Noble. As Mr. Noble was teaching here in 1849, this little girl must have
been about seven years old at the time of this occurrence. She had been
out coasting on the Morris still hill, at recess, and when she came in her
shoes hurt her foot or something seemed to be out of order, so she sat down
on the floor imder her desk to investigate. The teacher's eye roved over
the desks to see if all were present, but he missed little Jennie. So. being a
long-legged man, he stepped right over the desks to » where she sat on the
floor, and when he discovered her he picked her up by the back of the
neck and carried her dangling in mid-air, with one shoe and stocking off.



MORRIS COUNTY 377

to the front bench, to give an account of herself. She still remembers Mr.
Noble.

Mr. Hugh N. Cox was another teacher whom she remembers. He was
short, with red hair, and wore a high hat and a goatee. Mr. Cox made a
good name for himself as a teacher, as you may read in other parts of
this history, but this young critic thought that he boasted too much of his
superior attainments. It is well for teachers to be modest, although it
sometimes comes hard. One day he announced that he wished the pupils
to write a composition, giving their idea of a "model teacher," saying that
he would afterwards read these compositions before the school. Jennie
Young wrote this brief character sketch — "One who does not keep boasting
about himself." But opinions differ. Another girl wrote still more briefly,
but effectively, — "A Mr. Cox.'" When Mr. Cox came to this composition,
he stroked his goatee and blushed, and said he didn't know whether to
read this one or not. But he seemed pleased. Scholars should always
speak well of their teachers. One day the trustees came to visit Mr. Cox's
school. He reminded the children to be on their good behavior, as all
good teachers do, and then asked them to sing something for the trustees.
"What shall we sing?" "Oh, sing anything you like, something that you
really like." So when the trustees appeared on the scene they were greeted
with this ambiguous burst of melody :

"Curious beasts are here for show,

Of all sorts and ages:
See them pacing to and fro,

Safe in iron cages."

It was a circus song that Mr. Cox had taught his pupils, — one that
they loved to sitig, in season and out of season; but there is such a thing
as fitness, even in the choice of hymns.

Mr. Young was a strong temperance man, and an earnest worker in
the good cause. One winter day, in the midst of a terrible snow storm,
a drunken man came to his store. Mr. Young felt that he ought not to
let this man go out in the storm that night, for fear that he might perish.
But Mrs. Young objected. She did not wish to harbor such a visitor
in her clean beds. The man went out into the storm, but Mr. Young had
no rest in his mind. He followed the man and brought him back. A
place was made for him to spend the night on a settle in the kitchen, by
the fire. A good fire was kept up in the stove to keep him warm. When the
poor man awoke some time towards morning, he did not know where he
was and inadvertently sat down on the redhot stove. The result was that
he prolonged his visit for about six weeks, illustrating the conundrum,
"Why is such a one like a locomotive?" This conundrum is generally
given out after some man who is not used to it has taken a long ride on
horseback. The poor fellow appreciated the kindness of Mr. and Mrs.
Young and wished to show his gratitude. He was an artist, so he asked
permission to paint their window shades. He painted a beautiful picture
of a large goblet with a snake coiled in the bottom of it. The forked
tongue of the snake impressed itself upon the imagination of the little
girl in the family, as she looked at this picture on the window shade.
Under it was painted the legend, "Beware the sting lies in the bowl."
Twenty years afterward the man came back. He had reformed and had
been a school teacheij in Sparta. And so we have another incident in the
history of schools abd another illustration of The Good Samaritan, in
our Chronicles of Dover.



378 NEW JERSEY

When Mr. Segur came to Dover he made a strong fight for the cause
of temperance. Perhaps it was then (sometime after 1832) that the Sons
of Temperance were organized. This society started a Free PubHc Library
and had a little collection of good books which circulated among the people.
When they were no longer able to provide for the care and distribution
of these books, Mr. Young, thinking it a shame to have the good work
cease, took the books into his bakery and attended to the business of lending
them out. Among these books was a set of Prescott's Histories, very choice
reading. They are now in our public library. This then goes to show
that Dover had a public library in 1850 or thereabouts. Was there any
other public library in New Jersey as early as that? This library may
have been started by Mr. Segur in 1832.

Jennie Young remembers the bookcase which contained these books.
At the top of it were printed the letters — S. of T., meaning Sons of
Temperance. Hence the people sometimes referred to it irreverently, as
"The soft library." Can it be that the term, "Soft" drinks, is derived from
this same inscription, "S. of T. ?" All honor to the man who honored
these two good causes — a free public library and the cause of temperance.

During the war William Young fed the families of many soldiers who
had gone to the front. Among his beneficiaries was Aunt Polly Ford.
When she came to the bake shop she would read the letters received from
her son. After the news of a battle she was anxious about him, but he
wrote home that he had crawled into a ditch when the bullets began to fly
and remained there until the enemy "stopped ceasin'."

When Jennie Young was about fifteen years old she was a pupil of
the Rev. H. C. H. Dudley, in the Stone Academy. This seems to have
been a sort of "finishing" school for young ladies, in those days. Miss
Mosher was then the teacher who set the copies for the children in their
writing books. She became ill and was absent. Mr. Dudley asked Jennie
Young to set the copies, for she was a good penman and this would
greatly relieve him. She also assisted with the younger pupils for three
weeks. The tuition fee was then $10 a term. When she brought her ten
dollars to pay the bill, five dollars was given back to her. She brought it
to her father and he told her to keep it, as she had earned it. This was
the first money that she had earned.

The next term she was asked, in the absence of Miss Mosher, to
teach an older class, containing Tommy Heaton (later Mayor of Boonton),
William Waer, and John Gordon. They were in algebra, and the young
teacher had to study nights to keep ahead of her class. But she was
equal to it. Scotch grit and "soft drinks" will "tell" in the long run. She
succeeded so well, that when summer was approaching and the boys must
go to work on the farm or the canal, one of them, John Gordon, of
Berkshire Valley, asked her to come over and teach school there. She
said she had no "permit." "I will get you one," said he ; "my father is a
trustee." Soon after a "permit" was received in due form, and Miss
Young took the school in Berkshire Valley, then more of a place than
Dover. She had received fifteen dollars for her work in the Stone Academy,
the second term.

At Berkshire Valley the school house was roughly furnished. The
seats were made of slabs, with the bark on the under side. While there
she boarded with Major Minton, who had then removed to Berkshire
Valley.

In the opinion of the historian these incidents about the Young family



MORRIS COUNTY 379

are worthy of a place in the history of Dover. They illustrate the life
lived by one of Dover's most respected families, and they throw light upon
Dover's social life, its educational system, and other matters of those days.
This is one of the fullest and most significant narratives that the historian
has secured, thanks to the clear memory of a very charming old lady.

The story of "Billy Young's" dealings with Jabez Mills' new fence
will be found under the testimony of David Whitehead of Boonton.

Mr. Wm. L. Young: This name appears as the heading of an old,
worn and torn scrap of paper, part of a newspaper clipping. Must a
good man's memory hang upon such a tattered, scarcely decipherable shred
as this? Let us by all means secure a copy in some more durable form.
I wonder if some of my readers think slightingly of me for dealing so
much in obituary notices, as I strive to reconstruct the former days. Let
me say a word in defense of my method, although it may be observed that
I do not depend upon this source of information alone.

As I pore over the past and search for every available source of in-
formation I become thankful for these obituary notices and a sense of
respect for them grows upon me. They were often the work of the
minister, who had been for many years an intimate friend of the person
whose life and character he portrayed. And through long experience the
minister learns how to do this work well. And the same may be said of the
veteran editor. These memorials of our village folk, treasured up in frail
clippings or in the faded pages of quaint scrap-books, remind me of Plu-
tarch's Lives of ancient worthies. Who knows but that the world-re-
nowned galaxy of Plutarcli had some such humble origin. First, a man's
memory is cherished by those who knew him most intimately, his family,
his friends, his fellow-citizens. Then, as the art of writing supplies a
means of perpetuating this memory to future generations, some one takes
in hand to make a written record. Perhaps this is done by the priest or
by the historian. The priest is likely to be the early historian. But the
grandmother and the oldest inhabitant must have competed with him
for the honor. And it is an honor to hand down the memory of that which
is memorable in human life. It is a work worthy of a master hand and
heart. Later the school teacher comes in for a share in this labor of love.
But how remote from all this seems a modern High School examination
in history ! The school teacher should look to his origin ; he is the priest
of the past and the informer and molder of the future. In time a Shake-
speare comes along, stumbles upon a volume of Plutarch and gives us the
play of Julius Caesar and of Coriolanus. Last of all comes a Wagner,
who puts into music what mere words can ne'er express. The opera of
old Dickerson street has not yet been composed.

These newspaper clippings are often minus the date of the event
which they commemorate. A visit to the Orchard street cemetery enables
us to gather this information from a monument in the center of the grounds
where William Young once delighted to cultivate his garden after the day's
labor in bake-shop and store was completed. Here he rests from life's
labors.

AN OBITUARY NOTICE.

William L. Young was born in 1802 in the north of Ireland, and was
of Scotch and Irish descent, and of a Presbyterian family, as most of the
inhabitants are in that part of the country. He moved to America in 1830,
spent one year in New York City and sixteen in the city of Brooklyn. He



38o NEW JERSEY

moved to Dover in 1847. Here he carried on the baking business, which
he attended to with such diHgence and fidehty that it afforded him not
only a comfortable living, but enabled him to assist others in need, which
he was ever forward to do. t, , . , • -r

Mr. Young became an early member of the Total Abstmence lem-
perance' Society, and with the principle of that organization he was thor-
oughly consistent to the day of his death. About the time of his removal
to this place. Dover had a high reputation for temperance, and was called
The Temperance Banner Town of New Jersey. Mr. Young always main-
tained that the temperance fame of Dover was the consideration which
induced him to move here. And during his twenty-seven years abode here
he has ever been a main pillar in the Temperance Organization.

He always had a good word to say for the good old cause. He did
more, he visited the home of the drunkard and alleviated the evils con-
sequent on this vice. Sometimes he prevailed on the drunkard to abandon
his cups. I have seen his face radiant with joy as he announced the
promise of some intemperate person to sign the pledge, and when he brought
him in to join the society we were reminded of the lost sheep that the good
shepherd found and brought on his shoulders back to the fold. His useful
labors in this field were such that the blessings of those who were ready
to perish came upon him, and no doubt the announcement of his death will
evoke blessings on his memory from some of this class who are still

living.

But temperance was not the only object which interested the heart
and hand of Mr. Young. His beneficent character inclined him to aid
any and every good cause. He was a friend of education. When the old
school house was enlarged and remodeled and the cost defrayed by volun-
tary contributions, Mr. Young, though not equal in ability, was equal in
amount to the best contributors, and when a village library was purchased
he was again a liberal contributor, and for years took charge of the books,
and, to accommodate the community, attended to the circulation of the
books at all hours of the day and week. The library referred to is that
which is now, with additions, in the rooms of the Y. M. C. A.

Mr. Young was well instructed in his childhood in the Bible and the
Westminster Confession and Catechism. Some months ago he was present
in the Presbyterian Sunday School, where the children were reciting por-
tions of both. After giving his testimony to the importance of such in-
struction, he alluded to the fact that more than sixty years ago he com-
mitted the catechism to memory and that he retained that knowledge at
the present time. Curiosity tempted some one to test his knowledge. The
readiness and accuracy with which he repeated the words of the venerable
book surprised and delighted the audience.

But why should we dwell on the character of a man whose whole life
was so well known to you all ? His was a social nature and a sympathetic
spirit. He lived and moved among you, participating in every public enter-
prise, he excelled in acts of private kindness. Positive and firm in his con-
victions, he cherished no enmity to whose who dififered from him. Weak
in hate, he had none to hate him. Strong in friendship, his friends were
numerous.

We doubt if there has ever occurred in Dover a death which created
a greater expression of sorrow and regret at the time than that of Mr.
Wm. L. Young. He was one of nature's own noblemen, a man whose life
was an exemplification of the golden rule so little followed in this age of



MORRIS COUNTY 381

greed and gain. His memory will live as a model of all that is pure and
upright. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church and his profession
of Christianity was not a cloak for the promotion of wordly motives.
Although quiet and somewhat retired, never seeking for political prefer-
ment or personal popularity, he was nevertheless fully appreciative of the
real interests of the town, and lent his active support to any measure pro-
ductive of the public benefit. Realizing the inflammable character of the
materials in the buildings of the place, he was one of the first to advocate
the introduction of our effective fire department, and presided at the two
meetings which brought about this result. He was also a member of
Acacia Lodge Free Masons and held the office of Treasurer seventeen
years.

A Christian in the highest sense of the term, a promoter of the public
good, a friend to temperance and education, a charitable man and a kind
friend — in how few are these virtues to be summed up! Yet such was
William L. Young, and our entire population, for enemies he had none,
mourn with unfeigned sorrow his sudden removal by death.

Mr. Young did not have the privilege of attending school after he had
reached the age of eleven. He spent seven years in Glasgow learning his
trade, after his days in school were ended. The following original valentine
must be judged with some allowance on account of his brief schooling:

For Marget McNaught.

This is the first Month of the Spring,

When little Birds do couple, build & sing;

.\nd as the grapes grows on the Vine.

I Choose you for my Valentine.

The time I ever will remember

I think it was in sweet September,

When you my love by Chance I saw,

Walking on the Broomie-law

Till then, I still Could pass you by.

Without a thought or languid sigh

But you sweet Maid, hath won the field

And I your Captive forced to yield.

Accept this trifle that I send

Tis from a Lover and a friend

And one that does esteem you dear

So mark what I have written here

Keep for me a faithful kiss

I mean the Baverish of this

And then I'll count myself rewarded

If by you I'm so regarded

And if you love I as I love you

No pair so happy as we two

Here I now must drop my pen

By saying more I Might offend

Bv wiiat is said you may discover

That I remain your loyal Lover.
WiLLi.\M Young.
The calling of the banns and the wedding certificate
That William Leslie Young and Margaret McXaught both of this parish have been
proclaimed in the Church here, in order for Marriage, three several Sabbaths and no
objections made, is attested at Gorbals, the 24th day of May one thousand eight
hundred and thirty years.

By John Wilson Sess. Clerk.

On the 25th day of May 1830

The above-mentioned parties were married by me, in Laurieston Glasgow

James Smith Minister.



382 NEW JERSEY

Mrs. Young died Jan. i8th, 1875. Her husband leaned over her and
said, "I will soon be with you, my dear." He died Jan. 24th, 1875. "In
their death they were not divided."

Wm. Young was an elder in the Presbyterian church. He was not
friendly to the use of tobacco. He used to make root beer which he kept
in stone bottles and had the first "soft drink" establishment in town. He
was not favorable to dancing, although Mrs. Young was very fond of it
and had been a notable dancer in her younger days. She distinguished
herself at The Thistle Ball in Brooklyn before they removed to Dover.
Here she found life rather quiet. Nothing more exciting than the croaking
of the bullfrogs in the swamp across the way, as she said. But she was a
kind, motherly soul, and endeared herself to many of the little ones who
came to her bakery on errands, she knew how to win their hearts by the
dainties and goodies which she bestowed upon them.

The incidents in the life of childhood as lived on Dickerson street
would make a chapter in itself, beginning, of course, with the two schools.
The children from the public school would come over to Grandma Pruden's
house to get a pail of nice well water. Only one at a time was allowed to
enter the yard and that one must go straight to the well, get the water and
retire in good order — no playing or romping around in the yard. But
Zenas Pruden, the wheelwright, was playful with the children. He has
often chased Jennie Young out of his shop and around the block to her
home, simply because he was a great hand to play "last tag."

When Christmas day came the children all went to the Dover Bank,
where they were met by old Mr. Segur, who kept special bank hours that
day for Santa Claus. He gave each child a little package of dates or
raisins and two bright new pennies. That was a great event for the
children of Dover in those days. Two pennies, bright and new, presented
by the man in the bank seemed great treasure.

But there was another way in which fortune then favored the children
of Dover. Jabez Allen announced that he would give a hundred dollars
to every boy that was named after him. So there was probably a long list
of youngsters christened "Jabez Allen Smith" or "Jabez Allen Jones," &c.
And then Mrs. Allen, not to be outdone, declared that she would give a
hundred dollars to every girl that was named after her, and so there was
another list of little maidens who bore such names as "Carrie Allen Breese,"
"Carrie Allen And-so-forth." These halcyon days are gone forever. No
one has dared to offer any such financial encouragement to the children
since those early village days.

And when the children got older they went to parties, of course, and
had good times suited to their age. They even danced. When Jennie
Young had a party at her house she was in some perplexity on this point.
She consulted her mother. "What shall we do? The boys and girls will
expect to have a dance, and father does not approve of dancing." The
good mother, who liked to shake a foot herself when she was light-footed
enough to do so, gave her best consideration to this delicate situation.
On the one side her affection and respect for her "gude mon" were enlisted,
and on the other side her sympathy with her daughter and the young folks
and her own love of the lively pastime. She said little, but that was to
the point: "We"ll just invite Andrew Gillen, around the corner, to come
to the party and bring his fiddle. He's a great friend of your father's and
your father loves to hear him play." The situation was explained to



MORRIS COUNTY 383

Andrew Gillen. He came with his fiddle. In the course of the evening
he said to Mr. Young: "Wilham. suppose I give you a Httle music."
"Just the thing," says Wilham, "I always like to hear you play." But
when the music began, such music as Andrew Gillen could play, it was
impossible to sit still and soon the couples were keeping time to the music.
What did the strict Scotchman do then? He disappeared. They searched
for him. "Where is he?" "He's gone down cellar." What can he be
doing there? Is he, like Samson at the feast of the Philistines, invoking
imprecations upon the company for their folly and wishing that the house
would fall upon them? No, the next day it was discovered that every
stick of timber that could be used for the purpose had been used to prop
up the floor upon which the company were dancing. So you see, there
was one occasion on which William Young really "supported" dancing.
And we catch a glimpse of the village fiddler, who was more than that in
his official relation to the community.

Dickerson is a short little street, but it had its full share of human
history. In the way of real estate transactions it is interesting to trace
the dealings of William Young from the day when he first caught sight of
the Burchell house on the corner of Sussex and Dickerson — a iittle bird-
cage of a house, and fell in love with it to such a degree that he bought
it and moved his family from Brooklyn. He built an extension in the
rear of this house, which became his store. He built a bakeshop further
up the street — the little shop which has since been used as a bicycle repair
shop. Afterwards he sold the corner property to a Mr. Titman whose
name appears on the old map of Dover in 1853, and built the house which
has recently been known as ]\Iartin"s Bakery, with a bake-shop in the rear.

Later, when some one wished to open a saloon near the Warren street
corner Mr. Young and a friend bought the lot, and later still he built a
dwelling house on that lot and invited his daughter Jennie, then Mrs.
Chambre, to come and occupy it, so that he might have her near him.
This resulted in bringing Dr. Chambre to town and adding his name to the
roll of our physicians. And so these operations in real estate, extending
over nearly one quarter of Dickerson street, became one index of the
activity of this honored citizen for a quarter of a century. This last houie
has figured as a polling place in recent years, but has lately been sold by
the family. Tempora mutantur. What a history there is in the vicissitudes
of one old house or of one block in what is now a side street, once the
thoroughfare.

UNITED STATES EXPRESS COMPANY

Treasurer's Department

Office of Supply Agent

Geo. Brown San ford. Supply Agent

170 Eighth Street.

Jersey City, N. J., Aug. l8, 1913.
Mr. Ch.mu.es D. Pl.att, Principal.

Dover High School, Dover, N. J.
Dear Sir — I am in receipt of your letter bearing date of August 13th, addressed
to my residence at "91 South Tenth St.. Newark, N. J. In response. I cheerfully
comply with your request contained therein, and will, so far as memory enables me,
furnish the information asked.

I was born in Dover, N. J., .August 19th, 1839, and am proud to boast of being
a Dover boy. With pleasure I cherish the memories of the long ago, and revere the