USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume III > Part 25
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Mr. Breckenridge married, October 26, 1898, Amanda G. Edgar, daughter of William and Amelia (Gray) Edgar. They are the parents of two children : Marian Edgar, born December 26, 1900, now a junior at Wellesley College, class of 1922; and Harriet Amelia, born May 31, 1906. The family home is at No. 198 Green street, Woodbridge, New Jersey.
J. EDWARD HARNED .- Active in the community life of Wood- bridge, New Jersey, a locality in which he drew his earliest breath, Mr. Harned has through his business activities and personal character- istics won the respect and confidence of all who knew him, and that includes practically everyone in the town.
Mr. Harned is a son of the late Dr. Samuel P. and Fannie C. (Blood- good) Harned, his mother of old New Jersey family, a daughter of James Bloodgood, of Woodbridge. Dr. Harned was a medical practi- tioner in Woodbridge many years, continuing until his death in 1898. He was the son of William Harned, of ancient New York family, who came to Woodbridge in 1856, his son, Samuel P., then being a young man. Dr. Samuel P. Harned there practiced his profession with suc- cess and honor for a long term of years, passing away at the age of sixty-two, after having been a resident of Woodbridge for nearly half a century.
J. Edward Harned was born in Woodbridge, New Jersey, October 15, 1875, and there passed all the grades of the public schools, graduating from the high school with honors in 1891. The year following his grad- uation he entered the grocery business in Woodbridge as clerk, contin- uing until 1898, when he entered the employ of the Central railroad at Sewaren. In 1901 he took a position as bookkeeper with Fayerweather & Ladew, of New York City, then the largest manufacturers of leather
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belting in the world. He continued in the employ of this firm for sev- eral years, finally becoming head accountant and assistant secretary. He later became associated with the publishing house of Frank A. Mun- sey & Company, as an accountant. His engagement with Mr. Munsey was a brief one, his health failing a few months after he made this connection to such an extent that it was necessary for him to work in the open air. As he was not in a position to finance a long period of rest, even for health purposes, he secured an out-of-door position with the Prudential Life Insurance Company. He acted as collector and agent for that company at Woodbridge for three years, 1909-1912, then resigned and opened a real estate office in Woodbridge under his own name.
Since 1912, Mr. Harned has operated a successful real estate business, his office now being in the Post Office building. He was one of the organizers of the Woodbridge Building and Loan Association, of which he is now a director. A Democrat in politics, he has long been connected with public civic life. From 1906 until 1912 he was town clerk ; 1912-13, township treasurer ; 1913-16, secretary of the Middlesex County Board of Taxation ; and since April, 1918, has been postmaster of Woodbridge.
Mr. Harned married, in "The Little Church Around the Corner," in New York City, September 20, 1906, Mabel E. Stell, daughter of William and Emma (Huber) Stell. Mr. and Mrs. Harned are the parents of four children : Warren P., Helen E., Katherine V., and Emily L. The family are attendants of the First Congregational Church of Woodbridge.
WALTER GREEN QUACKENBUSH .- Good roads form one of the big issues of the day, not only in State and county politics, but in the daily welfare of a large percentage of the population. Middlesex county, New Jersey, takes a justifiable pride in her excellent roads, and since 1918 Walter Green Quackenbush has been at the head of this important branch of the county business.
The name of Quackenbush dates back several generations in New Jersey. Allen Peter Quackenbush, father of Walter Green Quackenbush, was born in Monmouth county, and died in Middlesex county, at the age of seventy-three years ; he was a lifelong farmer. He married Mary Magee, who was also born in Monmouth county, and died in Middlesex county, at the age of sixty-seven. They were the parents of thirteen children, of whom seven are now living: Richard, Experience, William, Luther, Ella, Allen, and Walter Green, of whom further.
Walter Green Quackenbush was born in Madison township, Mid- dlesex county, New Jersey, on August 31, 1867, on his father's farm, the old family homestead. He attended school in the nearest district, then worked on the farm with his father until he was twenty-two years of age. He then went to Matawan, New Jersey, where he learned the trade of mason. He followed this trade for a number of years, going about wherever fine construction work offered interesting employment, and thus covering a large part of the State. Then, in 1901, he came to Perth Amboy, where he remained until 1918 in the same line of work, and
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also doing a very considerable amount of road construction. In 1918 he was elected road supervisor of Middlesex county, which office he now holds.
Mr. Quackenbush is a Republican by political affiliation. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; of the Knights of the Golden Eagle; and of the Improved Order of Red Men. His main hobby is of the outdoor kind, that of hunting, and he is a member of the New Brunswick Shooting Club, and considered an excellent shot.
Mr. Quackenbush married, in Freehold, New Jersey, May II, 1887, Annie Grace Preston, daughter of Henry and Ellen (Miller) Preston, who was born in Hawkeshead, England. Her parents were both born in England, and both died in Matawan, New Jersey. Mrs. Quacken- bush's grandfather, John Preston, died in Middlesex county, near Old Bridge, New Jersey, at the age of one hundred and four years, five months and ten days. He always voted the Republican ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Quackenbush are the parents of four children, all living : Arlie, born on January 9, 1888, and now the wife of Alfred Therkelsen, of Perth Amboy; Maud. born on September 20, 1890, and now the wife of Abram Mason; Percy James, born on January 4, 1897, who was graduated from the University of Michigan in the class of 1920; and Walter Earl, born on January 8, 1907. The family are members of the Episcopal church, and active in all the social and welfare work of the same.
VICTOR HERBERT GILLIS .- Among the well known ship- builders of New Jersey and New England is Alexander Gillis, father of our subject, who was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1851. He learned the ship carpenter's trade and was employed in Nova Scotia, Canada, where his son, Victor H., was born, and later in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Providence, Rhode Island, dying in the last-named city in 1920. He married Anne Ellis, and they were the parents of Victor Herbert Gillis, now holding executive position with the Roessler & Hasslacher Chemical Company of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Victor Herbert Gillis was born in South Maitland, Nova Scotia, Canada, March 12, 1882. Soon afterward his parents moved to Perth Amboy. New Jersey, where he was educated in the public school, finish- ing with the high school graduating class of 1899. He entered business life with the Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Company, but after a few months, shipped before the mast for an ocean voyage and for eighteen months remained at sea. He tried various occupations, remaining two years in the freight department of the Central Railroad of New Jersey as clerk, 1902-05, then from 1904-07 was with the C. Pardee Company of Perth Amboy, finally, in 1907, forming a connection with the Roessler & Hass- lacher Chemical Company of Perth Amboy. He has risen to an im- portant position with that company and is highly regarded by the company's officials. He is an independent in politics ; a member of the Raritan Yacht and Chemical clubs of Perth Amboy; and the Bentley Yacht Club of Tottenville, Staten Island, New York. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church of Perth Amboy.
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Mr. Gillis married, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1905, Laura Tunis, daughter of Charles S. and Ella (Peacock) Tunis. Mr. and Mrs. Gillis are the parents of three children : Helen G., Marjorie, and Cath- erine S.
BERNARD M. GANNON .- A familiar figure in the business world of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, is Bernard M. Gannon, of Gannon & Sheehy, the leading haberdashers of Perth Amboy.
Mr. Gannon is a son of John and Mary (Clancy) Gannon, both of whom were born in Ireland, and emigrated to this country early in life. They made their home in Port Jervis, New York, Mr. Gannon entering the employ of the Eric railroad, where he was continuously employed for fifty years.
Bernard M. Gannon was born in Port Jervis, New York, where he attended school until fifteen years of age. Being active and full of spirit, the boy started out to make his way in the world, taking the line of railroad work as his choice. He entered the yards of the West Shore railroad, wiping engines for a beginning. He remained with the West Shore for four years, then went on the New York Central railroad as a fireman. While working in that capacity he had an accident which deprived him of the use of his right hand, and thereafter, during his connection with the New York Central, was a station agent. He came to Perth Amboy in 1893 and acted as joint agent for the Staten Island railroad and the United States Express Company.
In 1903 Mr. Gannon became associated with his present partner, and the firm of Gannon & Sheehy was formed for the purpose of estab- lishing a retail business in men's furnishings and haberdashery. The venture was successful from the very beginning, and the attractive store at No. 92 Smith street has become the popular shopping mart for the fastidious men of Perth Amboy and its vicinity.
Mr. Gannon has long been interested in the public matters of the city, having been called upon repeatedly to serve in public capacities. In 1901 he was elected alderman from the Second Ward; in 1902, elected assemblyman ; in 1907 again elected alderman; in 1909 county clerk, which latter office he has held continuously ever since. He is a Demo- crat in his political affiliation, and a member of the Perth Amboy Demo- cratic Club. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; of the Knights of Columbus; and of the Hibernians. He also is a member of the East Jersey Club ; of the Raritan Yacht Club ; and of the Union Club, of New Brunswick.
Mr. Gannon married, in New York City, in 1900, Catherine Maher, who has since died. Mr. Gannon has three children : Catherine, John, and Mary. He resides in Metuchen.
SAMUEL S. BURLOCK .- To the intelligence, industry and thrift of her agriculturists, more than to all other causes combined, does Mid- dlesex county, New Jersey, owe her remarkable development. The farm owned by Samuel S. Burlock and his wife was brought to its
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present condition by Louis Kolb, a native of Germany, who came to this country in 1853 and settled in Newark, New Jersey, where at the age of twenty-one he became a citizen of the United States, and where he worked at his trade, that of hat finishing. In 1861 Mr. Kolb married Christina Schaffer, also a native of Germany, and they were the parents of five children, two sons and three daughters, all born in Newark, in the public schools of which place they received their education. Mr. Kolb had the misfortune to lose his arm, so was compelled to give up his trade. He bought the farm which had laid idle for over twenty years, and by hard work succeeded in clearing it. He built a residence thereon, and set out the grounds with all kinds of fruit trees suited to that cli- mate. In 1900 Mr. and Mrs. Burlock purchased this farm and made it their home, Mr. Burlock remaining, however, with the Pennsylvania railroad.
Samuel S. Burlock is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born September 4. 1843, a son of Samuel DeForest Burlock, a native of New York City, and Lydia Ann (Smith) Burlock, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The elder Mr. Burlock was an enterprising business man, devoting his entire time and attention to the publishing trade, from which he derived a lucrative livelihood.
Samuel S. Burlock was a student in the public schools of Philadelphia. He learned the trade of book binding in his father's publishing house, becoming thoroughly expert in that line, but he did not follow it for his active business career, as he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania rail- road, in whose service he continued until he attained the age limit for their employees, then was retired on a pension.
Mr. Burlock is a veteran of the Civil War. He enlisted in Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania, August 7, 1862, serving sixteen months, when he was honorably discharged. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and whatever conduces to the betterment of the community receives from him an earnest support.
Mr. Burlock married (second) in New York City, April 10, 1889, Catherine Christina Kolb, born in Newark, New Jersey, January 13, 1862, a daughter of Louis and Christina (Schaffer) Kolb, the former owners of the Burlock farm. By a former marriage Mr. Burlock has a son, Horace V. Burlock, who is employed by the New York Central railroad ; he is the father of two sons and one daughter, the latter a teacher in the public schools of New York City. Also, by a previous marriage, Mrs. Catherine C. (Kolb-Wenzler) Burlock had a son, Harry Wenzler, who was raised by Mr. Burlock and given the name of Bur- lock; he was born in Newark, New Jersey, May 25, 1883. He is a prosperous farmer, and the father of four children, two sons and two daughters, who represent the third generation of the Kolb family born in America.
PHILIP LEO SCHWARTZ, D. D. S., is more than usually well supplied with talents by which he may earn a livelihood. He has been on the staff of a daily periodical ; has written upon professional sub- jects for magazines ; is at present an instructor upon medical subjects ;
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and also is a dentist with a large practice which occupies most of his time.
Born in New Brunswick, Dr. Schwartz is the son of Herman Schwartz, a cigar manufacturer in New Brunswick, where he has con- ducted an establishment for many years at No. 84 Albany street, his home being at No. 19 Kirkpatrick street. Mrs. Schwartz was Malvina Rosen- berg, the daughter of Rev. Daniel Rosenberg, a prominent divine, located in New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schwartz have six children, all living at the present time. Their son, Philip Leo Schwartz, has enjoyed the advantages arising from a good, fundamental education, having been a pupil in the grammar schools, from which he graduated in 1909, followed by a four years' course at the high school, graduating in 1913. Immediately after leaving school, the young man held the position of assistant advertising manager of the New Brunswick "Daily Times." After a short business experience, Dr. Schwartz entered the New York College of Dental Surgery, which institution, after a complete course of instruction, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery, in 1917. For six months after his graduation from college, Dr. Schwartz was located in Trenton, but at the end of that time he opened an office in New Brunswick, in October, 1917, and began the practice of his profession here, his office being at No. 101 Albany street, in the Montalvo building.
Dr. Schwartz is at the present time assistant oral surgeon at the Vanderbilt clinic in New York City, and instructor in anesthesia at Columbia University in the post-graduate course of dental surgery. Dr. Schwartz also devotes part of his time to charitable work, being a mem- ber of the staff on oral surgery at St. Peter's Hospital, New Brunswick. His particular work is in the line of dental surgery, using the X-ray in connection with his work. Dr. Schwartz has also contributed several excellent articles treating on professional subjects to the "Dental Cosmos Magazine," one being "The Treatment of Facial Neuralgia by Alcoholic Injections." and another article upon "The Removal of Redundant Tis- sues of the Mouth."
The various societies having connection with professional matters are some of Dr. Schwartz's many interests. He is a member of : The Middlesex County Dental Society, of which he is secretary ; the New Jersey State Dental Society ; the National Dental Association ; and the Middlesex County Professional Guild, being treasurer of same. In club life he is also quite active, being a member of the New Brunswick Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the New Brunswick Country Club, this last affording him the opportunity to indulge in his favorite game of golf. Dr. Schwartz is not married.
EPHRAIM CUTTER .- As a legal practitioner at Woodbridge, New Jersey, Mr. Cutter has passed his professional life, which began in 1877 with his admission to the New Jersey bar. He opened an office in Woodbridge, in January, 1878, and has since practiced there. That period, however, does not cover his connection with Woodbridge, for
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there he first saw the light of day, and there his father was born, and his forefathers, back to 'Richard (2) Cutter, the first of his family to leave New England and establish a home in New Jersey.
The Cutter family is of English origin. Elizabeth Cutter, a widow, came to New England about 1640 with her three children, William, Richard and Barbara.
Richard Cutter, son of Elizabeth Cutter, died at Cambridge, Massa- chusetts, June 16, 1693. He married (first) about 1644, Elizabeth Wil- liams. He married (second) February 14, 1662-63, Frances (Perriman) Amsden, widow of Isaac Amsden. Fourteen children were born to Richard Cutter, seven by each wife, William Cutter, of whom further, being among the children of his first wife.
William Cutter, son of Richard and Elizabeth (Williams) Cutter, was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 22, 1650, and died in Cambridge, April 1, 1723. He married Rebecca Rolfe, and they were the parents of Richard (2) Cutter, of whom further.
Richard (2) Cutter, son of William and Rebecca (Rolfe) Cutter, was born November 13, 1682. As before mentioned, he was the first of the Cutter family to leave New England and establish a home in New Jersey. He settled in Woodbridge township, Middlesex county, where in 1709, in company with John Pike, he built what is believed to be the first mill erected in that township. That mill stood on then Pike, now Woodbridge creek, at what is now the Cutter and Prall dock. He married, August 20, 1706, Mary Pike, and they were the parents of fourteen children. Richard (2) Cutter died in December, 1756, aged seventy-five years. From this ancestor sprang the Cutters of Wood- bridge, prominent in the clay mining and manufacturing business, in farming and merchandising.
Ephraim (2) Cutter, of Woodbridge, is a son of Ephraim and Mary (Stansbury) Cutter, his father a farmer of Woodbridge township, who died in 1854, at the age of forty-seven years. He was an officer of the Presbyterian church, and was greatly respected. Mary (Stansbury) Cutter belonged to an old Woodbridge family, the Alston. The farm upon which Ephraim and Mary (Stansbury) Cutter first lived came into the Cutter family in 1750. They were the parents of four children : William ; Mary H., deceased; Sarah, who married Daniel S. Voorhees, of Woodbridge ; and Ephraim (2), of further mention.
Ephraim (2) Cutter was born at the farm in Woodbridge, New Jersey, August 11, 1854, this farm having been the home of his father and grandfather. The farm has been known for many years as the Spa Spring Farm. Ephraim (2) Cutter began his education in Woodbridge public schools, passing thence to a private school in Elizabeth, New Jersey, of which Dr. David H. Pierson was the head, continuing there during the years 1867-68. He then spent a year in Rutgers Preparatory School at New Brunswick, New Jersey, and in the fall of 1870 entered Rutgers College, taking a classical course, remaining until graduation, when he received his A. B. with the class of 1874.
After his graduation he at once began another term of close appli- cation, registering as a law student in the office of Andrew Dutcher, in
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Elizabeth, New Jersey. After a year's study under Mr. Dutcher, he entered the office of William J. Magie and Joseph Cross, also at Eliza- beth. Mr. Magie was afterwards chancellor of New Jersey. He con- tinued in this office as a student for two years. At the November term, 1877, of the Supreme Court, Mr. Cutter was admitted to the New Jersey bar as an attorney, and the following January he opened an office in Woodbridge, and began the practice of law. At the June term, 1881, he was admitted as a counsellor, and has since been admitted to practice in all the Federal courts of the district. He has been continu- ously in the practice of law in Woodbridge from 1878 to 1921, and holds honorable position at the Middlesex county bar. He served as town- ship attorney in 1884-1889, and again in 1906-1913, inclusive. He has a good practice along general legal lines, and holds the confidence and esteem of his community. He has been engaged in much important litigation.
A Democrat in his political faith, he has always taken an active interest and part in local public affairs. He represented the First Assembly District of Middlesex county in the New Jersey State Assem- bly in 1888 and 1889, and from 1884 to 1889 was a member of the town- ship committee. In the years 1896 and 1897 he was president of the Woodbridge Board of Education. Mr. Cutter has always been one of the leading supporters of every forward movement, and in all things, progressive and public-spirited. He is a member of the official board of the First Congregational Church of Woodbridge, a society he aided in organizing in 1874, and of which he has been a member for forty- seven years.
Mr. Cutter was one of the charter members of the Salmagundi Liter- ary Society of Woodbridge, organized in 1882, and has been a member of that society since that time. He has always taken a keen interest in State and National affairs.
JUDSON G. COTTRELL, a prominent physician of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and one of the leaders of his profession in Middlesex county, is a member of an old and highly esteemed family in this part of the State, where for four generations it has held a conspicuous place, his great-grandfather, James Cottrell, being one of the early settlers of Madison township. His grandfather, Garrett Cottrell, and his wife, Hannah (Herbert) Cottrell, also lived here and were well known in the life of the community in their time.
Dr. Cottrell is a son of William H. and Louisa (Ely) Cottrell, the former a prosperous farmer of these parts, and the latter a native of Hightstown, New Jersey. and now a resident of Asbury Park. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Harvey, who died at the age of twenty-four years; Ely, now engaged in business as a merchant in New York City ; Laura, who became the wife of C. W. Waltman, of Asbury Park; Emily, who became the wife of C. T. Warner, also of Asbury Park; Herbert, who now follows the occupation of farming in Middlesex county ; Willard and Frank, twins, the former a practicing
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physician at Rutherford, New Jersey, and the latter a farmer in this region ; Judson G., with whom we are here especially concerned.
Dr. Cottrell was born on the old family homestead in Middlesex county, New Jersey, June 14. 1883, and after attending the local district schools as a lad, entered the Glenwood Collegiate Institute, at Matawan, New Jersey, and was graduated from the same in 1902. He had in the meantime determined to follow medicine as a profession, and accord- ingly matriculated at the New York Homoeopathic College, where his brother. Willard, was a sophomore. After his brother's graduation at New York, he entered the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he graduated with the class of 1906, and received the degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Homoeopathic Medi- cine. For eighteen months Dr. Cottrell served as interne at the Metro- politan Hospital on Blackwell's Island, New York, and there gained a wide practical experience in his work, which has been of inestimable service in his subsequent career. In 1908 he removed to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and on June 25th of that year, began the general practice of his profession there, with offices at No. 288 Madison avenue. He has continued in this place uninterruptedly up to the present time, and has in that period built up one of the largest practices in the region, and come to be regarded with the highest respect alike by his pro- fessional colleagues and the community-at-large.
During the World War Dr. Cottrell volunteered his expert services in the cause of his country and the world, and served for eight months as surgeon in the United States Army Debarkation Hospital, No. 3, at the headquarters of the Port of Embarkation at Hoboken, New Jersey. Dr. Cottrell is a man of wide interests and has always given much attention to the general problems and issues, social and political, of the day. He is a Republican in politics, but does not allow himself to be bound by partisan considerations in casting his ballot, but judges for himself of each issue and candidate with the greatest of independence. He is very fond of outdoor life and spends much of his leisure in automobiling, to which he is greatly devoted. Dr. Cottrell is a promi- nent member of the Masonic order, having reached the thirty-second degree in Freemasonry, and is affiliated with Raritan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; the commandery, Knights Templar ; Salaam Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and New Jersey Consistory. Besides those Masonic bodies, he is a member of the local lodges of the Royal Arcanum and the Order of Maccabees; Tall Cedars of Lebanon : the Perth Amboy Medical Society ; the Middlesex County Medical Society : the New Jersey State Medical Society, and the Amer- ican Medical Association. Other societies with which Dr. Cottrell is affiliated are the American Institute of Homoeopathy; the New Jersey State Homoeopathic Society; the New York County Hoincepathic Society, of which he is an associate member : the Alpha Sigma Alumni Association : and the Association of Military Surgeons. He is a mem- ber of the Colonial Country Club of Colonia, New Jersey, and the Middlesex Golf Club at Woodbridge.
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