Elizabeth McLaughlin Baker

 

This is the story of your great grandmother, Elizabeth M. McLaughlin Baker. She was born in January 1886 in Delaware. It may have been in Wilmington as this was where her father was born but it’s not known for sure.  Her parents were William James and Mary Elizabeth (McFadden) McLaughlin. No surprise there since William seems to be the most common name in your dad’s family tree. Her siblings were Leo, Mary, Francis, Julie, Virginia, Regina, William and Cecilia. All were born in Pennsylvania except Virginia who was born in Delaware.

The Northeast US was starting to boom when she was born, the population

was increasing and the NE saw many factories being built. Electric lights were starting to be used. National railroads were starting to cross the country as most railroad companies adopted a standard. Coca Cola was invented that year as medicine (it had cocaine in the formulas at that time). Grover Cleveland became the first and only US President to get married in the White House. A large earthquake struck Charleston, South Carolina. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated that year.

According to the 1900 US Census Elizabeth was attending school. She was 14 at the time so her family must have valued education since many children quit school to work before that age. In that year the family lived at 4 Falls Place in Philadelphia. Except for Regina all the other children were living at home. It’s not known what happened to her although the census says that Mary gave birth to 11 children and only nine were living. Elizabeth’s father, William, was a barber.  The 1900 Census also says that both of Elizabeth’s grandparents were born in Ireland.

Elizabeth married William W. Pullen in Philadelphia on 2 August 1904 when she was 18 years old. Of course she married a man named William. She had children named William, born in 1906 and Bertha born in 1909. Her son John W. Pullen was born in 1911 and Catherine in 1914. It’s possible that Elizabeth and William were living in New York as both John and Bertha were born in New York. William died in infancy and Bertha may have died before 1915 as she is not listed in the NJ Census that year. Sometime between 1914 and 1915 her husband William died.

Life would have been difficult after William’s death. A single woman raising two young children would have been a challenge. Poverty was widespread at this time. War broke out in Europe in 1914. Wealthy people vacationed in Europe. Some were aboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912.

But Elizabeth then met William Walter Baker, and they were married in 1915. In the 1915 NJ Census the couple were living at 1114 Cooper St. in Camden, NJ. Elizabeth was 28. Living with them in the house were John 4yrs-old and Catherine 1. The house may have been an apartments since another couple, George and Emma Sisson and their daughter, Dorothy are listed as living at that address.  Then on May 25, 1916, shortly after 5PM their son, William, was born in Philadelphia at 2137 N. College Ave. in Philadelphia, PA at the residence of a doctor. Life in 1915 Camden, NJ, was defined by booming industry (New York Ship, RCA Victor, Campbell Soup), massive immigrant influx (Italians, Eastern Europeans), rapid growth, and distinct ethnic neighborhoods, all centered around factory jobs, but also facing segregation and the growing urban challenges of a rapidly growing industrial city, with communities building social structures like churches and schools among the industrial landscape near Philly. These groups formed ethnic neighborhoods (Italian in Bergen Lanning, Polish around St. Joseph's), centered around their own churches, synagogues, and social clubs. The growth fueled new residential areas like Parkside, which grew with the trolley lines, offering new amenities like indoor plumbing. William was working as a varnisher and Elzabeth was keeping house.

Five years later the family was living at 1133 Penn St. in Camden. Joining the other children was their son Leo age 2. William is working as an “erector” in a shipyard as reported in the 1920 US Census. The shipyard may have been the New York Shipyard in South Camden although there was another one in Camden at that time.

Many things happened in Camden during the 1920s. It was a major city in NJ at that time. The slogan "On Camden's supplies, the world relies" reflected on the manufacturing occurring in Camden at that time. The Delaware River Bridge (later renamed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge) was under construction. Its completion in 1926, linking Camden to Philadelphia, symbolized unlimited potential, envisioned to make Camden a "second Brooklyn," according to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. (Joe Baker later told us about shoveling snow on this bridge a few years later. He also said he would show up in the morning, then disappear only to show back up to collect pay.) Improved trolley lines connected Camden to South Jersey, facilitating movement within the growing city. (Arlene’s grandfather Charles Moore was an engineer constructing some of the trolly bridges going south from Camden). The city was also home to Walt Whitman (who lived across from the current Camden County jail) in his final years, where he wrote about its vigorous growth. 

The family was still living in Camden in 1930 but now at 1019 Cooper St. The only children listed in the home in the Census were John, Catherine and William. I don’t know where sons Leo, Thomas (later taking the name Chris) and Joseph were living, all of whom were younger than 14-year-old William. Catherine and William were attending school. William Sr. was a “ground man” at an electric company. This census confirmed that he was never in the military.  John was working in the printing industry. The fact that both William Sr. and John were working was significant since this was the beginning of the Great Depression and were able to provide for their families.

In the year before the start of WWII the family now lives at 2308 Carman St., in Camden. The 1940 US Census reports that the highest grade Elizabeth completed was 8^th, better than most people her age. She is now 54-yrs-old, William is 53, William Jr. is 23, Leo 22, Thomas (Chris) 19 and Joseph 18. I’m sure she had hopes for her children to gain higher education than she and two did. William Jr. and Leo completed 11^th grade. Thomas (Chris) and Joseph stopped after 8^th grade. William Jr., Leo and Joseph are all unemployed seeking work. William Sr. is a lineman with Public Service and Thomas (Chris) works in a printing factory. WWII will soon draw in the USA and some of her sons will go into the service.

After WWII Camden was an industrial giant, a center for industry, shopping and vibrant neighborhoods like Cramer Hill. Life gathered around Catholic parishes. By the end of the 1950s Camden would see a decline in all of these areas.

In 1950 the family is a blended unit. According to the 1950 US Census William Jr., his wife Miriam and children William age 8 and daughter Miriam 4 live with Elizabeth and William Sr. They still live in the Carman St. house. William Sr. is a ground man in a transportation company (probably Public Service). Miriam is an operator in a leather factory. William Jr. is out of work but previously worked as a carpenter in construction. Other information in the census revealed that William Sr. attended 8^th grade but did not finish that grade. He earned $2600 in 1949, and Miriam earned $900 in 1949.

Elizabeth died in January 1954 at the age of 67 in Camden, NJ and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill, NJ.

I wish I could share personal memories of Elizabeth, but I don’t remember any that your father told me. He said one of his grandmothers made good pies. I think it may have been Elizabeth. Also, he said his grandmother had her hands full with very active sons.

  

 

 Elizabeth Baker and Edith Baker (her daughter-in-law

Elizabeth McLaughlin Bak                                                                                                                                                                                                       Elizabeth McLaughlin Baker and granddaughter Miriam Baker

    

 

 

 

1113 Penn St. Camden today                                  1019 Cooper St., Camden today

 

2308 Carman St., Camden today

#Elizabeth McLaughlin, #Elizabeth McLaughlin Baker, #Elizabeth Baker, #Camden, NJ

 

 

Polio

Today we never think about polio. Thanks to vaccinations we do not have to think about it. But when I was a young child people needed to think of it. We didn’t have those vaccinations yet. They began in 1955. My mom would tell me not to play in puddles because she was afraid I would get polio. I don’t know if you could get polio playing in puddles but it reflects the fear my mother and others had about polio. You could see pictures of people, especially children, in iron lungs. How frightening it was to think if you contracted polio you might have to spend your life trapped in one of those horrendous contraptions. When I was older, I learned why my mother was so afraid. Her sister Connie had polio as a child. Fortunately, Connie had spent the summer swimming in the creek at the back of their property and her muscles were well toned. The doctor said that was why her leg was only minimally affected. It would be wonderful if polio could be eradicated like smallpox but many people in third world countries do not get vaccinated. Now we are experiencing a decline in many types of vaccinations here in the United States. I hope that once again mothers will not have to tell their children not to play in puddles.

#Polio, #Vacinations, #Connie Wiedrich

My Female Ancestors

Remembering my mom, Millicent (Midge) Moore. God blessed me with a great mother. It got me thinking of the women I descended from. I like doing genealogy and discovering those women. Going back 200 years every one of them except for one was widowed but they carried on. They were strong and survivors.

Earl Moore Orphaned at 6-yrs-old

 Was thinking of my dad, Earl Moore. This is a picture of him at 6 when in an 18 month period his father, mother and oldest brother died. He then went to the PA Masonic Children's Home in Elizabethtown PA.

Are We There Yet

Are We There Yet

Traveling with children is a challenge. I don’t remember too much about me as a child going on vacation, just a few snatches here and there.

Every year we went to Batavia, New York to visit family. We went by car and many of those trips were before interstate highways. It would take all day to travel from Gloucester City, NJ to Batavia. My brother and I must have had some entertainment. For me it was probably books or coloring books and crayons. I remember that all radio stations were country/western. We would always stop for a picnic lunch about halfway on a not busy road. I remember sometimes it was next to railroad tracks and sometimes a stream. We would have sandwiches, if made at home - cheese (mom didn’t want us getting food poisoning). There must have been coolers, I just don’t remember. If we made sandwiches at the rest stop it was canned meat – spam or deviled ham. Of course we had to have baked beans, cold right from the can. This was mom’s favorite and the first word she spoke as a baby – even before mama or dada. I don’t think I’ve had cold baked beans since for no particular reason. We would be excited for progress when we passed Painted Post and knew we were close when we reached Geneseo.

About every two years or so we went to Tampa, FL to visit my grandparents if they hadn’t been to see us in a couple of years. Today people routinely go to Florida but in the 50s and 60s rarely. It took Disney World to make Florida a destination for those of us in the northeast. I don’t remember driving to Florida that often back then. There was no I95 so small roads through towns for a 3 day trip. One time during a winter trip my brother was a baby, and he came down with chickenpox and the doctor said no problem going but keep him warm. My mom kept him in a snowsuit during the day and a different one at night while the daytime one aired out.  By the time we got to Tampa he was covered with pox from head to toe. Usually, it was a trip by train or bus with my mom. Dad used his vacation week to go to Batavia with us. Once when I had cereal for breakfast on the train it was awful – they put cream on the cereal. Another time at one of the stops it was pouring rain, and a boy came on selling peanuts. We bought a bag and didn’t think anything of the bag being wet since it was heavy rain. To our surprise they were boiled peanuts, something I never had and haven’t missed since. Some of these trips were during segregation or the civil rights era. Having not experienced segregation it was a surprise when crossing into Virginia and the bus stopped and all Black people were told to move to the back of the bus. At a bus stop somewhere in the south we got off the bus to go into the station food counter and stopped when all eyes were turned on us. We went into the side for “colored”. That’s when we noticed the water fountains on the platform were labeled “white” and “colored”. Then after protests started on another bus trip my mom and brother sat in the front seats and I behind them. I was about 10 or 11. A Black woman came on and sat next to me. She was very nice. The thing I marveled at was she had very large feet. Little did I know that my adult feet would match hers. I was too little to realize that her sitting in the second row of the bus and sharing the row with me, a white child she was making a statement. My family was fine with the situation but I’m sure there were some on the bus who didn’t like the changes happening. Another time when we went to Tampa on the train, the trip started out with some drama. My brother, Terry was preschool age and terrified of large buildings. We got on the train at 30^th St. Station in Philadelphia. My mom had to drag him through the station with him screaming at the top of his lungs.

My children’s first trip out west was when Travis was 18mos and Sean 4. It’s a long car trip. The places we visited were fun and sometimes with surprises but the drive itself was torture. Impossible to count the “are we there yet” and how it seems like the kids need to see every bathroom on the route. Coming home Bill said “How about I pull into the next airport and you, and the kids fly home? I’ll drive the rest of the way by myself.”

Traveling with kids definitely makes us want a vacation from our vacations.

#traveling with children, #Batavia NY, #Tampa Florida, #Segregation, #Civil rights protests, #Arlene Moore,  #Arlene Baker

Surprise Prayer Ending

 

Surprise Prayer Ending

Often when our children are small, we teach them prayers they can say at mealtime and bedtime. Many years ago, when my son was about kindergarten age, he would say one of those prayers. One day he added another request. Before saying Amen, he added “God Bless Chuck Norris”. This karate aficionado caught his attention. For months he always added that request. If we said Chuck Norris, he would correct our pronunciation even though it sounded the same as his. Recently I reminded him of this. He had forgotten it and was amused by his boyhood prayer.

#Prayer, #Children’s Prayer, #Humorous Prayer, #Chuck Norris

Earl and the Swimming Hole

 

Earl and the Swimming Hole

My dad, Earl Moore was orphaned at 5-yrs-old. His oldest sister was an adult but unable to raise him, so he was sent to the PA Masonic Orphanage in Elizabethtown, PA to live. The orphanage was a good place unlike most in the 1920s (think Lil Orphan Annie). A retired Army colonel was in charge, so it was fairly regimented. The houses were new and quite nice, made from gray stone. There were underground tunnels so that you could travel from building to building underground during bad weather. They had a basketball court in one of the buildings’ basements. There was a music room and more. There was also a small pond. I’m don’t think it was for swimming but instead for the crops and animals. The children’s and senior homes complex were totally self-sufficient, raising crops and animals for food.

When our family went to reunions there, I would hear stories about how they got a swimming pool. Apparently, my dad was skinny dipping one day in the pond and was caught. The home decided it wouldn’t do for the boys to be swimming naked and get caught out by one of the girls or seniors. So, it was decided to put in a regular swimming pool that the children could wear bathing suits and go for  a swim. Dad also had a nickname of Bertie or Birdie that may have come from this incident.

#Earl Moore, #Pennsylvania Masonic Home, #Swimming, #Skinny dipping