USA > New Jersey > Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the first congressional district of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 49
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White 3rd mo., 15th, 1792, and died 9th mo., 6th, 1831. His children were Jonathan, William, Sarah, Hannah, Esther, Elizabeth, Benjamin W., Ann M., Emma, Priscilla and Joseph O. Jonathan, born 3rd mo., 21st, 1793, married Esther Atkinson, a daughter of John Atkinson, 2nd mo., 3rd, 1830, and died IIth mo., 20th, 1869. He devoted his life to farming, and his capable management of affairs brought him a desirable success. He was of a retiring disposition, a man of sterling worth and a consistent member of the Society of Friends. His children are Charles; Benjamin, the subject proper of this sketch, who was born 8th mo., 18th, 1833; John, George, and Elizabeth A., all of whom are living at or near Mickleton. The mother of these children passed away in 1871.
Benjamin Heritage spent his boyhood days at his parental home and acquired his education in the common schools. Through the periods of vacation he assisted in the labors of the farm, and thus his practical knowl- edge of the business well fitted him for his business career when he began farming on his own account. He was accounted one of the enterprising and progressive agriculturists of the community and successfully managed his farm until 1881, when, having acquired a comfortable competence, he retired to private life. He owns one hundred and twelve acres, which he rents.
Mr. Heritage has held a number of township offices. He was a freeholder for five years, commissioner for a similar period, chairman of the Township Committee six years, surveyor for three years, and has been president of the township board of education ever since the old school districts of the township have been consolidated,-six years. He never asked for an office, nor for a vote, and has ever discharged his duties in a prompt and faithful manner, never betraying even in the slightest degree the trust reposed in him. He is a member of the Society of Friends and a progressive, public- - spirited citizen who gives an earnest support to all measures which he be- lieves will prove of public benefit.
ISAAC C. STEVENSON.
Isaac C. Stevenson is a retired farmer of Gloucester county, having for many years been identified with agricultural interests, but now living in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. He was born near Blackwood, New Jersey, January 26, 1822. His father was Isaac Stevenson, a native of Burlington county, and the grandfather was the founder of the family in America, having emigrated from Great Britain and settled in Kensington,
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Philadelphia. Isaac Stevenson was a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit until his life's labors were ended in death in 1827. He held membership in the Presbyterian church and was a man of the highest re- spectability and worth. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Collins, was a daughter of Amos Collins, of Cross Keys, New Jersey, and her death occurred in 1847. By the marriage of this worthy couple eight children were born, but only two are now living: Richard, of Blackwood; and Isaac C.
In the country schools Isaac Stevenson acquired his education, and upon the home farm he was trained to the labor of the fields. He early began farming on his own account, and in 1837 located upon what is known as the . Stevenson homestead, about a mile from the town of Wenonah. He owned the land upon which the town is now built, and in 1871 sold the property to the Mancha Land & Improvement Company, composed of the following named gentlemen: William F. Allen, Horatio J. Mulford, Samuel A. Whit- ney, George Wood, John M. Moor, William J. Sewell, B. F. Lee and Samuel Hopkins. He is still the owner of considerable property, however, his landed possessions aggregating four hundred and seventy-four acres, all of which is under a high state of cultivation, yielding to the owner a good in- come. While actively identified with the farming interests of the community, he followed very practical and progressive methods, and neatness character- izes everything upon the old homestead. Its buildings are commodious and substantial, its fields well tilled, and its excellent condition is an indication of the enterprise and diligence of the owner. Mr. Stevenson has also been a director of the First National Bank at Glassboro, is the agent of the Mancha Land & Improvement Company, and superintendent of the Wenonah water works. During the war of the Rebellion he was a member of the Deptford township committee and its treasurer, and during his service in that capacity he paid for volunteers from his township over a hundred thousand dollars.
In June, 1847, Mr. Stevenson was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Coles, a daughter of William Coles, of Salem county. For many years they traveled life's journey together, but in 1890 were separated by death, Mrs. Stevenson being called to her final rest on the 5th of May of that year. They had two children: Sarah, the wife of George L. Dilks, of Wenonah, and Charles C., of Blackwood. For fifty years Mr. Stevenson has been a consistent member of the Presbyterian church, and his life has been in har- mony with his religious belief and confessions. He is a man of marked business and executive ability, and has ever borne an unassailable reputation in all trade transactions. Honesty is synonymous with his name, and this, combined with his unflagging energy and perseverance, has brought to him
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a handsome success that numbers him among the substantial citizens of Gloucester county.
EDWARD LAWRENCE.
Edward Lawrence, an enterprising farmer of Salem and one of the largest land-owners of the county, may well be classed among its representative men. He is a son of William and Rebecca (Seagraves) Lawrence, and was born December 9, 1839, in Mannington township, where he became noted as a representative and enterprising agriculturist. His grandfather, George Law- rence, married Susannah Browning, a sister of Abraham Browning and an aunt of the prominent lawyer of that name in Camden, this state. Their children were Catherine, Elizabeth, Maria, George, Isaac, Thomas, and Mary Ann, William. He fought in the war of 1812 and was a soldier of valor. A member of the Episcopal church, he was an earnest Christian and lived an honorable and upright life.
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William Lawrence was a farmer of Mannington township during his active life, but moved to Salem some eight years before his death and there enjoyed a well earned rest. He was a Democrat and a freeholder and took an active interest in local politics. He was a regular attendant of the Baptist church and possessed of many sterling qualities that made him among the most respected men of the county. He was twice married, his first wife, Rebecca Seagraves, was the mother of six children: William; Joseph; Susan; Mary, who died at the age of twelve years; Edward, our subject; and John, who died at the age of twenty-three years. The father died in May; 1876, at the age of seventy years.
Edward Lawrence was educated in the district schools of his native town- ship and the pay schools of Salem. Reaching manhood, he adopted the calling of his father and became a farmer, first residing for a period of seven- teen years upon the paternal homestead of two hundred acres which he still owns. He was one of the most prosperous farmers in Salem county, giving care and attention to the preparation of the soil for his crops and to their cultivation, and he was rewarded by a bountiful harvest. H
added to his already large acreage until at the present time he has, in addition to the two hundred acres upon which he began his farm- ing, the well cultivated farm of one hundred and seventy-eight acres upon which he has resided for many years past, and a half interest in another property of four hundred acres in New Castle county, Delaware, making him one of the most extensive land-owners in the county.
Mr. Lawrence has been twice united in the bonds of matrimony, his first
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wife being Elizabeth Robinson, who died May 1, 1875, leaving one child, Joseph, who married Helen Rittenhouse and lives in Philadelphia. His second wife, Mary Elizabeth Carpenter, is a daughter of William B. Carpenter, of Salem, New Jersey. They have two children,-Anna and William. He is a Democrat, although his political enthusiasm has never been sufficiently strong to force him into the ring for political honors. As a trustee of the almshouse he has served the county faithfully and well, while as a trustee of the school he has been a valued friend to the cause of education.
JOSEPH PAUL.
Probably no resident of Gloucester county was more widely or more favorably known through the last half of the seventeenth century than Joseph Paul. As the proprietor of the Paul Hotel, of Woodbury, he gained a wide acquaintance and was very popular, his social qualities and sterling worth gaining for him the friendship and high regard of many with whom he came in contact. Viewed from a financial standpoint, his life was also a success, and his prosperity was attributable entirely to his own well directed efforts.
Mr. Paul was a native of Swedesboro, Gloucester county, New Jersey, and was a son of Hiram Paul, who was also a native of that place, where for many years he conducted a hotel. In the public schools of his native town our subject acquired his education, gaining a good knowledge of the English branches that well fitted him for the practical duties of life. In 1859 he came to Woodbury, where he purchased the Hotel Willis, changing its name to Paul's Hotel. From that time until his death, which occurred October 23, 1896, he conducted business and made his place one of the most popular hotels in this section of the country. The hotel was especially noted for the fine dinners which it served to its guests, and Mr. Paul won a high reputation as a terrapin cook. Parties of prominent men often came from Philadelphia and other places to take dinner here, and the Union League Club of Phila- delphia often entertained at dinner here, paying ten dollars a plate!
In public affairs Mr. Paul was also very prominent and was a recognized leader in the circles of the Republican party. His hotel was the rallying point of the supporters of the organization and many a slate was made and broken within its hospitable walls. For seventeen years he held the office of county collector, and his long service well indicated his fidelity and the trust reposed in him.
On the 24th of October, 1878, Mr. Paul was united in marriage to Miss
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Sarah Swain, a daughter of Nathan Swain, of Kentucky. Her people were extensive slaveholders of that state, but were extremely loyal to the Union cause, so that at the time of the civil war her father and three of her brothers served under the starry banner and fought for the supremacy of the national government at Washington. Since her husband's death Mrs. Paul has con- ducted the hotel. She is a lady of marked executive ability and keen discern- ment, and success follows her undertakings. In his social relations Mr. Paul was a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and was accounted one of the valued representatives of those ancient and benevolent fraternities. He might well be termed a self-made man, for starting out in life without capital he steadily worked his way upward until he had attained a position of affluence and at the same time gained the warm regard of all whom he met.
Mrs. Paul is the owner of Ogden Heights, a handsome country home near Woodbury, which was purchased shortly before the death of her hus- band and where he died.
ISAAC H. BACON.
Isaac Hitchner Bacon, of Salem, Salem county, New Jersey, is one of our reputable, substantial business men whose success has depended largely on his own individual efforts. He is a son of Lot and Sarah A. (Hawn) Bacon, and was born in Shiloh, Cumberland county, New Jersey, on April 6, 1854. Lot Bacon was also a native of that county, where he afterward engaged in agricultural pursuits. When the war of the Rebellion broke out he offered his services in behalf of liberty and became a member of the Twen- ty-fourth New Jersey Volunteer Regiment for a term of nine months. While in the service he was afflicted with jaundice and was obliged to go to the hospital near Washington, D. C., where he died. He was an earnest Chris- tian and a member of the Adventists' church. He was united in marriage with Sarah A. Hawn, who still survives him. Their children were Henry and Margaret, who died unmarried; Jesse, an engineer, who married Jane Hewsted; Isaac H., our subject; John S., who married Hettie Edward and resides in Salem; and Harriet, deceased. After the death of the father the mother married William J. Tayler, an engineer, by whom she had one child, William J., a glass-blower, who married Clara Taylor.
Mr. Bacon attended the Buttonwood school until the death of his father made it no longer possible for him to do so, and he was obliged to quit at the tender age of eight years. He was then put to work on a farm for a short time and then came to Salem, where he began work for the firm of
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Pancoast & Cravan in their large glass-works as snapper-up boy. He served in all the departments of the work as snapper, blower, foreman and general manager of the manufacturing department, having some four hundred men under him. This plant does an extensive business and ships its goods to all parts of the country. After coming to Salem he felt the need of an educa- tion, and in order to achieve it attended a session of night school where his time was profitably spent and the foundation laid for a more comprehensive education from reading and general observation.
He was married February 26, 1874, to Mary E. Wright, a daughter of John Wright, a former school-teacher, who is now a resident of Alloway township. They have two children, Ella, deceased, and Walter. He has been prominent in all public work and has spared no effort to advance the welfare of the municipality. He was formerly a member of the Liberty Hook and Ladder Company, and is now a member of the Firemen's Re- lief Association and the American Wheelmen. He is also prominent in social circles, being a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Salem Encampment, No. 10, and the Knights of Pythias. He is a Repub- lican and has been an active worker in local politics, while as a member of the city council he has been untiring in working for the best interests of his town.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRIS.
William Henry Harris is the editor of the South Jerseyman, and through the columns of his paper as well as by personal influence he has aided largely in promoting the substantial welfare, advancement and improvement of Salem and the surrounding country. He was born in this city February 10, 1870, pursued his preliminary education in the primary and grammar schools and afterward completed the high-school course. He then entered the Times Printing House on Chestnut street, Philadelphia, which was then the largest establishment of the kind in the city. On serving a regular apprenticeship he became well qualified for work in connection with the "art preservative of arts." From early life he manifested a decided taste for this vocation, and in his boyhood spent much time in the village newspaper office. For four years he remained with the Times printing house, and on the expiration of that period established a printing house in Salem, doing job and mercan- tile printing, in which enterprise he met with gratifying success. In 1893 he purchased The South Jerseyman, consolidating that with his job printing establishment. Further particulars are given a little further on.
Mr. Harris was married to Miss Phebe A. Armstrong, of Salem. They
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have three children: Bessie A., born November 7, 1889; Ralph N., born October 8, 1891; and Clifford W., born October 28, 1895. The parents hold membership in the Broadway Methodist Episcopal and the First Baptist church. Mr. Harris is a very prominent and influential member of the Young Men's Christian Association, was one of the promoters of the organi- zation at the time of its establishment and was a member of its board of directors. The first paper that he ever printed was the organ of the associa- tion. He has always taken a very active part in its work, being especially interested in the welfare of young men, to which class he yet belongs. Realizing the importance of training and influence to those who are in the stage of character development, he has done all in his power to aid the youth of Salem in entering upon a path of life that will lead ever onward and up- ward. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, always attends the conventions of his party and has frequently served as secretary. He is a member of the Garfield Club of this city and belongs to Ivanhoe Castle, No. 5, K. G. E., and the Fenwick Lodge, No. 164, I. O. O. F. His actions have ever been such as distinctively to entitle him to a place in this publication, and, although his career has not been filled with thrilling incidents, probably no biography appearing in this work can serve as a better illustration to young men of the power of honesty and integrity in securing success.
THE SOUTH JERSEYMAN.
The South Jerseyman, one of the leading newspapers published in this section of the state, was established in Salem on the 14th of June, 1881, by Charles N. Bell and D. Harris Smith, and was published in the interest of the Republican party. The first owners remained in charge until 1890, when the firm was dissolved, Mr. Smith carrying on business alone for two and a half years. On the expiration of that period it was repurchased by Mr. Bell and in 1893 passed into the possession of William H. Harris, the present owner and editor. On the 20th of June he assumed the management of the paper, which he has since published. It was established as a county Republican organ and has always advocated the principles of the grand old party, being an active and influential factor in local and state campaign work. It has the largest circulation of all papers in the state south of Trenton. See sworn statement in the American Newspaper Directory. The circulation is enlarg- ing all the time, and in a year the figures will be erratic. It is a well edited journal, neat in appearance, clean and wholesome, and always to be relied upon to champion all measures for the public good. In addition to the well equipped plant in Salem, a branch office is maintained at Ninth and Arch
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streets, Philadelphia. for the convenience of foreign advertisers who wish to secure rates, place business and for the reception of mercantile printing. The office is patronized by some of the best business houses and corpora- tions in Philadelphia. The large steam plant, fully equipped with all the latest improvements, insures first-class workmanship. The South Jersey- man was first established as a four-page folio, and on the Ist of January, 1900, was changed to an eight-page quarto, the latest devices being used for folding and pasting the paper. This paper is well known throughout south- ern New Jersey and was especially prominent as a factor in the election of General W. J. Sewell to the United States senate in 1897. In the face of strong opposition the South Jerseyman has had a rapid growth. It is the youngest journal of the city and its progressive and improved business meth- ods have won for it a circulation and influence worthy of much older journals. When Mr. Harris took charge he was the youngest editor in the state, but his ability as a journalist was soon manifest, and his excellent work is shown by the continued and ever growing success which has attended the enter- prise.
RICHARD T. STARR.
Richard Thompson Starr, the proprietor and operator of one of the largest canning factories in southern New Jersey, is one of the most influential and well known residents of Salem county, who has made his home in the city of Salem since 1873. He was born in Trenton, this state, August 27, 1850, and is a son of Rev. Samuel and Mary Mountain (Thompson) Starr, widely known as a minister of more than average ability. The family sprung from one of three brothers who came to America from England at an early day.
Rev. Samuel Starr was the eldest child of Samuel Starr, a physician, and one of three children: Samuel; Edward, a merchant of Newton, Connecti- cut, who died there some ten years ago; and Mary, who died young. Samuel was given a good education, finishing at the Trinity College at Hartford. He then entered the ministry of the Episcopalian church and for a period of more than twenty years was stationed at Trenton as the rector of the church there, while at the same time he served as the chaplain of the state's prison at that place. Failing health finally caused him to leave the field where he had labored so long and faithfully, and it was with sincere regret that the many friends he had gathered round him both in the church and out of it saw him take his departure for the west. He was offered the pastorate of Grace church at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and took up his residence at that thriving little city in 1854, remaining there the remainder of his life. He died sud-
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denly, in Chicago, in 1859, when returning from a visit to his old home in the east. He was then in his fifty-fifth year and had spent over thirty years in the ministry. His was a gentle, forbearing disposition, and his labors were attended with a far-reaching influence for good that was possible only to a man of his strong and dominating personality. Under his charge the little church in the west thrived and grew in strength until a solid founda- tion was laid for one of the strongest organizations in the middle west, and he is still held in loving remembrance by many of the older members who were then young people in his church. He was a shrewd business man as well as eloquent preacher, and invested largely in the prairie lands of the west, which it was one of his chief pleasures and recreations to manage.
He was twice married, the first ceremony being solemnized by Bishop Deane, of the New Jersey diocese, at Burlington, New Jersey. Two children were born of this union: Edward, deceased. connected with the Chicago Evening Journal for more than thirty years and a graduate of Gambier Col- lege, in Ohio. He married Miss Mary McCabe, a sister of Bishop McCabe. He had charge of the advertising department of the Journal and died at the age of fifty-five or -six years, in 1888. The second child was Rev. William C. Starr, who was a natural mechanic and for many years was closely asso- ciated with railroad magnates, but turned to the work of Christ and for several years has been stationed in Philadelphia as a supply in the Episco- palian church. The wife and child are dead. The Rev. Samuel Starr took for his second wife Miss Mary Thompson, the mother of our subject. Their children were Richard Thompson; Thomas B., born May 31, 1852, who was educated in the pay schools and is associated with our subject in business. He married Miss Mary Morris, a daughter of Josiah Morris, of Salem. The mother was a daughter of Dr. Hedge Thompson, for many years a promi- nent physician of Salem and a direct descendant of Lord Fenwick, the founder of the colony. He was a prominent politician of his day and repre- sented his district in congress. The mother died in 1894, at the age of seventy-nine years. She was a woman of rare attainments, a sweet and lovable nature, and well suited to be the helpmeet of a minister of the gospel.
Richard Thompson Starr first attended private school at Salem, and when his parents moved west entered the public schools of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Thinking of entering the legal profession, he became a student at Edge Hill. under Professor Cattell, preparatory to entering Princeton, but finally aban- doned that intention and decided to try his fortunes in commercial life. In 1870 he accepted a position in the employ of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway Company, where he remained a year, and then went to Chicago to take the position of fire and police reporter on the Chicago
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Evening Journal. He was not at all pleased with this work, and two years sufficed to show him that he must turn to some other field for an employ- ment that would be at once congenial and lucrative.
In 1873 he returned east and with George Mecum as a partner laid the foundation of his immense canning business. The firm of Starr and Mecum began canning in a small way, employing only about fifty men, but the goods put upon the market were of excellent quality and found a ready market, while their factory furnished the surrounding farmers with a new source of income and soon became one of the most popular industries in that section. The business continued to increase in volume until their old quarters was found much too small, and the firm of Starr & Brother-Mr. Mecum having been succeeded by Thomas Starr-put up a factory at Han- cock's Bridge in 1880, which was operated by them ten years and had a capacity of fifty thousand cans per day, or one ton of tomatoes in three and one-half minutes! The two factories made a record of ninety-seven thousand cans per day. The factory at Hancock's Bridge was sold to Fogg & Hires, who now operate it. At present they have in course of erection, at Port Penn, Delaware, a factory which will have a capacity of one million cans per season and will require many acres of tomatoes to supply the demand. The factory at Salem, the Fenwick Canning Works, is the oldest but one in the county, has an output of two million cans per year, employs five or six hundred people and consumes the product of six or seven hundred acres annually, giving to the farmers a steady market for a very productive crop.
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