Robert Patterson Ashenfelter entered the world in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 13, 1884, as the offspring of Reuben Ashenfelter and his spouse, the former Amelia Hipple. When the 1900 Census was conducted, the family still resided in Philadelphia, specifically at 3103 Cambria Avenue.
In 1910, Robert was still a resident of Philadelphia, and he appeared as a newlywed in the 1910 Census, living with his then-wife Mabel at 215 South Millick Street.
Following his service as a Second Lieutenant in the Ordnance Department of the United States Army, Robert P. Ashenfelter relocated to Camden and joined the Camden Police Department, a position he assumed sometime after 1924. His residence was listed as 800 Market Street in the 1927 City Directory. The 1929 Camden City census documented him as a working Camden Police officer, residing at 119 Manheim Avenue in Oaklyn NJ, along with his wife of nine years, Alberta, his 8-year-old son Joseph, and his father Rubin Ashenfelter, who, at the age of 78, was still employed as a shoe salesman. He continued to reside in Oaklyn as of April 1930.
By 1931, Robert Ashenfelter had risen to the rank of detective. During that year, he intervened in a store robbery in Cramer Hill, where he sustained injuries in the gunfire exchange, and his assailant, Charles Rettberg, lost his life.
Undeterred, Robert Ashenfelter recuperated and continued his service as a detective in the Camden Police force throughout the 1930s and 1940s. His draft card from 1942 indicates that he had relocated to 307 Morse Street in East Camden. The 1947 Camden City Directory further confirms his residence at 307 Morse Street alongside his wife, Alberta.
Robert Ashenfelter departed from this world on June 13, 1952, finding his final resting place at Locustwood Cemetery in Delaware Township (now Cherry Hill), New Jersey. By 1956, the Ashenfelter family had departed from Camden. Alberta Ashenfelter, last residing in West Berlin, New Jersey, joined her husband in March 1968. Their son Joseph remained in Berlin until his passing in 1995.
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Robert P. Ashenfelter
Robert Patterson Ashenfelter entered the world in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 13, 1884, as the offspring of Reuben Ashenfelter and his spouse, the former Amelia Hipple. When the 1900 Census was conducted, the family still resided in Philadelphia, specifically at 3103 Cambria Avenue. In 1910, Robert was still a resident of Philadelphia, and he appeared…
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