Monmouth Whigs Form New Associations

We cannot fully understand the local political environment in Revolutionary Monmouth County because documents provide only limited glimpses into the activities and perspectives of ordinary citizens. What we do know, based on surviving documents, is that from 1780 through the end of the war, Monmouth County had two competing factions of leaders—a “Machiavellian” group led by David Forman was centered in Freehold and a “Due Process” group more or less led by Asher Holmes and James Mott was centered in Middletown. Apart from both, the shore townships had several disaffected local leaders.

Leaders lined up popular support through voluntary associations. In 1780, Machiavellian Whigs embodied their supporters in the Association for Retaliation—a vigilante society that punished Loyalists and kin of Loyalists (often engaged in trading illegally with the British and Loyalists) with or without due process of the law. Due Process Whigs were more numerous but less united—they lacked a unifying association. Some joined the Monmouth County Whig Society in 1781. They focused on stopping illegal trade with the enemy (“London Trading”) and protecting the value of currency. The anti-inflation mission made the Whig Society a creditor-focused association.

Anti-London Trading Associations Form in August 1782

In summer 1782, discussions of peace and Loyalist re-integration in the air. A few Loyalists, such as Ezekiel Forman, had returned to New Jersey to settle accounts and plan for an eventual return. In this context, many of Monmouth County’s Due Process Whigs, particularly those in Upper Freehold Township, embodied themselves in new associations.

On August 21, 1782, the New Jersey Gazette, printed the resolves of a new Whig association that first met at Allentown on July 29. John Imlay, an admiralty court judge, was its chair. Building on a prior crackdown against London Traders in late 1780, the association would combat London Trading and "bring exemplary justice to all who may be…in this pernicious traffic." Associators committed to "strengthen the hands of all officers, civil or military" in combating the illegal trade and "prevent persons passing through this state without passports." They would ostracize anyone engaged in illegal trade, and "treat as mean, false and designing" anyone who insinuated that illegal trade had an element of "good citizenship" (by bringing desired goods like tea and fabrics into the county).

Imlay’s associators drew a difference between themselves and the Retaliators. Imlay’s association would "discountenance and oppose all acts of oppression and violence and whatever may be inconsistent with the peace and good order of the community." They established a committee to guide their activities consisting of John Imlay, Peter Imlay, Sr., and Peter Imlay, Jr.; Elisha Lawrence (the legislator); Colonel Daniel Hendrickson; Tax Collector Abraham Hendricks; Captain Peter Wikoff; Magistrate Gilbert Longstreet; and Benjamin Rogers. The founding document of the group is provided in the appendix of this article.

At approximately the same time, a second association formed with the same stated mission as Imlay’s association—preventing illegal trade. On August 14, the New Jersey Gazette, printed an announcement from John Cox, the new Chairman of "the Association of Inhabitants of Allentown and Burlington for preventing illicit trade and intercourse with the Enemy." The association promised to:

Attend particularly to the vigorous execution of the law against vagrant and idle persons, the Act to prevent illicit trade and intercourse with the enemy, and the law passed 10th Jan'y 1779 to prevent persons traveling through this state without a passport; and, in a word, use their every possible means in their power to effect the grand purpose of disappointing the Enemy in this, their last dastardly effort to corrupt and enslave the virtuous inhabitants of the independent States of America.

The relationship between Cox’s Allentown-Burlington association and Imlay’s Allentown association is unknown. It is curious that Allentown’s residents would join two separate associations that formed at the same time for the same purpose. Perhaps this is merely a reflection of a local rivalry between the Imlay and Cox families. But the members of both associations likely viewed themselves as opponents of the Retaliators. Many of the leaders of Imlay’s and Cox’s associations signed petitions complaining of Retaliator conduct at one time or another.

As such, by August 1782, Monmouth County had four associations committed to battling the London Trade. Three of those associations—the Whig Society and John Imlay’s and John Cox’s associations—were composed of Due Process Whigs committed to acting within the law. The fourth—the Retaliators—embraced vigilantism. But, interestingly, the appointment of Retaliator-leader David Forman as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in early 1782 gave the Retaliators an opportunity to punish their enemies through the courts.

Shrewsbury Township, the most populous in the county, was not the center of any association, though some of its people joined the Whig Society, Imlay’s association, and the Retaliators. Parts of Shrewsbury were known to be disaffected and supportive of the London Trade—these men would not be welcome in an association committed to stamping-out the illegal trade. It is also possible that some Shrewsbury Whigs felt vulnerable to enemy capture and therefore were reluctant to join any Whig association that might draw the attention of the enemy.

The success of these associations in curbing illegal trade or accomplishing any other goal is unclear. As late as November 1782, George Washington was writing colleagues about continued illegal trade in New Jersey. He called for London Trading to be made a capital offense. In one letter, he wrote:

Every day's experience convinces me more and more of the truth of it, that nothing short of Laws making the supply of the enemy with provisions or stores, or holding any kind of illicit intercourse with them, Felony of Death, will check the evil so justly complained of.

Washington was doubtful that his Army could prevent illegal trade. Detachments sent into Monmouth County in 1779 had failed miserably at preventing illegal trade. Washington worried that detaching men again “would so dissipate my force” and “would invite and be at the mercy of the enemy.” Instead, he advocated for the strict enforcement of anti-trading laws: “Rigid Laws, rigidly executed, are the only remedies that can be applied.”

The Association to Oppose the Return of Tories

In early 1783, hundreds of Monmouth Countians considered joining yet another association. 253 Monmouth Countians ultimately joined the "Association of Inhabitants for United Action Opposing the Return of Tories." The associators wrote:

We think it the duty of everyone who wishes to perpetuate the inestimable blessings of independence to exert himself in order that the holders of Government and all civil and military offices be kept in the hands of such men as have been most instrumental in effecting the Glorious Revolution; and also by every means in his power to discountenance and treat with neglect all such persons who uniformly oppose the same.

The association promised to enforce all existing laws that would permit the prosecution of Loyalists and seek new laws that would permanently banish Loyalists. By pledging to act within the boundaries of the law, the associators distanced themselves from the extralegal violence of the Retaliators. They further pledged: “We will prevent the return of every individual former inhabitant of this State who hath any time since the Revolution gone off and joined the British Army" and will always "cast and jealous and watchful eye" over the disaffected living in the county. The associators agreed to only vote for zealous Whigs.

The association was signed by several leaders from Freehold and Middletown Township, including: David Forman (the former leader of the Retaliators, now a judge), merchant Samuel Forman, Captain Samuel Carhart, Judge John Anderson and Sheriff John Burrowes. Two of the most important Retaliators—Legislator Thomas Henderson and Captain Kenneth Hankinson (the new Retaliator Chairman)—did not join. Neither did the two highest ranking Due Process Whigs—Colonel Asher Holmes and Lt. Colonel John Smock. It is difficult to know how this association re-aligned or perhaps further split the pre-existing Machiavellian and Due Process Whig factions.

The Monmouth County Association to Oppose the Return of Tories may have influenced activity in another county. The New Jersey newspaper, Political Intelligencer, in October 1783, printed a letter from Morristown about the establishment of an anti-Tory association similar in its charter to the one in Monmouth County. Regardless of the activities of the Monmouth and Morris County associations, some Loyalists were returning home. They are discussed in another article.

Caption: The New Jersey Gazette was the state’s official newspaper. In 1782, the people of Upper Freehold used it to announce the founding of two associations focused on halting trade with the British.

Related Historic Site: Old Yellow Meeting House

Appendix

"Pursuant to a short notice by advertisement, a great number of the Whig inhabitants of the township of Upper Freehold in the county of Monmouth, met in Allentown—July 29, 1782.

John Imlay was appointed Chairman, and the following association was entered into.

We have therefore associated ourselves for the following purposes:

1st, We do hereby mutually pledge our faith and honour to support each other in endevouring to detect and bring to exemplary justice all who amy be in any wise concerned in this pernicious traffick, and use every lawful means to prevent and suppress it.

2nd, To which end we will, to the utmost of our power and influence, strengthen the hand of all officers, civil and military, in the discharge of their duty, and support the full and vigorous execution of the laws for preventing illicit trade, and to prevent persons passing through this State without proper passports.

3rd, We will avoid, as far as possible, all intercourse, communication and dealings with such as may be concerned with trading with the enemy, or who may be justly suspected of being so concerned.

4th, We will give every support and assistance in our power to those who shall exert themselves to detect and bring justice to those persons concerned, either directly or indirectly, in trading with the enemy; and treat as mean, false and designing, every insinuation that such endeavours are in the least degree inconsistent with honour and good citizenship, or that they are not highly becoming and praiseworthy.

5th, In prosecution of these objects we will at the same time discountenance and oppose all acts of oppression and violence, and whatever may be inconsistent with the peace and good order of the community, being determined not to resort to force, except when the same may be indispensably necessary.

The meeting then went into the appointment of a committee for the purpose of carrying the objects of the association into the most effectual execution.  The following gentlemen were elected, John Imlay, Esquire, Col. Elisha Lawrence, Mr. Gilbert Longstreet, Col. Daniel Hendrickson, Mr. Abraham Hendricks, Mr. Peter Imlay, Senior, Captain Peter Wikoff, Mr. Peter Imlay, Jr., Mr. Benjamin Rogers."

Sources: Michael Adelberg, “The Transformation of Local Governance in Monmouth County, New Jersey during the War of the American Revolution,” Journal of the Early Republic, 2011; Library of Congress, Early American Newspaper, New Jersey Gazette, August 21, 1782, reel 1930; Library of Congress, Early American Newspaper, New Jersey Gazette, August 14, 1782, reel 1930; George Washington to Jonathan Trumball, Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw250382)); Association to Oppose the Return of Tories, New York Public Library, New Jersey Collection, Folder: Monmouth County; New Jersey Political Intelligencer, October 28, 1783; Michael Adelberg, Biographical File, unpublished at the Monmouth County Historical Association.