Ocean County , NJ History

  Pine Barrens Fire of 1936 As reported in the pages of the  New Jersey Mirror , 27 May 1936 Five Killed, Many Injured in Greatest Forest Fires in the History of Two Counties / More Than 20,000 Acres Involved in Four-Day Conflagration in the Area from Chatsworth to Tuckerton and Manahawkin--2,000 Men Fought Fire / Men Were Trapped While Fighting In one of the worst forest fires in the history of Burlington and Ocean counties, the past four days, burning over more than 20,000 acres, five men lost their lives and many others were injured. The area involved includes the section from Chatsworth to Tuckerton. There also were fires east of Brown's Mills. Colonel Leonidas J. Coyle, state fire warden, reported last night that the fire was under control and practically extinguished, when a change of wind turned the flames back over the area already burned over. The dead are: Edward F. Sullivan, 19, of New Brunswick. Kingsley White, 38, of Whitesville. Stanley Carr, 23, of Farmingdale. John

Trenton Times 18 Jul 1936

New Jersey Mirror 19 Feb 1936 March 19th has been fixed as the date upon which the Court of Errors and Appeals will hear argument on the application of Jacob J. Ciemiengo, 16, and George Hildebrand, 26, for a new trial for the murder of Herman Eiler, Florence township poultry farmer. The two defendants were convicted of first degree murder and were sentenced to be electrocuted. The appeal to the higher court automatically acted as a stay of the death penalty. Jay B. Tomlinson is counsel for Ciemiengo, having been appointed to take the place of George M. Hillman, now deceased. Stanley K. Heilbron represented Hildebrand. Prosecutor Howard Eastwood will oppose the motions for setting aside the verdict of the Burlington county jury

From the Lakewood Citizen 3 Jan 1936 Asher Q Matthews, seventy eight, died last Friday at the home of his daughter, Mrs Frank Gilbert, near New Egypt. Funeral service was held on Monday and burial made in Maplewood Cemetery, Freehold

From the Lakewood Citizen 3 Jan 1936 Winifred MacQueen, twenty one, of Beachwood, died at the Paul Kimball Hospital, on Sunday night. She had been a patient at the institution for about six months, suffering with a complication of ailments. Surviving are the parents and four brothers, all of Beachwood. Funeral service was held from the late home of New Year's Day, with the Rev Ira Hicks, pastor of the Toms River Presbyterian Church officiating. Burial was made in the Holmanville Cemetery

From the Lakewood Citizen 3 Jan 1936 Mrs Clara Jegge, fifty two, a resident of Whitesville for about fifteen years, died at the Beach Boros Hospital, Point Pleasant Beach, on Monday afternoon, following a brief illness. Surviving are her husband, Charles J Jegge; a daughter, Mrs Joseph Peterson; and a grandson, James Peterson, all of Whitesville; and a brother, John Hendricks of Cincinnati, O. Funeral service was held yesterday afternoon at the Church of St Mary of the Lake, with the Rev John F Baldwin, rector, officiating. Burial was made at Riverside Cemetery

From the Lakewood Citizen 3 Jan 1936 George Estelle, died at the home of his son, Elmer Estelle, at VanHiseville on Friday last. He was eighty years of age and is survived by four children all grown and several grandchildren. He was a member of the Pleasant Grove church congregation from which church he was buried on Tuesday last

From the Lakewood Citizen 3 Jan 1936 Morris Apisdorf, 56, of 218 Criston Avenue, died last Friday morning at Paul Kimball Hospital at 6:05 after being brought to the hospital the day before as a medical case under the care of Dr Emmanuel Sickles. There is only one survivor, a brother, Max Apisdor, New York

New Jersey Courier 13 Sep 1936 Mrs. Helen Shoemaker, 36, of Jacques Bridge, near Atco, a patient for the past year in the Burlington County Insane Law, at New Lisbon, committed suicide late Sunday afternoon by hanging herself in her room at the institution. Miss Florence Frantz, a nurse, found the woman hanging at about 4:30 o'clock. Mrs. Shoemaker had made a noose of a strap, the end being fastened to the top of a screen at the window. Artificial respiration was applied by the nurses for some time. She was finally pronounced dead by Dr. H. E. Longsdorf, asylum physician. Coroner George A. Whomsley, of Burlington, following an investigation, issued a certificate of death by suicide. A husband, Theodore, survives.

From New Jersey Mirror 22 Jul 1936 Overgrown Jacob Ciemiengo celebrated his seventeenth birthday in the death house of State Prison, Trenton, on Thursday, happy because his life had been spared by the Court of Pardons. Scheduled to die the week of July 26 for the $4 holdup-murder of Herman Eilers, Florence township farmer, Ciemiengo and his companion, George Hildebrand, 27, had had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment on Tuesday two days before. The six-foot farmer boys awaited removal to another prison cell after official notice of the court's action was received by Principal Keeper Lagay. One of his attorneys, Stanley K. Heilbron, quoted the youth as saying, "I will show them I can make good." He reiterated this promise to his parish priest, Rev. M. A. Konopka of All Saints' Church, Burlington. He told the priest he intends to learn a trade in the prison shops and prepare himself for a useful life. Father Konopka, a prime mover in the drive to obtain a c

from New Jersey Mirror 16 Jul 1936 The Court of Pardons having commuted the death sentences of Jacob Ciemiengo and George Hildebrand, who slew Herman Eilers, a Florence farmer, in cold blood, the question arises, what sort of murder demands the exaction of the extreme penalty

from New Jersey Mirror 20 Mar 1936: The Court of Errors and Appeals, in a decision handed down in Trenton on Thursday, refused to grant a new trial to Jacob Ciemiengo, 16, and George A. Hildebrand, 26, convicted of first degree murder of Herman Eiler, Florence township poultry farmer. A Burlington county jury brough(t) in the verdict that was appealed to the high court. The upholding of the conviction of Ciemiengo and Hildebrand leaves only one avenue of escape from electrocution. That is the Court of Pardons. The decision affirming the conviction of the pair was written by Supreme Court Justice Joseph L. Bodine. The court refused to uphold the contention of the defense that the examination of two witnesses by the state, Arthur Therien and John Malseed, was improper. The court said there was abundant evidence to uphold the ruling of the trial court that the confessions made were voluntary. It was stated in the decision that both confessed they had gone to Eiler's home to rob him

New Jersey Mirror 18 Mar 1936 Argument on the appeal of Jacob J. Ciemiengo and George Hildebrand for a new trial in the murder of Herman Eiler, Florence township poultryman, will be heard before the Court of Errors tomorrow. They both were convicted in the Burlington county courts of first degree murder. The defendants are represented by Stanley K. Heilbron, of Mount Holly, and Jay B. Tomlinson, of Bordentown. Prosecutor Howard Eastwood is representing the state and will argue that no errors were committed at the trial. Because of this hearing to-morrow, the weekly session of criminal court, at the court house will be postponed until Friday.

from the New Jersey Mirror 23 Dec 1936: Weeks-Koster Wedding -- Miss Janice Elizabeth Koster, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leon A. Koster, of Green Bank, and Franklin Weeks, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Weeks, of Somers Point, were married on Saturday evening, December 12th, at the Almonesson M. E. parsonage, by the Rev. C. Russell Nixon, a former pastor in Green Bank. Mrs. Weeks is a graduate of the Egg Harbor High School and of the Atlantic City School of Nursing. Mr. Weeks, a graduate of Hammonton High School, is employed by the Fischer Baking Company in Atlantic City. A reception and dinner was held on Sunday at the home of the bride's parents.

All of these indictments were handed down by the grand jury in late September 1936: Kenneth Martingale(sic), of New York, for involuntary homicide, by automobile, of William Chase in Bass River township on June 27th. Martindale's car struck Chase and the latter died from his injuries. Arthur Rachor is charged with embezzlement of $1,500 from the State of New Jersey while he was employed at Four Mile Colony. Stacy Wilkins, Evesham, seduction under promise to marry Doris Day, under 21 years of age. Otto Dush, Florence, uttering(sic) worthless ceck(sic) for $200 to Alexander Dasakl. William Gross, Moorestown, assault and battery on Lulu Gross; also desertion and neglect. Harry W. Gifford, Pemberton township, assault and battery on Thomas F. Duff. William Wheeler, Florence, assault and battery on May Wheeler. Earl Schwed, Burlington, malicious mischief, consisting of throwing eggs at gas pump and building of Clarence Curlis. Dennis Hill, Jack Smith, Stanley Kedzierski, Walter