The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-06-14
81. Peters Church,
Freehold and It's RectOrs
By MARCY APPLICABLE. SR.

vice had expired The fifty acre farm
they were on near Amboy is still to be
identified. The title passed to Thomas
Gordon November %, 1899 We have
seen Watson sought to have ministers
from Scotland come to East Jersey ano
James Reed was probably like minded
Andrew Reed was another, and James
had sons, } ohm and Samuel, and many
Of his descendants were connected with
odd" Tennent.
Peter Watson not only had bis
house lotin Matawan, or NewAberdeen
but he also had large plantation ad
joining it. While as yet he was Peter
! Watson Of Amboy Perth, Planter, .
John Reid of Hortensie convened to
him November 10. 1858, in considers
alton of the conveyance of tract cali
/ ed THE Great Fly" to said Reid bv
said Watson. the following;
That certain piece of land at a
place called Gravel Brook beginning
at the corner of Sir John Gordon's
land and Gravel Brook fourteen chains
] below where a small run comes into
/ said brook; thence west southwest
thirty-five chains; thence north sixty
chains; thence East to Gravel Brook.
| thence up the brook to the beginning
bounded South by Sir John Gordon
East by Gravel Brook, West unsurvev-
ed. Then in 1715 MAY 81 John John
ston Esq, sold Peter Watson 400 acres
adjoining to the plantation Of said
Watson. ''yeoman, where he now
dwells. In 715 he also purchased land
from William Hoge, Of Freehold,
Stotch covenanter, from whom a
worthy line of Presbyterian ministers
In the Southern Presbyterian Church
are descended.
We have seen that William Hoge
was one of the grand jurors in 100.
Upon the sale of his property he re-
moved to Delaware, thence to Cedar
Greek in Opeckon, Virginia His son
John Hoge, graduated at Princeton
College in I74S, was licensed October
10th, 1853. and ordained 1865, and settl-
ed at Cedar Greek fOpeckon) Virginia,
in the Church, the site of which had
been given by his father.
Another of the New Aberdeen set
tiers was William Ronald sometimes
confused with Reynolds He was here
as early as 1888, for in that year he
executed the following instrument,
which we giyein full, for the reason
that it includes Others of the first
settlers;
Know all men by these presents that
wee. Andrew Burnett, William Ronald
John Baird, John Webster, James
Melvin, (MeIbin,) John Nesmith, John
Hebron (Hepburn,) John Molison,
Alexander Scott and his wife, Andrew
Hamton and his wife, Peter Watson,
his wife and children, all of the province
of East New Jersey for and in consider
alton of certain sum of money by
us in hand already received of Robert
Barclay Of Try in the Kingdom Of
Scotland at and before the sealing and
delivery of these presents, the receipt
whereof we do hereby acknowledge
and ourselves Herewith fully satisfied
contented, and thereof and from and
of and from every part and parcel there
of doe freely and clearly acquit and
discharge the said robert Barclay, his
heirs, executors and administrators
forever by these presents have alien
ed, granted, bargained, sold, assigned
and sett over all our Right title, in
terest, claim and demand whatsoever
of the headlands granted to US by the
proprietors of the said province to
have and to hold the said headlands
unto the said Robert Barclay, his heirs
and assigns forever, and the only prop
err use, benefit and behoof of him the
said Robert Barclay, his heirs and
assigns forever. In witness whereof, |
we have hereunto set our hands and
affixed our seals the tenth day Of May,
1858.
Andrew Burnett,
John Hepburn,
John Mollisoue,
Andrew Hamton,
James Melvine,
John Baird,
Peter Watson.
William Ronal. w. r. his mark,
John Nesmith,
John Webster, ]. W. his mark.
William Ronald signed his will May
IA, 1909, by his mark. 1t was proved
the same year and names his wife Helen
who was exscutrix, and sons John.
William and James, and four daugh-
tiers, Euphame, Janet, Helen and
Sophia, to each Of whom he gave ten
pounds. The witnesses to the will were
William Clarke, Charles Gordon, John
Baird, William Hay and William
Laing. The son. John Ronald pur-
chased land 1712 of Richard Sslter on
was probably the first William Ronald
\ROAlAClj wiz jOA1e0 WAcAA OOt1AA Nj al X,
Walter Ker and Patrick INLAY in De
cember. 1908, in asking to have the
Scots meeting house registered.
The trst name in the Proprietors
grant for the town site of New Aberdeen
(now Matawan) is that of John john
stone. Doctor tombstone has generally
been considered as citizen Of AInboy
and for a tiWe was q resident of that
city, and died there September 9th,
1882, in the list year Of his age. Still,
he was very intimately concerned in
the Scotch settlement of Monmouth,
He was the son OF John tombstone of
Ochiltree, Scotland, who had been list
ed by the government in May 1854, as
a fugitive having been in arms against
the Grown. An elder brother. James
tombstone, came in 1884 and settled
in what was then Monmouth County
and called the place Spottiswoode,
having lived in Spottiswoode, Scot
land, for some time. James was largely