Copyright 2004, Esther Doyle Read

New 5 August 2004

READ FAMILY CONNECTIONS

JACOB LANTERMAN BUNNELL⁴

865. JACOB LANTERMAN BUNNELL⁵ (Mary Margaret Bunnell nee Lanterman⁴, Rachel Lanterman nee Read³, John Read², Joseph Read¹), was born 15 July 1855 in Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey (Robert Lanterman Personal Communication, 2002; LDS Batch #C509861). He was probably named after his grandfather Jacob Lanterman. Jacob's mother Mary Margaret Lanterman Bunnell was the second wife of Jacob's father Henry Bunnell. She died when Jacob was two. Henry remarried after Mary Margaret's death. His third wife was Eleanor "Ellen" France. Henry and Ellen (France) Bunnell were married by 1860. The family lived in the village of Hope, where Henry was a master wheelwright. The Bunnell household in 1860 included Jacob, his brother Athur and sister Rosanna, as well as their older half-sisters—Mary Elizabeth and Hannah Bunnell—who were the children of Henry Bunnell's first marriage (1860 United States Federal Census, Hope Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 20, 4 July 1860, post office Hope).

In 1870, Jacob lived with his father and step-mother, his younger sister Rosa Bunnell and his older half-sister Hannah Bunnell, in the village of Blairstown, where his father was employed as a carriage maker (1870 United States Federal Census, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 36B, 9 July 1870). He attended school in 1870 and was probably a student at the Blair Presbyterial Academy (now Blair Academy) in Blairstown (Anon 1898, his name appears in a list of Blair students in this publication). After graduation, Jacob became a printer. Snell describes him as "...a practical printer, of Newton, Sussex Co., but formerly of Blairstown...." It is very possible that he learned the printing trade while working for his older first cousin, Thomas G. Bunnell (son of his father's older brother David Bunnell and his wife Catherine Smith). Thomas Bunnell had been the editor and part owner of the New Jersey Herald of Newton since 1867 (Snell 1881:226, 528).

Jacob married Matilda Jennie Smith on 20 September 1876, in Sussex County, New Jersey. Matilda, or "Jennie" as she was known, was the daughter of James Smith and Charlotte Kimble of Sparta, Sussex County (1860 United States Federal Census, Sparta Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, page 250B, 1 August 1860). The couple were married only a short while. Jennie died 23 January 1878 in Newton, Sussex County (Pillars 2003). Her death was announced in the New Jersey Herald:

The year before Jennie died, Jacob launched the Blairstown Press. The first issue appeared on 7 February 1877. The paper was a 28 column weekly. Jacob's first partner in the venture was a George W. Dawkins, who was with the paper from February of 1877 until January 1878. Jacob was the editor and sole proprietor of the paper until 1883, when he sold it to Vincent S. Fuller and William Webb. Fuller sold the paper in about 1886 to Dewitt C. Carter, who ran the paper for the next 48 years (Anon 1939). Snell in his history of Warren County notes that in 1881 the Blairstown Press, was published by Jacob L. Bunnell. Snell also notes that the press had a new building which was erected in 1880 and occupied in 1881 (Snell 1881:528, 642). One of the printers at the paper was Jacob's brother-in-law (and second cousin) Charles Brugler, the husband of Jacob's sister Rosa Anna (New Jersey Herald, 1929, obituary of Charles Brugler).

Two years after Jennie's death, Jacob married her first cousin, Lucille Buckley, in Sussex County on 20 November 1879. Lucille was the daughter of Simon Wade Buckley and Jane Kimble. She was born circa 1850 in New Jersey. During the years that Jacob was the editor of the Blairstown Press, he and Lucille lived in Blairstown. In 1880, they boarded with Bachie Mains, a 37 year old widow. The widow Main's household included her 11 year old daughter Lucy; her servant, 18 year old Arminda Anderson; 26 year old Levi Johnston, who was a dentist; Kensel Wildrick, a typesetter (age 22); Jacob and Lucille "Bonnel" (ages 26 and 29), his occupation is given as "Editor and Publisher"; and Frank P. Bonnell, a confectioner (age 27) (1880 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 191, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey, sheet 296C, 17 June 1880).

In 1885, Jacob bought the Sussex Independent (Snook 2004). He and Lucille moved to Newton. In 1887, they purchased the William Beach House, at 53 High Street in Newton. The house is a brick front dwelling which was built in 1819 (Wright 2000). In 1888, Jacob also became part owner of his cousin Thomas Bunnell's paper, the New Jersey Herald of Newton (Snook 2004).

Jacob and Lucille sold their home on High Street in 1893 to Hannah Dolson (Wright 2000). They purchased a home at 11 Halsted Street in Newton and were living there in 1904 when the Newton directory was published (Anon 1904). Jacob was listed in the Newton directory as the editor of the New Jersey Herald. His home at 11 Halsted.

Lucille Bunnell died in 1906 and was buried in Newton Cemetery, Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey (Newton Cemetery). After Lucille's death, Jacob married S. Estelle Clark as his third wife. Estelle was born circa 1863 in Illinois and died 6 January 1931 (ibid.). According to the 1910 census, Jacob and Estelle had been married a year. This places the wedding in about 1908. In 1910 and 1920, Jacob and Estelle lived with Estelle's sister Helen C. Clark (she was born circa 1857 in New York). The Bunnells owned a house at 11 Halsted Street in Newton, New Jersey. Jacob was listed as a newspaper publiser in 1910 and, in 1920, as the editor of the New Jersey Herald (1910 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 180, Second Election District, Town of Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey, sheet 4A, 30 April 1910; 1920 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 137, Town of Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey, sheet 1B, 2 January 1920; Robert Lanterman Personal Communication, 2002). In 1924 the Sussex Independent merged with the New Jersey Herald. The paper was printed as the New Jersey Herald. Jacob became the president of the corporation that owned the paper (Snook 2004), a position he held until his death in 1932.

Jacob died 29 January 1932 and was buried with his second and third wives—Lucille and Estelle—in Newton Cemetery, Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey. Their graves were visited 26 September 2005. The burial place of Jacob's first wife, Jennie Smith Bunnell, is unknown (Newton Cemetery; Robert Lanterman personal communication, 2002; LDS Batch #C509861).

References
Surname Index
Return to Main
Go to Top of Page