About This Database
The Hudson County Genealogical & Historical Society is pleased to offer this database courtesy of member Bill Miller, who over the years has indexed over 13,000 death notices appearing in The Bayonne Times from 1915 to 1945. The index hosted here is name-only, but if you find a potential match you can visit or contact the Bayonne Free Public Library and Cultural Center to locate the original.
This database is the result of the work of volunteers who have given permission for The Hudson County Genealogical & Historical Society to post it on its web site for free access. Use of the database is for personal, non-commercial genealogical research only and may not be compiled, repurposed or otherwise used in a derivative format for commercial sale. Where applicable, databases hosted on this site remain the property of the contributor to be used in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations.
History of The Bayonne Times
The Bayonne Times started publication by the Times Printing Company of Jersey City in 1870 under the name “The Hudson County Times”. At that time it joined “The Bayonne Herald and Greenville Register” as the second local Bayonne newspaper. In 1872 “The Hudson County Times, was purchased by Edward Gardner, an experienced newspaper man, having worked at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and as editor for 16 years of the Essex County paper, The Orange Journal. Gardner renamed the paper “The Bayonne Times” and made his son, Bloomfield, the assistant editor. The paper quickly became a family business with Gardner's wife the former Miriam Bloomfield, a great granddaughter of former New Jersey Governor, Joseph Bloomfield, writing many of the articles.
After Edward Gardner's death in 1892 his son, Bloomfield, became editor. By 1899 he sold the paper to Charles H Hosford. Who by 1901 had made many changes, including changing the paper from a weekly to daily. The Bayonne Daily Times first appeared on Sept 6, 1901, the day President McKinley was assassinated.
A short time later, it was sold to James.T.R.Proctor. In 1903 Proctor merged the Daily Times with the Bayonne Standard. He continued as publisher until 1911, when it was acquired by Judge Hyman Lazarus. Lazarus became editor and publisher and hired Samuel I. Newhouse to run the newspaper. Newhouse proved to be a natural at running a newspaper and within a year had returned the newspaper to the black, increasing both circulation and ad revenue. When renegotiating his pay Sam asked for a percentage of the profits in lieu of salary, Lazarus agreed, resulting in Sam earning over $20,000 a year while still in his early twenties. In 1922 Sam and Judge Lazarus together purchased the Staten Island Advance and again worked Sam's magic to the newspaper's bottom line. When the Judge died in 1924 Sam purchased his shares in The Advance in 1927. This was the start of the Newhouse media empire which today is one of the largest media companies in the world.
After the Judge death in 1924 he was succeeded as publisher by his widow, Margaret Connelly Lazarus. Later she was succeeded as publisher by her two sons, Sydney and Herman Jr. Then in 1955 Herman Lazarus Jr. bought out his mother and brother and became the sole owner, publisher and editor of The Bayonne Times. He remained in that position until he died in December, 1966. At that time his widow, Helen Thum Lazarus succeeded him as publisher until July 3, 1971 when it was sold to Advance Publications (Newhouse Newspapers) and it was closed. Newhouse's Jersey Journal then added The Bayonne Times masthead to page 1 of the Bayonne edition of the Jersey Journal circulated in Bayonne. (Much of this information is included in a 44 page Centennial edition of the Bayonne Times published on October 13, 1970.) Robert Murphy was General Manager of The Bayonne Times at that time.