USA > New Jersey > Cyclopedia of New Jersey Biography > Part 21
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As executive he was careful, but pro- gressive, his official career being one that in- spired public confidence. As prosecutor he performed the duties of that often unpleas- ant position without shrinking and with un- faltering courage, ever placing duty and the right above personal consideration. As a lawyer he grew constantly in public favor, his services as an advocate and counsellor being in continuous demand, and he appear- ed in many important cases in Salem and adjacent counties. In the social and fra- ternal life of his city no one was more pop- ular or welcome. He was a past master of Excelsior Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma-
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sons, of Salem, was active in the organiza- tion of the Country Club, and until his death was continuously a member of the board of governors. He was an ardent Democrat, loved the traditions and firmly believed in the principles of his party. He was an efficient party worker and leader, his opinion and advice carrying great weight in political councils. He was, by family ties, a Friend, but his birthright was lost when his father married outside the Society. He was a Friend at heart, his honorable, upright nature responding to the simple, Christ-like faith of that sect.
While this review of the life work of one of Salem's honored dead must of necessity omit much that was useful to his fellows, it fully shows that in whatever position Mr. Acton was placed he met every demand made upon him with the complete measure of his ability, and no duty was left unper- formed, whatever the influence that at- tempted to swerve him from its just dis- charge. He was an incorruptible executive, a relentless prosecutor, and the open foe of wrongdoers, but possessed the gentlest of natures, a warm, ready sympathy, and a heart that always responded to the needs of friends or unfortunates. He was univer- sally loved and respected, and years must elapse before another can completely fill the void caused by his death. Salem uni- versally mourned his death, the most per- fect public testimonial being tendered his memory by Judge Clement H. Sinnickson, judge of the courts, and by the members of the Salem County Bar, when at open court session (May 20, 1907) the Judge praised Mr. Acton's legal ability, his elo- quence as an advocate, his ingrained hones- ty, his moral and physical courage, and made reference to his magnetic personality. After others had, with touching earnestness and sincerity, borne witness to his worth as a man and friend, the following resolution was read, adopted, and entered upon the court minutes :
"The members of the Bar of Salem County de- sire to express their sorrow for the untimely death of one of their fellow members, Jonathan Woodnutt Acton, for more than twenty years a prominent and successful and useful lawyer. but one who has been taken away from among us in what we might well have hoped was the very prime of his life.
"Mr. Acton was born in Salem and had lived here during the almost fifty years of his life, and we who were his professional associates and knew him well are glad to bear testimony to our appreciation of his steadfast integrity as a citi- zen, his successful practice as a lawyer, and his useful work as a public officer.
"Mr. Acton was distinctively an advocate. Het was gifted with a natural, earnest, eloquent ad- dress that was successful with juries in a large proportion of the cases he argued before them. But he was growing steadily as a lawyer, in all respects, until he was stricken with the disease that carried him away."
The resolution closed with beautiful ex- pressions of regret and condolence.
Jonathan Woodnutt Acton married, July 19, 1890, Frances Blackwood House, who survives him, continuing her residence at the home on Oak street, Salem, that she en- tered as a bride. She and her children are members of the St. John's Episcopal Church. Children : Frances Newlin, born June 14, 1891, now a student in the law department of the University of Pennsyl- vania, class of 1916; Mary, born January 2, 1893, married Pierce Alridge Ham- mond, a druggist of West Chester, Pennsyl- vania, and has a son, Pierce Alridge (2), born in September, 1914; Jonathan Wood- nutt, born July 23, 1894, also a law student at the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1917; Conrad Berens, born September 6, 1902 ; Margaret Carpenter, born December 23, 1903.
(The House Line.)
This family name is a contraction of the form "Houseman," and was established in Salem by Jacob House, who came to this city an expert glass blower, a calling he followed for many years in a factory built by Mr. Wistar. He was also a farmer, and
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served in the Revolutionary army with his brother, Jonathan. He married Mary, daughter of William Oakford, who owned a large tract of land in Alloway township, and granddaughter of Wade Oakford, the emigrant. Jacob and Mary (Oakford) House had children, Anna, Margaret, and William.
William, son of Jacob House, was born January 27, 1771, and died in 1802. He was a farmer and large land owner, his possessions ranging between two and three thousand acres, situated in Upper Alloway Creek township. He was honored by his fellows to election to many local offices, and during his lifetime held important place in the public service. He married Sarah Wood, and had two children.
Jonathan, son of William and Sarah (Wood) House, was born September 25, 1798. Left an orphan at the age of four years he grew to manhood under the care of an uncle, in mature years engaging in farming and the operation of a saw niill. He was the builder of a number of ships, and owned the large farm upon which he died. His political beliefs were strongly Democratic, and he was a member of the township committee. Appointed a lay judge of Salem county, he achieved a creditable record in that high position, his service marked by faithfulness and ability. His home life was his greatest joy, and in the companionship of his family he found his one relaxation from business cares and pub- lic burdens. He was an earnest, devout Christian, and held the regard and admir- ation of his fellows. Jonathan House mar- ried Frances Blackwood, and had three sons and two daughters.
Jonathan (2), son of Jonathan and Frances (Blackwood) House, was born in Alloway, New Jersey, May 10, 1843, the home of his birth the brick house built by the founder of the family, Jacob House, his great-grandfather. As a youth he at- tended the public schools of Alloway town- ship and Eldridge Hill, afterward a private
school in Shiloh, and when nineteen years of age discontinued his studies to take up duties on the homestead, which he culti- vated during his active years. He was at one time a member of the Home Guard, formed during the Civil War period, and fraternizes with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a staunch Democrat Jonathan House (2) married, November 22, 1864, Elmina Ayres, born in 1844, died August 10, 1899, daughter of Elmer and Clemence (Payne) Ayres, her father a son of Ezekiel and Margaret Ayres. Children : George ; and Frances Blackwood, of previ- ous mention, who married Jonathan Wood- nutt Acton.
ATWATER, Judge Edward Sanford, Lawyer, Jurist, Philanthropist.
The legal profession numbers among its members men of high distinction, scholarly attainments, and wide experience, and prominent among these was the late Judge Edward Sanford Atwater, of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was a son of the Rev. Lyman H. Atwater, D.D., LL.D., and Sus- an Sanford Atwater. He was a descendant of a distinguished English family, and the American progenitor of the family was David Atwater, who came from the county of Kent, England, and from whom he was descended in the eighth generation. David Atwater was one of the original settlers of New Haven, Connecticut, and both of the parents of Edward Sanford Atwater were natives of that city. His father, the Rev. Lyman H. Atwater, was a graduate of Yale University and the Yale Theolog- ical Seminary, and was prominent as a cler- gyman, instructor and writer.
Judge Edward Sanford Atwater was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, on February 8th, 1843, and died on June 3rd, 1913, at his home, No. 511 Westminster avenue, Eliza- beth, New Jersey. When a young lad he removed to Princeton, where his father was for three decades a professor in Princeton
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University. His earlier education was ac- quired in Princeton Preparatory School, after which he matriculated at Princeton University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1862, and was later awarded the degree of Master of Arts. Later he enter- ed the Columbia University Law School, from which he received the degree of Bach- elor of Laws in 1866, and in the June term of the same year was admitted to the New Jersey bar as an attorney, and as a counsel- lor in the year 1870. He at once estab- lished himself in the practice of his profes- sion in Elizabeth, with which city he was identified until his death.
From that date until his death Judge At- water was prominently associated with the affairs of the city and of the State, hoid- ing many positions of trust and honor, be- ginning with his services as a member of the Board of Education and terminating with his services as Judge of the Union County Court of Common Pleas. In 1872 he was chosen as a member of the Board of Education of the city of Elizabeth, serv- ing in 1873 and 1874. He was unanimous- ly elected Superintendent of Schools of Elizabeth on May 12, 1877, and served in that capacity until February II, 1880, when he resigned. In 1883 he was elected a mem- ber of the Common Council of Elizabeth and served until 1889. He was president of the City Council for one term, being elected to that office January 1, 1887, and serving until December 31 of the same year. In 1880 he was appointed a member of the State Board of Health by Governor McClel- lan, and served a full term of six years. In July, 1895, he was appointed City Attor- ney of Elizabeth, and in 1896 was ap- pointed Judge of the District Court by Gov- ernor Griggs. In 1901 he was reappoint- ed by Governor Voorhees, and again reap- pointed by Governor Stokes in 1906. In May, 1906, he was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Union county to fill a vacancy, and in 1908 was reappoint-
ed to the same office for a full term, by Governor Fort, and served until January 6, 1913, when his impaired health made his resignation imperative.
His interest in working out a solution for the juvenile problem dated from the time of his sitting as judge in the Court of Con- mon Pleas, when many cases of juvenile de- linquency were brought before him. In la- ter years he gave much of his time and at- tention to this problem, and was one of the strongest advocates for the establish- ment of a separate house of detention for the youthful offenders, thus keeping them from contact with older criminals.
In social and fraternal life, Judge At- water was prominently identified, particu- larly with the Sons of the American Revo- lution, having been president of the New Jersey State Society for four years from 1909 to 1912 inclusive. He was a member up to the time of his death of the Eliza- bethtown Chapter, No. I, of that society. Among other clubs and societies with which he was affiliated were the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Union County Bar As- sociation, the New Jersey Historical Soci- ety, Princeton Club of New York, and the Elizabeth Town and Country Club.
In church life he was prominent as a mem- ber of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, and was for many years a pre- siding elder. For nearly twenty years he was superintendent of the Sunday school. He was charitable in the extreme, but his charity was bestowed in an unostentatious manner.
Judge Atwater married, in 1876, Ger- trude Vanderpoel Oakley, daughter of Dr. Lewis W. Oakley, of Elizabeth. They had two children-a daughter, Henrietta Bald- win, who married Herbert Underwood Far- rand, and who has two children-Sanford Atwater Farrand and John Carroll Fa1- rand; and a son, Edward Sanford Atwater Jr., an attorney, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, who has two sons-Edward Sanford At- water, (3rd), and Charles Brown Atwater.
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TOWNSEND, Rev. Charles, D.D.,
Prominent Clergyman, Litterateur.
There is no influence in any community which makes a more permanent impression than that of a beloved and revered pastor, and one of the most beneficent of these, one whose saintliness was admitted by all, whether they were of his flock or not, was the Rev. Charles Townsend, D.D., pastor for almost twenty years of the First Pres- byterian Church of Orange, New Jersey. His family had been prominent in the so- cial and civic life of Buffalo, New York, where his grandfather, the Hon. Charles Townsend, was one of the pioneer settlers, later became one of the first judges in Ni- agara county, and also filled with ability many other positions of honor and public trust in the western part of the State of New York.
The name of Townsend is a very an- cient one, and arises from the location of the first man who assumed it as a surname. He evidently resided on the outskirts of some town, and the name originally appears in England as Atte Town's End. The family of Townsend in England and America traces its ancestry to Walter Atte Town- shende, son of Sir Lodovic de Townshend, a Norman nobleman, who came to England soon after the Conquest. Lodovic married Elizabeth de Hauteville, heiress of Rayn- ham, and daughter of Sir Thomas de Hauteville, a portion of whose property came to the Townsend family. In 1200 we find one of the family, William Town- send (or ad exitumville). in Taverham, County Norfolk. Thomas ette-Tunneshen- de (Townsend) lived in the reign of Henry III, 1217-72, at West Herling. William Atte Tunesend lived in 1292; Thomas in 1714. The family became prominent in Norfolk in the fourteenth century. The coat-of-arms of this ancient family was a chevron between three escallop shells.
in Orange, New Jersey, December 14, 1914, and is buried there in Rosedale Cemetery. Having completed the courses of the ele- mentary and high schools of his native city, Mr. Townsend entered upon the field of journalism, with which he was successfully identified until he went abroad with his parents, when he resumed his studies in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.
Mr. Townsend returned to this country after the death of his father in Germany, and commenced the study of theology at the Auburn Theological Seminary, from which he was graduated with honor in the class of 1883. He had been licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Buffalo in 1882. The ability of Mr. Townsend had not remained unnoted, and immediately af- ter his graduation he was called to assume charge of the First Presbyterian Church of Lansingburgh, New York, and was ordain- ed to the Christian ministry by the Presby- tery of Troy in June, 1883. Ten years were spent in this pastorate, during which Rev. Townsend added greatly to his repu- tation. The church funds had been at a very low ebb when he took charge, and when he left they were in a very satisfac- tory condition, and the congregation had greatly increased in numbers. In June, 1893, he became pastor of the Woodland Avenue Presbyterian Church at Cleveland, Ohio, which was one of the largest and most influential churches of this denomina- tion in the country at the time. He was installed by the Presbytery of Cleveland in June, 1893, but in less than two years re- signed his charge, because the delicate health of a daughter made a residence in Cleveland undesirable. At this time he ac- cepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church of Orange, New Jersey, was in- stalled in this historic church by the Pres- bytery of Morris and Orange in May, 1895, and filled this charge until his death. He was not alone popular among the members of his congregation, but with all classes of
Rev. Charles Townsend, D.D., was born in Buffalo, New York, July 15. 1857, died people, his warm heart and broad mind rec-
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ognizing not distinctions of religion when it was a question of assisting a fellow being. He was an eloquent and convincing preach- er, and adhered strictly to topics connected with religion when in the pulpit, holding that it was no place for lectures on gener- al subjects, however worthy their object might be. Washington and Jefferson Col- lege conferred upon him the degree of Doc- tor of Divinity in June, 1903. He frequent- ly represented the presbyteries of his con- nection as commissioner to the General As- sembly, and served each such presbytery as its moderator. Calls came to him frequent- ly from numerous other churches, but he preferred long pastorates, and declined to serve in Washington, Newark, Albany, and other places. He was a man of many sided ability and talent. So marked was this in the line of art, that had he chosen to make a life study of that rather than of preach- ing, there is no doubt that he would have stood at the front rank of American artists. As it is, he painted many pictures which are worthy of a place in the National Gallery. Photography also engaged a considerable share of his attention, and so notable was his work in this direction that, at the time of his death, the Camera Club of Orange, of which he was a member, donated two hundred dollars to a charitable organiza- tion in honor of his memory. He was equally talented with his pen, and was a frequent contributor to the literature of the day, along secular and religious lines, and some poems of which he was the author are possessed of a high degree of literary merit. He was of a genial and kindly na- ture, and was a member of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; The Authors' Club, of New York City ; the Royal Arca- num; and the Camera Club of Orange, New Jersey.
Rev. Townsend married, June 10, 1884, Mary Louise Markham, of New York. Children: Marian Louise, who married Mahlon Hutchison; Charles, deceased ; Gladys Constance, married Guy Cory
Cleveland ; Charles Howard; Roger Corr. ing. Rev. Townsend was also survived b a brother, E. Corning Townsend, of Buffa lo, New York, and two sisters, Mrs. Georg B. Wellington, of Troy, New York, an Cora Townsend, of Buffalo, New York. A the time of the death of Rev. Townsend many organizations passed resolutions o condolence, and two of these are here sub joined :
Whereas: In response to the call of our pres ident the Orange Camera Club is met togethe this 19th day of December, nineteen hundred an fourteen, to take such formal action as shall sin cerely though inadequately, express a sense o our great loss and deep sorrow at the death o our honored and beloved fellow member, Dr Charles Townsend. Therefore be it.
Resolved, That we give due and heartfelt ex pression to the personal bereavement experienced by the membership of this organization, and to the profound loss which the death of Dr. Town send means to this Club as such. Associated a: a member since February 20th, 1896, with all its interests, ever solicitous for the highest and best welfare of the Club, always in the administratior of its affairs when serving on any committees and ever invaluable both in service and in coun- cil whenever called upon to associate himself in its activities, the Orange Camera Club feels that in the death of this most valued member, there is incurred a loss which it will be impossible to meet. As a Club we put ourselves in memory of the heavy obligations under which we find ourselves to the skill, fidelity and devotion of this departed member. Serving a term on our. Board of Governors, as a member at large, his experience and his wisdom at the command of the Club in whatever paths were opened to him, and otherwise Dr. Townsend made himself con- tinuously of the utmost value to this organization so dear to him. Nor are we unmindful of his broader and larger influence for good in the gen- eral outside world of amateur photography. For several years Dr. Townsend represented this Club in the American Lantern Slide Exchange, ever making his presence felt in its annual delib- erations as a power in the conservation of the best interests inherent in that branch of amateur photography, his loss to that body will be felt as keenly as it is to our own. Skilled in his own photographic work, high in his conceptions of this phase of art, clear and keen in critical ability, generous and helpful to his fellow members, broad and practical as a man of affairs, warm-
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hearted and devoted as a friend, we thus inscribe our sentiment of loss with profoundest sorrow. We would also voice our loss, not alone from a photographic viewpoint, but would record the fact that Dr. Townsend never failed to point us to higher ideals as men, and his presence was a continual inspiration to each of us. "His life was gentle; and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, this was a man!" It is therefore further
Resolved, That the foregoing be committed to the formal records of our Club, and that a copy of same be conveyed by the secretary to his fam- ily. Done at a special meeting of the Orange Camera Club, held Saturday evening, December 19th, 1914, pursuant to a call of the President, Mr. Richard F. Hetherington.
(Signed) GEORGE E. MELENDY, LINDLEY H. BODE, A. H. WILLIAMS, Special Committee.
IN MEMORIAM
THE REV. CHARLES TOWNSEND, D. D.
Beloved Pastor of this Church for Ten Years, 1883-1893, Died at Orange, New Jersey, Decem- ber 14, 1914. Held in grateful memory by this congregation,
Resolved, That the Session of the First Pres- byterian Church of Lansingburgh records with sorrow the death of the Rev. Charles Townsend, D. D., a former pastor of this church, who died at his late residence in Orange, N. J., on Decem- ber 14th, 1914. Dr. Townsend was called to the pastorate of this church and was here ordained and installed July 2, 1883, shortly following his graduation from Auburn Theological Seminary. For ten years this church prospered under his vigorous and effective ministry, making large accessions to its membership, and extensive im- provements in its property. By his wholesome cheer and hearty kindliness, his unfailing sym- pathy and eager readiness to help, Dr. Town- send increasingly endeared himself to his church ; while his broad interest in public affairs, his gen- ial friendliness and exceptional brilliancy of mind won him a large circle of friends without, and a very prominent place in the life of the community. Frequently hearing warm expres- sions of personal attachment to Dr. Townsend and noting the wide spread sorrow his death has occasioned among us, we are impressed anew with the lasting influence of his ministry in this place. Cherishing pleasant recollections of his happy pastorate and lamenting his death, we gratefully record in the Session Minutes of our church, this tribute of esteem and affection. Re-
joicing in the distinguished success he has at- tained in other pastorates, we much more re- joice in the delightful continuance of the heart- felt love which Dr. Townsend and his beloved wife have always manifested towards this, their first church, and in the frequent visits by which they have kept the ties of old love and friendship so closely knit. With a deep sense of our per- sonal loss, we extend to Mrs. Townsend and to the children, our affectionate sympathy, sincerely praying that "the God of all comfort" may abund- antly sustain them with His "sufficient grace."
Resolved, That this minute be presented to the congregation for adoption at the morning ser- vice on Sunday, December 20.
By order of the Session,
CHARLES H. WALKER, Moderator. PAUL COOK, Clerk.
Dec. 18, 1914.
Elders: A. Hardy, Jas. J. Edelz, Warren T. Kellogg, Joseph J. Hagen, J. K. P. Pine, Her- bert L. Bryant, J. Edgar Sipperly, Edward W. Arms, Joseph Macaulay, Mott D. Brown, John A. Smith.
Trustees: W. N. Miter, L. W. Arms, Geo. F. Wood, Neil K. White, Frank F. Kellogg, J. Wright Gardner, per W. T. K. (out of town).
FRANCIS, Edward William,
Civil War Veteran, Manufacturer.
A man of serious aims, broad views on all questions, generous ideals and shrewd business opinions, was to be found in the person of Edward William Francis, late of East Orange, New Jersey. He was genial and courteous on all occasions, and his ac- curate estimate of human nature enabled him to take a leading part in the selection of the men necessary to fill the important positions in the concern with which he was identified for so long a period of time. He was a descendant of William Francis, of the Parish of Llysyfran, county of Pembroke, South Wales, who sailed August 14, 1798, in the ship "Cleopatra," from Fishguard. William Arnold, son of William Francis, and father of Edward William Francis, was a man of large wealth, and he was en- gaged in the business of importing fine china. He married, January 10, 1839, Catherine Adele Baldwin.
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