Manuscript Group 292, Ogden-Ford Family (Cumberland County, NJ) Papers, 1789-1887 (Bulk dates: 1850-1860)

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Manuscript Group 292,
Ogden-Ford Family (Cumberland County, NJ)

Papers, 1789-1887 (Bulk
dates: 1850-1860), 0.25 linear feet / 1 small box

Call Number: MG 292 + folder
number

Summary

• Biographical
  Note

• Provenance
  Note

• Scope
  and Content Note

• Related
  Collections

• Container
  List

Summary:

Letters and business
documents of the Ogden and Ford family of Bridgeton and Fairfield in Cumberland
County; records of the Bridgeton Literary Association, a debating society; records of the
Sunday School Society of Bridgeton; letters to the editor of the Bridgeton
Chronicle, 1840-1842.  Includes letters of James H. Ford, William H. Ford,
Curtis and Lizzie Ogden.

Purchase.

Biographical
Note:

The extensive Ogden family in New Jersey
is descended from John and Jane Ogden, immigrants from England in 1640.
The Ogdens in this collection were early residents of Cumberland County, New
Jersey.

Joseph Ogden (ca. 1724-1772) owned land at
Mill Creek in Fairfield, New Jersey and was a tanner.  He married a woman
named Abigail, with whom he had five children: Joseph, who was a yeoman;
Jonathan, who was a tailor; Ruth Harris; Nathaniel; and George.

Curtis Ogden, Sr. of Bridgeton, possibly
Jonathan’s son, was a tailor and the postmaster.  He married Ruth B. ( )
and they had at least three children together: Curtis, Jr.; Henry; and
Jonathan.  Both Ruth and Curtis Ogden were founding members of the Second
Cohansey Baptist Church at Bridgeton, later called the First Baptist
Church.  Ruth B. Ogden died in 1853 and Curtis, Sr. moved to Philadelphia
to live with his son, Curtis, Jr. Curtis Ogden, Sr. died in 1867.

Curtis Ogden, Jr. married Elizabeth Ford,
the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Ford of Philadelphia.  William Ford
was a merchant and he and his wife had at least one son, William H., and two
other daughters, Sarah and Jenny.  Curtis and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ogden
lived in Philadelphia and vacationed on Cape Island in Cape May County, New
Jersey.  They had at least three daughters together: Emma, Helen, and
Bertha.

Provenance
Note:

This collection was purchased, date
unknown.

Scope
and Content Note:

The collection is made up of four series:
Correspondence, Business/Legal Documents, Records of Bridgeton Organizations,
and Miscellaneous.  The collection spans the time period 1789-1887, with
bulk dates of 1850-1860.

The first and largest series is
Correspondence.  Most of the letters in the series are those of Elizabeth
(Ford) Ogden and her husband Curtis Ogden, Jr. and date from 1850-1860.
These mostly pertain to family matters such as births, deaths, sicknesses,
trips, and visits.  Other letters in the collection refer to the western
frontier and the cities of Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, national events such as
the 1852 nominating convention in Baltimore, and local events in Philadelphia
such as a Missionary Union meeting in 1854 and a railroad accident in
1856.  The letters to Elizabeth Ogden from her brother William H. Ford were
written while he was at school in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and later during
his travels in Europe.  They describe European towns, events, and news.

The Business/Legal Documents series is
mostly made up of the bills and receipts of Curtis Ogden, Sr.  These
records cover thirty years (1808-1838) and document Ogden’s business dealings
as a tailor and as a leader of the church.  This series also contains two
indentures from Joseph and Jonathan Ogden.  They pertain to land deals in
Cumberland County.

The Records of Bridgeton Organizations
series dates from 1832-1842 and is made up of the records of two organizations:
The Bridgeton Literary Association and the Sunday School Society of
Bridgeton.  There are two folders of Literary Association letters.
The first folder is made up of letters written to the Association’s president
that outline arguments to be used in upcoming debates.  The president would
then use these notes to introduce the speakers at the beginning of the
debate.  The second group of Association letters is to editors of various
publications.  Some of the letters pertain to Bridgeton Literary
Association business, while others are in regard to current events or to
previously published articles or statements. This series also contains the
constitution of the Sunday School Society of Bridgeton.

The Miscellaneous series is made up of
calling cards, a list of daily temperatures, a sketch of property in Bridgeton,
and lecture/address notes.

Related
Collections:

Manuscript Group 219,
John Ogden, Jr. (1743-1815) Journal

Manuscript Group 386, Ogden Family (Newark
and Elizabeth, NJ) Papers

Manuscript Group 897, David Bayard Ogden
(1775-1849) Legal notebook

Manuscript Group 905,
Ogden Family (Newark and Elizabeth, NJ) Papers

Manuscript Group 1174, Joseph G. Ogden
(1780-1817) Daybook

Manuscript Group 1175, John Ogden
(1799-1877) and James Crawford Ogden (1831-1916)  Daybooks

Manuscript Group 1211, Jennie Ogden
(1849-1880) and Jennie Ogden Miller (1880-1938) Papers

Manuscript Group 1379,
Maureen B. Ogden Papers

Container List:

Processed by Kim Charlton, November 1999 as part of the “Farm to
City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission.

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