History is Herstory, too!

Transcription

1 Volume 10,Issue 1 Newsletter of the Atlantic County Historical Society SPRING 2012 History is Herstory, too! The month of March, being Women s History Month, the Atlantic County Historical Society has invited Judith Courter to share with us the insights her research of born and raised local, Ethel Lingelbach Noyes, has revealed. Her Monday, March 19 th program is entitled, Ethel Noyes: A Woman of Vision. Judy observes, If we look for a woman who stands tall in South Jersey History, it is Ethel Noyes. Judy Courter first became fascinated with Ethel Noyes when she noticed photographs of her at the Lantern Light Inn in Smithville. She went on to learn as much as she could about the Atlantic City High School graduate, who went on to become a developer and owner of a multimillion dollar business at a time when few women stepped out of traditional roles. Ethel had a nothing can stop me attitude combined with entrepreneurial verve and a driving work ethic. She came to be admired by many professionals in the community and was often the only woman in the boardroom. Publicist Sidney Ascher once said, She could look at a piece of vacant land and envision what it would look like when it was completely developed. Together with her husband Fred, an artist and decoy collector, Ethel built The Historic Towne of Smithville, The Ram s Head Inn and The Noyes Museum. Ethel Lingelbach Noyes was a woman ahead of her time who loved South Jersey and its history. As a young girl, she drove the back roads with her Aunt Daisy learning about antiques, long before antiques were popular. Her final dream was to build a museum to preserve South Jersey history and artifacts. She co-founded and was chairperson of the Atlantic County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board. Then Gov. Brendan T. Byrne said, With her historical expertise, she left a mark on the future by preserving the past. Judy s upcoming book will be an anecdotal history about a piece of South Jersey s past that deserves to be remembered. Finding nothing written about the Noyes and their contribution to South Jersey, Judy proceeded to interview more than eighty friends, family and employees. She learned that Ethel was the front person in the marriage partnership, and that Fred was with her every step of the way. Her presentation at the Atlantic County Historical Society will take place, Monday, March 19, 2012, 7:00 PM at the ACHS. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the evening. For further information call Ethel Lingelbach Noyes & Fred Winslow Noyes INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PAGE 2 Upcoming Events 3 Member News 4 Library Accessions 5 Lincoln-McClellan Controversy 6 VHP Spotlight 7 Library Spotlight Atlantic Heritage 1

2 Events and Happenings Program Logistics Risley Homestead 8 Virginia Avenue (near 400 block of Shore Road) Northfield, NJ Each Saturday 11:00am 4:00pm Each Sunday 1:00pm 4:00pm Closed on major holidays. Free Admission -Donations ATLANTIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 907 Shore Road, Somers Point, NJ Monday, March 19 th 7:00pm Free and open to the public Bally s Atlantic City Grand Ballroom Wednesday, May 17, :30 9:30pm $85.per person ATLANTIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 907 Shore Road, Somers Point, NJ Thursday, June 7 th 7:00pm Free and open to the public Zion United Methodist Church 652 Zion Rd., Egg Harbor Twp. Wednesday, April 25 th 10:00am Scheduled Appointments Nnecessary ATLANTIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 907 Shore Road, Somers Point, NJ Saturday, September 8 th 6:30 to 8:30 PM Free and open to the public Program Description The The Risley Homestead is one of two 18th century houses in Atlantic County individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was home to many generations of Risley oystermen. The AHC received the Homestead and its furnishings by bequest from Virginia Risley Stout in Open weekends from May through October. The Homestead is open for individual and small group guided tours. WOMEN s HISTORY MONTH PRESENTATION Judy Courter has researched the lives of Fred and Ethel Noyes and is in the process of writing a book about them. In honor of Ethel's birthday and National Women's History Month, Judy will present a preview of her book and provide some little known tidbits and facts about the Noyes. ENCORE AWARDS Southern NJ arts, history and cultural organizations will host the 17th Annual Paul Aiken Encore Awards Dinner to honor the generosity of individuals, foundations, businesses and government agencies for their support of the region's nonprofit arts, history and cultural organizations and artists located in the eight southern counties of New Jersey. Tickets will be available through the Atlantic County Historical Society. Please call or AHCinfo@comcast.net for ticket information. THE LINCOLN-MCCLELLAN CONTROVERSY Atlantic County Historical Society Trustee and long time Civil War buff, Skip Bellino, will help us examine some introspective questions about the course of the Civil War beginning with the 1861 battle of First Manassas. President Abraham Lincoln placed General George B. McClellan in command of the Army of the Potomac and thus began the strained relationship between the two leaders. For further information about this program please call the Atlantic County Historical Society at Light refreshments will be served. VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEWS The Veterans History Project is dedicated to preserving the stories of our war veterans personal experiences while serving in any branch of the US Military. If you are interested in setting up an interview, please call the Historical Society at (609) If you have photos, letters, journals and other documents from your military service that you would like added to your interview record, please have those items ready for us to copy at the time of your interview. AN EVENING OF BLUEGRASS By popular demand, this fall sees the return of the Bennetts and Claytons for an Evening of Bluegrass. This much loved local group will once again delight us with their mixed bag of Bluegrass, gospel songs, patriotic renditions and some of their own down home compositions. You are invited to bring your lawn chairs and blankets to spread out on the lawn for a relaxed evening of heartwarming old time and toe tapping music. This event will coincide with Somers Point s annual Good Old Days Festival. What a perfect way to wind down your day of browsing and playing through the Festival! For more information please call the Atlantic County Historical Society at Atlantic Heritage 2

3 YEARBOOKS ARE OUT! The Yearbook Committee reports that the Society s Yearbook is in the mail to members, and copies will be available for purchase at the Society s headquarters. Members Ed Stephenson and Jerry Ueckermann, who have done extensive research on the history of the Pleasantville marshes, have written an article detailing the history of Adams Ditch, a man-made waterway that was largely obliterated when Delilah Road was improved in the late 1930 s. Member/Volunteer Ruth Taylor has provided us with a transcription of the names of customers appearing in the ledger of the Weymouth Store for the years The store was part of the Weymouth paper mill complex, and it s ledger is in the Society s manuscript collection. Member/Volunteer Tony Marino has written a thorough, and thoroughly interesting, overview of "The Rise and Fall of the Atlantic City Railroads, 1854 to 2011". Vice President Sid Parker has provided us with "A Sampler of Atlantic City Businesses, Circa ", descriptions (and his own observations thereon) of local businesses taken from the Business Review of the Counties of Burlington, Atlantic and Gloucester, published in 1891, also in the Society s collection. Finally, continuing his work from the previous Yearbook, Trustee Norman Goos has given us further valuable insight into the activities of Col. Richard Somers 3 rd Battalion of the Gloucester County militia, with his article on their coastal defense services in general, and their defense of the privateering center at Chestnut Neck in particular. Members can look forward to seeing the continuing work of Messrs. Stephenson, Ueckermann and Goos in their particular areas of interest featured in future yearbooks. Editor Jim Mason encourages all of our members to submit material for publication, whether it be the product of original historical or genealogical research, or transcriptions of interesting primary material from the Society s or personal collections. Share your knowledge!" Submissions, or questions concerning submissions, should be addressed to the attention of the "Yearbook Committee" at Atlantic Heritage Center, P.O. Box 301, Somers Point, NJ , or to AHCINFO@comcast.net with "Yearbook article" in the subject line. Please include your complete contact information in any submissions made by regular mail. The Atlantic County Historical Society is pleased to welcome and thank our newest members: Janice & Charles Lowry, Galloway Paula Demarest, Linwood Carl Farrell, Mays Landing Many Thanks! We wish to acknowledge the following members for their donations: FRIEND: $1-$49 Mary Sue Lovett Patricia Furnivall Carole Foran, IMO Charles Queen and Deborah Steelman Queen PATRON $50-$249 Joanne and Robert Stiefbold WHO WE ARE A recent examination of our membership rolls revealed that our 325 members reside in 22 states with New Jersey, not surprisingly, topping the list with the most members. In descending order of number of members were Pennsylvania, Maryland, California, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Delaware and New York, followed by others. We also had one member each in Japan, Toronto and Nova Scotia. President: Richard Squires Vice-President: Sid Parker, Jr. Recording Secy: Barbara Perry-Silva Treasurer: Charlene Canale Asst. Treasurer: Pat Parker Financial Secretary: Kevin Little Atlantic Heritage Center Governing Board Librarian: Freda Heintz Assistant Librarian: Diane Miller Curator: Ruth C. Gold Assistant Curator: Allen Boo Pergament Chaplain: Rev. Norman Goos Trustees: Jerry Bell, Skip Bellino, Frank Ferry, Trudy Fenton, Helen Walsh, James Mason,V, Richlyn Goddard, Ruth Taylor, Ellen Hyatt, Ruth Faust, Alex Marino, Donald Perry, Sheryl Collins. Atlantic Heritage 3

4 Library Accessions Freda Heintz, Librarian Diane Miller, Assistant Librarian Accession# Source / Description Gift of Glen Beebe: Booklet - Application to National Society of Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims through Thomas Ford and Application to Flagon and Trencher through Benjamin Brush. Documents - Civil War Service Record, George McCandless of Mays Landing. Documents - Civil War Pension Application, Sarah McCandless Spence Found in Collection: Register of Emigrants from New Jersey Gift of Frank Ferry: Atlas - Historical and Biographical Atlas of New Jersey Coast, Gift of Edgar Bristow: Photo - Atlantic City High School Orchestra. News clipping - Saw First Salt Water Taffy. News clipping - Square Dance Group here Entertains Service Men Gift of Richard Collins Jacobs: Family records - Richard Collins Family records - David Lake Collins Veterans Oral History Project: Collection of audio Compact Disks Gift of John Dilks: CD - DVD - Airship America Files and Historical Data, by John Dilks, Jack Irwin and others Gift of William and Ruth Advena: Yearbook - Mainland Regional High School Gift of Donna Mendelero: Pension files and related affidavit for Civil War Veteran, John Harley, 6th NJ Infantry, Company D Gift of Eric Bende: Notice - Wedding of Mae E. Koetsier and John H. Bender. 2 Photos - Wedding of Mae E. Koetsier and John H. Bender Photo - Benders Garage. Photo - John H. Bender, Jr. classroom. no date Gift of Charles Cannon: 1 Yearbook - Atlantic Community College Yearbooks - Pleasantville High School, The Breeze Gift of Linwood Historical Society: Map -Intercoastal Waterway Little Egg Harbor To Longport. 2 Certificates - Samuel M. Iob. Photo - Group of 49 children on side of brick building. Photo - Pioneer Members of Pleasantville Band Photo - Morris Guards Dinner 1931 Bible - Samuel M. Iob Gift of Matt and Kate Bailey: Photo Album - William Craig, Civil War Era Photo Album Gift of Eric Bende: Certificate of Marriage - John H. Bender and May E.Koetsier. Obituary - Matthew Cats Veterans Oral History Project: Book - Veterans History Project. 2011, A-O. Book - Veterans History Project 2011, P-Z. Collection of audio CDs created Gift of Atlantic City Public Library: 29 Books: Historic Building Survey, Atlantic County. 14 books: New Jersey, A History, Vol 3 and 4. Absegami: Annal of Eyren Haven and Atlantic City. This is New Jersey. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Absegami Yesteryear. Atlantic City Railroad Royal Route to the Sea. NJ As A Colony and As A State. Atlantic City in Picture and Poem. Neutral Territory. Richard Somers Master Com. of US Navy. 2 vols - The New Jersey Genesis. South Jersey, A History Legislative Manual State of NJ Atlantic Heritage 4

5 THE LINCOLN-McCLELLAN CONTROVERSY On Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 7:00 PM, Atlantic County Historical Society Trustee, Skip Bellino, will help us examine some introspective questions about the course of the Civil War beginning with the 1861 battle of First Manassas. General George B. McClellan was in command of the Ohio Volunteers and winning battles in the west. He captured the attention of President Abraham Lincoln and was summoned to Washington, DC at which time he was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing General Irwin McDowell. Subsequently, McClellan was promoted to General-in-Chief of the Union Armies following the retirement of General Winfield Scott, who had become too infirm to lead an army. McClellan went to work making an army from a disorganized, untrained, poorly equipped mob. The following nineteen months were a constant atmosphere of contention and frustration on the part of both President Lincoln and General McClellan. Why is this so? What could lead to the strained relationship between the President and his top General? A long time Civil War buff, Skip Bellino s, premise is that these two men had so much in common that a healthy working relationship was going to be difficult at best. They also were so different it made a harmonious relationship impossible. Mr. Bellino will examine their past history, education, family, personality and egos to determine what went wrong. Why was General McClellan fired twice by Lincoln? How did he come to run against Lincoln for the Presidency as the Democratic candidate in 1864? Why do we lionize Abraham Lincoln and demonize George McClellan? Did President Lincoln learn how to be a President and let Generals General by the time Ulysses S. Grant came along? What would have been the course of the war if McClellan had been left in command on the Peninsula on the way to Richmond? WE RE BAAACK! To paraphrase Jack Nicholson s character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest, the Atlantic County Historical Society name has returned. In preparation for our centennial in 2013, anticipating some improvements and changes in the not-too-distant future and with a nod to many members who really much preferred our old name, we ve taken a step back in order to move forward. Sometimes, one must regress to progress. We hope you will indulge us as we continue to use the Center name until signs, letterheads, envelopes, banners and sundries are utilized as much as possible and until our new but old Society name can be applied wherever necessary. And yes, we ll eventually learn to answer the telephone, or introduce ourselves, as the Atlantic County Historical Society. Call us, or visit us soon, to see how well we ve made the adjustment. THE LINCOLN-McCLELLAN CONTROVERSY continued Sometimes in the study of history, we just need to look at an event from a different perspective. It doesn t always change the thinking, but sometimes we are able to see things differently by way of explanation. What really happened should always be our quest as historians. For further information about this program please call the Atlantic County Historical Society at Light refreshments will be served. Newsletter Editor, Layout & Graphics Ellen Hyatt Contributors to this Issue: Sheryl Collins, Sid Parker, Pat Parker, Freda Heintz, Diane Miller, Mary Beth Ortzman, Helen Walsh The Atlantic County Historical Society received an operating grant from the Atlantic County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs. Volunteers are in short supply! We ask for your services one day each month from 10am 3:30pm For more information, please call the Historical Society: (609) or AHCINFO@comcast.net The Atlantic County Historical Society will be closed: Friday & Saturday, April 6 th & 7 th Need to Contact Us? Phone: (609) AHCINFO@comcast.net Website: Newsletter available online! ACHS Hours: Wednesday Saturday: 10:00am to 3:30pm Parking and entrance at the rear of our building Atlantic Heritage 5

6 Spotlight on the Shelves Veteran s History Project Spotlight a treasure hiding in plain sight This time we will again take a look at the Civil War. The Center has a set of 25 volumes on the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies of the Rebellion Series I. This series is no longer published in book form. Each book, in chronological order, is broken into battles along the North and South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, blockades, and rivers. The books are companions to Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies of the Rebellion. Those books are for another time. If you are interested in the Civil War/War of the Rebellion, then these books will fill in lots of information for your research. COURTHOUSE CORNER On February 15th, new exhibits were installed at the Atlantic County Courthouse. Sheriff's Officer Michael Bright contacted us and offered to make some of his large collection of law enforcement artifacts available to us for display. Mike's very interesting exhibit in one of our upstairs cases contains many Atlantic County and other New Jersey law enforcement objects, including a shirt and hats from the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office, handcuffs, wanted posters, etc. The other upstairs case has items from our own museum and library, giving the history of very early law enforcement in the county, including the original rope knots from three hangings in Atlantic County (with information about the people hanged) and a billy club. Downstairs, we were pleased to have the Corbin City Historical Society use our case. Judy Rogers and Carol Foster did a wonderful job of highlighting the people and places of this little-known area of our county. They presented a picture of a wonderful, warm and historic place to live. These exhibits will be at the courthouse until mid-june, so if you're able, please visit them. The Veterans History Project, sponsored by the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, conducted Veterans interviews Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at Zion United Methodist Church Hall. There were two sessions; the first scheduled group beginning at 10:00 AM at which time five trained interviewers recorded the service related histories of five different Veterans from all eras. There was a short break for the lunch hour and then five more Veterans were interviewed at 1:00 PM. During the two sessions Michael Garvin interviewed George Ausby; Charlene Canale interviewed Henry Benson and Allen Red Rhodes; Sheryl Collins interviewed Roland Mason and Edmond White; Helen Walsh interviewed Karl Papousek and Gordon Gross, John Horn interviewed Richard Wood and Susan Slaninka interviewed Robert Campbell. Each interviewer claimed they had been appointed the best Veteran to interview. The next scheduled interview session will take place Wednesday, April 25 following the same procedure. If you or any of your friends or relatives desire to participate in this program they are invited to contact the Veterans History Project and schedule an interview in April. All procedures as outlined by the Library of Congress are followed. Your digital recording must be at least thirty minutes long and, even though that sounds like a lot of talking, you are guided through your talk by our trained interviewers. It is not necessary to have participated in a wartime battle. Every military person serving is important and contributes to making the whole effort work. Please call the Atlantic County Historical Society at to learn more about this program or to let us know of your wish to be interviewed. If the voice mail comes on you can leave a message providing us with your name and phone number and you will receive a return call. WWII Vet Roland Mason & Sheryl Collins Bottom left, L-R: VHP Interviewers Sheryl Collins, Helen Walsh, Susan Slaninka & John Horn. Bottom right: VHP Intern Anne Kemp entering data. Atlantic Heritage 6

7 Library Spotlight Freda Heintz, Librarian Asst. Librarian, Diane Miller A Photo Album Found between the Walls By Diane I. Miller A little old photo album has created quite a bit of excitement here. To be more exact, it is a Civil War era photo album which was recently donated by a couple from Somers Point. The intrigue it has caused is three-fold - partly by where the album was found partly by its age and partly because it has two holes pierced through its center. Efforts to contact the donors for a firsthand account of how and where the album was found were unsuccessful. However, volunteer Mary Beth Ortzman, who received the album from them, was able to provide some details. She said that as renovators were tearing down the uninsulated walls of their house, the album was found concealed behind a wall. The theory of the contractors was that the album was probably stored up in the attic and fell down through the air pocket between the walls. Whether or not this assumption is true, we are so grateful that the couple didn t throw away this priceless bit of history, and took the time to bring it to us where it can be preserved and shared with many for years to come - for inside the front cover is an inscription carefully written in old ink, Germantown, August 12, 1861, Presented to Mary A E Craig by her brother William H. Craig of Company B Reg t. Pennsylvania. Immediately, our minds started wondering. Who was Mary Craig? What glory and deeds of bravery did her brother, William, experience as a Civil War soldier? Unfortunately, a hole through the album obliterates the regiment number in which William served, making our findings for his service as a Civil War soldier uncertain. Census research was productive, yielding information about the Craig family across the span of seven decades: The 1850 U.S. Census for Pennsylvania lists a William H. Craig (age 5) living in the same household as Mary A. E. Craig (age 1). In the 1870 U.S. Census, the Craig family is living in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia Ward 22, District 72 (Post Office: Germantown). The 1880 U.S. Census for Pennsylvania, gives us the first street address for the family Kensington Ave. Sometime between 1870 and 1880 Mary A. E. Craig has married and then either divorced or become a widow for her name is now Mary A. E. Bellow. She now has a daughter, Margarette A. Bellow, who was born about Margaret A. Bellow married William Hunter. The 1910 U.S. Census for Pennsylvania shows them living at 3837 Frankford Ave. It s the 1920 census which brings the most significant change. Margaret A. Hunter has left Philadelphia, and is now living on Connecticut Ave. in Somers Point, NJ, with a William J. Hutchison. William is listed as the head of household, age 51, and widowed. Margaret s position within the household is listed as servant. What happened in Margaret s life to create such changes in her residence, marital status and occupation? Though this Connecticut Ave. address does not match the address of where the album was found, it sheds some light on how the photo album migrated from Pennsylvania to Somers Point, NJ. And this brings us to what might be the most intriguing of all - the two holes in the album. They don t go completely through the 5 x 5 ½ photo album. In fact, one hole appears to originate through the front of the brown cover with its raised, scroll-like design and disappear into the album s middle. The other looks like it may have started from the center of the album s giltedged pages and traveled out through the front cover. What could have caused these two holes which appear to run in opposite directions? Our imaginations might start visualizing a young soldier in the path of an enemy bullet whose life is saved only by the thickness of a photo album he is carrying in his backpack. With his background as a Civil War historian and former police chief of Galloway Township, volunteer Skip Bellino s opines that they could have been bullet holes. He said, I have no clue how they got there, though I believe that they are the right size for bullets and heat was also generated [in their creation], which goes along with bullets. We do know that the album is filled with photos and tintypes. Its subjects offer a sampling of people from babies and children to adult men and women (with some of the men in military uniform). A few of the subjects are identified and some are easily recognizable, such as Abner Doubleday and General Sherman. Another is a photo of George Washington holding a fallen Abraham Lincoln, interpreted by many to depict Washington welcoming Lincoln into heaven. This photo proves that there were additions to the album after the 1861 inscription date found inside the album s cover. The photographers are sometimes identified on the backs of the photos some were located in Philadelphia; others in Quebec. The former city corresponds with the Craig, Bellow and Hunter families residences in the censuses. The Canadian photos may very well depict family members of Margaret(te) A. (Bellow) Hunter s father, whose birthplace is recorded as French Canada in the 1900 census. L-R: Civil War Era Photo Album Front Cover with holes. Inside of Photo Album with upside down inscription and photo, both damaged by holes. As with many things from the 1860s, this album is showing its age and is not in the best condition. Its binding is torn and its metal clasps adorned with leaves are fragile. With care, however, it can be handled and retrieved from the vault for viewing. Having found a new home at the Atlantic County Historical Society, it is now also known as Photo Album 50. And its tale is not finished. Atlantic Heritage 7

8 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 164 Pleasantville, NJ Shore Road Post Office Box 301 Somers Point, New Jersey ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Our Mission: To collect and preserve historical materials exemplifying the events, places, and lifestyles of the people of Atlantic County and southern New Jersey. To encourage the study of history and genealogy. To provide historical and genealogical information to our membership and the general public. Atlantic Heritage 8