprietors in the Year 1687, is included in Sharp’s Book of Surveys on file at the New Jersey State Archives. By 1695, Gloucester County consisted of the townships of Waterford, Greenwich, Gloucester, Gloucestertown, Newton, Deptford, and Egg Harbor; the last two of which were located in the Fourth Tenth.

On 2 December, 1689, the first jailhouse at Gloucester was built. It was constructed of logs, covered with cedar shingles, and measured sixteen feet long, twelve feet wide, and eight feet tall (Mickle, 1845, p. 37). On 1 June, 1696 it was remodeled; a larger jail, twenty feet long and sixteen feet wide, with an accompanying courthouse, was erected (Cooper, 1909, p. 13). This jailhouse was also made of logs and covered in cedar shingles. On 5 October, 1708, the Gloucester County court decided upon an addition to the jail and courthouse that would be joined to the south end of the structure, be made of stone and brick with a stack of chimneys, and measure twelve feet long and two stories high. To finance the improvement, the grand jury levied a tax of one shilling upon every hundred acres of land, one shilling for every horse and mare over three years old, six pence per head of cattle, two pence for each sheep, three shillings for each freeman in service, and three shillings for each negro over twelve years old. The tax was to be brought to the house of the county treasurer and paid in silver money, corn, or any other produce (Mickle, 1845, p. 37). The grand jury levied its own taxes until 1694, when the assembly vested the power in the county justices. In 1713, the power to levy taxes was passed by statute to both the justices and chosen freeholders.  

On 5 April, 1715, the justices and freeholders decided to relocate the jail and courthouse to High Street (later Market Street). Court sessions continued at the old courthouse until it, along with the jail, was sold in March, 1719, to William Harrison for eight pounds. John Adamson served his first time as a grand jury member for a murder trial at this courthouse on 29 September, 1716.   

The new jail was built from mortar of lime and sand, measured twenty feet long, nine feet high, and two feet thick, and the floor was constructed using the planks from the old jail. The new structure was finished in 1719, but for reasons unknown, it was decided in December of that year to demolish it and rebuild it again on the same foundation (Mickle, 1845, p. 37). At this time, stocks and a whipping post were erected near the jail. John Adamson served as a juryman at the new courthouse twice. Apparently, the new courthouse was not very comfortable as a court minute dated 19 December, 1721, states that the Court of Common Pleas was adjourned to the house of Mary Spey by “reason of the cold.” The justices commonly met at six o’clock in the morning when the temperature was especially low (p. 38). Jurors were summoned for jury duty by the sheriff six days before their court appearance.   

The inhabitants of Gloucester County ranged from modestly wealthy Quaker families to poor ones. Some became impoverished from the constant fines levied upon them in England for attending Friends meetings and from refusal to support the Anglican Church. The poorer inhabitants who settled in the Third Tenth signed contracts of indenture with more prosperous proprietors, who paid their passage to West Jersey in return for a term of servitude (Dorwart, 2001, p. 22). The leading Gloucester County families sponsored indentured servants and took care of the infirm and indigent through the Quaker meeting (p. 29). The upper class families of Newton Township included the Cooper, Mickle, Kaighn, Clement, Gill, Haddon-Estaugh, Hopkins, Stokes, Ellis, Matlack, and Kay families.     

At the beginning of the 18th century, most Gloucester County inhabitants journeyed on horseback. The roads were not yet capable of accommodating wheeled carriages. It was not until the completion of the King’s Highway (King’s Road) in the 1750s that a road was fit for carriages. Around 1681, the General Assembly at Burlington passed an act to survey and construct a public highway that connected the capitals of East Jersey (Perth Amboy) and West Jersey (Burlington), as well as Salem.

Gloucester County prospered into a thriving business community. Philadelphia buyers crossed the river to buy goods from the Cooper’s Ferry marketplace and browse livestock brought in by area farmers. Linens, glassware, and a wide assortment of meats and produce were aplenty. Plantation, mill, and tavern owners reaped profits from regular clientele. Planters and mill owners floated cedar shingles, cordwood, and agricultural products in flatboats from Roe’s Landing (later Chew’s Landing) and other places along the branches of Timber Creek for shipment to Philadelphia (Dorwart, 2001, p. 32).     

Due to its rich meadowlands and valuable woodlands, the region between Timber and Cooper’s Creeks attracted Philadelphia investors and real estate entrepreneurs who sought to make the area a suburb of Philadelphia. Local proprietors advertised for sale one-hundred-acre tracts of land complete with apple and peach orchards, fended pastures, two-story houses with full cellars, detached kitchens with stone fireplaces and draw wells at the door (Dorwat, 2001, p. 33). Many properties included frame barns for hay, stables, sheds, cider mills, and milk houses. The most sought after properties were near good landings along Timber, Newton, and Cooper’s Creeks, and bordering the road between Cooper’s Ferry and Haddonfield. 

 

Haddonfield

           

The oldest borough in Newton was Haddonfield, which was founded about 1702 by Elizabeth Haddon. Elizabeth was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Haddon, Friends of London whom bought a 500 acre tract of land in West Jersey to escape religious persecution. Having plans to settle in Newton, her parents sent persons over to make preparations for their reception.  Encountering a delay, they allowed their daughter, at the age of twenty, to go in their place. Elizabeth set sail from Southwark, England to the New World in 1701. Shortly after her arrival, she made a marriage proposal to John Estaugh, a Quaker minister, and they were married in 1702 (Mickle, 1845, p.49). In 1713, John and Elizabeth built a large brick mansion (New Haddonfield Plantation) on present-day Wood Lane. Elizabeth was an eminent member of the Society of Friends; she served as clerk to the Women’s Meeting for nearly fifty years, and was known for her charity to the sick and poor.

In 1721, Elizabeth’s father gave her a deed for one acre of land to be used for the creation of a Quaker meetinghouse and burial ground. The meetinghouse was made of logs and stood near the intersection of present-day Haddon Avenue and King’s Highway on land today occupied by a firehouse. Construction of the building lasted a considerable amount of time as the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes dated 12th day [23] of the 9th [November] month, 1725, recorded that Constantine Wood made payment of three pounds on behalf of Friends of Woodbury Creek towards the finishing of the Haddonfield meetinghouse (Tvaryanas, 1993, p. 218). The meetinghouse was used until 1760 when a larger meetinghouse made of brick was erected upon the site of the old one. The old log meetinghouse was relocated to the opposite side of the Ferry road and used as a horse shed for the new one. The brick meetinghouse was demolished in 1851 and its bricks were used to construct a wall that surrounded the adjoining burial ground. The present-day meetinghouse was erected upon an adjoining lot of about three acres in 1851 (The Friend, 1889).

 

 

Figure 4: Brick meetinghouse for the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting, 1760.

 

Recorded Events of John Adamson’s Life in New Jersey

 

20 APR 1716 – John Adamson and Ann Skuse Announced Intention of Marriage

The earliest extant documentation from the New World that references John comes from the Newton Monthly Meeting Minutes dated the 9th day [20] of the 2nd month [April], 1716. At a monthly meeting held at Thomas Shackle’s house, John and wife-to-be, Ann Skuse, presented their intentions of marriage with each other. Thomas Stokes and Thomas Troth were appointed by the meeting to make enquiries regarding the couple’s good standing (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 35). When appointed to make enquiries regarding a couple, appointees were expected to report their findings at the subsequent monthly meeting. To ensure couples were serious about a marriage commitment, Quaker overseers would request couples make their intentions of marriage known to the monthly meeting twice. At the second meeting, if a couple still expressed a desire for marriage, it was considered an affirmed public statement of their devotion toward each other. Also, Quaker couples could not marry without the consent of the meeting elders. When the initial marriage announcement was made, elders were assigned to make enquiries regarding what Quakers called, “clearance from others” to first, ensure that the couple was in good standing within the community, and second, that no one within the community had good reason to speak out against the marriage.   

 

25 MAY 1716 – John Adamson and Ann Skuse Confirmed Intention of Marriage

            At a monthly meeting held at Newton, the 14th day [25] of the 3rd month [May], 1716, John Adamson and Ann Skuse, the second time, presented their intentions of marriage with each other. When enquiries were made concerning their clearance, nothing stood against them, so the meeting consented to their marriage. Thomas Stokes and Samuel Lippincott were appointed by the meeting to attend their wedding (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 36). Some marriage certificates for the Newton Quakers still exist, but apparently John and Ann’s certificate was not preserved as there is no trace of it among the Newton meeting archives. Even though their exact marriage date is unknown, it is known that Quaker marriages generally took place during the meeting for worship and within two months following the announcement of intent. Therefore, it is likely that John and Ann were wed around the 5th month [July], 1716. There is no trace of John or Ann’s presence in New Jersey prior to their marriage announcement, 20 April, 1716. They were both the first individuals present in New Jersey to carry the surnames Adamson and Skuse.

            A record of John and Ann’s confirmed intention of marriage was also recorded in the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Women’s Minutes. Recorded the same day, the 14th day [25] of the 3rd month [May], 1716, John Adamson and Ann Skuse signified their continued intentions of marriage. When enquiries were made concerning their clearance, nothing stood against them, so the meeting consented to their marriage. Mary Haines and Elizabeth Braddock were appointed by the meeting to attend their wedding. Unlike the Men’s Minutes, the Women’s Minutes spelled Ann’s surname Skuce instead of Skuse (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Women’s Minutes: 1705-1769, p. 22).  

 

                    Figure 5: A Quaker wedding

 

29 SEPT 1716 – John Adamson Served on the Grand Jury at the Gloucester County Court          

There are no Adamsons present in any extant Gloucester County court documents until 18/29 Sept 1716, when John Adamson was recorded as a member of the grand jury for a murder trial (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 504). John and Ann were wed during the summer of 1716, so his jury service at the Gloucester County courthouse would have been just months after their marriage. In each court proceeding in which John was a juryman, his name was recorded as Addamson. This naming convention was quite common during the Early Modern Era and is frequently seen in countless English surnames. Some of the jurymen names listed in the original court documents were misspelled, so in this documentation, as many names as possible were corrected based on spellings referenced in reliable genealogical histories. 

The court case, dated 18/29 Sept 1716, is included in the third volume of the Transcriptions of the Second Court Record Book of Gloucester County, New Jersey (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 504). The trial involved Samuel Harrison, who was accused of drowning Susannah Smith, and then placing her body on the property of Sarah Mickle. The end of the document states that the court was adjourned until 3:00PM (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 504). Unfortunately, since there is no further documentation of the case, it is not known how it ended.

The following justices of the peace were present on the bench: John Kay, John Hugg, John Mickle, Constantine Wood, Samuel Ward, and Amos Ashead (Coroner). William Harrison (Sheriff) and Thomas Sharp (Clerk) were the officers present. Constables representing the various Gloucester County townships were present: Joseph Knight (Waterford Township), Joseph Hinchman (Newton Township), Ralph Sutton (Gloucester Township), Joseph Liddon (Greenwich Township, lower part). Jeremiah Addams (Egg Harbor Township) and Peter Lock (Greenwich Township, upper part) did not appear, Michael Laikon (Deptford Township) was sick.   

Members of the grand jury included: John Ladd (Foreman), Thomas Stokes, Samuel Dennis, John Matlack, John Shivers, John Gill, John Adamson, Alexander Morgan, Abraham Porter, John Inskeep, Peter Long, John Jones, John Cox, Peter Cox, Stephen Jones, Eric Wullaker, and Thomas Denny.

 

24 MAY 1717 – Thomas Stokes Appointed to Buy a Cow to Lend to John Adamson

            John Adamson was among the lower class of Gloucester County. The extent of his family’s hardships is evident in the entries recorded in the documents of the Newton Monthly Meeting Minutes. When a Friend came upon hard times, he could often rely on the Quaker community to provide some financial assistance.   

 At a monthly meeting held at Newton, the 13th day [24] of the 3rd month [May], 1717, Thomas Stokes was appointed to buy a cow to lend to John Adamson on behalf of the meeting (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 42).

 

21 JUN 1717 – Thomas Stokes Bought the Cow to Lend to John Adamson

            At a monthly meeting held at Newton, the 10th day [21] of the 4th month [June], 1717, as discussed in the previous month’s meeting, Thomas Stokes bought a cow for three pounds to lend to John Adamson. The upper meeting, Newton meeting, and meeting at Woodbury Creek arranged to reimburse Stokes for his purchase (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 43).   

 

6 MAR 1718 – John and Ann’s First Child, Thomas Adamson was Born

Around ten months into their marriage and while living in Newton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Ann gave birth to their first child, Thomas on the 23rd day [6] of the 12th month [March], 1717/18 (Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805, p. 31).    

 

20 AUG 1719 – John and Ann’s First Daughter, Betty Adamson was Born

            While living in Newton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Ann gave birth to their first daughter, Betty on the 9th day [20] of the 6th month [August], 1719 (Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805, p. 31).

 

31 DEC 1720 – John Adamson Served on the Grand Jury at the Gloucester County Court         

John Adamson next appeared as a member of the grand jury on 20/31 Dec 1720 (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 570). In this case, John Ashbrook filed a complaint that the taxes for his flat (the British term for an apartment or one-floor residence) had been over-assessed that year. The court decided to reduce the assessment by four shillings (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 570).

    The following justices of the peace were present on the bench: John Kay, John Hugg, John Mickle, and Amos Ashead (Coroner). The officers present were Josiah Kay (Sheriff) and Thomas Sharp (Clerk). The following constables representing the various Gloucester County townships were present: Samuel Holmes (Waterford Township), Arthur Powell (Newton Township), Will Clark, Jr. and Francis Jones (Gloucester Township), Job Whitall (Deptford Township), Henda Hendrickson (Greenwich Township, upper part), Andrew Matson (Greenwich Township, lower part), and Thomas Green (Egg Harbor).

Members of the grand jury included: John Gill (Foreman), Joseph Tindall, Joseph Knight, William Dennis, William Cooper, Robert Bryan, Isaac Homer, Thomas Stowe, William Ellis, William Warner, James Ward, John Cook, Samuel Sharp, John Adamson, and Thomas Bright.  

Like John Adamson, John Gill served on the jury for this case as well as the 1716 murder trial. It is worth noting that some of the grand jurors present at this court proceedings had the very same surnames as those who served on the murder trial; all relatives of the previous jurors. The townships were still relatively small at that time, hence a smaller population to choose from for the jury duty selection process. In Old Gloucester County, it is not uncommon to see many of the same men serve on juries repeatedly.  

 

20 DEC 1721 – John and Ann’s Second Daughter, Hester Adamson was Born

While living in Newton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Ann gave birth to their second daughter, Hester on the 9th day [20] of the 10th month [December], 1721 (Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805, p. 31).

 

22 DEC 1721 – John Adamson Requested Financial Assistance from the Meeting

            At a monthly meeting held at Thomas Shackle’s house, the 11th day [22] of the 10th month [December], 1721, just three days before Christmas and two days after Hester’s birth, Timothy Matlack, one of the overseers of the upper meeting, requested on John Adamson’s behalf, some financial assistance from the meeting. John Kay gave Matlack thirty shillings as a contribution toward John Adamson’s need.    

            In addition to the account recorded in the Monthly Meeting Minutes, an entry documenting the amount of money contributed to John Adamson by John Kay was written in an accounting register within the records book used to keep track of contributions made by the meeting (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 23).    

 

19 JAN 1722 – Confirmation That John Kay Contributed Money for John Adamson’s Use

            At the next monthly meeting held at Newton, the 8th day [19] of the 11th month [January], 1721/22, John Kay signified that he had handed to Timothy Matlack thirty shillings to be paid to John Adamson (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 78).      

 

25 MAY 1722 – John Kay Contributed Bushels of Rye to John Adamson

            At a monthly meeting held at Haddonfield, the 14th day [25] of the 3rd month [May], 1722, John Kay contributed nine bushels of rye to John Adamson (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731, p. 82). 

Notice that the location of the monthly meeting is now Haddonfield. During the 12th month [February], 1721/22, the Newton Monthly Meeting removed to the Haddonfield meetinghouse and its name was changed from the Newton Monthly Meeting to the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting. The Haddonfield meetinghouse accommodated both monthly and quarterly meetings. Previously, monthly meetings had been held alternately at Newton and at the house of Thomas Shackle.  

 

30 NOV 1723 - John Adamson Served on the Grand Jury at the Gloucester County Court         

John Adamson’s final time served as a grand juror in Gloucester County was on 19/30 Nov 1723 (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 29). By early 1726, he and his family would move to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this court session was not addressed in the document. The case is referenced on page 29 of volume three.   

The following justices of the peace were present on the bench: John Kay, Samuel Ward, and Thomas Spicer. Josiah Kay (Sheriff), Amos Ashead (Coroner), and Thomas Sharp (Clerk) were the officers present. Constables representing the various Gloucester County townships were present: Samuel Dennis (Waterford Township), William Davis (Newton Township), Richard Valentine and Nathan Tylee (Gloucester Township), George Ward (Deptford Township), Thomas Holden (Greenwich Township, upper part), Andrew String (Greenwich Township, lower part), and Samuel Hareur (Egg Harbor Township).

 Members of the grand jury included: Alexander Morgan, William Hampton, James Hinchman, Simon Breach, John Adamson, Jacob Matson, Richard Gray, Jacob Medcalf, Henry Sparks, William Ellis, Benjamin Thackara, Thomas Stokes, Hence Steelman, Samuel Burroughs, Daniel Hillman, John Eastlack, Nathan Champion, Jeremiah Bates, and Isaac Jennings. Alexander Morgan was the son of Griffith Morgan, an emigrant from Wales.

The men present at the court proceedings provide a diverse representation of some of the most notable families of the Gloucester community. Some were the first settlers of Gloucester County while others mentioned were their sons or sons-in-law. Thomas Sharp, Robert Zane, William Cooper, and John Gill were original founders of the Newton Township. John Mickle was the son of colonist, Archibald Mickle, who arrived at Newton from Antrim County, Ireland in 1681 (Clement, 1877, p. 141). Benjamin Thackara was the son of Newton colonist, Thomas Thackara, a Leeds, Yorkshire, England Quaker who relocated to Dublin, Ireland for a while before settling in Newton in 1681. The first Friends’ meetinghouse built at Newton stood upon lands conveyed by Thomas Thackara (p. 64). Both John Whitall and John Eastlack were brothers-in-law to Benjamin Thackara. William Ellis was the son of Simeon Ellis, a Yorkshire, England Quaker who relocated from the Burlington settlement to Newton (p. 181). Samuel Cole emigrated from Cole’s Hill, Hertfordshire, England (p. 201). John Matlack was the descendent of William Matlack who arrived in Burlington from Nottinghamshire, England (p. 232). John Hugg arrived in Newton in 1683 from Wexford, Ireland (p. 284). Thomas Stokes was from Middlesex County, London, England (p. 301). John Kay, son of Jarvis Kay, arrived in Newton from Yorkshire, England in 1684 (p. 168).

 

21 JAN 1726 – John Adamson Requested a Certificate of Removal to Pennsylvania

            At a monthly meeting held at Haddonfield, the 10th day [21] of the 11th month [January], 1725/26, on John Adamson’s behalf, Thomas Stokes requested a certificate of removal for transfer to the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. John and Timothy Matlack were appointed to make enquiries regarding John Adamson’s eligibility for transfer, and were to make their answers known at the next monthly meeting (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1431, p. 111).

 

FEB 1726 – John and Timothy Matlack Find John Adamson to Be Eligible for a Certificate

            At a monthly meeting held at Haddonfield, the 12th month [February], 1725/26, John and Timothy Matlack reported to the monthly meeting that following enquiries, they decided John Adamson was eligible for a certificate of removal, and that Joseph Cooper, Jr. should draw up his certificate (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1431, p. 111).

 

25 MAR 1726 – Joseph Cooper, Jr. Produced a Certificate of Removal for John Adamson

            At a monthly meeting held at Haddonfield, the 14th day [25] of the 1st month [March], 1725/26, Joseph Cooper, Jr. produced a certificate of removal on behalf of John Adamson which had been signed and approved (Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1431, p. 112).

 

26 APR 1726 – John and Ann’s Second Son, John Adamson was Born

While living in Newton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Ann gave birth to their second son, John on the 15th day [26] of the second month [April], 1726 (Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805, p. 31).

 

Relocation to Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

 

            On 25 March, 1726, the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in Gloucester County, New Jersey, granted John Adamson a certificate of removal to the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. The Gwynedd meeting was located in Philadelphia County (now Montgomery County) Pennsylvania, but John’s transfer implied removal to the meeting at the “Great Swamp” settlement in the Bucks County rich lands, which was under the auspices of the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting.

At the time, Ann was near due to give birth to their second son, John, and relocation to Pennsylvania would have been difficult for her, so the family remained in Newton until she was fit for travel. When June arrived, John, Ann, and the four children crossed the Delaware River into the area known as the Great Swamp or upper rich lands of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. During the move, newborn John was but a few weeks old. Thomas would have been age eight, Betty, six, and Hester, four.     

            The family settled onto 150 acres of farmland along the northern line of Richland Manor in what would become Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The land was patented to John by William Penn’s sons, John, Thomas, and Richard Penn.

 

Figure 6: Modern map showing where the John Adamson family relocated. They traveled from Newton Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey to Springfield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Quakertown.

 

The sons of William Penn inherited from their father land in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Philadelphia, and Lancaster. The Penns encouraged rapid settlement of the colonies and made room for the influx of European emigrants by adding to their territory through continuous land purchases. To accommodate as many settlers as possible, the Penns updated the surveying procedures instituted by their father. Two categories of land were established to reflect land settlement up to that point: improved and unimproved land.  During William Penn’s proprietorship, much of the land settlement was never recorded formally so squatting (occupying land the squatter does not own) was common practice.  Land that had been settled under this policy was considered improved land.  All other lands vacant were considered unimproved lands.  In order to regulate the settling of their lands and to retrieve payment from squatters who settled before 1754, the Penns further updated the application system, which consisted of a series of documents including application, warrant, survey, and patent.  These records documented the name of the person applying for the land, the number of acres desired, county and townships in which the land was located, and an actual drawing of the boundary lines (Documentary Families Project, 2011). 

In 1735, the sons of William Penn sold around 4,000 acres of their best land in southeastern Pennsylvania by lottery. The area was over 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. 7,750 lottery tickets were issued at 40 shillings each (1 shilling was equal to 12 pennies). 1,293 lottery tickets were marked as award prizes of 25 to 3,000 acres. Holders of the tickets were allowed to locate the land indicated as the prize on the lottery ticket. Eventually, holders of lottery tickets were allowed to secure the deed to the land. These acres became known as the Lottery Lands of Springfield Township (Springfield Township, 2004). On 5 December, 1739, the deputy surveyor returned results of the survey to the Land Office. John Adamson received the land patent which entitled him to full ownership of his land.

           

Figure 7: Location of John Adamson’s farmland in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

 

John Adamson’s tract was located at the southernmost edge of what became Springfield Township in 1743. Just beyond his property’s southern boundary was Richland Township, which surrounded the boroughs of Quakertown and Richlandtown. To the northeast, ran Cooks Creek, part of the Highlands region which winds through 3.5 million acres of forests, farmlands, and rugged hills through southeastern Pennsylvania, and into New Jersey, New York, and parts of Connecticut. Rocky Valley, a dyke of igneous rock created by Triassic Period lava flows lay to the north. John’s neighbor to the west was Peter Ashton who came from Queene County, Ireland, in 1732, bringing a certificate of removal from Montrath Monthly Meeting. Peter and his wife Mary removed from Chester and Concord in Chester County until they finally ended up in Springfield, where they acquired 207 acres of land. Peter’s patent was not granted until the 8th day [19] of the 2nd month [April], 1745. John Adamson’s son, Thomas, along with neighbors George Vanbuskirk and Ebenezer Walker, were recorded witnesses to the wills of both Peter and Mary Ashton, written 21 September, 1758 and 6 October, 1758. In present time, John Adamson’s tract of land is bordered by Richlandtown Pike to the north and east, California Road to the south, and Keystone Road to the west. John’s son, Thomas signed a petition filed in court 15 September, 1743, for organizing Springfield Township.

Since a Springfield meeting for worship had not yet been established, John and his family attended Friends’ meetings at Quakertown, in the heart of Richlandtown. It was not until the second month [April], 1743, that Friends in Springfield were granted permission to hold meetings. The meetings at Springfield were held at the houses of Joseph Unthank and John Dennis until 1755, when Joseph Unthank removed to North Carolina. The meeting previously held at his house was ordered to be held at Thomas Adamson's. From 1755 to 1757, Friends’ meetings were hosted alternately between the homes of Thomas Adamson and John Dennis, and after that, at Adamson’s alone (Roberts, 1925, p. 16).         

 

Richland Township

 

The area of Richland and Milford was first known as the “Great Swamp.” Shortly after 1720, it was called “Rich lands,” for the fertility of its soil, and then eventually, “Richland.” The township was originally established by English Friends in the early eighteenth century, but by the 1750s, German emigrants began to assimilate into the township, and eventually became the dominant ethnic group. Richland was the only township in Bucks County laid out in lines corresponding with the cardinal points of a compass.

            Richland Township was established in 1734. Quakertown borough occupies its center, at the juncture of roads leading to Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, and Newtown, and is about 50 miles north of Philadelphia. The name, “Quakertown” did not officially come about until 1801, and the first post office bearing its name opened in 1803. During America’s fight for independence, the Liberty Bell was concealed behind Richland’s Liberty Hall, on its way to be hidden in Allentown. John Adamson was one of thirty-five early residents near Richland to sign a petition for the formation of the Swamp Road (later, Doylestown Road) in 1730.

 

 

Figure 8: Richland Monthly Meetinghouse renovated in 1862 from the original 1730 meetinghouse structure.

           

The Richland Meeting of Friends

 

In 1712, Peter Lester of Leicestershire, England, with his wife and children, John Ball, a son-in-law of Lester’s, and other families were the first Friends to settle in the Great Swamp area. They became members of the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, but since the meeting in Philadelphia County was so far away, the monthly meeting authorized Peter to hold a meeting for worship at his house. Meetings were held at Peter’s house until 1723, when a small, log meetinghouse was erected at the intersection of the Road to Philadelphia and present-day Station Road; about a mile south from the site of the present meetinghouse. The first meetinghouse was built on a triangular lot of five acres of land donated by Everard Bolton.   

 On the 27th day [8] of the 4th month [July], 1725, the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting authorized the creation of a preparative meeting. Friends found that the land surrounding the meetinghouse was too rocky for use as a burial ground, so by November, 1725 they began searching for a more suitable location. Furthermore, as more and more Friends settled in the area, it became necessary to relocate to a new, larger meetinghouse. In 1730, a new location was found and the new meetinghouse was built near the center of the Great Swamp settlement at Richland Centre (Quakertown). On the 1st day [12] of the ninth month [November], 1742, the Quarterly Meeting held at Philadelphia granted the creation of the Richland Monthly Meeting to be held the fifth day of every month. Richland, like the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, was under the guidance of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. The first meeting of the Richland Monthly Meeting was held the 20th day [31] of the 11th month [January], 1743. An addition to the meetinghouse was completed in 1749. Further additions to the meetinghouse were made in 1762 to accommodate the women’s meeting and a school. A wall was built around the burial ground of the meetinghouse in 1792. Yet another addition to the meetinghouse was made in 1795 and a date stone bearing this year is still preserved in the meetinghouse. The present stone meetinghouse was built in 1862 from the structure of the old meetinghouse and stands on the same site. It is located at 200 South Main Street, Quakertown, Pennsylvania, 18951, at the intersection of Mill Road and South Main Street. The Friends’ cemetery is located beside the meetinghouse.  

 

The Gwynedd Monthly Meeting of Friends

 

Gwynedd Township was founded 10 March, 1697, when Welsh Quakers, William John and Thomas Evans purchased 11,449 acres of land from Robert Turner.  The land was given the Welsh name, “Gwynedd,” (pronounced ‘Gwyneth’) meaning “White Fields,” because the first Welsh emigrants were from the Afon Tryweryn valley in Gwynedd County, Wales. The township was later split into Upper and Lower Gwynedd in 1891.

            In 1699, meetings for worship were originally held in the homes of John Hugh and John Humphrey. The first meetinghouse was built of logs in 1700 and was under the care of the Haverford Meeting. The second meetinghouse at Gwynedd was built in 1712 and made of stone. The Gwynedd Monthly Meeting was officially established in 1714 out of the Haverford (later, Radnor) Monthly Meeting, and included both the Gwynedd and Plymouth Monthly Meetings. Friends who held meetings for worship in the Oley Valley, under the care of Gwynedd, established the Oley Monthly Meeting (later, Exeter Monthly Meeting).

A meeting for worship was organized under Gwynedd Monthly Meeting for the Richland Friends in 1721. During this time, Richland Friends held meetings in their homes until 1725 when a small log meetinghouse was built. A preparative meeting referred to as, “The Swamp,” was established the 29th day [10] of the 4th month [July], 1725. In 1742, both the meeting for worship and preparative meetings separated from Gwynedd Monthly Meeting and were transferred to form the Richland Monthly Meeting.   At this time, several Gwynedd families transferred to Richland, Providence, and Exeter Monthly Meetings.

               

Figure 9: Aerial map showing the location of the Richland Monthly Meetinghouse.

 

 

 

 

Recorded Events of John Adamson’s Life in Pennsylvania

 

11 JUN 1726 – John Adamson Brought His Certificate of Removal to Gwynedd Monthly Meeting

            On the 31st day [11] of the third month [June], 1726, John Adamson brought a certificate of removal from the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in New Jersey to the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania (Roberts, 1925, p. 44). At the meeting, the certificate was read and reviewed for his admittance into fellowship (Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1714-1747, p. 88). In 1726, John purchased 150 acres of land in Springfield Township, Bucks County, PA. His tract was located on Springfield’s south border, and extended beyond the Richland Township line. Adjoining John’s property to the west was Peter Ashton who arrived in Springfield from Ireland in 1732. To the north of his property ran Cooks Creek.

 

6 DEC 1728 – John and Ann’s Third Daughter, Ann Adamson was Born

While living in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ann gave birth to their third daughter, Ann on the 25th day [6] of the ninth month [December], 1728 (Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805, p. 31).

 

1730 – John was Recorded as a Resident Near the Quakertown Borough, Pennsylvania

            In J.H. Battle’s 1887 book, History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, John Adamson was listed as one of the people who resided in the vicinity of the Quakertown borough in 1730. Additional residents recorded that year were Hugh Foulke. John Lester, Arnal (Arnall) Heacock (Hancock), John Phillips, William Morris, John Richards, William Jamison, Edmund (Edmond) Phillips, John Ball, John Edwards, Thomas Roberts, William Nixon, Arthur Jones, and Edward Roberts.   

 

28 SEPT 1730 – John signed a petition for the “Swamp Road” to Be Built

Prior to organization by the court in 1734, Richland Township had a quasi existence and was simply known as “rich lands.” John, and thirty-four other residents in and adjacent to what would become Richland Township, signed a petition for the “Swamp Road,” later, Doylestown Road, to be built (Roberts, 1925, p. 10). The road would extend from the new meetinghouse to the county line near William Thomas’ house and would serve the purpose of traveling to Philadelphia via the Montgomery road. Up to the point of the road’s construction, Richland inhabitants reached Philadelphia using the York road, which was ill-designed for carts and loaded horses. The petition was presented to the court, 17/28 September, 1730 and was signed by Hugh Foulke, John Lester, John Adamson, Arnall Hancock, John Phillips, George Phillips, Sr., William Morris, Johannes Landis, John Greasley, Edward Roberts, Arthur Jones, William Nixon, John Ball, John Edwards, Thomas Roberts, Joshua Richards, William Jamison, David Jenkins, Edmund Phillips, George Hicks, Johannes Bleiler, Michael Everhart, Joseph Everhart, Abraham Hill, Jacob Klein, John Jacob Klemmer, Jacob Musselman, Jacob Sutar, Peter Cutz, Jacob Drissel, Henry Walp, Samuel Yoder, John Jacob Zeits, and Heinrich Ditterly (Davis, 1876, p. 462).

 

 

Figure 10: Facsimile of John Adamson’s signature from a petition presented to the Bucks County Court for the creation of the Swamp Road, 28 September, 1730.

 

20 NOV 1730 – John and Ann’s Fourth Daughter, Susanna Adamson was Born

While living in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ann gave birth to their fourth daughter, Susanna on 9th day [20] of the 9th month [November], 1730 (Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805, p. 31).   

 

1733 – John and Ann’s Third Son, Simon Adamson was Born

While living in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ann gave birth to their third son, Simon in 1733 (Roberts, 1925, p. 44).

 

6 OCT 1733 – John Adamson’s Wife Died Leaving a Young Child to Nurse

            At the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, the 25th day [6] of the 7th month [October], 1733, the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Minutes recorded that John’s wife, Ann died, leaving a young child (presumably Simon) to nurse. Being unable to properly care for him, the Swamp Friends requested assistance from the meeting (Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1714-1747, p. 168).     

 

10 NOV 1733 – The Meeting Agreed to Contribute Money for John's Relief

            On the 30th day [10] of the 8th month [November], 1733, the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting agreed to contribute forty shillings for John's relief. Each preparative meeting would bring contributions at the next monthly meeting (Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1714-1747, p. 169).

 

8 DEC 1733 – Money was Ordered to be Paid for Nursing John's Child

            At the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, the 27th day [8] of the 9th month [December], 1733, the Gwynedd Monthly Meeting ordered that the money brought to the meeting be paid for nursing John Adamson's child (Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1714-1747, p. 171).

 

16 NOV 1737 – A Warrant to Have John’s Land Tract Surveyed was Issued

            On 5/16 November, 1737, John filed an application to the Land Office so a warrant could be issued for a survey of his land.

 

16 DEC 1739 – John Received the Deed for His Land

            On 5/16 December, 1739, the deputy surveyor returned results of the survey to the Land Office. John received the land patent which entitled him to full ownership of his land. Purchasing land involved locating a tract, securing a warrant for its survey, and acquiring a patent deed (Springfield Township, 2004). Below are the warrant register and patent details taken from the Records of the Land Office at the Pennsylvania State Archives:  

 

Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Warrant Registers, 1733-1957 [series #17.88]. Pennsylvania State Archives, Bucks County Warrant Register

No. of Warrant: 11

Name of Warrantee: Adamson, John

Description of Warrant: Survey

Quantity (acreage): 150

Date of Warrant: 5 NOV 1737

Date of Return: 5 DEC 1739

Acres Returned: 150

Name of Patentee: John Adamson

Where Recorded (patent book and page number): Vol. A, No. 10, Page 66 (Patent Book A-10, page 66).

Where Survey is Copied (survey book and page number): Book A59, page 297 (Survey Book A-59, page 297).

 

Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Patent Indexes, 1684-1957 [series #17.147, 154 & 155]. Pennsylvania State Archives

Date of Patent: 3 DEC 1739

Page: 66

Patentee: Adamson, John

Acres: 150

Warrantee: John Adamson

Date of Warrant: 5 NOV 1737

County: Bucks

 

The following excerpt from genealogist, Sharon Cook MacInnes’ website, Ancestor Tracks, a site dedicated to using maps to track ancestors, describes the process of land acquisition in eighteenth century Pennsylvania:

“The process for obtaining land in Pennsylvania involved a three-part process: (1) the prospective landowner had to file an application for land in fairly specific terms. When the Land Office received the application, they issued a warrant, or an order to have the desired tract surveyed. The applicant had to pay a fee for this warrant and became known as the warrantee. The loose warrant was copied into a ledger called a Warrant Register. (2) The next step was to pay a fee for the survey and wait until a deputy surveyor could be assigned to do the work. The results of the survey were returned to the Land Office with a precise description and map of the tract, nearly always including the names of the neighbors who owned the adjacent tracts. These loose surveys are on file at the Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg and have been copied into Survey Books. (3) The last step was to pay yet another fee to the colony or state and receive the final title which was called a patent. This is the official deed transferring ownership from the colony or state to the individual. He or she now became the patentee. Again, the patents were copied into ledgers called Patent Registers. Sometimes, many years passed between the three steps (MacInnes, 2011).”

 

12 MAR 1753 – John Conveyed His Land to Son, Thomas Adamson

On the 1st day [12] of the 1st month [March], 1753, John Adamson conveyed his 150-acre plantation to his oldest son, Thomas who had already filed an application for a 100-acre tract of land in Springfield Township, Bucks County. The issuance of Thomas’ land warrant on 27 [7] December/January 1751/52 was recorded at the Land Office. On 20/1 November/December, 1776, the deputy surveyor returned results of the survey for Thomas’ property to the Land Office. It is not known where in Springfield Thomas acquired this additional 100 acres of land, but it is thought that it adjoined his father’s 150-acre plot. The patentee on the 100-acre plot was David Reeser, a relative of Abraham Reeser, who owned a tract of land nearby.  

Thomas and his family lived at his father’s homestead until 12 April, 1775, when he sold the 150-acre estate to Austrian born emigrant, Hans Peter Gruber (Gruver), Sr. (Bucks County Deed Book Vol. 18, p. 126). Gruber was a grist and saw mill builder who arrived in Bucks County around 1743. On 14 [25] January, 1743/44, a land warrant to accept a survey (a warrant that accepts an already existing survey on a tract land) was issued to Gruber for a 150-acre tract of land in Bucks County. Gruber applied for a warrant on an additional 50-acre tract of land, but ended up forfeiting it.         

In 1784, Thomas and his son, John took a certificate of removal from the Richland Monthly Meeting to the Westland Monthly Meeting and settled on a 250-acre property adjoining Fort Swan in Washington County (now Greene County), Pennsylvania. The land warrant for Thomas’ Washington County property was issued on 15 December, 1784 and was returned by the surveyor on 6 November, 1789. The patentees for the property were Thomas’ sons, John and Joseph Adamson. Below are the details taken from the Records of the Land Office at the Pennsylvania State Archives:      

 

Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Warrant Registers, 1733-1957 [series #17.88]. Pennsylvania State Archives, Bucks County Warrant Register

No. of Warrant: 68

Name of Warrantee: Adamson, Thomas

Description of Warrant: Survey

Quantity (acreage): 100

Date of Warrant: 27 DEC 1751

Date of Return: 20 NOV 1776

Acres Returned: 100.36

Name of Patentee: David Reeser

Where Recorded (patent book and page number): Vol. AA, No. 14, Page 375 (Patent Book AA-14, page 375).

Where Survey is Copied (survey book and page number): Book Q, page 71, Springfield (Survey Book Q, page 71 at Springfield).

 

Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Warrant Registers, 1733-1957 [series #17.88]. Pennsylvania State Archives, Washington County Warrant Register

No. of Warrant: 14

Name of Warrantee: Adamson, Thomas

Description of Warrant: Survey

Quantity (acreage): 318

Date of Warrant: 15 DEC 1784

Date of Return: 6 NOV 1789

Acres Returned: 250.123

Name of Patentee: John & Joseph Adamson

Where Recorded (patent book and page number): Vol. P, No. 18, Page 202 (Patent Book P-18, page 202).

Where Survey is Copied (survey book and page number): Book A82, page 156 (Survey Book A-82, page 156).

 

1753 – John Adamson’s Death

A recorded date for John’s death and place of burial has yet to be found, and no extant will or testament exists. Since John conveyed his land to son, Thomas on 12 March, 1753, it is surmised that he may have died shortly afterwards. During this time period, it was customary Quaker practice to bury the deceased without headstones. For the Quaker way of life, fancy headstones were too closely associated with the prideful pomp of the vain, secular world. As meetinghouses were erected, burial grounds were laid out beside them. In some Quaker communities, graves included primitive headstones upon which the initials of the deceased were inscribed. Eventually, Quaker headstones with fully inscribed names become the norm.

Quakers affiliated with a particular meeting were buried within the burial grounds of the meetinghouse. It is possible that John was buried in an unmarked grave within the grounds of the Richland Monthly Meetinghouse in Quakertown.             

 

Appendix I

John Adamson in Gloucester County, New Jersey Court Records

 

The Camden County Historical Society library in Camden, New Jersey, contains a two-volume set of books entitled, Transcriptions of the First Quarter Century Documents of Old Gloucester County, New Jersey. The books include the transcriptions of all the original legal documents of Old Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1686-1710. Transcriptions of legal documents that fall after year 1710 are included in a three-volume set of books entitled, Transcriptions of the Second Court Record Book of Gloucester County, New Jersey. It is within the third volume of this series that John Adamson is referenced as a member of the jury in three separate court proceedings (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939).

Among the 70,000 documents deposited in the Gloucester County Historical Society vault, located in the New County Building in Woodbury, 322 documents with dates that range from 1686-1710 were found. Unfortunately, several documents did not contain dates, and those documents, some of which preceded 1711, were not included in these volumes. The transcriptions were completed in 1939 by members of the Gloucester County Historical Project of the Work Projects Administration. Diligent efforts were made by the historians to produce accurate transcriptions from the original handwritten documents (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939).

In reviewing these documents, there is evidence that Thomas Sharp, Gloucester County’s clerk and recorder at that time, occasionally misspelled the names of people referenced. Recorders wrote down names based on the way they sounded, so it is not surprising to see a name recorded with a phonetic spelling. Instances have been discovered where the same individual’s surname was recorded three times with a different spelling each time.     

 

Jeams Ademson a.k.a. James Atkinson

 

A past Adamson researcher reportedly discovered what appeared to be a “Jeams Adamson” listed as foreman of the jury in a 1689/90 court proceeding contained within the second volume of the Transcriptions of the First Quarter Century Documents of Old Gloucester County, New Jersey (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 132). If this were true, it would be evidence that an Adamson ancestor resided in Gloucester County nearly 26 years before John Adamson. During a visit to the Camden County Historical Society library, the document was reexamined and important discoveries were made.   

The court case dated 22/1 Jan/Feb 1689/90, involved a warrant Daniel Howell filed against Mordecai Howell of Coopers Creek, Gloucester County (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 132). Upon careful analysis of the document, discrepancies missed by the previous researcher were found. First of all, the name is actually printed as “ADEMSON,” not ADAMSON. Secondly, it is apparent that errors were made in transcribing names from the original document. The transcription shows the names of the court attendees including the jurymen. Several jurymen names are listed twice and are spelled two different ways.   

The transcription contains two columns of jurymen names. For the first five entries, the names listed in the left column appear to be the same as those listed in the right column, only the spelling of the names in the right column differ. I have transcribed the names of the first five jurymen below. Notice the variation in spelling between the two columns:

 

Jeams Ademson          James Atkinson

Robart Zeane                 Robert Zane

William Cowper              William Cooper

John Taylor                    John Taylor

Samuel Colle                 Samuel Coles

 

Based on several other court records recorded by Thomas Sharp, the names of jurymen were recorded only once, which beckons the question why Sharp would have recorded the names twice (and, with two different spellings) for this particular court session. The most likely explanation is that Sharp recorded the names only once, and the second column actually contained the signatures of the jurymen. The creative spelling variations were likely an error on the part of the transcriber when attempting to interpret the spelling from the signatures.

Based on the evidence, it appears that “Jeams Ademson” was actually James Atkinson, a case of mistaken identity. In fact, James Atkinson’s presence is well documented in the chronicles of Newton Township. He was originally from Philadelphia, but became a resident of Newton when he married widower, Hannah Newby in 1685 (Clement, 1877, p. 45). Hannah was the former wife of one of Newton’s original proprietors, Mark Newby. During the early 1680s, Friends’ monthly meetings were held regularly at Mark Newby’s house and continued to be held there for a while after his death, as Hannah married James Atkinson in the Newby house (Clement, 1877, p. 45).   

 

Court Record Dated 29 September, 1716

 

There are no Adamsons present in any extant Gloucester County court documents until 18 Sept 1716, when John Adamson was recorded as a member of the grand jury for a murder trial (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 504). John and Ann were wed during the summer of 1716, so John’s jury duty attendance in the Gloucester County courthouse would have been just months after their marriage. In each court proceeding in which John was a juryman, his name was recorded as ADDAMSON. This naming convention was common during this period and the dual “D” variation can be seen in records across England. Some of the jurymen names listed in the transcriptions were misspelled, so in this documentation, as many names as possible were corrected and confirmed to be accurate based on the spellings referenced in published genealogical histories. 

The court case, dated 18/29 September, 1716, is included in the third volume of the Transcriptions of the Second Court Record Book of Gloucester County, New Jersey (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 504). The trial involved Samuel Harrison, who was accused of drowning Susannah Smith, and then placing her body on the property of Sarah Mickle. The end of the document states that the court was adjourned until 3:00PM (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 504). Unfortunately, since there is no further documentation of the case, it is not known how it ended.

The following justices of the peace were present on the bench: John Kay, John Hugg, John Mickle, Constantine Wood, Samuel Ward, and Amos Ashead (Coroner). William Harrison (Sheriff) and Thomas Sharp (Clerk) were the officers present. Constables representing the various Gloucester County townships were present: Joseph Knight (Waterford Township), Joseph Hinchman (Newton Township), Ralph Sutton and John Basly (Gloucester Township), Joseph Liddon (Greenwich Township, lower part). Jeremiah Addams from Egg Harbor Township did not appear, Michael Laikon from Deptford Township was sick, and Peter Lock from Greenwich Township (upper part) did not appear.  

Members of the grand jury included: John Ladd (Foreman), Thomas Stokes, Samuel Dennis, John Matlack, John Shivers, John Gill, John Adamson, Alexander Morgan, Abraham Porter, John Inskeep, Peter Long, John Jones, John Cox, Peter Cox, Stephen Jones, Eric Mullaker, and Thomas Denny.

 

Court Record Dated 31 December, 1720

 

John Adamson next appears as a member of the grand jury on 20/31 December, 1720 (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 570). In this case, John Ashbrook filed a complaint that his flat (the British term for an apartment or one-floor residence) had been over-assessed that year. The court decided to reduce the assessment by four schillings (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 570).

    The following justices of the peace were present on the bench: John Kay, John Hugg, John Mickle, and Amos Ashead (Coroner). The officers present were Josiah Kay (Sheriff) and Thomas Sharp (Clerk). Constables representing the various Gloucester County townships were present: Samuel Holmes by his deputy, Abel Preston (Waterford Township), Arthur Powell (Newton Township), Will Clark, Jr. and Francis Jones (Gloucester Township), Job Whitall (Deptford Township), Henda Hendrickson (Greenwich Township, upper part), Andrew Matson (Greenwich Township, lower part), and Thomas Green (Egg Harbor).

Members of the grand jury included: John Gill (Foreman), Joseph Tindall, Joseph Knight, William Dennis, William Cooper, Robert Bryan, Isaac Homer, Thomas Stowe, William Ellis, William Warner, James Warde, John Cook, Samuel Sharp, John Adamson, and Thomas Bright.  

Like John Adamson, John Gill served on the jury for this case as well as the 1716 murder trial. It is worth noting that some of the grand jurors present in this court proceedings have the very same surnames as those who served on the murder trial. Some were sons or brothers of the previous jurors. The townships were still relatively small at that time, hence a smaller population to choose from for the jury duty selection process. In Old Gloucester County, it is not uncommon to see many of the same men serve on juries repeatedly.  

 

Court Record Dated 30 November, 1723

 

John Adamson’s final time served as a grand juror in Gloucester County was on 19/30 November, 1723 (Gloucester County Historical Project, 1939, p. 29). By 11 June, 1726, he and his family would move to Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this court session is not addressed in the document. The case is referenced on page 29 of volume three.   

The following justices of the peace were present on the bench: John Kay, Samuel Warde, and Thomas Spicer. Josiah Kay (Sheriff), Amos Ashead (Coroner), and Thomas Sharp (Clerk) were the officers present. Constables representing the various Gloucester County townships were present: Samuel Dennis (Waterford Township), William Davis (Newton Township), Richard Valentine and Nathan Tylee (Gloucester Township), George Warde (Deptford Township), Thomas Holden (Greenwich Township, upper part), Andrew String (Greenwich Township, lower part), and Samuel Hareur (Egg Harbor Township).

 Members of the grand jury included: Alexander Morgan, William Hampton, James Hinchman, Simon Bresch, John Adamson, Jacob Matson, Richard Gray, Jacob Medcalf, Henry Sparks, William Ellis, Benjamin Thackara, Thomas Stokes, Hence Steelman, Samuel Burroughs, Daniel Hillman, John Eastlack, Nathan Champion, Jeremiah Bate, and Isaac Jennings. Alexander Morgan was the son of Griffith Morgan, an emigrant from Wales.

The men present at the previously mentioned court proceedings provide a diverse representation of some of the most notable families of the Newton community. Some were the first settlers of Gloucester County while others mentioned were their sons or sons-in-law. Thomas Sharp, Robert Zane, William Cooper, and John Gill were original founders of the Newton Township. John Mickle was the son of colonist, Archibald Mickle, who arrived at Newton from Antrim County, Ireland in 1681 (Clement, 1877, p. 141). Benjamin Thackara was the son of Newton colonist, Thomas Thackara, a Leeds, Yorkshire, England Quaker who relocated to Dublin, Ireland for a while before settling in Newton in 1681. The first Friends’ meeting house built at Newton stood upon lands conveyed by Thomas Thackara (p. 64). Both John Whitall and John Eastlack were brothers-in-law to Benjamin Thackara. William Ellis was the son of Simeon Ellis, a Yorkshire, England Quaker who relocated from the Burlington settlement to Newton (p. 181). Samuel Cole emigrated from Cole’s Hill, Hertfordshire, England (p. 201). John Matlack was the descendent of William Matlack who arrived in Burlington from Nottinghamshire, England (p. 232). John Hugg arrived in Newton in 1683 from Wexford, Ireland (p. 284). Thomas Stokes was from Middlesex County, London, England (p. 301). John Kay, son of Jarvis Kay, arrived in Newton from Yorkshire, England in 1684 (p. 168).      

Two important realizations regarding John Adamson can be made from the Gloucester County court records. Firstly, by 1716 John apparently owned land in Gloucester County and was at least the age of twenty-one. Landowners had to be at least twenty-one years of age and one had to be a land owner in order to serve on a jury (Genealogy Inc., 2009). Secondly, since no other Adamsons were recorded in the extant court records dating back to 1686, John appears to be the first Adamson to have settled in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

 

Appendix II

Dual Dating and the Gregorian Calendar Conversion in Great Britain and its Colonies

 

Introduction

 

            Dual dating is a confusing concept misunderstood by many. The Internet contains much information about the topic, but few sources present the information properly. In fact, there is a lot of misinformation on the Web that serves only to confuse the subject even further. To clear up any confusion regarding the dating conventions used, I have attempted to explain, in simple terms, the concept of dual dating as it applies to historical documentation.

Dual dating was a means of documenting dates using both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. In 45 BC, Julius Caesar brought about the Julian calendar as a reform of the Roman calendar. Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar on 24 February 1582, but the first countries to use the new calendar did not adopt it until 15 October 1582. Over the next several years, more and more countries converted to the Gregorian calendar with Turkey being the last in 1926. After continued resistance against adopting a Catholic invention, Britain finally converted to the Gregorian calendar on 14 September 1752, so starting with this date, dual dating no longer applied to Britain and its colonies.

From the period of 15 October 1582 (the official start of the Gregorian calendar) to 13 September 1752 (the day before the start of Britain’s use of the calendar), Britain and its colonies used a system of dual dating to represent the dates of both calendars. It is worth noting that historians do not generally use the Gregorian calendar when recording dates prior to its adoption on 15 October 1582. Therefore, dual dating does not apply before 15 October 1582.

 

 

 

 

Dual Day Dating

 

When dual dating, two adjustments occur: the day of the month and the year. When the Gregorian calendar was created in 1582, it was realized that the Julian calendar was 10 days out of synch with the solar year. To restore proper synchronization with the seasons, the new calendar dropped 10 days from the month of October in 1582, and to prevent the problem of extra days from occurring again, 1 day was added to February for every year divisible by four (leap year). Leap years add a 29th day to February, which normally has 28 days. Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by one hundred. The Gregorian calendar also omits 3 leap days every 400 years. The leap year correction meant that up until Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar on 14 September 1752, additional days had to be added to each recorded date. The proper number of added days depended on the year. The following diagram illustrates the number of days to be added when converting from Julian to Gregorian calendar dates:

 

Julian Range

Gregorian Range

Difference

From 5 October 1582 to 28 February 1700

From 15 October 1582 to 10 March 1700

10 days

From 29 February 1700 to 28 February 1800

From 11 March 1700 to 11 March 1800

11 days

From 29 February 1800 to 28 February 1900

From 12 March 1800 to 12 March 1900

12 days

From 29 February 1900 to 28 February 2100

From 13 March 1900 to 13 March 2100

13 days

From 29 February 2100 to 28 February 2200

From 14 March 2100 to 14 March 2200

14 days

  

When converting from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, the date, 11 June 1690, would be 21 June 1690. 10 days are added because there is a difference of 10 days for the year 1690. To properly record this date using dual day dating, a slash is placed between the Julian and Gregorian calendar days; 11/21 June 1690.        

 

Dual Year Dating

 

The period between 1 January and 24 March, and between the years 1583 and 1752, was subject to dual year dating because the Gregorian calendar changed the New Year from 25 March to 1 January. To accommodate this change, dates had to reflect years in both Julian and Gregorian terms. If a date fell between 1 January and 24 March, and between the years 1583 and 1752, it had to be represented with dual years. To represent a dual year, one year was added to the Julian year. For example, the date, 15 February 1701 would have been written, 15/26 February 1701/02. The years for dates that ranged from 25 March through 31 December, and between the years 1583 and 1752, remained the same.   

An excellent automated calendar converter can be found at the following website: http://calendarhome.com/converter/

 

Old Style and New Style Dates

 

            Dates can also be represented by adding the notation, “Old Style” (O.S.) and “New Style” (N.S.), to historical dates for clarification of the calendar system used; Old Style, referencing the Julian calendar and New Style, the Gregorian calendar. So, a distinction between the two dating systems would be written: 20 January 1718 O.S. and 31 January 1719 N.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample Date Conversions

 

Old Style Date

New Style Date

Dual Date

10 January 1690 O.S.

20 January 1691 N.S.

10/20 January 1690/91

12 February 1701 O.S.

23 February 1702 N.S.

12/23 February 1701/02

15 March 1715 O.S.

26 March 1716 N.S.

15/26 March 1715/16

18 April 1723 O.S.

29 April 1723 N.S.

18/29 April 1723

 

Dual Dating in Scotland

 

Scotland became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain on 1 May 1707, so like the rest of Britain, the Gregorian calendar was not used in Scotland until 14 September 1752. However, Scotland changed its New Year to 1 January in 1600, meaning dual “year” dating was not needed for Scottish dates beginning 1 January 1600. Like Britain, dual “day” dating still applied until 14 September 1752. The same date conversion rules applied to Ireland as they did Britain.      

 

English Regnal Years

 

Some English documents were dated using regnal years; the period by which a ruling monarch served on the throne. In England and its colonies, regnal years were occasionally used as time markers. 1 Henry VII implies the first year reign of Henry VII. Henry VII came to the throne on 22 August 1485, so 1 Henry VII implies the period of time between 22 August 1485 and 21 August 1486.

English and early American documents sometimes include wording such as, “the fifteenth of May, in ye fourteenth year of His Majesty’s reign, George.” The fourteenth year references year fourteen of King George II’s reign. Since George II came to the throne 11 June 1727, the fourteenth year of his reign would be 1741. The same rules applied for English regnal years; dates that fell between 5 October 1582 O.S. and 2 September 1752 O.S. were subject to dual dating.  

An easy-to-use regnal year to calendar year automated converter can be found at the following website: http://www.genproxy.co.uk/king_queen_reign_dates_regnal.htm 

 

The Quaker Calendar

 

            Prior to 1752, the Religious Society of Friends, more commonly known as Quakers, subscribed to the Julian calendar like the rest of their British counterparts with one exception; they used numbers to denominate the names of the months and days of the week. Sunday became the first day, Monday, the second day, etc. After 1752, January became the first month, February, the second month, etc. This calendar numbering system was known as the “plain calendar;” sometimes called the “scriptural calendar.” The plain calendar was an alternative to the “world’s calendar,” which used traditional names derived from pagan deities. Though the plain calendar is associated with Quakers, it was actually not developed by them, but rather from the general nonconformist movement that swept through England during the 17th century.   

            Quakers typically wrote dates as, “12th da 5th mo 1722.” The month was occasionally written using Roman numerals. Since prior to 14 September 1752 the British New Year was 25 March, March was considered the first month of the year. April was the second month, May, the third month, and so forth. See the naming pattern in the table below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quaker Month Conversion for Dates Prior to 14 Sept 1752

 

Quaker Month

Converted Month

1st month

March

2nd month

April

3rd month

May

4th month

June

5th month

July

6th month

August

7th month

September

8th month

October

9th month

November

10th month

December

11th month

January

12th month

February

 

So, a Quaker born the 12th day, 12th month, 1656, would have been born 12/22 February, 1656/57. Notation for Quaker dates often uses the following formats: 12/22 xii [February] 1656/57, or 12/22 12 mo. [February] 1656/57. When converting Quaker dates, convert the month first, then convert to the Gregorian calendar.

 

Sample Quaker Date Conversions

 

Quaker Date

Gregorian Conversion Date

10th day, 7th month, 1677

10/20 7 mo. [September] 1677

21st day, 1st month, 1702

21/1 1 mo. [April] 1702

5th day, 11th month, 1718

5/16 11 mo. [January] 1718/19

7th day, 1st month, 1733

7/18 1 mo. [March] 1733/34

  

Appendix III

Maps

 

Figure 11: Map of New Jersey county boundary lines in 1710.

 

 

 

 

 

 Figure 12: Map showing the location of John Adamson’s property in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

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Battle, J.H. (1887). History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania; including an account of its original exploration; its relation to the settlements of New Jersey and Delaware; its erection into a separate county, also its subsequent growth and development, with sketches of its historic and interesting localities, and biographies of many of its representative citizens. Philadelphia: A. Warner & Co., Publishers.

 

Besse, Joseph. (1753). A collection of the sufferings of the people called Quakers, for the testimony of a good conscience, from the time of their being first distinguished by the name in the year 1650, to the time of the act, commonly called the act of toleration, granted to Protestant dissenters in the first year of the reign of King William the Third and Queen Mary, in the year 1689. Volume I. London: Luke Hinde.

 

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Davis, W. W. H. (1876). The history of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time. Doylestown, PA: Democrat Book and Job Office Print.

 

Documentary Families Project, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. (2011). Guide to land records. Retrieved from http://www.hsp.org/node/2019

 

Dorwart, Jeffery M. (2001). Camden County, New Jersey: the making of a metropolitan community, 1625-2000. Camden County, NJ: 2001.

 

Fackenthal, Jr., B.F. (1909). A collection of papers read before the Bucks County Historical Society, volume III. Easton, PA: The Chemical Publishing Co. 59.

 

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Gwynedd Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1714-1747. Microfilm # MR-Ph201. Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, PA.

 

Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Minutes: 1710-1731. Microfilm # MR-Ph240. Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, PA.

 

Haddonfield Monthly Meeting Women’s Minutes: 1705-1769. Microfilm # MR-Ph243. Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, PA.

 

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Klett, Joseph R. (2008). Using the records of the East and West Jersey Proprietors. New Jersey State Archives.

 

Llewellyn, Louisa W. (1976). First settlement on the Delaware River: A history of Gloucester City, New Jersey. Gloucester City, NJ: Gloucester City American Revolution Bicentennial Committee.

 

Malham, Reverend John. (1860). Fox’s book of martyrs or, the acts and monuments of the Christian Church; being a complete history of the lives, sufferings, and deaths of the Christian martyrs. Philadelphia: Jasper B. Smith & Co.

 

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Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania State Archives. Patent indexes, 1684-1957 [series #17.147, 154 & 155]. Retrieved from http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17PatentIndexes/r17-147PatIndA-AAInterface.htm

 

Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania State Archives. Warrant registers, 1733-1957 [series #17.88]. Retrieved from http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-88WarrantRegisters/BucksPages/r17-88BucksPageInterface.htm

 

Records of the Land Office (RG-17), Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania State Archives. Warrant registers, 1733-1957 [series #17.88].

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Richland Monthly Meeting Births and Deaths About 1750-1805. Microfilm # MR-Ph555. Swarthmore             College Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, PA.

 

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Settlement of meetings in New Jersey. (1889). The Friend: Religious and Literary Journal, 62, 243. Philadelphia: W.M. H. Pile’s Sons.

 

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END

 

 

History of Internet document:

First Publication                   8/28/2011

Updated with minor changes -  9/28/2011

Updated with minor changes -  5/15/2012