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Note: y of his fiddle and religious conversion have been retold in popular local history books, including "Jersey Genesis", by Henry C. Beck, (1945). The following account of his life is quoted (in a somewhat reorganized sequence) from "History of Little Egg Harbor Township, Burlington County", by Leah Blackman (1880) pp. 252, 256-258, 260: About the year 1699 Edward Andrews removed from Mansfield, Burlington County, N. J., to Little Egg Harbor, where he purchased 500 acres of land of Samuel Jennings (Governor of N. J.) This land lay on the east side of Tuckerton creek, and here Andrews settled, his house being located about where Mr. Auner's dwelling is now situated, and like many of the first emigrants to the wiidernesses of America, his first dwelling in Little Egg Harbor was a cave dug in the ground like a cellar, and walled with cedar logs and covered with hewn timber of the same material. Here Andrews cleared a farm (now East Tuckerton) and in the year 1708 deeded two acres of land to the Society of Friends on which to build a meeting house and establish a graveyard. Tradition says that the first grain raised in Little Egg Harbor township was conveyed on the backs of horses to Mount Holly to be ground in the grist mill at that place. It is affirmed that husbands, wives and sons, and all others who could be spared from home, flung sacks of grain across the backs of horses, mounted them and rode in Indian file along a green-wood bridle path to the grist mill at Mount Holly, and that whilst the farmers and their retinue were gone on their journey to mill, the children who were left at home at night were terrifed by the angry growls of bears, wolves and wildcats, which were so tame as to come prowling around their dwellings. Edward Andrews soon tired of going to mill to Mount Holly, and having the enterprise of his English ancestors, and not being one to shrink from difficult undertakings, constructed a cedar log grist mill on or near the site of the present grist mill at Tuckerton. *** As Edward Andrews' parents were strict Quakers it is probable they brought him up in the way they thought he should go, but it appears he chose his own course of life, and if ever he had been a member of Friends' Meeting (no doubt but that he had a birthright membership) he must have fallen from grace, for after he settled in Egg Harbor it is recorded that he was of a social and jovial disposition, and having married so young, he had not had time to "sow his wild oats;" and being the owner of a violin, his habitation on Sunday was the resort of his jovial neighbors, the whites and Indians, who came to hear him play on the violin and sing "the merrie songs of old England;" but this state of society did not continue a very long time, for in the 4th mo. 1704, when Andrews was engaged plowing he turned up a human skeleton, or, as some affirm: a skull, (doubtless an Indian's) and this solemn spectacle set him to thinking about man's present and future state, and such were his reflections that the next Sabbath after the exhumation of the bones-when, as usual, his associates came to his dwelling for the purpose of enjoying their accustomed sport of "dancing on the green," while Andrews played on the violin, or related amusing stories for their gratification -- great was their astonishment when they saw Andrews seated in his cave engaged in reading the Bible, when, instead of bringing forth his violin, he read a chapter in the Bible, and then knelt down and prayed aloud for his associates and himself, and from that time he became a devout and zealous minister in the Society of Friends, and soon established the Friends' Meeting of Little Egg Harbor, which has continued until the present time. After Edward Andrews became religious he took his violin and threw it away on an island in Tuckerton bay, but afterwards considering about it he thought that some person might find it and use it as he had done, so he went and got it and consigned it to final destruction. Thornas Chalkley, a minister of the Society of Friends, ... paid religious visits to Friends at Cape May and other places in South Jersey, includiug Little Egg Harbor, where he met Edward Andrews in 1706... Thomas, Chalkley, in his journal, page 47, says of Edward Andrews : "The good hand of the Lord being upon him, wrought a wonderful reformation in him, and made him an instrument to lead people into truth and righteousness, and gave him an excellent gift in the ministry of the gospel of Christ, so that he was made instrumental in gathering a large and growing meeting, most of the people thereabouts being convinced, and a great reformation and change wrought in their conduct and conversation." [end material quoted from Blackman] What follows is quoted from the outstanding ANDREWS Genealogy by John P. Dornan, which appeared in the Genealogical Dictionary of New Jersey, beginning at Vol 24, p. 51, (1949). [begin quote] EDWARD ANDREWS (Samuel'), b. 16 Mch. 1677/8 at O.B., L.I.; went to Burl. Co. with his parents in 1686; md. when not yet 17 years old, at the house of Thomas Revel in Burlington City on 8 Feb. 1694/5, Sarah Ong, dau. of Isaac and Sarah Ong, who moved to Mansfield from Shrewsbury, Mon. Co., N.J., after their daughter's marriage. Edward had by his father's will one-half of the home plantation (300 acres) and was to inherit the other half at his mother's death. Although he was still under the age of 21 years the property was certainly considered to belong to him, for Mordecai's deed of 19 Feb. 1697/8 to Joshua Newbold for 17 acres in the Great Meadow of Mansfield described the land as "adjoining to Edward Andrews" (WJD B:611). However, the father's will was not probated within the statutory period of forty days after the testator's death and therefore, according to the laws of the Province, the will was of no force or effect to pass an estate of inheritance, and consequently all of Samuel's lands fell to Mordecai as the eldest son and heir. Thus we find Mordecai releasing to Edward and giving him a quitclaim on 7 Apl. 1699 (WJD B:654), for the 300 acres that had been devised in the will. While no subsequent deeds or quitclaims from Mordecai to Edward appear of record, nevertheless Edward sold on 10 Apl. 1699 to Hugh Hutchin 20 acres "devised to him by his father's will" (Ibid:652); 115 acres to Nathan Folwell on 21 Mch. 1700/1, "being part of my plantation" (WJD BBB:269); and on 24 Apl. 1701 to Preserve Browne 200 acres in Mansfield "whereon the said Edward now inhabiteth or late inhabited part of the land purchased ---by his father Samuel Andrews from William Biddle and devised to Edward in his father's will and deeded to him by his brother Mordecai," and also 40 acres of meadow. (WJD B:708.) These last four deeds comprised a total of 375 acres. Edward is said to have moved to Little Egg Harbor in 1699, but the above deeds show the removal to have been not earlier than 24 Apl. 1701. He settled at L.E.H. on the east side of Tuckerton Creek on a tract of 567 acres he had arranged to purchase from Samuel Jennings, the deed for which was not signed until 24 Jan. J704/5 (WJD AAA:63). On 1 April 1705 he sold 200 acres of the Jennings purchase to Thomas Ridgway (Ibid:E:344), and on 26 June 1710 he bought 250 acres from Francis Collins, adjoining the tract Collins sold to Mordecai Andrews in the following year (WJD H:160). On 9 Jan. 1713/4 he sold to Richard Willitts of L.E.H. 200 acres of the Jennings tract and 50 acres of the Collins tract (WJD EF:144). Though a birthright Friend he departed from his religious upbringing, but about 1704 became a devout Quaker, permitting his neighbors to attend religious services in his home, and on 4 Aug. 1708 he granted 2 acres of his property to members of the Chesterfield Mtg. "in trust to build a Meeting House" (WJD A-B:379), which was used continuously from 1715 to 1863, a period of 148 years. He and his sons Isaac and Peter were, all three, noted Quaker ministers and made frequent religious journeys in their ministry. Edward Andrews died on 26 December 1716, aged 39 years, and was buried in the burying ground adjoining the meeting house, in what is now the town of Tuckerton (L.E.H. Fr. rec.). His will dated 1 May 1712 was not probated until 9 Apl. 1717 (NJW 2:69; NJA 23:13). He gave to "my wife Sarah my dwelling house, orchard and mill during her life and the benefit of all my plantation until my sons shall come to perfect age." To son Samuel he left 150 acres "at the head of my Plantation, 50 acres of meadow I bought of my brother Mordecai, and the mill after his mother['s death] ,and the Plantation is to be divided between my younger sons Jacob and Peter, and Peter is to have the dwelling house after his mother's death; to my three daughters L 10 to each and my daughter Elizabeth is to have my great Bible." Edward had two sons, Nehemiah and Isaac, born after he made his will, both of whom were mentioned in their mother's will and that of their aunt Mary Andrews, who died in Phila. in 1761. Sarah Andrews, "widow" (of Edward), signed her will on 2 Nov. 1732, but for some unknown reason it was not probated until 17 June 1773 (NJW 16:70;, NJA 34:18). It is thought that the executor, her son Nehemiah, lost or mislaid it for many years and the children took their shares by family arrangement. [end quote] From: "A JOURNAL OF THE Life, Labours, Travels, &c. OF THOMAS CHALKLEY", by Thomas Chalkley p. 52-53: "At Little Egg-Harbour liv'd a Friend whose Name was Edward Andrews, who, as he himself told me, had been a Leader of the People into Vanity and Folly, as Musick, Dancing, &c. But the good Hand of the Lord being upon him, wrought a wonderful Reformation in him, and made him an Instrument to lead People into Truth and Righteousness, and gave him an excellent Gift in the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ; so that he was made instrumental in the gathering of a large and growing Meeting, most of the People thereabouts being convinced, and a great Reformation and Change wrought in their Conversations. This Friend told me, That when he was very rude and wild, he was mightily reached unto at the Meeting we had under the Trees at Croswicks, to that he could not go on with his Vanity as before, after which he had strong Convictions on him, which wrought Conversion in the Lord's Time, after he had gone thro' many and deep inward Exercises." Abstract of Will of Edward Andrews 23 NJA1st 13: 1712 1st d. 3d m. (May). Andrews, Edward, of Little Eggharbour, Burlington Co.; will of. Wife Sarah; children-Samewell, Jacob, Petter, all under age; three daughters, one called Elizabeth. Home farm and a mill, incl. 50 acres of meadow, bought of brother Mordica; personal property. Executors-the wife and Thomas Ridgawa, with Richard Orsborn and brother-in-law, Jacob Onge, as assistants. Witnesses-Preserve Brown and William Cramer. Proved April 9, 1717 Lib. 2, p. 69 1716-7 1st d. 12th m. (Feb.). Inventory of the personal estate, £330.- 5.2 3/4, incl. book debts, £163-12.4 3/4, made by William Cramer and Gervas Pharo. Gerald Ueckermann, 2003
Note: Edward Andrews is one of the colorful figures of colonial South Jersey History, and the stor
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