KOLB AND SOLOMON FAMILIES

RECOLLECTIONS OF A SUMMER VISITOR

By Selma Kolb Solomon

I came to Toms River for the first time in February of 1928. I came to spend a week with my uncle and aunt and cousins, the Max Horowitz family, who had recently moved to Toms River (Long Swamp Rd then, Brookside Dr. now).

I remember it had snowed  and Uncle Max took me for a ride in his sleigh pulled by a horse. He had no car, as yet. What a thrill. Also, the children of the area were ice skating on the cranberry bogs across the road from the Horowitz farm.

Besides the chickens he raised for profit and food, Uncle also had cows and a horse for transportation.  Truly a story book atmosphere for a city bred child.

In later years  I and my family came to Uncle Max and Tante Molly's for a week or two during the summer months. You see, Uncle Max was my mother's brother  and they were all very close. During our summer vacations in the early years, Uncle would take all of us to Money Island in the horse drawn wagon for swimming and playing with other "kids".  Here I met the Kassenoff boys and others, some of whom are no longer with us.

In later years, while in my teens, we started visiting my other aunt, Ida, who had married a farmer named Philip Smith of Church Rd. Here I met the Sachs family, the Goldstein family, the Margolin family and many other young people.

I remember going to a rehearsal of a show that was to be put on at the Community, but everyone was at the Wexler home and Goldie was directing this production. It looked like great fun, but I left before it was put on.

During the war years, Toms River was a thriving "small" town. Its farmers were for the most part doing well. Change had not yet begun. I came to live with my Aunt Ida on Church Rd. and started work at Camp Evans. During this time my friends were Ethel and Bernie Sachs, Mary Goldstein and Ruth Haberman. Most of the boys were in the service.  For entertainment we went to dances sponsored by the Jewish Welfare Board.

After the war, while visiting my Aunt Ida I met my husband, and  you all know what happened after that.

Changes in the town started taking place shortly thereafter. The town started changing, housing projects started and area schools  were  coming  into  being.  Just  before the North Dover Elementary School was completed in 1956, we moved from Church Road to Corwill Terrace and the explosion was underway.