The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-05-22
Historic Mount Holly.
THE SESSIONS OF THE LEGISLATURE
HELD HERE IN 1779-80

Historic Mount Holly.
THE SESSIONS OF THE LEGISLATURE
HELD HERE IN 1779-S0
BY William A. Slaughter and Henry c. Shinn
While collecting material for this
series of articles, we found the follow
ing item in DR.. Zachariah Read s manu-
script "reminiscences of Mount Holly, |
written in 1859: THE Legislature for a |
time held its sittings here in the house
formerly owned by Zachariah Rossell,
on High street, now occupied by John
Beatty" This was interesting news.
Previous writers of local history had
either neglected the matter, or were
ignorant of it, for we could find no
mention of meetings of the Legislature
here in any former accounts of Mount
Holly. After much research we were
able to collect number of interesting
facts about this neglected part of local
history, and we believe that the in
formation contained in this article has
never been published in any sketch of
Mount Holly heretofore written.
Our first hope was to identify the
property where the Legislature met
In order to do this it was necessary to
find where John Beatty lived in 1859
the year of the writing of the Read
manuscript. We found that in 1881
John Beatty purchased the property on
1 srxh ctr n l.
Farmers Exchange, at sheriff's SALE
Beatty bequeathed the property to his
widow, Maria, in 1887; and she, in turn,
to her daughter, Hannah, by will
dated April 25, 1865. Hannah retained
the property until 1871. This showed
that the Farmers Exchange property
was held by John Beatty's heirs at the
time DR.. Read wrote, and we felt GER
tain that the meeting place of the
Legislature had been located. Some
uncertainty exists, however, as will be
mentioned later.
From the journals of the two Houses,
on file in the state library at Trenton,
it is clearly established that the Legis-
Ilature met in Mount Holly on Novem-
Der 8, 1779, and continued in session,
with adiournmentS, until December
les. when it adjourned to meet in Tren-
ton on February 16, 1880.
The Legislature began what was call
ed the First Sitting of the Fourth AS
sembly, at Trenton, on October rs,
lI779. and continued in session at Tren-
ton, with adjournments, until Novem-
Der 5, when adjournment was made to
meet in Mount Holly ION Monday
next at three of the clock afternoon"
November 5 was on Friday and No
yember 8 was on Monday. Neither
the Council nor Assembly journal
states where in Mount Holly the Leg
islature was to meet, but, in the act
passed on December Is, entitled 'An
act for defraying sundry incidental
charges, there are two items which
throw considerable light on the matter.
These items are as follows:
''To Mrs. Martha Paxson, for the use
of room for the Council, the sum of
sixty pounds"
40 Mrs. Hannah Stakes, for the
use of a room for the Assembly, seven
weeks, the sum of eighty-fourp pounds. !"
1t is to be observed that the seven
weeks mentioned in the item compen-
lsating Mrs. Stakes is exactly the period
of time covered by the sessions in
Mount Holly, which began on Mon
Sunday, December 26.
Mrs. Martha Paxson was the widow
Iof Henry Paxson, a real estate owner
and prominent citizen, who died on
September IS, 1778. We have not
traced the title to the Farmers Ex-
change building further than 1900
when the records of the Burlington
county clerks Office begin. In order
to authenticate DR.. Reads statement
about the meeting place of the Legis-
lature, it must be shown that the prop
Ierty mentioned by him was owned by
Ieither Mrs. Paxson or Mrs. Stakes in
November, 1779. We are unable to do
this.
i Mrs. Hannah Stakes has remained
unknown. The name does not appear
in any records that have come under
our inspection. Stokes was frequently
found, and the journal clerk may have
transcribed it incorrectly. Even if one
branch of the legislature met in the
Beatty house, as stated by DR.. Read;
the two bodies met at different places,
and the meeting place of the other
branch is still unknown.
There were but thirteen counties in
New Jersey at this time, and large
room was not needed.
We will appreciate the assistance of
J our readers in locating the sites of the
properties Of Mrs. Paxson and Mrs.
Stakes, where the Legislature met,
and would be particularly gratifled to
: learn something of Mrs. Stakes, as the
name. has baff1ed our best efforts to
trace it. The News will gladly pub
lish any information that will assist
in solving this problem.
Much has been published in the past
about the Friends meeting house at
High and Garden streets. We do not
recall any mention of it's use by the
Legislature. Yet such is the fact.
During the period the Legislature was
, in session in Mount Holly, three Joint
meetings were held. One on Novem-
Der II, one on November "a, and one
on December 25. The proceedings of
these joint meetings are on file in the
| state library and specifically state
! where these joint meetings were held.
The first was held at the Friends meet
ing house; the other two at the house
of Mrs. Stakes,
, Twenty-three acts were passed at the
sittings here, none of them of interest
to the reader. Abraham Clark was
appointed representative in Congress,
in the place of DIR. Thomas Hender-
son, who had declined taking his seat.
Two divorces were granted, and three
million three hundred and seventy-five
thousand pounds appropriated.
: This huge sum was made necessary
by the woeful depreciation of the Con-
tinental currency. A good idea OF this
may be gained from the following Pc
tition, which was presented to the
! Legislature at Mount Holly:
THE Petition of an Old Man, a citi-
zen of your state, and firm friend to
the independence of the United States.
Most humbly sheweth,
: THAT whereas your petitioner, by
t industry and care in his younger DAYS,
+ accumulated small fortune of about
four thousand pounds, which, agree