Origin of Tenafly Street Names, 1973

Origin of Tenafly Street Names, 1973

Street names

Listing of Street names and their origins.

Henry Rose, David Thompson, Peter Goldberger, 1964

Document in the Virginia Mosley local history collection located in the Tenafly Public Library.

Virginia T. Mosley, Tenafly Historian, 1973

This document is presented by the Tenafly Public Library under title 17 of the US Copyright Code for the purposes of noncommercial research and personal study. Some images or documents may be available for reproduction under fair use provisions. For additional information about the use or reproduction of materials in this Collection, please contact tenfcirc@bccls.org.

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tenaflystreetnames.pdf

ORIGIN OF STREET NAMES
A SELECTION OF INTERESTING HISTORIES
By Henry Rose, David Thompdon, Peter Goldberger, 1964

ATWOOD - D. Atwood, architect and builder, designed; Tenafly RR Station.
BENNINGTON - Name chosen by 1st resident to resemble name of builder Benjamin.
BLISS - Delos Bliss held large estate
BROWNING - John Hull Browning, member 1st Borough Council & Board of Education; improved Northern Railroad.
BUFF - Named for Elizabeth "Buff" Schreiber, daughter of developer
BYRNE - Donn Byrne, resident of Tenafly
CHESTNUT - Marks site of row of chestnut tees, forming Westervelt line
CHRISTIE - Family estate
CLARKE - E. Stanley Clarke, mayor, 1918-21
CLINTON - Runs west from Clinton Point, named for one of Clintons of 19th C.
COLEMAN - Mayor Edward Coleman, 1934-35 & his World War I son, DeWitt who was a hero in WWI.
COPPELL- Large Tenafly family, important members, Herbert & Arthur
CORTLANDT - Jacobus Van Cortlandt, 17th C. land holder
DAISY - Mr. Clarke's cow
DELANEY - Mr. Clarke’s hired man
DE MOTT - 18th C. Huguenot family; John H., member 1st Borough Council; Richard, Mayor 1932-33
DE PEYSTER - Van Cortlandt descendant, inherited land
EAGER - William P. Eager, Mayor 1910-11, donated Eager Park, now a part of Roosevelt Commons
ENGLE - Road to English Neighborhood or Englewood
ERLEDON - Contraction of name of Erle Donally, WWI hero
FARNHAM - Sylvester G. Farnham, Mayor 1924-27
FOSTER- Guy C. Foster, Mayor, 1928-31
FRANKLIN - Benjamin Franklin Pond, member Planning Board, land holder, father had rubber factory; for namesake, Ben Franklin
HARING - Dr. John J. Haring, 1st president Board of Health, local doctor & writer
HARSEN - Fred Harsen, architect of Harsen & Johns, designed houses in area
HAZELTON - Friend of & secretary for developer
HIGHWOOD - Highwood Park, name given to 19th C. development
HODSKIN - Mrs. F. M. Hodskin, land holder in area
HUYLER - Large family land holdings, George gave land for station & park; Byron Mayor 1914-15
INNESS - George Inness, landscape artist, visited Dr. Lansing, painted Tenafly scenes
JAY - Van Cortlandt descendant, Sir James Jay, brother of John, inherited land; River Edge Road used to be Jay Street to Bergenfield line
KNICKERBOCKER - Washington Irving's character, symbol of Dutch in area
LAWRENCE - Grandnephew of Browning, inherited land
LOUISE - Daughter of builder Benjamin
LYLE - John S. Lyle land owner, voted against Tenafly becoming a Borough
MACKAY - Malcolm S. Mackay, member Council; he & sister gave land for Roosevelt Commons; he also gave land for Sunnyside Park
MAHAN - Capt. A.T. Mahan held land on East Hill; descendant of James Jay
MALCOLM - Malcolm S. Mackay
MARCONI - For Italian inventor, honoring Italian residents of Tenafly
MARCOTTE - Leon M. Marcotte
MERRITT - Camp Merritt, WWI camp in Tenafly, Cresskill, Bergenfield, Dumont
NEWCOMB - Land owners
NORMAN - Norman W. Dodge
NORTH BRAE - Scotch phrase, meaning north slope or hillside
NORTHROP - Walter Northrop, local hero, shot during holdup
OLD SMITH - K.B.C. Smith, builder & developer
PALMER - Henry B. Palmer, 1st Mayor & 3rd Mayor, 1894-5, 1897-99
PETER LYNAS - Grandfather of developer Henry Mellon
PHELPS - William Walter Phelps property owner
RICHARD - Richard De Mott Mayor 1932-33
ROBERTS - Alex Roberts Postmaster, land owner
SISSON - Charles G. Sisson, developed railroad, lured commuters to Tenafly
THATCHER - Family held large estate
VIRGINIA - Name of Mrs. Clarke
WESTERVELT - 17th C. Dutch settlers, 11th generation resides here (1964)

End of student work:
Note: some of work on chart from which this was copied had-been edited and corrected by Borough Historian. [Virgnia Mosley]

Additions to list are as follows:
DE VRIES - David P. De Vries, 17th C. explorer of Hudson River area; name also associated with Jay history
HUGUENOT - For French Huguenots who came in 17th C
TEKENING - For Indians Leni Lenape, meaning "In the woods"

[handwritten signature of Virginia T. Mosley]
Virginia T. Mosley
Borough Historian
December 20, 1973

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