Ida Wharton Dawson

The house in which the generations were reared since 1796 was located on Kingsland Street on the banks of the Yantacaw Brook, Nutley, New Jersey.

His sea-faring associates brought back such glowing stories of New Jersey's richness in soil and scenic beauty, that he asked for a grant of land in what is now the Nutley region, which was given to him.

[1] Dawson was educated in the public schools and at Houghton Seminary, in Clinton, Oneida County, New York.

[1] Upon leaving school, she began civic work by joining the Newark Female Charitable Society's board of managers.

[1] In 1910, Dawson was recording secretary of the General Federation of Women's Clubs[3] when it numbered 2,000,000 in membership, and in that role, she compiled and edited the report of the official proceedings of its tenth biennial convention.

The Contemporary's membership of 1,500 made it one of the largest in the Federation of Women's Clubs in the U.S. During her tenure, Dawson organized its civic work.

The Women's Housing Association opened the first hotel in Newark for working girls, known as the Caroline, and had entire charge of it.

[1] In her work as vice president of the Women's Auxiliary of the YMCA of Newark, Dawson was especially interested in mothers' meetings where home training for the young was considered.