Notes:

Richard married1 Elizabeth Roberts &
married2 Sarah Roberts.
Both Elizabeth & Sarah were daughters of Rev. Thomas Roberts.

. Captain Wm Leonard's grandson, Thomas resided on the homestead of his grandfather, Thomas, whose property is now in possession of the widow of Richard A. Leonard, spent his youth on the farm owned by his father, to the cultivation of which his time was devoted, with the exception of the period spent at school. At the age of 21 years, being ambitious fora more independent life than was possible on the homestead, Mr.Leonard removed to his grandfather's farm, purchased for him by his father, William Leonard, where he resided daring the remainder of his life. - - -

Birth:
[Middletown, NJ]

Buried:
Leonardo, NJ.

Richard married Sarah ROBERTS on 14 Mar 1833. Sarah was born on 4 Feb 1809 in Georgia; died on 6 Jul 1888 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; was buried in Fairview Cemetery. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Sarah LEONARD was born in 1841 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey.
2. Emma LEONARD was born in 1845 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey.
3. Charles T LEONARD was born in 1855 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey.
4. William J LEONARD, .3 was born on 8 Jul 1857 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; died on 11 Sep 1942 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey.
5. Ella S LEONARD was born in 1861 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey.
6. Delia F LEONARD was born in 1862 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; died on 20 9 1885 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; was buried in Fairview Cemetery.

Notes:

. Captain Leonard, as he was familiarly called, in early life followed the water, plying between New York & Middletown, & occasionally extending his voyages to Virginia. Soon after his marriage he became both a farmer & merchant, & was for years actively engaged in business.

. . ELIZABETH APPLEGATE, daughter of Richard Applegate, 39,born Apl. 8,1792; died Apl. 12, 1836;
married William Leonard, son of Thomas & Alice Lawrence) Leonard, as his first wife.

They had six The had 6 children: Richard A, Thomas, Mary, John T William & Elizabeth.

Thomas married Mary Ann Hopping & had 4 sons:
James H;
Thos. Henry, who married Maria Runyon & they had 4 Daus: Clara, Mabel, Edith Maria & Marianna. Edward, Wm. & John Joseph.

NJ Index of Wills, William Leonard, Sr., 13021 M, Will & Codicil 1873. Inventory 1873.
f
. William Leonard, a son of Capt. Thomas & the grandfather of our subject, first married Elizabeth Applegate & to this marriage 6 children were born, as follows:
Richard A. John S., Thomas, Mary, William & Elizabeth.
His second marriage was to Elizabeth Conover, from which there was no issue.

. 1830 Census Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey:3 Males; 4 Females, 1 Free Colored Female, Total 10.

. 1840 Census Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey
William Leonard:
Males - 10 thru 14: 1; Males - 15 thru 19: 1; Males - 20 thru 29: 2; Males - 50 thru 59: 1;
Females - 10 thru 14: 1; Females - 30 thru 39: 1; Females - 40 thru 49: Free Colored Females - 10 thru 23: 1
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 3; Free White Persons - Under 20-3
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 4; Total All Persons - 9.

. 1874 Feb 6 - d. Australia, 26th Feb., William Henry Leonard, s/o Thomas Leonard & Mary Ann Leonard of Havelock (Kings Co.) age 44.

. 1887 Nov 10 - d. Havelock (Kings Co.) 3rd inst., Mary Ann Leonard widow of Lt. Thomas Leonard, 89th year.
Ref: The Daily Telegraph, Saint John. - - -

Buried:
Cement monuments lays on the ground, cracked at base. 2012.

William married Elizabeth APPLEGATE. Elizabeth was born on 8 Apr 1792 in Middletown, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; died on 12 Apr 1836 in Leonardsville, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; was buried in First Middletown Baptist Church. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Elizabeth is the daughter of Mary Stillwell & Richard Applegate of Middletown. 

. Elizabeth Applegate wife of William Leonard, died April 12, 1836, aged 44 years, 4 days.h- - -

Birth:


Died:
[Middletown]

Buried:
Cement monuments reads '44 years wife of William.'

Notes:

Thomas is the son of Deliverance Lippit & Nathaniel Leonard, b 1712 Monmouth Co. NJ. whose father Capt. John Leonard was murdered by Wequaia an Indian in 1727 over a land dispute.
. Thomas Leonard, Major - He was born about 1715 & lived at Greenwich Farm, 5 miles from Freehold, Monmouth county, NJ.
. For many years he was High Sheriff of Monmouth, his native county, & lived well on his considerable property. He was a prisoner on parole for 2 years early in the War, apparently while holding the rank of Major in the Ist New Jersey Volunteers.
A schedule of his property includes an estate inherited from his uncle, Thomas Leonard, Esquire, deceased. John Thompson & Cornelius Thompson, gentlemen, of Monmouth county, testified at New York in August, 1783, to their personal knowledge of the Leonard property. His estate in Monmouth county, forfeited May 13, 1779, was sold for £5,456. 14. 9., in New Jersey currency. Major Leonard's name is on the list of Seconded officers.
(Ind. 5605). He claimed £1,590 & was allowed £1,210. His place of residence in 1786 was Parrs­borough in Nova Scotia.
Ref: Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society - v. 11, no. 3, July 1926.

. 1757 Dec 8 - On the first day of August last were published a New American Magazine, to be published Monthly, by Sylvanus Americanus. The said magazine shall contain a new & complete history of the Northern Continent of American from the time of its first discovery to the present, compiled with the impartiality & regard to the Truth which becomes a faithful Historian. ...those who are willing to encourage this undertaking, are desired to give in their names to the following persons, viz. James Parker, Woodbridge who is proposed to be the printer of this magazine;
Mr. Boudinott, Postmaster, Princetown; Mr. Thomas Leonard at Freehold; Der. Newell, at Allen Town, Mr. John Lawrence at Burlington.
Note: Many are related to the Lawrence family.
Ref: Pennsylvania Gazette.

. In addition to what has been written in reference to the conduct of these Tory volunteers during the Revolutionary War, special mention must now be given of the officers who commanded this contingent during that period.
Major THOMAS LEONARD - This man was one of the first of Jersey Tories. He resided in Freehold, & in April, 1775, the Committee of Inspection proclaimed that he must be treated as a " foe to the rights of America." We find him as major of the First Battalion in 1778, & leaving the regiment the same year. After the war he lived in Nova Scotia.

. 1775 Apr 3 -Thomas Leonard, Esquire, having been duly notified to appear this day before the Committee of Inspection for the Twp. of Freehold, in the Monmouth Co., NJ & answer to a number of complaints made against him, did not think proper to attend.
The Committee therefore proceeded, with care and impartiality, to consider the evidence laid before them, & were unanimously of opinion that the said Thomas Leonard, Esquire, has in a number of instances been guilty of a breach of the Continental Association, and that, pursuant to the tenour of said Association, every friend of true freedom ought immediately to break off all connexion and dealings with him, the said Leonard, & treat him as a foe to the rights of British America.
Ordered that the Clerk tinsmith a copy of this judgment to the Press, Signed Dr. Nath Scudder, Clerk.
Ordered, That their Clerk transmit a copy of this judgment to the Press.
Ref: Minutes of Provincial Congress & Council of Safety, NJ

. It was noted that 450 acres were sold to Henry Leonard Sr., 240 acres to Samuel Leonard, 120 acres each to Nathaniel, Thomas, John & Henry Jr., all Leonard's, at Colts Neck. [Near by was Wm. Lawrence.]
An order to the sheriff to sell goods of Thomas Leonard, Monmouth Co., 1772.

. Captain Thomas Leonard, who was the paternal great-grandfather of our subject, was born in 1753 & married Alice Lawrence, the children of this union being Elizabeth, William & Joseph. In early life Capt. Thomas Leonard followed a sea-faring existence, being master of a vessel which sailed along the coast between New York & his native township, sometimes even going to ports as far south as Virginia. Soon after his marriage he abandoned the water, bought a farm of 40 acres of land & settled down to agriculture & merchandising. A stanch Republican & a consistent Baptist, he was regarded as one of the reliable & substantial citizens of his native place.

Thomas was an United Empire Loyalist. On April 3, 1775 Freehold Twp. Committee of Inspection charged him with a number of instances of dealings with the British. He narrowly escaped arrest by disguising himself as an negro. 1778 Major First N J Volunteers. He went to NYC & was after granted land at Lot 1, Parrstown (now, Saint John, New Brunswick.)
In 1779 his property in Monmouth Co. was confiscated & sold to U.S. General David Forman.

. In the Revolutionary War some members of the Leonard family friendly to the Church of England, joined the Loyalist, among who were John R., Joseph, Thomas & Samuel Leonard, whose property was advertised to be confiscated.
At the sale, March 27, 1779. John Schenck bought property of Thomas Leonard. The latter was a merchant of Freehold. He became a major in the Royalist service & was taken prisoner by the Americans in 1777 & confined at Easton, PA. At the close of the war he went to St. John, New Brunswick.

. Major Thomas Leonard first served with Lieut. Col. Elisha Lawrence in the First Battalion. Nephew William Lawrence served with Thomas Leonard.

. 1776 Oct 4 - Present to His Excellency, Wm. Livingtson, Mr. Scudder. His Excellency was pleased to lay before the Board, a letter from Mr. Parker, enclosing a letter to Mr. Cortland Skinner, soliciting an exchange, which was permitted to be sent. Mr. Parker requested permission to return home for 10 days, which was unanimously denied (because of risk of his flight.)

. Second NJ Volunteers, Battalion's Major, the elderly Thomas Leonard who was made a prisoner in Trenton at the end of December. Leonard would spend the next two years as prisoner, only to find upon his exchange that he had been "seconded" or retired upon half pay.
Ref: Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies.

. 1698, Flushing, Queens Co., New York,
"An exact list of all ye inhabitants' names within ye Towne of Flushing & p'cincts & old & young freemen & servants white, black & coloured:"
Debora Lawrence, William Lawrence. LEONARD, THOMAS of Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey. In April, 1775, the Whig Committee of Inspection averred, that " every friend to true freedom ought immediately to break off all connexion & dealings with him, & treat him as a foe to the rights of America." He settled in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1783, & was a (land) grantee of the city.

Thomas enlisted in 1776 & was in the Battle of Monmouth.

. 1777 Jul 5, Accounts of Estate of Thomas Leonard, Esquire, late Monmouth Co., NJ, Confiscated for doing the Army of King of Great Britain:
. House & Farm, containing 103 Acres, £1620;
. House & Farm, 200 Acre, £3255;
. 1 Negro wench, £20;
. 2 Negro Man, 1 Negro boy, £120
. 12 cows, £79.12.3
. 2 horses, £30
. 5 hoggs, 8.10; 1 Wagon £19.5; 15 young cattle, £64.10, 9 yearlings. £14; 6 calves, £2.7.6
. 12 sheep £12.10,
. corn standing on the ground £20, wheat & rye in the stack, £18;
. Sundry household goods, £1.25. TOTAL £5,456.14.9
Extracted from the public books in my office under my hand 27 Mar, 1786, Arnon Dunham, Auditor, NJ.

. Schedule of Real & Person property of Major Thomas Leonard, Freehold, NJ, now of Parsborough, Nova Scotia. [Summary}
1. Good New dwelling house, barn, half mile from Town of Freehold, held by John Conk & John Vaneleaf, £800;
2. Farm where he lived called Greenwich farm, 300 Acres, small new dwelling house, good new barn & other out houses, formerly meadow ground, 50 A. was improved, about five miles from Town of Freehold, held by Jacob Bordon & John William., £800
3. Wood Land, 30 A. Freehold, purchased from Cornelius Barchelow?, £1200;
4. Land 70 A laying at Yellow Beach, 7 miles from Town of Freehold, deed of gift from his father, £50;
5. 100 A., South Amboy, Middlesex Co, devisee from Uncle This. Lenard, Esq. decd., £200;
6. Farm, Amswell?, Huntingdon Co., 300 A. held under the WILL of Uncle Thomas Leonard, Esq. dec. , This farm not include in estimate filed in American Office, £600. Total £3,000.

. Moveable Estates: Valuable young negro fellow, £70
Indented negro for 5 years, £30;
a Negro wench, £30;
a Negro boy named Dick, £30;
Large Bay horses, £40; 2 Yoke of oxen, £25; 15 Milch cows, @ V5 each, £75; 30 young cattle, @ £2 each, £60;
20 sheep & Lambs £20;, Household furniture, £150; 200 Bushels of gran @2 schillings. £40;
20 Acres of grain in the ground, £20,
a pleasure sled, £6, 2 wagons & sleighs? £20, Farming utensils, £10. TOTAL £2,034.

. 1779 Feb 17- Monmouth County, whereas inquisitions have been found & final judgement entered there, in favour the the state of NJ, against the persons hereon mentioned:
NOTICE is hereby given that the real & personal estates belonging to Samuel Osburn, Thomas Leonard, Hendrick Vanmater all of the township of Freehold will be sold at Freehold courthouse, beginning on Wednesday the 17th day of March next & continue from day to day until all are sold. ...Elisha Lawrence & John Lawrence, sons of John, late of Upper Freehold will be sold at public venue, beginning on Monday 5 Apr, at Walls's mills until are are sold. No credit will be give. Nine o'clock each day. Also deeds made to the purchasers agreeable to act of Assembly, by Samuel Forman, Joseph Lawrence, Kenneth Hankinson, Jacob Wikoff, Commissioners. Ref: New Jersey Gazette, 1779 Feb 24. 1779

. 1780 Feb 21. & March 10th. Monmouth - WHEREAS inquisition has been found & final judgement entered against the follow persons, whole real & personal estates will be exposed to sale at public venue, at the house of Daniel Randolph, in Freehold, on the 28th March next, at nine' o'clock, Freehold, Christopher, Clayton, Oliver Tallman, John, Ebenezer Wardel, Ezekiel, John Tilton, Thomas Leonard, Daniel & Hendrick Vanmarter, Joseph Grover, (any many many more names). Judges of the said county Court will attend at Monmouth Courthouse on first Monday in April & May to receive & adjusts the said accounts.
Conditions of sale is ready money. Samuel Forman, Joseph Lawrence, Kenneth Hankinson, Jacob Wikoff, Commissioners.
Ref: New Jersey Gazette, 1780 Mar 14. & more names add on 1780 Apr 5.

. Thomas Leonard, a prominent citizen of Freehold, was denounced by the patriot committee for his Tory principles & every friend of freedom advised to break off all connection with him on that account. He went to New York & after the war went to St. Johns, New Brunswick.

. Leonard, Thomas, of Freehold, NJ, In April 1775 the Whig committee of Inspection averred that every friend to true freedom ought immediately to break off all connection & dealings with him & treat him as a foe to the rights of America. At the peace, accompanied by this family, he went from NY to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where the Crown granted him one town lot. He settled in St. John, NB where the Crown granted him one town lot. He settled in St. John, NB & was a grantee of the city.

. 1791 Sep 30 - Notice is hereby give, to all persons having demands against the estate of Major Thomas Leonard, late of Horton in King's County & Prince of Nova Scotia, deceased, to send in their accounts properly attested to either of the Subscribers, within 18 calendar months from the date hero, or they will otherwise be excluded all further change of payment.
Signed, Samuel Leonard, Elisha Dewolf, Executors, Horton, 10 June 1791.

. 1791 Sept 30 - Estate of Major Thomas Leonard, late of Horton, Nova Scotia Exec. Samuel Leonard, Elisha Dewolf 10th June.
. 1801 Nov 28 - Estate. John Leonard, Queens Co.; Admin. Thomas Leonard, 3rd Nov.
Ref: Saint John Gazette, New Brunswick, Canada.

. 1884 Feb 9 - The Leonards of New England & New Jersey were of common origin. Among the Loyalists of New Jersey whose property was confiscated were Thomas Leonard, a citizen of Freehold, Monmouth Co., N.J., who is supposed to be the one numbered 1 of the grantees at Parr Town [Nova Scotia] & his sons John Leonard, Joseph Leonard of Shrewsbury & Samuel Leonard of Dover, all of the same county.
Ref: Ancestry of the First Families of Saint John, N.B. by Edwin Salter, Washington, D.C.)
Ref: The Daily Sun, Saint John, NB.
Research & transcriptions by PJ Ahlberg. Thank you.- - -

Birth:

Thomas married Alice LAWRENCE, UE on 30 Oct 1786 in First Middletown Baptist Church. Alice (daughter of William LAWRENCE, .6 Esq. The Quaker and Margaret TILTON) was born on 12 Dec 1756 in Middletown, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; died on 26 Nov 1827 in New Brunswick, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Alice is the daughter of William Lawrence & Margaret Tilton.
Ref: American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI), Boston Transcript, 1906-1941.

1776 -1782. Alice Lawrence, Shrewsbury Delegate, Friends' Quarterly Meeting.

. 1777 Oct 4th, Sat., 3:00 P.M, Present, His Excellency, Wm. Livingston, Mrs. Leonard, wife of Thos. Leonard, who acted as a Major in the British Services & is now a prisoner of war to the Unites states, was sent over to New York sometime ago by order of Brigd. Gen. Forman, & has lately returned to this State. She complains of indisposition & requests that she may be permitted to tarry in Monmouth Co. until she be reinstated in her health, & that she be suffered to pass to Easton, to see her husband, & from thence to return to the said County there to abide.
Agreed, that Mrs. Leonard be permitted to pass to Easton, or to any other place in which her Husband may be fixed; & to remain with him; & that she go thither without delay.

. 1795 Feb 23 - WILL of her father, William Lawrence, left Alice £30 & 3 silver spoons.

Extracted: Brigadier Gen. David Forman of Monmouth Co., Committee of Retaliation, was one of the most notorious offenders ... lack of civil means for citizens to seek redress.:

. 1777 Oct 7, WORTHY PATRIOTS ... Foreman had an arbitrary manner presumed to banish some women out of this state into the enemy's lines. This induced me to lay before the Gov. & Council of Safety, on 28 Aug., 1777 a Remonstrance on information of the arbitrary stretch of power by Davie Foreman & others. That my daughter Mary Leonard, the wife of Thomas Leonard then & yet a prisoner & by permission of our Chief Justice go leave to lay her complaint before the Governor & Council. Where I attended with her last Saturday, to my great astonishment to hear arguments that I never suspected to come from the mouths of Freeman much less from those who are chosen Guardians of our Freedom to defend Freeman under his pretense of Martial Law. Gen. G. Washington wrote a letter urging New Jersey to pass a law limiting the militia & troops from blundering & abusing civilians.

. 1786, Oct. 30. Thomas Leonard married Alice Lawrence, 1st Reformed Church, Freehold.
Note: Marriage in the Reformed Church must have met with displeasure from Alice Lawrence's Quaker Friends. PJA 2011.

FOUR LAWRENCE SIBLINGS TOGETHER AT ST. JOHN, New Brunswick, Canada; Queensbury Co., NB Land Grants: In 1787 the four Lawrence siblings originally settled adjacent to each other:

Mrs. Alice Lawrence Leonard was located at Lot One, Saint John, N.B.,
Mrs. Margaret Lawrence Nicholson at Lot 52,
Lieut. John Lawrence on one side of the Saint John River at Lot 101,
Lieut. Richard Lawrence, Lot 169, on the other side of the Saint John River.

Adjoining Lieut. John Lawrence's grant was Rev. Jonathan Odell who was a close friend of their cousin & a church member, John Brown Lawrence who was Mayor, of Burlington, New Jersey. - - -

Birth:
Upper Freehold Twp.

Died:
(location presumed)

Notes:

Married:
[Also called 1st Dutch Reformed Church of Freehold & Middletown.]

Notes:

. Nathaniel Leonard, born 1712 married Deliverance Lippit.
Nathaniel Leonard, Gentleman who in 1739 received a Royal Commission under King George II, as a lieutenant of Monmouth County New Jersey. He had 4 sons:
John who emigrated to Cuba where he married a Spanish lady.
Nathaniel;
Joseph who married Annie Bray;
& Samuel who married Lydia Thomas; &
Thomas Leonard born in 1753, married Alice Lawrence. Their children were: Elizabeth William & Joseph.

. 1763 Dec. 13. WILL of Leonard, Nathaniel, of Middletown, Monmouth Co., yeoman; My wife, Deliverance, £50. Son, John, 10 acres where he lives, on the place I bought of the Executors of Benjamin Cooper.
Rest of personal & real to be divided between my sons, John, Nathaniel, Joseph & Thomas. Son, Nathaniel, to have my homestead, where I live, & he shall take care of his mother, & provide for his
brother, Thomas, while a minor.
Executors: Sons, John, Nathaniel & Joseph, & my relation, Andrew Bowne (son of John).
Witnesses: James Winter, Phebe Taylor, Samuel Bowne.

Proved Dec. 29, 1763. Ref: Liber H, P.527.

. 1763 Dec 28 - Grantor John Leonard, QUIT CLAIM Middletown, Monmouth Co.
Grantee Joseph Leonard et al,
Grantee Nathaniel Leonard et al;
Grantee Thomas Leonard et al;
Grantor John Leonard.

Legal Work
. 1762 Feb. 25. Inventory, £33.8.0, made at Middletown, by Nathaniel Leonard & William Bowne.
. 1762 March 5. Washburn, Ebenezer, of Monmouth Co. Int. Adm'r: Jonathan Washburn, son of said Ebenezer.
Fellow bondsman: Jonathan Herbert; both of said Co., yeomen. Witnesses: James Throckmorton & Timothy Halstead.

. 1765 Nov. 9 - Conipton, William, of Middletown, Monmouth Co.
Int. Adm'x: Jane Compton. Fellowbondsmen: Richard Jaques & John Wall; all of said place.
Witnesses: Zephaniah Morris, & Thomas Willett, Jr.
1768 Nov. 14 - Inventory, made by William Applegate & Nathaniel Leonard. - - -

Birth:


Died:
Will Proved Dec. 29, 1763.

Nathaniel married Deliverance LIPPIT on 9 Jan 1694 in Middletown, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. Deliverance was born in 1715; died on 17 May 1795 in Middletown, Monmouth Co., New Jersey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Deliverance is the daughter of Sarah Throckmorton, b 1674, Middletown, NJ - 1728 & Mosses Lippit (1668.2.17, Warwick, Rhode Island - 1727 Middletown, NJ).

NJ Index of WILLS: Deliverance Leonard, 7927-7932 M. B, 27, page 340,
Will 1798, Inventory 1798. - - -

Birth:
Alt Name: Lippincott. Verify.

Notes:

. "I have an old English Bible with the record of birth, marriage, etc. of Richard (5), son of above William (4) & all but 2 of his children & all I need to make a legal connection is the WILL of William (4). Anyone wishing information that I have on the Lawrence family of New Jersey is welcome to it.
Walter A. Hamilton, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Reprinted in Boston Transcripts. [who has the Bible now?]

. 1748 May 5 - Margaret Tilton (J4-17); married William Lawrence, son of Richard Lawrence. Tilton Family in America.
. 1748 May 5 - Margaret Tilton married, at the house of Daniel Tilton, William, son of Richard & Alice Lawrence; both of Middletown, born Dec. 13, 1719.

Shrewsbury Monthly Meetings:
. 1761 May 6, The Meeting is informed that William Lawrence, of Middletown has of late purchased a negro. John Burdin & Jacob Condis is appointed to x at with him & inform our next Meeting hear whether he is disposed to make satisfaction.
. 1761 Mar 2 - William Lawrence declines making satisfaction for buying a negro by letting her free. Therefore this Meeting of the Yearly Meeting desires to acquaint him the rite of appeal.

. 1748 Mar 2, William Lawrence: Three days before his marriage to Margaret Tilton he made application to the Men's Monthly Meeting, Shrewsbury, for a certificate of removal to Philadelphia. Ref: p. 417, Vol. 3.

. Colts Neck has been noted for its horse breeding farms since the 1700's. ... In the springtime we are conscious of our heritage. The fields are green with young corn, potatoes & garden goodness. The orchards begin the ripeness of the apples. Hundreds of foals feed on the rich forage & from upland to lowland we know that snug in these fine houses, rich with the history of this land, we are at home.

. William Lawrence & his Jacob Lawrence (1757-1823) were for many years coffin makers of Middletown Twp., Monmouth.
Ref: Vol. 17, #13, Page 68 Jul 1942.

1757 Aug 6, Will of Mary Cox, widow of Thomas, of Upper Freehold, Monmouth co, 86 years of age, Son this. Grandchildren, Eliz & Rebecca Cox. Names T Van Horn; Jos & Mary Lawrence: Elizabeth. Hutchinson. Legacy to Baptist ch; Wit: Sm. Liming & William Lawrence.

Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting
1744 Oct 1, Mary Tilton; second intentions, Burlington Meeting, ,
married, Oct. 10, 1744, Job Ridgway, Jr., of Little Egg Harbor, son of Thomas.
Witnesses: Daniel, Margaret, Sarah & Phebe Tilton, [i.e. her sisters.]

. 1748 Mar 5 - William Lawrence of Middletown & Margaret Tilton of the same place, married at an appointed Meeting at Daniel Tilton's House.

1748. William Lawrence, John Lawrence of U.F. (Upper Freehold) large pair of saddle bags delivered by John McConnel at John Formans funeral.
Ref: Names of persons mentioned in Samuel Holmes His Book of Accounts.

. 1758, William Lawrence, Accessed for land in Upper Freehold.

ACCOUNT BOOK OF WILLIAM LAWRENCE, 1756-1817: 1 Vol. (190 p.)
Lawrence of Middletown, N. J. was a blacksmith & a carpenter & also sold meats. Accounts by customer, mostly payments for services rendered. Also mentions selling coffins (one for a "negro" Daniel Polhemus, Nov. 1791).
The Account Book has a note "Independence declared July 4 1776. Peace 1783" towards end of volume.
Ref: Reprinted in Monmouth County Coffin Accounts of William & Jacob Lawrence 1756-1808, Genealogical Magazine of NJ, Vol 24 3.1949 Jul, p6-70, by Chas C Garner

. Bequest form the WILL of William Lawrence, of Middletown, Monmouth Co. NJ. Grandson, William, son of Richard Lawrence, deceased, 36 acres at Barnegat, being part of Thomas Cooper's lot.
Ref: Account book 1756-1817 Manuscript Collection 296., Monmouth County Historical Association.
Note1: See attached story on Wm Lawrence, Quaker Carpenter.

. 1776 Aug 29 -British Troops at Middletown:
"Very near the present settlement of Middletown there lived … On the morning of August 29th the British light dragoons from Jamaica [NY City]
scoured Newtown, "& while it was yet early," wrote Riker, in his "Annals of Newtown," "guided by one George Rapelye, a loyalist, came along the poor bowery & halted at Jacobus Lent's (late Isaac Rapelye's) to get some bread. Brandishing their naked swords they declared that they were in pursuit of that dx d rebel, Dr. Riker.

. The doctor had spent the night in visiting different sections of the town & tearing down Howe's proclamations, that none might be mislead & induced at this critical juncture to remain & accept British protection instead of hastening to the support of the American arms. The females at Mr. Lent's were terrified at the ferocious appearance of the light horse &, observing the greediness with which they broke & ate the dry bread, Blanche, a colored woman, innocently inquired of her mistress whether they would not eat them. They dashed off toward Hell Gate, but the doctor had escaped in a boat to Barn Island & thus eluded the demons in human form." August 31st General Robertson, in command of a British force, was marching from Brooklyn, via Bedford & Cripplebush, to Hell Gate to oppose General Lee, who was reported to be landing there with an army.

. When he arrived at Hallett's Cove, finding no enemy, he took up his quarters at William Lawrence's place (known later as Whitfield's & Halsey's) & encamped his army of 10,000 in tents on the hill & in Hallett's lot. At that time nearly the whole English army was within a few miles of there. Says Riker:
"The East River now only separated these hostile legions of Britain & the army of Washington. Indeed, no sooner had General Robertson made an encampment at Hell Gate & his cannon arrived than a battery was planted on a point of l& at Hallett's Cove, which opened on Sunday September 1st at Horn's Hook, on New York island & being returned in a spirited manner an incessant firing was kept up on both sides the whole day, during which the enemy threw above a hundred shells, killing one of our men & wounding several. Some of the American shot fell on the land of William Lawrence, but it is not known what damage the British sustained. This cannonading continued for several days, by which the enemy were so emboldened that on Tuesday they crossed in considerable numbers to Blackwell's Island, but the shot from our batteries proving too warm for them they soon recrossed the river."

In the meantime the British troops made frequent incursions upon the contiguous portions of the island & a number of residents of Whig proclivities were made prisoners & subjected to detention & indignity. General Robertson's army, a little after the middle of September, vacated Hell Gate, which was invested by the Hessians under General De Heister, who in company with General Clark was quartered in the house of William Lawrence. The Hessians remained three weeks & then left to join in the movement against New York.

Middletown Twp., Monmouth Co., New Jersey Tax List: William Lawrence
. 1778 March & November, December; 1779 Jan., March, Dec.
. 1781 August; 1784 May; 1785 June-July; 1786 June-July; 1787 July; 1789 July-August
. 1790 August; 1792 Jun, July, August, Freehold Twp., Monmouth Co., NJ, William Lawrence.

. 1779 Feb 24, Month. Whereas inquisitions have been found & final judgement entered, hereon, in favour of the State of NJ against there persons herein mentioned: Notice is hereby given that the real & personal estates belonging to Thos. Leonard, Hendrick Vanmater, James Boggs, William Lawrence, Richard Lippencott, Elisha Lawrence & John Lawrence, sons of John, late of Upper Freehold, will be sold at public venue, beginning on Monday 5 April next, at Wall's mills & continue from day to day until all are sold. No credit will be given. Signed, Samuel Forman, Joseph Lawrence, Commissioners, Feb 17. 1779.
Ref: New Jersey Gazette, Trenton, NJ.

Verify idenity: . 1780 2 mo. 7day Shrewsbury. From the Preparative Meeting, it appears John Lawrence's son of William has been fighting formerly & since has bore arms in a hostile way, has left his habitation gone where he can't readily be treated with for which offenses this Meeting hath hereby disowned him from being a member thereof. [p525 /film p226].

British Headquarters Papers (Carleton Papers or American Manuscripts):
Ensign William Lawrence, 1st NJV, (Skinner's Brigade)
. 1779, Return of Troops, New York, Page 10436 (58), Film 369, Item 31699.

. TAX LISTS for years: 1778 Mar - Nov; 1778 Dec - Nov; 1779 Mar - Jan; 1779 Oct-Jan Lists;
1785; 1881 Aug; 1784 May; 1785 Jun - July; 1785 July; 1786 Jun; 1789 Jul/Aug - Jul; 1787 Jul Lists;
& 1790 Aug - March; 1792 Ju/Aug - June; 1794 Jun Tax Lists: William Lawrence, Monouth County, Middletown Township.
Ref: NJ Early Census Index.

. 1785 Jul 5 - Letters remaining in the Post Office at Trenton: William Lawrence, Monmouth.
Ref: New Jersey Gazette, published 1785 Aug 1.

. 1787 Apr 9 - William Lawrence affirmed that Elizabeth M. Hartshorne & Hannah Herbert were daughters of Wm. Lawrence, his grandfather;
& that Hugh Hartshorne was the eldest son of Elizabeth Hartshorne &
the eldest son of Hannah Herbert, by her husband Obadiah Herbert.

. 1795 Feb 20 - WILL of William Lawrence of Middletown Twp., Monmouth Co., Know all men by these present that I being now indisposed in body but of a sound & disposing will & memory I do now in order to dispose of what worldly estate I am now possessed of make & ordain this to be my last will & Testament as follows to wit. In the first place I give & bequeath unto
Sons Richard & John, Daughter Elizabeth. £30 York money each;
Daughter, Alice £50 [£30?] & 3 silver spoons;
Son Elisha, feather bed I now lay on;
Grandson, William, (son of son Elisha), 5 acres being a survey now in the hands of Richard Herbert, with a piece of meadow ground joining the east side of said lott said meadow ground lying together to the Northward of the over going place;
Son Jacob, lott of salt meadow lying at Smocks Point containing about one acre & three quarters, 3 silver table spoons, 3 silver tea spoons & 1 silver tumbler, all home plantation, all cattle, farming utensils & remainder of estate, plantation whereon I now live on together with all the buildings improvements heridetaments (?) & appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining.
Executors: Son Jacob Lawrence & Stephen Stoutenburgh.
Witnesses: Timothy Murphy, Daniel Covenhaven, Wm. Van Matter. Sworn at Freehold the 21st October 1795 before me, Jos. Scudder Surrogate.
. Proved 21 Oct. 1795.
. Son & Executor, Jacob Lawrence Affirmed, the 21st Oct, 1795 before me Jos' Scudder, Surrogate.
. 1795 Mar 3 - Inventory £155.10.11 (also bond for £100 against Col. Asher & Obadiah & as yet unsettled; made by James Taylor, Wm. covert & T Murphy.
Ref: NJ Wills, Lib 33, p.505. NJ. & NJ Index of Wills & Inventories, Vol. II 7261-7268M.

. Historians generally concede that no state among the old 13 suffered during the Revolutionary War more than New Jersey & that no county in New Jersey suffered more than Monmouth. In addition to the outrages from the regular British army, our citizens were continually harassed by organized bands of refugees & by a set of outcasts known as "The Pine Woods robbers" who pretended to be Royalist yet if the opportunity arose, robbed Royalist as well as Americans. - - -

Page 2

. 1798 Sep 24 - Quaker Carpenter could Make Anything from Coffins to Mills:
William Lawrence was a man of all work. The Quaker carpenter from Middletown Twp. & his boys were available for just about any sort of job - from building a mill to repairing a tea table- during the last half of the 18th century. Lawrence's account book, preserved at the Monmouth County Historical Association library in Freehold, gives minute details of work done for Middletown & Shrewsbury residents from 1756 until his death in 1795. It reveals that prior to 1771 he produced a number of pieces of furniture, making him one of the county's earliest known cabinetmakers.
At the back of his account book Lawrence recorded that he was married May 5, 1748, to Margaret Tilton & their first child, Daniel, was born 2 years later. The marriage is recorded in the second book of Friend's Record's (Quaker) at Shrewsbury.

That he was originally considered a carpenter is confirmed by the will of Joseph Field of Middletown in 1749. One of the witnesses was 'William Lawrence carpenter. Lawrence's plantation was located near Colts Neck Village. He willed this, his cattle & farm equipment to a son, Jacob, in 1795.

Lawrence's accounts show sales of meat, grain & livestock to his customers in addition to charges for a wide variety of other services. He tanned hides, provided harvest help, constructed wells, built & repaired wagons, chaises & sleighs & was apparently a competent wheelwright. There are countless entries for coffins of bilsted (sweet gum), cherry, walnut & black walnut - many of them for children. Infant mortality was high in the 18th century.

The names of 10 assistants or apprentices are listed in charges for labor in the account book. The last 5 named, between 1764 & 1784, are Daniel, William, Elisha, Jacob & John, which are the given names of 5 of 6 sons listed in a Lawrence family genealogy.

Furniture made included six bedsteads, six tables of various types, two cases of draws (bureaus), a dressing table, a chest, several chairs, two cradles, a tea table & a desk. There also are numerous charges for furniture repairs. No examples of this furniture are known to have survived. Lawrence seems to have been strictly a country cabinetmaker who used only woods available locally. Maple, mahogany & other imported woods popular with city cabinetmakers are not mentioned. Lawrence's services were in considerable demand. In 1760, his crew put in 20 days work for Joseph Taylor in Upper Freehold Township - some 25 miles from home - probably building or finishing the interior of a house.

One account is of particular interest. Lawrence & his boys did extensive work in 1764-65 for Michael Kearney, suggesting that they may have been the builders or interior finishers of the mansion house at Morrisdon Farm in Colts Neck, a fine colonial home that still is standing & was the subject of an Antiques column last year. Kearney apparently acquired the property in the 1760s & the first reference to Morrisdon Farm turned up in a 1767 horse breeding ad run by Kearney. Lawrence billed him for 36 days of labor over a 3 month period.

. 1763, Lawrence charged Widow Mary Holmes, on July ye 18 to 1 day work to myself & boys underpinning the house.' The bill was 12 shillings. Two rather unusual services were performed for Obadiah Holmes, Sr. in 1768. He was billed for putting wings to the windmill & for making an instrument for John Holmes to press leather. In 1765 & 1766, Lawrence listed charges of £30 for work done on the Meeting House by me & my boys. In 1771 there were more bills for work on the Meeting House, these charged to Edmond Williams, who was an active member of the Shrewsbury Friend's Meeting.

Lawrence seems to have had a well equipped shop for there are charges for turning bannisters & for making all sorts of parts for cider mills. In 1761 he was working on Van Dorn's mill & in 1766 built a mill for Cyrenius Van Mater, the latter probably a grist mill. In 1762 he made a number of moulds for brick-making for John Tilton. In 1768 there were charges for repairing looms. In 1782 he built some behives for Joseph Van Mater. In 1791 he made 2 hat blocks for Rulief Van Mater, presumably a hatter, & in 1793 he made a stove for him.

. After William Lawrence's death in 1795, his son Jacob continued the business at least until 1817. But in this period most entries in the account book he took over from his father are for making coffins & repairing wagons & sleighs. Stillwell's Historical & Genealogical Miscellany says that Lawrence's eldest son, Daniel, was killed in the Revolution (he was a member of the Monmouth Militia), & 3 other sons, John, Richard & William, supported the Tory cause & moved to Canada. Perhaps the son William Lawrence was the Shrewsbury Tory of that name whose lands were seized by the American government in 1781. Lawrence's will left £30 each to his sons John & Richard & the bulk of his estate to his son Jacob. But there was no mention of his son William.
Ref: Asbury Park Press, NJ. - - -

Birth:
(Perth Amboy, NJ).

Died:
WILL Proved 21 Oct 1795.

William married Margaret TILTON on 5 Mar 1748 in Shrewsbury's Friends' House. Margaret (daughter of Daniel TILTON, Jr. and Elizabeth POWELL) was born on 13 Dec 1719 in Middletown, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; died on 5 Feb 1767 in Monmouth County, New Jersey; was buried in Shrewsburys Friend's Burying Ground. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

. 1748 Feb 28 - Three days before his marriage to Margaret Tilton, he made application to the Men's Monthly Friends Meeting, Shrewsbury, NJ, for a certificate of removal to Philadelphia, Penn.

"History of Tilton Family In America," page 182, makes the statement: "Margaret Tilton married William Lawrence, son of Richard Lawrence, May 5, 1748."

. 1748 March 5 - Quarker Marriage Record:
1748, 5day, 3 mo., William Lawrence, married to Margaret Tilton, both of Middletown, at an appointed meeting, attended at of Daniel Tilton's house.
Witnesses: Cattron Lawrence, William Lawrence, Amos Tilton, Margaret Lawrence, William Lawrence Jr., Daniel Tilton, George Williams, John Tilton, Mary Tilton, Anne Tilton, Joseph Field, Sarah Tilton, John Tilton.2, Abigail Tilton, Increase Tilton, Margaret Tilton [her own signature?]

. Historical & Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. V, pg. 142, further states:
"Margaret Tilton married, at the house of Daniel Tilton, May 5, 1748,
William, son of Richard, age 20 & Alice Lawrence; both of Middletown, born Dec. 1st.

. Margaret Tilton is mentioned in her father Daniel's WILL of 1749. FIRST SERIES VOL XXXIII.

. Mary Tilton; second intentions, Burlington Meeting, Oct. 1, 1744, married, Oct. 10, 1744, Job Ridgway, Jr., of Little Egg Harbor, son of Thomas.
Witnesses: Daniel, Margaret, Sarah & Phebe Tilton, [i.e. her sisters:].

. Tilton, Francis Theodore, THE HISTORY OF THE TILTON FAMILY IN AMERICA. New Jersey, 1939-40. page 181
History: Jones, William H, William Tilton: His English Origins & Some American Descendants, Heritage Books Inc, Maryland, (1997) pg. 79.

BURIAL:
. Margaret, the wife of William David, the son of David & Sarah & Esek Tilton, son of William & Margaret Tilton, are each buried in the Friends' Burying ground, at Shrewsbury, but with no other inscription than the initials: M.T., D.T & E.T.
Ref: Historical & Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 5.

. Typical houses in Colts Neck:
Most of the houses of the Provincial period were shingled on the outside by cedar shingles & roofed with the same material. They were, generally, filled in with mud, sometimes worked up with chopped straw. The front doors were often ornamented with heavy & elaborate knockers of iron or brass. The doors themselves were large & in the Dutch buildings, usually divided horizontally into 2 at the middle. Windows were usually small. Floors were of very broad planks (sometimes two feet wide) & laid directly on heavy hand-hewn oak beams.

Chimneys became larger, some being 12 feet wide, needing logs so large & heavy that they had to be drawn within the kitchen by a horse. Ovens were no longer detached, but built in one of the side-walls of the kitchen chimney (such as that in the Frederick's home on Laird Road.) Vegetables were sometimes stored in outside root-cellars. Ice was preserved in deep pits, lined with logs & covered by a peaked roof. - - -

Birth:

Notes:

Married:
REF. History of Tilton Family In America, Pg 182, Box J4 Folder 17
41056; Alt DOM: 5 May, 1748 .