(Daniel-Elkanah-Isaac-Elkanah-Elkanah-Edward)
Mr. Babbitt resided in Berkshire Valley and worked on his father's farm until
his marriage when he removed to Hilton, N. J., where he lived until April 1, 1861.
He then moved into, what was at the time, the suburbs of Newark, now known as Bloomfield
Ave., where his substantial farm house still stands in a thickly settled section of the
city.
Until 1862 Mr. Babbitt was a staunch Democrat, but the war and the treatment of the
negroes completely changed his politics. At one time the home of a faithful negro
employee, was surrounded by a mob, armed with every conceivable sort of weapon, and eager
for a lynching. Fortunately the negro had been hidden by Mr. Babbitt in his hay mow
in a barn at some distance from his house. The mob surrounded Mr. Babbitt's house,
which so enraged him that he appeared on the scene with a pistol in each hand and ordered
the mob to disperse, threatening to shoot the first one who entered his gate. He
assured them that the negro was not in his house. Knowing Mr. Babbitt's fearlessness
and determination they dispersed. Next day a load of hay, with the negro concealed therein
was driven to a place of safety. In 1868, Mr. Babbitt's farm was sold and cut into
building lots and he lived a retired life until his death, at his home on High Street, in
Newark.
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