Ocean County , NJ History

New Jersey Courier 3 Apr 1879: The J---?? factory, which was for some time closed for repairs, has been running on full time for the past few weeks, furnishing employment for about 50 persons, mostly boys and girls. A wintergreen distillery has just been erected, by Messrs. A.S. and A.F. Larrabee below the ---?? factory. This will provide employment for those who have a desire to pull wintergreens, besides being a source of profit to the enterprising proprietors, and why would it not be a sound plan to convert some of the waste cranberry bogs into peppermint plantations and distill the oil?

This place was (or is?) in Mt. Laurel Township. The first home here was owned by a David Claypole; in the 1880s that home was owned by a George Roberts. The second home was erected by Abraham Matlock. In the 1880s, there were three prominent farms that made up most of the village--they were owned by Mahlon Haines, Carlton Evans, and Charles Hugg. There were also two stores, run by Thomas Roberts and Joseph Fish. With that information, I went to the 1880 census to find Joseph Fish, on the assumption that I could isolate at least some of the homes from Fellowship to determine who lived there. The census enumerator made no such distinction, so it's difficult to know where Fellowship began and ended in 1880. But Joseph Fish's information was there. Naturally, the writing is unbearable on that portion of the census, but Fish was 48 years old in 1880 and worked as a grocer. His wife's name looks like Emma Jane, age 42. They had two children with them as well: Emily B., age 23...

New Egypt Press, 31 Mar 1905: A party of friends were entertained on Monday evening by Walter Bell and wife, it being their first evening in their new home. Those present spent a very pleasant evening playing bingo, Jenkins up Copenhagen, and various other games. Refreshments were served at a late hour. There were about forty people present. There have been many moving here during the past week. Walter Bell moved his family on the farm at the schoolhouse corner, lately vacated by Thomas Riley whom moved on the Davis farm. Alfred Southard moved on the old Henry Moore place; George Horner moved from the corner house formerly occupied by Jackson Southard, on the road to the Hopkins place; Alfred Bell moved in the house vacated by Walter Bell, and Ellis Hopkins moved where Albert moved from. Nearly everyone of Archertown's inhabitants have moved in new homes. Edward Ivins whose birthday was on Wednesday of this week, had the misfortune to be sick all day. He is twelve years old, and...

New Egypt Press 31 Mar 1905: Lewis Reed and family moved to New Egypt on Saturday. Mrs. Wm. Reed visited friends at New Egypt on Saturday.br> Elmer Errickson and wife spent Sunday at the home of Harry Devinney. Miss Hannah Potts of Asbury Park has returned home after spending a few weeks here. Irving Chafey and wife have returned home after visiting friends here. John Green will help Joseph Southard of near Recklesstown with his farm work the coming year. Mrs. Wm. Hagerman and daughter Helen have returned home after a visit at Mt. Holly. The committees were appointed on Sunday morning at the Baptist church to make arrangements for the Easter Services to be held on Easter Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. H.E. Garrison are spending a few days with friends at Pitman Grove and Philadelphia. Frank Ridgeway was in Philadelphia last week where he purchased five horses for his customers here, but horses being in such demand he sold two of them before reaching home. These were sent to their new...

New Egypt Press, 31 Mar 1905: Rev. W.A. Lilley preached a very fine sermon Sunday afternoon. Many came out to hear him and received much good from the sermon. A.J. Durand druggist of Moorestown has been spending a few days at the home of James Buckalew. John Southard is moving this week near Cranbury where he will go do bookkeeping with his daughter Katie.

New Egypt Press 31 Mar 1905: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Davis entertained Martha Evans on Sunday. Miss Helen Wallace spent Sunday and part of last week with Dr. and Mrs. John Forsythe. Miss Reba Evans spent Sunday with her parents in Mt. Holly. We are glad to note that George Forsythe is quite recovered from his recent illness enough to take his accustomed walk to the post office. George Van Wess is quite in demand now among the young ladies in town as he purchased a new buggy last week. A party was given by Elizabeth Tilton on Friday evening at her home near Jacobstown. Young people from Crosswicks, Chesterfield, Allentown, and Jacobstown were present. The company was entertained a large part of the evening by Percy Borden with his up to date graphphone.

New Egypt Press 31 Mar 1905: There were no quarterly nor public collections taken during the entire year at the M.E. Church. It is rumored that Wm. NASH the Shoe dealer has just purchased the property occupied by Dr. J. Wm. BICHLER, and will take possession soon. Another rumor is that Dr. BICHLER will move on the Allen place lately vacated by James LARKIN. Harry COMPTON has been quite ill during the past few days. Dr. MOODY moved in the house formerly occupied by Chas. GREEN on Wednesday. Signs of Spring are growing more evident every day. Robins are plentiful this week. Walter LUKE who is in the employment of Geo. MILLISLAGLE picked up a rare specimen of an Indian arrow while walking across the Richard HARRISON farm on Friday. The specimen is about 2 inches across and upon scraping the dirt away he found a metal which has very much the same appearance as gold. It is on exhibition at the Central Hotel. Ward ERRICKSON moved to Allentown on Thursday. W.C. MOORE moved in the hous...

from the New Jersey Courier 30 Mar 1911 Jesse Sprague, Jr has joined the navy and gone to training quarters at Newport, RI A daughter was born last week to Mr. and Mrs. Allen. Capt A.B. Stratton was about the first to start the flounder fishing succesfully. Mumps are sweeping this part of the beach. Wm. L. Butler has contracts for two new cottages, one on Second street, the other on Bay avenue, for MA Todd and Mrs. Jopsom of Philadelpia. R.F. Engle of Engleside was here last week and will soon be overhauling for the summer business. Eight geese and 23 ducks was the bag of Carrol Stratton and Jim Sprague on windy day in March. Charles Brewer has moved here from Manahawkin in one of the James Welsh houses. Thomas K. Lane has moved into the James Sprague house at North Beach Haven. Charles Beck of Philadelphia is a frequent visitor at his farm here.

New Jersey Courier 30 Mar 1911 Capt. Joel Van Sant and his mate, Morgan Morris, two mariners, both of this place, were compelled to abandon the yacht Edithanna at sea off Jupiter Inlet, Florida recently and were picked up by the French cruiser Gloire, which landed them at Annapolis, MD. They had been cruising in Florida waters and visited Havana, Cuba whence they sailed for Tuckerton on March 13. They ran into a storm that was too much for their craft were blown off shore, and would probably have gone down with their schooner had not the French cruiser come along. The Edithanna was owned by Thomas Henderson of Philadelphia and had a crew of four men. J.H. Bartlett and wife have gone on a trip to California via the Sunset route, New Orleans and the Grand Canyon of the Rio Colorado. A local debating club has decided that drunkenness is a greater curse to humanity than war. Well, you can neither compel a man to pull a trigger or take a drink if he makes up his mind ot to, and that woul...

New Jersey Courier 30 Mar 1911 Jesse Sprague, Jr has joined the navy and gone to training quarters at Newport, RI A daughter was born last week to Mr. and Mrs. Allen. Capt A.B. Stratton was about the first to start the flounder fishing succesfully. Mumps are sweeping this part of the beach. Wm. L. Butler has contracts for two new cottages, one on Second street, the other on Bay avenue, for MA Todd and Mrs. Jopsom of Philadelpia. R.F. Engle of Engleside was here last week and will soon be overhauling for the summer business. Eight geese and 23 ducks was the bag of Carrol Stratton and Jim Sprague on windy day in March. Charles Brewer has moved here from Manahawkin in one of the James Welsh houses. Thomas K. Lane has moved into the James Sprague house at North Beach Haven. Charles Beck of Philadelphia is a frequent visitor at his farm here.

New Jersey Courier 30 Mar 1911 The Harvey Cedars Realty Company will run a free excursion down from Camden and Philadelphia on Sunday to sell lots here. It is understood these excursions will be continued to and through the summer on Sundays. Samuel Gaskill of Barnegat is overhauling Howlett's motorboat at High Point. D.P. Schramm spent Saturday in Barnegat. The new High Point Yacht Clubhouse is completed and ready for the yachtmen when they come down for the summer. The Harvey Cedars Realty Company is planning to start on a big dredging project about April 15. This will deepen the channel and fill in a large space for building lots. Raymond Palmer of Conrad's station was at Barnegat Monday night. Walter Ridgway was another Barnegat visitor Monday. L.A. deZano of Philadelphia, while here gunning, got tenducks the last day of the season and was well pleased with his trip. Mr. and Mrs. John Schramm of High Point are visiting New York. Joseph Bounds of this place went ba...

from the New Jersey Courier 30 Mar 1911 Edward Crabbe on Saturday last let the water off the big mill pond which he partially set out in cranberry vines last summer. He has two hundred barrels of vines which he will now set out on the bottom of the pond. During the winter sand was carted out on the ice and dumped over the muddy spots, and is now in the places where it is wanted to be spread. The water that was run off the pond was run on the east bog of 200 acres, which was flooded last summer. This will be ready for setting out after another summer under water. When Mr. Crabbe gets through with bog building he will have about 500 acres of vines. The mill is busy on cedar lumber. A neat bungalow is being built on the shore of the lake. Some say the builder expects to have a bride to occupy it with him. From the New Jersey Courier 29 Feb 1912 Jesse Taylor [ of Forked River] and family spent Sunday at Double Trouble.

I've never heard of this name for what appears to be a section of South Toms River, on South Main Street, but the 1920 census enumerator referred to it that way in the Berkeley census. It's listed as an 'unincorporated village' Eventually I plan to transcribe the census for this 'town', but for now here are the names of some of the families who resided there in 1920: Gardner and Sarah Smith Job Hand Gustave Hockaway Howard Hans Leslie Smith Charles P. Horner Jefferson and Anna Thompson Brazilla Luker Leroy and Lydia Evernham Mary Cotten Edith and Arthur O'Hare William A. Chamberlain Harvey and Rose Irons Joseph and Mary A. Walton Bessie Borden Several of the older children of these families worked at a shirt factory, presumably somewhere nearby. The census lists about 2 1/2 pages of names, about fifty homes, in this village in 1920.

New Jersey Mirror 29 Mar 1860 On Friday morning last(March 23, 1860), Philip Lynch, convicted at the December term of the Court, of the murder of George Coulter, suffered the extreme penalty of the law, in the yard of the County Jail, in this town(Mount Holly.) The murder of Coulter was one of peculiar atrocity

Notes on Bridgeboro This town was, or maybe still is?, located in Delran Township in Burlington County. It was on the west bank of the Rancocas River, mostly on the land that had once belonged to the Rancocas Toll Bridge Company. At present, some of the only residents I have come across of this town were posted to a mailing list about 10 years ago. They were Daniel and Mary (Applegate) Vandergrift. They had a daughter, Martha Lippincott Vandergrift, born in 1852 in or near Bridgeboro. Her later married name was Hullings. There was another child of Daniel and Mary, also, by name of Mary Heaton Vandergrift. Another resident of this town is mentioned in the New Jersey Mirror on Jul 24 1889; it says:: Samuel L. Litle, of Bridgeboro,finally succeeded in committing suicide Friday by hanging himself up to a rafter in his blacksmith shop, where he was found by Smith Loyd and William Meeks early in the morning dead. Mr. Litle who has for some time shown signs of derangement and who has b...

NEW JERSEY COURIER 27 MAR 1879: The Post Office of this town was entered by burglars sometime during Sunday night and robbed of a small sum of money. Entrance was affected through a rear window, a pane of glass having been cut out for the purpose. No clue to the perpetrators yet. The watchmen saw two individuals pass down Main Street just before daybreak on Monday morning, but as he had no suspicion of the robbery he made no effort to secure them. Our town has heretofore been comparatively exempt from transactions of this kind.

Beckerville is a small section of Manchester Township in Ocean County, NJ. I don't know much about it at all...off what is now Route 70 there is a road called Beckerville Road, and if you take it all the way to the end there are some rental units. I haven't been out that way in a while, but I was recently informed that all of the old houses are being demolished to make way for new ones. The old ones, I am told (please leave a comment if you can verify this) were formerly used as army barracks. The housing was low cost, and somewhat of a joke in the county because it was in such bad shape. According to an article in the Asbury Park Press from 30 May 1999, "Beckerville Pines, located near the Manchester Wildlife Conservation Area in a rural area of the township, was built about 60 years ago as temporary sleeping quarters for men and women preparing for war. Erected in the last days of the Great Depression, the complex consists of straight rows of identically designed and ...

On the 1880 Federal Census for Bordentown Township, Burlington County, there are a handful of households that the census enumerator has indicated were on "Beddles Island". If anyone knows anything more about this place, please leave a comment The households listed in Beddles Island in 1880 were those of : Joseph Fox William Beatty E. Thomas Beatty George Armstrong James Wright

New Egypt Press 25 Mar 1910 Mrs. Alice J. Potter, aged 76 years died at the home of her son, George H. Potter, near here on Monday evening, the 21st inst. Funeral services will be held today in the M.E. Church at Bayville.