Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume I, Part 7

Author: Ogden, Mary Depue
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Newark, N.J. : Memorial History Company
Number of Pages: 980

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imposing presence." He died at Shrews- bury, New Jersey, January 27, 1764. His son Robert was the first Chief Justice of New Jersey under the constitution of 1776.

CLARK, Abraham,

Distinguished Physician, Publicist.

Dr. Abraham Clark, an early skillful physician, familiar with general literature and fond of scientific inquiry, was born in Rahway, New Jersey, in October, 1767, son of Abraham Clark, a signer of the Declara- tion of Independence.

His childhood was passed amid the ex- citement and dangers of the revolutionary War, and he had vivid remembrance of the frequent removals of the family to avoid the pursuit of the enemy, and the almost constant dread of the destruction of their home. Two of his brothers were in the patriot army, and suffered imprisonment by the British-one in the New York Sugar House and the other in the Jersey Prison Ship.

He began studying medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. John Griffiths, who was to become his father-in-law, and then attended the Medical School of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, under the instruc- tion of the noted Professors Shippen, Wis- tar and Rush. He was one of the eleven who formed the District Medical Society of the County of Essex. He first engaged in practice in Elizabeth, thence removing to New York, where for a time he was en- gaged in professional work. He eventually settled permanently in Newark, New Jer- sey, where he secured an extensive and re- munerative practice. In 1794 he was a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was not only a skillful physician, but was somewhat of a litterateur, quite well read, and his mind well stored with a varied equipment of information. He was an ex- cellent conversationalist, and an instructive and amusing companion. He was an ac- complished chemist and pharmacist. "He

CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

was a man of medium height, slender, of nervous manner, scrupulously neat in his attire, and always gentlemanly in his man- ners." He invariably wore a light colored frock coat and a ruffled shirt. In Newark, in his latter days, he was invariably follow- ed by a small black and white spaniel. In 1830 he retired from practice and retired to the home of his daughter at Kinderhook, where he resided the remainder of his life. In an indirect line there were three descend- ants who embraced the medical profession -J. Henry Clark, Ephraim Clark, and his son, James Guion Clark.

LAWRENCE, Captain James,

Distinguished Naval Officer.

Captain James Lawrence, a naval hero of the war with Great Britain in 1812-1814, was born October 1, 1781, at Burlington, New Jersey, son of James Lawrence, a leading lawyer of that city.

From his early youth young Lawrence had an unconquerable predilection for a seafaring life. When sixteen years old he received a midshipman's warrant. In the war with Tripoli he was with Commodore Decatur in the hazardous exploit of de- · stroying the frigate "Philadelphia, which had been taken by the wily enemy. He rose in rank and during his many years of ser- vice on the Mediterranean station he com- manded in turn the "Vixen," "Wasp," Ar- gus," and "Hornet." With the latter ves- sel, on February 24, 1813, while cruising off the Capes of Delaware, he fell in with the British sloop-of-war "Peacock," and after a sharp action lasting only a quarter of an hour, compelled her to strike her colors. Returning to port, he was received with great enthusiasm, and was made port cap- tain. In the spring of the same year he was ordered to the command of the frigate "Chesapeake," then being fitted out in the Boston Navy Yard. While lying in the roads, nearly ready for sea, the British frig- ate "Shannon," under command of Captain

Brooke, appeared off the harbor and sig- nalled a wish to engage. Although laboring under many disadvantages, his vessel no: fully equipped and with a new and undis- ciplined crew, Lawrence determined to ac- cept the challenge. Accordingly, on the morning of June I he put to sea, and the Shannon bore away for more sea room. At 4 o'clock the "Chesapeake" bore up and fired a gun, and the "Shannon" hove to. Soon after the beginning of the engage- ment, Captain Lawrence received a wound in the leg, but remained on deck directing the action, as if nothing had happened. Coming to close quarters, the anchor of the "Chesapeake" caught in one of the ports of the "Shannon," and in consequence of this mishap Lawrence was unable to bring his guns to bear upon the enemy. At this moment Captain Lawrence received a sec- ond and mortal wound, in the intestines, and as he was being carried below he ut- tered the memorable words, "Don't give up the ship." After an action at close quarters of eleven minutes, the crew of the Chesa- peake" were overpowered by boarders from the "Shannon," which vessel took her prize to Halifax. The "Chesapeake" lost 146 and the "Shannon" 86 killed and wounded. Captain Lawrence died after four days of intense pain. The British officers, in recog- nition of his valor, buried him with all the honors of a naval hero. Later, the body of Lawrence, with that of Lieutenant Ludlow, were removed by Captain G. Crownin- shield, at his own expense, from Halifax to Salem, Massachusetts, and subsequently to New York City, where they were interred in Trinity churchyard.

Captain Lawrence married a daughter of M. Montaudevert, a New York merchant, and left two children.

FRELINGHUYSEN, Theodore,

Lawyer, Statesman, Educator.

The scion of a long line of eminent an- cestors, Theodore Frelinghuysen united in

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CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

himself most of the qualities that had dis- tinguished his family in such different call- ings as those of religion and war. Pos- sessed of the deepest religious feelings, a man of great piety who carried the moral aspect of things always before him, and brought it into all the relations of life whether of business or politics, be neverthe- less was endowed with all those more bril- liant talents-the power of quick and deter- mined action and the leadership of men, which insure success in the affairs of the world. Equally successful as an educator, lawyer and statesman, he constantly held his ideal of abstract right above personal inter- est of any code or professional ethics, and through the long years spent in the practice of law, he sturdily refused to identify him- self with any cause which his conscience would have forbidden his advocacy of as a private individual.

Theodore Frelinghuysen, son of General Frederick Frelinghuysen, was born in Mill- stone, New Jersey, March 28, 1787. and died in New Brunswick, April 12, 1861, son of General Frederick Frelinghuysen. At the age of twelve he was sent to the gram- mar school connected with Queen's College, which he left after two years to return home. He was not fond of student life, and desired to live the life of a farmer. His father was partially reconciled to such a whim, but, being called away from home on public business, the mother took oc- casion to send the lad to a classical academy at Basking Ridge, under the Rev. Dr. Robert Finley. Completing his studies there, he entered the College of New Jersey at Princeton. Here he acquired a fondness for his studies and he graduated with high honors before his eighteenth year. He be- gan reading law under his brother John, and pursued further law studies in the of- fice of Richard Stockton, of Princeton, and entered upon practice in Newark, achiev- ing more than ordinary success. In 1817 he was appointed attorney-general by a leg- islature of opposing politics. He was twice

reappointed his service continuing from 1817 until 1829, when he resigned on ac- count of his election as United States Sena- tor; he had previously declined a seat on the Supreme Court bench of the State. He soon attracted much attention by a speech on the bill for the removal of the Indians beyond the Mississippi river, and which. while it afforded the fated red man little relief, brought him high praise, and the sobriquet of "the Christian statesman." He was recognized as a leader in the ad- vocacy of measures of moral merit, and took an active part in their discussion. On the expiration of his senatorial term he re- turned to his law practice in Newark.

Newark was incorporated as a city in 1836, and in the following year Mr. Frel- inghuysen was elected to the mayoralty, and succeeded himself by re-election. During his administration, and largely through his initiative, the city made its real beginning as a manufacturing and transportation cen- tre. On the expiration of his official term, he was unanimously chosen chancellor of the University of New York, a position which he filled with marked ability until 1850. when he resigned to accept the presi- dency of Rutgers College.

Meanwhile, in 1844, the national con- vention of the Whig party in session in Baltimore, nominated him for the vice- presidency, with the magnetic Henry Clay as the presidential candidate, and the cry of "Clay and Frelinghuysen" marked one of the greatest political contests that ever preceded a presidential election. The ticket was defeated, and Mr. Frelinghuysen re- turned to pursuits more suited to his nature. His presidency of Rutgers College con- tinued from 1850 until his death, a period of eleven years, and in which he acquitted himself with infinite credit. A man of uni- versal wisdom and guilelessness, with dis- position naturally gentle, manners concilia- tory. intellect discerning and heart up- right, he was an ideal guide of youth, and an earnest advocate of the claims of organ-

CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

ized benevolence, well meriting the encom- ium that no American layman was ever as- sociated with so many great national organ- izations for religion and charity as him- self. For sixteen years he was president of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; president of the American Bible Society from 1846 until his death ; president of the American Tract So- ciety from 1842 to 1846; vice-president of the American Sunday School Union from 1826 to 1861, a period of thirty-five years; and for many years vice-president of the American Colonization Society. In all these works and many more he took an active part. A wise counselor and an eloquent orator, successful at the bar, potent in the halls of national legislation, wielding a beneficent influence as an educator, his in- fluence was broad and of the happiest na- ture. Intensely patriotic, he fell into his last illness just as the cloud of civil war had begun its fatal discharge; he viewed the future with dread, yet with the un- shakable conviction that in the end the Union would be firmly re-established, and the nation enter upon a more glorious epoch.

Mr. Frelinghuysen married Charlotte, daughter of Dr. Archibald Mercer; the union was childless.

TENNENT, Rev. William,

Founder of the "Log College."

The Rev. Dr. Archibald Alexander said of this remarkable man that the Presbyter- ian Church in America is probably not more indebted for her prosperity and for the evangelical spirit which has generally per- vaded her body, to any individual, than to the elder Tennent, and says of his famous "Log College" that the building, "though hunille and even despicable in its external appearance, was an institution of remark- able importance to the Presbyterian church in this country."

William Tennent was born in Ireland, in 1673. He probably received his education

at Trinity College, Dublin. He took orders in the Irish Episcopal Church, and was chaplain to an Irish nobleman, but it is said that he was not given a parish because he could not conscientiously conform to the terms imposed upon the Irish clergy. In 1716 he came with his family to America, locating first at East Chester and then at Bedford, New York. He applied (prob- ably the next year) to the Presbyterian Sy- nod of Pennsylvania for admission to that body, was required to lay before it a writ- ten statement of his reasons for withdraw- ing from the Episcopal church, and, these being satisfactory, he was received into membership. In 1721 he was settled at Bensalem. Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and in 1726 he accepted a call from the Presbyterian church at Neshaminy, in the same county. It was said of him that "he brought to this country a fervent and evan- gelical spirit, which did not find much com- panionship among Presbyterians here." He was an enthusiastic student, a highly accom- plished classical scholar, and, in the ab- sence of any institution of learning in ad- vance of the common school, among the Presbyterians here, at Neshaminy he opened an "academy" for the instruction of candidates for the ministry. He built, near his residence, for the accommodation of his students, a log house about twenty feet long and nearly as wide, and which the famous Rev. George Whitefield of Eng- land (who visited it in 1739), said, "to me it seemed to resemble the school of the old prophets." The appointments were so rude that in derision it came to be known by an appellation which afterward came into high honor-"The Log College." This school is generally regarded as the seed from which sprang the Princeton Theological Seminary. When the Pennsylvania Synod divided, Mr. Tennent attached himself to the New Brunswick (New Jersey). Pres- bytery. For some time before his death he was too feeble to occupy his pulpit. He died at Neshaminy, May 6, 1746. He was

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the father of three sons who entered the ministry.

Gilbert Tennent, eldest son of Rev. Wil- liam Tennent, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, April 5, 1703. He came to Amer- ica with his father, was first on the list of students in his father's "Log College," and was also an assistant in teaching the stu- dents.

He was first religiously affected when he was fourteen years of age, but it was several years after that time before his mind was established "in comfort and peace." He began the study of medicine; but, his doubts becoming dispelled, turned to theology, and was licensed by the Pres- bytery of Philadelphia in May, 1725. In the same year he received the degree of A. M. from Yale. He preached for a short time at Newcastle, Delaware, and was in- vited to the Presbyterian church in that place, but declined, and in the autumn of 1726 was ordained and settled as pastor of the Presbyterian church at New Brunswick, New Jersey. His preaching here was very popular. "He seemed," said Rev. Mr. Bruce, of Boston, Massachusetts, "to have such a lively view of the Divine Majesty, of the spirituality, purity, extensiveness and strictness of the law, with His glorious holi- ness and displeasure at sin * that * the very terrors of God seemed to rise in his mind afresh when he displayed them in the eyes of unreconciled sinners." An- other hearer has recorded that "when he exhibited the richness of the grace of God, and the provisions of the Gospel, the heavens seemed to smile, the clouds were dispelled, and the sky became serene." In 1740-41 Dr. Tennent made a preaching tour through New England as far as Boston, at the request of Whitefield. Some of the Boston clergy favored Dr. Tennent, one of them declaring that, as a consequence of the latter's searching sermons, more per- sons had come to him in a week for con- versation on the subject of religion than during the whole twenty-four years of his

ministry. At Cambridge, Massachusetts, at New Haven, Connecticut, and elsewhere, he aroused the deepest interest. He wore at that time a long coat fastened with a leather girdle, and this costume, added to his large stature and dignified carriage, made him an impressive figure. With re- gard to revivals, to which his own preach- ing gave rise, there was great difference of opinion in his own synod; and in the harsh- ness of his censures and the severity of his denunciations- of those who disagreed with him Tennent went far beyond all the breth- ren who sustained him. In the contest which grew out of this, he and his especial sympathizers were expelled from the Philadelphia Synod, but Tennent was among the first to seek a reconciliation, writing and publishing a pamphlet. "The Pacificator," with that end in view, and ef- fecting a reunion in 1758. In 1743 he was called to the pastorate of the Second Pres- byterian Church in Philadelphia, which had been organized by converts made under the preaching of Whitefield; here he became less controversial, and used manuscript in the pulpit instead of extemporizing. Seek- ing funds to build a large church, he asked Benjamin Franklin for names of probable benefactors, and was advised by the sage to "call on everybody," which he did with great success. A similar result attended his mission to England with Samuel Davies of Virginia, in 1753, to solicit contributions for the College of New Jersey. He pub- lished "A Solemn Warning" ( 1735) ; three volumes of sermons ( 1744, 1745, 1758) and many single discourses. "As a preach- er, few equalled him in his vigorous days," said President Finley ; and Dr. Henry B. Smith called him "that soul of fire." He remained pastor of the Second Church in Philadelphia until his death, July 23, 1764.

William Tennent, Jr., second son of Rev. William Tennent. Sr., was born in County Armagh, Ireland, June 3. 1705, and died March 8, 1777. He came to this country with his father. in whose "Log College" he

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CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

studied, and also under his brother Gilbert at New Brunswick, New Jersey. While thus engaged he became seriously ill, and one morning during a conversation in Latin with his brother concerning the state of his soul, he fainted. It was found impossible to revive him, and his body was prepared for burial, but at the time set for the fu- neral services, his physician arrived and in- terfered. Three days elapsed before he gave signs of life, and nearly a year before he regained his normal health. For a time he was ignorant of the events of life pre- vious to his illness, and had to be taught anew, like a child. Suddenly, one day, when he was reciting a lesson in Latin, he felt a shock in his head, and by degrees his memory of the past, and all his knowledge returned. He assured his friends that dur- ing his trance he was in heaven in a state of rapture, surrounded by hosts of happy beings singing songs of adoration, but he never could be persuaded to commit to writing his recollections of his experiences.

In October, 1733, he was installed pas- tor of the Presbyterian church at Freehold, New Jersey, succeeding his brother John, and remained there until his death. His ministry was greatly blessed, and his life was inspiring by reason of its saintliness. According to tradition, his interest in earth- ly matters was so slight that when he was asked why he did not marry, he replied that he did not know how to go about the busi- ness. The questioner recommended his own sister-in-law ; the clergyman consented to an introduction, and, when he met the lady, informed her that neither time nor inclination would permit of much ceremony on his part, but that if she was willing, he would return in a few days and marry her. After proper hesitation she expressed her willingness, soon was made mistress of the manse, and the marriage proved a happy one. Their son William ( 1740-77) was graduated at Princeton in 1758, was pastor

of a Congregational church at Norwalk, Connecticut, 1765-72, retaining his connec- tion with the Presbytery of New Brun -. wick, which had ordained him, and of the Independent Congregational Church at Charleston, South Carolina, from 1772 un- til his death. He was an ardent patriot, a member of the Provincial Congress, and a preacher of power.

John Tennent, third son of Rev. William Tennent, Sr., was born in County Armagh. Ireland, November 12, 1707. He was brought to this country by his father ; was educated at the latter's "Log College," was licensed to preach September 18, 1729, and was settled over the Presbyterian church at Freehold, New Jersey, November 19, 1730. The church was founded by Scotch people who, after suffering persecution under Charles II, were shipped to the southern American colonies to be sold, but, being driven into Perth Amboy, New Jersey, by a storm, were set free by the authorities. A number of them settled in Monmouth county, and in 1692 organized the church to which John Tennent was called. His set- tlement as pastor led to the adjustment of differences in the congregation, the church prospered under him, and in the same year a new house of worship was erected, which served until 1750, when a larger one was built that is still used. For more than one hundred and fifty years it was called Free- hold, but since that time has been known as the Tennent Church. A sermon by Rev. John Tennent, on "Regeneration," with a memoir, was published by his brother Gil- bert in 1735, and this, together with re- ports of his preaching, warrant the belief that, had he lived, he would have rivaled his brothers in usefulness. The records of the session of Freehold church call him "the most laborious, successful, well-quali- fied, and pious pastor this age afforded." He died a triumphant death at Freehold, April 23, 1732.

CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

DICKINSON, Rev. Jonathan,

First President College of New Jersey.

Jonathan Dickinson was born in Hat- field, Massachusetts, April 22, 1688. He was sent to Yale College, from which he was graduated in 1706, studied theology, and two years later was installed pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Eliza- bethtown, New Jersey. To his charge were added the adjoining townships of Rahway, Westfield, Union, Springfield, and a part of Chatham. Over this church he re- mained for more than forty years, minister- ing to the physical as well as the spiritual wants of the people, for he was a practis- ing physician, having devoted his spare hours to the study of that profession. In 1741, after the separation of the New Jer- sey churches from the Philadelphia Synod, he was instrumental in obtaining a charter for the College of New Jersey, under which name the old Nassau Hall was incorpor- ated. This institution was opened in Eliza- bethtown in 1746, and Dr. Dickinson was elected president. In assuming the presi- dency, he but continued his former custom of receiving young men for instruction, having already prepared a large number for various professions, and who afterward be- came prominent in the history of the coun- try. His incumbency lasted but one year, yet, during that time, he accomplished so much for the college and the community that the impress of his heart and mind has remained until this day. His last words were: "Many days have passed between God and my soul, in which I have solemnly dedicated myself to him, and I trust what I have committed unto him he is able to keep until that day."

Mr. Dickinson was a solemn, weighty and moving preacher; a uniform advocate of the distinguishing doctrines of grace; in- dustrious, indefatigable and successful in his ministerial labors. He was of manly and commanding presence, his aspect grave and solemn, so that "penitents trembled as.

they sat before him." His writings are de- signed "to unfold the wonderful method of redemption, and to lead men to that cheer- ful consecration of all their talents to their Maker, to that careful avoidance of sin, and practice of godliness, which will ex- alt them to glory." The most important of his writings are: "Discourses on the Rea- sonableness of Christianity," "Four Ser- mons," "The True Scripture Doctrine Concerning Some Important Points of Christian Faith," and "Familiar Letters to a Gentleman." Dr. Erskine said that the British Isies had produced no such writers on divinity in the eighteenth century as Dickinson and Edwards. He died October 7, 1747.

BURR, Rev. Aaron,

Clergyman, Educator.

Aaron Burr was born at Fairfield, Con- necticut, January 4, 1716, son of Daniel and Eliza Burr, and grandson of Jehu (2d) and Mary (Ward) Burr. He was graduated from Yale in 1735, and awarded one of the Berkeley scholarships, which enabled him to pursue his theological studies. In 1737 he was admitted to the Presbyterian min- istry, and installed as pastor of the church at Newark, New Jersey. There he opened a school for boys, which he managed suc- cessfully for some years, and in 1748 he was chosen president of the College of New Jersey, which had grown from the school started by William Tennent at Neshaminy, New Jersey, in 1726, and which became known as the "Log College." The school was removed to Newark, New Jersey, so that he might attend to the duties of the presidency without resigning his parish. The first class was graduated in 1748, and was composed of six young men. Presi- dent Burr resigned his pastorate at New- ark in 1756, and removed the college to Princeton, New Jersey. He published "The Newark Grammar," which was used for a number of years at Princeton, and

CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY

"The Supreme Deity of Our Lord Jesus Christ," a small volume (new edition, 1791), and several sermons. He died of overwork at Princeton, New Jersey, Sep- tember 24, 1757. In 1752 President Burr married Esther, daughter of Jonathan Ed- wards. The fruit of this union was a daughter, who married Tapping Reeve, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Con -. necticut, and a son, Aaron, who became Vice-President of the United States.

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Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume I, Part 7

Author: Ogden, Mary Depue Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Newark, N.J. : Memorial History Company Number of Pages: 980

Author: Ogden, Mary Depue
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Newark, N.J. : Memorial History Company
Number of Pages: 980