USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume I > Part 17
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George Hanson Wainwright received his educational training in the public schools of Kidderminster and at an early age developed a wonderful talent for drawing. He showed such marked ability as an artist that it was deemed advisable to give him the benefit of the best instructors, and he entered the School of Design at Kidderminster, where he applied himself diligently and carried off the prize over the other pupils. Soon after com- pleting his studies he engaged with a manufacturer of carpets to get a fuller knowledge of the application of design to the fabric, by being where they were made. His skill as a designer having become the public talk, he was importuned to accept positions with different large manufacturing plants, who realized the value that his work would be to them. He finally closed with a good offer from a carpet-manufacturer and remained with him a few years, at the same time attending the School of Design to still further per- fect himself. He was still quite young and had been two years an assistant in a factory before he was seventeen. Coming to America, he accepted a position as a designer for the Hartford Carpet Company, of New York city, and later for Joseph Barrett, of the same place. He was employed by Alexander Smith & Sons' Carpet Company, of Yonkers, New York, and the Lowell Carpet Company, of Lowell, Massachusetts, and after that worked at designing for himself, making patterns for carpets, oil-cloths, curtains, etc., and selling them direct to manufacturers. His designs always
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met with ready sale, and he is one of the best artists in this line in this country, and his ideas are always original and take the popular fancy. He has been able to lay up a neat sum by his industry and has a fine farm of one hundred and fifty and one-half acres in Quinton township, this county,' besides being one of the stockholders in the City National Bank. He is a man of great popularity among his neighbors, and of straightforward, honest character that calls for the hearty commendation of all who have dealings with him.
Mr. Wainwright was married February 12, 1894, to Miss Sarah Shep- pard Walker, whose father, William Sheppard Walker, was a farmer of Upper Alloway's Creek township, well known as a strong advocate of temperance and one of the best friends of the anti-slavery cause during the early history of the county. He was a son of William, one of the founders of the Alloway Baptist church, and a grandson of Robert Walker, who was one of three brothers who came to America at an early day and located in Alloway, now Quinton township, on a large farm of one thousand acres. His son William was also a farmer in that township and reared his children there. He was thrice married, his first wife, Sarah Sheppard, bore him three children,-Sarah, Phoebe and William Sheppard Walker. the father of Mrs. Wainwright. He died at the age of seventy-two years, and she at the age of twenty-nine, and buried in Salem churchyard, near where her brother, Joseph Sheppard, preached and taught for twenty years. The father of Mrs. Wainwright was born in 1806, in Alloway township, and became one of the most substantial agriculturists of the county. He was a member of the Baptist church, known far and wide for his Christian prin- ciples and the rigid manner in which he exemplified his faith. He was un- compromising in his utterances on the slavery question and neglected no opportunity to aid the unfortunate. He was also one of the strongest exponents of the principles of temperance.
His first wife was Ann Hewitt, who left him four children at her death, namely: William, David, Joseph and Thomas, the two oldest reaching manhood. David was in the civil war and fought for his country at Chan- cellorsville and Fredericksburg. The second wife was Ann Stow, the mother of Charles, Thomas, Sarah (the wife of our subject), Anna and Emma Walker. Their father died in 1864, at the age of fifty-eight years, and their mother in September, 1881, when she was seventy-four years old. Thomas Stow Walker was a minister of the Baptist faith and the first to be licensed to preach by the Memorial church in Salem, to which city they removed from Alloway.
Mrs. Wainwright is a womanly woman who has unusual charm of manner
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and a decided literary talent. She is a graduate of the New Jersey State Normal School, of the class of 1864, and was a teacher for twelve years, seven of them being spent in the school-rooms in Salem, where she was one of the most successful teachers employed. In 1883 she entered the Woman's Baptist Home Mission Training School, then located on Michi- gan avenue in Chicago, remaining for six months. Afterward she was sent to inspect and report upon the work of its missionaries in Jacksonville, Flor- ida. Later she visited England and spent two months in Mildmay Park, London, and haunts of Cowper and Carey, marrying after her return to this country. It is her delight to refer to her former pupils, now filling offices of trust, as mayor of the city, county c'erk, surrogate, positions in the banks of the city, teachers in schools, etc. In May, 1899, it was the privilege of herself and husband to cross the continent of North America with three hundred Baptists to attend a convention in San Francisco, California.
Mrs. Wainwright is a writer of exquisite pathos and fine humor, and her verses are worthy a place in any library. To a young friend, who in 1882 wrote a letter to her, saying. "To-morrow is my birthday," she com- posed the following in reply:
MILESTONES.
Would I had the power To call the Muses near, That I might sing some sonnet That you would love to hear,-
I'd tell you of the noble men From Adam until now, Formed by our Lord to honor Him And on his footstool bow ;-
Of Enoch, the pure-hearted, Who "walked with God" below, And "was not." for He took him Because he loved him so ;-
Of Abraham, the faithful, Who, going staff in hand, From his own favored country To seek a promised land ;-
Of David, harping sweetly The psalms we love to sing,-
More happy when a shepherd lad, Than when a crowned king :-
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Of Moses and the burning bush: When stood his God so near He took the shoes from off his feet And trembled there with fear ;-
And as he led forth Israel To plains of beauty fair, Was led himself, by cloud and fire, Until "God hid him" there.
So now He leads His people, From day of birth till death, And sets our yearly milestones Until he takes our breath.
Then should we ever doubt Him, Or cease His voice to hear? For never were His children To him, I know, more dear.
So now I send you greeting, And bid you onward go; But only as He leads you To heights, far up or low.
Knowing that only as we walk, Our hand in His above, And reaching to our fellow man We tread the paths of love.
CHARLES B. CORSON, M. D.
Dr. Charles B. Corson, who is successfully engaged in the practice of medicine in South Seaville, was born in the town which is still his home, August 8, 1869, his parents being Remington and Mary P. (York) Corson. The original spelling of the name was Carsten, but with the passing of the years the present orthography has been adopted. The great grandfather of the Doctor was Remington Corson, Sr., and his father, Lewis Corson, resided at Beesley's Point and had four sons,-Remington, Lewis, Frank and Still- well. The first named was a farmer by occupation and at the time of his death, which occurred in 1828, when he was forty years of age, he was carry- ing on agricultural pursuits at Cold Spring, Cape May county. He married Priscilla Townsend, and they had four children: Baker; Uriah, seafaring men; Edith, wife of William Godfrey, and Henry T. The last named was
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born March 17, 1828, has always followed the sea, and in the civil war he served in the naval department, carrying supplies for the government. He married Priscilla L. Corson, and they had a son, Richard Somers, a seafaring man, who was killed by a falling elevator in Boston. After the death of his first wife, Henry T. Corson wedded Hannah T. Leaming.
Baker Corson, the grandfather, was born in Cape May county, in 1815, and was a sea captain on a coasting schooner throughout his business career. He also engaged in general merchandising in South Seaville, and was resid- ing near the town at the time of his demise. The Republican party received his support and he served at one time as the postmaster of South Seaville. He took an active part in religious work, was a leading and influential mem- ber of the Calvary Baptist church and served as one of its trustees. He married Sarah Corson, who still survives her husband. They became the parents of three children: Cecelia, Remington and William. The last named died in childhood, and the daughter became the wife of Frederick Corson, a sea captain of South Seaville, by whom she had three sons,-Newell S., Wal- ter S. and Clarence.
Remington Corson, the Doctor's father, was born in South Seaville, Cape May county, in 1843, attended the public schools and was also a student in Pierce's Business College. He received a thorough business training and was a member of the first class that graduated at that institution. He subse- quently went to sea and three years later he assumed the management of his father's general mercantile establishment in South Seaville, conducting the business for twenty-one years. In 1881 he was elected the sheriff of the county and retired from commercial life. He was afterward the postmaster of South Seaville, under President Harrison, serving for five years, and had been the first postmaster of the town, at which time he served for nineteen consecutive years. He was recognized as one of the leading workers in the ranks of the Republican party and was frequently solicited to become a can- didate for the legislature, but always refused. He was also a very prominent Mason and one of the charter members of Cannon Lodge, No. 104, F. & A. M., at South Seaville, filling all of its offices and serving as the master of the lodge for a number of years. He is a Knight Templar Mason and has taken sixteen degrees in the Scottish rite. In the Baptist church he held a mem- bership and was its treasurer for a number of years. He wedded Mary P. York and three children were born to them: William, who died in infancy; Charles B., and Sarah, wife of Martin S. Grace, a railroad man. The father died April 21, 1894, at the age of fifty-one years, and the mother is still living at the age of fifty-seven.
Dr. Corson has spent his entire life in the county of his nativity and
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acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of South Seaville. He further continued his studies under private instruction, and then took up the study of medicine with the intention of making its practice his life work. On the 7th of June, 1894, he was graduated at the University of Pennsylvania with the degree of M. D. and located in practice in South Seaville; but this was his first experience in the field of labor. for in 1887 he had been appointed a page in the state senate and had served for three years. He had also been assistant postmaster under Presi- dent Harrison's administration. The Doctor was elected in November, 1899, coroner of Cape May county for a term of three years. In the prosecution of his chosen calling he has been very successful, and now has a liberal patronage that many an older member of the medical fraternity might well envy. He is a member of the Cape May County Medical Society and is now serving as its secretary. He has written some articles for medical journals. including reports of important and interesting cases, and has already gained marked prestige in his profession.
On the 22d of April, 1897, the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Theresa T. Corson, a daughter of Nicholas and Priscilla Corson, a successful teacher then residing in South Dennis, New Jersey. They now have one child, Edmund Remington Corson. In South Seaville they have a wide acquaintance, and the circle of their friends almost equals the number of their acquaintances.
BENJAMIN T. ABBOTT, M. D.
Among those who devote their time and energies to the practice of medicine and have gained a leading place in the ranks of the profession, is Dr. Abbott, of Ocean City. Success in any line of occupation, in any avenue of business, is not a matter of spontaneity, but is the legitimate offspring of subjective effort in the proper utilization of the means at hand, the im- provement of opportunity and the exercise of the highest functions made possible by the specific ability in any case. It is through such channels that Dr. Abbott has won prestige in the medical fraternity, having long since left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few.
The Doctor was born in Tuckahoe, Cape May county, August 6, 1845, and is of English lineage. The early annals of the family account for its origin in America by recording that the first progenitor of the family on American soil came from Abbotsford, England, in colonial days. The Doc- tor's parents were John C. and Ann (Treen) Abbott. The father, a native of Salem county, was educated in the public schools and under private in-
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struction, after which he engaged in teaching. He also studied surveying and became one of the best known surveyors in southern New Jersey, his services being widely sought in various sections of the state. He further extended the field of his labors by acting as foreman of various iron works on both sides of the Alleghany mountains, being thus engaged for many years. He was also extensively engaged in the lumber business, operated a sawmill and was the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of cedar swamp, one of the most valuable in southern New Jersey. He had a farm of one hundred acres of tillable land and his last days were devoted to agricultural pursuits. His varied and well managed business interests brought to him wealth, and his prominence in connection with the industrial and public affairs of the community made him a leading and influential citizen. He was the judge of the court for several years at May's Landing, and by other judges at different times in his life was frequently appointed as a com- missioner on the division of estates. He was a man of clear, calm judg- ment, of unquestioned probity and of sterling worth, and no trust ever given into his keeping was ever be- trayed. When a young man he was a member of a militia com- pany, and took part in the training of those early days. Long a faith- ful member of the Methodist church, he served as superintend- ent of the Sunday-school at May's Landing for 35 years, and labored earnestly to instill into young minds principles which would guide and benefit them through life, and to introduce the benefits and blessings of Christianity among those of more mature years. His last days were spent at May's Landing, and in his death the community lost one of its most honored and valued citizens.
John C. Abbott was the father of eight children. William T., the eldest. is a Methodist minister at Ocean Grove, but on account of the partial loss of his voice he is now living retired, only occasionally filling the pulpit. He is a member of the New Jersey conference, and during the civil war he served as the chaplain of the Twenty-third New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of Winchester his hat was shot from his head! He married Miss Rebecca Gilbert, of Burlington, New Jersey, and their children are Kate, wife of George Morrow, a caterer of Jersey City, New Jersey; Estella;
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and William G., a druggist. John G., the second of the children of John C. Abbott, was educated in the public schools and engaged in school-teaching until his enlistment in the Forty-eighth Independent Regiment from New York city, composed of bank officers, teachers and professional men. He was wounded in an assault on Fort Wagner and died from the effect of his injuries eight days later, at Fort Hamilton, New York. J. E. Potts, the next of the family, was educated in New Jersey, in the law department of the University of Pennsylvania, and under the instruction of Judge Wood- hull, of Camden. In early life he engaged in teaching and has since prac- ticed law at May's Landing. Clark W. was a sea captain for several years and was also engaged in farming, lumbering and dealing in coal. He married Isabel, a daughter of Captain Joseph Wilson, of May's Landing. The Doc- tor is the next of the family. Rebecca is deceased. Maggie is the widow of J. Robert Kenney, who died in 1899. He is the son of Rev. Edward J. Kenney and was born in Philadelphia and for many years was postmaster of the city of Wahoo, Nebraska, where he was engaged in the dry-goods and millinery business. Charles studied law with his brother, and is the present member from Atlantic county to the state legislature. The father of these children died in 1894, at the advanced age of ninety years, and thus was ended a long and useful life over which there fell no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil.
Dr. Abbott, whose name introduces the initial paragraph of this review, was educated in the public schools of Atlantic and Cape May counties and afterward engaged in teaching school in the former county, and was also the principal of the Middletown Academy, in Delaware. He afterward filled the office of deputy clerk of the court of Atlantic county for three years, and then, with a determination to become a member of the medical pro- fession, entered the Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia, in which he was graduated in March, 1870. He took a special course in anatomy, surgery and gynecology, receiving separate diplomas for the work he had ac- complished in those branches of the medical science. In his practice he has made a specialty of gynecology and surgery, and in these special de- partments he has patients in all sections of the state and in Philadelphia. His knowledge along these lines is accurate and profound, and his treat- ment of such diseases has been followed by most excellent results. His reputation has thus extended far and wide, and he is frequently called in consultation to Atlantic, Tuckahoe, Sea Isle City and other places in southern New Jersey. From 1870 until 1873 he engaged in practice at May's Land- ing, and then became the successor of his old preceptor, Dr. E. L. B. Wales, at Tuckahoe, a brother of Surgeon General Wales of the United States
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Navy, remaining in Tuckahoe until 1896. He then came to Ocean City, where he has since made his home. He came to this place in order to get away from a practice whose extensive proportions and great responsibilities were ruining his own health, and now he has all that he can attend to or cares to undertake in the line of his profession. For twenty years he was also engaged in the drug business in Tuckahoe. He is a member of the New Jersey State Medical Society and the Cape May County Medical So- ciety, and is a member of the board of censors of the Medico-Chirurgical College, of Philadelphia, a position which he has occupied since July 1, 1894. He was also offered a chair in the institution, but declined to fill it. He has performed some of the most delicate and difficult operations known to sur- gery and has an American endoscope (the X-ray instrument) for surgical work. His practice in surgery and gynecology is greater than that of any other physician in Cape May county. His success as a surgeon is due to his wonderfully minute and accurate acquaintance with anatomy, combined with an excellent power of diagnosis, a cool head, steady muscles and great me- chanical genius.
The Doctor has successfully performed many very difficult operations in removing cancers and tumors and is now compiling a work which will be a history of fifty cases of cancer, which have come under his immediate at- tention. In this he will endeavor to show that the prevalence of cancer in this country is due to intermarriage between blood relations, proving this to be the fact in ninety-nine out of every hundred cases. Dr. Abbott has also contributed some very valuable articles to medical journals, showing wide research, earnest thought and original investigation.
Dr. Abbott has been thrice married. On Christmas day in 1869 he wedded Miss Hattie Blew, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, and to them were born three children: Anna M., wife of Reuben C. Little, a bookkeeper of Philadelphia, by whom she had one child, now deceased: Lizzie L., at home; and Lida May, wife of George L. Parsons, a merchant of Tuckahoe. For his second wife the Doctor chose Emma C. Godfrey, a daughter of Judge Heze- kiah Godfrey, of Tuckahoe. His present wife bore the maiden name of Adella Corson, and was a daughter of Captain Sylvester Corson, a sea cap- tain, who for many years resided at Palermo, Cape May county.
Although Dr. Abbott has attained an eminent position in his profes- sion he has yet found time to aid in the amelioration of those affairs which concern the community, and has served as president of the board of health since his arrival in Ocean City. He has also been the president of the board of education throughout the same period, and has done much to advance the interests of the schools in this locality. He has been an Odd Fellow for
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twenty-five years, holding his membership in Lodge No. 67, at Tuckahoe. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and of the Junior Order of American Mechanics, and he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church.
His success in a professional way affords the best evidence of his capa- bilities, and no physician has ever observed more closely the ethics of the unwritten professional code or showed more careful courtesy to his fellow practitioners than does he. Almost as a sacred trust he seems to hold his professional offices, and it has been his careful attention, his earnest study and his deep and abiding human sympathy that have brought him a dis- tinguished position in professional circles.
JACOB P. COLLINS.
Practical industry wisely and vigorously applied never fails of success; it carries a man onward and upward, brings out his individual character and acts as a powerful stimulus to the efforts of others. The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of the ordinary qualities of common sense and perseverance. The every-day life, with its cares, necessities and duties, affords ample opportunities for acquiring experience of the best kind, and its most beaten paths afford a true worker abundant scope for effort and self-improvement. It has been in the legitimate channels of trade that Jacob Peterson Collins has attained a leading position in industrial circles in Cape May county, making him one of the substantial citizens of the community. He belongs to that class of representative Americans who while promoting individual prosperity also add to the material welfare by promoting commercial activity, whereon depends the progress and improvement of town, county or state.
A resident of South Seaville, Cape May county, he was born in Estel- ville, Atlantic county, New Jersey. December 16, 1845, his parents being Smith and Priscilla (Peterson) Collins. The family has long been repre- sented in this state. The great-grandfather resided in upper New Jersey, and his widow removed to Atlantic county with two of her sons, one being Jo- seph, the grandfather of our subject. She afterward married again and re- moved to the west, from which time all trace of her was lost. Joseph Collins was reared in Estelville, became a sawyer and followed that and other occu- pations in pursuit of fortune. He married a Miss Judith Steelman, and their children were Steelman, who married Mary Homan; Daniel, who married Martha Estell; John; Smith; Hannah, the wife of Somers Townsend; and Millicent, the wife of Daniel Hoffman.
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Smith Collins, father of our subject, was born in Estelville. Atlantic county, in 1805, became a sawyer and followed that pursuit in connection with farming. His political support was given the Republican party, and he was deeply interested in its success, doing all in his power to promote its growth. He also belonged to the Sons of Temperance and was a man whose upright life and probity made him respected by all. His children were Som- ers Harrison, who married Jane Getzminger, by whom he had three chil- dren,-Smith and two deceased. The mother died and he then wedded Mary Champion, by whom he had a daughter, Ida. He was a farmer and also engaged in the lumber business in Ocean City. Harry S., a farmer of Estel- ville, married Ella Steelman, and their children were Ann, Jesse, Rosa, Ada and Harry. Jacob P. is the next of the family. Elizabeth married John English, who formerly engaged in teaching but now follows farming at English Creek, New Jersey, and they have one child, Ion. Naomi is the youngest. The father died in 1877, at the age of seventy-two years, and left to his children the priceless heritage of the good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches.
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