The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-03-29
81. Peters Church,
Freehold and It's Rect0rs
BY MARCY APPLEGATE. sR.
REV. GEORGE KEITH, FoUEDER OF
FREEHoIH
II MARCY APPLEGATE. SR.

i REV. GEORGE KEITH, FOUNDER OF
FREEHoLH
SECRETARY NICHOLAS ACCOUNT
| The first mention of George Keith's
name in Smiths history Of N j., is on
page 1856, Sir George Carteret, sole
proprietor of East Jersey, dying in 1873
BY will, ordered the Province to be
sold to pay his debts. which was done
accordingly by his widow and execu
tors by iDdenture Of release and release
| bearing date LIST and End of February,
I 1881, to William Penn, Robert West
Thomas Rudyard. Samuel Groomes.
Thomas Hart, Richard New. Thomas
Wilcox. of London, goldsmith; Am
| broseE Rigg, John Haywood. Hugh
Hartshorne, Clement Plumsted and
Thomas Cooper, their heirs and as
signs; who were thence calledthe twelve
lproprietors They being together SO
fseized in this year published an ac-
count Of their country. fresh pro-
| iect for town and method Of dispos-
ing of their lands. Their plan was pop
ular and took much especially
among the Scotch, of whom many
had already arrived. In this and some
OF the Immediately succeeding years,
came many more: Among them was
George Keith, who some time after
] became Surveyor General, and was
acco united very skillful in the. bust
ness.
| Thetwelve proprietors. did not long
hold the Province to themselves, but
/ by particular deeds, took each a part
ner, their nam esswere; James, Earl OF
Perth, John Drummond, Robert
Barclay, Robert Gordon. Aarant Son
mans. Gawen Laurie, Edward Byl-
Hinge. James Braine, William Gibson.
t Thomas Barker. Robert Turner, and
Thomas Warne, these withE the other
twelve are since called, the twenty
| four proprietors. To them the ID IKE OF
York made fresh grant of East Jer-
sey, bearing date the 18th OF March,
1882.
This was the Dukes third and last
grant of East Jersey, soon after which
the twenty four proprietors. by an
| instrument under most of their hands,
| established q Council Of Proprietors.
In 1882. Secretary Nichols. Of the
Council, described Shrewsbury and
Middletown township SIS follows;
Shrewsbury, near Sandy Hook, ad-
| Joining the river or creek Of that name
i was already township, consisting Of
several thousand of acres, with large
plantations contiguous, the inhab-
Iitants were computed to be about
400 Lewis Morris of Barbados had
/ iron works and ether considerable
improvements there.
Middletown was supposed to consist
of 100 families; several Thousand acres
ALLOTTED for thegtown and many tho1s-
and for the several out plantations,
John Bound, Richard Hartshorne-
and Nicholas Davis, had each well Im-
proved settlements here; a court OF SEES
sions was held twice or thrice year
for Middletown and Piscataway and
their jurisdictions.
Among P. Carteret's Council inr163S
were James Grover and John Bound,
who represented Middletown and
Shrewsbury townships.
One of the sessions were held at least
once at Middletown.
Smiths History Of N. J. (1784) shows
| Keith's line and what point it would
reach on the Delaware river If extend
ed north, (1687) also the Quintipar-
tite line (l676) and the line from Little
! Egg Harbour to the Mackhackamack
branch of theD delaware claimedEby West
Jersey since IT'S.
Smiths History then gives George
Keith's (16S7) description of the line
we have before printed in this His
tory.
At the meeting of the Council Of Pro-
prietors held Aug. II. 1742, a petit
ton was presented asking that the
! line be more accurately determined
and that the Keith line be adopted. as
the Lieutenant Governors of Eastern
and Western New Jersey, enter into
bonds Of arbitration, to stand to the re-
ward of John Reid and William Emley
concerning the partition line between
East and West Jersey, and that those
ar bitrators made an award Of the
course which such line should run
from Little Egg Harbour, and that the
/, following year, George K eth, sur
/ veyor general Of the Eastern Division
Ibid. as we believe, at their expense,
ACTUALLY run the line so awarded from
little Egg Harbour to Dobies plan
Itation, in the south branch Of the Rari-
lton, which is upwards of so miles.
In pursuance to this petition a
lcommittee was appointed to meet with
the Western proprietors TO agree upon
la line.
In an appendix to Smiths History is
Governor Coxe's Narrative relating to
1.-THE division line run by George Keith.
/ In ITO Brigadier Hunter arrived
and the 9Th of December convened tht
ASSEMBLY, those members from Mon
mouth being Gershom Mott and vii
liam Lawrence.
/ In ITO the Province OF East Jersey
had been involved in great confusion
lon account of the people called Quak
lers being denied to serve on juriel
under pretence that an oath was ab
lsoiutely necessary, and the assembl,
lappointed Doctor Johnston, Isaa'
ISharp. Jacob Spicer, William SandforS
Il John Reid and Robert Wheeler to pre-
lparc a petition to Queen Anne asking
THAT IAN act for settling the Militi
lof this Province and for religious per
lsons aggieved thereby The two las
named above had left the Quaker
| with George Keith and Sanford hai
distinguished himself against them,
J Major Sandford in 1907 wss expelled
the assembly for his action in signing