USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume II > Part 24
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BIOGRAPHICAL
IRVING HOAGLAND .- The name of a man who has been so long and so conspicuously before the public as has Mr. Hoagland is sure to be greeted with instant recognition by his fellow-citizens of New Brunswick and the surrounding country. A career of twenty-seven years at the bar and two years' service in the State Legislature have made him a factor of importance in both the legal circles and the political life of his community.
Mr. Hoagland's family is Holland Dutch on both the paternal and maternal sides. His father, John Calvin Hoagland, was sixth in descent from Christoffel Hooglandt, who emigrated from Holland to New Amsterdam prior to 1655, and who as merchant and alderman, owned and occupied until his death in 1684, the property now southeast corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane. In 1727 Christopher, son of Christoffel, purchased a tract of land near Griggstown, to which he removed and which has never since been out of the Hoagland family.
His mother, Mary (Voorhees) Hoagland, was daughter of Peter A. Voorhees, assemblyman and sheriff of Somerset county, and who was eighth in descent from Stephen Coerte Van Voorhees, who emigrated from Holland in 1660 and settled at Flatlands, Long Island, and who became prominent in the early affairs of New Amsterdam. Peter A. Voorhees married Maria Suydam, whose emigrant ancestor, Hendrick Riker Suydam, came from Holland to New Amsterdam in 1663. Through this branch of the family Mr. Hoagland inherited the family homestead at Franklin Park, where he was born July 24, 1869, and now resides, and which has been in his family continuously from 1728.
Until his twelfth year, Irving Hoagland attended the local school of his native place and from there passed to Rutgers Grammar School, graduating in 1886; he then entered Rutgers College, from which he graduated in 1890, and thereafter entered the office of Prosecutor John S. Voorhees, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1903. He grad- uated with honor from the New York Law School, and has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in New Brunswick since that time, having his office in the building of the National Bank of New Jersey. He is secretary and director of the Interwoven Stocking Com- pany, one of New Jersey's leading industries.
In the sphere of politics, Mr. Hoagland was active for a number of years, and in 1905 and 1906 he occupied a seat in the Assembly as a representative of Somerset county. He belongs to the University Club of New York, and the Delta Phi fraternity, and is a member of the Dutch Reformed Church of Franklin Park.
During the recent World War, Mr. Hoagland served as chairman of the exemption board of Somerset county, subordinating every other interest to this patriotic work and devoting to it almost his entire time.
While making law, and not agriculture, his life work, an inherited fondness for rural pursuits and the environment of the countryside has led him to find rest and recreation in the management of the homestead farm and in the congenial out-of-door life connected there- with. Loyal in this particular to his family traditions, Mr. Hoagland has also proved his fidelity to them by disinterested public service and honorable devotion to his chosen profession.
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REV. HERBERT PARRISH, B. A., M. A .- Since 1915, Rev. Her- bert Parrish came to New Brunswick in response to a call from Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, and as rector of that parish, he has become well known and appreciated in the city. He is a son of Judge Isaac H. and Caroline (Cook) Parrish, his father an eminent jurist and judge of the Superior Court of the State of Michigan.
Herbert Parrish was born at Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 13, 1868. After completing preparatory study in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor public schools, he entered Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, whence he was graduated B. A., class of 1891; M. A., class of 1894. He pursued post-graduate courses at New York University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University, studied divinity, and was ordained a priest of the Protestant Episcopal church. Since ordina- tion he has served as rector of the Church of the Advent, San Francisco, California ; rector of St. Luke's, Baltimore, Maryland, and rector of Christ Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey, his present parislı.
Rev. Herbert Parrish married, in Baltimore, June 21, 1911, Mary Sarah Russell Mayo, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Mayo.
HARRY SIDNEY MEDINETS, one of the successful lawyers of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, holds a prominent place both on account of the ability shown by him in his profession and because of the excellent reputation he has universally established for fair dealing and a high sense of personal honor. Mr. Medinets was born February 22, 1893, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and is a son of Abraham and Esther (Corser) Medinets, both natives of Russia, from which country they came to the United States about forty years ago, settling first in New York City. The elder Mr. Medinets engaged in the wholesale produce business and made a notable success, especially in Perth Amboy, where he was the pioneer in his line, as he was also one of the earliest Jewish settlers in the city. He is now retired from active business life and makes his home in Perth Amboy with his wife. They were the parents of four children, as follows: Theresa, who became the wife of Max Semer, and is now deceased; Elizabeth, who became the wife of William J. Cohn, of Perth Amboy; Samuel, who resides in South Amboy, where he is engaged in business as a hardware merchant ; Harry Sidney, with whose career we are here especially concerned.
The childhood of Harry Sidney Medinets was principally passed in Perth Amboy, to which place his parents removed from New Brunswick when he was but one year old, and there he attended the local public schools as far as the sixth grade. He then accompanied his parents to Tottenville, Staten Island, and continued his schooling at that place, graduating from the grammar school and later the high school. He also studied for one year at the high school in South Amboy, where lie com- pleted his preparation for college. He was ambitious to follow a pro- fessional career, and accordingly entered the New York Law School, where he pursued his legal studies until his graduation with the class of 1913. Returning to New Jersey he took the bar examinations and was
PUBL
I. T. Madsen
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admitted to the State bar, July 7, 1914. He at once established himself in his profession in Perth Amboy and has remained in practice here since that time, being now regarded as one of the leaders of the local bar. He was admitted to practice before the higher courts of the State, June 14, 1918, with the title of counsellor-at-law and master in chancery. Mr. Medinets is the possessor of an unusual literary gift, and from his schoolboy days has done considerable writing on various sub- jects. He was editor of "The Message," the school paper of the South Amboy High School, and has been publisher and editor of the local and State Young Men's Hebrew Association magazines. He is a prominent figure in social and fraternal circles in Perth Amboy, and is a member of a number of important orders and clubs. He is especially well known in Masonic circles and is affiliated with Mt. Zion Lodge, No. 135, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Raritan Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Tall Cedars of Lebanon, No. 216; and Salaam Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Besides these Masonic bodies he is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Foresters of America, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Westminster Cadets, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Young Men's Hebrew Association, and the B'Nei Zion Camp, No. 20. As a youth, Mr. Medi- nets was a notable athlete, being for two years the holder of the standing broad jump of the public schools of Richmond borough, New York, and has always been keenly fond of all out-door sports and pastimes.
Harry Sidney Medinets was united in marriage, December 27, 1914, at Bayonne, New Jersey, with Lenore Garsson, a native of New York City, born March 10, 1893, a daughter of Morris and Anna (Epstein) Garsson, who now make their home in Perth Amboy. Mr. Garsson is the local representative of the John Hancock Life Insurance Company, and is an authority on Hebrew literature, and himself an author of note. Mr. and Mrs. Medinets are the parents of one child, Adelle Josephine, born April 3, 1916.
INGFRED T. MADSEN .- Perhaps the largest hardware store in Middlesex county is that of the Perth Amboy Hardware Company, at Perth Amboy, a business founded in 1909 by Ingfred T. Madsen, who since 1915 has given it his entire personal attention. Mr. Madsen is a native son of Perth Amboy, but he moved to New York for business reasons, and in 1915 the same forces impelled his return to the place of his birth.
Mr. Madsen is a son of Laurids Madsen, born in Denmark, in 1844. who at the age of twenty came to the United States and located in Perth Amboy, where he died, February 14, 1920. He was interested in the manufacture of terra cotta. His wife, Helene (Sorenson) Madsen, born in Denmark, yet survives him, residing in Perth Amboy. Dr. M. P. Madsen, of Hastings, New York, and Ingfred T. Madsen, are the only living children, the eldest dying in infancy.
Ingfred T. Madsen was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, July 7, 1879, and there completed a public school education, with graduatior
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from high school, class of 1897. During his last three years in high school, he had established a profitable newspaper route, which he con- tinued for a time after leaving school. In September, 1897, he accepted a position with Peck, Stow & Wilcox, hardware manufacturers, of New York City. remaining with that firm until 1911, beginning as office man and becoming manager. In 1911 he began business for himself as a manufacturer's agent, and in that line developed a good business, cov- ering the Eastern coast States. He had, in 1909, founded a business in Perth Amboy under the name and firm style, The Perth Amboy Hardware Company, and in 1915 that company had so increased in importance that Mr. Madsen moved to Perth Amboy to give to its affairs his entire time. He has devoted his business life to the sale of hardware, and is an authority on all questions pertaining thereto. The business is large and well managed, consequently is prosperous and profitable.
In 1917, Mr. Madsen was elected a director of the Perth Amboy Chamber of Commerce, and in 1918-19-20 was chosen president. He was chairman of the War Savings Committee, and very helpful in all war activities. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Royal Arcanum, East Jersey and Raritan Yacht clubs, of Perth Amboy, the Colonia Country Club, and the Hardware Club of New York City. His favorite recreation is golf.
Mr. Madsen married, in Rohrsburg, Pennsylvania, September 27, 1910, Lela M. Shultz, born there, daughter of John H. and Dorothy (Henrie) Shultz. Mr. and Mrs. Madsen are the parents of three chil- dren : Dorothy H., J. Edward, and Mary Elizabeth.
GEORGE DUNHAM RUNYON, who for nearly two decades has been associated with the "Evening News" of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and is now one of the proprietors of that journal, is a native of the town of New Brunswick, and a member of one of the oldest and most widely spread families of the State. The Runyon family was founded here in 1665 by one Vincent Rognion or Runyon, one of the French Huguenots who was obliged to flee the persecutions in his native land after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and settled in Elizabethport, New Jersey. He is buried in Piscataway, New Jersey, and his descendants are now resident in many parts of the State, many of them occupying positions of prominence and influence in their respective communities.
George Dunham Runyon was born February 7, 1855, a son of John and Amelia (Oram) Runyon, lifelong residents of New Brunswick, where the former carried on a business as ship carpenter for many years, and died at the age of sixty-seven. His first wife, Amelia (Oram) Runyon, died when she was but twenty-six years old, and she and her husband were the parents of three children, as follows : George Dunham, with whom we are here especially concerned ; Cornelia, deceased ; and John, also deceased. John Runyon married (second) -, and they were the parents of seven children, as follows: Amelia, who resides in New Brunswick ; a child that died in infancy ; W. Parker, mentioned at
-MADSEN - BLOG.
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FACTORY & CONTRACTORS SUPPLIES
IRON , PIPE & FITTINGS
PAINTS
HACK SAW5
PERTH AMBOY HARDWARE CO.
THE PUBLIC Y
ASTIR LEPIT r
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BIOGRAPHICAL
length elsewhere in this work; Frank, who resides in New Brunswick; John, also of New Brunswick; Mary Fannie, who died at the age of twenty-two years; and Theodore, of New Brunswick.
The childhood of George Dunham Runyon was passed at his father's home in New Brunswick, and he there received his early education, attending local schools for this purpose, and he later entered the Bryant & Stratton Business School of Newark, from which he was graduated with the class of 1873. Upon completing his studies he entered his father's ship repairing yard, and at the age of twenty-two was working at this trade there. Eventually, being of an enterprising character, he came to Perth Amboy and opened a similar establishment of his own, founding with John H. Phillips the Perth Amboy Dry Dock Company, and they met with notable success from the outset. For ten years they continu ' to carry on this enterprise, and then Mr. Runyon entered the lumber business in Perth Amboy, in which for ten years more he was similarly successful. It was in the year 1901 that Mr. Runyon made the vital change that took him from the field of industry and launched him pon his newspaper career in which he has continued ever since. In th" year he became associated with the "Evening News," of which he ev tually became one of the three proprietors and of which he is now the treasurer. This paper, under his exceedingly able financial management, has thriven greatly and is now one of the most influential periodicals of Middlesex county and a potent factor in local politics and the fie. of general thought. Mr. Runyon is a Democrat in politics, and has 1 .nself played a prominent part in public affairs in Perth Amboy. He has lield a number of elective offices, has been a member of the School Commission, and represented the First Ward on the Board of Aldermen. He is also well known in social and fraternal circles in the city, and has been a member of the Junior Order of American Mechan- ics for forty years, being one of its charter members, and a member of the local branch of the Young Men's Christian Association for a long period.
George Dunham Runyon was united in marriage, April 29, 1879, in New Brunswick, with Melvenia Lewis, like himself a native of that city, and a daughter of William and Sarah (Voorhees) Lewis, old and highly respected residents there for many years and now both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Runyon are the parents of six children, as follows: Lewis Parker, who now resides in Buhl, Idaho, where he is engaged in the grocery business; Cornelia, who died at the age of four and a half years; Harry H., who makes his home at Boise City, where he is estab- lished as a successful merchant; Helen, a graduate trained nurse at Boise City, Idaho; Ruth, wife of Charles B. Oakford, Merchantville, New Jersey; and Vincent, who saw active service during the World War in France as a member of the 13th Balloon Company. Mr. Runyon and the members of his family are Methodists in their religious belief and those residing in Perth Amboy attend the Simpson Methodist Epis- copal Church of that city, of which he has been the treasurer for above thirty-five years.
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OSCAR OGILIVE BARR, M. E., B. S .- Professor Barr, now super- intendent of schools of South Amboy, New Jersey, has been connected with the public schools of the State of New Jersey for many years, probably no man in the State having had so wide and varied a con- nection. As a teacher of elementary and high schools, he gained that close practical knowledge of school economy which distinguishes him and aids him in his work as county superintendent of schools in South Jersey, and as city superintendent in the two cities he has served. He is still a young man, with many years of professional usefulness before him, and if the past be taken as a criterion, he will go far in his pro- fession.
Professor Barr is a son of John William and Louisa (Lombard) Barr, both deceased, his father a veteran of the Civil War. John W. Barr served the Union cause as a volunteer under four different enlist- ments, covering the four years of war, as follows: First lieutenant of Company B, 10th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, 1861 ; second lieu- tenant of Company K, 127th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, 1862; captain of Company H, 39th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, 1863; private of Company B, 16th Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry, 1865.
Oscar O. Barr was born in the State of Pennsylvania, September 2, 1875. He is a graduate of Pine Grove High School, West Chester Normal School, Lafayette College, class of 1906, and of the Teachers' College, Columbia University, receiving the degree M. E. and B. S. His life has been devoted to the cause of education, and he has taught in all grades of the public schools. He served the county of Cape May, New Jersey, as superintendent of public instruction, and performed the same service for the county of Salem, New Jersey. He has also been city superintendent of schools for the city of Salem, New Jersey, and since March 15th has been city superintendent of schools at South Amboy, New Jersey. This record of continuous service in high and responsible positions determines the value of Professor Barr's services to the cause of education, and testifies loudly to the estimation in which he is held in these widely separated communities.
During the Spanish-American War, Professor Barr was a corporal of Company G, 4th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and saw service in Porto Rico, West Indies. He is a member of the Council of Educa- tion, State of New Jersey; New York Schoolmasters' Club; National Educational Association; New Jersey State Teachers' Association ; the Protestant Episcopal church : and Alpha Chi Rho, a college fraternity.
Mr. Barr married, at Cape May, New Jersey, October 2, 1906, Marie Moore, daughter of Charles and Ella N. Moore. Their only child, Ella Louise Barr, was born February 24, 1908.
REV. CORDIE JACOB CULP, PH. D .- For two decades Dr. Culp has been a clergyman of the Presbyterian church, beginning pastoral work in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, in 1900. Although settled over a leading church in the neighboring city of New Jersey for many years, his connection with the New Brunswick and the First Presbyterian
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Church did not begin until 1918, when he accepted their call and was settled over that church. He is a son of Calvin Beatty and Martha Jane (Dance) Culp, who at the time of the birth of their son were living in Jefferson county, Ohio, his father engaged in farming.
Cordie Jacob Culp was born in Wintersville, Jefferson county, Ohio, September 8, 1872. He began his education in the rural public schools, and later became a student in Richmond (Ohio) College, whence he was graduated, class of 1895. He taught in the public schools, 1895-96, entered Princeton Seminary in 1897, and was graduated from that insti- tution, class of 1900. He pursued post-graduate courses in Princeton University in 1902, receiving the degree of M. A. with the class of that year. In 1914 he received the degree of Ph. D. from New York University, also at the finish of post-graduate courses. After graduation from Princeton Seminary in 1900, he was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian church, and for four years, 1900-04, was pastor of Fairview Presbyterian Church, Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. In 1904 he accepted a call from Bound Brook, New Jersey, and until 1918 was pastor of the Presbyterian church there. In 1918 he came to the First Presbyterian Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and there remains (May, 1921).
During the World War, Dr. Culp was in the service of the Young Men's Christian Association, and for six months was director of religious work at Wissahickon Barracks, the Naval Reserve Camp at Cape May, New Jersey. He is a Republican in politics, a member of the Masonic order, New Brunswick County Club, New Brunswick Rotary Club, and the Rutgers Club. He is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fra- ternity.
Dr. Culp married, in Richmond, Ohio, June 27, 1900, Florence M. Burns, daughter of John Wesley and Mary Virginia (McElroy ) Burns.
MARTIN STOETZEL MEINZER, M. D .- Any history of the medical profession of Middlesex county, New Jersey, would be incom- plete without the name of Dr. Martin Stoetzel Meinzer, who for the past fourteen years has been engaged in the active practice of his pro- fession at Perth Amboy. In devoting himself almost exclusively to surgery, he has won the confidence and esteem of his professional brethren by the satisfactory results gained in this particular branch of the profession.
Louis Frederick Meinzer, father of Dr. Meinzer, was born in New York City, and died in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in April, 1919, at the age of seventy-eight years. For a period of fifty years he was proprietor of the general store there, which is still run under his name and con- ducted by his son Augustus L. Mr. Meinzer married, in 1861, Amelia Stoetzel, and they were the parents of three children: Augustus Louis, who lives in the old homestead at South Amboy, and has succeeded his father in the proprietorship of the general store; Louis Frederick, a dentist of South Amboy ; and Martin Stoetzel, mentioned below.
Martin Stoetzel Meinzer was born in South Amboy, April 22, 1878, and attended the schools there until he was sixteen years old, when he
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entered New Brunswick Preparatory School, from which he was gradu- ated in 1897; he then matriculated at Rutgers College, and in 1901 received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from this institution. Having already decided upon making the practice of medicine his life-work, he entered the medical department of Columbia University, New York City, and in 1905, was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Rutgers College later conferred the degree of Master of Science. After spending a year as interne in the Orange Memorial Hospital, Dr. Meinzer began general practice in Perth Amboy, March 19, 1906, and very soon, by reason of taste and natural aptitude, directed the greater part of his attention to surgery, gradually eliminating the medical element. Suc- cess has attended his efforts and he is now in possession of a large and ever increasing clientele. In addition to his private practice Dr. Mein- zer was city physician from 1907-1916, school physician from 1907-1915, and physician for the Board of Health from 1916-1918. He is a member of the New Jersey State Medical Association, the Middlesex County Medical Society, and the American Medical Society, and has held the offices of president and secretary in the county society.
A good citizen, Dr. Meinzer never refuses to aid and cooperate in any cause or movement which in his judgment makes for progress or reform in any department of the city's life. With the financial institu- tions of the city he is also prominently connected, being a director of the Perth Amboy Trust Company, secretary of the Maple Realty Com- pany, and president of Perth Amboy Business College. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religion an Episcopalian. Dr. Meinzer is also a member of the East Jersey Club, and affiliates with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
On July 6, 1906, Dr. Meinzer was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Smock, and they are the parents of one child, Helen Susan, born June 22, 1912. The family home is at No. 42 Market street, and office at No. 284 Madison avenue, Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
JAMES ALEXANDER EDGAR .- A good example of the successful business man and man-of-affairs who has risen through his own efforts to a position of prominence in the community is James Alexander Edgar. For the past sixteen years he has been engaged in the real estate and insurance business in New Brunswick, and during this time has been a recognized authority in all that vitally concerns the welfare and progress of this city.
James Alexander Edgar was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, January 28, 1870, the son of Joseph Edgar and Annie Eliza (McCollum) Edgar. Joseph Edgar was born in the north of Ireland, and during his early manhood taught school in his native place, after which he emigated to this country and for many years was engaged in the wholesale and retail meat business. The education of James Alexander Edgar was obtained in the public schools of New York City and of Red Bank, New Jersey. At the age of sixteen he entered upon his business career, engaging in various branches until 1894, when he secured a position as
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