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Haddon Township Historical Photographs The Stoy House and Stoy Family |
 The Stoy House (built c.1793) [330 Westmont Avenue, Haddon Township] [Source: Haddon Township Historical Society, Haddon Township, NJ]  [330 Westmont Avenue, Haddon Township] [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ] [330 Westmont Avenue, Haddon Township] [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ] |
 Stoy House (2004) [330 Westmont Avenue Haddon Township] [Source: Real estate listing photograph (2004)]  Site of Stoy Landing (Sign mounted in 1931 on Grove Street Bridge in Haddonfield) [Source: This Is Haddonfield published by The Historical Society of Haddonfield, 1963]  James Stoy School on Briarwood Avenue is named after James R. Stoy [Source: James Stoy School Button (c.1975); Courtesy: W.B. Brahms Collection]  Howard Stoy (c. 1868) [Source: Tin-Type Photograph: "Howard Stoy Age 12 yrs Westmont, New Jersey" (reverse); Courtesy: W.B. Brahms Collection]  Walter Scott Stoy (1952) [Source: Half a Century of Progress: Fiftieth Anniversary Westmont Fire Co. No. 1 published by the Westmont Fire Co. No. 1, 1952]  Walter S. Stoy Ad (1925) [Source: Trt-City Sun Advertisement (June 11, 1925); Courtesy: W.B. Brahms Collection] |
The Stoy House, located at what is now 330 Westmont Avenue in Haddon Township was built in two sections. The larger part was possibly constructed in 1793
and the smaller part was added in 1836. The Stoys may not have lived in this house originally, but the Stoys did add the 1836 section. Many of the early local Stoy family land transactions mentioned in deeds and wills tooks place during the 1820s and Philip Stoy's original house appears to have been built near what would later be the location of the Garden State Race Track (present day Cherry Hill). Philip's son, James R. Stoy appears to have built his own original home on the hill above what is now Coles Mill Road facing the creek. This was a house with four rooms on each floor and a fireplace in each, all leading to one chimney. James later sold this house to his brother Samuel. This area, the "Fargo Section" of Haddonfield was in Haddon Township until October 5, 1943 when it was annexed by Haddonfield. At that time, a real estate developer tore this Stoy house down to build new homes. This is also the area where Elizabeth Haddon had herfirst home. The house we now call "The Stoy House" is at 330 Westmont Avenue and may predate both of these houses, however, it is primarily identified with the Stoy family beginning in 1828 when James R. Stoy acquired "The Crystal Lake Plantation." This was a farmed area and on the property the Stoy family operated a sawmill (on the west side of Crystal Lake) and a flax mill (on the east side of Crystal Lake). It is not known when the flax mill began operation, but it was destroyed by fire in 1895. Philip Stoy (1767-1852), came to New Jersey in the late 1700s. He was in Waterford Township (now Cherry Hill) as a single man as early as 1791. Philip was a lumberman, who had a lumber wharf on Beach Street in Philadelphia. His name first appears in the Newton Township (Haddon Township/Haddonfield area) records in 1793 (it also appears in the Waterford Township records throughout the early and late 1790s). This 1793 date may be why the Westmont Avenue house is often ascribed a date of 1793. In 1816, Philip bought from Joseph Hinchman the lumber rights for a white-oak virgin forest that extended between Maple Avenue (now Haddon Township/Haddonfield) to Chapel Avenue (once known as the Whisky Road in what is now Cherry Hill). Philip Stoy rented from Hinchman space for a wharf on Cooper's Creek. Hinchman had earlier built a store and acquired the land from Francis Collins (who had acquired the land in 1693) and who had established a landing there. The landing was known as Collins' Landing and later Hinchman's Landing and later still as Stoy's Landing. Haddonfield's Grove Street was known for a time as Stoy's Landing Road. Philip Stoy married his wife Catherine(1775-1853) in about 1795. They had seven children: James R. Stoy (1796-1842), Sarah Ann Stoy (c.1801-1850), Daniel R. Stoy (c.1803-1860), Maria(h)(1806-1888), Joseph C. Stoy (c.1809-1881), Ann Stoy (c.1813-1880), and Samuel R. Stoy (c. 1814-1879). Sarah Ann Stoy married twice (to a Mr. Horner and later Asa Braddock)and died in Burlington County. Daniel R. Stoy married Susannah Fish. He is buried in Haddonfield. Maria(h) married Haddonfield undertaker Samuel H. Burroughs. She is buried in Haddonfield. Joseph C. Stoy died in Haddon Township and is buried in Colestown Cemetery. Ann Stoy married Eli Bates and lived in Delaware Township (Cherry Hill). Samuel R. Stoy married twice, the second time to Mary Ann Duble and owned the property in Haddonfield that had been the old Gibbs Tavern (built 1775). But it was through James R. Stoy (1796-1842), the oldest son of Philip Stoy that the subject Crystal Lake property passed. James R. Stoy (1796-1842) was operating a saw mill just west of what is now Crystal Lake Avenue on the north bank of the creek as early as 1813. (In 1815, James was renting the landing space and store from Hinchman where James's father Philip rented the wharf.) The sawmill at Crystal Lake manufactured wooden truck shelving for farmers' market wagons, and lumber for homes, wheelwrights, outbuildings and fences. The father and son Stoy enterprise allowed for a complete chain of harvesting lumber, milling it at the Crystal Lake Mill transporting it to the rented landing and wharf (known for many years as Stoy's Landing) on Cooper's Creek at which point it could be shipped via the Cooper River out to Camden/Philadelphia. The was the chief commercial center of the region during much of the early to mid 19th century. In 1828, James purchased 150 acres of the land known as the "Crystal Lake Plantation." This tract includes the land that surrounded the mill pond (Crystal Lake), on both sides of what is now Crystal Lake Avenue. Two lanes originated from the Stoy House. One lane led to the sawmill. The other (which was approximately where Stoy Avenue is today) led to the Haddonfield Road (today's Haddon Avenue). After his death James Stoy's land was split among his three children: John, Elizabeth and Aaron. Elizabeth and Aaron both received 42 acres. Elizabeth and Aaron's plots would later become the area developed as Haddon Hills Apartments and the surrounding vicinity down to the land abutting Saddlertown. John Stoy (c.1823-1905) received the family house and the largest portion of the tract (69 acres). John married Rebecca Fish and had six children. In the 1860s the sawmill was leased to Issac Prine; who used the sawmill until the 1870s. In 1874, James Flinn and John Willits acquired a half of a dozen acres (including the sawmill) and turned the site into a paint works. John Stoy was very active in local politics including during the period when the Township was divided from Newton Township. According to John's son, Walter S. Stoy, John originated the petition that the New Jersey Legislature considered when the division was made and "Haddon Township" was created in 1865. John Stoy headed the Township Committee for more than 40 years and served on the school board for 40 years. According to historian, Dennis Raible, the label "father of Haddon Township," could easily be applied to John Stoy. Four of John and Rebecca's children lived to adulthood. They were: James E. Stoy (c.1850-1938) who worked as a bookkeeper for Campbell's in Camden; Franklin P. Stoy (1853-) who served as Mayor of Atlantic City, NJ around the turn of the century and married Lida Coles; Howard Stoy (c.1856-1935) who married Susie Dorothy Richardson and became a Deacon in the Episcopal Church in Camden and later in Idaho; and the youngest son of John Stoy and Rebecca Fish was Walter Scott Stoy (1862-1950s). John Stoy remarried a woman named Annie and had another son, John W. Stoy (b. 1891) who moved to Philadelphia and worked as a sheet metal worker for a box manufacturing company. After the older John's death in 1905, the title to his land was transferred to the Westmont Realty Company (in which the Stoy family owned all the stock). The land would become developed for residential use--the original plan called for 230 building lots to be laid out on the old Stoy land. Walter Scott Stoy (1862-195?) remained in Westmont as a contractor and builder and married (Edna) Linda Broome. We known much about Westmont history from him. In 1883, Stoy set himself up in business as a "Builder and House Mover." On December 9, 1897, Walter bought 23/100 acre of land in Westmont from his father (John Stoy) and his step-mother Annie. This was on Stoy Avenue and is where Walter built his home. He built many homes in Haddon Toenship, Haddonfield, Collingswood and other local communities. Some of the local buildings that are known to have been completed by Stoy include: The First Church in Collingswood, the Saddlertown School, the Public Service Power House (formerly stood on Haddon Avenue at the Haddonfield Bridge) and the Morgan Farm storehouse (an early concrete structure in town). Stoy built numerous stores along Haddon avenue as well. One of his greatest feats was moving the addition to the Westmont School 180 feet without disturbing the 80 pupils in class inside. Walter, Linda and Linda's sister Caroline H. Broome were living at the house on Stoy Avenue in 1910, but listed their residence as 7 Locust Avenue in Haddon Township by 1920. Walter Scott Stoy was a founding member of the Westmont Fire Company in 1902. By 1925 Walter was advertising his business as the "oldest established business in Westmont." |
[Sources: Raible, Dennis G., Down A Country Lane: Life in Camden County, New Jersey After the Civil War, Camden, New Jersey: Camden County Historical Society, 1999; This is Haddonfield Haddonfield, New Jersey: The Historical Society of Haddonfield, 1963; Half a Century of Progress: Fiftieth Anniversary Westmont Fire Co. No. 1, Westmont, New Jersey: Westmont Fire Co. No. 1, 1952; "Local Business Leaders -- A series of articles on Haddon Township Men -- W. S. Stoy., Tri-City Sun (Westmont), May 28, 1925; "Stoy Family Genealogy", (http://www.robertstoy.com), Robert Stoy, 2004.] |
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