John Denman

NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

John Denman

John DENMAN, who is well known in the building trade of Morristown as a carpenter who handles the greater part of the heavy carpentry work in that town, is an example of one who has won his way up to a position of respect and esteem in the community in the face of great obstacles by dint of his own force of character and persistent pluck.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey, February 17, 1825, and lost his mother at the time of his birth, his father, John DENMAN, of Newark, dying when he was three years old. The first John DENMAN was in the trucking business in Newark, and his wife was a Miss GOTT, who was of German origin. Benjamin GOTT, a brother of Mrs. DENMAN, was the first policeman in Newark.

Left thus an orphan, John DENMAN never had any school advantage, but was bound out as the custom was in those days at the age of eight years to Aaron SOLOMON at Mt. Olive and was with him until he arrived at the age of thirteen and a half years. Aaron SOLOMON died at this time and John DENMAN then went into the service of Robert BEATY, a mason who lived in the neighborhood of Hackettstown, remaining in his employ for two years. He then went to Mendham and worked as a farm laborer until he was seventeen years old. About this time he decided to learn the carpentering trade,, and to this end went to the Branch, Morris county, and worked at it for two years, gaining such a knowledge of the trade as to enable him to do miscellaneous work in that line in Morris county, which he did except for a period of three years when he worked in Batavia, New York.

About this time the Civil War broke out and young DENMAN, full of enthusiasm and patriotism, responded to the call for arms, and enlisted in Company A, Fifth New Jersey Regiment. He was severely wounded in the leg and abdomen at the battle of Spottysylvania Court House, May 12, 1864, and after being brought home and spending a year in the Newark Hospital he was unable to return to active service. He then came to Morristown and went into the carpentry business and has remained there ever since. Among other things he has been connected with the Washington Steamer Company (of the Morristown fire department) for over fifty years, having in charge the driving of the horses. He is now largely engaged in teamster work and is the owner of seven different teams doing most of the work of a heavy kind in the building field in Morristown and has been one of the heaviest contractors in Morristown. He served on the township board as committeemen. He is a Democrat.

Mr. DENMAN married, in Morristown, April 17, 1859, Susan B. SMITH, born in Morris Plains, New Jersey, and is now seventy-eight years old. Her parents, Charles and Rebecca SMITH, were both natives of New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. DENMAN had seven children, of whom two, Lizzie and Susie, died in childhood. The living are: Charles, of Newark; Theodore, at the head of the Sewerage Plant of Morristown; Kittie, married Frank SMITH, of Brooklyn; Laura, married Joseph AMBROSE, of Morristown; William, who is working for his father.

Transcribed by John Cresseveur (1949-2003)