Jitney Alice blazed her own trail across the coastal town of Stone Harbor in Cape May County, New Jersey. The year was 1923. Alice Emerson was a single mother of three with no lucrative employment options in sight. Not one to give up, she bought a used Model T and proceeded to make local history.
She jumped on board in 1923, after the craze had started. But she was one of the few if not only people filling individual transportation needs in Stone Harbor and other towns across Cape May County on the coast of New Jersey.
Of unconfirmed origins, the term “jitney” came into use in the early 20th century in reference to transportation that cost about five cents per ride. In 1903 newspaper referred to jitney as St. Louis slang for any small coin, especially a nickel. Jitneys could be small buses or wagons. Many were open-air models.
Following are a few Trailblazing Tidbits from the life and times of Jitney Alice.
This Single Mom Embraced The New Model To Feed Her Family
In 1923 when Jitney Alice first started rolling, visitors to Stone Harbor arrived primarily by train from Philadelphia or Camden. Nestled between the Great Channel to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Stone Harbor sits in Cape May County, New Jersey.
The combination of a burgeoning middle class, increased leisure time and affordable transportation lured early Stone Harbor tourists to the barrier island. (More About Early Stone Harbor)
Most streets were covered with oiled dirt or sand and personal automobiles were luxury items. Despite this, she putted across Stone Harbor and neighboring towns on the coast of Cape May, New Jersey in her used 1912 Model T. She was willing to drive wherever a passenger requested.
Her parents were early pioneers of the Jersey Shore. She was born Alice Hamil Emerson in Sea Isle City on April 25, 1891. Her father was a barber and her mother an Irish immigrant.
At the age of 19, Alice was on vacation in Atlantic City when she met a railroad fireman, Alexander Klinshaw. They were married in 1910 and had three boys between 1911and 1915. Alice and her husband lived in Atlantic city until he left the family shortly after their last son was born.
According to Dave Coskey for SevenMile Times (November 16, 2025), Alice returned to the home of her parents in Camden County, then to Avalon where her father had a barbershop in his home.
Alice sometimes worked as a female barber. In the winter months, she found work as a domestic in Camden County where jobs were more plentiful and lucrative. She took a train home every Sunday to see her boys.
In 1923, she became Jitney Alice when she purchased a used 1912 model T.
“It was a “touring car” complete with running boards, calcium carbide lamps, a crank starter, brass radiator, and leather curtains. Alice started her car service and became known as “Jitney Alice.” (Seven Mile Times)
It’s possible that she was inspired by the jitney bus service when she lived in Atlantic City. She certainly identified a market for a jitney service in the summer season in stone Harbor. Women had only recently gained the right to vote and the economy was nearing the Great Depression of 1929. Jitney Alice took a huge risk and it paid off.
“Alice never asked for help. Instead, she drove her jitney, worked as a barber, and cleaned homes as a domestic. Essentially, she did whatever was necessary to survive and support her family. Not an easy task ever – but especially in Cape May County in 1923.” (Seven Mile Times)
Women Chauffeurs Sped Toward The Future in 1907 Paris
Jitney Alice was a trailblazer on many fronts. She was a female barber when few women worked in that arena. She was a single mom who supported her three children. She was an entrepreneur in the jitney business.
For context. It wasn’t until 1907 when Female Chauffeurs took their first passengers in Paris. Many people still believed that a woman’s place was in the home. But a few pioneering women became “trendsetters” of their day.
These women were known by other monikers including chauffeuse, taxi driver and cabbie. In Stone Harbor, there was Jitney Alice. Read More all about Female Chauffeurs.
The Market Was Ripe For A New Transportation Model
In the early 1900s, electric streetcars accounted for an estimated 90% of transportation in American cities. They relieved overcrowding and got people to work so they boosted economic growth and city governments supported them.
But streetcars were also monopolies with little incentive to meet customer’s needs. Schedules weren’t reliable, cars were often in disrepair, and they were routinely overcrowded.
The combination of a dropping economy in the recession of 1914 and the rising availability of used Model Ts created an opportunity for individual entrepreneurs.
Enter the jitney car business model.
Private Jitneys Lured Streetcar Riders Across America
Will Payne in his 1915 article “The Jitney Juggernaut,” claimed that jitneys had become a nationwide phenomenon.
According to Payne, it all started with L.R. Draper, a Los Angeles car salesman. Draper took note of crowds waiting too long for the First Street trolley car. In July of 1914, he posted a sign on his own his car letting the impatient overflow crowd know that he would be willing to drive them the three miles to Boyle Heights for a nickel.
Before long, other personal drivers followed Draper’s example.
LA unemployment was high and used Model Ts were affordable. The numbers of jitney drivers grew quickly. In just a few months there were approximately 30 jitneys in Los Angeles. Payne estimated that by mid-November, jitneys in Los Angeles were taking in over $1 million per year.
Within months, thousands of independent jitney cars were operating in cities across the nation including Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Kansas City and Los Angeles.
Some had fixed or semi-fixed routes. Others, like Jitney Alice, drove passengers wherever they needed to go and whenever they wanted. (The Jitney Juggernaut)
Before Long, Streetcars Fought Back
Jitney Alice started her business after the big kerfuffle in other American cities had largely played out. Sadly, independents were for the most part stopped by streetcar monopolies.
Trolley companies (“trolley people” as Payne called them) complained that the jitneys were stealing their business.
Finn J.D. John writes in Offbeat Oregon:
“When Streetcar Monopolies in Portland and other cities around the nation found themselves competing with hundreds of private motorists picking up a little extra drinking money at their expense, they naturally turned to their local city governments with demands that this behavior be stopped.” (Offbeat Oregon)
Since jitney cars were focusing on the most lucrative routes, trolley people claimed that they were operating at unfair advantages since they had to service bad routes as well. If it continued they threatened to cut services.
Most cities established licensing laws and other onerous requirements for jitney drivers. Finn J.D. John notes that Oregon drivers formed a union and were left to their own entrepreneurial spirits.
Cape May Welcomed Entrepreneurial Spirits
Fortunately for Jitney Alice, she operated in small seaport towns along Cape May that welcomed her service and entrepreneurial spirit.
“Not to be forgotten, Alice Hamil Klinshaw, or Jitney Alice, is just one of the many diverse individuals who were early pioneers and contributed to the DNA of the Seven Mile Beach communities that we know today.” (Seven Mile Times)
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