Mary Rita The Illinois Ryan Clan
Mary Rita Jacobsen. Photograph extracted from newspaper article shown on your right.
Two historical articles of interest to our families:
The Family Historian
I became interested in our family's history in the mid 1990s, and I remember when this occurred. It was during the Ryan reunion in Chicago...and it was while I was sitting on Mary Rita's couch looking at the old family album that she put together.
Inside this book were obituaries, old photographs, newspaper articles, stories and other memorabilia. As Mary Rita went through these pages, she related events that affected our ancestors. It was in her living room that I learned about our link to the Spanish Armada. It was here I heard why our ancestors eventually ended up in Iowa. And I learned about our possible connections with a signer of the declaration of independence and a Canadian Railroad magnate. Yep...I was hooked.
Our mother, Ruth, Mary Rita's sister, also loved to tell stories about the Ryans, the Hills, and the McGonigles. The difference was that it was never documented and many of these stories have been lost or forgotten. What we do recall, we have written down somewhere on these web pages.
But...it does seem that there are a lot of amateur historians in our family. I think that Laurel Smith said it best - "all you guys like to write."
Veterans Profile - Mary Rita
Mary Rita recently sent a few things for us to place on the web. One of these things was the article that you see below. In addition she provided some obituaries that you will also see this week. To view this article, CLICK on the Article.
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Other Articles
Documents provided by Mary Rita
Early Photos of Kimball Ryans, Murrins, and McGonigles
Baptismal note from Leadville Church
