Ocean County , NJ History

New Jersey Courier 15 Nov 1918 Roscoe Conkling was in town Tuesday. J. Fields of New York was a Monday visitor. Mrs. Kate Falkinburgh and son Alton are visiting her daughter, Mrs. W. Bailey, at Barnegat City. Mrs. Tillie Steer of Philadelphia spent the week end with Mrs. Sallie Exel. Miss Martha Throckmorton has been spending a few days with Mrs. Harry Van Note. Mrs. Forrest Carter has been entertaining her mother. Mrs. A.J. Bugbee spent a few days with her mother in Camden this week. The First National Bank has erected a new flag pole alongside the bank, with all of the colors flying. Barnegat had a great celebration on Tuesday over the great victory. They had a parade by school children. Red Cross and all the prominent citizens of the town turned out in the grand march. After marching all through the town they stopped in front of the bank where a few addressess were made by Prof. W. Brown of the high school, Mrs. Sarah Hernburgh, J. Horace Sprague and Henry A. Tolbert, which

New Jersey Courier 14 Nov 1930 Buy your own bathroom and plumbing fixtures on easy terms, I will install them for you at a surprisingly low figure for the winter months. Why not let me figure with you. Just drop a card to H.I. Wright, Box 61, Holly Park, Bayville, NJ

Below are a few snippets from the New Jersey Mirror concerning the murder of John Webb by his brother, David. The names of this family seem similar to those of the family of Cassville famous for beginning cranberry cultivation in the 1840s, but I can't be sure. 20 Oct 1909 David L. Webb, of Webbsville, after killing his brother, John Webb, in a quarrel, walked 16 miles to Toms River on Saturday(presumably a reference to October 16, 1909) and gave himself up to the Sheriff after confessing murder. Search revealed the dead body of his brother in his home. The man is believed to be insane 27 Oct 1909 Inquistors appointed by the Coroner to investigate the death of John L. Webb, of Webbsville, Jackson township, in Ocean county, brought in a verdict that Webb came to his death from pistol-shot wounds inflicted by his brother, David L. Webb, who is now in Toms River jail, he having walked sixteen miles to surrender to the authorities. During the inquest the funeral of the murdered

(From the New Jersey Mirror, 4 Oct 1893) A horrible tragedy was recalled when Lena Brown was brought into court yesterday to be tried for the murder of three innocent little children in September of last year. One of the children was her own five-year old son. The other two were boys aged respectively 1 1/2 and 3 years, children of William Harvey, who out of pity had taken Lena and her child off the street, where they were wandering homeless and without friends. Lena had been sheltered in Mr. Harvey's home but a short time when with his wife he visited the Inter-State Fair, at Trenton, leaving his two boys in Lena's charge for the day. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Lena suddenly became possessed of a murderous hallucination and took the lives of her own infant and her benefactor's two little boys. She then went out upon the street and meeting an officer said she wanted to be arrested and told him the story of her awful crime. He was horribly shocked at the recit

New Jersey Courier 22 Sep 1939: A heart rending tragedy touched Ocean County homes Tuesday when Albert J. King, aged 36, and father of 3 small children, and Marie Pirozzi, aged 26, of Bergen avenue, Lakewood, were found dead in the rear seat of King's car in the woods near Lacey Road, about five miles West of Forked River. The man and woman were evidently victims of a suicide pact, as the police and Coroner J. Anderson have found no evidence of violence. The terrible discovery was made by William Cranmer of Forked River, who noticed the car in the woods as he drove along Lacey Road Tuesday afternoon. When he returned about 6:30 he again saw the machine and investigated. He found King's body sitting on the side of the rear seat of the car, and Mrs. Pirozzi's body was lying across the seat with her head nestled in his lap. A hose had been taped to the exhaust pipe of the car and pushed through a crack in the floor so as to supply the lethal carbon dioxide gas which broug

New Jersey Courier 21 Aug 1851 We learned on Saturday, that Stephen Adams, of Bass River, in this county, and one of the Freeholders of Washington township, died about four weeks since. He had a lump on the side of his neck, which was constantly increasing in size, and desiring to have it removed, went to Philadelphia, and consulted a physician, who, after examination, concluded to cut it out. The operation was performed, and a few days after, Mr. Adams started for home. On his way, a heavy storm came up, which gave him a severe cold, and he died in a week or two.

Reported in the New Jersey Mirror Aug 2 1893: What appears to have been a deliberate murder was perpetrated at the County Almshouse, on Saturday, the victim being James Reynolds, a feeble old man in his 75th year. Charles Hunter, who committed the deed, is a muscular colored man about 28 years old. There seems to have been no just cause or provocation for the murder. Hunter is subject to fits of epilepsy and previous to and after an attack becomes sullen and of an ugly disposition. This was his condition on Saturday morning. Steward Gaskill put him at work unloading coal and then left the place for Camden upon business. Hunter began to grumble and finally quit work, saying he would do no work unless he was paid for it because they were hiring tramps right under his nose and that there was going to be trouble before night. No further attention was paid to him by those who were at work or loitering about the premises. Just about the dinner hour a body was heard to fall in the hallway,

NJC 26 JUL 1929 Mrs. Margaret Jackson, colored, of Point Pleasant, was fined $1 and costs of court by Justice of the Peace James Irons on Thursday of last week for driving her car without a driver's license. She explained the case to the judge, telling him that she left her home in a hurry and had forgotten her license. Officer Smythe made the arrest.

from the New Jersey Courier 3 Jul 1879 Our farmers are in luck at present as all kinds of farm crops are growing nicely. Chas. S. Grant has, in our opinion, the banner corn field of the shore townships. The huckleberry harvest has begun. A few shipments have already been made from here The asparagus crop is about ended. David Ward has been sending from 75 to 100 bunches a day for the last two months. James P. Lewis, from less than an acre of land, has sent from 35 to 50 bunches per day. C.F. Bunnell is rebuilding his residence here, and the new church has been treated to a coat of paint.

29 Jun 1870 -New Jersey Courier: Captain Thomas French, of this place, is putting up a mammoth barn, and has put in a cranberry bog of about six acres, which is looking finely. He is also preparing ground for another bog. Mr. Joseph B. Cranmer is turfing and preparing for a cranberry bog on the river front of his farm.

New Jersey Courier 26 Jun 1879 The first lot of new potatoes was brought to market here [ Toms River ] by Stephen Grant of Bayville

Suspect Unknown Woman 'Tarred' That was the front page headline on 14 June 1939 in the New Jersey Courier...the initial story appears below...but make sure to read the whole story! This wasn't quite what it seemed at first... "Lakewood police and county detectives are endeavoring to unravel a suspected 'tarring and feathering' crime. It was believed from bits of clothing found on trees and bushes that the unknown victim was a woman, who had been covered with paint, walked through the woods, and wallowed in the muck of a sewage tank. The suspected crime was first discovered on Sunday by Charles Galati of Whitesville, an employee of the sewage plant. Officers found the spot where a car had parked about a quarter of a mile southeast of the plant. and found also a man's shirt and a pair of slacks. The dresses were daubed with red, orange or aluminum paint and black asphalt. Two small empty cans which had contained red and aluminum paint were found in the

New Jersey Mirror 9 Jun 1869 A wedding lately took place near Timbuctoo, at which the sable parson thus spoke: "Here's a couple who have walked out to-night, wishing to be jined in and thro' love, and wishing all dem dat have anything twixt them, to come forward and speak now; if not, let dem hold dar peace now and forever more. I wants every ear to hear, and every heart to enjoy. "Mr. Jim Thompson, whomsoever stands fastly by your left side, do you take her to be your beloved wife, to wait on her through sickness and through health, safe and be safe, holy and be holy, loving and be loving; do you love her mother; do you love her father; do you love her brothers; do you lover her sisters; but do you love God de best ?" Answer--"I do." "Miss Mary Johnson, whomsoever stands fastly by your right side, do you take to be your dear beloved husband, to wait on him through health and through affliction, safe and be safe, holy and be holy; do you love his

from New Jersey Courier 5 Jun 1879 Mr. H.G. Gulick is building an addition to his house, corner of Bay St, and Railroad Ave. Mr. Jno . J. Jones, contractor and builder, has the contract.

New Jersey Courier 5 Jun 1879: Mr. H.G. Gulick is building an addition to his house, corner of Bay St, and Railroad Ave. Mr. Jno . J. Jones, contractor and builder, has the contract.

From the New Jersey Courier, 3 Jun 1866: Barnegat is a pretty neat and thrifty village, handsomely laid out, streets running very regularly and nice pretty white cottages. Barnegat is somewhat noted as the residence of web footed individuals, who delight in following the water, and who possess a very creditable amount of public spirit. There is a Quaker Meetinghouse, also a Methodist one, in which nightly meetings are now held. There are two fine stores, kept by Gulick and Robbins and Bodine and Predmore. Gulick is one of your wide awake men, and always on the alert so much so, that the Freeholders made him County Collector. The business of the place is principally called on by these two stores, three hotels, billiard saloon, millinery shop, and a fancy goods and confectionery store and a post office. Blacksmiths and wheelwrights abound as well as a barber, and Sam the Sadler.

New Jersey Courier 3 Jun 1866 We visited Waretown last week in search of new subscribers. Met "Forked River Joseph" on the way, raving like a distracted bedbug, because he had lost a baby's cloak. Found the cloak for him, and restored his peace of mind. Waretown contains a Methodist and Presbyterian Church, two stores, a hotel, post office, two graveyards, in one of which, the "forefathers of the hamlet" sleep, and in the other, their descendants repose. Mr. J. Birdsall is building a nice little sloop, 33 feet keel, 12 feet beam, for carrying marl down from the terminus of the Toms River Railroad, whenever that blessed institution arrives at Toms River village. Mr. Ezekiel Birdsall has a large schooner, the hull of which is completed but perversely refuses to travel overland to water, and they are digging out a channel so that the water will come to it. Waretown is quite a village. We saw our friend James of blessed rail road memory. His eyes snapped and twink

New Jersey Courier 3 Jun 1866: Barnegat is a pretty neat and thrifty village, handsomely laid out, streets running very regularly and nice pretty white cottages. Barnegat is somewhat noted as the residence of web footed individuals, who delight in following the water, and who possess a very creditable amount of public spirit. There is a Quaker Meetinghouse, also a Methodist one, in which nightly meetings are now held. There are two fine stores, kept by Gulick and Robbins and Bodine and Predmore. Gulick is one of your wide awake men, and always on the alert so much so, that the Freeholders made him County Collector. The business of the place is principally called on by these two stores, three hotels, billiard saloon, millinery shop, and a fancy goods and confectionery store and a post office. Blacksmiths and wheelwrights abound as well as a barber, and Sam the Sadler.

I recently came across this obituary of a man who was supposedly born at Quaker Bridge, in the New Jersey Mirror of 30 Apr 1890: At Tuckerton, February 28, 1890, John D. Thompson, Esq., in his 83d year. The deceased had been for many years closely identified with the interests of the sea-shore section of Burlington County, having lived the greater part of his life at Tuckerton. He was born at Quaker Bridge, in Washington township, in the year 1807, and at the time of his death was within a few weeks of completing his eighty-third year. He removed to Tuckerton while a young man and became proprietor of the stage line between that place and Philadelphia, and soon after married Sarah Bartlett, a daughter of Nathan Bartlett, of Tuckerton, who was a highly respected member of the Society of Friends. This union, which was a happy one, continued for upwards of fifty years, his wife still surviving him. They have four children--three daughters and a son. Few men, if any, in that part o