Anyone on this list know about this Scobey/Roberts? Joanne Scobee Morgan MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY The year was 1688, and the area was described at the time as a "wild, unsettled place, possessed with Indians in great abundance." Thirty six immigrants from Rhode Island and Long Island, scattered over what were later to become Monmouth, Mercer, Ocean, and part of Middlesex County, organized the first Baptist Church in the state of New Jersey. There were two alternately used meeting houses, one in Middletown, the other in Baptistown (later Holmdel). In 1696 an immigrant Scotsman, William Laird, settled in a region already known at Colt's Neck, and within two years he began distilling a fine applejack whiskey. About 1709 the first house was built in the region, and it is said that a Captain Scobey settled in the area about 1715. In 1717 The Colt's Neck Inn was opened. Records show that an Alexander Scobie paid rent to the estate of William Lang (or Laing...probably Laird) and we are told that a Sea Captain named Joshua Scobey was living in the Colt's Neck area in 1780. New Jersey figured prominently in the Revolutionary War, much to the dismay of genealogists seeking complete records. The best known skirmish of the Colt's Neck region was the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, in which Molly Pitcher brought water to our soldiers. Perhaps George Washington was there and partook of the by-then-famous "Jersey Lightning", for in 1780 he wrote a letter requesting the Laird recipe and began producing it himself at Mount Vernon. As the Colt's Neck region grew the first grist mill was built (1806), the Independent Methodist Church was established (1808), a store began operation (1812), and soon, (1816) another store opened. A post office was established at Colt's Neck village in 1824, and 10 years later, what had become the principal village of the area had 15-20 homes, a tavern, 2 stores, 3 grist mills, and 2 saw mills. In 1847 the area was officially named Atlantic township, formed from Freehold, Middletown, and Shrewsbury townships. The beginnings of Scobeyville are not crystal clear, but it was about 1849 that Levi Scobey opened a store 2 miles east of Colt's Neck village, several miles west of Eatontown, on the Eatontown-Freehold road. In 1850 the Laird distillery was destroyed by fire, and it was relocated in the neighborhood of the Scobey store. Charles Scobey & Co. succeeded Levi soon thereafter. The region continued to grow, as evidenced by the formation of the Colt's Neck Reformed Church; the area had previously been too rural to gather in a congregation, but now there were 17 members, who apparently first met in a schoolhouse at Scobeyville. In 1871 the Colt's Neck Catholic Church was organized. Then, in 1873, after the death of her father, Charles, H.A. (a female...Hannah A.?) took over the Scobey store, and the little area officially became Scobeyville when a post office was placed in the store in 1874. The Colt's Neck region has always been rural, known for its horses, mills, and charcoal, as well as Laird's applejack. In 1922 the village of Colt's Neck had a store, a hotel and a population of about 150, and Scobeyville had 50 people. In 1936 Scobeyville was described as having 156 people and was mostly farmland and "gentleman's' estates". In 1962, after having unofficially been referred to as Colt's Neck for almost 200 years, Atlantic township officially became Colt's Neck township. In 1976 this 31 square mile area had a population of less than 7000--almost three acres per person. In recent years housing subdivisions have been developed in the area, but Dot Borne says the Scobeyville area is "still rural, very lovely, with many ranches, farms, and horse breeders. Mainly horses." Laird's still produces its applejack in a bottle marked Scobeyville, N.J., and its executive offices are housed in an early 18th century Scobey mansion. In the 1860 New Jersey, Monmouth Co., Atlantic twp. census, a widow, Elisa Hyer age 46, and her daughter Elisabeth, age 22, are living with this family. They both were also born NJ. Elisa surely must be a sister to either Charles or Nancy Roberts. (see below for what I found) ** 1860 NEW JERSEY, MONMOUTH COUNTY CENSUS NAME AGE BIRTHPLACE Atlantic township, post office Square Village, 7-28-1860 family 118 p.535 The 1860 census SCOBY, CHARLES 59 NJ NANCY 52 NJ MARY E. 26 NJ HANNAH A. 22 NJ MARGARET H. 18 NJ CHARLES W. 16 NJ CATHERINE J. 14 NJ HYER, ELISA 46 NJ ELISABETH 22 NJ Charles is a merchant (assessor), value of real estate $5000, value of personal property $2500. Elisa is a widow. **Elisa is the sister of Charles Scobey Elisabeth is his niece SCOBEY/ROBERTS CHARLES SCOBEY b 9-16-1801 NJ d 2-21-1873 Scobeyville bur Reformed Church Atlantic Cemetery m 11-8-1826 or 30 Cheesequakes Baptist Church Middlesex Co., to NANCY ANNE ROBERTS b abt 1801 NJ, to Colt's Neck about 1847; 1851 built public road; 1850 living Atlantic Twp.; succeeded Levi at the Scobeyville store. Issue: MARY E. SCOBEY b abt 1832, NJ HANNAH A. SCOBEY b abt 1838 NJ JESSE SCOBEY (a female) b abt 1835 NJ MARGARET SCOBEY b abt 1840 NJ JANE SCOBEY b abt 1845 NJ CHARLES SCOBEY b abt 1846 NJ