THROCKMORTON-LIPPIT-TAYLOR BURYING GROUND

Welcome to the Throckmorton-Lippit-Taylor Burying Ground On Penelope Lane in Middletown, New Jersey

Middletown is one of the oldest settlements in New Jersey, and this is the oldest recorded family burying ground in Middletown. The men, women and children interred here represent some of the earliest settlers of the town, and their lives reflect those who founded our country. They were merchants, cabinetmakers, carpenters, judges, farmers, and adventurers in search of religious freedom and economic opportunity for their families and themselves. Here are some of their stories.

John Throckmorton Sr. was the first person buried here about 1684. John and his wife, Rebecca, sailed from England on the ship “Lyon” and arrived in Massachusetts on February 5, 1631. Roger Williams was also a passenger on the Lyon, and he and John settled in Salem, Massachusetts. Both became disenchanted with the Puritans, and John followed Williams into Rhode Island around 1636. Williams purchased land from the Indians, and he deeded some of the shares of the “Providence Plantation” to John and eleven others. That settlement was founded on what Roger Williams called “soul liberty” with freedom of religion and conscience. Williams is also credited with establishing the first Baptist Church in America, and John and Rebecca Throckmorton were on the “List of Original Members Received in 1638”.

About 1643, John Sr. received a grant from the Dutch to settle land east of Manhattan. The grant was called Throckmorton’s Neck, and the land is now called Throg’s Neck and is at the northern end of the Throg’s Neck Bridge in New York. John’s settlement was short lived because Indian uprisings killed many in the settlement. Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay colony was John’s friend. He wrote in his diary that Indians killed one of John’s children. The Throckmortons returned to the safety of Providence, Rhode Island.

On April 8^th, 1665, twelve men received the Monmouth Patent signed by Colonel Nicolls. That legalized a settlement in Middletown under British law. One of the conditions was that the Patentees establish the new settlement with at least 100 families within three years. Land was sold to those who wanted to settle here and to land speculators. John heard about the new settlement and bought some shares but never lived here. He gave his lots to his sons, John Jr. and Job, and they were among the earliest settlers in Middletown. While John Sr. was visiting his sons sometime between March 17^th and April 25^th, 1683 or 1684, he died and was buried here.

John Sr. was a merchant and owned sailing vessels that traveled between Rhode Island and Virginia. He held important positions in Rhode Island such as deputy, treasurer, committeeman and more. John was adventurous, and as a result, he participated in establishing settlements in Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey.

John Throckmorton Jr. was the son of John Sr. Sources written in the early 1900’s state that John Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but more recent sources reveal that he was on the passenger list for the ship Lyon that brought his father and mother to Massachusetts in 1631. The First Town Book of Middletown states that home lots were laid out and the settlers drew for their lots in Middletown on December 30^th and 31^st, 1667.  John Jr. received lot  #24 in the village and outlot  #18, outside of the village. Poricy Park is on part of outlot #18.

On December 21, 1670, John Jr. married Alice Stout who was a neighbor living across the “Street” from him. (Kings Highway was called “the Street” until after the American Revolution.) She was the daughter of Richard and Penelope Stout. Her father was one of the original Monmouth Patentees. Her mother was the legendary woman who survived an Indian attack and then went on to bear 10 children. Tradition suggests that Penelope is interred in this burying ground, but there are no records or gravestone to confirm this.

John Jr. was very active in this community. He was elected a Deputy to the General Assembly and served from 1675 to 1688. John was appointed with the sheriff to build the first Monmouth County jail in 1684. For many years he served as a Judge in the County courts and held that position until the time of his death.

John Jr. died in the summer of 1690. His Last Will and Testament was written July 17, 1690, and it stated that this “one Quarter of an Acre of land where my ffather was buried in Midletowne shall not be sold but To Remain a burying place for me and my posterity and all my children fforever.” This burial site was left to his daughter, Sarah, who was married to Moses Lippit. It became known as the Lippit Burying Ground and is located on Penelope Lane off of Kings Highway.

Job Throckmorton was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on September 30, 1650. He was the son of John Sr. In the First Town Book of Middletown, he drew lot #22 and outlot #36. He married Sarah Leonard, and they had about nine children. (The Leonardo section of Middletown is named after Sarah’s family.) Job was a farmer and frequently bought and sold land in the area. In 1693, he represented Middletown in the General Assembly, and in 1694, he was a “Messenger at the Council at Perth Amboy”.

Job died on August 20, 1709. His tombstone is the reddish brown slab in the style of those used in the pre-Revolutionary days. “The top of the slab curves to outline the head and wings of the moon-faced angel who presided there.” This tombstone was erected beside his father and brother John, and it is believed to be the second oldest in Monmouth County.

Moses Lippit was married to Sarah Throckmorton, and they and several of their children are buried here. Moses was a cooper, which meant that he was a carpenter who made barrels. That was a very important job in the colonies because barrels were used to store grain, beer, and other goods. He and Sarah died in the early to mid 1700’s. Upon their death, this burial ground was left to their children. On April 9, 1754, their son, John Lippit, sold their town lot that included this burial ground to Squire Edward Taylor. Thus, it became known as the Taylor Burying Ground.

Edward Taylor, Esq., was born August 20, 1712 and died January 18, 1783. He married Mary Ogborne, and both of them are buried here. Edward resided in the house built by his father in 1729. It was east of Christ Church on “the Street”. In 1758, he took over the “Old Tavern” that was established by his father, and it was located in front of his residence. During the American Revolution, he owned Marlpit Hall and was the largest landowner in Middletown with 1,200 acres. He also built and ran a mill that was known as “Arrowsmith’s Mill”, and it was located in Hazlet.

Edward was a Member of the Assembly in 1768, 1772, and 1774, and a member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey in 1775 and 1776. At the beginning of the American Revolution, he supported the Patriots’ cause by sending supplies to the people in Boston. When his son, George, became a Colonel in the British army, Edward became sympathetic to the Royalist cause. Brigadier General David Forman sent a letter to him dated July 2, 1777. Edward was told to stay on his farm in Middletown until further notice. Some of his neighbors suspected that he was a British spy who had given information to his son, thus, enabling him and his soldiers to escape from the militia. The war years were difficult for Edward because his political convictions differed from many of his neighbors.

Colonel George Taylor was Edward’s son. He married Deborah Carman in 1752, and they are both buried here. During his early military life, George was an officer in the militia. When the Revolution began, he was commanding a battalion of militia in the Continental Army until he had a change of heart.  In July 1776, he gave up his commission with the militia and joined the Loyal Volunteers as a Colonel in the King’s service.

Women were very important in colonial America. They maintained the home and raised the children. Their husbands’ economic and political status brought some of them prestige and for some ridicule and hardship. One of those ladies was Phebe Taylor.

Phebe Taylor died on July 10, 1791. Her life must have been interesting because her husband and brother were prominent figures during the American Revolution, and they were on opposite sides. Phebe’s husband was Squire John Taylor, Edward’s brother. He was a Royal Sheriff of Monmouth County and a Loyalist. In 1777, Admiral Lord Howe came here to offer terms of reconciliation to the Patriots, and he appointed John “His Majesty’s Lord High Commissioner of New Jersey”. As a result, his neighbors who were Patriots took part of his land for public use and paid him with depreciated Continental currency, denying him the true value of his property.  Phebe is buried here but John is not.

Phebe’s brother was General Nathaniel Heard in the Continental Army.  On June 19, 1776, during a midnight raid, he arrested William Franklin, New Jersey’s Royal Governor and turned him over to the Patriots. After being released from a prison in Connecticut, Franklin ultimately sailed back to England.  On September 12, 1776, Heard’s brigade took part in George Washington’s evacuation of New York City. His brigade consisted of sixteen companies of 160 officers and 1,762 enlisted men.  During the war, Heard kept Washington apprised of what the British were doing at Sandy Hook.  General Heard left part of his estate to Phebe. He is buried in Woodbridge.

The term “a house divided” pertained to the Taylor family of Middletown. Though Edward, George, and John Taylor were Loyalists; other Taylors were Patriots. Colonel George’s son, Edward, was a Captain in the Continental Army.

Eleanor Taylor Lyell, daughter of Edward Taylor Esq., was married to Captain Fenwick Lyell. He was a captain on merchant vessels and was lost at sea. Their sons, Fenwick and John, were cabinetmakers who had shops in Middletown Village and New York City in the late 1700’s. Some of their pieces are with the Monmouth County Historical Association in Freehold. Eleanor and her sons are buried here.

The men and women who are interred in this burying ground were courageous and adventurous. They founded new settlements in the wilderness and followed their political and religious convictions with dignity. Their commitment for a better life continues today in the spirit of Middletown.

The Throckmorton-Lippit-Taylor Burying Ground is the property of the Township of Middletown.

This is written by Suzanne Bugbee for Brian Bugbee’s Boy Scout Eagle Project.

Spring 2003

List of those interred at the burying ground

Bibliography and References