Howard Lee
HOWARD LEE was one of the original members of the Camden Fire Department, entering service on September 2, 1869 as an extra man of the Hook & Ladder Company, the original designation of what is now Ladder Company 1. Prior to entering the fire department he worked for the post office as a letter carrier. Howard Lee was living at the northwest corner of North 3rd Street and Plum Street when he joined the department in the fall of 1869. Plum Street was later re-named Arch Street.
Howard Lee was born in Pennsylvania around 1844, the son of Thomas McKane Lee and his wife Eliza. The family had moved to Camden’s Middle Ward by the spring of 1850.
It is unclear as to where Howard Lee was when the Census was taken in 1860. However, when the Civil War broke out in April of 1861, four of his brothers, Richard H. Lee, Thomas McKane Lee Jr., Joseph Lee, and William C. Lee soon answered their nation’s call.
On September 2, 1869 City Council enacted a municipal ordinance creating a paid fire department. It provided for the annual appointment of five Fire Commissioners, one Chief Marshal (Chief of Department) and two Assistant Marshals. The City was also divided into two fire districts. The boundary line ran east and west, starting at Bridge Avenue and following the tracks of the Camden and Amboy Railroad to the city limits. District 1 was south of this line and District 2 was north. The commissioners also appointed the firemen who were scheduled to work six 24 hour tours per week. William Abels, from the Weccacoe Hose Company No. 2 was appointed Chief Marshal with William J. Mines, from the Independence Fire Company No. 3 as Assistant Marshal for the 1st District, and William H. Shearman as the Assistant Marshal for the 2nd District. Abels had served with the volunteer fire departments of Philadelphia, Mobile, Alabama and Camden for sixteen years prior to his appointment as Chief of the paid force.
On November 10, 1869 City Council purchased the Independence Firehouse, the three-story brick building at 409 Pine Street, for $4500. The building was designated to serve as quarters for Engine Company 1 and the 1st District. On October 29, 1869 City Council authorized construction of a two-story brick building on the northwest corner of Fifth and Arch Streets as quarters for the 2nd District. On November 25th the Fire Commissioners signed a contract with M.N. Dubois in the amount of $3100 to erect this structure. The 2nd District would share these quarters with Engine Company 2 and the Hook & Ladder Company and the facility would also serve as department headquarters for the new paid force. The original contract remains part of the Camden County Historical Society collection.
Engine Company 2 with 1869 Silsby Hose Cart. Photo circa 1890. Note badges upon derby hats worn by Fire Fighters.
Two Amoskeag second class, double pump, straight frame steam engines were purchased at a cost of $4250 each. Two Silsby two wheel hose carts, each of which carried 1000 feet of hose, were another $550 each and the hook & ladder, built by Schanz and Brother of Philadelphia was $900. Each engine company received a steam engine and hose cart. Amoskeag serial #318 went to Engine Company 1, and serial #319 to Engine Company 2. The Fire Commission also secured the services of the Weccacoe and Independence steamers in case of fire prior to delivery of the new apparatus. Alfred McCully of Camden made the harnesses for the horses. Camden’s Twoes & Jones made the overcoats for the new firemen and a Mr. Morley, also of Camden, supplied the caps and belts which were manufactured by the Migeod Company of Philadelphia. The new members were also issued badges.
Left: This is the earliest known photo of fire headquarters on the northwest corner of Fifth and Arch Streets. Originally built in 1869, the building shows signs of wear some twenty years later. Note the weathervane shaped like a fireman’s speaking trumpet atop the tower. Also, the fire alarm bell is pictured to the left of the telegraph pole above the rooftop. Right: Maker’s plate once attached to a harness made by A. McCully & Sons, 22 Market Street, Camden, New Jersey — this firm provided the first harnesses for the paid fire department in 1869.
Badges worn by the marshals, engineers, stokers and engine drivers bore the initial letter of their respective positions and their district number. The tillerman and his driver used the number “3” to accompany their initial letter. The extra men of the 1st District were assigned badges 1–10; 2nd District badges were numbered 11–20 and the extra men of the hook & ladder wore numbers 21–30.
Although the Fire Commission intended to begin operation of the paid department on November 20, 1869, the companies did not actually enter service until December 7th at 6 P.M. because the new apparatus and buildings were not ready. The new apparatus was not tried (tested) until December 9th.
The new members of the paid force were:
Hook & Ladder Company Roster
Camden Fire Department Hook & Ladder Company, 1869
Officers
| Name ↕ | Position ↕ | Badge ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| Edward J. Dodamead | Tillerman | |
| Frank S. Jones | Driver |
Extra Men
| Name ↕ | Position ↕ | Badge ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Baldwin | Extra Man | 21 |
| Charles G. Zimmerman | Extra Man | 22 |
| John Durkin | Extra Man | 23 |
| William C. Lee | Extra Man | 24 |
| James M. Lane | Extra Man | 25 |
| James Cassidy | Extra Man | 26 |
| Robert S. Bender | Extra Man | 27 |
| Thomas McCowan | Extra Man | 28 |
| Howard Lee | Extra Man | 29 |
| Abraham Lower | Extra Man | 30 |
Left: The first style of breast badge worn by members of the career department in the City of Camden, 1869. (Courtesy of the C.C.H.S. Collection.) Right: Leather helmet of natural grain believed to have been worn by Fireman Charles Baldwin, Hook & Ladder Company 1 when the paid force was organized in 1869. Number 21 at bottom of frontpiece indicates member’s badge number. (Courtesy of the Camden County Historical Society Collection.)
William C. Lee and Howard Lee were brothers. Robert S. Bender and Thomas McCowan were brothers-in-law. Abraham Lower and Assistant Chief Engineer William H. Shearman were brothers-in-law. Charles G. Zimmerman and his brother Theodore A. Zimmerman, also a charter member of the Camden Fire Department, were brothers-in-law of Chief William Abels.
The Board of Fire Commissioners consisted of Rudolphus Bingham, Chairman and Samuel C. Harbert, Richard Perks, Jonathon Kirkbride and Jacob Daubman.
Annual salaries for the members of the paid force were: Chief Marshal, $800; Assistant Marshal, $200; Engineer, $600; Driver, $450; Stoker, $450; Tillerman, $450; Extra Men, $50. All but Extra Men were paid monthly.
As stated above Howard Lee was one of the original members of the Camden Fire Department, entering service on September 2, 1869 as an extra man of the Hook & Ladder Company, the original designation of what is now Ladder Company 1. He had worked as a letter carrier in Camden in the late 1860s, a job secured through the offices of his older brother Richard H. Lee, who was postmaster in Camden for sixteen years.
Howard Lee was living at the northwest corner of North 3rd Street and Plum Street when he joined the department in the fall of 1869. Plum Street was later re-named Arch Street. This was the home of his brother Richard H. Lee. When the Census was taken in 1870 the household consisted of Richard H. Lee and his wife Ann, their children Thomas, Samuel, Harry, Matilda, and Ulysses Grant “Ulie” Lee, and brothers Howard Lee and Joseph C. Lee. Howard was working as a letter carrier, Joseph C. Lee as Court Clerk.
Howard Lee was removed from service with the Camden Fire Department on September 5, 1871. He married in the mid-1870s and moved to 406 Federal Street, where he opened up a stationary shop called Lee & Company. He also later established a house furnishings store at 336 Federal Street. When the 1880 Census was taken, Howard Lee was living with his wife Martha, 23, and their children Walter, Emma, and Lewis Lee. They stayed at 406 Federal Street into 1884. The 1885 Camden City Directory shows the family at 413 South 3rd Street. The 1887–1888 and 1888–1889 City Directories show that the family resided at 596 Carman Street. Howard Lee and family returned to 406 Federal Street by 1890 and stayed there into 1897. By 1898 they had moved to 447 Benson Street, where they still made their home as late as 1910.
By January of 1920 Howard and Martha Lee had moved to 520 Haddon Avenue where they lived with their son Walter and daughter Emma. The family stationary business had closed during the 1910s and Walter Lee had gone into the construction business. Walter Lee later worked as an investigator for the New Jersey Bureau of Taxation.
As stated above, Howard Lee and his brother William C. Lee were both charter members of the Camden Fire Department. Howard Lee’s brother Richard H. Lee had been a Colonel during the Civil War, served as Camden’s postmaster for sixteen years, and commanded the Sixth Regiment, New Jersey National Guard for a time. Brother Joseph C. Lee had also been a Colonel in the Civil War and had worked as court clerk in Camden. The Thomas M.K. Lee Post No. 5 of the G.A.R. in Camden was named after another brother, Thomas M.K. Lee. Howard Lee’s son Lewis A. Lee worked for forty years in the Camden Board of Health office, after being sponsored in the job by Dr. Henry H. Davis, for whom the Henry H. Davis Elementary School, and Dr. Marcus K. Mines.
Paid Fire Department
Philadelphia Inquirer —
At a recent meeting of the commissioners of the Paid Fire Department a resolution was passed declaring that, after the 8th of September next, the places of such extra men whose business requires them to be in Philadelphia during the day, to be vacant, and shall be filled with men doing business in Camden. This resolution cuts off six of the most active members:—Howard Lee, Thomas Allebone, Charles Evans, B. H. Connelly, C. Daubman and Stephen L. Thomas. The salary of these men in the department is only $50 per annum, consequently they are necessitated to follow some other occupation.
Abe Lower Opens the Campaign
Camden Democrat —
On Wednesday night, this “champion of light weights” in the radical party, in company with Howard Lee, Willim [sic] Lee, Boston Peter, and others, opened the campaign in their usual way at Goetz’s Hotel. Lower accosted John Sands, Jr., of Gloucester City, who was present, and asked him why he did not put on a Grant cape and cap. Sands replied that he did not belong to that party, and that he was marshal of the Greeley and Brown Club of Gloucester City. Then it was that Lower struck Sands, and the crowd joined him in kicking and beating their victim in a cruel manner. When Sands recovered himself, he found that $17 and his hat had been taken from him. On Thursday morning Sands made complaint before Justice Cassady. On his way home, in company with Michael Kelly, he was attacked by the same party, led on by a Philadelphia rough named William Osburn. Lower made a blow at Sands, and the rest of the gang made for Kelly, but he was more than a match for them all, although struck by a brick in the back, thrown by Howard Lee. Kelly planted the blows all around. Bip—and down went one. Squlp—and a foot lifted Lower clear. Flam—and a blow by the ear “made the thunder for to roll” in that fellow’s ear. So, in turn, he put the “moral power” of goat town on each—laying them out in perfect order. Such a set of “soreheads,” profusely bandaged, are rarely seen. As the fight progressed, President Hackett of the City Council came up and ordered policemen Smith and Hollinger to arrest the whole party. They went over to the offenders, had a talk with them, and walked off. Having refused to make the arrests, Mr. Hackett started for the Mayor’s office to make complaint. If Mayor Gaul fails to bring them to account, he will fall short of his duty. Lower was subsequently arrested, and taken before Justice Cassady, to whom he was quite impertinent—wishing him to know that he, Lower, was “one of the sovereigns,” &c. He was held to bail for assault and battery and riotous conduct. George Gilbert and Thos. Lee are his sureties. Unless a severe penalty is placed upon these offenders, we shall have these disgraceful scenes frequently enacted between this and the election.
In the Political Whirl
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Camden in a Lively Congressional Contest.
ANTI-GRATZ WORKERS ENCOURAGED
Campaign Jottings of Interest Gathered at the City and State Committee Headquarters of Both Parties.
There was widespread interest in the Republican delegate election in Camden county last night. Delegates were chosen to the Congressional District Convention, which meets at Bridgeton on Thursday next. Hon. Thomas H. Dudley and Christopher Bergen were the rival candidates, and the latter’s friends claim to have carried every ward in the city.
During the voting at the Fourth ward polls Policeman Ikey Scheeve got into an altercation with two men named Richmond and Walters. It is alleged that he used a blackjack without provocation. The two men who were assaulted immediately engaged the services of a lawyer, who will cause Sheeve’s arrest to-day on the charge of assault and battery. Following are the delegates elected in Camden city and in the various townships:
First Ward—W. Baily, Isaac Githens, George Barrett, Frank Welch and Howland Croft.
Second Ward—J. Willard Somers, Frank C. Somers, John Wells, W. H. Day and Samuel Bakely.
Third Ward—Dilwyn Pettit, J. Milton Powell, David Freeman, Sr., George Denny and Albion Lane.
Fourth Ward—Everett Ackley, Samuel M. Gall, William Ireton, Joseph Brown and Howard Lee.
Fifth Ward—Christopher J. Mines, Jr., Frederick Parker, John H. Miller, David Rankin and Samuel Roach.
Sixth Ward—A. R. Dease, James Brown, Isaac Robinson, John Brother and James Hewitt.
Seventh Ward—John C. Edwards, M. D. Cornish, William K. Price, Reuben Gaskill and John W. Everman.
Eighth Ward—Samuel H. Mourey, William H. Smith, Herman Helmbold, E. Thompson and Thomas Watson.
Stockton township was carried by Dudley, and W. Harrison Livermore carried Woodbury. Centre, Delaware and Haddon townships of Camden county were carried by Bergen.
The Congressional district includes Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem and Cape May counties. The indications are that Congressman Hires will be renominated.
Lee & Co., Stationery and Blank Books, 406 Federal Street
Historical and Industrial Review of Camden, N.J. — 1890
LEE & CO., STATIONERY AND BLANK BOOKS,
406 FEDERAL STREET.MESSRS. LEE & CO., Stationers, Blank-book Manufacturers and dealers in Newspapers, periodicals, &c., are doing a large business. The place was established fourteen years ago by Howard Lee, but has been conducted by the present firm for the past ten years. The building has been enlarged and reconstructed three times within fourteen years and is yet too small. The salesroom has a frontage of 14 feet by a depth of 60 feet, and the firm has ample storage room.
A comprehensive stock of general Stationery, Fancy Goods, Toys and Bric-a-brac is carried.
There are three persons engaged as assistance in serving the extensive patronage, which grows steadily and comes from all quarters of the city. Howard Lee is the sole proprietor and is well known to the trade and the people.
Mr. Lee is a native of Philadelphia, but is satisfied with the prosperity he has achieved on this side of the Delaware and with the numerous friends and patrons he has made here.
Camden's Warring Factions
Philadelphia Inquirer —
John Furey Now in Council, But Out of the Excise Commission.
There was more excitement at the meeting of Camden City Council last night than there has been since the days when the Republicans had only a small majority. The trouble was over the selection of a Councilman to fill the vacancy in the Eighth ward, caused by the resignation of Isaac Ferris.
The Republicans caucused previous to the meeting, Excise Commissioner Furey receiving the largest vote of his party. Some of the members, however, refused to make the choice unanimous and carried their refusal into the Council chamber. Mr. Furey was nominated by Chairman Lane, of the caucus. Frank Burdsall, of the Second ward, nominated ex-Councilman Charles Helmbold. The vote resulted as follows:
For Furey—Messrs. Barber, Beale, Bedell, Hatch, Hogate, Jefferis, Lane, Miller, Roberts, Ross, Sharp, Smith, Starr, Wescott, Leckner, Lee. Total, 16.
For Helmbold—Messrs. Burdsall, Donges, Githens, Hammond, Jones, Lawton, Lord, Rogers, Scheperkotter—9.
Messrs. Donges, Scheperkotter and Lord are Democrats. As soon as the decision was announced Donges and Scheperkotter created a sensation by handing in their resignations. Mr. Furey moved to accept them, but Councilman Rogers moved to lay them over. The latter motion prevailed.
Mr. Snyder then asked the City Solicitor if Mr. Furey could hold the position of excise commissioner and Councilman at the same time. The City Solicitor decided that he could not and his position as excise commissioner was declared vacant. Councilman Edward E. Jefferis, of the Sixth ward, nominated Charles Lederman, of the Seventh ward, for the vacancy in the Excise Commission, and Mr. Burdsall nominated George A. Frey, editor of the Courier. Five ballots were taken without a result. Both Messrs. Schepperkotter and Donges, after handing in their resignations, left the Council chamber.
Camden Court Opens
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Justice Garrison Instructs Grand Jury to Probe Goddard Shooting
There was a slim attendance at the opening of the April term of the Camden County Courts yesterday. Supreme Court Justice Garrison presided at the swearing in of the following grand jury: Dr. John B. Davis, Second ward, foreman; J. L. Anderson, Clementon; William H. Carter, Fifth ward; Alexander M. Colton, Haddonfield; James Cain, Winslow; Harry L. Foulke, Sixth ward; H. A. Goodman, Ninth ward; Howard T. Hinchman, Tenth ward; Thomas S. Garwood, Merchantville; James Haney, Ellsburg; Robert H. Hamilton, Voorhees; Robert B. Knight, Merchantville; Howard Lee, Fourth ward; Robert Lee, Twelfth ward; Edward H. Lafferty, Gloucester City; Cyrus D. Marter, First ward; W. W. Mines, Fifth ward; Edward Mills, Eighth ward; Charles H. Peters, Seventh ward; George J. Schneider, Seventh ward; William D. Wilson, Third ward; Edwin L. Wilcox, Gloucester township; Charles F. West, Gloucester City.
In his brief charge to the jury Judge Garrison called attention to the shooting of Pugilist Joseph Goddard by Constable Robert Washington. He said that if the testimony satisfied the jury that the shooting was not done in self-defense an indictment of murder should be found.
Camden Business Man's Bad Fall
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Howard Lee, a well-known Federal street business man, slipped on the ice at Fifth and Taylor avenue, Camden, yesterday, fracturing his shoulder.