By Muriel J. Smith
Freehold’s Red Cross was still active after World War I. It was April 1919, 100 years ago this month. While many citizens in and around Freehold were continuing discussions on the possibility and hope that the business center of the township could be separated and created under its own government, none of these activities was more important to the reading public of the Freehold Transcript than the pride the residents had for their Freehold Red Cross Branch.
Freehold residents had worked hard since shortly after the declaration of the war in 1917 to do all they could to help not only the men and women serving in that war, but also their families at home.
Local women had started a “War Relief Organization” in 1917 to make surgical dressings and hospital supplies for American soldiers. Miss Beach was chairman of this hard-working society, with Mrs. Rena, treasurer, Mrs. Joseph A. Yard, secretary, Miss Lillian Anderson, chairman of Ways and Means, and Mrs. Margaret DeMott, chairman of the work committee.
At first, the ladies met at Miss Beach’s home to do their work, then later moved to the old firehouse on Throckmorton Street. By 1919, they were at the new municipal building with the permission of the town commissioners.
It was apparent, judging from the amount of work still to be done during the war, that affiliation with a larger organization would be necessary, so the local society became part of the American Red Cross and was officially an auxiliary of the Red Bank chapter.
When it was decided all the county chapters should be grouped as branches around a central administrative chapter, Freehold’s volunteerism had grown to such proportions and its members so plentiful that it became a branch of the county chapter on its own.
Once this was established as part of the American Red Cross, Mrs. Yard became treasurer, Miss Anderson, secretary, Mrs. C.P. Beistle, vice chairman, and Mrs. Harry W. Ingling, chairman of the Hospital Garment and Surgical Dressings committee. Frederick Howell was also in the group and was chairman of the membership and revenue committees.
Fundraising campaigns were so successful that the Freehold Branch had received $14,000 under the War Fund Campaign, had pledges for regular contributions, and had an annual income of $9,000, with $5,000 in the treasury.
But it was the work of the ladies that was so significant. Mrs. Ingling’s Hospital Garments and Surgical Dressings Committee had turned out more than 160,000 surgical dressings, and nearly 12,000 hospital garments for the injured. They also knitted articles and their work rooms were busy seven days a week.
Miss Anderson and Mr. Snyder’s Civilian Relief Committee had also provided some forms of relief to 50 cases, either rendering service to families of soldiers by securing allotments and allowances or providing funds for families in emergent need whose sons had died in the war.
They also worked to secure discharges in some worthy and necessary cases, and had even helped locate soldiers who had been missing or whose families had not heard from them for some time.
The Freehold Branch had grown so large it now had 12 auxiliaries in outlying districts, plus another three school auxiliaries. Freehold High School itself had been organized in 1918, renewed its membership this year, and was joined by high schools at Jerseyville and Union Hill in turning out large quantities of materials for aid, under the direction of Miss Donahay and Miss Arrowsmith.
The other auxiliaries were located in Manalapan, Jerseyville, Elton, Paradise, Millhurst, Colts Neck, Englishtown, Tennent, Clarksburg, Perrineville and West Freehold, as well as the very excellent auxiliary in Freehold at the Colored YWCA.
This article was prepared by Muriel J. Smith for the Freehold Borough Centennial Committee. Freehold Borough is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2019.