Manuscript Group 1175, John Ogden (1799 – 1877) and James Crawford Ogden (1831 – 1916) Record books, 1857 – 1860,1875 – 1877, 1882 – 1883
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Manuscript Group 1175, John Ogden (1799-1877) and James Crawford Ogden (1831-1916)
Record books, 1857-1860, 1875-1877, 1882-1883, 9 volumes
Call Number: MG 1175 + volume number
Daily accounts of John Ogden (1799-1877), and Elizabethtown carpenter who crafted tables, chairs, beds, and coffins; and of his son, James Crawford Ogden (1831-1916), who transformed his father’s business into an undertaking and funeral enterprise. The first eight volumes of daybooks contain orders for furniture as well as coffins, while the last volume is a register of funerals handled by the Ogden-Van Assen Funeral Home between January 1882 and September 1883.
Gift of Robert P. Batson, 1982.
John Ogden (1799-1877) resided in Elizabethtown, New Jersey and for his entire adult life made a living from carpentry. As his daybooks reveal, he crafted furniture, coffins, and other wooden items. His son, James Crawford Odgen (1831-1916) entered his father’s business during the 1850’s. In the years following the Civil War the younger Ogden gradually transformed the carpentry operation into a successful undertaking concern. The enterprise ultimately became the Ogden-Van Assen Funeral Home in Elizabeth.
The John Ogden and James Crawford Ogden Record books were donated to the New Jersey Historical Society by Robert P. Batson, of Kearney, New Jersey in April of 1982. This collection was accessioned as A. 82-16.
Daily accounts of John Ogden (1799-1877), an Elizabethtown carpenter who crafted tables, chairs, beds and coffins, and of his son James Crawford Ogden (1831-1916), who transformed his father’s business into an undertaking and funeral enterprise. The first eight volumes of daybooks in this series contain orders for furniture as well as coffins while the last volume is a register of funerals handled by the Ogden firm between January 1882 and September of 1883. This ledger provides detailed information on the decedent, his/her name, recent address of residence, cause of death, date of death, age at death, date and place of burial and provides a detailed accounting of all the expenditures connected with the funeral.
The eight volumes in this collection are independently numbered by the original Ogden owners, except for the first volume. The gaps in numbers reveal the extent to which the original collection has been fragmented, lost or destroyed prior to donation.
Manuscript Group 219, John Ogden, Jr. (1743-1815) Journal
Manuscript Group 292, Ogden Ford Family (Cumberland County, NJ) Papers
Manuscript Group 386, Ogden Family (Newark and Elizabeth, NJ) Papers
Manuscript Group 897, David Bayard Ogden (1775-1849) Legal notebook
Manuscript Group 1174, Joseph G. Ogden (1780-1817) Daybook
Manuscript Group 1211, Jennie Ogden (1849-1880) and Jennie Ogden Miller (1880-1939) Papers
Manuscript Group 1379, Maureen B. Ogden Papers
| Item | Description |
| Unnumbered volume | Daily accounts for most of 1857 |
| Volume #1 | Daily accounts for remainder of 1857 and most of 1858 |
| Volume #2 | Daily accounts for remainder of 1858 |
| Volume #3 | Daily accounts for most of 1859 |
| Volume #4 | Daily accounts for remainder of 1859 |
| Volume #5 | Daily accounts for 1860 |
| Volume #32 | Daily accounts for July 1875 – May 1876 |
| Volume #33 | Daily accounts for May 1976 – August 1877 |
Processed by C.A.L., May 18, 1982
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