USA > New Jersey > Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume II > Part 36
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James Flemming Jr., eldest son of James Flemming Sr., and grandson of Isaac Edge, was born in Jersey City, January 24, 1834. He came from an English family, his fath- er having emigrated from Lamworth, Eng- land, and settled in Jersey City, about the year 1830. His grandfather sailed in the British navy under the great commander Nelson and was wounded in the battle of Copenhagen. His grandmother was a West, related to the Earl of Delaware. His moth- er, Alice Amy Edge, was a daughter of Isaac Edge, who fled from England on ac- count of Republican principles; came to America and settled in Jersey City: he served in the War of 1812.
James Flemming Jr. received an academ- ic education, attending first the old school in Sussex street; afterwards graduated at the high school in the city of New York and prepared to enter the University, but instead took up the study of medicine. This he pursued for a short time, and then en- tered the law office of Edgar B. Wake-
man, Esq., and was admitted to the bar as an attorney at the February term, 1855, and as a counsellor at the June term, 1858. He entered upon practice in partnership with his former preceptor, Edgar B. Wake- man, Esq., which continued for some years. He then formed a partnership with Wash- ington B. Williams, Esq., and upon the termination of the same he opened an office by himself, from that time on practiced in- dependently.
The first distinction which Mr. Flem- ming won after he came to the bar was the defense of Margaret Hogan, who was in- dicted for the murder of her infant child. John P. Vroom, Esq., was associated with him, they having been assigned by the court to defend the woman. Mr. Flemming brought into this cause all of his youthful ardor and zeal. He was untiring in research for every scrap of evidence which would tend to throw light on the woman's inno- cence, and so able and thorough was the de- fense that the woman was acquitted, and her counsel highly commended by the pub- lic press of that day. Among the other fa- mous cases in which he was engaged was the defense of Jennie E. Smith and Covert D. Bennett, indicted for the murder of Mrs. Smith's husband. Before the coroner's jury Mr. Flemming and Mr. Edgar B. Wakeman appeared for the prisoners, and at their trial Messrs. Charles H. Winfield. William T. Hoffman, Gilbert Collins and Mr. Flemming appeared for the defense. This was one of the most celebrated mur- der trials of modern times. The evidence was entirely circumstantial, and the de- fendants were convicted of murder in the first degree. The case went to the Court of Errors and Appeals, where the verdict was set aside, and upon a second trial they were acquitted. While all the counsel in the cause bore their full share of responsi- bility, none were more active and zealous than Mr. Flemming, and it is understood that the successful exceptions upon which the verdict was set aside originated with
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him. It can be truly said of Mr. Flemming that in the defense of a person on trial for murder, no fee however large, could incite him to greater zeal and energy in the de- fence of the case than the life of the pris- oner placed at the bar of the court, and he was very successful in his cases. Mr. Flem- ming conducted some very important civil suits which had gone through all the courts of the State, and in which he won much distinction. He took a leading part in all reform movements and was shrewd in de- tecting fraud in cases involving revenue matters. He was a man of literary tastes and extensive reading, delivering lectures occasionally, upon literary subjects and travels, as he visited Europe three different times and made the principal cities and ob- jects of interest a study. Many of his ob- servations were embodied in letters to the press. These letters were instructive and highly enjoyed by the citizens of Jersey City, particularly those relating to the Pas- sion Play which he witnessed at Oberam- mergau.
Mr. Flemming married Miss Sarah La- tou, daughter of Robert Latou, Esq., of New York City. They had three children : Robert, Alice and Sallie, all residents of Jersey City. Mr. Flemming died very sud- denly at Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, on October 1, 1894.
MANNERS, Edwin,
Lawyer, Leader in Community Affairs.
Foremost among the eminent, distin- guished and successful lawyers of Jersey City, must be mentioned the late Edwin Manners, son of David Stout and Debor- ah Philips (Johnes) Manners, grandson of Captain David and Mary (Schenck) Man- ners, and of David Johnes, and great-grand- son of John Manners, and of Major David Johnes.
Edwin Manners was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, March 6, 1855. He was edu-
cated in public school No. 3; Hasbrouck Institute, Jersey City ; Mount Pleasant Mil- itary Academy, Sing Sing, New York; and Princeton University, receiving the degree of A.B. in 1877 and that of A.M. in 1880. At these three institutions he was connect- ed as editor with the "Quill," the "Mount Pleasant Reveille," and the "Nassau Liter- ary Magazine," and in them also won prizes for composition and speaking. Afterwards he became a writer of marked ability, con- tributing articles of both prose and verse to leading magazines and newspapers. He read law with the firm of Collins & Corbin, of Jersey City, received the degree of LL.B. from Columbia Law School, and was admitted to the bar of New Jersey at Tren- ton as an attorney in November, 1880, and as a counselor in November, 1883. He en- gaged in active practice in Jersey City, where he was prominent in securing an adequate water supply for that place, and in other civic improvements. He was also distinguished in military service, and as a surveyor of lands. He accumulated a val- uable library, in addition to the rare books belonging to his father and family. He was a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Jersey City Board of Trade, the Sons of the American Revolution, and the Pal- ma and Princeton clubs. He was also a member and vestryman of St. Mark's Epis- copal Church, Jersey City, to which he be- queathed one thousand dollars, also gifts to the University of New York and other institutions.
Mr. Manners passed away in 1910, sur- vived by his sisters, Marie, Helen and Blanche Manners, to whom he was devot- edly attached.
DUBAR, Charles Louis,
Dental Practitioner and Instructor.
Charles Louis Dubar, one of the most ac- complished and successful surgeon dentists of his day, whose home was in East
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Orange, New Jersey, was a son of Matthi- as and Stephanie Dubar, and was born in Paris, France, February 24, 1852.
He was young when he came to this country, and was graduated from St. Fran- cis Xavier Academy, New York. In 1875 he was graduated from the Dental College of New York, and had the honor of being valedictorian of his class. On September 25, 1876, Dr. Dubar was appointed Mem- bre Honoraire de l'Institut du Progrès. In 1881 the degree of Master of Dental Sur- gery was conferred upon him by the New York State Dental Society. He was one of the most prominent dental surgeons in the city of New York, and lectured on this subject in the New York College of Den- tistry and the French Hospital. His pre- ceptor in his own studies was the late Dr. W. H. Dwinelle. Dr. Dubar was a mem- ber of the First District Dental Society of New York, of the Royal Arcanum, and of Court Bonny Brook, No. 284, Foresters of America. His religious membership was with the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, of New York City.
Dr. Dubar married, November 23, 1877, Miss Constance A. Lastayo, who died No- vember 7, 1895, leaving three children : Mrs. L. Mungar, born in September, 1878; Mrs. E. Hare, born in December, 1885; and Constance Dubar, born in November, 1895.
On June 10, 1897, Dr. Dubar married Miss Elvira Lastayo, a sister of his first wife; she died December 19, 1907. On September 22, 1909, at St. Francis Xavier's Church, in New York City, he married Marie A. M., a daughter of Charles J. and Noemie P. Roussel. They had one child, Noemie Roussel Dubar, born August II, 1910.
Dr. Dubar passed away in his fifty-ninth year, while enjoying a well deserved popu- larity. He was possessed of a rare store of information on all subjects, was a de- lightful conversationalist. a musician of no little ability and his artistic sense was
shown in his work. Friends and business acquaintances alike felt the charm of his manner. A gentle humor bore testimony to the kindliness of his disposition.
CRAWFORD, Thomas,
Prominent Business Man.
To Thomas Crawford, late of Trenton, New Jersey, is due that tribute of respect and admiration which is always given, and justly so, to those men who, through their own efforts, have worked their way upward to positions of prominence; who have achieved a competence through their own labors; and who, by their honorable deal- ing, command the esteem and confidence of those with whom they have been thrown in contact.
The Crawford family is an ancient one and, while it was well established in Scot- land prior to 1200, we are told that it is of Anglo-Norman origin some two centuries earlier, and the Crawfords of Scotland trace their ancestry to a Norman noble of the days of William the Conqueror. The name is sometimes spelled Crawfutt in the early Scotch records, while Crauford was the ordinary spelling until later date. A list of the heads of important Scotch famil- ies in 1291 has been preserved, and is known to historians as the Ragman's Roll. On this list are five Crawfords. The titles held in Scotland by this family were: The Viscountcies of Mount Crawford and Gar- nock ; the earldom of Crawford belonged to the Lindsey family. A number of Crawfords were among the Scotch who were given grants of land in the Province of Ulster, Ireland, in 1610. and later by King James I. Some of the American families trace their descent from the first settler in Ty- rone, Ireland, George Crawford. Nicholas Pynnar, who made a survey of the Scotch- Irish settlements in 1619, reported that in the Precinct of Mountjoy, County Tyrone, George Crawford liad transferred his thousand acre grant to Alexander Sander
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son. Owing to the destruction of many early records, it is not always possible to trace the descent in an uninterrupted man- ner.
Thomas Crawford was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1833, and died in Trenton, New Jersey, December 15, 1911. His ed- ucation was acquired in his native land, and in the year 1847, when still a young lad, he emigrated to America. For a time he made his home in Brooklyn, New York, then re- moved to Trenton, New Jersey, where the remainder of his life was passed. He fol- lowed the calling of a blacksmith for many years, then established himself in the un- dertaking business with which he was suc- cessfully identified for many years. He was the founder of the undertaking busi- ness of Thomas Crawford's Sons, which is now conducted by his grandson, D. I. Crawford, a son of Thomas Crawford Jr. The business was established in 1882, and when Mr. Crawford retired to private life some years ago, it was continued by his sons, and upon their demise, by the present owners. Thomas Crawford Sr. was one of the oldest members of the Sacred Heart Parish, and had been president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society for almost half a century. He was re-elected annually be- cause of the excellent service he rendered in behalf of the poor and distressed, and his untiring activity in their behalf. A char- acteristic story of Mr. Crawford is as fol- lows: It was just about a week before his death that Mr. Crawford was busied about some small matters on the lawn in front of his substantial little bungalow, when his attention was attracted to a poor man who was on his way from Trenton to Borden- town. After a little conversation with the man, Mr. Crawford deliberately removed his overcoat and insisted upon its accept- ance by the wayfarer, whose needs had im- pressed him. This occurrence was witnessed by one of the neighbors, but occasioned no comment, as Mr. Crawford was noted for his charity. He was an active member of
the Knights of Columbus, and was an earn- est supporter of the Democratic party, al- though he never desired to hold public of- fice. While the early education of Mr. Crawford was a limited one, he was a man of keen observation and a deep thinker. The questions of the day were followed by him with the greatest interest, and he was a gifted writer on current events.
Mr. Crawford married (first) Novem- ber 13, 1853, Margaret O'Connor, who died November 1, 1893. He married (second), January 2, 1896, Mary Phalen, widow of Thomas Bryant, who survives him. Chil- dren: Joseph, Frank, W. Henry and Thomas Jr., all now deceased.
CROUSE, Otto,
Prominent Lawyer.
Hon. Otto Crouse was one of the most brilliant men of Hudson county, who most ably presided over the First District Court of Hadson county, and one of the most useful and admired members of the New Jersey State Board of Education, and Pro- fessor of Law in the New York Law School, and it has been said of him, "his legal mind and unyielding grasp of the fundamental principles of honor and hones- ty gave him at once standing at the bar which mere brilliancy or genius would have failed to win. Nature had with lavish hand endowed him with splendid faculties and talents of a high order and she had coupled with these qualities a determination to bring them to their fruition."
Judge Crouse was born at Sampsonville, New York, April 24, 1861, son of Fred- erick and Doretta Crouse. The family mov- ed to Monmouth county, New Jersey, when Otto Crouse was young. He was educa- ted in Freehold, New Jersey, at the Insti- . tute, and in 1879 matriculated at Prince- ton University, was at the head of his class, Academic Department, graduated in 1883. and spoke the valedictory. He entered the law office of Bedle, Muirheid & McGee,
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immediately after his graduation, and re- mained with the firm (although not a mem- ber) from 1900 to 1904, until appointed judge of the First District Court of Hud- son county. When his term expired he formed a partnership with Judge Blair, af- terward with Randolph Perkins (law part- nership). He was president of the Hud- son County Bar Association, and was a member and vestryman of St. John's Epis- copal Church, Jersey City. Just in the height of apparent vigor, and certainly of popularity in Hudson county, his health be- gan to fail him, and he was obliged to go to Colorado. At the time of his death, February 22, 1911, at Long Beach, Cali- fornia, he was in the front rank of his pro- fession, well beloved, and the charm of a large circle of friends. His wife, Chris- tine (Bowen) Crouse, bore him four chil- dren.
HAYES, William,
Leading Jewelry Manufacturer.
William Hayes, head of the jewelry manufacturing firm of Hayes Brothers, at 42 Hill street, Newark, New Jersey, a vet- eran of many sharply contested baseball games of forty years ago, and known in the rifle shooting circles, military and other- wise, throughout this country and in Eng- land and Germany for his expert marks- manship, died suddenly on the Seventeenth "of June, 1911, at his home 739 Higl: street. In what seemed to be perfect health, and giving active attention to the details of his business up to that time, Mr. Hayes became ill about two weeks before his death. An operation was considered neces- sary in order to save his life, but from which he never recovered.
Mr. Hayes was born in 1848 in the home of Jabez W. Hayes, his father, at 918 Broad street. He was the youngest of four sons, and began his business life with his father and his brothers, Henry W., Charles and Frederick T. Hayes, as manufacturers
of jewelry in Broad street, where the city hall now stands. The elder Hayes was an expert steel engraver, connected with the Union Banknote Company, and had the dis- tinction of having engraved the plates for an issue of paper money by the city of Newark in the early '60's. From the time the jewelry business began, it was a suc- cess. At the death of Jabez W. Hayes, it was conducted by the sons. Henry W. was the first of the quartet of brothers to die. Later, Frederick T. went to Red Bank, where he now lives, and the business was continued by Charles and William until the death of the former a few years ago. After which Mr. William Hayes con- ducted it alone, giving his personal atten- tion until stricken with the fatal illness.
Mr. Hayes is survived by his widow, Mrs. Adelaide Hayes, one of the daugh- ters of the late David B. Hedden, whose home was in Rankin Place, just back of the old Essex court house at Springfield avenue and Market street; and by two daughters, one of whom is the wife of Colonel Henry H. Brinkerhoff, of Jersey City, and one son.
Mr. Hayes was a man of quiet dignity and great nerve, a genial traveling compan- ion, and an interesting conversationalist in English or German. He was widely known through his baseball proclivities, and the wonderful reputation which he made in that field of sport in his early life : through his wonderful ability as a rifle and shotgun de- votee, and in his participation in match shoots for many years at Sea Girt, and in nearly every other State in this country, and through his extensive connections in the jewelry trade.
From about 1864 to 1867 Mr. Hayes was one of the brightest stars in baseball in this section of the country. He played as a shortstop in the old Active Club, and was an exceptionally clever fieldler. From the Actives he went to the Eurekas, an old- er and equally famous organization in the baseball world of those days, playing with
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brilliant success in the same position for that team. He began his career as a marks- man about 1870 in a gallery in the old Kay gun store in Newark. He had been an adept in everything he undertook from his child- hood days, at St. Paul's Church school, and when he began to shoot he was instant- ly marked as a coming man at the targets. He liked the new sport, and in a few years he attained the highest place among Amer- ican marksmen. He became closely allied with the German-American Schuetzen- bund, and for many years held the title of "King of the Schuetzenfest," winning it repeatedly at the big National gatherings of marksmen at Union Hill. He was for many years the champion rifle shot at short and long ranges, excelling at anything from 200 to 600 yards and being without a peer on the ring target.
Besides participating actively in shoot- ing festivals and team matches all over the country, he made a study of everything con- nected with firearms and their use, and be- came a recognized authority on everything from the Scheutzenfest rifle to the latest models in modern service arms, as well as in pistol and shotguns and ammunition of all kinds. He also did a great deal of ex- perimental and practical work to improve weapons and missiles and the manner of using them. He was the winner of many cups and badges and gained a world wide reputation as a designer and maker of high class badges for shooting clubs and for ath- letic sports of all kinds, as well as of badges for fraternal orders, in which his firm did an immense business.
He was an expert in pistol practice at the shorter ranges and with shotgun in the field or at the traps, as he was with a rifle. He was at one time a member of the New Jersey National Guard rifle team of sharpshooters as a volunteer in the Second Regiment, and participated in some of the matches as a representative of New Jer- sey. His services were also much in de- mand as instructor and coach for individ-
ual shooters and for the rifle teams and of late years he had spent such time as he could spare from business on the State ranges at the Sea Girt Camp in the summer rifle shooting season, becoming acquainted with these and making strong friends of the leading marksmen of the whole country and of some foreign countries.
RANDOLPH, Bennington F.,
Lawyer, Jurist, Enterprising Citizen.
When, at the ripe age of seventy-three years, Judge Randolph went from earthly scenes, there passed one of the strong men of the New Jersey bar, one who had graced the bench, and one who had taken more than an ordinary part in the business life of his day. When one gazes at the great building of the Equitable Life Assurance Society on Broadway, New York, the mind unconsciously turns back to what must have been the small beginning of the Society in 1859. When the formation of the Society was first effected, Judge Randolph, one of the organizers, was elected a trustee, during the succeeding thirty years retaining that position, and to his zeal, ability, and wisdom the great building stands in part as a monu- ment. So, too, the Central Railroad of New Jersey owes to him, in part, its existence, for as one of the organizers, its counsel, and one time treasurer, he served that cor- poration. The list of institutions and cor- porations benefiting by his legal wisdom, his zeal and his leadership could be ex- tended indefinitely, including banks, trust companies, schools, seminaries, colleges, and churches. All this was in addition to an extensive law practice and several terms of service as judge of Hudson county courts. Success, professional and material, came to liim abundantly but solely through merit, was well earned and richly deserved. The name Randolph, everywhere and in each generation an honored one, gained new lustre from his blameless, upright life, his high intellectual attainment, his legal reputa-
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tion, his devotion to his wife and his family, his dignity and exquisite courtesy, gentle manner, attractive personality, nobility of character and exalted nature. Honored him- self, he always preferred others in honor.
Judge Randolph sprang from English ancestry and from a family rich in pro- fessional reputation. The name, originally Fitz Randolph, was so borne by the first five American generations, but Francis, of the sixth generation, retained only the initial "F," and wrote his name Randolph, as did his son, Judge Bennington F. Ran- dolph. The original immigrants of this branch, Edward and Elizabeth ( Blossom) Fitz Randolph, came to this country about 1680. The line of descent is through their son, Joseph Fitz Randolph, born in 1656, who married Hannah Conger ; their son, Joseph (2) Fitz Randolph, born in 1690, who married Rebecca Drake; their son, Joseph (3) Fitz Randolph, born May 24, 1722, who married Esther Broderick : their son, Robert Fitz Randolph, born in Middle- sex county, New Jersey, September 24, 1762, died September 5, 1821, who married Nancy Campton, of French Huguenot de- scent ; their son, Francis C. F. Randolph, born in 1793. died in 1828, who married Phoebe Halsey Crane; their son, Benning- ton F. Randolph, to whose memory this re- view is dedicated.
Robert Fitz Randolph, head of the fifth American generation and grandfather of Judge Bennington F. Randolph, was pre- pared for the practice of medicine and prac- ticed his profession for many years. Late in life he studied for the ministry and was ordained a clergyman of the Baptist church on August 27, 1812, at Samptown, his brother, Rev. Jacob Randolph, then being pastor of the church there. From August, 1817, until 1820, he was the regularly set- tled pastor of the Staten Island Baptist Church. He was universally known, how- ever, as "Doctor" Randolph. He married, when about twenty-six years of age, Nancy
Campton, who survived him nearly thirty years, dying February 22, 1851.
Francis C. F. Randolph, father of Judge Bennington F. Randolph, was born January 14, 1793, in Piscataway, New Jersey, died in Newark, New Jersey, in 1828, and was buried in the churchyard of the First Pres- byterian Church at Elizabeth, directly in the rear of the church, near the northwest corner. After his marriage, on March 6, 1816, he located in Belvidere, where he practiced law, purchasing the law library and later receiving a share of the law busi- ness of Caleb O. Halsted. In 1825 he mov- ed to Elizabeth, where he engaged in prac- tice, his contemporaries being those great New Jersey lawyers, Chetwood, Willianson, Scudder, Frelinghuysen, Hornblower. and other noted lawyers of the Union and Essex county bars. Although a young man, he won instant recognition, and was chosen to represent Essex county in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, this honor being followed by his election as surrogate of Essex county. Upon his election to the latter office he moved to Newark, where he purchased the premises on the west side of Broad street, south of and adjoining the Third Presbyterian Church. There he lived until he fell a victim to the dread disease consumption, at the early age of thirty-six years. He married. March 16, 1816, Phoebe Halsey Crane, born September 23, 1793, daughter of Benjamin Crane. of Elizabeth, New Jersey, also of a distinguished New Jersey family.
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