James F. McCartney

Betty Justin was told that his father and his fathers brothers came over together and came to West Orange from Philadelphia. She was told they built St Johns School in West Orange.

She was told that James was born on a small dead end street off Whipple street (?) in Orange or West Orange. She remembers it as a victorian looking house, somewhat larger than the house they lived next to Edison's when she was a kid.

In his youth, James was a boxer, a barefisted boxer she believes. He was very good and later in life she recalled him being called by the older men "Champ", so he presumably won some championship of some kind. She was defintely told that he was to compete for the state championship. He worked on the Erie Railroad, however, and there was an accident where his hand was crushed between the cars or rails, and it ended his boxing career as his fingers were curled up on that hand.

During prohibition he owned a speak easy in town which was as its front an interior decorators business. Mom remembers going by there as a kid.

He also became an owner of an Inn and hunting lodge in the heights of Orange. He also bred hunting dogs there,. beagles. Mom remembers the older dogs being brought to the house when they retired. But one became mean with the kids and they sent him back to James' kennel. James was also a hunter, and I (John) remember an ornate break away double barrel shot gun that he owned that became my Uncle Bills. I think the Longo's have it now.

Later the state put a highway in and cut through the edge of the property, requiring large wooden stairs to get to the Inn. A lady fell on the stairs and sued and James shut the Inn down.

He bought a house next to Edisons. There they had a grape arbor and a nice flower garden of which we have many pictures. On the side yard his sons built a putting green and many of them practiced there (they were caddies as a side job). The family was also much into horse racing (I think, unless this was Moms Dad's house).

He was known as the Old Gentleman by most. He and his wife celebrated their fiftieth anniversary by being taken by their kids to a party in Belleville. Betty says the grandkids werent invited.

NOTES FROM ONLINE RESEARCH 10/26/2011 On a page about an Essex County Hunt Club this

1872 With kennels in the Orange Mountains of St. Cloud (West Orange today), the Essex County Hunt and the Essex Hunt Club is founded in Montclair, New Jersey as a part of the Essex County Country Club, (off Mt. Pleasant Avenue in West Orange.) Noted on website as New Jersey's first country club. (Essex County). Edward P. Thebaud as Master of the Hunt. Mr. Thebaud later resigns to Morristown and dies in 1884. 1879 Master F.M. Wheeler of Montclair becomes the Master of the Hunt. (F.M. Wheeler is the founder of what is now know as Foster Wheeler) 1880 Kennels are built in West Orange. Mr. H. U. Munn elected Master of the Essex County Hunt for 1880-1881. Map shows that these men all owned substantial land in the Llewellyn Park Section of Essex County. (LPHS) http://www.t3consortium.com/drafts/farhillsrace_timeline.php They seem to move away from that property later. I wonder if this is the place James McCartney owned? Or was this where all the hunters went?