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Thomas
McKenna was born around 1859 in New Jersey to Irish-born parents,
John and Mary McKenna. He grew up with siblings Paul, John, and
Mary in South Camden, near Thomas Gordon's hotel and livery on South 2nd
Street. The 1878 City Directory shows the McKenna family
at 708 South 2nd
Street and it correlates location-wise to Gordon's
businesses. The
1882-1883 City Directory shows Thomas McKenna still living at 708 South 2nd
Street, and he was at that address when appointed to
the Fire Department. He was still at that address in 1885, at
which time he was working as a hatter. By 1887 he was living at
713 Locust and working as a shoemaker. Later in that year he took
over the management of a saloon at 33 North Front Street, and
stayed involved at that location through 1897. Unlike many other
saloon operators of the day, he did not always live on premises,
although he is listed as residing there in 1890. Directories for
1892-1893 and 1893-1894 have him at 713 Locust Street. Directories
for 1894-1895 and 1895-1896 place him at 268 Sycamore
Street. The
1896 City Directory gives his address as 117 Centennial Avenue,
while the 1897 Directory indicates that he was again staying at 33
North Front Street. The
1898 Camden City Directory shows Thomas and Kate McKenna at 209
Berkley Street. He was still in the bar business, but the
Directory does not disclose where. The 1899 City Directory shows
the McKennas at "Federal near 17th" in what was then
still the town of Stockton. Stockton and Camden united later in
1899. The
1900 Census shows Thomas McKenna, occupation saloonkeeper, at 1121
Baring Street. The McKenna family was the comprised of Thomas and
Kate McKenna, sons Thomas, James, John, and Leon, and brother John
F. McKenna. By
1906 Thomas McKenna had gotten out of the bar business. He and his
wife were living at 929 St. John Street in
South Camden. He was
then working as a boilermaker at one of Camden's shipyards. Things
were unchanged when the census was taken in 1910. Neither
Thomas or Kate McKenna are listed in the 1914 or 1918-1919 Camden
City Directories. Sons James, Thomas, and John were living in
South Camden when the Census was taken in January of 1920. As
best as has been determined as of this writing, Thomas McKenna was
not related to any of the other McKennas who ran bars in Camden.
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