Wading River, NJ
Population of Wading River
The following data has been extracted from state and federal censuses regarding the population of Wading River:
In 1900, there were 19 occupied homes in the village. According the state census of 1905, 24 houses had occupants. This seems odd, that the number would go up by six from 1900 to 1905 and then drop by 7 in another five years. However, when dealing with such small numbers an error of one or two in either direction would lead to a confusion of this sort; if, for example one or two families were not home at the time of the census in 1900 or 1910, then the size of the difference in population totals could be altered. Suffice it to say, that in order to gain an understanding of the size of this village, there were usually around 20 families living in the village at the turn of the century.

By 1910, there were 17 occupied homes in the village. The census taker began on what he referred to as the 'county road' (Route 542 today maybe?); he also recorded the names of Rock Road and Neck Road as being part of Wading River Village. The residents in 1910 were:

1. McAnney Family: There were nine residents of this house, of which the head was Sehas or Jehas or something similar; the writing is very difficult to read. He was a 45 year old laborer and had been married to his wife, Laura F., for 21 years. He owned his own home, and worked in the carpentry industry in his capacity as a laborer. His wife was three years younger than he. He may have been blind in one eye; there is a mark in that column on the census but it is difficult to tell if it is an actual pen mark or dirt. The following children lived with them:
   • Elton L., age 20. He was a laborer in a sawmill
   • Elmira, age 18
   • Irwin A., age 15, also a laborer in a sawmill
   • Wilber, age 12
   • Albert W., age 9
   • Mary H., age 5
   • Elise F., age 2
2. Downs Family. Farmer James F. Downs lived here with his wife of 34 years, Amanda A., six children, and one grand child. James was 54, hiw wife 49 which would mean they were married when he was 20 and his wife only 15. He can be found on farm schedule #8 according to the census. The following children lived with them:
   • James W., age 33. He was employed as a bayman
   • Edward, age 28, also a bayman
   • Harry F., age 18 who gave his occupation as 'farmer.'
   • Winfield, age 15, also claiming to be a farmer.
   • Chester, age 10
   • Glada M., age 7
   • Stanley. He was five years old and grand son to James and Amanda, who his parents were is uncertain. He may have been born out of wedlock as he bears the same surname as his family, yet his father was born in Italy and all of James' children were born in New Jersey (Stanley's mother is listed as being born in NJ as well.) As no daughters old enough to be his mother are in the home, it may be that he was an orphan.
3. Maxwell Family Grover S. Maxwell rented a farm in Wading River, where he lived with his wife of 3 years, Dora B. Maxwell. She was only 18, meaning she wed Grover when she was only 15. They had a two year old son, Richard,living with them, as well as the Watson family listed below who shared the same house.
4. Watson Family Thomas s. and Mary C. Watson shared the same home as the Maxwell family, with their daughter Hilma, an adopted daughter named Maud, and a niece, Edith P. Vandergrift. (The children were 8 mos., 3, and 9 respectively). Thomas was 25, his wife 28. Thomas was a sawyer by occupation.
5. McAnney Family #2 Another McAnney family also resided in Wading River in 1910, that of Alvin B. and Ludella. He was 25, she 22 but the column indicating how long they were married was left blank. They had one young child, one year 9 mos. old named Irene A. McAnney.
6. McAnney Family #3 What the relation between this family and the other two families bearing that name is at this point uncertain. James S. McAnney and his wife, Lovina E., lived here with two of their children, plus one other from Lovina's previous marriage. James owned his own property and did not rent; his occupation was given as a teamster, and he and Lovina had been married for 9 years. Her son from that previous marriage was a 20 year old wood chopper by name of John R. Maxwell. The two children that resulted from her second marriage were:
   • Rebecca A., age 9
   • Lidia B., age 6
7. Maxwell Family #2 Samuel A. Maxwell was a 59 year old farmer in Wading River in 1910. He had married his wife Mary M., when he was 29 and she 24, and they had one child living with them in 1910, their 17 year old son, Ralph L. Also, a grand daughter, Helen A. Sooy, resided with them as well

There are still four more houses to list, which I will do when I can find the time. Unless noted otherwise, all of these individuals were born in New Jersey, as were both of their parents.

The following marriage announcements were found in the New Jersey Courier:
On February 27th, at the bride's residence, by Rev. T. R. Stratton, Charles F. Allen of Lower Bank and Achsah A. Cramer of Wading River
(from NJC March 16, 1876)
March 5th, at the residence of the bride's brother, by Rev. T.R. Stratton, Lemeul Cramer of Bass River and Leah A. Maxwell of Wading River.
(from NJC March 16, 1876)
M.E. Wolvert of Weymouth married Hattie Cramer of Wading River
(from NJC Feb 10, 1876)

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Leek Family of Wading River
The following information regarding the Leek family was provided by RDrobile@aol.com:
Maja Leek was born about March 1818 in Wading River; he married Sarah Cavileer, born in Wading River about July 1817. Maja died on May 1, 1865 in Wading River; his wife died there in February of 1899. Their children were:

• Charles W. Leek (1842-1862)
• Josephine Leek (25 March 1846-14 March 1855)
• George W. Leek (1842-1862)

All three children were born and died in Wading River.
The above information was taken from headstones in the Wading River Cemetery.



We can follow some event in Wading River's history through newspaper accounts throughout the century, as early as 1821, when the 28 Feb 1821 issue of the New Jersey Mirror reported: "At Tuckerton, on February 17, 1821, by Eayre Oliphant, Esq., Mr. Joel Bodine, son of John Bodine, of Wading River to Miss Phebe Forman, daughter of John Forman, Esq. of Tuckerton."
The newspaper accounts are silent, so far as I have found, about the next decade, until this item appeared in the New Jersey Mirror of 24 Mar 1830: "At Wading River Bridge, Washington Township, on Sunday evening, March 7, 1830, by the Rev. George A. Raybold, Captain Nathan L. Mulliner of Tuckerton to Miss Eliza F. Collins, of Wading River Bridge." (I wonder if Nathaniel Mulliner was any relation to the famous bandit of the Pine Barrens, Joseph Mulliner?)
On Oct 10, 1872 the same paper reported the following wedding:
At the residence of the bride's father, on the 6th ult.(September, 1872), by Rev. N. D. Vansant, Mr. WILLIAM H. SOOY, JR., of Wading River, and Miss SARAH E. MESSEROLE, of Green Bank.
On 3 Nov, 1880 another wedding in the same paper:
At Lower Bank, October 23, 1880, by Rev. S. P. Cossaboom, William A. Maxwell, of Wading River, and Miss Angeline A. Jones, of Lower Bank.
On 3 Jan, 1883 the Mirror reported "McKEEN--WEEKS.--In Camden, Dec. 22, by Rev. J. S. Heisler, William H. McKeen, of Wading River, and Matilda C. Weeks, of Weeksville."
On Mar 14, 1883 the death of a Wading River resident was reported as:
CORDIS.--February 27th, at Wading River, John Cordis, aged 76 years.
Later that year, on Dec 12 1883, another wedding:
CAVILEER--MAXWELL.--In Wading River, Dec. 3d, by Rev. N. D. Vansant, Capt. James V. Cavileer and Miss R. Matilda Maxwell.
On Mar 25, 1885 the New Jersey Mirror recorded this death:
CHEW.--Near Wading River, March 9, 1885, Levi Chew, aged about 87 years.
On 22 Feb 1888:
In New Gretna, 1888, by Rev. P.W. Bilderback, Jesse L. Williams, of Wading River, and Amanda M., daughter of William H. Lewis, of Lumberton
And then on 31 Dec 1890:
At Wading River, December 21, 1890, Charles Goldacre, aged 71 years.
On 31 Aug 1892:
MAXWELL.--At Wading River, August 18, Otis, son of Augustus Maxwell.
On 2 Feb 1898:
SOOY--MAXWELL.--At Lower Bank, January 16, by Rev. N. D. VanSant, Samuel L. Sooy, of New Gretna, and Mabel M. Maxwell, of Wading River.
Also on the same date:
LOVELAND--McANNEY.--At Lower Bank, January 12, by Rev. N. D. Vansant, Isaac Loveland, of New Gretna, and Leah Ann McAnney, of Wading River.
On Feb 19, 1902 the Mirror reported this wedding:
DOWNS--MATHIS.--February 6, at Tuckerton, by the Rev. W. S. Ludlow, Austin Downs, of Wading River, and Miss Flora Mathis, of New Gretna
Again, a wedding on Jan 14, 1903:
GALE--ADAMS.--January 1, at Wading River, by Rev. N. D. VanSant, Captain Edward B. Gale and Miss Sallie Adams, both of Wading River.
and on 24 June 1903:
DOWNS--VALIANT.--June 7, at New Gretna, by Rev. Robert Robinson, William F. Downs, of Wading River, and Sadie Valiant, of New Gretna.
and on 21 Sep 1904:
: PRASCH--SOOY.--September 15, at Wading River, by Rev. O. Barchwitz, Robert Prasch, of Egg Harbor city and Miss Allie M. Sooy, of Wading River.
and then on 20 Sep 1905:
MAXWELL--ROSSELL.--At Tuckerton, September 10, by Rev. John Allen, Lemuel Maxwell, of Wading River, and Miss Mary Etta Rossell, of Tuckerton.
A few weeks later, 11 Oct 1905:
DOWNS--McCOY.--At Tuckerton, September 24, by Joel J. Salmons, justice of the peace, Richard H. Downs, of Wading River, and Miss Lillie A. McCoy, of Tuckerton.
A sad death was recorded in the New Jersey Mirror of 21 Feb 1906:
WELLS.--At Wading River, February 12, Helen M. Wells, daughter of W. H. Wells and Abbie E. Wells, aged 10 years.
and then on 11 Nov 1908:
Last week Miss Florence Goldecker, of Wading River, went from her temporary residence in Philadelphia to her home at Wading River to attend the funeral of her mother, who was found dead in bed on Sunday morning, and shortly after arriving she was taken ill and died. This resulted in new arrangements being made and a double funeral took place, mother and daughter having been borne to their graves at the same time

The will of Wading River resident Edwin Gale was mentioned in the New Jersey Mirror of 18 May 1910:
The will of Edwin B. Gale, deceased, of Wading River, has been probated by Surrogate Lippincott. Sallie L. Gale the widow, and George S. Maxwell are the executors. One third of the real estate and all of the household goods and fixtures are bequeathed to the widow. The other two thirds are to be divided share and share alike among James A. Gale and William F. Gale, and Sarah J. Sooy, Mark F. Weeks, Jerusha L. Cramer and M. Lizzie Carter, brothers and sisters of the testator. The executors are empowered to make such disposition of the real estate as they may think best.
At least one resident of Wading River was sent to fight in the Great War, according to the New Jersey Mirror dated 6 Mar 1918:
This morning the following men from District No. 1 will leave Mount Holly for Camp Oglethorpe, Georgia: John W. Nitchman, Hainesport. Clarence Joslin, Pemberton. Henry A. Updike, Wading River. Gilbert W. Gharon, Birmingham. Sylvanus Longstreet, Bordentown. James P. Friel, Mount Holly. Richard C. Warwick, Lumberton. Frank Danley, Columbus. Manasess Fauver, Indian Mills. The little company of nine men will leave on the 9:13 train for Philadelphia. This will complete the district's quota for the first draft.
The New Jersey Mirror of 20 Apr 1934 had a brief mention of Wading River:
ADAMS - April 11, in Wading River, Stephen Adams.
The New Jersey Mirror of 12 Sep 1934 had this item:
WEEKS-MAXWELL -- August 31, in Weekstown, by Rev. Charles Ebell, Belford Weeks, Jr., of Weekstown, and Amy V. Maxwell, of Wading River.
The New Jersey Mirror of 15 Jan 1936 had this:
W. A. Maxwell, of Wading River, a brother of Captain Joseph B. Maxwell and Mrs. Leek, passed away early Friday morning in the Atlantic City Hospital, where he had been ill for several weeks.
Funeral services were held in the Wading River M. E. Church on Sunday afternoon for Mrs. Anna B. Leek, who died on Thursday after a long illness at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Virginia Edgar, in Philadelphia. Interment was in Wading River cemetery. Mrs. Leek, a former resident of Wading River, was a sister of Captain Joseph B. Maxwell, of Green Bank.
The New Jersey Mirror of 22 Jan 1936 recorded the death of a Wading River resident:
"Funeral services were held in the Wading River M. E. Church on Monday for W. A. Maswell who died in the Atlantic City Hospital after several weeks illness. Interment was in the Lower Bank cemetery."
(I suspect this last name should have really been spelled "Maxwell", like the obit for the same person on Jan 15th.)

The New Jersey Mirror of 28 April 1937 mentioned the wedding of one resident of this town:
Miss Olive N. Henderson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Frank Henderson, of Lower Bank, and Mr. Orville McAnney, son of Mr. and Mrs. Howard McAnney, of Wading River, were married in Berlin on Saturday, April 17. A reception and dinner was held on Sunday at the home of the bride's parents."
The New Jersey Mirror of 29 Dec, 1937 carried an obituary regarding another resident of Wading River:
"Lewis R. Nichols passed away last week after a short illness at his home in Wading River. Funeral services were held from his home with burial in the Green Bank cemetery."
This page was last updated on July 28th, 2000.