USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume II > Part 14
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In 1848 Spotswood was the nearest postoffice to Jamesburg, and the mail service was very inadequate. In that year James Redmond was appointed postmaster at Jamesburg, and was succeeded in 1853 by Joseph C. Magee, who retained the office for nearly fifteen years. Mr. C. E. Paxton is the present postmaster. The Manalapan river affords an excellent water power, which was first thoroughly utilized in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Downs & Finch, of New York, did an immense business in shirtmaking for many years, commencing in 1871, which did much to increase the growth and prosperity of the town. The Buckelew saw mill, grist mill and fulling mill were also operated. The principal industries are now conducted by the following proprietors : Perrine & Buckelew, and B. D. Davison, lumber, etc .; Stonaker & Harvey, mill, grain, etc .; Eastern Foundry Company, James- burg Waist and Dress Company, La Rocco & Son, shirt-making, and other branches of business. The town is the headquarters of the Amboy division of the Pennsylvania railroad, and constitutes an important feature of the borough's business.
The first school house in the Jamesburg district was located about a half mile from the old mill on the Manalapan river, on the road to Englishtown. It was abandoned in 1847, and a two-story brick building was erected by James Buckelew on a lot owned by him, near the site of the Presbyterian church, and was used for a number of years by the district, free of rent. The present grammar school was erected in 1886, and has been several times enlarged and improved. An up-to-date high school was built near it in 1907. The two schools have now 705 pupils, of which 104 are in the latter. Prof. Curtis A. Deveney is super- vising principal. The Board of Education is composed of the following : Dr. J. R. Dare, Jacob E. Hauser, J. M. Hampton. J. A. Thompson. Dr.
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H. D. Zandt, John Waddy, H. C. Groves, J. M. Davison, and John P. Kirkpatrick.
After the days of Brainerd, the missionary to the Indians, the first religious services in the town were probably held very early in 1800 in the old school house in Jamesburg, and there were also meetings in the Matchaponix neighborhood. The earliest services were generally conducted by ministers of the Methodist church, and Rev. Mr. Fountain, living near "Texas," occasionally preached in Jamesburg. It was not long before Rev. Mr. Rice and Rev. William R. Betts, of Spotswood, the Woodhulls, father and son, Rev. Luther Van Doren, of the Tennent church, Englishtown, and Revs. Symmes Henry and J. W. Blythe, of Cranbury, all Presbyterians, often held services. When the second school house was built by James Buckelew in 1847, a room was parti- tioned off, and provided with a pulpit and seats. Revs. Henry and Blythe conducted occasional services until the spring of 1850, when Rev. George C. Bush, who was preaching at South Amboy and South River, came regularly to preach at Jamesburg every alternate Sabbath evening. He served for nine months and was followed by Rev. John Annin, just graduated from Princeton Seminary, who only remained for three months, after which the meetings were intermittently held.
The Presbyterian church had its inception in the beginning of 1853. when a petition was circulated to raise funds for a church building, and on March 3rd a meeting of the subscribers was held and William John- son, Alexander Redmond, Aaron Gulick, Edmund Rue, Joseph C. Magee, Isaac S. Buckelew and S. R. Treeman were elected trustees. A petition was signed by seventeen members of other churches, asking the Presby- tery of New Brunswick to organize a church. A committee consisting of Revs. Messrs. Symmes Henry, Blythe, Van Doren and S. D. Alex- ander met January 6, 1854, and organized the church with the following members: John C. and Hannah Vandeveer, Samuel and Ann Maria Maryott, James and Mahala Mount, Margaret C. Buckelew, C. J. Apple- gate, Sarah Davison, John B. Johnson and David C. Bastedo. Messrs. Vandeveer and Johnson were chosen Elders. A building was erected on Church street, to which it gave its name, and dedicated June 26, 1854, with Rev. J. Halstead Carroll as pastor. He was succeeded by Revs. William M. Wells, Dr. Benjamin S. Everitt, Joseph C. Ewing, Edgar C. Mason and S. J. McGlenaghan. Rev. William J. B. Edgar, for twenty- one years pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church of Philadel- phia, succeeded the last named in 1914. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Seminary, and has proved a most successful and accepta- ble pastor.
The Methodist church was organized in 1874. The church building was erected in 1883, and in 1907 was moved to the rear of the lot, con- verted into a Sabbath school room, and a handsome new church erected
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in front of it. Rev. C. Rollin Smith was the first pastor. Rev. J. B. Shaw is now the efficient pastor.
The Baptist church is ministered to by Rev. John Ehrenstein, and St. James' (R. C.) church by Rev. Thomas A. Kearney.
In January, 1864, James, Isaac S., John D. and F. Lemuel Buckelew, Joseph C. Magee, T. Wilton Hill, John G. Schultz and Nathaniel W. Morris (who were the first directors), secured a charter for a national bank at Jamesburg, being the two hundred and eighty-eighth institu- tion of the kind to be charted by the United States Government. The following are the officers and directors: Joseph M. Perrine, presi- dent ; M. I. Voorhees, vice-president and cashier ; William H. Brooks, assistant cashier ; Abijah Applegate, William H. Clemons, C. M. Davison, W. W. Emens and the above officers, directors.
The following are the officials of the borough : Elmer Patten, mayor ; Jacob E. Hauser, George D. Hutchinson, John E. Jennings, William R. Dey, Henry R. Rogers and George R. Tomson, councilmen; William H. Brooks, clerk; John P. Kirkpatrick, counsel; William E. Paxton, assessor ; collector and treasurer, John Erhart ; Dr. J. L. Suydam, James B. Pownall, J. A. Thompson, Condit M. Davison, Thos. H. Dillon and Henry L. Emmons, board of health ; G. J. Filhower, chief of police.
Among those who have been prominent in the affairs of the county and town may be mentioned: Col. Isaac S. Buckelew; John Dunn Buckelew, sheriff and assemblyman; Joseph C. Magee, assemblyman, chosen freeholder and postmaster ; and Frank Pownall, chosen freeholder and director of the board for several years.
The following is the Honor Roll, containing the names of those who were in the service of the United States during the "War of Nations:"
Addison Applegate, William F. Baker, John Baranowski, Fred Barberi, Arnold Bare- more, George Bender, L. Ernest Bennett ; Harold LeRoy and William Bennett; William and Vernon Brown; Isaac and Charles Burd; John Casale, Reuben Christie, Daniel M. Clark; Jesse and Franklin Clayton, Charles and LeRoy Combs, Joseph Corse, Arthur Davison, William Dey, Jr., Joseph Dilornzo, James Dipetro, W. A. Dipiero, Russel S. Duncan, Harold J. Duval, Saul Edelmon, Malcolm S. Edgar, W. J. B. Edgar, Jr., War- ren Emens, R. V. H. Estill, Henry Firestine, William Gilliland, Fred W. Gunson, Jr., Earl Hampton, John Intravatolo, Edward R. Heyman, Joseph Jemison, Frank Jankow- ski, William Jaqui, Horace and Isaac B. Jennings, Harry and Norman Jobes, Einar Jorgenson, Irwin Kietzing, Henry Kilbourn, Andrew Kolbush, Salvador La Duca, Joseph La Place, James Lincoln, Edward Linke, Calogero Lipera, Daniel B. Malan, Ken- neth Marryott, Ellis and James Martin, Harry and Reuben McDowell, William Mechinik, Frank Middleton, James and John Monahan, John Murray, Joseph Nowak, Thomas Pan- tano, Warren S. Patten, Charles Paxton, Jr., Angelo and Joseph Perdoni, Joseph Per- gola ; William, William A. and Fred Perrine; William F. Petty, Charles Richards, Jr., Fedale Sabatino, George Schenck, Herman Shostak, C. Alvan and G. Leslie Shultz, Vin- cent Silvers, Perry D. Smith, John Smoczynski, Willard Snedeker, Oliver Soden, Joseph and Thomas Timberman, Charles Van Anglen, Paul Van Pelt, William Van Pelt, Jr., Dominick Vinzano, Emil E. Weisert, William N. Weisert, Charles Whitlock, Carl Wide- berg, Eric Wideberg, William Willis, William Windler, Joseph C. Witkowsky and Rob- ert Yetman.
Killed in Battle-Elias S. Bennett, Oliver Delaney and Leroy Mount.
Died in Camp-Mark Donald Dare and Martin Maikes.
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Sayreville Borough-Sayreville, situated in the northeastern part of the county, and a little north of the centre, is the last corporate body to derive its territory from South Amboy, and is bounded as follows: North by Raritan river; east by South Amboy and Madison township; south by Madison; and west by East Brunswick township; and is very irregular in form. South River flows along its entire western border, Raritan river washes its northern boundary, Cheesequake creek flows along the east side to its junction with the Raritan, Deep run crosses the extreme southern part, and Tenant's creek crosses a little farther north. The area is 1,240 acres. The surface is generally low and level, and covered with a sparse growth of trees, the oak and cedar predomi- nating. The soil is sandy, and abounds in excellent clay and sand, much of which was early employed in the manufacture of delftware in Jersey City, and of china at Philadelphia and Trenton. Large quan- tities are now used locally in making fire and common building brick. The Camden and Amboy railroad traverses the locality in nearly a northerly and southerly course, the nearest stations being South Amboy and Old Bridge.
Land was acquired as early as 1683 to 1686 (the date of John Reid's map of Raritan river and the regions north and south of it), by the following persons: G. L. (probably Deputy-Governor Gawen Laurie, a large land owner), 850 acres; Peter Sonman, 500 acres; T. Rudyard, 300 acres ; A. Galloway and W. Gerard, 300 acres; and Thomas Rob- inson, 300 acres. At a point considered to be nearly opposite the site of South River borough, D. Violent and G. Gordon took up tracts respectively of 100 and 150 acres, and R. Townley three tracts, contain- ing about 600 acres. None of these land owners were ever residents, and none of their descendants are known to have ever lived in this vicinity.
It is probable that the first settlement was made about 1770, when Elijah Disbrow located about midway between Sayreville and the Wash- ington (South River) bridge; and also in the neighborhood known as Burt's creek settlement. Ebenezer Price selected a home at what was known as Roundabout Landing, on a projecting point of land between the Raritan and South rivers. Sayreville was formerly known as Round- about, from the fact that it was accessible by water only by a very circuitous route by way of the two rivers. In 1872 it was renamed in honor of James R. Sayre, of Newark, an extensive land owner and local manufacturer. The Disbrow and Price families have many representa- tives in this and the adjoining townships.
The father of Gen. James Morgan was a very early resident near the mouth of Cheesequake creek, and many of his descendants continued to reside in South Amboy until a comparatively late date. Isaac Van- deventer lived near the bridge between Sayreville and South River borough, purchased a large farm, became a very prominent man and
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had many descendants. Francis Letts resided near the Elijah Disbrow farm, and Benjamin Peterson came from New Egypt, Ocean county, and settled near by in 1810. Members of both families are still in this county. Other old residents were Thomas James, James Applegate, the Bennett brothers, from Long Island, Thomas Roberts and James Wood.
Clay and sand, and the manufacture of the products of the former, have always been the chief industries. Clay, from the old Morgan mines, one mile south of South Amboy, on the shore of Raritan Bay, was used in making stoneware in 1800. The nearness to navigable waters, the plentiful supply of clay close at hand, and the small amount of waste material to be removed, combine to make the region the greatest brick-making locality in the country. The pioneer in this business was James Wood, who began the manufacture of common brick in 1851 on his property near Roundabout Landing.
In the fall of 1851, James R. Sayre, of Newark, and Peter Fisher, of Fishkill, New York, formed a copartnership, purchased a tract of land on South river, west of James Wood's brick-yard and began making common brick. Mr. Sayre was engaged in the business of selling lum- ber, common and fire-brick and other building materials, and Mr. Fisher had been a brick manufacturer in his native town for several years. The local supply of clay having been apparently exhausted he came to New Jersey, seeking a new location. In 1861 the firm purchased a large tract of land and began the manufacture of fire-brick and other clay products. The business rapidly increased, and the company is now recognized as the largest plant oftthe kind in the United States. The daily output of manufactured material is as follows: Re-pressed common brick, 355,000; fire-brick, 36,000; enamelled brick, 22,000; and hollow brick, 60,000. The annual output of common brick is 50,000,000. The total area of clay land is three thousand acres. The manufacturing plant covers several acres. The company owns five and one-half miles frontage on the Raritan and South rivers and the South river canal. The number of men annually employed is 1,700. The company was incorporated in 1886 as the Sayre & Fisher Company, and has the following officers: President, Edward A. Fisher; vice-president and treasurer, James S. Higbie; secretary, F. M. Townley; assistant secre- tary, D. J. Fisher ; assistant treasurer, George L. Blew. The company absorbed the former William F. Fisher plant, and the Wood, Kearney, Roberts and Coleman properties.
The Crossman Company, in the Burt's creek section of the borough, are the largest miners and shippers of clay and sand in the locality. They own and operate an extensive tract, use all the latest machinery and appliances, and employ a very large number of men. Whitehead Brothers have extensive fire-clay and fire-sand mines along the road
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from Burt's creek, and also large mines of moulding and building sand and kaolin elsewhere in the vicinity. These materials have a ready and profitable sale to manufacturers of brick, founderies and builders. The R. J. Such Company and Otto Ernst, the latter at Ernston, mine much clay and sand and have large tracts of land.
The Washington Brick Company, adjoining the Sayre & Fisher plant, was established in 1868, and continued in business until the death of the president, Henry F. Worthington, in 1879. The property is now owned by Edwin Furman, of New Brunswick. Former Sheriff Edward F. Roberts mined clay and manufactured common brick on the Kearney tract for several years; but abandoned that business to devote his attention to the mining of clay and sand.
One of the most notable industries of the past were the green- houses of the late George Such, on the Ridgeway property, near Burt's creek. This business originated from a small greenhouse built by Mr. Such for his own recreation and enjoyment, and with no idea that it would eventually become a business. It became so after several years and offered to lovers of the beautiful in floriculture as good a collection of rare and fine plants as could be found in the country. The business extended to all parts of the Union, and also to foreign lands, many of his plants surpassing those of the same variety grown in France and England. After Mr. Such's death the business was abandoned.
The Methodist Episcopal church had its origin in the old Bethel circuit in 1842. In 1848 the Sayreville church was organized, and the church erected in 1872, being connected with the South River church. The union was dissolved in 1874 and Sayreville became a separate sta- tion. The present pastor is Rev. J. F. Dolan. There are two other churches, the German Presbyterian, Rev. Richard Stier, pastor, and Our Lady of Victory (R. C.) church, Rev. William A. Giffillan, pastor. The Holy Trinty chapel (P. E.), was erected in 1861 and, with the con- sent of the proper authorities, was taken down and rebuilt in South River in the summer of 1876. .
There are two public schools, with twelve teachers and 447 pupils. Another school existed at Ernston, which was destroyed by the explo- sion at Morgan on October 4, 1918. Prof. Jesse Selover is the supervis- ing principal of the borough. The small settlements within the limits of the borough are known as Mechanicsville, bordering on South Amboy, Burt's Creek, Ernston, Parlin, where the Dupont powder works were located during the late war, and Morgan. At the last named place a flourishing settlement has grown up about the mouth of Cheesequake creek, where it empties into Raritan Bay, and where there is a station of the New Jersey Central railroad. To this quiet spot, in years gone by, came jurists, lawyers, artists, literary and business men to seek rest and relaxation, and amuse them-
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selves by fishing in the bay, and hunting in the forest of the adjacent Morgan estate. The old inn, now called the "Old Spey Inn," was presided over by Uncle Charley Applegate, better known as "Dad," and many amusing tales are told of his words and ways. Many sum- mer cottages have been built by devotees of the rod and reel, and during the season the place presents a bright and lively appearance. An excel- lent beach affords much pleasure to the lovers of bathing and swimming.
Sayreville township was created in 1876 by act of the Legislature. The first chosen freeholders were Elias Rose and Richard S. Conover. Successors to them have been George Such, James Sweeney, John Hart and James Blew. The first town committee was William E. Dayton, Isaac Walling, James R. Morgan, Stephen Kelly and George Such. The borough of Sayreville was erected on January Ist of the present year, and comprises the entire territory of the former township. The population is estimated at eight thousand. The following constitute the borough officers: Mayor and acting recorder, John J. Quaid ; council -Francis Hartman, president; William A. Betzler, Charles J. Engle- hardt, Edwin F. Lockhart, Carl F. Bossong and Edward E. Meeker; Joseph J. Webber, clerk; Abram Feihle, assessor; Joseph J. Kupsch, collector and treasurer ; Thomas H. Hagerty, counsel ; Board of Educa- tion-Abram Feihle, president; Frederick S. Davis, district clerk; Fran- cis Samsel, Francis Hartman, Walter Riddle, Charles Els, Samuel Dis- brow, Benjamin Boden and Eben Rush; Michael Craven, overseer of the poor ; and Thomas F. Dolan, postmaster.
Borough of Roosevelt-This borough, formerly situated in the extreme northeastern part of the township of Woodbridge, was erected in 1906, and contains about five miles square. It is bounded north by the Rah- way river; east and south by Staten Island Sound; and west by Wood- bridge township. Originally it was called Carteret, in honor of the first colonial governor of the Province, and was so recognized by the gov- ernment when establishing the first postoffice, and the office continues to be so designated by the postal authorities. When the borough was created, the name of Roosevelt was adopted. In Revolutionary times Captain Asher Fitz Randolph, Peter Noe, Eliphalet Moore, Benjamin Brown and Robert Burwell (all in the Continental army), resided in this locality ; and in later years well known residents have been Ralph M. Crowell, Capt. John M. Tufts, Capt. David Tappen, John Wyckoff, Warren and George Brown, Miles B. Vernon, Daniel C. and William H. Turner and James Blair.
The history of the borough is that of the township of which it was a part. Its proximity to navigable waters renders it desirable for trans- portation purposes, and the Long Branch division of the New Jersey Central railroad, the Public Service trolley line, the Fast Line railway to Newark, and the ferry to Linoleumville, Staten Island, afford abundant
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ROOSEVELT VIEWS St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Rectory-Chrome Steel Works and Detinning Works-First National Bank-Y. M. C. A.
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means of communication with the outside world. The growth of the borough has been phenomenal, the two sections of the town, locally known as Carteret and Chrome, having a population of 11,500. The first important industry was established in 1881, when the Williams & Clark Company of New York erected a factory on the site of the present plant and commenced the manufacture of fertilizers from fish. This method was abandoned after one or two years. In 1890 the American Agricultural and Chemical Company erected the Liebig Works, and ten years later purchased the Williams & Clark factory, since which time the two plants have been conducted under the same general management. About 400 men are employed in the former, and 200 in the older plant, the output of the two being annually $175,000 tons of finished fertilizers. The Armour Company and the Consumers' Company (the latter a branch of the Virginia and Carolina Chemical Company, of Richmond), also manufacture fertilizers, each producing annually about 50,000 tons.
In 1888, August W. Colwell, of New York, built an iron works which he operated for about ten years. It was acquired by the Wheeler Condenser and Engineering Company, which has uninterruptedly con- tinued business from that time, employing a large number of men. The officers of the company are: J. J. Brown, president and manager ; H. H. Brown, vice-president; A. W. P. Cramer, secretary ; Thomas Bostock, treasurer ; and Roland S. Freeman, superintendent. About 1900, Charles J. and Ferd. E. Canda, of New York, erected a plant now known as the Chrome Steel Works, where an improved and superior quality of steel is produced ; Morro, son of Ferd. E. Canda, is the manager. The late Charles J. Canda bought a large tract of land and erected many dwell- ings. Much of the land is still owned by the family. The United States Metals and Refining Company is the successor of the De Lamar Copper Works, and carries on the same business as its predecessor, with a large force of men. Other branches of business are the Warner Chemical Company, phosphates and chemicals; Carteret Oil and Refining Com- pany, Mexican Petroleum Company, Klipstein Dye Works, and the Metal and Thermit Corporation, a detinning plant. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation owns a large brick building and a tract of land, and is contemplating the establishment of a manufacturing plant soon.
There are two large and excellently conducted public schools, with Miss Barbara V. Hermann as supervising principal, and Miss Catharine Hermann, principal of the second school. The two schools employ forty-two teachers in the regular grades, with special instructors in music, manual training and drawing, domestic science and physical train- ing ; pupils attending, 1,832. The following are the principal churches and their pastors: Presbyterian, Rev. John J. Barsam; Methodist, Rev. George A. Hill; St. Joseph's (R. C.), Rev. John O'Connor; and St.
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Mark's (P. E.), Rev. Edward A. Vogt. Thomas Yorke publishes the "Roosevelt News," and has built up a successful printing business.
The First National Bank was chartered in 1906. The officers are: Robert Carson, president ; William E. Volz, vice-president ; and Eugene M. Clark, cashier ; Nicholas Rizsak, Soren Koed, Herman Shapiro, Wm. E. Volz, Jacob Levenson, Robert Carson and Charles D. Snedeker.
The authorities who selected the names of the avenues and streets exhibited patriotic tastes, the following presidents being honored : Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Polk, Filmore, Lincoln, Grant, McKinley and Roosevelt. Our great French ally of old, Marquis de Lafayette, also has a street named for him. These wise men, in their selection of names, exhibited a liking for arboriculture, as witness these names: Ash, willow, spruce, birch, holly, locust, maple, hazel, orange and linden. The poets were not forgotten : Byron, Longfellow, Tennyson, Bryant, Whittier, Emerson, Lowell and Holmes. The "home" folks were remembered: Thornall, Colwell, Beverly, Noe, Savage, Edgar, Hermann and Lefferts. Favorite children probably suggested the following: Mary, Jessie, Catharine, Jeannette, Sarah, Robert, Thomas, Charles, Edwin, Arthur and Chris- topher.
The present officers are: Mayor, Joseph A. Herman, the first and only. Council-William J. Lawlor, Edward J. Coughlin, Frank Andres, Samuel B. Brown, George T. Harned and Joseph C. Child ; clerk, Walter V. Quinn; assessor, William D. Casey; collector, Charles A. Brady ; Board of Education-Edward J. Heil, president; George W. Morgan, district clerk; Frank Birn, Charles H. Morris, Samuel Shapiro, Matthew A. Hermann, Cornelius C. Sheridan, George A. Bradley and Patrick J. Coughlin ; Miss Barbara V. Hermann, supervising principal; Peter F. Daly, counsel ; Edward J. Heil, recorder ; F. Ferber Simons, engineer ; Board of Health-Edward J. Heil, president ; R. J. Murphy, clerk ; Frank Birn, inspector; Dr. Joseph Wantoch, physician; Thomas Devereux, Cornelius C. Sheridan and William J. Coughlin.
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