January 28, 2013
Introduction: Mary Harrell-Sesniak is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. In this guest blog post, Mary writes about two discoveries she made relating to Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley, and invites readers to join her in breaking through a brick wall in Ripley’s family history.
There is a wealth of discovery waiting to be found in historic newspapers. For one thing, old newspapers provide the stories that help you understand your ancestors and get to know them as real people.
For another thing, while researching your family history in a newspaper archive you occasionally stumble across interesting discoveries that have nothing to do with your family, things you never knew before—like what I found out about Robert L. Ripley and the origins of his “Believe It or Not!” publishing/radio/television/museum empire, and his involvement with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
In this article I want to talk about my Ripley discoveries, and then ask for your help in breaking through a brick wall I’ve hit in exploring his genealogy.
Ripley’s First “Believe It or Not” Newspaper Cartoon
One day while looking through old newspapers I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this tantalizing treasure, explaining how Robert L. Ripley drew his first “Believe It or Not” cartoon.
On 19 December 1918, Ripley—a 27-year-old cartoonist for the New York Globe newspaper—was sitting in front of his drawing board with no new ideas. He was under deadline pressure to produce a cartoon for the next day’s paper, so “in desperation” he put together an assortment of odd sports occurrences to make a cartoon. He published it under the caption, “Believe It or Not.” He was interviewed on the subject of the cartoon’s origin years later, and his recollection was published in the New York Daily Mirror.
When Robert Ripley died in 1949 at the age of 58, his obituary reprinted that first cartoon recollection:
Here is one of Robert Ripley’s early “Believe It or Not” cartoons with a sports theme:
How astonishing it is, that from a single case of writer’s block developed an empire of over 90 world-wide attractions, including wondrous museums and amazing aquariums!
Robert Ripley & “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Here’s another Ripley tidbit I uncovered while browsing through old newspapers, of historical importance: Ripley had a role in making “The Star-Spangled Banner” our official national anthem.
The lyrics come from a poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, entitled “Defence of Fort McHenry.” Key wrote his poem after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. Key’s poem was set to the tune of a popular British song, “The Anacreontic Song” (or “To Anacreon in Heaven”) and the resulting song came to be known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Although officially used by the Navy in the late 1800s, it wasn’t the country’s national anthem at that time. Nonetheless, crowds caught up in patriotic fever would rise and sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
And then one day, Robert L. Ripley started a national conversation about its use with this comment, noting that the U.S. “has no official national anthem”:
The discussion about the country’s lack of a national anthem gained momentum. Several months later, President Herbert Hoover signed the act that made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem, on 3 March 1931.
And for you curiosity-seekers, you can read the first publication of Francis Scott Key’s poem by searching the newspapers in GenealogyBank. It was published in the Baltimore Patriot (Baltimore, Maryland) on 20 September 1814. No, I’m not going to republish it in this blog—you can have the joy of looking up this amazing discovery yourself.
But readers, I need some help with Robert Ripley, whose ancestry is as elusive as spotting a shooting star on a cloudy night.
Help Me Uncover Robert Ripley’s Family Tree!
I can’t seem to crack the brick wall in his genealogy. He left no descendants and was only married briefly to actress Beatrice Roberts. I can’t discover his family history any further back than his maternal grandmother.
Here are the clues I’ve been able to find, if any of you determined genealogists want to take up the challenge and break through the Ripley genealogy brick wall:
- See one of Findagrave.com’s earliest memorials, #1399, from Odd Fellows Lawn Cemetery in Santa Rosa, California
- His parents, Isaac Davis Ripley (1854-1904) and Lillie Belle Yocka or Yocke (1868-1915), are also buried there; they married on 3 October 1889 in Sonoma, CA (California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 Database at familysearch.org)
- Isaac was a carpenter born in Ohio (various California directories)
- In 1870, a census reports that Isaac was possibly residing in the household of Jason and Phelia A. Stubs or Stutes in Belpre, Washington, OH, and attending school, age 16 (see http://ohgen.net/ohwashin/OMP-2.htm — Ohio Historical Society, Newspaper Microfilm Reel # 38487 — marriage license for Jason Stubbs and Phelia A. Hunter of Belpre on 8 May 1865)
- Lillie was the daughter of Nancy Yocke (1828-?) and an unknown father from Germany (1880 Analy, Sonoma, CA, census)
- Ripley’s siblings were Douglas and Ethel or Effie Ripley (obituary); it is unclear if they ever married, but are seen on a passenger list traveling together
We look forward to seeing who can crack this ancestry brick wall first, and promise to publish your results in the GenealogyBank blog! Please post your Ripley genealogy finds on GenealogyBank’s Facebook or blog pages as comments.
Look to see what someone else might have already researched.
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/18578221/family?cfpid=681057567
Thank you for this amazing posts.
Well, this article helps explain a little. It states that Lillie Belle was born on the Santa Fe trail in a covered wagon on the way to California. And Isaac ran away from home at age 14, which explains why he is at the Stutes home in 1870 already on his way to California, which he does show up in voter lists in Yuba in 1874. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19620513&id=Pp0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZOkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=710,4602291
Some more clues. There is a marriage record for a Phillip Yoka and a Nancy A. Card, married in Washington Township, Johnson County, MO on 4 Dec 1870. According to her grave at find a grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Yocka&GSfn=nancy&GSby=1830&GSbyrel=before&GSdy=1905&GSdyrel=in&GSst=6&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=97647947&df=all& Nancy’s middle name was Ann, so this could be our Nancy.
Ethel (Effie) Davis was married to Fred Davis – she was alive in 1947 and apparently in 1949 when she and her husband flew back to NY from the funeral of her brother. She and her other brother Douglas inherited the majority of the estate. Effie was dead before 1971. The family home still exists. I have a photo up on my Facebook today. http://www.facebook.com/F.R.R.Mallory – Ethel was born in 1893, her brother Douglas in 1904. The father Issac died in 1905. Robert (Leroy) had to work to help support his mom and sister.
There are two nephews named Robert and Douglas (not sure who their parent’s were) – they show up in local newspaper clippings.
My maternal grandmother was Marie Davis. Her older brother Fred was married to Ethel. Fred and Ethel never had any children. Uncle Fred died in 1957 and Aunt Ethel in 1969. They are both buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3566717
My grandmother’s name maiden name was Ethel Ripley. Her second husband was John A. Rohan. Still am trying to find out if we are related.
Found out my Grandmother Ethel Ripley was born 1/31/1904. Died 1/31/1979.
I was told by my father, James Alton Davis , age 85 (of Coledale, Pennsylvania) that we may have some connection to Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words the The Star Spangled Banner. As a vocalist in SF, CA this excited me, so I just typed in his name and “related to Davis family” and your article pulled up. My father’s family are from Whales, England. Not sure if I am related to the other story of Davis’s on the Ripley side via Francis Scott Key. I wish I knew where my Davis roots were from. My dads mother’s’ name was Mary Morgan married to James John Davis (my grandfather)…this is all I know. Not sure if this leads me anywhere..Thank you, Michele Miyuki Davis
I am sure getting in the game late, but just wanted to pass something along. In 1994 I was at a restaurant in Titusville, FL, when a lady claiming to be the granddaughter of Ripley did a cartoon chalk of me. The name at the bottom is Saundra Ripley-Zakeu. Don’t know if this helps.
I am the daughter of Robert Ripley and Susan Burbridge, born May 14, 1948.
Hi my name is Denise Ripley and I am writing with information which might help solve the brick wall you seem to have hit.
In my ancestry I came across Robert Ripley 2/1/1735. He was born in Ingleby, Yorkshire. Immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada.
His occupation was farmer. He was the son of Henry Ripley and Elizabeth Corney. They were married on 31/12/1761 in Yorkshire. They immigrated to Nova Scotia, arriving in 1774. Hope this helps break down the brick wall.
Thanks for writing us, Denise.
Hello, my name is Carol. My great Aunt, Martha, was one of Robert Ripley’s cousins. I believe my great-grandmother, Ada, had married Robert Ripley’s maternal uncle, though I don’t know his name. From what history I’ve gotten from my elderly mother, he had a drinking issue, and they divorced sometime in the 1890’s. My g great grandmother then remarried, and had my grandmother and my great-uncle.
My mother, born in 1920, told me she met Ethel once, when her aunt, Martha, brought her over to my mom’s house in Oakland, CA. My mom was a young girl at that time, and of course, Robert Ripley by that point was in New York, so she never met him.
My mother did relay that my great aunt Martha, when she was young, went over to the Ripley’s house (this would be after Isaac had passed away, and Lillie had taken in boarders to help pay the bills) and would help her aunt Lillie clean the house. From what my mother has told me, from what my great aunt Martha had relayed to her, when Martha went in to clean Robert’s room, he instructed her NOT to throw anything away, even the trash bin in his room. I believe it was in case he decided he needed one of his drawings he had thrown away.
My great aunt married but her husband passed away (along with two of his sisters) from the Spanish flu. She never remarried and had no children, but she lived in Sausolito and then in Mill Valley. She was a wonderful lady and I have fond memories of my siblings and I staying at her home during the summer.