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James Ryder James Ryder, known as "Uncle Jim", was a servant in the employ of J.B. McDougall.
In the local records his surname is spelled two ways - Ryder and Rider. The 1880 census for Blue Springs, Missouri (a few miles east of Kansas City), James was a farmer, aged 28 and married to Ann, aged 25, with three children - Mary, 4; Sallie, 3; and James, 1. The Ryder family came to Denison, Grayson Co., Texas from Missouri sometime after the 1880 census was taken and before the 1885 since his daughters were listed as students in the Denison colored school.  The 1887 Denison City Directory lists James twice, once under each surname spelling. "James Ryder" - cook, rooming with Nancy Mims, a colored woman, at 114 West Walker; and as "James Rider" - dish washer at Bon Ton Restaurant, unless this was his 8-year-old son. In the 1898-1899 Denison City Directory, James and his youngest daughter, Sallie, are listed as living in the same house. His wife, Ann, was probably deceased by 1898 and the other two children may have left Denison, as both were over the age of 18 by then.  In the 1900 Denison census and the 1901 Denison City Directory James Rider is listed as residing at 722 N. Rusk Avenue and working as a hostier at the McDougall Laundry. Daughter Sallie is listed separately with the surname spelling "Ryder", boarding at 223 West Walker. Beginning in 1907 James' address is the same as the McDougall family on Morton Street. The 1907 City Directory lists him as a laborer living with the McDougall family at 412 West Morton. In the 1910 census, Ryder (widowed, black male, born Georgia ca1859) is listed living with the McDougall family at 410 West Morton.  In the fall of 1919 James "Rider" was severely injured in a horse runaway. He survived the accident for more than two months since he is listed in the 1920 census, enumerated on January 20, as James Ryder, 72 year old black male servant born in Missouri. The Denison Herald
Monday, October 27, 1919 NEGRO BADLY HURT IN RUN-AWAY ACCIDENT R.B. Ellis was painfully bruised and James Rider, an aged Negro, severely injured this morning when a horse belonging to J.B. McDougall and driven by Rider, ran away, throwing the occupants of a vehicle to the pavement in the 200 block North Rusk Avenue. Mr. Ellis was en route to the McDougall home to repair a lock and while driving along Rusk avenue a shaft came loose on the vehicle causing the horse to become frightened and run away. Mr. Ellis was thrown from the vehicle and badly bruised as he fell to the pavement but was able to walk to a physician's office to have injuries treated. Rider was unconscious when picked up by several persons who saw the accident. He was believed at first to be fatally injured but after receiving first aid treatment was able with assistance to walk to a physician's automobile and was taken to the McDougall home for further treatment. The horse ran south on Rusk avenue, freeing himself from the vehicle when it struck a Ford car in front of the electric shop of Mr. Ellis at 113 North Rusk avenue. The horse ran several blocks before being caught. The vehicle was badly damaged. James
Ryder died sometime between January 20, 1920 and his employer's death
sometime in October 1920. According to J.B. McDougall's 1920
obituary, his daughter-in-law felt that the Centurion had died as a
result of grieving over the sudden death of his body servant, Uncle
Jim. Possibly the age of Mr. McDougall required him to have
"Uncle Jim" as a body servant to help with his daily and physical needs.   Biography Index African American Biography Index Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |