EARLY HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY. 171 



putting them under its jurisdiction. The act of 1710 extends 

 Salem County, and curtails Cape May County, to fetipsoii's Island, 

 or West Creek. 



The first town meeting for public business was held at the house 

 of Benjamin Godfrey, on the 7th of February, 1692.* " The com- 

 missions for Justices and SheriflF were proclaimed, and George 

 Taylor was appointed clerk." The first suit on record is for 

 assault and battery; "Oliver Johnson against John Carman." 

 The second, John Jarvis is accused by George Taylor of helping 

 the Indians to rum. " William Johnson deposeth and saith, that 

 he came into the house of the said Jarvis, and he found Indians 

 drinking rum, and one of the said Indians gave of the said rum to 

 the said Johnson, and he drank of it with them. The said Jarvis 

 refusing to clear himself, was convicted." 



As early as 1692,t a ferry was established by law, over Great 

 Egg Harbor River, at the place now called Beesley's Point, a proof 

 there must have been inhabitants upon both sides of the i-iver, and 

 contiguous to it at that period. 



The original settlers, or those who were here previous to the year 

 1700, were principally attracted (as the authors heretofore quoted 

 jufficiently corroborate) by the inducements held out by the whale 

 fishery ; and Long Island supplied the principal proportion of those 

 who came prior to that time. The names of those who were known 

 to be whalers,J were Christopher Leamyeng and his son Thomas, 

 Caesar Hoskins, Samuel Matthews, Jonathan Osborne, Nathaniel 

 Short, Cornelius Skellinks, Henry Stites, Thomas Hand and his 

 sons John and George, John and Caleb Carman, John Shaw, 

 Thomas Miller, William Stillwell," Humphrey Hewes, William Ma- 

 son, John Richardson, Ebenezer Swain, Henry Young; and no 

 doubt many others. 



The jaw-bone of a whale, ten feet long, was recently found a few 

 rods from the shore at Town Bank, by Thomas P. Hughes, the pro- 



* Cape May Records. ■\ Learning &, Spioer's Collection. 



J Secretary's ofBoe, Trenton & Cape May records. 



