Happy 4th of July! Trenton Inter-State Fair Early 1900's

I thought this real-photo postcard showing the Trenton Inter-State Fair in the early 1900's would be perfect for today the Fourth of July.  Although I believe the Fair was typically held in September, with the big flag waving prominently in the front, it seems to say "patriotism" to me which is apropos for Trenton where so much of our country's early history took place.  It's a little hard to date this photo but I believe it to be from the very early 1900's (1900 - 1905) as some of sleeves on the women's dresses look very puffed up on top.

About the Inter-State Fair:  According to Grounds for Structure the Fairs were held intermittently in Trenton since 1745 when King George II granted a royal charter for the purpose of buying and selling livestock.  This was the first fair in Colonial America.  State Legislature banned all fairs in 1797 until 1858 when a revision was sought by the State Agriculture Society.  They were held sporadically in the mid-1880's.  In 1888 Trenton businessmen organized the State Fair Association and purchased more than 100 acres for a new park.  

The Inter-State Fairs were wildly successful, bringing in large crowds to see the horses and other livestock.  There were also contests in culinary arts and needlework - I have found newspaper reports in the Trenton Times where my husband's great-great grandmother and great-grandaunts won prizes in these categories.  The Midway attractions at the Fair featured daredevil stunts, horse races and special events such as a shooting match between Annie Oakley and Miles Johnson.  In the 1890's parachutists jumped from hot air balloons; at the turn of the century pioneers of aerial navigation, including the Wright Brothers, thrilled the crowds with their stunts.

Over the years people lost interest in the Fair and attendance dwindled.  In 1980 the land was sold and the last Fair was held that year.  For more information on the history of the Interstate Fair visit the Grounds for Sculpture at:  http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/fairhist.htm.

Sepia Saturday #110 - Theatre - Charles C. Hildinger - Movie Pioneer, Trenton, NJ

This week's theme over at Sepia Saturday is "Theatre" and nothing screams theatre to me more than Charles C. Hildinger,  my husband's great-grand-uncle.  I've written numerous times about Charles who's known as the "Nickel King" or "Five Cent King" of Trenton, NJ one of the pioneers of moving picture theatres in Trenton at the beginning of the twentieth century.    He got this nickname because when he moved to Trenton around 1898 he didn't have a nickel to his name.  He grew up on a farm in Armstrong County, PA where he was born on 15 Dec 1876 to John A. and  Mary Jane (Cochran) Hildinger. Charles' father came to this country at the age of two years with his parents John and Margaret, and older sister Rosana by ship in 1833 from Württemberg, Germany and settled in Westmoreland County,  PA.  Charles was the youngest of seven children and when he was eleven years old his father, a Civil War veteran, died.

The story of Charles Hildinger was never passed down to my husband and his siblings and unfortuantely there are no known family pictures of him to share.  Everything I know about him I have discovered from hours of research.  I have over two hundred news clippings alone!

In 1898 after trying his hand at several professions in Pittsburgh, and McKeesport, PA, he went to Trenton with his partner and brother-in-law Clinton C. Cutler. They went to work for the circulation department of the Trenton Times and later jointly bought the circulation of Times.  While visiting Pittsburgh, perched on a curb Charles noticed people going in and out of a moving picture show and calculated the evening's take.  He went back to Trenton and created the "Bijou" at 23 North Warren Street which opened on 28 Jun 1906 to much fanfare.  The Bijou was described in a Trenton Times article as "a beautiful little white and gold palace of moving pictures.  The article also stated that "the opening was a great success and it was estimated between 1200 and 1500 persons witnessed the performances that night and half that number were turned away early in the evening."   He and Cutler created the Dream Amusement Company, but within a few years he became the sole owner and Cutler dedicated himself to the newspaper business.  

Within ten years he would own ten movie theatres in Trenton one of them being the "Nicolette" at 134 South Broad Street.  His string of movie houses would also include the "Princess" on North Clinton Avenue, the "Victory" on South Broad Street, the "Rialto" on Pennington Avenue, the "American on Princeton Avenue, the "Strand" on Hermitage Avenue and the "Garden" on North Broad Street.  He also had interests in the "Greenwood" and "City Square" theatres in which he was aided by financially interested associates.  He became associated with Milton Hirshfield and they acquired the "Stacy Theatre" on East State Street.  He was also invested in numerous other ventures in Trenton and elsewhere including amusement holdings at Belmar, Asbury Park as well as being a member of  a group that erected the Lincoln Theatre in Trenton.  Charley, as he was known, became a well-known and respected businessman in Trenton.  He was active in charity work and a member of a number of organizations, including the Trenton Lodge No 105, B.P.O. Elks, the Allied Motion Picture Theatre Association and the Trenton Republican Club just to name a few.  In 1922 he was named treasurer of the New Jersey Motion Picture Owners' Association.

Courtesy of Ken Roe, Cinema Treasures

My husband's great-grandfather, David R. C. Johnston, was the manager of several of Charley's theatres over a period of years.  He was the husband of Mary Elizabeth Hildinger, Charley's sister.  They came from Clearfield, PA around 1916 and David worked for Charley until he retired.   He was first a manager for the Park Theatre which later became the Rialto, and he was the first manager of the Strand Theatre which was on the corner of Hermitage and Edgewood.  Their only child, Luella Ruth Johnston Rogers, my husband's grandmother, was an accomplished musician and organist.  It seems the theatrical gene ran in the family.  David and Mary lived at 633 Edgewood  Drive  and rented rooms in their home to people who worked at the theatre.  The Strand closed in 1963 and was taken over by the Trenton Free Library.

Hildinger Theatres Ad in Trenton Evening Times Apr 1919

On 27 Oct 1915 Charles married Helen Beatrice Dunn, daughter of Harry and Margaret (Mooney) Dunn.  They had two children, John Clark and Claire Helen.  John Clark never married, Claire married late in life and neither had any grandchildren to pass the family theatre legacy on to.  Charley died of a heart attack on 2 Sep 1931 at the age of fifty-four and his wife took over the reins of his empire.  From all reports of what I've read, Charley was larger than life, much loved and respected.  I'm not sure what happened to all the memorabilia of this extraordinary and exciting life; it's a shame some of the memories were not passed down to other members of the family - I'm sure they would have enjoyed knowing Charley!

3 Sep 1931 Trenton Evening Times

Sunday's Obituary - Irvin W. Rogers

Irvin Wise Rogers

10 Dec 1863 - 12 May 1912

This is the obituary of my husband's great grand-uncle, Irvin Wise Rogers, who was a well known and respected businessman in Trenton, NJ.  He was born 10 Dec 1863 in Edgewood, Bucks County, PA to Levi H. Rogers and Jane Eliza (Slack) Rogers.  He was also the brother of Dr. Elmer H. Rogers of Trenton, NJ and Dr. Benjamin H. Rogers, of Patterson, NJ.

He was married to Ida May Tallman of Bucks County, PA about 1882.  Sometime around 1890 they moved to Trenton, New Jersey where for many years he was the secretary of the Standard Fire Insurance Agency. They had four living children, Dr. Lawrence H. Rogers, Norman Tallman Rogers who later became an attorney and Superior Court Judge of New Jersey, Irvin W. Rogers, Jr. and one daughter Helen M. Rogers.

Madness Monday - Ella Rogers - Trenton Lunatic Asylum

Trenton Times 20 Jul 1902

As a follow up to my last few postings about Mary and Ella Rogers and their hospitalizations at the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum, I just found this brief clipping which showed me that Ella spent more time there than I originally knew.  It appears she was admitted as early as 1902, but must have been released and readmitted a number of times.  I know this through census records and I also have other newspaper clippings where she attended social events, etc.  Sad, sad, sad........

Sunday's Obituary - Claire Helen Hildinger Moldovan - Trenton Movie Heir

Trenton Evening Times  1 May 1942

Claire Helen Hildinger Moldovan
17 May 1920 - 30 Nov 1982

Claire Helen Hildinger Moldovan, wife of George Moldovan, and only daughter of the late Charles C. and Helen (Dunn) Hildinger was born 17 May 1920 in Trenton, NJ and died 30 Nov 1982 in Belleair Bluffs, Fl.  Her father was a prominent Trenton, NJ businessman known as the "Nickel King" who created the first movie theaters in Trenton in the early 1900's.  She was also preceded in death by a brother, John Clark Hildinger in 1968.  Burial was at Ewing Church Cemetery in the family plot.

Trenton Times 2 Dec 1982

Sunday's Obituary - Helen Rogers - Trenton, NJ

I wrote last week about the short life of Ellerslie Wallace Rogers, son of Dr. Elmer H. and Mary (Bowers) Rogers.  Sadly, they were to lose another child two and a half years later, their four year-old daughter Helen.  I would have never known about Helen, except I came across this short notice in the Trenton Times:

Trenton Times 21 Jul 1897

Once again, no mention as to the cause of death and I can only guess at the sadness and despair the parents felt, especially the father being a doctor and unable to save his own child.

Just this week I received notification that a Find-A-Grave contributor had added these pictures of Ellerslie and Helen's headstones and I am very grateful to have both of these pictures.

Riverview Cemetery, Trenton, NJ

Rogers Children, Main Stone, Riverview Cemetery

Talented Tuesday - Trenton Physician Discovers Secret in Clays

Trenton Physician Discovers Long Sought Secret in Clays

Dr. Elmer H. Rogers (1858 – 1907), my husband’s great-grandfather, was a well-respected physician and businessman in Trenton, NJ.  Besides his thriving medical practice, it appears he invested in real estate and other businesses.  I recently came across this article in the Trenton Times (17 Jun 1905) that talks about his discovery of a special clay that when made into bricks “possessed the hardness of a piece of granite and the enamel was perfect.”  This article was of special interest to me as his grandson Alvin, who was born nearly twenty years after his death, would later become a stone and brick mason and his son, my husband, a contractor. 

The article talks about Dr. Rogers’ ownership of a property “on which is deposited an almost inexhaustible supply of the right quality in its natural state.”  It goes on to further state his intention to form a company to develop and manufacture bricks to be sold on the market.  I don’t know if this business venture ever got off the ground, it has never been heard of in this generation of the family.  I have not found any further articles to substantiate the company and Dr. Rogers died 11 Apr 1907.  Here is the article as it appeared:

Trenton Times - Saturday, 17 Jun 1905

Sunday's Obituary - Ellerslie Wallace Rogers - Trenton, NJ

I have written before of the sad, short life of the first-born son of Dr. Elmer H. and Mary (Bowers) Rogers, Ellerslie Wallace Rogers.  He was my husband's grand-uncle.  Although his father was a respected Trenton, NJ physician, he was not able to save his own child from dying.  I have not been able to find out why Ellerslie or Wallace as it appeared he was called died, the only mention of his death is this short mention in the Trenton Times on 20 Feb 1895:

Although some months ago I had requested via Find-A-Grave, a photograph of his headstone at Riverview Cemetery in the family plot, I was very disappointed to be told there was none.  However, just this week out of the blue I received notification that another Find-A-Grave contributor had added these pictures of Ellerslie and his sister Helen's headstones (who I will write about also) and I am so grateful to have these pictures.

Riverview Cemetery, Trenton, NJ

Main Headstone - Rogers Children

Those Places Thursday -"The Bijou" Trenton, NJ

The Bijou Theatre - 23 North Warren, Trenton NJ


Charles Clark Hildinger, my husband's great-granduncle, known as the "Nickel King" of Trenton, Mercer County, NJ opened his first movie theatre, The Bijou on 28 Jun 1906 to much fanfare.  One article¹ described it as a "beautiful little white and gold palace of moving pictures” and praised the "electric fans" which contributed to the comfort of the patrons.  The opening was a great success and it was estimated that between 1200 and 1500 persons witnessed the performances that night and half of the number were turned away early in the evening.²

Charles' partner in this operation was his brother-in-law C.C. Cutler, who later sold out his share of the business to Charles and became well-known in the Trenton Times distribution business.  Charles Hildinger went on to open many more theatres in the Trenton as well as other areas, and became one of Trenton’s most prominent citizens.

¹Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser, 1 Jul 1906

²Trenton Times, 29 June 1906

52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge #40 - Investigate how to order an SS5.

How I Used SS5 Forms to Crush a Brick Wall

SS5 forms (Applications for SSN’s) can indeed be a “goldmine” for genealogists.  Nowhere was this truer for me than in my search for my father-in-law, Alvin Stackhouse Rogers’ maternal great-grandparents.  I had always been told that his mother’s name was Susan Rogers.  She died before I married into the family and with Alvin also deceased in 1993, none of his children could give me any further information.  Sadly, there were no pictures, documents or distant relatives in the family to ask.  When I started my research on my husband’s family, I tracked my father-in-law’s paternal side through Trenton, NJ and found his father, Dr. Alvin S. Rogers, Sr. there in the 1930 census.  However, his wife’s name was listed as Luella R. Rogers, age 28, birthplace Pennsylvania.  Okay, this was confusing – which was her real name, Susan or Luella?  I was stumped…..

I decided to order Alvin’s SS-5 and when it arrived I found that he filled it out in November 1946, probably right after he left the Navy after his World War II service.  He listed his mother’s maiden name as “Luella Ruth Johnson.”  I knew that Al’s father died in 1937 when he was eleven and his mother was remarried to Gene Daly.   She later toured as a musician with the big bands of the era so I surmised that perhaps she used Susan as a stage name.

 I knew Susan/Luella had died in south Florida because that is where they had all moved after WWII.   I checked the Florida Death Index and narrowed it down to the time period that my husband thought his grandmother died, about 1967 – 1970.  I found a Susan L. Rogers who died in Miami Beach, Fl in 1969.  There were no other names that remotely matched what I was looking for so I took a chance and ordered the death certificate.  When it arrived, I looked at the informants name and “Bingo!”  there was my father-in-law’s name, Alvin S. Rogers.  Her father’s name was listed as David Johnson, but her mother’s name was listed as “unobtainable.”  Her birthplace was listed as “Pennsylvania.”

So now I had a couple of new clues and went back to Ancestry.com and started looking in the censuses for a Luella Ruth Johnson in Pennsylvania who was born about 1902.  Of course, as these things are apt to go, there were a number of Luellas, Ruths,  Luella Ruths Johnsons, and David Johnsons but nothing matched or seemed right.  I was back at my brick wall and feeling very frustrated.

I went back to her Death Certificate and while looking at it again, I realized it had a Social Security number!  I immediately sent off the Social Security Administration form for the copy of Susan L. Rogers’ SS-5 Application.  When it came in the mail and I opened it and saw the information, I almost did somersaults!  The name on the application was Luella JOHNSTON, not Johnson.  Her father was listed as David C. Johnston and joy of all joys, her mother was Mary Elizabeth Hildinger.  I raced to my computer and within about five minutes I had located her parents in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses.

This has since led me to a surplus of information on her mother’s family, the Hildingers.  Her great-grandparents emigrated from Germany around 1830 with two young toddlers and settled on a farm in Pennsylvania, her uncle Charles Hildinger was famous in Trenton in the early 1900’s as a rags to riches pioneer in the moving picture industry- these are only a couple of the fascinating people I discovered.  Additionally, I have found over one-hundred articles in the Trenton Times regarding the Hildinger family.  Amazingly, my father-in-law never passed these stories on before he died and none of his children were aware of this rich history.

I know, without a doubt, if I had not ordered those two SS-5 applications, I would never have breached this brick wall and discovered my treasure chest of information.

Thriller Thursday - Mishap at at Funeral

Accidents Which Befell a Coffin on the Way to the Grave!

As genealogists, I think we all feel it is our responsibility to remember with dignity those who have gone before.  However, I don't think you can spend as much time in cemeteries as as the typical genealogist without having some graveyard humor.

So, okay, caveats - this story is not about about any of my people and it was probably not very funny when it happened, but when I read it I laughed so hard I nearly fell off my chair!  I could see it as the opening scene of a Tim Burton movie or a scene from the TV show, Six Feet Under.  However, I hope the girl in question is resting in peace and that her poor parents did not have too many nightmares.

Source:  Trenton Times
Date:  Saturday, 28 Feb 1885

Charles Clark Hildinger

Charles Clark Hildinger, founder of the Hildinger Theaters, and who was known as the "Five Cent King" of Trenton, was born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania on 15 Dec 1876, the youngest child of John A. Hildinger and Mary Jane Cochran Hildinger.  His father a farmer and Civil War veteran, came to this country from Wurttemburg, Germany with his parents as a toddler.  His father died when he was eleven and three years later Clark left the farm at the age of fourteen for better opportunities.  He tried several careers before finding success with the movie business.  He first went to Pittsburgh, then to Kittanning, Pa where he worked in a pottery.  Next he went to McKeesport, Pa where he worked as a clerk selling carpets.  Tiring of carpets he went to Trenton and became interested in the newspaper business.  He went to work for the circulation department of the Trenton Times.  After a couple of years, he and his brother-in-law C. C. Cutler bought the circulation of the times and owned it jointly.

Charles made several visit to his former home in Pittsburgh and on one visit became fascinated with a moving picture show.  He counted the people going in and calculated the evening's take.  An idea was born.  He went back to Trenton and created "The Bijou."  He and his brother-in-law created Dream Amusement Company.  Within a few years, he was the sole owner, with Cutler dedicating himself to the newspaper circulation business.  Hildinger added more theaters, The Nicolet, The Royal and five others.  With these successes, he branched out adding The Taylor Opera House. He also had extensive amusement holdings in Belmar and was affiliated with an amusement pier there among others.  In 1927 he became treasurer of the New Jersey Motion Picture Owners' Association.  In 1929, Governor Lawson appointed him to the Mercer County Tax Board.

He was also known for his charitable gestures especially to children of Trenton.  He would often provide provide free showings at his theaters and outings to the shore for the orphans.

On 27 Oct 1915, he married Helen Beatrice Dunn and they had two children, John Clark born in 1916 and Claire Helen born in 1920.  Charles died unexpectedly of a heart attack on 2 Sep 1931 at the age of 54 leaving his family to carry on his legacy.