The latest from the Sussex County Historical Society Facebook page…
#TombstoneTuesday :Recently “Museum Mondays” have been sharing information about the Old Newton Academy located at #75 Main Street- there were 7 original trustees, 5 of which are buried in the Old Newton Burial Ground which lies behind this building….over the next few weeks we will share some information about these gentlemen: 2. Job Stockton Halsted Memorial Day 2020...American Legion Post 86....thank you for holding a ceremony at the Old Newton Burial Ground this morning!! They marked the grave of Colonel George Van Tile Griggs: killed in the Battle of Culpepper Court House, Virginia, on Oct. 11, 1863 at the age of 23. He was a Captain of Company K, 2nd New York Calvary at the time and was brevetted Colonel for conspicuous gallantry in action. He was the son of Daniel and Emeline Griggs. GAR Post #111 of Newton was named in his honor. (Grand Army of the Republic) #MuseumMonday: Recently “Museum Mondays” have been sharing information about the Old Newton Academy located at #75 Main Street- there were 7 original trustees, 5 of whom are buried in the Old Newton Burial Ground which lies behind this building….today and next week we will be sharing information about the two trustees who are not buried here: 1. Thomas Moore Armstrong
Job Stockton Halsted, the eldest son of Dr. Robert and Mary Wiley Halsted, was born in Elizabethtown, NJ on March 4, 1774. At the proper age he became a student in the law office of Col. Aaron Ogden, a prominent lawyer in New Jersey. Job was admitted to the bar in 1795 and became a counselor in 1798. Shortly after this, he moved to Newton, NJ where he practiced law for nearly a half a century. He was emphatically a “gentleman of the old school”. Job was a member of the first board of Directors of the Sussex Bank, established in 1818. From 1820 through 1822 he served as a Chosen Freeholder of Sussex County.
Job married Ann McIntire on June 10, 1805. Ann was born at Coleraine, Ireland. Together they had ten children who lived to adulthood: Robert W., James M., Job S., Thomas M., William M., Charles M., Mary M., Jacob, Ann B. and Matthias O.
Job died in Newton on April 13, 1844 and Ann passed on Sept. 28, 1838. They are buried next to one another in the family plot at the Old Newton Burial Ground. This is part of the land given to the Presbyterian Church in 1837 by Job and Ann.
Check back next week for another #TombstoneTuesday.
Check out the 2nd picture....the D2 is working it's magic and this stone is looking much better today - May 27, 2020.
The son of Hugh and Margaret (Moore) Armstrong, Thomas was born August 3, 1750, in Short Hills, Middlesex County. He married Martha Britten in 1781 and they settled on the Papakating in Wantage Twp. in 1782. Living there for 8 years, they then bought land at Sugar Loaf, New York. Returning to NJ in 1793, they purchased 300 acres on the Papakating in Frankford Township. At the time of his death, Thomas had 700 acres in Frankford Twp. and another 1,000 in Newton Twp., farming on a large scale.
Thomas served during the American Revolution as a Quartermaster in the NJ Militia with a rank of Major. He was a member of Harmony Lodge in Newton, serving as a Senior Warden in 1794. Thomas also served in the Sussex County Legislature as an Assemblyman in 1797 and was appointed as a County Judge in 1813.
Thomas and Martha had 11 children: James B., Elisabeth, Margaret, Thomas M., Jane G., Robert, William M., Martha M., Susan, Susan Eveline, and Robert V. Thomas died on January 3, 1833 in Frankford Twp. He is buried in the Frankford Plains Cemetery.
Check back next week for another #MuseumMonday
