The Jewell Farmstead

The Jewell house, 2024.

Historical Overview

An old, 5-bay, 2-story house with 1-story and 2-story wings on its southeast side stands at 1912 Old Trenton Road. On the same property is a detached 2-car garage and two connected large barns. This property - traditionally called the "Jewell farmstead" - is one of West Windsor's oldest continuously occupied tracts and a member of West Windsor's "100 Club." 

Various sources suggest that the original section of the house was constructed some time between the 1760s[1],[2] and 1780.[3] In either case, in 1762, this property - then 200 acres - was sold by Richard and Rebecca Mount to William Jewell, a "husbandman" (farmer) from Perth Amboy.[4] William presumably built the house on this property and established a farm here. Various tax rolls from the late 1770s to mid 1780s show him maintaining this 200 acres of land, and keeping several heads of cattle, hogs, and horses.[5],[6]
​
William died circa 1784, after which the plantation passed to his wife, Rebeckah, and sons - Kenneth, Hiram, and William Dye Jewell (hereafter referred to as "William Jr."). Another son, Elisha, was granted a separate farm.[7] William Jr. ultimately inherited full control of this property, and married Sarah Hooper.[8] The couple are said to have had several children, including Major, Mary, Elisha, Thomas, and William (hereafter referred to as "William III").[9]

Old West Windsor Township meeting minutes suggest that William Jr. was also very active in local government, serving as a Constable, Moderator/Judge of Election, Surveyor of the Highways, and Overseer of the Highways from the late 1700s until his death in the late 1830s.[10]

Close-up of 1875 West Windsor map. Note "W. D. Jewell 222" in the center.

However, perhaps most notable was William Jr.'s tenure as a tavern-keeper, likely using this very home as an inn. The first known record is a request in 1806 to the Court of General Quarters of Middlesex County, wherein William Jr. petitioned to keep a "publick house where he [now] lives ... on the Great Road leading from Cranbury to Trenton [i.e., Old Trenton Road]."[11] Records exist up to 1826[12] that suggest at least two decades of this house functioning as a tavern.

William III inherited the property (then 222 acres) in 1842, a few years after his father's death.[13] The 1830 census shows him owning one male slave (name unknown) between 24-36 years old.[14] Meanwhile, The 1850 census shows William living here with his wife, Julia, and daughter, Sarah. There were also two other white residents of the property - Wilma Dunkin and Susannah Coutee - and several Black residents - Abram Benson, Clara Dower, Richard Dower, Lydia Dower, George Golson, and George Dillen. All presumably worked on the farm as servants and/or farmhands.[15]

After William III's death in 1893,[16] the property passed to Thomas Jewell for $11,627.60. However, it was significantly smaller by this point, being only a little more than four acres.[17] The 1900 census shows him living here with his wife (Maggie), children (Mary and Margarette), sister (Sarah), and two borders: Horace Baynard and Oscar Williams.[18]

Sign near the driveway entrance.

Finally, in 1925, after perhaps a century and a half of ownership, the property passed out of Jewell hands. It was purchased by Benjamin Zaitz,[19] a cattle farmer who, alongside his wife, Pauline, was the father of Max Zaitz.[20] Max, in turn, was a wildly successful cattle farmer himself who owned many properties in the area, including the old Hamilton Fairgrounds (now the Grounds for Sculpture)[21] and, from the 1970s-90s, the Schenck Farmstead - now home to the West Windsor History Museum.[22],[23] Max inherited the Jewell Farmstead after his father's death in 1941,[24] and co-owned it with his own wife, Betty.[25]

​The property has long passed to other owners. At the time of this writing (July 2024), a sign stands near the driveway entrance denoting this as the "Jewell Farmstead" - a relic of old West Windsor. And so, too, does the nearby "Jewel Road" in the Southfield Meadows suburban development likely pay homage to this longtime local family.

Barns at the Jewell Farmstead, Dec. 2018.

Go to Dutch Neck

---

Bibliography

1. “Sign at Jewell Farmstead.” West Windsor, NJ 08550: 1912 Old Trenton Road, n.d. Sign at entrance to driveway of 1912 Old Trenton Road. Unknown date of construction, but still existed in 2024 when this citation was created. The sign says "1912 Old Trenton Road / Jewell Farmstead / Private Residence since 1768."
2. “Mercer County Historic Sites Survey: West Windsor Township, Mercer County, NJ.” Princeton, 1988. Conducted by Kinsey & Hand Associates.
3. "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.​
4. Jewell, William, Mount, Rebecca, Mount, Richard. “Indenture.” Windsor, 1762. Located in the New Jersey State Archives, Middlesex County Deed Book 2 Page 515.​
5. ​“Windsor Township Tax Ratables, June 1778.” Windsor, 1778. Lists families that lived in Windsor Township in June of 1778. Digital copy donated to the Historical Society of West Windsor from the the New Jersey State Archives; listed in their archives as being in Book 1073, Box 50, Item 4, GMNJ 51:124-133, Reel 13. Also located in the Historical Society of West Windsor's West Windsor History Museum digital archives.
6. ​“Windsor Township Tax Ratables, July 1782.” Windsor, 1782. Lists families that lived in Windsor Township in July of 1782. Digital copy donated to the Historical Society of West Windsor from the the New Jersey State Archives; listed in their archives as being in Book 1079, Box 50, Item 10, Reel 14. Also located in the Historical Society of West Windsor's West Windsor History Museum digital archives.
7. “Will of William Jewell of Windsor Township,” n.d. Located in the Archives of the State of New Jersey - Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey - Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, Etc. - Volume VI - 1781-1785. Page 220. Will written Jan. 23, 1783. Witnessed by Thomas Ewing, John Mount, and Elijah Mount. Proved Oct. 21, 1784. Actual will located in Lib. 26, P. 281.
8. “William Dey Jewell (1765-1839) - Find a Grave...” Find a Grave. Accessed July 27, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143281352/william-dey-jewell. 
9. Ibid.
10. “West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
11. Jewell, William D. Ms. Petition of William D. Jewell. West Windsor, 1806. Petition for Tavern License, 1806. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.​
12. Jewell, William D. Ms. Petition of William D. Jewell. West Windsor, 1826. Petition for Tavern License, 1826. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.​
13. Jewell, Mary, Jewell, William Dye Jr. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1842. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book E Page 93.
14. United States Census, 1830 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1830.
15. United States Census, 1850 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1850.
16. Brainerd Cemetery. Cranbury. Brainerd Cemetery graveyard gravestones, which often list birth dates, death dates, and ages of those buried there.
17. Jewell, Thomas, Tobins, Liscomb T., Symms, Joseph G.. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1894. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 194 Page 451.
18. United States Census, 1900 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1900.
19. Princeton Bank & Trust Company, Wicoff, John V. B., Zaitz, Benjamin. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1925. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 624 Page 182.
20. "Hightstown Man Fatally Stricken." Trenton Evening Times. December 5, 1941.
21. Ligeti, Paul Thomas Imre, and Kay Tindall Reed. Discussion between Kay Reed and Paul Ligeti about Max Zaitz. Personal, January 15, 2024. Note: At the time of the interview, Kay Reed and Stuart Reed had lived in the West Windsor area for decades and had close relationships with Max and Betty Zaitz for many years before they passed away.
22. Schenck, Wilton J., Zaitz, Max. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1971. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1871 Page 574.
23. "Broadside,” Spring 2002. Newsletter about the history of the Schenck Farmstead, produced by the Historical Society of West Windsor.
24. "Hightstown Man Fatally Stricken." Trenton Evening Times. December 5, 1941.
25. Zaitz, Betty, Zaitz, Max R, Zaitz Trust. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1971. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1899 Page 225.