Oral Histories

Below is a list of Oral History interviews on file with the Metuchen Edison Historical Society.  The interviews of residents of Edison & Metuchen were done in the 1970's by the CETA Program, in the 1990's and 2000's by MEHS with funding from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

 Disclaimer:  Please note that all oral histories presented by the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society are unaltered.  The language, comments, and thoughts contained therein are solely those of the individuals interviewed.  Our goal in presenting them is to make the personal recollections of these individuals available, to be considered within both their historical context and during the time the comments were made, as part of the historical record.  The content and language of these interviews should not in anyway be attributed to any of the past, current, or future members of the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society Board of Directors, or to the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society membership as a whole.

 The Oral History Tapes were originally recorded on cassette tapes.  In 2019 the tapes were digitized to save them to more advanced media (MP3) for future listening availability.

Oral History Interview Finding Guide

List of Digitized Oral History Tapes 12/2019

To view the transcript, click on the interviewee name:

Biggs, Myra  (2004)  Transcribed [30 pages]

Biggs, Myra   (2000)  Notes

Biggs, Myra  (2004)  Obituary

Bloomfield, Eleanor (1978)   Transcribed [8 pages]

Boyd, Horace & Mildred (1978)   No transcript

Breen Sr., Harold (1978)  Transcribed [5 pages]

Buchanan, Dolly (1976)  No transcript

Buchanan, W. Franklin (1977)  Transcribed [13 pages]

Butler, Charles (1997)  Transcribed [29 pages]

Carman, Charles (1973)  Transcribed [14 pages]

Cornell, Anna  (1998)  No transcript

Costa, Gregory (2006)  No transcript

Dorf, Paul (1978)  Transcribed [ 21 pages]

Drews, Mr. & Mrs. Otto  (1977)  No transcript

Eby, Ruth (1977) Transcribed [14 pages]

Emanuel, Gardena (1978)  Transcribed [29 pages]

Fater, Joseph (1993)  No transcript

Fater, Joseph (1996)  No transcript

Fenton, Paul (1974)  No transcript

Grimstead, J. Lloyd (1975)  Transcribed [14 pages]

Gross, Nathan (1978) Transcribed [16 pages]

Haas, Ted (1993) No transcript

Halsey, Grace (1976)  Transcribed

Halsey, Grace (1993)  No transcript

Hansen, Frances (1992)  No transcript

Harris, Murial & Audrey Dana (2002) No Transcript

Jessen, Martin (1978)  Transcribed 

Jessen, Martin (1996)  No transcript

Johnson, James (2007)  No transcript

Johnson, Roger (1995) Transcribed

Kramer, Mary (1978)  Transcribed

Kramer, Pete Harry (1995) Transcribed

Leis, Edward (1978)  No transcript

Leis, Edward (1993) No transcript

Letsinger, Perry (1977) Transcribed

Letsinger, Perry (1978) No transcript

Litterst, Lou & Elsie (1976)  Transcribed

Lowman, Jr. Paul Harry (2017) Transcribed

Madison, Emily (1978) No transcript

Molineaux, Harriet (1978)  No transcript

Monek, Ange (no date)  No transcript

Mook, Ruth (1974)  No transcript

Mundy, Sherwood (1977)  Incomplete 

Peck, Dorothea (1978)  No transcript

Perrino, Joseph & Charles Reeder (1977)   No transcript

Peters, Chester (1996)  No transcript

Potter, Elsie Burroughs (1977)  No transcript

Practcher, Marie Bruno (no date)  No transcript

Qualls, Walter (1978)  No transcript

Rice, Barbara Moss (1992)  No transcript

Robinson, Gershon (1978)  No transcript

Rolfe, Grace (1978) No transcript

Ross, Alberta (1978)  No transcript

Salaki, Elsie (1976)  No transcript

Sortore, Jadwin (1999)  No transcript

Schveninger, Katherine (1978)  No transcript

Stahl, Beulah (1978)  No transcript

Stuart, Ray (1994)  No transcript

Terwilliger, Ruth (no date)  No transcript

Thornall, Jay Worthington, & Blanche (1978) No transcript

Verbel, George (1995)  No transcript

Wallace, James (1977)  No transcript

Wernick, Donald (1978)  No transcript

Wernick, Donald (1996)  No transcript

Woerner, Myrtle (1978) No transcript

Wright, Giles (no date) No transcript

Ziegler, Richard (1993)  No transcript

Zuts, Morris (1995) No Transcript

Other sources for oral histories of Metuchen & Edison residents.

017                  Rutgers Oral History Project.  Transcripts of Edison

                        and Metuchen residents.  Lewis Bloom, Richard Hale,

                        Lloyd Kornbaltt, David Robinson, Roland Winter.           3/2010

Transcripts from the 1970's CETA Program MEHS in the 1990s 

016                        List of Oral History Tapes                                              2/2011

17F                 Ruth Eby    1977                                                         2/2011

17F2               Ruth Eby II  1977                                                         2/2011

17H                Paul Fenton             1974                                            3/2011

17J                Grace Halsey        1976                                               3/2011

17K               Roger Johnson  1995 (MEHS)                                       3/2011

17M              Pete Kramer  1995 (MEHS)                                          3/2011

17N               Perry Letsinger  1977                                                  3/2011

170                Litterst Sisters  1976  "Ramble Inn"                             3/2011