History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 91

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 91
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 91

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" THE FOURTH AT SPRINGFIELD .- The Centennial Fourth was celebrated in grand style in this village by raising a flag-pole on the Town Hall, and with a new flag; & large procession with hrass bande through Spring- field to the old battle ground and the house celebrated by Revolutionary lucidents ; thence passing through Millburn to Summit line and return- ing to the Presbyterian Church. This was decorated in fine taste, and was filled to hear the oration of Rev. HI. W. Teller, and the Declaration of Independence reed by Alderman William Wade, of New York. The oration was eloquent, the singing fine, and the whole programme at the church good. Mr. D. W. Fairchild as Washington was grand marshal, with Sickly marshal, and Dennman and Sickly as aldes. There wes a fine procession of 'fantasticals,' which cansed universal fun and hearty cheer. Each honse was decorated, the inhabitants jubilant, and the old patriotic fire filled each soul. This great day closed with a splendid ex- hibition of fireworks on the farm of Messrs. Beers Bod Shirley in Springfield."-Nework Daily Advertiser.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

WILLIAM STITES.

The name of Stites has long been identified with the history of the early settlement of the town of Springfield.

The progenitor, John Stites, M.D., was born in England in the year 1595, and came from London to this country as the surgeon of a band of colonists who emigrated on account of political and religious disturbances throughout England during the time of Cromwell, having placed a higher value on the lib- erty of thought and speech than on the comforts of home and native climate.

He settled at Hempstead, L. I., and died in 1717, Jacob Carl.

aged one hundred and twenty-two years. Family tradition says of him that he had an iron consti- tution and great powers of physical endurance. When nearly one hundred years of age he walked a distance of over forty miles in one day to visit relatives.

Richard, son of Dr. John, was born in 1640 in London, England, and resided at Hempstead, L. I. He died in 1702, aged sixty-two years. The records of the town of Hempstead inform us that in 1685 he with others "paid a tax to defray the expenses to obtain a patent for the lands in that town." The amount of the tax was "two and a half pounds sterling per acre." He was taxed for one hundred and fifty-two acres.

William, son of Richard and grandson of Dr. John, was born at Hempstead, L. I., in 1676. He came to Springfield, N. J., then in the borough of Elizabeth, and purchased seven huudred acres of land on the south side of the road and west of the Rahway River, where he built his log house, there being but few dwellings in the town at this time.

He died at Springfield in the year 1727, aged fifty- one years, and was buried in his own private burial- ground on the farm, since called the " Revolutionary burial-ground."

Mary, his widow, died in August, 1728.

The following is found in the family record of William Stites, his great-grandson. " In the old graveyard on the south side of the road in Spring- field is now standing a double headstone, on which is engraved, and yet plain and intelligible, the follow- ing inscription, to wit :

"' Here liee ye body of Mr. William Stits, died May y8 13th, 1727, aged 51 years.'

" And opposite,-

"" Here lies ye hody of Mary, wife of Mr. William Stits, died Ang. ye 2Ist, 1728, aged 51 years.'

"This man was the great-grandfather of the pres- ent owner of this Bible, and was undoubtedly the primogenitor of the Stites family in East Jersey.

" Springfield, Essex County,

" December 28th, 1828.

" Ego scribo, William Stites."

William's children were John, Hezekiah, Richard, Rebecca, William, Elijah, Benjamin.

His 1st child, John, was born in 1706, and died in Springfield, N. J., April, 1782, aged seventy-six years. He was an alderman of the borough of Elizabeth, and lived on a farm of two hundred acres, owned and oc- cupied in later years by Mr. David Higgins and his descendants.

2d child, Hezekiah, died in Springfield in July, 1728, aged twenty years.

3d child, Richard, died May, 1727, aged twelve years.

4th child, Rebecca, was born in 1717, and married

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HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

5th child, William, died at the age of ninety-one, and was interred at Mount Bethel, N. J.

6th child, Elijah, was born in 1721, and died in the year 1765, aged forty-four years, and was buried in Scotch Plains, N. J.

7th child, Benjamin, removed to Ohio. His wife was said by the natives to have been the first white woman who set foot on the soil where the city of Cin- cinnati now stands.

Elijah, who was buried at Scotch Plains, N. J., and the 6th child of the aforesaid William, was deprived by death of both parents while at a very early age. He married, and built his house on that portion of his pat- rimony lying on the southwest side of the Westfield road, and opposite the present road leading to Mill- town.

Elijah had seven children. His youngest child, named Abner, participated in the Revolutionary bat- tle of Springfield, which occurred June 23, 1780, and although only sixteen years old carried a rifle and fought by the side of men of older years.

Abner was married Feb. 18, 1786, to Hulda Crane, of Turkey, now known as New Providence, and set- tled there. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and a man of exemplary morals. He died in August, 1831, and his wife in June, 1835. His children were as follows: Elijah, William, Hulda Grant, John M., Apollos, Chloe Jefferson, and Abner.

1st child, Elijah, came to Springfield from his early home in New Providence in the spring of 1808 as a clerk in the store of Capt. Jonas Wade. He married Jane, a daughter of Capt. Wade, and became his father-in-law's successor in mercantile pursuits. He was successful in business, popular, kind to the poor, and very useful and much beloved in the Presbyte- rian Church, of which he was a member and trustee, as also in the family circle. For many years he was a leading director in the State Bank of Elizabeth. He died in October, 1857, aged sixty-seven years.

2d child, William, was born Sept. 5, 1791, in New Providence. At the age of fifteen he commenced a course of study preparatory to the legal profession, but in consequence of a casualty which threatened to deprive him of eyesight he was compelled to aban- don his books in 1809, and adopt, contrary to his wishes, a mercantile life.

In the spring of 1810 he came to Springfield as a clerk in the store of Capt. Jonas Wade. He soon after hegan the career of a merchant in the village, where he remained until his removal to Elizabeth, where he embarked in general merchandising with his partner, Smith Halsey.

He married Hannah B., youngest child of Capt. John Smith, of Springfield. At the termination of the partnership of " Halsey & Stites" the two broth- ers, Elijah and William Stites, entered into business relations in Elizabeth.

About 1819, William Stites, in company with Col. Aaron Ogden and others, became joint owners of a

line of post-coaches running from New York to Phil- adelphia, and also of the steamboat " William Penn," plying between New York and Amboy for the con- veyance of passengers and freiglit.

In the spring of 1821 he returned to Springfield and purchased a portion of the original homestead, where he spent the remaining years of his life, actively en- gaged in business and manufacturing.

In 1824 he was elected on the Whig ticket a mem- ber of the State Legislature, and was returned for four years. After an interval of a few years he was again elected for a succession of years, and in 1839-40 was chosen Speaker of the House.

In 1839 he was a member of the "joint committee to whom were referred the resolutions of the Legisla- ture of Connecticut relative to the public lands of the United States."

He was also twice appointed by the Legislature one of the " commissioners for the sale of the State lands at Paterson." He was chosen as one of the commit- tee to appraise the damages on the Erie Railroad at Ramapo, as also on the line of the New Jersey Cen- tral Railroad.

For many years he held the appointment of judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Essex County.

Mr. Stites was also for years a member of the board of chosen freeholders of the county, and for sev- eral years director of the board. He was elected a member of the convention to frame a new State Con- stitution, whichi convened May 14, 1844. He was in politics a Republican, and as a politician was careful in his investigations, honest in his convictions, and uncompromising in a cause that he considered just, yet kind and honorable to his opponents.

As a citizen he was public-spirited, active, and ready to assist or lead in every enterprise that prom- ised benefit to the township. In the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a member from his early youth, he was a zealous worker in matters both spiritual and secular, and ever ready to render aid either in the capacity of private member or trustee.

In the family circle he was seldom demonstrative, yet a man of strong affections and sympathetic feel- ings. His intellect was strong, his perceptions clear, and his memory retentive.

His mind remained clear and bright until the last moment of his life, his patience being remarkable du- ring the last months of his great physical suffering. The Christian hope which had sustained him in many vicissitudes of life supported him in the last trying hour. The end was peace. He died June 30, 1871, in his eightieth year, the death of his wife having occurred Sept. 30, 1865. He had but two children,- a son William, who died in early childhood, and a daughter, Jane Robinson, who is the widow of John C. Elmer, M.D. She with her only surviving child occupies the old homestead. To resume the record of the children of Abner :

3d child, Hulda Grant, was born in 1795, and mar-

JOHN RICHARDS.

Samuel de Smith.

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SPRINGFIELD.

. ried John Thompson. She died at her home in Bask- ing Ridge in 1832, and left five children.

4th child, John M., born 1797, and married Jane Bonnel. He died at his home in New Providence in 1855. Two children survive.

5th child, Apollos, was born in the year 1799. He married Mary Bryant in 1825, and died in the year 1853, leaving two children.

6th child, Chloe Jeffreson, born 1801, married Ezra Fairchild, the principal of Flushing Institute, and died in 1853. She left three children.

7th child, Abner, was born in the year 1803. After leaving his home in New Providence, and after sev- eral years spent in Elizabeth, he came to Springfield, and for many years was actively engaged in business and manufacturing with his elder brother, William. Subsequently he continued the business alone. He was a very useful member of the Presbyterian Church, superintendent of its Sunday-school, and one of its trustees. Abner Stites was a zealous advocate of all the best interests of the community. At the time of his death he was a director of the State Bank of Elizabeth. He was a strong Republican in his po- litical predilections. Mr. Stites married Miss Char- Jotte Bonnel. His death occurred in 1867, and a widow and two children survive him.

JOHN RICHARDS.

The Richards family are of English extraction, Samnel Richards, the earliest representative of this branch in America, having emigrated from Notting- ham, England, and settled in New York City, where he followed his craft as a master-builder. He was united in marriage to Miss Mary Havens, of New York, and became the parent of eleven children,- Elizabeth, Samuel, Mary, Julia, Theophilus, Augus- tus, Jane, John, William, Sarah, and Matthew. Mr. Richards later in life removed to Springfield, where his death occurred, Mrs. Richards having also died at their country home. Their son John was born Nov. 6, 1800, in New York, on the present site of the New York Stock Exchange. His early life was devoted to Mr. Smith was married to Miss Eliza, daughter of study under the best tutors the city afforded, after | Daniel Ayres, of Springfield, who was born, lived, which, having determined to acquire a trade which was married, and died (the latter event occurring in 1879), in the house now occupied by the family. Their children are George, deceased ; Moses; Mary E. (Mrs. Wade) ; Emma (Mrs. Parkhurst), deceased ; Maria, deceased ; and Henry C. might render him independent of the vicissitudes of a changing fortune, he served an apprenticeship of five years as a saddler and harness-maker. At the age of twenty-one he chose the life of a farmer, and repaired to his father's land at Springfield, which he cultivated and improved. On the death of his parent he purchased the farm which is now the homestead.

Mr. Richards was married in 1822 to Miss Mary D., daughter of Col. John Wade, of Springfield. The colonel was a soldier in the war of 1812, and stationed at Sandy Hook, where he rendered valuable service. To this marriage were born children,-Mary C. (Mrs. Crossman), Sarah R. (Mrs. Shipman), Samuel R., ' ential position in the township of his residence.

John W., James C., Charles E., Charlotte W. (Mrs. Ayers), Matilda A. (Mrs. Parkhurst), Henry H., Sea- man P., and Ella V., deceased.

Mr. Richards was in his political affiliations a Dem- ocrat, but extremely liberal in his opinions. He held at various times township offices of more or less im- portance, but cared little for the distinctions conferred by his constituents, his life having been wholly de- voted to the cultivation of his landed interests. He was a Presbyterian in his religious preferences, and a worshiper at the church of that denomination in Springfield.

The death of Mr. Richards occurred at his house on the 1st of July, 1874. Mrs. Richards still survives, and resides at Elizabeth, while the homestead is oc- cupied by his son, Henry H. Richards.

SAMUEL C. SMITH.

The great-grandfather of the subject of this hiog- raphy was Walter Smith, who was of German parent- age, and resided in Milburn, Essex Co., N. J. He married, and had among his children a son William, who was twice married, first to a Miss Reeve, to whom were born four children, one of whom was Moses Smith, whose birth occurred in 1774, in Milburn, where he spent his life and where he died.

William Smith was a second time married to a Miss Woodruff, who became the mother of twelve children. Moses Smith was united in marriage to Miss Abby Colie, and had children,-Samuel C., Oliver R., and Isaac P., all of whom are living, the latter in New Al- bany, Ind., and Oliver R., in Newark, N. J. Samuel C., the eldest of these brothers, was born in June, 1802, at Milburn, where his boyhood was spent. He availed himself of the advantages of the public school, and later became interested in labor on the farm. At the age of sixteen le removed to Springfield, and served an apprenticeship as a tailor, which trade he followed for many years. He subsequently engaged in the business of undertaking, which is still his occupation.

Mr. Smith is in politics a Republican. He was elected to the State Legislature for the years 1842-43, has been freeholder of his township since 1869, and held numerous other minor offices. He is a Presby- terian in his religious convictions, and has been for a period of twenty years a member of the church at Springfield, of which he is also a trustee. Though advanced in years, Mr. Smith still occupies an influ-

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HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

CHAPTER LII.

UNION TOWNSHIP.

THIS township remained a portion of the borough pants of the land unprotected."

of Elizabethtown until the passage of an act for it's erection into a separate township, Nov. 23, 1808.

Physical Features .- The surface of this township in the southeast part is nearly a level, and above the Elizabeth River to the Springfield line, bounded by Rahway River westerly, it is undulating. The soil is a clay loam, with occasional outcropping of red shale, but it is generally rich and easily tilled, producing excellent crops. There are fine growths of timber scattered throughout the township. It is well watered by branches of the Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers. It is said that when Gen. Washington was passing through this section he pronounced it the "garden of New Jersey," on account of its beauty and fertility.

There are large tracts of turf meadow in this town- ship, containing probably about five hundred acres, the largest of which lies directly south of the church. This turf or peat has up to within a few years been dug or cut out in summer and piled in sheds built for the purpose, erected in the meadows, to be dried, where it remained for some months, when it was used extensively as a fuel, giving an excellent heat and cheerful blaze in the open fireplaces. But when stoves came into general use peat as a fuel was gen- erally abandoned. It has been a surprise to many that it was ever used while large tracts of woodland were covering hundreds of acres in the township. The use of lime has been tried within a few years upon this clay soil, and found beneficial in raising good crops of grain, hay, and garden vegetables for the markets at Elizabeth and Newark. Large num- bers of cattle are kept upon these lands, and fine orchards of choice fruit, as well as of berries, are ex- tensively raised. The roads are kept in good order, and many resort to this township during the pleasant ! weather from the cities near by.

Early Settlement. - During the summer and autumn of 1667 the Rev. Abraham Pierson, with the families of Bonnel, Meeker, Crane, Headley, Wade, Townley, and others, from Branford and Guilford, Conn., settled in that portion of the township known as Connecticut Farms, and which still bears that ap- pellation. Many hardships were incident to the settle- ment of a new plantation in the midst of savage tribes, upon whose friendship little dependence could be placed. The situation necessarily made these early settlers watchful; though few in numbers, they were ready upon the first alarm to defend themselves. But little annoyance was experienced from the Indians after they had disposed of their lands in this section to the Elizabethtown Associates, who purchased them in 1664. Respecting the period immediately pre- ceding this a writer says,-

" It was not safe, and had not been to the time of

the conquest by the English in 1664, to venture far into the interior. It would have been exceedingly hazardous for a few families to plant themselves on these outskirts of civilization as residents and occu-

We find among the names of the first settlers at Connecticut Farms Ball, Bonnell, Meeker, Headley, Crane, Wade, Townley, Miller, Woodruff, Potter, Jaggers, Littell (Litell), Searing, Earls, Mulford, Terrill, Winans, Hays, Williams, Thompson, Bond, and a few others. Many of these names are not known here now. Stephen Ball, a merchant from London, Ezekiel and David Ball are early mentioned. The name is now largely distributed all over this township and adjoining ones. Samuel D. Ball has held many offices in the township, and with his father as toll-keeper on the turnpike, he keeps a store now on the road from the Farms to Springfield. Nathaniel Bunnell (Bonnell) was born in New Haven, Conn., and went when young (in 1669) to Southampton, L. I. It is probable that William and Benjamin Bonnell, of that place, were brothers. Na- thaniel was one of the first company of the " Eliza- bethtown Associates." He married Hannah Miller, of Westfield, and had seven children,-1, Benjamin, who was a justice of peace, married Rachel Van Winkle; 2, Nathaniel, who was a captain ; 3, John, who married Sarah Carter ; 4, Sarah, married Samuel Roberts ; 5, Betsey, married Capt. Isaac Ward ; 6, Abigail, married a Mr. Gardner, and 7, Mary, mar- ried Elijah Woodruff. Mrs. Nathaniel Bonnell had an allotment of one hundred and twenty acres " lying upon the south branch of Elizabeth Town Creek (Wade's Farms), and ye plaine which said above mentioned creek passeth through ;" also "twelve acres of meadow lying in the great meadows (salt meadows) upon John Woodruffe's Creek."

Meeker, sometimes spelt Meaker or Mecar. This family came at an early date from New Haven, Conn. The record has the date of July 1, 1644, " where he took the oath of fidelity." He was propounded Oct. 7, 1646, to " be loader to mill for a 12 month, to goe in all seasons except unreasonable weather." Fre- quently he appears in the records as " Meader," or " Mecar." William Meeker owned a large number of acres of land, and also " His House-lot containing six acres, Bounded N. by Henry Norris, W. by the Highway, south by his son Joseph, and east by the swamp, and also 13 acres by his son Benjamin's,"1 and in all one hundred and fifty-two acres. He died in December, 1690. He was constable of the town at an early date (Oct. 13, 1671). His sons Benjamin and Joseph are numbered among the " Elizabethtown Associates." Joseph, it is recorded, kept a store, and perhaps was one of the first in this township near the church at the Connecticut Farms. He had three sons, Robert Meeker, Stephen Meeker, and David

1 New Haven Col. Records.

WILLIAM BRANT.

As nearly as can be determined the Brant family emigrated from Holland to New York about the year 1600, where the first William Brant located. His son William removed to Newark, and from thence to Springfield, within the bounds of Newark parish, where the family attended church services. He had three sons,- David, Lewis, and William-and three daugh- ters. David Brant settled in Morris County, and had several sons. Lewis located at Rahway, and had two sons, Lewis and David. William Braut (3) married Elizabeth Osborn, and had one son and three daughters. He located at Connecticut Farms in 1721, and died in 1747. His son William (4) lived upon the homestead, where his death occurred in 1798. His chil- dren were Jonathan, William (5), Matthias, Mary, and Hannah.

Matthias Brant, father of the subject of this biography, who was a Revolutionary soldier, was born April 21, 1762, and on the 30th of November, 1786, was married to Miss Prudence Baker, to whom were born children,-Hannah, whose birth occurred Nov. 20, 1788; Mary, born Sept. 22, 1790; Elizabeth, born March 25, 1793; William, whose birth occurred July 2, 1797; Sarah Lum, born June 9, 1800; and Matthias, Jr., born March 5, 1802. The death of Matthias Brant occurred Feb. 4, 1845, in his eighty-fifth year. William, his son, spent

his life in Union township, and the dwelling in which his birth occurred was also the scene of his death. He inherited the family taste for farming employments, in which he was eminently successful. Mr. Brant was in early years an Old-Line Whig, but at a later period became a Democrat, and advocated with much zeal the principles of the party. He had little fondness for official life, but devoted more attention to military life, and was prominent in the State militia during his early years. He was in his religious preferences a Presbyterian, and wor- shiped at the Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, of which he was for years a trustee. He manifested much interest in the cemetery adjoining, and devoted both time and labor to adorning and improving it. He was a man of much public spirit, and extended a willing and helping hand to all worthy appeals for aid.

Mr. Brant was a man of much force of character, and occupied a position which en- abled him to exercise a commanding influence in the community. He was, however, free from ostentation, and wholly unobtrusive in his manner. His death occurred Nov. 27, 1881, and his interment took place at the Connecticut Farms Cemetery, to the embellishment of which he had so largely contributed. His grandson, William Brant Burnet, represents the sixth generation who have borne the name.

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UNION TOWNSHIP.

Meeker. Part of his family settled in " Turkey" (New Providence), 1720, where a large number of his descendants are to be found. Benjamin, brother of Joseph, was a " carpenter as well as a planter." 1

Headley. This family are among the first who came in 1665, but no memorial is left of his origin. Leonard Headley had surveyed "in the right of him- self" one hundred and fifty acres, Oct. 14, 1678, and must have been one of the " Associates," and owned other lands by the Elizabethtown Creek. He was a weaver also, and said to have also owned a saw-mill. He died February, 1683, and Sarah Smith administered on his estate. Headleytown, situated on the Spring- field road, is named from the family.

Wade. This branch of the early settlers came not later than 1675. Benjamin Wade was a clothier. He doubtless was of the family (probably a son) of Robert Wade,? who came from Dorchester, Mass. He died 1698.3 The family is well represented in the township, and by many who have removed to the West.

Townly. The name is first mentioned in 1684, when Richard Townly first took up his abode in this settlement. He was the eighth son of Nicholas Townley, of Littleton, England. His lineage can be traced back for centuries, and until the days of William the Conqueror. It is said no other family in the town had a higher social position.

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History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 91

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