Elsingburgh Colony, New Jersey

An early form of Ice-Hockey written in 1836 referring to 1685 AD from Elsingburgh Colony now known as New Jersey.

" When the gay groups had finished their rounds in the village, the ice in front on the river was seen all alive with the small-fry of Elsingburgh, gambolling and skating, sliding and tumbling, helter-skelter, and making the frost-bit ears of winter glad with the sounds of mirth and revelry. In one place was a group playing at hurley, with crooked sticks, with which they sometimes hit the ball, and sometimes each other's shins. In another, a knot of slidersy following in a row, so that if the foremost fell, the rest were sure to tumble over him. A Uttle farther might be seen a few, that had the good fortune to possess a pair of skates, luxuriating in that most graceful of all exercises, and emulated by some half a dozen little urchins, with smooth bones fastened to their feet, in imitation of the others, skating away with a gravity and perseverance worthy of better implements. All was fun, laughter, revelry, and happiness ; and that day, the icy mirror of the noble Delaware reflected as light hearts as ever beat together in the new world.Such are supposed to have been the juvenile sports of New-year's day, in the Middle States, one hundred and fifty years ago."https://archive.org/stream/festivalsgamesam00smit#page/332/mode/2up/search/Hurley+