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 33
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It is not to be wondered at that with all his business cares and responsibilities Mr. Chase is inclined toward social life, which he fosters by his connection with various organizations, such as the Improved Order of Red Men, the Maccabees, the Woodbridge Athletic Club, and the Rahway Club. Mr. Chase is happily married and has one child.
CAPTAIN HENRY CONINE.
Captain Henry Conine, one of the brave soldiers who gave his life for his country during the Civil war, was born in Freehold, Monmouth county, New Jersey, September II, 1826, son of John C. and Elizabeth (Bennett) Conine. His father, John C. Conine, was twice married. By a first union he had three children, and by his
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second marriage, to Elizabeth Bennett, he had John B., Henry, Joseph, Rachael, Alcha, Rebecca, Mary Eliza and Mathilda. He died about the year 1848.
Captain Henry received his early education in the public schools, was reared to and pursued a farmer's life. In 1850 he married Sarah Voorhees of Freehold, by whom six children were born to him : Mathilda, Charles H., John W., George, William H., and Sarah Ella. Charles H. and William died in early childhood.
When the call in July, 1862, for 300,000 volunteers was made by President Lincoln to uphold the old flag, Mr. Conine, although he had a wife, two sons and two daugh- ters, the eldest child but fourteen years of age, responded to the call of his country with patriotic ardor, and enlisted as first lieutenant of Company D in the noted Four- teenth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, August 15, 1862. Mustered into the service eleven days later, he did duty in Maryland along the B. & O. R. R., until July, 1863, when his regiment was attached to the Third Army Corps of the Potomac, under the command of General Sickles.
Captain Conine was with his company in active service continually to his death. He led his company in the battles in Virginia, at Manassas Gap, Wapping Heights, Culpepper. Bristol, Keeley's Ford, Brandy Station, Locust Grove, and Mine Run. Immediately following the battle of Brandy Station he was selected from among the first lieutenants in the regiment, on account of bravery and capability, for promotion to a captaincy. His commission bore date, November 21, 1863, and he was transferred. . from Company D to Company A, of the same regiment, and commanded this company until his death. In 1864 he was in the fearfully contested battles in Virginia, of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, Poe River, North Anna River, Hanover Court House, Cold Harbor, Bermuda Hundred, and Petersburg. Upon the call of the. Fourteenth Regiment to Washington, in the first battle in its defense, Captain Conine was killed at the head of his regiment. It is a strange coincidence that Captain. Conine, of Company A, and Captain Conover, of Company D, both of whom passed through the battles of 1863 unscathed, one as captain and the other as first lieutenant of the same company, should both fall as captains in the same regiment and at nearly the same time.
Captain Conine was known to every person in Freehold, and was universally loved. His company was strongly attached to their brave, fearless leader and were ever- the object of his especial counsel and instruction. Through all the vicissitudes of battle and army experience he was the sincere Christian soldier.
WILLIAM CURR.
Even in the humblest walks of life men have been recognized and admired for what may justly be called their sterling worth. No matter where a man is found. who, through his own honest endeavors, creates for himself a position in life which proves him to have been one of perseverance and thrift, he will be accorded the credit which is his due by those with whom he mingles.
The life of William Curr, while in the main uneventful, offers an example of application to the accomplishment of a given task, and affords material for the con- sideration of those starting out on the highway of life's endeavor. Born at. Hamilton, Scotland, on August 18. 1848, the son of Gaving and Ellen Curr, he left his native land to come to the country of so much promise in the tenth year of his age in the company of an aunt. He located in Brooklyn, New York, where until his fifteenth year- he attended the public schools. He then began to learn the plumber's trade, which he-
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followed for three years in Brooklyn, and for one and one-half years in the city of New York. In 1868 he went to Long Branch, New Jersey, and here commenced his business career on his own account, establishing the first plumbing, gas and steam fitting plant in Monmouth county, in partnership with Mr. Barham, under the style of Barham & Co .; this connection lasted until 1888, when Mr. Curr purchased his partner's interest in the business and conducted it alone until 1900. He then took into the business Alexander P. Paul, and the business was then carried on under the firm name of Curr & Company, which continues up to the present time. The concern is now (1902) the largest of its kind in Monmouth county; it carries on an extensive plumbing, steam and gas fitting business, including the handling of all the necessary accessories of such a business, and necessitates the employment of twelve to fifteen skilled mechanics and helpers. The building which they occupy is situated at 94-96 Broadway, Long Branch, New Jersey. The establishments of Barham & Company and its successor, Curr & Company, was the source from which a number of similar prosperous businesses in the county of the same kind emanated, their proprietors having been originally in the employ of these firms.
Mr. Curr is a Republican in political views, but has confined his attentions so assiduously to the business which has proved so successful under the impetus of his concentrated effort, that he has found no time in which to enter the political field.
He is a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. His marriage to Miss Barbara Paul, daughter of Alexander and Barbara Paul, of Glasgow, Scotland, was solemnized in 1881. Their only child, James B., was born February 21, 1882, and is learning his father's business at Long Branch.
Among the interests of Long Branch, other than his immediate business, with which Mr. Curr has had connection, was his assistance as one of the initial stock- holders of the Long Branch Banking Company, and as having been active in the formation of the Atlantic Fire Company, the first to be established in Long Branch.
SUSAN SMITH BRISTED.
Susan Smith Bristed, a most highly esteemed resident of Red Bank, New Jersey, was born on the Shrewsbury River, in Middletown township. She is a daughter of Jonathan and Eleanor (Burdge) McLane. The father was one of the most promi- nent and highly respected citizens of his county, a man of large means and great in- fluence, and he assisted materially in the upbuilding of Red Bank and the surrounding country. He owned several stores and much property in Red Bank, and was also largely interested in steamboating, being a part owner of a number of vessels which plied in the Shrewsbury River. His residence was one of the most beautiful and at- tractive ones on that river, and in that palatial home of wealth and refinement our subject was reared. She is now the only surviving member of her father's family of eight children. She enjoyed liberal educational advantages in her youth, and has devoted much of her time in late years to music and botany, which contribute not a little to her own pleasure, and also to that of her many friends.
On the 24th of December, 1856, she was happily married to William M. Smith, of Middletown township, and they had two sons-W. M., a promising youth who died in early life, and Charles J. McLean, who received his education in the Frechold Insti- tute, in the South Jersey Institute, and at Coleman's Business College of Newark, New Jersey ; his time is now occupied in looking after his mother's property. William M. Smith, the father, was born in Middletown township, Monmouth county, New Jersey, in 1803. His father, Daniel Smith, was a descendant of John and Mary Smith,
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who emigrated to this country in 1670. They subsequently took up their abode in Middletown township, where they purchased a large plantation, the warrant of which bears the date of 1676. William M. Smith was a practical farmer, and few were more industrious or more respected than he. Although much absorbed in the care of his large and well conducted estate, he never neglected his duties as a Christian. Con- verted at the age of twenty, he became a member of the Baptist church at Middletown, but later removed his membership to Red Bank, where he was serving as trustee and deacon at the time of his death, which occurred on the 25th of February, 1879. He was straightforward in all his dealings with his fellowmen, and as the result of many years of honorable toil he became one of the wealthy and substantial citizens of the county, while he was honored and respected by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. Few husbands were more devoted and affectionate, few fathers more indulgent, few neighbors more obliging, and few Christians more conscientious than this honored gentleman. In his life he was interested in the Fair View cemetery and his remains now rest in peace in a circular plot enclosed with granite, beneath a shaft of costly Quincy granite, with the appropriate inscription, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."
JOHN B. CRAWFORD.
The ancestral home of the Crawford family in Holmdel township, Monmouth county, was the birthplace of the subject of this review, who throughout his entire life has been identified with the agricultural interests of this portion of the state. The great-great-great-grandfather, John Crawford, came from Fenwick Parish, Ayrshire, Scotland, to America in 1672. The first positive record is a deed dated 1678 for a town lot in Middletown. New Jersey, and he is described as "John Crawford, Gentle- man, Ayrshire, Scotland." William Crawford, the great-grandfather, received many hundred acres of land through his wife, Catharine Bowne, which has remained in the family to the present generation. William Crawford, the grandfather, was an enterprising and successful agriculturist and lived to a very advanced age. The farm was inherited by his son, William H. Crawford, the father of our subject, who was born on the old homestead and there spent his entire life. He, too, pros- pered in his undertaking and in public affairs he took a deep interest, exerting a strong influence in many matters which affected the general welfare. He married Leah Conover, who was of Dutch descent, her ancestors having been pioneer settlers of New Jersey, while many representatives of the family have been distinguished in connection with affairs of state and county. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford became the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters, nine of whom grew to maturity, while four are yet living. Two of the daughters occupy the old homestead, which was the residence of their ancestors for more than two centuries.
John B. Crawford was born on the 20th of October, 1838, and pursued his literary education in the township schools, while upon the farm he early learned the use of agricultural implements through practical experience in the work of the field. Through- out his entire life he has carried on farming and is to-day the owner of two hundred acres of the old homestead, which is under a high state of cultivation. It is largely de- voted to fruit growing, sixty acres being included within his apple and pear orchards.
On the 19th of June, 1867, Mr. Crawford was united in marriage to Miss Hen- rietta Schenck, who was born October 4. 1837, a daughter of John and Jane A. (Haz- zard) Schenck, both of whom were of Dutch lineage, their ancestors having emi- grated from Holland to the new world in the early part of the seventeenth century. Many of them have been well known in affairs of state, and their influence has been
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JOHN B. CRAWFORD.
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felt for good in the promotion of the best interests of the commonwealth. Ruliff Schenck, the grandfather of Mrs. Crawford, was born on a farm in Marlboro town- ship, Monmouth county, owned by his father, and was highly respected throughout the community, where he was widely known as "good Uncle Ruliff." Unto our sub- ject and his wife was born but one child, Charles X., whose birth occurred July 28, 1874. He was educated in the schools of the neighborhood, married Florence Curtis, and is now following farming on the old homestead. Mr. Crawford and his family are adherents of the Reformed church, and in his political views he is a Republican. His life has been quietly passed, but his upright, honorable career has won him the respect and good will of all by whom he is known.
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VERA DE NOIE.
The thousands on both sides of the Atlantic who know Miss Vera De Noie as playwright and actress are few of them aware that her home is at Long Branch, Monmouth county, New Jersey, that it is one of the most beautiful at that fashionable resort, and that it is widely known to Americans as "Pass More Inn," by which quaint name Miss De Noie herself designated it.
Vera De Noie is a native of Iowa, born in 1871, a daughter of Jean De Noie, a Frenchman and an officer in the army of his native country. She was educated in Paris and Bologne, where by superior advantages she developed the latent powers which have served her so well in securing for herself a place in the hearts of her audiences. Miss De Noie is a fluent linguist, and with both tongue and pen com- mands six languages. Not only is she well known in this country, but she is popular in Europe, where she has played for ten years, and she has made two tours round the world, appearing at all important dramatic centers in the principal roles of her own plays. She dramatized the Dreyfus case under the title of "Devil's Island," and in order to give her work the proper local color and to get certain hidden material, she spent some time in France. Among her other- plays may be mentioned "A Godly Man," "Over the Line," "Queen of the Navahoes" and "The Tory's Daughter," in all of which she has played the leading characters.
Miss De Noie's home at Long Branch, which is a marvel of beauty, was purchased by her, September 22, 1898, and she has remodeled it into a fashionable summer re- treat, the guests at which are entertained in first-class style and served with every- thing in season.
Like any other spirited woman of broad sympathies, Miss De Noie has a passion- ate fondness for animals of many kinds, and she takes an especial interest in horses and dogs, which she regards as man's best friends, unselfish, always constant, never forsaking him in the hour of adversity.
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REV. B. F. SHEPPARD.
A life consecrated to the cause of Christianity is one which ever commands re- spect from all classes of individuals. The life that one lives leaves an unmistakable evidence upon the person, and the face mirrors forth the inner man. Consecrated to the ministry, one cannot be long in the presence of Rev. B. F. Sheppard without rec- ognizing his strong character and deep earnestness and his complete devotion to the
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cause which he champions. He is pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church in Southard, Howell township, Monmouth county; also preaches at Greenville and Squankum and superintends the work at Herbertsville and Cedar Ridge, the pulpits there being supplied by his assistants.
Rev. Sheppard was born in Port Elizabeth, Cumberland county. New Jersey, June 28, 1866, and is a son of Abram and Margaret J. (Steelman) Sheppard. The father has long been a very active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and during forty years of that time has been an enthusiastic and successful exhorter. He has filled every office in the church of his choice save that of pastor, and his influence has been by no means small.
His son, Rev. B. F. Sheppard, was well fitted by birth and home culture to take upon himself the solemn vows of a preacher of the gospel. At the usual age he entered the public schools, and there, by close application and thorough mastery of the branches taught, he fitted himself for advancement to higher attainments in intel- lectual pursuits. His theological training was received from Rev. William D. Stultz, and in 1900 he was admitted to the New Jersey conference and appointed to his present charge, preaching for three churches, at Southard. Greenville and Squankum, and superintending the work which is carried on at Herbertsville and Cedar Ridge by his assistants. At Southard, where he makes his home, the church has a mem- bership of eighty, the Sunday-school an enrollment of one hundred, and the church prop- erty is valued at $2,200. All the different branches of the church work are in flourishing condition, and the earnest, consecrated effort of the pastor is producing marked results as a Christianizing influence in the community.
In 1887 Mr. Sheppard was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Ada E. Megill, a daughter of William and Hannah (Osborn) Megill. The lady was born in Salem county, New Jersey, August 13, 1868, and is a most able assistant to her husband in his work. Their home has been blessed with the presence of four interesting children: Bessie, born February 1, 1889; Abram, born March 19, 1890; Oliver, born March 31, 1895; and Benjamin, born August 20, 1899.
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RICHARD CRAWFORD.
Richard Crawford is one of the wealthy and influential farmers residing in Middletown township, Monmouth county, where his ancestry dates back to "Gentle- man John" Crawford, who came from Scotland to Connecticut in 1668. He was one of three brothers, and after the close of the French and Indian war removed to New Jersey, where he took up three hundred acres of land which had been granted to him by the English crown. The paternal great-grandfather of our subject was William Crawford, while his wife was a daughter of Judge Bowne, and they had two sons, John and William. Richard Crawford, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a brave and gallant soldier in the Revolutionary war, nobly performing his part in the struggle for American independence. William Crawford married Rebecca Patterson, and they became the parents of five children, namely : Ann, Will- iam, John B., William H., and James P. John B., the father of the subject of this review, was born in Holmdel, then a part of Middletown township, in 1789. As a com- panion on the journey of life he chose Catherine Crawford, a distant relative, and their children were as follows: George W., born December 13, 1825, died October 19, 1878; Rebecca S., born July 20, 1828, died April 17, 1876; Elizabeth S., born April 16, 1832, died October 2. 1836; William, born August 8, 1834, died October 27, 1836;
Richard Crawford for
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Catherine E., born April 5, 1837, died April 16, 1893; and Richard was born December I, 1838, and is now the only survivor of this large family.
He has spent his entire life in this locality, and he now owns a highly improved and fertile farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres, where he is engaged in general agricultural pursuits. He has served as overseer of highways and in many other positions of honor and trust, and is public-spirited in an eminent degree.
Mr. Crawford was united in marriage with Miss Julia A. Robinson, a daughter of William and Catherine Robinson, the wedding being celebrated on the 21st of November, 1866. The union was blessed with one child, which died in infancy. The Crawford family were formerly identified with the Baptist church, but since his marriage our subject has attended the Presbyterian church. He is a genial, whole- souled gentleman, and, pleasant, scholarly and courteous, he has many admirers.
BENJAMIN M. COOPER.
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Benjamin M. Cooper, a successful dairyman and agriculturist of Howell township, Monmouth county, New Jersey, was born in 1841 at Farmingdale, Monmouth county. He is a representative of an old family of high respectability and is of German descent, his great-grandfather, Philip Cooper, being a native of Germany, but leaving the Fatherland for this country about 1740. He aided the colonies in their struggle for independence, showing the characteristic German courage and fortitude in defense of American principles. He followed farming extensively and accumulated consider- able property. He and his wife, Margaret Cooper, resided at what is now Farming- dale, and there reared a family, one son of whom was George, the grandfather of our subject. Georgc Cooper was born at Farmingdale and throughout his life fol- lowed agricultural pursuits. In religious faith he was a Methodist. He married Miss Ann Lovett, by whom he had ten children, all of whom are deceased. Of this num- ber was James G. Cooper, the father of our subject, born in 1805 at Farmingdale, New Jersey. He was a man of intelligence and influence in his locality, and was honored with several township offices. His possessions in real estate amounted to about one hundred acres of valuable property. Like his father, he was a member of the Methodist church and led an earnest and consistent Christian life. He married Miss Charity Van Note, also a native of Farmingdale, who became the mother of four children, as follows: Margaret A .; Joseph G. and Halstead W., twins; and Benjamin M. The parents are both deceased, the father passing away in 1867, the mother in 1882.
Benjamin M. Cooper, whose name introduces this record, was reared and edu- cated in his native county. From the time he was old enough to handle the plow he assisted with the work on his father's farm, when not occupied with school duties. He became thoroughly familiar with all the duties pertaining to the life of an agri- culturist and followed farming as an occupation. He has become quite prominent in this line. and has made a specialty of dairy products. His cattle are of a very fine grade, producing about thirty thousand quarts of milk per year, which finds a ready market in Lakewood, New Jersey. This, in addition to his harvests, brings to him an- nually a handsome competence.
In 1863 Mr. Cooper was united in marriage to Miss Mary H. Estell, a native of Lakewood, New Jersey, who is a daughter of James and Mary Estell. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, two of whom are now living, namely: An- drew J .; and Irene. Mr. Cooper takes an active interest in the welfare and progress
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of his community, and is very popular in political circles. He supports the men and measures of the Democratic party-all his immediate relatives being Republicans- and aids very materially in advancing the principles of this party. For over twenty years Mr. Cooper has been honored with the office of justice of the peace, and for four ycars has served as commissioner of appeals. He also served as township committee- man for a period of nine years, and in all his various positions has always discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity, thus winning to himself the confidence and respect of his fellow men. Hc holds membership with the Presbyterian church, of which he is a trustee, and has ever lived in consistency with its teachings, and all who know him respect him for his honorable principles, his upright dealings, and his true worth.
HENRY G. COOKE, A. M., M. D.
Dr. Cooke, one of the leading physicians of Holmdel township, Monmouth county, New Jersey, was born in that township on February 3, 1836. His parents were Robert W. Cooke, M. D., a native of Sussex county, and Susan (Gansvort) Cooke, who was born in the city of Albany, New York.
Dr. Henry G. Cooke, son of the above mentioned parents, received his early educa- * tion in the select school in the vicinity of his home; in 1850 he entered Rutgers Col- lege, from which he was graduated in 1853 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and he received the degree of Master of Arts in 1856. Meanwhile he commenced reading medicinc in the office of his father, then a physician of prominence with an extensive practice ; in a few months, however, he became installed as a student in the office of the celebrated Willard Parker of New York, then professor of surgery in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York. His preparatory stud.es com- pleted, Dr. Cooke matriculated in the before mentioned college, and in 1857 he was graduated therefrom, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He'at once be- came associated with his father at Holmdel, and it was not long before he acquired an enviable reputation, not only for his marked ability as a physician, but for faithful attention to his patients. His undeniable success, however, did not prevent him from enlisting in the cause of his country and humanity, which he did in 1862 as surgeon in the Twenty-ninth New Jersey Volunteers, with which regiment he remained for nine nonths. After being mustcred out of the regular service he was placed in the volunteer corps of surgeons and acted in that capacity until the end of the war. He then returned to Holmdel, where he has since been continuously engaged in his pro- fessional duties, making the old homestead his residence. His father, Dr. Robert W. Cooke, died in 1867, and the son succeeded to his large practice, which he has since successfully conducted and increased year by year, numbering among his patients the most influential citizens of his section.
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