Copeland-Sailey House

The Copeland-Sailey house in December 2018.

Historical Overview

Standing at 508 Village Road West - just behind the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church's cemetery - is a small, 2-story, 3-bay vernacular house. This building is a contributing structure to the historic community of Dutch Neck and a member of West Windsor's "100 Club."

The exact year of construction is unknown - township tax records claim 1888,[1] but other records suggest the house may be older - perhaps as old as 1858.[2] Regardless, what is known is that this property was for a long time part of the same tract as the Helene Gilham house directly next door at 510 Village Road West.[3] For a historical analysis of that combined tract's history prior to the 1940s, click here to read the narration of the Helene Gilham house.

In 1943, the Gilham family split the combined property in half, into 508 and 510 Village Road West.[4],[5] That year, Edith M. Copeland (John R. Gilham's sister) purchased 508 Village Road West.[6] Her husband was Robert H. Copeland, once a police lieutenant in New York City.[7] After Edith died in 1968[8] - seven years after her husband[9] - the house passed to her daughter, Mildred Copeland Sailey White.[10] Starting in 1970, the property was also jointly owned by her and her daughter, Janice Mount.[11]

The property passed to new owners in 1994.[12] It remains a longtime landmark of the Dutch Neck community.

Copeland-Sailey House, likely late 1900s/early 2000s.

Go to Dutch Neck

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Bibliography

1. "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.​
2. “Section IX – Conservation Plan Element – West Windsor Master Plan.” West Windsor Township, 2002.
3. Gilham, Helene Mann, Gilham, John R. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1942. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 843 Page 159.
4. ​Ibid.
5. Copeland, Edith M., Gilham, Helene Mann, Gilham, John R. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1943. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 860 Page 52.
6. Ibid.
7. “Robert H. Copeland.” Town Topics, November 26, 1961. 
8. “Mrs. Edith Copeland.” Town Topics, October 24, 1968. 
9. “Robert H. Copeland.” Town Topics, November 26, 1961. 
10. Copeland, Edith M., Mount, Janice S., White, Harold M., White, Mildred Copeland Sailey. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1970. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office - Mercer County Deed Book 1862 Page 24.
11. Ibid.
12. Baker, Kimberly P., Mount, Janice S., Shultz, William J., White, Mildred Copeland Sailey. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1994. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office - Mercer County Deed Book 2883 Page 216.