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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02248 0641
MEMORIAL CYCLOPEDIA
OF NEW JERSEY V.2
UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF
MARY DEPUE OGDEN a
ADVISORY BOARD
MRS. GARRET A. HOBART, PATERSON.
MRS. JOSEPH D. BEDLE, JERSEY CITY.
MRS. HENRY S. WHITE,
MISS ELIZABETH STRONG, NEW BRUNSWICK.
RED BANK.
MRS. CRAIG A. MARSH, PLAINFIELD.
MISS MARGARET O. HAINES, BURLINGTON.
MRS. E. GAYLORD PUTNAM, ELIZABETH.
MISS SARAH NATHALIE DOUGHTY. ATLANTIC CITY.
MRS. JOHN MOSES, TRENTON.
MRS. WILLIAM NELSON, PATERSON.
, MRS. MARY ROBESON SMITH, BELVIDERE.
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VOLUME II.
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MEMORIAL HISTORY COMPANY NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 1915
·
MRS. R. V. W. FAIRCHILD, PARSIPPANY.
MRS. ANDREW SINNICKSON, SALEM.
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. DEUMA COLE
EM-SERVA
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COLES, Abraham,
Surgeon, Scholar, Statesman.
Abraham Coles, M. D., Ph. D., LL.D., son of Dennis and Catherine (Van Deur- sen) Coles, was born December 26, 1813, at Scotch Plains, New Jersey. His father was then living on the ancestral farm, which he had inherited, its title-deed antedating the Revolution. He was a man of sterling integrity, sound judgment, and rare literary taste. He had been for a number of years a printer and editor in Newburg, New York, of a newspaper-"The Recorder of the Times." Bound volumes of this paper were preserved and treasured by his son Abra- ham, in whom he early cultivated his fond- ness for study and for literature.
As a youth, Dr. Coles manifested a dil- igent interest in the acquisition of knowl- edge. His love of learning must have led him to private study, for at the age of sev- enteen he assisted Rev. Mr. Bond, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Plainfield, in his school, as teacher of Latin and math- ematics.
At eighteen years of age, he had resolved to study law, and entered the office of Chief Justice Joseph C. Hornblower, at Newark. He seems soon to have discovered that he could find a wider field for usefulness in the practice of medicine than of law, for, in less than a year, he left the office to study for the medical profession. His resolution to make himself acquainted with law, was, however, never shaken. Throughout his long life, his fondness for the law and his knowledge thereof were recognized and mentioned by Daniel Webster and others.
Having attended lectures at the Univer-
sity and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, and at Jefferson Col- lege, Philadelphia, he graduated at the lat- ter in 1835. Returning to his home, he made a profession of his Christian faith, uniting with the Scotch Plains Church, under the pastorate of the Rev. John Rog- ers. In 1836 he settled, for the practice of the medical profession, in Newark, New Jersey.
Those who knew him in early profession- al life can well recognize how, with his modesty, diffidence and reserve, he should thus far not have revealed the amount of knowledge he had acquired. Yet those who met him were impressed with his command- ing personality, his urbane and quiet dig- nity, and somehow felt themselves in the presence of a superior nature.
Besides thorough preparation in his pro- fession, he evidently had spent much of his time in the study of the classics, and had acquired an accurate knowledge there- of, such as is possessed by those who have by dint of personal effort worked their way into the genius and technicalities of a dead language.
In 1842 he married Caroline E. Acker- man, a good, noble, beautiful and ac- complished daughter of Jonathan C. and Maria (Smith) Ackerman, of New Bruns- wick, New Jersey. The same year he purchased for their home the premises No. 222 Market street, Newark, New Jersey, where their two children were born-Dr. J. Ackerman Coles, and Miss Emilie S. Coles. This homestead is still owned by them.
After the death of his adored wife, in 1848, he went abroad, spending most of his time in hospitals, and in the society of schol- ars and of the most eminent physicians and surgeons of Europe. He was in Paris dur-
NOTE .- This narrative is from the pen of the late Ezra M. Hunt, M.D., LL.D.
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ing the Revolution of June, 1848, which gave him special opportunities for surgical study.
When I as a student entered his office, in 1849, he was regarded as the most ac- complished practitioner of Newark, and eminent both for his professional and lit- erary acquirements. He had already found his practice sufficient to admit a partner, which he did all the more readily because seeking to secure more time for literary study, and the indulgence of his taste both in art and literature. He had been favored in and out of his profession with such pe- cuniary success-resulting mostly from ju- dicious investments in real estate-as en- abled him to continue in practice chiefly for the love of his calling. He was fond of clinical exactness, was often called upon in consultation, especially in surgical cases, and had that conscientious regard for the welfare of his patients which led him care- fully to study and observe, so as to be skill- ful in his treatment and devotedly attentive to those in his charge. In 1854, he again visited Europe. After an absence of seven- teen months, during which he made the con- tinental languages a study, he returned to his practice in Newark. He then devoted himself with increased knowledge and earnestness to professional work, and for many years, with another assistant, contin- ued in the active practice of his profession.
In 1862, under the direction of an emi- nent English landscape gardener, he began the laying out and beautifying of seven- teen acres of the ancestral farm at Scotch Plains, selecting for his plantings the choicest varieties of foreign and domestic trees, plants and shrubs. In one portion of this park, he located a reproduction of the famous labyrinth at Hampton Court, near London. In another part, he enclosed a large paddock for a herd of deer of his own raising. He built, subsequently, a house of brick and stone and native woods, in harmony with the grounds. In this he resided with his son and daughter, and was
a most genial and entertaining host. His large library with its contents was the special admiration of his many guests. Among the imported copies of antiques on the lawn is one of Æsculapius, and in the house Horatio Stone's marble bust of Har- vey, and other marbles, bronzes and paint- ings of the different schools by artists of the highest merit. On the highest point of his mountain-land opposite his home, he erected a handsome rustic tower, two stories high.
While retiring from the more active du- ties of a general practice, he was for many years daily at his Newark office; and also, as a favor, allowed many of those who liv- ed near his country home, "Deerhurst," to avail themselves of his advice. In fact, it cannot be said that he relinquished practice at all, or allowed his increasing literary dis- tinction and his business duties to interfere with his devotion to his chosen pursuit. He was eminently a physician, amid all other eminence. He delighted in his profes- sion, both as a science and as an art. He felt his calling to be a sacred one. It was a part of his ministry for the Master whom he loved to serve. He lived to assuage pain, and to be courageous in relieving sick- ness and postponing death ; rejoicing in the good lie was thus enabled to do for human- ity and for God.
How loyal he was to his profession, amid the greater glow of literary fame and the temptations of wealthy ease, let "The Mi- crocosm" testify. This poetic address of his, as president of the Medical Society of New Jersey in 1866, should be read and re- read by every physician as an inspiration to accurate knowledge, to close analysis, to professional enthusiasm, and to adoring love. It leaves a poor excuse for any of us, if we are not inspired by the theme of our studies, and the object of our life service. It does not ignore that which is material and world-wise, but it crowns it with that which is spiritual and eternal. It shows how we have a mission to fulfill; and how in-
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tegral and essential Christianity is to those who live to minister to their fellow-men in sickness and in death. As he expresses it in his note as to Vesalius: "The Divine Redeemer, the Incarnate Word, Maker of all things, Lord of life, is Lord also of the Sciences."
In the Physician's edition of "The Micro- cosm," as published by the Appletons, he introduces several illustrations. One is the portrait of Vesalius devoutly engaged in dissection, which he inserts as illustrative of these lines :
Dear God! this BODY, which, with wondrous art Thou hast contrived, and finished part by part, Itself a universe, a lesser all,
The greater cosmos crowded in the small- I kneel before it, as a thing divine;
For such as this, did actually enshrine
Thy gracious Godhead once, when Thou didst make
Thyself incarnate, for my sinful sake. Thou who hast done so very much for me, O let me do some humble thing for Thee! I would to every Organ give a tongue, That Thy high praises may be fitly sung ; Appropriate ministries assign to each,
The least make vocal, eloquent to teach.
Another is Rembrandt's well-known "Lesson in Anatomy," which he inserts with the description, beginning thus :
The subject MUSCLES-girded to fulfill The lightning mandates of the sovereign Will- Th' abounding means of motion, wherein lurk Man's infinite capacity for work.
A third is "Harvey Demonstrating to Charles I. his theory of the Circulation of the Blood":
Make room, my HEART! that pour'st thyself abroad,
Deep, central, awful mystery of God!
Well may he be called the Physician- Poet! He received the degree of A. M. from Rutgers College. In 1860 he received the degree of Ph.D. from Lewisburg Uni- versity, and that of LL.D. from Princeton College in 1871.
Dr. Coles had reached such a vigorous old age as still to promise many years of life. In the early Spring (1891), he had the prevailing influenza, which left him with a cough, and some mild symptoms which puzzled him, as they have so many others, but which seemed to give no occa- sion for alarm. As a recreation, he pro- posed a trip to California with his son and daughter and a sister-in-law. They left home April 14th. The trip was a disap- pointing one, for, although his powerful constitution enabled him to go everywhere, his cough defied all treatment, and by rea- son thereof he grew weaker instead of stronger. After a week's stay at the beau- tiful Hotel del Monte, California, where he received every possible courtesy and at- tention, heart complication suddenly set in as a sequel to la grippe. Unable to recline, he calmly realized the serious nature of his symptoms, and with words of Christian faith and love, passed away, (May 3d, 1891), to be, as one of his own hymns so well expresses it-"Ever, my Lord, with Thee."
The funeral of Dr. Coles took place in the commodious Peddie Memorial Church, Newark, New Jersey, May 29th, and was largely attended by his medical and literary friends and those in other walks of life who had known him in the various relations he had sustained. Appreciatory letters were received by his family from the Uni- versities of Oxford and Cambridge, Eng- land; from the Royal Society, London ; from the Academie des Sciences, Paris ; from the home of Tennyson, Isle of Wight ; from the Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C .; from James Russell Lowell; Oliver Wendell Holmes and others.
The appropriate rendering of Dr. Coles' following hymns by Prof. Bauman, organ- ist, and Mr. Sauvage and the choir, added solemnity to the occasion, and emphasis to the many tributes to Dr. Coles's earnest Christian life :
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"EVER MY LORD WITH THEE." TUNE-"Bethany." Ever, my Lord, with Thee, Ever with Thee! Through all eternity Thy face to see! I count this Heaven to be Ever, my Lord, with Thee!
Fair is Jerusalem, All of pure gold, Garnished with many a gem Of worth untold; I only ask, to be
Ever, my Lord, with Thee, Ever with Thee!
River of Life there flows As crystal clear ; The Tree of Life there grows For healing near ; But this crowns all, to be Ever, my Lord, with Thee, Ever with Thee!
No curse is there, no night, No grief, no fear; Thy smile fills Heaven with light, Dries every tear ; What rapture, then to be
Ever, my Lord, with Thee, Ever with Thee!
"ALL THE DAYS."
Original music by W. F. Sherwin.
From Thee, begetting sure conviction, Sound out, O risen Lord! always, Those faithful words of valediction "Lo! I am with you all the days."
REFRAIN. "Lo! I am with you all the days," All the days, All the days. "Lo! I am with you all the days."
What things shall happen on the morrow, Thou kindly hidest from our gaze : But tellest us in joy or sorrow, "Lo! I am with you all the days."
REFRAIN.
When round our head the tempest rages, And sink our feet in miry ways; Thy voice comes floating down the ages "Lo! I am with you all the days."
REFRAIN.
O Thou who art our life and meetness, Not death shall daunt us nor amaze,
Hearing those words of power and sweetness, "Lo! I am with you all the days." REFRAIN.
JESU DULCIS MEMORIA (BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX.)
TUNE-Emmanuel-Ludwig Von Beethoven (Translation by Abraham Coles).
The memory of Jesus' Name Is past expression sweet : At each dear mention hearts aflame With quicker pulses beat !
But sweet above all sweetest things Creation can afford, That sweetness which His presence brings, The vision of the Lord.
Sweeter than His dear Name is naught; None worthier of laud, Was ever sung, or heard, or thought, Than Jesus, Son of God.
Thou hope, to those of contrite heart; To those who ask, how kind! To those who seek, how good Thou art! But what to those who find?
No heart is able to conceive, Nor tongue, nor pen express ; Who tries it only can believe How choice that blessedness!
"HERE ARE PARTINGS AND PAINFUL FAREWELLS."
TUNE-"The Sweet By and By." Here are partings and painful farewells And the sundering of tenderest ties ; In that Heavenly Land where He dwells, God shall wipe away tears from all eyes-
CHORUS. "In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore."
Here the pilgrim can scarcely discern The reward for the tears that he sheds; But the ransomed with songs shall return With perpetual joy on their heads-
CHORUS. "In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore."
The interment was by the side of his wife, in Willow Grove Cemetery, New Brunswick, New Jersey. The grave is
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designated by a granite monolith bearing a bronze medallion portrait of Dr. Coles.
This sketch would be incomplete withi- out some fuller allusion to his literary la- bors, and to the marked traits of his char- acter.
Soon after he settled in Newark, he be- came a contributor to the "Newark Daily Advertiser," and early showed an interest in education, in a public library, in temper- ance movements, and in all objects looking to the welfare of society. Rarely attending any public meetings, he gave expression to his views in an occasional address, and in the columns of the daily journals.
In poetry and prose, his literary taste and learning soon came to be recognized, and he had a local reputation long before lie was more generally known .* It was, per- haps, his first translation of "Dies Ira" (1847), that we here quote, that arrested the attention of linguists and scholars throughout the world. It was a difficult task to undertake, as there were several versifications of it by authors of classical note and learning. As he followed it, from time to time, with sixteen other versions, it was seen what opulence of resource was at his command.
DIES IRAE.
Translation published March 17, 1847, (in the Newark Daily Advertiser).
Day of wrath, that day of burning, All shall melt, to ashes turning, As foretold by seers discerning.
O what fear shall it engender When the Judge shall come in splendor, Strict to mark and just to render.
Trumpet scattering sounds of wonder, Rending sepulchers asunder, Shall resistless summons thunder.
*The catalogues of many of the libraries of Europe, especially those of Oxford and Cam- bridge, England, show the possession of one or more of the published works of Dr. Abraham Coles.
All aghast then Death shall shiver And great Nature's frame shall quiver, When the graves their dead deliver.
Book where every act's recorded, i
All events all time afforded, Shall be brought and dooms awarded.
When shall sit the Judge unerring, He'll unfold all here occurring, No just vengeance then deferring.
What shall I say that time pending? Ask what Advocate's befriending When the just man needs defending?
King almighty and all knowing, Grace to. sinners freely showing Save me, Fount of good o'erflowing.
Think, O Jesus, for what reason Thou endurest earth's spite and treason, Nor me lose in that dread season.
Seeking me Thy worn feet hasted, On the cross Thy soul death tasted, Let such labor not be wasted.
Righteous Judge of retribution, Grant me perfect absolution Ere that day of execution.
Culprit-like, I, heart all broken, On my cheek shame's crimson token, Plead the pardoning word be spoken.
Thou who Mary gav'st remission, Heard'st the dying Thief's petition, Cheer'st with hope my lost condition.
Though my prayers do nothing merit, What is needful, Thou confer it, Lest I endless fire inherit.
Mid the sheep a place decide me, And from goats on left divide me, Standing on the right beside Thee.
When th' accursed away are driven, In eternal burnings given, Call me with the bless'd to Heav'n.
I beseech Thee, prostrate lying, Heart as ashes, contrite, sighing, Care for me when I am dying.
On that awful day of wailing Human destinies unveiling, When man rising stands before Thee, Spare the culprit ; God of Glory.
Rev. Dr. Philip Schaff, in his recent work, "Literature and Poetry," says, "A
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physician, Abraham Coles, has made of the 'Dies Iræ' seventeen versions, which show a rare fertility and versatility, and illustrate the possibilities of versification without al- tering the sense." "In the eleventh stanza of his first translation of 1847, he had an- ticipated Irons, Périès, Dix and Mills. * * * Other rhymes are borrowed from Dr. Coles."
His translations of various other Latin hymns, as contained in his volume, "Latin Hymns with Original Translations," will ever be the admiration of scholars. "The Evangel," and "The Light of the World." give the Gospel story of our Lord in verse, with notes full of devotion and learning. His great love to Christ was his crowning excellence.
John G. Whittier says: "Dr. Coles is a born hymn writer. He has left us, as a leg- acy of inestimable worth, some of the sweetest of Christian hymns. His 'All the Days' and his 'Ever with Thee' are immor- tal songs. It is better to have written them than the stateliest of epics. No man living or dead has so rendered the text and the spirit of the old and wonderful Latin hymns."
While these studies show his profound learning in the Greek and Latin languages, it is only when we look to the studies of his last years, in "A New Rendering of the Hebrew Psalms into English Verse," that we come to know of his knowledge of Ori- ental languages ; of the vast realms of schol- arship he had explored. But his stately and commanding prose has almost been obscur- ed by his poetry. The marvel of all his books is in their introductions and notes. Whole folios of recondite learning are opened up in modest foot-notes, and the reader knows he is in company with one who has been delving and digging in the richest mines of unexplored knowledge. His sharp, quick sentences of introduction, and the grasp which he shows of his theme, are at once an admiration and a surprise.
His style has individuality as much as
that of Dr. Johnson or of Thomas Carlyle. One constantly sees how thoughts sublime find expression in terse and stately senten- ces, and how words are chosen such as come out of the depths of inspiration and genius. There is not conformity to the style of any favorite author, or to the modes of thought of any formal logician, but a forging of weighty words, wrought out from the depths of great inner feelings and conceptions. Others will more fully ana- lyze these mementoes of his greatness, but we, as physicians, may well linger in admir- ation, and rejoice that one of our own Soci- ety should have thus adorned a literature already rich in contributions from those educated in medical science, and proficient in medical art.
But the crown of all was his wonderful character. He did everything with con- scientious precision and thoroughness : he was always after the depth of things. How he would sometimes work over the word- ing of a line. and then over a note that brought out its fullest meaning. So, too. he worked in his profession.
His respectful bearing toward all had its seat in a profound reverence. He was rev- erent of humanity because of his intense reverence for God and all His works. He studied nature and the Bible and the inner consciousness of the spiritual life with the same majestic, adoring insight. He was not religious by an effort. "I have," says Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, "always consider- ed it a great privilege to enjoy the friend- ship of so pure and lofty a spirit; a man who seemed to breathe holiness as his na- tive atmosphere. and to carry its influences into his daily life."
Had he not been a poet, he would have been painter, or musical composer. because in no other way could his adoring enthus- iasm have found symmetrical expression.
When he issued a book. its typographical execution must be complete. He visited the great picture galleries of Europe, and at large expense selected the choicest speci-
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MARBLE -ON LEFT - EVE BY HIRAM POWERS . COPY OF WARWICK VASE. WALTER SCOTT,BY CHANTREY. ON RIGHT - CHARITY BY HIRAM POWERS"THE BLACKSMITH"
BY SHAKESPEARE WOOD. IN THE CENTER-DR COLES.BY IQ AWARD 'DEBORAH BY LOMBARDI BRONZES-WASHINGTON & FRANKLIN BY HOUDON
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mens of ancient art to illustrate his themes. These gave expression to his character not less than to his taste.
When he wrote hymns it was because the inner music of his soul had to be set to met- rical expression. He was a genius, but it was chiefly character and life that flowed out through his writings.
He became familiar with little children easier than with all others, because in them he saw more of nature, and more of faith, hope and charity.
He believed in his profession, because in it he realized the possibilities of high science and applied art for the uses of hu- manity, and so could be co-worker with the Great Physician who went about doing good. We cherish his memory because we cherish skill, character, usefulness, and re- joice in having such a model. Such lives do not die, but live as incentives for those of all the ages. We cannot reach his fame. but we can imitate his devotion to knowl- edge, his reverence for life and goodness, his desire for usefulness. his holy faith. his humble affection for the good, the beau- tiful, the true.
The invaluable large painting that hangs in the State House at Trenton, New Jer- sey, has a very interesting history, as re- corded in the following letter of March 29, 1897, addressed to the Hon. John W. Griggs, LL.D., while Governor of New Jersey, by Dr. J. A. Coles, in which he says :
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"I am the 'owner of the celebrated oil painting. known as 'The Good Samaritan,' by our distin- guished American artist Daniel Huntington. The picture, with its frame, measures about nine feet in width, by eleven feet in height. It was exe- cuted by Daniel Huntington in his studio in Paris, France, in the years 1852-3, in illustration of the second great commandment of the Law, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' Here, with wonderful skill, is vividly portrayed the arrival at the inn, and the respectful attention given to the orders of 'The Good Samaritan.' Mr. Hunt- ington informs me that while engaged on this painting he was visited in his studio by Paul Dela- roche, the eminent historical painter of France, who took a deep interest in the progress of his
work, and by friendly suggestions as to detail, color, etc., rendered him much assistance, a cir- cumstance which adds immensely to the value of this picture, as it may be regarded as the joint work of these two great master minds. After its completion, requiring several months, it was af- ter attracting much attention in Paris, sent to this country, exhibited at the National Academy. then on Broadway, and formed one of the chief attractions at the Sanitary Fair Exhibition of Paintings held in Fourteenth Street, New York City, during the late civil war.
"Mr. Huntington, having learned that I con- templated giving this picture through you to the people of New Jersey, in memory of my father, wrote to me a few weeks ago, suggesting that I should first send the canvas to his studio, in New York City, and leave it with him for a month, in order that he might retouch and restore any in- juries done to it by the hand of time. This I have done and Mr. Huntington has not only gone over the whole canvas, but has, at the suggestion and request of friends, introduced a portrait of him- self, as the host of the inn, a very valuable addi- tion. I have, also. had the artistic and beautiful frame relaid with the best of gold leaf.
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