Mary Schneider Greenwald was born in 1901 in Herczegfalva, Hungary to a German family. After her sister who immigrated the United States died and left behind a 5 year old girl, my grandmother immigrated to the US and married her brother-in-law, Paul Greenwald. They then had a second daughter, and were married for 64 years until her death. After the death of her daughter's husband, she was instrumental in helping raise her three granddaughters and was like a second mother to us. In her younger years at one point, she worked as a housekeeper for the Polsky family who owned a department store. Grandma was an unbelievable cook and baker, an incredibly hard worker, and one of the kindest people I've ever known.
She shared with me the following anecdotes about her childhood in Hungary...
Grandma's mother, Eva Wurst, died of peritonitis as a young woman of only 33. She left behind a husband with five children ranging in age from one to 14. Grandma's paternal grandmother, Anna Link Schneider, moved in with the family to help. It was from Anna that Grandma learned her superb cooking and baking skills.
One year, they had acquired a young gosling on their farm. As a young child, she was immediately taken with it and adopted it as a pet. Her father continually warned her, "Don't you name that goose! It's not a pet!" Sure enough, they had it for Christmas dinner, and she was devastated.
Grandma shared with me one time that she had been an excellent student in Hungary...one of the best in her class. When she was completing the equivalent of eighth grade, her teachers were strongly encouraging her to continue her education. This was not a normal thing for girls in Hungary at the time, though, and her father said she was needed at home, so it did not happen.
She shared with me the following anecdotes about her childhood in Hungary...
Grandma's mother, Eva Wurst, died of peritonitis as a young woman of only 33. She left behind a husband with five children ranging in age from one to 14. Grandma's paternal grandmother, Anna Link Schneider, moved in with the family to help. It was from Anna that Grandma learned her superb cooking and baking skills.
One year, they had acquired a young gosling on their farm. As a young child, she was immediately taken with it and adopted it as a pet. Her father continually warned her, "Don't you name that goose! It's not a pet!" Sure enough, they had it for Christmas dinner, and she was devastated.
Grandma shared with me one time that she had been an excellent student in Hungary...one of the best in her class. When she was completing the equivalent of eighth grade, her teachers were strongly encouraging her to continue her education. This was not a normal thing for girls in Hungary at the time, though, and her father said she was needed at home, so it did not happen.
Mary Schneider Greenwald was born in 1901 in Herczegfalva, Hungary to a German family. After her sister who immigrated the United States died and left behind a 5 year old girl, my grandmother immigrated to the US and married her brother-in-law, Paul Greenwald. They then had a second daughter, and were married for 64 years until her death. After the death of her daughter's husband, she was instrumental in helping raise her three granddaughters and was like a second mother to us. In her younger years at one point, she worked as a housekeeper for the Polsky family who owned a department store. Grandma was an unbelievable cook and baker, an incredibly hard worker, and one of the kindest people I've ever known.
She shared with me the following anecdotes about her childhood in Hungary...
Grandma's mother, Eva Wurst, died of peritonitis as a young woman of only 33. She left behind a husband with five children ranging in age from one to 14. Grandma's paternal grandmother, Anna Link Schneider, moved in with the family to help. It was from Anna that Grandma learned her superb cooking and baking skills.
One year, they had acquired a young gosling on their farm. As a young child, she was immediately taken with it and adopted it as a pet. Her father continually warned her, "Don't you name that goose! It's not a pet!" Sure enough, they had it for Christmas dinner, and she was devastated.
Grandma shared with me one time that she had been an excellent student in Hungary...one of the best in her class. When she was completing the equivalent of eighth grade, her teachers were strongly encouraging her to continue her education. This was not a normal thing for girls in Hungary at the time, though, and her father said she was needed at home, so it did not happen.
She shared with me the following anecdotes about her childhood in Hungary...
Grandma's mother, Eva Wurst, died of peritonitis as a young woman of only 33. She left behind a husband with five children ranging in age from one to 14. Grandma's paternal grandmother, Anna Link Schneider, moved in with the family to help. It was from Anna that Grandma learned her superb cooking and baking skills.
One year, they had acquired a young gosling on their farm. As a young child, she was immediately taken with it and adopted it as a pet. Her father continually warned her, "Don't you name that goose! It's not a pet!" Sure enough, they had it for Christmas dinner, and she was devastated.
Grandma shared with me one time that she had been an excellent student in Hungary...one of the best in her class. When she was completing the equivalent of eighth grade, her teachers were strongly encouraging her to continue her education. This was not a normal thing for girls in Hungary at the time, though, and her father said she was needed at home, so it did not happen.
