USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Passaic > The Passaic valley, New Jersey, in three centuries.. Vol. 2 > Part 18
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Samuel Condit, Jr. (4), son of Samuel and Mary ( Dodd) Condit, was born in what is now the Township of West Orange, January 13, 1729. He married, in 1754, Mary Smith, daughter of Joseph Smith, son of James Smith, the ancestor of the Smith family of Orange. She died May 26, 1770, aged thirty-seven years. He was a farmer on the land in- herited from his father, and is known to have been a very exemplary man, truly pions and God-fearing. llis sub- scription for the erection of the Second Meeting House was £12. Out of one lomdred and seventy-five subscribers only two others subscribed an equal amount. He was among those who were " regularly chosen to manage the affairs of the building." His name appears in the list of " Members in Communion of the Mountain Society prior to 1756." Ile married, second, in 1774, Martha Carter, widow of Stephen Wilcox, of Elizabethtown. N. J. By his first wife he had issue John, Daniel, Moses, Joseph, Aaron, and Caleb. By his second wife, Martha Carter, he had Jotham and Samuel.
Dr. John Condit (5), eklest son of Samuel (1), was born at the homestead, in West Orange, July 8, 1755. He was educated as a physician and surgeon, and had only just reached his majority when he entered the army, at the be-
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ginning of the War of the Revolution, as surgeon in Colonel Van Cortlandt's battalion, Heard's brigade, June 29, 1776. He was present at the battle of Long Island, and soon after- ward returned to his home in Orange, where he began prac- tice and was for many years a successful physician. He was of great service to the patriots during the war, and in his journeys over the mountains his life was often in jeopardy. After the close of the war he became interested in public affairs and was a recognized leader in the community. He was one of the founders and a Trustee of the Orange Acad- emy. He represented his district in the State Legislature and was a member of Congress from 1799 to 1803, was United States Senator from 1803 to 1817, and was elected to Congress again in 1819-20. His long term of public serv- ice-nearly thirty years-interfered with the practice of his profession, and in his old age he accepted the position of Assistant Collector of the Port of New York. He was often called " Colonel " from the fact of his having served as Colonel of State militia during the last century. His home which he built-a large, fine old mansion on Valley road-is still standing. He died in Orange, May 4, 1834. He married, first, Abigail Halsey, by whom he had Caleb, Silas, Charlotte, and Joseph. He married, second, Rhoda Halsey, and had issue John S., Abigail, and Jacob A.
JOTHAM HALSEY CONDIT (6), youngest son of Jotham and Hepzibah (Munn) Condit, was born on his father's homestead, on Main Street, in what is now East Orange, N. J., January 19, 1822. Three of his uncles on his moth- er's side were privates in the Revolutionary War, while his paternal uncle, Dr. John Condit, was a surgeon in the Conti- mental Army, United States Senator, and member of the State Legislature, as already mentioned; another unele, Rev. Aaron Condit, was for nearly thirty-six years pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Hanover, N. J., and had four sons who entered the ministry; another uncle, Captain Moses Condit, was a Captain in the Revolution; and still another uncle, Daniel Condit, was a private in that war. Three of his great-uncles were also in the War for Independence.
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Mr. Condit was educated in the township schools of Orange. He served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, and in 1846 started in the business for himself. His work as a builder was carried on with varied success for more than a quarter of a century. He retired in 1872, when
JOTHAM H. CONDIT.
he was elected Township Collector, which position he held for three years, to 1875. He relinquished the business to his eldest son, Edward Irving.
On coming of age he took an active part as a member of the old Whig party, and since the formation of the Repub- lican party his sympathies and labors have been unceasingly given to the advancement of the interests of that organiza-
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tion. At the expiration of his service as Township Col- lector he was elected a member of the Town Committee, which office he held for three years, retiring on his own voli- tion. In his earlier days he consented to be a candidate for the office of Chosen Freeholder for Essex County and was elected. This position he voluntarily relinquished at the end of one year, although his record was a creditable one, being a member of the Finance Committee. Mr. Condit is ardently devoted to the cause of religion and to the eleva- tion and improvement of his fellowmen.
In 1858 he joined the Second Presbyterian or Brick Church on confession, and in 1865 was elected one of its Ruling Elders. In 1875 he took part in the organization of the First Reformed ( Dutch) Church and was chosen one of its Elders. He also served for a time in the State militia, being commissioned by Governor Olden Second Lieutenant in a local military company ( Alfred F. Munn, Captain), which was disbanded after a brief existence.
In 1885 Mr. Condit compiled and published with the as- sistance of his nephew, Eben Condit, a genealogical record of the Condit family, a valuable contribution to the history of one of the most faithful and earnest settlers and founders of that part of the town of Newark embraced in the terri- tory of the Oranges. This work also contains a partial genealogy of the Harrison, Williams, Pierson, Smith, Linds- ley, Munn, and Whitehead families. He has also collected genealogical and historical data relating to other old fam- ilies connected with the Oranges.
Mr. Condit was married, February 14, 1847, to Abby Ann, daughter of Cheveril Condit, of Orange, and a descendant of John Condit, the ancestor. They had six children, two of whom died in childhood. The others are Edward Irving; Herbert Johnson; Frank Perkins, who married Henrietta C. Marsh; and Anna Dodd, who married Francis W. Lawson.
EDWARD IRVING CONDIT was born in East Orange, September 14, 1848, and received his education in the public schools and at Miss Robinson's private school. Ile entered his father's business and in 1872 succeeded him, and has
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erected many of the finest buildings in the Oranges. He was one of the founders of the East Orange Fire Depart- ment, being a charter member and subsequently foreman of Ashland Hook and Ladder Company and assisting in the organization of the Firemen's Relief Association, of which he has been for many years the Secretary. He was the first President of the Exempt Firemen's Association, has been a worker in the temperance movement, is Past Worthy Chief Templar of Washington Temple, of Orange, and has filled the several offices in the Order of the Good Templars. He was also connected with the I. O. O. F., and is Past Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He united with the Brick Church in 1872, from which he withdrew in 1875 to organize the Reformed Church of East Orange. He was elected one of its first Deacous. He has been for many years a teacher in the Sabbath School and one of its most faith- ful workers. Ile married Miss Charlotte Robinson, daugh- ter of lohn Robinson, of East Orange, and had seven chil- dren, of whom the first two died in infancy. Those living are Edward II., Henry L., Richard S., Jesse R., and Jotham Robinson. Mr. Condit is serving ( 1901) his sixth year as a Town Committeeman and City Councilman of East Orange.
HERBERT JOHNSON CONDIT (7) was born in East Orange, August 14, 1852. Leaving the Ashland public school when he was thirteen, he entered the wholesale dry goods trade in New York City, and in 1877 engaged in the men's furnishing business in his native town. He was a charter member of Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, which he assisted in organizing, a charter member and President of the Exempt Firemen's Association, a member of Long- fellow Council, Royal Arcanum, one of the founders and Treasurer of East Orange Conclave, Order of Heptasophs, and was an active member of Washington Temple of Honor, of Orange. He became, early in life, a member of the See- ond Presbyterian or Brick Church, and was among the orig- inal members who withdrew from that church to organize the First Reformed Church, of East Orange, of which he is a Deacon. He has been identified with the Sunday School
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since early childhood. He married, in 1877, Phebe E. Con- dit, daughter of Daniel H., a descendant, through another line, of Samuel Condit, the ancestor of the Orange family of this name. His children are Mary Squier, Abbie Harri- son, Herbert Johnson, Jr., and Hattie Osmun. He is now (1901) serving his fifth year as a member of the Essex Coun- ty Board of Chosen Freeholders.
CHARLES H. PELL, of Newark, N. J., is a member of the family of Pell, of Pelham Manor, N. Y., whose original pur- chase and grant of land in 1654 included in all about 9,166 acres, and embraced what is now the Township of New Ro- chelle and Pelham Manor in Westchester County. On his mother's side he is descended from one of the John Wards who, with the first company from Connecticut, settled at Newark in 1666, and he numbers among his direct ancestors the Rev. Abraham Pier- son, the first minister of the first church of New- ark and leader of the company of settlers there. Mr. Pell's direct ancestors on his father's side, and beginning with his father, are as follows:
1. Abijah Pell, born at New York, Novem- ber 8, 1811, died at New- ark, N. J., April 19, 1873, married Eliza B. Ward, of Newark, born October 6, 1819, daugh- ter of Samuel Nesbit Ward, of Newark, and first cousin of Governor Marcus L. Ward.
CHARLES HI. PELL.
2. Abijah Pell, died in New York City, June 4, 1826, mar- ried Mary Baldwin.
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3. James Pell, married Ann Fowler.
4. Thomas Pell, died in 1754, married Dorothy Pettley, of Long Island.
5. Thomas Pell, second lord of the manor, born in 1686, will dated September 3, 1739, died in 1752, married Anna, daughter of the reigning Indian chief of Westchester County.
6. Hon. John Pell, first lord of the manor, born February 3, 1643, died in 1700, married Rachel Pinckney, of East Chester. He was born in England, and in 1670 received the Pelham estate by will from his uncle, Thomas Poll, the first proprietor, who served as a doctor in the Pequot War and died withont issue in 1669 or 1670.
7. Rev. and Hon. John Pell, D.D., F. R.S., was born March 1, 1610, at Sonthwycke, Sussex County, England, and died December 12, 1685. He was buried in the rector's vault, St. Giles Church, London. This Dr. John Pell, the last of the direct line to die in England, was a noted educator, mathe- matician, and author (See Enc. Brit.). He served as Oliver Cromwell's ambassador to the Swiss Cantons, etc., and was a descendant of an English family of very ancient standing in the Counties of Norfolk and Lincolnshire. " In his twen- ty-first year he was already held in great repute and esteem for his accomplishments, being a master not only of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, but also of Arabic, Italian, French, Span- ish, and High and Low Dutch, and was much talked of on account of his ability in Mathematics." In 1645 the Prince of Orange founded his Schola Ilustra at Breda, in the Neth- erlands, the town from which Charles H. subsequently pro- mulgated his declaration promising reforms. The Prince invited Dr. Pell to the chair of philosophy and mathematics, which offer was accepted. This position he held until 1650, when his patron, the Prince of Orange, died, and, the war he- tween England and Holland breaking out, he returned to England. After the restoration of Charles II. Dr. Pell took holy orders from the hands of Dr. Sanderson. Bishop of Lincoln, and was ordained a priest in June, 1661. In 1663 he was appointed domestic chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Charles HI. Pell was born in New York City on the 9th of
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August, 1853. His father, Abijah Pell, was born in the same city, and at the time of his son's birth was there en- gaged in the milling and building business. The family re- sided in New York City until 1872, when they removed to Newark.
In 1879 Charles H. Pell entered into business relations with Oliver Drake, who had for many years been established at Newark as a solicitor of United States and foreign pat- ents, under the firm name of Drake & Co. Under Mr. Pell's energetic assistance the business largely increased to its present proportions-the largest and most influential pat- ent soliciting business in the State of New Jersey. In 1896 Mr. Drake died, and since that time the business has been conducted under Mr. Pell's sole supervision. This has brought him in touch with the leading manufacturers and inventors of Newark and vicinity. Of the many interesting cases successfully conducted by him perhaps none is of more general interest than that of the photographic film inven- tion made by the late Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, for many years rector of the House of Prayer, of Newark. A patent for this important invention, of which more than a million dollars' worth is annually sold, was finally secured against great opposition from those interested in the Kodak camera.
Mr. Pell has been greatly interested in the material ad- vancement of Newark as a place of residence, and has been especially active in promoting the public park system. In 1889, as Chairman of the Roseville Improvement Associ- ation Committee on Parks, he succeeded in having the Branch Brook lands, then controlled by the Aqueduct Board, dedicated for park purposes, and thus established a nucleus for the present beautiful Branch Brook Park and the Essex County park system. He is interested in several successful manufacturing concerns of Newark in addition to his profession as solicitor, and is connected with a num- ber of social organizations.
JAMES NICHOLS DAVIS, of Newark, N. J., was born in that city on the 28th of July, 1848. His parents were John P. Davis (born February 20, 1810, died July 19, 1888)
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and Julia Ann Davis (born September 17, 1813, died Febru. ary 26, 1893). His paternal grandparents were Captain Moses F. Davis (born in Bloomfield, N. J., September 18, 1782) and Sallie ( Miller) Davis; and he is a great-grandson of Joseph Davis, of Bloomfield, who was twice married, first to Abigail Farrand and second to Anna Crane. The Davis fam- ily lived in Bloomfield for a number of genera- tions. Mr. Davis's great- grandfather, Joseph Davis, donated and dedi- rated to the Town of Bloomfield, as a military training ground, what is now known as the Bloomfield Commons.
He was educated in the public schools of the Third Ward of Newark, served an apprentice- ship to the carpentering and building trade with his father, and later JAMES N. DAVIS. sneceeded to the busi- ness, which he still conducts. He has always lived and had his business interests in Newark, and is one of the most esteemed citizens of that community. He resides in the homestead on Plane Street which was erected by his father. He is a member and President of the Exempt Firemen's Association. In politics he is a Republican.
Mr. Davis and his wife, Hoster Belinda Davis, have one child, John White Davis, Who married a Miss Gerhardt and has a daughter, Belle.
JULIUS STEFFENS was born in Prussia, November 4, 1829, and there entered upon his earthly activities. 1lis father, John Henry Steffens, born in 1776, was a silk mann-
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facturer, and two of his sons are still leading business men of Ellerfeldt, Prussia, their old family home. Julius was reared in the place of his nativity, and while pursuing regu- lar studies completed a course in chemistry, which in after years he put to practical use in experimenting in the manu- facture of varnish. When he was about to enter business life he was brought face to face with the government on the charge of being a revolutionist, having taken part in the at- tempted revolution of 1848, which failed; and as that offense was pun- ishable with a long and severe sentence he chose to avoid such conse- quences and fled to the United States. He landed in New York in * October, 1852, and here he found the opportuni- ties to utilize to the full JULIUS STEFFENS. his business powers. Mr. Steffens entered the employ of Daniel Tiernan & Co., ex- tensive color manufacturers, of New York, and remained there three years. During the succeeding five years he was connected with the house of Reynolds, Devoe & Pratt, var- nish makers, after which he came to Newark, N. J., and in- vested the capital which he had accumulated through in- dustry and economy in a business of his own on Vesey Street, engaging in the manufacture of varnish. IIe oper- ated his factory for quite a number of years, when he sold out and retired from business life. He enjoyed a constantly increasing trade and was frequently obliged to increase his fac 'ities. His patronage came from all sections of this co ntry, England, South America, and Mexico, and the vol- ume of his business assumed gigantic proportions and brought to him a handsome income.
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In polities Mr. Steffens was a Republican and warmly ad- vocated the principles of his party. He was elected a mem- ber of the City Council from the Tenth Ward, tilling that office at the time when Judge F. W. Ricord was Mayor. Hle was a stanch friend of the chief magistrate in his opposition to the granting of a franchise for the Nicholson pavement in Newark. Ile was a man of domestic tastes and found his greatest happiness at his own fireside. He traveled ex- tensively during the last twenty years of his life, his wife always being his preferred traveling companion. He visited many points of interest in the United States and Canada, journeyed through the West Indies, and saw most of the principal cities of Europe. He took great delight in viewing nature's loveliness.
In the conduct of a large and constantly growing business he acquired a handome competency and retired in the en- joyment of the fruits of his former toil. The attribute of a successful business man were his. He possessed great energy, strong determination, resolute purpose, and good common sense, and from small beginnings developed a busi- ness which brought him rich returns, His dealings were characterized by the utmost fairness and placed him above envy in the community. He died November 2, 1899.
Mr. Steffens was married in New York City, in 1853, to Miss Sophie Suetzer, daughter of Jolm Suetzer, a native of Baden, Germany. They had four children : Julius, Angus- tus T., and Julia and Sophie, both of whom are married. The two sons are prominent business men of Newark, and enjoy the confidence and respect of all who know them. The eldest, Julius Steffens, contributes this memorial of his father to the History of The Passaic Valley. He also has a son, Julius, and a daughter, Bertha Lillian, who married Morris Coeymans.
JOSHUA BRIERLEY, of Newark, is the son of Joshua and Ellen Brierley, and was born in England on the 270) of November, 1856. He comes from an old family, who w e largely farmers, and whose sterling characteristics ma n- tained for them a high place in the community. Mr. Brier-
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ley is a self-educated man, his boyhood days being devoted to work to the exclusion of any regular attendance at school. He improved his opportunities, however, and by perseverance gained a practical knowledge of men and affairs as well as a thorough mastery of his profession.
Beginning as a boy, Mr. Brierley has spent his active life in and about funeral work, first in England and during the past eighteen years in Newark. He has al- ways stood in the front rank of undertakers and embalmers, and at No. 406 Broad Street, New- ark, has one of the finest parlors and mortuary chapels to be found in JOSHUA BRIERLEY. the State. Mr. Brierley is enterprising and pro- gressive, active in advancing the interests of the profession which he has honored, and loyal to all the obligations of a public spirited citizen.
He is a member of Northern Lodge, F. and A. M., the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Essenic Order, the Knights and Ladies of the Golden Star, the Fraternal Legion, the Knights of Honor, the Royal Arcanum, the For- esters, the Sons of St. George, the Heptasophs, and other organizations.
Mr. Brierley was married in June, 1882, to Ellen Green- wood, and has had three children: Beatrice (deceased), James Gladstone, and Elvena G.
EDWIN J. HOWE, M.D., of Newark, was born in Orange, N. J., on the 2d of July, 1849. He received his education
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at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., from which in- stitution he received the degree of A. B. and A.M.
In 1STB he was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York City, with the degree of M.D .. and in the same year settled in Newark, N. L., where he has since continued in the active and successful practice of his profession. Ile has served two terms as President of the New Jersey State Homeo- pathie Medical Society. Dr. Howe has achieved prominence in his chosen profession, and has also displayed an in- ventive genius of a high order. He is the inventor of an individ- ual communion cup which has gained a wide reputation. le is a member of the Sons of the American Revolu- tion, of the New Jersey Historical Society, and of the Essex Club, and a EDWIN J. HOWE, M.D. Trustee of the Newark Academy. As a citizen be is public spirited, enterprising, and progressive, taking a deep interest in the welfare of his native county and State, and contributing materially to the advancement of his adopted city.
HORACE AALLING has been a lifelong resident of New- ark, N. J., where he was born September 21. 1822. He is the son of David and Eunice ( Roberts) Alling and a lineal descendant of Roger Alling, the Puritan, one of the original proprietors of New Haven, Conn., and a signer of the com-
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pact of 1639. The son of this pioneer removed to Newark in the second deportation from New Haven, about 1670.
Mr. Alling is the sole survivor of a family of five sons and
one daughter. He re- ceived a thorough educa- tion in Newark Acad- emy and other prepara- tory schools, but was prevented by ill health from entering college, as he had planned. At the age of sixteen he en- gaged for a brief period as a clerk in a dry goods store, but a little later turned his attention to the manufacture of jew- elry, becoming appren- ticed, in June, 1841, to his two brothers, Isaac A. and Joseph C. Alling. In 1850 he entered into HORACE ALLING. partnership with them under the firm name of Alling Brothers, and continued in this business for thirty- five years. Mr. Alling has long been connected with some of the most important financial institutions of Newark. He was one of the original Board of Directors of the Prudential Insurance Company of America and is now its Treasurer. He is also a Director of the Newark Firemen's Insurance Company. He has had invitations to the directorship of several banking institutions, but has invariably felt it his duty to decline.
Mr. Alling is a stanch Republican in politics. He has been a member since 1838 of the Third Presbyterian Church, and since 1868 an Elder of that society. He is a life Di- rector of the American Sunday School Union, a life member of the American Tract and Bible Societies, and a member and Treasurer of the Board of Managers of the Children's Aid and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children,
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organized in 1868. He is also a Trustee of Newark Acad- my, and a life member and Director of the New Jersey Historical Society and of the Washington Association of New Jersey.
He married, May 31, ISIS, Julia Etta Ball, of Newark, who traces her genealogy to Milford, Conn., about 1667. Of their three children one only, Clarence W., is living.
THEODORE P. HOWELL was for many years one of the foremost citizens and representative manufacturers of New- ark, where he resided from early boyhood until his death. He was born at Snekasunny Plains, Morris County, N. J., January 6, 1819, his father being Jacob Drake Howell, an officer in the United States regular army.
Soon after the death of his father, which occurred in 1826, he moved with his mother to Newark, where he made his home in the family of his uncle, Samuel M. Howell, a successful tanner and currier of that city. At a proper age he was placed in the school of Rev. Stephen R. Grover, of Caldwell, N. J., which was then regarded as one of the best private academies in the vicinity of Newark. In his studies he manifested the same ambitious spirit which subsequent- ly governed him in business, and became proficent in all the branches of learning io which he was here introduced.
On leaving school Mr. Howell entered the harness manu- facturing establishment of Smith & Wright, in Newark, where he remained until he attained his majority. He then entered the tanning and currying establishment of his uncle in the same place. Here he made himself thoroughly famil- iar with every branch of an industry in which he afterward became so successful, and which, although at that time comparatively in its infancy, was beginning to assume great importance. This fidelity with excellent business qualifica- tions soon won for him high consideration. In 1840 his unele admitted him to partnership, and under the firm name of S. M. & T. P. Howell they soon after began the manufac- ture of patent leather, a German invention which was in- trodneed into America by the late Seth Boyden, who con- tributed so much to mechanical arts in this country.
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