Jonas Cattell

Jonas Cattell was born in 1758, on a farm called Lavender Hills. The farm was located just outside of Woodbury, New Jersey in what is now Deptford, NJ. He was listed in Ripley's Believe It Or Not for hand delivering a letter from Woodbury to Cape May and back, 160 miles, on foot, in two days. At the age of 18, in October 1777, Jonas became a hero.

Jonas happened to be in Haddonfield, but had stayed out too late and was arrested for violating curfew by the soldiers who were controlling the town. His punishment was to spend the night in jail until first light. The Hessians were camped in Haddonfield. During the night, he overheard the Hessian and British soldiers discussing a raid that they were planning for the following day. They planned to march to Fort Mercer and overthrow the American patriots that were there. They were planning a surprise, early morning attack against the American troops at Fort Mercer.

Jonas Cattell was familiar with all of the back trails in the area. He was known to have created a number of the trails. When Jonas was released the following morning, he ran the ten miles from Haddonfield to Fort Mercer and forewarned the patriots. Jonas took all of the back trails from Haddonfield to Ft. Mercer. He arrived well before the Hessians. This forewarning allowed the Americans to strategically position themselves to defend their fort. The American patriots were outnumbered by three to one. Because the American troops were able to prepare for the battle against the Hessians, they were able to defeat and almost totally annihilate the Hessian and British soldiers.

Jonas Cattell was known to wear a red flannel shirt, a heavy overcoat, fisherman's boots, and canvas leggings. He also carried a gun and a tomahawk.

Jonas Cattell died in September 18, 1849, at the age of 91. He is buried in the Cattell Family Burial Ground, a tiny wooded grove in Deptford. The grave is located on Melvin Avenue, one block south of Caulfield Avenue.

The Jonas Cattell Run was started in 1969 to honor this great American hero. The run starts at King's Court in Haddonfield and finishes at Fort Mercer in National Park, New Jersey. The run is held each year in October and Haddonfield DAR Chapter presents a plaque to the first male runner to reach the finish line at Fort Mercer.

Jonas Cattell's sign just off King's Highway in Haddonfield NJ

Return to top