Saint James Catholic Church

Saint James faced Lafayette Street between Jefferson and Madison Streets

St. James Roman Catholic Church was the third oldest Catholic Church in Newark. Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley officiated at solemn ceremonies the church of Saint James the Less, Newark, New Jersey in 1854. It was a simple brick building, only 40x80 feet - a humble start for an edifice that eventually grew to dominate a full square city block at Lafayette, Jefferson, Madison and Elm Streets in the heart of the city. The magnificent Belleville brownstone, styled in classic Gothic, once projected its spires 250 feet into the Newark skyline. The Church of Saint James was founded on land purchased by Father Louis D.Senez, who was pastor of St. Patrick's. 

From the beginning, St. James was home to Irish immigrants. A grammar school was built very early in the parish to care for over a thousand children who studied for free. Later the parish built a high school and at the turn of the 19th Century St. James hospital was built to care for the sick of the area. All of this showed the concern of the church for a suffering immigrant community. St. James church also was the birthplace of dozens of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. It was a beehive of social activity with drama clubs and athletic groups.  

During the second half of the 19th Century, the Ironbound was home basically to Irish and German, then the Polish, the Italians and the Lithuanians. 

ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 250 Lafayette St. The largest church in the Ironbound stood on this corner from the Civil War until 1979, when it was demolished by the Archdiocese of Newark to provide parking for the nearby St. James Hospital. The massive church, once the focal point of a thriving Irish community, had a 225-foot tower that was visible for miles. ST. JAMES HOSPITAL, founded in 1900, was originally adjacent to the church, moved to a new five-story building at 155 Jefferson St. in 1961, and is administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It has more than 200 rooms and houses intensive and coronary care units. As well as serving residents and workers in the Ironbound, St. James also acts as headquarters during emergencies at Newark International Airport, Port Newark, and local factories. The hospital chapel's stained glass windows depict the patron saints of most of the residents' countries of origin.

Copies of St James records of baptisms and marriages are available to research at Latter Day Saints genealogy facilities (your local LDS group will probably have to order the microfilm for you to view); here are the microfilm numbers for St James:
 

Below: 1927 map

Below: from The Catholic Church in N.J. by Flynn, 1904

St. James's Catholic Church, Newark. 

In 1853 the Rev. Louis D. Senez purchased lots in that portion 
of Newark called the " Neck," on Lafayette Street, with a view 
of erecting a church and a school. March 16th, 1854, the Rev. 
Benjamin F. Allaire, secretary of Bishop Bayley, was appointed 
pastor of the new parish, and immediately steps were taken to 
carry out the project of Father Senez. Father Allaire was edu- 
cated in St. Sulpice, Paris, and was ordained sub-deacon by Mgr. 
Sibour, Archbishop of Paris. After his ordination to the priest- 
hood he was made secretary of Bishop Bayley, October 30th, 1853. 

The corner-stone of the church was laid June 19th, 1854. It 
was a brick building 40 by 80 feet, three stories high, to be used 
both as a church and a school, and was named " St. James the 
Less." 

Before the building was finished Father Allaire was removed, 
and the Rev. James Callan was appointed, October 17th, 1854, in 
his stead. Father Callan, a brilliant young Irish priest, zealous, 
devoted, and impetuous, had made his studies in Ireland and had 
served on the mission in South Amboy. November 5th, 1854, 
the building was ready for dedication, and services were opened. 
He then built a brick rectory in the rear of the church, and 
labored with much zeal in the parish until February 26th, 1864, 
when he resigned and went to California. His death was pathetic 
and worthy of the lofty motives that always swayed him in the 
exercise of his priesthood. When he was returning to his mission 
from the clerical retreat the boiler on the steamboat exploded, 
with the result that many were killed outright and many more 
mortally injured by the scalding steam. Although he had escaped 
all hurt, his first thought was the injured, and without hesitation 
he literally walked into the jaws of death to administer the sacra- 
ments to the dying. During these ministrations he inhaled the 
live steam, but, despite the agony he endured, he persisted in his 
work of heroic charity, and after all was over he succumbed, a 
victim of his zeal and heroism, 1865. 

His successor in St. James's was the Rev. John Mary Gervais. 
Father Gervais was born in the Diocese of Clermont, France,
and became a member of the Society of St. Sulpice. He taught 
philosophy in France and in St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore; 
and, after his withdrawal from the society, he was affiliated to the 
Diocese of Newark and appointed assistant to St. Patrick's Cathedral. 
His ideas of the priesthood were the most elevated, his life was most edify- 
ing, and so little did he think of himself that his premature death was due 
in no small degree to his neglect to take proper nourishment. As a curate 
in the cathedral he was devoted to his work, constant in his care of the sick 
and in the difficult work of the confessional. The pastor, Father Mc- 
Quaid, was strenuous and frequent in his appeals for the wherewithal to 
carry on the works of the parish; and as Father Gervais would listen to 

these earnest appeals for money he could not resist showing displeasure by moving his 
chair, and as the appeal would become more urgent so the 
chair would go round, until at the finish Father Gervais had 
literally turned his back to his pastor. He never hesitated to 
express his abhorrence of this necessary evil, which pursues
the pastor even to the present, and to declare that he was 
scandaHzed by it. But, on assuming pastoral charge, he became 
so persistent in his appeals as to dwarf the efforts of the 
pastor, about whose salvation on this score he expressed very 
grave doubts. Piece by piece he secured the adjacent property 
until the entire square was held by the church. He found his 
flock poor but generous. The finances were in good condition 
and the small debt was soon paid. At once he set about raising 
funds for a new stone church, and on July 12th, 1863, the corner- 
stone was laid by Bishop Bayley. It was no unusual sight to see 
the pastor among the workmen, and so absorbed was he in the 
construction that he often forgot to take his meals. In vain did 
his bishop protest and threaten ; and if he did not obey it was not 
through disrespect for his superior, but rather from the intensity of 
his nature, which could brook no restraint or tolerate any respite 
when once set upon a work to be accomplished. Everybody 
marvelled at this wonder-worker, whose brain was ever in a whirl 
with its vast projects. On June 17th, 1866, the church was dedi- 
cated, and on the occasion Bishop Bayley preached an eloquent 
sermon. By the death of Mr. Nicholas Moore a large sum of 
money was bequeathed for the purpose of erecting a hospital. 

Above: from a 1908 Sanborn insurance map

Below: Saint James in the center distance as seen in a frame looking SE from a 1926 film

Charles Henry Smith

Charles Henry Smith 1859-1906, son of James Smith and Mary Ann Reilly Smith; Charles Henry married Mary Ann Bannon.

Their children were all baptized at St. James Roman Catholic Church: 

1) Mary Ann Smith (Mamie), December 27,1880; Sponsors:  James Smith and Mary E. Dunn; (Mamie married Thomas M Kelly)

2) James A Smith, September 8,1883; Sponsors: James Hyland and Mary Keller; 

3) Catherine Smith (Katie), March 2, 1886; Sponsors: James Bannon and Mary A Smith (Katie married Robert Englehart);

4) William Henry Smith, September 21,1889; Sponsors: William Wall and Catherine Burke;

5) Charles Robert Smith, March 29,1892 (died 1892);

6) Hoke Charles Smith, October 4, 1893 (died before 1900);

7) George William Smith,  1896

8) Walter Dewey Smith, July 31,1898: Sponsors: Thomas J. D. Smith and Mary Ann Donegan (sp?)

9) Thomas Jefferson Davis, October 28,1900.

Charles Henry Smith worked in the glass-bending business operated by his mother. Charles received the following US patents for glass bending equipment:

Below: Patent application filed January 1900, patented April 30, 1901

Thomas Jefferson Davis Smith

Thomas J. D. Smith, 1865-1958, son of James Smith and Mary Ann Reilly Smith

New York Times, November 29, 1910

Charles "Buck" Smith

From The Independent, February 26, 1986

The above article has at least one error: Charles "Buck" Smith's paternal grandparents were Charles Henry Smith and Mary Ann Bannon. Thomas Jefferson Davis Smith was the brother of Charles Henry Smith. 

Below: from The Independent, September 13, 1989

Hampden - Marilyn Claire (Smith) Playter, 83, died on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at a Bangor nursing facility, with her loving daughter Laura by her side. She was born Jan. 15, 1927, in Newark, NJ, the daughter of Charles A. “Buck” Smith and Frances (Byrnes) Smith Deevy. She was a lifelong resident of Belford, NJ before moving to Hampden, Maine in July 2004.

Marilyn met her husband, Gordon William Playter, Jr. while they both attended and graduated from Fairleigh Dickenson Junior College. She was a better dress buyer for Hayne & Company in NJ and later in life she took over as owner of her father’s business, Buck Smith’s “House of Brides” a landmark banquet facility in Middletown (Keansburg), NJ. Marilyn loved to travel and travel she did all over the world from the South Pole to Russia with many stops in between. Her last big trip was to Kenya on a safari. It was better to ask her where she hadn't been rather than where she had been.

She is survived by her daughter Laura Playter Poll and husband Everett “Bud” Poll of Hampden, son-in-law Drew Roberts of Belford, NJ, daughter-in-law Susan Miller Playter of Middletown, NJ, son-in-law and daughter-in-law Gary and Cheryl Apel of Island Hgts, NJ and Max Playter her beloved pug. Grandchildren in Maine, David Poll and wife Toni of Hudson, Melissa Poll Gould and husband Jaimie of Levant, Kristen Poll of Jacksonville, FL, grandchildren in NJ, Karisa, Shannon, Cole, and Grant Playter of Middletown, Brendan Apel and wife Anne Marie of Island Heights, Justin Apel and wife Danielle of Bayville, Kevin Apel of Island Heights, Desa Martin Dalia and husband Fred of Brick. She leaves behind her great-grandchildren, Diane Apel, Hunter Poll, Jacob Gould, Maiella Apel and Desa’s four children. She also leaves behind her special cousin Marcy Labarge of Tempe, AZ with whom she spent so many happy times with in Florida and Arizona, brother-in-law George Playter of Sedona, AZ and sister Eleanor Smith Wilcox and husband Russell Wilcox of NJ.

She was predeceased by her husband Gordon W. Playter, Jr. on May 23, 2007, her daughters Diane Playter Apel on April 25, 1975 and Sharon Playter-Roberts on Sept. 22, 2009, and her son James G. Playter on Oct. 30, 2009.

The Mary Ann Smith Estate

From The New York Daily Tribune, April 12, 1897.

Note: "Thomas Q. D. Smith" in the above article should read "Thomas J. D. Smith" (Thomas Jefferson Davis Smith)

The following is from a 1999 genealogy article by George G. Morgan writing about the use of estate information in genealogy research:

"Mrs. Mary Ann Smith," declared the New York Herald, in her obituary dated Wednesday, March 24, 1897, "one of the best known and wealthy business women in New Jersey, died late Monday night in her home, No. 63 Market Street, Newark, of a complication of diseases. She was sixty-eight years old, and had been a widow for a number of years." Her obituary further

states that she was an immigrant from Ireland, having arrived and settled with her husband in Newark in 1847. Following the death of her husband in 1872, she took her money out of the grocery business and began what became the American Glass Bending and Beveling Works in Newark. Mrs. Smith was the sole owner of the business at the time of her death, and she was considered to be one of the wealthiest women in New Jersey.

Mrs. Smith had six surviving sons at the time of her death, all of whom were in some way involved in the business. Her sizable estate was left in a trust, administered by her youngest son, Thomas D. Smith. In simple terms, the estate was to be divided into seven equal shares: one for each of her children and one for a Catherine Burke. Her estate would be distributed on

the death of her last son among all of her grandchildren and the children of Catherine Burke. If some issue of these seven individuals died before that time, their portion would be distributed among their siblings. If there were no issue by any of the seven, or if all his/her issue died

before that time, that portion of the estate went back into the pot.

What Mrs. Smith had not reckoned on was that her youngest son would survive until July 30, 1958. Over those years, during her sons' management of the business and Thomas' management of the estate, its value had reduced significantly. However, there was still an estate, and sixty-one years later, it became the job of lawyers to determine who were the rightful

heirs, and for the probate court to determine Mrs. Smith's intent and how to distribute the residue of her estate.

The lawyers began an extensive research campaign to locate every potential heir. They determined that Catherine Burke had died without issue, and so her share went immediately back into the estate. They next determined the names (including spouse's name) of each of Mrs. Smith's children, grandchildren and, after all these years, her great-grandchildren. Each

person's birth date, status--living or deceased (and date of death) as of July 30th, 1958, and, if living, the current address was ascertained. Careful research determined that Mrs. Smith had twenty-eight grandchildren, sixteen of which were still living, and seventeen great-grandchildren

living as of July 30, 1958.

Mary Ann Reilly Smith

Husband: James Smith 

Children:

Philip 8/18/1853-1899 

Patrick 11/24/1855-11/23/1911

John William 7/29/1857-7/4/1912

Charles Henry 5/30/1859-4/22/1906

James, Jr. 1861-1862? (mentioned in an 1883 letter)

James Edward 2/23/1863-1/18/1901

Thomas Jefferson Davis 5/7/1865-7/30/1958

George Washington: 2/5/1867-2/9/1896

From The Sun (New York City), March 24,1897

Below: The Sun, March 25, 1897

The following is from a 1999 genealogy article by George G. Morgan writing about the use of estate information to find genealogical information:

"Mrs. Mary Ann Smith," declared the New York Herald, in her obituary dated
Wednesday, March 24, 1897, "one of the best known and wealthy business
women in New Jersey, died late Monday night in her home, No. 63 Market
Street, Newark, of a complication of diseases. She was sixty-eight years
old, and had been a widow for a number of years." Her obituary further
states that she was an immigrant from Ireland, having arrived and settled
with her husband in Newark in 1847. Following the death of her husband in
1872, she took her money out of the grocery business and began what became
the American Glass Bending and Beveling Works in Newark. Mrs. Smith was the
sole owner of the business at the time of her death, and she was considered
to be one of the wealthiest women in New Jersey.

Mrs. Smith had six surviving sons at the time of her death, all of whom
were in some way involved in the business. Her sizable estate was left in a
trust, administered by her youngest son, Thomas D. Smith. In simple terms,
the estate was to be divided into seven equal shares: one for each of her
children and one for a Catherine Burke. Her estate would be distributed on
the death of her last son among all of her grandchildren and the children
of Catherine Burke. If some issue of these seven individuals died before
that time, their portion would be distributed among their siblings. If
there were no issue by any of the seven, or if all his/her issue died
before that time, that portion of the estate went back into the pot.

What Mrs. Smith had not reckoned on was that her youngest son would survive
until July 30, 1958. Over those years, during her sons' management of the
business and Thomas' management of the estate, its value had reduced
significantly. However, there was still an estate, and sixty-one years
later, it became the job of lawyers to determine who were the rightful
heirs, and for the probate court to determine Mrs. Smith's intent and how
to distribute the residue of her estate.

The lawyers began an extensive research campaign to locate every potential
heir. They determined that Catherine Burke had died without issue, and so
her share went immediately back into the estate. They next determined the
names (including spouse's name) of each of Mrs. Smith's children,
grandchildren and, after all these years, her great-grandchildren. Each
person's birth date, status--living or deceased (and date of death) as of
July 30th, 1958, and, if living, the current address was ascertained.
Careful research determined that Mrs. Smith had twenty-eight grandchildren,
sixteen of which were still living, and seventeen great-grandchildren
living as of July 30, 1958.


Below from The Newark Daily Advocate, Friday, May 21, 1897

Early 20th Century Street Scenes

Hamburg Place (sometimes written as Hamburgh) later renamed Wilson Avenue;

View is looking SE across Elizabeth St intersection on the left and Lang St intersection on the right; church is German Presbyterian Church at the SW corner of Hamburg Place and Ann St.

A number of  other Down Neck street names also had German origins but were renamed during WW1 e.g. Berlin Street became Rome Street, Frederick Street became Somme Street, Frankfort Street became Paris Street, and Dresden Street was between Berlin St and Frankfort St where Rt 1/9 is now.    

East Side Park, now known as Independence Park

Postcard view above is looking NW with buildings along Walnut Street on right. Church in 

background is St James Catholic Church (torn down about 1979) with a steeple 

235 feet tall and facing Lafayette Street between Jefferson and Madison Streets.

East Side Park was created in 1895, bounded by Adams, Oliver, Van Buren, and Walnut Streets and designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. The name of the park was changed from East Side Park to Independence Park on July 4, 1923.  From a January, 1923 recreation report: "An evidence of the interest in this park on the part of citizens of the district was shown when a committee of representative men called upon the Commission and presented a petition to change the name of this park to Independence Park. The benefits of the park to the people were pointed out by the committee. The speakers urged that the Commission adopt the name Independence Park because it will bring to the park a new significance in the minds of the foreign-born population. The committee submitted this name as being most appropriate for 

a park touching upon or adjacent to streets that have been named after the presidents of the 

United States." 

East Side High School

Below: 1936 East Side yearbook