Hainesport History

     I came across an old Christmas card that my mother saved.  She tucked it away after she received it in the 1950's, probably never thinking anyone would see it as a historical document.

      This house, located on Marne Highway near the intersection of Lumberton Road, is currently home to the Winzinger family.  The previous occupant and sender of this holiday greeting was responsible for the the development of Hainesport in the 20th century.
     Her name was Lydia M. Parry.  The name Parry probably doesn't mean anything to anyone except old timers, people with deep roots in the township. However, mention her mother Mary's maiden name - Haines - and every resident, old and new, will have an "ah-ha" moment.  Mary Haines' father, Lydia Parry's grandfather, was Barclay Haines.  This house is the Haines estate.

     In 1847 Enoch Barclay Haines, called Barclay, purchased 311 acres, known as Long Bridge, along the south branch of the Rancocas Creek.  He established a port that provided water transportation for freight and travelers.  It was the most efficient way to get from the backwoods to the Delaware River and the city of Philadelphia.  The area was renamed Haines' Port and eventually Hainesport.  Barclay Haines' wharf, and later the railroad, made Hainesport a good place to establish a business.  In addition to the wharf, there was a foundry and a sawmill.  But things change.  The Great Depression came, and the foundry and sawmill closed.  While the Depression years were a low point for Hainesport businesses, there was real estate development thanks to Barclay's granddaughter Lydia.
     Lydia M. Parry (called Lilly as a child and, as an adult, known to some as "Lil") was born on April 8, 1876 to Mary Haines Parry and Dr. William Conard Parry.  Mary and William, both Quakers, had married in 1875.  You can see a copy of their wedding invitation at Haverford College in their Quaker and Special Collections.  The couple lived in Northampton (present day Mount Holly) after their marriage.  After Lydia's birth in 1876, a brother, William H. Parry, followed on November 11, 1877.  Then there were two babies who died in infancy.  Public records show that Mary R. Parry was born in January 1880 and died on July 13, 1880.  Another baby, Mary (or May) M., was born on November 23, 1881 and died on August 14, 1882.  Mary/May M.'s obituary was published in a Quaker periodical called the Friends' Intelligencer.  The last Parry child was Edda Middleton Parry born August 14, 1884.  Edda died on December 2, 1902 at the age of nineteen. The cause of death was some sort of infection.
     According to the 1880 U.S. census, the Parry's lived in Mount Holly.  They had moved into Barclay Haines' homestead by the time time the 1900 census was taken.  It is difficult to determine when and why they decided to come to Hainesport.  The census of 1890 was lost due to a fire in the federal archives, so where they lived in1890 is a mystery.  My theory is they came shortly after the death of Barclay Haines which occurred in January 1881.  The house would have been too big for Barclay's widow and bachelor son.  The Parry's would fill the void, and Hainesport could use a doctor.
     Dr. Parry began calling himself a physician and a farmer.  He grew fruit trees which he advertised for sale in the Friends' Intelligencer.  He attended state agriculture meetings at which he expressed concern that rising property taxes would drive farmers out of business.  Dr. Parry died of pneumonia in 1911.  His wife Mary died in 1930.
     William H. became a lawyer and practiced his entire career in Newark, New Jersey.
     Lydia graduated from Swarthmore College in 1895 with a B.A. degree.  She returned to the homestead.  While she never ventured out of the house for employment, she reported being a farmer on the 1920 census, a realtor on the 1930 census, and a boarding home mistress on the 1940 census.  I'm not sure Lydia needed the money from elderly lodger, Clara Gruhe, because she had a live-in housekeeper at the same time.  As a realtor, Lydia divided up the land of Barclay Haines and sold it off piece by piece from the late 1920's through 1950.  The town was growing, and the school needed to be enlarged.  Lydia sold the ground to the board of education. Hainesport formed a fire company in 1922.  Lydia sold them a plot for building a fire house.  In 1948, she sold a lot across the street from the homestead to my father, so that he could build a house.  By 1950, Lydia had divested herself of at least 150 properties.    
     My father often visited "Lil."  I remember tagging along once (I was told to call her Miss Parry).  I don't recall the nature of the visit.  Dad helped my grandfather with his painting and wallpapering business, and they did a lot of work for Parry/Haines relatives in Moorestown.  Maybe someone wanted to paper a bedroom.  The purpose of the visit might have been to deliver eggs.  We had chickens and sold our excess eggs during the 1950's.  I remember the front room of the house being big and the ceiling being high. Miss Parry was very friendly toward me, and there was another woman sitting in the corner in an upholstered chair.
     Lydia M. Parry died on June 24, 1960.  She is buried in the Friends Cemetery in Mount Holly.  Her nephew Robert Parry finished selling off her remaining land.

     If you want to learn more about Hainesport's history, read Hainesport: Biography of a Small Town published in 1969 by Richard Pedlow.  The Burlington County Library has ten copies in the reference section.  That means the book stays in the building; you have to read it there.  Since it's only 32 pages long, that shouldn't be a problem.  If you would rather buy the book, it will cost you. I located a copy on AbeBooks.com for $100.00.  http://www.abebooks.com/Hainesport-New-Jersey-Biography-Small-Town/1197403126/bd  

     If you believe in ghosts, visit this site to find out what happened when South Jersey Ghost Research investigated the Barclay Haines estate.  http://www.southjerseyghostresearch.org/cases/01067.html

     If you want to throw a party, part of the estate is a catering venue.  Here's the link:
http://cateringconnections.net/barclay-haines-estate/