USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 24
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In 1857, when he was eighteen years old, Joseph B. Cobb began to learn his trade of his father and brother, in the former's shop. He was an apt apprentice and made such progress as was considered altogether favorable by his rather critical instructor, who at length pronounced him a master of his trade. He was married before he was twenty-two and for a year after- ward worked at his trade at Whig Lane, Salem county, New Jersey. Then he took up his residence at Woodstown, where he has since conducted a blacksmithing business and gained a reputation as one of the leading me-
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chanics of the county and has become a leading citizen, influential and help- ful in all measures intended for the public good. He was a member of the first board of councilmen of Woodstown after the organization of the place as a borough and has since been elected to the same office. He was a charter member, in 1871, of the Senior Order of United American Mechanics.
December 25, 1860, Mr. Cobb married Adeline, a daughter of James and Rebecca (Dawson) Strang, who has borne him children who were named George M., William S., Anna B., Addison L., Joseph B., Ralph A., Lottie G. and Bernard H. Mr. Strang, who was a carpenter, was born and lived in Gloucester county, where he died at the age of seventy years. Mrs. Strang, who was a native of Gloucester county, bore him four children: Adeline, Mrs. Cobb; Sarah Jane, who married William H. Cawman, Wil- liam C .; and Robert M. After Mr. Strang's death she married Mahlon Costil and bore him two children, Abbie, wife of Levin Tull; and Mahlon.
As a public-spirited, progressive citizen Mr. Cobb is highly regarded by the leading men of Salem county. He wields considerable political in- fluence, especially in the local work of his party, and is always active in the furtherance of such measures as he believes will, if successful, be conducive to the public good. All in all, he is one of those plain, unpretentious citi- zens who exert a healthful influence upon the community because their aims are pure and their efforts are earnest and persistent along every avenue to public progress.
THOMAS H. LONGACRE.
Thomas H. Longacre, a farmer of Woolwich township, Gloucester county, was born in Logan township, that county, on the 18th of April, 1860, and is a son of Peter and Martha (Holton) Longacre. The ancestry of the family can be traced to Andrew Longacre, the great-grandfather of our subject. His grandparents on the paternal side were Israel and Martha (Seers) Longacre, and the maternal grandparents were Thomas and Phoebe (Black) Holton, the latter a daughter of Benjamin Black. The parents of our subject, Peter and Martha (Holton) Longacre, have for many years been identified with the agricultural interests in Logan township. They have four children: Thomas H., of this review; Israel, who resides in Swedesboro; George, who is engaged in farming with his father; and Ed- ward. who resides in Swedesboro.
Thomas H. Longacre was educated in the public schools of his native township, and when a young man he engaged in gardening for his uncle. Samuel Longacre, for two years. He then began farming on his own ac-
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY. 219
count, cultivating the Israel Black farm on the shares for two years. He then took charge of the Charles Locke farm near Wolfert Station, where he continued for seven years. In 1892 he purchased his present farm of forty-three acres and has since been successfully engaged in the raising of garden vegetables, for which he finds a ready sale in the neighboring mar- kets. He has made a close study of the business, and is therefore enabled to plant his seeds and cultivate his ground so as to produce the best possible results. His vegetables are of an excellent quality and therefore bring to him a good income.
Mr. Longacre was married on the 3Ist of August, 1883, the lady of his choice being Miss Eliza E. Locke, a daughter of Charles H. Locke, who then owned the farm which is now the property of our subject, together with the adjoining farm of Joseph Sithens. They now have two children,- Howard and Edna. Mr. Longacre is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Patrons of Husbandry. Indolence and idleness are utterly foreign to his nature, the success he has achieved being the result of his marked industry and capable management.
ANDREW C. RODE.
Andrew C. Rode, one of the prosperous farmers of Woolwich township, Gloucester county, New Jersey, was born January 31, 1853, in Walbursh, Coohesen, Germany, and is a son of John and Eva Elizabeth (Bearshenk) Rode. John Rode emigrated with his family to this country when his son Andrew C. was sixteen months old, and landed here with one thousand and six hundred dollars in gold. Stopping for a week in Red Bank, New Jersey, his money was stolen by a man whom he had considered his friend. After suffering this misfortune he went to Bridgeport, New Jersey, where he remained two years, whence he came to Swedesboro. ] Here he was engaged in farming up to the time of his death, in 1873. His widow still survives him. Their family consisted of six children, namely: Andrew C., the subject of this sketch; Emma Amelia, who died at the age of ten years; Elizabeth, who died at the age of sixteen years; Frank, who is engaged in farming on Old Man's creek, married Anna Pool and has six children,- John, Frank, Howard C., Edna, Warner and Helen; Louise, who died at the age of eight months; Mary, who married John Wolfert, of Wolfert Station, New Jersey, and has one child, Charles C.
Andrew C. Rode was educated in the public schools of Woolwich town- ship, Gloucester county, New Jersey, and has never been engaged in any
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other occupation than farming. He occupies the old homestead, which came into his possession by purchase in 1884.
February 28, 1878, he married Miss Mary Brenneis, a daughter of Nicholas Brenneis, of Woolwich township. They have had five children. whose names in order of birth are as follows: Lizzie, Eva, Walton, Luella and Henry. Luella died at the age of three months and Henry at the age of three years.
Mr. Rode's family attend worship at the Presbyterian church. Politically he harmonizes with the Democratic party, and has filled acceptably the office of overseer of roads in Woolwich township. He is identified with a number of fraternal organizations, including the Red Men, Knights of Pythias, Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Grange.
ELIJAH BOWER.
After a long life of active occupation as an agriculturist, Mr. Bower has retired from active work, and is now enjoying the fruits of his labor in his pleasant home at Swedesboro, where his daughter Elizabeth superintends his household and lovingly ministers to his comfort.
Mr. Bower was born in Woolwich township, March 5, 1824, and is a son of Elijah and Theodosia (Robbins) Bower. The father was a native of Burlington county, New Jersey, whence he went to Salem, in the same state. where he was married and remained a few years. In 1815 he purchased a farm in Woolwich township, Gloucester county, on which he settled the following year. He was a very successful farmer, a man of much prominence, and frequently had estates placed in his hands for settlement. In 1829 he co- operated with Charles C. Stratton, afterward Governor of New Jersey, in building the long, covered bridge leading out of Swedesboro, across Rac- coon creek toward Woodbury, which at that time was one of the finest bridge structures in the state. He was for many years a member of the board of freeholders of Gloucester county, and in 1839-40 represented his district in the state legislature. He lived to the good old age of eighty-nine years, dying September 8, 1865, his wife having passed away February 21, 1842, aged sixty-one years. The parental family comprised five children. Of these, Elizabeth died when ten years old; Asher married Mary Rulon, but had no children, and died in 1891, aged eighty-seven years, having left quite a large estate; Benjamin married Amy Rogers, by whom he had one child, Elizabeth, and by his second wife, Lydia Tonkin, he had two children who died in childhood, and he was fifty years old at the time of his death; Mary
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Elijah Bowen
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became the wife of Benjamin R. Gill, who is the father of John R. Gill; and Elijah was the youngest of the family.
Mr. Bower attended the district schools of his native township, and for one year was a student in a school at Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. His entire life has been spent in farming, with the exception of three years, from 1881 to 1884, when he was the manager of a sanitarium for epileptics in Blooms- burg, Pennsylvania. In 1891 he gave up active work, and took up his resi- dence in Swedesboro, although he still owns the homestead and another farm in Logan township.
The marriage of Elijah Bower and Emily Cooper Gaskill took place October 17, 1850. Mrs. Bower was a daughter of Thomas Gaskill, of Logan township. She died January 28, 1899, aged sixty-eight years. The children of this estimable couple were five in number, as follows: Ella C., who died at the age of five years; Elizabeth Gaskill, who keeps house for her father; Emily Catherine, who died in August, 1897, and was the wife of Dr. Seaver Chauncey Ross, of Troy, Pennsylvania, now residing in Gloucester city, New Jersey, and they had five children,-Mary Elizabeth, Arthur Berthold, Josephine Henrietta, Lillian Eugenie (deceased) and Anna Theodosia; Elijah Dallett, who resides in Swedesboro, and manages one of his father's farms, married Margaret Fisher Harrold Gill, a daughter of John R. Gill, of Wool- wich township, and they had four children, the eldest dying in infancy, and the others being Elijah Dallett, Mary Deveraux and Emily Catherine; and Mary Gill, who married Washington Deveraux, an electrician in Philadel- phia, and died February 16, 1889.
The Bower family were originally Quakers, but are now Episcopalians, Mr. Bower being a vestryman of Trinity church at Swedesboro. He is a member of the Swedesboro Grange, and, though never an aspirant for pub- lic office, he has always been a stanch adherent of the principles of the Re- publican party.
WILLIAM J. BENNETT.
William J. Bennett was born April 24, 1832, in Cape May city, and is a son of William and Phoebe (Schellinger) Bennett. His great-grandfather, John Bennett, was a Delaware river pilot and made his home at Cape May throughout his life. During the war of the Revolution he served his coun- try in the capacity of pilot. He married Mary Hughes, and to them were born six children, the eldest being the father of our subject. The others were: Sophia, the wife of Enoch Jackson, a pilot; George, who was lost at sea; Louisa, the wife of Isaac Merrett; Mary Ann, the wife of John Rowland,
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a Delaware river pilot; and Charlotte, who became the second wife of John Rowland.
William Bennett, the father of our subject, was also a pilot on the Dela- ware and throughout his life maintained his residence in Cape May. He was married on the 28th of August, 1830, to Phoebe Schellinger, and to them were born the following children: William J., born April 24, 1832: Lov- enia, September 30, 1833; George, March 27, 1836; Emma Leaming. October 31, 1837; Albert G. Reed, October 24, 1839; George, January I. 1841; John, June 9, 1843; James K. Polk, February 15, 1847; Mary L .. November 30, 1848; Socrates Leaming, April 8, 1850; Judson Newell. November 18, 1851; Judson Newell (2nd), February 2, 1853; and Socrates T., March 12, 1855.
William J. Bennett, of this review, attended the public schools of Cape May and early became an apprentice as a pilot, serving for seven and one- half years. Throughout his entire business career he has been a pilot on the Delaware river and bay,-a period of more than a half century. During that time he has had many exciting experiences, often fraught with great dan- ger. One of the most perilous trips that he ever made was during the memorable blizzard of March 12, 1888, when so many lives and vessels were lost. In October, 1894, Mr. Bennett had a narrow escape with his life in an Italian ship named Francisco R., during a heavy gale. Both the anchor chains were broken and the vessel was driven ashore on the rocks of Dela- ware bay, the seas washed over her all night, each sea threatening to be the last and fatal one. Mr. Bennett, the pilot, could not make the Italians under- stand his orders and he had one of the worst times of his life. Finally he and all the crew, excepting one man-twelve men-rowed eight or ten miles amidst the breakers to shore in a manner apparently impossible,-seemingly "providential." The one man left refused to go ashore and remained on the vessel, which was fast going to pieces. He was never heard from afterward. Mr. Bennett is one of the oldest and most capable pilots on the river, exercis- ing the greatest care in guiding the course of the various craft that sail to and from the harbors along the Delaware. He is a member of the Dela- ware River Pilots' Association and of the Pilots' Society.
On the 12th of February, 1855, Mr. Bennett was united in marriage to Henrietta Hand, a daughter of Recompense Hand, who also was a pilot on the Delaware river. Her grandfather, Recompense Hand, Sr., was born in Cape May county and became an extensive farmer, having a large tract of land at Rio Grande, where his death occurred after he had attained an ad- vanced age. His children, seven in number, were Philip, Gideon, Elijah, Rebecca, Rachel, Lydia and Achsah. Recompense Hand, Jr., the father of
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Mrs. Bennett, was born in Rio Grande, in 1794, and became a Delaware pilot. He erected the fourth house in the town of Cape May and spent the remainder of his life there, his death occurring at his home on Lafayette street. He owned considerable property and at the time of his demise had one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land near the beach; he had also sold much of his land, but to each of his children he left a tract of consider- able value. His political support was given to the Democracy, and in re- ligious belief he was a Presbyterian, a zealous worker in the interests of the church. His life was upright and honorable and commanded the respect of all who knew him. He married Nancy Schenck, a daughter of Dr. Schenck, a physician at Cold Springs, and one of the oldest medical practitioners of the county. He came to Cape May county with three brothers. All four were physicians and all four became wealthy men. Dr. Schenck, the great-grand- father of Mrs. Bennett, had six children: Robert, who resided in North Carolina, was the captain of a vessel and was lost at sea; William resided at May's Landing; Eliza became the wife of Edward Craft, of New York city; Melinda married Joseph Ludlam, a sea captain; Mariah became the wife of William Cassidy, a carpenter at Cape May; and Nancy married Re- compense Hand. To Mr. and Mrs. Hand were born ten children: Rob- ert, a pilot, who married Jane Leaming; Isaac M., who married Matilda Meers, of Philadelphia; Henry H., who married Eliza Duke; Recompense, who married Martha Thompson; William F., who married Ann M. Tomlin; Nancy, the wife of Richard Thompson; Henrietta, the wife of our subject; Rebecca, the wife of Nicholas Carson; Joseph, who married Josephine Ware; and Eliza, who wedded Smith Hughes, and after his death became the wife of Robert Chambers.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have had ten children: Judson N., who was born' December 17, 1856, and was a Delaware pilot, married Lillian Johnston and has three children,-Ella, Harvey and Walter; Ella, born March 2, 1850, is the wife of J. Charles ,Moore, a telegraph operator of Chicago, and their children are Marie and Dudley; Judson D., born February 18, 1861; Re- becca, born May 16, 1863, married Dr. Leaming and has two children, Annie and Henrietta; Annie T., born July 22, 1865, died August 22, 1867; Elizabeth H., born May 26, 1869, married Ashton J. Williams, of Phil- adelphia, who is a clerk in a pilots' association, having offices in that city, and they have one child, Anna; George W., deceased, born May 29, 1871; Wil- liam Henry, born August 30, 1874, is a carpenter at Cape May and married Lizzie Bohn; Louis Cleveland, deceased, born September 30, 1876; and Lewis S., born December 19, 1877.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have a beautiful residence in Cape May, where he
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owns considerable valuable property. He was formerly a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Good Templars' society. Dur- ing the civil war he served as a member of the home guards. He is now connected with the Cape May Building & Loan Association, and in his religious belief is a Baptist. During his long service on the river he has formed a wide acquaintance and Mr. Bennett is to-day one of the popular representatives of his chosen calling in this section of the country.
CHARLES V. ARMSTRONG.
Charles Vanaman Armstrong is one of the most influential and prom- inent citizens of Alloway, Salem county, New Jersey, and his energy and perseverance have placed him in an enviable position among the business men of to-day. He is a son of James and Allen (Lipsey) Armstrong, and was born in this village July 14, 1860. His grandfather, Francis Armstrong, lived in Ireland, but came to America and resided in Woodstown in the latter part of his life and died there when in his eightieth year. He was engaged in the pursuits of husbandry in Mannington township and was actively interested in the success of the Democratic party. He was a mem- ber of the Baptist church at Woodstown and was a zealous worker for the cause of Christianity. He married Jane Orr, who bore him a large number of children, as follows: James, the father of our subject; Andrew, a minister in the Baptist church, having a pastorate in Avon, New Jersey, where he is now engaged in preaching, although eighty-four summers have passed over his head; Samuel, who was a farmer of Camden, where he died; Mary, who married the Rev. Lemuel Pomeroy; Frank, who was the father of Judge Edward Ambler Armstrong, of Camden, and was twice the speaker of the house of representatives; Eliza, who married a Mr. Dare; and John, who is a contractor and builder of Oakland, California.
James Armstrong was born in the Emerald Isle and followed his parents to this country. He was a ship-builder by trade, but was a resident of Alloway at the time of his death. During the war of the rebellion he was employed in the contracting department, building bridges, etc. He was a Democrat and a member of the Baptist church, and a good, true man. He married Miss Allen Lipsey, who presented him with seven children, viz .: Mary Ann, the wife of Robert Hewitt, a farmer of Woodstown, and the mother of one child, named Walter; Jane, who married Alfred Kiger, a canner of Daretown, by whom she has two children,-Nellie and John; William and Eliza, who died in childhood; Margaret, who died at the age
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of fourteen years; Emma F., who married Miller Jenkins, a farmer, by whom she had five children,-Willie, Charles, Raymond, Walter, and Bertha, who died in January, 1897; and Charles V.
Charles V. Armstrong received his educational training in the public schools of Alloway. Following this he was engaged in the lumber trade for about twelve years. He then turned his attention to the canning busi- ness, in which he is still engaged. being at present the superintendent of the Alloway Canning Company, of which Luke F. Smith is the proprietor. He makes an able and efficient manager of the plant, as he has a thorough knowledge of the work and retains the confidence and good will of those under his charge.
Mr. Armstrong was married February 1I, 1891, the lady whom he chose to share with him the vicissitudes of life being Miss Elizabeth W. Strang, of the village of Alloway. In general politics he is a Democrat and is intelligent in forming his opinion on the political outlook. For the past ten years he has been the tax collector for Alloway township, keeping his records in a clear, concise manner and accounting for every penny of money received by him. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Oak Lodge, No. 85; Alloway Lodge, No. 187, I. O. O. F .; Woodstown Lodge, No. 138, A. F. & A. M .; and Brealey Chapter, No. 6. Except in the chapter, he has filled every office in all these lodges. He is also interested in the State Mutual Building & Loan Association. He is an enterprising, public-spirited man who loses no opportunity in working for the interest of Alloway and is respected and esteemed by a wide circle of friends.
CHARLES WAY.
Not a man of local repute alone in business, but known also in commer- cial circles throughout the state, Mr. Way's name is synonymous with honor- able dealing. His life has been one of untiring activity and has been crowned with a degree of success attained by comparatively few. He is one of the highest type of business men, and none more than he deserves a fitting recognition among the men whose hardy genius and splendid abilities have achieved results that are the admiration of all. In his financial success, unblemished business record and steadily expanding field of useful- ness in life's pursuits, New Jersey may well feel a personal pride and interest. He is in the best sense of the word a representative man. He is a representa- tive of one of the oldest and best known families of New Jersey and was born in New York city. He is a son of Dr. Palmer M. and Ann Amelia (Wilson)
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Way. To the public-school system of Cape May county he is indebted for the educational privileges which he received. When about eighteen years of age he put aside his text-books and turned his attention to farming, which he fol- lowed at Ocean View. Later he engaged in business in South Seaville, ac- cepting a clerkship in his father's store, and when he had mastered the principles of commercial interests he was admitted to a partnership and on his father's death became sole proprietor of the general mercantile store, which he still conducts. He carries a large and complete stock of goods, and his efforts to meet the demands of the public, his reasonable prices and his straightforward dealing have secured to him a very liberal patronage.
Mr. Way exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party and is deeply interested in its success, yet has never sought or desired political preferment. He is connected with Cannon Lodge, No. 104, F. & A. M., of South Seaville. He is also a mem- ber of Hereford Lodge, I. O. O. F., at Cape?May Court House. He is a consistent and zealous member of Calvary Baptist church, is serving on its board of trustees and for several years has been its treasurer. His home relations are very pleasant, as he was happily married to Jennie F., a daugh- ter of Isaac and Emma (Hand) Swain. They now have two interesting children,-Mabel E. and Helen L. Their acquaintance is wide and they enjoy the warm friendship of many by reason of their estimable qualities.
WILLIAM RODE.
William Rode, one of Swedesboro's most successful business men, was born in Walburg, Hesse-Cassel, Germany, November 21, 1852, and is a son of Andrew and Anna Katherine (Bieerschenk) Rode.
Mr. Rode's paternal grandfather had a family composed of the following named members: William, who died in Germany, was for several years a burgomaster there and whose son Henry is now one of the well-to-do citi- zens of Brooklyn, New York; Andrew, who came to the United States in 1859 and soon bought the Shivler farm near Swedesboro, New Jersey, where he lived till his death in 1884, at the age of sixty years; his wife died in 1879. at the age of fifty-three years; Gertrude, who married and died in Germany; George, deceased, was a blacksmith in Germany; John, who was the father of Andrew C. Rode, whose biography appears in this work; and Gustav, who is still living in Germany. The children of Andrew and Anna Katherine (Bieerschenk) Rode were: William, whose name introduces this sketch; An- nie, wife of George Wolfert, a farmer, of Mickleton, New Jersey; Emil, who
William Rode
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is an invalid; and Charles, who is a commission merchant of Philadelphia, married Catherine Bauscher and has two children,-George and Lewis.
William Rode had just enrolled as a pupil in the public schools of Ger- many when his parents decided upon emigration to this country. After their settlement in Woolwich township, Gloucester county, New Jersey, he attended the Oak Grove school in this township and also was for a time a student in the Swedesboro Academy. From early boyhood he assisted in the work on the farm, and when still in his minority began buying butter and eggs and marketing them in Philadelphia. This business has grown under his careful management until now he is an extensive.dealer in all kinds of farm produce, which he takes by teams to Philadelphia. His place of business in the city has been at No. 16 Callowhill street for over twenty-five years. In 1876 he purchased of John Peirson eleven acres of land where he now resides in the suburbs of Swedesboro, and subsequently bought the Taylor Haines farm of forty acres, on which, together with sixty acres of the old homestead farm, he does a general truck-farming business. He also does an extensive business in Swedesboro, including trade in coal, wood, man- ure, etc., which he brings up Raccoon creek by boat.
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