PROMINENT BUSINESS MAN AND FINANCIER IN NEW BRUNSWICK -- DESCENDANT OF DUTCH SETTLERS.

Jonathan Coombs Ackerman was born 1793 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, NJ, the 4th of 7 known surviving children (4 boys/3 girls) born to Geleyn Ackerman and his wife, Jane Coombs (Combs). Both his father and grandfather are often recorded in public records as Ockerman or Ockarman; and his father's name has been found as Gerlyn, Garlon, and Garline. Jonathan was born 10 years after the end of the Revolutionary War, in which his father served as a Patriot in the Middlesex County unit.

The City of New Brunswick is well known for it's early Dutch settlers who arrived from Albany, NY in 1730; but the Ackerman's were descendants of the Dutch settlers who settled in New Amsterdam, from the area today known as Brooklyn who later settled in Bergen County, NJ. This branch of the Ackerman family came to New Brunswick ca. 1760, some 30 years or so after the arrival of the Albany Dutch settlers.

Jonathan Coombs Ackerman was the paternal grandson of Abraham (Abram) Ackerman and Janet Romeyn, the first of this branch of the Ackerman family to settle in New Brunswick from Bergen County, NJ. He was the gr-grandson of Geleyn (Gallien) Ackerman and Rachel Albert Van Vorhees of Hackensack, Bergen County; and gr-gr-grandson of this family's patriarch, Abraham "David" Davidtse Ackerman (ca. 1659-1704), also known as Davit, who first came to New Netherlands from Berlicum, Nord Brabant, Netherlands from the area of that country closest to Belgium, and married Aeltie Adrianse Van Laer, daughter of Adrian Van Laer and Abigael Ver Planken, on May 28, 1683 at Flatbush, Brooklyn, Kings County, NY.

Abraham Davit/David Ackerman resided at Bedford, Westchester County, New York, in 1683 (now part of Brooklyn), but by 1684 had removed to Hackensack in Bergen County where he purchased a tract of land reaching from the Hackensack River to the Saddle River. The location of which now comprises most of what is now known as the towns Woodridge and Hasbrouck Heights and several other smaller towns. That same year he joined the Bergen Reformed Church (Jersey City, NJ) by certificate from Midwout and erected a house at 184 Essex Street. The Abraham Ackerman house, today known as the Ackerman-Brinkeroff House, now destroyed, was reported as still standing in good repair as late as 1946.

Jonathan Coombs Ackerman married Maria Smith of New Jersey and became parents of 8 known children (4 boys/4 girls), all of whom left their mark in the history of New Jersey, and all of whom are buried here: Caroline Elizabeth Ackerman (1817-1845), Theodore J. Ackerman (1821-1911); Jeanie (Jane) C. Ackerman (1823-1904), George Ackerman (1824-1874), Warren Ackerman (1827-1893), Mary S. Ackerman (1830-1895), Maria L. Ackerman (1832-1901), and James Hervey Ackerman (1837-1885).

The Ackerman's erected a family home on the corner of George and Bayard Streets, New Brunswick, which stood for many years; and were members of the First Dutch Reformed Church in New Brunswick, located near their home.

Jonathan Ackerman was involved in many business ventures in New Brunswick, perhaps most notably as an early investor in the India Rubber Company. The production of rubber products in New Brunswick grew to prominence under the genius of German-immigrant Christopher Meyer. In 1839 Meyer came to New Brunswick and erected a steam engine machinery for Horace H. Day, and became the first manufacture of rubber goods in the city. Mr. Day was then having carriage and rubber shoes failures. Christopher Meyer, manufacturing under the Goodyear patent, contributed inventions to improving the machinery and perfecting the progress of rubber shoe making. He discovered a plan by which the disagreeable odor of the rubber was almost entirely eliminated, and the cloth and shoes rendered more durable, a plan which was only surpassed by the subsequent discovery of the process of vulcanization. Mr. Day refused to recognize the value of this process, and the two parted.

For about two years Mr. Meyer operated a small plant at the Landing (Lane) Bridge, and in 1843 Jonathan C. Ackerman proposed to build for him a factory on the site of the old Milltown grist mill. By 1850, Ackerman had incorporated the company known as The New Brunswick Rubber Company along with prominent businessmen Charles P. Dayton, Johnson Letson, Benjamin D. Stelle, James Hutchings, Peter C. Onderdonk, John Acken, Martin A. Howell, William McDonald, Peter P. Runyon, Lewis Stout, and James Bishop. They began business with $30,000 in assets, and by 1881 their wealth had increased to $300,000. Jonathan Ackerman held a large portion of stock in both the New Brunswick Rubber Company and the Newark India Rubber Company, which laid the financial foundation of the enormous success of his sons.

Jonathan Coombs Ackerman died in 1852 at age 59. His daughter, Caroline Elizabeth Ackerman Coles, had predeceased him; but he was survived by 7 of his children and his wife of some 35 years. His widow, Maria Smith Ackerman remained for a while in New Brunswick, but then removed to New York City with her youngest son and 3 of her daughters. She died there in 1873 at age 80, and her remains were returned to Willow Grove for burial with her husband.

Although all of his children married, this branch of the Ackerman family was carried on only through his sons Theodore and James Hervery Ackerman, who were the only sons to have children.

Two of Jonathan C. Ackerman's grandchildren, children of his daughter Caroline, would become wealthy philanthropists. In honor of their grandparents, the Coles children donated 12 beautiful stained-glass windows to the First Reformed Dutch Church in New Brunswick, where their grandparents had worshiped. The windows are believed to have been designed by Tiffany. In May 1971, tragedy struck the church on a Saturday morning when fire raced through the alter area, severely damaging the supporting pillars, part of the gallery, as well as the organ. All except one of the priceless stained-glass windows were destroyed. Two of them were authenticated Tiffany windows which had attracted glass experts and served as study pieces for stained-glass scholars. The only one saved was the one depicting Christ the Shepherd.

This branch of the Ackerman family left New Brunswick soon after the death of Jonathan Coombs Ackerman, and none returned. His sons settled in and around Plainfield, Union County, where at least 3 generations of Ackermans made their mark as prominent and wealthy businessmen and politicians. Some of his children and grandchildren, buried here are believed to have been buried in Plainfield first, and re-interred here at some later date.

Of note, also buried here is Jonathan C. Ackerman's uncle and his family -- David R. Ackerman, son of Abraham & Jane Romeyn Ackerman, and younger brother of his father, Geleyn Ackerman.