New-York tribune., 1890-06-29
OLD NEW-JERSEY.
LIFE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENlOhi

THE STORY OF Az OLD FAkM, or eL Lns andrew DR. VI D.
Jcr ey in the Eighteenth Century @ 1,9nist Gazette
| Mellch. jr. svo, PIP. 73i. Inc ''i"'i''
Somerve, y. J.
Mr. Mcllicl, has told in this handsome volume
| M, only the story of his first German progeh'oi
| in America but also the story OF an infant ''.'"
| He has grouped about his theme such hiso'ii'
detoils as compose a sngularly graphic ana u"
,,or,bv picturc of New-Jersey in the latter nan
| Of the eighteenth century.
| rhonres Noclich was sturdy burgher VI
| pordorf the Rhine a good man and man oi
| snbs,ance. who in 1885 gathered together MS
| family and his property and cmparHeo ioi '''
| New World. Germany was not theh pai ,''"-
| larlv happy land for the plain people he.,siou'
persecution and the invetcrate hapit ol '"'"ii
ro;nrs of regarding abc-hoded subjects as salapis
| u',ar,, material had driven away from her VII
I,oes and towns fully 10000 inhabitants III tne
aa,l,. ,.oars of Johanness century. To him. as TO
| o,,ore tho risl, of Indian warfare was prelerap'c
| % ,bo chance of being sold 10 forcleh r"iei
| &c food for powder and the thrifty 1eutoh h'u,
| r,oroovcr heard many pleasant tales oi frul''"i
vo1I.vs across the ocean. After II tch-Sc'''
soiou,n in Pennsylvania. he finally settled IN >e"
| Jersey. in Belminstcr township Somefseo No"r'S,
| and bnijt the odd Stone House, when 10 ''i"
o,;od b,, his Il, scendaEts. Here he dwelu III
| ne,ce industry and content, with little 10 SUI
his Tou,onic placidity till the Waf o'
I,donendencc came. All danger from '"'"'
enemies had ceased long before so far' lhoec"' d,
,bc Indians are concerned, Ncw-Jersey ieooi'
is an uneventfll as well as an uncommoh'S oi'"i,
able one The dealings OF the coioniS'e -
them were from the first comparatively hoh"i''''
and no state of war ever existed pet"ech O''.
The chief native antagonist Of the SUtlelS was '"
Jersey mosquito-he was large, plooo,ni''S' "
ilrcconcilablc even in those days
There is a tradition that NIoelichs vigorous
German wife carried mortar, baiahceu VI" n
load 70 tho masons at work on the walls OF the
Stone house; a deed Of which the good iran ""'
doubtless proud One Of these masons was
Caspar Berger a rcdemptioncr that Is 10 say
ar immigrant who, on bis arrival, was sold Tor
term Of wears to pay the cost Of his passage
OF this man-who soon regained his freedom ah'i
l.ccame p prosperous landholder-it is said fhat
he was an involuntary conner, having been entlccd
on board ship by the captain, who sold MN ana
pockcted the proceeds. There was regular tradc
Of this kind our author reminds us-a tr""e
which involved as great crueltes as that III
Africans one captain. who became renowned as
a dea er in poor Germans for the American market,
kept band of kidnaplcrs. and III The course OF
his business disposed OF no fewer than 500 souls
I on these shores As a rule the redcmplo1cfS
were kindly treated by their purchasers, some OF
whom were born in a lower social grade than
were their slaves Negroes, toe, were imported
in large numbers at this time, ard became an
attached portion Of the domestic life of the
Jersey people Fear. perhaps had some
thing to do with This attachment. for We
read that hanging was the punishment for
PETTY misdcmcanors committed by them while
for murder end assault they burned alive.
1t was not until tho last decade Of the century
that burning was abolished penalty.
Mr. Mcllicks record of life the old farm
is an cpi'omc Of the home life Of most Jersey
acriouturisrs of the eighteenth century. Farming
was carried on IN an exceedingly primitive man
rcr: rye wheat and buckwhcat were cut with /
sickle and casf-iron poughs-wbch were in.
vented by Jersey farmer named Ncwbod-werc
not generally introduced until 1907 Food was
plentiful. but rather coarse aud not particularly
varied. fruits and vegetables being few. one dish
IN which the jersey Germans delighted was
dreadful mixturc OF chocolate and sausages, boiled
together. and eaten with a spoon When tea
ars' appeared in Jersey il was served In equally
extraordinary manner, the leaves being boiled.
uuttcrcd and eaten as green's Store sugar was
little used by the farmers I'LL late in tie century
Mr. Mcllick says.
Tho story is current that tho Introduction oi
white sugar in the Moclich family by Jo-
hanrcSS daughter. Veronica t'crdrutta Fanny
on thc occasion of social tea-drlnlling.
II WAS then both curiosity and a treat among
farmers and especially to the Germans. who were
very economical folk fannys husband, old
Jacob Kline. not having t"cn informed OF the
surprise IN store for the guests. sitting down
~ the table used the sugar rs salt, supposinc u
To bc such. This annoyed his wife that sl.c
cried out angrily in German: oh, YOU dumb
Irshman. you never Will know ANYTHING" In
calling hen husband an lriShman the good wife
poured upon his head the fall yials Of her con
icmptuous vocabulary. Among the colouisls
were Representatives Of many naiionaities
with widely dlsSlmar natures. but fortunately
tie unifying conditions were sufficient 10 ulti-
niatclv blend their dscor'lanI elements. lct for
u number Of years the iriSa and Germans were
mutually rrpugnant, and each held the other IN
very low estimation: consequently " Irish and
Dutch were banded between the Thrifty rcr-
mans and the OF the Emerald Isle as eplthets
Of contempt
The conditions Of existence were by no means
easy for the Jersey farmer and his family The
housewives toll was excessive; she carried on not
only all the kitchen and dairy work. but wove the
cloth out of which she aftcrward mad, tie family
garments, smoked and cured meats dipped tallow
candles brcwcd beer and made soap and, Us In
the ease Of Frau Moclich, often helped the men
in the field. Wonan's rights in the Jersey of
that day were comprised in the right to work
\ widow had not even legal ownership Of her
own wcarng-apparel, unless hequcaihcd to her by
her husbands will otherwise the very clothes on
her back belonged to his estate.
Our authors account of the religious pIivi-
lcccs in the Jersey of the time is calculated To
riakc the modern congregation wonder. The oh
scrvanccs among the Dutch Reformed citizens of
the region were as severe those in Salonal
New England. There were two lone sermons each
Sunday. with an nermsslon ot only half an
hour between services to refresh exhausted ma
tnre. During this interval the Bcdminstcr pastor,
Mr. Hardcnbcrgh conferred with his consstory
and exchanged greetings with members of his
flock: while 6is wife would gather about her
certain Of the women with whom she would dis.
cuss the sermon and other religious subjects
This Ilar,cnbergh was student with Dominic