John Breslin, Jr.
New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore
The Bayshore Center at Bivalve’s Oral History program is dedicated to preserving the oral history and culture of New Jersey’s Bayshore region by saving for posterity the oral histories and material culture connected with the Bayshore region, by creating a repository of recordings and data that can be used for research, by preserving, treasuring and celebrating the environment, history and culture of the Bayshore region and by sharing the heritage of the Bayshore region today and with future generations through program related activities serving visitors, students and scholars.
Pat Moore
John Breslin, Jr. grew up in South Jersey, where both his parents were raised and worked in the Millville, New Jersey area mother, His mother, Mabel Banks Holt, worked as an office manager for the shucking house F.F. East Co., Inc. in Maurice River Township, New Jersey, from the 1930s to the early 1950s. She traveled across the country for business with oyster wholesalers and clients. After F.F. East's death, Mrs. Holt took charge of the shucking house. Mr. Breslin taught history at Port Norris Elementary School from 1952-57.
Scope and Content Note
In this interview, John Breslin, Jr. shares his knowledge about Maurice River, New Jersey, as his grandmother managed a shucking company there, and provides insights into the daily operations of the oyster business in Bivalve, located on the other side of the Maurice River.
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