NJ Decoys: About

I grew up in the Silverton area on Barnegat Bay, New Jersey spending my youth fishing, hunting and sailing. The Clayton family has lived in this area for seven generations, most of them earning their livelihood from the Bay. My great grandfather Capt. Firm Clayton was a bayman and duck hunting guide, between 1870 and 1910. Below is a copy of the information I submitted for a Collector's Choice Display at the Ward Museum and explains the reason why I collect decoys.

Brant Circa 1880
Liberty Price
Manahawkin, New Jersey

Capt. Firm Circa 1900
Picking them up
Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

The most meaningful decoy in my collection is a brant, circa 1880, by Liberty Price of Manhawkin, New Jersey. It has been in my family since that time and is out of the hunting rig of my great grandfather, Forman E. Clayton of Silverton, NJ.

Capt. Firm , as he was called, was a bayman and gunning guide until the time of his death in 1912. He was a friend and guide to President Grover Cleveland on many of his hunting and fishing trips in New Jersey. Cleveland was an avid hunter and especially loved to gun waterfowl. They hunted the area around Silverton and Mosquito Cove for redheads and canvasbacks and also sailed about 17 miles south in Firm's cat boat to Sedge Island to gun brant and broadbill. One can assume that Cleveland hunted over this very decoy.

The Great Sedges were purchased in 1884 by Leonard W. Warner of New York City, the founder of Warner-Lambert. He built a gunning lodge and over the years had such notable guests as President's Cleveland, William Mckinley and Teddy Roosevelt. Evidence shows that Capt. Firm guided for Warner and it was here that Cleveland and he probably met and became friends.

The family retains six brant and a single goose by an unknown maker. The brant are an eclectic mix with two by H. V. Shourds, two by Liberty Price and two by Cooper Predmore. The rest of the rig is unknown as they were stolen from under our boat house in the early 1960ís. What remains has little monetary value, as all are in restored paint, but are priceless to me. A family treasure, this decoy no doubt started me collecting and is my favorite.

I was privileged for many years to be the President of the New Jersey Decoy Collectors. Currently I am the Chairman of the East Coast Decoy Collectors and on the Board of Directors of the Ward Museum. This along with attending almost all of the decoys auctions and shows keeps me busy with my hobby.