Clinton Township Newsletter

2 3 O c t O b e r 2 0 1 6 Getting to Know Your Township | A H i s t o r i c a l P e r s p e c t i v e – Th e A l pau g h a n d A s t l e Fa m i l i e s S o m e o f t h e f a m i l y h i s t o r i e s of Clinton Township are very interesting. One in particular is notable because of both the beautiful historic house right in Annandale and The Astle-Alpaugh Family Foundation that was set up in their honor. Family Roots – Alpaugh / Astle Written by Molly Harper, Consulting Administrator to The Foundation The family histories of Hazel (Alpaugh) Astle and Edward T. Astle are deeply rooted in Hunterdon County. Hazel in particular could trace her family's history back almost three hundred years in Central New Jersey. The preservation of her family's photographs, correspondences, documents, treasures and oral histories remained a lifelong passion of hers. Hazel B. Alpaugh was born in February 1902 to Frank and Lucretia (McPherson) Alpaugh of Clinton. At the time, her parents ran a peach farm on the rolling hills of Leigh Street, not far from the center of Annandale. Hazel spent most of her childhood there, living in the farmhouse with her parents and all three of her surviving grandparents. An only child, she relished the attention of her father and her paternal grandfather, Peter A. Alpaugh. Grandfather Alpaugh spent many hours reading stories to her on the porch, taught her to build her own wooden chair – a favorite memory – and introduced her to the ins and outs of farming, from the joyous (beekeeping) to the repulsive (pig slaughtering). Her father, Frank, was a constant source of conversation and advice for Hazel through her childhood and into her adult life. He often shared with Hazel the daily news he had heard on the radio, from the mundane to the historic. Frank and Peter were beloved by Hazel and common characters in her stories of growing up. In the 1920s, the Alpaughs retired from farming and moved into a townhouse that they owned in Annandale. The house was Hazel's home for the rest of her life. After graduating at the top of her class from Clinton High School in 1920, Hazel attended Rutgers University and became an elementary school teacher, a profession she truly loved. After the death of her parents, she met Edward Thatcher Astle, whose own family had lived in or near Annandale for almost two hundred years. "Ed", as he was known, grew up in town and left school at 17 to be a ticket clerk for the Central New Jersey railroad. He was a lifetime employee, eventually becoming a clerk at the railroad's headquarters. Ed took that job so that he could ride on the same trains as Wall Street workers, tapping their knowledge and eventually honing keen investment skills of his own that led to over fifty years of great success in the stock market. They married in June 1953 and continued to live in the townhouse on West Street. In 1975, Hazel and Ed met David Olekna and Joanne Harris, a newly married couple who had just purchased a house across the street from theirs. Soon, a close and intergenerational friendship began to thrive. Neither Hazel nor Ed had ever had children, and so their friends began to refer to David and Joanne as "the children they had never had." Hazel and David were particularly close, and she came to consider him her "adopted son". Though Hazel and Ed have both since passed, David continues to care for the townhouse, their possessions, and the artifacts of family history that Hazel so lovingly saved. Many of these family heirlooms or treasured collectibles are shared with the public upon request. Hazel (Alpaugh) Astle was born in Clinton, New Jersey in 1902 to a family of comfortable means. For the majority of her young life, her parents owned, operated, and lived on a peach farm before eventually moving to their West Street townhouse in Annandale. After graduating at the top of her high school class, she attended Rutgers University and became an elementary school teacher. Education remained a lifelong passion for Hazel, along with the pursuit of knowledge and skills in various areas including fashion, piano, and sewing. She won awards at numerous local fairs for her intricately detailed needlework. Edward Thatcher Astle, born in 1901, was raised in Annandale just around the corner from Hazel's parents' townhouse. After leaving school at age 17, he began working for the Central New Jersey Railroad and later became a Freight Clerk at the Somerville station. People he met on the job, including his co-worker Nelson Alpaugh, introduced Ed to the stock market which became his lifelong passion. With a nearly photographic memory and a keen understanding of stock market fundamentals and trends, he made successful investments and became a wealthy man. Hazel and Ed paired well doing many of the things they enjoyed. They traveled extensively on the Union Pacific Rail Lines, visiting many national parks, southern Canada, and Mexico. Both enjoyed Broadway shows, musicals, and plays. They were excellent hosts, well-versed in events of bygone days as well as those current. After Ed's passing in 1986, the Astles' fortunate circumstances and lifelong enjoyment of learning inspired Hazel and trustee David Olekna to establish The Edward Thatcher Astle Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Until 1998, the Foundation solely awarded scholarships to college-bound students. Over the past 17 years, the Foundation has completed a transition to The Astle-Alpaugh Family Foundation, an organization that funds diverse educational programs and projects implemented by a variety of Central Jersey nonprofits. For more information about The Astle-Alpaugh Family F o u n d a t i o n , v i s i t : w w w . TAAFF.org or email: taaff. org@gmail.com. The copyrighted information and photographs above were taken from The Asitle-Alpaugh Family Foundation website and are used with their permission. Hazel B. Alpaugh as a young girl Ed (first row, third from left) at age ~35-40 with coworkers at the CNJ Railroad Headquarters in Elizabeth, NJ Hazel's mother, Lucretia, walking through the family's Leigh Street farm Frank and Lucretia (McPherson) Alpaugh – 1925 Edward T. Astle and Hazel (Alpaugh) Astle, in front of their Annandale home, 1987

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