My name is Maryann Clark. My grandparents
used to live at 16 Fairmont Avenue in Newark. I spent many weekends
there. Their names were James and Mary Clark. They had 12 children,
one died very young. There was, Jimmy, Billy, Mary, Teddy, John,
Anna Rose, Alex, Eileen, Janet, Joseph, and Ellen. Grandma's maiden
name was Brady. Her parents were Patrick Brady and Bridget Calvey.
Grandma Bridget married a Tully, after grandpa Patrick died. My
uncles had friends with last name Flood. They were members of St.
James parish. And they all attended catholic school. I have a lot
of family buried at St. Stanislaus cemetery.
I remember the trolley cars. I remember getting the best tasting
pizza at a place where you had to go down steps from the sidewalk
to enter. Don't remember the name. I remember the great big Pepsi
bottle and Fisher's Bakery where my dad worked. I remember going
to church with one of my aunts to St. Joseph's and was shocked to
hear it is now a restaurant. I remember sitting out on the front
porch on hot summer nights. Everyone would be out on their porches.
I remember when they would turn on the fire hydrants for the kids
to play in the water and cool off. I remember a man riding down
the street on a horse drawn wagon yelling, " rags, rags, any
rags today? " I remember a building a short ways from grandmas
that was shaped like a triangle and was on two streets. All my family
was born in Newark, myself included. My dad and his sisters and
brothers grew up in Newark. We moved to California when I was 8
yrs. old so I have forgotten a lot. But I have a lot of good memories.
A few years ago I went back to Jersey for a visit. I went by grandma's
old house. Her house and one other is all that is left on her side
of the street. The rest is all vacant lots. And the two houses are
all boarded up. It was sad for me to see it like that. One of my
uncles use to live in a apartment house across the street. We could
yell hello and such to each other from grandma's front porch. That
building is gone now.
I'm 63 yrs. old so some of you might not remember the same things
I remember. Glad I found this site and look forward to enjoying
all the posted messages.
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