The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-10
STEPHEN CRANE. JERsEYMAN.


STEPHEN CRANE. JERSEYMAN.
Meant to Write a Novel About the stats-His
Ancestor There in 1909.
Had Stephen Crane, the novelist. lived. he
would have given to the world a historical
novel dealing with life In New Jersey before
and during the Revolution. This fact came
/ to light shortly after his death last week. when
q short note written by him to the New Jersey
Historical Society was unearthed. The ~society's
rooms are in Newark, and the note reads as
follows:
ITO y. Secretary Of m' N~r J~'v HItO'Aal
Society
DEAR SIR. I am about to attempt a novel
upon Revolutionary times In the Province
Of New Jersey, and l would be very glad
II you could tell me the titles Of some OF the
books on the manners and customs Of the
line in the Province. am particularly inter-
| ested In Elizabethtown. and l would be much
obliged and sratined II you could give me the
title OF a good history OF that city.
Faithfully yours. STEPHEN CRANE"
The Crane family. from which the young man
| sprang, was about as thoroughly aJersey family
as can be found anywhere In the State. His
father and mother were both buried In Eliza
| beth, and many OF his ancestors lived there.
| Elizabeth Is a picturesque enough city In spots
even to this day to have readily excited the mag
ination OF Stephen Crane. who from his earliest
childhood had heard Of the deeds OF his ances-
tors In one portion of the State or another.
The above letter was written on Aug. 20, 1899,
from Brede, In Sussex. England. when the
author was supposed to be recovering from a
! severe attack OF malaria brought on by ex-
posture during the campaign In Cuba. 1t Is not
probable that he got much further than to
purchase the books whose name Miss Henrietta
Palmer, librarian Of the New Jersey Historical
Society, was able TO furnish him with.
In the spring Of 1895. when Cranes Red
Badge OF Courage" was being very widely
read and the veterans Of the Civil Wal were
betting that the author was a veteran like them
selves, a man In Newark wrote stephen Crane
at his residence. at that time i5 West Twenty
third street. New York city, asking TO be in
formed concerning his ancestry. The follow
ing reply was promptly received:
"D,nr Sir: was born In Newark on the
lst OF November. 1871. The house was No.
"a Mulberry place. | understand the neigh
borhood Is rather tough now. so that / am not
too stringent on that point. although Il makes
no particular difference. My father was the
Rev. J. T. Crane, D., D., presiding elder OF the
Newark district. The family moved from
there to Bound Brook. My great-great-great-
grandfather was one OF the seven men, who
solemnly founded Newark. He was jasper
Crane. His farm came into the southwest cor
ner OF Market and Broad streets. His son
Stephen Crane. NJ. c.. moved to Elizabeth.
where my grandfather and my father were
born. During the Revolution the Cranes were
pretty hot people. The old man stephen served
S TnIIe ay Wa ,91 ro fons w of tbs Sixth MR. Ree,m m1.a ~
New Jersey IhIanLy, Inc IsseA militia also
confa al oot II mncb a ~ t nj sort q, tb,no or 7 could
am NOV nnu.n on I'M, i nh ~ Vouid
write more. but a. any rate the family Is iounded
oeep IN Seisey sou MY " ne = Imsn VI NeMara :,
anu ~ aoV Sinoarl r omr az 'ou
oa' '"u' o"'e"' 'ssTvpupx Cp.xv"
me young ausnpI VIZ y Va proHu q ms an
cestIy' a peausaiCt t rr.O oiISoi .'e"aIh
snOw NE MN eo ot ornand ~ ,e asnt h eveah
p pomnany OF men wa" Ifap more than aD0V seven Vs I boW.
ouInh"nn thair "a Villa Vic nan,a e fron, nhU rno
w u y ,aodinr w no 20 ~ y m n',
or Tour OF the Leading towns OF Connecticnt
oaspea d a. T : !" ane ~ ALL y VIZ
optbpans. nnUOS9b ~ ~ , ua We hnd tha SaIha,n
% he pdL.y nv ~ a ~ ~ .ne ,Niiese
4. rngho q n nhnOoa e'2 TN vi nthers .ne sen
other selections we're made. for special pur.
RosbS aarm tors, OuspeI ~ TGs no. Ia iuck'
IA ,hara uar, e., nia,,.n tn A. !, aS,or W., ~
az n,thor NOD taLan tha tronLI. !, - 90
Wv .bno "a ianh, ~, Wgguo.e ~ ~
V W. ne ooiue nirnra ne mVu huvs IVumu
nnae VIE. hppa,en,ty MeIe tIauI'ions W ms Iaii-
ny vohorIanns ~ oiasinai Iornrrio' ~ NewaIk
Were sia'neuus, ym,i~. orune 10y WI q
auAnh - ~ amay ioI ~ pv'n' Stepne.
SIahe aDv.e lr,.ol U INV Spo.
a Iean ~ J,n u iouI Ln
Ep.sSops, unII une oS., aulsL uhu uireg.iy
not'n " ~ hiah s1un'S oouit nous .he
sI,r Lnon ~ spnmen ..an. 'pcaurH ~, tno
,hnra tha tictn, . gL nI M !. p pau DrHau d =
vwnmnd orica "a non no.. !, ,sas nyu,hGHnnno I've =
Ioau ~. Tha a. a.. ~ 1000 mo.hiiS out q
gunsnnr ,thar so,t npndeo "aJ .ova.eu .
M III yaronnd II ana ~ M : ~, p ,ina wa
!" ~, ~ so.tiars' unh.d sas upvha /. IN Wiz ,hs
Oh ~ shi ""'oieu ioI iho'ahs Willis 'he
TO- vaars alter tho ton, ma. ,o,na.d od
amr Srona aas ohns. W. a. m u n Jiu
1922 ~ ~ ahe cn,,n,,nI,n oan oiane W N.aS.s,
Gaees ~ ,hat ,iS: ~ pn'cS . eNtreIne
,ntoi Cont Rnhsr, liz. ~ oumst s VIZ.
S,andish n he lila comnanv TX 60 Nv re- W.. ae
G.s nr Trone and ano,bnrp nn d ~ M
Sa1bvr oaSaas Tor tbn ranoroI s uOSs Dvppur,.sss
~ nsneino ana Lane Samr Wy
Thnson Third Mar In case ., oi,har ISSann :.
IIniion a"'" ""''' '"" e'"' '"e o'hoi
nnao ~ Tho mos, ,,torost,rc ,h,rrs -
with the location OF the Old Crane ioot in the set
tisment OF Newark comes out in Statement en All