USA > New Jersey > Union County > History of Union County, New Jersey > Part 47
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In April, 1879, he moved to Plainfield, and on October 23, 1883, inarried Miss Kate Greenough Matthews, daughter of Charles Matthews,
BENJAMIN A. HEGEMAN, JR.
a retired lawyer of New York city, but at the time living in Plainfield. Two children, Virginia, born in 1884, and Harold, born in 1887, are the fruit of this union.
Mr. Hegeman is a member of the Collegiate Reformed church, of New York city. He takes a deep interest in the Railroad Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association, of Hoboken, New Jersey, of which
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he is a member. He is also an active member of the Alumni Association of the Mount Washington Collegiate Institute, and is prominently connected with other clubs and societies of New York and Plainfield.
FRANK L. C. MARTIN.
No work of art, no production of science, no invention, ornamental or useful, so rapidly won its way to public favor as the bicycle. Its 11se is almost universal. It has found its way into the palaces of the nobility and the humble cottages of the poor; the residents of the orient and the occident find in it a subject of mutual interest; for the bright-eyed little people of Japan, as well as those who reside in our own Califor- nia, have enjoyed the pleasure of a " run " on the " wheel." Hamlets, towns and cities all number their enthusiastic wheelmen, and it is almost impossible to journey along the country roads in any part of America without meeting a wheelman. Almost miraculous seems this reception of the bicycle throughout the civilized world, and so extensively is it used that the manufacture and sale of wheels has become one of the most important industries of the world.
Mr. Martin, whose name introduces this article, is the pioneer bicycle dealer of New Jersey. A veteran member of the League of American Wheelmen, he is so popular and widely known in wheeling circles that he needs no introduction to the readers of this volume. He stands among the most prominent and valued business men of Union county, and it would be difficult to find an individual in all New Jersey who has more true friends. Nor within the bounds of this state are numbered those who entertain for him this kindly regard. The prominent part which he has taken in wheeling affairs has made him known throughout the country, and all with whom he comes in contact recognize the power of his genial, social disposition.
Mr. Martin was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1865, being the son of J. Marc and Marie Martin. His father was for twenty-four years an insurance broker, and died in 1890, his wife having passed away in 1870. Their son Frank obtained his education in the public schools of Plainfield, and on laying aside his text books, in 1881, entered upon his business career as an employe of N. F. Monjo, an extensive fur dealer of New York, with whom he remained for six months, when he joined his father in the insurance business. A year later he entered the employ of Taintor & Holt, bankers and brokers on Wall street, New York, with whom he remained for nine years, during which time his fidelity and ability won him steady advancement, and he rose from office boy to assistant cashier. Upon his father's death he resigned his position with the banking firm, in order to assume the management of the insurance-brokerage business. From 1892 until 1893 he success- fully carried on operations along that line, and his well directed efforts
FRANK L. C. MARTIN .
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brought to him good financial returns, but in the meantime he had become interested in the bicycle business, which enterprise grew to such extensive proportions that he was obliged to dispose of his insurance interests in 1893.
Mr. Martin is at the head of one of the oldest established bicycle trades in the country. He began business in 1889, conducting his operations on a small scale, but being possessed of great energy, indus- try and keen discrimination, and by reason of the rapidly growing popularity of the wheel, he secured a trade that has marvellously increased. Disposing of his insurance business, in order to devote all of his time to the other enterprise, he has been forced to continually enlarge his stock and facilities, until he has now one of the largest and most complete bicycle establishments in the state. He extended his field of operations in 1892, by establishing a branch store in New Brunswick, but during Mr. Martin's absence at the World's Columbian Exposition his manager absconded, taking with him thirty-three hun- dred dollars. He then closed the branch in New Brunswick, but continued the business in Plainfield. In1 1896 he formed a partnership with Frederick Keer, and incorporated the business under the name of the Keer & Martin Cycle Company, which conducts a large establish- ment at No. 876 Broad street, Newark, and in 1897 established a branch at No. 593 Main street, East Orange. The business in Plainfield is con- ducted under the name of the F. L. C. Martin Cycle Company, also incorporated. This is a separate and distinct organization from the Keer & Martin Cycle Company, and the former has a branch in West- field. The business in Plainfield has pleasant and commodious quarters, having a large room filled with wheels for sale and renting. A very extensive repair department is under the charge of an efficient mechanic and an able corps of assistants. The establishments in Newark, Westfield and East Orange are alike complete in their appointments and equip- ments, and the volume of business done in these four establishments places Mr. Martin at the head of the trade in New Jersey. He is now agent for the Cleveland and Crescent wheels and also handles the Dayton and the Barnes' White Flyer.
Mr. Martin is regarded as authority on all cycling subjects, and has a wide reputation as a pace-maker on century runs. So continuous are the demands made by his business, that Mr. Martin has not found the time to make a "record" as a rider since the early days when he rode the old "ordinary," or high wheel. In 1886 he rode two hundred and two miles in twenty-four hours, on an ordinary, making a state record which has never been broken on an ordinary. In 1888 he inaugurated the great century run from New York to Philadelphia, and he has been the pace-maker on like runs each succeeding year. He has done more to advance the interests of cycling in this part of the state than any other one inan. He was an active member of the Plain-
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field Bicycle Club from 1885 to 1896, and served as captain for seven years. Mr. Martin also belongs to the Crescent Wheelmen, of Plain- field, the Vim Bicycle Club, of Newark, the Atalanta Wheelmen, of Newark, and the Essex Bicycle Club, also of that city; but while he is an enthusiastic wheelman, his interests are by no means confined to this one line. In fact he is a broad-minded gentleman, well informed on all matters of general interest, a pleasing conversationalist, and very popular in all circles. He is an active member of Anchor Lodge, A. F. & A. M., in which he took the degrees in 1896, became a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen in 1894, and of the Alert Hose Company in 1891. Since 1886 he has been a member of the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian church, and in the social functions of Plainfield is a familiar figure. His uniform courtesy, genial manner and true worth make him a social favorite, and his friends are legion.
JAMES T. CLOSSON.
A cultured and esteemed citizen of Plainfield is Mr. James T. Closson, who has made this city his home since 1867. Mr. Closson is a native of New England, where his ancestors, in both the paternal and maternal lines were descendants of old, and notable English families, who trace their lineage to the colonial, and Revolutionary days of America. His parents, N. Holden Closson and Louisa A. (Garman) Closson, were residents of New Hampshire at the time of his birth. They subsequently removed to Middletown, Connecticut, and finally to Brooklyn, New York, where the homestead was retained until the death of his father, which occurred in 1861. The mother found a home with her son, in Plainfield, and resided there until her death, in 1891. Three children were born to them, the subject of this sketch, and two daughters,-one of whom is dead, and the other of whom resides with her brother, in Plainfield. Mr. Closson received superior educational advantages in his youth, and at an early age entered the mercantile house of his father, in New York, where he began his business career. He subsequently engaged in the banking business in New York city, in which he was very successful, and to the promotion of which he devoted his entire attention until 1890, when he retired from active business. Mr. Closson served as director in the Bank of the State of New York for twenty years ; was president of the Richmond & Allegheny Railroad for a number of years, and in the financial and commercial world established a reputation of the highest order for honor and probity.
Mr. Closson's residence in Plainfield has been distinguished by a quiet and unostentatious support of all measures tending to the develop- ment of the moral and educational interests of the community. He was one of the organizers of the City National Bank, of Plainfield, and has been connected with that institution as a director since. He has always
JAMES T. CLOSSON
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been a Republican in his political affiliations, is in no sense an office- seeker, but is a liberal contributor to the cause, and observes at the polls a quiet exercise of his duties as a good citizen.
Mr. Closson has also been a generous donor to all charitable and religious institutions, and is connected with the Grace Episcopal church. He is a member of the Union League Club, of New York city, and of the Union County Country Club, of Plainfield.
Plainfield is noted for its beautiful homes, and among them the residence and grounds of Mr. Closson are especially noticeable. Located on East Front street, the grounds have a frontage of five hundred feet, and a depth of about one thousand feet. They are admirably laid out, and embellished with natural shade trees and ornamental trees and shrubs, with large and well appointed conservatories, in the supervision and culture of which Mr. Closson takes a special pleasure. His home is an ideal one, and in the quiet enjoyment of its treasures Mr. Closson enjoys a well earned respite from business life.
JOHN B. DUMONT.
John B. Dumont is a descendant of Peter Dumont, inember of the eleventh colonial assembly of New Jersey, and one of the first settlers in Somerset county, New Jersey, in which county John B. was born, in 1842. Peter Dumont was the youngest son of Walleram Dumont, a Huguenot who came to America in 1657, as an officer in the corps sent by the Dutch West India Company to Governor Stuyvesant, and he afterward settled at Kingston, New York.
Mr. Dumont became a resident of Plainfield in 1869, before it was incorporated as a city, and has always taken an active interest in its affairs. He is a member of its common council, and has been president of that body at different periods since 1874, covering in all ten years. He has been treasurer of the Plainfield Public Library from the time of its organization, in 1881.
For twenty-five years he has been a member of the vestry of Grace church, Protestant Episcopal, and for twenty-three years a delegate from said church to the convention of the diocese of New Jersey. Mr. Dumont is engaged in business in New York, as a member of its Stock Exchange, in which he has served on the governing committee for ten years.
HALSTED COE COMPTON
is of English extraction. His great-grandfather, James Compton, emigrated to America about the year 1660. James Compton (the 2d) grandfather of Halsted C., was born in New Jersey and reared a family of children, among whom was James (the 3d) father of the subject of
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this sketch. He was born September 4, 1780, and died in July, 1866. His wife, nec Margaret K. Fountain, was born October 20, 1794, and died October 15, 1865. To this union were born four children, viz: James W., who died at the age of seven years; Catherine H., wife of Jeremiah Manning; Sarah A., wife of Abel Manning; and
HALSTED C. COMPTON
Halsted Coe Compton, who was born February 25, 1833, on the old homestead, on a part of which he now resides. The business of farm- ing has been Mr. Compton's chief occupation in life, and he is one of the largest owners of real estate in the city. His fitness for the realities of a business career, which has made his life a successful one, was acquired in the common schools of his native town, and he has
J. FRED MACDONALD
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lived to the present time in the enjoyment of the respect and confidence of all who know him.
In politics Mr. Compton is a stanch Republican, a strong supporter of the church and all its kindred interests. He is a member of the First Baptist church and was one of the trustees at the time the new church was built.
He married Miss Emina Durbrow, daughter of Joseph and Mary Durbrow, of New York. To this union were born the following named children: Mary Durbrow; Sophia Dall, wife of Dr. J. H. Reed, of New York; Alfred Halsted; and Emma Josephine, wife of J. W. Johnson, of Spuyten Duyvil.
J. FRED MAC DONALD.
Among those prominently identified with the growth of Plainfield during these latter years should be mentioned J. Fred MacDonald. Although a young man, Mr. MacDonald has demonstrated, by his business tact and ability, his place among financiers of this part of the state. He is of Scotch descent, and belongs to one of the old families of New Jersey. His grandfather, Thomas MacDonald, resided at Fairview, this state. Here Rudolphus MacDonald was born, on the 24th of April, 1826; and thirty years from that date, to a day, he was inarried to Miss Sarah A. Gardner, daughter of James J. Gardner, of New York. In due time Mr. MacDonald removed to Chicago, in search of a location for business, but subsequently turned his steps eastward, and settled for a time in New York. In October, 1856, he came to Plainfield, where he established, in fact, the first grocery store in this city. James M. Dunn and Ira Pruden each owned and operated a store at that time, but their trade was general, including dry goods as well as groceries, while that of Mr. MacDonald was special. Mr. MacDonald had a keen foresight for business. Had he remained in Chicago iminense wealth would have come to him. As it was, he accumulated a competency before his death, which occurred very unexpectedly, while he was sitting in his easy chair, June 25, 1889. His widow survives him and resides with her only son, the subject of this sketch.
J. Fred MacDonald was born in Plainfield, April 12, 1858, in the house in which he now resides. He received his education in the private and public schools of Plainfield, leaving the high school with the class of 1877. Within the year of his graduation he entered the store of his father in the capacity of clerk. Having mastered the details of the grocery trade, Mr. MacDonald was given an equal partnership in the business in 1880. In 1888 he purchased all interests and has remained sole proprietor since that time. This store is one of the landmarks of the place, and when we take into account the immense trade which has accumulated-in consequence of the popularity of this favored old
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stand-during these past inany years, we forin a better conception of the attitude its proprietor sustains towards the people of this place. Besides the store Mr. MacDonald deals largely in real estate. He is interested in several properties in Bergen county, New Jersey, and also in Plainfield. In addition, he has become the adjuster of a number of large estates for other people. He is one of the executors of the Latimer estate and has constantly in hand large trusts, which bespeaks for him the confidence of his fellow townsinen. He is a director in the City National Bank, and is treasurer of the city and county Republican organization, which last position he has held for many years. As a business man Mr. MacDonald stands among the representative financiers of Plainfield.
Mr. MacDonald was married October 13, 1880, to Miss Maria Rockwell, daugliter of Dr. Jacob Van Deveer, of New York, and grand- daugliter of Dr. William Rockwell, at one time a member of the board of health of the city of New York. Mrs. MacDonald comes from a family of physicians, in both her paternal and maternal lines of descent. Mr. and Mrs. MacDonald are members of the Cresent Avenue Presbyterian church, and they have hosts of friends and are in every way identified with the interests of their city.
CHARLES J. FISK.
Charles Joel Fisk, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, was born in 1858. His father was a native of Vermont, of English extraction, and tracing his ancestry back to 1399. William Fisk, the original American ancestor, settled in Wenhamn, Massachusetts, in 1637, where he and a brother named John were prominent residents.
Mr. Fisk's father was, in 1848, a clerk in a dry-goods store in Trenton, New Jersey. In 1852 he was employed as assistant teller in the Mechanics Bank, of New York city, and, ten years later, in 1862, began business for himself, and soon afterward, as the head of the firmn of Fisk & Hatch, became a noted financier, and was very prominent in Wall street for many years. Fisk & Hatch were very active during the war of the Rebellion as agents for the government, in floating its bonds, thus rendering the greatest aid to the country. The firm continued as Fisk & Hatch until 1885. It was then dissolved, and Mr. Fisk associated his sons with him in business, under the firin name of Harvey Fisk & Sons. The father died in 1889. The present members of the firm are Harvey E., Charles J., Pliny and Alexander G. Fisk, Theodore H. Banks and Herbert W. Denny. This firm is among the largest in New York handling government bonds and general investinent securities.
Mr. Fisk's mother's family, tlie Greens, were of New Jersey, and were prominent in colonial and Revolutionary history. Mr. Fisk's maternal grandfather, A. B. Green, was an active business man, connected
N
lehas think
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with the old Camden & Amboy Railroad, and was member of the legislature two terms during the war. His mother is still living at the old homestead, on the Delaware river, near Trenton, New Jersey.
The subject of this sketch, Mr. Charles J. Fisk, was brought up in New York, and on the old homestead, securing his educational discipline in the schools of the metropolis. He went into his father's office when seventeen years of age, and has been consecutively connected with the business since, and is now one of the best posted men on finances on "the street."
In 1891 Mr. Fisk became a member of the city council of Plain- field, New Jersey, in which capacity he has taken a very public-spirited position. He was one of the leaders in securing the sewer system for the city.
Mr. Fisk has been a delegate to different county conventions, and was alternate to the St. Louis convention which nominated Major McKinley for president. He served as chairman of the campaign committee, and did heroic work for liis party. Mr. Fisk is a leader of inen, is very energetic, and one who labors assiduously for whatever he believes to be right and best. He is a member of the Lawyers Club, the Republican Club, and the Wool Club, all of New York; and of the Union County Country Club, of Plainfield.
Mr. Fisk was married, in 1879, to Miss Lillie R. Richey, of Trenton, New Jersey, daughter of the late Augustus G. Richey, one of the most prominent lawyers of the state. They have five children: Louisa G., Augustus R., Charles W., Harvey and Annie G. The family are members of the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian church, of which church Mr. Fisk is one of the trustees. He is one of the inost popular men in Union county. In recognition of his sterling character and peculiar eligibility, (upon the refusal of Mayor Gilbert to accept renomination) Mr. Fisk was unanimously chosen by his party for the office of mayor of Plainfield, and was elected at the last municipal election.
PHINEAS M. FRENCH.
Phineas M. French was born near Union village, Somerset county, New Jersey, August 10, 1812, and passed his boyhood days on his father's farm. His parents were David French and Margaret (Noe) French, and his grandfathers, David French and Lewis Noe, served in the Revolutionary war, as the record at Trenton shows. His ancestors caine here from Northamptonshire, England, in 1688, and settled in New Jersey, and his great-grandfather, Robert French, was the first white settler west of Rahway road in this state.
On January 25, 1837, Phineas M. French was married to Mary E. Oswald, whose parents were English, and she died January 11, 1861. In 1836 he built the house now standing at 106 Somerset street, North
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Plainfield, New Jersey, at which time there were only seven houses in that place. This was his home for twenty years, after which he built the handsome colonial dwelling which he now occupies with his second wife, who was formerly Sarah J. Lees, of Montclair, New Jersey, and
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PHINEAS M. FRENCH
wliom he married in 1862. When Mr. French first moved to Plainfield the town boasted of one hundred inhabitants. In 1837 he received a contract for building a portion of what is now the Central Railroad of New Jersey, from Elizabeth to Plainfield, the line being then called the Elizabethtown & Somerville Railroad.
HUGH M. ESTIL
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In 1839 Mr. French purchased the Plainfield flour and saw mills, and, after operating them for twelve years, built the present City Mills, on the site formerly occupied by the old buildings. Mr. French was one of the first directors of the first bank in Plainfield, called Beach Bank, the same having been established in 1847, by his friend, Moses Y. Beach, founder of the New York Sun.
A few years later Mr. French assisted in founding the Union County Bank, which took the place of the Beach Bank, and he was a director until it was merged into the present First National Bank. Since that time he has served almost continuously as a member of the board of directors of the latter bank, and is the oldest director. In 1840 lie was elected a trustee of the First Methodist Episcopal church, and has served continuously in that capacity np to the present time, a period of fifty- seven years.
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Mr. French at one time owned the Plainfield Gas Works and the New Brooklyn (now South Plainfield) Mills, and has for many years been a large property-holder. He has been prominently identified with the many improvements made in Plainfield, and is a valued citizen.
The children resulting from his first marriage are as follows: Frances Morrill, Theodore Franklin, Mary Louise, John H., Sarah Margaret, Henrietta, and Louis Mundy; and from his second marriage : Harriett Anna, William Albert, Harrington Robley, Elston Marsh, and David Herbert French.
HUGH MULFORD ESTIL.
Hugh Mulford Estil's paternal ancestors were of French origin. They came to America in the early colonial days and settled, in 1666-7, on the " Monmouth Grant," in Middletown township. Just before the breaking out of the American Revolution descendants of this Daniel Estill, the original founder of this family in New Jersey, moved into Middlesex county. Here they settled down to the duties of agricultural pursuits, and, when call to arms was made, there were representatives of this family who took an active part in the struggle for independence. William Estill served his country as private soldier in the state militia. His son Samuel, grandfather of our subject, was born at the little hamlet of Samptown, near what is now Plainfield, New Jersey, and pursued the vocation of a farmer. Among his children was William Estil, the father of Mr. Hugh M. Estil. He was a hatter by trade, this line of enterprise having been a leading occupation of the first half of this century in this locality. He married Miss Mary Thorn Webster, daughter of Samuel and Martha (Thorn) Webster, also of Plainfield, where they lived for fifty-six years. Mrs. Estil, mother of Hugh, died April 25, 1888 ; his father died March 1, 1892. In their family of nine children only three lived to mature years. The two still living in North Plainfield are
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Hugh M. Estil, the subject of this sketch, and his sister, Mary A., wife of Samuel A. Wallace.
Mr. Estil's maternal ancestors were Scotch Quakers, who were among the pioneer settlers of East Jersey. William Webster was the progenitor of the family in this province, and settled a few iniles east of Plainfield, about 1685. His grandson, Hugh Webster, was always a devout worshiper in the meetings of the Friends' society, and was prominently instrumental in advancing their religious interests. The granddaughter of Hugh Webster was the mother of Mr. Estil, who received his Christian name from him.
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