Burlington, New Jersey

“ This not proving successful he settled in Burlington, New Jersey, where he was appointed judge of the supreme court and a member of the governor's council, dying at an early age and leaving his widow, a daughter of an English physician named Marmion, with a family of seven children to educate on very slender means. ”

“ In a few years the town's growth gave such promise that William Cooper began to build his own home. It was generally known as "The Manor," but the patent of Cooperstown was not according to law a manor. It was finished in 1788, when a few streets were laid out and the town's first map was made. And October 10, 1790, he brought his family and servants, some fifteen persons, and their belongings, from Burlington New Jersey, to this early pioneer home. Mr. Keese says that "The Manor" was of wood with outside boarding, unplaned ”

“ He married early, and while a young man established himself at a hamlet in Burlington county, New Jersey, which continues to be known by his name, and afterward in the city of Burlington. Having become possessed of extensive tracts of land on the border of Otsego Lake, in central New-York, he began the settlement of his estate there in the autumn of 1785, and in the following spring erected the first house in Cooperstown. From this time until 1790 Judge Cooper resided alternately at Cooperstown and Burlington, keeping up an establishment at both places. ”

“ About noon we came to New Bristol, a small town in Pensylvania, on the banks of the Delaware, about fifteen English miles from Philadelphia. Most of the houses are built of stone, and stand asunder. The inhabitants carry on a small trade, though most of them get their goods from Philadelphia. On the other side of the river, almost directly opposite to New Bristol, lies the town of Burlington, in which the governor of New Jersey resides. ”

“ The district of Burlington shall comprehend that part of the said state known by the name of West New Jersey, which lies to the eastward and northward of the county of Gloucester, with all the waters thereof heretofore within the jurisdiction of the said state, including the river and inlet of Little Egg Harbor, with the waters emptying into the same, and the sea-coast, sound, inlets and harbors thereof, from Barnegat inlet to Brigantine inlets, in which district the landing places of Lamberton and Little Egg Harbor shall be ports of delivery only ”

“ The name of the refugee was Jonathan Odell, and he was rector of St. Mary's Church in Burlington. He was a learned man, being a doctor as well as a clergyman, and a very strong Tory. He had been of much service to the people of Burlington; for when the Hessians had attacked the town, he had come forward and interceded with their commander, and had done his work so well that the soldiers were forbidden to pillage the town. But when the Hessians [Pg 133] left, the American authorities began a vigorous search for Tories ”

“ Opposite to Bristol stands the city of Burlington, one of the largest in New Jersey, built partly upon an island and partly on the main shore. It makes a good appearance, and adds considerably to the beauty of the prospect from Bristol.
Ten miles farther on, opposite to Trenton, which stands at the head of the sloop navigation, you cross the river. The falls or rapids, 259that prevent boats from ascending any higher, appear in full view as you pass, but their prospect is in no way pleasing; beyond them, the navigation may be pursued for upwards of one hundred miles in small boats. ”

“ For whatever reason these passages were built, the spectacle of an ex-king, carrying a crown and his [Pg 210] royal robes in a hand bag, slipping out from among some bushes to tramp along the dusty road to Trenton or Burlington, was never seen. Nobody ever thought it worth while to come to New Jersey to demand him or his property.
During his residence at Bordentown, which continued for about fourteen years, Joseph Bonaparte was very popular with the people of the neighborhood. They looked upon him as a friend and neighbor ”

“ LI.—An Act to alter the times of holding the district court in the district of New Jersey. [1] District court to be hereafter held at New Brunswick and at Burlington.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the district court for the district of New Jersey shall hereafter be held at New Brunswick on the second Tuesdays of March and September, and at Burlington on the third Tuesdays of May and November, in every year, any thing in any act heretofore passed to the contrary notwithstanding. ”

“ Probably the most important of these routes was that leading [124] from Philadelphia to Jersey City and New York. From Philadelphia the runaways were taken across the Delaware River to Camden, where Mr. Oliver lived, thence they were conveyed northeast following the course of the river to Burlington, and thence in the same direction to Bordentown. In Burlington, sometimes called Station A, a short stop was made for the purpose of changing horses after the rapid drive of twenty miles from Philadelphia. The Bordentown station was denominated Station B east. ”

“ Some years later the Lords of Trade decided that the charter did not give to either West or East Jersey the right to a port of entry, but she, nevertheless, in due time obtained the right to open such ports at Amboy and Burlington. The displeasure of the New York authorities was manifest in the refusal of their governor to make proclamation of such decree, and the larger province was strong enough occasionally to seize a vessel bound for Amboy. New Jersey could protest ”

“ The New Jersey Indians disappeared rapidly. As early as 1721 an official document states that they were "but few, and very innocent and friendly." [74] When, in 1745, the missionary Brainerd visited their settlement at Crosweeksung, Burlington county, he found some "who had lived with the [Pg 46] white people under gospel light, had learned to read, were civil, etc." [75] Those with whom he labored at this place subsequently removed to New Stockbridge, Mass., and united with the Mohegans and others there. ”

“ In pursuance of this law a tract of about 3,000 acres of land, situate in the township of Evesham, in Burlington county, (now in the township of Shamong aforesaid,) was purchased by the commissioners for the sum of 740, and conveyed to 'his said excellency, Francis Bernard, Esquire, governor and commander in chief of the province of New Jersey, and to them, the said Andrew Johnston, Richard Salter, Charles Read, John Stevins, William Foster, and Jacob Spicer, Esquires, and their heirs, forever ”

“ The justice having known his father very well, entertained him generously, showed him the country, and gave him three guineas at his departure, to help to pay his passage.
From thence he went to Burlington, the first town in West New-Jersey, which contains about two hundred and fifty families, and has an answerable number of acres laid out for plantations. The houses are well built, and almost all of brick. The market affords plenty of all sorts of provisions, which are as good here as any where in America.
p. 119From thence to Perth Amboy, so called in honour of the Duke of Perth. ”

“ In this year William Cooper decided to give up his residence in New Jersey, and to bring his family to Cooperstown for their permanent home. Accordingly he returned to Burlington, and early in the autumn completed arrangements for the transportation of his family and belongings to Otsego. Only in one quarter did he find any opposition to his project, but that opposition was [Pg 87] serious. His wife positively refused to go. ”

“ Governor Cahill summed it up in his 1970 special legislative message, A Blueprint for Housing in New Jersey, supra, at 10-11:
We have reached a point in the State where the zoning criteria in many municipalities is two-fold; dwelling units of all kinds must be curtailed; industrial development must be encouraged. This is a far cry from the original concept of municipal zoning and planning * * *. ”

“ Dep't of Community Affairs, The Housing Crisis in New Jersey, 1970 (1970) . [11] New Jersey, already the second most densely populated state in the country, is experiencing continuing population growth-it is estimated that by 1985 the total population will have increased from its 1970 figure of 7,200,000 to about 10,000,000. Special Message to the Legislature by Governor Cahill, A Blueprint for Housing in New [p204] Jersey, Dec. 7, 1970, at 1. Housing, particularly in urban areas, is deteriorating. ”

“ Burlington has a beautiful situation on high ground, and is laid out in broad, well-shaded streets. In the centre of the city is a large public square, near which are the handsome court-house, the city hall, the United States post-office and custom-house, and the Young Men's Christian Association building and the site of the new public library. ”

“ It is the centre of an agricultural and stock-raising district, in the principal products of which it has considerable trade, is supplied with good water-power, and contains flour-mills. The city has a public library. ”

“ To the eye of a wearied dweller in a dense city all villages appear beautiful in summer, but Burlington is eminently so when compared with others.
We left the metropolis of the lake for Plattsburgh about noon. On our left, as we emerged from the harbor, were the Four Brothers, small islands swarming with water-fowl, and the bald point of Rock Dunder, a solitary spike rising, shrubless and bare, about twenty feet above the water. Before us spread out the two Heros (North and South) , green islands, which belonged to the Allen family during the Revolution. ”

“ Burlington, home of the sparkling Burdette, is another hill city; and also a beautiful one; unquestionably so; a fine and flourishing city, with a population of twenty-five thousand, and belted with busy factories of nearly every imaginable description. ”

“ The river here is broad and deep, and is spanned by the railroad bridge of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Burlington is connected by steamboat lines with important points on the Mississippi, and its river commerce is important. The industries are the manufacture of machinery, wagons, wheels, desks, furniture, lumber, agricultural implements, screens, mattresses, brooms, soap, flour, linseed oil, etc.; pork-packing and the quarrying of limestone found in the vicinity. The extensive machine and repair shops of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad are located here. ”

“ Of all the towns which I have ever seen, Burlington in Vermont is decidedly one of the most beautiful. It stands on the shore of Lake Champlain, and from the water to its eastern extremity is a regular elevation, which rises to the height of some three hundred feet. Its streets are broad and regularly laid out, the generality of its buildings elegant, and its inhabitants well educated, refined, and wealthy. ”

“ There is a medical school attached. Burlington carries on an extensive trade in lumber, and has the most important share in the shipping traffic of the lake. Its harbour is defended by a breakwater, and a lighthouse was erected at the mouth of the bay in 1862. To the north of the Onion River, but united to Burlington by a bridge, lies the flourishing village of Winooski, with factories and mills. The history of Burlington only dates from 1783 ”

“ It is well built, has an abundant supply of water, and forms a favourite summer resort for the inhabitants of Philadelphia. Its educational institutions are of considerable importance, and comprise an Episcopal college, founded in 1846; St's Hall, also under Episcopalian management; two large boarding schools; and a number of public schools, which are well endowed. There is also a town-hall and a valuable library. Though it has greatly declined with the rise of Philadelphia, Burlington still maintains a respectable shipping trade ”

“ Among other features of the city are the Fletcher Free Library, the Howard Opera House, the Masonic Temple, the Roman Catholic cathedral, Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, the Mary Fletcher Hospital, Home for Destitute Children, Louisa Howard Mission, Providence Asylum, Saint Patrick's Academy, Saint Mary's Academy, Bishop Hopkins Hall, Edmunds High School, Vermont Episcopal Institute, Battery and College parks, the latter containing a statue of Lafayette, and two cemeteries—Lake View, situated near the lake, and Green Mount, overlooking the Winooski Valley, and containing the grave of Col. ”

“ At the time when the American colonists began to be restless under the rule of Great Britain, the people of New Jersey showed as strong a desire for independence as those of any other Colony, and they were by no means backward in submitting to any privations which might be necessary in order to assert their principles. As has been said before, the people were prosperous, and accustomed to good living, and it was not likely that there was any part of America in which a cup of well-flavored tea was better appreciated than in New Jersey. ”

“ The state of New Jersey shall have the exclusive right of property in and to the land under water lying west of the middle of the bay of New York, and west of the middle of that part of the Hudson river which lies between Manhattan island and New Jersey. ”

“ The people, even the farmers, were essentially maritime. The province showed its natural maritime characteristics, produced many sailors, and built innumerable small vessels for the coasting and West India trade—sloops, schooners, yachts, and sailboats, down to the tiniest gunning boat and sneak box. Perth Amboy was the principal port and shipbuilding center for East Jersey as Salem was for West Jersey. But Burlington, Bordentown, Cape May, and Trenton, and innumerable little villages up creeks and channels or mere ditches could not be kept from the prevailing industry. ”