1872 obituary for Garret Brodhead, husband of Cornelia Dingman

Garret Brodhead (1793-1872), son of Richard Brodhead (1771-1843) & Hannah Drake (1769-1832) – Photo Credit: James & Barbara Brodhead

Cornelia Dingman Brodhead (1797-1885), daughter of Daniel Westbrook Dingman (1774-1862) and Mary Westbrook (1774-1851); Photo Credit: James & Barbara Brodhead

I recently came upon this obituary notice for my third-great-grandfather Garret Brodhead (d. January 8, 1872), husband of Cornelia Dingman and father of Albert Gallatin Brodhead, Daniel Dingman Brodhead, Andrew Jackson (A.J.) Brodhead (my second-great-grandfather), and Abram Coolbaugh Brodhead.  Much of what I’d known of Garret is contained in this post.  The obituary offers wonderful details—who wrote it, I have no idea, but it was someone who had been well acquainted with Garret and Pike County men of Garret’s generation.

Reference is made to Garret’s favorite book Modern Chivalry by Breckenridge; we find out he was living with son A.J. and family in Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe) for about a year before his death; we learn where he was during the War of 1812, that he was a Protestant in the Calvin tradition and a Democrat in politics; and we learn he was extremely interested in his Dutch roots.

Coincidentally, I, too, have been thinking lately about my Dutch roots in the sense that I feel like I need to learn much more about them, so it was interesting to me that Garret had a real preoccupation with them rather than his English roots which probably made up a good 50% of his DNA.

In any case, if you are a descendant and have not yet seen this obituary, I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did and that you’ll find out a few new things about our shared ancestor.

Port Jervis Evening Gazette – January 1872 (Credit: Fulton History dot com)

 

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Brodhead family’s historic Wheat Plains homestead to be saved and restored by National Park Service

“Wheat Plains,” the old Brodhead Homestead, Pike Co., Pennsylvania

This post is a follow-up to information I shared previously about Wheat Plains, the farmstead located in Pike County, PA, on land whose original Brodhead owners were Revolutionary War veteran Lieutenant Garret Brodhead and his wife Jane Davis. The farmhouse and structures evolved over generations of Brodheads living there.

The Federal Government-backed Tocks Island Dam project from the 1970s took properties such as this one from their owners, and although the dam project fell through, the US government retained ownership of the properties within the project’s borders. Over time, due to funding issues, the National Park Service was unable to maintain the farmhouse and it fell into disrepair; see my August 2012 post The current sorry state of the Garret Brodhead house.

Wheat Plains house exterior, 2013, Image copyright: James and Barbara Brodhead

Fortunately the DePuy / Brodhead Family Association got involved to try to save the structures before they reached the point of no return. See the July 2014 post The Brodhead-Linderman Cemetery: Descendants work on clean up and restoration; the May 2015 post  Garret Brodhead’s Wheat Plains farmhouse – an August clean-up project, and the November 2016 post Garret Brodhead’s Wheat Plains Farm in Pike Co., PA, needs your support.

The fantastic news, which many of you may have heard, is that last summer at the annual DePuy / Brodhead Family Association reunion, the National Park Service announced its plans to save Wheat Plains. This project will be ongoing and financial contributions* to support it are welcome. Below are excerpts from the recent newsletter I received from the association.

I want to personally thank the Association’s members for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to preserving the property whose ongoing existence is important not only to our shared family history but also to Pennsylvania’s history and our nation’s history. Thanks to their extraordinary efforts and the NPS’s commitment to the property, Wheat Plains will be enjoyed and celebrated for generations to come.

*Donations of any size are welcome: DePuy/Brodhead Family Association, 9031 11th Place West, Everett, WA 98204-2694

The De Puy Brodhead Family Association Newsletter, January 7, 2019

News reported by Kevin De Puy, President: The biggest news for the Family last year was the announcement from Ranger Kristy Boscheinen, Chief of Special Projects Division of the National Park Service that “Wheat Plains” Revolutionary Homestead of Lt. Garret Brodhead was put on the list for restoration. Wheat Plains is located at mile marker 8 on Route 209 near East Stroudsburg, PA. […] The Family gave a $12,000.00 donation for the restoration process and donations continue to come in, and all donations will be presented this August at this years reunion[**]. The family also did a service project at Wheat Plains joined by Kristy, Ranger Kathleen Hudak two professional young men, one a Marketing Analyst and the other a Historic Building Architect (wish I had their names). We cleared the brush and debris from behind the homestead and up the embankment and cleaned out the water canal in front of the Spring House. The East side of the Homestead was painted and NPS is working on clearing up the mold in the cellar so a major support beam can be replaced. This restoration is going to be several years endeavor and should be the main focus of the Family and I can see our Family having a reunion at Wheat Plains in the Fall when all is said and done. We can mosey around, having fun much like they did back in the day. Again, I would like to remind everyone that the DePuy side has just as much a vested interest in this as do Brodhead. Elizabeth DePuy, daughter of Nicolas DePuy ( Fort DePuy at Shawnee on the Delaware ) was married to General Daniel Brodhead, the brother of Lt. Garret Brodhead, and I imagine the General and Elizabeth may have frequented Wheat Plains quite a few times. This does not mean that we will not support nor take on other endeavors; Wheat Plains should be at the fore front.

**Reunion scheduled for August 24, 2019, 9 a.m., tentatively at the Bushkill Meeting Center, 6414 Milford Road (route 209), East Stroudsburg, PA 18302. For more information, contact James and Barbara Brodhead at 614 400 9581.

 

Reunion news — De Puy and Brodhead families

The Stroud Mansion. Built by Jacob Stroud, city’s founder and Revolutionary War Colonel, for his eldest son John in 1795. The Stroud Family lived in it until 1893, and in 1921 it became the Historical Society’s headquarters. Image and caption from: Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken and uploaded by User Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, on 19 February 2008.

The next annual reunion of the DePuy and Brodhead families is scheduled for 9AM, Saturday, August 25, at the Monroe County (PA) Historical Association (a.k.a. the Stroud Mansion).

According to the De Puy / Brodhead Family Association, which is holding the event, as many as four guest speakers will address attendees. The Monroe County Historical Association Curator will take guests on a private tour that will include a Special Collections Presentation of General Daniel Brodhead’s uniform. Other activities are hoped for/being planned. An optional activity may be on offer for the day before (Friday).

For full information, please contact: depuy dot brodhead dot family dot assoc @ gmail dot com.

 

Hon. Albert Gallatin Brodhead house in Jim Thorpe, PA

Albert Gallatin Brodhead portrait, *between p. 260 and p. 261 of Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, PA – published in 1905

Coincidentally, I came upon this house while looking for another: the Jim Thorpe (previously known as Mauch Chunk) home of the Honorable Albert Gallatin Brodhead (1815-1891). It’s a beautiful three-story Victorian brick home that has a wonderful tiered rear garden. The verbiage written by the realtor mentions that the home was initially in the possession of the Lockhart family; a Lockhart daughter married a son of Asa Packer.

To view the home, click here.

For more about Albert, please see this post.

I don’t know how long the photos will linger online. The house was sold so the listing is inactive. If you want to save copies for your own personal use, better to do so sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

Garret Brodhead’s Wheat Plains Farm in Pike Co., PA, needs your support

Circa 1900: “Wheat Plains,” the old Brodhead Homestead, Pike Co., Pennsylvania

2016: The sad state of the Wheat Plains house – victim of the Tocks Island Dam project

Hello, Brodhead descendants & anyone with an interest in Pennsylvania history! You may not be aware of an important project that could greatly use your support: the restoration of Wheat Plains Farm in Pike County, Pennsylvania, the old Garret Brodhead (1730-1804) family homestead that Brodhead family members were forced to abandon in the 1970s due to the Tocks Island Dam project. Below is a letter just received from James and Barbara Brodhead who are spearheading the DePuy-Brodhead Family Association’s efforts to restore the home (now managed by the National Park Service). So please take a few moments to read the below letter and see if you can lend your support. PS: Next summer’s DePuy-Brodhead Family Association annual reunion is likely to be held there; it would be extremely positive if as many Brodhead descendants as possible made the effort to be there to show the NPS that the home’s fate is of concern to many, not just a few. I hope to be there—a great opportunity to support a great cause and meet cousins of all kinds.

 

Dear Family,

As many of you know, some members of the DePuy/Brodhead Family Association have been working with the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to preserve the Wheat Plains house. Wheat Plains is the farm started by Garret Brodhead on the land he received as partial payment for his service in the Revolutionary War. From 1790 the farm was owned by the Brodhead family until it was sold to Cornelius Swartout in 1871. Robert Packer Brodhead purchased back the farm in 1896 and his descendants remained there until the 1970’s when the land was acquired by eminent domain as part of the Tocks Island Dam Project. The Army Corp of Engineers headed the project. Later the Army Corp of Engineers determined that the river bed would not support the dam. The land then was transferred to the National Parks Service (NPS) who now manages the property. There are currently about 700 buildings remaining in the park on both sides of the Delaware River. Some have historical significance and most have sentimental value. Many buildings are in poor condition. Wheat Plains is structurally sound and it sits in a prominent place on highway 209.

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGNRA) is developing a long range plan to identify which buildings should be restored, maintained, or removed. The NPS has limited funds to do this work. Included in their consideration is the cost of maintenance and what the long term usage of the structure will be. Without a defined usage the preservation efforts will be limited.

Now to get to the purpose of this letter. We have been encouraged to send letters to the Superintendent of the DWGNRA and express our interest and support of preserving Wheat Plains or other structures. Please write a politely worded letter expressing your personal interest in preserving Wheat Plains farmhouse and property. Please include personal memories and historical facts that you have. If you have ideas for the usage for the house, (i.e. museum, vacation rental, etc.) please include that also. These letters need to be sent by the end of the year in order to be included in the evaluation process. The sooner the letters arrive the better. The Association created a good impression when we helped clean the house in 2015. It showed the NPS how much we care and your letter will add to that.

When writing your letter please remember that the NPS had nothing to do with taking the land; they were given the task of maintaining it. Please keep your letter kind and considerate.

Please address your letter to:
John J. Donahue, Superintendent
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area &
Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River
1978 River Road
Bushkill, PA 18324

Please also send copies of your letter to the following at the address above or email a copy to the addresses
given below:
Judson Kratzer – Judson_Kratzer@NPS.gov
Jennifer Kavanaugh – Jennifer_Kavanaugh@NPS.gov

We are in the initial stages of organizing a “Friends of Wheat Plains” non-profit org. to collect donations to help support the preservation of Wheat Plains. More information coming.

We sincerely thank you,
James and Barbara Brodhead
425-418-4742

March 1888: Luke Brodhead’s collection of Indian relics stolen

In my travels, I came across the below article about the theft of Luke Wills Brodhead’s collection of Indian artifacts, and it reminded me that I should consolidate some information I’ve gathered about him into a blog post. He was a very interesting man and must have been a powerful presence in his community in and around Delaware Water Gap. Autumn is here and soon the colors will be changing in that neck of the woods—a gorgeous spot on the Delaware River that he and his family held dear. Long gone are the massive summer hotels looking down from high above at the flowing waters and rolling hills. City folk have far more places to vacation now. But, this was once a hugely popular area for tourism, and Luke was in the thick of if. Seeing images from that time and his portrait (he and his brothers were extremely tall), I can almost envision him energetically walking about his hotel’s grounds, chatting with guests, and directing his staff on various matters. And then to think of all his historical interests and writings…he was truly a class act!

Philadelphia Enquirer, Wednesday, 12 September 1888*

Luke Wills Brodhead portrait from History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania, by Alfred Mathews, published by RT Peck & Co., 1886

BRODHEAD’S COLLECTION. Stolen Indian Relics Traced to a European Museum.
TRENTON, Sept. 11.—The most remarkable and curious robbery on record has just been made known. It occurred at the Delaware Water Gap last March, when the celebrated collection of Indian relics and specimens of the stone age, which L. W. Brodhead spent a lifetime in gathering, were carried away. The most peculiar feature about this robbery was the fact that only the most valuable specimens were taken, and that the work was done by a student and expert.

Mr. Brodhead is well known all over the country for his excellent collection, and one that would command an immense sum of money even under a forced sale. Mr. Brodhead keeps a hotel. Adjoining his own private parlor he has a library, the chief decorations of which are his arrow heads, axes, spears, rollers, javelins, pipes and bits of ancient pottery. With much care they have been arranged in groups. The arrow heads are tacked on white boards in groups, according to chronology or topography. He takes much pride in showing them to friends. Last winter the side shutter was forced open and the cases rifled and about one-third of the collection was taken away. The most valuable and rarest pieces were taken.

After the blizzard snow had melted away in a ravine near the house, the boards on which they were fastened were found. A detective was employed on the case, and he enjoined secrecy on all members of the household. The relics have been traced to England and are now thought to be in the possession of the officers of a museum. It is also thought that the man, who sold them for a handsome sum, will soon be apprehended. He is said to be a man well known in scientific circles, who acts as a purchasing agent for several European museums.

Luke Wills Brodhead bio from Transactions of the Moravian Historical Society by Moravian Historical Society, published 1900, pp. 38-39

Luke Wills Brodhead was born Sept. 12, 1821, in Smithfield Township, Monroe County, Penna. His parents were Luke and Elizabeth Wills Brodhead; his grandfather was Luke, one of the sons of Daniel Brodhead and his wife Esther Wyngart, who lived in Dansbury, now East Stroudsburg, whither they had come from Marbletown, N. Y. […]

New York Express 1867

Luke Wills Brodhead, at an early age, engaged in mercantile business at White Haven for twelve years ; returning to the Delaware Water Gap, he was appointed Postmaster there and, at the end of his term of office, he shared with his brother the management of the Kittatinny House.

In 1872 he built the Water Gap House, which he conducted until the time of his death.

Kittatinny Hotel, Delaware Water Gap, published by Detroit Publishing Company, 1898 (NYPL collections) – Wikimedia Commons – Public domain in US

He was a man of more than ordinary ability and, by his genial personality, he made his house famous throughout the land.

He devoted much time and energy to the study of the records, historical and geological, of the Minnisink Valley, was a frequent contributor to the public press and in 1862 wrote a volume concerning the Delaware Water Gap.

Water Gap House, Detroit Publishing Company, 1905 (Illinois State Library Collections – non-commercial use permitted)

He was a member of the Moravian Historical Society, the Historical Societies of Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Georgia and Kansas, the Minnisink Historical Society and the Numismatic and the Geographical Societies of Philadelphia. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution.

Mr. Brodhead was twice married – in October, 1850, to Leonora Snyder, who departed in 1877, and in 1881 to Margaret D. Coolbaugh. His son, Dr. Cicero Brodhead, died in 1884, and two daughters, Mrs. John Ivison, of Coatesville, and Mrs. H. A. Croasdale, of Delaware Water Gap, together with his widow survive him.

He was an active and interested member of the Presbyterian Church and by his modest, generous, unselfish and courteous manner he made hosts of friends.

View on roof of Water Gap House by Albert Graves – stereocard -no known copyright restrictions – Boston Public Library collections

For some years he had been suffering from chronic bronchitis, although his final illness was very brief. He died on May 7, 1902, and his remains were laid to rest in the Water Gap Cemetery.

[Find a Grave link to grave site]

Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XXVII, Philadelphia: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1903, p. 447-228

[…] Luke W. Brodhead was a man of more than ordinary ability, and for many years was deeply interested in the history and genealogy of the Upper Delaware and Minisink Valley. His published contributions comprise the following:

The Kittatiny House and the Water Gap House – Detroit Publishing Co., ca 1900 – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

“The Delaware Water Gap: Its Scenery, its Legends, and its Early History;” “The Minisinks and its Early People, the Indians;” “An Ancient Petition;” ” Tatamy;” “Settlement of Smithfield;” “Portals of the Minisink: Tradition and History of the ‘Walking Purchase’ Region and the Gateway of the Delaware;” “Early Frontier Life in Pennsylvania: Efficient Military Service of Four Brothers;” “George Lebar;” “Historical Notes of the Minisinks: Capture of John Hilborn by the Indians on Brodhead’s Creek;” “Pioneer Roads, the Old Mine Road, Early People, etc.;” ” The Old Stone Seminary of Stroudsburg in 1815;” “Indian Trails;” “Soldiers in the War of 1812 from the Townships of Smithfield and Stroud;” “Almost a Cetenarian: The Last of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 in Northern Pennsylvania;” “History of the Old Bell on the School­-House at Delaware Water Gap;” “Indian Graves at Pahaquarra;” “Half-Century of Journalism;” “The Depuy Family;” “Early Settlement of the Delaware: Was the Upper Delaware occupied before Philadelphia? Early Occupation of the Upper Delaware;” “Sketches of the Stroud, Van Campen, McDowell, Hyndshaw, Drake, and Brodhead Families.” He was also associate editor of the “History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties.”

In addition to his connection with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Mr. Brodhead was a member of the Numismatic and Antiquary Society, the Geographical Society, and the Pennsylvania Society Sons of the Revolution, of Philadelphia; the Minisink Valley Historical Society, the Moravian Historical Society, the Georgia Historical Society, the Kansas Historical Society, and several college literary societies.

*************************************************************************
Links
Antoine Dutot Museum and Gallery
Spanning the Gap – PDF newsletter – US Dept of the Interior National Park Service
NJ Skylands “Million dollar highway” by Robert Kopenhaven
Pocono history website

*Article from http://www.fultonhistory.com

Antique “Dingman’s, Pa.” souvenir

Those out there with Dingman roots may want to weigh in on whose image this is on an old souvenir trinket box. Could it be Judge Daniel Westbrook Dingman (1774-1862), or someone farther back in the family tree? His father Andrew Dingman Jr. (1753-1839)? Or grandfather Andrew Dingman Sr. (1711-1796)?

More on Lewis D. Brodhead (1884-1933)

Among the newspaper clippings saved by my grandmother was this brief article, likely from the Elizabeth Daily Journal, that reports the death of her brother-in-law Lewis Dingman Brodhead on December 8, 1933. It provides a bit more information than the one from the New York Times I’d mentioned previously in this post. And the new details tell us that my Great Uncle Lewis died fairly immediately of a heart attack at the corner of 4th and Trumball Streets, Elizabeth, NJ, in the plant belonging to the American Swiss File and Tool Company. He was pronounced dead by the arriving ambulance workers from Alexian Brothers Hospital. His body was taken to the morgue at 628 Newark Avenue, a building that now looks abandoned and in need of repair.

This property at 400-416 Trumball Street looks like it could definitely have been there in the 1930s, so perhaps this building was once the plant in which Uncle Lewis worked.

It’s sad to think of him leaving his house at 520 Jefferson Avenue that morning, never to return again. He was just 50. The house he lived in, built in 1902, is a multi-family home today and it may have been multi-family back then as well. He lived with his widowed mother Margaret Martin Brodhead, and I can only imagine the shock she and everyone felt at this sudden, unexpected loss.

Interesting, but not surprising, the article makes no mention of Lewis’s wife Mildred Hancock whose last known whereabouts were Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where she and Lewis resided in the 1920s. I assume they divorced, and then all mentions of Mildred were swept under the carpet. Some day I hope to find out what happened to her.

‘Brodhead Memorial Gateway,’ Evergreen Cemetery – Jim Thorpe, PA

Andrew Jackson Brodhead Family, composite framed in Flemington, NJ, 1904

This pretty entrance with its ornate, wrought-iron arch overhead greets visitors to Evergreen Cemetery in Jim Thorpe (formerly known as Mauch Chunk), Carbon Co., Pennsylvania. And what special gates they are. I am missing page 1 of the accompanying article, but if you read down you will come to discover that these distinctive pillars and gates were given to the cemetery in 1913 by the nine surviving Brodhead children to honor the memory of their parents, Andrew Jackson Brodhead & Ophelia Easton.

A plaque on the left pillar says ‘Brodhead Memorial Gateway, erected 1913.’ (For a close-up look at the plaque, you can view this Instagram image.) If page 1 of the article ever surfaces, I will include it here; unfortunately I don’t know what paper it appeared in—the two pieces I do have are very old and beginning to disintegrate.

Enjoy the article and learning more about how these gates came to be. And, have a good Monday!

Andrew Jackson Brodhead & Ophelia Easton golden wedding anniversary in 1895

Today, I’m sharing a recent, very happy discovery: the commemorative brochure for the December 31, 1895, Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration of Andrew Jackson Brodhead and Ophelia Easton. The contents were written by their youngest child Richard Henry Brodhead who was 31 at the time. It is wonderful to hear him write so warmly about his parents and siblings—a very close-knit family of 12, greatly expanded by 1895 to include spouses and 27 grandchildren.

(For my original post about their anniversary, click here. Another post about their 1845 New Year’s Eve wedding can be found by clicking here.) Enjoy, and have a good Monday.