Augustus F. Werner

Augustus F. Werner was born around 1870. According to the 1920 Census, he was born in Texas to German-speaking parents who had emigrated from the Lorraine region, which was then part of France. He met and married his wife, Annie, around 1891. While his obituary states that he first arrived in Camden in 1882, his first two children were born in Pennsylvania — Alma in September 1894 and William in October 1896. Shortly after William's birth, the Werner family moved to Camden, New Jersey.

By 1900, Augustus Werner was working as a day laborer, and the family was living at 446 South 2nd Street, at the corner of South 2nd and Berkley Street. By 1910, they had relocated to a rented house at 822 Market Street. By this time, Augustus had started his moving business, and the family had grown to include three more children: daughters Anna and Ruth, and son Erwin. Alma was employed as an "inspectress" at a department store, while William worked as an errand boy.

Tragedy struck the family in January 1917 when young Erwin Werner died after falling while playing with friends in the street. At that time, the family was living at 513 Mt. Vernon Street.

By 1920, Augustus had purchased a home at 523 Berkley Street, where he also ran his moving and storage business from an office on the adjacent lot. By then, only daughter Ruth remained at home. Alma had married Charles Aceto, and they lived at 441 Line Street. Charles was working as a machinist at a shipyard and later built a successful business in Camden, dealing in automobile rentals and parking. William had also married and was living at 528 South 4th Street with his wife, Jennie, and their sons, William Jr. and Walter. He worked as a teamster in the family moving business.

Augustus Werner passed away from a fatal heart attack in his office on October 28, either in 1939 or 1940. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. His wife, Alma, continued to live at the Berkley Street home as late as 1959.