Jacob Gearhart was born in 1735 in Germany. He emigrated from Alsace in 1741 and settled in New Jersey. He married Catherine Kline (1735-1815). They had eleven known children, He died in 1773 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

Opportunity Valley portrayed the Delaware River valley before 1800 as the most successful seaport of North America, the natural capital for an emerging independent nation, a world-famous haven for flocks of religious refugees and dissenters, and a well-advertised gateway to land ownership. Why write a colonial history of this valley? Don't we already have plenty of colonial histories of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York? We need an early history of the Delaware River's vast valley because such a watershed naturally functions as a unity and because what happened here from 1600 to 1800 was of major importance to the future of this nation and the entire world. The energetic people of this valley developed a world-class seaport. They created a peaceful and cooperative home for diverse peoples. They formed a cradle for the growth of the young United States. They took on the role of a leader in abolishing slavery. They built a center for education, culture and gracious living second only to London. As readers would expect, key areas of the valley are singled out as chapters for detailed exploration: Dutch beginnings, the Swedish colony, West Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware's lower counties and New York's headwater counties. Also, as a surprise to some readers, the Connecticut colony on the upper Delaware River has a chapter. Four topics of regional importance also provide chapters: (1) a new nation evolves, (2) Benjamin Franklin's contribution, (3) the valley's campaign against keeping slaves, and (4)the valley as an outstanding center for American culture. The chapter presenting the evolution of the new nation distinguished between 120 cradle years when peace and collaboration dominated and 80 crucible years resulting from 15 years of actual war and 65 years of the serious threat of war. The actual war years were: (1) the New Sweden and New Amsterdam War, two weeks during 1655;(2) the Seven Years War (French and Indian War), from 1754 to 1763, and (3)the War for American Independence, from 1775 to 1783. Benjamin Franklin was portrayed as a dominant figure throughout the eighteenth century in regional, national and international events. His businesses, inventions, achievements and contributions were presented in the format of the decades of his life, mostly lived in the Delaware Valley. The chapter on the valley's campaign against slavery focused on the Quaker leadership in awakening consciences. The contributions of John Woolman, the abolition societies and colonial and state assemblies were emphasized. The valley's connection with British abolitionists bore fruit in 1807 when the British Parliament abolished the slave trade. The development of the Delaware Valley as a center for culture and learning could be expected to deal with education, architecture, science, medicine, publishing, libraries and the arts. The chapter also gives attention to agriculture, gender equality and opposing cruelty to animals. The valley's cultural achievement was understood to benefit not only from gifted leadership and generous philanthropy but also from a prosperous economy, a favorable natural environment and a receptive public. The final chapter deals with the valley's people working together in fostering major achievements. Examples of such cooperation include island jurisdiction decisions, and settling disputes about shipwrecks, fisheries, ferries and bridges. The greatest contribution of the Delaware Valley to the nation and the world was seen to be the egalitarian view of freedom flourishing here, especially influential in forming a democratic national government and, eventually, in freeing the slaves. This book is alive with appropriate maps and illustrations. One of the most interesting is a number of pages from a standard artillery manual published in 1780 and official in the armies of France, England, Germany and our new

“The story of the Cherokee removal has been told many times, but never before has a single book given us such a sense of how it happened and what it meant, not only for Indians, but also for the future and soul of America.” —The Washington Post Five decades after the Revolutionary War, the United States approached a constitutional crisis. At its center stood two former military comrades locked in a struggle that tested the boundaries of our fledgling democracy. One man we recognize: Andrew Jackson—war hero, populist, and exemplar of the expanding South—whose first major initiative as president instigated the massive expulsion of Native Americans known as the Trail of Tears. The other is a half-forgotten figure: John Ross—a mixed-race Cherokee politician and diplomat—who used the United States’ own legal system and democratic ideals to oppose Jackson. Representing one of the Five Civilized Tribes who had adopted the ways of white settlers, Ross championed the tribes’ cause all the way to the Supreme Court, gaining allies like Senator Henry Clay, Chief Justice John Marshall, and even Davy Crockett. Ross and his allies made their case in the media, committed civil disobedience, and benefited from the first mass political action by American women. Their struggle contained ominous overtures of later events like the Civil War and defined the political culture for much that followed. Jacksonland is the work of renowned journalist Steve Inskeep, cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition, who offers a heart-stopping narrative masterpiece, a tragedy of American history that feels ripped from the headlines in its immediacy, drama, and relevance to our lives. Jacksonland is the story of America at a moment of transition, when the fate of states and nations was decided by the actions of two heroic yet tragically opposed men.

New Jersey: A History of the Garden State presents a fresh, comprehensive overview of New Jersey’s history from the prehistoric era to the present. The findings of archaeologists, political, social, and economic historians provide a new look at how the Garden State has evolved. The state has a rich Native American heritage and complex colonial history. It played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, early industrialization, and technological developments in transportation, including turnpikes, canals, and railroads. The nineteenth century saw major debates over slavery. While no Civil War battles were fought in New Jersey, most residents supported it while questioning the policies of the federal government. Next, the contributors turn to industry, urbanization, and the growth of shore communities. A destination for immigrants, New Jersey continued to be one of the most diverse states in the nation. Many of these changes created a host of social problems that reformers tried to minimize during the Progressive Era. Settlement houses were established, educational institutions grew, and utopian communities were founded. Most notably, women gained the right to vote in 1920. In the decades leading up to World War II, New Jersey benefited from back-to-work projects, but the rise of the local Ku Klux Klan and the German American Bund were sad episodes during this period. The story then moves to the rise of suburbs, the concomitant decline of the state’s cities, growing population density, and changing patterns of wealth. Deep-seated racial inequities led to urban unrest as well as political change, including such landmark legislation as the Mount Laurel decision. Today, immigration continues to shape the state, as does the tension between the needs of the suburbs, cities, and modest amounts of remaining farmland. Well-known personalities, such as Jonathan Edwards, George Washington, Woodrow Wilson, Dorothea Dix, Thomas Edison, Frank Hague, and Albert Einstein appear in the narrative. Contributors also mine new and existing sources to incorporate fully scholarship on women, minorities, and immigrants. All chapters are set in the context of the history of the United States as a whole, illustrating how New Jersey is often a bellwether for the nation..