My Great-Grandmother's Wedding Dress - Rose Gross Ryan

As mentioned in the previous post, I attended the Celebration of Life for a James Hugh Ryan this past weekend.  In the process, I got to meet several second cousins I'd never met.  One of these was Pam Biederman.  I'd been told by Pam's mother that Pam had part of the wedding dress of our g-grandmother, Rose Gross Ryan, framed and hanging in her living room.  Pam said she had been given the dress by her grandfather, Ray Ryan, with the promise that she would wear it in her own wedding.  In an email Pam said, "I never married so I did the best next thing and framed it. The dress is in my family/living room and I enjoy it every day."

I'm one of those lucky family historians who actually was left INFORMATION by my ancestors.  My grandmother, Virginia Ryan, left records stating that James Hugh and Rose Gross were married in a "mission" church in Ottenheim, Kentucky.  I wrote to the church and they sent me this record.

Based on this information, I'd tried to discover why the Ryan/Gross families were living in Kentucky -- a fect not supported by any of my research.  It was only in the past year, thanks to Matt Biederman, that I discovered that they only got married in Kentucky, but did not live there.  He sent me a copy of the dispensation James and Rose got from their parish to get married before their banns had been published three times.

Pam kindly agreed to send me pictures of the framed wedding dress.  I don't know what the top looked like, but I can't believe the detail in the skirt portion.  I tried to enlarge part of the embroidery so that you can have an appreciation of the handiwork involved in the dress.

Click to see detail

What talent!  This dress gives me a better understanding of how my ancestors were able to support themselves through embroidery.  Thanks, Pam, for sharing.

Rosina (Rose) Becker Gross

In a previous post, I discussed what I new about my immigrant gg-grandmother, Rose.  Rose, although ethnically German, immigrated with her family from Lorraine, France.  The 1900 Census lists their immigration year as 1860, although the 1920 Census states that the family arrived in 1855.  I believe the latter is the correct date as I was able to locate an immigration record on the Ship William Tell that arrived in New York in 1855.  There are a few discrepancies, but most of what I know is supported by these records.



What is beyond dispute, however, is that Rose was a widow with four children by 1879.  The surviving children were:  Rose -age 15, Julius - age 14, Julia - age 12, and Eliza (Alice) - age 6.  The 1880 Census lists Rose and her four children living in the same residence as her older sister, Catherine, and younger brothers, Victor and Nicolas.  They were living at 288 W. 6th St. in downtown Cincinnati.  All but the three youngest children were listed as working in a "Stamping and Embroidery" business, apparently owned by the family.  Young Rose was also working in the store, but her brother, Julius is listed as working in a candy store.

For the times, I can imagine that the children were very fortunate.  They were raised in a home with four adults including two men who could serve as father figures.  Frequent occupations for women at the time included being a seamstress, milliner, embroiderer or similar.  Sure beats taking in laundry!

The women in my family were quite good at this.  We have a few remaining pieces of their work.  The one at the left in incomplete.  The one to the right was embroidered by the younger Rose.  It was a hat liner for her husband, James Hugh Ryan.  I'm told that Rose also embroidered beautiful flowers on her wedding dress.  It was obviously a labor of love for these women.

As far as I know, three of Rose's siblings (Catherine, Victor and Alice)never married. Victor, who was a Civil War Veteran of a cavalry unit, was listed as a "harness maker" in the 1900 Census. All are buried in St. John's Cemetery in St. Bernard, Ohio -- all in unmarked graves.



Final note: The 1900 Census lists Rose Gross living with three of her children at 851 Findlay Ave. Her siblings, Victor, Katharine and Alice are living a few doors away at 838 Findlay. By then Rose was receiving a Civil War Pension based on her husband, Charles', service in the military. By 1900, the family was using "Baker" for their surname, the "Americanized" version of Becker. It's interesting to note that by 1910, they reverted back to Becker.

Source Citation for Passenger List

In Honor of James Nicholaus Ryan

You knew this one was coming.  This morning descendants of Ray and Roy Ryan, brothers of James, got together to share stories, information and artifacts.  The children, grandchildren, and spouses from the Ray Ryan branch included Jim, Peggy and Tim Ryan, Pat and Matt Biederman, and Chris, Paul and Mark DiBenedetto and Paul's son, Mario.  Descendants of Roy Ryan included Jim Ryan and his wife. Carol, Pat Gallagher, Mike and his wife, Doloures, and Dan Ryan.  The Jones branch was represented by Tim and Dusty, and Kath. Evelyn and Charles McCafferty had to cancel due to illness.

We had a wonderful time.  Everyone brought artifacts and stories.  Starting with James Hugh Ryan (gr-grandfather to me) was a brass moulder by profession.  You can  read more about him here and here.

James Hugh Ryan, grandson of the first James Hugh brought a working brass cannon. Mike Ryan, great-grandson brought an eagle and a very interesting bottle opener.  Look at it carefully!

Pat Biederman, daughter of Ray, had several samples of Rose Ryan's embroidery.  She brought the piece pictured at the left that had never been completed.

She also had a lacy nightcap that Rose had made.  Rose's mother had at one time had an embroidery shop run in conjunction with her Becker siblings.


Pat also shared with us a purse her grandfather (James Hugh) had brought back from the 1904 World's Fair for her mother, Rose.

Matt and Pat Biederman with purse

Probably one of my favorite items was a very little change purse that had been on the person of James Hugh at the time of his death.  It contained three pennies from the 1890's.

In addition to those items pictured, Mike Ryan brought numerous pictures of our grandfather, Roy, and Matt Biederman brought many of the items featured earlier this month in posts about James Nicholaus, the sailor.

My only regret is that I was so focused on all of the wonderful stories and trying to figure out who belonged to whom that I neglected to get pictures of everyone in attendance. I guess that means we have to do it again. I did manage to get a picture of a some of the new to me second cousins and spouses.

Chris DiBenedetto, Tim Ryan, Mark DiBenedetto, and Matt Biederman

Jim, Tim and Peggy Ryan

Tim, Peggy, Mark, Matt, Pat and Mike Ryan

I apologize to Jim, Carol, Paul, Mario, Tim, Dusty, Pat, Dan and Doloures for not getting a picture of you.  Next time, we put someone in charge of photography.  I so enjoyed meeting everyone.

Kathy

Note:  You can double-click on pictures to enlarge.  I would LOVE it if you would click on the comments box and add to the discussion.

I'm "Ancestor Approved"

A couple of months ago, I linked my blog to "Geneabloggers," a group of bloggers dedicated to sharing their family histories.  As a result, I've had many more readers besides my immediate family.  In addition, I've been able to get new ideas from other bloggers I've been reading who approach the same task in many different ways.

Yesterday I found out that Jenn, of Roots and Stones, had selected my blog to receive the "Ancestor Approved" Award. The
"Ancestor Approved" Award was created in March 2010 by Leslie Ann Ballou of Ancestors Live Here as a way to show how much she appreciates and enjoys "blogs full of tips and tricks as well as funny and heartwarming stories..."


Recipients are to list ten things which surprised, humbled or enlightened them about their ancestors, before passing it on to ten other bloggers.  After 10 years, now is probably a good time to reflect on what I've learned, so here is my list.

1. I was surprised to discover that the Jones Family ancestry in America extends back to pre-Revolutionary War times.  We could be members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  You can read about Vincent Wainwright in this post.  Click on Wainwrights and the Revolutionary War
2. I didn't realize the degree of poverty experienced by both my German and Irish ancestors.  The Vonderheides were "Heuerleute" or non-landowning peasants who shared living space with farm animals. See Past vs. Present - Part I  The Ryans left Ireland at the height of the Irish Potato Famine.  America wasn't much better.  Hugh Ryan initially made his living as a "brickmaker" in Evansville, Indiana -- an occupation described on one web site as "slave." See Hugh Matthew Ryan and Mary Ellen McInerney
3. I always said that I came from a long line of strong women.  However, I had no idea how difficult life was for three young widows in my line.  Among these women are Rosa Gross, Lucy Cronin, and Rose Ryan.  
4. I am amazed by what I did not know about my own grandfathers.  "Fred" Jones ran a "tight ship" when it came to his "car barn" -- a maintenance facility for streetcars (and later buses).  He received numerous awards and recognitions.  See Modesty.  I was also unaware that my maternal grandfather, Roy Ryan, was such a proficient "duplicator."  According to Aunt Evelyn, her father could retrieve toys and other items that had been placed out in the trash and restore them to "like new" condition.  He particularly did this during the Depression.  It should also be noted that he had to drop out of school to help support his family when he was just 13 years old and his father died of pneumonia. See Roy Ryan - Part I
5. I did not realize that I have six ancestors who served in the Civil War.  I've written at length about Britton Wainright, but I've since discovered five other ancestors who served.  I am currently preparing materials to add to the blog on each of them.
6. I'm amazed at the integral role that the Ohio River and boating has played in the history of my family.  Four generations of Joneses have lived within a couple of blocks of the Ohio River.  Boats have been a part of every Jones generation.  One of my goals is to write a separate blog on this topic.
7. Genealogy is NOT a solitary hobby.  Researching my family history has enabled me to reconnect with several of my cousins and find new cousins who have played an integral role in my research.  Cousins I've "discovered" include:  Martha Darby Rutter, Barbara Pharo, Betty Hodges Arnett and numerous Vonderheides.
8. I had no idea that my grandmother, Norine Dailey Cronin Jones, was raised in an orphanage in northern Kentucky.
9. Researching my family has encouraged me to travel to my "homelands."  Bill and I have traveled to Germany, Ireland, and Hungary to visit the homelands of our ancestors and the homeland of our son-in-law's family.
10. I've discovered how much I like to write.  Last year I submitted two articles to Writing Contests sponsored by the Ohio Genealogical Society.  Both were published.  I recently submitted a new article for consideration this year.

Our ancestors could not have imagined the largely healthy, happy and productive Joneses that would descend from them. Although I've posted this picture before, I think it is appropriate to post it again. 

Jones Family, Christmas 2010

On the next post, I will nominate 10 more family history bloggers for the "Ancestor Approved" Award. Thanks again, Jenn, for thinking of me.

Kathy

James Hugh and "Rose" Gross Ryan -- My Great-Grandparents - Part II

I've yet to find out why my g-grandparents got married in Ottenheim, KY.  In putting this post together, I tried to put together everything I knew about "Rose" Gross Ryan.  Surprisingly, it appears as if Rose was actually living in Cincinnati before James Hugh.

Rose's parents are Charles C. Gross from Wuerttemberg, Germany and  Rose Becker from Lorraine, France.  (Alsace-Lorraine is a territory that shifted back and forth between France and Germany.  The family, although citizens of France, were ethnically German). The 1900 Census lists the date of immigration for Rose Becker as 1860.  (A later Census lists the date of immigration as 1855).This is an interesting fact because further investigation may allow Rose's parents to be submitted to the Hamilton County Genealogical Society for a "Settlers and Builders" designation.  This designation is available for any direct ancestors that can be "proved" to be living in Cincinnati before 1861.

So here is what I know about "Rose" Gross:

Rose was born on May 2, 1865 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Rose married James Hugh Ryan on June 27, 1888.

James Hugh and Rose were the parents of nine children.  Three of them died before 1911 -- two of scarlet fever and one of diphtheria.

Rose became a widow of six children when her husband died of pneumonia in 1913.

Mary Julia Cecilia Ryan married J.J. Gill of Chicago.  She died of the flu during the 1918 flu pandemic at the age of 28.

As a result of Hugh's death, her 7th child, Roy, had to drop out of school at the age of 13 to help support the family.

Once when I was asking my aunt what she recalled about Rose, she said that Rose didn't seem to be able to manage money.  I then asked, "What money?"  Again, this was a time before Social Security.  What was a woman with young children supposed to do?

The family was so poor that when James Hugh died, he was buried in a "single" unmarked grave at St. John's Cemetery.  The three children were buried in a plot owned by Anton Beckerle.  Rose was also buried in a "single" grave that is not located next to her husband's grave.  None of the graves are marked.

After becoming widowed, Rose lived with and was supported by her children.  In here older age, she moved back and forth between the homes of her daughter's, Rose and  Florence.

Just to keep me on my toes, there were three generations of girls with the given name of "Rose".

When Rose was growing up with her widowed mother, the family lived with Rose's old Becker siblings Catherine, Nicolas and Victor.  The1880 Census lists an extended family of 8 running a stamping and embroidery shop on West 6th Street in Cincinnati.Rose is listed as "working in the store". She obviously learned to embroider.

One of the family's treasures is the lining of a hat that belonged to James Hugh.  Someone in the family had the foresight to keep that lining.  Luckily for us, my mother wrote on the reverse side of the hat liner that it had been embroidered by Rose for her husband, J. Ryan.  Pictures don't due the item justice.  It includes a beautifully embroidered bird.

This is the only evidence we have of what was obviously a loving and caring relationship between my g-grandparents. I'm so glad we have it.

James Hugh and "Rose" Gross Ryan -- My Great-Grandparents - Part I

James "Hugh" Ryan was the 6th of eight children born to Hugh Ryan and Mary Ellen McInerney.  He was born on September 27, 1862.  He was known as "Hugh", which I find interesting because the 5th child was named "Hugh".  The first "Hugh" in the family was born in 1861 in Evansville.  I have a copy of his baptismal record, but I've yet to find out what happened to him.  I suspect he died at a very young age.

Hugh, as I will refer to him from here on out, was my g-grandfather.  Hugh is listed as living with his mother and siblings in Cincinnati from 1880 -1889.   During that time, the family moved from 13th St. to Cutter and Everett to Gest St. to W. 8th St. to 280 Baymiller.  (In 1886, Hugh and his sister Margaret briefly shared a separate address living on 9th Street).  Hugh married Mary "Rose" Agnes Pauline Gross on June 27, 1888 at St. Sylvester Catholic Church in Ottenheim, KY.  I've yet to figure out why their marriage took place in Kentucky.  Hugh's sister, Margaret, and Rose's brother, Julius Gross, were witnesses to the marriage.  When they initially got married, they lived with the rest of the family at 280 Baymiller in Cincinnati's West End.

Hugh's occupation is listed as "core maker" in the 1880 Cincinnati City Directory.  From 1882 through 1894, Hugh's occupation was listed as a "molder".  Hugh was promoted to "foreman" at the American Brass Works in 1895.  In 1897 the family relocated to 979 Clinton in the West End.  I was not able to find a City Directory for 1900, the year my grandfather Roy was born, but the family was living at 428 Plum in Elmwood Place (a suburb of Cincinnati) by 1901.

Hugh and Rose were the parents of nine children:   James Nickelos (1889), Mary Julia Cecilia (1890), Rose Mary Agnes (1892), Margaret Mary Agnes (1894), Florence Margaret (1895), Richard Matthew Hugh (1898), Royal (Roy) Joseph Francis (1900), Mary Beatrice (1902), and Raymond Matthew (1904).

The family was living at 404 Beech St. in Elmwood Place in November, 1913 when Hugh died of pneumonia. I visited the home today to take a picture and the two current residents graciously allowed me to do so.  They had just reseeded the front lawn and planted a garden full of spring flowers.  The home is a two-family, but I do not know if the Ryans occupied the whole house or not.

According to Aunt Evelyn, Hugh was out campaigning in early November 1913 for a candidate for Mayor of Elmwood Place. It was cold and rainy and Hugh became ill.  Hugh's Death Certificate says that he was first under the care of a doctor on November 7th.  He succumbed to pneumonia on November 16th, 1913. His Death Certificate listed him as "Superintendent of the Foundry".  He was only 51 years old.

Family life for the Ryans revolved around the parish Church in Elmwood Place.  St. Aloysius was the home of baptisms, funerals and family marriages.  Before Hugh's death in 1913, the family lost three of their nine children.  Richard died on February 21, 1902 at the age of four of scarlet fever and pneumonia.  Six days later, his seven year-old sister, Margaret, died of scarlet fever and measles.  Both children are buried at St. John's Cemetery in St. Bernard, Ohio.  I can't even imagine losing two children in a week.


The saddest death of all had to be the death of James Nickelos (various spellings).  He was born on April 28, 1889 and died on May 1st, 1911.  Just after his 22nd birthday, James died of diphtheria while aboard the U.S. Ship "Virginia" while it was docked in the Boston Navy Yards.  I recall hearing stories that James father, Hugh, insisted on opening the coffin when his son's body was returned to Cincinnati.  He just could not accept that James was actually dead without personally identifying the body.  All three children are buried at St. John's Cemetery in St. Bernard. They, like their parents, are in unmarked graves.

As this post is getting rather lengthy, I will continue with a focus on Rose in Part II.