Pam West

Here is some great additional material painstakingly collected by Pam West (daughter of Marguerite Ryder & John Harlow West):

Thomas James Ryder arrived at Ellis Island, NY, on April 13, 1903, aboard the Cunard steamship Ivernia (constructed 1900), embarking from Queenstown, IRE only 8 days previously (she was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine on January 1, 1917). The original entries of TJR and his family can be viewed on the ship's manifest at the Ellis Island website. TJR accompanied his mother, Margaret and father Martin, as well as cousin Michael Joyce. All were listed in good health, TJR & his parents from Clifden, IRE, Michael Joyce from Galway.

A bit of entry information also listed: TJR was 20, single, literate, and in possession of $5. Martin Ryder 55, literate, with $25. Margaret Ryder 43, illiterate, with $5. And Michael Joyce 22, single, literate, with $30. Their final destination was listed as East Chicago, Indiana, to the home of Martin & Margaret's daughter Agnes.

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Fillers of previous bio notes:

Martin Ryder (father of TJR) probably born 1848.

Margaret Walsh (mother of TJR) probably born 1860.

The Ryder-Walsh childten: Margaret Ryder West recalled that TJR and Honore O'Toole Ryder each came from families of 16 children, each with a set of twins. Of TJR's siblings, she could not account for six; therefore, the other ten: Susan (Currie), Margaret (Burke-Long-Vichau or Vickau), Ellen (Gordon), Cecelia Ryder (d. as infant), Kathryn (Schmidt) - twin to Cecilia, not heard from again after going to NY, Delia (Joyce - married to shipmate and Margaret Walsh's cousin, Michael Joyce), Agnes (Dalton), Michael, Anthony, and Thomas James.

Thomas James Ryder: b. December 25, 1883, d. March 28, 1962 in Gary Nursing Home (Tom: my mistake - I thought Grandpa died at home, as I remember visiting him at what I thought was his deathbed). Buried at Calvary Cemetery, E. Gary (Portage), IN. Date of marriage: August 7, 1912 (Tom: again, I have what appears to be their wedding picture dated 1913; though they may have been part of someone else's wedding party - there are four people in the picture. I recognize Grandma - she reminds me very much of my sister, Lori). Some relatives of TJR: Ryder side - James Ryder (uncle), Mary Ward (aunt), Ellen Ward (cousin). Walsh side - Dunn, McCann.

Honore (Nora) Josephine O'Toole Ryder: b. January 18, 1885, County Mayo, IRE, daughter of Patrick O'Toole & Ellen McNamara; d. January 31, 1975, at Therese & James DeVany's home, where she was lovingly cared for in her waning years. Buried Calvary Cemetery. Maternal relatives: Nellie Burke (cousin), Sister Mary Incarnation (cousin) - Tom: a Discalced Carmelite, she took the vow of silence, which she would only rarely dispense for visiting relatives. I visited her once, and expected her voice to be hoarse and raspy. Instead, she was a beautiful woman with a gentle, kind way, and a lilting Irish brogue; Nora O'Malley (cousin); Tom Durkin (cousin).

Children of TJR & HJR: Martin Francis Ryder, Helen Marie Pfeifer (b. February 2, 1915, d. June 3, 1992, buried Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens), Margaret Cecilia West (b. February 2, 1917, d. August 28, 2005, buried Ridgelawn Mt. Mercy Cemetery, Gary IN), Lucille Lorraine Thon (Roy Thon),(b. August 28, 1919, d. March 20, 1992, buried Memory Lane Memorial Park, Schererville, IN, Mary Claire Murry (Max - ? Maxwell - Franklin Murry), Dorothy Louise Lansen (b. April 26, ?year, d. February 2, 2004, cremated),Therese Kathleen DeVany (b. May 12, 1928, d. May 19, 1999, buried Calvary Cemetery).

Other Honore Ryder relatives: John and Patrick Tiernan; the Prendergasts - Mary, John, James, Thomas, Richard, and Helen (died in childhood).

Other Thomas Ryder relatives: Earl and Mercedes Rodman, Thomas and Joseph (Shorty) Burke, Anthony (Yankee) and Pauline Long (Vichau), John and Ellen Gordon, the Ryders - Earl, Marie, Frank, Thomas, Mary Dalton, Beatrice Dalton Conners, Susan Dalton Conners, adn Agnes Dalton Nichols.

One final thing: this is a family blog. I don't mean to play the Big Kahuna. Peggy Gardner and I just decided it would be a good time to start collating this information. So please pitch in, correct, modify. And if anyone feels more comfortable starting another blog -- I'll sign up as a follower.