RYAN, Della and Lenore (Clay County, KS)

DELLA and LENORA RYAN

IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO: "Della and Lenora Ryan"
PHOTO TAKEN: Ringer Studio and others, Baldwin KS, circa 1904
PURCHASED: sent to me by Ms. Kleppinger; friends of her grandmother

A follower of this blog recently sorted through photos left by her grandmother and found several identified ones of people not related to her family. These were her friends and classmates in the early 1900's in mostly Kansas and Iowa. Ms. Kleppinger was very generous in gifting these to me, so I could start the research on them, and hopefully re-unite some of them with their families.

A second photo of Della is shown at right.

These two lovely young ladies are known to have attended the wedding of Miss Flora Ream (my friend's grandmother) in Topeka KS in 1913.

These sisters are daughters of Rev. Joseph Mason Ryan (1853-1932) and Clara Louise Lapham (1859-1925). 

1895 Kansas State Census > Clay > Clay Center
RYAN, J.M., 41, born in IN, came here from Iowa, teamster
RYAN, Clara, 35, born in Wis, came here from Wis, housewife
RYAN, A.L., 16, m, born in KS, at school
RYAN, Hattie, 11, f, born in KS, at school
RYAN, Della, 9 f, born in KS, at school
RYAN, Nora (Lenora), 7, f, born in KS, at school

I find these two on the 1905 Kansas State Census in Clay County. Della Ryan is 20 and Lenora Ryan is 18. 

In late June 1913, the Misses Della and Lenora Ryan went to Topeka to attend the wedding of Florence Ream. Florence was a daughter of Reverend TJ Ream. I believe it is likely that the families knew each other, that Florence's father was an acquaintance of Rev. Joseph Ryan, and may explain the connection, and why Florence possessed photographs of the Ryan girls. This newspaper insert was located in the 24 June 1913 edition of the newspaper "Dispatch-Republican" of Clay Center Kansas.

Mary Della Ryan attended Smith College (Class of 1919) earning a BA degree.

June 1922 Lenore Maude Ryan, at that time a teacher residing in Berkeley California, married Constantine Panunzio (born in Italy, 1885-1964, to parents Nicole Panunzio and Angela DeFelice), a professor at Willamette University, Salem Oregon. They divorced in 1936. Lenore Panunzio died in 1968 and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego.

(Click any image for larger version)

Della never married, and died at age 69 on Mar 25, 1955. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Clay Center KS.