USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume I > 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
The birth of I. K. Lippincott took place in Gloucester county, December 22, 1855. When he was in his twelfth year he removed with his parents to Woodstown, and after his completion of a three-years course at the South Jersey Institute, Bridgeton, New Jersey, he started upon the more arduous duties of life as the manager of his father's farm. He is still occupied in agriculture, though his energies are not confined to this vocation. Among the numerous enterprises which have received his substantial support and encouragement the following may be mentioned: the Co-operative Canning Company, and also a canning factory under the firm name of Davis & Lip- pincott; the firm of Davis, Coleson & Company, dealers in feed and agricul- tural implements; and the First National Bank of Woodstown, elsewhere specially referred to. Of this well known institution he is one of the directors, and was elected its president, November 26, 1897, as successor to James Benezet, deceased. Like his father before him, he is a stanch Republican, and takes an ardent interest in the proper management of local and public affairs. For thirteen years he served as a member of the city council, eleven years of this period in succession.
The marriage of Mr. Lippincott and Miss Laura F. Dean, was solemnized December 18, 1885. Three children grace their union, named in order of birth respectively Jesse, Marian and Lawrence. Mrs. Lippincott is a daugh- ter of Samuel and Lydia (Madera) Dean, the former a native of Salem county and a director in the First National Bank of Woodstown. Mrs. Lippincott is a member of the Presbyterian church.
JOSEPH COOK, M. D.
The greater part of the three-score and ten years of the life of Dr. Joseph Cook, late of Daretown, was passed in Salem county, where he was well and favorably known. His life was quiet and unostentatious, yet it left a lasting
II7
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
impress upon those with whom he was associated, and always for good. He took a deep interest in whatever affected the public welfare, and his influence, which was not inconsiderable, was ever exerted in a wise and patriotic man- ner. Though he has passed to his reward, his memory is tenderly cherished in the hearts of his innumerable sincere friends, whom he endeared to him- self by a thousand acts of kindness and love.
His paternal grandfather, Joseph Cook, was a wealthy and prominent citizen of Pole Tavern, holding many local offices of trust and honor. One of his children, Marmaduke Cook, was the father of Joseph, the subject of this memoir. His nativity took place in Gloucester county, New Jersey, August 25, 1825. In his boyhood he attended the common schools of his home neighborhood and Pennington Seminary, there laying the foundations of a fine education, and in 1847 he was graduated in the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania. He at once entered upon the practice of his chosen profession; but at the end of about twelve years, during which time he had acquired an enviable reputation for skill and general ability, he retired from his profession, becoming engaged in other pursuits. He then went to Philadelphia, where he embarked in the drug business, and in this line of endeavor he continued for some three years. In 1866 he retired, and came to Daretown, where in contentment he spent the remaining years of his life. During the great civil war, his sympathies were strongly enlisted, and subsequent to the battle of Gettysburg he volunteered his services as a surgeon, and for a long period was at the front, doing heroic duty, relieving the sufferings of the brave boys who wore the blue and proving himself in- valuable as a physician and nurse. He was a great student, and kept thor- oughly posted on everything pertaining to his profession, taking the leading medical journals, and in every possible manner enlarged his mental horizon. He was broad-minded and philanthropic, believing firmly in the great future and wonderful possibilities of this country, and his optimistic views upon every subject were a source of comfort and strength to all with whom he came into contact. For a period of ten years he was the judge of the court of common pleas, making a record of which his children have reason to be proud. His decisions were intelligent, impartial, and marked by the candor and fearlessness which were among his notable characteristics.
On the 6th of April, 1853, a marriage ceremony was performed by which the destinies of Dr. Cook and Miss Sarah M. Richman were united. She is a daughter of Harman and Susan Richman, of Whig Lane, Salem county. Two sons and a daughter blessed the union of the Doctor and wife, namely. William, who resides at Philadelphia; Harmon, who died in childhood, and Mary. who is the wife of Trueman Clayton, of Philadelphia. After a happy
118
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE FIRST
married life of forty-two years' duration, Dr. Cook was summoned to the better land by the angel of death, the date of the sad event being March 10, 1895, when he lacked but a few months of seventy years of age.
WILLIAM B. CARPENTER.
Inseparably connected with the history and development of the early colonial life of New Jersey and Pennsylvania is to be found the name of Car- penter,-a name that has been synonymous with upright, honorable dealing, commercial prosperity and religious advancement. The gentleman whose name appears at the head of this article was a highly respected citizen of Salem, New Jersey, where many generations of the family have lived and died. He was born in Elsinboro township, this county, August 17, 1822, and was a son of William and Mary (Beasley) Carpenter. In the year 1682 two brothers, Joshua and Samuel Carpenter, came from England and settled in the province of Pennsylvania. These brothers were leading characters of that time and were prominently mentioned in the annals of the province. They married and left families to perpetuate their names and to this day their descendants are among the most honorable and influential citizens of this community, even as their fathers were in centuries past.
William Beasley Carpenter is a direct descendant of Joshua Carpenter, of Philadelphia, whose name appears prominently in the earliest minutes of the vestry of Christ church, heading the list of vestrymen present at almost every vestry meeting until his death in 1722. His son Samuel accompanied him to these meetings for the two or three years preceding his death, and the names of both are to be seen on the pages of the first cash-book, which is still in the possession of the church. Joshua was one of three appointed by the vestry, in 1721, to negotiate for the piece of ground lying to the north of the original purchase and which is the churchyard north of the present church build- ing. Legal documents now in the possession of the Carpenter family show that he was chosen to act for Christ church in taking the title to the land upon which the church cdifice was built, that his money was used to complete the purchase, and that the legal title remains in his name, although the equit- able title is in the church corporation. He was opposed to the Quaker style of government. although he was a man of exceptionally good standing in the community, as even his adversarics, the Quakers, admitted; and one of them, James Logan, secretary of the province, in writing to William Penn under date of August 8, 1704, said of Joshua Carpenter, "He is himself really a good man." Penn recognized his true worth in the face of his opposition to
pu fo Calientes
I19
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
the Quakers, and in 1701 named him in the charter of the city of Philadel- phia as one of its first aldermen. Three years later he was again elected. He was a member of the provincial assembly in 1702, 1706, 1707, 1708. He built a charming residence on the north side of Chestnut street, between Sixth and Seventh, the grounds of which were laid out in an artistic and beautiful manner. He made his will August 27, 1720, and added a codicil July 23, 1722, both of which were proved August 2, 1722, and recorded in Will Book D, page 325, at Philadelphia. In this will he made his wife, Eliza- beth, executrix, and the only child mentioned is his daughter, Sarah, who married Enoch Story, who is also mentioned, as well as the two grandchil- dren, Robert and Patience Story. From the will of Elizabeth Carpenter it is learned that the son Samuel received a good estate during his father's life- time, and it is known that he owned a large tract of land in Delaware. One of his sons, William, settled in Salem county about 1745, and married Mary Powell, a daughter of Jeremiah and Jane Powell. They had four children, namely: Mary, who married Jacob Ware; Abigail, who married Edward Hancock; Powell, who was a private in the militia and was seriously wounded during the battle of Hancock's Bridge, March 18, 1778; and William, who was born in 1757 and was the grandfather of our subject. His name appears on the muster roll of Captain John Smith's Company. He afterward followed the vocation of farming in Elsinboro township, was a true patriot, an honor- able citizen and held the respect and esteem of all. He came to a violent death in 1803 as the result of a runaway. His wife was Elizabeth Ware, a direct descendant of Joseph Ware, who came to Salem in 1675. Their chil- dren were Samuel, who married Mary Mason and moved to New Castle, Indiana; Mary, whose first husband was Thomas Hancock, and her second, Samuel Cooper; Abigail, wife of John Goodwin; William, the father of our subject; Elizabeth, who married William Thompson; Powell, a mason of Philadelphia, who married Eliza Slaughter for his first wife, and, after her death, Anne Slaughter; and Sarah, who married Joseph Hancock and re- sided in Mannington township. Elizabeth Ware Carpenter was born in 1763 and died in the same year as her husband, 1803.
William Carpenter, the father of William B., was born April 4, 1792. in Elsinboro township, this county, and became one of the most extensive and prosperous agriculturists of the township. He was a careful business man and succeeded in a marked degree, accumulating sufficient means to enable him to retire from active work in 1847, at which time he became a resident of the city of Salem, where he continued to live until death removed him, May 13, 1866. He was a man of great executive ability and was chosen to fill a number of local offices and for many years was a freeholder. His mar-
120
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE FIRST
riage to Mary Beasley was honored by the birth of five children, namely: Elizabeth, who was born in 1814 and died in 1896, was the wife of Joseph B. Thompson; Powell, who was born in 1817 and died in 1850, married Mary Lawson; Morris, who was born in 1825; and John M., who was born in 1827 and married Annie I. Harvey.
Abner Beasley, the father of Mrs. William Carpenter, was born in Lower Alloway Creek township, this county, and was a son of Morris Beasley, who was born in 1727 and died in 1787. Morris married Mary Waddington, a granddaughter of William Waddington, who was one of the first settlers, took up considerable land in that township. Their children, with dates of births and deaths were: Benjamin, who was born in 1753 and died in 1782; Walker, who was born in 1755, was a member of the Second Battalion under Captain Sheppard and was massacred at Hancock's Bridge, March 20, 1778; Hannah, born in 1758; Mary, who was born in 1760 and died in 1836; David, who was born in 1766 and died in 1776; Abner, who was born in 1769 and died in 1806; Jonathan, who was born in 1772 and died the same year; and Ann, who was born in 1773 and died in 1809. Morris Beasley's father was John Beasley, who was one of the first settlers of Lower Alloway Creek. He married Hannah Walker and reared James, Morris and Thomas. Abner Beasley, leaving the farm, moved to Salem, where he conducted a large gen- eral store and was a popular man of the city. In 1804 he was collector of Salem county, also the first treasurer of the Salem Library Company. He was a member of the Society of Friends and married Mary Mason, by whom he had four children: Mary, wife of William Carpenter; William, who mar- ried Rachel Pettit; Benjamin, who married and lived in Illinois; and Thomas, who married Phoebe Gill. Abner Beasley died in 1806, at the age of thirty- seven years, and his wife in 1858, at the age of eighty-two years. She was one of the descendants of John Mason, an influential citizen and wealthy land-owner in Salem's early days, He was appointed a justice of Salem courts in 1714 and 1720, and was a member of the general free assembly for West New Jersey from Salem Tenth in 1710 and 1721. Mary (Mason) Beasley's ancestry can also be traced to John Smith, of Smithfield, one of Fenwick's executors; to John Smith, of Amblebury, who came to Salem in 1675; and to Rothra Morris, a member of the Society of Friends and who owned a planta- tion of sixteen hundred acres in Elsinboro.
William B. Carpenter attended the district schools, wherein he received his primary education, which was supplemented by study in Clairmont Semi- nary at Frankford, Pennsylvania, and in the Friends' school at Salem. After his student life was ended he taught school for five terms in his native town- ship and then engaged in the pursuit of agriculture, continuing in that work
I2I
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
until 1891, when he put aside the arduous duties of the farm and took up his abode in Salem. He, however, retained possession of the farm in Elsin- boro and one in Mannington township until his death and was connected with other business pursuits, being a director of the Farmers' Mutual Life Insur- ance Company from 1865 and its president for ten years, having succeeded Judge Bilderback in that office.
Mr. Carpenter was twice married, his first wife being Miss Martha Gaskill, of Columbus, New Jersey. Their wedding was celebrated December 8, 1846. and seven children were born of their union, namely: Howard, deceased; Mary, wife of Edward Lawrence; William, deceased; Lucy G., at home; Anna, wife of A. Weatherby; Martha, wife of Edmund Nieukirk; and Re- becca, deceased. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Carpenter married Nancy A., daughter of Robert Pease, a farmer of Somers, Connecticut. They were married June 4, 1868, and three children were born to them, namely: William H., a physician; Julia A. and Fanny P.
Mr. Carpenter attended the meetings of the Friends' Society, and in politics he affiliated with the grand old Republican party. He has held most of the township offices, having served as freeholder, collector and assessor. In 1874-5 he was a member of the general assembly and was tendered the nomination for senator but refused the honor. In business affairs he enjoyed an unassailable reputation, and his broad capability, excellent management and keen discernment, combined with untiring industry, brought to him a comfortable competence. He enjoyed the deserved esteem and respect of his fellow men, having the warm friendship of many of his acquaintances. His life's labors were ended in death December 22, 1899, and his remains were interred in the East View cemetery at Salem.
ENOS RICHMOND.
Enos Richmond, of Elmer, Salem county, New Jersey, for many years prominent in the department of justice and at present one of the county's most progressive and influential agriculturists, was a soldier of the army for the suppression of the rebellion, in which he rendered his country invaluable aid. He was born in Schoharie county, New York, April 11, 1835, and is a son of Richard Richmond, who was born at Hyde Park, Dutchess county, New York. The grandfather, Cyrus, was born at Poughkeepsie, that state, and was a son of Benjamin Richmond, a native of Taunton, Massachusetts. John Richmond was one of two brothers who came from Devonshire, Eng- land, to seek an asylum in this country from the religious persecution suf-
122
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE FIRST
fered by the Quakers, to which religious sect they belonged. They settled at Martha's Vineyard and later John moved to Taunton, Massachusetts, where he was the first white settler. They were all tillers of the soil for many generations, and were an industrious, hard-working family.
Richard Richmond moved to Schoharie county, New York, when a young man and was a school-teacher in his earlier manhood. He was joined in matrimony to Miss Lydia Brainard, a daughter of Jesse Brainard, of Con- necticut, and had twelve children, seven of whom are still living to perpetuate his name and memory. They are Asenath Este, of Pownal, Vermont; De- light, now Mrs. Jonas Evans, of Pittsgrove, New Jersey; Leonard, a resident of West Sand Lake, New York; Nancy, unmarried, also living there; Effey, wife of Chris Welker, of West Sand Lake; Enos, our subject, and Isaiah, of Virginia.
Enos Richmond attended school until his tenth year, when he entered a cotton-manufacturing establishment, where he remained five years, leaving it to learn the trade of carriage-maker, at which he worked three years. He was then in his eighteenth year and he started in business for himself, running a planing mill and carriage manufactory. He first located at Manchester, Vermont, and in 1854 went to Berryville, Virginia, and conducted the same line of business there for a few years, being successful. His brother Cyrus joined him in 1859. However, at that time the country was in a state of turmoil over the slavery question and all the northerners were regarded with suspicion by the people of that state, violence being resorted to in many cases to rid the place of an undesirable occupant; and excitement ran so high that it was unsafe to continue there; so Mr. Richmond moved to Harper's Ferry, in March, 1862, leaving his business and ten thousand dollars in accounts be- hind him. He returned in 1865, after the war, and tried to dispose of his busi- ness and accounts, but was unsuccessful, and was obliged to lease his property and leave on account of being in the federal army. In September, 1862, his brother was taken prisoner and was one of the few men shot and killed at Libby prison,-shot by a guard for looking out of a window. Their sus- picions that Mr. Richmond was a sympathizer with the north were well founded, as his aid to the government did not wait for accomplishment until the breaking out of the war. In April, 1861, he chanced to be at Harper's Ferry, a short distance from where he lived, when a friend, a northern man but a quartermaster in a Virginia regiment, showed him a telegram just re- ceived from those in authority ordering him to have wagons, etc., in readiness the following night, as it was the intention of the "Johnnies" to capture the arsenal at that point and secure the thirty thousand stand of minie muskets, etc .. stored there. After reading this message Mr. Richmond started for
123
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
home, but as soon as he was out of sight he turned and took another road, which enabled him to reach the arsenal in the shortest possible time and give notice to the commanding officer of the expected attack. The officer notified the authorities at Washington, who, in turn, authorized him to blow up the arsenal, if necessary, rather than have it fall into the hands of the enemy,- which was done. Mr. Richmond then went to Harper's Ferry and enlisted, was placed in the secret-service department and was of great assistance, as he was familiar with the people of the country. He enlisted in the Twenty- eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, General Geary's regiment, at Harper's Fer- ry, and was detailed to duty under McClellan, Hooker, Banks and other generals, serving all through the war. He was captured by the guerrilla Mosby, on January 25, 1863, but escaped after the first night.
After the war closed he returned to Virginia and settled up his business as well as he could, and in 1870 entered the employ of the government as a special agent for the southern-claims commission, serving nine years-as long as the commission existed-and traveling all over the south, settling up claims caused by the war. In 1880 he was transferred to the department of justice-also as special agent-and one year later to the French-American claims commission. He served there two years and then returned to the department of justice until 1885. In 1886 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres and took up his residence upon it, but the following year the department of justice again sent for him and he went south, serving under President Cleveland until 1888, when he returned home. He investigated thirty thousand cases on the above account; so it will readily be seen that his position was a responsible one. He was the first appointed and the last to leave the commission, from which fact it may be inferred that he understood and fulfilled the requirements of the position. Besides the farm upon which he now resides, he also owns one in Virginia, and his success as a farmer is no less marked than his public career.
He has been married twice, wedding for his first wife Miss Kate Osborne, who died in 1872, leaving four children: Willard; Richard, of Philadelphia; Mary, at home, and Lydia, wife of Allen Foster, of Daretown, New Jersey. On the 26th of March, 1877, he married Miss Hester H, Davis, and by this union has two children,-Olive J. and Edith. Mr. Richmond is a Quaker, or Friend, in religion, and a member of Berryville Lodge, No. 148, F. & A. M., in which he was at one time the junior warden. He is a man of small stature, keen-eyed and alert, and one of the most substantial and popular men in the community. He has a fine herd of registered Jersey cattle on his farm, whose record as butter-producers cannot be surpassed.
124
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE . FIRST
R. M. HITCHNER.
R. M. Hitchner, ex-judge of the common-pleas court and a venerable and esteemed resident of Elmer, Salem county, has seen many and important changes take place in the county during the seventy years he has lived here. His reminiscences of the early days of the county are highly interesting, and probably better than most persons does he understand and appreciate the hardships and sacrifices necessary to bring it to its present state of perfection and prosperity. That he assisted materially in bringing about many of the improvements it needs but a brief glance at his history to show, and the gen- erous public spirit and desire to promote the city's welfare which was shown by him in those days is still a leading characteristic of the man. He first opened his eyes to the light of day in a house that stood near the site now occupied by the Presbyterian church, on February 20, 1828, in the family of David and Margaret (Sithen) Hitchner.
David Hitchner was a son of Jacob Hitchner, one of three brothers- Jacob, George and Martin-who came from Germany to this country. He was a farmer of this locality, owning a large acreage which included the vil- lage site, the house standing near the Presbyterian church and the barn oc- cupying the ground now covered by that structure in the heart of the village. The population of the borough at that time numbered thirteen souls and is well remembered by the subject of this biography. David was a man of re- ligious training, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a conscien- tious, hard-working man who rose to prominence and accumulated consider- able property through his untiring industry and perseverance. He died in 1875 and left to his heirs four hundred acres of land, part of which is the site of Elmer. He was married to Margaret Sithen at the old "Pole Tavern," and for many years they journeyed through life together, sharing each other's joys and sorrows until death called the wife to the better land in 1872, and three years later she was followed by the loving husband. She was a daugh- ter of Enos Sithen, a very prominent man of Salem county. Her brother David was also a man who was prominent and held many local offices, and was afterward elected to a seat in the legislative halls of his state. The living children of David Hitchner and wife are: Judge Hitchner; Hiram, a farmer near here; Elizabeth, Mrs. Elijah Eastlake, of Deerfield; Mary Jane, Mrs. W. C. Keane, of Camden; and Dr. C. F., a practicing physician of this village.
Judge Hitchner received a good common schooling in the district schools of his native town. At the age of eighteen he engaged in teaching and con- . tinued at this employment six years during the winter months, while his sum-
R. M. Hechner
125
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
mers were spent in farming. Later he gave up teaching and devoted his en- tire time to farming, and in 1854, more than forty-five years ago, he built the residence in which he now resides. The home farm at Elmer contains one hundred and seventy-five acres, and five other farms, one in Upper Pittsgrove township of one hundred and sixty-five acres and four in Pittsgrove township, aggregate about three thousand acres, mostly tillable land.
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.