Two of the petitioners were George Teeple and Lucas Teeple.
source: Somerset County Genealogical Quarterly
( Someone sent this to me without an issue number or date. The
pages are 110-118. Source help here would be appreciated.)
During the
administration of Lewis Morris (1686-1746), Royal Governor of
the Colony of New Jersey from 1738 to 1746, a petition was sent
to him by sixty-four residents "Late of the County of Somerset,
but now of the county of Essex." Accordingly, Gov. Morris
ordered the "running of the Line" of Essex County, beginning
at "Robison's Branch" and going west "to the Division
Line." However, the surveyors, in doing so, miscalculated
at the beginning of their survey and thus ran the new boundary
"many miles more Southward." In doing so it placed a
pie-shaped piece of what was formerly Somerset County within the
bounds of what was then Essex County.
The miscalculation
was of great concern to those former Somerset County inhabitants
whose homes and property were included in the new survey placing
them in Essex County. This was primarily as most of them, as a
result, now resided "Some thirty, five and thirty, and Other's
fforty miles Distant from the Court house" at Newark. When
they were residents of Somerset County the "Court house .
. . was not Above fifteen or twenty miles at most" from the
farthest resident, "But Now by the same being Ordered and
Removed to Millstone Bridge much nearer."
The
following petition, signed by some of the earliest settlers in
what was then part of Bernards Township, but mostly Bridgewater
Township, is undated. Inasmuch as an act was passed by the New
Jersey General Assembly in 1738 to replace the "Court-House
and Goal" of Somerset County, which "by accident lately
burnt down," the petition had to have been signed after that
date. That the new "Somerset County courthouse at "Millstone
Bridge" was yet to be built, is intimated in the petition.
One of the petitioners, "Cavid Cossort," was dead by
13 January 1740, on which date his will was probated (NJW no 61R).
Another, "Phillipus folkerse," was dead by June 1740,
when his will was probated (NJW no 59R). The petition, therefore,
was probably drawn up and signed in the year 1739.
The
original petition is among the Robert Hunter Morris Papers, on
file at the Department of special Collections, Rutgers University
Library, accession number 588. It is given here in fullo, as are
the facsimiles of the actual signatures of all sixty-four petitioners.
To His Excellency Lewis Morris Esqr Captain-Generall and Governour in Chief, in and Over his Majesties Province of New Jersey&c.-
The Humble Petition of Diver's of the Inhabitant's Late of the County of Somerset, but Now of the County of Essex -
That your Petitioner's Some year's Ago having Occasion for Lands to Settle themselves and ffamilys upon, and thinking these Land's where they now Dwell were both good and Commodious, Were Induced in Consideration thereof to become Purchaser's, and to Settle themselves and ffamily's thereon, Nothing Doubting but Confidently believing and hoping, that the same were within the county of Somerset, Where the court house at that time was not Above fifteen or twenty miles at most from the farthest of your Petitioner's Dwelling's But Now by the same being Ordered and Removed to Millstone Bridge much nearer, Whereas by the Late runing of the Line of the said county of Essex, the said Line doth Run many miles more Southward than was Ever by your Petititioner's Expected or thought of Whereby your Petitioner's to their great Surprise and Concern, are Drawn and taken into the said County of Essex, Where they now Live, some thirty, five and thirty, and Other's fforty miles Distant from the Court house of the said County Which is at Newark, and as many of your Petitioner's are often Obliged to attend the said Court Either as wittnesses, or on their own private Occasion's, the Charge and trouble thereof is Very great, and when it Happen's upon appeal's (of which there has Every Court Since the runing of the said Line been One or more) the Costs to the party happening to be last is Very Intollerable, and the Attending the said Court so farr from our own homes, as Also in Chusing of Assessor's Collection's Overseer's of the poor Surveyor's of the highway's, and other Officer's propper for a County or Destrect to have; We are Also Deprived of having our own Supervisor's or Common Counsill's to Inspect into our Accounts and Consulting the Defraying of Charges Raising of money &c. AND ALSO our money Borrowed out of the Loan Office properly belong's to the County of Somerset for Supporting the Government, and Other Insedental Charges &c. A Great Inconveniency and Burthen, But being informed and Understanding that it was not orriginally Intended or Designed or in the Least Suposed that by Runing A west Line from Robison's Branch to the Division Line, the same wood Include those Land's to the Norward thereof, which upon Runing thereof it Doth, and that it is in the power of your Excellency to Rectifie the same and to make it Agreeable to what was first Intended and purposed, WHEREBY, your Petitioner's wood Again be Annexed to and brought into the said County of Somerset, Wherefore your Petitioner's humbly Pray your Excellency wood be pleased to take the same into your wise and Mature Consideration and Give such Relief to your Petitioner's therein, as is Prayed Agreeable to your known wisdom and Justice and your Petitioner's as in Duty bound Shall Ever Pray.
Christian La Gransce| Abraham Van Neste Dirrick Barnse Hendrick herperding Magiel koens thomas aten yr Robert Bolmer Henry Sloan Thos Urmston John Van Tuyl folkert Sebring David Sutton Lucas Bilyeu James McCoy Charles adams gorg Diepel Thomas Aten John Herss Pieter Van Neste Francis Coesaert Jacob Teneick Matthew Teneick John Dumont gisbert Lane |
Andrew Conine John Bolmer Jared Bolmer Davit King John Aten Yr antone Smit Johannis millir Johanns Cosaert Johanns Kopman Baltis appelman Johannis Fasie Rynier Van Neste Pillipus folkerse Sam Hunter Jacob Vandeventer Luikas tiepl Johannis appelman Dennes Tunesen |
Isaac Smalley William Moffat Allaxandar Moffat Nicklaes koens Aaron Luckes yon yurri sponhemmer James Birney andres mendong David Cossort Abraham belyeu William Sloan Abraham Van Tuyl Thomas Nun Hugh Florance Robvert edemes Henderick Sits Antony Coesaert John kouvaert Jacobus Wintersteen Isaac Ross Abrahim Bodine |