USA > New Jersey > Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume I > Part 23
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had taken no means to protect his invention legally, and years afterward he said, "] introduced patent leather ; there was nothing generous or liberal in its introduction, as I served myself first, and when its novelty had ceased and I had other objects in view, it was the natural course to leave it."
In 1826 Mr. Boyden invented a process for making malleable castings, which he patented, and carried on the manufacture of until 1838, when he sold out to a Boston firm. In 1832 he was granted a patent for "applying the power of steam to ma- chinery," and in 1837 he built the two first locomotives made in New Jersey -- the "Orange" and the "Essex," for the Morris & Essex railroad. He also built an engine, the "Cometa," for the Cardenas railroad in Cuba, and there set it up in 1841. Among his great improvements were the attach- ment of the driving rod directly to the wheel; the "link motion," the "cut-off," and the duplex valve gear-devices which have been in vogue to the present day. In 1849 he discontinued the manufacture of locomo- tives, to perfect a process of separating zinc from its ores, and which he patented and later sold. Among his many inventions were a machine for making wrought iron nails; a machine for making brads and files, and for cutting and heading tacks; a machine for splitting leather ; pad-caps, blinds and liarness fittings ; improvement in fuel for manufacturing cast iron; and an improved machine for forming hat bodies. In the last instance, his right was contested, but it was upheld in the courts.
After age had obliged his withdrawal from his mechanical pursuit he turned his attention to his garden, and produced a variety of strawberry valued both for size and flavor, and which is known by his name. He maintained a small forge, and continued his experiments, remarking, shortly before his death, that he had in mind enough un- developed ideas to occupy two lifetimes. His mechanical skill was remarkable. He all of them the original Christian name of made with his own hands a telescope and a Martin has been kept up, that being the
microscope of great power, a rifle with a most ingenious lock, an air gun, a watch case, several engravings on steel, and var !- cus articles for electric uses. He never sought pecuniary aid, and was an excep- tional example of sturdy independent effort. He had wide knowledge of optics, chem- istry, metallurgy, astronomy, electricity, geology, botany, and natural philosophy, ann published the results of his investigation in electricity and the internal heat of the earth.
He married, at Foxboro, Massachusetts, Abigail, daughter of Obadiah and Matilda (Wetherell) Sherman, and to them were born five children. Mr. Boyden died near Newark, New Jersey, March 31, 1870. Ot May 13, 1890, a bronze statue to his mem- ory was erected in a public park in that city.
RYERSON, Thomas C.,
Lawyer, Jurist, Legislator.
Hon. Thomas C. Ryerson, late Associ- ate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, was born May 4, 1788, at Myrtle Grove, Sussex county, New Jersey, son of Martin and Rhoda (Hull) Ryerson. He was a great-great-grandson of Martin Ryer- son, of French Huguenot descent, who emi- grated from Holland about 1660, and settled at Flatbush, on Long Island. He was a mem- ber from an early age of the Dutch Re- formed Church, as its records still show. and for those days possessed a considerable property. He married, May 14, 1663, An- nettie Rappelye, daughter of Joris Jansen Rappelye, who settled on Long Island, in 1625, in which year his first daughter, Sara, was born, the first white child born on Long Island. From this marriage have sprung large numbers of the name of Ryerson (be- sides numerous descendants of the female branches of the family) who are scattered over New York, New Jersey and several other States, and many in Canada, and in
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name of both the father and grandfather of Judge Ryerson. His grandfather resided in Hunterdon county, New Jersey, whence his father removed to Sussex, about 1770, dying there in 1820, in his seventy-third year. His father and grandfather were both distinguished as surveyors, being deputies of the Surveyor-General of both East and West Jersey, and his father was thus en- abled to make very judicious land locations for himself, and at his death left a landed estate of between forty and fifty thousand dollars.
Judge Ryerson remained at home until the age of sixteen years, working on his father's farm and receiving only the com- mon education of the country. In 1800 his father removed to Hamburg, in the same county, where he died, and in 1804 Judge Ryerson began preparing for college at a private school in the family of Robert Ogden. After some time spent in this school he finished his preparatory studies at the Mendham (New Jersey) Academy, then taught by the late Hon. Samuel L. Southard, and in 1807 entered the junior class at Princeton, graduating there in 1809, with the third honor in a class of forty-four. After graduating he studied law with the late Job S. Halsted, of Newton, and was admitted to the bar in February, 1814. Four years of study with a practicing lawyer were then required, even of graduates, and dur- ing a part of this time he was out with the New Jersey militia, at Sandy Hook, to re- sist a threatened attack of the British. Im- mediately after being licensed he began prac- tising law at Hamburg, and continued prac- tice there until April, 1820, when he re- moved to Newton, where he resided until his death.
For two years, 1825-27, he was a member of the Legislative Council of New Jersey, and in January, 1834, was elected by a joint meeting a Justice of the Supreme Court, in place of Judge Drake, whose term then expired. It is well known that Judge Drake had given great offence, but
without good reason for it, to the Hicksite Quakers, by his opinion in the celebrated suit between them and the Orthodox Quak- ers, for which they determined, if possible, to defeat his re-election ; to accomplish this they aided, in 1833, in electing a large ma- jority of Democrats to the Legislature, which the year before had a majority of the other party. Although a leading and influential Democrat and politically opposed to Judge Drake, Judge Ryerson, in com- mon with many other Democrats, was strongly opposed to this unjustifiable pro- scription, a warm advocate of Judge Drake's re-election, and used all his influence with the four Democratic members from Sussex in its favor. He was not in Trenton dur- ing that session until after the joint meeting, and his name was brought forward in the Democratic caucus as an opposing candi- date, without his consent, and he knew nothing of it until after his election. The leading opponents of Judge Drake, finding that the votes of the Sussex members would re-elect him, resorted to the use of Judge Ryerson's name as the only means of pre- venting it, and thus, without his knowledge, he was made the instrument of defeating an excellent and irreproachable judge, his own warm personal friend. So strong an impression had he made upon the Sussex members in favor of Judge Drake that one of them voted for him in joint meeting, not- withstanding his own Democratic caucus nomination, and other Democrats also bolt- ed the nomination, so that, notwithstand- ing the large Democratic majority in joint meeting, he was elected by only a very small majority. So strong, however, was the Hicksite feeling against Judge Drake that he received but one vote from the members south of the Assanpink. Theodore Freling- huysen was then in the Senate, his term to expire March 4, 1835. He also had given great offence to the Hicksites by his able and eloquent speech in the same suit, and to reach him the same combination was con- tinued until the election of October, 1834,
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and resulted in sending General Wall to the Senate in liis place. The news of his election was a complete surprise to Judge Ryerson, and with it came letters from prominent Democrats urging him to accept. and assuring him that his declination would not benefit Judge Drake: that party lines had become drawn, and he could not now under any circumstances be re-elected. He held the matter under advisement until the receipt of a letter from Judge Drake himself, dated February 3, 1834. urging him to ac- cept, "and that promptly." He said also, "I feel under obligation to you, and my other friends, for your zeal in my behalf ; but it has proved ineffectual, and I have no confidence in the success of another effort." And again, "If the place is thrown open, nobody knows into whose hands it may go. I rejoice that it has been so disposed of that we may still confide in the independence and integrity of the bench." This letter de- cided him to accept, and he was sworn into office, February 25, 1834, holding it until his death.
Judge Ryerson's course at the bar and on the bench fully justified the opinion of Judge Drake, quoted above, as in all posi- tions he was a man of the firmest independ- ence and strictest integrity. He was an able lawyer, well read, and was remarkable for a discriminating and sound judgment, an earnest and successful advocate, with great influence over courts and juries in Sussex and Warren, to which counties he . GUMMERE, John,
confined his practice, and as a judge it is believed that he enjoyed in a high degree the esteem and confidence of the bench and bar, as well as of the people-at-large.
For the last eight years of his life Judge Ryerson was a very devoted member of the Presbyterian church. his wife having joined it some eight years earlier. His father was for many years an exemplary and very in- fluential elder of the same denomination, and a large number of his descendants have been and are professing Christians. Judge Ryerson was very easy and affable in his
manners, delighting in social intercourse and conversation, with a great fund of anecdote ; very simple and economical in his personal tastes and habits, spending, however, freely in educating his children, and noted for his liberality to the poor around him and to the benevolent operations of his day. So much did he give away that he left no more estate than he inherited, although in full practice for twenty years before his ap- pointment as judge. He often said to his children that he desired only to leave them a good education and correct principles, and that they must expect to make their way in life with only those to depend on. Both as lawyer and judge he was very painstaking and laborious, conscientiously faithful in the discharge of duty to his clients and the public ; having a strongly nervous tempera- ment, the mental strain was too great and resulted at length in a softening of the brain. from which he died August 11, 1838, after an illness of three months, leaving three sons and a daughter, and a widow, his first wife's youngest sister, his first wife having died three years previous to his death, to mourn an irreparable loss. His eldest son, Judge Martin Ryerson, died June 11, 1875. and his youngest son, Colonal Henry Ogden Ryerson, was killed in May, 1864. at the head of his regiment, on the second day's bloody fighting in the battles of the Wilder- ness, in Virginia.
Distinguished Educator and Author.
The Gummere family of Pennsylvania and New Jersey is of German origin. The name originally was Gömere or Gumerie, and the first of these two latter forms is the one which is used by the emigrant an- cestor of the family in signing his will which is on file in the office of the surrogate in Philadelphia. The family is one that has always stood exceptionally high in the educational and professional world, and some of the greatest advantages which we
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now enjoy in those walks of life liave had their inception and beginnings in the fertile brains of members of this family. The name is deeply rooted in the history of more than one American college, and at least one college owes its foundation, and its present high standing among institutions of learning to two descendants of the stur- dy Teutonic emigrant.
Johann Gömere came to Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1719, from Crefeldt, Ger- many; and there is a tradition in the fami- ly that he came originally from French Flanders. He and his wife, Anna, both died within twenty-four hours of each other, and were buried at the same time, May, 1738, in the "Upper Burying Ground," Germantown, but as their graves are un- marked it is impossible now to locate them.
Johannes Gummere, son of Johann and Anna Gömere, lived in Moreland township, Pennsylvania, and in 1740 he received a cer- tificate of removal for himself and his wife, Sarah, who is believed to have been a mem- ber of the Davis family of Bucks county, from the Abington Monthly Meeting to the Monthly Meeting at Concord, Pennsylvania.
Samuel, son of John (Johannes) and Sarah (Davis) Gummere, was born in Moreland township in 1750, and was prob- ably the youngest son. July 6, 1814, he and his wife, Rachel, who had previously removed from Pennsylvania to Upper Springfield, New Jersey, asked for a certif- icate of removal from the latter place to the Burlington Monthly Meeting. October 23, 1783, he married Rachel, daughter of John and Anna James, of Willistown, Pennsyl- vania.
John, son of Samuel and Rachel ( James) Gummere, was born at Rancocas, New Jer- sey, 1784, died in 1845. For many years he lived at Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and for more than forty years was an es- teemed and successful teacher of youth at Horsham, Rancocas, West Town. Burling- ton and Haverford, Pennsylvania. In this
last named place -he has left an enduring monument of his greatness in the Friends' College. This was opened in 1833 with Mr. Gummere for its head master as a school designed to afford literary instruction and religious training to the children of Friends, under whose control the present college con- tinues. Systematic physical training and athletic sport were made prominent in the original plan, and are still insisted upon. In 1845 the school was temporarily suspended in order to give opportunity for collecting an endowment, and was reorganized as a college in 1856. Upon his retirement from the Friends' College at Haverford, Mr, Gummere resumed his boarding school at Burlington, which he had previously con- ducted at first alone and afterwards with aid of his son, Samuel J. Gummere, from 1814 to 1833, and in this occupation spent the re- mainder of his quiet and useful life. He was the author of many excellent text- books, and his work elicited the warmest commendation from Dr. Bowditch, Profes- sor Bache and other competent judges. Among these publications were his cele- brated "Treatise on Surveying," which was first published in 1814, and ran through fourteen editions; and his "Elementary Treatise on Theoretical and Practical As- tronomy," the first edition of which was published in 1822, and the last, the sixth, in 1854. A very interesting biographical sketch of Mr. Gummere was privately print- ed by William J. Allinson, of Burlington, and it is a well-merited tribute to the learn- ing and virtues of a ripe scholar and a most excellent man. One of his old scholars has said of him "that former disciples of John Gummere never in after life approached their old master without sentiments of af- fection and esteem." In 1808 Mr. Gummere married Elizabeth, daughter of William and Susanna (Deacon) Buzby, a member of two of the oldest and most distinguished families of Burlington county.
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MEEKER, Samuel,
Prominent Manufacturer and Financier.
Samuel Mceker was born at Springfield, New Jersey, November 13, 1786. He was the son of William Meeker and Sarah, his wife, whose maiden name was Hayes. His grandfather was Major Samuel Meeker, of Springfield, of the New Jersey militia, who took a prominent part on the patriotic side in the War of the Revolution. Both Major Samuel Meeker and his son William were active in the battle of Springfield, on June 23, 1780, Major Meeker commanding the troop of cavalry which fought in the battle. His son William is said to have killed a British soldier whom he saw trying to set fire to the village church.
Samuel Meeker, the grandson of Major Meeker, was born in the Meeker homestead, which is said to have been situate nearer to what is now known as Short Hills, that whole section being then known as Spring- field. When a youth he was sent to Phila- delphia, to live there with an uncle, also named Samuel, his father's brother, who was a prominent merchant of that city. He there finished his education and received his business education. Later he went to New York City, where for a time he resided and engaged in business. While there he was married to Martha Harbeck, the daughter of John Harbeck and of Catherine Tiers.
John Harbeck had quite a remarkable his- tory. He was a German, born in the city of Berlin, in Prussia, of noble and wealthy ancestry, had bcen highly educated, and when a young man was sent abroad by his parents to travel. Coming to the United States shortly after, and before the outbreak of the American Revolution, and having be- come impressed with the ideas of liberty which then for some time had been grow- ing among the people of Europe and were about to burst into activity in the American colonies, his sympathy with the aspirations of the Americans was so great that against the wishes of his family he decided to set-
tle permanently in America and cast his lot - with the Americans. He settled in New York City, and there married. On the break- ing out of the Revolutionary War he re- ceived a commission as captain, and being possessed of an independent fortune he raised a company at his own expense and supported and maintained it throughout the whole war, refusing any assistance, although offered a remuneration from the American government. He participated with his troop in many engagements and notably at the bat- tle of Bunker Hill. He was well known to General George Washington, and highly es- teemed by him, and it was sought by Gen- eral Washington several times to have him promoted to a higher rank, but he refused to accept any promotion, preferring to re- main with his company. In the early part of the war, when the British authorities drove out of New York City the patriots who would not swear allegiance to the Eng- lish King, John Harbeck, then being with the army, having left his wife and children in New York City, Catherine, his wife, re- fusing to swear allegiance to the British government, was put outside of the Eng- lish lines. Taking her young children by the hand, she made her way through many difficulties to the North until she reached the outposts of the American army; from thence she was helped on to Albany, where she remained throughout the war, at the close of which her husband joined her therc, and they continued to reside there un- til their death. He was a friend of John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family of that name, and at his home in Albany Mr. Astor frequently stopped on his journeys back and forth to and from the far North where he went to buy furs and other ar- ticles from the Indians and hunters of Can- ada and the British possessions. John Har- beck's sons returned to New York City, where they built up a large business as shipping merchants, which was carried on by them and their sons, for many years and until the War of the Rebellion drove Ainer-
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ican shipping off of the seas. They owned many ships which went to all parts of the world and became very wealthy. The last of his grandsons died in Paris, France, a few years ago. The Harbeck wharves in Brooklyn were named after this family. Some of the younger members of the family still reside in New York City, and there is a branch of the family residing in Cleve- land, Ohio, who have long been well-known and respected citizens of that city. Until her death a few years ago, the widow of John Henry Harbeck, a grandson of the original John Harbeck, resided in an ele- gant old mansion on Fifth avenue, in New York City, which has since given way to business uses.
Samuel Meeker, after giving up in early life his New York business, settled in New Jersey, on a farm outside of Rahway, with his wife and family. He engaged in Rah- way in the carriage manufacturing busi- ness with his brother William, for a while, and after William's death he continued in this business alone for many years and until he retired from business some years prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. In con- nection with this manufacturing business he maintained stores and buildings in Charles- ton, South Carolina, to which the carriages were shipped from Rahway, and where they were exhibited and sold. He manufactured almost entirely for the Southern trade and while he was so engaged in business he spent the winter months and spring of the year in Charleston, his wife until-overcome by the sickness which resulted in her death, ac- companying him. The children were left in the care of her sister Helen Harbeck, on the farm near Rahway.
Mr. Meeker was engaged in business in Charleston during the years of the great excitement over the proposed "Nullifica- tion" of the United States laws by the State of South Carolina which culminated in 1833, under the leadership of the great Southern statesman. John C. Calhoun, and when Andrew Jackson was President of the
United States, and he used to say, although himself a Whig and later a Republican in politics, that his best friends and custom- ers in business at that time, were among the wealthy Southern planters and others, most all of whom were strong nullifiers, as they were then called.
On retiring from this business, in which he accumulated a considerable fortune, his wife having in the meantime died in De- cember, 1834, and he having some years later married Mary Thomas, of New York City, Mr. Meeker came to Newark and there established his residence, purchasing a considerable plot of ground on Broad and East Kinney streets, and building a mansion thereon, where he continued to reside from the time of his coming to Newark until his death, and which dwelling-house is the house now owned and occupied by Dr. F. Ill, on Broad street, north of Kinney street, the front part of the house facing Broad street, being about the same in appearance then as now, although Dr. Ill has in recent years built an additional building on the grounds of the old place. From the time of his mak- ing his residence in Newark he interested himself in the social and business activities of that city, and his integrity and good bus- iness judgment were soon recognized by his being called to many positions of honor and trust in the business and social life of New- ark in those days. He was elected a direc- tor in the State Bank, and in the year 1854 was elected its president, and continued as such until his death. He was also elected a manager of the Newark Savings Institu- tion, which was for years and until its final failure in 1884 located on the north corner of Broad and Mechanic streets. Mr. Meek- er served for a number of years as president of this institution, during which time the in- stitution passed through a number of severe runs on the part of its depositors, notably in the panic. of 1857, and it was his pride that under his administration the institution always kept its doors open, meeting every demand from its depositors promptly, and in
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the most severe crisis of the bank he would never hear or listen to any advice to take any other course except to pay dollar for dollar upon demand. In the last few years of his life Mr. Meeker, owing to the infir- mities of advancing years and the other re- sponsibilities which rested upon him, re- tired from the presidency of this institution, although he continued to serve on its board of managers and as vice-president, under the presidency of United States Senator William Wright, to the day of his death. It is needless to say that under the manage- ment of these substantial old citizens the Newark Savings Institution of those days was a thoroughly reliable and conservative institution of the highest credit and stand- ing, which position it continued to hold among the financial institutions of the State, until in later years it was brought to ruin by the introduction into its management of more modern and unsafe methods of finance which obtained credit for a while with our citizens, but resulted in wrecking a once honorable institution.
Mr. Meeker also at the time of his death and for some years prior thereto was the president of the Newark City Gas Company, and was largely interested in that corpora- tion at the time of his death. He was also one of the original incorporators, and found- ers and directors of the old Newark Library Association whose building and public hall standing for many years on the north side of Market street, was long the principal place of Newark's public entertainments until that association having been merged into the present Free Library, the old building was pulled down to make way for one of New- ark's large department stores.
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