06 January 2016

Resource Roundup : Then and Now

I've got a fine resource for all you Elizabeth, NJ history buffs.  You'll find it on Archive.org

Elizabeth, New Jersey Then and Now (Second Edition 2015) by Robert J. Baptista has some interesting information, and even better, photos! He combines a "Then and Now" visual format with memories and anecdotes about different places in Elizabeth. It's an easy, fun read. And best of all, you can see it for free!

I was especially glad to find this aerial photo, c. 1923, of the area that my Karvoius ancestors lived in, Elizabethport, aka "down the Port."


It's a little hard to see here, but in the upper right part of the page is a street that runs diagonally from the corner of the photo. That's Ripley Place. The arrow there points to Saints Peter and Paul RC Church, the church my family attended even after moving to other parts of Elizabeth and to Roselle. Even into the 1960's Mass was often celebrated in Lithuanian.

Running along the top right edge of the photo is the Singer factory. My great-grandfather, Constantine Karvoius worked there, as did his daughters, Sophie, and Estelle. (Not sure about Tess. Cousins, do you have any information about that?)

And between Ripley place and Singers is what appears to be an athletic field. Perhaps it is the site of the photo from my previous post, "The Mystery of the Sports Team from Bayonne." Take a closer look at the book and tell me what you think.

Do you have any memories of the neighborhood around Ripley Place and Singers? I'd love to hear them.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for highlighting my book "Elizabeth, New Jersey Then and Now". I hope others will find family connections to my hometown of Elizabeth.

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  2. You're very welcome. Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into this fabulous resource for all of us with Elizabeth roots.

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  3. Brophy Field was there

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