Oral Histories
These interviews with area residents were conducted in the 1970s by the CETA Program,
in the 1990s and 2000s by Metuchen-Edison Historical Society with funding, in part, from the Middlesex County
Cultural and Heritage Commission. We are always interested in conducting more interviews with those possessing unique local history knowledge.
The majority of these Oral History recordings were originally made on cassette tapes. In 2019 the tapes were digitized and saved to more advanced media (MP3) for future listening availability.
Oral History Interview Finding Guide
List of Digitized Oral History Tapes 12/2019
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.
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) Transcribed [8 [ages]
Breen Sr., Harold (1978) Transcribed [5 pages]
Buchanan, Dolly (1976) Transcribed [24 pages]
Buchanan, W. Franklin (1977) Transcribed [13 pages]
Butler, Charles (1997) Transcribed [29 pages]
Carman, Charles (1973) Transcribed [14 pages]
Cornell, Anna (1998) Transcribed [11 pages]
Costa, Gregory (2006) Transcribed [27 pages]
Dorf, Paul (1978) Transcribed [ 21 pages]
Drews, Mr. & Mrs. Otto (1977) Transcribed [14 pages]
Eby, Ruth (1977) Transcribed [14 pages]
Emanuel, Gardenia (1978) Transcribed [29 pages]
Fater, Joseph (1993) Transcribed [28 pages]
Fater, Joseph (1996) Transcribed [16 pages]
Fenton, Paul (1974) Transcribed [24 pages]
Grimstead, J. Lloyd (1975) Transcribed [14 pages]
Gross, Nathan (1978) Transcribed [16 pages]
Haas, Ted (1993) Transcribed [33 pages]
Halsey, Grace (1976) Transcribed [22 pages]
Halsey, Grace (1994) Transcribed [16 pages]
Hansen, Frances (1992) Transcribed [20 pages]
Harris, Muriel & Audrey Dana (2002) Transcribed [44 pages]
Jessen, Martin (1978) Transcribed [15 pages]
Jessen, Martin (1996) Transcribed [14 pages]
Johnson, James (2007) Transcribed [37 pages]
Johnson, Roger (1995) Transcribed [20 pages]
Kramer, Mary (1978) Transcribed [14 pages]
Kramer, Pete Harry (1995) Transcribed [8 pages]
Leiss, Edward (1978) Transcribed [29 pages]
Leiss, Edward (1993) Transcribed [19 pages]
Letsinger, Perry (1977) Transcribed [16 pages]
Letsinger, Perry (1978) Transcribed [38 pages]
Litterst, Lou & Elsie (1976) Transcribed [40 pages]
Lowman, Jr. Paul Harry (2017) Transcribed [26 pages]
Madison, Emily (1978) Transcribed [30 pages]
Molineux, Harriet (1978) Transcribed [48 pages]
Monek, Ange Transcribed [15 pages]
Mook, Ruth Raeder Transcribed [32 pages]
Mundy, Sherwood Transcribed [26 pages]
Peck, Dorothea (1978) Transcribed (16 pages]
Perrino, Joseph & Charles Reeder (1977) Transcribed [19 pages]
Peters, Chester (1996) Transcribed [35 pages]
Potter, Elsie Burroughs (1977) Transcribed [22 pages]
Pratscher, Marie Bruno (no date) Transcribed [28 pages]
Qualls, Walter (1978) Transcribed [37 pages]
Rice, Barbara Moss (1992) Transcribed [12 pages]
Robinson, Gershon (1978) Transcribed [36 pages]
Rolfe, Jeanette/Jane (1978) Transcribed [21 pages]
Ross, Alberta (1978) Transcribed [13 pages]
Salaki, Elsie (1976) Transcribed [9 pages]
Sortore, Jadwin (1999) "Reflections of Metuchen" [14 pages]
Schveninger, Katherine (1978) [Transcription pending]
Stahl, Beulah (1978) [Transcription pending]
Stuart, Ray (1994) [Transcription pending]
Terwilliger, Ruth (no date) [Transcription pending]
Thornall, Jay Worthington, & Blanche (1978) Partial Transcription [50 pages]
Verbel, George (1995) [Transcription pending]
Wallace, James (1977) Transcribed [7 pages]
Wernik, Donald (1978) Transcription [15 Pages]
Wernik, Donald (1996) [Transcription pending]
Woerner, Myrtle (1978) [Transcription pending]
Wright, Giles (no date) [Transcription pending]
Ziegler, Richard (1993) Transcribed [25 pages]
Zuts, Morris (1995) Transcribed [20 pages]
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
17F2 Ruth Eby II 1977 2/2011
17H Paul Fenton 1974 3/2011