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IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS - 08/24/2008
(by Richard Townsend - OpEd Columnist - August 27, 2008)
Marion the centenarian
Editor’s note: History doesn’t matter? Well what about deed restrictions, which this column will show come up time and time again? For instance, could deed restrictions have derailed plans for an amphitheater down near Route 23 in West Milford before it ever got off the ground? Maybe, but our point is that choices our ancestors made still affect us.
The subject of this week's article is the Marion family. Ruprecht Marion came to this country from Baden, the Black Forest region of Germany in the 1760s. He appears on compiled lists of the German ironworkers brought to the colonies by Peter Hasenclever working for the London Company. It appears that he may have been part of the second group of 50 workers and their families recruited by Hasenclever. It is believed that Ruprecht, 42 years of age, his wife Anna Juliana, about 29 years old, a daughter Elizabeth, 12 years old, and a son Theunis or Anthony, 4 years old, left aboard the ship “Helen” from Rotterdam, in what’s now known as the Netherlands.
Family tradition tells us the Merrions (the spelling is different but Ruprecht Marion is their common ancestor) were originally from France having traveled through Switzerland into Germany. The Catholic University at Villa Nova records Ruprecht’s age as 105 when he died, and that he saw his descendants to the fifth generation – a total of 200 families. Ruprecht was born in 1725 in Germany and died in 1830 in the Echo Lake section of West Milford. The family included two children by his first wife, and five by his second wife.
Ruprecht appears on records from the Catholic Church at baptisms and marriages including those of Jacob Faesch and his family at Hope. He established his residence in Echo Lake and appears to have worked on the construction of the dam at Echo Lake to provide water power to the Charlotteburg Forge and ironworks located down stream in the valley along Route 23.
In 1977 the City of Newark adopted a resolution to place a historical monument on the Newark Watershed lands in West Milford and accepted a gift of $1,000 from Robert Merrion of Florida. The Masonic Lodge took charge of the actual construction work and Dr. Bert Prol, curator of the State Museum at Ringwood, conducted the ceremonies. The monument is visible to the public in the picnic grounds opposite the dam at Echo Lake. The grounds were the location of the Marion homestead, which appears on tax records in 1779. The monument reads: “The Park is the site of Robert Merrion’s homestead built in 1767. Anthony Merrion, a Member of Capt. Robert Erskine’s Company of NJ Militia Working at Charlotteburg Forge, Made Iron Supplies For Washington’s Army 1776.”
When the City of Newark confiscated the lands by right of eminent domain, the family fought the action, and obtained a deed restriction, which resulted in some interesting antics by Ruprecht’s descendents. The agreement included the stipulation that the Newark Watershed would allow Elizabeth Marion to reside in her home, and two other homes, until her death. She moved from one home to the other within each year to maintain the agreement until her death. The stipulations also included the agreement that if the family homes were to be demolished to provide watershed lands, no other structures could be built by the Newark Watershed on the confiscated Marion lands. That restriction is in force to this day and may have derailed plans several years back to build an amphitheater near the junction of Echo Lake Road and Route 23. Courts over the years generally honor deed restrictions.
Many members of the Marion family have remained in the Echo Lake and Macopin sections of West Milford. For several generations till present locals often referred to the lower end of Macopin Road as Mariontown Hill. One reason for the family to remain here was their devotion to the St. Joseph RC Church on Germantown Road. Before the church was established, religious services were held on the porch of Dominic Marion’s home on Saw Mill Road in West Milford. The Marion family donated lands and money, as did neighbors including the Sehulsters and others, for the construction of one of the earliest Roman Catholic churches in New Jersey. When the ironworks failed, and farms became too expensive to maintain, many of the Marion family members moved to the Butler area and acquired work in the local mills.
A notable bearer of the Marion surname is Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox” (1732-1795), an American pioneer, Indian fighter, and leader in the Revolution. One story told in the family is that the Marions left on two ships sailing for the New World. The ships were separated at sea, one landing at New Amsterdam and the other blown south to the Carolinas. According to the family tales, this Francis Marion was a cousin to Ruprecht. If this was true, then the ship carrying Ruprecht must have been lost at sea for some 70 years! Actually, Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, was born in the south shortly after Ruprecht was born in Germany. However, further tracing of the family in Germany suggests that they were in fact cousins.
Several members of the Marion family made violins hand carved from woods in the local forest. This skill and musical tradition was passed down in the family five generations to my grandfather. Sam Marion, of Bloomingdale, played on the W.O.D.A radio station in Paterson. Sam was the last in my line to make his own violins. His sons Harry, Elmer, Art and Clarence continued managing and playing in local bands.
We have covered several motivations for individuals to journey to the New World and have followed their foot-steps to Pompton Township including:
– Adrian Post – To settle a private colony on Staten Island
– Gerret Van Wagoner – To obtain patent lands in Bergen and Acquackanonk
– Roelof Van Houten – A soldier in the Dutch army at New Amsterdam
– Johann Tice – A Huguenot seeking religious freedom among the Palatine Volunteers
– Ruprecht Marion – An ironworker working for the London Company
In next week’s article we will cover six partners who purchased the Pompton Patent.
| Comments (3) |
On September 24, 2008 Bob said:
Interesting article. I am seeking the burial places for the following Civil War soldiers named Marion or some derivative of that name: Augustus Marion; James Marion aka:Merian; Martin Marion aka: Merian; Nicholas Marion aka: Merrin; Robert Marion.
If anyone knows where any of these men are buried please drop me a line.
Bob - rfmacavoy@gmail.com |
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On September 4, 2008 said:
My husband is Ruprecht Marion's sixth-great-grandson. Although his father, Vincent C. McKenna (1908-1981), son of Georgianna Marion & Joseph F. McKenna, did not make his own violins he was a very talented concert violinist associated with the Karl Krieg String Ensemble of Jersey City, NJ. We have been deeply engrossed in family history research for a few years now. Thank you for sharing this aspect of our family history with us as we knew nothing of the violins & musical talent. |
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On August 29, 2008 Tom said:
I am really enjoying Richard Townsend's articles on local family history. As a life long area resident, I grew up hearing phrases
like "Mariontown Hill" and "Wyanokie." Its great to know the stories
behind the names and places. Richard is doing a fine job of keeping
the memory of our first settlers alive. Thanks for an excellent series
of articles. |
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