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I sat down with my grandmother, Shirley Clayton Moritz, in her Long Beach Island living room, surrounded by old photographs, as she recounted our family’s rich history. Over the years, she had shared fragments of these stories with me, but it was fascinating to finally connect the dots and hear the complete narrative.
Shirley spent her early years in Philadelphia, coming from a family deeply involved in real estate. She reminisced about her childhood, accompanying her father on rent collection rounds for their 28 properties, each renting for a mere $26 per month. However, even before Shirley was born in 1930, her father made a significant decision to purchase a plot of land in Beach Arlington, New Jersey, which would later become Ship Bottom. In 1932, he built the very house that Shirley resides in today.
During the summers, Shirley’s immediate and extended family would make the journey to Long Beach Island, shuttling back and forth by car every weekend. At that time, her father was the only one in the family who owned a car. She fondly recalled the bustling household, always filled with numerous relatives and friends, both young and old. As the youngest in her family, with a nine-year age gap between her and the next sibling and an eighteen-year gap between her and her eldest sister, Edith, Shirley cherishes the memories of those lively gatherings.
Food played a central role in their lives, and they relished in purchasing baskets of fish and availing various delivery services, despite the sparse population. One such service was milk delivery. Shirley’s sister, Jean, developed an affection for the milkman, Chet, from Tuckerton. However, Jean was strictly instructed not to ride along in the milk truck with Chet. Instead, she would walk alongside him as he made his deliveries, engaging in conversation along the way.
Chet Downs hailed from Otis Avenue in Tuckerton, the son of Chester Downs, a Bayman who supplemented his income by hosting guests for fishing, deer and duck hunting, and clamming. Chet’s mother, Rhea Downs, worked as a seamstress for Nannette children’s clothing when she wasn’t attending to guests at their house.
Jean and Chet eventually married and embarked on travels together while he served in the US Coast Guard. Eventually, they acquired their own property in Ship Bottom. Tragically, Chet’s life was cut short by cancer, leaving Jean with the responsibility of managing their various properties, including Chet’s family home on Otis Avenue in Tuckerton.
It was during this time that my parents, who had also met on LBI as children during the summers, had recently married. Seizing the opportunity, they purchased a house from Jean and resided there until I reached second grade. Afterward, my father purchased a plot of land down at the end of Cedar Street in Tuckerton and built our new home, which we proudly called our own. While our new house was under construction, we temporarily lived in Ship Bottom. I vividly recall boasting to my friends about the fact that my dad was building us a brand-new house. Our new residence was just around the corner from the Tuckerton Library and the bay, a location that held a special place in my heart.
We cherished the ability to hop between the island and the mainland to visit our grandparents whenever they were in town from Philadelphia. Eventually, they retired and became full-time residents of Long Beach Island in the late 1990s, inheriting the Ship Bottom house.
My Grandmother, Shirley, has an unwavering love for her house and Long Beach Island that has endured throughout the years. The cherished memories within those walls encapsulate generations of laughter, joy, and love. Despite witnessing significant changes over time, Shirley remains convinced that there is truly no place like home.
