This material from our collections will help give you a more in-depth sense of the time in which the Covenhovens lived. Interactive images will direct you to our world-class eMuseum, where you can read the curatorial remarks about each object. General Clinton's Headquarters 1751 Deed to Covenhoven House Monmouth Courthouse Old Tennent Presbyterian Church Old Tennent Interior Diagram Old Tennent Parsonage Old Tennent Pew Diagram, Covenhovens #60 1738/1747 baptismal records for the enslaved servants of the Covenhovens Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth The Heroine of Monmouth General La Fayette Monmouth Flag Monckton's Sword Mrs. Covenhoven's key John Graves Simcoe Map Sir Henry Clinton 1778 Estimate of British Losses at the Battle of Monmouth

MCHA's Digital Diversity Project African American / Black History Dr. Walter Greason "My mother said, "I have my master's, now you'll need to do better than me." Gilda Rogers "Agree to disagree, but not hate." Adanech Asghedom "If you have a dream, you can catch that dream in America." Torna Brown Bell "There are so many ways to make a difference." Madonna Carter Jackson "Once you break the ice...people start working and talking together." Norma Lewis Randolph "There is so much to being black in Freehold Boro," Minister Douglas Brown "You have to stay in the positive. Don't dwell in the negative." Kay Harris "Nothing should hold you back."

COVENHOVEN HOUSE 150 W Main St., Freehold - Interactive Experience - Take the full audio tour, or focus on your areas of interest! Explore our digital gallery for more insight into the world of the Covenhovens. Please be respectful of the historic structure and refrain from touching the building. Enjoy your visit! FULL TOUR Station One The Property & Family Station Two Architectural Details Station Three Lives of the Enslaved Station Four General Clinton's Arrival Digital Gallery Explore Our Collections Continue your tour with nearby historic sites Monmouth Battlefield State Park The park preserves a splendid rural 18th-century landscape of hilly farmland and hedgerows that encompasses miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic areas, a restored Revolutionary War farmhouse and a visitors center. Old Tennent Presbyterian Church The Covenhovens were parishioners of this very church, still standing today. Travel there to follow in their footsteps! The church has a fascinating history not only in Old Freehold (now Manalapan) but has historic ties to Scotland as well. Further Reading Adelberg, Michael (2010). The American Revolution in Monmouth County: Theater of Spoil and Destruction. Charleston, SC: The History Press. Lender, M. E., & Stone, G. W. (2017). Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle . Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. Hodges, G. R. (1997). Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North: African Americans in Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1665-1865. Madison, WI: Madison House. Symmes, Frank (1897). History of the Old Tennent Church . Tennent, NJ: J.S. Yard. Transcript If you have enjoyed this experience, please consider supporting us using the Donate button above!

Hear history in their own voices - Monmouth County as told by the people who have lived here and made a difference MCHA Oral History Project History... in Their Own Voice This collection has been created and curated by MCHA staff to document the stories of Monmouth County, both past and present. Check back often as new categories are added! To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Select a Collection to Meet Our Narrators: Digital Diversity MCHA presents fascinating stories from some of our underrepresented communities. The collections will expand as we continue to capture Monmouth County not only as it was, but as it is today - and as it should be remembered in the future. LGBTQ African American / Black History/ Memories of Old Freehold Freehold has been historic from the start. From the Revolution to its reflection of small town America, this place has always been special. It will forever be His Hometown, and that's just fine with us. Hear the stories of those who call Freehold home as well. Memories of Old Freehold Do you have a story to contribute or know someone we should interview? Contact us: Dana Howell: dhowell@monmouthhistory.org Joe Zemla: jzemla@monmouthhistory.org We'd love to hear what you have to say!

DONATE NOW PLANNED GIVING MATCHING GIFTS SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS DONATE ARTIFACTS Donate Now Anchor 1 The Monmouth County Historical Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We rely on the generosity of our amazing donors to help us do the work of making history relevant and accessible for all ages, from award-winning exhibits to digitally accessible programs to engaging K-12 education. The Association is committed to preserving its outstanding collection. Your gift of any size is greatly appreciated! DONATE 3rd Annual Farm to Fork Honoring Carol Stillwell of Stillwell-Hansen Saturday, October 4th, 2025 We had another phenomenal event this year - thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters. We could not do it without your help! Please click here for the ad journal video. Many Thanks to Our Garden Party Supporters! The 50th anniversary celebration of this MCHA tradition was a wonderful success thanks to all who donated to help us protect and preserve Monmouth County History. Click here to view the ad journal of our supporters. Planned Giving Planned Giving As we look to grow and increase the number of services and programs in our community, we need to build upon our strong base of support through estate and planned gifts. Many loyal donors have included Monmouth County Historical Association in their wills or named the Association a beneficiary of their IRA or other retirement plan. Those who have included the Association in their estate plans can receive recognition today by sending in a simple one-page, non-binding form, located here . For more information regarding bequest intentions or other planned gifts, please contact us at (732) 462-1466 x10 or at seadon@monmouthhistory.org . Please consider including Monmouth County Historical Association in your estate plan. Thank you for your commitment to the Association. Matching Gifts Matcing Gift Did you know many companies offer a matching gift program to encourage philanthropy among their employees? And that some companies will even match to spouses and retirees? By simply completing a matching gift form (on-line or paper), you may be able to double, or even triple, the impact of your gift! Please check with your company’s Human Resources department to see if your compa ny offers a matching gift program. For additional information about Matching Gifts, please email finance@monmouthhistory.org Already have your matching form? Please mail it to: MCHA Attn: Matching Gifts Department 70 Court Street Freehold, NJ 07728 MCHA is a public charity classified as exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The tax ID number is 21-6000082. Sponsors and Supporters Sponsors Your corporate support helps MCHA collect, preserve, and interpret Monmouth County’s rich history and culture while making its resources available to the widest possible audience. Event Sponsorship and Underwriting Be recognized as a community leader through your company’s sponsorship or underwriting of one of the many signature events hosted by MCHA throughout the year. Historic House Museum Sponsorship Your support will help MCHA to preserve and interpret the county’s vanishing architectural heritage through sponsorship of an Historic House Museum. Please contact us at seadon@monmouthhistory.org or (732) 462-1466 for further information. Education Sponsorships Is your organization interested in aligning itself with the education of thousands of students and lifelong learners in Monmouth and Ocean counties? Become an education sponsor today. Contact seadon@monmouthhistory.org or (732) 462-1466 for further information. Corporate Volunteers Help MCHA as a corporate volunteer team. We have numerous opportunities for corporate volunteers. Donate Artifacts Artfacts To schedule an appointment, please contact: Bernadette Rogoff, Director of Collections (732) 462-1466 x17 Email below: We welcome new pieces into our extensive collection! Mail

This exhibition is the first major development stemming from the Living and Breathing initiative, started in late 2019 as a means of reinterpreting MCHA’s colonial-era historic houses to include the stories of the enslaved African Americans who once resided within them. The exhibition will offer a better understanding of how slavery took root in early Monmouth County, as well as the complex dynamics of daily life and relationships among the enslaved.  Monmouth County 250th Historical Scavenger Hunt The Monmouth County Historical Association and the MonmouthNJ 250 Committee invite you to take part in the Revolutionary Scavenger Hunt - a fun, family-friendly adventure across Monmouth County's historic sites as we celebrate America's 250th birthday! How it works: Find the Sites- Review the list of participating locations across Monmouth County Start Exploring- Travel to as many sites as you'd like between now and July 4, 2026 Scan & Solve- Scan the QR code at each location and answer questions about that historic site Submit Your Answers- Email your completed answers to info@monmouthhistory.org Please email your answers along with your name and mailing address to info@monmouthhistory.org to be entered into the prize pool. Each site visited is 1 entry into the prize pool. Prize Includes: -MonmouthNJ 250 Swag Pack featuring a challenge coin, collectible pin, commemorative historic sites map, t-shirt, hat, magnet, and stadium cup -Family 4-Pack of admission tickets to the 2026 Monmouth County Fair -An exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Fair The Historical Scavenger Hunt will begin with Weekend in Old Monmouth, Saturday, May 2nd and will end on Saturday, July 4th. Three winners will be announced on Friday, July 10th and will be notified via email. Historical Hodgepodge Display at the Avon Post Office 321 Main Street, Avon, NJ 07717 M-F 8 AM-4:30 PM and Sat 8 AM to 12 PM, Closed Sunday All answers will be found in the display case Avon-by-the-Sea Historical Society 1. What was the name of the pharmacy that sold Fungie Foe? 2. What was the name of the hardware store on Main Street? 3. What is on the Avon Fire Department logo? 4. Who donated the money to build the Avon Public Library? 5. Find the names of the 5 hotels in the display? Christ Episcopal Church - Shrewsbury Christ Church Graveyard 380 Sycamore Ave, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702 Answers can be found in graveyard (Find the gravestones that match the clues) 1) The 19th century Ketchup King is buried here. Who is it? 2) Shrewsbury’s first woman mayor is at rest in our cemetery. Who is she? 3) Did she sell seashells by the seashore (look for carvings on the stone)? 4) You can JUDGE this stone by its picture. 5) All that jazz—which famous musician is here? Crawford House 750 Tinton Ave, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 Answers on signage outside on property 1) Lewis Morris brought enslaved people to his iron works at Tinton Falls. Where did they come from? 2) What document tells us how many enslaved people Lewis Morris owned? 3) How do we know that a ‘Negro burial ground’ was located on this property? 4) What did the iron furnace use for fuel? 5) John C. Crawford purchased some new equipment for his butcher business in 1927. What did it do? Eatontown Historical Museum 75 Broad Street, Eatontown NJ 07724 Open May 2nd (10am-5pm), May 3rd (12pm-5pm), June 7th (1pm-4pm) All answers will be found in the museum 1) What famous person’s portrait is displayed in the museum’s parlor? 2) Which granddaughter of Eatontown’s founder, Thomas Eaton, rented her home to be used as General George Washington’s final wartime headquarters during the Revolutionary War? 3) In the museum’s dining room, there is an opening in the left-hand corner of the rear wall. Behind the plaster, the original mud and straw construction can be seen. What was this construction called? Bicentennial Hall (Historic Fisk Chapel) 25 Cedar Avenue, Fair Haven, NJ 07704 Answers outside on property 1) What was this historic building originally used for before it became Bicentennial Hall? 2) Do you think this building has always been in the exact spot? 3) I spy more than one window- how many do you see? 4) Can you find what year it was built? Fair Haven Historical Association Georgia Road Schoolhouse 300 Georgia Rd, Freehold, NJ 07728 Second Sundays of the month from 2pm-4pm Freehold Township Heritage Society The Oakley Farm Museum 189b Wemrock Road, Freehold, NJ 07728 Second Sundays of the month from 2pm-4pm Questions 1-4 found at The Oakley Farm Museum, Question 5 found at The Georgia Road Schoolhouse 1) What is the item in this picture? 2) How many families have lived at the Oakley Farm? 3) What two animals were kept in the barns? 4) What tavern is featured in the Oakley Farm’s 250 display? 5) How many bells are at the Georgia Road Schoolhouse? Are they all school bells? Holmdel Community UCC Church & Old Baptist Church Cemetery 40 Main St., Holmdel, NJ 07733 Answers located outside on property 1) How many Revolutionary War Heros are buried in the Baptist Church Cemetery? 2) What year was the bell cast (made)? 3) Who was Asher Holmes’ wife? 4) What year was the Holmdel Community Church put on the Register of Historical Places? MacKenzie Museum & Library 427 Lakewood Farmingdale Road Howell NJ 07731 Open third Saturday of the month from 1pm to 4pm Answers in museum Howell Heritage and Historical Society 1) What did Captain Willian Prickitt and the Nesbit brothers, Isaac and William, have in common? 2) Who lived in the 1805 section of the MacKenzie Museum? 3) Whose picture hangs over the fireplace at MacKenzie Museum? Old Ardena Schoolhouse Old Tavern & Preventorium Roads Howell NJ 07731 Open last Sunday of the month from 1pm to 4pm Answers in schoolhouse 1) How many schools/districts were in Howell Township before the school consolidation in 1939? 2) Where was the Ardena Schoolhouse actually located when it was in use? Keyport Historical Society 34 Main St, Keyport, NJ 07735 Sundays from 1pm-3pm All answers can be found in exhibits on the 1st floor 1) Which artist featured in the museum created a well-known sculpture located in Central Park, and what is the work? 2) Find the woman who supported the Patriot cause by providing food supplies to Continental troops in 1780. Who is she? 3) What model Aeromarine biplane was the first to land on an aircraft carrier when under way? 4) What Steamboat built by Benjamin Terry in Keyport was often referred to as the President’s yacht because Abraham Lincoln found respite on it during the Civil War? 5) What was the name of the company that operated a large oyster processing plant on Luppatatong Creek in Keyport from 1899 -1936? Manalapan Township Historical Committee Historic Grist Mill Taylor Mills School 77 Gordons Corner Road, Manalapan, NJ 07726 Answers outside on property Download pdf with information about answers here 1) What was originally on this property? 2) Who owned the Mill? 3) Are there any other Mills in Manalapan? Marlboro Township Historic Commission Old Brick Reformed Church 490 CR 520, Marlboro, NJ 07746 Answers on property (Weekend in Old Monmouth exclusive) 1) In what YEAR did Marlboro become independent from Freehold, and become its own town? 2) What is the name of the Revolutionary War PATRIOT buried at Old Brick Church, that was also a PASTOR? 3) What famous Marlboro RESIDENT went on to become the 24th Vice President under William McKinley? 4) During the Revolutionary War, the British retreated down THIS STREET under the cover of darkness, after their defeat at the Battle of Monmouth, aiming to reach their fleet anchored off Sandy Hook. 5) On what DATE did the Battle of Monmouth take place? Main Museum 70 Court St., Freehold, NJ, 07728 Wed-Fri from 1pm-4pm and the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays of the month from 1pm-4pm. Answers located in museum exhibit Monmouth County Historical Association 1) What was the name of the woman who built the Allen House model? 2) What are the two items in the barrels being preserved? 3) Who painted “Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth”? Covenhoven House 150 W Main St., Freehold, NJ 07728 Fridays 1pm-4pm 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month from 1pm-4pm Answers located in the house 1) What was the name of the British General that showed up at the Covenhoven's doorstep? 2) What does the mural scene over the fireplace in the Blue Bedroom depict? 3) How many children did William and Elizabeth have? Marlpit Hall 137 Kings Hwy., Middletown, NJ 07748 Fri-Sun 1pm-4pm Answers located in the house 1) What are the 2 main colors of the fragments found under the floorboards in the enslaved quarters? 2) How many mannequins are in the home and who do they represent? 3) Were the original owners of the home Loyalists or Patriots? Taylor-Butler House 127 Kings Hwy., Middletown, NJ 07748 Fri-Sun 1pm-4pm Answers located in the house 1) How many bells are on the wall in the servant's room? 2) What color is the front door? 3) How many fireplaces are on the first floor? Monmouth County Park System Historic Portland Place Hartshorne Woods Park 200 Hartshorne Road, Locust (Middletown Township), NJ 07760 Tours of Historic Portland Place Wednesday-Sunday, May 2-November 15, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. Grounds and parking lot open at 7 a.m. daily, year-round. Answers can be found outside on property 1) Historic Portland Place was once owned by which early colonial family? a. The Washington Family b. The Hartshorne Family c. The Bowne Family 2) What is the name of the body of water that Historic Portland Place overlooks? a. The Shrewsbury River b. The Hudson River c. The Navesink River 3) What species is the Magnolia tree located between the Visitor Center and the historic house? a. Southern Magnolia b. Northern Magnolia c. Saucer Magnolia Battery Lewis Hartshorne Woods Park (Rocky Point Entrance) 1402 Portland Road, Highlands, NJ 07732 Weekends, Memorial Day through Columbus Day 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Answers found inside 1) For whom is Battery Lewis named? a. An Army General b. A military artillery gun inventor c. A local geologist 2) The Battery was constructed to protect U.S. shores during which war era? a. Revolutionary War b. WWI c. WWII 3) What native people once inhabited the land that is today’s Hartshorne Woods Park? a. Wampanoag b. Lenape c. Navajo Historic Seabrook Wilson Bayshore Waterfront Park Activity Center 719 Port Monmouth Road, Port Monmouth, NJ 07758 Open House Monday, Thursday, & Sunday – May 2-October 29 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Park opens at 7 a.m. daily, year-round. Answers can be found outside on property 1) What was the name of the British brigantine that ran aground on the shore of the bay? a. Rebecca and Fancis b. Britannia c. Defiance d. HMS Hinchinbrook 2) In approximately what year was the oldest section of the Seabrook-Wilson House built? a. 1776 b. 1855 c. 1720 d. 1650 3) What major transportation developments in the mid-1800s transformed the landscape around the house and led to the growth of Port Monmouth? a. The construction of the Garden State Parkway b. Steamboat service and railroads c. The establishment of the first interstate trucking routes d. The expansion of the Sandy Hook lighthouse trail Historic Walnford 62 Walnford Road, Upper Freehold, NJ 08501 Park is open 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day Historic buildings are open daily from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Milling demonstrations take place on Saturday and Sunday from April through November 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Answers found inside 1) What year was the elegant Georgian-style Waln House built? a. 1773 b. 1776 c. 1820 d. 1690 2) Waln’s Mill is a “grist mill.” What was its primary function? a. To saw timber into lumber. b. To process iron ore into tools. c. To weave wool into fabric. d. To grind grain and corn into flour. 3) When the mill was rebuilt in 1872, what technology was used to power it instead of a traditional vertical water wheel? a. A cast iron turbine b. An electric generator c. A wind-driven sail system d. A steam-powered piston engine Historic Longstreet Farm 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733 Park is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily Answers found inside 1. Historic Longstreet Farm is a living history site that recreates the atmosphere of a Monmouth County farm during which specific decade? a. 1770s b. 1840s c. 1890s d. 1930s 2) What primary source of power was used for field work like plowing and harvesting at Longstreet Farm in the 1890s? a. Steam engines b. Draft horses c. Oxen d. Gasoline tractors 3) Which specific crop was a major ‘cash crop’ for Monmouth County farmers like Longstreet’s in the late 1800s? a. Tobacco b. Cotton c. Sugarcane d. Potatoes 4) What was the function of the ‘Ice House’ located on the farm property? a. To manufacture artificial ice using chemicals b. To store blocks of ice cut from local ponds for year-round refrigeration c. To serve as a cold-weather shelter for the sheep d. To house the farm’s heavy machinery during winter. Holmes-Hendrickson House Holmdel Park 62 Longstreet Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733 Tours of the Holmes-Hendrickson House Saturday and Sunday, April 25-October 18 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. Answers found inside 1) What was the name of Revolutionary War Veteran who lived here in the 1700s? a. Bob Hendrickson b. Philip Freneau c. Garrett Hendrickson d. David Forman 2) Where was this house originally located? a. Bell Labs in Holmdel b. Middletown Village c. Along the Bayshore d. Englishtown Village 3) What event took place at this house during the Revolution? a. A Court Martial b. The Battle of Monmouth c. An Enslaved Uprising d. A Loyalist Raid on the Family Historic Racing Stable Thompson Park 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738 Historic Racing Stable Tours Friday-Sunday, May 2 – October 18 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Answers found inside 1. What was the name of the famous Kentucky Derby winner who was bred and trained at Brookdale Farm? a. Seabiscuit b. Regret c. Sovereignty d. Lassie 2. What musical has a song that mentions the world class “The Whitney Stable”? a. Anything Goes b. Gypsy c. Rent d. Wicked 3. What was the “Sport of Kings”? a. Fencing b. Arm wrestling c. Archery d. Horseracing Neptune City Historical Committee Memorial Park Gazebo 1-41 Riverview Avenue, Neptune City, NJ 07753 Answers outside on property Download pdf with information about answers here 1) What once stood on the site that is now Memorial Park, in 1862-1884? 2) Who owned 90 acres of land along the Shark River, in part, which is now Memorial Park? 3) What was the later name of the Hotel? Red Bank Public Library 84 W Front St., Red Bank, NJ 07701 Mon 10am-5pm, Tues-Thurs 10am-8pm Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm, Sun Closed Answers in library 1) The oldest house in Red Bank was built before the Revolutionary War and is still in use today. What is the name of that house? 2) At the time of the Revolutionary War, Red Bank was not an independent borough. What community was Red Bank a part of? 3) During the years immediately prior to 1776, people and communities had to choose their allegiance, to back the Continental Congress (the Patriots) or to remain supportive of the Crown (the Loyalists or Tories). In the Red Bank Area, were loyalties predominantly for: a. The Patriots b. The Loyalists c. Deeply divided 4) Two brothers, Michael and Joseph Price, were ship captains and owners of the Banks Tavern, near where the Union House later stood. Which side of the Revolutionary War did they serve on and what did they do to support their war effort? 5) What happened to those supporting the Loyalists during the Revolution? RumsonAmerica 250 Battle of Black Point 140 East River Rd, Rumson, NJ 07760 Answers outside on property 1) When did the Battle of Black Point occur? 2) Where were the British headed when this battle occurred? 3) Who won the battle? Huddy's Leap West Park, 3 Rumson Rd., Rumson, NJ 07760 Answers outside on property 1) Where was Captain Joshua Huddy originally captured? 2) Who saved Captain Joshua Huddy from the Tories in 1780? 3) When was Captain Joshua Huddy recaptured & hanged? Squan Village Historical Society 105 South St., Manasquan, NJ 08736 Monday & Thursday from 1pm-4pm Answers on property 1) What year did the John Bailey Family first live here? 2) What Squan Beach shipwreck spars are part of the carriage house construction? 3) What year was the Bailey-Reed House purchased by the Squan Village Historical Society? 4) How many seats are in the outhouse? Friends of Millstone Township Historic Registered Properties Thomas Baird Homestead 24 Baird Road, Millstone Township, NJ 08535 All answers will be found on three interpretive panels onsite (outside) 1) Who founded the St. James AME Church around 1836? 2) Who drew the sketch "Getting Ready for Market?" 3) Who escorted General George Washington & Lord Sterling to the Monmouth Battlefield on June 28,1778? 4) Name a green energy source on the Baird farmstead that supplied water for their livestock and everyday use. 5) Name two gentlemen from Millstone Township who founded the Monmouth County Agricultural Society in 1853.

The articles in the collection 250 for the 250th: The American Revolution in Monmouth County represent the most complete history of this topic ever assembled. < 250 Home < Previous pg. Next > The Disaffection of Rhoda Pew and Murder of James Pew by Michael Adelberg This sketch idealizes the life of Loyalist women behind British lines. Rhoda Pew of Middletown was arrested for visiting her Loyalist husband, exiled to New York, and then widowed after his murder. - November 1777 - Antipathy toward Loyalist refugees was raised to a higher level in fall 1777. Monmouth Countians were killed and wounded in combat a month earlier at the Battle of Germantown and, while hundreds of Monmouth militia were there, several Monmouth militiamen were captured and killed in a clash with Loyalists near Shrewsbury . Dozens of Monmouth militiamen captured at the Battle of Navesink remained in prison a half year after their capture. Along the shore, illegal trade flourished between Monmouth’s disaffected and Loyalists on Sandy Hook. James Pew was a boatman who lived on a midsized farm along the Raritan Bayshore. At some point in 1777, he went over to Sandy Hook and became one of the so-called “London Traders”—disaffected Monmouth Countians who acted as middlemen in the illegal trade between Monmouth County and British commissary officers on Sandy Hook and Staten Island. On November 17, Rhoda Pew, his wife, was indicted by the New Jersey Supreme Court for “voluntarily and unlawfully boarding a sloop of war belonging to the enemy when said sloop was lying off of Sandy Hook." She allegedly spent six days there, likely visiting with her husband. Rhoda Pew was fined and remained at home in Middletown, but her and husband’s Loyalism was now well understood. She may have requested permission to join him behind British lines. On May 29, 1778, Colonel Asher Holmes was directed by the New Jersey Council of Safety to “send the following women to their husbands in the enemy's lines." Rhoda Pew was one of the four women listed. The Murder of James Pew James Pew continued to trade illegally along the Raritan Bayshore where he, according to his wife, “had belonged to one of his Majesty's vessels in the Quarter Master's Department.” On one of his trips, he took some extra time to visit with family in Middletown Township. He was taken prisoner by “a party of rebels.” In 1782, Rhoda Pew wrote about her husband’s fate after he was captured: [He] was carried to Freehold and put into gaol, where he was kept confined for five days, and then put to death by the sentry, who discharged his musket through the wicket hole [in the cell door], and shot the prisoner through the body while he was sitting on the bench before the fire; he then took another musket, and shot him a second time through the body, the first bullet lodged in the chimney back and the second went into the floor. When Rhoda Pew learned that her husband was captured, she risked imprisonment by returning to Monmouth County. She went to Freehold “to carry her husband some cloathes.” There, “she found him murdered as described above and his corpse lying on the floor in prison... this deponent further saith that the rebels never punished the murderer." In a second statement, Rhoda Pew further testified that the murder occurred on November 10, 1778. She was specific about the murderer: He was Murdered by one James Tilley who was Sentry over the deceased at the time; the Coroner's Inquest brought him (Tilley) in guilty of Willful Murder; that he was confined in consequence thereof, but was released within three or four days afterwards, and is now at large. Antiquarian accounts further suggest that James Pew was taken while visiting family on the Middletown shore, and that Tilley claimed Pew was trying to escape when he was shot in his prison cell—which seems improbable. An antiquarian source disagrees with Rhoda Pew’s account with respect to the timing of James Pew’s murder—suggesting the murder occurred in fall 1779. There is no evidence to suggest that James Pew was a violent man and we do not know what motivated Tilley to shoot him twice at close range. James Tilley’s fate is unknown, but there is no evidence of his trial in surviving Monmouth County court records. Similarly, there is no record of Tilley serving in the militia or paying taxes. This suggests that Tilley, to avoid retribution from Loyalists, left Monmouth County shortly after the murder. Or perhaps he changed his name and weathered the rest of the war quietly under an alias. Disposing of the Pew Family Estate The disposition of James Pew’s estate after his death became complicated. In November 1779, the New Jersey Assembly received a petition from Wiliam Pew “and others.” The petition argued that: That the last will & testament of James Pew, deceased, was burned by the enemy in the house of Thomas Henderson, Surrogate for the County, in their passage through this State in the month of June 1778 -- and praying that an authenticated copy of the will, produced to the House, may be confirmed as the last will & testament of James Pew, deceased. Ordered, that the petitioners appear at the next session and present their case, must also advertise their petition, to allow rival heirs the opportunity to present their cases. A new will was presented to the Assembly on November 26. Presumably, it transferred James Pew’s estate to William Pew. The Assembly passed "An Act to Confirm a Copy of the Last Will and Testament of James Pew, late of the Township of Middletown in the County of Monmouth" in October 1780. William Pew chose not to hold onto the estate. The 300-acre estate was advertised for sale in the New Jersey Gazette in January 1782: “The plantation lies very pleasantly situated by the side of the salt water... a good house and barn.” The vulnerability of the estate to British/Loyalist attack was referenced, “it will be very valuable when the British leave New York.” Surviving documents do not state why James Pew’s estate was not seized and sold with other Loyalist estates. Perhaps William Pew, who was apparently a good Whig, was seen as a worthy inheritor of the family’s property. Throughout the estate confiscation process in Monmouth County, exceptions to the normal rules were made for the kin of Loyalists . In April 1782, the hanging of Captain Joshua Huddy led to the court martial trial of Richard Lippincott, the Shrewsbury Loyalist who led the hanging party. Rhoda Pew’s account of her husband’s murder was memorialized on June 9, 1782, as part of that trial (in order to document the abuses committed against Monmouth Loyalists). If not for this trial, James Pew’s murder would have went undocumented and would be forever lost to history. As for Rhoda Pew, as a Loyalist woman behind British lines, she received nothing from her husband’s estate. She likely lived very modestly in New York as a widow without family wealth to draw down. She was illiterate; she signed the deposition of her husband’s murder with an “X.” In April 1783, Rhoda Pew left New York for Canada with three children. Related Historic Site : Museum of the City of New York Sources : New Jersey State Archives, Supreme Court Records, #37510; National Archives, revolutionary War veterans Pension Applications, New Jersey - James Pew; Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey 1775-1776 (Ithaca: Cornell University Library, 2009) p 243; Testimony of Rhoda Pew, Library of Congress, Richard Lippincott Court Martial, reel 1, #158-65; Transcript of the Court Martial of Richard Lippincott, http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/halew/Lippincott.html ; Edwin Salter, Old Times in Old Monmouth (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1970) p 38-9; The Library Company, New Jersey Votes of the Assembly, November 25, 1779, p 47; The Library Company, New Jersey Votes of the Assembly, September 26, 1780, p 273; The Acts of the Council and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (Isaac Collins: Trenton, 1784) p151 Archives of the State of New Jersey, Extracts from American Newspapers Relating to New Jersey (Paterson, NJ: Call Printing, 1903) vol. 5, p 370; David Bell, American Loyalists to New Brunswick: Passenger Lists (Formac, 2015). 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The articles in the collection 250 for the 250th: The American Revolution in Monmouth County represent the most complete history of this topic ever assembled. < 250 Home < Previous pg. Next > David Forman Sends Intelligence Reports to George Washington by Michael Adelberg In 1777 and from 1780 into 1782, Monmouth County’s David Forman provided intelligence reports to George Washington about the movement of British ships and troops at Sandy Hook. - June 1780 - From spring 1777 onward, George Washington sought intelligence on the movement of British ships and troops coming in and out New York Harbor via Sandy Hook. Monmouth County, and the Navesink Highlands-area in particular, provided the best views of Sandy Hook. Starting in 1777, Colonel David Forman of Manalapan, leading a locally-raised Continental Army regiment, provided intelligence reports to Washington. But Forman lost his command in early in 1778 and apparently stopped sending reports. After the Battle of Monmouth and the arrival of the French fleet in America, the need for regular intelligence on British movements took on new importance. Starting fall 1778, reports were provided by Continental officers who were temporarily stationed in northeast Monmouth County, starting with Major Richard Howell and Captain John Burrowes in summer 1778. After that, Washington sent regiments of Continentals in Monmouth County and relied on Colonels Caleb North (January-February 1779), Moredcai Gist (March 1779), and Benjamin Ford (April-May 1779) for intelligence reports. When Ford left Monmouth County, it appears that Washington lacked an officer who could be held accountable for regular intelligence reports. In addition to the men mentioned above, on July 27, Washington requested Middlesex County’s Colonel John Taylor (not the Monmouth County Loyalist of the same name ) to provide “immediate notice of any embarkation, the sailing of any troops out of the harbor or of the arrival of any in it, or the departure or arrival of any Vessels, whether they have troops on Board or not.” He noted that “it would be extremely useful to have look outs in Monmouth County and at the town of Amboy to keep an exact account of all Vessels coming in and going out and make daily reports to be transmitted to me.” However, Taylor did not emerge as a regular source of intelligence. In September, two officers in the Monmouth County state troop regiment, reporting to Colonel Asher Holmes, sent intelligence reports on the movements of the British. For example, Major Elisha Walton reported: Yesterday afternoon came a fleet consisting from sea consisting of seven men of war, forty-five square rigged vessels; we are informed by some of the Refugees that made a descent upon our shore that it is the 2nd division of Arbuthnot's fleet with troops from England, but what number we could not learn. We are informed by a deserter that came over yesterday. Lieutenant Jacob Woolcott, “commanding at Shrewsbury,” also sent a brief report on a British fleet leaving Sandy Hook on September 23. A week later, David Forman, for the first time in three years, was observing the British fleet at Sandy Hook from the Navesink Highlands. He noted the diminished size of the British naval squadron and concluded the British "are reduced to a position more to be pitied than feared." He pledged to join the Continental Army on an anticipated Franco-American assault on British positions in New York. David Forman’s Intelligence Reports, 1780 In June 1780, a string of punishing “man-stealing ” raids into Monmouth County and talk of vigilante reprisals re-raised affairs in Monmouth County to the attention of Continental Congress and Army leaders. Washington also learned that the French fleet had left the Caribbean and Sandy Hook was a likely destination. For both reasons, Washington re-established contact with David Forman and charged him with assisting the cavalry officer , Major Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, in linking up with the French. Washington also asked Forman to report on the movement of British ships at Sandy Hook. On June 12, 1780, Forman sent Washington a note that a British flotilla had crossed the channel north of Sandy Hook and entered lower New York Bay. Washington valued this intelligence because he wrote, on June 14, to the “Commanding Officer” of the Monmouth militia about the need to support Forman: As General Forman will probably, in the course of some months to come, have occasion to transmit me intelligence of a very interesting nature from the County of Monmouth, you will be pleased, whenever required by him, to direct one or more Light Horsemen of the County Militia to attend him and bring forward his dispatches to me. By doing this, you will render a very essential service to the public. The unnamed commanding officer was Asher Holmes, the colonel of the largest Monmouth militia regiment and colonel of the regiment of state troops defending Monmouth County. Holmes and Forman had many disagreements . Washington’s camp knew Holmes (who had twice marched militia to support the Army); it likely was a snub to leave Holmes unnamed on the order to support Forman. Forman lived in Manalapan and was deeply involved in founding the Association for Retaliation , a vigilante society soon enmeshed in violence. So, Forman only occasionally went to the Highlands to personally observe the British fleet. He hired Captain Joseph Stillwell of Middletown to perch himself in the Highlands (Garrett’s Hill most of the time) and send near-daily observations. Parts of Stillwell’s diaries have survived. Stillwell’s reports from June 16-20, 1780; July 1-8, 1780; July 16-20, 1780; November 5-11, 1780; December 12-14, 1780 were sent to Washington. There were other reports that have not survived. Most of these reports are short and concern information only on British ship movements; Stillwell often reports no activity or foggy weather preventing his view. Other Topics in Forman’s Reports Forman’s reports to Washington often included information on events in Monmouth County. Forman, an ambitious man who stretched the boundaries of decorum and his own authority, periodically sought Washington’s favor on topics well beyond British movements at Sandy Hook. On June 17, for example, Forman discussed a privateer flying “English colors” that attacked “fifteen of the trading vessels from Shrewsberry to New York” while “they was on a general fish party on the banks of the Shrewsberry.” Forman then informed Washington: My information, and I believe it is good, says that eleven or twelve of them was taken as the privateer immediately stood southward with her prizes. We are not informed who the prisoners are, we expect all are principal traders & plunderers of this Country - immediately on this information, I sent to Egg Harbor where I presume the prisoners are, if possible, to prevent there being paroled or discharged until their characters are fully known. Should they prove the gang we suppose they are, I hope it will be instrumental in restoring peace to this County. Why did Forman tell Washington about captured Loyalists at Little Egg Harbor? Probably because Forman lacked any jurisdiction over these prisoners and his stature with Gloucester County officials was enlarged if he could invoke Washington’s name when making an appeal to detain the prisoners. Unfortunately, we do not have further documentation of Forman’s attempt to detain and interrogate the captured Loyalists. On July 9, Forman lobbied Washington for troops to capture Sandy Hook. He discussed British plans to obstruct the expected French fleet “by interrupting the channel way at the point of the Hook & at the same time taking possession of the Hook with a body of troops and heavy cannon, they would make the passage almost impossible.” Forman predicted that bad weather or obstructions would “oblige the French fleet to put to sea." He then discussed the advantage of occupying Sandy Hook: With possession of the Hook, every difficulty would be removed in a very short time - by landing a few pieces of heavy cannon, the troops could cover the French ships while they drew the sunk vessels out of the channel or until they could wrap their ships through them. Washington did not respond to this proposal. Spotty Intelligence from David Forman’s Informers Forman continued sending intelligence reports in 1780 and intermingled information from these sources with Stillwell’s observations. On June 18, Forman wrote: “Yesterday afternoon, three frigates arrived within Sandy Hook. In the evening, a fourth ship was run in. The Tory report of this day is that Admiral [Marriott] Arbuthnot was on board.” Forman also wrote, incorrectly, that “this afternoon a large French fleet appeared, standing for Sandy Hook." On July 30, Forman sent intelligence after interrogating a deserter from Sandy Hook. He wrote Washington that “I have it from a mate of a vessel in their service, yet I believe an honest man in his information." The deserter described plans to sink ships at Sandy Hook if the French fleet arrived: "They should sink their store vessels in the place they now lay, which will, I apprehend, for a time render the passage of large ships up to the Narrows impracticable." Forman then reported on British ships leaving Sandy Hook, adding that "informers from New York” said the ships were headed for Rhode Island. On September 1, Forman again mixed Stillwell’s observations of British ships with word from informers in New York. Accounts from New York agree that there has been an amazingly severe press there for some time past and still continues - that the people are very generally dissatisfied and dispirited - it was also said Sir Harry [General Henry Clinton] was embarking his troops for Rhode Island. This last detail was false and Forman likely understood the mistake afterward. Two weeks later, Forman again reported based on an informer in New York. He reported that 5,000 troops were boarding transports. This time, Forman qualified his source, "this account my informant says may be relied upon.” And Forman went further: Should I ascertain further information that the intelligence is in any way wrong, I shall correct it by finding an honest man as soon as I shall be better informed. Yet I would observe to your Excellency that I have hardly ever been deceived by accts through this channel. Forman’s informer was spectacularly wrong six months later. In April 1781, Forman ignited a boomlet of excitement among the nation’s leaders by reporting a British invasion of the Delmarva Peninsula at New Castle, Delaware. He wrote on April 2: By account this day rec'd from New York, I am informed that a large embarkation is now in forwardness for Delaware Bay, that Genl. Clinton will take command of it & take a post at New Castle. My informant says confidence may be put in this information -- in justice to his intelligence I have found him hardly to err. Forman sent similar reports to Samual Huntington, President of the Continental Congress, and Governor William Livingston. Livingston forwarded Forman's report to Congress with a smidge of doubt, writing: "I know Genl. Forman's intelligence has been generally found true." Other times, however, Forman’s human intelligence gave him early word—even word about top secret activity. On August 3, Forman interrogated "sixteen artificers of the French Army" and sent Washington word: "These men tell me that the whole of the French Army are on the march to this State.” This was correct, but Forman incorrectly guessed why the French were coming, writing “that New York will soon be invaded." Forman was not supposed to know the French were moving, and did not imagine that the French would link up with Washington and march for Virginia to capture the British Army at Yorktown. Washington’s Reliance on Forman’s Intelligence While Forman’s intelligence, particularly from New York sources, was sometimes inaccurate, there is no doubt that his reports were valued. On June 18, 1780, Washington wrote General Robert Howe that Forman "is entirely to be depended upon" (though this was before Forman conveyed incorrect information from informers). Even when there were gaps in Forman’s reports, such as a gap from August 23-30, Washington was typically polite to Forman: I have not had the pleasure of hearing from you since your first favor of 23rd. inst. and I am informed from N York that a fleet with part of the Army of Lord Cornwallis arrived at that place last Friday. My anxiety will be well and early informed of the enemy's movements by water, induces me to wish to hear from you as often and as speedily as any material circumstance renders it necessary. Washington expanded even Forman’s responsibilities to include commanding the cadre of pilots gathered at Basking Ridge under Captain William Dobbs—men to be mobilized on the arrival of the French fleet. Washington wrote Forman: Immediately upon the appearance of a fleet near Sandy Hook, and you are satisfied it is the one we are expecting, you will please to give order to the pilots to repair down, where they may be at hand to be improved as occasion and circumstances shall require. Even in May 1781, after Forman’s intelligence was proven incorrect a number of times, Washington was grateful to Forman for his services. He wrote: “I am exceedingly obliged by the distinct and full intelligence of the sailing of the British Fleet - I had not before been able to ascertain the matter, and I was very anxious to do it." Forman rehired Joseph Stillwell at Washington’s request. It also appears that Congress valued Forman’s reports. On July 7, 1780, John Brown of the Continental Congress’s Marine Committee wrote directly to Forman to request intelligence reports: We would be much obliged to you if you would employ some suitable person to observe the motions of the enemy ships as they go in to and come out of New York, and transmit the number of guns and the condition, together with their movements. Brown informed Forman that he would be compensated for "any reasonable expense." Congress had even sent Forman a gift to assist him in reporting on British movements: “The Board are informed that an excellent spy glass was sent to your quarters by the Navy Board last year for the purpose of observing the motions of the Enemy from the Highlands." Forman’s reports to Congress have not survived. Perspective Whether Continental or British, Revolutionary War leaders were starved for information about the enemy. Whatever his flaws, Forman was George Washington’s best source of early intelligence on the movement of British men and ships in and out of New York. This made Forman valuable despite the inaccuracies in some of his reports. Savvy individuals like Washington and Livingston may have understood that Forman’s information from Stillwell could be trusted while the information from informers was suspect. Forman was also diligent in reporting his difficulties in gathering intelligence (see Appendix) and these difficulties, coupled with the value of his reports, earned Forman the goodwill of Continental and State leaders. Forman would need this goodwill as he was, simultaneously, leading a vigilante society, the Association for Retaliation, into lawless and violent acts. Related Historic Site : Hartshorne Woods Park Appendix: Difficulties Gathering and Sending Intelligence Reports On June 17, 1780, Forman boasted to Washington about the outposts he established to gather intelligence to Washington. He wrote, "I have established different posts for upwards of fifty miles of seacoast, that I think it will be impossible for any number of ships to be on the coast without my immediately being informed of it.” But his sentries proved unreliable and, at times, bad weather made observation difficult. Just two days after his boast, a frustrated Forman reported that foggy weather prevented useful reports from his posts. Therefore, he would go to the shore himself. "By daylight,” he wrote, “I will myself be on the Highlands of Middletown." Forman returned to the Highlands on June 29, writing Washington, "I rode down to the Highlands of Middletown - the day was rainy and dull as to prevent any particular observation." He went to the shore again on July 17, "I rode down to Shrewsbury yesterday, but the weather being too foggy to make any critical observation." While at Shrewsbury, Forman met with Major Lee and his cavalry. Forman informed Lee that he had to leave Monmouth County “on business” and needed Lee to provide intelligence reports in his absence. Lee might have disagreed and Forman might have complained to Washington. On July 19, Washington gave Lee a stern order: I depend on you for information of every occurrence, which will save General Forman the trouble of a business which I could only with propriety request the favor of him... For the future, you will make the report every two days, of the appearance at the Hook in which the more detail the better. Forman returned to Monmouth County in time to report again on August 11. He noted the arrival of British ships at Sandy Hook and promised to return to Shrewsbury for more information. He reported again from Shrewsbury on August 13, noting that he was in dangerous country "with only a small guard." Forman also noted that foggy weather hampered his intelligence; he was back in Freehold on August 16 and sent his next report. On May 21, 1781, Forman apologized to Washington for subpar intelligence reports due a family tragedy: "My whole time has been so entirely engaged with the distress of my family, loss of my little son, that I have not been of intelligence so as to form of an opinion on the destination of the fleet." He did, however, note that three deserters claimed a British fleet was heading for the Chesapeake. He also asked Washington about whether or not to rehire Stillwell. Washington promptly replied: I shall very willingly consent to take a man into pay at the rate you mention as the heights of Monmouth are the only ones from whence the movements of the enemy fleet in and out of the Hook can be clearly discovered. Stillwell was re-employed; the May 29 report included observations from Stillwell. Forman also ran into problems getting his reports delivered. An attempt to communicate via warning beacons had failed a year earlier—forcing Forman to rely on express riders. Forman wrote with frustration on July 9, 1780: “There is so few militia horse ordered out and so much use for them that in many instance I cannot be furnished with one in twenty four horses, and never until I send 15 or 20 miles for them." Washington was aware of Forman’s difficulties maintaining express riders. In August, when there was a break in regular reports, he wrote Forman, “I am very fearful that you have met with more trouble in establishing the Chain of Expresses than was expected.” Forman had to finance his horses and riders to carry reports. In 1782, Colonel John Neilson wrote that he and Forman were frustrated by having to make outlays for horses and riders: "If this mode is to be continued, it will be necessary to establish a fund to defray the expenses of that business, for no person can be prevailed upon to do it without being paid their traveling charges." Neilson also expressed frustration with Forman for taking one of his horses, “He has disappointed me, and is possessed of a horse which I am doubtful of his being entitled to." Sources : George Washington to John Taylor, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, July 27, 1779, http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw150526)) ; Elisha Walton to Congress, National Archives, Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 157, item 147, vol. 2, #496; Jacob Wolcott, letter, National Archives, Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 157, item 147, vol. 2, #489; David Forman to George Washington, Nathanael Greene, The Papers of General Nathanael Greene (Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina Press, 1976) vol. 4, p 428; Library of Congress, Early American Newspapers, Pennsylvania Evening Post, July 1780; David Forman to George Washington, National Archives, Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 171, item 152, vol. 8, #603 and vol. 9, #179; George Washington to New Jersey Militia Officer Commanding the Monmouth County, 14 June 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-02093, ver. 2013-09-28; David Forman to George Washington, John Fitzpatrick, ed., The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1932) vol. 19, p 29; Forman’s letter noted in Thomas Fleming, The Forgotten Victory: The Battle for New Jersey - 1780 (New York: Reader's Digest Press, 1973) p 223; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 67, June 29, 1780; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 67, June 30, 1780; William Horner, This Old Monmouth of Ours (Freehold: Moreau Brothers, 1932) p 223-4; David Forman George Washington, National Archives, Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 93, item 78, vol. 9, #319; John Brown to David Forman, National Archives, Collection 332, reel 6, #260; David Forman to George Washington, Monmouth County Historical Association, Diaries Collection, box 2, John Stillwell's Diary (photocopy); George Washington to David Forman, John Fitzpatrick, ed., The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1932) vol. 19, p 183; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 68, July 17, 1780; George Washington to Henry Lee, John Fitzpatrick, ed., The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1932) vol. 19, p 214 note; George Washington to David Forman, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw220484)) ; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 80, August 11, 13, and 16, 1781; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 70, September 1, 1780; David Forman to William Livingston, U. of Michigan, Clements Library, Henry Clinton Papers, box 151, folder 42; David Forman to Congress, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Gratz Collection ALS; Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 78, May 17, 1781; David Forman to George Washington, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, series 4, reel 78, May 29, 1781; Personal Correspondence: David J. Fowler, Letter: David Forman to ?, August 3, 1781; John Neilson to Timothy Pickering, National Archives, Misc. Numbered Records, 85: 24782. Previous Next

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The articles in the collection 250 for the 250th: The American Revolution in Monmouth County represent the most complete history of this topic ever assembled. < 250 Home < Previous pg. Next > The Discovery of Samuel Wright's Loyalist Association by Michael Adelberg Virginia’s Gen. Adam Stephen commanded a Continental Army detachment that captured Samuel Wright, leader of a 60-man Loyalist association hoping to join the British Army. - August 1776 - In July 1776, Elisha Lawrence, John Morris, and John Longstreet led associations of Loyalists from Monmouth County to join the British Army at Sandy Hook. Behind them, additional Loyalist associations continued to form. Some assembled and reached the British Army, and some did not. There’s evidence that the disaffected residents at Deal and Shark River were in active communication with British and Loyalists at Sandy Hook in late July 1776. Balthazar DeHart, who gave lengthy testimony about New York Loyalists coming into Shrewsbury Townships, also testified that: There were some vessels of ſorce lying off Shark River, which he supposed were landing some men there to get provision, as he observed flat-bottomed boats with them. And further, this examinant saith that he saw some armed vessels off Deal shore last Saturday, and observed some boats which seemed to be going to said vessels, and that he verily believes that the inhabitants along that shore have communication with the enemy. This is the first mention of the men who would soon form a Loyalist association under Samuel Wright of Squankum. Wright was a known Loyalist. Earlier that year, the Shrewsbury Committee concluded that Wright was a “person unfriendly to the liberties of these Colonies.” It advertised him as an enemy and instructed the militia to “make a strict search and inquiry for arms in his hands... and safely secure them." In March, Wright was summoned to appear before the Monmouth County Committee . He refused the summons and portrayed himself as a pacifist Quaker : I have not done anything worthy of death or bonds, and therefore I do refuse to dy; I think it unreasonable, Gentlemen, to bind a man and not signify the crimes you lay to his charge. Finally, brethren, fling down your arms and fight not against King George, as I have mine, and let us live in love and peace one with the other. Take not up arms against me, but if you do, I do not intend to take mine up against you... Wishing peace and long life, health and salvation to the King and Congress, you and all; I shall remain your friend and servant in all things according to a clear conscience. Samuel Wright’s Loyalist Association By July, the Jersey shore was rife with disaffection. Samuel Breese, Shrewsbury’s militia colonel, resigned his commission due to the “general backwardness of the people… so few ready to turn out, hiding themselves and deserting their homes when called upon to defend the shore." Later that month, the New Jersey Convention directed John Cook of Toms River to “apprehend any persons whom he has reason to suspect of enlisting for the British Army, and take them before the County Committee of Monmouth." But there are no records documenting Cook making arrests. In September, emboldened by British victories over Washington’s army in New York, several dozen disaffected residents from Deal to Manasquan began meeting and plotting to join the British. William Sands of Deal recalled one such meeting at Shark River on September 25. He was “forced to swear secrecy with regards to the proceedings” by Henry Weatherby. Weatherby said that he and others: Were entering into an association and forming a secret encampment in the woods for the purpose of aiding and assisting the British Army and altho’ said associators were not at the time furnished with arms, yet they soon expected them from the British Army. Weatherby also said that when they joined the British Army, Samuel Wright would be their Captain and Weatherby their Lieutenant. At a second meeting in Long Branch, Sands recalled Weatherby forming plans “to seize Colonel [Daniel] Hendrickson, the Reverend [Charles] McKnight, Captain [Stephen] Fleming and sundry others, who were to be conveyed to Staten Island, where they were to receive forty dollars each for each prisoner taken.” Weatherby said that “if discovered… they would rush the said guards, and if possible cut them off, and then push over to Staten Island and join the King’s troops there.” Sands reported that there were at least 60 men in Wright’s association and he named names. His list included several prominent men: two members of the Shrewsbury Township Committee (Gavin Drummond and David Knott), a future New Jersey Volunteers officer (Thomas Leonard), and two men who would become infamous Loyalist partisans (Philip White and Richard Lippincott). Sands also claimed the group was being secretly aided by “Col George Taylor of Middletown.” Samuel Knott also gave two lengthy depositions. He recalled Weatherby asking “if he would consent to join him and a certain party with which he was engaged.” Knott said he “chose to take time to consider it." At the second meeting, Knott recalled Wright and Weatherby explaining that they were establishing a company of men that “were to join Colonel John Morris in the British service as soon as Morris should land, and assist him in subduing the country to the king of Great Britain." Further, Wright said, “they intended to surprise & disarm the guards, and go in boats to the Hook... sd Wright was at the same time armed with gun & pistol, and said he would see the time where he dare walk the road when the damned rebels dare not show their faces." Knott also named names and estimated Wright’s association at 60 men. The last days of Wright’s insurgency are revealed in depositions taken in November 1776. On November 19, Shrewsbury’s Magistrate, John Longstreet, took a number of depositions from men in Wright’s party who were now in the custody of Colonel Daniel Hendrickson. The depositions describe Wright enlisting men into the New Jersey Volunteers. Theophilus Bennett, for example, recalled signing "the muster roll... to join John Morris and the regulars when they should land" and accompanying Wright when he was seeking additional signatures. Samuel Knott corroborated Bennett’s account, but said he did not sign the muster roll despite being asked “sundry times.” He described a secret encampment in the woods where Wright had the muster roll laid out on a haystack for me to sign. William Smith deposed that: Weatherby asked this deponent whether he would sign for good Government, afterwards they went into the woods where they met Samuel Wright, when sd Wright offered sd deponent a piece of paper with a number of names wrote thereon, and asked him whether he would put his name on sd paper, the sd Wright told the deponent that if he told of their proceedings, death would be his portion. Two of those deposed, Samuel Knott and Jeremiah Bennett, discussed bounties being offered for enlisting. Knott recalled that "Wright's enlistment roll did contain the following… that each subscriber to be allowed eight shillings for subsistence and ten pence per day for wages, and at the end of the rebellion were to have fifty acres of land." Jeremiah Bennett, recalled that "Wright promised... he should have in reward near 200 acres." In early November, Wright’s men assembled in the woods near the shore, while Wright and twelve other men went off in a boat for Staten Island – apparently to return with a ship that would take them to the British. However, Wright’s boat cast ashore at Point Comfort (Keansburg) where it was noticed by Virginia Continentals stationed along the Raritan Bay shore. The Loyalists were taken on November 14. The Capture of Samuel Wright On November 22, General Adam Stephen, commanding the Virginians, wrote Governor William Livingston about “the parcel of Tories” he captured. They were “forming a secret encampment in the woods for the purpose of aiding and assisting the British Army." Stephen suggested having the Tories join the Continental Navy or offering them "some other form of punishment that will be useful to the State. Insignificant as they are, should they be permitted to return, the soldiery would put them to death." Wright and twelve other prisoners were temporarily put under the care of the Monmouth militia’s Major Thomas Seabrook. But the prisoners could not stay in Monmouth County. Charles Petit of the Governor’s Privy Council, explained that the “regular passage of intelligence which has hitherto subsisted between our secret and avowed enemies” in Monmouth County would make it impossible to secure Wright there. He suggested confining Wright and his men in Sussex County in northwest New Jersey. On December 7, Governor Livingston sent five of Wright’s men to John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress with a letter about half of Wright’s party: The prisoners sent to wit: William Valentine, Andrew Wilson, Benjamin Wilson, John Jones & Henry Weatherby were sent hither last week by Genl. Adam Stephen at Amboy -- the first four named are charged with assisting the enemy in endeavoring to get off a vessel which ran on shore some time ago at Point Comfort in Amboy Bay, and giving them intelligence respecting the military stores in this State; Weatherby is charged with having engaged in the King's service as a Lieutenant and enlisting or endeavoring to enlist men in Monmouth County in said service. It is thought unsafe to keep them in this State at present. I am therefore to request that Congress will give orders for their being kept in safety. Some of Wright’s men would ultimately end up jailed in Frederick, Maryland along with a number of Monmouth Loyalists captured by David Forman in late November. It is unclear why Wright was not shipped to Philadelphia with his compatriots, but he would resurface as a dangerous Loyalist partisan later in the war. In October 1778, Wright was one of seven Monmouth Loyalists to have a bounty placed on his head ($100). This was after a string of brutal robberies and a murder in Shrewsbury Township. The other men in the bounty notice included a number of so-called Pine Robbers , including the notorious Jacob Fagan. Related Historic Site : Township of Ocean Historical Museum Sources: Proceedings of the Committees of Freehold and Shrewsbury, Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, First Series, 1846, pp. 195; DeHart’s statement is in Peter Force, American Archives: Consisting of a Collection of Authentick Records, State Papers, Debates, and Letters and Other Notices of Publick Affairs (Washington, DC: U.S. Congress Clerk's Office, 1853), 5th Series, vol. 1, p 602-3; Dennis P. Ryan, "Six Towns: Continuity and Change in Revolutionary New Jersey, 1770-1792" (Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1974) p 193; Monmouth County Historical Association, Curator's Files: "Local Facts about the Revolutionary War Made Public"[Franklin Ellis, The History of Monmouth County (R.T. Peck: Philadelphia, 1885), p138-9; Minutes of the Provincial Congress and Council of Safety of New Jersey (Trenton: Naar, Day, and Naar, 1879) p 497; Peter Force, American Archives: Consisting of a Collection of Authentick Records, State Papers, Debates, and Letters and Other Notices of Publick Affairs (Washington, DC: U.S. Congress Clerk's Office, 1853), 5th Series, vol. 6, p 1641; Franklin Ellis, The History of Monmouth County (R.T. Peck: Philadelphia, 1885), p138; Peter Force, American Archives, (Force and Clarke: Washington, DC, 1837) 4th series, vol. 6, p 1654; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, James Cornelius; Carl Prince, Papers of William Livingston (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1987) vol. 1, pp. 312-5; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives and History, Council of Safety, Deposition of William Sands; New Jersey State Archives, Collective Series, Revolutionary War documents, #32 Samuel Knott deposition; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, Henry Weatherby; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, Examination of Sundry Persons; Massachusetts Historical Society, William Livingston Papers, Minutes, Lord Stirling (Charles Pettit); New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, Henry Weatherby; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, Examination of Sundry Persons; Massachusetts Historical Society, William Livingston Papers, Minutes, Lord Stirling; Dennis P. Ryan, "Six Towns: Continuity and Change in Revolutionary New Jersey, 1770-1792" (Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1974) p 178; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, Examination of Sundry Persons; Carl Prince, Papers of William Livingston (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1987) vol. 1, p 186, 182, 315 note. William Dwyer, The Day is Ours! An Inside View of the Battles of Trenton and Princeton (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1998), p38. Harry Ward, Major General Adam Stephen and the Cause of American Liberty (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1989) pp. 146-7; New Jersey State Archives, Bureau of Archives of History, Council of Safety, box 1, document #34; National Archives, Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 82, item 68, #107. Library of Congress, Peter Force Collection, series 7C, box 31, folder 2, 68:155; New Jersey State Archives, Supreme Court Records, #33977; Princeton University, Firestone Library, CO387, Barricklo Coll., box 1, folder Miscellaneous; David Bernstein, Minutes of the Governor's Privy Council, 1777-1789 (Trenton: New Jersey State Library, Archives and History Bureau, 1974) p 91-2. Previous Next