Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-07-19
PERTH HAMBOY
IN HLSTOR Y
By II. ID. PICKERsGHL

| udy SfQkeS aellSlOA tuC 10y
reader, but in the early days of New
Jersey the offence, If such 1t gould
be considered, was even more seri-
Gus. A document at hand, for in
stance, Is the original letters Of ad-
ministration to John and William
/, Burnet, upon legacy TO Ann
Ritchie and 1t is dated July 10, 1855,
, nine days more than 169 years ago,
right here In Perth Amboy. The
| Burnets, as we'll as Mrs. Ritchie,
| were residents of our city, or as
much of it as then existed, less than
two score years after the charter
! was granted. /
The document, after the fashion
| of those days, began: by His Ex-
| cellency Jonathan Belcher, Esquire,
Captain General and Governor In
Chief In and over His Majesty's
Province of New Jersey and Terri !
tories thereon depending IN Ameri- 7
ca, Chancellor and Vice Admiral OF
| the same, etc." Addressed to the
Burnets "of the City of Perth Amboyi
| in New Jersey aforesaid gent" the
document recites the fact that
George Willocks, late of the City OF
| Perth Amboy, made his will January /
| 3, 1928, and therein decreed that
there should be paid, out of the
money arising from the sale OF GER
tain lands, by his executors, TO John
and William Burnet, at that time
merchants in Aberdeen, the sum OF
two hundred pounds for the use or
Willocks' niece, Ann Ritchie, wife OF
John Ritohie, then residing In Aber-
deem and, like the Burnets, later to
come to Perth Amboy. Before the
matter got very far Mrs. Ritchie dled
without having received the money.
Her husband became her heir ana
the Intricate legal machinery was
then set In motion to pay the money
to him as her heir. In the course
Of time, and time went faster than
the action of the provincial courts of
that day. Ritchie died and the money
still remained in the hands OF the
executors of Willocks, presumably
also. here In the Past Jersey capital.
Then comes the action of July H.
1755. when the two Burnets were 10
be named as administrations, not Tor
the benefit of the original devlsee,
nor of her husband and heir, pui OF
themselves, for by this ancient docu-
ment 1t appears that Ritchie had De-
come Indebted to the Burnets.
And then, the document sets forth,
the Prerogative Court of the Prov
ince of East Jersey appoints the
Rurnets administrators to take over
the Willocks bequest to Mrs. Ritehie
ana In nav themselves what Rltci 10
owed them, rendering the overpius,
IL any there be, to the heirs ana
assigns of the late Richie, All OF
this is done, it reads, because the
court is "desirous that the said
legacy or sum of two hunareo
pounds which were the said Ann
Ritchie's at the time of her oeath
and remained unadministered by the
said John Ritchie at the time OF ner
death may we'll and faithfully pe
administered and converted ana ais-
posed Of unto pious uses .,l
The Burnets were given uh.il
January 10, 1855, to complete tne
task assigned them by the court.
This interesting old reminder or
early DAYS In Woodbridge Is In the
handwriting of aid bears the sigma
ture of Thomas Barlow. deputy
registrar of the Prerogative court,
and 1t was recorded on page 2b6 OF
Rook F of Wills, presumably at TINS
time resting securely In the Preprie-
tors Office in the little building ad-
ioinine Perth Amboy's City Hall.
hears the endorsement of Thomas
Rartow that, on a date not given
he received of the administrators the
sum ef two pounds, two shillings ana
one pence, probably the fees for
granting, issuing and recording the
letters.
With this document there came
into the present owners possession
copy of the assignment by John
Ritehie of his wife's legacy to the
Burnets. This was dated OCTOBER 20,
1879, and Thomas Barlow and Peter
Savery Witnessed Ritehie's signature
thereto.
Those fo- whom 1t Is a pastime
may we'll speculate upon the ways
and the places in which these papers
have, for nearly eight scors years.
drifted about, to return within the
last two days to the place whence
they issued. A clue Is furnished by
the nature of q third paper, Issued
| ten years later, in which appears the
| name of William Burnet. This man
| was at one time merchant in Perth |
Amboy and 1t Is known that after
| being here for a time he acquired |
| land away from the coast and there |
settled. All three documents are |
J Burnet items and 1t Is quite possible |
| that until within few days they |
| have never been out Of tn f, hands OF
the Burnets and their descendants. |
The third document above referred
| Is a deed from Lewis Johnston to |
Burnet, dated September l, 1853, in
| which that famous old Perth Am I,
boyan, who Is described as a Doctor |
of Physick," for the matter of III
pounds and some odd shiilings and
pence, sells to Burnet that tract of
land which Johnston had purchased
OF Samuel Nevill and John Nevill !
and upon which Samuel Nevill lived. |
Reference is made in the description |
to a map of the Nevill lands made |
by Azariah Durham.
DR.. Johnston's signature to the
will Is witnessed by Heathcote john
son and by Jonathan Deare. The
doctor was the owner and occupant
of a house which stood near the
Paterson homestead, now on Kearny
avenue, to which 1t gave place In
1795. He was the son of DIR. John
Johnston, who came to America In
1855 and made his. home here. |
Heathcote Johnson was DR.. Lewis
youngest son and became a promi-
nent military figure in the colony,
resigning his commission as captain
when he saw that to remain in SER
vice meant to take up arms against
England. Jonathan Deare represent
ed Perth Amboy in the Provincial
Assembly. AS major he accompanied
Colonel Heard with the detachment
OF soldiers who arrested the royal