Clinton Township Newsletter

2 0 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com N e w J e r s e y a n d s p e c i f i c a l l y , H u n t e r d o n County, played a significant part in our war of Independence from Great Britain. By some estimates 30 percent of the skirmishes and battles fought were in New Jersey, including the Battles of Trenton, Monmouth and Princeton. There was a minor skirmish known as the Flemington Raid fought by British Cavalry and Captain Schenk's Militia, during which the British Coronet Francis Geary was killed and was then buried near Geary's Ridge Road. Half of the American Army that fought at the battle of Trenton on December 25, 1776 marched t h r o u g h C l i n t o n T o w n s h i p on their way to join General W a s h i n g t o n . T h e s e t r o o p s , commanded by General Charles Lee, started the march from Westchester County, NY and crossed the Hudson on December second and third. They passed through Pompton, Chatham a n d M o r r i s t o w n o n D e c e m b e r fifth, sixth and seventh, and camped at Vealtown (Bernardsville) on the thirteenth. Lee repaired to White's Tavern in Basking Ridge while his second in command, J o h n S u l l i v a n o f N e w H a m p s h i r e , proceeded to Pluckemin, expecting Lee to join them. However, local Tories tipped off the British as to Lee's location and eighty British Light Dragoons, commanded by Banastre Tarleton, rode up from Hopewell and captured Lee in a raid. Sullivan was informed of Lee's capture – at this point command of the American force passed to Sullivan. On December 14 the division marched forward to Germantown (Oldwick) and lodged in the woods. Here the inhabitants refused to provide hay to the army, so the army then marched up Potterstown Road to the junction of the Easton Turnpike (Route 22), the only east/ west road in the area, camping in Potterstown on the 15th (in the vicinity of the Spinning Wheel Diner). The locals here were friendly, providing food to approximately 70 officers and soldiers. The British Army at this time was encamped at Bound Brook (near where Patriot Stadium is located today) and were expected to pursue the colonial force. On the morning of the sixteenth, the army marched up the Easton Turnpike through Annandale, crossing the wooden bridge in Clinton (then known as Hoff's) and over Jugtown Mountain, via what is known today as Route 173, through Bloomsbury to Phillipsburg. Subsequently, Sullivan's column formed the right wing of the American attack on Trenton on Christmas Day, 1776. The overwhelming triumph at Trenton and the ensuing victory at Princeton sent American morale soaring, becoming a turning point in the war. T h e D a u g h t e r s o f t h e A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n (DAR), Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and Sons o f t h e R e v o l u t i o n ( S R ) a r e g e n e a l o g i c a l g r o u p s whose members are direct d e s c e n d a n t s o f p a t r i o t s t h a t p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e Revolution. The DAR and SAR members have ancestors that were soldiers, sailors, marines or civilian participants in the war, while SR membership is limited to those whose ancestors were in the armed forces. n c l i n t o n t o w n S H i p H i S t o r i c p r e S e r v a t i o n c o m m i S S i o n "Getting to Know your Township – A Historical Perspective – Sullivan's Army" B y J e s s L a n d o n For information on these groups and related genealogical information, please check their web pages or contact the local chapters. National DAR webpage: dar.org, local njdar.org Old White House-General Frelinghuysen-Colonel Lowrey DAR: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njdar/OldWhitehouse-GenFrelinghuysen-ColLowrey/ National SAR webpage: sar.org, local njssar.org National SR webpage: sr1776.org, local srnj.org Hi, my name is Tara Sangal and recently I went on a self-fly safari with my Dad to South Africa and Botswana. In all we experienced three lodges, one hotel and one campout event. The first lodge we went to was called Mashatu. Mashatu was my favorite place because of the lodge itself, the variety of animals we saw on the game drive and the overall service and food. The next place we flew to was the Salt Pans. Here is the campout thing. This place was also super-cool because you camp out on a lake. Did I mention the lake was dried out? All that was left was salt that crinkled as you walked on it. It was also really cool in the salt pans because we could see the Milky Way. In America you can't see as many stars as in Africa because of light pollution. On Monday and Tuesday we didn't do much while my Dad got his African license, and on Tuesday we had our final briefing. Wednesday was hectic – I mean very hectic – so we'll start at the beginning. We woke up at 6 in the morning since we had to finish packing and get ready for a very long day. After we got ready, we went downstairs to gulp down some food since we knew we wouldn't get any food for at least 7 hours. Nick met us to go to the airport where our valiant steed was waiting for us. aka, a Cessna 182. It was a long process. Seriously, I had to wait inside the airport until my Dad and Nick had finished preparing the plane. I really am not sure of what they call "preparing" because they were packing the plane for about half an hour, and then after that my Dad and I had to do another 30 minutes of packing. It really was no big deal, though. I will spare you the details of the flight because there really were no surprises (which is a good thing on a small plane ride). I fell asleep almost instantly, although I do remember the plane. We reached Limpopo Valley, Botswana in just under two hours. For me it wasn't bad because I was asleep the whole time, but I guess for my Dad it was a little hard. The thing is that my Dad enjoys flying so it was fun for him. Anyway, a very friendly man greeted us. He led us into the airport for immigration and customs. After that I got my first view of the "vehicle" It was called this because it wasn't a car, or a truck, or a bus, it was just… half a vehicle with an extra two layers where people could sit. It was completely open so air rushes into your face. I learned the hard way not to keep my m o u t h o p e n o n these things. I tasted a couple gnats and mini fly things for the first time. That really was the experience of a lifetime. Yeah, sure! On our first game drive we went with two guides. One was named Jakes and the other one was named Okay. We really thought we hit the jackpot because we saw: Zebras, Giraffes, Warthogs, Impalas, Kudus, Birds, Elephants and Wildebeests! We soon learned that this was just the usual, like seeing deer in Hunterdon County. We went looking for a leopard because supposedly he was in the area and another vehicle had seen it. Unfortunately we weren't so lucky. The next day was spectacular. Imagine an 800-pound elephant just three steps away from you! That was our experience, and it was amazing. The following day we left for the Salt Pans. In a nutshell, we saw super cute meerkats, had s'mores, and learned that not everything is about taking pictures but sometimes to appreciate the beauty of the smells and textures around you. –Tara Sangal, Grade 7, CTMS t a r a S a n g a l ' S g r e a t a d v e n t u r e Chabad of Hunterdon County's Teen Network, CTeen, selected local High School students to serve on its executive board. Naomi Benenson (of Tewksbury) a freshman at Voorhees High School, has been appointed as CTeen's new Social Media Director. Naomi looks forward to the many opportunities that lay ahead. No stranger to the big stage, Naomi developed an app called "wish2wish" recently that aims to spread social action in local communities. She was "Clara" in The Nutcracker at Radio City Holiday Spectacular in New York City and is a competitive dancer. "I look forward to contribute my knowledge of social media and technology and share my excitement with the community." Jeremy Samoun (of Flemington) a junior at Hunterdon Central, was nominated as CTeen Vice President and Kirsten Bashford (of Pittstown) a senior at Del-Val, as President. CTeen teaches critical leadership skills by putting power in the hands of the teens themselves. Through creative thinking, social responsibility and community engagement, CTeen provides Hunterdon County teens a unique opportunity to create and implement community service initiatives and charity fundraisers. On Sunday, August 30, CTeen of Hunterdon will have its Kickoff regional event at Fireball Mountain Outdoor Laser Tag. Cteen peers from around New Jersey will join together for an afternoon of fun and camaraderie followed by a grand BBQ. For more about CTeen, please visit: www.jewishhunterdon.com/cteen, e-mail cteen@jewishhunterdon.com or call 908.238.9010. y o u n g S o c i a l m e d i a e n t r e p r e n e u r J o i n S c H a B a d t e e n n e t w o r k , c t e e n !

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