History of Morris County, New Jersey, Part 36

Author: Halsey, Edmund Drake, 1840-1896; Aikman, Robert; Axtell, Samuel Beach, 1809-1891; Brewster, James F; Green, R. S. (Rufus Smith), 1848-1925; Howell, Monroe; Kanouse, John L; Megie, Burtis C; Neighbour, James H; Stoddard, E. W. (Elijah Woodward), 1820-1913
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 540

USA > New Jersey > Morris County > History of Morris County, New Jersey > Part 36

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

That this was a different company from the one organ- ized in 1797 is apparent from an editorial in the same paper a year or so before, urging upon the citizens the necessity of forming such a company, that the town might have some protection against fires.

This second company was short-lived, as appears from an editorial in the Palladium April 17th 1817. After speaking of a fire in town it says, "We hope measures will speedily be taken to reorganize the sometime-since defunct fire company." This kindly advice was heeded. In December of the same year Lewis Mills, Charles Carmichael, and William Dixon, committee, called a meeting for the purpose of organizing and electing officers for the Morristown Fire Association. The after history of this association we have been unable to obtain.

Another company was organized in 1836, and purchased a hand engine for $250. A year later a second company was formed, and a second hand engine was bought. This same year (Feb. 27th 1837) an act was passed incorporating the Morristown Fire Association, which immediately took charge of the apparatus of the two companies. This asso- ciation had power to raise, by taxation, a small sum of money annually to meet its expenses. It continued in existence until the present Morristown Fire Department was organized under a provision of the charter.

Aug. 7th 1867 the Morristown Fire Department was organized, under an act of the common council. Col. Richard M. Stites, to whose energy the department chiefly owes its existence, was appointed chief engineer. This office he held until Nov. 5th 1875, when he resigned. Chas. McCullum was his successor, but filled the office only until the following June, when Mr. Stites was reap. pointed by the council, at a salary of $300 per annum, the duties of the position being found to be too onerous to be performed without compensation. Mr. Stites again resigned on July 6th 1877, and was succeeded by Wm. Y. Sayre, who filled the office to June 1879. Wm. A. Halsted was chief engineer from June 6th 1879 to June 1880, since which time James A. Bonsall has been chief. The salary of the chief is $10 per month.

The first assistant engineers have been Ellis T. Arm- strong, 1867, 1868; Wm. H. Voorhees, 1869-73; Alfred Cranston, 1873-77; James M. Bonsall, 1877-80; Harrie A. Freeman, since June 1880. Second assistant engin- eers: Chas. McCullum, 1873-75; Wm. J. Cooper, 1877-80; Isaac G. Arnold, since June 1880.

The next trace we find of a fire company is in the Palladium of Liberty, August 16th 1815, in the following notice: "The Morris Fire Company will please recollect The department consists of the following organizations: I. Fire Wardens .- This company is limited to twenty men. It has no apparatus, but is appointed for the pur- pose of securing compliance with the fire ordinances and regulations of the council, inspecting or prohibiting the storage of combustible materials, protecting the appar- atus of the departnient when in use, and acting as police at times of fires. Organized August 13th 1867. The that their annual meeting is the first Monday in Septem- ber; they will please to meet at N. Bull's [tavern] in the afternoon at 6 o'clock. It is hoped that there will be a general attendance of the inhabitants of the town, and that the committee appointed to procure ladders, hooks, &c., &c., will be able to make a full report." At this meeting the following officers were elected: President, Israel Canfield; treasurer, Henry P. Russell; secretary, present number of members is 19. William Y. Sayre was

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HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.

foreman from 1867 to 1876; James W. Carrell, 1877-79; James Dixon, 1880; William Lewis, 1881.

2. Independent Hose Company was organized August 13th 1867. It is entitled to and has 30 members. The successive foremen have been George H. Doren, Mahlon Bayles, George W. Derrickson, Charles H. McCullum, Charles H. Green, Hayward G. Emmell, James M. Bon- sall, J. Frank Lindsley, James R. Voorhees, Eugene Carrell, George H. Quayle and Frederick E. Babbitt. The present officers are: Frederick E. Babbitt, foreman; J. Brad. Stevens, assistant; Frank Mulford, secretary and treasurer; Eugene Carrell, steward. The hose- house is on Market street.

3. Washington Engine Company, No. 2, was reorganized May Ist 1872. The foremen since the reorganization have been: John W. Hays, 1872, 1873; William J. Snud- den, 1873-75; Jolin M. Moore, 1875-77; William J. Snudden, 1877, 1878; Theodore S. Mulford, 1878-80; Charles H. Green, since August roth 1880. The present officers are: Foreman, Charles H. Green; assistant fore- man, John Romaine; secretary, A. K. Field; treasurer, Amos Prudden; steward, Frank Chilar; engineer, D. L. Allen; assistant engineer, William J. Snudden. The number of men is 38. The steamer for this company was bought October 14th 1879, and is worth $3,000. The engine-house is on Market street.

4. Niagara Engine Company, No. 2, was organized August roth 1869. The following foremen have served: George W. Crocker, 1869, 1870; Sidney W. Stalter, 1870- 79; Thomas F. Clifford, 1879, 1880; James C. Mullen, '1880, 1881. The present officers are: Foreman, Thomas F. Clifford; assistant foreman, E. V. Dempsey; secretary, Thomas Welsh; treasurer, John W. Hess; janitor, Wil- liam McCombs; engineer, William C. Paul; assistant engineer, William T. Meeker. The present number of men is 39; the full number is 60. The cost of the engine was $3,750. The engine-house is on Speedwell avenue.

5. Resolute Hook and Ladder Company, No. I, was or- ganized June 14th 1869. It is entitled to 60 and has at present 41 members. The foremen have been: William A. Halsted, 1869-76; E. D. Allen; William Becker jr., 1877, 1878; H. A. Freeman, 1879; E. J. Thatcher, 1880. The officers in 1881 were: Foreman, E. J. Thatcher; assistant foreman, F. B. De Bois; clerk, William K. Norris; treas- urer, William A. Halsted; steward, Edward Babbington; committee of inquiry-William K. Norris, J. E. Stiles and George Udall.

From 1876 to his death, April 20th 1881, Augustus W. Bell was president of the company. That office is now filled by H. A. Freeman.

The cost of apparatus is about $1,200. The truck- house is on Speedwell avenue.

"The Exempt Firemen's Association of Morristown " was incorporated February 25th 1875. The incorporators were William Y. Sayre, Isaac G. Arnold, Richard M. Stites, Charles McCullum, William H. Voorhees, Sidney W. Stalter, Samuel K. Smack, Isaac Van Fleet, Charles H. Green, Hayward G. Emmell, Mancius H. C. Jennings and Louis H. Atno.

"The object of this association shall be to provide means for the relief of distressed, sick or disabled mem- bers thereof and their immediate families; and in case of fire to render such assistance as the officers of the asso- ciation may deem proper to direct, by the advice and consent of the constituted authorities of this town."

Mr. Stites has been the only president. The following is the present board of officers: President, Richard M. Stites ; vice-president, Charles McCullum; secretary, Charles H. Green; trustees-B. C. Guerin, John Thatcher and Eugene Troxell; standing committee-E. D. Allen, John M. Moore and James Dickson. The number of members is 80.

Fire Department Charitable Fund .- On the 9th of March 1869 there was passed "an act to incorporate the trustees of the Morristown Fire Department Charitable Fund for the relief of indigent and disabled firemen and their families." The fund began with $75, and has now reached the sum of $1,500. The following have served as presidents of these trustees: Richard M. Stites (1869- 78), Isaac G. Arnold and John M. Moore. The follow- ing are the present officers: President, William Y. Sayre; secretary, John M. Moore; treasurer, William R. McKay; trustees-William Y. Sayre, John M. Moore, John D. Guerin and Luther M. Baird.

The present department is excellent and efficient. Many of the best citizens are members of it, and their constant aim is to maintain a high standard of morality and efficiency.

SCHOOLS.

That the advantages of higher education were appreci- ated by our early townsmen may be inferred from a record in the old session book of the first Presbyterian church, which shows that in 1769, the trustees of the College of New Jersey (Princeton) having represented to the presbyteries that the interest of their capital was in- adequate to the annual necessary expenses of the college, the following subscriptions were made by the church named: Rev. Timothy Johnes, £9; Jacob Ford, £21; Deacon Matthias Burnet, £9; Captain Timothy Mills, £6; Elder Daniel Lindsley, £3; Abraham Ogden, £3; Elder John Lindsley, £3; Joseph Wood, £6; Henry Gardiner, 16s .; Nathan Reeve, £3; John Ayres, £9; Thomas Kenney, £3; William De Hart, £3; Thomas Morrell, £4 10s .; Jonas Phillips, £4 Ios .; Isaac Pierson, £3; Jonathan Cheever, £1; Peter Condict, Peter Prud- den, Moses Prudden and Joseph Prudden, £2 1Is. each; Benjamin Pierson, £9; Samuel Tuthill, £3; Silas Con- dict, £3; Ezra Halsey, elder, £12; Samuel Robarts, £3; Augustine Bayles, £3; Mrs. Phebe Wood, £3; Jonathan Stiles, £1 15s .; Captain Benjamin Halsey, ros .; total, £140 55.

In 1787 further subscriptions were made for Princeton, of which the principal were the following: Caleb Russell, $22; Joseph Lewis, $11; Silas Condict, $42; Jonathan Dickerson, $16; John Mills, $9.

The first authentic information which we can find con-

149

MORRISTOWN'S FIRST SCHOOLS-MORRIS ACADEMY.

cerning our local schools is in the trustees' book of the first Presbyterian Church, in the following minutes:

"January 12 1767, the trustees being called and met at the School hous henry Primrose Joseph Stiles and Ben- jamin Coe absent Proseaded and chose Benjaman Bayle President and Gave Lieve than a school hous might be Built on the Green Near whair the old hous Now Stand- eth."

"Octob 7 1771 the trustees met at Doct tuthills Esq. Sam Robarts absent and agreed that the money that Mr. Watt Left to the town Should be Laid out towards Purt- chasing utensils for the communian Table also that the school hous how on Peter Mackees Land be Removed onto the Parsonage Land and there to Remain During the Pleasure of the trustees and then Lyable to be Re- moved."

Who the teachers were we have no means of ascertain- ing. On the roll of members of the above named church appear the names of Mrs. Dow and Doritheah Coop- er, " school madams,".who were received into the church, we judge in 1774, from some sister church.

As a sample of what these early schools were we sub- join a description of a common school about three miles from Morristown, as given by Mahlon Johnson, who lived to the goodly age of four score years and two and died December 20th 1857:

" The school building was constructed of logs, and in- stead of glass for windows sheep skins were stretched over apertures made by sawing off an occasional log. These windows had one virtue-they were an effectual screen to prevent pupils from being interrupted in their exercises by what was going on outside. The time was regulated by an hour-glass, and they drank their water from a tumbler made of cow's horn or ground shell. Arithmetic was not taught in classes, but the pupils ciphered when they were not reading, spelling or writing. The latter branches were taught in classes. A chalk line or a crack in the floor was the mark they were re- quired to toe. The common school was hardly consid- ered a school in those days unless the whack of the ruler or the whistle of the whip was frequently heard."

THE MORRIS ACADEMY

was organized November 28th 1791. This was done by 24 gentlemen, who subscribed each one share of £25 for the purpose. The subscribers were Caleb Russell, Israel Canfield, Daniel Phoenix jr., Alexander Car- michael, Gabriel H. Ford, Timothy Johnes jr., Moses Estey, Jabez Campfield, William Campfield, Aaron C. Collins, Jonathan Hathaway, John Jacob Faesch, Richard Johnson, John Kinney, Abraham Kinney, Isaac Canfield, George Tucker, David Ford, Nathan Ford, Theodorus Tuthill, John Mills, Joseph Lewis, Jacob Arnold, Chilion Ford.

The first board of proprietors consisted of Jabez Campfield, president ; Caleb Russell, first director ; Gabriel H. Ford, second director ; Nathan Ford, third director ; Daniel Phoenix jr., treasurer ; and Joseph Lewis, clerk. Mr. Campfield resigned at the expiration of one month, and was succeeded by Mr. Russell.

The contract for building the academy was let to Caleb Russell for £520. The lot was purchased from the First Presbyterian Church, as appears from the trustees' book:

" At a meeting of the trustees at the house of Caleb Russell, Esq., 5th day of September 1792, the president, Mr. Lindsley, Mr. Ford, Mr. Mills, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Ogden being met, a deed being made out for one hun- dred feet of land in front and one hundred and thirty feet deep on the hill opposite the Conners land, agree- able to a vote of the parish requesting the trustees to act discretionary on this affair, the 22nd Feb. 1792-the said deed was then signed, conveying twenty-nine hun- dredths of an acre of land to the proprietors of the intended academy for the sum of thirty pounds Jersey money. Caleb Russell, Esq., gave his obligation for said sum."

After the building was completed Caleb Russell, although he was clerk of the county and had a variety of other business to attend to, consented to take charge of the academy as principal. On the 5th of November 1792 the school opened, with 33 scholars, as follows: Elias Riggs, Stephen Thompson, Anthony Day, Henry P. Russell, Henry Axtell, David Bates, Munson Day, Charles Russell, Ezra Halsey, Richard B. Faesch, Jacob Stiles, Jacob Lewis, Timothy J. Lewis, James Wood, Nancy Lewis, Betsey Estey, David Estey, Phoebe, daughter of Jeduthan Day, Sally Conklin, Hannah Hathaway, Eleazur Hathaway, George W. Cook, Thomas Kinney, Henry Mills, David Stites, William Beach, John B. Johnes, Alexander Phoenix, Silas Day, Robert M. Russell, Eliza P. Russell, Charles Freeman, Chilion Stiles.

Mr. Russell continued in full charge of the school until the close of 1795, and in partial charge until Aug- ust 1797. He graduated in 1770 at Princeton College, and studied law with Judge Robert Morris, of New Brunswick. He was appointed clerk of Morris county four terms of five years each. He died in office June 8th 1805, aged 56 years. Under him the academy took a very high rank, attracting scholars from New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Brunswick, Amboy, Charles- ton, S. C., and many other places. From November 5th 1792 to April 1795 he had a total of 269 scholars. In the eighth volume of the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society the names of these students, together with those of their parents, are given in full. Among them will be found many who afterward distinguished themselves in Church and State.

Mr. Russell was assisted by Elias Riggs, Henry Ax- tell, and John Ball, who were among his first pupils, and also by John Woodruff.

The prices of tuition were: For languages, mathemat- ics and surveying, 25s. per quarter; for French, 30s.@40s. per quarter; for English studies, 12s., 15s.@16s. per quarter.

Mr. Russell was succeeded in August 1797 by Rev. Samuel Whelpley, who continued in charge until 1805 He was a New England man, and until coming here was a Baptist. Here he relinquished his intention of becom- ing a Baptist minister, and united with the Presbyterian church. In 1802 or 1803 he delivered a discourse in the First church, in which he gave the reasons for his change of views. He was quite widely known as a writer. In 1806 he published "An Historical Compend," in two

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HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.

volumes, which were printed by Henry P. Russell of this place. He removed from here to New York city about 1810 or 1811, and shortly afterward published a volume called the " Triangle," a theological work in which the leaders and views of what was afterward known as the Old School theology were keenly criticised and ridiculed. The book caused a great sensation in its day, and did not a little toward hastening the division in the Presby- terian church into Old and New School.

Mr. Whelpley was too strict a disciplinarian to give entire satisfaction to all the patrons of his school. Op- position to him became so marked that in 1800 and 1801 a new institution was organized, called the Warren Academy, and opened under the charge of James Steven- son, who was succeeded in the principalship by John Ford. The building, which stood in the northeast part of the town, was accidentally burned March 6th 1803. It was rebuilt with brick on the Morris Green, on a lot purchased from the trustees of the First church, where now stands the Park House. It continued, however, but a few years, and the property was sold.

After the resignation of Mr. Whelpley, in 1805, he opened a private select school in his own house, which was well patronized, principally by familiesfrom New York and the south. Among his students were two of his sons, who afterward became ministers; one of them, Philip Melancthon, becoming the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New York city. Mr. Whelpley died in New York city, July 15th 1817.

From 1793 to 1820, with the exception of three or four years, an annual theatrical exhibition was given by the scholars of the academy. The popularity of these exhi- bitions may be judged from the fact that the average yearly income from them was about $210, which sufficed to keep the building in excellent repair, and purchase many needed articles, among other things a bell in 1798, from John Jacob Faesch's Boonton iron works

The following advertisements, copied from the Palla- dium of Liberty, 1809, will serve as a specimen of these popular theatricals:

" DRAMATIC EXHIBITION .- On Thursday and Monday evenings, the 5th and 9th of October next, will be repre- sented by the students of Morris Academy Cumberland's Celebrated Comedy of THE WEST INDIAN; to which will be added HIGH LIFE BELOW STAIRS, an excellent farce. Doors will be open at half-past five. Admittance 25 cents."

" EXHIBITION .- On Monday, the third day of April, the students of the Warren Academy will present Kotze- bue's Much-Admired Comedy THE WILD GOOSE CHASE. To gratify the wishes of a respectable body of people, instead of a Farce, on this occasion, a few select pieces will be spoken before and after the Comedy; and on Friday, the 7th, the WILD GOOSE CHASE repeated, to which will be added THE WEATHER-COCK."

The expenses of these entertainments were not great, as we may see from the following:

" Morristown, N. J., Sept. 8, 1795.

" Proprietors of Morris Academy, DR.

€

" To 6 lb. candles at Is. rod., O

I gal. wein, 0

Paid door keepers, I 12 "

Who drank the " wein " we are not informed, but suppose it was the door keepers, as it was customary in those days thus to stimulate these dignitaries to the faith- ful discharge of their official.duties.

Space forbids dwelling at length upon the administra- tion of the successors of Mr. Whelpley. The academy continued for more than sixty years to be the great insti- tution of the town, attracting large numbers of scholars from near and far, and exerting an influence which has given this town a high reputation for intelligence.

Previous to the opening of the public school in Decem- ber 1869 J. Henry Johnson, then principal, had over 100 pupils. The academy was then for a time closed, and the building unused. The proprietors finally sold the lot to the directors of the library and lyceum for $10,000, taking stock to that amount in the new enterprise, on condition that rooms be reserved in the new building for a classical school for boys. The school was reopened in September 1878, under the principalship of Wayland Spaulding, a graduate of Yale College. Mr. Spaulding severed his connection with the academy in June 1881, after which the directors secured the services of An- drew J. West, a graduate of Princeton College, who assumed charge in September 1881.

The successive presidents of the proprietors of the academy have taken the office as follows: Jabez Camp- field, January 11th 1792; Caleb Russell, 1792; Alexan- der Carmichael, 1793; Jabez Campfield, 1800; John Doughty, 1805; Gabriel H. Ford, 1815; Rev. Wm. A. McDowell, 1816; Sylvester D. Russell, 1823; Rev. Albert Barnes, 1826; Rev. Chas. Hoover, 1832; Lewis Condict, 1834; Rev. H. A. Dumont, 1839; Lewis Mills, 1841; Henry A. Ford, 1854; Rev. R. N. Merritt, 1865.

Since the transfer of the property to the directors of the library and lyceum the school has been under the care of a committee of that body, consisting of A. B. Hall, H. C. Pitney and Alfred Mills.

We wish we might be as explicit with reference to the principals of this institution. The minutes of the pro- prietors are singularly lacking in information concerning the teachers employed in the school.

The appended list of principals is, we fear, inaccurate. The minutes being deficient we have sought the files of newspapers, but in vain. The memories of the "oldest inhabitants " conflict so essentially that we cannot rely upon them; only where we have been sure of dates have we incorporated them.

Caleb Russell, 1792-97; Samuel Whelpley, 1797-1805; Daniel Mulford; Henry Mills; Wm. A. Whelpley, 1811; Ira C. Whitehead; James D. Johnson, resigned in 1821; Rev. Asa. Lyman, engaged in 1821; Rev. Alfred Chester; D. A. La Rue; James L. Baker; Mr. Blauvelt, resigned in 1852; John Paul, engaged in 1852; Mr. Harrison; E. A.

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MORRISTOWN SCHOOLS.

Allen, resigned in 1855; Herman Mead, 1855; J. Henry Johnson, 1861 to 1870; (interregnum;) Wayland Spauld- ing, 1878-81; Andrew J. West, the present principal.

THE PUBLIC SCHOOL

on Maple avenue was opened in December 1869. The school is principally due to the generosity of the late George T. Cobb, to whose large-hearted liberality Mor- ristown owes so much. He gave the lot on which the building stands, and in addition $10,000 in money.

In the chapel is a beautiful tablet dedicated to his memory.

The whole cost of the building was $55,000, and it is an ornament to the town.

The control of the school is vested in a board of edu- cation, of nine members, three of whom are chosen yearly, which has power to make rules, expel disobedient scholars, appoint teachers, &c. The present board of education is: John D. Guerin, president; Stephen Piet- son, M. D., treasurer; Hon. Augustus W. Cutler, Hamp- ton O. Marsh, George W. Colles, Joseph W. Ballentine, Joseph F. Randolph, George W. Forsyth, and L. Dayton Babbitt. The secretary, Edward C. Lyon, is not a mem- ber of the board.

The teachers are: W. L. R. Haven, principal; Miss Minnie L. Bottom, vice-principal; Mrs. Ophelia K. Dix, Misses Rebecca W. Thompson, Mary L. Easton, Hattie C. Youngblood, Phebe A. Day, Emma E. Hackett, Mag- gie T. Daly, Kate S. Fennell, Etta M. Briant, Annie F. Shaw, Florence Hawthorne, Clara E. Brown, and Mr. W. L. Brown (colored).

Mr. Haven has been principal since the opening of the school. The scholars number about 600. The expenses for the year ending June Ist 1881 were $15,326.71.

The colored children are taught separately in the base- ment of the A. M. E. church building on Spring street, and are under the control of the board and subject to the same rules as the others. Before the erection of the present public school building there were three small district schools in the town, one at the corner of Speed- well and Sussex avenues, one at the corner of the Green and Water streets, and one on Franklin street.

THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS

of Morristown have been numerous and of a high grade. Early in the present century Mrs. Phebe Scribner (widow of Captain Nathaniel Scribner, an officer in the Revolutionary army) came here with her daughters Esther, Elizabeth, and Anna, and opened a boarding school for young ladies. They removed in 1814 to New Albany, Ind., and were succeeded by the Misses Gallau- det, Miss R. D. Jenison, and after her by John M. Bene- dict, then again by Mrs. Stone, and more recently by the Misses Emmell, Miss Woodward, and Miss Longwell. This school was during the summer of 1881 finally closed.

A rival school to Mrs. Scribner's was established by Mrs. Wetmore in the next house, the one now owned by George W. King, on South street.

Miss M. L. Mann and her sister, daughters of Jacob Mann, taught for a dozen years or more a very successful school. At the same time with the Misses Mann, in 1822, Miss Phebe Babbitt opened a school on Bridge street (now Speedwell avenue), nearly opposite Mrs. Schenck's. A little later a Lancasterian school was established by William Woolley. Miss H. M. Mills opened a school in 1831. The following advertisements taken from the Palladium of Liberty bear a still earlier date.

"MR. BARTHELEMY continues to teach the French and Italian languages at the new Warren Academy, in which the trustees have granted him a convenient room for that purpose .- April 21st 1808."

Another of about the same date:

" MORRIS-TOWN FRENCH ACADEMY .- Mr. Martin, lately from New York, informs the Ladies and Gentle- men of Morris- Town and its vicinity that he will open his French school on Thursday the 26th inst. [June 1808] from five to eight in the morning for young men, and from nine to twelve for young ladies. A few young gen- tlemen may be received as boarders in the family, where French is generally spoken. Private lessons in the course of the day. English taught to foreigners."

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