James Alexander was born in Scotland in 1690, and immigrated to America in 1715. He was Surveyor-General of New York and New Jersey. His son, William Alexander, "Lord Stirling" was born in New York City in 1726.

In 1744, James Alexander purchased 10,000 acres in and around Frenchtown NJ. In 1757, William Alexander and two partners planned out the streets and building lots of our village. It is for this reason that Frenchtown was originally called Alexandria and this is where our story begins.

Enjoy your time travel through Frenchtown's illustrious past. See the navigation bar below and the Ferry Timeline at the bottom of the page.

Lenape Era

Alexandrian Era

Quicksilver Era

Malletian Era

Capner Era

Slater-Hudnit Era

Frenchtown New Jersey History: Alexandrian Era

This era is named after James and William Alexander, who are important figures in the history of the state of New Jersey, and especially in Frenchtown. This illustrious father and son were the first big land owners, investors and planners in the towns history. This 35 year era of our history spans the years from 1744 to 1776.

Before the Alexanders came on the scene, Frenchtown NJ was not much more than a ferry crossing. Clarence Fargo in his "History of Frenchtown" refers to the site as a "mingling of farm land and howling wilderness".

In 1736, Frenchtown was known to have a grist mill that was later enlarged and called the Worman Mill in 1868 after it's new owner. This mill which was located on the Nishisakawick Creek just south of Bridge and Race Street on Trenton Avenue. This early date of 1736 is asserted by Clarence Fargo and a later date of 1766 in Ellen Fletcher's "Sketches of a River Town". This early mill was in use until the 1950's.

In 1741, there was a ferry from Frenchtown NJ to Bucks County near Erwinna and Uhlerstown. It was then known as the London Ferry, named after the property across the river in Bucks County was called the London Tract owned by the Pennsylvania Land Company of London. The crossing attracted the attention of a prominent and wealthy land speculator, James Alexander.

In 1744, James Alexander purchased a 10,000 acre tract of land from the West Jersey Land Society that became Frenchtown New Jersey and the surrounding countryside in Alexandria Township. Two years later in 1746, an associate of his, Robert Hunter Morris took over ownership and operation of the ferry at Frenchtown. He was granted a patent by the state of New Jersey in that year. At nearly that same time, Luther Calvin was granted a liquor license to operate a tavern at the ferry site.

In 1756, when James Alexander died, his son William Alexander inherited this land. One year later, in 1757 William joined with John Stevens, and James Parker to form a partnership to plan a village at the site of what is now Frenchtown by surveying streets and building lots. It was this early planning in Frenchtown NJ and Alexandria that formed the foundation that others came and built upon for another 100 years. This early town planning did not become town development for many years and would require the dreams, investments, and building of other men and women who came to Frenchtown to make their fortunes and their homes in this beautiful place along the Delaware River.

In 1758, the first event that helped the village plan come to reality was the building of a saw mill and damn on the Nishisackawick Creek. This mill was built by Samuel Schooley under the direction and contract of Alexander, Stevens and Parker. The lumber trade was already using the Delaware as for sending logs down river to Philadelphia and then onto Europe. The Frenchtown Mill would simply capitalize on this trade. The River Men who piloted log rafts and Durham boats now began to stop in Frenchtown.

In 1759, the second event that helped the village plan come to reality occurred when one of the earliest roads in the region was mapped out that started at the Delaware River in Frenchtown (Calvin's Ferry) and ran to Everitt's Mill (Everittstown). This 247 year old road is now known as Route 513 or Everittstown Road.

In 1766, the third event occurred to help the village plan when Frenchtown got it's first store. Alexander, Parker and Stevens enlisted Philadelphia merchant, Thomas Riche to come to Frenchtown to build and open a store. It had been ten years since the men drew out their plan and not much had come of it. It is known that a few families had moved to Frenchtown, but were simply squatting on the land and no properties had been sold. Riche's store was successful from the beginning and was instrumental in putting the village on the map as a market and trading village. The local farmers of Alexandria and Kingwood Townships came to Frenchtown to sell their produce that was shipped down the Delaware to Philadelphia by Durham boat. The store records also indicate that the farmers bought fabric for clothes and staples brought up the Delaware from Philadelphia. This store stood near the river and the ferry on Bridge Street. This early center of commerce flourished and lasted for over a hundred years when it was torn down to build a much larger and grander store. This store is standing today and is known as the Gem Building.

By the year 1769, this small trading and transportation center along the Nishisakawicks was referred to as Alexandria by a British surveyor as he made a map of New Jersey. The surveyors were Bernard Ratzer and Gerard Banker. This map was published by Faden in England in 1777.

In 1770, the picture that emerges of Alexandria/Frenchtown is of a small development with a ferry, a road from the ferry to Everittstown NJ, a tavern, a grist mill, a saw mill, a store and possibly some small dwellings built by squatters. It would take another two generations of land speculators and developers for a community to begin to come together at Frenchtown New Jersey.

On May 20, 1776, the 968 acre Frenchtown/Alexandria tract was sold to Thomas Lowrey. In Snell's account of the transaction, John and Elizabeth Stevens, James and Gertrude Parker are the only ones listed on the deed for this transaction. William Alexander is not mentioned, and in the historical accounts of Frenchtown, it is not noted when Alexander sold out his portion of the Frenchtown tract. This 968 acres consisted of land partially in Alexandria Township and partially in Kingwood Township. It contained all the land that is now Frenchtown NJ, except for the store lot that had been sold to Thomas Riche.

With this transaction we close this chapter of the Alexandrian Era and move onto another. For more information on the James and William Alexander, John Stevens, Robert Hunter Morris and more see our links below.

Next ~ The Quicksilver Era in Frenchtown NJ

Resources

There is a more information about the Alexanders, other founders of Frenchtown NJ, historical documents, and maps online:

A short biography of James Alexander and William Alexander - Lord Stirling, and a listing of the documents in the New Jersey Historical Society Collection relating to these illustrious men

A short biography of William Alexander - Lord Stirling

History of the Stevens Family, A short biography of the Honorable John Stevens (associated with William Alexander and James Parker in the Alexandria Plan), and a listing of documents in the New Jersey Historical Society Collection

Early Historical Maps of New Jersey from 1706 - 1954, including the incredible 1777 Faden map surveyed in 1769 that shows Hunterdon County, Alexandria/Frenchtown NJ, Sunburn, Kingwood, and London Ferry.

Biography of James Parker associated with Alexander and Stevens in the Frenchtown NJ purchase.

The Morris Family including a biography of Robert Hunter Morris

Some notes on the life of Luther Calvin, owner of Frenchtown's first tavern and hotel by some accounts. The community of Frenchtown NJ was once called Calvin's Ferry.

The Ferry Timeline

A Short history of the River Crossing at Frenchtown NJ:

1741 London Ferry
So called in reference to the London Tract in Bucks County PA that the ferry crossed the Delaware to reach. On the famous Faden map of 1777, London Ferry appears associated with the town of Sunburn New Jersey. This name is associated with Frenchtown in numerous historical documents over the past 123 years.

1759 Calvin's Ferry
Named for Luther Calvin, tavern owner near the ferry [So noted by surveyor of Everittstown Road]

1763 Mechlenburg Ferry
John Tenbrook operated the ferry on the Bucks County, Pennsylvania side of the Delaware [also known as Mecklenburgh Ferry, Tenbrook and Tinbrook Ferry]

1763 Prigmore's Ferry
Daniel Prigmore operated the ferry on the the New Jersey Side at the same time as Tenbrook on the PA side

1771 Sherard's Ferry
John Sherard operated the ferry at this important time in our country's history. It was of such strategic importance during the Revolutionary War that the Council of Safety of New Jersey on April 13, 1778, agreed to exempt John Sherard and three men employed by him at his ferry from doing duty in militia until further orders.

1776 Lowrey's Ferry
Thomas Lowrey purchased the Frenchtown NJ/Alexandria tract.

1794 Prevost's Ferry
Paul Henri Mallet Prevost bought the Lowrey property along with the ferry.

1844 Ferry Service Discontinued
A new covered bridge was completed in this year and put the ferrymen out of business