THE YEAR 1919

SPAN OF A CENTURY
1828-1928
100 YEARS IN THE HISTORY OF CAMDEN AS A CITY

COMPILED FROM NOTES ANDS DATA COLLECTED BY
CHARLES S. BOYER
PRESIDENT CAMDEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLISHED BY
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AND NOTES BY PHILLIP COHEN IN 2003

Camden County made a splendid record in raising money for the World War. The subscription for Liberty Loan Bonds resulted as follows:

Melbourne F. Middleton was chairman of the Liberty Loan campaigns, Charles K. Haddon and David Baird Jr. for the War Stamps, F. Morse Archer, for the YMCA and United War Work campaigns.

The Board of Trade took initial steps towards reorganization at a meeting on February 20, 1919, by changing its title to Camden Chamber of Commerce. Plans were made to increase the roll to 2,000 and yearly dues were raised from $10 to $25 .

The Camden City Clearing House, organized by Camden’s financial institutions to facilitate business and to do away with runners, began operation on Monday, February 17, 1919.

The United States torpedo boat destroyer USS Hatfield DD-231 was launched at the New York Shipyard on Monday, March 17, 1919. It was the eight vessel of the destroyer fleet.

More photos of the USS HATFIELD .

According to carefully compiled figures of the Historical Committee of the Victory Jubilee Committee, Camden County lost 134 of her fine young men, and a nurse, Miss Elizabeth Wiemann, of Audubon Heights, who died in France, in the World War. Of these 62 were killed in action or died of wounds; 62 died in Army camps, 6 died at sea, and the remainder lost their lives in accidents while in the service. This list was published in the book History of Camden County In The Great War, 1917-1919 .

Careful research concerning those listed made in 2002, 2003 and 2005 revealed that two men listed, Private William Coonrod and Sergeant Silas Furbush, were actually from Camden NY, thus were listed in the 1919 book in error. Six other men were discovered as having made the ultimate sacrifice during World War I.  

The super-dreadnought USS IDAHO, one of the world’s largest and most powerful battleships at the time, was placed in commission at the New York Shipyard on Monday, March 24, 1919.

USS IDAHO Left- June 23, 1919 at Camden NJ. Right- at Camden, later in 1919.

More photos of the USS IDAHO .

D.H. Lowell, former superintendent of the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad, died at Tuscon AZ on July 1, 1919.

In honor of her returned war heroes the citizens of Camden and Camden County turned out in a monster parade on September 6, 1919, after which the soldiers were entertained with a dinner at the Armory, given by the Camden County Red Cross. It was the largest meal ever prepared in Camden and was served by hundreds of Red Cross workers.

At a meeting of the Master Printers of Camden, held at the YMCA on September 9, 1919, the Typothetae of Camden was organized. This body was later disbanded and the West Jersey Typothetae was formed with a membership taken from all parts of South Jersey.

The Victory Jubilee and Memorial Committee published a book in October 1919 entitled History of Camden County In The Great War, 1917-1919 , which tells what the city, country and her service men did in the World War.

The Camden Chamber of Commerce moved in October 1919 from the headquarters on Broadway, which it had outgrown, to the Blake Building, 546 Federal Street. The offices were later moved to Market Street, below Sixth, and then to the Walt Whitman Hotel, upon the opening of that hostelry.