Stephen Day (b. Chatham, 1769) and Polly Bonnell (b. 1772, NJ). His parents were Stephen Day, Sr. (Chatham) and Damaris Foster, her parents were Benjamin Bonnell (B. East Orange or Elizabethtown, 1723-D. Madison? 1798) and Rachel Van Winkle (1727-1813). I'm not sure why their children were born in Elizabeth, but that is what is listed for them. I'm heading out there a little blind, from Michigan. I've never been to Jersey. My plan is to visit Morristown, Chatham and maybe Madison. Stephen Sr.'s sister in law was Hannah Caldwell. I think she was from Connecticut Farms. Does that place still exist? Thank you all for your help! -----Original Message----- From: DMS59Dart@aol.com [mailto:DMS59Dart@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 9:33 AM To: djfab@dmci.net; NJUNION-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [NJUnion] Visting Union County In a message dated 6/15/03 9:25:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time, djfab@dmci.net writes: Subj: [NJUnion] Visting Union County Date: 6/15/03 9:25:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: djfab@dmci.net To: NJUNION-L@rootsweb.com Sent from the Internet I will be visiting at the end of this month and hope someone can give me some guidance about the best places to find information on my family. They were Presbyterians, from the Revolutionary era. Any suggestions? I'm especially interested in Elizabeth. What were their names? I have a book on burials at the Elizabeth Presbyterian Church Cemetery and perhaps I can find them and set you on that path. Were they from the town of Elizabeth or from Elizabethtown. At the time of the American Revolution all of Elizabethtown was in Essex County. My ancestors went out to Cranford, Union Township and Westfield. Westfield Library has a terrific Local History Room which is run by the "Historical Society of the West Fields". Westfield Presbyterian Church and Cemetery have a lot of old records, many found in the library. There is a book called "The Way We Were: The Story of Old Elizabethtown" which may be of some benifit. You can ask for that at your local library. Some records are kept in Essex County for that time period, many would be kept at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton. I have not tried to get anything from the City of Elizabeth myself, but you might try. Hope this helps. Dave from Long Island

Barbara, I am also descended from Stephen Day Sr and Damaris Foster, and John Bonnell who married Sarah Carter. John Bonnell was the son of Benjamin, thus a brother to your Benjamin who married Rachel Van Winkle. Most of the Days, Fosters, Carters, Burnetts, Cranes (the ones who lived in Madison) are buried in the old Madison Cemetery which was the burying ground of the Presbyterians in Madison and Chatham. The best genealogical resource in Morris Co is the Free Public Library of Morristown and Morris Township, located at 1 Miller Road, Morristown. The local history room is open on Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., but during the summer months, it closes by 1 pm on Saturday, otherwise it is open M-Thurs to 9pm. Don't know about Friday night. You can still see the old Bonnell house which is on a road parallel to Route 24 from East Summit to Chatham. And the Carter house is the home of the Summit Historical Society on River Road, Summit. The History of Chatham, by A. E. Vanderpoel, has many references to the Bonnell, Day, Foster families, as does W. Munsell's History of Morris County, NJ. And the published inscriptions of Madison Cemetery are invaluable. Madison was part of Chatham Twp, Morris County. The local history room of the Westfield Memorial Library also has many Elizabethtown resources. But why not try to get as much as you can from others on this list who are aligned with these old families? Then you can spend the time checking references and documenting everything. You should be very proud to be descended from so many of the original founders of Newark and Elizabethtown. Nathaniel Bonnel, his wife, Johannah Miller (daughter of Samuel Miller and Elizabeth Riggs), Nathan Foster and his wife, Mary Lyon, (dau of Joseph Lyon and Mary Pierson), Joseph Lyon son of Henry and Elizabeth Bateman Lyon, Mary Pierson, daughter of Thomas and Mary Harrison Pierson. Johannah Miller Bonnell married Timothy Whitehead as her second husband, and they are buried together at Madison Cemetery with old sandstone tombstones which are still readable on the very top of the hill above route 24. As for your question about their children being born in Elizabethtown, this might help: December 1, 1664 - Elizabethtown established with an area covering all of present day Union County and much of Morris and Somerset Counties, NJ. March 7, 1683 - Essex County formed including present day Essex county plus all of what is now Union County. October 31, 1693 - Elizabethtown organized into a township. February 8, 1740 - Borough of Elizabeth formed by royal charter. January 1794 - Westfield Township set apart from the Township of Elizabethtown. April 14, 1794 - Springfield Township fromed from Elizabeth and Newark townships. November 8, 1809 - New Providence Township created from Springfield Township. March 19, 1857 - Union County formed from Essex County. So you have to know what the municipal bounderies were, at the time an ancestor was born. Riggs, Pierson, Lyon(s), Day, Foster, Sergeant, Bateman, were all early settlers of Newark. Miller and Bonnell were early settlers of Elizabethtown. Connecticut Farms was the old name for what later became the Township of Union, now just Town of Union. One of the persons who responded to your email is Audrey Shields Hancock who has the burials of the old Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church transcribed online at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~grannyapple/NJCh-Cem/UnionCoNJCtFar ms/CTfarmsCEMETERY.html Good luck with your visit! Pam Bush > Stephen Day (b. Chatham, 1769) and Polly Bonnell (b. 1772, NJ). His > parents were Stephen Day, Sr. (Chatham) and Damaris Foster, her parents > were Benjamin Bonnell (B. East Orange or Elizabethtown, 1723-D. Madison? > 1798) and Rachel Van Winkle (1727-1813). I'm not sure why their children > were born in Elizabeth, but that is what is listed for them. >