Meet the Historians Series – Bernardsville’s Marion Kennedy & Jean Hill

Somerset Hills Area: Bernardsville

While we await a response from the Bernardsville Library, most of our inquiries are directed to Marion Belcher, so we’re calling her our de facto Spinning Room Historian for our research requests. She’s known for her stewardship of local history through committee work, research support, and public education.

Marion is a respected figure in Bernardsville, New Jersey, known for her enduring dedication to preserving and promoting local history. A lifelong resident of the Somerset Hills region, Marion has spent decades serving her community through research, education, and civic engagement.

As chairperson of the Local History Committee at the Bernardsville Public Library, Marion has played a central role in collecting, organizing, and curating the town’s historical archives. She is widely recognized as a go-to source for local genealogical inquiries, house histories, and records of Bernardsville’s architectural heritage. Her ability to recall details about longtime families and historic homes has made her an invaluable resource to researchers and residents alike. She also recently supported the Bernardsville Centennial project. Her grandfather, J. Malcolm Belcher, was also a long-time mayor of nearby Far Hills, where the Belchers have an extensive family history, including Belcher Park, where the VA holds their annual rummage sales.

Written by Marion Kennedy & Jean Hill

Marion Kennedy

Marion Kennedy, a Bernardsville resident for 36 years and a volunteer in the Bernardsville Library Local History Room for 35 years. She has found these years to be ones of fascinating research and exciting discoveries about Bernardsville the town, its architecture, and the people. Marion was born on March 15, 1921, and passed away on November 15, 2020, at the age of 99. Marion was widely respected for her service to the community, especially through her work with local historical and civic organizations. She served with distinction on the Bernardsville Library Board and was a longtime member of the Bernardsville Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, where her knowledge and dedication played a crucial role in documenting and protecting the town’s architectural and cultural legacy.

Jean Hill

Jean Hill was born in Bernardsville and still lives here. Attended Bernardsville schools and graduated from Bernards High School in 1943, Jean’s father’s family has lived in New Jersey since the late 1700s, especially in the Mine Brook and Liberty Corner areas. Jean has been a volunteer in the Local History Room since 1991 and has consistently shown an interest in local history, particularly that of Bernardsville and its surrounding area. As Mr. Local History, a great story about Jean is that she had an excellent memory for names. When she asked when we first met, and I said my name was Betz, she remembered my aunt, Phyllis Betz, whom she had attended camp with as a child in New Hampshire. I was blown away, to say the least, considering my aunt grew up in Westfield and not Bernardsville.

Bernardsville Library 908 766 0118

10 Historical Tidbits About Bernardsville

1. Bernardsville is the only town in the USA with that name.
2. Bernardsville was a section of Bernards Township (like Lyons and Liberty Corner) until 1924, when Bernardsville residents voted to become a separate borough. So much of Bernardsville’s early history is also that of Bernards Township. Schools remained in the Bernards Township School System until 19, when the Borough and the Township voted to go their separate ways.
3. In 2000 the Bernardsville Public Library moved into a new building on Anderson Hill Road. It meant leaving the old library with its historic background and atmosphere, but the new building is roomier, more easily accessible, and readership has grown. Previously housed in a former Revolutionary War tavern, the library was complete with its very own ghost. Visit the library and we will tell you all about her.
4. Several churches, buildings, and businesses are over 100 years old! Bernardsville News – 1897. Bernardsville Methodist Church est. 1843. St. Bernard’s Episcopal Church est. 1897. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, est.1898. Olcott School opened in 1905.
5. The “Mountain” area was once considered for forming a separate borough.
6. From Bunn’s Mill, where applejack was once made, comes the expression ‘to get a bunn on.”
7. Bernardsville separated from Bernards Township in 1924 and became a borough.
8. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the area was home to iron mines.
9. In the heyday of the Mountain Colon, two local builders, Dobbs & McWilliams, constructed many of the estates, each with its own millwork shop.
10. Samuel S. Childs was the first resident to install streetlights on his property.
11. Brooke Astor’s first husband was Dryden Kuser, a former State Senator and local Mountain Colony resident. They were married in 1919 and lived in the area for nearly 10 years.
12. Scenes for the silent movie, “Madame Butterfly,” starring Mary Pickford, were shot in Bernardsville on the Pfizer Estate.
13. Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra occasionally joined the ‘locals’ in a friendly softball game.

Recommended Readings

	Both volumes of Among the Blue Hills
	Millicent Fenwick, Her Way by Amy Shapiro
	George B. Post, Architect by Sarah Bradford Landau
	New Jersey Country Homes: the Somerset Hills by John K. Turpin and W. Barry Thomson

Photograph and Postcard Collections

The Local History Room (named the Edward Spinning Room) has an extensive collection of photographs, both old and current, of local scenes, houses, and events. It is constantly being added to. We also have a significant early postcard collection, the nucleus of which was Mr. Spinning’s own collection, to which we have added substantially over the years. The collection comprises local scenes from Somerset Hills and New Jersey, as well as a substantial group of holiday cards.

A Memorable Incident

A woman came into our room seeking information on the Quimby family, one of Bernardsville’s early families. Among my genealogical records at home, I recently discovered a large chart of the Quimby family, created by Laura Frost, my father’s cousin. Since it didn’t pertain to my family directly, I nearly threw it out, but decided to bring it to the Local History Room instead. I was so glad I had saved it, as this chart contained much of the missing Quimby family information. This woman was so amazed and happy that she broke down in tears, and the other volunteers were also brought to tears.

The Bernardsville Spinning Room Local History Committee Volunteers

Marion Belcher Kennedy serves as Chairperson of the Local History Committee, coordinates its activities, and is responsible for managing research requests, maintaining correspondence files, reviewing, and approving requests for materials.

• Maud Thiebaud indexes all marriages recorded in the Bernardsville News, assists visitors with research by retrieving materials from files, and contributes to the indexing and updating of materials.
• Mary Elizabeth Young maintains files of local real estate sales and purchases, assists visitors with research, and helps update vertical files.
• Laura Cole: assists with newspaper clipping, filing, and computer work. Currently involved in writing a children’s history of Bernardsville.
• Mary Lee Waldron: helps with publishing, editing, and layout when needed, is responsible for publishing a book on the gardens of Somerset Hills.
• Nancy Widmer is an experienced library worker who assists with cataloging.
• Margaret Riddleberger: indexes obituaries from current issues of Bernardsville News.
• Philip Pitney: enters obituaries and marriages from the Bernardsville News on our computer system monthly.

Favorite Projects

• Mr. Riel at the flagpole
• Locating the site of the NJ Brigade
• Mine Brook
• Olcott School
• Newspapers, News, Times, Beacon &
• The RR station was not built
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s house
• Bernardsville Hills magazine
• 1850 map and other maps
• Kuser family, High Point, Brooke Astor, Pheasant Book
• Anderson diary
• Sir Francis Bernard
• Old Library ghost
• Various snow and ice storms, floods, fires
• Inns Bernards, Claremont, Old Stone, Somerset
• Hair Wreath
• Tommy Dorsey
• Millicent Fenwick
• James Davis WW RCAF

Other Documents

There are a great many maps of historical interest housed in the Local History Room. Included are many survey maps of local properties, topographical maps of the area, maps of local estates, and many other county and state maps. Additionally, newspaper articles about local people and events are regularly clipped and added to our files.

Original Post: May 2019
Updated: June 2025

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