Introduction
William Harry Werner was born in October of 1896 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Augustus F. Werner and his wife Annie. Shortly after William was born, the Werner family moved to Camden NJ. When the census was taken in 1900, Augustus Werner was working as a day laborer. The family resided at 446 South 2nd Street, the corner of South 2nd and Berkley Street.
By 1910 the family had moved to a rented house at 822 Market Street. Three other children had joined the family, daughters Anna and Ruth, and son Erwin. Augustus Werner had started his moving business by this time. Alma Werner was working as an “inspectress” at a department store, while William Werner was working as an errand boy.
Tragedy struck the Werner family in January of 1917 when young Erwin Werner died after falling down while playing with friends in the street. The family then lived at 513 Mt. Vernon Street. By this time Augustus Werner had gone into the moving business. William Werner had married and worked for his father as a driver.
On June 5, 1917 William Harry Werner registered for the draft. He was then living at 468 Liberty Street, was married, and the father of two children.
When the census was taken in 1920, Augustus Werner had bought the house at 523 Berkley Street. He conducted his moving and storage business from an office in the adjacent lot. Only daughter Ruth was still living with Mr. and Mrs. Werner by then. Alma Werner by this time had married. She and her husband Charles Aceto had moved to 441 Line Street. Charles Aceto was then working as a machinist in a shipyard. He would go on to a long business career in Camden, in renting automobiles and in parking, among other things. William Werner had also married. He and wife Jennie lived at 538 South 4th Street with sons William Jr. and Walter. William Werner was still working as a teamster for his father in the family business.
Augustus Werner died in his office, of a fatal heart attack, on October 28, 1939 or possibly 1940. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. His wife Anna Werner was still living at the Berkley Street address as late as 1959. The 1947 Camden City Directory lists William and Jennie Werner’s residence as 521 Berkley Street. He appears to have moved to Barrington NJ by the mid-1950s.
William Harry Werner passed away in October of 1971.
World War I Registration Card: William Harry Werner
Draft registration card —
FRONT
Form 1. REGISTRATION CARD. No. [blank]
1. Name in full (Given name) (Family name): William Harry Werner. Age in yrs. [?]
2. Home address (No.) (Street) (City) (State): 468 Liberty Camden N.J.
3. Date of birth (Month) (Day) (Year): October [?] 189[?]
4. Are you (1) a natural-born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which)? Natural Born
5. Where were you born? (Town) (State) (Nation): Phila Pa U.S.A.
6. If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject? [blank]
7. What is your present trade, occupation, or office? Chauffer [?] [bold number beside it:] 24
8. By whom employed? A. Werner. Where employed? 513 Mt Vernon St
9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent on you for support (specify which)? Wife & two Children
10. Married or single (which)? Married. Race (specify which)? Caucasian
11. What military service have you had? Rank [blank]; branch [blank]; years [blank]; Nation or State [blank]
12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)? No
I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.
[in the lower left corner, handwritten:] 2246
[signature:] W. Werner (Signature or mark.)
BACK
REGISTRAR’S REPORT. [at the upper right:] 29-3-8-A
1. Tall, medium, or short (specify which)? Short [?]. Slender, medium, or stout (which)? Medium
2. Color of eyes? Blue. Color of hair? Brown. Bald? [blank]
3. Has person lost arm, leg, hand, foot, or both eyes, or is he otherwise disabled (specify)? No
I certify that my answers are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows:
[blank]
[signature of registrar:] H. G. Shields (Signature of registrar)
Precinct 4 Ward
City or County Camden
State New Jersey
[handwritten:] June 5, 1917 (Date of registration)
August Werner & Family
August & Anna Werner. August Werner founded a moving and storage business in 1897. His widow, Anna Werner, was living at 523 Berkley Street as late as the fall of 1959.
Ruth & Alma Werner, 1910s. Alma Werner, on right, is not wearing a wedding ring in this photo, which was probably taken around 1916–1917. She would marry Charles Aceto some time after June 5, 1917, when he registered for the draft.
521 Berkley Street, Werner Moving & Storage, 1910s–1920s.
521 Berkley Street. The sign reads A. WERNER, PIANO AND FURNITURE MOVING, BY PADDED MOTOR VANS.
521 Berkley Street, Werner Moving & Storage, 1930s.
August Werner in front of his home and business at 521 Berkley Street, 1930s.
Werner Moving & Storage, 521 Berkley Street, 1930s: August & Anna Werner with daughter Alma Werner Aceto.
521 Berkley Street – 1930s
1930s–late 1940s – Werner Moving & Storage (also known as Werner’s Storage Warehouse). Photo is of a newly painted truck in front of the T. C. Tiedeken & Brother truck body shop in the 400 block of Van Hook Street, sometime in the 1930s.
August Werner – 1930s
521 Berkley Street – 1941 – Werner Moving & Storage. “My Grandmother—Jennie Long Werner—this picture was taken in 1941 in front of Werner’s Moving & Storage on Berkeley Street. The little girl on the left is my Mother, Anna Werner Miller; the girl on the right is my Aunt Evelyn Werner Camp.” — Floyd Miller, April 2005. “It looks like William Werner had erected a new warehouse and office building for his business during the time when the above photo and the one at left were taken.” — Phil Cohen, August 2005
Ruth Werner in front of the family business, Werner Moving & Storage, 1930s–1940s.