USA > New Jersey > Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume III > Part 30
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Christianity." "There is no need," con- tinued Martin, "of learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew in order to enable preachers to address the people in a manner adapted to their understandings."
That solid old Princeton Seminary should once have seemed an innovation and dangerous to evangelical picty may seem odd to modern readers, but if his- tory teaches anything it teaches that all new movements are subject to honest doubt. J. F. F.
WALSH, Charles E., Business Man, Esteemed Citizen.
It is not necessary that the man who achieves wealth be made of sterner stuff than his fellow men, but there are certain indispensable characteristics that contrib- ute to the prosperity of the individual, and these are energy, determination and the ability to recognize and improve op- portunities. These qualities were cardi- nal elements in the character of Charles E. Walsh, of Hackensack, New Jersey, whose recent death was a severe blow to the entire city. He was the son of Benja- min and Elizabeth (Miller) Walsh, the former a large brick manufacturer in the town of New Windsor, New York.
Charles E. Walsh was born in Monroe, Orange county, New York, January 30, 1848, and received a sound and practical education in the public schools of that ' section of the country. Immediately after completing his education, he entered the business of his father and was associated with him until the year 1881 at the time of his father's death. He then founded a brick making plant of his own in Little Ferry, New Jersey, associating himself in partnership with Louis K. Brower, the firm being known as Walsh & Brower, and this was successfully operated for a number of years when Mr. Walsh took over the entire business himself and con-
tinued in it until 1910, in which year Mr. Walsh retired from the responsibilities of a business life. As a business man he took high rank for the progressive methods he favored, and he introduced many new ideas.
Mr. Walsh married, December 12, 1883, Ella M., a daughter of Charles A. and Sarah (Bacon) Smith, old residents of Newburgh, New York, and they have had children : Edna E., born March 25, 1886, who died in infancy; Charles E., born November 28, 1888, who married Mabel Sigler, of Paterson, New Jersey, issue -- Virginia M .; Mabel C., born November 6, 1889; Jerome E., born October 28, 1890, who died at the age of six and one- half years; and David St. John, born March 11, 1897. All the children except the first mentioned were born in Hacken- sack, New Jersey.
The death of Mr. Walsh, which oc- curred June 4, 1912, was deeply deplored in many circles. He was not alone a lov- ing husband, a devoted father, but the poor and helpless had in him a constant and generous friend. He donated liberal- ly to charities of every description, and gave personal effort as well as financial aid.
In politics he was a member of the Re- publican party. He was always keenly interested as a voter in the selection of representative men to represent the people in town, county, State and government positions, but never sought office himself. He and his family attended the Methodist church. His fraternal affiliations con- sisted of membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Hacken- sack Wheelmen, the American Mechanics, the Exempt Firemen of Hackensack.
In business matters he was courageous and energetic, and his fidelity to principle and his earnestness of endeavor were fre- quently the subject of comment in his wide acquaintance.
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ROEBLING, Ferdinand W., Man of Large Affairs.
The career of the late Ferdinand W. Roebling, who served in the capacity of treasurer and general manager of the John A. Roebling Sons Company, builders of the Brooklyn Bridge and other great structures, and widely known in the wire rope industry, illustrates in a forceful manner what can be accomplished by men of the stamp of Mr. Roebling. He was a capable, conscientious and genuine captain of industry, conservative, yet keenly alive to every improvement for advancing along progressive lines the in- dustries that fell to his management, and to what extent the history of the imperial commercial growth of the United States is indebted to men of the character and energy possessed by Mr. Roebling would be difficult indeed to estimate.
Ferdinand W. Roebling was one of the four sons of John A. Roebling, the foun- der of the house that bears his name, a full account of whom appears in Volume II of this work. He was born at Saxon- burg, Butler county, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 27, 1842, and when he was seven years of age his parents removed to Tren- ton, New Jersey, in which city he spent the remainder of his days. He received his education in the Polytechnic College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and during his course specialized in chemistry. About the close of the Civil War, he as- sumed the general management of the John A. Roebling Sons Company, at Trenton, the business being established at Saxonburg in 1840 by his father, who transferred the plant to Trenton in I848, erecting a house for his family at the side of the manufacturing plant, which they occupied until 1857, when they re- moved to another section of the city and their home became the office of the com- pany. The John A. Roebling Sons Com-
pany is the most extensive of its kind in the world, its product consisting of iron, steel, copper and brass wire, wire rope, electric cables and modern wire goods. It has for many years been closely con- nected, either through building entirely or furnishing material, with the great suspension bridges of the United States, completing the cables for the East River suspension bridges, and the magnificent New York and Brooklyn Bridge, considered the most impressively beautiful bridge in the world, is a monument to its de- signer, John A. Roebling, who suggested and developed this daring engineering feat. The submarine cables connecting America and Europe carry copper con- ductors turned out at the Trenton works, and enough wire is manufactured in the works every day, of all kinds, to reach twice around the world. They also turn out a vast amount of telegraph wire, suf- ficient for a man to make five railroad trips from the Atlantic to the Pacific, each by a different route, and never lose sight of the product of this plant which is strung on the myriad poles alongside of the parallels of steel over which rolls the commerce of this wonderful country. The disposition of such a vast output calls for extensive commercial arrangements in all parts of the United States and abroad, all of which, in addition to the manufactur- ing side, were under the direct manage- ment of Mr. Roebling from his business office in the city of Trenton. When Mr. Roebling assumed charge of the Trenton works, the total annual output did not ex- ceed two hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars, and at the present time (1917) it averages each year many million dollars. He was one of the first to appreciate the importance of electrical development, and outside of the branch of his Trenton manufacture which enters into the elec- trical field, that of electrical conductors being the largest part of the product, he
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became an active director in a number of electrical and allied manufacturing com- panies, becoming responsibly identified with concerns engaged purely in manu- facturing, which furnish employment for thousands of people, and which have an output of millions of dollars annually. In addition to this he served in an official capacity in the Wirecloth Company, as president of the Union Mills Paper Manu- facturing Company, as vice-president of the Syracuse, Rochester & Eastern Rail- way Company, and as a director in the Mechanics' National Bank of Trenton. Mechanics' and Metals National Bank of New York, the Otis Elevator Company, Mercer Automobile Company, Trenton Street Railway Company, the Interstate Railway Company, Trenton Brass and Machine Company, and the Standard Fire Insurance Company.
Mr. Roebling always took particular pride in the fact that so many of his staff and so many workmen remained with him for long periods, this fact amply tes- tifying to the interest he ever manifested in their welfare, and in return they were loyal and faithful to his interests, and dur- ing his almost half a century of steward- ship at Trenton but one disagreement oc- curred, and that a small strike in a minor department, and for a short period only. There grew up around him family after family of industrious, skilled artisans, in several instances three generations being in the employ of his company. One of the characteristics of Mr. Roebling, which was also possessed by his father and by his brothers, was that of investigating be- fore believing, taking nothing for granted. He was a quiet, thoughtful man, thorough master of every essential detail of his ex- tensive manufacturing interests, yet al- ways finding time to keep in touch with the commerce of the world through his various established offices in all the for- eign capitals. One singular fact about
Mr. Roebling was that he never crossed the ocean, it being particularly noticeable from the fact that he was a man of such vast interests, stretching to all parts of the world. le was the possessor of a fine library of technical books, covering a wide range of subjects, which he often consulted, and he also had a particularly fine collection of books on ceramics and decorative ware, a study naturally sug- gested by the position of Trenton as the center of the pottery industry of the United States. Mr. Roebling served as president of the board of trustees of the Public Library of Trenton. He was a devotee of open-air exercise, and he spent a portion of each year in out-door sports, having been particularly fond of duck shooting. The following paragraph is taken from the November, 1902, issue of the "Cosmopolitan Magazine,": "Mr. Roebling, in his earnest, yet progressive, everyday life, developing the interests of his companies, and giving increasing em- ployment and advantages to thousands and tens of thousands, has erected a monument to himself and his character as noble and imperishable as any of the great engineering achievements with which the name of his family has been identified." He was a member of the Union League and Engineers' Club.
Mr. Roebling married Margaret Gatz- mer Allison, who bore him four children : Karl G., married Blanche D. Estabrook ; Ferdinand W., Jr., married Ruth Met- calf; Margaret, became the wife of Dr. F. V. C. Perrine; Augusta Henrietta, who became the wife of William T. White. Mr. Roebling died at his home in Trenton, March 17, 1917. In addition to his four children, he is survived by three brothers: Charles G. Roebling, president of the John A. Roebling Sons Company ; Colonel Washington A. Roebling, of Trenton. and Edward Roebling, of New York.
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PLYMOUTH ROCK, THE GRANITE BOULDER THE STEPPING STONE OF THE PILGRIMS. DEC 21 1620, STILL OCCUPIES THE SAME POSITION AT THE FOOT OF A BLUFF OF LAND. ABOUT 20 FEET HIGH, KNOWN IN HISTORY AS COLES HILL", IT BEING A PART OF SEVEN ACRES OF LAND GRANTED BY THE COURT. A.D 1637 TO JAMES THE FIRST OF THE COLES FAMILY FROM ENGLAND TO LAND IN PLYMOUTH A D. 1630.
Stickerman boles .
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COLES, Jonathan Ackerman,
Physician, Surgeon, Philanthropist.
Jonathan Ackerman Coles, A. B., A. M., M. D., LL. D., the only son of Abraham and Caroline E. (Ackerman) Coles, was born in Newark, New Jersey, May 6, 1843, in "The Coles Homestead Building," 222 Market street, purchased by his father in 1842. Here also was born their daugh- ter, Emilie S. Coles, February 8, 1845. The Coles Homestead, kept in perfect re- pair, is still occupied by Dr. Coles and his sister when in Newark-the parlor floor, consisting of seven rooms, being reserved for said purpose, and the remainder of the building being now rented for offices.
Dr. Coles was prepared for college at the Collegiate School of Forest and Quacken- bos in New York City, where he was awarded the prizes for proficiency in Ger- man and rhetoric. In 1860 he entered the freshman class of Columbia College, New York. In his senior year, by the unanimous decision of Professor Charles Davies, Pro- fessor Murray Nairne and Professor Wil- liam G. Peck, he received the Philolexian prize for the best essay. He was gradu- ated in 1864, and in 1867 received the de- gree of Master of Arts, and in 1903 the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Hope College, Holland, Michigan. After graduation he began the study of medi- cine and surgery in the office of his father in Newark, New Jersey, and, after ma- triculating at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, he be- came also a student of Professor T. Gail- lard Thomas. At the annual commence- ment of the College of Physicians and Sur- geons, in 1867, he received from Professor Alonzo Clark the Harsen prize (a parch- ment diploma, a bronze medal, and three hundred dollars cash) for the best written clinical report of the year of the medical and surgical cases in the New York Hos- pital. He graduated with honor in 1868,
and after serving in the New York, Belle- vue and Charity hospitals, opened an office in the City of New York, becoming a mem- ber of the New York Academy of Medicine and the New York County Medical Soci- ety. The years of 1877 and 1878 he spent for the most part in Europe, attending lectures and clinics at the universities and hospitals in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Vienna. While at Edinburgh he was a guest of Professor Simpson. At Paris he was the guest of his father's friend and classmate in col- lege, Dr. J. Marion Sims. At Munich, Bavaria, in company with Dr. Sims, he attended the meetings of the International Medical Congress, and by invitation par- ticipated in the honors bestowed upon this distinguished American surgeon, whose excellent full length bronze statue now adorns Bryant Park in the City of New York. After visiting Syria, Palestine and Egypt he returned home and became asso- ciated with his father in the practice of his profession.
In 1891 Dr. Coles was elected president of the Union County (New Jersey ) Medi- cal Society. He is a member of the Amer- ican Medical Association; the New Jer- sey County and State Medical Societies ; the New York County and State Medical Societies ; is a fellow of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; is a member of the New York Historical Soci- ety ; is a patron and trustee of the New Jersey Historical Society; is a member of the Washington Association of Morris- town, New Jersey ; is one of the founders of the Valley Forge Library ; is a member of the National Geographic Society ; is an honorary regent of Lincoln Memorial University ; is an honorary member of the Newark Museum of Art; a member of the International Anglo-Saxon Society of London, Copenhagen and New York; is an honorary vice-president of the Amer- ican Tract Society ; is a life director of the
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American Bible Society ; and is one of the board of advisors of the Canton Christian College, Canton, China; and holds other positions of trust. He has contributed to the press, has published articles on medi- cal and educational subjects, and has edited some new editions of his father's works.
Dr. Coles has given many classical works in bronze and marble to the educa- tional and public buildings in Newark, New York, and elsewhere. The New Jersey Historical Society, the Free Public Library, the High School, the Academy, the City Hall and the Post Office in New- ark, have been especially benefited there- by. He contributed for permanent im- provements one thousand dollars toward the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Newark (A. D. 1666-1916).
Referring to some bronzes given by Dr. Coles to Columbia University, the Hon. Setli Low, its president, wrote December 16, 1896:
MY DEAR DR. COLES :
I have just seen the bronzes in the Library. They are beautiful, and I am very sure that they will be accepted with gratitude. I had the pleasure of telling the Alumni last evening of your gener- osity, and in due time you will receive the formal thanks of the trustees. The Alumni received the announcement with applause.
Yours faithfully, SETH Low, President. Mr. John B. Pine, clerk, wrote :
EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES.
RESOLVED: That the thanks of the trustees be tendered to Dr. J. Ackerman Coles for the most welcome and valuable gifts to the University of several bronze busts, handsomely and appropri- ately mounted :
I. A copy of the Olympian Zeus by Phidias.
2. A copy of the bust said to be that of Plato, found in the house of the Papyri, Herculanium. 3. A copy of the Hermes of Praxiteles, found in the temple of Hera, in Olympia.
A true copy. [Seal.]
JOHN B. PINE, Clerk.
To the College of Physicians and Sur- geons, New York, Dr. Coles has given two valuable bronzes cast at the Barbe- dienne foundry in France. One is a copy of the "Dying Gaul," or "The Gladiator," found in the garden of Sallust, which, with its right arm restored. by Michael Angelo, is now in the Museum of the Capitol in Rome. The other is a copy of the bust of ÆEsculapius in the Museum of the Louvre in Paris. Both, appropri- ately and elegantly mounted by Tiffany & Company, have places in the trustees' parlor in the college. By reason of its grace and realistic anatomical accuracy, "The Dying Gaul" has always been re- garded as the masterpiece of the Perga- menian school in sculpture, forming as it did with its companion piece, "The Fight- ing Gaul." the chief adornments of the triumphal monument erected in the sec- ond century, B. C., to the memory of Attalus II., in Pergamos, Asia Minor, then at the zenith of its glory as a centre of art, wealth and influence.
The Princeton University is the owner of the original life-size Carrara marble statue of "Nydia," by Randolph Rogers. It was executed by Rogers at Rome, Italy, in 1856. Subsequently other copies were made; one was at the "Centennial Exposition," and another in the A. T. Stewart collection. To this idealization of the blind girl of Pompeii is attributed Rogers's fame as an artist and sculptor, securing for him the commission to de- sign (1858) the bronze doors for the Capitol in Washington, D. C., and to finish the Washington monument at Rich- mond, Virginia (1861). "The American Register," Paris, France, in referring to this gift of Dr. Coles, said: "The original statue of 'Nydia' was given to Princeton University in appreciation of the mutual regard which for more than fifty years existed between the trustees, faculty, and
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A GIFT FROM J. ACKERMAN COLES. M.D., LL . D.
A FACULTY RESIDENCE OF CANTON CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, CHINA.
19.10
33%
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AFFOFF
18242
THE COLES HOMESTEAD NO. 222 MARKET STREET. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 1842 - 1915
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instructors of the College, and the donor's father, the late Abraham Coles, M. D., Ph. D., LL. D."
The Rev. Francis S. Patton, D. D., LL. D., acknowledged the gift as follows :
PRINCETON, N. J., Aug. 3rd, 1896. To DR. J. ACKERMAN COLES,
Deerhurst, Scotch Plains, N. J. :
At the meeting of the board of trustees of the College of New Jersey, held during Commence- ment Week, in June last, I had the pleasure of reporting to them that I had received in behalf of the College, from you, the beautiful marble statue of "Nydia," which you so kindly presented to the College in memory of your father, the late Dr. Abraham Coles.
The gift was very gratefully received by the trustees, and I was requested in their behalf to write to you expressing the very cordial thanks of the trustees for the beautiful statue which now adorns the Museum of Historic Art. I have great pleasure in discharging the duty assigned to me by the trustees. "Nydia" will always be associated in our minds with the memory of your gifted father, and I venture to hope that the com- mon interest which you and we have in this masterpiece of the sculptor's art will constitute a strong bond between you and Princeton Uni- versity.
The "New York Tribune," in speaking of a gift to Harvard University, said:
Dr. J. Ackerman Coles, of Newark, whose gifts of valuable art objects to educational and public bodies have been generous, and who lately gave to Chicago University an heroic bust of Homer, has just presented to Harvard University a life- size bronze bust of Socrates, in memory of his father, Dr. Abraham Coles, of Newark, a well- known classical scholar and author. The donor, in giving the bronze to Harvard, said he desired it to be a reminder of the friendly relations that existed between his father and the officers, pro- fessors and graduates of Harvard, especially President Thomas Hill, Henry Wadsworth Long- fellow, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
President Charles W. Eliot, LL. D., wrote :
DR. J. ACKERMAN COLES : Dear Sir :
Your letter is just received. I hasten to say that the gift of the bronze bust of Socrates, with its marble pedestal will be very welcome to Har- vard University. I am obliged to you for saying that this valuable gift is intended as a reminder of the friendly relations which existed for many years between your father and the distinguished men whose names you record. Your letter will be deposited in the archives of the University. Believe me with high regard,
Sincerely yours, CHARLES W. ELIOT.
The life-size Carrara marble group rep- resenting "Hagar and Ishmael in the Wil- derness of Beersheba," the masterpiece executed by Alessandro F. Cavazza in Modena, Italy, in 1872, is a gift of Dr. Coles to the Dutch Reformed Theological Seminary at New Brunswick, New Jersey. The "New York Christian Intelligencer," in referring thereto, says, "Ishmael in his utter weakness has loosened his hold on Hagar's neck, and has fallen back, appar- ently lifeless across her left knee. The relaxed muscles of the lad, his death-like countenance, the agonized look of his mother, and the minute details of finished expression, show the artist to have pos- sessed the skill and knowledge (anatomi- cal and ecclesiastical) requisite for its accurate portrayal." President Wood- bridge was authorized to accept the gift, and to assure the donor, on behalf of the board of superintendents and the faculty that the gift would be highly appreciated. Later he received the following :
GENERAL SYNOD, REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA.
RARITAN, NEW JERSEY, June 11, 1897.
I have been directed by the General Synod to forward to you a copy of the following action, taken at its recent session held at Asbury Park, New Jersey :
"Resolved, That the General Synod of the Re- formed Church in America, hereby assures Dr. J. Ackerman Coles * *
* that the gift of
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statuary representing Hagar and Ishmael is fully appreciated, and that the thanks of the Synod is hereby tendered to the generous donor."
Respectfully, WILLIAM DE HART, Stated Clerk.
The Rev. John H. Vincent, D. D., L.L. D., bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church, and chancellor of Chautauqua University, of which he was the founder, wrote to Dr. Coles from Chautauqua 0:1 July 14, 1897. that a telegram had just been sent by him to the "New York Tri- bune," stating that a beautiful bronze life-size bust of Beethoven, with its mar- ble pedestal, had been received as a gift from Dr. J. Ackerman Coles, of New York, and was greatly appreciated by the university. Subsequently Chancellor Dr. Vincent wrote to Dr. Coles :
In connection with a great amphitheatre con- cert at Chautauqua under the direction of Dr. Palmer, the bronze bust of Beethoven was un- veiled. Just before the unveiling, President G. Stanley Hall, of Clark University, delivered an address on music. As the veil was lifted, the amphitheatre gave the splendid Chautauqua salute in honor of Beethoven, and in recognition of Dr. Coles. Immediately following this, Mr. William H. Sherwood gave a piano solo, the "So- nata Apassionata," by Beethoven. The per- formance was brilliant, and the Chautauqua salute was also given to Professor Sherwood. --
In August, 1897, George Williamson Smith, D. D., LL. D., president of Trin- ity College, Hartford, Connecticut, wrote to Dr. Coles as follows: "A letter just received from Bishop Williams informs me of your kind offer to present to Trin- ity College a life-size bronze bust of Mo- zart. We shall be very glad to have such a valuable addition to our collection of objects of art, and place it in Alumni Hall, where the portraits of benefactors and presidents are hung." Later Dr. Smith wrote: "The boxes containing the bronze bust of Mozart and its marble
pedestal have been opened, and the work is placed in Alumni Hall, where it attracts attention and awakens just admiration."
President Merrill E. Gates, Ph. D., L. H. D., LL. D., on receipt of a gift from Dr. Coles of a life-size bronze bust of Virgil for Amherst College, wrote: "It has great and exceptional value in itself, and coming from you as a gift in memory of your father, his regard for Amherst College and his relations with us in the past, it will have a double value."
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