Josiah Hornblower
Encyclopedia
Josiah Hornblower was an English engineer and statesman in America Belleville, New Jersey
. He was a delegate for New Jersey
in the Continental Congress
in 1785 and 1786.
, England
, the son of steam power pioneer Joseph Hornblower
. As a young man, he studied mechanics and mathematics. In 1745, he started working for his elder brother Jonathan
as an engineering
apprentice. They went to Cornwall
, England and built Newcomen
steam engine
s for use in tin mines. Josiah became an expert in both the engines and mining operations.
Around 1753, the Schuyler family brought him to America to support their copper mines on New Barbadoes Neck
. Hornblower settled in Belleville and is credited with building the first steam engine in America in 1755. There is some dispute about the validity of the project, since he apparently (and illegally) brought two or three sets of critical engine parts with him from England.
He continued to practice mechanical and civil engineering for much of his life. In 1794, he built the first stamping mill in America. (A stamping mill mechanically crushes raw ore for further processing.)
. One of their sons was Joseph Coerten Hornblower
, who later became chief justice of New Jersey’s supreme court.
Over the years, Hornblower became American in his attitude as well as by residence. In the French and Indian War
, he was a captain in the Essex County
Regiment of the New Jersey militia. However, his company was assigned for defence and he didn’t see action. In 1760, he opened a hardware store as an adjunct to his engineering work, and became a prosperous merchant.
, which functioned as an upper house
in the legislature.
Then in 1785, the New Jersey assembly sent Hornblower as one of their delegates to the Continental Congress
. His term started in November of 1785 and ran for a year. While he was diligent in attendance and voting, he wasn’t a leading member of the Congress. After his year, he returned home to attend to his engineering and mercantile pursuits.
and the Passaic River
over the next two decades.
He remained somewhat active in public life as well, serving as a County Judge from 1790 until 1808, when his failing health forced him to resign. Josiah died in Newark
on January 21, 1809 and is buried in the yard of the Dutch Reformed Church at Belleville.
Belleville, New Jersey
Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...
. He was a delegate for 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...
in the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1785 and 1786.
Engineering career
Josiah was born in StaffordshireStaffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of steam power pioneer Joseph Hornblower
Joseph Hornblower
Joseph Hornblower was an English engineer, a pioneer of steam power.In 1725 he was engaged to install a Newcomen engine at Wheal Rose, near Truro. He settled in Salem, Cornwall in 1748....
. As a young man, he studied mechanics and mathematics. In 1745, he started working for his elder brother Jonathan
Jonathan Hornblower (1717)
Jonathan Hornblower was an English pioneer of steam power, the son of Joseph Hornblower and brother of Josiah Hornblower, two fellow steam pioneers....
as an engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
apprentice. They went to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England and built Newcomen
Thomas Newcomen
Thomas Newcomen was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling. He was born in Dartmouth, Devon, England, near a part of the country noted for its tin mines. Flooding was a major problem, limiting the depth at which the mineral could be mined...
steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s for use in tin mines. Josiah became an expert in both the engines and mining operations.
Around 1753, the Schuyler family brought him to America to support their copper mines on New Barbadoes Neck
New Barbadoes Neck
New Barbadoes Neck is the name given in the colonial era for the peninsula in northeastern New Jersey, USA between the lower Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, in what is now western Hudson County and southern Bergen County...
. Hornblower settled in Belleville and is credited with building the first steam engine in America in 1755. There is some dispute about the validity of the project, since he apparently (and illegally) brought two or three sets of critical engine parts with him from England.
He continued to practice mechanical and civil engineering for much of his life. In 1794, he built the first stamping mill in America. (A stamping mill mechanically crushes raw ore for further processing.)
Before the revolution
In 1755, Josiah married Elizabeth Kingsland, the daughter of Colonel William Kingsland of Bergen CountyBergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
. One of their sons was Joseph Coerten Hornblower
Joseph Coerten Hornblower
Joseph Coerten Hornblower was an American lawyer and jurist from Belleville, New Jersey. He was the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.-Biography:...
, who later became chief justice of New Jersey’s supreme court.
Over the years, Hornblower became American in his attitude as well as by residence. In the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, he was a captain in the Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
Regiment of the New Jersey militia. However, his company was assigned for defence and he didn’t see action. In 1760, he opened a hardware store as an adjunct to his engineering work, and became a prosperous merchant.
Political career
For several years, Josiah had acted as a leading citizen. He served as clerk in various town meetings and for his county. As New Jersey established a revolutionary government, Essex County sent him to the state’s Assembly from 1777–1780, and in 1780, the Assembly named him its speaker. From 1781 until 1784, he was a member of the New Jersey Legislative CouncilNew Jersey Legislative Council
The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844.-History:...
, which functioned as an upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
in the legislature.
Then in 1785, the New Jersey assembly sent Hornblower as one of their delegates to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
. His term started in November of 1785 and ran for a year. While he was diligent in attendance and voting, he wasn’t a leading member of the Congress. After his year, he returned home to attend to his engineering and mercantile pursuits.
Later life
Josiah remained active in engineering circles, and for a time served as the head of a mine association. He expanded his operations, opening various mills in along the Second RiverSecond River (New Jersey)
The Second River, or Watsessing River, in the state of New Jersey in the United States, is the second main tributary of the Passaic River encountered while travelling upstream from its mouth at Newark Bay....
and the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
over the next two decades.
He remained somewhat active in public life as well, serving as a County Judge from 1790 until 1808, when his failing health forced him to resign. Josiah died in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
on January 21, 1809 and is buried in the yard of the Dutch Reformed Church at Belleville.