The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-03

have been held in the school house
now standing onBrainard street, which
is known to have been built between
1853 and 1865. In the time covered by |
the diary quoted Mr.. Brainard's church /
in Bridgetown had not been built, as
he makes no mention of it, while he |
notes his efforts to have churches erect
ed in other places. Neither does he |
state where he preached in Bridgetown. |
1t is possible that he preached in the |
schoolhouse mentioned, but no proof |
can be produced for such claim. He
probably held his meetings in private
houses until the church was built.
Lords day, March Performed
divine service in the afternoon at Wee
pink, in the house of q white man
more commodious than any Of the In
dians; in the evening at Bridgesown.
The next day / preached at New Mill
(Pemberton.) The day following at
| Weepink. After service at Weekpink /
used some endeavors to have ameeting
house built to accommodate both In
dams and white people. and got up
wards OF 20 pounds subscribed for that
purpose"
This church was built of hewn logs.
1t Is said to have been moved to site
near the present railroad station in
Vincentown in 1902, and to have been
used for meetings until destroyed by
fire in 1872.
| On March %, 1852, Governor Hardy
| appointed Mr.. Brainard superintendent
and guardian of the Indians at Brother
| ton and their lands. From that time
| he united the duties OF civil guardian
with those Of missionary, and was &C.
cupied in looking after both the ma
terial and spiritual welfare Of his
charges. On April %. 1862, he wrote
| in his diary, Rode to Bridgetown to
consult the law respecting the Indians
at Weekpink and what should be done
to prevent the white people cutting of
the timber" The next is years OF his
life were spent in this manner, preach
ing and praying. and strengthening out
difficulties between the whites and In
dams in his congregation.
+ About 176S John Brainard removed
to Bridgetown, then beginning to be
called Mount Holly. He had previous
ly collected congregation and had
church erected on Brainard street.
This was the first Presbyterian church
| in Mount Holly, and was located a
little east OF the present Methodist
church. This church is said to have
been destroyed by the British during
| the revolution. He is also said to have
erected q dwelling on the same street.
| In 1908 the Free Masons, who had been
meeting at Griffith Owens tavern, on
| the site OF the present Washington
House, rented "the parsonage house I'D
Mount Holly" for meeting place.
| This is supposed to have been the one
Il al krT scusnx1orxy afr,od
Ion the north side of Brainard street,
near the site of the present public
school. He is said tu have owned other
i land on Brainard street, and an effort
/ is being made to locate it by examina-
| ton of titles. There is story that he
also built schOolhouse, and for many
years he was supposed to have erected
the little building now owned by the
Female Benevolent Society. 1t is now
known that Brainard had nothing to
do with its erection. There is another
tradition that his school stood near the
present Methodist parsonage, and was
destroyed by the British at the time
they burnt the Presbyterian church.
Nothing has been found to substantiate
this story.
While living at Brotherton Mr..
Brainard made large investments In
Mount Holly real estate. August is,
1851, he bought considerable land on the
north side OF Garden street from the
estate of Edward Tonkin. When the
Friends decided to remove from Wood
lane. they purchased their present To-
cation at High and Garden streets
from Mr.. Brainard by deed dated jan
Iuary 81, ITS. The land on the north
side of Garden street was sold to
Robert Parrish, Of Philadelphia, De-
cember 4, 1776. After the revolution
Parrish laid out the tract in IA build
ing lots, and sold them at public sale
in June, 1855. Two lots were on High
[street, the corner property, where Irons
store now is, being owed by Joseph
Bennett. This tract extended nearly
to Buttonwood street, on Garden, and
ran back to Buddell Shinn's orchard,
which included Union street, the latter
extending only few feet east Of High
street at that time.
1t is probable that the Brainards in
herited some estate from their father.
Edwards biography of the elder BROTH
er says that David decided to use his
inheritance in educating worthy In
dams at college. John evidently had
different ideas, as shown by his pur-
chases of land, and by the following
circumstances: When the remaining
Indians in New Jersey, reduced to
about forty, petitioned the legislature
in 1882 to compensate them for relin-
Iquishing their rights Of hunting and
fishing on unenclosed land, their
spokesman was Bartholomew Calvin, q
l70-year-old Indian, who had been Sc
lected from his tribe by John Brainard
to be educated at Princeton by the
Scottish society. The revolution cut
off the funds from abroad, and the In
dian was compelled TO leave college.
He taught school at Edgepillock for
many years, having both white and
Indian pupils. David Brainard would
have probably kept the Indian in col
lege at his own expense.
During the revolution John Brainard
was an ardent patriot. Being too old
TO enter the army he excited the people
against Great Britain by his preach
ling. In IT'S he delivered sermon in
his church on Brainard street, in which
he appealed to the people to enlist and
fight for independence, from text in
one of the Psalms: BLESSED be the
Lord, my strength, which teacheth my
hands to war and my fingers to fight.
The British and Tories swore ven-
| geance against him, and he was SO an
noyed by the latter. whose leader was
probably Thomas Hunloke, high sher-
iff OF the county, who lived near the
lpatriot preacher at the corner of High
and New streets, now Mount Holly
National bank, that he was in fear Of
his life. Upon the approach OF the
British he fled to Brotherton to secure
his personal safety. the invaders hav-
ing sworn to burn his church and hang