USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > Genealogical and personal memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey > Part 10
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in the community. While in Wilkes-Barre he was president of the First National Bank, and he was senior partner in the banking firm of Brown & Gray at the time of his death. He removed to Princeton, New Jersey, in 1866, and purchased a farm, to which he devoted much of his time and attention, keeping it in a fine state of culti- vation. Upon his final removal from Wilkes- Barre, in 1873, he retired from all active partici- pation in business affairs. He was a consistent member of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in which he held the office of ruling elder, and had the respect and es- teem of his fellow citizens in no small measure. He was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Princeton and one of the ruling elders for a number of years.
REV. SYLVESTER WOODBRIDGE BEACH, an eminent divine, now pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, is a member of a family which for a number of generations has been close- ly identified with the interests of the Presbyter- ian church.
Nathaniel Beach, grandfather of Rev. Sylves- ter Woodbridge Beach, was a resident of Newark, New Jersey, and was a shoe merchant. He was for many years an elder in the First Presbyter- ian Church of Newark, New Jersey, and was highly respected in the community. He married Mary Woodruff, of Orange, New Jersey, and among their children was a son, Charles.
Rev. Charles Beach, son of Nathaniel and Mary (Woodruff) Beach, was born in Newark, New Jersey, April 9, 1819. He was a graduate of Westminster College and Princeton Seminary, and devoted himself to the ministry of the Gos- pel. His first charge was at Woodville, Missis- sippi, where he remained for a period of twelve years, and was then transferred to the Bethel Church, South Piains, Virginia, where he labored for another twelve years. His last charge was the Springfield Presbyterian Church, near Balti- more, Maryland, of which he was pastor until his death, March 7, 1881. He is buried in the family plot at Springfield. He married Fanny Coleman Woodbridge, daughter of Rev. Sylves- ter and Fanny (Gould) Woodbridge, who were the parents of the following children, all of the sons becoming clergymen: I. Rev. John Wood- bridge, D. D., was the thirteenth clergyman in a direct line in the Woodbridge family. 2. Rev.
ALEXANDER GRAY
JANE (RUSSELL) GRAY
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Sylvester Woodbridge was one of the pioneers of the Presbyterian faith in California. He, to- gether with Revs. Woods and Williams, organ- ized the first Presbytery in California. He also founded the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in San Francisco, and established the Occident newspaper, the first Presbyterian newspaper on the Pacific coast. 3. Rev. Samuel Woodbridge, D D., LL. D., was forty years professor in the Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and died June 24, 1905. 4. Rev. Jah- leel Woodbridge. 5. Fanny Coleman. 6. Rev. John Woodbridge, D. D. Among the children of Rev. Charles and Fanny Coleman (Wood- bridge) Beach was Sylvester Woodbridge, the subject of this sketch.
Rev. Sylvester Woodbridge Beach, son of Rev. Charles and Fanny Coleman ( Woodbridge) Beachı, was born in Woodville, Mississippi, July 24, 1852. He was graduated among the first of his class, and with high honors, from Prince- ton University in 1876, and from Princeton Sem- inary in 1880. The degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred upon him in 1876, and that of Master of Arts in 1879. His first pastorate was the Twelfth Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained from May, 1880, until December, 1887, when he was called to take charge of the First Presbyterian Church of Bridgeton, New Jersey, ministering to the needs of that congregation until 1901. His next field of work was in Paris, France, where he was pastor of the American Students' Church for five years, for two years of which he ministered to the American church in the Rue de Berri. He was called, November 14, 1906, to take charge of his present parish, the First Presbyterian Church of Princeton, New Jersey, where his earnest, sympathetic work has gained for him the love of all his parishioners. He is an elo- quent, convincing preacher, and his sermons are couched in language which is both elegant and simple. He has been active in many directions for the welfare of those under his care. He was one of the organizers of the Bridgeton Hospital, was treasurer of the Presbytery of West Jersey for ten years, was chairman of the executive com- mittee of the West Jersey Academy, and by his own efforts succeeded in raising the sum of ten thousand dollars to pay off the debt resting on the institution and put it upon a sound financial basis. He is a member of the Princeton Golf
Club, of the University Club of Philadelphia, and of the University Club of New York.
Rev. Sylvester W. Beach married, August 10, 1882, Eleanor Orbison, born in Rawal Pindi, In- dia, daughter of Rev. James H. and Nancy (Har- ris) Orbison, the former having been a mission- ary in India for the long period of twenty years. Nancy (Harris) Orbison is a direct descendant of the old Harris family of Pennsylvania, in whose honor the city of Harrisburg was named. The children of Dr. Beach and his wife are: Mary Hollingsworth Morris, Sylvia Woodbridge and Eleanor Elliott.
JOHN ROGERS WILLIAMS, a former res- ident of Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, was well known and highly esteemed for his ef- ficient work in connection with Princeton Uni- versity, and for the productions of his pen. His early death was sincerely regretted. He was de- scended from a family which had made its home in the United States for a number of genera- tions, and many of whose members attained dis- tinction in various fields.
Rev. Albert Williams, grandfather of John Rogers Williams, was the first minister of the Presbyterian denomination to go west during the gold fever of 1849. One of his sons was also named Albert.
Albert Williams, Jr., son of Rev. Albert Will- iams, had the advantages of an excellent edu- cation, and was a graduate of Princeton Univer- sity. He married Anne von Basse Rogers. daughter of Rev. John M. Rogers, of Princeton, and Jane (Murphy) Rogers, of Virginia. Rev. John M. Rogers, son of Captain William M. Rogers, was chaplain of the New Jersey state prison in Trenton for a great number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Williams had born of their union an only son, John Rogers, see forward.
John Rogers Williams, only son of Albert and Anne von Basse (Rogers) Williams, was born in Princeton, New Jersey, September 1, 1876. His preliminary education was obtained in the schools of his native town, and he was preparing him- self for entrance to Princeton University when ill health compelled him to abandon this plan, and he was obliged to go south, to Westmoreland county, Virginia, for a time. Later he returned to Princeton and engaged in literary work for Princeton University, in which he was very suc- cessful. His first important work was the editing and publishing of "The Journal and Letters of
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Philip Vickers Fithian," written in 1767-1774. He was offered and accepted the position of as- sistant secretary of the University, and subse- quently wrote the "Handbook of Princeton." He was also general editor to the Princeton Histori- cal Association. and at the time of his death, which occurred October 21, 1906, was engaged in publishing the works of Philip Freneau, the poet. He was a member of the Second Regiment, National Guards of New Jersey, holding the rank of sergeant, and a member of the Nassau Club of Princeton. He was a man of versatile mind and brilliant capacities, and his untimely death was a great loss to the literary world.
He married, June 30, 1903, Mary Willoughby Brown, born in Westmoreland county, Virginia.
CHARLES S. ROBINSON, one of the influ- ential citizens of Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, is a representative of a family which for many years has been prominently identified with the political, commercial and educational circles of the borough.
Robert Robinson, grandfather of Charles S. Robinson. was born June 25, 1787, died January 3. 1869. He married Elizabeth Tinsley, and had children : John T .. of whom see forward; Eliza ; Catherine ; Mary P., and Caroline.
John T. Robinson, eldest child of Robert and Elizabeth (Tinsley) Robinson, was born in Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, in 1811, died October 28, 1862. He was an editor and publisher in Princeton for many years. having established his publishing business in 1830, and was an inventor of note. A printing press of his invention was in general use for several years. He also held efficiently many public offices : Mayor of Princeton for one term; one of, the first judges of the court of common pleas of Mer- cer county ; was appointed postmaster of Prince- ton by President Lincoln and was holding this office at the time of his death. He married Cath- erine Applegate (see Applegate sketch elsewhere in this work), and had children: John A., de- ceased in earlv manhood. Charles S., concerning whom see forward. Harvey L., at present (1906) mayor of Princeton, New Jersey. Robert B., who resides in New York city.
Charles S. Robinson, second child of John T. and Catherine (Applegate) Robinson, was born in Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, Octo- ber 28. 1845. He received a good education in the public schools of Princeton, and then learned
the trade of printing. At the conclusion of the Civil war he entered the publishing business and continued in this for forty years, retiring in 1906. He and his father have followed the pub- lishing business continuously in Princeton since 1830. He enlisted in Company G, Thirty-eighth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, September 4, 1864, and served until the close of the war. Be- fore this enlistment he had served ninety days in the Fifty-second Pennsylvania Militia. He has always taken an active interest in the public affairs of the community, devoting to it much of his time, and he has held a number of public offices with great benefit to the city. He was elected mayor of the city in 1877. re-elected in 1879, but resigned January 1, 1880, having been elected a representative in the state legislature, and served two successive terms. He was ap- pointed postmaster of Princeton by President Mc- Kinley in 1898, and reappointed by President Roosevelt in 1902 and 1906. He is the com- mander of Thomas R. Haines Post, No. 30, Grand Army of the Republic, Princeton, New Jersey. He has devoted a great part of his time to gen- eral reading on a variety of subjects, and is well and thoroughly posted on all important questions of the day.
ELIJAH LEIGH, a well known resident of Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, and pres- ident of the Princeton Savings Bank, is a de- scendant of an old English family. Leigh arms- Sable. Quartered by a cross raguly, gules. In first quarter a lozenge of the second. Supporters, two unicorns proper. Crest, a unicorn's head erased, proper. Motto: Tout vient de Dieu (All comes from God.) Supporters are very rarely found, and when given denote a family of the highest rank.
Joseph Leigh, the pioneer ancestor of the Leigh family, emigrated to America early in the seventeenth century and settled in Amboy, New Jersey. He was the son of Baron Leigh, of England, and upon the death of the latter, owing to the fact that all trace of Joseph had been lost, the estates were confiscated and endless litiga- tion and bitter contention has been the result, the direct heirs of Joseph Leigh having appealed their case in many courts.
Ichcabod Leigh, son of Joseph Leigh.
Isaac Leigh, son of Ichabod Leigh, was born in the northern part of New Jersey. He fol- lowed the occupation of farming. He married
Elijain Leigh
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Phoebe Sutphen, of Somerset county, New Jer- sey, and among their children was a son named Albert S.
Albert S. Leigh, son of Isaac and Phoebe (Sutphen) Leigh, was born in Cedar Grove, Mer- cer county, New Jersey, October 10, 1797, died September 14, 1881. He was a useful and high- ly respected citizen. He followed farming in addition to conducting a general merchandise store at Cedar Grove, where he spent the entire period of his life, and was well known for his exemplary habits and probity of character.
He married Mary Burch, born July 15, 1806, daughter of William Burch, and had the follow- ing children : I. Elizabeth Miller, born April 7, 1825, married, December 11, 1847, Alfred S. Cook, and their children are : Albert D., Van Buren, Annie C. and Lizzie Cook. 2. Mary Ma- linda, born May 17, 1826, married, October 24, 1846, William S. Pittenger, and their children are: Livingston, Alfred, Margaret, Charles and Frank Pittenger. 3. Elijah, see forward. 4. Catherine Van Doren, born May 29, 1830, mar- ried, August 3. 1869, David S. Labaw, and their children are: Elizabeth, died aged about sixteen years, and Albert Labaw. 5. Phebe Hannah, born May 12, 1832, unmarried. 6. Luticia Whitehead, born December 29, 1834, married, November 26, 1856, Charles W. Wyckoff, and their children are : Mary, Emma, Bell, William. Lizzie and Julia Wyckoff. 7. William Miller, born Mav 14, 1836, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. 8. Albert Sutphen, born March 8, 1838, a sketch of whom appears else- where in this work. 9. Julia Ann Gardom, born May 16, 1840, unmarried. 10. Harriet Boggs, born October 25, 1843, married, October 4, 1871, Florents Relyea, and they had one child, Grace, who died aged four years. II. Isaac, born Feb- ruary 26, 1846, died in infancy. 12. Sarah Jane, born August 26, 1850, died October 8, 1852.
Mary (Burch) Leigh, mother of the afore- mentioned children, died at the family homestead at Cedar Grove, October 4. 1852. She was a lady of the old school type, and was possessed of many excellent qualities of mind and heart. She was devoted to her church, and throughout her useful and active life always was considerate and charitably disposed toward those who were in distress or in want. She was a loving and dutiful wife and an indulgent mother. Her death, which occurred in the prime of her life, was not only a great bereavement to her family, but also caused
wide-spread sorrow among a large circle of friends.
Elijah Leigh, eldest son and third child of Al- bert S. and Mary (Burch) Leigh, was born at the paternal homestead at Cedar Grove, Mercer county, New Jersey, December 29, 1827. He was there reared to manhood, and at the age of eighteen took up the practical duties of life. His father's health having become impaired, much of the care and responsibility of the management of the store and other business interests of the family devolved upon the eldest son, Elijah, and he continued thus employed up to the age of this- ty-five. He spent five years in New York, en- gaged in mercantile pursuits with his brother-in- law, A. S. Cook. In 1871 Mr. Leigh engaged in the wholesale and retail provision and gro- cery business at Princeton, taking into partner- ship with him his nephew, Albert D. Cook, under the firm name of Leigh & Cook, and this business has continued up to the present time (1907). In 1881 Albert D. Cook was succeeded by his brother, Martin Van Buren Cook. The business is located at No. 58 Nassau street.
In early life Mr. Leigh was nominated and elected by the Democratic party to the office of assessor of the township, and successfully dis- charged the duties of that position for eight years. During the Civil war he was appointed by the state authorities to the office of internal revenue assessor, a position which at that time required the most exact and careful judgment in the discharge of the duties, owing to the fact that there were a number of influential and prom- inent residents of Princeton and vicinity who were descendants of southern families, and whose interests and sympathies were with the cause of the Confederacy. After the close of the war and the reorganization of the internal revenue office, Mr. Leigh spent five years in mercantile pur- suits, as above mentioned.
During the many years of his useful and active career Mr. Leigh has become well and favor- ably known for liis straightforward and honor- able business methods, and has rendered faithful service to every trust reposed in him. He has been frequently selected by his friends to serve as executor, administrator and guardian of es- tates, in which capacities he has sold many farms and other property through the courts. Since his residence in Princeton Mr. Leigh has taken an active interest in the welfare of the borough, fre- quently serving as member of council and chosen
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president of the body. When a board of trade was organized for the improvement of the town he became a member and was elected treasurer. He has for a number of years been identified with the financial interests of Princeton; since 1887 he has been an active manager in the Prince- ton Savings Bank, chosen president in 1899, in which capacity he is still serving, and it is due in a measure to his untiring efforts that the in- stitution occupies so solid a financial basis. When a public supply of water became a neces- sity for Princeton, he gave it his earnest atten- tion; was one of the incorporators, stockhold- ers and directors in the Princeton Water Com- pany, and is active in the duties of his office at the present time. He was active in the organi- zation of the Princeton Battle Monument Asso- ciation, of which he was vice-president and a lib- eral subscriber; the public interest became dor- mant for a time, but is now renewed and an es- tablished fact, and Mr. Leigh is still serving as vice-president and trustee. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Hopewell, has been identified with all the improvements and repairs of the property, fills the offices of deacon, treas- urer, and clerk, is a near companion of his pas- tor, to whom he looks for spiritual advice and to whom he gives substantial support, and the sixty years of his membership in the church has been a period of uninterrupted love and fellowship. During the period of his public service Mr. Leigh gave his party allegiance to the Democracy. Mr. Leigh has never married.
ALBERT SUTPHERN LEIGH, one of the leading citizens of Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, who resides at No. 186 Nassau street, owes much of his success in life to his own unaided efforts. The history of his ances- try will be found in the sketch of his brother, Elijah.
Albert Sutphern Leigh, eighth child and third son of Albert S. and Mary (Burch) Leigh, was born in Cedar Grove, Mercer county, New Jer- sey, March 3. 1838. He was educated in the country schools of his district, which did not offer many educational facilities in those days, and he supplemented this by private reading and study, in addition to keen observation. At the age of nineteen years he purchased a farm of one hundred acres, and this he cultivated suc- cessfully until he had a good opportunity to sell it in 1871. He then removed to Princeton, where
he established the finest general store in the town, and to which customers came from far and near. He was possessed of excellent executive ability, and was one of the organizers, and is now (1906) president and director of the First National Bank of Princeton. He is still active- ly engaged in business affairs, and his practical methods and clear insight render his counsel of the greatest value.
He married (first), February 4, 1864, Mary J. Stockton, who was born on what is now known as the Junius Morgan estate, May, 1839, died December 4, 1877, daughter of Edward and Car- oline (Updike) Stockton, and they had children : Dolly Braden, born July 6, 1869, and Harvey Wells, born November 28, 1875; was graduated from Princeton University in the class of 1897, and is now resident engineer in Tuxedo Park. He married Gertrude Mansfield, of Suffern, New York. Mr. Albert S. Leigh married (second) Elizabeth M. Murphy, born November 28, 1838, daughter of the late John Murphy, of Princeton.
WILLIAM MILLER LEIGH, the oldest and best known clothier of Princeton, Mercer county, New Jersey, is a member of a family which has been identified with the interests of the county in a variety of directions. The ancestral history of his family will be found incorporated with the sketch of his brother. Elijah Leigh, which pre- cedes this in the work.
William Miller Leigh, seventh child and sec- ond son of Albert and Mary (Burch) Leigh, was born at Cedar Grove, Princeton township, Mercer county, New Jersey, May 14, 1836. He acquired his education in the district school of his native town, and upon its completion engaged in farming work with his brother, Albert S. Leigh, a sketch of whom precedes this. Later he removed to the city of New York, where he resided from 1858 until 1864. He returned to Princeton during the last mentioned year and established himself in the retail clothing and gentlemen's furnishing business, which he has fol- lowed continuously up to the present time ( 1907). His first store was located on the premises now occupied by Carroll & Company at No. 14 Nassau street ; from thence he removed to the present premises of the Vandewater Hardware Company at the corner of Mercer and Nassau streets, and finally to his present location at No. 66 Nassau street. He has been engaged in this line of bus- iness for a longer period of time than anyone else
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in the town of Princeton, and his work is recog- nized as being of the highest order and thorough- ly reliable. His business methods have been progressive and he has always kept well abreast of the times in every direction. He is an at- tendant of the Second Presbyterian Church of Princeton, in whose affairs he takes an active interest.
Mr. Leigh married, July 18, 1865, Katherine Stockton, daughter of Edward and Caroline (Up- (like) Stockton, of Princeton, and granddaughter of Samuei Updike. Mr. and Mrs. Leigh have children : 1. Walter Conness, born January 25, 1868, is a graduate of the Trenton Business Col- lege and the Mitchell Cutting School of New York city. He is now assisting his father in his business. He married, June 15, 1896, Marian Goldie, daughter of George and Marian ( Potter- son) Goldie, and has one son, Stockton, born June 19, 1901. 2. Carrie S. 3. Laura W.
EVAN JAMES HENRY, now living in re- tirement at the advanced age of ninety years, at No. 100 Stockton street, Princeton, New Jersey, is a representative of the third generation of the Henry family in this country, many members of which have been prominent in the various fields of professional and industrial life. The family came originally from the north of Ireland.
William Henry, grandfather of Evan James Henry, was born in the north of Ireland, and emigrated to the United States with his wife and three children in 1783. He followed agricultural pursuits in the western part of Pennsylvania, owning a farm of two hundred acres, which became the homestead of the Henry family. He married, in Ireland, Mary Patton, and had five children.
Thomas Henry, third son and child of Will- iam and Mary (Patton) Henry, was born in the north of Ireland in 1781, and was but two years of age when he emigrated to America with his parents. He was the commander of a company of Pennsylvania militia in the winter of 1814. with whom he camped on the shore of Lake Erie, near Buffalo, to prevent the Canadians from crossing and burning the city of Buffalo, New York. This was during an extremely severe win -. ter, and Mr. Henry contracted typhus fever, from the after effects of which he was a sufferer dur- ing the remainder of his life. He was one of the leading spirits in his community and held a number of public offices, among them being that
of sheriff of Beaver county, Pennsylvania ; judge of the courts, and served three terms in congress, representing Beaver, Mercer and Lawrence coun- ties. He was a man of some intellectual attain- inents and was the proprietor, editor and pub- lisher of the Beaver Argus, a paper widely cir- culated at that time. He married Sarah James, daughter of Evan James, a Welshman then late- ly arrived in Beaver county, Pennsylvania.
Evan James Henry, second son of Thomas and Sarah (James) Henry, was born in Beaver coun- ty, Pennsylvania, May 26, 1816. and is now liv- ing in Princeton, New Jersey, in a comparative- ly good state of health, considering his age. His early education was acquired in the district schools of his native county, and he then studied law under the preceptorship of Supreme Court Justice Agnew, and was admitted to the bar of Pennsylvania in 1839, in Pittsburg, Pennsylva- nia, and then practiced his profession for several years in Beaver county. He then went to Cin- cinnati, Ohio, where he obtained a considerable practice, remaining there for a period of twelve years. He was stricken with the cholera in 1849, and was obliged to give up his legal work. He traveled in Europe for a time in order to bene- fit his health, and finally removed to Princeton, New Jersey, in 1866, where he has since resided, retired from active participation in business af- fairs, but keeping in touch with the world and its affairs of importance. He is a man of intelli- gence and keen powers of observation, and has always been accounted a desirable addition to any social gathering. He is a ready, fluent talker. He was an old line Whig and never changed his politics.
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