Bernardsville’s Lost Dayton Home, Orchards and Mount Airy Nursery

UPDATE:
Another Dayton family discussion came up…. we couldn’t refuse the query.

---

MLH Introduces Ezra Dayton and the Dayton Families

The name “Mount Airy” first appears in printed atlases and maps as early as the 1870s–1880s, when the hill above Bernardsville began to develop into a wealthy estate district. Early 1800s: Referred to simply as “Mountain Road” or “The Mountain Road” in local deeds and tax maps, by the early 1900s, “Mount Airy Road” became the official designation on Sanborn fire and insurance maps and regional planning documents.

Bernardsville officially separated from Bernards Township on March 6, 1924, becoming an independent borough in Somerset County, New Jersey. The separation was driven by growth and the desire for local governance as the area evolved from a rural village into a Gilded Age estate community. Mount Airy Road was named after the Dayton’s Mount Airy Nurseries, and the Dayton family name remains prominent today with Dayton Street and Dayton Crescent, although the beautiful home and nurseries are no longer there.

Marion Dayton Turner (1896 -1999), Ezra Dayton’s granddaughter, a teacher and long-time resident of Bernards Township, documented her family’s Bernardsville land holdings, wrote about her family, orchards, and the area we know today as Bernardsville’s Pill Hill, Mount Airy, and Little Italy neighborhoods.

Rev. Ezra Fairchild Dayton (1831–1910) was a dedicated Presbyterian minister who served the community of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, for much of his life. Born in Pine Brook, NJ, and descended from the early settler Jonathan Dayton (1701–1776), Ezra entered the ministry and was ordained as an evangelist by the Presbytery of Newark on January 14, 1834. He went on to serve as pastor of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, where he became a respected spiritual leader and educator in the town. His deep commitment to the church and its congregation was evident throughout his career.

Reverend Ezra Fairchild Dayton taught at the Basking Ridge Classical School. After graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1826, he became the school’s principal and served from 1826 to 1829. The Classical School, affiliated with the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, was a prestigious preparatory institution known for its rigorous curriculum in Greek, Latin, mathematics, philosophy, and Christian theology. Dayton’s role at the school preceded his theological training and eventual ordination as a Presbyterian evangelist. His time in Basking Ridge reflected the town’s deep connections between education and religious life during the early 19th century.

Following a prolonged illness, Rev. Dayton passed away in 1910. The trustees of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, recognizing his years of service, took responsibility for his funeral arrangements, provided a burial plot, and ensured the placement of a tombstone. Although a Presbyterian by faith and vocation, Rev. Dayton was interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Basking Ridge, a non-sectarian burial ground established in 1859 and maintained by Bishop Janes United Methodist Church. His burial there reflects both the inclusive nature of the cemetery and the wide respect he earned across denominational lines within the community.

“The last Daytons to have lived in Bernardsville were Stephen and Ezra. The lands from Pill Hill on the south to Bernards Avenue on the north and extending back and including the quarry were in their possession from 1855 to 1905, about 150 acres; Stephen C. having 70 acres and Ezra F. 80 acres.”

Early Images

“In 1861 Ezra Dayton, my grandfather, married Catherine Lamoreux. They lived in the little house back of the big house, which has just been remodeled, until 1876 when the large house (later became the London Bailey home) was built. My father always told me that as they were putting the roof on the big house, a balloon flying over from the Centennial in Philadelphia came so low they waved to each other.”

Marion Turner – The big house Marion Turner is referring to sat on the property that is now known as Columbia Drive, a cul-de-sac built in the early 1970s, accessed from Dayton Crescent.

“Ezra had 40 acres on Pill Hill, now Liberty Road and Ann Street, in peach orchards. When the peach train was running, and at the height of the peach season, Ezra sent a carload a day to New York. He also took peaches to the Newark Market by peach wagon and horses. Pickers were paid

.25 a day. Besides the peach orchard, Ezra also had flowering shrubs and vines. Many of the mountain estates in the 1880s and 1890s were landscaped with trees and shrubs from this nursery.” Marion Turner

Dayton House Becomes Music School and Border House

George Watkinson purchased the Dayton house around 1916, and upon his death in 1930, his cousin, Charlotte Nearpass, took over the property at 51 Dayton Crescent, converting it into a boarding house. Charlotte worked as a librarian in New York City and at the Christian Science Reading Room in Bernardsville and was an accomplished writer. She was also a member of the Basking Ridge chapter, D.A.R. Miss Charlotte A. Nearpass died suddenly at her home in 1958 at the age of 81 where she had lived for 44 years.

London and Charlotte Bailey were the last owners before the house was razed. Below are the properties today that were carved out of what was once known as the Dayton estate….. ah the memories.

Developer/Borough Legal Battles in the Late 1960s and Early 1970s

For years, the Bailey Tract was debated between Bernardville and developer Morrisania Incorporated, led by London Bailey, the property owner at the time. Frank Petrozzo, Morrisania’s face to the project, developed it starting around April 1972. Petrozzo was the company’s largest stakeholder at the time but in 1969 the property was sold to a Mrs Smith, who happened to be Petrozzo’s sister (can’t make this stuff up). Some may recall that the Borough was in negotiations over variances and land use permit approvals as Petrozzo offered 7 acres to the town for development. Petrozzo was also involved in local politics, lived on Mendham Road, and also owned the Old Mill Inn in the 70s.

Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve

Then the Opinion Pieces started to show in the local News.

Based on newspaper stories, this appears to be a story of its own, worthy of a deeper investigation. The battle went back and forth, playing out in the Bernardsville News for years, and it didn’t seem pretty. Bet someone remembers. Either way, development moved forward. In 1973 and 1974, Morrisania Development began selling family homes for around ,000 or more, located near where the Dayton House once stood, on what was defined as “Section Two – Dayton Manor Final Subdivision,” created on June 30, 1969, now known as Columbia Drive in Bernardsville.

Is the Dayton Nursery Tied To William Dayton, Basking Ridge’s US Senator?

Our curiousity took us to Ancestry where we build an extensive Dayton Family Tree. We found that Rev. Ezra F. Dayton (1831–1910) and William Lewis Dayton (1807–1864) were distant cousins who both descended from Jonathan Dayton (1701–1776), an early settler in Basking Ridge.

In the 1856 presidential election, William L. Dayton of Basking Ridge ran for Vice President on the Republican ticket with John C. Frémont, opposing Democrat James Buchanan and his running mate John C. Breckinridge, as well as former President Millard Fillmore and Andrew J. Donelson of the Know-Nothing Party. Buchanan ultimately won the election.

Jonathan was the grandfather of William Lewis Dayton, whose father, Joel Dayton (1760–1823), was one of Jonathan’s sons. Ezra, on the other hand, descended from a different son of Jonathan, making him Jonathan’s great-great-grandson. This places Ezra and William Lewis Dayton in different generations of the same family tree: Ezra being William’s first cousin, twice removed.

Both men were born in Bernards Township and remained closely tied to the area throughout their lives, with numerous family ties to Ayers, Lewis, and other founding families in the region.

Another Dayton Sidebar:
Senators Jonathan AND William Lewis Dayton

Over in Springfield, New Jersey, Jonathan Dayton High School is named after the youngest signer of the Constitution, a Revolutionary War veteran and influential New Jersey statesman. His leadership in the founding era made him a fitting namesake for a school committed to civic and historical legacy.

Jonathan Dayton (1760–1824, 63) and William Lewis Dayton (1807–1864, 57) were both prominent political figures from New Jersey who shared the same surname and deep colonial roots in the state, but they were not closely related. Jonathan, a native of Elizabethtown and the youngest signer of the U.S. Constitution, served as a U.S. Senator from 1799 to 1805 and came from a line that included his father, Revolutionary War General Elias Dayton. William Lewis Dayton, born in Basking Ridge a generation later, served as a U.S. Senator from 1842 to 1851 and was the first Republican vice presidential nominee in 1856.

Although they never served in office at the same time, historical and genealogical evidence suggests that Jonathan and William were likely distant cousins. Both appear to descend from early colonial Daytons who settled in New England and later in New Jersey during the 1600s. While a direct familial connection has not been definitively documented, their shared surname, proximity, and roots in New Jersey’s colonial elite point to a common ancestral origin several generations earlier.

Last Sidebar (We Promise) – Pill Hill Road in Bernardsville

Someone mentioned to us that Pill Hill Road, which borders the Dayton Mount Airy Nursery, has a meaning……

The naming of Bernardsville’s Pill Hill Road is rumored to be named after a doctor or doctors who prescribed medication (hence the term “Pill” in “Pill Hill Road”). Ezra Dayton owned land right up to today’s Pill Hill Road. Our research found there were a few key Doctors, so Pill Hill wasn’t just a street, it was a destination. Here’s the Doctors memorialized with street names off Pill Hill:

• Dr. John Dayton – Around 1927, John was involved in a large land sale off Pill Hill Road, along with his cousins, Stephen and Ezra Dayton.
• Dr. William B. Dayton was the son of Rev. Ezra F. Dayton. He was the doctor associated with the Dayton Home, Nursery, and the Pill Hill area of Bernardsville.
• Dr. John S. Forbes: Active mid-20th century (cited in 1952 Bville News articles), commemorated by Forbes Court.
• Dr. James Vanderveer: A 19th-century country physician with street naming honor on Vanderveer Drive.
• Dr. Amadee Voorhees: Died June 1903; Voorhees Drive bears his name.

Now we need to determine if the Pill Hill is a real story or local lore……?

How about a Classic Bernardsville Map (Suitable for Framing)?

More Bernardsville History Stories

What are others reading Right Now on MLH. Top Five Weekly Most Popular Posts

More Bville MLH Posts

History Doesn’t Write Itself without your support.
Support our non-profit that supports your local history with a contribution.

Like elite athletes at their peak, our history journalists are highly trained in the art of digging up history. It takes skill, endurance and and pure will typing to deliver interesting stories of the life and times of the great history in New Jersey and the areas you love.

And that all costs more than just our time and energy. So we’re asking you to support us with more than your attention.

If you enjoy reading stories like these from our volunteer writers, please make a contribution today.
You’ll help power the dedicated team behind this story and hundreds of others like it.
And your contribution is TAX DEDUCTIBLE as we are a IRS recognized 501C-3 non-profit education charitable organization.