Life in Trenton in the 1890's

There is little doubt the Winders chose Trenton because of its thriving pottery industry.  They were hardly the only British family, indeed hardly the only one from Worcester, to make this move and living in a city with a significant number of fellow immigrants may have facilitated their acclimation to their new country.  Any such support was helpful as the 1890's were not the easiest years to begin living in the United States.

South Broad Street, Trenton around the turn of the century

Only a year after their arrival, the Panic of 1893 brought on the worst depression since the country's founding, a time one historian described as "hideous," with major wage cuts.  Fortunately it appears the pottery industry didn't suffer too severely.  Fortunate indeed as there was no government safety net available to those who lost their jobs.  Having lived in the workhouse, James R was no stranger to financial hardship and surely didn't want to repeat the experience.

Offerings at 1892 Trenton Grocery Stores 

What did the Winders find as they settled into life in Trenton? If they read the Trenton newspapers on June 1, 1892, they would have found controversy surrounding high speed electric trolleys (18-20 mph) which had just killed a young child.  Coffee cake was for sale at 25 cents for a 4 pound cake which they could wash down with a root beer at 14 cents a bottle.  If James and Mary Ann were looking for an affordable family outing, a strawberry and ice cream festival was scheduled at the YMCA for 10 cents admission.  If there was any inclination to experience their new country's national pastime, the Trenton and Solar Tip Clubs were scheduled to play the "greatest game of the season" at 4:00 that afternoon with 15 cents general admission and a grand stand seat for 25 cents.

Potential amusement opportunities for the new Trenton residents 

How quickly James W was introduced to base ball is unknown, but by 1896 he was actually a substitute on a new base  ball club.  This was just one by-product of what was clearly a formative decision for the 14 year young man.  Less than a year after he arrived in Trenton, on April 23, 1893, James was confirmed into the Episcopal Church at St. Michael's Chapel (later Grace Church), a mission of historic St. Michael's Church on Warren Street.  The church was located in east Trenton, not too far from Southard Street, supporting the idea the family lived there for a while after their arrival.  By 1894, however, the Winders had moved to 300 Rutherford Avenue, almost two miles from the church.

Modern view of Grace Church property - the congregation relocated to Mercerville

James didn't allow the distance to stand in the way of his involvement at Grace Church even after his mother and Edith joined far more convenient St. Michael's in 1898.  By that point St. Michael's Chapel had become an independent parish called Grace Church.  While the exact timing isn't clear, during this period, James also made a life long friend in the person of Alfred, or, Alf Blake who was baptized there as an adult in 1895. Both James and Alf were active in the church's Young Men Association and at a banquet in December of 1895, James followed in his father's footsteps by singing a solo.  Important as all of this was, even more significant were church sponsored coed events where a young woman named Mary Proctor was frequently in attendance.  James was also apparently taking part in some kind of educational programs because in 1899 samples of his architectural drawings were on exhibit at the Trenton Art School.

St. Michael's Church on Warren Street in Trenton

Little is known of Edith during the 1890's, other than her 1898 confirmation, she doesn't appear on the public record.  According to census data gathered many years later, she completed one year of high school.  Aged 10 in 1892, Edith probably went to school in Trenton for the first half of the decade along with sisters Elsie and Florence who were in school throughout the 1890's.  Like their schooling in Worcester, the Winders would have found elementary school in Trenton focused on the basic skills of reading, writing and math, reportedly little science was taught through 1895.  Reading material most likely came in the form of McGuffy's Readers which were introduced in 1851 and received their fifth and final revision in 1901.

McGuffey's Reader

History was the subject where Edith, Elsie and Florence would have experienced the greatest cultural shock.  Centered on the American Revolution, the British were the "stock villains" of lessons that created "a prevailing anti British strain in American thought."  Given the heavy proportion of British immigrants living in Trenton, this may have been modified in the city's schools.  Of the three sisters, Elsie had the most formal education, completing the 10th grade.  Florence, for whatever reason, emulated her older brother by leaving school after the sixth grade.  This was not at all unusual, reportedly only one out of 10 boys/girls of high school age where actually in high school.

Crackers and coal - basic necessities in 1892 Trenton

Although James R and Mary Ann may not have liked some of the content taught in the Trenton schools, they probably very much appreciated the fact that it was free.  That was only one cultural change for the Winders, other differences from England were a taboo against aristocracy, a strong belief in the separation of church and state and no class stratification or at least nothing like what they had left behind.  While they were, no doubt, still adjusting to their new country, they hadn't cut all their ties to England as in the summer of 1895, Mary Ann took Elsie and Florence to Worcester for several weeks.  Most likely James W and Edith couldn't go because like their father, they were working.  By the end of the decade James W. was an apprentice and Edith was a brusher in a china factory.   In the next post, we'll take a closer look at what their home life might have been like during this period.