New Brunswick Stories

On October 5 & 6, 2007, the non-profit group StoryCorps visited the New Brunswick Free Public Library to help us capture an oral history of New Brunswick. Local residents who grew up in New Brunswick came to the library to tell us about their experiences living in our community. During the two-day period, interviewers logged approximately 10 hours of interviews with 14 residents. Their stories are varied and span several decades.

Funding for the StoryCorps program at the Library was provided by Magyar Bank Foundation, the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and the Kiwanis Club of New Brunswick. The library thanks these generous orgaizations, StoryCorps, and our local residents for helping us preserve valuable information about our community. For more information about StoryCorps, please visit: StoryCorps.org.

We hope you enjoy learning about New Brunswick from the people who have lived here. If you have any questions about this project, please contact the New Brunswick Free Public Library at nbfpl@lmxac.org or 732-745-5108, ext. 20.

To hear selected audio clips from the interviews, please click on the grey play button underneath each portrait. If you would like to listen to the full interviews, please ask at the Reference Desk for the StoryCorps DVDs. You cannot take the DVDs out of the building, but we invite you to use one of our workstations in the Reference Room. Please note that you must bring your own headphones in order to listen to the DVDs.

Portrait of Anne Manley (right) Interviewed by Samantha Sterner, granddaughter (left) Buccleuch Park Getting a Library Card Growing up During the Great Depression	Portrait of Barnett Hoffman (left) Interviewed by Diane Hoffman, wife (right) Downtown New Brunswick The New Brunswick Swimming Pool Race Relations in New Brunswick High Schools and Sports Teams
Portrait of Cecilia Claflen (right) Interviewed by Daniel Littlewood of StoryCorps (left) New Brunswick in the 1920s World War II Getting Married During World War II New Brunswick Free Public Library	Portrait of Elizabeth Garlatti (right) Interviewed by Peter Garlatti, son (left) New Brunswick's Diverse Population Driving Lessons in the Cemetary The Mayor's Daughter
Portrait of Henry Smith (left) Interviewed by LeeAnn Smith, daughter-in-law (right) Teenage Years During the Great Depression Attending the Public Schools Neilson Football Field	Portrait of Joan Suber (right) Interviewed by John Lane, cousin (left) The New Brunswick Community Schools and Jobs Downtown New Brunswick
Portrait of Joseph Homoki (right) Interviewed by Rose Gorman of StoryCorps (left) Memories of Hungary & World War II Coming to New Brunswick Finding Work and Learning English	Portrait of Lena Lovett (left) Interviewed by Loretta Keels, sister (right) Childhood in New Brunswick How New Brunswick Has Changed Siblings and Family Holidays
Portrait of Lloyd Vela (left) Interviewed by Bill Hamilton, friend and classmate (right) Cars and Adventures Hooverville at Six Mile Run Pronunciation of Buccleuch Park	Portrait of Marie Borbely (left) Interviewed by Daniel Littlewood of StoryCorps (right) Buccleuch Park New Brunswick Neighborhoods
Portrait of Marilyn Herod (left) Interviewed by Daniel Littlewood of StoryCorps (right) Soul Food and History of Slavery Slavery and the Underground Railroad	Portrait of Stephanie Kurowsky (left) Interviewed by Jennifer Kurowsky, daughter (right) Growing Up in New Brunswick Commercial Avenue
Portrait of Thomas Jennings (right) Interviewed by Rose Gorman of StoryCorps (left) Being African-American Playing Piano Music	Portrait of William Manley (left) Interviewed by Kelly Manley, granddaughter New Brunswick Yesterday New Brunswick Then and Now New Brunswick Today