Friendship Village

Friendship Village Friendship

I have found almost no information about this tiny village aside from learning of it's existence from three censuses:
In 1905, only three families lived at the site, apparently involved in the production of cranberries.
By 1920, there were six families at Friendship; evidently all that was there at that time was a sawmill and the families of the workers who ran it.
In 1930, there were only five residences occupied at Friendship.

Below are described the families of Friendship of which I am aware.
Alloways Family:
Mark Alloways was born somewhere in New Jersey in October of 1858; his wife Carrie in March of 1864. By 1905 they were living in Friendship with their four children. Mark owned his home there, while the other two families in 1905 rented their's, presumably from him. The children of Mark and Carrie Alloways were:

Garfield Alloways, born in September 1880. Fifteen years later, he would be married to a woman named Anna and laboring in the Friendship sawmill. He had two children of his own, Gladys (born about 1909) and Mark (born about 1912). Anna was born about 1881 in Pennsylvania (her parents were from Germany). In 1930, Gladys would be the schoolteacher at Friendship. Some confusion exists about when exactly Anna and Garfield married; the 1930 census says Garfield had been married for 27 years, i.e. in 1903, although Garfield is not married in the 1905 census. Anna's 1930 census entry says she had been married for 19 years, which is probably more accurate--that would be about 1911, and their first child arrived the following year, in 1912. By 1930, the Alloways family no longer owned their own property (and neither did any other family residing there...they must have been renting from an absentee landlord.)
Lucy Alloways, born in November 1884.
Samuel Alloways, born in March of 1892
Joseph Alloways, born in May of 1898.

The Alloways were the only family that lived at Friendship in 1905,1920 and 1930.
UPDATE: I have recently come across something odd about the family of Mark Alloways. I found the following family in 1920 in Tabernacle Township:
MARK ALLOWAYS, AGE 61 (i.e., born about 1858 or 59)
CAROLINE ALLOWAYS, AGE 56 (i.e., born about 1864)
SAMUEL ALLOWAYS, AGE 27 (i.e., born about 1892 or 1893)
Was this this same family, counted twice? Did they have multiple residences? The Mark Alloways of Tabernacle, however, only had one child, Samuel, living with him. His occupation is, again, a farmer, on a farm that he owned just like he owned the land in Friendship. It could be a striking coincidence, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Foster Family:
In 1942, one George Foster, Jr. of Elmer, NJ gave his birthplace on a draft card as Friendship, NJ, born 23 Feb 1888. So far I have no further information regarding him. It's possible he was referring to another Friendship, but until I figure that out one way or the other I'm leaving him here as a possibility.

Gerber Family:
Julius Gerber was apparently the son of the Julius Gerber who had lived in Tyler Town at least as recently as 1895. He was born in March of 1882, was married to a woman ten years his younger named Ella. One child lived with them, John Gerber, born in January of 1905.

Bennett Family
Harry Bennett was born in New Jersey in July of 1864. In 1905, he was working as a laborer at the cranberry bogs of Mark Alloways at Friendship. His wife, Harriet, was younger than he, having been born in 1871. Living with them were seven children:

Amanda Bennett, born April 1889
Harold Bennett, born July 1890
Russell Bennett, born December 1895
Chester Bennett, born April 1896
Hattie Bennett, born March 1899
Paul Bennett, born August 1901
Reginald Bennett, born July 1903

Where the Bennett family went after 1905 is not certain. A Harry Bennett, age 46, was lodging in the home of Harold Hansen in Camden in 1920, but his age is ten years too young. A Harry L. Bennett, age 57, appears in Collingswood in 1920, but he has a different wife and children. It seems that, by 1920 at least, Harry Bennett was nowhere to be found in New Jersey.

James Demarco is a cranberry grower who owns massive amounts of property near Chatsworth. He has erected a very large granite monument to the Alloway family. It is erected right next to the cement foundations of the buildings that were there. He may be related to them in some way, but I doubt it. He probably realizes he owes his occupation to the Alloway family, and erected it for that reason. Here is the photo of the monument.:

Christings (??) Family
The surname here is very difficult to read and I have probably spelled it incorrectly. (I wonder if it's possible that the name is some misspelling of "Choroczynski", the surname of Mark Alloways wife on the monument in the above photo?). This was a family of Italian Americans, all children of immigrants, although they did not live with their parents here. They arrived sometime between 1905 and 1920 to work at the Friendship sawmill. Their names were:

Frank, age 14
Joe, age 12
Tony, age 10
Mike, age 6

Clark Family
The only mention I've come across of this family is on a WWII draft registration card, wherein John Randolph Clark of Alexnadria, VA claimed, in 1942, to have been born at Friendship, New Jersey on 17 Sep 1883. Whether he was referring to this particular Friendship or not, I can't say, but I've included him here as a possibility until more information comes to light.

Dominico Renzi
He arrived at Friendship sometime between 1920 and 1930; in 1930 he was 40 years old and still single, laboring in the cranberry bogs. He was born in Italy; where he was prior to 1930 is a mystery. In 1920, a Dominico Renzi, age 71, lived in Atlantic City with his wife, Marie (age 62). They would be old enough to be his parents, and they were both from Italy. He was not living with them in 1920, if they indeed are his parents. No one bearing his name appears on the index to the 1920 census, however, so it is unclear where he was living. The closest match I have found so far is 33 year old Dominic De Renzi, living in Richmond, NY. His age is three years off, however.

Bozarth Family
Raymond Bozarth, age 36, was the overseer of the sawmill at Friendship. Whereas the Alloways family was apparently in charge in 1905 when Friendship was a cranberry growing operation, by 1920 Raymond Bozarth was in charge. His wife was Lillian, age 38; and they had five children with them as well:

Kenneth Bozarth, age 12
Dorothy Bozarth, age 10
Mildred Bozarth, age 8
Albert Bozarth, age 5
Eugene Bozarth, six months old

Leek Family
Merritt Leek and his family also arrived at Friendship between 1905 and 1920, to work at the sawmill. Merritt was a 29 year old laborer at the mill. He was married to Bessie, age 28, and they had two children: Merrit, jr.,age 6, and three month old Virginia Leek.

Edward McCambridge
Edward McCambridge was 74 years old and employed as a sawmill laborer, having arrived sometime between 1905 and 1920. Despite his Irish sounding last name, the census claims that he was born in Italy and spoke Italian as his native tongue. [Researchers on this site have pointed out more than once that this is far from likely]. He lived with a man named John Whitford, a 39 year old Italian immigrant who also worked in the sawmill.

Anderson Family
Howard Anderson was 37 years old and working as a laborer at Friendship sawmill in 1920. His wife was 22 year old Viola, and three children lived with them: John, age 5; Wilbert, age 3; and Lillian, four months old.

Joseph Griffee
on a WWII draft regitration card, he gave his birthplace as Friendship, NJ on 8 Sep 1889; in 1942, he was living in Chatsworth, not far at all from Friendship. I've no other information regarding him at this time.
(In 1910, on Bank Street, in Camden, there is a Joseph Grifee, age 41, working as a house painter. He has a son, Joseph, age 20, just right to be this same person; there was also another son, Harry, 17, and a daughter, Clara, 14. All of the males were working as housepainters. In 1920, the younger Joseph was still in Camden, married to 25-year old Elizabeth Griffee of Pennsylvania; they had three children, Harry, 8, Edwin, 4, and Eleanor, 10 mos as of Jan 1920. Joseph was still working as housepainter in 1920).

Walter Joshua Storey also gave Friendship as his birthplace on a draft card in 1942; he claimed to have been borh there on 16 Jan 1892. In 1942, he was working up at Fort Dix.
I did manage to find Walter on the 1910 census, in Lumberton, living with his parents, Joseph H. Storey, 57, and Rebecca, as well as older brother William R. Storey. (There were 3 other children, according to the census, who did not live at home evidently).
In 1920, Walter was living in Lumberton, working as a cutter at the shoe factory. His parents lived with him at that time, father now 69 and working as a laborer at the shoe factory. Brother William also lived with him, employed as a laborer at a feed store.

Yates Family
This family is absent from any earlier censuses, but in 1930 there were two residences occupied by families bearing this surname. Their relation to one another remains unclear as of now.
Carlton P. Yates, age 22, was working as a laborer in the cranberry bogs. He was single and lived with his brother, George W. Yates (age 29) and Sarah C. (age 21).
In the next house, Franck Yates, age 33, lived with his wife, Hellen C. Again, there is confusion about when they married...the census lists Franck as being married either 25 years, or perhaps is trying to indicate that this was his second marriage and he had been married this time for five years (the '2' and the '5' are written in distinctly different sizes). Hellen's entry claims she had been married 16 years, clearly impossible. At any rate, they had a seven year old son, Arthur F. Yates, living with them. Although Hellen herself was born in New Jersey, like so many of the others at Friendship, her father was born in England.

Sooy Family
In 1930, Albert Sooy was living by himself at Friendship. He does not appear to have worked the cranberry bogs like the other families...his occupation is 'farmer', and the location of his employement is listed as 'farm', whereas everyone else in the town is specifically listed as being employed at the cranberry bogs.
Albert was 74 years old, and his wife had predeceased him by 1930.

I have also been told that a family from Italy bearing the surname Surbello was at one time resident in Friendship. Supposedly this is the same famiy that later on would own the bogs at Double Trouble.

The following additional information has recently come to my attention. I am skeptical as to whether or not these items refer to the same place as the information above, but the mention of the name 'Friendship' I believe is worth looking into so I present here two tidbits of information that were recently passed on to me:

In 1799, there is recorded a purchase for a hand pumped fire engine for the town of Friendship.
Mention of a place called the Friendship Iron Works, not far from Egg Harbor, has also been found. This I find a bit more plausible, as the village of Friendship in Washington Township would not be far from Egg Harbor, but more research needs to be done.
At the very northern edge of Washington Township is marked a small town named "Friendship" on a modern map I have acquired of the area; still looking into this lead.
The Act of Assembly organizing Shamong township in 1852 mentions a tree 50 yards from "Friendship" mill as being one of the town's borders; Friendship being found on modern maps right on the border of Shamong this is probably the same place, so it is probable that this place was inhabited as early as 1852.
I have recently learned from another researcher that his grandfather resided in Tyler Town, and that he used to drive a bus and would pick up school children in Friendship. He was a member of the Gerber family of that town, and I would imagine the time frame would be around the 1920s or 1930s.
An article that appeared in the Batsto Citizen's Gazzette ( Vol XXVIII, No. 1 - Winter/Spring 1994) mentions, without citing a source, that "in 1882, John A. Schultz was cutting and shipping two cars of poles a week from Friendship Station. I have yet to come across a John Schultz (or any other Schultz) on any of the censuses. The only one I have not searched is for 1880 so far. Perhaps he only owned the mill and did not actually live there? Or else lived across the border in Shamong Township. and was having difficulty getting enough flat cars from the railroad." Presumably there was a train station at Friendship, but this does not tell us about the town.