
He later became one of the trustees of the college. He was a graduate of Princeton College in 1751. Scudder was born in Freehold Township in 1733 and lived in Freehold most of his life. Nathaniel Scudder was one of the 3 men responsible for the school. They, with others from the area, became prominent in the War for Independence. Charles McKnight's sons, Charles and Richard, were educated there.


It is not known how long the school was in operation however, the Rev. The site of the Mattisonia Grammar School was somewhere in the vicinity of Old Tennent Church - probably on church property. Some of this same land came into the hands of David Rhea, John Henderson, and Samuel Ker, together they gave the land for a consideration of 1 shilling to the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church.

John Reid had purchased the land from the Indians on July 25, 1696. It adjoined land belonging to Benjamin Allen and Captain Anderson known as Clear Brook, which ran through a meadow near the church during the Revolution. An unrecorded deed, dated May 25, 1753, which is said to be in the possession of the Old Tennent Church, states that Aaron Mattison of Freehold gave to the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Monmouth County a plot of ground "for a consideration of 2 shillings, 6 pence current lawful money of the Province of New York." An original deed for a "great deal of land sold" is recorded in the Courthouse in Freehold in Book E of Deeds on page 55, and was apparently sold to Arrie Marteson by John Reid on November 25, 1707, for 10 pounds, 4 shillings. The earliest recorded school was the Mattisonia Grammar School, which was established on July 23, 1767.
