USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > Biographical and genealogical history of the city of Newark and Essex County, New Jersey, V. 2 > Part 11
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November 30, 1809, and was a prominent farmer, whose interest in public affairs was marked and commendable. He was at one time a member of the board of freeholders of Essex county, and also served on the town committee. In his political affilia- tion in early life he was a Whig, afterwards a Democrat, and joined the Republican party during the early part of the civil war. He held a membership in the Presbyterian church in Caldwell and served as trustee and elder therein. He was twice married, his first union being with Eunice Baldwin, who died April 14, 1848, leaving a son, Cyrus B. Another son of this marriage, Joseph E., is now deceased. For his second wife Mr. Crane chose Joanna Harrison, daughter of Samuel Harrison, and to them were born two children : Mary E., deceased, and Marcus. The father died March 4, 1888, and his death was mourned through- out the community, for he was a worthy citizen, a faithful friend, a devoted husband and father and a consistent Christian gen- tleman.
Marcus S. Crane was born on the old family homestead, April 21, 1853, and there spent his boyhood days, assisting in the labors of the farm and conning his lessons in the district school of the neighborhood. He supplemented his early educational privileges by study in the Newark Acade- my and then returned home, resuming the work of the farm, which he has since con- tinued. The land is under a high state of cultivation, the improvements are in keep- ing with those of the model farm, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place well indicates his careful supervision. He has erected new and commodious buildings, and is methodical, systematic and pains- taking in his work. Since 1894 he has also
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carried on the lumber and milling business; ried William Clark; Eliza, who wedded Benjamin Seymour; Sarah, wife of Matthias Comstock; and Catherine, who married Daniel Shoals. Both Daniel Smith and his wife died in Ridgefield after attaining an advanced age, and their remains were in- terred in the family burying-ground on the old homestead. having purchased of the other heirs their interest in the saw and grist mill built on the farm by Caleb Heatfield and sold by him to Samuel Crane about the time of the Revolution. He is a worthy successor of an honorable and honored ancestry, and his undertakings have been rewarded with that return commensurate with his great indus- Henry Smith, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was also a native of Ridgefield, fol- lowed agricultural pursuits for a livelihood, and with the exception of a few years spent in New York passed his entire life in Con- necticut. His children were : Sarah Esther, try and untiring energy. Mr. Crane is an officer in the Caldwell Presbyterian church and a member of the Patronsof Husbandry. His deep interest in the public welfare is indicated by his advocacy and liberal sup- port of all measures for the public good, . who is the widow of Charles Olmstead, and and he is ranked among the valued citizens of the community.
J. FRANK SMITH,
a hat manufacturer of Orange, claims Con- necticut as the state of his nativity, his birth having occurred in Newtown, on the 27th of August, 1852. Tradition says that the family of which he is a representative was founded in America by three brothers, one of whom settled in Ridgefield, Con- necticut, the second in Ridgebury, same state; and the third in another part of that state. From the first descended those through whom J. Frank Smith traces his ancestry. The first of whom we have au- thentic record was Daniel Smith, the great- grandfather, who was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and there spent his entire life, following the occupations of farming and butchering. He married Miss Phoebe Whitney, also a native of Ridgefield, and they became the parents of four sons and five daughters, as follows : Gamaliel; Daniel; Harry; Samuel; Phoebe, who became the wife of Orman Broadway; Lucy, who mar-
resides on the old homestead at Ridgefield, Connecticut; William; Gamaliel, deceased; Henry; Samuel A., who was killed by a train at Kensico, New York, April 12, 1897; George C. and Daniel, both deceased; and Phoebe E., wife of Elisha Brown, a resident of Ridgefield, Connecticut. The grandfather died in his native town, De- cember 24, 1885, and his wife passed away many years previously, at the age of sixty- seven years.
Henry Smith, the father of our subject, was also born in Ridgefield, his natal day being October 3, 1827. He spent his boy- hood days upon the homestead farm, and acquired a district-school education. When fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to learn the hatters' trade, which he has made his life occupation, having for thirty-three years engaged in manufacturing hats in Orange. He was married in Newtown, Connecticut, on the 13th of October, 1851, to Miss Ann J. Crofutt, a daughter of Rus- sell and Ann (Peck) Crofutt. She was born in Newtown, November 7, 1832, and by her marriage has become the mother of five sons, namely: John Frank, of this review;
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Edwin and Edward, who were twins, born at Newtown, November 21, 1853, but the former died in January, 1895; Charles H., born in Ridgefield, July 9, 1858; and Harry W., born in East Orange, July 4, 1873. The sons are all engaged in the manufac- ture of hats with the exception of Harry W., who is now an engineer on the Green- wood Lake Railroad. In his political views the father of this family is a stanch Repub- lican, and both he and his wife are members of the Bethel church, in which he is holding the office of deacon.
J. Frank Smith was only a year old when his parents removed to Ridgefield, Con- necticut, and was a lad of ten summers when they came with their family to Orange, New Jersey. He acquired his ele- mentary education in the common schools of Ridgefield, continued his studies in the high school of Orange, and completed his education in a private school conducted by the Misses Robinson. When he laid aside his text-books he entered upon an appren- ticeship at the hat-maker's trade in the fac- tory of Porter & Crofutt, and after complet- ing his term of service he worked at his trade as a journeyman for some years. For the past twenty years he has conducted business on his own account, and is regard- ed as one of the leading hat manufacturers in Orange. He is a man of keen discrim- ination, sound judgment and excellent business and executive ability, and these attributes of his character have contributed largely to his success. He has a plant sup- plied with the most improved machinery and equipments, and turns out an excellent grade of work.
Mr. Smith was married on the 23d of September, 1873, to Miss Jane Hunter, who was born on Staten Island, New York,
and is a daughter of Robert and Ellen Hunter. They now have three children: George H., born on Sunday, June 28, 1874; Frederick D., born Saturday, June 10, 1876; and Eva May, born Monday, Octo- ber 3, 1878.
In public affairs Mr. Smith takes an active and leading part, and for four years efficiently and faithfully served as a mem- ber of the town council. He is a past master of Union Lodge, No. 1I, F. & A. M., of Orange, and a member of Orange Chapter, No. 23, R. A. M. In his political faith he is a Republican.
EDWARD S. WILDE, A. M.,
a lawyer residing at Glen Ridge, formerly a part of Bloomfield township, Essex coun- ty, New Jersey, is a representative of a well known New Jersey family.
He was born on the family homestead in Bloomfield, December 30, 1838, being the only child of James and Eliza Cook (Cad- mus) Wilde. James Wilde was a native of England, born in Yorkshire, August 14, 1793, and came to America when about thirty years of age: he died October 16, 1877. Eliza Cook Cadmus was born in Bloomfield, July 28, 1800, and died August 10, 1882: she was the only child and heir of Hermon Cadmus, a son of Thomas Cad- mus, who was a soldier in the war of the Revolution and held a colonel's commis- sion prior to the war. Hermon Cadmus was born in Bloomfield-then Wardsesson- December 7, 1774, and died March 5, 1869. The maternal grandmother of our subject was Sarah Ward, a representative of the family of that name coming from Danbury, Connecticut, and settling at what is now Bloomfield: this patronymic gave then
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the name to the place. She was born March 17, 1775, and died January 25, 1863. All the above-named ancestors of Mr. Wilde died in the homestead where he was born. A part of the homestead still stands on the northerly side of Park street at the junction of Bloomfield avenue, opposite Christ church. It was built by Colonel Cadmus for his son Hermon, in the year 1800, the title in the family going back to the reign of Queen Anne.
Edward S. Wilde, whose name stands at the head of this sketch, was reared at the old homestead in Bloomfield township, re- ceiving his early education at Bloomfield and later entering Princeton College, of which noted institution he is a graduate with the class of 1861, having been a junior orator from Clio Hall in 1860. On leaving college he took up the study of law, dili- gently pursued the same and in due time was admitted to the bar, his admission to practice before the supreme court at Trenton being in 1864. Immediately thereafter he began the practice of his profession at Newark, New Jersey, and continued in active practice there until 1873. That year he turned his atten- tion to the settling up of his grandfather's estate and to looking after his own private business, being the owner of considerable valuable real estate, which came to him through his mother, and has since occupied his time chiefly in this way. Mr. Wilde owns a pleasant home with attractive sur- roundings, a part of the homestead prop- erty, on Ridgewood avenue and Wildwood Terrace. The opening of these and other avenues upon the family property and the fine improvements resulting are due to him.
Mr. Wilde was married June 15, 1864, to
Miss Helen A. McComb, of New York city, daughter of John and Fanny (Gale) Mc- Comb. Mr. and Mrs. Wilde have had three children : James, deceased; Frances Gale and Helen A. In his political views Mr. Wilde harmonizes with the Democratic party.
ROBERT CHESNEY,
who is the owner of large greenhouses on Pompton turnpike, Verona township, Essex county, was born in Wigtonshire, Scotland, March 30, 1842, and is the third in order of birth in the family of eight chil- dren of Hugh and Mary (Coburn) Chesney. To the public schools of his native land he is indebted for the educational advantages he received, and in that country he was also trained to the business of floriculture. However, on coming to the United States, in 1862, he took up the leather business in New York city and followed that pursuit for three years, but on the expiration of that period he resumed his labors as a florist and established an extensive business with large greenhouses between Kingsbridge and Enwood. For nearly twenty years he conducted his enterprise there and built up a very large and profitable business, but in 1884 he disposed of his plant by sale and transferred his interests to New Jersey, pur- chasing a tract of land and founding his present business in Verona township, Essex county. He has here thirty-five thousand square feet under glass, and requires the assistance of his three sons to carry on the business. His trade has steadily and con- stantly increased, and upon his place are found a very great variety of the beauties known to the floral world, including some of the finest specimens of floriculture that have ever been produced. He conducts a
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store in Montclair, which is the center of floral attraction in the city, and disposes of much of his surplus stock in the New York markets. His understanding of the science of plant cultivation is most accurate and comprehensive, and the products of his greenhouses vie with any that are placed upon the market.
Mr. Chesney was married in 1874, at En- wood, New York, to Miss Mary Kelly, and their children are: Robert; Mary, wife of George E. Taylor; Hugh, a bookkeeper, of Newark; and Eddie. The parents hold a membership in the Congregational church, and Mr. Chesney has served as school trustee.
JOHN W. STASSE
is a man whom to know is to respect and honor, for his life in all its varied relations has been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty and to principle. He is now ably fill- ing the position of assistant electrician of the East Orange fire department, and has the confidence and regard of all with whom he is thus associated.
He was born in New York city on the 25th of May, 1855, and is a son of Fred- erick and Hannah (Hicks) Stasse, the lat- ter of Holland ancestry. The father was a son of Frederick and Annie Stasse, natives of Switzerland, in which country his birth also occurred. He came to America in 1850 and took up his residence in New York city, where he became largely inter- ested in the sale and exchange of real es- tate, and also dealt largely in real estate in the city of Brooklyn. He became prom- inently known in both cities, and by his well managed business affairs accumulated a handsome competence, which enabled him to lay aside business cares and retire
to private life in 1870, at which time he re- moved to Orange. Politically he was for- merly a Democrat, but is now a stanch ad- vocate of Republican principles. His faith- ful wife died in 1875, at the age of thirty- seven years. She was an earnest Christian woman and held membership in the Ger -. man Lutheran church.
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Stasse had nine children, two of whom died in early life, while the others are as follows: John W .; Barbara, wife of Leonard Spahn, by whom she has two children; Sophia, wife of Au- gustus Helwig, by whom she has three chil- dren; Annie, wife of George Helwig, and the mother of five children; Mamie, wife of Walter Helwig, and the mother of five chil- dren; Henry, who is married and resides in Irvington, and has one child; and Her- man, who is also married, and resides in Philadelphia, and has one child.
John W. Stasse acquired his early edu- cation in the schools of New York city, and remained under the parental roof until seventeen years of age, at which time he began to learn the hatter's trade in the fac- tory of Whiting and Dorn, of Orange. After completing a regular term of ap- prenticeship he pursued the trade until 1894, when he was appointed to his present position, as assistant electrician in the East Orange fire department, by Mr. Thompson, president of the board. This is one of the most efficient fire departments in the state, and his own faithful and able service fully sustains this well merited reputation. He is a member of the Exempt Firemen's As- sociation of East Orange, and is now serv- ing as one of its trustees. Politically he is a Republican, content to support the party without seeking returns in the way of official preferment.
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Mr. Stasse was married January 7, 1872, to Miss Mary Youmans, a daughter of Charles and Catherine (Little) Youmans. They now have five children: Charles L., Frank; Edward and Edith, twins, and John W. The daughter is now a student in the East Orange high school. The parents are both members of the Sanford Street Metho- dist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Stasse has been trustee for twelve years. He takes great interest in its work, and does all in his power for its advancement and growth.
JOHN CAMPBELL, JR.,
dealer in general hardware and house-fur- nishing goods at Nos. 149 and 151 Wash- ington avenue, Belleville, was born April 4, 1860, in Belleville, his parents being John and Margaret (Wilson) Campbell. The father is a native of Staten Island, and the son of James Campbell, who was born in Scotland. John Campbell, Sr., first opened his eyes to the light of day March 16, 1834, and in his early youth learned the trade of wire-weaving according to the Fourdrinier process, and is still following that occupa- tion, being now associated with the Dewitt Wire Cloth Company, of Belleville. By his marriage to Margaret Wilson he had five children : James, born August 2, 1857, married a daughter of William Bennett and resides in Belleville, where he is also en- gaged in wire-weaving; John is the second of the family; Jennie, born in October, 1863, married Archie Allen, of Washing- ton, New Jersey, and they have one son, John; Elizabeth, born in October, 1866, is the wife of John Morgan, of Philadelphia, an engineer for the Heller Manufacturing Company, and they have the following children : Elizabeth, Mary, John, Howard
and Margaret; and Catharine, born March 6, 1869, married Myron Cadmus, of Bloom- field, New Jersey, and they have three chil- dren,-Myra, James and John. The mother of these children died in the autumn of 1871, and John Campbell, Sr., was again married in 1882, his second union being with Miss Ricarda Mawhis, of New York city. They now have four children,-Anna, William, May and Gertrude.
In his native village the subject of this review pursued his education in the com- mon schools, and in early life started out to make his own way in the world, following the trade which his father had learned in early manhood. He has been associated with the Dewitt Wire Cloth Company, of Belleville, for twenty-one years, and is now an enterprising and prosperous merchant of the city, conducting a large and well- equipped hardware store on Washington avenue, where he also carried a complete line of house-furnishing goods. Whatever success he has achieved in life is due en- tirely to his own efforts. He is indus- trious, energetic and not easily discour- aged, and pressing forward resolutely to the goal of prosperity he has gathered many of the rich fruits of successful man- agement and earnest labor.
Mr. Campbell was married May 21, 1885, to Mary E. Widmer, a daughter of Jacob Widmer, of Newark, who was one of the early German settlers of that city. He was one of the founders of the German hospital there, also of Green's German school. He was successful in his undertaking, and for over thirty-seven years was in business at the corner of Commerce and Mulberry streets, Newark. Mrs. Campbell was born in Newark, May 1, 1860, and by her mar- riage has five children: Alvin Allen, born
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February 9, 1887; Ruth Widmer, born March 5, 1890; Leggett Charles, born June 15, 1892; Eleanor Wilson, born March 18, 1895; Mary Evelyn, born July 14, 1897.
Mr. Campbell is a member of Boyden Council, No. 1356, Royal Arcanum, of Belleville. In politics he is an ardent Re- publican, deeply interested in the growth and success of his party and the triumph of its issues, but is not active in local politics. In the year 1881 he was elected district clerk of Belleville township, and filled the office in a most creditable manner. On the Ist of May, 1897, he was further honored by receiving the appointment of justice of the peace of Belleville. He is at all times an honorable, energetic young business man, and is in thorough sympathy with all enterprises that tend to elevate humanity. In 1892, through the instrumentality of Dr. William J. K. Leggett, Ph. D., now of Nyack, New York, he espoused the Chris- tian faith and became a member of the Dutch Reformed church of Belleville. He has since been elected deacon and treasurer, and is also assistant Sunday-school superin- tendent. He is an ardent and zealous work- er in the church, and has also a high stand- ing in social as well as church circles.
FREDERICK W. MASSMANN,
a prominent florist of East Orange, was born in the province of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on the 3d of June, 1859, and is a son of William and Sophia (Vogt) Mass- mann, both of whom are deceased. The great-grandfather on the father's side was originally from Denmark, and came to Ger- many at an early date, and there William Massmann was born, in the province of Schleswig-Holstein, on the Ist of August,
1825. He was reared, educated and spent his entire life in Germany, where he fol- lowed the occupation of painter and deco- rator until his death, in July, 1884. The maternal ancestors of our subject were of German stock, and Mrs. Massmann spent her entire life in the fatherland, dying there in 1864. To this worthy couple were born six children, of whom the following record is given: Frederick, who died in the Ger- man army at the age of twenty-four; Carl, who resides in Segeberg, province of Schleswig-Holstein, and conducts the busi- ness formerly carried on by his father; Frederick W., our subject; Herman, who resides in Athens, near Nordenham, Gros- herzogsthum Oldenburg; Emma, who is the wife of Frederick Gosch and resides in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein; and Frieda, the wife of Frederick Dencker, a school-teach- er. William Massmann, the father, was an officer in the German army and served with distinction during the war of 1848, between Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein.
Frederick W. Massmann was educated in the excellent public schools of his native land, after leaving which his great admira- tion for nature determined him to embark in the occupation of florist, and as such he was engaged in various parts of Germany, subsequently spending two years in France and two years in England, leaving London in 1886 to come to the United States. Upon his arrival in this country he located at Irvington, New York, where for two years he was in charge of Jay Gould's fruit and orchid conservatories. In 1888 he made a journey to South America for the purpose of collecting orchids, subsequently making five other trips with the same ob- ject in view, and the orchids thus procured were brought north and sold in the New
FREDERICK W. MASSMAN.
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York markets. During one of these trips Mr. Massmann was fortunate in discover- ing a very rare specimen-the only one of its kind in the world, so far as is known -- and this plant is now owned by Henry Graves, of Orange, who has refused the ex- traordinary sum of three thousand dollars for it ! In 1892 Mr. Massmann went to the Himalaya mountains, in India, for more va- rieties of this beautiful flower, and returned a year later with some very rare specimens. He then located in Newtown, now Elm- hurst, Long Island, and in connection with I. Forsterman, carried on an extensive flori- culture trade until November, 1893, when the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Massmann removed to East Orange and there established his present business.
The marriage of our subject was consum- mated on November 25, 1893, when he was united to Mrs. Lena Mau, widow of Freder- ick Mau, and to Mr. and Mrs. Massmann has been born one son, William Carl Henry. By her former marriage Mrs. Massmann had three children, Hettie, Margaret and Frieda.
Socially, Mr. Massmann is a Master Mason in Union Lodge, No. 11, Free and Accepted Masons, of Orange; the New Jersey Horticultural Society; and the Schwaebischer Volksfest Verein, of Brook- lyn, New York. In his religious faith he is an attendant of the Central Presbyterian church, of Orange.
BENJAMIN SOMMERS CROFUTT,
for some years prominently connected with the manufacturing interests of Orange, was born in Newtown, Connecticut, April 13, 1830, and is a son of Russell and Ann (Peck) Crofutt, the latter a daughter of Gideon Peck, a resident of the Nutmeg
state. Russell Crofutt was a son of Samuel Crofutt, a resident of Stratford, Connecti- cut, who followed navigating on the Con- necticut rivers during a large portion of his lifetime.
In his early manhood Russell Crofutt learned the hatters' trade at Newtown, Con- necticut, and made it his life work. His death occurred at that place, when he had arrived at the age of eighty-five years, and his remains were interred in the old family burying-ground at Newtown. Henever rode on a railroad train during his entire life! His brother Samuel took only one rail- way journey, and that was in his later man- hood. He started to visit his daughter in New York, and in a collision between two trains lost his life! In 1888 Martha Jane Crofutt, a sister of our subject, while walk- ing upon the railroad tracks of the Erie road during a blizzard in Orange, was run over by a locomotive, and a cousin of the family was also killed by a train in Milford, Connecticut ! The children of Russell Cro- futt, five in number, were as follows: Ben- jamin S .; Ann Jeanette, wife of Henry Smith, of Orange; Lydia Ann, wife of Norah Sherwood, of Reading, Connecticut; Susan E., wife of George . O. Smith, of Orange, by whom she has three sons, -- Henry R., Charles and Wallace; and Martha Jane, mentioned above.
Benjamin Sommers Crofutt acquired his education in Newtown, Connecticut, and in early manhood learned the hatters' trade, which he pursued in New England until 1856, when he came to Orange and estab- lished a successful business here in the same line. He established the firm of Porter, Crofutt & Hodgkinson, and for a number of years did a good business in the line of manufacturing hats.
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