{"id":2754,"date":"2013-01-28T16:55:55","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T16:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=2754"},"modified":"2021-04-02T15:21:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T19:21:16","slug":"solve-the-robert-believe-it-or-not-ripley-ancestry-brick-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/solve-the-robert-believe-it-or-not-ripley-ancestry-brick-wall.html","title":{"rendered":"Solve the Robert \u2018Believe It or Not!\u2019 Ripley Ancestry Brick Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: 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 \u201cBelieve It or Not!\u201d Ripley, and invites readers to join her in breaking through a brick wall in Ripley\u2019s family history.<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014like what I found out about Robert L. Ripley and the origins of his \u201cBelieve It or Not!\u201d publishing\/radio\/television\/museum empire, and his involvement with \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this article I want to talk about my Ripley discoveries, and then ask for your help in breaking through a brick wall I\u2019ve hit in exploring his genealogy.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 28 May 1949, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ripley\u2019s First \u201cBelieve It or Not\u201d Newspaper Cartoon <\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u201cBelieve It or Not\u201d cartoon.<\/p>\n

On 19 December 1918, Ripley\u2014a 27-year-old cartoonist for the New York Globe<\/em> newspaper\u2014was sitting in front of his drawing board with no new ideas. He was under deadline pressure to produce a cartoon for the next day\u2019s paper, so \u201cin desperation\u201d he put together an assortment of odd sports occurrences to make a cartoon. He published it under the caption, \u201cBelieve It or Not.\u201d He was interviewed on the subject of the cartoon\u2019s origin years later, and his recollection was published in the New York Daily Mirror<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When Robert Ripley died in 1949 at the age of 58, his obituary reprinted that first cartoon recollection:<\/p>\n

\"obituary<\/a>
Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), 28 May 1949, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is one of Robert Ripley\u2019s early \u201cBelieve It or Not\u201d cartoons with a sports theme:<\/p>\n

\"Ripley's<\/a>
State (Columbia, South Carolina), 22 October 1919, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How astonishing it is, that from a single case of writer\u2019s block developed an empire of over 90 world-wide attractions, including wondrous museums and amazing aquariums!<\/p>\n

Robert Ripley & \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another Ripley tidbit I uncovered while browsing through old newspapers, of historical importance: Ripley had a role in making \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d our official national anthem.<\/p>\n

The lyrics come from a poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, entitled \u201cDefence of Fort McHenry.\u201d Key wrote his poem after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. Key\u2019s poem was set to the tune of a popular British song, \u201cThe Anacreontic Song\u201d (or \u201cTo Anacreon in Heaven\u201d) and the resulting song came to be known as \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although officially used by the Navy in the late 1800s, it wasn\u2019t the country\u2019s national anthem at that time. Nonetheless, crowds caught up in patriotic fever would rise and sing \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""The<\/a>
Daily Register-Gazette (Rockford, Illinois), 2 January 1930, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And then one day, Robert L. Ripley started a national conversation about its use with this comment, noting that the U.S. \u201chas no official national anthem\u201d:<\/p>\n

\"Ripley<\/a>
Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), 5 November 1930, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The discussion about the country\u2019s lack of a national anthem gained momentum. Several months later, President Herbert Hoover signed the act that made \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d the official national anthem, on 3 March 1931.<\/p>\n

\""Star<\/a>
Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 5 March 1931, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And for you curiosity-seekers, you can read the first publication of Francis Scott Key\u2019s poem by searching the newspapers in GenealogyBank. It was published in the Baltimore Patriot<\/em> (Baltimore, Maryland) on 20 September 1814. No, I\u2019m not going to republish it in this blog\u2014you can have the joy of looking up this amazing discovery yourself.<\/p>\n

But readers, I need some help with Robert Ripley, whose ancestry is as elusive as spotting a shooting star on a cloudy night.<\/p>\n

Help Me Uncover Robert Ripley\u2019s Family Tree!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t seem to crack the brick wall in his genealogy. He left no descendants and was only married briefly to actress Beatrice Roberts. I can\u2019t discover his family history any further back than his maternal grandmother.<\/p>\n

Here are the clues I\u2019ve been able to find, if any of you determined genealogists want to take up the challenge and break through the Ripley genealogy brick wall:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • See one of Findagrave.com\u2019s earliest memorials, #1399, from Odd Fellows Lawn Cemetery in Santa Rosa, California<\/li>\n
  • 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)<\/li>\n
  • Isaac was a carpenter born in Ohio (various California directories)<\/li>\n
  • 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 \u2014 Ohio Historical Society, Newspaper Microfilm Reel # 38487 \u2014 marriage license for Jason Stubbs and Phelia A. Hunter of Belpre on 8 May 1865)<\/li>\n
  • Lillie was the daughter of Nancy Yocke (1828-?) and an unknown father from Germany (1880 Analy, Sonoma, CA, census)<\/li>\n
  • Ripley\u2019s 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<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    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\u2019s Facebook or blog pages as comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    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 \u201cBelieve It or Not!\u201d Ripley, and invites readers to join her in breaking through a brick wall in Ripley\u2019s family history. There is a wealth of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12713],"tags":[3,3077,3071,5282,1142,5300,5301,3292,3093,3095,3094,1129,1658,2233,1656,1762,3073,5197,3075,465,2191,3091,3079,3084,3086,3074,3080,3081,22,3092,3076,5366,2020,27,1084,5370,3090,3089,3087,3070,3096,2900,3078,5435,3072,3085,3088,5444,3083,3082],"class_list":["post-2754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-genealogy-research-tips","tag-ancestry","tag-beatrice-roberts","tag-believe-it-or-not","tag-british","tag-census","tag-database","tag-daughter","tag-davis","tag-douglas-ripley","tag-effie-ripley","tag-ethel-ripley","tag-family","tag-family-history-2","tag-family-research","tag-family-tree","tag-father","tag-francis-scott-key","tag-grandmother","tag-herbert-hoover","tag-historical-newspapers","tag-history","tag-hunter","tag-isaac-davis-ripley","tag-jason-stubs","tag-jason-stutes","tag-key","tag-lillie-belle-yocka","tag-lillie-belle-yocke","tag-marriage","tag-nancy-yocke","tag-national-anthems","tag-news","tag-newspaper-archives","tag-newspapers","tag-obituaries","tag-people","tag-phelia-a-hunter","tag-phelia-a-stubs","tag-phelia-a-stutes","tag-ripley","tag-ripleys-believe-it-or-not","tag-robert-l-ripley","tag-roberts","tag-scott","tag-star-spangled-banner","tag-stubs","tag-stutes","tag-technology","tag-yocka","tag-yocke"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2754"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66125,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754\/revisions\/66125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}