Allentow: Its rise in progress, Vol. 34
From New Jersey Historical Society’s Charles R. Hutchinson collection, more history about the properties from Sensi Park to Gov. W. A. Newell’s house and southward towards the Presbyterian Church cemetery.
March 21, 1801: " James Demmins and Eleanor his wife, of Allentown" &c, executed a mortgage to Burnet Montgomery, of the same place, for "Two Hundred Spanish Milled Dollars," upon a lot of land in Allentown, "Beginning about 45 feet westward of said Demmins’s house, on the main road and at Doctor Montgomery’s corner, running an direct line down s’d road to the Mill Pond: thence along said Mill Pond to said Montgomery’s line, and thence bounded by Doct’r Montgomery’s land to the place of beginning: containing one acre more or less." March 4, 1809, "James Lloyd, Esq’r, late Sheriff of the county of Monmouth," conveyed the same to Burnet Montgomery for $35.01, containing one acre, described as above. March 9, 1852, "James B. Hooper and Charlotte Louisa his wife, of Somerset County, &c, and Sarah Rogers, (widow of Samuel, dec’d) of the city of Trenton," &c, conveyed to Elisha Robbins, of Allentown, &c, for $653, one acre, described as above," which Burnet Montgomery, by his will, devised in fee simple to Charlotte Louisa Rogers (his grand-daughter), now wife of said James B. Hooper, and the said Charlotte Louisa, while sole and unmarried, conveyed a life right therein to her mother, the said Sarah Rogers, by deed July 14, 1837, &c. July 15, 1854, Abel Cafferty and Margaret his wife, of Allentown, &c, conveyed to Elisha Robbins, of the same, for "a satisfactory sum," 3/100 of an acre at the rear of the above lot. February 7, 1894, Caroline S. Meseroll (daughter of Elisha Robbins) and Augustus A. Meseroll, her husband, conveyed the above premises, 1 acre and 3/100 of an acre, to Augustus R. Cafferty, of Allentown, for $2000.
The two acre lot at the easterly corner of Main and High Streets, bounded easterly by the above described lot and southerly by the Presbyterian Church property and now in the possession of Sarah V. Satterthwait, was in 1801, the residence of Doctor Thomas West Montgomery. He was a son of Alexander and Eunia (West) Montgomery: born 1764, married, 1788, Mary, daughter of Hon. John Berrien, of Rocky Hill [his widow rented house where Washington wrote his farewell speech to the military], practiced medicine for some years at Allentown, then removed to Princeton and thence to New York City, where he died in 1820 and was buried in Trinity Churchyard. The next occupant appears to have been George W. Imlay, son of John and Elizabeth (Debow) Imlay, who died there and was succeeded by his widow, "Hetty," until her death, January 15, 1841, after which, the premises were sold by Joseph Milnor Imlay, their only surviving son to Doct. William A. Newell, described as follows:
April 5, 1845, Joseph M. Imlay and Elizabeth W. his wife, conveyed to William A. Newell, "all that lot or parcel of land in Allentown, &c. Beginning at a stone standing on the south side of Main Street, and the northwest corner of John C. Vanderbeek’s lot, and on a course of S 70½ [degrees] W, 1[chain], 28½ [links], from the northwest or upper corner of Sarah Rogers’s dwelling: Thence (1) along said street, S 66½ W 4,13 more or less, to the side of the Saw Mill Road: Thence (2) along the Saw Mill Road S 44¼ E 6,10 to a Lumbardy Popular tree, said to be a corner to the Presbyterian Church lot: Thence (3) along said Church lot line, N 43 E 4,10 to a black oak tree at the northwesterly corner of said Church lot: Thence (4) N 34¾ W 1,60 to a stone in Sarah Rogers’s line: Thence (5) along her line S 72 W 49 links to a post: Thence (6) N 36½ W 59 links to a stone, corner of John C. Vanderbeek’s lot: Thence (7) along his line, S 70½ W 61 links to at stone and corner to John C. Vanderbeek’s lot: Thence (8) still along said John C. Vanderbeek’s line, N 32 W 1,90 to the place of beginning: Containing 2 6/100 acres, more or less." January 23, 1883; this was sold by sheriff as the property of William A. Newell, and August 12, 1886, William Muirhead and Clara his wife, of Jersey City, &c, conveyed it to John W. Burtis, of Allentown, &c, for $2750, by same description, but excepting a small lot on its southerly line, which, be deed September 11, 1856, William A. Newell and Joanne his wife to the trustees of the Presbyterian Church for $100, "–Beginning at the northwest corner of the Presbyterian Church lot, on the easterly side of the Old Saw Mill Road (now High Street): Thence (2) N 43 W 33 links to a stone: Thence (3) S 46 W 2,38 to a stone in the side of the aforesaid road or street: Thence (4) along said road or street S 43 E 33 links to the place of beginning: Containing 8/100 of an acre more or less."
At the northerly or northeasterly corner of the 2 6/100 acre lot above described and adjoining westerly to that on which William Lawrence’s house once stood, (now Cafferty), is a small house on a lot containing 15/100 of an acre [75 S. Main], which appears to have been originally a part of the said 2 6/100 acre lot. John Steward, son of Aaron, lived there about 1830, and John C. Vanderbeek in 1845. March 31, 1864, William Stevenson and wife sold it to John J. Robbins for $700, –March 18, 1865, John J. Robbins and his wife sold it to George Ford for $850 –April 8, 1869, Miller Coward, executor of George Ford, deceased, sold it to Charles Hopkins for $804, –March 31, 1879, the executors of Lydia Ann Hopkins sold it to Herman Getsinger for $1001, –September 26, 1891 Herman Getsinger and wife sold it to Susan T. Ralph, wife of Wm. Augustus Ralph, for $735. In 1902 it was owned by John Foster, and now (in 1913) is in the possession of Allen Satterthwait.
December 15, 1744, "William Lawrence, of Allenstown, &c, Trader," conveyed to "Robert Imlay and Tobias of Upper Freehold, &c, yeoman," for five shillings, one acre in Allenstown, &c, "in trust, for the use of the Presbyterian Congregation of Upper Freehold, &c, Beginning at a stone at the root of a Black oak saplin or bush on the northeasterly side of the Saw Mill Road, from whence the northeast chimney of said William Lawrence’s house [73 S Main] bears N 5 W: Thence N 41 W 1,87 to a stone near said road: Thence N 47 E 4,70 to a stone at the root of a Red oak tree by the Mill Pond: Thence S 77 E, by the Pond to a White oak: Thence S 47 W 6 chains to the beginning.
July 20, 1847. The executors of Rev. John Cornell, deceased, conveyed to Stacy Wooby [Woby], Jr. [a free black] of Allentown, &c, a lot of land adjoining the above lot southeasterly, containing 3 30/100 acres, all of which is now included in the Presbyterian Church [cemetery] property: as is also ¼ of an acre adjoining southeasterly to said one acre lot, where Cornelius Vanderbeek, Esq. formerly lived, and which was conveyed to the trustees of said church by Anna M. Bower (his daughter), May 3, 1865 for $600. The house which stood on this lot was removed to the northerly side of West [or 136 S.] Main Street, where it is now the residence of Mrs. Linda H. Beatty, but the well remains.
Historically Speaking is a regular column presented by John Fabiano, president of the Allentown-Upper Freehold Historical Society. For information about the historical society, send e-mail to [email protected].