James R Winder - The Trenton Years

While James probably took some time to establish himself and his family in Trenton, as in Worcester, life in his new country was more than the treadmill of day-to-day existence.  In place of the Ancient Order of Foresters, James became involved, first in fraternal chivalric orders and then in Freemasonry.  By 1896, he was an officer of Couer de Lion Encampment No. 16 of the Knights of Malta and St. John.  No more than two years later, he was both Commander of the organization and chair of a committee planning a regional/national meeting scheduled for Trenton in the fall of 1899.  This involvement continued for the balance of James' life including (along with son, James W) helping to re-incorporate the Encampment as a Chapter of the Knights Templar in 1906.

Trenton Evening Times - June 30, 1906

Involvement in one organization was apparently not sufficient as early in 1904, James was installed as "shepherd" and "trustee" of the Independent Order of Shepherds, Alpha Lodge No 1.  No explanation of the additional commitment survives, but since this organization was co-ed, it may have been a place for father-daughter activity, much like the masons provided father and son opportunities.  Whatever the reason, only six months later, James was elevated to vice-chairman of what the Trenton Evening News called "one of the best lodges in the city."  James did other things with his daughters such as attending an Order of the Eastern Star meeting where he "gave a fitting and appreciated oration" which was followed by some "beautiful soul searching music" by daughter Elsie.

Elsie Winder

According to some research done by Greg LaConte (James' great-great-great grandson and himself a mason), James was also a member of Trenton Masonic Lodge (today's Trenton Cyrus Lodge #5) being initiated in April of 1904, passed in June and raised on July 18th of that same year.  According to Greg's research the masons and fraternal orders have similar core beliefs, but very different ritual and dogma.  Masons use working tools of an operative mason to teach moral values while chivalric orders work towards the same goals through the teachings of the historic orders their names reference.

Trenton Evening Times  - October 19, 1902

Music also continued to play an important part in James' life as he was reported as singing at his and Mary's silver anniversary celebration and at a Shepherd's meeting.  James had also not forgotten the benefits he received as a young man from the Worcester School of Art.  Only about 15 months before his death, a list of 63 of the "most prominent gentlemen in the city" attending  a dinner supporting the Trenton School of the Arts included James R. Winder.  Although the Winder family wasn't getting rich from the Delaware Pottery Company, they had at least enough money to make some small real estate investments in late 1906 and early 1907.  Of these the largest was a project to build a nine unit housing project on Swenson Avenue near Hermitage Avenue in Trenton.  James' partners in this project were another English immigrant family, general contractor James Proctor and his son, Samuel.

The "cakewalk" - a minstrel dance reportedly performed at James and Mary's 25th wedding anniversary

The aforementioned real estate project was not the first nor the most important Winder-Proctor partnership.  In the early years of the 20th century, James William Winder and Mary Elizabeth Proctor fell in love and were married on October 14, 1903.  This is perhaps, symbolic of the coming of age of all four Winder children during the family's first twenty years in Trenton.  By 1910 even Florence, the baby of the family, was married and out on her own.  James W and Elsie had long working careers outside the home, Elsie as a music teacher and James ultimately as a carpenter at C. V. Hills, a Trenton refrigerator manufacturer.  Edith and Florence both married and had three and six children respectively between them.  By 1910 James had six grandchildren with seven to come that he would never know.

As 1910 dawned did James have any sense his life was drawing to a close.  Certainly everyone in the family was reminded of their mortality when James' mother died in February after 10 years in Trenton.  Obviously there is no way to know the answer, but the fact that James had been treated for heart disease suggests he had to have known all was not well.  Equally clearly, however, James and his family began that fateful day as if it were an ordinary Saturday.

James and Mary Winder's grave - Riverview Cemetery in Trenton

What, if anything, did he think about in those last minutes and hours?  We can only hope he had a sense of satisfaction about how well he had used what must have seemed like a short 53 plus years.  Rising from very humble beginnings, James became a skilled craftsman and served his community while starting and providing for a family in England.  Having done all that once, he and his wife had the courage and faith to move more than 3000 miles and start over, making a better life, not only for their children, but for all of us who are fortunate enough to be their descendants.  Many of his gifts and interests, like music and fraternal orders continue among us today over a century after his death.  James R. Winder may not have had the longest life, but no one can question that he used his time wisely and well.

James R. Winder - The New World

                                            Old Barge Office - Lower Manhattan

As noted in prior posts, there is no documentation of when and where James R arrived in the United States.  Since Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892 and James does not appear on any of the records for that facility, it seems safe to believe he arrived in late 1891.  While it is possible he took a ship to Philadelphia which was closer to his ultimate destination, it still seems more likely he first arrived in New York City since there were more regular voyages to that city.  If so, then he was one of the last groups of immigrants to be processed through the Old Barge Office which was the New York City immigrant reception center after Castle Garden and before Ellis Island.  After completing the immigration process and, relatively unhampered by a language barrier,  James most likely took the ferry from Manhattan to Hoboken or Jersey City before boarding a train for Trenton.  Obviously his first need was a place to stay and his first documented residence was at 41 Southard Street where he most likely stayed until the rest of the family arrived the following spring.

                                                  Trenton Directory - 1892

In moving from Worcester to Trenton, James was coming to a larger and faster growing city.  Trenton's population in 1890 was over 57,000 compared to almost 43,000 in Worcester a year later.  While Worcester had grown by almost 10,000 in people during James' 30 years in the city, this paled in comparison with Trenton where the population had grown by three times as many over the same period, making it the 50th largest city in the United States.  This rapid growth was due in no small part to the same reason that accounted for James' presence in Trenton.  Aided by favorable access to both raw materials and the New York and Philadelphia markets plus the previously mentioned tariff protection, in 1890,Trenton had 37 pottery firms employing over 4200 workers compared to only 14 firms with less than 1000 workers only 20 years earlier.  As an experienced and skilled pottery worker, James would clearly have no problem finding work.

Trenton Evening Times - December 24, 1891

Trenton's industrial growth and expanding population led to a strong local economy.  As James established himself, he could draw on the services of 82 barbers, 57 boot and shoe makers, 67 butchers, over 100 cigar stores, not to mention 20 dentists (not counting two horse dentists) and 17 Chinese laundries.  New things were going on as well with the December 26, 1891 dedication of the Battle of Trenton monument on the 115th anniversary of the battle and the impending opening of new chambers for the State Assembly.  Trenton in 1891, however, was not utopia.  A fire right before Christmas destroyed the Crescent Pottery works costing employees wages needed for the Christmas holidays and the colder winter months.  More importantly for James, he arrived in the city in the midst of an epidemic of grippe or influenza.  Accounts in the December 31 edition of the Trenton Evening Times claimed record levels of illness and death from the disease reportedly worsened by mild weather.

 Portion of 1890's Map of Trenton Showing the Delaware Pottery and Rutherford Avenue

No information has been found about James' first pottery employment, but since at his death, he was described as a long time employee of the Delaware Pottery Company, it's not unreasonable to think that was his sole place of employment.  The premise is supported by the fact that when Mary and the children arrived in early 1892, they moved to Rutherford Avenue a short walk from the pottery company.  Technically the Delaware Pottery Company was part of the merged Trenton Pottery Company or TEPCO, but this was a horizontal merger which left the five original companies operating on what appears to be a stand-alone basis.  The company was a manufacturer of sanitary ware (sinks, toilets, bathtubs etc.) which was a thriving part of the American and, therefore, Trenton pottery industry.  While making toilets for a living sounds humorous to us today, increased demand for sanitation and the convenience of indoor plumbing made the business profitable and somewhat protected from the economic downturn of the 1890's.

                                          
                                                  Solid Porcelain Bathtub

In addition "skilled handwork" was more important in sanitary ware than general ware so there was no lack of professional pride in the trade.  Perhaps starting as a mouldmaker and then moving to modeling, James professional work required the skill and strength to make the multiple parts of a piece of sanitary ware.  The year before James arrived in Trenton, over 3800 English immigrants made up 40% of Trenton's pottery workforce and they were reportedly "crucial to Trenton's sanitary potteries."  Only two years after James' moved to the United States, U. S. sanitary ware was considered to be better than European brands and "dominated the American market."  It's no surprise then that as the 19th century moved to a close, Trenton made 86% of the country's sanitary ware and that TEPCO (including Delaware Pottery) made 40% of Trenton's production

         Portion of the 1900 Census showing the Winder family including James' mother

While overall, James and family were in a good economic situation, there were still bumps in the road.  Demand for sanitary ware fluctuated with the housing market and both economic downturns and labor strife were also problems.  In spite of these challenges, the move had to have been a positive financial change as Mary no longer worked outside the home and they were able to take in James' mother when she came to the United States in 1899.  At that point, the family was renting 300 Rutherford Avenue before buying their own home at 331 on the same street.  In that same year only 1/3 of Trenton's pottery workers owned their own homes.  Not only did James and Mary own their own residence, but it was debt free.  In 1914, four years after James' death, sanitary workers made an average of $714 per year, some 26% more than the average New Jersey worker and James clearly put his income to good use.