History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 135

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140

USA > New Jersey > Sussex County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 135
USA > New Jersey > Warren County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 135

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" DISPENSATION. " To all whom it may concern.

"Be it koown, that I, Samuel J. Read, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of New Jersey, in compliance with the petition and recommendations of my worthy Brethren, Jared Sexton, J. Kinney, Jr., Jacob Summers, David Swayze, George Green, John lintchings, and Peter Kleinhans, do hereby, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, freely authorize them to hold a Lodge at Belvidere, to be called 'Warren Lodge,' with full power to enter, pass, and raise freemasons and do all matters and things which apper- tain to a regular warranted Lodge, and I do hereby appoint Brother David Swayze to be the first Master, Brother George Green to be the first Senior Warden, and Brother Jared Sextou to be the first Junior Warden, and the Lodge so anthorized are permitted to contiane their labor until the meeting of the Grand Lodge, and no longer, unless a warrant of con- etitution be granted. They will in all respects govern themselves ac- cording to rules, regulations, and By-laws of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, and the general land marks of the order, and for so doing this shall be your sufficient authority. Witness the hand of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, this fourth day of January, 1826."

The following-named persons belonged to the lodge prior to 1826: David Swayze, W. M .; George Green, S. W .; Jared Sexton, J. W .; John Hutchings, S. D .; Jacob Summers, J. D .; John Kinney, Jr., Secretary ; Peter Kleinhaus, Treasurer; Charles Lewis, Samuel Wilson, William Summers, James Davison, Jr., Rob- ert Davison, Ephraim Camp. These were the first officers and members of old " Warren Lodge."

The next meeting of the lodge was held Jan. 26, 1826, at the house of Henry Smith, in Belvidere, when the visiting brethren were E. R. Banks and George G. Sickels, of Olive Branch Lodge, and E. H. Swayze, Gideon Leeds, and William C. Morris, of Hope Lodge. Leeds was Master, Morris Senior Warden, and Swayze Junior Deacon of Hope Lodge.

At this meeting Peter Kleinhaus was elected treas- urer, John Kinney secretary, John Hutchings Se- nior Deacon, and Jacob Summers Junior Deacon.

Several communications of the lodge were held at various houses of members, but April 19th it met at the lodge-room, which had been previously engaged and prepared. Where the room was the record does not show.

Regular communications were held in their lodge- room till March 26, 1828. The Master's gavel is not heard again in the east until Saturday, July 15, 1848, when the craft are assembled with the following offi- cers, appointed to take charge of a reorganized lodge :

James W. Harvey, W. M .; Usal O. Swayze, S. W .; James I. Brown, Jr., J. W .; Jacob Sharp, Secretary ; William R. Sharp, Treasurer; M. R. Butts, Senior Deacon ; J. P. Ribble, Junior Deacon; and Jolin Linn, Tyler.

The following is a complete list of the Worshipful Masters from 1849 to 1881, inclusive :

W. R. Sharp, 1849; John Dill, 1850-51 ; Jacob Sharp, 1852-53; Rev. J. II. Black, 1854-55; H. S. Goodwin, 1856; S. S. Clark, 1857-58; Robert A. Boyd, 1859; Edwin R. Crane, 1860-63, Jesse King, 1864-65; R. T. Drake, 1866-67; Samuel Rees, 1868-69; W. M Maberry, 1870-71; Martin Free- man, 1872-72; John Sionerson, 1874-75; John H. King, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881; William R. Lair, 1878-79.

Present membership, 124. The regular communi- cations of the lodge are held on the Friday evening on or before the full of the moon in each month, in " Masonic Hall," third story of the Warren Journal building, on Front Street, Belvidere. The present officers (1881) are :

John II. King, P. M., W. M .; James A. Britton, S. W .; Samuel O. Wittie, J. W .; Richard T. Drake, Secretary; Simon Wade, Treasurer; E. M. Beasley, S. D .; Nicholas IInrris, J. D .; William Salmon, Elias J. Mackey, M. of C .; Benjamin F. Howey, Joha Simerson, Stewards; James M. Snyder, Tyler.

BELVIDERE LODGE, No. 58, KNIGHTS OF PYTIIIAS,

was organized June 27, 1871, in Odd-Fellows' Hall. The charter members were Richard T. Drake, Samuel Rees, James M. Snyder, William K. Bowers, Sharps Mellick, William Good, Jacob Willever, William Sperry, George Suydam, Stephen Tucker, J. Stewart Wilson, Eleazer P. Dickey.

The first officers were:

V. P., Richard T. Drake; W. C., Samuel Rees; W. V. C., James M. Snyder; W. R. S., Sharps Mellick ; W. F. S., William Good; W. B., Wil- liant K. Bowers; W. G., Jacob Willever; W. I. S., William Sperry; W. O. S., George Snydam.

The successive presiding officers have been :

James M. Snyder, Jacob Willever, William Sperry, Aaron McCammon, Edward C. Coleman, Henry J. Miller, Abram Ackerman, William M. Cyphers, Samuel Rees, Rouben N. Stronse, Richard T. Drake, Elbridge G. Wire,* Matthew A. Howard, William N. Furman, Elishn Bard.

* Elected four successive torms.

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TOWN OF BELVIDERE.

The present officers are :

C. C., Reuben N. Strouse ; V. C., Martin Swartaweller ; P'., Sammel Rees; M. at A., Jawou K. Wildrick ; K. of R. and S., Sharps Mellick ; M. of F., Henry B. Bair; M. of E., Aaron MIcCommon; I. G., William N. Furman ; 0. G., Jacob Willever.

The lodge meets every Tuesday evening in its castle- hall on Water Street. The present number of men- bers is 50. The lodge is working successfully in the amplified form, and a fresh impetus has been given the institution by reason thereof. Accessions are being made at almost every meeting, and a deep and growing interest is manifested by the members.

COVENANT LODGE, No. 13, 1. 0. 0. F.

This lodge was instituted Oct. 5, 1842, and is one of the oldest lodges in the State. Six lodges in the sur- rounding country have grown out of this one: It has furnished two of the Grand Masters for the State,- viz., Daniel G. Fitch in 1846, and Israel Harris in 1862. Mr. Harris has also served the lodge as representative to the Grand Lodge of the United States for three terms, During the existence of this lodge it has re- ceived over 600 members. The lodge has disbursed large sums of money to its sick and distressed mem- bers. The present membership is 75.

BELVIDERE BANK.

The Belvidere Bank was chartered by act of the Legislature, Feb. 18, 1830. The commissioners ap- pointed by the act were Matthias O. Halsted, Nathan Stiger, Dr. George Green, John I. Blair, and AAbraham Warne, who were authorized to open books of sub- scription to the capital stock of $50,000, after adver- tising the same in the newspapers published in Belvi- dere, Morristown, and Trenton. Books of subscription were opened May 17, 1830, and the stock subscribed, not, however, without considerable effort on the part of John 1. Blair to effect the same. Among the origi- nal subscribers to the stock at this time there are but six living, and they nearly all of one family : John 1. Blair, Mrs. Nancy Blair (wife of John 1. Blair), Rob- ert Blair, James Blair, Abraham MeMurtrie, Jr., and tleorge Keyser.

The largest stockholders were John 1. Blair, who subscribed for 250 shares, and Blair & Wilson, John Kinney, Jr., and Peter W. Blair 100 shares each, and Hon. Garret D. Wall for 50 shares, The first board of directors were John M. Sherrerd, Dr. George Green, James Blair, Nathan Stiger, Wilson Hunt, Ross Crane, Peter Kleinhaus, John Young, George R. King, Jeremy Mackey, and John Kinney, Jr.

The first president elected was John Kinney, Jr., who held the office until the day of his death, in 1850. John I. Blair was then elected to fill the vacancy, and has held the position ever since, Mr. Blair was the vice-president during the last years of Mr. Kin- ney's life, and discharged the duties of president, Mr. Kinney being for the last five or six years blind.

The first cashier after the temporary organization was John Stuart, who was elected April 7, 1831, and

continued to discharge his duties in that capacity until April 1, 1854, when on account of the weight of years and declining health he resigned, having served for twenty-three years in a highly satisfactory manner, the board of directors presenting him on his retirement with a handsome silver pitcher.

John Stuart was born in Scotland, and emigrated to this country about 1810. He was a man of sterling integrity, no man questioning his honesty.

Israel Harris entered the bank in March, 1849; was teller and bookkeeper until Mr. Stuart's resignation, in 1854, when he was elected cashier, and has continued to discharge the duties in that capacity for twenty-seven year-, and is still occupying the position. The capi- tal stock was at various times increased, up to $200,000, during the period that it continued to do business as a State bank, paying its stockholders large dividends, and without ever passing a single dividend from its organization.

In 1865 it was organized as a national bank, in- creasing the capital to $500,000, the old stock- holders of the State institution receiving a dividend in new stock of fifty per cent. and a cash dividend of fifteen per cent., having dividend $100,000 on a capital of $200,000, besides the cash dividend, as above stated, of fifteen per cent., still reserving a surplus of near $75,000.

In 1876, by a vote of the stockholders, the capital stock was reduced to $300,000, its large capital, with $100,000 surplus, being deemed unprofitable in the depressed financial state of the country.

Among the directors, James Blair has held the office from its organization, now fifty years, and John I. Blair from the second year, and the only two living of those two boards eleeted in 1831-32.

BELVIDERE DELAWARE BRIDGE COMPANY,

The above-named company was chartered in 1835, and December 12th of that year the first stock was taken ; the first transfer of stock was made July 12, 1834, and the last Dec. 21, 1880. The first officers of the company were: President, Jeremiah Mackey : Treasurer, Adam Butts; and the pioneer toll-collector was Samuel Loder. It is a covered wood bridge of the arch pattern, located just above the mouth of the Pequest, is 650 feet long, spanning the Delaware River, resting upon two abutments and two piers, Work was commenced in 1834, and the bridge completed in the carly spring of 1836. In April of that year, about four weeks after completion, two-thirds of the bridge was carried away by high water. The company com- meneed rebuilding in 1838, and in the fall of 1839 the bridge was again opened for traffic, By reason of rebuilding, repairs and insurance, and toll-collectors' salary, no dividends have been declared or paid.

BELVIDERE WATER COMPANY.

This company was organized July 13, 1877, under a general law of the State, the object of the com- pany being to supply the town of Belvidere with

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WARREN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

pure and wholesome water, for both culinary and sani- tary purposes. The first board of directors were Dewitt C. Blair, John W. Wyckoff, James M. Robe- son, Jehiel G. Shipman, Samuel S. Clark, Simon Wade, Martin Freeman, Augustus Laubach, and Daniel W. Kleinhans; President, Dewitt C. Blair; Vice-President, Simon Wade; Secretary and Treas- urer, John W. Wyckoff; Assistant Treasurer, Walter Wyckoff; Civil Engineer, Elbridge G. Wire; Con- tractor and Builder, Conrad Miller.

The water is taken from the Delaware River by a duplex pump, Blake's patent, and by steam-power ; the water is forced into a stand-pipe of 6 feet diame- ter, 160 feet high. The engine, pump, and stand-pipe are located on the bank of the Delaware River, a short distance above the Belvidere Delaware Bridge. The stand-pipe is of boiler iron, and made by Barber & Son, Allentown, Pa. Its capacity is about 37,000 gallons. The company has at present 15,000 feet of mains laid through the principal streets of Belvidere, to which are attached fifteen fire hydrants, owned by the town of Belvidere. The company commenced supplying water to the citizens of Belvidere, July 1, 1878.

The present officers are as follows :

President, Dewitt C. Blair; Vice-President, Simon Wade; Secretary and Treasurer, John W. Wyckoff; Assistant Treasurer, Walter Wyckoff; Directors, D. C. Blair, J. W. Wyckoff, J. M. Robeson, J. G. Shipman, S. S. Clark, S. Wade, Aaron McCammon, J. Marshall Paul, and D. W. Klein- haus; Engineer in Charge of Pump, Charles Valentine.

VIII .- MILLS AND MANUFACTORIES.

The water-power at Belvidere (with its facilities for manufacturing establishments where a large number of employees might be engaged) is rated as second in the State, and, with all the natural advantages taken into consideration, it probably has no superior; and as far as water is concerned there is a superabun- dance, with almost any desired fall. There are sev- eral mills in operation along the Pequest within the borough limits, yet there is room for more, and along the bank of the Delaware there are several mill-sites unoccupied.

The pioneer grist-mill at this place was built by Robert Hoops during the latter part of the last cen- tury, on the site now occupied by the flouring-mill of John Baird, at the south end of the lower bridge. It was a primitive affair, and spoken of by Dr. Paul in his " One Hundred Years Ago"-written in 1850-as follows :

" In lien of the two large and commanding stone mills since erected in the centre of the village, a log house on the south side answered for mill- ing purposes, and a similar one on the north side was used for sawing lumber. These mills were supplied with water by means of a dam built across the stream as high up as the upper bridge, and conducted down- ward through canals along either shore. Tho artificial waterfall which now canses its gentle roaring to be heard so distinctly during the evening stillness and which is so beautiful to look upon with its dashing and sparkling waters did not then exlet, but the Pequest flowed uninter- ruptedly and rapidly onward, to mingle itself with ' the silvery Macker- iskettan,' or Lenape Mikittuck."

The old pioneer mill has never suffered by fire, but has been rebuilt several times; the last time in 1874- 75 by John Baird, its present owner. Richard Hol- comb is said to have owned the old mill in 1859-60.

Which of these mills was the senior Dr. Paul does not tell us, but, as Hoops came here in 1770 and built the first frame house in the "Town of Mercer," and also furnished flour and grain to the Continental army, it may safely be assumed that he built both mills soon after he came here.

The stone grist-mill on the north side of the Pe- quest, standing upon the site of the old Hoops saw- mill (according to Dr. Paul), was built in 1837, by John Quick. Mr. Quick had recently arrived from England, and, being a stranger, coupled with ill sue- cess in his American enterprise, he became despond- ent, and in 1842 committed suicide by cutting his throat. This mill was owned in 1859-60 by Alfred Thomas, but is now owned and operated by Ira B. Keener.

In 1839, Major Depeu built a saw-mill on the site now occupied by Searles' grist-mill; it was burned in 1852-53, and in 1863 the present large and exten- sive flouring-mill was built by Adam Searles. This mill stands on the bank of the river, below the mouth of the Pequest, and is supplied with water through a race from the Pequest.

The old stone foundry standing on the bank of the river between Searles' grist-mill and MeMurtrie's saw-mill was built in 1835-36, and operated but a few years when the business was abandoned.

MeMurtrie's saw-mill, at the mouth of the Pequest, was originally built near the close of the last century. The present mill is the third one upon the same site.

In the very early part of this century a tannery was built on the right bank of the Pequest, upper part of the village, and owned by Mackey, then by Sharp, when it was destroyed by fire, and soon after was rebuilt. It is now owned by Mr. Charles Siebert. The motive-power used is steamn.

The steam bending-works and wheel-factory of J. V. Deshong was built in 1871 and used for a few years, when the business was transferred to the brick building adjoining MeMurtrie's mill. Deshong's mill is now idle.

A short time previous to 1800, Thomas Croxall built a saw-mill a short distance above where McMurtrie's mill now stands; it was taken down by MeMurtrie when he built his grist-mill. Near the same place was a grist-mill, also built by Thomas Croxall, about the year 1800. The grist-mill was burned in 1848 or 1849.

The Drake & Tinsman carriage-shop, on Prospect Street, just north of the Pequest, was built in 1845 by Bouton & Cramer, who manufactured carriages and sleighs for a few years, and were succeeded by Drake & Tinsman, who abandoned the business in 1879.

The carriage-shops of J. V. Deshong were built by him in 1851, on Water Street, where he is still en- gaged in the business.

A.D.HAZEN

ASSISTANT POST MASTER GENERAL

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TOWN OF BELVIDERE.

J. II. Brands' carriage-works were established in 1877 on Water Street.

The carriage-, wagon-, and sleigh-manufactory of Messrs. Ackerman & Widenor, on Water Street, was built in 1880 by that firm.

The pioneer blacksmith was George Hiles, out on the Levi S. Johnson place, as carly a> 1800. Mr. Hiles died in 1830. A man named MeWickers had a shop near the old Todd tavern in 1810, and, in 1825, Philip Miller had a shop at the south end of Market Street bridge.

McMurtrie's grist- and flouring-mill was com- menced in 1876, and completed in 1877 by Abram McMurtrie. The mill is driven by water-power, a 35-inch Leffel wheel being used. This vast establish- ment embraces five floors. On the first floor are the smut and brush machines for cleaning grain; in the second story are the burrs for grinding the wheat, the separators for cleaning the grain, and the packers for packing the flour into paper bags and barrels. The third and fourth floors are filled with bolting-reels, middling-purifiers, and bran-dusters.

THE BELVIDERE WATER COMPANY,

formed in 1836, owned all the Pequest Creek and mill- sites from the second, or Keener & Baird's, mill- dam, to Van Sickle's line, above Miller's bridge. While in their possession it was somewhat improved and mills built. Their title to the property came from Garret 1). Wall, and is now held by the "Bel- videre Manufacturing Company," E. Van Nuxem, Abraham MeMurtrie, and R. L. Kennedy.

In 1838 or 1839 the water company built the race that now conveys water to McMurtrie's grist-mill, and in the same year constructed the brick building next west of MeMurtrie's mill, and put in machinery for the manufacture of cotton goods. The factory was in successful operation until the evening of the general election in November, 1864, when the con- tents of the building were destroyed by fire, leaving the walls substantially uninjured. This was a severe loss not only to the company, but to Belvidere. The building was soon repaired, and machinery and fix- tures placed in it for the manufacture of shelf hard- ware. This enterprise was soon abandoned, when one business succeeded another until it was converted into a " wheel maunfactory" in 1874, with Mr. War- ner as proprietor, who still continues the business.

THE BELVIDERE MANUFACTURING COMPANY

was organized about 1870, und erected the brick build- ing and shops on the west side of Prospect Street, be- tween Front Street and the creek, known as the " Agri- cultural Works," where the company manufactured agricultural implements for about a year and a half, when this enterprise was also abandoned.

WARNER'S CARRIAGE-WHEEL MANUFACTORY.

This industry originated near New Haven, Conn., and was patented in 1867. The patentee of the same removed with his machinery to Belvidere, N. L., near

the Ist of June, 1871, and with the assistance of one or two workmen found himself in readiness by the middle of August to construct carriage-wheels at Des- hong's buildings, on Water Street.

This novel way of making carriage-wheels soon at- tracted general attention, and from a few sets at first the demand increased to some hundreds of sets per month, and employed ten or twelve men in putting the several parts together after having been prepared for immediate use.

During the summer of 1874 the factory was removed to more roomy buildings near the centre of the town to accommodate an increased and growing business.

The Warner patent wheel is the only one made with spokes driven through mortised flanges of solid metal into a wooden centre, or hub. There are now (March, 1881) at least seventeen carriage-wheel factories in the East, beside some in the West and in Canada, that furnish the markets with these wheels and pay a roy- alty on the same to Mr. Warner of this place.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

ABRAHAM DEPUE HAZEN.

The Hon. Abraham Depue Hazen, third assistant postmaster - general, belongs to the New Jersey branch of the family of that name, which was of English origin. Its genealogy in this country is traced back two centuries and a half. Edward Hazen, the immigrant ancestor, settled in Rowley, Conn., some time prior to 1649. In 1650 he married llan . nah Grant, and by this marriage became the pro- genitor of a lineage of singularly pure and upright men, whose names are prominent in the early his- tory of New England. Moses Hazen, of "Hazen's Own," who was a brigadier-general at the close of the Revolution, and Gen. William B. Hazen, chief signal officer U. S. army, who distinguished him- self under Sherman in the war of the Rebellion, de- scended from this Puritan stock. One branch of the family intermarried with the ancestors of the late Governor John A. Andrew, of Massachusetts, and of George Peabody, the philanthropist ; another with the family of Governor Simon Bradstreet, and from this line, through several generations, comes the sub- ject of this biography.

Aaron, his paternal grandfather, was born and spent his entire life near Newton, Sussex Co., N. J. For a long time he was an associate justice of the Sussex County Court. He had a numerous family of children, some of whom still reside near the place of their birth ; among these are his sons John V. and Nathan, and his daughters Mrs. John Shaw, Mrs. Casper Shafer, and Mrs. Alfred Cooke. David B., another son, and the father of Abraham D., was born at the old homestead on the 7th of April, 1811. He

548

WARREN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

served an apprenticeship at the tanning trade in Newton with the late James R. Hull, but, when still a young man, removed to Mount Bethel township, Northampton Co., Pa., to engage in business on his own account, both as a tanner and farmer. In 1838 he married Susan Depue, daughter of Abraham Depue, and an aunt of Hon. David A. Depue, justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Mrs. Hazen survives her husband, who died in 1862, leaving a family of seven sons and one daughter.

Abraham Depue Hazen, second son of David B., was born at Lower Mount Bethel, Pa., Feb. 24, 1841. He received his early education at Belvidere, N. J., where Gen. E. L. Campbell was one of his teachers. Afterwards he entered as a student at Lafayette Col- lege, Easton, Pa., in the class of 1863, but left col- lege in his junior year. Subsequently he removed to Washington, and in 1866 was appointed a first-class clerk in the Post-Office Department. Here he was promoted regularly up through all the grades nntil 1870, when he was assigned as principal clerk in charge of the stamp division. In conjunction with his other duties, he was appointed by President Grant, in 1872, a member of the civil service examining board for the Post-Office Department. In 1874 the office of chief of the division of stamps, stamped en- velopes, with a handsome increase of salary, was created for him by act of Congress, upon the urgent recommendation of the Postmaster-General, in recog- nition of his services in connection with the intro- duction of the postal-card system and of official stamps for the use of the several departments, ren- dered necessary by the abolition of the ranking priv- ilege. It was during his tenure as chief of this di- vision that the mode of collecting postage on news- papers and periodicals mailed to subscribers was changed by requiring prepayment in special adhesive stamps. While the methods were much simplified, the act creating the change greatly reduced the charges; but this reduction was compensated for by the advantages gained by a full and universal prepay- ment, so that the Postmaster-General, speaking of the first year's results of the change, in his report for 1875, was enabled to say, "Under the old law there was no check to insure collections at the office of destination, and the consequence was that much mat- ter went unpaid; and it is a satisfaction that under the present equitable mode the universal collections have made up for the reductions in the rates."

In the mean time he devoted his evenings to the study of the law, and graduated from the Law Depart- ment of Columbia University, in the class of 1877, having been honored with the presidency of lis class, numbering about fifty members, and shortly after- wards was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. At the commencement exercises at Lafayette College, in June, 1877, the trustees conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. In the same month, Gen. Barber

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History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 135

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1140

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140