USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume II > Part 5
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The Perth Amboy Water Company was organized in January, 1881, and a reservoir was built at Eaglewood Park from which water was
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dispensed throughout the city, the fire pressure being over forty-two pounds. The capital stock was $100,000, and among the first officers were William Hall, president; C. C. Hommann, secretary ; William Stiger, treasurer. The water works of the city are now under the control of a Board of Water Commissioners. The Perth Amboy Gas Company was incorporated March 8, 1861, with a capital of $65,000, which was all paid in at that time. A contract was obtained for lighting the streets, and pipes were laid to supply the city and private demands. The corporation is now known by the title of Perth Amboy Gas Light Company, its officers being Patrick Convery, president ; Albert F. Reite- meyer, secretary and treasurer.
The city has nine Fire Companies, which are said to be as efficient as any in the State. The quickness with which they answer the fire alarm, and the promptness with which they reach the scene of action are matters of public knowledge. The names and dates of organization of these companies, which are all volunteer bodies, are as follows: Lincoln Hose, December 28, 1881 ; Protection Hook and Ladder, Janu- ary, 1882; Washington Hose, December, 1882; McClellan Engine, No. 3, February, 1892 : Eagle Hose, No. 4, 1904 ; Garfield Engine, No. 5, 1908; Liberty Hook and Ladder, No. 2, December 2, 1909; Humane H. and L. Chemical, 1913. Joseph Conard, the first chief, was elected in 1883. The following are present officers : Chief, George Nixon ; first assistant, Harry Tooker ; second assistant, Andrew Anderson.
The Free Public Library was established in 1892, and was formerly located in High street. In 1902 a donation of $20,000 was received from the Carnegie Foundation, and the present building on Jefferson street was erected; in 1914 a further gift of $30.000, from the same source, provided for a substantial enlargement of the building. The library hours are daily (legal holidays excepted) from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m., Sun- days (October to June), 2 to 6 p. m., for readers only. According to the last report there were 14,496 volumes, and a large number of peri- odicals, magazines, etc. A branch library is conducted in Brace avenue, which is also open daily. There is a separate reading room for the children, in which there is an average daily attendance of about 125. A large auditorium in the basement is a well lighted, and attractive room, and used for club meetings, lectures, plays and other gatherings. Miss Alice Goddard, who was the efficient librarian, was granted an extended leave of absence in June, 1918, to engage in war work in France, and was succeeded by Miss Helen M. Grannis, who is still in charge, with an excellent staff of assistants. The board of trustees is as follows: F. L. Antisell, president; Tracy D. Waring, vice-president; John H. Miller, secretary ; Albert Leon, treasurer; J. L. Clevenger, William C. Wilson, mayor, ex-officio; and S. E. Shull, superintendent of schools, ex-officio.
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Some fifteen or twenty citizens in 1915 organized the East Jersey Club, the first meetings being held at the Packer House. A year or two afterward the club leased the property of Dr. F. W. Kitchel, on High street, and subsequently purchased it. The membership increased from year to year, and at present numbers one hundred and thirty resi- dent, and sixty non-resident members. The members have always taken an active and effective interest in social and city affairs, many of them being connected officially and otherwise with a number of the leading business enterprises. The officers and directors are: L. H. McHose, president ; Franz Roessler, vice-president; John M. O'Toole, treasurer ; Jean DuBois, Dr. Wm. E. Ramsay, C. C. Baldwin, A. Clayton Clark, Abel Hansen, R. A. McDowell, H. W. Fisher, Dr. J. L. McDowall, and J. F. McGuire. The clubhouse was originally erected in 1667, and was thoroughly renovated and partially rebuilt by the late owner.
The financial history of Perth Amboy dates back to 1872, when a number of business men met for the purpose of arranging for estab- lishment of a banking institution for the purpose of handling mercantile paper. This was deemed a matter of great importance, as heretofore much of the moneyed interest of the city was withdrawn into other chan- nels, and difficulty had arisen in obtaining discount of business paper without resorting to banking institutions of New Brunswick or Rahway.
The Middlesex County State Bank was incorporated March 14, 1872, with a capital of $35,000. The first board of directors were William Hall, president; William King, Uriah B. Watson, Noah Furman, R. N. Valentine and Eber B. Hall. The bank for a number of years did a successful business, but was obliged to close its doors, and went into liquidation in 1899
The Perth Amboy Savings Institution was incorporated under the laws of the State, July 1, 1869. The deposits the first year amounted to $1,969.32; they have grown steadily and under good management represent a total savings of $2,700,000. The institution built a few years ago their present fireproof banking building on Smith street. The pres- ent assets of the bank are invested in first mortgages on real estate, United States bonds and certificates, county, municipal and railroad bonds. The present officers are: Adrian Lyon, president; Victor W. Main, vice-president ; J. Lawrence Boggs, secretary ; Charles Keen Sea- man, treasurer.
The oldest institution and in fact the first organized under the Na- tional Banking Law in the city is the First National Bank, located on Smith street. It was organized July 25, 1899, with a capital stock of $100,000, the incorporators being Amos T. French, John A. Waterbury, R. B. Van Cortlandt, A. F. Reitemeyer, John W. Whelan, John Kean, Hamilton F. Kean, Edward Nugent, Benjamin F. Howell and Robert Carson. In the financial statement issued by the bank February 21, 1921,
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the surplus earnings are stated to be $277,845.60, while the individual deposits aggregated $3,021,536.62. The present officers are: Hamilton F. Kean, president; Robert Carson and Charles D. Snedeker, vice- presidents ; John M. O'Toole, cashier.
The City National Bank, a comparatively young institution, was incorporated and commenced business September 22, 1919, with a capital stock of $100,000. By the last financial statement the surplus amounted to $25,000, besides undivided profits of $8,731.95; the individ- ual deposits amounted to $717,479.51. The officers in 1921 were Joseph E. Stricker, president ; John Pfeiffer, vice-president ; E. C. Axtell, cashier.
There are besides these financial institutions in Perth Amboy, two trust companies. The Perth Amboy Trust Company is situated on the corner of Smith and Hobart streets. The officers are Isaac Alpern, president ; Frank Dorsey and Peter C. Olsen, vice-presidents; William M. Weiant, secretary and treasurer. The history of the Raritan Trust Company, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, dates from June 6, 1916, when the institution was incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey with a capital stock of $100,000. The company is owned and con- trolled by residents of Perth Amboy and vicinity, and the degree to which the public confidence is held is shown by a gratifying annual increase in the business of all its departments. The Raritan Trust Com- pany performs all the service of the modern trust company, and, in addi- tion to its banking business, has come into that intimate touch with the community that such an institution, through the very nature of its organ- ization, can best attain.
There have been only a few minor changes in the official personnel of the company during the four years of its life, and its place of business (1920) continues on the corner of State and Fayette streets. The state- ment prepared at the close of business, December 31, 1920, showed deposits of well over a million and a half dollars, and all its items indicate a healthy growth and vigorous condition. The officers of the Raritan Trust Company are: Sidney Riddlestorffer, president; A. Greenbaum, vice-president ; Abel Hansen, vice-president ; A. Clayton Clark, vice- president ; W. Parker Runyon, vice-president; Harry E. Comings, sec- retary-treasurer ; and I. R. Solt, assistant secretary-treasurer. The direc- tors are : A. Clayton Clark, manager of the Raritan Copper Works; Leo Goldberger, city attorney ; M. S. Goldberger, merchant; A. Greenbaum, president of the Metuchen Realty and Improvement Company ; Abel Hansen, proprietor of Ford's Porcelain Works; M. M. McHose, treas- urer of L. H. McHose, Inc .; Anton Massopust, real estate and insur- ance operator ; S. Riddlestorffer, president of the company; I. R. Rob- bins, dealer in lumber and building materials; L. M. Rossi, works man- ager of the General Bakelite Company; W. Parker Runyon, president of
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the P. A. Dry Dock Company; Dr. C. I. Silk, physician; Frank Stas, treasurer of the Slovak League of America ; and Max Wurtzel, wholesale merchant. The company has found a wide local sphere of influence, and has taken a responsible place among the financial institutions of the county.
The subscriptions to the several Liberty Loans throughout the city, including the banks and individual subscriptions, were as follows: First loan, $1,027,000; Second, $1,505,250; Third, $1,401,450; Fourth, $1,798,300; Fifth, $1,340,750; Total, $7,072,750.
A Board of Trade was organized and duly incorporated in 1913. The association continued its labors with considerable success until Sep- tember 13, 1920, at which time the members organized themselves into a Chamber of Commerce, after a vigorous campaign conducted in their behalf by the "American Board for Cities." The Chamber now has commodious offices on the corner of Smith and Maple streets. The offi- cers are as follows: President, Isaac Alpern; vice-presidents, Fred A. Briegs and P. C. Olsen; treasurer, John Pfeiffer; secretary, John F. Bergen; directors-Charles C. Hommann, Ira R. Crouse, John Pfeiffer, Isaac Alpern, Fred A. Briegs, George F. Reynolds, Frank Dorsey, I. T. Madsen, Jean Du Bois and Barney Streiff. There is a membership of 450, and much active and successful work has been done and is now prosecuted for the growth and benefit of the city. Many inducements are being offered to corporations and companies to locate here, and the personnel of the Chamber is such as to warrant the expectation that the organization will be productive of lasting benefit to the city in every respect.
A large number of the early inhabitants of Perth Amboy were Quakers and Anabaptists, and many belonged to the Scotch Kirk, while in the adjacent county Congregationalists or Independents were numer- ous. This diversity of sects necessarily rendered it difficult to procure a clergyman who would be generally acceptable, and fifteen years elapsed after the settlement without any regular religious services. Several of the East Jersey proprietors applied in 1695 to Bishop Compton of London for a minister of the Established Church. In compliance with this request, at the close of 1698 Rev. Edward Perthuck was sent to the province. Arriving at Perth Amboy, the board of proprietors ordered, February 21, 1698-99, that one of the houses which had been built at the expense of the general proprietaries should be given for a church for the use of the town. This house stood near the ferry over the Raritan; this was the foundation in Amboy of the congregation of Protestant Episcopalians.
It is not known how long Mr. Perthuck remained, but prior to the incorporation of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in For- eign Parts in 1701, clergymen occasionally visited Amboy. The follow-
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ing year Rev. George Keith was sent by the society as a missionary to the colonies, having as his assistant Rev. John Talbot. The pulpit was occupied occasionally in 1704 by Rev. Mr. Brook, a missionary at Eliza- bethtown. He was an active, energetic and efficient servant of the Cross, performing divine service in a territory covering fifty miles in extent at Elizabethtown, Rahway, Amboy, Cheesequakes, Piscataway, Rocky Hill, and a congregation near Freehold. This diligence raised a zealous spirit amongst the people, but unfortunately his services were terminated in the autumn of 1707 by his being lost at sea on his way to England. The Rev. Edward Vaughan succeeded Mr. Brook in 1709, and gave Amboy as much attention as possible, having Elizabethtown and other missions to visit frequently. The growth of the Elizabethtown con- gregation required more and more of Mr. Vaughan's attention, and Amboy was obliged to procure a separate minister; the Rev. Thomas Halliday commenced his labors there in the summer of 1711, the con- gregation of Piscataway being also under his charge. Mr. Halliday became involved with the political factions which were causing unhappy dissensions in New Jersey ; his course was obnoxious to his congrega- tion, and he was finally refused access to the church by his parishioners. This was in the summer of 1713; the following year, Mr. Vaughan having taken up his residence in Amboy, officiated as rector of the church one Sunday in every four.
A charter was granted to the congregation by Governor Hunter, July 30, 1718; upon the receipt of that document the parish was regularly established, a new church was built and dedicated in 1722, and named St. Peter's. The church was merely an oblong building of the most simple architecture, forty-eight feet long and thirty feet broad, crown- ing a knoll overlooking the waters of the bay. The completion of the church rendering the congregation more anxious for regular and fre- quent services, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel appointed Rev. William Skinner to be their missionary. He commenced his labors in Amboy in the autumn of 1722, and April 7, 1724, received a call to become the regular incumbent of the rectorship of the church. When Mr. Skinner commenced upon his duties there were about twenty com- municants, two years later seventy families belonging to the congrega- tion. During his rectorship, which terminated with his death in 1758, there were fluctuating changes in the attendance upon divine service, but the years previous to his death shows the number of communicants increased and the church became too small to accommodate the con- gregation. The successor of Rev. William Skinner was the Rev. Mr. Palmer, who resigned in 1762 and removed to New Haven, Connecticut.
It was in February, 1763, that the Rev. Robert Mckean arrived at Perth Amboy to take charge of the congregation. His report to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel states that there were from
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forty to fifty families that professed to belonging to the Church of Eng- land, and there were twelve to fifteen more who attended upon his serv- ices in preference to any other ; these included nearly two-thirds of the inhabitants, the remainder being chiefly Presbyterians and a few Quakers. His communicants numbered thirty-four. Improvements were made in the church in 1764, about twelve feet being added to its length, a plain spire built on top of the steeple; the cost of these additions was defrayed by means of a lottery. Mr. McKean died October 17, 1767 ; during his four years of rectorship he also practiced medicine. Imme- diately after his death, measures were taken to secure a successor, but in the meantime the Rev. John Preston, chaplain of the 26th British Regi- ment, officiated, and by a vote of the vestry in December, 1768, he became the regular incumbent. Mr. Preston remained at Amboy until 1774, act- ing as chaplain, also as missionary until the tide of war caused his removal.
From January 3, 1774, to November 11, 1782, there are no records of the vestry's proceedings, and it is doubtful if any meetings were held. The Revolutionary War caused the congregation to scatter abroad, many to seek homes in foreign lands, while others were obliged to attend else- where the calls of their own or their country's interests. The sacred edifice was laid open to the injuries of the weather; the works inside were torn to pieces; the floor, cleared of pews, was occupied as a stable for horses. In the churchyard, the graves and monuments were exposed to injury by the destruction of the fences; against the headstones fires were lighted by soldiers to prepare their food, and the tombstones were used to serve their meals on. The church bravely stood these demoli- tions and weathered the storm; at the close of the Revolution, services were again held, the Rev. Abraham Beach having charge of the congrega- tion for two or three years, when he removed to Nova Scotia. The church was still in a dilapidated condition ; a loan of £ 150 was obtained, the windows and floors were repaired, and from the sale of a grant of one hundred acres, besides private contributions of the inhabitants, a sufficient fund was raised to warrant the completion of the interior. The pulpit was changed from between the two north windows to the east end, the pews rearranged, leaving a single aisle to run the length of the church.
Mr. Rowland's labors ceased about August, 1786; in that month Mr. Joseph I. Bend, a candidate for orders, a schoolmaster in the city, was engaged as lay reader. On being ordained, Mr. Bend removed south, and was succeeded in his school and in his clerical duties by George Hartwell Spiesen. This gentleman was called by the congregation as soon as he was ordained, July 9, 1788, which took place at Perth Amboy; thus the first ordination in New Jersey according to the forms of the Protestant Episcopal church took place within the walls of old St.
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Peter's. Mr. Spiesen was an Irishman, profoundly versed in the lan- guages of Greece and Rome, not unconversant with the delicacies of the English, and a powerful preacher. During his rectorship a bell was presented to the congregation by Captain Philip Lytheby, a Scotchman, which was inscribed with this quaint inscription : "In Perth Amboy my sound enjoy, 1789." The previous lottery having proved advantageous for the church, in June, 1790, another was attempted to raise the sum of £350. This amount was secured, and an additional sum was obtained by private subscription. Mr. Spiesen's precise time of leaving is not known, but in 1791 the vestry, in conjunction with that of Christ Church, New Brunswick, invited Rev. Henry Van Dyke to become rector of the two churches. Having accepted the invitation, he arrived at Perth Amboy, April 19, 1791, and officiated alternately until June or July, 1793.
The church being now left vacant, the vestry thought it advisable until they could offer greater inducements to a permanently settled min- ister, to obtain one of the neighboring clergymen to supply the pulpit occasionally or for a stipulated time. The congregation on November 25, 1793, engaged the Rev. Richard C. Moore, of Staten Island, to offi- ciate once a fortnight. Mr. Moore for several years performed his duties in the parish and was afterwards appointed Bishop of Virginia. The growth and welfare of the congregation, however, required the services of a permanently settled pastor, though at that time there was a scarcity of unengaged clergymen; finally in 1804 they called the Rev. Jasper D. Jones to the rectorship, who continued in charge until the spring of 1809, when he resigned. The Rev. James Chapman was chosen rector September 9, 1809, and continued until his resignation in 1844.
After the rectorship of Mr. Chapman closed, the church was supplied by various clergymen for some months, but in the following year Rev. Hamble J. Leacock was called, and served as rector until 1848, when he resigned. The vacancy was not filled until the summer of 18.19, by the calling of the Rev. H. E. E. Pratt. The new church erected oil the site of the old one was first used for public service June 19, 1853. Mr. Pratt removed to California in 1854, and Rev. Alexander Jones was invited to the rectorship January 1, 1855. His successor was Rev. Alex- ander R. Walker, who had charge from 1871 to 1877, and gave way for one year to the Rev. James O. Drumm. The Rev. Everard P. Miller commenced his rectorship in 1879.
St. Peter's, after standing in simple majesty as an honored repre- sentative of the past two centuries, on the bluff overlooking Prince's Bay. is now being improved and beautified to an extent highly gratifying to the parish. The walls and other portions of the building were so much damaged by the explosion at the Morgan munition plant in October. 1917, that extensive repairs were needed, and it was decided to make a
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thorough renovation. The walls were resurfaced, the ceiling was changed, leaving the oaken beams exposed to view, a new altar and lighting system installed, a baptistry and chantry built, and other im- provements made. A number of memorial windows are soon expected from Europe, and the old temple in its new dress will doubtless be doubly attractive to those who have so long worshipped within its walls. The rectors succeeding Rev. Everard P. Miller have been Rev James Leach Lancaster, 1893-1914, and the present incumbent, Rev. W. Northey Jones, who was installed in 1914.
In the rear a few feet from the church are the graves of Thomas Gordon and Helen, his wife. He and John Willocks donated the ground where the church stands, together with the cemetery around it. The inscription on the monument is in Latin, of which the following is a literal translation :
In Hope of a Happy Resurrection here is Deposited what in Thomas Gordon was found Mortal, who being descended from an Ancient Fam- ily, of Pitlochie, in Scotland, could have glorified, had that been proper, in his extraction ; yet in him was not wanting that of which he might justly boast, for as the Secretary of the Province he exerted his best abilities in behalf of the Councils of the State acceptably to all. Dear to his relations, a sincere worshiper of the eternal Deity, he enjoyed life, and died with resignation on the twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord, 1722, in the seventieth year of his age.
"His mourning consort, who also desires to be interred here, has caused this monument, such as it is, to be set. He lived as long as he desired, as along as the Fates appointed; thus neither was life burden- some, nor death bitter."
In the summer of 1878, former members of the St. Peter's Episcopal Church erected an edifice and established a church on the corner of State and Washington streets. The name of Church of the Holy Cross was given to this new mission, and opening services were held on St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1878. Shortly after, it was recognized by the bishop of the diocese as an independent parish, thus the founda- tion of the church dates from December 4, 1878. The Rev. J. O. Drumm, former rector of St. Peter's, officiated temporarily, and the building was removed to the east side of High street, near Commerce street. The first permanent rector was Rev. A. B. Conger, who served from October, 1879, to Easter, 1880, and on June 20th of that year Rev. Wil- liam S. Boardman was installed as his successor. At the present time there is no settled rector.
As to the formation of a Presbyterian congregation in Amboy in the early part of the eighteenth century, for the lack of authentic records we are unable to give a definite history. In the record of a meeting held by the East Jersey Proprietors, July 22, 1731, John Matthie, John Gaschrie, William Thompson, Thomas Ingles, Thomas Loggans, John
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Leigh, John Moore, John Herriott, John Thompson, Samuel Moores, and Alexander Carnes petitioned the honorable council to lease them for a term of one thousand years a lot of land on which they would have the liberty to erect a building. The lot designated was situated on what is now State street, formerly known as Back street, and was known for many years as the Presbyterian burial ground. Between 1731 and 1735, the privilege accorded by the proprietors was secured by the erection of a small building which was for a long time used by the Presbyterians as their house of worship. There is no evidence, however, of any settled minister, and information as to who from time to time administered to the flock is very limited. The edifice was demolished during the Revolu- tion. After the war, meetings were held in the court house and private residences.
Captain John Angus, who had been a resident of Perth Amboy for a few years, in 1801 commenced persevering efforts towards building a new church, and in the following year the foundation for a new edifice was laid. The new church was opened for divine service January 9, 1803, with a sermon by Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith, president of the College of New Jersey. The Rev. Elias Riggs, a licentiate of the Pres- bytery of New York, became the regular pastor March 7, 1802, and was ordained in the new meeting house August 2, 1803. He remained about four years, and for a short time after his retirement a Mr. Keys officiated as minister, but was not settled as pastor, and continued only about a year. The Rev. Peter Stryker was called and was installed November 28, 1809. His stay was short, as he resigned in August, 1810, to accept a call from congregations of the Reformed Dutch church. For four years the congregation was dependent upon occasional supplies. The Rev. Joshua Young commenced his labors for the congregation Decem- ber 17, 1814. His ministerial character, however, soon became sus- picious, and he was discharged. The next pastor was Rev. Josiah B. Andrews, who commenced his labors June 6, 1816. After being pastor seven or eight years, a disturbance arose between him and the congre- gation which resulted in his removal. The congregation was without a stated minister until 1828, when Mr. Nicholas A. Wilson, a licentiate, became their supply ; he was shortly afterwards ordained, remained as pastor two or three years, and then removed to Philadelphia. The next to assume charge was Rev. Peter H. Shaw, who came in 1831. He con- tinued only about sixteen or eighteen months, when he was succeeded by Rev. David R. Gillmer, who left after a term of eleven months. The Rev. Benjamin Cory succeeded Mr. Gillmer, and was ordained as pastor May 6, 1835. During his ministry both the temporal and spiritual interests of the congregation were improved. At the end of his pastorate of twenty-five years, there were one hundred and forty-four menibers, and fifty-nine pewholders belonging to the congregation. The Rev.
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