The Penn's Grove record., 1920-07-09
Aged Inn Keeper
Passed Away
Col. Joseph G. French Dies AT
The Age of "a Years

Colonel Joseph G. French, widely
known as the hotel keeper in Penns
Grove for so years, ended his life
career, Friday, July End, 1920, aged
"a years. He had been feeble for the
past SIX years from the partial paraly-
SIS OF one OF his lower limbs, yet his
mind was active till near the end and
still enjoyed the old scenes and friends
IN Penns Grove, where he has resided
since 1869, excepting two years in
Woodbury..
The funeral service was conducted
by Rev. c. B. DuBell, rector of the
Episcopal Church, at the corner of
West Main Street and Delaware Ave
nue., Penns Grove, ON Tuesday morn
lnng. Burial was in Eastview Gene
terry, Salem. Rev. Charles M. Per-
.kins, of Collingswood, also assisted
with the service.
Joseph G. French was born on a
farm near Harrisonville, Gloucester
County, N. j., September 9th, 1885.
When sixteen years of age he became
an apprentice to learn the trade of
b~ricklaying. At the age of 81 he be-
came a partner with Richard Balm
ger and Richard Miller. Among the
buildings they erected were the first
building for the First National Bank
Woodstown; the Presbyterian Church
at Daretown and the Gloucester Coun-
ty Almshouse.
In 1869 he bought the hotel proper
ty in Penns Grove of Job Robinson.
1t was in a dilapidated condition and
the tide came up over half the grove
He built a substantial seawall with
his own hands and employed a dredge
to fill in 1000 tons of earth. He had
gravel and broken stone put on top
and took much pride in caring for the
large old native sycamore and gum
trees and set out NAPLES where more
shade was needed. He made the half
acre of shade beside the river with
the balmy breeZes from over the tides,
the most popular river resort on the
Delaware in the 70s and 80s, before
the cheap excursions to the seashore
and the parks with their many at
fractions came into vogue. He made
additions and improvements to the
hotel building several times and took
great pride in keeping it freshly
painted and the ground neat and at
tractive.
On May 10th, 1859, he married
Emma c. Treen, daughter of John M.
Trcen, of Mays Landing. She was
noted for her culinary skill and as a
gracious public entertainer. During
many they had from fifty to
eighty sojourners at n time. Col.
French was a master manager of So
cial outing parties and won his title
by his commanding presence.
Col. French, not only was enterpris-
ing with his own property but had the
public spirit to encourage and aid pub
lie enterprises. When the railroad
was built in 1916 and when the
floods wrecked it in 1879 he stood by
and aided the local directors. When
1T was proposed to lay a road near the
shore and develop the best building
land which is now idle, he gave 1t en-
enlargement. When Penns Grove
National Bank was Incorporated in
1900 he became a stakeholder and was
a director for IA years until his health
failed. Six years ago when 1t was
proposed to build a high school build,
ing and have four acres OF school
ground he gave his encouragement TO
the proposition altho he had no one
to attend school.
He had a modest demeanor and en-,
loved a quiet home life and regretted
its disturbance by the unruly element
who came with the powder boom. He
never catered for bar trade and his
manner of conducting a public house
was for the better morals of the COM
munity. -
His enterprising spirit in keeping
his property attractive made a most
p~resentable welcome to strangers IN
Penns Grove. Penns Grove needs an
other such man in his prime to man.
age French's Hotel property
He is survived by a widow and two
grandsons, Joseph F. Chandler
William Paul Chandler. Their only
child, Mary Elizabeth, wife of Arthur
H. Chandler, died about V years
ago.