(click here for larger view)	Henry Lyon And His Farms Of all of the Native American names of places that once existed in and around Newark (or "Town on the Passaic" as it was once referred to) , only "Weequahic" survives.
Meaning "Head of the Creek," the high ground known as Weequahic first serves as a boundary between lands of the Hackensacks and Raritans, and later as the partition between the cities of Newark and Elizabeth. Where a river once flowed, a park and lake still play host to native wildlife and flowers.

Led by Robert Treat, Newark's first residents sail from Connecticut, past the English village of New York, and down the banks of the river called Passaic by the Lenni Lenape tribe. Among the first settlers in the area are Henry Lyon and his five sons. By the eighteenth century, there are 14 Lyon families living in a place that becomes known as Lyon's Farms. In the twentieth century, The Beth stands on land that was formerly in the Lyon's Farms area of Clinton Township.

Early settlers of Newark are memorialized 
in street names that persist decades, even centuries later. William Goldsmith, William Grumman, Henry Meeker, Nancy Nye and Professor James Mapes all lived here. Chancellor Avenue is first called Pot Pie Lane in tribute to dinners served to troops there during the Revolutionary War. It is later renamed in honor of Oliver Spencer Halstead, Chancellor under New Jersey's second constitution. 

Weequahic has always been home to successive waves of ethnically diverse residents. Once about 90 percent Jewish, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, it is primarily populated by African-American citizens.

The city now known as Newark is already 169 years old when it is formally incorporated in 1836. The land is purchased from the Hackensack Indians in 1666 for gunpowder, lead, axes, coats, guns, swords, kettles, blankets, knives, hoes, ten pairs of breeches and three trooper coats. At this time, the total fair market value of these goods is only $750.

The genesis of the name "Newark," adopted in the 1660s, is the town of Newark-on-Trent in England, where Abraham Pearson---one of the first pastors---was born. 

Newark is a city of nearly 20,000 residents when it adopts a modern charter in 1836. The population swells to a quarter million by the end of the century. A rapidly growing industrial base includes a number of burgeoning factories, which turn out carriages, clothing, shoes, paint, food products and beer.

The availability of good jobs attracts waves of immigrants to Newark. First there are Irish and German-Americans, then Italian-Americans and Eastern Europeans. The African-American community also grows steadily. In 1814, there are 75 free African-American men among Newark taxpayers with businesses of their own. By the end of the nineteenth century, this number increases substantially.

 

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1830 - European Immigration Transforms Newark Irish and German immigration begins to transform Newark's communities and culture.

Over the ensuing 50 years, immigration from southern and eastern Europe brings Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and other populations to Newark's promising shores.

1832 - Cholera Hits Newark Hard
An outbreak of the cholera disease spreads throughout the Newark area causing a major health crisis. 

1834 - Anti-Slavery Society Is Founded
The Anti-Slavery Society is started. Over the next 15 years, the Society enlists well over 100 members. 

1835 - 112 African-American Adults In Newark
Benjamin Thompson Pierson, editor and publisher of the city's first directory, lists 112 African-American adults as residents. The majority are small business owners such as barbers, blacksmiths, carpenters and restaurateurs. Approximately 20 African-American families own homes.

1836 - William Halsey Is Newark's First Mayor
Newark is incorporated, and its first mayor is the highly popular 66-year-old lawyer, William Halsey (shown in art).

 

	1840 - Scottsman Builds Brewing Empire Scottsman and malt salesman Peter Ballantine purchases Morton's Brewery (shown in art) and becomes the region's most dominant brewer.
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He later brings his sons into the company and changes its name to P. Ballantine & Sons.P. Ballantine & Sons Brewery

1844 - First Jewish Persons Arrive To The Area
Louis Trier, a tanner, travels to Newark in 1844 and becomes the first Jewish person to settle here in the nineteenth century. (Rachel Gomez, a Sephardic Jewish woman lived in Newark earlier until her death in 1766.) A year later Louis has a son, Abraham, who becomes the first Jewish child to be officially registered as born in Newark. 

All Religions Flourish Throughout Greater Newark During the 15 years that follow, not only does the German-Jewish population swell, but Newark's Christian community does as well. More than 25 houses of worship are built at this time, including Baptist, Catholic, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalian, Methodist and Presbyterian. Earlier in 1822, Christopher Rush, a wealthy African-American Methodist, established the first formal African-American church in a building on Academy Street. By the mid-1840s, its congregation was booming.

1845 - Mutual Benefit Insurance Company Is Established
Mutual Benefit Insurance Company is established in Newark. It was attracted to New Jersey because of the state's inexpensive labor costs and relatively loose financial controls.  

 

Circa1848 - Temple B'nai Jeshurun Is Founded In Newark The Directory for 1862-63 lists Temple B'nai Jeshurun (shown in photo) under  "Churches" as "First Jewish Synagogue,"even though it is not incorporated until October 6, 1848.
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Its founders are a small group of Jews who first meet in the Washington Street home of Isaac S. Cohen, who came from England in 1847. The temple begins as a traditional congregation but eventually becomes Newark's first Reform temple. Temple B'nai Jeshurun is originally located on High Street. A century and a half later, the grand structure stands on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard as the site of Hopewell Baptist Church.

 

	1850 - High Street Presbyterian Church Is Constructed The architectural design for the much-anticipated High Street Presbyterian Church (shown in illustration) is completed by renowned architect of the day, John Welch.
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Precious Metal Refining Is Revolutionized German-American Edward Balbach opens a precious metal refinery (shown in art) on River Street and revolutionizes gold and silver refining in America. Soon his plant refines over $5 million worth of precious metals annually.
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1852 - Society Of The Friendly Sisters Is Established In Newark
The first Jewish organization in Newark to provide financial assistance to its members is Frauenverein Nächstenliebe (meaning Friendly Sisters). Annual dues begin at $5. By 1927, the organization becomes the the region's Mutual Aid Society.

 

	1854 - Gottfried Krueger Helps Build Brewing Industry Gottfried Krueger (shown in photo) immigrates to America from Germany and settles in Newark.
By 1865, he owns his own  brewery and later becomes one of Newark's "big five brewers," along with Ballantine, Hensler,Feigenspan and Weidenmeyer.
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Circa1855 - Famous Agriculturist Is Also A Newark Professor
James Mapes (shown in art) is a famed agriculturist and editor of The Working Farmer. He is also President of the Mechanic Institute and Professor of Chemistry as applied to the useful arts at The American Institute. 

1855 - Temple B'nai Abraham Is Established In Newark A dedicated assembly of Jewish persons from Posen (Poznan in Polish) founds Temple B'nai Abraham (shown in photo).
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The synagogue is located on Market Street and incorporates six years later.

Circa1860 - Jewish Business Expands Rapidly
Jewish merchants establish some of the region's leading dry goods stores. Among the most popular are Hart & Deitelbach and Ullman & Isaacs.

1860 - Temple Oheb Shalom Begins
Leaders of Temple Oheb Shalom, who are mostly Bohemians, separate from Temple B'nai Jeshurun. Their congregants are initially led by Rabbi Isaac Schwarz. Several years later, their spiritual leader is Rabbi Ferdinand Sarner, who is believed to be the first Jewish U.S. Army chaplain wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg.

1861 - Orphans Are Given A New Home In Newark
The Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society, later known as Jewish Children's Home, is created in Newark. At first, the home cares for orphans in its own community, then for all children in need.

	Circa1865 - Newark's First Hospital Is Instituted The Hospital of Saint Barnabas (shown in art) is founded in rooms rented in a house on McWhorter Street.
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with various local churches, it is originally organized as The Ladies Society of Saint Barnabas House. Reverend William Odenheimer serves as the hospital's first president.

1865 - The Late President, Abraham Lincoln, Passes Through Newark
On April 24, the remains of President Abraham Lincoln (shown in photo) pass through Newark on the New Jersey Railroad. The event is largely attended by invalid soldiers from local hospitals, city officials, plus the German and Irish Societies.

1871 - German-Jewish Immigration Accelerates Quickly
The German-Jewish population rapidly continues to immigrate to Newark in very large numbers at the close of the Franco-Prussian War. 

Thomas Edison Invents In Newark 
A major period of invention begins for Thomas Edison (shown in photo) when he arrives in Newark in his mid-twenties. Needing space to manufacture 1200 stock tickers, which he invented, Edison leases an entire floor of a large building on Ward Street.

1872 - Patent Leather Inventor Is Honored
In May, General Theodore Runyon speaks of his inventions at the Newark Opera House. His discovery of patent leather alone adds an annual $6 million to the city's economy each year, as Newark tanneries produce over 90 percent of all patent leather in America. Most U.S. presidents of the day have their patent leather shoes custom made by Newark's Johnston & Murphy.

Circa1873 - Prudential Insurance Company Is Founded
John F. Dryden (shown in photo) founds Prudential Insurance Company in Newark, which he models after The Prudential Co. based in England.

1875 - Inventor Edward Weston Settles In Newark
Inventor Edward Weston (shown in photo) immigrates from England to New York in 1870. He settles in Newark five years later with many of the nation's great inventors of the day. Weston advances the science of electroplating and invents the electric carbon arc lamp, which lights factories, railways and bridges, including the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883.

1880 - Newark's Population Continues To Change
The current census indicates the tides of German and Irish immigration that have transformed Newark for 20 years are beginning to slow. Waves of immigrants are now coming primarily from southern and eastern Europe, bringing Italians, Poles, Hungarians, Russians, Lithuanians and Greeks.

1885 - Grandma Makes Original Polaner Jam
Max Polaner arrives from Europe. A house painter by trade, he soon becomes a fruit peddler, eventually opening his own fruit and vegetable store in Newark. Because there is no refrigeration at this point in time, Grandma Polaner turns the fruit into jam and sells it in the store. Later, the respected Polaner brand grows to include peanut butter, sauerkraut and more. Over a century later, annual product sales still exceed $32 million.

1888 - Elaborate Krueger Mansion Is Built
Famed Newark brewer Gottfried Krueger, builds his eclectic Louis XIV-style Victorian mansion (shown in photo). It is designed by noted architect Herman Schultz on the corner of Court and High Streets. (High Street is later named  Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.) In the twentieth  century, the mansion is purchased by the nation's first African-American female millionaire---Louise Scott-Roundtree. Born in South Carolina, she works as a house maid prior to becoming a beauty parlor magnate. She renames the mansion, the "Krueger-Scott mansion."

Newark Public Library Opens
With tides of humanity flooding into Newark, a significant educational deficit occurs. In response, the Newark Public Library (shown in art) opens to help meet the city's need for intellectual advancement.

Circa1890 - Hans Brinker Author Lives On Elizabeth Avenue
Mary Mapes Dodge (shown in illustration), the illustrious author of Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates and editor of the nineteenth century children's magazine, St. Nicholas Review, lives on a farm on Elizabeth Avenue near Mapes Avenue in Newark.

	Street Cars Introduced To Weequahic Electric street cars (shown in photo) are introduced to Newark's Weequahic area in 1890 and quickly become part of its citizens' daily lives.
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Beautiful Gardens Of The Garden State The gardens at Weequahic Park (shown in photo) become a focal point of "The Garden State."  They are renowned for their varied roses and lilac bushes.
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Hill Cottages Is The Birthplace Of Admiral
Hill Cottages (shown in photo), a home for unwed mothers, is located on Elizabeth Avenue opposite Lyons Avenue. It is the residence of I. M. Doc Ward, M.D., until 1895 and the birthplace of William Ward Smith, who later becomes Vice Admiral of the United States Navy.

1890 - Newark Has Highest Death Rate
The United States census reveals an alarming fact: Newark has the highest death rate among the nation's 28 largest cities. This unfortunate fact leads to an unprecedented period of change in the health care industry in Newark.

1891 - Newark Hosts Sängerfest
Several thousand German-American singers and musicians flock to Newark as the city hosts the 16th annual Sängerfest (song festival). This is a great honor and economic development opportunity for Newark, with many other cities vying to host the popular multi-day celebration.

1892 - Baltimore Merchant Creates L. Bamberger & Co.
Louis Bamberger (shown in art), a Baltimore merchant, purchases the bankrupt Newark firm of Hill and Craig located at 147-149 Market Street to create the L. Bamberger & Co. department store. By 1912, the store occupies a full city block and in 1924 employs 2,800 persons. In 1928, Bamberger sales are $38 million, ranking it as the fourth largest department store in the country. In addition to his many personal, business and financial contributions to the City of Newark, Mr. Bamberger also makes a major philanthropic contribution to The Beth in 1928. The following year, Mr. Bamberger renders a $5 million gift to establish the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University, where his friend, Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein (shown in photo), serves more than two decades as Professor of Theoretical Physics. Bamberger also bestows the buildings for the Newark Museum at New Jersey Historical Society. In 1944, he bequests $200,000 to The Beth. In the twenty-first century, the famed Bamberger clock, still stands at the original site of L. Bamberger & Co. having marked time for more than a century.

1892 - Ellis Island Opens To The World
Ellis Island opens its doors on January 1st. Twenty-five hundred eager immigrants pass through the station the first day to seek a new life in "the new world."

First Woman To Practice Law Is Born
Elizabeth Blume-Silverstein is born in Newark in 1892. She graduates from the New Jersey School of Law at age 18 and becomes the first woman to practice law in the state of New Jersey. Her specialty is criminal law. She also becomes the first woman in America to try a murder case, which she wins.

Hospital Delivers Certified Milk
A pioneer in American Pediatrics, Henry L. Coit, M.D., (shown in illustration) begins his lifelong crusade for better infant feeding and cleaner milk, following the death of his first son at age two from an intestinal  disease. In 1892, Dr. Coit outlines a program for milk purification. Two years later, the world's first bottle of certified milk, handled entirely under medical supervision, is delivered. Soon Babies Hospital delivers pure certified milk to families throughout Newark. At its peak, the  program distributes 150,000 bottles per year. Over 100 years later, the original Babies Hospital becomes part of The Children's Hospital of New Jersey---an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, located on the campus of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

1899 - Talmud Torah Is Established
Talmud Torah is a new school established by the Eastern European Jewish community in Newark, to help meet the growing demand for quality education.