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 51
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On the 20th of January, 1858, in the old Brick church, where he had attended divine services from his boyhood, he was married to Miss Almira T., daughter of Jonathan H. and Diahana (Van Wickle) Morgan, of Monmouth county, who were born in Middlesex county, New Jersey, and settled at what is now Morganville, named after its first settlers. To them were born two children, but the younger, Morgan, who was born July 24, 1867, died November 28, of the same year. The elder son, John D. Conover, was born November 25, 1858, and on the 18th of January, 1882, he married Elizabeth Hankinson, by whom he has four children: Almira M., 23
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born November 28, 1882; Mary E., who was born December 20, 1884, and died Oc- tober 10, 1895; Daniel J., who was born January 9, 1888, and died November 26, 1897 ; and William H., born October 1, 1898. John D. Conover and his family reside upon the old farm with his mother, and he manages the business and operates the land, thus relieving her of all care. The entire family are members of the old church in which their ancestors had worshiped, and throughout the community they are highly esteemed. The husband and father, Daniel Conover, was long a promi- nent member of the church, took an earnest interest in its work and upbuilding, and was a generous contributor to its support. His word was as good as his bond, his name was a synonym of honor, and when he was called to his final rest the com- munity mourned the loss of one of its most valued and exemplary citizens.
THOMAS THOMPSON.
Thomas Thompson, a resident of Perrineville, Millstone township, was born in Millstone township, Monmouth county, New Jersey, February 20, 1846, son of John and Mary Thompson. The family is of Scotch ancestry, the original ancestor of this line of the family coming from Scotland in the seventeenth century and settling in Monmouth county. He had a son who was in the war of the Revolution, and a member of the old Tennent church. Another descendant, grandfather of Thomas Thompson, was a soldier in the war of 1812. John Thompson, son of the latter, was a prosperous farmer of the county. He and his wife died about 1848, leaving a son, Thomas, then under three years of age.
Thomas Thompson at the death of his parents was taken by his cousin, Stephen Thompson, who owned 'a farm in Millstone township. He was educated in the dis- trict school of Monmouth county and worked for his cousin on the farm until his sixteenth year, when he went into the army. In September, 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Second New Jersey Cavalry. His regiment was attached to the army of the Potomac; he served with it in various engagements throughout the Civil war. He was discharged from service September 1, 1865. After leaving the army he re- turned to Millstone township, where he has since been engaged in farming. He is a member of Conover Post, No. 68, G. A. R., of Freehold, New Jersey.
In February, 1867, he married Sarah M. Anderson, of Millstone township. They have had three children: Sarah F., now Mrs. William Clevenger, and residing at Asbury Park; Harry C., commercial agent for the Deering Machine Company; and John L., in the employ of the Western Steel Iron Company. Mr. and Mrs. Thomp- son are members of the Presbyterian church of Perrineville.
EDGAR H. SMITH.
Among the prominent, progressive and successful young farmers of Monmouth county, New Jersey, is Edgar H. Smith, who was born on his father's farm in this township in 1871, and was a son of William J. and Mary E. (Hays) Smith, who were married on December 9, 1868. William J. Smith was born on October 16, 1825, and died on October 31, 1894.
The mother of our subject was born on February 19, 1835, and she was a daugh- ter of Benjamin and Mary Ann (Mount) Hays, who were married in 1831. Benjamin
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Hays was born on May 12, 1781, and died on May 12, 1861, while his wife was born on January 27, 1802, and died on February 25, 1889, and both of them lie at rest in the old cemetery in connection with the church in Tennent. The Hays family is one of the old and prominent ones in this county, and John Hays, who was the great- grandfather of our subject, came to this county when the land was still a forest. He purchased and cleared this and the adjoining farm, and at his death the land came into the possession of Grandfather Benjamin Hays. At his death the property was bought by William J. Smith, who was the father of our subject, and this now con- stitutes the fine estate upon which our subject has his residence.
Mr. Smith, of this sketch, had the advantage of superior educational facilities. His early boyhood was passed in attendance at the district country school, but later he entered a private school at Marlboro and continued a student there until he graduated at that institution in 1888. Returning to the home farm he assisted his father until the latter's death, but since 1894 he has had entire charge of the large estate, and is already known through the township as one of the most practical and progressive agriculturists of his locality. Mr. Smith has made a study of farming, and applies to it the scientific principles which bring success in other lines of busi- ness. He believes thoroughly in modern methods of tillage and makes use of modern machinery, the results being of a most satisfactory character.
The marriage of Mr. Smith was on April 16, 1890, to Miss Armenia C. Hay- ¿ ward, and the children of this union are: William T., born August 20, 1891 ; Harold G., born on August 19, 1895; Annie May, born on May 14, 1898; and Mary C., born October 14, 1900. Mr. Smith and both his mother and wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and are among the most highly respected residents of Marl- borough township.
RICHARD M. QUACKENBUSH.
It is a matter well worthy of pride when one's ancestors have lived through a very long period and have ever borne themselves with such honor and usefulness that the family name is transmitted untarnished from generation to generation. Such is the ancestral history of Richard M. Quackenbush, a leading and influential farmer of Middlesex county, where he owns and operates a valuable tract of land of ninety acres in Madison township.
He traces his descent from Allen Quackenbush, who in the eighteenth century resided in Monmouth county, where he owned extensive real-estate interests and was a man of marked prominence, who largely aided in molding public thought, opinion and action in his day. He left the impress of his individuality upon the history of the times in his county, and at the age of one hundred and three years, was called from this life. He had two children, one of whom was Peter Quackenbush, the grandfather of our subject. ' He was born in Monmouth county in 1798, and in 1815 was united in marriage to Rhoda Pease, whose birth occurred in 1795. They be- came the parents of seven children, namely : Holmes, who was born in 1816; Mary, in 1817; Allen, in 1818; Elias, in 1820; Margaret, in 1822; Rebecca, in 1826; and Caroline, in 1831. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, fre- quently called Peter Quackenbush to public office, and he acceptably filled several township positions.
Allen Quackenbush, the father of our subject, was born and reared in Mon- mouth county and became a prosperous farmer, his energy, industry and careful man- agement bringing to him success. He, too, was an active factor in public affairs
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and held the office of committeeman in his township. On the 8th of March, 1841, he wedded Mary Magee, who was also a native of Monmouth county, and they became the parents of the following named: Catherine E., born in 1842; Joel E., in 1843; Richard M., in 1845; Rebecca A., in 1846; Experience M., in 1848; William M., in 1849; Rhoda J., in 1852; Mary M., in 1853; Luther H. Van D., in 1856; James J. R. M., in 1857; Elcanor, in 1860; Allen H., in 1862; and Walter G., in 1867. The father died August 13, 1884, and the mother on the 4th of May, 1892.
Richard M. Quackenbush was born, reared and educated in Middlesex county, and the occupation with which he became familiar in his boyhood he has made his life work. He has confined his energies to agricultural pursuits, and the farm which he now owns was formerly the property of his father. It comprises ninety acres of rich land, which is under a high state of cultivation and is improved with all modern equipments and accessories. Modern farming methods are followed with good results. and the richly cultivated fields annually return to the owner a desirable income.
On the 26th of November, 1884, Mr. Quackenbush was united in marriage to Miss Annie R. Pullen, a daughter of William A. and Sarah R. Pullen. She was born in Englishtown, New Jersey, March 25, 1863, and by her marriage has become the mother of two interesting children: Chester R., born February II, 1887; and Albert M., born January 21, 1894. Mr. Quackenbush is a member of the historic Tennent church, has been librarian of Hillsboro Sunday-school, and for a number of years served as its Sunday-school superintendent. His life, upright and honorable, indus- trious and energetic, commands for him the confidence and respect of his fellow men in a portion of the state in which the name of Quackenbush has been associated for more than a century with all that leads to good citizenship and upright manhood.
GEORGE A. SMOCK.
George A. Smock is a descendant of Hendrick Mathyson Smock, who came to- this country as early as 1654; he settled in the town of New Utrecht, purchased land there in 1665, took the oath of allegiance in 1687, and served as magistrate from 1669 to 1689. From this stock was descended Hendrich H. Smock, who married Anna Vanderveer. Their son, Garret Vanderveer Smock, married Susan Jane Wikoff, and' these were the parents of George A. Smock.
George A. Smock was born at West Long Branch, Monmouth county, New Jersey, on September 16, 1857. His boyhood was spent in the vicinity of Eatontown, Monmouth county, and his education was acquired in the public schools of Eaton- town and Shrewsbury, he subsequently pursuing a business course at Eastman's Busi- ness College, of Poughkeepsie, New York. He then entered the firm of what was then Smock & Buchanan, and in 1880 was admitted as a partner. On January I, 1901, the Buchanan & Smock Lumber Company was organized, with a capital of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They carry a stock of about one hundred thou- sand dollars of lumber and builders' supplies, and their sales amount to two hundred and fifty or three hundred thousand dollars annually. Mr. Smock acts as the secre- tary-treasurer of the company.
Mr. Smock was also one of the incorporators and is at the present time the- president of the United Ice Company of Asbury Park, with a capital of twenty-five thousand dollars, their harvesting plant being situated at Jamesburg, New Jersey ; they have the supplying of ice along the Jersey coast from Long Branch to Seaside- Park.
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Mr. Smock is a member and serves in the capacity of treasurer for the First Congregational church of Asbury Park. His marriage to Miss Susan B. Wardell, · of Long Branch, occurred on October 2, 1879.
CAPTAIN JOSEPH CLARK LETSON.
A quiet and uneventful life usually sums up the career of the ordinary farmer. However, exceptions to the rule are not infrequent, and a case in point is that of Captain Joseph C. Letson, the subject of this brief chronicle.
Captain Letson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, August 20, 1841. He received his early education in the schools of his native town, and later finished his studies at Mount Washington Collegiate Institute. New York City. In 1862 he be- came a soldier in defense of the flag in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting in Com- pany C, Twenty-eighth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. He was elected captain of his company, showing his peculiar fitness for a military career. He led his command at Fredericksburg, where he was wounded in the arm, but retained his command until the close of the action, and at the battle of Chancellorsville he was so severely wounded as to incapacitate him for further service in the army. He retired to private life, and in 1870 he was elected to the state legislature in Middlesex county, serving two terms. Subsequently he ran for state senator. As the people's representative he made an honorable record, as it was his desire and aim to further their interests in every way possible. Captain Letson was also collector for Middlesex county, in which county he has property interests; he also owns a nice place near Matawan, where he has spent the latter years of his life quietly.
Captain Letson married Miss Garetta Moore on April 5, 1872; she was a daugh- ter of Hart Moore, of New Brunswick, and was born March 13, 1849. She died March 24, 1901. Captain and Mrs. Moore had two daughters and one son: May, wife of J. J. Cleveland, a merchant of New York City; Annie, wife of Daniel S. Briggs, also in business in New York City; and Robert Carol Letson, who is engaged in the painting business in Matawan.
Captain Letson is a son of the late Clark Letson, of New Brunswick, a former, New York hotel proprietor of many years standing, and an active and energetic man of business. The family is an old one, of English and French extraction, the early ancestors in this country having settled at Shrewsbury, Monmouth county, before the Revolutionary war, many of whom participated in that struggle for independence.
The Captain was for years a Democrat in politics, but is now inclined to be an Independent.
WEBSTER SWAN.
One of the old and honored families of Monmouth county was the Swan family, of Holland Dutch origin, which had a prominent representative in Captain Jacob Swan, born September II, 1779, who lived and died at Navesink. He was a sea captain and served in the war with Great Britain in 1812. By his marriage with Catherine Johnson, December 21, 1805, he became the father of nine children: Mor- gan (who died in infancy), Morgan second, Jacob, Catherine, Rachel, Mary, Sarah, Eliza and Clarissa.
Morgan Swan, eldest child in the family of Captain Jacob Swan, also lived and
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died in his native town. For many years he commanded a packet plying between Navesink and New York. He was a man of high character, a member of and trustee in the Methodist Episcopal church, and a school trustee. He was a Republican in politics. He married Alice Leonard, who bore him the following named children : Morgan, deceased; Catherine; Webster, named below; John B .; Alice Amanda ; Mary Ann: Sarah; and Leonard. The father died at the age of eighty-two years and the mother at the age of seventy-eight years.
Webster Swan, oldest surviving son of Morgan Swan, was born at Navesink, March 5, 1840, and was educated in the public schools of his native village. At the age of fourteen years he engaged in oystering, in association with his father, and was so occupied until 1864, when he enlisted in the United States navy, on board the dispatch steamer "Ceres" of the North Atlantic squadron. It was during the crucial period of the Civil war, and he participated in various stirring and dangerous missions along the shores and up the streams of Virginia and the Carolinas infested by rebel guerrillas and flying masked batteries. At the close of the war he was hon- orably discharged, and he returned to his native place, where he opened a general grocery, hay and feed. business and real estate and insurance, which continues to occupy his attention.
Mr. Swan has held various important public positions. For several years he served acceptably as school trustee and district clerk. He is president of the Bayview Land and Improvement Company, which laid out and adorned the Bayview cemetery. He served as postmaster under appointment by President Harrison, and again under a commission signed by President Mckinley. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is president of its board of trustees, and is a comrade in Arrowsmith Post, G. A. R., of Red Bank. He has always been prominently identified with all the moveinents pertaining to the welfare of the community.
Mr. Swan was married on November 21, 1870. to Miss Eliza G. Mount, who died on January 26, 1878, leaving him one child, Norma Lippincott. His second wife was Miss Frances Henrietta Williams, a daughter of Andrew Jackson Williams, of Navesink, whom he married April 15, 1881, and of this union were born two children, William W. and Harry Swan.
THEODORE GOTTHART PETERS.
If change and variety add spice and zest to a man's life, surely the varied ex- periences through which Theodore G. Peters has passed in different parts of the civi- lized world, should have amply seasoned his. Mr. Peters is a native of Germany, having been born in Hamburg June 17, 1853; thence he emigrated to England in 1869, remaining there a short time. In 1870 his restless spirit prompted him to come to the United States, as offering greater opportunities for progress, besides, our republic appealed particularly to his liberty-loving disposition. Even here, however, his roving nature was unsatisfied to remain long in one place, and so he became a follower of the sea, traveling to almost every known land between the years 1870-1880. In the latter year he landed in South Africa, where again his desire for change took posses- sion of him, and he enlisted in the Volunteer Corps, in which he remained until 1885; next he served under Sir Charles Warren in the Second Mounted Rifles; in this command he fully demonstrated his prowess and courage as a soldier. After serving two years he was honorably discharged from the service. This time inclination
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directed his feet toward the diamond fields of Kimberly, and while there his insatiable desire for adventure induced him to enter the company's service as a detective, which hazardous occupation he followed for two years. Once more he took up his restless march, visiting in turn the Orange Free State and other points in South Africa, in- cluding Mozambique. In 1888 he returned to his native land (Germany), where he remained until 1890, when for the second time he visited the United States.
He located in Red Bank in the same year in which he came to this country. Here he entered into business, forming a co-partenership with his brother, which lasted until 1893. They were contractors and builders, this being a trade with which Mr. Peters was thoroughly familiar. Since the dissolution of said co-partnership Mr. Peters has been conducting business on his own account. He is a mechanic of marked ability and skill, which is amply attested by the beautiful residences of George C. Hance and others, which stand as undisputed evidence of this fact.
Mr. Peters occupies a handsome residence on Beach street, which he designed and built and which, with its picturesque environment, stands out as a delight to the eyes of all beholders.
Mr. Peters was united in marriage to Miss Jessie M., daughter of John H. and Jane Brower, in 1892. Four children have been born to them, three of whom are living: Frederick, Marie F., and Theodore G., Jr. Mrs. Peters is a native of Red Bank.
Mr. Peters is a member of the I. O. O. F. and enjoys the distinction of being past grand and past chief patriarch. Hc is as well a member of the Grand Lodge of the state of New Jersey. Mr. Peters is a true lover and advocate of all humane principles.
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FRANKLIN OSBORN.
Franklin Osborn, one of the leading and influential farmers of Monmouth county, was born on the 16th of January, 1841. He is a son of Forman Osborn and a brother of Abram and Cornelius Osborn, and the ancestral history of the family will be found in the sketch of Abram Osborn. Franklin received his education in the public schools of his locality, and after completing his studies was for several years mate on the barque "Gratta," with Captain James Craig, engaged in the European and West Indies trade. For a number of years, however, he has been engaged as a tiller of the soil in Monmouth county, his farm being located in Wall township, where his well tilled fields annually yield golden returns. .
On the Ist of June, 1863, Mr. Osborn was united in marriage with Mary Jane Allen, who was born January 3, 1843, a daughter of Elias and Ann (Smith) Allen. The father was a farmer by occupation, having for a number of years had one of the most extensive farms in the vicinity of Manasquan. He was a son of Stephen and Fanny (Height) Allen, of English descent, and the great-grandfather of Mrs. Osborn, Captain Samuel Allen, was a minute man during the Revolutionary war and was a nephew of the celebrated Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame. The father of Captain Samuel Allen was a large land owner in what is now Wall township, nearly all of which the son inherited, and he became a wealthy and influential citizen of his locality. On account of his youth, being only fifteen years of age at the commence- ment of the struggle for independence, he was never a regular officer in Washington's army, but he raised a company of young men who became a part of the home guard, and during the entire struggle for independence Captain Allen was a brave and gallant soldier. On three different occasions his home and contents were burned by the
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Tories, and several times he was taken prisoner, but he always succeeded in making his escape. His daughter-in-law, Fanny Allen, married Colonel Abraham Osborn, who was also an officer during the Revolutionary war. It will thus be seen that the ancestors of both Mr. and Mrs. Osborn have been loyal and influential citizens, and their many descendants are now scattered throughout the different states of the Union, and many are occupying honorable and influential positions.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Osborn have been born eight children, namely: W.Il am F., who married Mrs. Melissa King; Anna, wife of Captain Asa Curtis. of Manasquan, New Jersey; Alvin, who married Ellen Shafto; Adelaide C .. Forman. Elizabeth, Charlotte and Arthur, all at home. Mr. Osborn exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy, but he has never taken an active interest in political matters. In his social relations he is a member of the Masonic lodge at Manasquan, and the family are members of the Presbyterian church. He has thoroughly identified himself with the section in which he resides, and all moral public measures which commend themselves to his excellent judgment find in him a hearty and liberal supporter.
LOUIS CAMPBELL POTTER.
One of the oldest and most highly honored residents of Woodbridge, New Jersey, is Louis Campbell Potter, who is the president of the Anness &, Potter Fire Brick Company, and has long been identified with one of the leading business interests of this portion of the county.
The Potter family, of which Louis Campbell Potter of this sketch is a most worthy member, is of English ancestry, the first members of which who are known to have settled in New Jersey being Marmaduke Potter, who came from England and established this branch of the family.
Reuben Potter, who was the grandfather of our subject, was born in Middlesex county, where he became the owner of considerable land and there engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. His entire life was spent in this locality, where he attained the age of ninety years. His children were as follows: Ellis; James; Joanna, who married Jacob Woodriff and resided in Rahway; but they all have passed away, remembered, however, for honorable lives.
Ellis Potter, who was the father of our subject, was born in Woodbridge town- ship in 1800 and passed a quiet agricultural life in his native place, dying January 25, 1875. His marriage had been to Esther Campbell. who died September 10, 1859. Their children were: Louis C., of this sketch; Francis, who died in April, 1901 ; Samuel, who died August 4, 1851; and Edward C.
Louis Campbell Potter was born on October 9. 1828, and was the eldest son of Ellis and Esther (Campbell) Potter. His education was acquired in the best schools in his locality and he spent his boyhood and early manhood on the homestead farm in Woodbridge township. On reaching manhood he purchased a farm and until 1870 he was successfully engaged in its management, but in that year he abandoned agri- cultural pursuits and engaged in the digging of fire brick and terra cotta clay. For thirty years following Mr. Potter carried on this business alone. developing it from a small beginning into one of the greatest industries of Middlesex county, but in June, 1900, a stock company was formed and the firm name now stands before the world as the Anness & Potter Fire Brick Company, with our subject as the president, Mr. Anness as manager and treasurer, and Louis E. Potter as secretary.
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