The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-05-24
ST. Peters Church,
Freehold and It's Reci0Is
REV. GEoRGE KEITH, FOUNDER OF
FREEHoLD-
By NANCY APPLEGATE. SR.

FREEHOLD-
John Reid. one Of the first and
more prominent Scotchmen to settle
in Monmouth was born February 18th,
1855. at Mildrew Castle, Kirtliston
Parish. Scotland His ancestors for
severalgeneratiops ha been gardeners
but he himself when twenty years OF
age was apprenticed to an Edinburgh
wine dealer. In 1878, however, upon
the death Of his master, he returned to
his family, but owing to his father S
death and his mothers reInarriage,
went in 1914 to learn his ancestral trade
in the Hamilton Gardens near Drum
mond,' Scotland Here he abandoned
his Presbyterianism, Ike his fellow
countryman, Keith, for the doctrines
Of George Fox. In 1876 he went to
Lawree Cor Fording) where he wrote
The Scotch Gardener.
In 1878 he married a. Miss Margaret
Miller, daughter Of Henry Miller of
Cashion. in the Parish Of Kirkintilock
Miss Miller was eleven years older
than her husband In 1858 Mr.. Reid
was book seller in Edinburg, when
he and John Eanton were selected by
the Proprietors in Scotland to take
out a party of emigrants to East Jer-
sey. En- barking at Leith August 10, 1853
they sailed from Aberdeen (Scotland)
August %. landing at Staten Island
December 10. They brought with them
their three daughters Anna, Helena.
and Margaret. The latter an infant,
died January 10. 1864. and was buried
at Perth Anboy; that near there he
took up his abode January IS, 1884,
and he was still living there when hi
son John was born in 1886. He and
John Hanton were to have f25 apiece
English mony "yearlie." MIR. Reid be-
came deputy surveyor upon his ar
rival in the province and made extern
sive surveys throug bout the province
for the Proprietors. For particular
service Of this character, map where
of is still txtant, he was granted
large tract of land in Monmouth Coun-
ty to which be removed in the latter
part Of 1886 and to which he gave the
iane of HortensiR. At this time he
surrendered his position as clerk OF the
Perth Afhboy Quaker Meeting. In
1903. following the example Of George
Keith who was then an Episcopal Mis-
sionary with Rev John Talbot, he be-
came churchman. and the same year
was appointed Surveyor-General Of the
province He died Mach 10, 1928, aged
81, and his head stone,still stands in
the Topanemus Keith Quaker Epis
copaD grave yard near Marlboro. His
wife Margaret died May /, 1928, aged
81 years, and her tombstone records
that sshe was pious, prudent and
and how much her yonn-
ger husband was Indebted to her prnd
ence we can only conjecture.
For long time he was not only Sur.
veyor- General Of the province, but
also Commissioner of Highways for
the county. On September %, 1897, he
refused the appointment OF Kings
Attorney for the county and was duly
fined forty shillings, and committed
by We court ITO close gaole until he
shall pay We fine Of forty shillings. .
So have times changed, even in Mon
mouth. in the course of couple Of
centuries. He was foreman of the Grand
Jury of August %, 1901. On August 26,
1908, he was appointed by Cornbury
one of the Judges of Monmouth Pleas
and r sappointed at different times. In
1713 he was instrumental in the adop-
ton Of rules Of practice yet to be read
in the first book of Monmouth Court
minutes. A letter written by him the
same year to representative in the
Provincial Legislature shows a judicial
mind coupled with more than a super
ficialacquaintance with English statute
and common law. Besides his brother.
James Reid, and his nephews, Samuel
and John [sons of James. Judge
Reid left two daughters, Anna and
Helena, and son. John. His son John
Reid studied law with John Chambers
one of the Judges Of the Provincial
Supreme Court of New York and prac-
ticed law at Westchester, where he
died in 1902, aged 81, having also been
Surrogate of Westehester County from
1850 to 1854.
The daughter Anna. married John
Anderson, q Scotehman, fully as prom
inent in the colony as his father-in
law, who was less than twelve years
his senior. Lieut.. Col, or Capt.
Anderson, as he is variously called.
was a Scotcbman and commander OF
the ship Unicorn, which seems to have
been in the Scotctish expedition to
Darien, and upon its abandonment left
the sea to marry and settle on his vile s
lands in Monmouth, A young miss
ionary Of the Society for the Propa-
CATION of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,
Jacob Henderson, took occasion OF
this to say when it was proposed in
l712 to appoint Capt. Anderson to the
co unoil Of East Jersey that he was a
Scotch Presbyterian who commands a
ship to Darien in the Scottish Elk
petition thither and on. his return
to Amboy, N. Jersey and left his
ship to rot and plundr'd her and with
We plumber bought Land" The Rev.
Alexander Innes. q non juring Scotch
Episcopal minister, living in Middl
town, under his hand on March II,
112. certifies that 'Lewt Colll An
dersonn had for the space of eleven
wears lived in communion aud con-
formity with the Church of England:
that he had bought no lands. but lived
on those which he had with his wife,
and that he was born, Baptized and
Educated in the Communion Of the
Tfl,t.~.l, II G~AfiarI aud