John Fell (1721–1798) was an American merchant and jurist. Born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, he was engaged in overseas trade and had acquired a small fleet of ships by the time he moved to
Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, in the 1760s, and lived at "Peterfield", a home in present-day
Allendale, New Jersey
Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 6,505,History , The John Fell House. Accessed October 5, 2011. "John Fell Bergen County Patriot was a merchant who before the Revolution had vessels plying the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. He lived in Allendale at his home called "Peterfield," known now as the Fell House." He served as judge of the
court of common pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
in Bergen County from 1766 to 1774. With the coming of the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, he became chairman of Bergen County's
committee of correspondence
The committees of correspondence were, prior to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independe ...
Provincial Congress of New Jersey
The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution. It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to supersed ...
in 1775. In 1776 Fell was elected to a one-year term in the
New Jersey Legislative Council
The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844.
History
The Legislative Council replaced ...
representing Bergen County.
In 1777, Fell, who had been imprisoned by the British, was released to a private apartment thanks to a letter written on his behalf by
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...
.
The John Fell House, also known as Peterfield, is located at 475 Franklin Turnpike () in
Allendale, New Jersey
Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 6,505,the march route of Rochambeau's army, on its way in 1781 to Yorktown, Virginia, and the
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...
that would decide the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
See also
*
List of historic sites preserved along Rochambeau's route
A series of sites along the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route have been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places or otherwise recognized and preserved. Buildings or roadway or other artifacts at these sites have been ...