Anthony Dennis, Loyalist, 1780

Documents relating to the Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey, Vol IV  pp248
  March 6, 1780.

PUBLIC notice is hereby given to all persons who have in their custody or power, any goods or chattels, bonds, bills, mortgages, notes, books of accounts, or other instruments of writing; or who are** indebted to the following fugitives and offenders,** and shall neglect to make immediate discovery thereof to one or more of us the subscribers, Commissioners for the county of Monmouth, may expect to be dealt with as the law in that case hath provided: Robert Morris, ...., Tobias Kiker, Brittain White, John Hampton,** Anthony Dennis, of Shrewsbury,** John Bowne, Peter Stout,  Israel Bedel, of Staten-Island, and Isaac Allen, of Trenton,--Notice is hereby given to all persons having any claim, interest, or demands, in or upon the estates of the above persons, to exhibit their respective accounts to any two or more of the Judges of the said county Court, who will attend at Monmouth Court-house on the first Monday in April, and during April term, and on the first Monday in May, to receive and adjust the said accounts.

Anthony Dennis of Shrewsbury listed as "Fugitive and offender". (Loyalist) Was he in New York City at this date ?

Extract of a letter from Monmouth Court-house 1779

Extract of a letter from Monmouth Court-house, January

29, 1779.

"The Tory-Free-Booters, who have their haunts and caves in the pines, and have been for some time past a terror to the inhabitants of this county, have, during the course of the present week, met with a very eminent disaster. On Tuesday evening last Capt. Benjamin Dennis, who lately killed the infamous robber Fagan with a party of his militia, went in pursuit of three of the most noted of the Pine-Banditti, and was so fortunate as to fall in with them, and kill them on the spot.--Their names are Stephen Bourke, alias Emmans, Stephen West and Ezekiel Williams. Yesterday they were brought up to this place, and two of them, it is said will be hanged in chains. This signal piece of service was effected through the instrumentality of one John Van Kirk, who was prevailed upon to associate with them on purpose to discover their practices, and to lead them into our hands. He conducted himself with so much address that the robbers, and especially the three above-named, who were the leading villains, looked upon him as one of their body, kept him constantly with them, and entrusted him with all their designs.

"Van Kirk, at proper seasons, gave intelligence of their movements to Capt. Dennis, who conducted himself accordingly.--They were on the eve of setting off for New York, to make sale of their plunder, when Van Kirk informed Capt. Dennis of the time of their intended departure, (which was to have been on Tuesday night last) and of the course they would take to their boats: In consequence of which, and agreeable to the directions of Van Kirk, the Capt. and a small party of his militia planted themselves at Rock-Pond, near the sea shore, and shot Bourke, West and Williams in the manner above related. We were in hopes at first of keeping Van Kirk under the rose, but the secret is out, and of course he must fly the country, for the tories are so highly exasperated against him, that death will certainly be his fate, if he does not speedily leave Monmouth.

*Capt. Benjamin Dennis was the Brother of Anthony Dennis, and was later murdered by Tories in revenge for this incident.

Misc. information

Learned a few facts on the internet:

A will of Thomas White, Shrewsbury, 4 Dec 1712, lists Samuel Dennis Jr, as witness and surveyor.

A will of Joseph Parker , Shrewsbury, 14 May 1723, describes his property as being bounded on the west by Samuel Dennis, South by the river, North by the highway that goes to Little Silver Neck and East by John Lippincott.

A list of quit rents owed in 1685 shows Samuel Dennis of Shrewsbury owing for 120 acres.

The Harrison Township Cemetery records of South Bloomfield OH record that Joshua Dennis died 17 July 1867, his wife Jemima died 19 Sep 1855 aged 70 years and 7 months.  Joshua was a son of Anthony Dennis who moved to Pickaway County Ohio sometime after 1822.

 

 

President Bush, Cousin to the Dennis's

Richard Lippincott was one of the earliest settlers at Shrewsbury, and his daugher Increase married Samuel Dennis. President George W. Bush is also a descendant of Richard Lippincott, through Freedom Lippincott who was the brother of Increase.

Albert Dennis Eatontown

Picture number one shows workers at the tannery in Eatontown, that was near the historic mill. Albert Dennis (1850-1921) lived in Eatontown all his life. He was the 3g great grandson of Samuel Dennis (1650-1723) Albert is shown fourth from the right in the top row of the picture. The workers are shown wearing hats made at the tannery.

Picture number two is a portrait of Albert Dennis circa 1870.

The third picture shows the "Old Mill" in Eatontown that was built 1780. Its from a postcard mailed December 22nd  1910 from Eatontown, with the message "Directly behind this building is a large pond where I go skating, Elsie Reynolds Eatontown NJ". About three quarters of a mile downstream from the mill pond was the  farm that Jacob Dennis (1775-1829), Alberts grandfather, bought from Manuel Pearce in 1828.  The 1851 Lightfoot Monmouth county map shows Catharine Dennis, Alberts grandmother living there. In the 1870's Albert bought the farm from his brothers Jacob, and George. The three brothers had jointly inherited the farm from their father John Dennis.

 

 

 

Sycamore Avenue

The first two  pictures are from circa 1907 postcards of Sycamore Avenue. The Dennis family owned land along this street.  According to page 380 of "First Settlers of Newton Township New Jersey", the residence of Samuel Dennis (1650-1723) stood three fourths of a mile east of the town of Shrewsbury. Old deeds refer to the "Anthony Dennis Plantation" as being on the south side of  "The road from Black Point to the Falls". (Rumson to Tinton Falls)  Anthony Dennis' (1730-1813) sons  Woodward, Jacob, Jesse and Joshua inherited the property , and the 1851 Lightfoot Monmouth County map shows Woodward Dennis' house along this road near where the Little Silver train station is now located.

Elizabeth Dennis (wife of Edwin Hobbs) and family owned a house on the same spot  from about 1912 thru the 1930's. The house has recently been converted into professional offices and is located just east of Sunnybank Drive. Elizabeth Dennis was the 4G Grandaughter of Samuel Dennis.

The third picture, from a an early postcard inscribed "This house still standing (1897)", is the Jacob Dennis  house. Jacob Dennis  was the son of Samuel Dennis, and the father of Anthony Dennis.  I am not certain where this house stood,  but it seems likely that it was also along this street.  According to a 1798 deed, Anthony's brother Jacob owned an adjacent piece of property, and he could also be the Jacob Dennis that owned this house. .

Christ Church Shrewsbury

First picture is a circa 1960 postcard view of Shrewsbury at Broad Street and Sycamore Avenue. In the 17th century, this crossroad was the center of what was called Shrewsbury Towne, according to the text on the back of the postcard.

The second picture is a pre-1920 postcard showing Christ Church. The third picture is a closer view showing some of the old markers. Samuel Dennis, who lived in Shrewsbury 1675-1723 is buried here.

The fourth picture is a from a postcard that was mailed in Shrewsbury on June 11 1908.