Edward Charles Ramseyer
My great grandfather Edward Charles Ramseyer was born on November 11, 1868, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father Frederick, was 51 and his mother, Elizabeth Haberstroh, was 38 when he was born. His father was from Solothurn, Switzerland and his mother was from Lorraine, France. Both of his parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1838. Edward's siblings were Minna, Charles, Bertha, and Joseph (died at birth). He also had 4 half-siblings from his father's first wife: Otto, Frederick Jr., Mary, and Caroline.
The 1880 census has Edward attending school and living with his family at 85 Tremont Street in Boston. This land is not too far from the Granary Burying Ground. I am not sure if the address is accurate or not, I would need to find out if there was indeed a building on that land in 1880.
The 1900 census has Edward living at 18 Wyman Street in Jamaica Plain, MA and working as a wool salesman. Based on a Google maps search, the John F. Kennedy Elementary School is now on this property.
He married Emma Marie Pelletier on October 6, 1914, in Boston, Massachusetts. At the time of their marriage, he was living at 61 Lochstead Ave in Jamaica Plain and Emma was living at 52 Forbes Street in Jamaica Plain—a 15-minute walk from each other. They had two children during their marriage—a son, Edward Charles Jr. who passed away at just 3 days old, and a daughter, Marie Elizabeth (my grandmother).
In 1900, my great grandfather bought a farm in Halifax, MA. It was located close to where his relatives had summer cottages. In the years following, he continued to buy up neighboring land, adding to the acreage. Below is an article from The Brockton Enterprise that mentions Edward Ramseyer's flower farm. I have also included photos of the farm—the Halifax Country Club now sits on this property. I remember going to the country club with my grandmother when I was a kid and she always mentioned to the waitress that her father once owned the property. How strange that must of been for her to see such a drastic change. According to this article, Edward Ramseyer owned the farm from 1900-1928.
The 1920 and 1930 censuses have Edward working as a wool merchant and living at 1029 South Street in Roslindale, MA with his wife Emma, daughter Marie, and mother-in-law Marie Pelletier. This is where my grandmother lived her entire life.
My great grandfather played the flute with the Newton Symphony Orchestra and the Dorchester Symphony Society. His name appears in the booklets below. His obituary mentioned that he was also a member of the Footlight Club in Jamaica Plain.
Below are photos that my grandmother saved—I am eternally grateful to my grandmother for keeping these photos and labeling them. My grandmother told me that her dad used to pick her up from school and they would go for a ride to the beach and eat ice cream. I'd like to think that the my grandmother took the photo of her dad at Nantasket beach.
Edward Ramseyer owned E.C. Ramseyer & Co., Wool that was at 263 Summer Street and later moved to 296 Summer Street in Boston. From the materials I found, he worked for W. Lowenthal & Co., and later for Robert C. Sears & Co., before buying the company from Robert Sears and re-naming it E.C. Ramseyer & Co. Wool.
When I asked my father what he remembered about his grandpa Ramseyer, he did't have many memories other than his grandfather watched them play football in the yard. My father was 11 years old when his grandfather passed away. Edward died on January 29, 1953, in Roslindale, Massachusetts, at the age of 84. He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Roslindale, Massachusetts.
