John and Anna Tindall House

John H Tindall house, December 2018.

Historical Overview

A 5-bay, 2-story house with covered front porch stands at 1712 Old Trenton Road. This structure is a contributing element to the historic community of Edinburg and a member of West Windsor's "100 Club." 

Maps suggest a structure - possibly the rear portion of the house - was built in this location between 1849[1] and 1860.[2] In 1849, the property was sold to Josiah Taylor by the heirs of Robert Lutes. At this time, this tract also contained the properties of 1714 and 1716 Old Trenton Road.[3] Josiah was a West Windsor "Poundkeeper" (animal control) and Constable from the 1850s-60s.[4]

The lineage of ownership over the next twelve years becomes unclear, but by 1861, the joint tract (by this point no longer containing 1716 Old Trenton Road) had passed to Margaret Hill and her husband, David (himself an Overseer of the Highways in the 1840s, among other municipal positions).[5] That year, the couple sold the tract to Amos H. Tindall.[6] Amos was a farmer and cider-maker, who owned an "applejack" distillery further down at 1645 Old Trenton Road in the mid-1800s.[7] Amos, too, was active in town government, sporadically serving a variety of positions from the 1840s-70s: Overseer of the Highways, Township Committeeman, Commissioner for Laying Roads, and Freeholder.[8]

John Henry Tindall next to his house, date unknown. Photo from Wayne Tindall.

Two years after Amos' death in 1873,[9] his heirs passed the property to Jonathan Tindall and his wife, Rachel.[10] At some point it was acquired by Liscomb Tindall and his wife, Margaret,[11] but in 1882, Jonathan Henry Tindall - a carpenter,[12] tanner,[13] and son of Jonathan and Rachel[14] - assumed full control of the property.[15] It was likely during his ownership that the front portion of the building was constructed.[16] He and his wife, Anna C. Hutchinson, raised their children there - including George Washington Tindall and Eva A. Hill.[17] George, for his part, was one of West Windsor's first Building Inspectors (1940s-50s) and its first Zoning Officer (also 1940s-50s).[18] It was during this time that the house next door at 1714 Old Trenton Road was constructed; the two properties were eventually split from each other.[19]

Jonathan died in 1933,[20] after which the house at 1712 Old Trenton Road passed to Eva, George, and George's wife, Gertrude.[21] In 1939, Eva acquired full rights to the house[22] and, in turn, deeded the property to her nephew (George/Gertrude's son) Malcolm, and his wife, Dorothy, in 1945.[23] Malcolm, a mason, also served as Chief of the West Windsor Volunteer Fire Company.[24] Dorothy was a secretary with Stults Realty in Cranbury. She was also a deacon of the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, a member of the West Windsor Volunteer Fire Company Lady's Auxiliary, and a Historical Society of West Windsor member as well.[25]

In the decades since, the old house has long since passed to a new owner, and two additional houses (1336 and 1340 Edinburg Road) have been built and split off from the property, but, in 2023, it still remains in the Tindall family and persists as a contributing element to the historic community of Edinburg.

Sitting on the front porch of 1712 Old Trenton Road, probably late 1800s/early 1900s. Left to right: Anna Tindall, John H. Tindall, John Tindall Sr. (John's father), Daniel Hutchinson.

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Bibliography

1. Otley, J W, and James Keily. “Map of Mercer County, New Jersey.” Map. Camden, New Jersey: L. Van der Veer, 1849.
2. 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
3. Beatty, Ann, Beatty, Thomas, Hart, Absalom, Lutes, Elizabeth, Lutes, Henry, Lutes, Joseph Lutes, Sarah, Lutes, Sarah C., Lutes, William C., Taylor, Josiah, Taylor, Rebecca. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1849. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book V Page 541.
4. ​​​“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
5. Ibid.
6. Hooper, Amy, Hooper, Thomas, Tindall, Ann, Tindall, Jonathan H., Tindall, Lydia, Tindall, Mary, Tindall, Rachel, Tindall, Samuel, Tindall, Theodore. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1875. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 111 Page 504.
7. 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
8. ​​​“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
9. Hamilton Baptist Church. (n.d.). Hamilton Baptist Church graveyard. Hamilton. Hamilton Baptist Church graveyard gravestones, which often list birth dates, death dates, and ages of those buried there - including those of many of Mercer County's oldest families.
10. Hooper, Amy, Hooper, Thomas, Tindall, Ann, Tindall, Jonathan H., Tindall, Lydia, Tindall, Mary, Tindall, Rachel, Tindall, Samuel, Tindall, Theodore. “Indenture.” Windsor, 1875. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 111 Page 504.
11. Tindall, Anna, Tindall, Jonathan H., Tindall, Liscomb, Margaret. “Indenture.” Windsor, 1882. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 132 Page 286.
12. United States Census, 1920 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1920.
13. United States Census, 1900 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1900.
14. United States Census, 1880 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1880.
15. Tindall, Anna, Tindall, Jonathan H., Tindall, Liscomb, Margaret. “Indenture.” Windsor, 1882. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 132 Page 286.
16. Ligeti, Paul T. I., and Tindall, Wayne R. Phone Call with Wayne Tindall. Personal, February 2022. Note: Wayne lived his entire life in Edinburg, growing up there in the mid-1900s and personally knew many of the people who lived in the village.​
17. United States Census, 1900 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1900.
18. ​​​“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
19. Ligeti, Paul T. I., and Tindall, Wayne R. Phone Call with Wayne Tindall. Personal, February 2022. Note: Wayne lived his entire life in Edinburg, growing up there in the mid-1900s and personally knew many of the people who lived in the village.​
20. "Funeral Saturday for J. H. Tindall.” Trenton Evening Times, June 29, 1933.
21. Ligeti, Paul T. I., and Tindall, Wayne R. Phone Call with Wayne Tindall. Personal, February 2022. Note: Wayne lived his entire life in Edinburg, growing up there in the mid-1900s and personally knew many of the people who lived in the village.​
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. "Obituary - Malcolm S. Tindall.” Trenton Evening Times, July 3, 1953.
25. "Obituaries - Dorothy M. Tindall.” Town Topics, September 25, 2002.