Furman-Barton House

4272 Quakerbridge Road, March 2019. From Paul Ligeti.

Historical Overview

A 3-bay, 2-story residence stands at 4272 Quakerbridge Road. This is the Furman-Barton house. The residence has, for generations, been a contributing element to the historic Lawrence/West Windsor community of Port Mercer.

Old maps suggest that the house was probably built between 1860 and 1875.[1],[2] In 1868, Ruth Furman purchased eight acres including land from Richard Cook.[3] Ruth was perhaps the individual who had the home built. She lived here until her death in 1876,[4] after which her son, Nathaniel Jr., inherited the residence.[5] In 1880, Nathaniel Jr. - a dry goods and grocery merchant[6] - lived with his wife (Caroline), son (Austin), father (Nathaniel Sr.), aunt (Mary), and two Black servants - Annette Higgins and Euphemia Britton.[7] Nathaniel Jr. was also a local postmaster for over 40 years, Clerk of Lawrence Township in the 1860s, local Freeholder in the 1890s, elder of the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church for over 30 years, and prolific landowner.[8]

In 1886, Nathaniel sold the house to Augustus and Mary VanZandt.[9] It then passed to John and Mary Ann Clair (both Irish immigrants)[10] in 1888[11], to Ellen Lampey in 1890,[12] to Pauline and Albert Hottinger in 1895,[13] and to Isaac Shaw in 1916.[14] Isaac was a veterinarian for the New Jersey State Department of Health, helping to regulate food and public health/safety.[15],[16],[17]

Furman-Barton house, 1905. "J. P. Appleby" seems to have been a renter.

In 1930, a carpenter named George Dunn[18] and his wife Mary bought the house.[19] However, five years later, they were sued (presumably due to an unpaid mortgage) by the Trenton Mortgage and Title Guaranty Company and in 1936, the home was sold to pay off these debts.[20] The buyers were Edward and Bertha Grant.[21] After them were William and Ruby Butcher starting in 1943,[22] then Loy and Edith Barton starting in 1945.[23] Loy was a longtime senior engineer at the David Sarnoff Research Center in the nearby historic West Windsor community of Penns Neck, spearheading innovations in radio and sonar technology.[24],[25]

The Bartons presumably lived here until they sold the house in 1965 to the Vaccaro Brothers,[26] who owned an expansive local farmland.[27] Following the Vaccaros in ownership was the Federal Land Bank of Springfield, starting in 1980.[28] Over the next two decades, the house passed through a few developers, who built the expansive "Yorkshire Village" suburban townhome community in the backyard of the Furman-Barton House between 1997 and 2002.[29],[30],[31],[32] However, the home has long since reverted to private family ownership. In 1992, the home was listed as "Eligible" under the National Register of Historic Places.[33] At the time of this writing (July 2025), it remains standing as an original relic of old Port Mercer.

Barn in backyard, ca. 1992. Razed between 2011-2018.

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Bibliography

1. Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full
2. ​“West Windsor Township.” Map. 1875 Historical Atlas of Mercer County, New Jersey - Map of West Windsor. Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Stuart, 1875. https://www. loc.gov/item/2010587333/.
3. Cook, Richard, Furman, Ruth. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1868. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 73, Page 202.
4. Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church. (n.d.). Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church graveyard. Lawrence Township. Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church graveyard gravestones, which often list birth dates, death dates, and ages of those buried there.
5. Furman, N. Higgins, Vanzandt, Augustus. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1886. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 148, Page 575.
6. United States Census, 1870 - Lawrence Township. Lawrence Township, 1870.
7. United States Census, 1880 - Lawrence Township. Lawrence Township, 1880.
8. "N. H. Furman Dies at Lawrenceville." Trenton Evening Times. January 31, 1917.
9. Furman, N. Higgins, Vanzandt, Augustus. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1886. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 148, Page 575.
10. United States Census, 1900 - Princeton Township. Princeton Township, 1900.
11. Clair, John, Clair, Mary Ann, Hammill, Hugh H., Vanzandt, Mary S. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1888. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 161, Page 115.
12. Clair, John, Clair, Mary Ann, Lampey, Ellen A. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1890. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 176, Page 163.
13. Hottinger, Albert J., Hottinger, Pauline F., Lampey, Ellen A. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1895. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 203, Page 363.
14. Hottinger, Albert J., Hottinger, Pauline F., Shaw, Isaac H. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1916. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 389, Page 438.
15. "Say Bob Veal On Sale Here." Perth Amboy Evening News. November 4, 1911.
16. "Jersey Cattle in Poor Condition." Trenton Evening Times. January 13, 1916.
17. "New Concerns Chartered." Trenton Evening Times. March 6, 1916.
18. United States Census, 1930 - Lawrence Township. Lawrence Township, 1930.
19. Dunn, George W., Dunn, Mary Emma, Shaw, Isaac H. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1930. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 665, Page 268.
20. Cooper, Albert Jr., Withers, Carl K. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1935. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 739, Page 485.
21. Cooper, Albert Jr., Grant, Bertha W., Grant, Edward V. D. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1936. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 744, Page 407.
22. Butcher, Ruby I., Butcher, William J., Grant, Bertha W., Grant, Edward V. D. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1943. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 854, Page 48.
23. Barton, Edith N., Barton, Loy E., Butcher, Ruby I., Butcher, William J. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1945. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 953, Page 143.
24. "Radio Engineers Honoring Three Scientists of R.C.A." Princeton Herald. February 8, 1956.
25. "Barton Retires from R.C.A." Princeton Herald. December 28, 1962.
26. Barton, Edith N., Barton, Loy E., Vaccaro Brothers. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1965. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1744, Page 613.
27. "Poor Richard's Farm Stand." U. S. 1. August 17, 1994.
28. Federal Land Bank of Springfield, Vaccaro Brothers. “Indenture.” Lawrence, 1980. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2143, Page 457.
29. CKMS Building Associates LP, Wyndmoor Associates. “Deed.” Lawrence, 1988. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2428, Page 292.
30. Wyndmoor Associates, Yorkshire Village LLC. “Deed.” Lawrence, 1994. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2861, Page 313.
31. “West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1997.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1997.
32. “West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 2002.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 2002.
33. Zerbe, N. L. (1992, December 7). Trenton, New Jersey; New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office. Letter written by the New Jersey Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer in preparation for the Yorkshire Village development project, commenting on archaeological and historic/architectural resources and the Phase I cultural resource survey report produced by the developer. Within this letter, Nancy L. Zerbe (New Jersey Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer) states the following: "The Port Mercer Historic District includes the N.L. Furman House, 4272 Province Line Road, as a contributing building. Although the N.L. Furman House has been modified over time, (much of the original fabric of siding and trim no doubt remains under the synthetic siding), it plays an important visual role in the crossroads character of this tiny community. Despite the development of the Route 1 corridor and an increase of traffic on Province Line Road, the hamlet of Port Mercer retains its rural context of agricultural fields and farm buildings."