Jonathan Woodruff helped capture the British supply ship "Blue Mountain Valley" near Sandy Hook, NJ and brought it to Elizabeth Port on January 22, 1776.

The above information is found in the book, The Revolutionary Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey by Henry C. Hamilton, D.D.S. June, 1975.

Other records indicate Jonathan Woodruff's birthdate as 15 March 1705.
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"Acting upon direction of the Committee of Safety of Elizabethtown, patriots disguised as fishermen in 4 boats came alongside the British supply ship HMS Blue Mountain Valley and captured it."
The URL and full citation for this is here:

Source: National Park Service Records.

Common Name - BLUE MOUNTAIN VALLEY

Historic Name - HMS BLUE MOUNTAIN VALLEY

Secondary Names - off SANDY HOOK

County - MONMOUTH

State - NJ

War - REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Engagement - NAVAL ACTION

Engagement Type - CAPTURE

Dates - 01/22/1776 - 01/22/1776

Location, off - SANDY HOOK

Current Rank - C

Notes on Event - Acting upon direction of the Committee of Safety of Elizabethtown, patriots disguised as fishermen in 4 boats came alongside the British supply ship HMS Blue Mountain Valley and captured it.

Survey Code - NJ220

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002013171492;view=1up;seq=436


Children believed to belong to Jennet Megie and Jonathan Woodruff:

1) Mary Woodruff (?-1771)
2) Daniel Woodruff (1721-?) - probable infant or childhood death
3) Jonathan Woodruff (1732-1759)
4) Jennet Woodruff (1734-1762)
5) Anne Woodruff (1736-1820)
6) Noah Woodruff (1740-1773)
7) David Woodruff (1741-1825)
8) Daniel Woodruff (1742-1812)
9) Aaron Woodruff (1746-1793)
10) Ephraim Woodruff (1750-1827)


Many private records found online claim this Jonathan Woodruff had three wives, but at least one may not be his - there was a Deacon John Woodruff (1704 - 24 Sept 1768) of the same generation who also lived in Westfield, NJ. Based on the will of Thomas Donnington, husband of Thankful Donnington, an heir named Eleanor (1712-1742), was listed as "the wife of John Woodruff".

"...if my wife and children should die without issue, then my estate is to go to Eleanor, the wife of John Woodruff."

Whether she was an older daughter or other relative of this Thomas Donnington is not clear. The children of this Eleanor Donnington and Deacon John Woodruff are listed as:

1) Cornelius Woodruff, husband of Mary Osborn

2) John Woodruff, husband of Sarah Miller

3) Moses Woodruff, husband of Phebe Marsh

This line doesn't look anything like Jonathan Woodruff, father of Aaron (1746-1793), Ephraim Woodruff (1750-1827), and their siblings unless more data becomes available. Possibly these two John Woodruffs were cousins? Deacon John Woodruff's headstone is also different from Jonathan Woodruff's, and he was also buried in Presbyterian Church Burial Grounds in Westfield, NJ along with Jennet MeGee and many other Woodruffs.

This info comes from here: http://maxpages.com/elizawoodruffs/Joseph_of_Westfield_page_1

In 1967, Ceylon Newton Woodruff and the Arthur H. Clark Company first published Woodruff Chronicles I (CNW I), following it in 1971 with Woodruff Chronicles II (CNW II). CNW was interested in tracing his own connections to John Woodruff and accumulated extensive research material on the many branches and lines of descent. This website is dedicated to providing the information in CNW's Chronicles and also includes data from other sources.

The other wife listed for Jonathan Woodruff (1706-1777) was:

Prudence Unknown, d. Oct. 31, 1781 and listed as the widow of Jonathan Woodruff.

Sources:

--"History of the Town of Westfield, Union County, New Jersey" by Charles A. Philhower. Pub. 1923 by Lewis Historical Publishing Co.
From page 17: The most exciting news that first reached Westfield after the declaration of war was the capture of the "Blue Mountain Valley" by Lord Stirling, off Sandy Hook. This was an armed supply boat sent off from the warships in New York harbor to transport ships lying outside. The vessel was brought in to Elizabeth Port and put in charge of Col. Elias Dayton. This hazardous task was accomplished with three small boats, eighty volunteers and thirty militia. David Ross, Ephraim Marsh, Henry Baker and Jonathan Woodruff, of Westfield, went out on this enterprise. There was great rejoicing at Charles Clark's store when the prize was reported safe at harbor at 'The Port'."

--U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 -- shows a John Woodruff, b. 1702, male, NJ, married Eleanor Donnington. No date or location of marriage.

--"Inscriptions from the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church at Westfield in New Jersey from the year 1740 to the year 1899", pg. 26, shows #285 Jennet, wife of Jonathan...died April 18, 1750, age 42.

Same page, #286, Prudence, widow of Jonathan...died Oct. 31, 1781, age 72.

Pg. 27, #698, Aaron, died Feb. 27, 1793, age 47. #700, Ruth, widow of Aaron; wife of Joseph Cory, died Nov. 28, 1818, age 68 yrs, 10 days.

No Eleanor Woodruff is listed in this publication.


--"History of Union County, New Jersey, 1664-1923", Vol. 3" by Abraham Van Doren Honeyman. Pub. 1923.

--"Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 4" by Patricia Law Hatcher. 1987 by Pioneer Heritage Press, Dallas, TX.

--"History of Elizabeth, New Jersey; including the Early History of Union County" by Rev. Edwin F. Hatfield, D.D. Pub. 1868.

--"History of the Borough of Mountainside, Union County, New Jersey, 1895-1945" by Jean Hesketh Hershey. Pub. 1976 by Westfield Press. Pg. 8..."Jonathan Woodruff lived in the valley between the highway and where the Children's County Home now is. He died in 1777."