NameWilliam APGAR 1045,1046
Birth Date17521047
Birth PlaceCokesbury, Hunterdon Co., NJ, USA
Death Date9 Apr 18361048
Death PlaceNew Jersey, USA
OccupationBlacksmith
ReligionPresbyterian
FatherFrederick EPGERT (1708-)
Misc. Notes
William C. Apgar, was a blacksmith by trade. Probably he had a farm also, because he had a family of twelve to feed.

His wife was Catherine Pickle, a daughter of Conrad Pickle, and a sister of Hannah Charity Pickle. Their maternal grandfather was Matthias Sharpenstine. Matthias was, in his day, the leading landowner in the village of Potterstown. So far as we can determine, the records of the early Lutheran Church in Potterstown are non-existent. If they were, we would have the exact birth dates for both William and Catherine from the baptism records.

Eventually, William and Catherine bought land along the Brunswick Pike, about halfway between Perryville and Clinton, NJ Here, William hoped to gain trade from shoeing the stagecoach horses that traversed the Pike from Easton to New Brunswick, NJ. By this time the church in Potterstown had fallen into disuse, so William and Catherine attended the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in nearby Grandin, NJ According to records of this church, William supplied 'coles' for each church service. This meant that he, or one of his sons, carried live coals from the smithy forge, in an iron kettle, to the church, early each Sabbath morning. Within a cleared space in the center of the sanctuary was a bed of charcoals, ready to be ignited by the hot coals. If one ignored the smoke, the resultant heat was most welcome. For this service he was paid a slight amount for the coals, the labor involved must have been freely rendered. According to the records on the wall of the church, William was paying for a plot in the nearby church cemetery. However, when he retired, he moved to the town of Clinton, NJ. Then he began attending the newly organized Presbyterian Church there.

When the [Revoltionary] War hostilities seemed ended, William and Catherine were ready to leave Cokesbury. On 16 February 1783, William and Catherine Pickle Apgar bought from James and Gertrude Parker, a lot consisting of 47 and 5/10 of an acre of land in Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, NJ. This lot began at a stake in Cox and Kirkbride's line and corner to Anthony White's lot #130, bordering the Brunswick Pike, west of Clinton. Amongst other land purchases of William and Catherine in the following years was a lot sold to them by William and Euphemia Patterson on 4 July 1804, containing 5 and 11/100 acres. Again, on 31 December 1806, they bought 1 and 98/100 of an acre from James Dunham. Another lot was bought that lay on the North side of the road that ran from the Frame Meeting House (Bethlehem) in Grandin to the Van Syckle's Tavern.

Just before he was seventy years old, William must have decided to retire, because he began selling off several lots of his land. On 3 June 1821, the above mentioned lots were sold for $2,000.00 to Peter Young. William continued to sell off his land holdings for several years. On 1 January 1830, Peter Young bought, from William and Catherine Pickel Apgar, 2 and 47/100 of an acre of land adjoining the road from Hensfoot to the Cake House, corner to lands of John Taylor.

The names of William Apgar and his wife, Catherine Pickel Apgar, appear frequently in the baptismal records of the Lebanon Reformed Church, where they served as witnesses. This was before they moved to Bethlehem Township and began attending the Presbyterian Church at Grandin. According to Kenn Stryker Rodda's list of ratables, William was in Lebanon Township as late as 1778-1780. However, even before the treaty was signed ending the Revolutionary War, they were on the move. 1049
Spouses
Birth Date17521047
Birth PlaceHunterdon County, NJ, USA
Death Date9 Dec 18311048
Death PlaceNew Jersey, USA
ReligionPresbyterian
FatherConrad PICKEL (1732-1801)
MotherAnna SHARPS|SHARPENSTINE (1736-183)
Family ID296
Marr Date17 Apr 17741050
Marr PlaceHunterdon County, NJ, USA
ChildrenJoanna Gertrude (1775-)
 Hannah (Twin) (1776-)
 Elizabeth (Twin) (1776-)
 Nicholas P (1779-1816)
 James (1781-1819)
 William (1782-1853)
 Sarah “Polly” (Twin) (1785-1868)
 Elizabeth (Twin) (1785-1876)
 Catherine (1789-)
 Nancy (1792-1848)
 William (1794-)
 George Pickle (1799-1864)
Last Modified 26 Apr 2011Created 17 May 2017 Rick Gleason - ricksgenealogy@gmail.com