Anyone researching any of the early families of Essex Co., NJ, please leave a comment. I would like to discuss the Badgleys, especially David and Anthony Badgley who removed to Hardy Co., VA. Also interested in the Frazee, Valentine, and Willcox families and others.

Benjamin Pettit of Essex Co., NJ: An Old Forgotten Land Map Discovered

An unpublished map has been discovered in the New York Library which shows the lands held by Essex County, NJ residents in the year 1845. There is enough evidence in other records to use this map to roughly locate the lands that belonged to Benjamin Pettit as well as some of his known neighbors. Benjamin Pettit of Essex Co., NJ owned lot #45 on Stony Hill. This land is shown on an 1845 map produced by historian John Littell. Neighbors that can be identified on this map include the Badgley, Frazee, Valentine, and Willcox families.

Read the full story here.

Hi Brandon, Thank you a thousand times over for publishing the long-forgotten map. It was incredibly helpful. Elaine Emmett and I are pursuing the Frazee family, and as you know they have a Bible page with Stony Hill mentioned as the birthplace of their first 2 children. We've found a Frazee family line with the top 4 male names William, John, James and Henry, plus Sarah) but have not found a connection yet. I've seen that the Pettit family also goes to Hampshire, (W) VA. Our Reuben George who married Elsey (or Ailcy) Frazy/Frazee moved his family to Augusta, VA for about a year (1787), then over to Pendleton, (W) VA but while his family stayed in Pendleton, Reuben was staying for a few years in Hampshire (1813-1816), appearing on their personal property tax records before going back to Pendleton to apply for his pension. Perhaps Elsey is related to this other Pettit family? I was wondering what known connection there is between the families? And for the 1750-1785 time period in NJ, is there anything I can be watching out for in the records that pertains to these 2 families?

Neva

Hi Brandon, Thank you a thousand times over for publishing the long-forgotten map. It was incredibly helpful. Elaine Emmett and I are pursuing the Frazee family, and as you know they have a Bible page with Stony Hill mentioned as the birthplace of their first 2 children. We've found a Frazee family line with the top 4 male names William, John, James and Henry, plus Sarah) but have not found a connection yet. I've seen that the Pettit family also goes to Hampshire, (W) VA. Our Reuben George who married Elsey (or Ailcy) Frazy/Frazee moved his family to Augusta, VA for about a year (1787), then over to Pendleton, (W) VA but while his family stayed in Pendleton, Reuben was staying for a few years in Hampshire (1813-1816), appearing on their personal property tax records before going back to Pendleton to apply for his pension. Perhaps Elsey is related to this other Pettit family? I was wondering what known connection there is between the families? And for the 1750-1785 time period in NJ, is there anything I can be watching out for in the records that pertains to these 2 families?

Thanks for the comment! I am very glad the map has been helpful to you. It looks like a few of the Essex Co families wound up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia for a time. In addition to those you mention, I have traced the Badgley and Valentine families to Hampshire Co., VA. Other than this, I know of no actual familial ties between any of these families and the Pettits but that certainly seems possible. When it comes to the 1750-1785 time period I think there has been a lot of research done by those who came before us so I have been looking out for more obscure records. Things like ledgers from stores, ordinary records, or court minute books that haven't been abstracted. There is quite a bit of unpublished genealogical material in NJ so be on the lookout! Feel free to post any other Freeze family findings here.

Hi! Researching and related to founding Essex, NJ families. Get in touch! [email protected]