George Washington Helme
Encyclopedia
George Washington Helme (b. 1822, Kingston, Pennsylvania
), the founder of Helmetta, New Jersey
, was the ninth child and fifth son of Major Oliver Helme (descendant of an old Rhode Island family begun by Christopher Helme
) by his second wife Sarah Pease Fish.
As a young man George Helme obtained a clerkship with Asa Packer
, a wealthy contractor involved in the construction of locks, boats, and railroads for the transport of coal (and who eventually founded Lehigh University
). In his mid-twenties, Helme resigned his position with Mr. Packer and moved to Louisiana
, where his older brother Samuel was living. There he studied law and was admitted to the bar in New Orleans
around 1851, subsequently establishing his own law practice, which he continued until the outbreak of the Civil War
.
He returned north to marry Margaret Appleby in 1856 in Spotswood, New Jersey
. Their first two children, daughters, were born before the Civil War. The first child, born in New Jersey in 1857, died a year later. Their second child was born in New Jersey in 1859. Their third child was born in Chatawa, Mississippi (about 100 miles north of New Orleans)
in 1862, just after war broke out. Their last child, a son, was born after the war in 1866 in New Jersey.
Helme left his law practice and enlisted in the Confederate States Army
on March 8, 1862 in New Orleans as a Captain in the Crescent Regiment, commanding Company G, Marion Rangers, nicknamed the Ruggles Guards. The regiment went immediately to Corinth, Mississippi
, to reinforce General P. G. T. Beauregard
’s army. On April 6, 1862 the regiment played an important role in the capture of two Federal divisions during the Battle of Shiloh
. The regiment commander’s report of the engagement cited Captain Helme as “among the line officers I have great satisfaction in mentioning ... as distinguished for coolness, bravery, and the faithful discharge of their duty...” The regiment was disbanded on June 3, 1862 at the expiration of its 90 day enlistment, most of the men being transferred into the 18th Louisiana Regiment.
Captain Helme resigned on June 19, 1862, when he was transferred to the mining service of the Trans-Mississippi Department. This assignment may have been related to an act of April 11, 1862, establishing the “Niter and Mining Bureau”
, which was charged with the securing of niter
(saltpeter
) for the manufacture of gunpowder
, copper
, lead
, iron
, coal
, zinc
, and other such materials as might be required for the prosecution of the war.
The Bureau opened new coalfields in North Carolina
and Alabama
and coordinated the flow of mineral fuel to Confederate naval stations along the coast. A corps of officers was established for this purpose. Captain Helme’s earlier experience back in Pennsylvania working for Asa Packer may have influenced this assignment. On June 9, 1864 another act was passed which increased the rank of the officers involved. There is nothing in the early Confederate records to indicate that Helme was anything other than a Captain, although later biographical sketches identify him as a Major General
. (His son-in-law, Charles Godfrey Strater, identified him as a Major in a priviate family document printed in 1928.)
When the war ended, Helme returned north, to New Jersey
and New York City
, where he engaged in the real estate
business for several years, acquiring considerable property.
In 1866 he formed a co-partnership with his brother-in-law Jacob Appleby, for the manufacture of snuff
and tobacco
. This lasted until 1877 or 1878, when Helme became the full owner of the enterprise, eventually renamed the George W. Helme Tobacco Company
, and one of the largest snuff producers in the country. During the middle 1880s he purchased land between Spotswood and Jamesburg, New Jersey
on which his mill and 105 homes for workers were built. This area, initially known as Railroad Mills, became Helmetta, New Jersey
, and was reputedly named after his youngest daughter Olivia Antoinette, whose nickname was Etta.
At the time of Helme's death Helmetta had a population of five hundred persons, and five factories employing over three hundred persons, many from Spotswood and Jamesburg. For ten years Helme was a member of the board of trustees of the State Reform School at Jamesburg and president of the board for eight years. His family was influential in establishing St. George’s Episcopal Church in Helmetta.
He died at in 1893 in Helmetta, aged 71. A special car of the Pennsylvania Railroad
left Jersey City for the benefit of those wishing to attend the funeral services. The Camden Post (Camden, New Jersey
) reported that 1,500 persons attended. The funeral procession of almost 500, some in horse-drawn carriages, some walking, made its way south to nearby Fernwood Cemetery in Jamesburg, where he was buried in the Helme Mausoleum, the largest in the cemetery, located on the highest point of ground. He was reported to have been the second wealthiest man in the state.
He was survived by his wife and three children. A grandson was painter Henry Hyacinth Strater.
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
), the founder of Helmetta, New Jersey
Helmetta, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,825 people, 746 households, and 495 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,153.6 people per square mile . There were 769 housing units at an average density of 907.5 per square mile...
, was the ninth child and fifth son of Major Oliver Helme (descendant of an old Rhode Island family begun by Christopher Helme
Christopher Helme of Rhode Island
Christopher Helme was an originator of a long line of descent of Helmes, Helms and Helmses in North America.-Biography:Helme was baptized on 24 July 1603 in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, England, the son of William Elme and Grisill Spratt...
) by his second wife Sarah Pease Fish.
As a young man George Helme obtained a clerkship with Asa Packer
Asa Packer
Asa Packer was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University.-Early life:...
, a wealthy contractor involved in the construction of locks, boats, and railroads for the transport of coal (and who eventually founded Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
). In his mid-twenties, Helme resigned his position with Mr. Packer and moved to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, where his older brother Samuel was living. There he studied law and was admitted to the bar in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
around 1851, subsequently establishing his own law practice, which he continued until the outbreak of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
He returned north to marry Margaret Appleby in 1856 in Spotswood, New Jersey
Spotswood, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2008, there were 7,880 people, 3,099 households, and 2,163 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,389.8 people per square mile . There were 3,158 housing units at an average density of 1,358.5 per square mile...
. Their first two children, daughters, were born before the Civil War. The first child, born in New Jersey in 1857, died a year later. Their second child was born in New Jersey in 1859. Their third child was born in Chatawa, Mississippi (about 100 miles north of New Orleans)
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in 1862, just after war broke out. Their last child, a son, was born after the war in 1866 in New Jersey.
Helme left his law practice and enlisted in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
on March 8, 1862 in New Orleans as a Captain in the Crescent Regiment, commanding Company G, Marion Rangers, nicknamed the Ruggles Guards. The regiment went immediately to Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.- History :...
, to reinforce General P. G. T. Beauregard
P. G. T. Beauregard
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...
’s army. On April 6, 1862 the regiment played an important role in the capture of two Federal divisions during the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. The regiment commander’s report of the engagement cited Captain Helme as “among the line officers I have great satisfaction in mentioning ... as distinguished for coolness, bravery, and the faithful discharge of their duty...” The regiment was disbanded on June 3, 1862 at the expiration of its 90 day enlistment, most of the men being transferred into the 18th Louisiana Regiment.
Captain Helme resigned on June 19, 1862, when he was transferred to the mining service of the Trans-Mississippi Department. This assignment may have been related to an act of April 11, 1862, establishing the “Niter and Mining Bureau”
Niter and Mining Corps
The Niter and Mining Corps was a military unit within the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Their original task was to keep the Confederacy supplied with minerals and metals needed for the war effort, but as the conflict dragged on, they were at times assigned to field and...
, which was charged with the securing of niter
Niter
Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter or saltpetre . Historically, the term "niter" – cognate with "natrium", a Latin word for sodium – has been very vaguely defined, and it has been applied to a variety of other minerals and chemical compounds,...
(saltpeter
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
) for the manufacture of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, and other such materials as might be required for the prosecution of the war.
The Bureau opened new coalfields in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and coordinated the flow of mineral fuel to Confederate naval stations along the coast. A corps of officers was established for this purpose. Captain Helme’s earlier experience back in Pennsylvania working for Asa Packer may have influenced this assignment. On June 9, 1864 another act was passed which increased the rank of the officers involved. There is nothing in the early Confederate records to indicate that Helme was anything other than a Captain, although later biographical sketches identify him as a Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
. (His son-in-law, Charles Godfrey Strater, identified him as a Major in a priviate family document printed in 1928.)
When the war ended, Helme returned north, to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he engaged in the real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
business for several years, acquiring considerable property.
In 1866 he formed a co-partnership with his brother-in-law Jacob Appleby, for the manufacture of snuff
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. This lasted until 1877 or 1878, when Helme became the full owner of the enterprise, eventually renamed the George W. Helme Tobacco Company
Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company
The Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company of Wheeling, West Virginia, are best known for their Mail Pouch Tobacco. Mail Pouch was a popular chew advertised on thousands of barns, most of which were located in the rural Ohio Valley. Each barn had an end or side painted with the tobacco logo...
, and one of the largest snuff producers in the country. During the middle 1880s he purchased land between Spotswood and Jamesburg, New Jersey
Jamesburg, New Jersey
Jamesburg is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 6,025.Jamesburg was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1887, when it was created from portions of Monroe Township, based on...
on which his mill and 105 homes for workers were built. This area, initially known as Railroad Mills, became Helmetta, New Jersey
Helmetta, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,825 people, 746 households, and 495 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,153.6 people per square mile . There were 769 housing units at an average density of 907.5 per square mile...
, and was reputedly named after his youngest daughter Olivia Antoinette, whose nickname was Etta.
At the time of Helme's death Helmetta had a population of five hundred persons, and five factories employing over three hundred persons, many from Spotswood and Jamesburg. For ten years Helme was a member of the board of trustees of the State Reform School at Jamesburg and president of the board for eight years. His family was influential in establishing St. George’s Episcopal Church in Helmetta.
He died at in 1893 in Helmetta, aged 71. A special car of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
left Jersey City for the benefit of those wishing to attend the funeral services. The Camden Post (Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
) reported that 1,500 persons attended. The funeral procession of almost 500, some in horse-drawn carriages, some walking, made its way south to nearby Fernwood Cemetery in Jamesburg, where he was buried in the Helme Mausoleum, the largest in the cemetery, located on the highest point of ground. He was reported to have been the second wealthiest man in the state.
He was survived by his wife and three children. A grandson was painter Henry Hyacinth Strater.