The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-03
Historic Mount Holly.
REV. JOHN BRAINARD, MISSIONARY
PREACHER AND PATRIOT

Historic Mount Holly.
REV. JOHN BRAINARD, MISSIONARY
PREACHER AND PATRIOT
Very few citizens of Mount Holly
have any knowledge Of the history of
the man for whom Brainard street is
named. Rev. John Brainard was one
Of the noted clergymen of his day.
Born in affiuence, highly educated, he
chose the hardship and labor of mis-
sionary's life, and there is no doubt
that John Brainard's preaching and
instruction had great influence upon the
people Of his time. He is closely iden.
tilted in many ways with the colonial
history of the county, and no sketch
of historic Mount Holly could be com.
plete without mention of the part be
played in its early religious life. The
street which now bears his name was
run out prior to 1744. The town lay
to the south, and the street was called
New" for many years.
John Brainard took up the work be-
gun by his elder brother, David, which
was interrupted by the latter's death
The following sketch Of their lives will
be found OF great interest. It was pre-
pared by Henry G. Shinn.
Il David and John Brainard were
gfandsons of Daniel Brainard, one oil
the original proprietors of Haddam
Connecticut. They were sons of Heze
kiah Brainard, member of the coun
Gil of that colony, and Dorothy, his
wife, who was the daughter Of Rev
jeremiah Hobart. The family con
rss.&<,<4 - - 49, .I.s1.a~n- D~x.:5 n.-.-
ard was born April 20, 1718, and Johr
February Is. 1720. David entered YALE
college in 1873, but was expelled il
1742, for declaring that one of the tutor.
twas totally without the grace of God.
At this time Rev. Gilbert Tenant was
exciting the colonies by his sermons
and the young men had heard him
preach at Milford. John Brainard wal
graduated from Yale with honor in
1746.
David Brainard was ordained June
| IA, I744, at Newark, the sermon being
| preached by Rev. E. Pemberton, pastol
| of the Presbyterian church Of New
York city.
Early in the eighteenth century a
| society was formed at Edinburgh, Scot
Hand, under the name Of the Honorable
Society for Propagating Christian
knowledge. 1t did not confine its
Operations to Great Britain, but was
really foreign missionary society,
/ with special reference to the Indians Of
North America, then attracting much
attention in Europe. In 1745 this So
| cietv appointed David Brainard mis-
lsionary to the Indians OF New Jersey.
| He founded an Indian village neal
| Cranburv, in Middlesex county, which
| he called Bethel. Here he built log
church and organized congregation
| In the same year he learned of settle
Iment of Indians at Crossweeksung
1.-The place of separation, (now Cross.
wicks) in Burlington county. He wen
there, and on June 10, 1745, preached
| his first sermon to the Indians OF THU
Ineighborhood. His duties were ardu
| ous. While riding from one Indian
settlement to another, in all kinds O
weather, he WAS frequently co npellet
| to sleep in the open, and after a few
years Of strenuous work he contracted
consumption. He returned to New
England, dying at Northampton
year. His funeral took place October
I12, the sermon being preached by thu
| famous Jonathan Edwards. An accoun
of David Brainard's work among thu
Indians. accompanied by extracts fro1I
his journal, had been previously pub
lIished by the Scottish society. 1t wal
advertised in the PennsyL Udgsid .J0air7s
al OF July is 1747. Mr.. Edwards pub
Ilished Life Of David Brainard, whicl
went through many editions, and th
journal Of the deceased missionar,
should have place by the side of tn,
record written by John Woolman.
David Brainard never visited Noun
Holly, but the work begun by hin
Iamong the Indians of Burlington
Icounty was continued by his brothe
John, who was licensed as a preache
by the Prasbytery of New York in 1747
land on June 2, I748, was appointed By
the aforementioned society as mis-
Isionary to take the place OF his de
ceased brother.
/ John Brainard first took up the worl
lat Bethel; but when the Indians Their
were elected in 1855, they scattered
some going west and many joining tn
British army in the old French war
Mr.. Brainard then removed to Newark
where he preached for some time, and
where his first wife, Experience Lyon
died. He had married her in 1852
During this period he also served as
chaplain in the British army, He wa
liable to speak the Indian language
and his preaching Is said to have hat
its effect in abating some Of the savag
Ieruelty of the native warriors.
As result of conferences between
the whites and the Indians, held q
CrossWicks in 1856 and at Burlington
in 1858, the natives relinquished thei
title to every portion of New Jersey
II for $1,000, and q tract Of about tire
Thousand acres Of land in Burlington
lcounty was purchased for them. /
was ut EdgepillOck, now known as In
dian Mills. The government assisted
the Indians to remove there, and tn
principal settlement was called Brother
ton.
| After the establishment of this set
Element, the Scottish society and tn
Synods OF New York and Philadelphia
sought for preacher to send to tn
new location, and secured John Brain
ard to re-enter the field. He is said Il
have located at Brotherton in 1850, blu
as the Edgepillock reservation was not
purchased until 1858, The old chronicle
must have been in error. 1t may hav
been that Bfainard had visited the In
dams at that place while he wa
stationed at Bethel. In 1850 he adver
tised in the New York Gazette Re
vived in the Weekly Post Boy, for 81
bills against the estate Of the lat
Ebenezer Hayward, Indian schoolmas
ter at Bethel, to be sent to him al
executor.
1t is said that there were about 20
Indians in the county at that time
most Of them being at Brotherton
There were few families at the oil
Indian town of Quakson, or Weekpink
about mile north of Vincentown
where Brainard had q log church built
There were also few Indians at Gross
lwicks, and some on the banks of tn
Rancocas at Mount Holly. There wa
a small settlement at Juliustown, an
IL il thouOht there wera a few on tn,