Marcus Spring (October 21, 1810 – August 22, 1874) was, with his wife Rebecca Buffum Spring, the creator of the

Raritan Bay Union The Raritan Bay Union was a utopian community in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, active from 1853 until 1860. History Raritan Bay Union the community was started by Marcus Spring and his wife Rebecca Buffum Spring (1811–1911). Theodore Dwight Weld ...

, a

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...

community in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,4 ...

Early life

He was born in

Northbridge, Massachusetts Northbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,335 at the 2020 census. The Northbridge Town Hall is located at 7 Main Street in Whitinsville. The town is now a part of the Blackstone River Valley Na ...

, in 1810 to Adolphus Spring (1772–1847) and Lydia Taft (1772–1838) and attended

Uxbridge Academy The Uxbridge Common District is located in downtown Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic buildings in this district include the Uxbridge Academy, Uxbridge Free Public Library, the Deborah ...

. In 1831 he moved to New York City and was a cotton merchant. He married Rebecca Buffum (1812–1911), a wealthy Quaker, on October 16, 1836. The Springs were the traveling companions of feminist author

Margaret Fuller Sarah Margaret Fuller (May 23, 1810 – July 19, 1850), sometimes referred to as Margaret Fuller Ossoli, was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movemen ...

during Fuller's tour of Europe in 1846 and 1847.

Career

Around 1850 he became a stockholder in the

North American Phalanx The North American Phalanx was a secular utopian socialist commune located in Colts Neck Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The community was the longest-lived of about 30 Fourierist Associations in the United States which emerged during a ...

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan ...

. He started the

, as a

community in 1853. It closed in 1860 and he started the

Eagleswood Military Academy The Eagleswood Military Academy was a private military academy in Perth Amboy, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, which served antebellum educational needs. The Eagleswood Military Academy was started by Rebecca Spring (1812–1911) ...

in 1861. His son was

Edward Adolphus Spring Edward Adolphus Spring (August 26, 1837 New York City - 1907) was an American sculptor. Biography He was the son of Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman per ...

, a sculptor.

References

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

; August 22, 1874; Obituary; Marcus Spring *Richard C. S. Trahair; Utopias and Utopians: An Historical Dictionary 1810 births 1874 deaths Founders of utopian communities People from Northbridge, Massachusetts People from Perth Amboy, New Jersey People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts {{US-bio-stub

Early life

Career

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References