Notices of the Justices of New Castle and Others Connected with Foregoing List

Notices of the Justices of New Castle. 35 NOTICES OF THE JUSTICES OF NEW CASTLE AND OTHERS CONNECTED WITH FORE¬ GOING LIST. L. TAYLOR DICKSON. JOHN MOLL. JOHN MOLL, possibly an Englishman, appears very early as a resident on the South River and was in New Castle under English rule in 1C73. He was a justice on June 4, 1675, when he signed the order to construct the dikes at New Castle, which caused such adverse comments from the people. On August 15th, of this year, he signed a petition to Governor Andros with the other justices to send a new law book and a lesser seal. Some vandal shot a horse of his on September 4, 1676, which caused him to use very forcible language. Governor Andros again appointed him a justice on September 23, 1676, and on the 25th day of October, 1676, he was deputized to submit sundry matter to the Governor. On the 6th day of November, 1676, he with Henry Ward, Wm. Thom and other magistrates at New Castle, sent a long memorial to Governor Andros on municipal affairs. He was a magistrate at New Castle June 8, 1677. He was an elder in the church for many years, and had large grants of lands'and several patents for lots in and about New Castle. He was commissioned by Com¬ mander Brockholtz in November 21, 1682, to transfer the Province to Wm. Penn. And we find that John Moll, Esq., and Ephraim Hermen, gentleman, carried out these in¬ structions on October 28, 1682. He was a member of Wm. Penn’s first council, 10th day, 1st month, 1683. In Book B, page 134, is to be found the will of John Moll of Phila¬ delphia. Instrument dated May 17th and proved July 1, 1701. PETER ALDRICKS. PETER ALDRICKS, a Dutchman, was in New Castle in March, 1659. What relation he bore to the vice-Director Jacob Aldricks, is uncertain. He is said in the New York 36 Notices of the Justices of New Castle. Archives to have been a nephew, a brother by some writers and a cousin by others. He was commander on the South River in 1660, was at the surrender of the Province to the English, September 6, 1664, and also at the surrender to Governor Andros, November 10, 1674. “A man servant of his was hung, beheaded and his head set on a stake at New Amstel, on October 24, 1662, for resisting those who had arrested him.” This Peter Aldricks had a patent for “ Mattinicock Island,” prior to July 15, 1668. He was bailiff in New Castle in 1672 ; had the estate of “ Groeningen ” conveyed to him July 13, 1676. Had a patent for 560 acres of land in Delaware in the same year. He was the official trader in 1663. Member of council in New Amstel. WILLIAM THOM. WILLIAM THOM, or Tom, was on the South River cer¬ tainly as early as 1666, for he had a grant of the lands of Peter Aldricks (confiscated by Governor Andros) for his services on the Delaware River in capturing the Province from the Dutch, and held various offices and had large tracts of land conveyed to him and was a most important man under the English rule. He became unfortunate in business affairs and was imprisoned for debt most persist¬ ently by his creditors. He finally died, a prisoner at the suit of Mr. Deleval, which was announced in New Amster¬ dam on February 25, 1678-9. His will, dated January 3, 1678-9, leaves his property to his godson, Captain Edmund Cantwell’s son.* He had formerly been clerk and his records are most interesting and his sufferings, according to his own account, most unjust. WALTER WHARTON. CAPTAIN WALTER WHARTON was an Englishman who lived in the village of Swanwyck on the Delaware River, about one mile above the present city of New Castle. This village has long since disappeared, although brick and > This son of Captain Edmund Cantwell was most probably Richard Cant¬ well. Notices of the Justices of New Castle. 37 stone foundations can still be traced beneath the surface of the ground. He was an excellent engineer and was appointed official surveyor on the South River ; was made a justice of the peace on Delaware River and points ad¬ jacent in April 6, 1672 ; was appointed surveyor by Captain Colve in 1673. He was a man of considerable estate and got into difficulty and “proceedings in court wrere com¬ menced against him at New Castle for marrying himself contrary’ to law.” He died January 3, 1679, leaving con¬ siderable property and among other personal effects some silver plate. His funeral expenses were very great for the time, the clergyman receiving 50 guilders for preaching his funeral sermon. FOPP OUTHOUT. FABIUS OUTHOUT was born in 1631, probably in Sweden, and came to the province at a very early date. He was for a long time an innkeeper at New Castle and afterward lived on the easterly side of the river, “ and in the winter could not cross owing to the ice.” He is a most interesting char¬ acter to the historian, as he appeared to have served under the Swedish, Dutch and English rule with equal fidelity. His name appears to have been Foppe Jansen before 1655, and in 1661 he is called Fop Jansen ; after that date he became Fop Janson Outhout and finally Fabius Outhout. Pie signed first the terms of capitulation at the surrender of New Castle, October 1, 1664. He was a deputy to the General Assembly of South New Jersey in November 3, 1668, being one of the “deputies for Delaware River.” Was a justice for many years at New Castle, besides hold¬ ing many other offices.1 The will of Sarah Outhout of New Castle (on Delaware) is recorded in Book B, page 321, and disposes of her prop¬ erty to her children and grand-children. It is well worth noting that Hippolyte Lefavre appears as a witness on this will. 1 He was at that time closely allied in his personal affairs with the most interesting character of this time, the inkeeper Peter Jagou. 38 Notices of the Justices of New Castle. JOHN PAUL JAQUETT. JOHN PAUL JAQUETT arrived in tlie province in the ship “ The Great Christefal,” he having been in the service of the West Indian Company in Brazil, probably as a soldier. He “ was highly recommended ” and on November 29, 1656, he was made vice-Director on the South River. Among his earliest official duties was the petition of Ammegard Pappegaya, the daughter of the Swedish governor Johan Printz (whose husband Pappegaya having left her and gone to Sweden), for permission to take possession of Printzdorf and Tinnikonk. This he refused ; she then petitioned the court at New Amsterdam and the request was granted. (Printzdorf was on the Great Tinicum Island and can be located to-day ; the large door-stone of the church, sur¬ rounded by the remains of the large trees, being plainly visible. Tinnikonk is presumably the smaller island on the river.) John Paul Jaquett’s home estate was on the south side of the Christiana Creek, about three and one-half English miles from New Castle. He was elected an elder of the church at New Castle by the court, December 3, 1678, and held man}’ positions of importance in the colony. As his life has been printed in Vol. XIII of Pennsylvania Mag¬ azine, page 271, it is hardly necessary to recount all his deeds in this article. GARRETT OTTO. GARRETT (or GARRTT) OTTO (or OTHO) was made justice of the peace at New Castle in 1675, and one of the “Jus¬ tices for the Jurisdiction ” of New Castle and dependencies on September 23, 1676. He with other justices appealed to Governor Andros for instruction on municipal affairs and states to him the unsatisfactory condition of the colony in very plain language. Otto continued in office for some time and was one of those who demanded from the sheriff the “ body of Major John Fenwick,” to be sent to New York under orders from the governor. Otto lived on Swartnuter Island1 and had several warrants for land awarded him, bridges in the early time must not be overlooked or other¬ wise it would be impossible to account for the many so-called islands. 1 The absence of Notices of the Justices of New Castle. 39 which would be of more interest to his descendants than to the students of genealogy generally. EPHRAIM HERMEN. EPHRAIM GEORGE HERMEN was the elder son of Augus¬ tine Hermen, founder of Bohemia Manor, in Cecil County, Maryland. Ephraim was invested by his father with the title of the manor, on August 9th, 1684 ; but before this (circa 1671?), the said Ephraim had settled on the Delaware; he was there clerk of the Court of Upland (now Chester) and New Castle, in 1676 ; vendue master of the last-named place in 1677, and clerk of customs and collector of quit rents within the jurisdiction of the said courts. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Van Roden burgh, a former Governor of the Island of Curacoa. Ephraim, having joined that peculiar religious sect, the Labadists, deserted his wife; but, repenting, returned to her too late, however, to avert the paternal curse, said by tradition to have fallen upon him for the above act, for within the limit of two years he died a maniac. The great Manor of Bohemia passed to his brother Casparus, in the year 1690, becoming finally divided — among a number of heiresses. CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER BILLOP. THIS gentleman had a plantation of over a thousand acres, on Staten Island. On the 2d of July, 1674, the Duke of York commissioned him a Lieutenant in Andros’s Company of Foot. In the course of two or three years, Andros ap¬ pointed Billop to command in the Delaware river and bay ; but the two falling out, Billop tendered his commission, an offer declined by the Duke. Very soon, however, Andros suspended him for neglect of duty, whereupon his father complained to the Duke, charging Andros with undue and excessive severity. After full consideration of the case, His Royal Highness not only sustained Governor Andros’s ac¬ tion, but, moreover, at once ended the matter by withdraw¬ ing Billop’s commission and putting Captain Salisbury in his place. Billop was, of course, very angry; but matters 40 Notices of the Justices of New Castle. seem to have mended with him in the interval between 1678 and 1682, for in the latter year we find him commander of His Majesty’s ketch “ Deptford ” thus he had passed from land to sea service. In 1685 he petitioned for and received the royal assent to a stay of proceedings in a legal dispute regarding a merchant ship he had taken possession of, the King graciously reserving the matter for his own judgment. He seems to have died in England. It is quite evident that Captain Billop was sent with his vessel as a guard to the dependent colony, for the English Governor did not propose to submit to another disgraceful surrender such as had occurred in 1673. — CAPTAIN EDMUND CANTWELL. CAPTAIN EDMUND CANTWELL was made High Sheriff for the Colony on Delaware on August 24, 1672, and also re¬ ceiver and collector of quit rents, from May 17, 1672. New Castle had been created into a corporation to be governed by a Bailey and six assistants. He was commissioned with Win. Thom to demand the surrender of the colony from the Dutch, on November 6th, 1674, and in this year was continued in the office of Schout or Sheriff, and acted as Deputy Governor by commission from Governor Andros. Andros, by ordinance of September 28, 1676, established the Court at New Castle, to be held on the first Tuesday of each month. The sheriff was to act as principal in the execution of the laws, but not as a justice of the peace or magistrate. In June, 1678, Captain Cantwell was made administrator of the estate of Wm. Thom, who had died insolvent after having made his will and leaving his estate to Cantwell’s son. He was the first sheriff under Wm. Penn and a member of the first Council which met on first month 10th, 1683. In 3682 the Court presented to Edmond Cantwell and Caspar Hermen two hundred acres of land on Drawyer’s Creek “ for the use of a water mill ” which the said Cantwell and Hermen do intend to erect for the publick.”