--part1_92.2ffaecb.261602e1_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 3/31/00 8:30:16 AM Eastern Standard Time, Joyce2814 writes: > In the Bicentennial Issue of the Asbury Park Press, July 4, 1976, is this > article. It is rather long but I think you will enjoy it. > > "Massacre at Allen House is Described > > A long-forgotten letter written by a Shrewsbury resident more than a > century ago has thrown new light on the "massacre" at the Allen House during > the American Revolution. > The tale of how a guard of American soldiers stationed at the house was > surprised by British Loyalists and captured after several Americans had bee > slain has bee an elusive fragment of local history. > But unlike must such clashes during the war there seems to be no > contemporary account of the incident in 18th century newspapers or county > records. > The letter, which turned up in the vault of the Monmouth County Historical > Association, at Freehold, was written Match 25, 1846, by Lyttleton White. It > had been sent in response to a request by the New Jersey Historical Society > for information about local history. > The first published account of the bloody affair at the Allen House-known > through much of the 18th century as "The Sign of the Blue Ball" Tavern- > appears to have been given in 1889 by Gustav Kobbe in his little book, "The > New Jersey Coast and Pines." > Kobbe said his facts came from one of the oldest residents of Shrewsbury, > the son of George White, a Quaker living in Shrewsbury during the Revolution. > (Lyttleton White, a son of Robert R. White, was born in 1782, several years > after the incident. He died in 1851, nearly four decades before Kobbe's book > was published) > After apologizing for "my bad writing as well as diction," Lyttleton white > wrote the account: > "In the summer of 1779-there was a Lieutenant stationed at Shrewsbury with > a guard of 12 men to watch the movements of the tories so called-and > quartered in the house where Dr. Edmund W. Allen now lives-five of the Tories > or refugees came in a Boat up the Branch of South Shrewsbury River-landed and > under cover of woods headges and so forth got to the south side of the > Episcopal Church about 6 rods from the above said house-the party being > headed by Joseph Price-Richard Lippincott-and they held a parly and by > looking from the corner of said church they found no sentries set and > lounging about not under arms. > "Price then ordered his party to fix their Bayonets and started on full run > for the house where the troops were quartered-their arms all stood together > in the North Room-one of Price's men grabbed them all in his arms-a scuffle > took place being 12 to 5 of the Refugees the man who held fast on the guns of > the American troops was thrown but held fast and they put the Bayonet though > one of the 12 and he fell down on the floor-and Run two more of them through > the Lieutenant surrendered-one of the two lasted killed gout out into the > Road his Bowels coming out he soon died the other one got some what farther > off and fell likewise and Died took the other 9 prisoners-broke their guns > around a Locust tree and made their escape- > "In 1812 when Dr. Allen repaired the house alluded to the carpenters in > trying to plane out the satins of Blood on the floor-the more they planed the > fresher it showed-and he had to put another floor over it-I myself was the > carpenter (the writer of the above scene or tragedy has had it from the lips > of the above Joseph Price-after he had returned back here from Nova Scotia > perhaps 6 or 7 more times-he died some 18 years ago at Shrewsbury.)" > The letter is the first indication that Richard Lippincott, who before the > was lived in Tinton Falls, took part in the incident. Kobbe's account does > not mention him. Lippincott gained notoriety in 1782 as the Loyalist captain > who hanged Capt. Joshua Huddy of the Monmouth Militia and set off an > international incident, > Kobbe asserts that the American Troops were Virginia Continentals, which > the White letter does not mention, and relates that one of the wounded was > cared for until his death some hours later by George White, father of the man > from whom he obtained his account. > It is quite possible that the Americans were Virginia troops, for from > January 1779 to July 1780, some of Major Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee's " > Legion" were assigned to protect the county and keep Gen. Washington posted > on British movements along the coast. > There is considerable correspondence extant from this period between Lee > and Washington, with letters by Lee dated from Shrewsbury on July 16 and 25, > 1780. Other letters were sent from Freehold and Pleasant Valley but none > mention the incident at the Allen House. > `The house is now owned by the Monmouth County Historical Association and > is open to the public ad a museum tavern complete with 18 century furnishings. > " --part1_92.2ffaecb.261602e1_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: Joyce2814@aol.com From: Joyce2814@aol.com Full-name: Joyce2814 Message-ID: <17.3a31392.26160268@aol.com> Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 08:30:16 EST Subject: The Allen House To: CAHERITAGE@aol.com, jlbanister@earthlink.net, der@redrose.net, Masterdstr@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 102 In the Bicentennial Issue of the Asbury Park Press, July 4, 1976, is this article. It is rather long but I think you will enjoy it. "Massacre at Allen House is Described A long-forgotten letter written by a Shrewsbury resident more than a century ago has thrown new light on the "massacre" at the Allen House during the American Revolution. The tale of how a guard of American soldiers stationed at the house was surprised by British Loyalists and captured after several Americans had bee slain has bee an elusive fragment of local history. But unlike must such clashes during the war there seems to be no contemporary account of the incident in 18th century newspapers or county records. The letter, which turned up in the vault of the Monmouth County Historical Association, at Freehold, was written Match 25, 1846, by Lyttleton White. It had been sent in response to a request by the New Jersey Historical Society for information about local history. The first published account of the bloody affair at the Allen House-known through much of the 18th century as "The Sign of the Blue Ball" Tavern- appears to have been given in 1889 by Gustav Kobbe in his little book, "The New Jersey Coast and Pines." Kobbe said his facts came from one of the oldest residents of Shrewsbury, the son of George White, a Quaker living in Shrewsbury during the Revolution. (Lyttleton White, a son of Robert R. White, was born in 1782, several years after the incident. He died in 1851, nearly four decades before Kobbe's book was published) After apologizing for "my bad writing as well as diction," Lyttleton white wrote the account: "In the summer of 1779-there was a Lieutenant stationed at Shrewsbury with a guard of 12 men to watch the movements of the tories so called-and quartered in the house where Dr. Edmund W. Allen now lives-five of the Tories or refugees came in a Boat up the Branch of South Shrewsbury River-landed and under cover of woods headges and so forth got to the south side of the Episcopal Church about 6 rods from the above said house-the party being headed by Joseph Price-Richard Lippincott-and they held a parly and by looking from the corner of said church they found no sentries set and lounging about not under arms. "Price then ordered his party to fix their Bayonets and started on full run for the house where the troops were quartered-their arms all stood together in the North Room-one of Price's men grabbed them all in his arms-a scuffle took place being 12 to 5 of the Refugees the man who held fast on the guns of the American troops was thrown but held fast and they put the Bayonet though one of the 12 and he fell down on the floor-and Run two more of them through the Lieutenant surrendered-one of the two lasted killed gout out into the Road his Bowels coming out he soon died the other one got some what farther off and fell likewise and Died took the other 9 prisoners-broke their guns around a Locust tree and made their escape- "In 1812 when Dr. Allen repaired the house alluded to the carpenters in trying to plane out the satins of Blood on the floor-the more they planed the fresher it showed-and he had to put another floor over it-I myself was the carpenter (the writer of the above scene or tragedy has had it from the lips of the above Joseph Price-after he had returned back here from Nova Scotia perhaps 6 or 7 more times-he died some 18 years ago at Shrewsbury.)" The letter is the first indication that Richard Lippincott, who before the was lived in Tinton Falls, took part in the incident. Kobbe's account does not mention him. Lippincott gained notoriety in 1782 as the Loyalist captain who hanged Capt. Joshua Huddy of the Monmouth Militia and set off an international incident, Kobbe asserts that the American Troops were Virginia Continentals, which the White letter does not mention, and relates that one of the wounded was cared for until his death some hours later by George White, father of the man from whom he obtained his account. It is quite possible that the Americans were Virginia troops, for from January 1779 to July 1780, some of Major Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee's "Legion" were assigned to protect the county and keep Gen. Washington posted on British movements along the coast. There is considerable correspondence extant from this period between Lee and Washington, with letters by Lee dated from Shrewsbury on July 16 and 25, 1780. Other letters were sent from Freehold and Pleasant Valley but none mention the incident at the Allen House. `The house is now owned by the Monmouth County Historical Association and is open to the public ad a museum tavern complete with 18 century furnishings." --part1_92.2ffaecb.261602e1_boundary--