USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 36
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. In 1843 the marriage of J. J. Pettit and Elizabeth Ridgeway was solem- nized. She is the only survivor of a family which formerly comprised twelve members, the parents, Isaac and Teressa Ridgeway, and their ten children. Mr. Ridgeway, who was a respected citizen of Gloucester county, this state, died in 1833, at the age of sixty-one years, while his wife, who lived until 1857, was then in her eightieth year. Clarkson, the first-born child of Mr. and Mrs. Pettit, is now a successful farmer of Mannington township, Salem county. He first wedded Mary Coleson, by whom three children were born, namely: Henry W., Carroll Lippincott, and Charles R. For a second wife Clarkson Pettit chose Mary A. Austin, daughter of William Austin, of Piles Grove township, and to this union two sons,-Austin James and John L .- were born. The only daughter of our subject is Ruth, wife of William Reeves, of Salem, and the youngest child is Dillwyn, of Boston, Mas- sachusetts; and he has one son, named Clarence.
BENJAMIN HARDING.
Honorable Benjamin Harding, one of the highly respected pioneers of Gloucester county, intimately connected with its early history, has left behind him the record of a busy and well spent life. He was born at Pittsgrove, New Jersey, on the 21st of December, 1798. He passed his early life at Pittsgrove or at Hardingville, and soon after his marriage to Miss Fisler he removed to Malaga to take charge of the glass company's store in that place. He later removed to Glassboro, where he spent some years as the manager
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of the company's store. From there he removed to Clayton to take charge of the large farm of his father-in-law, who was then an old man, and, as Mrs. Harding inherited the property, this was their permanent home. He was elected to the state legislature for three consecutive terms and was then elected county judge of Gloucester county, which responsible position he held for many years. He was also justice of the peace for many years, and during that time settled up many estates, his neighbors having the greatest confidence in his good judgment and sense of justice. He took an active part in local affairs and was always ready to aid in the advancement of a good cause. He was prominently connected with the Presbyterian church, and elder for long years, and it was owing to his efforts that the Presby- terian churches were established at Clayton and Williamstown.
Judge Harding was married January 28, 1823, to Mary, the daughter of Leonard Fisler, of Clayton. Mrs. Harding died in November, 1862. Two of their sons and three daughters attained maturity. Of these, Benjamin F. and Lydia are both residing at Bridgeton.
Judge Harding was a son of Thomas and Lydia (Richmond) Harding, of Pittsgrove. It may be mentioned here that an aunt of Mrs. Harding, Hannah Colline, was the wife of the rector of the old Swedes' church at Philadelphia. She died in 1793, from yellow fever contracted while nursing a patient during the epidemic. Judge Harding died April 4, 1880, at the good old age of eighty-two years.
THOMAS P. COVINGTON.
Ambition is the keynote to success, and when worthily directed it never fails to win prosperity. In this land where effort and talent are unhampered by cast or class, the man of energy and enterprise may steadily work his way upward and gain an honored position in commercial circles, becoming an important factor in the community in which he resides by reason of his activity in the affairs which go to make up the round of our daily life. Such is the history of Mr. Covington, who to-day occupies a leading position in business circles in Philadelphia and Pitman Grove, Gloucester county, New Jersey.
His birth occurred in the former place, February II, 1843. His father, Samuel B. Covington, was born in Virginia, but his grandfather was a native of New Jersey. The former, a sail-maker by trade, took up his residence in Philadelphia in 1830, making his home there until his death in 1876. Socially he was identified with the Odd Fellows society. He married Mary
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B. Thompson, a daughter of Peter Thompson, of Egg Harbor, who was a sea captain. Her death occurred in 1890. Of their six children, three are living.
Mr. Covington of this review attended the public schools of Philadelphia until fifteen years of age, when he put aside his text-books and began col- lecting for an oyster house in that city. He acted as a collector and salesman for fifteen years, and on the expiration of that period, in 1875, began busi- ness on his own account in the same line. His knowledge of the trade and the demands of the public well fitted him for a career of prosperity. He has owned a large fleet of oyster boats and does a wholesale business, sell- ing to the trade. He also rents grounds on Maurice river, where he has large oyster beds. His wholesale house is located on the northeast corner of Water and Dock streets, Philadelphia, and daily there is sent out from that trade center a large amount of oysters, the sales bringing to the firm a considerable income. The business is carried on under the firm name of Covington & Patterson, and in his business interests in New Jersey Mr. Covington is also associated with a partner, the firm being Covington & Winkler. They own an excellent summer home in Pitman Grove, also have an eating-house here and are conducting a successful enterprise.
On the 24th of November, 1885, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Covington and Miss Henrietta, a daughter of David Seran, of Pitman Grove. Socially he is a prominent Mason, having attained high degrees in that order, which entitle him to a commission in the Mystic Shrine. His atten- tion, however, is principally devoted to his extensive business interests. He is a man of sound judgment, keen discernment, unfaltering perseverance and steadfast energy, and these qualities have gained for him very creditable success. He commands the confidence of those with whom he associates both commercially and socially, and has the regard of a large number of friends both in his native city and his adopted state.
WILLIAM COX.
William Cox, a prominent farmer of Deptford township, New Jersey, was born in Beverly, Burlington county, New Jersey, August 16, 1825, a son of Edward Cox and Frances, nee Hill. His father, Edward Cox, was born in Burlington county, and was a resident of that county during his entire life. In occupation he was master of a sailing vessel and was also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He raised nine children: Henry, now deceased; Hannah, also deceased; Wright; Adeline, the widow of Israel
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B. Adams; William; Edward; Sallie Ann, the widow of Casper Bideman; Jonathan and Charles, now deceased. Both parents died in Camden county.
William Cox became a resident of Camden county, New Jersey, when but a mere lad, and was educated in the schools of that county. He was reared to farm life, and has since followed agricultural pursuits as a vocation.
In January, 1845, he was married, in Delaware township, Camden county, to Margaret Powell, a daughter of Zachariah and Isabella J. Powell. They have had nine children: Susanna, the wife of Benjamin Fish; Aden, who married Virginia Davis; Joseph, who married Teressa Pierce; Ephraim, who married Ida Valentine; Victoria, the widow of Benjamin Bideman; William, deceased; Bethany, who married Franklin Winner; Elizabeth, the wife of Franklin Crispin; and Stacey G., who married Nora Robinson.
Mr. Cox has served as an overseer of roads, and as a member of the town council, in Camden county. In political views he is independent. His relig- ious affiliations are with the Methodist Episcopal church.
JONATHAN W. ACTON.
The founder of the Acton family in America was Benjamin Acton, who came to this country from London, England, in the ship Kent, landing at Salem, New Jersey, on the 23d of June, 1877. He located in Salem, where he purchased sixteen acres of land of John Fenwick, on Fenwick street, now called East Broadway. There he erected his home and carried on the tan- ning business throughout the remainder of his life. He was a man of superior educational attainments and his name appears in prominent connection with early political affairs of the colony. He was a surveyor, and as such aided in the improvement and upbuilding of his section of the state. He was a useful and influential member of the Society of Friends, and with another member of the organization, as early as 1682 he prepared a meeting-house in which the services of the yearly meeting could be held. When the town of Salem was incorporated he was made the first recorder, and in 1705 he was one of the commissioners who laid out the public highways from Salem to the Del- aware river. He surveyed many of the old highways in this part of the state, was also extensively engaged in surveying private lands and subsequently was employed by the heirs of William Penn to make the surveys in the Salem tenth, while later he surveyed one thousand acres of land on Gravelly Run, where the village of Jericho, Pennsylvania, now stands. His wife was Mrs. Christina Acton, and they were married in 1688. Their children were: Eliz- abeth, who was born in 1690 and married Francis Reynolds; Mary, who was
Juradonl
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born in 1692 and became the wife of William Willis; Benjamin, Jr., who was born in 1695 and married Elizabeth Hill; Lydia, born in 1697; and Joshua, born in 1700. In his old age Benjamin Acton, the father of these children, built a brick house, in 1727, on what is now Broadway, and the structure is still standing. It was afterward remodeled by his son Benjamin, but the original walls yet remain and the place is one of the old landmarks of Salem.
Benjamin Acton, Jr., was born in 1695, learned the tanner's trade and carried on the business in the tan-yard which he inherited from his father. He resided in a brick mansion built in 1729, which was much larger than the one his father had built and is still standing, on the same lot. He married Elizabeth Hall, and they became the parents of John, who was born in 1728, was twice married, his second union being with Mary Oakford; Joseph, born in 1730; Benjamin, in 1755; and Samuel, in 1738.
John Acton, born August 31, 1729, succeeded his father in the tanning business. He was twice married, and by his first union he had one child, Clement. His second wife was Mary Oakford and they had the following children: Samuel; John, who became a sea captain and West India trader; Elizabeth, who married John Hancock and left a large number of children; Barbara, who became the wife of Ephraim Carroll; Susan, the wife of Samuel Hall; and Joseph.
Samuel Acton was born November 10, 1764, and learned the tanner's trade of his father, but for a time was engaged in merchandising in Salem in connection with his half brother, Clement. Later he retired from that enter- prise and purchased a tannery at Haddonfield, Salem county, where he re- sided until his death, which occurred in the year 1801. He married Sarah, the youngest daughter of William and Hannah (Brinton) Hall, of Delaware. His wife died in 1852, at the age of eighty-four years. Their children were: Clement, who was born in 1796, became a hat manufacturer of Salem, later was a fur trader and afterward engaged in the lumber business, operating a sawmill on Penn street. He married Ruth Bacon and after her death he wedded Sarah Jones, by whom he had three children. Mary Ann, born in 1798, became the wife of Benjamin Thompson and had four children,- Sarah, Rachel and Maria and Richard B., twins. Isaac Oakford, the third of the family, was a blacksmith, and by his industry and close application to business he accumulated a considerable fortune and became the owner of much desirable real estate in Salem. In the latter part of his life he was an iron merchant and operated a foundry on West Griffith street up to the time of his death. He married Lucy Ann, a daughter of Jonathan and Temperance Bilderback, of Mannington township, Salem county, and they became the parents of three sons,-Edward, William and Clement. Edward
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A., the first born of the family of Isaac Acton, wedded Mary, the daughter of Jonathan and Mary Woodnutt, of Mannington township, by whom he had three children,-Walter W., Isaac Oakford and Jonathan W. Edward A. Acton was a volunteer officer in the civil war, serving as a captain in the Fifth New Jersey Volunteers, was wounded at Williamsburg and killed on the field of action at the second battle of Bull Run, August 29, 1862.
On his mother's side Mr. Acton can trace his family lineage back to an early date. Richard Woodnut, the earliest member of the family by that sur- name in the colony, came from England and settled within the limits of the Salem monthly meeting of the Society of Friends soon after John Fenwick. By his wife Mary he had four children,-Joseph, Richard, Grace and Sarah. The two daughters were never married.
Joseph Woodnutt, born seventh month, fifth day, 1697, married Rachel Cravens in 1722, and they had five children,-Thomas, Mary, Hannah, Rich- ard and Joseph. Richard, his son, born in 1700, married a Miss Walmsley and had three children,-Jonathan, Henry and Richard. Jonathan married Sarah Mason and had two children,-Richard and James Mason. The latter married Margaret Carpenter, a daughter of Preston and Hannah Carpenter, and had ten children,-Sarah, Hannah, Thomas, Jonathan, Preston, Eliza- beth, William, Margaret, Mary and Martha. Jonathan, the son, married Mary Goodwin and had four children,-Richard, William, Thomas and Mary. Mary married Edward Acton and was the mother of our subject and Walter W. and Isaac. Mr. Acton, our subject, therefore descends from the Woodnutts, Carpenters and Lloyds, and their family record is as complete as that of any family in this country or England.
Jonathan W. Acton, the youngest child of Edward and Mary E. (Wood- nutt) Acton, was born in Salem, November 8, 1857, and was educated in the public schools and in the Friends' school at Salem. He also spent three years in the West Point Academy, and there prepared for a professional career as a law student in the office of Albert H. Slape, of Salem. After pass- ing an examination he was admitted to the bar as an attorney in 1884, and as a counselor in 1887. He was appointed the prosecutor of Salem county in 1890, and held that office until April, 1900. In March, 1885, he was elected mayor of Salem and was chosen for the office at each succeeding election up to and including the one held in 1897. During his last term, however, he resigned. Within this period many needed reforms and improvements were secured and the city made rapid and substantial progress in many lines. He has always been a stanch Democrat in his political views, and has ever taken an active interest in promoting the growth and insuring the success of his party.
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On the 19th of July, 1890, Mr. Acton was united in marriage to Miss Frances House, a daughter of Jonathan House, of Alloway, Salem county, and they now have three children: Francis N., Mary and John W. Mr. Acton is a member of no church. His ancestors on both sides were members of the Society of Friends from the settlement of the county onward. They were people of the highest respectability and worth.
LOUIS T. DE ROUSSE.
The well known postmaster of Camden, New Jersey, was born in Phila- delphia, May 29, 1844. His father, George De Rousse, was born in France and participated in the battle of Waterloo under Napoleon. Not long after- ward he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, taking up his abode in Philadelphia, where he followed his trade of boot-crimping. A faithful mem- ber of the church, his life was honorable and upright, and at his death, which occurred in 1874, when he was eighty years of age, the community lost one of its valued citizens. He married Miss Christine Steiner, a native of Germany, whose father was a prominent citizen of that land and served as the mayor of the town in which he made his home. Mr. and Mrs. De Rousse became the parents of seven children, of whom five are living.
Louis T. De Rousse pursued his education in the local schools until seventeen years of age and then began working in a lawyer's office of Phila- delphia, at fifty cents a week. He was subsequently employed in the office of the Philadelphia Ledger, but in 1864, at the age of twenty years, he put aside his personal considerations and offered his services to the government, enlisting in the Eighth Pennsylvania Reserves. When hostilities had ceased he entered the employ of W. H. Horstman & Sons, of Philadelphia, with whom he remained for eight years. In 1874 he became a resident of Camden and was with Wilson Fitzgerald, a flour, feed and grain merchant, for some time.
Mr. De Rousse has taken quite an active part in public affairs. In 1880 he was elected a freeholder from the first ward of Camden, and served one year. He was elected comptroller for a three-year term and discharged his duties faithfully. He founded the Camden Republican Club and was its first president. In 1895 he was elected to the New Jersey legislature, where he served through the three succeeding years. In 1896 he was elected speaker, and in 1897 he was the Republican leader in the house. He has studied closely the questions and issues of the day and is an able champion of the principles of the party that has ever stood for the protection of II-V
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American industries and institutions and which advocates the adoption of a sound-money basis and of expansion principles. His public course is one worthy of commendation, for he has ever placed the country's good before personal aggrandizement. He is now an efficient and popular postmaster of Camden and his administration is invoking high praise.
Mr. De Rousse was married to Miss Anna W. Fitzgerald, a daughter of Wilson Fitzgerald, and they became the parents of three children, of whom two are living: Jennie H., the wife of Dr. J. D. Farrar, of Baltimore, Mary- land; and Anna W., at home. In his social relations Mr. De Rousse is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and an Elk. In manner he is genial, courteous and kindly,-qualities which make him very popular with all classes. He has a wide acquaintance among the most prominent men of the state, and inspires personal friendships of great strength. His marked individuality and force of character have gained him leadership in political circles, while his genuine worth has won him uniform respect.
JAMES S. HOWEY.
James S. Howey, the owner of the beautiful farm known as Ivy Side and considered one of the most desirable country seats in Gloucester county, was born on a farm on Old Man's creek in Woolwich township, a son of Benjamin and Isabella (Stratton) Howey. Robert Howe, who was of the same family as Lord Howe, commander-in-chief of the British army during the Revolu- tionary war, came to the United States prior to the year 1700, secured a large farm in Woolwich township, Gloucester county, which remained in posses- sion of a member of the Howey family until 1847, and is now owned by William Davis, also a descendant of Robert Howe. The place is known as Pleasant Meadow farm and thereon occurred the birth of our subject. John Howe, a brother of Robert, located in Pennsylvania, while William Howe, another brother, remained in England. Robert Howe's children attended a school which was conducted by a Scotchman who told them that their name should be spelled Howie. That form was accordingly adopted, but was afterward changed to Howey, although the original family Bible, now in possession of our subject, gives the name without the final "y."
Robert Howe married Miss Mary Trough, of New Jersey, and there were born the following children: Elizabeth; Mary, born December 16, 1762; Joshua, November 22, 1764; Isaac, September 8, 1766; Robert, No- vember 5, 1768; Mary, December 8, 1770; and Deborah, January 27, 1773. Of these children Isaac married Abigail Matlack, and to them were born the
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following named: Mary W., who was born February 8, 1790; Benjamin M., who was born January 18, 1792, and died July 4, 1840; Rebecca, born February 12, 1794; Abigail, April 7, 1796; Isaac, February 19, 1798; Ann, who was born December 9, 1799, and married John Ogden, of Woodstown, New Jersey; Hope, born November 1I, 1801; Arthur, April 1, 1804; and Martha, February 7, 1806. After the death of the father of these children, the mother, Abigail Howey, married David Davis, and they had two chil- dren: David M., born October 3, 1809; and Joseph, March 27, 1811.
Benjamin Howey, the father of our subject, married Isabella, a daughter of Dr. James Stratton, and they had twelve children: Anna Maria, the eldest, was born January 1, 1818, became the wife of Edward Carpenter and died in Philadelphia; Rebecca, born February 1, 1819, married Cooper Champion and died in Philadelphia, leaving three children, Charles, Isabella and Sarah; Sarah H., born September 17, 1820, and Henrietta, born April 17, 1822, are both deceased; Martha D., born November 22, 1823, died in childhood. James S. is the next of the family; Benjamin F., born March 17, 1828, was the captain of Company G, Thirty-first New Jersey Infantry during the civil war, subsequently he became a citizen of Warren county, New Jersey, and was elected its sheriff in 1878. In 1882 he was elected to represent the Fourth New Jersey district in congress, being the only Re- publican that ever held the office in Warren county. He married Martha Evans and died February 6, 1893, leaving three children: Frances, Mary Isabella, and Anna C. Abigail, born March 1, 1830, died in infancy; Frances, born July 5, 1832, is also deceased; Charles S., born June 8, 1835, resides Philadelphia; Margaret Hazleton is the wife of Charles S. Howie and has a daughter, Clara, who is the wife of H. Gilling- ham; Isaac, born February 3, 1838, died in childhood; Mary Isabella, born November 4, 1840, is the wife of Joseph K. Wheeler, of Philadelphia, and has three children,-Samuel, Joseph T., and Henrietta.
James S. Howey acquired his education in the academies of Swedesboro and Bridgeton, and afterward assisted his father in the work of the home farm until 1847, when he accepted a position as salesman in a grocery store in Philadelphia, remaining there two years. Subsequently he was the man- ager of a store at Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, for a year, and then returned to Woolwich township, Gloucester county, where he followed agricultural pursuits for six years. In 1864 he purchased his present home, known as Ivy Side farm, and successfully operated it for eleven years, when he removed to Philadelphia, where he occupied a position as salesman for fourteen years. Through the succeeding six years he resided in Merchantville, New Jersey, and then came to the Ivy Side farm, where he now lives.
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Mr. Howey was married March 24, 1852, to Miss Henrietta C. Ogden, daughter of Samuel and Martha D. (Lippincott) Ogden, of the Ivy Side farm. They now have four children: Martha; Harry C., who is in the in- surance business in Philadelphia; Katherine Taggart and Isabella Stratton. Mr. Howey and his family are members of Trinity Episcopal church, of Swedesboro, in which he formerly served as vestryman. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, but has never aspired to office, content to cast his ballot in support of Republican measures, without seeking official reward therefor. His life has been one of activity and industry and his upright career has ever gained to him the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
JOSEPH C. MARSHALL, M. D.
The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, who has attained wealth by honorable business methods, acquired the highest reputation in his chosen calling by merit, and whose social prominence is not the less the result of an irreproachable life than of recognized natural gifts. It is these elements that have made Dr. Joseph Corson Marshall one of the leading and representative citizens of Tuckahoe and Cape May county, while his standing in professional circles is due to his superior skill, knowledge and ability.
The Doctor was born July 3, 1848, in Tuckahoe, where he yet makes his home, and is a son of Randolph and Sarah (Hughes) Marshall. The ancestry of the family can be traced back to the time when Randall, Nehemiah and John Marshall emigrated from England to the United States and settled on the bank of the Potomac river, where Randall was married to Hannah Chew. He and his father-in-law, Thomas Chew, removed to Good Intent, New Jersey, locating on the Hazzard property near the town of Blackwood. He afterward went to Lambs Mill, where he remained until his death in 1780, at the age of sixty-six years. He left ten children: Randall, Thomas, John, William, Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Hannah and Charity. Of this family, Thomas Marshall married Ann Please, and their children were Re- becca, John, Randall, David, William and Thomas.
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