Arthur Holl was born on April 17, 1887, in New Jersey to Lewis F. Holl and Willimina Holl. His father and uncle, George M. Holl, were prominent real estate developers and builders in Camden. They owned the Holl Block, a row of buildings on Broadway between Mickle and Stevens Streets. On his mother’s side, his uncle G. Rudolph Tenner had a distinguished career as a member of the Camden Fire Department, and his uncles George A. Tenner and Christian Tenner also served as Camden firefighters.
After attending Eckels College of Embalming, Arthur Holl apprenticed with John J. Bradley in Philadelphia. He later worked with J. Lewis Good & Son in Camden for six years. On October 1, 1908, he obtained his undertaking license from the State of New Jersey and opened a funeral parlor at the corner of Broadway and Berkeley Street, specifically at 539 Berkeley Street. On May 18, 1910, he married Anna Gardner Batten of Blackwood, NJ, in St. John’s Church in Camden. In addition to his funeral business, Arthur Holl operated a taxi service from the Broadway and Berkeley Street location before World War I.
In the 1920 census, Arthur Holl resided at 1401-01 Princess Avenue in the newly developed and fashionable Parkside section of Camden. He actively participated in Republican politics and served as Camden County Coroner from 1919 to 1922. In February 1924, he relocated his business to the Parkside address and also served on the Board of Directors of the South Camden Trust bank.
By 1924, Arthur Holl moved his residence to 125 West End Avenue in Haddonfield, NJ. He remained involved in Camden County politics and ran for Surrogate in 1934. His wife, Anna Holl, was also politically active, serving as a Republican county committeewoman from Haddonfield and being involved in the local Girl Scout movement. Arthur Holl once again served as Camden County Coroner in the early 1940s. By 1947, he had established a second funeral home at 15 West End Avenue, Haddonfield, where he worked with his son Earl Holl, who served as the Camden County Coroner in 1947.
In 1956, Arthur Holl consolidated his businesses at the Haddonfield location, selling the Princess Avenue funeral home to David Berschler. Arthur Holl retired by 1973. Earl Holl later sold the funeral home to Blair Murphy, a longtime employee who renamed it the Holl-Murphy Funeral Home. Arthur Holl passed away in Marlton, NJ, in March 1980, and his son Earl Holl died on February 1, 2000.
In 2001, Eugene Kain acquired the Holl-Murphy Funeral Home, which he operates to this day under the name Kain-Murphy Funeral Services Inc.
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