Runyon House

Benjamin’s grandfather, Vincent Runyon (spelled Rongnion/Rongion) was the first of his family to arrive in the New World in 1655. Vincent landed in Staten Island while fleeing religious persecution in France. The Runyons were Huguenots, a sect of Calvinism that worshipped from home. Protestants and Catholics fought for influence in France for most of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. When Vincent left his homeland, Huguenots faced state-sanctioned terrorism.  

In 1668, Vincent accompanied Governor Philip Carteret to Elizabethtown. By 1677, the Runyons moved to Piscataway and purchased 154 acres of land along the Raritan River. Vincent and his wife bore nine children before his passing in 1713. One of his sons, Peter, settled the land where the Runyon House was established. Peter acquired additional land holdings around Ambrose and Rehoboth Brooks in 1680. He was a prominent slave owner. Like Vincent, Peter was a wealthy man upon his death in 1755.  

Peter’s youngest son Benjamin inherited a sizable tract of land and built the Runyon House between 1755-1780. Benjamin died in 1785, and the house and land passed to his son, Peter, who lived there for 49 years until he died in 1834. Peter left the home to his wife, Mercy, breaking a tradition of leaving property to the first-born son.  

The remainder of Peter’s holdings were sold, and upon Mercy’s death in 1852, Peter’s son, Daniel, assumed ownership of the homestead. That same year, Daniel sold the Runyon House and all surrounding property to Nelson Boice, ending almost 100 years of Runyon occupation. The house remained in the Boice family until Beecham, Inc. purchased it in 1912. It was donated and moved to East Jersey Old Town Village in the Spring of 1978. The Runyon House is a great example of English colonial architecture, and a portal into Middlesex County’s past.