The History of Pleasant Run in Stanton, New Jersey: Lenape Lands, Settlers, and Hidden Stories of Hunterdon County
Introduction: The Stream as Witness
Nestled in the heart of Readington Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Campbell’s Brook—known today as Pleasant Run, and once, Smith’s Brook—winds its way through wooded hills and fertile farmland. Its gentle waters have witnessed centuries of human activity, from the Lenape cultivating corn and beans to settlers clearing forests, enslaved individuals laboring under bondage, and free African Americans building dignified lives.
Recently, I visited the ancestral home of my 6th great-grandfather, Johannes Smith (1718–1791), one of the early settlers who shaped this region. Positioned along the brook—then known as Brookeye—the house and its surroundings sparked a profound curiosity about the history of this land. What was happening here when Christian Harshall, Smith’s father-in-law, first transferred land to him? What stories linger along these waters, where families like the Smiths and their neighbors transformed a wilderness into a thriving community?
Exploring the history of Campbell’s Brook is to follow the evolution of a nation in microcosm. From Lenape settlements to the toil of enslaved laborers, from settlers carving farms out of the wilderness to the gradual shaping of a community, the brook connects us to the lives and struggles of those who came before.
A video of Pleasant Run, a brook, in Stanton, New Jersey
The Lenape’s Land of Plenty
Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Lenape—the original inhabitants of what is now New Jersey—established thriving communities along the fertile lands of the Raritan River Valley. Campbell’s Brook, or as the Lenape might have known it, an unnamed ribbon of life, was the centerpiece of one such settlement. Tucked into the woods near the modern-day residence of the Scales-Pijanowski family, a small Lenape village once stood.
This was not merely a cluster of wigwams. It was a network of relationships, sustained by careful stewardship of the land. The Lenape cultivated maize, beans, and squash in tidy rows along the brook’s banks. Their gardens thrived in the rich soil that bordered the clear, cold waters of the brook, shaded by towering oaks and hickories. Generations of Lenape families called this place home, passing down traditions of hunting, fishing, and communal ceremonies that bound them together.
The Lenape’s relationship with the land was deeply disrupted as European settlers encroached upon their territories, using coercion or deceit to dispossess the Lenape of their ancestral lands. Following the signing of the 1758 Treaty of Easton, most Lenape were relocated to Brotherton, the first Indian Reservation in the United States, located in Burlington County. Bartholomew Scott Calvin, also known by his Lenape name “Shawuskukhkung” or Wilted Grass, played a key role in this history. Born near Crosswicks around 1756 and educated at Princeton with the support of the Scottish Missionary Society, Calvin interrupted his studies to fight in the Revolutionary War as part of the Pennsylvania Line. After the war, Calvin continued to advocate for his people.
In 1832, Calvin returned to New Jersey as a delegate of his tribe to negotiate compensation for their hunting and fishing rights under the Treaty of Easton. The New Jersey Legislature approved a payment of $2,000, a sum that Calvin, in his letter of gratitude, described as emblematic of the “high-toned justice” with which the state had treated his people. In a poignant benediction, Calvin wrote, “I fervently pray that God will have them in His holy keeping—will guide thee in safety through the vicissitudes of this life and ultimately through the rich mercies of our blessed Redeemer, receive them unto the Glorious entertainment of His Kingdom above” (Trenton, March 12, 1832; Worthen, 1929).
Despite these negotiations, the Lenape’s displacement continued. By 1803, many Lenape families from Brotherton had joined their relatives, the Mohicans, at New Stockbridge near Oneida Lake, New York, before eventually resettling along the Fox River in Wisconsin. This migration marked a significant shift, as the Lenape’s cultural and spiritual ties to New Jersey were severed.
Today, Campbell’s Brook flows past fields and forests that once sustained a thriving Lenape community By the early 19th century, the physical traces of their presence had largely faded. Yet, as John W. Lequear wrote in 1869, relics of wigwams and cultivated gardens could still be seen, “broken here and there by open spaces where maize and other plants were cultivated” (Lequear, 1869, p. 31). Stone tools, shards of pottery, and faint traces of footpaths in the woods bore witness to a once-vibrant community.
Note Pleasant Run marking the border to Obadiah Cole’s property
A New World: Settlers and Campbell’s Brook
By the late 17th century, Campbell’s Brook had become a magnet for settlers seeking fertile land and fresh opportunities. John Campbell, a Scotsman who arrived in the region in the late 1600s, lent his name to the brook. A surveyor and landowner, Campbell played a pivotal role in shaping the early development of Readington Township. Along with other settlers, he cleared dense forests to establish farms and homesteads along the brook’s course.
Clearing the land was a herculean task. Settlers relied on the labor and ingenuity of their neighbors to fell trees, build log homes, and carve pastures from the wilderness. Among the earliest settlers were the Schomps, Biggs, and Coles, whose names still echo in local histories. The Schomps were renowned for their strength and resilience, cutting through the dense timber to create one of the first clearings along the brook. The Biggs family, meanwhile, left behind stories that blend hardship with humor—like the tale of Mrs. Biggs wrestling a blacksnake that had taken up residence in her baby’s cradle as she worked to clear timber for her homestead (Lequear, 1869, p. 194).
Despite the toil, there was beauty in this frontier life. The brook, with its sparkling waters and sylvan shades, provided a constant source of inspiration. It was a place where settlers paused to reflect, where children played, and where dreams of a better future were forged.
Blind George Biggs: Local Legend
Blind George Biggs, a near-mythical figure of Readington, whose father George owned land north of the brook, offers a window into the local color of life along the brook. Despite his blindness, Biggs was renowned for his navigational prowess. On one occasion, after attending a gathering late into the night, his companions became lost in the darkness. Biggs, undeterred, led the group safely home, following auditory cues like the calls of geese near the brook.
Biggs’ remarkable sense of place and ability to navigate the landscape by sound highlights the close connection early inhabitants maintained with their environment. His story, preserved in local lore, adds a human dimension to the broader history of Pleasant Run.
Home of Johan Christian Harshall and Johannes/John Henry Smith and Christeen (nee. Harshall)
A New World: Christian Harshall and John Smith
Christian Harshall, an early landowner along the brook, played a pivotal role in the transition of this land into colonial hands. His detailed 1769 will sheds light on the period’s complex social hierarchies. Harshall, a yeoman of Readington, ensured his second wife Elizabeth would have lifelong support, granting her the use of his kitchen, cellar, and upper room, along with yearly provisions of food and money. This provision included 200 pounds of pork, 200 pounds of cured meat, and five bushels of Indian corn—a window into the dietary staples of the time.
The will also names two individuals—Poll, described as a “negro wench,” and John Bartenheart, whose status as enslaved or indentured is unclear. Poll was likely enslaved, while Bartenheart may have been an indentured servant. The language of inheritance applied to them underscores the dehumanizing practices of the time, even in a region where narratives of freedom also took root.
John Smith, Harshall’s son-in-law, emerged as a key figure in this story. Smith, who had begun as an indentured servant to Harshall, later married his daughter Christeen and became a landowner in his own right. Harshall’s will granted Smith stewardship of the farm, ensuring that the land would remain within the family.
In 1765, Christian Harshall’s lands were formally transferred to John Smith and his wife, Christeen Harshall, marking the beginning of a generational relationship with the property along Campbell’s Brook. By 1815, this property underwent partitioning, dividing the land into smaller lots among Smith’s descendants. This division reflected a broader trend in post-colonial America, where large estates gave way to family-run farms and smaller holdings.
The Neighbors of Campbell’s Brook
The surrounding properties tell a story of interconnected families, shared labor, and evolving land use, creating a mosaic of life along the brook. Among the neighboring families were the Bowmans, Coles, and Waggoners—names that echoed through deeds, wills, and local histories.
The Bowman/Bouman Family
The Bowmans, also spelled "Bouman" in early records, were early settlers of in the area. a, who married a Dutch woman, was a neighbor, who undoubtedly interacted closely with the Smiths. Known for their agricultural endeavors, the Bowmans epitomized the resilience of Germanic settlers in the region. While their contributions to the local farming economy are well-documented, they also played a role in maintaining community cohesion, sharing resources like mills and tools (Snell & Ellis, 1881, p. 487). Their bank home, built in 1741, around the time of the first Housel/Harshall home nearby, can be toured as a living history of that period.
The Bouman-Stickney Farmstead
The Coles: Pioneers of Industry
Tunis Cole, a prominent figure among the Coles, migrated to the area from Bergen County drawn in by the sunny hamlet and “never failing stream of pure water” of Campbell’s Brooke in the early 1700s. They were one of the first prominent Dutch families to settle within the village of Pleasant run (Readington Township Historic Preservation Commission, 2008, p. 51.) He purchased significant tracts of land, including 400 acres near the brook, in 1727. The Coles were industrious settlers, establishing not only farms but also early mills that contributed to the local economy. By the mid-18th century, the Cole family’s presence along the brook symbolized the integration of commerce with agrarian life. Their descendants, including Isaiah and David Cole, continued to shape the landscape, dividing their holdings among family members and influencing local development (Snell & Ellis, 1881, p. 487).
Peter Clines/Klines
Peter Kline, or Cline, was a tanner who lived at the “Head of Brookye” according to The Story of an Old Farm by Andrew Mellick. As a neighbor of the Smith family. His property, situated along a tributary of the brook, became a hub for communal gatherings. Peter married Cornelius Bowman’s daughter, Mary first, and later Johannes Smith’s daughter Rebecca who bore him nine children.
The Carkhuff and Baker Families
The Carkhuff family, represented by several generations of landowners, were also neighbors to the Smiths along Campbell’s Brook. They were of German extraction and owned a bank home, much like the Smiths— built in 1789. By the attached bars and corncribs we can infer the agricultural nature of the Carkuff family. Tim Baker, another prominent resident, often collaborated with families like the Smiths and Bowmans in communal efforts to clear land, build barns, and establish productive farms.
Andrew Johnson and Cornelius Sheets
Andrew Johnson, a skilled carpenter, left his mark on the region by constructing several homes and barns near Campbell’s Brook. Cornelius Sheets, a surveyor and land speculator, played a vital role in the partitioning process of many properties, including those owned by the Smith descendants. His meticulous records provide insights into how land boundaries were negotiated and maintained.
The Waggoners
The Waggoner family contributed significantly to the area's agricultural output, cultivating crops that sustained both local and regional markets. William Waggoner, a descendant of the Waggoner patriarch and matriarch ran a harness shop on Stanton road in the 19th Century, perhaps giving some hint as to the family’s trade skills and craftsmanship, particularly in the production of wagons and tools essential for farming. (National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 1990, 12)
Brookeye’s Tavern: The Heart of the Community
By the mid-18th century, Campbell’s Brook had become not just a geographical marker but a center of social and cultural life. Taverns were a cornerstone of colonial communities, and Brookeye’s Tavern (Brookeye’s was an early name for the Pleasant Run hamlet) was no exception. Perched near the brook, it was a bustling hub where travelers and locals gathered to exchange news, debate politics, and enjoy the conviviality of good food and drink.
According to Lequear, Brookeye’s Tavern played host to “lively debates, community meetings, and even court proceedings” (Lequear, 1869, p. 194). It was here that neighbors gathered to hear the latest news from the cities or to debate matters of local governance. The tavern was more than just a place to drink—it was a space where the community came alive, where friendships were forged, and where the brook itself became a silent participant in the unfolding drama of life.
As settlers like John Smith and families like the Coles and Schomps transformed the land, the brook provided a constant, its waters powering mills and irrigating fields. By 1755, the area around Pleasant Run had become a network of leased and owned farms, with the brook at its heart.
The Shadows of Slavery and Freedom
Beneath the rolling hills and serene waters of Campbell’s Brook lies a darker history—one shaped by the labor, suffering, and resilience of enslaved Africans who built the foundations of the region’s prosperity. The farms and homesteads that dotted the landscape were not merely the product of industrious settlers but of enslaved men, women, and children whose stories have often been overshadowed.
In the mid-18th century, New Jersey was deeply entangled in the institution of slavery. Enslaved individuals were not confined to sprawling plantations in the South but labored in smallholdings like those surrounding Campbell’s Brook. Smith’s neighbor, Thomas Bouman—an elder in the Consistory of the Dutch Reformed Church—owned seven enslaved people who worked his land and contributed to the region’s agricultural success (Bouman-Stickney Farmstead, 1738). Their toil underpinned the prosperity of the area while their humanity was denied.
The land around Campbell’s Brook also bore witness to harrowing acts of despair and resistance. Oral histories recount the haunting tale of two enslaved men who believed death would return them to their homeland. In an act of defiance and heartbreak, they hung themselves from a tree near the brook, wearing bracelets crafted from the twigs of sixteen different types of wood—symbols, perhaps, of their longing for freedom and cultural identity (Lequear, 1869, p. 194). These stories underscore the unimaginable burdens placed upon enslaved people and the desperate measures they sometimes took to escape bondage.
Nearby, the town of Perth Amboy served as a hub for the slave trade, with barracks that held enslaved individuals before their sale and distribution. Conditions were often brutal, and resistance was met with extreme violence. Public punishments, including burnings and hangings, were carried out to suppress rebellion and maintain control. The tragic executions of enslaved individuals in 1750, charged with killing their mistress, stand as one such grim example. These executions were designed to serve as a warning, their memory “long remembered” by local communities (Smith’s New Jersey, p. 254).
And yet, amidst this grim backdrop, there were glimmers of resilience and resistance. Figures like Aree Van Guinea, a free man of African descent, carved out lives of dignity and influence. Aree not only purchased land in nearby Somerset County but also donated property to the Zion Lutheran Church, contributing to his community in profound ways (Stevens, Outcast, 2004). His story offers a counterpoint to the broader narrative of oppression, showing that even in an era of systemic injustice, paths to freedom and community were forged.
By the early 19th century, shifting public sentiment and legislation began to erode the institution of slavery in New Jersey. The gradual abolition laws, beginning in 1804, set enslaved children on paths to eventual freedom, though the process was slow and incomplete. Census records reveal the slow decline in the enslaved population—from 12,422 in 1800 to just 674 by 1840. The 1820 Act, which freed children born to enslaved mothers after reaching adulthood, played a significant role in reducing slavery’s grip on the region. Despite these changes, the scars of this institution remain, etched into the land and its history (Smith’s New Jersey, p. 40).
Today, as the brook winds quietly through the countryside, it carries with it not only the memory of idyllic rural life but also the enduring echoes of those who labored, resisted, and fought for freedom.
From Beverly B. Smith and William Francis Smith’s monumental work: “John Smith, 1718-1791, Descendants”
Partitioning the Land: John Smith and His Descendants
In September 1765, Christian Harshall transferred a significant portion of land along Campbell’s Brook to John Smith and his wife Christina. The deed explicitly mentions the brook as a key boundary, underscoring its importance in defining property lines (Smith, 1987, p. 318). Over the next 50 years, Smith and his heirs would further subdivide the land, reflecting the generational shift from large, singular estates to smaller, family-owned farms.
By 1815, a formal partition among Smith’s heirs divided the land into four lots, including two "wood lots" meant for timber harvesting. This division marked the beginning of the brook’s transition from a shared community resource to a feature within increasingly fragmented private holdings (Partition Records, 1815).
Conclusion: A Stream of Memory
Today, Campbell’s Brook—now Pleasant Run—is a quiet reminder of the lives it has sustained and the histories it has witnessed. From the Lenape who first called it home to the settlers who carved farms from the wilderness, from the enslaved Africans who labored along its banks to the free men and women who found dignity and purpose in its shadow, the brook flows as a thread connecting the past to the present.
Its story, rich with triumph and tragedy, invites us to pause and reflect—not just on the history of a stream but on the enduring power of place. Campbell’s Brook is more than a geographic feature; it is a repository of memory, a witness to the human drama that unfolded along its banks, and a source of inspiration for all who seek to understand the past.
Works Cited
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