Maria Elisabeth Winblad II (1895-1987)



Maria Elizabeth Winblad (1895-1987) aka Mae Winblad. She was abandoned by her husband in 1928 and she raised her three children by working as a cleaning lady and by doing laundry for neighbors during the Great Depression. (b. February 16, 1895; 294 West Houston Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York County, New York City, New York, USA - d. March 07, 1987; Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA) Social Security Number 147188206.

Ethnicity
She was 50% Norwegian and 50% Swedish.

Ancestry
She is a descendant of Lars Magnus Wingblad of Vingaker, Sodermanland, Sweden.

Name
The name Winblad likely derives from the location of Vingaker, Sodermanland, Sweden where the earliest members of the family were born. Winblad also translates as "grapeleaf".

Parents

 * John Edward Winblad I (1856-1914) of Sweden
 * Salmine Sophia Severine Pedersen (1862-1914) of Norway

Birth
Maria was born in Greenwich Village in Manhattan on February 16, 1895 and her birth certificate was number "9529". The New York City Birth Index incorrectly lists her as "Mary E. Weinblad".

Siblings
Maria's siblings are:
 * Anton Julius Winblad II (1886-1975) aka Tony Winblad, who married Eva Ariel Lattin (1892-1939) and later married Marguerite Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1891-1972) aka Marge Van Rensselaer Schuyler
 * Theodora Winblad (1888) who died as an infant
 * Mary Winblad (1889) who died as an infant
 * Otto Edward Winblad (1892) who died as an infant
 * John Edward Winblad II (1897-1899) aka Eddie Winblad, who died as a youth from pertussis
 * Otto Perry Winblad (1902-1977) who was born in New Jersey, and married Helen Louise Hollenbach (1905-1928) and after her death he married Leah Maria Way (1901-1986)

New Jersey
The family moved out of Manhattan to live in the quiet of New Jersey around 1900. They had a new house built on Wayne Street in Jersey City. Otto Perry Winblad was born in 1902 in Jersey City.

Isle of Pines, Cuba
In 1910 the family decided that they would move to the Isle of Pines in Cuba. John Winblad had wanted to be a plantation owner, and many other American families moved to the Isle of Pines during this time. Maria spent a year and a half in Cuba, where she rode a horse named "Happy". She said when she arrived in Cuba there was no one there to greet her, and she had to get help to find out how to get to the Isle of Pines from Havana.

Marriage
She returned from Cuba to Jersey City on March 26, 1912 with her brother Otto. While in Jersey City she met Arthur Oscar Freudenberg I (1891-1968), who was a Sunday School teacher at Waverly Congregation Church. Maria was a very devout Lutheran at Trinity Scandinavian Church in Jersey City. Maria and Arthur married on February 28, 1914 at the Trinity Lutheran Church at 195 Claremont Avenue in Jersey City. On Monday, March 02, 1914 the Hudson Observer reported: "Worst Storm Since 1888 Still Sweeping Over This Section. Railroads are nearly paralyzed and are running only a few local trains - - Nearly all of the trolley lines suspended and wires covered with snow and ice are down in all the Hudson cities -- Only a little milk and and coal delivered -- most of the streets impassable."

Children
Together Maria and Arthur had the following children:
 * Naida Muriel Freudenberg (1915-1998) who married Burnett Peter Van Deusen (1913-1993) aka Peter Van Deusen
 * Selma Louise Freudenberg (1921-2009)
 * Helen Eloise Freudenberg (1928-1989) who had a child with Eddie Ganlan and later married John Earl Borland I (1924-1986) and later married Albert Brindley.

Death of parents
Maria's father and mother attended her wedding, and then they went to Norway to visit family. Both parents died within a few months of each other in 1914. Otto Winblad was with them in Norway and returned to live with Maria and Arthur in Jersey City on July 06, 1915. On the same day that Otto arrived from Norway, Maria's brother, Anton and his wife Eva returned from Cuba with their two children: Anthony Leroy Winblad and Norman Edward Winblad. They brought with them Eva's two youngest brothers: Theodore Roosevelt Lattin; and Dewey Ernest Lattin. Eva's father and mother stayed in Cuba until 1924 and then settled in Lake Helen in Florida.

Abandoned by husband
Around 1928 Arthur abandoned Maria, although he appears as the head of household in the 1930 United States Census. The oral family tradition has been that Arthur ran off with a burlesque stripper. At the height of the depression, Maria lived on Claremont Avenue in Jersey City and raised her three children earning money by being the superintendent of a four-unit rental property owned by someone else. She took in laundry, scrubbed floors, and prepared meals for other families. She did all that she could to keep the family housed and fed. Arthur never provided any money and lived with his mistress. Maria wore her wedding ring for the rest of her life.

Middle years
When Maria's children got married she split her time between them, living at their houses. She lived in Paramus for a number of years and also spent time with Pete and Naida at their home.

Broken hip
In the late 1970s she broke her hip in Paramus and was confined to the Lutheran nursing home in Jersey City.

Death and burial
She died in 1987 of a heart attack at age 92 and was buried in the Bayview – New York Bay Cemetery, Jersey City, New Jersey. She is buried with:
 * John Edward Winblad II (1897-1899), her brother
 * Helen Eloise Freudenberg (1928-1989), her daughter whose ashes were buried there

Archive
Many of her letters are extant and archived.

Eulogy
Her eulogy reads as follows: Mae Freudenberg was born Saturday, February 16, 1895 in New York City. Her parents were members of the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church in downtown Jersey City. Mae was a member of Trinity for most of her life, and her children were all baptized there also many of her grandchildren. She taught Sunday School and was a member of Glad Tjeneste. On the 95th anniversary of Trinity, Mae received a certificate of recognition for her years of faithful service to the church. For about fifteen years, Mae was a volunteer of services to the Lutheran Home on Nelson Avenue in Jersey City.

Correspondences

 * Maria Elizabeth Winblad (1895-1987) to Judith Elizabeth Norton (1951- ) on August 02, 1979:

"Dear Judy. How is my sweet to-day? Breakfast is over and now I must keep in touch with my loved ones. Right? It was so kind of Richard to bring Mama to see me. Hadn't seen him in a long time. Had a longing to see him, and then he came. It made me feel happy. And then I got to see Mama too. Tommy and Susan [Manson] when she comes to them for a visit. [I can] not remember when she was leaving. The weather is hot and humid, but I get out in the shade from 2 to 4 most days. There is always a breeze, some days more than others. Good to watch the folks go by. Many times I fall asleep. The lady in the kitchen gave me enclosed paper. Thought you might like to read it. Mr. Frank just celebrated his 90th birthday. After the residents had gone to bed on our floor they gave me a call to come up front. The aides had bought cake, and we sang happy birthday. There were 8 of us. he was so happy. We celebrated all those here who had birthdays in July over a week ago, in the big dining room. The one lady was 101, [she does] not have the strength to walk around. She's in a wheelchair all the time, told me she feels good, does not have an ache or a pain and her mind is very active. She goes well in her wheelchair. Will write again next week. God keep you all in his loving care. Grandma [Maria Elizabeth Freudenberg] XXXX"


 * Maria Elizabeth Winblad (1895-1987) to Judith Elizabeth Norton (1951- ) on August 06, 1981:

"Dear Sweetie - They are cleaning my closet out, so thought ... Wasn't it wonderful we got to meet Mary Frances and little Sam. I know how much she appreciated, and loved being with us. When Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel her father and many boats followed her to help her if she needed help. She was nearing the end, when she called to her father, she said she could not go any further, her father called out to her to keep swimming, the shore is just ahead, and she did and won the record. Tell that with a hug to my Sunshine [Richard Norton]."


 * Maria Elizabeth Winblad (1895-1987) to Selma Louise Freudenberg (1921- ) in October 1986:

"My Dear Selma - Received your letter. Many thanks for writing and remembering me. They just brought me word from the desk, that Naida [Freudenberg], and Pete [Van Deusen], will not be here to-day, as Naida is not feeling well. I have not seen Helen [Freudenberg], and Al [Brindley] for a while, as they are still down at the shore. I think Michael [Borland] is there. But she likes it down there anyway. So Richard [Arthur Norton] has gained 5 lbs., well he could use it, and I hope all is going well at his new job. Mama knows with you out in Paramus, it is not easy to get in. Maybe some time I could come and stay with you for a few days, as I do with Naida and Helen, if it could be arranged. The Lord keep you safe in Him. Keep praying, and trusting in Him always. your old mother [Maria Elizabeth Freudenberg] XXXXXXX"

Memories about Maria Elisabeth Winblad

 * Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) wrote on December 14, 2007: She loved Gjetost cheese from Norway, she said it reminded her of her childhood. She would bring some back when she would take the bus into Jersey City to visit with friends. I am writing this today, because I just bought some Gjetost cheese, and it reminds me of my childhood with her. When we moved to Paramus she would attend the Lutheran Church there, on Farview Avenue. She always missed her brother Otto after he died. Marie, or Nanny as we called her, always made a dessert for after dinner, sometimes something as simple as pudding from a mix, but sometimes it was her trademark lemon meringue pie or an apple pie made from scratch. It would take her an hour just to make the pie dough. Her trademark vegetable was her Harvard Beets which were thin slices of beets in a sweet sauce. If I asked her what was for dessert before dinner, she would just say applesauce, to tease me. Once when she was living with us, and I was very small the ironing board was against the wall folded up and leaning against the wall in our living room, I must have touched it and it came falling down toward me and she tried to grab it, but it hit her in the face, and gave her a black eye.

About the author
This article was created by User:Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ).