At age 44, in 1922, Maud Nelson officially retired. Although she did continue to guest pitch for the Boston Bloomer Girls, sporadically barnstorm, and even visited Cuba when her team barnstormed there (Cohen 29). Shortly there after Maud met and married Constante Delaqua. They lived together and raised their stepson Joe Dellacqua; from Constante’s first marriage. Additionally, they started and managed the All Star Ranger Girls who played until 1934 when the depression made it impossible to keep a barnstorming team going (Klages 1).
Boston in 1934, where Maud had spent the majority of her life, was in ruin. “When the Depression was at its worst, unemployment in Massachusetts reached 25 percent, and more than half of the jobless had been so for at least a year. As textile and shoe factories closed, the malaise spread to industries that had once supplied those factories. The situation continued to deteriorate” (Mass Moments). One can only guess how Maud and Constante endured the worst of the depression from 1934, through the beginning of World War II, and until Maud’s death in 1944. Boston and the surrounding areas in 1934 were in a depressing state, with the majority of the factories closing or employing a measly amount of people, money and food were hard to come by. A young local Bostinian, Patricia Johnson remembers, “As the Depression progressed into 1938, people would be coming around and knocking at doors, asking for something to eat, for a piece of bread or something of that nature. My father left orders that no one would ever be turned away. If anyone ever came to our door and they were hungry, they would be fed” (Remembering).
At some point during the great depression Maud and Constante moved to Illinois, where Maud would spend the rest of her days. “The Great Depression was particularly severe in Chicago because of the city's reliance on manufacturing, the hardest hit sector nationally. Only 50 percent of the Chicagoans who had worked in the manufacturing sector in 1927 were still working there in 1933.” (Deutsch). The coming of World War II and the United States eventual involvement in it after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 kickstarted the economy, particularly in Chicago where “the war instantly reshaped the workplace. The city's diversified industrial base made it second only to Detroit in the value—$24 billion—of war goods produced” (Duis).
Maud Nelson died on February 15, 1944 at 63 years old. She’s one who was remembered for her skill and devotion to baseball. She was always quiet and reserved, focussing on doing her job and doing her job well. “Margaret Gisolo toured with the All Star Ranger Girls for five years in the 1930’s and had no idea that Maud had been a player” (Gregorich 6). This tells us that Maud had no desire to relive her glory days, no desire for anyone to know what she had done. She knew what she did with her life, and that was enough.
Boston in 1934, where Maud had spent the majority of her life, was in ruin. “When the Depression was at its worst, unemployment in Massachusetts reached 25 percent, and more than half of the jobless had been so for at least a year. As textile and shoe factories closed, the malaise spread to industries that had once supplied those factories. The situation continued to deteriorate” (Mass Moments). One can only guess how Maud and Constante endured the worst of the depression from 1934, through the beginning of World War II, and until Maud’s death in 1944. Boston and the surrounding areas in 1934 were in a depressing state, with the majority of the factories closing or employing a measly amount of people, money and food were hard to come by. A young local Bostinian, Patricia Johnson remembers, “As the Depression progressed into 1938, people would be coming around and knocking at doors, asking for something to eat, for a piece of bread or something of that nature. My father left orders that no one would ever be turned away. If anyone ever came to our door and they were hungry, they would be fed” (Remembering).
At some point during the great depression Maud and Constante moved to Illinois, where Maud would spend the rest of her days. “The Great Depression was particularly severe in Chicago because of the city's reliance on manufacturing, the hardest hit sector nationally. Only 50 percent of the Chicagoans who had worked in the manufacturing sector in 1927 were still working there in 1933.” (Deutsch). The coming of World War II and the United States eventual involvement in it after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 kickstarted the economy, particularly in Chicago where “the war instantly reshaped the workplace. The city's diversified industrial base made it second only to Detroit in the value—$24 billion—of war goods produced” (Duis).
Maud Nelson died on February 15, 1944 at 63 years old. She’s one who was remembered for her skill and devotion to baseball. She was always quiet and reserved, focussing on doing her job and doing her job well. “Margaret Gisolo toured with the All Star Ranger Girls for five years in the 1930’s and had no idea that Maud had been a player” (Gregorich 6). This tells us that Maud had no desire to relive her glory days, no desire for anyone to know what she had done. She knew what she did with her life, and that was enough.