Ammon's Story

Ammon was born 14 Oct 1879 in Lowelville, Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania; tenth of eleven children. In the 1880 census for Mahoning, PA Ammon is listed as an infant less than one year old and the youngest of ten children living with their parents on a farm.

In the 1900 census for the 5th Precinct, 20th Ward, of Baltimore City twenty year old Ammon, single and a broom maker, resides with his widowed father and sister Eva in a rented home at 1738 Lexington Street. Curiously, Ammon's birthday is recorded as November 1880. The rented house was shared with John F. Stidman (a wire goods maker), his wife Rosa Ripple Stidman (Ammon's sister), and their two children.

Ammon first appears in the Baltimore City Directory in 1902 as a broom maker living at 1029 S Paca Street along with his father and brother Sidney.

Ammon Ripple (22) and Kate Smith (18) were married January 27, 1902 in Baltimore City by David J. Neely, Minister of the Gospel. According to the Baltimore City Directories of 1903-1907, Ammon continued as a broom maker at S A Ripple & Brothers, but lived with his growing family at 1028 Maldeis Street. In the 1908 Baltimore City Directory Ammon moved up to forman with his residence listed as 614 Brune Street. He is not listed in the 1909 Directory.

The 1910 census lists Ammon (30), wife Mary C, and children Ellsworth, Grace A, and John F as living in the 11th District, Brandywine, near the Cheltenham Station of PBW Rail Road on a farm that he owns. Three borders (Charles Hare, August "Goose" Sevairt, William F Watson) and two laborers (Frances "Frank" Downey, 44, and Edward Richards) are also included in the household. Ammon is a broom maker; two of the borders work at the broom factory as foremen (Charles and "Goose") and one is a carpenter (Watson, 63); the two laborers work the farm to produce the broom straw for the factory.

In 1910 the Baltimore City Directory lists Ammon as a broom maker residing at 1033 S Paca Street. (When the Cheltenham factory was periodically burned down by those employed there, he would return to the Baltimore factory.) From 1911 on Ammon is listed as foreman or manager of the Cheltenham branch of the broom manufacturing business.

In September 1918 Ammon's military registration shows that he is 38, married, and born 14 Oct 1879. His occupation is broom manufacturer. He's tall and stout, with dark hair and gray eyes.

The 1920 census shows Ammon (40) and Mary C. (36) have seven children (ages 1 to 17) and one lodger, B. Franklin Downey (54). Ammon manages the broom factory while Mr. Downey is a forman there. The family resides on the farm which they own.

Ammon, Kate, Dot, Kate, Mimi, Grace and their auto

The 1930 census shows Ammon (50) is still manufacturing brooms at the broom factory on the farm that he owns. All eight children are living at home. Two sons Ellsworth (27) and Franklin (21) work at the broom factory with their father. Frank Downey (65) continues to board with the family and now has the role of corn sorter at the broom factory.

The Baltimore City Directories of 1936 and 1937 list Ammon as Vice President of S A Ripple & Bros, broom manufacturers. By 1942 the business was being run by sons of the original brothers.

By the 1940 census Ammon (60) and Mary C (56) have four children at home and no boarders: Mary Catherine (29, typist at a wholesale tire office), Doris (23, typist for the Red Cross), Roland (21, broom maker at the broom factory), and Robert (16 in high school). The family continues to reside on the farm raising broom straw and making brooms at the factory, but Ammon is not listed as working. Ammon had six years of schooling and wife "Kate" had four. They own their home valued at $5,000 and farm.

(a) Ammon in backyard of farmhouse in Cheltenham (b) With grandson Mike Lyons (c) Fishing on his boat

In 1942 Ammon registered in the Fourth Registration (the old man's registration) for World War II. His residence is Cheltenham with a telephone number of Brandywine 2342. He was born in Lowelville, PA on 14 October 1879. He is 5'9" tall and weighs 220 lbs with gray eyes, gray hair, and a ruddy complexion. He is 62 and "unemployed".

Ammon enjoyed farming and driving his tractor, and was considered an expert fisherman. After Ammon's death at home in late 1942 his wife "Kate" continued to live out her life in the house on the farm where she had raised her family of eight children and where the last five children were born. Sundays were a day for much of the family to visit and Independence Day usually saw a family reunion with a large picnic under the sycamore trees followed by fireworks in the evening.

(a) The family farmhouse before remodeling (b) Back of house (c) Before house was sold in 1976. Bob and Roland would jump over the two large spruce trees when they were young.

The farm house with a wrap around porch was outfitted with indoor plumbing, running water and electricity somewhere along the way. A garage was built for the cars, then a second one that was later extended to allow for longer cars. The two-seat outhouse remained for the kids to use at large family gatherings (after some of the spiders were removed). As the barns aged they were eventually torn down. When the adjacent two-lane road (U.S. Route 301) became a dual lane highway in the 1950s, some of the farmland was sold to make way for the roadway and to provide gravel fill for the road bed. The broom factory was demolished to make way for the highway which now crosses directly over where the factory stood. After Kate's passing in 1974 the house and property had several owners before it caught fire and burned to the ground. The new Cheltenham Post Office now sits on the site where the house once stood.

Ammon and Kate are buried in a family plot at Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore in the Beechwood Section, Lot 131. Four spaces are still available within the family plot.

Ammon was buried in a family plot at Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore in the Beechwood Section. Kate was later laid to rest beside him.