Bill, Thank you. I copied all your references and will include them with the information about the cemetery. This solves the problem of the origin of the Old Frame Meeting House and cemetery. There are four separate and somewhat distinct areas containing cemeteries around the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church on Race street. One surrounds the church down the back slope and on two sides, the other three are across the street. The oldest of those three is first on the left as you turn on to Race Street with the church on your right. It is not in good condition, and is on the highest point of the street and looks down at the railroad tracks to the south. There is a brick wall between it and the second middle burying ground which has later graves of Presbyterian church members, then a currently-active cemetery is last called Union Cemetery. I'm not certain which of these burial grounds was copied by GSNJ many years ago. Perhaps John Stevens is buried somewhere near the church. Dr. Jonathan Ingham as well. As always, you're a fountain of knowledge. Good luck on your journey, Pam -----Original Message----- From: njhunter-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:njhunter-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Mr. Bill Hartman Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 10:31 AM To: njhunter@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] John Stevens I search the newspapers for "John Stevens" and came up with these references which may or may not be pertinent to the original question about the "Old F rame Meeting House." Hunterdon Republican: 1. March 31, 1881 Category: Trivia - The EMLEY Family. [one item of many selected] EMLEY, John, did not marry and lived at White Hall after 1765, renting at first from STEVENS, John for ten years and then buying it. He became a Freeholder in 1774-5. Category: Trivia - The EMLEY Family. [one item of many selected] EMLEY, John, did not marry and lived at White Hall after 1765, renting at first from STEVENS, John for ten years and then buying it. He became a Freeholder in 1774-5. 2. December 8, 1886 Brief News Item from Everittstown. SLOUT, Philip, settled, previous to 1754, on the property now occupied by BUTLER, Alonzo, between Everittstown and Frenchtown. His residence was a log house which stood near the present road. How long he lived there, we have not ascertained. He was, probably, the first settler on that tract. On the 6 th day of June, 1755, he came under a lease from JOHNSTON, Andrew; STEVENS, John and PARKER, James, for “all that Tract of Land whereon the said Slout, Philip now lives,” for “one year from the 26 th day, of March, last past for three pounds proclamation money.” th day of June, 1755, he came under a lease from JOHNSTON, Andrew; STEVENS, John and PARKER, James, for “all that Tract of Land whereon the said Slout, Philip now lives,” for “one year from the 26 th day, of March, last past for three pounds proclamation money.” th day, of March, last past for three pounds proclamation money.” 3. August 2, 1893 Category: Trivia - St. Thomas’ Church Lot. A Historical sketch by RACE, Henry, Dr., of Pittstown. The farm from which the church was set off was in the West Jersey Land Society’s Tract. In 1755, when that tract was surveyed into farm lots, mapped, numbered and the parts not previously sold, divided between the shareholders, this farm was allotted to STEVENS, John - [Hx]. His brother, STEVENS, Lewis -[Hx], a sea faring man engaged in the West India trade, met with a shipwreck and came home in reduced circumstances financially. John gave him this farm gratuitously, or sold it to him very cheap. He lived on it, called it the CORNWALL farm and the large stone house, still standing, which he occupied, he called CORNWALL mansion. The old Church, which stood on the other side of the road opposite the present one, having become unfit for use. Lewis gave to the parish the land on which to build a new one. FRAZER, William, Rev. -[Hx], at that time Rector of St. Thomas’ Church, in a letter to Rev. Dr. Benton, Bishop of London, dated 20 October 1768, says: “….Lewis Stevens, a gentleman of distinguished piety, who has a considerable interest in this parish has contributed for the use of this Church over an acre of Land on which the New Church, is to be erected and is singularly zealous in promoting the interest of the Church here.” This implies that a deed of conveyance was given, probably, to the Wardens and Vestrymen of the parish and their successors in office. This document can not be found upon record and like many other important papers of these times, presumably, was never recorded; what became of it, is not known. The parish has held peaceable possession of the premises for over 130 years; but the “more than acre” conveyed by Stevens has shrunk, by unfair encroachment, to considerably less than an acre. This venerable Church stands on the summit of the divide between the Delaware and Raritan watersheds. The first one [church] in that parish was erected in 1724. No references in the Hunterdon Gazette or Hunterdon Democrat for a John Stevens who lived in the time frame mentioned in the earlier emails. Regards, MrBill Hunterdon Republican newspaper, visit: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~njhrna/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NJHUNTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message