Miriam Nulty Finkeldey

MIRIAM NULTY FINKELDEY was born on January 19, 1894 at 570 Washington Street in Camden, daughter of John Nulty and Rachel Holston Curry. John Nulty was in the wholesale produce business, a partner in McMahan and Nulty. He had been raised since age 8 by the family of prominent businessman Joseph England Roberts and grew up at 401 Broadway in Camden. Rachel Curry was born in Salem County, New Jersey and was a teacher in the Camden school system before her marriage, and taught again after she was widowed at age 42.

John Nulty and Rachel Curry had married on June 7, 1888 at the Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church in Camden. They had four children: Edith Shoemaker (1889–1891), Russell Hewitt (1892–1942), Miriam (1894–1988) and Alice Barr (1897–1949). They bought the house on Washington Street in 1888.

Miriam Nulty grew up on Washington Street, attended the Broadway School for grades one through six, the E.A. Stevens School for grades seven and eight, then graduated from the Camden Manuel Training and High School in 1912. She also attended the Camden Normal School, a city-run school for prospective public school teachers.

Miriam Nulty taught the Palmer Method of penmanship in a public school before her marriage at the Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church on June 13, 1917 to William Henry Finkeldey. William H. Finkeldey was born in Philadelphia in 1892, the son of Frederick A. Finkeldey and Fredericka Meine. The Finkeldey family moved to Camden in the late 1890s, where Frederick taught physical education, was a city councilman, served on many local boards, and was an ardent promoter of the development of children’s playgrounds and recreation.

After their marriage in 1917, Miriam and William Finkeldey lived in Palmerton, Pennsylvania until 1928, then moved to Hastings-on-Hudson, New York where they lived the remainder of their lives. William was an engineer and founder of Singmaster and Breyer of New York City. They had three children: Miriam (1918–2001), William (1921–1993) and Claire (1925–1989.)

Later in life Miriam wrote in depth about growing up on Washington Street and attending school in Camden on a series of 5” x 7” index cards, where she also named many of her teachers, neighbors, and childhood friends. These cards are published below, courtesy of her granddaughter Jane Stephenson, who helped create this web-page.

“MIRIAM NULTY FINKELDEY was born on January 19, 1894 in her parents home at 570 Washington Street in Camden, New Jersey, which her parents, Rachel and John Nulty had bought in 1888.

Childhood Neighbors, Our Side of the Street: Lanning, Bender, Peters, Herbert, Kugler, Rue Curry, Johnson, Morris, Swain. Across the Street: Dibble, Wilkinson, Kaighn, Hallinger, Matlock, Dyer

Old Family Friends: Mulford, Riggs, Taylor, Farnham, Richie. These 5 families with my parents (The Colony) spent summer vacations together, all 6 families, for 6 weeks in the suburbs; Each wife in entire charge, with maids, for 1 week (5 weeks off). ALL expenses divided between the 6 families. The fathers commuted by trolley car and ferry to Philadelphia each day. The men played croquet on lighted court in the evening. Mothers went back to town often to do canning of vegetables, jelly, preserves etc. Also on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day were co-op dinners.”

“Joseph England Roberts Sr. lived at the corner of Benson and Broadway in Camden, N.J. The father was a well-known, prosperous lawyer [and builder— PMC]. 6 Children: Miss Amy, Eleanor and Anna (teachers). Elizabeth “Diddie,” Dr. Joe and Erma. The Roberts family spent each summer on the same farm in Auburn, N.J. This farm adjoined the from of Charles McNulty who had 6 children also. The oldest was John McNulty, my father. When John was old enough to go to school, Mr. Roberts investigated the Auburn one-room schoolhouse system and asked Charles if John could come live with them so that he could attend Camden City schools. He came when he was 8 in 1861 and there until he and my mother were married in 1888. When John became of age he changed his name to Nulty.”

On this card, Miriam related a lot of information concerning events that happened prior to her birth. In the process of setting up a page about her father, John Nulty, I found documents to correct some of what she had written down on these cards. Visit the John Nulty web-page for a more accurate retelling of events prior to 1894.

Miriam Nulty Finkeldey’s Teachers:

Elementary School — Broadway School Camden, NJ. Principal, Miss Anderson. 1st grade Miss Sharp; 2nd Grade Mrs. Folwell; 3rd Grade Miss Bass; 4th grade Miss Watson; 6th grade Miss Hildebrand.

7th & 8th Grades — E.A. Stevens School, Camden N.J. Miss Hughes, Miss Osmond, Miss Bassett.

High School — Camden Manual Training and High School. Principal Miss Clara Burrough, Secretary Miss Marian Carey. Miss Reeve, Miss Lucy Dean Wilson, Miss Nye, Miss Lewis, Mr. Harrigan, Mr. Ayres, Mr. Corson, Mr. Lafayette (Chemistry)

Camden Normal School — Miss Winifred Jones, Miss Eloise Osmond.

Other High School Faculty: Ancient History Miss Mulliner. Geometry Miss Blaisdell, Solid Geometry Mr. Thayer, Physiology Mr. Hutchinson, Woodwork Mr. Reyner, Gym Mr. Koshland, American History Miss Mulliner

Miriam Nulty Finkeldey’s School Friends: Ella Morris, Margaret Riggs, Helen Fredericks, Dorothy Cathell

High School and Normal School: Kendall Dodge Stuart, Charles Reese, Julius and Allen Nuiler (twins), Jarrett Sauerhoff, Louis McCloskey, Renee Swain, Amelia Mackley, Dorothy Demmert, Peg Paul, Dorothy Cathell, Mary Dialogue and Gladys Marter and Lillian Weitzman (had lunch together for all four years), Claire Bannerman, Lil Greer, Ruth Jacoby, Helen Rhedemeyer, Frances Lothridge, Marie Menes, Fran Fitts, Mildred Hunt of Bridgetn, N.J. and her friends, Myrtle Carmany, Orrin Dyer, Frances Donaghy, Jane Schener, Edith, John Dibble, Emma Wolford, Mary Wolford, Chi Phi members, Russell’s Club (15 members) Bill Lewis, John Dibble

Miriam Nulty Finkeldey’s Childhood friends, neighbors, etc.

Alice Barr Nulty, three years younger than I, was my constant companion and playmate, both indoors and outdoors. We had theatrical dolls, wore identical pinafores over our winter dresses and in summer the same pinafores over matching bloomers as sun suits, played “rooms” and “Mrs. Rockafeller and Mrs. Gould.” Played games, skipped rope, played jacks, slid on the ice, roller skated with neighborhood children and Marian Myers, a close friend of Alice’s.

Neighbors who did not live on our street: Roberts, Fisher, Paul, Van Sant, Riggs, Reverend Kulp, Reverend Neal, Reverend Alexander Corson, Charles Hogate. Lefford (the neighborhood grocery store), Miss Ella, sister of Mrs. Morris, who lived with them, made dresses, white flannel petticoats and full white petticoats and pinafores for us. Vandeveer’s ribbon, bows, etc. The Mutzer sisters candy. Milliner who made our hats. Miss Edith came for 3 weeks to live at our house, spring and fall to make dresses for all of us. Yarn good and patterns bought from John Wanamaker, Strawbridge and Clothier, and Gimbels in Philadelphia. Also coats, hats, grandma’s shawls and bonnets, our gloves and shoes.