USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 32
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Mr. Massey was married September 22, 1897, to Miss Wilhelmina Radcliffe, a daughter of Richard B. Radcliffe, of Millville, who is the manager of the Millville Manufacturing Company. They have one child, W. Everett. Mr. Massey is now serving as a steward of the First Methodist Episcopal church and as the assistant superintendent of the Sunday-school, and is also a member of several beneficent orders in the city. In politics he is an earnest Republican and is now filling the office of justice of the peace. A gentleman in the truest sense of the word, he is possessed of innate refinement and superior intelligence, and in manner he is affable and genial. His success has been so worthily won that the most envious could not wish that his business had been other than prosperous. His methods in all transactions are entirely reliable and all who know him enter- tain for him the highest regard on account of his excellent qualities of heart and mind.
EDWARD LEE ROSS.
As the river whose deep and steady current, winding among fair land- scapes, past blossoming fields and through busy towns, blessing millions of people and enhancing the wealth of nations, affords little of that wild and romantic scenery which startles the traveler or delights the artist, so those lives which contribute most toward the improvement of a state and the well- being of a people are seldom the ones which furnish the most brilliant pas- sages for the pen of the historian or biographer. There is, in the anxious and laborious struggle for an honorable competence and a solid career of the business or professional man fighting the every-day battle of life, but little to attract the idle reader in search of a sensational chapter; but for a mind thoroughly awake to the reality and meaning of human existence there are noble lessons in the life of a man, who, without other means than a clear head, a strong arm and a true heart, conquers adversity, and toiling on through the work-a-day years of a long career finds that he has won not only wealth
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but also something far greater and higher,-the deserved respect and esteem of those with whom his years of active life placed him in contact.
Such a man and one of the leading citizens of Cape May Court House is Edward Lee Ross, who was born in the city which is still his home, March 10, 1852, his parents being John H. and Rhoda (Ludham) Ross. The Ross family is of Scotch origin. Thomas Ross, the paternal great-grandfather, lived in Nummeytown, Cape May county, and was at one time a man of considerable wealth. His political support was given the Republican party, and he died in 1830, at the age of seventy-five years. His children were Thomas, John, Charlotte and Mary. Of this family Thomas Ross became the grandfather of our subject. He was born at Nummeytown, made farm -. ing his life work, and resided at Green Creek, Cape May county, yet in his early years he was captain of a sloop. His political support was given the Whig party, and in his religious belief he was a Methodist. He served as a member of a militia company during the war of 1812 and did patrol duty, acting as guard along the shore. He married Eleanor Hand, and their chil- dren were as follows: Wilson; Julia, the wife of Anthony Penezet; John H., our subject's father, and Ellen, the wife of Joseph Smith; George W. and Edmond Lee. The parents of these children were both seventy-five years of age when they departed this life.
Jeremiah Ludham, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was born in Cape May county and lived at Townsend Inlet in Middle township. By occupation he was a farmer, but spent his last years in retirement from active labors. He held membership in the Asbury Methodist Episcopal church and took an active part in its work, doing all in his power to promote its growth and insure its success. He exercised his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Whig party. The children of Jeremiah Ludham and his wife Maria were: Lottie, the wife of David T. Smith, a sea captain, who afterward followed farming, but is now living retired; Amelia, the wife of ex-Senator Richard S. Leaning, who was a shipbuilder of Dennisville; Rhoda S., the mother of our subject; Ruhama, the widow of Humphrey Cresse, who was a farmer and speculator and became quite wealthy and prominent; she has two children,-Elida and Lena, but the latter is now deceased; Franklin, who died at the age of thirty years. Emma became the wife of Stephen H. Bennett, a miner and farmer, who lived a retired life for thirty-two years, and by whom she had two children: Frederick, a civil engineer, now in Central America; and Lenora, at home.
John H. Ross, the father of our subject, was born at Green Creek, Octo- ber 26, 1820, and was educated in private schools in Cape May county. He was a seafaring man in early life, shipping before the mast at the age of nine-
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teen years. For fourteen years he experienced the pleasures and hardships of "a life on the ocean wave," and for six years was the captain of a vessel. He owned and sailed the schooner Jake Lancaster, built at Cape May, and was also financially interested in other vessels. He then turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, which he followed until 1866, when he retired from the farm, and has since been engaged in the oyster business in Burleigh. He is now residing at Cape May Court House, and is enjoying the comforts secured through the handsome competence that has come to him through his well directed and unremitting efforts. In his political views he is a Re- publican, and in his religious faith a Methodist, holding membership in the church of that denomination in Cape May Court House. He has served as a steward and trustee, and has taken a very active and efficient interest in the church work. He has reached the advanced age of seventy-nine years, and his wife has passed the age of seventy years. In their family were two children, but one son died in infancy.
In the public and private schools of Cape May Court House Mr. Ross of this review acquired his education, and also pursued his studies for a time in Philadelphia. At the age of sixteen he left home and went to sea. This was much against the desire of his parents, but the water had great attrac- tion for him, and exercising his own pleasure and will in the matter, he secured a position on the A. M. Aldrich, a vessel engaged in the coasting trade. He followed the sea for six years, and was promoted by successive stages. Owing to ill health, in 1873, he was obliged to retire from service. He spent the winter of 1873-4 for the benefit of his health in Colorado. Re- turning in the summer of 1874, he was made master of the Howard A. Hunt in February, 1875, which made voyages to southern ports, visiting Cuba and points in South America. In 1883 he purchased the mercantile business of Smith Hand at Cape May Court House. He erected his present store building, twenty-four by sixty feet, and now has a splendidly equipped gen- eral mercantile establishment, which receives a fair share of the public patronage. He also owns the adjoining store building, the rental therefrom supplementing his income, and is engaged in the coal, grain and flour busi- ness. His operations in those commodities are extensive and make him one of the leading dealers in those lines. He also conducts a feed mill, and purchasing grain by the car load from the west he converts it into feed, which he sells for the wholesale trade. His business interests are varied and extensive, and in addition to those mentioned he is a member and director of the Mechanics and Laborers' Building & Loan Association, with which he became connected before attaining his majority. He is also a member of the State Mutual Building & Loan Association of New Jersey, and a member
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and director of the Building & Loan and Mutual Life Insurance Company.
On the 23d of July, 1877, Mr. Ross was united in marriage to Miss Anna Lloyd, a daughter of Thomas and Anna (Spaulding) Lloyd, the former a marble cutter of Philadelphia. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ross have been born three children: Howard, a hotel clerk in Hadden Hotel, in Atlantic City; John; and Bertha, a graduate of the State Normal School and engaged in teaching.
In his political affiliations Mr. Ross has always been a stanch Repub- lican and has taken a deep interest in the growth and advancement of the party, being a recognized leader in its ranks in the county. The first public office he ever held was that of county collector, to which he was elected in May, 1888. At each election since that time he has been chosen for the office, being elected in May, 1899, for a three-years term, and by virtue of his office he is also a member of the board of freeholders. Elected to the state legislature he served in the house in the sessions of 1892, 1893 and 1894, filling that position at the time of the coal-combine excitement and during the period of the race-track legislation. In 1896 he was elected to the state senate, and served on the committees on appropriations and riparian rights. He is a valued member of several civic societies, belonging to Ar- butus Lodge, No. 110, F. & A. M .; Hereford Lodge, No. 108, I. O. O. F .; Ponemah Tribe, I. O. R. M., of which he is treasurer; and Friendship Lodge, No. 45, A. O. U. W. He is an honorary member of the Cape May Guards, and belongs to the Baptist church, in which he has held a number of official positions.
Mr. Ross is recognized as one of the most able business men of Cape May Court House. His sagacity and foresight enable him to make judicious in- vestments, while his diligence, indomitable energy and undaunted perse- verance have won him a prosperity that numbers him among the substantial citizens of the county. He has also arisen to a position of distinction in the political circles of the state, and his career, both public and private, is marked by the strictest integrity and faithfulness to every trust reposed in him.
F. L. RICHARDSON.
Mr. Richardson, who is now serving as the postmaster of Cape May, is widely known in the county, for he has long been identified with its business interests and has thereby gained an extended acquaintance. He was born at Rio Grande, February 23, 1842, and is a son of Jeremiah and Hannah (Leaming) Richardson. His great-grandfather, Jeremiah Richardson, was
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a native of Connecticut, and with his brother came to Cape May county at an early period in its development. The father of our subject was born in this county, was reared on a farm, and after attaining his majority he built a vessel, which was engaged in the coasting trade. He also owned a farm at Rio Grande, where his family lived, but he was lost at sea, when about forty years of age. He was a Republican and was a man of sterling worth. In his family were five children: F. L., of this review; Sophia, the wife of Brookfield Goble; Jeremiah, who died at the age of thirteen years; Julia, who died at the age of twelve years; Charles W., who married Miss Lee. The mother of these children was called to her final rest at the age of sixty- four years.
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Mr. Richardson of this review pursued his studies in the public schools of Rio Grande, but at the age of twelve years was forced to put aside his text- books and aid in the support of the family, for he was the eldest son, and his services were needed in providing a livelihood. He began work at thirty cents per day. He reared his youngest brother, Charles, who is now a mem- ber of the firm of Adams & Richardson, wholesale dealers in provisions and groceries, conducting one of the largest establishments of the kind in the south. On leaving home F. L. Richardson went to sea and spent consid- erable time on vessels engaged in the coasting trade. He afterward served an apprenticeship to the butcher's trade and then engaged in the grocery and provision business in Cape May, continuing the conduct of his store for fifteen years, when ill health forced him to dispose of the store. He then became the proprietor of a hotel at Cape May,-the Carroll Villa,-which his wife still owns,-and later he became the proprietor of the Star Villa. He is now engaged in the insurance business, representing the Royal, London, Lancaster and the German-American Companies, of which he has been agricultural agent for fifteen years. He is also engaged to some extent in speculating in real estate, and owns some valuable property. On the 14th of April, 1888, he was appointed by President Harrison to the position of post- master and served for four years and eleven months. In May. 1898, he was reappointed to that position by President Mckinley, and is now acceptably discharging the duties of that position. He has served in other public offices, having been a member of the city council, and was also city treasurer. For two terms of three years each he was a member of the school board, and in 1888 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature. He was also sergeant-at-arms in the state senate for two years, and in all these offices has made a most creditable record, winning high commendation by his faithful and patriotic discharge of the duties devolving upon him. He
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is a member of the Union Republican Club and his influence has been quite marked in political circles.
On the 23d of December, 1875, Mr. Richardson married Millicent Hil- dreth, and to them have been born two children,-Frank C. and Edith. The daughter is at home and the son is now a member of the engineering corps of the Pennsylvania Railroad, having graduated in the University of Penn- sylvania on the completion of a course in the electrical, mechanical and civil engineering department.
Of a number of civic societies Mr. Richardson is a valued representative. He belongs to Cape May Lodge, No. 30, F. & A. M., and was its treasurer for seven years. He also belongs to Richmond Chapter, No. 22, R. A. M., . and Olcott Commandery, No. 10, K. T., both of Millville. He belongs to Kensington Lodge, No. 5, Knights of Birmingham, is a charter member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and of the Improved Order of Hep- tasophs. He is a director in the Masonic Relief Association and is also a member of the Masonic Relief Association of Paterson, New Jersey. One of the most prominent and esteemed citizens of Cape May, over his record there falls no shadow of wrong, and he has left the impress of his strong individuality for good upon the political, social and business life of the county.
GEORGE HAMPTON.
George Hampton, of the firm of Hampton & Fithian, attorneys at law, Bridgeton, was born here February 14, 1869, a son of Charles G. and Mary Ann (Errickson) Hampton. Henry Hampton, the great-grandfather of the young Bridgeton lawyer, was a native of Cedarville, Cumberland county, and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Har- ris, a daughter of Isaac Harris and his wife, Ruth Ogden, of Cedarville. Henry, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born at Manan- tico, on the Maurice river, and was a farmer, but there is only a brief record of his simple country life.
Charles G. Hampton, the father of George, was born in Millville, this county, receiving his education in the common schools of the place, also in Shiloh Academy and in the State Normal School at Trenton, this state. From the latter institution he received a diploma. After his graduation he accepted a position as instructor in the Giles Street School, of Bridge- ton, where he remained for some years. He afterward taught for a short time in Salem, New Jersey, after which he had charge of the Bank Street School in Bridgeton until 1875. In that year he was elected sheriff of Cum-
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berland county for a term of three years. He represented ward I in the common council for a time, and was the judge of the court of common pleas during Governor Leon Abbett's first term of office. His valuable service in this last capacity received due recognition by a reappointment on the expiration of his first term of five years. In his second term he resigned in order to accept the office of county superintendent of schools, for which he was well adapted both by education and practical knowledge. This office he filled until his death, which occurred February 22, 1895. He married Miss Mary Ann Errickson, a daughter of Mr. Thomas and Anna Buck Westcott Errickson, of Leesburg, and became the father of a num- ber of children, of whom two are living: George, the subject of this sketch, and Mary B. W., the wife of Frank A. Brown, of Cranbury, Middlesex county, New Jersey. The mother, who survives her husband, is a com- municant of the First Presbyterian church of Bridgeton. Mrs. Hampton died May 1, 1899.
George Hampton obtained his elementary education in the public schools of Bridgeton, and subsequently studied at the West Jersey Academy, from which in due time he graduated. After leaving the academy he read law in the office of Potter & Nixon, and was admitted to the bar during the November term of the supreme court in 1894. He remained in Colonel Potter's office as his assistant until September, 1895, when he formed his present partnership with J. Hampton Fithian. The families of both are well known and highly respected in Bridgeton. Mr. Hampton was elected mayor of the City of Bridgeton in the spring of 1900, for a term of three years.
He is a member of Lodge No. 129, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past grand master; of Colanthe Lodge, No. 103, Knights of Pythias; of Hope Council, Junior Order of United American Mechanics; and of Tewah Tribe, No. 197, Improved Order of Red Men.
JOSEPH H. HANES.
The possibilities of the present and not of the future are those which in- dicate the path to success. The man who can realize that the present is his opportunity and that his chance lies not in some coming time, is the one who advances steadily toward the goal of prosperity, passing many who started upon life's highway before he began his journey. It is this element in the career of Mr. Hanes that has enabled him to gain a prominent position in the business world, and his marked ability has gained him recognition in
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political circles where public honors have been bestowed upon him. He is recognized to-day as one of the leading and influential citizens of Cape May county, and an enumeration of those men of the present generation who have won honor and public recognition for themselves and at the same time have honored the state to which they belong would be incomplete were there failure to make prominent reference to the one whose name initiates this paragraph.
Mr. Hanes was born in Woodstown, Salem county, New Jersey, Sep- tember 20, 1845, his parents being John and Harriet (Mattson) Hanes. The father was a native of Gloucester county, New Jersey, and for fifty years re- sided in Woodstown, Salem county, where he followed various pursuits. In early life he was a Whig and a stanch abolitionist, and when the Repub- lican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks and gave to it his earnest support. He held membership in the Society of Friends, and died in the faith of that society in 1863, at the age of seventy-three years. He had seven children: Mary Ann, the wife of Clarence Mahew, a wheelwright at Greenwich, New Jersey; Margaret, the wife of John Hanes, a farmer of Salem county; Elizabeth, who married Harry Eft, then a farmer of Salem county, but is now living in El Paso, Illinois; Esther, the wife of Isaac Middleton, a harness-maker of Camden, New Jersey; Aaron, a brick manufacturer of Yorktown, New Jersey, who married Charlotte Stanger, of Salem county; Edward, who married Harriet Platt and is engaged in merchandising in Woodstown; and Joseph, of this review.
Hon. Joseph H. Hanes acquired his education in the Woodstown Acad- emy, a school conducted under the auspices of the Society of Friends. At the age of sixteen he put aside his text-books and began to learn the black- smith's trade, and on its completion he learned the machinist's trade, after which he established a shop in Cape May, where he carried on business along those lines for twenty years. He was an expert worker in iron, and his skill gained him a large patronage. From 1866 until 1886 he closely applied himself to that work and then began general contracting on public works, making a specialty of the construction of water-works. He built the Woods- town water-works, the Milford, in Delaware, and did the greater part of the work on the water-works in Salem and Bridgeton, New Jersey, and in Wayne, Pennsylvania. He also built the Cape May water-works, and the lighthouse at Jocaalake Bay, Virginia. He employs seventy-five men, which indicates the extent of his business. His marked skill and thorough understanding of the best methods of construction of water-works have secured him a liberal patronage, and his contracts are important and nu-
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merous. Thus through the legitimate channels of business he has acquired a handsome competence, and is accounted one of the leading representatives of the industrial interests of his section of the state.
His fitness for leadership has frequently led to the selection of Mr. Hanes for position of public trust and responsibility, and he is regarded as one of the prominent representatives of the Republican party in his county. In 1878 he was elected to the city council of Cape May for a three-years term, and so ably discharged his duties that he was re-elected in 1881 and again in 1884. In 1885 he was once more chosen for that office, but declined to serve. For three years he acted as the president of the council and labored most earnestly and effectually for the best interests of the city, largely pro- moting its progress along educational and material lines. In 1885 he was elected to represent his district in the state senate. For six years previous to that time the county had given Democratic majorities, but he was selected over Representative Ludlam by a majority of one hundred and twenty-five, and served in the upper house of the general assembly for three years. He was the chairman of the committees on unfinished busi- ness and the Industrial School for Girls and was a member of the commit- tees on corporations, labor and industries, and passed bills. An active working member of the senate, he labored earnestly and conscientiously to promote the welfare of the state and left the impress of his individuality upon the legislation of New Jersey. He has been a delegate to many county and congressional conventions and his opinions carry weight in the councils of his party.
Mr. Hanes is now the chief of the volunteer fire department of Cape May, which ranks among the best in the state, a position which is largely due to him. He was one of its organizers and has been its chief for ten years. The department consists of three companies of forty men, and is splendidly equipped. There are now two engine houses, seven horses, two steam fire engines, an aerial hook and ladder truck, two hose carriages, one chemical engine and a complete modern system of alarm boxes. Mr. Hanes deserves high compliment for the efficiency and superiority of the department, which is a continual safeguard to the city and has done much creditable work in fighting the fiery element.
The home life of our subject is very pleasant, and both Mr. and Mrs. Hanes are highly esteemed and occupy an enviable position in social cir- cles. The lady was in her maidenhood Miss Harriet Harris, a daughter of Samuel Harris, of Salem county, and to them have been born three chil- dren: Jennie C .; Helen, who died at the age of eighteen months; and Mil- dred. Mr. Hanes is a valued member of the Masonic fraternity, holding
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membership in Cape Island Lodge, No. 30, F. & A. M., in which he passed all the chairs, serving as the grand master for two years. He is also a mem- ber of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In religion he was reared in the faith of the Society of Friends, but now attends the Baptist church. He gives his aid and co-operation to all movements which tend to benefit the community and promote its progress along educational, social, material and moral lines. He has been and is distinctively a man of affairs, and one who has wielded a wide influence. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his make-up as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of opinion.
J. ALFRED BODINE.
The history of every successful man who attains prosperity through earnest effort is worthy of perpetuity, for it contains lessons of value that may be profitably followed by the present and future generations. Along the well defined lines of labor, of perseverance, of enterprise and diligence Mr. Bodine worked his way upward to success and made a reputation which was indeed enviable, for his business methods merited the highest con- fidence.
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