USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 20
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RANDOLPH MARSHALL, M. D.
This well-known physician of Tuckahoe was born in the city which he still makes his home, June II, 1854, and is a son of Randolph and Sarah H. (Hughes) Marshall. In Pennington Seminary he acquired his educa- tion and subsequently prepared for the practice of medicine in the Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia, in which he was graduated with the class of 1877. He took a special course in obstetrics under the direction of Dr. Erdsley Wallace and also pursued a special course in operative surgery under Dr. J. Ewing Mears, completing both courses in the same year. In these
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lines he is especially proficient and has gained a worthy reputation in con- nection with his successful practice in those departments of medicine. He also makes a specialty of the diseases of children.
In 1877 he located in Tuckahoe, where he has since practiced, being asso- ciated for some time with his brother, Joseph C. Marshall. In 1878 he embarked in the drug business, erecting in that year both his store and office. In this branch he received a liberal patronage and for ten years he has also been financially interested in the drug business at No. 125 Market street, Philadelphia, which is conducted under the firm name of C. H. Butterworth & Company. He is a close student of his profession and keeps thoroughly abreast with the times in connection with the progress that is being made in medical circles. He is a valued member of the Cape May Medical Society, of which he has served as the treasurer for twelve years and is a permanent delegate to the State Medical Society. He and his brother were employed as surgeons by the South Jersey Railway Company during the construction ยท of the line in this locality. He has made judicious investments of his capital in real estate in Ocean City and is a member and the treasurer of the Tuck- ahoe Building & Loan Association.
On the 18th of December, 1879, Dr. Marshall was united in marriage to Miss Rae Steelman, a daughter of Anthony Steelman, ex-sheriff of Cape May county. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and does all in his power to advance its work and promote the cause of Christianity among his fellow men. He belongs to Star Lodge, F. & A. M., at Tuckahoe; Richmond Chapter, R. A. M., at Millville; and Olivet Commandery, K. T., at Millville. He is a member of the American Order of United Workmen, in which he is serving as an examining surgeon. His life exemplifies the fra- ternal and benevolent spirit of these societies and at all times he commands the respect and confidence of his brethren of the orders. His political sup- port is given to the Republican party and he takes an active interest in its success, keeping well informed on the issues of the day, although he has never sought political preferment.
BENJAMIN P. LAWRENCE.
In business circles in Swedesboro Benjamin Peart Lawrence occupies an enviable position. He is conducting a profitable business as a dealer in lum- ber, coal, lime, cement, lath, shingles and other building materials, and enjoys a liberal patronage, which has come to him in recognition of his enterprise and honorable dealing. A native of Bridgeport, he was born on the 8th of
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April, 1849, and is the ninth in order of birth in a family of eleven children. His parents were Thomas R and Ann (Barnes) Lawrence, natives of Salem county. His ancestors were among the early settlers of that locality, and Ephraim Barnes, the maternal grandfather, also located there at an early day. Thomas R. Lawrence removed to Bridgeport in 1841 and purchased a large farm, upon which he spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 1863, at the age of sixty-two years. His wife, surviving him until 1895, passed away at the age of eighty-three years. Their children were: John, a merchant of Bridgeport, who died at the age of fifty-six years; Browning, a farmer of Dakota; George, who followed farming at Bridgeport and died at the age of sixty years; Alfred, a produce merchant of Philadelphia; Thomas who is living in Camden, New Jersey; Elijah W., who is engaged in the practice of medicine in Newark, New Jersey; Eli, who conducted a dairy business in Philadelphia, and died at the age of fifty-five years; Anna E., who is living in Bridgeport, New Jersey; Benjamin P .; Barclay, a lumber mer- chant of Camden; and Horace Wilmer, a wholesale dealer in Germania beer in Philadelphia.
In the public schools of Bridgeport Mr. Lawrence obtained his prelim- inary education, which was supplemented by study in Jersey Shore and in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. During his early business career he carried on agricultural pursuits, and is still the owner of the old homestead property of two hundred and seventy-five acres, one of the largest farms in Gloucester county. In 1885 he went to Philadelphia, where he engaged in the coal, feed, lime and cement business, but after a year and a half he returned to Gloucester county, locating in Swesdesboro, where he has since remained. Here he has built up an extensive business as a lumber merchant, nor have his energies been confined to one line of endeavor, for he is a man of resource- ful ability, and his counsels and labors have proved an important factor in the successful conduct of other interests. He is a stockholder in the Swedesboro National Bank, a director in the Swedesboro Light, Heat & Power Com- pany, a member of the directorate of the Lakeside Land Company, and of the Lake Park Cemetery Company.
On the 24th of February, 1885, Mr. Lawrence was united in marriage to Miss Margaret W. Brown, a daughter of John A. and Hannah (Taylor) Brown, who were members of the Society of Friends. They have three children,-Harry Cooper, John Raymond and Marion Henry. In politics Mr. Lawrence is independent, casting liis ballot for the men whom he be- lieves best qualified for office, regardless of party affiliations. He has served as a member of the board of education, but has never sought public office. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen and to the I. O. H.
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He and his family are members of the Society of Friends, and Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence enjoy a marked popularity in the community, having the warm regard of many friends. He is a man of genial and social nature, and has thereby contributed in no small degree to the sum of human happiness. Of strong individuality, of undisputed probity, he has attained a due measure of success in the affairs of life, and his influence has ever been exercised in the direction of the good and the true.
HORATIO H. CHURCH.
Prominent among the pilots of Cape May stands Horatio H. Church, who for over two-score years has followed the calling to which he devoted a long and systematic apprenticeship in his early manhood. His family has long been identified with the welfare of Cape May county, and many bearing the name have been numbered among the pilots and seafaring men of this locality during the century now drawing to a close.
The birth of our subject took place in Cape May, March 22, 1837. His father, Smith Church, was born and reared in this county and spent the entire seventy-two years of his life here. The mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Green, died when in her eighty-third year. They were the parents of two sons and two daughters, namely: Horatio H .; Sylvania, who married S. W. Reeves, of Cape May, and became the mother of three sons; Judith, who married J. W. Corson and became the mother of three sons; and Alexander, who sailed for the West Indies twenty-five years ago, when a young man, and has never been heard from.
After having acquired a general education in the public schools of Cape May, H. H. Church was thrown upon his own resources, and in fact has been dependent upon himself almost exclusively ever since he was eleven years of age. At fifteen he started upon the task of learning the duties of a pilot in Delaware bay and after six years of apprenticeship he was granted a license. Thus, since he reached his majority, he has steadily pursued his chosen vocation, winning the respect of all with whom he has dealings. He is a member of the Delaware Pilots' Association and the Delaware Pilots' Society. Fraternally, he is identified with Cape Island Lodge, No. 30, F. & A. M .; the Heptasophs and the Masonic Relief Association. On March 13, 1900, he was elected city councilman, on the Prohibition ticket, to serve a term of three years. Religiously, he is a Methodist, and has held various offices in the church, at present being one of the stewards.
The marriage of H. H. Church and Miss Margaret A. Rudrow took place
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in Philadelphia October 22, 1855. She is a daughter of Joseph and Mary Rudrow, and by her marriage she became the mother of five children: Mary O., the eldest, born May 11, 1857, wedded Charles B. Souder and resides in Cape May city: their children were named respectively Margaret and Richard. Sarah, born March 27, 1859, married Morris Cresse, now a clerk in a wholesale store at Bridgeton: they have one daughter, Anna May. Horatio E., born June 30, 1861, first married Lizzie Smith, and a daughter, Carrie, was born to them, and his second wife was formerly Mrs. Sarah Koenig. Ida, born June 18, 1863, married William Fenderson, now the steward of Arlington Hotel, Washington, District of Columbia. His only child is named for Mrs. Fenderson's youngest brother, and is a keen, pros- perous business man. Albert A., born December 22, 1865, is employed in the life saving station at Cape May city. He married Mamie Ross, and has three children,-Leroy, Ida and Norman. H. H. Church and wife are highly honored members of the community in which they have dwelt so long; their children, to whom they gave excellent educational advantages, are, without exception, prospering, and valued as citizens, and they may well feel that their earnest life work has not been in vain.
JESSE S. STEELMAN.
Jesse Surram Steelman, a member of the state legislature of New Jersey in 1898 and re-elected to the assembly in 1899, was born in Tuckahoe, New Jersey, April 21, 1872, the son of James and Ann (Surram) Steelman. His paternal grandfather, Enoch Steelman, was a native of Tuckahoe, a well- to-do farmer, and died there, at the age of sixty years, leaving three chil- dren,-Leonard, Abbie and James. His father, also a farmer, lived most of his life in Tuckahoe, until 1881, when he removed to Millville, led a life retired from business, was a Democrat and held various local offices in the gift of his party. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Of his nine children, Jesse S. was the fifth in order of birth. They were Nathaniel, Charles, Samuel, Rachel, Jesse, Emma, Abbie, Enoch and Anna.
Jesse S. Steelman was educated at the public schools of Tuckahoe and Millville. Leaving school at ten years of age, he entered the employ of Whelock & Taylor, glass-manufacturers, of Millville, as a glass-blower, an occupation which he has since followed. An ardent Republican, he early entered politics, and at eighteen years he took an active part in various county and state conventions as a delegate. Soon after becoming of age he was a delegate to the convention that nominated Voorhees, and
Jesse S Selman
.
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a delegate to the state convention nominating delegates to the national convention which nominated Mckinley. He, however, never sought political office until nominated and elected to the assembly in 1898, against H. C. Bartlett, of Vineland. His majority was 1,800. He was re-elected in 1899, by a majority of one thousand one hundred and eighty-two votes, against Abraham Tice, of Millville,-the largest majority received by any man on the ticket. While in the legislature he has served, and at present is serving, upon important committees.
Mr. Steelman is an active member of the American Flint Glass Blowers' Association of the United States and Canada, and for two years represented his local branch in the national conventions. He is a contributing mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church.
WALTER T. LEAHY.
The well known pastor of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church, of Swedesboro, is Rev. Walter T. Leahy, who was born in Piermont, New York, October 30, 1860. He obtained his early education in the parochial schools of Paterson and Newark, New Jersey, and began his classical studies in St. Benedict's College, of Newark, in 1875. He was graduated at St. Vincent's College, of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 1880, and for three years was the professor of English, rhetoric, elocution and bookkeeping in that institution. He was ordained a priest in St. Mary's College, Belmont, North Carolina, December 19, 1885, by the Rt. Rev. Pinckney H. Northrope. bishop of Charleston, South Carolina, and then became the professor of English and rhetoric in that college, and also assisted in mission work in North Carolina. In 1886 he accepted the principalship of the Catholic high school of Richmond, Virginia, where he remained for a year. On the ex- piration of that period he became the professor of English, rhetoric, book- keeping, mathematics and Latin in St. Benedict's College, while during the periods of vacation he assisted the Rev. Father Glennon at Asbury Park, New Jersey. In September, 1892, he began assisting the Rev. Father Connolly, of St. Mary's church, at Perth Amboy, New Jersey. On the 28th of February, 1893, he was appointed to his present charge, where he has since remained. He is zealous in the cause of Catholicism, an able speaker, and has wrought great improvement, by reason of his excellent executive ability and deep human sympathy, in the Swedesboro parish dur- ing his incumbency.
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ST. JOSEPH'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church of Swedesboro is now one of the largest and best conducted congregations of the Catholic church in this part of New Jersey. The Catholics were among the late arrivals in this section of the state. A few Irish Catholics came in 1848 and for some time their religious wants were attended to by the Rev. John McDermot, of St. Mary's church, Salem, and his successors. Service was first held in a shanty which stood near the present site of Clark's Hotel; later meetings were held in the homes of Henry Boyle and William Crowe, on the Ogden tract, and of Patrick Lyons and Philip Creran, on the Woodstown pike. Among the first Catholics in this locality were Daniel Kenny, George Blake, Michael Mulkeen, and Michael Bowe, who came about 1847 and 1848. About 1850 there arrived in the community Michael and William Costello, Martin and Michael Hayes, Dennis Lane, Patrick Lyons, Henry Boyle, William Crowe, Patrick Wilson and Edward McAvoy.
In 1856 the Rev. Father Cannon became the priest of the congregation of Salem, and, as the number of Catholics about Swedesboro increased, and the houses became too small to accommodate them, the question of build- ing a church was agitated. There were then about thirty families. but they were poor and scattered, and the raising of funds was difficult. Another difficulty that presented itself was that no one in Swedesboro would sell a lot for the purpose of building a church, as it was thought that it would be a discredit to the town. Finally Daniel Kenny purchased the present church lot and transferred it to Father Cannon. When the building was begun threats were made to destroy it, but they were never carried out and it was completed in about a year, those who could not give money aiding by their labors. The first church, with a seating capacity of about one hundred and eighty, was dedicated in 1861, and it was incorporated in 1864, with William Hayes and James Brennan as trustees, but remained a mission to the Salem church until 1873, when Rev. Antonio Cassese was appointed the priest. In 1880 the church was remodeled and enlarged so that its seating capacity was two hundred and fifty, and in May, 1881, it was dedi- cated. Father Cassese, who was a native of Palma, Naples, came to America in 1887, was for a time located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and died in Swedesboro in 1886, by which time he had freed the church from debt and secured a surplus in the treasury. He was succeeded by Rev. William T. Tracy, who in 1892, through Michael Costello, purchased a new lot in Broad street, on which his successor, Rev. Father Leahy, removed the church in 1898. At this time the edifice was again remodeled and enlarged and
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fitted out with electric lights, steam heat and other modern improvements and conveniences, and it now has a seating capacity of five hundred. The church was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Bishop McFaul, April 27, 1898. In the same year the pastoral residence was also erected and is one of the finest homes in the town. The congregation now numbers one hundred and ten families, and under the able guidance of its present pastor is in a flourish- ing condition.
. SAMUEL P. CARPENTER.
Samuel Preston Carpenter is recognized as one of the leading agricul- turists of Salem, where his handsome country home is regarded as the most beautiful spot in all the county. He is a product of Salem county, having been ushered into this life within her boundaries some fifty odd years ago, his father being the late Samuel Preston Carpenter, an old and highly respected citizen of Salem. He traces his genealogy back through several generations to one Samuel Carpenter, who came to this country with a brother, Joshua, in 1682, and is prominently mentioned in the early annals of the province of Pennsylvania. Samuel Carpenter was a warm friend of William Penn, was appointed by him to some of the most important offices in the state, holding the posts of treasurer of the province from 1685 to 1714 and a member of the governor's council. When the Friends estab- lished the public schools in Philadelphia he was made a trustee and he was also a member of the provincial assembly. He was the deputy governor- during Markham's administration, justice of the court of common pleas, quarter sessions and orphans' court, and was reputed at one time, next to Penn, the wealthiest man in the province of Pennsylvania. He was com- missioned a member of Penn's council, together with Edward Shippen, John Guest, William Clark, Thomas Story, Griffith Owen, Phineas Pem- berton, Samuel Finney, Caleb Pusey, and John Blunston.
The name of Samuel Carpenter is found heading the list of common councilmen in the first charter of the city of Philadelphia, granted by Governor Thomas Lloyd in 1691. He was an extensive shipper and trader and owned mills at Bristol and Chester, as well as warehouses and wharves in Philadelphia. His name is prominent in every measure of importance of that day, whether local or national, and he is thus eulogized by Isaac Norris as "that honest and valuable man whose industry and improvements have been the stock wherein much of the labors and successes of this country have been grafted:" Samuel King lived in King (now Water) street, Phila- delphia, and built the famous "Slate-Roof House," an odd, rambling structure
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which sheltered beneath its roof many a celebrated character. In the de- scription given of this house we find "the bastions, so called, contained neat little chambers. Those upon the first floor were probably used for a sitting room or the library. The second-story bastion rooms were furnished with odd little chimney places in the corners, and the entrance to them was by steps from the main second-story apartment, so that the occupants of this part of the house went down into the chambers. The kitchen was made happy by an immense fire-place, which occupied a space between two rooms, being built into a very thick and wide chimney. The upper stories were divided into rooms connected with each other and having odd passages. The slate which covered the roof when the house was built may have been imported from England." William Penn, his wife and daughter Letitia lived in this house from January, 1700, until November, 1701, and it was here that John Penn, the only member of the family born in America. was born. James Logan was an inmate of the house, living with the Penn family and continued to reside there until 1703. Here he entertained Lord Cornbury when he came to this country to proclaim Queen Anne, and soon after, in the latter part of 1703, the building was purchased by William Trent for eight hundred and fifty pounds. "It afterward fell into the possession of Isaac Norris, who lived in it until he removed to his country seat at Fairhill, in 1717. From 1717 the house, although in the possession of the Norris family, seems to have been occupied by many different parties. Just prior to the Revolution Mrs. Graydon, better known as "Desdy," or the Desdemona of the pert British officers of the day, kept the place as a boarding-house. About the old house clusters many interesting anecdotes and associations. General Forbes, the successor of General Braddock. died in the Slate-Roof House in 1759, at which time it was kept by Mrs. Howyll. Baron DeKalb, when visiting America as the secret agent of France, lodged there in 1768-69. Sir William Draper, whom the bitter sarcasm of "Junius" has made famous, was also one of the guests who slept under its roof. It is also reported that John Hancock and George Washington stopped there during the session of the first continental congress, while Baron Steuben. Peter S. Duponceau and James Rivington and many others enjoyed its hospitality on various occasions. The Slate-Roof House was at one time occupied by Madam Berdeau, who kept a boarding school there, and who was reported to be the widow of Sam Johnson's Dr. Dodd, hung in London for forgery in 1777. Its later history was marked by less inspiring incidents. It became a workshop, a place of business and a tenement house, with shops on the ground floors for tailors, engravers, watchmakers, silversmiths, etc. A large, noisy oyster shop was opened under one of the "bastions." The
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ownership continued in the Norris family down to 1868, when it was sold by Sally Norris Dickinson, a descendant of Isaac Norris, to the Chamber of Commerce of Philadelphia, which erected thereon the Corn Exchange building.
Samuel Carpenter was married on the 12th of January, 1684, to Miss Hannah Hardiman, a native of Haverford, West South Wales, Great Britain. She was born in 1646 and came to Philadelphia, where she was an earnest Christian worker in the Society of Friends. Both Samuel and Hannah Carpenter were much beloved by their associates, and the death of the former on April 10, 1714, called forth universal expressions of affection and regret. He has six children, three of whom died in early life. The three who grew to adult years were Hannah, Samuel and John. Hannah married William Fishburn, who was the mayor of Philadelphia in 1719-20. Samuel was born in Philadelphia on February 9, 1688, and married Hannah Preston, a daughter of Samuel Preston, who was mayor of the city in 1711 and provincial treasurer in 1714, succeeding the elder Samuel Carpenter. Hannah Preston was of noble English blood, her mother, Rachel, being a daughter of Governor Thomas Lloyd, a descendant of the ancient kings and princes of England and Wales. A looking-glass which Samuel Preston imported from Europe as a wedding present for his daughter, Hannah, is a valued keepsake in the family of Judge Carpenter, of Camden. Samuel Carpenter, the second, was a merchant of Philadelphia and held a number of positions under the provincial government. He had five children, namely: Samuel, a merchant of Jamaica, where he died in 1747: Rachel; Thomas; Hannah, wife of Samuel Shoemaker; and Preston.
Preston Carpenter, the second son of Samuel Carpenter, married Han- nah Smith, a daughter of Samuel and Hannah, and granddaughter of John Smith, of Hedgefield, this county. He was a man of far more than ordinary intelligence and was chosen to most of the county offices, as judge, justice. commissioner of loans, etc. He died October 20, 1785, and soon there- after the large farm upon which he had lived was sold and the proceeds divided equally among his ten children. Some of these children were Hannah, born October 4, 1743, and twice married, first to Charles Ellet, of this state, and the second time to Jedediah Allen; Elizabeth, born December 18, 1748, married Ezra Firth, of this county, and one of their grand- daughters married Dr. Caspar Wistar, the celebrated physician; Thomas, born November 2, 1752, married Mary Tomkins and located at Carpenter's Landing, Gloucester county. Although he was brought up in the Quaker faith he took up arms for his country in 1776 and was present at the battles of Trenton and Princeton. He is said to have loaned his overcoat to General
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