SUSSEX COUNTY t SESQUI-CENTENNIAL ----SEPTEiVIBER 2, 1903 --- INCLUDING CENTENNIAL ADDRESS OF BEN JAMIN B. EDSALL &iited bv JACOB L. BUNNELL by resolution of Sesqui­ Centennial Committee. The New Jersey Herald Press, Newton, N. J. SESQUI-CENl~ENNIAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE WILLIAM W. WOODWARD THEODORE SIMONSON JOHN C. HOWELL HENRY 0. RYERSON JACOB W. C. CARBER LEWIS J. MARTIN JACOB L. BUNNELL ~4NDREW J. VANBLARCOM WILLIAM W. WOODWARD, President. THEODORE SIMONSON, Vice-President. JOHN C. HOWELL Treasurer. HENRY O. RYERSON. JACOB W. C. CARBER. HON. LEWIS J. MARTIN. JACOB L. BUNNELL. ANDREW J. VAN BLARCOM, President Newton Board of Trade. ISRAEL L. HALLOCK, Secretary Sesqui-Centennial Committee. SUSSEX SESQUI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Some lazy ages, lost in sleep and ease, No action leave to busy chronicles: Such superior felicity but makes In story chasms, in epochs mistakes. -Dryden. The charge of the celebrated English poet laureate and historiographer of the sixteenth century certainly cannot be applied to Sussex County. Ever since its erection, one hundred and fifty years ago, its citizens have manifested most commendable interest in all that pertained to the history of the county and to the record of the lives of the energetic and noble men who have so continuously wrought for the growth and prosperity of the county and for the best welfare and happiness of its citizens. If any "chasms" occur in our county's history, as there undoubtedly do, we fancy they are more attributable to the rapid pace at which we are living than to any intentional thoughtlessness on the part of the citizens of the county. To the end that no further mistakes be made in the recording of the "epochs" of Sussex County, we are in hearty sympathy with the movement looking toward the establishment of the Sussex County Histori­ cal Association, and if the germs of so valuable an acquisition to our county can be traced, as they justly can, to the Sesqui-Centennial move­ ment, so patriotically observed Wednesday, September 2, 1903, the pro­ moters of that celebrated occasion ha-v-e still another most important reason to rejoice at the emphatic success crowning their efforts. The idea of celebrating the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Sussex County found its inception in the observance, October, 1896, of the Sesqui-Centennial of Princeton University, an institution held in partic­ ularly high esteem by the citizens of Sussex County, which was attended by ~Ir. W. W. Woodward, the well known citizen and esteemed business man of Newton. With the thought of this celebration in mind, Mr. Wood­ ward, at a meeting of the Newton Board of Trade, in the parlors of the Newton Club, at its regular monthly meeting, March 3, 1902, suggested that a similar celebration be observed upon the occurrence of the one hundred and :fiftieth anniversary of Sussex County. This suggestion struck a popular chord. With much enthusiasm, the Board adopted the following: Whereas, The County of Sussex was erected by act of Provincial Legisla­ tnre June 8, 1753, which act ·was subsequently approved by King George the Second, and the name given by Jonathan Belcher, the Governor of the Province in compliment of the Duke of Newcastle, whose family seat was in the County of Sussex, England, we are now within about fifteen months of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its estab­ lishment ; now therefore be it 6 Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the President of this Board of""Trade to consider what action is necessary to arrange for the proper observance of the Sesqui-Centennial of our county. Andrew J. VanBlarcom, President of the Board of Trade, appointed as such committee: William W. V{oodward, Theodore Simonson, Henry 0. Ryerson, John C. Howell, Jacob W. C. Carber. On motion of :M:r. A. F. O'Donnell, the committee was given po,ver to appoint the necessary additional committees to assist them in their labors, such appointments to be subject to the appro,al of the Board of Trade. Immediately following their appointment, the gentlemen of what was afterward regarded the Sesqui-Centennial Central Committee, organized by the appointment of William W. Woodward, President; Theodore Simonson, Vice President; John C. Howell, Treasurer. The committee was fortunate in securing a gentleman of the business ability and experi­ ence of Mr. Howell as its Treasurer. His report of the finances of the celebration is printed in this publication. It is especially interesting from the fact that it shows that not only was sufficient money subscribed to defray all the expenses of the anniversary, but in addition to this to pay a dividend of fifteen per cent. to every subscriber to the fund-a most remarkable incident in the history of such enterprises. 1Ir. Israel L. Hallock was, by a unanimous vote, chosen Secretary to the committee. The selection was a very proper one, Mr. Hallock proving a painstaking, thoroughly competent and most accommodating official. The initial steps looking to our county's Sesqui-Centennial celebra­ tion were taken more than a year prior to that event, to the end that the historian might be afforded ample opportunity to prepare a sketch of the history of the county in a ma,nner creditable to that important event. Accordingly the matter of the selection of a historian was the first busi­ ness to occupy the attention of the Central Committee. A number of available names were recommended and discussed. The name of Justice Francis J. Swayze, of Newark, an esteemed and honored native of New­ ton, met the approval of the entire committee. Being notified of his selec­ tion, Mr. Swayze accepted the important trust, advising the committee that he would enter upon the preparation of his address immediately upon his return from a contemplated visit to Europe, previously arranged. How well, faithfully and altogether acceptably this address was prepared can be the better appreciated by its careful reading. The address, as per­ sonally revised by Justice Swayze, is included in this publication, and is printed in its entirety. During the months that followed many informal conferences and per­ sonal interviews were held with numerous representative citizens of the county, principally of the older class more familiar with local facts and traditions. Subsequently the committee secured the active aid of many men from the various townships and boroughs of the county by placing them upon local committees. January 3, 1903, there appeared in a Newton paper a three column editorial relati,e to the appropriateness of the cele­ bration of this important event in our county's history, together with the portraits of the individual members of the Central Committee. The writer is advised by the chairman of the committee that this publication aroused general interest and enthusiasm, not only among citizens of the 7 county but in the minds of many who had gone from its borders to make their homes elsewhere. The earliest response, probably the result of this publication, was by the late T. A. :Ofarshall, for a generation or more Superintendent of the Passaic Zinc Company, of Ogdensburg, in the fol­ lowing letter highly characteristic of the public spirit of the man : OGDEXSBURG, N. J., Jan 7, 1903. MR. W. W. "\V00DWARD, Chairman of Committee:- Dear Sir:- I am aware that your noble undertaking of the Sesqui­ Centennial cannot be carried out without strong :financial aid. If the different township committees would resolve to get a list of one-hundred subscribers, at $5 each, or fifty subscribers at $10 each I -would be only too pleased to be on either list. This would be $500 from each township, not including subscriptions from mines and factories. Respectfull yours, T. A. ~I. SILENT OBSERVER. Various meetings of the Central Committee were held during the winter and spring months, when the first public meeting was announced at the Court House, Newton, May 5, at 1: 30 P. M·. Subsequent to this meeting the Central Committee selected the following gentlemen from the various townships .filld boroughs of the county to represent their indi­ vidual localities in completing arrangements for the proposed celebration. It will be noticed with genuine pleasure that the gentlemen thus select€d are principally, if not wholly, descendants of those constituting the gen­ eral committee of the Centennial celebration of 1853: Andover-Luther Hill, Virgil B. Freeman, Watson R. Ayers. Byram-Peter D. Smith, John Wills, Dr. Harry H. Nelden. Bo. of Brooklyn-R. L. Edwards, Gustave Reinberg, Rev. Theo. A. K . Gessler. Bo. of Branchville-William l\IcDanolds, Dr. J. C. Price, Noah H. Hopkins. Bo. of Sussex-Rev. E. A. Hamilton, Theo. F. Margarum, John D. Simmons. Frankford-Henry S. Phillips, Robet V. A.rmstrong, Frank Roe. Green-Nathan H. Shafer. Philip R. Hardin, Wm. I. Young. Hampton-John Couse, Wm. S. Hardin, Moses H. Northrup. Hardyston-Daniel D. Munson, Horace E. Rude, Gabriel L. Law• rence. Lafayette-Samuel Warbasse, Raymond Snyder, Robert L. Everett. Montague-James E. Cole, Sanford Nearpass, Jacob McCarty. Newton-W. W. Woodward, Theo. Simonson, John C. Howell, Henry 0. Ryerson, J. W. C. Carber. (Hon. Lewis J. Martin, Jacob L. Bunnell and Andrew J. VanBlarcom were afterward added to the Newton com­ mittee.) Sandyston-William Clark, Elvin E. Smith, Washington DePue. Stillwater-Wm. P. Coursen, Lewis Roy, Levi J. Lewis. Sparta-P. J. Dolan, Henry Folk, Peter S. Gunderman. Vernon-Henry B. DeKay, David Hynard, Daniel Bailey, . Walpack-Emmet H. Bell, Nicholas Tillman, John S. Smith. Wantage-Gabriel S. Ludlum, Jacob Swartwout, Wm. T. Wright. The attendance at the initial public meeting of the Sesqui-Centennia.l anniversary in the Court House, Newton, was surprisingly large, almost 8 the entire committee being present.