Bessie Ettner  [Ryan, Fisher, Vohs]

Job Title(s)

Shuttle changer, Weaver, Burler

Dates of Employment

c. 1905-1915, 1931-1951

Last Name Ettner     [Ryan, Fisher, Vohs]
First Name Bessie
Middle Name Elizabeth
Born 25 Jan 1895 in Macon City, Macon, Missouri
Home Addresses (Salem) 475 S 18th (parents’ residence)

1030 N 19th St

1584 Ferry St

Died 13 Sep 1987 in Salem, Marion, Oregon
Place Buried City View Cemetery in Salem, Oregon
Spouse 1st – Lester Milton Ryan (1894-1959)

2nd – Anton F Fisher (1881-1965)

3rd – James Henry Vohs (1889-1967)

Date of Marriage 1st – Mar 1915 in San Francisco, CA (divorced 1934)

2nd – 25 Aug 1934 in Seattle, WA (divorced 1939)

3rd – 1 Mar 1958 in Salem, OR (widowed 1967)

Children Barbara Adele Ryan [Elphick, Hokkanen] (1927-2023)
Dates of Employment 1905-1915 & 1931-1951
Job(s) at TKWM Shuttle Changer, Weaver, Burler
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.

References
Name Remarks
Salem City Directories 1905 – Ettner Bessie, weaver TKWM Co, bds 475 S 18th (parent’s res)

1911 – Ettner Bessie, weaver TKWM Co, bds 475 S 18th (parent’s res)

1915 – Ettner Bessie E, weaver TKWM Co, rms 475 S 18th (parent’s res)

1971 – Vohs Bessie E (wid James H), retd, h 1564 Ferry St SE

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)

WW1 Draft Registration Lester Milton Ryan – Race: Caucasian (White), Marital Status: Married, Birth Date: 18 Jun 1894, Birth Place: Oregon, USA, Residence Date: 1917-1918, Street Address: 465 Costa Rica Ave., San Mateo County, California, USA, Physical Build: Stout, Height: Short, Hair Color: Dark Brown, Eye Color: Gray
County Marriage Record Bessie Ryan – Marriage Date  25 Aug 1934, Marriage Place: Seattle, King, Washington, USA, Spouse: Anton Fisher

Bessie E Ryan – Race: White, Age: 63, Birth Date: 1895, Birth Place: Macon, Missouri, Marriage Date: 1 Mar 1958, Marriage Place: Salem, Marion, Oregon, USA, Father: Andrew Ettner, Mother: Martha Herboldt,

Spouse : James Henry Vohs, File Number 666541

Oregon Death Index Bessie E Vohs – Age: 92, Birth Date: 25 Jan 1895, Death Date: 13 Sep 1987, Death Place: Marion, Spouse: James, Certificate: 87-17375
Find-a-Grave Bessie Elizabeth Ettner Vohs – Birth: 25 Jan 1895 Macon, Macon County, Missouri, USA, Death: Sep 1987 (aged 92), Salem, Marion County, Oregon, USA, Burial: City View Cemetery, Salem, Marion County, Oregon, USA,  Show Map GPS-Latitude: 44.92057, Longitude: -123.0511079, Plot: Section A, Memorial ID: 50376568
Digital Newspapers San Francisco Chronicle 27 Mar 1915, pg. 8 – Marriage Licenses

The Capital Journal 28 Feb 1934, pg. 7 – Filed for Divorce

Oregon Statesman 1 Mar 1934, pg. 3 – Wants Divorce

Oregon Statesman 18 May 1941, pg. 5 – Cut in Fall

Oregon Statesman 25 Jul 1948, pg. 10 – Miss Ryan to Wed Today

The Capital Journal 26 Feb 1958, pg. 5 – Marriage Licenses

The Capital Journal 28 Sep 1967, pg. 12 – James H. Vohs Obituary

Statesman Journal 15 Sep 1987, pg. 10 – Bessie E. Vohs Obituary

Statesman Journal 15 Jan 2023, pg. C7 – Barbara Adele Obituary

WHC Materials MMMA 017

M3 1994-016-0002     Oral History (Vohs, Bessie Ryan)