The Penn's Grove record., 1923-05-04
Old Descendants
Claim Lands
Land Titles Founded On Differ
ent Discoveries And Set
Elements

The proposal to commemorate the
Booth anniversary of the landing of
the first Dutch settlers on the Della
ware river next month has revived the
traditional claim to land by descen-
dants of the first settlers. In the
spring Of 1923 Captain Cornelius
Jacobsen May sailed up the Delaware
bay and river and erected Fort Mas
sau, near the present sight Of G%louces-
ter.
Among the Dutch were many French
Huguenots (Protestants) who had
fed from France to Holland, because
the Pope's subjects declared war on
and slaughtered all who paid no tribute
to the Roman Catholic Church. Re
ligious liberation was not permitted
in those days. Among the families
who came with the Dutch were the
jacques, or Jaquettes, some of whose
descendants own the lands settled on
by their ancestors.
There were bigots 200 and 300 years
ago. The original settlers here did
not like it and got out and made Puri-
tan America different. Their descen-
dants are pleased with it and welcome
oil NllO Walt u live lllC DCtlllCs llCoC
who prefer the other way do not have
to stay.
Mrs. A. B. Walsh, of Westport,
Conn, visited her sister, Mrs. William
Zane, at dupont City, and brother,
Silas Jaquette, at Bridgeport, last
week. Last Saturday she called on
Assessor David p. Featherer and en-
quired who owns lands in Penns
Grove. She claims some of the land
in this region was owned by her an
cesters, and undoubtedly it was, and
some rascal decided it away who had
no business to do so. She knows she
did not and is going to have a lawyer
to look into the matter. 1t was this
way:
The Dutch, the first settlers, claimed
the land in the name of their king.
In 1888 Peter Minuit, a German, in
the employ of Gustavus Adolphus,
King of Sweden, arrived on the Della
ware and took possession in the name
of the king of Sweden. The Dutch
deeds were no good because their king
failed to defend them. The Dutch
were alien enemies, but their children
became lovable friends by marriages.
In 1864, the English navy took pos
session in the name of their King,
Charles II, who deeds all the
land in New Jersey to his brother
James, Duke of York, for forty
beaver skins yearly when law
fully demanded. James sold to
Lords Berkeley and C~arteret, courtiers,
who had protected Charles and James
on the Isle of Jersey, when Cromwell
and other Puritans ruled England.
Lords Berkley and Carteret sold Sa-
lem County to John Fenwick for 1000
pounds.
All deeds for land in New Jersey
begin with the grant of Charles II and
those beaver skins. The Dutch and
Swedes deeds were confiscated if they
did not pay the English claims. So
you see when the Dutch and Swedish
kings come over and conquer the
English settlers and make the deeds
of the original Dutch settlers good,
Mrs. Walsh will get back the land
owned by her ancestors. But some
body better hunt beavers and pay
those back claims for skins which have
not been paid for $50 years to keep
their title good.
The editor of the Record had some
GllIlS W uO d lew years dSO Win ~
ting an estate, part of which was a
farm in Upper Penns Neck, which had
been in the family since it was settled
upon by n of the Dutch families
named Van Neman. The family had
intermarried and the descendants kept
possession Notwithstanding the Swedes
and English had come. Possession is
nine points in law. There is no record
of a survey having been of that farm
or having been transferred by deed,
only by a few words in wills. They
kept possession.
1t is possible that the Jaquettes,
who claim part of Penns Grove, did
not consider it worth living upon, as
part of it was tide meadow, frog
ponds and sand hillocks. The snakes,
frogs and mosquitoes may not have
been fascinating, as it is or record
that the land from the river below
Main Street to the ditch, was sold
twice by the sheriff in the past hun
bred and fifty years.
AS Mrs. Walsh's branch of the ia
quotes left the worthless meadow and
swamp and acquired a competency
elsewhere, her ancestors, if they did
ever have a claim, of which there is
no record, only tradition, must have
considered it not worth having.
However, when the Dutch get strong
enough to come over and upset the
Charles l. land titles, there may be a
change of ownership.
In the meantime it will be religi-
ously patriotic to give a contribution
towards erecting a monument to John
Fenwick, who founded the first per-
manent Friends colony in America, at
Salem, N. j.