USA > New Jersey > Morris County > A history of Morris County, New Jersey : embracing upwards of two centuries, 1710-1913, Volume I > Part 46
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Fee paid. DAVID DAY, Clerk.
There was considerable practice of kidnapping in this vicinity in these days of slavery. The following incident was related by Mr. William Budd, concerning a slave girl of Dr. John C. Budd. So bold were these kidnappers that on an evening in the year 1814, while the family were at tea, they came through the back door of Budd's house into the kitchen with a large plaster which on catching her was placed hastily over the mouth of the slave. In their attempt to take her from the kitchen, she caught hold of the cupboard filled with dishes and upset the same. This aroused the family and the poor girl was left behind by the kidnappers, who were fortunate in escaping. Many incidents of this kind happened within our vicinity during the time of the holding of slaves. Kidnapping was a business with some of the repro- bates of New York City and other towns. The following advertisement taken from the files of the New Jersey Journal suggests the difficulties en- countered by slaveholders of this vicinity :
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD-Ran away from the subscriber, early this morning, from Mr. John Leary's, at Chatham, a negro man named Scipio, about 5 feet 9 inches high, about 45 years old, not married, with a flat face and nose, large eyes, and grey hair on his head; he had on a claret colored short coat, with lapels, a gold lace or old plain hat, short waistcoat, and leather breeches, a pair of shoes without buckles. He had a bundle with him containing four shirts, a blanket, and a pair of breeches, etc. Whoever will take up said negro, and deliver him to Captain Jacob Arnold, at Morris Town, shall have the above reward, and all reasonable charges paid by
JOHN BARRERE.
Civil War Period-When the Civil War broke out, the patriotic spirit of the citizens of Chatham was shown by the way in which its sons responded to the national call for the defense of the Union. About ten per cent of the male population of the town left their homes and enlisted.
Again the custom of erecting a liberty pole established in Revolutionary times was participated in, however the location was not the same since the center of the village was changed. It was no longer east of the Passaic. The coming of the railroad and the location of its station attracted the inhab- itants westward, and at this time the business section was at the crossing of Passaic avenue and Main street. Here in '61 a liberty pole was erected. This first one was unfortunately blown down. In an attempt to erect another in its place, the pole fell and was broken to pieces. Although this seemed to be an omen of an unfortunate outcome of the war, the popu- lation of the borough was determined to be represented as standing ardently in behalf of the united nation by a pole from which the stars and stripes should be floated to the breeze. The third attempt was successful and the pole stood for many years. At this time Aunt Dorcas Day, a weaver of rag carpets, lived on the corner of Passaic avenue, where Mr. Nelson Kelley's house is now located. One of the guy ropes was fastened to the pear tree standing on the ground of Aunt Dorcas's lot. In the erection of the pole this tree was uprooted and the derrick and pole fell to the ground and was broken in pieces. It is said just at this time the mail train bound for Newark stopped at the station. Many of the passengers seeing the plight that the people were put in by this unfortunate happening, stepped from the train. Among the arrivals was one Joseph P. Bradley, who afterward be- came a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Seizing the op-
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portunity offered him, he climbed upon the roof of the scale house situated near the corner of the Long Hill road and the turnpike and extemporane- ously made the speech of the day. This stirred the villagers to a renewed effort and within a short time two large timbers were hewn out, fashioned, and spliced by the millwrights and carpenters, and soon became the liberty pole of the town. The great flag which floated from this pole was the product of the skillful hands of the patriotic women of Chatham.
So anxious were the young men of the town to enlist in the army that a load of sixteen was assembled and driven by Mr. Paul Lum to the county seat of Hunterdon County, at Flemington, New Jersey. There these anxious young patriots became members of Company C, 15th New Jersey Infantry, on August 7, 1862. Of these sixteen, five were killed in the service and six wounded. It should be noted that this 15th New Jersey composed of citizens of Morris, Sussex, and Hunterdon counties stood seventh in the list of the three hundred fighting regiments of the war in the number killed and wounded in battle. Of the one hundred five members of Company C, the record shows that there was not one deserter among them.
It is said by one of the number who joined the army from Chatham, that when the news of the firing on Fort Sumter reached the village, the excitement was so great that more than half of the men of the town volun- teered their services. Messrs. Hudson Muchmore and William Lum were among the most active, and took their places at once as officers of companies of boys who began drilling, hopeful that they might soon enter the army.
The following is a list as accurate as could be had from the minds of veteran residents of the town, Messrs. William Lum and George Spencer, of those men who left Chatham and went to war: Merritt Bruen, first lieutenant, quartermaster in Co. K 7th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, died in the army ; Theodore Bruen, brother of Merritt ; Joseph Marsh ; Lewis Bruen; Stephen Bruen, brother of Lewis; Andrew Genung, killed at Spott- sylvania ; Israel D. Lum, color-sergeant, was wounded by a bullet that killed the color bearer in his regiment; William Lum, brother of Israel; Elias Muchmore, captured at Monocacy, Md., died in Danville prison; Oscar Brokaw, killed at Salem Heights, Virginia ;- (when the report reached Chat- ham of a certain important battle in which the North lost, he was working in a carpenter shop of Mr. Harvey Lum. Mr. Brokaw was planing a board when the news arrived. He stopped work at once and said to his employer, "I shall not complete the planing of that board until the war is over." He joined the load of sixteen which went to Flemington and became a member of Company C of the 15th N. J. Soon after his departure news came of his death. Mr. Brokaw was over six feet tall, and was killed with a bullet which struck him in the very topmost part of the head. Had he been two inches shorter he would have escaped the fatal shot) ; William Brokaw, brother of Oscar ; Albert Nichols; John Nichols, brother of Albert; Samuel Ball; Job Hardman; William Kelley, navy; Isaac Day, missing after the battle of the Wilderness, and never heard from; Edward Day, brother of Isaac, was killed at Cold Harbor, Virginia; Vincent Clark, navy; William Howard, army and navy; Silas Eugene Wonderley; John Tyson; William Trelease (He was the son of a widow in town and worked in the wagon- maker's shop. Mr. Trelease was mortally wounded at Spottsylvania, Virginia. Israel Lum was marching at his side when he was shot and bending over him at his dying moments, asked whether he had any word to send to his mother. The response of the patriotic son of Chatham was made in the words of Nathan Hale: "Tell mother that 'my only regret is that I have but one life
Home of Hon. Jeptha B. Munn, East Main Street, Chatham.
MicLaughlin Home of Revolutionary times, North of West Main Street, Chatham.
Park at Railroad Station, Chatham.
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to give for my country' ") ; Lewis Turner ; Frank Pollard, son of John Celey Pollard, wounded and confined during the latter part of the war in Libby prison ; Eugene Pollard, brother of Frank; Marsina Pollard; Munn Pollard, brother of Frank, died in Andersonville Prison; Joseph Spencer, killed before Petersburg; Charles Spencer, died in hospital in Nashville, Ten- nessee ; William H. Thomas; Joseph C. Bower; Manning C. Broadwell; Henry W. Pierson; Thomas Phipps, killed in service; William Phipps, brother of Thomas, carries in his body to this day a bullet received while on duty on the firing line; Henry C. Addison; James Riker; George Oakley, navy; Sylvanus Oakley, brother of George; Daniel Stickles; Frank Camp; Minard Farley Miller, enlisted a second time ; William H. Miller, lost an arm at Gettysburg; William Brewster; James Brewster, brother of William; Philip Ryan; Alonzo Edgar; William Oliver, killed in service; John N. Wilkinson, died in Andersonville prison ; William Highland; Charles Cucuel; Brittin Durie, William Brant, William Young, wounded; Jacob Miller; Charles Miller, brother of Jacob; Samuel Parsons; Aaron Parsons, brother of Samuel-these two brothers joined a New York regiment. John Dennis Ferris joined the 3rd New York.
Modern Growth-The Chatham Library began previous to the year 1870 in a most humble way in the upstairs rooms of the old D., L. & W. R. R. station. A few books were assembled and were read by the people of the town who were interested in the project. The use of these rooms for religious services caused the promoters of the library to abandon the pro- ject. In 1875 a committee consisting of Rev. Jas. B. Beaumont, Charles M. Lum, William H. Lum, Charles H. Hoyt and Dr. George S. Swaim estab- lished the organization. The library was located in the home of David S. Bower, with Miss Nettie McDougal as librarian. Later it was moved to Kelley's Hall, where Mrs. Swaim was librarian for a time. A number of books and pictures were donated by Mr .William A. Martin. Under this organization it continued for about ten years. In the year 1886 the in- stitution was revived by James Littlejohn and George McDougal. At Mr. William Martin's death a legacy of $1000 was bequeathed, the in- terest and principal of which were to be used only for the purchase of books. The library at this time consisted of about 2500 books, which were kept in the house of Mr. Bower. Members of a committee served gratis as librarians. For a long time this committee consisted of John Tallmadge, James Littlejohn, Fred Sayre, and Charles E. Genung. Mr. Littlejohn was one of the most active. When the municipality in 1906 voted one-third mill of the total borough assessment for the maintenance of a library, $700 of the Martin endowment together with the books were handed over to the borough. For a number of years the leading spirit in the library movement has been Mr. Charles M. Lum, who is now the president of the association. Under Mr. Lum's wise guidance it has grown to a collection of about 6000 volumes. Since the library has been under municipal ownership it has been located in the town hall where Miss Lynda Phillip has for the past eight years served the public most acceptably as the borough librarian.
After the discontinuance of the New Jersey Journal in 1783, no other publication of any importance was undertaken in the town until March, 1897, when Mr. John DeWitt began the weekly issue of the Chatham Press. Previous to this date, Chatham news was published in both the Summit Herald and the Madison Eagle. Many of the citizens of the town were ardent supporters of these papers. In September, 1898, Mr. J. Thomas Scott became the proprietor of the Chatham Press, and since that time he has
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issued a very commendable publication which now has a circulation of ap- proximately one thousand copies per week. It is of interest to note that a few issues of a two-page leaflet called The Pioneer were published in 1871. This paper appeared monthly, and was edited by Mr. W. E. Gould.
Until 1892, the government of the town was subject to that of Chatham township. In this year under an act of the legislature the com- munity was organized into the Village of Chatham and was governed by a body known as the village trustees. There were two hundred forty voters in the village at this time. The following gentlemen composed the first body known as the village trustees: Frederick H. Lum, president; H. Jowitt, J. T. Wagner, George T. Parrott, and Dr. William J. Wolfe. Mr. Hudson Muchmore was the clerk. The town existed under this form of government but for five years, at the end of which time it was incorporated as a borough, with Frederick H. Lum as its first mayor. In the year 1897 the voters had increased to three hundred thirty-six.
It was through the efficient leadership of Mr. Frederick H. Lum that the borough affairs were so successively begun. Much wisdom was exer- cised in all his acts and in his reviewing of the acts of the council. The first council was made up of Edward L. Phillips, Thomas W. Dawson, Ed- ward Taylor, C. J. Miller and William H. McCormick. Chatham was the first town to be incorporated under the borough act of '97, and many of the forms necessary to carry out the workings of a borough were drawn up by Mr. Lum originally, and used by the State as copies. Under Mr. Lum's mayoralty the town was furnished with water which was turned on Febru- ary, 1898. Under the efficient supervision of Mr. Edward L. Phillips and his two co-workers on this committee, Thomas W. Dawson and Frank L. Kelly that work was consummated. Electric lights were put in the town in the year 1901, through an increased bond issue of $15,000, which made the total at this time $60,000. To Mr. Lum's credit belongs also the installation of the phone service, police protection, and the organization of a volunteer fire company. Mr. Lum is a descendant from a long line of ancestry of the Lum family which was without doubt among the first settlers in the present confines of the borough. His immediate line lived on the homestead prop- erty located at the corner of Fairmount avenue and Main street. No one family has stood out so prominently in the history of affairs in the town as that of the Lums. From service in the Revolution and the Civil War, to the business enterprise and general welfare of the community, its members have been zealously active.
Following the service of Mr. Frederick H. Lum as mayor of the town, came Mr. Frank L. Kelly, who was elected in 1903. For many years Mr. Kelly had been a co-worker with Mr. Lum and through his tutelage had grown to be very competent in municipal affairs and thoroughly capable, as his long and successful service has shown, to be placed at the head of the borough. Under his mayoralty the water and light plants were enlarged and extended, municipal building was erected 1906, a sewer system in con- junction with the borough of Madison was installed June 1, 1911, a fran- chise was granted to the Morris County Traction Company in 1912 to run trolleys on the main street, miles of permanent sidewalks were laid, a gas franchise was granted to the Public Service Gas Company in 1911, the Lack- awanna railroad tracks were elevated in 1913, the town was practically freed from mosquitoes through the combined laying of the sewer and the work of the Board of Health, and throughout the town hundreds of shade trees were planted by the shade tree commission appointed by Mr. Kelley. In conse-
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quence of these many improvements made during Mr. Kelley's administra- tion the borough of Chatham offers to all prospective citizens the most mod- ern conveniences.
When the village was set off in 1892 it was divided into two districts the northern and the southern, with the railroad track as the dividing line. At first the greater population of the southern district was made up of the people of Stanley and a few residents on what was known as Duxburys Hill, the locality in and about the crossing of Watchung and Fairmont avenues. There was little growth for a number of years because of the real estate being in the possession of the older residents who would not sell. However in the year 1900 considerable development began, and from a village of about 1200 the town grew to approximately 2000 within ten years. The great majority of the newcomers were from Brooklyn and sought homes in "high and healthful Chatham," because of its salubrious air and pure water. At the present it is a town of commuters, men whose businesses call them daily either to Newark or New York. (Josiah Muir, it is said was the first com- muter from Chatham to New York.) The growth of the borough has not stopped. With all the modern improvements it is quite likely that within the next ten years the population will be doubled. No one village west of the Watchung Mountains can offer more pleasant building sites with greater town accommodations than that of the borough of Chatham.
Officials of Borough of Chatham, 1913 .- Mayor, Frank L. Kelley. Council, Alfred M. Trowbridge, president; William G. Badgley, Percy B. Lum, Emory N. Faulks, James W. Wagner, James Whitton. Borough clerk, William S. Angell; borough counsel, Ralph E. Lum; borough attorney, Lawrence Day; recorder, Ezra F. Ferris; overseer of the poor, William S. Shuster ; collector, G. Vernon Lum; street commissioner, Paul Molitor; assessor, Charles A. Miller; borough electrician, Harvey Vance; borough tapper, Charles H. Van Wert. The council meets the first Monday evening of each month. Committees-Roads, Trowbridge, Whitton ; finance, Faulks, Wagner ; police, Badgley, Faulks; fire, Lum, Badgley ; sidewalks, Whitton, Lum; sewerage, Councilmen Trowbridge, Badgley, Faulks ; Members, W. M. Hopping, J. H. Macintyre. . Police, Francis L. Heater; marshals, William Shuster, Paul Molitor, David H. Crawford, Walter H. Hand. Board of Water Commissioners, Alfred M. Trowbridge, William M. Hopping, Emory N. Faulks. Board of Health, meets last Monday evening of each month. President, Dr. B. A. Prager ; Hervey S. Degroodt, J. Thomas Scott, C. I. Budd; D. H. Crawford, secretary and registrar of vital statistics; J. J. McCormack, health inspector ; George L. Kelley, plumbing inspector. Board of Education-James H. Macintyre, president; Joseph H. Conklin, vice- president ; William M. Hopping, district clerk ; Walter V. Sayre, Herbert T. Strong, David Falconer, Charles A. Van Orden, William Riker, J. Thomas Scott; Lawrence Day, counsel. The school board meets the last Tuesday evening in each month. Joint Sewer Commission: Frank L. Kelley, chair- man; J. Thomas Scott, secretary ; George W. Downs, treasurer. This com- mission meets on the third Mondays of January, April, July, and October, alternating between Madison and Chatham Council Rooms.
The newly elected officers at the November election 1913, were Mayor Laurences Page, to succeed F. L. Kelly, and councilmen Lawrence Day and Wesley R. Conklin to succeed Alfred M. Trowbridge and Emory N. Faulks.
Schools-Public School No. I, with an approved four-year high school course. Supervising Principal, Charles A. Philhower. St. Patrick's Paro- chial School.
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Churches-The Ogden Memorial Presbyterian Church, Rev. Dr. John Macnaughtan, pastor; Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. J. H. Egbert, pastor ; St. Patrick's R. C. Church, Rev. P. A. Maher, rector; Congrega- tional Church, Rev. Dr. C. E. Hesselgrave, pastor; St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Rev. J. W. Van Ingen, rector.
Lodges-Chatham Lodge, No. 245, I. O. O. F., meets every Friday eve- ning in the Wolfe building. Sunset Council, Jr. O. U. A. M., meets every Tuesday evening in the Wolfe building. Pride of Sunset Council, Daughters of Liberty, meets every Wednesday evening in Wolfe building. U. S. Grant Post, No. 117, G. A. R., meets second and fourth Saturday evenings of the month in the Wolfe building. Chatham Fish and Game Club. Chatham Wheelmen Club.
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CHAPTER XV
HISTORY OF DOVER.
PREFACE
This is a new contribution to the recorded history of Dover, New Jersey. It is Dover history, but not a history of Dover in the sense of being a complete record of the making and the growth of the town. Taken with the good work done by former historians of the town, it would go far to introduce the subject, but this is a story that is always "continued in our next," and no one knows when the history of Dover will be completed. In fact, it is hard to say when it really began, if we look for primary sources. I have not yet been able to trace the stream of Dover's humanity all the way back to its fountain head. My whole effort has been given to gather- ing up the fragments that were most in danger of being lost. My time has been limited. I have not undertaken to bring the history to date. My in- vestigations end for the most part about 1870.
In speaking of the history of Dover, I do not restrict myself to the precise corporate limits established in 1869. To the historian the borders and fringes of the garment of history are an essential part of it. Mill Brook, Mine Hill, Randolph, Franklin, Mt. Pleasant, and other outlying villages are inseparable from the history of Dover.
My thanks are due to the many good people of Dover and vicinity who, by personal experience and by family connections, are intimately acquainted with the story which they have kindly imparted to me. I have acted as questioner to draw them out and as scribe to record what they have told me. There is still much that I have not been able to secure. It has cost no little time and labor to accomplish as much as I have done; but it has been a great pleasure to me to meet so many on such friendly terms and to carry on such an interesting correspondence with distant Dover folks and others who have assisted in the work. I have felt that we have been erect- ing a Bi-centennial Monument to the town, and it is my hope that these per- sonal contributions to the history-the information and the reminiscences contributed by those who know Dover, will be valued by all Dover people at their real worth and that this book may serve a useful purpose, in ac- cordance with the recommendation of our State Superintendent of Educa- tion, by making our local history available so that our young people may more readily learn about the early history of their own town and may take a genuine interest in such inquiries. I had hoped that this material might be found of real educational value in many ways. We made some use of it in an impromptu fashion at the High School Commencement of 1913. There is material here that may well serve as a basis for instruction and entertainment in many forms for years to come, and that should be more highly appreciated as the years go by.
Perhaps, too, this book may suggest a method and a possibility in the cultivation of local history research for the future, both in this town and elsewhere. At Johns Hopkins University many years ago they began to train young men in the practical work of historical research, and one of the things suggested was that each student should go back to his native
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town and begin to gather all data relating to it. We have been doing this kind of laboratory work in history during the past year.
We cannot go far in such studies without some personal reflections on the part that we are ourselves enacting in creating the history of the future. The study of our own local history brings home to us this his- torical consciousness-shall we say, historical conscientiousness? It does so more intimately and acutely than the study of general history is likely to do. And in this way history becomes a study of practical import. The stage is not so large or so remote that we have no place on it. When we think of the men who first in the wilderness sought for "the strength of the hills," the iron that was inherent in the "black stone" of this region, and when we trace the history of the men who from that time to this have labored to make the strength of these hills available and serviceable to humanity, we feel that we are getting acquainted with some of "The Makers of Dover." When venerable grandmothers and grandfathers tell us reminiscences of their early days and of the homes that nourished them, we feel that the home-makers are to be counted among "The Makers of Dover." When we trace the slow growth of the educational system of our town from its first humble schoolhouses and small numbers to the present we see that these very schoolhouses have been forges where men and women have toiled at their task of building the city. The things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal: the preacher and his work cannot be left out of our reckoning. The very schoolboys and schoolgirls can realize the fact that they too, even in their school days, are "Makers of Dover."
We begin to see how home, and school, and church, and shop have worked together and are now working together to "make Dover."
Dover, New Jersey, May 9th, 1914.
CHARLES D. PLATT.
HOW I BEGAN TO STUDY DOVER HISTORY
One day, when I was taking my turn presiding over the noon hour at school, some of our bright, studious girls were talking about their lessons and I was drawn into the conversation. The subject of "Compositions" came up, sometimes regarded as a bugbear, if you remember about your own schooldays. I suggested that there were many subjects of interest close at hand, right here in Dover. Why go so far afield, why ransack the encyclopedias and other huge volumes? Why not write about something that you can observe or inquire about for yourself? Why not learn to gather information from persons as well as from books, especially from persons who have experienced what they tell about, or who are in some way close to the facts? Why not write up interesting chapters in the history of Dover? There's the Governor Dickerson Mansion, for instance. They say he had a wonderful flower garden there years ago. Why don't some of you girls find out about it and write the story? And there's the Dicker- son mine. Why wouldn't that be a good subject for a boy to write up? Is it too hard? Then try Indian relics, arrow heads and so forth.
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