A Chapter of my Grandmother's Story was Shared by the New York Daily News

My grandmother’s photos were featured in an article about the 100th Anniversary of the Webster Apartments for single women in the November 20, 2023, issue of the New York Daily News. 

The Webster Apartments were established in 1923 largely due to Charles Webster of the Macy family, who, after his death in 1916, left the bulk of his money to benefit the city’s single women. He directed that money go specifically to the creation of apartments to improve the living conditions for single, working women in Manhattan.  The 14-story building between 9th and 10th Avenues was a short walk from Macy's department store at Herald Square. 

Many women who lived at the Webster worked at Macy’s, but not all. My grandmother, Edith Giddens, lived at the Webster from about 1929 to 1931. While living at the Webster, my grandmother worked at the New York Public Library as a clerk and held a similar position at the Museum of Natural History. She used to talk about it as if it were an exclusive club. She had photos with friends on the rooftop and talked about the radio room and the room to meet beaus. Three of her photos appeared in the online version of the article and two in the paper version. 

This article wasn't just a happy coincidence. I wrote about Grandma living at the Webster in two 2015 blog posts and one post in 2016. If I hadn't shared Grandma's stories, Ellen Moynihan, the New York Daily News reporter, would not have known to contact me for the photos and family information.

Good things can happen when you share your family stories. You don't have to write a blog. You can share on Facebook or Instagram, on a website such as US Genweb, or on a public family tree. 

I personally didn't benefit from sharing my photos and family information. However, my mother and her sister loved seeing their mother in the news. And my grandmother's great-grandchildren saw the article as well. Maybe Grandma's story will be passed down to a few more generations. 

This rooftop photo of Grandma was featured in the online version of the New York Daily News article. This new-found article, Century-Old Women’s Residence The Webster Apartments Sold for $52.5 Million, shows the rooftop a few years after Grandma's photo was taken, as well as a more recent photo. 

My blog posts about Grandma living at The Webster can be seen at the links below. 

Friday's Photo: Grandma Lived at The Webster in NYC

Friday's Photo: Grandma's Friend, Cleo Hauser

Friday's Photo: This Photo was Edited in the 1930s

I know that the article at the top of this post is much too small to read. I have a subscription to the New York Daily News. If you want to read the full article, contact me on my Facebook page or via email, and I will share it with you. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2024 

Ellen Moynihan, "Young, Unmarried in Need of Housing," New York Daily News, 20 November 2023, print, pages 16-17.  Used with permission.