Clayton-Taylor-Mount House
Clayton-Taylor-Mount house, August 2011.
Historical Overview
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An old, time-worn 2-story 3-bay house once stood at 1716 Old Trenton Road. This building is hereafter referred to as the "Clayton-Taylor-Mount" house and was once a contributing element to the historic community of Edinburg.
The exact date of construction is unknown, but it probably dated to the very early 1800s,[1] if not earlier. The first known potential owners of the building were James and Martha Hooper in 1806. That year, they sold a 10-acre tract to William Tindall, Esquire, encompassing the land on which the Clayton-Taylor-Mount now sits, as well as the properties of 1712, 1714, 1720-22, 1726, and 1728 Old Trenton Road, and 1337 Edinburg Road.[2] This may have been the same William Tindall who served as West Windsor's very first Tax Assessor and Justice of the Peace starting in 1797, and was also a Township Committeeman, Commissioner of (Taxation) Appeal, Overseer of the Highways, and Moderator/Judger of Elections from the 1790s-1810s.[3] The deed from 1806 also mentions a "premises" - indicating a structure existed on this 10-acre tract - but it's unknown if this was the Clayton-Taylor-Mount house, the Edinburg General Store, or another building entirely.[4] |
Backside of the Clayton-Taylor-Mount house, August 2011.
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In 1813, William split off a 7-acre portion of this larger tract - containing the present-day properties of 1716, 1714, and 1712 Old Trenton Road - and sold it to Robert Lutes. This deed, too, mentions a "messuage," (dwelling-house) which was probably the Clayton-Taylor-Mount house.[5] It is presumed that Robert and his wife, Ann,[5] raised their children there - one of whom was William C. Lutes,[6] Reverend of the nearby Windsor United Methodist church at 51 Church Street in Robbinsville.[7] In 2023, this building is the "Live Well" Church.[8]
Robert died in 1846[9] and three years later, his heirs sold the 7-acre joint tract to Josiah Taylor and his wife, Rebecca.[10] Josiah, a farmer and carpenter,[11] served West Windsor's government as a Poundkeeper (animal control) and Constable from the 1850s-60s.[12] |
Edinburg in 1875. Note "W. Tindall."
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The lineage of ownership becomes unclear after 1846 (research is ongoing), but we do know that in 1857, William I. Tindall sold a small, quarter-acre tract, containing the Clayton-Taylor-Mount house and a small surrounding yard, to John S. Rogers, Sarah Amanda (his wife), and John Taylor.[13] Three years later, it was seized by the Sheriff of Mercer County due to an unpaid mortgage.[14] From there, several more owners bought and sold the property:
Finally, in 1905, Jacob R. Clayton purchased the house.[21] It was also in this year that the building appears as a "store" on a local map.[22] Clayton was a harness maker and also sold dry goods.[23] |
John H. Tindall (left) & Unknown Individual standing in front of the Clayton-Tindall-Mount house, circa 1920.
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Although Jacob died in 1942,[24] the property remained in his family's hands for the next three years. However, in 1945, it was purchased by Joseph and Madeline Taylor.[25] They fixed up the house and rented it to a number of people.[26] Among other jobs, Joseph worked as a school bus driver for the nearby Dutch Neck School.[27]
Isaac Newton Mount moved in with his wife Florence (Conover) Mount (Madeline's daughter) in the early 1960s.[28] Like many other homeowners, Isaac was a lifelong Edinburg resident. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War in the 28th General Hospital and was a steelworker with DeLaval.[29] After "Newt" passed away in 2013, the house was demolished in 2018[30] and in 2022, much of the property was turned into a right-turn lane for Edinburg Road at its intersection with Old Trenton Road.[31] All that physically remains of the property is a strip of grass. Yet, its history is recorded for future generations to appreciate. |
The Clayton-Taylor-Mount house, shortly before being torn down. Probably 2018.
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Bibliography
- "West Windsor Tax Assessor Address List, 2019.” West Windsor, 2019. List of all residences in West Windsor with dates of construction, according to tax assessor. Sent to the Historical Society by Lorraine Jones and Dawn Moretti.
- Slayback, Abel, Bergen, John G. Ms. Deed. New Jersey State Archives, 1811. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Deeds - Middlesex County Deed Book 9 Page 211.
- Hill, Joseph, Updike, William. Ms. Deed. New Jersey State Archives, 1843. Found in the Mercer County Clerk's Office - Mercer County Deeds - Mercer County Deed Book G Page 17.
- Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F. Mount, John S., Mount, Walter S. “Indenture” West Windsor, 1924. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 530 Page 375.
- “West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
- Ibid.
- Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F. Mount, John S., Mount, Walter S. “Indenture” West Windsor, 1924. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 530 Page 375.
- Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F Sr., Heidrick, Dorothy B., Heidrick, Gardner W. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1965. Deed from Lyorah Vannest to Lydia C. Wyckoff for 136 South Mill Road. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1732 Page 854. Mentions the 1963 Robins-Conover transfer.
- Ibid.
- Conover, Rose R., Conover, Walter F Sr., Mather, Dorothy C. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1942. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 844 Page 535.
- "Obituaries: Dorothy C. Mather.” Town Topics, July 3, 2002.
- “Light Plane Crashes, Walton, Mather Killed.” Princeton Herald, August 6, 1952.
- Greenwich Investors XI, LLC., Vogel, Sarah. "Deed.” West Windsor, 2003. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 4451 Page 277.