USA > New Jersey > New Jersey's first citizens and state guide, Vol. II, 1919-1920 > Part 2
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Mr. Adams' father was an extensive farmer and breeder of fine horses. Mr. Adams was trained in publie and private schools in New York State. Before beginning his business eareer he taught school and then studied
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law. He entered the employ of one of the large Chicago packing companies and was appointed General Manager for New York and vicinity, a position which he held for about ten years.
Mr. Adams, with three of his friends, formed the New York Credit Men's Association. This Association, largely through his personal efforts, was incorporated as the National Credit Men's Association.
In 1898, associated with his brother, Robert A. Adams, he incorporated Adams Bros. Co., and opened, in the principal cities in the Eastern States, wholesale distributing depots for dressed beef, provisions and poultry. This enterprise proved very profitable and in 1905 was purchased by Swift & Armour. During this period Mr. Adams bought a controlling in- terest in a New York City bank, and, under his administration as president, its deposits were increased fourfold. He sold his banking interest in 1906.
In 1907, he and his brother took up actively their interest in the warehouse business - the Manhattan Refrigerating Company, New York City, Union Terminal Cold Storage Company, Jersey City, and Kings County Refrigerating Company, Brooklyn, N. Y. These companies have increased in size and importance very rapidly since that time.
Mr. Adams is a director of several corporations. He is a member of many clubs and has always had time for charitable and philanthropic work. His brother and himself built the Adams Memorial Church at Westfield, Penn., in memory of their mother. He has been a resident of Montclair for fifteen years,
His business address is, 525 West Street, New York City.
WASHINGTON IRVING LINCOLN ADAMS-Montclair. (32 Llewellyn Road.)-Banker, Publisher and Printer; Major Officers Reserve Corp, U. S. A. (Photograph published in Vol. 1-1917.) Born in New York City, February 22nd, 1865; son of Washington Irving and Marian Lydia (Briggs) Adams ; married in Montclair, November 21st, 1887, to Grace Wilson, daughter of James Wilson, of Georgetown, Ohio.
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Children : Wilson Irving, born 1890, married June 5, 1915, to Helen Elizabeth Morrison ; Marian Elizabeth, born 1891, married October 11th, 1913, to David Oswald Pfaelzer, of Boston; Lieut. Briggs Kilburn, born 1893, Harvard, 1917 (fell in action, France, March 14, 1918) ; Carolyn Styles, born 1896, died 1910; Washing- ton Irving Lincoln, Jr., born 1898.
W. I. Lincoln Adams is of New England origin ; he traces his line back on his father's side, to Henry Adams, who settled in Baintree, Mass., in 1641, and was the ancestor of Samuel Adams, the Revolutionary patriot, and of the Adamses father and son, who were among the early Presidents of the United States. One of his mother's ancestors, John Briggs, died in North Kingston, R. I., in 1671. Mr. Adam's wife is a descendant of James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, one of the signers of the Declaration of
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Independence. Mr. Adams is a member of the Huguenot Society of America, and of the Society of the War of 1812; he was President of the New Jersey State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution from 1915 to 1917; is a former Governor of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America ; he was Treasurer, and is now Deputy Governor of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey; he is also a member of the New England Society and of the St. Nicholas Society, and is Vice-President of the Union League ('lub of New York.
Mr. Adams' parents came to New Jersey when he was three years old, and settled in Montclair. He was educated in the schools of that mountain city, graduating from the High School in 1883. Upon leaving school he engaged in the publishing business, with his father, editing "The Photographic Times,' which was for many years the leading photographic magazine, and writing a number of books on photographic subjects, which are still considered as authorities. He succeeded his father as President of the Scovill & Adams Company, manufacturers of photographic goods, in 1894. This business he later merged with the Anthony Company, forming the Ansco Company, which, after a long litigation with the Eastman Kodak Company, succeeded in establishing the Goodwin Film Patent in 1914, and was awarded a substantial sum in the Courts. The Goodwin Fihn was invented by the late Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, of Newark.
Mr. Adams became Treasurer of Styles & Cash, well known printing house, in 1900, and succeeded Samuel D. Styles, as President, a few years later, a position which he has held ever since. He was one of the organ- izers, and the first Vice-President of the Montclair Trust Company. be- coming its President in 1905. He is Treasurer of the Montelair Holding Company, a real estate corporation ; he was President of the ('loverside School Corporation, which he organized in 1906. In 1910 he entered the Board of the Bloomfield Trust Company, and became a member of its Executive and Finance Committee.
He is one of the charter members of the Outlook Club of Montelair, and was its Secretary and Treasurer for two years, becoming its President in 190S. He was a Director of the Y. M. C. A. of Montclair, for a number of years, and is Senior Trustee of the First Congregational Church. He is a charter member of the Montclair ('lub. He is President of the West Side Bank and director of the West Side Savings Bank, of New York; a member of the Union League and Republican Clubs of that City, and a Thirty-second Degree Mason. He is also a Trustee of the New Jersey Ilis- torical Society.
In politics Mr. Adams is a Republican, and has been much sought by his party as a candidate for office. He was delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1908; and, in 1916, was one of the Presidential Electors to cast the vote of New Jersey in the Electoral College for Hughes and Fairbanks. In 1912 he was his party's candidate for Congress, but the split in the Republican Party that year divided his support, and the Demo- cratic nominee was elected by a plurality vote. He was appointed by Governor Wilson as one of the three delegates to represent New Jersey at the Interstate Pure Food Convention.
In 1914 Mr. Adams was invited by the banking and other financial interests back of the large printing and lithographing establishment of the
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Sackett & Wilhelms Company, to undertake the re-organization of that business. He successfully effected the re-organization, and was elected President of the corporation, which position he held until February, 1916. Then, the credit of the company having been restored, and the standing of the business re-established in the trade, he requested the Directors to re- lieve him of further responsibility for the management, and resigned as President and Director.
In the spring of 1916 he was active in organizing the Montclair Bat- talion of citizen soldiers, and was elected Treasurer of its Executive Com- mittee. He attended the Third Senior Military Training Camp at Platts- burg, N. Y., during the summer of the same year, and completed the course of training there as a member of Company F. Seventh Regiment. In the fall of the same year he successfully passed the War Department examina- tions for a commission as Major in the Officers' Reserve Corps of the United States Army. He was called to the colors August 18th, 1918, and served actively until August 20, 1918.
Mr. Adams has done considerable writing, all his works having been published by the Baker & Taylor Co., New York. Among his books are "Amateur Photographer," "Sunlight and Shadow." "In Nature's Image," "Woodlawn and Meadow" and "Photographing In Old England." He edited "The History of Montclair," compiled by Henry Whittemore, and, with other public-spirited citizens, published it, at their own expense in 1884
Mr. Adam's country place, Hilltop Farm, is near Littleton, N. H., in the foothills of the White Mountains.
HENRY MILLS ALDEN-Metuchen .- Editor and Author. (Photograph published in Vol. 1-1917.) Born in Mount Tabor, Rutland County, Vermont, November 11, 1836: son of Ira and Elizabeth Moore Alden : married July 3, 1861, to Susan Frye (Foster) of North Andover, Mass .- 2nd ou February 22. 1900 to Mrs. Ada Foster Murray, of Virginia.
Children : Charles, born 1862. (Died in infancy.) Annie Fields, born 1864 (Died 1912). Harriet, born in 1868. Carolyn Wynd- ham, born 1871. (Died 1916).
Henry M. Alden, editor of Harpers Magazine, traces his ancestry back to John Alden, the only unmarried man among the Pilgrims on the May- flower and the hero of Longfellow's poem, "The Courtship of Miles Standish." John Alden was reputed to be a scholar, was chosen Governor of the colony and served several terms. Mr. Alden's mother was a niece of Zephaniah Moore, President of Williams College, and afterwards the first President of Amherst.
Mr. Alden's parents left Mount Tabor with himself and two younger brothers when he was eight years old and went to Hoosic Falls, Rens- selaer County, New York. He was educated in the common schools in the intervals of factory employment. At fourteen he entered Ball Semi-
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mary, in that town, where he prepared for college. He entered Williams College in his sixteenth year, working his way and graduating in the class of 1857. In the autumn of 1857 he entered the Andover Theological Semi- nary, in Andover, Mass. He selected this institution because of its having the best library of Greek literature in this country. In college he had sacrificed the place of "honor man" by giving up the higher mathematics in order to give more attention to psychology and the classics-especially Greek; and he continued these special studies in the Seminary. In 1860, three years after graduating, he was chosen by the faculty of Williams College one of the two members of his class to deliver the "Master's Ora- tion." receiving at the same time the degree of A. M. His graduation at Andover Seminary occurred on the same day as the William Commence- ment of 1860. In order to attend the latter he obtained leave of absence from the Andover exercises; but he was represented in these by the Class Hymn, written by him, and was attributed an oration on "The Theology of Homer."
Returning to his home in Hoosic Falls, Mr. Alden was detained there by the illness of his father who had been stricken by palsy, and contributed to the maintenance of his parents during the autumn and winter by "sup- plying" pulpits in the neighborhood. He had been licensed to preach, but he never took orders.
While thus "marooned" he continued a series of essays he had begun at Andover. Two of these, "The Eleusinia" and "The Saviors of Greece" had been accepted by James Russell Lowell for "The Atlantic Monthly," where they were published in 1859-60, before Mr. Alden had left Andover. The first had been read by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, at whose home in Andover Mr. Alden was a welcome visitor, and by her had been sent to Mr. Lowell. the young writer's first knowledge of the fact being au acknowledgment of its acceptance. The notes for other essays, made at Andover, enabled him to go on writing. Before the spring of 1861 he had written six more, sending them, as completed, to the editor of "The Atlan- tic." But in the meantime, owing to the failure of its publishers, Phillips, Sampson & Co., the magazine had come into new hands and Mr. Alden did not hear anything of his offerings for a long time.
Relieved of the care of the home by his older brother, Mr. Alden in the spring of 1861 went to New York. It was an adventure. He had a scant purse and no outlook for support-nothing more definitely in view than enlistment in the new army for the Union, which finally proved im- practicable because he could not meet the physical requirements. He had never seen any great city before. except Boston, and this was his first visit to New York. Apart from Horace E. Scudder, an old college friend, he had no personal acquaintance there. Seudder had encouraged his coming. Mr. Alden found profitable employment as teacher of history and literature in private schools, and his prospects in this field were so bright that he married in July, Susan Frye Foster, whose acquaintance he had made in Andover. But returning to the city in September with his wife, he found the prospect darkened and almost closed by the prostration due to the growing magnitude of the war. For two years he struggled on, ecking out his meagre income as teacher by contributing editorial articles at space rates to the New York "Evening Post" and "New York Times."
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In the spring of 1863, Mr. James T. Fields, into whose hands had come the papers Mr. Alden had sent to "The Atlantic" more than two years be- fore, came to New York, and looked him up. He had taken the essays abroad and he and his wife read them there. On his return he had shown them to Emerson, Lowell and others, and had succeeded in securing for the writer an invitation to deliver before the Lowell Institute of Boston a course of twelve lectures on the general theme treated in the essays- "The Structure of Paganism." Mr. Fields said that he found the essays rather recondite for magazine use. Nevertheless he advanced $300 as payment on account for them. While preparing these lectures in the sum- mer of 1863, Mr. Alden became associate editor, with Alfred H. Guernsey, of "Harper's Magazine," and collaborated with him in writing "Harper's Pictorial History of the Rebellion." After a six weeks' vacation, taken for the delivery of his course of Lowell lectures, he undertook in addition the duties of managing editor of "Harper's Weekly."
In 1869 Mr. Alden succeeded Dr. Guernsey as the editor of "Harper's Magazine," a position which he still holds. He was so much engrossed with the writings of others, that it was not until 1890 that he became the author of a book of his own, published anonymously, under the title of "God In His World, An Interpretation," which has had an extensive sale. This was followed in 1895, in the year of his wife's death by "A Study of Death."
When the house of Harper & Brothers was reorganized 1900. The Editor's Easy Chair, which had been discontinued since George William Curtis' death in 1892, was revived, with William Dean Howells as occu- pant ; at the same time the Editor's Study, which also had been discon- continued for several years, was restored, and Mr. Aklen has been its monthly contributor since then.
In the spring of 1906 he went to Europe with his wife, being granted a liberal leave of absence and a generous letter of credit by the house he had been so long associated with ; and in November of that year the same house gave a dinner in honor of his seventieth birthday, on which occasion the counting-house of the Franklin Square building was turned into a brilliantly decorated banquet room for the reception of two hundred and fifty guests, comprising the most eminent artists and writers associated with the Magazine during Mr. Alden's editorship. In 1908 another book of Mr. Alden's was published, entitled "Magazine Writing and the New Literature." ,
Mr. Alden from 1868 to 1912 was a resident of Metuchen, New Jersey, where his only surviving daughter still resides. His New York address is, 521 West 112th Street.
JOHN BERRY ALDEN-Neshanic .- Publisher ; Farmer. (Photograph published in Vol. 1-1917). Born in Henry County. Iowa, March 2, 1847 ; son of Zephania and Damaris (Thompson) Alden ; married at Sherwood, N. Y., in 1874, to Ellen Tracy ( died
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1880)-second, Ada Tracy 1882, daughters of Calvin and Luella Tracy, of Sherwood, N. Y.
Children : Seven, six living.
John B. Alden's birth was in a one room log cabin about seven miles west of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. His father, one of that state's earliest pioneers, was a stone cutter and farmer, who died when Mr. Alden was two years old. Mr. Alden's early opportunities for education were meager and he left Mt. Pleasant in the early days of the Civil War, becoming a train boy on the C. B. & Q. Railway; then a clerk, soon in charge, of a book store in Galesburg, Ill., and later in Chicago. Soon going into busi- ness for himself, he was known as the "boy publisher" of "The Bright Side" and "What Next?," young folks' periodicals. The Chicago fire took all of his possessions. Coming East, he became in New York City, the business head of "Hearth and Home," first edited by Harriet Beecher Stowe and "Ik Marvel" and later by Edward Eggleston. In that work he was associated with "Orpheus C. Kerr," (R. H. Newell) the Civil War humorist, and poet, as editor.
Mr. Alden's most important venture was undertaken when in 1875 he started the "American Book Exchange," designed to serve readers by the exchange of books not wanted longer, for others they did want ; and as a means of advertising the business, he published Chamber's Cyclopedia of English Literature in handy volumes. By that experience he quickly discovered that he could make new books cheaper than anyone could "steal old ones." Inside of two years he was making books "by the million." one bindery alone having a daily output of 7,000 volumes. He was the first to use the type setting machine on a large scale, and the first to make books by a photo engraving process. He startled the book world when he offered for 50c "Geikies Life of Christ" which had been selling at $8: and for $6 the set of "Chamber's Encyclopedia" that in fifteen volumes had been selling for $45, and a great number of classical and standard works at similar prices, his enterprise becoming popularly known as "The Literary Revolution."
He retired from publishing some years ago and has been living on a poultry farm near Neshanic, New Jersey. Always a student of economics and whatever tends to human "uplift" and betterment, he has of late been specially interested in promoting the passage by Congress of "The In- dustrial Savings Act" introduced by Senator Morris Sheppard, of Texas, that unshackles the Postal Savings Bank. The act, drawn by Mr. Alden, provides for the payment to all depositors in the postal bank of all the in- terest the money can be made to earn when loaned to highest bidders on unquestioned security, for any legitimate use. According to many accepted precedents this method would mobilize an army of over $0,000,000 de- positors and over $60,000,000,000 deposits, ample to finance farmers and oil all the wheels of industry and commerce. It makes "free trade" in money and credits, as we now have free trade in wheat, cotton, or U. S. Bonds.
A more recent effort in practical economics is "Uncle Sam's Auto- matic Railroad Regulator," the gist of which is: (a) Goverment owner- ship (not operation) by means of which "capital" cost (inevitably passed along to producer-consumer-patrons) will be less than one-half the cost
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under present conditions ; (b) private operation by the men who pay the freight (human included) organized as Stockholders are now organized, each freight payer having a vote in control, for each $100, annual freight paid. This would secure the utmost efficiency and economy of operation by self interest. The mass of the ablest most successful business men of the nation would thus be in charge, inevitably, vitally, "automatically" interested to make cost of freight as small as possible, paying Uncle Sam a dividend, on investment, one-half per cent. per annum (same as paid by the Allies in War) more than the capital costs Uncle Sam.
LYMAN WHITNEY ALLEN-Newark, (881 South 17th St.)- Clergyman ; Author. (Photograph published in Vol. 1-1917). Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 19th, 1854; son of George Otis and Julia Olds (Whitney) Allen.
Lyman Whitney Allen's father was a native of Boston and his mother a native of Kentucky. The historic Whitney and Thornton families are in his line. His grandfather, on his mother's side, was the Rev. Dewey Whitney. of Vermont, and his maternal grandmother was a descendent of Col. Anthony Thornton, of Virginia, an officer in the Revolutionary War and in command of a regiment at Yorktown, and of Col. William Thorn- ton, an officer in the war of 1812. Dr. Allen is a graduate of Washington University and holds the degrees of B. A. and M. A. from that institu- tion. The University of Wooster later conferred the degree of D.D. He pursued a two years' post-graduate course in philosophy at Princeton Uni- versity and studied for the ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Ordained by the Presbytery of St. Louis in 1882, he began work in the suburbs of his native city and was for several years afterwards pastor of the Carondelet Presbyterian Church. In 1889 he accepted a call to the South Park Presbyterian Church in Newark and ministered there for twenty-seven years. In October of 1916 he resigned to give his time wholly to literature, yet preaching as opportunity might offer. Since then he has been constantly in literary work. When the City of Newark cele- brated its 250th Anniversary, the Committee of 100 requested Dr. Allen to write the Celebration Ode for the opening exercises. Among Dr. Allen's latest publication, is his poem "Barnard's Lincoln," read at the dedication in Cincinnati, March 31st, 1917, of George Grey Barnard's statue of Lincoln, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft to that city. He is the author of several books, and miscellaneous poems and prose articles, which have been published in various magazines and newspapers.
Among his recent war poems two have become very popular and have been much read in public, "At the Tomb of Lafayette" and "The Sign of the Golden Star."
Some of the works of Dr. Allen are: "Lincoln's Pew," "The House of Mary," "Shakespeare," "The New America," "Our Sister of Letters," "A Parable of the Rose," "Abraham Lincoln" and "The Triumph of Love."
To the poem, "Abraham Lincoln," was awarded the prize of $1.000 offered in 1896 by the "New York Herald" for the best poem on "American
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History." It was published simultaneously in the Christmas issues of the New York Herald, the Boston Herald and the St. Louis Republic. The poem, "Lincoln's Pew" has been tableted in the pew in "The Church of the Presidents" (the New York Avenue Presbyterian) in Washington City, where Lincoln worshipped during his term as President. During the late war very many thousands of copies of this poem were printed by the Ladies War Guild of the Church and widely circulated, especially among the soldiers.
Recently in the Lincoln Anthology, "The Book of Lincoln," compiled by Mary Wright-Davis, of Washington, D. C., five of Dr. Allen's most popular Lincoln poems appear.
In 1917 he delivered the Memorial Day Oration in the Soldiers Na- tional Cemetery, Battlefield of Gettysburg.
At the reception given in January, 1919, by the New Jersey State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, in honor of the National President, Mr. Louis Amin Ames and Mrs. Ames, he read as part of the patriotic ritual of the Flag Presentation a series of original odes, "Sa- lutes to the Flags," which are to be published under the auspices of the State Society.
Dr. Allen is a director in the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions in New York, and is a member of several clubs and societies of New York City-the Authors' Club, the McDowell Club, the National Arts Club, the Dickens Fellowship of which he is the President, the Shakespeare Club, the Browning Society and the Authors' League of America. He is one of the Vice Presidents of the National Shakespeare Federation, First Vice President of the New Jersey State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Historian of the Newark Chapter S. A. R., a life member of the New Jersey Historical Society, and Chairman of the Advistory Board of the Authors Home at Tenafly, N. J.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Dante League of America.
JOSIAH T. ALLINSON-Yardville .- Farmer and Assembly- man. Born at Yardville, N. J., April 19th, 1858; son of Samuel and Ann (Tatum) Allinson.
Josiah T. Allinson has taken active part in the Republican politics of the State and has attained considerable prestige in grange work. Most of his early education was obtained in private schools. He attended Friend's Boarding School at West Town, Pa., a private school at Cross- wicks, N. J., and the State Model school at Trenton, as well as the Bryant and Strattons Business College in Philadelphia. Later he took a course in Sanitary Engineering and mechanical training at Franklin Institute.
After serving as commissioner of appeals, (1907), Mr. Allinson was elected Assessor of Hamilton township and while in this office he made many friends and raised the ratables over more than $1,000,000. For more than the past fifteen years he has been closely connected with grange work and served as secretary for six years and master for one, of the
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Hamilton grange and for six years secretary of the Mercer County Po- mona grange. Mr. Allinson has always been particularly identified as an active worker for farmers' interest and while engaged in this work has been president of the Mercer County Board of Agriculture for seven years and one of the establishers of the Mercer County farm bureau of which he was also its first president. He is on the Board of Managers of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment station at New Brunswick and was Vice President of the Board in 1917-18.
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