99 Years Later, Borrowed Book Returns to Ocean County Library

February 19, 2025

TOMS RIVER – What more appropriate way for the Ocean County Library to mark its centennial than the return of a book checked out before the system was a year old? The artifact allowed Mary Cooper of Toms River to connect OCL to its roots and to connect to a famed Shore figure.

Mary’s passion for histories, mysteries and libraries converged when she sorted through family memorabilia and discovered a book that left an OCL shelf in 1926. The book is more than a snapshot of an era. It’s a symbol of famiy heritage and love, deeply rooted in the Jersey Shore.

“I had a bunch of things from my mom,” Mary said. “She just placed everything in boxes and had them stored away.” The assortment included a number of books. Mary glanced through each one. Inside Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys by A. Neely Hall, she spotted the cardboard sleeve that held the card that was used to check books out and in.

“I’m looking at the dates and I said, ‘This book’s about a hundred years old…I thought, ‘Whoa…my grandfather checked out this book.’”

Her grandfather was Captain Charles Tilton (1884-1927), extremely active and popular on the Jersey Shore, born in Asbury Park and laid to rest in Point Pleasant’s White Lawn Cemetery. Mary never knew her grandfather. His Asbury Park Press obituary reads, in part:

“Captain Charles,” as he was better known, was one of the Barnegat Bay captains between here and Atlantic city [sic] and belonged to several yachting clubs…he was very active in social and fraternal work, being a member of the B.P.O.E. of Asbury Park and also the Knights of Columbus of the same city. He was a charter member of the local fire company.

The book is a manual of illustrated instructions for simple toys of wood, metal and household items. Instead of keeping it or tossing it, Mary returned it to the OCL Toms River Branch. She did not expect the book to become an artifact, nor that she would be a Library rock star.

“My intention was just to hand it in at the desk and say, ‘Here’s an old book if you want it,’” she mused. The staffer she encountered informed Mary about donation procedures. “I said, ‘Well, okay, but you might want to have this book. It’s a little overdue, by about a hundred years.’”

The verbal exchange set in motion a whirlwind of research by Information Services Librarians Elizabeth Cronin and Allison Nazzaro, host of the Library’s Wheeler Talk podcasts on Spotify and related platforms. “I never expected it to gather that much attention. They went crazy! I had a good time. It was very interesting to meet everyone,” Mary said.

The career nurse and instructor couples her rare find with her lifelong enjoyment of literature. “I love learning about things. I love getting into a story. I love mysteries. I usually solve them in the beginning,” Mary said.

When she was a high schooler, Mary recalled, the Point Pleasant Beach librarian fueled her mystery musings. “I told the librarian that I wanted to read all the works of Arthur Conan-Doyle. She said, ‘I think we have them,’ and I read them all.”

Mary became a familiar figure among the stacks. Shortly after high school, she underwent surgery that required considerable recovery time.

“I asked my mother, ‘Please, please, please, go to the Library and bring home some books. Just tell the librarian that they’re for me.” Mom dutifully complied, and so did the librarian, quickly checking out four books. “My mother asked, ‘How do you know that these are what she wants?’, and the librarian said, ‘They’re on her list!’”

These days, Mary especially enjoys cake-themed whodunits. Works by Mary Higgins Clark and Diane Mott Davidson are among her favorite pastry posers. But the book buried among her souvenirs is special, connecting Mary to her legendary grandfather.

“There are very few pictures of him…I always was fascinated by him. I thought he must have been a really neat person. I’d have liked to meet him.”

Nearly a hundred years after taking a book home, Captain Tilton finds a place in the Ocean County Library archives. And, by returning it, Mary Cooper initiates OCL’s next century of history.

“Share history, listen to it, pay attention to it,” Mary said. “When you do, you realize how things come around. It’s fascinating.”

OCL turns 100 this year and you’re why we’re celebrating! See details on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Spotify, Pinterest and https://theoceancountylibrary.org.