New Jersey Places
Burlington County
Springfield, Burlington, Mt. Holly, Northampton
The History of the West Jersey Colony
The "Kent" sailed from London, England and was the first ship to reach this new land, coming up what is now the Delaware River and embarking at a place called "Raccoon" Creek (now Rancocas) on August 16, 1677. The ship was holding 2 groups from England: one predominantly from London, and one from Yorkshire. The first town was laid out at "Chygoe's Island", and the settlers tended to stay in the groups of their origin as they settled. All ships coming to West Jersey in those early days had to register in Burlington. Until the mid-1700's Burlington was the provincial capital of the colony. During the Revolutionary War Burlington was occupied very briefly by the British (Dec. 1776) and was cannonaded by the British in May 1778.
Early Burlington County
Direct quote: The Quaker influence on the origins, colonization and development of Burlington County go back to the arrival from England of the Kent at Burlington City in 1677 and the Shield in 1678 and the involvement of William Penn in the establishing of West Jersey in 1680. The philosophy upon which Burlington County was formed was derived from the Concessions and Agreements of 1677. The Concessions, written by William Penn (1644-1718) and other Quakers, guaranteed representative government, fair treatment of Native Americans and civil rights and protection for all inhabitants. Even before the arrival of the Kent and Shield, the Quakers had a stake in Burlington County. George Fox himself (the founder of the Society of Friends) had crossed and recrossed New Jersey during his religious vist to America in 1672. In fact, there is a record of Fox being in the Burlington City area on July 12, 1672. Later, William Penn was chosen by Fox to arbitrate a dispute between John Fenwick and Edward Byllynge over land in West Jersey in 1674 (Penn was 30 years old). "The purchase of 1674 is an event of the greatest historical significance for it marks the beginning of the first great Quaker experiment in American Colonization" says Edwin P. Tanner. As a result of his involvement, Penn helped establish the Province of West Jersey in 1680. Subsequently, in 1681, East Jersey was purchased. The Quaker colonists went right to work to establish schools, meeting houses and cemeteries throughout Burlington County, starting first in Burlington City. By 1681 there were 1,400 Quakers in Burlington County. Records show that in 1699 the "Friends" were more numerous in Burlington County than all other counties in the Delaware Valley. Today there are 20 Quaker Meeting Houses in Burlington County -- some active, and some "laid down" (the Quaker term for being abandoned and turned over for other uses). Joe Laufer has visited all the sites and photographed them to put together an illustrated lecture dealing with the history and architecture of these historic buildings. Some communities have two meeting houses, as a result of the "Hicksite Separation" in 1827 -- a reform movement which created a splinter group which separated "Orthodox" from "Hicksite" believers. Fortunately, in 1952, the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Quakerism by George Fox in England, there was a reunification of all Quakers into one body of believers. Listed below are the 20 Quaker Meeting Houses in Burlington County, New Jersey, in the order of their founding: Burlington 1687; Crosswicks 1693; Moorestown 1700; Rancocas 1703; Mt. Holly 1716; Upper Springfield 1727; Mansfield 1731; Bordentown 1740; Arney's Mount 1743; Evesham/Marlton 1762; Lower Springfield (Copany) 1775; Vincentown 1781; Medford 1793; Cinnaminson 1800; Crosswicks (Orthodox) 1831
Benjamin Jones' Land
Benjamin Jones' Land Holding in New Jersey were, as far as I can figure, near Rancocas Creek. Here is a description of that area from wikipedia:
Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 30 mi (48 km) long, in southwestern New Jersey in United States. It drains a rural agricultural and forested area on the eastern edge of the Pinelands north and northeast of Camden and the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia. It rises in several branches in the Pinelands National Reserve. The North Branch rises in northern Burlington County, in Mirror Lake, just south of Fort Dix. It flows WNW past Mount Holly.
The South Branch rises in central Burlington County near Chatsworth and flows generally northwest. It receives the short Southwest Branch from the south approximately 5 mi (8 km) south of Mount Holly. The North and South branches join near Rancocas State Park, approximately 3 mi (5 km) west of Mount Holly, near the crossing of the New Jersey Turnpike. The combined stream flows 5 mi (8 km) northwest past Willingboro and joins the Delaware from the east at Riverside, where it is crossed by the Riverside-Delanco Bridge.
It is navigable for approximately 10 mi (16 km) upstream from its mouth on the Delaware.
The North Branch Rancocas Creek is a tributary of Rancocas Creek in southwestern New Jersey in the United States.
The creek starts in the Pine Barrens of Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and Fort Dix Military Reservation, near Browns Mills.
From its confluence with Rancocas Creek, tidewater extends upstream to the upper end of Mount Holly.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington_County%2C_New_Jersey; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancocas_River)
After the death of Benjamin Jones, James Jones became curious about the land in New Jersey that his father had left when he moved to Pennsylvania. Did it still belong to them? What was it like? Could they sell it and make some money? He took a trip back to Burlington
