Morristown, New Jersey

Morristown, New Jersey, the first abode of the New Jersey Stiles family, lies in the valley of the Whippany River in the shadow of the Watchung Mountains. The early settlement was called West Hanover for about thirty years. West Hanover was created by a sudden influx of prospectors in about 1710 when iron ore was discovered in the Watchung Mountains. Settlers continued to come, and the settlement spread around the central green which later became known as Morristown Green. In 1739, boundaries were established for the township of Morris and for Morris County as well. Thereafter, the village was known as Morristown.

Our ancestor, Jonathan Stiles, who had been born and reared in Stratford, Connecticut, moved to Morristown, then called West Hanover, not with the first prospectors, but about fifteen years later in 1726. At that time, the town was growing rapidly and laying the groundwork for a flourishing iron industry. Later, the iron industry developed on such a grand scale that the town boasted that more millionaires lived within a radius of one mile of Morristown Green than in any other equal area in the world. This may not have been literally true, but there was a tremendous concentration of wealth there.

Morris Plains Public Library, original dwelling built by Ebenezer Stiles about 1752.

 

Morristown is steeped in colonial history. No sooner had this town developed a thriving iron industry than it found itself in the midst of the Revolutionary War. Washington was quick to recognize the advantageous position of Morristown. Not only was the town and county in a defensible location, but there were no fewer than forty-five forges, and also sawmills and gristmills on every sizable stream, to support the war effort. In addition, good roads provided quick communication with Philadelphia and Congress. It is said that Washington’s army crossed New Jersey several times and history has recorded that Washington and his exhausted army wintered in Morristown in 1777-78 and again in 1779-80. The soldiers were housed in huts in Jockey Hollow while Washington established his headquarters in the Ford House, a colonial mansion which has been preserved and may be seen there today. It was during these years that David Stiles, the Kentucky emigrant, enlisted at the age of fourteen in the Revolutionary forces.

Today, Morristown occupies both banks of the Whippany River and the surrounding countryside, with the park, formerly called Morristown Green, at the center of the community. Its population is between fifteen thousand and twenty thousand.

The valley, through which the Whippany River flows, is a beautiful wooded one. The streets are still tree-bordered and the sidewalks are paved with blue flagstone. These physical features along with the preservation of historic monuments including the Ford House, now a museum of Washington memorabilia second only to Mt. Vernon, have helped perpetuate Morristown’s historic atmosphere.

 

 

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