Henry Charlton Beck | |
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| Born | Henry Charlton Beck May 26, 1902 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 1965 (aged 62) Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, historian, editor, folklorist, clergyman, educator, journalist |
| Language | English |
| Education | Haddonfield Memorial High School |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Genre | Mystery novels, history, folklore, religion |
| Subject | New Jersey history and folklore, murder mysteries, Christian humor |
| Years active | 1920–1965 |
| Notable works | Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, The Roads of Home: Lanes and Legends of New Jersey |
| Spouse | Isabel Ellis Beck[1][2] |
| Children | Ann Phillips (daughter)[1] |
Rev. Henry Charlton Beck (May 26, 1902 – January 16, 1965)[1][3] was an author, journalist, historian, ordained Episcopal minister[1] and folklorist. He authored six books about New Jersey history, forgotten towns, and regional folklore which were published by E.P. Dutton & Co. and later reprinted by Rutgers University Press.[4][5] He chronicled vignettes and anecdotal remembrances about such quaint—and often vanished—New Jersey locales as Ong's Hat, Penny Pot, Recklesstown, Apple Pie Hill, Calico, Varmintown, Pickle's Mountain, and Owltown.[6][7]
"Meaningful names like Shiloh, or Mount Hermon, or Buttermilk Pond stay much longer than those who named them and knew why," he wrote. "Thus I hope always to see, in what there is, at least a wavering shadow of what there used to be."[7] Beck described his curiosity as reflecting "the romance of decadent things."[8]
- ^ a b c d "Rev. Henry Charlton Beck, N.J. Folklore Historian, Dies" (obituary), The Courier-News (Bridgewater, New Jersey), January 18, 1965
- ^ Death Notices, The New York Times, January 18, 1965
- ^ "Henry Charlton Beck (1902-1965) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com.
- ^ Books by Henry Charlton Beck at Rutgers University Press website
- ^ Beck's Virtual Library
- ^ The Roads of Home: Lanes and Legends of New Jersey 1956, Rutgers University Press
- ^ a b Beck, Henry Charlton (September 5, 1983). Tales and Towns of Northern New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813510194 – via Google Books.
- ^ Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, Rutgers University Press, 1936, reprinted 1961