USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume I > Part 62
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the secretary of the Paulsboro Building & Loan Association, and has long been an important factor in the upbuilding and improvement of the town.
Mrs. Adamson was in her maidenhood Miss Mary Clement, a daughter of William Clement, and was of English descent. Unto our subject and his wife have been born two children,-Alice and Austin. Socially Mr. Adani- son is an Odd Fellow, and has attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish-rite branch of Masonry. In 1894 he was elected the county treas- urer of Gloucester county for a term of two years. He takes an active and zealous interest in politics and his labors have resulted in advancing the interests of the Republican party, whose principles he stanchly supports. For twenty years he has been in poor health, having never enjoyed perfect health since the night when he and his father were capsized in the river. Working thus under disadvantages, he has nevertheless steadily advanced to success, and has won a place among the leading representatives of com- mercial interests in Paulsboro, at the same time gaining a comfortable competence by means of his energy, sound judgment and laudable ambition.
FRANK E. SMITH.
No name is more inseparably interwoven with the development, progress and upbuilding of Holly Beach than that of Frank Edward Smith, who is now serving as the mayor and who is connected with some of the leading business interests of the place. Prosperity is due to commercial activity and the man who inaugurates and conducts successful business enterprises is therefore one of the benefactors of the town and well deserves mention among the representative citizens. Such a man is Mr. Smith, and, both widely and favorably known throughout the community, he well deserves mention in this volume.
A native of Pennsylvania, he was born in Meadville, Crawford county, that state, August 25, 1862, his parents being Oscar B. and Marietta (Kil- mer) Smith. The family removed from Lowell, Massachusetts, to the Key- stone state. Nelson Smith, the grandfather, was born in Lowell and went to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming. He died in 1881. at the advanced age of eighty-five years, and his wife passed away when eighty-three years of age. They were the parents of four children : Leonard, who spent some time in southern California, but is now a cattle-raiser of Walla Walla, Washington; Marion, who entered the Union army during the civil war and died in Libby prison; Cortez, a farmer, residing in Meadville, Pennsylvania; and Delett, who married Jefferson Line.
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Oscar B. Smith was born in Massachusetts in 1836 and during his boy- hood accompanied his parents to Pennsylvania, where he later engaged in farming and merchandising. He now makes his home at Holly Beach, where he has resided since 1884. At present he is engaged in the dairy busi- ness. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, and has served as a member of the city council of Holly Beach. For three months he was in the civil war, but before being ordered to the front hostilities ceased. He married Miss Kilmer, and to them have been born seven children: General, who died at the age of eighteen months; Frank Eugene, who died at the age of nineteen years; Sarah May, the wife of Addison Rose Smith, formerly a grocer of Meadville, Pennsylvania, but now living near Buffalo; George Nelson, who married Blanche Lewis, of Chicago, and is engaged in the nursery business in Rochester, New York, exporting his nursery goods to South America; Leavitt Sherburn, who is engaged in the dairy business; Oscar, who is engaged in bookkeeping for his brother, Frank E .; and Lester, now sixteen years of age, at home with his parents.
Between the ages of six and fourteen years Frank Edward Smith pur- sued his education in the public schools and then began to learn the black- smith's trade, which he followed for eight years. He then engaged in the butchering business four years, since which time he has been engaged in building sea walls. He came to Holly Beach in 1883, and during the years which have since passed has taken many contracts for that important work. He is particularly skillful in this department of labor, and his works have withstood the force of wind and wave in a manner that has gained him high commendation.
His efforts, however, have not been confined alone to this line of in- dustry. In 1892 he built an ice plant of ten tons' capacity for the manufac- ture of artificial ice, and now has two wagons in use in delivering this cooling product to his many patrons at Holly Beach. The plant was erected at a cost of thirty thousand dollars, and in connection with its operation he freezes fish for the winter and Lenten seasons in Philadelphia. He has the only refrigerator of the kind found east of Buffalo, New York, and his pat- ronage in this branch of his business is large and constantly increasing. He is also engaged in contracting and building, and has erected the Dayton Hotel at Wildwood, in addition to many of the beautiful cottages at that place and in Holly Beach.
Almost from its inception Mr. Smith has been actively identified with the growth and development of the latter place. The first house built here was in 1881,-the property of Joseph Taylor, an officer in the Holly Beach Improvement Company. Among the pioneers of the town were Lattimer
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y. m. C. A. Building, Salem, n. J.
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Baker, Joseph Taylor, Dr. Aaron C. Anderson, James Bremmen, Harry Bremmen and C. A. Norton. The permanent population of the town is four hundred, but in summer there is a population of six thousand and all of the hotels are filled, showing this to be one of the most popular resorts along the Jersey coast.
Mr. Smith has been an active factor in the conduct of the government of Holly Beach: was assessor in 1885, the year of the incorporation of the town, and again in 1887. In 1889, 1890 and 1891 he was a member of the city council, and in 1891 was chosen by the council to the position of mayor and elected to that office in 1892. Again in 1894 and 1896 he was elected to that office, and in 1898 was elected for a two-years' term, so that he is the present incumbent. He does all in his power to promote the growth and advance the welfare of Holly Beach, and his administration has been progressive and beneficial. He votes with the Democracy and keeps well informed on the issues of the day. He was also at one time actively inter- ested in the military affairs of the state, and for five years, from 1879 until 1884, was a member of Company K, Sixth Regiment of New Jersey National Guard.
On the 16th of June, 1891, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Miller, a daughter of Robert Miller, a farmer of Vineland, New Jersey. They have a daughter, Frances Matilda, and in Holly Beach they are widely and favorably known. Mr. Smith is recognized as one of the most able business men of the town, his diligence, indomitable energy and undaunted perseverance winning him prosperity that numbers him among the substantial citizens. He has done much toward promoting the general welfare by promoting trade and commerce, and by the wise judgment which he has displayed in the discharge of his official duties. His career, both public and private, has been marked by the strictest integrity and faithful- ness to every trust reposed in him.
THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
In the moral development and welfare of Salem there has been no more important factor than the Young Men's Christian Association, which since its organization has exerted a wide influence for good. Its effect is immeas- urable, being like the "echoes which roll from soul to soul and live forever and forever." For a number of years the association occupied rented rooms on East Broadway and the directors secured William W. Barker to act as the general secretary. He held the position for over four years, and on the
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expiration of that period resigned to become the pastor of a Baptist church at Phillipsburg, New Jersey. He was succeeded by Harry Dare, who after about two years' service also resigned and became the pastor of a Baptist church at Junction, New Jersey. By this time the association spirit had spread to such an extent and the membership had grown to such proportions that it was necessary to have a home of its own, and steps were taken toward the erection of a building. In 1894 a deposit of fifteen thousand dollars was made and the building was erected. W. G. Tyler gave five thousand dollars to the building and the citizens of Salem raised the remainder.
John A. Warner became the first secretary in the new building and re- mained in that position until January, 1898. He was succeeded by W. G. Cartlich, who, however, served for only eight months. The present secretary, William H. Pullen, came to the association on the Ist of October, 1898, and has since remained in charge. The present membership is one hundred and fifty in the senior department and fifty in the junior department. Religious services, Bible and educational classes and entertainments are held regularly and thus the work is carried forward, a place being provided for young men where they may have healthful and helpful entertainment that will be a ben- efit to their physical and moral natures. The association was never so pros- perous as at the present time, and Salem may well be proud of the work that is being done thereby.
HENRY J. WEST.
Henry J. West, one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Gloucester city, Camden county, New Jersey, now serving as a member of the state board of taxation, was born April 1, 1850, in Allendale, Rhode Island. He comes of distinguished New England stock, among the descendants of his paternal ancestors being Lieutenant Governor West, of that state. Mr. West's grandfather, Job R. West, was a lifelong resident of Rhode Island, where he was engaged as a millwright during his years of activity.
Henry F. West, the father of Henry J., was a native of Rhode Island, being one of the two children born to his parents. He worked in the mills in that state until after his marriage, becoming familiar with the details in each department. In 1857 he came to Gloucester city, accepting the position of manager of the Washington Mills, the largest mills of this local- ity, which then employed some six hundred hands, the force in course of time increasing to twelve hundred hands. At the end of thirty- five years of service in this responsible position he resigned, thenceforward
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living in retirement until his death, at the age of sixty-three years. Henry F. West was a man of great intelligence and influence, everywhere respected for his strict integrity. He served as a member of the city council, being its president for many years, and was also the president of the board of education a number of terms. In politics he was a sound Republican, and in religion was a valued member of the Presbyterian church and took an ac- tive interest in the denominational work. His wife, formerly Zeviah Walker, was born in Scituate, Rhode Island, a daughter of George G. and Sarah (Mathewson) Walker. She now makes her home with her son, Henry J. West, who is one of three children, the others being Charles F., and Lizzie S., the wife of Harry Reeves.
Henry J. West was educated in the public schools of Gloucester city and the classical and English school of Professor Gregory in Philadelphia, subsequently taking a course in civil engineering at the Philadelphia Poly- technic College. On leaving that institution he entered the Washington Mills, becoming an apprentice in the machine shop, and afterward being employed in the other departments until conversant with the work of each. when he was appointed assistant to his father in the management of the mills. Retiring from this position in 1885, he was appointed under-sheriff by Sheriff Baird in 1887, and remained in this office until 1890, when he was elected the sheriff of Camden county by the largest majority ever re- ceived by a county officer up to that date. He served as sheriff until 1893, a period covering the maximum number of years in one term of that office. In 1894 Mr. West was nominated by Governor Werts of New Jersey as a member of the state board of taxation for a term of five years, and his nomi- nation was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in May of that year. In August, 1898 he was unanimously elected to the presidency of the board, succeeding Albert H. Slate, the late president of the state board of tax- ation. At the legislative session of 1899, he was appointed by Governor Voorhees, and unanimously confirmed by the senate, for a second term of five years. He is a stockholder in the Camden, Gloucester & Woodbury Trolley Railway Company and one of the directors, and is also interested in a number of business enterprises in the county where he resides.
Mr. West is a prominent and active member of the Masonic order, be- longing to Cloud Lodge, No. 101, of Gloucester city, of which he is a past master; Siloam Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Cyrene Commandery, Knights Templars, of Camden; and Mecca Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of New York. He likewise belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, of Gloucester city, and Lodge No. 293, B. P. O. E. He attends the Pres- byterian church, and is now the first trustee of the board of trustees, of
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which he has long been a member. He has a beautiful residence, and his home is made attractive to his many friends by the presence of his mother, a woman of intelligence and activity, who presides over the household with a gracious and generous hospitality.
RICHARD T. MILLER.
Richard Thompson Miller, circuit-court judge of New Jersey, is one of those who, by reason of their knowledge of the law and their manner of ad- ministering it, have placed the judiciary of New Jersey on that high plane which it so justly occupies.
Judge Miller's paternal grandfather, Jonas Miller, the only child of Abram Miller and his wife Susanna, nee Stanbury, was born in Essex county, New Jersey, in 1786, and early in life removed to Bass River, in Atlantic county, where he successfully engaged in the business of ship- building and chandlery. Some years later he purchased Congress Hall and its plantation at Cape Island, now Cape May City, and resided there during the remainder of his days. He married Mary Mathis, and by this union had six children, one of whom, Waters Burroughs Miller, the father of the present judge, was for years the proprietor of Congress Hall. His rare judgment, sturdy honesty and quick appreciation of the affairs and needs of his fellow citizens endeared him alike to all parties; and he was chosen to fill many offices of trust and responsibility. He represented his county in the house of assembly in 1853, and in the state senate for two terms, from 1880 until 1886. He died in 1892, at the age of sixty-eight years.
Judge Miller's maternal great-great-grandfather, William Williams, of Loudoun county, Virginia, a colonel in the Third Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, was married on the 24th of July, 1779, at Christ church in the city of Philadelphia, to Abigail, a daughter of Richard and Esther Zane Collins, of Gloucester county (now Camden county), New Jersey. Their only child, Hetty W., married Captain Humphrey Hughes, who during the war of 1812 sailed under letters of marque issued by the French gov- ernment and gained considerable fame for his attempt to rescue Bonaparte from his imprisonment at St. Helena-an attempt which, but for the pre- mature discharge of a weapon caused by the fall of a sailor, would undoubt- edly have been successful. One of the children of Captain Hughes was Louisa W., the wife of Enoch Edmunds, of Cape May county, who became the sheriff of his county and represented it in the state senate of 1850 and 1853.
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CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
Louisa H. Edmunds, the daughter of Senator Edmunds, married Waters B. Miller in January, 1845. She died at the early age of thirty-three years, leaving four children, among whom was Richard T. Miller, who was born in Cape May county on the 16th of December, 1845. At the age of eight he was sent to Meigs Academy at Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he re- mained but a very short time, being placed the next year in the Congre- gational School at Easton, Connecticut, where he continued his studies for two years. After that he attended the West Jersey Academy at Bridge- ton, New Jersey, until the death of its principal, Professor Thompson, in 1860. He then began to prepare for Yale College under the instruction of a private tutor; but, being compelled by reason of ill health to abandon his purpose of entering college, he joined the engineering corps then at work on the new railroad between Millville and Cape May, of which his father, Senator Miller, was one of the foremost promoters. Upon the completion of his labors as a surveyor he, in September, 1863, registered as a student at law under the tutorship of the Hon. Thomas P. Carpenter, late justice of the New Jersey supreme court, then practicing in Camden. He was ad- mitted to the bar as an attorney at the November term, 1867, and at once opened an office at Cape May City, whence about a year later he returned to Camden, where he has ever since resided. He was made a counselor at law at the November term, 1870, and city solicitor of Cape May City in 1869; was the judge of the district court of the city of Camden from March, 1877, to January, 1888; and prosecutor of the pleas for Cape May county in 1889 for a term of five years. The last named office he resigned on March 30, 1892, to accept the common-pleas judgeship of Camden; on March 1I, 1893, to accept the circuit-court judgeship for the state, begin- ning at once the duties of an official term ending in March, 1900. On the 12th of the latter month he retired from that office, after serving seven years; and April 28 following, by Governor Voorhees, he was appointed a member of the board of fish-ground commissioners.
Judge Miller married, in 1874, Miss Mercedes Ysabel Azcarate, a native of Cuba, with whom he became acquainted while she, in company with her parents, summered at Cape May. The ceremony took place at Christ church, Philadelphia, before the very same altar where just ninety-five years previously, his great-great-grandfather, Colonel Williams, wedded the Quaker maiden Abigail Collins.
Judge Miller's ability, natural and acquired, is peculiarly suited to his chosen profession, as is shown by the eminence that he has achieved in it. Each of the positions for which he has been selected he has filled with credit to himself and to those responsible for his appointment; and his elevation
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to the bench is a fitting culmination, giving full play to his best faculties. His impartial judgments have commended him most favorably to that large part of the community whose business has brought them in close contact with him. The Judge is thoroughly domestic in his habits, is easy in man- ner, and has always so willingly aided the younger members of the bar that with them he is a universal favorite, while his character and attainments have equally commended him to his contemporaries.
BLOOMFIELD H. MINCH.
Hon. Bloomfield H. Minch, of Bridgeton, ex-member of the assembly for Cumberland county, was born on a farm in Hopewell township, this county, October 10, 1864. He is a son of Francis B. and Elizabeth H. (Tice) Minch, and belongs to one of the oldest and best families in the Union, native in southern New Jersey for many generations. His great- grandfather was Benjamin Minch, and his grandfather was Archibald Minch, a wealthy farmer of Hopewell, his native town, who was very promi- nent in the community and active in public affairs. He was the last original stockholder of the Cumberland National Bank, which was founded in 1812. A strong old Whig, he was the first man in the town to declare allegiance to the Republican party. Of his children only Francis B. survives him.
Francis B. Minch was born on the homestead in Hopewell, August 14, 1833, and lived there fifty years. He personally superintended his farm, which was an extensive one, until 1883, when he came to Bridgeton. He was one of the incorporators of the Bridgeton National Bank, of which he has been a director for many years; and he is the president of the North Bridgeton Land Company, which was organized for the purpose of de- veloping North Bridgeton. While in Hopewell he was a member of the board of freeholders of the township. After moving to the city he was elected a member of the city council from the third ward. Mr. Minch is a prominent Mason, belonging to Brearly Lodge, No. 2, and Brearly Chap- ter, No. 6. His wife, who is a native of Pittsgrove, Salem county, has borne him three children, namely : Robert F., who died at the age of twenty-three; Bloomfield H., the subject of this sketch; and Mary, the wife of E. Freeman Crowell, of Lansdowne, Pa. Both parents are members of the First Presbyterian church.
The Hon. Bloomfield H. Minch attended the common schools of Hope- well, graduated at the South Jersey Institute in the class of 1883, and finished a course of study at Bryant & Stratton's Business College, Phila-
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delphia, in May, 1884. In November of that year he formed with William O. Garrison a partnership, which still continues. The house of Garrison & Minch soon came to be looked upon as one of the most prosperous and re- liable in the city of Bridgeton. They deal in all kinds of farm implements and agricultural produce, and are extensively engaged in the manufacture of fertilizers. They have the most extensive business of the kind in south Jersey and give employment to from fifty to one hundred persons. Mr. Minch is a thorough business man. He was one of the incorporators and is now the treasurer of the Cumberland Construction Company, of which Mr. Garrison is the president. The corporation, which makes a specialty of bridge and wharf building, has satisfactorily executed many heavy contracts. Mr. Minch was also one of the organizers and incorpora- tors of the Cumberland Trust Company, of Bridgeton; also one of the incor- porators and a director of the State Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Camden, and also of the Real Estate Loan & Trust Company, of Camden.
On December 30, 1886, he was married to Miss Mary E. Rebeau, of Camden. Two children have blessed the union,-Robert F. and Aleta E. Mrs. Minch died January 2, 1896.
In politics Mr. Minch has been prominent as a Republican for some time, and has been elected several times as a delegate to state conventions. In 1894 he was elected to the legislature by a large majority, and served on the committees on banks and insurance and stationery, and the joint com- mittee on federal relations. In the fall of 1895 he was re-elected for the term of 1896-7. He is a past master of Brearly Lodge, No. 2, A. F. & A. M., past high priest of Brearly Chapter, No. 6; a member of Olivet Com- mandery, No. 10; and he has been three times a representative of the grand lodge of the state. He also belongs to Cohansey Lodge, No. 103, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and to the Junior Order of American Me- chanics. Both he and Mrs. Minch are members of the First Presbyterian church. They have a beautiful home on West Commercial street, which Mr. Minch has built since his marriage.
THE CASPER FAMILY.
One of the old and distinguished families of New Jersey is the Casper family, that for several generations has been connected with Salem county. Lawrence Casper, the first of the name in America, was a native of Baden Baden, Germany, and leaving the fatherland he came to the new world with the Wistars, the Motts, the Oaks, Hitchners, Frieses and others. By
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trade he was a hatter and followed that pursuit in Cohansey, where he made his home for many years. He was a member of the Lutheran church. He had two children,- Lawrence and John. The latter, the grandfather of our subject, also learned the hatter's trade. In 1898 he removed to Sharp- town, New Jersey, where he followed his chosen occupation and also carried on agricultural pursuits. Through many long years he served as con- stable and proved a most efficient and faithful officer. His political sup- port was given first to the Whig party and afterward to the Democracy. He died in 1852. at the age of seventy-six years, and the community lost thereby one of its valued citizens. He was twice married, his first union being with Hannah Wentzel, and Sarah Bilderback became his second wife.
Thomas Jefferson Casper, the father of our subject, was a child of the first marriage, and was born in Sharptown, in 1802. He spent his minority there and after attaining to man's estate he was married and removed to Mannington township, Salem county, where he carried on farming until his death. He took an active part in public affairs and like his father served throughout a long period as constable. He also held the office of sheriff and was almost continuously in some position of public trust and responsibility. His political support was given the Democracy and he was recognized as a leader in the local ranks of the party. He wedded Mary Ann Anderson, and they became the parents of ten children, namely : William A., John, Joseph, Charles, Thomas J., Hannah W., the wife of James Lindsey, Samuel C., Mary, Anna and Ephraim Davis. The father died in Trenton, New Jersey, at the age of sixty-six years, and the mother passed away when eighty-two years of age.
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