GOODSPEED HISTORIES New Jersey History and Genealogy March 14, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township http://goodspeedhistories.com/the-sergeantsville-inn/ The Sergeantsville Inn As most of you know, this landmark building was destroyed by fire on the morning of March 9, 2015. It is a tragedy for everyone who visits or lives in or near Sergeantsville-even more so for its owners, Joe and Lisa Clyde, and the people who worked there. Its loss will be deeply felt for a long time. Whether or not the building can be restored is hard to say. It is what we all hope for, but of course, it will never be the same. In recognition of this sad event, I offer a short history of the store that has anchored the village of Sergeantsville for so many years. But first, some clarification is needed. I heartily disagree with the claim (prominently displayed in headlines) that the building is 300 years old. That would mean it was built about 1714, and it most definitely was not. The property was acquired in 1714, but that means nothing as far as buildings go. This is a problem many people have, confusing the date of first land purchase with the date of a building's construction. The Stockton Inn suffers from the same misconception. [pic1.png] Sketch of the Sergeantsville Inn, published in Colonial Homes Magazine, August 1987 In August 1987, Colonial Homes Magazine had a feature on the Sergeantsville Inn, which included the drawing above. Now that it's gone (the magazine), I am very glad I saved it. The reporter repeated the story that the smallest of the dining rooms was built as a home in 1740, and additions were made in 1830. A careful architectural study might have determined if this was true. The date of 1740 is used because by then Amos Thatcher was owner of the property. But without an architectural evaluation we cannot definitely say that Thatcher's house was here. Documents do not exist that prove when the building was constructed. Marilyn Cummings has studied photographs and suspects the middle section may have predated the 1830 addition, but not early enough to be called an 18th-century building. At best we can say it is an early 19th-century home. The first known owner of the property was Daniel Robins, a West Jersey proprietor, who acquired a tract of 700+ acres about 1712-1714.1 Daniel Robins died in 1737. By that time, his Sergeantsville property had come into possession of his sons Isaac, Job and Elisha. There was some exchange of lands between these brothers and their sons, but not enough deeds were recorded to give an exact description of who owned what in the 1730s. Isaac Robins is the most likely of the three brothers to have owned land in the Sergeantsville area. He was born about 1698 in Monmouth County, and came to Amwell Township with his parents. He married Azubah Thatcher about 1720 and died in 1741 while living on Robins Hill, at the intersection of County Routes 523 & 579. The Thatcher Family On March 26, 1737, Elisha Robins (son of Daniel Robins) sold his 100 acres in the southern half of Sergeantsville to Amos Thatcher. On April 19, 1760, Amos Thatcher bought from Isaac Larew an additional 114.5 acres, adjacent to the first 100 acres.2 This information comes from a deed of 1800 which included the bordering owners in 1737 and 1800: James Kitchen (later Abraham Lawshe), Samuel Green (later John Severns), Thomas Godown, Cornelius Lake, and Joseph Sergeant. This deed of 1800 is most important, as it shows the property of Amos Thatcher in total, including the 100 acres he bought in 1737. [pic2.jpg] Map of the two tracts of land purchased by Amos Thatcher I suspect that Amos Thatcher was related to the Robins family through a woman who might have been his sister. As mentioned before, Azubah Thatcher was married to Isaac Robins, son of Daniel Robins. She was the right age to be Amos' sister. If she was, then she and Amos were two of the twelve children of Bartholomew and Elizabeth Thatcher of Kingwood. Amos Thatcher and his wife Lydia Prall also had twelve children. They lived somewhere on their 200 acres but exactly where is not possible to say. We won't know until a building with bona fide 18th-century construction is found. The Thatchers were present during the Revolutionary War, but they did not entertain George Washington. The Opdycke family claimed that Washington stopped for a visit at Headquarters, but there is no proof of that-it is only a family tradition. The army did march through the lower part of Delaware Township, near Mt. Airy, but an examination of the letters of George Washington shows he spent whatever free time he had at Coryell's Ferry. Amos and Lydia Thatcher's three youngest sons, Daniel, Amos Jr. and Job, were at the right age to serve in the militia during the war. Amos Thatcher Jr. died intestate in 1779, which may have been due to military service. But I have not researched this subject. When Amos Thatcher, Sr. wrote his will in 1787, he left his plantation of over 200 acres to only one of his sons-Daniel. The two eldest sons had already died by that year; Daniel was the next in line. When Thatcher wrote his will, he was "very weak and infirm in Body but of perfect mind and memory," which suggests there was some mortality in the family that year. Sons Bartholomew and Joseph died before the will was written, and daughter Sarah died on February 24, 1787. But Amos Thatcher lived on until 1798, dying at the very ripe old age of 93. By that time, son Daniel was 50 years old. Apparently he preferred to live elsewhere, because on May 29, 1800, Daniel Thatcher and wife Catharine of Amwell sold the 214 acres to first cousin Jonas Thatcher, also of Amwell, for $3,480. Actually, the farm was enlarged to 231 acres after it was resurveyed by Daniel Thatcher to combine the two parcels into one .3 Jonas Thatcher (c.1752-1808) was the son of William Thatcher and Margaret Taylor of Kingwood Township. William Thatcher and Amos Thatcher were brothers, both sons of Bartholomew and Elizabeth Thatcher. Jonas Thatcher was married to Margaret Trimmer, daughter of John G. Trimmer. She had two children, Charles and Lucretia, and died sometime before 1780.4 In 1807, Jonas Thatcher was taxed jointly on his 214 acres with one Margaret Larew. This has always puzzled me-who was this Margaret Larew? She was clearly not Jonas Thatcher's wife Margaret Trimmer. In 1806, Jonas Thatcher witnessed the will of Mary Larew, widow of Abraham Larew. The Larews lived a couple miles west of Sergeantsville (on the Donald & Beverley Jones farm). This suggests that by this time Jonas Thatcher had taken up residence on the Amos Thatcher property. Mary Larew was the sister of Daniel Thatcher, which gives us a connection with the Larew family, but still does not identify Margaret Larew, and there are no further tax records available after 1807. Jonas Thatcher and his second wife Sarah Lake had eight children born from about 1780 to 1802, the second youngest being Jonas Thatcher, Jr. Sarah Lake may or may not have been the daughter of Daniel Lake of Kingwood. In 1808, when he was 56 years old, Jonas Thatcher wrote his will, dated October 11. He left his plantation to his wife Sarah for 3 years, plus personal property for her needs. The western end of the home plantation amounting to 100 acres and bordered by John Severns, Peter Prall, Evan Godown, and Cornelius Lake was left to wife Sarah & son Jonas jointly, as Jonas Jr. was still a minor. The eastern end was to be sold for the benefit of his daughters. The dividing line between the two halves of the plantation was Rittenhouse Road. Jonas Thatcher must have died shortly afterwards because his will was recorded on November 3, 1808. Sarah Lake Thatcher kept the property for much more than three years. She quit claimed her rights in the property to her son Jonas on April 15, 1818.5 Usually a widow's quit claim is not worth much, but in this case, Sarah Thatcher received $1,428.60 from her son. This must have been meant to provide for her care during the rest of her life. I do not have a death date for her. Jonas Thatcher Jr. (born Feb. 28, 1791) married Anna (Nancy) Lake on Jan. 12, 1811. She was the daughter of Cornelius Lake and Mary Sergeant. Cornelius Lake had a sister Sarah, but she was not the Sarah Lake who married Jonas Thatcher, Sr.; she was married to Jacob Godown in 1783, and Godown lived until 1831. It appears to be a simple coincidence that Jonas Thatcher and Sarah Lake lived next to Cornelius Lake, who was the son of John Lake and Sarah Ann Robins. But take note-Sarah Ann Robins (1736-1823) was the daughter of Isaac Robins and Azubah Thatcher. Cornelius Lake owned the property just west of the old Thatcher plantation, which he had purchased in 1795. It had originally been owned by James Larew. At some point before 1830, Jonas Thatcher went into business with Henry H. Fisher. It may have been as early as 1827, when "Henry H. Fisher, Esq. procured the appointment of Jonas Thatcher as postmaster" for the first post office in Sergeantsville, according to Snell's History of Hunterdon & Somerset Counties (page 376). Snell continued: "The principal early merchants were Jonas Thatcher and Sergeant Lake. Their store was in the old Fisher store-house, opposite the tavern. The stone store-house building on the southwest corner of the roads was built in 1830 by H. H. Fisher." Sergeant Lake (c.1797-1879) was the son of Cornelius and Sarah Lake, and brother of Mary Lake, wife of Jonas Thatcher, Jr. This quote from Snell seems to establish that the store-house was an actual store, but I am still uncertain. And if the store-house was built in 1830, where was the Thatcher-Lake store in 1827 when Thatcher became postmaster? There is a hint in an advertisement published in the Hunterdon Gazette. In 1831, Jonas and Nancy Thatcher decided to move to Alexandria Township. In preparation for this move, an advertisement was put in the Hunterdon Gazette (the January 5, 1831 issue) which read: "For Private Sale, That Valuable PROPERTY, Situated in the Village of SERGEANTSVILLE, In the township of Amwell, New Jersey, on the main road leading from Center Bridge to Flemington, three miles from the former and six from the latter, containing about 60 acres of prime land, well divided into ten fields, abundantly watered, with a never failing spring. There are on the premises a good and commodious dwelling-house, two stories high, 20 by 53 feet, with a piazza in front [emphasis added], a barn, with a sufficiency of stabling, three hovels, two waggon houses, two mechanic's shops, wood house, hog pens, &c. all which are nearly new [emphasis added], and built of the best materials, and in the best manner, with a never failing well of excellent water at the door; a young and thrifty apple orchard, grafted with the best selected fruit. This property is in a high state of cultivation, and for situation and prospect, not exceeded by any. N. B., This property will be sold a bargain, as I have purchased a property in Everittstown, and intend leaving this on the first of April next; If the above property is not sold by the first of February next, it will then be for RENT; Jonas Thatcher, Sergeantsville. That 20 by 53 feet building might be the one across from Township Hall, later known as the Wilson store (now housing Salon G and Viv's Café). I have always thought that was the home of Jonas Thatcher, and prior to 1830 when the store-house was built, he may have run a store out of a part of the building. But once a post office was established, Thatcher probably preferred to move the traffic away from his front door. Henry H. Fisher must have bought a part ownership of the lot where the store-house was built sometime before May 1, 1830, for on that date, he bought out Jonas Thatcher's share in a 3.93-acre lot for $250. The lot bordered the road to Bull's Island, Cornelius Lake, and other land of Jonas Thatcher, across the road to Centre Bridge (Stockton).6 [pic3.jpg] Map of the original store lot This deed coincided with construction of the east end of the building where one can see a datestone that reads "May 1830." It appears that Jonas Thatcher was not satisfied with this sale. On April 21, 1831, Jonas Thatcher and wife Anna, still living in Amwell, were paid another $400 by Henry H. Fisher for the same lot of land, with the addition of an exception giving Thatcher rights to a small creek that crossed the lot.7 Finally, on May 1, 1832, Jonas and Anna Thatcher, now living in Alexandria Township, sold to Henry H. Fisher and his new partner, Amos Hoagland, three lots of land, one of 62.34 acres, a second one of 3.33 acres, and a third of 2 acres. I believe the two smaller lots were purchased from the estate of John Severns dec'd, whose plantation was just south of the Thatcher lands.8 The 62.34-acre lot ran from Rittenhouse Road to Route 523, and from Route 604 south about 37 chains (2,473 feet). There were two small lots carved out of the larger tract–one on the northwest corner owned by Charles Sergeant (the location of Lily's garden shop today), and the other on the northeast corner owned by Isaac Case, now the home of Ginny Hook. Henry H. Fisher I have found no proof of an earlier building, but the storehouse that Fisher built could (theoretically) have been attached to an older existing building. Perhaps it was the center section of the store, but it would take a close examination of the structure to determine, and that may no longer be possible. Dennis Bertland noted that "the lack of a large early fireplace (unless of course [it was] removed) could be interpreted as evidence that the building was erected for commercial purposes, not as a dwelling." The Colonial Homes article claimed the building was used as a fur trading center. I would love to know where that information came from. It is quite possible that Peter Prall, who ran the tannery south of Sergeantsville, rented the storehouse from Henry H. Fisher to sell his goods. According to the Henry Hoppock family bible, Henry Hearl Fisher was born on February 1, 1801. I have not yet identified Fisher's parents.9 He married Anna Johnson (1815-1878), daughter of William Johnson and Urania Sergeant, on July 22, 1838, and they had seven children, only one of whom died as a child. The earliest mention of Henry H. Fisher in the Hunterdon Gazette was in the March 16, 1831 edition in which Fisher and Thomas West of Sergeantsville announced they were dissolving their partnership. It would take private ledger books to tell us how long this firm was in business, but I have noticed that many merchant partnerships did not last very long. As a postscript to this message, Fisher announced that "The business will be commenced anew by the subscribers, who are now opening a regular assortment of seasonable GOODS, but feel a timidity in speaking big words, when little ones will do as well. They invite their friends and former customers to call and judge for themselves. [signed] Henry H. Fisher, Amos Hogeland." That partnership lasted all of two years before it was dissolved, as reported in the Gazette on May 8, 1833. The separation was "by mutual consent." There followed this interesting postscript: "The subscriber begs leave to inform the public, that he has taken the store house formerly occupied by Fisher & Hogeland, and has opened a general assortment of Dry Goods, Groceries, Cedarware, Earthen & Stone Ware, All of which he will sell at reasonable prices for cash or country produce. Patronage is respectfully solicited. A. H. Cook. Sergeantsville, May 1, 1833." The "store house" referred to must have been the Sergeantsville Inn building. A "final notice" of the dissolution was printed on July 3, 1833, in which the reason given for ending the partnership was that "the subscriber," Henry H. Fisher, intended to go West after August first. He must have been there in October because Fisher's name was on the list of uncollected letters at the Flemington Post Office. A. H. Cook was Aaron H. Cook (1814-1850), son of Daniel Cook and Keziah Smith of Pennington, and husband of Mary Reading (1817-1848), daughter of Asher Reading and Margaret Wolverton. They married on April 30, 1834, soon after Cook took over operation of the store-that is operation, not ownership. I cannot say how long Cook remained in Sergeantsville, but eventually he moved to Pennsylvania where he died. Henry H. Fisher did not remain in the West. He was back by 1834 when he was listed as a delegate to the Democratic Convention to be held in Trenton that year. Fisher seems to have had a genius for acquiring real estate. In 1834, he purchased three lots in Sergeantsville, giving him ownership of the northwest corner and the southeast corner, in addition to the southwest corner where the store-house stood.10 He acquired these lots from the estate of Charles Sergeant, who died in 1833. Although Henry H. Fisher owned the storehouse for the next 33 years, he left Sergeantsville in 1838 to run a store in Trenton, in partnership with David M. Irwin. Several ads for the Trenton store were published in the Hunterdon Gazette that year. I cannot say exactly when Henry H. Fisher returned to Sergeantsville, but he was present in 1842 to administer the estate of his former partner, Amos Hoagland, who had gone bankrupt. And he was counted in the 1850 census for Delaware Township, as a merchant with property worth $13,900. The Cornell Map of 1851 shows "H.H. Fisher" and "store" at the site of the Sergeantsville Inn. In 1864, while the Civil War was still raging, Henry H. Fisher, who was then 63 years old, sold the store to William Lawshe (1823-aft 1880).11 William Lawshe was the son of Henry Lawshe and Sarah Hoff Carter, and husband of Eliza P. Johnson (1825-1857), who may have been a sister of the Anna Johnson who married Henry H. Fisher. But oddly enough, no deed for this sale was recorded. Sometime before 1868, Lawshe decided to leave Hunterdon County. He relocated with his second wife Rebecca Hoff and three children (Lizzie, Asa and Spenser) to Rockford, Illinois. Eldest child Hannah (born 1853) may have also joined them but was not living with the family in 1870. Unfortunately, Lawshe did not own the store in 1860 or in 1870, so the census cannot tell us what occupation he had while he owned it. In 1868 Henry H. Fisher sold the storehouse to John Farley Shepherd.12 There was no deed for this sale either. This is surprising, because Henry H. Fisher bought and sold a huge number of properties, and it appears that most of his deeds were recorded. After selling the store to Shepherd, Henry H. Fisher continued to live in the village of Sergeantsville. The 1870 census shows that Fisher, who was still buying properties in the 1870s, had real estate worth $13,000 and personal property worth $25,000, making him one of the richest men in the county. In that census he was identified as a farmer, age 66. His wife Anna was 55, son William J. Fisher, 30, was a "retired merchant," and son John W., 21, was working on the farm. Also counted were the two youngest sons, James M. Fisher 17 and Elisha W. Fisher 10. In 1880, Henry H. Fisher was a retired merchant and widower, age 78, living with his son William age 39, who was still a "retired merchant." Also in the household was son John Wesley Fisher, 36, farmer, his wife Annie and son Gardner, and Henry H. Fisher's youngest son Elisha Warford Fisher, age 18, also a farmer. Wealth was not reported in this census, but I suspect that Henry H. Fisher had only gotten richer in the previous ten years. On February 22, 1881, this item appeared in the Hunterdon Co. Democrat: "On the same day [Tuesday last], Henry H. Fisher, of Sergeantsville, was seen upon our streets, hale and hearty for a man of 80 years. On Wednesday morning, upon arising and while walking down stairs he fell a corpse when at or near the bottom of the stairs." Henry H. Fisher died on February 18, 1881 and was buried in the cemetery of the Sergeantsville Methodist Church, age 80 years and 15 days. He was buried next to his wife Anna, who died on March 1, 1878, age 62 years 10 months and 26 days. I have not had time to see if Henry H. Fisher wrote a will, but I'm sure he had an interesting estate. The Shepherd Family John Farley Shepherd, who was usually known as Farley Shepherd, was a merchant before purchasing Henry H. Fisher's storehouse. He was in partnership with Israel Poulson Jr. to run a store in Ringoes, but on February 7, 1868, this notice appeared in the Gazette: Notice of Dissolution. On 1 Apr. 1868, Israel Poulson and John F. Shepherd give notice that the firm, POULSON & SHEPHERD, of Ringoes, will be dissolved by mutual consent. All persons having claims, against the firm are requested to present them for settlement. All persons indebted on Note or Book account are requested to call and settle the same. Persons intending to pay their accounts with Produce will bring it in by 1 Mar. 1868. Here is a reminder for us that storekeepers as late as 1868 were still accepting produce in payment for goods purchased, in lieu of cash or credit. By 1870, the Shepherd family was living in Delaware Township. John F. Shepherd was 47 years old, a dry goods and variety merchant, with real estate worth $3,000, and personal property also worth $3,000. His wife Mary was also 47. Son Edward, 21, was a dry goods clerk. The other children were Jessie 13, Lily 10 and Poulson 7. I regret to say that, like Henry H. Fisher, the parents of John F. Shepherd remain unidentified, but I strongly suspect he was a sibling of Servis Shepherd and Isaac F. Shepherd.13 John F. Shepherd married Mary Catharine Anderson on September 2, 1842.14 I believe that she was the daughter of Cyrenius Vanmarter Anderson and Julia Hoppock. John F. and Mary C. Shepherd had eight children, including their eldest son Cyrenus, born about 1846. He was not living with the family in 1880, and may have died young. [pic4.jpg] Shepherd's Store, Sergeantsville. (c1900) Shepherd appears to have been the one who substantially enlarged the store. As you can see from the old photograph above, the store-house had a very unusual stucco covering. The checkerboard pattern was quite rare. Dennis Bertland wrote in an email that "the stucco was scoured to replicate rectangular blocks which were tinted to create a checkerboard pattern. While the checkerboard treatment was not unprecedented, it was highly unusual for Hunterdon County (I can't think of any other examples). Scoring stucco to replicate ashlar blocks of stones, however, was somewhat more common and typical of the second quarter of the 19th century, give or take a few years." He also wrote that "The decorative stucco post-dated the enlargement of the main block (it masked the seam between the two sections) and most likely dated to the mid 19th century, perhaps somewhat later. The frame upper story of the south wing probably dates to the late 19th or even early 20th century, it's shingle siding is typical of that era." In 1880, Farley Shepherd (John F. Shepherd of Sergeantsville) was 57 years old, a dry goods merchant and grocer. His wife Mary C. was 57. Son Edward, the next oldest, was 31 (1849) and working as a clerk in the store. He was married in 1880 but his wife was not listed with the family. The other children of Farley and Mary Shepherd were daughter Jesse F. 23 (1857) single, Lily 20 (1860), Israel P. 16 (1864) also working as a clerk in the store. Edward Shepherd married Emma W. Hoppock on Nov. 26, 1879, the daughter of George H. Hoppock and Jane Elizabeth Wolverton. She was born on Aug. 6, 1855. In the 1880 census, Emma Hoppock Shepherd was 24 and living at her parents' home. It's possible she went to stay with them while she was pregnant, but if so, the child died young. The first child I have a record of was George Shepherd, born about 1883. The Ice House It is likely the ice house was built around the same time as the rest of the store-house. It was an important asset for Sergeantsville merchants, especially William Dobbins who ran an ice cream shop across the road in the basement of the old Fisher harness shop (now Lily's garden store). The local butcher shops also had a great need for ice. According to the article in Colonial Homes Magazine, prior to establishment of the Delaware Twp. Creamery in 1881, cream and milk were stored in the ice house of the Fisher/Shepherd store by local farmers until they were picked up by the milk processors. But since milk processors went into business about the same time that the creamery was established, I can only guess that the milk and cream stored in the ice house were for sale from that location.15 By 1886, after twenty years of storekeeping, Farley Shepherd felt the need for a change and advertised the sale of his Sergeantsville store: For Sale. John F. Shepherd, of Sergeantsville, desirous of changing his place of residence, offers for sale his store property with dwelling attached and two houses and lots, all in the village of Sergeantsville. One house and lot is nicely situated, being in a quiet, peaceful part of the village, free from noise and rowdyism. Also, he has a one half interest in about 5,000 Peach Trees.16 Note that the building had a "dwelling attached," and included two houses, one of which was in a quiet, peaceful part of the village, presumably away from the rowdyism around the store. By 1889, Farley and Mary Shepherd had retired to Rosemont, and turned the business over to their son Edward. News from Rosemont. Edward Shepherd and family of Sergeantsville spent Sunday with his parents, John F. and Mary C. Shepherd of Rosemont.17 On September 28, 1896, John F. Shepherd (by himself, not with a wife) conveyed to Edward Shepherd, both living in Delaware Township, his half-share in two lots that John and Edward Shepherd had bought jointly from Stedman Hartpence in 1890. Edward paid his father $550. The lots were in an area southeast of the center of the village.18 On June 30, 1898, John F. Shepherd conveyed to Edward Shepherd all his undivided interest in several tracts of land on Sanford Road, once the farm of H. B. Nightingale.19 The farm had been sold to Joshua Primmer and Isaac S. Cramer, who conveyed some of it to Edward Shepherd. See 1897 April 1, 251-500, Isaac S. Cramer to Edw Shepherd. But the lot we are concerned with is the one conveyed by John F. Shepherd on January 27, 1899 to Edward Shepherd for $3,000.20 It was the store lot on the southwest corner of Sergeantsville, which was 3.93 acres when Jonas Thatcher sold it to Henry H. Fisher, but in this deed was only 2.41 acres. So at a prior time, a lot of 1.52 acres was sold off. Some useful information was included in this deed, showing us how the remaining lot became lots 1, 2, 3 & 4 in Block 34. Excepted out of the sale was a house and quarter-acre lot sold to Henry H. Fisher, and another house and quarter-acre lot sold to John H. Green, plus two more small lots sold to George W. Bowne and George R. Hann. I have not had time to research these deeds, but am happy to think that this tells us where Henry H. Fisher was living in his later years-one of those small houses just down Route 523 from the Sergeantsville Inn. The deed also included an exception permitting Henry H. Fisher to collect water from the creek that ran across the property. If we subtract these small lots, we are left with about 0.41 acres for the store. By 1900, John F. Shepherd was a widower. He was 77 years old, and renting a room from George and Ida Johnson. Edward Shepherd was 51, and listed as a farmer, living with wife Emma, age 43. They had two children, but only son George, age 17, was living with them. Even though he was described as a farmer in 1900, Edward Shepherd was still keeping his own store. A notice in the Democrat-Advertiser of March 29, 1901 stated that "Storekeeper Edward Shepherd has for a few days past been assisting ex-Collector Joseph Moore take account of stock, at Pt. Pleasant, Pa." Clint Wilson, who wrote many history articles in the Lambertville Beacon, recalled the time when Edward Shepherd retired from business. He wrote: Edward Shepherd had a brother, Israel Polt Shepherd, who clerked for him for many years. When Ed. Shepherd sold out, Polt Shepherd started his own general store across the street where Venable's Store is now located. . . I can vaguely remember when a small boy going with my father to Ed. Shepherd's Store to buy wall paper, which was kept upstairs. When Shepherd sold out, a public auction was held out in front with the auctioneer standing on a huge stone platform. The platform had steps up to the top, used in olden days for patrons to easily step into their horse drawn carriage or wagon.21 [pic5.jpg] Israel P. Shepherd, photo found on Ancestry.com As a side-note, I should mention that Israel Polt Shepherd (1863-1953) was named Israel Poulson Shepherd by his parents, so "Polt" must have been a kind of nickname. I have included a photograph of Israel P. Shepherd because it is the only one of this family I have found. On Sept. 13, 1901, John F. Shepherd sold to son Israel P. Shepherd, for $1, a lot in Sergeantsville, beginning at a corner of Chas. Sergeant, then running by Jacob L. Green, John H. Green, John W. Reading, the road from Flemington to Centre Bridge, of 0.20 acres, 22 which Shepherd bought from Margaret Trout on July 12, 1882.23 This was the site of the store that Polt Shepherd ran, later known as Venable's. John F. Shepherd died on December 18, 1903, age 80. He was buried in the cemetery at the Old Rocks Methodist Church in West Amwell, next to his wife Mary Catharine who died on January 28, 1898. Edward Shepherd continued to run his store for many years. He was still doing it in 1910 when he was counted in that year's census as a merchant with a general store. His wife Emma was with him, but their two children were not. Edward Shepherd "sold out," as Clint Wilson has written, but I have not yet researched that sale. Apparently Gus Larison was the next owner. Edward Shepherd died in Delaware Township on October 2, 1916, when he was 67 years old. He was buried in the Rosemont Cemetery, but his wife Emma was not. She lived on for many years. In 1930, she was living in her own house in Lambertville on 73 Union St. I do not know when she died or where she was buried. This short history of the Sergeantsville Inn was written in a hurry. I began work on it almost as soon as I learned of the fire on March 9th and have only gotten to the beginning of the twentieth century. There is much more to say about this store/ice cream parlor/tavern/restaurant during the next 100 years. Many residents of Sergeantsville know much more about this later history than I do. I hope they will contribute what they know in the comments section. And in the not too far distant future, I will try to finish the story. Footnotes: 1. I have written extensively about Daniel Robins-you can see those stories by clicking on the topic (in the right-hand column) "Buchanan's Tavern." 2. H. C. Deed 19-455, recital. 3. H. C. Deed Book 19 p.455. 4. In 1812, Margaret's brother George Trimmer left his estate to his nephew Charles Thatcher. In 1826, executors of Jonas Thatcher dec'd sued Charles Thatcher, Jonas Thatcher, Jacob Kemple, and Lucretia his wife, late Lucretia Thatcher, as non-resident debtors (from the Hunterdon Gazette, Feb. 23, 1826). 5. H.C. Deed 28-650. 6. H. C. Deed Book 48 p.619. 7. H. C. Deed Book 50 p.190. 8. H.C. Deed Book 52 p. 436. 9. He may have been the son of Rev. George and Hannah Fisher of Tewksbury, or possibly the son of William Fisher and Lucretia Slack of East Amwell. But both George and William Fisher died intestate, and none of the administrators were Henry H. Fisher. 10. H. C. Deeds Book 56 pp. 501, 503 and Book 57 p. 17. 11. Egbert T. Bush, "Sergeantsville, A Town That Outlived Its Original Name," Hunterdon Co. Democrat, April 10, 1930. 12. Bush, April 10, 1930. 13. In the Delaware Twp. census of 1840, a John Shepherd was counted as head of household, in his 30s, which would make him just a little to old to be J.F. Shepherd, who was born in 1821. 14. Ceremony performed by Rev. John W. McDongall. 15. The cream separator was invented in Sweden in 1878 by Gustav de Laval. A company called AB Separator, which was later to be named DeLaval, was founded in 1883. 16. Hunterdon Gazette, July 28, 1886. 17. Hunterdon Co. Republican, Oct. 2, 1889. 18. H.C. Deed Book 245 p. 85. 19. H. C. Deed Book 251 p. 498. 20. H. C. Deed Book 254 p. 86. 21. Clint Wilson, "Restoration of the Sergeantsville Inn," Lambertville Beacon, n.d. The clipping of the article came to me from Frank Burd, who neglected to add a date. 22. H. C. Deed Book 262 p.561. 23. H. C. Deed Book 198 p. 98.