Photography by Allison Gall
Neo-classical polychrome and blue painted pearlware tea wares. This burnt set was recovered from a late 18th-century out kitchen in Manalapan, New Jersey that was destroyed by fire around 1799. The set includes a two-cup teapot and two tea bowls.
The Gloucester County Chapter recently provided a display of archaeological and historical material at the reenactment event held at Red Bank Battlefield Park on Oct. 18, 2015.
Photograph by Allison Gall
Decorative copper alloy plate to a Revolutionary War-era ammunition cartridge box associated with the Fusilier Regiment Erbprinz showing the crowned lion of Hess. This artifact was likely part of a decorative plate on a Hessian artillery cartridge box from the Fusilier Regiment Erbprinz and was found in a well at an 18th-century farmstead in Manalapan, New Jersey near Monmouth Battlefield. While no skirmishes were reported on the site, the Battle of Monmouth was fought in 1778 roughly one mile northeast of the site and it may have been collected by one of the site occupants as a battle souvenir.
The ASNJ is deeply saddened by the recent, sudden death of our friend, colleague, and long-standing member Sean Bratton. Born July 8, 1975 in Kearny Township, and later a resident of Ocean Grove, Princeton, Jackson, and Allentown, New Jersey, Sean graduated from Kearny High School in 1993. He began his successful career in archaeology while an undergraduate in the Department of Anthropology at New York University. In 1999, while a student, Sean accepted a position as a Research Assistant with Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc. (RGA), in Cranbury, New Jersey, and became an active member of the society in 2000. Sean consistently demonstrated his technical skills, competency, and high level of responsibility as an archeologist, and was quickly promoted to the position of crew chief, a role in which he served for 16 years with RGA. While working for RGA, Sean conducted hundreds of archaeological surveys in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia, where he was critical in efforts to identify, evaluate, and mitigate numerous significant historic and prehistoric period archaeological sites. As a crew chief, Sean was a mentor and an exceptionally warm-hearted friend for the countless archaeologists with whom he worked. His genuine, compassionate, sociable character, humor, irreverence, infectious smile and laughter always lightened the atmosphere, reminding those whose lives he touched that each moment of life should be enjoyed to the fullest.
Sean excavating an 18th century well in Monmouth County, NJ.
Sean’s passion for archaeology and desire to generously share his knowledge with others carried through to his long involvement with Brookdale Community College, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, the Battlefield Restoration and Archaeological Volunteer Organization, Monmouth University, and several salvage archaeology endeavors. In the early 2000s, Sean volunteered as a group leader, material culture analyst, and co-director for several archaeological field schools with Brookdale Community College at the Parsonage Site in Monmouth Battlefield State Park, New Jersey, which led to important new insights into the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth. Sean also instructed undergraduates as a group leader for Monmouth University’s archaeological field schools between 2004 and 2011 at Merchants and Drovers Tavern in Rahway, Seabrook-Wilson House in Middletown, Abraham Staats House in South Bound Brook, Cedar Bridge Tavern in Barnegat, White Hill Mansion in Fieldsboro, and Joseph Bonaparte’s Point Breeze Estate in Bordentown, New Jersey. Sean generously volunteered countless hours for archaeologically excavating and mapping structures at Point Breeze, arguably one of New Jersey’s greatest cultural resources. Sean’s careful excavations were also critical to identifying the remains of numerous colonial earth-supported buildings in New Jersey, a resource type that had been commonly overlooked previously. Sean undeniably left a lasting, positive impact on current archaeological knowledge in New Jersey.
Here is Sean doing some of the things he loved. These photos show the joie de vivre that made him special to so many of us.
Sean rarely missed a society gathering, where members enjoyed his conversation and inquisitive questions. Sean was also a long-standing member of the Eastern States Archaeological Federation and the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference. His love for archaeology and interest in the society stemmed from his love for the outdoors, and what better way to enjoy the outdoors and meet new friends than as an archaeologist. An avid camper, hiker, fisherman, reader, and sports fan, Sean also eagerly traveled the United States, searching for the best places nature could provide, where he might enjoy quality time with a friend fishing for bass or find peace and solace contemplating life while hiking and camping. Sean will be forever missed by close friends, associates, and colleagues alike, who looked to him as a model of humanity, a person who constantly demonstrated unselfish generosity, unwavering friendship, true compassion, love, and benevolence.
Sean is survived by his aunt and uncle Pat and Diane Brannigan, cousin Patrick Brannigan, brother William Bratton, and numerous friends and colleagues. A memorial research scholarship fund and memorial service are being planned and will be announced further in upcoming issues of the newsletter and other ASNJ forums.
*Thank you to Sean's friends and colleagues, Michael J. Gall, Ilene Grossman-Baily, Allison Gall, Ken Conrad, Tara Erdreich, Laura Chushman, and Paul George, for their photo contributions to this ASNJ post and ASNJ's most recent Newsletter. This post has been copied over from our recent October 2015 Newsletter.
Fragment of an 18th-century wine bottle seal from EU 2N.
Photographer: Richard Veit; Date: April 9, 2012.
This fragment of an 18th-century wine bottle seal was recovered from EU 2N during Monmouth University’s 2011 Field School at White Hill Mansion in Fieldsboro, NJ. The seal is marked with the partial date, either 54 or 64, presumably 1754 or 1764, which coincided with Robert Field, Sr.’s ownership and occupation of the site. Seals of this nature are normally associated with individuals of wealth(White and Beaudry 2009:216) and were symbols of identity, particularly male identity (Veit and Huey 2014).
Veit, Richard and Paul R. Huey
2014 “New Bottles Made with My Crest”: Colonial Bottle Seals from Eastern North America, a Gazetteer and Interpretation. Northeast Historical Archaeology 43:54-91.
White, C. L. and M.C. Beaudry
2009 Artifacts and Personal Identity. In International Handbook of Historical Archaeology, ed. by Teresita Majewski and David Gaimster, pp. 209-219, Springer, New York.
"Do you have an artifact or object you'd like to submit to ASNJ's "Artifact of the Month" website posting? If so, please send a photograph, a brief description and a photo credit to asnjwebmaster@gmail.com, subject heading: ‘ASNJ Artifact’." - ASNJ Webmaster
The ASNJ would like to take the opportunity to highlight Kiersten Fuchs, who kindly sent ASNJ a personal description about her current involvement in New Jersey's archaeological community. Please forward your own submission to ASNJ's webmaster, ASNJ wants to hear from you!
ASNJ readers,
Hello, my name is Kiersten Fuchs.
I currently hold a BA in History from Fairleigh Dickinson University and will be completing my MA in Anthropology from Monmouth University in May. For my thesis research I am looking at how the inhabitants of the Barnegat Bay (New Jersey) region, starting with the Lenape Indians, have provided the area with heritage, culture, and a unique sense of identity. I chose this topic because I have lived with the Barnegat Bay as my backyard my entire life and often wondered how my identity was influenced by the area. My goal for this thesis is to look at the variety of people, places, and events and how they all tie into one another in giving the Jersey Shore, specifically the Barnegat Bay region, its identity, heritage, and culture. Visitors and even many locals are unaware of what has happened in the past right in their area(s) and I hope to shed light on the importance of history, anthropology, and archaeology within the region.
Although I am focusing my thesis on a more anthropological basis, my heart lies with archaeology. Historical archaeology has been passion. I have worked with Dr. Veit on the Cedar Bridge Tavern dig in the Pine Barrens and Parker Farms in Little Silver, NJ. I have also worked on a dig in Maryland under the direction of John Dysart.
I hope this information helps you and if there is anything more that I can provide, please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Kiersten Fuchs
Photo Credit: Jo Grabas Sr.
This month's artifact is a jasper tear drop projectile point, recovered from Turkey Swamp State Park during Monmouth University's 2015 field school season. This is a prehistoric artifact. The point was one of several exciting finds discovered this season. The park plans to eventually erect a display that will show several artifacts recovered from the park. Field school instructors and staff will analyze the data collected during the season over the next year.
Photo Credit: Dr. Rich Veit
This month’s artifact is from a local museum display, located at Historic Walnford in Crosswicks, New Jersey. The Monmouth County Parks website has this to say about Walnford:
“Picturesque after a snowfall, full of fascinating history throughout the year, any day is a great time to visit this wonderful historic site and learn more about the Waln family and the evolution of Walnford over two centuries - from an 18th century industrial village and family farm to an elegant country estate. At the heart of the Crosswicks Creek Park (1436 acres), the site showcases over 200 years of social, technological and environmental history through the Waln family.”
Photo Credit: Dr. Rich Veit
In the nineteenth-century a German officer was traveling through the area with two other officers. They approached a creek on the property and decided to wade through to the other side. One of the officers became separated from his horse during the crossing after his horse suddenly sank into a hole in the creek. The two eventually made their way back to shore, it was then that the officer noticed he had lost a spur during the ordeal. The boy who witnessed this event eventually grew into an old man and would later discover a spur during a construction project along the same creek. This spur is on display at the Walnford museum along with corresponding letters which describe these first-hand accounts.
Special thanks to Dr. Rich Veit for this Artifact of the Month submission.
Do you have an artifact or object you'd like to submit to ASNJ’s "Artifact of the Month" website posting? If so, please send a photograph, a brief description and a photo credit to asnjwebmaster@gmail.com, subject heading: “ASNJ Artifact”.
Thank you!
Photo Credit: Allison Gall
This curious object is a scale weight. This weight could have been used by merchants to weigh money. Apothecaries once used similar weights to weigh medicinal herbs or other ingredients. This artifact dates to the 18th century and is associated with the Verree family of Burlington City, NJ.
Special thanks to Michael and Allison Gall for this Artifact of the Month submission.
Do you have an artifact or object you'd like to submit to ASNJ's "Artifact of the Month" website posting? If so, please send a photograph, brief description and a photo credit to asnjwebmaster@gmail.com, subject heading- “ASNJ Artifact”.
Thank you!
The Archaeological Society of New Jersey will begin publishing one ASNJ member highlight on the website each month. To achieve this goal, ASNJ needs your help to make this happen! If you are an archaeology student, professional, or otherwise involved in ASNJ, please send a brief biography of yourself to the webmaster. The bio should address the following questions:
What is your name and your research interests? What projects have you worked on, volunteered or interned with? How do you currently contribute to the field of archaeology? If you are writing a thesis, what is the central focus of the thesis project and what do you hope to achieve with your finished work? If you are in an academic program, what is your expected graduation date? What is your program and the name of your university? Optional information may include: your contact information, an academia profile link, a short list of your pending publications, professional photo of you at work, additional professional associations or degrees (Ex: RPA, MA, BA, etc.). If you are a member of ASNJ and not a professional archaeologist or student, we still want to hear from you. Tell us about a recent museum exhibit or event you've attended. Submit a photo of yourself attending the event, if you have one. Where was it, what was it about, etc?
Biographies should not exceed 300 words. Please send your biography to asnjwebmaster@gmail.com, subject heading needs to read “ASNJ Monthly Highlight”.
Please submit your biography by the 10th of each month to allow time for additional editing. These posts will be published on the 15th of each month. Please send yours soon, we want to hear from you!
The Wentworth Institute of Technology hosted the first (hopefully annual) digital technology conference, entitled "Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future." The conference informed attendees about the uses and misuses of digital technology in archaeological fieldwork and preservation projects. ASNJ Webmaster, Tabitha Hilliard attended the conference in Boston and ASNJ Treasurer, Michael Gall, attended via live webstream. Topics throughout the conference included: photogrammetry, drone implementation, GISPro, 3D scanning, etc.
If you missed the conference, feel free to watch it now! The Wentworth Institute of Technology has planned to archive all presentations, most of them are already available for viewing. Click here.
We are happy to report that our first meeting of the year was a great success! We kicked off the new year with our first annual Artifact Show and Learn, an event where archaeologists and enthusiasts were invited to bring their collections to show and discuss. Professional archaeologists were available throughout the event to provide interpretations of any artifact brought to their attention. The meeting concluded with a presentation, The I-95 Project, presented by URS Archaeologists. We were happy to see so many new faces and familiar friends, thank you for coming out! If you were unable to attend the January meeting, please continue to check our webpage and Facebook for information pertaining to future meetings and events. Also, be sure to check out these candid shots we nabbed over the weekend:
Like what you see? Check out more photos from this event and updates for future meetings on Facebook , we hope to see you soon!
With great sorrow, I have to report that Archaeological Society of New Jersey member and friend to New Jersey Archaeology, retired SHPO archaeologist Debbie Fimbel passed away suddenly on Nov. 1. She was a lovely and kind person with a twinkle in her eye but who was passionate about protecting NJ's archaeological sites.
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2013/11/obituary_deborah_rinker_fimbel.html
