Manuscript Group 898, Estate of Aaron Melick (1725 – 1809), Record book, 1809 – 1823 (Bulk dates: 1809 – 1810)

Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs

Manuscript Group 898, Estate of Aaron Melick (1725 – 1809)
Record book, 1809 – 1823 (Bulk dates: 1809 – 1810), 0.1 linear feet / 1 volume
Call Number: MG 898


Summary:

Inventory, sale list, and accounts pertaining to the estate of this Bedminster Township resident.

Biographical Note:

Aaron Melick (Malick) (1725-1809), the son of Johannes Moelich (1702-1763) and Maria Cathrina Kirberger (1698-1763), was a farmer and tanner in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.  Aaron married Charlotte Miller (1734-1802) in 1757, and with her had six children: John (Malick) (1758-1834), Catharine (1761-1793), Daniel (1763-1815), Elizabeth (1765-1768), Margaret (1767-1834), and Maria (1771-1824).  The family were members of the Lutheran Church in New Germantown, New Jersey.

Aaron managed his 367-acre farm in partnership with his son Daniel, and also owned livestock, a tannery, and a bark mill.

Aaron appointed his sons, John and Daniel, and his nephew Jacob Kline (1751-1823) as the executors of his estate. After his death, Melick passed half of the value of the estate to his son and partner Daniel, who continued farming the property.  At the time of Aaron’s death, he owned eight slaves: Yombo, Dick, Nance, and their children Diana, Sam, Joe, Ann, and Dick.  Aaron’s will required that the children of Dick and Nance be sold into indentured servitude until their 25th or 28th birthdays.

Sources:

Mellick, Andrew D. Jr., The Story of an Old Farm (The Unionist Gazette, Somerville, NJ, 1889)

Provenance Note:

The source of this collection is unknown.

Scope and Content Note:

This volume consists of records of the estate of Aaron Melick dating from 1809-1823.  The records were kept by Melick’s executors, Jacob Kline, and John and Daniel Melick, and include an inventory of the estate, a list of his personal articles sold at auction, and lists of personal debt transactions.

Related Collections:

Manuscript Group 53, Andrew D. Mellick, Jr. (1844-1895) Papers
Manuscript Group 895, Bedminster Township Voting register

Processed by Luis Delfino, January 2001 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Updated by Chad E. Leinaweaver January 2004.

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