Duckworth

Lequear quotes John Duckworth several times as a source for stories about the Frenchtown region. The original articles were published 1869-70.

From page 18 "Early Milford and Frenchtown History"

"John Duckworth says that his recollections are that one Michael Zierfoss lived somewhere up the creek before there was even a village there. A mill stood stood in the middle of the present milldam; it appeared to have been erected upon piles driven into the marsh. This mill was burned, and from this circumstance the place was called 'Burnt Mills.' It was soon afterwards called Lowrytown.

"In the earliest days of the village, Thomas Patterson, a brother of Ex-Governor Wm. Patterson, came here and taught school. He is said to have possessed more real talent than his honored brother, but, unfortunately, was very intemperate. The village, at the time of his residence in it, contained two saw mills and one grist mill on the banks of the river, a dwelling where Edward Thomas now lives, a store, and a dwelling on the same side of Main street, and one dwelling on the south side of said street. In one of his half drunken flights, Patterson thus described the place:

   'On the banks of the Delaware, not very wide,
    Surrounded by mountains on every side,
    There stands a small village, and Milford its name;
    One grist mill, two saw mills, of very great fame;
    Three dwelling houses, a merchandise store,
    Compose the village, and not any more.
    By Thomas Patterson, about 1804.'

"The following effusion is also from his pen:

    'Three lasses of Milford, of courage no doubt,
    A milking one day the three sallied out,
    The cows werre collected and all standing still,
    Not far from the house, as you go to the mill.
    Their three passions hugher and higher did grow,
    When Kate gave to Hannah a terrible blow,
    Sukey flew off, and with tongue did berate
    With heaviest curses both Hannah and Kate.
    The battled soon ended, for Hannah was small,
    And Kate, a stout hussy, could out-box them all.'

"Mr. Duckworth has preserved this ellusion for sixty-six years, and we presume the young ladies above referred to will not object to their being published for the first time.

"Thomas Patterson was with Gen. Wayne in his expedition against the Indians in 1794. On one occasion he was chased, and having the start of his pursuers, he got out of sight, and, hastily throwing himself down beside a large log, covered himself with leaves. He ran so hard, however, that he injured his knees, and was lame ever after."

From page 19 "Thomas Lowrey A Big Land Owner"

"Thomas Lowrey lived in Flemington. At the age of seventeen, he married a daughter of a Mr. Fleming, no doubt the one from whom the name of the town was received. This young lady, at the time of her marriage ahd arrived at the interesting age of fourteen. Mr. Duckworth says he lived in Mr. Lowrey's family for several years, and that Mrs. Lowrey was one of the kindest and most amiable women he ever knew.

"Thomas Lowrey bought about one thousand acres of land, taking in nearly all of the beautiful and fertile plain now occupied by Frenchtown. He also purchased a tract of about the same size at Milford. He built a house and mill at the former place, and called it Lowreytown. He was a shrewd sagacious man, and made his mark in the societ in which he lived. We find his name upon the record, as a member of the Provincial Congress, from Hunterdon Co., in 1775. This was, probably, before he removed to Frenchtown. Thomas Lowrey was for several years a member of the State Legislature. Even in those days men seem to have understood the lobbying business, for Lowrey's bills always went through without much opposition. From this circumstance he was called 'Old Quicksilver.'

"Lowrey was a man who would always carry his point. He owned several tracts of land, besides those at Lowreytown and Burnt Mills. He had a trick of selling land to parties, agreeing to take three equal payments. If the purchaser made the first payment and failed to make the second, the first was forfeited. He sold the Frenchtown property in this way once or twice, and made a handsome thing of it."

From page 20 "Prevost Also a Sharp Trader"

"Lowrey sold Prevost 1000 acres of the Frenchtown tract for 8,000 pounds. The purchase money was to be paid in three equal payments. Prevost made the first, and Lowrey thought he had him. But Prevost then said, 'Mr. Lowrey, if you deducts de enterest, I pays de second.' To this Lowrey reluctantly agreed. Prevost then said, 'Now, Mr. Lowrey, if you deducts de interest I pay de third.' This struck 'Old Quicksilver' like a clap of thunder, as Mr. Duckworth said. The shock was so severe that he took his bed. He never expected the Frenchtown man would be able to pay for the land."

From page 21 "Milford Named for Ferry"

"Mr. John Duckworth is eighty-six years of age. He relates events that occurred seventy years ago with more fluency and grammatical precision than we can write them. In his younger days he was a clerk for Thomas Lowrey...."

"Mr. Duckworth says, that sixty-five years ago the creek at Milford carried twice as much water as at present."