Farming in Brielle
By 1750, farming was one of the principal industries in Monmouth County. A thriving coastal trade also developed as the local farmers would send their produce to New York, Philadelphia, and New England, and the ships returned with the mail and products that the local merchants and farmers needed. The Manasquan River, with its excellent access to the Atlantic Ocean and close proximity to the rich farmlands of southern Monmouth County, quickly became a focal point for coastal trade for Monmouth County.
Brielle’s location on the Manasquan River made it a logical place to locate a landing or dock for the transaction of coastal trade. “The Landing” or “Union Landing,” as Brielle was known in the early 1800s, emerged as a farming community located around the dock on the Manasquan River. As a result, many of the first settlers of Brielle were farmers, sea captains, and ship builders, and some combined farming with coastal trade.
In the early 1800s, “Union Landing” consisted of a few large farms owned by Deric Longstreet, Abraham Osborn, Samuel Allen, John M. Brown, James H. Green, James Rankin and Hank Voorhees. Highlights of these early farmers and sea captains abound.
Dirck Stoffelse Langstraat (Deric Longstreet), who was from Holland, is thought to be the earliest white settler in what is now Brielle, settling in the area in the late 1600s. The Longstreet farm was on the north side of Union Lane (Curtis House side) and extended up to state Route 70. During the Revolutionary War, Deric Longstreet owned practically all the land in this area except for the Green and Voorhees tracts. During the Revolutionary War, some of the Longstreet men were active in the rebel side of the conflict. However, as often happened during this conflict, Deric Longstreet, who built “Boxwood Cottage” on Union Lane, one of the oldest existing homes in Brielle, was believed to have been a Tory. Many Longstreets lived in Brielle over the years. Their family burial ground once stood near the intersection of Rankin and School House roads.
The Osborn family, originally from England, was also one of the earliest in the area. The Osborns are believed to have settled here in the early 1700s. Through a grant, Samuel Osborn obtained extensive land holdings in the area on both sides of the Manasquan River. Samuel’s original farmhouse was located near the northern end of the Long Bridge (precursor to the current Route 70 bridge) over the Manasquan River and is now a restaurant called Harpoon Willy’s. His son, Abraham, who succeeded him, entered the military during the summer of 1776 and served as a lieutenant during the Revolutionary War. Around 1780, Abraham and his wife Elizabeth built a brick house that is now part of the Manasquan River Golf Club’s clubhouse.
Upon Abraham’s death, his son Samuel Osborn II inherited the share of the farm on what is now the golf course. James, one of his other sons, inherited the share of the farm to the west that includes the “Osborn Family Burial Ground” on Holly Hill Drive. James’s home is located at 915 Riverview Drive. Another son, Abraham Osborn II, was left the part of the farm on Osprey Point off Riverview Drive. Abraham II also owned Osborn Island or Nienstedt Island as it currently known.
David Allen moved to the area around 1740 and acquired a large tract on the north bank of the Manasquan River, mainly upriver from the Osborn property. His son Samuel inherited his father’s property. Samuel’s oldest son was also named Samuel. Young Samuel, who was named a Captain in the rebel army, was put in charge of the “home guard”, which was a group of volunteers that protected area residents during the Revolutionary War.
Captain Sam Allen and Lieutenant Abraham (Osborne II?) together had many exciting and dangerous encounters with the British during the war, on both land and sea. During the war Captain Allen executed a group of Tories whose leader took part in the execution of rebel Captain Joshua Huddy, who had led his men at the Block House Battle on the banks of the Toms River on March 24, 1782 and after whom Huddy Park in Toms River is named. A monument now stands on state Route 70 where the tree stood from which the Tories were executed. After the war, Captain Allen returned to the area to manage his farm.
Captain John Maxon Brown was born in 1808 at Union Landing, the son of William Brown, a leading shipbuilder on the Manasquan River. The men of the family were all sea captains. Captain John Brown was also the wreck master of this section of the coast for 40 years. Captain Brown married Mary Pearce in 1830.
The John M. Brown farm was on the south side of Union Lane, and the original homestead is now 407 Union Lane. This was a sizable farm and took in a large riverfront. The cow pasture is now Greenwood Cemetery. He also built a large home on the riverfront that was later converted into a hotel called The Union House in 1850. His daughter Adelaide married Henry Wainwright, and they managed the Union House hotel when Captain Brown retired. They added a general store and the area’s first post office to the hotel in 1888. The hotel was a very popular spot where many famous people stayed, including Robert Louis Stevenson. The hotel burned down in 1914.
James Henry Green was born in 1808 into a family who were seamen and sea captains. Captain Henry, as he was usually called, owned and sailed three schooners: “Glide,” “Banner” and “Bound.” Both of his sons – William Henry and James Edward – became sea captains sailing the “Sunlight”, “Rhoda Holmes”, “Charles Noble Simmons”, and “Gracie D. Chambers”. He also owned the farm that was on the north side of Union Lane, and south of Homestead Road, which extended to Debbie’s Creek. This section of land from Union Lane to Debbie’s Creek was called “Green Point.”
In 1829, Captain Henry married Sarah Jane Adelaide Leslie, and settled on their property in their homestead at 620 Green Avenue. Around 1850, Captain Henry sold the area around the present Crescent Drive to Samuel Hanaway, a local boat builder. This area then became known as Hanaway Point. His homestead is 4 Crescent Drive. Samuel Hanaway subsequently sold Hanaway Point to the Brielle Land Association in 1881, who subdivided the land into building lots.
Two other farms of note in Brielle were the James Rankin and Hank Voorhees farms. The Rankin farm took in all the property adjacent to Rankin Road on the south side (Elementary school side) of Union Lane. This farm extended from state Route 70 to the riverfront. The Hank Voorhees farm took in property around Woodland, Fisk and Magnolia Avenues, and extended from the Glimmer Glass to state Route 71. The old homestead is on the corner of Park Avenue and state Route 71.
As described in this recounting of the early days of Brielle, farms and farmers were the early pillars of Brielle, and because of the town’s key location on the Manasquan River, many combined farming with seafaring activities. In addition to being local farmers, many of the members of the prominent local families, like the Allens, Osborns, and Longstreets, played important roles in the fight for independence from the British.
- Union Landing Historical Society of Brielle