Edward FitzRandolph, who died c. 1830, owned several farms in Warren Township, in what is now Green Brook. The farms, one of 162 acres and the other of 140, were probably located below Washington Rock, to the west and east of the intersection of Washington Ave. and Rt. 22. Beers' 1873 map of the township shows at least three Randolphs still living in that area.

FitzRandolph's chief claim to fame involves the legend of Washington Rock itself, and how he guided General George Washington to that outpost. [See Warren History, Vol. II, No. 3, for the story.] FitzRandolph also owned a general store and, like so many storeowners of the period, kept a detailed account or ledger book of his transactions. His ledgers, c. 1803‑1816, part of the holdings of the Special Collections Dept., Alexander Library, Rutgers University, provide valuable data for this period of Warren’s history.

"Randolph's ledger is generally mute about his activity during the winter," wrote Peter O. Wacker and Paul Clemens in Land Use in Early New Jersey, [NJ Historical Society 1995], though it does occasionally note that he hauled cordwood in February, probably from the rocky slopes of the Watchung Mountains. Early in March he received hives of bees, heifers, veal, mutton, and apple trees from neighbors; by the end of that month and in early April shad began to appear in his record. The book's frequent mentions of veal suggest that dairying was a major enterprise in the area. In May Randolph plowed and carted corn to Perth Amboy, in June he mowed hay and washed sheep. In July he credited one neighbor for hoeing his potatoes and "halling [sic] in wheat" and another for supplying him with 100 clams. Also in July, he mowed again and began to pull flax: he also credited neighbors for lamb.

"Randolph harvested his rye early in August and began to make cider at the end of that month. He credited neighbors for veal, lamb and a pig. After the middle of September he began to top his corn and husk it, then, in the 3rd week, he harvested his buckwheat. Early in October Randolph dug potatoes, slaughtered hogs, and credited a man for a dozen blue fish. He threshed buckwheat throughout the month; judging from the number of ledger entries, it was an important crop. In November Randolph continued to husk corn and haul corn tops, work on flax, kill hogs and haul cordwood. His year closed with slaughtering hogs (one of 287 lbs. and one of 238 lbs.), bringing in turnips, corn and buckwheat, and working “over the mountains."

The June 2003 issue of the Somerset County Historical Society's Newsletter contains a list of Randolph's store customers during the years 803‑1816.