Special Collections: Ephraim Ogden Journal Collection

This collection contains Ephraim Ogden’s journal, which he wrote from 1804 to 1806. Also found in this collection are transcripts of the journal created by William Leap and edited and added to by Bob Barnett ahead of its publication by the South Jersey Culture and History Center in 2015. Also found in the collection are the research materials pertaining to the contents of the journal. 

Ephraim Fairchild Ogden (1782-1862) grew up on his father’s farm in Morris County, New Jersey. The journal in this collection starts in March of 1804, when he begins traveling with his cousin to seek employment. Ogden ended up finding a position as a schoolmaster in what is known today as Haddon Heights. His journal covers the day-to-day life of a 19th-century schoolmaster including school rules, information about students and staff, and diary-like entries pertaining to teaching and boarding with Quakers (whom he describes as shallow and bigoted). 

After the period of time that the journal covers, Ogden left South Jersey and returned to his home in Morris County, where he worked as a hatter. By 1811, he became a Master Mason and was involved in the establishment of the Masonic Lodge in Flemington, New Jersey (known as Hiram Lodge). For unknown reasons, Ogden moved to Wisconsin in 1828, but his wife and daughter seem to have stayed behind in New Jersey. Ogden remained involved with the Masons, and when he died in 1862, and he was one of the first people to be buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Lafayette County, Wisconsin.

Collection processed by Jess Chamberlain, Special Collections intern, Spring 2022.

Stockton University does not own the rights to all of the items within this collection. Any researcher seeking to duplicate items within this collection are responsible for reaching out to the proper organizations to obtain permission or copyright on their own.