Abraham Godwin (July 16, 1763 – October 5, 1835) was a representative in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

, former fife major in 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 ...

, and brigadier general during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

Personal life

Abraham Godwin was born to Captain Abraham Godwin and Phebe Coole in

Totowa, New Jersey Totowa (pronounced "TO-tuh-wuh" ) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 10,844,Paterson, New Jersey, building the Godwin Hotel and creating the first stage coach line for tourists to travel to the Passaic Falls. Abraham Godwin married Mary Maria Munson on July 3, 1783, in the First Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey. They had nine children, Phebe, Henry, Caleb, Susanna,

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

, Maria, Catharine, Elizabeth, and Margaret. His son Henry committed suicide after going bankrupt producing cotton in 1816. His grandson,

Parke Godwin Parke Godwin (January 28, 1929 – June 19, 2013) was an American writer. He won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 1982 for his story "The Fire When It Comes". He was a native of New York City, where he was born in 1929. He was the g ...

, was an acclaimed author and journalist.

Career

Revolutionary War

Abraham's father joined the American cause in early 1776 and was captain of Marines stationed on board the USS ''Lady Washington'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Abraham's older brother Henry became a Quartermaster in

Fishkill, New York Fishkill is a village (New York), village within the Fishkill (town), New York, town of Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, New York (state), New York, United States. The village is in the eastern part of the town of Fishkill o ...

, and his younger brother David was a Drummer. Abraham and David were re-united with their father when they enlisted in New York City. Abraham's father survived getting shot during the Siege of New York. Knowing the topography of

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 ...

, they led

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

's army to Totowa where he stayed at the Godwin Hotel. After that they split ways, Washington to the Delaware River, and the Godwins to Fishkill. The Godwins had much debt to the Tories, and lost half their land as a result. The British raided the Godwin homestead, stripping Phebe and the daughters of everything. This sickened Abraham's father even more, to the point where he died early in 1777. In the spring, Abraham, Henry, and David were ordered to Fort Montgomery to lay a chain across the North River. On October 7, 1777, the

Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery The Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery was an American Revolutionary War battle fought in the Hudson Highlands of the Hudson River valley, not far from West Point, on October 6, 1777. British forces under the command of General Sir Henry Cl ...

took place. David was ordered to send for help, Henry was captured by the British, and Abraham jumped into the Hudson and swam to shore. Abraham was present at 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 ...

, witnessed the surrender of

Charles Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

, and received an honorable discharge signed by George Washington.

Master engraver

Towards the end of the war Abraham became an

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

apprentice of Andrew Billings, a silversmith and an engraver of bookplates. Within a few years Abraham became better than his master. Abraham soon found himself with high-profile projects, like his engraving of the certificate for the

General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, was founded on November 17, 1785, by 22 men who gathered in Walter Heyer's public-house at No. 75 King Street (now Pine Street), one block from Wall Street, in Lower Manhatt ...

or his certificate for the Fire Department of New York City, among others. He most likely painted a portrait of

while he stayed at the Passaic Hotel.

Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures

Alexander Hamilton had envisioned the Passaic Falls as a powerhouse for manufacturing since his first visit in 1778. While he was

Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

he led the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures and they decided on the newly named Paterson. They met at the Godwin Hotel. Abraham led the group surveying the land surrounding the falls. Hamilton made the final call to place the factories right next to the falls rather than dig expensive canals to place them miles away. They all agreed.

New Jersey General Assembly (1802–1806)

Abraham voted for the gradual abolition of slavery in 1804, and the law was overruled in 1807. Godwin also attended numerous lodge meetings with the Freemasons in Trenton, New Jersey from 1802 to 1820.

Brigadier General in the War of 1812

Abraham quickly rose to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

because of his time in the New Jersey State Legislature. His son was a Lieutenant. He patrolled the beaches between Atlantic City and

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...

, and was praised when he brought volunteers from Paterson to help build the first fort in

Later life

Abraham retired to a peaceful life running a hotel in Paterson. He wrote poems and songs, continued engraving, and made many paintings. The Godwin Hotel was a well known tourist attraction while he was alive. It was advertised in the papers that there was always a fiddler ready to play. He was nominated the only

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

for

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

in New Jersey in 1828. In 1829, the greatest honor was bestowed upon him, the township just north of the Passaic river was named Godwinville.

Death

He died of unknown causes in Paterson on October 5, 1835.

Legacy

Godwinville was renamed Ridgewood in the 1876 by Samuel and Cornelia Dayton. The Paterson and Ramapo Railroad Company fought this decision. The Godwin Hotel lost its prestige after Abraham died, and it fell into disrepair. The building was torn down in 1915. Many remnants of Godwin still remain in Paterson, Ridgewood, and the surrounding areas. There are two roads in Paterson, Godwin Street and Godwin Avenue, that were chopped in half by the train tracks. From Wyckoff through Midland Park and ending at Ridgewood another Godwin Avenue exists, formerly known as Godwinville Road. In 1951, the Captain Abraham Godwin chapter of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...

erected a monument to Abraham Godwin in Van Neste Square in Ridgewood, New Jersey. In 2016, the monument had lights installed so it could be viewed at night.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godwin, Abraham 1763 births 1835 deaths Continental Army soldiers Brigadier generals Members of the New Jersey General Assembly American engravers American people of English descent People from Paterson, New Jersey A People from Totowa, New Jersey Fife players