In Search of Bessie Rider – Part 4

When I first started researching Bessie Rider, I had very low expectations that I'd ever be able to find out anything about her. That's why it was so thrilling for me to find out that Dr. Charles "Eddie" Herdendorf of the Sheffield Village Historical Society actually knew her as "Aunt Bess," and was able to share some photos and reminisces with me.

Dr. Herdendorf related to me how Bessie and one of her brothers played matchmaker to her sister Ada. As he explained, "My grandfather Henry "Harry" Garfield Root had traveled to California as a young man, but not finding work there returned home about 1911. Back in Ohio, Harry renewed his friendship with cousin and neighbor, Roy Taylor. Roy happened to be a patient of Dr. Tromley, a Lorain dentist with a young assistant named Bess Rider.

"Roy was dating Bess and knew that she had an older sister named Ada, who worked as a switchboard operator at the steel mill where her father was a manager. In any event, Roy and Bess decided to play matchmaker and introduced Ada to Harry—a match that resulted in a 59-year marriage."

Dr. Herdendorf also reached out to his cousins (Suzie Rantz and Melinda Rider Newton) to see if they had any stories or memories of Bessie.

Suzie Rantz (whose mother was Margaret Rider, a sister of Bessie) confirmed that Bessie did lose an eye, and wore a glass eye as a result. Bessie must have developed a sense of humor about it, because Suzie remembers that she would take out the glass eye to fascinate her nieces and nephews!

There's a slight debate among the cousins as to whether Bessie ever got married or not. According to Suzie, Bessie had gotten married, but was soon divorced. Melinda Rider Newton believes that Bessie never got married, but was once engaged. Melinda still has the engagement ring.

Melinda also provided several wonderful photos of Bessie through the years.

Here's Bessie (at left) and her sister Ada at the water pump, circa 1894 (below).

This is Bessie in 1897 (below) with McKeesport, Pennsylvania as a backdrop.

By 1908 – two years after she appeared on the real photo postcards, Bessie had become a beautiful young lady (below).

We also get a few glimpses of a smiling Bessie later in life. Here she is in 1940 (below).

Lastly, here she is apparently enjoying hitting the golf ball around in 1955 (below).

Bessie was still a dental assistant when she retired.

She passed away at the age of 73 on March 23, 1964 at McCleabs Rest Home in Warren, Ohio. She is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Lorain.

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It was fascinating to me to see how the stars aligned to make everything fell into place so that the story of Bessie Rider could be told. It's very satisfying to discover that she apparently enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life, despite that very unfortunate event that happened in her early years.

Special thanks to Dr. Charles "Eddie" Herdendorf for his help with the preparation of this special blog series. Be sure to read his fascinating history of the Rider family and their many interesting historical contributions and connections on page nine of the September 2011 Village Pioneer (click here).

In Search of Bessie Rider – Part 3

Bessie Rider – the girl on the 1906 postcards – and her family had disappeared from the Lorain city directories after 1915. I assumed they had moved out of the area, and that it would be impossible to find out anything more about her or the fate of her eyesight. But I decided to do a little more online research, focusing on other family members. Perhaps an obituary of one of them would list Bessie, and provide a clue as to what the rest of her life had been like.

I was lucky and uncovered a few obituaries. Maude Rider (Bessie's mother) had passed away in 1941. Her obituary in the Warren Tribune Chronicle stated that the family had moved from Lorain to Youngstown. It also revealed that Bessie and her sister Margaret had been living with their mother in Youngstown when she died.

I also found Bessie's sister Ada's obituary in the Lorain Journal. Interestingly, she had married a Sheffield Village farmer named Harry Root – thus connecting her with the well-known pioneering Root family. Ada passed away in 1977.

But I still hadn't found anything specifically about Bessie or her life.

Finally, while researching the Rider sons, I found a link to an online issue of The Village Pioneer. (The Village Pioneer is the Journal of the Sheffield Village Historical Society and Cultural Center). An article in the publication mentioned that four of the Rider sons had volunteered for service during World War I. 

The article also made reference to an earlier issue of  The Village Pioneer that mentioned the sons, and I excitedly looked for it online. When I found that issue (September 2011), I couldn't believe my eyes. An article – entitled "The Rider Family in Sheffield" – was all about Bessie's family!

(Courtesy of Sheffield Village Historical Society)

The article was written by Dr. Charles "Eddie" Herdendorf, the Director of the Sheffield Village Historical Society's Director. It recalled the early history of the Rider family, beginning with their exodus from McKeesport, Pennsylvania – where patriarch Harry had worked for National Tube –and their arrival in Lorain around 1904 as Harry transferred to the company's new plant. Although the article did not mention Bessie specifically, it did include a photo of her as a little girl.

And why was there an article about the Riders in The Village Pioneer in the first place? Because Dr. Herdendorf was related to them! (I should have guessed this, because one of Ada Root's daughters had married a man with the last name of Herdendorf!) I contacted Dr. Herdendorf to share my research with him, and to see if he had any knowledge or memory of Bessie.

He did indeed, and was happy to share his recollections of her with me.

"Yes, I knew Aunt Bess quite well, she was actually a great aunt—my grandmother Ada's sister," he wrote. "Although my grandmother never got along with her younger sister too well, I liked Aunt Bess a lot. She was quite a photographer and did her own developing."

"When I was a pre-teen, she seemed to take a liking to me too, and taught me how to develop photos and eventually gave me all of her darkroom equipment. She lived in the Cleveland area, but I don't recall when she died. I think it might have been in the 1970s. She never married as far as I know or at least she wasn't married when I knew her. I was surprised to hear about the loss of an eye. I never knew it and it was never apparent.

"I do have a photo of her playing in the snow in front of the house where I now live," he noted. Here is the photo (below).

Tomorrow, I'll conclude this look at the life of Bessie Rider with some final reminisces from Dr. Herdendorf and his cousins, as well as a wonderful photo gallery.

In Search of Bessie Rider – Part 2

My search for information about Bessie Rider of Lorain – the girl on the 1906 postcards – started at the Lorain Public Library. Unfortunately, I could only find Bessie in two city directories, living at 2113 E. 30th Street with her parents (Harry and Maud) and her siblings.

Here's her 1912 listing (below).

Out of curiosity, I drove out to South Lorain to see what the former Rider home at 2113 E. 30th Street looked like today (below). The Lorain County Auditor website has the house listed as being built before 1900.

At that point, I thought that my research was complete – and I prepared a simple blog post with what little information I had.

But the day before I was going to post it, I Googled Bessie's name in a last attempt to see if I could come up with anything else. 

To my amazement, a small item in an Indiana newspaper mentioned Bessie. But sadly, the reason it was in the Waterloo Press of February 3, 1910 was because it was a horrible, newsworthy accident involving her.

Here's the story (below) as reported locally in the Lorain Daily News of January 18, 1910.

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SNOWBALL MAY COST GIRL THE SIGHT OF EYE

Ball of Ice and Snow Crashing Through Car Window Sends Piece of Glass Into Eye of Bessie Rider

GIRL WAS BLINDED

With Lacerated Face is Taken to the Hospital – Boy Who Threw the Ball Made His Escape

The hurling of an iced snowball at a yellow line car last evening at about 5:30 o'clock which crashed one of the car windows into hundreds of pieces of flying glass may cost Miss Bessie Rider, a passenger, the permanent loss of her eyesight in one eye. At present the victim of the unfortunate accident is lying at St Joseph's hospital deprived of the use of her eyes and the attending physician has announced that he fears she will never regain the vision of the most seriously injured optic.

Miss Rider who is employed in the office of Dr. L. A. Wood of the Lorain block boarded the 5:10 car as usual to go to her home at 2113 E. 30th Street. She had several small packages with her and when the car was coming to a stop at the corner of East 28th and Oakwood avenue she arose from her seat and prepared to leave the car. It was while she was in the act of stooping over gathering up her belongings that someone threw the ball of snow and ice at the car. It struck the window in front of which Miss Rider was bending. The fact that her face was so close to the window sent a large part of the flying glass directly into her face and she was immediately blinded by the sharp edged particles. Blood streamed from her face and in her agony she murmured that there was glass in her right eye. A friend of the family was on the car and assisted her to the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry N. Rider.

In the meantime the car crew had apprised the dispatcher's office of the affair and he in turn hurriedly summoned Dr. Cox the company's physician. On an examination of the young lady's injuries he decided that the services of an eye specialist were necessary and he secured Dr. O. B. Monosmith. On his arrival the girl was removed to St. Joseph's hospital where the injured eye was found to be badly cut. Several stitches in the eyeball were found necessary and a part of her cheek was lacerated. The eye lid of the other eye was also badly cut.

Dr. O. B. Monosmith this morning informed the parents that it was too early to make a positive statement concerning the eye. He said that at present the eye sight was totally destroyed in the member and it was very probable that it would permanently remain so.

Whether or not the train crew of the car ascertained the names of the young men who were in the group which did the snowballing could not be learned this morning. The Lake Shore Electric's claim agent arrived in the city early this morning and at once began an investigation of the affair. The police also are working on the case.

It is questionable whether any liability can be attached to the railroad company for such an unfortunate occurrence but it is known that the culprit who threw the missive if apprehended might be severely dealt with inasmuch as throwing at trains is a penitentiary offense.

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The Lorain Times-Herald from the same day provided even more details of the accident in this front page story (below).

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SNOWBALL TO DEPRIVE GIRL OF HER SIGHT

Bessie Rider Terribly Hurt When Missel Crashes in Glass of Car

EYES INJURED

Two Stitches Taken in Right Optic and Sight is Doubtful, Left also Injured

Because a group of boys and girls were careless and thoughtless, Miss Bessie Rider, the pretty 19-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. N. Rider of 2113 East 30th st., will probably lose the use of one eye and the other may be permanently injured.

The accident was the first serious mishap due to the pastime of snowballing this winter and the most serious of the kind which ever occurred here.

Miss Rider was riding in a yellow line car on her way to her house when a snowball crashed through the car window. A piece of flying glass penetrated the eye inflicting a severe cut. The left eye was cut but the right eye was so badly torn by the glass that two stitches were necessary in the eye ball.

Miss Ride is employed in the office of Dr. L. A. Wood in the Lorain block. She boarded the Lorain Street Railway car which leaves the loop at 5:15 o'clock for the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. N. Rider, of 2113 E. 30th st. When the car reached a point on E. 28th st., near the old ball grounds, it passed a group of boys and girls who were in the street and on the walk engaged in throwing snowballs at passerbys and at passing cars. As the car approached a volley of snowballs flew towards it. Miss Rider had just stooped over to pick up a basket which she had set upon the floor. There was a crash and a snowball and pieces of glass struck the young lady in the face and eyes.

The injured girl was the personification of grit and cool-headedness. Turning to a young man who sat in the seat beside her, an acquaintance of hers, she said: "You'll have to take me home. I can't see." The young man realized Miss Rider had been seriously hurt and accompanied her to her home, half leading her.

At the house Dr. S. S. Cox was called. An examination at once showed that a small piece of glass had cut the right eye ball from the outer side to the pupil. The left eye was also cut. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the attending physician dressed one of the eyes and then the girl was taken to the office of Dr. O.B. Monosmith, the local eye specialist. The glass was removed and the girl was taken to St. Joseph's hospital where she was cared for during the night. The wounded eye bled considerably during the night and the girl's condition is grave. The attending physicians give little hope that she will ever recover the use of her right eye and the left eye may be affected.

No one knows who thew the snow ball which may cost Miss Rider the loss of her sight. There is considerable feeling over the matter in all parts of the city and an effort is being made to find the guilty person. Members of the police department are making an investigation and it is probable that some information will be gathered during the day.

Miss Rider came to this city with her parents from McKeesport, Pa., about six years ago. She is 19, and decidedly pretty. Possessed of a beautiful fresh complexion, two rows of snow, even teeth, coal black hair and eyes, the girl has attracted considerable attention. She is of a quiet and genial disposition and pleasant manner. She has a wide circle of friends in the city.

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Using the date of the accident as a starting point, I read through the following month of newspapers on microfilm – but was unable to find out anything more about what happened to Bessie. So once again, I was ready to post her story and move on to something else.

But once again, fate and luck would intervene to help me uncover the rest of Bessie's story – and provide an uplifting ending.

In Search of Bessie Rider – Part 1

It was back in July 2012 that local historian Dennis Lamont forwarded me a few photos that Paula Shorf – one of the authors of the book Lorain: The Real Postcards of Willis Leiter – had sent to him. They had been corresponding via email about Glens Beach in Lorain, and Paula had generously shared some postcards that she had on that subject.

In case you've never heard of it, Glens Beach was a swimming beach and amusement resort run by Geo. Glendening that was located behind and to the east of the Coast Guard station on Lakeside Avenue. It consisted of a fine bathing beach, a dance hall, a roller skating rink, a bath house, a dock, a pavilion and a large platform. It was a popular place for picnics and parties, and it became the subject of several Willis Leiter postcards showing Lorainites having a jolly good time.

Two of the Glens Beach real photo postcards that Paula sent featured a haunting image of a pretty, young girl – Bessie Rider of Lorain – posing down at the waterfront in what looks like the off season. Both postcards were postmarked in Lorain on October 1, 1906.

The postcard above has Bessie's handwritten inscription: "View of Life saving station and Docks. I am on here also." She adds, "The wind was blowing when the picture was taken."

The second postcard (below) shows Bessie in a long shot in which she can be almost overlooked with all of the brush, sticks and driftwood in the foreground. Although her inscription at the top was cut off by the scanner, she says, "I am on this." She then identifies the postcard's subject matter as "View of Lorain Docks from Glens Beach."

Both postcards were addressed to Geo. Grafton, National Tube Company, McKeesport, Pa.

I was originally going to use these two postcards as part of a throwaway post – just some filler on a day when I had nothing else to write about. But I was intrigued by the girl. Whatever happened to her? Did she stay in Lorain? What was the McKeesport connection? Did she ever get married?

I knew it was a long-shot that I'd be able to find out much about Bessie Rider. But as you shall see, her story began to slowly unfold in front of me beyond my wildest hopes.