Essex County NJ Archives Biographies.....Sydney Norris OGDEN, 1853 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nj/njfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 8, 2008, 4:11 pm Author: Mary Depue Ogden, Editor (1917) OGDEN, Syndey Norris, Accomplished Actuary. Sydney Norris Ogden was born August 7, 1853, in East Twenty-third street, New York, then almost the outskirts of the city. His father, Morgan Lewis Ogden, had been engaged in the cotton shipping business in Mobile, Alabama, with his brother, Charles Ogden; later he removed to New York with his wife and four children, to study law. In 1855 the family settled in Washington, D. C., where Mr. Ogden Sr. practiced law until 1863, when business in New York recalled him. While in Washington, Sydney Norris Ogden was a member of the famous Lincoln Zouaves, and a friend and playmate of "Willie" and "Tad" Lincoln. In 1865 the Ogden family came to Newark, and occupied the old Kearny house, then surrounded by twenty-five acres, where Mr. Ogden lived until 1900. Mr. Ogden was a lineal descendant of old John Ogden, who settled in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1641, and later founded the city of Elizabethtown, New Jersey. His son David moved to Newark, and married Elizabeth Swaine, widow of Josiah Ward, who had the distinction of being the first to land on the banks of the Passaic when the first settlers arrived. The Rev. Uzal Ogden, great-grandfather of Sydney Norris Ogden, was the first rector of Trinity Church, Newark, and was elected first Bishop of New Jersey. Samuel Gouveneur Ogden, Mr. Ogden's grandfather, was one of the famous old merchants of New York City, for many years a prominent figure in financial circles. He financed the historical "Miranda" expedition, for which he was never reimbursed, but received a vote of thanks from the first Congress which assembled after Colombia had thrown off Spanish rule. Samuel Gouveneur Ogden married Eliza Lewis, granddaughter of Francis Lewis, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Eliza Glendie McLaughlin, the mother of Sydney Norris Ogden, was born September 28, 1817, in Baltimore, Maryland, and died December 23, 1862, in Washington, D. C. She was the daughter of General Matthew McLaughlin, who served with distinction all through the War of 1812, and Sydney Ravely Norris, of Baltimore, Maryland, a descendant of Benjamin Norris, who was prominent in the early history of Maryland. Sydney Norris Ogden was educated first in the public school, and afterwards at the Newark Academy, where he graduated in 1869. He entered the United States Coast Survey, where he served until 1876, when he resigned to accept a position as assistant in the mathematical department of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company of Newark, and later became its actuary, death only terminating his connection with the company. Mr. Ogden served two terms in the common council of Newark, where he was leader of the Republican members on the floor and chairman of the finance committee. He was one of the incorporators of the Protestant Episcopal Church of St. James, a member of the vestry from its inception, and for eight years its treasurer. He was a member of Northern Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. In 1867 he was the organizer of the Triton Boat Club, and was for over twenty years an active member. He was president of the Newark Tennis Club, a member of the Actuarial Society of America, the Wednesday Club, and the North End Club, of which he was vice-president and served on the board of governors. Mr. Ogden married, October 26, 1887, Mary Stuart Depue, daughter of Chief-Justice David Ayres Depue and Delia Ann Slocum. Their children were Mrs. Howard B. Norton, of East Orange; Mrs. Robert Needham Ball, Mrs. Joseph T. Shaw, both of Montclair; David Ayres Depue Ogden; and Sydney Norris Ogden Jr. No better idea of Mr. Ogden's personality can be given than the following tribute published by the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company at the time of his death: The death of Mr. Sydney N. Ogden, actuary of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, has occasioned profound sorrow amongst his office friends and associates, and we who knew him so well desire to pay loving tribute to his memory. Mr. Ogden's connection with the company covered more than thirty years, and during that long period he won for himself an exceptionally high place in the confidence and esteem of those with whom his relations were so close and intimate. Men who for many years are related to one another in business life have unusual opportunities to weigh and measure character—they learn to know one another, and to arrive at accurate personal values. It counts, therefore, for much more than fulsome eulogy when those who knew Mr. Ogden longest and most intimately can speak so highly of his worth. He was a man with a high sense of honor; he was true and manly—generous and considerate, and withal gifted with a personality so genial and winning that men counted it as a privilege to be numbered amongst his friends. No one can measure the influence of such a man; the record of his life amongst us is a rich legacy, and will long abide in our memories. Additional Comments: Extracted from: MEMORIAL CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF MARY DEPUE OGDEN VOLUME III MEMORIAL HISTORY COMPANY NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 1917 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/nj/essex/bios/ogden-sn.jpg This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/njfiles/ File size: 5.8 Kb This file is located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nj/essex/bios/ogden-sn.txt