Special Thanks from the editor: My heartfelt gratitude to Pat Nesbitt, the Dennison family historian, for sharing her detailed research, notes, and photographs, and to Jeanine Yecco, daughter of Jack Dennison, for her help in providing treasured family photos. It was a true pleasure for me to put together their story to publish and help preserve the Dennison family legacy within the pages of The Sun. ~ Dorothy Kulisek
In 1850, a ship named the James Pennell pulled into the harbor at New Orleans. Among the weary but hopeful passengers were James Dennison, just 20 years old, and his young bride, Bridget McBride. Though the manifest listed her as 20, Bridget was only 14. Together, they had left Ireland with little more than courage and a dream of a better life in America. Their journey soon carried them north to Philadelphia, where the couple would begin building a family and a future.
By the 1860s, the Dennisons were settled on West 5th Street with four children filling their small home. Bridget’s brother lived with them too, a reminder of the ties that bound them to Ireland. When the Civil War broke out, James answered the call, serving as a private in the Union Army, leaving Bridget to keep the household together.
Two decades later, in 1880, the family was living on Passyunk Avenue. Their youngest, John, was still at home—a boy who would one day carry the family name into a new chapter.
When Bridget was widowed, she surprised everyone by leaving Philadelphia behind. By 1900, she had taken her grandson Walter and moved to Holly Beach, New Jersey, to work as a summer housekeeper. The ocean air and wide, sandy beaches captured her heart. She bought a little cottage on Leaming Avenue, her name appearing in the Holly Beach tax books for nearly two decades. She received a soldier’s widow’s discount, but the true reward was finding a new life by the sea.
Her son John soon followed. Married to Catherine Stack, he brought his growing family to the island. The children, once city-born, now spent their days climbing holly trees, building forts, and running barefoot in the sand. More children were born in Wildwood, their laughter and voices weaving into the rhythm of seaside life.
John worked hard to provide for his family. In Philadelphia, he had been a cabinetmaker and store clerk, but in Wildwood he turned to whatever jobs the young resort town offered—carting luggage from the train station with a donkey, helping at the Culver & Dennison Clothing Store, and finally, earning the steady job of letter carrier for the U.S. Post Office. When he passed away in 1928, and Catherine in 1934, they left behind not only a family but also a legacy deeply rooted in island soil and sand.
The Dennisons had become part of Wildwood’s story. Generations later, their descendants are still here, still feeling the pull of the ocean that once captured Bridget’s heart.
Epilogue
Walter (1896) married Mae Connors. Their daughter, Doris, and her family continue to return to Wildwood, keeping summer traditions alive.
John Jr. (1898), a Wildwood High track star and football player, died tragically at just 16.
Joseph (1899) returned safely from WWI, but his son Joe Jr. was killed in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge, his grave resting in Hawaii’s National Cemetery of the Pacific. Joseph’s other son, Terrence, went on to a remarkable aviation career, recognized internationally.
Jane (1901) worked as a telephone operator in Wildwood and Philadelphia but died young at 46.
Anthony J. Dennison, Sr.(1905) married Jeanette Dooley April 20, 1931. They had one son Anthony John (Jack) Dennison, Jr. A.J. Sr. was an Asco Market (Acme) manager on the island.
There were at least four stores. He managed the Cedar Avenue store and the one few people know of at 6501 New Jersey Avenue, Wildwood Crest. The building is still there. Their son Jack (married Patricia Hannahan). He had a long and distinguished career in technology working with RCA and GE. He was born at Long’s Maternity Home in Wildwood and lived in North Wildwood on Hereford Inlet until his death in 2021 —. Many of the locals knew him as the father of Jeannie Dennison Yecco who taught at Crest Memorial School. She also was a reporter for the Gazette Leader.
Mary Cathleen Dennison (1910) Married Edwin S. Nesbitt at Saint Ann’s Church on Pacific Avenue October 1938. They owned and operated many businesses on the island. Their first was a bakery on Pacific Avenue where everything was served on blue depression glass. They also owned Nesbitt Sales Furniture for more than fifty years. Edwin was a long time Mayor of Wildwood Crest, Board Member of Marine National Bank and General Manager of the Cape May County Bridge Commission (Ocean Drive). Mary was a devoted member of the original Saint Ann’s Parish. She was a member of the Via Crucian’s which consisted of five women from St. Ann’s that were active in the construction of the Assumption Church in Wildwood Crest.
Mary and Ed had three children all born at Long’s Maternity Home in Wildwood. Edwin James was owner of the Friendship 7 and Hialeah Motels. Cathleen Nesbitt Smith current owner of Junkin Treasures and all around entrepreneur of many businesses in NJ. Patricia Nesbitt Nagel owned the Flying Dutchman Motel and Office Services.
James Francis (1912) worked in real estate and local government, while Leo (1915), the youngest, lived only to 23, remembered for his kind heart and early passing.
From a brave teenage girl stepping onto American soil in 1850 to a family whose name still echoes in the Wildwoods, the Dennison story is one of resilience, belonging, and a love for island life. Their story, like the holly trees they once planted, has taken root and grown deep in Wildwood’s sandy soil.
