166 Liberty StreetJames and Sarah Hurling moved to Liberty Street from Bedminster, where he worked as a farm hand, sometime between 1910 and 1920. Their son, Lester, grew up in the neighborhood and raised 8 children there before they were forced to move.
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166 LIBERTY STREET
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166 Liberty Street
50th Anniversay of Gertrude and Lester Hurling.
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One of the properties Allen McPhaul purchased in the 1960’s and then sold to the Town of Westfield was 163 Liberty Street. It had been the rented home of Gertrude and Lester Hurling since 1931. After its sale to the Town in 1970, Lester and Gertrude moved to Plainfield.
But Lester had lived on Liberty Street even longer because he grew up in the house across the street from his rented home. His parents, James and Sarah Hurling, moved to Liberty Street from Bedminister sometime between 1910 and 1920. His father had been farmhand all his life, but at 56 years of age may have recognized the need to reduce his workload. In the 1920 US Census, James and Sarah were living on Liberty Street, and he stated his occupation as gardener. Lester became a truck driver. He and Gertrude had eight children. Before they were forced to move, they were able to celebrate the marriage of their daughter Joan in 1961. The ceremony was held at Metropolitan Baptist Church, followed by a reception at the Shady Rest Country Club, and a honeymoon at Niagara Falls. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1981. At his death in 1989, Lester Hurling was survived by his children, 23 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. |