The late, great Whitfield Hotel sans middle “e.” Blogfinger photo 2015. ©
To Blogfinger—Just Wondering:
Maybe you can answer this question for me. I grew up in OG from the 1940’s to 1960’s. The street that is named Whitefield Ave now was Whitfield when I lived there. I thought that maybe someone just added the E at some time not realizing it didn’t have the E.
I am now living in Venice, FL about an hour north of Ft Myers. Been here for over 30 yrs and love it.
Just love your site and welcome any answer you might have.
Gloria Goodfellow
Editor’s Note: When I was a student at Rutherford High School, I took a cute sophomore to the Junior Prom. Her last name was Whitfield and she told me that her family was Methodist. Her parents didn’t seem to be thrilled with her date–I don’t think I ever added a middle “e” to her name. Maybe it was my jokes.
But she was fun and still holds the RHS record for the most crinolines ever to billow forth during the slow dances.
I remember that now that Ms. Goodfellow has raised this historic spelling issue in our “Just Wondering” segment.
George Whitfield was a very important English cleric (1714-1770) He was famous as a preacher and as a founder of world-wide Methodism. He spent some time in America, but is not directly part of Ocean Grove history. In fact, Ocean Grove wasn’t founded until 1869, about one hundred years after his death.
Some spell his name Whitefield, and most of the Google mavens retain the middle “e”
However, the History of Ocean Grove by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gibbons (1939) spells his name Whitfield. A street sign near my OG home says Whitefield as does the Neptune Tax Map. The naming of street names in the Grove is interesting, and Gibbons devotes a lot of ink to that subject.
The old Whitfield Hotel, which was torn down a few years ago, was a dive during its latter days, so probably the tenants didn’t care about the spelling. Curiously, the Hotel was at the intersection of 3 streets in the Grove: Beach, Surf and Bath, but not Whitfield.
So Gloria, it seems that both spellings are acceptable. But who decided to add that middle “e” in the Grove and why and when remains a mystery.
And, by the way, Blogfinger did an article about Cookman. Here is a link:
VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS from their album “Cheek to Cheek.” Vince won a Grammy for his music on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.