Warren's first -- and perhaps greatest -- absentee land owner. As the 17th Century drew to a close, the East Jersey Board of Proprietors was divided into two factions: The Scottish clique, centered in Perth Amboy, supported a monopolistic policy of retaining large land tracts which could be rented to settlers. A second faction, headed by Sonmans and Dockwra, favored the rapid sale of proprietary lands in order to generate quick profits. The Dockwra Sonmans faction eventually allied itself with the settlers who owned land originally purchased from the Indians, preferring to collect quitrents from these settlers rather than ejecting them from their lands, as the Scottish clique urged. Anyone living on Dockwra's 3000 acres would have one of two titles: either a deed from Dockwra or his agents, or one from the Elizabethtown Associators, who claimed title under a much larger Indian purchase made by Governor Gawen Lawrie on Oct 30, 1684. Other settlers, covering their bets, had deeds from both. Dockwra's New Jersey representatives spent much energy, and many years, attempting to clear "squatters" from his land, although it appears they were satisfied if the settlers paid quitrents instead. Some with Elizabethtown titles did indeed pay Dockwra; others refused, leading to years of controversy. The dispute between Dockwra's agents and those who held title under the Elizabethtown Associators is documented at length in the minute books of the East Jersey Proprietors, affording us a record of Warren Township's first settlers along the banks of the Passaic. The earliest reference is dated June 28, 1742, when "Richard Fletcher & Jonas Greenaway, being settled on Dockwra's 3,000 on south side of Passaic by appointment this day attended and acquainted this Board, that they have for many years held possession for Dockwra's heirs, but are now threatened by Elizabeth Town .... Fletcher and Greenaway told the Board they were willing to post a bond in favor of the Board for 100 Pounds proclamation money to indemnify it for any legal costs, "whereupon it's agreed that the Clerk of this Board give to each of them an engagement in these words: .... The Council of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey, do promise and engage to protect Richard Fletcher and Jonas Greenaway in their possessions upon Dockwra's 3,000 acres on the south side of Passaic River, and to defend them against all suits and actions that shall happen to be brought against them by any claiming under Elizabeth Town, they having given bond to hold the possession for the heirs of Dockwra." Other entries follow: October 11, 1742: "Mr. [James] Alexander reported to this Board that Mr. (Daniel) Dunstar, Mr. (John) Stelle, Mr. (Daniel] Cooper and Mr. (John) Cross all informed him the said Alexander that the people on Pasaick were making great destruction there of the timber belonging to the Proprietors and particularly of the timber on that tract of 2,000 and 3,000 acres belonging to Dockwra, and on Mr. Kearny's and that they all make it their business to cut staves and headings and send down to the landing and that Daniel Cooper tenders his services to the Proprietors in anything he can do, to put a stop to this matter. March 24, 1743: "Samuel Beedle and Jacob Carle, being settled on Dockwra's 3,000 acres on south side of Passaick, by appointment this day attended, and acquainted this Board, that they have for many years held possession for Dockwra's heirs, but is now threatened by Elizabeth Town, and is willing to enter into bond .... which he now executes in 100 Pounds proclamation .... and bond is in the Clerk's keeping for the heirs of Dockwra." "William Nichols, being settled on Dockwra's 3,000 acres on south side of Passaick, being likewise threatened by Elizabeth Town, is willing to enter into bond in such manner as Samuel Beedle and Jacob Carle .... Similar entries follow the same pattern: August 19, 1742, John Moore; March 25, 1743, Elijah Thorp; March 27, 1745: Samuel Doughty Junr. having represented to the Board that he had purchased the improvements made by Richard Fletcher on that part of Dockwra's 3,000acres which the said Fletcher formerly settled with the approbation of this Board .... ;" December 3, 1748, Jonathan Catterling; April 19, 1748, Joseph Moore; May 22, 1749, Caleb Jones; April 14, 1749, "Jonathan Thickston and Samuel Mills, having purchased the improvements made by Samuel Beedle and Jacob Carle ....; October 16, 1752, Daniel Little and Joseph Little; March 24, 1756, Samuel Pope; May 4, 1757, "Henry Davis and Edminster Moore having purchased Samuel Pope's improvements ...." Dockwra's daughter, Margaret Bowles, engaged attorneys to protect her inheritance, to what effect we do not know. On June 22, 1738, The Pennsylvania Gazette printed the following notice: "To be SOLD, Divers Tracts of Land scituate in the Eastern Division of the Province of NewJersey, late Part of the Estate of William Dockwra, deceased, and now belonging to Margret Bowles. Any Person inclined to purchase, may apply to the Subscriber, who is fully authorized to sell the same. And Notice is hereby given to all such Persons, who have settled on any Part of the said Lands without License, that they forthwith apply and agree for the same; or that they immediately depart therefrom, as they would avoid being sued for the Trespasses already committed." One lasting legacy of Dockwra's 1690 purchase is the border between Warren Township and Berkeley Heights as well as that between Somerset and Union Counties. On Nov. 4, 1741, the Governor, Council and General Assembly passed an act to annex a portion of Essex County to Somerset. That act traced the northeasterly border of Somerset "to Passaick river; thence down the same to the lower corner of William Dockwrae's two patents on the same river; and thence down on a straight line, southeasterly to the head of Greenbrook. REF: New Jersey Archives, Volume 1,11 and 23; Geo. J. Miller, Ed, The Minutes of the Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey; The Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. V; John E. Pomfret, Colonial New Jersey and The Proprietors of East Jersey; Theodore Thayer, As We Were; and Manuscript Collection, N.J. Historical Society, NJ IV 24. |