Dear Mr. Cohen,
I read the link you sent me Memories of Old Cooper Street by Will Paul. This man lived 50 years before I was born, but I recognized many of the names… some of whom had descendants I knew.
The author mentioned some people in my family. Thomas E. French, of French, Richards, and Bradley Law Offices lived on York Street. He was my Great-Grandmother’s THIRD husband. The first was James Wood, my Grandmother’s father, and the second Colonel Bassett. Both were from Philadelphia, although my Mother was under the impression that he was from Virginia as my grandmother had a southern accent. I was told Colonel Wood was killed in the Civil War fighting for the South and that Colonel Bassett was on the northern side. I always thought of Cecelia Carr Wood Bassett French as being Scarlett O’Hara. Her daughter, Anne Wood married William S. Casselman, and I am their descendant.
Dr. Paul Mecray was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, when my Mother was with Dr. John Stokes. If it is the same person, he married an heiress to the Anheuser-Busch fortune. Mrs. Mecray, whose first name I do not remember [Jane—ed.], was, along with my Mother, Mrs. Lippincott and numerous others, was a President of the Camden County Women’s Medical Association. I still have her past president’s pins.
Clarence Moulette, mentioned as living on North Second Street was something to do with what we used to call “relief.” I remember going to his office in the basement of the old court house when Mother had some person who needed to be on relief. I thought he was very handsome and was fascinated by his wooden leg. I was a very small child. I recognized him from the picture, but he would not be my idea of handsome now or when I became a young lady.
Catherine Casselman, 2009
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