History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 89

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 89
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 89

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).

Ziba H. Sickly, Tunison & Terry, general merchan- dise.

Ziba H. Sickly, coal- and lumber-yard.

N. P. Marsh, oysters, confectionery, and ice cream.

Asa H. Woodruff, postmaster.

Denman & Sons, carpenters.

Theodore Reeves, carpenter and builder.

J. Edgar Meeker, Henry Bidwell, paper-mills.

James Farrow, Hugh Morrison, wheelwright- and blacksmith-shops.

William Ford, fancy store.

Nicholas Jobs, M.D.

John L. Currie, George Mulford, justices of peace. Samuel C. Smith, undertaker.

Rev. Henry W. Teller, pastor Presbyterian Church. Rev. Samuel P. Lacey, pastor Methodist Episcopal Church.

This beautiful historic village is situated in a level plain, having parts of the Orange range and parts of First Mountain in full view. It is one mile from Mil- ham depot, in Essex County, on the Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad, and about six miles from Eliz- abeth and seven from Newark, a branch of the Rah- way River passing through the centre of the village.

POSTMASTERS .- There were no facilities for for- warding communications from this village until some time in the year 1810, and prior to this by stages which passed through once or twice a week to Newark or Elizabethtown. Occasionally a post- boy was sent with a dispatch of some importance, and then he would collect all that was left in the store to be forwarded, and many very tender mes- sages by word of mouth were said to him to be com-

municated to the interested one as he passed her domicile on the turnpike, and for one shilling it is said he would go sometimes a little ont of his way to deliver it.

The first regular appointed postmaster was the late Caleb Woodruff, who held it for a number of years. Abner Stites, the store-keeper, was appointed about 1837; Aaron H. Burnett, Ziha H. Sickly, and the present postmaster, Asa N. Woodruff, who has held the position for some seventeen years.

"ONE CENT REWARD.

" MERELY TO ANSWER THE LAW.

" RAN away from The subscriber on the 13th January 1828 last an ap- prentice to the shoemaking Uneiness named Alexander Brown. Had on when he went eway blue coat and pantaloone etripped Marseilles veat and fur Hat, all in good condition. Ha is about 17 years old and about five feet and a half high uncommonly round shouldered pretty thick lips face considerably freckled very light and straight hair, goes with bis haad hanging down, a mark in his forehrad nearly over the right aye, received from an oyster rake on a Sunday frolic. Said boy ie very talkative but scarcely apexka the truth &c is as lazy as he ia deceitful. All persons are forbid harbouring said boy, or of employing him, if ha ahould overcome his lasiness sufficiently to apply anywhere for work.

" The Above reward but no charges will be given to any one who will return him to the subscriber.

" JOHN SMYTHE."

The above advertisement was printed upon a hand- bill and tacked in the stores throughout Essex County, and also published once according to a law passed, and the above heading reads, " Merely to answer the Law."

Schools .- As far as present recollection goes the first school-house was built of logs, and the only one prior to 1778 in this township, then being the north- westerly parts of Elizabeth Town borough. Here the first teacher taught, and it is more than probable that the pastor of the church took an interest in the school, as the children were once or twice a week brought before him for examination and were se- verely catechised. One of the first lesson-books used here was a reprint of the New England Primer. It contained illustrations, and also the Shorter Cate- chism. Our Puritan fathers brought this catechism with them across the ocean and laid it on the same shelf with the family Bible. They taught it dili- gently to their children every Sabbath. And while a few of their descendants now in the evening of life remember every question and answer, many not yet advanced to life's meridian can never forget when every Saturday forenoon they had to take a regular catechising in the common school, commencing with a, b, c, oaken-bench class, " What is the chief end of Man ?" 1

This small primer was used until the necessity arose for a more elaborate selection, and in the year 1802 " The American Preceptor," " Daboll's School- master's Assistant," including the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and Washington's Farewell Address, 17th of September, 1796, were introduced as text-books.

1 From ira Webster's account, 1843.

367

SPRINGFIELD.

The following is found in the records :

"In parsnanca of a Notification givan at the Meeting-House tha 27th of July, 1800, a meating of a number of tha Inhabitants of Springfield was held on Monday the 28th at the old School-House, wheo Abraham Woolley, Esquire, being chosen moderatorand William Steale clark a vote was taken whether the lot of Ground and materiala of said honaa should be diaposed of, which passad in the affirmation without a diasentiug voica."

The premises were accordingly exposed to public sale by Elijah Woodruff, auctioneer. The building was sold for forty-two dollars, and the lot to Elijah Woodruff for forty-six dollars, and a committee was appointed to purchase a new lot, and also to build a school-house, employ teachers, and discharge them at their discretion. Abram Woolley, Esq., Matthias Denman, Grover Coe, Daniel Sutfin, and William Steele were appointed said committee, and at their next meeting, Sept. 80, 1800 :

"They decided lo build a School-Houaa 2 atorys High, 20 ft. Poat, 20 wida, and 40 ft. long to contain 4 windows of 15 pains 8 by 10 each side and in the Lower atory 5 do on each eide and two windows in one end and 4 in the other. So wa perciva that they had decided to build belore they had aacurad a lot, as Rev. Mr. Van Arsdala had a Lot for £50 which ha was to give anawer to-morrow."

At their next meeting they decided to divide the " Academy" into one hundred and seventy-five shares of eight dollars each, and at their next meeting, which took place Dec. 14, 1802, Messrs. William Steele, Halsted Coe, and Grover Coe were appointed to draft a constitution, and at their next meeting, December 27th, a board of trustees was elected, con- sisting of William Steel, Samuel Tyler, Esqs., Hal- sted Coe, Gershom Williams, and Uzal Wade, " who constituted the number by ballot." The constitution was adopted, and the institution took the name of " The Springfield Union Academy." It is further stated in the records that the " Academy lately erected upon such a footing as will afford the easy and regu- lar means of Educatin to the youth in this vicinity, and add respectability of the Place."

The first mention made of a teacher in the old record book is as follows :

" SPAINOFIELD, March 4th, 1805,-Tha trustees of Springfield Union Academy met at the house of Rev. C. Williama in order to have soDia conversation with Mr. Joseph Stewart, who offers hia surficies as a tutor jo the lower Room. The truetees having satisfied themselvra xa to hia capacity to teach hava agreed to employ him. The number of Schoolars shall be 40, Do more, and the price of tuition shall ba twelve shillings for those who read and write only, and fourtean ahillings for cy pheriug and english Grammer."

not use it," and again it mentions, 9th of April, 1821, "that Mrs. H. Leary [in the other resolution Mrs. Leary is mentioned] have the use of the Globe on Mon- days and Tuesdays of each and every week." In 1825, Mr. Daniel Colie declines being a teacher in the academy, " of course leaving the school vacant," and Mr. Sylvester Cook is invited to take charge as teacher. Mr. Bowdis was named and appointed teacher March 12, 1827. Mr. Boughten and Mrs. Addington, Nov. 11, 1829, are teachers, and on Jan. 20, 1830, a Miss Alroy is appointed teacher " if she can get 20 schollars, and to come as soon as practicable," and March 13th, same year, Mr. Boughton resigns, and it is voted that Mr. John Lyon be employed as a teacher until the next annual meeting of stockholders. April 17th, Mr. Samuel H. Page is selected from several persons as being competent to teach. Mrs. Alroy (or Alyoid) gave up the school Jan. 19, 1831, having taught one year. April 24, 1834, Mr. Samnel E. Rice is named, " they being satisfied of his heing competent," and a Miss Bonnell is also mentioned.

Oct. 8, 1834, they resolved to advertise for an extra teacher for the winter months in the Newark paper,- " A good schoolmaster wanted." It seems by this a Mr. Volney Ross presented himself and was examined and appointed, and to open school on Monday next, which he concluded so to do. Mr. Samuel E. Rice then relinquished the school. He married a daughter of Col. John Wade, and in 1838 moved to Baltimore.

Mr. William Willis, April 13, 1835, rendered his bills for the last two years for repairs done the acad- emy, amounting to five pounds thirteen shillings and three pence (£5 138. 3d.).

Mr. Denny has been assistant with Mr. Rice, and has declined April 28, 1835, and they again advertise for a teacher. Many of the bills were made out up to this time in English currency, viz. :

d. 6

To hanging a door.

Repairing a lock.

34 day repairing windowa

Paid postage for letters.

From Rev. Mr. Hart

I 19 10

£2 16 3

Oct. 6, 1835, Mr. John Scheller is appointed for the lower school, and on the 9th October a special meeting to employ a "Maddam"; but Mr. Lathrop was ap- pointed, and again they met, as Mr. Scheller had resigned, and Mr. Frederick Merrill agreed to open school April, 1836, at fourteen shillings per " scoller." Saturday evening, April 16, 1836, the " Revd. John C. Hart made application to have a select Maddam School for young ladies" taught in the upper room of the academy, and the trustees agreed to employ Mrs. Hart to take charge of said school. Aug. 24, 1837, Mr. Allen was made teacher in lower room, and again Dec. 6, 1837, Mr. A. N. Merriam was agreed upon by the trustees as teacher. Oct. 7, 1840, Mr. Dayton Kellogg came and was allowed to take the school on his own responsibility, collect his own bills,

In the year 1808, Miss Beach is mentioned as a " tutoress," and again in 1811. At a meeting, 10th day of December, 1813, the teacher, Mr. Tallman, was dismissed, and mention is made, 13th of April, 1814, of the continuation of Mr. Isaac Ross, and that a " Madam school be in the upper part of the Acad- emy." Mr. Condit is mentioned in 1820 as having been taken sick at Orange, and desiring the trustees to " delay the school for a week or two." In the year 1821, at a meeting in the spring, the stockholders agreed to let a "Mrs. Leary have the use of the Globe for her private school when the Academy did | and charge two dollars per term for each scholar.

368

HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

Prior to this Mr. William R. Perrine was teacher, but the record has no account, only mentioning their indebtedness to him of ten dollars at the time of Mr. Perrine's appointment, and for the first time the com- mon school fund is mentioned this year. " They agreed to apply $45 of the public school fund Money," and Jonas Wade and S. C. Smith were appointed a committee to see that the same was carried out. Mr. Thomas Smith was teacher about this time, or probably a year or so earlier, but no date is given. Also Mr. William D. Shipman was appointed in the year 1841, but taught for a few months. He married while here one of the granddaughters of Capt. John Wade, and now is the judge of the Southern District of New York. After he left, Mr. Wing and Thomas Smith taught. In the year 1852, Mr. H. N. Conger was appointed teacher, but remained for a short time and went to Newark, and edited a newspaper called the Newark Courier, and was afterwards Secretary of State during Governor Olden's term, and afterwards minister to China.

In the month of November, 1856 (no date given), Union Academy was burned.

Sept. 6, 1858, the board of trustees elect of the Springfield Union Academy on motion adopted a seal for the corporation, and the eagle side of the American quarter-dollar was concluded upon as the said seal.

Elijah L. Bunnell, Oliver Wade, Uzal N. Wade, Abner Stites, Daniel R. Smith, trustees of the Union Academy, Springfield, N. J.

We have followed the record up to the year 1858, and here it closes, making mention of the securing of a lot and a resolution to commence to build a new building larger than the old one, and part of it to be used for the town hall, where all public meetings should be held in the future.

The present New Union Academy was built and finished in the fall of the year 1857. At this time Mr. J. F. Holt was the principal, and remained until Mr. Alford came in 1858; Alfred Hand, 1860; and at this time a public school was established in the basement of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Benjamin Kelly had charge for a short time, when this school was given up, and Daniel Baker came and acted as principal. In 1862 he left, studied for the bar, and died a short time after. A lady by name of Ripley in 1863 for a short time kept a select school. In the year 1867, Mr. Chauncey Rip- ley was made principal of Springfield Union Acad- emy, and remained one year, when his brother, John Ripley, came in 1868; Stephen M. Blazier, 1869-73 ; Theodore D. Sickly, 1873-75; Frederick D. Currie, 1875-77; E. T. Dunham, 1877-79; and Josiah G. " For years the chief value of this Innd waa in the forests that covered it, which ruabled the church to add to their other inducementa lo seek- ing H pastor an abundance of firewood. Brown, 1879-81. Union Academy School District, No. 22, George Mulford, district clerk ; children, 205; " Whatever became of the first log honse of worship I have not been able to learn. There is no record of it save the single fact, stated in an old manuscript, that it was built. It might have been destroyed, or very likely it was abandoned as soon as they were able to put up an- and at the Union School-house, District No. 21, being on the line of Springfield and Westfield townships, A. M. Parkhurst, district clerk, there are enrolled | other. We know very well the Puritan principles of our forefathers

eighty-two children. (For list of teachers of Dis- trict No. 21, see Westfield township.)

Before closing the account of these schools we would just remark that in the records that have been preserved we have noticed the manner and also the handwriting in which they were registered from the first record, some looking like copper-plate engraving ; every line, every stroke of the quill is perfect (they did not use steel pens then), and as we follow the record we do not find so good penmanship as the first years ; but they are kept as a history of the past, and have so been looked upon for the last one hundred years.

The oldest deed of school property in this town- ship is as follows : " Abraham Woolley and wife and others, William Steele and others, trustees of the Union Academy, Springfield." Book F. 6 of Deeds, p. 168, etc., Newark, N. J., deed dated 25th April, 1803, recorded 6th March, 1845.

Presbyterian Church, No. 1 .- The following ac- count of this historical church is from a sermon preached by the Rev. Henry W. Teller, pastor, on Sunday, July 16, 1876 :

" It was in those early days that the people in all these regions round about Elizabethtown, having but the one church to worship in, used to walk to it from Rahway, Westfield, Springfield, and Connecticut Farms. Whether they were in the habit of going to and fro to both services, or of attending as regularly on rainy Sundays as clear ones, we have no means at this late day of determining. The church in Springfield (which is the only child of the Connectiont Farms Church, and one of the grandchildren of the First Church of Elizabeth) was organized twenty-nine years after the first settlement here. It belonged origin- ally to the Presbytery of New York. A house of worship was inime- diately built, and was situated about half-way between the present par- sonage and the Wilburn depot. It was very near if not on exactly the same spot where Mr. John Meeker's store is now standing. There was also a graveyard there. Tradition says the church was built of logs. It was completed, and the first pastor, Rev. Timothy Symins, was installed in 1746, just one hundred and thirty years ago. Mr. Symms had charge of this church in connection with the one at New Providence. . ..

" Mr. Symms was pastor of the church for four years until 1750, after which there was a vacancy for thirteen years. While he was pastor and the first church was still standing there was given to the congregation a tract of land consisting of one hundred acres in the following way and upon the following conditions. I quote from the original deed as it was given by James Alexander. The deed bears date March 29, 1751, and reads as follows: ' And as to the other one hundred acres of the prem- ises' (one hundred acres were first deeded to Rev. Timothy Symms as bis own private property), 'the same is to be to the sole and only proper use, benefit, and behuof of the said Timothy Syms and l'eter Dickinson, their heirs and assigns, rendering therefor yearly one pint of spring water when demanded on the premises. Provided always and it is hereby declared that the last hundred acres is to be held by the said Timothy Syms and Peter Dickinson, and the survivors of them and their heirs, in trust, to be a glebe for the use of the minister of the said parish of Springfield-for the time being-forever, and never to be sold or dis- posed of to any other use, But the said trustees and their assigos shull and may from time to time at the request of the minister and the ves- try of the aaid church of Springfiell-for the time being-grant and convoy the same to such other trustees as they shall from time to time name for the use and purpose aforesaid and no others.'

369

SPRINGFIELD.

would not suffer them to worship very long in a temple of logs while they dwelt in their ceiled houses.

"The second meeting-house was built in 1761, fifteen years after the firat, upou the spot where the present one is standing, and stood here for nineteen years.

"Ia 1763, Rev. Mr. Ker was installed, and was here two years, when there was a vacancy of nine years. There is no account of any of the events transpiring in all that time except that the first parsonage was raised Aug. 22, 1764. When the record is again resumed it is at a period Immediately preceding the Revolution, for this second church was the centre of Revolutionary interest for the towa of Springfield.

"In November, 1778, it was so taken up with public stores that the congregation abandoned it for the time being aad fitted up the garret of the old personage as a temporary place of worship. Thus was the build- Ing itself dedicated to the country's service in the name of the God of battles. How smell and mean the spirit of revenge that afterwards burned it to the ground, and yet a spirit worthy the tyranny that en- ployed mercenary troops and savages to carry on an unholy war.

"On Oct. 12, 1773, a call was given Rev. John Close. He was offered two hundred and fifty dollars, besides the parsonage and firewood, but for some reason kept secret from the ages the offer was not accepted. Perhaps he was a young mao and modest and the offer seemed too great. During this year Rev. Mr. Caldwell-who was called the 'high priest of the Revolution,' whose wife was shot at Connecticut Farms shortly before the battle of Springfield, and who was himself murdered the year following at the Elizabethtown Ferry-preached several times to this congregation.

"Oa Oct. 10, 1774, Rev. Jacob Vu Artsdalen,1 whose remains are rest- Ing in our cemetery, came before the people and * preached a lecture,' as the record has it, which was so well received that it secured him & call at once. He came in December of the same year upon a salary of two hundred and fifty dollars, together with the use of the parsonage and the inevitable firewood, which was to be drawn to his door. The salary was afterwards increased to three hundred dollars.

" The meagre support received from the churches had a tendency to make some of the pastors pretty sharp financiers. As an illustration of this there is still in existence a fifteen-hundred-dollar bond givea by the trustees of the clinrch to Mr. Vn Artsdalea, upon the condition that if the trustees paid 'promptly every year,' in 'quarterly payments,' their pastor's salary, and well and truly 'provided a sufficient quantity of fire- wood,' and kept him ' in quiet and peaceable pussession' of the parson- age ' with all the appurtenances,' and kept ' the same in good repair,' nc- cording ' to the true intent and meaniog' of their agreement, then the obligation of the bond was 'to be vuid, otherwise to realain in full force end virtue.'

" It does not prove the pastor avaricious, but only that his salary wae 80 small that he could not afford to run any risks. He evidently did not consider their word quile as good as their bond. Let it be said, however, to the credit of the church that every obligation was promptly met, and in due time the bond was canceled. Mr. Van Artsdalen served the church faithfully for twenty-seven years, and resigned his charge when failing health compelled bini to do so. One evidence of the people's affection for him is the fact that in May, 1778, they gave him a vacation of six months and continued his salary. Yon must remember that that was not as much the practice then as it is now. It was something more than mere conventional courtesy or a forced concession to a growing custom that led a peuple in those days to grant their pastor a leave of absence. He was ardently devoted to his country and to the work of the Master. The time of his ministry included the whole period of the Revolution. He saw his church, together with many of the homes of Ins parishioners, reduced to ashes, but nothing daunted he continued his work. He gath- ered his scattered flock together again, as a father would gather his children, and releasing them from their bonded obligation to pay him stipulated salary, he hired to them from year to year, accepting just what they could afford to give. After the burning of the church we next find him preaching to his heroic band of Christian patriots in the old parson- age baru. Why they did not return to the garret we are not informed, but very likely the congregation had hy this time outgrown it, or, what is equally probable, they might have thought that as they were now driven out of their church indefinitely the barn would be more convenient. They certainly had the grace and the good sense to make the best of the situation.

"They were ' cast down but not discouraged.' As soon as they fixed upon their place of worship they agreed to ceil it up to the plate and

1 I give the name as I find it in his haadwriting. It was afterwards written Vanarsdalen, and still later Vanarsdale or Vanarsdal.

gable end beams. In the following year they had put in galleries, with the foremost seats on the right-hand side of the pulpit reserved for the singers. lu this rudely fitted up temple they must have worshiped ten years.

"Sept. 25, 1786, four years after the barn was fairly fitted up, the church was incorporated under the name of the ' First Congregation of the Pres- byteriaa Church in Springfield.' The seal of the church, a dove with en olive branch, was not adopted until December, 1792. In 1786 they hegan to talk of building for themselves the third house of worship. Four years at least were spent in working up an interest and laying plans and devising means before the building was fairly hegun. It was first agreed to build of brick aod stone.

"'A burnt child dreads the fire.' They wanted something that wouldn't burn ; but the first plan was given up as too expensive for their limited mesne. Twelve months after they concluded upon cedar shingles, and finally, ia 1791, the frame went up. It was a time of general rejoicing to both pastor and people. Work and material were contributed by the members of the congregation as they were able. Men came bringing their tools and the best timber their farms could furoish. Booths were erected on the gronad, where the wonen prepared meals for the volun- teer workmen. Contributions were solicited from the churches of the Presbytery of New York. The hell was contributed by Mr. Samuel Tyler, and thus the work went forward to completion, and grand old Jacob Van Artsdalen was the first to preach in the new clinrch as he had been the last tu preach in the old.

" Some of you will remember this church as it was originally, just as it came from the hands of that earnest band of workmed. You have in your memory an unfading picture uf its old-fashioned, straight-backed pews, its broad ceotre aisle, its middle seats that had no partition run- oing through them as these have, its narrow side aisles which made a passage for the benefit of the wall seats only as they only opened iato them, the centre heing closed up at the ends nearest the walls. You have not forgotten either the queint old circular pulpit, mounted upon a higli columa like a huge barrel, elevated so as to overlook the back of the church, aod at the same time sweep the galleries. And yon will re- member also the great sounding-board back of the pulpit and directly over the preacher's head, that caused you always to think of the wings that overshadowed the mercy seat, thoughi it never bore to them the slightest resemblance. Such was the primitive glory of this latter house as some of you well remember. In it Mr Vo Artsdalen preached as long as he was able, and finally, when he could come no longer, he was brought one day by loving hands that his sorrowing people might look upon his face once store and for the last time.

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 89

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