Palisadian., 1924-07-04
INTIMATE HISTORY
OF THE PALISADES
TOLD BY PAL|SADIAN
Interesting Recital of Early Set
tIement of This Immediate
Section-EarIy Settler Had
Ranch and Forty Slaves.

1t has been the endeavor of those
interested in preserving the his
torical record of Bergen County to
publish now-and-then a history under
the title of A History of Bergen
County, but legends and facts are so
jumbled up, that there is lost in the
shuttle a very interesting link in the
chain of events which connects the
political and social history of this
section, with the chief actors in the
great tragedy in the history of Eng
land attending the passing of oliver
Cromwell, King Charles II and the
reign of William and Mary.
The unhappy condition of affairs in
England in the times of King Charles
1st caused many men of prominence
in England to seek lands to dwell in
that would offer greater freedom po-
litically and religiously; and it is
quite true that the great Cromwell
and the greater Hampden had both
engaged passage for America, when
sudden change in politics caused
them, to abandon the trip.
About this time, there came into
notice a protege of King Charles 1st,
a man by the name of Edward Hyde
0ord Clarendon) whose stable char
acter, based on his great virtue and
integrity as a politician, caused him
to rise to such prominence later on
as to win him a position never sur
passed by any English statesman.
He was the shining star of the reign
of the unhappy King Charles II and
as the grandfather of Mary Hyde and
Anne Hyde he lived to see them both
become Queens Of England, and the
last of the reigning Stuarts.
The Cromwellian government of
England caused many roya,ists to
leave that land for safer localities
Sir Henry Hyde seeking place of
exile in Scotland. and among a num-
ber of wealthy Englishmen who To-
Gated in Barbados, w. l. was John
Berry, of Staffordshire. After the
English had taken from the Dutch the
latter's possessions in America, the
Cartarets (Sir Geo and his brother
Philip promptly undertook the de-
velopment of the lands in what they
named New Jersey, the latter being
divided into two provinces lie. East
Jersey and West Jersey. John Berry
took up three extensive grants, in
1868 two of them covering all the
lan do hn Do TO
the Hudson River to Overpeck Creek
at Ridgefield northward to above
Englewood Ga small piece of this ter
ritory-about 1000 acres was a grant
made later to Samuel Edsall a SON.
in-law of John Berry, at the locality
known at present as Leonia) the
lands above Englewood being under
grants to Sir George Cartaret.
A change in the affairs of King
Charles made it necessary for the
Cartarets to return to England for
a few years, and the Governor, Philip
Cartaret, was considerably perplexed
as to whom to leave here as his
Deputy. The council being composed
of Berry, Edsall, Parker, Kingsland
and Sanford. The choice fell to John
Berry, whose appointment as Deputy
Governor was presented by his friend
Lord Clarendon (Henry Hyde) to
King Charles for approval which
was confirmed and returned with per-
sonal letters from the King and his
chancellor which letters may be seen
to this day in good state of preserva-
tion in the records at the British Mu-
scum, London.
John Berry operated an extensive
ranch in 1896 on the west slope of
the Palisades, a record historically
being noted of stone house and
headquarters for 40 slaves, but the
official residence of this pioneer was
at Boiling Springs now known as
East Rutherford, where his son John
Berry Jr., lived and afterwards his
descendants down to the present day;
the old homestead only recently fall
ing down from gradual decay.
The descendants of John Berry liv-
ing at present on the Palisades are
the Edsalls of Leonia, Mrs. e. B.
Conkright of Ridgefeld and Mrs. L.
B. Wickware of Palisades.
G. WICKWARE.