USA > New Jersey > Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume III > Part 2
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up his conduct in the office of counsel of his native city, it clearly appears that in the advice he tendered, and in the digni- fied, straightforward course he pursued, he always did that which he believed to be for the best interests of the munici- pality and its citizens, while doing injus- tice to no one, and that he could not tolerate even the suspicion of performing a dishonorable official act. It is said of him that he had accomplished as much as many accomplish at eighty years of age.
Mr. Marsh, needless to say, exerted a great influence on the affairs of his native city; his work was widely ex- tended, and although he has passed on from the scene of his earthly labor his influence is felt and recognized. He was public-spirited and progressive, ever ready to forward a movement that tended toward morality, always anxious that right principles in politics and citizenship should be in the ascendant, always mind- ful of those little attentions to the older members of the bar to whom he looked as ensamples of cultured intelligence, always eager to increase the standards of pro- fessional character among young attor- neys. Upon the announcement at the legislative session of 1892 that a bill was introduced to legalize race-track gam- bling and that it would probably pass, Mr. Marsh, with the late Rev. E. M. Rod- man and one or two others, called a pub- lic meeting at Music Hall, Plainfield, which was presided over by Mayor Gil- bert, and at it Mr. Marsh spoke with a fearlessness, vigor and burning eloquence that he seldom, if ever, surpassed. But the act passed, and there was nothing to do save wait another year, and then if possible elect such men to the legislature as would secure its repeal. Accordingly the Plainfield Branch of the State Citi- zens' League was organized, and Mr. Marsh prepared its constitution and was
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one of the active members of its execu- tive committee. In 1904 Mr. Marsh was elected president of the Union County Bar Association, was reelected in 1905, and in 1906 declined to allow his name to be used. ' Notwithstanding this, he was unanimously elected and served for the year 1906. He was a charter member of the State Bar Association ; during the years from 1901 to 1906 he served as a member, and later as chairman of the committee on admissions, on the commit- tee for the improvement of the judicial system, and on the committee on legal education. In 1906-07 he was a member of the board of directors, and from 1908 to 1909 he was second vice-president. From then until his death he was on the special committee upon the judiciary amendments, and the committee on ethics and grievances. He was a member of the Union County Lincoln Association, and a member of its executive committee. A large number of clubs and associations were incorporated through Mr. Marsh, who prepared the necessary papers. In 1881, when the Plainfield Public Library was formed, Mr. Marsh was one of its first board of directors. He was inter- ested in the public park of the city, and the Town Improvement Association, of whose advisory committee he was a mem- ber, also had his earnest support, and his contribution of time, thought and money. So did the Children's Home, Muhlenberg Hospital, and other similar institutions. He was a member of Anchor Lodge, No. 149, Free and Accepted Masons, in which he was installed May 25. 1886, passed October 26, 1886, raised November 23, 1886; made senior deacon, 1888; senior warden, 1889; worshipful master, Janu- ary 14, 1890; retired and became past worshipful master, December 28, 1890. On February 23, 1892, he was presented by the lodge with an elaborate and costly
jewel accompanied by an apron. He was made a thirty-second degree Mason, Jan- uary 7, 1888. He was also a member of the Plainfield High School Alumni Asso- ciation, Union College and Columbia Law School Alumni associations, City Bar Association of Plainfield, International Law Association, New York Law Insti- tute, Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, Plain- feld, Watchung Hunt, Riding and Driv- ing, Park and Sangerbund clubs, Mat- tano Club of Elizabeth, Citizens' League, State Charities Aid Association, Plain- fieid Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Plainfield Young Men's Christian Association and the McAll Mis- sion. In politics he was always a Repub- lican.
Mr. Marsh was a personal friend and admirer of Rev. Dr. A. V. V. Raymond, when the latter was pastor of Trinity Re- formed Church, Plainfield, the friendship dating from their college days at Sche- nectady. Previous to Dr. Raymond's call to Plainfield in 1881, Mr. Marsh had gone to the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, of which his mother was a mem- ber and in which he was baptized as a child, but he then felt it incumbent to change to Trinity, and he continued to attend there until Dr. Raymond went to Albany, in 1887. Then he immediately returned to the Crescent Avenue Church, and continued to worship there until his death, and was a most faithful attendant upon its services. His reading, aside from the law, was always of an elevating char- acter, and of all the poets, Shakespeare easily stood first in his affections. He was a careful reader of good newspapers, and from his college days cut out the best articles and preserved them. He was a lover of good music, had a natural ear for music, and possessed a fine bass voice, and was a fine performer on the flute. The recreation from which he received
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most pleasure in later years was that of horseback riding, which he felt was the means of greatly benefitting his health.
Mr. Marsh married, January 10, 1877, Mary Catherine, daughter of Ransom Baldwin and Elizabeth Ann (Winne) Moore, formerly of Troy, New York, where she was born, although then re- siding at Olivet, Michigan. Mr. Moore was a publisher in Troy, the firm in 1851 being Merriam & Moore. Later Mr. Mer- riam left the firm, and Mr. Moore con- tinued the business under the name of Moore & Nimes, until 1869. This was the first firm to manufacture terrestrial and celestial globes. In 1870 Mr. Moore removed to Michigan, and there estab- lished a private banking house. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh were the parents of one child, Craig Adams Jr., born March 3, 1878, died July 9, 1879.
Upon the death of Mr. Marsh, which occurred November 12, 1910, in com- memoration of his life and professional character, and as a recognition of his faithful service, a proclamation was issued by the mayor that the public build- ings be draped for thirty days, and official action was also taken by the common council and many other public bodies. The press of the city and State published editorial tributes, and many expressions of regret and appreciation of his personal worth and fidelity to his trust were re- ceived from members of the bar and others. Letters were received from cx- Chancellor William J. Magie, ex-Justice Bennet Van Syckel, ex-Justice Gilbert Collins, Judge Benjamin A. Vail, Judge Edward S. Atwater, Vice-Chancellor Frederic W. Stevens, Hon. John Ulrich, Mr. Joseph C. Allen, Mr. Richard V. Lindabury, Mr. Frank Bergen, Mr. Hal- sey M. Barrett, Mr. Jackson E. Reynolds. ex-Mayor John H. Van Winkle, Mr. George S. Clay, Justice William P. Rudd, ex-Mayor L. V. F. Randolph, ex-Mayor
Alexander Gilbert, ex-Mayor William L. Saunders and Rev. Charles A. Eaton, D. D. Personal letters were also received from Mayor Charles J. Fisk, Dr. George W. Endicott, Mr. E. E. Phillips, Hon. S. S. Swackhamer, President Charles A. Richmond, Hon. Bartow S. Weeks, Jus- tice Samuel Kalisch, Hon. Henry C. Pit- ney, ex-justice Van Syckel, ex-Justice Gilbert Collins, Hon. P. R. von Mindon, Mr. F. J. Hubbard, Mr. James L. Griggs and Mrs. Dempsey. The following is the tribute of respect from ex-Chancellor Wil- liam J. Magic :
When Mr. Marsh came to the bar, he had the good sense to perceive that he did not know all the law. He therefore entered upon a course of systematic reading and study, which, he has told me, he continued to do even in the midst of his active practice. He thus acquired an extensive knowledge of legal principles. He possessed the tact and acquired the facility of applying those principles in the actual conduct of affairs, and particularly to the facts of the cases in which he was employed. When his clients discovered his sound knowledge and his ability in managing their affairs, success came to him almost at once. It came so rapidly that it might have over- whelmed a less methodical and industrious man. That was not the case with him.
No pressure of business ever permitted him to appear before any Court with a case unprepared. He disclosed in every case that he not only familiarized himself with the points on which he could rely, but he was prepared to meet the points which his opponent might present. He, therefore, early obtained what is sometimes called "the ear of the Court," by which I mean no favoritism or partiality of the Judges but their feeling that, when he presented a case, what he said was entitled to consideration.
He had not only convictions, but the courage of his convictions. He was not shaken by the arguments of his opponents or even by the sug- gestions of the Court. He maintained his posi- tions with courteous persistence, but if the Court ruled against him he submitted with dignity. With his natural ability, his acquired knowledge and his diligence, he attained a position among the foremost of the Bar of the whole State.
I have not infrequently called the attention of students at law and the younger members of the
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Bar to the career of Mr. Marsh as an example which they might well follow. When he had attained success and established an excellent practice, he did not leave the place of his birth and residence for any. great city. He remained among his own people, and, under those circum- stances, built up a practice of which he had reason to be proud, and which, no doubt, was as remunerative as the average practice of the lead- ing lawyers in the great cities, when the increase of expense is taken into consideration. His con- tinued residence in Plainfield further enabled him to exercise a valuable influence in the man- agement of the affairs of the community, which is rarely if ever obtained by a lawyer in the hurry of practice in a large city.
Mr. Marsh was essentially a high-minded man. He did not think or act in a narrow way. He brought every question to the test of probity and honor, and no one ever met him without feeling that. he was a man to be implicitly trusted.
The following is a tribute from ex-Jus- tice Gilbert Collins :
I came to know Craig A. Marsh soon after his admission to the Bar, and watched his career with interest. Meeting him frequently when we were both in attendance at the Courts of Tren- ton waiting for causes to come on for argument, our acquaintance soon developed into a friend- ship which strengthened with the passing years. I met him both as opposing and as associate counsel in litigation, and acquired a great re- spect for his ability as a lawyer, which was tested when we were associates. One is prone to overestimate an adversary; but association brings out the strength or weakness of a col- league. Later, I had the opportunity to observe Mr. Marsh from a judicial point of view, and still later, upon my return to the practice of the law, I was thrown with him considerably in the maturity of his powers.
The keynote of his work as a lawyer was its thoroughiness. He considered a legal question in every aspect, and overlooked nothing that could bear upon it. After he had decided to accept a client's retainer, he spared no effort for effective service. His preparation, either for attack or defense, was remarkable. I never knew him to be taken unawares in the trial of a cause; every movement of his opponent was antic- ipated, and he was ready with his response. If anything, he was too particular in preparation for a trial or hearing, and in conducting it, thus
entailing undue strain upon the nervous force. I remember hearing an associate on the Bench say of him: "Mr. Marsh tries his cases with a microscope." This was not intended for dis- paragement, for the same Judge had a very high estimate of the ability of Mr. Marsh, and once, when an appointment of Vice Chancellor was in contemplation, I heard him say that if he had the selection Mr. Marsh would be his choice.
In his non-professional life also, Mr. Marsh was admirable. A good citizen, a tender hus- band, benevolent and public-spirited, he worthily filled a place in a community where much is ex- acted from those who would win honor and affection. He was a man of varied culture and experience, not confined to the somewhat nar- row lines of his profession. Despite his busy life, he found time for his annual vacation abroad, and enjoyed it to the utmost.
Altogether he was a man who filled out the measure of life in its fullness, and his early taking-off is much to be deplored.
The following is a tribute from Mr. Richard V. Lindabury :
I admired Mr. Marsh very much, not only on account of his high character, but for his legal ability, which I considered of the first order. Indeed, he was second to none as an advocate in this State. If Mr. Marsh had gone out into the larger fields of legal practice, he would have taken rank in the public estimation with the best lawyers in the country.
The following is an extract from the personal letter of Hon. Henry C. Pitney :
I esteemed him as one of my most cherished friends. Of late years I have not been in the way of seeing him often, but I have a delightful recollection of a short visit with him just before he took his annual trip abroad in 1909, as well as our several social meetings in London. He has left the memory of a well-spent, honorable life.
The foregoing sketch was compiled from the book entitled "Life ,f Craig A. Marsh," written by A. V. D. Honeyman, editor of the New Jersey Law Journal.
JOHNSON, Judge John Lawrence, Lawyer, Jurist, Progressive Citizen.
It cannot be denied that members of the bar have been more prominent factors in public affairs than any other class in
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the community, and this is but the natural result of causes which are manifest and which require no explanation. The abil- ity and training which qualify one to practice law, also qualify him in many respects for duties which lie outside the strict path of his profession, and which touch the general interests of society. The keen discernment and the habits of logical reasoning and of arriving at accu- rate deductions so necessary to the suc- cessful lawyer enable him to view cor- rectly important public questions and to manage intricate business affairs success- fully. Holding marked prestige among the members of the bar of the State of New Jersey, the late Judge John Law- rence Johnson, of Verona, Essex county, was for many years numbered among its leading practitioners, and his connection with its litigated interests was of a most important and extensive character. Not only did he attain to an eminent position in connection with his chosen calling, but his marked intellectuality and fitness for leadership was beneficially felt in other directions, especially in the field of edu- cation. He was a man remarkable in the breadth of his wisdom, in his indomitable perseverance and his strong individuality, and he possessed a weight of character, a native sagacity, a farseeing judgment and a fidelity of purpose that commanded the respect of all.
Judge John Lawrence Johnson, of Scotch-Irish descent, and son of William Pitt and Abigail Adaline (Bell) Johnson, was born at Heuvelton, St. Lawrence county, New York, May 16, 1847, and died March 25, 1915, at his home in Verona, Essex county, New Jersey. From his earli- est years he was of an earnest and studi- ous disposition, and made the best use of the limited educational advantages offered by the schools of his native town, and the study of mathematics always had an espe- cial attraction for him. Having reached
a stage where the schools of Heuvelton no longer benefited him, he became a student of the New York Gouverneur Seminary, and then entered the State Normal Academy at Albany, from which he was graduated January 31, 1871. In the same year he went to Verona, New Jersey, with which town his subsequent life was identified. For a time he was engaged in teaching school, then was ap- pointed tutor of mathematics in the famous Stevens School of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, and in 1873 was offered and accepted the tutorship of mathematics in the high school at New- ark, and during his incumbency of this office he introduced many improvements in the system of instruction which have been approved by competent judges and have been adopted by other institutions of a similar kind. Many of his pupils are at the present day filling positions of re- sponsibility and honor, and it is one of their pleasurable memories that they were at one time under the tuition of Judge Johnson.
An ardent spirit of laudable ambition would not, however, permit Mr. Johnson to rest content in this limited field for his activities. For a long time he had felt that in the legal profession he would be able to accomplish more for the general good than in any other line of activity, and he had read law with avidity for some time. With the idea that in the west, a rapidly growing country, an ambitious young man could advance with propor- tionate rapidity, he went to Iowa in 1876, and in the same year was admitted to the bar. He did not, however, find condi- tions for advancement there as he had been led to expect, and accordingly re- turned to Newark at the end of six months and resumed his duties as Pro- fessor of Mathematics in the High School, retaining this position until 1883, when he resigned it in order to assume the
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duties and responsibilities of public office. In that year he had been appointed by Governor George C. Ludlow as one of the lay judges of the Essex County Court of Common Pleas for a term of five years, and, while faithfully discharging the duties of his public office, entered his name as a law student in the office of the late Aram G. Sayre, and was admitted to the bar of the New Jersey Supreme Court, February 7, 1886. His term of office as lay judge expired in 1888, and he at once opened an office for private practice in Newark, where his prestige as a judge resulted in his obtaining a large and lucrative practice in a comparatively short period of time, and this increased consistently in the course of years. Some years later, when the increased demands of his growing clientele made it impossi- ble for Judge Johnson to personally take charge of all the cases entrusted to him, he admitted Scott Germain to a partner- ship, and the firm practiced under the style of Johnson & Germain.
When Judge Johnson took up his resi- dence in Verona, it was but a small ham- let, and he took a prominent part in the development which resulted in its first growing into a village, and then becom- ing incorporated with borough privileges. He was a member of St. John's Lodge. No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons, of Newark, having served this lodge as past master ; and was a member of Damascus Commandery, Knights Templar. Every movement, whether moral, educational or religious, had his earnest and undivided support.
Judge Johnson married (first) in 1872, Sarah Alice, who died in 1879, a daugh- ter of Stephen Personette, of French Huguenot descent, and by this marriage there were two children. He married (second) in November, 1880, Alice L. Thornton, and this union was blessed with one child, Maria J.
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Nowhere are the evidences of Judge Johnson's public-spiritedness and his ability to accomplish public benefits more easily recognized than in the town which he chose for his home. The very trolley by which one reaches Verona is a monu- ment to liis energy and ability. The Erie train, as it winds its way along the un- dulating western hill, also pays tribute to the man who worked hard and long for its coming. No one put a higher value upon town improvements than did this man, who also loved the birds, and yearly provided for their food in his plantings. No one so utterly disregarded his own fatigue in the battle to win. Neither time nor money nor strength counted-to se- cure was all. Judge Johnson planned and accomplished the first brick school house. He was the inspiration and founder of the First Presbyterian Church in Verona, and its principal financial support during the struggle of its first few years He secured the money for the first Public Library in Verona, which was placed in the new brick school house. Later he gave generously in ability and support to the Library, which has since become the Free Public Library of Verona, housed in the public school, which has twice been enlarged since Judge Johnson planted the trees in front of the first brick school house. For years he was the presi- dent of the Board of Education and always maintained an interest in school affairs. The school children were his friends, and he was theirs-a loyal cham- pion always. The Verona Building and Loan Association was started and organ- ized by him, and he was its counsel for many years.
RICHARDS, Uriah French, Ph. G., Exemplary Citizen and Business Man.
Tracing his ancestry to England and Wales, and to the early colonial settlement of West Jersey and in Pennsylvania to the
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coming of William Penn, Mr. Richards inherited the best blood of that early period, and to the sturdy virtues of his Quaker ancestors added those traits of character that ennobled his life and made him a man beyond reproach. He had mingled in his veins the blood of the strong French, Richards, Jones and Heu- lings families of Burlington and Glouces- ter counties, families that in church, state and business have been eminent for two and one-half centuries of American resi- dence.
His father, Jeremiah J. Richards, son of John and Priscilla (Jones) Richards, was born near Swedesboro, New Jersey, II mo. 7, 1809, died at his home, "Eagle- point Farm," near Red Bank, Gloucester county, New Jersey, and was buried in the Friends' burying ground, Woodbury, New Jersey. He married, November 10, 1836, Sarah Heulings French, born 4 mo. 19, 1807, died at her residence on North Third street, Camden, 12 mo. 31, 1882, daughter of Uriah and Mary (Ivins) French, and a descendant of Thomas French, of England, a persecuted member of the Society of Friends. Children : Isaac French ; Mary F., married John S. W. Johnson, of Camden, New Jersey ; George Washington; Albert; John; Uriah French, of further mention. Of these children, Mrs. Mary French John- son is the only survivor. The French ancestry of Uriah French Richards fol- lows.
Thomas French, the founder, was born in October, 1639, and was baptized No- vember 3, following, at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire, England. He early became a member of the then new re- ligious sect, the Society of Friends, being actively identified therewith, and at differ- ent times paid in suffering the penalty of his faith, serving several terms in prison
for refusal to pay tithes. He came to America in the ship "Kent," sailing from London about August 1, 1680, and settled upon a tract of six hundred acres of good land lying along the banks of Rancocas creek, about four miles from, Burlington, New Jersey. He prospered, increased his holdings to two thousand acres, and for twenty years was a leading citizen of the county, was twice married and reared a large family of children, including four sons, all of whom were trained in ways of sobriety, industry, and religion, they in turn founding families in whom the same strong traits of character were manifest. His first wife, Jane Atkins, he married in England; his second wife, Elizabeth Stanton, was a member of Philadelphia Meeting (Monthly), Society of Friends.
Charles French, third son of the founder and his first wife, was born in England, March 20, 1671. He adminis- tered his father's estate, and in this con- nection visited England in 1699 and sev- eral times thereafter. He was a pros- perous farmer, a man of prominence, and had interests in both Burlington and Gloucester counties. He was twice mar- ried, and left male issue.
Charles (2) French, son of Charles and his first wife, Elinor, was born August 12, 1714, died January 15, 1785. He settled in Moorestown, New Jersey, about 1740, where he became a landowner and over- seer of Chester Meeting, Moorestown, and active in the affairs of the Society of Friends. In 1771 he purchased one thousand acres of "land and swamp," with saw-mill, farm houses, etc., located about three miles from Mullica Hill, New Jersey. His will shows that at the time of his death he was a man of large pos- sessions, and the records cite his intelli- gent attention to public affairs. He mar- ried Ann, daughter of Jacob and Ann (Harrison) Clement, a descendant of
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