Abraham Godwin (November 23, 1724 – February 9, 1777) was a carpenter from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

and one of the first American settlers in the area of

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Acquackanonk. He built the Godwin Hotel, and opened a stage coach line for tourists visiting the

Passaic Falls The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historic ...

, briefly holding a monopoly. In April 1758, after making a good impression on the Dutch, Abraham was selected Town Collector for the Saddle River Township, now known as Saddle Brook. Godwin became a member of the general committee of local government in 1775.

Early settlement in New Jersey

Godwin's parents came over from England in 1720 and worked as a carpenter for the Dey company in New York City. He visited the Falls of the Passaic and was determined to leave the city to build a new life for himself. Even the natives encouraged him to do so. The Dey company was determined to keep one of their best workers so they offered him all the property west of Broadway and south of Dey street on the southern tip of Manhattan. In 1755 Abraham Godwin purchased lot Number eight of the Boght Division of the Acquackanonk Patent, (now Riverside), Paterson, New Jersey). Originally, Godwin built a house across the street from the notorious Godwin Hotel (later renamed Passaic Hotel). He brought his family from New York City to the country when the house was finished. The Native-Americans would still come and camp across the river for a few weeks during the summer. They were friendly, and Abraham would give them liquor but told them that it could make them violent. They understood his warnings and would use it to dance. His children would play with the natives and come home covered in paint and pine needle attire. The Ringwood Iron Works would travel through Paterson to get to the city and over time Abraham got to know the management at the company. They appointed Godwin as an agent to get Iron from the city. He bought a large tract of land on the other side of the river. If the river would become too high to cross, the iron would be stored on this land. He then built two more houses, the Doremus house and the Benson house. The Benson house was demolished in August 1883. When he would go into the city the natives would send warriors to his dwelling to keeps its occupants safe. He had three sons, Henry,

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...

and David.

American Revolution

Godwin joined the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

in New York on February 13, 1776, after a failed attempt to join in New Jersey. He was declared enemy of the King. Abraham owned considerable real estate, but his creditor from New York City, who was loyal to the King, demanded he pay off his debts. In order to satisfy his creditor, half of his estate was sold to Jacob Van Winkle, a neighbor and well-known Tory. Godwin built another house with a half acre he bought from Abraham Van Houten. Abraham was stationed in New York City as Captain of Marines on board the row galley USS ''Lady Washington''. Godwin was shot sometime around the

Battle of Brooklyn The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

, but survived. Godwin was wounded in 1777 and taken to

Fishkill, New York Fishkill is a village within the town of Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The village is in the eastern part of the town of Fishkill on U.S. Route 9. It is north of Interstate 84. NY 52 is the main street. It is part of the ...

, where he died. He was buried at the Fishkill Supply Depot Burial Ground. After the war, his son Abraham Godwin reclaimed the family Hotel and estate. He ran the Hotel very successfully until his death in 1835.

Memorial

There is a rock in Paterson's

Eastside Park Eastside Park is a residential neighborhood in the Eastside of Paterson, New Jersey. The Eastside Park section of the city is generally defined as the area of the city bordered by Vreeland Avenue and East 33rd Street (both part of the "oldYork Ro ...

with a plaque on it placed in his honor placed by the Captain Abraham Godwin Chapter of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpos ...

Early settlement in New Jersey

American Revolution

Memorial

See also