New Gretna Old Home Society

Two weekends ago, New Gretna celebrated another Memorial Day in its unique way. Most towns have parades and dedication services honoring the many veterans who sacrificed so much in the service of their country in wars from the American Revolution through our present conflicts in Irag and Afghanistan.

We have over 150 veterans buried in our cemeteries. Four lost their lives in the service of their country and are honored on the War Memorial located between the Fire House and Municipal Building on North Maple Avenue.

The War Memorial honors Bass River Townships fallen heroes - Orval Gerew (1894-1918), WWI; George Heun, Jr. (1894-1919), WWI; John H. Sears (1919-1945), WWII; and William F. Ayres (1938-1966), Vietnam. May 22, 2009 photo by Pete Stemmer.

New Gretna has a unique Memorial Day tradition which centers around it's cemeteries and is run by the organization, the New Gretna Old Home Society, which owns and operates New Gretna's two largest cemeteries, Miller and Hillside Cemeteries. This sure is an odd name for an organization that owns and operates cemeteries. It sounds more like the name of an old age home.

The cemeteries were originally owned and operated by the two churches in town, the First Presbyterian Church of New Gretna (Miller Cemetery) and St. Paul's United Methodist Church (Hillside Cemetery). Over the years, the churches had difficulties maintaining the cemeteries and a group of concerned citizens with old New Gretna family roots got together in the early 1920's and formed an organization to maintain the cemeteries.

They called the group the New Gretna Old Home Society because New Gretna was their old home. The purpose of the organization was to maintain the cemeteries and to gather together at least once a year at Memorial Day at the "Old Home" town. It was called Old Home Day, to keep the old family ties alive through future generations and to honor the veterans in the New Gretna cemeteries.

I found the following three newspaper articles about some of the early Old Home Day meetings. They were all day affairs attended by hundreds of people with New Gretna family and cemetery ties and consisted of a dinner cooked and served by the ladies of New Gretna, baseball games, programs, and a Society meeting. Reading through the articles many familiar New Gretna names will appear. Many of them are ancestors of some of our Blog readers.

New Gretna Old Home Day Drew Visitors

HUNDREDS OF FORMER RESIDENTS GREET OLD FRIENDS

ON MEMORIAL DAY

New Gretna, May 30.—Several hundred former residents of New Gretna, now living in Atlantic City, Philadelphia, New York, and other places, gathered here today to cele­brate Old Home day, the tenth an­niversary of the New Gretna Old Home Society. This society numbers 450 members, the larger number of them living away from this but natives of New Gretna.

The day included exercises at the two cemeteries which are kept in fine condition by the society this being the original purpose in the formation of the association. A chicken dinner was served from 12 P.M. to 2:30 P. M. in the Community building by the women of New Gret­na and none left the table hungry. In the afternoon there was a busi­ness meeting in the hall, and on the school field next door was a base­ball game. In the evening, after supper, was put on an unusual fea­ture. Photographic slides had been prepared by Prof. Moore of Atlan­tic City, from old pictures showing the old homesteads and other old scenes in New Gretna, and were flashed on the screen. Prof. Maja Mathis, supervisor of schools at Florence, N. J., described the pic­tures and gave bits of history about the families who formerly dwelt in the homes.

At the annual meeting officers were chosen as follows: President emeritus, Leonard K. Algar; presi­dent, Kirk Loveland; vice president, Samuel H. Headley; treasurer, Hir­am Mathis, all of Atlantic City; sec­retary, Mrs. Lela F. Hilliard, of Manahawkin; assistant secretaries, Miss Margaret Adams and Mrs. Helen Mathis of New Gretna.

Directors were re-elected as fol­lows: Harry Headley, Joseph B. Cramer, Augustus Cramer, Wm. E. Mathis, C. Stanley French, Russell Adams, S. Crowley Loveland, Rollin A. Cale, Augustus R. Miller, Joshua Hilliard, Arnold Cramer, J. H. Leek, Norris Sears, Thomas A. Mathis, Maja Mathis, John S. Mathis, Rich­ard M. French, Thomas A. Cale, George Leek and P. K. Hilliard.

The treasurer's report showed a balance in current funds of $384.80, and receipts for the year of $697.20. The endowment fund amount to $2419.03, and there are also shares in both the New Gretna and Atlan­tic City, amounting to several hun­dred dollars.

Remarks were made by City Com­missioner Harry Headley of Atlan­tic City, Kirk Loveland, Samuel Headley, Maja Mathis, George Leek, Miss Margaret Adams, Norris Sears, Postmaster R. A. Cale of Pleasant­ville, and Wm. H. Fischer of Toms River.

Dr. Joshua Hilliard of Manahawk­in gave the historical review of the society. He said about ten years ago Mrs. Hilliard and Kirk Loveland got some old time New Gretna friends together to clean up the ce­meteries in that village. The result was this society. Five years ago it was reorganized, and since then had been incorporated and had flourish­ed. It now has 450 members scatter­ed all over the United States - some of them descendants of old New Gretna families, who have them­selves never been in New Jersey. The society has lost 35 members by death.

Mrs. Hilliard, R. A. Cale of Pleas­antville, Maja Mathis and others are gathering historical data, and carry­ing out the genealogies of the old families.

The society the year round meets once a month for dinner on Satur­day nights, in summer at New Gret­na, and in winter at Atlantic City.

Transcription from a June 5, 1931 Toms River Newspaper

Editor's Note: The glass slides mentioned in the above article, prepared by Professor Moore and discussed by Maja Mathis, were found in the attic of F.A. Gray on Route 9 in New Gretna. Unfortunately they were not labeled and there were no notes with them. Steve Eichinger and Budd Wilson took photos of the slides which were then scanned into my computer. We were able to identify most of the the scenes, homesteads, and people in the slides, but about a half dozen homesteads have not been identified. It is likely that they no longer exist. Perhaps at a future Old Home Society dinner we will show the old slides and see if anyone can identify the mystery homesteads.

An example of an unknown homestead from Professor Moore's glass slides.

Here's another of the glass slides, one that we were able to identify. Can anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere identify the four people?

New Gretna Old Home Society

Held 15th Reunion Sat.

Annual Memorial Day Gatherng Most Successful

in History of Organization

The New Gretna Old Home Society held its Fifteenth Annual Reunion in New Gretna on Memorial Day, Saturday, May 30, 1936, and it proved to be the most successful in the history of the organization which was found­ed in 1921.

More than 300 people came to New Gretna to take part in making the occasion such an outstanding; success and to renew old acquaintances.

The program for the day was as follows:

Dinner 12:30 to 3:00 in the New Gretna Civic Hall, sponsored by the New Gretna Civic Society.

Brief Memorial Services.

Music.

Election of officers of the organiza­tion for the ensuing year.

In the evening the entertainment was presented by the New Gretna Civic Society and was in the form of presentation of plays which received the hearty approval of those assem­bled.

The officers and directors of the organization were re-elected and the only change in the official staff was for the office of Assistant Secretary with Mrs. Laura Loveland assuming the duties which had been previously car­ried on by Mrs. Hiram Mathis.

The officers and directors of the organization are as follows: Leonard 11. Algar, President Emer­itus; Kirk Loveland, president; Sam­uel H. Headley, vice president; Hiram Mathis, treasurer: Mrs. Lela F. Hil­liard, secretary, Manahawkin, N. J., Mrs. Laura Loveland, assistant secre­tary.

Directors- Harry Headley, Joseph B. Cramer, Augustus Cramer, C. Stan­ley French, Russell Adams, C. Crow­ley Loveland, Augustus R. Miller, J. Hilliard, Arnold Cramer, J. H. Leek. Norris Sears, Thomas A. Mathis, Maja Mathis, John S. Mathis, Richard M. French, Thomas A. Cale, George Leek, P.K. Hilliard.

Transcription from Tuckerton Beacon - June 4, 1936

1939 news article

Last Sunday, May 30th, the 89th Annual Old Home Day was held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. It's still held in the old tradition. It has been scaled back, however, to a catered dinner followed by a Memorial church service to honor our New Gretna veterans and the acknowledge those with New Gretna ties who had passed away since last Memorial Day, and the Annual Society business meeting. Forty eight people attended, renewing old acquaintances and reminiscing about old New Gretna.

The present Trustees and Officers of the New Gretna Old Home Society are listed below. Most have old family ties to New Gretna while others have relatives buried in New Gretna Cemeteries.

Trustees

Helen S. Carty

Steven Eichinger

Franklin A. Gray

Jean Harris

Murray T. Harris

Betty Jean Keufer

William Keufer

Ann Mathis (Emeritus)

Elaine Mathis

Brian Maxwell (Emeritus)

James McAnney

Carol Kauflin Nicklow

John Sears

Jane Shuff

Woodley E. Shuff

Peter H. Stemmer

Howard Ware

Officers

Woodley E. Shuff, President

Stephen Eichinger, Vice President

Peter H. Stemmer, Secretary/Treasurer

Anyone who has family ties to old New Gretna, relatives buried in New Gretna cemeteries, or an interest in helping to maintain our cemeteries is welcome to join the New Gretna Old Home Society and/or to attend our annual New Gretna Old Home Day on Memorial Day Sunday. Anyone interested can contact me through the Blog comments or email.

Pete S