Camden People - James H. Carey

JAMES H. CAREY was born in Pennsylvania in October of 1838 to James and Catherine Carey. The Carey family was living in Lower Dublin Township, in the county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when the 1850 Census was enumerated. By 1860 the Carey family had moved to Camden. Father James Carey was then the pilot of a steamboat on the Delaware, and both James H. Carey and his older brother Edward were then working as deck hands. When the Civil War began in 1861, James H. Carey joined the United States Navy during the Civil War, and was a member of the crew of the U.S.S. Monitor when the historic battle between that ship and the C.S.S. Merrimac occurred in 1862.

James Carey settled in Camden after the war, he was a member of Camden's volunteer fire department in the years before the organization the professional force in 1869. On October 9, 1872 he was appointed to the Camden Fire Department as an extra man with the Hook & Ladder Company, known in more recent times as Ladder Company 1. He served with the Hook & Ladder Company until May 7, 1874, and lived at 445 Morris Street during his time with the Fire Department. Morris Street was renamed Washington Street in 1882. James H. Carey was re-appointed to the Camden Fire Department on April 8, 1876, replacing Charles Elfreth. James H. Carey served as an extra man with Engine Company 2 for one year, until Charles Elfreth was reinstated on April 8, 1877. James H. Carey was living on Henry Street, south of Benson Street, when he received his appointment in 1876.

James H. Carey had moved to 1232 South 3rd Street when the 1878-1879 Camden City Directory was compiled. By 1880 James H. Carey was living at 215 Royden Street, where he lived into the 1890s. During these years he followed various pursuits, both nautical and otherwise. He captained a ferry boat on the Delaware, worked as a clerk for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and as a laborer.

At the time of the 1900 Census James H. Carey lived at 642 South 2nd Street with his daughter Lizzie. By 1910 she had wed George Thomas. James Carey moved to 820 State Street in North Camden with his daughter and son-in-law. James Carey spent the rest of his years at that address. He was still alive as late as April 1930.

The following is derived from
George Reeser Prowell's
History of Camden County, N.J.
published in 1886

WILLIAM B. HATCH POST No. 37, of Camden, was instituted and chartered November 25, 1879, with eighty-one members and the following named Post officers:

Post Commander, John E. Grubb ; Senior Vice-Commander, Richard J. Robertson; Junior Vice-Commander, Daniel J. Fullen ; Surgeon, Thomas G. Rowand, M.D.; Chaplain, John Quick ; Officer of the Day, John A. Dall; Officer of the Guard, Edmund G. Jackson, Jr.; Quartermaster, Christopher J. Mines, Jr.; Adjutant, Benjamin J. Pierce; Sergeant-Major, William A.Tattern; Quartermaster-Sergeant, William B. E. Miller.

At the first meeting of the Post it was decided by a unanimous vote to name it in honor of the late Colonel William B. Hatch, of the Fourth Regiment. When Mrs. C. Hatch, the mother of the colonel was informed that the post had honored the memory of her son by naming it after him, she sent to the Post the following response :

Camden N. J.,
November 26th, 1879

John E. Grubb, Post Commander

Dear Sir,
It will afford me much pleasure to be identified with Post 37, G. A. E., named in honor of my son, William B. Hatch, by allowing me to present to the same its colors. The memory of my son is ever dear to me, and, while at the same moment I may have thought the sacrifice too great an affliction, yet I was consoled by the fact that I gave him up that this Union might be preserved. It was duty and patriotism that called him, and while I mourn him as a mother for a well-beloved son, yet I would not have stayed him, for the love of country and the upholding of this glorious Republic is what every mother should instill into her sons, as the purest and holiest spirit.

Yours truly,

C. Hatch

The following is a complete roster of this post for 1886 :

Post Commander, Benjamin H. Connelly; Senior Vice-Commander, Adam C. Smith ; Junior Vice-Commander, William Haegele; Surgeon, George Pfau ; Chaplain, Samuel Gaul; Officer of the Day, Robert Crawford ; Officer of the Guard, John D. Cooper; Quartermaster, Samuel J. Fenner; Adjutant, William B. Summers; Sergeant-Major, Stacy H. Bassett; Quartermaster-Sergeant, Otto K. Lockhart.

Comrades: Philip Achenbach, George L. Allchin, Isaac Albertson, Joseph Applegate, John W. Barclay, Martin M. Barney, Joseph Baxter, William W. Bennett, Charles L. Bennett, Henry Bickering, Abel Biddle, George K. Biddle, John Bieri, Robert M. Bingham, Socrates T. Bittle, George W. Bittle, Benjamin F. Blizzard, Joseph Borton, Frederick Bowers, Benjamin M. Braker, John Breyer, William H. Brians, Wm. J. Broadwater, William Broadwater, John Brown, Harris Brooks, William H. Brooks, Joseph F. Bryan, Joseph Buddew, J. Q. Burniston, George Burton, Frederick Buser, Thomas L. Bush, William Butcher, Isaac B. Buzby, Edward C. Cattell, Joseph Cameron, James H. Carey, William Carey, James Chadwick, James Chafey, George M. Chester, James D. Chester, Lewis L. Chew, Henry S. Chew, John W. Churn, Andrew B. Cline, Charles Clarke, Samuel J. Cook, Levi E. Cole, John J. Collins, John C. Cooper, John W. Cotner, Thomas L. Conly, Harvey M. Cox, Jason S. Cox, Harris Crane, Charles Cress, Joel G. Cross, O. C. Cunningham, John A. Dall, John Dalby, John H. Damon, Westley Dare, John E. Dawson, Adam T. Dawson, James L. Davis, William Davis, Amos R. Dease, Henry Deford, Lewis F. Derousse, Michael Devinney, Glendora Devo, John Digney, Joseph Dilks, William A. Dobbins, George W. Dunlap, Aaron B. Eacritt, John J. Early, Christopher Ebele, Godfrey Eisenhart, John Elberson, Charles Elwell, Charles Eminecker, John Esler, John H. Evans, Charles S. Fackler, James Fanington, James A. Farraday, John H. Farry, John Faughey, Wm. H. Fenlin, George G. Felton, George W. Ferguson, Charles W. Fish, Israel L. Fish, James Finnan, Samuel B. Fisher, Edward L. Fisher, Ephraim B. Fithian, Jacob T. Fisher, Edward Fitzer, Samuel Flock, Leonard Flor, John Fox, John S. Fox, H. H. Franks, Chas. B. Frazer, Thomas J. Francis, Samuel W. Gahan, Chas. H. Gale, James Galbraith, Thomas Garman, Harry Garren, John W. Garwood, Josiah Garrison, John B. Gaskill, Richard Gaunt, Wm. German, Christopher Getsinger, Christopher Gifney, Jacob Giffens, Albert Gilbert, James Gillen, Wm. Giffins, C. C. Greany, Charles Green, W. H. Griffin, Louis Grosskops, William Grindrod, John B. Grubb, Mark H. Guest, John Guice, Alfred Haines, Charles G. Haines, Japhet Haines, George F. Hammond, Charles Hall, Solon B. Hankinson, Samuel P. Hankinson, James Hanson, Charles Hannans, H. A. Hartranft, Mahlon E. Harden, William F. Harper, George W. Hayter, Samuel B. Harbeson, J. T. Hazleton, H. Heinman, James Henderson, William H. Heward, Franklin Hewitt, James T. Hemmingway, Charles Hewitt, Edward K. Hess, Samuel B. Hickman, George Higgens, Ephraim Hillman, C. M. Hoagland, Guadaloupe Holl, William A. Holland, Isaac K. Horner, Count D. G. Hogan, William H. Howard, Baxter Howe, Alien Hubbs, Charles G. Hunsinger, Presmel D. Hughes, I. N. Hugg, Sebastian Hummell, Edward Hutchinson, C. Innes, Alfred Ivins, Benjamin Ivins, E. G. Jackson Sr., E. G. Jackson Jr., Thomas Jameson, George Jauss, William P. Jenkins, James L. Johnson, Alfred Jones, B. F. Jones, William Joline, Charles Joseph, Charles Justice, C. H. Kain, E. E. Kates, Benjamin Kebler, Frank Kebler, Peter Keen, Henry N. Killian, J. W. Kinsey, C. H. Knowlton, Thomas W. Krips, Joseph H. Large, John E. Leake, John Lecroy, Charles Leonhart, George W. Locke, E. J. Long, Charles L. Lukens, J. H. Lupton, Valentine Machemer, Edward Macloskey, Edward A. Martin, William P. Marsh, John Mapes, William Mead, William Metcalf, E. A. Meyer, C. Meyers, George Meilor, C. A. Michener, William B. E. Miller, Jacob Miller, W. D. Miller, Samuel Mills, William W. Mines, Christopher J. Mines, George Molesbury, William. Moran, Edward More, Richard Morgan, John F. Moore, S. H. Moyer, Jacob L. Morton, John Muir, John J. Murphy, Isaac Murray, Charles Myers, W. H. McAllister, James McCracken, Edward C. McDowell, Hugh McGrogan, H. M. Mcllvaine, W. F. McKillip, W.J.McNeir, Lewis McPherson, E. McPherson, Jacob Naglee, William Naphas, Antonio Nosardi, Robert O'Keefe, John S. Owens, Robert Owens, Edward H. Pancoast, James Pancoast, Robert B. Patterson, William Patterson, E. W. Pease, John B. Pepper, Joel Perrine, John Peterson, D. E. Peugh, Frederick Phile, Samuel B. Pine, William M. Pine, Adon Powell, John Powell, John Portz, J. B. Prucelle, John Quick, S. E. Radcliffe, Isaac C. Randolph, James A. Regens, Philip Reilly, Charles P. Reynolds, Alexander Rhodes, Benjamin F. Richard, Andrew Ridgway, Benjamin Robbins, Edward C. Roberts, James Roberts, Richard J. Robertson, William B. Robertson, Isaac Rogers, John Rogers, William H. Rogers, Thomas G. Rowand, Sebastian Schaub, Maurice Schmidt, Christian K. Schallers, James Schofield, George W. Scott, John E. Scott, John M. Shemelia, Edward M. Siemers, John Simmons, Benjamin F. Shinn, Thomas Sheeran, James Shield, Charles Smith, George H. Smith, William W. Smith, Charles S. Small, Adolph Snow, W. Souder, Francis Senders, Robert Sparks, David C. Sprowl, Alfred L. Sparks, Abraham Springer, George W. Stewart, William L. Stevenson, Thomas G. Stephenson, Samuel R. Stockton, Thomas Stockton, Thomas H. Stone, Henry Strick, E. J. Strickland, Charles String, George F. Stull, George W. Swaney, Crosby Sweeten, William F. Tarr, William A. Tatem, Thomas S. Tanier, George Rudolph Tenner, Charles L. Test, Leonard Thomas, Benjamin Thomas, Henry C. Thomas, George F. Thorne, Wesley Thorn, Thomas W. Thornley, Alexander W. Titus, Joseph Tompkins, J. E. Troth, Isaac C. Toone, Samuel Tyier, Jacob M. Van Nest, Albert Vansciver, Joseph Wakeman, Theodore F. Walker, Charles Walton, George Walton, Joseph Welsh, David Watson, George W. Wentling, Edward West, Elmer M. West, George Weyman, Wilmer Whillden, James Whittaker, Samuel Wickward, Calvin T. Williams, George W. Williams, William H. Williams, John Williams, Samuel Winner, Amos P. Wilson, D.H. Wilson, G.A. Wilson, Richard Wilson, George Wispert, John W. Wood, Joseph Woodfield, Walter Wolfkill, E. W. Wolverton, Elijah Worthington, C. M. Wright, George B. Wright, Henry S. Wright, Wesley T. Wright, William Zane.

As of 1886, the Hatch Post met every Thursday evening in their own G. A. R. Hall, on Stevens Street, below Fifth Street. This same building had been used in the late 1870s as the original home of the congregation that formed the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The Hatch Post was affiliated with Hatch League No. 2, of the Loyal Ladies League, their auxiliary, which met at the Post Hall.

Camden Courier-Post - February 20, 1928

Monitor Survivor Relates Historic Merrimac Fight

Captain James H. Carey, retired employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the last survivors of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac will celebrate on March 9th the sixty-sixth anniversary of the event. He was one of the Monitor’s crew.

Captain Carey, born in Philadelphia, has lived most of his life in Camden. He resided for many years at 215 Royden Street and was active in Camden’s old volunteer fire department. He relates with enthusiasm how he rescued two children from a burning building at Front Street and Kaighn Avenue in the good old days.

Carey is 89 years old, white haired, cheerful and quite active. He ambles about the home of his daughter, Mrs. George Thomas, 820 State Street, with whom he has been living with for some time. He likes reading the newspapers and enjoys visits to Wildwood.

The fight between the Union ship Monitor and the Confederate ram Merrimac didn't amount to anything compared with the battles of the World War," jovial old Captain Carey explained as he adjusted his glasses and glanced at his service record. “The fight started about 9:00 o'clock in the morning and lasted about half-an-hour. Most of the time we were so close to the other that we couldn't miss our aim. After several volleys at each other both ships retired.”

Aboard Saint Laurence

"I was a member of the crew of the U.S. Frigate Saint Laurence, stationed at Norfolk, Virginia," he continued. "Early in the morning, the rebels set fire to a boat called the Germantown. The first shot of the war, a 250-pound shell, was fired by the Union forces at Fort Monroe. It struck between U.S.S. Keystone State and the warship Charleston. Both boats retired to Norfolk.”

“The Merrimac started an attack on the warship Minnesota, which was aground. It was covered with railroad tracks for armor plating. The Monitor, an iron clad vessel, came up from Cape Henry. I was transferred from my boat to the crew of the Monitor as a gunner’s mate. There were 250 men aboard the vessel as I recall.”

"The two boats pulled alongside each other and we fired a broadside from our two gun turret which ripped off all the iron rails off the Merrimac. All her firing only dented our armor plating. We were hit five or six times.”

"The amusing part of the battle", said Captain Carey with a chuckle “was when we turned the hot water hose on them. All through the fighting we were so close to each other that every time they opened their port-hole shutters to take a shot we could see their gun crew. We hooked up a fire hose to our boiler and when they opened the shutters we squirted it in. The Merrimac fellows didn’t like that much I don’t suppose.”

Honorable Record

After the battle Carey was transferred back to his own vessel, the Saint Laurence. His service record shows that after his enlistment at Philadelphia on April 10, 1861 he served on the U. S. S. Keystone State until June of 1861, the Saint Laurence until June of 1863, and the Shenandoah for the following year. He was wounded in the wrist at Masonboro, North Carolina on November 27, 1863 and honorably discharged from the Navy on June 30 of the next year.

The old veterans other two children also live in Camden. They are Mrs. John Levins, wife of the court crier, and Benjamin Carey.

Of course I saw other action during the Civil War”, Carey explained as he held up the framed record of his part in the combat. “You see, I aided in dozens of captures and was under fire numerous times. I wouldn’t part with this record for a thousand dollars” .

Philadelphia Inquirer - October 14, 1897 Click on Image for PDF File of Complete Article

Emma Zane - Sarah Shaw - Eli Shaw - Wilson H. Jenkins - Line Street

Samuel Dodd - John Foster - John H. Beard - Edward Zane Harry G. Geesey - John J. Doonan - Charles Kleeman - Stockton Park Hotel West Jersey Hotel - John Polk - East Camden

Foster S. Zane - Beckett Street - Charles Higgins - Howard Ross - South 3rd Street Pine Street - O.B. Blizzard - James H. Carey - Liberty Alley Dr. A. Haines Lippincott - William A. Husted - Thomas Benkert - Martin J. O'Brien William Anderson - Charles Folwell - John Irwin - Rev. John W. Marshall Broadway M.E. Church - Rev. William A. Massey - Wiley M.E. Church James Hough - Policeman Albert F. Meyer

Click on Image for PDF File of Complete Article