To the Surveyors' Association of West New Jersey:

FELLOW MEMBERS:- Since our last semi-annual gathering, our honored associate, George Sykes, has finished his earthly career and been called from works to rewards. In his memory the following biographical sketch is prepared - the material having been culled mainly from family papers, but in some measure from recollections of conversations and occurrences during pleasant social and business interviews with him during the course of many years.

George Sykes was born 9th mo., 20th, A.D. 1802, in the county of Burlington, and State of New Jersey. He was the son of Thomas Sykes and Mary, daughter of James and Mary Laurie.

Thomas Sykes, born 7th mo., 31st, 1764, died 11th mo., 11th, 1852, was the son of Anthony Sykes and Mary (widow of Empson Wright) daughter of Thomas Newbold and Edith his wife. Anthony Sykes, born 5th mo., 20th, 1717; died 8th mo., 24th, 1783; was the son of John Sykes and Joanna, the daughter of Robert and Ann Murfin.

John Sykes (2nd) born 5th mo., 8th, 1682, died ____ was the son of Samuel Sykes and Joanna his wife.

Samuel Sykes, born ____ died, 7 mo. 1st, 1687; was the son of John Sykes, of Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, England.

John Sykes died in the Spring of the year, 1684.

Joanna, wife of John Sykes (2nd) born 1684; died ____.

Mary, wife of Anthony Sykes, born 2nd mo., 11th, 1729; died 5th mo., 1811.

Mary, wife of Thomas Sykes, born 1st mo., 6th, 1771; married in Crosswicks, N.J., 4th mo., 16th, 1801; died 3d. mo., 9th, 1831.

John Sykes, of Derbyshire, England, had two sons, Anthony and Samuel, who became members of the Religious Society of Friends, in England, soon after the rise and progress of Quakerism there. Anthony became a prominent Minister of the Society; his death occurred in England and was caused by a fall of earth and stone in a lead mine, in the early part of the year 1678.

John Sykes (the elder), his son Samuel and wife, with their children, John (2nd) and Elizabeth, left Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, England in the ship "Jeffere" and arrived in Burlington, New Jersey, 9th mo., 1st, 1683, O.S.

Tradition says that John Sykes was an aged man when he emigrated, and on coming ashore with the other passengers, on their arrival at Burlington, he knelt down on the landing in a large assembly of the passengers, crew and a numerous collection of persons who had previously emigrated and had come to welcome the new emigrants, many of whom were friends and relatives of the first emigrants; and devoutly offered up thanks to his Maker for having brought them safely across the ocean, from the persecutions and oppression of the clergy and rulers in the country of their nativity, to a land of liberty and peace, a land of union and harmony from a place of contention and strife. The scene has been represented as unusually solemn, impressive and appropriate.

The family all remained at Burlington until the ensuing spring, when John Sykes died, and was buried in that part of Friends' burying ground where Broad street was afterwards opened between Wood and Main streets.

Soon after his arrival in Burlington, Samuel Sykes made a verbal agreement with George Hutchinson, a prominent Friend in Burlington, and one of the early Proprietors of New Jersey, who had been a distiller in Yorkshire, England, and at whose house the Monthly Meeting in Burlington was held, by which he purchased for the consideration of £12 sterling, two hundred acres of unappropriated land; and after the death of his father in the spring of 1684, he located the farm afterwards devised by Samuel Sykes to his brother Thomas Sykes and nephew Thomas Sykes Earl, and twelve acres of meadow north of the dwelling of the late Thomas Black, deceased. This farm, originally lay entirely in the township of Chesterfield, but now partly in the township of Springfield, in Burlington county, is about 9 1/2 miles from Mount Holly, the county town, and lies on both sides of the public road from Mount Holly to Freehold, usually called the Monmouth road.

On the easterly side of this farm a hollow extends, and near the head of the hollow and on the west side of it, Samuel Sykes dug a cave and erected a cabin over it, in which he lived with his family until the autumn of 1685, when having built a house where the present farm house stands he removed into it.

The following incident is related to illustrate the inconveniences and hardships to which the early settlers were subjected. In the summer of 1686, upon returning home from his work in the field, Samuel Sykes found his daughter aged six years, the sole occupant of the house, and on inquiring for her mother, the child told him that her mother had taken her brother four years of age and gone in the woods to hunt the cows. The entire country was then covered by a dense and almost unbroken forest; directing the child to stay at the house and wait until their return, while he went to look for her mother and brother, he entered the woods and succeeded in finding his wife and child who had found the cows. Growing very dark it was impossible for them to find the way back to the house, whereupon he gathered a quantity of branches and sweet fern for his wife and child to sleep upon and cutting a club he stood sentry over them all night. At daybreak the next morning hearing some fowls crow, they directed their course towards them and found their way to the house on the farm now belonging to Samuel Ridgway, formerly Thomas Earl's, consequently they had lain in the swamp near to, and a little southwest from where Upper Springfield meeting house now stands. It afterwards appeared that on the preceding evening, one of the neighbors passing by Samuel Sykes' house, after dark and hearing the little girl crying, went in and kindly took her to his home and after caring for her comfort during the night, conveyed her back early in the morning, arriving before her parents had returned.

The monthly meeting of Chesterfield was established about 1684, and held where the village of Crosswicks now is. Samuel Sykes and wife are said to have been very steady and regular attendants of that meeting, often going on foot twice a week, a distance of eight miles from their home.

In the 6th mo., 1687, Samuel Sykes was taken ill of fever, which terminated his life on the first of the 7th mo. In Chesterfield monthly meeting records, it is stated that Samuel Sykes, of Occonickon, was buried on the 4th of 7th mo., 1687, (O.S.)

The following is copied from the original manuscript of John Sykes, (2nd):

"An account of my father and mother and grandfather coming into America, who before they came hither lived in Darbyshire, in a town called Ashford-in-the-water, in Old England, and came to America in a ship called the "Jeffere," and arrived in Burlington the first of the ninth month, in the year 1683, having only my sister Elizabeth and I in the family.

"They were all of the profession of the people called Quakers, who had suffered much, and long imprisonment by the priests and rulers in Old England, for their religion, and were all of honest and good report amongst their neighbors.

"My grandfather died in a little time after we came ashore being very aged, whose name was John; my father, Samuel Sykes, lived near four years after, and died in the faith; my mother lived many years after, married again, and died very aged.

"When we came first into America the English inhabitants were but a few, but the natives, the Indians, were very many and numerous, who were very serviceable to the English in bringing corn and venison, which we bought of them for provisions, which I look upon as a favor from God, who preserved and provided for us in a wilderness land; for we were preserved, but not by carnal weapons. It was the Lord's power that was a hedge about us.

"Moreover, the English bought land from the Indians at a reasonable price, and so settled the country.

"This short account I have written, that you, my children, may be informed from whence your forefathers came; and that they were people fearing God in their day, and suffered for His name and truth in their generation.

"Oh! that you, my children, may cleave unto the Lord, in your day, and may follow the footsteps of the generations of the righteous, that so having followed the Lord in the way of self-denial, you may, in the conclusion of time, have the answer of well done, enter into the joy of your Lord, is the sincere desire of your affectionate father,

JOHN SYKES."

Chesterfield, the 25th of the 3d mo., 1732.

Joanna Sykes, wife of John Sykes, writes as follows, in her 88th year. (Copied from the original.)

"Some account of our parents, which came out of England, in the year 1678, with many more Friends, landed at Burlington, ye 5th of 9th mo., 1678; people of credit and good livers. Several brought servants with them. The natives were numerous, but through Divine Grace, they were made loving and helpful, and said that the English would increase and they should decrease, which came to pass, which I take to be Divine Providence that put it in their minds. The Lord was with them and preserved them, and made it a fruitful land, with peace and plenty, for which, we with them, have been often humbly thankful to the God of all our mercies.

"I was born in the year 1684, my parents' names, Robert and Ann Murfin, had one brother and one sister, brought us up in plainness and moderation were good examples. Father died when I was about ten or eleven years of age. Mother died when I was about eighteen.

"Although I was deprived of near and dear parents good Providence provided for me, and was near to preserve me, and in the twentieth year of my age, the God and fountain of all our mercies was pleased in His great love to visit my soul with His baptising, powerful presence, a day never to be forgotten, when a feeling sense of divine life continued some time, and like the Queen of Sheba concerning Solomon, I heard of thee in mine own country, but the one-half was not told her of his greatness.

"My husband's parents were Friends, and beloved amongst Friends and others. I believe good Providence prepared us for each other, having blessings both spiritual and temporal.

"Had twelve children at home together - four sons and six daughters - that lived to women's estate. Two died young. John died about twenty-one or twenty-two. Hannah and Rebecca married, and died young women."

The following, an extract from the journal of Joseph Oxley, is taken from The Friend, of date sixth month 1, 1878, page 330:

"From Shrewsbury crossed over into Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and attended the meetings in the middle of that county, and going directly to Bordentown, where he mentions visiting Joanna Sykes, who had buried her husband, John Sykes, but a few days before, who was in the ninetieth year of his age, and his widow almost eighty-eight. They had lived together in a married state sixty-seven years, both of them acceptable ministers of the gospel."

Of such sturdy, honest and Godly ancestry was our friend and associate, George Sykes, a birth-right member of the Society of Friends, he retained during life, his membership and a warm affection for the Society's principles, acceptably serving Upper Springfield Monthly Meeting in the capacity of Clerk, during a period of seventeen years, in all which time, it is said that he was absent from his official duties only twice, one omission occurring from an accident while on the road to meeting.

He commenced teaching school in "Mount Pleasant school house" near the farm of the late John Curtis, deceased, 11 mo. 1, 1817, when fifteen years of age. On 5 mo. 2, 1819, commenced teaching the District school at Juliustown, and in 1822, at Pleasant Prospect school house in Sykesville. After this practical training as teacher, he entered the school of John Gummere, in the city of Burlington, as a pupil, and there finished his school education.

In early manhood he engaged in the business of a surveyor and conveyancer, and continued in that occupation during the remainder of his life, becoming in later years a member of the council of Proprietors of West New Jersey.

There is probably no area in these United States having more complication of land surveys than the belt of woodland extending from the interior of Monmouth county to Cumberland and Cape May counties in this State. Until of late years this land has been considered chiefly valuable for its growth of timber, along the head waters of the numerous streams; having their sources within its boundaries, are wide basins and vallies of peaty soil, out of which grow dense forests of white cedar, (Cupressus thyoides.) This wood is of great value, not only for lumbering purposes, but has been the chief source of supply for fencing the fertile agricultural lands of the southern half of the State. Those cedar swamps and the smaller tracts of adjacent pine lands, have generally been owned by non-residents of the townships in which they lie. The lands are of small value when divested of timber, and having originally been located with arbitrary and in many instances under-measure boundaries, with imperfect or obscure description of land marks, in some cases passed from one owner to another, by one deed, conveying many tracts, or as attachments to farm conveyances; their locality, ownership and boundaries have become an endless source of contehtion, litigation and land surveying.

In this field of labor George Sykes passed the best years of his life, and no one in his day was more familiar with the titles, situation and boundaries of the woodlands of Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington counties than he; or considered better authority in courts of justice, when it became necessary to make decision in such cases.

A keen lover of his profession, zealous in correctly solving its problems and intricacies; deliberate and careful in field practice, observant and accumulative of facts and evidences in the line of his business, methodical with his papers, and blessed with a very retentive memory, he stored up such a mass of valuable local information, concerning families, lands, boundaries and localities, that he became in time, the local oracle in such matters. During his later years, his time and business were much encroached upon by interested seekers after such information, to whom he listened with patience, and it evidently gave him pleasure to be able to satisfy their enquiries, refusing in such cases to accept money for the valuable information conveyed.

This ruinous and false delicacy in declining to accept proper compensation for services rendered in the line of his business, extended even to his field practice. Many of his patrons have been astonished by the moderation of his charges for invaluable services rendered; or, if they were personal friends, after obtaining from him facts that no one else could have given them, may have received from him a common answer of "Oh, well, we will settle that another time."

Many anecdotes could be related illustrative of his acuteness in detecting land marks and localities, by that knowledge which can only be acquired from long personal experience in woodland practice. On one occasion, when he and Joseph K. Hulme, an eminent surveyor of Burlington county, were Commissioners to divide the lands of Ebenezer Tucker, deceased, they were crossing the belt of pinewood lands about thirty-five miles wide. During the night it was dark and rainy; Hulme (the driver) lost his reckoning, became bewildered, and finally said, "George, I can see nothing but the tops of these trees, am entirely lost, and do not know where we are." George moved to the front of the wagon, and peered into the darkness for a long period of time, when he remarked, "Joseph! whoa! stop the horses; from the general appearance of what I can see, I am inclined to believe, that we are on the low grounds at the head of Tranquility Cedar Swamp, and if we are, there should be about opposite here, standing a certain number of yards from this road, a large stone corner to an including survey; wait until I see if I can find it," and plunging among the wet bushes in the darkness, he was finally able to call to his companion and announce, "here is the corner stone, this is head of Tranquility." And that landmark, found in the wilderness, darkness and rain, was to those men as sure a guide, as the legal pointer at cross-roads to the wayfarer.

The deceased was a Democrat in politics, and frequently the candidate of his party for important public offices. In 1843, and again in 1845, he was elected to represent the Second District of New Jersey in Congress. In 1847, his name was before the Democratic State Convention for nomination as Governor, the final vote showing him to be the second choice of the convention for that office. In the years 1876, 1877 and 1878 he was elected by the voters of the First District of Burlington county to represent them in the State Assembly.

As a politician he was mild and courteous to his opponents, but firm and true to his party. It is said that he never solicited a vote from any one; and it is even reported that on one or two occasions when himself upon the ticket for office, has neglected to vote, being absent from home engaged in his duties as surveyor.

While a member of Congress, he was an early and earnest advocate and supporter of the bill appropriating funds for the construction of Professor Morse's experimental line of telegraph from Washington to Baltimore, the success of which so soon revolutionized our mode of communication between distant places.

An intimate personal friend of the late Commodore Stockton, he was an invited guest at the trial of the "Peacemaker," on board the United States steam frigate Princeton, on the Potomac river, about two miles below the city of Alexandria, February 28th, 1844. That monster wrought-iron gun, weighing twenty-three thousand pounds, was placed at the bow of the Princeton, and had been carefully tested and inspected before leaving New York. A large number of invited guests from Washington, comprising ladies and officers of the government, were gathered upon her decks. The officers had already taken their stations of duty, when George Sykes feeling the evening air too chilly for his comfort, retired to the cabin for his overcoat, when he returned, Gardner, of Long Island, occupied his former position. Commodore Stockton stood within two feet from the "Peacemaker," his left foot resting upon the bed of its carriage, when at 16 1/4 minutes past 4 P.M., he fired the gun; it was broken into fragments by the discharge, and the Hon. Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of State; Hon. Thomas W. Gilmer, Secretary of the Navy; Commodore Kennon, Messrs. Marcy and Gardner, were killed. Stockton received a contusion on the leg, and the hair was burned from his head. George Sykes found a fragment of iron in his coat, and all the buttons, excepting the upper one, were blown from that garment. Yet, in the midst of this sudden and terrible calamity, we are told he was cool and collected, assisting in rendering to the injured such service as was possible.

The following are extracts from a letter of his relating to this occurrence:

Upon its being fired the third time on that excursion day, the explosion of the "Peacemaker" occurred. Of its second discharge, George Sykes notes:- "Secretary Gilmer and myself were standing together and concluded to count the number of times the ball struck the water and glanced before it finally sunk. We each counted seven times distinctly, and thought it might possibly have struck once or twice more, which we might not have seen in consequence of the smoke. Several of the company said they had counted fifteen or sixteen ricochet of the first ball fired." The third discharge of the gun occurred immediately after the guests had left the dining-room. His narrative of the circumstances connected with the explosion, is as follows: "Just at this moment the wind sprang up fresh from the river, and being rather chilly, I returned to the cabin to get my surtout. Upon coming to the deck I found the President (Tyler) still in conversation at the cabin steps. While passing him, some one in the cabin commenced an old-fashioned national song. The President observed, "When I was a young man, that was one of the most popular songs in Virginia, and as I have not heard it for twenty years, I prefer returning to the cabin and listening to it, instead of seeing the gun fired again." Fortunately, a large number of the company followed his example, so that when it was fired, not more than one hundred persons were on the deck. As a number had collected round the gun while I was after my coat, I took my station upon a carronade (42-pounder) a little behind the others, to have a better opportunity of seeing the ball strike the water. The report was not so loud as at the previous discharges, but the greater part of the smoke escaped on the deck, which was completely enveloped in smoke for some moments. My attention was directed some two or three miles up the river to see the ball strike the water. I saw it strike only once, after which it raised but little, and almost instantly sank. I thought it strange it should only glance once; and as my eye was resting on the river, my attention was next arrested by noticing something falling on the water, which at first I supposed was a piece of the wadding, but from subsequent circumstances I am now satisfied it was a fragment of the gun, which went over the larboard side of the ship, and as it fell in the river I observed ten or a dozen hats and various pieces of canvass floating on the water, at which I was surprised, being totally unconscious that the gun had burst. Just at this moment some person near me exclaimed, 'The gun has burst, and there are about twenty persons killed!' Upon turning my eyes towards it, I was astonished to find that every man between me and the gun was lying prostrate on the deck, and about thirty or forty men lying in heaps round the gun, either killed, wounded or stunned by the concussion. I thought at first that they were every one killed. A solemn, death-like and dreadfully awful silence prevailed at the moment, neither sigh, groan or shriek being heard. I felt perfectly calm and collected. My eye next caught three gentlemen (Secretary Upshur, Secretary Gilmer and David Gardner) struck down almost by my side, by a fragment of the gun weighing between one and two tons."

George Sykes died unmarried; in person, he was about five feet nine inches in height; of stout, compact, muscular frame, weighing, in health, about two hundred pounds; his head was large, hair abundant, features massive and regular; he was active in his movements, quick in his perceptions, and in full vigor of mind, until that terrible disease, cancer of the tongue, seized upon his frame, from which he suffered intensely until death relieved him on the 25th day of 2d mo., A.D. 1880, in the 78th year of his age. His remains were interred in the new burial ground, near Upper Springfield Meeting House, on the 28th of that month, followed by a large concourse of relatives and friends.