New Perspectives on the Ricketts Family

Guest Post from Brenda Rizzo. Brenda and I recently did a project together, and then took advantage of a beautiful Ohio summer day to visit Tuscarawas County and connect with her long-ago family.

My father was a great man. He was charismatic, a born leader, resourceful and very caring. He raised us with love and laid a foundation for great self-esteem. I miss a lot about him, but what I miss the most is the way he celebrated my accomplishments, big or small.

When you asked Dad about his childhood, he always described difficult memories. His father, Walter, died when my Dad was 6 years old. To cover costs, my grandmother rented her home for a source of income and went to work for families who needed a full-time nanny and housekeeper. My grandmother and Dad would move in with these families as full-time paid servants. My Dad said often he would sit in their room and my grandmother would cry because she was exhausted and missed her husband. She was trying to provide for my Dad in the best way she knew how, but there were very few days off, and sadness permeated the home. Before my Dad was born, his mother had a baby girl who died when she was 14 days old. This was yet another source of sadness for my grandmother.

My Dad had other positive influences. His grandfather, Thomas Ricketts, Walter’s dad, was an important father figure in his life. My Dad got involved in Scouting which molded my Dad into a leader with a structured and focused personality. But I knew little about the rest of my Dad’s extended family. When asked, he would not elaborate on the past, simply saying that it was a difficult childhood.

So, through Ancestry.com, I was able to connect my Dad’s lineage to a lot more people and gain insight into my father’s family. I also did DNA testing which introduced me to second and third cousins. We began communicating and making connections in the family tree. One family reached out to me, and we discovered their family and my Dad both had an “Aunt Ocie” who was a missionary in China. We knew we had to be related but we could not put it together. Laurie from Heritage Bridge helped us make sense about it all. She found the connections and found the mistakes in our respective family trees.

Ancestry.com provides a lot of valuable information but working with a genealogist helps put the full story together. Laurie not only cleared up a lot of misinformation but recently we went to Tuscarawas County and she introduced me to my Dad’s heritage. We visited the home my Dad’s mother rented out and later lived in. We went to the churches where my ancestors worshiped. We found the headstones of all my relatives buried in New Philadelphia, Midvale, Roswell and at the Holmes Methodist church. What did I discover while going on this adventure with Laurie?

The Ricketts were a hardy people. We visited the farm where my 3rd great grandfather Philemon Ricketts settled after serving in the War of 1812. This land was very hilly, and it would have been difficult to farm. With no roadways or infrastructure like we have today, it is hard to imagine how he provided for his family, but he did and was even able to buy more acreage in the area. Then we went to my great-great grandfather Sherrod Ricketts’ homestead and discovered that his first wife died in her 20’s. He had two small boys and was a widower, but again a testament to how the Ricketts had overcome adversity could persevere.

My father’s ancestors were deeply religious people. They were involved in the building and establishment of places of worship, and charter members of those churches. My Dad was a faithful man, but I always thought it was my mother who encouraged my Dad to follow Christianity. Now I know that my father’s ancestors were also drawn to faith.

My Dad’s father Walter died unexpectedly in his late 30’s, but at such a young age he held a leadership position in the American Legion. He had served in WWI replacing horseshoes and other blacksmith duties. In fact, we found a tribute to the sons of Midvale who have served in wars and Walter Ricketts is listed. While Walter died too young, he seems to have some of those leadership qualities that was evident in my father Fred.

My Dad’s grandfather Thomas Ricketts was involved in my father’s life, especially after the death of Walter. Thomas understood that Fred would need a father figure in his life. Thomas was described as an exceptionally good blacksmith, which I would like to think contributed to my Dad’s woodworking skills. This relationship made me realize that my ancestors realized that importance of a father in children’s lives. I believe this is what made my Dad such a strong family man. Nothing was more important to my Dad than his family and children.

Through working with Laurie and visiting the location where my ancestors lived,, I was not only able to assure accuracy in my family tree, but I feel I now also understood their story. I feel like I met them through this discovery process. Even though she had little information to go on, Laurie was able to complete the story for me.