THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLER OF NEW JERSEY.
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In the efforts to treat with the Indians for their land, we may feel assured that Richard Stout, the first English settler of New Jersey, was the principal agent. An Englishman by birth, he had lived so long among the Dutch, and with a Dutch wife, that he was familiar with their language, which must have been also familiar to his children in their early years. And several years' residence among the Indians must have made him acquainted with their language, also. From their acquaintance with him and knowledge of his fair dealings, the Indians no doubt had formed a favorable opinion of his associates. When Gravesend was settled about 1645, Richard Stout was one of the thirty-nine original settlers. The consent of the Indians having been obtained and the patent granted, the next step on the part of the patentees was to secure the one hundred settlers within the three years, as required by the patent. This necessitated energetic efforts on the part of the projectors. Of course the Gravesend men did what they could, but they had a small field to work in, but they received most effective help from Newport, Rhode Island.