The Fords of New Jersey: Power Family During America's Founding by Jude M. Pfister

Author:Jude M. Pfister [Pfister, Jude M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, Middle Atlantic (DC; DE; MD; NJ; NY; PA)
ISBN: 9781625842367
Google: x792CQAAQBAJ
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2010-12-01T04:55:12+00:00

Thomas and Mercy Millidge’s signatures on document pertaining to land purchase with Jacob Ford Jr. Morristown National Historical Park.

Indenture between John Salmon and Jacob Ford Jr., listing Ford Jr. as high sheriff of Morris County, circa 1766. Morristown National Historical Park.

Shortly before the end of 1766, Ford Jr. entered into another purchase, this time with John Salmon. Dated December 29, 1766, Ford Jr., who is referred to as “High Sheriff of the County of Morris,” bought 126 acres for £500. This property begins “at an old stooping chestnut tree” and was further identified by a “small black oak.” What is interesting about this purchase were the circumstances around the deal and the caveat closing the sale.

John Salmon was sued by John Soward and lost the case. Salmon had been in the custody of the high sheriff (Ford Jr.) and apparently was released by Ford Jr.’s agreement to purchase 126 acres for £500. Whether Ford Jr. and Salmon knew each other or what exactly motivated Ford Jr. is not clear. Was Ford Jr. in the habit of buying “distressed properties” as it were, given his position as high sheriff? Probably not, and there is no doubt some reasonable explanation to complete the whole story; the surviving record does not indicate what though. The incident does show, however, how almost communal the approach to property sales could be at the time.

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