Wanda’s Childhood

Wanda Maria Werbicki was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 24, 1921 and was the first of four children born to Raymond Werbicki and Pelagia Bregetta Jaroszewska Werbicki. Her siblings were Regina Barbara Joan Werbicki (October 25, 1923), Raymond John Werbicki (February 8, 1926), and Felix Robert Werbicki (June 3, 1931). On the 1930 Federal Census, the family was living on South 1 st Street in the Polish Catholic neighborhood.

This wedding picture taken of Pauline and Raymond Werbicki was taken in 1920.

The Werbicki family never owned a home but always rented an apartment in the Polish part of Brooklyn just south of McCarren Park and northeast of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. So far, seven different addresses have been located. As mentioned before, Wanda did not learn to speak English until she entered school. Her early years were spent at a Catholic school where the nuns were very strict. For example, left handedness was considered evil and when Wanda’s sister, Regina, tried to write with her left hand, she was punished and forced to learn to use her right hand. Later in life, Aunt Reggie did everything left handed except write. Today, it is hard for us to imagine going to school in that type of environment!

This picture was taken about 1928 because Raymond John Werbicki (sitting in his father’s lap) was born February 8, 1926. From left to right, Wanda, mother Pauline, father Raymond holding Raymond, Regina. Felix is not in this picture since he was not born until 1931.

Wanda’s first experience with school was not a happy one. Because English was spoken instead of Polish, she did not understand what the teacher or other students were saying. It was so traumatic to her that on arriving home, she told her dad that she did not want to go to school. Her father, or course, responded that she must attend. He wanted his children to one day be able to live outside the Polish neighborhood and not be limited by their heritage. To help the children adjust to speaking English, her father required that English be spoken at home.

Under the table is a small sign that reads 1930. That would make Wanda 9 years old. This picture of Wanda is thought to be a Confirmation picture. Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. In this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church.

Our Lady of Consolation

Records indicate that the Werbicki family attended Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church. It is still located at 184 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn. The church is on the south side of Metropolitan Avenue, between Berry Street and Bedford Avenue. At various times, the Werbicki family lived on both Berry Street and Bedford Avenue. Even today, many of the masses at this church are conducted in Polish.

The Children’s Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

We know that Raymond Werbicki helped construct some areas of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. While he was working there Wanda became involved with the “Children’s Garden” and had a small plot. The pictures you see here and on the next slide are not from our family records but pictures from the internet site for the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. They are used here to help the reader visualize the children’s garden program. It is obvious that Wanda developed a love of growing things as a child.

Children carrying home vegetables they grew in their garden.

Children's Garden House, 1929.

Miss Jenkins teaching the children their first lesson in planting. 1930

Uncle Stanley and Aunt Eva’s farm in Connecticut

In addition to the Children’s Garden, Wanda spend time, especially in the summer, on a farm in Sprague, Connecticut owned by Bachie’s sister, Eva, and her husband, Stanley Piekarski. In addition to the usual vegetables and animals raised on a farm, they grew blueberries and asparagus. The asparagus was sold to restaurants. It was on this farm that Wanda observed and learned about collecting wild mushrooms, raising chickens, and growing crops. This knowledge would become very valuable later when helping to support her own young family on DeBelle Street in Clarkston, Georgia when she too would be raising chickens and growing a garden.

While in Connecticut during the summers, she learned to swim. The story goes that Wanda’s Uncle Stanley threw her in the river (probably Shetucket River) and told her to swim. Cruel but effective. Surely, he got in with her or gave her some pointers because she was a wonderful, confident swimmer.

Those summers on the farm taught Wanda how to use nature as a teaching tool for herself, siblings, cousins, and later in life her children, and grandchildren. Patient observation gave way to questions that needed answering, followed by the knowledge gained by the answer. The world was Wanda’s classroom.

The Great Depression

When the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, Wanda was 8 years old. Living in an urban area where food had to be purchased caused tremendous hardships. For many immigrant families, not getting enough to eat became a way of life. Thankfully, the Werbicki family was able to take some of the food raised on the farm in Connecticut back to Brooklyn to supplement their purchases made in the city. To help another family, Wanda’s father would “job share” so that each family would have half an income. This picture, taken during the depression, shows a bread line in Brooklyn two or three miles from their home.

Life in a “Row House”

Though this picture was taken in the early 1940s, the street behind Regina is typical of the places the Werbicki family lived. As can be seen, these buildings had no front yards and few trees and shrubs; and, the buildings had no space between them. Each floor contained several apartments and there were fire escapes on the back of the buildings. Electric fans were the only means available to cool a house. Often on hot summer nights, people sat on the front steps or on the fire escape to be cool. The house with the “open” triangle over the door is 146 North 4 th Street where the Werbicki family lived at the end of World War II. In fact, this is where Raymond Fortenberry lived as in infant while Wanda waited for Adrian to get out of the Navy.

Helping around the house

Having a strict mother and three younger siblings meant that Wanda had quite a few responsibilities around the house. When she got old enough, she often helped with the shopping. Today, it is hard to imagine life without a grocery store that carries everything we need to prepare meals sold in one place. But living in the Polish area of Brooklyn in the 1920s and 1930s meant visiting different markets to shop for food – these included the butcher, baker, and grocer. And of course, they shopped often since refrigeration of the time was often an ice box cooled by a block of ice.

There were certain tasks she had to perform as a child that Wanda particularly disliked. Her mother made crocheted curtains that she had to help wash four times a year due to pollution discoloring them. The curtains had to be put in the bathtub with soap and then she stomped them to clean them. No washing machines or dryers! Afterwards, they were starched and stretched. When dry they would need to be ironed and re-hung. Washing windows was another challenge. We know that they usually lived in a second or third floor apartment. To wash windows, Wanda would sit on the window ledge and hang out the window with just her legs inside. Holding on with one hand, she would wash the window with the other. Her children remember her washing windows this way until she was in her 50s!

In order to dry clothes that were washed, the back of the row houses were crisscrossed with clotheslines as seen below.

Coney Island

Coney Island is a huge amusement park on an island south of Brooklyn with a beach, sideshows, restaurants, and a lot of people.

During the summer, Bachie often sent Wanda and her siblings off to spend the day at Coney Island. Being the oldest, it was her responsibility to get everyone there and back safely. Sounds like a fun time for most teenagers! Not Wanda! Even as an adult, she did not like going to the beach. From stories she told, it all was due to the beach sand. Evidently, the long ride home on the subway with sand in her bathing suit left a lasting impression!

There was no information on the back of this picture; but it was taken at Coney island, and Wanda looks to be about 15 or 16.

1936 – Wanda, age 15, Regina, age 13 Unknown location

Central Needle Trades High School

As the name above implies, Wanda did not attend a typical high school. Both she and her sister, Regina, attended a high school designed specifically for teaching dressmaking. For those of you that knew her well, this should come as no surprise. Wanda could make anything; and some of her projects included wedding dresses, winter coats, purses, quilts, machine embroidery, and even reupholstering furniture. Since there is a lot to say about her abilities in this area, there will be a future entry devoted to her sewing. The current name of the school she attended is the High School of Fashion Industries. The name of the school was changed in 1956 from Central Needle Trades to The High School of Fashion Industries. It is essentially a magnet school and not like any other school in the country. The original school began in March, 1926, in two rooms on 31st Street. Seventy five students were taught Men's Clothing Design or Dressmaking, English Citizenship and Arithmetic by two teachers and one principal. Most of its students were immigrants or children of immigrants who were trying to make new lives for themselves in a new country. Wanda frequently talked about this school as she was teaching her own children to sew. Students were required to keep notebooks that contained sewing directions. On the front of Regina’s notebook she wrote “Central Needle Trades.” A few of the pages from Wanda’s notebook appear below.

The original school was about 4 or 5 miles from where Wanda lived and she probably took the subway to school. One story told about her trips to school is interesting. When it was cold outside, she would buy a cooked sweet potato from a vendor on the street, put it in her pocket to keep her warm, and once at school, eat it for breakfast.

This poor quality photo was taken on Decoration Day (today we call it Memorial Day) May 31, 1937. Wanda would have been 16 years old and is probably modeling one of her dress designs.

Wanda’s Urban classroom

Wanda grew up in one of the largest cities in the world; consequently, she had cultural experiences that were amazing, even by today’s standards. Wanda loved to visit parks. She talked about McCarren Park, Prospect Park, Central Park, and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. School field trips were also taken to the American Museum of Natural History where she developed a life long love of science. At Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, she saw spectacular shows and concerts and developed an appreciation for music and art.

Rockefeller Center Yankee Stadium

One outing in New York that Wanda did not care for was visiting Yankee Stadium. Later in life she found it amusing that so many friends were jealous of her experiences of seeing famous Yankee baseball players in action. During her years as a teenager she saw such greats as Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Joe DiMaggio. To Wanda, sitting though a game was torture!