Essex Hunt1972 photo restored and colorized
Often, Mr. Local History doesn’t search for stories; stories find us. A case in point is this weird little story about a man who comes to America only to find his life remembered after Basking Ridge’s Jack Welch names a bar in Willie Howard’s honor more than a century after his death. We take you to a small Jersey town called Bedminster, New Jersey, and tell the story of one of the men who owned a small bar still serving today.
Like most stories, we start with a quick genealogy search. Usually, we go back a few generations to when the family emigrated to the United States. This likely started when William was young, and his father, Henry, and grandfather, William, came to America and landed in New Jersey. Willie was born in England. As we dug into Ancestry, we found one William after another throughout Willie’s family tree. Then came a few Henrys and other royal names. We kept digging, going back generation after generation. William Howard has been part of the Howard namesake in honor of four English Kings, King Williams of England (I, II, III, and IV), who shared the name William with our dear friend “Willie.” Did you have to bow when you met Willie? Only history knows.
Willie was born in Bury, England, and his father, Henry, had three children who were over 13. Henry Alfred “Harry” Howard married Mary Jane Dunleavy in Manchester, Lancashire, England, on November 21, 1869, when he was 19. His son William Willie was born in Bury, England, on August 4, 1871. His second son, Fredrick, was born in Blackburn, UK, in 1871.
In 1880, the Howard family lived in Montclair, New Jersey. On July 7, 1884, Henry’s daughter Helen was born in Hillside. Willie was also living in Hillside at the time. Henry Howard died in Orange, New Jersey, on August 3, 1891, at only 41. So the family was close to the Montclair hunting scene of the rich and famous at West Orange’s Llewellyn Park.
Here Comes Opportunity – Charles “Charley” Pfizer
Willie’s life changed when he met Charles Pfizer, the founder of the Pfizer pharmaceutical conglomerate. In 1890, Charles Pfizer Jr. bought the Essex County Hunt Club and the Essex County Hounds from the Essex County Country Club in Montclair. Two years later, Pfizer moved to Bernardsville and relocated the clubs there, then to Peapack, New Jersey. Pfizer Jr. purchased a 150-acre farm in Gladstone from Cornelius Wyckoff Schomp, converting the farm barns into large stables and kennels. The Essex Hunt Club reorganized under the banner Essex Fox Hounds and leases the Essex Hunt Club in Peapack. That’s why a Somerset County club is named after an Essex County club.
By Higginson, A. Henry (Alexander Henry), Julian Ingersoll Chamberlain, 1908 – Grave
A ledger states that in 1890, Charles “Charley” Pfizer Jr. was the Master, and William Howard served as Huntsman of the Essex Hunt Club. The huntsman controlled the hounds, equipment, and hunting territory. In 1893, with Willie Howard at Pfizer Jr.’s side, Pfizer Jr. nominated Howard as huntsman for the Essex Hunt. Pfizer and the Essex Hunt Club trustees approved Willie Howard as the club’s huntsman. Based on our research, you could most likely call Willie Howard the Essex Hunt Club’s first huntsman in Somerset County.
Howards Take Root in Bedminster
About five years after establishing the Essex Hunt Club in the area in 1898, William and his wife, Bertha, wanted to expand their footprint there. They decided to buy the Bedminster Hotel, as it was then called, for $5,000. They later renamed the hotel “Howard’s Hotel,” where Willie and his family served as proprietors for over 65 years.
The advertisement above shows J. (John) Kenneally, who became Willie’s hotel partner. This is why “Howard’s Hotel” was most likely renamed the “Bedminster Hotel.” Kenneally married Mary Ann Howard, Willie’s sister, in 1901, so the hotel stayed in the family. John Kenneally was born on September 13, 1872, in West Orange, New Jersey, so the families had connections in Essex County before Bedminster.
Bedminster’s Lasting Memory
The Howard family owned the local hotel, the Bedminster Hotel (Howard’s Hotel), for over 65 years. But it wasn’t until 1989 that Jack Welch’s Growth Restaurants of Basking Ridge purchased the Inn, and in October 1989, the ‘Inn’ was renamed Willie’s Taverne, honoring Willie Howard. The establishment kept the name for 22 years, until 2011, when it was renamed to what we know today. Welch was a founding member of Growth Restaurants, which owned The Store, Willy’s, Thirsty Turtle, Bamboo Grill, Readington Road House, and the Public House.
As they say, the rest is history.
Timeline – Willie Howard and Willie’s Taverne
- In 1893, William “Willie” Howard came to Gladstone with Charles Pfizer and served as huntsman for Essex Hunt Club. In 1898, Willie and his wife, Bertha, purchased the Bedminster Hotel for $5,000. They renamed the hotel the Howard Hotel.
- 1905—Willie Howard’s favorite filly, “Ninette,” dies. Willie decides to bury the horse behind his hotel. In 1911, he and Bertha name their last child Ninette.
- 1911 – Oct. 20, 1911, Gov. Woodrow Wilson, who was later president from 1913 to 1921, stopped at the tavern to give a speech while barnstorming through Somerset County. (Still looking for proof, so it may be a local tale.)
- 1929—Willie Howard dies. He, his wife Bertha, and most siblings are buried in the nearby Bedminster Reformed Church cemetery.
- 1929 – Son Harry Alfred Howard (1892-1960) takes over the Bedminster Inn. Previously, Harry worked as a mechanic with Thomas Alva Edison in W. Orange, NJ. After serving in WWI, Harry lived in Hilton (South Orange, New Jersey).
- 1937 – Mrs. Bertha Howard sells Howard’s Old Stone home in Bedminster to Dr. William Lowndes of Short Hills (noted October 14). This was the same home the Melicks built (who built the original Bedminster tavern).
- 1950 – The US Census shows Bertha Howard as the hotel Manager, with Harry, Margaret, and William Jr. as “Assistant Managers.”
- 1963 – Willie & Bertha’s son, Harry Howard, dies in 1960. Three years later, the establishment, then named the Bedminster Inn, was sold to J. Duncan Pitney (50%) and Ned Burke (50%), who held the Inn for one year before selling it to John H. Ewing, a Bedminster resident and a New Jersey assemblyman / Senator. Ned Burke was the Mayor of Far Hills.
- 1963 – Willie Howard’s other son, Thomas, Harry, and the rest of his family owned the Inn for 65 years (1898-1963).
- 1963 – John H. Ewing, a Bedminster resident, takes control of the Inn.
- 1968 – Winthrop Elliot and Edward Sharp take ownership
- 1989 – The Kissel family sells “The Inn” to Jack Welch’s partnership of Basking Ridge Inn in July 1989. Three months of extensive renovations followed, and in October 1989, The Inn was renamed Willie’s Taverne after William “Willie” Howard.
- 2011—Delicious Heights—Willie’s Tavern was purchased by 3J Management Inc. on September 26, 2011. The buyers were Ralph Acquaviva of Basking Ridge. For 22 years, the name “Willie’s Taverne” has stuck in residents’ minds. There you have it.
- 2026 – Delicious Heights closed in October after 15 years, reopening on October 9 as Bedminster Tavern under new owner Alyssa Cranston and Celtic Hospitality Group, led by Thomas J. McAteer. Executive Chef Christopher Albrecht introduced a farm-to-fork menu, while the former Legends Sports Bar was reimagined as Stables, a whiskey bar. Alyssa Cranston of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, is the new owner leading the revival of the historic Bedminster Tavern, which reopened October 9, 2026. She’s working with Celtic Hospitality Group, headed by CEO Thomas J. McAteer. Cranston previously worked at Delicious Heights as a host/server before becoming catering manager at Bridgewater Manor.
Willie Tidbits
- Willie is descended from English royalty. Willies 8th Great Grandfather – Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Norfolk, 21st Earl of Arundel, 4th Earl of Surrey, 17th Baron Segrave, 16th Baron Mowbray, 11th Baron Maltra
- Willie’s 7th great-grandfather- Sir Henry Frederick Knight of the Garter HOWARD, 22nd Earl of Arundel
- Willie Howard had seven children with his wife, Bertha.
- Henry – Not Married
- Harry Alfred married Lydia Tiedemann and had one daughter
- Margaret (Greta) – Not married
- George – Not married
- William – Not Married
- Mary Alice – Not Married
- Frank J. – Not Married
- Charles – Not Married
- John – Not Married
- Ninette – Not Married
- Willie was Charles Pfizer’s huntsman for the Essex Fox Hounds and the Essex Hunt Club, which started in Montclair in 1890.
- Willie died in 1929 at just 58 years old.
- Willie’s favorite horse was named Ninette, and people say Willie buried her behind the hotel when she died.
- Willie’s daughter Ninette Howard was born in New Jersey on August 19, 1911. Her father, William, was 40, and her mother, Bertha, was 39. She had seven brothers and two sisters. She died on June 2, 1976, in Gladstone, New Jersey, at 64.
- 1989—The Kissels sold The Inn to Jack Welch’s partnership of Basking Ridge in July 1989. Three months of extensive renovations followed, and in October 1989, the Inn was renamed Willie’s Taverne after Willie Howard. This name lasted until 2011 (22 years). Inn left a lasting impression.
Willie’s Tavern and His Online Presence
Isn’t it strange that in the 1900s you can’t find a photo of a man, but when we look back centuries for Willie’s family members, we can find something? We contacted the Essex Hunt Club and the Essex Fox Hounds organizations and could only find a painting with a ‘possible’ Willie Howard sighting.
