USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume II > Part 40
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Mr. Mac Ilroy married, at Champlain, New York, March 19, 1891, Evelyn Platt, daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Webster) Platt. Mr. and Mrs. Mac Ilroy are the parents of two sons who are both associated with their father in business: W. Donald, born January 21, 1897; Alan Platt, born September 6, 1903.
WILLIAM WESLEY TROUT, M. D .- Since 1886 Dr. William Wesley Trout has been actively en- gaged in the practice of medicine in Spring Lake, New Jersey. These thirty-five years have been spent in keeping in touch with the most advanced practical thought, in consequence of which his ability is widely recognized in professional circles.
Dr. Trout was born in Cumberland county, Penn- sylvania, March 5, 1854, the son of Abraham and Eliza (Grubb) Trout, the former a farmer until his death in 1862. Mrs. Trout died in 1899, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Trout were the parents of six children: 1. George W., served with Company H, Third Pennsylvania Cav- alry, during the Civil War, and was killed near Fredericksburg in October, 1863. 2. John Grubb, served in the infantry during the Civil War, and
was taken prisoner; he died from malnutrition, De- cember 25, 1865. 3. David Harry, living retired n Philadelphia, having been for many years a success- ful carpenter in that region. 4. Anna, married Michael Wolff, a farmer near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 5. Abraham G., deceased. 6. William Wesley, of further mention.
Dr. William Wesley Trout received his early edu- cation in the public schools of his native place and then entered the Carlisle High School, from which he was subsequently graduated with the class of 1872. Having in the meantime determined to en- ter the drug business, and with this end in view, he entered the employ of Henry Blair & Sons Com- pany, and later matriculated at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, completing the prescribed course in 1876, when he secured a position with Charles W. Hancock, remaining there until 1878. The summer of this year he came to Spring Lake and opened a drug store for George I. McKelvey, but in the winters of 1879 and 1880 he returned to Philadelphia and again employed by George I. Mc- Kelvey. In 1881 he bought out Mr. McKelvey's store in Spring Lake, and formed a partnership with Charles A. Bye, of Spring Lake, and the busi- ness continued thus until 1888, when Dr. Trout sold out his interests. In the meantime, however, Dr. Trout had decided to engage in the practice of medicine and therefore entered Jefferson Medical College, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in the class of 1886. After completing this course, he returned immediately to Spring Lake and established himself in his chosen profession, which venture has proved most successful.
Professionally, he holds membership in the New Jersey State Medical Association and the Mon- mouth County Medical Society. He is an Indepen- dent Democrat in politics. He has been a member of the Wall Township Board of Health for many years, treasurer of the borough of Spring Lake since 1903, councilman of the old borough of Spring Lake for several years, one of the organizers of the school district, and an active member of the local school board almost continuously since its in- ception. He is a member of Wall Lodge, No. 72, Free and Accepted Masons; Goodwin Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Lulu Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and holds the thirty-second degree, Camden Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He is also affiliated with the Knights of the Golden Eagle, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and the Daughters of Liberty.
Dr. Trout married (first) Irene Coates, a daugh- ter of Chalkley and Mary Anne (Walton) Coates, old Chester county, Pennsylvania, residents. Mrs. Trout died in 1888. From this union were born three children: Eva Coates, who died in infancy; Harry William, born August 8, 1880, is now in the manufacturing business in Syracuse, New York, and is married to Anna Schanck, of Spring Lake; Irene Coates, born January 12, 1883, married Albert H. Ziegler, of Riverton, New Jersey. Dr. Trout mar- ried (second) Rebecca Riley Porter, granddaughter
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of ex-Governor Porter, of Pennsylvania, and daugh- ter of Dr. George W. and Emma (Riley) Porter, the former a graduate of the University of Penn- sylvania, and a practicing physician of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Dr. and Mrs. Trout are the parents of one child, Elsie Porter, born September 20, 1895, the wife of Richard Ham, of Pulaski, Virginia.
Dr. Trout is ardently devoted to fishing and hunting, and until 1918 had gone South to North Carolina, quail shooting. It is interesting to note here that he is very fond of children, and on each of his trips South never forgot his young friends there, always carrying them a gift of some sort. Children are his hobby, and his young friends of Spring Lake are numbered among the many who readily speak of his generosity and consideration.
ALFRED MONTAGUE BENNETT-Few Keans- burg business men can show a record of activity as long as that of Mr. Bennett, who for more than eighteen years has been the proprietor of a flour- ishing grocery establishment. He has also taken a quiet but helpful interest in township affairs, and is well known in Masonic circles.
William Bennett, father of Alfred Montague Ben- nett, was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was a son of William Bennett, Sr., and Phoebe Ben- nett, the former a farmer of New Brunswick. William Bennett, Jr. was educated in Brooklyn, New York, where he later engaged in the shoe manu- facturing business. He married Louisa Matilda Cleuse, daughter of Nelson and Anna Cleuse, of New York City. Nelson Cleuse was lost at sea. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett were the parents of the following children: William; Alfred Montague, mentioned below; Benjamin; Fremont; and Jona- than. Mr. Bennett died in 1879, at the age of fifty- six years, and his widow passed away in 1881, aged sixty-seven years.
Alfred Montague Bennett, son of William and Louisa Matilda (Cleuse) Bennett, was born Septem- ber 2, 1845, in New York City, and enjoyed only very limited educational advantages. He began life as a newsboy, and was known as the brightest boy engaged in the sale of the Brooklyn "Eagle." Later he learned the plumber's trade, which he followed for five years and a half. He then carried on the milk business in Brooklyn from 1866 until 1900. In 1902 he came to Keansburg, where he established himself as a grocer. During the many years which have since elapsed he has not only acquired a com- petence, but has won the reputation of an able, hon- est man with whom it is a pleasure to transact busi- ness. As a faithful Republican, Mr. Bennett never fails to do his part in any attempt to improve com- munity conditions. He affiliates with Delta Lodge, No. 451, Free and Accepted Masons, Brooklyn, New York.
Mr. Bennett married (first) Ida A. Dawson, and the following children were born to them: Lottie, Carrie, Alfred, and Charles Alfred. . Mrs. Bennett died in 1886. Mr. Bennett married (second), De- cember 3, 1886, Rose Ida Walling, born November 11, 1860, in Brooklyn, New York, daughter . of
George and Catherine (Bray) Walling. Some ac- count of the Bray family is appended to this biog- raphy. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett became the parents of the following children: Frances, died in infancy; Roscoe, born in Brooklyn, New York, married Florence Hoffman; and Ethel, also born in Brook- lyn, married Russell Greene, of Old Bridge, New Jersey.
The past years have been filled by Mr. Bennett with honorable and long-continued activity, and he is now enjoying the fruits of his labors both in material prosperity and in the sincere respect and cordial regard of his neighbors and fellow-citizens.
THE BRAY FAMILY is one of the oldest in Mon- mouth county, New Jersey, having been founded there by Sidney Bray, a Baptist clergyman, from England, who in 1688 organized the Baptist church at Holmdel, erecting the meeting-house at his own expense. He also donated the land on which now stand the church and parsonage, the burial-ground of four and a half acres being likewise his gift. For many years the church was known as the old Bray Meeting-House, and Mr. Bray himself was conceded to be a "man of gifts." The Brays have continued to be prominent in every walk of life in their community .- (From a former work).
WILLIAM HENRY WAINRIGHT - A decade has passed since William Henry Wainright was laid tenderly to rest by his devoted friends in Manas- quan, New Jersey, but his name is still a cherished memory, and the influence for progress in various branches of endeavor which he exerted in life still bears fruit in the activities of those whose careers have followed the paths along which he had passed. Mr. Wainright came of an old Monmouth county family, and was the youngest child of "Squire" Josiah (born August 2, 1809, died November 6, 1886) and Frances (Cook) Wainright, long highly esteemed residents of Manasquan. Their other chil- dren were: Joseph, Hannah, Caroline, and De- borah.
Frances (Cook) Wainright, born March 23, 1808, died March 15, 1881, was a daughter of Amer Cook, Sr., born June 16, 1764, died February 14, 1852, and Deborah (Brewer) Cook, born March 10, 1765, died April 6, 1836. The Brewer line of descent is from Adam Brewer (Berkhoven), born at Ceulon (Cologne), who came to New Amsterdam (New York City, in 1642, marrying March 19, 1645, Mag- delena Virdon. Their son, Jacob Brewer, born April 17, 1656, married, February 4, 1682, Annetje (or Anna) Bogardus, daughter of William Bogar- dus, and granddaughter of Rev. Everardus Bogard- dus. (This is the famous Anneke Jans family, whose property in New York City has been the center of long-continued litigation). Adam Brewer, son of Jacob Brewer, was born or baptized March 29, 1696, died February 28 (or March 1), 1769. He married Deborah Allen. Their son, Elazerus Brewer, was born June 23, 1731, died March 31, 1820, and married, June 25, 1753, Frances Morris. Elazerus
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and Frances (Morris) Brewer were the parents of Deborah Brewer, who married Amer Cook, Sr., and became the mother of Frances (Cook) Wain- right. Descent in collateral lines of this ancestry is traced from the first sheriff of Monmouth county, Eliakim Wendell, whose brother was hanged for witchcraft at Salem, Massachusetts, and from an- other sheriff of the county, William West.
William Henry Wainright was born in Manas- quan, New Jersey, January 30, 1849, and died in the town of Brielle, July 4, 1911. At the time of his birth the vicinity was known as Squan, and was little more than a cluster of houses in a part of Wall township. He lived to see it take a posi- tion of dignity as a community of progress and achievement, counting within its borders many prominent citizens of the eastern coast of New Jersey. As a boy, Mr. Wainright secured such edu- cation as was available in the public schools of the day near his home, but although his formal education was exceedingly limited, his acquisitive and retentive mind balanced all lack in this direc- tion, and through wide reading and that capacity for gaining information from every source, which is the foundation of all culture, he became possessed of a liberal education. Mr. Wainright's first employ- ment was in the capacity of clerk in the depart- ment store of which his brother was the head- the firm of Wainright & Erickson. Later he be- came interested in the bakery business, and with a partner, under the firm name of Applegate & Wainright, he carried on this business for a short time very successfully, in Manasquan. A few years after his marriage, which occurred in 1871, Mr. Wainright went to Brielle, a suburb of Manasquan, and assumed the management of the Union House, which later was the property of his wife. Here he became a figure not only of local importance, but of wide note, bringing to his position those qualities of mind and spirit which invest a caravan- sary with the atmosphere of good cheer and con- tentment. Upon his death the various newspapers of this county expressed the general interest in Mr. Wainright, both as a man and as a host, in the following eulogy:
In the death of William Henry Wainright this community loses one of its most appreciated and honored citizens. The deceased had been the host of the Union House for many years. There Robert L. Stevenson wrote part of "The Master of Ballan- trae." Will Low used to be a frequent visitor. Artists and writers made the Union House their rendezvous. All felt the charm of the place and all felt the influence of the gentle, often silent, man who was behind the charm and comfort.
He was a steward and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Protestant church of Manasquan. He has represented his church at the annual conference more times, probably, than any other member.
He was vice-president of the Manasquan Na- tional Bank, and postmaster of Brielle since Presi- dent Cleveland's first term, also clerk of Wall town- ship's Board of Education.
In every relationship of life Mr. Wainright kept
in view the general welfare. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Free and Accepted Masons, of Manasquan. Politi- cally he was always a staunch supporter of the Democratic party, and a fearless advocate of its principles, although he left leadership to others.
Mr. Wainright married, in 1871, Adelaide Virginia Brown, who was born in Brielle, New Jersey. Mrs. Wainright comes of a family long prominent among sea-faring men, and is a daughter of Captain John Maxson Brown, for many years one of the fore- most men of Monmouth county. Captain Brown was born in 1808, near what is now known as Brielle, formerly Union Landing, where his father, William Brown, was a leading shipbuilder of his day. Cap- tain Brown's parents removing to Navesink when he was still but a child, his boyhood was spent around the Highlands, and it was in 1829 that he first went to sea. During the Mexican War he was in command of a sailing vessel, and he and his crew were pressed into active service at Brazos. There- after, for many years, Captain Brown was consider- ed one of the most adventurous commanders in the coasting trade. His abilities soon attracted the at- tention of the Board of Underwriters and the Coast Wrecking Company, and for forty years he was in that dangerous service, either as master at sea or as agent on shore. He was awarded the gold medal of the Life Saving Association for the rescue of scores of ships and hundreds of lives. Until sixty-five years of age this remarkable man was actively engaged in this hazardous work, then, in 1873, he retired from these interests. Still for years he was actively identified with the progress of the community, sharing in the management of the Union Hotel, at the place of his birth. In a cottage nearby he spent his latter years, and died November 10, 1896, at the age of eighty-eight years. Captain John Maxson Brown married, January 5, 1830, Mary Pearce, of Manasquan, and they lived together for more than sixty-six years, her death occurring only a few months before his, on July 7, 1896. They were the parents of five sons and three daughters, of whom all the sons followed in their father's footsteps: Captain John Ashley Brown, the "Hero of Barnegat," who was lost at sea; Cap- tain George Brown, who was also lost at sea; Cap- tain Theodore S. Brown, died in Brielle; Mrs. J. A. Schieble; Mrs. Deborah Marsh; Mrs. Wainright; Lewis, died in Arizona; and an infant son.
William Henry and Adelaide Virginia (Brown) Wainright were the parents of three children: Fran- ces, born October 4, 1876, at Brielle, married Sam- uel J. Sloan, of Jersey City; John Maxson Brown, born September 23, 1880, married Helen Rankin, of Manasquan; and Stanley Brown, born February 15, 1887, married Helen Marcellus, and they are the parents of three children: Henry Vedder, Stanley M., and Virginia M.
JOHN ROBBINS ALLAIRE-Among the most successful business men of Howell township must be numbered the citizen of Farmingdale whose name stands at the head of this article. Mr. Allaire
John Alaire
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has long been a potent factor in the political life of his community and is now serving as a member of the council.
Antoine Allaire, founder of this well known fam- ily, was a descendant of French ancestors, and married Marie Vandeirs, with whom he emigrated to the American colonies in the seventeenth cen- tury.
Throcmorton Allaire, grandfather of John Rob- bins Allaire, was born at New Rochelle, New York, and spent his life as a farmer. He married, and he and his wife were the parents of three sons: James P., some account of whom, with his descendants, is appended to this biography; Frank T .; and William Lonsberry, mentioned below.
William Lonsberry Allaire, son of Throcmorton Allaire, was born at Farmingdale, where he has always lived, following, as his father did, the calling of a farmer. He married Mary Elizabeth Robbins, daughter of Lloyd Robbins, and both he and his wife are still numbered among the residents of Farmingdale.
John Robbins Allaire, son of William Lonsberry and Mary Elizabeth (Robbins) Allaire, was born September 18, 1873, at Farmingdale, New Jersey, and received his education in schools of Bedford, New Jersey. Until the age of twenty-two he assist- ed in the cultivation of the homestead and then opened what is now the Farmingdale General Store, starting the. business in a little twenty by forty room. The degree to which the enterprise has pros- pered is indicated by the fact that the business is now carried on in a room measuring forty by sixty feet. Mr. Allaire is also half-owner of the Mon- mouth Furniture Company of Farmingdale. He is a director of the First National Bank of Farming- dale.
As a faithful Republican, Mr. Allaire has long taken an active part in local politics. For ten years he held the office of collector, and he is now serving as councilman. He belongs to the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Allaire married, October 27, 1895, at Farm- ingdale, Ida May Butcher, born at that place, daughter of Joseph L. and Elizabeth A. (Hendrick- son) Butcher, both natives of Howell township. Following are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Allaire, all born at Farmingdale: Stanley, died at five years of age; Elizabeth Butcher, born August 8, 1905; and John R., Jr., born September 9, 1912. John Robbins Allaire has made a record eminently worthy of preservation, inasmuch as it is the narrative of the career of an honorable and successful business man and an upright and public-spirited citizen.
James P. Allaire, son of Throcmorton Allaire, and uncle of John Robbins Allaire, was at one time a well known iron manufacturer of New York. In 1831 he founded the town of Allaire, near Free- hold, New Jersey, to which place his plant was removed. Here he moulded "bog ore" and built pretty cottages and a church and schoolhouse for his workmen. All prospered until new corporations and new discoveries for the treatment of iron ore
caused the business to fall off and finally led to the abandonment of the pretty little village which be- came known, in consequence of its quaint charm, as the "Deserted Village." John koche, the noted shipbuilder, was an apprentice here and later in life sought the place where his beloved employer had met with reverses. Mr. Allaire was the owner of a steamship line plying between Savannah, Georgia, and other points.
Hal Allaire, son of James P. Allaire by a sec- ond marriage, was born at Allaire, and graduated at Columbia University, New York City. He was president of the Wall Township Board of Education; a trustee of the Monmouth Battle Monument Asso- ciation, and president of the Monmouth County Board of Agriculture. He was of a genial dis- position and won many friends throughout the county and State. His mind was a brilliant one and he could easily have distinguished himself anywhere, but preferred, after the death of his father, to re- main at the old homestead and care for the inter- ests of the number of aged workmen who were pen- sioned by his father's will. His manner was un- ostentatious, gentle and polished, and the oldest person and the youngest child alike felt him their friend. He was an engineer, made a study of architecture, and for a number of years was an art critic for the Monmouth County Fair Associa- tion. The death of Mr. Allaire, which occurred October 18, 1901, deprived his community of one, exceptionally well and widely known, honored and beloved.
DAVID A. GROVES-Active in a modern phase of development which has commanded the atten- tion of many of the foremost men of New Jersey, David A. Groves, as president of the Seaboard Utilization Company, has his headquarters at No. 233 Chelsea avenue, Long Branch, and is broadly identified with the progress of the coast cities of Monmouth county.
Mr. Groves comes of a family long resident in this State, and is a son of James E. and Anna Groves, who were the parents of six daughters and three sons, Mr. Groves' sisters and brothers being as fol- lows: Ellen Louise, deceased; Julia A., the wife of John Fisher, of Woodbury, New Jersey; Anna A., deceased; Lucy M., wife of John Sim, also of Wood- bury; Mary, wife of Charles Gibson, of Woodbury; Hattie, wife of Professor John Bailey, of Long Branch; James E., a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church in Princeton, New Jersey; and Robert E., deceased.
David A. Groves, fifth child and second son of the above family, was born in Woodbury, Glouces- ter county, New Jersey, November 25, 1861. Edu- cated in the public schools of his native place, his first position was with the Hon. John J. Jessup, at that time judge of Gloucester county, and he re- mained with the judge for nine years. Compelled by illness to relinquish this position, Mr. Groves later assisted Dr. George G. Green, of Woodbury, in his office, and was thus engaged until 1888, when he came to Long Branch. Here he entered the
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general contracting field, and became a recognized force in matters of this nature. In 1900, in con- nection with his other activities, Mr. Groves or- ganized the Atlantic Coast Sanitary Company, for the manufacture and distribution of various soaps, also of fertilizers and tallow. Interested in the con- cern as a stockholder and director, he acted as superintendent and general manager for about eight years. The business then being sold to the Seaboard Utilization Company, of New Jersey, Mr. Groves purchased an interest in the new concern, and continued as superintendent until 1910. He was made a director of the company at that time, then in 1912 he was elected to the office of vice-president and six years later was elected president, which office he now holds. In this position Mr. Groves stands among the leaders in the industrial de- velopment of eastern Monmouth county.
Mr. Groves married, on March 4, 1888, Mary M. Luckhert, of Washington, District of Columbia, and they are the parents of three children: James Wilbur, David Alfred, and Joseph, all now de- ceased.
JOSEPH HENDRICKSON HOLMES - The American progenitor of the family was the Rev. Obadiah Holmes, who came from Lancashire, Eng- land. There the records of the name, more often spelled Hulme, are ancient, and bear testimony to a distinguished ancestry. It is said that an aug- mentation of the coat-of-arms, "a chaplet gules on a canton argent," was granted by Edward, the Black Prince, to Sir William de Hulme, of Lancashire, for his gallant service in France. Many branches of the family bear this augmentation on arms iden- tical with, or closely similar to, the ancient coat of the Lancashire house.
The earliest traced ancestor of the Rev. Obadiah Holmes was Robert Hulme, of Reddish, in Man- chester Parish, Lancashire, where William Hulme held land in 1202, and which was the home of the family down through the centuries. Close by are other places long connected with Hulme (Holmes) history, as Heaton Norris, Withington, and Den- ton, together with those directly linked with Oba- diah Holmes and his immediate family-Didsbury, Stockport, Gorton, and Manchester itself. The last, and especially its ancient church, now Manchester Cathedral, which contained two chapels founded by the Hulme family, is often mentioned in ancestral chronicles, and in the city of Manchester today lies much of the now exceedingly valuable property of the famous Hulme exhibitions. The latter is the name of a fund bequeathed to Brasenose College, Oxford University, for free post-graduate scholar- ships, by William Hulme, who died in 1691, and was probably a near relative of Obadiah Holmes, since he came of the branch of the family seated at Hulme Hall, in Reddish. Hulme Hall, now more often known as Broadstone Hall, and at present a farm- house, should not be confused with another Hulme Hall, in Hulme Manor, also .close to Manchester. This last-named mansion was demolished about 1840. Its gardens were long celebrated for their beauty
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