History of Cumberland County New Jersey United States of America

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William Arthur McKeeghan, representative, was born in Cumberland county, N.J., Jan. 19, 1842. His parents removed to Fulton county, Ill., in 1848, where he lived on a farm and attended the public schools. He served throughout the civil war in the 11th Illinois cavalry regiment, and in 1865 settled in Pontiac, Ill., where he engaged in agriculture. He was one of the organizers of the Farmers' Association and was elected vice-president for the eighth congressional district. He removed to Nebraska in 1880, and settled on a farm near Red Cloud. He was county judge of Webster county, 1885-86; was the unsuccessful candidate for representative in the 50th congress in 1886, being defeated by James Laud, Republican, and was a Democratic representative in the 52d and 53d congresses, 1891-95.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Horace Elmer, naval officer, was born in Cumberland county, N.J., Oct. 23, 1346; son of John and Elizabeth (Nixon) Elmer; grandson of John and Abigail (Howell) Elmer, and a descendant of Edward Elmer, who came from England on the Lion in 1632, was one of the original proprietors of Hartford, Conn., and was killed in King Philip's war in 1676. Edward's grandson, the Rev. Daniel Elmer, was one of the three graduates of Yale college in 1713, and settled in New Jersey in 1727. Horace Elmer entered the Naval academy Sept. 27, 1861, and was graduated in November, 1864. He served on the Hartford, flag-ship of the East India squadron, 1865-68. He was promoted ensign, Nov. 1, 1866; master, Dec. 1, 1866; lieutenant, March 12, 1868, and lieutenant-commander, April 27, 1869. He was executive of the Terror, 1870-71; of the Vandalia, 1871-72; navigator of the Ossipee, 1872; of the Colorado, 1873, and of the Congress, 1874-76; and executive of the Worcester and of the Franklin, 1877. He was on duty at the Torpedo station, 1877 and 1878, and was executive officer of the Kearsarge, 1879-82, and of the Constellation, 1683. He was head of the department of seamanship at the naval academy, 1883-86; was promoted commander March 2, 1885, and commanded the Jamestown in 1686; was lighthouse inspector on the lakes, 1686-89; and commanded the Keatsarge, 1889-92, after which he was ordnance officer at the New York yard for three years. In 1895 he was inspector of steel at the Carnegie works, and was afterward on duty at the War college. In 1896 he was commandant of the New London naval station. In 1897 he was in command of the Marblehead, after which he was on duty at Cramp's ship-yard, where U.S. battleships were under process of construction. Within a few days after the destruction of the Maine, in February, 1898, he applied for an immediate assignment afloat, and being number one on the list of commanders, asked for a captain's command. On March 14, 1898, he passed his examination for promotion, which would have come May 11, and was promised the command of the New Orleans on her arrival from England, but on March 24 he was selected to organize and command the Mosquito fleet and the inner coast defense of the Atlantic and Gulf states in the war between the United States and Spain, a duty of the greatest importance and of the heaviest responsibility, and a commodore's command. According to the plan as then devised by Commander Elmer, and approved by the department, the Mosquito fleet was to consist of one hundred and fifty small vessels, manned by five thousand men, with a swift yacht as flag-ship, but events subsequent to Commander Elmer's death, chiefly the shutting up of the Spanish fleet in Santiago, changed the scope of the work and it was not carried out on the scale first intended. Commander Elmer contracted a severe cold in April, which developed into pneumonia. In consequence of his illness he was detached from his command on the morning of April 26, 1898, and died the same day in Brooklyn, N.Y.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Cumberland County New Jersey

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