Lillian was born the second child to John Joseph and Lillian Charlotte Ehlers Maher in December 1889 Brooklyn. Lillian’s mother stayed home with the children and her father John worked as a letter carrier for the Post Office. Lillian’s brother was four years older, and though she probably knew him the best of his sisters, Lillian seems to have grown up focusing more on the females in her life. Lillian probably spent most of her time helping her mother take care of the younger daughters, Florence, born in 1897 and Roberta, 1901. There was a stillborn child when Lillian was about eight years old, an age when little girls are particularly interested in babies. One can assume this had an impact on Lillian’s world view.
Though both of her parents were born in New York, Lillian must have grown up with both rich German and Irish influences in her life, as both parents were first generation Americans. As a little girl in 1900, Lillian was living with her older brother and younger sister and both parents in an apartment on 7th Avenue. Lillian certainly played with the Irish and German children on the block, but she may also have played with kids who spoke Swedish and Finnish at home. Lillian’s neighbors at this time were dressmakers, carpenters, painters, bartenders and tradespeople.
At some point between 1906 and 1909 Lillian’s grandmother, Charlotte Matilda Andrews Ehlers, comes to live with the young family . The family is still growing, and Grandmother became a widow in 1896, so this arrangement probably was very helpful for both parties. Grandmother dies of valvular heart disease at Lillian’s parents’ home on 7th Avenue in July 1909 when Lillian is roughly 19. One might assume that Lillian helped her mother take care of both her grandmother and her younger siblings. By the April census in 1910, Edwin has moved out of the family home and is married to an English girl, Mary, and Lillian’s first nephew is born.
Lillian’s mother dies some time before January 1920 ; Lillian has taken over the role of mother, and certainly proclaims to be ‘keeping house’, as her father is still working with the post office and Roberta has been finishing up school. They have never moved from their apartment on 7th Avenue. Florence has found work outside of the home and is putting her education to work as a secretary in a publishing house. Lillian may have been envious of Florence, working outside the home, or perhaps she preferred to stay home and care for family members, as she became her father’s companion after the passing of her mother, Lillian, Sr.
Lillian’s brother, Edwin, dies as a very young man in 1922, leaving his young wife with 6 children.
By 1925, John, Lillian and Roberta have vacated the apartment on 7th Avenue and moved to the other side of Prospect Park to an apartment at 35 Clarkson Avenue in Brooklyn. Florence has married, had a daughter and moved to New Jersey and Roberta is out in the world meeting new people while Lillian stays home keeping her father’s house. Perhaps they made this move to be closer to Edwin’s widow and children, as they are now within a 20 minute walk to their home.
By 1929, Roberta marries and leaves home . She moves in with her husband around the corner from her sister-in-law Mary and nieces and nephews. Now that John and daughter Lillian live closer by, presumably the family sees one another on a regular basis and Lillian helps with her nieces and nephews during the day.
Everything changes by 1930; John has retired and bought a house on Franklin Avenue in Newfield, New Jersey . There is no evidence to lead to any conclusion as to why Newfield, NJ was chosen for a retirement town. Lillian’s sister lives in Madison which is closer to the City so her husband Herb can commute to work. But, Lillian continues to live with her father there, keeping his house. John maintains a large vegetable garden and is neighbored by chicken farmers.
In 1932, Lillian’s father dies. John owned his house, but we do not find Lillian living there in 1940.
We find a Lillian Maher living with the Killduff family at 3555 Netherlands Avenue in the Bronx. This Lillian is listed as a servant, with the occupation of housekeeping for a private family. The young couple has a new baby and they both work as morticians. This Lillian had lived in Madison, New Jersey in 1935. A scenario can be imagined that Lillian lived with her sister Florence in 1935 after their father passed, but either by the children being older and at school most of the day, she sought work outside her sister’s home, and found a position with this family of working parents.
We lose Lillian’s story until 1953 when she returns from a trip to the Caribbean over New Year’s with her younger, divorced sister Roberta. At this point the two sisters are living together at 207 West 11th Street. Roberta dies first, in October 1969. We have lost Lillian at this point and have no idea of her last years and when she died.
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I have since learned that Lillian died in 1974 and is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. with her mother, sister Roberta and brother Edwin. I still don't know much about her, though.
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