Heyward August and Mary Alice (Tunney) Ritter

Mary Alice (Tunney) and Heyward August Ritter

My next two entries will be about the men who my youngest son is named after; Heyward August and Christian Ritter. Even though my sons name is Christian Heyward, I am going to start Heyward first.

Heyward August Ritter was born on March 6, 1879 to Christian and Louisa (Schucht-Sterling) Ritter in Martin’s Ferry, Belmont Co., Ohio. We have no information about Heyward's childhood other than what we can find on census records.

We know from the 1880 census that of course he’s a toddler living in Ohio with his parents. The 1890 census was destroyed in a fire in Washington DC, so we have no other record of Heyward until the 1900 census where Heyward is living with his parents and working in a mill.

Annie Ritter, Heyward and Mary (Tunney) Ritter

The following year Heyward married Mary Alice Tunney, daughter of John and Susan (Brown) Tunney on December 20, 1901 in Martin’s Ferry, Belmont Co., Ohio. By the time we see Heyward and Mary on the 1910 census they would have four of their 10 children. As an interesting side note and according information provided in The Family Tree of Heyward August Ritter and Mary Tunney Ritter: “When Grandpap Ritter saw his first child being delivered, he said, "no more".  He couldn't imagine putting anyone through that much pain again.  They had nine more."

 

They were: Elsie Viola, born Sept 22, 1902 and died Sept 29, 1985; Carl Christopher, born Aug 15, 1904 and died Feb 1, 1986; Heyward August Jr, born Aug 13, 1906 and died Nov 18, 1956; Tressa Louella, born Aug 27, 1908 and died Feb 9, 2009; Harry William, born Sept 12, 1910 and died May 24, 1992; Mary Ellen, born Jul 6, 1913 and died ; Edna Mae, born Mar 26, 1915 and died Apr 2, 1915; Susan Louise, born Jul 3, 1917 and died May 5, 1991; Idella Jean, born Mar 25, 1919 and died Mar 27, 1919; and John Andrew, born Dec 24, 1922 and died Jul 5, 1991.

Heyward and six of his children.

Left to  Right in back: Elsie, Carl, Heyward Sr., holding Mary Ellen, 

sitting is Tressa, Heyward Jr and Harry.

On the 1910 Census Heyward and Susan were living in Elrama, Union Twp., Washington Co., Pennsylvania near Susan’s family. Sometime prior to the birth of their daughter Edna they moved to Fombell, North Sewickley Twp., Beaver Co., Pennsylvania and that is where we show them living on every census record up to the 1940 census.

 

The young couple lost two baby girls, Edna Mae and Idella Jean. Edna died from injuries sustained from a fall she took with Mary down a flight of stairs. No one remembers what Idella died from only that it happened at the farm in Fombell.

 

While living in Elrama Heyward worked for the rail road as a flagman, then during the 1920’s he was working the family farm in Fombell. By the 1930 census he was working as a laborer Steel Car Forge in Ellwood City and by the 1940 census Steel Car Forge relocated to Butler, Pennsylvania and was renamed Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Company at that time Heyward was working as machine operator.

 

On April 27, 1942 Heyward registered for the WWII draft as all men had to do; at the time he was 63-years old. It lists him working at Pullmans, living in Rustic Park and he’s physical description is a white, male, 5’ 5” tall, weighing 150 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes with a ruddy complexion and an appendectomy scar.

 

Heyward according to his daughter Mary Ellen was very demanding, particular and there was hell to pay if it wasn’t done the way he said it should be done. This even applied to his pancakes that he ate every morning. Louise said that she can remember her mother standing, shaking and making dollar sized pancakes over and over while Heyward sat and ate.

 

Louise said of her mother that she was hard working and endured a lot. She said that of all the children Mary loved Heyward Jr the most and she felt it was because he would often get between his mother and siblings when Heyward was on a rampage.

 

My mother, Mary Jane said that “Pap would pay us grandkids $0.50 a basket to go pick walnuts for him.” My Aunt Janice remembered him being a kind old man and remembers Mary as not willing to share her candy in her candy dish.

 

Heyward died on Nov 26, 1962 in Ellwood City Memorial Hospital of heart disease. On Heyward's death certificate it lists his father's name as Christopher, but I have found no record of his father using any name other than Christian. Heyward was laid to rest in the North Sewickley Cemetery, North Sewickley Twp., Beaver Co., Pennsylvania.

 

Mary followed Heyward just short of three years later on Sep 29, 1965 and she was laid to rest alongside her husband in the North Sewickley Cemetery, North Sewickley Twp., Beaver Co., Pennsylvania.

 

Although Heyward was not a perfect man, as no men are, I have come to the conclusion that my Grandmother Louise must have loved her father as she named her first born after him. It was because of this that I decided that I would honor my Grandmother by naming my son after her father.