Sisters - Important Part of Her Life

Bobbie (Clara), Bertha, & Pauline

To Bertha one of the greatest treasures in life was family and she was blessed with plenty; 6 brothers and 4 sisters they all were important to her but her sisters were her true friends throughout her life.  She talked and visited with them regularly.  Even though she was second in the birthing order it was as if she was the matriarch of the family.  They all valued her friendship as she did theirs.

Earl, Bertha, Peggy, Joshua, & Sister Mary

Grandma would say that when they were growing up that her sister Mary was referred to as the pretty one.

Pauline & Bertha

I remember when you would go out to eat with Grandma and Pauline you better be prepared when the check came for the ritual of the grabbing of the bill and it going back and forth "I am paying for this", Bertha would say. "No, No, Berth you always pay I am taking care of this one", Pauline stated firmly.  But in the end  Bertha would win and take care of the bill.

Missing Grandma

Robby & Becky 1994


I sent this as a card to Grandma.

Earl & Bertha's Wedding Anniversaries

 

I took grandma and grandpa to get this picture taken.  It was raining that day and grandpa and I went to pick grandma up at the hairdresser.  She came out with her raincoat over her head and got into the car.  Grandpa was in a really goofy mood and was being silly but grandma was not to appreciative of his humor.  We got to the photographers on the corner of Cambridge Street and Lincoln in Alliance.  He got out of the car in his trench coat and she had him open the umbrella she got out of the car and she was yelling at him because he kept moving the umbrella and she was getting wet.  I watched the photographer take these pictures; he was very funny and made them laugh as you can see in the pictures.  I am glad I was there.

From the Alliance Review

55 Year Wedding Anniversary

Bertha's Humor

This is a comic strip that Grandma sent me when they lived in St. Petersburg Florida dated 1982.

This picture of Earl and Bertha is from around the same time.

A Poem For Grandma

A Poem for Grandma

There are moments in life when you miss someone
So much, you just want to pluck them from
Your dreams and hug them for real.

When the door of happiness has closed, another will open.
Let us not spend too long staring at that closed door,
that we don't see the one which has opened for us.

We are all together, celebrating someone who made us smile,
Someone who made our dark days seem bright,
Someone who made our hearts sing.

Grandma would tell us to dream what we want to dream,
Go where we want to go,
be who we want to be,
Because we only have one short lifend one chance to do all the things we want to do.

Grandma had enough happiness to make her sweet,
enough tries to make her strong,
enough sorrow to keep her human
and enough hope to keep her happy.

The happiest of people don't always have;
the best of everything,
They just make the most of everything and everyone who come their way.

You have touched so many lives,
in your own special way.
Your spirit lives on in all of our memories,
And within all of our hearts.

We won't be counting the years which pass,
But counting all of the wonderful memories
you have left us to enjoy.

Grandma, thank you for all those memories!

Anonymous

Grandpa Earl's Shop Picnics - IDORA PARK

I remember how we looked forward to Grandpa Earls shop picnic at Idora Park every summer.  It was a big ordeal and all day outing.  Grandma would get the picnic food together and the large thermoses for the famous orange aid which was free..  It was a family affair with all the relatives from Youngstown meeting at the picnic pavilion. We were not really interested in eating we could not wait to go on the rides and what we would ride first.  Grandpa would see his buddies from work and was proud to introduce his family to them.  The men would later disappear into the beer garden.  I remember the adults later would be in the ballroom where there was a band and us kids would slide on the wood floor.  Later as pre-teens Bev Kelner took Cindy, Kim and I to see Bobby Sherman at the same Ballroom

1912 - The Year Bertha was Born

Facts of 1912

1. Life Savers Candy was created in 1912 by Clarence Crane.
2. The "Unsinkable Ship," also known as "The Titanic" sank at 2:27 AM off the coast of Newfoundland on April 15th.
3. Motorized movie cameras were invented, replacing its hand-cranked predecessor.
4. New Mexico became the 47th state in 1912.
5. Pitcher Cy Young, for whom the major baseball award in now named, retired with 511 wins.
6. In 1912 Nabisco had a new idea for a cookie, and named it the Oreo.
7. Republic of China formed
8. Woodrow Wilson became the 28th President beatingout Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.
9. Crisco oil was introduced.

Other Notable 1912 Births

1. Eva Braun - Hitler's Mistress
2. Les Brown - Band Leader
3. Patricia Nixon - 1st Lady
4. John Payne - Actor
5. Phil Silvers - Comedian
6. Studs Turkel - Author
7. Perry Como - Singer
8. Sam Snead - Golfer
9. Art Linkletter - TV Host
10. Woodie Gutherie - Folk Singer
11. Gene Kelly - Actor / Dancer
12. Ben Hogan - Golfer
13. Julia Child - French Chef
14. Chuck Jones - Animator
15. Minnie Pearl - Country Entertainer
16. Dale Evans - TV Star
17. Barbara Hutton - Woolworths Heiress
18. Eleanor Powell - Actress
19. Morey Amsterdam - Comedian
20. Lady Bird Johnson - First Lady
21. Tony Martin - Singer
22. Tip O'Neill - Speaker of the House

Bertha's Obituary in the Alliance Review

December 28, 2002

Bertha E. Ramser, 90, of Alliance, died at her home at 10:17 a.m. Friday, Dec. 27, 2002. She was born Jan. 16, 1912 in Port Huron, Mich., a daughter of George E. and Mary (Derr) Metze. She lived in the Alliance area most of her life.
Mrs. Ramser was a homemaker and member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witness. Her husband, Earl L., died July 12, 1986. They were married March 9, 1930.
Survivors are a son and daughter-in-law, Richard J. and Joann Ramser of Alliance; daughter, Iverna Peg Kapp of Calcutta, Ohio; she was dearly loved by her grandchildren, Bob, Rick, and Larry Ramser, Barb Murphy, Jeff Marshall, Cindy Ludy, Kim Marshall, Josh Kapp; 13 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Karl (Pauline) Kellner of Austintown; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, infant son Norman, six brothers, Charlie, Clarence, Floyd, Merle, George, and Don, and three sisters, Mary, Margaret, and Clara.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home where friends may call the hour before the service. Interment will be at New Waterford Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witness.

Earl - Bertha's Husband

Baby Earl

Earl in School in East Rochester, OH

Earl in Suit 687 West Main Street


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Zoe (Elton) - Earl's Mother



Earl with one of his many Cadillacs

Earl was very proud of his last name.  He so very much wanted to have some type of relationship with his father Fred Ramser.  The only thing Fred ever gave Earl was his last name.  He treasured any little news he would recieve regarding his father and saved the letters, couple pictures, and odd poems.   After Grandpa passed away Grandma gave me a small envelope with these items which Grandpa kept in his drawer.  In retrospect Fred was the one to lose out not having Earl in his life.  Earl enjoyed the family he had and grandma always reminded him of this.  In some ways it is a shame that us grandkids could of know or met our great-grandfather who lived well into his late 90s.  Looking at Fred's picture there is no way he could deny Earl because they looked just alike.

The Ramser generations at Earl and Bertha's resting place at New Waterford Cemetary 2003.



Bertha & Earl - Fun Pictures

Irene & Pete - Earl and Bertha out west

Irene & Bertha (It seems like Irene is really getting into this)

Earl & Uncle John

Uncle John & Earl  

Pete & Earl (You see where Earl's eyes are?)

We always enjoyed looking at these pictures when we were kids.

Pikes Peak Colorado Trip - 1950s

Pikes Peak with Pete & Irene
 (All the ladies have their purses but what is Earl holding?)

Earl & Pete at Redwood Forest

On Top of Pikes Peak

Bertha and her Purse

Irene & Bertha

(You better hang on to your purse you never know who may be up here on top of Pikes Peak)

We would comment that when Earl, Bertha, Pete, and Irene would take trips out west that it was like Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel road trip to California.  (I do not know who would be Ricky I think it would be more like 2 Freds)

A Sad Start - Baby Norman

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Norman was Bertha and Earl's first born son.  She said Norman was a very happy baby.  It was devestating when he passed away unexpectedly at 6 months old probably of what is called SIDS today.  She did not like to hear when parents would let their babies sleep in bed with them.  She carried this tragedy with her all of her life.

Bertha's Children - Peggy & Jack

Iverna Margaret (Peggy) & Richard John (Jack) Ramser

Bertha's Mother - Mary Magdaline Metze

Grandma told me the day her mother died she got a call to come New Waterford ASAP, so she took Richard to the neighbors and took Peg and they went on the train from Alliance to New Waterford.  She got there just in time to see her mother before she passed away.  She remembered her father wrote 5:10 on the calender.  I asked her why he did that and she said she does not know why but that's what he did.

Grandma Mary Metze

When I asked grandma Bertha what her mother was like she said she was very nice and worked very hard her whole life and was just worn out.  She never cared for this picture of her but said she treasured it because that was all she had.

If you look at the list of Mary's siblings there were eight of them.  Bertha Fenton is Grandma's namesake was the oldest of the sisters.  Grandma told me her favorite aunt was Jeanie Grommosky from Cleveland.  She would stay with her in the summer and said she always made her feel important as Bertha and was interested in what she had to say (Having all those brothers and sisters it was probably hard to be noticed as an individual).  She said Aunt Jeanie was fun to be around.  I have a feeling that she must of been a lot like Bertha.

 Postcard sent to Mary Metze from Almeda Shetlock Mary's sister postmarked Transfer, PA (Sept. 24, 1912).   Bertha would have been only 8 months old.

Bertha & Her Children

Bertha and Children Iverna (Peggy) and Richard (Jack)

Grandma told me she was so upset when this picture was taken because Earl was suppose to be in it and he was late for some reason and missed the photographer.  She said she thought of that everytime she looked at this picture.

New Waterford, OH - Bertha's Childhood Home and Resting Place

Bertha in New Waterford Grammar School in about 5th grade.  She is in second row from the bottom 4th from the right.

School teaches at New Waterford Grammar School.  Grandma used to tell me one of the ladies was her favorite teacher.

New Waterford was platted in 1851 by John and Robert Silliman in anticipation of the railroad.  John Taylor made two additions later. Their efforts were amply rewarded as the village grew from a population of 60 people in 1860 to 1347 by 1900. The railroad played no small part in the growth of the village. In July 1852 the first train of cars arrived at Bull Creek Station. A few years later the name was changed from Bull Creek to New Waterford. As the story 's told, the first Taylor's came from Waterford, Ireland, and thus the name 'New' Waterford was selected. The railroad business grew rapidly. A large passenger and freight station,  acquired from the world's fair in Chicago, was established amid landscape grounds. For many years seven trains stopped daily.

The first storehouse as built by John Silliman in 1851. Soon a variety of stores and businesses were established and all of them transacted a large volume of business. New Waterford gained an excellent reputation as a trading center. In 1867, James C. Scott purchased the mill property at Cass Ann. Scott's Tip-Top Mills became one of the leading mills in the country. Today the only reminders of this once flourishing business are the dam and the millrace in the park.

The Post Office in New Waterford was established in 1853 with George Coswell as the first post master. The first mail was carried to and from the railroad station and the post office by J. T. Taylor. The outgoing mail was hung on the mail pole beside the tracks and as the train came thundering by at full speed, an arm with a 'switch click' would extend and grab the mail pouch.

In 1874, New Waterford had two physicians who operated a drug store in connection with the practice of medicine. An occasional visitor of Dr. D. M. Bloom was his friend, William McKinley, who later became President of the United States.

The reputation for quality merchandise and reliable merchants brought dramatic changes to New Waterford beginning about 1875. Trade came into the village from an ever widening radius necessitating a sharp rise in business expansion. The coal and carriage industries provided jobs. New businesses mushroomed. And from 1880 through the early 1900's a population "explosion" occurred. New Waterford became a "boom town". Freight moving in and out of the village kept dray men and their teams busy. Three hotels provided for the needs of their guests.

The village was incorporated in 1900 with Jacob H. Koch elected it's first Mayor.

In 1883. the Koch Carriage Works, founded by George J. Kock was so successful his brother Jacob joined him. The sixty people they employed were kept busy manufacturing high grade carriages, wagons and surries. Throughout Ohio and it's bordering states, the name plate, "Koch Brothers, New Waterford, Ohio" on a vehicle was a badge of excellence. In 1921, after automobiles ended the carriage trade, the buildings were taken over by the New Waterford Furniture Co. which later changed their name to Franklin Furniture and moved to Columbiana in the late 1920's. The buildings were then acquired by F. C. Maurer who organized Kenmar Furniture and operated there until about 1940 when they moved to East Palestine.

It occurred to George Koch, as people came in increasing numbers to Carriage works to place money and valuables in his safe, that what the village needed was a financial institution. And so, after much thought and planning, the New Waterford Building and Loan Association was organized in 1904. Then , in order to further the banking needs of both savings and checking accounts, the organization of New Waterford Savings and Banking Company was established in 1906.

Cory Barnes Williams owned the first gas station in New Waterford. By 1905, he owned a livery stable which kept him busy delivering people to and from their destinations. In 1913 he bought a Model T Ford and began a taxi service. Gasoline had to be readily available, so he converted his livery stable into a Standard Oil one pump station.

In 1908, Ralph Papania bought twenty-six acres which he planted into truck crops and fruit trees. Over the years the acreage has been enlarged and the major portion of the total 250 acres is planted in a variety of fruit trees, primarily apples.

Bertha's father George worked here and was an expert at upholstery.

George Metze

George Metze with Car