USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > Biographical and genealogical history of the city of Newark and Essex County, New Jersey, V. 2 > Part 3
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greenhouses. He has made a close and thorough study of the business, under- stands fully the needs and requirements of the various kinds of plants, and the beauti- ful flowers which he produces insure him a very liberal patronage.
On the 5th of November, 1885, Mr. Van Reyper was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. Joraleman, a daughter of John B. Joraleman, a member of one of the old and worthy families of Belleville. By this union have been born two children: Clar- ence Edwin, who died at the age of two years; and Florence Edna, who is now at- tending the public schools. The parents attend the Dutch Reformed church of Belleville, and Mr. Van Reyper is a mem- ber of Belleville Lodge, No. 108, F. & A. M. In his political views he is a stalwart Republican, is a member of the Republican central committee of Essex county, and is now serving his second term as a member of the board of freeholders.
GEORGE A. ALBEY,
dealer in fruits and vegetables at No. 195 Main street, was born in the city of Orange, New Jersey, on the 15th of January, 1865, a son of Nicholas and Catherine (Kutcher) Albey. . The father is a native of Germany, and the mother was born in Morris county, New Jersey. He was educated in the pub- lic schools of East Orange, and at the age of eighteen he began to learn the printer's trade and was employed in the office of the Orange Journal until attaining his major- ity, when he engaged in the fruit and vege- table business in the employ of J. T. Munn & Company, and remained with them for several years. On May 1, 1892, he canie to
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Orange and located at his present place on Main street, where he has since carried on a flourishing business, his success being the logical result of industry, perseverance and honorable methods in all his dealings, which have gained for him an extensive patronage among the best families in Orange.
In relation to his social connections Mr. Albey is a popular and highly respected member of the Masonic fraternity, his affili- ation being with Lafayette Lodge, No. 12, of Orange. In his political adherency he is a Republican and a stanch advocate of the principles and policies of that party.
Mr. Albey celebrated his marriage at Orange on the 30th of June, 1891, when he was united to Miss Bernice Mabel Tolfree, a daughter of Francis and Eliza (Van Ness) Tolfree, and they are the parents of one child, Helen Irene, who was born June 13, 1892. Mr. Albey is an adherent of the Bethel Presbyterian church, of East Orange, while his wife is a communicant of the First Methodist Episcopal church, of Orange. They are both well known in the Oranges and enjoy the warm regard of their numerous friends.
Nicholas Albey, father of the foregoing, was born in Germany on the 8th of May, 1837, and is a son of Michael and Caroline (Emmons) Albey. He received a limited education in the public schools of his na- tive country, and at the age of twelve was brought by his parents to America, where, upon arriving at his fifteenth year, he was apprenticed to the blacksmith trade under William Morrison, at Montclair, New Jer- sey, and after completing a three and a half years' service he worked as a journey- man for some time. He then moved to Orange and engaged in the grocery busi-
ness for a period of seven years, but eventu- ally returned to his trade and in 1891 opened a shop in East Orange, where he is at present located.
Mr. Albey married Miss Catherine Kutcher, a daughter of Louis and Adeline Kutcher, of German stock, and this union has been blessed with five children, as fol- lows: Louis N., børn October 20, 1861, died November 8, 1895; George A., born January 15, 1865; Emma, born February 17, 1868, married Nelson Gambol, of East Orange, and they have three children,- Lillie May, Leroy and Louis Albey; Ed- ward F. born October 6, 1872, resides with his parents; and Lillie May, born Septem- ber 17, 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Albey are both consistent members of the Bethel Presbyterian church, of East Orange.
Michael Albey was born in Germany and came to America with his family in 1845, landed in New York and later took up his residence in Pompton Plains, Morris coun- ty, New Jersey, where he lived a short time and then came to Orange. He located near Orange mountain, followed farming and there passed the most of his life, the latter part of which he spent in Montclair, and there his death occurred, when he had at- tained the advanced age of seventy years. He married Miss Caroline Emmons, and her demise took place in Montclair when she was about forty-five years old.
To Mr. and Mrs. Albey were born the following children: Nicholas, of whom we have just written; John, who married Miss Mary Smith, and they reside in New- ark with their four children,-Frederick, Herbert, Walter and William. Frederick married Miss Sarah Fisher and they have two sons and three daughters; Catherine became the wife of Frank Grier and they
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have two children,-Joseph and Barbara; Augustus married, and died at the age of twenty-five years, leaving one child, Mor- rell.
HERMAN STAHNTEN,
a member of the board of aldermen of New- ark, and a well known grocer of the city, was born in Bremen, Germany, on the 20th of September, 1862, and is a son of Herman and Mary Stahnten, who are still living in the Fatherland. The former followed the sea for many years, but is now living re- tired. Their family numbered ten children, -six sons and four daughters.
The subject of this review was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the schools of his native land. When a young man of twenty years he de- termined to seek a home in America, hop- ing to find here better opportunities of se- curing a competence as the reward of hon- est labor. Landing in New York in 1882, he at once sought and soon obtained em- ployment in a grocery store there. He did not wait for a specially brilliant opening,- indeed he could not wait, and his natural in- dustry would not have permitted him to do so, even though his financial circumstances had been such as to make it possible. At that time he showed conspicuously the traits of character that have made his life very successful. He conscientiously and industriously performed all the duties that devolved upon him and his faithful service is indicated by the fact that he remained for three years in his first position. He located in Newark in 1886 and engaged in the re- tail grocery trade at No. 81 Niagara street, where he has since remained, and from the beginning he has met with gratifying suc-
cess, securing a profitable and constantly increasing business.
Mr. Stahnten was married on the 20th of February, 1887, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Thiel, of Newark, who was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, and came to America when a maiden of fourteen summers. Her father was Adam Thiel, who died when she was only four vears of age. after which her mother came to the United States (about 1887), and is now living with her daughter in Newark. Mr. and Mrs. Stahnten became the parents of a daughter and three sons, namely: Annie, Herman, Albert and Arthur. The daughter, who was the eldest of the family, died at the age of three years. The parents are members of the Lutheran church, contribute liberally to its support and are highly esteemed in church and social circles.
Mr. Stahnten is prominent in local politi- cal circles, and in the spring of 1896 was elected a member of the board of alder- men of Newark from the twelfth ward. During that year he was a member of the committee on weights and measures and also the market committee. In the present year (1897) he is chairman of the weights and measures committee, and a member of the license committee. He belongs to the Knights of Honor and also to several sing- ing societies, having a great fondness for music.
HARRY B. EPSTEIN, M. D.,
one of the more recent additions to the medical profession of Newark, located here on the 15th of June, 1896, and has an office and residence at No. 301 Bergen street. He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on the 20th of June, 1870, and is a son of Baruch
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and Bertha Epstein, both of whom were na- tives of Germany. They were married in that country and came to the United States in 1868, locating in Elizabeth, where they have since resided. The father is there en- gaged in mercantile pursuits.
Dr. Epstein was reared under the parent- al roof in the city of his nativity and was graduated at the public school, No. I. At the age of fifteen he entered a drug store as an apprentice and in 1890 was graduated in the New York College of Pharmacy, after which he was engaged for one year as a teacher of pharmaceutical chemistry in the New York Preparatory School. On the expiration of that period he began the study of medicine in the University of New York, where he pursued a thorough and comprehensive course and was graduated with the class of 1895. He became a mem- ber of the surgical staff of the Alexian Hospital at Elizabeth, New Jersey, and at the present time is the visiting physician for that hospital. Coming to Newark, he has since been engaged in general practice here and is meeting with fair success. He is well versed in the science of medicine and has achieved considerable distinction in the prosecution of his chosen profession. His devotion to his duty has also won him the public confidence and his success might well be envied by many an older practitioner.
HON. WILLIAM WRIGHT.
There is in every person a something that is inseparable,-the suggestive power or character; the individuality,-and he knows neither himself nor mankind who believes that he can analyze the deeds and actions of men without taking into account this ever recurring principle. The history of the city of Newark and of the state of
New Jersey will ever give cognizance to the sterling character and distinguished public services of the honored subject of this memoir, while he left not less percept- ibly the impress of his individuality and powers upon the industrial progress of the metropolis of the state, recognized as one of the leading manufacturing centers of the Union.
William Wright was a native of Rock- land county, New York, where he was born about the year 1790, the son of Dr. Will- iam Wright, a graduate of Yale College, representing old and honored families of the republic. The subject of this review received such educational advantages as were commonly available in this section and period, his inherent force of character and exceptional mental receptiveness being such as to engender a distinct and powerful intellectuality, which dominated his entire life. Early in life he became identified with practical business and eventually became engaged in the saddlery trade in Bridge- port, Connecticut. From that city he re- moved to Newark, New Jersey, about the year 1821, and here for more than a quar- ter of a century he was most actively and successfully engaged in the saddlery and harness business. The firm of which he was originally a member in Newark was · founded about the year 1823, conducting operations under the title of Smith & Wright, the membership of the firm some years later comprising Hanford Smith, William Wright, Edwin Van Antwerp and William Faitoute. Their establishment was from the start the leading one in the city, and their business eventually became the most extensive of any similar enterprise in the Union. Their extensive factory, a portion of which is still standing, was lo-
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cated at the southeast corner of Broad and Fair streets.
Through his well directed efforts and marked executive ability in the business world Mr. Wright attained well merited financial success, but his greatest distinc- tion and his peculiar claim to place on the pages of history lie in his service to the state and nation as the incumbent of ex- alted public office. He retired from active business about the year 1854, antecedent to which time he had manifested a lively interest in public affairs, being so resolute of purpose and so intellectually resourceful that such interest was in natural sequence. He was a live man, a distinct man, if we may be allowed the expression, and the mental horizon and the field for endeavor on the part of such a one are never circum- scribed by narrow limitations. His public spirit and concern as to the progress and prosperity of Newark led to his selection as the Whig candidate for mayor of New- ark in 1841; he was elected and was re- tained in this principal municipal office for three terms,-a fact clearly indicative of the popular appreciation of his administra- tive ability. In 1842, while still the in- cumbent as mayor, Mr. Wright was nomi- nated for congress and was successful at the polls, his opponent being the Hon. William B. Kinney, whose distinguished ability and popularity made him a formid- able antagonist. Mr. Wright was elected as his own successor in congress, in 1844, and gained prestige as a safe and conserva- tive legislator,-one in whose keeping the interests of the people at large could be unquestionably entrusted. In 1847 he was a candidate for governor of New Jersey, but was defeated after a spirited contest, his successful opponent being the late Hon.
Daniel Haines. In his political adherency he was originally an old-line Whig, sup- porting Henry Clay in 1848, but in 1850, showing as ever the courage of his convic- tions, he withdrew from that party and identified himself with the Democracy, whose cause he ever afterward ardently espoused. In 1853 he was the Democratic candidate for United States senator and was elected to this dignified office. At the expiration of his term he was succeeded by a Republican, owing to a political manœu- vering which had thrown the New Jer- sey legislature;into the hands of that party; but when, in 1863, the Democrats again gained the ascendency, Senator Wright was again promptly returned to his posi- tion in the upper house of the national leg- islature. He was still in tenure of this office at the time of his death, which took place on the Ist of November, 1866, at the age of seventy-six years. The reputation which he left as a precious heritage to his state was not that of superficial brilliancy as a speaker, but that of an inflexible integ- rity, a broad mental grasp and a pragmatic ability which made him at once a prudent counselor and one whose every thought and act was regulated by the deepest sense of conscientious obligation. His person- ality was one which gained to him not only. esteem and confidence, but also the lasting friendship of those with whom he came in contact. While firm in his convictions he was ever tolerant and charitable; his was a noble character and his a life that counted for good in all the relations in which he was placed. In his religious views Mr. Wright was an earnest and devoted churchman of the Protestant Episcopal church, and he was one of the most influ- ential and honored communicants of the
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House of Prayer, being one of the most liberal contributors to all portions of the parish work as well as that of the church at large. In the interior walls of the House of Prayer, on Broad street, Newark, has been let in a memorial tablet to this hon- ored benefactor, and a most beautiful and consonant phrase of the inscription thereon is this, that "charity was the rule of his life."
EDWARD HENRY WRIGHT.
As the progress or prosperity of a nation is the result of the aggregate endeavor of its individual citizens, so the history of a nation is the record of the composite achievements of its people. Biography thus becomes the very foundation upon which must rest all general history of man- kind. The importance of making perma- nent record of the life of men who are worthy of such distinction can not be over- estimated. The subject of this review stands forward as one of New Jersey's honored and representative citizens,-one who has rendered distinguished service on the field of battle, who has proved a worthy incumbent of offices of high public trust and responsibility, and who has attained that success in temporal affairs which is the reward for earnest and well directed effort and which has in every case an important bearing upon the stable prosperity of any community.
Colonel Edward H. Wright is a native son of the city of Newark, New Jersey, the date of his birth having been April 5, 1824. His parents were Hon. William Wright and Minerva (Peet) Wright, the father hav- ing been a man of distinguished abilities and having served with signal honor as a
member of the United States senate. Col- onel Wright received his preliminary edu- cational discipline at St. Paul's School, College Point, Long Island, and after due preparation entered the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, where he graduated as a member of the class of 1844. He eventually received from his alma mater the degree of Master of Arts. After the completion of his collegiate course he be- gan the work of preparing himself for the legal profession, his preliminary studies in this specific line having been prosecuted un- der the preceptorship of Alexander Hamil- ton, of New York, and Archer Gifford, of Newark. He finally matriculated in the Harvard Law School, from which he was duly admitted to the bar of his native state. Colonel Wright passed the greater portion of the years 1848 and 1849 in foreign travel, and shortly after his return to the United States, in May, 1850, he received from President Taylor, the appointment as secretary of the United States legation at St. Petersburg, Russia, whither he forth- with proceeded, retaining this honorable diplomatic preferment for a period of nearly four years.
When the integrity of the nation was menaced by armed rebellion, Colonel Wright, with the patriotic ardor of a true son of the republic, promptly volunteered his services, and in May, 1861, was ap- pointed major of the Sixth Cavalry, United States Army, and aide-de-camp on the staff of Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott, in which connection he held the rank of colonel. Upon the retirement of General Scott, Colonel Wright was appointed aide- de-camp on the staff of Major-General George B. McClellan, with the rank of col- onel, and in this command did active and
beiman Piero Gravure Co
Ednost. Wright
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valiant service in the Peninsula and Mary- land campaigns. He was recommended for two brevets for gallant and meritorious service and manifested at all times the true soldierly qualities. The Colonel is a mem- ber of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and is past commander of Max L. Ward Post, No. 88, Grand Army of the Republic. He is president of the board of managers of the New Jersey Home for Disabled Soldiers, with which noble insti- tution he has been intimately identified for more than a quarter of a century.
Colonel Wright is a director of the Mu- tual Benefit Life Insurance Company, the Fireman's Insurance Company, and was a director of the old Newark Gas Company. His interest in all that touches the progress and prosperity of his native city has been constant and vigorous, and his influence in affairs of public nature has been a potent and effective one. In his political adher- ency he is stanchly arrayed in the support of the Democratic party, in which he has been a zealous worker. For almost half a century he has been a member of the Union Club, of New York city; is one of the prominent members of the Essex Club, of Newark, of which he served as vice- president for several terms; and is a mem- ber of the board of trustees of the Epis- copal Fund of the Diocese of Newark.
In the autumn of the year 1860 was sol- emnized the marriage of Colonel Wright to Miss Dorathea Mason, daughter of Hon. Stevens Thomson Mason, the first govern- or of the state of Michigan and the founder of the famous University of Michigan.
A man of culture and fine intellectuality, distinguished as a soldier and a citizen, broad and charitable in his judgments, true to all that is best in the various rela-
tions of life, courteous at all times and to all people, Colonel Wright is distinctly a representative citizen of New Jersey.
JOHN LUTHER DURYEE, M. D., a leading member of the medical profession, belongs to one of the distinguished families of this part of the country, its members hav- ing attained to eminent position in those walks of life which call forth the strongest mentality, the best business ability and the most brilliant intellectual achievements. In his own professional career he has fully sus- tained the high reputation which the family bears and has gained a foremost place in the ranks of the medical fraternity.
Born in the fourth ward in Newark, on the 20th of July, 1845, he is a son of Peter Sharpe Duryee, who was born in New York city in 1807. The grandfather, George Duryee, who successfully practiced law in New York for a number of years, was born in Newtown, Long Island, where his Huguenot ancestors had located on coming to America. Peter Sharpe Duryee was for many years the leading spirit in the well known firm of Rankin & Duryee, hat manufacturers. At an early age he was apprenticed to learn the trade of hat-mak- ing with William Rankin, whose partner he afterward became. Mr. Rankin was a native of Charleston, South Carolina, whence with his parents he removed to Nova Scotia and afterward to Troy, New York. His next place of residence was Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he married the daughter of John Ogden, one of the early settlers of Elizabeth. There he es- tablished his hat manufactory, which he sub- sequently removed to Newark. He was joined by his son-in-law, Peter S. Duryee. and the firm gained a leading place in their
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line of trade. Theirs was one of the few extensive manufacturing establishments in Newark which did not shut down during the financial panic of 1837, business being carried on profitably and continuously until the civil war, when it was closed out. Pre- vious to this Mr. Rankin had retired and erected a large number of houses in New- ark, deriving a good income from his prop- erty investments.
Following the closing out of the hat busi- ness Peter Duryee became connected with a number of important business enterprises of Newark, which not only advanced his individual prosperity, but also promoted the general welfare of the city. He was president of the Newark & New York Turnpike Company, was a director in the National State Bank and was one of the founders of and most liberal donors toward the building of the North Reformed church, of Newark. He contributed freely of his means to many enterprises calculated to benefit the community and aided largely in the promotion of moral, educational and social as well as business interests. His death occurred in September, 1877. His wife was Susan, the third daughter of Will- iam Rankin, and a lady of superior educa- tion and many attainments. She possessed a broad charity and sympathy that were manifest in many acts of benevolence and kindness, quietly and thoughtfully per- formed. Her death occurred in November, 1886. Nine children survived the parents.
William Rankin Duryee, the eldest, died in January, 1897, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he served as professor of ethics in Rutgers College. For thirty years he was pastor of the Lafayette Re- formed church, at Jersey City, and was a man whose influence was most beneficent
and widely felt. He was a graduate of Rutgers College of the class of 1856, and read law in the office of Frederick T. Fre- linghuysen. He was afterward graduated at the Theological Seminary of New Bruns- wick and then entered the Union Army as chaplain of the First Kentucky Regiment, serving under General Grant in the south- west. Ill health forced him to resign after a few months and he returned home. When he had sufficiently recovered he accepted the pastorate of the Lafayette Reformed church in Jersey City and served in that place until his death. He was a well known writer and published a book of poems. A poem entitled The Kingdom of Home, which he wrote as a contestant for a prize offered by a leading periodical, was widely published throughout the country. He was a prominent member of the college fra- ternity, Zeta Psi, and wrote one of their most popular and widely known songs. Rev. Dr. Duryee married Charlotte Nut- man, a member of a well known family of Newark, who died leaving one son and three daughters. His second wife was a daughter of Dr. Theodore Richard Varick, a noted surgeon of Jersey City. His daugh- ters, Annie and Mary Duryee, are living in Newark, unmarried.
Dr. John L. Duryee has won distinction in the medical profession. Reared under the parental roof, he was provided with ex- cellent educational advantages as a prepara- tion for life's duties. On the completion of a thorough course in Rutgers College, he was graduated in that institution with the class of 1864 and then matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York city, where he was graduated in 1868. For a short period following his graduation he practiced his profession in
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