The following collection of records is from the Book "The Stockton
Family of
New Jersey and Other Stocktons" by Thomas Coates Stockton, M.D. of
San Diego, California, research records of Archibald Dick's Stockton of Roanoke,
Virginia, and research by Russell P. Stockton of Marietta, Georgia.
Other
collections of records are from various family members of the Stockton
Family
of Virginia and North Carolina. The Book "The Stockton Family
of New Jersey
and Other Stocktons" was copyrighted and printed in Washington, D.C.
by the
Carnahan Press in 1911 by Mrs. Thomas Coates Stockton in honor of her
late
husband who past away prior to its publication. As of this printing,
August
1, 1999, the Book and the following records of information are with
Russell
P. Stockton, 2187 Carlyle Drive, Marietta, Georgia 30062. His phone
number is 770-565-3347 and e-mail address is rpstockton@aol.com. The Book
is owned by Mr. Worth Bagley Stockton of Salem, Virginia and is on loan to Russell
P.Stockton.
INTRODUCTION
The name Stockton is derived from a place called Stockton. Lower's
Patronymica Britanica mentions eight towns, in eight different localities,
all so called, so that the name may have originated in several different
places. Mr. J.W. Stockton, in his History of the Stockton Family,
says; "The
Stocktons are of English extraction. The family, which in point of
descent
ranks with the most ancient in England, is styled de Stoctun in ancient
Latin
deeds. The family name is derived from two Saxon words, Stoc
and Tun. The
meaning of the word Stoc is "the stem or stock of a tree," "a place,"
and Tun
is a word signifying enclosure. When the Roman institutions had
been swept
away, there succeeded the feudal organization. Tenures of land
were then
completely free. Every considerable personage established himself
in his
domain with his family and retainers, and built himself a dwelling.
Evidently our ancestors who first settled at Stockton enclosed what
was then
all or in part a forest. This elucidates at once the naming of
Stockton
Manor, from which we our honored patronymic. When we think of
the
signification of the two Saxon words Stoc and Tun, we see at once how
appropriately this forest was named Stockton, and our ancestors de
Stockton.
"Surnames of families were originally a kind of titles. Those
which arose in
feudal times generally indicated a territorial standing. They
began to be
adopted in England during the reign of Edward the Confessor, but did
not
become general until the reign of Edward the Second, in the early part
of the
fourteenth century for previously the custom obtained, as among the
Hebrews
and Greeks, of calling a man the son of someone: as John, son of Richard
(Richardson)."
"In a pedigree of the Stockton family, in a history in the British Museum,
we
find that the name was written de Stoctun in primitive days, we find
that the
name was written Stockton. This is the only change the name has
undergone
during a period of at least eight hundred years, and this change is
merely
that caused by the English spelling of the original Saxon words."
"Long before Richard Stockton came to America, the Latin prefix "de"
which
the ancient distinction of the English nobility and which rightfully
belonged
to our long-descended family, had been modestly dropped."
It will be seen that those who bear the name may not necessarily be
of the
same ancestry, because it may be that each family in the different
localities
called Stockton assumed the name, and there were others not of our
ancestry
who have names nearly the same as Stockton, who have changed their
names to
Stockton. On the other hand, there are those of our ancestry
who, in effect,
have changed their name from Stockton by spelling it Stoughton; as,
for
instance, can be seen by an examination of the pedigree of Colonial
Governor
Stoughton, of Massachusetts, the donor of Stoughton Hall at Harvard
University, who was a descendant of Godwin de Stoctun.
Name-substitution has become so general in this country that it is quite
unsafe to infer the racial stock of American Families by their family
names.
In New England the Springfield Republican, in 1905, showed conclusively
how
many Irish settlers of New England had formally chosen New England
names, and
the Russian Jews are following hard after. There are also the
former slaves,
who have assumed the family names of their masters, including the slaves
freed by the Stockton family in New Jersey long previous to the Civil
War,
and whose descendants are now practically white. Back of such
actions, also,
one finds a good business reason, such as an anxiety to escape from
ridicule
based on the old names. In New York the courts have several times
recently
given notice of person's right to change his name without applying
to a
Judge, and on each occasion there has been public surprise. Recently
the New
York State Court of Appeals, in an insurance case, affirmed the right.
Even
in scriptural times names were changed, as when Saul became Paul or
Jacob
became Israel. Love of ancestry is potent influence against such
a coarse,
but is merely custom in these days that gives a man the name of his
father.
Middle names were once illegal and, as late as 1600, it is said there
were
only four persons in all England who had two given names. In
1620 the
Mayflower sailed for America, and there was not a man nor a woman on
board
who had a middle name. If the names of the signers of the Declaration
of
Independence be examined, it will be found that only three of them
had middle
names. Names that are derived from the original Saxon nouns that
have their
origin in the common objects of nature and human life, are general
very
ancient. Lincoln, for instance comes from the Saxon words Link and
Horn. The
word Link means "light." In primitive times a horn was scraped until
part of
its surface became transparent. With a light in it, it was called a
"linkhorn" (Lincoln). The Runnels, Brooks and Fishes show how
names were
early given by observation. Napoleon thought his name came from the
Greek
"Kalomeros," with the same meaning of "good part General Baden-Powell
explained in a Latin verse, after Mafeking, that his name meant "Ap-Joel".
Along our northern border French Canadian names are spelled by sound,
with
queer results, like "Forbare" for Faubert and "Lavake" for l'Eveque.
Traced
to their source names are often of strange origin.
Mr. J.W. Stockton, in his History of the Stockton Family, says, in regard
to
the family coat of Arms: "According to the opinions of Camden and other
high
authorities, hereditary arms of families were first introduced at the
beginning of the twelfth century. When numerous armies, consisting
of the
troops of many different nations, were engaged in expeditions to the
Holy
Land, they were obliged to adopt some ensign or mark, in order to marshal
the
vassals under the banner of their lord. The regulation of symbolic
bearings,
whereby they should be distinguished, was intrusted to the Heralds,
who made
use of living creature's trees, etc., as symbolical signs to distinguish
them
in war. In many cases these signs allude to the name of the bearer
and as
early as the year twelve hundred will find the Stockton arms which
very
evidently were granted in allusion to the family name. The arms
are
described in heraldic terms thus: Vert....three stock of trees raguly
and
erased, argent. Crest....a lion rampant supporting an Ionic pillar,
proper.
The heraldic terms used here may be correctly defined, thus: Shield....green.
Vert....Three stocks of trees shorn of their branches, silver.
Crest....lion of natural colors. These were the arms originally granted
to
the family; they were last borne by William, son of Owen Stockton,
and are
registered to him at the Herald's College.
"A second coat of arms was granted to the family, and this is the coat
of
arms which we inherit and which has been borne by our branch of the
family
during many centuries of its history in England and America.
These arms may
be seen in the frontispiece, and are described this: Gules. A chevron
vaire,
argent and azure, between three mullets or. Translated, this
would read:
Shield red, a chevron vaire, silver and blue, between three mullets,
gold."
"The chevron is an honorable ordinary, a term used to denote the simple
forms
which were first used as a heraldic distinctions, and therefore called
honorable ordinaries as conferring more honor than later inventions,
the
military chieftains of different countries alone being entitled to
his mark
of honor. The chevron is described as a figure representing the
gable of a
roof, and is a very ancient ordinary."
"Vaire is a kind of fur, formerly used as a lining for the garments
of
knights. It is represented in engravings by figures of small
bells ranged in
lines. Mullet comes from the French word molette, the rowel of
a spur."
"The crest is the highest part among the ornaments of a coat of arms.
Different crests are often assumed by different members of the same
family,
but the lion rampant, supporting the lonic pillar, is the only crest
registered to our family at the Herald's College."
"The motto of the Stockton family is "Omnia Deo Pendent" All Depends
On God.
The motto was generally founded upon the piety, loyalty, valor,
etc., of
the person to whom the arms were granted. Every motto has a history
and a
moral. Although chapters have be written on this one subject, nothing
could
be said of the motto itself. It is not comprised and included
in these three
words, and our ancestors whom first adopted this motto must have known
that
it would be perpetuated by his descendants. Had he written volumes
for
posterity, he could not have said more than is embraced in these words,
which
come down to us embalmed in a tongue that never varies. At first when
the
feudal system prevailed, none but military chieftains bore coats of
arms and
heraldic honors were confined to the nobility. This is not the
case
nowadays, and modern arms, or those granted after the War of the Roses,
are
very much confused.
"It is a mark of distinction as indicative of antiquity when armorial
bearings are without much ornamentation, as is the case with the arms
of the
Stockton family."
"Many volumes have been written on heraldry, and it would be filling
the
pages of this work to little purpose to enter upon an inquiry as to
the exact
signification of an art that has existed for centuries, and it is scarcely
necessary to remark that these honorable distinctions were so highly
prized
as to form the chief ornaments, not only of the habiliments of all
persons of
rank, but of the halls, palaces, and churches of England during the
many
centuries of her history. It is a common thing to see people
canting
heraldry or using coats of arms to which they have no right whatever;
but
when one comes honestly by a coat of arms, which has been used by the
family
to which it belongs for centuries, and when it is so invaluable as
a means of
keeping the trace of a family, it is perfectly right to make use of
it; and a
coat of arms is just as much man's property as his purse. At
the time of the
Crusades heraldry formed an eye language, and it will readily be seen
how
necessary symbols were for the purpose of discriminating individuals
when men
of many different nations, speaking in various tongues, were gathered
together under the leadership of one chief".
The coat of arms of the Stockton family of New Jersey was engraved on
the
silver that was brought over from England, and was buried at Princeton
at the
time of the Revolution, and is still in the possession of the family.
It is
also engraved on the case of a gold watch, made in London, that belonged
to
Richard Stockton(4) "The Signer," and now in the possession of the
family,
and there can be no doubt of connection between the Princeton family
and the
family of Malpas; for if not the Princeton family would never have
had right
to use the coat of arms on the silver brought over from England, because
these States were then English colonies, and, if it can be conceived
that a
man of the character of Richard Stockton would have done such a thing,
the
penalty for using the arms would have been severe. Some members
of the
Malpas family, as the records in the British Museum show, had moved
to
London, as Richard Stockton did, to America, and these arms were engraved
on
their tombstones in London, and it conclusive evidence that that family
was
originally of Malpas, as was the family of Richard Stockton which came
to
America.
The town of Malpas, which includes Stockton Hall, from which we get
our name,
possesses many features of historical interest. It is situated
in Cheshire
County on an elevation approximately twenty-six miles southeast of
the
ancient city of Chester, eight miles northwest of Whitchurch, five
miles west
of the Wales border, and one hundred and sixty-eight miles northwest
of
London. A Roman legion founded Chester on the River Dee in the
first century
A.D. It remained under Roman occupation until 410 AD when the
empire began
its fall. Chester reached its pinnacle as a bustling port in
the 13th and
14th centuries but declined following the gradual silting up of the
river.
While other walls of medieval cities of England were either torn down
or
badly fragmented, Chester still has two miles of fortified city walls
intact.
The main entrance into Chester is the East gate, which dates
only from the
18th century. Within the walls are half-timbered houses and shops,
although
not all of them date from Tudor days. Chester is unusual in that
some of its
builders used black and white timbered facades even during the Georgian
and
Victorian eras. Chester is a lovely old place to visit, if you
do not mind
the summer crowds who overrun the place. It has far more charm
and intimacy
than Liverpool or Manchester, and is one the most interesting medieval
cities
in England.
On my visit to Malpas on October 15, 1999, I noticed by its elevation
that
the Saint Oswald's Church of Malpas rises from the countryside and
is seen
from any direction. Malpas has aged gracefully over the years.
Malpas dates
to the medieval days and the streets of Malpas are very narrow and
in some
places only one line of traffic. Some of the homes and shops
date to the
14th century. Saint Oswald's Church of the Church of England
was built in
the second half of the 14th century on the site of an earlier Church.
The
earliest records of a Church on the site go back to 1285. When
the Church
was originally built, there were gabled roofs on the nave, each aisle
and the
chancel. The line of these gabled roofs can still be seen on
the end walls,
particularly above the tower arch. The pillars and the arches
of the nave
were much lower than at the present time, the exact height of these
pillars
can be seen on the north side of the chancel arch where the original
springer
is still visible. The Church was remodeled in the late 15th century
to bring
the building in line with newer developments of architecture and fashion,
but
primarily to provide large stained glass windows. The 14th century
Church
must have been very dark so the roofs were removed and the side walls
taken
down to about cill level. The walls were rebuilt with the present
windows.
The nave arcade was raised to its present height and the cherestory
added.
The only windows left untouched are those in the east walls of both
aisles
and the large west window of the tower. The present glass is
mainly of the
18th and 19th century, with the exception of two windows that consist
of 16th
and 17th century Flemish roundels and panels. The heightening
of the Church
necessitated the redesigning of the roof, therefore the splendid camber
beam
roofs of flat construction were built. These were extensively
restored and
gilded between 1957 and 1966. The pews in the Church date back
to the
1880's. They replaced the old box pews that were installed in
1680. Six of
these survived and are now placed at the back of the south aisle.
There are
two Chapels at the eastern end of the north and south aisles surrounded
by
early 16th century screen work. Preserved within each of these
Chapels are
fine alabaster monumental tombs. These tombs are, in date, a
hundred years
apart - 1522 and 1605. The Brereton monument on the south aisle
is the
earlier which depicts Sir Randal Brereton and his lady. The Cholmondely
monument on the north aisle is of Sir Hugh Cholmondely, who died in
1596, and
his second wife Mary.
Stockton Hall is located approximately four miles to the south of Saint
Oswald's Church. It was inherited by William de Stockton, who was the
last of
the main line of the male branch of the family, from his father, in
the year
1311. The direct line of this Stockton family terminated in an
heir female -
Isabella Stockton, daughter and heiress of William de Stockton.
Isabella
Stockton married Robert de Eaton and their descendant, John de Eaton,
had a
child named Johanna de Eaton. Johanna de Eaton became the wife
of Ralph
Grosvenor, Esquire, who received with her the Stockton Hall.
"Eaton Hall",
from the Eaton family became the seat of the Duke of Westminster.
Ormerod,
in his History of Cheshire, says that the Stockton Hall descended to
the late
Earl Grosvenor about the year 1789. Stockton Hall is now owned
and farmed by
the Jennings family.
Our interest centers in the Saint Oswald's Church in which there are
many of
the Stockton memorials. On the south wall next to the Sir Randal Brereton
monument about twelve feet up is a mural monument of freestone, and
ornamented with a cherub on each side, with wings gilded; below, a
death's
head with a branch of palm on each side, gilded. This shield
is oval,
convex. On it is this inscription:
In hopes of a blessed resurrection, near
this lyeth interred the body of John Stockton,
of Kiddington, in this county, Esquire, who changed
this life for a better, ye eighteenth day of October, in the
year of Lord God 1700, in ye 56th year of his age.
To his lamented loss for a time to come, his
mournful window consecrates this tomb.
Above are these:
Gules, a chevron vaire, argent and azure, between
three mullets, or: impaling, sinister aggent, apale sable (his wife's
arms)
This is the description given of this memorial in Ormerod's History
of
Cheshire, and considering its antiquity and that it is otherwise remarkable,
it will, no doubt be extremely interesting to the family.
The next memorial, which is still more ancient, is in capitals, on a
brass
plate on the south wall just to the left and below the mural monument
of
freestone. It reads:
HERE LYES BVRYED, OWEN
STOCKTON, GENT' , WHO DECES
SED THE SECOND DAY OF DECES
1610 AND JOHN STOCKTON HIS ELDEST SONN WHO DECESSED
EIGHTEENTH DAY OF IVN
1643
Here lies buried, Owen
Stockton, Gentleman, who deceased
this second day of December
1610, and John Stockton his eldest son who deceased
this eighteenth day of June
1643
On a larger brass plate just above on the same stone, is this inscription:
MEMORIAE SACRVM
STOCKTONVS PACIS SEMPER PLACIDISSIMVSAVTOR
SVB DVRO SITVS HIC MARMORE PACE FRVOR
AESTAS ILLAESA VIDVI TRICESIMA FAMA,
FLORENTEM SOBOLEM PATRE CADENTE VIDET
DISCEDES LACHRYMAS, QVOT PAX SIABITVRARELIQVI
COELO PACIFICIS PRAEMIA PACTA FERO
EVGENIO PATRI POSVIT FVGENIVS FILIVS
EVGENIO PATRI POSVIT FVGENIVS FILIVS
OBUT, 2 DIE DECEMBRIS ANNO DOMINI 1610
The Stockton Arms, a chevron vaire, argent and azure between three mullets
is
also indicated on the bottom of the blass plate. The following
is a
translation of the Latin inscription:
In Memorium Sacrum.
I, Stocktonus, every a most gentle promoter of peace,
here laid under the hard marble, enjoy peace.
The thirtieth year of me bereft (by death of his wife),
of an unblemished reputation, sees my offspring flourishing,
my father dead departing, I have left behind me as many tears as though
peace were about to leave (this earth).
I obtain the promised reward in the peaceful Heavens.
The son well-born has erected this to the father well-born
(who) died December 2, A.D. 1610.
To visit the Parish of Malpas and the Saint Oswald's Church is well
worth the
trip. Our family heritage came from these lands. I met
and elderly
gentlemen and his wife in Whitchurch who was a Stockton and he told
me that
many Stockton families still live in the area.
Another Stockton memorial not related to the Saint Oswald's Church is
that to
Sir John Stockton, Lord Mayor of London 1470-1471. Arms, a chevron
vaire,
between three mullets. He was buried at St. Pancras Church, London.
After
the great fire of 1666, St. Pancras was not rebuilt. There are
no tombs or
graves existing there now. Sir John Stockton was the son of Richard
Stockton.
He was knighted in the field by King Edward IV. Our family
arms are
registered to him in the College of Arms in London. Prior to 1800 the
Lord
Mayors of London took rank after the King. Now the honor is a
civic one and
conveys a less social position.
There is an ancient memorial in a church at Cookham, in Berkshire, to
sir
Edward Stockton, who was vicar of that parish and who was engaged in
one of
the expeditions to the Holy Land. It reads:
Sacred to ye memory of
Sir Edward Stockton, Pylgrym of Jerusalem
and canon, possessed of the house of
Our Lady at Gisborough.
The family coat of arms may be seen in the frontispiece. It serves
to
identify these entitled to it as members of the Stockton Family of
Flushing,
Long Island, New York, Burlington and Princeton, New Jersey, Kernersville,
North Carolina, and Front Royal and Roanoke, Virginia. As descendants
of the
first Richard Stockton, of Flushing, Long Island, New York, distinguishing
them from other Stocktons not known to be related to him, and those
who have
changed their names to Stockton, and the vast number shown in the Appendix
of
this History who certainly would not be entitled to use the Coat of
Arms.
There are at this time, in the United States, twenty-one towns named
Stockton. The most important of these is the city of Stockton,
in the great
San Joaquin Valley, in California, which was named for Commodore Robert
Stockton(6). It has become one of the most important manufacturing
and
distributing centers on the Pacific coast. The city of San Francisco
named
one of its principal streets for Commodore Robert Stockton(6), and
there is a
memorial window in his memory in St. Peter's Chapel, Mare Island Navy
Yard.
Also, there is a massive bronze tablet on the wall of the rotunda of
the New
National Museum in Washington, DC. In commemoration of an incident
in
connection with the conquest of California, showing Lieutenant Edward
F.
Beale and the famous scout, Kit Carson, signaling, from land
Commodore
Robert Stockton(6)'s flagship riding at anchor in San Diego harbor.
Stockton Harbor, Maine, could accommodate the naval fleet of the nation.
It
seems a far cry from the town of Stockton, Maine, to Stockton, California.
You may arise with the sun in the morning at Stockton Harbor, Maine,
on the
extreme eastern coast of the continent, and follow the sun three thousand
miles across the continent to see it set at San Francisco's Goldern
Gate, not
far from Stockton, California.
While the record of the New Jersey Stocktons is exceptional, it remains
to be
added that the record of their descendants in other states is equally
honorable. Like most vigorous American stocks, the New Jersey
family as sent
its sons for generously into the tide of westward emigration, to form
part of
the bone and sinew of the great American pioneer movement; and while
the hard
conditions of pioneer days have sometimes obscured their talents for
a time,
yet the inborn love of learning and their determination to rise have
soon
asserted themselves.
They have produced ministers, teachers, lawyers, and physicians of eminence
and devotion. The history of the South Eastern, Middle Western, the
Northwestern, and the far Western states can not be written without
including
some of the achievements of the descendants of Richard Stockton(1).
This document will service to preserve a few fragments of this kind
of
records and a study of them ought to strengthen in the breast of every
young
man and woman in whose veins Stockton blood flows, a determination
to
be
worthy such examples.
PREFACE
The Adams families of Massachusetts, the Jay families of New York, and
the
Stockton Families of New Jersey, are some of the families that have
been
prominent in America continuously for nearly three hundred years.
As
illustrative of the interest manifested by the public in the Stockton
Family,
here follows a news item that was first printed in a New York publication
sometime in the late 1800's and copied extensively throughout the entire
country:
______________________________
In the seven hundred years that history shows that the Stocktons have
been in
public life in England and America, the family has produced men of
marked
ability, who have held many offices of distinction. Whether under the
crown
of England or the bald eagle of America, it has been distinctively
a family
of public servants. It is probable no other family in America
can show such
a marked family characteristic or boast of such a continuous heritage
of
greatness.
It has produced in the seven centuries crusaders, knights, a Lord Mayor
of
London, Judges, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, naval
and
military heroes, United States Senators, diplomats who won honors in
many
Countries, cabinet officers, Congressmen, Governors, a state Comptroller,
a
Secretary of State, an Attorney-General, and statesmen who were active
in
National and State conventions for a century.
As this composition deals more with the past rather than the future,
some
historic facts must be discussed; but as much of it is now dragged
from dark
corners for the first time and concerns a family whose connections
are found
in every social center of this country, the mustiness of some of the
facts
will acquire a flavor at all academic.
FROM ANCIENT TOMBSTONES
There are times when the quoting of ancient history is warranted,
particularly to prove a statement of such a character as is named in
connection with the Stockton Family. Even with the history studied
from
tombstones in uncanny fragments, it is not a dull recital, for it tells
the
story of an ambition acquire the remotest past and continued for centuries.
One memorial in London tells the fact that Right Honorable John Stockton
was
Lord Mayor of London in 1470 and in 1471. His bones lie in the
old St.
Pancras Churchyard, now on Queen Street, Cheapside, in the city of
London. It
is now a deserted graveyard. In those days the Lord Mayor of
London took
rank after the King. He was the son of Richard Stockton, who
was knighted on
the field by King Edward IV.
Another memorial recites that Sir Edward Stockton was vicar of the Church
at
Cookham, Berkshire, and that he was a leader in one of the early expeditions
to the Holy Land.
A memorial to John Stockton, of Kiddington, Chester, England, who died
on
June 13, 1643, says that he was an "Esquire," while that of Owen Stockton
his
father, of Baherseam, Surry, England, who died December 2, 1610, tells
posterity that he was a "gentleman."
One of the ancestry of the present Stockton family was John Stockton
who died
in 1610. The stone over his bones is inscribed in Latin and the
last
paragraph is significant:
Eugenio patri posuit. Eugenius filius, obiit 2 die Decembris, Anno Domini
1610. "The son, well-born, has erected this to the father, well-born
(who)
died December 2, A.D. 1610."
The Stockton ancestors were anciently lords of the Manor of Stockton,
which
they held under the barony of Malpas. The Stockton township is in the
Parish
Malpas, Cheshire, England. Registers of baptisms are from 1561
- 1948,
marriages 1561 - 1987 and burials 1561 - 1905. It includes the
hamlet of
Oldcastle Health and the St. Osward Church. It was originally
a forest,
enclosed by the original Stocktons, in feudal times; hence the name,
consisting of two Saxon words: Stoc, a place. And Tun, an enclosure.
It is
known that David de Stockton inherited the Manor of Stockton from his
father
in 1250. The "de in the surname indicated their nobility and prominence.
The beginning of the family in America was with Richard Stockton(1),
who was
the son of Richard (Randal) Stockton, of the Parish of Malpas, who
was the
son of John Stockton, of Kiddington, Chester, England, who was the
son of
John Stockton, of Nalpas, Chester, Cheshire, England. Why he came to
America
is not made clear. He did not come poorly. In recording
the fact that he
settled at Flushing, Long Island, in 1670, a family writer says he
"possessed
an opulent fortune". Just how much, no records disclose; but
men with almost
any kind of fortune in those days had great advantages, for real money
went
far in the purchase of real estate and personal goods.
Richard Stockton(1) was appointed a Lieutenant of Horse, of Flushing,
under
the King, 1665. This began the direct line of office-holding by the
family in
America,
This Richard Stockton(1) tarried on Long Island a few years and then
went to
Burlington, New Jersey. The city of Burlington was Northeast
of Philadelphia
and Southeast of Trenton. The area around the city of Burlington
later
became Burlington County, New Jersey. He was attracted there
because he had
become a Quaker, and the Society of Friends in that locality was numerous
and
influential. The Stocktons of Burlington are as numerous as the
tribe of
Asher.
Richard Stockton(2), his son, did not go to Burlington, but located
at
Princeton, New Jersey, where he acquired six thousand acres of land,
which is
now the site of the Princeton University and the town proper.
OWNED THE SITE OF PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
It was a propitious move on the part of Richard Stockton(2) to settle
in the
classical town of Princeton, which was at that time not Princeton,
but Stony
Brook. He acquired this track of land by a grant from William
Penn. It was
a good-sized track; for, even when the subdivisions were made later
on, there
was plenty for each of the boys among whom it was divided. In
his grant was
the land on which the Princeton University buildings now stand, and
even that
on which the famous Princeton Inn is located. The Stocktons owned the
better
part of what is now Princeton, New Jersey. Richard Stockton(2)
became a
Justice under the King and as far as is known, was the first of the
distinguished line to hold the office of Justice, which in those days
was one
of honor and trust.
