DUI Lawyers in Fredon, NJ

Staff Writer

New Jersey Herald

FREDON -- Earlier this year, the 18.3-square-mile area known as Fredon Township was recognized as one of the state's best towns for families, the safest and the most affordable. In addition to its kindergarten to sixth-grade school, the township boasts a park located in close proximity to the school, the historic Coursen House and the 530-acre Muckshaw Preserve.

Organized on Feb. 24, 1904, the township was formed from parts of Andover, Green, Hampton, Newton and Stillwater. It holds the distinction as the last township to be formed in Sussex County. Presumably, the township's name was derived from Fredonia, signifying freedom, which was coined by Dr. Samuel Mitchell in the 1800s. It took until 1834, however, before the name became officially designated as a post office of that name.

Today, the rural township is viewed as scenic and serene, but it was not always that way. For in its past are included Indian raids and the notorious James Moody, who reportedly used the caves in the Muckshaw Swamp and Devil's Cave as hiding places.

Much has been written about the Indian raid in which 17-year-old Thomas Hunt and a black man, Cuffee, were captured May 21, 1756. Jay C. Richards, in "Flames Along the Delaware," was one of those who wrote about the raid that took place in present-day Fredon. Richards recorded that the log cabin of Capt. Richard Hunt was burned by the Indians and his 17-year-old brother, Thomas, and a black man were missing. Reportedly, Cuffee was playing his fiddle when the Indians appeared.

A more expanded account of this incident may be found in Barber and Howe's "Historical Collection of New Jersey." It was surmised that the Indians' intent had been to capture Richard Hunt, Daniel Harker and Anthony Swartwout. Members of the Swartwout family were brutally murdered -- with the exception of a son and daughter who were taken captive. They returned home in about a year and identified a white man, Springer, as the murderer. Springer was hanged, but to this day, there are questions as to whether he was a murderer or a captive, like the others.

Hunt and Cuffee were taken to the French in Canada, where the latter managed his escape. Thomas Hunt returned to his home three years and four months after his capture. Penny Hill, a direct descendant of Thomas Hunt, says that upon his demise, he was buried in the family cemetery near Hunt's Lake, a short distance from the log cabin where he had been captured.

As for Lt. James Moody, a legendary character in Sussex County, at this point it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Part of this may be due to the fact that Moody recorded his activities during the Revolutionary War in a book titled "Eyewitness Account of the American Revolution." Moody compiled this book in November 1782, while residing in England. In his book he repeatedly refers to himself as Mr. Moody.

Moody, during the Revolutionary War, is known to have actively recruited men for the British; successively led them to the British camps; captured Isaac Martin, the commissioner engaged to see the confiscated estates of Loyalists who left the county; and made attacks on prominent county patriots, including members of the Ogden family.

On March 31, 1779, Moody and his accomplices entered the Sparta home of Robert Ogden II and after threatening them plundered the house. An alarm was issued, the local militia notified, the tracks in the snow followed, but Moody and his men eluded capture, although some of the silverware reportedly was recovered.

In May 1780, Moody and his men made an unsuccessful attempt to capture New Jersey Gov. William Livingston but upon their arrival, they learned that Livingston was not at home, but in Trenton.

"Their plan to destroy the powder magazine at Succasunna proved abortive for notwithstanding his having prevailed on some British prisoners, taken with Gen. John Burgoyne, to join him in the enterprise, the alarm was now become so general, and the terror so great, that they had increased their guard around this magazine, to the number of an hundred and upwards, so that he was under the necessity of abandoning his project."

Moody related that upon returning to Sussex County, "he heard that several prisoners were confined, on various suspicions and charges of loyalty, in the jail of that county, and that one of them, Robert Maxwell, was actually under sentence of death."

Entering the country town late at night on June 21, 1780, and coming to the jail, Moody woke the jailer, John Perrine, and informed him that he had a prisoner for him. The jailer declined opening the jail and advised him that "in consequence of Moody's being out, he had received strict orders to open his doors to no man after sunset; and that therefore he must wait till morning."

"On this, Mr. Moody's men, who were well skilled in the Indian war whoop, made the air resound with such a variety of hideous yells, as soon left them nothing to fear from the inhabitants of New Town, which, though the country town consists of only of 20 or 30 houses. ‘The Indians, the Indians are come,' said the panic struck people and happy were they who could soonest escape into the woods.

While these things were thus going on, the Ensign made his way through a casement and was met by a prisoner, whom he immediately employed to procure him a light. The vanished jailor was now again produced and most obsequiously conducted Mr. Moody to the dungeon of the poor wretch under sentence of death."

Needless to say, Moody's raid was successful and two British soldiers, Maxwell and Daniel McCoy, and possibly other prisoners with loyalist sentiments, were released. Ironically, Maxwell was recaptured and later hanged in Newton.

As for Moody, following the war, he settled in Canada, where he passed away at 64 on April 6, 1807. He was buried in St. Peters Anglican Church Burial Ground, Weymouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Moody's name and reputation live on in Sussex County, where he is, for the most part, associated with Moody's Rock in Muckshaw, and Devil's Cave, also located in Fredon Township.

Today, Fredon Township is recognized as one of the state's best towns for families. It is one of the most affordable and viewed as one of the safest towns. But back during the French and Indian War, at least one Indian raid is known to have taken place and two residents taken captive. And, during the Revolutionary War, Lt. James Moody is alleged to have made Moody's Rock in the Muckshaw Swamp his stronghold.

Staff Writer

New Jersey Herald

Dreams have inspired Fredon artist Patricia Gray Redline to experiment and undertake a new project, creating a series of small-scale paintings to be featured in an exhibit at Sussex County Community College this fall. She has kept a journal for the last three years, writing down her dreams each morning and using them as inspiration for the atypical primitive representations of images that come in dreams. Inspired by her favorite artist, Jean Cocteau, who often worked from the dream journals he kept and created “astounding” art, paintings, interiors of homes and “happenings.” Redline is keeping her work under wraps until the show.

Redline grew up in Newton and after studying nursing she took a new direction, attending The Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston where she received a degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in drawing and painting. Working in her studio where she can create her large-scale paintings, she also teaches drawing, painting and art history at SCCC.

When asked to describe her style, she said, “It’s predominantly formalist. It’s about technique and letting the technique sort of bring to life different ideas.” She works in large scale with a lot of paint, pastes and gels and different tools large in scale.

“I love color, I love color, I enjoy seeing it and experiencing it and there just are not enough paintings that can represent all the color formations that you can love,” she said when asked about the array of colors in her work.

Her ideas sometimes come from reading books and from travel or friends; you never know what will spark an interest. “Sometimes feelings of things that are in the air, certain currents you sort of pick up, like bugs pick up different signs that it’s time to move into different periods of their life,” she said.