USA > New Jersey > Morris County > A history of Morris County, New Jersey : embracing upwards of two centuries, 1710-1913, Volume II > Part 32
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Philip Wolf, son of George Wolf, was a farmer and lumberman of Bath, Pennsylvania. He took no conspicuous part in the public life of his town- ship, but was honored throughout the community as a worthy citizen of sterling integrity. He married Susanna Snyder, and had five children.
William Wolfe, son of Philip and Susanna (Snyder) Wolf, was born in Bath, Pennsylvania, 1818, died in April, 1889. For a number of years he was engaged in business as a cooper, then turned his attention to agricul- ture, and during the last years of his life had lived in retirement. He mar- ried, in 1836, Anna Maria Van Horn, who died in 1893, daughter of Cor- nelius Van Horn, a soldier of the War of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe be- came the parents of fourteen children, all of whom lived to maturity.
Dr. William J. Wolfe, son of William and Anna Maria (Van Horn) Wolfe, was born in Bangor, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, April 28, 1859. After leaving the public schools in which his early education was obtained, he was prepared for the university at Mount Bethel College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1880. He commenced teaching in his native State, being given charge of his home school at the early age of seven- teen years, and continued there for a period of two years. He was then appointed to the East Bangor grammar school, which he served as principal for three years. The medical profession had always had a peculiar fascina- tion for him, and he studied under the preceptorship of Dr. E. D. Collier, of Bangor, Pennsylvania, and also at the New York University. He entered this institution in 1881, and was graduated in March, 1884. He at once established himself in the practice of his profession in his native city, con-
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tinuing there until June, 1885, when he removed to Chatham, New Jersey, where he has since been located. His patronage is a large and lucrative one, and he has not alone won the gratitude of the numerous patients whom he has restored to health, but he has gained their confidence and affection as well. He has done considerable research work along independent lines, and has been able to contribute extensively to scientific data.
The political affiliations of Dr. Wolfe have been with the Democratic party, and he was appointed postmaster of Chatham, New Jersey, by Presi- dent Wilson, in June, 1913. He has served as trustee of the village schools, was elected one of the original five village trustees under the village govern- ment, and has acted in the capacity of treasurer. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church of which he is a deacon, and his wife is active in church work, and is a member of the Chatham Reading Circle and Society. He is a member of the following organizations: Member of the Morris County, State and American Medical societies ; Summit, New Jersey, Medical Club ; was one year president of Morris County Medical Society ; delegate to State conventions ; member of the Morris District Medical So- ciety ; State Pharmaceutical Association ; Madison Lodge, No. 93, F. and A. M .; Chatham Lodge, No. 245, I. O. O. F .; J. O. U. A. M.
Dr. Wolfe married, December 16, 1885, Clara, born in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, daughter of Thomas M. and Catherine (Major) McIlhaney, the former a well known attorney and for eighteen years prothonotary of Monroe county, Pennsylvania. Children: I. Walter McIlhaney, graduated in 1908 with the degree of Civil Engineer from the Virginia Military In- stitute, at Lexington, Virginia, and is now a subway construction engineer in the city of New York. 2. Van Horne D., graduate B. A., class of 1913, collegiate department of the University of Pennsylvania ; made a special study of architecture ; member of Sigma Phi Sigma, was one of a crew in the intercollegiate regatta at Poughkeepsie, New York, where he won his letter. 3. Catherine M., graduated from the Summit High School, New Jersey, and is now employed in the Newark Public Library. 4. W. Clare, in his first year at the Chatham High School. Dr. Wolfe has never ceased studying. He keeps well abreast of the times, not alone as far as current events are concerned, but in all matters connected even remotely with the profession he has chosen to make his life work. His warm hearted and sympathetic nature has not become hardened in the course of years by the scenes of suffering he has been called upon to witness while in the per- formance of his professional work. On the contrary, he appears to have an ever deeper sympathy with his fellow beings as the years glide by, and is ever more and more desirous to do all that lies in his power to alleviate suffering.
JAMES ARTHUR
James Arthur, of Dover, Morris county, New Jersey, who was for eigh- teen years superintendent of the Richard mincs at Port Oram, owned by the Thomas Iron Company, has had a most interesting and varied career. His father, John Arthur, was born in Cornwall, England, in 1821, died at Durham, Pennsylvania, 1892 or 1893. He emigrated to America about 1846, and having been employed in the copper and tin mines in his native land, he sought employment in the same industry upon his arrival here. For a time he worked in Flemington, New Jersey, then removed to Durham, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he became a foreman in the mines. For some years prior to his death he had been blind as the result of an explosion
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in the mines while he was on duty. He married, in England, Jane Carkeet, also a native of Cornwall, who died about one year after the death of her husband. They had six sons and two daughters of whom: James, see for- ward; John, employed in the cement mines of New Jersey; William H., in the cement mines of Pennsylvania; Anna, married William Kemp, a bell- maker in East Hampton, Connecticut; Jane, married John Reynolds, who resides at Irvington, New York, on the banks of the Hudson river.
James Arthur was born in Cornwall, England, January 14, 1844, and was brought to America with his parents at the age of two years. Until he was nine years of age he remained in Durham, Bucks county, Pennsyl- vania, where he attended the common schools. He then went to the West Indies with his uncle, Joseph Arthur, and attended school in Jamaica until his twelfth year and, upon his return to Durham, entered the employ of the Durham Iron Works, where he remained until his seventeenth year. Re- moving to Hancock, Michigan, he was employed in the copper mines of Houghton county for a period of nine years. At the expiration of this period he returned to the east, locating in Trumbull, Connecticut, where he had charge of mining operations for five years. The next seven years were spent at Virginia City, Nevada, and he then returned to Belvidere, New Jersey, in order to take charge of the mines owned by the Shoemaker Mining Company. In December, 1894, he arrived at Port Oram, Morris county, New Jersey, to assume the management of the Richard mines of the Thomas Iron Company, and acted in the capacity of superintendent, having charge of upward of 400 men, until March 1, 1913. He is thoroughly con- versant with the business of mining in all its departments and was there- fore well qualified to fill this position. Under his supervision the mine was worked to yield a good profit and the enterprise was successful in every particular. He merited the unqualified confidence of the company, for his fidelity to its interests was above question. His fairness to his employes won their respect and faithful service, and he had less labor difficulties to contend with than is generally the case with the mining industry.
Mr. Arthur married Angie A. Anderson, of Calais, Maine, and they had children : Kenneth Ray, who died at Belvidere, New Jersey, September 14, 1893, the day he was to commence his studies at Lafayette College; Angie May, who was graduated from the Maryland College, at Lutherville, Maryland, from both the academic and musical departments ; she is a highly accomplished artist as well as showing great literary ability. The family resides in a beautiful home at No. 273 West Clinton street, Dover, New Jersey.
Mrs. Arthur's father, William Anderson, was born in Portland, Maine, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and afterward a prominent business man of Baileyville, Washington county, Maine. He married Sarah Ann Thorn- ton, whose great-grandfather, Andrew Thornton, was a brother of Matthew Thornton, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. Her grandfather, Matthew Thornton, named for his uncle just mentioned, was born in Lon- donderry, New Hampshire, and was a captain in the Colonial army; her father, Joseph Thornton, was also a soldier in the Revolutionary army. The record, or family Bible, giving the data of the Thornton family, is in the possession of Mrs. McBean, of Calais, a relative, and is now 146 years old. Of William Anderson's children, in addition to Mrs. Arthur, there were: Harris W., of Baileyville, who was a soldier in the Civil War ; Mrs. E. ). Farrar, of Milltown, Maine; Mary Rebekah, who married Captain David A. Swain; Martha L., of Calais. Mrs. Arthur has a niece who is the wife of Hon. G. M. Hanson, of the Supreme Court of Maine. The Bible con-
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taining the record of the Anderson family is kept by Dr. A. K. P. Meserve, of Portland, Maine, who is a cousin of Mrs. Arthur.
In his political views Mr. Arthur is a Republican and has served as a member of the township committee. He was a member of the Rockaway township school board for about a dozen years. He has been a member of the Masonic order for forty years, and of Warren Lodge, No. 13, F. and A. M., some twenty-five years, and among his brethren of the fraternity is regarded as a valued addition to their ranks, owing to his allegiance to the vows of the order, and also to his genial and affable nature. The duties and quiet pleasures of a retired life now occupy the time and attention of Mr. Arthur, and he takes great interest in all matters connected with the charitable enterprises of the community.
ADELBERT P. McDAVIT
Adelbert P. McDavit, the popular and efficient incumbent of the office of chief of the Dover fire department and a prominent factor in real estate and business circles in this city, was born in Dover, New Jersey, February 24, 1870. He is a son of William Henry and Adelia (Palmer) McDavit, the former of whom died in 1888 and the latter of whom passed away sev- eral years later.
William Henry McDavit was for many years a resident of Dover and a man of affairs in the political world of Morris county. He accumulated a great deal of valuable real estate in this section of New Jersey and was a representative in the first city council of Dover. His political faith coin- cided with the teachings and platform of the Republican party, in the local councils of which he figured prominently. He served for one term as sheriff of Morris county, filled the office of surrogate and for many years was county assessor. He was one of the organizers of the Dover fire depart- ment and its first chief, and his intrinsic loyalty to all matters affecting the good of the general welfare was of the most insistent order. In this day, when disinterested citizenship is all too rare a jewel, it is helpful to reflect upon a course of high-minded patriotism such as that of Mr. McDavit. He gave to public affairs the same careful, efficient attention that his own busi- ness received. He possessed a big warm heart. He was a friend to a friend, and a friend of the helpless. No one ever turned to him in time of need but that he was met with a cordial response. Mr. McDavit died in 1888, aged fifty-two years, and his memory is still verdant in the hearts of his many friends.
Adelbert P. McDavit, an only child, attended the public schools of Dover and was graduated in the Morris Academy. After the demise of his father he assumed charge of the McDavit real estate interests in Dover and in recent years he has become known as a big property owner, his holdings being both residential and business plots. He was one of the promoters of the Bon Ton Moving Picture Theatre in Dover and is a heavy stock- holder in the same. For the past twenty-five years he has been a member of the Dover fire department ; for six years a member of its board ; and since January, 1913, its chief. In connection with his duties as fire chief he is acquitting himself with distinction and honor. He is affiliated with Dover Lodge, B. P. O. E., of which he is a charter member and first treasurer. Politically he is a stalwart Republican.
Mr. McDavit married Bertha Mayberry, daughter of Charles May- berry. They have one son, William Henry, who is now a student in the Dover High School.
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ANDREW L. COBB
The earliest records of the Cobb family in America tell of Henry Cobb, born in 1596 in county Kent, England, and coming in the ship Anne to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1629.
His great-grandson, Ebenezer Cobb, was a resident of Taunton, Massa- chusetts, where he took a prominent part in public affairs. He married Mehitable Robinson, daughter of Increase and Mehitable (Williams) Robin- son, granddaughter of Increase and Sarah (Penniman) Robinson, and great- granddaughter of William Robinson, born about 1615, in Canterbury, Eng- land, whence he came to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1635. Sarah (Pen- niman) Robinson was a daughter of James and Lydia (Eliot) Penniman, the latter of whom was a sister of John Eliot, the "apostle to the Indians."
Edward Cobb, youngest son of Ebenezer and Mehitable (Robinson) Cobb, was born in Massachusetts, in 1731, died in 1813. He removed from Massachusetts to New Jersey, locating near Parsippany, where he conducted a farm from which he derived a goodly livelihood. He married Elizabeth Bowers, born in 1746, died in 1788, and among their children was Lemuel.
Colonel Lemuel Cobb, son of Edward and Elizabeth (Bowers) Cobb, was born at his father's home near Parsippany, New Jersey, May 15, 1762, died April 1, 1831. He was a man of indomitable energy of character, sur- mounting all obstacles in the way of his early advancement, and thus de- veloped those qualities which fitted him for his subsequent successful career, and which were in turn inherited by his son. He devoted the greater part of his time to civil engineering and surveying, in which he was highly pro- ficient. Prominent in military affairs and in politics, he was equally prom- inent in the development of the locality. For a number of years he served as judge of the court, and also filled other places of trust. He was a men- ber of the board of proprietors of the eastern division of the State, and for many years was surveyor-general of that division. He married (first) Mary Smith, daughter of Benjamin Smith, of Troy, whose only surviving child, Elizabeth, became the wife of Benjamin Howell. He married (second) Susan Farrand, daughter of Ebenezer and Rebecca (Parrott) Farrand, by whom he had three children, of whom two only survived him, namely : Julia A., wife of W. C. H. Waddell; and Andrew Bell. He married (third) Elizabeth Lindsley Shaw, by whom he had no children. Ebenezer Farrand, aforementioned, was a descendant of Nathaniel Farrand, who resided in Milford, Connecticut, in 1645, coming there from Yorkshire, England, and earlier still from Montpelier, France. They were a titled family, said to be of Huguenot origin. Nathaniel Farrand's great-grandson, Ebenezer, removed with his parents to Newark, New Jersey, in 1711, and subse- quently married Rebecca Ward; their son, Ebenezer, born 1734, died 1807, married Rebecca Parrott, born 1740, died 1783, and they were the parents of Susan, aforementioned. Rebecca (Ward) Farrand, above mentioned, was a descendant of Robert Ward, of Northamptonshire, England, a family of Norman descent, the name originally being De La Warde. Her ancestors came to New England in 1630, and settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1635.
Hon. Andrew Bell Cobb, son of Colonel Lemuel and Susan (Farrand) Cobb, was born at Parsippany, New Jersey, June 7, 1804, in the house where he resided until his death, January 31, 1873. He received an excellent academic education. His youth was spent in assisting his father in the care of his landed estate, and upon the death of the latter, April 1, 1831, he came into possession of a large portion of that estate, including the home-
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stead at Parsippany, and to the management and the cultivation of the same he devoted the greater part of his time. He was deeply interested in mining and the development of the iron interests of the county, and at a late period in his life was an extensive iron manufacturer. He also erected and oper- ated a furnace at Split Rock. Mr. Cobb took an active part in public and political affairs. He was a man of extensive information and a good citizen. Of unquestionable integrity and with high sense of honor, he had many earnest and devoted friends and was several times chosen to fill offices of public trust. In politics he was first a Whig, becoming an adherent of the Democratic party about the year 1853. In 1838 he was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Morris county, faithfully performing the duties thereof for about five years. In 1849-50 he was a member of the general assembly from this county and was again elected in 1853, although his party was not in the majority in his district, and this was an eloquent testimonial to his character and worth. He was a leading member of the house in the session of 1854, and was one of the active factors in promot- ing the legislation of that session which resulted in the limitation of the monopoly of the "Joint Companies" to January 1, 1869. In 1856 he was elected to the State senate, where he served efficiently during three sessions. For a number of years he was a member of the board of proprietors of East New Jersey. Judge Cobb was a man of marked individuality and to a natural dignity of manner he added a geniality that won him hosts of friends and made him welcome everywhere. He was hospitable, charitable, gen- erous, with a ready sympathy for those in affliction or need. A keynote to his success in his many undertakings was his executive force and mastery of detail in whatever engaged his attention.
Mr. Cobb married (first) Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, daughter of Captain David Kirkpatrick. She died December II, 1857, leaving a daughter, Julia Kirkpatrick, who died September 15, 1894. He married (second) Frances E. Condit, daughter of Nathaniel Ogden Condit. Their children are: An- drew Lemuel and Elizabeth C.
Andrew Lemuel Cobb, son of Andrew Bell and Frances E. (Condit) Cobb, was born in Hanover township, Morris county, New Jersey, Septem- ber 5, 1867. He attended the schools of South Williamstown, Massachu- setts, graduating in the year 1887. His entire active career since the com- pletion of his studies has been devoted to the administration of the estate left to the family at his father's death, which was not only extensive but extremely valuable, owing to the excellent management of his father. Mr. Cobb has inherited in marked degree many of the characteristics of his ancestors, and is therefore one of the leading and representative agricul- turists of his section of the State, the general appearance of his broad acres indicating the interest he manifests in their development. Scrupulously honorable in all his dealings with mankind, he bears a reputation that is to be envied, and being sociable and genial has a host of friends, who appreciate him for his many noble qualities.
Mr. Cobb married, September 15, 1892, Mary Righter, daughter of George E. Righter. They have three children: Andrew Lemuel, Marion, Frances Condit.
EDWARD KELLY
The history of a nation is nothing more than a history of the individuals comprising it, and as they are characterized by loftier or lower ideals, actu- ated by the spirit of ambition or indifference, so it is with a State, county or
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town. Success along any line of endeavor would never be properly ap- preciated if it came with a single effort and unaccompanied by some hard- ships, for it is the knocks and bruises in life that make success taste so sweet. The failures accentuate the successes, thus making recollections of the former as dear as those of the latter for having been the stepping- stones of achievement. The career of Edward Kelly but accentuates the fact that success is bound to come to those who join brains with ambition and are willing to work. He is a prominent official in many of the most important industrial enterprises located in Morris county and for the past four years has served his home community as alderman in the city council of Dover. He is purely a self-made man for no one assisted him in a financial way and in his youth he was but meagerly educated.
A native of Oxford, New Jersey, Edward Kelly was born October 15, 1858, son of Michael and Mary (Rock) Kelly, both of whom were born and reared in the Emerald Isle, where was solemnized their marriage and whence they immigrated to the United States in the year 1840. Michael Kelly was a miner by trade and later in life he attained considerable success in the general mercantile business at Oxford. He and his wife are both deceased and their remains are interred at Oxford, New Jersey. They were the parents of five children : Edward, Hugh, Margaret, Mary, James.
After completing the curriculum of the public schools of Oxford, Ed- ward Kelly, at the age of fifteen years, began to work for the Oxford Iron & Nail Company, continuing in the employ of that concern for the ensuing five years. At the age of twenty years he became timekeeper in the blast furnace department for the estate of J. Cooper Lord, of Boonton, New Jersey. One year later he became chief clerk for Tooke Straker, who was general manager of the iron interests of Joseph Wharton in Morris county. In 1885 he was appointed assistant superintendent of the above iron interests and he served as such until 1891, in which year Tooke Straker died and he succeeded him as general manager of all Mr. Wharton's interests in northern New Jersey. These interests consisted of three blast furnaces at Wharton, one at Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and a number of mining and railroad properties in Morris county. Mr. Kelly continued in the above capacity until March, 1913, three years after the death of Mr. Wharton. The best illustration of Mr. Kelly's capability in managing his employer's business interests is to be had in the fact that at the time of his death, Mr Wharton willed him the sum of $5,000 as a bonus for apprecia- tion of excellent service rendered.
Mr. Kelly is now vice-president of the Dover Trust Company: presi- dent of the Hygeia Ice and Ice Cream Company; president of the Gen- eral Contracting & Realty Company; treasurer of the New Jersey Hard- wood Company and of the High Land Lakes Realty Company. He was formerly general manager of the Wharton Steel Company and general superintendent of the Wharton & Northern Railroad Company. In addi- tion to the ice plant mentioned above a charcoal furnace is soon to be opened for operation at Dover. The foregoing is ample illustration of Mr. Kelly's dynamic energy and extraordinary ability as a business man of unusual power. Inasmuch as all his present affluence is the result of his own well directed efforts, his splendid success is the more gratifying to contemplate. He is a stalwart Republican in his political proclivities, and for the past four years he has served as a member of the Dover board of aldermen. He is affiliated with the Dover Lodge of the B. P. O. E., the Railroad Club of New York, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers. His
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religious faith is in harmony with the tenets of the Roman Catholic church, of which he is a zealous communicant.
In October, 1894, Mr. Kelly was united in marriage to Mrs. Julia (Foley) Conlan, widow of John Conlan and daughter of John and Mary Foley. By her first marriage Mrs. Kelly became the mother of four children : Mary, Elizabeth, Thomas, John. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly have one daughter, Helena. Mrs. Kelly is a woman of most gracious personality and she is deeply beloved by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle influence.
HERMAN D. MOLLER
Herman D. Moller, a member of the city council and chairman of the street committee at Dover, New Jersey, was born and reared in this place, the date of his nativity being 1874. He is a son of Daniel and Mary (Os- burg) Moller, the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter in the city of Brooklyn, New York. The father was for many years engaged in the wholesale bottling business at Dover and there he died in 1893. Mrs. Moller died in 1906. She and her husband were the parents of the following children: Charles, foreman of the General Fire Extinguishing Company at Philadelphia; Susan, wife of Carl Bergt, of Dover; Elizabeth, wife of William Konouse, of Dover ; Herman D., whose name forms the caption for this review.
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