the quaker colonies-第24章

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The　leading　early　families　of　Cape　May；　the　Townsends；　Stillwells；　Corsons；　Leamings；　Ludlams；　Spicers；　and　Cresses；　many　of　whose　descendants　still　live　there；　were　Quakers　of　the　Long　Island　strain。　The　ancestor　of　the　Townsend　family　came　to　Cape　May　because　he　had　been　imprisoned　and　fined　and　threatened　with　worse　under　the　New　York　government　for　assisting　his　fellow　Quakers　to　hold　meetings。　Probably　the　occasional　severity　of　the　administration　of　the　New　York　laws　against　Quakers；　which　were　the　same　as　those　of　England；　had　as　much　to　do　as　had　the　whales　with　the　migration　to　Cape　May。　This　Quaker　civilization　extended　from　Cape　May　up　as　far　as　Great　Egg　Harbor　where　the　Great　Cedar　Swamp　joined　the　seashore。　Quaker　meeting　houses　were　built　at　Cape　May；　Galloway；　Tuckahoe；　and　Great　Egg。　All　have　been　abandoned　and　the　buildings　themselves　have　disappeared；　except　that　of　the　Cape　May　meeting；　called　the　Old　Cedar　Meeting；　at　Seaville；　and　it　has　no　congregation。　The　building　is　kept　in　repair　by　members　of　the　Society　from　other　places。

Besides　the　Quakers；　Cape　May　included　a　number　of　New　Haven　people；　the　first　of　whom　came　there　as　early　as　1640　under　the　leadership　of　George　Lamberton　and　Captain　Turner；　seeking　profit　in　whale　fishing。　They　were　not　driven　out　by　the　Dutch　and　Swedes；　as　happened　to　their　companions　who　attempted　to　settle　higher　up　the　river　at　Salem　and　the　Schuylkill。　About　one…fifth　of　the　old　family　names　of　Cape　May　and　New　Haven　are　similar；　and　there　is　supposed　to　be　not　a　little　New　England　blood　not　only　in　Cape　May　but　in　the　neighboring　counties　of　Cumberland　and　Salem。　While　the　first　New　Haven　whalers　came　to　Cape　May　in　1640；　it　is　probable　that　for　a　long　time　they　only　sheltered　their　vessels　there；　and　none　of　them　became　permanent　settlers　until　about　1685。

Scandinavians　contributed　another　element　to　the　population　of　the　Cape　May　region。　Very　little　is　definitely　known　about　this　settlement；　but　the　Swedish　names　in　Cape　May　and　Cumberland　counties　seem　to　indicate　a　migration　of　Scandinavians　from　Wilmington　and　Tinicum。

Great　Egg　Harbor；　which　formed　the　northern　part　of　the　Cape　May　settlement；　was　named　from　the　immense　numbers　of　wild　fowl；　swans；　ducks；　and　water　birds　that　formerly　nested　there　every　summer　and　have　now　been　driven　to　Canada　or　beyond。　Little　Egg　Harbor　farther　up　the　coast　was　named　for　the　same　reason　as　well　as　Egg　Island；　of　three　hundred　acres　in　Delaware　Bay；　since　then　eaten　away　by　the　tide。　The　people　of　the　district　had　excellent　living　from　the　eggs　as　well　as　from　the　plentiful　fowl；　fish；　and　oysters。

Some　farming　was　done　by　the　inhabitants　of　Cape　May；　and　many　cattle；　marked　with　brands　but　in　a　half　wild　state；　were　kept　out　on　the　uninhabited　beaches　which　have　now　become　seaside　summer　cities。　Some　of　the　cattle　were　still　running　wild　on　the　beaches　down　to　the　time　of　the　Civil　War。　The　settlers　〃mined〃　the　valuable　white　cedar　from　the　swamps　for　shingles　and　boards；　leaving　great　〃pool　holes〃　in　the　swamps　which　even　today　sometimes　trap　the　unwary　sportsman。　The　women　knitted　innumerable　mittens　and　also　made　wampum　or　Indian　money　from　the　clam　and　oyster　shells；　an　important　means　of　exchange　in　the　Indian　trade　all　over　the　colonies；　and　even　to　some　extent　among　the　colonists　themselves。　The　Cape　May　people　built　sloops　for　carrying　the　white　cedar；　the　mittens；　oysters；　and　wampum　to　the　outside　world。　They　sold　a　great　deal　of　their　cedar　in　Long　Island；　Rhode　Island；　and　Connecticut。　Philadelphia　finally　became　their　market　for　oysters　and　also　for　lumber；　corn；　and　the　whalebone　and　oil。　Their　sloops　also　traded　to　the　southern　colonies　and　even　to　the　West　Indies。

They　were　an　interesting　little　community；　these　Cape　May　people；　very　isolated　and　dependent　on　the　water　and　on　their　boats；　for　they　were　completely　cut　off　by　the　Great　Cedar　Swamp　which　stretched　across　the　point　and　separated　them　from　the　rest　of　the　coast。　This　troublesome　swamp　was　not　bridged　for　many　years；　and　even　then　the　roads　to　it　were　long；　slow；　and　too　sandy　for　transporting　anything　of　much　bulk。

Next　above　Cape　May　on　the　coast　was　another　isolated　patch　of　civilization　which；　while　not　an　island；　was　nevertheless　cut　off　on　the　south　by　Great　Egg　Harbor　with　its　river　and　marshes；　and　on　the　north　by　Little　Egg　Harbor　with　the　Mullica　River　and　its　marshes　extending　far　inland。　The　people　in　this　district　also　lived　somewhat　to　themselves。　To　the　north　lay　the　district　which　extended　to　Sandy　Hook；　also　with　its　distinct　set　of　people。

The　people　of　the　Cape　became　in　colonial　times　clever　traders　in　various　pursuits。　Although　in　one　sense　they　were　as　isolated　as　islanders；　their　adventurous　life　on　the　sea　gave　them　breadth　of　view。　By　their　thrift　and　in　innumerable　shrewd　and　persistent　ways　they　amassed　competencies　and　estates　for　their　families。　Aaron　Leaming；　for　example；　who　died　in　1780；　left　an　estate　of　nearly　1；000；000。　Some　kept　diaries　which　have　become　historically　valuable　in　showing　not　only　their　history　but　their　good　education　and　the　peculiar　cast　of　their　mind　for　keen　trading　as　well　as　their　rigid　economy　and　integrity。

One　character；　Jacob　Spicer；　a　prosperous　colonial；　insisted　on　having　everything　made　at　home　by　his　sons　and　daughtersshoes；　clothes；　leather　breeches；　wampum；　even　shoe　threadcalculating　the　cost　of　everything　to　a　fraction　and　economizing　to　the　last　penny　of　money　and　the　last　second　of　time。　Yet　in　the　course　of　a　year　he　used　〃fifty…two　gallons　of　rum；　ten　of　wine；　and　two　barrels　of　cyder。〃　Apparently　in　those　days　hard　labor　and　hard　drinking　went　well　together。

The　Cape　May　people；　relying　almost　entirely　on　the　water　for　communication　and　trade；　soon　took　to　piloting　vessels　in　the　Delaware　River；　and　some　of　them　still　follow　this　occupation。　They　also　became　skillful　sailors　and　builders　of　small　craft；　and　it　is　not　surprising　to　learn　that　Jacocks　Swain　and　his　sons　introduced；　in　1811；　the　centerboard　for　keeping　flat…bottomed　craft　closer　to　the　wind。　They　are　said　to　have　taken　out　a　patent　for　this　invention　and　are　given　the　credit　of　being　the　originators　of　the　idea。　But　the　device　was　known　in　England　in　1774；　was　introduced　in　Massachusetts　in　the　same　year；　and　may　have　been　used　long　before　by　the　Dutch。　The　need　of　it；　however；　was　no　doubt　strongly　impressed　upon　the　Cape　May　people　by　the　difficulties　which　their　little　sloops　experienced　in　beating　home　against　contrary　winds。　Some　of　them；　indeed；　spent　weeks　in　sight　of　the　Cape；　unable　to　make　it。　One　sloop；　the　Nancy；　seventy…two　days　from　Demarara；　hung　off　and　on　for　forty…three　days　from　December　25；　1787；　to　February　6；　1788；　and　was　driven　off　fifteen　times　before　she　finally　got　into　Hereford　Inlet。　Sometimes　better　sailing　craft　had　to　go　out　and　bring　in　such　distressed　vessels。　The　early　boats　were　no　doubt　badly　constructed；　but　in　the　end　apprenticeship　to　dire　necessity　made　the　Cape　May　sailors　masters　of　seamanship　and　the　windward　art。*

*　Stevens；　〃History　of　Cape　May　County；〃　pp。　219；　229；　Kelley；　〃American　Yachts〃　（1884）；　p。　165。


Wilson；　the　naturalist；　spent　a　great　deal　of　time　in　the　Cape　May　region；　because　of　the　great　variety　of　birds　to　be　found　there。　Southern　types；　like　the　Florida　egret；　ventured　even　so　far　north；　and　it　was　a　stopping　place　for　migrating　birds；　notably　woodcock；　on　their　northern　and　southern　journeys。　Men　of　the　stone　age　had　once　been　numerous　in　this　region；　as　the　remains　of　village　plats　and　great　shell　heaps　bore　witness。　It　was　a　resting　point　for　all　forms　of　life。　That　much　traveled；　adventurous　gentleman　of　the　sea；　Captain　Kidd；　according　to　popular　legend；　was　a　frequent　visitor　to　this　coast。

In　later　times；　beginning　in　1801；　the　Cape　became　one　of　the　earliest　of　the　summer　resorts。　The　famous　Commodore　Decatur　was　among　the　first　distinguished　men　to　be　attracted　by　the　simple　seaside　charm　of　the　place；　long　before　it　was　destroyed　by　wealth　and　crowds。　Year　by　year　he　used　to　measure　and　record　at　one　spot　the　encroachment　of　the　sea　upon　the　beach。　Where　today　the　sea　washes　and　the　steel　pier　extends；　once　la