| 2. | Freeda Grace Rowley  (1.George1) was born on 25 May 1909 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; died on 14 Jan 1979 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; was buried on 16 Jan 1979 in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas. Other Events and Attributes:
- Census: 3 May 1910, Beaumont (Precinct 1), Jefferson Co, Texas
- Other-Begin: 1918, Family Reunion, Palestine, Anderson Co, Texas; summer
- Residence: 1918, 2050 Magnolia St, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
- Organizations: May 1924, Miss Beaumont, Galveston, Galveston Co, Texas; winner
- Organizations: 6 Sep 1924, Miss America, Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Census: 5 Apr 1930, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
- Census: 1940, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
- Residence: 1941, 1495 Ave A, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
- Residence: 1943, 1495 Ave A, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
- Residence: 1943, 1495 Ave A, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
- Residence: 1947, 1495 Ave A, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
Notes:
There are a few source references to "Freeda's work" in the Jones and Sherman lines. This is the Freeda referred to. She did the family history probably around the 1950s and only outlines remain that are known of. I'm sure the work is somewhere, but it has remained ellusive.
Census:
Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 1, Jefferson, Texas; Roll: T624_1568; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 68; Image: 85.
residence 448
Rowley, George A. head 29 M1 2 yrs Nebraska, England/Eng England/Eng teamster
Mary wife 20 M1 2 yrs. 1 birth 1 living Texas Texas Texas
Freeda daughter 11/12 Texas Texas Texas
Organizations:
Freeda had entered the beauty pageant at the behest of a girlfriend who wanted to enter and didn't want to do it by herself. So, Freeda agreed. She was 15 and already married. Don't know if there was an age limit, but she did have to lie about being married. It was stricky a bathing beauty contest, no talent competition.
Amazingly, she won Miss Beaumont and earned the right to go on to Miss America in New Jersey. My aunt Tack (Runie Esther) went with her as sort of a chaperone; and they went by boat from Galveston to Atlantic City. Ralph (Freeda's son) told that two of the judges were Norman Rockwell and Jack Dempsey.
Freeda and Tack wanted to see NY, while they were there, and after it was pretty clear that Miss Philadelphia was going to win, they kind of snuck off and went to see the Ziegfeld Follies. She told that they were in the balcony and that she felt a tap on her shoulder and a voice said, "What are you doing here?" When she turned to look, it was Norman Rockwell. She replied, "And what are YOU doing here?" And he laughed and said something like, well, there was just so much that he could handle.
She did not win, or place in that Miss America competition. That was the 4th Miss America Pageant.
Organizations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_America_1924
Miss America 1924, the 4th Miss America pageant, was held at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 6, 1924.
Miss America 1924
Date September 6, 1924
Presenters King Neptune
Venue Million Dollar Pier Ballroom, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Entrants 83
Placements 6
Winner Ruth Malcomson
Philadelphia, PA
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http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1920/review.aspx
1924
The Newspaper Publishers Association issued a bulletin advising its members to disassociate themselves with the pageant as it has supplied Atlantic City with "the most flagrant use of free publicity." Not one paper backed out. In fact, even more newspapers sent representatives and the new Pageant Director General Armand T. Nichols and his Board of Directors, extended the event to five days. Informal judge's interviews continued as a part of judging in those early years to asses personality and intelligence. Judge's Chairman and famed artist Howard Chandler Christy returned for his fourth straight year to serve in this capacity. Other notable 1924 judges included Norman Rockwell and Earl Carroll. Miss Boston was revealed to be married and placed in the professional division. She sued, but the pageant finally remembered to include a rule barring married women from competing for the Miss America crown. Ruth Malcomson, Miss Philadelphia (PA), would win the honor in a close race with Mary Katherine Campbell, while Miss San Diego, Fay Lanphier, finished third.
Census:
871 Pennsylvania Avenue
Wilburn H Fisher 44 1st married 16 Michigan Canada/Eng Canada/Eng barber barber shop
Mary E Fisher 39 first married 18 Texas Texas Texas
Shirley Fisher 7 daughter TX
Janice Fisher 3 6/12 daughter Texas
Freeda G Ritter 20 stepdaughter married age 14
Jeanne Ritter 2 10/12 granddaughter Texas
Ralph Ritter 1 8/12 grandson Texas
Cody A Ritter 34 son-in-law 34 28 Louisiana Iowa Iowa
Census:
1940 Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas
1495 Avenue A.
Cody A. Ritter, 1896, Texas, drag-line operator
same place in 1935, rented house, highest school: elementary, 7th grade
worked 44 weeks prior to census, wage or salary worker
weeks worked in 1939: 50
income 1500
Cody A Ritter 44
Fredda Ritter 30 1910 Texas, high school 3rd yr.
Jeanne Ritter 12
Ralph Ritter 11
Gary Ritter 9/12
Residence:
Ritter, Cody A (Freeda; 3) lab h1495 Avenue A
Residence:
City Directory
Ritter, Cody A (Freeda; 3) crane opr h 1495 Av A
also:
Heckford, Esther, Mrs. Nurse, Bmt Municipal Hosp r 1495 Av A
(Freeda's aunt lives with them)
Residence:
Ritter, Cody A (Freeda; 3) crane opr h 1495 Av A
also:
Heckford, Esther G (wid Rod G) grand nurse Bmt Medical Dispensary r 1495 Av A
(living with her niece Freeda Rowley Ritter)
Residence:
City directory
Ritter, Cody A (Freeda) dragline opr Am Canal Co h 1495 AV A
Died:
Obit: Mon Jan 15, 1979 Beaumont Journal, p 9B
"Funeral for Freeda Grace Ritter 69 of 1713 Franklin will be at 2:00 p.m. Tues at Kelly Hixon Funeral Home, burial in Forest Lawn. She died at 11:35 a.m. Sun in Baptist Hospital. A native of Rosedale, she lived in Beaumont most of her life.rvivers include her husband Cody A. Ritter of Beaumont, daughter Jean Selman of Beaumont, two sisters Janice Boswell of Beaumont and Shirley Milam of Roswell, New Mexico, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren."
Name: Freeda Ritter
SSN: 467-72-9983
Last Residence: 77701 Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas, United States of America
Born: 29 May 1909
Died: Jan 1979
State (Year) SSN issued: Texas (1961)
Texas Death Index
Name: Fredda Ritter
Death Date: 14 Jan 1979
Death County: Jefferson
Gender: Female
Buried:
Freeda was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery next to her aunt Esther Heckford, known as "Tack," who, in turn, is buried next to her brother and my grandfather, Ogden Kyle Jones, Sr. Freeda has no headstone. Cody, her husband, died Mar 11, 1992 at the age of 96 and was buried next to Freeda. His headstone reads: PVT US Army World War I, Jan 21 1896 - Mar 11, 1992. Their son Gary died in 1996, and he was laid to rest next to his parents but he also has no marker.
Freeda married Cody Allen Ritter on 12 Feb 1924 in Jefferson Co, Texas. Cody (son of James Wilson Ritter and Clara L. Taylor) was born on 21 Jan 1896 in Jennings, Jefferson-Davis Parish, Louisiana; died on 11 Mar 1992 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 3. Marilyn Jeanne Ritter was born on 22 May 1927 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; died on 29 Jul 2001 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas.
- 4. Ralph Gerald Ritter
- 5. Gary Rad Ritter was born on 5 Jul 1939 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; died on 6 Feb 1996 in Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas; was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, Jefferson Co, Texas.
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1881 - 1918 (37 years)