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The Braidwood
Mace Babies
Four out of seven children of Victor and
Minnie Braidwood were delivered by
Dr. Margaret Mace: John Christopher,
born December 1, 1907, Beatrice
(Betty), born July 10, 1918, Edward
Lewis, born February 25, 1921,
Katherine Doris (Kae), born July 11,
1923. We were all born at home.
According to the 1938 North Wildwood Junior
High School Yearbook, The Beacon (of
which Kae was Editor-in-Chief), an article
about Dr. Mace and her hospital explains
the various locations of her medical practice.
“About the year 1905 Dr. Mace practiced
in an office at 17th and Atlantic Avenues. …….With the increasing number of cases,
a larger place was deemed necessary; therefore
she established an office on Chestnut
and New Jersey Avenues, which she maintained
until the year 1915.
Recognizing the need of a convalescent
sanitarium, Dr. Mace found a house
on 25th and Atlantic Avenues. However,
this institution did not remain very long
planned ……it was absolutely essential
that this place become a hospital.
It was at this time that Dr. Mace
fully realized the great importance on this
work and that her life must be devoted to
humanity. Her next step was established
the Margaret Mace Hospital on April 1,
1915 and attempt to satisfy the urgent demands
that were exerted on it.” |
The picture below left is of the three
youngest, Edward, Katherine & Betty, was
taken 1926 in front of our home at 205
(Olde) New Jersey Ave. which is currently
occupied by Joe and Norma Doris’ “Happenings
Curiosity Shop.”
In 1926, we built our home with our store
in the front. So we had a very short move
over to 209 Olde New Jersey Ave. where we
all grew up. I enclose a photo of the store
as some of you may remember it.
The youngest picture I have of Johnny,
at about 4 years of age, was taken at
Sherman’s Studio on the Boardwalk with
our mother and older brother Harold.
(bottom left). It was a popular thing to have these
photos printed on a postcard and mailed
as “greetings from the shore.” Johnny later
worked for Sherman’s Studio in the summers
on Pacific Avenue near the High
School. Like the shoemaker’s children who
never have shoes, it may explain why I have
so few pictures of my brother. He met his
wife, Margaret ( bottom right photo) there when she
came to work at tinting the pictures. They
later moved to Florida and raised their family
in Coral Gables. He died in 1970.
Betty married Earl Taylor. Among other
things, they constructed and operated the
Earle Motel (demolished this year) and had
the Sunset Ceramic Studio, both in
Widlwood Crest. When Betty retired as the
Cape May County Adjuster in 1979 after 34
years, they moved to Biloxi, MS. Betty has
since returned to live in Rio Grande, closer
to her daughters, Barbara Jaffe and Earleen
Salasin.
Edward was a Coast Guard on LST 26 in
the South Pacific during WWII. He was
Deputy Sheriff of Allen County in Ft. Wayne,
IN when he retired. He currently resides
near his son, Lee, at the Cardinal retirement
Home in Sewell, NJ. When he returned to
the States, he was stationed briefly as the
keeper of the Punta Gorda lighthouse in
California.
I, Kae, graduated valedictorian from Wildwood
High in 1941 and from Douglass College
(then New Jersey College for Women)
in 1945. I met and married Sidney
Drumheller in N.Y.C. Our three children
were born in Rochester, NY before we
moved to Des Moines, IA, where Sid was a
professor at Drake University. I received my
MBA from Drake and later retired as Senior
Internal Auditor from Blue Cross/Blue
Shield of IA. I have my home in Des Moines
and a winter home in Florida.
One recollection I have of Dr. Mace is when
she would come to examine the children
at North Wildwood Public School, later
named after her, she would ask for their
last name. If she knew that she delivered
them, which was highly probable, she told
them, as she told me, “I remember your
mother very well.”
Another memory is of Jackie Mace, raised
by Dr. Mace... he later lived with Abbie
Hewitt on Walnut Ave. At that time, all the
North Wildwood children, K-4, went to the
school at 10th & Central Aves. Since I lived
around the corner from Jackie, I was selected
to walk him to and from school each
day until he was familiar with the routine.
Although I was smaller than Jackie, I was a
couple years older, so handled the situation
as needed for a few weeks. As I recall, I received
25 cents per week for my services.
The more recent photo ( bottom right) of myself,
Edward and Betty, gives a glance at how life
has treated us. All things considered, not
too bad. Dr. Margaret Mace gave us a good
start, along with the salt and sea air of North
Wildwood!
Edward, Katherine & Betty taken 1926 |
209 Olde New Jersey Ave, 1926 |
Johnny,
at about 4 years of age,
with
our mother and older brother Harold |
Kae,
Edward and Betty |
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Jonny and his wife, Margaret |
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