WHAT HAPPENED TO EDGAR? In our search for information on my husband’s family, we found in the 1900 federal census that a grand uncle, Edgar Wright was living in Bradley Beach on Hammond Avenue with his sister, Emma Davidson and her four children. We compared the birth dates and yes this was our Emma and our Edgar - a two-for-one surprise. By the 1905 state census, Edgar disappeared. Where did he go? Sometime later we found his grave in Sykesville, along with his mother and father in the graveyard of the Presbyterian Church. Sykesville is a small town, part of North Hanover Township and Chesterfield Township in Burlington County located on Route 537. We wondered what a man 41 years old would have died from. Then in a recent trip to the state archives in Trenton we found his death certificate. Actually, what we found was a Transportation of Dead Human Body Certificate of Death. He died on April 3, 1904 at 6:35 p.m. in the Shark River, Wall Township, Monmouth County. The cause - drowning. We were curious and went to the Asbury Park library to view their microfilm of old newspaper of the day. It seems that Edgar, who they called Edward must have been called “Ed” for a nickname. April 3rd was Easter Sunday in 1904. In the early afternoon Edgar and three friends - William Brace, Charles Murphy and Charles Bennett decided to have a clambake at the island of Shark River. They tried to rent a boat at the Buhler boat house. Mr. Buhler refused them as the river was choppy from a recent storm. The Asbury Park Press politely describes their condition as “intoxicated”. The Journal, another local newspaper was a little more blunt about it and described their condition as “dead drunk”. They procured a row boat at Rhode Island Point and proceeded to the island. It was noted that Mr. Buhler saw them rowing across and then saw smoke coming from the island and realized that they had made it. Others appeared late in the afternoon wanting to apply for a boat to the island and were refused. They went elsewhere, as did Wright and his friends. At the conclusion of the clambake, Wright and his friends were last to leave One of the party stood up in the boat and rocked it. It then turned over. Charles Bennett was the only survivor. This became the subject of the day and for many weeks after. It took 16 days for Edgar’s body to surface - April 18th. Mr. Brace’s body had surfaced before his. Some by-standers at the Avon/Neptune City train station saw this happen and decided to mind their own business. Names of places in and around Shark River that are not know to us today were mentioned - Tucker’s Cove, Rattlesnake Bluff, Long Point and County Neck. The island is now built up with town houses. Edgar was a carpeted in the local union #750 and made $18 a week. He purchased a new suit the day before his death, which he wore to the clambake. It was rumored that he had a large amount of money with him, but they only found $6, some change, his gold watch which stopped at 7:25 p.m., and his union card. Apparently he purchased the suit and then gave the remaining money from his pay to his sister. The body was placed in a solid oak, copper lined casket and taken to Sykesville on the 5:09 p.m.. train on Wednesday, April 20th. Services were held there on Thursday. The 5:09 Pennsylvania Railroad train from Bradley Beach went to Bay Head, Tom’s River (the track is still on the island in Bay Head), and then to Pemberton. They may have transferred to the Union Transportation Company into Wrightstown or transferred to a horse and wagon at Pemberton or New Egypt. They had a special wagon used just to carry the casket for funerals. p.s. This above work was done a few years ago. Norman and Marie almost got kicked out of the Asbury Park Library one rainy Saturday afternoon while going thru 3 weeks of old newspaper microfilms. We recently found out that the Charles Bennett mentioned above was the grandfather of Cathy Bennett, Norman’s late brother Wayne’s wife. It’s a small world indeed.