Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 7 May '86

59

r— Jersey Cape Historically VK I By John Merrill |

The key figure responsible for the settlement of the Religious Society of Friends in the New World was William Penn. .How they arrived in Cape May County is another story First established by George Fox in 1652, the Religious Society of Friends began when Fox received a vision while standing atop Pendle Hill in England. When placed on trial for his religious beliefs. Fox told the magistrate to "...tremble at the word of the Lord..V*\as his fellow religious followers trembled with religious zeal and excitement - thus the term Quaker. ONE OF HIS converts was William Penn. Persecuted with fines, confiscated of property, and imprisonment, William Penn, a most remarkable Quaker, was granted a large tract of land in the New World. Thus began the

settlement of North America by the Friends. Here they could worship as they saw fit. They did not believe m rituals, baptisim. and t%e celebration of the Lord's Supper. They did not have a designated minister, although there were journeyman speakers who travelled throughout the countryside, but appointed individuals (elders and overseers) to serve at each meeting. WORSHIP OFTEN was held in private homes on the "basis of silence". Individuals would speak only when the "Inner Light" moved them. After about two hours the meeting ended with the shaking of hands. West Jersey < New Jersey was, in the 17th Centui7, divided into two roughly equal sections entitled East and West Jersey ) consisted of approximately 1,500 square miles. THE DIVIDING line ran from Little Egg Harbor northwestward to the upper Delaware River area. West Jersey was granted to Lord Berkelely. a royal favorite of the English court. It was then purchas ed by Edward Byilynge and John Fenwick, both devout Quakers. The original purpose in buying West Jersey was to create a haven for the Friends, begin a New Jerusalem, and limit the settlement to only members of the Society of Friends. BYLLYNGE. because of the extent of his iandholdings, insisted that he be treated like a royal governor. Like others in the same position during this time period, he was an absentee landlord and never left London to survey his domain. In 1687, Dr. Daniel Coxe, court physician to James. Duke of York (and soon Jo become King James II of England), land speculator, and devote Anglican (the State religion of England), replaced Ed Byilynge as the local ruler of the land destined to become Cape May County. Dr. Coxe (after whioh Coxe Hail and Coxe Hall Creek are named) purchased numerous shares of property from the local landholders. He, too, never visited the county which he governed. Eventually he sold his land holdings of 1,000,000 acres to a society known as the West Jersey Society. ON THE FRONTIER of the West Jersey Society lay Cape May County. Here was established a small Quaker settlement located near Egg Harbor. For the Quakers the interior offered little except for timber and marginal farming. The coastal areas, saw the Friends and their fellow settlers, the transplanted New England Baptists, engaged in fishing, whaling, and agriculture. QUAKER FARMERS gathered the various medicinal flora of the Great Swamp area - leaves, barks, roots, and seeds - and sold them to whomever needed a poultice. They also were to become the forerunners of the cranberry farmers. They sold, at a later date, swamp huckleberries to

the nearby seashore hotels and boarding houses. Located in Seaville at the Crossroads of Routes 50 and 9 is the small ( until the recent addition was added) Religious Society of Friends Meeting House. FIRST constructed of logs in the year 1700, the structure was later replaced by the sawn timber planks in the year 1716. Initially erected as a site near Beesly's Point, the Meeting House, not called a church, was moved to iLs present site on a grant of land from Richard Townsend in 1730. These early dates for the early and later constructions of the Meeting House are somewhat questionable, as it is not mentioned in journals of local travelling Quakers or in the minutes of Quaker meetings. THE FIRST mention of a Quaker Meeting House in the "upper precinct of Cape May. ..being eight ' miles down the Cape from Beesley's Point..." was in 1763. Nevertheless, the Meeting House is considered one of the oldest standing, still in use "churches" in the State of New Jersey and is worth a visit to see a frontier outpost of the Religious Society of Friends. ED NOTE: Merrill teaches social studies at Lower Cape May Regional High School and has lived in the county since 1975. If you're interested in a par ticular historical item, write him care of this newspaper, P.O. Box 43 0, Cape May Court House of NJ 08210)

Anybody Looking for Hard Job? RIO GRANDE - Cape Human Resources, Inc., is seeking "concerned, community-minded leaders" to serve as members of its board of trustees. Hard work and funding solicitation is required, the organization cautions prospective volunteers. Members attend monthly meetings and make policy decisions which govern the agency. For further information, contact Mrs. Bernice H. Gordon, executive director, at 729-4902 or 465-5139.

DAV Trip Set DEL HAVEN - A trip to Trump Castle Casino in Atlantic City Monday, May 12, will be sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans. Bus will leave chapter home on Bayshore Road 5:30 p.m. For further information, call 465-4704. Wiseman Now Heads Branch WILDWOOD- Daniel F. Wiseman, banking officer has been named manager of the Marmora office of Marine National Bank, announced Philip W. Koebig III, president and Qhief executive officer. Wiseman is responsible for all functions of the branch and business development in Marmora and Upper Township. Wiseman, a lifelong area resident, formerly managed the Somers Point office of National Community Bank. He is a graduate of Holy Spirit High School and attended West Chester University. Wiseman has completed several American Institute of Banking courses including Consumer Lending and Financial Analysis.

N. Wildwood Rummage Sale NORTH WILDWOOD - The United Methodist Church. Second and Central Avenues, will hold a rummage sale 10 a.m. -3 p.m. Thursday. May 15, and 10 ami p.m Friday, May 16. For further information, call 729-3224 ) Flea Mart WILDWOOD CREST - The Auxiliary, of the Wildwood Crest Fire Co. will hold a "rain or shine" flea market 10 a.m. -4 p.m. Saturday, May 17, across from the firehouse at Cardinal road and Pacific Avenue. ^ There will be tables for rent, and donations are welcomed. For more information, call 522-7T44«_ 729-4170, or 729-6134. " _ Ostomy Meet RIO GRANDE - The Cape May County Ostomy Association will, hold a meeting 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, in the conference room of the Social Services Building. Routes 9 and 47. Friends and relatives are welcome to attend.

[-PEOPLE'S CHOICE-] CANDIDATES , kll Ufa Jim SI EARL "JOE" KLINGER ward i S JOE LONERGAN ward 2 SI BOB McNULTf ward 3 Congressman William Hughes and the undersigned residents support the PEOPLE'S CHOICE CANDIDATES For Lower Township Council. nj~»79^ j/. TfiUnJ p*. j) rlAc*"-*t / ,1 <2^ &ejL>c*y/ OCOtSS) AJC PAC fy BY THt COMMTTEE TO EtfCT HUNGER. lOMEBGA* M M I - 1