Joseph WHILLDIN

                   The Children of Joseph & Hannah Whilldin
1.	Matthew (1712 - 1751)
2.	James (1714 - 1780)
3.	Hannah  (1719 - 1747) m Ellis Memucan Hughes (1737) 5 m, 1 f
4.	Mary Mercy (1719 - 1756)
5.	David (1725 - 1762)
6.	Rachel (1727 - 1798) m. Richard Crawford (1745) 3 sons
7.	Lois (1730 - 1756) m Matthew Crowell (1751), Yeates Mills (1762)

I think that these are Joseph and Mary's children.


from Mayflower Pilgrim Descendants in Cape May

Joseph Whilldin4 (Hannah Gorham8, Desire Howland2, John Howland1 the Pilgrim) made his will 16 March, 1748, narning his wife, Abigail; sons, Matthew, James and David; daughters, Hannah, Rachel and Loes; also deceased daughter Mercy's children, Ellis and Judith; grandsons, '"Memukin" Hughes, Willman, and "Iseear" Crafford. Joseph Whilldin died two days after making the will and the instrument was proved 30 March, 1748, the inventory 26 April, and the accounting 19 May of the same year. Abigail, Joseph's second wife, was not the mother of the children .named. His first wife was Mary Wihnon, born 1698, died 8 April, 1743. Hannah married Ellis Hughes, whose will names five children, Ellis,Memucan, Jesse, Constantine, David. The Rev. Daniel Lawrence Hughes, D. D., in an article on the "Hughes of Cape May," states that Ellis Hughes, whom he calls Ellis the first, and Memucan were the sons of John and Martha. The following deed shows that Ellis was the father of Jesse, that Jesse's wife was Mary or Molly, that at the time of the making of the deed, 20 August 1768, the Ellis who was living signed his name EllisHughes "Junior," and that Ellis Senior made a will of the date 9 May, 1751. Thedeed is in the possession of Mrs. Aaron W. Hand, of Cape May, who has kindly placed it in my hands for exarnination.


Oldest House in Cape May ?
, Cape May New Jersey
http://capemay.com/magazine/2004/10/which-house-is-the-oldest-house-on-cape-island/
Whi ch house is the oldest house on Cape Island?
Posted by Susan Tischler on October 1st, 2004 in Architecture  Cape Island ¢ Cape May
Is it the house at 653½ Washington Street, also known as The Colonial House? Oris it the old Whilldin-Miller House at 416 South Broadway where Daniels on Broadway Restaurant currently resides?
When all is said and done, determining the age of a house often comes down to the construction and the materials used.
Colonial House is the favorite project of Jim Campbell. It was built by Revolutionary War patriot Memuchan Hughes and is believed to be the oldest house still standing in Cape May (built around 1775). The Colonial House was run by Memuchan Hughes as a tavern and also served as his family home. Currently, it is City of Cape May leases the property to the Historical Society, which operates the houseas a museum and is open to the public in the summer.
Memuchan Hughes was a member of one of the whaler yeoman families. When Israel Hughes, Memuchans first son married Mary Eldridge in 1806, the simple six roomtavern became their home.
It was originally located on the current site of Alexanders Restaurant but the Hughes family needed more room so they moved the house to back and built what is now the cite of Alexanders Restaurant.
Although local lore dates the Memuchan Hughes house at 1775, a recent inspectionof the house by an architectural historian dates the house to around 1800.
Elizabeth's name scratched into a window. Click for larger image
According to a brief history written by Campbell, Scratched on the outside ofa second story window pane are the names of a couple and dated June 10, 1806. One is Elizabeth Eldredge. The other Eldredges first name is illegible. A couple named Enoch and Elizabeth Eldredge were married in the Old Brick Church on February 19, 1805, and are buried in the churchyard. Enochs sister married a son of Ellis Hughes. They were all one big, happy family back then.
On the other hand (one thing to note: for history detective there is always an 2 CONC €œon the other hand), Rutgers professor and author Jeffrey M. Dorwart, writesin his Cape May County, New Jersey: The Making of an American Resort Community,that there were at least three licensed public houses, and probably one unlicensed house of entertainmentthe Cape May County grand jury indicted MemuchanHughes in 1799 for causing a public nuisance and running a disorderly house (brothel). This information, documented in court records, supports the thought that Colonial House was indeed built around the Revolutionary War or at least prior to 1800.
Furthermore, there is evidence, according Greater Cape May Historical Society president Harry Savage, that a tavern license was issued to one Memuchan Hughes in1769.
Architecturally though, the historian found that the timbers and the nails used in constructing the building were more in keeping with around 1800.
So, the disagreement continues. As a compromise, the historical societys new sign calls the house both The Colonial House and the Memuchan Hughes House.
Lets move on to our other property in question  The Whilldin-Miller House,AKA Daniels on Broadway Restaurant, at 416 South Broadway.
The property is actually located in West Cape May and was built by Joseph Whilldin somewhere around 1711-1718 with an expanded addition built by Jonas Miller in1860. Whilldin was also a member of the whaler yeoman families.
As the story goes, Whilldin bought the property from Chief Nummy whose tribe owned the land.
According to historic preservation consultant Joan Berkey, the house consists ofthree parts: the main section which is a vernacular Victorian building with Gothic and Italianate details built ca. 1860, a heavy timber frame section, 1 ½stories tall, built in the early 18th century and located in the rear of thehouse, and a modern one-story addition where the restaurant is located.
Berkey notes that the main section of the house has a rectangular footprint and features original wood clapboards, original windows, and original exterior and interior Victorian details.
The reason the rear section of the house is thought to date ca. 1711-1718 is again because of construction and construction materials. The heavy timber framesection of the rear also has a rectangular footprint and features exposed framing members (some of them molded), random width pine floors, many original doors,and a large walk-in fireplace. Adjacent to the fireplace is a cooking/warming oven, a feature rarely seen in Cape May County.
Berkey notes that the framing members as well as the molded post arecharacteristics common to the first period construction in Cape May County.2 CONC € That period is thought to have begun in 1695 and run through 1730 or 1740.
Berkey has really done her research and traces the family history of the house in great detail.
After Joseph Whilldins death in either 1747 or 48, his son James inheritedthe property and 140 acres. It looks as though he expanded the house to includea center hall and center chimney and a double parlor. Joseph Whilldin, like Memuchan Hughes, was granted a tavern license in 1764,65,67, and 68.
His son James inherited the property upon his death in 1780. James sold the house to Jeremiah Bennett a sea captain in 1798. The Bennett heirs sold it to Jonas Miller in 1841. Miller had already purchased Congress Hall in 1835 and is credited with adding the Italianate main block shortly before selling the property andfour acres to his daughter Sarah Newkirk, wife of Philadelphia hotel owner Thompson Newkirk. The purchase price? $3,000.This is the kind of spike Campbell saysto watch for because it indicates, as Berkey notes, that a substantial househas been erected.
The Newkirks lost the house in a sheriffs sale in 1879. The Fows took over ownership somewhere around 1900-1919.
And where did Berkey find this information? It looks as though she followed the history detectives checklist to the letter, as well as Campbells suggestions.Deeds, wills, and physical evidence are the key to unlocking your historic houses secrets.
The Whilldin-Miller houses rich history predates Joseph Whilldin. Whilldin senior bought the land from King Nummy chief of the tribe, which owned the land.
So, where does that leave us? When asked what he thought the oldest house in Cape Island is Jim Campbell said, I couldnt say which is older.
But it looks as though they both win. Colonial House stands uncontested as the oldest house standing in Cape May. Daniels Restaurant plays host to the oldest house in West Cape May.