USA > New Jersey > Morris County > A history of Morris County, New Jersey : embracing upwards of two centuries, 1710-1913, Volume I > Part 20
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Jersey, and on May 14, 1895, was honored by an election as permanent delegate to the state society. He was a delegate to and was made a member of the American Medical Association at its semi-centennial meeting in Phila- delphia, July 1-4, 1897.
On October 20, 1869, Dr. Farrow was united in marriage to Miss Alice Trimmer, a daughter of Anthony and Mary (Wise) Trimmer. Mrs. Farrow was born in 1850, and died in 1892, mourned by many friends. To Dr. and Mrs. Farrow were born five children. Joseph Rusling Smith, the eldest, born October 2, 1870, attended Hackettstown Institute and the Brewster private preparatory school of Chester, New Jersey, and soon afterward began the study of medicine in his father's office. Later he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York City, and subsequenty became a student in Long Island College Hospital, wherein he was graduated in 1892. He was married, October 23, 1895, to Anna T., daughter of William N. and Emma (Trimmer) Swackhamer, and September 8, 1896, a son was born to them, to whom they gave the name of Levi. Dr. J. R. Farrow located in German Valley, September 4, 1893. His dignified yet quiet unassuming ways soon won him the confidence and esteem of the community, while his pro- fessional skill and courteous deportment brought a liberal, growing patronage. His health was never good after a serious illness from which he suffered in the fall of 1896, and though he was somewhat better for a time, he gradually declined, passing away June 23, 1898, after completing about five years in the practice of his chosen profession. On the 8th of May, 1894, he joined the Morris County Medical Society, was connected with several fraternal associations, including the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias, and was an active member of the German Valley Presbyterian Church. His brief life was well rounded out. He was ready; Death had no terrors for him; he died as he had lived-a Christion gentleman, with a Christian's inspiring hope of a blissful immortality. Frank Pierce Farrow, the younger son of our subject, was born April 1, 1872, and was graduated in the Pennsylvania Col- lege of Dental Surgery in 1893. He was married, June 20, 1895, to Miss Edna Crevling, a daughter of Jacob and Hattie Crevling, of Washington, New Jersey. at which place Dr. Frank Farrow practiced dentistry until his death, February, 1906. He had three children: Alice Carolyn, Max and Franklyn. Two other sons of this family, John W. and Charles Alden, died in childhood, while Luella B., the only daughter, married George R. Osmun, and lives in Hackettstown.
The following lines were written by Dr. Levi Farrow, who was secre- tary of the Morris County Medical Society for sixteen years. They were found on page 132 of the old minute book, with the headline. "A Grateful Testimonial." While we heartily endorse every word the doctor has so beautifully said about his son "Joe," while we are pleased to make use of this in our history of medical men, we would emphasize that this spirit was characteristic of Dr. Levi Farrow, and is a testimonial to his worth, as well as his son.
A Grateful Testimonial-Much of the minutes since 1886 (and especially includ- ing the typewritten) were transcribed by my son, the late J. R. S. Farrow, M.D., of German Valley, N. J., to whom I was greatly indebted for the kind offices. He was a member of this society, proposed for membership by Dr. I. W. Condict, at Madison, N. J., May 9th, 1893, and unanimously elected to full membership at Dover, N. J., Dec. 12th, 1893, and signed constitution and by-laws May 8th, 1894. He was a student at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and Long Island College Hospital of Brooklyn, N. Y., and was graduated March 23rd, 1892, and passed New Jersey and New York State Medical Examining Boards; located at German Valley, N. J., Sept. 4th, 1893. Was taken ill about Jan. Ist, 1898, and died June 23rd, 1898,
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his obituary appearing in the Transactions of the New Jersey Medical Society for that year. Aged about 28 years. A widow and one child, a son, survive him. A short life, but a busy and successful one, he keeping in touch with his patients and business, up to the last day of his life, and meeting death without fear, and with triumphant Christian hope and resignation.
(L. F.) May 2Ist, 1902.
Leonard Bright, M. D., was the son of Thomas Bright and Ellen Roe- buck. The doctor died suddenly at the early age of 35, from cerebral hemorrhage, occasioned from over-exertion while running to catch a train at the Sparta Junction in October, 1888.
The doctor had made splendid preparation for the work he had chosen. After pursuing the usual studies in public school, he went to the Academy in Mendham, preparatory to entering Ann Arbor in Michigan, where he re- ceived his first diploma. He afterward took a special course at Montpelier, Vermont, and later, a one-year course in surgery and medicine in the Colum- bia College in New York. He also worked with Dr. Pellet at Hamburg for one year. His first and only location was Woodport and Berkshire Valley, where he worked till his death. The doctor was proprietor of the Berkshire Hotel, and had his office there.
He was married to Jennie Merritt, and had two children, Elvea E. and Lexie, both of whom are living with the widow in Newark. The doctor was placed at rest in the Hurdtown family plot, where a large monument has been erected to his memory.
Henry Clay Wiggins, of Succasunna, now living in retirement, was one of the early members of the Morris County Medical Society soon after its reorganization in 1873. Dr. Wiggins was born at Luxemburg (Wharton) which was then known as Port Oram, June 13, 1844. He is the son of William Fordham Wiggins and Susan Harrison Doughty. The doctor was one of a family of seven, three boys and four girls.
Dr. Wiggins received his early education in Dover, New Jersey, after- wards pursuing his studies at Fort Edward Institute, Washington county, New York. Later he took up the study of medicine, reading four years with Dr. Joseph Hedges, of Stanhope, completing his course at Albany Med- ical College, graduating in 1874. He located at Succasunna, practicing his profession for about fifteen years, but owing to his health failing under the strain of a large practice, he was obliged to relinquish. Dr. N. H. Adsit took the field made vacant by Dr. Henry Clay Wiggins.
George Sumner Dearborn, M. D., was a native of the state of Maine. The father of the doctor was George H .; his mother was also of New Eng- land blood, from the same state, Lucy Thalia Pullen.
Dr. Dearborn was born in Winthrop, Maine, July 2, 1834, and died in Rockaway, New Jersey, March 25, 1906. His career is one of interest, and would require a great deal of space to do him justice. He was unassuming, modest, and reserved, and all that his heart and mind cherished, could not be realized by his many friends and acquaintances who never tire of speaking kindly of the doctor.
Dr. Dearborn, after his early years in public school, entered Monmouth Academy near his home, where he was prepared for teaching, which he fol- lowed for a few years ; a while in his own state and later in Hunterdon and Warren counties, New Jersey. In the study of medicine, which the doctor had chosen as a profession, he began in Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, completing his course in Albany Medical College, graduating on the ninth of June, 1857. After receiving his degree he engaged as drug clerk in a phar- macy at Washington, New Jersey, which position was held for a short time.
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The doctor enlisted in the army in the Civil War as assistant surgeon, going out with the 15th Regiment of New Jersey. Owing to ill health, he was unable to follow his regiment, and was obliged to resign. He was, however, placed on the staff in a hospital near Washington, D. C., holding the same rank as when engaged with his regiment. Dr. Dearborn remained on duty at the hospital until near the close of the war. It was while the doctor was still engaged on hospital duty that he was married to Miss Lucy A. Herrick, April 5, 1862. Mrs. Dearborn, like the doctor, came from good New England stock, hailing from the same state as her husband, but was engaged in teach- ing in the public school at Washington, New Jersey.
At the close of the war, Dr. Dearborn "hung out his shingle" in Oxford, New Jersey. There for twenty-five years he practiced his profession. Owing to a depression in the iron industry, Oxford suffered, and many of her valued citizens were obliged to seek homes elsewhere. The doctor came to Rockaway, New Jersey, in 1891, where he finished his course, working up to within nine days of his death. His widow is still living in Rockaway. The surviving children are George Herrick Dearborn and Thalia Amanda Dearborn. The doctor's remains were buried in the Rockaway Cemetery.
George O. Cummins, M. D., was born in 1843, at Vienna, Warren county, New Jersey, January 2. His ancestry can be traced back to Flanders in Europe, who came early to this country, and settled in New Jersey. His great-grandparents were born in New Jersey, as were also his grandparents -- George and Susan (Johnson ) Cummins.
The doctor was the son of Johnson J. and Matilda W. (Emery) Cum- mins, both natives of Warren county, where the father followed occupation of farming. The mother was a daughter of William Emery. After an ele- mentary education in the public school he entered the Pennington Seminary, Pennington, New Jersey. In the fall of 1863 he matriculated in Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut, pursuing his studies here for two years. The doctor received his degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was graduated March 13, 1868. His professional career was be- gun in Hackettstown, where he remained for one year. In November. 1869, the doctor was wedded to Miss Hattie R. Wade, of Hackettstown, a daughter of Morris Wade. The doctor and Mrs. Cummins removed to Dover, New Jersey, January 1, 1870, where he was engaged in an extensive practice until his death, which came February 14, 1905. His wife lived but five or six years after marriage, dying in August, 1876.
The doctor was united in a second marriage to Addie Lanterman, who was engaged in the public school at Dover at the time of marriage. His widow still survives. No children are credited to either union. The doctor had long been a member of the Morris County Medical Society.
Calvin Anderson, M. D., was liberally educated, and thus fitted for life's practical duties. He was born in New York City, June 10, 1841. His father, Rev. William Anderson, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, was a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church. The Anderson family is of English origin, and was founded in America in colonial days.
The doctor was the second in birth of a family of ten children. He was a student in Norwich Academy for some time, being numbered among the graduates of 1859. He afterwards attended Columbia Medical College of New York, graduating in the class of 1865. Dr. E. J. Rapelye was his preceptor prior to his college course. The first practice by Dr. Anderson was at Hanover, Morris county, New Jersey. In 1869 he came to Madison, and here he worked until he died. Few men stood higher in the respect of
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the medical family than Dr. Calvin Anderson. In 1873 he married Miss Mary Bouker, of Jersey City, a daughter of John A. and Sarah E. (Sim- mons) Bouker, both representatives of old New Jersey families. Four chil- dren were theirs as the result of this marriage. The doctor was an active member of the County Society, and was connected with the staff of All Souls' Hospital.
Edward Sutton, M. D., was the son of O. S. Sutton, of Parker, New Jersey, a small village between Chester and Fairmount, Hunterdon county. He was born January 7, 1866. He remained on the farm until he was six- teen, and then went to Newark, and pursued a course of study in the Newark Business College. He began reading medicine under the direction of Dr. Joseph C. Young, of Newark, with whom he remained three years. He entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1885, from which insti- tution he was graduated in 1888.
After graduation, he was accepted on the staff of St. Michael's Hospital, Newark. The doctor "hung out his shingle" in German Valley, New Jersey, in 1891. Being endowed by nature with intellectual strength and also prop- erly qualified for the profession, he was destined to succeed. He commanded a large practice. He was a member of the Morris County Medical Society. February 26, 1895, Dr. Sutton was married to Miss Mary Hyde, a daughter of Nelson Hyde, of German Valley. The doctor died an untimely death in the year 1907.
Charles Nelson Miller, M. D., was by birth a native of Brooklyn, New York. His birthday was August 3, 1862. He died January 14, 1906, having only lived forty-three years and five months. He was the son of William H. and Margaret E. Miller of Brooklyn, and later of Woodbridge, New Jersey.
After a common school education, he entered Bellevue Medical College of New York City, receiving his diploma from this institution in 1883. Soon after graduation he began his professional career in Ogdensburg, New York. Here he met with a great loss by fire, which destroyed everything he pos- sessed. He returned to his home having been but one year at work. Not until 1889 did the doctor engage in active practice again, when in the autumn of '89 he purchased the practice offered him by Dr. Darwin M. Crawford, of Flanders. Here Dr. Miller was domiciled for nine years. Dr. Joseph Farrow, of German Valley, died, creating a vacancy in that field. Dr. Miller then moved to German Valley, December 1, 1898. Being only a few miles from Flanders, he was enabled to hold a part of the old territory, while he built up a new practice in the Valley. And there he died. The doctor was a bright student, had a retentive memory, very heroic in his undertaking, hav- ing the qualities which go to make a surgeon, which he was to no mean degree. He was credited with a number of major operations. Like others in the profession, could he have had better opportunity, he could have left his mark. Nevertheless, he did well and while fortune did not come his way in dollars and cents, he was a man of many sterling qualities.
January 2, 1891, Dr. Miller married Margaret C. Drake, a daughter of Hon. Nelson H. and Mary C. Drake, of Flanders. The widow survives and is now living at German Valley.
The doctor, having a marked social quality, made many friends. He was a member and a trustee of the Presbyterian church of German Valley; also of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Roxbury Lodge, of Suc- casunna ; and of Monitor Council, Junior Order United American Mechanics, and other social circles of minor importance. Dr. Charles W. Miller was a valuable member of the Morris County Medical Society. He was made president in 1897, and was very generous in his contributions to the Society.
CHAPTER XI.
THE TOWNSHIPS.
MORRIS-HANOVER-PEQUANNOCK-CHATHAM-RANDOLPH-PASSAIC- ROCKAWAY-ROXBURY-WASHINGTON-CHESTER-BOONTON-JEF- FERSON-MENDHAM-MONTVILLE-MOUNT OLIVE-DENVILLE.
MORRIS TOWNSHIP
The Morris township of today, encircling as it does the county seat Morristown, bears little likeness to the great tract originally allotted by the "General Sessions of the Peace," which met at Morristown for the first time March 25, 1740, at the hotel of Jacob Ford, one of the judges. The first business of that court was to divide the newly created county of Morris into townships. This was done by the separation of the territory into three town- ships, Morris, Pequannock and Hanover. The bounds of each were rather vaguely fixed, but as known by the landmarks of today were about as fol- lows: Pequannock included all the territory from the river of the same name, south to the Rockaway river and west to Lake Hopatcong; Hanover township was bounded north by the Rockaway river, east by the Passaic river and south by a road passing through the later township of Chatham, near the village of Madison, and so to and along the road which forms the present boundary between Morris and Hanover, to the present Randolph line, and by a line thence across the mountains to Succasunna Plains, and from there to the lower end of Lake Hopatcong, where all the townships met; Morris township included all that part of the county not lying within the limits of the other two townships. But piece by piece it has been dis- membered, Roxbury township being first taken, then Mendham was erected in 1749, these five townships remaining intact for forty-five years.
But decrease in size has been met by increase in population and in wealth. In 1912 the real estate of the township was assessed at $3,729,900; personal property at $605,000. The population, which in 1890 was 1899, had in 1900 increased to 2571, and in 1910 numbered 3141.
The township as now constituted is bounded north and east by Hanover, on the east by Florham Park and Madison boroughs, south by Passaic and west by Mendham townships. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western rail- road enters the township at Convent Station, passing through Morristown, leaving the township at Morris Plains. Convent is the only station in the township proper and is located at the very border, the township line passing through the buildings of the College of Saint Elizabeth, from which the station derives its name. There are also located the hand- some grounds of the Morris County Golf Club and the famous "Punch Bowl," a reminder of the glacial period. The Whippany river rises in Mend- ham township, courses through Morris in a general easterly direction, pass- ing through Morristown, thence into Hanover township to Whippany and on to its junction with the Rockaway. Good roads cross the township, radiating from Morristown in every direction. Since the closing down of the Rock- away Valley railroad, the villages along that line are dependent upon auto stages for communication with the railroad towns; this and the demands of automobilists and urban necessities have compelled roads of the most modern construction. There is considerable land in the township not available for
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cultivation, a great deal of it being wooded or low, but all suitable sites are occupied with fertile farms, or as summer homes of wealthy owners. The farms of the township are to a very large degree cultivated by their owners, either in person or through managers, there being few tenant farmers.
The Morris County Almshouse is located in the extreme northwestern part of the township, near the State Hospital for the Insane.
Four public schools are located in the township outside of Morristown: Collinsville, Morris Plains, Hillside and South Street, employing ten regular teachers with special teachers in drawing, manual training, domestic science, and a supervising principal. The teachers are: Supervising principal, Roy L. Shaffer ; manual training, John W. Robertson; domestic science, Helen Strassberger; drawing, Lela L. Quimby; Collinsville-grammar, Almina J. Youngs ; primary, Eugenia B. Archer ; Morris Plains-grammar, Mabel S. Herr; primary, Minnie T. Gillespie; Hillside-grammar, F. Willard Furth ; intermediate, Jessie B. MacFarlane; primary, Helen S. Muir; South Street -grammar, George H. Kiser ; intermediate, Margaret C. Murphy ; primary, Abbie E. Johnson. The total enrollment of scholars in the four schools was 402, and the average daily attendance for the school year of 1912-13, was 291. The operating expenses of the schools amounted to $20,252.23. The township officers for the year 1913 were: Chosen freeholder, Harry L. Pruden; clerk, J. Paul Jamieson; assessor, Thomas T. Sands; collector, William H. Thompson; treasurer, Watson A. Bartow; township committee -Watson A. Bartow, Lewis E. Clark, Willis H. Dutton; constable, James H. Brant ; overseer of the poor, James H. Brant; justice of the peace, Rob- ert F. Sands ; commissioners of deeds-W. H. Thompson, Harry L. Pruden, Mary Agnes Sharkey, Alice D. Smith.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP
Hanover township extends from Boonton and Montville townships on the north to Chatham on the south, and from the Passaic river and the Rockaway river on the east to Rockaway and Morris townships on the west. Its northern point is crossed by the Boonton branch of the D., L. & W. rail- road; its western by the Morris & Essex division. The Whippany river flows across the southern part from west to east, emptying into the Rocka- way just above its junction with the Passaic. It is one of three original townships of Morris county, and at first comprised much more territory than at present. Portions were taken, and made or added to other town- ships, the final subtraction from this area being in 1844, when Rockaway township was erected.
The Whippany river afforded numerous mill sites which have been occupied since the earliest settlement. The Parsippany river, a beautiful stream, flowing into the Whippany, fed mostly by springs, also affords sev- eral mill sites, as does Stony Brook, which rising in Wheeler Swamp pur- sues a short but rapid course to its junction with the Whippany, near the Caledonia paper mill. The Morristown & Erie railroad crosses the town- ship from Morristown to a junction with the Greenwood Lake division of the Erie railroad. On this branch is located Whippany, the principal village of the township, a thriving manufacturing community of about 1000 inhab- itants, mostly engaged in the paper and cotton mills. Parsippany, next in importance, is about three miles north of Whippany, on the Parsippany river. Other villages of the township are Morris Plains, Troy Hills, Little- ton, and Hanover. The rural beauties of these villages, in fact, of nearly all parts of the township are most pleasing to the eye. Beautiful homes,
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with flower and shrub and fruit laden grounds, stand everywhere, by smooth roads and tumbling streams. Mountain Lakes is a rural community of two hundred homes, built entirely around the beautiful lakes that give it name, the homes built in every style the architect's fancy could devise. The township is a wonderful summer playground, and as its charms are becoming better known, each summer sees a greater number of visitors. This is true of all southern townships of the county, that are easily reached by steam, trolley or other conveyance.
The early settlers were mainly from the New England settlements of Newark and Elizabeth, inheriting the religious and moral nature of their ancestors, and in turn, transmitting these traits to their descendants. Thus, Hanover has always been one of the most moral and orderly communities in the county. Strong local attachment is also a characteristic, long tenure of farms under one name being the rule. The first military company in the county was formed at Whippany, in 1775, under command of Captain Morris. Rev. Samuel M. Phelps, pastor of the Parsippany Presbyterian Church, at the head of 180 men, volunteered for service in the war of 1812. Captain Yard's company of infantry that fought in the Mexican war, was largely composed of volunteers from Hanover township, and in the War between the States, 1861-65, the township was well represented in the Union army.
The soil is fertile, the township ranking as a dairy section, stock raising and dairy farming having grown to be extensive and profitable. The first can of milk shipped to New York was from the farm of William F. Smith, of Parsipanny, about 1840, he shipping it direct to a retailer. This was the beginning of what later became perhaps the leading agricultural pursuit of the township.
The people of Hanover engaged in iron manufacture at an early date. With iron ore to be had by picking it up on the surface; with streams offer- ing power sites at small cost; with forests from which to make charcoal, and needy markets near by-it is little wonder that such inducements were heeded. Notwithstanding the difficulty of transportation, the business was remunerative, and induced the erection of at least three forges on the Whip- pany, and two upon its tributaries at Troy and Malapardis, while a sixth was located on the Hanover side of the Rockaway, at old Boonton. Bar iron was undoubtedly the exclusive output of these forges, except the one at old Boonton, but no reliable statistics are available. As wood for charcoal be- came scarcer, and transportation charges increased, iron making was aban- doned in Hanover, except in the mountainous part, and other manufacturing took its place. About 1810 Abraham Fairchild set up the first carding and spinning machines in the township. These were brought from the New York State Prison, and set up in a building that stood where later the woolen mill of G. R. Fairchild was built, at Malapardis.
At Whippany, about the year 1800, Jacob Gray and Cornelius Voorhees bought of William Maher the paper mill standing on the site of the Cale- donia mill, the original site having been occupied by a grist mill. Soon after- ward Joseph Bleything bought the mill and introduced the best papermaking machine then known, putting in operation in 1830 the first Foudinier machine in New Jersey. In 1843, Gaunt & Derrickson purchased the site and that of the Phoenix mill, next above, rebuilt them, and continued their operation until their sale to Daniel Coghlan in 1847. Mr. Coghlan also pur- chased the Jefferson mill, near Monroe, which he operated until its destruc- tion by fire in 1861. From 1860 to 1870 the Caledonia mill produced an-
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