USA > New Jersey > Morris County > History of Morris County, New Jersey > Part 50
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RESIDENCE OF EDWARD TODD, MADISON MORRIS CO., N . J.
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ROMAN CATHOLIC AND METHODIST CHURCHES, MADISON.
Mr. Tuttle. His purchase of property on the hill, where the cottage built by him still stands, led to the great changes and improvements in that part of the town. In the costly and important changes which have made the depot square what it now is he led the way, giving liber- ally himself and using his whole personal influence. Mr. Tuttle resigned his pastorate in 1862 and entered at once into the service of the American Bible Society as assist- ant secretary. He died April 16th 1866. In the old burial ground lie the remains of Azariah Horton, Clif- ford S. Arms and Samuel L. Tuttle; around them lie the generations to whom they preached. Rev. Albert Man- dell became pastor October Ist 1862, and after a minis- try of seven useful years, during most of which he was a courageous invalid, doing his work, he resigned his charge, and died in October 1871 in his 43d year.
The present pastor, Rev. Robert Aikman, was installed June 2nd 1869, and he is now in the thirteenth year of his ministry in Madison. He is the only one living of all who have been pastors of the old church. The member- ship of the church is about 300.
The church which is next in the order of age is St. Vin- cent's Roman Catholic church of Madison, for the fol. lowing account of which we are indebted to the courtesy of Rev. W. M. Wigger, D. D., for many years its incum- bent as priest, and who has recently been appointed bishop of the diocese of Newark.
ST. VINCENT'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF MADISON.
The first mass said in Madison was celebrated in 1810, in the old Duberceau house (now occupied by Mr. Kelly), on the convent road. The priest was Father Viennet, then stationed at St. Peter's Church, Barclay street, New York. Father Viennet remained some days in Madison, having come on a visit to Mr. Bamon, who at that time was the owner of the Duberceau house.
The property on which the old parochial house for- merly stood was bought from John Miller by a French gentleman, Lachapelle, and afterward sold by him to six persons, who bought it for the purpose of having a resi- dence for a priest, and a chapel. For some years the parlor and sitting-room of the old parsonage formed the chapel, the clergyman occupying the upper part of the house. The clergymen who officiated previous to the erection of the church were Messrs. Erard, Donohue, Ryder and J. B. Chabert. When there was talk of building a church, four of the original purchasers trans- ferred their rights to Messrs. Amedie Boisaubin and V. S. K. Beaupland, as trustees. The two latter made an agreement with each other to build the church, sharing equally the expenses over and above the amounts col- lected otherwise. Before the church was built the lot adjoining the parsonage, and on which the church now stends, was purchased.
The present St. Vincent's church was commenced in 1838, and was dedicated in 1839, by Bishop Dubois, of New York, under the invocation of St. Vincent, Martyr. It cost $4,050. The first pastor of the church was Father Richard Newell, who remained till the close of
the year 1842. In the beginning of 1843 the Rev. Dr. Monahan was appointed to succeed Father Newell, and he remained till the middle of April 1844. During the latter part of August 1844 the Rev. P. Kenny was sent to Madison by Bishop Hughes. In the beginning of the following year, however, Father Kenny was obliged to go south on account of his health, and he died in Charleston in March 1845. He was succeeded by Father Senez (the present pastor of St. Mary's church, Jersey City), who re- mained till April 1848. The Rev. B. J. McQuaid (the present bishop of Rochester, N. Y.), who in January 1848 had come to Madison as assistant to Father Senez, was then appointed pastor.
He continued in charge of the parish till October 1853, when good Father Madden, well remembered by the in- habitants of Madison for his genial and kindly disposi- tion, came to Madison. He was pastor of St. Vincent's for almost 15 years, He died of apoplexy, May 17th 1868, and was succeeded by the Rev. J. A. D'Arcy. After the death of the latter, April 24th 1869, the present incum- bent, the Rev. W. M. Wigger, was appointed, and he re- mained in Madison till May 29th 1873, when he took charge of St. John's Church, Orange, and subsequently of St. Theresa's, Summit. In the interim St. Vincent's parish was in charge of the Rev. P. E. Smyth, the pres- ent pastor of St. Bridget's church, Jersey City. A few months after the return of the Rev. Dr. Wigger to Mad- ison (January 10th 1876) an addition of 25 feet was built to St. Vincent's church, at a cost of over $2,000. In 1878 the old parsonage was sold to Brittin Brothers, and the present parochial house was built at a cost of almost $5,000.
The number of parishioners is about 700.
A school in the basement of St. Vincent's church was commenced in 1846, during the ministration of Father Senez. The first teacher was a certain Mr. Howell. The number of pupils at that time was about thirty. In 1866 Father Madden purchased of William H. Gibbons a tract of land on the convent road for $1,000, and soon after had the present beautiful brick school-house built thereon, at a cost of $6,000. The number of pupils at present is 135. The teachers are Mr. E. F. McCarthy and Miss S. Doyle.
METHODISM IN MADISON.
In the year 1844 the foundations of the Methodist Episcopal church of Madison were laid. The congrega- tion at that time belonged to the same circuit as those of Whippany, Chatham and Green Village, and the ministers in charge were the Rev. Messrs. Lewis R. Dunn and Israel S. Corbit. For several years before this occasional religious services had been held in the upper room of the school-house in East Madison, or Genungtown, as it was then called. The first regular Methodist service, how- ever, was held in a long, two-storied building on the cor- ner of Railroad avenue and Prospect street, opposite to the dwelling of Henry Keep. It is still there, although now divided into several houses. It was then used by MI. Keep as a manufactory of straw hats and umbrellas,
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HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.
the lower story being a long room where the work went on and where twenty or more girls were employed, and the upper story being divided into sleeping rooms for the employes. Mr. Keep was an Englishman, who had made his home here; a man of enterprise, indomitable energy and a large-hearted piety. He was an influential member of the Presbyterian church, but freely opened the large room for the services of the Methodist church. Every Saturday evening the room was cleared and put in order for Sunday service, and here the gospel was preached under Methodist auspices for years.
Among many others who preached in this room, as also in the East Madison Academy, was a well remem- bered and unique man of Chatham township, John Hancock by name; a man whose character may be summed up in the words which describe Barnabas-" a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." He was born in Springfield in 1776; left fatherless when eight months old, he was carried in his mother's arms when she left the blackened ruins of the village, burned by the British, and was brought here by her. His advantages were few, but his diligence was great. The first book he ever owned was "A new Geographical, Historical and Commercial Grammar, and Present State of the Several Kingdoms of the World." This he bought for $6, all ob- tained by selling hazel nuts gathered in the evening when his work was done; he was then an apprentice in Colum- bia. This book he mastered.
He early began to write, and all through his long life .his thoughts flowed into rhyme as easily as into prose, his works having some of the rude quaintness of Bun- yan's. His early religious exercises were genuine and deep. He joined the M. E. church in 1801. In the class meeting he learned to speak, and he soon went forth into school-houses, private dwellings and wherever a door was open, publishing the glad tidings. In 1803 he was licensed as a local preacher, in 1814 ordained as deacon and in 1833 ordained as elder by Bishop Hed- ding. His own house, as soon as it was completed in 1803, was opened for a regular preaching place, and con- tinued to be such until 1832. For the rest of his life, while still supporting his family by his business and farm, he preached in the circuit formed by Flanders, Paterson, Newark, Rahway and New Providence; in heat and cold, in sunshine and storm, his expenses generally more than his receipts, but the traveler ever fulfilling the injunction "as ye go, preach." He had a great fund of humor, which, however, he kept within bounds. He died in great peace, in full possession of his faculties, in his 78th year, leaving blessed memories behind him in all these neighborhoods. Close by his dwelling Mr. Hancock had set apart a portion of land for a family cemetery, which in his will be made a "public burial place." Near the entrance, and in full view of all who pass by, may still be seen a square board tablet, sustained by two tall posts, on which were painted in large yellow letters, now partly obliterated, some homely but practical lines, written by himself and commencing thus:
" Ye travelers through this vale of strife, To endless death or endless life, Here you may learn midst joys or tears The end of worldly hopes or fears."
The influence of John Hancock was very great in the early life of Methodism in this township.
feet by 36, which stood on the northeast side of the depot square, and which was dedicated February 20th 1845. Here public worship was maintained for the next twenty- six years, when the lot and building were sold for $7,600. The building now forms the upper stories of the store of Day, Searing & Co., who purchased the church edifice and made the changes now to be seen.
In the year 1870 a lot adjacent to the seminary grounds was presented to the church by Daniel Drew, upon which was erected the present Methodist Episcopal church. The building is of brick, in Romanesque style, with towers and stained windows; the spire not yet finished. The dedication took place May 20th 1871. The dimen- sions are 80 by 52 feet, with a front of 60 feet, and the estimated cost is about thirty thousand dollars. The church here is the natural place of Subbath worship for the faculty and students of Drew Theological Seminary, which adds to the importance and responsibility of the charge. The people own a parsonage, which was built in 1853 and enlarged in 1879, a commodious and com- fortable house. The present incumbent is Rev. W. J. Gill.
GRACE CHURCH.
The parish of Grace church, Madison, was organized in September 1854, in conformity with the constitution and canons of the Protestant Episcopal church, and of the diocese. The Rev. John A. Jerome received and ac- cepted a call to take charge of the parish for one year from the first of October 1854. The first religious ser- vices in the parish, as so organized, were held in the building known as " Odd Fellows' Hall," on Sunday the 8th of October, the Rev. Mr. Jerome officiating.
Measures were soon after taken for the purchase of land and the erection of a church building upon it; and through the liberality and exertions of Judge F. S. La- throp, the late Alfred M. Tredwell and other gentlemen of the parish, the present building was erected, and it was ready for divine service on Sunday, April 13th 1856.
In December 1855 the Rev. Samuel Randall received a call to the rectorship, which was accepted by him in February 1856, and on the third Sunday after Easter- the 13th of April-he entered on its duties, the first ser- vice being held in the church on that day. Mr. Randall served as rector of the church until his death, on Easter Sunday, April 20th 1862.
He was succeeded in February 1863 by the Rev. Walter Windeyer, who remained rector until the first of January 1867, when the Rev. John Henry Hobart, D. D., was called to the rectorship; he retained the position until his resignation, on the first of October 1871.
In November 1871 the Rev. Abbot Brown received and accepted a call to the parish, and he resigned in November 1872.
In April 1873 the Rev. D. C. Weston, D. D., was called to the rectorship, and he entered upon his duties on the first Sunday in June of that year. The rectory was be- gun in the fall and completed in 1874. Dr. Weston re- mained rector until the Ist of December 1878, when he resigned on account of ill health. He was succeeded in April 1879 by the Rev. R. C. Rogers, the present rector.
In the fall of that year the walls of the new chapel were laid, and the building was completed in the follow- ing year. A large portion of the funds for the new building had been already provided during the rector-
The first church building was a wooden structure 50 ship of the Rev. Dr. Weston.
Nathan.A. Cooper
CHESTER TOWNSHIP.
BY REV. JAMES F. BREWSTER.
HESTER forms one of the southern tier of the townships of Morris county. It is bounded north by Roxbury and Randolph, east by Mendham, west by Washington and port, who had taken up the land from the province. At south by Somerset county. It was formed from Roxbury in 1799. The village of Chester, formerly called Black River, is twelve miles west of Morristown. It contains three churches-one Presbyterian, one Congregational and one Methodist; about one hundred and fifty houses and some fifteen or twenty shops and stores, and had a population in 1880 of 705. The area of the township was returned by the GENERAL NATHAN A. COOPER. assessors in 1881 as 17,487 acres. The land is rolling, The Cooper family of which Nathan A. was a mem- ber descended from Sir Astley Cooper, the celebrated surgeon, of England. Some of the family in 1700 set- tled on Long Island, whence Nathan Cooper came to Roxiticus, which comprised what are now the towns of Mendham, Chester, Washington, Mount Olive and Rox- bury. He purchased 1,600 acres of land, made a clear- ing, and erected a small framed house, in which the fam ily resided some years. His son, Nathan Cooper, was born February 22nd 1725, and was married in 1748 to Mehitable Seward, great aunt to ex-Secretary of State Wil- liam H. Seward. They had six children. Nathan built a house near where the present Cooper mansion stands. It was recently demolished, but the stone steps remain to mark the site. He died December 30th 1797. His wife died April 15th 1812. rising in some points nearly to a thousand feet, and the soil is under good cultivation. It is watered by Black River, a tributary of the north branch of the Raritan. It was almost entirely an agricultural community until within the last fourteen years, during which extensive and valuable deposits of magnetic iron ore have been discovered and developed, and it is now one of the most important mining districts of New Jersey. It is the ter- minus of two railroads-a branch of the Delaware, Lack- awanna and Western, extending from Dover, twelve miles, and a branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, extending from High Bridge, seventeen miles. The Continental Railroad, from New York to Omaha, is surveyed to pass less than a mile south of the village of Chester.
The village was laid out into lots in the latter part of the last century, by General Horn, who purchased the land of Zephaniah Drake.
The population of the township in 1830 was 1,321. By the census of 1850 it numbered only 1,334; in 1860 it was 1,585; 18.70, 1,743; 1880, 2,337. By the last assess- ment the real estate was valued at $954,595, and the personal property at $456,880-making a total of $1,411,475.
SETTLEMENT.
In 1713 and 1714, while Anne was yet queen of Eng- land, this tract was surveyed and run into plots, and was settled by emigrants from Easthampton and Southold, Long Island. Among the earliest names we find Seward,
Cooper, Horton, Luse, Terry, Skellenger, Sweazy, Howell, Brown etc. The tract still belonging to the Cooper family was purchased in 1713 from Mr. Daven- the same time came to Chester the ancestors of Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State under President Lincoln. The Fairclo family, who figured in the earlier days, came from Scotland, and in one respect were well fitted for pioneers, as one Deacon Fairclo is said to have been the father of twenty-one children.
Their son, Abraham Cooper, was born February 18th 1762. He was married in 1799 to Anna Wills. Their children were Beulah Ann and Nathan A. Abraham died September 13th 1818, and his wife April 24th 1856. Nathan A. Cooper, the subject of this article, was born April 20th 1802. His wife, to whom he was married in 1843, was Mary Henrietta, youngest daughter of Dr. John W. Leddel of Ralstontown. Their children were Anna E., Abram W., Beulah S., Mary L., Tillie R., Laura H., and Nathan A .; all of whom, as well as their mother, are living. General Cooper died of cardiac rheumatism July 25th 1879.
At the age of sixteen he inherited the large Cooper estate, comprising nearly all of the tract originally pur- chased by his ancestor. This is now owned by the fifth
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HISTORY OF MORRIS COUNTY.
generation from the original purchaser. It includes ex- tensive farming lands, an iron mine, operated by Marsh, Craig & Evans, much undeveloped mineral property, and a grist-mill.
About nineteen years ago the house in which General Cooper was born was demolished, and the present ele- gant and substantial mansion erected. The brick, sand, lime and timber used in building this house were all pro- duced or manufactured on the Cooper estate.
Mr. Cooper was always an active and prominent man in the public affairs of Morris county. He was thorough- ly conversant with the political history of the country, and politics was with him a favorite theme of discussion, though from choice he never held any prominent politi- cal office. He was always a consistent and unwavering Democrat.
He was a man of extraordinary ability, a natural ora- tor, of imposing appearance, and endowed with a voice and manner at once commanding and impressive. His conversational powers were great. His memory wa wonderful. He forgot nothing, and with great accuracy he could recall the dates and circumstances of events that transpired more than half a century before.
In 1854 he was commissioned a brigadier general of cavalry, and at the time of his death was the oldest gen- eral officer in the State. He was a lover of horses and an expert horseman. He had great fondness for field sports, and was unexcelled as a marksman. He was a man of strict and unbending integrity, a good citizen, and a kind husband and father.
TRAVEL.
Very early Black River began to occupy an import- ant position in the line of travel between New York and Easton, Pa. When the first settlers came among these hills no turnpike was yet in existence, and the travel was by bridle paths which had been worn in the wilderness. As late as 1768 Rev. William Woodhull made his way into the parish, of which he became pastor, on horse- back, with his wife and child riding on the same horse behind him. The first spring wagon was introduced by James Topping, who died here in 1874, in the 94th year of his age. With the beginning of the century an im- pulse was given to the work of facilitating travel. No less than 54 turnpikes were chartered by the State between 1800 and 1830, among them the Washington turnpike, from Morristown to Easton, in 1806, running through Chester from east to west. In Alden's Register for 1812 we find that Jared Haines, a prominent citizen of Chester, was then one of its eight directors. The proprietor of the first line of stages on this road was Zephaniah Drake, of Chester, who built the first brick building in the town in 1812 and kept it as a public house. This is still the Chester Hotel. Coaches gorgeous with scarlet and gilt, and drawn by four horses, made the journey from Easton to Paulus Hook and back again once a week. Subse- quently the stages ran daily, and Chester was a favorite station for refreshment and change of horses.
THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The first settlers of Chester were men of strong relig- ious character. From the beginning there were two dis- tingt methods of church order. The emigrants from Southold were Congregational. The emigrants from Easthampton were Presbyterian. Both classes being men of decided convictions, churches of each denomina- tion were very soon organized, and they have continued side by side to the present day.
The annals of the Congregational church tell us that as early as 1747 a house of worship was erected, with pews and galleries capable of accommodating an audience of 400. In 1803 this building was demolished, but a part of its timbers still exist in the framework of a barn on the premises of William H. Seward. About the time of the building of the first church the excitement which caused the separation in the Congregational churches of Connecticut and Long Island reached this settlement, and a majority became "Separates " or " Strict Congre- gationalists," as they were then called. These Separates, it is said, retained the doctrines and form of government of the regular Congregational churches, protesting against what they regarded as the oppressive and wordly influ- ence of the union between Church and State, especially in Connecticut. The first pastor was Rev. Samuel Sweazy, who ministered to the church about twenty years, until 1773, when he removed to Mississippi, near Natchez.
The years 1777 and 1778 brought stirring times to New Jersey. Chester or Black River was off the line of con- flict, but both the Congregational and Presbyterian churches were used as hospitals for disabled soldiers. Regular worship was suspended, and the moral and relig- ious habits of the people suffered greatly. About 1779 a union of the two churches was attempted under Rev. David Baldwin. A covenant was mutually subscribed (of which an original copy is still preserved in the archives of the Presbyterian church) entitled "A covenant entered into by the members of the Presbyterian and Congrega- tional churches in the town of Roxbury, now denomi- nated only by the name of ' the Church of Christ,' " and services were held alternately in the two churches; but the attempted union failed.
This church was then reorganized, and in June 1785 Rev. James Youngs was ordained and installed. He died in November 1790, aged 32. The church records have this entry concerning him: "All accounts go to prove him a most amiable man and a sincere and devoted Chris- tian." From 1790 till 1801 the church was without a regular pastor.
On June 16th 1801 Stephen Overton was ordained and installed, and in 1803 the original house of worship was replaced by another of more modern appearance. Mr. Overton's pastorate continued until March 1828, and he died in the following September. The church records speak of him as possessed of strong intellectual powers and endowed with a vigorous constitution. He traveled much, preaching sometimes more than once a day for weeks in succession.
Mary 4 Cooper
RESIDENCE AND MILL PROPERTY OF THE LATE GENERAL N. A. COOPER, CHESTER, N.J.
E
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CHURCHES OF CHESTER TOWNSHIP.
From its formation until 1810 the church and pastor were enrolled as members of "The Separate Congrega- tional Convention of Connecticut and Long Island." In 1810, with other churches, it formed a new and similar convention, which in 1828 was dissolved.
In the autumn of 1828 Rev. Abner Morse became act- ing pastor of the church. He was dismissed at his own request in the spring of 1833. From August 1833 to 1835 Rev. Charles Jones officiated as acting pastor. In grant- ing him his dismission the church paid him a high com- pliment as an able and faithful minister of the gospel. Rev. John Fishpool, a native of Essex in England, was stated supply of the church from October 1835 to Octo- ber 1836. From 1836 to 1840 the church was supplied by different members of the New York State Congrega- tional Association, with which it had now become con. nected. For some eight months in 1839 Rev. Lewis Ter- rill, from Elizabeth, N. J., acted as stated supply. On December 15th 1841 Luke I. Stoutenburgh, of Pough- keepsie, N. Y., a licentiate of the New York association, was ordained and installed, and his pastorate continued until December 1867. In 1854 the present house of wor- ship was erected. In December 1867 Rev. Dr. James S. Evans, of the Presbytery of New York, was called, and he was pastor of the church from June 1868 to April 1871. From September 1872 to May 1875 Rev. B. F. Bradford acted as stated supply. In June 1875 the con- gregation extended a call to Rev. Frank A. Johnson, a native of Boston and a graduate of Hamilton College and the Union Theological Seminary of New York city. He was installed December 15th 1875, and is still the ac- ceptable and beloved pastor. During this pastorate a commodious chapel has been built, the church has been thoroughly renovated and the congregation is united and prosperous.
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