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SAMUEL FORD JR.

Samuel Ford Jr, son of Samuel Ford and wife Sarah Baldwin, was born about 1735 in Hanover NJ, and died "late in life" in Greenbriar Co VA (now WV). He was married first 20 Jan 1757 in Hanover to Grace Kitchell, daughter of Joseph Kitchell and wife Rachel Bates, who was born about 1741 in Hanover Twp., Morris Co NJ, and died 7 Nov 1818 Hammock Farm, Hanover NJ. Samuel Ford owned Hibernia furnace and forge near Mt. Hope NJ. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington used the Ford home at Hammock Farms as a headquarters, and it briefly served as a hospital during the severe winter at Valley Forge. Supposedly, Samuel Ford Jr married second about 1766 in Ireland, and she left him on returning to America when she discovered that he was already married. Samuel is believed to have returned with counterfeit money, as he was arrested in 1768 in New York City for forging bills of credit, but was let go for lack of evidence. Samuel Ford Jr was a suspect in a robbery of the New Jersey Treasurer of 6000 pounds, but charges were not proved. After a visit to England in 1771-1772, Ford was jailed in New Jersey with a group of counterfeiters, but he soon escaped to Virginia. There, he changed his name to Baldwin and was engaged in trade as a silversmith. A third marriage occurred in Virginia - names unknown. The estranged first wife, Grace (Kitchell) Ford, gained independence and deed records for Morris Co NJ show purchases at Ford's Hammock from Samuel Ford and Benjamin Burroughs in 1799, 1804, 1815, and sales to Stephen Young in 1815. In May, 1805, Grace (Kitchell) Ford and her daughter Phebe and husband Robert Marvin, and their two children, William and Samuel, left overland for Wheeling WV and took a flat boat down the Ohio River to Cincinnati. A portion of the diary account kept of this journey by Phebe (Ford) Marvin survives. They arrived in Hamilton Co OH on 1 Sep 1805 and purchased a quarter section from John Allen, the site now located at 10380 State Street in Harrison. Minutes of the formation of a Presbyterian Society in January 1811 at the home of John Allen at "Allens Ferry" include Grace Ford and Phebe Marvin among the attendees. The two are honored today with stained glass windows in their names at the First Presbyterian Church in Harrison. Grace (Kitchell) Ford returned to Hammock Farm in New Jersey in 1812 due to the harsh winters in Ohio. Her tombstone in the Hillside Cemetery at Madison NJ reads: "Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Grace Ford who died November 7, 1818, in the 79th year ofher life. She was an affectionate parent, a kind, endearing friend. She was ever ready to administer balm to the wounded hearts. An Isrealite, on whose tongue was found no guile, she found the Lord could calm the darkest skies, could give her day for night, and make streams of keenest sorrow rise to rivers of delight." Grace Ford made a will 15 Apr 1817, proved 15 Dec 1818, mentioning children, Elizabeth and Samuel, and some grandchildren. An internet site lists the will of Samuel Ford Jr as being probated in Sep 1793 in Botetourt Co VA, but that was prior to the apparent deeds recorded above. One or more Samuel's in every generation complicates matters.

Samuel Ford Jr., a son of Samuel Ford, was born in 1735 in Hanover Township., New Jersey. He was a reputed counterfeiter whose name is considered to be the major blemish upon the Ford family. Mr. Ford lived in Hanover Township and owned Hibernia Furnace and Forge near Mt. Hope, New Jersey. His counterfeiting activity started when he went to Ireland in 1765-6 and allegedly returned with forged money. Samuel Ford Jr. was accused of being the ringleader of a robbery of the East Jersey Treasury at Perth Amboy, New Jersey (1768-74), but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence. He visited England in 1771-2, yet upon his return engaged in counterfeiting money in New Jersey. In 1772 he established his illegal printing of money bills of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey in a secluded place called the "Hummock” (near the present Morristown Airport). Samuel Ford Jr. was soon arrested and then imprisoned in the county jail. However, he escaped through the probable assistance of Sheriff Thomas Kinney to Virginia

Samuel Ford Jr. married three times. He first married Grace Kitchell on January 20, 1757 who bore five children. She remained loyal to him for some time despite his known second marriage to an Irish woman of some means in 1766. The Irish woman left him upon his return to America when she found out about his other wife. His third wife was Mary Wills with whom he had seven children without ever dissolving his marriage to Grace Kitchell Ford. The third marriage took place in Virginia where Samuel Ford Jr. changed his name to Baldwin and engaged in silversmithing. He lived in Botetourt County, twenty miles northwest of Roanoke, Virginia. on a 400-acre farm. He died in 1793.