The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-10-06
THE PROCURING OF THE BOATS BY
GEN. DANIEL BRAY FOR GENERAL
WASHINGToN's ARMY AT TAY-
LOUISVILLE.
Address of Stacy b. Bray, delivered before
The Hunterdon Co. Historical Society,
on August 18th, 1886.
tconeluded.A

y
| have heard the old revolutionary sol
diers say that a price was put on the
head of every one engaged in the boat ex-
petition. Whether they were sworn to
secrecy, or whether through fear of the
threats made, few ever dared to refer to
it even indirectly, up to the hour of their
death.
| The antipathy between the Wings and
Tories was great. One of the Tories con-
tracted to build stone bridge across the
| Lackatong creek, quarter of a mile west
of Locktown, on the Baptisttown road.
No revolutionary soldier ever crossed that
bridge. Capt. Bill Dilts, always drove
through the creek. His grave is in the
Presbyterian Cemetery at Pennington.
| Uncle Mahlon Smith told me this only a
few weeks ago. He digged his grave.
So of the rest. Each by the other was
ostracized ever after.
Some aflidavits were sent me few
months since by Secretary Endicott.-
They set forth that Capt. Bray was en-
gagged in military affairs in 1775, nearly
year before the Declaration of indie
peudence He died seven years before |
was born He lived all his life, | have
been informed, in neat house that he
made of hewn logs, filed in with clay, on
his farm, once owned by my uncle Jona-
| than Rittenhouse, and afterwards by John
Finney, and later by Joseph Green. Its
location is about one mile northeast of
the Kingwood Methodist Church. The
house contained two rooms below and the
bedroom chamber comprised all the attic.
| remember il well. The fire. place was
about 16 feet in length. The old trammels
and lug pole and copper kettle in which
they cooked the fragrant apple butter are
as fresh in my mind as If | had been
there but yesterday. The old "hath
stones," as they called them, were two
feet across. So of the full set of old
fashioned pewter ware, which the old
General got made to order soon after his
marriage. He had his name and his wife's
also on every identical piece, even to tho
plates. There was some sort of family
crest also, but can't exactly remember
about it. This was from the wife's side
of the house. He was the father of nine
children and it speaks we'll for his family
government when | say that they all
grow up, an honor to themselves, their
parents, and the neighborhood. They
have all gone to the land of shades, the
last one being Aunt Susan Bateman, the
mother of George w. Bateman, who lives
near Copper Hill.
1t is said that General Washington and
several otbers attended Masonic lodge
in tho old house allnded m while The
rho army ~ os encamned On the farm of
Monr;oa woolvar,on ~ p,alIsv;ile ua
o,vnad ,wo slavos-'J ooenb and pb;ll,s
| No fsood ,ban, phillie wont to Mon.
month co,n,y Jose,i, aicd soon aftar
aud a morhle beadstone ;s ut the head oC
his grave in the : n corner Of Rose.
mont Cemeterv
General Rray was n ririd Baptist In
fact ho ,yas one of tbe go ahead hind of
memhars or thar church Everv onn of
that family maintained that foitb In Tho
| last excant INV father fWilson Rravl
and Am, snsa, Ratema, vino wera
Metbodists Saoftheir descendants He
did verv much n establish that Soeietv
In this county remember seeing nm
aid Rantist Hmm Rool, several vears aoo-
which was nrinted nv snbserintion The
names Of the snbscribers were nrinted in
tho ,rst mart of tho HYMN hook Some
ware for ono conv some for two and n
few Tor three. but tho old General snb.
sc,ibed Cor seventv.five comics He is
bnr;ad In tho Rosemont cemete,v non,
tha old an,rance snhston,iai head.
s,o,e marks tho snot yyhere he slecns
Another stone Of the same size denotes
tho snot vshere his natriotic wife. Mary
slecns close beside him II ia said ma,
she Eni, hundreds Of nairs of stoekinc,
for Tho soldiers or tho Revolntion re
n,on,her her we'll she wos The danobte,
or Dennis wooiverton ono of the tlrs
man Of The stata Nv TTncle Daniel Brav
of pbiladelnhia sin his lifc time cot he,
nortrait nainted Inv n first, class artist and
dnring his twelve wears sickness of mar.
aivsis of ono side. during which he nave,
Vas ont or had be won,d oa2s Mt hi,
motber,s nictnre across the room honr IN
and ho,r ont in silent admiration I,
avar a man ve,era,ed lie mother II yas
Ss r. ia now IN ths nossessio, nj
Georoa w Rateman smoke IF nv
aran5n,o,ber Rray Lni,ting stocl;ngs
Sas oeten at hor House when was Int q
hov Dnring her last sickness her hands
we're bnsv far DAYS as If knitting. She
conId M Ionger sneak and was opnaront.
10 objiyions Of evervtbing .around her hut
on and on went The motion of her dear
old hands So thew mt n hall of stock
inc warn and knitting needles in her
hands, and old and blind and HELPLESS as
she was she knit round after round ON
the stoclings witbout orten dronning n
| stitch Dprhans she pag Knitting for In
soldiers her husband and his comrades {
thinking thew were on the battle field
once more Who knows.
Tn one Of the aflidayits-tbat of John
| (yienrd ,.ho ,pas ono Of Tho h,avost sol.
diers of the Revolution he states, that
the exnedition To nrocuro the boats from
the MINER Delaware and Lehich met at
Rantisttown fthis 7 find In the naners
sent me from Washington and was Of
ficercd bv Cant. Daniel Brav Can't. Gear.
hart and Cant. Tones. The boats we're ali
taken from the ferries above Easton off
the Lehioh and Delaware. The boats
collected were % in all. some of them
were used at Sberrod's Ferry, nov
Frencbtown). in order To facilitate the
passage across of General Lee,s army
Cant Gearbart lived at FIeminpton before
and after the war. He lies buried in the
presbvterian grave ward at Fleminoton.
beneath the shadow of a mamie tree near
the middle Of The ward. Old Uncle MahIon
Sui,h non, on yosrs o,d tc,d NC ,Lat 10