USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > Biographical and genealogical history of the city of Newark and Essex County, New Jersey, V. 2 > Part 59
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To. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons has been born one daughter, Ethel Josephine, born No-
vember 6, 1885. Mr. Lyons is a member of the Episcopal church, and his wife attends the Presbyterian church. He is a Repub- lican in his political views but has never sought or desired public office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his business interests, in which he has met with signal success. He is, however, a public-spirited and progressive citizen, and his devotion to the general welfare is shown by the fact that he gives his support and co-operation to every movement calculated to benefit the community.
JOHN HUNKELE
is a native of the Fatherland, his birth hav- ing occurred March 26, 1832, in the ort- schaft of Neuhausen, in the oberamdt of Pfortzheim. His parents were Joseph A. and Rosa (Friton) Hunkele; his father fol- lowed the occupation of a blacksmith, was a Catholic in religious faith, and died in the year 1854, at the age of forty-seven years. The mother died in the United States, at the advanced age of eighty-four years.
In the public schools of his native coun- try John Hunkele acquired his education, and at an early age learned the cutlery trade. When a young man he bade adieu to home and friends, preparatory to trying his fortune in America, and was upon the water on the eighteenth anniversary of his birth. He landed in New York city on the Ioth of May, 1850, after a voyage of forty- eight days, and on the 5th of July of that year came to Newark, since which time he has made his home in Essex county. He first secured work on a farm near Newark, but on the Ist of September, 1850, he se- cured a position in a cutlery establishment, and later worked at his trade for a New
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York firm. In 1857 he turned his atten- tion to farming and also engaged in the grocery trade. At the time of the war he responded to the country's call for troops, and after the return of peace he engaged in dairy farming, with excellent success. Later he embarked in the grocery business, but between the years 1874 and 1876 met with financial reverses,-that being a period of general commercial depression. At length he resumed the dairy business, which he carried on until 1881, when he was called to public office, and since his retirement to private life he has engaged in contracting and building.
Mr. Hunkele has taken a very promi- nent part in military affairs, and was a leader in the political movement which re- sulted in the organization of the Repub- lican party in this locality. He was also in- strumental in the formation, in 1856, of the John C. Fremont Association, which after some years disbanded, but was reorganized during the Garfield campaign and carried that same old banner that had been carried in 1856. The society is still in existence and Mr. Hunkele has ever been one of its most active and loyal members, serving for four- teen years as its president. In 1860 he par- ticipated in the organization of the state militia and was elected captain of Company E, First Regiment, Essex Brigade, of which Bishop Baldwin, of South Orange, was colonel. In the year 1862 he enlisted in the Union army, in connection with his com- pany, and was mustered in as captain of Company E, Twenty-sixth New Jersey Volunteers, for nine months' service. He participated in the battles of Chancellors- ville, Fredericksburg and Salem Heights, and was honorably discharged May 17, 1863. During his service he was also in the
division that followed Lee in his invasion of the north, terminating at Gettysburg.
When mustered out he returned to New Jersey and became a recruiting officer at Newark. In 1864, in the space of six days he recruited another company, and as their captain was mustered in as commander of Company F, Thirty-ninth New Jersey In- fantry. His company reported at City Point, Virginia, joined Grant's army, and was attached to the First Division, Second Brigade, Ninth Army Corps, under Briga- dier General Parker. With his company he was for four months on picket duty in front of Petersburg, Virginia, and was present at Appomattox when the surrender of Lee vir- tually ended the war. Captain Hunkele was a brilliant officer, loyal and courageous, and though he never needlessly exposed his men to danger, he never feared to be their leader if duty called them into the thickest of the fray.
Mr. Hunkele has held five different com- missions as an army officer, first serving as captain in the state militia, then twice with the same rank in the volunteer service, afterward as major of the state militia, and still later he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the state militia.
He has also been honored by election to a number of civil offices, the duties of which he has discharged with marked fidelity and ability. In 1868 he was elected a member of the general assembly from the sixth dis- trict, formed of Essex county, receiving a majority of two hundred and four,-then a very large vote,-and in 1869 his popular- ity was proven by his re-election, which also indicated the public confidence reposed in him. In 1875 he was elected alderman from the Thirteenth ward of Newark, serv- ing four years, and during that time was a
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member of the police committee for three years. In 1878 he was elected a member of the public-road board, receiving a larger majority than any one else on the ticket, and in that capacity served until 1880. In 1882 he was appointed by the city council to the position of assistant street commis- sioner for a term of two years, and in 1885, was appointed street commissioner, serving until 1891, when on account of a change in administration he was retired.
Captain Hunkele was married January 22, 1856, to Miss Barbara Sipp, daughter of John and Catharine (Dress) Sipp, all na- tives of Bavaria, Germany. Fourteen children have been born of this union: John, who was born August 29, 1856, mar- ried Lena Huel and resides in Newark, and their children are George, Joseph, John, Jr., and Florence; Henry, born February 22, 1858, died in infancy; Barbara, born in 1859, died at the age of three and a half years; Joseph A., born February 29, 1860, married Anna Schneider, who died, and he subsequently married Catharine Holen- bach, and they have one child, named Pau- line; Frank died at the age of seven- teen months; Herman, born November I, 1864, married Margaret Rummel and had three children,-Frank, Harry and Tiny,- and died in June, 1895; William, born in 1866, married Anna Werner and had two children,-Agnes and Lena,-and died in August, 1893; August T., born September 24, 1867, married Theresa Whitting and has three children,-Theresa, Augustus and Caroline; Christina, born June 19, 1869; Gustav, born June 14, 1871; Mary, born August 15, 1873; Phillip C., born De- cember 25, 1874; Bena, born March 26, 1876, married Madison Parks; and Barbara, born March 14, 1878.
The parents attend the Episcopal church, and Captain Hunkele is a member of the Knights of Honor. He is a man of liberal views, conscientious in all his dealings, un- assuming in his demeanor, kindly and gen- erous in treatment of others, loyal in spirit and in his conduct toward all the institu- tions of his adopted country, for whose honor he fought on southern battle-fields and for whose welfare he has striven through the years of peace.
MRS. CHARLES B. YARDLEY
is known as one of the most earnest, ener- getic and progressive women of the coun- try, and her efforts to enlarge and increase the influence of the women of her adopted state have met with the hearty appreciation of her co-laborers and all others interested in this noble work. Under the auspices of the board of managers of the Columbian Exposition, of which she was a member, she made a collection of the books and writ- ings of the women of New Jersey, amount- ing to over four hundred published vol- umes, besides much additional unpublished matter. She also compiled in two volumes a choice selection from two hundred and seventy authors who have contributed newspaper and magazine articles from time to time, not previously published in book form. These, together with all the other volumes collected, were placed on exhibi- tion in the women's department at the World's Fair, and are now in the capitol, at Trenton. In recognition of her efforts in behalf of the authors of New Jersey, she was awarded by the managing committee of the exhibition a gold medal.
Mrs. Yardley has been a member of the Sorosis for the past twenty-five years, and
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the Women's Club, of Orange, twenty years, and has been identified with various other movements for the advancement of her sex. In 1894 she organized the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs, consisting of fifty-two women's literary and other clubs, of which she is the president. She sent an exhibit of this work to be hung in the women's department of the Atlanta Exposition. Mrs. Yardley is one of the foremost workers and leaders in the So- ciety of the Daughters of the Revolution, and was recently elected regent of the na- tional organization, but resigned after hold- ing the position for a few months, because of certain informal proceedings which did not meet with her approval.
HARVEY W. MOREHOUSE.
The following memoir, which relates somewhat concerning the life history of one who stood as an honored resident of Essex county for the long span of an active and useful life, is offered as a slight tribute to a man of intrinsic nobility of character,- one whose strength was as the number of his days. Not all men order their lives to their liking; nor yet are all men true to themselves in living as nearly to their ideals as possible and attaining to such heights as their opportunities and talents render accessible. We now turn to one who did much and did it well. Not a pretentious or exalted life was his, but one which was true to itself and its possibilities, and one to which the biog- raphist may revert with respect and satis- faction. A man of strong intellectual force and mature judgment, his character found its deeper values in the wellsprings of ab- solute integrity and most exalted motives. The veil was lifted to gain a brighter glory
when death placed its seal upon the mortal lips of him whose name initiates this re- view.
The ancestral history of Harvey W. Morehouse was one of intimate identifica- tion with the annals of New Jersey, and the records bespeak in each generation men of industry, intelligence and sterling worth of character,-men typifying the highest order of citizenship and the deepest honor in all the relations of life. The original pro- genitor of the family in New Jersey was David Morehouse, who removed from Long Island to this state about the middle of the eighteenth century. He was un- doubtedly of English descent, and it is rea- sonably well authenticated that the family became identified with American history in early colonial days. During the war of the Revolution David Morehouse manifested the sturdiest loyalty to the cause of inde- pendence, and he was seized by the British and for a time was held as a prisoner in New York. Upon coming to New Jersey he took up his residence in Springfield, whence he came to Millburn township, where he passed the remainder of his life, dying at an advanced age. After locating in Essex county, he gave his attention both to blacksmithing and to work at the mason's trade.
Benjamin Morehouse, son of David and grandfather of the immediate subject of this memoir, was born in Springfield, New Jer- sey, on the 14th of March, 1752, accom- panying his parents upon their removal to Millburn township. He lived to at- tain the Psalmist's span of three score years ' and ten, his death occurring on the 29th of May, 1823. The greater portion of his active life was de- voted to agricultural pursuits, and he was
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recognized as one of the successful and in- of birth, being as follows: Mary, Isaac, fluential farmers of the county. He was Aaron, Moses, David, Abner, William, Harriet, Lydia, Catherine and Nancy. David Baldwin was a blacksmith by trade, and he lived to be about seventy years of age, his widow surviving him for some years. united in marriage to Phebe Haines, a native of the state of New York, and they became the parents of the following named children: Benjamin, Jacob, Smith, Hannah, Polly, Lydia and Phebe. The grandfather was a zealous member of the Presbyterian church in Springfield, in which he was for many years a deacon, and his entire life was a practical exemplification of the Christian faith which he professed. His wife died at the venerable age of eighty years, having passed her last days in the home of her son Jacob, who accorded her the deepest rev- erence and filial solicitude.
Jacob Morehouse, father of our subject, was born on the old homestead farm in Millburn township, on the IIth of October, 1789. He grew up under the sturdy and invigorating discipline of the farm, but in his youth learned the weaver's trade, to which line of enterprise he devoted his at- tention for many years, his well directed efforts being attended with a due measure of success. On the 22d of September, 1814, he was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Baldwin, who was born in what is now Livingston township, on the 19th of June, 1793, being the daughter of David and Betsy (Reeve) Baldwin. David Bald- win was a native of the same locality, being the son of Captain Enos Baldwin. David and Betsy Baldwin became the parents of fourteen children, two of whom died in in- fancy, while all the others lived to attain maturity and two of the sons rendered valiant service in the war of 1812. Enos was killed, by falling from a tree, when twenty-two years of age, but the other eleven children married and established homes of their own, their names, in order
After his marriage Jacob Morehouse pur- chased a tract of land near the old home- stead, erected a house thereon, and in con- nection with his trade carried on farming. He and his wife held membership in the Presbyterian church at Springfield and were prominently concerned in the organi- zation of the church at Chatham, in which he held the offices of deacon and elder. His early political affiliations were placed with the old-line Whig party, but he eventually transferred his allegiance to the Repub- lican party, of whose principles he was thereafter a stanch and uncompromising ad- vocate. He was a man of inflexible integri- ty in all the affairs of life, and he so lived as to gain and retain the esteem and con- fidence of all with whom he came in con- tact. Mrs. Morehouse died on the 5th of February, 1865, and on the 7th of June, 1868, Mr. Morehouse was summoned into eternal rest, full of honors and good works. Jacob and Lydia (Baldwin) Morehouse were the parents of four sons,-Harvey W., the immediate subject of this memoir; Aaron B., a resident of Fairfield, Essex county; William, who died in Newark; and David B., who resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Harvey W. Morehouse was born on the 14th of November, 1817, the place of his nativity having been the ancestral home- stead, in Millburn township, and here, in the spot so hallowed by association, his death occurred, on the 23d of February,
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1898, at the age of eighty years. He was reared beneath the parental roof, and the home associations were of that order which ever beget true manliness and sterling honor. He was accorded such educational advantages as the place and the period af- forded, while he also contributed his quota - towards carrying on the work of the farm and assisted his father in the operations of the shop. As a youth he gave distinctive evidence of that deep human sympathy and unflinching adherence to lofty principles which were ever dominating characteristics of his life. His mentality was of superior order and his ability was shown in the suc- cess which attended his efforts in the quieter walks of life. His energy and judgment were brought to bear and his achievements, though not of the sort that are heralded abroad, were none the less distinct, worthy and gratifying. On attaining his majority Mr. Morehouse purchased the farm which had belonged to his grandfather, and he further completed his arrangements for a home of his own by his marriage, in 1842, to Miss Juliet W. Baldwin, a native of Mill- burn township and a daughter of Captain Daniel Baldwin, and his wife, nee Cath- erine Meeker, who were the parents of two sons and four daughters, namely: Eliza- beth, Sarah Caroline, Juliet W., Newton, Louisa, and John A. To Mr. and Mrs. Morehouse four children were born: Ben- jamin Franklin, of Millburn township; John Newton; Daniel, who died at the age of ten months; and Louisa B., widow of George W. Roberts, who died leaving one son, Harvey M. J. Newton Morehouse, the second son of Harvey W. Morehouse, was born in 1846 in the township of Millburn, and in 1865 entered the office of the Na- tional Newark Banking Company in whose
employ he has continued ever since, having occupied various positions of trust and re- sponsibility. In 1876 he was married to Miss Evalina L. Baldwin, daughter of Dr. Milton Baldwin, late of Newark. To them were born three children, a son and two daughters. The son is Milton Baldwin Morehouse, who graduated from Princeton University with the class of 1898, and the daughters are Evalina King and Louise Franklin.
At the time of his marriage Mr. More- house settled on the farm which ever after continued to be his home. He brought the place to the highest state of cultivation and productiveness, and as the years passed he made substantial improvements and so added to the conveniences and accessories of the old homestead that it could well be taken as a model type and as representing an ideal home. His life was one of useful- ness and honor. He was honest in all things,-honest to himself and to his fellow men. He was innately prompted to jus- tice, was fervent in his attachments, per- severing in his intents, full of conscience, the approval of which he demanded for every action of his life, was fast in his friendships, loving and lovable, gentle and. sympathetic, courageous without bravado and tender without weakness. He was strong in his convictions, but was not in- tolerant-his broad humanitarian spirit and Christian charity precluded this-and while he was always firm in defense of the right, there was no room in his heart for revenge. With him forgiveness was a car- dinal virtue, and compassion and pity dwelt with him as constant guests. All men were his brothers, and all sufferings were his own when they arose from affliction, misfortune or disaster. Loving God and trusting to
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the uttermost in the saving power of the "Man of Sorrows," there was no moment in his life when he was not ready to attest the cause of the Master. For forty years he had been an elder of the Presbyterian church at Chatham, and as has been aptly said of him: "He was a man of high Christian principle, faithful in every depart- ment of church work, eminent in prayer and Bible study, widely respected and loved. He was humble and retiring in dis- position, yet clear in his convictions and genial in manners."
In his political adherency Mr. More- house supported the Democratic party and its principles, and in all matters of public interest he was active and progressive, withholding his co-operation from no movement for the public good. For nearly a decade he served on the board of chosen freeholders of Essex county, and he was for many years a member of the township com- mittee. His widow and the two sons and one daughter survive to mourn the loss of one whose life was consecrated to them and their welfare.
Standing in the full light of a life and character like this, we may well ask, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" Such a life remains as a perpetual benediction to all who have touched it, and the compensation and the reconciliation can not be denied to those who, from human love, must mourn, while yet they cannot but rejoice in the final exal- tation of that faith which made faithful.
ISRAEL SHELDON,
son of Remington and Huldah (Greene) Sheldon, was born at Pautuxet, Rhode Island, March 22, 1797. From his boy-
hood he seems to have had a fondness for study and work, and applied himself with remarkable energy and diligence. The old academy at Woodstock, Connecticut, which he attended, was among the best in New England. He had for a classmate the father of General McClellan, and some of the leading men of the country point with pride to this as their alma mater. Young Sheldon swung loose from his moorings and started on an independent career, as- suming all the responsibilities of a fully developed manhood at an age when most boys are in the full enjoyment of child- hood's sports. At the age of fourteen he went a long distance from home, as it was considered at that time, and at Wilmington, North Carolina, obtained a clerkship with S. B. & A. B. Arnold, who were at that time largely engaged in a commission and export trade with the West Indies. After an experience of two years in the business, being then but seventeen years of age, he made a voyage to the Windward islands with a mixed cargo, he being supercargo and part owner of the vessel. He disposed of his cargo at a good profit, and came home with a good freight in return. For three years he traded between the West In- dia islands and North Carolina. At the age of nineteen he went on a voyage to the Spanish main, with a vessel and cargo, sail- ing from St. Pierre, Martinique. In at- tempting to reach Augustura his vessel was thrice captured by different parties then at war, the second capture costing the lives of over two hundred men in the fight for the possession of the prize. Young Sheldon con- ducted himself with great coolness and brav- ery amid these perilous scenes, and there is little doubt that had he been in command of a war vessel instead of a merchantman,
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his antagonists would have suffered defeat. The vessel and cargo were finally seized by the naval force under General Bolivar and condemned. Mr. Sheldon and his crew were kept close prisoners for four months. Our government demanded an apology and payment for the loss sustained by the owners, and Commodore Perry successfully arranged the matter to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. There was a sad termi- nation of the affair, however, for Perry, while descending the Orinoco river, was seized with a deadly climatic fever and died after a short illness.
On reaching his majority Mr. Sheldon established himself in business in North Carolina and carried on a successful trade for many years; was clerk of the court of Hyde county. In 1834 he started with his family and servants, journey- ing by wagon, to Alabama, which was then a sparsely settled country. There he made his home for many years as a merchant and planter, making annual trips to the north with his family, where he spent his summers, and at the same time purchased goods for his stores and planta- tion. He grew to love the people of the south, and was greatly respected in return, his business methods being in strong con- trast to those of the typical southerner. Mr. Sheldon remained in Alabama until a short time previous to the civil war. Fore- seeing the impending conflict, he trans- ferred his interests to the north, and when the first gun was fired at Sumter, he was in Missouri on his way to New York. He was in sympathy with the south, but, like many southern men, he was opposed to se- cession, believing that all differences be- tween the north and south could be amic- ably arranged.
In 1857, four years before the trouble began, Mr. Sheldon bought a plot of land on Prospect street, East Orange, and built for himself a pleasant summer residence, which was among the first of modern built houses in this locality. He im- proved his surroundings and made his home attractive; he also built a house for his daughter, and his efforts in this direction influenced other business men to settle here. After leaving the south Mr. Sheldon made East Orange his permanent home, and watched with the deepest interest its rapid growth and devel- opment. He was one of the founders of Grace Episcopal church, and assisted ma- terially in carrying on the work at a time when the burden was necessarily borne by a very few. He was a man of great force and integrity of character, and a patriot in every sense of the word. Mr. Sheldon died Sep- tember 25, 1884. He was several times married, and is represented by a number of descendants in the Oranges.
JOSEPH KINGSLAND,
of Nutley, was born at the ancestral home of the Kingsland family, in the year 1813. His people were among the earliest prop- erty holders in New Jersey. The grand- father, Joseph Kingsland, Sr., was born in Bergen county, New Jersey, in 1738, and at the close of the Revolutionary war re- moved to New York city, where he secured the contract for curbing the streets, the material used for this purpose being wood. At a subsequent period he purchased the Essex county homestead now occupied by his granddaughters. He married Miss Mary Outwater, of Bergen county, and to them were born four sons and five daugh- ters. His death occurred in 1821.
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