Morris County, New Jersey

The following information was obtained from Dover History by Charles D. Platt, 1914.

List of Forges in Morris County in 1816 
as shown in a petition to Congress

December 18, 1816

  At a meeting of the inhabitants of the County of Morris and the parts of the neighboring counties adjacent thereto interested in the Manufacture of Bar and Cast iron, held at Morristown, in further pursuance of the object stated at a former meeting, held at this place on the _____  day of September last, at which meeting Col. Lemual Cobb was chosen moderator and Wm. M. O'Hara Clerk—

  RESOLVED, That Major John Kinney be deputed to proceed to the city of Washington, to make interest in favor of the objects stated in the petition lately circulated among the iron manufacturers of this State, and to effect the presentment of said petition.

  RESOLVED, That this meeting, having estimated the probable expenses which will attend the carrying into effect the object of the preceding resolution, and having enumerated the different iron works &c in this county and adjacent thereto, have made the following assessment, and do recommend to the persons whose names are therein mentioned to contribute accordingly to the same.

FORGES

FURNACES

SLITTING MILLS

IRON MINES

   John D Camp Esqr, Capt. William Scott, Capt. John Stansbury, David B. Hurd & Lemuel D Camp Esqr be collectors & authorized to received the money

    By order of the Meeting

Lemuel Cobb, Moderator                                      

    Wm. M. O'Hara, Sec'y

    We the subscribing do promise each one for himself to pay to Major John Kinney or order on Demand the sums annexed to our names for the purpose of defraying his expenses to the City of Washington and his expenses while there to present a Petition to the house of Congress for the relief of persons interested in the manufacture of bar and Cast Iron in the United States.

December 18, 1816                                      

D. B. Hurd                      $4.00
Nathan Hedges              1.00
Moses Halloway             2.00

Copies from the original petition, loaned by Mrs. H. W. Cortright, Lake Hopatcong.

Quotation from Munsell's History of Morris County, 1882, page 44, and from Lewis' History, page 24.

"In a letter written to Richard Henry Lee in 1777, Washington states that in Morris County alone there are between eighty and a hundred iron works, large and small. Unless the writer counted each fire of every forge it is impossible to verify this statement by locating the iron works &c."

NOTE-The number of forges named in the above petition is 52. But the quotation uses the term "iron works." Perhaps we may add ten more "iron works" from the petition. The number of "fired" named in the petition is 88, which, with other works, makes 98 "iron works" possibly, as suggested by Washington. But this list is nearly 40 years later than Washington's letter, and changes would occur.

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