Camden Trust Company

The Camden Trust traces its origin back to July 1, 1873, when the Camden Insurance, Safe Deposit & Trust Company first opened for business at 224 Federal Street. Over a period of seventy-five years, the bank merged with other local banks such as the Security Trust Company, Central Trust Company, East End Trust Company, and American National Bank. The bank relocated and underwent name changes prior to achieving its “modern” format in 1938, at which point it was the largest bank in South Jersey.

The Camden Safe Deposit & Trust Company opened its new building at the northeast corner of Broadway and Market Street on October 31, 1892. A new building was built on the same location in 1928, which still stands in 2006.

Camden Safe Deposit and Trust Company
Camden, N. J.

ALEXANDER C. WOOD, President.
EPHRAIM TOMLINSON, 2d Vice President
JOSEPH LIPPINCOTT, Treasurer and Secretary
EPHRAIM TOMLINSON, Trust Officer
GEORGE J. BERGEN, Solicitor

Directors: Alexander C. Wood — Joseph W. Cooper — George Reynolds — Ephraim Tomlinson — Joseph H. Gaskill — George W. Jessup — Edward L. Farr — William Joyce Sewell Jr. — Edmund E. Reed, Jr. — J. Dayton Voorhees — William J. Bradley — Albert C. Middleton — George J. Bergen

The Central Trust Company was absorbed by the Camden Safe Deposit & Trust Company in 1927. After the merger, the Central Trust building at 4th & Federal Street became the home of the Equitable Beneficial Insurance Company, and remains as such into the 21st century.

A crossed wire in the Camden Safe Deposit & Trust Company’s burglar alarm system caused a bank robbery scare for a few minutes yesterday afternoon.

At 2:28 p. m., the alarm connecting the bank, at Broadway and Market Street, with police headquarters, sounded. Lieutenant Samuel Johnson immediately communicated with every patrolmen and motorcycle policeman available in the business section.

A horde of bluecoats descended upon the bank, but found a prevailing calm. No one, either in the bank or outside, knew what was wrong. There had been no holdup and no one had touched off the alarm.

Bank officials said they had been having some trouble with the alarm system, and they laid the false warning to a crossed wire.

Gertrude L. Higgins Leaves Numerous Bequests to Religious Groups

The major portion of a $10,000 and upwards estate is left to religious organizations in the will of Miss Gertrude L. Higgins, of 718 Market Street, which was filed for probate in the office of Surrogate Frank B. Hanna yesterday.

Miss Higgins died in Cooper Hospital on January 24. She was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Higgins. After making bequests to relatives, friends and the church organizations, Miss Higgins directed that the residue be given to the Church of The Immaculate Conception. The Camden Safe Deposit And Trust Company is named executor.

The bequests listed in the will follow:

Bridie Lucy Richter, cousin, Camden, all personal effects, including household goods, books, silverware and jewelry and $1000; Rose Faigan Lodge, aunt, Philadelphia, $1000; Agnes Evans Huber, cousin, Woodlynne, $200; Mrs. Sarah Ostertag, friend, Camden, $200; Margaret Higgins Webb, Albany, N. Y., $20; Rose Higgins, Albany, $20; Eugene Higgins, cousin, Albany, $20; Joseph Higgins, cousin, Albany, $20.

Many Religious Requests

Property 718 Market Street, to be sold and the proceeds distributed as follows: one-third to Rev. Sylvester Eisermann, in trust for St. Paul’s Indian Mission, Marty, South Dakota; one-third to Rev. Edward Berheide, in trust for The Little Flower Indian school, St. Michael, North Dakota; one-third to Rev. Joseph Maguire, in trust for The Society for the Protection of Destitute Roman Catholic Children, Buffalo, N. Y.

The Catholic Home for Orphans at Hopewell, $500; property 218 North Brown street, Gloucester, New Jersey, to be sold and the proceeds distributed as follows: one-third to The Society of The Divine Word of Techno, Illinois, to be used for the education of young men for the priesthood; one-third to the school sisters of Notre Dame Motherhouse, Baltimore, to be used to educate young ladies to become school sisters of Notre Dame; one-third to Mother M. Teresa, in trust for Mt. St. Mary’s, Plainfield.

Property 806 Birch Street, to be sold and the proceeds to be distributed as follows: one-third to Mother M. Evangelista, in trust for St. Joseph’s Home for the Blind; one-third to Mother Regina, in trust for St. Joseph’s Home for Girls, Seventh and Spruce streets, Philadelphia; one-third to Father Superior, Detroit, in trust for Mariannhill Mission, to be used for the education of young men for the priesthood.

Edna Lodge, cousin, Philadelphia, $20; Lewis Lodge, cousin, Philadelphia, $20; Dominican Sisters of The Perpetual Rosary, Haddon avenue, $1000; Catholic Home for the Aged, Beverly, $500; the Commissariat of the Holy Land, Franciscan Monastery, Washington, $1000; the Sulpician Fathers of Washington, $500; Father Louis Pastorelli, Baltimore, $500 to be used to educate young men for the priesthood.

The Capuchin Fathers, Yonkers, N. Y., to spread the faith among the Negro and Indian Missions, $500; Benedictine Sister of Perpetual Adoration, Clyde, Mo., to educate young women to become nuns, $300; Jesuit Martyr’s Shrine, Auriesville, N. Y., $100; Father Patrick O’Boyle, of St. Joseph’s Union, New York, to feed and clothe orphans, $100; The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Camden, residue.

In 1938 the Camden Safe Deposit & Trust Company shortened its name to that of Camden Trust. By the time America became involved in World War II, the bank had acquired two more banks, the American National Bank at Broadway and Amber Street in South Camden, and the East End Trust on Federal Street in East Camden.

By the time it celebrated its 75th Anniversary, in 1948, the Camden Trust was the largest bank in South Jersey, and seventh largest in the state, with branches in Camden, Gloucester City, Haddonfield, and Blackwood.

Camden Trust Co. increased first half net earnings to $1,878,000, or $1.92 a share, from $1,536,000, or $1.57, in the same six months of 1968, the bank reported last week.

Net operating earnings for the period ended June 30 were $1,883,137, or $1.93 a share, against $1,535,226, or $1.57, a year ago.

Assets rose to $291,311,817 from $275,476,058 while deposits reached $253,567,713 from $239,211,895. Loans were up slightly to $182,002,890 from $178,004,347.