Edward G. Glaze, born on April 25, 1915, in Pennsylvania to William Elmer and Elizabeth A. Glaze, had family ties to East Camden dating back to at least 1906 when his grandfather, Frederick Glaze, resided at 1531 Federal Street. By 1910, the Glaze family was living at 2034 Federal Street, and shortly after Edward’s birth, they returned to their old neighborhood. When William Glaze registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, the family resided at 2016 Carman Street, and William worked at the nearby Keystone Leather factory on South 17th and Mickle Streets.
The 1920 and 1930 Census records place the family at 2013 Federal Street, with William Glaze working as a shaver, likely at Keystone Leather. At 2001 Federal Street, lived Bernard “Barney” Tracy, a significant Democrat politician in Camden’s Twelfth Ward, encompassing East Camden. By 1930, William Glaze’s sister Margaret, her husband Herbert Deschin, and their daughter Blanche had moved into 2005 Federal Street. The Glaze family included younger sisters Elizabeth and Mildred.
Edward G. Glaze completed two years of high school before leaving to join the workforce. After marrying Ada May Hans, he worked in one of Camden’s leather factories, probably Keystone Leather, before being drafted into the United States Army on July 31, 1943, in Camden, NJ.
Post-war, Edward returned to the family home at 2013 Federal Street, his wife Ada, and his job at the leather factory. Edward seized an opportunity when the Camden Fire Department hired new personnel after World War II, appointing him on May 28, 1948. Assigned to Engine Company 7 at 1115 Kaighn Avenue after completing his probationary period, the 1956 New Jersey Bell Telephone directory listed Edward Glaze and his family at 2021 Federal Street.
On February 8, 1958, Engine Company 7 responded to a fire at the American Battery Company building on Broadway. After returning to the firehouse and preparing for the next call, Fireman Edward Glaze returned home on Federal Street. Hours later, he suffered a massive heart attack and was declared dead on arrival at Cooper Hospital.
Edward G. Glaze became the eighteenth Camden Firefighter to make the Supreme Sacrifice while on duty. Survived by his wife and sons, Edward William Glaze and Kenneth Glaze, Mrs. Ada Glaze and Kenneth Glaze continued residing at 2021 Federal Street into the mid-1980s. Ada Glaze, last a resident of Blackwood, NJ, passed away on April 5, 2004. Grandson Edward W. Glaze Jr. served as a Lieutenant with the Collingswood, New Jersey Fire Department.
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Edward G. Glaze
Edward G. Glaze, born on April 25, 1915, in Pennsylvania to William Elmer and Elizabeth A. Glaze, had family ties to East Camden dating back to at least 1906 when his grandfather, Frederick Glaze, resided at 1531 Federal Street. By 1910, the Glaze family was living at 2034 Federal Street, and shortly after Edward’s birth,…
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