| Apples and Applejack |
| A Genealogy of the Family Quick in America relates that Ezekiel Quick (1777 - 1867) ran an extensive apple-whisky distillery on the Manners farm at Van Liew's Corners. The will of his brother Abraham Quick (1779 - 1822) shows that he also had an interest in the distillery along with John Green. Ezekiel's son Charles married Adah Manners. Abraham's daughter Julia married Abraham Manners. Rutgers University has the original ledger Ezekiel's son Jonathan kept for the distillery. Entries run from 1839-66. In 1832, a Gazetteer reported that Hunterdon County had five distilleries for grain and 56 for applejack. Amwell township, with 12, had more distilleries than any of its neighbors. In the early days, practically every farm had an apple orchard. The apples were grown for family use and the surplus was sold to distilleries. Later in the century, apples were shipped by railroad to New York. Clarence Manners (1857 - 1926) raised specialty apples for the New York market on his farm in Somerset County. To My HomePage |