Sunday July 7th
Our first stop this day was at Morristown and the Washington Headquarters National Historic Park. Being a Sunday, we will somewhat surprised to find the visitor centers open, but really appreciated the cool of their air-conditioned buildings.
In the winter of 1779-80, General George and Mrs. Washington lived at the home of widow Mrs. Jacob Ford Jr. in Morristown. This home has been preserved and is now on the property of the Washington Headquarters National Historic Park. A few miles away, at what is now called "Jockey Hollow", also maintained as part of this National Historic Park, were the encampment areas for his troops. Some of the soldier huts have been reconstructed on the sites were the Pennsylvania and New Jersey soldiers stayed that winter. This area was home to 10,000 soldiers from at least seven of the then thirteen colonies Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. As we drove through the woodlands and meadows, and viewed the many encampment sites, we wondered which of our Mears or Sell(s) relatives might have been here that winter.
Washington and his army were also in this area in January to May of 1777 when they built there a fort now known as "Fort Nonsense". This hill was located just southwest of Morristown, a place about half way between New York and Philadelphia, and chosen because of that location.
Following his successful victories at Trenton and Princton in December 1776, the Continental Army, then only about 500 strong, trudged into winter quarters at Morristown in early January 1777.
The soldiers built log huts for their winter quarters, and earthworks around them, which became known as "Fort Nonsense" because many of the soldiers thought it was built just to keep them busy, and served no really useful purpose, since the British were not inclined to visit the countryside in two feet of snow! They were safely quartered in their ships, or the homes of tories in New York or Philadelphia.
Some months ago, Brenda Hare located a Revolutinary War record for "Salomon Sell, private 2nd class, in the Philadelphia City Battalion, 5th Company of Capt. Philip Wagoner." His name appears on the unit muster rolls for 1777 to 1779. Was Salomon Sell one of those who stayed with the Continental Army at Morristown in 1777 or in 1779? Was he at Valley Forge in the winter of 1778-79? Or did he perhaps "go home" to his family then in the Philadelphia area for the winters?
This Solomon Sell, 1730/1-1810, was the eldest son of the John Sell who died in Upper Montgomery County in 1767, whose's farmland is now "under the lake" near Pennsburg and Red Hill. (more about him below.)
This Solomon Sell married about 1755/6 to Sophia Fischer, who bore him seven children. Sophia died after the birth of their youngest son, also named Solomon Sell, in January 1770. The father then remarried, to Catherine Seit, who bore him two daughters, both baptized at Germantown in August of 1771 and August of 1777. No doubt Catherine was pregnant with this second child when Solomon Sell, at the age of 46 or 47 years, first enlisted in the militia in 1777. So if he left at home a pregnant wife and eight children (if they were all still living then): the daughters would have been ages 20, 18, 14, 6, and twins age 11; his two sons were then ages 16 and 7. What would you have done while the army was encamped for the winter months stay with the army or go home to your family?
We also know that at least three of Solomon's eight brothers served in the army during or just after the Revolutionary War. "Anthony Sell" is listed on the 1785 rolls of the Montgomery County Militia. "Abraham Sell" is listed on the 1780 rolls as a private in Capt. Markley's Company of Upper Hanover Township, Philadelphia County militia; and in the DAR records.
And youngest brother "Benjamin Sell" is listed on the 1781 rolls as a private 4th class of Capt. Siegfred or Capt. Schooler's Company of Philadelphia County militia.
Our trip, on this warm July Sunday, continued on through the suburban countryside of New Jersey. It was apparent that many people today had chosen to locate their comfortable and well groomed homes in the rolling hills between Philadelphia and New York City. There are now several major interstate highways criss-crossing New Jersey, linking Philadelphia and New York City, Atlantic City, Newark, NJ and Allentown, PA. And in spite of all these major highways, we managed to "get lost" in suburbia for about an hour looking for a place to eat! So we saw a lot of these attractive homes. They were quite a contrast to the log huts of 1779! Eventually we found a good restaurant at Phillipsburg (could have stayed on the highway however!) We then crossed the toll bridge over the Delaware River and back into Pennsylvania. We left the highway just before Allentown, and headed south to Quakertown in upper Bucks County. We then took the "John Fries Hwy", #663, through Milford Square and into Upper Montgomery County and East Greenville, Pennsburg, and Red Hill. We found that these three towns are now adjoining along the "Gravel Pike" or Main Street, all on the East side of what is now the Green Lane Reservoir.
Years ago Vivian Taylor of Norristown, had reported to us that her Montgomery County research had established that the farmland once owned by the John Sell who died in 1767, was now underneath the waters of this reservoir. We knew that this John Sell had a farm cemetery on his property, and this two was "under the lake".
We also knew that baptismal records for many of his grandchildren were found in the archives of the Goshenhoppen Reformed Church at East Greenville; and the St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Red Hill. So as we drove through these towns we looked for the oldest churches. We even asked some local teenagers where the oldest churches were. But they pointed us to Pennsburg, and that was the only older church we saw. And being late on Sunday afternoon, there was no one around to tell us anything about it.
We did however drive about the well kept Green Lane Reservoir Park, where many of the locals were out fishing. It was a lovely quite place for a Sunday afternoon, but of course no one we saw had a clue that we were wishing our Sell ancestor's resting places had not been erased when the reservoir came into being many years ago.
As we traveled on down the highway to Pottstown and then southeast along the Schuylkill River toward Valley Forge National Historic Park, we could see why our Sell ancestors had loved this countryside enough to stay for many generations. It is still today filled with rivers, creeks, and lakes, hills and valleys with fertile soil for good pasture and farmland.
We arrived at Valley Forge after the visitor's center had closed for the day, but that was OK with us, because as we drove the roads about the park and took our pictures of the many sites of the several battalions quartered here in that famous winter of 1778-79, we were greeted at almost every turn by young deer, fawns so young their legs were still wobbly, and their protective mom's watching over them as they grazed on the grassy meadows of the National Park. Evening at Valley Forge was indeed a very pleasant sight! We even saw a buck or two, one a very protective father with his doe and fawns close by. It appeared to us that these animals had learned to use the rebuilt soldier huts with their open doorways, as protection from the summer rains and winter snows.
We had been to Valley Forge years ago, but this trip through the park at dusk was a real treat.
We so enjoy seeing wild animals in their natural environment, and it was quite apparent that these deer were quite at home here, even with all the tourists like us traveling about them.
As the darkness of night began to envelope the Pennsylvania countryside, we headed on down the highway toward West Chester and then into Delaware and our motel at New Castle, just southwest of Wilmington. We had wanted to visit the Brandywine Battlefield Park too, but the hour of the day required that we leave that for tomorrow.
Direct any observations or comments to Carolyn at:
Choppin.Carolyn@usa.net
