USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 27
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Mr. Burt was a devout member of the Presbyterian church at Daretown, and held the office of elder for several years. He was the collector of the township for many years and held the confidence of the people to a remark- able extent. He was kind and affectionate in his family, a good neighbor, charitable to those deserving of charity, and in his death Salem county lost one of her noblest men.
LUTHER T. GARRETSON.
Among the enterprising merchants of Cape May Court House is Luther Townsend Garretson, who to-day conducts a well equipped store containing a large stock of boots and shoes and men's furnishing goods, and by his hon- orable business methods, his desire and efforts to please and his reliability in all trade transactions he has secured a liberal patronage.
Mr. Garretson is one of the younger representatives of the business inter- ests of the county seat. his birth having occurred on the 20th of November, 1870, at Green Creek, Cape May county. He is a son of Townsend W. and Hannah (Eldredge) Garretson. His paternal great-grandfather, Job Gar- retson, resided near Beverley's Point, Cape May county, but died in Atlantic county. He was identified with the Society of Friends, and married Rachel Townsend. His death occurred in 1854, at the age of seventy-six years, and his wife passed away in 1856, when she had attained the age of eighty-one years. They became the parents of three children: Reuben, the grandfather of our subject; Elizabeth, wife of Moses Williams, a farmer, by whom she had five children,-John, David, Nancy, Elizabeth and Moses; and Caleb,
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who married Mary Weldon and resided in Salem county, New Jersey. Reuben Garretson resided in Tuckahoe, New Jersey, and afterward removed to Green Creek, Cape May county, where he engaged in farming for fifteen years. He then took up his abode in Atlantic county. He also was a mem- ber of the Society of Friends and was a man of upright life which com- manded public confidence. He married Hannah Worth, a daughter of Townsend Worth, who removed from South Carolina to New Jersey. His half brother was Governor Haskins, at one time the chief executive of the former state. Townsend Worth was an extensive land-owner and held valu- able mortgages. He wedded Mary Stiles, and their children were Hannah; Giles and Elias, who were sea captains; Mary, wife of George Work, a printer of Philadelphia; and Rachel, wife of John Dukes, a butcher. Town- send Worth died at the age of forty years, but his wife long survived him and passed away at the age of eighty years. Reuben Garretson, the grand- father of our subject, died at the age of seventy-six years, and his wife passed away in 1894, when about eighty-eight years of age. They had five chil- dren. Job, who is living in California, was interested in mining there and at one time served as sheriff of Siskiyou county. Reuben L., who was formerly a sea captain, but is now following farming in Tuckahoe, New Jersey, mar- ried and has a large family. Millicent is the deceased wife of Jeremiah John- ston, of Cape May, and their son, Reuben L., is a merchant of Erma, New Jersey. Mary is the wife of George L. Dukes, a sea captain and farmer residing in Tuckahoe, and their children are Morris J., a lumber merchant of Philadelphia; William and George, who are farmers at Tuckahoe; Martha, wife of William Champion, a hardware merchant of Millville; and Mary at home. Rachel was twice married, her second husband being Dr. Williams, of Maryland, by whom she has two children, Mary and Anna.
The maternal grandfather of our subject is Ephraim Eldredge, who re- sided in Middle township, Cape May county, where he carried on agricul- tural pursuits. He married Rachel Goff, and they had three children: Duf- fle, who was a farmer; Hannah, mother of our subject; and Rebecca, wife of Thomas Evans, who resides in Middle township. The grandfather died in 1897, at the age of eighty-six years, and his wife passed away in 1895, at the age of eighty-six. He held a membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, took an active part in its work and lived a consistent Christian life.
Townsend W. Garretson, the father of our subject, was born at Ocean View, Cape May county, and resided for many years in Tuckahoe. He also spent eighteen years in California, where he was engaged in mining gold and in other business interests, manufacturing turpentine on an extensive scale. He resided at different places in the Golden state, and upon his return to the
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east located at Green Creek, Cape May county, where he owned and cared for six hundred acres of land. Since 1879, however, he has lived a retired life in Cape May Court House. He holds many mortgages and is the owner of much valuable real estate in different parts of the county. In politics he is a Democrat and for several years served as freeholder. He is still living, at the age of seventy-five years, but his wife passed away in 1889, at the age of fifty-four years.
Luther T. Garretson is indebted to the public-school system of Cape May Court House for the educational privileges he received and his business train- ing was obtained in Pricket's Business College, in which he was graduated in 1891. He then established his present business in Cape May Court House, where he carries a large and well selected stock and is meeting with excellent success. He has also become an active factor in the various interests which constitute the public life of the town and gives his support to all measures calculated to prove a public benefit. He gives his political influence to the Democracy, and has served as township trustee. Socially he is connected with Ponemah Tribe, No. 163, Improved Order of Red Men; of Arbutus Lodge, No. 70, F. & A. M .; is a member and secretary and treasurer of the Cape May County Agricultural Society, and holds a membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.
On the 17th of November, 1891, Mr. Garretson was united in mar- riage to Miss Ida E. Hand, a daughter of German Hand, a sea captain of Atlantic county, and they have four children,-Audley, Ida, Edmund and Emily. Mr. and Mrs. Garretson occupy a prominent position in social circles and their own pleasant home is noted for its hospitality.
GEORGE WOLFERTH.
Upon one of the highly cultivated farms of East Greenwich township, Gloucester county, near Tomlin Station, resides this well known and enter- prising agriculturist, who came from Germany to seek a home in America, and has found here the opportunities for advancement which were not afforded him in the Old World. He was born in Wurtemberg, August 13, 1845, and is a son of John and Frederika (Beltz) Wolferth. His father was a farmer and spent his entire life in Germany. In the family were five chil- dren: Christena, wife of Jacob Meal, of Germany; Christian, whose sketch appears on another page of this work; Godfred, who went to California many years ago and has not been heard from since; George, of this review; and Caroline, wife of Michael Ley, of Paulsboro, New Jersey.
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In the Fatherland George Wolferth acquired his education and in early life became familiar with the labors of the farm. At length he determined to cross the Atlantic, believing that better advantages were here afforded young men than in the older countries of Europe. On the 6th of December, 1866, he landed at New York, and for ten years thereafter worked for his brother Christian. On the expiration of that period, with the capital that he had acquired through his own efforts, he purchased his present farm of ninety acres, and in 1896 he erected thereon a beautiful residence, which is one of the best country homes in the neighborhood. He has also repaired the outbuildings and erected new ones, so that he is to-day the owner of one of the best improved farms in the locality. He makes a specialty of the rais- ing of garden products for the city markets, and the excellence of the vege- tables which he produces enables him to command the highest market prices.
Mr. Wolferth was married, on the 26th of February, 1874, to Miss Annie Rode, of Swedesboro. Both he and his wife are consistent and faithful mem- bers of the German Evangelical Association of Clarksboro, and he is a mem- ber of the Ancient Order of United Workmen of Swedesboro and of the Mickleton Grange. His enterprise and energy have enabled him to advance steadily on the road to progress and prosperity, and he is now regarded as one of the substantial citizens of the community. He takes a deep and abid- ing interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his adopted county, and gives his aid and co-operation to many movements for the public good. The hope that led him to leave his native land and seek a home in the United States has been more than realized. He found the opportunities he sought, -which, by the way, are always open to ambitious and energetic men,-and making the best of these he has steadily worked his way upward. He pos- sesses the resolution, perseverance and reliability so characteristic of people of his nationality, and his name is now enrolled among the best citizens of southern New Jersey.
ALBERT S. FOGG.
One of the most enterprising farmers of Lower Alloway Creek town- ship, Albert S. Fogg, was born near Harmersville, in that township, Jan- uary 23, 1852, and is a son of Caleb S. and Annie M. (Moskell) Fogg. In his father's family there were five children: Albert S .; Melvina C., the wife of a farmer near Harmersville; Lucy W., who died the wife of William Paget; Emma L., who married Abraham D. Shimp; and Abbie, who mar-
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ried William F. Shimp,-all of whom reside in Lower Alloway Creek town- ship.
Mr. Fogg was educated in the public schools of his native township and the Friends' school at Salem, and has always followed farming. In 1880 he located on his present place on Stoe Neck, which is the old Bradway homestead. He has here one of the finest and best managed farms in the township.
He was married, January 18, 1876, to Harriet T. Hancock, a daughter of Richard and Mary (Turner) Hancock, of Lower Alloway Creek. They have eight children: C. Howard and Mary, twins, the latter of whom died at the age of four and a half months; Elizabeth T., Luke S., John M., Rich- ard H., Fannie F. and Mary E. R. Mr. Fogg and family worship at the Canton Baptist church. He is a member of the Grange, has been several times the overseer of the township, and is now the commissioner of appeals.
ALBERT L. STURR.
Considerably more than a century ago the Sturr family was founded in America by a native of Sweden, and the paternal great-grandfather of the subject of this memoir was a soldier in the war for independence. Isaac Sturr, the next in the line of descent. died when a young man, a victim to the dreaded scourge, yellow fever. The family were first located in Dela- ware, then near the Hudson river, in New York state, and finally came to New Jersey, settling in Passaic county, since which time they have been associated with the development of this state.
The father of our subject, Peter I. Sturr, was born in the Empire state, and in his early manhood went to Manchester township, Passaic county, where he engaged in farming and in dealing in lumber. He com- menced life a poor boy and by his own well directed energy accumulated a goodly fortune. For some eight years he served in the capacity of town- ship assessor and at various times he held other local offices. He died in 1890, mourned sincerely by all who knew him. His loving wife survived him but six years, dying in 1896. In her girlhood she was a Miss Matilda Lydecker, her father, Albert Lydecker, being a prominent citizen of Bergen county, this state, and at one time a member of the legislature. Four chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Peter I. Sturr, namely: Lorena, now the widow of Robert Van Kirk, of Paterson, New Jersey; Isaac, of Elmer, this county; Albert L .; and Marietta, the widow of James Wittage, of Hoboken.
The birth of Albert L. Sturr took place in Manchester, Passaic county,
Albert L Stirr
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New Jersey, November 9, 1837. He learned to be of great assistance to his father in the management of the farm, and when he arrived at his majority he went into the lumber business with him. In 1865 he removed to this county, and, buying a large tract of timber land, proceeded to run a saw- mill and supply the market with lumber. He continued actively occupied in this venture for three decades, then selling out to his son in 1895. Since then he has been practically retired, though he retains an interest in several paying concerns and enterprises. He still owns about five hundred acres of fine land, and has investments in oyster beds and timber lands in Maryland. Success has come to him as the result of years of earnest effort and toil, and his life may well serve as an example to the younger generation.
At one time he took an active part in Democratic politics, and in his early manhood he served efficiently in a number of offices. For a long period he was prominent in the Odd Fellows order and represented his own lodge in the grand lodge of the state.
In October, 1857, he wedded Miss Ann E. Spear, a daughter of John Spear, of Bergen county. Of the four children born to our subject and wife, two have passed to the silent land. The daughter, Alice, is the wife of Joseph Gaunt, of Pole Tavern; and Frank now runs the mill at Elmer and the lumber business.
WILLIAM B. BROWN. .
The early inhabitants of the New England states were men of nerve and will, whose self-denial and patient industry, attended with hardships of which the present generation are ignorant, made possible the cultivated and peace- ful life of those states at this day and paved the way to the accomplishment of much that was unthought of by them, and laid the foundation of those sterling principles which makes New Jersey one of the foremost states in the Union. Among the families who came to this state during the preceding century, in defiance of the wild beast and ferocious red man, to establish homes for themselves in the wilderness and change it from a desolate, tin- broken waste into homes and cultivated fields, was that of Aaron Brown, whose ancestral tree was deep-rooted in the sturdy soil of old Eng- land. Little is known, except in a general way, of his life and adventures, further than that among his children was one named William Brown, who made his home in Cumberland county. He married and had a number of children, one of whom, Charles, was a farmer of that region and took up arms for his country during the war of 1812.
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William B. Brown was a son of Charles Brown and was born near Pitts- grove, Salem county, New Jersey, September 13, 1818, and grew up to the life of a farmer, characteristic of many of his ancestors. He was a man of judgment and accumulated a large acreage, which was divided among his heirs after his death. His advice was much sought by people from far and near, and it was always given with pleasure, as he was especially desirous of assisting his fellow men. He was a good, conscientious man, and a reg- ular attendant of the Presbyterian church of Daretown, to which he con- tributed liberally. He was married to Miss Emily Urion, a daughter of Andrew Urion, of the vicinity of Daretown, and a sister of Samuel Urion, one of the most prominent farmers of Penn's Neck. Mr. Brown passed through the valley of the shadow of death June 7, 1878, and was survived by his wife many years, her death taking place May 15, 1895. Mrs. Brown was a lovable woman, kind and motherly, whose heart overflowed with Christian charity, and her death was deeply mourned. Two children are left to perpetuate their name and memory,-Thomas, of Atlantic City, and Hannah.
WILLIAM AVIS.
The subject of this review, Mr. Avis, owns and occupies a farm near Dare- town, Salem county, New Jersey, and is classed with the respected citizens of the county.
Mr. Avis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 5, 1822, a son of Edmund Avis and a grandson of John Avis. The Avises were originally Moravians. Their first settlement in this country was in Gloucester county. near Swedesboro, New Jersey, where they built a Moravian church. That was previous to the Revolutionary war. John Avis was a patriot soldier in the Revolution. Both he and his son Edward were shoemakers, working together in Philadelphia for some years, Edmund continuing at his trade after his removal to Swedesboro. In 1838 he located on the farm on which his son, William, now lives, and in the quiet pursuits of the farm passed the closing years of his life. He died February 18, 1842. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and in his daily life practiced the principles em- braced in the religion which he professed. His wife, Sarah, daughter of James Fish, died in 1842. They were the parents of four children, two of whom are now living: William, whose name initiates this sketch; and Re- becca, wife of James Sealman, of Swedesboro.
William Avis passed his boyhood days in working on the farm and in his father's shoe-shop, and for the most part his life has been devoted to
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agricultural pursuits. Since 1882 he has resided on his present farm, carry- ing on general farming, and making a specialty of the poultry business, each year shipping large quantities of poultry to New York.
November 18, 1846, Mr. Avis married Miss Sarah Ann DuBois, a repre- sentative of one of the early families of New Jersey. Her father was Peter DuBois, her grandfather, Thomas, and great-grandfather, Peter, were Revo- lutionary soldiers. Mr. and Mrs. Avis have had eight children, only two of whom are now living: Neal D., a resident of Ohio; and Harriet N., at home.
Religiously Mr. Avis is a Presbyterian. He has been a member of the church since 1842, and in both church and Sunday-school has filled official positions. For many years he has been the treasurer of the church, has also served as a trustee and elder, and for years he was Sunday-school superin- tendent. Mr. Avis has been a Republican since 1856; was elected justice of the peace in 1874; and while he has always taken a commendable interest in public affairs and party issues, he has never been in any sense of the word a politician. As a citizen he is held in high esteem by all who know him.
STEPHEN H. BENNETT.
Judge Stephen Hand Bennett is now living a retired life at Cape May Court House. He is one of the native sons of Cape May county, his birth having occurred in Burleigh, January 22, 1825. His parents were Joshua and Emily (Hand) Bennett, and the maiden name of his paternal grand- mother was Abigail Stites. The latter had three children, the eldest being Joshua. Cornelius, the second, married Hannah Hand, and they had a son, Henry, who left home in early life, became a sailor, and when last heard of was in California. For his second wife Cornelius married Rachel Carson, and their children were Henry and Eliza. Aaron married Mary Hildreth, a daughter of Squire Joshua Hildreth, and they reared a large family, namely: Eliza, wife of Dr. Jonathan Leaming; Aaron, who died in childhood; Joseph- ine, widow of Alexander Young, who for many years was a medical practi- tioner at Cape May Court House, and by whom she had a daughter, Joseph- ine; Edward, a practicing physician at Barnegat; Hannah, wife of Edward Cresse, a farmer; and Mary Ella.
Joshua Bennett, the father of the Judge, was born at Green Creek, Cape May county, in 1786, and became a farmer at Burleigh. His political sup- port was given the Democracy, and by his fellow townsmen he was called to various public offices. He also served as a member of the Home Guards in the war of 1812. He was twice married, his first union being with Emily
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Hand, by whom he had six children. Lydia, the eldest, became the wife of William Ross, and their children were: Rachel, who married Coleman Sharp, and had one child, Helen; William, who was lost at sea; Charles Downs, who died in childhood; and Clementine, who became the wife of Richard E. Homes, and had one child, Augusta, the wife of John Benezett, by whom she had two children. Cornelius, the second of the family of Joshua and Mary Bennett, married Eliza McCarty, and their children were: Hannah, who was married and had one child; Mrs. Diana Manning, who had one child; and Warren, who was an engineer. The Judge is the third in order of birth. Joshua, a farmer, married Hulda Hand, and their children are: Ella, deceased wife of Joseph Cheney; Harry Emma; and Edmund, a lawyer of Pennsylvania; Emily married Joseph Wilson, a proprietor of a hotel in Cape May City. The father of these children was called to his final rest at the age of seventy-seven years.
Judge Stephen Bennett pursued his education in the public schools of Cape May county until eighteen years of age, and afterward followed various industrial pursuits until 1849, when he joined the "Argonauts," who in that year went to California in search of the "golden fleece." He made the journey through the strait of Magellan, reaching his destination after seven months of travel. For two years he remained on the Pacific slope, and then returned on a Panama steamer. After visiting for a short time in the east, however, he again went to California, and spent about ten and a half years in Shasta county. He first engaged in mining and later devoted his time to the man- agement of a ranch. Upon his permanent return to Cape May county he engaged in farming, and for five years was identified with the agricultural pursuits of this community. He still owns what is known as the Daniel Cresse farm, comprising two hundred and thirty-five acres, and also has con- siderable timber and meadow land, his possessions yielding to him a good income. He served for seven and a half years as lay judge of Cape May county, being retired at the abolishment of the office. His life has been one of marked activity in business affairs, and thus he has acquired a capital which crowns his labors.
In 1860 the Judge married Emma, daughter of Jeremiah Ludlum, and to them were born two children. Fredrick W., the elder, attended the pub- lic schools of Cape May Court House, and then entered upon the scien- tific course in Rutgers College, where he was graduated in the class of 1882, and he is now a civil engineer, located at Ecuador, South America. in the employ of a railroad company. He has traveled over many of the coun- tries of that continent, and has engaged in the survey for a railroad from Guayaquil, in the Andes, to Quito, and the civil-engineer work which he has
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done has required marked ability and skill in the line of his profession. Leonora, the daughter of the family, is now acting as her father's house- keeper, for Mrs. Bennett was called to the home beyond in 1879.
REV. JOSEPH L. SURTEES.
Rev. Joseph Leybourne Surtees, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Elmer, New Jersey, is an Englishman by birth and education, but has been identified with America since 1888, and for the past ten years has been a potent factor in the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Surtees claims Consett, Durham county, England, as his native place, and can trace his lineage back to the days of William the Conqueror, with whom his ancestors came from Denmark to the British isles. His father and grandfather were both named Robert Surtees, and both were born in Scotland. The younger Robert Surtees was a grocer in England, having settled in Consett, Durham county, when a young man. He was the orig- inator of the Consett water system, bringing water a distance of many miles from the Clapshaw Moors. A successful business man, he became one of the well-to-do and influential men of his town. Religiously he was a Methodist and politically a Liberal. He took an active part in politics, serving for years as chairman of the county committee of his party. He died in 1886. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Leybourne, was a daughter of Edward Leybourne, who belonged to the famous Angus clan, a clan cele- brated years ago for its great fighters. Mrs. Surtees died in 1894. They were the parents of eleven children, five of whom are living, namely: Tamar, the wife of Adam Brodie, of England; John, of England; Robert, the super- intendent of the rolling mills at Trenton, New Jersey; Joseph L., the subject of this sketch; and Peter, of England.
Joseph L. Surtees was educated at the Shortley Grove Academy in England, completing his course at the age of seventeen years, and for two years thereafter was a tutor in that institution. At the end of that time he entered the employ of the Consett Steel Company, with which he remained until 1888, when he came to the United States. In 1889 he entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has since been an active and effective worker. His first charge was at Columbus, New Jersey. From there he was sent to West Creek, in Ocean county, and his next pastorate was in connection with the Kaighn Avenue Methodist Episcopal church, South Camden. Referring to his work at the latter place, we quote from a local paper as follows: "Last Sunday was an eventful day in the
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