Author: Camden NJ History
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Henry A. Yip
Henry A. Yip was born in 1947 and devoted his career to public service. He joined the Camden Fire Department (CFD) on June 12, 1970, serving the City of Camden with distinction for over 29 years until his retirement on January 1, 2000. Henry Yip was well-regarded by colleagues across departments. Retired Camden Police Officer…
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Aloysius “Patsy” Mozier
Aloysius Eugene Francis Patrick “Patsy” Mozier led a fascinating and multifaceted life that spanned military service, professional sports, criminal missteps, and humanitarian efforts. Born on April 20, 1903, in Virginia to Alonzo John and Teresa Moore Mozier, his family relocated to Camden, NJ, by 1920. They lived at 2851 Tuckahoe Road, where his father worked…
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Florence “Sally” Horner
Florence “Sally” Horner: A Tragic Story of Abduction and Inspiration Florence “Sally” Horner lived with her widowed mother, Ella Horner, at 944 Linden Street in North Camden when, in June 1948, she was abducted by Frank LaSalle. LaSalle, a 50-year-old convicted pedophile, held Sally captive for 21 months, taking her across the country before she…
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Charles Hobart Corson
Charles Hobart Corson, commonly known as Hobart Corson, was born in Camden, New Jersey, on July 23, 1902, to W. Penn Corson and his wife, the former Catherine Kronenwetter. He had an older brother, William Wallace Corson, and two younger brothers, Edward Mahlon and John Marvin Corson. Family and Early Life W. Penn Corson, a…
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George Birch
George Birch was born on May 10, 1905, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father either passed away or abandoned the family, leaving George’s mother, Katherine Halligan, an illiterate Irish immigrant, to raise him alone. Around age 10 or 11, George suffered a head injury that left him deaf, a condition that was medically irreversible at the…
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Joseph M. Nardi, Jr
Joseph M. Nardi Jr. served as Camden’s mayor from 1969 to 1973 and had a distinguished career as a judge and community leader. Born and raised in Camden, he graduated from the Rutgers University School of Law in 1956 and became actively involved in various professional and community organizations. He served on the Board of…
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Ron “Itchy” Smith
Ron "Itchy" Smith, a standout basketball player and guard for Camden High School, graduated in 1960 after an exceptional basketball career. Over three seasons, he scored 1,276 points and led Camden to back-to-back Group 4 basketball championships in 1959 and 1960. Playing under basketball coach Tony Alfano, Smith and his teammates, Golden “Sonny” Sunkett and…
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Alexander Wilson
Alexander Wilson was born in Pennsylvania in 1847, according to the 1870 Census. By that time, he lived in Camden’s South Ward, worked as a hotel waiter, and boarded with Eliza Williams. He was single at the time. On April 8, 1877, Camden Fire Department records show that Wilson, then residing at 422 Mount Vernon…
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Captain Benjamin Coley – History of Camden County
Captain Benjamin D. Coley, son of John and Ann (Day) Coley, born at Baddell, Bedfordshire, England, February 1, 1826, emigrated with his parents to America in 1829, landed at Philadelphia and soon afterward located in Camden. At the age of six he went to live with a farmer in Burlington County and remained there, working…
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John McKay
John McKay was born on October 22, 1891, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Malcolm and Mary McKay. Along with his brothers Malcolm, Thomas, and Stanley, John grew up at 362 East Indiana Avenue in Philadelphia, as recorded in the 1900 Census. By 1910, the family had relocated to 607 Powell Street in Gloucester City, New Jersey.…
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Benjamin D. Coley
Benjamin Coley was born in England on February 1, 1826, and immigrated to America as a child. He lived briefly in Camden, New Jersey, during the 1830s and returned in the mid-1840s. Upon his return, he worked for businessman Richard Fetters for five years before venturing out on his own. Before the Civil War, Coley…
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Theodore T. Kausel
Theodore T. Kausel was born in New York on October 25, 1885. By 1919, he resided in Camden, New Jersey, where he served as superintendent of the Castle Kid Company, one of the city’s leather manufacturing businesses. According to the 1920 Census, he lived at 1473 Baird Avenue (later Baird Boulevard) in Camden’s newly developed…
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A Zeppelin Over City Hall, Camden, NJ
Zeppelins were developed by Count Ferdinand Zeppelin, who was determined and tireless in his goal to build a dirigible for Germany. At age 61, he flew his first airship, the LZ1, over Lake Constance on July 2, 1900. Zeppelin lived to see his invention used by Germany during World War I for bombing and reconnaissance.…
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Wite 60-Minute Cleaning Service
1177 Haddon Avenue, Camden, NJ Originally located at 2000 South 7th Street in Camden, the Wite 60 Minute Cleaning Service relocated to 1177 Haddon Avenue in the 1960s. A long-standing fixture in the Camden community, the business operated for many years before the White Brothers closed it on August 3, 2003.
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The Story of the Gottlieb Family
As Told by Dr. Stuart Gottlieb M.D. Since I grew up in Camden and worked with my dad at the family business on Mt Vernon St. from the time that I could hold a knife, about age 7 (1947),the site visit was particularly nostalgic. I will be happy to tell you more about the Gottliebs…