From the Archives: The Jersey Muskrat of Coytesville

A relative of three distinguished families from Fort Lee’s history recently contacted the Fort Lee Historical Society.  This person is related to the Coytes (founders of the Coytesville section of Fort Lee in the mid 19th century), the Abbotts (John C. Abbott was the first Mayor in Fort Lee history when Fort Lee incorporated as a borough in 1904) and the Kerwien family (Arthur E. Kerwien was Mayor of Fort Lee from 1934 until his tragic death in an auto accident in 1939 and his son John H. Kerwien finished out his term).  Adrienne Kerwien Martini wanted to know if we would be interested in accepting a donation of some artifacts from these families that are in her possession.  She is moving out of state and as one of the last living members of these families in the state she felt these artifacts belonged in Fort Lee.  We at the Fort Lee Historical Society couldn’t agree more and we thank Adrienne for her kind donation and convey to her the importance this material has to our 21st century borough of Fort Lee.

This material includes many items too extensive to go into in this short piece.  Needless to say, all the artifacts will be catalogued and preserved in our Fort Lee Historical Society archive in the Fort Lee Museum and some of the items will be placed on display during exhibits planned as early as February 2014.

The artifact that stands out is the large State of New Jersey Commission of Frederick Coyte as a First Lieutenant in the Ninth Regiment of New Jersey (known as "The Jersey Muskrats") dated April 1864.  Frederick Coyte in his own hand written letter dated 1902 described his years of service in the Civil War.  Frederick enlisted on September 20, 1861 into Co. E 9th Regiment NJ Volunteers and was discharged on September 24, 1864 due to a war injury suffered in battle.  He was a private and non-commissioned officer for 2 years, a 2nd Lieutenant for 7 months and a First Lieutenant for 5 months. Frederick fought in the South for the Union Army in battles in Winston, NC where he was injured on July 26, 1863; the Burnside Expeditions to Roanoke Island and in the winter of 1863 he was ordered to Virginia and became part of the Army of the James.  His regiment participated in 30 engagements and skirmishes including Cold Harbor and the Siege of Petersburg. 

I grew up in the Coytesville section of this borough and no matter what section of Fort Lee, or for that matter, the world I live in, until I die I will say I am from Coytesville.  The idea of this great history coming home to us here in Fort Lee as we commemorate in 2013 the 150th anniversary of such Civil War battles as the one fought at Gettysburg is amazing.

 The next exhibit mounted by the Fort Lee Historical Society in the Fort Lee Museum will open on February 14, 2014 and will be titled “The Barrymores of Coytesville.”  This gives us a chance, on the day before Jack Barrymore’s birthday, to highlight the history of not only the Barrymore family here in Fort Lee but the history of the section of town that gave birth to our own Jersey Muskrat, Frederick Coyte!