Helen Bernice Lavender

Helen was born on August 7, 1896 to parents Bernard and Ellen McGuire. She had a sister, Mary and a half sister Annie. Helen grew up in the family home on 41 Quarry Street, Lambertville, NJ. Her half sister Annie died in 1901, leaving behind her daughter Nellie, who was raised with Helen on Quarry Street. Helen attended St John’s parochial school, along with her sister Mary and her half niece Nellie. She made scholarship (honor role) in 1908 with a score of 91, twice in 1909 with scores of 86 and 89, twice in 1910 with scores of 91 and 87. The 1915 Census shows Helen was working at the Rubber ball factory which I assume was the Rubber factory in Lambertville and perhaps she was making rubber balls. Many family members worked in the Rubber factory in Lambertville. Helen married Nicholas Lavender June 10, 1920m at St John’s Church in Lambertville. Nicholas’s last name was originally Lewandowski but he changed it to Lavender. Nicholas served in WW1, enlisting in 1916 and discharged in 1919. He was sent to France. Helen and Nicholas had one son, Nicholas Murray Lavender who was born in 1921. His nickname was Buster. Nicholas had Down’s Syndrome and died at age 12 in 1933. In 1933, Helen won free tickets to the Strand Theater for submitting a witty ad to the Lambertville Beacon. Both Helen’s parents died in 1935 when she was 38. In 1942 Helen and Nicholas were living at 785 Lake Dr, Colonial Lakelands, NJ. Her sister Mary lived with them. Helen died on November 15, 1969 at age 73, at Helene Fuld Hospital in Mercer County, NJ. She was buried in St John the Evangelist Cemetery in Lambertville NJ. My dad (Albert Polgardy) met Helen