NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey
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NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey
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Source: History Morris County New Jersey, Volume II, Lewis Publishing Co., 1914 This family is of English descent and of great antiquity, it being claimed that the name was first written "de Hoghton." There is unmistakable evidence that families of this surname, variously spelled, were located in different parts of England so far back as the time of William The Conqueror. One of the earliest forms of the name was borne by Peter de Hoton, who in 1150 A. D. founded Erden or Arden Priory, a Benedictine nunnery. John de Hoton, in 1200 A. D., made certain grants to the parish of Hoton, and was the father of Sir John de Oketon, Knight of Rowcandura. Other variations in the spelling of the name have been OKETONE, OKTON, OCKTONE, OKEDON, OKEDEN, OAKDEN and finally OGDEN; this last form having first come into use about the year 1500 A. D. The derivation of the name seems to be from the Saxon "ock," oak tree, and "den" or "dean," a wooden valley; the name is thus freely rendered "oak dale" or "oak valley," and on all of the escutcheons of the arms-bearing OGDEN families of England the oak branches or leaves, and acorns are always found. The arms of this branch of the family are: Sable, on a fesse argent, between three acorns or, as many oak leaves vert. The crest also displays the oak leaves and acorns. The motto is, Tan que je puis. (I) Robert OGDEN, the earliest discoverable English ancestor of the American family, is first found upon record in the year 1453 when he appears as a witness to a land grant in Nutley Hampshire. He again appears in 1457 in connection with a post-mortem search concerning lands in Nutley belonging to one Joan OGDEN, of Ellingham, county Southhampton, who was presumably his wife. He had two children:
(II) Richard OGDEN, son of Robert and Joan OGDEN, married Mabel, daughter of Johannes de HOOGAN, of Lyndhurst, Hants, prior to March 8, 1503. Children:
(III) William OGDEN, son of Richard and Mabel (de HOOGAN) OGDEN, married, May 9, 1539, Abigail, daughter of Henry GOODSALL, of Bradley Plain. He died before July 19, 1569, on which date his widow confirmed to her oldest son Edward all her lands and tenements in Bradley Plain and Minstead. Children:
(IV) Edward OGDEN, son of William and Abigail (GOODSALL) OGDEN, was born at Bradley Plain, September 6, 1540. He married there, December 16, 1563, Margaret, daughter of Richard and Margaret WILSON, her parents confirming to herself and her husband land in Bradley Plain and Minstead. Children:
(V) Richard(2) OGDEN, son of Edward and Margaret (WILSON) OGDEN, was born at Bradley Plain, May 15, 1568. He appears to have lived in Wiltshire and had lands in New Sarum and Plaitford. He married, May 2, 1592, Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel and Margaret (CRANE) HUNTINGTON, and sister of his brother John’s wife. Children:
(VI) John OGDEN, the Pilgrim, son of Richard(2) and Elizabeth (HUNTINGTON) OGDEN, was born in Bradley Plain, Hampshire, England, September 19, 1609, where he married, May 8, 1637, Jane, daughter of Jonathan BOND. He prospered and acquired property; and three children, two of whom were twins, were born to him in England. The name of the vessel in which he sailed for America is not known, but it probably landed at Southampton, on the southern shore of Long Island, early in 1640, as he is mentioned as residing here, where on April 17, 1640, he received a grant of land known as Shinnecock Hill, adjoining Southampton on the west. He was a leader among the settlers in founding the town. He later sold his "housing and home lot, etc.," in Southampton, to a cousin of the same name in Rye, now Westchester county, New York, and in 1642 was of Stamford, Connecticut. In this year he entered into a contract in connection with his brother Richard, with Governor Kieft, to build a stone church in the fort at New Amsterdam; the cost was to be 2,500 Dutch guilders, to be paid in cash, beaver skins, or merchandise. Harassing warfare with the Indians retarded the work on the structure, but it was completed in 1645. This was the first church erected in what is now New York City, and stood for nearly a century, having been destroyed by fire in 1741. In 1644 the Dutch governor of the New Netherlands granted to John ODGEN and five others a tract of land then known as the Great Plains, extending from the sound to the south shore and embracing a large portion of what is now the borough of Queens, New York. But the misgovernment of the Dutch and their cruelty toward the Indians repelled John OGDEN, who was noted for his justice and humanity, and he returned to eastern Long Island to dwell again among his own countrymen. In 1647 he obtained permission of the Southampton authorities to plant a colony of six families at North Sea, on the great Peconic bay, which was afterwards called Northampton. Here he established the whaling industry of Long Island, which remained until the discovery of petroleum in 1859, perhaps the most important source of wealth and employment to the inhabitants. On March 31, 1650, he was made freeman of Southampton by the general council, and in the same year became a magistrate and town treasurer. His written treaty with Wyandanch, sachem of Paumanicke, Long Island, and chief of the Shinnecock Indians, is still preserved. After residing upon Long Island for a period of twenty-four years the earliest settlers upon the eastern side of the island saw greater possibilities of material advancement by transferring their interests to New Jersey. It is possible that they were strongly influenced by home affiliations and blood relationships, the OGDENS, CRANES, and BONDS being all Hampshire people, as was Sir Philip CARTERET to whom extensive grants in New Jersey were made by the king. In the summer of 1664, therefore, John OGDEN and his fellow colonists visited what is now Elizabeth, New Jersey, purchasing from the Indians their title to the land, October 25 of the same year. A month afterward a patent was granted them by the Duke of York for "the parcell of Land Bounded on the South by a River commonly called the Raritans River, on the East by ye Sea wch partes Staten Island and the Main, to Run Northwards up after cull Bay till you come to the first River wch sets Westwards, etc." John OGDEN appears to have taken the leading position among the New Jersey settlers, and in 1665 took the oath of supremacy upon the restoration of Charles II. According to family tradition he named the town in honor of his mother, Elizabeth HUNTINGTON; another tradition is that it was named in honor of Lady Elizabeth, wife of Sir George CARTERET. Governor CARTERET constituted the OGDEN settlement the seat of his colonial government, and in October, 1665, appointed John OGDEN a justice of the peace; a month later he was appointed member of the governor’s council and deputy governor, other honors following. He was one of the commissioners who negotiated with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in regard to purchasing part of the Elizabethtown patent, and was also one of the commissioners who adjusted the boundary line between Elizabeth and Newark. When New York was retaken by the Dutch in 1673, the official position of John OGDEN was not disturbed although CARTERET was overthrown. By commission dated September 1, 1673, the Dutch generals and council of war appointed him scout, or buromaster, of Elizabeth, Newark, Shrewsbury, and other settlements in New Jersey, and this constituted him virtually governor of New Jersey. He was a man of more than ordinary mark, a true patriot and a genuine Christian. He died at Elizabeth in May, 1682 Little is known concerning his wife, Jane (BOND) OGDEN, except that she was the daughter of Jonathan BOND, of England; she was very probably a sister of Robert BOND, her husband’s intimate associate both at Southampton and Elizabeth. In his will by which she was made administratrix of his estate. John OGDEN refers to her as his "Deare and beloved wife and soe hath been for above fowerty yeares." Children:
(VII) Jonathan OGDEN, son of John and Jane (BOND) OGDEN, and twin brother of David, was born in England, January 11, 1639, died January 3, 1732, aged ninety-three years. The only mention of his name in the Southampton records bears the date October 21, 1664, when he was witness to a deed. The following year he removed his family to New Jersey, settling at Elizabethtown, and was one of the original associates. On February 19, 1665, he took the oath of allegiance to Charles II., and was then called one of the "5 grown boys" of good old John OGDEN. Probably in December, 1667, he joined with others in petitioning the governor and council to have their lands laid out to them according to agreement made with the inhabitants; in 1673 he took the oath of allegiance to the Dutch government of New York; in 1676 he applied to the surveyor-general or his deputy, asking that one hundred and twenty acres of land be laid out to him; and on November 10, 1678, a considerable amount of land was granted him by Philip CARTERET, governor, in the name of Sir George CARTERET, all of which, as well as his house lot, receives clear and minute description. He was appointed overseer of his father's will on November 21, 1681. In 1692 he was receiver of taxes for Essex county, New Jersey. In 1693, he was one of the petitioners to the English King concerning grievances under the government in the colonies. He was a zealous churchman, contributing in 1678 and later, in connection with his brother John, to the minister's support; and in 1691 he is called Deacon Jonathan OGDEN, being named as one of the largest contributors to the support of the church. On December 26, 1699, he assisted John HARRIMAN, who had been chosen surveyor, in assigning their respective shares to the property holders of Elizabethtown, and on several occasions joined with others in the forcible administration of the too frequently delayed justice of the colonies. His will was probated January 9, 1732, six days after his death, and he was buried at Elizabeth. His wife, Rebekah, whose maiden name was probably WOOD, was born in November, 1648, died September 11, 1723. Children:
(VIII) Jonathan(2) OGDEN, son of Jonathan(1) and Rebekah (WOOD) OGDEN, was born about 1676, died before June 10, 1731. He was a resident of Elizabethtown, occupying a house which had been owned by his father. When he had about attained his majority, probably in 1696, he is named as one of the many who petitioned the King for greater protection from the East Jersey proprietors. In 1701, also, he was one of the petitioners to the King asking to be taken under his direct government, should the proprietors not appoint a suitable person as governor, and like his father, was personally active in the attempt to remedy the feeble administration of justice by the authorities. Of the parentage of his wife, Elizabeth, nothing is known. Children:
(IX) John(2) OGDEN, son of Jonathan(2) and Elizabeth OGDEN, was born November 22, 1700, died November 15, 1780. It is stated in "Hatfield’s History of Elizabeth" that he resided in a neighborhood about two miles from Elizabethtown, New Jersey, called Sodom, and because of his singular piety was familiarly called "Righteous Lot." In his will he left a considerable amount of silver and other heirlooms to his children, and insured to the wife of his son John a home in the family as long as she would remain a widow. He and his wife were buried in the First Presbyterian chuchyard at Elizabeth, New Jersey. He married, October 8, 1722, Mary OSBORN, born 1705, died April 15, 1758. The marriage is recorded at Easthampton, Long Island, and agrees with the record in the old family Bible which probably belonged to John OGDEN, the Pilgrim, and which is now in the possession of Mrs. Cortland Drake, of Mendham, New Jersey. Children:
(X) Ezekiel OGDEN, son of John(2) and Mary (OSBORN) OGDEN, was born June 23, 1741, died January 5, 1766. He married _______, and had one child,
(XI) Ezekiel(2) OGDEN, son of Ezekiel(1) OGDEN, was born November 26, 1765, died December 10, 1822. He married, March, 1787, Abigail, daughter of Matthias and Margaret (MAGIE) OGDEN; she was born October 3, 1765, died May 14, 1820. Ezekiel OGDEN and his wife are buried side by side in the First Presbyterian churchyard in Elizabeth. Children:
(XII) Rev. Dr. Joseph Meeker OGDEN, son of Ezekiel(2) and Abigail (OGDEN) OGDEN), was born at Elizabeth, New Jersey, September 21, 1804, died at Chatham, New Jersey, February 13, 1884. He was graduated from Princeton in 1824, and entering the Presbyterian ministry, was installed first pastor of the Presbyterian church at Chatham, New Jersey, in November, 1828. This Church was organized, October 23, 1823, and the Rev. Asa LYMAN of Morristown, New Jersey, became its stated supply. His health having failed, he was compelled to resign his labors in 1827, when the congregation called the Rev. Dr. OGDEN to become their settled pastor. The original house of worship soon became inadequate to accommodate the growing congregation, and a new church was erected in 1832. This building was subsequently enlarged and beautified, and the efficient labors of the pastor and the growing regard of the people resulted in a greatly increased congregation. Rev. Joseph M. OGDEN was not only popular in his own church and community, but became well known and appreciated throughout the State and officiated upon many occasions outside of his own pastorate. He resigned the church at Chatham, September 23, 1873, having enjoyed an uninterrupted and successful pastorate of forty-five years. He and his wife were both interred in the burying ground at Chatham. Dr. OGDEN married, in 1849, Emeline ATWOOD, daughter of Richard and Hannah (HAYES) SWEASEY. She was born at Newark, New Jersey, April 26, 1822, died at Chatham, August 17, 1890. Children:
(XIII) Joseph Wallace OGDEN, son of Rev. Joseph Meeker and Emeline Atwood (SWEASEY) OGDEN, was born at Chatham, New Jersey, in April, 1853. He received his middle name in honor of Mr. William C. WALLACE, the life-long friend and parishioner of his father, born the same year and graduated in the same class in college. Dr. OGDEN desired a liberal education for his son and entered him at Lafayette College in the class of ’72; though he did not remain to the end of the course and was not graduated with his class, he later on received the degree of A. M. from the college. Upon entering business life his first occupation was that of clerk in a brokerage firm on Wall street. His advancement was rapid, and in 1881 he established the banking and brokerage firm of J. W. Ogden & Company, which he conducted with marked success for many years. The house engaged in many large financial transactions and acquired a well merited reputation for business sagacity and for safe and conservative methods. Mr. OGDEN has become one of the prominent and influential figures in financial circles in New York City, and has been connected in various ways for a number of years with many leading corporations and industries. For several years prior to its absorption by the Erie Railroad, he was vice-president and director of the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad; at a later period he acquired extensive interests in the anthracite coal fields, becoming president of the Algonquin and Laurel Coal Run companies, of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; director of National Biscuit Company, American Cotton Oil Company, American Can Company, American Writing Paper Company. He is a member of the Union, Metropolitan, Downtown, and Riding clubs of New York, and of the Morristown Golf Club, and president of the North Jersey Society for Promotion of Agriculture. Mr. OGDEN is not prominent as a politician and has never desired political office. He is a Presbyterian and has been liberal in the support of the church. In July, 1902, when members of the church at Chatham of which his father had been pastor for forty-five years, opened a subscription for building a new church, Mr. OGDEN requested the withdrawal of subscriptions to the amount of six thousand dollars which had been received from others, and himself contributed ten thousand dollars to the cost of the building. The descendents of Mr. William C. WALLACE, his father’s old friend and classmate, also contributed largely and provided the funds for the interior decoration, and the trustees decided to change the name of the church to the OGDEN Memorial. Mr. OGDEN is a resident of Morristown, New Jersey, where he owns a handsome estate, Loantaka Farms, upon which he passes a portion of the year; this property was formerly in possession of various members of the OGDEN family since early colonial days. In the year 1884 Mr. OGDEN married Charlotte WARD. There is a movement on foot to erect a monument in Bowling Green, New York City, to the memory of John OGDEN, at the tercentenary of the city’s settlement. He was the earliest settler of pure English blood in New York. This biography was transcribed by John Cresseveur (1949-2003). |
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