MHS is attempting to identify individuals or families who have lived continuously in what is now Matawan Borough and Aberdeen Township since 1850.
Criteria:
1) The geographic region is limited to Matawan Borough and Aberdeen Township, which includes Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach. In our Wall of Honor program, we opened that up to Matawan High School graduates – individuals who lived in Morganville and Lawrence Harbor were included. But in this case, we’re focusing on the area that is now within the current borders of the Borough and Township.
2) Lineage does not have to be direct: that is, surnames can “jump” through generations if an unbroken chain of residency can be proven.
Methodology:
There are families that have been in our area for longer than this, and research on these can certainly expand. I’m starting with two datasets that are definitive, the 1850 US census and the 1855 Thomas Hurley map of Middletown Point. If I see a family that meets our requirements for inclusion, I’ll also see how far I can credibly take them back.
The list of 80+ subscribers associated with the map is currently being addressed and then I’ll look at the census. I build family trees in our Surname Project for each and stop when they either move from Matawan/Aberdeen, the family dies out, or I can trace someone to present day. I must do this as a programmed approach, but I’m soliciting potential entries for enhanced scrutiny. Some individuals may believe that their families fit these criteria, while in fact they may have resided early on in say, Wikatunk, which would be under the “jurisdiction” of the Marlboro Township Historical Society. I also believe some current residents meet the criteria and are unaware they have family going back that far.
This isn’t a “contest” – it’s an academic exercise. I initially started this to expand our Surname Project which is the focus for research of not only families, but businesses, residences, events, etc. This will take a year or so – I’m about 15% done with the subscriber’s list now. It’ll be a “fun fact” to share with family and friends. Individuals/families who fit the criteria will be listed below.
Mark Chidichimo
MHS Genealogist
December 23, 2025
Project 1850 Individuals and Families (as of December, 2025)
PAMELA McKEEN KANIA – 6 Edgewater Drive, Matawan – 3rd great granddaughter of Joel Carhart (1803-1885). Joel was a prominent Matawan citizen, who can be placed in the borough as early as 1838, but was most likely here earlier. He worked as a wheelwright and blacksmith and apparently operated a boarding house in town in 1855. Joel was a leader in the Matawan Methodist Church when it was founded. He and his wife, the former Mary Ann Van Pelt had eleven children, including Emma P. Carhart (1843-1919), Pamela’s 2nd great grandmother who married Richard Bedle (1830-1904). This Bedle line also has deep roots in Matawan. Richard and Emma had one child, William Gravatt Bedle, Sr (1871-1955), a prominent Matawan merchant who also served as the Borough’s tax assessor. The couple had three children, including Pamela’s grandmother Naomi Bedle (1894-1956) who married Garrett Jones McKeen (1894-1956). Their son Garret Jones McKeen Jr (1923-2014) was Pamela’s father. The family initially resided in the “Old Hospital” located at the foot of the hill on Ravine Drive on the corner of Wyckoff Street but moved to what is now 189 Main Street around 1854. The family has had continual residence in Matawan for at least 187 years.