USA > New Jersey > Morris County > A history of Morris County, New Jersey : embracing upwards of two centuries, 1710-1913, Volume II > Part 28
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William H. Grimes was born in Morris county, New Jersey, Septem- ber 20, 1849. He attended the public schools of Parsippany and the high school of Boonton. He learned the carpenter's trade under Charles F. Ogden, of Troy Hills, and very shortly after the completion of his ap- prenticeship established himself in business as a contractor, and later be- came associated with Mr. Hopler, the firm doing business under the style of Hopler & Grimes. In 1911 there was another change in the firm, his son Henry having become associated with Mr. Grimes, and from that time up to the present all business has been transacted under the firm name of Grimes & Son. Acting in the interests of the Republican party, Mr. Grimes has taken an active part in public affairs. He was elected to the office of freeholder for a number of years, and served on important committees dur- ing the various terms of his office. Mr. Grimes married, May 30, 1877, Margaret, daughter of James and Mary Ann (Pierson) Van Ness, and they have children: Henry, whose name heads this sketch; Allen K .; Norman V.
Henry Grimes was born on the Grimes homestead in Hanover town- ship, Morris county, New Jersey, 1883. The public schools of his native township furnished him with the advantages of an excellent education, and upon the completion of this he served his apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade. This he learned under the personal supervision of his father, and made an exhaustive study of every detail. For a time he then worked in the business of Hopler & Grimes, and about 191I became a member of the firm as above mentioned. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and a staunch supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He has served as a delegate to the county convention. He is a citizen of public spirit, a man of sterling purpose and indefatigable energy in business, and an advocate of the best intellectual progress. In the gen- eral contracting and building work executed by the firm of which he is a member, much has been done to develop and improve the town. In every walk of life Mr. Grimes has shown himself worthy of the confidence placed in him by his fellow citizens. Mr. Grimes married Gertrude Dennis. They have no children.
GEORGE T. BURTT
One of the most enterprising and energetic men in business and in- dustrial circles of Morris county, New Jersey, is George T. Burtt, of Net- cong, whose busy, well spent life and sterling qualities have won him a circle of friends that is only limited by his circle of acquaintances. He is recognized as a promoter of the varied interests which tend to the develop- ment of the town and the advancement of its welfare in every direction. For many years he has been engaged in railroad work, for the greater part
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of this time in the employ of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Rail- road.
Job Burtt, father of George T. Burtt, was born near Brattleboro, Ver- mont, 1787, died in Roxbury township, Morris county, New Jersey, July 8, 1876. He was the youngest of five children at the time of the death of his father, which occurred at an early age, and his mother married a second time, some years after the death of her husband, her second husband being Thaddeus Minton. Young Job Burtt, who had gone with his mother and the remainder of the family to Basking Ridge, was "bound out" to a Mr. Howell, who removed to Youngstown, Ohio. As he was dissatisfied with his new home, and as the laws of Ohio did not recognize the agreement which had been made between him and Mr. Howell, Job Burtt left him and returned to New Jersey. He learned the machinist's trade at Elizabeth- port, and then obtained a position on the first steamboat which ever plied on Lake Champlain. The firm of Burtt, Cook & Ogden were his employers for seven years, after which he worked as a blacksmith at Basking Ridge for a short time, and then in the same line of industry at Succasunna Plains. Removing to Kenvil, he purchased a farm there, and was both farmer and blacksmith. He was in the employ of the Morris Canal Company, while that canal was in course of construction, and was also engaged in putting in inclined planes. Subsequently he bought a hoted at Succasunna, conducted this for nine years, and in 1857 removed to Drakesville Station, Roxbury township, Morris county, purchased a farm there and the remainder of his life was passed in the peaceful occupation of cultivating this property.
Mr. Burtt married (first) Susan Harris, (second), Elizabeth, who died November 28, 1897, daughter of Amos and Mary (Salmon) Wolverton. Among the children of the first marriage were: I. Captain T. M. Burtt, who was a sea captain twenty-nine years, went to California in 1849, and after his return lived in Newark, New Jersey, where he died in 1903, at the age of about ninety-four years. 2. Captain Alfred S. Burtt, a member of Company B, Fifteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers ; was a resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, where he died in 1909, at the age of about eighty-five years. 3. Elizabeth, deceased ; lived in Holden, Missouri, and was the widow of the late Major Thomas J. Halsey, of the Eleventh Regi- ment New Jersey Volunteers. The children of the second marriage were: 4. Susan, deceased. 5. George T., of whom further. 6. Theodore, de- ceased ; was an engineer on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, and had a daughter, Daisy, who makes her home with her uncle, George T. Burtt. 7. Martha, deceased ; was the wife of Charles Pratt. 8. Ella, died unmarried.
George T. Burtt, son of Job and Elizabeth (Wolverton) Burtt, was born on Succasunna Plains, Morris county, New Jersey, December 27, 1846. His boyhood days were passed on the farm owned by his father. He was educated in the public schools, and from his earliest years showed much constructive and mechanical skill. While desirous of joining the ranks at once upon the outbreak of the Civil War, his services were not at once ac- cepted because of his extreme youth at that time. In 1864, however, he enlisted in Company K, Thirty-ninth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, Captain Allen, his regiment becoming a part of the Ninth Army Corps, and he was constantly in the Army of the Potomac until the close of the war. Among the important engagements in which he was an active participant may be mentioned : Petersburg, Stony Creek, Hatcher's Run, Poplar Grove Church, and many skirmishes, in all of which he displayed gallantry and bravery of a high order of merit.
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The connection of Mr. Burtt with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, from whom he now receives a pension for long-con- tinued and conscientious performance of his varied and responsible duties, commenced in 1865 and ended in 1907. In the fall of the first mentioned year Mr. Burtt was employed on a wood train under Major T. J. Halsey, and on January 2, 1866, he was advanced to the position of ticket agent and assistant train despatcher at Phillipsburg, an office he filled until June 12, 1872, when he became chief despatcher in the yard at Port Morris. In September, 1875, he became dock foreman, an office he filled capably until his connection with the company was discontinued. Mr. Burtt is also in receipt of a pension from the government for his faithful service during his military career. In political matters he has also distinguished himself. His support is always given to the Republican party ; he served as post- master of Port Morris from 1899 until August, 1911. He supported Roosevelt for the nomination, and Taft for the office of President, in 1912, and was four years a member of the common council. He was a delegate to the convention which nominated the Hon. William Walter Phelps for Congress, at Morristown, and two years later served as delegate to the convention at Paterson at which Mr. Phelps was renominated. He is a charter member of the Teddynetcong Tribe, I. O. R. M., of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. George T. Burtt is the owner of considerable real estate in Netcong. He is a well read man, and well posted on the questions of cur- rent interest. In his home he is hospitable in the extreme and has a host of friends.
Mr. Burtt married, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, November 2, 1868, Hester A., daughter of Hugh Merrick, and they have had children: Alfred M., Bessie, Paul G., Seeley R., Harold J., Hanson M., Florence, Marble, Allen E. Of these the only one now living is Allen E., who is night foreman at the railroad house at Port Morris. He married Emma, daugh- ter of John and Catherine Bauer, and has children: Catherine and Norma, four and three years of age respectively.
JOHN W. THORP
John W. Thorp is one of the representative men of Netcong, Morris county, New Jersey, who has set an example for good citizenship. The family to which he belongs has been resident in Morris county for a number of generations, his great-grandfather, with a brother having come from Germany, and settled there. John William Thorp, grandfather of the Mr. Thorp of this sketch, had children: William ; Ira, of further men- tion ; Mahan; Matilda, who married William Vorhis; Harriette, married Talmadge Leek.
Ira, son of John William Thorp, was born at Ironia, Morris county, New Jersey, in 1829, and died in Newton, Sussex county, in 1896. He was still a young man when he removed to the State of Indiana, but sold his property there about 1866 and returned to the east. He lived in Ironia for about ten years, then made his home in Chester, Morris county, later re- moved to Hackettstown. He was living in Indiana during the Civil War, and enlisted as a soldier from that State. He married Hephzibah, a daugh- ter of Jonas and Cynthia Hults, of New York State. They had children : Jonas, deceased ; Cynthia, never married ; John W., whose name heads this sketch ; Hyram H., who died at the age of three years; Matilda, married William Boss, of Newton, New Jersey ; Orison H., a carpenter of Roches- ter, New York, married Lilian Biegel; Charles, a carpenter, of Newton,
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New Jersey, married Edna Bond. Mrs. Hephzibah Thorp was born in 1827, and died in 1892.
John W. Thorp was born six miles from Roanoke, Indiana, August 13, 1859. He was but a few years of age when his parents returned to Morris county, and acquired his education in the public schools of Ironia and Ches- ter. Upon the completion of his education he found employment in the mines near his home, and at Mine Hill, Sussex county, New Jersey, and was active in work of this kind for a period of thirteen years. He was of a naturally ambitious disposition, and sought a means of employment which would enable him to rise to higher things. March 5, 1886, he commenced his duties as a fireman for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, and held this eight years. September 23, 1895, he entered upon a permanent position as engineer for the same company, having charge of a freight train until 1911, when he became engineer of a mixed train on the Sussex branch of the road; and March 2, 1913, he resigned this posi- tion. Mr. Thorp is a man of much public spirit, and is now in office as superintendent of the Netcong Water Works. He gives his political sup - port to the Democratic party, but will not allow himself to be bound by partisan ties, and entertains the most liberal views on all subjects. He has been a resident of Netcong since 1879, and purchased his present home there in 1887. He and his wife are members of the Stanhope Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he holds official position. His connection with other organizations is as follows: Musconetcong Council, No. 113, J. O. U. A. M .; P. O. S. A .; O. L. E. F .; Olive Lodge, No. 41, I. O. O. F., of Stanhope ; and three fraternal insurance companies. Since its organization he has been a member of the local fire department.
Mr. Thorp married, March 9, 1885, Bernice M., a daughter of William Drake. They have one daughter: Edna M., who married H. Andrew Force, of Netcong, who is rate clerk at Port Morris for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, and they have cne daughter : Romain. Mr. Thorp is plain and unassuming in his manner, and has many characteristics which make him justly popular among his fellow citizens.
LEO ROBINSON
Leo Robinson, who has the distinction of being proprietor of a general store in Mendham, is here likewise filling the office of borough clerk. He is a native of Mendham, Morris county, New Jersey, the date of his birth being January 30, 1878. His parents, Marius and Margaret (Garabrant) Robinson, are both deceased and their remains are interred in the Mendham Cemetery. Marius Robinson was a general merchant during the major por- tion of his active career and to him and his wife were born the following children : Leo; Romeo; and May, wife of William Jewett.
After completing the course of studies prescribed in the common schools of Mendham, he succeeded to the business established by his father in 1898 and the same is thoroughly equipped with a stock of merchandise and drugs, in addition to which a complete line of sundries is likewise carried. The Robinson general store commands a splendid patronage. Mr. Robin- son is a thorough business man and is entirely dependable in all his dealings. In politics he supports the platform of the Republican party and in 1906 he was appointed by borough council to the office of borough clerk, a position he fills with the utmost competency. He has reached the thirty- second degree in Scottish Rite Masonry and is likewise affiliated with Pros- pect Lodge, No. 24, F. and A. M .; Madison Chapter, No. 27, Morristown ;
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Ode de St. Amand Commandery, No. 12, Morristown, and with Salaanı Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is a member of the M. W. A .; of B. P. O. E., No. 815, Morristown, and is a Presbyterian in his religious faith.
June 26, 1901, Mr. Robinson married Mary E. Freeman, a native of Brookside, New Jersey, daughter of Charles and Mary E. (Van Gieson) Freeman. Mr. Freeman was a jeweler by occupation and he died in 1888, his widow is now a resident of Montclair, New Jersey. There were eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Freeman as follows: Frank; Charles; Nellie, married Elmer Van Ness; Jennie or Jean, wife of Bert Morrell; Sadie, wife of Bloomfield Beavers; Benjamin; Alice, wife of Harry Lyons; Mary E., wife of Mr. Robinson, of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have two children : Reginald R., born April 26, 1902; Carol, born December II, 1906.
JOHN W. GARABRANT
John W. Garabrant has during practically his entire lifetime thus far been a prominent and influential resident of Mendham, and his activity in business affairs, his co-operation in public interests and his zealous support of all objects that he believes will contribute to the material, social or moral improvement of the community keep him in the foremost rank of those to whom this borough owes its development. He has filled with efficiency a number of local offices and since the spring of 1908 has been postmaster of Mendham, his present term expiring in 1914.
The year 1866 marks the birth of John W. Garabrant and he is a native son of Mendham. His parents, John Newell and Helen (Day) Gara- brant, were born and reared in Morris county, New Jersey, and the father was a son of John Garabrant, who came to America from Germany and settled on a farm in the vicinity of Mendham. Newell Garabrant passed his boyhood and youth on the old parental homestead and after reaching years of maturity followed in the footsteps of his father and himself be- came a farmer. He owned a well improved estate of 100 acres in Mendham township prior to his demise, and held prestige as one of the foremost agriculturists of this section. His wife is also deceased and they are both buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery at Mendham. To them were born eight children: Eugene M .; Everett L .; Eliza, wife of Oscar Pruden; Jennie, wife of Charles Freeman; Florence; Cornelia D., wife of Fred- erick R. Guerin; Margaret ; and John W., whose name inaugurates this review.
John W. Garabrant was a pupil in the public schools of Mendham until his fourteenth year and he then entered upon an apprenticeship to learn the trade of carpenter, following work of that nature until 1890. In that year he purchased a butcher shop in Mendham and conducted the same with mod- erate success until 1901, when he engaged in the ice business and likewise ran a stage to Morristown. He has continued as local ice dealer down to the present time and in that connection controls a large and lucrative patronage. He is the owner of a beautiful residence in Mendham and is likewise interested in other real estate in this section. He is a Republican in national politics but in local affairs votes for the man and not the ticket. He was borough collector for six years, was one year clerk of school board and was custodian and treasurer of the borough for six years. In the spring of 1908 he was appointed postmaster of Mendham for a period of six years, his term of office expiring in 1914. This is a third-class office, having been made so in 1910 when he was appointed for four years. Mr.
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Garabrant is affiliated with the J. O. U. A. M., and he and his family are zealous members of the Presbyterian church, in which he was a member of the board of trustees for many years. He is a man of sincere character and is loyal and public-spirited in all that affects the good of the general wel- fare of his home community.
In April, 1893, Mr. Garabrant married Minnie S. Lindsley, whose birth occurred in Mendham, daughter of John D. and Sarah (Millen) Lindsley, the latter of whom died in 1903. Mr. Lindsley has long been interested in the nursery business in this borough and with hired help continues to conduct a well equipped nursery here, although he himself is now prac- tically retired. There are four children in the Lindsley family and follow- ing are their names in respective order of birth: Minnie S., wife of Mr. Garabrant, of this notice ; Caleb A .; John M .; Anna, wife of Harvey Ammerman. Mr. and Mrs. Garabrant became the parents of five children : Floyd H., Ethel, Roderick, Roland, twin of Roderick, deceased; Lindsley. All of the foregoing are at home with their parents, the younger ones be- ing pupils in the public schools.
THOMAS SHAW
A large portion of the population of the United States is of foreign birth, and to this class belongs Thomas Shaw, a prominent and influential resident of Pompton Plains, where he has resided for many years. He is a native of England, was there reared and educated, and emigrated to the United States in early manhood, believing that the possibilities for success were greater here than in his native land.
He learned the trade of silversmith with Elkington & Company before his emigration to this country, and upon his arrival here located in Provr- dence, Rhode Island, where he was engaged with the Gorham Manufactur- ing Company, silversmiths. Later he returned to England in order to engage fifty silversmiths for the company with which he was connected, and he took with him some samples of the work done here, which he showed to his old employers, who were greatly pleased with them, and they re- quested him upon his return to select a number of articles for them from the goods manufactured in Providence, which he accordingly did, the bill amounting to over $6.000. From Providence Mr. Shaw removed to Newark, New Jersey, where he engaged in the manufacture of silver plated ware, and subsequently removed to Pompton Plains, same State, where he engaged in the same line of work, having a manufacturing plant of his own, which he conducted for a number of years and then discontinued. When he went to Newark he formed a company with a Mr. Adams, the firm now of Adams & Shaw Company ; later this was purchased by Tiffany, Mr. Shaw assuming the management for some twenty-five years. Since then he has given his entire attention to the real estate business, being the owner of a strip of land in Pompton Plains one mile in length, which he intends to cut into building plots and to dispose of for residential purposes, and from which he expects to derive a handsome profit. He is an active factor in the development and improvement of Pompton Plains, the population of which is increasing steadily year by year, this fact testifying to the health- fulness of the climate and the beauty of the scenery. Mr. Shaw is a man of good judgment, great integrity, and rare executive ability, fully meriting the high esteem in which he is held by all who know him.
Mr. Shaw married (first) Sarah Burch, (second) Lizzie Burch, a native of England, daughter of John and Sarah (Shaw) Burch. Children : I.
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Eva Mary, wife of John W. Lushear, president of the North Ward National Bank of Newark, New Jersey. 2. Annie G., wife of Charles H. Norman, banker, and assistant treasurer of the Howard Savings Bank. 3. Flora, deceased. 4. Frank H., deceased. 5. Walter R., deceased. 6. Kate, re- sides at home. 7. Thomas Jr., resides in the west.
A. J. CRANE JR.
Among the prominent business men of Lincoln Park, noted for their sagacity and enterprise, active factors in the development and improve- ment of the town, must be mentioned A. J. Crane Jr., a native of Elizabeth, New Jersey, his birth occurring April 5, 1879.
A. J. Crane Sr., who now resides with his son in Lincoln Park, was a jeweler by trade, which line of business he followed for many years in New York City, his residence being in Jersey City. He is now leading a retired life, enjoying a period of rest after years of arduous labor. His wife, Vic- toria (McEwen) Crane, bore him four children, namely : Alfred N .; Hen- rietta, wife of W. O. Harris; A. J., of whom further ; Victoria.
A. J. Crane Jr. received an excellent education in the public schools of Jersey City, New Jersey, in which city the greater part of his life was spent, and his first employment was as clerk in the Eureka Fire Hose Com- pany, in which capacity he served for nine years, after which he accepted a clerkship in the post office in Jersey City, remaining there for seven years, discharging the duties required of him in a highly commendable manner. In I911 he took up his residence in Lincoln Park and purchased a building with a store, made many improvements thereto, and established a general mercantile business, carrying a full line of groceries and general mer- chandise, suited to the wants of all classes of people, and this is now one of the leading establishments of that thriving place, receiving its full quota of patrons, this being the result of good management, prompt attention to the wishes of customers, and courteous treatment to all who enter its doors. Mr. Crane holds membership in Hiram Lodge, No. 17, F. and A. M .; Mt. Vernon Chapter, No. 8, R. A. M., of Jersey City. He exercises the right of franchise by voting for the man who in his opinion is best fitted for the office in question, irrespective of party affiliations.
Mr. Crane married, October 29, 1913, Blanche Ebersole, daughter of Thomas J. W. and Isabelle (Forsythe) Ebersole, of Jersey City. Mr. Crane and his wife are members of the Reformed church of Lincoln Park, and they take an active part in the social life of the town, respected by all for their gracious hospitality. Mr. Crane is a man of many pleasing social qualities and is popular in business and private life.
LYMAN MILLER SMITH
Among those whose abilities and integrity class them with the leading lawyers of the Morris county bar is Lyman Miller Smith. He is the grand- son of Miller and Mary B. (Trowbridge) Smith, and the son of Ford D. Smith, born in Dover, Morris county, New Jersey, April 29, 1845, died June 18, 1909. He received his education at Fort Edward Institute, and then read law in the office of Lyman A. Chandler, in Morristown, and Martin Shallenberger, Stark county, Illinois. He was engaged in the Jersey bar, a practice with which he was identified until his death. For a returned to Dover, New Jersey, and was admitted to practice at the New practice of law in the State of Illinois from 1867 to 1874, and in latter year
Iguane In Smitte
ليمسعيد مهربـ
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short time he had an office in Paterson, New Jersey. During his early manhood he was a member of the Democratic party, but in 1896 affiliated with the Republican party, on account of the silver issue advanced by Bryanism. He was a member of the assembly of 1891-92, and at that time the race track question was taken up. He voted against it, as also against the coal combine. He served as counsel for the city of Dover. In matters of religion he was associated with the Presbyterian church. Mr. Smith married, July 9, 1869, Martha, daughter of James Fowler, of Essex county, New York. They had children: Howard, died at the age of eleven years ; Mamie, died at the same age ; Olivia, married Dr. William E. Derry, a prom- inent physician of Dover, New Jersey ; Clara E .; Lyman Miller.
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