Yesterday's Birthdays - 31 August

On August 31, 1848, Charles A Linn was born in Otterberg, Rhenish, Germany to parents, Charles Anton and Charlotte (Spindler) Linn.  He came to this country about 1851 with his parents and three sisters.  The family made their way to Ripley, Ohio where, by 1860, three other children joined the family.  Charles's youngest sibling, John, arrived in 1863.

Charles was educated in the Ripley schools and after high school, he attended the Cincinnati Law School, graduating in 1869.  He was a prominent lawyer and served, for a time, as the prosecuting attorney for Brown County.

On 10 December 1872, he married Louisa Weiand.  They had three children, Allen, Robert, and Alice. The family made their home on Third Street.  Charles was an active member of the Masonic Order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias.  He was a member of the German Lutheran Church.  Death took Charles on 12 June 1927.  He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery.

Charles A and Louisa (Weiand) Linn

Charles and grandson, Kenneth - 1907

Alice Lee Edwards

A very distant cousin, Alice Lee Edwards was a character actress who appeared on stage and television from the late 1930's to 1950.  We share the ancestor, Johann Heinrich Linn, or Henry as he was known in America, and his wife, Elizabeth Stein.  

Alice Lee was born in 1910 to parents, Alice Linn and Leander Allison Edwards in Ripley, Ohio.  At the age of about five, the family moved to Hamilton, Ohio in Butler County where her mother was a teacher in the public schools.   

Alice Lee became familiar with death all during her childhood.  In 1917, her father died and she and her mother became a part of the household of Leon and Minnie Perkins in Hamilton.  They are listed as cousins of Leon in the 1920 census.  On December 16, 1925, Alice Lee suffered the death of her grandmother, Louisa Weiand Linn, then just a short time later, on January 14, 1926, her mother tragically died from liver problems that were a complication of influenza.  At the young age of sixteen, Alice Lee returned to Ripley to live with her grandfather, Charles A. Linn where just one year later, she would once again encounter death upon the death of  her grandfather.  

Alice Lee enjoyed participating in plays and public speaking during her high school years in Ripley.   Graduating from Ripley High School in 1927, she then attended Miami University, graduating from that institution in 1931.  After being a student of  drama under actress Madam Maria Ouspeskaya in New York City, Alice Lee became a teacher of that art in Buffalo, New York.  

Her later years found Alice Lee in various plays and productions in Hollywood and Pasadena, California.  She returned to the east coast where she performed on stage in New York City and other theaters in New England.  In 1949, she was a member of the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire.  In 1950, she made an appearance on the Gabby Hayes television show.

Alice Lee's life, while tragic, must have been an exciting one with her career and travels.  On January 26, 1955, exactly twenty-nine years after the death of her mother, Alice Lee met death for the final time. Her own death occurred in New York City where her body was cremated.  There is a marker honoring her life in the Edwards' family plot in Maplewood Cemetery, Ripley, Ohio.

  

Christmas Past

With my father being in the military, I very seldom spent the Christmas holidays with my grandparents in Ripley, Ohio.  My Christmases were spent quietly with my parents and brother in places like Hawaii, Alabama, South and North Carolina, Kentucky, and Zweibrucken, Germany.  They were pleasant and fun holidays, but  I often wonder what I missed by not having cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents around to share in the celebration of Christmas. 

 

After her divorce, there were years that my grandmother, Janet, would travel to where ever we lived at the time to be with us over the holidays.   Those years were special in that not only was it Christmas, but it was one more time during the year that I was able to spend with my grandmother, which was a rarity.

This picture was taken at Christmas 1958 before I became a military kid.  That's me with my grandfather, George Haitz, and my cousin.  I don't remember those first three Christmases that I spent in Ripley, but I know that the warmth and love that surrounded me is with me still.  

May your Christmas be one spent surrounded by the love of family and our Lord, Jesus Christ!  Merry Christmas!

The Linn Brothers

Michael and Magdalena Linn had four sons, in addition to their two daughters, that lived to adulthood.  Interestingly, three of those sons never married.   All but Louis stayed in Ripley their entire lives and worked in the retail business dealing with either dry goods or clothing.

William F. Linn, also known as Wilhelm F.,  was born September 13, 1856.  He married Ida Beyersdoerfer in 1897.  They became the parents of two children, Michael Raymond and Elizabeth.  W. F., as he was commonly known, died in Ripley in 1953.

Born Ludwig L. on November 1, 1858, Louis left Ripley at an early age.  In 1880, he was living in Atchison, Kansas along with his cousin, Henry Linn.  He then settled in Gunnison, Colorado.  For reasons unknown, he returned to Ripley by 1910 where he stayed until his death in 1935.

Emil Linn was the twin of his sister, Emilie, or Amelia as she was called.  The twins were born on the last day of January in 1861.  Emil was a grocer.  He, along with his younger brother, Walter, lived with their sister, Flora, until Flora's death.  After her passing, they continued to live in the Montgomery house on Fifth Street until their deaths.  Emil died in 1947. 

The youngest Linn son was Walter.  He was born April 30, 1863.  Walter was a dry goods merchant in Ripley.  He died September 17, 1954.  Upon his death, his estate was valued at $220,005.78.

Louis Lynn Becker's Birth Record

Louis was the first child and only son of Nicholas and Anna (Beyersdoerfer) Becker.  The line below Louis's record is that of his cousin, Errol Beyrsdoerfer, son of Anna's brother, Conrad.

The Children of Anton and Henrietta Koewler

During my teaching days, I didn't always have time to do the actual recording of information, but having a love of research, I seemed to be able to accumulate piece after piece of paper on which was printed what I found in those moments of free time I managed to steal from household chores.  As a result, I now have a monumental, but fun, task ahead of me sorting out all the people and families that I have stuffed in file folders.  The past several weeks have found me going through, organizing, and analyzing all the information that I have collected on my Koewler family over the years.  

As you know from my previous posts on this family, Anton and Henrietta (Fischer) Koewler were my great great grandparents.  It is through their daughter, Henrietta Koewler Haitz, that I am descended.  According to the 1900 census of Union Township, Ohio, the elder Henrietta gave birth to twelve children, of whom, only eight were living at that time.  

Currently, I have found only the names of those eight, and realistically, I will probably never find the other four.  They lived and died before statewide record keeping was required and county records might have been lost during the Brown County courthouse fire in the seventies.   I guess I shouldn't say I will never find them, but the chances are slim.

Anyway, I would like to share the names and dates that I have for the known children of Anton and Henrietta.

1. Catherine was born in Germany on May 6, 1865.  I don't know who or if she married.  I have no death date for her.

2. Henry was born about 1867 in Ohio.  He married twice and settled in Vanderburgh County, Indiana along with the family of Anton's brother, Thaddeus.

3. Joseph Jacob was born in Brown County, Ohio on January 16, 1872.  He married Laura Gast and they settled in Henderson, Kentucky.  He died December 20, 1935.

4. Mary, born about 1873 in Brown County, married a DeFosse.  I have no death date for her yet.

5 and 6. Louise M. was born about 1877, and Caroline was born June 16, 1878, both in Ohio.  I have no other information for these girls.  There is a Caroline Koewler who married a Henry Lutz in Evansville, Indiana that is possibly this Caroline, but I have not found evidence enough to prove it.

7. Henrietta, my great grandmother, was born in Brown County on December 2, 1880.  She married Joseph Haitz, and they lived in Ripley all their lives.  She died on March 23, 1965.

8. The youngest child, Lena F. was born in Brown County on September 8, 1883.  She married Louis Trapp and died September 21, 1946.  I have also found her listed as Elana.

Albert and Elizabeth Steele

When I was a child, Albert and Elizabeth Steele lived in Ripley, Ohio off of Governor Street.  My Aunt Elizabeth was one of, my grandfather, George Haitz's sisters.  Of all my Haitz great-aunts, I knew Elizabeth the best.  Unfortunately, I did not know my Uncle Albert that well.  

Their son was Albert Jerome Steele, or Jerry, as my mom and her sister called their cousin.  Born October 23, 1936, he was about the same age as they were and they often played together.  

This photograph must have been taken around 1940.  The background looks a lot like the hill behind my great - grandparents' house on Stevenson Road so maybe that is where it was taken.

High School Reunion Time

This weekend marks the annual Ripley High School alumni dinner and dance in Ripley, Ohio.  Each year, my parents take the long road trip to attend the event along with several of my aunts and uncles.  They all enjoy the opportunity to catch up with each other.  

I'm not sure how long this annual event has taken place, but I do know it has been for a long while.   Looking through my photographs the other day, I came across this one of my great-grandmother, Amy Montgomery Becker, and her classmates.  Amy was a 1909 graduate, also of Ripley High School.  This photo is of the 25th high school reunion which took place in 1934.   

Amy is the seventh lady from the left.  I do not know who the other women are, but the book, Ripley, Ohio - It's History and Families, lists eighteen graduates from that year.  This may or may not be a complete list.  

Class of 1909

                                       

Roy Kelsey

Clara Edith Liggett

Florence West

Frances A. Germann

Amy Montgomery

Sarah Kate Smith

Archie Criswell

Mattie Alleen Tweed

Mary Ross

Margaret Yearsley

Joseph Fichter

Mary Helen Frank

Lorena Berling

Lester McCormick

Katherine Hawk

Lola Kate Bradford

Elizabeth Letts

Wylie Spears

Death of Anton Koewler

I am going to let the newspaper articles tell the rest of the story.  For all of this to have happened over money and watermelons is just shameful.  

News Democrat - Georgetown, Ohio

March 29, 1900

"Anthony Koewler died at his home near town at 10 a. m., Monday, as the result of a shot fired by Wm. Sidwell on September 3, 1899.  His body was paralyzed from the waist down and it is almost a miracle that he lingered so long.  He was born in Germany 60 years ago, but has lived here many years.  He leaves a wife, two boys and three girls, besides many friends, to mourn his demise.  The funeral will take place from St. Michael's Church on Thursday morning at ten o'clock; interment in Maplewood.  His family have the sympathy of all.  Sidwell was re-arrested and taken to Georgetown and lodged in jail where he awaits the action of the grand jury."

Marietta Daily Leader - Marietta, Ohio

April 1, 1900

page 4

"Quarreled Over Melons

Ripley, O.,  March 31. - Anthony Koewler, a prominent farmer who was shot on the 3d of last September by Wm. Sidwell in a dispute over a crop of melons, was buried here on Thursday.  Koewler's death was due to the effects of the wound.  Sidwell was tried on the charge of shooting with intent to kill, but the jury disagreed.  He has been rearrested and jailed, the charge now being murder in the second degree."

Daily Public Ledger - Maysville, Kentucky

15 February 1901

page 1

"At Ripley a verdict of manslaughter was returned against William Sidwell, charged with the killing of Anthony Koewler last September.  Application for a new trial was made."

Daily Public Ledger - Maysville, Kentucky

28 February 1901

page 1

"William Sidwell, for the killing of Tony Koewler near Ripley over a year ago, has been denied a new trial, and was sentenced by Judge Markley to four and one-half years in the Ohio Penitentiary."

The Dedication of the Opening of the Bridge Over Red Oak Creek-Part Two

On July 2, 1941, over 6,000 people were in attendance for the ceremony marking the opening of the bridge over Red Oak Creek and the Ripley portion of the road along the Ohio River that served routes 52, 62 and 68.  This fact comes from another newspaper article out of the Portsmouth Times dated July 2, 1941.

Six thousand people!  Think about how big of a crowd six thousand people would make!  The opening of the bridge and the four miles of concrete pavement that was the Ripley section of the Cincinnati-Portsmouth road was a very important accomplishment for the small town of Ripley, Ohio.  The dedication ceremony, planned by a committee headed by my great-grandfather, Louis Becker, was attended by such dignitaries as State Highway Director, Hal G. Sours,  Arthur H. Peake, Division Highway Engineer, and other county and town officials.  United States Representative, Jacob E. Davis of Ohio's 6th District and United States Senators from Ohio,  Robert A. Taft and Harold H. Burton sent greetings by telegram.  

A parade with the Ripley High School band, the Columbia System Band from Cincinnati, as well as floats by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, American Legion Auxiliary, and Ripley Farmers and Sportsmen, was a highlight of the ceremony.  Vehicles representing various years and modes of transportation were also in the parade.  There was an ox-cart driven by L. P. Collier and a 1903 Reliable with solid tires driven by Emma Lang which was purported to be the oldest automobile in the state!  Rounding out the list of parade vehicles was a fire truck from 1887 and a hearse once owned by Lou Grimm.  What a parade that must have been for Ripley residents!

I can't count how many times I've traveled that section of Highway 52 and crossed over that bridge never knowing its history or the part my family played in it.  The next time I have the chance to visit Ripley, I plan on taking a picture of the bridge over Red Oak Creek.  It will make a very nice addition to the growing story of my family!

The Dedication of the Opening of the Bridge Over Red Oak Creek

I love reading old newspapers so it should be no surprise that the web site Newspaper Archive is one of my favorite Internet haunts.  I can spend many hours just searching for my ancestors and reading the articles that make my research come alive.   It's also a great place to procrastinate when a dreary household chore is looming over my head!

On Saturday, a search for members of my Becker family led me to a story about the plans to dedicate the bridge over Red Oak Creek in Ripley, Ohio.  The article was written for the Portsmouth Times (Portsmouth, Ohio) and published on May 18, 1941.

Red Oak Creek runs through the town of Ripley on its way to the Ohio River.  My father told me that prior to 1941, the only bridge in Ripley to cross over the creek was an iron truss bridge on Third Street.  Today, the bridge that allows traffic to cross over the creek is on Second Street on the east side of the town.  

In May of 1941, Ripley's mayor, Vern Smith, appointed members of the village council to arrange for a dedication of the new bridge and the concreting of Second Street as well as Route 52 east of town.  The council decided to hold the event on the earliest date that Hal G. Sours, State Highway Director, and other dignitaries, could be present.  Mayor Smith appointed my great grandfather, Louis Lynn Becker, to act as chairman of the committee which was in charge of the affair.  

In my next post I will describe the dedication that Lou Becker and his committee planned which was held July 2, 1941.

Henrietta, Frank, and George Haitz

Right to left: Henrietta, Frank, and George

Henrietta was born June 16, 1910.  She married Dick Owens in 1930 in Dayton, Ohio.  Henrietta died July 2, 1995 in Warrensburg, Missouri.  She is buried in Maysville, Kentucky.  She was the sixth child to be born to Henrietta Koewler Haitz.

Frank was born October 25, 1911 and died April 16, 1962 in Ripley, Ohio.  He was child number seven in the Haitz family.

My grandfather, George Henry, was born March 10, 1914 and died in September 1977.  He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Ripley.  He was child number nine.  

The Haitz Family House

My great grandparent's house, when my grandfather and his brothers and sisters were young, was on Stevenson Road behind the farm.  By the time I was a child, they no longer lived in that house, but had moved to a smaller one that was adjacent to the farm land on Highway 52.  The year my father served in Vietnam and my mother, brother and I lived in Ripley, my grandfather refurbished the old house for him and his wife.  

The house was a fairly big one, but it always made me wonder just how my great grandparents raised sixteen children in it!  I'm not sure there is any house big enough for that!  My grandfather did not change the basic structure of the building other than adding an extension that held a modern kitchen and den.  The original part of the house had several rooms downstairs with a dark, cool walk-in pantry that held home- canned goods.  The staircase led to several bedrooms and a bath upstairs.  I wish I could have seen it before the remodeling.  

Outside, a tree shaded creek ran in front of the house on its way to the Ohio River.  Crawdads and small snakes hid under the water-smoothed rocks waiting for children to find them.  Behind the house, cows roamed on the hill before heading to the barn to eat their evening meal of hay.   The hill was where my grandfather hunted for squirrels and rabbits.  It also provided the family Christmas tree.  

The house is still standing today and the outside looks much as it did when my great-grandparents lived in it.  The photograph shows part of the front of the house.  I do not know who the women are or the child on the porch.  

Haitz Family Farm

My grandfather's parents, Joseph and Henrietta (Koewler) Haitz, lived on a farm just outside of Ripley, Ohio on Highway 52 as you head east towards Aberdeen.  

My great grandfather's barn and main farm land was right there on the left side of Highway 52.   One of the barns had his name, Joe Haitz, proudly painted in black on the front side facing the road.  That barn sits there still, although when the farm left the family after my grandfather's death in 1977, the new owner painted over the name. 

My grandfather ran the farm when he got older, in addition to working at Becker's.  When I was young,  he would take me to do the "farm chores" after dinner during the summers when we visited.  There were cows, pigs, and chickens to feed and water which this military kid found fascinating.  There aren't too many farm animals on an Army base!  

The farm land also extended across the highway all the way down to the Ohio River.  In was on that land that tobacco and hay were grown.   My grandfather also planted watermelon on the bottom land.  He said that it was the best place for melons to grow.  Today, the high school is on that part of the land.

This photograph of my grandfather with the chickens was taken about 1915 or 16.

St. Michael's Parochial School

Next door to St. Michael's Catholic Church is the parochial school that educates children from preschool through grade 8. The school has been in existence since before 1864.  Several different buildings and locations have been used for the school and the cornerstone for the present building, located at the corner of Fifth and Market Streets, was laid in 1923 during the time of Father Ambrose. * 

Many of my ancestors attended St. Michael's Catholic School including my mother and her sister.  At the time of their attendance, there was no preschool and classrooms consisted of the children in two grades - first and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, and seventh and eighth.  The Sisters of Devine Providence taught my mother and were strict taskmasters.  I have heard stories of how my left-handed mother was made to use her right hand to write and how rulers were rapped on knuckles.  At recess, girls played on one side of the playground and boys on the other.  Uniforms were worn by all, and my mother's ponytail was frowned upon.  

The photograph below is a picture of the dedication of the school.  I would assume that it was taken sometime during 1923 - 1925 depending on how long it took for the building to be completed after the cornerstone was laid.  The crowd of people illustrates how important the school was to the town of Ripley.  

* Ripley, Ohio  Its History and Families by the Sesquicentennial Historical Committee, 1962

Basketball Girls

Each March, my husband and I end up watching at least some of the men's college basketball tournament.  My husband played basketball for his high school in Georgetown, Ohio so he is into it much more than I am,  but even I get excited if a game is close or there is the threat of an upset.  Our Gamecocks didn't make it to the "dance" this year so we crossed our fingers for the colleges in our state, even Clemson, and those from Ohio.  As of today, Xavier is still in the running!

Back in the 1920's and 30's, there was no March Madness, but there was basketball!  The sport, invented for men at a YMCA in 1891 became an option for women at Smith College in 1892.  Ripley High School introduced basketball for girls in 1917.  According to the school's 1926 yearbook, The Ripple, the sport promoted good character training and taught good sportsmanship.  At least three of my female ancestors took advantage of the opportunity to play basketball at Ripley High School.  In case you are wondering, they did not pass that gene on to me!

My grandfather's sisters, Elizabeth and Henrietta Haitz, must have been very talented players.  The 1926 yearbook praises senior Elizabeth's "splendid work" while the next year's yearbook, heralds Henrietta's freshman debut as a guard as "none better, unless it was her own sister, Elizabeth".  By 1930 when Henrietta was a senior in high school, her sister Emma, must have played on the team as well.  The description of the girl's basketball team in that year's yearbook describes "Henry" Haitz as bringing "heart thrills and surprises by the wonderful guarding that she did" from the first game against Hamersville to the last with Sardinia.  It goes on to say that she and her sister held Sardinia down to three field goals in the last game of the season and that the saying "where there's a basketball there's a Haitz" holds true.  I do not own any of the later yearbooks, but I imagine they too go on to praise Emma as a talented basketball player.

The following pictures were taken from the 1927 and 1930 yearbooks.  In the first one, Elizabeth is the second young girl from the left, not counting the woman who must have been the coach.  Henrietta is not in the picture.  The second photograph shows Henrietta in the middle of the front row.   She is holding the basketball.  I am not absolutely sure, but Emma is possibly the first girl to the far left on the front row.

                                           Ripley High School 1927

                                           Ripley High School 1930

Becker's Department Store

   When my great-grandfather, Lou Becker, bought M. Linn Clothing in 1922, he changed the name to Becker's Department Store.   The store was located on Main Street and sold men and women's clothing.

   During Louis's life, he lived with his family on Second Street in the house next door to what had been the millinery shop.  Each morning, before walking the short distance to the store, Lou would check his appearance in the mirror.  He was a conscientious dresser and wanted to be sure that his clothing looked good and that his hat was straight.  He managed Becker's Department Store until his death in 1943.

                                        Lou Becker

   Upon Lou's death, his son-in-law, my grandfather, George H. Haitz, became the owner of the store.  During summer breaks from school, my mother and her sister worked there to earn spending money.

   During my summer visits to Ripley, my grandmother, my mother, and I would sometimes stop in the store on our walks to town.   We would walk down the Fourth Street hill, turn right onto Main, and walk on the sidewalk until we reached the steps of the store.  Once in the building, the wooden floors would creak as I looked for my grandfather among the clothes and shoes.  To the right was the women's section, the men's to the left.

   The glass-fronted cases held articles of clothing which would have to be taken out for a customer to examine.  Women's hosiery were in thin boxes for purchasing.  In the back of the store, a dressing room was handy to try on skirts, pants, or whatever the customer was in the market for that day.

             My grandfather dressed for work in the store.
                                        

   My grandfather did not work alone in the store.  The ladies he hired would make over me, exclaiming how much I had grown and, of course, as any child would, I loved it!   One of the ladies was my most favorite great-aunt, Elizabeth Haitz Steele.  She was my grandfather's sister and everyone called her Lib.     Another of the ladies was Rose Frebis.  As far as I know, she was of no relation to my family, but I loved seeing her on my visits to the store.   Many years later, right before I married, my grandfather took me to see Rose.  She was 83 years old and she still made over how much I had grown!  I guess some things never change!

   In 1969, my father received orders for Vietnam.  It was his second tour and my mother decided we would spend that year in Ripley close to family.  By then, Becker's Department Store had a new name, Lela's.  My grandfather had sold the store to a lady some years earlier.  With Becker's gone, my family's connection to the clothing industry, in this country anyway, came to a close, but for a little over one hundred years, the making and selling of men and women's apparel had put food on the tables and money in the pockets of those who counted on it for a living.  

These advertisements were in a February 1943 issue of The Ripley Bee.  They were some of the last ones that Louis would choose.  He died later that same year in May.

    

   

  

Postal Service - Yesterday and Today

With all the talk in the news about the United States Postal Service cutting Saturday deliveries has started me thinking about mail delivery and the Postal Service in the past.  

As you know, I only lived in Ripley until I was three years old which was when my father rejoined the Army and we moved.  I lived there again during my seventh grade school year in 1969 - 70 while my dad was in Vietnam so most of my earlier memories of Ripley come from those vacation weeks spent with my grandparents.  

The postal service is probably not high on anyone's list of favorite childhood memories, but, once again, it is the differences from one's normal life and routine which is what stands out and is remembered.  I DO remember mail delivery in Ripley during the 1960's.  Now I can't tell you the exact years this happened or the name of the mailman, but I can tell you it was a man who brought the letters and packages to my grandparents' house.  You are probably thinking that this poor Army kid didn't have a mailman which is why she remembers it so fondly, but that is not it.  What was so different is that the mailman in Ripley climbed that Fourth Street hill with his bag of mail TWO times each day!  Once in the morning and then once again in the afternoon!  And...he walked!  

Now, I don't really remember if my mailman in wherever I happened to be living at the time actually walked or drove to deliver the mail, but I can tell you that it was delivered only once a day.  Why Ripley had two deliveries is a mystery to me.  Maybe they really enjoyed writing letters to people or maybe they ordered a lot of goodies through the mail.  Maybe a lot of small towns during those days had two mail deliveries.  I don't know, but it sure made an impression on me.

I own Carl Thompson's book, Historical Collections of Brown County, Ohio which is a great book with a lot of different kinds of information about the county in it.  There is a section about the postal service in Ripley which I found interesting enough to share.  

It seems that the Postal Service in Ripley goes back to 1816 when Alexander Campbell was the Postmaster.   From 1887 to 1891, and then again from 1895 to 1899, a Mary Beyersdorfer was the Postmaster or, I guess today, we would call her the Postmistress.  I don't know if she is related to my Beyersdoerfer's, but chances are she is in some way.  The spelling is lacking that extra "e", but that doesn't really mean anything.  I've seen it spelled both ways for the same person.  

In the early days, the salary of the Postmaster depended on how many stamps they sold or canceled.  In 1885, the salary of Ripley's Postmaster was $1,300.  I imagine that was a lot of stamps that Henry Biehn, who the Postmaster at the time, sold and canceled!

With all our technology, stamps do not sell as well as they used to and UPS and FedEx deliver a lot of our packages.  Letter writing is quickly becoming a lost art so maybe we don't really need the Saturday delivery.  If it comes to that, I, for one, would probably miss going to the mailbox on Saturday for a while, but when I think about it, who needs all that junk mail anyway!  

Inside the Hat Store

Last week I posted a picture showing the outside of my ggg-grandmother's millinery shop.  Today's picture is of the inside, as well as a family portrait.  The photograph is not labeled so there was some investigative work to do before I could name the people.  The "investigative team" was made up of my mom, her sister, and myself.  We aren't professionals, but I think we hit the correct identifications.  Having the twins in the picture was a huge help!  My mother also recognized her grandfather, Louis, as a child which helped a lot, too!

There is no date on the photograph, but the twins, Edith and Ethel, standing in their plaid dresses, helps to give an approximate year when it was taken.  Their birth year was 1890, and I think they look about three.  

That's their brother, Louis, standing to the left.  He must have been about five or six years old.  His grandmother, Catherine Thill Becker, is seated next to him while her son, Nicholas, Jr. is standing behind her.  I'm not absolutely sure, but it is logical that the lady next to Nicholas, Jr. is his wife, Anna Beyersdoerfer Becker.  She and Nicholas were my great great grandparents and the parents of Louis and the twins. 

The older gentleman sitting next to the twins is most likely Nicholas Becker, Sr., husband of Catherine.  We do not know for sure who the lady standing in the right corner behind him is, but I have my guesses.  I think she might be Anna's sister, Flora.  In the 1900 census, Flora is listed as a milliner.  She and Anna were very close right up to their deaths, having died only months apart.

The store seems quite small and crowded.  In later years, it would become a living area for the Becker family once the store, at that location, was closed.  Looking at all the cases and mirrors, I can just imagine the ladies of Ripley coming in to pick out the ribbons and other notions to adorn their hats.  

I'd like to thank my cousin, Nick Renneker, and his sister, Patsy, for sending me the pictures of the hat store.  We share Nicholas and Anna as their great, and my great-great, grandparents, yet only came to "find" one another last year through Ancestry.com.   It truly pays to share your family history through genealogy sites such as Ancestry, Footnote, Genealogybank, etc.  You never know who and what will come your way!   

Becker's Millinery Store

In 1866, Nicholas Becker opened a millinery store on Second Street in Ripley, Ohio.  He, his wife, Catherine, and son, Nicholas, Jr. had settled in the small town just two years earlier.

Catherine, whose maiden name was Thill, had come from a family of hat makers.  Her father, Nicholas, and her brothers, George and Joseph, owned and operated hat stores in Cincinnati.  In 1876, a men's hat and cap department was added to the Second Street store.  Nicholas, Jr. conducted that aspect of the business along side his mother who still operated the millinery shop.

Located on Second Street, the store served as both business and home.  Nicholas, Catherine, and their son's family all lived upstairs above the store.  It must have been tight quarters as Nicholas, Jr. and his wife, Anna Beyersdoerfer, were the parents of three children, Louis, Edith, and Ethel.

I do not know the date of this photograph, but I am fairly sure that the older lady on the sidewalk is Catherine.  I believe the man standing next to her is her son, Nicholas.  The other ladies were possibly employees of the store and I do not know who the young men are.  I am very curious as to who is looking out of the second story window.  I would assume it is a family member or housekeeper.  The 1900 census lists a housekeeper named Anna Fauth.  Or maybe it is Anna Beyersdoerfer Becker.  I will have to read up on techniques for dating photographs and then maybe I will have more of an educated guess.