Alexander Hamilton and New Jersey perfect together

northjersey.com ^ | 01.24.10 | RICHARD TOWNSEND

[Coleus]

Our early New Jersey statesmen were more than acquaintances. Alexander Hamilton, with a handful of his associates, was a central figure in the development of the Village of Bergen into Jersey City. Prior to the War of Independence, the colonies under English rule were prohibited from manufacturing products for their own use.

For example, iron ore was converted to pig iron and shipped to England. There, the pig iron was used to manufacture a wide variety of products that were shipped back to the colonies for sale. This was one of the causes of the Revolution. After the war, Hamilton believed it was necessary for America to develop its own manufacturing centers.

Those of us who live in Passaic County know that Paterson is considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Hamilton started the Society for Useful Manufacture (S.U.M.) planning on harnessing the Great Falls of Paterson for power. At the time, the falls was privately owned by Dirk Van Giesen. But you may not know that Hamilton was promoting the idea in other areas such as that surrounding the old Dutch "Village of Bergen."

One Alexander Hamilton, grandfather of our early statesman, was born in Grange, Scotland. His son James Hamilton removed to the West Indies and became a "proprietor planter." On Jan. 11, 1755, on the Island of Nevis in the West Indies, James became the father of Alexander Hamilton, who would become the first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.

Alexander Hamilton, living in New York, was a Federalist who had lost out in politics with the election of Thomas Jefferson. He then influenced other New Yorkers to pursue the establishment of American industry in New Jersey. These "New Yorkers" were more than business acquaintances.

Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of Philip Schuyler and Catherine Van Rensselaer. Elizabeth's third cousin was Theunis Dey, a prominent attorney in New York and large real estate holder.

According to their plan, Dey purchased land at Paulus Hook with the ferry privileges from Cornelius Van Vorst, the former second superintendent of the Dutch colony known as Pavonia. The property was surveyed and laid out into streets and blocks and subsequently transferred to three prominent Federalists, Dey being one of the three.

A second party was Colonel Richard Varick, an attorney and former mayor of New York City. Varick had fallen under suspicion due to his relationship with Benedict Arnold and his defense of Arnold during the Revolution. After being exonerated by General George Washington, having served Washington as his private secretary, Varick continued to serve in the public eye.

Varick was the founder of the American Bible Society and later served as its president. He studied law at Kings College, now Columbia University, and became a prominent lawyer in New York City. And, he was the first cousin of Theunis Dey. Theunis Dey named his first son Richard Varick Dey. The name was given four times in Dey's line of descendants.

The third party was Jacob Radcliff, a justice of the New York Supreme Court and later mayor of New York City. These three each held 100 shares in the company called "The Associates of the Jersey Company" founded in 1804. Their intent was to receive an annuity from the rental of the lots and the ferry at Paulus Hook.

There were another 31 shareowners of lesser amounts, including New Jersey governors Joseph Bloomfield, Aaron Ogden, William S. Pennington, and Isaac H. Williamson, and others like Alex C. McWhorter, Elisha Boudinot, John C. Coles, and Samuel Pennington.

Alexander Hamilton drew up the charter of the incorporation, which was founded in November 1804. Hamilton had been killed in a duel with Aaron Burr in Weehawken in July 1804 and never saw the plan come to fruition.

The street names assigned by these associates reflect their sense of history. Washington Street was named for General George Washington. Montgomery Street was named for Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who was killed at Quebec. Warren Street was named for Brigadier General Joseph Warren, who was killed at Bunker Hill. Greene Street was named for Major-General Nathaniel Greene. Mercer Street was named for Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, who was killed at the Battle of Princeton. Steuben Street was named for Brigadier-General Baron Von Steuben. And, Morgan Street was named for Brigadier-General Daniel Morgan.

The opportunities afforded by this bold plan attracted many investors back to the old Village of Bergen. Theunis Dey and Richard Varick were also the cousins of George Tice of Ringwood, son of Dedrick Tysse and Jannetje Ryerson. Tice witnessed the sale of the west bank of the Passaic River below the Great Falls of Paterson by his cousin Dirck Van Giesen to the S.U.M. Dirck owned the falls, which he later left to his children to be held in common because, in his mind, it was worth little but was a great place to fish.

Convinced that this investment in industrial development was promising, Tice purchased the Eagle Tavern at Bergen. The tavern was built by Peter Stuyvesant, son of the colonial governor, and served as Washington's Headquarters during the Revolution. Tice razed the original tavern in 1829 and used the materials to build the larger Tice's Tavern.

The tavern was used as an inn for patrons who traveled to dine there or who travelled to attend services at the Bergen Church. The barns and sheds were on what is now the opposite corner of Glenwood Avenue, where those who attended church put up their teams during the services. Tice's Tavern was known for its good food like "Fricasseed snapping turtle and roast pig."

During the Revolution, generals Washington and Marquis de Lafayette dined there after meeting at the Van Wagoner (Apple Tree) house nearby. During the War of 1812, soldiers trained on the grounds and later ate at the tavern. And again during the Civil War, troops trained in the orchard behind the tavern.

While many of the Pompton families were part of the westward migration through Bergen, George Tice returned to Bergen for opportunities that would prove fruitful. Yet in another twist, George Tice and Sarah Van Houten had a son named John who returned to Wanaque, established and operated Tice's Pharmacy, and had a daughter, Sophia C. Tice, who married my great-grandfather, Cornelius Townsend.

A boundary dispute between New York and New Jersey dampened the enthusiasm of those who would potentially rent the properties at Bergen and invest in businesses at the waterfront. By the time the dispute was resolved in their favor, the original leadership was lost and the company failed. In 1820, more than a decade before the failure of the company, the city was incorporated as the "City of Jersey" and in 1829 renamed and reincorporated as "Jersey City."

My editor has asked me to write an article about researching family histories. I will take a brief break from the usual format and try to offer some guidance for readers who might want to research their family history.

[Coleus]

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[Publius]

While this is a good article, it ignores the iron foundry at Batsto, which pre-dated Hamilton. Thus, the story is incomplete and reads like something researched on Wikipedia.

There were no natural falls at Batsto, so an enterprising entrepreneur dammed the Mullica River and created his own waterfall to power the rudimentary industries of that village in what is now Burlington County. Batsto forged the iron for cannon and artillery used in the Revolution.

It is a fine historical site on County Road 542, and I visit it every time I go back to South Jersey.

[rmlew]

Hamilton was a New Yorker. He only did 4 things of note in NJ
1. Kill Hessians
2. Fire artillery at Nassua Hall of the College of New Jersey, which had previously refused admission to Hamilton on the basis that he did not know Greek.
3. helped set up some factories there.
4. Martyred himself to prevent the fruition of Burr's ambitions.

[SunkenCiv]

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[colorado tanker]

Well, not all of Hamilton's dealings with New Jersey were positive.

[null and void]

For example, iron ore was converted to pig iron and shipped to England. There, the pig iron was used to manufacture a wide variety of products that were shipped back to the colonies for sale.

Substitute "China" for "England"...