Person:Benjamin Jackson (41)

Notes contributed by Dr. Anthony L. Troha: "I was searching for some data on the Morris Canal the other day, when I found a reference to a "Mr. Jackson" being the lock tender for Lock 1 East which was located in Ledgewood [formerly Drakesville], Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey. I thought that this may explain the presence of Daniel Lampson Jackson, his father, Silas H. Jackson, and his uncle, B. P. Jackson, in Ledgewood as mentioned in Daniel's obituary which appeared in The Iron Era on July 1, 1898. Doing so, I uncovered a great deal of information, but we are still left with a large number of unanswered questions. The Images in America Series book, The Morris Canal, Across New Jersey by Water and Rail, by Robert R. Goller, published by Arcadia Publishing (1999), has two pictures of the Morris Canal's Lock 1 East on Page 63. The upper postcard image on that page is accompanied by a caption that ends in the sentence "The wife of lock tender Benjamin Potter Jackson sent this card in 1907." The card itself is signed "Mrs. B. P. Jackson".
"So we now know that the "B. P. Jackson" cited in Daniel Lampson Jackson's obituary as an uncle is in fact Benjamin Potter Jackson, Lock Tender. Looking through 'The Iron Era', I found additional references to him, including the fact that he also ran a store out of his house, a business that was later moved to another building on the corner of a busy intersection near his home."

1850 Census Roxbury Twp, Morris Co., New Jersey
Charles Jackson 56 M Carpenter NJ
Comfort Jackson 53 F NJ
John 25 M boat builder NJ
Louisa 23 F NJ
Mary 17 F NJ
Martha 12 F NJ
Benjamin 14 M NJ

1860 Census Roxbury Twp., Roxbury Co., New Jersey
Chas. Jackson 66 M Farmer NJ
Comfort Jackson 66 F NJ
Mary Jackson 27 F Tailoress NJ
Benj. P. Jackson 24 M Boatman NJ ancestry indexed this as Benj. B. but the image shows Benj. P.
Chas. E. Jackson 11 M NJ (believe this is a grandchild, s/o Silas)

1870 Census Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., New Jersey
Jackson, Comfort 72 F W keeps house NJ
Jackson, Mary 35 NJ
Jackson, B. Potter 34 M W Boatman NJ (mis-indexed as B. Petter Jackson)

Death record for a child who is so far unknown name:
New Jersey Deaths and Burials, 1720-1988 at familysearch.org
name: Jackson
gender: Female
death date: 01 Feb 1883
death place: Rox., Morris, New Jersey
father's name: Benj. P. Jackson
father's birthplace: Us
mother's name: Alma P.
mother's birthplace: Us
indexing project (batch) number: B06587-4
system origin: New Jersey-EASy
source film number: 589076

New Jersey Census, 1643-1890 (ancestry.com)
Name: Benjamin P. Jackson
State: NJ
County: Morris County
Township: Ed 114 Roxbury
Year: 1890
Page: 001
Database: NJ 1890 Veterans Schedules

1900 Census Dist 70, Roxbury, Morris Co., New Jersey
Jackson, Benjamin P. Head W M Nov 1835 64 M18yrs NJ NJ NJ Grocer
Jackson, Alma P. wife W F Apr 1848 52 M 18 2ch/2 lvg NJ NJ NJ

1910 Census District 0046, Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., New Jersey
Jackson, Benj. P. head M W 74 M1 29yrs NJ NJ NJ
Jackson, Alma P. wife F W 63 M1 29yrs 2ch/0 lvg NJ NJ NJ
Wilkison, Malinda A. Sis-in-law F W 70 S NJ NJ NJ

Benjamin P Jackson
Birth: Nov. 10, 1835
Death: Feb. 15, 1912
UNION CIVIL WAR SOLDIER. MEMBER CO C, 27TH NEW JERSEY VOL. HUSBAND OF ALMA WILKISON
Burial: First Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Succasunna, Morris County, New Jersey, USA
Both Benjamin and Alma's listings at find-a-grave include photographs of the headstone and his Grand Army of the Republic marker. Succasunna is another part of Roxbury Township that borders Ledgewood, so they are buried about 2,000 feet away from the lock tender's house that they called home.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Find A Grave
   Memorial# 17713690.
2.   United States. 1910 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T624)
   Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., New Jersey.
3.   United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M653)
   Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., New Jersey.
4.   United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publications M593 and T132)
   Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., New Jersey.
5.   United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432)
   Roxbury Twp, Morris Co., New Jersey.
6.   United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T9)
   Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., New Jersey.