A website dedicated to
Local History * Community Service
Senior Dog Adoption * Classic Rhythm & Blues Music
"A PEOPLE WHICH TAKES NO PRIDE IN THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF REMOTE ANCESTORS WILL NEVER ACHIEVE ANYTHING WORTHY TO BE REMEMBERED BY REMOTE DESCENDANTS." Thomas Babington Macaulay
Within this site there are several websites that I hope you will find interesting. Please drop me a line by e-mail to let me know you have been here. Comments, suggestions, and material to add to the these websites are very much appreciated, which is to say, I've started this, but YOU are more than welcome to be a part of it. Check out the history, talk to me about funky music, and most importantly, Enjoy Yourself!
There is A LOT of content here... so here are a couple of tips to make it easier for you to find specific things on the site. If the navigation bar at the left doesn't help you, you can FIND any word on this page by typing Control-F and then enter the word you are looking for. You can also SEARCH the website by using the Google Search box below.Have Fun!
The Music is Back
Returning to my roots as a disc jockey. which is how this website originated, I present to you three streaming audio channels that I have created. Enjoy!!!
Listen Your Cell Phone - Get the Free App at Google Play Store
"Krystal Lounge internet Radio"
In April of 2016 I experienced a personal crisis which more or less forced a number of unexpected changes upon me, some for the worse, some hopefully for the better. Between family issues and health issues, for the better part of six months I was unable to spend any time in adding content to the website. While one could say my storm has passed, a reality that I had not been willing to accept has arrived... that I there is only so much I can do, and that there is only so much time to do it in. I still have that huge backlog of material waiting to be added to the site, and I will be doing that to the best possible extent, while maintaining a balance with health, family, and personal affairs that had gotten, I am sad to say, greatly out of balance. Thank You for your support and patience.
"LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE
WITH THE INTENTION OF
ARRIVING SAFELY IN A PRETTY AND WELL PRESERVED BODY,
BUT RATHER TO SKID IN BROADSIDE,
THOROUGHLY USED UP, TOTALLY WORN OUT,
AND LOUDLY PROCLAIMING WOW.... WHAT A RIDE !!!"
SUPPORT THIS WEBSITE
WWW.DVRBS.COM has been up and running since the fall of 2002, and will continue to remain "live" on the Internet. This site has ALWAYS been non-commercial and always will be. This is not and never will be a business. This is a "someone had to do it", and sort of became a calling.
This website was founded in the fall of 2002. DVRBS, Inc. operated as a registered 501(c)3 non-profit corporation through the end of 2012. As the time and money involved in administrating the corporation became problematic, it was decided to dissolve DVRBS, Inc. in December of 2012. After 2012 donations were no longer tax deductible.
While monetary donations have always been accepted, I rarely have solicited them. Beginning in January, 2013 the expense of operating the www.dvrbs.com came exclusively out of my own pocket.
In August of 2019 my Internet provider raised the monthly cost of service to from $65.0 per month to $98.00 per month. Subscriptions to online data sources and security software bring my annual out of pocket expenses to about $1800.00 per year. Thisis all out-of-pocket and I am on a fixed income
For that reason, I am asking that if you can, please make a donation in any amount to the site. Please mail all donations to PO Box 2792, Bismarck ND 58502-2792. I do NOT use GoFundMe or PayPal... they take too large a commission on small donations.
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Understanding is not enough;
we must do. Knowing and understanding in action make for honor.
And honor is the heart of wisdom."
Johann von Goethe
No man owns history, therefore you should feel free to use anything in this web site for any purpose you see fit. The only important thing is that knowledge be preserved, made accessible, and passed down to future generations. This site is not for profit and proud of it, for to claim title to and profit from the actions of those long gone seems to, at best, bogus, and at worst, immoral. If left to the greedy, there would be no public domain- Constitution and the Bible would be the property of an individual, institution, or corporation. -- Phil Cohen.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stuart Mill
Martin W. Baskow owned and operated the Nine-Thirty-Nine Bar at 939 Market Street in Camden NJ in the 1960s. He was brutally murdered in his bar on the morning of July 14, 1967. This case remains unsolved, 41 years later. If you have any information concerning this crime, please e-mail me. Your identity will be kept confidential and there is a reward for information leading to an arrest.
The Mesothelioma After Death (MAD) website was created to provide information and assistance to family and spouses of veterans regarding Asbestos trusts which were created specifically for military veterans.
Most family and spouses never know there are trust funds set up specifically for them on behalf of the large corporations responsible for this exposure. The fact is that the companies that manufactured the Boilers and other Military equipment and engine new that they were made containing asbestos and caused cancer but still sold them to the military and exposed the people who are in charge protecting our country, to fatal asbestos exposure (heroes).
Family members look up where there father or mother were stationed and also have no idea that their cancer was caused by asbestos exposure and that they are entitled to compensation.
MAD has helped hundreds of veterans get approved from their asbestos exposure in the military and the best part, they never had to file an actual lawsuit or sue against the military branch to obtain compensation.
This section had grown so large that I decided to dedicate a separate page of links to all the pages about interesting people who have lived in our city... a biographical section, as it were. The "People of Note" section has been moved here, as well as the "Camden Sports Hall of Fame", "Camden Entertainment Hall of Fame", "Camden Families" and the "Mayors of Camden" sections. I have also moved the links and set up a new section of links to Camden family web-pages both on this website and elsewhere.
As always, suggestions, questions and comments are quite welcome. Thanks to Jim Bessing and Mike Scheele for twisting my arm (figuratively of course!) so I would get off my rump and get this done!
For the most part, www.dvrbs.com is a local history website, which is to say, the emphasis is on the past. If you are interested in the present and what might even be the future, check out veteran newspaper publisher H. John Henry's latest venture, the New Camden Times.
Camden Serves America: Soldiers, Sailors, & Airmen Camden Heroes & Veterans
Honoring All Camden County Men and Women Who Serve and have Served Our Country
Army - Air Force - Coast Guard - Merchant Marine - Marine Corps - Navy
An Index to Biographical Web Pages on this Web Site
Includes
Camden Sports Hall of Fame
Camden Entertainment Hall of Fame
Camden Mayors
Camden Families
and many other interesting people who have lived in Camden!
A slide presentation of photos of men and women who were serving with the United States armed forces during World War II. This presentation was compiled and first shown at St. Joseph's Church in June of 2009 in commemoration of Armed Forces Day.
If you would like to download this in PowerPoint format, click here.
In great part due to the efforts of the website, Chief Scott Thompson of the Camden Police Department, and other members of Camden's Finest, the name of Detective William T. Feitz, the first Camden police officer to lose his life during the performance of his duties, was inscribed along with 414 other law enforcement officers on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington DC. These men were honored in a candlelight vigil on May 13, 2005.
Discussions are also taking place to see that Detective Feitz's name be added to the Camden NJ Police Memorial at Federal Street and Haddon Avenue.
Camden Serves America:
Soldiers, Sailors, & Airmen Camden Veterans
Honoring All Camden County Men and Women
Who Serve and Served Our Country
Army - Air Force - Coast Guard
Merchant Marine - Marine Corps - Navy
Now hear this!! The revised "USS Denver CL-58 Pictorial History & Tribute has been uploaded to YouTube and is a 2 part video. The details and links to the videos are listed below.
Part 2 455 photos and video clips for a length of 1 hour 23 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHfkmCU9y2Y
The new video has narrated letters to home from sailors; 350 new photos from the national archives; photos from the Navy Memorial and photos from more sailors and or their families. There are 2 interviews included as well, one from John Bloomer and one from a brother of a sailor who spent 3 days on the Denver visiting her while she was anchored in Manila Harbor. I have also added a personal tribute to the men killed on the Denver which is at the end of part 2. I was also able to find a song book called "Songs For Salty Bards" containing songs sung by the Denver men. I worked with the Rowan University men's chorus to perform 4 songs live and have them recorded to be used in this video, this would be the first time that these songs were played and heard in over 65 years. It took one year and three months to complete but it was worth every minute, at least for me who has such an interest in US history. I have connected with so many Denver sailors or their families from all parts of the United States. As you can see these videos are lengthy so schedule your viewing accordingly; make sure you have enough snacks and enjoy the videos. Thanks to everyone who assisted with compiling the photos and stories your efforts are greatly appreciated.
- A reunion is being planned for later in the year.
If you recognize anyone or are in this picture yourself,
PLEASE e-mail Bob Bartosz at civilwarbnp@verizon.net
THE STREETS OF CAMDEN, NJ A Virtual Walk Down Camden City Streets
&
The Stories Behind The Names of the Streets - the answer to Who Was Admiral Wilson?
1912-1913 Camden City Directory
Aachen & Munich Fire Insurance Co. of Germany to Fritz, Emma; Lightcap, Mary to Lindehorn, Harry; Moran, Margaret to Morgan, John; Nardello, Rocco to Naval Reserve Drill Hall;
Norris, William W. to Norwood, I. Gertrude; Swyler, Amanda to Taggart, Lorenzo M.;
Tribitt, George to Trophy, John; Warrington, Estelle to Wasserman, Jacob;
West, Hannah to West Jersey Title & Guaranty Co
The Sinking of HMT ROHNA Twelve soldiers from Camden County- six men from South Camden, one from Haddonfield, one from Blackwood, two from Pennsauken, one from Merchantville, and one from Lindenwold- died together when the troop transport HMT Rohna was struck by a German guided glider bomb and sank of the coast of North Africa. Eight men from other South Jersey communities were also lost. A total of 1,015 men were lost that day, many of them from South Jersey, but the story was never told to the families or the general public for over 57 years due to wartime censorship. At the time, conflicting stories were issued about the fates of these men. Some families were told that their sons were killed, others were told that their family members were missing in action. This page is dedicated to these men and their families.
On January 26, 1944 the LST-422 struck a mine of Anzio, Italy. 419 American soldiers and 29 British sailors were lost. Seven of those victims were from Camden County, New Jersey. This is their story.
THE SS LEOPOLDVILLE DISASTER
On December 24, 1944 the SS Leopoldville, carrying over 2000 American soldiers, was torpedoed off the coast of Normandy. 764 Americans lost their lives that night, including two from Camden NJ, PFC Edward E. Benson, and Staff Sergeant Robert F. Miles.. To learn more about the Leopoldville disaster, and what happened to Robert Miles and Edward Benson, click on the links below.
As many were fond of saying, the world changed on September 11, 2001. Well, it did not really change, but the United States DID get a wake up call. America is at war, which is a sad thing.... people get hurt and killed, lives are ruined. On the other hand, a look at the world over the past few years... and over the past 1000 or so years... truly gives evidence to what America and those who share our values and culture are up against.
Make no mistake about this.... the world is at war, and it IS a religious war. I will be charitable and say a branch of Islam is bent on world conquest and the establishment of world rule under Islamic religious war. I will also be very truthful and state that is is a VERY large and very well-funded branch.
As this website is very much a teaching tool, I thought it appropriate to present some articles I have found helpful- some that I have found, others submitted by visitors to this website.
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering.
You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.
You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory.
Victory at all costs - Victory in spite of all terrors - Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.
In this war on terror, this war for the future of humanity, there can be no neutrality. Those who do not actively combat terror by definition actively condone it.
Phillip Cohen, July 2004
At the siege of Vienna in 1683 Islam seemed poised to overrun Christian Europe.
We are in a new phase of a very old war.
The local paper advertised a parade on the extensive grounds of our Bay Pines VA Hospital, but its route wasn’t described. I wondered if my wheelchair buddies in the nursing home might be able to watch it from a nearby road, so I went there a bit earlier to see if I could help. As it turned out, the activities leader was getting a bunch of men ready to go to a shaded spot behind the building for the ceremonies, where they might miss the parade.
As it turned out, the parade came to them. We wheeled over 30 guys to a spot beside hundreds of empty chairs. Shortly, we heard drums and music as three bands and several groups marched in and filled the seats. After Presentation of the Colors, Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem, we heard short speeches by the Secretary of the Navy, the local Congressman, the Director of the Hospital, and best of all, the main address by a very articulate Medal of Honor soldier.
The man sitting next to me was a wounded Marine just back from Iraq. We bonded instantly, and he even worked beside me pushing the wheelchairs back to the nursing home. Later I drove him to his next stop and he wants get involved in volunteer work. With 61 years between our wars, he now knows that every older veteran is his buddy too, because we shared a common experience.
In other news, we read of a 111 year-old Florida man who is one of 15 World War I veterans still alive!
I met Craig back in 1977 when I was living on Penn Street. He is THE man to see if you are looking to come to what is arguably the most eclectic neighborhood in South Jersey.
Left to Right:
Sakeera Cephas, Ny'shyaa Smith,
& Madelin Ruiz
Click on Image to Enlarge
Many thanks to those who have contributed pictures and information which are displayed within this website.... and I KNOW I've forgotten to mention far too many.
Steve Ross - THANK YOU for pushing me to cleanup the home page... and everything else!!!!!
A special thank you to Peter McHugh for proofreading many of the pages found here.
Thanks to Frederic El for his suggestions for Camden's Sports Hall of Fame.
Thanks to Maryanne Mingle, Joe Clawges, John Ciafrani, Jim Bessing, Floyd Miller, John Myers and MANY others for North Camden Memories.
Thanks to Tom Agin, Lynne Stuhltrager, and Fred Kalt for East Camden memories.
Thanks to Ed Milewski for Whitman Park memories.
Thanks to Bonnie Errickson for "Blood, Toil, Tears, & Sweat"... and a lot of encouragement!
Thanks to Molly Lou Conrad for reminding me of the 50 Years website!
Thanks to Von Lechner, for photographing the former homes of local war heroes.
Rabbi David Herman for innumerable treasure about Beth El and Jewish life in Camden
The site was originally based on a home-made server with a dedicated cable internet business connection. This greatly increased the monthly cost of operations, which also include subscriptions to historical and genealogical database websites, equipment, software, research-related expenses, postage, and the like. The original server crashed during the summer of 2013 while I was out of state, and finally had to be retired in October of 2014 when, after being hacked, I found that no one was furnishing anti-virus software for Windows 2000 Server anymore. That meant buying a new server, and taking on a $3000 debt that I was not at all comfortable with taking on. At that point a couple of friends... more than that, brothers, from the Camden Fire Department stepped up and started raising funds for the website. Other friends of the website contacted me, and I took the leap of faith and ordered a new server.
On October 27, 2014 the new server was delivered and the site went back on-line. Fundraising went well, the server was paid for, and I cannot thank enough the friends and family who have come up so big to help with this.
