| Notes |
- Notes from Paul Edwin Daggett, son of William Smith Daggett and Anne Ryder:
My mother, Anne Ryder, was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1869, the daughter of Michael Ryder and his wife, Rose Joyce. The baptismal record shows her name as Hanna, though I believe it truly was Honor Teresa. She told me that she had been christened Honor, or possibly Hanorah. For some reason she did not care for either of these and was always known as Anne. The baptismal record is in error in at least one respect; it mistakenly records her father's name as Michael Ryan, rather than Ryder, so possibly her name was listed incorrectly.
Her father, Michael Ryder, was born in Newport, on Clew Bay, County Mayo, Ireland, in 1828. Unfortunately it has not been possible to procure a copy of his baptismal record. The Parish Priest of Newport reports that there is a gap in the Parish register from 1826 to 1846.
As a very young man he enlisted in the British Army, where he served in various parts of the world for twelve years. His service included the Crimean War, which was in the years 1854 to 1856. It well might be that this army service could have been motivated, at least in part, by the Famine which occurred in the period 1845 to 1849, that appalling state of misery and hunger which is beyond description in this short recital. Foillowing his army service he drew a pension until his accidental death in St. Catharines, Ontario, at the age of 49, on November 9, 1877.
My grandmother, Rose Joyce, was born in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland, in 1837. Her birthplace was only some 30 miles from Newport; nevertheless, she and her future husband did not know each other in Ireland. They met on shipboard while emigrating to America. It is not known whether they were married during the voyage, or after reaching this country, but the latter seems the most likely course for two Irish Catholics.
A letter from the Parish Priest at Swinford informed me that in this case, just as happened at Newport, there is no record of baptisms during the period when Rose Joyce was born.
Where they landed is not known. It could have been New York, or Boston. Some vessels landed in Canada, although most came to the United States.
Michael Ryder's brother John had preceded them to America and was located in Louisville, Kentucky, where he owned a teaming outfit. This probably accounts for my grandparents going to Louisville. The year is not known, but their son, my uncle John J. Ryder, was born there in 1863. A daughter, Mary, was also born there, but she died in infancy.
During the Civil War, Michael Ryder joined the Union Army. Because of his military experience he became a drill sergeant and was stationed in New York. While there it became known that he was really a British subject, and that ended his service.
A letter from my cousin, Mary Erhard, daughter of John J. Ryder, informed me that Michael Ryder had been active as a "slave runner", in the so-called underground railway. He was violently opposed to all forms of tyranny and oppression; this explains his motivation in helping slaves reach Canada and freedom of a sort. Possibly this experience may have prompted moving the family to St. Catharines, Ontario.
In St. Catharines the following children were born:
Catherine, died in infancy
James, died in infancy
Agnes Bridget, born January 12, 1867
Anne (my mother) born February 4, 1869
Michael, born in 1871
Rose, born in 1874
When grandfather, Michael Ryder, died in 1877, my mother was only 8 years old. In 1885, when grandmother Rose Ryder died, mother was only 16 years old.
Mother's eldest brother, John J. Ryder, must have been helpful in caring for the younger children of the family. By the time he became 21 years old, he had moved from St. Catharines to St. Paul, where the St. Paul City Directory for 1884 lists him as a printer with the Daily Globe. After his mother's death it appears that he placed his youngest sister, Rose, with the Philbin family in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for some time, perhaps several years. At the same period he brought the other children to St. Paul, for their names appear in the St. Paul City Directory at the time as follows:
My mother, Anne, 1887 through 1890-1891
My aunt, Rose, 1890 through 1894
My aunt, Agnes, 1892
My Uncle Mike, 1892
The directory also lists John DeWitt, for 1892, 1893 and 1894. He married Agnes Ryder.
It is not surprising that my mother's name does not appear in the directory after 1891, for on October 12, 1891, she and my father, William S. Daggett, were married in the St. Paul Cathedral. On January 6, 1893, I was born in St. Paul, in a residence which still stands almost directly across the street from the present Cathedral Rectory on Selby Avenue. Years ago my aunt Agnes told me that she was with my mother the day of my birth, and she recalled that there was a heavy snowfall on that occasion.
At the time of my parents' marriage, my father was Secretary to the Indian Commissioner at White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. Their honeymoon journey took them by train to Detroit (now Detroit Lakes) Minnesota, at that time the rail head. From Detroit to White Earth they traveled by stagecoach, in what they later described as an early season blizzard. For perhaps a year or a little more they remained at the Reservation, but by 1893 they lived in Fargo, North Dakota, where my father was a Deputy U.S. Marshal.
|
Male
Female
