USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > Biographical and genealogical history of the city of Newark and Essex County, New Jersey, V. 1 > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78
and accepted the position of assistant in the actuary department of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, of New- ark. He retained this position until 1874, when he took up the study of law under the direction of Hon. Amzi Dodd, who was vice-chancellor of New Jersey and who is now president of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, of Newark.
Mr. Barrett applied himself with zeal to the mastery of the principles of law and was admitted to the bar as an attorney in 1878 and as a counsellor at law in 1881. He entered upon the practice of his chosen profession in Newark and has enjoyed from the first a large clientage. For the past four years he has been attorney for the North Jersey Street Railway Company.
In November, 1878, Mr. Barrett was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Coe, daughter of the Rev. Dr. David B. Coe, who for many years was secretary of the American Home Missionary Society in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Barrett have four children, one son and three daughters. He and his family are members of the First Presbyterian church of Bloomfield, the children being the fifth generation who have continuously attended that church.
IRA SEYMOUR CRANE.
The family name of this gentleman is one which is ineffaceably traced on the his- tory of Essex county and figures conspicu- ously on the pages of the records that per- petuate the principal events from early co- lonial days down to the present time. Through several generations the ancestry of the family can be traced, and in the lat- ter part of the eighteenth century there was born in Essex county, one who became a very important factor in the material,
Walory Mr. Barrett-
83
ESSEX COUNTY.
moral, educational and social development of the community-Zenas Squire Crane, whose birth occurred in Cranetown, Octo- ber 20, 1793, in the old homestead situated on the Valley road, near the junction with Church street, subsequently purchased by Grant J. Wheeler and now occupied by the latter's son.
Squire Crane, as he was called, began his business career as a clerk in the store of Job Dod, in Bloomfield, and when but ยท eighteen years of age was elected a con- stable of Bloomfield township. A year later, on the breaking out of the war of 1812, he responded to his country's call, and though a mere youth, shouldered his musket and enlisted in a New Jersey regi- ment, doing service at Sandy Hook and in the southern part of the state, defending the coast against the invading forces. On his return he joined the state militia, and on the 15th of May, 1821, was made lieu- tenant and subsequently captain of the First Company, Second Battalion, of the Fifth Regiment, acting as such for more than eleven years. In 1826 he was ap- pointed justice of the peace by the state legislature, which office he filled in a most creditable manner for fifty-four years. His rulings during all this time were never re- versed by those of a higher court, and the decisions rendered by him were at all times sound and logical. He received an ap- pointment as commissioner of deeds the year after his appointment as jus- tice of the peace, and in 1837 was appointed a lay judge of Essex coun- ty, in which capacity he served until 1853, when he was appointed master in chancery. When the building of the pres- ent courthouse was proposed, he was one of the members of the building committee.
There was, perhaps, not another man in Essex county who was so well informed concerning the general transactions in real estate, since Judge Crane was a surveyor and surveyed the lands and prepared the deeds for nearly every transaction made in this vicinity for fifty years. He was for a long period the president of the Rosendale Cement Company, of Jersey City, and at one time owned all the land bounded by a line running from the corner of Valley road to a point at the top of the mountain, near the lands of Mr. Pillsbury, and thence to the Old Road, then known as the Pompton Turnpike, the lands being bounded on the east and west by Valley road and the Caldwell township line.
Judge Crane was one of the corporate members of the Presbyterian church and served as a trustee for more than twenty years. Among the archives of the public schools is a book wherein he recorded the organization of the present school, on May 17, 1831, to which he subscribed himself as president of the board of trustees, of which he was a member for many years. Few men in this vicinity ever led such a life of public usefulness; he was prominent- ly identified with the various measures which promoted the educational, moral and material welfare, and his influence and sup- port were important factors in the substan- tial progress of the county. In his early life the Judge was a stanch advocate of the old Whig party, and he subsequently be- came an uncompromising Republican. At the presidential election in 1880 Judge Crane and "Uncle" Nathaniel R. Dodd marched to the polls early in the morning, the former bearing aloft an American flag. Quite a number of voters had preceded them, but before exercising their own right
84
ESSEX COUNTY.
of franchise all waited until the two old veterans had deposited their ballots. Mr. Crane was ever a loyal adherent of his country and neglected no duty of citizen- ship.
On the 24th of September, 1821, he was united in marriage to Miss Maria Searing, the ceremony being performed in the old Bloomfield hotel by the Rev. Dr. Judd, who was at that time the pastor of the Presbyterian church of that place. The following children were born to them: Sarah A., wife of Thomas Jessup, who lived and died in Newburg, New York; Ange- lena, wife of Hon. Stephen K. Williams, a resident of Newark, Wayne county, New York; Mary Elizabeth, wife of John An- drus, who makes his home in Hackensack, New Jersey; Theodore T., who is located in Yonkers, New York; and Frances J., wife of Dr. J. J. H. Love, of Montclair.
Jeremiah, son of Stephen and Rhoda Crane, was born April 2, 1770. His home- stead stood on what is now the foundation of the cottage of Thomas Porter, near the corner of Harrison avenue and Union street, and his farm extended from what is now Harrison avenue to the top of the mountain. He was a man of considerable prominence in his day and was a recog- nized leader in public affairs. He married Elizabeth Corby, who was born June 22, 1774, and they became the parents of eleven children, namely: Purthana, Han- nah, William, Julia, Rhoda, Israel, Linas, Ira, Mary, Eliza and Ann Martha.
Of this family Ira Crane is the next in the line of direct descent to our subject. He was born on the old family homestead and succeeded to the ownership of the es- tate. He was a man of considerable prominence, served on the town committee
and held other offices of trust and respon- sibility. He belonged to the Presbyterian church of Bloomfield and held official preferment therein. During most of his life he carried on the shoe business and earned a comfortable living for his family. His home was on South Fullerton avenue, where he purchased ground and erected a residence, since altered and remodeled and now owned by Dr. Butler. He married Margaret Norwood, and their children are Jarvis G., Angeline and Israel.
The eldest, Jarvis Crane, the father of our subject, was born at the old family home on Harrison avenue and Union street, February 7, 1831. He became a carpenter and builder and erected some of the best houses in his day, including the residences of Samuel Wilde, on Fullerton avenue, and of Julius Pratt, on Elm street; also the homes of William Terry, George S. Dwight, J. C. Hart, Joseph Van Vleck, Robert M. Boyd and many others, and all these stand as monuments to his enter- prise, his industry and his efficiency in his chosen calling. He afterward engaged in the hardware business, which he carried on successfully for many years. He bought the lot adjoining that of his father on Ful- lerton avenue and built the house now oc- cupied by his son, Dr. Frank S. Crane. About 1854 he removed to Boonton, New Jersey, where he maintained his residence for five years. He there married Henri- etta Smith, and has three children, namely : Ira Seymour, Frank S. and Alice B.
Ira Seymour Crane, whose name intro- duces this review of a prominent and dis- tinguished family of Essex county, was born in Boonton, New Jersey, December 29, 1855, and when four years of age was taken by his parents to West Bloomfield,
85
ESSEX COUNTY.
now Montclair, the old home of his father. He enjoyed the best educational advan- tages then to be had in the township, and was graduated in the high school in 1873. He learned the carpenter's trade with his father and for eight years followed that pursuit, but when his father bought out the hardware store of William S. Morris, in 1881, he was admitted to a partnership in the business under the firm name of J. C. Crane & Son. Since his father's retire- ment, in 1888, our subject has carried on the business alone and has an excellent trade, which comes to him by reason of his honorable dealing, his uniform courtesy and his earnest desire to please his patrons. He possesses keen foresight and sound judgment and his affairs are so conducted as to yield to him a handsome return. He is connected with numerous other business enterprises, in all of which he has displayed the same business capacity and enterprise. He is a director in the Montclair Building & Loan Association, one of the strongest of its kind in the state, is a stockholder in the Montclair Bank and a director in the Montclair Savings Bank.
In 1882 was celebrated the marriage which united the destinies of Mr. Crane and Miss Caroline A. Doremus, a daugh- ter of Joseph and Caroline (Mead) Dore- mus. His wife died October 14, 1892, leaving two children, Ira Seymour and Henrietta Mead. On June 20, 1895, he was again married, to Miss S. Maud W. Priest, daughter of Rev. Dr. J. Addison Priest, formerly pastor of the First Presby- terian church of Montclair. The maiden name of her mother was Frances Walker. There are two sons by this marriage, Wol- cott Bogle and Robert Dempster. In re- ligious matters Mr. Crane has evinced the
same energy, earnestness and devotion that have characterized all his business af- fairs. He is one of the most public-spir- ited and progressive men of the present generation, as well as one of the most pop- ular. He helped to organize the fire de- parment, was elected assistant foreman of the company and in 1890 was made chief of the fire department. Under his able management the department has increased in efficiency and strength and is now one of the best conducted in any suburban town in the state. In 1891 he became a member of the town committee and was made the first township treasurer after the creation of that office, filling the position with marked fidelity and ability. His worth to the community is highly esti- mated and the county numbers him among its valued citizens. He is fortunate in having back of him an honored ancestry and happy that the lines of his life have been cast in harmony therewith. Es- teemed by his friends, respected in business and public life, he commands the regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact. .
JOSEPH A. MUNN.
The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the chronicles of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society, whether in the broad sphere of public labors or in the more circumscribed, but not less worthy and valuable, of individual activity through which the general good is ever promoted. The name borne by our subject is one which has stood exponent for the most sterling personal characteristics, the deepest appre- ciation of the rights and privileges of citi-
86
ESSEX COUNTY.
zenship in our great republic, and is one which has been indissolubly identified with the annals of the state of New Jersey from an early epoch in its history. There have been strong men and true, as one genera- tion has followed another,-men leal and loyal to our national institutions and to the duties of patriotism. There is both pro- priety and satisfaction in according even a cursory review of the genealogy of such a line, and to touch the more salient points of personality.
As to the original American progenitor of the . Munn family the records ex- tant are unfortunately meagre in ex- act information, though there is a tra- dition, sufficiently well authenticated, to the effect that the original ancestor of our subject in the agnatic line was one of two brothers who came to the United States in the seventeenth century, from Wales, and settled in Massachusetts, where he re- mained until the French and Indian war, when he came to New Jersey, where the family has ever since had many represent- atives. Tracing back the lineage, we find that Isaac Munn, a resident of Orange, Essex county, died on the 8th of January, 18II, while his wife, Mary, passed away on the 3Ist of March, 1820. These were the parents of Captain Joseph Munn, the grandfather of the immediate subject of this review. Joseph Munn was born in Orange on the 4th of May, 1774, and his death oc- curred October 18, 1864. He married Martha F. Williams, and they resided in Orange until about the year 1800, when they removed to Montclair, Essex county (the place being then a portion of Bloom- field), and here the Captain purchased a valuable property on the corner of Valley Road and Church street, where he resided
until 1822, when he removed to the corner of Bloomfield avenue and Valley Road, where he had erected a building, which is still standing and which is now known as the Mansion House. He occupied this. house until about 1845, and then removed to the southwest corner of the same two- thoroughfares, where he passed the residue of his days, his death occurring October 18, 1864. His wife, Martha F., who was born March 15, 1776, died April 16, 1853. Cap- tain Munn was one of the influential and most highly honored men of this section. For forty-five years he conducted a hotel, having first engaged in this line of business. in 1802. He was also prominently identi- fied with other industrial pursuits, having been associated as a copartner with Nathan- iel H. Baldwin in the manufacture of hats, while he was also one of the most extensive land-owners in the township, carrying on farming operations upon a large scale. He was one of the oldest Masons in the state and was widely known as a thorough and consistent exemplar of the noble principles. and precepts of this ancient and honored crafthood, having affiliated with Bloomfield Lodge, F. A. M., and Washington Chapter, R. A. M. He manifested great interest in Masonic matters until the hour of his death. Early in this century lodge meetings were held in a room of his hotel, on the corner of Valley Road and Church street. The Cap- tain was a man of large stature, command- ing presence, and was very active and en- ergetic. His personality was distinct and reliant, he was resolute of purpose and his depth of character, strict adherence to prin- ciple and admirable social qualities gained for him the admiration and esteem of his contemporaries.
The children of Captain Joseph and
87
ESSEX COUNTY.
Martha F. (Williams) Munn were five in number, and of them we make brief record, as follows: John B., born January 1, 1798, died July 14, 1831; Calvin Munn, father of the immediate subject of this sketch, is re- ferred to more specifically in succeeding paragraphs; Rhoda W., born February 21, 1804, died in May, 1864; Eli Emmons Munn was born December 12, 1808; George H., born February 26, 1812, died August 8, 1814. Rhoda W. became the wife of Joseph Collins, November 22, 1842, and their only child was Joseph M., now deceased. Eli E. Munn was married to Rachel Doremus, July 18, 1833, and they had five children: Rhoda A., John R., de- ceased; Joseph E., deceased; Margaret A .; and Mary, deceased.
Calvin Munn, father of our subject, was born in Bloomfield (now Montclair), on the 2Ist of October, 1799, and his death oc- curred August 26, 1871. Under the direc- tion and in the establishment of his father he learned the hatter's trade, to which he devoted his attention until 1835, when he located on his farm on the Valley Road, where he continued to make his home until his demise. July 14, 1822, he was united in marriage to Mary E. Squire, daughter of Nathaniel Squire, of Morris county. She was born in Livingston, that county, on October 2, 1800, and' her death occurred June 6, 1888. Both of her parents at- tained extreme longevity, each being nearly ninety years of age at time of death. She was born and educated in a period when girls were taught to be good housewives, while not neglecting the discipline of the mind,-the good old days when were de- veloped that strong manhood and true and gentle womanhood which have given stabil- ity and grace to many a community. Mrs.
Munn thus learned the arts of spinning and weaving of wool and flax, and to fashion it into wearing apparel and other forms to be utilized in the domestic economies, of which she was mistress in all varied phases. She was such a one as to exemplify the state- ment that "her children rise up and call her blessed." She raised a large family, was a model mother,-methodical, industri- ous and devoted to her home and family. Her faculties remained unimpaired until death set its seal upon her aged lips; she always found time to read and keep in- formed on current events; she retained the management of her household until within two days of her death. It is worthy of note that her mother's youthful days were passed in New Jersey at a period when wolves and Indians were numerous, and when the crime of witchcraft still reared its horrid head. Her father was killed in a skirmish at Connecticut Farms in the war of the Revolution. Not less to this noble and de- voted mother, Mary E. Munn, than to the father, Calvin, did the children owe the ut- most filial love and admiration. Calvin Munn was a man of deep sentiment and winning personality, being a lover of and favorite with children and never wearying in his efforts to entertain them. His nature was strong and honest and his friends were in number as his acquaintances. He was greatly interested in fruit culture, and had probably more varieties than any other in the township. He died full of honors and good works, and his name will long be re- vered in the community where his long and useful life was passed.
The children of Calvin and Mary E. (Squire) Munn were seven in number, namely: Mary A., born January 20, 1823; Phebe C., born November 9, 1826; Albert
88
ESSEX COUNTY.
E., October 17, 1829; Joseph A., whose name initiates this article; Martha A., who was born December 9, 1835, and who died October 20, 1875; John B., born December 7, 1838, died March 3, 1863; and Helen A., born April 5, 1841.
Joseph A. Munn, our immediate subject, was born in Bloomfield (now Montclair), on the 25th of September, 1832. He se- cured his educational discipline in the pay schools of the village and in the excellent boarding school of Milton Holt. Inherit- ing the self-reliance and resolute purpose of his honored parents, he early began to for- mulate his plans for the future and made ready to assume the responsibilities of life. In his eighteenth year he went to Jersey City, where he remained three years, after which he proceeded to New York city, where he was variously employed as sales- man and bookkeeper until 1861. He then entered into a copartnership with J. Darwin Cobb, under the firm name of Munn & Cobb, for the purpose of carrying on a business in London, England. He sailed for London in February, 1861, and main- tained his residence there for several years, representing and selling the products of American manufacturers. In 1865 he opened in New York a house for the sale of French and German manufactures, doing a large importing business and continuing operations under the name of Munn & Cobb until 1873, when the copartnership was dissolved and Mr. Munn retired from mercantile business.
Within the succeeding year he went to Colorado, where he became largely inter- ested in the mining and milling of gold ore, continuing operations in this line until 1890, when he returned to his old and cher-
ished home in Montclair, where he has since resided, fully enjoying the hallowed associations of the past and the many pleas- ing environments of the present. On the Ist of January, 1856, Mr. Munn was mar- ried to Miss Margaret L. Sandford, whose death occurred in 1874. February 22, 1896, he consummated a second marriage, being then united to Miss Augusta A. Hud- son. He maintains a constant and lively interest in all that touches the progress and prosperity of his native place, where he is honored as a worthy scion of worthy par- ents.
Albert E. Munn, son of Calvin and Mary E. Munn, was born in that part of Bloom- field which now bears the name of Mont- clair, October 17, 1829, receiving his educa- tion under the same circumstances and aus- pices as did his brother, Joseph A. He learned the carriage-maker's trade, which he followed for several years. When armed rebellion menaced the integrity of the Union he promptly enlisted as a member of the Twenty-sixth Regiment of Volunteer Infantry and served until the expiration of his term, when he was honorably dis- charged. He then assumed charge of his father's farm, on Valley Road, where he now resides.
John B. Munn, the youngest son of Cal- vin and Mary E. Munn, was born in Mont- clair, on the 7th of December, 1838, and was educated in the village school. At the time of the late war of the Rebellion he was occupied as a salesman in New York. He enlisted in the Thirteenth Regiment, be- coming orderly sergeant. He participated in several battles, and sacrificed his life upon his country's altar in the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 3, 1863.
89
ESSEX COUNTY.
THOMAS H. JONES,
who has been conspicuously identified with the public affairs of Irvington and who most effectively represented his dis- trict in the state legislature of New Jer- sey, is a native of this state, his birth hav- ing occurred in the city of Harrison on the IIth of November, 1860. His father, the late David Jones, was born in Wales in 1823 and emigrated to the United States in 1832, his death taking place in this coun- try in 1872. He followed the vocation of a saddler, and was married in New Jersey to Miss Mary A. Reynolds, who departed this life in 1890.
Thomas H. is the third of five children. The death of his father threw him upon his own responsibilities at the early age of twelve years, and he secured work on a farm at Free Union, Warren county, New Jersey, remaining there for nearly four years, obtaining such literary education as was afforded by the public schools of the neighborhood, which he attended in the winter months during the years 1872-3-4. He spent another four years on a farm at Stanhope, Essex county, following which period he entered the employ of the cellu- loid company in Newark, retaining his po- sition with that concern for ten years, and in 1884 he came to Irvington, where he is now conducting an insurance and real-es- tate business and where he has been prom- inently connected with the best interests of the village. Touching upon the positions of trust and honor he has occupied with distinct efficiency, we may state that he was elected clerk of the village and served three consecutive terms in that office; he was postmaster during President Harrison's
administration; in 1884 he was elected a member of the board of education and be- came its president; he is an active member of the Irvington fire department; is secre- tary of the Irvington Land & Improve- ment Company, and of the Clinton Water Company, both of which enterprises he as- sisted in organizing.
Mr. Jones was elected to the New Jer- sey general assembly by the Republican party in 1896 and again in 1897, and proved a most useful member of that honorable body. He was instrumental in securing the passage of some wholesome legislation, among which may be mentioned the fol- lowing bills: That providing for the col- lection of taxes and assessments, unpaid, by selling the property in fee simple, the excellence of the law being fully proven by subsequent events; a bill to enable South Orange to build sewers to tide water; an amendment to an act known as the "road act," saving the town of Belleville fifteen thousand dollars; a bill providing for the annexation of a portion of Clinton town- ship to Newark; a bill providing for the ap- portionment of the assets and liabilities be- tween a city or other municipality and any territory that may be annexed to it; a bill to restore to Irvington certain rights of which it was deprived in 1890, relating to opening streets, laying sidewalks, etc .; and a bill authorizing township committees to appoint commissions to condemn land for township purposes. He was chairman of the committee on towns and townships and was a member of the committee on educa- tion. His services as a legislator were most valuable and were highly appreciated by his party in general and by the district represented by him in particular. On Jan-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.