Henry Charlton Beck
Rev. Henry Charlton Beck (May 26, 1902 – January 16, 1965) was an author, journalist, historian, ordained Episcopal minister and folklorist. He authored six books about New Jersey history, forgotten towns, and regional folklore which were published by E.P. Dutton & Co. and later reprinted by Rutgers University Press. He chronicled vignettes and anecdotal remembrances about such quaint—and often vanished—New Jersey locales as Ong's Hat, Penny Pot, Recklesstown, Apple Pie Hill, Calico, Varmintown, Pickle's Mountain, and Owltown.
Henry Charlton Beck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Henry Charlton Beck May 26, 1902 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 1965 (aged 62) Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, historian, editor, folklorist, clergyman, educator, journalist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Haddonfield Memorial High School |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Genre | Mystery novels, history, folklore, religion |
| Subject | New Jersey history and folklore, murder mysteries, Christian humor |
| Years active | 1920–1965 |
| Notable works | Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey, The Roads of Home: Lanes and Legends of New Jersey |
| Spouse | Isabel Ellis Beck |
| Children | Ann Phillips (daughter) |
"Meaningful names like Shiloh, or Mount Hermon, or Buttermilk Pond stay much longer than those who named them and knew why," he wrote. "Thus I hope always to see, in what there is, at least a wavering shadow of what there used to be." Beck described his curiosity as reflecting "the romance of decadent things."