USA > New Jersey > Salem County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 42
USA > New Jersey > Gloucester County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 42
USA > New Jersey > Cumberland County > History of the counties of Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland New Jersey, with biographical sketches of their prominent citizens, vol. 1 > Part 42
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On July 14, 1875, "pursuant to publie announce- ment, the friends of the Sunday-school cause in Gloucester County met at Pitman Grove in mas,- meeting, with the view of promoting the Sunday- "chool cause in the county." The society was there reorganized, with Dr. George W. Bailey, president ; Rev. C. W. Duane, vice-president; John F. Nute. treasurer; William H. Bodine, recording secretary ; and Rev. A. Proudfit, corresponding secretary. The following township secretaries were also chosen. to ?' look after the work in their respective townships and assist Rev. A. Proudfit in his work : Clayton,
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1 By Dr. Wallace M. George.
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GENERAL HISTORY.
c. F. Fisler; Franklin, Alexander Sloan : Monroe, 11 K. Bugbee; Washington, Thomas Allen ; Dept- : . r. M. Ware Scott; Greenwich, James M. Roe; Woolwich, John Leeroy ; Harrison, William S. Matt- .mi : Mantua, Charles F. Moffett.
This meeting was largely attended, and was very successful in its work.
The fruits of the labors resulting from this meeting were manifest during the ensuing year, and a large and useful meeting was again held at Pitman Grove. No change was made in the officers, but a determina- tion to redouble their labors during the year to come was manifest.
In 1877 one of the most successful Sunday-school gatherings ever held in the State was held. under the au-pices of friends of the cause in Gloucester County, Cumberland, Salem, and Cape May Counties, at Pit- man Grove, and was known as the West Jersey Sunday-School Assembly. This lasted one week, and was attended by thousands of people, and great good resulted from it. The officers of the association con- tributed materially to the success of this assembly.
In 1878 the annual meeting was held in Glassboro. This was a large and delightful assemblage, and tended much to cement the sympathies of the work- ers in the different townships. The removal of Rev. 1. Proudfit, our former corresponding secretary, to another field of labor necessitated some changes in the offices, and William H. Bodine was promoted to the presidency, and MI. Ware Scott and Dr. George W. Bailey elected vice-presidents, Belmont Perry, re- cording secretary, and Rev. C. W. Duane. correspond- ing secretary. Mr. Duane's appointment was subse- quently confirmed by the State Association, and he proved a worthy successor to Rev. A. Proudfit.
In 1879 the association met in the town hall in Clayton. The attendance was large and enthusiastic, and the reports showed much good work done for the Master all over the county. No changes of any mo- ment were made in the officers.
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In 1880 the annual meeting was held in the town ball in Woodbury. The attendance was large, but not as great as at Clayton the previous year. Re- ports were received from all the townships, from which we extraet the following : Total memberships in schools that had reported, 4929, with an average attendauce of 3432. Sixty of the sixty-four schools used the International Lesson Leaves, and fifty-eight were evergreen schools (open all the year). Twenty schools have teachers' meetings and two schools train- ing-elasses. Rev. C. W. Duane, county secretary, hav- ing removed from the State. some changes in the list of officers became necessary. Wm. II. Bodine was again chosen president ; Drs. George W. Bailey and Wallace McGeorge, vice-presidents; M. Ware Scott, corresponding ( county ) secretary ; William E. Shoch, recording secretary ; and John F. Nute, treasurer.
ance was not as large as usual. The reports were good, but did not show so much activity during the year.
In 1882 the association met in the Methodist Epis- eopal Church at Paulsboro, and later in the year than formerly. The attendance at all the meetings was good. the song and praise service, after Rev. J. De Hart Bruen's address, being very fine. The address was a masterly effort and practical in tendency.
From Secretary Scott's report we extract the fol- lowing : Total population in county, 26,499; scholars in public schools, 7475; Sunday-schools, 64, of which 60 were evergreen schools ; number of scholars, 5626; number of teachers and officers, 619; total member- ship, 6245, showing an increase of 240 during the year : average attendance of scholars during the year, about 4000. During the year 134 scholars were re- ceived into churches on profession of their faith. Of this number one township ( Woolwich ) alone re- ported 80 added to it> churches from the Sunday- schools. Nearly 12,000 library books were reported, of which number Woodbury had 1812. Over one thousand dollars were raised for missionary and be- nevolent purposes by the schools, and one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three dollars paid out for the current expenses of the schools reporting during the year.
The officers elected at this meeting and now serving the association are as follows: President, M. Ware Scott, of Woodbury ; First Vice-President, Dr. Wal- laee MeGeorge, of Woodbury ; Second Vice-Presi- dent, William II. Bodine, of Williamstown; Corre- sponding (County ) Secretary, John C. Tatum, Wood- bary ; Recording Secretary, S. H. Howitz, Paulsboro; Treasurer, John F. Nute, Franklinville ; and the fol- lowing township secretaries: Woodbury, Robert S. Clymer; West Deptford, Edmund W. Paeker; Dept- ford, William S. Cattell ; Greenwich, S. H. Miller ; East Greenwich, Job S. Haines ; Washington, E. F. Watson; Monroe, George W. Ireland ; Franklin, E. D. Riley ; Clayton, Dr. H. G. Buckingham ; Glass- boro, W. HI. Zane; Mantua, Charles F. Moffett; Lo- gan, Isaac Derickson ; Woolwich, Biddle R. Moffett ; Harrison, Rudolph Benezet.
At this meeting important action was taken on proposed changes in the constitution of the State Sunday-School Association, looking to the establish- ment of a regular salaried missionary, whose time and efforts should be entirely devoted to visiting Sunday-schools, encouraging the strong to renewed efforts, the weak to more persistent work, and letting them feel that the missionary is to work with and strengthen them, to organize Sunday-schools in lo- ealities where there are none, and to reorganize or resuscitate drooping or suspended schools. Much depended on the action Gloucester County would take in this matter, and the unanimity with which it adopted or recommended the adoption of the pro-
In 1881 the association again met at Pitman Grove, but the weather was so inten-ely hot that the attend- : posed amendments, and the cheerful -pirit in which
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HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER COUNTY.
it promptly a-sumed to raise the sum allotted to it, showed that the Sunday school workers in the county were not only willing, but determined to do all that was necessary to push along the cause.
Another change in the constitution was to have annual meetings in districts, instead of comprising the whole State, Under this arrangement the " First District Convention of the New Jersey State Sunday- School A-sociation was held on Thursday, May 31, 1883." This district comprises the counties of Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, and Gloucester. The meet- ing was held iu the Presbyterian Church at Clayton. Dr. George W. Bailey, William 11. Bodine, C. C. Phil- lips, J. B. Lippincott, W. L. Jones, are the executive committee for the First District.
The annual meeting in 1883 was held in the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, Bridgeport, on October 3d and 4th, and was very largely attended. The reports showed no diminution in the work done, but a deter- mination was manifested to do greater work in the year to come.
The New Jersey Conference Camp-Meeting As- sociation .- This was organized in June, 1871, under the general act for the improvement of property. The associatiou at once purchased about two hun- dred acres of ground, on the line of the West Jersey Railroad, about one and a half miles from Glas-boro. The place is known as Pitman's Grove, so called in honor of Rev. Dr. C. Pitman, an able clergyman and camp-meeting manager. The place was fitted up during the summer by the erection of a pavilion, an office, and some cottages, and by laying out and clearing up the ground.
In March, 1872, a special law was enacted incor- porating the association. This act set forth that the association was incorporated " for the purpose of pro- viding and maintaining, for the members and friends of the Methodist Episcopal Church proper, desirable and permanent camp-meeting grounds in the town- ships of Mantua and Clayton, in the county of Gloucester." The authorized capital stock of the association was fixed at $25,000, with power to in- crease the same to $50,000, in shares of $50 each.
The grounds have been tastefully fitted up, and three hundred cottages have been erected, mostly by individuals, on lots leased from the association. The pavilion has been much enlarged, a tabernacle for social worship has been erected, four restaurants have been established, under rules prescribed by the association, and every practicable convenience has been provided for those who make this a temporary resort or a more permanent place of sojourn. Camp- meetings of from ten to seventeen days' duration are held at this place each summer, and many make the cottages they have erected there their residences through the season. It is one of the most pleasant and attractive places of the kind in Southern New Jersey.
The association is in a healthy financial condition,
and its permanent success appears to be assured The presidents have been Rev. William E. Perry and J. B. Graw, D.D. The present officers are Rev. A. F. Ballard, president ; J. D. Hoffman, E-q., vice-presi- dent ; Rev. William Walton, secretary ; James M. Cassidy, treasurer ; and Henry P. Young, superin- tendent.
CHAPTER XXXV.
TEMPERANCE IN GLOUCESTER COUNTY.1
THE first voluntary or prohibitory association was that of the Rechabites, who pledged themselves tu their father. Jonadab, that they would drink no wine. nor their sons, forever, for which they received this promise: " Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts. the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a mau to stand before me forever."
The first temperance speech delivered in New Jersey was unquestionably delivered in Gloucester County.
The Indian kings made repeated complaints to the Proprietors of the bad effects of rum upon their people. The Friends also, seeing the evil effects of liquor among the Indians, called a general conneil, there being eight Indian kings present. One of them stood and delivered the following speech, which we give in full :
"The strong liquor was first sold us by the Dutch, and they are blind ; they had uo eyes; they did not see that it was for our hurt. The next people that came among us were the Swedes, who continued the sale of strong liquors to us. They were also bliud ; they had no eyes ; they did not see it to be hurtful to us to drink it, although we knew it to be burtful to us ; but if people will sell it to us, we are so in love with it that we cannot forbear it. When we drink it, it makes us mad : we do not know what we do; we theu abuse one another ; we throw each other into the fire. Sevenscore of our people have been killed by reasou of drinking it since the time it was first sold us. These people that sell it have no eyes. But now there is a people come to live among us that have eyes : they see it be for our hurt; they are willing to deny them- selves the profit of it for our good. These people have eyes : we are glad such a people are come among us ; we must put it down by miutual con- sent ; the cask must te sealed up; it must be inade fast; it must not leak by day or by night, in light or in the dark, and we give you the-e four helts of wamjaun, which we would have you lay up safe and keep by you to be withesses of this agreement, and we would have you tell your children that these four belts of wampum are given you to be wit- nes-es betwixt us and you of this agreement."
Philanthropists of all ages have made use of the best means within their power to counteract the in- fluence of intoxicating liquors. To do this they have formed themselves into temperance organizations as mutual helps, and by exhortations, denunciations, and prohibitory laws have endeavored to save their fellow- men from the evils of drunkenness.
In 1840 six men of intemperate habits assembled at a tavern in the city of Baltimore to partake of their acenstomed drink. A committee of them attended a
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1 By Key. P. Thackara,
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GENERAL HISTORY.
temperance meeting that night, and, after reporting to the others, they determined to form themselves into a temperance association. This they did, and called themselves the "Washingtonian Temperance So- ciety," and drew up a pledge by which they were governed. Thus was brought into existence an or- ganization that spread with great rapidity over the I'nited States. This work, originating in a tavern by six men, became one of the greatest temperance movements in the history of that day.
Some time prior to this a temperance society was formed in Gloucester County, known as " The Glouces- ter County Temperance Society." Meetings were held quarterly in the different churches throughout the county, at which there were speeches, resolutions, and the ordinary business of the society. At the di- visjon of the county in 1844 it was called the Glouces- ter and Camden County Temperance Society, and held its meetings alternately in the two counties. In this movement there were many very earnest workers, among whom were Stacy Hazleton, Hon. John Hazle- ton, Judge Iszard, B. C. Tatem, Ira Gibson, D. Thaekara, and Jesse Peterson. The ministers in the ! county were mutually active in the work.
In 1842 the order of the Sons of Temperance came into existence. A division was organized at Wood- bury, called the Samaritan Division, No. 47, Sons of Temperance. The division increased very rapidly ; many were initiated, both old and young. They built a large hall, but by reason of a defeet in the cel- lar-wall it fell. It was rebuilt at a considerable ex- pense, incurring a debt the burden of which had much to do with the disbanding of the division after an existence of about nine years. It was the means of reforming many. Prominent among its members were Jos. Franklin, Sr., Dr. Charle, F. Clark, Samuel Iludson, William Fisher. D. Thackara, Joseph Gar- wood, G. V. Garwood, John E. King, Isaac Bal- linger, etc.
The Independent Order of Good Templars organ- ized in New York and New Jersey in IS51. Lodges were organized in Gloucester County as follows :
Eureka. No. 16.
. New field.
Unity, No. 26.
Pennsgrove.
sparkling, No. 12.
Franklinville.
Malign, No. 4),
Malaga.
Bumart, Na. 00.
swedesboro.
Crystal Spring, No 71
Chionville.
Harrisonville, No. 77
llarrisonville.
Progress, No. NJ.
Mullica Hill.
Florence, No. 122.
.Mantua.
Go Ahead, No. 13
... ("Jayton-
Paulsboro, No. 135 ..
Paulsboro.
Concordia, No. 140.
.. Glassboro.
Farmers', No. 144.
.Five Points.
Magnolia, No. 14G ..
Clark-boro.
Williamstown, No. 194
Williamstown.
. Huffville. Dntheld, No. 200 ...
''ross Keys and Ewan's Mills, name and mumber unknown.
County deputies of the district lodges have been S. P. Haines, William McCullough, William Huffman, S. W. Faweet, John S. Stanger, William B. Chris- tire, Rev. R. W. Barnart. It is a seeret order, but unt generally beneficiary. Both sexes are admitted to membership. This order has been, and it is still, the
means of much good, especially among the young, by the influence of proper associations, forming tem- perate habits, and giving tone to public sentiment.
The Gloucester County Temperance Alliance .- Pursuant to publie notice, a meeting was called at the court-house, Woodbury, Sept. 19, 1872, at which it was resolved to organize a county alliance auxil- iary to the State Temperance Alliance. An organi- zation was effected by electing D. Thaekara presi- dent; Rev. G. R. Snyder, secretary ; S. P. Haines, treasurer; and one vice-president for each township or voting precinet in the county. The following officers have been elected annually from its organiza- tion until 1SS3:
D. Thaekara, president, each year until the present ; Secretaries, Rev. G. R. Snyder, W. C. Stokes, Dr. W. MeGeorge, Dr. S. E. Newton, George H. Barker, and MI. Ware Scott ; Treasurers, S. P. Haines, M. W. Witeraft, J. D. Hoffman, J. C. Ea-tlack. Dr. W. MeGeorge, and Joseph Morgan. Most of the vice- presidents have been noble, zealous, working men. Space. however, will not allow giving their names.
The Alliance has had the earnest co-operation of I the mini-ters in the county, most of whom are mem- bers. In the organization of the Alliance there are three elements incorporated as a working power, namely,-reformatory, political, and legal.
1. The reformatory comes under the jurisdiction of the vice-presidents. It is their duty to see that lec- tures are delivered, and to arrange for the same, and assist the ministers in bringing the subject before the people, to do what they can towards reforming the inebriate, to see that the law is not violated in their districts, to report the same, if so, to the legal com- mittee, and make quarterly report- to the Alliance.
2. Political. Believing that as long as the present license law exists, with the moneyed influence and interest to avert judgment and prevent the -triet adherence to law, there are little hopes of abating the traffie very materially. If temperance laws are en- acted there must be temperance mien in the Legisla- ture, and although it has not been the design of the ยท Alliance to make a separate party or separate nomi- nations when it could well be avoided. they do, how- ever, obligate themselves to vote only for good tem perance men, irrespective of party. They have, in some instances, nominated a separate ticket when not satisfied with the candidates in the field, or with those whom they were assured would be placed in nomination by the old parties, claiming the right to vote as their con-ciences dictated. This duty is in the hands of a political committee, invested with power to call conventions, to make nominations, etc., if they think it best for the cause of temperance and the good of the country to do so.
3. The legal committee, whose duty it is to see that no illegal license is obtained, and to oppose tho-e where they are remonstrated against as not necessary for the public goul, to prosecute all cases of violation
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of law, when properly brought before them. They CHAPTER XXXVI have power to employ counsel and to pay the same out of the funds of the Alliance. This committee was MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. appointed March 12, 1874, Dr. W. MeGeorge and Benjamin C. Tatem constituting the committee. Dr. Indian, Dutch, Swedish, and Old English Names of the Creeks that Empty into the Delaware from Gloucester County .- Mickle says. " It is important. in order to avoid confusion in reading the ancient historian> and geographers of the Delaware, to re- member that many localities have four or five differ- ent names, owing to the petty jealousy and bad taste of the Dutch, Swedes, and English, each of which people insisted on di-placing the euphonions titles of the Indians, and applying its own new-fangled desig- nations. W. MeGeorge has been chairman of the committee up to the present, and has had most of the work to do. There have been associated with him Benjamin C. Tatem, S. P. Haines, William C. Stokes, Dr. G. W. Bailey, George 11. Barker, and M. Ware Scott. The duties of this committee, although not very pleasant, have been faithfully and energetically per- formed. As near as can be a-certained, there have been forty-two indictments for violation of law that. have been sustained, for which fines have acerued to the amount of one thousand one hundred and sixty- " OLDMAN'S CHEEK, the south bound of Gloucester County, was called by the Indians Kog-kik siz achens- three dollars, besides court charges. Most of these have been prosecuted by the legal committee. In . sippus, -sippus being in the Delaware language the word for river or creek. The Dutch and Swedes called it IMderman's kilen, kil in Dutch, and kiler in Swedish, meaning the same as sippus. The early English settlers named it Berkley River, in honor of the Proprietor. Lord Berkley; but it is often spelled in old laws Barkley. Finally, the present name came in vogue, it being a translation of the Dutch name Alderman's kilen.
1872, when the Alliance was organized. there were twenty-three licensed hotels in the county. Taking the census of 1870, with a population of twenty-one thousand five hundred and twenty seven, a- a guide. there was one hotel to every nine hundred and thirty- six persons. In 1882 we had sixteen hotel- in the county, and taking the census of Iss0, which was twenty-five thousand eight hundred and eighty -- ix persons, makes one hotel to every sixteen hundred and eighteen persons. In addition to this there were, in 1872, many more illicit drinking-places than at present. This change in favor of temperance may be attributed largely to the work of the Alliance.
There have been some local temperance organiza- tions worthy of note. A reform club was organized at Woodbury, in 1877, through the efforts of Mr. Os- good. It is religious and social in its meetings, and is depending very much upon divine help for success. It seeks to reform the inebriate, and to interest the young and lead them to adopt a sober, moral, and in- dustrious life. It has been successful in reclaiming a number of those who were addicted to strong drink. and who are now active members in the club-meet- ings. There are several hundred names on the roll names of the different presidents of the elnb are Ca- leb M. Risley, - Johnson, MI. Ware Scott, and Dr. W. A. Glover. A club has been organized at Wil- liamstown, and it is in a flourishing condition.
" The RAccoox takes its title from the powerful tribe of Naraticon Indians, who once resided there, Naraticon being the Indian name, it seems, for the now canonized animal, the raccoon, which Kalm tells u- formerly abounded in great numbers in that part of the country. The Indian name for this creek was Naraticons-sippus, or Memirako, which neither the Dutch not the Swedes seem to have altered.
" The Rrrcro, according to Lindstrom's map. was called by the aborigines Wirenski Sickocy-sip- pus. and probably took its present title from the Swedish town of Repaapo.
"Great and Little Mantua Creeks are named," Smith tells us, " from the native word mante, which signifies a frog. The Indian tribe which resided here, and which had a branch about Burlington, is often of membership, with an increasing interest. The . mentioned in the old writer. De Vries calls then Indians of the Roodehoek, or Mantes; De Laet. the Mantaesy ; and Plantagenet. the Manteses. They were a bloody people, and doubtless had a hand in the Graef Ernest tragedy, inasmuch as De Vries A Women's Christian Temperance Union, with Mrs. William C. Stokes as president, was organized in Woodbury, Feb. 23, 1842. and one in Glassboro, Feb- ruary, 1883, with Mr .. Green as president. women in these organizations are manifesting a great deal of zeal for the canse. tells us that some of them boarded his yacht in the Timmerkill with the very jackets on which the mur- dered Virginians had worn. The Swedish name for The Great Mantua Creek was Makles-kylen. The Roode- hoek mentioned by De Vries was BILLINGSFORT, hoek being the Dutch for point or hook. The Swedes called this place Roder-udden, the latter word bear- ing the same signification in Swedish as hoek in Dutch.
"The original name of WOODBURY CREEK Was Piscozackasing, upon which neither the Dutch nor i the Swedes attempted any other improvement than
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the customary addition of Eyl. It received its present English title from the town of Woodbury.
"TIMBER CREEK was called indiscriminately by the Dutch and Swedes Tetamekanche-kil, tartrames, Tikote, and Sussackon, although in strictness each of these Indian names applied to a particular branch. The names Gloucester River, and Big and Little Tim- ber Creek came in use very soon after the permanent -ettlement of the English. GLOUCESTER POINT was called Tekaacho, or Hermuomissing, and was justly considered, when the creeks above and below it were open, 'un grand cap'. HOWELL's COVE was called by the first English Cork Core, and afterwards Ladde's Corc.
Town and Country of Gloucester, brought before us, two of the Over cery of the pour of the stid Town, and two of the Justices of the Peace of the said county, his Slave, named Berton, who, on view and examina- tion, appears to ns to be Sound in mind and not under any bodily in- capacity of obtaining a support ; am also is not under twenty -one years of Age, nor above thirty-five. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands the Tenth day of May One Thousand Seven Hundred an I Eighty-Eight (17-8),
" JOHN GLOVE, DerEr. "JOHN ILERITAGE, J "Jons SPARKS, Justices." "JOHN WILKINS, )
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