John Murray Ramsey
1885 - 1944
by
Charlotte
Carl-Mitchell
"John Murray Frank Sinclair Ramsey Age 11 months" was written on the back of a copy of this photo. This is the only place I've seen his name with the Frank Sinclair added in the middle. Since he was born on Oct 31, 1885, this photo would have been taken in Sept 1886. The photographer in Lampasas is the same one who took the photos of Belle and Frank that I described as their wedding portraits.
The photo above shows JM Ramsey in Aug 1889
at the age of 3 years, 10 months. On the back of the photo is FT
Ramsey. That means it belonged to him not that the photo was of
him. From the dates, it has to be JM.
The same photograph of JM Ramsey in Aug 1889
but printed on a large medal badge or button.
A hand-tinted photograph of JM, Euphie (left)
and Jessie Ramsey. From Euphie's age, the photo was probably
taken around 1896 when JM was 11. Belle Ramsey lost two children
between JM and Jessie.
A photograph of John Murray Ramsey around 1900 when he would
have turned 15.
From the fact that Murray is holding a diploma, this is probably a photo taken in honor of his high school graduation. According to a later proclamation from the City of Austin, Murray won the Austin High School scholarship to the University of Texas.
Murray's diploma from May 1903. The original is so large,
(16"x20") it took four scans to get only the text part. He
graduated in 1903, but was a freshman at UT in 1904-05. I wonder
what he did from May 1903 to Sep 1904? Perhaps he worked with
his father, but if he'd won a scholarship you'd think he would
have gone directly to school. I doubt he would have been a
freshman for two years. In a letter from his cousin, Helen Emma
Smith, in 1903, she asked him what he wanted to be. She
suggested a novelist since he had such a good imagination or
maybe a minister since he was so serious. A 1903 letter
from his Aunt Cora Sinclair congratulating him on his graduation
suggested he think hard about what he wanted to do with his
life. And in 1904 she sent another letter saying he had probably
decided what he wanted to do. I had always assumed that he was
expected to go into his father's business but it appears after
high school he wasn't set on doing that. In a letter from his
cousin, Helen E Smith in Apr 1904, she said, "So you are going
to enter the ministry?" That was the first I'd heard that he
considered that. Another letter in 1904 from Sadie asked if he
were enjoying his vacation. This is another indication that he'd
taken a year off to investigate what he wanted to do with is
life, a gap year like so many modern students take.
This photograph could have been taken for his high school
graduation in 1903. His cousin, Helen, had asked for a photo of
him that year and in a later letter he must have given her one
because she commented on how serious he had looked in it and
asked if he ever smiled. That description seems to fit this
photo. It could also have been taken in 1905, when Murray was a
freshman at UT. His hairstyle looks like the one he had in the
photos that ran in that year's Cactus, the UT annual. He would
have been 19 in the 1904-05 school year, older than most
freshman. Notice he signed his name Murray J. Ramsey, not John
or J. Murray Ramsey. Mercy always called him Murray, but later
his official signature was JM Ramsey, perhaps to emulate his
father and grandfather who also used their initials, AM and FT.
An article in the Austin Statesman on Sat,
June 24, 1905 said ÒMurray Ramsey and sister, Miss Jessie
started to the International Sunday School convention in Toronto
on Thursday. While away they will visit relatives and friends at
different points in Canada, New York state and Pennsylvania and
in Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis returning the latter part of
August.Ó In the same paper an article announced that Murray
Ramsey had been named the superintendent of the Austin district
of Christian Endeavor. Sometime before her death in 1907, JM
accompanied Elisabet Ney to the opera.
In the fall of 1905 at a conference in Nashville, TN, Murray met Mercy Briggs Perkins. She was originally from Ottawa, Illinois, but was living in Waco and attending TCU when it was in that city. They began a correspondence and were soon courting. He would go up to Waco to visit her. I think the photo below is from one of those visits. In a letter he said it took five hours on the train to get from Austin to Waco, not a quick trip. In a letter from his mother, Annabelle Sinclair Ramsey on July 27th, 1906 she called him a 'love sick boy.' He was then in Mason, Texas and had seemingly asked about a letter he was hoping to receive. Annabelle said it had come the previous day and joked with him at the end of the letter asking which one he'd opened first, hers or the other one. Also in the letter she said that Colby Hall was trying to talk him into going into the ministry. According to "The History of Texas Christian University," 'Colby D. Hall (1875-1963) was a beloved Disciples educator, historian, and minister. He completed his undergraduate theological studies at Add Ran University (now TCU) in Waco. He entered Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, as a junior, and graduated with a BA in 1902. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Columbia University in New York in 1904. Hall returned to Texas and began serving as pastor in Hillsboro until 1906, when he became the educational secretary for TCU. In 1909, the new University Christian Church in Waco called on Hall to be their first full-time pastor.'
Murray did two years of academic work at UT then studied law for two years, took the bar exam, passed and received his license to practice. Instead of going into law, he joined his father, FT Ramsey in the nursery business. In a letter Mercy wrote Murray on 5 Jul 1908, she congratulated him on becoming an attorney at law. He must have mentioned to her that he probably wouldn't go on for a degree, which he seemingly didn't. While at UT he pledged and started a lifelong association with Sigma Chi fraternity.
Murray was very active in his teens and early
20s in Christian organizations, such as the Student Volunteer
Movement for Foreign Missions and the YMCA, when it really was a
Young Men's Christian Association and not a campy song! He was
also very active in his Christian Church, both Central Christian
and Hyde Park Christian. He was the Superintendent of the Austin
District of Christian Endeavor in 1904 when he was only18 going
on 19. He also actively supported the Prohibition Amendment and
worked for its passage. In a letter he wrote Mercy on 29 Jul
1908, he said he intended to become a Mason, but he assured her
he wouldn't go to every meeting or stay out late (or worse,
smoke, drink or gamble!). In the same letter, he mentioned his
plan to go to the Capitol and get
the Charter for the new Hyde Park Christian Church.
The photograph above was probably taken in early 1908. It looks
like the UT annual photos for that year. Notice he now signs his
name J. M. Ramsey. In 1908, he joined his father at the nursery
and the company name was changed to FT Ramsey and Son.
On Thursday, Sept 24, 1908, Murray and Mercy were married in
Covington, Kentucky, where Mercy's sister Mary lived at the
time. The photo above was taken in Austin, but Mother always
said it was to commemorate their wedding. She also commented on
noticing Murray's Sigma Chi pin on Mercy's dress. I don't know
if that were the dress she actually wore at the wedding. It
looks pretty enough to be.
A close-up showing Murray's Sigma Chi pin on Mercy's dress in their wedding photo.
Murray and Mercy's wedding book. It notes the wedding took place
at the First Christian Church in Covington, Kentucky. The
minister was Milo Atkinson. The witnesses were T. Meyerhoefer
and Mrs. E. J. Brewer. T. Meyerhoefer was either a friend or
in-law of Mary Perkins (Mrs. E. J.) Brewer, Mercy's sister. It
is sad that no guests are listed. I assume Ernest Brewer and
others among his family or friends attended, but there isn't any
indication of that nor do we have any photographs of the wedding
party or reception. After the wedding Murray and Mercy took a
trip to St. Louis before going back to Austin. They stayed at
the Southern Hotel in St. Louis. Mercy's scrapbook includes the
bill, dated 9/28/08, for $27.50 which in 2003 dollars would be
$545. It must have been a nice place!
The image of the Southern Hotel
letterhead was from
http:/home.Comcast.net/~m.chitty/Midwest.htm
The Ramseys were not pleased that the wedding was held outside Austin. Since Murray was FT and Belle's only son, had the wedding been held in Austin, it would probably have been one of the social events of the season. I have a list of all the people who were to receive announcements of the wedding. It is 14 typed and handwritten pages long.
Murray and Mercy's wedding announcement.
An article on the wedding ran in the Sunday Morning Advertiser on Sept 26, 1908. It said the couple would be going back to Austin "to immediately go to housekeeping at Mrs. Pendleton's cozy little home in Hyde Park, which is handsomely furnished, ready and waiting." In a letter Murray wrote Mercy on 7 Aug 1908, he mentioned the cost of the Pendleton house they were thinking of buying had dropped to $2,150 (that's $42,625 in 2003 dollars). They were thinking of renting to buy, with rent at $15 ($294) a month. Mercy very much wanted their own place after they married, but they ended up living with the Ramsey's until after Murray P. was born in 1909 and Mercy was pregnant with Mercy A. in 1911. Perhaps they stayed at the cottage for a short time then moved into Murray's childhood room at FT and Belle's.
Murray Perkins Ramsey was born on Dec 18, 1909. His name came from Murray's first name and Mercy's last name. He was FT and Belle's first grandchild and they must have been thrilled to have a boy to continue the family name and business. (They had 5 granddaughters before their next grandson, Carl Ramsey Taylor was born to Euphie and Carl Taylor in 1918.)
On Nov 22, 1911, Mercy Annabella Ramsey was born. Her name came from her mother's first name and her Grandmother Ramsey's name.
This is the house on 38th Street, just east of Lamar, in which JM and his family lived until their house on Speedway was built. Almost every time we drove by the house, Mother would point it out as an early childhood home. She may have even been born in that house.
This photograph of Murray was used in the 1911-12 nursery catalog and was probably taken around that time He looks very much like he does in the snapshot above with his family taken probably in 1912, from Mother's age.
An ad for the nursery talking about the four generations of Ramseys.
The Spanish version of the 1911-12 nursery
catalog showing the same ad. The Ramseys were smart and
far-sighted to market to Hispanics.
Over the next couple of years, two important
things happened. The first was a new addition to the family.
Jessie Mary Ramsey was born on 16 Sep 1913. Her name came from
Murray's sister, Jessie and Mercy's sister, Mary. The photo
above was probably taken in the winter of 1913-14.
The Ramseys liked to camp, fish, swim and
picnic together. Notes on the back of this photo say Mercy is
holding Mother. From her age, that would mean this photo would
probably have been taken in 1912. But Murray looks too old to be
only a little over two and it looks like Jessie is holding a
girl who would be Annabel, born in 1912. If the baby Mercy is
holding is Jessie Mary, that would mean this was taken in 1913
or 1914 making Murray around 4. And there appears to be a blond
girl by Annabel who could be Mother.
From left going around the circle are Robert Vincent "Doc,"
Jessie and Annabel Murray, Mother, Winnie Ramsey and possibly
Hilliare Nitschke. Winnie and Hilliare didn't marry until 22 Mar
1918. I don't recognize the two obscured people. Next I think
are Carl Taylor and Euphie Ramsey. As early as 8 Apr 1913,
Murray mentioned to Mercy in a letter that Euphie planned to be
married. But in a letter Mercy wrote Murray on 20 Feb 1914, she
asked if Euphie and Mr. Taylor had married. Carl C. Taylor
received a Masters in sociology from the University of Texas in
1914. He and Euphie might have met at UT. He was 11 years older
than she. The next two people I don't know, but the older lady
on the far right is Belle Ramsey, then Mercy P. holding either
Mother or Jessie Mary with Murray P. Ramsey next to her. He
would have been 2 or 4 years old depending on who the baby is.
Mother would have been around two if the baby is Jessie Mary. In
the middle of the circle, with the hat, is FT Ramsey, the
patriarch of the group. JM probably took the photo. It looks
like they took the cushions out of their Model T to use on the
ground, a very practical idea.
Murray with his three kids and 'machine' or car. From Jessie Marys age, the photo was probably taken in 1914.
The next major event was the building of the
JM Ramsey family's new home at 4312 Speedway. They moved in
sometime in 1914. This shows the house before all the vegetation
grew up.
This postcard is from the 1915 season at Salt Air Beach at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Murray P. is at the bottom left; JM is in the third row back on the left. If that is Mercy on the far right, second row from back, she sure does look like Mother. It probably isn't. Who would have been looking after Mercy A. and Jessie Mary? Unless the beach had babysitting facilities.
I found this image on the Internet of a
postcard showing the lakefront at Salt Air Beach in 1915.
This is another postcard. On the back it says
"Seeing Salt Lake' so is probably from the same trip west in
1915.
This is an enlargement of the car photo
showing JM holding Jessie Mary with Murray next to him. In the
back seat are Mercy P. and Mercy A. Ramsey. None of them looks
very happy. It must have been a long day or maybe they were car
sick!
From the kids' ages, the photo above must
have been during this same trip out west in 1915 that the family
visited Yellowstone.
The next big event was the birth on 15 Sep 1917 of Helen Georgia Ramsey. Mercy had gone to the ranch in Cisco thinking the baby would be a boy whom she would name Charles in honor of her brother who had bought the property. But instead she had another girl. I don't know where the Helen came from, but the Georgia was in honor of Mercy's mother, Georgianna Beckwith Perkins. The family was now complete. In the photo above, it looks like Belle Ramsey is holding Helen. I hadn't realized she'd ever gone to the ranch.
This is a photo of Helen in 1918 in the front parlor of 4312. This is the earliest photo I have of the inside of Grandma's house. The arrangement of the furniture looks interesting. A bench seat in front of the fireplace. Is the overstuffed chair barely visible in the right back, the same one she had in our day? There is a clock on the mantle and a smaller mirror than the later one on the wall. I assume the upright piano is in the 'living room' as was their later piano.
This is a close-up of a photo of a class party in 1918 at 4312. It shows Grandma, second from left, holding Helen (who has the same tuft of hair sticking out on the left side of her head as she does in the photo above. Both photos might have been taken the same day.) The fourth woman from the left is Mary Dauler, Mercy's sister, holding Elizabeth 'Liz' Dauler, now Risacher. The woman with the hat is Jessie Ramsey Murray holding Margaret Murray now Bailey. All three babies were born in 1917.
Above is the full size photo of the class
party. On the back, Mother had written, "A party at the home of
the Murray Ramseys. This included the class of Baker School of
Murray Ramsey, Jr, Mercy Ramsey & Mary Dauler - visiting
from Cleveland, Ohio. About 1918. 4312 Speedway."
This is another close-up from the class photo showing other family members. I think Jessie Mary is on the far right, second row from front. Murray is the third from the right on the front row. Mother, Mercy A. Ramsey, is on the third row from the top in the middle. And I think "Little Mary" Dauler is on the left, by the woman holding the baby. She is frowning which is very unlike her. She was almost always smiling in photos, unlike Mother who was told not to smile. Mary appears to have pigtails.
This is a close-up of a photo of the kids
that was used in the nursery catalog to show how beautiful a
yard could be. This was taken in the side-back yard at 4312 in
1918. Murray was 9, Mother was 7, Jessie Mary was 5 and Helen
was 1.
The photo above was undated, but I'm guessing it's from the 1920s. JM Ramsey was very proud of his Scotch-Irish heritage and, from the photo above, must have been part of a group of like-minded men. His mother, Belle Sinclair Ramsey had been born in Canada, but her parents and ancestors were from Scotland. Three of her Sinclair ancestors, all named John, were at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The grandfather and father fought in the battle against Bonnie Prince Charles. The grandson, who was only 12 years old, was a messenger, bringing news of the battle to the family anxiously waiting at home. On JM's father's side, FT's mother's ancestor, William Taylor, had to leave Ireland just ahead of either the law or a mob that was after him, depending on which family story you believe.
The descriptor 'Scotch-Irish' is an American term referring to Lowland Scots who left Scotland for Ulster, Northern Ireland, and then to America. According to one source, they were not Irish or kilt-clad Highlanders. In most respects, they were like contemporary Englishmen. I'm not sure the people in the Ramsey Association would have appreciated hearing that. FT Ramsey was very active in that group, but I don't know if JM was.
The Ramsey family around 1921 in
front of Belle and FT's house on Ave. B. Back row: Hilliare
Nitschke holding Alice Ann Nitschke, Winnie Ramsey Nitschke,
Mercy Perkins Ramsey, John Murray Ramsey, Jessie Ramsey Murray,
Dr. Robert V. Murray, Euphie Ramsey Taylor, Carl C. Taylor. Middle row: Murray Perkins
Ramsey, Jessie Mary Ramsey, Mercy Annabella Ramsey, Frank Taylor
Ramsey and Annabelle Sinclair Ramsey (seated), Annabel Murray. Front row: Helen Georgia Ramsey,
Margaret Murray, Carl Ramsey Taylor.
Another camping and fishing trip,
with their trailer attached to their Model T.
The family standing in the snow
outside 4312 in 1923. Grandma is hidden behind Murray P.
Another family portrait in front
of the house on Ave B. The identification on the back said:
"Frank Taylor Ramsey and Annabelle Sinclair Ramsey Family August
1925. Murray and Mercy Ramsey, Murray P, Jessie Mary, Mercy,
Helen; Jessie and R.V. Murray, M.D., Annabel, Vincent, Margaret,
Frances; Euphie and Carl Taylor, Carl Ramsey and Jean Ann;
Winnie and Hilliare Nitschke, Alice Ann."
The front and back of a shares certificate for the nursery
The photo above of JM Ramsey was used in the
1930 Ramsey's Austin Nursery catalog, below, in the introduction
talking about the four generations of Ramseys in the business.
The catalog showed a more mature JM Ramsey and an adult Murray P. Ramsey. Murray didn't graduate from UT until 1933 so he probably wasnt involved full time with the nursery, but he worked there part time. We have a 1927 catalog that has written on it, "Marked for Murray P.'
Belle Ramsey died in 1927; FT Ramsey died in 1932. The catalog closest to that date that we have is 1936. On the inside front cover, the letter to their customers was signed JM Ramsey, President and MP Ramsey, Vice President of Ramsey's Austin Nursery.
In 1931, Murray and Mercy's children started to get married.
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Above, Murray and Mercy, probably in the
1930s. After their children married, grandchildren started
coming long.
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The first was Jimmy, James Murray Cate, born on 27 Aug 1935. The photo above was from Jimmy's first birthday in 1936.
In the summer of 1937, JM and family took a
trip up east. They visited the Taylors in Washington, DC. Above,
from left to right, Helen, JM, Mercy P, Mercy A., Jean Ann and
Euphie Ramsey Taylor.
They also visited Mary Perkins Dauler and her
family.
Murray and Mercy during their trip east. This is one of the few photos I have of JM laughing.
During the summer 1937 trip they visited Plymouth, MA and also Ottawa, IL. I don't know in which city this photo was taken.
The second grandchild to come along was Charlie, Charles Cushman Cate, born on 14 Jan 1938. The development date for the photo above was July 1939. Charlie is in front of JM and would have been a year and a half old. Charlie and Jimmy are on the table. Around the table from the left are JM, Julian, Helen Ramsey Hudlow, Jessie Mary and Mercy.
The next was Pat, Patrick O'Hair Cate, born
on 14 Oct 1940. The photo above was taken at 5409 Aurora in 1943
making Pat, on the right, going on three. I think the animal
Jimmy is holding is the lamb Mother said they had in the early
years.
The sweet photo above is a still taken from
the movie of Mercy and Ed's wedding reception on 12 Jun 1940.
You can see JM's red mustache.
On 12 Jun 1941, Mercy and Ed's 1st
anniversary, JM and Mercy gave them trees to plant in the yard
of their new home. They had also given them the two lots on
which their house was built. In the photo above, Ed was planting
a pecan tree and Mercy was pregnant with the first baby which
she sadly lost.
Earlier in 1941, in April, Helen and JM joined Mercy at an Eastern Star event.
Here is another photo of JM with his mustache, probably also from the early 1940s.
Murray and Mercy were blessed with two grandchildren in 1944. Billie, William Murray Rugeley was born on 10 May 1944.
Madeline Mercy Carl was born on 11 Jul 1944. The photos above were taken during the Christmas holidays 1944, only a few days before JM died. The surrealistic one on the right was made from a very deteriorated color negative. I thought the strange colors made an interesting effect, and the happy look on JM's face as compared to the 'who are you?' look on Madeline's was cute.
JM Ramsey died on Thursday, Dec. 28, 1944 at 3:30 AM. According to his death certificate, he died of Angina Pectoris that was of six days duration. He was only 59 years old. His brother-in-law, RV Murray was the attending physician. According to his drivers license, dated 1-19-45, he was described as being 6 ft tall, having brown hair, gray eyes and weighing 210 pounds. His death notice ran on the front page of the Dec 28, 1944 Austin paper,
I presume the flowers in the photo above are from Murray's funeral. The mirror has been taken down from above the mantelpiece and a photo of him was placed there.
This is the photo that was on the mantelpiece. I remember it being in Grandma's room. It must have been her favorite photo of him.
.
Above is a proclamation from the Planning
Commission of the City of Austin honoring JM Ramsey.
In addition to all the groups listed in the
proclamation and the certificate, JM was a member of good
standing in the State Bar, enrolled as an attorney in the
Supreme Court of Texas. He was a member of the Grand Jury
Association of Travis County. He was a member of Austin
Consistory No. 4, Valley of Austin, Orient of Texas in the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern
Jurisdiction, USA. He was also a past Patron of Austin Chapter
No. 304 of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Above, the tribute to JM Ramsey after his
death was in the 1947 nursery catalog.
It's easy to list all the groups he was part of, his profession,
but what was he like as a person? FT Ramsey wrote poetry and
lots of articles and essays giving his views on all sorts of
things. We don't have the same record from JM. Was he funny or
serious? Introverted or extroverted? Sensitive or insensitive.
In his letters, he professed to love his wife, but he seemed to
often put the wishes of his mother in front of those of Mercy
and his children. That didn't affect my mother's love for him.
She adored her father. At holiday time, she frequently
reminisced about her father always being one of the Three Kings
in the church Christmas pageant. The men would sing 'We Three
Kings' as they walked down the aisle. I thought Mother said JM
was a tenor, but in the 1924 program, he's listed as a Bass,
which makes sense for his size.
Madeline told these stories: "Mother told me this one...actually
two! I guess JM was a lovey-dovey husband! Mother said he would
come home for lunch...and one day Mother caught them in the
"act"! Another one was that when he would leave the table
to go back to the nursery...after lunch...he would kiss Grandmas
good-bye and as he was leaning over her back...give her boobs a
friendly squeeze!!" Barbara, Pat and I also remembered that JM
would come home for lunch. I don't know why that particular
little fact was so memorable.
Here is Pat's version of the lunch story and some other
interesting memories. "I do have one memory. Grandpa would come
home for lunch, ( I believe walking down Avenue B?) he
would lie down and maybe take a nap in the small bed room at the
end of the hall on the left up stairs. I would take a nap with
him and lying on his back he would put me on his feet which he
had lifted up and then shove me across the bed. It was probably
his last year and I would have been four. I remember mother
saying that for Christmas he would receive Bible commentaries
and he got to the point that he didn't want to keep receiving
them. I think he was Sunday school supt. I remember the funeral.
Of course we stayed home and I think Ruby [Grandma's black maid]
stayed with us. As I recall after that when the will was settled
it was found out that he had taken out an uninsured loan from
the bank, possibly for $10,000. It was a large amount in those
days [ $104,792 in 2003 dollars] and Uncle Murray had
to work a number of years to pay it off."
I hope to add more great stories like these to this biography.