Helen Eloise Freudenberg (1928-1989)

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Helen Freudenberg was born 27 September 1928 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States to Arthur Oscar Freudenberg I (1891-1968) and Maria Elisabeth Winblad II (1895-1987) and died 24 April 1989 Hudson County, New Jersey, United States of cancer. She married John Earl Borland I (1924-1986) 1947 in United States. She married Albert Brindley (1927-2001) .

Helen Eloise Freudenberg (1928-1989) obituary in the Jersey Journal on April 26, 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

Birth

She was born on September 27, 1928 while the family was living at 158 Oakland Avenue, Jersey City, 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.

Siblings

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 (1910) but this was in the 1960s. In 1930 the family was living at 9 Claremont Avenue, Jersey City, 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 (1947-2020) and Helen gave her sister's married name, Norton, to put on the birth certificate as the mother.

Children

Offspring of John Earl Borland I (1924-1986) and Helen Freudenberg
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Michael Joseph Borland (1947)
John Earl Borland II (1948)
Steven Thomas Borland (1950-2010)	7 August 1950 Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States	15 June 2010 Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States	Kathleen Szczesny (1949-)

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 adopted mother's brother, Otto Winblad.

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.

Timeline

1928 Born on on September 27, 1928.
1928 Living at 158 Oakland Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey.
1928 Her father abandons the family.
1930 Living at 9 Claremont Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey.
1961 Living at 182 Grace Street, Jersey City, New Jersey.
1989 Death on April 24, 1989.

Memories about 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."

Judith Elizabeth Norton (1951) said in 1998: "Helen told me that Marie (her mother) would lock her in the closet when she was bad. In the closet was a bottle of whisky and a gun that belonged to her father. Everyone would laugh when Helen told the story."

Mark Andrew Dahl (1970) wrote on November 3, 2004: "My Aunt Helen (Maria Elisabeth Winblad's Daughter) told me this story. Aunt Helen said when she was younger she set out to Manhattan to find a job and she became a barmaid. She walked into this bar and they handed her a job. they asked her, "Do you know how to make drinks"? she replied "No but you tell me how and I will make them the same every time". Nanny (Mae) wasn't to fond of Aunt Helen working in a bar. Apparently she would imbibe at work from time to time! She came home a bit tipsy one night. She tip-toed into the house in the dark and tripped over something. She said she was holding on to the dog! Nanny (Mae) was angry she locked her in the closet where there was fathers gun and mothers liquor. (Aunt Helen said the liquor was Nanny's. At the time for "medicinal" purposes. ) The next day Nanny let her out of the closet and said, "what do you have to say?" Helen replied,"What did you want me to do? Get drunk and shoot myself?" I have no idea how true the story is but she did make me laugh! Aunt Helen was my favorite person in the world. She had the best laugh in the world! I have many stories about her, write me if you'd like to know."

Naida Lynette Van Deusen (1936) wrote on March 14, 2013: "The wedding [to Albert Brindley] took place in the nursing home where Nanny was. I found it - it was November 30, 1980 - I had the date written in my Luchow's cookbook, a restaurant in N.Y. City where we went for their Wedding Dinner."

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). It also shows that Marie Elizabeth Winblad II (1895-1987) is not a common ancestor between Richard Arthur Norton (1958) and Kevin Borland (1975). 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. On February 11, 2013 Kevin was denied access to her birth certificate because he could not provide a link back to her. His birth certificate does not name his parents and his father's birth certificate does not name his parents. On April 20, 2013 the birth certificate showed the parents as Arthur and Maria and the certificate was issued shortly after the birth.
Kevin Borland (1975) writes in 2013: "Richard Arthur Norton is my cousin via Helen Freudenberg’s sister Selma, who married Thomas Norton. Richard is my closest DNA match. Selma’s mother was Scandinavian, and my DNA shows no Scandinavian ancestry. ... Furthermore, Richard’s cousin via Selma’s mother Maria Winblad does not match my DNA, nor do any of his Scandinavian cousins. We have recently compared our entire match set. This proves that Helen had a different mother than Selma, and explains my numerous (and otherwise explainable) “Upper South” and “melungeon” DNA matches. (Richard is not a member of a DNA Match Group, as I use the groups to organize only my matches of unproven or unknown relation to me, whereas Richard’s relation to me is certain. He is my father’s first cousin via Helen’s father Arthur Oscar Freudenberg.)" In July 2013 the DNA of Michael Joseph Borland (1947) was tested and his DNA was Scandinavian. This supports that Maria Elizabeth Winblad II (1895-1987) was her mother and that Kevin must have received less of her DNA in his generation.