USA > New Jersey > The New Jersey coast in three centuries; history of the New Jersey coast with genealogical and historic-biographical appendix, Vol. III > Part 3
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David Buck, the father of our subject, a son of John and Ann (West) Buck, was born January 10, 1799, at Marlborough, and died at Freehold on February 7, 1879. He was educated in the public schools of his township, and became an exten- sive farmer, opcrating a large tract of land located one mile from Freehold. Hc was also an extensive wholesale dealer in produce and sea products, and occupied a wholesale produce and fish stand in Philadelphia for seventeen years, from which he supplied Philadelphia, Lancaster, Trenton and many other points in West Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. All his business was donc by teaming, and his carcer was active and successful. He was one of the early member of the Dutch Refornied church, and was very active in its affairs, holding the offices of deacon and elder for a number of years. In politics he was a Whig and subsequently a Republican; he was an active party man, and was at one time a school trustee in West Freehold. He was possessed of literary tastes to a high degree, and was practically self- educated. He died in 1880, at the age of eighty years. His wife was Cornelia (born October 3, 1806, died December 13, 1885), daughter of William I. and Margaret (Denise) Thompson. Of their marriage were born the following named children : William Thompson, born November 17, 1826, and died April 24, 1852; Jacob West, born January 31, 1829, and died January 15, 1898, who married Amelia Augusta Camp- bell, born May 4, 1833, a daughter of William Campbell and Hannah Bowne; Mar- garet Ann, born February 4, 1831, and dicd November 23, 1856, who was the wife of Levi Solomon, who was born August 10, 1820, and died June 14, 1893; Angelina, born May 18, 1833, who married John T. Campbell, born in November, 1825, son of Thomas Campbell and Mary Griggs, and now a farmer living in Coltsneck; Cather-
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
ine Louisa, born July 19, 1835, and died on October 9, 1860, who married Garret Conover Buck, son of John and Maria P. Buck; Mary, born July 22, 1837, and died May 7, 1884; she married Joseph H. Thompson, who was born on October 26, 1835, and died July 31, 1881, a son of Rusha Thompson and Mary Hendrickson; Val- entine P., who is our subject; Melville P., born May 15, 1843, who married Hulda B. Robinson, a daughter of Henry Robinson and Sarah Lefferson; John, born Sep- tember 15, 1845, and died October 27, 1845; Emily Tallman, born December 1, 1846, and died on March 31, 1885, married Henry B. Clark, born November 6, 1836, died August 29, 1871; David Henry, born September 24, 1850, who married Mary Green DuBois, born July 25, 1854, who was a daughter of John DuBois and Catherine Denise.
Valentine P. Buck, who is the subject of this sketch, was born on his father's farm in Marlborough township. Monmouth county, New Jersey. He was educated in the district schools and the Freehold Institute, and immediately after finishing the course he. engaged in farming. Mr. Buck has kept up the family reputation as an agriculturist, and is considered not only one of the best farmers of his town- ship, but also one of its most estimable citizens.
November 10, 1869, he was married to Miss Sarah Schanck Smock, of Holmdel, Monmouth county, New Jersey, a granddaughter of the Aaron Smock previously mentioned.
DR. DANIEL EDGAR ROBERTS.
Dr. D. E. Roberts, of Keyport, was born in Middletown township, Monmouth county, New Jersey, October 9, 1861. He is a son of Daniel and the late Eleanor V. (Arrowsmith) Roberts, both natives of Monmouth county. Daniel Roberts is a son of the late Rev. Thomas Roberts, a distinguished Baptist minister, who came to the United States from Wales in 1803 and located at Newark, New Jersey, where in 1806, he married Elizabeth Rutan of Newark. Among the churches whose pul- pits were filled by Rev. Thomas Roberts were those at Utica, Albany, New York City and Philadelphia. He was recognized as one of the most gifted of the ministers of his denomination of his day and exerted his talents most beneficially along broad lines and in diverse ways. He was pre-eminently a believer in going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. He was one of that very small number of devoted Christian ministers, who at the dawn of the nineteenth century in the United States of America first voiced the cry "The world for Christ." He was also especially interested in his advocacy of the cause of temperance. While located at Philadelphia, Dr. Roberts was a most active and efficient member of the board of foreign missions. He there organized a company of missionaries, which he took with him to the Cherokee Nation, and in this connection he assisted in the framing of the constitution of that nation. He adapted the English alphabet for the Indians, and having accomplished this he utilized it in the translation of the Sunday-school spelling book. In 1825 he settled with his family in Middle- town township, Monmouth county, which was practically his home during the re- mainder of his life. He died September 24, 1865. His son, Daniel Roberts, was a prominent agriculturist of Monmouth county, and for a number of years a hard- ware merchant of Toms River. He has lived in retirement from active pursuits since 1885 and resides with his son at Keyport. His wife, the late Eleanor V. (Arrowsmith) Roberts, was a daughter of Major Thomas Arrowsmith, whose mili- tary title was acquired through his connection with: the Home Guards of Monmouth county. Major Arrowsmith was a stalwart Democrat, and gave liberally of his
DE Roberts, M.D.,
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
time, talent, and means toward the advancement of the interests of his party in county, state and nation. He was intrusted with the duties of numerous offices of politicai preferment, to the fulfillment of which duties he proved in each case abund- antly equal. His tenure of the office of judge of the court of errors, and of secre- tary of the state of New Jersey, was marked by conspicuously efficient service. He married Emma Van Brackle.
Dr. Daniel Edgar Roberts received his initial schooling in public schools and under private tutors of Monmouth county; he took an academic course at Hights- town, New Jersey; studied medicine under the preceptorship of the late Dr. J. E. Arrowsmith of Keyport; entered the medical department of the University of New York City, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1885. Im- mediately thereafter he established himself at Keyport, where he has an extensive practice. He married February 20, 1890, Miss Mary E., daughter of the late Obadiah Stillwell. Mrs. Roberts died January 12, 1893, leaving two children, Marion and Edna Roberts. Dr. Roberts is a member of Monmouth County Medical Society, of the staff of Monmouth County Memorial Hospital and physician to and member of Keyport board of health. The demands upon his time by his professional duties have restricted Dr. Roberts from active connection along other public lines, but he is recognized as one of the substantial, valuable, and public spirited citizens of Keyport.
SAMUEL RIKER.
Samuel Riker, for over forty years prominently identified with the New York bar, and now enjoying an honorable retirement, has proved himself a worthy de- scendant of a family that have made their home in this country since 1638. Abra- ham Rycken or de Rycke, as the name is written in earlier records, who was born in 1610, emigrated here from Amsterdam, and received an allotment of land at the Wallabout from Governor Kieft. In 1654 he also secured a grant of land at Poor Bowery from Governor Stuyvesant; a portion of this land, comprising about one hun- dred acres, has never been out of the possession of the family, and is now owned in part by Samuel Riker. Mr. Rycken afterward added to his possessions the island known as Riker's Island. His wife was a daughter of Hendrick Harmensen. Mr. Rycken died in 1689, and left his farm by will to his son Abraham, who added exten- sively to the lands. and at his decease, which occurred in 1746, in his ninety-first year, he left the estate to his sons, Abraham and Andrew Riker. John Berrian Riker, grandson of Abraham Riker, joined the army under command of Washington, piloted Washington across the Delaware (Riker's Annals of Newtown) and acted in the capacity of surgeon during the entire war. Abraham Riker, another grandson of Abraham Riker, was present at the fall of Montgomery at Quebec, and displayed his courage at the battle of Saratoga. He died at Valley Forge May 7. 1778, ex- pressing his regret that he was not allowed to live to witness the freedom of his- country. A cenotaph has been erected in his honor in the family cemetery at Poor Bowery. Samuel Riker, another grandson of Abraham Riker, was a man much ad- mired for his public spirit, integrity and loyalty, and after the Revolution he served as supervisor of Newtown for several years; lie was a member of the state assembly, and was twice a member of Congress. Among his sons was Andrew Riker, who commanded a merchant vessel in the European and West India trade, and in the war of 1812 commanded the privateers, Saratoga and Yorktown. Another son, Rich- ard Riker, was admitted to the bar in 1795, and acted as district attorney of New York for ten years from 1802, and for twenty years thereafter held the position of
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
recorder of New York City. His eloquent conversational qualities and courtly man- ners made him a favorite in the social world, while his extensive legal knowledge and hi's keen insight into character eminently fitted him to preside over the criminal courts. John L. Riker, another son of Abraham Riker, studied law with his brother Richard, and remained in that profession until his death, which occurred in 1861. He was noted for his uprightness and honest dealings with all men. He was a member of the New York constitutional convention of 1846.
Samuel Riker, the sixth child in order of birth of John L. and Lavinia (Smith) Riker, was born April 10, 1832, and received a common school education, which was supplemented by an extensive course of reading in history and the best English literature. He commenced the study of law with J. H. and H. L. Riker, of New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1853. Among his professional brethren he was distinguished for his profound knowledge of the law of real property, and for his skill in the drawing and interpretation of wills, investigations of titles, trust deeds, and marriage settlements, and in these departments was without a superior. He rarely appeared in court except in very important cases, but was largely engaged in advising executors and trustees, and in the settlement of estates in the Surrogate's court. He has perfected many questionable titles by taking judicial proceedings or procuring legislative action, as required by the necessities of the case. He was executor of the wills of Sarah Burr and her sisters, and in that capacity distributed several millions of dollars among a large number of benevolent and charitable insti- tutions in New York City. He was for more than thirty years attorney and counsel for the Sailors' Snug Harbor; and he prepared all instruments and protected all in- terests in connection with the valuable landed estate of that institution, both in New York City and on Staten Island. He numbered among his clients many of the wealthy and prominent citizens of New York City. He retired from business on January 1, 1893.
Mr. Riker is very domestic in his habits, fond of his home, and he has gathered around him a library rich in almost every department of literature. On October II, 1865, Mr. Riker married a great-granddaughter of Major Jonathan Lawrence, of Revo- lutionary fame.
WILL E. WARN.
Will E. Warn, a popular and successful pharmacist of Keyport, Monmouth county. New Jersey, is a son of Nicholas E. and Lydia E. (Lambertson) Warn, and was born February 5, 1853, at South Amboy, New Jersey. The Warn family is of English ' origin and was established in New Jersey in pre-Revolutionary times. James Warn, the paternal grandfather of our subject, received a generous share of the old Dutch blood from his mother, who was a Morgan. Both the Warn and Morgan families held a pronounced contempt for Toryism and both families were stanch Continentalists from the colonial days. The grandfather, James Warn, was a most positive Democrat and an active party worker, always holding a prominent position in his party in the town of Jacksonville, where he spent most of his life after his marriage .. He was for several terms collector of Amboy township, which has since been subdivided into a number of townships. He was the father of two sons and four daughters, of which family the two youngest daughters are now living, their homes being in the far west.
Nicholas E. Warn, father of him whose name introduces this review, was born April 17, 1825, on a farm near South Amboy. He received the advantages offered by the common schools of his time and on reaching manhood chose the trade of
William E. Warn.
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
a mason, which vocation he pursued with success until 1878, when he gave up active work and took up his abode with his son. Like his father, he was a most uncon- ditional Democrat, and fraternally he was associated with the Independent Order of Odd Felows, belonging to the lodge in South Amboy. He died June 6, 1893, and is survived by his wife, their son, Will E., and a daughter, the wife of Elgin E. Cline, all residents of Keyport.
Will E. Warn acquired a good business education, attending first the public schools of Keyport and later private schools. On leaving school he took up the study of drugs, their properties and their uses, under the tutelage of Dr. W. Hodg- son, of Keyport. After a thorough and earnest course of study he passed a highly creditable examination before the New Jersey state board of pharmacy, and on the 12th of June, 1872, started in business for himself, opening a drug store in Keyport. He has been in the drug business ever since that June day when he put up his first prescription, and he commands a large and profitable trade. Mr. Warn was a director in the People's National Bank of Keyport from its organization in 1889 to the Ist of January, 1901, when he was elected its. president, which office he now holds.
In politics Mr. Warn is a Democrat. He is a member of the board of com- missioners of Keyport and has been the treasurer of that body for the past ten years. He is connected with all orders representing the different branches of Odd Fellows in Keyport; is a member of Frelinghuysen Council, No. 68, J. O. U. A. M .; Council No. 1456, R. A .; Caeserea Lodge, No. 64. F. & A. M .; Delta Chapter, No. 14. R. A. M., and in the line of his business is connected with the American and New Jer- sey Pharmaceutical Associations.
Mr. Warn was married on the Ioth of October, 1898, to Miss Laura B. Warne, daughter of James Morgan Warne, of Charles City, Iowa. His domestic life is a most ideal one and his home relations of the very happiest character. He takes the deepest interest and has the most sincere regard for the welfare of Keyport and its people. He keenly appreciates the generous support they have accorded him since, as a mere boy, he took his place in their business ranks. As a business man Mr. Warn is wide-awake, progressive, and yet conservative, and keeps himself in touch with the rapidly advancing ideas of his profession. Those who know him best are strongest in declaring him to be most careful, painstaking and conscientious in his business relations; charitable toward all; true as a friend and faithful to all the demands of good citizenship. He is widely known and justly honored.
DAVID BUCK.
David Buck, a scion of the old Buck family of Revolutionary fame, was born on the family homestead in Freehold township in 1847, son of John Buck and Maria (Conover) Buck. An ancestor, Ephraim, came to Monmouth county, New Jersey, from Long Island before the war of 1776, and was a lieutenant in that war and sub- sequently a farmer. He was married in what is now Marlboro township and died there in 1829; his son John died about two years after the death of his father, in Marl- boro township. John Buck, Jr., son of the latter and the father of David Buck, our subject, was born in the same township in 1805, was married in 1827, began farm- ing in Freehold in 1834, and died there in 1879 at the age of seventy-six years. Mr. Buck's mother, born in 1808, died December 20, 1901. The children born to these parents were: Garret Conover, a farmer in Freehold township: Louisa, the widow of Thomas Applegate ; John H .; William C., a miller in Atlantic township; Mary Ann,
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
who married O. C. Harlbut, of Marlboro township; Jane Maria, who married James E. Johnson, of Brooklyn, New York; Eleanor, who died as Mrs. Aaron Schanck in 1882 (her husband also is deceased, and of her six children, only one, Miss Minnie Schanck, survives) ; Andrew Jackson, a retired farmer living in Freehold; and David.
David Buck was educated and brought up on his father's farm, and lived there until he began farming for himself in 1870 upon a farm situated a little south of Freehold. He continued here until the spring of 1900, when he removed to Free- hold, where he now resides, No. 82 South street. Since the spring of 1898 he has been a freeholder of Freehold township and is recognized as one of the most suc- cessful and influential farmers of the country. In 1872 he was married to Eleanor Taylor in Marlboro township. They have one child, William Buck, born May 4, J875, who has been carefully reared to farm life. The son, during the recent Spanish- American war, enlisted in Company I, Third New York Volunteers, and was with his regiment in camp in the south when peace was proclaimed. The son was mar- ried in February. 1901, to Gertrude Truax at the latter's home in Freehold, and is in the hardware business in Freehold, a member of the firm of De Nise & Buck.
JOHN S. HOLMES.
"Agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable occupation to which man devotes his energies," said George Washington more than a century ago. History verifies this statement, and it is therefore a matter of just pride to be con- nected with an occupation of so much importance. It forms the basis of all com- mercial activity and in fact is the very foundation of all business prosperity. Mr. Holmes represents an honored family that for many generations has been connected with farming interests in New Jersey; and he is to-day numbered among the leading and enterprising agriculturists of Monmouth county, where he owns and operates two hundred acres of valuable land.
His birth occurred on the 7th of October, 1851, in Atlantic township, Mon- mouth county, where his parents, Joseph H. and Ann (Crawford) Holmes, resided for a short time. His paternal great-grandfather, John S. Holmes, was a resident of Holmdel, now Holmdel township, where his death occurred on the 15th of Au- gust, 1821. He early began his career as a merchant, but later removed to the farm now owned by his great-grandson, John S. Holmes, where he followed successfully for many years the vocation of an agriculturist. He married Sarah Hendrickson, whose death occurred August 28, 1824. Their children were: Mary, who became the wife of Albert Van Brunt; John H .; Catherine, the wife of Daniel H. Ellis; Emma, who married George Taylor; Eleanor, the wife of Charles Hasbrook; and Daniel. The last named was born on the 27th of December, 1792, at Baptistown, now Holmdel, and spent his early years at the home of his parents. His father at this time was engaged in' the business of a country merchant, in which he proved an invaluable assistant. He received his education in the neighboring school, and .on the' removal of the family to Matawan, in the same county, he embarked for three years in mercantile pursuits. On the death of his father, in 1821, he returned to the farm owned by the latter in Holmdel, now Holmdel township, and became interested in the labors attending to its cultivation. Mr. Holmes was, on the 15th of November, 1813, married to Rhoda, a daughter of Chrineyonce Van Mater, of Middletown township. To this" union were born these children,-Huldah, born Feb- ruary 23, 1815, was married to Joseph Holmes Longstreet, and her children are
3
Johnes Hohner
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
Rhoda H. and Lydia Ann; Catherine, who was born June 9, 1817, and is the wife of John W. Ely, by whom she has three children, Daniel H., Eugene and John M .; John S., born September 2, 1819, died March 2, 1820; Sarah, born April 16, 1821, died September 15, 1822; Joseph H. is the father of our subject; Maria Louisa, born May 2, 1826, is the wife of Ely Conover; Sarah, born January 13, 1829, is the wife of Ruloff P. Smock, and their children are Daniel H., Peter, V. D., and Cath- erine H. Mr. Holmes, in connection with his farming enterprise, was also engaged in business pursuits at Holmdel for many years. His political sympathies were with the Democratic party, whose principles he advocated with untiring zeal during a long and active life. This party, in recognition of his services, several times elected him to the state legislature, as also to the office of sheriff of Monmouth county for one term. He was a member of the convention to revise the constitution of the state and was prominently mentioned as the nominee for congressional hon- ors. He was largely identified with township and county matters and exercised a marked influence on the business and public interests of the portion of the state where he resided. His death occurred October 27, 1851, in his fifty-ninth year, and that of his wife on the 20th of January, 1838, in her forty-sixth year ..
Joseph H. Holmes, the father of our subject, was born on the old family home- stead, which is now in the possession of our subject and has been in the family through five generations. It belonged to his father, the Hon. Daniel Holmes, and was inherited by Joseph Holmes. The latter pursued his early education in the schools of Holmdel and later continued his studies in Lawrenceville, New Jer- sey, under the direction of Rev. Samuel Hammill, D. D., while subsequently he became a student in the institute at Lennox, Massachusetts. On completing his edu- cation he assumed the management of the home farm at the age of seventeen years, and thus carried on operations for eight years. It was then the property of his father, but by inheritance and purchase it passed into his possession and was suc- cessfully conducted by him for a long period. He placed it under a very high state of cultivation, making it a valuable place, and in addition to the raising of grain he devoted considerable time to the breeding of fine blooded horses for the race track, his farm becoming a favorite rendezvous with turfmen. In addition to his other interests, he was for several years county director of the Matawan Bank and a director and treasurer of the Holmdel Fire Insurance Company. He was a zealous promoter and one of the directors of Monmouth County Agricultural Society, which largely stimulated the farmers to put forth their best efforts in producing fine crops and stock. He exercised his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy, but never sought or desired office.
On the 19th of September, 1848, Mr. Holmes was united in marriage to Miss Ann Crawford, a daughter of James G. Crawford, of Holmdel township, Monmouth county. Their children were: Carrie C., the wife of Asher S. Ely; John S., of this review; Daniel, a retired business man living in the state of California; and Lizzie, deceased. After his marriage Mr. Holmes resided for two years at Barrentown, in Atlantic township, and then returned to the old home farm, the cultivation and improvement of which claimed his attention throughout the remainder of his life. He was a man of sterling integrity, a generous friend and a genial companion, and his death, which occurred November 28, 1892, was the occasion of deep regret throughout the community. To the poor of his community he endeared himself by his kindly sympathy and boundless generosity. He was ever read to give freely of his means to the unfortunate, and his obsequics were attended by all of his neigh- bors of this class, each of whom had been the object of his benefactions. His wife
2
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HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY COAST.
was called to her final rest January 26, 1894. She was a beloved member of the Baptist church at Holmdel.
John S. Holmes pursued his early education in the village schools and later continued his studies at Fergusonville Academy, in New York. Under his father's direction and as his assistant he became familiar with farm work in early life and has always engaged in agricultural pursuits, being now engaged in the cultivation of the old home place. The farm of two hundred acres is one of the finest in the entire community, everything being kept in first-class condition. System, order, neatness and thrift, all are manifest, and the home, on a beautiful site, is one of the most attractive residences in the locality.
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