THATCHER
Sgt. Jacob F. – (1842-1862) spent his early childhood in the house at 20 Bridge Street.
As a teenager, he resided in the stately residence of Samuel B. Hudnit, on the northeast corner of Bridge and Harrison streets. Hudnit was a master harness maker, with a shop on Bridge Street about where the Frenchtown Dog Wash is now. The 1860 Census shows that Hudnit had four teenage apprentice harness makers living with him, including Thatcher. This was the 1800s version of internships.
Leading up to the Civil War, the countryside was swarming with militia units as citizens prepared for the big fight. Hudnit was a major in the Frenchtown Rangers, and Thatcher was very likely a member. In August of 1862 Thatcher became a private in Company G of the 15th New Jersey Infantry Regiment, as did many of the Rangers. Hudnit, who would eventually become Frenchtown's first mayor, stayed home.
Thatcher fought in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and the Wilderness. He had become a sergeant by the time he got to Spotsylvania, Va. It was the site of a 13-day, bloody-but-inconclusive slugfest between generals Grant and Lee.
On May 12, 1864, about half-way through the battle, Thatcher's left arm was severely wounded. Two days later he was a patient in Carver Hospital in Washington, D.C. He died on June 8, and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Jonas – (1791-1852) was Jacob's father. In 1844 he bought a lot on the south side of Main Street, which is now Bridge Street. When he tore down an old house on the property, he managed to slide off the second story. Then he used it as a store while he built a house (20 Bridge Street) and a store (24-26 Bridge Street) that are the nuclei of buildings there now. The accompanying photo shows the store and house in the 1870s.
In recent years, the house was the office of Dr. Ira Liebross and, before him, Dr. Larry King. The store later became the A&P, and is currently home to the Junto Emporium, which sells men's clothing, and the Auset Gypsy Metaphysical Emporium, which is the place to go if you need to lift a curse.
From "Rick's Frenchtown Encyclopedia"
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