USA > New Jersey > Morris County > A history of Morris County, New Jersey : embracing upwards of two centuries, 1710-1913, Volume II > Part 57
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Anselm B. Decker was born on Raccoon Island, Jefferson township, Morris county, New Jersey, August 17, 1863. Having acquired a practical education in the public schools of Hurdtown, he engaged in fishing at the early age of fifteen years, and has continued this as his life work. He is also a successful manufacturer of artificial bait, and his customers have come from all parts of the United States. He was engaged in this manufacture for a number of years, then abandoned it for a period of three years. Recently he has again engaged in this line of enterprise, and has installed the most improved machinery for this purpose. He is familiar with every nook and corner of Lake Hopatcong, and has sounded almost every foot of it. He is conceded to be the best guide and fisherman in this section of the country, and has acted in the latter capacity to many noted personages, among them being : Ex-Governor Griggs, of New Jersey ; Vice-President Hobart; General Hep- penheimer ; and Rex Beach, the popular author. Mr. Decker is a Democrat politically. He is the owner of a fine home on Raccoon Island, and of a considerable amount of other real estate there. He married, in 1890, Delia Bain, of Brooklyn, New York; children : Vincent, James, Charles, Robert, Sarah, Emily and Edith. Mr. Decker is deservedly popular in a large circle, as he is always ready to lend a helping hand to further any worthy object.
ABRAHAM KAUFMAN
High up on the honor roll of Morris county, New Jersey, must always stand the name of Abraham Kaufman, of Rockaway, who for a period of thirty years was identified with the business interests of the town, and who represented the highest ideals of citizenship. Commercial integrity meant much to him, but intellectual enlightenment, civic righteousness and the things of the spirit meant equally as much. His influence for good was felt either directly or indirectly by all of his fellow citizens, and his life has left a last- ing impression on the community.
Abraham Kaufman was born at Loebau, West Prussia, Germany, Feb- ruary 15, 1836, and died at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, Septem- ber 19, 1892. He acquired his education in his native land, coming to America at the age of seventeen years, and remained in the city of New York for one year. From there he went to Boston, where he was engaged in the manufacture of clothing for several years, after which he removed to Newark, New Jersey, opened and conducted a retail clothing store on Market street, and sold this business at the end of three years. In September, 1862,
Abraham Merce foram
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he located in Rockaway, Morris county, and there became associated in part- nership with Jacob Bloom. Mr. Kaufman withdrew from this partnership after a short time, and established himself independently in the clothing and gents furnishing business. For thirty years the business was located in the same building on Wall street, and it is now being carried on by the widow of Mr. Kaufman and other members of the family. It is the oldest mer- cantile establishment in Rockaway, and has now been in existence for a period of fifty-two years. In politics Mr. Kaufman was always a staunch Democrat, and a leader of his party in Rockaway township. He was elected collector of the township eight times, his last term commencing in 1891, and at the time of his death he had served one year of it. He was a member of Citizens' Lodge, No. 144, I. O. O. F.
Mr. Kaufman married, in November, 1865, Sarah Levy, of Boston, a woman of exceptional business ability and social charm, a combination of qualities rarely met with in one personality. They became the parents of children as follows: I. Annie, who lives with her mother. 2. Ray, widow of the late Harry M. Joel, of New York City ; he was a commercial sales- man, and they had one daughter, Sarah Gladys. 3. Abraham, born in Rock- away, January 13, 1869; was educated there, in Boston, and at Coleman's Business College in Newark. Until 1892 he was a traveling salesman, and then became a member of the business founded by his father, and is still engaged in the conduct of it. In political matters he is a Democrat, and he is a member of Acacia Lodge, No. 20, F. and A. M., of Dover ; Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Rockaway ; and the Improved Order of Red Men. 4. Dr. Ernest, of Newark; was educated in the public schools and then entered Columbia University, New York City, from which he was graduated in the class of 1896 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and is now in the enjoyment of a large practice. He is a member of the Essex County Medical Society, the Masonic fraternity, and the Democratic party. 5. Ida, married Joseph Q. Smith, proprietor of the East Dover Hotel, at Dover, and has one son, Harry Kaufman. 6. Dr. Harry, deceased ; was educated in the public schools of Rockaway, then entered the University of New York, from which he was graduated in the class of 1909, after which he entered the New York College of Dentistry, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. He died after practising one year. The esteem and respect in which Mr. Kaufman was held can be best indi- cated by the following extract from an article which appeared in the Dover Index at the time of his death :
"In tones betokening the sincerest regret the sad news was passed on Monday evening that Collector Abraham Kaufman, one of Rockaway's best esteemed citizens had departed forever from the scenes and people who had learned to love him so well during many years. His death occurred at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, after an illness of about two years, during which his wife was a most de- voted and faithful nurse. For many months it was fully realized that his death could be but a matter of time. His family have lost in him a good husband, and a kind and loving father. Mr. Kaufman was a genial, whole-souled man, of the strictest integrity. A friend of the poor, he was always kind and charitably inclined toward them, and his memory will be honored by many of this class. He was liberal and progressive and gave his aid to promote the various enterprises for the benefit of the town. His funeral services were attended by many from far and near, and a striking testimony to the esteem in which he was held is shown by the fact that all places of business were closed in honor to his memory as the funeral procession passed through the various streets on its way to the depot. At Newark the funeral party was met by delegations from two lodges and then proceeded to the cemetery, where the ser- vices were simple and impressive."
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ELDORADO EARLS
While trades and industries are an essential part of the prosperity of a country, the real foundation of all good fortune is the preservation of its agricultural interests, and the men engaged in work of this kind are the men who are the bulwarks of a nation. Prominent among the farmers of his section of the country is Eldorado Earls, of Whippany, Morris county, New Jersey, who represents a family which has been resident in the State for some generations. The father of Eldorado Earls, John W. Earls, was born in Morris county, and was a farmer all his life. For many years he resided in Rockaway township, and his death occurred in Newark, New Jersey, at the age of seventy years. He married Jane Vanderhoof, and became the father of eight children.
Eldorado Earls was born in Morris county, New Jersey, in 1855, and acquired his education in the public schools of that section. Later he removed to Newark, where he engaged in the kindling wood business for a time, then in the express business, with which he was occupied until his removal in 1898 to Whippany, Morris county. He purchased a farm of seventy acres on which he is engaged in general farming and also stock raising, making a decided success of both branches. He has made and is still making many improvements upon his property, which is now one of the finest of its size in the county. While he has never aspired to public office, he takes a deep interest in all public affairs which concern the welfare of the community, and gives his consistent support to the Republican party. Mr. Earls married (first) Mary Morgan, now deceased, and had children: Ernest L .; Olive, married George Little, and has one child, Vernon. He married (second) Mrs. Louise Knight. There are no children by the second marriage.
GEORGE W. COLE
The name of Cole is to be found in many sections of the United States, some of the early bearers of it having come from England, others front Germany, where the name was spelled Kohl. This form became anglicized in the course of time. George W. Cole is a builder and contractor of Morris county, New Jersey.
Stephen Cole, his father, was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, and died in Morris county, in the same state, at the age of eighty-seven years. He married Phoebe Chamberlain, born in Morris county, and died there at the age of eighty-seven years. They had three daughters and eleven sons, all of whom grew to maturity with the exception of one boy, who died when three years old.
George W. Cole was born in Sussex county, in 1846, and was a very young child when his parents removed to Morris county, so that practically his entire life has been spent there. He was educated in the public schools of Morris county, and asisted his father on the homestead farm until he had attained the age of eighteen years. He then went to Newark, New Jersey, where he learned the carpenter's trade, and spent a short time in this occupa- tion in Boonton. In 1875 he opened a shop in Boonton, continued this for a time, and was also for a time in the stair building business in Newark. He opened a shop in Parsippany, which he has continued up to the present time. His specialty is general contract work and stair building. He erected the Denville Hotel and other large buildings in Boonton. He is a Democrat politically, and attends the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Cole mar- ried Ella, daughter of Jacob Romine, and a descendant of a family which
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settled in the county on the adjoining homestead prior to the Revolution. They have had children: Augusta, married Gilbert Falkner, of Newark; Edward, in the hardware business in Boonton ; George Raymond; Sadie M., married Garfield Lesler ; Bertha, deceased ; Robert.
CHARLES KOSKA
Charles Koska, who has been connected with the Kaufman store of Rock- away, Morris county, New Jersey, since 1879, was born in Dantzic, Germany, November 28, 1853. He is a son of Charles and Julia Koska, who lived and died in Germany, and their other sons were: Reinhold, of East Saginaw, Michigan; August, a resident of California ; Ernest, who lives in Germany ; Franz, deceased.
Charles Koska was educated in Germany, and came to the United States in July, 1871. He at once proceeded to Newark, New Jersey, where he found a position in a clothing store, and remained there for some time. He removed to Rockaway, Morris county, in September, 1879, and has since been a resident of that township and fully identified with its interests. In 1893 Mr. Koska was elected collector of Rockaway township on the Demo- cratic ticket, and in 1894 was elected collector and treasurer of the borough of Rockaway, being the first one to fill this office after the incorporation of the borough. He was re-elected to the same office on the Citizens' ticket. In 1895-6-7 he collected all the taxes on the duplicate, leaving no balance. Of many sided ability, Mr. Koska has also made his mark in the field of journalism, and has been correspondent for the Newark News for the past ten years.
CHARLES P. COOK
An honored citizen and representative business man of Dover, New Jersey, is Charles P. Cook, who is here superintendent of the city water department, having been the efficient incumbent of that position for the past eight years. Mr. Cook is a native of Maryland, his birth having occurred at Middletown, that state, February 8, 1865. He is a son of Alexander A. and Charlotte (Coblentz) Cook, both of whom are now deceased, their remains being interred in Maryland, where they passed their entire lives. The father was a tinsmith by trade and conducted a tin shop at Middletown, Maryland, for many years prior to his demise. He was a public-spirited citizen, and served his community for several terms as constable and justice of the peace. He was three times married and to his first union were born : Joseph, Alice and Christina. By his second marriage he had children: Mil- lard F., Ella F., Mary, John K., Charlotte C. and Charles P., the last of whom is he whose name initiates this article.
Charles P. Cook grew up during the trying period of reconstruction following the Civil War. The schools in those days were not of the best, but such as they were he attended them and managed to eke out a fair educa- tion. At the age of seventeen years he began to learn the trade of butcher and he was engaged in the meat business until he had reached his twenty- eighth year. He subsequently came to Dover, and for five years conducted a laundry in this city. In 1900 the position of superintendent of the Dover Gas Company was proffered him. This offer he accepted, and he served in that capacity for the ensuing five years, at the end of which he became superintendent of the Dover Water Company. It is now eight years since he entered the employ of the water company, and he bids fair to continue 26
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as its superintendent for an indefinite period. He is unswerving in his devo- tion to duty and has introduced many improvements in the plant of the water department.
In 1890 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cook to Miss Mary F. Chamberlain, whose birth occurred at Chester, New Jersey, and who is a daughter of Nathaniel Chamberlain. Mr. Chamberlain died, and his wife, whose maiden name was Emeline Swartz, also passed to the great beyond. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain: William, Mary F., Emma, John, Della, Bertrum and Elias. Mr. and Mrs. Cook have one son, Zerman, who is now a drug clerk in Dover, where he is studying pharmacy.
Fraternally, Mr. Cook is connected with the Masonic fraternity, and he is likewise affiliated with the Junior Order of United American Me- chanics, the Knights of Malta and the Royal Arcanum. In religious faith the Cook family are fervent members of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, Dover.
CHARLES H. JENNINGS
One cannot study far into the history of Morris county without meet- ing the name of Jennings, which has become identified with the agricultural interests of this section of the State of New Jersey. A representative of it for many years, and one who is regarded with the highest esteem by his fellow citizens, is Charles H. Jennings, of Jefferson township.
James Jennings, his grandfather, was one of the early settlers of Milton, Morris county, going there with his brother, Brownley Jennings. They purchased properties adjoining each other and both had large families. Mr. Jennings married a Miss Davenport, and had children: Cornelius, married Charlotta Weaver, and died near Elmira, New York; George, married Caroline Laroe; John, went west, where he married and died ; Sarah, mar- ried John Weaver ; Kate, married Henry Weaver ; Mahlon, of further men- tion ; several others died at Milton.
Mahlon, son of James Jennings, was born on the farm on which his father had settled at Milton, and died at the age of sixty-eight years. He was a farmer and a blacksmith. He owned two farms and his wife owned one, at Milton. He married Mary Ann, daughter of John C. and Julia (Jayne) Davenport ; and niece of the celebrated Dr. Jayne, of Philadelphia. Children of John C. and Julia (Jayne) Davenport : Mary Ann, mentioned above; Lavinia, married Thomas K. Norman. Mrs. Jennings died about 1890, at the age of eighty-three years. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings have had children : Lavinia, died unmarried, at Milton; John, resides on the Jen- nings homestead, married Laura Crystal, of Dover, New Jersey ; Madison, died at the age of three years ; Charles H., the subject of this sketch; Har- riette Lucy, married Lewis B. Thompson, of Paterson, New Jersey ; Emma, married Barnet Gunderman, and lives in Sparta, New Jersey; Catherine Amelia, married George Scarch, and lives in Sparta.
Charles H. Jennings was born on the farm on which he is residing at the present time, March 16, 1846, and has lived on this all his life, with the exception of six months spent in Idaho Territory. Mr. Jennings received a substantial education in the public schools, and has followed farming all his life. He is a Republican in his political opinions, and was a member of the county committee for a period of eight years. He also served three years as a member of the school board. He was appointed postmaster under the administration of President Grant, and was reappointed by President
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Garfield. The beautiful and commodious house in which he is living was erected by him in 1888; he also owns a farm of forty-five acres and several pieces of woodland property.
Mr. Jennings married, January 12, 1876, Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Theodore and Eliza (Estile) Maines, who had three other children. Mr. Maines was born near Lafayette, Sussex county, New Jersey, in 1822, and died in June, 1894. He was a farmer and after his marriage removed to near Milton, Sussex county. His wife was born near Petersburg, Morris county, in 1837, and died in 1912, a daughter of Lewis and Catherine (Strait) Estile, of Milton. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Jennings: I. Edgar B., born May 16, 1877; was educated in Milton, and is now manager of the Wallace Store in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania ; he married, in February. 1902, Lillie, a daughter of Merritt Strator, of Newton, and has had chil- dren : Charles, Edgar and Frederick, living, and Claudia and Charles, de- ceased. 2. Mamie Ursula, born March 16, 1880, died June 15. 1903 ; she married, in December, 1901, Harry W. Frederick, of Oak Ridge, station agent on the Susquehanna railroad. 3. Bertha Elizabeth, born December 20, 1884; was graduated from the Trenton State Normal School, and has been teaching since 1904 at Long Branch, New Jersey, and taught for a period of five years prior to entering the normal school.
GEORGE H. HULMES
One of the most important interests of Lake Hopatcong, Morris county, New Jersey, is represented by George H. Hulmes, who is a descendant of a family which has been resident in the State of New Jersey for many years. Christopher Hulmes, his grandfather, was a forgeman at Weldon, Longwood, and various other places, and died at Weldon about 1866. He married Hannah Henderson, who died about 1878, and they were the parents of : , deceased ; William S., of further mention; Charles, Fred- erick, Sarah Ann, Malinda, Caroline.
William S., son of Christopher and Hannah (Henderson) Hulmes, was born at Weldon, in 1835, and died in 1908. In his younger days he was also a forgeman, but in his later years worked in the Mount Hope mines. The last twenty years of his life were spent in Chester and Succasunna. He enlisted in a regiment of Pennsylvania volunteer infantry, under Captain David S. Allen, and received his discharge at the close of the war. He married Emily, daughter of Stephen and Fannie (Lannin) Dickerson, the latter part of whose lives was spent in Berkshire Valley, where he was a farmer. They had one other child: H. Jonathan, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hulmes had children : Emma A., now deceased, married Joseph Smith ; George H., of further mention; Frank, in the employ of the Bailey Meat Packing Company, of Newark; Charles L., a carpenter, of Newark; Mary, married (first) William Davenport, of Berkshire Valley, who died in 1902, married (second) Joseph Vanderhoof, and resides in Newark; Edith, married Josiah F. Spencer, of Berkshire Valley.
George H., son of William S. and Emily (Dickerson) Hulmes, was born! in Berkshire Valley, Jefferson township, Morris county, New Jersey, July 5, 1863. He was educated in the public schools in the vicinity of his home, then was engaged in mine work at Mount Hope for a few years, and later was superintendent of the Cooper Mine. Subsequently he opened up and worked a mine at Hockleborney, employing about thirty men. After this he entered the employ of the Kenville Lumber Company, being given charge of the lake stores and the lumber yard at Nolans Point, held this
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post sixteen years and was a stockholder in the company. He then sold his interests in this enterprise and purchased boats for use on Lake Hopatcong. He operated the Black Line through the canal for a period of eight years. His first three boats were run under the name of the People's Steamboat Line, and were named: F. W. Zook, a steamer of seventy-passenger capacity ; Mystic Shrine, sixty-five passengers; Gladys, forty passengers. In 1914 Mr. Hulmes purchased the Bertram Island Transportation Line, and the five vessels under its control are: Uncle Dan, forty-five passengers ; Richard J., eighty-five passengers; C. K. Benedict, gasoline, eighty-five passengers; Esther R., gasoline, forty passengers: New Breslin, gasoline, twenty-nine passengers. In political matters Mr. Hulmes is a Republican, and in November, 1913, was elected a freeholder of Jefferson township. He has a beautiful home at Lake Hopatcong, where he has resided since 1871, and all his life has been spent in Morris county. He is a member of Agassiz Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Dover ; Madison Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Morristown; Roxbury Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Succasunna. Mr. Hulmes married (first) December 28, 1887, Jennie, daughter of John and Ann Chapman; children: Charles Raymond and Myrtle C. Mrs. Hulmes died March 26, 1910, and he mar- ried (second) 1912, Nellie, a sister of his first wife, and has one child by this marriage : Evelyn Loraine.
JAMES CALL
The name of Call is associated with some very early settlements in the New England States, and the records which have come down to us prove the members of this family to have been men in the best sense of the word ; strong, courageous, patriotic, and ever at the front in war or peace. Just when the family of James Call, Morris Plains, Morris county, New Jersey, came to this country, is not matter of record, but the Calls have all had a common ancestry, and the traits which distinguished the earlier generations, are amply manifested in the later ones.
James Call, son of James and Mary (Cool) Call, was born at Flanders, Mount Olive ( formerly Roxbury) township, Morris county, New Jersey, July 28, 1846. Until the age of eighteen years he lived on the paternal farm, then worked for a short time for William Landon, a distiller. He then removed to Peapack, Somerset county, New Jersey, then to Hanover town- ship. Morris county, where he was engaged in farming twenty years. He is now the owner of a fine farm of sixty acres at Morris Plains, which is a model of its size. He is progressive in his methods, and ready to adopt any improvement, as soon as he has given it a thorough test and finds it worthy of adoption. In political matters he is a Republican, and he is a mem- ber of the Morristown Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Call married Laura, a daughter of Isaac Van Fleet, of Morristown, and they have one son: Norwood, a locomotive engineer in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Rail- road Company, who resides in Jersey City, New Jersey ; he married Anna Falen and has children : Clara, James and William. James Call, the elder, is a man who has earned the esteem of his fellow citizens because of his honest and upright methods, and his readiness to assist in any project which has for its object the improvement or development of the community.
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C. HOWELL BATES
C. Howell Bates, a well known farmer of Morris Plains, Morris county, New Jersey, is a member of a family which has been identified with the fortunes of this country for a number of generations. The name of Bates is supposed to be derived from "Bartholomew's son," Bartholomew being shortened to Batte, or Bate. Some authorities think it may come from the Anglo-Saxon noun "bate," meaning contention. In the form of Bate the name was common in England several centuries before the departure of the Puritans. In New England the name was usually Bate or Baitt, but it be- came fixed as Bates about the time of the Revolution.
George W., father of C. Howell Bates, was born in Hanover township, Morris county, and died there at the age of fifty-three years. He conducted a general and dairy farm, and was also engaged in the milk business in New York. He married Eliza Wright, who died in 1894, and they had six children.
C. Howell Bates was born in Hanover township, Morris county, New Jersey, in 1883, and was educated in the public schools of his native towu- ship. After leaving these he engaged in farming, and took up his present farm of 144 acres, which he keeps in a fine state of cultivation. He has erected a new dwelling upon this place and made many important improve- ments, among them being the erection of a fine barn, which is the largest in the county. He devotes a considerable portion of his farm to pasturage for his fine herd of cows, and his dairy business is an extensive one. He has been one of the strongest supporters in this section of the state of the Republican party, and has served as a member of the election board. He is now in office as road supervisor, and as a member of the school board. Mr. Bates married Mabel Dunham, and has children: Charles Howell and Clarence Wright.
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