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LIVINGSTON CONKLING
Originally published in 1900 |
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LIVINGSTON CONKLING, the founder and President of the Associated Justices of the Peace and Constables' Protective Association of Hudson County, is a descendant of some of the oldest and most distinguished
families in this country. His paternal ancestors came from England and
Ireland in 1735, settling first in New York and removing thence in 1750 to
Hackensack, Bergen County, N. J. He is the great-great-grandson of Alfred and Hannah (Marshall) Conkling, a great-grandson of Nathaniel and
Hortley (Schrone) Conkling, a grandson of Matthew and Frances (Brickel)
Conkling, and a son of Matthew H. and Elvina (Van Ripen) Conkling, his
mother being a daughter of Jacob Van Ripen and Katherine Van Drouf, a
granddaughter of Isaac and Martha (Goetschins) Van Ripen, and a great-great-granddaughter of Jacob and Mary (Vreland) Van Ripen. Her ancestors came from Holland in 1619 and were among the earliest settlers in
Eastern New Jersey. Through his grandmother Mr. Conkling is a great-grandson of Sir Alfred Brickel, of Manchester, England, and though his
father he is closely related to the late Hon. Roscoe Conkling, whose ancestors came from Kent County, England. His grandfather, Matthew Conkling, was one of the famous drummers of his day. In 1854 lie was presented
with the first silver drum ever made. He was the first Poormaster in Hoboken and active during the Civil War. Matthew H. Conkling, the son
of Matthew and father of Livingston, was the organizer and leader of
Conkling's famous New Jersey Brass Band in 1870, and ably represented
the family, which has been prominently identified in the politics of Hudson
County for upward of sixty years. Mr. Conkling's mother's cousin, Hon.
Garret D. Van Ripen, was Mayor of Jersey City, while another relative and
namesake, Jacob Livingston, represented his district in the State Senate.
Livingston Conkling's full name is Matthew Livingston Conkling. He was named after his father, but because of the similarity of the names of his father and grandfather, both of whom bore the name Matthew, he dropped the Matthew and has continued to use only the middle name, Livingston. The family name was, originally, Conklin, and not Conkling, but a number of the descendants added the y, thus giving the name its present form. On the paternal side the family is of Irish and English descent. Livingston Conkling was born in Hoboken, N. J., on the 10th of May, 1561, and inherited all the sturdy characteristics which made his ancestors so famous in the early and subsequent history of this section of the State. Receiving an excellent public school education in his native city, he learned the trade of decorating and painting, and at the present time is senior member of the well known firm of I. Conkling & Co., painters and decorators, 115 Clinton Street, Hoboken, and 125 Eighth Avenue, New Yore: City. Mr. Conkling has achieved marked success in business and is popularly known as a man of ability, integrity, and great force of character. He has also achieved prominence and distinction in public life, and in This connection bears with credit and honor the eminence which the family has maintained for so many generations. He entered the National Guard of New Jersey as a private in the old Ninth Regiment, and from 1880 to 1889 served as Sergeant in the Second Regiment, N. G. N. J., and from 1889 to 1892 he was Captain of the old Columbia Guards in New Jersey. In political affairs he has been for several years one of the ablest leaders of the Republican forces in the county. He has served efficiently as a member of the Hudson County Republican General Committee for six years, was a member of the Republican Executive Committee of Hoboken for a time, and Vice-President of the Ninth Assembly District Republican Committee for one year. He has been a delegate to numerous city, county, and congressional conventions and always wields a potent influence in party councils and in campaign affairs. He was Secretary of the Garfield Club in 1893, President of the McKinley Club of Hoboken four years, orator of Achaean League, No. 2, of Hoboken, Commander of Christian Woerner Post, No. 1, Sons of Veterans, in 1888, and Judge Advocate-General of the National Department, Sons of Veterans, U.S.A., in 1889. In 1899 he organized the Associated Justices of the Peace and Constables' Protective Association, of which he is President. Judge Conkling is serving his second term as Justice of the Peace, having been first elected in 1894 and re-elected in 1899, and represents the third generation of his family who has held that office in the City of Hoboken, his predecessors being his father and grandfather. He is also a Commissioner of Deeds and a member of the Knights of Honor, and in every capacity has gained the confidence and esteem of the entire com-munity. He is an energetic, progressive, and public spirited citizen, and a man of broad intellectual attainments. June 30, 1889, Judge Conkling married Miss Julia Hetzel. They have six children: Irving, Raymond, Gertrude, Roscoe, Isabel, and Matthew Livingston, Jr.
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UrbanTimes.com |
