History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 70

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224

USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 70
USA > New Jersey > Union County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 70

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).

THE ABRAHAM CLARK MONUMENT .- This ceme- tery has a national sanctity in that it contains the mortal remains of Abraham Clark, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Passing into the cemetery through the entrance from St. George's Avenue, about forty yards from the gate, then thirty feet to the left, there is an upright brown sandstoue, with the following inscription :

" A. C. In memory of ABRAHAM CLANK, EsQ. who died Sept. 15th, 1794. In the 69 year of his age. Firm and decided ae a patriot, zealons and faithful as a servant of the public; he loved his country and adhered to her in the darkest hour of her struggles againet oppression."

In a southwesterly direction from the grave desig- nated by this memorial stone, where the remains of Abraham Clark still repose, is the monument erected to his memory by the citizens of Rahway in 1848. It is a plain obelisk twenty-two feet high. The shaft on its east side near the top, encircled with a wreath of olive and oak, bears the simple word "Clark." Commencing with the east face of the

284

HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

base supporting the shaft, thence passing around to the north, we have the following inscriptions :

" ABRAHAM CLARK, born

at RahwRy 15th Fel, 1726. died 15th Sept. 1794.

In private life a Christian, exemplary, consistent, zealous.

In public life

a Statesman and patriot. In 1775 a member of the First Provincial Congress. In 1776 one of the Committee of Public Safety. A delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Erected

by the citizens of Rahway, 4th July, 1848."

The dedication of this monument to its memorial purpose on July 4, 1848, was characterized by a spon- taneous outpouring of the people of Rahway and neighboring towns. Social, beneficiary, and military organizations of Rahway, New Brunswick, Elizabeth, and Newark with bands of music made a stirring and animated scene for Rahway as they marched under the direction of the officers of the day from the depot to the First Presbyterian Church, where the formal exercises were held. The capacity of the church was too limited for this occasion. When the audience- room was filled the services were formally commenced by Rev. J. J. Janeway, D.D., of New Brunswick, pro- nouncing the invocation. Rev. Mr. Ayres, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, read the Declaration of Independence. Hon. William B. Reed, of Philadel. phia, was the orator of the day. This discourse is spoken of as possessing rare beauty and pertinence, clothed in a style of singular purity and strength. The leading thought of the orator was "The contrast between European revolutions and the American Rev- olution." Speaking particularly of Abraham Clark, he in substance said,-

" The peculiarity of his career-and it is one well worthy of medita- tion-is that he was a member of the old Congress from first to last, from the dny that it asserted a substantive existence as the representa- tive of an independent nation till it relinquished its trust on the forDia- tion of the Federal Constitution. Of the fifty-one members of the Con- gress of 1776 he alone survived in office in 1783, and rarely, so far as can be ascertained from the printed journal, was he absent from his post." 1

At the close of the oration the benediction was pro- nounced by the Rev. Lewis Bond, of Plainfield, when the procession was reformed and proceeded to the cemetery, where the dedicatory address was made by the Rev. Charles K. Imbrie. The words of dedica- tion and the inspiration of the day were pointedly and beautifully expressed in the following words :

"In the name of the citizens of the republic, in your name, who have erected this structure (the citizens of this township), I dedicate this monument to the Diemory of Abraham Clark. I need not identify him. The signatures of the enduring record stand alone eugraved in one consecrated tablet in the heart of every American freedman. Let that simple name, encircled by its wreath of olive and oak, designats the man, record his virtues, and proclaim the glory of the monument which is consecrated to his memory."

" Let this monument inspire you and your children with patriotism. Let it fire our hearts with a warmer devotion to our country and of gratitude to our God."

Among the quaint and admonitory inscriptions found upon some of the memorial stones we have the following specimen :

" MR. JOHN LAWRENCE, " Who November 6th, first drew his breath, And October 16th, 1766, yielded to death. From London truly famed I came; Was born in Stains, a place near by ;

In Rahway at old age did die,

And here entombed in earth must lie Till Christ ye dead calls from on high."

HAZELWOOD CEMETERY is situated just west of the limits of the city of Rahway, partly in Union and partly in Middlesex County. It comprises an area of about forty acres, very tastefully laid out by the orig- inal designer, William Saunders.

The Hazelwood Cemetery Association was incor- porated in 1859, under the general aet for the incor- poration of rural cemeteries, Thomas H. Shafer, Jon- athan Woodruff, Dr. S. Abernethy, Eden Haydock, A. C. Watson, A. E. Brown, Dr. Lewis Drake, Jacob R. Shotwell, George W. Hall, A. Stoats Bonney, and others being the incorporators. The articles of asso- ciation were filed Oct. 1, 1859, and upon the organi- zation of the association the following officers were chosen : Dr. L. Drake, president ; Joseph T. Crowell, vice-president ; Joel Wilson, secretary and treasurer ; Dr. L. Drake, Thomas H. Shafer, John H. Lufberry, George Hartshorne, Joseph Gatchell, Joseph S. Smith, Joseph T. Crowel, H. H. Bowne, J. R. Shot- well, A. C. Watson, George W. Savage, Isaac Osborn, trustees ; Patrick Clark, surveyor ; William Kneilley, superintendent.

Dr. Drake still holds the office of president (1882). Joseph T. Crowell remained vice-president until 1880, when he was succeeded by Hon. Benjamin A. Vail. Mr. Woodruff, who was first elected secretary and treasurer, resigned at the next meeting, and his place was filled by George F. Webb, who served until 1861. Since then the secretaries and treasurers have been as follows : Joel Wilson, elected Dec. 30, 1860, and served from 1861 to 1875; John Bowne, elected Nov. 30, 1875, and served till Nov. 28, 1876, when the present secretary and treasurer, Ross Vanderhoven, was elected. The present surveyor is Patrick Clark. Ky- ren Tierney, superintendent.

The first interment was made in Hazelwood Ceme- tery Jan. 18, 1860. Up to Oct. 31, 1881, the number of burials had been eleven hundred and fifteen. The grounds contain some very fine and costly monuments, several of which have been erected quite recently.

1 Newark Daily Advertiser, July 6, 1848.

285

CITY OF RAHWAY.

We append the following summary of facts regard- ing the purchase of lots, condensed from the act of incorporation :

That purchasers of lots acquire not merely the privi- lege of burial, but also the fee simple of the ground which they purchase ;

That they are the sole proprietors of the cemetery ; That by their vote in the election of trustees they control the government of the institution ;

That, as all the receipts of the institution must be expended in the purchase, improvement, and preser- vation of the grounds, no speculative interest can con- flict with the wishes of lot-owners respecting its man- agement ;

That, as all the resources will be thus appropriated, either immediately or in the ultimate formation of a fund, the interest of which shall be annually appro- priated as required, ample provision is made for the perpetual embellishment and preservation of the grounds ;

That, as the ground is exempt from public taxes and from liability for debt, and is sold in lots which are not subject to assessment or annual charge, the proprietors can never be forcibly deprived of their ground.

Purchasers may choose from all unselected ground not reserved for public monuments or other special nses. Mounds and hills, and places requiring peculiar improvements, will be sold, however, only in the forms and dimensions suggested by the agents of the insti- tution.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

JOHN R. AYERS.

His grandfather, David Ayers, with two brothers, | master of his trade upon reaching his majority, he emigrated from Scotland about the middle of the eighteenth century, and settled at Scotch Plains, now Union County, N. J. All three served in the Revo- lutionary war. One of the three subsequently settled at Metuchen, but David went over the mountain and settled at Liberty Corners, Somerset Co., where he followed farming the rest of his life. He became in- fluential in that county, was elected judge of the Conrt of Common Pleas, and was on his way to court when, at about the age of eighty-five, in 1815, he was accidentally killed by the upsetting of his carriage.

William, son of Judge David Ayers, was a farmer during his active business life at Basking Ridge, in the same county, and there died in 1864, aged eighty- seven. His wife was Elsey Burgey, who died in 1857, aged eighty, and who bore him the following children who grew to maturity: Catherine, wife of Pierson Collyer ; Eliza, died at eighteen years of age; John R., subject of this sketch; Thomas was a master- mason, and lived and died in Rahway ; David lived and died in Newark, where he kept a hotel; Samuel

is an artesian well-driver and resides in Newark; and Abner Pierson, a carpenter and builder, resides in Rahway.

John R. Ayers started a business life at the age of seventeen as an apprentice under Moses Dodd, of Newark, to learn the carpenter's trade. Becoming

John De Ayers

came to Rahway, and superintended for his first con- tract the building of the First Presbyterian Church edifice of that place, which he completed in 1832, and which subsequently he rebuilt, donating his time to the church. In 1833 he formed a partnership with Samuel Williams as contractors and builders, which continued for thirteen years, when the firm bought out the interest of Joseph O. Lufbery in the saw- mill and Inmber business established by him in 1827, and formed a partnership with his brother, John H. Lufbery, in the same business, under the firm-name of Ayers, Williams & Lufbery. Mr. Ayers has been connected with this interest since, and the firm for several years has been Ayers & Lufbery.

Mr. Ayers began to take quite an active part in politics during the election of Andrew Jackson for President, and for him cast his first vote. In the fall of 1857 Mr. Ayers was elected to the State Senate from Union County, being the first State senator from the county after its erection, and served for the years 1858, 1859, and 1860.

286

HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

During his public life he was an intimate friend of ex-Governor Haines, Judge Campbell, and other in- fluential men of the State, and as a member of the committee on corporations reported the bill favoring the construction of the New Jersey Railroad from Elizabeth across Newark Bay to Communipaw.

His wife, Eveline, who died April 15, 1879, was a daughter of Isaac Stansbury, Esq., who for many years was a justice of the peace in Rahway. His children are William, Isaac, John, Albert (inventor of a patent sash-holder), and Ira.

WILLIAM H. FLATT.

James Flatt, the grandfather of William H. Flatt, emigrated from Scotland in his youth, and was known as "Captain" Flatt, because of his occupation, which he followed for many years. He was proprietor of a line of vessels plying on the Raritan River between New Brunswick and New York.

After the introduction of vessels propelled by steam, Capt. Flatt retired from the transportation business, bought farming lands at Metuchen, N. J., and tilled the same during the remainder of his life. He was a man of commanding presence and sterling integrity.

Phineas, son of Capt. Flatt, married a Miss Mundy, of Metuchen. Phineas was a wheelwright by trade, lived in Rahway many years, and died at Westfield, N. J., in 1879. His first wife died, leaving a family of six children, all of whom died young except Wil- liam H. Flatt, the subject of this sketch, who was born at New Durham, N. J., Aug. 25, 1822. He had but limited opportunities for obtaining an education, but he improved the time allowed him during his residence with his grandfather at Metuchen, and was also able to attend school for a while in Rahway. The school-house which he attended was on the ground where he afterwards erected a large carriage manufac- tory. Thus early in his youth, with a fair common- school education, he commenced the conflict of life. He had nothing but his own willing hands and reso- lute heart in which to trust, but, like many other American boys, he determined to dare and to do.

In the carriage-factory of Milan Ross, of Rahway, he learned the trade of body-making, and continued with Mr. Ross until he was able to make and sell carriage-bodies on his own account.

In 1846, Mr. Flatt established a factory for making carriages, which proved successful, and resulted in his erecting the large building now occupied by Taylor & Bloodgood in 1882, and also the large and commo- dious brick buildings now (1882) used by D. B. Dun- ham. These two buildings, the first used as a factory and the second as a repository, enabled Mr. Flatt to do an extensive business, and he ranked among the largest carriage manufacturers in the State. By the establishment of repositories in the South and in New York City his name became generally known through- out the Southern States. He employed about three

hundred workmen during many years and up to the breaking out of the war with the South, when, like all other Southern dealers, he lost heavily, and his business was naturally reduced. In 1870 he leased

his factory to Miller Bros., and his repository to D. B. Dunham, but during this time he had erected several buildings, among them the large brick structure on the corner of Irving and Cherry Streets.

Mr. Flatt contributed liberally to the public im- provements of Rahway, and was always ready to help those who were trying to do for themselves. Although of a retiring disposition, he was esteemed and be- loved. He was noted for maintaining an honest, sterling, Christian character, and from early manhood was a consistent member of the church; and at the time of his decease, Oct. 11, 1878, he was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Rahway.

Mr. Flatt married, Oct. 14, 1846, Caroline, daughter of Vincent and Thomazine (Lancefield) Keeler, of Canterbury, County Kent, England, whose parents came to America with a family of eight children, and settled in Woodbridge, N. J.

Mr. and Mrs. Flatt had four children, three daugh- ters and one son.

HON. JOSEPH W. SAVAGE.

The Savage family has an illustrious ancestry on both the paternal and maternal side. The following is copied from Burke's Peerage, viz. :

J.M. Savages

287

CITY OF RAHWAY.

"The family of Savage is very ancient. Sir John Savage was engaged (with Edward 1., king of England) at the memorable siege of Carlaver- ock, in Scotland, and there for his signal service was, with his brother Thomas, created knight baronet.

"Sir John Savage (ancestor of the Earl of Rivers) commanded the left wing of the Earl of Richmond's army at Bosworth Field, and was afterwards made Knight of the Garter by Heury VII., king of England.

"Thomas Savage, one of the descendants, went, in the year 1635 A.D. (with Sir Henry Vane and several persons of rank and family), to New England, where he became Speaker of the Ilouse of Representatives, representing Boston for eight years, being major of artillery, and in the earlier part of Philip's war was commander-in-chief of the forces."

Samuel Phillips Savage, one of his sons, was a na- tive of Boston, presided at the meeting held in Boston, 1773, which decided that the tea should not be landed; he held various public offices, and was judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and died at a good old age about 1790.

Maj. Joseph Savage, of the Revolutionary army, was one of his sons, while Samuel A. Savage, father of the subject of this sketch, was a son of Maj. Savage.

"The Savages of Cheshire, in England, are men- tioned by Wingfield Yorks Herald among the few distinguished houses that are by prescription right entitled to use supporters to their coat of arms. The supporters of this family are a falcon billed and a unicorn arg, as they now appear on the monument of Sir John Savage, of Rock Savage, in the same chapel, at the side of the old church at Macclesfield, County Chester. This Sir John Savage was grand- father of Thomas Lord Visconnt Savage, and great- great-grandfather of John Savage, first Earl of Rivers.

"The Savage chapel at Macclesfield was erected by Thomas Savage, Bishop of Rochester in 1492, Bishop of London in 1497, and Archbishop of York in 1501, brother of John Savage, K.G., and nephew of Thomas Stanley, first Earl of Derby, and it was for many years the burial-place of the Savage family."-2d vol. Burke's Landed Gentry, Corrigenda, page 424.

His grandfather, Maj. Joseph Savage, resided in Berwick, Me., was an officer in the heavy artillery during the Revolutionary war, was stationed for a while at West Point, thence ordered to Savannah, Ga., to build a block fort, and commanded one portion of the heavy artillery at the battle of Yorktown. He was a man of fine physique, commanding appearance, and well fitted for an officer in the army, and an in- timate friend of Gen. Washington. His sons were all seafaring men and commanded their vessels. Sam- uel A. Savage, father of our subject, born at West Point, Oct. 29, 1789, was a merchant at Highland Falls, near West Point, and in New York City during most of his active business life, and died in 1830. His mother, Latitia, daughter of Philip Webber, of New York, whose ancestors were among its original Dutch settlers from Amsterdam. Wolford Webber, born in Holland in 1604, came to New York in 1649. She was born Feb. 11, 1787, and died in March, 1879. Their children are Joseph W., subject of this sketch ; Susan Maria, now Mrs. Freeman, of Rahway, N. J .;

and George W., a resident of Rahway, who was pres- ident for some time of the Board of Fire Underwri- ters of New York, president of the International In- surance Company of New York, and one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas for Union County, N. J.

Joseph W. Savage was born in the city of New York, Aug. 5, 1812, and received a good English and classical education in the best private schools of the city. Naturally active and energetic, before reach- ing his majority he was a clerk for a ship-broker in Wall Street, and also a clerk in different dry-goods houses there. He had early in life taken an active part in local public matters, and while yet under age was a candidate on a general ticket for the Assembly, and defeated by only twelve votes. In 1833 he ob- tained from the State Legislature a charter for the National Fire Insurance Company, and for several years served as secretary and subsequently as its presi- dent. While connected with this company he was the first man to send out agents to establish branch offices and examine into the risks taken by the dif- ferent agencies.

He was also president of the Eagle Life and Health Insurance Company of New Jersey for several years. Mr. Savage was elected one of the alms com- missioners of New York about 1853, and in 1854 he was elected from the Twelfth Ward, on the Whig ticket, to the State Legislature, where his opposition to the use of the public school moneys for sectarian schools was felt by the advocates of that measure, and when, upon his own resolution, " Resolved, That our representatives in Congress be requested to vote for the purchase of Mount Vernon," he made the fol- lowing speech in the House, that gave the influence of the New York Legislature to that measure before Congress :

" Mr. Savage, of New York, called up his resolution and said, He earnestly hoped that this resolution would be adopted by the House without a diseenting voice. The subject is one of deep interest to every man who first drew his breath on American soil. Sir, it was beautifully said of Washington that 'God made him childless that the nation might call him father.' Mount Vernon was his home, it is now his grave. How fitting Then it is that we his children should be the owners of the homestead, and of our father's sepulchre. No stranger's money should Imy it, and no struoger's hand should drive the plowehare over ashes sacred to every American. No mere individual is worthy to be the owner of a sput enriched with anch hallowed memories. The mortal remains of the nation's idol should not be subject to the whim, caprice, or cupidity of any oman. These oremorials are national and to the nation they should belong, and it is the duty of every citizen to guard theor from violence and dishonor. Sir, no monument has ever been erected over the grave of Washington. He needs none but that which rises in majestic grandeur before the gaze of the world in the existence of this great republic, with its millions of people rejoicing in the light and liberty of a free government. While the stars and stripes, waving nhuve every capital, shall symbolize our National Union, will any ask where is the monument to Washington? I believe, sir, that liis name will prove more lasting than marble or brass. When every struc- ture which filial love and gratitude may erect shall have crumbled to dust, the fame of our patriot father will still remain the theme of study and admiration.

" There has been but one Washington, and God in His goodness gave Juni to us. Let us cherish his dust and rovere his memory. Let us together own his venerated mansion and tomb. Let the youth of our

288

HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

nation make pilgrimages to the sacred sput and slake the thirst of un- hallowed anilitioo at the well where Washington was wont to draw, and when patriotism declines let the vestals of liberty rekindle the flame at the fireside of the nation's sire Thus, sir, omay we do much to keep alive through successive generations that patriotic fire which burne in the heart of every true American. Sir, no man cau read the life of Washington without rising np from the task a better man; nor can a freetnan step within the sacred precincta of Mount Vernon and not feel the power of those associations which environ him. The troubled sen of passion in his soulsuhsides, and he seems to hear a voice whispering to his spirit, ' Peace, he still, for Washington lies here.' Who could visit the ların of Washington and not experience a new thrill of patriotism, or who, without a new incentive to love his country, could ramble through that garden, stand in the hall where heroes of the Revolution were welcomed and refreshed, sit down in the library where Washington studied and meditated, and behold the chamber in which be slept and died ?

"Sir, I am no prophet. But when from such sacred memories as these I turn to view the opposite picture the veil of futurity seems to be lifted. I will suppose that this opportunity is unimproved. That cherished inheritance which with characteristic patriotism the family of Washington now offer to their country is forfeited tu parsimony. That family pass away and with it the last hope of securing this pecu- liar treasure. The heritage enshrined in the hearts of millions is the subject of speculation. Manimon, the earth-ruling demon, flaps his dark wings over the consecrated >pot, and dooms it to his most accursed uses. It becomes the resort of the idle, a den of gamblers and inebri- ates. But, sir, I forbear; I can pursue this picture no further. If such desecration is to befall the home and the grave of Washington, then let the curtain fall which hides the future from my view ; that day of shame I pray not to see.

" It needs no prophet's eye to scan along the line of time the majestic outline of our nation's destiny, when the fruits of our free government shall he more and more developed until this vast continent shall be peopled with freedom from sea to sea, when the fame of the nation shall reach the farthest islands and shores, when our star of empire, ra- diant with the beans of liberty. shall have grown to such magnitude as to attract the eyes and guide the steps of all nations, and when some Queen of Sheba shall come over seas and continents to behold our greatness and see the happy results of the wisdom of Washington, then, sir, will Mount Vernon be sought, and thousands now uoborn will wish to klas the earth which cradled and which nuw covers the Father of his Country. How will we appear in that millenial day of our nation's destiny, when, if it shall be truly recorded, that the most sacred spot which God committed to our custoily was thrown away a sacrifice to parsimony, or some fashionable fine-sjmun theories with which true patriotism has uo fellowship? Will not every American blush with shame, and wish that he could cover from the gaze of nations su dark a blot on the page of our history ?

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 70

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts Number of Pages: 1224

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224