Martha Tallman

- 1828

• Name	Martha Tallman  [1]
  Gender	Female
  Death	14 Jul 1828	Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey   [2, 3]
  Burial	Fair View Cemetery, Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey   [2]
  Person ID	I22156	Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others | Ancestor of TWK
  Last Modified	15 Mar 2020

  
  

  Father	Stephen Tallman,   b. 30 Jun 1702, Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island d. 24 Aug 1774, Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey (Age 72 years)
  Mother	Mary Potter,   b. 2 Mar 1707   d. Abt 1764, Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey (Age 56 years)
  Marriage	11 Nov 1724	South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island   [4]
  Family ID	F13388	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Maj. Thomas Seabrook,   b. 16 Feb 1735, Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey d. 22 Feb 1805, Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey (Age 70 years)
  Marriage	11 Oct 1758	Monmouth County, New Jersey   [5]
  Children	+ 1. Thomas Seabrook,   b. 15 Nov 1771, Monmouth, New Jersey d. 14 Jul 1844, Monmouth, New Jersey (Age 72 years)
  Family ID	F13390	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	13 Apr 2019

  
  

• Notes

  From George Washington's Secret Spy War: The Making of America's First Spymaster by John A. Nagy (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2016): There was a change in the sand dunes that made up a portion of the New Jersey coastline early in 1778. It opened the Shrewsbury River to the sea and the inlet remained open until 1800. This changed Sandy Hook from a promontory into an island that was controlled by the British army. At times the British navy had a warship stationed at the Hook. Sandy Hook was even called “Refugee’s Town,” where Tories could receive protection from the British military stationed there. This would have made it possible for a small boat from Shrewsbury to go out of the inlet and head north to drop off merchandise either to the sloop Eagle at Princess Bay, to refugees, or to the military encampment at Sandy Hook. Governor Livingston stated that the illegal trade had depleted Bergen County by August of 1778 and had shifted its focus to Shrewsbury and that the state was unable to stop it. Lieutenant Enos Reeves of the Pennsylvania Line wrote that “there has been an amazing trade carried on from [New] Jersey shore to the city of New York, but we hope to put a stop to it.” It was wishful thinking, as they could not raise enough men to guard the entire coastline. Washington left the enforcement of the illegal trade to the state. He had Brigadier General David Forman of the New Jersey Militia station observers in the Raritan Bay area to keep a watchful eye on British shipping. Colonel John Stillwell watched from his house atop Garrett’s Hill. He used a spyglass provided by General Forman. His reports on the movement of ships in Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook were in the form of a diary and were given to David Forman, who then provided them to Washington. Martha Tallman Seabrook, who lived at Shoal Harbor, worked as an agent in sending reports of observations. [Footnote:] Shoal Harbor is now known as Port Monmouth. Martha was the wife of the American Major Thomas Seabrook. With Thomas off to war, she opened the house as an inn and today it is known as the Spy House.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3836] History of Monmouth County, New Jersey by Franklin Ellis. Philadelphia: R. T. Peck & Co., 1885. [S2692] Find a Grave page for Martha Tallman Seabrook. [S3076] Historical and Genealogical Miscellany: Early Settlers of New Jersey and Their Descendants, Volume 4, by John E. Stillwell. New York, 1916., date only. [S2694] Howard Bowdoin Perry, "Some Early Marriages Recorded at South Kingstown, R.I." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 67:285, July 1913. [S3212] Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Volume XXII: Marriage Records, 1665-1800 by William Nelson. Paterson, New Jersey: Press Printing and Publishing Company, 1900.