From South Jersey: A History 1624 – 1924
CHARLES ANGELO ACETO – Enterprise, industry, originality, and determination that overcomes all obstacles to success are characteristic of many young men from European countries who have sought this country for opportunity, and Charles Angelo Aceto affords a conspicuous example of one of these young men, who, in spite of handicaps, has entered into prosperity solely through his own efforts.
Mr. Aceto was born April 16, 1891, in Ioggi, State of Cosenza, Italy. His parents, Vincenzo and Clementina (Ambrosio) Aceto, came to America in June, 1900, accompanied by him, their first son, when he was nine years old. The boy at once set to work to master the language of his new country, fired by an ambition to succeed, and realizing the need of knowledge to succeed. It was necessary for him to find employment to sustain himself, and he immediately entered the employ of Howland Croft, Sons & Company, of Camden, New Jersey, in their wool-combing establishment, and he continued with this firm for two and a half years at two dollars and fifty cents a week. During this term of first employment he seized every possible opportunity to improve himself, especially in the knowledge of the English language. In this he pursued a course at the Young Men’s Christian Association, and a night school in Camden. He also attended Fetters’ Public School, and being as alert as he was ambitious, he made rapid progress through business associations and in conversations with all natives he encountered. Unlike most European immigrants, he did not continually seek the society of his compatriots, but sought to improve himself by the most logical means. For another year he was employed at the Keystone Leather Works in Camden, following which he was employed ten years by the Camden Iron Works as a machinist. At the end of this period, the World War having begun, he was found with the New York Shipbuilding Company, where he continued for two years, until 1918. The next two years found him in various employments, his practical experience constantly adding to his value, and always he scrupulously saved from his earnings with a view to becoming his own master and an employer of others. In 1920 came his opportunity, and he purchased what is known as “the station wagon,” a Studebaker motor vehicle used in transporting people to and from the railroad station. Soon, he secured a larger bus, and thus began operating two vehicles for transport. His industry, and a consideration for the wants of his patrons, brought immediate success, and in January, 1921, he admitted his younger brother, Edward Aceto, to partnership, and they continued the business of transportation under the name of the Aceto Bus Company. In 1923 another: transportation company was incorporated under the name of the Continental Coach Company, and this has grown to be one of the largest concerns of the kind in Camden. It is capitalized at $125,000, and with Charles A. Aceto as president and general manager, and operates a transportation line from the Pennsylvania Railroad ferry in Camden through to Parkside.
A service garage is maintained on Chestnut Street, Camden, and every effort is made to render the public efficient and courteous service.
Since 1920, Charles A. Aceto has been associated with the Camden County Bus Association, and in 1924 he was elected its president. He is active in the Yorkship Square Building and Loan Association, of which he has been a director. He has always been a student, and has acquired a remarkable command of the English language. Like all his compatriots, he takes much interest in music, playing a baritone instrument. As to his practical business, Mr. Aceto is a young man of remarkable energy and ambition, and is known as one of the most careful and analytical motor-bus operators in New Jersey. His genius for this business is shown by a brief analysis: He conducts two motor-bus lines; has a fleet of eight Garford vehicles, with bodies built to his own specifications and containing some of his own ideas; and his own garage of 8,000 feet floor space; was a recent victor in a fight against the Public Service Transportation Company conducted by the electric street railway; prefers married drivers, about twenty-eight years old; is a thorough mechanic himself and takes great interest in this end of the business; pays drivers forty dollars a week straight wages; and puts service to the public above any immediate monetary consideration.
Mr. Aceto affiliates with all the branches of the Masonic Fraternity, being a member of Camden Lodge, No. 15, Free and Accepted Masons; Siloam Chapter, No. 19, Royal Arch Masons; Cyrene Commandery, No.7, Knights Templar; and Crescent Shrine, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and Forest No. 5, Tall Cedars of Lebanon. In religion he is a Baptist, and a member of the Y’s Men’s Club of Camden.
Mr. Aceto was married, December 31, 1917, at the First Methodist Episcopal Church, in Camden, to Alma Virginia Werner, daughter of Augustus and Alma Werner, now living in Camden. Mr. and Mrs. Aceto are the parents of three children: Charles Albert, born January 24, 1920; Evelyn Virginia, born April 13, 1921; and Gloria, born May 8, 1922. These children are being reared to appreciate the land of their birth and to become worthy of their opportunities.
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