General John Lacey was born in Bucks county, Pa., February 4, 1775. His paternal ancestor was from the Isle of Wight, and came to this country with William Penn. General Lacey's ancestors and all his descendants were Quakers. At the breaking out of the Revolution, his love of freedom predominated over his anti-war creed, and lie made up his mind to obtain it peaceably if he could, forcibly if he must. He took a captain's commission of the Continental Congress, January 6, 1776, for which he was at once disowned by the Quakers. He left his home, his society, his mill, to do battle for his country. He served under General Wayne, in Canada, and performed the hazardous duty of carrying an express from General Sullivan to Arnold, when before Quebec. On his return next year he resigned on account of a difficulty with General Wayne. He was then appointed by the Pennsylvania Legislature to organize the militia of Bucks county. He was soon elected Colonel. He was now in the midst of Tories and Quakers, who were acting in concert with the enemy, some of whom threatened him with personal vengeance. These threats he disregarded as the idle wind. He brought his regiment into the field and performed feats of valor that at once raised him to a high standard in the list of heroes. His conduct was particularly noticed by Washington, and he was honored with the commission of Brigadier-General, January 9th, and ordered to relieve General Porter. He was then but twenty-two years old.

After the evacuation of Philadelphia, General Lacey was a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature, and served three consecutive sessions. In 1781 he closed his military career, and like a good citizen married an amiable daughter of Col. Reynolds, of New Jersey, and commenced a successful career of domestic felicity. He filled various civil offices, lived in the esteem of every patriot (not of all his Quaker relatives) and died at the village of New Mills, (now Pemberton) New Jersey, Feb. 14, 1814, in his 59th year.

In recent years a monument was erected to the memory of General Lacey, in Bucks County, Pa., where he was born, and dedicated with much ceremony.

The will of General Lacey was dated 1811 and proved March 14, 1814, and is recorded at Mount Holly. It named wife Antis, daughter Eliza, wife of Wm. Smith; daughter Kitty, wife of William Darling or Darlington, daughter Jane C. Lacey; son Thomas R Lacey.

He requests his wife Antis to care for his aged mother, Executors Caleb Newbold and William Irick.

The will of Autis Lacey, widow of General Lacey, is dated 1815 and proved February, 1816. She lived at New Mills. She left to her son Thomas R. Lacey all her estate at New Mills, now called Pemberton -- dwelling houses, barns, mills, etc., and the remainder of her property to her three daughters, Eliza Smith, Catharine Darlington and Jane C. Hough.

Fires have been so frequent in the extensive forests of Ocean county, that it is a hopeless task to attempt to enumerate them or describe in detail the exciting scenes they have occasioned. Often thousands of acres are swept over and tens of thousands of dollars' worth of timber are burned in a very short time. With a high wind, the roar of the fire in the woods, the flames leaping from tree-top to tree-top and running along the dried leaves and bushes on the ground make an appalling scene never to be forgotten; and the exciting work of fighting fire, with the flames often leaping over their heads or on the ground escaping and surrounding them, is too familiar to our old citizens to need describing.

About fifty years ago, a fire broke out in the woods between Oyster Creek and Forked River, and many persons from Waretown and Forked River endeavored to subdue it. A sudden shift and increase of the wind brought the flames down with such rapidity upon the men that they had to run for their lives toward the nearest body of water, which happened to be the old Frank Cornelius mill pond on Forked River; but one man named George Collins, of Waretown, missed the right road, and was overtaken by the flames and burned to death. His shoes were left to mark the spot where he was burned, for twenty or thirty years after.