USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Passaic > The Passaic valley, New Jersey, in three centuries.. Vol. 2 > Part 25
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Mr. Orton ranks high as a financier. He is conservative yet abreast of the times, alert, and conscientious in the dis- charge of all the varied duties of life.
He married, in 1846, Hester Maria Douglas, daughter of Marcus B. Douglas. Six children have been born from this marriage, of whom three survive. In 1896 the golden wed- ding of Mr. and Mrs. Orton was celebrated, when an orig- inal poem written for the occasion by the Rev. William Tilley, of Christ Church, and a souvenir, a beautiful volume entitled " Pen Pictures," prepared by the daughter, Mrs. Helen Orton Colton, were presented. The poem was the work of a cultured friend, and the " Pen Pictures," prepared and published by a loving daughter, was of artistic beauty. Both referred to the fifty years of wedded life, and the pie- tures illustrated facts in the history of the two families of Orton and Douglas. Mrs. Douglas is now dead, but has left a sweet and precious memory.
Mr. Orton is still hale and hearty and as active as ever in the performance of his duties as President of the bank,
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and meeting with alacrity all demands upon him as a citi- zen and as a member of the different organizations with which he is connected.
JEHIEL T. SMITH was the son of Isaac B. Smith and Maria Wildrick and a grandson of Peter Smith, a native of Readington, Hunterdon County, N. J., who served with dis- tinetion in the Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. Isaac B. Smith was born in Warren County, in this State, and became a distinguished lawyer. The family came over from England in colonial days and has always been prominent in both professional and bnsi- ness life.
Jehiel T. Smith was born in Marksboro, Warren County, N. . J., in 1847, and at the age of twenty moved to Andover, Sussex Coun- ty, where he engaged in business, from which he retired in 1880. He then removed to Newark and resided there until his death in 1887.
In his business ven- tures his thorough re- liability gained him the confidence and high re- gard of all with whom he came in contact. For many years he was an Elder in the Presbyte- rian Church and one of its most faithful mem- bers. He also held mem- JEHLIEL T. SMITH. bership with the Mason- is fraternity of Newton, with which lodge his family has been connected for a hundred years, his grand- father having served as its Secretary. As a citizen he was public spirited and loyal, giving a zealous support to many
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measures for the public good and contributing materially to the growth, upbuilding, and development of Andover. He married Catherine Stine, a native of Warren County, who died in 1858.
ALBRIDGE CLINTON SMITH, of Orange, son of Jehiel T. and Catherine (Stine) Smith, was born in Andover, Sus- sex County, N. J., January 9, 1850. He attended the com- mon schools and Newton Collegiate Institute, and instead of entering Princeton University, as he had planned, began the study of law at the age of seventeen in the office of John Linn, of New York City. He also read for a few months with Charles H. Voorhis, of Jersey City, and finished with James H. Neigh- bour, of Dover, N. J., and was admitted to the bar of this State in June, 1871. He was the law partner of Mr. Neigh- bour, under the firm name of Neighbour & Smith, until April 1, 1887. In 1884 he was admitted to the New York bar, and on Octo- ber 10 of that year be- gan practice in New York City, organizing the law firm of Smith & White, with offices at No. 280 Broadway. In 1887 he relinquished his ALBRIDGE C. SMITH Dover practice in order to devote his entire time and energies to his New York business, which had grown to large proportions. On May 1, 1898, the firm of Smith & White was succeeded by the present firm of Frayer, Smith, White & Seaman.
Mr. Smith was connected with much important litigation
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in the courts of Morris County, including the trial of several murder cases, and his ability in the handling of evidence, his force in argument, and his comprehensive knowledge of law won him splendid success. He now devotes his energies more exclusively to civil practice, and is attorney for some very large corporations. Ile is well versed in the various branches of jurisprudence and throws himself easily and naturally into the argument.
lle has held several township offices, was City Clerk and a member of the Common Commeil of Dover, and served one term as counsel of the Board of Freeholders of Morris Con- ty. lle has been active in the Presbyterian Church, of which he and his wife are prominent members, and was an Elder in the Third Presbyterian Church of Newark and also in the churches of that denomination in Dover and East Orange. lle is a member of the Washington Headquarters Associ- ation of Morristown, of the Colonial Club of New York, of the New England Society of Orange, and of the Wednesday Club of Newark. In both social and professional connec- tions he is very popular and universally respected.
Mr. Smith was married, October 27, 1875, to Florence M. Wood, daughter of Hon. Freeman Wood, of Dover, a prom- inent citizen and political leader of Morris County. They have three children : Raymond Wood (a graduate of Prince- ton University), Alice Clinton, and Albridge Clinton Smith, .Ir.
GEORGE HERBERT RICHARDS, M.D., has been a life- long resident of Orange, N. J., where he was born January 7, 1863. He is the son of the late Dr. George Washington Richards, for thirty years one of the leading homeopathic physicians in Orange, and 1. Amelia Doland, daughter of Daniel and Sarah Ann (Kays) Doland; a grandson of Cyrus George Richards and Hannah S. Force; and a lineal descend- ant of Thomas Richards (1) through John (2), John (3). David (4), and Thomas (5), who was his great-grandfather. Thomas Richards (1) settled in New Haven, Conn .. in 1635. Dr. Richards is also descended from Robert Treat, Governor of Connecticut and one of the founders of Newark, N. J., and
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from Jasper Crane, also one of the founders of Newark. On both sides he is thus connected with some of the earliest settlers of the Passaic Valley.
Dr. Richards was graduated from the Orange High School in 1881 and afterward studied medicine under his distin- guished father. In 1882 he matriculated at the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, from which he was graduated in 1885, being President of his class. He served as house surgeon and acting chief of staff of Ward's Island Hospital a year and a half, receiving most extensive and varied experience. He next visited Europe and finished his studies in the clinics and hospitals of Berlin, Vienna, Edinburgh, and London. On his return he commenced the practice of medicine in Orange, being associated with his father, and soon built up a large and lucrative practice. Upon his father's death in May, 1893, he succeeded to his practice.
He is a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the New Jersey State Medical Society, the Hahnemannian Association, and the National Society of Electro-therapeu- tics, and is President of the Essex County Medical Society and one of the visiting physicians to the East Orange Dis- pensary. In 1891, at the age of twenty-eight, Dr. Richards was elected President of the New Jersey State Homeopathic Medical Society, being the youngest presiding officer of that body. He takes an active interest in religious and philan- thropic work, being a member of the Hillside Presbyterian Church, and was at one time a member of the Board of Di- rectors of the Y. M. C. A. He is also a member of Union Lodge, No. 11, F. and A. M., of Orange Chapter, No. 23, R. A. M., of Jersey Commandery, No. 19, K. T., of the Sons of the American Revolution, of the Society of the War of 1812, of the Society of Colonial Wars, of the Order of Found- ers and Patriots of America, and of the Order of Descend- ants of Colonial Governors. He is President of the Alumni Association of the Orange High School.
In the practice of his profession Dr. Richards has achieved a high standing. He has been eminently successful. As a citizen he is public spirited, patriotic, and enterprising, and actively interested in the affairs of the community, being
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held in the highest confidence and esteem. He now holds the office of Health Commissioner of Orange.
He was married, October 19, 1893, to Florence Le Van, only child of Andrew J. Dotger. She died February 25, 1899, leaving two children : Claire Richards, born July 23, 1894, and Herbert Le Van Richards, born April 27, 1896. He resides at 30 Highland Avenue, Orange.
ORVILLE E. FREEMAN, a well known citizen of Orange Valley, is the son of George C. Freeman and Sarah Frances Van Dnyne, and was born in West Orange, Essex County, on the 17th of February, 1863. On both sides he descends from old and prominent New Jersey families who have tig- ured conspicuously in the history of the colony and State.
He received a good education in the Orange High School and subse- quently engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, taking charge of his father's farm. He is still inter- ested in this line of in- dustry. In 1888 he also established his present meat and vegetable business in Orange Val- ley, in which he has been very successful. Besides devoting his energies to these two en- terprises he has taken ORVILLE E. FREEMAN. an active part in local public affairs. Since 1892 he has served as a member of the West Orange Board of Education with great satisfaction to himself as well as to his fellow citizens.
Mr. Freeman married Sarah Adelaide Sigler and has two children : Elizabeth Frances and Margaret Bean.
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CYRUS CURRIER was for more than half a century one of Newark's foremost manufacturers and citizens. He was of Revolutionary stock on both the paternal and maternal sides. His grandfather, Nathaniel Currier, held a commis- sion as Major in the English Army under King George III., but on the commencement of trouble with the mother coun- try cast his influence with the patriots, and in 1773 was elected by his fellow townsmen in Salisbury, Mass., to repre- sent them in the first Provincial Congress at Watertown. Subse- quently he enlisted in the Continental Army, was made a Captain, and served with honor and distinction in the War for Independence.
Moses Currier, son of Major Nathaniel and father of Cyrus, was suc- cessfully identified with a number of useful in- dustries, such as nail, chain, and anchor forges and sawmills. He was also a pioneer in the manufacture of woolen CYRUS CURRIER. goods. He married Nancy Stevens, and died universally respected and esteemed.
Cyrus Currier, son of Moses and Nancy ( Stevens) Currier, was born in Salisbury, Mass., May 15, 1812, and there re- ceived a practical educational training. When a young man he came to Newark, N. J., and in association with the illustrions Seth Boyden performed much of the mechanical work on the locomotives " Orange " and "Essex " for the Morris and Essex Railroad. These engines revolutionized the construction of locomotives. Mr. Currier also had charge of the first steam fire engine stationed in New York City, which not only had steam pumps, but was propelled by
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steam .- The experience he gained in these varions connec- tions eventually placed him among the leading machinists of the country and made his name famous wherever high grade machinery was built.
In 1849 Mr. Currier went overland to California, and among his many interesting experiences during the trip traded a team of mules with Brigham Young, the Mormon leader, in the Rocky Mountains. He built the first sawmill ever put up in the California red woods. What was then a wilderness of immense red wood trees is now a prosperous fruit section.
In March, 1842, Mr. Currier established the present gen- eral machine shop and foundry of Cyrus Currier & Sons, on Railroad Place and Commerce and Market Streets, Newark. It has had several partners during the nearly sixty years since it was founded, and for many years before the ad- mission of his sons, Osceola and Cyrus C., he conducted it alone. From the first the policy of the concern has been to conduct a general business in the line of machinery and castings, and at the same time to manufacture several spe- cialiies. At one time this shop produced nearly all the machinery used in the manufacture of hais. They also made jewelers' machinery a specialty for a number of years. Papermaking machinery has always been a specialty of the firm, and in this line they own and control several valuable patents. They have given particular attention to some branches of the leather business, and have made radical changes in the machinery for the manufacture of enameled cloths. A great amount of experimental work has been done in their factory, and many inventions have been made useful by them which otherwise would have been of no valne. His son, Cyrus C. Currier, is now at the head of the establishment.
Although Mr. Currier devoted his energies to the develop- ment of his business, and particularly to the improvement and scientific construction of machinery, he never failed to meet the responsibilities of citizenship, nor refused to aid in advancing the material interests of the city and of his fellowmen. He was especially active in church and Sunday school work, being one of the first Universalists in Newark
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and an organizer and a prominent officer of the First Uni- versalist Society, of whose Sunday school he was long the Superintendent. In politics he was originally an old time Whig, and from the organization of the Republican party stanchly supported its principles and candidates. He died, widely respected and esteemed, December 6, 1892.
CHARLES E. HILL, lawyer, of Newark, was born in Wolfborongh, N. H., on the 10th of June, 1851. His father, Charles F., was born in Limerick, York County, Me., June 26, 1822, read law with his uncle, Joshua Hill, a partner of Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, and was admitted to the Maine.bar in 1845. He began practice in Searsport, Me., but in 1851 removed to Wolfborough, N. H., where he served for seven years as Superintendent of Schools. He moved to Newark, N. J., in September, 1865, was admitted to the bar of New Jersey in 1866, and thereafter practiced his profession with success in this State. Charles F. Hill married Lavinia Parker, daughter of Samuel Parker. He was the son of Jeremiah and Lucinda (Libby) Hill, a grandson of Joshua and Mary ( Kilpatrick) Hill, and a direct descendant of Peter Hill, the orig- inal ancestor of the family in this country, who settled at Scarboro, Me., about 1635. The CHARLES E. HILL. family came from the North of England, having moved thither, it is said, from Scotland.
Charles E. Hill was educated in the common schools and
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academy of Wolfborough, N. H. He read law in Newark, N. J., with his father, was admitted to the bar of this State in June, 1873, and for several years was his father's law partner. In November, 1881, he was admitted to the New York bar. He practiced in Newark from the time of his admission until January 1, 1882, and since then has been in active practice in New York City. Mr. Ilill has estab- lished a high reputation as an able and successful lawyer, and from the first has enjoyed a large and constantly in- ereasing clientage.
HIe has also been active and prominent in official capaci- ties, serving as Commissioner of Public Schools in Newark in 1881, 1882, 1883, and 1884, as a member of the Newark Board of Aldermen in 1886, 1887, 1888, and 1889, as Presi- dent of the board during the last two years of that period, as a member of the Assembly of New Jersey in 1887 and 1888, as Commissioner of Public Schools in Newark again since 1899, and as President of the Board of Education in 1900 and 1901. From 1882 to 1892 he was Captain and Judge Advocate of the Fifth Regiment, N. G. N. J. In each of these positions as well as at the bar he has displayed ability of the highest order and won for himself the confi- dence and respect of the entire community. He is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of the Indian Re- publican League of Newark, of the Northern Republican Club of that city, of the Newark Athletic Club, of the Pros- peet Gun Club of Freeport, Long Island, of the Cape Romain Club of MeClellanville, S. C., and of the Lawyers' Club of New York City.
Mr. Hill was married, June 9, 1875, to Caroline G. Hill, daughter of Rev. Charles E. Hill, and has three children : Charles G. Hill, born Marel 18. 1876; Arthur E. Hill, born March 20, 1880; and Frederick M. Hill, born May 15, 1887.
SAMUEL D. CONDIT is one of the numerous Condit fam- ily, a brother of Aaron P. Condit, already noticed in these pages, and of course of the same origin. This family has been remarkable for preserving all through their lines of descent the same substantial characteristics, both
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mentally and physically. Robust in form, sturdy in phy- sique, broad shouldered, massive in feature, erect in bear- ing, independent in manner, they have had and continue to possess correspond- ing mental characteris- tics. Breadth of thought, honesty of pur- pose, downright integ- rity, directness of pur- pose, unswerving cor- rectness of action, and constancy of will-these are the attributes of the race which are rarely if ever absent from any of the possessors of the blood. They do not shine as orators by pyrotechnical displays of imagery, by flashes of wit, but their argu- ments are sound and SAMUEL D. CONDIT. convincing; they have the faculty of convert- ing by their mode of presenting their cases. Believers in heredity can have no better argument than to point to this race. Wherever they go-and they have gone all over this broad republic and are found in every State, ramified into the very best conditions of society and life-they have im- pressed themselves upon the communities wherever they re- sided.
In Orange and its vicinity, where they have lived for generations, they have been important factors in moulding and directing public opinion. They have connected them- selves by marriages with many of the old families of the Oranges. A very large element of the population in the localities known by that appellation is descended from these marriages.
Samuel D. Condit is a true Condit, possessing many of the characteristics claimed for his race. He was born in Orange,
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November 24, 1824. His father, Samuel Condit, owned a large farm on Washington Street, and had quite a family of sons and daughters. Some part of this farm as well as some of the land owned by the first settler of the name in Orange is still in the possession of the family. Samuel D. Condit was educated in the public schools of his native town, but, according to the old-fashioned rule which obtained in his youthful days, he at a very early date in his history left home to begin the struggle of life. He concluded to adopt the dry goods business as his occupation, and after a few years' attendance at school went to Belleville and there became a clerk in a general store, so common in those days in country villages. In 1847 he entered into the dry goods business on his own account at Orange, and remained engaged in this enterprise until 1862, when he removed to - Ohio and established himself at Fremont and at Tiffin, and finally, in 1867, at Cleveland. In 1872 he disposed of his interests in Ohio, returned to Orange, and took up the real estate and insurance business, which he has since very suc- cessfully conducted. While in this occupation he has handled large properties at the Oranges and elsewhere.
Very soon after his return to his native place he took an active part in political affairs, in which he had been inter- ested ever since the twenty-third year of his life. He became Clerk of the Town Committee, which office he held for soy- eral years, and was also a member of the Board of Freehold- ers. In his particular line of business he has secured an enviable reputation for good judgment and integrity, and by his personal characteristics has secured the confidence and respect of all classes in the community.
There is one event in his life to which he looks back with particular satisfaction. With several other gentlemen he was interested in the inception of the Orange Journal, now a substantial and influential newspaper published at Orange. Though not a practical printer, he took the second impression of the first issue of that paper, one of the other gentlemen interested with him taking the first.
FRANKLIN MARCELLUS OLDS, one of the leading members of the Newark bar, traces his ancestry through
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residents of Vermont and Massachusetts to Windsor, Conn., where Robert Olds settled in 1668. His father and paternal grandfather were natives of Vermont. Mr. Olds is the son of David Osman and Rosanna Hortense (Seaman) Olds, and was born in Port Byron, Cayuga County, N. Y., August 20, 1851. His earlier education was received in the public schools and his preparatory studies were pursued at the Academical High School in Auburn, N. Y. In the fall of 1869 he entered Williams College, from which he was grad- uated in 1873, taking the highest honors in his class. In 1876 that institution conferred upon him the degree of M.A. In the autumn of 1873 he began his legal studies with Cort- landt Parker, of Newark. Mr. Olds also took a course at the Columbia Law School, graduating with the degree of LL.B. in 1877. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar at Trenton at the November term of the Supreme Court, 1876, as an attorney, and at the same time, 1879, as a counsellor.
In 1877 Mr. Olds opened a law office in Newark, where he has ever since followed the general practice of his profes- sion with uniform and eminent success, giving especial at- tention to equity cases. His steadfastness of purpose, his integrity, and his close application, combined with his great ability and excellent judgment, have won for him a large legal business, and for many years he has been a recognized leader of the Essex County bar. Seeking no political or judicial preferment, never accepting public office, he has steadily and successfully pursued an honorable career.
Mr. Olds has also engaged with equal success in several commercial ventures and enterprises. As a pastime he has given much attention to forestry, arboriculture, and land- scape gardening. He is enabled to gratify his taste in these directions by the ownership of a fine country estate at Mountain Dale, Sullivan County, N. Y., in which locality Mr. Old's mother was reared, her father, Rev. Isaac Sea- man, of Middletown, N. Y., having lived there for a time.
On Christmas Day, 1878, Mr. Olds was married to Miss Catherine Austin Walker, adopted daughter of S. D. Lauter, of Newark, N. J. She died February 20, 1897. Their only child, Jane Louisa Olds, born September 29, 1879, died No- vember 2, 1884.
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HENRY ADDISON MANDEVILLE, M.D., physician, of South Orange, is the only son of Rev. Giles Henry and Rachel (Jacobus) Mandeville, and was born in the par- sonage at Newburgh, N. Y., December 16, 1858. He re- moved with his parents to New York City when nine years old. His preparatory education was received mostly under his father's tuition. He was a close student, and entered New York University at the age of thirteen, being one of
the youngest students who ever matriculated at that institution. He completed the usual course at the age of seventeen. During the latter part, however, he pursued a line of special studies preparatory to taking a medical course. Ile entered the College of Physicians and Sur- geons, New York City, from which he was grad- uated immediately on attaining his majority. Afterward he entered upon the important course of medical expe- rience, covering two years, in the Presbyte- HENRY A. MANDEVILLE, M.D. rian Hospital, New York, and subsequently became asso- ciated in practice with Dr. Thomas H. Burchard, of New York City. His special abilities as a practitioner were soon manifest, and he rapidly achieved distinction in his chosen line.
Dr. Mandeville's connection with South Orange began September 17, 1887, when he married Jennie J. Morgan (née Rice), and from that period to the present he has de- voted his time, his talents, and his energies to the moral, intellectual, and physical development of that locality. Pro- gressive, earnest, and public spirited, he has been influential
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in making the village one of the most attractive to suburban residents of any place in the country. He was elected a member of the village Board of Trustees in 1893 and a Trns- tee of the school in 1891, and after serving three years was re-elected in 1894. Many improvements were made during this period, and Dr. Mandeville has endeared himself to the people by his straightforward, manly course, and his efforts to promote the best interests of the whole community, with- out fear or favor. Like his father, he has been an earnest advocate of, as well as practical worker in, the cause of edu- cation, and believed in giving the poor as well as the rich the best educational advantages by increasing the facilities of the free school system. He has held various positions in connection with the schools of South Orange, and when the Board of Education for the township was established in 1894 he was elected its first President. This is the strongest possible evidence of the confidence the people have in him and his methods. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church Dr. Mandeville has been ear- nest in his support of its temporal affairs and loyal to its spiritual interests. He is liberal in his support of every en- terprise which tends to better the condition of his fellow- men, whether religious, social, or benevolent.
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