Cindy, This is very helpful! I have noticed "Hopewell" in other states and it has always generated a question mark in the back of my mind as to whether or not there was a relationship to Hopewell, NJ. My uneducated conclusion was that the word may have had a generic religious meaning. Interestingly enough, my ancestor Philip BELLIS(felt) (b. circa 1793 in NJ), lived for awhile in Nicholas Co KY, near Bourbon Co, along Somerset creek. His brother-in-law was Abraham DORLAND, s/o Johannes DORLANDT (b. 1740 Harlingen, Somerset Co NJ) and Catherine VanLIEW. Johannes was baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church, and I notice from online databases that there were some DORLAND cousins buried in the "Hopewell Old School Baptist Meeting House Cemetery". About 23 miles from my Philip's KY land is the capital of Bourbon Co. It was the site of pioneer Huston's (Houston's) Station, was renamed "Hopewell" circa 1789, and is today Paris. I have received info from KYBOURBO listers who advise that the early settlers of Paris came from Hopewell, Cumberland Co PA, but it is not apparent that these folks, as a group, were Quakers, although individuals may have been. So it seems this Hopewell, KY, was simply named after the settler's PA hometown. Will need to review NJ/PA/VA Quaker meeting records to see what I might find... Thanks again, Roz BELLIS Alexandria VA -----Original Message----- From: Cinda Justice [mailto:calj@bright.net] Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 8:52 AM To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 -- Andr ew BELLIS at Hopewell Meeting House Roz, Hopewell Meeting was a major Quaker group. And the interesting thing about it was that when folks moved away they began another group and called it Hopewell. You will find many locations in many states with the same name that held Quaker meetings (i.e. Hopewell Friends of Frederick Co. VA came from NJ). Their early "churches" were always called "Meetings" and the records for Quakers are wonderful but you need some help learning to read them. There are many books out there that give direction and help but the one I like is Our Quaker Ancestors by Ellen Thomas Berry and David Allen Berry written in 1966. Later when the Methodist faith was gathering momentum in the US, they also called there worship "Meetings". Many Quakers became Methodist in the early 1800's as they moved west and south. The largest collection of these Quaker records is housed at Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. A few things to remember about them is: all their children were taught to read and write, they married by standing in front of their members and reciting their own made up vows (so often there is no record except in the Quaker records), and early, they did not believe in having monuments placed on graves (so it is often difficult to find them in cemeteries). One neat thing about them was each meeting had a recorder and they kept track of when a person left their group and where they went. And if they came to a new "meeting" they would tell from whence they came. They listed all the attendants at a wedding and they gave the names of those disowned and why. I have found it very helpful to "fill in" information about the time my ancestors lived by searching for and reading histories of the US written before 1900. I like the one written by Ridpath. Good hunting, Cinda ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bellis Genealogy" <bellisgenealogy@verizon.net> To: <NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 10:46 PM Subject: RE: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 -- Andr ew BELLIS at Hopewell Meeting House > Dane, > > Again very interesting... > > The Amanda Jane KIER who married (1862) the BELLIS in Highland Co OH also > descended from the STOUTs of Hopewell, Hunterdon Co NJ: Rebecca STOUT who > married Ralph DRAKE. > > I'm only now beginning to become educated on the Dunker (...and Quaker?) > movement from NJ to VA/PA...and then to KY which is where my central > interest lies in terms of busting my genealogical brick walls. Thus far > my > research has been focusing primarily on KY/NJ/PA Census and Land > acquisition > records in trying to figure all this out--not only of my direct ancestors > but their neighbors and close associates as well. Only recently have I > been > paying attention to religious history/affiliation mainly out of necessity > due to ambiguities and gaps in the Census & Land data. For about two > years > I have been uncovering clues which could suggest my Philip BELLIS's "as > yet" > identified parents may have been associated with either DUNKERs or > QUAKERs...or BAPTISTs. > > If Andrew BELLIS was a DUNKER or QUAKER would be a significant piece of > data. > > Thank you again! > > Roz BELLIS > Alexandria VA > > -----Original Message----- > From: Dane Coefer [mailto:danec@osfashland.org] > Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 5:58 PM > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 -- Andr > ew BELLIS at Hopewell Meeting House > > Good question! > > The town of Hopewell was called "Hopewell Meeting" in several publications > of the early 1800s ("A Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey," 1834 was > one.) > The reference, I believe, is to the Baptist Meetings of the original > settlers. Originally they were held in individual homes. My Amwell > ancestors > (MANNERS) would travel over the mountain to attend meetings at their STOUT > cousins' homes in Hopewell in the early 1700s. > > The 1873 Atlas of Hunterdon might help you with William. It listed > property > owners. That depends, however, on how much lead time they had for > corrections--Gideon Quick died in 1872 (his wife Clara died in 1873). > Gideon > lived in or near Reaville. > > Dane > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bellis Genealogy [mailto:bellisgenealogy@verizon.net] > Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 2:30 PM > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 -- > Andrew > BELLIS at Hopewell Meeting House > > Dane, > > Thank you for all this info. What I need to do get the "Adam BELLIS > homestead" deed history, plus the deed history on immigrant Adam's brother > William's land referred to in LEQUEAR's "Traditions...": "Adam, the > father, had a brother William who settled where Gideon Quick now lives..." > and map out this area. > > But something new has now popped up. Lequear's "Traditions" mentions that > Adam's son Andrew moved to the Hopewell meeting house. Was this a Quaker > meeting house? > > Thanks! > > Roz BELLIS > Alexandria VA > > -----Original Message----- > From: Dane Coefer [mailto:danec@osfashland.org] > Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 2:45 PM > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 > > Roz, > > Hopewell Borough would be those areas included within the city limits. The > Township of the same name also includes rural land that is not within > those > limits. > > This Bellis farm would likely have originally belonged to Andrew Bellis or > one of his descendants. Lequear's "Traditions of Hunterdon" has "Shortly > after William was born, his father Adam, built a new house, still known as > the old Bellis homestead, and moved to it. He had five children: William, > who remained on the homestead till his death, in 1826; Peter, who went to > Kentucky; John, who lived on a part of the place; Andrew, who moved to > Hopewell meeting house; and Adam, who died near Cherryville." > > http://www.geocities.com/dane97520/Bellis.html > > Dane > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bellis Genealogy [mailto:bellisgenealogy@verizon.net] > Sent: Saturday, May 28, 2005 5:21 PM > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 > > Dane, > > This is very interesting, however, I'm still confused insofar as the > meaning > of "north of the borough" and "North District Hopewell Twp". If you are > saying that you think the referenced "BELLIS farm" was probably located in > what is today Mercer Co NJ, then I am ready to jump for joy...but I won't > start jumping until I've actually reviewed the deed history. > > Here's "the rest of the story." According to online databases, which I > presume at this point to be correct, "Enoch W. DRAKE was a descendant of > Thomas and Dorothy (VanKIRK) DRAKE." I know, through correspondence with > a > descendant, that George BELLIS (b. 1805 in Highland Co OH) had a son who > married Arminda Jane KIER, also a descendant of Thomas and Dorothy > (VanKIRK) > DRAKE. BELLIS and KIER married in Highland Co OH in 1862. The question > is: > who was the father of George BELLIS. > > All signs point to George being a descendant of the BELLESFELTs of Selters > (Nordhofen) Germany who immigrated to the Hunterdon Co NJ area circa > 1730/40, but the question is, which branch. He probably doesn't belong to > immigrant Adam BELLIS(felt), the original owner of the "BELLIS Homestead" > located along KUHL Road, since most of Adam's descendants have been > accounted for and I can't fit in "George from OHIO". If Enoch W. DRAKE > bought a different piece of BELLIS property, located not too far away from > Adam and perhaps owned by Adam's brother, then the scent continues... > > Thanks for your reply! > > Roz BELLIS > Alexandria VA > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Dane Coefer [mailto:danec@osfashland.org] > Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 6:39 PM > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 > > This Bellis farm was likely in Mercer County in Hopewell Twp. north of the > Borough boundaries. On the 1880 Census Joseph M. Phillips resided in the > "North Dist. Hopewell Township." Enoch W. Drake likely bought the property > as an investment and never lived on it. He died in 1905 at his home of 15 > years on Broad St. Hopewell. > > Dane Coefer > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bellis Genealogy [mailto:bellisgenealogy@verizon.net] > Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 12:47 PM > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [NJHUNTER] BELLIS farm sold to Enoch W. DRAKE in 1897 > > Was hoping someone might know, off the top of their heads, what "Bellis > farm" is being referred to in the following item. This was reported in > the > November 16, 1897 Trenton Evening Times, under the subheading "HOPEWELL": > > "At the sale of the real estate of Joseph M. PHILLIPS, deceased, on > Saturday, the harness property was sold to J.C. HARRISON and the adjoining > lot, now occupied by Samuel CARVER to John TITUS, and the house and lot in > East Hopewell, known as the BUCKLEY property, was sold to Samuel CARVER, > and > the farm north of the borough, known as the BELLIS farm, to Enoch W. > DRAKE. > Fair prices were obtained for all." > > I'm trying to ascertain if this farm might be the "BELLIS homestead" > located > along KUHL Road near the Copper Hill/Reaville area or is a different > Bellis > property. > > Thanks, > > Roz BELLIS > Alexandria VA > > > > > ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ==== > Visit the Updated Hunterdon County GenWeb page at: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~njhunter > > ============================== > Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx >