Chippendale Walnut Tea TableAttributed to William Applegate, Leonardo, Middletown Township, New Jersey, c. 1770.
Written under the tea table on a piece of paper by Betty Hendrickson who was the great, great granddaughter of William Applegate and the wife of John (Jack) L. Hendrickson, Jr. is the following: "Tippy Top Table -This table belonged to my Great Grandmother Applegate on my mother's side of the family. It has been in the family many years. It would be Jack's great great Grandmother Applegate. My mother's mother was Elizabeth Applegate."
The first Applegate that settled Applegate Landing in Middletown Township was:
Thomas Applegate m. Elizabeth settled Applegate land.
Children: Thomas II, Bartholomew, John, Bart, & Thomas
Thomas II m. Johanna Gibbons
Their son William m. Rebecca Winter
Their son William, made the tea table m. Elizabeth Ogborne
William Applegate (1726-1776) was born on his great grandfather's homestead farm at Applegate's Landing on Raritan Bay in Middletown, Monmouth County. When Richard died in 1732, he left all of his land to his wife until her death or remarriage, then to his young son William.
In 1741 at the age of fifteen, William was apprenticed to Patrick Jackson, a New York cabinetmaker, for the term of five and a half years "to learn the art, trade, and mystery of a joiner." Although Jackson does not appear on any documented lists of cabinetmakers in New York, he must have been a master craftsman judging by the quality of work that William was able to produce after learning from him. Shortly after completing his apprenticeship, William returned to Monmouth County where he appears as a "carpenter" or "joiner" on deeds and land transfers between 1749 and 1775. William married Elizabeth Ogborn in 1758 and they had eight children.
Mary b. Jan. 5, 1759 m. Isaac Andrews, their ch. Elizabeth & Edward
Lydia b. Oct. 5, 1760 m. Anthony Holmes
Richard b. Oct. 19, 1762 m. Mary Stillwell whose father was the Stillwell of Garrett's Hill) Richard most likely gave his father's Account Book to his father-in-law which stayed in the Stillwell family until the Account Book was given the NY Historical Society.
Rebecca b. Nov. 14, 1764 m. Mott Conover Sarah b. Feb. 5, 1767 m. Daniel Bray Rhoda b. Sep. 13, 1769 - Oct. 26. 1853 Elizabeth b. Jul. 25, 1772 m. John Hoff Annie b. Jan. 10, 1775 m. Joseph Browne
William died at the early age of fifty on 24 October 1776. Writing in the early twentieth century, historian Dr. John E. Stillwell stated that "pieces of furniture, that [Applegate] wrought with his own hands, are in the possession of his descendants. William inherited the homestead and worked the lands.
William prospered in his worldly affairs, and increased his landed estate by purchases, and at his death was the owner of several hundred acres of land, in the vicinity where he lived, (Applegate's Landing, Leonardo, Middletown Township, NJ, as well as slaves and other personal property." The properties he bought were:
1752, May 13. Samuel Legg, of Middletown, carpenter, conveyed to William Applegate, of the same town, joiner, in consideration of 61-12-0 pounds, a tract of land, in Middletown, on Broad Swamp Brook, adjoining land of the said Legg, Jacob Debowe, and Daniel Herbert, deceased. Also one-half of an island of sedge, at Shoal Harbor, commonly known as, John Bowne's island.
1753, Aug. 25. Thomas Herbert, carpenter, conveyed to William Applegate, carpenter, and Skelton Johnson, yeoman, for 280 pounds, a parcel of land and meadow, containing one hundred acres of land and meadow, bounded, in part, by the Bay and William Applegate's land.
1754, Oct 5. John Collder, of New London, Connecticut, saddler, heir of Samuel Collder, late of Middletown, conveyed to William, son of Richard Applegate, a parcel of meadow-land, on the Bay Shore, containing six acres, the consideration being 3 pounds.
1770, Aug. 27. William Applegate received a deed from Joseph Maxson and wife, for a piece of salt meadow, being a part of the great meadows, the consideration being 16 pounds.
1772, Apr. 7. Benjamin Burdge, son and heir of David B. Burdge, of Middletown, yeoman, for 20 pounds, conveyed to William Applegate, carpenter, a lot of salt meadow, lying in the great meadows.
1774, Nov. 1. Joseph Mason and wife, conveyed to William Applegate, carpenter, for 16 pounds, a tract of meadow, lying in the great meadows.
1775, June 5. John Debowe, of Middletown "by and with the consent, good liking and approbation of his mother, Alice Andrews," for 18 pounds, conveyed to William Applegate, a lot of swamp and upland, in Middletown, adjoining the land of John Debowe and William Applegate and William Bowne. Witnesses: Daniel Stillwell and Samuel Browne.
1756, Mar. 26. Skelton Johnson and William Applegate, owning a tract of land in common, adjoining the road which leads to the salt meadow, in the township of Middletown, which they had bought, in 1753, of Thomas Herbert, for 280 pounds, made a division of the same by quit claim deeds.
1774, Apr. 1. Sarah Ross, executrix of her husband, Gershem Ross, deceased, of Middletown, with the free consent of William Ross, son and heir of the aforesaid Gershem Ross, conveyed to William Applegate, carpenter, for 53-15-0 pounds, thirty acres of upland meadow. William Applegate's wife Elizabeth, daughter of John and Mary Ogborn, who was born Apr. 3, 1738, and died Dec. 21, 1786. They were married Mar. 9, 1756.
Stillwell owned Applegate's account book covering the years 1756 to 1776. It is now part of the John E. Stillwell Collection at the New-York Historical Society. While most of the work it documents was carpentry on houses, barns and outbuildings, there are scattered references to making furniture, especially coffins. In May of 1764, for example, Applegate billed George Taylor 9 pounds "To a black walnut Case of Draws." Three years later, there is an entry in John Mount's account "To making a desk & finding part of the bords" for 2 pounds, 10 shillings. Just before his death, on 30 May 1775 Applegate charged Obadiah Bowne 10 pounds "To a chest of draws." Other citations indicate that this versatile carpenter/joiner produced tea tables, tables of cherry and bilsted, cradles, close stools, and chests.
Provenance: The tea table was made by William Applegate. It descended in his family to his son, Richard Applegate who married Mary Stillwell;
to their daughter, Margaret Hendrickson;
to her daughter-in-law, "Betty" Hendrickson, who was the widow of John L, Hendrickson, Jr.;
H. Gregory Gulick;
Joseph Hammond, Freehold, New Jersey.
27 3/4 x 32 1/2 in. (70.5 x 82.6 cm.)
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