Joseph Willard Morgan

JOSEPH WILLARD MORGAN, known professionally as J. Willard Morgan, was born in Blackwood NJ on July 6, 1854 to Randal and Mary Morgan. His father was in real estate and construction, and was reputed to be one the wealthiest men in the city in the 1880s and 1890s, and had served as the Sheriff of Camden County. Randal Morgan lived through the 1890s at 432 Linden Street. Randal Morgan’s place of business in the late 1880s and early 1890s was 207 Market Street in Camden. Another Morgan son, Ely, served as deputy sheriff in 1880.

J. Willard Morgan was educated in the Camden public schools and at a classical school in Philadelphia. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1877 and qualified as a counselor in February of 1881. Establishing his own law office at 207 Market Street, he acquired a large practice. By the time of the 1880 census he had married, and with wife Lizzie resided at 934 Cooper Street, the corner of North 10th and Cooper Streets. By 1887 J. Willard and Lizzie Morgan had moved to 432 Linden Street, as Mary Morgan had passed away in August of 1881. They resided there through at least 1891.

J. Willard Morgan was elected to City Counsel as a Republican in 1877, and served until 1881. While he was serving on City Counsel in 1879, the first two telephones in service in Camden were installed on January 14, 1879 by John A. Frankes, a Western Union employee, under the direction of Heber C. Robinson. One was placed in a rear room on the south side of the corridor in the City Hall, Haddon Avenue and Benson Street, then occupied by the Chief of Police, but later the office of the Mayor. The second was placed the same day, January 14, 1879, in Simeon T. Ringel’s drug store, at the southwest corner of 2nd and Market Streets. A single iron wire grounded at each end formed this private line. No central office had as yet been established and the cost of the line, nearly a mile long, and run primarily on city poles, was $40.00. Its use was for the city, and particularly for any of the twenty-four policemen then reporting to Chief Daubman in command of the local police.

At the January 30th, 1879 meeting of Council, J. Willard Morgan, on the special committee on telephone, reported the construction of this line and recommended extensions to other points, including the fire stations.

J. Willard Morgan did not serve on City Counsel in 1882. He was elected again in 1883, and served one year. In 1884 he was elected City Counselor, a position identical to what today is called city solicitor, and served in that capacity through at least the fall of 1897.

On March 18, 1893, J. Willard Morgan was appointed Receiver of the Camden Woolen Mill in North Camden, which had been operating since the Civil War. He fulfilled this position until the property was acquired by the Highland Worsted Mills in 1896.

On January 28, 1897 J. Willard Morgan was one of several dignitaries who were in attendance at the opening of the Catholic Lyceum, attached to the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Broadway at Market Street. Other attendees included New Jersey Governor John W. Griggs, late Attorney-General Samuel H. Grey, Mayor John L. Westcott, Senator H. W. Johnson, Sheriff David Baird Sr., then-Assemblymen Louis Derousse and Scovel, Postmaster Harry B. Paul, ex-Judge Armstrong, Architect Henry S. Dagit, J. J. Burleigh, George A. Frey, and H. L. Bonsall. The Lyceum would evolve into Camden Catholic High School.

By June of 1903 J. Willard Morgan was serving in the post of State Comptroller for the State of New Jersey. He had taken on Harrison H. Voorhees as a law partner; Voorhees was then also serving as a judge. His circle of friends included Camden Postmaster Louis T. Derousse, Congressman Harry Loudenslager, future Congressman William S. Browning, former Judge D. J. Pancoast and former Receiver of Taxes Frank H. Burdsall.

J. Willard Morgan was involved in resolving Louis T. Derousse’s affairs when he abandoned his post in June of 1903. Morgan also appointed Isaac Doughten of Camden to serve as his deputy in 1903.

J. Willard Morgan was an active member of Camden Lodge No. 293 of the Elks. In April of 1906 he, along with Dr. Henry H. Davis, nominated Dr. Francis Bicker for membership in the lodge.

One of J. Willard Morgan’s law students, William T. Read, would have a long and distinguished career in public service, culminating in service as a delegate to the 1947 New Jersey State Constitutional Convention.

J. Willard Morgan passed away sometime prior to the 1920 Census.

Typical Convention Rumpus Stirred ‘Regular’ and ‘True’ Republicans as Gibbs and Morgan Were Nominated for Sheriff in ‘81

(Another in a series of articles on Camden affairs and personalities of yesteryear)

By Ben Courter

Rival factions in the political conventions of long ago were more bitter toward one another than toward the common foe. So-called “rump” conventions were by no means exceptions. By “rump” was meant merely those who refused to play with the regulars and who set up the nominations, as did the Bull Moose on the national scale in the historic scrap of 1912 which resulted in the three-cornered battle of Wilson, Roosevelt and Taft, giving the Princeton professor the start that was to make him a world figure. Factions we still have, of course, and it is quite proper, since too much regularity often breeds party decay. But present-day political methods are certainly lacking in the spectacular rumpuses that stirred the rank and file in the period when delegates met and made their nominations.

In a recent article allusion was made to the Democratic convention of September 20, 1878, when Nathan T. Stratton, of Millville, was nominated for Congress by the Democrats in the midst of downright fisticuffs, when “liar” and “hypocrite” and worse was hurled about the hall.

Lest it may be assumed the party of Jefferson and Jackson only was given to such methods, it is fitting to give a picture on the other side of the political house. Dr. William H. Iszard’s inexhaustible scrap book, loaned me by his son, former Assemblyman Iszard comes across with a copy of a tabloid political sheet, “The True Republican,” which gives a recital of a battle royal in the G.O.P. ranks which will be of interest to some old-timers I know are still about.

Rival Conventions

That was the convention to nominate a sheriff called at Gloucester City Hall on Saturday, October 8, 1881, where we find the redoubtable Colonel James Matlack Scovel once more a moving factor, but this time in the ranks of the “regular Republicans” or at least so they called themselves as opposed to the “rump” set up by a rival group. Christopher J. Mines, long Fifth ward leader and later sheriff, apparently had been selected as temporary chairman with William A. Husted, who died last year well in his 70’s, as secretary. But when that part of the delegation marched up to city hall, like the famed king’s horses—they marched down again.

As a matter of fact, not much marching was done in the hall—for it was asserted by the “true Republicans” that when they essayed to enter the portals they found Colonel Scovel and Henry M. Jewett, father of Harry Jewett, a Camden newspaperman of the long ago and for years later Jersey editor of the Inquirer, in command. More, it was charged “People representing the worst elements of society” were on guard and presented a phalanx which even the huskies of the opposing force could not break. Mines was strong-armed by the minions of Scovel and Jewett and there was so much hooting and yelling and cussin’ that the “true” part of the outfit walked out, all 29 of them, over to Moss’ hall where they proceeded to carry on their convention to their own taste.

And all 29 of these valiant Republicans voted for Eli B. Morgan as their candidate for sheriff. You old timers will be interested in recalling these delegates who refused to kowtow to ‘Colonel Jim.’ In the Third ward there was James M. Lane, Charles S. Cotting and George Martin, in the Fourth, Husted, the Sixth, C. C. Smith, Thad Varney, Charles A. Sawyer; in the Seventh, Stephen Walters, Charles Lederman, William Simpson; in Gloucester, John W. Wright, David Anderson, Frank Mills, Robert Lafferty, Richard Allen, Jesse Daisey, Samuel Wood; in Haddon, Charles M. Macready, Elwood J. Haines; in Delaware, William Brick, William Graff, Isaac Coles; in Merchantville, Matthias Homer, William Naylor, and in Center, James Davis, Garrett Patton and Gilbert Shaw.

Hot Statement

These “true Republicans” in a statement to the party rank and file, under the Algeresque title of “Now or Never,” scathingly said: “It becomes the duty of every Republican voter of Camden county, who has the future interest of the party at heart, to administer a severe and lasting rebuke to all candidates who employ the element and encourage the means that were used in controlling the Sheriff’s convention at City Hall, Gloucester City. It discounted anything within the memory of the oldest Democrat inhabitant. What with Col. Joseph Nichols urging the crowd to go elsewhere and nominate Gibbs, and the immaculate Billy Warner of the Fifth ward ordering them to burst the door in, coupled with the commanding voice of that great patriot and life-long Republican, James M. Scovel, alias Mountain Partridge, together with the curses and threats from John Furey, Jack Quigley, Pud Young, Bill Derr, “Tar Heel” Jim Hayes, the able city solicitor, and a gang of Philadelphia roughs, a beautiful spectacle was presented.”

The “Gibbs” mentioned was Theodore B. Gibbs who long lived in the white mansion on the banks of Clementon lake and whose ancient grist mills ground the grain for farmers from miles around. None in the county was held in higher esteem and in later years most of the valiant 29 were among his closest friends, unnecessary proof the political animosities are, as a rule, not very enduring. Gibbs was nominated by the “regular” Convention which ousted the 29 and a mighty hot shrievalty campaign ended on November 10 with his ejection, in spite of the “now or never” demand of his opponents headed by Eli Morgan.

The latter was a real estate man, son of Randall Morgan, elected sheriff by a whisker over “Ham” Bitten in 1869, and brother of J. Willard Morgan, long a Republican chieftain. It was the elder Morgan who defeated Bitten, a rough and ready character nominated as a joke, by a narrow squeak.

In the shrievalty scrap of 1881. Gibbs received 5381 and Morgan, 1189. Angus Camerson, the Democratic candidate was given 4450 votes. Nor did the “true” nominees for coroner fare any better. Sam Bennett, William Thompson and Alexander Powell being defeated by ‘Doc’ John D. Leckner, Jacob Justice and William Duble.

But the “true” Republicans licked their wounds and most of them were ready to “yen their heads off” when Colonel Scovel in later campaigns made the welkin ring with his call from the rostrum to wallop the enemy. If you now come across any of the few actors of that period still in the flesh an allusion to that “spectacle” of half century ago will sure bring one big chuckle with the declaration “them was the days.”

Spectacular Run of Firemen and Steeds in ‘79 When First Alarm System Was Given Try-out

By Ben Courter

There were two alarms of fire Saturday evening, one at Fourth and Hamilton streets at 8:29 o’clock, and another at the West Jersey Ferry, an hour later. People in the vicinity of the first-named place turned out to look at the machines propelled at lightning speed by snorting equines, and wondered what it was all about; and some of them thought the wide-awake fire boys were beside themselves, as they asked, for the particular house, in the neighborhood of box 24 upon which, with steam up, their apparatus was able to put on, the water. The firemen and people were quietly informed by a party that drove away in a barouche that it was a designed deception.

Under date of October 6, 1879, that was the introduction to a two-column story under a display headline. But, it was, a single line—“False Alarms.” Readers of the period must have been as much mystified as were the firemen and citizens mentioned in the article, for it was not until more than half a column had been devoted to that incident that the public was let into the great secret. It was a test of the first fire alarm system introduced into Camden.

Interest in that incident is revived by the city commissioners last week entering into a contract with that same concern to install in the new City Hall a system for somewhat more than $51,000. That first “system” cost the city $2000 but it was a big sum then and just about 10 times more space was devoted to it in the old Post than in the Courier-Post last Thursday week.

Paid Department 10 Years Old

Camden’s paid fire department in 1879 was just 10 years old. It already was winning approval of even the recalcitrants, who had asserted back in 1869, that the old volunteer companies would certainly be missed; that the “professionals” would not have as much interest in putting out a fire as the boys who ran with the Perseverance, the Weccacoe and other organizations, usually bitter rivals. Not infrequently the volunteers battled over hooking up their hose while the fire burned, a event by no means outgrown since that occasionally happens even now, as files of the newspapers prove.

But on that Saturday night 54 years ago, it developed that those who drove away in the mysterious barouche were J. W. Morgan, Crawford Miller and F. P. Pfeiffer; fire commissioners of city council, along with R. S. Bender and Thomas Beatty. They were but carrying out orders to see that the system worked and it was John T. Bottomley who issued those orders. He was Camden’s big mill owner but more to the purpose in that particular incident, president of city Council. He had approved the fire alarm system but did not intend putting his O. K. on that $2000 bill until he had seen it in practical operation.

So unknown to the firemen, and the citizens as well, it was determined to test that system by way of turning in the alarms. So an alarm was pulled at 8.29 and “Bart” Bonsall, son of Henry L. Bonsall, publisher of the Post, narrates, in just 15 seconds flat the bell was sounded at No.1 Engine House at Fourth and Pine Streets. In two minutes hose cart No. 1 went bounding out with Driver George Hunt at the reins, followed by Ben Cavanaugh and his faithful nag “Jim” with cart No. 2. Then came Jake Kellum and William Davies with the engine No. 2 drawn by “Dolly” in 2.45. After that was engine No.1 driven by Edmund Shaw and the horse “Alec,” coming along in 3 minutes and 5 seconds. It was explained Shaw was held up by the sandy roadway at Fourth and Line.

Spectacular Sight

Anyhow, it must have been a great sight for the old-time families who then resided along the Middle Ward Streets as the racing steeds bounded over Fourth Street, then into Third over a mighty bumpy roadway.

But they arrived and vainly sought the blaze. It was while they were hunting that the barouche came along and the commissioners let them into the great secret. “Bart” doesn’t relate what the firemen said about the false alarm, but, like as not the heat of their expressions was a good substitution for the fire they failed to find.

The system was one of those nine-day wonders that had the town on its toes. Everybody listened for the alarms in those days, for when they were sent in the bells in the fire houses pealed the number of the box. The strokes could be heard surprisingly far. Since there were but 11 boxes it was not long before many knew just where the fire was located and made a bee line for the scene. Old volunteers, particularly, never quite lost their interest in fires and, whenever they heard the alarm, hot footed it to the scene of excitement.

That was all right when Camden was little more than a village, but as the community grew it became a serious proposition, since the racing citizens often interfered with the firemen. Thus about 30 years ago the fire bells were silenced. Now none know of an alarm coming in save the various houses and the Courier-Post which has a wire attached from headquarters bringing in the alarms so that reporters and cameramen may get on the scene quickly as possible.

Ordinarily, little thought is given to the need for instant and accurate sounding of an alarm made possible through the expert work of City Electrician Jim Howell and his aides. If it were not for that perfection and the speed with which friend reach the scene the losses would be large. And the insurance companies would be around with a “pink slip” as they were some 20 years ago. That meant a 25 percent addition to fire rates. Camden’s motorized department plus the work of City Electrician John W. Kelly soon rid the city of that “slip.”

That system of long ago didn’t include the cops. Now it takes in both departments, as it has done since the days of Chief Samuel Dodd, back in the early 90’s.