If Hamilton still had a town crier, we might have all awakened to this cry one morning:
“Hear Ye! Hear Ye! There’s a new township historian at work!”
Meet Jeff Guear, a 50-something-year-old (he thinks his age is irrelevant), life-long Hamiltonian, a 1987 graduate of Hamilton High West, and an eager consumer of Hamilton Township history. Guear’s office is located in a room on the lower level of the Hamilton Township Public Library.
Guear replaced long-time local historian Tom Glover, who, at 90 years old, has decided it was time to retire after serving the Hamilton community for 25 years. Former mayor Jack Rafferty created the historian’s position; he appointed Glover because of his many local connections, as well as his many recollections of growing up in Hamilton.
During his tenure, Glover rescued volumes of bound copies of newspapers like the Trenton Evening Times and The State Gazette when they were discarded by another library system. Those volumes stand tall on shelves in the office. He collected photos, historical memorabilia and maps, and created an online website titled: “Hamilton Scrapbook: Local History with a Personal Touch.”
“Tom was priceless,” said Scott Chianese, the library’s director. “He grew up with the Kusers; he knew so many people.”
In a 2015 piece, Glover wrote about how he came to meet the Kuser family:
“The Glover and Slabicki involvement with Kuser Farm goes back over 75 years, to the spring of 1939, when my older brother, the late Bill ‘Bud’ Glover, was told by our Trenton Times delivery boy that Fred Kuser was looking for a boy to roll the tennis court and do other odd jobs around Kuser Farm. Bud applied for the position and was hired. He stayed with the Kusers until 1945, when he went into the Navy, and I took his place.
“That walk on those dark winter afternoons through Kuser’s Woods to the Kuser house was intimidating to a boy of 12, and I suggested to Mr. Kuser that my best buddy Don Slabicki would like to know if they needed an extra helper. They did, and Don was also brought on board. Following our 10 years at Kuser Farm, our little brothers Donny Glover and Ken Slabicki took over as trusted farm helpers, remaining until the mid 1950s.
Guear also brings interesting historical recollections to the historian role. When asked about his memories of going to the library as a child, Guear spoke about the roots of the Hamilton Township Library system. The current building was erected in 1975; prior to having a centrally-located facility, the “library” was essentially a system of satellite locations—an idea which came to fruition thanks to an administrator with the Hamilton Township school district and members of the school district’s PTAs.
Detailed on page 165, in a book written by local residents and titled A Narrative History of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey — a project completed during the Rafferty administration — a reader learns that Hamilton essentially had little libraries scattered around the township.
During fall 1922, through the efforts of James W. Alexander, Superintendent of Elementary Schools in the township, and members of the Parent Teacher Association, a petition was circulated and more than enough signatures were secured to place the library question on the ballot.
Residents voted in favor of the measure. In 1923, the Hamilton Townships Library Commission was established, and the library began operating in September, 1923 when small deposits of juvenile books were placed in each of the schools, and small collections of adult books were placed in library centers in fifteen to twenty locations throughout the township. These centers were maintained on a voluntary basis in homes, stores, community houses, churches and fire houses.
Guear said his mom would take him to a location in Yardville, across from what is now the Iccara restaurant. Chianese remembers visiting a location which would have been in the strip mall on Route 33 between Whitehorse Hamilton Square Rd and Yardville Hamilton Square Road. Books were rotated around the various locations.
Just think: Hamilton Township essentially had Little Free Libraries in 1923, long before the concept was introduced nationwide in 2009!
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The new historian has had an interesting career path. Guear worked for the Amateur Billiards League as an office manager. He also organized tournaments. Then he honed his talents as a chef, cooking at restaurants like Fedora in Lawrenceville, Antonio’s in West Trenton, and Graziellas here in Hamilton.
But, those early memories of library visits infused him with his love of history and books. So, when offered the opportunity to work as Hamilton’s historian, he immediately said yes.
In his new position, Guear has spent much time unearthing clippings and other items, eventually cataloging them for safekeeping.
“I am still organizing what Tom [Glover] had in the office,” Guear said. “I have come across notes from people who wrote for the township history book. I move something on one shelf, only to discover more items.”
Guear’s office looks like a used bookstore and thrift shop rolled into one. He showed off an array of old Hamilton Township high school yearbooks; the oldest in the collection is a 1932 Hamilton High West yearbook. There are also middle school yearbooks on the shelf. There is an old ink well from Hamilton High West. And, there are lots of maps. In fact, Guear wants to acquire a map case.
Guear has been fortunate to have assistance with his endeavors from Hamilton resident Maxine Friedman, a retired archivist and volunteer for the Friends of the Library. Friedman has helped Guear order archival materials for storage purposes.
She is a lover of second-hand stores, and has managed to find old Hamilton Township Fire Department mugs. Together, Guear and Friedman want to create a treasure trove of Hamilton history.
“The ultimate goal,” said Guear, “is to have a historical destination where people can come and do research.”
Director Chianese fully supports the investment of time and money on local history.
“I think it’s crucial,” Chianese said. “The library is the main source of information about Hamilton; it should be a one-stop destination.”
Consequently, Guear wants to hear from residents who have memories and memorabilia. Whether residents have old letters, diaries, journals, old maps, old advertisements and anything historically connected to Hamilton, Guear wants to hear from you. Residents can call Guear’s office between 9 a.m. and noon at (609) 581-4060, Ext. 4016; or, email Guear at jguear@hamiltonnjpl.org.
And, a final note. While organizing and moving treasures, Guear discovered an oil painting of Joseph A. McNerney, Jr. A small plate on the painting noted that McNerny was the first Hamilton Township serviceman to die in World War II. McNerney is buried in the Beverly National Cemetery in Burlington.
Guear is especially interested in knowing more about McNerney; maybe finding relatives.
Scott Chianese, director of the Hamilton Township Public Library, with Jeff Guear, the recently appointed Hamilton Township Historian. (Photo by EMH Studios.),
