USA > New Jersey > The New Jersey coast in three centuries; history of the New Jersey coast with genealogical and historic-biographical appendix, Vol. II > Part 34
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Mr. Applegate during the Civil war was commissioned as special deputy of the Union League of America, and organized a number of chap- ters of that patriotic organization. In 1862 he was nominated and elected by the Republican party as school superintendent of Shrewsbury town- ship and was three times re-elected to the same office. He served as a mem- ber of the state Republican committee in the successful gubernatorial cam- paign of Marcus L. Ward in 1865. He was president of the first building and loan association of the shore section of Monmouth county for several years, and in 1875, additional banking facilities being a plain necessity of Red Bank, he initiated a movement which resulted in the organization of the Second National Bank of Red Bank, and was selected as the first presi- dent of the new institution, holding the position until his resignation in 1887. He was a strong factor in the events which led to the incorporation of his town in 1871, and was elected as one of the members of its first govern- ing body, and chosen as its chief the following years. In 1881 he was elected state senator, being the first Republican to represent Monmouth county in that position, and receiving a majority of nearly one thousand votes in a county at that time regarded as the Gibraltar of New Jersey Democracy. Upon the organization in 1882 of the New York & Atlantic Highlands Railroad Company he was elected as its president, serving in that capacity until its consolidation with the Central Railroad system.
In the New Jersey senate he introduced and passed under the pressure of his influence many important measures ; among others a bill requiring the public printing of the state to be put out by contract to the lowest bid- der, instead of farming it out to favorites as a reward to partisan service- a system which had then been in vogne for many years. This bill incurred the bitter hostility of many newspapers in the state, but, notwithstanding, its inherent justice commanded the unanimous support of both houses, and it became a law, effecting a public saving of $50,000 annually. He also drafted and introduced a bill of great public convenience and utility, anthor- izing the smaller towns and villages of this state to construct and main- tain water works. This bill became a law, whereby many of these munici- palities have organized and now operate efficient systems of public water
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supply. Under this act he was appointed in 1884 a member of the first « board of water commissioners of Red Bank, which office he has held con- tinuously until the present time.
Among other positions of honor and trust which Mr. Applegate now holds are those of director of the Second National Bank of Red Bank ; di- rector and treasurer of the Red Bank Gas Light Company ; president of the board of trustees of the First Baptist church of Shrewsbury, at Red Bank; trustee of the Monmouth Battle Monument Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association ; one of the board of managers of the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution; a charter member and trustee of the Monmouth County Historical Associa- tion : a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society ; a life member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Club of New York City : a life member of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and an honorary member of the Regimental Association of the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York State Volunteers. In 1880 he delivered the annual alumni address at Col- gate University ; and in 1893 he published a memorial volume of George Arrowsmith, lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York State Volunteers, killed at the battle of Gettysburg.
He married in 1865, Deborah Catharine Allen, daughter of Charles Gordon Allen, a prominent citizen of Monmouth county and a resident of Red Bank. His surviving children are Annie, a graduate of Vassar College in 1891, and the wife of Professor Charles H. A. Wager, mem- ber of the faculty of Oberlin College; John Stilwell Applegate, Jr., a gradu- ate of Colgate University, and Harvard Law School; and Katharine Trafford Applegate, a graduate of Vassar College in the class of 1897.
GEORGE F. COOPER.
George F. Cooper, a retired farmer of Red Bank, is descended from good old Revolutionary stock. His paternal grandfather, James WV. Cooper, took an active part in defending his country during the dark days of that memorable struggle, and the records at Trenton, New Jersey, show that he was a private in Captain Samuel Dennis' Company, First Regiment, Monmouth county militia. He was also captain of a merchant vessel. He was an experienced pilot, but true to his country he would never pilot an English vessel into port, but was often engaged in taking them out. The vessel which he owned and commanded was named the "Lady Delight." and often while watching the movements of the enemy or in planning schemes by which he might forestall them, he would marshal his crew on deck and in his sonorous voice exclaim : "Lady Delight honor bright, who has a better right than Captain Cooper, bold commander." His home was upon the east bank of Patterson's Cove, which was also the home of his father, Joseph Cooper, and he owned a large tract of land in Middle- town township, where were born to him two children. James W. and
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Catherine. He married Rachel Douglass, whose brother, Alexander Doug- lass, was a quartermaster and adjutant of the Burlington county militia, of New Jersey, and at his home General St. Clair had his headquarters at the time of the battle of Trenton. After that engagement General Wash- ington and his officers held their council of war at his residence, Mill Hill, which led to the battle of Princeton.
George Cooper, the father of him whose name introduces this re- view, was born on the north shore of the Shrewsbury river, in Middletown township, on the Ist of July, 1779. In his youth he learned the trade of brick-laying at Philadelphia, following that occupation for many years, and at one time he was engaged in business with Thomas T. Taylor. He married Maria Micheau, who was born at Nut Swamp, Monmouth county, March 1, 1791, and was of French extraction. Her father, Benjamin Micheau, was a prominent merchant of Middletown, at which place he continued in business for a number of years. Benjamin Micheau was a son of Paul Micheau, of Staten Island, a native of France.
George F. Cooper, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born at Nut Swamp, Monmouth county, New Jersey, on the 9th of September. 1827. He was reared in the place of his nativity, attending the district schools during his youth, and afterward entered the high school of Mid- dletown, where he enjoyed superior educational advantages. He has made farming his life occupation, and in this branch of industry his efforts have been crowned with success. He owns one hundred and fourteen acres of valuable land in Middletown township, besides property at Farmingdale and town property at Red Bank. He was one of the promoters, organizers, stockholders, and since 1893 one of the directors of the First National Bank of Red Bank. Mr. Cooper has also been honored with a number of offices within the gift of the people, having served as commissioner of appeals and as surveyor of the highways, and in both positions he per- formed his duties with the utmost fidelity and honor.
On the IIth of November, 1851, occurred the marriage of Mr. Cooper and Miss Sarah E. Applegate, who was born at Nut Swamp October I, 1829. She is a daughter of Joseph S. and Ann Applegate, also of Nut Swamp, and their history will be found in the sketch of Hon. J. S. Apple- gate in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper have had five children, of whom four survive, namely : Mary E .. Eleanor L., Edward M. and Anna A. The deceased child was Maria Louise, who died in infancy. Mary E. married George K. Hopping, an agriculturist of Middletown township, and they have four children-Charles K., Frank P., Maggie K. and Wal- ter K. Eleanor L. married Edward J. Hopping, who died in 1888, leaving two sons, George C. and the late Harry Clay Hopping. The last named. was a member of the Sixth United States Cavalry, Company F, which par- ticipated in the Spanish-American war, and Private Hopping died in the service. of typhoid fever, contracted through exposure in camp at Montauk Point, Long Island. Edward M. married Sarah H., a daughter of Samuel HI. Patterson, and they have three children-George F., Guy and Robert
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A. Anna A. married William T. Conover, whose sketch appears in this volume. Charles K. married Miss Mabel Wilson, and they have one child, Thelma.
HENRY E. ACKERSON.
Captain Henry E. Ackerson, whose farm of seventy-seven acres, sit- dated near the station of Hazlet, is one of the most desirable farming properties in Monmouth county, was born in Warwick, Orange county, New York, July 24, 1821, and is a son of Cornelius Ackerson, who was a native of Orange county, New York. He was a son of Garrett Ackerson, a native of Rockland county, New York, whose ancestors emigrated from Holland to America at an early period in the development of this country. After arriving at years of maturity Cornelius Ackerson married Sarah Townsend, a daughter of Elijah Townsend, a native of Dutchess county. After residing for some years in Warwick, New York, the parents of our subject removed to Monmouth county, New Jersey, in 1832, and purchased a large farm, a part of which is now in possession of the Captain. They had five children, namely: John T., deceased; William W., deceased ; Maria A., deceased, who married Joseph Hoff; Henry E., of this review ; and Ann Eliza, the deceased wife of Joseph H. Gibson.
The school privileges. which Captain Ackerson received were very lim- ited, but he was early instructed in the use of the hoe, plow and other farming implements, and at the age of twenty-one years he began culti- vating land on shares, thus carrying on agriculture pursuits until his father's death, when there was a division of the property. After receiving his share of the estate he purchased the interests of the other heirs in the home farm, and has since engaged in horticultural pursuits with excellent success. He carries on his work along scientific principles and in addition to the old homestead of seventy-seven acres he has added a farm of ninety- four acres near by. His entire attention is devoted to fruit raising, and his orchards contain several thousand trees, including apples, pears, peaches, cherries and plums, all in very fine condition. He has studied the best methods of fruit culture, thoroughly understands the needs and require- ments of the different trees, and his enterprising efforts have developed one of the finest fruit farms in this portion of the county. In 1865 Captain Ackerson became interested in a stock company owning the propeller Holmdel, which for two years he commanded on her trips from Keyport to New York and return; but with the exception of this period his entire life has been devoted to the cultivation and improvement of his farm, on which he now has a very fine residence and all modern accessories and con- veniences.
Captain Ackerson has been twice married. He first married Miss Mary Hyer, a daughter of William Hyer, of Matawan, the ceremony being per- formed in 1840. Their children were: Sarah, the wife of Daniel I. Still- well; Cornelius Ackerson (whose personal history is contained elsewhere
Merry & Ackersony
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in this volume; and Margaret, who married George H. Melville, and is now deceased, four children surviving her: Thomas A .; Sarah Stilwell, married June 30, 1902, to Wilfred W. Turner ; Marion and Margaret May. For his second wife Captain Ackerson chose Ida V. Hendrickson, who was born October 20, 1863, daughter of Henry D. and Elizabeth C. Hendrickson, a representative of one of the oldest families of Monmouth county. They have two children : Elizabeth S., who was born August 29, 1882, and Will- iam M., born February 26, 1887. The family attend the Dutch Reformed church. Such in brief is the history of Captain Ackerson, who has for many years been a valuable resident of Monmouth county, where he is known as a representative fruit grower and an honorable man, worthy of the high regard in which he is uniformly held.
WILLIAM HATHAWAY.
It is an important public duty to honor and perpetuate as far as is possible the memory of an eminent citizen-one who by his blameless and honorable life and distinguished career reflected credit not only upon the city in which he made his home, but upon the state. Through such me- morials as this at hand an individual and the character of his services are kept in remembrance, and the importance of those services acknowledged. . His example, in whatever field his work may have been done, thus stands as an object lesson to those who come after him, and though dead he still speaks. Long after all recollection of his personality shall have faded from the minds of men the less perishable record may tell the story of his life and commend his example for imitation. No man was ever more respected in Deal or ever more fully enjoyed the confidence of the people than did William Hathaway. He was long a representative citizen of this portion . of the state and at the time of his death was serving as the chief executive of Deal.
William Hathaway was born at Eatontown, Monmouth county, New Jersey, on the IIth of October, 1833, and was one of a family of eight children, but only two of the number are now living: Mrs. Walter Green and Mrs. James O. Green, of Long Branch. The father, William Hathaway, Senior, was born in Morristown, New Jersey, where he learned the carpenter trade and became a contractor and builder. Before he had attained the age of thirty years, however, he discontinued that occupation and began farming at Eatontown. He was industrious, energetic and per- severing, and in his undertakings he met with success and prosperity. In 1855 he purchased the T. Borden farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, upon which the present town of Deal is now located. The price paid for the property was fourteen thousand dollars. Later the tract was increased by the purchase of an additional sixteen acres. Immedi- ately after the purchase was made the family located thereon, and there William Hathaway, Senior, spent his remaining days, dying in De-
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cember, 1876. The old house had been built by Mr. Borden, who was a Quaker, with the object of enabling some of his acquaintances to spend portions of the summer months amid the delightful surroundings of this naturally beautiful district. The house becanie known as the Hathaway, Inn, and was a very popular resort among a large class of desirable visitors. For years it furnished the only shelter for travelers and summer visitors be- tween Manasquan and Long Branch. In those days this section of the coast was greatly frequented by citizens of Philadelphia who desired a pleasant place in which to spend the summer months. In those early days trans- portation was difficult, as it was all done by stage coach and involved two days' travel, but by introduction of the railroad the time was lessened by, one day. The Hathaway Inn had no lack of summer visitors and the building was enlarged from time to time to meet the demands of the in- creased business. It is yet one of the most popular hotels along the coast. At that time the coast was but sparsely settled, but the attractions of the farm and the efforts made to secure the comfort of the guests led to a liberal patronage being accorded to the inn. The farm produced abund- antly of the grain, fruits and vegetables common this climate, and as the population increased, after railroads were built, a large portion of the acreage was devoted to the raising of vegetables for the local markets. In the management of the farm and of the Hathaway Inn, Mr. Hathaway, of this review, displayed good business ability and discernment. He was associated with his father in the enterprise from the time of the establish- ment of the family home here, and conducted the business after his father's death. He made excellent improvements upon the property, which grew in value on this account and also by reason of the great increase in the pop- ulation of the district. In 1893 he received a very advantageous offer for the property at Deal and sold it for one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. Being deeply attached to the old home, however, he determined to remain there and purchased eleven lots, each fifty by one hundred feet, upon which he erected a comfortable residence and stable. He also pur- chased another tract, three hundred by twenty-five feet, east of his home on the stone road.
After a time the town of Deal was incorporated. Mr. Hathaway was not only for many years a notable figure in the development of the cottage and hotel life of the coast but also became one of the leading citizens of the new town, contributed in a large measure to its substantial upbuilding and progress, and was a member of the governing body of the borough from its inception; and before the organization of Deal. when the place was known as Ocean township, he served as town committeeman for fif- teen years, discharging his duties with great promptness and fidelity. In his political views he was a Democrat and upon that ticket he was elected in 1900 to the post of mayor of Deal and was filling that position at the time of his death. which occurred on the 6th of October, 1901. He passed away after a very short illness, and the news of his demise came like a! shock to the entire community. Although he did not hold membership with any church he was for many years a liberal contributor to the First
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Methodist Episcopal church of /West Long Branch and to St. Edwards Episcopal church of Allenhurst. He was a man of genial nature, unfail- ing courtesy and of genuine worth, and throughout the community in which he lived for more than forty-five years, he was familiarly and lov- ingly called "Uncle Billy." Over the record of his public career and his private life there falls no shadow of wrong, for he was ever loyal to the duties of friendship and of citizenship, was honorable in business, and trustworthy in all of life's relations. He came into contact with a large number of people during the active years of his connection with the hotel interests of the coast, and it is safe to say that almost without an excep- tion all left the community with pleasant recollections of William Hath- away.
WILLIAM JOSEPH LEONARD.
The Leonard family, one of the oldest and most honorable in Amer- icani history, maintains a notable organization known as the "Leonard Family Genealogical, Historical and Memorial Association." This asso- ciation, whose members are numbered by hundreds, and are dispersed throughout the entire United States, in July, 1901, held its annual meet- ing in Taunton, Massachusetts, under the auspices of the Old Colony His- torical Association. The simple fact that it was thus honored is sufficient attestation of the antiquity and usefulness of the ancient Leonards of America. One of the speakers upon this occasion (Dr. Emery, president of the Old Colony Historical Association) said, in an excellent address : "John Adams, his contemporary, says of Daniel Leonard, the Taunton lawyer, 'he was a scholar and an orator.' The Leonards of that time moved in the highest stations and filled the highest offices of responsibility and trust. But pre-eminent among those who bear the name of Leonard and who will claim the attention of this meeting are Henry and James Leonard. skilled workmen in iron, whose names are associated most intimately with the history of the iron industry in New England. It is now generally conceded that the furnace and forge which these Leonards established in that part of Taunton, now Raynham, in 1652-53, were the first successful iron works in North America.'
The Leonards named-Henry and James-were the same whose names are inseparably connected with the history of New Jersey, for they were the skilled iron workers who ( prior to 1680) came to Tinton Falls, in Monmouth county, at the solicitation of James Grover, one of the Mon- mouth patentees, and superintended the first iron mining in New Jersey and constructed smelting and other iron works, as narrated in the chapter on "Manufactures," which appears elsewhere in this work.
Of this family was also Nathaniel Leonard, Gentleman, who in 1739 received a royal commission under King George II as a lieutenant of the Middle Company of Middletown, Monmouth county, New Jersey. His wife, Deliverance, bore him four sons-John, who emigrated to Cuba,
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where he married a Spanish lady; Nathaniel, of whom there is no record; Joseph, who married Annie Bray, who bore him children; and Samuel, who married Lydia Madden, by whom he had children. Thomas Leonard, born in 1753, married Alice Lawrence, and their children were Elizabeth, William and Joseph. William, the oldest of the sons, was in early life a seafaring man, sailing vessels between Middletown and New York, and at times extending his voyages to Virginia. After his marriage he be- came a farmer and merchant. He married Elizabeth Applegate, and afterward Elizabeth Conover. His children by his first marriage were Richard A., Mary, Thomas, John S., William and Elizabeth.
Richard A. Leonard, eldest son of Captain William Leonard, was born on the family homestead in Middletown, New Jersey, February 17. 1812. In his boyhood he labored on the farm, and received his education in the neighborhood schools. On attaining his majority he removed to the farm which had belonged to his grandfather, and which his father had purchased for him, and there made his home during the remainder of his life. He was a man of the highest character-a devoted Christian and an exemplary and public-spirited citizen,-whose influence was as strong as it was salutary. No measure promising of good to the community that did not find in him an active leader and ally. Yet he was modest and unassuming, and could but seldom be induced to occupy a public office. He was one of the founders and one of the most zealous promoters of the Monmouth County Agricultural Society, one of the projectors of the New Jersey Southern Railroad, and one of the incorporators of the First Na- tional Bank of Red Bank. He was also one of the founders of the Peddie Institute at Hightstown. He was an ardent advocate of temperance prin- ciples and was county vice-president of the New Jersey State Temper- ance Alliance. He aided every temperance movement with his personal effort and means, and was assiduous in bringing his influence to bear upon the youth of the neighborhood by inculcating in their minds a feeling of abhorence for the liquor traffic. In early youth he became a member of the First Baptist Church of Middletown, in which he came to serve as deacon and trustee, and superintendent of the Sunday-school for a period of fifteen years. In 1853 he aided in organizing the Navesink church, of which he was one of the first deacons and served as such until his death.
March 14, 1833, almost a month after his coming of age, Mr. Leon- ard married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the Rev. Thomas Roberts, who bore him three children-Richard, who married Delia F. Patterson; Sarah, who became the wife of Charles McClees; and Emma, who became the wife of George Sherman. Mrs. Leonard died February 8, 1848, and on February 28, 1849, Mr. Leonard married her sister, Sarah Roberts. The children born of this marriage were Charles T., William J. and Ella S. Leonard. Mr. Leonard died May 5, 1877, aged sixty-five years. His death produced a profound sensation in the community, which united in mourning the loss of one of its most useful and honored members. His widow survived him.
William J. Leonard, son of Richard A. Leonard, was born July
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8, 1858, on the old homestead at Leonardsville, the Monmouth county village named for his grandfather. He began his education in the public schools of that place, and entered Colgate University, but in his fresh- man year the death of his father necessitated his return home to take the management of the farm (upon which he has since resided) near Atlantic Highlands. Some years later he read law under the preceptorship of John S. Applegate and Frederick W. Hope, and then entered Columbia Law School, from which he was graduated January 13, 1888, in his thir- tieth year. He was admitted to the bar in 1889, and was licensed as a counsellor in 1892. He engaged in practice at Atlantic Highlands in 1889 and has been so employed to the present time. His high capability as a lawyer is attested by the numerous important cases with which he has been associated, one notably the sensational and strongly contested homi- cide case brought against William Bullock for the killing of James Walsh, in which he, with Hon. George C. Beekman, appeared for the state. Upon one occasion he was identified with a case which was a creditable cause celebre. A Republican in politics, yet strongly independent, he had to oppose. by the newspaper which he edited, the candidacy of Theodore Aumack for the county clerkship in 1893, and his aggressive course and vigorous language was made the basis for an indictment for libel, appar- ently for campaign effect. The case was removed to the supreme court by an order of the honored Chief Justice Beasley, much to the chagrin of some scheming politicians, and has stood on the calendar of that august tribunal to the present time-a virtual vindication of Mr. Leonard. Dur- ing the entire campaign and litigation he was strongly supported by the press of the state and New York City dailies and by public sentiment. and as an endorsement of his position the ticket which he supported won against hopeless odds. He has been for some years counsel for the cor- poration of Seabright, and he is a member of the Monmouth County Bar Association. Since 1892 he was editor and proprietor of the "Mon- mouth Press" of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, and also from 1897 of the "Seabright Sentinel." His journals are recognized as leaders among the most ably conducted and influential journals of the state, their con- duct being characterized by entire independence and fearlessness. Mr. Leonard has recently incorporated a company to control the newspapers, of which he is president and manager.
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