Edward Ball group member Andy Miller had written:
" Has anyone found any published records for the churches in Elizabethtown and the Oranges? I've found the books which were published for Morristown and Hanover, including their church records, but have been searching in vain for a book with the records of the Oranges and Elizabethtown. Somebody, please point me in the right direction if you know where to find them... "I've been looking for Searing information in the wider Elizabethtown area (Elizabeth, Lyons Farms, Connecticut Farms, Springfield) for a while, and this is what I know about church records:
The First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown (meetinghouse built in 1724) was burned down by a raiding party of British in January 1780 (with all its records.) The same goes for the other church in Elizabethtown, St. John's (Anglican). There is a book listing tombstone inscriptions for both churches that you can get (I did) via inter-library loan.
There was a an old Presbyterian church in Connecticut Farms from about 1730-40, and another in Springfield, but both of these were burned down by the British in June 1780, on their way back from Morristown. This is around the same time that Rev. Caldwell's wife was murdered. There is a small cemetery in Union (Connecticut Farms) and the Union Library can help you get copies of pages from a transcript they have of the tombstones. There is also a small old cemetery in Springfield, but the Springfield library does not have any transcripts of the stones and I don't know who does.
William Nelson did "Volume 22, Marriage Records, of that Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey", series. He says, "the following records of New Jersey churches have been published" and there follows a list of churches, only two of which pertain to the Elizabethtown area:
- Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in the Burying Grounds of the First Presbyterian Church and St. John's Church. New Haven CT 1893. (referred to above)
- "Lyons Farm Baptist - proceedings, baptisms, marriages, 1769-1801." Proceedings N J historical society, third series.
A bit farther west, the Scotch Plains Baptist Church had records 1758-1761 (??) and they are listed in Nelson's own book beginning page 647. Nelson's book has marriage license records (very, very incomplete, considered unnecessary by much of the population.)
A bit south but still in the same general wider area, there was the old Presbyterian Church in Westfield. The Genealogical Society of the West Fields, at the Westfield Memorial Library, can look the records up for you. (I found my GGG grandfather James Searing's 1807 marriage record there.)
I haven't done anything in the Oranges, but I see in Nelson's list of old churches, Orange Presbyterian 1719. Under published church records, he lists Orange Presbyterian - baptisms 1756-62, 1765-84; in "History of the Oranges", by Stephen Wickes M.D., Newark, NJ - date blurred by photocopier, maybe 1892.He also lists Morristown and Hanover records, which I believe you have. Are you still doing lookups in the First Presbyterian Church of Morristown book? I do have Searings in Morris County. Samuel Searing died in Morristown in 1768 (his will). A James Searing of Morristown or Morris County rode escort for the Committee of Safety in the Revolutionary War, and a James Sering was on the ratables in 1771. After the Revolutionary War a whole Searing group went to Morris County. So there's a good chance you might find something.
Looking forward to hearing from you when my turn comes to be looked up!
Cindy Hughes - lucinder@moon.jic.com
Note:Ball's buried at Union, Union Co., NJ Presb. Church from LDS records. I have two numbers listed here. The first in pencil (all my notes are in pencil on the 3 pages) is 016542 and the other number in pen "Union, Union Co., NJ. Film 3750 - Cem." This is dated in felt marker July 1980 which is when I obtained the information. Since this is only a partial list and these pages of looseleaf paper contain some of my Johnson and Lyon family members that I need to keep them.Michel Platt-Metford - simunye@bigfoot.com
- David Ball 26 Nov 1783-11 Jan 1862
- Aaron Ball D. 23 Sept 1752, age 39 years
- Edward Ball D. 26 April 1815, aged 59 years
- Esther, wife of Edward D. 26 Feb 1819, aged 62
- Timothy Ball D 27 March 1828 age 70
- Ball, Mary, Wife of Timothy, died 28 May 1816, age 56
- Ball, Mary Brown, wife of Andrew D 20 June 1849, age 29
- Private Timothy Ball 1 of 72 soldiers buried in cem.
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