USA > New Jersey > Book of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey, 1923 > Part 9
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What a splendid record and what a wonderful thing it is for a man to have lived and died having accomplished some- thing that lives after him and especially in the saving of life and the alleviation of pain; and what a contrast to the thou- sands of men who are born and live and die, and never accomplish anything more than an existence which is soon forgotten and for which the world is never any better.
Of all the Societies to which Dr. Coit belonged, he seemed most devoted to the Society of the Colonial Wars; the button of our Society was the only indication of membership in any of the many Societies to which he belonged, that he wore upon his breast at the time of his funeral.
GEORGE ROWLAND HOWE.
George Rowland Howe was born in New York City on October 31, 1847, son of Dr. John and Emaline G. Howe. He was the grandson of Major Bezaleel Howe, Lieutenant First New Hampshire Line, and served in the Guard of Honor which shielded Washington from perils and intrigues con- tinually besetting him during the War for Independence.
Mr. Howe was admitted to membership in our Society on October 13, 1900, State Number 64, National Number 2960, being the fifth descendant from Colonel Thomas Howe. He died at his residence in East Orange on June 9, 1917.
Mr. Howe was educated by a private tutor in his early years and then entered the New York University. Before com- pleting his course there, he entered actively into mercantile business, beginning as a traveling salesman. His natural ability, however, soon manifested itself and he rapidly rose in business and was admitted to membership in the firm of Carter, Hawkins, & Sloane, manufacturing jewelers, which afterwards became the firm of Carter, Howe, & Company, and at the time of his death Mr. Howe was the active member of this firm.
His was one of the quiet lives that are deep and steadfast, and while not so prominently before the public in his patriotic
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life, he was devoted to the Societies of which he was a member and gladly gave of his time and talents to serve in every way possible. He had unusual ability in being able to see clearly into various plans presented for consideration, and always insisted in shaping the proceedings of these organizations much to their benefit.
It has been said of him that he was a devoted father and husband, and a royal host-"His family circle was charming and typically American."
He was a man of deep piety and was as devoted and earnest in his Church as in his patriotic duties. His religion was not simply a profession-he made it practical in his broad and generous gifts to charities and assistance to them in every way that he could. He did not give blindly nor thoughtlessly, but always intelligently and consistently.
Mr. Howe was equally faithful in the discharge of his civic duties, and was noted for his faithful attendance in his visits to the polling places, and thought it not the least of his duties to acquaint himself with the men for whom he was called upon to vote.
His last illness was long and trying, but the end came peace- fully, and he passed into his eternal home and reward.
BENJAMIN SHEPARD.
Benjamin Shepard was admitted to membership in the . Society of Colonial Wars of the State of New Jersey on November 21, 1902, with State No. 77 and the National No. 3333.
Mr. Shepard was born in Shepardville, Mass., in 1838, and died at his home in East Orange, N. J., on January 10th, this year (1918). He was eighth in descent from William Brad- ford and from Miles Standish, and ninth in the line from John Alden of the Mayflower and early Massachusetts days.
In 1855 he entered the woolen business in New York City as a member of the firm of H. B. Smith & Co., which later became Rockefeller & Shepard. During the Civil War Mr.
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Shepard served as a Captain in the 23rd Regiment of Brooklyn.
He was an elder of the Presbyterian Church in Orange for many years, and compiled several hymn books.
In addition to his membership in our Society, he was a mem- ber of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Sons of the American Revolution, Society of the War of 1812, and the Huguenot Society.
A little less than a year ago Mr. Shepard met with us at the residence of Mr. Gardner, and in the absence of our Chap- lain read a most appropriate prayer. He appeared in excellent health at that time, and spoke particularly of the pleasure he had in working in his garden. To all who knew him he was the kindly and courteous gentleman, delightful in his manners, and his life was marked by his Christian characteristics and sterling integrity.
It is with real sorrow that we announce Mr. Shepard's death and realize that we will never again have the pleasure of seeing him in our meetings.
JOHN H. SPRAGUE, ESQUIRE.
John H. Sprague, Esquire, whose death occurred at his residence, Short Hills, New Jersey, on May 9, 1918, was admitted to membership in the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey February 6, 1915, State Number 164, General Society Number 5300. He was elected a member of the Council May 4, 1917, to serve an unexpired term for 2 years.
He was fourth in descent from Knight Sprague, who was born in 17II and died in 1804, and served as Private in the Massachusetts Militia in the French and Indian Wars in 1759. Mr. Sprague was of New England parentage, but he himself was born in New York City in 1851. His grandfather was one of the partners of Sprague, Robinson, & Company, a well- known and successful shipping firm. Mr. Sprague's father did not engage in any active business, but was a public spirited man, prominent in Church and Sunday School affairs, as well
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as in politics, representing the Democratic Party at several State Conventions.
He married, as his first wife, Miss Susie Ketcham, daughter of Enoch Ketcham, who was a manufacturer of stamped tin- ware, the business becoming finally consolidated in the Central Stamping Company, and 'Mr. Sprague was for many years an Officer of that Corporation. His first wife died in 1899 and in 1901 he married, as his second wife, Miss Annie F. Randall, of New York City.
He left the Central Stamping Company after the death of Mr. Ketcham, and became President of the Standard Rope and Twine Company, and afterwards became the Treasurer of the D. P. Winne Company, of Worth Street, New York City, which position he was filling at the time of his death.
He was President and Director of the Wheatena Company ; he was also a member of the Union League Club and the Merchants Club, of the Society of Descendants of the May- flower, as well as of our own Society of the Colonial Wars.
Mr. Sprague had two sons by his first wife, both of whom are married and living in California. Mr. Sprague in his religious belief was originally a Presbyterian, but in the later years of his life was a member of the Episcopal Church.
It is said that he never enjoyed good health, having been threatened with tuberculosis several times, and he also suffered several attacks of pneumonia.
Mr. Sprague because of his courteous and cordial manner was a most popular man. We recall his having entertained us at the Union League Club last January, and we can never forget his cordial and delightful manner or the charming entertainment he gave us.
GEORGE ELSWORTH KOUES.
George Elsworth Koues, State Number 5, General Number 367, was a charter member of our Society and served as Secre- tary of it from 1894 to 1898. Mr. Koues died at his late residence, 70 East 79th Street, New York, February 8, 1919.
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His business was that of banking. He was connected with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and with the Equitable Trust Company. He was Governor of the Dudley Family Association. He was a Vestryman of St. John's Church in Elizabeth and also Trinity Church in New York City. He was born February 28, 1849, and was married to Mary Parmley Tobey, a member of a prominent New Orleans family, and a member of the Society of the Colonial Dames in New Jersey, by whom he had six daughters. In a letter received by our Secretary, Mr. Nixon, from Miss Helen Koues, informing us of the death of her Father, she spoke of his membership in our Society and said that he was always most interested in it. He was also a member of the New York Society.
Perhaps Mr. Koues was not known to many of the newer members of the Society, but there is evidence of the good work he did in its earlier days, especially when he acted as its Secretary.
DR. GEORGE HERBERT RICHARDS.
Dr. George Herbert Richards, State Number 66, General Number 2962, was admitted to membership in our Society January 12, 1901. He was seventh in descent from Governor Robert Treat. He died at his home on the morning of Sep- tember 9, 1919.
Dr. Richards was an enthusiastic member of various patriotic Societies. He served the Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America as Genealogist, Historian, Councilor, and Deputy Governor, as well as Governor. He was also active in the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, serving the New Jersey State Society as Registrar for five years, and was President of the Orange Chapter. He was also a member of the Society of the War of 1812 of New Jersey, and at one time served the Society as President.
He was President of the Homeopathic Hospital of Essex County and a member of the staff, and was connected with
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other hospitals in New Jersey. He was President of the Board of Health of Orange and Chairman of the Building Committee of the Board of Education. When war was declared with Germany, Dr. Richards tendered his services to the Army, and in May, 1917, was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps and assigned to active duty in the base hospital at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He retired from the Army a little more than a year before his death.
THOMAS STRYKER CHAMBERS.
Thomas Stryker Chambers, State Number 180, General Number 5515, was elected to membership in our Society on the 29th day of January, 1916. His death occurred in his home in Trenton, N. J., on October 21, 1919, in his sixty-eighth year, following a long illness.
General Chambers was the last member of a family that settled in Trenton during the early days of that community's history, and whose members through succeeding generations took a leading part in its affairs, and contributed materially to its progress.
General Chambers was born on March 13, 1852, received his education at the Trenton Academy, and entered into mercantile life with the Trenton Gaslight Company. He was elected a Director in the Trenton Banking Company in Feb- ruary, 1892, and served until 1899, when he resigned to enter the Army at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. He was a member of the Trenton Battle Monument Association, and was a member of the Committee to secure appropriations from the thirteen original States. He was one of the orig- inators of the Young Men's Republican Club, now the Republican Club, and was its President in 1886-7-9. He was Secretary and Treasurer of the Mercer County Republican Executive Committee from September, 1887, to June, 1898, vacating both offices upon entering the United States Volunteer service during the Spanish-American War.
He was elected to the House of Assembly for the year 1889
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and served on the Committee for Militia. He was appointed to the Board of Health upon its organization, July, 1882, and served as a member for many years. He was Treasurer of the First Presbyterian Church from March, 1885, to 1889, and Trustee from April, 1901, to the time of his death. In No- vember, 1899, he was appointed Bank Examiner, and later named as Manager of the Trenton Clearing House, a position which he also held up to the time of his death.
General Chambers was a member of many Clubs and organ- izations, social and patriotic. He served at one time as President of the Sons of the Revolution of the State of New Jersey. His military career covered a period of forty years, and was distinguished by faithful and efficient service which won recognition in the form of rapid advancement in rank. Entering the National Guard service in March, 1873, as a Private, he passed rapidly from one to another of the higher grades, finally receiving the rank of Brevet Brigadier General, at which he was retired in March, 1913.
In the Spanish-American War, General Chambers served in the Fourth New Jersey Volunteers, in which he was com- missioned a Major June 30, 1898, and advanced to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy, March 4, 1899, serving in this office until the regiment was mustered out in Greeneville, N. C., April 6, 1899.
General Chambers' entire life was marked with unusual devotion to his duties as a citizen and as a patriot. Few men have filled so many different positions with such fidelity and distinction. As a member of our Council, he is remem- bered with the greatest pleasure by those who had the good fortune to know him. He entertained the Council at his residence in April, 1918, and the dinner following the meeting of the Council was marked by old-fashioned Southern hospi- tality both as to the delightful viands which he provided and also by the manner in which the dinner was served and the evident enjoyment of General Chambers in having the table surrounded by his friends.
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It is with great regret that we are called upon to record the death of General Chambers, and to realize that hereafter in our meetings we shall never again enjoy the pleasure of his presence with us.
JONATHAN HUNT BLACKWELL.
Jonathan Hunt Blackwell, State Number 185, General Number 5598, was admitted to membership in our Society on the 16th day of June, 1916. Mr. Blackwell was perhaps not known personally to many of our members, but he was a man of affairs and very well known in the city of Trenton, where he made his home for fifty-seven years.
Mr. Blackwell was born near Hopewell, N. J., December 20, 1841. After receiving a common school education and a business training at Eastman Commercial College at Pough- keepsie, he went into the grocery business in the store kept by his Father. At the age of 21 he went to Trenton and entered into the wholesale grocery business.
At the outbreak of the Civil War Mr. Blackwell enlisted as a Sutler's Clerk, and to join his command, the Third New Jersey Cavalry, he rode horseback from Trenton to Washing- ton. Sutlers were not allowed to proceed with the Army of the Potomac, so Mr. Blackwell returned to Trenton and re-entered business there.
Mr. Blackwell was a Democrat. In 1873 he was elected to Common Council and served three years, when he was elected to the State Senate. He was appointed by Governor Abbott to serve as State Treasurer upon the death of Mr. George M. Wright. In 1878 he was a member of the Commission named by Governor McClellan to the Paris Exposition. His active political career ended in 1885, and from then on he gave all his attention to his varied business interests. He was a member of the Commission that built Trenton's present City Hall.
Mr. Blackwell was deeply interested in the welfare of the Werner Hospital at Trenton, and it is said that for many years it was his custom to visit the Hospital every Sunday
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afternoon. The patients and those in charge looked forward to his visits, for he never failed to have a cheering word and a warm hand clasp for everyone.
For many years he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Interstate Fair. He was President of the Spring Lake Golf Club and active in the affairs of the Country Club. He served twenty years as President of the Lotus Club, and he was President of the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the Revolution. He had large and active interest in the Wholesale Grocers' Association. He was President of the Standard Fire Insurance Company, Vice-President of the First National Bank, and a Director of the Trenton Savings Fund Society.
Mr. Blackwell's death occurred on November 16th. The funeral services were held at his residence the following Saturday morning and the interment was made at Hopewell, where he was born seventy-eight years ago.
HORACE HOLDEN.
Horace Holden, State Number 119, General Number 4434, died suddenly at Asheville, North Carolina, on December 7, 1919. He was admitted to our Society April 17, 1907. He was the son of the late Horace and Abigail Rankin Holden, and died in his fortieth year. Funeral services were held at the home of his Father, Edward P. Holden, Madison, New Jersey, on Friday, December 12th.
The latter part of Mr. Holden's life was devoted to the education of young men along the lines of the English system of teaching.
Mr. Holden became a member of the Society of the War of 1812 in 1908, and was elected President of the New Jersey State Society in 1918, serving for one year. He derived his eligibility to membership in that Society by descent from Horace Holden, his Great-Grandfather, who was a member of Captain Daniel Kilburn's Company of Artillery, of Orange, which was attached to the Second Regiment of Infantry of
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New Jersey. He served as a Lieutenant and afterwards as a Major and Aide-de-Camp on the staff of Brigadier-General Colfax, of the New Jersey Militia.
JAMES MONROE BUCKLEY.
James Monroe Buckley, State Number 130, General Num- ber 4750. From the great wealth of what could be said of Dr. Buckley, it is difficult to condense into this short Memorial anything that will adequately describe his ability, his accom- plishments, and his character. He was perhaps the most remarkable man ever connected with our Society.
He was of English ancestry, his Father coming from Lancashire in 1827, and was born in 1836. Early in life he developed tuberculosis, of which his Father had died. At the age of fourteen he entered the Pennington Seminary in New Jersey, after which he tried his hand at various occupations until 1854, when he again returned to school and made a name for himself as a brilliant but erratic student, a ready and witty debater, and here he began to emerge from the shadows of skepticism and infidelity and to learn from his young friend Landon "the Alphabet of the New Life."
In his twentieth year he entered Wesleyan University at Middletown, Connecticut, intending to prepare himself for the practice of Law. His health was frail and his funds low, and, as at Pennington, he helped himself by teaching Winter terms of school. On the stump in the Fremont Cam- paign in 1856 he had discovered his gifts as a popular speaker and he was sought after on many occasions. In Bakerville, Conn., he was set to debate on "Immortality" with an Adventist from Boston, and the seriousness of that combat had a reflex influence on his own beliefs. From that epoch he took a new and higher view of life, and in a revival about that time, which shook a neighboring community under the leadership of a man by the name of Abbott, the young teacher at last found himself and his life work. He determined to leave college and devote the scant remainder of his days-as the weakness of his lungs
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seemed to destine him to an early grave-to "preach as a dying man to dying men."
His first charge was at Exeter, N. H. He was then so enfeebled in health from frequent hemorrhages from the lungs, that he doubted whether a Methodist Episcopal Conference would accept him, but with the extraordinary characteristics which enabled him to triumph in so many things in life, he fought this disease to a finish and conquered it.
The record of his life is filled with marvelous records of his Church work and especially his editorial work. In his pastoral work he established a reputation as a preacher who appealed to men of a high intellectual type. In 1860 he easily won at the General Conference of the Methodist Church the position as Editor of the "Christian Advocate" and continued in this position without opposition until 1912, when he declined re- election on account of advancing years, and went into voluntary retirement at the age of seventy-six, receiving such tributes of esteem and affection as have come to few men in Methodist history.
As an editor, he belonged to the Greeleys, Danas, Bowleses, McKelways, and Wattersons, and these journalists were proud to admit his kinship. The Advocate was "Buckley's Paper" as the Tribune was "Greeley's." He was unquestionably one of the greatest leaders in the Methodist Church, never seeking for himself any of its honors or positions.
As an evidence of his versatility, it is said of him that he excelled as Pastor, Preacher, Lecturer, Editor, Churchman, and Humanitarian, and he achieved distinction in many other fields. He was sufficiently versed in the Law to enable him to discuss principles, statutes, and cases with jurists; he knew more of the art of healing than some physicians and he was an honorary member of Medical Societies. He had studied all memory systems and made incomparable use of the best of them; he was an authority on epilepsy and insanity; his acquaintance with the literature of tuberculosis, indigestion, alienism, and
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other pathologic fields was only less than professional. He attended lecture courses in Law and Medicine.
Bishop Fowler describes his outward appearance as follows :
"Dr. Buckley is short of stature, like Saint Paul, standing five and a half feet in his stockings and weighing one hundred and fifty pounds. He is bald-headed like Socrates. His eyes are round, dark, and steady. He is nervous, quick, and ready, yet calm, deliberate, and authoritative."
He fought the liquor traffic with wisdom and power at a time when the Eighteenth Amendment was but a dream. He summoned his fellow Christians to their duty toward suffering humanity, and Methodist hospitals began to dot the land. He destroyed illusions, exposed fakirs, demolished shams, and kept ever before the Church the fundamentals of its faith. And because his place in the nation was so conspicuous, and his pen and voice were so eloquent, and the religious body for which he spoke so numerous, he brought a tremendous reinforcement to those in other Churches who stood for the same principles. When evangelical Christianity was challenged Dr. Buckley was one of its recognized champions. And upon more than one occasion it was his presence in the lists that saved the day.
He died on Sunday morning, February 8, 1920, at his home in Morristown, N. J., in the eighty-fourth year of his age, rounding out one of the most complete and useful lives of anyone in the long list of New Jersey's distinguished sons.
FRANKLIN MURPHY.
Franklin Murphy, State Number 53, General Number 2519, died at Palm Beach, Florida, on February 23, 1920, in the seventy-fifth year of his age.
Born in Jersey City January 3, 1846, his life record is most remarkable for its activities, its successes, its patriotism, and its usefulness. At the early age of sixteen he enlisted as a private in Company A, Thirteenth New Jersey Volunteers,
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for the Civil War; three years later he was mustered out as a Lieutenant.
He entered the varnish business and established the Murphy Varnish Company, of which he was Chairman of the Board of Directors when he died.
He was a member of the Board of Aldermen of Newark and became its President. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1885. He was unanimously nominated for Governor in 1901 by the Republican State Convention and was elected. During his career as Governor many important beneficial Laws were enacted. He was offered the post of Ambassador to Russia by President Mckinley, but declined it.
He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Republican National Committee for seventeen years. In 1908 he received 158 votes for Vice-Presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention. He was a delegate to five Republican National Conventions.
He was a member and at one time President-General of the Sons of the American Revolution. He was a member of the Loyal Legion, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Society of the Cincinnati, as well as a member of our own Society, and was a Mason.
Mr. Murphy was easily one of the foremost citizens of the State of New Jersey in political and business life. He came of Connecticut Colonial stock, transplanted to Bergen County, N. J., in 1766.
Throughout his entire life, in addition to all the successes that he had as a business man and politically, one of the out- standing traits of his character which were so distinctly noticed in Mr. Murphy's life was that of his pure American patriotism. Much of the time of his busy life was given to the furtherance of patriotic organizations and patriotic endeavours, to maintain for this country the principles on which it was established. As a member of our own Society, he was a member of the Council from 1900 to 1904, and filled the office of Lieutenant-Governor from 1904 to 1906.
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Few of the members of our Society have been more con- spicuously known and helpful in their life and few will be more sincerely missed in their departure.
GEORGE CUMMINS THOMAS.
George Cummins Thomas, State Number 13, General Number 851, one of the most prominent residents of Elizabeth and well known in the Law circles of New York, died, on February 26, 1920, at his home, 860 North Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J. He was sixty-one years old. He lived in Elizabeth more than fifty years. He was ill about a year and was in a much weakened condition during the last two weeks of his life.
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