ClearysNoteBook

Happy 14th Wedding Anniversary to Bill and Jodi Cleary

BELATED ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

TO

BILL AND JODI CLEARY

WHO CELEBRATED

THEIR 14^TH ANNIVERSARY

ON MARCH 26^TH

LOVE MOM AND DAD, LACEY AND ERICA,

Bellmawr Senior Citizens Dedication Ceremonies

Friday, March 28th

Florence nee Tucker Messenger addressing attendees at the dedication ceremony of the Bellmawr Senior Citizens complex at Bell and Browning roads.  Senator Rob Andrews and Bellmawr Boro Clerk Chuck Sauter look on.

Florence was born and raised in Gloucester City and has been a resident of Bellmawr for 40 years. She  the sister of the late Mazie Cleary and the late Ed Tucker.

  Photo by Edith Messenger.

Related: Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies

Related: Bellmawr

Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday To You!

Happy  Birthday !

Dear

KELLY ANN

Happy Birthday

To

Youuuuuu....

Love Mom and Dad

Lacey and Erica,  (Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!)

Michigan Firm Recalls Frozen Chicken Entrées For Possible Listeria Contamination

Media release
WASHINGTON, Mar. 2, 2008 – Meijer Distribution Center, a Grand Rapids, Mich. firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 2,184 pounds of frozen chicken entrées that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The following product is subject to recall: [View Label]

• 12-ounce packages of “Discover Cuisine ™ Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice.” Each package bears the Canadian establishment number “Est. 302” inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection as well as a “Best By” date of “12 18 08.”

The frozen chicken entrées were produced on Oct. 18, 2007, and were sent to distributors and retail establishments in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

The problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.
read more

HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY TO DAVID & CONNIE LYNN

 

A special Happy Anniversary Wish to David and Connie Lynn (Cleary) Woods of Gloucester City who celebrates the big event today, Wednesday, January 30^th

Love from your family and friends, xxx ooo

A Big Woof!  Woof!  From Riley Joseph, Darby, Erica and Lacey

BROOKLAWN:HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE TUSSEY’S

 Congratulations to Adam and Kelly Ann  Tussey of Brooklawn who will celebrate their 25^th wedding anniversary on

Tuesday, January 29^th.

The couple has two children, Jessica and Adam Jr.

Parents are Bill and Connie Cleary, of Gloucester City and Esma and the late Rip Tussey of Brooklawn.

Happy Anniversary from your family and Friends.

 

Merry Christmas from ClearysNoteBook

"Among the many gifts that we buy and receive, let us not forget the true gift: To give each other something of ourselves, to give each other something of our time, to open our time to God. In this way Anxiety disappears, Joy is born, and the Feast is created.

During the festive meals of these days, let us remember the Lord's words:  "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite those who will invite you in return, but invite those whom no one invited and who are able to invite you. Luke 14:12-14. Also this means: when you give gifts for Christmas, do not give only to those who will give to you in return, but give to those who receive from no one and who cannot give you anything back."  (An excerpt from the Christmas Midnight Mass Homily, given by Pope Benedict XVI December 2006)

May the Lord's blessings be with you on Christmas and always….

Thank you for your support and loyalty over the past year.....

from all of us at ClearysNotebook!

Sincerely,

Bill & Connie Cleary, ....

Bruce & Jill Darrow, Bill Bates and Steve Skipton

Gloucester City: A puppy for Christmas!

 

Brandie Woods of Gloucester City received an early Christmas present today, little Riley Joseph, three months old , weighing just 2 lbs.

Riley is a Maltese/Shistu given to her by friend Joey……………..

Welcome to the family, Love, Lacey and Erica Cleary and Darby Tussey (Woof! Woof! Woof!)

Ruth Cleary, Remembered as Warm & Generous

Source http://www.courierpostonline.com

By RENEE WINKLER
Courier-Post Staff

Anyone who spotted Ruth Cleary tooling around in her red Chrysler convertible probably thought of her as a blithe spirit.

She always had time to chat with neighbors she met during her 46 years in Haddon Heights or with people in nearby communities visiting the same yard sales as she.

But there was a warmer, more giving side to Cleary, who died recently after an illness that forced her into a Cherry Hill nursing facility for the last year of her life.

By then, her beloved car had been replaced by a wheelchair, said one of her three daughters, Kathy Underwood of Gloucester City.

Cleary spent a lifetime opening her heart -- and often her wallet -- to strangers who became friends.

Born in Pine Grove, Pa., near Pottsville, she was on her own at 16 after her parents' death. She began to work as a waitress, where she met her husband, Jim, a bartender.

Jim Cleary,  switched careers, eventually becoming president of a construction firm that contracted with major utility companies. He died in 1984, a year after retiring.

Ruth Cleary focused on raising her children, first in Stratford, then in Haddon Heights.

"She was just fabulous, the life of every party," her daughter recalled. "She loved country western music and cowboy dancing.

"She cooked and baked and stayed at home. She was a Brownie and a Girl Scout leader. Mothers could do that then."

On a whim in the aftermath of her husband's death, Cleary opened Short Stuff, a store at Station Avenue and Kings Highway where she sold used children's clothing and furniture.

She became "the social butterfly of Station Avenue, with more energy than the rest of us put together," Underwood said. "She'd spend weekends going to yard sales, buying things for the store."

But Cleary's heart got in the way of her business, said her daughter, and she often would give away items to needy mothers.

"The store went into the red," Underwood said. "She just gave too much away, and she'd pay the bills out of her own pocket."

That generosity wasn't a surprise to her children, especially her oldest, Ruthann Dubb, who now lives in Philadelphia.

When Ruthann was 12, she needed an appendectomy and was recovering in a Philadelphia hospital. A 9-year-old boy named Richard Powers was in the bed next to Ruthann, and when her mother learned the child was an orphan, she paid special attention to him.

When Powers was released to one of the Sisters of Saint Joseph who ran the orphanage where he was living, Cleary stopped the pair at the elevator.

"Even today I remember her asking, "Where do you think you're going?' " Powers remembered. "When Sister said I was going home, back to the orphanage, Ruth promised to keep in touch."

And she did, visiting Powers every month and bringing him to her home on holidays.

"Once during a visit, she noticed I wasn't sitting down," Powers said. "She pushed me for an explanation, and I said I had been beaten. She pulled up my shirt and took me to the Mother Superior.

"I was afraid. I told her they were gonna get back at me. That night, she barged into my dormitory, where a sister was standing by me with a stick. She (Ruth) took me home, to her home, and kept me for several weeks."

"She wanted to adopt me," Powers said, "but Catholic Social Services said no, because my mother was still alive and wouldn't agree. My mother had left me alone from the day I was born, but she wouldn't let me go to Ruth."

When Powers became too old for the orphanage and was transferred to St. Francis Vocational School in Cornwells Heights, Pa., the visits continued.

"We were in touch for more than 50 years," he said. "Ruth was the most wonderful lady and mother and friend.

"I was a true orphan until Ruth came into my life. She was my number one lady, of all the ladies in the world."

Related story: Cleary Family History   

Congratulations to Stephanie and Jay

Stephanie Tavener and Gunnery Sgt Jay Rodriguez

The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduated 215 students from seven graduate programs on Wednesday, July 25 at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.

Students earned doctorate degrees in clinical psychology and school psychology and masters degrees in school psychology, counseling and clinical health psychology, clinical psychology, organizational development and leadership, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, and physician assistant studies.

Gerald L. Zahorchak, Ed.D., secretary of education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania gave the commencement address.

Among those graduating with the Class of 2007 was Stephanie Tavener, of Marlton, NJ, daughter of  Mrs. Ginny Tavener and the late Warren Tavener. Stephanie received a Master's in Health Sciences Physician Assistant Studies. She also has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hahnemann University. She plans to be a Physician Assistant.

Stephanie  grandparents are the late  Thomas and Blanche Sarlo, and the late  Charles and Florence  Tavener  all of Gloucester City. Her uncle and aunts are Connie and Bill Cleary and Denise and Frank Kruger of Gloucester City.

Following the graduation family and friends celebrated with dinner at a restaurant in Cherry Hill.

The same day Stephanie got engaged to Jay Rodriguez who is a Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corp, stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, home of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Twentynine Palms, CA. 

No date has been set for the wedding.

Ruth Cleary Owner of Short Stuff Store; Member of WOW, Haddon Heights Resident for 46 Years

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM on Saturday, July 21, at Saint Rose of Lima R.C. Church, 4^th Avenue at Kings Highway, Haddon Heights for Mrs. Ruth Cleary (nee Schneck) , of Haddon Heights, who passed away on Tuesday, July 17^th , 2007.  She was 87.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend her viewing on Saturday at the church from 9 AM to 11 AM.

Mrs. Cleary was a resident of Haddon Heights for 46 years. She was the founder and owner of Short Stuff Store on Station Avenue in Haddon Heights. Ruth owned this second hand children's consignment store for seven years and was so proud to help many children and families in the area. She was very outgoing and loved to socialize in front of her store; and was considered to be a social asset to the community. Ruth was a member of the Widows and Widowers (WOWS) in Cherry Hill. She enjoyed dancing and driving around Haddon Heights in her red convertible. 

The loving wife of the late James F. Cleary, she is survived by her devoted children: Ruth Ann Flynn Dubb (Dr. Jeffrey Dubb) of Philadelphia, PA, Patty Gibboni of Haddon Township, Kathy Cleary Underwood (Jimmy Underwood) of Gloucester City and Jim Cleary of Haddon Township. Beloved adopted mother of Richard (Sis) Powers of Croydon, PA. Dear companion of Captain Joe Stasney of Cherry Hill. Devoted grandmother of 8 and great-grandmother of two.

Cremation and Inurnment are private at the request of the family. There will be no evening viewing and no viewing at the funeral home. The family requests no flowers for the viewing. Memorial Donations are preferred in Ruth's memory to the Alzheimer's Association: 3 Eves Drive, Suite 310, Marlton, New Jersey 08053. Please write in the memo of the check Ruth Cleary. Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through the funeral home website www.mccannhealey.com under online obituaries of Ruth Cleary.

Welcome to Our World.......Darbie Tussey

The Tussey Family (Adam, Kelly Ann, Jessica and Adam Jr.) of Brooklawn has added a new member to their family,  Darbie, the nine week  old  Puggle moved in last week.

For those not familar with  Puggles they tend to be between 15–30 pounds and stand 13–15 inches at the shoulders. While colors vary, the vast majority are fawn–colored with wrinkled black masks similar to pugs. There are also completely black as well as multicolored puggles; both of which tend to have a longer body, slightly increased size, and longer nose and floppy ears associated with beagles.

Darbie's cousins, Lacey and Erica Cleary, are excited to have a new playmate.

Cleary Family History/ Grandmom Jessie Tucker

 

Written November 1978 

By Jessie Elizabeth Hardiman Tucker,

 

Mother of Mazie E. Cleary, grandmother of Dolores (nee Cleary) Raube, George F. Cleary Jr., and Bill Cleary 

 

I was born in Philadelphia, Pa at 505 Vine Street, one of seven children. They were: Michael, Mary, Jessie, twins, Frank (died age 2) and Helen (died age 6) both are buried in Old Saint Marys cemetery, Gloucester City NJ; second Helen died during flu epidemic (year?) and Joseph died July 1977. All have passed away but me. Born in the year 1890, I will soon be 89 years old on January 2, 1979.

I went to school at Lawrence and Race Street Philadelphia, Catholic School, until I was 13 years old, and then went to work in a candy factory. You could eat all the candy you wanted but couldn't take any home with you. It was piecework, my first pay was 70 cents, and I didn't know what piece work meant.

My father was John Hardiman, born in County Mayo, Ireland. His father died and his mother married again. Two cousins brought him to this country when he was nine years old. They kept him until he was old enough to go on his own.

Pop went to work as a bookkeeper in Mondale's Shoe Factory at Third and Arch Streets, Philadelphia and one stormy snowy night, he fell at Fifth and Cherry Streets. This crippled him for the rest of his life. I was about six years old when this happened.

My mother whose maiden name was Mary Ann Corcoran and my father were married in old St. Joseph's Church in Willings Alley, Philadelphia. My father lived until he was 72 and he was buried in Monument Cemetery, Broad and Burks Street. Philadelphia. My mother was born in Washington, D.C.

Her mother, whose maiden was Mary Ann Joyce, and her father, Michael Corcoran, moved from Washington D.C. to Gloucester City NJ and I came with my mother from Philadelphia to see them when I was a child.

My grandfather (note: grand mom doesn't say if this was her father's father or her mother's father) was born in County Cork, Ireland. He fought in the Spanish American Ward, and when he became a prisoner of Spain, his captors put a ring in his ear, which he wore until he died. They are buried in old Saint Marys Cemetery, Gloucester City, near the Market Street side. The government erected a tombstone, which bear his name and my grandmothers, as he was a Spanish American war veteran. My grandparents lived in the 400 block of Somerset Street (Gloucester City) near the Baptist Church rectory.

They had five sons, two sets of twins, Thomas and John, and Michael and Frank, and also a Walter.

Michael married and lived in York, PA, and had two sons, and a daughter. Frank died young, Thomas married Josephine Manson and they are buried in old St. Mary's Cemetery, Gloucester. John married Tillie Munn and they are both buried in Cedar Gove Cemetery, Market Street, and Gloucester City. Walter lived in California; married and died there He was my godfather.

I was married August 15, 1908 at the age of 18 to Edward John Tucker. Who was 27 years old, in the Trinity Lutheran Church at 18^th and Wolf Streets. Philadelphia. We had four children, Mazie Elizabeth, Edward Henry, Florence Amelia, and Henry Cornelius, who was born October 5, 1922 and died two days later. He is buried in Union Cemetery, Powell Street and the Railroad, Gloucester City.

When we married we went to keep; house at my father-in-law's (Henry Cornelius Tucker) house at 8^th and Snyder Sts. Philadelphia I didn't know a thing about keeping house and cooking but my father in law taught me. Mazie was born in his house, and near the time Edward was born we went housekeeping on our own at 1827 Tree Street, Philadelphia.

Next we moved to 1749 Liberty Street, Camden NJ where Florence was born. Then my father in law found a house in Gloucester City at 841 Cumberland Street for us, which we rented. Later he came to live with us until he died at the age of 63. He is buried in Fernwood Cemetery, Yeadon, PA. (Located right outside of Philadelphia). He was a very fine man; he worked at a produce market at Dock Street Market, Philadelphia.

My mother in law, Mary Ann Simon (called Mazie) was born in what was known as "Down the Neck", Philadelphia. Her parents had a farm there and my father in law went to work for them at the age of 16. Then he married the farmer's daughter. He was born in Farnham, Virginia. A small town near Richmond. His mother was a widow, and when she re-married he left home and came north.

My mother in law had five children. My husband, Edward was 17 years old when his mother died and his sisters were, Mary, 13, Florence Amelia 6, Eva Mae, 18 months old and a brother Clarence age, 3. Eva Mae died shortly after her mother.

My husband's father had many housekeepers to help take care of his young family, some good, some not so good, so when we got married I kept house for him until we went out on our own and moved to 1827 Tree Street, Philadelphia. It was in this house our son Edward Henry was born.

 

Our second daughter, Florence Amelia, was born at 1749 Liberty Street, Camden our home after we left Philadelphia. From there we moved to 841 Cumberland Street, Gloucester City and then to 832 East Brown Street, Gloucester City.

My husband died at the age of 51 (on March 31, 1932) in Cooper Hospital, Camden NJ. He is buried in Harleigh Cemetery, Camden NJ. He had an intestinal blockage and was sick one week at home, and one week in the hospital.

On March 4, 1936 I sold the house to my daughter Mazie and her husband George F. Cleary. I lived with them until I brought two little old shacks (adjoining houses), fixed them up, making them into one house at 875 Cumberland Street, Gloucester City. That is where I now live and I am so happy.

I have three children, 11 grandchildren, and 26 great-grandchildren.

With love, Jessie E. Tucker

November 12, 1978

(Age 88 years, 11 months)

 

Post Script

Jessie celebrated he 90^th birthday January 2, 1980 at the home of her daughter Mazie, and son in law George Cleary, at a party attended by family members and several friends.

On Sunday, February 3, she suffered a stroke and was taken by ambulance to the Underwood Memorial Hospital, Woodbury, NJ

After four weeks in the hospital she was admitted to the Greenbriar Nursing Home, Deptford, NJ. She was completely paralyzed, couldn't move, talk etc.

After seven months, she passed away on September 4, 1980. She is buried next to her husband Edward John, in Harleigh Cemetery, Camden.

 

Brandon Cleary Makes His First Communion

Congratulations to Brandon Cleary, of Thorofare, who made his First Holy Communion today, Saturday, at St. Patrick's RC Church, Woodbury. With Brandon is Monsignor Joseph V. DiMauro, pastor of St.  Patrick's Parish.  Brandon was one of 72 communicants to receive the sacrament at morning Mass today.

Brandon is the son of Bill and Jodi Cleary, of Thorofare. Grandson of Bill and Connie Cleary Sr., of Gloucester City.

David and Lacey

Cleary Grandkids Christmas 2006

From left, Geoff, Jes, Adam, sitting, Brandie, David, Brandon, Brianna and Billy

Holiday photos

Cleary Grandchildren (November 2006)

Brandon Cleary, son of Bill and Jodi with his friend Erica

Brandon and Brianna Woods, daughter of Dave and Connie Lynn Woods with friends Erica and Lacey

George Francis Cleary

November 1978

I

Was born June 28, 1913 at 44 Evans Street, Camden NJ. My father was a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and my mother, Catherine M Cleary was a housewife.

My brother, James Francis Cleary who is 18 months older than I, lives in Haddon Heights NJ

The first school I attended was at Saints Peter and Paul, which was on Spruce Street in Camden, between Sixth Street and Broadway. It was there that I made by First Holy Communion and my Confirmation. Later I attended the Immaculate Conception School at Sixth and Market Streets, Camden where I remained until we moved to Gloucester City NJ in 1924.

An interesting sidelight is that the house where I lived in Camden on Line Street had no central heat or electricity, which meant that although we had a bathtub on the second floor, it could not be used in the winter. As a result, we would get our bath on a Saturday night in a washtub, which was placed in the kitchen in front of the coal stove. Photo Uncle Jim Cleary and my father, George Cleary

Also, to keep warm in the winter we had feather mattresses on the beds and when we would wake up in the morning we would grab our clothes and run down to the kitchen where we would get dressed.

In addition, during the winter we would close off the living room and the dinning room and lived in the kitchen. The only time we would use the living room in the winter would be on a Sunday if we had a bright warm sunning day.

Incidentally, for illumination we used gas mantles and I still remember the beautiful fixture we had in our dining room

To continue, when we moved to Gloucester City, at 828 Bergen Street in 1924, my brother and I were enrolled in St. Mary’s Grammar School where I made quite a few friends, we were all very happy until 1928. In March of that year my mother died and eight months later n November my father also died. The cause of death was Tuberculosis. I graduated from St. Mary’s in June of the same year. In September I enrolled in Gloucester Catholic High School. Shortly thereafter I got sick and was sent to Lakeland Sanitarium with (guess what?) Tuberculosis.

After leaving Lakeland, I enrolled in Camden Commercial College (a business school) where I studied shorthand and typing. In later years, I attended Philadelphia Textile School, and took an International Correspondence School course. Also in line with my newspaper work took a course in speedwriting at Gloucester City Adult High School.

Oops! Almost forgot. Prior to my father’s death, he purchased for $80 an unheard of entertainment piece, namely, a radio that was operated by one “A” and two “B” batteries. Prior to that we made our own radio, which consisted of wrapping wire around an empty oatmeal box and using what we called a “cat whisker”.

After we graduated to the better class radio, we would sit up half the night trying for distance and would compare notes with our neighbors the next day (who by this time had also purchased the more improved sets).

Following the death of my parents, I stayed at Lakeland for several more months and when I was discharged went to live in Camden with my grandmother, Abigal Welsh, and my cousin, Margaret Welsh, again on Line Street.

I obtained my first position with the John C. Winston book publishers in Philadelphia and about the same time enrolled for an evening course at Camden Commercial College for shorthand and typing.

A

s this was during the great Depression, I only lasted several months at Winston’s when I was laid off. Subsequently, I obtained employment at Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia, which also only lasted several months.

Finally, through the efforts of my uncle, John Welsh, I went to work at Eavenson and Levering Company, Camden, where I worked for 18 years only to be laid off when they had a change of management, which eventually forced the Company into bankruptcy.

It was during this period, I met my wife, Mazie Tucker, on a tennis court at the Gloucester City Park, King Street. The friendship was heightened when after the death of my grandmother I went to live at her home through the friendship I had with her brother Ed Tucker who felt sorry for me.

Mazie and I were married on November 3k, 1932 and our marriage resulted in three wonderful children, Dolores, George and Billy All of them have since married and now we have 12 grandchildren who also are out of this world.

But, to return to my employment in 1948 when I was laid off from Eavenson and Levering, it seemed like the end of the world, but through the efforts of Bill Kenney Sr. a close friend, I was able to obtain employment with the Gloucester City News.

I worked for the newspaper until January 1950 when Mazie and I purchased the paper and although it hasn’t always been easy, we have been very fortunate in making good living.

A lifelong Republican, I had a brief fling in politics around 1948 when I acted as secretary for Mayor Philip V. Rhea. I also ran for the position of Second Ward Councilman in Gloucester City but was defeated by Frederick W. Floyd with who I later became a close friend.

Starting in 1949, I was appointed by Mayor Rhea to a five-year term on the Gloucester City Board of Education.

About six months after we purchased the Gloucester City News, my wife and I established Cleary’s office Supplies and later had a Western Union Telegraph Agency. We sold the office supply store in June 1957 because it was too much to handle along with the other businesses.

In 1958 I became a stockholder in Publishers Inc. a printing plant, I am treasurer of the company.

Hughie McCaughey and I formed a partnership and purchased the Camden County Record newspaper in October 1965.

Post Script

George and Mazie retired in 1984. They sold the Gloucester City News to their son Bill and daughter in law Connie. They also sold their stock in Publishers Inc. and Camden County Record. George died in 1994 from complications caused by Parkinson Disease.  Mazie died in 1995 from complications brought on by Alzheimer’s disease.

Mom

By Mazie Elizabeth Tucker Cleary

November 15, 1978

W

hen I was growing up I remember parties we had at one another’s homes. For refreshments we would have lemonade and homemade cake. We would play games such as spin the bottle, post office, dance to the music of a Victoria  records or sing and play a player piano. That is if no own could play the piano.

When just a kid some of our games were lay sheepie lay, blind man’s bluff, London Bridges falling down, Go in and out the windows, kick the ricket, prisoner’s base, jacks. The boys would play marbles and the girls would jump rope.  Also we would roller skate up and down the sidewalks and sometimes in the streets. We didn’t have Television so we made our own fun. Summer time we had picnics, went canoeing or took rides on the lake in rowboats.

My Mother would stretch lace curtains for people and charge for doing it and my brother, sister and I would have to deliver them for her. She had quite a few curtain stretchers around the house at the time.

Growing up we lived at 841 Cumberland Street, Gloucester City, and had chickens, rabbits, big apple tree in the yard, and a couple of peach trees.  Our yard ran all the way back to the street behind us (Somerset Street). It was L shaped; in back of the four houses that were on Cumberland Street at that time.

My grandfather and father had a garden and raised all our vegetables. We got all the eggs we needed from our chickens, and sometimes we would have one of the chickens for Sunday dinner.

In our back yard, we didn’t have a pool like everyone seems to have today. But we had a rope swing hanging from the apple tree, and a hammock, and if the weather was very hot the firemen would open the fire hydrants for the kids to play in from the neighborhood.

Every spring and fall the housewives would houseclean, take up the winter rugs and put down the summer rugs; they would hang the rugs out on clothes line and beat them with a rug beater, usually made of wire with a handle.  Then they would roll up the rug or carpet and put it away in the attic until fall and put it down in the winter. The summer rugs were made of a sort of matting.

We didn’t have central heating but a coal range in the big kitchen and another coal stove in the dining room. Most living rooms (we called them parlors then) were closed off in the winter either by a door or heavy drapes.

Kids then liked to watch the coal man deliver coal to the neighbor’s house. We would look out the window and watch it go down a chute into the cellar.

M

y father worked in Philadelphia and took the train from Gloucester to Camden, where he boarded the ferry boat that would take him to Delaware Street in Philadelphia. In the winter there was a fire in the big potbelly stove in the railroad station in Gloucester City to keep the people warm who where waiting for the train.  The ferryboat cost three or five cents. Once in Philadelphia he would walk up the hill to an insurance company on Walnut Street where he worked. A workweek then was five and half days, which include Saturday until 1 p.m.

My mother use to make most of our clothes, and she also would sew for people in the neighborhood.

My grandfather died in 1922 and he never knew what a radio was. My father died in 1932, he knew a radio and loved it, but he never saw a television set.  These are things we take for granted today.

I remember the ragman; he would come around in a horse drawn wagon calling out. And people would sell their papers and old rags to him.  He would weigh them with a scale he had on the wagon and pay you a few cents.

Also a man would go along the street hollering clothes props, they were wooden and the housewife would come out to buy them. The same would go for the man who sharpen knives. Or as some called him the scissor grinder. He would have a stone wheel on a stand to do the job and work it with a foot pedal.  If you had an umbrella that was broken men would come around your neighborhood and repair them right on your front step. There was also a man that would come to your neighborhood selling fish. These men would push carts or drive horse and wagons, and some would drive trucks.

Sounds like we had a lot of men running around the neighborhood hollering but they didn’t come that often.

At the time we did have a lot of poor knocking on our doors in the morning wanting a cup of coffee or a few cents for a drink. We never seemed to be afraid to open our door to anyone who needed help unlike today. I guess they were what you would call hobos.

I remember we would go on excursions trains from Gloucester railroad station to Atlantic City or Wildwood for a $1 a person for the day (that was round trip). They had bathhouses at the shore and you could rent a bathing suit if you didn’t have one. People were covered up pretty well on the beach especially the women. They wore stockings, bathing hats and even rubber slippers.

I attended Gloucester public schools and in 1928 I graduated with a high school diploma from Gloucester High School located where the Mary Ethel Costello grammar school is today on Cumberland Street.

I met my future husband George F.  Cleary on a tennis court at the Gloucester City Park on King Street. George and I were married on November 3, 1932. We had three children, Dolores, George and Billy. All of them have since married and now we have 12 grandchildren.

W

e purchased the Gloucester City News on January 1, 1950. Six months later we open up Cleary’s Office Supplies Store. I did all the bookwork for the businesses along with typing the news articles and waiting on customers. Both businesses were located at 423 Hudson Street. In July 1951 we moved into a storefront rental property at 242 North Broadway, Gloucester City. We operated the Office Supplies Store there and moved our newspaper office to our home on East Brown Street, as there wasn’t enough room for both of them at the rental property.

Around July 1954 we moved the office supplies store along with our newspaper office to a rental property at 110 South Broadway, across from the Gloucester Post Office. We also began an agency for Western Union. All three businesses kept us quite busy as you can imagine.

We eventually had to sell the Office Supplies business because we just couldn’t handle it all.  We then moved the newspaper office and the Western Union agency to 106 ½ South Broadway. We stayed there until March 1958 at which time we moved into a second floor office on top of Publishers Printing Plant, 5^th and Jersey Avenue. George and I purchased $6,000 worth of stock of Publishers Inc. George was named treasurer of the plant and Publishers printed the Gloucester City News along with several other weekly newspapers.

George along with Hughie McCaughey, another one of the owners of Publishers Inc., formed a partnership and purchased the Camden County Record newspaper on October 18, 1965 for $2,200. Their first issue was the following week.

Post Script

Mazie passed away in 1995. She died from complications caused by Alzheimer’s disease.