Roots of living history run deep in Hillsborough
By:Michele Dansak
I admit that there is a lot about Hillsborough’s history that I do not yet know. In fact, the mere thought of writing this column terrifies the heck out of me.
After relaying these fears to my husband, Rick, one evening, he suggested that I think of the assignment as a journey through Hillsborough.
"In each column you can highlight something about the town’s history that makes it unique – that makes it, well, Hillsborough," he replied. And that’s what I intend to do.
Appropriately enough, this journey begins with the founding of the town. The discovery of Clovis-type spear points in Hillsborough indicates that the earliest inhabitants arrived 10,000-12,000 years ago.
Artifacts from all the archaeological periods have been found in Hillsborough, indicating continuous occupation until historic times.
By the time the Dutch (and the English and the Scotch) arrived in the mid-1600s, the area was inhabited by the Unami Indians of the Lenape tribe.
By the middle of the next century, few, if any, Lenape were left in the area. Large tracts of land were traded for rum, firearms, gunpowder, coats, and blankets. An educated Lenape remarked, "not an acre of ground have you taken but by our consent."
The Board of Proprietors of the Province of East New Jersey began issuing land patents in 1682. The patents flew like hotcakes. In 1676, West New Jersey, including the area of Neshanic and South Branch, was sold to William Penn. In 1682, Anthony Brockholis obtained 3,000 acres bounded by the Millstone and Raritan Rivers.
Robert Burnett received 1,580 acres extending from the mid-point of the South Branch (near present day Mill Lane) eastward toward Flagtown. John Royce received 877 acres of land from Konachama and Inereromak, chieftains of the Raritan tribe. This is now Roycefield and South Branch.
On June 10, 1688, William Dockwra received two patents. One was for 2,000 acres in the valleys of the Millstone and Raritan rivers. The other was for 3,815 acres on the tributaries of the Millstone River.
A few years later, Thomas Cooper acquired 2,000 acres along the Raritan River. His parcel ran south, ending at approximately New Amwell Road.
Clement Plumstead and Thomas Barker received 2000 acres each along the Millstone River. Both tracts extended westward to approximately Willow Road.
The biggest winner in the race for land was Peter Sonmans. After receiving shares from his father, Arent, he acquired 3,000 acres on the South Branch. This land included the future village of Clover Hill.
A short time later, Sonmans cashed in additional shares in order to obtain a single patent for the last remaining land in Hillsborough (and a large portion of Montgomery as well). This 23,000-acre tract claimed the last segment of frontage along the Raritan River and almost all of the Sourland Mountain.
These parcels of land were subdivided almost as quickly as they were obtained. They were sold to individual farmers and to other investors. Peter Dumont and Hendrik Beekman were among those who purchased the smaller lots.
Sometimes individuals formed a company in order to purchase land. Such was the case when 17 Dutch individuals purchased a 9,000-acre tract from Peter Sonmans in 1710.
The Harlingen Tract, as it is now known, ran from approximately New Amwell Road south toward Skillman Road in Montgomery. It was further subdivided into 42 lots. Twenty-two were to be used as farmsteads, 19 for wood lots, and one for a church.
Although a large majority of the town’s residents were farmers by trade, some of the smaller parcels of land were set aside for gristmills. Mills were one of the areas earliest industries.
Records indicate the presence of mills in the Neshanic area as early as 1692. In 1746, Peter Schenk built the first mill along the West Bank of the Millstone River. Situated two miles south of the town of Millstone, we know it today as Blackwell’s Mills.
The biggest boost to the town’s identity occurred on May 31, 1771 when King George III of England granted the Somerset patent. On that date, the area known as the "Westering Precinct of Somerset County" became the Township of Hillsborough.
You may be wondering why King George III chose the name Hillsborough. Although the records are obscure, it is long believed that the township was named after Lord Hillsborough.
Some of the first town meetings were held in the Somerset Courthouse, including those in 1775 and 1776. On March 10, 1776, nine people were chosen to make up the first township committee.
If the residents of Hillsborough were expecting a peaceful, quiet existence, they were in for a big surprise. Sentiments were running high in favor of independence from England and Hillsborough found itself thrust into the Revolutionary War.
Michele Dansak is a member of the Hillsborough Historic Commission.