On This Day - Violetta

On 21 December 1989, my dear grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan died in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

 

4 Jan 1905 - 21 Dec 1989

College Graduation 1923
State Normal School Harrisonburg

1st year as a teacher

One of my favorite pictures
about 1951

Dec 1981

Wendy

© 2021, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

Sepia Saturday: Sunbrella

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt is the noble umbrella. Many years ago, my sister spied this beauty in our grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan’s closet and asked if she could have it. Violetta just laughed and said, “Sure.”

Photo courtesy Mary Jollette

Holes aside, this umbrella would not have offered much protection in the rain because the fabric is not water-repellant. It is actually a PARASOL, a kind of umbrella intended to provide shade from the sun. Unlike the typical polyester or nylon umbrella, parasols are constructed of delicate fabrics like lace, silk, or linen. Umbrellas have a curved handle while the handle of a parasol is usually straight. In the United States, a parasol is considered a feminine accessory while an umbrella can swing both ways.

Photo courtesy Mary Jollette

I am sure my sister had a vision for how she would use Violetta’s parasol. Let’s see what ideas others have offered for repurposing an umbrella or parasol:

A door wreath – now this looks like something my sister would want to do.

Finally, you could just hang your sepia photos on it.

Visit my friends at Sepia Saturday where the weather is fine and no “brolly” or “bumbershoot” is needed. 

Wendy

© 2021, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

Photo Friday: Violetta

Violetta Loraine Davis Ryan
1948-49 School Picture
School Principal

My favorite Violetta stories:

One for the Books

Crossing the Finish Line

Those Who Can

The House That Violetta Built

Wendy

© 2021, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

52 Ancestors - SCARY STUFF: Do You Believe in Ghosts?

In the days when cameras operated only with film, people paid for the processing of the entire roll regardless of the quality of the picture. It did not matter whether the photos turned out perfectly or a head was cut off or what should have been a precious memory was out of focus, they all cost the same.

Forgetting that a roll was complete, sometimes people took pictures on top of pictures resulting in photos like these:

Aunt Helen and maybe Aunt Mae
about 1919

My grandaunt Helen Killeen Parker recognized that her photo-fail looked like a ghost.

from album of
Violetta Davis
early 1920s

When I first saw this photo from my grandaunt Violetta Davis’s camping trip, I did not realize it was a double until I saw a clear set of legs under the top half of the man on the left.

Getting to the subject of ghosts, not of the photo-fail kind but encounters with the Dead kind, I have never seen a ghost or felt the presence of one the way some people claim to have experienced. My aunt “Scoop” told about her encounter with a ghost.

Aunt "Scoop" and Uncle Orvin Jr.

She and my uncle lived in the house built by my great-grandfather Walter Davis. One afternoon when Scoop was sick in bed, she felt someone gently rubbing her forehead. She said it was Mary Frances, my great-grandmother. Now, was this just the imaginings of a sick woman? I don’t know. I can’t make myself believe it was true, but I hope it was. 

I would LOVE to have a FRIENDLY encounter with the ghost of an ancestor.

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

© 2020, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

Sepia Saturday: Landlady

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday photo of a man digging a hole brought to mind photos I have shared before of the construction of an apartment building. With inheritance from her father and probably a bank loan, my grandaunt Violetta Davis set her sights on financial independence by building a home that would generate rental income too.

Jacob Conrad's crew preparing to lay the foundation
at 473 South Mason St, Harrisonburg, VA

It was 1935. Violetta was a school teacher and principal. She hired J. W. Conrad & Son Contractors and Builders for the job. The plans called for 5 apartments. She would live in one and rent the others. Her early renters included faculty at Harrisonburg Teachers College (now James Madison University – GO DUKES!) where she was also on the staff as supervisor of student teachers.

Framing the basement

Violetta supervising the construction of her home.
I wonder if that is Jacob Conrad on the 2nd floor in dress shirt and hat
or the man Violetta is talking to.

The finished product. The center door opens to a common hall
and stairs with doors to the apartments on the left and right.
Decorative iron grates below the first floor windows hide the fact
that there are basement windows too. 

The back of the building soon after completion

In 1936, Violetta married Virgil “Dick” Ryan. He was a business man, an entrepreneur, who owned a news stand and bowling alley. Newspaper articles indicate he had a good eye for opportunity. Whether it was HIS idea or Violetta’s to add on to the apartment building in 1937 is anyone’s guess. In several news articles about the building boom in Harrisonburg, the Ryans were named among owners and contractors who were building or remodeling.

Apparently the Ryans spent $20,000 to add an apartment
to the 473 South Mason Street building
from the Harrisonburg Daily News Record 25 Mar 1937

Evidently this is when Violetta’s apartment building went from 5 apartments to 6 when the attic was converted into a one-bedroom apartment.

The attic apartment 

While Violetta was the OWNER of the apartment building, Dick seemed to be the manager, if the rental ads are any indication.

 

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record 22 Jun 1940

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record 31 Jul 1940

Dick died young in 1941 and Violetta remained on her own the rest of her life. Whatever she learned about business from her husband she put to good use. In 1950, she purchased another apartment building just down the street. She always referred to it as “the Hartman house.” I never understood the significance of that name until a search in NewspaperArchive turned up an obituary for Roy S. Hartman. It turns out Roy’s wife was Dick Ryan’s sister. That means Roy was Violetta’s brother-in-law.

In 1940, Roy and his wife Edna lived in this apartment building. Google images show it is now a typical college apartment building looking rather worn. However, it used to look much neater. 

"Hartman House" from Google Maps

The summer before my senior year in college, Violetta offered me the attic apartment. It was CUTE. Those windows facing the street were in the living room OR possibly a bedroom, depending on how a renter would use the big open area just inside the entrance to that apartment. The renters at the time placed their beds in what more logically seemed like a kitchen-living room combo. Anyway, it was a cute apartment but I opted for the convenience of campus life.

Between Violetta and the Hartmans lived Edgar Sipe and family. According to the 1930 and 1940 censuses, their home was a single-family home, but I remember it as two apartments because Barry and I lived upstairs from 1975-1976. It was also one of Violetta’s properties but I have been unable to determine when she purchased it. Mr. Sipe died in 1943, so sometime after that, for sure.

 

"Sipe House" from Google Maps
We entered through the door on the left which opened to a landing
where we hung our coats before going up the stairs.

This apartment was HUGE. I wish I had pictures. While the 2 bedrooms were large with good closets, and the living room boasted those beautiful windows, and the eat-in kitchen had a real pantry, it was the bathroom I remember best. It had BLACK tile around the tub, black and white mosaic floor tiles, and the original pedestal sink. It was so pretty, but honestly, I never wanted black tile after a year of cleaning that bathroom. It really showed lint and dust.

Apartments were not the only properties Violetta invested in. She also owned a building that she referred to as “the store building,” whatever that meant. For a time, she rented it to John Edge for his piano and guitar business.

from the Harrisonburg Daily News Record
6 Jun 1959

Violetta was very much a woman with a head for business. And it all started with digging a hole.

Make your way to Sepia Saturday to see what others have dug up for this week.

Wendy

© 2020, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

Sepia Saturday: Violetta Makes the News

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

When I saw this week’s Sepia Saturday prompt, I could not help thinking of this studio portrait of my grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan taken probably in 1920 when she was just 16 years old.

I’ve written so many times about Violetta that I thought for sure there was nothing left to tell. I turned to NewspaperArchive hoping to find something new and interesting. Her name popped up often, usually when she was reappointed as principal at Pleasant Hill Elementary School or when she was attending a conference for educators. Meh ~

But I did find a couple keepers:

VACCINE VOLUNTEER

When Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine was licensed in 1955, there was a campaign to inoculate all school children. In Rockingham County where Violetta was a principal, the schools and other facilities were set up as polio vaccine clinics. Violetta was named as chairman for one of the clinics.

 

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record
22 Apr 1955

PHOTO DATED

Originally I dated this photo “1960 or 1961” based on a wild-guess at my sister’s age. 

This little item in the Shenandoah Social News column provided a correct date.

Glenn, Me, Violetta, Mary Jollette, Bobbie
Easter 1962

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record 27 Apr 1962

Come to think of it, I do remember that dress as my Easter frock that year. It looks white, but it was a print of pastel watercolor swirls and splotches. That doesn’t sound nearly as pretty as it actually was.

SIDE JOB

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record
8 Nov 1960

That’s right!  Violetta sold encyclopedias. My parents bought the 1960 World Book plus the annuals – obviously from Violetta. We also had the accompanying Childcraft books (in their "handsome Heritage binding") which were written in simpler text to serve like encyclopedias for younger children. I used World Book to death but rarely bothered with the Childcraft.

Until I saw this ad, I had forgotten Violetta sold encyclopedias. Years ago, they were sold door to door. It is not likely she did that though. She probably sat right at her desk and used her position as teacher and principal to influence parents and other teachers for which she earned a nice little 15% commission.

While you’re at your desk or on your phone, please visit my friends at Sepia Saturday.

Wendy

© 2020, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved. 

52 Ancestors - LONG LINE: The Normal Line

Violetta Davis outside her dorm 1923
Casual Photo for the yearbook

The year was 1923. My grand-aunt Violetta Davis (later Ryan) was graduating from the Harrisonburg Normal School (now James Madison University – Go Dukes!). The traditions surrounding commencement had been in place for over ten years. Five days of activities were planned. The entire student body stayed to share in the excitement of their friends’ achievements and to dream of the day when it would be their turn to join the “Normal Line.”

What a cast!

On Friday, June 1, 1923, the Senior class presented “The Lamp and the Bell” in the outdoor theater. It was a poetic drama by Edna St. Vincent Milay based on the fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red.” Milay wrote it specifically as an outdoor production with a large cast, colorful medieval period costumes and a great deal of spectacle.

On Saturday night, June 2, the Seniors were entertained with music by the music students and dramatic readings by students in the expression class. 

The Normal Line
Walking from Spotswood Hall to the gates at South Main Street

Sunday was Baccalaureate in the morning and Vesper Service in the evening. For many years Baccalaureate rotated among the various churches in Harrisonburg. As long as the service was downtown, the people of Harrisonburg showed up to watch the procession of faculty in academic gowns and seniors in their white dresses as they walked in a line from campus to the church. It came to be known as “the Normal Line.” The Normal Line stretched for blocks. It must have been an impressive sight.

The Normal Line on South Main Street Harrisonburg, VA
You can see people in the yard watching the parade. 

Since the students were on display, the faculty and administration required a uniform look. The girls wore white dresses with white stockings, white shoes, and white hats. Sleeves had to be at least half way to the elbow and the hem had to be fourteen inches from the floor. The rules were nothing to mess with. Graduates had to pass inspection conducted by a committee of students and chaperone of each dorm. For Violetta, inspection day in Spotswood Hall was April 30, 1923. 

The Vesper Services were held Sunday evening in the amphitheater, concluding with a candlelight service in which the graduating class relinquished their seniority to the Juniors. The ceremony was usually accompanied by a great deal of sadness and tears.

On Monday was the annual tennis tournament between the two clubs on campus, the Racquet and Pinquet clubs. Homecoming for the alumnae was always during commencement week, and in 1923 the Alumnae held their banquet on Monday evening, June 4.

 

Gates at South Main Street
Spotswood Hall on the left
Harrison Hall second from the right

On Tuesday evening, June 5, 1923, Commencement was held in the Blue Stone Dining Hall in Harrison. Finally, Violetta and the other Seniors had triumphed in their studies. They crossed the finish line.

 

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

© 2020, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

52 Ancestors - IN THE NEWS: Chewing Gum Scandal

My grandaunt Violetta Davis was the love of Virgil “Dick” Ryan’s life. 

Violetta and Dick

However, by the way she never talked about him, I guess he was not the love of hers. Admittedly, he had been dead nearly 30 years before she and I ever had those grown-up conversations about life and family. Were it not for newspapers available online, I probably would know nothing about this man who, I have learned, was quite the mover and shaker in Harrisonburg, Virginia in the 1930s.

Violetta and Dick

He made the Daily News Record quite often, usually because of his involvement in the American Legion. But it was in several brief articles that Dick Ryan revealed himself to be a clever businessman. 

From Daily News Record 6 Aug 1934

From 1934 until 1938, he was a partner in the City News Company along with E. L. Klingstein who was also owner of the extremely popular and successful Friddle’s Restaurant in downtown Harrisonburg. In 1938, they dissolved their partnership allowing Klingstein to concentrate on the restaurant business and Dick to become sole owner of the news stand, renamed Ryan News Company.

Dick Ryan conducted several clever marketing schemes to promote his business selling newspapers, magazines, and novelties. He installed ballot boxes for customers to “vote” on important issues in the news including whether the number of judges on the Supreme Court should be expanded and whether

Bruno Richard Hauptmann was guilty of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.

Daily News Record
26 Feb 1937

Daily News Record
6 Feb 1935

Daily News Record
29 Aug 1938

He also exhibited in the store window unusual items and puzzles for people to figure out, like the “ever-rolling light bulb.”

The most interesting story of Dick Ryan’s business ventures though was being fined $25 for operating a coin machine, supposedly an illegal one used for gambling. A new coin machine act had become effective in January 1937, and Harrisonburg police were eager to comply to rid the community of illegal gambling. In a raid on the night of January 7, police seized 12 coin machines belonging to eight businesses: Dick’s City News Stand, Klingstein’s Friddle’s Restaurant, a pool room, a coffee shop, and a few other restaurants. Two of the coin machines were empty, surely a sign that someone had enjoyed a big pay-off.

Daily News Record
21 Jan 1937

However, those highly suspicious coin machines were simply gumball machines. Chewing gum.

As the defendants explained, there was no element of chance involved, no pay-off. Pay your penny - get a ball of gum. Guaranteed. Nevertheless, the incident sparked a great deal of discussion over whether even a gumball machine would be considered legal under the new act, especially considering the profit to be made. Gumballs cost 15 cents per hundred and were sold at a penny each.

Oh, if only today’s law enforcement had only gumball machines to worry about.

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.