USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > Genealogical and personal memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99
524
MERCER COUNTY.
the Stewart Business College, in Trenton, and is now head bookkeeper for the Thomas Maddock Sons Pottery Company, in the same city. 3. Edward, unmarried, was educated in the public schools and is now taking the place of his father in the management of the farm. 4. Elizabeth. 5. George E. 6. Grace.
JASPER ROGERS, a successful and well- known farmer near Dutch Neck, West Windsor township, Mercer county, New Jersey, who has filled a number of positions of trust and respon- sibility with fidelity and ability and to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens, is a representa- tive of the fourth generation of the Rogers fam- ily in this country, they having come from Eng- land.
(I) Abraham Rogers, great-grandfather of Jasper Rogers, resided in Massachusetts, and from thence migrated to Washington township. Mercer county, New Jersey, in the early part of the eighteenth century.
(II) Samuel Rogers, son of Abraham Rogers (1), was born in Washington township, and followed the occupation of farming. He married Nancy Fisher.
(III) Charles Rogers, son of Samuel (2) and Nancy (Fisher) Rogers, was also born in Washington township, and in addition to culti- vating his farm was a blacksmith. He married Elizabeth Butcher, daughter of William and (Hammill) Butcher, the former of whom was also a farmer.
(IV) Jasper Rogers, son of Charles (3) and Elizabeth (Butcher) Rogers, was born in Washington township, Mercer county, New Jer- sey, May 12, 1845. His education was acquired at the Parsonage school at Dutch Neck, and upon the termination of his school days he learned the trade of blacksmithing in Freehold, Monmouth county, New Jersey. He was thus occupied for several years. In 1892 he pur- chased the Wyckoff homestead farm, near the Hightstown road, West Windsor township, on which he is now (1907) residing. He is a member of the Penns Neck Baptist Church, and gives his political support to the Democratic party, in which he has been an active worker. He is a member of the school board of Mercer county and has served as judge of elections.
Mr. Rogers married (first), November 24, 1870, Katherine Wilgus, born in Pennington, New Jersey, died in 1885. daughter of Acy and
Mary (Hutchinson) Wilgus, the former a far- mer, and they had children: I. George, died at the age of twenty-three years. 2. Bertha, married Donald McKenzie, a telegraph operator at Princeton Junction, and they have four chil- dren : Edna, Bertha, Myrtle and Donald Mc- Kenzie. 3. May, married Arthur Acy, of Red- bank, New Jersey, and they have three children : Viola, Marian, and Burroughs Acy. Mr. Rogers married (second), June 9, 1887, Eleanor Van Mater, born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, February 2, 1867, daughter of William and Susan (Dayton) Van Mater, and they have chil- dren: Anna, born April 28, 1888. Jasper, Jr., born March 22, 1893. Frank, born June 18, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are members of the Baptist Church at Penns Neck.
CHARLES HUGHES MATHER, a general and extensive dealer in farm machinery, dry goods, groceries, fertilizers, etc., in Port Mer- cer, Mercer county, New Jersey, is a represent- ative of a family, the first American member of which settled in this country in 1635.
The name of Mather is of Anglo-Saxon deri- vation, signifying honor or reverence. It also appears in the old Frankish form as med, being equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon maeth, meaning a Maiden, or maethis, meaning modest. The old German form of the sixth century is Med- ard: the French, Matre, Mattar, Meder; and the English, Mather and Mader. It is also writ- ten Mäther.
(I) Rev. Richard Mather, the pioneer an- cestor of the Mather family in this country, was born in Lawton, Winwick, parish of Toteth Park, England, in 1596, and died in Dorchester, Massachusetts, April 22, 1669. He left War- rington, England, April 16, 1635, with his fam- ily, servants and a company of followers, and they arrived at Bristol one week later. They embarked on the ship "The Good Ship James," at King Roade, on May 23, and after miraculous escapes from heavy storms at sea during a pas- sage of twelve weeks, they landed at Boston, Massachusetts, August 17, of the same year. He remained there for some time with his family, receiving invitations to accept the ministerial charge of Plymouth, Dorchester and Roxbury, and after due deliberation he accepted the call to Dorchester, it appearing to him to be the place to which duty most clearly called him. There he continued a most zealous and faithful minis-
525
MERCER COUNTY.
ter during the remainder of his life, greatly be- loved by all those under his charge. He had a wonderfully strong constitution, and for more than fifty years attended to his public duties every Sabbath, and in all his life never consulted a physician. He was summoned to Boston, April 13, 1669, to act as moderator of a coun- cil assembled in order to adjust some differ- ences which had arisen in the church work there. On the third day of his attendance he was stricken with a violent attack of illness, which obliged him to hasten to his home, and after a few days his life ended. His descendants are scattered throughout the country and among them are many men of eminence, all of them noted for great energy and indomitable perse- verance. He married (first), September 29. 1624, Catherine, who died in 1655, daughter of Edmund Holt, of Bury. He married (second), August 26, 1656, Sarah Story (Hankridge) Cot- ton, who died May 27, 1676, daughter of Rich- ard Hankridge, of Boston, England, and widow of Rev. John Cotton. Rev. Richard Mather had six sons, four of whom became ministers of the gospel.
(II) Rev. Samuel Mather, eldest son of Rev. Richard Mather (1), was graduated from Harvard College in 1643, at the age of seven- teen years, and was the first fellow of the col- lege. Those who were under his tuition held him in very high esteem and love, and it is said of them that so great was the love of the schol- ars for him that when he delivered his final lec- tures on philosophy in the college hall, they listened to him with tears, and when he left them wore tokens of mourning on their very gar- ments. He accepted a call to the Second or North Church, and after preaching there for a time, returned to England, and upon his arrival in London was appointed chaplain to the lord mayor of that city, a position in which he be- came acquainted with the most eminent minis- ters of the country. So numerous were the de- mands made upon his time and labors that he was in danger of losing his life through over- work. He was for a time chaplain of Magda- len College. Oxford. He went to Ireland in 1655 with Dr. Harrison. Dr. Winter, Mr. Char- nock and the Lord Deputy Henry Cromwell, where he was appointed senior fellow of Trin- itv College, Dublin. and joint pastor with Dr. Winter, of the Church of St. Nicholas. Upon the restoration of Charles the Second he was
Vol. II-7
suspended upon a charge of sedition, which was, however, a malicious fabrication, founded upon two discourses in opposition to Episcopal rites and ceremonies. He then went to Burtonwood, Lancanshire, England, where he preached for about two years, when, with two thousand of his adherents, he was ejected by the terrible Act of Uniformity of August 24, 1662, called "Black Bartholomew Day." His former church in Dub- lin sent to recall him, saying "The men are dead that sought thy life." He accepted this call and there spent the remainder of his days. He was the author of some valuable writings, the principal one of which was "The Figures or Types of the Old Testament."
(II) Timothy Mather, only son of Rev. Richard Mather (I) who did not enter the min- istry upon attaining maturity, and who is known as the Mather farmer of the early times, set- tled in the town with his father. His brothers- Samuel and Nathaniel-went back to Europe and both became noted preachers. Eleazar was the first minister in Northampton, Massachu- setts. His brother, Rev. Increase Mather, set- tled in Boston and was president of Harvard College from 1684 to 1701, when he resigned the office. He was presented by his college with a diploma of Doctor of Divinity in 1692, the first degree conferred in British America. His son, Cotton, was also a noted preacher and writer, and of him Dr. Channing says "In point of learning in the stricter application of the term as denoting a genuine acquaintance with books, Cotton Mather was the most learned man that New England ever bred." He died in Boston. Massachusetts, February 13, 1727. Timothy Mather died at the age of fifty-six years from the effects of injuries received by a fall. He was the father of six children: Rev. Samuel: Richard, see forward; Catherine ; Nathaniel; Joseph ; Atherton, named after his grandfather, Major-General Humphrey Ather- ton, a distinguished man in the colony.
(III) Richard Mather, second son of Timo- thy Mather (2), who was named after his grand- father, the first Richard of the family in this country, was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, December 20. 1653, and resided in that town until after his marriage. He then removed to Lyme, Connecticut, and in 1687 bought a tract of land there from Hezekiah Usher, of Boston. He died on the fifty-third anniversary of the landing of his grandfather in this country, which
526
MERCER COUNTY.
was August 17, 1635. He had four children : Captain Timothy, Elizabeth, Samuel and Joseph.
(IV) Lieutenant Joseph Mather, third son and fourth and youngest child of Richard Mather (3), was born June 29, 1686, died Sep- tember 30, 1749. He was the father of : Joseph ; Dr. Eleazar ; Phoebe; John; Jerusha; Samuel ; Benjamin, see forward; Anna; Simeon.
(V) Benjamin Mather, fifth son and seventh child of Lieutenant Joseph Mather (4), was horn in Lyme, Connecticut, September 19, 1731, died at Whately, Massachusetts, December 25, 1821. He married (first), August 10, 1753, Irene Pearsons, who died August 22, 1761. (Second), March 14, 1763, Abigail Worthing- ton, and had children : Irene, Gibbons, Annie, Gibbons, (second), Betsey, Worthington, Abi- gail, William, Rhoda, Elias, Samuel, Joseph and Benjamin (twins), Cotton and Marshfield P. (VI) Joseph Mather. seventh son and twelfth child of Benjamin Mather (5), was born in Whately, Massachusetts, March 15, 1776, died August 13, 1861. He married (first), Lucinda Morton, (second) Adency Graves, and had chil- dren: George W., Frank, Lucinda, Benjamin, Julia S., Joseph, Levi M., see forward.
(VII) Levi M. Mather, fifth son and sev- enth child of Joseph Mather (6), was born in Whately, Massachusetts. June 23, 1823. He re- moved with his brother Joseph to Cranbury, Middlesex county, New Jersey, and there en- gaged in agricultural pursuits. He was noted as a breeder of fine Jersey and Guernsey cattle, and horses, of which he was a great lover. He resided in Hamilton Square until April 1, 1876, when he removed to Penns Neck, near Prince- ton, New Jersey, where he lived until his death, September 4, 1900. He was a man of independ- ent thought and action and had the courage of his convictions. He was a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and while a resident of Hamilton Square, served as a member of the township committee, as well as holding a number of other offices of trust and responsibility. He was upright in his dealings with his fellowmen, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, later of the First Presbyterian church at Hamilton Square, and finally of the Presbyterian church at Dutch Neck, in which he was an elder at the time of his death. He married, December 9, 1852, Sarah E. Hughes, daughter of Charles and Sarah (Schooley) Hughes, and they had chil-
dren: I. Jacob, born April 20, 1854, died June 13. 1876, unmarried. 2. Isaac S., twin of Jacob, married, November 27, 1879, Julia Hooper, and has children : George T., Herbert, who married Lizzie Schenck, and Wallace T., who lives in Penns Neck, New Jersey. 3. Frank N., born August 13, 1855, resides in Eliz- abeth, New Jersey. He married Elizabeth Ap- plegate and has children : Ida and Carrie. 4. Edward, born April 18, 1858, unmarried, lives in Penns Neck, New Jersey. 5. Lillie M., born July 5, 1861, died May 23, 1878. 6. Charles Hughes, see forward. 7. Katie H., born April 7, 1866, married, January 26, 1887, Frank R. Adams, and resides at Dutch Neck, New Jersey. They have one child: Gladys. 8. Harry H., born August 6, 1872, died February 9, 1896.
(VIII) Charles Hughes Mather, fifth son and sixth child of Levi M. (7) and Sarah E. (Hughes) Mather, was born near Cranbury, Middlesex county, New Jersey, October 7, 1863. His education was acquired in the public schools of that section, and upon the completion of his education he engaged in farming operations under the able supervision and guidance of his father. He followed that occupation until 1895, when he purchased the store property at Port Mercer, New Jersey, with which he has been identified since that time, carrying on a general mercantile business, and very highly respected in business circles for the reliability of both his dealings and his wares. In his political affilia- tions he is a Republican, and has taken an active part in both town and county matters. He was elected a member of the board of assessors in 1803, serving with credit to himself and benefit to the community for a period of nine years. He has been a member of the school board for many years, and under the new law is clerk of that body. He was appointed one of the census enumerators in 1900, and has been a member of the county board of election for the past six years. He is a member of the Presbyterian church at Dutch Neck and his family are at- tendants at the Presbyterian church at Hamilton Square. He is also a member of Nassau Lodge, No. 106, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Princeton, New Jersey.
Mr. Mather married, January 24, 1889, Carrie L. Gordon, born in Clarksville, New Jersey, January 12, 1870, daughter of John E. and Sarah (Lee) Gordon, and they have had children :
527
MERCER COUNTY.
Samuel Southard, born February 1, 1890; Etta Belle, March 9, 1892; Levi M., July 8, 1893; John E. G., July 9, 1895.
WALTER SCHWENGER GROVER, one of the most prominent and influential men of West Windsor township, Mercer county, New Jersey, is a representative of two of the oldest families in this section of the state of New Jer- sey, who have both been closely identified through a number of generations with the man- ufacturing, financial and political interests of the county.
(1) John Grover, great-grandfather of Wal- ter Schwenger Grover, was born on the Grover homestead in 1746, and followed the occupation of farming in a very successful manner, amass- ing a considerable fortune. He married (first) Robbins: (second) Ruth Conover. (II) Sylvanus Grover, son of John ( I) and Ruth (Conover ) Grover, was born on Grover's homestead, at Cranbury Neck, Middlesex county. New Jersey. He was also a farmer, and in ad- dition an extensive land owner, possessing more than three hundred acres in that immediate sec- tion. He married Ann Hunt, daughter of Joseph Hunt, and had a number of children.
(III) Joseph H. Grover, son of Sylvanus (2) and Ann (Hunt) Grover, was born near Cran- bury Neck, Middlesex county, New Jersey, June 12, 1836, and after years of suffering died at Princeton Junction, April 13, 1904. His remains were interred in Dutch Neck cemetery. In early life he was engaged in farming on the Grover homestead. but in 1859 entered into the milling business, with which he was identified until his death, although during the last six years of his life he delegated all the more active duties to his son, with whom he had become associated in business. He commenced milling in what is now (1907) known as Grover's Mills, but at that time was Schwenger's Mills, and is now one of the largest in the state of New Jersey. Be- side being active in the milling interests of the state, he was an important factor in a number of other business undertakings. When the bank at Cranbury was organized, he was one of the first to subscribe for stock and was chosen one of the twelve original directors. As a member of the board of directors his suggestions and conclusions were always in keeping with good business principles, and his death and separation from further association as a member will be a
matter of deep regret to the surviving mem- bers of the board. It is very probable that his son, Walter S., will succeed him in this office. He was a member of the township committee for a period of twenty-five years.
He was one of the promoters, and always took a deep interest in all the affairs of the Young Men's Christian Association connected with the Dutch Neck church. He was one of the chiarter members of the American Bible Society of New Jersey. For many years he filled the offices of treasurer, elder, and trustee in the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, and, until prevented by illness from participating, was rarely missing at church service or prayer meeting. At a special meeting of the session, called by the pastor of the church, in consideration of the death of Joseph H. Grover, it was resolved: That the former pastor, Rev. A. L. Armstrong, be invited with elders Thomas D. Brokaw and Jacob R. Wyckoff, to prepare a suitable minute for the records of the church, and that a copy be sent to the family of the deceased. The committee appointed pre- sented the following report, which was accepted and adopted : "The Session of this church would bear testimony to the Christian life and services of Elder Joseph H. Grover, who 'entered into rest' Wednesday, April 13th, 1904. Ordained an elder on January 20, 1878, he was ever faithful in his attendance, and interested in all matters connected with the spiritual and temporal interests of the church. His counsels were prudent and appreciated. While able to attend the services of the church, he was rarely absent. The Prayer Meeting was his delight, and in the revival seasons through which the church passed, he was an efficient helper. Even though he suffered most severely during these latter years, and was not able to be present, he ever rejoiced in the pros- perity of the church with which he had been so long identified. Our heartfelt sympathy is with the bereaved family, and our earnest prayer, that God will sustain them in their affliction, and that even in this life they may realize that the sad trial is among the 'all things that work together for good to them that love God.'" Respectfully Submitted: A. L. Armstrong. Thomas D. Brokaw, Jacob R. Wyckoff, Committee. Mr. Grover was the friend of the poor, generous in all proper calls upon his liberality, hospitable in his home, and ever a welcome guest in the homes of others. His counsels were good and his judg- ment sound, and the afflicted ones whom he has
528
MERCER COUNTY.
left have the sincere sympathy of all in the' community.
Mr. Groves married, November 25, 1858, Mar- garette Schiwenger, born November 14, 1840, daugliter of Gottlieb and Saralı (Labaw) Schwen- ger. Gottlieb Schwenger was born in the King- dom of Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1803, and emigrated to America in 1821. He engaged in milling at Worth's Mills, Stony Brook, Princeton township, Mercer county, New Jersey, and later bought the Thomas Mill, now known as Grover's Mill, from Benjamin Thomas. At the time of the war of the Revolution, this mill was known as the "message mill," and is one of the places of historic . interest in Mercer county. Sarah (Labaw) Schwenger was the daughter of Nathaniel and Ann (Thomas) Labaw, and the granddaughter of Benjamin Thomas, so that it may be seen that the present Grover's Mill has been in this family for many generations. Joseph H. and Margarette (Schwenger) Grover had one child : Walter Schwenger.
(IV) Walter Schwenger Grover, only child of Joseph H. (3) and Margarette (Schwenger) Grover, was born September 14, 1864. He ac- quired his education in the Parsonage School at Dutch Neck and the State Model School in Tren- ton, New Jersey. Upon its completion he entered the milling business of his father, with which he has since been closely identified, and is now the sole head of this large concern. The firm name at present is J. H. Grover & Son, of Grover's Mills. He is the president, manager and one of the promoters of the Farmers' and Traders' Tele- phone Company, a local concern; is director of the First National Bank of Cranbury, is treasurer of the board of trustees of the Dutch Neck Pres- byterian Church; is a member of the township committee, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Princeton. His intercourse with men of affairs has been potent in stimulating his ambition for advancement, and he is widely known and universally respected and esteemed, as well as being one of the leading financiers of the county.
Mr. Grover married, June 1, 1887, Gertrude Allen, of Dutch Neck, daughter of William and Cornelia (Anderson) Allen.
WILLIAM LUNA HENDRICKSON, upon whose premises in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is one of the historic landmarks of the locality, and whose house was built of Holland brick, with
the date of 1767 in the chimney, and which has been in possession of the family for more than a century, and was used as headquarters by the British during the Revolutionary period, is the fifth child of Philip and Christiana (Crissy Ann) (Reeder) Hendrickson, grandson of Will- iam and Anna (Burke) Hendrickson, great- grandson of Philip and Charity (Green) Hen- drickson, great-great-grandson of William and Joanna (Reeder) Hendrickson.
Philip Hendrickson (father) married, in Octo- ber, 1842, Christiana Reeder, better known as "Crissy Ann," born at Lawrenceville, New Jer- sey, August 17, 1817, and their children were: 1. Emma, born April 24, 1844, died October 8, 1893. 2. Mary Reeder, born November 21, 1846, married, February 27, 1867, Rev. James Avery Worden, born Oxford, Ohio, December 10, 1841, graduate of Miami University, Ohio, class of 1861 ; served in the Union army 1861 to 1863 as second lieutenant, Company G, Seventy-fourth Ohio Volunteers; degree of D. D. from La- fayette College ; since 1878 at the head of Sunday school department of Presbyterian church. They reside in Philadelphia, and their children are : Mary, born December 13, 1867. Martha Reeder Worden, born July 27, 1870, died July 23, 1871. Carrie Pardee Worden, born April 22, 1872, mar- ried, January 21, 1897, Rev. Raymond Hilliard Gage, son of Cornelius Baker and Sarah (Gar- rigue) Gage, born August 31, 1869, graduate of Yale College, class of 1891, and graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary. They reside in Wenonalı, New Jersey, and have two children : Raymond Hilliard Gage, Jr., born December 8, 1898, and James Worden, born December 20, 1904. Charles Beatty Worden, born April 26, 1874. 3. Matilda, born July 16, 1849, married, April 25, 1877, Alexander Green Van Cleve, born March 5, 1848, son of John Moore and Martha Anthony ( Green) Van Cleve, grandson of Ben- jamin and Elizabeth (Robers) Van Cleve, great-grandson of John and Mary (Hart) Van Cleve, great-great-grandson of Chreinyonce and Sarah (Smith) Van Cleve, great-great-great- grandson of John and Neeltie (Van Master) Van Cleve, great-great-great-great-grandson of Benjamin and Hendricke (Sutphen) Van Cleve, great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Jan and Engeltie Van Cleve, of Amsterdam. Alexander G. Van Cleve is a graduate of Princeton College, class of 1871, mathematical fellowship, class poet, now secretary of the Fairbanks Company
1
Roebuca Ro. Hendrickson.
William & Hendrickson
529
MERCER COUNTY.
of New York city. Resides in Brooklyn, New York. One child, Christine Van Cleve, born May 13, 1880. She married Walter Rap- pelyea Davies, June 7, 1905, and has one child, Robert Van Cleve Davies, born January 26, 1907. 4. Charles Reeder, born July 29, 1851, married, October 11, 1883, Esther Evans, one child, Charles Philip, born December 26, 1884, died November 13, 1888. Charles R. Hendrick- son was a prosperous merchant in Princeton, New Jersey, died May 18, 1887. 5. William Luna, born August 15, 1853, see forward. 6. Anna Burke, born August 17, 1855, died July 23, 1856. 7. Lewis Monroe, born September 7, 1858, mar- ried, June 14, 1883, Mary Alice Rue, daughter of Abraham Bergen Rue, no issue. He was a merchant in Princeton, New Jersey, and died November 26, 1886.
Mrs. Christiana (Reeder) Hendrickson traces her ancestry to John Reeder, of England, who came to Massachusetts, 1636.
John Reeder, son of John Reeder, the immi- grant, born at Newtown, Long Island, 1657, mar- ried Hannah Burroughs, and had by this mar- riage one son.
Isaac Reeder, son of John and Hannah (Bur- roughs) Reeder, born at Newtown, Long Is- land, 1678, married (second) Joanna Hunt, daughter of John Hunt, granddaughter of Ed- ward Hunt, great-granddaughter of Ralph Hunt, original immigrant. They had one son and one daughter, the latter of whom died unmarried.
John Reeder, son of Isaac and Joanna (Hunt) Reeder, born at Ewing, New Jersey, April 12, 1725, married Hannah Marchand, and they had fourteen children.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.