Ryerson, Joseph Turner, 1813-1839.

The history of the Ryerson family in Chicago began when twenty-nine year old Joseph Turner Ryerson (1813-1883) arrived in the city on November 1, 1842. The youngest of ten children, Joseph Ryerson had been educated at the Quaker Classical and Mathematical Schools in Philadelphia. At the age of seventeen he took a position as a clerk in a business firm and his training in business continued until he decided to go west in 1842. His first Chicago venture was a joint one with the son of an old Philadelphia acquaintance, but Joseph soon bought out his partner, and the hardware firm of "Blaikie & Ryerson" became "J. T. Ryerson." Joseph married Ellen Larned in 1848 and his business prospered until his warehouse and stores, as well as all his family's personal property, were destroyed in the 1871 Chicago Fire. In the post-fire years, he reestablished his business with considerable success. He also devoted himself to recording the history of his family, particularly the life of his father, Thomas Ryerson (1754-1832), whose memoirs had been destroyed in the fire. Thomas Ryerson had fought in the Revolutionary War, then engaged in West Indian trade, initiated the settlement of Western Pennsylvania under the auspices of Robert Morris (financier and delegate to the Constitutional Convention) and established a successful hardware business in Philadelphia.

Edward L. Ryerson, Sr. (1854-1928) was the youngest son of Joseph and Ellen Ryerson. He was educated in Chicago and at Yale University. In 1876, immediately after graduation, Edward joined the family firm, henceforth known as "J. T. Ryerson & Son, Iron Merchants and Special Agents." Since his brother Arthur had chosen law as his profession, Edward assumed primary responsibility for the growth of the family business after his father's death. In 1879 Edward married Mary Pringle Mitchell, daughter of Donald Grant Mitchell (1822-1908) the noted New England essayist and lecturer who wrote under the name of "Ik Marvel." Edward Ryerson continued his father's interest in family history and was prominent in a number of civic organizations. He died in 1928.

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