Helen Eloise Freudenberg (1928-1989)

Helen Eloise Freudenberg (1928-1989) worked as a keypunch operator. (b. September 27, 1928, 158 Oakland Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA - d. April 24, 1989, 10:00 pm, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA) Social Security Number 157207855.

Parents

 * Arthur Oscar Freudenberg I (1891-1968)
 * Mistress of Arthur

Birth
She was born on September 27, 1928 while the family was living at 158 Oakland Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey. She was raised by Marie Elizabeth Winblad II (1895-1987).

Baptism
She was baptized at Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church, Jersey City, New Jersey.

Half-siblings

 * Naida Muriel Freudenberg (1915-1998)
 * Selma Louise Freudenberg (1921- )

Father abandoned family
Arthur abandoned the family after Helen's birth. The oral family tradition was that Arthur left Maria for a burlesque stripper. At one point Arthur was living with Edlycoe Klynman but this was in the 1960s. In 1930 the family was living at 9 Claremont Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey and Otto Winblad, Maria's brother was living with them.

Edward Ganley
In 1947 Helen got pregnant from Edward J. Ganley II (1919-1987) from Bower Street. He was the son of the local grocer. His father owned a shop in Jersey City and that is how he met Helen.

John Borland
When she was ready to have the child, a sailor she was dating, John Earl Borland I (1924-1986), took her home to Bowerston in Carroll County, Ohio to have the baby and he married her. The child was Michael Joseph Borland (1947) and Helen gave her sister's name, Selma, to put on the birth certificate as the mother.

Marriage and children

 * John Earl Borland II (1948)
 * Steven Thomas Borland (1950-2010)

Divorce
Helen and John divorced and Helen married Albert Brindley (1927-2001), a sea captain. John married Geraldine Marie Winblad (1928- ) in 1979. Geraldine was the daughter of Helen's mother's brother, Otto Winblad.

Death
Helen died on April 24, 1989 of cancer.

Cremation
He remains were cremated.

Burial of ashes
Her ashes are buried with her mother at Grave 4-I North, Lot 428, New York Bay, Bay View Cemetery, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.

Memories of Helen Freudenberg

 * Selma Louise Freudenberg (1921-2009) said on July 20, 2003: "Helen worked as a keypunch operator, first for the Army in Hoboken. I got her that job, because she was my sister. After that she worked at other keypunching jobs. A key puncher would operate a machine to code data onto computer cards. Later she worked for Hilton Hotels in Manhattan doing keypunch. She hated taking the tube home at night back to Jersey City at 1 am and eventually they let her sleep over in the hotel. Her African-American friend, Audrey who used to work for Helen when she was a manager in New Jersey got her the job at the Hilton."

Research on Helen Freudenberg

 * On February 11, 2013 the DNA results showed that Arthur Oscar Freudenberg is a common ancestor between Richard Arthur Norton (1958) and Kevin Borland (1975) but not Marie Elisabeth Winblad II (1895-1987). Kevin's test showed 0% Scandinavian ancestry. Kevin will order Helen's birth certificate to see who's name is on it as the mother. This showed that Helen was the daughter of Arthur but not Maria, so it seems that Maria raised the child of Arthur and his mistress. We always knew that Arthur abandoned the family the year that Helen was born, but never knew the reason why.