Cliffords

13. EDWARD³ CLIFFORD (James², unknown Clifford¹); born probably circa 1734-1739; died 1790; apparently did not marry. In an inventory of his estate, he was referred to as Captain Edward Clifford (see administrators of Edward's estate below). Edward was one of the five Cliffords signing the Connecticut petition in 1755 (see under Charles Clifford, #11).²⁶³ Assuming Edward would have been at least 16 to sign and was younger than his brother Charles, Edward was probably born circa 1734-1739.

"John Clifford of Amwell, Joseph Beaver, Esq. of Alexandria, John Martin and Francis McShane, Esq., both of Bethlehem in Hunterdon Co., N. J. go on bond 29 Nov. 1790. Wherein John Clifford [#15], Joseph Beavers [see #4] and John Martin [see #14] are made Administrators of the estate of Edward Clifford of Bethlehem Twp."²⁶⁴ There is a corollary to the administrators of Edward's estate: "The State [that is the Attorney General of New Jersey] against Joseph Beavers, John Clifford, and John Martin, Administrators of Edward Clifford, deceased. On [writ of] habeas corpus ad subjiciendum,²⁶⁵ for the Liberation of Negro Abraham Solomons, and Negro Dolly his wife." The result was that the Supreme Court of New Jersey during the May 1791 term ruled in favor of the administrators.²⁶⁶ Note that slaves were mentioned in the will of Edward's father, James Clifford (#3).

In 1778, Edward Clifford appeared on the list of Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, Rate Tables for 225 acres.²⁶⁷ In 1780, Captain Edward Clifford was appointed Overseer of Roads in Bethlehem Township; on 10 April 1781, a Certificates and Receipts of Revolutionary New Jersey (1996) states that Edward Clifford was paid 16 dollars, for “4 days service of 4 horse team carting beef from Pitts Town to Morris Town. No. 1916” (these two record sent to me by Elaine Johnston, see #284, in July 2004 emails). Edward was also taxed in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County in 1785, and 1786; also an Edward Clifford was taxed in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, in 1789.²⁶⁸ Edward Clifford was in the accounts and order book of the Grandin Fulling Mill (Clinton County [sic? Clinton Township, Hunterdon County]), New Jersey) for 8 May 1779 and 14 March 1782-see under his father, James Clifford, for more information on this mill. Probably the Pattenburg house was owned by James's son Edward after James died. James's will would indicate that Edward received the bulk of the estate.


14. ANN³ CLIFFORD (James², unknown Clifford¹); born possibly 1735 in Sussex County (now part of Warren County), New Jersey;²⁶⁹ died September or October 1810; married JOHN MARTIN, died intestate 1799; one of the bondsmen for John Martin's 5 November 1799 estate was John Clifford (#15), brother of Ann (Martin) Clifford.²⁷⁰ Possibly Ann Clifford was John Martin's second wife. His first wife might have been Sarah Bloomfield.²⁷¹

Ann's will was written 13 September 1810, recorded in Flemington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, 13 October 1810.²⁷² The will did not mention children of Ann and John Martin. Those mentioned were her brothers John and George Clifford, Nancy Little (daughter of Ann's sister Elizabeth) and Charles Clifford's "wife" (she would be Leah [Hoagland] Clifford). Charles Clifford (#56) was a son of Ann's brother John. Most of Ann's estate apparently went to her brother George and his children, that is: "… the rest of my estate I give and bequeath unto my brother George Clifford and unto his children, both male and female to be equally divided between him and them, share and share alike." Note that in 1810, assuming George was older than his brother Charles, born 1730, he would have been in his eighties.


15. JOHN³ CLIFFORD (James², unknown Clifford¹); born 10 January 1749; died 2 August 1842; married MARTHA ARMITAGE; born 19 November 1744.²⁷³ Both John and Martha are buried in Bethlehem Presbyterian Churchyard, Grandin, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.²⁷⁴ Martha first married a William Hunt, by whom she had three children, Johannah Hunt, Penelope Hunt, and Deborah Hunt.

Martha's grandparents were Enoch Armitage (27 November 1677-28 January 1739/40) and Martha (Beavers) Armitage (died 4 August 1713 in England), both of Kirkburton County, York, England.²⁷⁵ Martha (Armitage) Clifford was a daughter of Reuben Armitage (born 3 November 1705 in England, died 18 November 1783 in Hopewell Township, present-day Mercer County, New Jersey) and Deborah (Watson) Ring, widow of Elias Ring. Reuben married second Catherine Morgan Christopher, widow of Barent Christopher (information on the Rings and Reuben’s second wife from Elaine Johnston, see #284, in a July 2004 email). Martha's siblings were Mary Armitage (married Joseph Moore), Sarah Armitage, and Enoch Armitage-see under George Clifford (#2) for information on the Cliffords acquiring Enoch Armitage's house and farm.

Our John Clifford was on the Hunterdon County, New Jersey, tax list for Bethlehem Township in 1778, but apparently did not have land at that time.²⁷⁶ John and Martha's son, Enoch, was born in Pittstown, Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County, in 1780; and John was taxed in Kingwood Township in 1785, 1786 and 1789.²⁷⁷ John also lived for five years in Amwell Township. That the John Clifford taxed in these localities was our John is confirmed in John's pension application (see later). (There was also a John Clifford taxed in Hopewell Township in 1785; I do not know if he was the John of our concern here.) John Clifford came into possession of the Clifford's Pattenburg home in 1795,²⁷⁸ probably from the estate of his brother Edward Clifford. John Clifford was one of the administrators of the estate of his brother Edward.²⁷⁹ For more information see under Edward Clifford (#13). Between 1797-1805, John Clifford was Overseer of Roads in Bethlehem Township (this record sent to me by Elaine Johnston, see #284, in a July 2004 email).

In 1840, John (age 90-100) was enumerated in Bethlehem Township, undoubtedly living in the Clifford's Pattenburg house.²⁸⁰ There were three other males and one other female enumerated in John's 1840 household. Two were males, born circa 1780-1790. One was probably Enoch Clifford, a bachelor, son of John; the other perhaps was Kitchen Hartpence, husband of John's daughter Elizabeth, who would be the only female; also listed as born circa 1780-1790. (Note: John's other living child in 1840 was Charles Clifford, but he was in a separate household in 1840).²⁸¹ The other male, age 10-15 (born circa 1825-1830), is a mystery-perhaps he was a grandchild of Kitchen and Elizabeth or even an unknown child of Elizabeth's born when Elizabeth was in her mid-forties. John Clifford was also on the New Jersey 1840 Pensioner List, age 92, page 108.²⁸²

John died intestate in 1842. In 1845, his heirs, Charles Clifford (son), Enoch Clifford (son) and Kitchen Hartpence (son-in-law), sold the Pattenburg house to Charles Clifford's son-in-law Peter R. Williamson,²⁸³ the husband of Charity Clifford (#276). For more information on the house and these transactions, see under George Clifford (#2).

A puzzle: There is a biography of John Clifford in the Hunterdon Historical Newsletter, fall 1977.²⁸⁴ The opening sentence: "John Clifford was a twenty-seven year old bachelor, managing his widowed mother's farm in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, at the start of the Revolutionary War." But we know that John Clifford's father, James Clifford (#3), did not die until 1782.

John Clifford was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War.²⁸⁵ He saw action in Colonel Philip Johnson's Battalion in the Battle of Long Island on 27 August 1776 and the Battle of White Plains on 28 October 1776. John was with General Washington's army during the retreat across New Jersey and therefore would have probably been with Washington during the famous crossing of the Delaware. John remained with the Army until Christmas day, 1776. In 1778, John was back in the army, fighting in the Battle of Monmouth, 28 June 1778. When he was in his eighties, he applied for a veteran's pension. He was placed on the pension roll 11 April 1834; documents pertaining to this and several other documents give information about him.²⁸⁶

From Hunterdon Democrat (Flemington, New Jersey), volume 4, number 50, 10 August 1842:²⁸⁷

At his residence in Bethlehem, on the 2d inst., in full possession of his mental faculties, John Clifford, in the 94th year of his age, being born on the 10th day of January, 1749. At the commencement of the Revolutionary war, and previous to the Declaration of Independence, he received a Lieutenants commission from Provincial Congress of New Jersey and marched directly with Capt. Houghton's Company, with the first troops that was called from Hunterdon for the defence of New York; and served in that capacity for a number of campaigns during the war; and was in some of the warmest engagements, especially those of Long Island, White Plains, and Monmouth. In his political principles, he was a warm and undeviating Republican, on the principles of Government laid down by Jefferson. In his religion, with a due regard to the opinion of others, he adhered to that of his fathers [father's?], the Presbyterian, and has left the transitory scene at an age among many thousand that is born, but few arrive at. An appropriate discourse was delivered at his funeral by the Rev. Hollaway W. Hunt; towards the close of which he dwelt with a master hand on the reminiscences of the Revolution, the dangers, loses, and suffering of those Patriots, who lived and acted in those times that tried men's souls.

 

Children of John and Martha (Armitage) Clifford:²⁸⁸

+	56	i.	Charles4 Clifford; born 2 March 1778; died 31 December 1856; married Leah Hoagland.
+	57	ii.	Enoch Clifford; born 28 January 1780; died 15 September 1861; did not marry.
+	58	iii.	Elizabeth Clifford; born 10 July 1782; died 10 March 1870; married Kitchen Hartpence (also spelled Harpence).
	59	iv.	Martha Clifford; born 28 October 1784; died 11 March 1809.
	60	v.	Ann Clifford; born 16 December 1786; died 31 July 1794.