The John Eveland Family – First Generation

Before we dive into Eveland Family Genealogy, I’d like to review my research’s geographical scope. Since this blog post’s audience may be town residents who are not genealogists, I’ll try to make it brief as not to put them to sleep.  If you are interested in the full research report, please email me at the end of the series.

Glen Gardner was incorporated in 1919, formed from parts of both Lebanon and Bethlehem Townships. However, the village has had a distinct identity from a much earlier date.  Initially referred to as “Eveland’s Tavern.” The name Sodom was either adopted or bestowed on our little area for a while. When a postal stop was added in 1827, it was named Clarksville and finally changed to Glen Gardner by 1871. Because of the proximity to modern-day Warren County, the research scope must include Sussex and Warren County records.  Warren County was formed from Sussex County in 1824. The earliest research will consist of both Hunterdon and Sussex Counties.

Figure 1

The Eveland Family

First Generation
John Charles Eveland Family

1. John Charles¹ Eveland was born around 1755, likely in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, or across the Musconetcong River in Sussex County, New Jersey.[i]^,[ii],[iii] He died in 1837, in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.[iv]
   
   He married Esther Vanbuskirk around 1774. The first record in which he appeared is the will of his Father-In-Law, Peter Vanbuskirk, written 6 February 1775, in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Peter Vanbuskirk had many children, and his sons were left the real property. There is no indication that Peter’s land was willed to John Eveland, and his wife, Esther.[v]

“ Also, I give & bequeath to my Daughter, Esther [Ink blot on the th] the wife of John Eveland the Sum of 20 Pounds or Current money.”

John Charles Eveland operated a Tavern in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County not far from the Musconetcong River, the Northwestern border between Hunterdon County and Modern-day Warren County (Sussex County until 1824).[vi]

John Charles Eveland’s will was written on 27 June 1834; it mentions his wife Hester [Esther], and their six children. He left his wife a room in the manshon [mansion] house where they resided (along with other items), and one-third of all the crops raised on the land.  John directed their son, Peter, to farm the said premises.[vii] John Eveland was buried at the Mansfield Woodhouse Church, which no longer stands, but the cemetery remains.[viii]  It is located off Route 31 North, South of Cemetery Hill Rd, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey.  The church dates back to 1734,[ix] but existing records began in 1787.[x]

Children of John Charles Eveland and Esther Vanbuskirk

1. Harmon Eveland was born about 1775.  He married Jennetta Johnson, 30 March 1800.[xi] He died on 16 August 1831, in Ohio.[xii].  His father’s will included a provision of twenty dollars to his son Peter, and his two daughters, Jane Martenis and Esther Martenis, in lieu of lots given to his son Harmon and daughter Elcy McKinney.  There is no indication where the properties were located..[xiii]
   
   Harmon was enumerated on the 1820 census in Miami, Clermont County, Ohio.[xiv] Only the household head was named on the 1820 census, but counts were provided for inhabitants.  It is likely that Harmon, his wife, and children were enumerated, based on ages indicated. The family was living in Ohio by 1820, moving sometime after the marriage of Harmon and Jennetta. Further research of later records might narrow down the date based upon birth locations of the couple’s children. Interestingly John Eveland wrote his will in 1834, three years after his son Harmon’s death. It would appear that John did not know that his eldest son predeceased him.
   

2. Elcy Eveland was born on 1 January 1778.[xv] She married William McKinney on 3 April 1801,[xvi] she died on 9 August 1841 in Ohio.[xvii] Her husband William McKinney appeared on the 1820 census on the third line from Elcy’s brother Herman [Harmon] Eveland.[xviii] William died intestate; his estate included the settlement of long-term debts of Jacob McKinney, some of which were noted to be from creditor’s in New Jersey. Jacob’s whereabouts were unknown, and he was supposed to be in desperate circumstances. It was stated that the $158.00 ($3,516, today)[xix] of debts paid by the estate would not be recouped from Jacob, “ supposed those notes will never be collected.”   Jacob was likely a close relative for William to have been liable for the debt, perhaps a son or a sibling. Harmon Eveland purchased some of the items from the estate’s auction of Goods and Chattel.  A William McKinney married Harmon’s sister, Elcy Eveland. William and Harmon appeared to be neighbors on the Miami, Ohio, 1820 census, William McKenney’s estate mentioned his widow Elcy McKinney, and Harmon Eveland was one of the Administrators.  The notes payable from New Jersey strengthens the connection.  It seems likely that William McKinney’s widow, Elsy [Elcy], was Elcy Eveland, sister of Harmon Eveland. Both families moved to Ohio before 1820.

3. Frederick Eveland was born on 15 November 1785 and died on 12 December 1856. [xx] John Charles Eveland’s will instructed his son Peter to care for his brother Frederick for the rest of his natural life, and left a provision for his care.[xxi] Additionally, a grown man older than Peter lived with John Eveland in 1830.[xxii] It would seem that Frederick was not able to care for himself.  Frederick’s gravestone is at Mansfield Woodhouse Cemetery. His parents’ were noted on the monument, but not a wife.[xxiii]
   

4. Jane Eveland was born 15 November 1785, and died 14 April 1874, remaining in Lebanon Township her entire life.[xxiv] She married Christopher Martenis.[xxv]^,[xxvi]
   

5. Peter² Eveland b. 1788,[xxvii] d. 16 February 1858. m Elizabeth Fritts abt. 1812. His family will be covered in more detail in the Generation Two installment. He inherited the Inn.
   .
6. Esther Eveland was born in March 1791 and died. 25 September 1854. She married John Martenis. [xxviii]^{,[xxix],[xxx]}   Jane and Esther Eveland appeared to have married siblings. Christopher and John Martenis were the sons of Christopher Martenis of Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, who died around 1822.[xxxi]

Sources

[i]  Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10, (Phillipsburg, Peggy Warne Chapter D.A.R. (1938), Special Collections, Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

[ii] 1830 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, p. 433 (penned), lines 9-10, John Eveland, Peter Eveland;  digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 03 January 2014) citing N.A.R.A microfilm M19, roll 83.[In the 1830 Federal census, only the head of household was named, but ages and gender of other members were enumerated. In John Eveland’s household, there were was one man between 70-80, which would indicate a date of birth between 1750-1760].

[iii] James S. Norton, Compiler, New Jersey in 1793, (Salt Lake City, 1973), Eveland, John [Lebanon Militia] p.  204.[The Act required all men between the ages of 18-45 to register for the militia, there was only one John Eveland registered in Lebanon Township, and his date of birth would be between 1748 to as late as 1775].

[iv] Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10.

[v] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900: file 1081J, Peter Vanbuskirk; Wills and Inventories ca. 1670-1900 control no. SSTSE033; Secretary of State’s Office, Department of State Record Group; microfilm no. 723 Wills Hunterdon County #1072J-1183J (1778-1782); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[vi] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon Court of Common Pleas; Tavern Licenses, Applications, and Recognizances, “Loose Licenses Applications (1762-1799),” John Eveland (1795), Box 11, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[vii] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 September 2014), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 113 of 1128.

[viii] Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10. [Note-I could not locate his headstone, but it was still standing in 1938 when this list was prepared, a photograph of his wife Esther’s headstone is on Find-a-Grave.]

[ix] Washington Township, Warren County  http://www.washington-twp-warren.org/  : accessed 17 October 2020), “History and Key Events.”

[x] Donald Arleigh Sinclair, “A Guide to Original and copied Records of Religious Organizations Largely New Jersey Churches in the Special Collections and University Archives of Rutgers University, pp. 96-97, (New Brunswick, Genealogical Society of New Jersey (1999). [Note author also reviewed the microfilms of original records held by Special Collections].

[xi] “New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org  : 20 May 2020), Harmon Eveland and Jenetta Johnston, page 46; citing New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[xii] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 November 2020), memorial page for Harman Eveland (29 Jul 1775–16 Aug 1831), Find a Grave Memorial no. 117618402, citing Union Cemetery, Branch Hill, Clermont County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by 5chandlers (contributor 47512372) .

[xiii] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland.

[xiv] 1820 U.S. census, Clermont County, Ohio, population schedule, Miami, sheet 49 (stamped), Harmon Eveland; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 December 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, Roll 89.

[xv] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Elcy Eveland McKinney (1 Jan 1778–9 Aug 1841), Find a Grave Memorial no. 67999668, citing Union Cemetery, Branch Hill, Clermont County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by lawsongatch (contributor 47042484) .

[xvi] “New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: 20 November 2020), William McKinney and Alcey [Elsie] Eveland, 3 April 1801, citing Hunterdon County New Jersey, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[xvii] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Elcy Eveland McKinney (1 Jan 1778–9 Aug 1841).

[xviii] 1820 U.S. census, Clermont County, Ohio, population schedule, Miami, sheet 49 (stamped), William McKinney; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 December 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, Roll 89.

[xix] Inflation Calculation,” database; Official Data (https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1822?amount=158#buying-power : accessed 4 December 2020).

[xx] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Frederick Eveland (15 Nov 1785–12 Dec 1856), Find a Grave Memorial no. 60605999, citing Mansfield Woodhouse Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Dr. J (contributor 47324040) .

[xxi] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland.

[xxii] 1830 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, p. 433 (penned), lines 9-10, John Eveland, Peter Eveland. 

^xxiii Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Frederick Eveland (15 Nov 1785–12 Dec 1856), Find a Grave Memorial no. 60605999, citing Mansfield Woodhouse Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Dr. J (contributor 47324040) .

[xxiv] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Jane Eveland Martenis (15 Nov 1785–14 Apr 1874), Find a Grave Memorial no. 9772779, citing Spruce Run Cemetery, Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Rich H. (contributor 46489213) .

[xxv] 1850 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Lebanon, sheet 261 (stamped), dwelling 346, family 353, Christopher Martenis; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 November 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M432.

[xxvi] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland.

[xxvii] 1850 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, p. 475 (penned), dwelling 6, family 6, Peter Eveland;  digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 03 January 2014) citing N.A.R.A microfilm M432, roll 453.

[xxviii] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 05 December 2020), memorial page for Esther Eveland Martenis (Mar 1791–25 Sep 1854), Find a Grave Memorial no. 9258554, citing Spruce Run Cemetery, Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Betty Sobotka (contributor 46541905).

[xxix] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland [Son-in-Law, John Martenis appointed an executor].

[xxx] 1850 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Lebanon, sheet 242b (stamped), dwelling 65, family 67, John Martenis; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 November 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M432.

[xxxi] “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.3 p.478, Christopher Martenis; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 December 2020), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 280 of 1128.

Figure 1 – Sources

The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries:
Snyder, John F.  The Story Of New Jerseys Civil Boundaries 1608–1968. (Trenton : Bureau of Geology and Topography, 1968). Archive.org https://archive.org. 2020. ^a https://archive.org/details/The-Story-of-New-Jerseys-Civil-Boundaries-1608-1968-Snyder/mode/2up

• 1664 New Jersey Colony -Duke of York Grants area to Sir George Carteret , and John, Lord Berkeley. 23 June 1664, p6.
• 1714 Hunterdon County – Set off from Burlington County 11 March 1713/1714, p32, 153.
• 1731 Lebanon Township – First Mention, set off from part of Amwell Township, 26 October 1731, p156.
• 1739 Morris County – What is now Sussex and Warren Counties, set off from Hunterdon 15 March 1739, p153.
• 1753 Sussex County – Set off from Morris County, consisted of Greenwich, Hardwick, Newton, and Walpack 8 June 1753, p229.
• 1824 Warren County – Formed from Sussex County, 20 November 1824, p245.
• 1919 Glen Gardner – Formed from Bethlehem and Lebanon Townships, p155.

Esther and John Eveland Birth Dates –  Edith May Wills Lanning, “Mansfield Woodhouse Church and Burying Ground, Warren County New Jersey,” “E” p. 10, (Phillipsburg, Peggy Warne Chapter D.A.R (1938), Special Collections, Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Peter Vanbuskirk’s will written in 1775 – names his daughter, Esther the wife of John Eveland – Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900: file 1081J, Peter Vanbuskirk; Wills and Inventories ca. 1670-1900 control no. SSTSE033; Secretary of State’s Office, Department of State Record Group; microfilm no. 723 Wills Hunterdon County #1072J-1183J (1778-1782); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Tavern License Application 1795 – Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon Court of Common Pleas; Tavern Licenses, Applications and Recognizances, “Loose Licenses/ Applications (1762-1799),” John Eveland (1795), Box 11, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Clarksville Post Office 1827 – Jim Walker, “Hunterdon County Postal History; Part 5 – DPO’s by Township,” New Jersey Postal History, 36, (August 2008): 165; online archives, New Jersey Postal History (https://www.njpostalhistory.org : accesses 12 February 2019).

Sodom Referenced on Map 1828 – Thomas Gordon, ” Map of the State of New Jersey: with Part of the Adjoining States” (Trenton, Thomas Gordon, 1828),  digital images; Princeton University Library (https://library.princeton.eduaccessed 12 February 2019).

Glen Gardner Post Office 1871 – U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971,” Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Clarksville, database and digital images; Ancestry.com (https://ancestry.com : accessed 19 March 2019), citing NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. V 24, 25, Washington, D.C.: National Archives.

Figure 2 – Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Wills and Inventories, 1670-1900: file 1081J, Peter Vanbuskirk; Wills and Inventories ca. 1670-1900 control no. SSTSE033; Secretary of State’s Office, Department of State Record Group; microfilm no. 723 Wills Hunterdon County #1072J-1183J (1778-1782); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Figure 3 – D. Stanton, Hammond, J.D., Hunterdon County New Jersey Land Owner Maps; Sheet B [John Eveland] (Trenton: Genealogical Society of New Jersey, 1967).

Figure 4 – “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.6 p.512, John Eveland; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 September 2014), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 113 of 1128.

Figure 5- 1820 U.S. census, Clermont County, Ohio, population schedule, Miami, sheet 49 (stamped), Harmon Eveland; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 December 2020), citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, Roll 89.

Figure 6 – Clermont County, Ohio, “Will Records, Volume C, pp. 146-150, estate of William McKinney [Administration], 1822; digital images “Will Records, 1810-1900; Indexes, 1800-1963”, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 December 2020).

Figure 7 – Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Frederick Eveland (15 Nov 1785–12 Dec 1856), Find a Grave Memorial no. 60605999, citing Mansfield Woodhouse Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Washington, Warren County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Dr. J (contributor 47324040) .

Figure 8 – Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 03 December 2020), memorial page for Jane Eveland Martenis (15 Nov 1785–14 Apr 1874), Find a Grave Memorial no. 9772779, citing Spruce Run Cemetery, Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Rich H. (contributor 46489213) .

Figure 9 – “New Jersey, Probate Records, 1678-1980,” [Hunterdon County] Vol.3 p.478, Christopher Martenis; images, Family Search (https:// familysearch.org : accessed 17 December 2020), Hunterdon > Wills 1815-1838 vol 3-6 > image 280 of 1128.

The post When was Eveland’s Tavern Established and who was the Original Owner? Part 2 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

The tavern has been vacant for a few years, but it is reopening this week as The Inn at Glen Gardner. I wish the new proprietors the best of luck. In light of the reopening and the fact that I owe an Eveland descendent some information, I thought it would be a perfect time to write about my obsession. I’ve been researching the Inn and the Eveland family for years, and though I’m not complete, I feel it is time to present my version of the Inn’s early history.

Background

Many written accounts indicate that the Inn was started by a man named John Eveland in the 1760s and was operated by his family for over one hundred years. No references or evidence; simply a statement. Anyone who performs historical or genealogical research knows this is an all too common scenario and that the statement will need proof. The earliest source of the 1760 date that I have found was from History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey, published in 1881, which I will refer to as “Snell,” as we advance:

[i]

According to Snell, “John Eveland built and kept a tavern as early as 1760.” The chain of ownership provided was that John Eveland owned the tavern for fifty-five years, his son Peter held it for forty years. The founder’s grandson, John, owned it for ten before selling it to E. [Edward] Humphrey. Snell’s statement was published in 1881, well after-the-fact, and is not based on first-hand knowledge.  

Tavern License Applications

Inns and Taverns were essential for travel, and the communities in the Colonies, therefore highly regulated. The first comprehensive law governing taverns was enacted in 1739. One of the requirements was that each tavern owner must apply for a license every year.[ii] I expected to search the Hunterdon County records and find John Eveland’s first application for a tavern in Lebanon Township as early as 1760. 

I searched the tavern license applications and court records, and the earliest application located was in 1795.[iii] The document wording is consistent with a first-time application. The Inn is near the Musconetcong River, the dividing line between Hunterdon county and present-day Warren county. In 1760 Warren County was part of Sussex County. I expanded my search to neighboring Sussex County, but there was no reference to an Eveland in the records there.

Figure 1 Tavern Application

Photo of the original document taken by the Author

The law required Freeholders who resided within the town to vouch for the applicant’s character and their ability to meet the minimum requirements. The application was an annual process conducted by the Court of Quarter Sessions, typically in April. In Hunterdon County, the Quarter Session minutes are co-mingled with the Court of Common Pleas. If an Inn-Keeper allowed too much drinking and rowdiness, it might be challenging to find neighbors willing to sign off on their annual application.

John Eveland’s earliest license application was made in 1795, which conflicts with Snell’s date of “as early as 1760.” It doesn’t mean that 1760 is incorrect, but the answer will require more research.

Next Post – The Eveland Family

Cover Photo – Special thanks to Sean Butler for allowing an image of from his Post Card collection to be used.

[i] James P. Snell, History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881), 447 digital images, Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/ : accessed 14 February 2014). Link

[ii] Samuel Allinson, Acts of the General Assembly of the Province of New Jersey, from the Surrender of the Government to Queen Anne, on the 17^th day of April in the year of our Lord 1702, to 14^th day of January 1776 (Burlington, Isaac Collins, printer to the King, 1776), 102-107. [Requirement freeholder neighbors to sign the Tavern application]

[iii] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon Court of Common Pleas; Tavern Licenses, Applications and Recognizances, “Loose Licenses/ Applications (1762-1799),” John Eveland (1795), Box 11, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

The post When was Eveland’s Tavern Established and who was the Original Owner? Part 1 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

The men were arraigned on 19 November 1891 at the Humphrey Hotel in Glen Gardner. A justice was brought in from a neighboring town since it was determined that the local fellow was not impartial. If the scene described in one news article was true, it took quite a bit of courage for Julia to stand up to her attackers.

During the arraignment, it was noted that many of the attackers wore women’s clothing or covered their faces with rags.  During the trial, witnesses were interviewed to help identify who had committed the crime.  Initially, eleven men were arrested:

1. John Banghart
2. Benjamin Banghart – discharged and arrested in error
3. Austin Lisk
4. Clark Lisk
5. George Siegfried
6. Austin Brown
7. Henry Brown
8. Michael Collins
9. Edward Shannon
10. Harry
    Thatcher
11. Frank
    Miller

[i] 

The trials were held in Flemington, Hunterdon County in December 1891, John Banghart and Austin Lisk were identified as the “ringleaders” so much of the news and court records focus on these two individuals.  John Banghart was found guilty, which appeared to be a bit of a shock to all. His face was covered, and Julia could only identify him with his voice.  However, he spent a great deal of time trying to gather people to attack Julia and bragging about it afterward, which left plenty of witnesses.  One young man, Edward Lisk, who was with Julia and her sister, testified that his father, Austin, was one of the attackers.  Not much is stated about the remaining eight vigilantes, but it is likely they quietly pleaded guilty after the ring leaders

[ii]

The men apparently ended up paying a fine, and jail time was waived.  A collection was raised for Austin Lisk, and he was released once his fine was paid. This was as close to justice as Julia was going to receive. 

The news attracted the attention of prominent individuals interested in helping Julia. If there were a silver lining, this would be it.

There’s more to the story so stay tuned

[iii]

Banghart Case File

[i] “For Tarring a Woman,” The Sun [New York], 20 November 1891, page 1, column 1, digital image; Newspaper.com, (http:///www.newspaper.com : accessed 21 October 2017).

[ii] “The Julia Beam Outrage,” The Courier News, 31 December 1891, page 2, column 2, digital image; Newspaper.com, (http:///www.newspaper.com : accessed 2  February 2019).

[iii] “A Girl Tarred and Feathered,” The Daily Republican, 8 December 1891, page 4, column 2, digital image; Newspaper.com, (http:///www.newspaper.com : accessed 2  February 2019).

The post My Ladies – Julia Beam part 5 – The Trial appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

The State vs. Malichia Walters and Julia Walters

The trial would begin an acrimonious relationship with the Lisk Family.

A Disorderly Home
Shortly after the case against the Walters was dismissed, their home played a central part in another incident involving a familiar surname. The “Lisk boys,” Edward and Clark, were charged with assault against Gillard W. Cregar.  They visited Walter’s residence near the “stone-cracker,” on Sunday, July 5th, 1891.  Mr. Walter’s sister asked Cregar to come to the house, where Edward and Clark Lisk attacked him.  It seems there was an altercation the day before, and this was retribution for a blackened eye.  Justice of the Peace Eyears wrote a recap (his opinion of events) addressed to Justice Chamberlain. The document describes the Walters house as “hard.” He stated that the Lisks hung around Walter’s residence quite a bit of the time.[iv]  It should be noted that Edward and Clark were the sons of Austin Lisk, who had unsuccessfully attempted to bring charges against Melvin and Julia a few months prior.  He would also play a central part in the attack on Julia Beam Walters.

The State vs. Edward Lisk
This event appeared to be the beginning of the couple’s end. Shortly afterward, the pair was evicted. The Walters had secured another place to rent, only to find out that the landlord had changed his mind. They were homeless, with their belongings dumped by the side of the road.

According to the article “Regulators at Glen Gardner,” the couple lived in an apartment owned by Mr. Hickey near the railroad tool house.  The boys’ parents, who Mrs. Walters allegedly corrupted, prevailed on Mr. Hickey to force them to leave the residence.  The Walters had secured another residence, but the new landlord, Mr. Edmonds, was served a petition by leading citizens to prevent the move.  The couple was forced to live in the woods during the summer months.  Melvin Walters deserted his wife and moved back into his parents’ home at some point before 17 October 1891. The article noted that Julia decided to “rough it alone.” [v]

The news articles vary about the character of Julia Beam. However, they all seem to agree that the Walter house was where young men wasted their time.  This article was published after the trial and summarized the events.  It was a bit sympathetic to Julia but painted a picture of a person who couldn’t resist temptation.  It was also one of the few articles that had her marriage age correct. Walters was in trouble well before he wed Julia. He was found guilty of vice and Immorality in 1887, but Julia didn’t have any record until her marriage. He had been married previously and had represented himself as divorced.  Melvin Walters would find himself in trouble later on as well. The couple may have owned the “party house,” but it was not Julia’s work alone. This article also wondered why the indignant parents didn’t punish their sons rather than Julia.[vi]

The Trial

Sources
Cover picture source
“Tarred and Feathered because she was Bad; Glen Gardner’s Young Men were being Corrupted,” New York Herald, page 18, column 3, digital image; Genealogybank (http://ww.genealogybank.com : accessed 7 October 2016).

[i] New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Marriage Certificate, W-39, (1890), Melvin N Walters and Julia Beam, SHEVS003 reel no. 77, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

[ii] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, RG 293 Miscellaneous Records; Court for the Trial for Small Cases File 19598, The State vs. Melvin Walters, Keeping a house of ill fame and Disorderly, 15 May 1891; Office of Record Management Services, Raritan Township.

[iii] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, RG 293 Miscellaneous Records; Court for the Trial for Small Cases File 19591, The State vs. Julia Walters, Keeping a house of ill fame and Disorderly, 15 May 1891; Office of Record Management Services, Raritan Township.

[iv] Hunterdon County, New Jersey, RG 293 Miscellaneous Records; Court for the Trial for Small Cases File 19166, The State vs. Edward Lisk, Assault of Gillard W. Cregar, 5 July 1891; Office of Record Management Services, Raritan Township.

[v] “Regulators at Glen Gardner,” Hunterdon Republican, 18 November 1891, page 3, column 3; microfilm 9, Hunterdon County Library, Raritan Township, New Jersey.

[vi] “Julia Beam’s Persecuters [Persecutors],” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8 January 1892, page 6, column 4; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 October 2018).

The post Julia Beam Part IV; Mr. and Mrs. Walters, A Brief Marriage appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

My Ladies Julia Beam Part 2 The early life of Julia Beam is examined

The Groom, Malachi or Melvin Walters of Glen Gardner
The first husband of Julia Beam was a man with the surname Walters.  His legal name appears to be Malachi Walters, but he frequently used the name Melvin.  He was the son of David Walters and Henrietta Space.  Following this series, I will post the analysis used to determine that Malachi, Melvin, and various names were one person.  For this post, I will use the name Melvin unless referencing a document with a specific given name, as it seems that Melvin was used when he married Julia.

David and Henrietta Walters were married  24 August 1865, at the North Branch Reformed Church in Somerset County, New Jersey. (1)   The family appeared in the 1870 census in Tewksbury, Hunterdon County [Germantown], not far from the location where Melvin’s marriage to Julia occurred:

1870 Federal census

Although family relationships were not noted on the 1870 census, Malachi appeared to be the eldest of two children listed, putting his birth year at about 1866. (2)  On the 1880 census, David Walters lived in High Bridge. The family still had two children listed, and the relationships were defined. (3) By 1885, the family had moved to Lebanon Township, which at the time encompassed the modern-day Glen Gardner.  Melachi N. [Melvin] was still living at home with his parents. (4)

1880 Federal  census

1885 State census

Early Mischief
In Glen Gardner, Melvin Walters started getting into trouble with neighbors and the law.  He was about twenty when he made his first recorded court appearance. David Crampton raised a complaint of vice and immorality against Mell [Melvin] Walters, heard by Esquire Eyears at Humphrey’s Hotel on 27 August 1887. (5) He was fined for his transgressions, and the funds would be removed from his next paycheck. In September 1887, it was noted that Melvin Walters had not paid his fine; he had drawn his entire paycheck before the payment was collected from his employers.  He was bragging that he had outsmarted the courts.  The Law did catch up with him, and it was reported that he was threatened with time in jail. He paid what was due. (6)

Mrs. Almira Harrison Walters
Melvin Walters took a wife in January 1888, a few months after this initial court case.  Almira Harrison and Melvin Walters were married in High Bridge, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. (7)

The relationship was short-lived; on 4 June 1890, it was announced in the Hunterdon Republican that Melvin Walters had initiated divorce proceedings against his wife.  It should be noted that this was in the “Glen Gardner” section of the paper and not a court reporter.  A divorce record could not be found in the New Jersey State Archives. Couples split and remarried without following through with an official divorce; this is pretty typical for this period.   Though it is possible that he went out of state for a divorce, it is unlikely. (8)

A Second Walk Down the Aisle
A few months after announcing his divorce, Melvin took a second wife, Julia Beam.  Julia was seventeen, and Melvin was about twenty-five at the time.  They were married at Lower Valley Presbyterian Church in Califon; it was noted on the marriage return that this was the groom’s second marriage.  After the attack on Julia, it was reported in some newspapers that Walters never divorced his first wife, thus claiming that he and Julia could not have been married. A ceremony was performed and registered by the church Pastor. The marriage may not have been valid, but it is likely the only person who knew that at the time was Melvin Walters.  It is doubtful that the Reverend would perform the marriage if he believed Melvin was not free to wed.  The record even indicated that this was Walter’s second marriage. (9)
Whether legally valid or not, Julia Beam and Melvin Walters “married” on 20 December 1890, and they set up their home in Glen Gardner, New Jersey.  Interestingly, he and the town would feel that it was okay to be a bigamist and discard the young woman, and yet she was viewed as the villain

Part IV, The Marriage

Sources:
1. New Jersey, County Marriages, 1682-1956,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: 29 September 2018), 004541239  > image 275 of 356 p.253; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

2. 1870 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Tewksbury, sheet 396 (stamped), dwelling 442, family 460, David Walters; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 September 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593.

3. 1880 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, High Bridge, Enumeration District (ED) 84, sheet 32 (written), house number 286, family 345, David Walters; digital image, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/: accessed 8 April 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication T9.

4. 1885 New Jersey census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Lebanon Township, page 11, dwelling 70, house 71, David Walters; digital image, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/: accessed 29 September 2019), citing State Census of New Jersey, 1885, New Jersey State Archives, microfilm 26.

5. “Glen Gardner,” Hunterdon Republican, 31 August 1887, page 3 column 4; microfilm 7, Hunterdon County Library, Raritan Township, New Jersey.

6. “Glen Gardner,” Hunterdon Republican, 28 September 1887, page 3 column 4; microfilm 7, Hunterdon County Library, Raritan Township, New Jersey.

7. “Married,” Hunterdon Republican, 18 January 1888, page 3, column 4; microfilm 7, Hunterdon County Library, Raritan Township, New Jersey.

8. “Glen Gardner,” Hunterdon Republican, 4 June 1890, page 3, column 3; microfilm 8, Hunterdon County Library, Raritan Township, New Jersey.

9. New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Marriage Certificate, W-39, (1890), Melvin N Walters and Julia Beam, SHEVS003 reel no. 77, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

The post My Ladies – Julia Beam Part III – The Groom appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

The Early Life of Julia Beam

Part 1 introduced Julia Beam who was tarred and feathered on 17 October 1891 by a group of men in Glen Gardner, Hunterdon County. Newspapers throughout the country followed the trials with great interest.

My Ladies – Julia Beam Part 1

The Beam Family
Julia Beam was likely born in August 1873 in Lebanon Township, New Jersey, in an area called Germantown in Tewksbury, Hunterdon County.  She was the oldest surviving child of Theodore Beam and his first wife, Ann Elizabeth Call. Typical of the time frame, the births of most of the children were not formally registered. Ann Elizabeth Beam would have twelve children in total, at the birth of her last child a boy; nine were still living. Julia’s mother died on 16 January 1894, five days after giving birth. The cause of death was puerperal peritonitis complicated by La Grippe, “childbed fever,” and the flu. Like many of her peers, Julia’s mom had children regularly until she passed away.

Theodore Beam would take a second wife, Catherine Frank [Franks]. The couple married in 1897, and the union would produce two sons before Theodore passed away in 1898. Catherine was still very young and went on to marry Joseph Apgar in 1899. The two youngest Beam sons, George and Alfred, possibly assumed the surname of their Stepfather, Joseph Apgar. The children of Theodore’s first marriage appeared to scatter or have passed after the death of their father.

The family was nothing out of the ordinary. Theodore was a laborer, owned no property, and kept out of the court records for the most part. One news article indicated that Julia was mistreated as a child. She was sent to work at age eleven,  had little education, and had not attended church. Another reporter suggested that she was lying about being married; Marvin Walters already had a wife, and it would have been impossible to wed. There is no way to know how Julia was raised or if she knew her husband was a bigamist. She was seventeen or eighteen when she married and likely more of a sympathetic figure than the horrible influence the people of Glen Gardner deemed her.

In the 1880 census, Theodore’s family and his younger brother’s family shared the same residence. Both men were laborers, and neither could read or write. Julia’s mother Elizabeth [Ann Elizabeth] was able to read. Julia was attending school at age seven. In the 1900 census, Julia and her younger sister, Sarah, both grown, indicated they could read and write. After the death of her parents, Julia was caring for her younger brother, William, and he was attending school. The Beam children weren’t entirely uneducated, as suggested. Though several news articles described Julia as simple or childlike, it was more likely a reflection of her youth and being placed in a difficult situation.

The Beam family was large, and Julia was the eldest surviving daughter. Her family likely expected her to marry and not be a burden. It doesn’t appear that her parents were willing or able to support her when she was alone.

The Marriage
Julia Beam and Melvin [Malachi] N. Walters were married in the Lower Valley Presbyterian Church 29 December 1890 by the Pastor. On the marriage return, it was indicated that it was Walter’s second marriage. The church was near Julia’s home; it seems unlikely the Pastor would marry the couple if he believed Melvin was still legally married. It was not as if the couple wed away from the area or were trying to hide the fact that the groom was married previously. Months before their union, the local newspaper stated that Walters was initiating divorce proceedings against his first wife. His first marriage seems to have been 1888 to a woman named Almira Harrison. A search of the state archives did not turn up a divorce record; his newspaper announcement may have misled different parties to believe that he could legally re-marry.

The time between when Julia was wed and deserted by her husband was not very long. In about ten months, she went from being a newlywed to homeless and victim of vigilantes. The headlines focused on her actions, but minimal mention was made of her husband or the events that led up to the attack.

Marriage Document of Julia Beam and Melvin Walters

Part 3 – The Groom

Sources
New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Certificate, no number, (1931), Julia Frank [Beam], SHEVS004 reel no. 708, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Marriage Certificate, W-39, (1890), Melvin N Walters and Julia Beam, SHEVS003 reel no. 77, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

1880 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, East Lebanon, Enumeration District (ED) 86, sheet 352 a (stamped), house number 125, family 2, Theodore Beam; digital image, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/: accessed 8 April 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication T9. [Julia A. Beam aged 7 eldest child enumerated, birth year about 1873].

New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Death Certificate, no. B75, (1894), Elizabeth Beam [Call], SHEVS004 reel no. 141, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Birth Certificate, number, (1897), George Beam, SHEVS002 reel no. 153, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 08 April 2018), memorial page for Theodore Beam (1846–1898), Find A Grave Memorial no. 71533016, citing Middle Valley Cemetery, Washington Valley, Morris County, New Jersey, USA ; Maintained by Donna (contributor 46910450).

New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Marriage Certificate, A-2, (1899), Joseph Charles Apgar and Catherine Frank [Beam], SHEVS003 reel no. 147, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

1900 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, Clinton Township, Enumeration District (ED) 3, sheet 57b (stamped), house number 51, dwelling 167, family 174, Joseph C. Apgar; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623. [Joseph Apgar is the head of the household, two Step-Sons George Beam (3), and Albert (1), but 10 years later on the 1910 census they are listed as sons with the last name Apgar].

1910 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, East District Lebanon Township, Enumeration District (ED) 8, sheet 230b (stamped), dwelling 99, family 104, Joseph C. Apgar; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623.

“For Tarring a Woman,” The Sun [New York], 20 November 1891, page 1, column 1, digital image; Newspapers.com, (http:www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 October 2017).

“Tarred and Feathered because she was Bad; Glen Gardner’s Young Men were being Corrupted,” New York Herald, page 18, column 3, digital image; Genealogybank (http://ww.genealogybank.com : accessed 7 October 2016).

1880 U.S. census, Hunterdon Co., N. J., pop. Sch., E. Lebanon, ED 86, sheet 352 a, house no. 125, family 2, Theodore Beam; digital image, Ancestry.com.
1900 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, West Lebanon, Enumeration District (ED) 18, sheet 248A (stamped), house number NA, dwelling 257, family 260, Edward Lisk; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623.

1900 U.S. census, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, population schedule, East Lebanon, Enumeration District (ED) 17, sheet 229A (stamped), house number NA, dwelling 80, family 85, Luther Frank; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623.

New Jersey, Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics, Marriage Certificate, W-39, (1890), Melvin N Walters and Julia Beam, SHEVS003 reel no. 77, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Brief News Items from Glen Gardner,” transcript by Bill Hartman, Rootsweb (”http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njhrna/ : accessed 4 November 2016); citing original publication in the Hunterdon County Republican, 4 June 1890.[Note: Rootsweb is currently experiencing hosting issues, but I have Mr. Hartman’s pdf].

“Married,” transcript by Bill Hartman, Rootsweb (”http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njhrna/ : accessed 4 November 2016):citing original publication in the Hunterdon County Republican, 7 January 1888.[Note: Rootsweb is currently experiencing hosting issues, but I have Mr. Hartman’s pdf].

The post My Ladies – Julia Beam Part 2 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.

When I first started researching my family history, I soon realized that until recently, women and children were at the mercy of the survival and success of the men in their lives. This realization has made me appreciate my ability to earn a living. I find it difficult not to empathize with the struggles of the people I study. Sometimes, I continue as a personal project, hoping to find a happy ending. Most subjects are women, and I call them “my ladies.”

Julia Beam was not one of my ancestors and had no connection to my family.  I “met” her while researching the sleepy town of Glen Gardner, New Jersey, in connection with Hunterdon County’s 300^th anniversary.  She was hard to miss; her story jumped off the old newspapers, creating a stir.  I had to finish my work on what was then the Glen Gardner Inn (originally Eveland’s Tavern), so she did get put aside for a bit.  Part of her tale had events at the Inn, so she kept popping in and out of that project.  Several years have passed, and I have finally found the “rest of her story.”

The first news article I came across had attention-grabbing quotes and painted a picture of a woman who deserved to be punished:

[i]

The article mentioned that Julia fell in with Melville Walters, a shiftless fellow. When he brought her to Glen Gardner, he claimed Julia was his wife.  The article disputed the marriage since Walters was already married and was not yet divorced.

After the attack, Julia fainted and woke right after dawn.  She had no clothing and was tar-covered.  Julia attempted to seek help from her husband at his parent’s house, but he turned her away.  She then headed to her parents’ home 6 miles away in Califon.  Along the way, a farmer’s wife gave her a dress to cover herself.

What struck me was the tarring and feathering; wasn’t that something that had died out well before 1891?  It also appeared as if the town residents seemed proud that they had done this to a nineteen-year-old woman.  John Banghart, who led the attacking party, had announced his intentions to a group of people, including two of the town’s “leaders,” Dr. Hunt and Miller Crawley, who offered to supply the tar.

As a genealogist, I try not to judge the past by modern standards, but this shocked me.  Were times so different that an entire town thought it was ok to hurt a young woman in this manner? The following article I stumbled upon, “Those Heroic White Caps,” answered my question.  The “White Caps,” or “Regulators,” had the community’s “moral support”:

They claimed to have the moral support of the entire neighborhood, and the local Justice of the Peace took no action in the premises.
Sheriff Lake appeared on November 13 with eleven warrants for the arrest of the “regulators.”[ii]

A bunch of men dressed as women, or with their faces covered, decided to injure and run a young woman out of town because they felt she led their sons astray.  “Not my child” is not a new parental phenomenon.

I also wanted to know what a white cap was in 1891. Were they the Ku Klux Klan? In a tiny town in New Jersey? The white cap definition was difficult to find, but white capping is referred to in a few law books, but those laws focused on violence against minority groups. Julia Beam was not a minority; the definition found in Wikipedia most accurately fits this case:

Whitecapping was a violent lawless movement among farmers that occurred specifically in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was originally a ritualized form of enforcing community standards, appropriate behavior and traditional rights.[iii]

My conclusion is that it was a term the newspapers used for vigilantism; it may be intertwined with white supremacist groups, but race was not a factor in this event.  Julia became one of my ladies when I read the first headline.  She physically survived her ordeal, but I wondered if she went on to live an everyday life.  The following post will examine Julia’s life before and after the attack.

Continue to part two, the early life of Julia Beam

Sources:
[i] “Tarred and Feathered because she was bad,” The New York Herald [New York], 8 November 1891, page 18, column 1, digital image; Genealogybank.com (http:// www.genealogybank.com : accessed 21 October 2017).
[ii] “Those Heroic White Caps,” The New York Herald [New York], 20 November 1891, page 11, column 4, digital image; Genealogybank.com (http:// www.genealogybank.com : accessed 21 October 2017).
[iii] “Whitecapping,” Wikipedia (http:// https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitecapping : accessed 21 January 2018).

The post My Ladies – Julia Beam Part 1 appeared first on Once-Removed Genealogy Services.