| Life Story |
Bessie Ettner worked at TKWM from 1905 until 1915 when she married. She returned in the 1930s following a divorce and remained until the mill closed in the 1950s.
Bessie Elizabeth Ettner was born on 25 Jan 1895 in Macon City, Missouri. Her parents were Andrew and Martha (Herboldt) Ettner. She was their youngest child; older brother, William John Ettner was born in 1892.
Bessie’s grandmother Christina and step-grandfather Henry Semke moved to Salem, OR around 1896. In 1905, Bessie’s parents, Andrew and Martha, followed. Andrew and Bessie arrived first, with Martha and William joining them in March 1906. Henry, a weaver at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, likely helped Andrew and Martha secure jobs there.
Andrew and Bessie were listed in the 1905 city directory as weavers at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. Bessie was only 10 years old at the time; she probably worked as one of the bobbin “boys” or spoolers whose quick and nimble fingers switched out bobbins and retied threads when they broke.
In 1910, according to her oral history, Bessie quit school and worked the day shift changing shuttles for the weavers. Bessie became a weaver the following year and worked alongside her parents and sometimes, her brother. By the time she was 20, Bessie had met a young Navy man named Lester Milton Ryan. The couple moved to San Francisco, CA and were married there on 25 Mar 1915.
Bessie gave birth to her only child, Barbara Adele Ryan on the 18 Jul 1927 in San Rafael, CA. After Lester left the Navy, he worked as a chauffeur and truck driver, while Bessie stayed home to raise Barbara. In 1931, Bessie returned to Salem, OR, and filed for divorce from Lester on 28 Feb 1934, citing desertion and seeking custody of Barbara. She then returned to work, this time in the finishing department at TKWM where she cut, finished, and packed blankets.
Bessie and Lester’s divorce was finalized just weeks before she married Anton Fisher, her first cousin once removed, on 25 Aug 1934 in Seattle, WA with her brother William as witness. This marriage lasted about five years, ending in divorce on 25 Nov 1939, due to cruel and inhuman treatment. Bessie then reverted back to the surname Ryan.
Bessie once again returned to work in the finishing room at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill as a burler. Mill records show her employment in various periods from 1924-1947 and her wage as $0.40 an hour. According to her oral history however, she remained at the mill until it closed around 1951.
On March 1, 1958, in Marion County, Bessie married widower James Henry Vohs, a printer from Portland. They lived at 1564 Ferry St. until his death on 26 Sep 1967. He was buried next to his first wife, Narmatta Vohs, at Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Mausoleum.
Bessie lived until the age of 92, passing away on 13 Sep 1987, in Salem. She was buried in the City View Cemetery with her parents, Andrew and Martha Ettner. Her daughter, Barbara, lived to 95 and passed away on 4 Jan 2023. She was buried in Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, OR. |
| Census Records |
1900 Bessie Ettner – Age: 5, Birth Date: Jan 1895, Birthplace: Missouri, Home in 1900: Hudson, Macon, Missouri, Race: White, Gender: Female, Relation to Head of House: Daughter, Marital Status: Single, Father’s Name: Andrew Ettner, Father’s Birthplace: Austria, Mother’s Name: Martha Ettner, Mother’s Birthplace: Bulgaria. Household members: Andrew Ettner (33), Martha Ettner (27), Herbert Herboldt (15) (brother to Martha), William Ettner (7), Bessie (5)
1910 Bessie Ettner – Age in 1910: 15, Birth Date: 1895, Birthplace: Missouri, Home in 1910: S 18th St, Salem, Marion, Oregon, Race: White, Gender: Female, Relation to Head of House: Daughter, Marital Status: Single, Father’s Birthplace: Germany, Mother’s Birthplace: Germany, Native Tongue: English, Attended School: Y, Able to read: Y, Able to Write: Y. Household members: Andrew Ettner (47), Martha Ettner (39), William Ettner (17), Bessie (15)
1920 Bessie Ryan – Age: 24, Birth Year: abt 1896, Birthplace: Missouri, Home in 1920: Bush St, San Francisco Assembly District 30, San Francisco, California, Race: White, Gender: Female, Relation to Head of House: Wife, Marital Status: Married, Spouse’s Name: Les* Ryan, Able to Speak English: Yes, Able to read: Yes, Able to Write: Yes. Household members: Les* Ryan (26), Bessie Ryan (24)
1930 Bessie Ryan – Birth Year: abt 1895, Gender: Female, Race: White, Age in 1930: 35, Birthplace: Missouri, Marital Status: Married, Relation to Head of House: Wife, Homemaker? Yes, Home in 1930: 125 Third St, Corte Madera, Marin, California, Age at First Marriage: 20, Attended School: No, Able to Read and Write: Yes, Father’s Birthplace: Austria, Mother’s Birthplace: Germany, Able to Speak English: Yes. Household members: Lester Ryan (35), Bessie Ryan (35), Barbara Ryan (2)
1940 Bessie Ryan – Age: 45, Estimated Birth Year: abt 1895, Gender: Female, Race: White, Birthplace: Missouri, Marital Status: Divorced, Relation to Head of House: Daughter, Home in 1940: 1020 North 19 Street, Salem, Marion, Oregon, Residence in 1935: Salem, Marion, Oregon, Occupation: Seamstress Sewing Project, Industry: Power Machine W P A, Attended School or College : No, Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 8th grade, Duration of Unemployment: 130, Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in Government work, Weeks Worked in 1939: 16, Income: 248, Income Other Sources: No. Household members: Martha Ettner (67), Bessie Ryan (45), Barbara Ryan (12)
1950 Bessie E Ryan – Age: 55, Birth Date: abt 1895, Gender: Female, Race: White, Birth Place: Missouri, Marital Status: Widowed, Relation to Head of House: Head, Home in 1950: 1564 16th St, Salem, Marion, Oregon, Apartment Number: W, Occupation: Baby Sitter, Occupation Category: Working, Hours Worked: 40, Worker Class: Private. Household members: Bessie E Ryan (55) |
