Augustus Vare

Someone who was given the name Augustus was most commonly called Gus. His family name is of Scottish origin, but Gus immigrated from Southampton in southern England. Since he applied to become a naturalized citizen in 1846, he must have resided in this country since at least 1841, according to the residency requirement.

He married a young New Jersey girl, Abigail Stites, who was probably about 16 since she was about 17 when she gave birth to Joseph Henry, in 1842. Five more sons and a daughter would follow. They settled in the Southwark District of Philadelphia County (before it merged with the city in 1854) and spent the rest of their lives on South 4th Street below Snyder Avenue.

That area today is called the Whitman section bordered by the intersection of Interstates 76 and 95. There’s a reason why “Center City” Philadelphia grew where it is instead of where the Delaware River takes a westward flow to meet the Schuylkill River. That area was called “the Neck,” a marshland known for its pig farming and raising vegetable crops like cabbage.

Gus made his living in vocations that overlapped. He was listed as a coal dealer in the 1850 and 1860 census, but in several city directories and the 1870 census he called himself a carter, one who used a cart and horse to transport goods. Perhaps he used it to deliver coal, but he also built a business as a truck farmer, growing vegetables for sale at local markets. 

It was in this occupation that Gus lost his life, as reported here. He was probably the first one in his family to be buried at Mount Moriah but his six-year-old granddaughter also died in 1878 and was buried in Section 206, Lot 310. She was the oldest child of the Vares’ second son, John. He sold coal and oil, so he may have taken over that part of his father’s business.

Using a cart means having a horse to pull it, and the third son, Thomas, grew up to be a blacksmith. In later years he married and moved to New Jersey where he was known for raising poultry.

Like their neighbors, the Vares also raised pigs but, unfortunately, there was an incident that took the life of their oldest son, Joseph. In 1884 he was single and living on the family farm but died as described in this newspaper report. He was buried here in the family plot in Lot 317. Eight years later, John died at age 45 and joined his daughter in Lot 310, as well as two sons, ages 8 and 5, who died in 1881 and 1882, respectively.

With the death and interment of Abigail Vare in 1900 beside her husband, the life story of Augustus Vare ends, particularly in relation to the family burials here at Mount Moriah. Abigail left an $11,000 estate to her five remaining children, none of whom chose to be buried here. But noteworthy events took place in the lives of the three youngest boys that made the Vare name an important one in the history of Pennsylvania.

Their only daughter, Annie, remained single and lived a quiet life in West Philadelphia, as did her brother Thomas in New Jersey. It was the other three sons, George, Edwin, and William, who became known as the “Dukes of South Philadelphia.” They made a fortune on city contracts and gained a powerful grip on Republican politics. Along with Edwin’s wife, Flora, they kept the Vare family in the same State Senate seat for 32 years. 

George started it when he served three terms in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives starting in 1891. He defeated incumbent Senator George Handy Smith and held the 1st District seat from 1896-1908 when he died in office. Edwin replaced him from 1908-1922 when he also died in office. William picked up the seat for the 1923-24 sessions, then Flora Vare was elected, the first woman to serve in the Senate. She vacated the seat in 1928 after two terms. William also served as a U.S. Congressman.

The Vares were pleased to see the Abigail Vare Grammar School opened in 1904 at 1619 East Moyamensing Avenue. That same year the Vare Brothers won a nearly $1 million contract for trash pickup and street sweeping in the city, along with a $500,000 contract to extend South Broad Street, making it 160 feet wide, from West Moyamensing Avenue to the League Island Navy Yard. Their bid was lowest because they used refuse and ash collected as part of their other contract to fill in the swamp land and bring it up to grade.

Other municipal contract work included building trolley tracks, sewers, the Municipal Stadium, the Broad Street subway and excavating the site of the Philadelphia Art Museum. After Edwin’s death, a new school at 2102 South 24th Street was named the Edwin Vare Junior High School.

Decades earlier, Gus helped establish the Messiah Methodist Episcopal Church at 3rd and Morris Streets. He raised his seven children to follow Jesus Christ’s example of humility and service, no matter what their vocation would be. He would have been surprised at the level of his sons’ success, although not entirely pleased with their tactics at times. On his own, the life story of Augustus Vare might not have been especially notable, but the legacy he left made it worthwhile.