Note: This month’s column is written by Rebecca Urban, past president of the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society.
On July 17, 1909, four people and a dog left Trenton to begin a historic trip around the world. Along the way they added another dog and a monkey to the crew.
Harriet White Fisher, the owner and hands-on manager of Fisher and Norris Anvil Works in Trenton, planned and financed the trip.
Harold Brooks, a skilled driver of automobiles (who began driving at age 16) and an inventive mechanic, drove the car and took care of all car repairs and maintenance.
Albert Batcheler, a butler and cook, kept them well-fed, and packed and unpacked their belongings every day.
Maria Boggia, a maid and caretaker, provided daily assistance to Harriet and helped the others by providing clean laundry and sleeping accommodations for everyone.
Honk-Honk, the Boston Bull Terrier, always fiercely barked to warn of danger and comforted anyone who was not feeling well.
So, you might be wondering how this story is connected to Ewing history. Although none of the four people were born in Ewing, three of the four spent most of the rest of their lives in Ewing from 1913 on.
Harriet White Fisher purchased the Reed Farm and house (circa 1795) on Ewingville Road off Spruce Street and renamed it Bella Vista. She farmed the land and continued to run the Fisher Anvil Works until her death in 1939.
Albert and Maria married after the trip and resided with Harriet until her death. She kindly provided them with a home on Kirk Avenue in Ewing where they lived until Maria died in 1954.
Albert moved to Trenton until his death in the 1975 at the age of 95. And Harold Brooks, born in Elizabeth, lived in Trenton with his family from his early twenties until his death in 1962.
This story has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. As the granddaughter of Harold Brooks, I have been fully immersed in this story for a good portion of my adult life.
Although I am not a born and bred Ewingite, I have lived in Ewing for the last 32 years. My interest in this historical story even led me to become extremely involved with the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society.
On Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. at the 1867 Sanctuary on Scotch Road in Ewing, I will be presenting my grandfather’s version of the story.
Besides his major task of driving, he took about three hundred photos of the ten countries they visited on their thirteenth month journey. Throughout his life he shared his photos and talked about his experiences.
Our family has his voice on tape (completed in 1956 at the age of 68) explaining each image that I will be able to share with his photos.
It was a marvelous, once in a lifetime adventure for all four of them. My grandfather, from most accounts, was the first, solely individual person to drive all the way around the world.
There were two Great Auto Races around the world in 1907 and 1908 sponsored by Le Matin, a Paris newspaper, but the cars in these races were driven by a team of usually four-five drivers.
I have been truly fortunate to have many authors and individuals interested in history come into my life because of this one, very significant historical event, including:
A local author finishing an autobiography of Harriet Fisher;
A photographic archivist;
A man obsessed with anvils who has created a Museum in New Jersey filled with Fisher anvils;
A German man who just duplicated a portion of Harriet’s trip in a 1916 Locomobile this past year; and
Many family members and friends of the Andrew family (Harriet’s last husband was Silvano Alfredo Andrew who outlived her).
On March 9, I will also share some of the stories of these individuals who have been drawn to this story as well.
I hope you can join me along with the program’s co-sponsors, the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society and the Lawrence Historical Society, to hear about a great adventure at the beginning of our automotive world.
Helen Kull is an Advisor with the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society.
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