THE FOUNDER'S OWN STORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Founding of Vineland, New Jersey* 
 
 BY CHARLES K. LANDIS. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 VINKLAND HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIET1 
 
 1903. 
 
 > m tm i 
 
 TnE VlNEI.AM) PRINTING HOCSI PkIN'T. 
 
CHARLES KLINE LANDIS 
 About J867. 
 
THE FOUNDER'S OWN STORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Founding of Vineland, New Jersey* 
 
 BY CHARLES K. LANDIS, 
 
 sa ^ - ^ji . dr^ 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 VINELAND HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, 
 
 1903. 
 
 
 The Yin ei. and Printing House Print. 
 
 £750^ 
 
F'+i- 
 
 V7 Li % ■ 
 
 Introductory, 
 
 Among the private papers of the late Charles K. Landis, which, in accordance 
 with his Will, have recently come into the possession of the Historical and Antiquar- 
 ian Society of Vineland, and which are held by this Society as among its most 
 important and valued archives, was found the following very interesting sketch of 
 the first steps taken, and of his first year's experiences in the Founding of Vineland. 
 It would be scarcely possible for any other hand, though of a ready writer, to set 
 forth so graphically and so vividly, the story of this unique settlement, itself so un- 
 like anything the world had ever before seen, in its plans, its purposes, and its 
 a 'hievement. It is due to the memory of this remarkable man, much misunder- 
 stood as he was in those early days, that this frank record of his secret thoughts and 
 motives, as of his public acts, should be given to the public substantially as it came 
 from his own hand. It was evidently written off-hand, in pencil, and bears no 
 marks of subsequent revision. 
 
 When this was written in 1882, after 21 years, Mr. Landis was already able to 
 see, and had seen, with the natural eye, as before he had seen as in prophetic vision, 
 brilliant and beneficent fruits of his great work. Indeed it was his remark in later 
 years, that he always saw it from the beginning, just as we others see it now. Such 
 was his profound faith in himself and in the soundness of the principles upon which 
 he built. In this narrative of the events of 1861-2, he has introduced but few allu- 
 sions to the later resulting conditions of which he might justly be proud. No one 
 evermore truly "made the wilderness to blossom as the rose." Of no other could 
 it more appropriately be said, "If you would see his monument, look around you." 
 
 Vineland, N. J., Oct. 13, 1903. 
 
THE FOUNDING OF VINELAND 
 
 AS TOLD BY THE FOUNDER 
 
 My experience in the founding of Hamnionton, a place covering 
 about 5,000 acres, led me to believe that with a larger tract of land I 
 might carry out my purposes. These were, to found a place which, to 
 the greatest possible extent, might be the abode of happy, prosperous, 
 and beautiful homes; to first lay it out upon a plan conducive to beauty 
 and convenience, and in order to secure its success, establish therein the 
 best of schools, — different branches which experience has shown to be 
 beneficial to mankind; also manufactories, and different industries, and 
 the churches of different denominations; in short, all things essential to 
 the prosperity of mankind; but, at the same time, under such provision 
 for public adornment, and the moral protection of the people, that the 
 home of every man of reasonable industry might be made a sanctuary of 
 happiness, and an abode of beauty, no matter how poor he might be. 
 In fact, I desired to make Vineland so desirable a place to live in by 
 reason of its various privileges, and over all to throw such a halo of 
 beauty as would make people loth to leave it, and, if they did so, would 
 draw them back again. With all of this I desired to get enough money 
 out of it to cover my expenses for advertising, and public works, and 
 leave me a reasonable competency besides. I never expected or particu- 
 larly wished for a large fortune out of it, but I did most earnestly wish 
 for a firm enduring success in attaining the objects herein set forth. 
 
 Before founding this colony I examined various places, knowing 
 that location in relation to market, climate, and health, were of vital 
 importance. I visited tracts in the upper part of the State, also different 
 places in the West. I wanted land more adapted to fruit than to grain, 
 because, to grow grain and stock would require much more capital than 
 to raise fruit, and the rate of profit on stock would be much smaller. 
 In short, fruit-culture was better adapted to the kind of town and col- 
 ,ony that I wished to found; — it would give more opportunity for people 
 
8 
 
 of small means — more chance to make beautiful and profitable homes. 
 I decided in favor of South Jersey, because the soil, climate, and loca- 
 tion, were best adapted to my objects. A better soil for fruit than the 
 oak lands of New Jersey cannot be found. The climate is peculiarly 
 temperate, and mild in winter, far more so than in New England, giving 
 us the advantage of an earlier and longer season in which to send our 
 fruit to market by R. R. Then, the immense city of Philadelphia was 
 at our door. The healthfulness of the place was beyond question. 
 What is life worth without health! As I intended to stake my own 
 health and fortunes upon the success of this colony, I was perhaps all 
 the more careful upon this point. 
 
 I learned that Richard D. Wood, an eminent merchant of Philadel- 
 phia, a Quaker, was the owner of .a tract of 1 8 or 20 thousand acres of 
 land on a new railroad just completed to Millville. This railroad had 
 been surveyed by a young engineer of my acquaintance, Geo. B. Rob. 
 erts. I called upon Mr. Wood in Philadelphia, and explained to him 
 my design in full. Instead of considering it Utopian, he appeared to 
 enter into and appreciate the idea, and said that he was particularly in- 
 terested in the actual settlement of his wild land, in order to afford the 
 people of Millville an opportunity to get supplies of market produce. 
 I explained to him fully my design of selling the land to actual settlers 
 only, and not to speculators. This was in the early Spring of 1S61, 
 j ust at the time when the black clouds of war were beginning to lower 
 darkly over the horizon of our country. One evening we — Mr. Wood 
 and myself — started from Philadelphia by railroad, to visit Mr. Wood's 
 tract. We went as far as Glassboro by the West Jersey R. R., and 
 thence by the new road then called the Millville and Glassboro R. R. 
 which Mr. Wood himself controlled. The train consisted of an engine 
 and one small car. I think there were about three passengers besides 
 ourselves. After a slow run we got to Millville in the dusk of evening. 
 I stopped at a hotel kept by a Mr. Wescott. Mr. Wood stopped at a 
 house in charge of an overseer. In the evening I found that the town 
 was a small and poor place. The streets were not paved and had no 
 sidewalks. They were deep in sand, and pigs were allowed to run at 
 large. The houses were small frame buildings, old and dilapidated. 
 The place looked as though it had been finished long ago. The next 
 morning I got up early, and went out before breakfast to see the town, 
 and seek information about its .shops, lumber yards, and other facilities, 
 as I knew that it would have to be the base of operations for our sup- 
 plies for several years to come. I walked up the street, and noticed a 
 man taking down the shutters from an oyster saloon. Thinking this a 
 
9 
 good opportunity for a talk with him, I walked up and requested an 
 oyster stew, which he made with a spirit lamp. I soon got a great deal 
 of the information I wanted, when he commenced telling about the for- 
 lorn condition of Millville. Said he, "It is a miserable place to live in, 
 as we have no vegetables except what they bring by the wood sballops 
 from Philadelphia, — no potatoes, no cabbage or turnips." "How 
 about fruit?" "That is something we scarcely cxp :ct. We never see 
 a strawberry, pear, peach, or apple, unless we go to the city." "Why 
 do you live here?" "Because I do not know how to get away. lam 
 making a living here, such as it is, but I hope to get away before long." 
 Rising from my seat, I said, "My good man, do not despair. It will 
 not be long before you will have in this town an abundant supply of 
 vegetables and fruits, alkyou want, all kinds, not by the small box, but 
 by the wagon load. You will have the finest of fruits, strawberries, 
 raspberries, grapes, pears, apples, all kinds in their season, peddled 
 thro' the town, and offered from door to door." Who is going to do 
 all this?" "I am going to do it." I walked out, and after I had got 
 some distance I looked back and saw the man standing in the street, 
 looking after me, wiping his hands upon his apron. I can see him now. 
 I wonder what he thought. This was a Mr. Wells, afterwards Mayor 
 of Millville. I knew enough of the land and of Mr. Wood to feel per- 
 fectly certain that I should commence the work. 
 
 Q Going back to the hotel I saw six or seven men standing in front of 
 the door. It was not yet open. I asked someone what was the matter. 
 The reply was that they were waiting for their bitters. A man from this 
 • crowd crossed the street and came over to me where I was standing and 
 wanted to know if I were Mr. I^andis of Hammonton. I replied, "I 
 am." "I heard," said he, "that you came down with Dicky Wood," 
 as he called the polite and even venerable old gentleman, "and I wish 
 to give you a word of warning. " "What is it?" "Well, he is very 
 sharp, and if he gets you into his clutches he will hold you hard to any 
 contract you make. " "Will he keep his contract ?" "Oh yes, but he 
 will make you keep yours." "Then I am not afraid. I shall make no 
 contract that I am not willing to keep. ' ' I afterward found Mr. Wood 
 an excellent man to do business with, and I also bought property to the 
 amount of many thousands of dollars from this very man who would 
 have sent me away with a warning. 
 
 That day Mr. Wood drove me over his tract. I had seen enough 
 in the railroad cuts, coming down, to convince me that the land was 
 very good, and this exploration confirmed my opinion. We dined at 
 the house of Wm. D. Wilson, at Forest Grove. He, in partnership 
 
IO 
 
 with Mr. Wood, carried on a lumber business at that place. He evi- 
 dently looked upon me with suspicion, after he heard that it was my 
 design to build a city and improve the country. His mind could not 
 take it in. He could not be blamed. 
 
 Upon my return to Philadelphia I found that Mr. Wood was dis- 
 posed to be slow and cautious. His price was exorbitant, to begin 
 with, at that time— ten dollars per acre without the timber. I decided, 
 however, to humor him in the negotiations; not to hurry but to call 
 upon him ever)' day. After I had been to see him every day for a 
 week, he decided to visit Hammonton which he did in company with 
 his son Richard. He was more than pleased, — in fact, astonished to 
 see a beautiful place produced in so short a time out of the New Jersey 
 wilderness. It convinced him that I possessed some capacity in that 
 line. He then requested me to go over his tract of land with him 
 again. This time I stopped at his house. His wife was there. In the 
 evening she asked me to describe how one of the avenues in my pro- 
 posed colony would look after it was finished. I described it to her as 
 faithfully as I could. The next morning, after I got into the buggy 
 with Mr. Wood, he said he had a little matter to tell me. Said he, 
 "My wife awoke me about half past two o'clock this morning and said 
 she wished to caution me against making any agreement with you, as 
 she is afraid you are of unsound mind, owing to your description of the 
 avenue last night She said she had no doubt of your sincerity. But 
 what I wish to say, Mr. L,andis, is, that our people, inexperienced in 
 business, have no conception of what can be done. When you talk to 
 me of the grand possibilities of enterprise, it is all right, as I have seen 
 a great deal myself, in my time," (he might have said, truthfully, that 
 he had done a great deal.) "and I w r ould suggest to you that when my 
 wife, or my partner, Wm. D. Wilson, asks you questions, you had 
 better not give them an)* more than their minds are prepared for." 
 
 The trouble in Mr. Wilson's mind resulted from a question he 
 asked me one day, when we were going up together in the cars. Along 
 the line of the railroad there was at that time a great deal of swampy 
 laud, covered with water, and looking impassable. Turning to me he 
 said, "Mr. L,andis, what do you propose to do with this land ?" "Drain 
 it all," I replied, "and reclaim it. Along the railroad, on both sides, 
 where we are now going, I intend to make a good carriage road after 
 the land is reclaimed." He said nothing in reply, but told Mr. Wood 
 that I must be demented in thinking of such an impracticable under- 
 taking. It was afterwards done. 
 
 During the progress of the negotiation Mr. Wood several times 
 
II 
 
 suggested that I should commence operations, and the details of the 
 agreement should be settled afterwards. My reply was, that I "should 
 not commence one move until I had a written agreement." 
 
 " Fnally he suggested that we should see his lawyer, St. George 
 Tucker Campbell. This we did, and explained the nature of the agree- 
 ment that was wanted. Mr. Campbell half listened, constantly inter- 
 posing objections, raising difficulties and starting questions directed to 
 Mr. Wood and myself. I kept out of it and allowed Mr. Wood to do 
 the talking. After about two hours we left, and as we went out of the 
 door Mr. Wood remarked, "Mr. Landis, if we are ever to have an 
 agreement we have got to make it ourselves, without the lawyers. " 
 He then requested me to write such an agreement as would suit me and 
 bring it to him the next day. This I did and left it with him. The 
 day after I called, and he said it was satisfactory, with the exception 
 of one word. He wanted the work "wood" substituted for "timber." 
 I agreed to take the land at $7.00 per acre, without interest for three and 
 one-half years, he reserving the timber, which I was allowed to have as 
 wanted, by the appraisement of three disinterested persons. If I had 
 had the cash, no doubt I could at that time have bought the land for 
 much less. I had means, not at that time available — not great, but 
 which I afterwards put into the enterprise. My available cash was 
 about $500 in gold, which my mother had saved up, and which she 
 handed over to me cheerfully, without question or hesitation, with a 
 mother's faith and devotion. With this amount I was to commence 
 operations upon my favorite doctrine of "Pay cash as you go." Some 
 may say, a difficult problem to carry out with so small a sum, and so 
 rash an enterprise, yet it was done. The agreement was signed in 
 July, 1 86 1. 
 
 The principles that I designed should govern my enterprise for all 
 time to come, if possible, were clearly defined in my mind and I decided 
 to make them an integral part of each written contract, so far as it 
 could be legally done. These were, to sell under improvement stipula- 
 tions, to the effect 
 
 That a habitation should be erected within one year on each plot of 
 ground sold. This was done to insure the success of the place; to bring 
 business, and insure the establishment of all the concomitants of civili- 
 zation — stores, churches, schools and manufactories. 
 
 That at least two and one half acres of land should be cleared and 
 cultivated each year; 
 
 That the houses should be set back at least seventy-five feet in the 
 country, and twenty feet in the town, in order to afford room for flowers 
 
\1 
 
 and shrubbery; 
 
 That shade trees should be planted along the entire front of each 
 place within a year. This was done for beauty, shade, health, and to 
 afford a harbor for birds, which I regarded all important, as against 
 insect enemies in a fruit country 
 
 And that no man should be required to build any fence, and that 
 where it was done it should consist of a hedge, or a good board and 
 picket fence. I wished to do away with the necessity of fencing, owing 
 to the enormous expense of building fences and keeping them up. This 
 would not only save fencing but would prove conducive to good agri- 
 culture by the saving of manures. The improvement also would not 
 only build up the city and country, but act mutually to the benefit of 
 each improver, and insure an increase in the value of his property; and 
 while each man would stand independent and alone, at the same time 
 the whole thing would be co-operative. 
 
 In the center of the tract I designed a model town of a mile square 
 for residences, business, and manufacturing purposes, which would be 
 a center of trade, and all sorts of conveniences to the entire colon}-, and 
 a home market. 
 
 The whole tract was a wilderness of a forbidding aspect; no beauti- 
 ful parks, but oak of second or third growth, pine and brush, all of 
 which had been swept hy fires. The lay of the land was graced by no 
 pleasing diversity of surface; it was level, with sufficient roll for drain- 
 age — about nine feet to the mile — but many miles were covered by 
 small streams and swamps that needed to be drained. That it had no 
 population was a positive advantage, as it lessened the opposition I 
 would meet with in my plans. Yet there was a population to a certain 
 extent, of wood choppers and charcoal burners who lived around in log 
 cabins with clay floors, a people as simple, and almost as barbarous in 
 their habits as though they lived a thousand miles from Philadelphia. 
 The policy of all the landholders had been an extremely selfish one, 
 opposed to selling small holdings for fear of depredations upon their 
 timber, which really was of no great value. This narrow view kept 
 the people degraded, and the country a wilderness. These wretched 
 people worked for only fifty cents a day, paid in orders on the stores at 
 Millville. Their supplies usually consisted of pork, whisky, and tobacco 
 and an occasional calico dress for wife or daughter. They owned no 
 land. There were scattered upon the tract several persons who did- own 
 land, but they possessed very little. Mr. Wood had started a clearing 
 of 300 acres upon the Main Road and had erected a house in which 
 lived Andrew Sharp, a farmer whom he had selected to run the business. 
 
1 3 
 
 My plans for laying out the place had already been matured. Along 
 each side of the railroad there was to be an avenue ioo feet wide; 
 around the mile square, avenues ioo feet wide; Landis, Chestnut and 
 Park Avenues, to be ioo feet wide from Malaga Road to Main Road, 
 all lined with a double row of shade trees; the streets in the town to be 
 66 feet wide; the farm roads 50 feet wide; all to be lined with shade 
 trees, and the roadsides to be seeded to grass to keep down noxious 
 weeds. The roads were to be laid out as nearly at right angles as was 
 practicable. I rightly expected that this would make one of the most 
 beautiful places in the country, and that the lack of natural scenery 
 would be made up by the labor of art. This result was to be reached 
 after the planting of orchards and vineyards, shade trees and miles of 
 hedges. 
 
 Intending to make it a vine country, I called it Vineland. I de- 
 cided that, if possible, it should be free from taverns. I thought that 
 this might be accomplished in the start, with an industrial population. 
 In fact, I did not see how the people could succeed without temperance, 
 as well as industry. The labor to be done in the clearing of the Vine- 
 land tract was something stupendous; and besides this, a living was to 
 be made. I knew that, for years, rich people would not come to such 
 a banquet as this, where they would not be permitted to buy on specu- 
 lation. It was therefore important that people should have the full use 
 of their health, strength, and faculties, that they might be able to labor 
 with all their might, and efficiently, and also be happy in their homes, 
 with all of which liquor sadly interferes. In fact, I had never known 
 a sober man to be a pauper. I also knew that the temptation to drink 
 would be much stronger in a new country than in an old one, and that 
 wives and families would be terrified if the evil of drink were to be 
 added to the trials they would be called upon to endure. In short, I 
 intended to fight this battle of the wilderness with sober men. I fully 
 appreciated the magnitude of the work before me, the clearing of miles 
 upon miles of wild land, the draining of miles of swamps, the building 
 of many miles of roads, the organizing of churches, schools, societies, 
 and industries; in short, planting in this dark and forbidding wilderness 
 the industries, the arts, and even the elegancies of civilization, and do- 
 ing it at once It never entered into my head to be long about it, but 
 yet to stick to it, whether for a short or long time, until it was done. 
 
 I advertised for a surveyor, and engaged a tall Scotchman who 
 brought satisfactory references. My preparations necessarily required 
 some little time, after which, on tlie evening of the 7th of August, 
 1 861 , Heft Philadelphia to start this work. On the train there were 
 
i.4 
 
 perhaps a half dozen passengers. Before we got to the nearest regular 
 station, Forest Grove, I desired the conductor, who was also one of the 
 lessees of the road, to let us off at an old wood road that led to the farm 
 of Andrew Sharp, and thus save us 7 or 8 miles of walking. This he 
 refused to do in a most peremptory manner. I then stated to him my 
 business. He simply looked at me, shook his head and left me. And 
 yet my work was to bring his road more passengers, and more business 
 than any other upon the line for many years to come. We had to get 
 off at Forest Grove station, and start upon our walk of six miles. We 
 did not get to Sharp's farm until after dark. As we walked up to the 
 house several dogs flew out at us, which soon brought the people of 
 the house to the front. The Sharps were at least glad to see us in their 
 lonely isolation. That night I engaged several choppers for the next 
 day. 
 
 On the morning of the 8th of August we were up early. It was a 
 beautiful, clear day, but very warm. I had shown my plan to the sur- 
 veyor the night before, and I had noticed that he was silent. Now, 
 before starting out, he was disposed to give me his opinion, which was 
 to the effect that my plan was not practicable. That I had laid out the 
 streets and roads uselessly wide, and upon such a scale that nobody 
 could ever be made to believe that it could be carried out; and that the 
 design was far too magnificent for the country, or the opportunity He 
 would advise doing away with the mile square for the town plot, and 
 make it much smaller; and instead of ignoring the old wood roads of 
 the country, he would utilize them by selling land upon them, and save 
 the expense of opening new roads; also, that if anybody should be found 
 willing to buy any of the land, he would advise the selling it without 
 any improvement stipulations. He would not exact them for fear 
 that it would prevent sales. I replied that a magnificent design would 
 add value to the property, and that the stipulations would give assur- 
 ance to people that it would be carried out. His ideas were conven- 
 tional, and sounded wise and prudent, but were such as would surely 
 fail. I saw that he had no faith in my enterprise, and looked upon it 
 as the visionary scheme of a dreamer. 
 
 We breakfasted early, and were taken to the railroad by Mr. 
 Sharp, within about three quarters of a mile from the point I wished 
 to strike, which was the center of the tract. On reaching that point I 
 moved a little farther south where the ground was higher, and then 
 directed the stake to be driven for the center of I^andis Avenue and of 
 Vineland. From this point running eastwardry, Landis Avenue was 
 surveyed and opened by clearing the ground 100 feet wide, but some of 
 
15 
 
 the best trees were left along the sides, for shade, This was the begin- 
 ning of the grand avenue ten and a half miles long. When the instru- 
 ment was properly adjusted, and a right angle taken to the line of the 
 railroad, the line was started, which was the beginning of all the work 
 since done in Vineland. As the surveyor was sighting through the 
 instrument, an old man came along the railroad, and looking at us 
 curiously, said, "What are you doing ? Building a railroad ?" "No," 
 I replied, "I am about to build a city, and an agricultural and fruit- 
 growing colony around it." "What do you say?" I repeated my 
 answer and then said, "At this spot I am now opening a grand avenue 
 a hundred feet wide, and around here in a few years you will see built 
 hundreds of houses, dwellings, churches, school houses, stores and 
 factories, and around the town an agricultural country, wdiere products 
 will be grown adapted to this soil and to this climate. The streets will 
 be lined with shade trees and hedges, and I know that it will be one cf 
 the most beautiful places upon the face of the earth." He simply 
 stared at me, and said nothing, but kept moving off. When I had 
 stepped speaking, he went up to one of the workmen named Loder, and 
 talked very earnestly to him. I afterwards learned that he strongly 
 advise i Mr. Loder to get his pay as often as possible, for he was sure 
 that the man, (meaning me) was crazy. Not to digress, I shall merely 
 add that that man lived to see all that I had said fulfilled. 
 
 During the week, though my force was small, the work progressed 
 rapidly. I had carefully reflected upon the question of labor and wages. 
 In deciding this question I first considered what was right; next, what 
 was best for the proposed colony, and what was best for the laborer 
 himself. I believed that labor inadequately paid was bad for every- 
 body. It would keep the laborers in a condition of squalor, and make 
 the place appear by no means prosperous. What would a man think, 
 if, when he asked the price of labor he should be told that it war, 
 fifty cents per day ? I decided to pay one dollar per day in god, 
 upon which at that time the premium was very small. At the end of 
 the week, instead of giving the men orders upon the stores at Millville, 
 at the rate of fifty cents per day, as they expected, I paid them 
 in gold at one dollar per day, at that time the current wages else- 
 where in civilized places. They were much astonished, and two 
 of them did not want to take it, saying that the clerk at the store 
 knew better what they wanted than the}- did themselves. This will 
 scarcely be believed. It shows the depth of the ignorance that then 
 existed in this wilderness I remarked that it was time they had learned 
 the use of money, and paid them. Low wage: are decidedly injurious 
 
i6 
 
 to humanity. It degrades all, rich and poor, giving one class more 
 than sufficient for their needs, encouraging luxury, selfishness and self- 
 conceit, at the expense of the other class who are robbed and impover- 
 ished, and deprived of all opportunity for self-improvement. My colony 
 was not made for a class; but in all things I adopted a policy which 
 would comprehend the whole. I also felt that in this way I would gain 
 co-workers. 
 
 I made no attempt to advertise or to sell land until, my avenue 
 should be opened to Main Road, then called Horse Bridge Road, a dis- 
 tance of a mile and a half. I employed myself in getting up the first 
 number of the Vineland Rural, and on my map, having it drawn off 
 from my own outlines. In the latter work I was greatly annoyed at the 
 unfeigned astonishment of my surveyor, and his sarcastic questions and 
 remarks. I felt, however, that I might reasonably expect a good deal 
 of this for some time to come, and I hoped that as he saw people buying 
 land and improving it after a while this would wear off. I also engaged 
 in the buying of some pieces of land, lying within the bounds of mj T 
 tract, which Mr. Wood did not own. Those who had such pieces of 
 land were anxious to sell. John M. Moore of Clayton had about 800 
 acres, which I bought on mortgage. He afterwards said that this sale 
 started him in business. He also consented to act as my agent in New 
 York, he having an office there. I was occupied with these matters 
 until October, when I inserted my advertisements in several New York 
 papers, and went to Vineland to take up my residence there and per- 
 sonally manage my work. 
 
 Owing to his strong recommendations and assertions of what he 
 could do, I then engaged a man to sell land as an agent. This man 
 was highly recommended to me b)^ an old friend, and as he was ac- 
 quainted with property holders in South Jersey, I thought he could 
 help me in buying up the exceptions — that is, the small tracts within 
 the boundaries of my purchase, held by other parties. As a general 
 thing those parties were anxious to sell, and no wonder. There had 
 theretofore been no demand for the land, except for wood. When I 
 purchased from Mr. Moore his anxiety to sell was amusing. From the 
 time I saw him he never let go of me. He invited me to his house at 
 Fislerville (now Clayton) to stay all night. The next morning he 
 took me to Philadelphia to the office of his conveyancer, and never let 
 me go until the papers were all made out and executed. I humored 
 the thing on the principle that the time to strike is when the iron is hot. 
 
 Before advertising, I had the postofficc established at Vineland. I 
 first made the necessary application, and was refused on the ground of 
 
17 
 having no population. I then went to Washington and saw the Second 
 Assistant Postmaster General, but I could not move him, as he said the 
 department had to be economical. Going back to Willard's hotel, I 
 there met Robert Tyler, son of President John Tyler, whose acquaint- 
 ance I had made in Philadelphia. I explained to him my failure, when 
 he said that the Second Assistant was a personal friend of his, and that 
 he would go back with me. The next morning we called there. The 
 official explained to Mr. Tyler the absurdity of establishing a postoffice 
 in such a wilderness where there were no people. Turning to him Mr. 
 Tyler said, "It is no wilderness since Mr. Landis has resolved to build 
 a city there. He has it in his head, and all he has to do is to transfer 
 it to the land. He is the man who founded Hammonton — an enterprise 
 I should have counted among the impossibilities had I not known of it. 
 From what he tells me I am sure that Vineland is a much greater 
 affair." I was amazed at Tyler's remarks, and still more so at the 
 effect it had upon the official. He at once withdrew his opposition, 
 and said that he would give me the office if I would agree to pay twenty 
 dollars per year toward the expense of mail carriage, which I did. I 
 was then appointed postmaster. 
 
 I had at this time Landis Avenue opened through from the railroad 
 to Main Road. I then got out my paper, the Vine/and Rural, and in- 
 serted a short advertisement in the Boston Journal, the New York Her- 
 ald, and the Public Ledger. 
 
 I then went to Vineland for permanent business, and engaged rooms 
 of Andrew Sharp at his place on the corner of Main Road and what is 
 now Park Avenue. I had the room in the northeast corner, and the 
 rooms opposite I had for my maps, and business table, and the draught- 
 ing board of the surveyor. I began soon to get letters which I would 
 answer, and to all correspondents also I sent the Vmcland Rural. 
 
 Mr. Wood had become quite impatient to see something done, and 
 often asked when the work was to begin. I answered that it was going 
 on; but, like any outsider, he of course could not see what I was doing. 
 Finally, a little Englishman came down from New York. I took him 
 to Sharp's farm, showed him my maps and explained my objects. The 
 next day I went out with him and sold him some land on the Boulevard 
 near Oak Road. He wanted his deed at once. I drove him down to 
 Millville and had the deed signed by Mr. Wood and his wife, who were 
 both there. I paid Mr. Wood his portion, and kept the balance. Under 
 my arrangement with him I was to pay him a certain amount per acre 
 for every deed he signed, until I had paid him enough to take a deed 
 myself. I shall never forget his look of astonishment as he received 
 
this money. He was astonished at the whole transaction — to think that 
 a man should come down from the state of New York, and purchase a 
 piece of this land for cash! At the close of this transaction he said 
 that he would accompany us to the Sharp farm. When we got there 
 he took Mr. Sharp aside an J had a long conversation with him. Sharp 
 came into the house laughing. I wanted to know what about. After 
 enjoining me not to repeat what he would tell me, he said that Mr. 
 Wood told him about the sale just made, and charged him to help and 
 facilitate Mr. L,andis in every possible way; for, said he, "He must be a 
 great man." Such was the effect produced by the first sale. 
 
 I now asked the lessees of the railroad to build a platform station 
 at the Landis Avenue crossing, to land my passengers. The lessees 
 refused, as they had no confidence in the enterprise; — did not believe 
 that a station would ever be required there, or that it would ever do 
 business enough to get their money back. Finally I had to furnish the 
 few dollars' worth of rough lumber to have the platform built. I think 
 I also built it. 
 
 I was now very much annoyed by the want of confidence on the 
 part of my surveyor. He evidently thought it a chimerical scheme to 
 build such a place as I contemplated in this South Jersey forest. I 
 looked upon this want of faith as an impediment in my way. He was 
 also exceedingly consequential with strangers — a thing I very much 
 dislike. Assumption in my view is not only the concomitant of a small 
 mind, but also of a small heart. It was important for me to have the 
 conditions around me all right, as I was working up to that most diffi- 
 cult point, getting a start. I had a number of people coming down, 
 "jut after Mr. Colson's purchase it was difficult to make sales. There 
 vas such a desolation in the appearance of the place that the idea of 
 locating in such an unattractive locality sickened people. 
 
 Finally, a Capt. Post came from New England, and bought 60 acres 
 of land opposite Sharp's farm, on a new road which I was then opening 
 and which in honor to him I called Post Road. He paid me cash, and 
 this enabled me to make a strike which I had contemplated for some 
 time, to give my settlement a start. I had noted my best workmen, 
 and found out who of them understood farming and gardening, and 
 proposed to them to buy ten acres each, offering at the same time to 
 furnish them lumber and a carpenter to build for each a small house, 
 payable on long time. This proposal astonished them so much that at 
 first they held back, but I had gained their confidence by paying cash, 
 and by the work they saw going on, and they soon fell in with it. This 
 started a number of homes in different places, so that when I drove my 
 
19 
 visitors around the tract they would here and there see a new iraprove- 
 nijnt going on, which gave the thing a look of reality and business. 
 
 Capt. Post decided to build at once,' and this also was a great help 
 to me. I sent for a builder at Hammonton, and another at Millville, to 
 make estimates. The talk of the Hammonton man afforded great 
 confidence, as he had seen what I had done at Hammonton, and his 
 faith in me was unbounded. It appeared to place me in the position of 
 an already victorious general. These builders arrived in the afternoon, 
 and after supper went out for a walk together. When they returned I 
 noticed Packard, the Hammonton man, enjoying a hearty laugh by 
 himself. I desired to know what the fun was. Said he, "Mr. Laudis, 
 that man was quite overcome with astonishment and fear when we 
 walked along Main Road and came to Landis Avenue. Looking at that 
 avenue ioo feet wide, he said such a road would not be needed for a 
 hundred years, and that you would $e stopped. I asked him how you 
 could be stopped from building on yoi\r own land. He replied that you 
 must be stopped; that there were plenty fools in Millville, who would 
 be wanting to imitate every improvment, ^ you call it, that you should 
 make?" It afterwards turned out that therfc were a good many such 
 fools ! 
 
 I kept pressing on and pushing my business, and visitors increased 
 in number. Sharp's farmhouse was crowded, much to his surprise. 
 When there were more ladies than there were beds for, I always gave 
 up my room and slept downstairs upon the floor, rolled up in a buffalo 
 robe. I would have slept out of doors on the sharp edge of a plank if my 
 success required it. Moreover, the example enabled Sharp to fill his 
 floors all over, with people with much less grumbling. My engineer, 
 being of no use to me as a salesman, owing to his utter want of faith, I 
 had to shoulder the spade myself, and attend to all the visitors. I think 
 that for some time my daily walk might average twenty miles. I found 
 that I could talk the obstinacy and opposition out of a visitor •much 
 more easily if I walked him down tired. I soon discharged both assist- 
 ants, and engaged a young engineer by the name of Jones, whom I had 
 employed at Hammonton after Brown had left on account of ill health. 
 Brown is now chief engineer of the Penn. R. R. Jones was as full of 
 faith as Packard; never talked about his family connections or self- 
 sacrifices in coming to Yineland, but had a practical idea of his business 
 which he had acquired at Hammonton. 
 
 In selling land I had a standard rule, which was, to sell to a visitor 
 the best location I had for the objects he had in view, and to make the 
 sale and improvement of the good locations sell the le^s valuable. In, 
 
20 
 
 this way property was certain to rise in value in the hands of the pur- 
 chasers. They were sure to make good reports, and that would bring 
 a yet more rapid increase of population. I noticed however that many 
 who bought land w 7 ere not farmers, but I thought the}' might learn. 
 Still, there were some that I should have refused to sell land to had I 
 known them as well as I have since, by the light of subsequent experi- 
 ence. Yet even these did well. - Their property increased in value 
 greatly, and they could sell out to advantage, getting something over 
 and above what they paid me. This was uniformly the case and there 
 was no change until after the speculative rise in the value of improved 
 places, years after. I now sought to make sales of the farm lands only, 
 making no effort to sell town lots. I thought it advisable to turn the 
 wild laud into farms first, in order to give the town some support. 
 Lumber and goods began to come in by railroad, but I was greatly em- 
 barrassed for the want of a station. The railroad lessees still pretended 
 a lack of faith. 
 
 The place* was also in great need of a blacksmith. I arranged for 
 one to come from Philadelphia, but he changed his mind. I then 
 made arrangements with a man from Vermont, and located him on 
 Main Road. He bought lumber for his shop and bought his tools. 
 While he was at work, starting his place, wine old Jersey teamsters 
 came along, and asked him what he was doing. When he stated his 
 business, they wanted to know who he expected would want black- 
 smith work in such a God-forsaken place as that. They so discour- 
 aged him that he moved away with all his lumber and tools. He was 
 panic-stricken. Nothing that I could say could change him. He left 
 Vineland the next morning. 
 
 About this time came Capt. Holbrook, of Massachusetts, an old 
 ship carpenter who had been upon a man-of-war, had also commanded 
 a vessel of his own, and had traveled largely over the world. When 
 he got up to Sharp's farm he was very angry. He said that he ex- 
 pected to see an improved country instead of a wilderness. In fact he 
 was a raiher high-tempered old seaman. I pacified him as best I could, 
 asi uring him that I would pay all his expenses if he did not like the 
 place before he left. At this he calmed down entirely. After being 
 around a few days he came up to me and said, "Mr. L,andis, I wish 
 you to locate me twenty acres of land. As you are better able to judge 
 of the future of the place than I am, I leave it to you to select the 
 location." I selected for him a piece of ground in a high situation, 
 southj side of Landis Avenue, near Valle}- Road. He paid me $20. per 
 acre for it, He afterwards sold a part of it for $500 per acre, After 
 
21 
 
 he had taken his agreements and made his payments, I asked him how 
 he came to purchase, after having been so dissatisfied as he was at 
 first. He said, "After a few days' observations I saw plainly that you 
 are in earnest, and mean business. I verily believe that in time you 
 will make Vineland a successful and prosperous place." Tnese were 
 words of real encouragement, and I valued them highly. How blessed 
 is a word of good cheer in the struggle of a great effort; and yet hew 
 necessary it often is to struggle along without it. 
 
 As a contrast to the conduct of the frank and confiding old sailor, 
 I shall mention another experience. One evening there arrived a lady. 
 She wasaione. Her figure was tall and angular. Her face was sallow, 
 and there were two projecting teeth. Her hair was black, worn in long 
 curls. She was dressed extravagantly in black silk and flounces, and 
 wore a profusion of gold chains and rings. She was a maiden lady cf 
 about forty summers, very airish, and full of talk. She represented 
 herself as from Georgia but originally from Maine, and as possessed of 
 a large amount of property in both states. After she had been at 
 Sharp's some days noticing different people buying, she was seized with 
 the fever, and requested me to locate for her a five acre lot and a forty 
 acre lot, upon which she said she would erect handsome buildings in 
 order to give me a start. I thought that for so good a woman, and so 
 kind, I ought to do my best; so I ordered Mr. Packard, whom I had 
 appointed an agent, to sell land for me, to show her forty acres at the 
 N. E. corner of Eandis Avenue and Main Road, and five acres at the 
 corner of Landis Avenue and East Avenue, at $20 per acre, locations 
 which have since become of very great value. Packard went out with 
 her and did not return until late in the afternoon. My first question 
 was "Have you sold her a place ?" "Yes." "Where?" "Out of 
 the world." "How is that ?" "I first showed her the locations you 
 directed me to show her. After looking at them she then requested 
 me to show her a location as far in the opposite direction as I possibly 
 could. She said it was her way to first get the advice of a party inter- 
 ested in a thing, and then to go as far opposite as possible. I have sold 
 her a tract of land about two miles west of the railroad, and on an 
 avenue south of Landis Avenue, directly in the wilderness." 
 
 I thought at first it was a joke; but when I came to see her, and 
 advised her to take the locations first shown her, she cut me short in a 
 most peremptory manner, and insisted upon taking the land she had 
 selected. She paid her money, received her deed, and at on:e com- 
 menced the erection of a house. But this was not the end of it, as I 
 afterwards found out, before the next season was over. 
 
22 
 
 I did not always have people around, affording me the pleasure and 
 excitement of selling land. There were many days and weeks during 
 that long and tempestuous winter when nobody came. My correspond- 
 ence and postoffice duties were not sufficient to keep me occupied. To 
 say that I never had moments of depression when I looked out of my 
 window upon the boundless stretch of wilderness before me, would be 
 simply untrue. The southeast winds at night would often howl around 
 the corner of the house where I slept, sounding like wailing voices of 
 ill omen and mockery. I knew that there was not a human being in 
 the world upon whom I could lean for assistance or encouragement, and 
 the financial responsibities I had assumed were simply enormous for 
 me, and for that matter for almost anybody. I had' others dependent 
 upon me, and as I listened to the dismal sound of the wind, and thought 
 of the possibility of no visitors comin'g to buv land, I would be struck 
 almost by an icy chill. The greatest relief I found was in prayer, 
 though few would have suspected me of religious proclivities. But I 
 always had, and have, an abiding faith that God hears prayer, and in 
 beneficence. There may be many things in this world that we cannot 
 understand; but perhaps its calamities may even look to us as of small 
 importance when we look back upon them from the immortality of the 
 great hereafter. If the reader of this should be in dire distress or mis- 
 fortune, if he has not done so, let him try the consolation of a silent 
 and secret prayer, and he will see if he does not rise from it with re- 
 newed strength, determination, and powers of endurance. 
 
014 209 331 5 
 
 
 Officers 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society, 
 19034904. 
 
 President. 
 Edwin C. Bidweu,, M. D. 
 
 Vice President. 
 
 Prof. Marcius Wiu^on. 
 
 Secretary and Treasurer. 
 
 Frank D. Andrews.