Waypoint 1: Bonnell House
The Bonnell House is the oldest house in Elizabeth, NJ, and one of the oldest residences in the state. The house represents the carpentry skills of Nathaniel Bonnell, a Huguenot or a member of the group of French Protestants who arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries to escape religious persecution. He came to Elizabeth about 1664 and was one of the original settlers and a member of the incorporating organization, the Elizabeth Associates. Between 1670 and 1685, Bonnell and his wife Elizabeth raised seven children. They worked several farms in the environs, including Connecticut Farms, now Union, NJ, which was left to his son and namesake, Nathaniel.
See more information: https://www.goelizabethnj.com/directory/bonnell-house/
Waypoint 2: Belcher-Ogden Mansion
Built in 1750, the Belcher-Ogden Mansion was originally the residence of Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher. Belcher sponsored the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University.
Elisha Boudinot (brother of Elias Boudinot, who lived at nearby Boxwood Hall) was married here in 1778 to Catherine Peartree Smith. At that time, the house was owned by Catherine's father, William Peartree Smith, who had been the mayor of Elizabeth from 1774-1776. Alexander Hamilton acted as master of ceremonies at the wedding, and George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette were in attendance. The British, frustrated that they had missed a chance to capture General Washington when he was here for the wedding, sacked the house shortly afterward. They took all the valuables out of the house into the street and burned them.
The house was later owned by Aaron Ogden, who had served in the 1st New Jersey Regiment in the Revolutionary War. Ogden was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1812. He is buried at the Elizabeth First Presbyterian Church.
See more information: https://www.goelizabethnj.com/directory/belcher-ogden-mansion/
