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Marie Antoinette Quinby
1848-1909 Marie Quinby was very active in Newark civic life, the Newark News called her a “leader in Newark society”. She was founder and President of the Women’s Branch of the NJ Historical Society. Marie also managed or was on the board of various organizations including the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American…
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Violet Johnson
1870-1939 Violet Johnson was a civic leader and suffragist in Summit. She was active in the New Jersey Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs and the New Jersey Women Suffrage Association. Violet Johnson’s life has been expertly chronicled in Betty Livingston Adam’s book Black Women’s Christian Activism and her biographical sketch linked below. Bibliography Adams, Betty…
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Kate Louise Roberts
1861-1941 Kate Roberts was editor of Hoyt’s New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations. She got the job through JK Hoyt editor of the Newark Daily Advertiser who was a family friend. Kate’s first publication was in 1922. Kate also worked in the Newark Public Library reference section under Frank Hill and John Cotton Dana for 15…
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Ramona Santiago
c. 1952- Ramona Santiago was appointed deputy mayor in 1994. Her grandfather came from Spain to Newark in 1914. She operated the Santiago Funeral Home of Lafayette Street. At her appointment as deputy mayor she stated, “I’m raising my two children here and I want to see a better life for them and all children”.…
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Connie Francis
1937/8 (sources differ) – 2025 Connie Francis was a pop singer and chart topping vocalist. Connie was born Concetta Franconero in the Ironbound section of Newark. The family briefly lived in Brooklyn before moving to NJ. In 1950, the family lived at 17 Ridgewood Ave, Newark, off Clinton Ave. Connie attended Bergen Street School and…
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Esther Edwards Burr
1732-1758 Esther Edwards Burr was the mother of 3rd Vice President Aaron Burr Jr. Stephanie Ernst writes, “Burr’s writings reflect her intelligence and strength, as demonstrated by her spirited defense of women’s engagement in intellectual discourse.” Esther married Aaron Burr Sr., pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Newark and founder of Princeton University (then the…
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Frances and Eliza Coult
1836-1935, 1866-1935 Frances and Eliza Coult were a mother and daughter who died within 24 hours of each out in 1935. They were the mother and sister of Margaret Coult and wife and daughter of Joseph Coult, Newark counsel. The family lived in Woodside and then at 58 Mount Pleasant Ave. Frances lived to be…
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Miss Rhapsody Viola Wells
1902-1984 Born in Newark, Viola Wells, known as Miss Rhapsody was an internationally acclaimed jazz, blues and religious singer. In Newark, she sang for local jazz clubs in the 1920s and started out with the Salica Johnson Glee Club. She also performed in New York and nationally, playing with Count Basie’s Orchestra and the Harlem…
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Miriam Ogden Ball
1890-1968 Miriam Ball was from an old Newark family and was born in Newark. She was the daughter of Mary Depue Ogden. She was “presented” to Newark Society in 1909. She attended Wellesley College and worked briefly for the Newark Library; then returned to the library in 1934. In 1951, she was assigned to the…
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Mary Depue Ogden
1867-1960 Mary Depue Odgden was a member of a prominent New Jersey family, her father was a justice on the NJ Supreme Court. As a youth, the Newark News wrote, “she was one of the leaders of the young social set”. Mary was the editor of the Memorial Cyclopedia of New Jersey (4 volumes). Mary…