Richard F. Freudenberg (1896-1988)



Richard F. Freudenberg (1896-1988) World War I Veteran; Chemical Salesman; and Nonagenarian (b. October 12, 1896, 220 Madison Street, Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA - d. September 27, 1988, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA) Military Service Number 4025411 and Social Security Number 138129629.

Name
His middle name is most likely "Frederick", but it does not appear in any written documents found to date. His grandfather was Charles Frederick Lindauer.

Parents

 * Maximillian S. Freudenberg I (1858-1921)
 * Eloise Lindauer II (1860-1935)

Siblings
Eloise and Max had 15 children, 9 lived to adults. One child that died at birth is still unaccounted for and may be buried in Hoboken Cemetery. The children of Max and Eloise are:
 * Max S. Freudenberg II (1881) who died as an infant
 * Ada Augusta Freudenberg (1885-1957) who married Ralph Kohlman (1885-1957) the printer
 * Charles Fredrick Freudenberg (1887-1942) who married Julia Mary Buttomer (1883-1973) and is the one sibling with only a single photograph
 * Jenny Gertrude Freudenberg (1888) who died as an infant
 * Clara Freudenberg (1889-1959) who never married
 * Arthur Oscar Freudenberg I (1891-1968) who worked as a real estate broker and married Maria Elisabeth Winblad II (1895-1987)
 * Max Freudenberg III (1893-aft1900) who lived till at least 7 years old and appears on the 1900 census and may be buried in Hoboken Cemetery
 * Louis Julius Freudenberg I (1894-1918) who died in World War I
 * Harry Freudenberg (1895-1896) who died as an infant
 * Eloise Freudenberg (1898) who died as an infant
 * Eugene Freudenberg I (1900-1956) who worked as a freight handler and married Florence Catherine Skinner (1901-1986)
 * Ralph Freudenberg (1903-1980) who worked as a typesetter for the New York Times and he married Nora Belle Conklin (1902-1963) and later married Lottie Dombrowska (1916-1995)
 * Grace May Freudenberg (1904-1981) who married George Dewey Sanford I (1898-1965) and he worked in Ralph Kohlman's print shop

Hudson County, New Jersey
His parents were living at 220 Madison Street in Hoboken when he was born in 1896; 51 Booraem Avenue in Jersey City by 1905; and in 1907 they were living at 22 Hopkins Avenue in Jersey City.

Marriage
Around 1917 Richard married Charlotte C. Kahrar (1897-1963). Charlotte was the daughter of Charles Gotlieb Kahrar (1862-1932) of Tubingen, Germany and Mariah Elizabeth Smith (1860-1917) of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Child

 * Richard Charles Freudenberg I (1918-1994) aka Dick Freudenberg, was their only child. He was born on June 04, 1918.

City Chemical Company
Richard was working as a salesman for the City Chemical Company on Oakland Avenue in Jersey City when he registered for the draft on June 06, 1918, just two days after his child's birth.

World War I
He enlisted on August 26, 1918 and served at Camp Meade in Maryland until he was discharged on December 06, 1918. He was in the 154th Brigade until October 07, 1918 when he was transferred to Battery D 52, until he was discharged. His brother Louis died in France during the War.

61-63 Concord Avenue
In 1930 he was living at 61-63 Concord Avenue in Jersey City and a photograph exists of the family in front of the house. His mother lived in one of the units in this two family house. In 1935, the year his mother died, he bought his own house with the help of his real-estate salesman brother, Arthur, at 92 Jefferson Avenue in Jersey City, where he lived until he died in 1988.

John J. Borrester
In 1939 he applied for Social Security when he was working for John J. Borrester at 58 Carlton Avenue in Jersey City, most likely still selling chemicals. As a chemical salesman he would buy big bottles of chemicals and then break them down into smaller bottles and peddle them to the jewelry stores in Manhattan.

Death of Wife
On August 29, 1963, his wife Charlotte died of a heart attack.

Death
Richard lived to be 91 years old and died in 1988.

Burial
He was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Fairview, New Jersey with his wife. His parents and most of his siblings were buried in Flower Hill Cemetery in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Memories of Richard F. Freudenberg

 * Thomas Patrick Norton (1920- ) said in 1999: "He sold chemicals that were used by jewelers to clean their gold and silver. He would buy a big container of it an break it down into smaller packages, then go into Manhattan on the tube and go from store to store selling it. He did all the work in his basement."


 * Arthur Oscar Freudenberg (1891-1968) wrote in 1923: "Richard, another brother, served at Camp Meade, Maryland, but was not sent overseas."


 * Patricia Irene Cerulli (1936- ) in 1999: "Clara Freudenberg lived with Eloise Lindauer in Jersey City on Jefferson Avenue. Before that they all lived at 63 Concord Avenue. My family lived in West New York then we moved to Brooklyn then Weehawken. Richard Freudenberg, my father-in-law, worked for guy on Carlton Avenue in Jersey City that sold chemicals to jewelry stores for cleaning gems. He would mix the chemicals in the basement of the house and deliver them on the subway. John J. Borrester was the man who owned the business and he died while driving into New York City in his car. He had a heart attack or stroke and crashed the car. His son took over the business and then my father-in-law didn't get along with him. Richard may have been the only salesman there. There was no company, just a business run out of his house."