Bailey Street

BAILEY STREET appears to be named for real estate developer William T. Bailey, who was responsible for building rows of homes between North 5th and North 6th Streets on State, Grant, Bailey and York Streets. He also appears to have been involved in developing other blocks in North Camden.

Phil Cohen

Funeral services for Leo P. Bridgeman, 32, of 425 Bailey Street, who died yesterday following a long illness, will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the Church of the Holy Name, Fifth and Vine streets. Solemn Requiem High Mass will be sung.

Friends will gather at 9 a.m. at the home. Burial will be in Calvary cemetery. Mr. Bridgeman is survived by his widow, Mrs. Ann Bridgeman; his mother, Mrs. Mary Bridgeman, and six brothers, Joseph, Clement, Paul, Augustine, Philip and Mark Bridgeman.

North Camden Young Republican Association: principal office, 940 Linden Street; agent, Sidney Liss. Objects: To advance true principles of good government, to inspire the welfare of the individual members, to promote the spirit of democracy throughout its members, to create a stronger interest among its members toward the Republican party, to create a feeling of sociability and friendship among the members, and to encourage social intercourse among the Republicans of North Camden. Trustees: Sidney Liss, 940 Linden Street; William Kirk, 734 Vine Street; Joseph V. Anderson, 532 Rex Place; Frank Nelson Jr. 921 Vine Street; Wilfred Fournier, 424 Bailey Street; Oliver Guthrie, 935 Fern Street; Charles Johnson, 536 Rex Place.

From the Rose Club To the Editor:

Sir—The Rose Social Club held a card party Saturday evening and thanks those who were kind enough to help us. Is there some one you know who is very sick, and could be made happy with a flower? Would you let us know?

MRS. E. MILEY
545 Bailey Street

Bedfast 10 weeks, Mrs. Fannie A. Sayre, 70, died yesterday at her home, 550 Bailey Street. Born here, Mrs. Sayre lived most of her life in Bridgeton. She is survived by two daughters and a son, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and three brothers. Her children are Mrs. Clinton Shinn, with whom she resided; Mrs. John Warfie, of Bridgeton, and Abbot Sayre, of Greenwich. Her brothers are Lewis, William and Edgar DuBois, all of Bridgeton. Mrs. Sayre’s husband, Joseph A., died in 1932. Funeral services will be held in Bridgeton Saturday at 2 p.m. Burial will be in Laurel Lawn Cemetery, Bridgeton.

Accused of fraud in connection with the sale of a vacuum cleaner, Leonard Hauser, 39, of 218 North Eighth Street, yesterday was arrested and held on $1000 bail for a hearing Monday in Camden police court.

Complaints against Hauser were Mrs. Mary Kirby, of 552 Bailey Street, and Frank Thompson, dealer in vacuum cleaners at Fifth and Cooper Streets.

Hauser allegedly sold Mrs. Kirby a machine, taking her old one in exchange. When she complained the new one did not work, according to the complaint, Hauser took it and failed to return it, or the $25 he collected.

Year’s Hottest Day ‘Bakes’ City, Kills 2

Edward T. McAllister, Veteran at Esterbrook’s, Dies on Way Home

The hottest day of the year brought death to two persons in Camden and Philadelphia yesterday and caused general discomfort from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Coast. No relief is expected today, except possible showers.

Edward T. McAllister, 67, of 633 Bailey Street, collapsed late yesterday in an alley at the rear of 914 North Sixth Street. Neighbors called police who took him to Cooper Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Coroner Benjamin R. Denny said death was due to heart attack, induced by the heat.

Veteran at Esterbrook’s

McAllister was returning home from the Esterbrook Pen Company plant where he was employed 20 years. He was in ill health recently. His widow, Lottie, survives. Funeral services will be held at 2.30 p.m. tomorrow at the Denny funeral home, 736 Market Street. Burial will be in Arlington cemetery.

The Philadelphia victim was William Barchmaier, 42, of 4059 Teesdale Street, who collapsed at Keystone and Cottman Streets, Tacony. He was pronounced dead at Frankford Hospital.

92 at 4.30 P.M.

The mercury reached a high of 92 degrees at 4.30 p.m., two degrees below the record for the date set in 1914. The hourly temperatures follow:

The weather bureau does not hold out much hope for a change today. Continued warm weather, with possible thundershowers in the afternoon is forecast.

I’m sending some information regarding 617 Bailey Street. It is where my mother spent the first 10 to 12 years of her life. My mother was born May 29, 1913, and moved from Camden to Upper Darby, PA, in the 1920’s.

Following their marriage and spending their honeymoon in Mount Holly, my grandfather, Francis (a.k.a. Frank) Vansant, his wife Elva Armentrout Vansant, and my mother, Margaret A. Vansant resided at 617 Bailey Street until 1927.

During the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s our family made myriad trips across the bridge on our way to Smithfield (the one near Mount Holly) to stay in a cabin on the Rancocoas Creek that my grandfather and his lumberyard staff built. You can imagine how many times I heard about where my mother had lived as we entered Camden.

Frank owned a lumber yard in Philadelphia, Magargal Vansant Lumber & Millwork, at 2nd and Montrose Street, Philadelphia. It was a convenient commute from Camden to his business near the PA end of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. He also owned a lumbering property in West Virginia, where he met his wife. When Philadelphia bought his business to build a high-rise, low income housing unit, he set up his foreman in a new lumberyard in Glenolden, PA, and retired. Until the day he died in his late 80’s, he went to an office that was made for him in the Glenolden business. I think everybody loved him! Though he was slightly over five feet tall, he had much respect.

In the 1880’s his father, Richard P. Vansant, owned the lumberyard and lived in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. Richard was also a sea captain who transported mahogany from his lumber yard in Columbia, South America, to his Philadelphia business.

During my mother’s later years she identified people and places in her photo album of her childhood years. It began with her proud parents and her in the Camden neighborhood and identified some of the neighbors with whom they had become friendly. One neighbor had the last name of Woods and worked at the Scott Paper Company in Essington, PA. One photo of my mother in a baby carriage was taken at Pyne Poynt Park, which was behind their home in Camden.

Judging by the photos after the 2007 fire, I doubt there are any parts of 617 remaining today.

Jane Scarborough
May 17, 2019

Camden NJ Fire Fighters Battle Smoky 2-Alarm Blaze

Shortly after 1:00 PM on December 13, 2007 a police car on patrol spotted heavy smoke coming from a row of vacant dwellings in the 600 block of Bailey Street in the North Camden section of the city. At the same time Camden County Fire Radio and Camden Police 911 Center were receiving calls for the same fire location. Companies were now dispatched along with Battalion 2 Chief Mike DiPascale. Fire Radio informed Battalion 2 that they were receiving numerous calls and were adding the extra Engine Company to the Box.

Engine Company 6, under the Command of Captain Sandrock was first on location and reported that he had a row of two story vacant dwellings with the first two dwellings heavily involved and that he was going in service. Battalion 2 was now on location and informed Fire Radio to strike an All Hands Box and requested an additional Engine and Ladder Company to be dispatched.

It was a rainy, misty day and the smoke was so heavy that fire fighters had a hard time trying to see up the street to where the fire was located. All of the dwellings were heavily boarded up, making it extremely hard for the fire fighters to make entry. Truck Companies went up to the roof to ventilate. Six 1-3/4” lines were now in service as fire fighters were making good progress attacking the fire. They were able to contain the blaze to two dwellings with some damage to the third dwelling. About 40 minutes into the fire Chief DiPascale placed the fire Under Control. The fire is being investigated by the Camden City Fire Marshal’s Office and the Camden Police Department Arson Squad.

State Agents Warn Patrons of Cafes, Patrol Road at Early Hour

A three-hour drive conducted by State motor vehicle inspectors against reckless driving on Crescent Boulevard between West Collingswood and Brooklawn early yesterday netted nine arrests.

The drive also included cursory inspection of patrons leaving cafes and inns at the 2 o’clock closing hour. Many drivers accepted the advice of inspectors to permit other licensed drivers to take them home.

Justice of the Peace Oliver J. Stetser, of Gloucester, was summoned from bed to arraign the nine men, all of whom had been arrested between 1 and 4 a.m. Several drivers were examined by Dr. George M. Adams, of Gloucester, but none was pronounced intoxicated or unfit to drive.

Those fined by Stetser were Joseph T. Pfisterer, 24, of 53 North Johnson Boulevard, Gloucester, driving on rim of wheel, $50; Henry Geiger, 23, Mantua; Henry V. Marsh, 823 Tatum Street, Woodbury, $15, speeding; Myers B. Fisher, 25, Westville, and Aloysius Elliott, 31, 419 Hunter Street, Gloucester, $10 each, speeding; Edward Corbett, 24, 724 Federal Street, Camden, improper registration; George Dunner, 25, Lake Tract, Woodbury; Alphonse Besogni, Westville Grove, and Anna M. Unger, 25, 716 Bailey Street, Camden, $10 each, no drivers’ licenses.

My family lived at 830 Bailey St from 1953 (I was 8 yrs old and in the third grade at Read Elementary School) until 1968. My parents were Herbert and Helen Sampson and have 6 daughters: Anne (me), Helen, Stella, Carol, Michelle and Mary. My father drove oil rigs for Matlack Trucking which was later bought out by Hess Oil. After my family left 830 Bailey a Hispanic person bought it.

My Father (upright Bass), Al Bush (drums), Al Davidson (guitar) and Ed Bowles (guitar and piano) had a band and they would set up on our porch at Christmas and play music for the neighbors and everyone drank and had a good time. My dad and other guys, Calvin and Carlton “Cush” Krause, David Gladney would get together and set up block parties with beer kegs and music. One time the adults on the block gathered with their lawn chairs up on the corner of 9th and Bailey and one of the kids on the block called the cops reporting a bunch of kids partying on the corner. The cops came and saw all the adults and left.

Another time the young guys on the block lifted Robert Morris’s Volkswagen onto his porch and when Robert opened his door to go to work or school, his car was there.

When the great north eastern blackout happened everyone on the block was watching the first showing of Outer Limits on TV. It just said “We control your TV” and all the lights went out. The Krause’s and us and others on the block ran out on our porches and freaked out.

I remember the man going down the back alley way yelling “Clothes props, come and buy your clothes props.”

The kids on the block played in the alley ways a lot and on Pyne Poynt by the river. On Halloween we soaped windows and rang doorbells and ran. On Christmas Eve I remember walking down York Street in the snow to go to midnight mass at Holy Name Catholic Church and on the way there was a little shop that was all lit up for Christmas.

Next door to us 832 Bailey were the Krause family, Calvin, Mary (she worked for Sears) and their children Calvin Jr., Maryann, Paul, Billie, Joseph and Stephen. On the other side of us was David and Ruth Gladney and son. He played piano by ear and he and my dad always played jokes on each other. Next to Mr. Gladney was the Murphy family, Mr & Mrs. Murphy and their children Joe (who died a young man in a car accident), Agnes, Margaret, Donna and Louise. Margaret lives at the shore somewhere with I think her 5 children.

At 834 Bailey lived Carlton Krause and wife with son Robert lived next door to Calvin. Carlton Krause had a son named Carlton Jr. and a son named Phillip. My sister told me that Robert Krause, Carlton Krause Jr., Margaret Murphy and Donna Murphy all live in Cape May, New Jersey. Louise Murphy lives in Delaware and Calvin Krause in Collingswood.

At 836 Bailey was Mr. & Mrs. Reibel and sons Danny and ?. 838 Bailey Street was Mr. & Mrs. Morris and son Robert. 846 Bailey had John and Lulu Reppert and son Jack, who married Agnes Murphy. 848 Bailey was the home of Mr. & Mrs. Burkhardt and sons Billy, Richard (married Linda Taylor from York Street), Robert and daughter Mary Ellen. 847 Bailey had Flexitallic Gasket Company at one end and the paper factory at the other.

818 Bailey: James J. Owens, his mother lived there and her Granddaughter Suzanne Owens would visit and we would play with her and she had so many toys we thought she was a rich girl. She lived in Pennsylvania. Suzanne’s parents were divorced. 824 Bailey Mrs. Beckett with her disabled brother Richard, and her son George. 812 Bailey was Mr. Shoemaker. 814 Bailey Mr. & Mrs. Baker and son ? and daughter Margaret.

Anne Sampson Harrison
September 2013

By Man Offering Husband Job

Woman Borrows $5 From Neighbor and Gives It to Stranger; Fraud Revealed on Trip to Philadelphia City Hall

A North Camden woman was fleeced of $5 yesterday and left without funds to walk home from Philadelphia City Hall by a confidence man who promised her husband a job.

The victim is Mrs. Florence Downing, wife of Frank Downing, 816 Bailey Street.

She borrowed the $5 from a neighbor after the stranger offered to get Downing a job if he registered at Philadelphia City Hall as a solicitor.

Mrs. Downing said the stranger first asked her to advance a $12 registration fee, but later compromised for $5 and said he would obtain the balance from Downing’s first week’s salary.

Mrs. Downing accompanied the stranger by bus to Philadelphia when he said she might register for her husband. Near City Hall, he left the bus, telling her to go to Room 542 and ask for Mr. Sells.

“He said he would telephone and fix everything up for me,” she told police. The woman reported she found there was no Room 542 and no Mr. Sells.

Mrs. Downing said the swindler obtained her address through her husband’s father, George, 936 Cedar Street, after he approached George Downing and asked him where he could contact 20 young men who wanted to earn from $5 to $10 daily.