John Hart

John Hart lived here from 1742 to 1779 at the site of his farmstead. Without formal education, he was consulted by many and respected by all, and as "Honest John Hart" he gave his property and his life for the cause of liberty. He was a farmer, miller, judge, and speaker of the first New Jersey Assembly, and was continually pursued by enemy patrols that sought his life and ravaged his property. Broken in health by privation and exposure, he died on May 11, 1779, at about age 69. Guided to this roadless hillside by John Hart's sons Jesse and Nathaniel, Washington's army camped here on June 23-24, 1778, before the Battle of Monmouth, and the spring from which they drank flows nearby.

Hopewell, New Jersey · United States